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She looked coldly over the kneeling forms below her in disgust. They were a shame to the draconian heritage. 2000 years ago they would have been killed on the spot, but these were different times and they could be useful.

"Rianne, we will do anything to attain entrance into the Hidden Valley of Atlantis," the female begged.

Rianne, highest ruler of the last of the Draconian race, stiffened in fury. The very idea of letting these quarter bloods into the sacred place of the last Draconians, was inconceivable. She motioned to the female to step forward. The quarter-blood was very pretty, with huge blue eyes and sunshine blond hair, just maybe pretty enough.

"What is your name?" Rianne asked.

The girl glanced up hopefully and answered, "Serena, Highest."

"And you?" she asked the male.

"Riven," he answered quietly.

"Let me get this strait," Rianne voiced icily. "You are twins, the son and daughter of a half breed draconian and a mortal and you want entrance to the Hidden Valley. And on top of that, your mother was the daughter of the banished Fain' arine, whose name isn't even spoken?" The nerve of these filthy children. She had banished Attolia, that engagingly rebellious girl and her sister, Vari, after they had received a disturbing prophecy from the eldest Draconian oracle. And these---these half-breeds were born in accordance to that prophecy. With them in her power it would be easy to kill them, once they had made themselves useful of course. That would throw that prophecy back into that gloating old women's teeth!

"We are true draconian citizens! Would you blame us for our Grandmother's misdeeds?" cried 'Serena.' With a strangled cry, her pathetic wings ripped the back of her shirt as she arched up, narrowly missing Rianne. Didn't these filthy bloods have any modesty?

"Get your wings out of my site!" Rianne snarled. Serena backed away like a frightened puppy and her wings slowly shrank to nothing.

"You two are lucky that I have a job for you, but be assured that if you do fail, I will make sure you are slaves to men for the rest of your lives!" Rianne said, her voice dipping with scorn. Riven glanced up sharply.

"Job?" He inquired quietly.

"You are going to destroy Gaea. And Gaea's destruction lays in the young King of Fanalia."

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Merle blinked in surprise. Did that bush just make a noise? There it was again! It was like a cub crying! Merle cautiously crept over to the prickly shrub.

When her she was a few inches from it, it emitted another keening cry. She yowled in surprise and leaped up the nearest tree. Slowly she came down again, and peered into the branches of the bush.

"It's only a baby!" she exclaimed. A little toddler about 10 months old looked back at her through the branches.

It was the strangest baby she had ever seen. It wasn't human, but then it wasn't like her either. Small cat ears poked out of a human head of brown curly hair. Though his body was mostly human, his eyes were slitted like a cat's, and look! He had a tail, just like her.

Well, what should she do with him? She couldn't just leave him here! Merle decided derisively that she would take him with her. Why not? He looked so small and vulnerable.

She pulled him gently from under the thorn bush, careful not to scratch him.

What was the harm? It was obvious that no one wanted him. If they did, why would they leave him in a bush? Merle waved at him to get his attention, tickling his irresistibly cute soft cheeks. She pointed to her self and slowly said "Merle." Then she pointed at him. He looked confused for a minuet, but then gave her a dimpled smile as he caught on.

"Ke-men. Kemen." He told her just as slowly, waving a delighted fist in the air. Merle grinned happily. She sang softly to 'Kemen' (what a strange name!) as she made a sling out of the cloth of her mantle and tied it around her neck. She placed Kemen cautiously in the sling, then bounded off. As soon as she finished her errand, she would go show Lord Van!

……………………………………………………………

"What?"

"I said that I adopted a baby, Lord Van!" Merle exclaimed happily. "Weren't you listening?"

"You what?"

Merle snorted and pulled the bundle from her neck. In the thick blanket, Van could see a small toddler's face who couldn't be more than 12 months old.

At first, Van thought he was looking at a human child, but then he noticed at small cat ears and eyes. For a long minuet Van was unable to speak.

Finally he groaned, "Merle…" At fifteen, Merle was no different than before the Great War. "What the…" Van stopped and reconsidered. "Where is his mother?"

"I don't know! I found him under a bush, in the forest surrounding the castle! He can't have a mother! If he did why would she leave him in a bush? I couldn't just leave him there!" Merle pleaded, her eyes huge and her lips trembling. "Lord Van, you know what it's like not to have any family. But Balgus took care of you! Can't we do the same for him?" All Van's protests died before he spoke them.

He did know what it was like to be completely alone, all too well. His subjects were his responsibility; he could not turn this boy away.

"Merle, this boy will be a huge responsibility…" Van tried half-heartedly.

"I know, Lord Van! He won't be any harder to take care of than you were! Honesty, your clothes were soaked more than half the time!" Merle happily brought the baby out of his sling and snuggled him against her cheek.

For an instant Van's eyes met and held the little boy's. He stood transfixed. The toddler's gaze was uncannily intense, and direct, and…aware. Van wondered again what he had gotten himself into. Great. Just what he needed.