Silver Wind (Anastasia the Nonbinary Dragon)
The air seemed to stir, but that was probably just in his imagination.
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Byron felt a bit guilty when he left his wife to entertain their sovereign alone.
The dragon lord rubbed his temples as he stepped out of their mansion and into the harsh sunshine of the day. In a few seconds, Byron shifted into a black dragon, sleek and long. He flared his wings and soared into the shocking blue of the sky.
As he flew, he thought about Qing Shui. He knew his marriage was on the rocks. He felt bad about spending, as Qing Shui pointed out, much more time with his childhood friend Bei Feng rather than with her and their son.
Sometimes, he internally blamed his wife for not understanding his situation, and lately, for not believing in his faithfulness. The more rational side of him could see where his wife was coming from, though. He was gone often.
But as they say, once you start down a path, you must keep marching, or else all that you’ve worked to build will come crashing down, and you will lose everyone and everything.
The black dragon flapped his wings, and let the air currents carry him to the agreed upon meeting place with his brother-in-law.
Byron arrived at the secluded forest many miles away from his and Qing Shui’s home.
When the black dragon landed and shifted to human, he could sense how unnaturally still the air was.
But he had come to this meeting spot countless times before. He was not scared. Away he slipped through the wood, winding down the barely there path until he got to that clearing.
Standing in the center was a man a head taller than Byron, with a big smirk on his face. Qing Shui’s brother tilted his head in greeting.
Byron returned Narwal’s smirk with a warm, kind smile. He sat on a tree stump and folded his legs in a casual manner. “How are things, brother?”
Narwal settled down on a tree stump nearby. He guffawed and slapped his knees. “It’s so funny to me how you treat me like a brother more than my actual sibling ever did.”
Byron did not rise to the bait. Instead, without changing his friendly expression, he drawled, “I’m sorry. Qing Shui is quick to anger these days.” He sent a silent apology to his wife.
Narwal nestled his chin on a palm. “She is, isn’t she? Though I’d argue that she has always had a short temper, a short fuse.” He flicked a strand of black hair back. “Hmph, you must have met our new sovereign, Anastasia, since I saw you last.”
Byron nodded. “Indeed.” His face — and body — gave nothing away.
The small smile on Narwal’s face was almost shy. “What do you think of zir? Quite pretty and fit to rule, eh?”
Byron quirked an eyebrow at his brother-in-law’s strange choice of words. “Fit to rule, yes. I admit ze is much younger than I expected our next ruler to be. But it seems like neither Princess Teefa nor Leyla are willing to take the throne, even if Anastasia wanted to abdicate.”
Narwal snorted and hid half his face with a hand. “If I were Anastasia, they would have to kill me to take the crown.”
“Yes, I don’t think Ana would pass the responsibility onto anyone else, either,” Byron agreed amiably.
The air seemed to stir, but that was probably just in his imagination.
His brother-in-law tipped his head up as if in deeper thought. “You know, Byron, I’ve always liked you.” Byron tensed inside, wondering what he was about to say. Narwal continued, “What if Ana gave the throne to you?”
Byron’s jaw dropped, and Narwal laughed. “No, I hope you are joking,” Byron responded. “Let’s not say such things. I may be a politician, but I have no wish for that kind of power.”
His brother-in-law peered at him in a sly way. “Are you sure? Who can resist such absolute power?”
Byron grimaced, and this time, he let his displeasure show. “With greater power comes greater danger. You, of all people, ought to know that. I have no desire to put myself or my family in such danger.”
“Well, speaking of family, how is my nephew doing?”
Byron laughed. “Didn’t you see Ya Luo just this morning?”
Narwal’s grin glinted. “I meant my other nephew.”
Byron’s smile faded and frost came into his demeanor, no matter how much he wanted to control himself. “Why don’t you tell me, Narwal?”
His brother-in-law, the asshole, just laughed harder. “Xue, come on out.”
Byron’s heart felt cold when a familiar boy, the same age as Anastasia, stepped into the clearing. The air shifted as if a slight wind had appeared.
The boy stared up at him with dark brown eyes and an unsmiling face. “Father, long time no see.”
Byron’s jaw hardened. His reply was stiff. “I’m glad to see that you are well.”
Narwal interjected, “As well as a boy can be, while pretending to be dead.”
Xue dipped his head, ignoring his uncle. “Father, I want to tell you something.” The teenage boy rubbed his cheek, looking quite timid. “We found some peasants who were indirectly related to Queen Freya. One of them was Vera, the calf-shifter.”
At the sound of the name “Vera,” Byron’s eyes widened. “So it’s true, then?” he whispered.
His son nodded. He glanced at Narwal, who was motionless, before continuing, “Yes, the daughter of Princess Lucille’s niece. The one who Queen Freya tried to save.” He coughed.
Byron folded his arms over his chest. His instincts told him not to get involved. Yet…He asked, “What do you want me to do about Vera?”
Lance, the blue-dragon shifter, dashed out of the barn with Mildred as she carried her calf, Kallias, in her arms.
Earlier, Aunt Ivy had cursed the boy to get sick if he didn’t drink his mother’s milk regularly.
All in the name of getting Mildred to stay with her son, rather than leaving him with a babysitter while she was away. Her twisted plan had succeeded, too.
Lance thought Aunt Ivy just wanted to mess with other people, to control them. She didn’t really care about her niece’s son.
Later, Mildred questioned Ivy on whether she had cursed her daughter, Vera, to give her that mysterious sickness, too. But Ivy said no, it wasn’t related.
After some grilling, crying, and screaming, Ivy still kept her lips sealed, claiming that she had no idea what Vera had suffered from. Though she congratulated Mildred that Vera was now recovered by being at the Gloom castle. Nor did Ivy say anything about why being in the Gloom would cure Vera.
Aunt Ivy was so irritating and implacable. In frustration, Mildred had scooped up her son and stormed out of the barn. Lance followed behind her, running to catch up.
They slowed down to a trot. “Mildred, have you thought of where you want to go?” asked Lance.
Mildred pressed her lips together and glared, though Lance didn’t take her glare personally. She said, “Aunt Ivy is insufferable. Even if we have to camp outdoors and graze on a field, so be it.”
“Won’t you need shelter from the elements?”
The brown-haired woman lifted her chin. “I suppose we could just find a cave.”
Kallias, miraculously, still slept soundly in his mother’s arms.
Lance shook his head. The rays of the sun pierced the tall grass beside them. His arm brushed the soft green blades, feeling their unyielding texture. “It’s okay to ask for help, you know. You might not be able to go home right now. But Demiel and I have a place.”
The cow-shifter swiveled her head at him, a hard look in her dark eyes. “Seriously? Why would we want to live in a dragon’s den?”
Lance rolled his eyes. “I thought we were friends already? Why does it matter if it’s a dragon’s home?”
Mildred still looked spindly. “Sorry, but you must have other dragons visiting you too, not just Demiel. How can we be safe there? Most dragons see us and want to eat us!”
The blue dragon shifter grimaced. “Most dragons, yes. But nobody can enter our house without our permission. And you don’t have to stay forever. It’s just a temporary refuge, if you like.”
Mildred puffed up her face, evidently still angry, or maybe just prideful. “You enjoy having power over me, don’t you?”
“What?” Lance said. “I know we have our squabbles and differences, but I thought we were on the same side now.”
The cow shifter gritted her teeth. “That’s easy for you to say. You’re a dragon and don’t have to worry about predators. And your family is still intact.”
Lance snorted with amusement. “Family? You mean Demiel? He’s not the most pleasant family you could have.” He paused. “Plus, you may be a cow shifter, but that doesn’t mean you’re wholly defenseless. You have allies, you know.”
“Like you?” she asked in a challenging voice.
Lance groaned. “I don’t know why you’re being so difficult right now. Yes, you have me and Demiel. But I was mostly thinking of Anastasia. You literally have the future sovereign on your side!”
Mildred’s facial expression softened, and she turned away, silent for a while. Then she said, “Does Anastasia want to rule? Last time we spoke, ze was determined to find some remedy to cure zir grandmother and parents.”
“And ze succeeded, if you remember. The last time I saw the princesses and the queen, they looked healthy again. That is, right before the earthquake struck.”
Mildred exhaled audibly. “Any idea who might still be alive?” She asked in a lower voice, “Is Anastasia alive?”
Lance nodded. “I’m sure ze is. Ana is a scrappy fighter. Even back at the Valve where we worked together. Nothing could keep zir down. A little earthquake couldn’t kill zir.”
Mildred cracked a smile. “How was it like working with Ana at the Valve? I’ve only heard a little bit of that story from Ero.”
The blue dragon shifter chuckled, relieved that she seemed to be in a better mood now. He told her about Anastasia’s feats of brilliance and strategy, and zir steadfast heart. For all Lance’s gripes against Ana, he did respect zir, even if ze didn’t respect him back.
Mildred nodded as she stared off into the distance, her gaze soft. “How did you react when you learned that Ana up and left the Valve dragons with Ero?”
Lance peered at her, though she still stared straight ahead. She asked such daring questions, despite her fear of getting eaten by dragons. Not that Lance would ever see her or her family as food. He replied, “Honestly, I didn’t care. Ze could do whatever ze wanted. We never got along anyway, and Ero was free to go home. But I bet Ana thought we wanted to chase them down. Ze always saw others as more of a threat than we really are.”
Mildred turned back to look at him. She furrowed her brow. “Maybe that’s just survival instinct. Ana may be royal, but ze was always alone, with few friends, right?”
Lance couldn’t help but be annoyed that Mildred was siding with Ana, not that he could really blame her.
He was about to respond when Mildred screamed. The ground beneath her feet loosened, and mother and calf were thrust up into a net. They hung from a tall tree, and Kallias at last woke up. The baby wailed as Mildred moaned in pain.
Lance cursed and began shifting to dragon form to get them down.
But a rush of air came by, and a silver dragon landed beside the net. The dragon sent Lance a warning glance. “Don’t touch them,” she hissed.
