Cycle: Land of the Dragon. Selection: Choice or Destiny. Book One

So I imagined ’selection’.

But here in fact a monster instead of a handsome man with a rose…

Weedon laughed long after my version of the beauty contest and told me what was really coming.

Okay, first of all, the emperor have the right not to exclude anyone until the last day, just announce his decision when the time comes. There are no requirements for a new member, invariably only total number not more than thirteen participants

Third, the choice itself lasts six months (in this place I had to accept that I had lost my job, my belongings from the rented apartment will end up in unknown places, and the relatives will go mad with grief, because it is not possible to survive and not be discovered for so long).

Fourth, only the ceremony of acquaintance (meadow), the ceremony of announcement and the ceremony of marriage are regulated. The selection process itself and the types of competitive tasks depend on the Emperor’s preferences and are agreed only with him. Participants are notified in the process.

Why is that? He’s choosing a woman he can’t divorce for hundreds of years. Accordingly, the time limit for selection is quite long.

Now about me. Very tormented by the question, both physiologically and most importantly why a human being should be a wife and, more difficult, a mother of dragons. And I’m still an ordinary person, the portal does not aroused my dragon’s blood, did magician magician and so on… So why would the monster fire-breathing, even greater than the growth of me at least twice to choose me as a couple??

If in order, first to the question "How?" I was told the following:

Dragons look like ordinary people. They become monsters only when they want to fly, hunt or fight, generally at will or spontaneously for defense. Children from marriage to humans are born as an ordinary child, the transformation starts from the third year of life. The child must have a mentor by this time. (What about eggs? Magician said that there is an island of active volcanoes, where are living pterodactyls that lay eggs… But the dragons are viviparous) so the argument «I can not lay eggs» doesn’t work.

On the second question «why, we live much less», Vidon replied that it is necessary to tell about the history of the rulers:

So, a few thousand years ago, or a little more, an ancestor of the current ruler was wounded in the war, was to the brink of death in the mountains alone, but accidentally fell into my world, where he was found, rescued and loved by the beautiful maiden Feodosius. The dragon fell in love with the maiden, returned, married and lived happily, the soul in the soul, but not for long (people in this world Physically here feel better, the empress had the best doctors and magicians, and yet she lived to her 100 years and died).

The heir grew up, his father bored, mistresses changed, but one day he got drunk and flew to our world. Villages burned, forests fired, the arrows of the beast did not take, in general for my world catastrophe. But the alcohol weathered off, the dragon calmed and the locals went to negotiate. What can men do to appease a deity? Blood sacrifices and the most beautiful virgins.

Dragon ate Slaughtered lamb and moved into his world 13 girls of different compositions and appearance (although from tears they were not much like beauties already), settled them in his castle, and went headlong into affairs of state, leaving the girls in the care of son’s mentor.

The son was by then a grown man, attracted to one of the sacrificial maidens, and after six months, the young dragon decided to announce that he was getting married. The father did not object, the son married, the authority transferred (with headache of War with werewolves).

Junior loved his Svetlana, but their happy was short-lived also. In one of the battles against the werewolves, he died. Leaving his little son and wife in the care of a parent.

Senior dragon, having learned about the death of her son burned most of the land of werewolves, those who survived accepted the dragon’s rule and still are part of the empire (the truth is many dream of regaining freedom and power).

When he returned home with a victory, Dragon was restless, and once again went to let off steam on the other side of the portal… And again the sacrificial lamb and girls. Dragon liked the role of a deity, and he began to fly every 5 years, taking part in the festival in his honor, eating lamb and taking the girls. But what to do with the harem of crying girls so quickly replenished?

The emperor didn’t planned to marry, mistresses in such an amount dragon did not need, but also but did not want to give up «holiday in honor of «God of the dragon» also. Celebration of it was getting more interesting by the year. People began to prepare theatrical productions with dragon masks, invented technical novelties, the girls themselves gathered different nationalities. In general, the portal has become an outlet of the sovereign. And refuse the victims was impossible refuse because he is a «deity»

And therefore he gathered a council to develop the rules. They decided as follows:

1. Before a dragon marries, to give him a choice of 13 maidens. Нe must communicate with them for at least six months, the contenders may live all the time in a castle, the emperor may replace any of the maidens (this is in case he wants to go again to Land of people).

2. Every five years the palace arranges a ball, to let girls meet a couple.

3. On the outskirts of the empire to create a settlement Old Believers, to resettle people there are not ready to live among two-faced (dragons and werewolves). (It turned out that not all the girls were able to believe in and get used to a new life, and frankly went mad).

So I have, first of all, a plausible legend (a human settlement exists, some behind high walls are really completely closed and barely communicate with the world), and, secondly, a right to participate (according to the law, if a person from such a settlement wishes to participate, they cannot be refused but they may be expelled or replaced the next day. However, few people in the settlements themselves know about this, so they do not claim the right.)

4. The girls who did not choose a pair at the ball or the Royal selection, but refuse to live in human settlements provides a work.

So, rules are created, the war finished with the victory of the emperor. Grandson of the emperor grew up and it was time to try out the rules with the selection.

But the grandson fell in love with the maiden of the dragon family, took advantage of the opportunity of replacement and put a chosen one in the castle. Six months later he announced his choice, married and lived in a marriage with his beloved 300 years. These 300 are considered the golden Reign in dragon history. The dating balls for the nobility were still held, there were no wars during this period, and our lucky man asked his grandfather to bring thingsthat are not present in this world from his travels (he himself could not walk thro ugh the portal, too much jealous wife he had). This period was recorded as the Age of the Flourishing Arts, Science, Technology and Magic.

The new emperor decided to complete the regulations (knowing that the next selection would be for the son).

First, the right of dragons to send their daughters for selection has been secured.

And the final change: if after six months the heir has not decided on a choice, the coronation and transfer of power are postponed, and after two years a new selection is made.

And then two things happened:

1. As a gift to our lover of sacrifices was given to a beautiful woman, to whom a certain George has turned out to be in love. The guy was young, hot, and our emperor was quite the opposite. George became a local hero who killed monster and even on his coat of arms painted the defeated dragon. So the active communication of worlds was interrupted, the new emperor did not want to walk between worlds. The method of transition is preserved only by the Emperor’s family (in the library) and by some Mage-keepers.

2. Grew up new ruler.

New selection was carried out, the Queen is determined (again chose the dragon), but there was no love in marriage. During the six months allotted for selection, the families of the future wife and husband discussed: the merger of capital, rules (including the freedom of choice of lovers, after the birth of heirs), the appointment of some relatives in key positions, and so on.

The following three generations of emperors entered into arranged marriages, but each of them followed the tradition and ritual of selection

It means that the monster with which we are acquainted probably already have a bride with whom the deal of the century is being negotiated.But it’s night, so I’ll start working out a plan tomorrow. Right after breakfast.

Why i didn’t it before? I had 3 weeks for it in the house of Vidon, but only when I saw the monster with my own eyes I realized that it wasn’t a hoax.

When in front of you stands up monster and gives a volley very real fire, and his skin looks like a live crocodile – you start to realize the reality of what is happening.

If it had been friends joke, it wouldn't have lasted more than a week. They are not so cruel to let me to miss the flight. So we will have to accept and live in a cave.

Chapter 8. Making plans

The morning greeted timid dawn, fighting mood, clothing home. (Dresses I had brought with me to the castle were bought for me: four of it were mind-bogglingly memorable, three were solemnly beautiful, fifteen were decently closed and securely tightened, and two were free, without a corset, in the style of peasant women).

Today I was dressed in one of the peasants. Because the heir was absent, there’s no one to seduce, so there’s no reason to suffer with a corset. I Plaited my hair, belted my dress, and put a communication bracelet on my arm, and went down to Breakfast in this modest fashion.

In the dining room there was silence again, and now the cause of it was my appearance. It turns out they without a corset does not come out, I’m a redneck against them. But I sat down at the table and said, breaking the silence

«Enjoy your appetite, excuse me if my appearance seems strange to you, but in the estate from where I arrived we wear dresses with corset rarely, I am more accustomed to a simple tailoring».

The beauties exhaled, mentally crossing me out from rivals, because the girl in the bag with the pigtails can't be the Empress of dragons.

The breakfast was delicious, the crepes with the cream cheered up the mood, my head gradually lined up the next plan of action. I'll start it with the library. It is necessary to assess the amount of information available and useful.

I looked around our friendly company at the table, and I discovered that I was the only one who didn’t talk to anyone. The beauties were actively sharing impressions, plans and news from their families.

So, after finishing the pancakes, still silently I left the table, calling an escort in advance. The chair screeching caused silence and bewilderment again, but I think I’ve already broken all the rules, so leaving will be just one point in the long list of oddities of the girl from the outskirts.

***

My preliminary action plan consists of four points