Cleo

  "You look beautiful." Cleo watched Charlotte look at her refle.

  "I don't know. This dress? Or is it the blue one?" She was wearing a red dress. It looked good on her. o Cleo was the blue dress, which was also avaible. The red dress was simpler and Cleo liked it better. The blue had a shimmering tulle skirt and was embroidered with flowers made of pearls. A ball gown.

  "You've been ging clothes for an hour now. You are beautiful. The red dress is good."

  "Cleo! We visit my grandmother because she wants to meet you. I haven't seen her in a while... She is terribly strid rich. I 't look shabby!"

  Cleo y on their shared bed and grinned. She had turned oomach to better observe her wife. "But I'm allowed to look shabby?"

  Sihe two were married, they lived together in Cleo's small estate. Hers was the smallest property between Fritz, Lea, and her. She liked it small, simple, and cozy. However, Charlotte had swept through her vil like a whirlwind and had redecorated everything. Instead of its sporadic décor, the vil was now a colorful, and fluffy decorative paradise. Sighing, Cleo had accepted her fate. Their shared bedroom was now adorned with pink bedding and pink curtains. Charlotte also wao have the walls painted pink, but Cleo was able to stop her and protect the light gray fabric aper. Only one room had remained untouched. Cleo's hobby room, where her practice swords hung on the wall.

  Charlotte sat dowo her. "You, my dear, could appear in a potato sack or naked! But I? No. I have to be presentable. Uhe oldest, wonderful princess!"

  "Wonderful?" Cleo pulled Charlotte to her. "Do you agree?"

  "Would I have married you otherwise?"

  "I don't know... At least my house would still be my house..."

  Charlotte stuck out her tongue. "It's home now! My grandmother was always a great admirer of the royal family. But she was never important enough to be io most balls in the castle. I don't know how many times she was invited... Four times, maybe? In her long life. She is now three hundred."

  "Our home! But a little less decoration wouldn't hurt!" Cleo sighed. "I'm not sure I saw yrandmother at one of the balls."

  "A little more decoration wouldn't hurt!"

  "Please don't!"

  Charlotte sat on Cleo's p and kissed her. "And now?"

  "More kisses, and I'll think about it." Cleo sighed. "So... When do we have to go?"

  "The carriage should be there right away... And you're still wearing your pajamas! Cleo!"

  "You said I could appear naked..."

  "Please. Put on somethi." Charlotte climbed off her p again. "How about the new suit we ordered?"

  "You mean the one you ordered... I look like a gift ed in gold in it!" Cleo snorted. "The fabric shines!"

  "You will be the prettiest gift!"

  "That’s what I’m afraid of."

  But Cleo did Charlotte the favor and put on the shiny mohe suit suited her very well. If only it would shine less...

  Julia

  "You have e! Wonderful!" Flordelis galloped towards them. "My older brother is taking part for the first time this year! Tiyam is terribly excited! After all, his talent awoke two months aght on his fifty-first birthday! Dad practiced with him every day. Aurel and Kalle are in the front row to cheer him on. I hope he fights food p the tribe. Will you be in the front row?"

  Julia looked at Finn, who g to Marko, shaking his head. "I don't think so, no. We keep our distance."

  Leopold nodded in agreement. "But we're keeping our fingers crossed for Tiyam. I promise!"

  Flordelis looked disappointed. "All right. Then I'll go back to the boys!"

  "Have fun! I hope Tiyam wins all his fights." Julia waved after her friend. She preferred to keep her distance from Finn, Marko, and Leopold. The taurs could be very rowdy and stormy.

  They had taken a piiket with them, on which they made themselves fortable with a few snacks.

  Hanno, Flora, aer joihem. Fiete had persuaded Peter to at least look at the beginning of the petition. Fiete wao take a long nap, aer was finally vihe three had previously talked to Finja and her sister Linda. Flora aer now seemed a little... annoyed.

  Linda's husband Ole was also in the front row to cheer on their hundred-year-old son Luan. For taurs, it was ary to have offspring te. Linda had gotten Luan at two hundred. Her husband was 210 at the time. Finja had no children of her own.

  "I'd like to pluck Linda's hair out!", murmured Flora and dropped dowo Marko. "Really! What does she imagio interfere with our children!"

  "One of the children is my sister", Peter grumbled and sat down with Julia and Leopold.

  "What happened?" Leopold wao know. Julia sat between his legs and leaned against him.

  "Linda had a few objes again." Hanno seemed amused. "So she had some wonderful advice for us."

  "Those were demands!", hissed Flora. "No advice!"

  "And what was it about?", asked Marko, burying his nose in Finn's hair. Finn sat on his p and tentedly ate small berries, that grow on the riverbank.

  In the meahe petition had begun. It was iing to see two taurs staring at each other until one of them was forced to kneel, jump like a goat, make strange noises, or whatever the taurs came up with. Tiyam was busy wiggling his butt against his will while singing a raunchy song. Ohing was certain: Tiyam was not a singer.

  "And what kind of demands did she make?", asked Julia. If the advice came from Linda, it robably... There was never any good advice from Linda. Once she had advised Julia not to approach the male sex closer than two meters so that she doesn’t actally get pregnant. How did Linda imagihat?

  "She said it was irresponsible to let a young girl share the room with two boys! And then she asked if Julia would be better off keepiwo pets outside the vilge! One of them is the girl with whom she and Finn share the room. But that probably didn't get into Linda's brain!", said Flora. "Why is she even interfering?"

  "Well. You also wanted Julia to get her own room first", Hanno objected. "But the girls wao share a room..."

  "Exactly! The girls!" Flora rolled her eyes. "Josefine is a girl when she is in human form."

  "Strictly speaking, Josefine is both. Linda is not pletely wrong." Peter sighed. "And Josefine's body is male..."

  "But only because Josefine 't adjust her gender!" Finn rolled his eyes. "What we all know. Why are we discussing this? Linda is stupid. Period!"

  "I know!" Peter wi the wolf. "I also find Linda's statement impossible. Josefine would be upset if she heard about it. Especially about the part with the pets."

  "Did Linda make a ter-proposal?", Marko wao know. "For example, that Finn and I should share the room?" He grinned hopefully at Flora.

  "Definitely not!", Flora replied quickly. "And no. She did not make a ter-proposal. Instead, she asked Peter..." Now Flora had to ugh. "What it's like to be with a dragon and whether he's not afraid of being devoured and whether dragons make a lot of dirt. Ah, yes. And whether Julia s up the dirt, since Fiete is her pet. And she was so wise to add that taurs do not normally marry the pets of their children or siblings."

  "taurs don't keep pets", Marko murmured.

  "That probably didn't get into Linda's braiher", Julia replied ughing. "Peter?" She looked at her brother. "Even though Fiete is my pet, you are wele to up his mess."

  "No thanks. I'll let you know if you o get rid of his poop!" Peter stuck out his to her.

  "Ew." Leopold ughed. "Please don't."

  Meanwhile, Luan lost a match against a taur woman who forced him to propose to a taur with whom he did not get along. Linda scolded loudly, g that the taur had cheated on him. Her husband pulled her away from the crowd with red ears.

  "This is much fuhan expected!", said Finn happily.

  After about half an hour, Julia, Leopold, Finn, Marko, aer went back to their tent. Just as they had promised Josefine and Fiete.

  Since Flora and Hanno were not there, Finn and Marko retired to Marko and Leopold's room. Leopold joined Julia and Josefine, who wao know what they had seen.

  Leopold told her everything, including Linda's advice, and Josefine listened spellbound.

  "Linda said that? What does she have in mind? That we sleep naked in one bed and...? How stupid is that?", she snorted angrily. "And I'm not a pet... I eat her? Pretty, please? But I would have liked to see the marriage proposal!"

  "Eat?" Leopold raised his eyebrows and looked at Julia. She replied with a shrug. Nobody would notice when Linda suddenly disappears...

  "The marriage proposal was really funny!", firmed Julia. "It was generally very funny. A taur tried to eat a tent and when it was Linda’s turn, she was made to tell everyone about her wedding night. Strictly speaking, I would have liked to do without the details. It was wild. That much is certain."

  "She deserved that!" Josefine nodded tentedly.

  "Certainly!" Leopold kissed Julia's cheek. "Say? Fien? Don't you want to look after Marko and Finn?" He wi the dragon girl.

  Josefine snorted. "You also kiss in front of me!"

  "If you’re sure?" And grinning, Leopold kissed Julia. She wao protest, but her body betrayed her. She ed her arms around him and ehe feeling of his lips on hers. Until Josefine decided to cheer them on...

  Marko

  Finn y tentedly on his mat. "I enjoyed seeing the petition!"

  "I like seeing you!" Marko leaned over him. "Finn, as much as I love to hear how much you liked it... I could imagine one or two things we could do... Now that we are alone."

  "Alone! Not really. One piece of cloth separates us from the others!" Finn crossed his arms. His cheeks were red. "What did you imagine? Knitting?"

  "No!" Marko raised his eyebrows. "Not knitting! But... How about this?" He pulled Finn onto his p and kissed him with a wink. Finn ughed softly.

  "We should really take advantage of the fact that Flora and Hanno are not there!" Finn buried his fa Marko's shoulder. "But the others..."

  "Are busy!" He kissed Finn's cheek.

  Fiete

  He was sittio Peter and had his legs over Peter’s legs. Peter drew and used Fiete's legs as a table. Fiete liked to watch him draw. Right now there were several taurs.

  "Is this the petition?"

  Peter nodded. "Yes, exactly. I thought to myself, a few petition pictures will sell well. After all, this tradition is important for the taurs."

  "You want to sell the paintings to taurs?"

  "Exge. Against jewelry. One of the tribes makes beautiful bracelets. Dandelion has said that soon some of the taurs of this tribe are expected here."

  "When did he tell you that?" Fiete frowned.

  "A few days ago. When he, his wife, and their two children were here. Flordelis and Tiyam started a food fight with Marko."

  "Ah! That evening. I remember. I and Josefio the river after dinner..." Fiete leaned against Peter. "I love your drawings."

  "Thank you."

  But then they heard soft giggles and Josefine's voice. "e on! You do it! Keep it up!", she shouted. "Kiss! Kiss!"

  "Encore!", they heard Marko reply.

  "We're proud of you!", excimed Finn. "You do it!"

  "I think the kids are doing something dumb right now." Peter ruffled his hair. "Shall we che them?"

  "Hm." Fiete pulled his legs from Peter’s and buried his fa the back of his neck. "Or we do something dumb too."

  "Cheers to the best kissers!", they heard Josefine shout.

  "Thank you!", Marko replied.

  "Very funny!", pined Leopold. Julia ughed.

  Peter leaned away from Fiete. "And what?", he asked with a grin.

  "I could kiss you too!" Fiete wieasingly. "A small, fine smack? Maybe we will be appuded?"

  "No, thank you."

  "Why not?" Now he pouted and blinked his eyeshes. "I'm a good kisser! The title 'best kisser' should be mine."

  Peter ruffled his e hair, ughing. "Still. No, thank you."

  "Peeeeeeter!" Fiete ed his arms around him. He eeasier. "We are married! The children are busy. They don't notice it. Pretty, please?"

  Peter rolled his eyes and freed himself from Fiete.

  What a pity. Fiete sighed.

  But theer kissed Fiete's cheek. "There you have your kiss. You're wele, honey."

  Fiete blushed in surprise. "How wonder... ful!", he stammered. "But you missed my lips!"