That night, Cassandra slept in one of the servants’ rooms. There were several available, so it was no inconvenience for her to take one. Even if Nebora insisted she sleep upstairs, being all alone in the Prince’s chambers was too intimidating for Cassandra. Moreover, the bedroom she was given was quite decent. It was simple, with wood furniture, like a bed and a desk, just enough for someone to sleep in comfortably. From what she had seen in Nebora and Bina’s rooms, they were free to decorate as they wished, too.
She slept well, but because she had already slept so long the day before, Cassandra was up early. Quickly getting dressed, she went to the kitchen, not thinking she’d see anyone at this early hour. But Bina was there along with another girl and a boy, all standing around chatting. They all looked younger than herself, around fourteen or fifteen years old. Upon seeing her come in, Bina stood up.
“Cassie!”
She walked up to her and turned to the others.
“This is Cassandra, who I just told you about! She’s the one with the fruit peels!”
Cassandra recognized the other girl as well. She was the one who was scared of the dragon the previous day in the inner court with her cart.
“Hi… I’m Prunie.” She nodded shyly.
“I’m Helmond,” said the boy.
“Prunie is a servant like me, Helm works at the stables!” said Bina, joyously.
“Nice to meet you both.”
“Hey, Cassandra, do you know how to make breakfast? We’re so hungry, but none of us can cook…”
“Would you show me where we keep the food?”
“Sure!”
For the next half hour, Cassandra made breakfast for everyone while she listened to them gossip. Those three, being the youngest, were quite chatty and lively. She quickly learned that Prunie and Bina had been recruited around the same time this year, while Helmond was Patrina’s nephew. By the time Cassandra was done making breakfast, Nebora had appeared too, her black curls all tangled.
“The kids made you make breakfast?” she asked while yawning.
“It’s fine, I like cooking. There’s enough for everyone.”
“Great. I’ll make some tea…”
Soon enough, all five of them sat around the table to eat, everyone complimenting Cassandra’s cooking. Curious, Helm and Bina asked Cassandra lots of questions about the Capital, as they had never been before. She politely answered their endless questions for a while, as the others ate silently.
Suddenly, the roof over their heads made a terrifying noise, like it was about to cave in. Everyone froze as the walls trembled, too. Nebora was petrified.
“What was that?”
“There aren’t any earthquakes here, right?” asked Bina, scared.
Cassandra got up as the roof shook again, like some storm was over their heads. When she heard a loud growl, she finally understood and walked outside.
Indeed, Krai’s gigantic front paws were on the roof of the building, and the Black Dragon was growling, its claws scratching the walls. Krai didn’t even seem to realize the whole building was about to collapse from the extra weight. Cassandra walked all the way to the inner court until she could see the dragon’s head. Behind her, all the other servants who had left the kitchen to follow her were petrified.
“It’s the Master’s dragon!” Bina whispered.
Prunie kept looking at Cassandra as Nebora grabbed her arm, trying to hold her back.
“Don’t approach, Cassandra. His Highness’ dragon will kill you!”
However, she kept walking until the dragon finally turned its head and spotted her. Immediately, it jumped down from the building and trotted towards her with a loud growl. She heard the screams of fear behind her, but didn’t turn around. Instead, Cassandra stayed very still until Krai stopped in front of her, sniffing and tilting its head to the side. She took a peek at its empty back.
“Did you come back alone? What about your Master?” Cassandra asked the dragon, while scratching its head.
If Krai had understood her, it didn’t bother to give her an answer. Instead, it was just growling quietly and turning its head from one side to the other, begging for more scratches. Behind her, she heard Nebora speak.
“I can’t believe you…”
