Aideen glanced at the shadows of the trees outside. They were almost to the end of Northanger Abbey. It turned out that Kira was just as hooked as she and Elodie were. Aideen remembered the first time Felecia had shown her these films— apparently they had been favorites of her mother's.

The sun was only a glimmer if you found a flat part to the horizon, but even in the wealthier neighborhoods of Goldwater Harbor, trees obscured the skyline, except at the eponymous harbor. The moon hung in a crescent over the sky— a sliver of a dragon's claw, perhaps. The stars were a sprinkle of glitter in the sky.

Aideen smiled. It was the perfect time to tell a story. Or many. About their family— the Ananta bloodline. 

These girls were family, blood and water binding them both. 

"I loved it," Kira sobbed as the end credits started. Elodie was happy-sobbing into her pillow. "What's next?"

Aideen hit the remote to turn off the TV. "I was wondering if you wanted to hear stories about our ancestor— Abraxas Ananta."

Elodie sat up straight. "The Pendragon."

"Yes."

Even Kira sobered, as Aideen turned the lights off except for the fairy strings. It gave the room a warmth, but also the sense that what was about to be told was the stuff of myth and legend. 

Which Aideen fully believed it to be. She sat up on the bed, inviting the others up. They sat on the bed, with Elodie wrapping her blanket around Kira while holding her own pillow for comfort.

"Once, in the last of the Dark Ages of Europe, there was a king who ruled over all," Aideen began. "His name was Abraxas Ananta. Finest of his lineage, when he came of age his mother declared him the Pendragon, the Head of Dragons, a title denoting his strength and prowess."

Her voice was as rich as cheesecake made with the cheese of goats. It filled the room, working the sort of spell that required no magic. 

But it was not a happy day, and he did not ascend the throne until one of the most awful days in our long and illustrious history. The Jade Palace was sieges by the Paladins, a group of dragon-hunters that was centuries-old and determined to lay waste to the monsters they believed our kind to be. They killed the mother of Abraxas, forcing the young dragon to become a young king.

He retook the Jade Palace, using his fire to pay vengeance unto the dragon-slayers, and claimed it for us once again, solidifying himself as one of our greatest kings— Abraxas the Avenger.

So he was now loved by his people— our people— for the good he had done. But he soon grew unhappy, for there was no one to share his hoard with, no one to rule beside him on the Jade Throne. He began to look for a wife, and had his thoughts set on none other than the lovely Inanna.

Inanna was a free-spirited dragon, with scales of turquoise and lavender, and a unique hoard of maps. She enjoyed travel, and liked all of the adventures she could find along the dangerous roadside in those days. 

She was not the kind to take merely any lover. One who was with her needed to be extraordinary, beyond the usual. And unfortunately for our ancestor, at first she found him to be utterly simple behind the the guise of the crown. 

But Abraxas was determined to take Inanna for his own, so he left a regent, Tiamat, in charge while he went on his quest. You see, maps were quite inaccurate and limited in those days. Knowing how his future bride loved adventure, he was determined to create the perfect wedding gift as proof of his true devotion. He created the most accurate map of the entire world available at that time. 

After three years of his travels, he returned with this gift for Inanna, who had previously believed him to be dead. She embraced him accepting the gift and agreeing to rule as the consort to the Jade Throne.

Unfortunately, while their marriage was happy, it was short. Inanna had delivered four sons, but died in childbirth with their fifth child, a daughter who was a stillborn. Abraxas vowed to never marry again, for how he loved his consort, and dedicated himself to raising his four sons.

As you might know, dragons take after the four classical elements. Each of the princes found an affinity with each of the particular elements, causing them to be known as the Elemental Princes, masters of the magic regarding all of the elements.

The Prince of Fire was the eldest, known as Ignatius. He collected a hoard of recipe books from the corners of the Earth. He was known for even inventing a few dishes that are staples now in our community. Everyone loved his warm personality and disposition, even if he did have a temper that rivaled his father's.

Being the eldest, he was the first to fall in love. He became enchanted with a wealthy merchant's daughter. Lady Amalia was vivacious, with hazel eyes and a voice that filled the skies. Beauty was not merely the surface— it was how she lived, the way she breathed and moved and took wonder in everything.

While Abraxas did not expect it, he did understand the longing of his son, and agreed to allow the marriage. Lady Amalia's parents even permitted the ceremony to be held in the Jade Palace, where everyone assumed their human shapes for a single glorious night.

The merry couple only left at the break of dawn, traveling and creating a family of their own, blessed with wealth and good food. 

The second prince was known as the Prince of Air by his people, although his name was Hyperion. He collected books, creating the library in the Jade Palace with a collection that could best even the Library of Alexandria. He was an intellectual sort, and enjoyed learning about the inventions man created. 

While Abraxas would have liked to crown this prince as his successor, his plans were interrupted by Hyperion's own romance. The mortal princess Isabel consorted with dragons frequently, as she was only a daughter and could not inherit, although she wished to. She hoped that by learning the wisdom of dragons and perhaps gaining their support with fire, they could claim the throne. 

She in particular was charmed by Hyperion, and they came to a logical solution— she would marry him. They were married by Abraxas's more reluctant, but still understanding blessing. They married in front of all her kingdom, leading it to prosperity and enlightenment.

His third son was a quiet sort, named Tiresias, and he was known by our people as the Prince of Earth. He maintained a garden, creating a hoard of various plants. He would eventually move his garden when he fell for a Welsh druidess named Gwyneira.

A humble girl for a humble prince, she lived alone in a cottage, making poultices and practicing her mystic forms of magic. They eloped, preferring not to face the dwindling amount of princes. While this initially angered the Pendragon, he did remember, as he did with his first two sons, how strong his love for Inanna was.

But the final son, the Prince of Water, Albion, he clung to. Albion never intended to become the Pendragon, being the youngest son. He was interested in swords and held a hoard of them, although he eventually became a smith.

He loved a woman named Jasmine— she met him as a last resort, for her village was being haunted by a revenant, and Jasmine wanted to end the sacrifices and terror caused by the revenant. 

He forged her a sword like no other, and went into battle by her side. For how Abraxas wanted to stop him, Albion was determined, but promised to return with one of their children, to rule as the next Pendragon in the princes' stead.

But that day never came, for then the Paladins came for the Dragon King. With his dying breath, Abraxas cursed his own people to wander among the humans, searching for his children's children until one of them claimed the throne again.

Kira blinked. "Whoa."

Aideen smiled, self-satisfied as the other girls processed what they had been told. 

"So, are we descended from the princes?" Elodie asked. 

"Yeah, but I couldn't tell you which," Aideen confessed, a sharp contrast to her eloquent language in her storytelling. 

Kira didn't say anything— but something seemed off about the stories. It was so mythical and legendary, above and beyond the mortal world. It seemed far from the new reality of their lives.

Something else that Kira could never live up to now.

"What do you guys want to do next?" Aideen asked.

"If we're telling stories, I was wondering if Kira would mind telling hers," Elodie suggested.

"What story?" Kira laughed.

"Well, Aideen and I have lived here in Goldwater all our lives," Elodie said. "I was wondering where you were from— you know, your story."

"Well, I don't know much to tell," Kira said, tucking a stray reddish-brown hair behind her ear. "My mom had disappeared for six years, and Dad hadn't exactly been keeping up with her— I should explain. I guess he would biologically be my uncle, but he pretty much raised me as his since I was born."

"So what happened?" Aideen asked.

"Mom was giving birth to me, and things were going south," Kira explained. "Dad and Abba were together for a few years when Dad got the call. They only got to see my mom right before she died— she didn't even name me. We don't know who my bio dad was, or what Mom was up to. But Dad and Abba took me in, named me, and we've moved around a bit, but mostly it's been good."

Kira then shrugged. She looked to Aideen. "So what's your story?"

"Well, my dad was the only one to succeed in the Trials by Fire, and by that time he was married and I'd just been born," Aideen explained. "But in the time between coronation and the Trials, he and mom died in an accident. Tragic. Not a day I don't miss them. But that's why it's expected that I compete."

Kira nodded, a surge of empathy for Aideen. She then looked to Elodie. "What about you?"

"There's nothing, I have parents, a grandmother, and a brother, and I've lived my whole ordinary life in Goldwater," Elodie said. "That's it."

Somehow, they'd gotten off to sleep. Elodie didn't remember when or why. But she remembered the dream that came. There were young men and women about their age, standing in old-fashioned suits of armor, walking the streets of Goldwater Harbor. One approached her, and swung his sword.

Naturally, that was when Elodie wok up. As she sat in the early morning light, the other two asleep, there was a message on her lips. She didn't know where it came from, or why she needed to say it. But she had to speak, to get it into the open:

"The Paladins— they're coming."