/HIS POV/  The six-year-old Javier's room was warm, not very comfortable, though in the blazing heat. It's humid enough for the fabric of his shirt to stick too close to the skin, for palms to become too slick with sweat to properly grip anything. The crowd's early afternoon buzz outside of the castle seeped through the walls, a dim background soundtrack to the already present noises alive within the room. The hardwood of the chair cut in Prince's thighs, the lower back aching from the constant hunch in it, the neck in even more pain as he tried to read a book. Something his father gifted him for fifth birthday.     "Prince, are you ready? Your father should be here at any moment." 

"Hey! wait up."    Celina deflated at the familiar voice. She felt a sigh of relief leave her body noticing her friend running up to her. As he stood beside her, she arched her brow. "Christ, way to scare a lady. Did you have to creep up on me like that?"     Abel chuckled, his voice rough and echoing in the corridors. “I thought you were going to leave me behind.”    “As if that’s possible.”     

The dragon in front of her was a magnificent creature, mighty. Objectively she could appreciate that. Its scales were large and thick, the shape almost resembling the knives. The legend of dragons being born of the fires in the centre of the earth seem to be captured by the existence of the creature like that, in the flickering colours of its side, from deep magenta to warm gold and every hue between.       Typically Dragons were immensely large, but this one got two sets of wings, a larger pair set atop the muscular shoulders, and a slightly smaller pair set lower back that tucked below when folded, necessary to propel the massive body through the sky and fly.     

The eighteen-year-old woke up in her bed a few hours later with no dream. It felt like a miracle. An entire night full of sleep and not having to worry about what she'll see. Celina had been exhausted the night before and had fallen asleep the minute her body hit the sheets.    She yawned a little, pushing herself up to sit and blink around the room. It's almost bright – the sun's bright in the sky, and the place was cast in a soft glow of sunlight peeking through the windows. The maid didn't have the slightest idea what time it was but definitely after seven in the morning.     Celina was still not sure what to make of the Prince and his apology. Sure it sounded as earnest as possible, and they kissed in the garden, but that’s it. They were interrupted by Beth knocking on the window behind them. Always a

Javier's eyes held her gaze so formidably inching towards her that a shiver ran down her spine. The maid held the look steadily. Celina tried to swallow down the visceral reaction she seemed to have for the Prince. What was it about him that seemed to cut straight through? It was absurd even to be thinking out loud with so many people around them.     Before the Prince could open his mouth, someone cut the invisible line between them. It was a young gentleman, gleaming under the bright light as he stared at Celina. He was waiting to be acknowledged as if they have been friends for a long time.     A second later he bowed down to her, which she reciprocated.    "May I have the honour of dancing with you, Celina?"