Aoi Sora va'Theon, Daughter of the Sky, fifth Empress of Arcadia, and Queen of the Dragonkins was sitting in her office reading reports that piled up during her absence and she was confused. The pile of papers on her desk was so outrageously tall that she felt betrayed. Her situation wasn't even remotely as confusing as a single report currently in her hands. Floriana Sa'vis, daughter of Elder Loriana, was sitting in the chair in front of her. Floriana was a few years older than Aoi and was the rare example of a Dragonkin whom the youngest Empress really trusted. Loriana always tried to protect Aoi or at least Aoi wanted to remember that feeling about the current mayor of the Dragonkin Village. Loriana’s daughter was also kind to her which often caused her own troubles with the other kids who used to bully Aoi. After luck smiled upon Aoi, she wanted to, somehow, repay their kindness and appointed Floriana as one of her secretaries. She was directly responsible for updating Aoi on the current affairs of her people. As one of the Empresses of Arcadia, she couldn't be solely focused on the Dragonkins who, as a people, were still proving their loyalty to Arcadia. While most of her kin adapted pretty well and would soon be granted citizenship of Avalon, there always had to be something...

"I..." Aoi finally put down the report and looked helplessly at the visibly ashamed woman. "I don't understand..."

"Me either, my Lady!" Floriana replied vigorously. "However, that's their reasoning."

"They want to return to the mountains because they think that living in the city makes them..." Aoi took a deep breath, and after a moment of pointless gesticulation, she finally managed to find a fitting word. "Soft?"

Floriana slowly nodded, causing Aoi to draw a deeper breath.

"But they can level up in the Dungeon much faster than... They know it, right?"

"Yes." The black-haired woman sighed heavily and lowered her gaze.

"And everyone desires this?" Aoi couldn't fathom that idea.

"Oh, absolutely not, my Lady! It's just a minority of people! Not even two hundred and fifty of our kinsmen." Floriana quickly shook her head.

"Then why does this sound as if they speak for everyone?"

"It bothered me as well. I believe they are not being honest with Mom... I mean, with Mayor Loriana!" She quickly corrected herself and blushed in embarrassment.

"What do you think, Flora? Speak your mind." Aoi sighed and smiled encouragingly at her friend. "And drop that 'my Lady' formality when we are alone! I told you. It's me, Aoi! The same one you helped so many times!"

"I... I know..." Floriana swallowed and suddenly sighed heavily. She looked pitiful. "Everything changed so fast... I knew everything was going to change once Lord Zephyr returned and he recognised you as his descendant. Everything was so surreal. I must confess something to you." She said nervously and looked around as if she was afraid that someone could hear her. After a moment she steeled her resolve and sheepishly admitted: "Before his return, I thought that he was just a fairy tale for kids."

"Well..." Aoi awkwardly looked away. However, she decided that her friend deserved to hear the truth. "He told me about it. I mean... He knows about your doubts. But don't worry! He was extremely amused about it. He also said that he has a special place for you in his heart for what you have done for me. So you don't have to be worried about eliciting his wrath."

"Oh..." Her face was a perfect illustration of shock but, after a moment, she managed to take a deep breath and actually managed to relax. Knowing that a God you thought was just a myth suddenly appeared in front of you, most probably knowing your thoughts, was something very stressful. "It's a relief that he is not angry with me for being a disbeliever... Anyway, you are now one of the Empresses of Arcadia and I just... It's hard to see you like before, Aoi."

"Well... I can't say that I blame you or anything." Aoi sighed. "You could try a little harder when we are alone. I would appreciate that."

"I'll try..." She meekly nodded. "But no matter what you say, the girl I knew disappeared and you replaced her. You are far stronger than I thought possible. I can't promise you anything, but... I'll try...'

"Thank you, Flora." Aoi smiled and picked up the report once again.

"Ekhm..." Floriana cleared her throat and took a deep breath. "I believe that the people responsible for the petition are trying to create an impression that you agree with their position, my... Aoi. They want all of us to follow them."

"Hmmm..." Aoi drummed over her desk with her fingernails. "That's awfully sneaky for Dragonkins..."

"I agree but I don't think there’s any other explanation."

"All right." Aoi put her hands on the table and slowly stood up. "If they want to leave Avalon, I won't be holding them back. I have an idea of who these people are so I'm going to give them a nasty surprise."

"Aoi?" Luna teleported to her office with a few papers in her hand. "Oh, sorry to interrupt you, but..."

"I’m sorry, Luna!" Aoi grinned at the Kitsune. "I have important business to attend to so, if that's nothing urgent, it has to wait."

"Something happened?" Luna's left ear flickered rapidly a few times in alarm as her facial expression showed concern.

"It's nothing I can't deal with but I can't wait." Aoi waved her hand as if she was chasing off a mosquito.

"I see. If you need any help just call me." Luna nodded and left the papers on Aoi's desk. "I'll leave this here so, once you find a time to look at it, we can discuss it. Mia wants to talk about your budget as well."

"Fine..." Sensing what was in the papers brought by Luna, Aoi sighed after the Kitsune disappeared. "All right, Flora..."

Aoi put her hand on her assistant’ shoulder and they instantly moved to the town hall of the new Dragonkin village. Their arrival was met with Loriana who calmly sat behind her mayoral desk and listened to a very angry woman who was not even half the Mayor’s age. Upon seeing the arrival of her Empress, Loriana stood up and kneeled which caught the young woman by surprise.

"I see that you finally yielded, Loriana and acknowledged your place." The woman hissed with self-confidence.

"I would rather say that you have forgotten yours." Aoi's voice was cold as she tried to recognise the woman in front of her.

"Aoi?!" The woman jumped, startled by her voice.

"For you, it's Your Highness." Aoi looked at the woman as if she was some vermin. "Who are you even?"

The woman finally realised that she was stepping on very thin ice and dropped to her knees. "My name is Cortney His'na, Your Highness!"

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"What is the meaning of the outrageous behaviour I witnessed from you a moment ago?" Aoi looked at her from above with an angry and stern gaze.

"I just... I..." Cortney lowered her head.

"What's going on, Loriana?" Aoi walked towards the standing Elder.

"Miss Cortney is a very... passionate person who rather loudly advocates for the return of all of us to the mountains," Loriana explained carefully and diplomatically.

"Oh, I see." Aoi spun around with a bright smile. Her long practical blue dress swirled around her slender legs, almost hitting the still-kneeling Dragonkin straight in the face. "Miss Cortney, if you would be so kind as to inform all your collaborators that I want to address your desires publicly in an hour, I would be happy."

"Of course, Your Highness!" Cortney brightened as she quickly stood up and ran away from Loriana's office.

Once the doors closed behind the woman, the bright smile disappeared from Aoi's face and her blue eyes shone dangerously. She stared daggers at the doors after which she huffed dismissively and turned away. She took a chair in front of Loriana's desk and made an allowing gesture for the other women to sit as well.

"Loriana, I would like to address everyone, not just them. Could you gather everyone or just most of them in an hour?"

"As you wish, my Lady!" She looked at Aoi with hesitation who nodded in permission for her to leave for a moment. Once Loriana returned, she sat once again and looked at a slightly annoyed Aoi.

"Just how much trouble you have endured, Loriana, before you finally notified me about those people?" The Empress calmly asked but, just one glance at her could confirm, she was anything but calm.

"I didn't want to bother you, my Lady..."

"For Gods' sake!" Aoi interrupted her, barely raising her voice. "You were almost like a Mother to me, Loriana. You were the best teacher I ever had and I know that you have encouraged Flora to always step up in my defence." She sighed and looked at the older woman with respect. "But I'm not a weak child anymore. You don't have to entertain such antics any further. I am the Empress of Arcadia and the rightful Queen of all Dragonkins. If someone like Cortney is raising a fuss like that, direct them to me."

"I'm sorry, Lady Aoi..." Loriana raised her head and covered her face in her arms, making her grey hair flow.

"So. Tell me how bad it is?"

"It's not bad, to be honest. However, many families are unhappy with the fact that not all of them were allowed to become Dragon Riders."

Aoi waited a moment for Loriana to continue but she fell silent, making the Empress sigh.

"Oh, how typical!" Aoi angrily threw her hands in the air. "Some impatient and, most probably, talentless giant toddlers threw a tantrum and decided that if they can't be Dragon Riders right now, then no one can! When I started thinking that, maybe, my husband was a bit too harsh during our first meeting, my own people are hell-bent on proving me wrong! Ughhhhh!" She facepalmed with both her hands and dragged them down her face. She lowered her voice and twisted her face into a mocking grimace. "We could wait for a new division in the army but nooooo! We were not chosen first! Soooo... Tantrum!"

"Well... Yes. You know our people." Loriana chuckled momentarily but then was serious. "What do you plan to do with them, Lady Aoi? Banish them?"

"That depends..."

•••

Despite being called a village, the Dragonkins' enclave was a fairly large town almost to being called a city. Its status was unclear, at best, since it was located in the mountainous zone of the Righteous Dungeon. A few stories tall, stone buildings with arched rooftops and intricate detailing dominated the city. The normally bustling place was quiet because most of the people had answered Aoi's call and the town square was packed with people. A few months ago most of these people were different. They were prideful without any particular reason. They were convinced of their superiority without any basis. But now, they were changed. Their pride wasn't empty - they were skilled warriors and loyal soldiers. They rode the Dragons of Avalon and protected the Empire. Others were hardworking metalsmiths and artisans who created masterwork works of art and incredible weapons. The old times were, mostly, gone and only a few clung to abolished customs.

In one alley leading to the town square gathered a group who were, visibly, not happy with their situation. The other Dragonkins looked at them with disdain or even with open hostility. Those people were, in turn, grim and visibly unhappy. However, Aoi smiled softly because she already knew what to do with them. She didn't need to hear their reasoning or hear any outrageous demands. She knew exactly what she had to do.

"I thank you for answering my call on such short notice." She said from the Town Hall's balcony with a warm and bright smile. "I see that most of you have taken the change that happened to our lives very well. I can't praise you enough for your efforts and loyalty. I'm so proud of you all. My soldiers who bravely serve on the ships of our Navy! My craftsmen and artisans whose masterworks are already famed among the people of Arcadia!"

She paused and looked at their smiling faces and, eventually, her gaze landed on the group on the side. Aoi straightened and her cheerful smile turned serious.

"I know that some of you are not happy in the city and I can understand that. I know that some of you would like to return to the mountains and resettle in our homeland which I can understand as well." The grim group looked at her with far more friendlier gazes and even hope. "However, there is one thing I don't understand."

Her voice, while friendly and pure, was somehow colder. The people looked at each other in surprise but most of the Dragonkins looked at Courtney's group nervously.

"I was told that few of you aspired to order everyone else." Aoi's voice echoed across the plaza. "I don't remember that our ancestors allowed for such lawlessness. Have some of you already forgotten that only the strongest among us have the right to rule? Have you forgotten that I am your Queen? You who are guilty of overstepping your authority - can speak up now, publicly. Not in the shadows or behind everyone's back. Here and now for everyone to hear or you should fall silent forever."

Aoi waited patiently for the murmurs to die out. She knew that dealing with this situation publicly was the only acceptable way for her people. Cortney and a few young Dragonkins were slowly approaching the balcony, closely watched by the gathering.

"Your Highness!" Cortney kneeled but Aoi couldn't tell if she meant the respect her pose suggested. "I want to speak..."

"Cortney His'na, you know that I will listen to you because that's your right. However, you know very well that it's not me who you have to convince. You are aware of that." Aoi punctuated the last sentence making Cortney grimace unhappily.

"They won't listen to us..." She said with a sad voice and angrily clenched her fists.

"We heard you very well! We simply don't want to leave! You are lunatics! Leave us alone!" Some people shouted back from the crowd causing others to make various agreeing noises or nodding. Some of the small group replied to the shouts until the crowd chanted 'Leave us alone!' together. Aoi slightly raised her hand, silencing everyone.

"Cortney... You hear the people, loud and clear. You hear their will and their voices."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The woman replied with a choking voice. The looks her group cast toward Aoi were hostile once more.

"Despite the fact you have forgotten that we are a free people, I have not." Aoi's voice became warmer. "Miss Cortney, you and your group want to return to our old village but I can't allow you to do so. The mountains are full of monsters and other dangers. Your group would never survive it. What's more, our old village is a sacred place for our race, sealed and protected by the soldiers of Arcadia. One day we will be strong and numerous enough to be able to return there. But not now. However, I know that you believe that you are trapped in Avalon and want to break free. I will offer, then, a solution to your predicament. I will make the arrangements for you to start another new village in some other place. The Empire of Arcadia is vast, after all. You can settle somewhere and remain loyal; with time, you can even rebuild the relationships strained by your current stalwart conviction that we all should leave Avalon against the will of the majority."

At the mentioned majority, many in the crowd of people smiled, nodding in acceptance, and Aoi could hear their favourable comments. Even Cortney's group discussed the offer with eagerness. Cortney slowly looked at Aoi with shock mixed with dissatisfaction. However, as some of her small group of people joined her, she nervously nodded.

"Thank you for your generous offer, Your Imperial Highness. We... gladly accept it. We want to build our own village."

"Very well." Aoi nodded with a smile. Sometimes it's necessary to kill the rebellious people, while some other times, it's enough to listen to them, she thought to herself... "In the following days, I will look for a few suitable locations to be prepared for you to choose from. In the meantime, you should start preparing for the journey."