Chapter 2 GANDOR MAYBE A GOLDEN DRAGON

“Gandor, wake up! If you don't get up now, you'll be late for school. You can't just fly to school like a dragon. Come on, let's go."

            Gandor covered his head with a light blanket, saying, "I'm sick. My belly hurts."

            “We're not raising a liar, Gandor. Our kind rarely gets sick, especially not with a stomachache, unless we were poisoned."

            "I got poisoned then, Ashina. It was Rector's turn to cook last night. Oh, my stomach!”

            "Last night’s dinner wasn't bad, though Rector could use a cooking teacher. It wouldn't poison you Gandor!”

            Anticipating Gandor’s reluctance to go to school, I said, "Gandor, get ready to take a bath in bed."

            As a self-defense mechanism, Gandor grabbed his pillow and jumped out of bed. I laughed at him.

            “Don't think you can escape me, Gandor."

            Gandor kept swinging his pillow, but I had the hose attached to the sink. I laughed uncontrollably, pressing on the release handle and soaking Gandor and his pillow. It became clear that Gandor wanted to appear angry, so he huffed and rushed into his bathroom, locking the door behind him.

            Though I'm leaving his suite, I can't help but giggle. Gandor is eleven years old, but we don't know his exact birth date. He came home after my parents were abroad for a year, visiting each village in the Western Territories to ensure everything was running smoothly. There were packs overrun by rogues, and to understand the situation, they had to visit each one.

            They came home very late at night and gave the baby to my aunt because the castle had been attacked. We were able to escape. We weren't even told what my brother's name was. So, while settling into the packhouse located in the Winter Dragon kingdom, we decided to write our name suggestions on pieces of paper and put them in a jar. Rector picked the name that would be used, and from that day forward, he was known as Gandor. We suspected that he had been adopted or rescued because he didn't possess an Alpha werewolf gene.

            Despite the fact that Gandor doesn't smell like a human or a wolf, we've never discussed our suspicions.

            I would never harm my brother. I love him and consider him a part of my family. His golden eyes and skin make him unique, resembling the Golden Roman Gods.

            Getting ready for work, I try to give my straight hair some waves. I took a test to leave high school at 15 and have been taking courses online for the University since then.

         I want a modern kingdom with electronics and security cameras. My job at the library is to study and learn how to become a just queen. I put on an outfit, which includes a gray pencil skirt, a white V-neck sweater, and two-inch white and gray heels.

            After getting dressed, I grab my Range Rover keys and check on Gandor, finding his room empty. I decided to use the old elevator to get to the main floor and can hear Gandor complaining as usual about going to school.

            The King has asked to meet me before I leave for work, informing the library that I will be late. I see that Rector has prepared egg sandwiches for Gandor to take to school. Because I am aware that Gandor dislikes Rector’s food he made him, I giggle.

“Come on, Gandor, let's drop you off at school. There is a good twenty-minute drive involved. Take those sandwiches with you and let's go. It is imperative that I arrive on time for my appointment with the King."

            From the corner of my eye, I can see Gandor staring at me. There is no doubt that my brother is mad and irritated, but I love him, nonetheless. As a matter of fact, I consider it cute, which only aggravates him further. Gandor grabs the sandwiches only to toss them out the window once we are on the road. I huff, “So what are you going to eat until lunch is served?” I asked Gandor.

            “I would rather starve, why can’t nana (Our nickname for our nanny) make breakfast anymore? I miss her heavenly food. Now we are being starved to death due to gross food being served.”

            I look at Gandor, “Be grateful you have food. Nana got a job and seriously we don’t need a nanny any longer and it is not like she is being paid to be one.”

            Despite the small back roads, the drive went quickly. As I look ahead, I see an extravagant school with dragons. School buildings resemble castles with balconies on all sides. The balconies are used as launch platforms for dragons that are capable of flying. The sight is truly breathtaking.

            After reluctantly exiting the vehicle, Gandor jumps out. The sound of his friends running up to him can be heard in the distance. Their actions consist of slapping him on the back of the head. Apparently, they were all unable to get out of school today. I am sure they were looking forward to playing online games together. Deserves them right. Laughing to myself, I smile.

            Having reached the school halfway up the mountain, I am now returning to the small village. There is no pack structure among dragons, as there is among wolves. A dragon's home is built exclusively into the mountains surrounding this area. The mountainside blends perfectly with the homes, so if you were not accustomed to seeing them, you would never be able to recognize them.

            The Dragon King has a castle in the middle of town. The only reason is that it makes him more accessible to his dragon clan. Upon parking, I see Queen Elmphima at the door waiting for me. When I walk into the foyer, she hugs me. "Come on Ashina, let's take that sweater off. Our next stop is Alpheus' office." I started to worry there might be something wrong. All this felt so formal.

            “Your highness, do you have any pressing concerns?” “Oh, no, no, we just want to talk about your brother. That's all.”

            I rolled my eyes and replied, “What has my impish brother done now?” I asked fearfully, knowing how my little brother could be. Queen Elmphima laughed, “No it is nothing like that. Although I am sure he is a handful. No once we are in the office it will all be cleared up.”

            Once we were in the Kings office, I took a seat in front of the Kings desk and his queen sat to his right. “Good morning, your highness. How can I help today?”

            He chuckles, "Don't be so serious Ashina, you can call me by my first name. In addition, neither you nor your brother are in trouble. In fact, quite the opposite is true. Basically, I would like to have your brother's blood work completed."

            With a deep sigh, I exhale. The idea of my brother being a test subject did not appeal to me. Furthermore, there is a part of me that fears that we will find his biological parents and that he will leave me. Losing him will irreparably damage my heart since he is the only sibling I have.

            “Ashina, you and I both know that Gandor is not a wolf and not a human. I know you don’t want to lose him; however, it is not fair to the parents that may have been missing him many years ago during the wars. My suspicion is he is a Gold Dragon. We just need to perform some testing on him.”

            As I nodded my head, I could not speak as I knew that I would begin to cry. There is no doubt in my mind that my eyes are glassy. A forced smile appears on my face as I say, "I'd better get to work now. Your highness, you are correct. If you find out the results, let me know." I choke back tears, since I don't want to show weakness, I'll be queen soon. It's important that my enemies I don't know about don't see me as weak. The King and his Queen stood up to say goodbye to me.