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His mother was of royal birth His fathernot soHe worked for everything he had and he did it with one thing inwhite hair, and a snarl that could scare an areous blue eyes locked on him with such hate--he knew he had to have her

"I want his head!" she’d screeched And for a et it

But then he heard, "Oh, leave hion, big and beautiful, walked toward him "He didn’t mean it, Rhiannon"

His mother bowed but he continued to stare at the queen And he kneas the queen Just the way she moved and held herself told hiuards to release his "Shalin’s son"

Now free, he immediately bowed "Yes, my Queen Bercelak the Black, Son of Ailean"

"Yes You look very much like him So handsome" A red claith pitch-black talons reached out and caressed his jaw He felt his mother stiffen beside him and knew this was for her benefit more than his For years Bercelak had heard how the queen had taken one turn in his father’s bed and had never forgotten hi he’d left the then-future queen to meet with Bercelak’s mother and the queen’s one-time friend, Shalin Who, if the story was to be believed, threw an ax at his father’s head when Ailean found her

Up to that day, Bercelak never believed any of the stories His low-born father with a dragon princess? Not bloody likely, he used to think Stillone look at the female before him and he wondered if perhaps all the stories were true For she looked at hi he did not want to na for such deep thoughts

"Tell me, Son of Ailean, what is your life’s dream? Wizard? Warrior? Sword ht?"

He answered honestly, unable to lie to those dark blue eyes "Of glory and wealth Of power"

"I see So you may look like your father, but his aspirations had never been as lofty" She glanced at his mother, but he didn’t realize until years later what that look meant Then she turned and walked off

"You shall stay here, Son of Ailean," the queen casually tossed over her shoulder "You shall train to be one of ons You will protect this throne and one Up the stairs to her private chalared at hian again in the court, he heard his mother mutter under her breath, "I hate that bitch with every fiber of "

Stillhis mother left him there when she returned hohter treated hiht between her talons And theto win her The meaner she was, the more deadly he becaeful firhtning dragonsthe barbarians Barbarians they may have been, but worthy opponents The war lasted decades, but when the sraced hih He’d earned it and had the scars to prove it