<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 150%; line-height: 116%;"><span style="color: #800040">Termagant</span></span></div><br/>Termagant spent the late hours of the previous night exploring Mekova’s valleys to the north of the kingdom. After her usual companion Lili had informed the dragon that she had to ‘take care of some business’, the beast decided that she too would spend the midnight cloaked sky away from the castle walls for a bit. Thick coal claws sinking into the sloping rock underneath her, she fumbled her way down to the very bottom of the harsh valley, sitting by the still water and rolling on her sturdy back to peer at the gleaming stars above. The dragon had to admit; at current, Mekova was a precious kingdom to her, mainly because the vast rocky terrain, in her eyes, connoted to her past home. If she listened carefully enough, she could almost hear the diaphanous, echoey calls of her dragon parents rebounding off of the rock, the cries of her ancestors which would go otherwise unheard, the soft pitter-patters of dragon offspring stumbling their way into a long, proud life. Though Termagant bore a soft spot for living life amongst Broken Rock Isle, the dragon reckoned this was as far as she was willing to go back. The mortal world now had a place for her; the Trinity gave her love, protection, a purpose; no longer a misfit, Termagant felt like family to the royals. And so, the creature rolled over to sit upright, straightened its back, and growled a dragon howl in the glorious name of King Gabriel. “I can’t believe six moons have already passed in your absence,” Termagant huffed, stretching out wide, velvety wings to soar back into the shining night sky.<br/><br/>As she flew back towards the castle, Termagant’s species granted her with night vision - a useful skill for a messenger and as a commute in urgent nighttime affairs. Staring out into the seemingly never-ending sky, she briefly reminisced on the time she spent with King Tryston, King Ramsey and King Alexander when they were all but cute, waddling, little baby princes. A vivid memory involved Gabriel allowing them to hop onto her back for a ride one evening. The dragon was new to the human world, and tenacious of how she should act, but the royal children instantly eased her nerves as they excitedly gripped onto a tied-on saddle. They merely glided a few metres above the grand castle rooftops, but by the time they had landed, the princes beamed in such an open, welcoming way that it brought warmth to Termagant’s initially cold reptile heart. It brought a strong sense of woe to Termagant as she realised that now, with three separate and agitated kingdoms, the three boys would perhaps never want to go for a ride together with her again. She wondered if they even remembered her and those golden times, when peace was at its peak to the point that even an intimidating looking dragon could find a home here! Ah, just like her dragon origins, such memories were now lost in the midsts of time, hidden in the corners of the family’s minds but all memories hoarded and treasured to the growing ancient that was Termagant.<br/><br/>Slipping into a wide open window of the upper castle walls, Termagant retired the night in Lili’s vacant room as to not disturb the rest of the building. The reddish brown creature snoozed eagerly, dreaming of past memories made animate like a theatre in her mind. When dull day skies rose upon Mekova, the dragon slept well into the morning, until she was gradually alerted to the sounds of Lili’s footsteps approaching the door. “Mornin’ Lili, dear - you’re glowing today. I suspect you had a good night?” A friendly smirk stretched across the dragon’s leather face as she propped up on her hind legs to give her messenger buddy a scaly hug, lightly nudging Lili at her remark. “I slept well, though you were probably too busy for sleepin’,<span style="font-style: italic">hmm?</span>” The dragon’s voice was gravelly yet not deep in tone, distinctly a husky female voice that she had developed over the years in learning the common tongue. As Lili went about the room, Termagant walked out of the door, peering about the increasingly stirring castle. “I sure hope they’ve good breakfast.” She dryly commented, feeling her gut growling. Being a royal pet, she could barely remember the last time she went out hunting like a normal dragon.<span style="font-style: italic">‘Aye,’</span>she thought,<span style="font-style: italic">‘I can’t go back to Broken Rock Isle, for sure. They’d think me a complete lazy ass.’</span>