Chapter 2: LUCIEN

"Prince...I mean, Lucien, what's on your mind? You've been a bit preoccupied this evening."

"Have I? I hadn't noticed." I swirled the bourbon around in my glass without interest. I doubt anyone ever notices that I hardly ever drink when we have one of these little get-togethers.

Just a quick slight of hand whenever anyone pays too close attention always does the trick. I don't do it for any particular reason, just habit I guess. But I've always felt like I have to be the most responsible when in a setting like this, and with good reason, because I am.

"So, some of us were talking and..." The way he fidgeted and looked back at the others told me I wasn't going to like this.

"Go on!" I finally took a sip of the aged brew as he fidgeted around some more.

"For fuck sake Gavin, you're ten thousand years old stop fidgeting like a twelve year old cheerleader." Believe it or not, my gruff words are the easiest way I know to put them at ease, otherwise they'd shit themselves before they say or do something that might cross me.

It's always been this way for as far back as I can remember. And that too with good reason! Very good reason! You see; on the day that I was born, the dragon appeared in the sky for the first time in five hundred thousand years; and fucked up my life.

It was an auspicious sign in the kingdom, one that had been long awaited by my people and the other lesser kingdoms for millennia in fact. A day that's still celebrated by all; and one of the reasons I like to hide away among the bleeders.

You see, my grandfather High Emperor Moulon, on that day, chose me as his successor, to rule after him, bypassing my own sire and uncles.

No one questioned his decision, after all everyone had seen the signs surrounding my birth and even without them wouldn't have dared.

The golden fiery phoenix had shown herself for the first time in as many years outside the grand palace at the same time the dragon took to the skies, both rending the air with their cries of welcome.

Both beasts and beings alike had felt the sensation of movement in the atmosphere and had looked to the skies where the light had changed from the bright yellow of the sun to a purple hue that denotes royalty. A royal heir had been born. The, royal heir!

All the monarchs from the surrounding realms that came under our rule had arrived for days and weeks afterwards to pay homage and show their respects and I haven't had a moment's peace since.

"Well, it's like this," Gavin was still trying to find his balls to tell me what the hell was on his mind, "oh good your brother's here." I looked up at his words to see one of my four older brothers bearing down on us.

"Dimi, what are you doing here? I thought you were in Italy, awaiting the birth of your child."

"Brother!" We hugged and he sat across from me after the other one slinked away. What's with people acting strange around me tonight? I watched as Gavin headed back to the others and they all stood back against the wall looking at me.

"Luke, have you seen the folks?"

"Mom dropped in earlier but she didn't hang around, why?" He started acting sketchy too and my hackles began to rise.

"There's been some talk, I'm not sure who started it, but there's talk that you might have to go back..."

"Grandfather is healthy and hale, he won't be needing me to take over the reins for quite a while." Thank fuck!

Every year I have to go home for at least a month, which is mere seconds in the earthly realm but feels like a lifetime in the kingdom of Shalayim, which is on the second level of the celestial realm and my birthplace.

I'm tortured, or what they call tested, by being made to withstand seven deadly bolts of lightning for three days straight and have to show my prowess by leading our army to fight whichever enemy has been stupid enough to test my people's mettle.

Of course my greatest show of leadership and the thing that cannot be contested is my dragon form, which will only show itself if I'm at my fullest capacity, and which is all they're really interested in at the end of the day.

"Well, I'm here because everyone else seems to be afraid to tell you what's going on. The fact that you haven't even heard a whisper about it tells me that there might be some truth to the rumors, that's why everyone is keeping things so hush-hush and going to such lengths to shield from you."

"I don't see why that should be. It's not like I don't know that I'll have to go back some day."

"There's more, there's the chance that since you haven't found a mate as yet the council might be forced to choose one for you..."

"The fuck they will. You go back and tell those meddling old bastards to keep their noses out of my shit. Our people have always found their mates the traditional way, and I'm no different."

"Yes, but as the future emperor, you should've already been married with an heir long before this. It's what our people need to make them feel more at ease, you know that."

"Go home Dimi; your wife and child needs you. I'll be there sometime this week to meet my niece or nephew." So that's why she was here. It still didn't feel right; it's not like her to pitter- patter around something like this. No, there's definitely something else on the horizon.

"Fine! I guess I'll see you when you get there brother." We clapped each other's shoulders and he left, leaving me with a head full of burning questions and a room full of thousands years old men acting like gossiping old women.