Nend Ardhon Chronicles - Complete

Chapter 14 – Teera Calla’s reaction

Paullu swam at full speed, and in just a few minutes, he joined Byia and Guyi, who were throwing a small rock at one another, while the Rodhocetus was swimming back and forth, trying to catch it.

Paullu stopped near his sister and tapped her shoulder. “Do you mind explaining what that was about? I think you are hiding some things from me.”

Byia nodded. “Yes, but this is not the time, okay?”

Paullu frowned, but he remained silent all the way home. Guyi waved at them and went to his house. Byia left the Rodhocetus in her little Farm in the garden at the back and went inside, where she could see him from the dining room window and keep an eye on him.

She tapped the seat next to her and said, “Come here and let me explain a few things to you. I guess I can trust you, considering that lately, you are more aware of your surroundings. Drezara is doing wonders. I would have never guessed that you could get such a pretty girlfriend.”

“She is not…”

That granted him a slap on the head. “Only because you are slow! Or stupid, one of them, for sure. So, when I was three Tides-old, I had a weird dream about a new type of game. I told everything about it to our father, and he used his Magic to make the board and the pieces. He went with that game to the House of Commerce and pretended to be the one who invented it because I was too little to get so much attention. In just a few weeks, my game became a tremendous sensation, and it has been, until now, a bestseller. Well, that was not the end of it; you may want to close that open mouth of yours because you look weird.”

“But… but… I thought father was the one to invent the Chess game!”

“Yeah, and the Checkers, right? No, it was also me. Mother and father decided to create a Fund Account, and all the money from my share of the sales of those games is going there. I asked them to also create a Fund Account for you so that we could get equal shares to help pay for our studies. That’s why we could pay the tuition for your expensive School. As for me, it seems I already know what my job will be.”

Paullu was stunned. Why was that entire secret kept from him? Then he made a slight smile because it was easy to understand, considering the way he exposes every secret out there without realizing what he said when he was too immersed in a game or a book.

“I guess I can only say thanks; I didn’t even know my School was expensive or one of the best in the World. But receiving money from something that you created seems wrong to me. I can’t accept your money like that; it feels… I don’t know…”

Byia shrugged. “If it makes you feel better, you can consider it a loan. You can pay me back when you get a well-paid job as an amazing Healer like I am sure you will be. Or you can work for me if you want. I will be an excellent boss! Hehehe!”

“Yeah, I bet you will. But why make two Fund Accounts if it was you who created the games? I don’t deserve a single coin!”

Byia tapped her brother’s left paw. “You really don’t know how much money I am getting from those games, my dear brother… You can make a guess, I suppose. I get eight per cent from each game. Both games are being sold throughout the entire World, and they have been bestsellers ever since I created them. There are City Tournaments, Region Tournaments, and World Tournaments that gather attention from a lot of people, and I was told the Surface -Dragons are also buying them. Father also asked why I wanted you to get a share, and I predicted that by now, I would have so, but so much money, that I wouldn’t know what to do with it! Dividing the money between us was the obvious choice. Mother refused to get some because she would be tempted to stop working, and she loves her job.”

“I see… Who knows about this?”

“Me, mother, and the President of the House of Commerce, because father wanted an official document with everything, and I went with him to sign. I have a copy of that document near my egg, and mother has another. I have one for you as well that I was going to give you when you started to be more trustworthy. It’s in your room, stashed behind your egg. Mother placed it there, and you never found out.”

“That’s… Okay, I guess. Is there anything more that you are hiding from me?”

Byia made an awkward smile, remembering her Apprentice job at the Explorers Guild, but she remained silent about that. Her mother saved her, shouting from the main entrance, “Someone explain to me why a Rodhocetus is looking at me from the window? Don’t tell me you brought another animal home, Byia!”

“Well… kind of. It was not exactly my fault. I went on a trip with my new class at School, and we visited a Farm to see some jobs that we could have when we grew up. I inadvertently made a Mental Link with him, and the Farmworker in charge opened the Dome where he was locked down and told me that I was now a ‘Rodhocetus Trainer’. I have already taught him a few tricks, and I brought a book from the Library to learn more about that job.”

Teera Calla was speechless. She kept staring at the Rodhocetus who stared at her as well, and after a couple of seconds, she stuttered, “You… have a new class… that’s good to know. How… was it?”

“Pretty cool, actually. Guyi and I are now in Class 3-A, and all my classmates are nice. Our Teacher is young, but he seems very good. At least the other students seem to like him.”

Teera made a slight smile, sat next to Byia, and looked at her with teary eyes. “I… always feared that your father’s adventurous job attracted you, considering that you enjoyed so much swimming with him outside the City, in the open waters. My cute little daughter is going to be a ‘Rodhocetus Trainer’! That’s so cool! Those guys are so useful, and a good Trainer is very well-paid! Not that you need more money, but it’s also a very rewarding line of work! They can be trained as Guards, Hunters, Searchers, all sorts of things! Some are even used by elderly or disabled Water-Dragons to help them during their daily lives. I heard some Rodhocetus are even used by the Surface-Dragons!”

“Yes, I read about that as well. I need to read my book to understand a little better what I need to do. I guess it’s not expected that I do a Mental Link with every Rodhocetus out there to train them! The driver who took us on our trip told me that he was Linked with just one Rodhocetus and that one was ordering the other five that pulled our convoy, but I guess there is more to it because to train one of them to help and obey orders from other Dragons, doesn’t seem to be an easy task.”

Teera rubbed her daughter’s head with a big smile on her face. “I bet you won’t have any problems if you put your mind to it! And you, my distracted boy? Why are you staring at me like that with that weird smile? You were waiting to see if I cried or not, weren’t you?”

“Yeah, I was hoping to mock you a little. Well, maybe next time.”

Teera frowned and signaled Byia with her head. “He is more awake, or is it just my impression? By this time, he is normally reading a book or playing a game. It’s very suspicious to see him smiling at me and participating in our talks. Do we need to be careful of what we say around him from now on? Because we used to talk a lot without him hearing anything!”

“You noticed? Yeah, Drezara Forgge is doing wonders, indeed!”

“Sis!”

Seeing her daughter smiling and her son so nervous, Teera placed both elbows on the table and leaned her snout on both paws with a smile. “Oh, do tell! Did my pretty son get himself a girlfriend, or is it just a special friend waiting to become something more?”

Paullu turned bright red and went silent while staring at Byia with angry eyes. She kept smiling and nodding. “Something like that. She is very pretty, and she already told me that she wants to be his girlfriend. She is so funny! She says what is on her mind without even thinking first! I guess that’s a good thing for my distracted older brother, considering that concerning interactions with other Dragons, especially females, was never his forte.”

“Really? I want to meet her! She does indeed seem funny! Well, maybe it’s too soon, judging by the terrified look on your brother’s face. Don’t worry, I won’t embarrass you any more than you already embarrassed me over these last few Tides. Consider this payback! Hehehe!”

Paullu scratched his head and answered. “She… is not my girlfriend. Byia says it’s because I am slow or stupid. Drezara said that she would wait for me to… Well… I guess it’s not very manly of me, but this kind of subject makes me a little uncomfortable and makes me doubt what I want to do…”

“My dear son, it’s not Deep-Water Physics! You just need to think properly and discover what are your feelings for that girl. Do you think about her when you go to sleep? She is the first thing that you think of when you wake up? Are you eager to be with her every time both of you are separated? What about her? These exact same things happen to her?”

Paullu slowly nodded. “Yeah… I guess it’s yes to all of that. But… What do I do now?”

Teera rubbed her son’s head. “Easy. Enjoy your youth and your time with her as much as possible. I loved your father very much, and all those happy times that we had together, even before you were born, are what keep me company during the day and at night. Life is too short for a Water-Dragon to regret not doing something. I see that she is slowly changing you, and that’s a good thing. You used to be more apathetic when your father disappeared, and I know you started to put a strong face in front of me so that I wasn’t worried. Seeing you smile like that, just by talking about that female, makes me very happy. If she likes you as well, I guess it won’t hurt if you let things happen naturally instead of overthinking too much.”

Paullu made a slow nod and frowned a bit. “You know, if father were here, he would not stop teasing me! He would be nagging me with a lot of ideas for dates, gifts, invitations for her to come for dinner, and many embarrassing things, just to annoy me! You are not doing a poor job on this parenting thing!”

Teera made a weird smile and elbowed her daughter. “My boy, I didn’t even start… This was just part one of the speech I prepared many Tides ago for when you found a female that you liked. The second part will be birth control, and the third, some of those ideas that you think are embarrassing. Byia, go take my vase from the mouth of your Rodhocetus while Paullu here helps me make dinner. We have a few things to discuss, away from the ears of a little girl like you.”

Byia quickly swam out the window to retrieve the vase, and Teera pulled a very nervous Paullu to join her in the kitchen.

During dinner, Teera almost spat the food she was eating when she began to laugh because Byia told her who were Drezara’s parents.

Teera knew very well the commotion her daughter caused at a lecture by Professor Albeyrt that made him be mocked by all the Scientific Community for several big Moons because he made a mistake on his theory that was pointed out by a little female of only four Tides old. And she also met Drezara’s mother over the last Tides, because of Byia’s games.

During the entire dinner, Teera continued teasing Paullu while he was awkwardly smiling and searching for an excuse to run away. Every time he tried, Teera pulled his tail back to his seat while telling him that he still owed her a few embarrassing situations and that she was waiting for that day to get her revenge.

She even placed a book over the table with the dates and explanations of every embarrassing situation that Paullu caused for her, making him stare at the book, completely dumbfounded, while his mother and sister were laughing like crazies just by seeing the look on his face.