A/N: *Hides under a book* I know I know it's taken me forever! *Is sorry and continues hiding under book* Heh. Heh. Please don't kill me. O_o Don't worry, midear; your writing is well worth the wait. :3

Review replies:

Bloodanddarkroses: Why thank you ^_^ *Jester bow*

The Dimmensionalist: You, BuBu and I may or may not have discussed this stuff in the forums/P.M.s or whatever, but in case we haven't (it's been forever O_o) I'll reply anyways.

BuBu and I have kinda just been throwing bits and pieces of our own stories and headcanons into this in an attempt to explain the unexplained. While your ideas and theories are cool, and it's equally awesome that you've done so much work on developing your headcanon, we'll probably just stick with what we've accepted and created ourselves. Finally- thanks for le compliments, and we shall be sure to continue with le story xD (Although it might take me forever and a week to write my parts … O_o)

Lewascan2: Heat may have simmered down a bit, but she'll have her flare-ups, which will be much fun to write about. x3 And of course there'll be chaos! Hon, this is me (BuBu) and Firestorm who are writing this. It'll be dark and chaotic, no doubt, and I get to introduce a very grotesque character later on… ;) Uh oh. *Hides under another book* xD

Ammaarah01: Yes, that shall be interesting … at least for us. xD As for who did better in assignments: we shall have to discuss that at some point- right, BuBu? Oh yes, most definitely. :3

Now, ENJOY!

-Alexandra-

I practically skipped back to my house after saying goodbye to Evan, Donna and Brooke. "I'm home, Mom!" I sang as I tossed my backpack onto a chair. Sylvia poked her head out of the parlor.

"Hello, Alex. What's got you in such a good mood today?" she asked.

"You know. The usual- great day at school, made two new friends, rode a dragon and completely showed up Heat. She almost fell off a lion," I informed her gleefully as I breezed past.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on a minute." She put out an arm to stop me. "Alex, this feud between you two is really going too far-"

"Oh, I see how this is- Alex has one good day, and suddenly everyone's jumping down her throat. I can't even go one day without somebody telling me to be nicer to my cousin! It's like the entire world revolves around her, and lucky me! I got cast as the villain!" I waved my arms in sarcastic excitement.

"Hon, no one's seeing you as a villain-"

"That's a lie," I shot back. "It's always Heat this! Heat that! Alex, why can't you be more like your good, sweet, perfect, kind cousin Heat? Why must you always be so unfriendly and mean to everyone?" I was pacing in anger by this point. "You and Malistaire even like her better than me! I try, okay? I want to be just as good at things, but Heat happens to be 'naturally gifted.' She can do everything, and the one time I find something I'm good at, I get yelled at for being happy about it!"

"Alex." I turned to glare at the offender, and noticed that Malistaire was standing in the doorway. Sylvia stepped quietly back into the study.

"I suppose you're going to yell at me, too?" I folded my arms and glared at him, feeling childish and silly, yet too stubborn to back down.

Surprisingly, Malistaire shook his head, slowly making his way towards the bookshelf across the room. He selected a large book and flipped it open to a specific page. "Come here." I did. "Look at this picture, Alex." I realized that he was holding one of Sylvia's many photo albums. The picture was of two boys and a girl, all of whom were maybe three years older than me. While the girl- auburn haired and dressed in flowery Theurgist robes- was smiling and waving cheerily to the camera, the two boys- both with nearly identical faces and straight black hair- were glaring darkly at one another. One boy wore a pristine Conjuration robe, and the other was dressed in the robe of a Necromancer.

"Who are they?"

"That is me, Cyrus and Sylvia when we were 15. Did you know that we hated one another nearly as much as you dislike Heat?"

I blinked in surprise. "No way. You and Cyrus- I mean, you guys argue sometimes, but you don't hate him, do you?"

My adoptive father chuckled. "Not anymore, I don't. When we were that age, though …" he shook his head. "Cats and dogs. We argued about everything- school, grades, who had the better mount, who'd won the most PVP matches, which of us could find better quest commissions … I was certain that our parents preferred Cyrus, since he was a good little Conjurer and not a dark, angry Necromancer. He frequently got better grades than I, and did better in almost everything he tried."

"So why did you guys stop fighting?"

"Sylvia." The answer was short and simple. "I found someone I cared about, and I stopped fighting with Cyrus because of her."

I frowned. "So you're telling me that in order to stop fighting with Heat, I have to go out and find a boyfriend?"

Surprisingly, Malistaire laughed. "Hardly, Alex. You're not to date until you are fifty, but aside from that … well, what I mean to say is that you have to find somewhere else to focus your energy. It's frustrating that she does better than you at a lot of things, and I understand- Cyrus was the exact same way. I'm telling you to be happy with who you are, and with your own uniqueness. Don't focus on this rivalry, and eventually you two might even be friends."

I made a face. "Not likely."

"It certainly worked with me and my brother, so you might as well give it a try, yes?"

Reluctantly, I nodded. "I'll try to just ignore her."

"That's a start."

-FIVE YEARS LATER-

It was a start, and it was a very successful start, if I do say so myself. I lasted a full week … and then Heat mocked my dragon-mounting form (it was raining, and Thompson's saddle was slippery, in my defence) which led to me cursing at her in Dragonspyrian, which led to her yelling at me in Ancient Aztecan, and then everything started all over again.

Our parents' nerves were wearing dangerously thin as the start of our Master year approached, and so they came up what would hopefully be some sort of solution. A few weeks after my sixteenth birthday, Cyrus and Heat came for a visit, and we all sat down in the living room for a chat.

"If you two can agree to tone down at least the public arguing, we will let you each get a mount, as long as Zeke thinks your skills are satisfactory," Malistaire had told us. Heat and I had agreed after a brief argument via chuchoter, which led to our present situation. We were standing outside of Prospector Zeke's stables with Cyrus, Malistaire and Sylvia, since we had been keeping (mostly) true to our word.

"Hey there, Drakes! What can I do fer ya today?" Zeke asked, tipping his hat as he stepped outside.

"These two are looking for mounts," Sylvia replied with a grin, indicating me and Heat.

"Awrighty, then! Do either of ya have any idea what ya want?"

Heat shook her head, but I immediately answered. "Do you have any dragons?"

"Sure do, Miss Firesong! I just brought one in from Mooshu, in fact. Since Heat's not quite sure, I'll help 'er out first, and then I'll show ya the dragon." He stepped back into the stable with Heat and Cyrus.

-V-

Heat ended up choosing a Dream Filly, a too-mellow-for-my-taste Unicorn with a long, too-purple mane. I couldn't help but smirk just a little when I saw her choice, but quickly hid the grin before either of my parents could notice.

"Awright, Alex, if you and yer parents could come this way, I'll show ya that dragon." We followed him into the stables. I raised an eyebrow when I saw the mount that Prospector Zeke led out. It was pink- not just pink, but hot pink. "Pink" as in "that thing is so pink my eyes are going to violently explode." The dragon's head was dipped slightly in submission as her owner led her out of the stall.

"This here is Elodie; ya couldn't ask fer gentler a mount- great fer beginners, or fer riders of any age, really," Zeke informed us proudly. I glanced at Malistaire skeptically.

"That's … wonderful, Zeke," my father said slowly, searching for a polite way to say "Not on your life."

"Prospector! I could use a hand out here!" Another man's voice called from outside the stable. A crashing noise followed. Zeke thrust Elodie's reins into Malistaire's hands before hurrying outside.

The Death Professor looked like he had swallowed something sour. "I assume that you would rather find a different mount?" he remarked, glancing towards me.

I nodded. "Yeah … probably." I eyed the pink dragon disdainfully. "Let some spoiled Marleybonian novice have the gentle one; I'm from Dragonspyre. I can handle something a little … well, tougher." I heard shouting from the direction that the Prospector had gone.

"Perhaps we should give him some assistance," Malistaire suggested, giving Elodie a push towards her stall. The pink dragon ambled in and shook her head before curling up to take a nap. While Malistaire latched the door, I ran after Prospector Zeke.

Both he and another man dressed in blue and gray robes were holding the reins of a blood red dragon, who was rearing and snorting smoke into the air. It screamed in protest as Zeke yanked harder on the reins. The commotion was starting to draw attention, and several people- including Cyrus, Sylvia and Heat- were gathering outside the pen.

"Get back, Miss Firesong!" the Prospector yelled. "This un's wild!" I took a few steps closer, reached up and gripped the scales on the dragon's neck. It landed with a thud and glared at me.

"You don't scare me," I growled, glaring back. "No dragon can scare me." The dragon raised an eyebrow. I smirked.

So you think you're tougher than me, huh? its expression seemed to say, and my grin widened.

"Try me." I carefully edged around to the side of the dragon's body, and it glared at me out of the corner of its eye. I pressed my hands into its back and swung up so I was sitting on top of the dragon.

"Miss Firesong, that monster'll kill ya! She's completely feral!"

"Zeke, if I thought my daughter wasn't safe, do you think she would be sitting there?" Malistaire muttered to the prospector. "Just wait; if she is in any danger, I will personally protect her." He indicated his staff, and Zeke nodded.

"Awright …" I took the reins that Zeke's assistant was gripping tightly and pulled them away. He hastily stepped away. With a shriek, the dragon leaped into the air and took off towards the clouds.

Riding this dragon was nothing like riding the tame ones used in Mount Riding Club; there was no secure saddle, no special collar that would keep her from flying too far away- the only thing I had to stay on her back was an old rope and my own arms and legs. The dragon did her best to throw me off her back- she spun, she dove, she did somersaults in midair. I held on as tight as I could and laughed gleefully as the dragon rocketed through the air. So this is what real freedom feels like.

I let the dragon play her games, and after a while I tugged on the rope, turning her head back towards the ground. Surprisingly, she complied, and the dragon willingly returned to the ground, landing as smoothly as I imagined Elodie could. I flashed a grin towards Prospector Zeke and his assistant, both of whom were staring at me in open-mouthed shock. Malistaire didn't seem surprised- proud, maybe, and smug, but not surprised. I jumped off the dragon's back and ran my hand over her snout.

"You fought me hard- like a lion. A real ruslana. I think that's what I'll call you … what do you think, Dad?" I turned towards the Death Professor.

"What do I think of what?"

"The name 'Ruslana.' It means 'lion' in Dragonspyrian."

He nodded in agreement. "I think that if Zeke is willing to sell her to you, you may name her whatever you'd like, Alex." Malistaire glanced towards the prospector, who took several steps back.

"You can have 'er free of charge, but I'm not takin' her back if she goes crazy on ya."

I laughed. "Somehow, I don't think that she'll do that, will you?" I grinned at Ruslana, who snorted smoke into my face. I chuckled again and wiped the soot off my cheek. "Ruslana dueled me, and I won. In Dragonspyre, that's how riders are paired with dragons- the rider has to win a sky duel. I have a feeling that she'll behave herself for me."