Pearl’s boring days were suddenly disrupted when she was transported to a new, larger enclosure. She suspected it was because she had grown so much that her current cage was getting quite tight. She didn’t realize that she had also recently reached sexual maturity, thanks to a charm one of her zookeepers cast to make her reach maturity faster than dragons typically did.
To Pearl’s delight, her new enclosure was enormous, with a pool, cave, and plenty of rocks on which she could sun herself. Though it wasn’t a cage, it was still inescapable, as there were bars over the top of the enclosure to keep her from leaving. Pearl strolled through her new home, tentatively happy, until she came across something astonishing in the cave.
There was a male dragon, sleeping! As Pearl approached, he opened his eyes. Pearl quickly stepped away from him.
“Ah, you must be Pearl,” the dragon rumbled. He shifted, making his light blue scales shine in the dim light of the cave. “I am…well, I used to be named Gareth.” Pearl’s eyes widened. Gareth? That was the Head of the Prince’s Guard! Was Antyny just transforming all of those loyal to Prince Jasper? As she thought about it, she considered that it was actually quite likely. “Now, I believe they have renamed me Turquoise.”
“Why are you here, Turquoise?” Pearl asked. She quivered, scared of what the answer would be.