Scales and Swords ✓

10: Identity

"And cows poop glitter," I told Philip.

He stared at me in what could only be annoyance. "I'm not kidding. It makes the most sense."

"Dragons are extinct," I said simply.

"well then what are you?"

I hesitated.

"you know what else happened that night at the arena?" Philip ventured. I said nothing so he continued. "Your eyes seemed to morph into a distinctive reptilian form."

I bristled. That was no news. I knew that happened especially when I was in pain. But even then, I wasn't convinced. "You know children of different races aren't allowed."

"That's the whole point of the King's Guard. The King needs powerful, strong, fierce individuals to protect him and those are all the qualities of a Vuruk, those are all the qualities you possess."

"that's hypocritical. Then why does he have such laws?"

"We can't have people like them walking around all over the place, they're too chaotic. It may be hypocritical, but it at least gives purpose to mistakes like us."

"You, are a Vuruk?"

"I'm no ordinary mage, I should've known I could do magic at least when I was still a kid. My dad's an ordinary guy, a carpenter. Heck! Even he was surprised when I found out I could do magic. My mother was sort of like a nomad, she met my dad, they married, had me and before I could even walk she left. He didn't know much about her, she never spoke of her family or her childhood. But he was certain, my magic didn't come from him."

"Well that still doesn't mean I'm one. No one has seen a dragon since the last race war," I insisted.

"that doesn't mean they're gone, the last of them could be hiding somewhere."

I was adamant to the idea that I was anything but an ordinary person. But deep down buried somewhere in my mind I knew I wasn't. No ordinary person had scales, could breathe and was resistant to fire and could rip a decade old tree from its roots.

"I'm cursed then," I said.

"You do have immense magical energy which affected the damdam but that's not a curse, I would know."

Ok so what if I was a Vururk, then that meant I was never supposed to be born. But that was accompanied with the notion that my real parents thought so too, that's why they left me with a mage couple who at least saw through the scales and all.

"I'll sleep on it."

But I couldn't quite wrap my mind around it even two weeks later.

Finally after a long anxious wait, the day of my first test had come.

Philip and I took a carriage into the capital. Was I excited? More nervous but still very excited. People from the outskirts rarely get to see any official people, apart from knights. Many of us could go a lifetime without ever stepping foot in the royal castle, yet here I was.

The closer we got the wealthier the place became, better clothes, cleaner streets, steady buildings made of the finer materials. But nothing could compare to the castle, at least from its grand appearance. My jaw dropped the whole ride there, until Philip tapped me on the shoulder jolting me back to reality.

"What do you think?" Philip asked.

I met his eyes and sighed. "It's beautiful, but maybe a little too big."

"Oh come on, you know you love it."

I only smiled. It was magnificent yes, but too much for one person. How does the king deal with so much space?