Standing over the tall Western bridge that formed just another path out of many to the faraway Summer Realm, I looked around for any signs of the bandwagons that were scheduled to reach the grounds of Liberan any minute. I laid my sundial on the balustrade, adjusted its rod to point at North and checked the time again, half - out of boredom and half - out of excitement. The shadow cast by its golden rod on the small, intrinsically carved, circular wooden plate indicated that it was over a quarter after midday.

No doubt the sunlight was nearly blinding my eyesight. But then I heard the unmistakable sound of drums and thunderous echoes of distant footsteps. There it was at last.

"Eleni!" shouted Amelia over the ever-nearing rumble. "It's here." I looked sideways where she stood some five feet away with one hand over her hip and the other over her eyebrows, squinting in the direction of the noise.

"Yes. Finally." I grinned at her and slipped my sundial inside the pocket of my coat.

"Do you think Prince Nova would be arriving with them?" She looked giddy with excitement as usual. I rolled my eyes.

"Don't you start again, Amelia. And yes, I think he might be coming. It's about time."

"You think he has grown all tall and muscly after his training?" Amelia, my younger cousin worried me with her fantasies most of the time. Her constant rambling about the gossips of the royals was a topic of great debate at home.

Five years ago, on the day when it had been announced that Prince Nova was of age to go to Terraskee, in order to complete his warrior-training and to serve his Elementeeship oath, Amelia had cried her heart out and begged me to disguise her as a boy and be sent on the ship that was set to take thousands of boys across the Realms. It had been a feat as difficult as taming a wild lion, to make her come back to her senses.

Once she had also managed to sneak into a royal tent that had been a part of the Winter realm's embassy that had made its base in the central part of Caeliskee. She had insisted that she had gone in to grab a peek of the giant ice-makers that Aquaskee, the capital of Winter realm, was well-known to manufacture; but mother and I knew of course it was to get a glimpse of the Prince of Winter Realm.

"You know you are not allowed to roam around alone, when I am in the polling tent tomorrow." I tapped her shoulder reaching over to where she stood. "Did you hear me?"

"Yes, Eleni, yes. Sticking to you, following you, waiting for you in Uncle Barak's shop. I know!" she made me chuckle at that and I realized how much she had changed from the day I had first met her. Though she still kept her wavy golden hair tightly wrapped in braids, she looked quite grown for her age. Her freckles had increased and there was nothing more she hated than that.

I looked away from her mischievous face just in time to see the first flock of eagles' swoop in and form the shape of balanced-scales mid-air, followed by hundreds of young women dressed in rich blue silk carrying ornate vessels of water clutched to their chest. They were walking delicately over the soft grass that had been laid out for the occasion.

The procession was also studded with bright pink-orange flamingos and majestic peacocks; there were also sturdy horses carrying soldiers overlooking the crowd and maintaining a barrier between the civilians and the procession. The stunning waves of blue and white colors floating over the procession that were unmistakably white pigeons and blue jays, were almost stealing the entire show.

And then there were thousands of pairs of men, clearly representing the twins of Gemini House, each person of the pair had opposite behavior that could be spotted even from this high distance. One man showed grace, smiling at the crowd and was dressed in simple but bright peasant attire but his twin had daggers and knives and smirked at the crowd. The duality of Gemini House would never get old.

A water bearer of Aquarius House, the scales of Libra House, the twins of Gemini House, wrapped all together, made up the sigil of Spring Realm, which I had drawn so often in my school books growing up. The one that shines radiantly upon the flag of my country, Caeliskee, the pride and heartbeat of every single Air Elemental. And now witnessing this grand display of power gave me a sudden surge of warmth in my bones.

The procession took a wild turn to the right, indicating that it was headed to Gemyre's grand palace. Just when the eagles in the front undid their formation and flew a bit ahead reforming their design of scales, I caught a glance of a huge snout that was coming into view. Huge pristine white wings that seemed to cover up the whole skies, a snake-like torso dazzling in the sunshine, a wide tail swinging waywardly and creating chaos among the crowd in its wake.

The dragon looked like one of its kind; all around, the people were pointing at it, gasping and stepping back. The gorgeous yet monstrous dragon had two grey horns on its head, one of which was half-broken and yet it managed to look beautiful in every way possible. It flapped its enormous wings lazily and kept treading forward on its giant four legs.

And there, mounted on the dragon, was the pleased-looking Prince Nova. The visual made me gasp involuntarily and I also heard a similar noise beside me as Amelia had realized it too.

That was the reason why the crowd had been so awestruck, it wasn't really the dragon, but the fact that Prince Nova had managed to tame such a magnificent beast and was riding over it in such a fashion was what had made the Spring realm lose its mind. The Dragon chooses its warrior, as my father had often told me while studying ancient history, rang in my head. The House of Gemini was clever enough to pull out something so supreme just when the polling was ongoing.

Surely then, the Prince of Spring Realm, First Son of Gemini House, the strongest contender of the Throne of the Four Realms had returned home and spread a dread among other Houses.

***

I entered the rustic coffeeshop with Amelia in tow. It was located in the teeming district market of Liberan from where the procession had passed only a short while ago. The environment was jolly seemed a jolly, with people laughing on the streets and narrating the tale of the dragon and eagles to those who had missed the demonstration or were simply discussing it over and over again until the word carried itself all around with an additional spice to it. Liberan citizens always had their wits about and appreciated the two other Houses of Spring Realm, just as they would appreciate their own.

The shop looked clean but bustling with more people than I had ever seen there before. Mother, Amelia and I had visited Uncle Barak every time we came to the market to get our supplies. I remember spending holidays in with Uncle Barak and his family. He spotted us as we entered and gestured a girl behind a counter, adjacent to his motioning her to cover up the counter he was working, as well.

"Hello, my little ladies. Did you travel well?" Uncle Barak said as he came over to greet us both and kissed our cheeks. He pointed at an empty table near the glass window and ordered an errand boy for steaming cups of tea.

"It's not that far a journey. And we got to see the procession. Did you?" said Amelia still dazed from swooning over Prince Nova.

"Well, I did. And splendid it was. Half way through the polling and now this! Of course, it changes things now." Uncle Barak exclaimed with a sigh.

"What kinds of things?" I asked as he settled into a chair with us. He looked more tired than usual, maybe because of all the increasing rush of the previous days as large number of people had travelled over to central Liberan for the decennial polling ceremony in order to nominate their Defensors for the ultimate conquest of becoming the High King of The Realms.

"You know the polling is ongoing and now that the Gemini's Prince is out and about with that massive thing to command, the other houses' Defensors won't stand a fighting chance in the polling and neither in the ring unless they conjure up some creatures of their own. Think about our Lord Gareth." He sighed.

"I bet Lord Gareth would never be able to control a wolf let alone a dragon." said Amelia as she flashed a wide smile to the boy who was setting our teacups on the table. "Didn't you see his sorry looking Thunderbird today?"

I glared at her. "You might be sentenced for treason if anyone hears you saying that about our First Son of Libra House."

"Well only if he ever becomes the King of our country or of the Four Realms, which I reckon you don't see happening either." She flicked her fingers over the teacup and a mild flurry of wind started to create a tiny vortex in the tea. She started a similar vortex in my cup as well. I was grateful for the reprieve and a little ashamed.

Uncle Barak shook his head. "The Geminis ruling the Springs for two decades straight. What a shame!" He sipped his tea and continued. "Anyways Eleni, have you decided who you are going to vote for?"

"I was sure before the procession. But now... as you said it changes things."

"I am having the same thoughts." He nodded and smiled in his normal cheerful way at us. "Enough about that, your rooms are upstairs. Freshen up and come down again. We are feeling a bit understaffed." Amelia groaned at that.

"Well how about a cheesecake once we are all packed up?" said Uncle Barak with a wink.

"Now that's more like you, Uncle." She grinned like a toddler.