Someone shook Rina wake roughly by her shoulders. Rina forced her eyes open. She stared at the face of a middle aged woman. A groan escaped her lips.
"Wake up this instant!" The woman yelled in her ear.
Rina rubbed her eyes sleepily and muttered "I'm coming. I'm coming. No need to yell."
The woman, Terra (Terra, get it? It's a feminine version of terror . . . anyways . . .) glowered at her. "My mistress, Lady Vilene, will hear of your insubordination, Rina. I want you in the kitchens in five minutes. Get up NOW!" Terra barked. She stocked off and slammed the door to Rina's room as she left.
Five minutes later, Rina managed to drag her feet to the kitchens. Fara met her at the door. Fara shook her head and smiled. "I heard Terra woke you up. How did it go?"
Rina smiled ruefully, "I'm surprised my neck didn't snap with all that shaking." Fara laughed and led her inside.
"This is where you'll spend most of your time today." Fara said, gesturing at the kitchen, "The monarchies are arriving here today so the welcoming feast needs to be prepared. You'll be kept busy. I'll stay to help but then I'll leave to serve the food. You'll have to stay here, I'll afraid, under the instruction of Terra." Fara grinned at the scowl on Rina's face before continuing, "Now, start by chopping those carrots for the stew."
For the rest of the day, Rina was kept busy cooking, cleaning, and washing dishes. Finally, Fara took pity on Rina and released her on the excuse that she was sending her to town to pick up the lord's orders.
However, as Rina trudged wearily back to her room, a fellow servant stopped her in the halls with a message from the lord's daughter, Vivian, saying that she needed Rina's help up in her room. Cursing under her breath, she dragged herself to Vivian's room.
Several new mystical creatures were introduced in this chapter. Here's a list:
Dragons : Your typical fire breathing winged beast with a twist. Dragons are kept only by the rich because they're large and expensive to feed. Dragons are mostly used for war although so nobles like to keep them for show. Dragons and their dragon keepers form a life-long bond. The dragon pick out the keeper from a variety of eligible candidates at birth. The dragon keeper do all the chores required for the dragon. (You'll learn more later)
Dragons come in 6 colors: brown, green, yellow, purple, red, and black. Brown, green, yellow, and purple are common dragons. Reds are rarer and are only kept by monarchs as a sign of royalty. Blacks are super rare and are born with a DNA defect. Apart from turning them black, the change causes them to be impressive warriors and great for spying at night. All dragons do well in aerial combat due to the swiftness of their wings but browns, greens, reds, and purples are excellent warriors. Yellows tend to be laid back and calmer.
Dragons are huge. They have scaly skin that protects them from swords and leathery wings. Their front paws are cawed and used for scratching. Their rear legs mainly serve the purpose of landing and walking. Dragons walk upright on land. As they move slowly and clumsy on their hind quarters, the most effective way to weaken a dragon is injure its wings.
Weracore : Weracores seem to be half wolf, half tiger. They certainly are frightening. They have long, razor sharp teeth, sharp claws and excellent reflexes. Glaring, red eyes and ragged brown fur makes you back away. Add agression and you have the perfect guard dog. . . Er . . . Guard beast.
Herrks : Similar to horses, they are the main method of transportation. Cheaper than dragons, they are as common as horses. They come in all the colors horses have with the exception of striped. Rare, these striped herrks tend to be great warriors and believed to have magical powers. Not much is known about striped herrks except that their magical powers are often achieved at adulthood and rarely before.
Dragonets : They are not baby dragons as often perceived. They're simply miniature version of dragons that grown no bigger than the average housecat. Like dragons, they are winged, can breath fire, and have formidable claws and teeth. Unlike dragons, they are common and come in yellow, brown, blue, green, purple, and orange. All colors are equal in size, strength, rarity, and ability. They can teleport and carry messages. They're often pets to the rich. (Peasants just have to do with dogs and cats.)
Haggards: These have not been introduced yet, but I'll include them in this section.
Haggards look like mutant monkeys from the dead with wings. They have leathery skin with assortments of warts and scars. Prominent on their triangular heads are large, bulging, red eyes and a small beak-like mouth. Their bat-like wings sprout from behind their shoulders and hang limply in c-shapes when not in use. They generally rest on their hind quarters prefer perching on rooftops at night where their shadows cast fear into the hearts of those who see them.
Haggards are strictly carnivorous, devouring any and all kinds of meat. Live meat, dead meat, decayed meat; all are on the menu. They would even eat the meat of a live human if they had the opportunity.
Despite their fierce reputation and savage personalities, haggards have surprisingly good table manners. They eat in small bites, due to their minute mouths, and never chew. Because they are social, several haggards may swarm over one carcass, causing the carcass to be consumed in minimal amounts of time. Their favorite food is fresh blood, particularly human blood.
Note: Regular animals in reality also exist in my story. These are extra animals I've added. Herrks, however, take the place of horses.