(Please read this first!)
A/N: Has it really been 3 years? I actually was going to give up on this story, but then several people kept contacting me wishing I continue this series. To those of you who don't know though, my main focus has been on my artwork since I want that to be my career. However, I have learned that I need to finish what I started and I still love my stories and so I don't want to give up. So I have a question for you all. I have found out I work better when I am doing two different projects so that way I am less likely to burn out (as that did happen here). I actually did create another story I thought of putting here on this site even though there will be no sex in it since it has underage characters in it. So as long as working on two stories helps keep me motivated, are ya'll okay with me putting it on this site? Also I am in need of a new editor so I do apologize if the grammar is off. Anyway, here's part 3 of chapter 6.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Time went by quickly for Galeena. She knew plenty of work went into planning a wedding, but she didn't realize how much. Also, slowly but surely her wardrobe was coming together. She received several riding garments that were used for riding dragons. Galeena was so excited about riding Verdius that she had to beg her wedding planners for a break.
"Galeena, today is the day the conference starts. You will be needed when the other rulers show up." Lagina commented.
"Oh please! Just for a little bit? I've been looking forward to this for awhile." Galeena begged.
Lagina was surprised by her future sister-in-law's behavior. Up until that point, Galeena had been easygoing and did not beg for anything. Tamera and Tallisa were not surprised by her behavior. Even though they only knew the blonde bride-to-be for a short time, they were very perspective about her and had noticed how quickly she bonded with the dragons she was around, especially Verdius. There was another reason why Galeena wanted to fly at that moment too. Not too long ago she received her own personal dragon riding harness and saddle. It was important that it fit the rider and dragon perfectly for safety matters. The parts were also charmed so they would grow as the dragon grew larger. Verdius was expected to grow much more and other dragons commented on how he would probably be bigger than Skyro and Cerulos.
When Galeena was not helping with the wedding preparations, she was learning everything it took to be a royal of the Water Dragon Clan, including the role of the queen. Lagina and Daphene had been lifesavers in this situation. Since Daphene was originally going to be queen, she had the most knowledge of queenly duties. She told Galeena that in most cases the current queen would have taught her predecessor everything, but in circumstances like this, a book had been written on the proper protocol and all queens kept a dairy to share their experiences with future queens. These diaries were kept in the royal family's private library. Galeena was encouraged to read these diaries and did so every evening after supper. Some were interesting, others were boring, but all were informative.
Amongst the responsibilities Galeena learned was how to saddle and ride a dragon. In this case, Torrence and Meridian were able to help in this area. Torrence made a point to always spend time with her a bit during the day. It always made Galeena's day brighter too. She even told him how grateful she was for him to take time out of his busy schedule to spend time with her.
Torrence merely replied, "Galeena, you're the most important person to me. If I could, I spend the whole day with you."
Before Galeena had been able to respond, he kissed her.
Learning how to ride a dragon was something Galeena was looking forward to the most. Always a quick learner, she took to it like a duck on water. Even the official dragon rider instructor had been impressed. The middle-aged man was a perfectionist and formal; however, even Galeena managed to get him to open up a bit. The keys to riding a dragon were the legs of the rider and the connection between the dragon and rider. Galeena had to learn how to ride Verdius through body movement first. The saddle kept the rider strapped on the dragon leaving the arms free to move about. All riders had each leg on each side of the dragon. Galeena soaked up all the information like a sponge. She made sure to pay close attention to the instructor and anyone else since she learned best by observation. Being a bit of a perfectionist herself, Galeena wanted to get everything down and she did. So by the time her saddle was ready all that was left to do was to take that first flight. Verdius was revved up to fly. He wanted his partner to love flying as much as he did. The young dragon may not look it, but he was very fast, especially for one his age. Seeing how Verdius was also a protector for Galeena, he took that role very seriously. He even went to Tealor for advice as well as other dragons in his position. It surprised several of them since Verdius never sought help before. This positive change in Verdius made the dragons' opinion of Galeena higher.
"I want to take Galeena flying. I promise to be careful." Verdius vowed to Lagina.
"Didn't Torrence mention the other rulers would be here around midday, sister?" Tamera asked her twin.
This question brought all attention on them.
"Yes he did." Tallisa answered.
Their dragon partners nodded in unison. Galeena immediately looked at Mandras's position in the sky. Without clocks on Fraidel, she had to rely on it instead. Unfortunately, she couldn't tell exactly what time it was. If she had to guess, it was three hours before noon.
"So does this mean I still have time to fly?" Galeena asked the twins.
Both nodded. Squealing in delight, she hugged them and dashed off with Verdius right on her heels. She figured she would fly for an hour and have enough time to get ready for their guests.
When she arrived to the stable, it took her a couple minutes to convince the stable master to let her fly. Her enthusiasm persuaded him and he even helped Galeena saddle Verdius. Before she could get on the dragon though, someone stopped her.
"Don't you think you should be wearing your ridding clothes first?"
It was Torrence. What was he doing here?
"I thought you had a meeting this morning?" Galeena asked.
"It ended early. Tallisa told me you were going to ride."
What he didn't tell her was that the meeting ended early due to the conference.
"Yes I was! I guess I was so excited to ride Verdius that I forgot to change. So why are you here Torrence?"
"What do you think? I am here to fly too silly."
Galeena noticed he was in his own riding garments and laughed, "I guess I better go change than."
"I will get the dragons ready to save time all right?"
Galeena nodded and left. It did not take her long to come back. Her riding clothes were slate blue with grey coloring. It was made with a long sleeve top made out of a fine but strong material called anthern. It reminded Galeena of cotton, only it was more durable and felt smooth. The top had buttoned cuffs at the end of the sleeves. Covering it was a vest and she wore an interesting riding skirt. It had two long slits that started at mid-thigh. Underneath all the clothes was a garment Galeena called a leotard, only it functioned as an undergarment and a body insulator and it wasn't made out of latex. The lower part could be seen under the skirt. Lastly, she wore boots that came up to the knee. Galeena's hair was in a French braid and she was equipped with a dagger, bow, and arrows. The arrows were also charmed to always stay in their case. When Torrence saw Galeena, he nodded in approval. Verdius had a hard time sitting still as Galeena mounted him and tried strapping herself into the harness. Unlike a harness Galeena worn back on Earth, this one was comfortable and easer to get into. It was made up of several straps, which were attached to the saddle and connected to a central strap that went around the rider's stomach. Cerulos shook his head at his cousin's impatience.
"Stay still Verdius or Lady Galeena won't be strapped in properly." He scolded the younger dragon.
Indeed, Galeena was having a hard time strapping herself in, but she did not complain because she was just as anxious. She inwardly lectured herself for causing her partner to stress because she forgot about their empathic connection. Taking several deep breaths, she eventually calmed down, which in turn helped Verdius calm down. After that, Galeena was able to secure herself onto the saddle.
