Excerpts

Excerpt 1:

My name is Argath, I am currently Forty-Nine years old. Normally, this would mean that I have long since reached adulthood, but since I'm a dragon and our species age slower, that means I'm still a child. Although, at the risk of being accused of bragging, I've been told that I am very precocious and several guests of my father's have praised my conversational skills and expressed admiration for my knowledge regarding many topics. I do well in all my subjects, but my favorite is history; both the history of my own country and that of others.

Anyway, since I mentioned my father, I thought I should write a bit about each member of my family.
First of all, I should specify that my family is not just any family, but the family that rules the land of Vinoli and have done so for several hundred years, ever since the people of this land first chose my father to become their King.

I admire my father greatly. There are times when the mere thought of being his daughter fills me with pride. I know that I will not inherit the crown, but if I did, I would strive to follow my father's example as a ruler.

I am my father's youngest child, above me there are three brothers. Kheron is the oldest, he was born without the use of his legs and has a frail constitution. What he lacks in stamina though, he more than makes up for in brains. I think he is the most knowledgeable person in the World and although my tutors are without a doubt well worth their pay, I think I've learned more from him than they could teach me.

My second brother is Thekros and here you must forgive me. I know that one should not speak badly of one's own kin, but Thekros, to be perfectly blunt, is a jerk-face. He and father can't seem to be in a room together without arguing and he's always quick with an insult or a remark, which are always carefully chosen to hurt its target the most.

Finally and most importantly, there's my third brother, Argeron.
Unlike my two other brothers, Argeron and I share the same mother. I've heard that that is a extremely rare among dragons, which perhaps account for the strong bond between us.
Of all the members of my family that I care for, Argeron is the one that I feel the closest to. Despite being the third son, my brother has been chosen to be our father's heir. I know he make a great King and I shall be there by his side, supporting him and helping make our country even greater than it already is.

I realize that I have not mentioned my mother and there's a reason for that: I've never met her. She died giving birth to me. Thekros once said that she died of fright when she laid eyes on me (I told you he was a jerk), which earned him a punch on the arm from Argeron. Thekros did not dare to retaliate, for despite being the younger brother, Argeron surprasses him in physical strength.

 I have, however, seen my mother's portrait, painted by one of our nation's finest artists. When I first laid eyes upon the picture, I was not aware of the identity of the woman in it, but I was struck by her beauty and so, I asked Argeron who he was.

"Our mother" he replied and for a brief moment, my brother looked sadder than I had ever seen him.

Then, he smiled and asked if I wanted to know more about her, this woman who had left this World the same moment that I had entered it.

I said yes and so, Argeron began to tell me about our mother. She seems to have been kind, loving person, well liked by everyone. As I listened to my brother, I couldn't help but think that the apple does not fall far from the tree.

Excerpt 2:

I have not been able to write for awhile and the reason is that I have been busy recovering from an injury.

It happened like this: I was walking in the garden, when suddenly I found myself seized by the urge to climb a tree. Thankfully, there is no shortage of trees in the palace garden, the problem was which one should I choose? I finally settled on a majestic chestnut tree, which I decided would prove a sufficient challenge for my prowess. Perhaps I should point out that I was wearing one of my favorite dresses and, not wanting to risk it being snagged on a branch, I took it off and placed it on a nearby bench.

I decided to aim for the very top of the tree. A daunting task, perhaps, but I am quite a skilled tree-climber and so, I began to move towards my goal, digging my claws into the trunk and branches of the tree.

I estimate that I was about the half-way to the top, when I decided to stop for a quick rest. Spying a branch, which seemed sturdy enough, I crawled out on it. That's when the branch snapped.
I can't recall the actual fall, only that one minute I was in the tree and the next I was not. Two of the gardeners found me unconscious and one of them rushed to fetch the Royal Physician.
The result of my escapade? A few broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder,  a concussion and a sprained tail.

Thanks to the skill of our doctor, my injuries are now fully healed and I am back to how I was before. Well, with one exception; my tail is shorter than it was before and has become slightly crooked. I was quite proud of my tail, which was longer than any of my  siblings and the realization that it would never be the way it used to, caused me to shed the first tears I had cried in years.

After I had recuperated fully, my father had me summoned to his study, where he chided me for being so careless and made me promise not to climb anymore trees. I made the promise with ease, this incident has made me lose all taste for tree-climbing. Besides, I've started to become to old for such childish activities anyway.

As for the chestnut, it was discovered that it had been infected with some sort of parasite. My father ordered it to be cut down.