Mandrake took us to a brighter wing of the castle, we reached the ground floor and the invocation was done in a secret room below the castle. It is a beautiful castle but it is still a fortress.
Its large round towers on a rocky spur make it a very solid fortress and the characteristics of the towers is that there are no roofs but platforms.
But why such an architecture???
I ask Mandrake and he tells me, you'll soon find out.
Fort Rock is also the castle of the dragon king!
We breed and train dragons here. Part of the mission is to find the eggs and bring them back. Often we have to kill the dragons but some of them get caught and we break them and when they are ready, we train them or use them for breeding.
Mandrake, do you have many dragons?
- We have 10 that are ridden by the elite knights or dragon riders. They have built an almost psychic link with their mount. The others are in their cages and are either growing or being trained or bred.
Me: And they don't say anything?
Mandrake: A talking dragon? It's never been seen before. They are predators like Lions who live in tribes in the mountains and fight for the hunting territory among themselves. But apart from that they are stupid animals. If they could talk, their vocabulary would be very limited. Why? Are you interested in dragons? Anyway, you can't escape them.
But now, if you have some things to tidy up, here is your room and the one next to it for your children. The children will have to work in the castle as serfs if they don't have the skills to be a hero. In this case they can stay with you. Only.
You will be received by the King. You NEVER ask a member of the royal family any questions. Even if it is unfair to you or your children.
We are not barbarians but consider that your life is at their fingertips. The people here crawl at the mere sight of them.
Here you are nothing, neither noble nor even a serf. You are a slave.
It is only out of pity and good heart that Princess Luxia, seeing that you have 3 children to feed, did not insist on the collar of submission.
I myself saw how you crushed this precious artifact. You could be charged with hard labor just for breaking one of these necklaces.
I look forward to your comments and be careful what you say!
Me:
I'm sorry, we are on the run and Saint Hubert helped us get to this world and when we took refuge in an old ruin near a mountain, we appeared here! The children are orphans and I decided to be their mother. I am sorry for your necklaces and my arrogance. Where we come from, princes and princesses have nothing to say and are like extras in a political show. It is the ministers who have the power and the financial secret societies. Our technology is very, very advanced but magic does not exist.
Mandrake: Okay, I get it. I believe you and I have a ring that tells me if you are telling the truth or not. But something is bothering me about you. My magical sensors tell me that you are not human and that children are. Explain this to me. I don't see any illusion spells on you or transformation spells though.
Me:
Master Mandrake, Yes, children are human and yes, I was born human.
I was mutilated and turned half into a beast and changed my gender. St. Hubert helped me to escape from my tormentor and to regain a human appearance. I want to live simply and start a family again without being persecuted.
Mandrake: I see you didn't lie. I see that you have suffered immensely. But how do you have a resonance with the darkness, the light and the vegetal?
Me: He must have put something in my belly to force the magic!
Mandrake: Yes, you are still not lying. Lie to me, please!
Me: I never killed anyone.
Mandrake: You are lying!
Welcome to Tibor!
Here are the keys to your rooms.
Tonight, His Majesty Felicius IV will honor us with his presence.
As I see that you have an affinity for magic, I will take you on as an apprentice and you will otherwise train with our master of arms Sebas and if you pass the weapons qualifications, you will begin a career as a Dragon rider
you can aspire to the title of hero once you have received a divine blessing or extraordinary feats. but first you will have to join a guild and start with a life of adventuring
You can stay in the castle for the time of your initiation and then you must earn your rank as an adventurer and have a level A+ or S to become a Dragon rider.
there are not many places, dragons are dangerous, fierce and stupid! and there is only one place for now. No woman has ever been a dragon rider because the physical effort is unfairly intense and the dragons bite women, judging them too weak.
I leave you, be ready in 2 hours and don't forget, nothing escapes me!
Then the extravagant man, black hair, with a simple mustache, left for his quarters, a simple red scarf, with a black cape with red interior and a cane with a polygonal crystal pommel and his black gloves gave an air of opera ghost, just the top hat that was missing, and replaced by a cap to Da Vinci!
We were terrorized. Slaves, serfs, cannon fodder, mounts for dragon riders or targets for dragon hunters, our future was bright!
Well, kids, let's get cleaned up! We are invited to a royal banquet and the first impression should always be the right one!
So, I count on you, never ever a word that I am a dragoness. Our lives would be in danger, I don't know if we could escape, but we would be separated for sure!
Promise?
Promise mom! said Marc, Maxime and Suzie.
We'll ask the maids if they have any evening dresses for tonight, otherwise I'll have to take some of my things that I brought with me. Well, for a king from here, what could I offer? Oh I know what I have, a shaking snow globe with a music box in it and little flashing lights. They don't have that here and it's cluttered too!
Well, I have a simple knee-length party dress and an elbow-length sweater.
I used soap and perfume and groomed myself to look clean and presentable in front of a king.
The two hours passed and we were led by maids to the banquet hall.
YEE-HAW!
Princess Luxia, then the princess appeared from behind a curtain and went to sit at the back of a U-shaped table
-HIS MAJESTY THE KING, Felicius IV, then I saw Mandrake take the place of the throne in the middle of the U. Mandrake and the king were one!
-Miss Opaline, guest of honor at this banquet of invocation party.
Mr. Marc and Maxime
Mademoiselle Lucie will stand next to Mademoiselle Opaline.
The other guests can sit at the table as usual according to their rank and status.
His Majesty Felicius IV showed his satisfaction seeing that I knew how to behave at the table, respect the protocol and especially not to be noticed. He also appreciated my elegant, yet sober attire, which, coming from another world, fitted in well with the current fashion.
Felicius opened the banquet after announcing my successful summons from another world.
Then he said to me: I see that you have good taste and you surprise me with your outfit!
Then I asked, "Your Majesty, may I give you a gift from my world?
It is not dangerous and it is a festive decoration. Don't see any malice in it!
Felicius: Granted?
And I kneel before the king and present him with the music box.
Felicius, what kind of material is this? Is it light, transparent with laughing figures?
Sire, it is a music box. You shake it and snow will fall on the figures. You turn the key two times and let go of the key, then put the object on a table and soft music will come out. The material is plastic, a material extracted from black bitumen, very light and transparent.
Klik Klik , Jingle bells Jingle bells tralalaaa!
Oh, funny says Felicius! What an original gift!
Me: I'm sure your goldsmiths and locksmiths would love to know how it's built! Your music could be eternal!
Felicius, oh really? and you know how it works?
Me: yes, it is a metal comb with legs of different lengths that are lifted by a cylinder with claws. the cylinder contains the memory of the melody. A spring makes the cylinder turn and a fan slows down the spring! The key is used to tighten the spring.
Felicius, wonderful, how did we not think of that! Besides, these explanations are clear and you don't lie.
We could even put magic songs with a crystal so that a non-magician could use it. What a wonderful invention!
(In fact, I had just created a new weapon for magic!)
My daughter, Princess Luxia, whom I trained myself in the magical arcane, will open the ball with her fiancé, Prince Laurentiis from the neighboring kingdom.
And you, Miss Opaline, would you do me the honor of this dance?
MUSIC!
And so a traditional medieval ball took place. Fortunately, I had studied the movements in medieval re-enactments when I was young.