I Became Part of the Dragon's Hoard

Bery walked up the large steps holding her dragoness's hand. It was only then that she noticed the soldiers going up and down the sides of the steps. Each of them had a strange blue magic armor, and they all wielded long staves. They got to the top step, and Kuro pushed the door open.

They were greeted by the largest interior to a building that Bery had ever seen before. The tall walls extended towards a ceiling of glass that let in natural light, and banners hung down from the sides in intervals, yet she couldn't have long to admire the place.

A large tidal wave launched from the throne and became as tall as the building within a second.

Valerie extended her hand, and red flames coated her fingertips. The entire wave was erased by the time it reached them.

"Is this how you greet all guests that arrive in your castle?" Valerie asked with a frown.

A lighthearted giggle answered the dragoness, and Bery looked towards the source.

She saw the water elven Empress standing there in front of an ornate blue throne. Long blue and white robes ran down her body, and she walked down the carpeted steps. She had the aura of a ruler about her, but her face held the demeanor of a playful child's.

"I had to be sure you are who I think you are, didn't I?"

Valerie crossed her arms as the elf reached them. "What would you have done if I was not the one that you think? Would you have let your wave destroy those next to me?"

The elf shook her head and looked towards Bery. "Of course not. There is no way I would kill the Kanai'n paintress. Though, maybe I wouldn't have felt so bad about destroying one who pretends to be a dragon." The Empress performed a curtsy before them, her silver crown glittering in the sunlight. "I am Aqua. Those around here know me as Empress Aqua."

Bery fumbled and attempted to perform her own greeting. "I am Be-Bery!"

Valerie looked at the kitten with a smile. "And I am Valerie. The pleasure is all yours."

The Empress grinned. "Will the two of you greet me for a tea party?"

Kuro frowned. "The two of them, My Lady? You can't expect me to sign off on that as well? I have already…"

Empress Aqua narrowed her eyes at him, and she pulled a closed blue fan that was clipped to her side. In a split second, the fan was pointed towards his head, and the man went white in the face.

Bery found herself staring at the scene in disbelief, surprised by the Empress's quick change in demeanor. Even though she was so small in stature compared to them, her face had taken on a frightening dark hue.

The buzzing of a persistent fairy cut the silence. The little fairy girl landed on top of the Empress's fan and grinned. "After all, your mana still tastes the best, Lady Aqua!"

Aqua's demeanor changed yet again. She grinned jovial as if she was a little girl who found cookie stash. She immediately put the fan away and held out her hands.

"Elody!" The Empress sang, clutching the little fairy in her hand, and rubbing her cheeks against her.

Kuro sighed and walked back towards the exit. "I will be tending to my duties. For the record, My Lady, when you do stuff like this, it makes you look unbecoming in front of guests."

Aqua shrugged and watched the man take his leave. "I will decide myself what is unbecoming or not. Such is my duty."

After a while, she finally stopped rubbing her face against the fairy's and cleared her throat. "Welcome, honorable guests. Welcome to the Land of Water Elves as it is known in common tongue."

Valerie shook her head. "Isn't it a bit too late to pretend as if this is a normal greeting? I have heard that you've grown more eccentric in your years, but isn't this beyond the pale? Where is your royal dignity?"

"Surely, you jest. I never had such a thing to begin with, yet I am respected. Quite odd, is it not?"

"The people will respect the powerful, despite their eccentricities. Though, what happens if you meet another being of equal power?"

The elf shrugged and the fairy flapped her wings, landing on the Empress's shoulder. Aqua looked back towards Bery. "You have the kind of innocent expression that I like."

Bery's ears wiggled, and her attention snapped away from looking at all of the paintings on the wall, and wondering how they weren't swept away by the wave. The kitten's eyes had found it hard to not wander at the landscape around her. She imagined that it would be good as a painting of her own.

Aqua grinned and waved the two of them. "Come on, you can see more of the castle this way."

Valerie allowed herself and her kitten to be led away from the throne room.

Bery looked at the white walls with blue decorations, and they arrived at a carpeted blue hallway. Ornate furnishings extended throughout the place. The wood of the small tables looked astoundingly different from those that Bery had seen in her own castle. For one, these were white in color, and the vases on top had fresh blue flowers.

Along the walls, there were glowing pieces of white stone in strange intervals. They had a blue hue to them and continued until they got to a blue door.

When Aqua opened the door, another odd site presented itself.

It was sort of like an office. In the back on either side, there were white books shelves with hundreds of books, yet it was also like a child's room. There were round and fluffy pieces of furniture towards the ground for sitting on, and there were fairy decorations on the walls.

There was a small, circular table, and on it were porcelain mugs with depictions of fairy's or water spirits.

The Empress winked at Bery and gestured wide with her arms. "What do you think about the abode of the Water Empress?"

Bery's ears wiggled, and she struggled to think of a response that wouldn't offend the small girl. As a person who read her own fair share of books, she knew all about rulers that would execute people for the slightest offense. After all, she even lived in the human kingdom under the rule of such person, even if he was so far away from her.

Valerie patted the kitten's back. "You don't need to think so hard. All spaces are safe spaces when I am around."

"Right," the kitten said, clutching her hand. "I um...I believe that it's all cute."

"Right!" Aqua cheered and performed a spin on her heel. "I had told them over and over again the same thing! It must be cute! It must be! You don't know how many times I emphasized this." Aqua pulled out two white wooden chairs and gestured towards them. "Please, have a seat."

Bery didn't know if it was more rude to sit or not sit. She'd read some decorum before and imagined that if she met a ruler, she would wait for them before doing anything. Yet, said ruler was telling her to sit first. She took a seat with Valerie's hand in hers.

Aqua clapped, and a bubble formed in the air. A tea kettle floated inside of that bubble, seemingly coming from nowhere. Multiple cups floated around in the same floating sphere, and it popped.

The Empress expertly caught the tea kettle with one hand, her fingers gripping the handle. The cups were propped up by the fan in her other hand. She pulled the fan towards her body, aligning the tea cups at the perfect height for pouring, and then she started pouring hot tea from the kettle.

Elody clapped her hands. "Impressive as always, My Lady."

Bery also responded with the same gesture. She watched it as if watching a show at a city square. She looked towards the dragoness and found Valerie clapping reluctantly. Though, this seemingly indignant dragon warmed Bery's heart. She can be so stubborn at times.

The Empress threw the empty kettle into the air, and a bubble formed around it. The instant the bubble popped, the kettle disappeared. Aqua used her fan to slide the tea cups across the table in front of her guests without spilling a single drop.

She sat down in front of them and was the first to take a sip of her warm tea. The Empress stuck her tongue out and blew hard into the air, waving her hand in front of her mouth.

Valerie laughed and pointed at her. "All of that display only for you to burn your tongue at the end. I see nothing has changed at all…"

The dragoness took a sip of her tea with a sly grin.

Bery blew on hers and allowed it to cool off before taking a sip. The heavenly flavor that followed was like nothing she'd tried before. For one, the tea was blue and not bitter at all. A sweet, milky flavor invaded her mouth.