“So… heavy,” Leena muttered, her eyes opening up very slowly and her body feeling as if it were weighed down by a two-ton coach. She could feel the natural curves of her body being comfortably cushioned by what she assumed was a very large bed, but her body still felt heavy, stiff, and exhausted. Leena did not sleep well. A nightmare? That was her first instinct, yet she did not wake in the frightened state she usually woke up in. Instead, her mind was clouded by confusion, still deciding whether what she saw was a dream or not.

After some time, her eyes had finally opened completely, and she stretched her arms and legs out, shaking and groaning as she did. That weight on her body was stretched out and was slightly relieved, making Leena sink into the mattress below her. Her face melted into pleasure and comfort, and for a moment, she questioned whether or not she’d skip work that day.

“That’s odd.” Leena didn’t recognize the ceiling, now tilting her head and raising her eyebrow really high up, almost like a character from a picture book. The ceiling above her was adorned with royal insignias of gold, and it was really high up. The rest of it is made of marble. Surely this was a trick of the mind; she must have been delirious after waking up in such a way, she reasoned. Leena sat up now, shrugging it off.

“Leena Riella. It would seem that you have awoken,” A woman at the edge of her bed said. She spoke in a soft and mature tone, which did nothing to deter the panic that Leena felt washing over her. Leena launched her hands forward and grabbed onto her sheets, kicking off of the mattress and leaning against the wall. Fear paralyzed her, gripping her tongue tightly, enveloping her shaking body.

“Who are you?! Where am I?!” Leena shouted. Leena looked around. The ceiling wasn’t the only thing that was fancy. The room she was in was large, gorgeous, and unlike anything Leena had ever seen. The panic she was feeling grew more potent by the second.

The woman looked up at her. The woman herself was beautiful with tanned skin, light blue hair and eyes, and blue scales of the same color running down the exterior edges of her arm. She wore what looked to be a maids uniform, but it was larger and fancier, with the shoulders removed and a gold and white cloak being thrown over her shoulders. The woman tilted her head and raised her eyebrow high up, just like Leena had previously done.

“I thought you were informed.” The woman told her. “Did Ms. Remus not tell you?”

“What are you talking about?! Someone, help!” Leena shouted, begging for someone in the streets to hear. Surely, a “valiant” knight of Leroy would come bursting into this strange room to save her, Leena kept telling herself, trying to remain as calm as possible in such a situation. Several knights came bursting into the room, yet this only confused Leena more and more.

The knights were much taller than an average knight, and they wore large silver and gold armor, all with long blue capes clipped to their shoulders. On the back of their capes, they had the same insignia on the ceiling. Leena knew instantly that these people were not knights of Leroy, let alone knights of Leopoldo.

“You called?” One of the knights asked. The maid turned to them and explained that there was a misunderstanding, speaking quickly and fluently, convincing the knights to leave. Leena had tuned out what the maid said, her mind now a tundra of doubts and worry.

“Are you going to hurt me?” Leena asked, slowly dropping the blanket from around her chest. The maid smiled a wide and warm smile at Leena, giving a slight nod to her and standing up straight now, whereas before, she was kneeling.

“I will never hurt you, Leena.” The maid told her. “It is my duty to serve you. Well, not until after the coronation. Then it will officially be my duty.”

“What? I don’t understand what you’re talking about.” Leena pleaded. “Please. Just tell me where I am.”

“Why, you are in Onyxbow, Leena?” The maid chuckled. “Did Ms. Remus really not tell you? I should speak to her about that. Well, I won’t be able to until after the coronation. I am truly just an ordinary maid until then.”

“‘Coronation?’ You haven’t explained anything,” Leena told her.

“She passed out before I could tell her anything, maid.” They both heard a voice coming from the door frame. Standing under it was the same gorgeous woman in Leena’s dream, letting her know it was real. The armored woman with the silver hair approached them, standing beside the maid with her arms crossed, looking down at Leena with a spiteful look.

“I thought you said--earlier--that you told her.” The maid asked the armored woman. The armored woman looked over at her and shot her a nasty look, causing the maid to recoil and step back.

“I fed her the typical line. But, after that, she fainted,” the armored woman said. Her voice was very feminine and soothing, and at the same time, she spoke so maturely, so powerfully. It almost inspired Leena to be more sure of herself, to be more confident as she felt she deserved. There was something reassuring about the armored woman’s tone, even if her face grimaced and furrowed. Leena knew she was strong.

“My apologies, Ms. Remus. I wasn’t aware that she had fainted so soon after.” The maid bowed. The armored woman raised her hand, putting the maid at ease and stepping up to the bed.

“Leena. I am Annette Remus, Vice General of Onyxbow.” Annette, the armored woman, told her, placing her hand over her heart. “I know you are a human and may not be aware of this place. Onyxbow is the nation of dragons. Surely, you have heard of dragons?”

“‘The nation of dragons?’” Leena asked. “I-I have heard of dragons. Everyone has. We are told that dragons are powerful creatures, almost divinely powerful. There were rumors of a nation of them, but nothing was ever confirmed.”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“You seem to be more at ease now by the sound of your voice. Good. Have you come to terms with the fact that you will be our queen, then?” Annette asked. “I hope this means you won’t faint.”

“No!” Leena suddenly threw her blanket on the ground, jumping to the floor and backing up against the wall. Annette and the maid watched the spectacle. “I get it! This isn’t Leopoldo! This isn’t Leroy! Fine! I can accept that the rumors are true, that dragons come from this nation. But I don’t understand! That dream, it was real. You said I would be the queen of this place. But, why?”

“The Observer chose you. That is all.” Annette answered. “It will all make sense. Soon, I hope. Though it will not go smoothly with the rest of this nation. Dragons despise humanity.”

The room had gone quiet now. Annette and the maid stared at Leena, both of them with worry in their eyes, worried for the future of their nation. Leena’s face fell to her palms, and she slid to the ground, sitting there in silence for a few minutes. The two women standing away from her, staring at her, refused to move until she did. After some more time of idle silence, Leena looked up from her palms at the two women, her eyes exhausted and weary. She finally stood up from the ground.

Leena now sat on her bed, looking up at the ceiling that was now full of color, covered by countless Onyxbow insignias and made of marble. It was more colorful now than when she had woken up. Or was that just in her head? She wondered.

It all felt fake to her like this wasn’t her reality, like this was just a dream. Leena wrapped her hands around both of her biceps, feeling the cold from her palms, watching her hairs rise and the goosebumps form. She squeezed tightly, feeling her skin and the meat of her arms pressing down, watching her skin stretch and twist. Leena felt it all; she felt the bed comforting her curves, she felt the light breeze coming from the large windows beside her that were slightly open, and she could feel the watchful eyes of the two women.

“What do I do?” Leena asked. “What am I supposed to do now?”

“Now, the maid here will dress you and prepare you to meet the others in the throne room. You will meet your Royal Four, and then the coronation will begin. The Royal Four, and the others present, will explain the situation better than I ever could. I can offer you some bits of information, so you don’t go in completely unprepared, though.”

“Please, then. Tell me what you can.” Leena turned to Annette, smiling slightly, trying her best to be kind. Leena’s voice betrayed her. Her voice was monotone and showed exhaustion and disbelief. Annette and the maid knew that Leena was still confused, still afraid of everyone that was around her. They gave her more time than they were supposed to, and even then, their future queen was still not ready to move on. Before Annette began, Leena turned away, not wanting to be distracted.

“The Observer of the Blind Eye is our prophet. He is an ancient dragon that lives in the mountains, and he tells us our future, aids our churches, and chooses the next queen when the previous one passes.” Annette explained. “The Observer’s knowledge and wisdom are absolute, and he is as old as Onyxbow herself. You were chosen some weeks ago, but I was ordered to retrieve you yesterday. I am afraid that you can’t refuse this. Only by death may a queen leave her position.”

“So, this ‘Observer’ guy chose me? Why? I’m a human. I was raised in Leopoldo. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I imagine a nation of dragons is ruled by a dragon.”

“You are correct. Since the birth of this nation, only dragons have ruled. You are the first foreigner chosen.” Annette continued. “However, The Observer chose you not by personal favor but by fate. He observes and reads that same fate, telling the future in his own way. The Observer decides the destiny of Onyxbow. It is your destiny to rule us. And it is our duty to follow his prophecies.”

“Then, why doesn’t he rule?” Leena asked. “It seems like he makes all the rules.”

“He does not.” Annette corrected. “The Observer is simply a prophet, not a monarch or politician. He lives alone and away from Onyxbow’s mainland, and he is not fit to make political decisions. Telling the future, giving advice, and choosing the next queen? Yes. Ruling? Not so much. That is the culture of us dragons, a culture we have followed for countless centuries. One may consider his duty to be a political one, but it truly is not. Not to us.”

“I’m beginning to understand.” Leena shrugged, letting out a long sigh. “A nobody like me was chosen to rule. It’s even worse since I am not a dragon.”

“Perhaps the priestess will give you more information. Get ready, Leena. Later today you will be crowned Queen of the Dragons.” Annette turned around, her long blue cape flapping behind her, dancing in the slight breeze that was in the room, following behind her as she left the chambers. Her metal footsteps vanished, and Leena sat there alone with the maid.

Leena continued to look ahead and question everything and everyone in her mind. I am nothing special. So, why me? Why was I chosen to rule the dragon queendom? Leena thought to herself.

“How can I not have a choice?” Leena asked the maid, finally turning to face her. The maid’s eyes widened; she was shocked by this question; she didn’t know how to answer it. The maid looked around like a child looking for an adult to help them. The maid sighed and took a deep breath in, giving the best answer she could think of.

“In our culture, having a queen is absolute.” The maid told her at last. “For a queen to deny her responsibility--I don’t even want to think of the ramifications. If you turn your back on the throne, you turn your back on an entire queendom that needs you. The Observer refuses to announce the next queen until the previous one dies, afraid that people would take advantage of the next monarch to gain favor after she is crowned. Until you die, he won’t tell us who the next is; Onyxbow will be without a ruler.”

“Even if I turn my back on the throne? Even if I refuse to become the dragon queen? The Observer still wouldn’t announce the next queen?”

“He wouldn’t. If you return to Leopoldo, we will be without a queen until your death. Our culture demands it to be this way.” The maid turned away from her. “Everyone is against you becoming the queen because you are a human. Myself included. But, now, I pity you. In truth, there is no legislation stating that you can’t refuse the throne. So, the decision is yours.”

“‘The decision?’” Leena looked up at her. The maid turned her head slightly, making eye contact just barely. The maid spoke with a powerful wind picking up her hair, creating a spike and flash of magical energy.

“Serve humans. Or rule dragons. The choice is yours, Leena Riella."