Dragons Of Fraidel Ch 07 Pt 01

A/N: Yeah! First part of Ch. 7 is up. Yeah by how this chapter is formatted, I don't think I'll be as long as Ch. 6. FYI, Ch. 7 will pretty much be drama free, but it's actually the calm before the storm you might say lol.

I would like to thank the following people for their comments of the last DoF upload:

The 2 anon comments, hellinahelmet, and taco1085. Thank ya'll so much for those wonderful comments. I had a hard time writing this part out and comments like these make me want to work harder.

One more huge thanks to my Editor, Todger65 too. I am always grateful for your help.

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Chapter VII

A Magical Night

Galeena told herself to breathe. Minutes from now she would be escorted to the largest ballroom in the palace where her paintings would be revealed. Earlier she had made sure they were transported safely from her studio to the ballroom. Ankor helped by making sure the route was clear. Each painting was hung on a large display wall and each of them covered by a sheet. Galeena couldn't help but be nervous. She would be making her first official public speech here when she presented her paintings. Even though she knew what to say, she was worried about tripping up.

"You can do this Galeena. After all you learned how to present your work in college." She said under her breath, trying to prep herself.

Taking one more breath, she looked herself in the mirror. This time her hair was up in a low braided bun with cerulean blue ribbons braided into it and the ribbons cascaded out of the bun. The gown was also cerulean in color and shimmered like a seashell. The neckline was square cut with sleeves that reached the elbows before flaring out. She wore pale yellow petticoats under the gown, which could be seen due to the top portion of the gown being slightly shorter. Over the past week, she got more shoes so she didn't need to borrow Daphene's shoes anymore. The shoes she wore now were a pair of cerulean satin shoes. The footwear here was extremely comfortable and Galeena was glad of that. While she was starting to get used to the clothes of this world, she still missed wearing the more casual clothing she was used to back on Earth.

"I never thought I'd miss jeans so much," she admitted.

It was at that moment, she felt the floor shake and someone knocked on her door.

"Come in." Galeena said she headed into her parlor.

It turned out to be Verdius. He seemed to be out of breath.

"Sorry Galeena! Skyro and I lost track of time," he gasped.

His partner giggled and replied, "It's okay Verdius. You got here just in time. I am just waiting for Ankor to arrive."

The dragon sighed in relief.

"Thank goodness. Oh! You look great!"

"Thanks."

It wasn't long before Ankor arrived to escort them. Verdius had caught his breath by then.

"Good evening you two. Galeena, you look lovely." Ankor said after coming in.

"Thank you Ankor."

"Are you ready to go?"

The two nodded and they left the room.

Even though Galeena wasn't the official host of the ball, she was expected to greet guests along with the rest of Torrence's family. Verdius did not enjoy this part of the ball and Galeena agreed with him when he told her telepathically.

"This is so boring!" he groaned into her head, wanting to place his head under his claws.

"I know, Verdius, but hang in there," Galeena encouraged back mentally.

It took a good thirty minutes for guests to arrive before the rulers and their partners were announced. All of the rulers would enter one at a time before the assembly bowed or curtseyed. Each of the rulers wore crowns and capes. Rowan wore red and bronze colors, Hugo in black and dark grey, Zephyr in light grey and light blue, Garrison in brown and forest green, Vyx in silver and icy blue, and Torrence in royal blue and turquoise. Once again Galeena was awestruck by her love's appearance. All of them looked intimidating and indestructible, along with their partners. She promised herself to paint a group picture of the rulers one day. When? She had no idea.

After the crowd rose up, Torrence stepped forward and announced, "Good evening everyone. Once again we come together and had another successful conference. I would like to personally thank my sister Lady Lagina, my fiancé Lady Galeena, and the rest of my family for being good hosts for this yearly gathering. Now before dinner is served, my fiancé has something to show everyone here. After dinner, the dancing will begin. If you all would be so kind as to pay attention to Lady Galeena now, we'll begin tonight's festivities."

Taking a deep breath, Galeena headed to the display wall where the paintings were. She waited for the rulers to come up to the front. All the dragons gathered behind the humans to not block their view. Ankor stood next to the first painting in order to help bring the drape down. Galeena spoke up after seeing encouraging nods from Verdius and Torrence.

"Good evening everyone. My name is Galeena and I am originally from the planet Earth. For some time I dreamt of not only my soul mate, King Torrence, but of Fraidel in general. At the time when I first met King Torrence, I had just finished this collection of paintings. I call it, The Elements. This first one is my personal favorite and I think you'll see why. The name of this painting is Water Guardian."

Ankor levitated the draping away to reveal the painting of Torrence and Cerulos. Instantly, the crowd gasped. Galeena smiled as the stared at it. It was always satisfying to see people enjoy her work. Looking her art piece again made Galeena miss painting; these past weeks have been triggering her artistic itch again. However, that would have to wait until she had time to spare.

Refocusing on the matter at hand, Galeena moved to the next painting, as well as Ankor.

"With this next painting, I dreamt of gorgeous cliffs as the wind danced amongst them. Lord Zephyr and Fina, I hope you two like this one. I called it Wind Rider."

Galeena watched Zephyr's reaction when his portrait was revealed. Torrence was doing the same thing and laughed when he saw the dumbstruck look on his friend's face. Beatrice was amused too.

"I believe that's the first time I've seen him flummoxed, Lady Galeena. Nicely done and this painting is amazing. What do you think, Fina?" she asked her love's partner.

"It's extraordinary dearie. You've captured our connection brilliantly. Do you have anything to say Zephyr?"

Zephyr finally came to his senses and replied, "This painting is beyond words Lady Galeena."

Galeena smiled and asked, "Would you like to have it?"

Before Zephyr could answer, Beatrice replied.

"He'll take it. How much?"

"Oh well, um . . . ."

"I already purchased these paintings Lady Beatrice, but Galeena has my permission to give them away. At the time I bought them to make sure to bring them back here." Ankor answered.

"Well can I buy it from you Ankor?" asked Beatrice.

"No need my dear. Galeena and I want you to have it,"

"Wonderful! It'll make a great wedding gift!"

That matter is settled, Galeena moved onto the next painting.

"This one proved to be a tricky one for me due to all the shiny and translucent textures. Regardless, I was very happy with the results. I originally came from a cold place so this snowy painting will always remind me of my beloved granny. Lord Vyx and Blitz, may I present to you, Silver Ward."

Just as before, Galeena looked at the inspirations of the painting. Both ruler and his partner widen their eyes.

"Do you like it?" Galeena asked, feeling nervous.

"Indeed. I think this is the best portrait of me yet." Blitz said, breaking into a rare grin.

"It would honor me if you allowed us to have it. In return we shall do something for you when you visit our land." Requested Vyx.

Galeena smiled and nodded.

As Galeena approached the next painting, she could feel the anticipation of the crowd. She was curious on how they would react.

"One of the places I dreamt of had different feels about it. At times it felt like was in Paradise and other times, it felt turbulent due to the storms. There were always these two figures. When it was storming, they would fly into it, as if they commanded the thunder and lightning. They . . . radiated. Hence, the title of this painting, Golden Radiance."

This description of the painting caused the audience to gasp before the drape was taken down. The dragon before them was long and fierce. Galeena thought the dragon was male and hoped she'd got the gender right. Like Fina, he appeared to be an Asian dragon, only he was all gold. His rider looked like a Valkyrie with straight golden hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. Her eyes were an intense yellow that seemed to penetrate one's soul. Dressed in golden tones with shades of bronze and amber, she looked like she was ready to take on the world. Her skin was a bronze tone too, that seemed to shine like the rest of her. The Golden Stone looked like a mini-sun and the staff it was on appeared to be made out of pure gold.

"So that's the ruler of the Golden Dragon Clan," Commented Searon.

"Yes, I believe so. I would love to give this painting to her one day," Galeena replied.

Everyone sighed. While a few were hopeful to see the ruler and her partner one day, the majority felt that it was unlikely.

Silently, Galeena moved to the next painting.

"I've seen some pretty hot places, but this one seems to take the cake. I happen to admire those who can stand the heat." Galeena said, looking at Rowan with a smile.

This caused the ruler to smile back and replied, "It's not as hot as you think, Lady Galeena."

The artist giggled.

"I'll just have to wait and see for myself. Anyway, here's Fire Warrior."

Even though Galeena was looking at Rowan and Ferric, she heard Queen Catherine's gasp as she exclaimed, "Oh my!"

Fiona and Eris were impressed as well.

"She got your best side dear," Catherine said.

Rowan was a bit shocked though for he didn't see himself as how he was portrayed here; honorable and courageous. Meridian could feel her love's struggle to not get emotional. So did Ferric. The dragon gave his partner a mental nudge.

"Thank you Lady Galeena, it's wonderful. Mother, do you want this painting?"

"Indeed, but with Lady Galeena's permission first."

"Of course you can have it. In fact, I am sure the rest of you have guessed by now, but all the paintings in this series are of the stone holders. If you like what you see, than you may take them home with you." Galeena explained.

The other rulers nodded.

The next one was Garrison and Grogar's portrait. Galeena decided to reveal it right away, having seen the eagerness on Garrison's face. His smile was huge, as well as Grogar's.

"This portrait is called Father Earth. You always struck me as a paternal figure, Lord Garrison, in my dreams, especially towards your partner."

This description earned two loud laughs from both Garrison and his father.

Grogar groaned and said, "Indeed he does. I am ten times his age and he still treats me like a hatchling!"

"That's because you act like one a quarter of the time," Commented Sienna.

Most of the crowd laughed at this comment. Galeena shook her head.

"All right, we're getting off topic here," Ankor replied.

"Agreed. I am sorry my friend," Garrison said sincerely.

"It's okay. So do you want the portrait?"

Garrison could tell his partner wanted the painting as much as he did.

"Yes I do. Lady Galeena, we would like to have the painting. At some point though, I'd like to commission you to paint my family."

"Deal!" Galeena replied in excitement, but blushed seeing how she raised her voice.

This caused the audience to giggle again.

With the next one, Galeena was a little nervous for some reason. The problem was she didn't know why.

"The land featured here was probably the most unique land I ever saw. It was dark, but still beautiful. It also proved to be the most challenging. I call this one, Dark Lord."

Revealing Lord Hugo and Weston's portrait, she saw the two of them smile. Even though their smile was reassuring, Galeena still felt something was off. Her thoughts were interrupted though when Hugo spoke to her.

"Thank you Lady Galeena. We would love to have this portrait." Hugo replied before he and Weston bowed.

Galeena returned his smile and nodded.

When she moved to the last portrait, the blonde took one last breath.

"Last, but not least, we have the ruler of the Light Dragon Clan and her partner. Much like the last one, this was another challenge for me, but mostly due to the atmosphere. The area was very foggy and misty. May I present Light Whisperer."

The drape came down to reveal a moonlit portrait. The dragon was pure white and Asian in appearance. The woman with it was dressed in white too, along with some pale pink and cream tones. Her hair was white and its texture reminded Galeena of clouds because of its puffiness. Her eyes were unique because they held no color in them. There was a mysterious air about them too. The stone in the ruler's ivory scepter looked like an opal.

"Well, at least we know the two hidden clans still have rulers," commented Tidus.

Others murmured in agreement. Next to speak up was Ankor.

"Tomorrow I suggest we contact those watching over your clans at the moment and then teleport the paintings so there is no chance of damage."

Zephyr disagreed though.

"That would take too much magical energy though. It would be easier to simply shrink them for easy travel and we can place a protection spell around them."

"Hmmm, good point. Anyway, I suggest we all give Lady Galeena a round of applause." Ankor said before he and everyone else clapped.

Some of the dragons roared as well. Galeena smiled but blushed from head-to-toe before curtseying.

After that dinner was served and that went by quicker than Galeena thought. Before she knew it, Torrence was escorting her to the dance floor. The young woman knew what was coming next and was nervous. It was traditional that the rulers dance with a partner of their choosing. Torrence told Galeena he was planning on asking her for the event. This caused Galeena to panic since she never learned how to dance and didn't even know what kind of dances were used on Fraidel. After telling Torrence and Lagina her concern, they arranged for a dance instructor. It was a slow go, but Galeena tried her hardest. She was determined not to embarrass herself in front of her beloved, his family, and clan.

As soon as they reached the floor, Torrence temporarily left Galeena's side and went to the center of the floor with the other rulers.

"Now the rulers of Fraidel will select a partner to dance the first dance!" called out an announcer from the side of the room.

Galeena took a deep breath as Torrence approached her and requested, "Would you do me the honor of being my dance partner?"

She smiled and replied, "Indeed good sir."

Placing her hand in his, the pair moved to the dance floor and waited for the other rulers and their dance partners. It was no surprise that Zephyr and Beatrice came out as a dance couple. Both Torrence and Galeena looked to see whom Roman would pick. Galeena hoped he would ask Meridian to dance. Unfortunately, he asked his mother to dance. Torrence and Galeena saw a flash of emotion in Meridian's eyes, but that was the only reaction she gave. Galeena's heart went out to her. She honestly didn't know how she would react if the same thing happened to her. Torrence felt torn inside. On one hand, he was furious with how Rowan treated his sister. At the same time, if he didn't trust himself, he wouldn't know how to act.

"Torrence, are you all right? You keep looking at Rowan." Galeena asked him.

Turning back to his love, Torrence replied, "I'll tell you later."

Galeena nodded and as the music started, the couples danced.

The dance went without incident, much to Galeena's relief. However, no sooner had she left the dance floor, did she find herself dancing with Zephyr. It was a good thing he was easy going because he made her forget she was dancing. In fact, by the time they left the dance floor, the pair had been laughing like they had been friends for years.

"Now I am curious on what you two have been talking about," Torrence commented as they approached.

"Oh, I was just telling Lady Galeena on how much trouble you got me into when we were kids." Zephyr answered with a grin on his face.

"Trouble? Me? I seem to recall that you got me into trouble, more so than the other way around."

"Aw, too true. My mother said I was the reason her hair turned white at an early age."

This caused the three of them to laugh again.

As the night wore on, Galeena found herself losing count on the number of dances she did. Even though she danced with Torrence the most, she also danced with Ankor and many others, including Rowan. Now that request came as a bit of a surprise, but Galeena figured it was because all of the other rulers, including King Carter, danced with her prior. Galeena used this time to get to know the Fire Clan ruler and found him to be a sincere, but troubled individual.

"How are you liking Fraidel, Lady Galeena?" he asked.

"It's been an adjustment, but Torrence and his family make it easy for me."

Rowan nodded and remained silent. Galeena tried to think of another way to get him to open up.

"Tell me about your clan, your majesty."

That got Rowan talking. The man was obviously proud of his people and homeland. Soon he started talking about his clan's big annual event, The Redstone Games. The way Rowan described it reminded Galeena of Earth's Olympic Games, since people from all over the planet were invited to compete in the events from duels to stone carving contests.

"It sounds like fun. When is it?"

"Two more weeks. I am really looking forward to it."

"Are you allowed to compete?"

"Allowed? I am expected to participate. It's another way to prove I can lead my people since it tests my physical prowess and intellect."

"That's wonderful. Hopefully one day I can attend it. I have never been to an event like that before, especially gaming events."

"Really never?"

Galeena giggled.

"Nope. My family wasn't into those kinds of events."

"Well, you must come some day. I guess you're too busy with your wedding plans to come this year?"

"Sadly yes. And I am still learning how to be a queen too."

"How about next year?"

"That just may work. That way I'll have a chance to see your kingdom. How can I get in touch with you?"

"Through bird messengers, Lady Galeena."

"Oh that's right. I know Torrence will bring me, but I'll be sure to ask Meridian. I know she loves outdoor events." Galeena commented, wanting to gauge Rowan's reaction.

The man stayed quiet, but his gaze looked in Meridian's direction, who was dancing with Tidus. Galeena noticed the warmth in his eyes and inwardly smiled.

The ball always ended with everyone going outside and watched a performance by the royal dragons of the Water Dragon Clan. It involved them flying in the sky and breathing blue fire into the air. It was a fascinating sight to Galeena. She was extremely proud of Verdius. Even though he barely had any time to get the routine down, he was an excellent learner. After the performance was done, Galeena ran up to her partner and hugged him.

"You were remarkable!" she exclaimed after pulling back.

This reply caused Verdius to blush and other dragons laughed. Skyro had never seen his brother blush so much in his life. All of the royal dragons agreed that Verdius and Galeena were perfect for each other and couldn't recall the last time a dragon and human were so compatible with each other. It was getting late and soon everyone went to bed.