Queen Maleficia looked at the tiny thing her grandson held in his arms. She could smell the ancient magics which had wrapped around the toddler in Malleus' arms. It felt protective in nature, and she could tell it would take very little for it to entrench itself around Malleus as well.
"Let me get this straight...you sensed the awakening of an ancient magic and went to investigate...and found a human child in the center of it?"
"The wards were unsure of my presence, but inevitably allowed me passage," said Malleus.
He had learned how to hold small humans like this from visiting Lilia and his adopted son Silver. The girl-child was a little bit older than Silver was himself, but the technique seemed sound regardless.
Maleficia looked at the girl-child with cold, dispassionate eyes. There was no place for human children in Castle Blackthorn. That she had been allowed entry at all was a miracle.
However the child had done nothing to warrant her immediate eviction from the castle. The poor thing looked downright exhausted and was slumbering against Malleus rather peacefully. Though the small fragment of malignant magic it seemed to contain worried Maleficia greatly.
Hearing the light grumble from the child's stomach, Maleficia's expression softened slightly.
"Malleus, go feed the poor thing. We'll have to figure out what to do with the child later."
She wasn't so cruel as to abandon the girl-child without cause. At the very least the little one could be adopted out to another family and forgotten about later. Besides, there was the matter of how such a young child slipped past their extensive warding in the first place.
The girl-child ate the mashed foods, and almost immediately settled against Malleus' side once full. She had made quite the mess, and Malleus used the greatest of care cleaning her face up. It made the kitchen staff, particularly the females watch with fond amusement at the young prince taking care of a youngling.
It became even more adorable when the small child somehow managed to latch itself on Malleus' tail and refused to let go. Seeing him walk around with a small human child precariously balanced on his tail napping was both amusing and adorable as hell.
When it came time to sleep, Malleus found himself in an odd predicament. Namely, the girl child refused to let him go at all and kept clutching at his clothing.
Bemused, he scooped her up and within seconds she was out like a light, curled up against him like a tiny kitten.
Three days later...
Maleficia looked at her grandson, who seemed far more cheerful with the child to dote on. It was almost like he had adopted a small kitten to keep him company.
"Grandson," she called out, as Malleus fed the small child with care. "What exactly are your plans for the...child?"
Malleus paused, which had the small toddler pouting. She continued to try and eat the food on her small plate with limited success.
"I wish to keep her," said Malleus after a moment. He felt less lonely with her around, and the lack of fear was refreshing.
"You do realize that raising a child is nothing like raising a pet or a familiar, correct? If you wish to adopt her, then you will be expected to care for her until her adulthood. She will need training, etiquette, and magical lessons at the very least. And that is before she begins the transition to full womanhood. It will not be easy, and I expect you to have a proper hand in her tutelage."
Malleus knew that his grandmother was completely serious. He would not be allowed to simply dump her on tutors, and that he would have to take a personal interest in her life.
Malleus looked at the tiny thing, who had followed him around without hesitation and with complete trust...and his heart melted. He couldn't stomach the idea of sending her away at this point, and the idea of spending the next few decades raising her wasn't so difficult at all. Besides, Lilia had adopted a child of his own not much older than her, so at least she could have a playmate with Silver.
Maleficia looked slightly pleased with this development. Malleus had grown up rather lonely, as there were no other fae nobility his age. As a result, his social skills were sorely lacking.
Raising a child would force him to interact with others on a more social level and allow him to grow. More importantly, he'd develop some much needed skills for when he sired his own child. He was still young, and humans rarely lasted longer than a century at best. A mere blink in the eye of a dragon, much less a Draconia.
"What do you plan to name her?" asked Maleficia, as the child happily settled into her grandson's lap.
The letter had been badly damaged by the journey, but Malleus had been able to read a bit of it. If she was to be adopted into the royal family, then she would need a strong sounding name.
"Melanie Draconia," he said firmly.
It would pay quiet homage to his late mother Meleanor and would keep with the naming convention of the family.
His grandmother hummed in approval, as that was a perfectly appropriate name. The newly named Melanie giggled happily from her place in Malleus' lap, eating her food without a care in the world.
Naturally the proper protocols had to be followed when it came to adding a new royal into the family bloodline. While she would never become a crown princess...partly because she lacked any Draconia blood, but also because it was unlikely she would outlive her 'father' long enough to worry about such things...she would still be considered a full member of the Draconia family.
The first thing the queen ordered for her new great-granddaughter was a full medical check-up, which revealed a rather nasty parasite that had to be dealt with promptly. Getting rid of it was tedious, but necessary. Removing it had the rather pleasant side effect of bolstering Melanie's magical reserves ten fold, as her core wasn't trying to hold the shade back from affecting her.
Next was the formal ceremony Naming her as a Draconia. It was a private affair, as the full formal ceremony to announce a new princess would only be done after the ritual to add her into the Draconia bloodline was completed. This was both for her protection, and to make sure that the wards would acknowledge her as a full member of the family in both blood and name.
This was important, as the wards had been set to prevent full humans from ever entering Castle Blackthorn. While a tentative peace had been obtained, the Queen vividly remembered the several decades of war between the fae and the intruding human presence. That Melanie had suffered no ill effects as of yet from being in the center of the wards showed she wasn't completely human. Or at the very least, had a close fae ancestry.
And that was before they had a professional inspect the blood-based wards that had sprung up almost the next morning after Malleus had declared his intent to fully adopt the small child as his own. It was unknown why a mere child had such powerful blood wards on their magical core, however the intent behind them was firmly protective in nature and seemed to be enhanced from being close to Malleus.
All in all, it was quite a busy time...not that Melanie seemed to notice. She was too busy following Malleus around like a little duckling.
The prince quickly learned to adjust his stride as Melanie's tiny legs would have great difficulty keeping up with his much longer legs. Seeing the nearly two-year old toddle for a bit with her hand on his tail was beyond adorable.
The Queen was quite pleased that some of the younger fae who were a bit more up on modern inventions had taken to 'recording' said moments with their odd human devices. It became even more adorable when right as Melanie tired from trying to keep up with Malleus' strides, his tail would whip out from behind and scoop her up and carry her. She would giggle happily while hugging his tail as Malleus continued his walk.
In the blink of an eye, an entire year had passed.
Melanie did her best not to tug at the stuffy dress great-grandmother's ladies had put her in. She knew this was an important day, as she would become a full Draconia in both name and blood.
Her papa had coached her extensively what she was to say when prompted. She had repeated the words with the proper pronunciation so many times she could almost hear them in her sleep.
She held the lady's hand as they lead her out into the courtyard. It had been cleared away and a ritual circle had been lovingly placed with such exactness that it would be impossible to replicate without expert care.
This circle was very particular, and could not be cut or dug into the ground. No, the gardeners had to meticulously create it with living plants without allowing it to deviate even the slightest bit, otherwise it would fail. Thick black vines ran along the circumference, with the thorns reaching out to touch one another in such a way that it created the inner parts of the ritual circle, until an intricate, wild pattern slowly began to emerge.
Humans could try, but they could never perform such precision with their efforts without countless years of experience.
It had taken the castle gardeners and ritual masters an entire seven months of careful planning, tending and gentle manipulation to pull this off. And it had to be precise, for they were tying new life into the very land itself. Melanie's magic was about to become one with the gestalt that was the Valley of Thorns, in an attempt to have it acknowledge her as a full princess. To make a mistake here could result in catastrophe...and that was before the Queen and the Crown Prince got through with the fools who messed up.
After all, the Valley of Thorns was as much of a living, breathing thing as the people who dwelled within it. It was one thing to convince the people that Melanie was a royal and acceptable as a princess...it was another to convince the land that she was worthy of being allowed to draw upon the magical energies that were contained within.
Melanie was extra careful not to step on the circle itself. She didn't want to ruin their hard work, and it looked so pretty.
Malleus and Maleficia were waiting in the center. Both dressed with equal formality.
Melanie did her best to pay attention as the moon rose above the circle. Ancient magic thrummed with intent, and the very land felt alive in a way that was impossible for mere words to describe. It was as if the world around her was awake. Watching. Waiting. Inviting her with a sense of fully belonging to something bigger than herself.
The ritual magic began to quicken, a sense of fire filling her body. Melanie's senses began to sharpen beyond human limitations. Ancient knowledge flittered through her mind, too fast for her to truly comprehend. She could feel the air around her, the clouds that drifted lazily across the sky, the gentle light of the moon cascading down on her tiny frame.
The ancient thrum of magic began to grow even stronger. A brief look of concern flickered across Queen Maleficia's face. She hadn't anticipated such a strong reaction to the land.
Green embers began to rise from the outer edges of the circle. True alarm filled the Queen's face, but they had to complete the ritual.
Malleus looked very much like he wanted to scoop Melanie up, but knew he couldn't.
The flames were higher now, and far more menacing. The ritual had been meant as more of a formality than anything. A way to keep the council from speaking against the new princess for being human.
Melanie's magic sang in response to the flames around her. Something inside her woke up with a gleeful vengeance, as her eyes began to shift slightly. Where they had originally contained a human's round pupil, they were now identical to her new family. Her ears began to develop a slight point, but stopped halfway to indicate her inhuman heritage. Her skin, which was a warm tan was now as pale as moonlight. Her teeth sharpened, until she developed true fangs instead of mere canines. Her nails sharpened, until they could almost be mistaken for talons.
Familiar green fire licked her lips, and she let out a slight puff of all too familiar green flames.
At the apex of the ritual, with the flames surrounding them and the magic thick in the air, there was a slight "pop". Maleficia and Malleus stared stunned at the area where Melanie had once stood...because there was now a young dragon hatchling with vivid green eyes in her place.
The ritual completed, the flames died down.
Malleus calmly walked to the hatchling, who clumsily...but eagerly...climbed into his waiting arms. It let out a happy puff of green fire, before settling around his shoulders.
Queen Maleficia looked at her new great-granddaughter, both with pride and amazement. She had never anticipated Melanie to have such a powerful reaction to a simple adoption ritual...or for her to develop a dragon form so young.
"Welcome home," she said quietly. Melanie let out a happy, but tired chirp.
She would have to look into why her new great-grandchild bore such a strong resemblance to lord Raverne, Malleus' long dead sire.