Meraxes walked through the most beautiful streets of Artemia carrying some books, it was truly stimulating to be able to read again, although now her human body needed those uncomfortable crystals in front of her eyes to do it well. She was heading to the palace to fulfill her part of the bargain; she would teach Princess Erifreya everything a dragon should know. That of course included the long history of her race, it had taken her weeks to find the volumes she herself had written over three hundred years ago. These ignorant humans considered them fairy tales. What a lack of respect.

Her blue dress was already too old to continue wearing it, but now that she was a countess she could send other humans to make her new outfits like that long dress she was wearing, she had been told it was too conservative, old-fashioned, as if she cared about their opinion. She had a maid again to comb her long black hair into a bun the way she liked it, not that she liked being human, but it had its advantages. Of course, she also had annoyances like not being able to say her own name, they didn't even call her Meraxes like the humans of thousands of years ago, she was called Countess Meracina of Cormin. And although she lived in a very beautiful house and near the palace, having to walk was a nuisance.

Except maybe... for the flowers. For a dragon as big as she was, flowers hardly existed, she could only enjoy them in remote valleys where they grew by the thousands, in Artemia, almost every house had flower pots full of flowers, they were so colorful and fragrant that they made it all worthwhile.

She walked with her head held high, looking at the path above all, she had lost the habit of walking with those shoes, human customs were strange, often useless, but she was grateful to have a way to look a little taller, feeling so small was one of the worst parts of the deal. Along with the fear she had of the sky, she knew she was in the safest fortress of humans, but if the prince, or worse, the king, came looking for her...

People looked at her as she passed, she liked that, she had chosen that body centuries ago and knew it was beautiful, she would keep it young as long as she used it, she could do it for many years, and thanks to the princess perhaps indefinitely. For Meraxes had taught her mistress to stop her voracity, and even better, to give her a spark of her own fire, completely renewing her flame. When she grew up, that girl would be the perfect dragon queen, her faithful would be the strongest and most loyal thanks to that power, but for now that privilege belonged only to her. And what she would do with that infinite fire would be to have a young and beautiful human body.

The heels of her shoes were already echoing on the marble of the palace entrance when the princess approached her running in the company of that peasant brat, and apparently this time they had brought more, unacceptable.

"Miss Erifreya please, you can't expect to share your lessons with commoners every time" she lowered her head and adjusted her glasses "it's not worthy of a princess."

"But Mikorin and Koro can't read either, and we really like your stories, Lady Mera," she always said her name with that smile, she had some unknown power, she was sure; anyway, she couldn't refuse a request from her mistress, her nature wouldn't allow it, well, at least they were interested in the glorious history of dragons.

"Mph, whatever. But remember, miss, that they must behave and pay attention just like you. If they are going to participate, they will do the homework too."

Her responsibilities had grown with the needs of Mistress Erifreya, she had to teach her not only about her dragon nature, but also human customs, she was teaching her to read, then she was thinking about mathematics, history, and the nature of the world itself, subjects she knew not only from her years among humans, but also from her very long life, for her, King Alistor was a child, not very different from the mistress or her friends. The young lady, as it had seemed appropriate to call her, learned quickly and enthusiastically, she was not so sure about the other children, that is, they came with a genuine desire to learn, but especially the boy, what could a simple stable boy achieve no matter how much he read?

She ushered the children into the small office that had been assigned to her, well, it was only small compared to the other large rooms in the palace, but it had a large window so that the light illuminated it most of the day. Her tired eyes were grateful for it. She had them sit on the beautiful carpet with dragon-shaped embroidery that she had commissioned and began the lesson.

"Today, we are going to remember the story of the origin of the dragon race, dragons are the most powerful creatures not only on the continent of Nuerin, but in the whole world, we are... That is, they are in this world to bear witness to the omnipresent power of the creator gods, and to take care of the world from any race whose power grows too much and endangers it. Even from themselves. They are the will of balance made flesh and fire."

Eri looked at her with fascinated eyes, the young lady possessed the pride of a dragon.

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"Lady Mera, what does 'testinomy' mean?" the young lady asked.

"And what does 'continent' mean?" added the brat.

"And 'omipresent'?" said the little weepy girl timidly.

There was no remedy, in order to teach them everything she wanted she had to go little by little. She spent the whole lesson time teaching them words and answering their curious questions, even some about her, for some reason they wanted to know how old she was, if she had a husband, or if she liked honey sweets, the answers could not always be honest, but she had prepared them; she was thirty-two, she had been married to a count but he had passed away, and no, honey seemed cloying to her.

Almost at noon, she let the children go back to their homes, but she reminded Miss Erifreya that she had to come back later for her flying lesson.

"But Mrs. Mera," she replied, she hardly ever did, "today we have a party with Grandpa, with cake. You can come if you want."

A banquet at the palace. That she could enjoy, the nobles were much more interesting than the children or the commoners. Surely she had been invited, it happened to her sometimes, she ignored most of the mail she received.

"That seems appropriate, miss, come early to your lesson so we can go to the celebration on time."

"Okay," she smiled at her again, what an unbearable feeling it gave her every time. "Can Koro come see? And Mikorin?"

"It's okay, miss," how could she avoid it anyway? "Now go have lunch, your parents are waiting for you."

When she was alone, she sat in the elegant chair behind the desk and lifted her dress to look at the shackle on her ankle, that elf, Runa, had agreed to give her at least the form of a fine anklet that her husband had forged himself. It looked elegant on her leg and so no one would have reason to suspect, but it did not stop reminding her that she was ultimately a prisoner. She had given up the freedom of the skies for a few years of luxury and nostalgia. It wasn't that big of a deal, twenty years were insignificant compared to the eternity she had lived and still had to live, in fact, the only thing she really missed was the sky. She had really felt like air in a bottle without being able to flap her wings and take flight.

She left her books in the office, it would be some time before she really needed them, but she didn't want to carry them home anymore, she was glad to see that humans kept her words after three hundred years. Not that they were the originals, no book lasted that long, but they brought back memories of a time when her prison had been her own curiosity and desire.

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Since his father had returned with a head injury several months ago, little Koro had seen his life change a lot, for the better, he thought. The first time his father told him "Go play with the princess, Koro" he thought he was kidding, Artemia was a city where everyone got along, but even there the children of the nobles had never wanted to play with him. A princess was too far from his position; but Eri had taken him away to play hide-and-seek, his surprise had been greater than the pain in his arm.

Now he and many other children shared the princess's life, he was going to learn to read, no less, other children only learned their parents' trade, but he could do math, it would be very helpful in the royal stables, maybe he could be head groom someday.

Now she had invited him to see how she learned to fly, because Eri was not only the princess, she was a dragon, you couldn't be more amazing than her. Besides, she was very sweet and affectionate, not to mention pretty.

Eri's ins...ti...tu...trix wouldn't let her jump off high places, instead, she would plant her on the ground and forbid her to walk or jump.

"Miss Erifreya! You are not a simple bird, nor a vulgar insect, do not move your wings like them, now, again! You don't fly with your feet but with your wings."

Eri had to flap very hard, over and over again, if she moved too fast Mrs. Meracina would scold her, sometimes it seemed like it was going to work, Eri would separate a little from the ground. How strange, how did the countess know how to fly?

"Eri you can do it!" Mikorin shouted at her, she never shouted, except when they were with Eri. Koro felt he had to shout too.

"Stronger Eri! Stronger!"

Eri's wings flapped hard three times in a row, she lifted off the ground almost like a jump, but without moving her feet, then fell sitting down breathing hard. But with a huge smile.

"Yes! I did it! Koro, Mikorin, I did it!"

Koro and Mikorin ran to hug her even though the teacher was not very pleased. They laughed for a while and Eri continued practicing until it was time for the party. Eri was going to celebrate her birthday for the first time.

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What was a birthday?

Mom and Dad were very happy even though the party was for her, Koro said that a birthday was celebrated every year, to celebrate the day a person was born, but Eri was as old as the fingers on her hand according to Mrs. Mera, why had she never had a cake, a party and so many gifts before? They were more than the day they gave her her name.

Eri had asked that everyone be there, for her who had lived all her life alone her greatest treasure was her friends, they had not been able to invite every person Eri visited but at least all her friends and family were there, even the fat king and Mrs. Queen had come from afar. They had given her lots of honey candy, dresses and toys that didn't look new, but were very pretty.

Since the day Dad found her in the small world she shared only with the doorman, many things had happened, she had met many people, seen incredible places, learned a lot and even talked to fairies. She had tasted cake, and soon she would learn to fly. The adults talked about how she was going to be very important, Eri didn't understand, but she wanted to help, be great like Dad, smart like Mom, and learn everything there was in the world, everything, without ceasing to be herself.

End of Part 1.

Epilogue.

A few months later. In Koro's dad's stable, a white foal was born from Moonlight, Mom's horse. It was Eri's belated birthday present, but didn't anyone notice that it had a small horn on its forehead?