Was this a dream? It had to be. There was no way that I was standing before the royal court. Before the Queen of Devlin herself. It took everything that I had not to stare at her. I'd heard stories of her beauty and of her valour in battle. This wasn't your typical pampered monarch. No. Before me stood a warrior. She was elegant, yet powerful. Those brilliant blue eyes bore into me as I stood before her.

She was eyeing me with curiosity dwelling in her sapphire depths, and true to her nature as a Neko, her face showed an expression of mild intrigue. I watched as her feline ears twitched and her tail flicked to and fro. In truth, women made me nervous. But this was beyond torture. It was all I could do to keep a straight face. To keep from admiring every perfect curve on that perfect body.

By the gods she was stunning. And from what I could see, she was every bit the warrior the people claimed her to be. Those eyes had seen many a battle, and the fact that she still had them both was a testament to her skill. I knew that if I even spoke out of turn, or said the wrong thing, I could be struck down. So I waited while the members of the council deliberated amongst themselves.

"Tell me something boy," the Queen began, her icy stare still penetrating my very soul as she spoke to me. "My good friend has reason to believe that you are in fact the Dragon Lord he has been so patiently awaiting for centuries, what say you to this?" She asked finally.

I froze. I didn't know how to respond to that question. All my life I had been the son of a blacksmith and musician. For me, I lived a normal life. One of hard labor, schooling and swordsmanship. My family was always poor, so my mother had to homeschool me. My father taught me a few tricks of his trade as well as how to fight and fight well. And yet, my parents always told me that I was a special child.

When I looked at my reflection, I didn't see what they meant. The only unique qualities that I possessed were white long hair and eyes of gold. Other than that, I felt normal. But now? I was feeling like I was inferior. I was before the Queen of Devlin, Seraphina. A woman that poets and musicians wrote and sung of. And who was I? Kaleth, the son of a blacksmith father and musician mother in a small village just outside of Devlin's gates.

She was still staring at me unblinking as I tried to process the question that she had just asked me. What say you to this? What could I say to that? An ear flick. A slight hint of annoyance. She was starting to get impatient, I could feel it. Breathe. I told myself. Just breathe.

"I don't know," I managed to say, with a great deal of difficulty.

A pause. I could have sworn her eye twitched. Had I not been looking at them the whole time that would have seemed likely. She looked over to her right at an elderly looking man. Elenion. The seer and head of the Magi Council. Also the one who had me brought in. He glanced back at the Queen with a raised brow, an answer to her quizzical expression. It was as if they were speaking without words as his aged face seemed to say, do you doubt my wisdom?

This unheard reply must have seemed adequate as the Queen simply shook her head. She directed her attention back to me. Her eyes locking with mine in an icy stare. I felt like a cornered mouse. And with the irony of her being a Neko before me, that is what I may as well have been.

"Elenion here, is almost never wrong when it comes to matters of the utmost importance," she informed the room, garnering a raised brow from Elenion that suggested that the "almost" part was insulting.

"Regardless of whether you think you are who we seek or not. I highly doubt that it is by sheer coincidence that your appearance fits the description of the one spoken of in the legend. As far as I know. Nobody ouside or within this kingdom has a draconic name, Kaleth."

I winced. Even my name was convicting evidence. Yet I felt like they had brought in a fraud. I was nothing special. Sure, I could fence and play the flute, but as far as wielding celestial power and manipulating dragons goes? I was nothing like that at all. But one thing bothered me. Everything in the legend described me perfectly.

From humble beginnings.
With hair like snow.
Eyes of gold.
Is the Dragon Lord foretold.

I had read those words in one of the books my mother had in her collection. I had often laughed because it described my life in a nutshell. From humble beginnings.
My parents were not rich by any means. In fact, they weren't even noble. And yet here I was, in the midst of the most powerful woman in existence. All because of a legend that happened to sound an awful lot like me.

"Now, I may be a skeptic, and Elenion knows this. But the manuscripts that the legend is written on are centuries old and somehow they are like a mirror to you. As I said previously, Elenion is almost never wrong. He had known the exact year down to the day, in which I would rise to the throne. I trust his judgement at times moreso than my own," she stayed firmly.

"I will be hardpressed to believe that he is wrong in this case. While other legends can be vague, this one is pretty clear. So. Dragon Lord or not, we will find out. And seeing as you are of age," my stomach tightened. "You will serve in my army. There you will be tested and watched for any signs of this legend being true. Whether it is or not will decide the fate of this land."

I of course knew what this meant. I was now eighteen years old and by decree, obligated to join her ranks. But there was also another reason why I knew that they were hoping I was who Elenion claimed to be. Vilverin, the sister kingdom to Devlin, had been attacked and nearly destroyed. A war had been declared by the southern nations, and Devlin was right in the thick of it. But that wasn't all. There was another side of the legend. One that spoke of a great darkness that would consume everything, and the only thing that could stand against it, was the Dragon Lord.

I said nothing as my fate had already been sealed. I was to be her majesty's servant.