A/N: I cannot BELIEVE I forgot to put this in here when I posted it. Thank you so much, Riverstyx for beta reading this chapter for me. (I'm so sorry I'm only publicly announcing this now. I'm an awful person...)

Eyes fluttered open. Golden sunbeams fell upon golden scales. A soft mattress had replaced the hard ground she'd fallen asleep on. She knew not how she got there, only that she was in a bed. Her eyes widened as realisation came to her. It was her bed.

Around her, cyan walls enveloped her in an aura of familiarity. Chocolate-colored curtains fluttered as a slight breeze drifted in through opened windows. She rose slowly from the mattress, praying to every god she knew of, hoping with all her might that this wasn't an illusion.

She trotted to the door, pushed it open, and was greeted by the smell of turkey from down the hall. The servants must have been preparing the holiday meal. A day of feasting and socialising, celebrating the Death of Malefor and the end of the Third Dragonic War. The Day of the Dragon had always been Breeze's favorite holiday.

Breeze simply sat there, wondering if the past months really could have been a dream—if their parents' deaths had been simply a nightmare. Then she wondered if this was a dream and if, in a moment, she'd wake up and again be lying in an alleyway, shivering from the cold.

She was pulled from these thoughts by her brother's voice. "What are you doing just standing there?"

"N-nothing. Just thinking about a weird dream I had."

"I had a weird dream last night!" Temor exclaimed before launching into a nonsensical story about monkeys with pellet guns.

"That's nice," Breeze interrupted, excusing herself. She didn't particularly want to listen to the earth dragon ramble on forever about the peculiarities of his subconscious. She was far more anxious to see her parents.

"But I haven't even gotten to the best part!"

"Maybe later," Breeze replied, already halfway down the hallway, at the end of which was her father's study.

She skidded to a halt inches from the door, then excitedly knocked. "You in there, pa?"

"Yeah! Come on in, sweetie."

The gold dragoness slowly pushed the door open, drinking in the well-known scenery. Bookshelves lined the back wall; open books and scrunched-up papers covered the floor. Sitting at a desk left of the door was a tall wind dragon, a pair of spectacles perched on the end of his snout. He looked an average dragon, but Breeze knew this was a cover. A cover for his true identity. And yet, despite his lies and secrecy, she still loved him.

"Good morning, father!"

"Morning?" Her father laughed. "It's two in the afternoon! How late did you stay up last night?"

Breeze shrugged. "Dunno."

"Just don't fall asleep during Alakavee's speech like you did last year."

"Oh, come ooooon! He's boring!"

"But if you fall asleep, who's going to tell me what he was talking about when I wake up?"

Breeze couldn't help but smile. "Hypocrite."

"The true hypocrite is the dragon who points out the splinter in his brother's eye."

"But you're not my brother."

"Fine. You win."

"As always."

Breeze was pulled from her peaceful slumber by a loud, angry voice. "What in the names of the Ancestors are you damn kids doing?! Get the hell off my property!"

In a moment, Breeze and Tremor were scrambling out of the alleyway they had taken shelter in as an angered store owner chased after them, hurling curses their way.

The morning was cold. The sun had not yet risen, ice had formed on the streets during the night, and it looked as if it had snowed on the surface. Blasts of wind tore through the streets, as if a mad god was trying to blow the city from the sky.

"So, where are we trying today?" the earth dragon askedwith a yawn.

"There's an orphanage on the north side of the city," Breeze replied. "It's small, but maybe they'll have room."

"They won't take us either."

"No need to be a pessimist, Tre—"

"It's true, though. We're old enough for the factories to take us. Why the hell would they take in someone able to work?"

Breeze knew her brother was right. Money wasn't exactly common these days. No sane dragon would take an extra mouth to feed if they couldn't help it.

"Out of the kindness of their hearts," she finally said.

"Yeah. Maybe."