Page 8 of Ava’s Legacy of the Dragons (Of Dragons, Love, and Destiny #1)

Before she knew it, Ava was standing on a pedestal and Ernesto was walking around her.

Lilly browsed through the dresses the tailor had made for mannequins, hanging on hangers to the side.

She purposefully chose a purple one made of the finest satin.

As she approached Ava and Ernesto, who was now taking Ava's measurements, Ava shook her head.

The garment was almost the same color as the dragon egg.

"It's too conspicuous."

"The more conspicuous, the more inconspicuous, you need to remember that. Trust me! I know how to blend in." Ignoring her objection, Lilly held the dress out to Ernesto, who examined it expertly.

"I'd need to shorten the hem and tighten the waist, add a few ribbons and organza to the hip, and we'd have a garment suitable for the occasion."

Lilly nodded. "Plus, it matches her hair color."

"But I've never worn anything like this! I'll stand out immediately, if I don't trip over the fabric and fall right at the king's feet, sending the dragon egg rolling across the ballroom." The image would be amusing if the situation weren't so serious.

As Ernesto carried the dress to his worktable, Lilly shook her head.

"You won't even see the king. He thinks he's too good for everyone anyway and doesn't come down from his gallery.

I'll lead you through the servants' passages to the ballroom, but you don't even have to go in there.

Better go to the piano room. There are not only sofas but also plenty of snacks.

Take advantage of it and stuff yourself.

The cooks in the castle are really good.

If there are bacon pastries, bring some back. "

"That sounds delicious, but how does that help me find this Kilian? As a dragon fighter, he surely won't be sitting at the piano and stuffing himself with filled pastries, will he?"

"He'd do that rather than dance, believe me. Kilian never stays with the revelers. He has to show up at the ball, but that doesn't mean he participates in the charade."

Ava gestured with her hands for Lilly to slow down. "Why don't you explain to me what this is all about first? What charade are you talking about? And why does this Kilian have to show himself to the king while at the same time you trust him? Does he work for him or not?"

"You explain it to her, Lilly, I'll take care of the dress. Can you comb her hair in the meantime? We can't leave it in this tousled knot." With these words, Ernesto left the room.

"Sure." Lilly let her backpack slide off her shoulder, took out a hairbrush, pulled Ava off the stool, and pushed her to a chair at the side. Ava sat down, as getting answers to her questions was more important to her than rebelling against the plan. At least for now.

Without much ado, Lilly removed Ava's hair tie and brushed her hair.

"We're in the Kingdom of Dragons. Many thousands of years ago, this land was part of the normal human world, but it was separated with the help of magic.

You can imagine it as a part that's left out and that people outside the country know nothing about. "

Except for the chimney sweep, but that wasn't relevant right now.

"They can't enter it, they walk over it as if it were a folded piece of their world. That's why they don't notice the existence of the dragons."

So far, Ava understood, even if it sounded incredible. But who was she to doubt something she had seen with her own eyes? Moreover, it explained why she hadn't noticed the dragons flying through the air not far from her home until now.

"What about the dragons? Are they good or evil?"

"Definitely good. The magic our world needs to exist comes from them. That's why they're so important to us, not to mention that they look really awesome. Can you imagine flying on one?"

Heavens, she would never do that!

"No, but go on."

"I would give my life just to ride one once.

" With a dreamy expression, Lilly dwelled on the thought for a moment before continuing to brush Ava's hair.

"If the dragons die, our world dies and all remaining magic is lost as well.

That's why everyone's so upset that no dragon has hatched in two hundred years. "

"Why not? Are there..." She hesitated. How does one talk about reproduction with a ten-year-old girl? "Are there no males and females left?"

Lilly shook her head, her expression completely matter-of-fact. "That's not the issue. It's that their habitat has been threatened, and still is. For you to understand this, I need to explain how the hierarchy used to be structured."

"Fire away!" Finally, some facts. Ava listened intently as Lilly continued to comb her hair without pause.

"Over two hundred years ago, our world was structured differently. There were dragon guardians, who were people who took care of and protected the dragon eggs and young dragons. Even though they weren't very high up in the hierarchy, they were highly respected."

"Dragon guardians, understood." Although the adrenaline had subsided and her legs were burning from the escape, she listened attentively so as to be sure she didn't miss any information.

"Then there were the dragon fighters. They still exist. They are the warriors who are strong and noble enough for a dragon to allow them to ride on its back. Today they form the king's knightly class. Sort of the elite force."

"This Kilian is a dragon fighter, right?"

Lilly shook her head, her face glowing almost as intensely as the dragon egg. "He's not just any dragon fighter. He is the dragon fighter. He's the most skilled. The strongest. Just imagine: None other than the most powerful living dragon chose him."

Smiling, Ava listened to the girl sing his praises. "Why do you think so highly of him?"

The girl shrugged as if the question was completely unnecessary. "I trust him. He tossed me a silver coin once. Ernesto teases me about it, but for me, it was something special. You know, I'm a nobody, I'm dirty, I have to be careful not to fall into the arms of the law."

Ava turned on her chair so she could look at Lilly. "You're certainly not a nobody, if only because you saved me and the dragon egg from the soldiers. No one else dared to do that."

The little one lowered her head, as if refusing to accept the words. She pressed her lips together tightly. The sight made Ava's chest tighten.

"Tell me, Lilly, why are you alone? What happened to your parents? Were they sick?"

Her entire body stiffened, her hands clenched into fists until she took a deep breath and a detached expression settled on her child-like face. "They were killed. By the king's soldiers."

"What? For what reason? Is he a tyrant who randomly murders his subjects?" Ava wanted to embrace her, but the little one accepted no closeness—something she showed with every fiber of her body. She was visibly fighting back tears, yet not a single sob escaped her throat.

"Not in his eyes. You know, besides the dragon guardians and dragon fighters, there used to be two more ranks: the mages and the dragon mages. Dragon fighters and mages were equally respected, while the dragon mages were at the top."

To follow along, Ava imagined the hierarchy in this way: dragon guardians were at the bottom, yet still respected, dragon fighters and mages were on the same level, and dragon mages formed the top.

Lilly continued to tell the story, her voice flat.

"Two hundred years ago, there was an evil mage who was very ambitious.

He desperately wanted to become one of the dragon mages, because that's the highest rank.

Even the king respected them and heeded their advice.

But the dragons can look into people's hearts.

They recognized his true aspirations and not a single one wanted to bond with him. Then he did something unforgivable."

Ava held her breath and believed she could feel this new warmth in her heart waning. "What did he do?"

Visibly emotional, Lilly turned her face away.

"He betrayed the dragons. He killed almost all of them.

Shortly after, the Magic Wars broke out and our entire world was on the brink.

Although only a few mages sided with him, society was split into two parts: those with magic and those without.

This had fatal consequences for those born with magic.

Even though the state of war officially ended decades ago, war is still being waged against them. "

With a sense of foreboding, Ava grasped Lilly's hands. "Were your parents magic-born?"

Lilly nodded. Tears shimmered in her eyes, but she choked them back and lifted her chin.

"The king had them killed, just as he has all mages killed without trial.

He claims the dragons won't mate anymore because there are still mages hiding and rebelling against the king.

I don't believe that! It's the fight against magic that keeps the dragons on edge.

They are filled with magic themselves, their magic once created our world and their magic keeps it alive.

How could they have anything against those born with these powers? "

Ava asked gently, "How old were you when they were killed?"

The girl stared fixedly at her worn leather boots. "It's been almost three years."

"Have you been living alone in the underground passages since then?"

She shrugged casually, yet the weight of the world seemed to rest on her shoulders. "I had a choice: Either I let myself be caught and killed too, or I take care of myself. And I've managed so far."

Ava stroked Lilly's hands and squeezed them, even though the little one didn't want any sympathy. But she had to support her somehow, even if they had only met a few hours ago. "You're a strong, remarkable girl, Lilly. You're something special."

The little one smiled almost imperceptibly, emerged from her gloomy thoughts, and wriggled out of Ava's hands.

Once again, she devoted herself to Ava's hair, as if they hadn't been talking about terrible things.

"The chestnut brown is so beautiful. It has a reddish shine and the length is good for putting it up, but I only know one hairstyle. "

Glad to see the girl carefree, Ava turned around again and let the girl comb her hair. "What does the hairstyle look like?"

Lilly's voice became unexpectedly quiet. "My mother used to do it for me often."

Her heart clenched as she smiled at her over her shoulder. "I'd be happy if you did it for me."

"Okay." Lilly gave a half smile and dedicated herself to Ava's hair. She furrowed her high forehead and concentrated.

In the meantime, the girl's words resonated in Ava's mind. It wasn't easy to understand the political situation, but one thing was clear: She had to protect the dragon egg from the king and his men. However, she didn't yet know how to manage that at the ball.

She looked at the egg peeking out of her bag, which lay on the chair next to her. Its purple shimmer flooded the room and bathed all the fabrics in a reddish light. Moreover, it gave off a pleasant warmth that Ava felt in her heart.

One option, of course, would be to hide the egg in a safe place and go to the ball without it. But she couldn't do that. She was unable to leave it behind.

The voice had been silent for a while. Maybe it was because Ava—and therefore the egg itself—was in good hands. If this was a dragon egg, did that mean it was the dragon youngling whose voice she heard? Why was it talking to her, of all people? Probably because she had found it.

But how had it come into her world? A dragon could hardly have brought it there. And if dragons hadn't reproduced for centuries, that meant...

"Tell me, Lilly, how long does a dragon baby stay in its egg?"

"I don't know. Only the dragon guardians knew that, and they don't exist anymore."

"Could this dragon egg be from the time before the Magic Wars?"

She secured a clip to the back of Ava's head. "It's possible. That's why we need to go to Kilian. The dragons respect him. Why else would the most powerful one bond with him? He'll know what to do."

Ava wanted to question the little one again about the dragon fighter, but Ernesto returned, carrying the purple dress in his arms. It looked breathtakingly beautiful.

As promised, he had added ribbons at the waist and sewn fine organza over the upper part of the skirt.

He had also shortened and taken it in to fit Ava.

"We should hurry. The ball has already started, and as we know, dear Lilly, Kilian will only stay there as long as absolutely necessary."

"Sure thing. By the way, I'm done. I think you look amazing." She handed Ava a hand mirror so she could admire the hairstyle. Almost shyly, the girl raised her shoulders and watched every one of Ava's reactions.

Ava decided to praise the hairstyle, no matter how it looked, just to make Lilly happy. In any case, she wouldn't be able to quickly create one that could compete with those of the female ball attendees. But when she saw her appearance in the mirror, she gasped in surprise.

Lilly had given her an updo that would have been right at home in any fashion magazine.

Two braided strands wound around her temples and wrapped around a large bun at the back of her head.

She had left two strands loose from the hairstyle, framing Ava's face.

It wasn't particularly elaborate or complicated, yet the hairstyle looked elegant.

Lilly looked at her worn-out boots. "I know it's nothing special, but..."

"It looks fantastic." Beaming, Ava turned around and hugged her. Surprised, Lilly stiffened, but after two or three breaths, Ava could feel the small hands on her back, gently squeezing her.