May 1st, 2042
It was two and a half weeks after Lyra's sixteenth birthday, and to celebrate her, Blue was throwing her a grand party. The ballroom was filled with gold decor, as Lyra's favorite colors were gold and cream, and a luxurious gold and cream accent chocolate cake.
At least a couple hundred people showed up; Ivory was shocked to see other powerful Seraphyne families join, too. She assumed it would be an intimate party with close friends, family, and workers; however, Blue had different plans.
Once Ivory finished getting into her purple gown for the occasion, she walked down the hallway and knocked on Lyra's bedroom door. A maid opened the door and let her inside.
She gaped at her daughter's gold sparkly mermaid dress. It was beaded at the bust and by the end of the gown. Lyra sported gold eyeshadow and pink lipstick, and had her hair pinned in an updo.
"Lyra," Ivory murmured, "You look beautiful!" Ivory's eyes started to tear up.
"This is why I didn't have you help me!" Lyra's hands hit her hips. "I knew you'd cry."
"I'm sorry; you're just growing up," Ivory sniffled, and Lyra wrapped her arms around her mom. Ivory moved Lyra away and held her arms in her hands. "Soon, you'll be an adult, and you'll be married. This is an important day for you! I promise I won't cry and ruin it for you."
Lyra shook her head and took a deep breath. "I'm nervous."
Ivory nodded. "It's a big day with many people. You're the center of attention. It's okay to feel out of place."
Ivory liked her arm with Lyra's. "Let's go! Everyone's waiting!"
The two walked down the hallway, and the closer they got to the ballroom, the more nervous Lyra became. She felt her heart beating into her chest. They got to the mezzanine above the ballroom floor, and saw the guards at the closed doors. Suddenly, they opened the doors for Ivory and Lyra.
"Are you ready?" Ivory whispered.
Lyra nodded.
The two walked onto the mezzanine, and everyone looked up and cheered. Lyra saw her siblings clapping for her. Ivory felt that it was a magical day; she was so happy to see everyone celebrating her first born.
Many had their mouths wide open, and some whispered. No one had seen Lyra's dress yet, so it was a huge surprise to everyone.
Ivory led her down the stairs as everyone clapped and cheered. Then, Lyra faced the stage and saw her father, who held out his hand. Lyra took it, and followed behind him.
The clapping died down.
"Today, we celebrate mine and Ivory's first born child: Lyra. She made me a father, Ivory a mother, and made the initiative to keep my family line alive! Lyra is logical, strategic, and a loyal leader. She fights for what is right, and always makes sure her siblings stay out of trouble. She's clever and always ensures that she's getting the best marks she can achieve. Today, we celebrate my big girl, and how proud I am to be her father!"
Everyone cheered, and Blue held Lyra in the air as guests clapped and chanted Lyra's name.
Then, everyone began dancing, eating, and hanging out. At some point, Blue and Red lifted Lyra's chair in the air, and she giggled as she sat in the chair, like a princess. Serene and Elara tried to jump up and reach her manicured hands with their smaller ones, but Blue and Red held Lyra too high in the air.
Later on, Ivory noted that some of the oldest sons of the wealthier families were talking to Lyra, and from Ivory's perspective, Lyra seemed to take an interest in one of them. Ivory knew that his name was Sterling Bellator. He was tall, handsome, and sported very regal dark blue hair. With pure blooded dragons, the darker skinned dragons were known to be fighters. Not all Seraphyne had light blue hair like Blue did. Blue's hair color generally signified leadership authority and high intelligence.
Ivory didn't think that the shades of blue held much significance, but that's what she had read.
Sterling was known to be a bit harsh, aggressive, and a great fighter. Ivory wasn't sure she wanted Lyra with him; but Lyra seemed to like him. He moved a strand of her hair behind her ear, and she giggled.
"She seems to like him," she heard Birdie from behind her.
"Yeah, I didn't notice older boys would be here."
Orion took a few moments to read Sterling. "I like him." he shrugged.
Cassian chuckled. "You like anyone with spunk."
Orion and Cassian walked off to get more cake.
"Blue didn't tell you?" Honor made her way over.
Ivory shook her head.
"He is trying to betroth Lyra, because of the rebellion."
Ivory sighed in annoyance.
"We're sorry," Birdie said.
"Why doesn't my husband ever tell me anything?"
"He knew you'd say no."
"Lyra's young, and she's not fully mature. How can she be sure Sterling is the one for her?"
Honor and Birdie shrugged.
Ivory watched Lyra. She and Sterling were holding cups in their hands, and as Lily walked by, Lyra eyed her, moved her hand to Sterling's ear, and whispered into it. Sterling, who had bent down a bit to listen looked back at Lily, and gave Lyra a widened look. Lyra nodded, and then Lyra seemed to be annoyed.
Ivory stared at Lily, who stood in the corner of the room with her sister, and the two were talking and smiling about something.
Ivory noted that there seemed to be some drama; drama she had no idea existed.
Lyra broke away from Sterling and held her dress in her hands; with her 4-inch gold heels, her dress was still a little too long. Lyra was only a little taller than Ivory; she was the shortest of her cousins, and at this point, Elara was at her height.
Elara often joked she'd be taller than Lyra, though, Lyra said she could always borrow mom's cute shoes and Elara couldn't. That would shut Elara up, and the two would laugh.
Lyra walked up the stairs to the stage her father sat on, and whispered into his ear. Blue nodded and wrapped an arm around Lyra. Based on their facial expressions, they were having a nice conversation.
Ivory turned her attention away from Blue and Lyra, and saw Orion try to take Elara's plate. She stomped on him, and he held onto his foot and groaned in pain. Cassian and some of their cousins laughed. Ivory giggled. Orion most definitely deserved that.
Orion felt that his job was to make Elara tougher; he wanted to prepare her for becoming a ruler. Elara felt otherwise. They often had tension amongst each other.
Ivory turned to see Lyra sitting next to Blue, and the two ate cake with Red.
Ivory knew that Blue loved all of their children, but Lyra held a special place in his heart because she was the oldest, and she was the first child of his that would become a ruler. Ivory decided to get some cake and watch her older sons play a board game.
...
Later that night, Ivory was at her vanity removing her makeup and cleaned her face with micellar water. Blue was getting into his pajamas. Ivory noted his insanely strong core.
She looked away and down at her own stomach that appeared to be a little bloated after all the food she ate. After she removed her makeup, she was ready for bed. It was 4 A.M., and the party had just ended. This meant the rest of the day would be a recovery day.
"Don't tell me you're going to sleep," Blue said as he laid on the bed. "I wanted to have a moment. It's been a while since I'd seen my pretty wife."
Ivory smiled and joined his much larger figure on the bed.
"I'm ready to pass out, Blue," Ivory yawned.
He wrapped his arms around Ivory and held her close to him.
They laid on the bed.
"Lyra seemed to get along with that Sterling boy," Ivory noted.
"Yeah, she's thinking that he's the one she wants as king once she turns 18," Blue replied. "I'm securing her position early because of the rebellion."
Ivory nodded.
"Orion likes him."
Blue scoffed. "Well, that's nice."
Ivory laughed and turned the other way.
Blue wrapped his arm around her and placed his head right at the crook of her neck. They laid in silence; Ivory could hear the loud music still pounding in her ears.
As Ivory began to fall asleep, Blue pinched her nose. She abruptly woke up and found him crouching over her. His hand ran through her hair. She moved her position from her side to her back, and she faced him.
"Something is on your mind," Ivory noted.
Blue shrugged. "Our little girl isn't little anymore. That's all."
"You're going to miss her," Ivory said. "I will too. She hates when I cry."
"Typical teenager," Blue replied. "She looks more like you as she gets older."
"You think so? I think she looks like your mother a little bit," Ivory stated.
"That's true, only Serene has your little nose," Blue booped Ivory's nose.
Ivory crossed her arms.
"Are you saying our other children have ugly noses?"
"No, just that they don't have the Ivory nose," Blue said. "It's my favorite feature."
Ivory smiled as Blue rubbed her stomach.
Once Blue did the DNA altering for Ivory, he stated that her pregnancies would be different. When she was pregnant with Kael, he told her the female body usually has significant changes and never bounces back, but Ivory's body didn't change. She stayed around the same size in everything. She just had more health complications overtime, because Blue couldn't change the anatomy of her human body.
"Why did you want Lyra to meet someone now?"
"Once the humans see that Lyra has a love interest, politics will get more complicated. It means I have more allies, and it'll be harder for humans to rebel without Seraphyne eyes everywhere. Sterling's family will soon sign a contract for Europe, so once Lyra is 18, she is the ultimate ruler alongside Sterling. They both own it."
Ivory nodded and found herself unable to keep her eyes open any longer. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep. Blue tucked her in and shifted his body next to hers, and together, the Gravesend's had successfully thrown their first Sweet 16 alongside finding a suitable man for Lyra.