"Let me get this straight," Jack Ovaultrades snipped another lock of hair off, "Mary C. bound baby me with a dragon to protect me against the Enchantress who was trying to take the throne?"

"Ehem, no, a dragon fairy," Gray corrected him, calling from the kitchen-dining room.

Jack had woken up on the sofa in a little home belonging to Gray. Now he was at the bathroom mirror cutting away his hair, styling Jack Ovaultrades out of Jack Montague and Jack Ogswold and whatever else he'd picked up along the way. The living room reflected in the mirror if he moved his elbow. 

A purple-haired man with shimmering fairy wings, wearing a purple robe with golden lining, sat beside the sofa on a stool. The robe shimmered in bluish hues as he moved, crossing his legs. Pale blue and orange scales sparkled around his ankles and made like a vine down to his bare toes.

"We'll eat and talk. You're probably hungry." Gray lay a basket of bread on the table.

"I'm almost done." Jack noticed himself sticking his tongue out in the mirror, trying to find the long tuft. He winked at himself and grinned. There it was, he almost had it.

"Why do you need to do it the hard way?" Espin said. A swirl of lavender-scented magick sparkles wafted into the bathroom, trying to tease at Jack's hair, shortening it.

"It's a ritual. And stop it." Jack swatted the magick away and his hair grew back.

Espin scoffed. Then he gathered gradient shades of purple light around his body and transformed back into a dragon fairy the size of Jack's hand. Its purple mane turned into spikes all down its back and tail.

At last, Jack joined them at the table. Gray squinted his eyes.

"I know. Not the best barber." He gave a purposefully shy smile.

"Horrible," Gray said while furrowing his brows at a mirror.

Jack coughed on his water. "Well, dungshit! You could at least say it's not that bad."

Espin morphed into a man across from him. "Terrible." He crossed his arms.

"Do I have no allies here?" Jack stood, knocking his chair back.

"She's rampaging throughout Endil." Gray set down the mirror. "Soon, she'll have the entire continent." He slammed the table with his fist.

It wasn't even about Jack. They probably didn't even care what his hair looked like. His cheeks burned as he fixed his chair and sat down with a loud thunk. "So, what's the news?" He grabbed a piece of bread and tore into it.

Gray let out a long sigh and rubbed his temples. "The Enchantress Serena Plantagenet—"

"Hold up now, Plantagenet?" Jack said, pausing midchew. "I thought you said she wasn't a royal."

"He never said that." Espin nibbled a piece of lettuce. "Who else can take the throne?"

That was true. He could see that. And that was probably how his real mother, the queen, was able to bind him to a dragon fairy. The queen and Enchantress both of magick lineage.

"The king, my father. And then what, related? Enchantress, my aunt?" he said between mouthfuls of scrambled eggs.

"Right. Serena Mary and Mary C." Gray nodded. "Two enchanting twin sisters of royal heritage, Plantagenet has two royal families, one that rules and one that doesn't. And one married the king and the other was, you know—"

"Dungshit jealous," Jack finished, popping a grape into his mouth. "And probably wanted to kill her."

Gray wrinkled his nose. "Well, anyway," He shook his head, "the point is you have to kill your aunt, or she'll destroy the world. And take your friends along for the ride."

Jack glugged down some water. Why was he so thirsty? "You wrinkle your nose at 'kill', but then you want me to kill my own, wait, did she marry her brother? How can the king be Plantagenet?"

"Plantagenet has always been the ruling family. The only family for about two hundred years. Families and trees are confusing, so, if you go back—"

"Long story short, Gray," Jack said getting impatient and already feeling repulsed. He'd thought the practice of marrying family was something from hundreds of years ago.

Gray gave a long sigh and bowed his head. "King Anthony Plantagenet is your father, he's also your mother's cousin."

Jack curled his lip. He was the product of a messed-up relationship. No wonder his life turned out so messy. It was karma for his parents. But that really didn't matter because whether Serena was his real mother or not, he had to kill her to save Eli and Jett on the assumption that it would save them. He looked over to Espin still nibbling on a piece of lettuce as if he'd forgotten he could take big human mouthfuls. Mary C. bound him to that thing. How was he expected to use that to his advantage?

"The pl—"

"What's the plan then? We go on some sneaky adventure, find the cave, kill the mistress and save the day?" Jack dragged the bowl of pudding towards him and started to eat out of the bowl.

"You going to share that?" Espin pointed.

"Nope, pudding is my favorite dessert." He licked his lips enjoying the eggy flavor and the vanilla taste. He had not had pudding in so long. Gray probably made this, and it was quite good. Maybe it helped he was a scientist of some sort.

"The plan," Gray began with an arch of his brow, "is to yes, do that, but in order to do that, you and Espin must work together to harness your magick." He sat back in his chair. "The only way. And he's bound to you, so you have full dragon fairy protection which, if I'm honest, quite jealous. It's the strongest form of protection known to man, at least, for now. Although there is some rumors of underwater—"

Espin suddenly stood and walked out of the room. Jack finished most of the pudding in no time and was already wanting more. He could eat ten times more than he needed to right now. Not much food had been sitting on his stomach these past few days. Even as Jack Montague, he was kind of broke still.

"Guess the dragon fairy doesn't like me. Understandable. And I don't think I need him," Jack wiped his mouth and leaned back in his seat, "I'm Jack Ovaultrades, after all."