The remaining royals

The guard was doubled for Thereanthor’s remaining wyrmlings. There had been two females and two males, now only the males and one of the females remained.

They were kept safe and pampered for over a decade before their mother was ready for them to face the world.

In that time though, Thereanthor had discovered the location of her missing progeny. The Black cloak nurse had stolen her charge and carried it back to her home town of Fewham. Once there, she had used her sorcerous powers to transform the infant dragon into a human child. A child that the young Lord Rician passed off as his own.

The initial demand for her return had resulted in Lord Rician’s polite but undisguised threat. The young dragon would be killed if any attempt to rescue her were made.

It was a bold gambit but a foolish one.

Despite the young dragon being removed while still so young, it had already inherited centuries of knowledge.

It knew what it was.

It knew who it was.

It knew how to best protect itself.

Thereanthor considered her options.

Her daughter ‘Sybille’ would have to fend for herself. She’d be treated like royalty and be safe enough as, despite their threat, the people of Fewham would have to protect their 'bargaining chip' or suffer total annihilation from her armies without her daughter to hide behind.

Thereanthor could wait a few decades before retrieving her ‘lost’ daughter.

Her remaining three wyrmlings were also spoiled and indulged over the next twenty years.

It is when they begin to squabble more fiercely that Thereanthor decided to give them more freedom.

Her stolen daughter ‘Sybille’ has become heir apparent in Fewham. A princess much loved by her ignorant people. Even Lord Rician has been duped into believing that his ‘captive’ dragon loved him like a father.

Using this as a model, Thereanthor allocates three towns within her kingdom to her remaining offspring.

They are still young, but better to let them rule a small area of their own then to battle and possibly damage each other.