- 16 hours ago
EngSub The Stolen Princess and the Cursed Dragon 🌎Aurora
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🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00:06The gold dragon I had raised with my own hands bit through my fingertip the moment it broke
00:00:11out of its shell. A heartbeat later, it turned away from me and flew straight to my sister
00:00:15Izalith and curled tamely into her arms. She held the dragon that should have been mine
00:00:21and sobbed in front of the entire kingdom. Seraphina, how could you steal my dragon egg?
00:00:29I did not steal it. I was the one who brought it to life from the egg.
00:00:35Murmurs swept through the noble stands like a storm. King Alaric slammed his seppler against
00:00:39the stone floor and guards formed forward to pin my arms behind my hack.
00:00:46Isalith glided toward me through the chaos, but when she leaned close to my ear, her voice
00:00:51was cold and sharp, stripped of all pretense.
00:00:54Did you really think the dragon chose you? Newborn hatchlings are blind. They know their
00:01:00master only by the scent of blood on the egg. For three whole months, I snuck into your incubation
00:01:06chamber every midnight and dapped the shell with my own blood.
00:01:10Day and night, you sat by it. But it never smelled you. All it knew was my scent.
00:01:17She paused, her fingertips brushing the bite wound on my finger, and I flinched as a sting
00:01:22of burning pain shot through my hand.
00:01:24I brushed dragon-repellent sap on your fingertips before the ceremony. That's why it bit you
00:01:30the moment it touched you. To it, you reek of something loathsome.
00:01:42Isalith laughed softly. Why? Because you were born first and the crown was handed to you
00:01:48without effort? A golden dragon is the omen of a rightful ruler. With it, I will take your throne,
00:01:56your title, everything that should have been mine. Just like that, I became a thief.
00:02:03My father stripped me of my claims into the throne and threw me into the dragon pit. The
00:02:09iron gate crashed shut behind me with a deafening boom. Starving lesser drakes tore at the hem
00:02:14of my gown. Hot, rancid breath rolled over my face, and sharp claws scraped against my arms.
00:02:25Before I closed my eyes, my sister was holding the golden dragon and wearing my crown,
00:02:31basking in smug triumph. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day my father gave us
00:02:37our dragon eggs. This time, I'd not kneel and beg anyone to believe me. If Isolate wanted to steal
00:02:44my dragon so badly, I'd give her the most dangerous one of all. King Alaric's voice rang out above me.
00:02:52Serafina, what are you waiting for? My head shot up. I was standing in the golden hall.
00:02:57Candlelight flickered over the marble marble floors. Nobles lined both sides of the chamber,
00:03:02every pair of eyes fixed on me. Before the daisk stood two silver trays, each holding a dragon egg.
00:03:09One was pale, threaded with delicate gold veins. The other was dull and dark, without shine at all.
00:03:16I had seen this scene before. No. I had lived it before. Back then, I was the crown princess of
00:03:23Valderia, the only daughter of the late queen. The kingdom called me, calm, disciplined, worthy of
00:03:30the throne. I had believed that, if I worked hard enough, if I became perfect enough, my father would
00:03:36finally see me. Later, I learned the truth. Some fathers don't need a reason to favor one child over
00:03:43another. The child he loved was Isolette, the daughter born to his second queen. It did not
00:03:47matter how many royal laws I memorized, how many court rituals I mastered, or how many noble sons
00:03:53I defeated's training. To him, I'd always be the elder daughter he did not want to acknowledge.
00:03:59Alarac glanced at me. There was no warmth in his face.
00:04:04Valderia was once protected by dragons. After the Great War, almost every adult dragon died.
00:04:14Only a few eggs remain, sealed in the royal vaults. By our oldest law, the one who hatches
00:04:22a dragon will earn the right to inherit the throne.
00:04:26What he did not say was this. Valderia's nobles would never accept an heir without dragon.
00:04:32No matter how much he loved Isolette, he still needed her to receive a dragon in public.
00:04:37Only then would everyone keep quiet when she took the throne.
00:04:40I stared at the golden-veined egg. In my last life, I had reached for it first,
00:04:45my chest swelling with pride. I had thought it was a reward for my diligence.
00:04:50I had never guessed it was a trap laid from the very start. He lifted his hand,
00:04:55and a servant carried one of the eggs toward me.
00:04:57You and we'll each receive one. In one month, every noble and citizen will gather in the palace
00:05:06square to witness the hatchet. When that day comes, the true heir will show herself.
00:05:19I reached out and took the egg. The shell was cold, exactly as I remembered.
00:05:28A ripple of whispers moved through the hall.
00:05:33A solda stood beside our father in a white gown, her golden hair falling over her shoulders.
00:05:38She looked soft, innocent, like a cherished little princess who had never done anything cruel in her life.
00:05:46But when she looked at me, a familiar flash of triumph crossed her eyes.
00:05:53It was the exact same look she had worn as she watched me fall into the dragon pit.
00:05:59A solda came to my side. Her voice was soft enough that only the two of us could hear.
00:06:12In my last life, I had flushed with anger at this line,
00:06:18arguing loudly that I would hatch the stronger dragon.
00:06:25The nobles had whispered that I was petty and unworthy of the crown.
00:06:31But this time, I only tightened my grip on the egg.
00:06:36We'll see about that.
00:06:38For a second, she froze.
00:06:40She had not expected me to be so calm.
00:06:42I held the dragon egg close.
00:06:45But inside, I went cold all the way through.
00:06:52In this life, I'd never again give my life just to earn my father's approval.
00:07:02After I returned to my old tower, I dismissed every maid.
00:07:08I placed the dragon egg on the table and stared at it.
00:07:15In my last life, this was the egg that hatched into the gold dragon.
00:07:20Before it broke open, it had answered my voice from within the shell.
00:07:31I drew a small knife and pressed the tip to my finger.
00:07:38If my blood touched the contract, the hatching would begin.
00:07:44My hand hovered there for a long time.
00:07:50Images of Isolde's smug face.
00:07:52The dragon pit's darkness.
00:07:54The drake's sharp teeth flashed before my eyes.
00:07:59In the end, I lowered the knife, pushed the egg into an iron box and locked it.
00:08:06I did not smash the egg.
00:08:08I did not hurt the young life sleeping inside.
00:08:13The egg was not the one at fault.
00:08:15The people using it to trap me were.
00:08:18At the northern edge of the palace grounds stood an old dragon roost that had been sealed for years.
00:08:23My mother had told me of it when I was small.
00:08:26Her voice soft as she spoke of the gold egg she had hidden there.
00:08:29A gift left for me when I came of age.
00:08:33Under the cover of night, I slipped past the sleeping guards and pushed open the rusted iron gate.
00:08:41Ash swirled up around my boots, thick with the scent of burnt scales and old magic.
00:08:46At the very back of the roost, half buried in cold ash, I saw it.
00:08:51It was small, but the moment I drew close, it trembled.
00:08:56From that night on, I began hatching a dragon again.
00:09:00I snuck to the roost every midnight, sitting for hours with the egg pressed to my chest,
00:09:06whispering old dragon lullabies my mother had taught me.
00:09:09Day by day, the shell grew brighter, the gold veins glowing like molten sunlight.
00:09:15On the 20th night, I pressed my ear against it and heard a faint heartbeat from within.
00:09:20It was alive.
00:09:22It was mine.
00:09:24Then, at dawn on the 21st day, the palace bells began to ring.
00:09:32Martha hurried into my chamber, her face pale.
00:09:41Your highness, news has come from the palace.
00:09:45Princess Islote's dragon egg has turned gold.
00:09:49The king has announced that she may hatch a gold dragon.
00:09:56The cup slipped from my hand and shattered on the floor.
00:10:00Impossible.
00:10:02The gold dragon egg was right here with me.
00:10:06How could Isolde's egg turn gold at the exact same moment my dragon awakened?
00:10:13Was this fate?
00:10:15Had I struggled so hard to change everything, only to walk right back into the same ending?
00:10:22By the time I reached the palace, the hall outside the throne room was already packed with nobles.
00:10:27Everyone was whispering excitedly about Isolde.
00:10:30Who would have thought?
00:10:31Everyone assumed Princess Serafina had the stronger gift.
00:10:34But Princess Islote is the one truly chosen by the dragons.
00:10:37A gold dragon.
00:10:39That is the symbol of royal power.
00:10:42The succession is practically settled.
00:10:45Princess Serafina has been hiding in that old tower, hasn't she?
00:10:48I heard her egg hasn't stirred at all.
00:10:51What a shame for the late queen.
00:10:52I walked through the crowd and entered the hall.
00:10:55Isolde stood before the throne with a gold dragon egg in her arms.
00:10:59Golden light wrapped around her like a halo, making her look like a saint anointed by the dragons.
00:11:04One glance was enough to turn my blood cold.
00:11:07It wasn't the egg hidden in my tower.
00:11:09But the gold markings, the cracks forming in the shell.
00:11:12Even the heartbeat coming from inside it everything matched the egg I had awakened with my own hands.
00:11:17A chill crept slowly up my spine.
00:11:19My egg was still in the hidden chamber beneath my tower.
00:11:22Martha had been guarding it without leaving her post.
00:11:25The windows were sealed.
00:11:27My own people watched the door.
00:11:29Not even a bird could get in.
00:11:30So maybe the problem was never that someone stole the physical egg.
00:11:34Perhaps something had been redirecting the results of my hatching to Isolde all along.
00:11:39Isolde saw me and her eyes lit up.
00:11:41She adjusted her hold on the egg, holding it higher as if displaying a trophy.
00:11:48Sister, you came.
00:11:50She carried the gold egg toward me, smiling sweetly.
00:11:53Sis, I didn't think you'd show up.
00:11:57It must hurt, watching your little sister hatch a gold dragon first.
00:12:02No matter how hard you try, the dragon always ends up mine.
00:12:08I stared at the egg in her arms, my fingers going cold.
00:12:11My father sat on the throne, his satisfaction plain on his face.
00:12:17Serafina.
00:12:21Bring out your egg, too.
00:12:24I looked up at him.
00:12:25He had spoken to me the same way in my last life.
00:12:27He had never given me a chance to explain.
00:12:30If Isolde shed a single tear, he could condemn me without hesitation.
00:12:35My egg has not hatched yet.
00:12:38Whispers burst through the hall.
00:12:40Isolde covered her mouth in exaggerated surprise, her eyes wide with false pity.
00:12:45How could that be?
00:12:47Sister, haven't you always worked the hardest?
00:12:50Are you saying you can't hatch a dragon at all?
00:12:53She shook her head softly as if grieving for me.
00:12:56Father, don't be angry with sister.
00:12:58I'm sure she tried her best.
00:13:00It's just...
00:13:01Maybe the dragons don't favor her.
00:13:03My father's face darkened.
00:13:06Useless.
00:13:07He seized the goblet beside him and hurled it at my feet.
00:13:10It shattered against the floor, shards scraping my hem, wine splashing over the tips of my shoes.
00:13:18Valdoria needs someone who can wake a dragon, not a failure who only knows how to look proud.
00:13:24I said nothing.
00:13:25Not because I was afraid.
00:13:27Because I had finally realized this was deeper than I had thought.
00:13:30The egg had not been stolen.
00:13:32Isolde had not been lucky.
00:13:34Something had been delivering my results to her from the very beginning.
00:13:38From this day forward, Serafina will remain in the old tower.
00:13:42She will not leave unless summoned.
00:13:44She will stay there until she hatches a dragon of her own.
00:13:49The nobles' eyes changed when they looked at me.
00:13:52In my first life, they called me a thief.
00:13:55In this life, they called me a failure.
00:13:58There was not much difference.
00:14:01When I left the hall, Isolde followed me.
00:14:04She waved a hand to dismiss her maids.
00:14:07And the soft, innocent mask fell from her face the moment they were out of sight.
00:14:12Sister, the look on your face just now was beautiful.
00:14:15I stopped walking.
00:14:19You can't understand it, can you?
00:14:22You hid your eggs so carefully.
00:14:27So, why do I have a gold egg too?
00:14:30The truth is, I don't even need to know what you did.
00:14:35The result will always be the same.
00:14:37She lifted a hand and patted my shoulder as if comforting a loser.
00:14:41You guard it.
00:14:44You feed it.
00:14:46You love it.
00:14:48But when it breaks out of its shell, it will still choose me.
00:14:54I grabbed her wrist.
00:14:56Pain flashed across her face, but she did not pull away.
00:15:00Instead, her smile widened.
00:15:03Angry?
00:15:04Then I must be right.
00:15:05She leaned in, her lips almost brushing my ear.
00:15:10Just like in your little incubation chamber.
00:15:13You thought you were raising a dragon for...
00:15:16Yourself?
00:15:18You were raising it for me all along.
00:15:21I released her.
00:15:23Isolid.
00:15:26You had better pray you can keep winning.
00:15:29She smoothed her sleeve, her eyes full of contempt.
00:15:32I will.
00:15:35Father loves me.
00:15:37The kingdom expects me.
00:15:39Even the dragons choose me.
00:15:41What do you have?
00:15:42Sister?
00:15:44I watched her walk away and my mind became clearer than it had been all day.
00:15:49She was wrong.
00:15:50There was one thing I had that she did not.
00:15:53And I knew there was a second dragon growing in the old roost.
00:15:57One she would never see coming.
00:16:01On the third day of my confinement, I began searching through my mother's belongings.
00:16:05At the top of the old tower was a small study.
00:16:08It had been locked for years.
00:16:10My father never came there.
00:16:12Isolde thought it too cold and dreary to set foot in.
00:16:15After my mother died, her books, letters, and some old royal records had been piled inside
00:16:19like dust the whole palace wanted to forget.
00:16:22I sat on the floor and went through them one by one.
00:16:24Most of the books about dragon eggs had yellowed with age.
00:16:28They did not record mysterious legends.
00:16:30They recorded rules.
00:16:32Dragon eggs need warmth.
00:16:34Dragon eggs need quiet.
00:16:36Dragon eggs remember the contract.
00:16:38My hand froze.
00:16:40The contract?
00:16:41I read on quickly.
00:16:43Before a royal dragon egg could be hatched, the hatcher had to sign a magical contract.
00:16:48The contract bore the hatcher's name.
00:16:50When the dragon broke from its shell, it would recognize the name on the contract
00:16:54as its master.
00:16:55Worse, the contract did more than decide ownership.
00:16:58The blood, warmth, voice, and awakening power given by the hatcher would all be credited to
00:17:03the name that truly took effect.
00:17:05Then I saw a tiny note my mother had written in the margin.
00:17:09Queen's note.
00:17:10Beware the double ink.
00:17:12My heart clenched.
00:17:13Double ink was something royal mages used to hide secret orders.
00:17:16A line of writing appeared on the surface but beneath it.
00:17:20Another line the one that actually took effect could be concealed.
00:17:24Ordinary eyes could not see it.
00:17:26Only a revealing solution could expose it.
00:17:28At last I understood where the problem might be.
00:17:32That night I changed into a maid's dress, slipped past the guards, and broke into the royal archive.
00:17:37In my last life, when I was desperate to prove my innocence, I had knelt there and begged
00:17:41them to let me see the contracts.
00:17:43They did not open the door.
00:17:45They only shoved me down the steps and called me a lying thief.
00:17:48This time I did not beg.
00:17:51I used the sleeping powder Martha had given me to put the guards to sleep, then took the
00:17:55keys from his belt.
00:17:57Who's there?
00:17:58The guard's voice faded before he could finish.
00:18:00He slid down against the wall asleep.
00:18:02The archive was cold.
00:18:04Rows of wooden cabinets stretched into the darkness.
00:18:07I found the contracts from the day of the egg ceremony by date, my fingers shaking so badly
00:18:12I could barely hold the papers.
00:18:14The first contract was Isolda's.
00:18:16On the surface it said Isolda.
00:18:18The second contract was mine.
00:18:20On the surface it said Serafina.
00:18:22I took out the revealing solution my mother had left behind and let a drop fall onto the page.
00:18:28At first nothing happened.
00:18:29Then the ink began to blur.
00:18:31The name Serafina faded.
00:18:33Beneath it, another name rose to the surface.
00:18:37Isolda.
00:18:38I stared at that name, ice flooding my veins.
00:18:41So that was it.
00:18:42My dragon had not betrayed me.
00:18:45Isolda had not truly beaten me with her own power.
00:18:48From the moment I signed my name on that paper, my father had already replaced it with hers.
00:18:53Every drop of blood, every hour of warmth, every whisper I had breathed into that egg none of it had
00:18:58ever been mine.
00:18:58It had all belonged to her.
00:19:01The answer was already in my hands.
00:19:04As long as that hidden name remained, every drop of blood I gave would become Isolette's claim.
00:19:10A small zound came from behind me.
00:19:14A soft rustle came from the archway behind me.
00:19:17I whirled, dagger drawn and pressed to the intruder's throat before I saw her face.
00:19:23Martha stood in the doorway, pale as a ghost.
00:19:27Your highness, it's me.
00:19:30I saw you leave the tower and followed.
00:19:32I was afraid you'd be caught.
00:19:35Slowly, I lowered the blade.
00:19:37She stepped inside, and when her eyes fell on the glowing contract in my hand,
00:19:43her lips trembled and tears spilled over at once.
00:19:47The queen suspected something like this would happen.
00:19:51The year the eggs were moved to the vault.
00:19:54She said the contracts felt wrong.
00:19:58But she was already too ill.
00:20:01She died before she could prove it.
00:20:04I closed my eyes.
00:20:05The weight of my mother's unfinished protection settled over me, warm and sharp all at once.
00:20:11My mother had not failed to protect me.
00:20:14She had simply run out of time.
00:20:18Your highness, what do we do now?
00:20:21Now, we have proof.
00:20:23We can call the nobles at dawn.
00:20:26Show them the truth.
00:20:28We can clear your name and take everything back.
00:20:31I looked at the name on the page and suddenly laughed.
00:20:38No.
00:20:39Martha stared at me.
00:20:42They won't believe it.
00:20:43In my last life, I laid everything bare, and they still chose Isolette's tears.
00:20:48The nobles did not care about the truth, neither did the people.
00:20:53They believed the winner.
00:20:55Truth doesn't win here.
00:20:57Winners write the truth.
00:20:59So this time, I'd make the winner confess she was a fraud.
00:21:03I rolled the contract back up and put it where I had found it.
00:21:09If father loves changing names so much, then let that name stay there.
00:21:17Isolette likes stealing my dragons, then I'll let her steal one.
00:21:22She stole my golden dragon, my crown, my life.
00:21:26This time, I will let her steal something else.
00:21:29Something that will tear her lies apart from the inside out.
00:21:34The next morning, I walked straight into the throne room.
00:21:37King Alaric with Islika, examining her gold dragon egg.
00:21:43The shell was already crisscrossed with cracks,
00:21:46and faint, thin cries of a young dragon drifted from within.
00:21:53Isolette looked up at the sound of my footsteps.
00:21:56A sweet, triumphant smile spreading across her face.
00:22:00Sister, have you finally come to your senses?
00:22:03Are you here to apologize to father, and beg to keep your place at my side?
00:22:09I did not look at her.
00:22:11I bowed to the man on the throne.
00:22:14Father,
00:22:16I can't hatch a dragon.
00:22:19The hall went silent.
00:22:23What did you say?
00:22:25I said I am willing to withdraw from the succession trial.
00:22:30I am no match for Isolette.
00:22:33Since she has already hatched a gold dragon,
00:22:36the throne should naturally belong for her.
00:22:41The smile frozen on Isolette's face.
00:22:45Her fingers tightened around the egg so hard her knuckles whited,
00:22:48and a small piece of shell flaked off onto her skirt.
00:22:55My father did not look pleased either.
00:22:59Nonsense!
00:23:01I looked at him calmly.
00:23:04Of course he could not let me quit.
00:23:07Isolette had not truly hatched anything.
00:23:09The gold dragon egg in her arms,
00:23:12depending on my contract upon my blood.
00:23:15If I stopped hatching dragons,
00:23:17she would have nothing left to steal.
00:23:20Alaric softened his voice,
00:23:22trying on the mask of a gentle father.
00:23:24Seraphina,
00:23:25you have always been a proud child.
00:23:28One failure means nothing.
00:23:31The kingdom needs you to keep trying.
00:23:34I almost laughed.
00:23:37In my first life,
00:23:38when he stood over me in the dragon pit
00:23:41and condemned me to die,
00:23:43he had never once said the kingdom needed me.
00:23:46The kinder he pretended to be,
00:23:49the clearer the truth became.
00:23:53Isolette's golden dragon was nothing but a shadow of mine.
00:23:57And without me,
00:23:58it would die before it ever saw the sun.
00:24:04Father, I'm tired.
00:24:06I accept that I am not as capable as Isolth.
00:24:11Please allow me to leave the tower
00:24:13and move to the estate outside the city.
00:24:16I will never touch another dragon egg.
00:24:19No!
00:24:21This time,
00:24:22it was Isolette who spoke.
00:24:25She flinched as soon as she said it,
00:24:27realizing she took Toshintu
00:24:28had broken her gentle ale mask
00:24:30in front of the nobles.
00:24:32Sister, I didn't mean it that way.
00:24:34I only think you shouldn't give up so easily.
00:24:39You are my sister.
00:24:52I want you to prove yourself too.
00:24:54I turned to her fully,
00:24:56taking one slow step forward.
00:24:59She stumbled back half a step
00:25:01before she caught herself.
00:25:04What good would that do you?
00:25:08Isolette's face went pale.
00:25:11Don't you already have a gold dragon?
00:25:13Aren't you about to become the heir?
00:25:16Why are you afraid I'll stop hatching dragons?
00:25:19Several nobles in the hall exchanged puzzled looks.
00:25:22Isolette bit down hard on her lip,
00:25:24tears rolling down her cheeks.
00:25:26Sister, how can you think that of me?
00:25:29I'm only worried about you.
00:25:33In my last life,
00:25:35I'd have rushed to defend myself
00:25:36and ended up looking cruel beside her tears.
00:25:41This time,
00:25:43I only smiled.
00:25:46Then thank you for your concern.
00:25:48I bowed to my father again.
00:25:59Father,
00:26:00since Isolette has won,
00:26:02there is no reason for me to remain here.
00:26:04Alaric stared at me.
00:26:05For the first time,
00:26:07I saw panic in his eyes.
00:26:10You must continue hatching dragon eggs.
00:26:14Why?
00:26:16He stopped.
00:26:17The words died on his tongue.
00:26:20He could not say the quiet part out loud.
00:26:23I lowered my voice,
00:26:25just loud enough for the front rows of nobles to hear.
00:26:28Surely it isn't because Isolette needs me to hatch them for her.
00:26:32The sentence cut through the false calm of the hall.
00:26:36Isolette's face changed completely.
00:26:39Alaric slammed his palm down on the arm of the throne so hard the goblets rattled.
00:26:44How dare you!
00:26:46I knelt slowly,
00:26:47my back straight.
00:26:48Forgive me, father.
00:26:50It was only a joke.
00:26:52But the joke
00:26:53had already sunk its teeth in.
00:26:55No one in that hall would forget the question
00:26:57or the panic on Isolette's face.
00:27:00After I left the hall,
00:27:01Isolette followed me.
00:27:05She grabbed my wrist,
00:27:07her nails digging hard into my sleeve through the fabric.
00:27:13Serafina, what are you planning?
00:27:15I'm planning to give up.
00:27:17You're lying.
00:27:19You must have hidden another dragon egg somewhere.
00:27:21You think you can raise one in secret
00:27:23and take everything back?
00:27:25I pulled my wrist free,
00:27:27brushing off my sleeve as if I'd touched something dirty.
00:27:30Then take your time looking.
00:27:33Search every tower,
00:27:35every cellar,
00:27:35every corner of the palace.
00:27:37I won't stop you.
00:27:39Her chest and fell with anger.
00:27:41She leaned in,
00:27:42her voice low and vicious.
00:27:45Don't think you can threaten me.
00:27:47Father will stand with me.
00:27:48The nobles will stand with me.
00:27:50As long as I say you stole something from me.
00:27:52They will throw you into the dragon pit.
00:27:55All over again.
00:27:57I know.
00:27:58My calm only stoked her panic.
00:28:01She had expected tears,
00:28:03rage,
00:28:04pleas,
00:28:06anything but this quiet certainty.
00:28:08That's why this time,
00:28:10I'll give you something you won't be able to resist stealing.
00:28:14Something you will beg to take from me.
00:28:16She did not follow again.
00:28:20The bait was already set,
00:28:21and I knew she would bite.
00:28:25The Royal Forbidden's Vault lay beneath the dragon pit.
00:28:30There were no gilded pillars there,
00:28:32no golden flames to symbolize royal power.
00:28:37Only a cold, damp staircase leading down into darkness,
00:28:41the walls scarred with black burn marks.
00:28:44After the war,
00:28:46the royal family had sealed the most dangerous dragon eggs here.
00:28:51Not because they were noble,
00:28:53because no one dared to hatch them.
00:29:02My mother's notes mentioned one egg in particular.
00:29:08A black dragon egg.
00:29:14Black dragons were powerful,
00:29:16savage,
00:29:17and almost impossible to tame.
00:29:24They were not like gold dragons,
00:29:26which symbolized the throne.
00:29:29They were not like red dragons,
00:29:32which burned for war.
00:29:34Black dragons devoured falsehood in a contract.
00:29:37They attacked those who deceived them.
00:29:41Three kings had tried to bind black dragons to their will,
00:29:45over 300 years.
00:29:46All had paid a terrible price.
00:29:49The first lost an entire hand to dragon fire.
00:29:52The second went mad on the day the dragon hatched.
00:29:56The third managed to make the dragon open its eyes.
00:29:59But when he declared himself its master,
00:30:02it bit through his throat.
00:30:09After that,
00:30:10the black dragon egg was locked in the deepest part of the Forbidden's Vault.
00:30:18In my first life,
00:30:20I died without ever knowing it existed.
00:30:23In this life,
00:30:24I opened the door.
00:30:27There was no light behind the iron door.
00:30:31I walked in with a torch and saw a jet black dragon egg resting silently on a stone platform.
00:30:36It was much larger than an ordinary egg.
00:30:40There were no markings on the shell.
00:30:42As I approached,
00:30:43the torch flame shrank and dimmed,
00:30:45as if the darkness itself was eating the light.
00:30:47The thing inside was awake.
00:30:49I know you're dangerous.
00:30:52The black egg did not respond.
00:30:54I also know you won't kneel tamely at anyone's feet.
00:30:59This time,
00:31:00the shell trembled lightly.
00:31:03I unfolded the crumpled copy of the altered contract I'd taken from the archive.
00:31:07On the surface,
00:31:08it said Serafina.
00:31:09The name that truly took effect was Isolda.
00:31:12My father thought he had built a throne for Isolda.
00:31:14He did not realize the same forged contract he'd used to steal my dragon
00:31:17would also tie a ravenous noose tight around her neck.
00:31:19I cut my finger and let my blood fall onto the contract.
00:31:22The name on the page flared.
00:31:24Isolette.
00:31:25On the stone platform,
00:31:26the black egg shook violently,
00:31:27so hard it rattled against the rock.
00:31:29A low,
00:31:30rumbling growl rolled out from within the shell.
00:31:32Deep and guttural,
00:31:33nothing like the soft,
00:31:34high chirp of a newborn gold dragon.
00:31:36Grow well.
00:31:38Soon enough,
00:31:39she will come to steal you.
00:31:41For the next ten days and ten nights,
00:31:42I did not step foot back in the old tower.
00:31:45I stayed in the damp,
00:31:46dark forbidden's vault,
00:31:47curled up beside the black egg through every hour.
00:31:49I gave it warmth.
00:31:50I gave it blood.
00:31:51I gave it silence.
00:31:53It was nothing like the gold dragon I'd raised in my last life.
00:31:56The gold dragon had answered my whispers with tiny,
00:31:58soft taps from inside the shell.
00:32:00Gentle as an unborn child reaching for its mother.
00:32:02The black dragon never sought comfort.
00:32:04It never tapped back,
00:32:06never leaned into my palm.
00:32:07It only grew hotter and heavier with each passing day,
00:32:09the shell burning like forged iron.
00:32:11More than once,
00:32:12I felt as if it was watching me.
00:32:14On the eleventh day,
00:32:15the first crack appeared in the shell.
00:32:16Martha stood at the door,
00:32:17her face paler than the dust.
00:32:18Your Highness,
00:32:20black dragons are untamable.
00:32:22Once it breaks free,
00:32:23people may truly die.
00:32:25Issa Ledd may die.
00:32:26And you still want to go through with this?
00:32:29There's no turning back once the shell breaks.
00:32:32I stared at the glowing crack on the black shell,
00:32:34and the memories of my last life flashed before my eyes.
00:32:37The iron gate of the dragon pit standing shut.
00:32:39Isolde's smug,
00:32:40tear-streaked smile high above.
00:32:42My father's cold, unforgiving eyes.
00:32:44The roar of the crowd screaming thief as I fell.
00:32:46They never gave me a way back.
00:32:48Yes, I continue.
00:32:50If it truly recognizes Iselec as its master,
00:32:53will she die?
00:32:53I did not answer right away.
00:32:55Death would be too easy for her.
00:32:58First,
00:32:59the black dragon will tear away every last one of her lies.
00:33:02It will make every person in this kingdom
00:33:04see exactly what she stole.
00:33:06The dragon,
00:33:07the crown,
00:33:08and my life.
00:33:09On the night before the succession ceremony,
00:33:11Isolde came to the entrance of the Forbidden's Vault herself.
00:33:14She could not enter.
00:33:15She could only look at me through the iron gate.
00:33:18Sister,
00:33:19I knew it.
00:33:21You've been hiding something this whole time.
00:33:23I picked up the black egg and carried it to the iron gate,
00:33:25holding it up so the firelight fell full across its glossy black shell.
00:33:28Her eyes lit up at once,
00:33:30bright with naked greed,
00:33:31all pretense of gentleness vanishing in the dark.
00:33:33A black dragon egg.
00:33:35The most powerful dragon in all of Valdoria.
00:33:39Stronger than any gold dragon.
00:33:41Isolde's throat bobbed hard as she swallowed.
00:33:43She could not look away from the egg.
00:33:45Tomorrow,
00:33:45at the ceremony in the square,
00:33:47you can stand in front of all the nobles and all the people,
00:33:50and tell everyone that this egg belongs to you.
00:33:52As I turned away,
00:33:53I heard her whisper.
00:33:54It will be mine.
00:33:56Everything will be mine.
00:33:58I smiled.
00:33:59Serafina quietly to herself.
00:34:00Of course it will.
00:34:03On the day of the succession ceremony,
00:34:05the palace square was packed from end to end,
00:34:07the crowd buzzing with excitement.
00:34:09Nobles stood on both sides of the high platform.
00:34:12Commoners crowded behind the iron railings.
00:34:14Everyone wanted to see the gold dragon hatch
00:34:16and witness Isolde become the next queen.
00:34:19Isolde stood at the center of the high platform
00:34:20in a snow-white ceremonial gown,
00:34:22a delicate pearl crown perched on her golden hair.
00:34:25The gold dragon egg in her arms was crisscrossed with cracks,
00:34:28warm golden light seeping through every gap.
00:34:31And faint, soft chirps drifted out from within.
00:34:34King Alaric stood proudly at her side,
00:34:36his chest puffed out,
00:34:38every line of his face screaming satisfaction
00:34:40at the air he had chosen.
00:34:41The sight burned into my eyes,
00:34:43sharp with the pain of old memories.
00:34:45In my last life I had stood exactly where she was,
00:34:49holding that same glowing gold egg,
00:34:51believing my diligence had finally been rewarded.
00:34:54I had thought the world was fair,
00:34:55that the dragon would choose the one who raised it.
00:34:58But justice had always been a joke written by the winners.
00:35:01The real rules had been rewritten in secret,
00:35:04long before I ever stepped into that hall.
00:35:06The master of ceremonies lifted his staff,
00:35:08and his booming voice rolled across the square.
00:35:11By the ancient laws of Valdoria,
00:35:15let both princesses present their dragon eggs
00:35:20before the people.
00:35:22Isolde stepped forward first,
00:35:24her skirt trailing elegantly behind her.
00:35:26She set the gold dragon egg gently on the stone altar,
00:35:29and golden light burst forth,
00:35:31drawing a wave of odd murmurs from the nobles.
00:35:34A true gold dragon.
00:35:37I never thought I'd see one in my lifetime.
00:35:39The gold dragon is the very symbol of royal power.
00:35:42This is an omen.
00:35:44Princess Isolette truly is the chosen one.
00:35:48She is Valdoria's future.
00:35:50Beneath the hum of admiration,
00:35:51I stepped out from the shadow of the archway,
00:35:53the black dragon egg held steady in my arms.
00:35:56In an instant, every sound vanished.
00:35:58The black egg did not glow with warm,
00:36:00brilliant light like the gold one.
00:36:02It drank in the light around it.
00:36:04Heavy and oppressive,
00:36:05pressing down on every breath.
00:36:07Wherever it passed,
00:36:08the flames nearby bent low.
00:36:10A commoner in the front row breathed out the question.
00:36:15What, what, what is that thing?
00:36:17An elderly noble in the front row stood up abruptly,
00:36:20his hands shaking on the railing.
00:36:22A black, black dragon egg!
00:36:24That's, that's a black dragon egg!
00:36:27Another noble leaned forward,
00:36:29his face pale with shock.
00:36:31Impossible.
00:36:32Wasn't that seal deep in the forbidden vault generations ago?
00:36:36How did she get it?
00:36:37When Isolde saw the egg,
00:36:39all color drained from her face.
00:36:46Before the crowd could finish whispering,
00:36:48Izavid suddenly stepped forward to the edge of the platform.
00:36:52Sister, why do you keep doing this?
00:36:55I stopped and looked at her.
00:36:56Tears filled her eyes right on Cuse.
00:36:58Was stealing my gold dragon egg not enough?
00:37:02Now you've snuck into the forbidden vault
00:37:04to steal my black dragon egg too?
00:37:07The square exploded into an uproar.
00:37:10Angry shouts and murmurs rolled over me like a wave.
00:37:14I heard the crowd call me greedy,
00:37:16shameless,
00:37:17a thief who would do anything for power.
00:37:20I heard them say I'd never change,
00:37:22that I'd always been jealous of my sister.
00:37:24I heard a woman's sharp voice yell
00:37:26that I was not worthy of being a princess,
00:37:28not worthy of the royal blood in my veins.
00:37:30On the throne,
00:37:32King Alaric rose slowly.
00:37:34Seraphina,
00:37:35hand over the black dragon egg at once.
00:37:38I did not move.
00:37:40On what grounds?
00:37:44His gaze cut through the noise.
00:37:47Isleth has said it belongs to her.
00:37:49I laughed.
00:37:53So that's the law of the palace now?
00:37:56If she says it is hers,
00:37:58then it is hers?
00:38:00Isleth shook her head,
00:38:01tears spilling down her cheeks.
00:38:03Sister, I know you hate me for being loved by father,
00:38:04but you can't steal from me again and again
00:38:05just because you want the throne.
00:38:07The gold dragon chose me,
00:38:07and you refused to accept it.
00:38:08Now you've gone and stolen the black dragon too.
00:38:10What else do you want from me?
00:38:11Do you want my life?
00:38:12In my last life,
00:38:13I had lost everything to those tears.
00:38:15I'd shouted,
00:38:17I'd argued,
00:38:18I'd begged,
00:38:18and I'd still looked like a cruel bully
00:38:21beside her soft weeping figure.
00:38:23But this life,
00:38:25there is no mention of explaining myself.
00:38:29I would not beg.
00:38:32I would not yell.
00:38:33I stepped up onto the platform,
00:38:35walked to the altar,
00:38:37and set the black dragon egg down
00:38:38right beside the blowing gold one.
00:38:40Isleth, are you certain
00:38:41this black dragon egg belongs to you?
00:38:43In front of father,
00:38:44in front of every noble,
00:38:45every citizen standing in the square,
00:38:47are you certain you want to swear
00:38:48before all of them
00:38:48that this is your dragon egg?
00:38:50Isleth's eyes darted to King Alaric,
00:38:52searching for reassurance.
00:38:54Alaric nodded,
00:38:55almost imperceptibly.
00:38:56I saw it.
00:38:57Good.
00:38:58Just like last time,
00:39:00they had chosen greed over truth.
00:39:04Isleth drew a deep breath,
00:39:05lifting her chin and straightening her back,
00:39:06putting on all the dignity
00:39:07of a rightful heir.
00:39:08Yes, it belongs to me.
00:39:09It was sealed away for the royal heir,
00:39:11and I am the heir.
00:39:12I looked at her,
00:39:13and you are equally certain
00:39:14that when it breaks its shell,
00:39:16it will recognize you,
00:39:17and only you,
00:39:19as its master.
00:39:20Unease flickered in her eyes,
00:39:21but the thrill of victory
00:39:23quickly smothered it.
00:39:24Of course it will.
00:39:26Dragons know their true master.
00:39:29I stepped back slowly,
00:39:31putting distance between myself
00:39:32and the altar.
00:39:34Then go ahead.
00:39:37Prove it to everyone.
00:39:39Isleth had not expected me
00:39:40to yield so easily.
00:39:41She stared at me for a long time,
00:39:43as if searching for the trap.
00:39:45Every eye in the square was on her.
00:39:47Every noble,
00:39:47every commoner was waiting
00:39:48to see their future queen
00:39:49command her dragon.
00:39:50She had already declared the egg hers.
00:39:51If she hesitated now,
00:39:52all her lies would crumble,
00:39:52so she squirms flat
00:39:53against the cold black shell.
00:39:54In the name of Valdoria's future queen,
00:39:56I command you to break your shell
00:39:58and recognize your master.
00:39:59For one moment,
00:40:00the black egg was still.
00:40:01Then it cracked.
00:40:02A single razor-sharp black line
00:40:04split the shell clean
00:40:05from top to bottom,
00:40:06glowing with faint smoky light.
00:40:07The nobles closest to the altar
00:40:09stumbled back at once.
00:40:10Their faces white.
00:40:11Your highness, please step back.
00:40:12Black dragons are ferocious.
00:40:13You cannot stand so close at hatching.
00:40:15Isleth forced a proud smile
00:40:16onto her face,
00:40:17but her fingers were trembling
00:40:18so hard against the shell
00:40:19she could barely keep them still.
00:40:20Why should I?
00:40:21It is my dragon.
00:40:21It will not hurt its own master.
00:40:24The moment the second crack
00:40:26is split open,
00:40:27the sky above the square darkened.
00:40:28It was not that clouds
00:40:29had rolled in to cover the sun.
00:40:31It was as if something inside the shell
00:40:32had reached up
00:40:33and swallowed all the light in the air.
00:40:35One torch after another bent low,
00:40:37even the faint cries
00:40:38from the gold dragon egg
00:40:39suddenly stopped.
00:40:40Isolde's hands were still
00:40:41pressed tight to the black shell,
00:40:43but her knuckles had gone white.
00:40:45Her smile froze.
00:40:47This is wrong.
00:40:48This is all wrong.
00:40:49A black dragon's hatching
00:40:51is thunder and fire.
00:40:52It should not be this quiet.
00:40:54This is unnatural.
00:40:55The next second,
00:40:57with a sound like shattering obsidian,
00:40:59the entire shell burst apart.
00:41:01A young black dragon crawled out.
00:41:03It was not large,
00:41:04but the entire square
00:41:05fell into dead silence.
00:41:07Its wet black scales
00:41:08clung to its body,
00:41:09but its eyes were already cold.
00:41:11It did not cry softly
00:41:13like a gold dragon.
00:41:14It did not nuzzle anyone's hand.
00:41:16It only lifted its head
00:41:17and looked at Isolde.
00:41:20Isolde took a step back
00:41:21before she could stop herself.
00:41:25Come here.
00:41:27I am your master.
00:41:29The black dragon tilted its head,
00:41:32then it lowered its snout
00:41:33and sniffed the contact.
00:41:35Paper on the altar,
00:41:36black fire ignited across the page.
00:41:38The name hidden beneath the surface
00:41:40slowly appeared,
00:41:41Isolde.
00:41:46Everyone saw it dot.
00:41:47Sharp breaths rose all around me.
00:41:50Isolde's face turned white.
00:41:52She whipped her head toward our father.
00:41:54Alaric had frozen to me.
00:41:56Must not have expected the black dragon
00:41:58to burn the hidden name into the open.
00:42:05The black dragon took one slow,
00:42:07deliberate step toward Isolde,
00:42:09its claws clicking sharp
00:42:10on the stone altar.
00:42:13At last,
00:42:15panic broke through her composure.
00:42:18No!
00:42:19No, it wasn't me!
00:42:20This is a trick!
00:42:21She backed away,
00:42:22her voice shaking.
00:42:24I didn't hatch you!
00:42:25She did!
00:42:27Seraphina hatched you!
00:42:28She's the one who fed you her blood!
00:42:32But you just stood in front of this entire kingdom
00:42:35and swore it was yours.
00:42:38Isolde screamed,
00:42:39sharp and streal,
00:42:41her composure gone entirely.
00:42:43That isn't what I meant!
00:42:45You tricked me!
00:42:46You lured me into saying it!
00:42:48You said the gold dragon was yours
00:42:50and everyone believed you.
00:42:52No one tricked you then.
00:42:54You said the black dragon was yours
00:42:55and everyone believed that too.
00:42:57You reached for it gladly.
00:42:59You called it your birthright.
00:43:00I stopped just out of the dragon's reach,
00:43:03looking down at her cringing figure.
00:43:05Dear sister,
00:43:07haven't you always loved stealing my dragons?
00:43:10This one is yours now.
00:43:11Keep it.
00:43:12The black dragon lunged without warning,
00:43:15a low snarl rumbling in its chest.
00:43:17The guards beside Isolde drew their swords with a sharp clang,
00:43:21but the dragon swept them aside with one flick of its tail,
00:43:24sending men and steel crashing into the stone steps.
00:43:28It did not kill her at once.
00:43:29It was toying with her,
00:43:31the way a cat toys with a mouse before the kill.
00:43:33It pinned her wrist beneath its claws,
00:43:35and black fire crawled up her skin.
00:43:38Isolde screamed.
00:43:40The golden contract marks on the back of her hand
00:43:43burned away inch by inch.
00:43:44It was not ordinary fire.
00:43:47It did not char her flesh.
00:43:49It burned the stolen contract out of her.
00:43:52Father!
00:43:55Save me!
00:43:56Please!
00:43:58She sobbed and shrieked toward Alaric,
00:44:00her body twisting uselessly beneath the dragon's claw.
00:44:03At last,
00:44:04Alaric could no longer stand still and watch.
00:44:07He stormed down from the throne platform.
00:44:09Stop it!
00:44:11Seraphina!
00:44:12Make it stop this instant!
00:44:15Why should I?
00:44:17Isn't it Issa'la's dragon?
00:44:20Shouldn't her own dragon obey her?
00:44:24His face went studged.
00:44:26The black dragon continued pressing in on Isolde.
00:44:30Black fire had already climbed to her throat.
00:44:38Her carefully arranged hair had fallen loose.
00:44:41Her pearl crown dropped to the ground and shattered beneath her own foot.
00:44:46She no longer looked like a noble princess.
00:44:49She looked like a fraud finally being exposed.
00:44:54Father!
00:44:55Tell them!
00:44:56Say it out loud!
00:44:58Or it will burn me alive!
00:45:01I don't want to die!
00:45:03Every eye in the square turned to the king.
00:45:06Curiosity, doubt, judgment.
00:45:09All of it landed on him at once.
00:45:11I walked toward him.
00:45:14Tell them what, father?
00:45:16Alaric stared at me,
00:45:18hatred and fear warring in his eyes.
00:45:20His hands clenched at his sides.
00:45:23I lowered my voice.
00:45:27Father,
00:45:28don't you love Issa'la most?
00:45:32Saving her is simple.
00:45:35Tell everyone why every dragon I hatched,
00:45:39every drop of Bly gave,
00:45:41all ended up recognizing her as their master.
00:45:46His lips trembled.
00:45:49Serafina,
00:45:50must you destroy the royal family?
00:45:53Must you humiliate us in front of every subject?
00:45:57I smiled.
00:46:00Didn't you already do that?
00:46:03The day you altered the contract?
00:46:06The day you threw your own daughter into the dragon pit?
00:46:11You destroyed the royal family's honor yourself.
00:46:16The black dragon growled again,
00:46:19and Isolde's scream tore through the square.
00:46:22Finally,
00:46:24Alaric closed his eyes.
00:46:27It was me.
00:46:32I changed the name on the contract.
00:46:37Wind swept across the altar,
00:46:40scattering the ashes of the burned contract
00:46:42into the air like black snow.
00:46:51Before any royal dragon egg
00:46:54can be hatched,
00:46:56a magical contract must be signed.
00:47:07When the dragon breaks from its shell,
00:47:09it recognizes the name on the contract
00:47:12as its master.
00:47:16I ordered the royal mages
00:47:18to use double ink
00:47:20on Serafina's contract.
00:47:31On the surface,
00:47:33Serafina's contract
00:47:34bore her own name.
00:47:38But the name that truly took effect
00:47:40was Isolette.
00:47:52Gasps erupted from the crowd.
00:47:56Isolde was crying so hard
00:47:58she could barely breathe,
00:48:00but she still shook her head wildly.
00:48:03No!
00:48:04No, it wasn't me!
00:48:06Father did it!
00:48:08I didn't know anything!
00:48:09I knew nothing!
00:48:16You knew nothing?
00:48:21I crouched down in front of her.
00:48:26Three whole months.
00:48:29Every midnight,
00:48:30you snuck into my incubation chamber
00:48:33and dapped my egg with your blood.
00:48:37You knew nothing then either?
00:48:39Her eyes went wide.
00:48:41She had never told anyone
00:48:42about those midnight visits.
00:48:45Before the hatching ceremony,
00:48:48you brushed dragon-repellent sap
00:48:50on my fingertips,
00:48:51so the gold dragon bite me.
00:48:55You knew nothing about that either?
00:48:58Of course,
00:48:59no one else in this life
00:49:00understood those words.
00:49:02But Isolette did.
00:49:04The fear on her face deepened,
00:49:06turning to something close to terror.
00:49:12You knew every time.
00:49:16Every time.
00:49:18You planned every step.
00:49:22You just thought you'd never get caught.
00:49:25You also knew that if you cried,
00:49:29Father would always stand on your side.
00:49:34Isolde tried to answer,
00:49:35but the black dragon's claws
00:49:37pressed into her shoulder,
00:49:39and she could not form
00:49:40a single complete sentence.
00:49:43I stood and turned to the nobles.
00:49:47Do you still think I am a thief?
00:49:50No one answered.
00:49:51Those who had been so eager to insult me
00:49:53lowered their heads one by one.
00:49:55The hidden name has been burned
00:49:57into the open.
00:49:59The king has confessed
00:50:01with his own mouth.
00:50:03The gold dragon,
00:50:05the black dragon,
00:50:06and every dragon Isolette
00:50:07ever claimed as hers
00:50:09were hatched by me.
00:50:11Some stepped back.
00:50:12Others dropped their eyes,
00:50:14unable to meet my gaze.
00:50:15At last,
00:50:16they understood that the princess
00:50:18they had worshipped
00:50:18was not chosen by dragons.
00:50:20She was a fraud propped up
00:50:21by her father's cheating,
00:50:22and they had all been
00:50:23her willing audience.
00:50:25An elderly noble fell to his knees,
00:50:27his whole body trembling.
00:50:30Princess Serafina,
00:50:31we were deceived.
00:50:35We did not know the truth.
00:50:38Forgive us.
00:50:39I looked at him.
00:50:42No.
00:50:44You were not deceived.
00:50:47You chose the more convenient lie.
00:50:49Because that lie did not require
00:50:51them to oppose the king.
00:50:52Because that lie let them
00:50:54stomp a disgraced princess
00:50:55into the mud.
00:50:56Because Isolta cried beautifully,
00:50:58and I refused to lower my head.
00:50:59They were not blind.
00:51:01They had simply decided
00:51:02the truth did not matter.
00:51:04Alaric suddenly spoke.
00:51:06Serafina, this was my crime.
00:51:08Punish me if you must.
00:51:10Isolta is innocent.
00:51:12I turned to him.
00:51:13Even now,
00:51:13he was still protecting her.
00:51:17Innocent?
00:51:18She just claimed the black dragon egg
00:51:19in front of the entire kingdom.
00:51:21Did you force her to do that too?
00:51:22Alaric had no answer.
00:51:24Isolta finally broke.
00:51:26I was wrong, sister.
00:51:28I was wrong, I swear.
00:51:30She tried to crawl toward my skirt,
00:51:32but the black dragon pinned her to the ground.
00:51:36I was just scared.
00:51:38I was afraid that once you inherited the throne,
00:51:40we would have nothing.
00:51:42I only wanted a better life.
00:51:45You wanted a better life,
00:51:46so I deserved to die.
00:51:49You stole my dragons.
00:51:51You stole my throne.
00:51:52You stole my reputation.
00:51:54You let everyone call me a thief.
00:51:57You let father throw me into the dragon pit.
00:52:02She stared at me in horror,
00:52:04as if looking at someone
00:52:05who should not remember those things.
00:52:07I did not explain.
00:52:08I lifted my hand.
00:52:10The black dragon raised its head to look at me,
00:52:12its cold eyes softening for the first time.
00:52:16Enough.
00:52:16The black dragon released Isolta.
00:52:18She collapsed on the ground,
00:52:20trembling all over.
00:52:21The golden markings on her hand were gone.
00:52:24Only scorched black traces remained.
00:52:26She had lost every claim
00:52:27the stolen contracts had given her.
00:52:29From that moment on,
00:52:30no dragon in Valdoria
00:52:31would ever recognize her as its master again.
00:52:35It rained softly on the day my father was deposed.
00:52:38After the hidden contract was exposed,
00:52:40the council had no choice
00:52:42but to strip Alaric of the crown
00:52:43before the entire court.
00:52:44I did not kill him.
00:52:46Death would have been to light.
00:52:48I had his crown removed
00:52:49and replaced with a crude iron circlet.
00:52:51It had no jewels.
00:52:52No gold designs.
00:52:54Only cold weight.
00:52:55When the guards lifted the old crown away,
00:52:57Alaric reached for it by instinct.
00:53:00Former King Alaric,
00:53:01lower your hand.
00:53:03The title struck harder than a slap.
00:53:05For the first time in his life,
00:53:07no one called him your majesty.
00:53:08He was imprisoned in the deepest dungeon
00:53:10beneath the throne room.
00:53:12There was a narrow window there,
00:53:14facing the great hall.
00:53:16He could not see the throne,
00:53:17but he could hear every word spoken above him.
00:53:20From then on,
00:53:21whenever the nobles swore loyalty to me,
00:53:22he heard it.
00:53:27Whenever the people shouted
00:53:28long live the queen,
00:53:29that sound would drift down
00:53:31through the stone and into his cell.
00:53:33The daughter he had despised,
00:53:34the one he'd thrown away like trash,
00:53:36sat on his throne.
00:53:38The daughter he'd loved most,
00:53:39the one he'd given everything to,
00:53:41had lost everything
00:53:42and been cast out of the palace in disgrace.
00:53:45That was the punishment I chose for him.
00:53:48Seraphina,
00:53:49you cannot do this.
00:53:52I am still your father.
00:53:54You cannot lock your own father in a dungeon!
00:53:57I stood outside the iron bars,
00:53:59looking at the iron circlet
00:54:00pressing into his graying hair.
00:54:02You only remembered you were my father.
00:54:06After you lost your crown.
00:54:09The kingdom needs me.
00:54:11You're your young.
00:54:12You don't know how to rule.
00:54:14You'll tear it apart.
00:54:16No.
00:54:18And it will thrive without you.
00:54:20The guards closed the iron door.
00:54:23The sound echoed under the throne room.
00:54:26Alaric stood behind the bars,
00:54:27staring upward as the first voice
00:54:29from the great hall rang down.
00:54:31Long live Queen Seraphina!
00:54:36Then another,
00:54:37then a hundred,
00:54:38then a thousand,
00:54:39until the whole palace rang with it.
00:54:41His face twisted with rage
00:54:43and grief and humiliation.
00:54:44He couldn't cover his ears.
00:54:46From that day on,
00:54:47he would have to listen to it
00:54:48every single day
00:54:49until the day he died.
00:54:52As for Isolde,
00:54:54I did not let her die either.
00:54:56After the black dragon
00:54:57burned away the stolen contract,
00:54:59she was too weak
00:54:59to stand on her own.
00:55:01Half her hair
00:55:02had been scorched by black fire.
00:55:03The contract mark on her hand
00:55:04would never return.
00:55:06Nobles no longer
00:55:06called her princess.
00:55:08Maids no longer
00:55:08lowered their eyes
00:55:09when she passed.
00:55:10I stripped her of her title
00:55:11and sent her to the lowest level
00:55:12of the dragon pit.
00:55:13It was no longer
00:55:14a place of quick execution.
00:55:15Now it housed the lesser drakes
00:55:17kept by the royal family.
00:55:18Filthy,
00:55:19sharp-toothed things
00:55:19that ate scraps
00:55:20and charred bone.
00:55:22Every day,
00:55:23she had to muck out their pens,
00:55:24carry baskets of charred bones,
00:55:26and scrub rust
00:55:27and filth off the iron bars
00:55:28until her hands bled.
00:55:29Chains circled her wrists.
00:55:31Shackles clamped her ankles.
00:55:33Isolde would slam her fists
00:55:34against the bars,
00:55:35her voice hoarse
00:55:35from screaming.
00:55:38Isolde.
00:55:39Take these chains off me!
00:55:42I am Princess Isoleth!
00:55:46You cannot do this to me!
00:55:49Guard.
00:55:51There is no Princess Isoleth
00:55:53in Valdoria anymore.
00:55:54There is only a prisoner
00:55:56doing hard labor.
00:55:58Noble girls who had once
00:55:59clung to her skirts,
00:56:00flattering her every word,
00:56:01would come to the pit edge
00:56:02on fine days
00:56:03and look down at her
00:56:04through the bars.
00:56:05Noble girl one.
00:56:10Is that the former
00:56:11Princess Isoleth?
00:56:13The one who used to call us
00:56:15common and unworthy?
00:56:17Noble girl two.
00:56:19She looks like
00:56:19any other servant now.
00:56:21Hard to believe
00:56:22she almost wore the crown.
00:56:23Noble girl three.
00:56:24I heard she never hatched
00:56:26a single dragon egg herself.
00:56:28Every bit of it
00:56:29was stolen from the queen.
00:56:31Whenever she heard
00:56:32those words,
00:56:33she would throw herself
00:56:34at the bars
00:56:34like a wild animal,
00:56:35spitting and screaming.
00:56:37Isolda.
00:56:39Liar!
00:56:39All of you are liars!
00:56:41I was chosen
00:56:43by the dragons!
00:56:44I was the rightful
00:56:45future queen!
00:56:47But no one was afraid
00:56:47of her now.
00:56:48She had lost
00:56:49my father's protection.
00:56:50She had lost
00:56:51her title.
00:56:52She had lost
00:56:53everyone's trust.
00:56:54The cruelest part of all
00:56:55was the black dragon.
00:56:56Sometimes it would circle
00:56:57high above the pit
00:56:58whenever its shadow
00:56:59fell over her.
00:57:00Isolda would scramble
00:57:01into the darkest corner,
00:57:02curling into a ball
00:57:03and covering her head.
00:57:04Because she knew
00:57:05that she had once
00:57:05claimed that dragon
00:57:06as her own.
00:57:07She had stolen
00:57:07every dragon.
00:57:08I raised the last one
00:57:09became the nightmare
00:57:10she would live with
00:57:11for the rest of her life.
00:57:13On the night
00:57:13before my coronation,
00:57:15Martha carried the gold egg
00:57:16from the old tower to me.
00:57:17She told me that
00:57:18when Isolda's gold egg
00:57:19began to crack,
00:57:20mine had gone dim.
00:57:21As if every bit of life
00:57:22had been drained from it,
00:57:23but it had not died.
00:57:24After the black dragon
00:57:25burned away the false contract,
00:57:27it warmed again.
00:57:28Little by little,
00:57:29the power that had been
00:57:30diverted returned to it.
00:57:31The gold veins on the shell
00:57:32glowed once more,
00:57:33like a late sunrise.
00:57:34Martha.
00:57:35Your majesty.
00:57:37It waited for you.
00:57:38I touched the shell
00:57:39with my fingertips.
00:57:41Seraphina.
00:57:43I made it wait too long.
00:57:45On the day I was crowned,
00:57:46the blood had already
00:57:47been washed
00:57:47from the square by rain.
00:57:48The gold dragon
00:57:49from my old tower
00:57:50finally hatched.
00:57:51It was small.
00:57:51Its scales bright.
00:57:53Its eyes clear.
00:57:54Now that the contract
00:57:55had been corrected,
00:57:56it walked to me at last
00:57:57and rested its head
00:57:57gently against my palm.
00:57:59The entire square knelt.
00:58:01Crowd.
00:58:05Long live the queen!
00:58:07I looked down
00:58:08at the warm gold dragon
00:58:09in my hand,
00:58:10then lifted my gaze
00:58:11toward the highest tower.
00:58:12The black dragon
00:58:13perched there,
00:58:13silent.
00:58:16One symbolized the throne,
00:58:18the glory,
00:58:18the hope of the kingdom.
00:58:19One symbolized the price.
00:58:21The truth,
00:58:22the cost of every lie.
00:58:23Baldoria would no longer
00:58:24be ruled by lies.
00:58:25That same day,
00:58:26I abolished every clause
00:58:27in the old contracts
00:58:28that allowed a king
00:58:29to alter them in secret.
00:58:30From then on,
00:58:31every dragon egg contract
00:58:32had to be signed
00:58:33in the presence of the council.
00:58:34Noble witnesses
00:58:35and representatives
00:58:36of the people,
00:58:37no one would ever again
00:58:38use double ink
00:58:38to steal a name.
00:58:39I also opened the royal vaults
00:58:41and ordered every sleeping dragon egg
00:58:42to be registered again.
00:58:44Dragons would no longer be tools
00:58:45for a father to favor
00:58:46one daughter over another.
00:58:47They belong to the ones
00:58:48who truly awakened them.
00:58:51The first public dragon egg registration
00:58:53under the new law
00:58:54was held in the same square
00:58:55where Isolde had once lied.
00:58:57This time,
00:58:57there was no hidden ink.
00:58:58The contract table
00:58:59stood in the open.
00:59:00Three counselors
00:59:01to noble witnesses
00:59:02and five representatives
00:59:03of the people
00:59:03watched every name written down.
00:59:05A baker's son
00:59:06stepped forward
00:59:06with shaking hands.
00:59:08Your majesty,
00:59:09may someone like me
00:59:10really try?
00:59:11I looked at the small
00:59:12copper colored egg
00:59:13resting before him.
00:59:14An egg once deemed
00:59:15unworthy of royal blood
00:59:16left to gather dust
00:59:17in the vaults.
00:59:18If you are willing
00:59:19to give it your blood,
00:59:21your warmth,
00:59:22and your patience,
00:59:23then you may try.
00:59:25Dragons do not care
00:59:26about birth.
00:59:28They care about
00:59:29who wakes them.
00:59:31The boy lifted his head,
00:59:32his eyes bright.
00:59:33He took a small knife,
00:59:34cut his fingertip,
00:59:35and signed his name
00:59:35clearly on the contract.
00:59:37The crowd murmured,
00:59:37not in fear this time,
00:59:39but wonder.
00:59:39At that moment,
00:59:40a pair of guards
00:59:41led Isolde through
00:59:41the edge of the square
00:59:42on their way
00:59:43to deliver ash
00:59:44from the dragon pens.
00:59:45She was bent under
00:59:46the weight
00:59:46of a heavy basket,
00:59:47chains clinking
00:59:48with every step.
00:59:49She stopped
00:59:49when she saw the boy
00:59:50at the contract table.
00:59:51A baker's child?
00:59:53You let a baker's child
00:59:55touch a dragon egg?
00:59:57People turned
00:59:57to look at her.
00:59:58People turned
00:59:59to look at her.
00:59:59A laugh broke out first,
01:00:01then another,
01:00:01then more.
01:00:02Better a baker's child
01:00:03with his own name
01:00:04on the contract
01:00:04than a princess
01:00:06who stole every name
01:00:07she ever had.
01:00:08Isolde lunged
01:00:09toward the table,
01:00:10chains dragging
01:00:10across the stones.
01:00:11Dragons belong
01:00:12to royal blood!
01:00:14The copper egg trembled,
01:00:15a tiny crack
01:00:16appeared in the shell.
01:00:17The boy gasped,
01:00:18his hand flying
01:00:18to his mouth.
01:00:19It moved!
01:00:20The gold dragon
01:00:21beside me
01:00:22lowered its head,
01:00:23calm and watchful.
01:00:24The black dragon's shadow
01:00:25slid across the square
01:00:26from the high tower.
01:00:27Isolde froze
01:00:28under that shadow.
01:00:29I stepped between
01:00:29her and the table.
01:00:31The guard pulled
01:00:31Isolde back
01:00:32toward the pit.
01:00:33No!
01:00:34Dragons belong
01:00:35to the ones
01:00:35who truly awaken them.
01:00:37She screamed
01:00:38and struggled
01:00:38until her voice cracked,
01:00:39but no one
01:00:40looked at her anymore.
01:00:41Behind her,
01:00:42the small copper dragon
01:00:43pushed its way
01:00:44out of the shell
01:00:45and crawled unsteadily
01:00:46toward the baker's son,
01:00:47nuzzling his hand.
01:00:48The crowd burst into cheers
01:00:49for a child Isolde
01:00:50would once have stepped over
01:00:52without a glance.
01:00:53That sound hurt
01:00:53her more than chains.
01:00:55The first winter
01:00:56of my reign
01:00:57was harsh.
01:00:57Not all the nobles
01:00:58King Alaric
01:00:59had left behind
01:01:00accepted me.
01:01:01Some swore loyalty
01:01:01to my face
01:01:02while secretly trying
01:01:03to support distant relatives
01:01:04for the throne.
01:01:05I did not rush
01:01:05to kill them,
01:01:06I let them expose themselves.
01:01:08One duke tried
01:01:08to bribe a witness
01:01:09during a public
01:01:10dragon egg registration,
01:01:11to have his son's name
01:01:12secretly added,
01:01:13and the witness's testimony
01:01:14read aloud in the square.
01:01:16Then I stripped him
01:01:16of all his lands
01:01:17in front of his own family
01:01:18and his own people.
01:01:19Your majesty,
01:01:20this is only
01:01:21a misdisunderstanding.
01:01:22A servant acted
01:01:23without my knowledge.
01:01:24Then let this misunderstanding
01:01:25be clear to everyone.
01:01:27From today on,
01:01:27your lands return
01:01:28to the crown,
01:01:29and your house
01:01:29will never again
01:01:30hold a dragon contract.
01:01:31One bishop declared
01:01:32from his pulpit
01:01:33that a woman
01:01:33could not rule Valdoria,
01:01:34that my reign
01:01:35was against the old gods.
01:01:36The ledgers of bribes
01:01:37he had taken
01:01:38were nailed to the doors
01:01:39of his own cathedral.
01:01:40This is an insult
01:01:41to the temple!
01:01:42No.
01:01:43Taking gold
01:01:44from villages
01:01:45where children
01:01:45froze to death
01:01:46was the insult.
01:01:47Then there were those
01:01:48who tried to smuggle
01:01:49Isolde out of the dragon pit,
01:01:51thinking they could
01:01:51raise a banner
01:01:52in her name.
01:01:53I did not execute them.
01:01:54I sentenced them
01:01:54to serve three months
01:01:55in the dragon pit themselves,
01:01:57doing the same work she did.
01:01:58When the three months ended,
01:02:00the man who planned
01:02:01the escape knelt before me,
01:02:02thin and shaking.
01:02:03Your majesty,
01:02:04I beg forgiveness.
01:02:06One week in that pit
01:02:07is worse than a year in exile.
01:02:09I will never do anything
01:02:10so foolish again.
01:02:12Then remember
01:02:13where you tried
01:02:14to send your loyalty.
01:02:15I was not merciful,
01:02:16but I'd not destroy
01:02:17the laws of my own kingdom
01:02:18for selfish love
01:02:19the way my father had.
01:02:20A year later,
01:02:22Valdoria was stable again.
01:02:23The gold dragon
01:02:24had grown enough
01:02:24to carry me over the capital.
01:02:26When the people
01:02:26looked up and saw it,
01:02:27they took off their hats
01:02:28and bowed.
01:02:29Children chased its shadow
01:02:30through the streets,
01:02:31shouting my name.
01:02:32Queen Seraphina!
01:02:33The gold dragon is coming!
01:02:35For the first time,
01:02:36their voices did not
01:02:37sound like judgment.
01:02:38They sounded like a kingdom
01:02:39learning a new truth.
01:02:43Sometimes,
01:02:43I visited Alarep
01:02:45in the dungeon.
01:02:47He aged quickly
01:02:48in that dark cell.
01:02:50The iron crown
01:02:51bent his neck.
01:02:53The king,
01:02:54who once sat above everyone,
01:02:56now had only
01:02:57a damp stone bed
01:02:58and the sound
01:02:59of cheering from above.
01:03:02Seraphina.
01:03:03He called once
01:03:05through the bars.
01:03:06Can you truly
01:03:07never forgive me?
01:03:09I am your father.
01:03:10I looked at him.
01:03:12There was regret
01:03:13in his eyes, yes.
01:03:14But there was resentment, too,
01:03:16and pride,
01:03:17and the bitter taste
01:03:18of having lost.
01:03:19I knew then
01:03:20that he did not
01:03:21regret hurting me.
01:03:22He regretted losing.
01:03:25No.
01:03:26His hands tightened
01:03:28on the bars.
01:03:29His voice shook.
01:03:30I am your father.
01:03:32I gave you life.
01:03:34You had many chances
01:03:35to remember that.
01:03:37Before the contract
01:03:38was altered.
01:03:40Before I was thrown
01:03:42to the drakes.
01:03:43Before you chose her
01:03:45over and over
01:03:47and over again.
01:03:49I turned and left.
01:03:53Behind me,
01:03:54I heard him crying quietly.
01:03:56I did not look back.
01:03:58Later,
01:03:58Martha asked me
01:03:59whether I ever felt lonely.
01:04:00Your Majesty.
01:04:02Do you ever wish
01:04:03there was someone
01:04:04who could stand beside you
01:04:05without bowing,
01:04:06without calling you Majesty?
01:04:08Just someone who knew you
01:04:09before the throne?
01:04:10I thought about it
01:04:11for a long time
01:04:12staring out the window
01:04:13at the Black Dragon's Tower.
01:04:15After taking the throne,
01:04:17I was surrounded
01:04:18by ministers,
01:04:19guards,
01:04:19and people
01:04:20who bowed to me.
01:04:21But there were
01:04:22very few people
01:04:23I could truly
01:04:24lower my guard around.
01:04:25Still,
01:04:26that loneliness
01:04:27was far better
01:04:29than kneeling
01:04:30at someone else's feet
01:04:31and begging for fairness.
01:04:33I'd rather stand alone
01:04:34on the throne
01:04:35than return to the girl
01:04:36who needed someone else's
01:04:37approval to exist.
01:04:38Martha lowered her head,
01:04:40her eyes red.
01:04:41Your Majesty,
01:04:43the Queen
01:04:44would have been proud.
01:04:50Over the years,
01:04:52dragons slowly returned
01:04:54to Valdoria.
01:04:55Not every egg hatched.
01:04:58Not everyone
01:04:58who tried succeeded.
01:05:01But at least,
01:05:02the new laws
01:05:03gave everyone
01:05:04a real chance.
01:05:05Isolet remained alive,
01:05:06deep in the dragon pit.
01:05:08She was no longer
01:05:09beautiful,
01:05:10no longer proud.
01:05:12Years of labor
01:05:13in the dragon pit
01:05:14roughened her hands
01:05:15and bent her back.
01:05:16Sometimes the new servants
01:05:18didn't recognize her
01:05:19and even asked
01:05:20whether she had once
01:05:21been a servant herself.
01:05:22She would fly into a rage
01:05:23and scream
01:05:24that she had been
01:05:24a princess.
01:05:25I am a princess!
01:05:28I was Valdoria's
01:05:29future queen!
01:05:29You dare speak
01:05:31to me like that?!
01:05:32Then everyone
01:05:34would laugh.
01:05:34A princess?
01:05:36In the dragon pit?
01:05:41What princess
01:05:42cleans dragon filth
01:05:43down here?
01:05:45What she could not bear
01:05:47was not the hard work.
01:05:49It was that no one
01:05:51believed in her
01:05:52nobility anymore.
01:05:52The identity
01:05:54she had valued most
01:05:55had become
01:05:55the biggest joke
01:05:56of all.
01:05:57As for the black dragon,
01:05:59it never belonged
01:06:00to anyone.
01:06:01It still lived
01:06:03on the highest
01:06:03black tower
01:06:04of the palace.
01:06:05Sometimes it landed
01:06:07outside my window
01:06:08and watched me
01:06:08with those cold eyes.
01:06:10I knew it was
01:06:10not obedience.
01:06:11It was not affection
01:06:13either.
01:06:16It simply remembered
01:06:18that I had let it hatch.
01:06:19that was enough.
01:06:24Years after my coronation,
01:06:25one of Isolde's
01:06:26former flatterers
01:06:27came to the dragon pit
01:06:28at midnight.
01:06:29The woman had once
01:06:29knelt beside Isolde's
01:06:30skirts, praising her beauty,
01:06:32her purity, and her
01:06:33so-called destiny.
01:06:34Now she wore a dark cloak
01:06:35and carried a hidden key
01:06:36stolen from a drunk guard.
01:06:38Old noblewoman,
01:06:45Isolde lifted her head
01:06:46from beside the filthy
01:06:46stone trough
01:06:47for one impossible second.
01:06:49Light returned to her eyes.
01:06:51Isolde.
01:06:51I knew it.
01:06:54I knew someone
01:06:55still remembered
01:06:56who I am.
01:06:57Old noblewoman.
01:07:01There are still people
01:07:02who hate the new queen.
01:07:03If we get you
01:07:04outside the city,
01:07:05they can use your name.
01:07:07Isolde grabbed the bars
01:07:07with both hands.
01:07:09Isolde.
01:07:14Lose my name.
01:07:16No.
01:07:17They will kneel to me.
01:07:20I am the true princess!
01:07:22A lesser drake
01:07:22raised its head and cried.
01:07:24The guards appeared
01:07:24from both ends of the passage,
01:07:26swords drawn.
01:07:27Guard.
01:07:28Step away from the prisoner.
01:07:30The noblewoman
01:07:30dropped the key.
01:07:31It rang against the stone floor.
01:07:33I walked down the stairs
01:07:34behind the guards,
01:07:35my cloak untouched
01:07:35by the rain.
01:07:37Isolde's face changed
01:07:38from joy to horror.
01:07:39Serafina.
01:07:40Still trying to steal
01:07:42something that isn't yours?
01:07:43Isolde.
01:07:43You set this up!
01:07:46You knew she would come!
01:07:48No.
01:07:49I let greed walk
01:07:51where it wanted.
01:07:51The old noblewoman
01:07:52collapsed to her knees.
01:07:54Old noblewoman.
01:07:55Your majesty,
01:07:57mercy!
01:07:58I only thought
01:07:59the old bloodline...
01:08:00Serafina.
01:08:01The old bloodline
01:08:03nearly destroyed
01:08:04Valdonia
01:08:05with forged contracts
01:08:07and stolen dragons.
01:08:09I ordered the woman
01:08:10stripped of her
01:08:11remaining title
01:08:11and assigned to the
01:08:12dragon pit for one year.
01:08:13Then I looked at Isolde.
01:08:15Serafina.
01:08:16For encouraging escape,
01:08:18your chains will be moved
01:08:19to the lower pens.
01:08:21Isolde.
01:08:23No!
01:08:25Not there!
01:08:26The lower pens
01:08:27housed the smallest drakes,
01:08:28but they were the cruelest.
01:08:29They snapped at ankles,
01:08:31spat sparks,
01:08:31and never slept quietly.
01:08:33As the guards
01:08:33dragged her down the steps,
01:08:35Isolde finally screamed
01:08:36without pretending to cry.
01:08:38Serafina!
01:08:39I am your sister!
01:08:40I did not answer.
01:08:42It's too late
01:08:42to awaken to family ties now.
01:08:45The next morning,
01:08:47Alaric heard the news
01:08:48before I went to him.
01:08:49The dungeon carried
01:08:51sound strangely.
01:08:53Cheers from the throne room
01:08:54drifted down.
01:08:56So did screams
01:08:57from the passages
01:08:58leading to the dragon pit.
01:09:00Alaric gripped
01:09:01the bars.
01:09:05That voice
01:09:08is a let.
01:09:10The guard did not answer.
01:09:14When I entered,
01:09:15Alaric's eyes
01:09:16were bloodshot.
01:09:19What have you done to her?
01:09:21What she earned.
01:09:23She is weak.
01:09:25She was never meant
01:09:26for filth and chains.
01:09:28I looked at the man
01:09:29who had once thrown me
01:09:30into the dragon pit
01:09:31without blinking.
01:09:35Neither was I.
01:09:39For once,
01:09:40he had no answer.
01:09:42I ordered the guards
01:09:44to open the small passage window
01:09:45that faced the lower pens
01:09:47through the iron grate.
01:09:49Alaric saw Isolde in the mud,
01:09:51wrists chained above her head
01:09:53while a young drake
01:09:54snapped sparks near her feet.
01:09:56Her white dresses
01:09:57were long gone.
01:09:58Her hands were cracked.
01:10:01Her hair was uneven.
01:10:11Alaric staggered back
01:10:12as if the sight
01:10:13had struck him.
01:10:15Seraphina,
01:10:15Seraphina, please.
01:10:16Whatever I did,
01:10:18she should not suffer for it.
01:10:20You still don't understand.
01:10:22I stepped closer to the bars.
01:10:26She did not suffer for your crime.
01:10:29She suffers for her own.
01:10:33She was young.
01:10:36She was old enough
01:10:37to hold my dragon
01:10:38and call me a thief.
01:10:40The words landed
01:10:41between us like a blade.
01:10:42Above us,
01:10:43the morning council began.
01:10:45Long live Queen Seraphina!
01:10:48The sound poured
01:10:49into the dungeon.
01:10:50It also poured
01:10:51into the passage
01:10:52where Isolde was screaming.
01:10:54For the first time,
01:10:56father and daughter
01:10:57heard the same truth
01:10:58from opposite cages.
01:11:01They had lost
01:11:02the kingdom they stole.
01:11:07Many years later,
01:11:08a historian asked
01:11:09whether I regretted
01:11:10hatching the black dragon.
01:11:13Your majesty,
01:11:13the black dragon
01:11:14changed the fate
01:11:15of Valdoria.
01:11:16Did you never fear
01:11:18that it would destroy
01:11:19more than lies?
01:11:20No.
01:11:21Without the black dragon.
01:11:24I might still be
01:11:25explaining my innocence
01:11:26to people who had
01:11:27never wanted to hear
01:11:28the truth.
01:11:29Now they did not
01:11:30need to believe me.
01:11:34They only needed
01:11:35to remember that day.
01:11:36Remember that Isolde
01:11:37had claimed the black
01:11:38dragon egg as hers
01:11:39with her own mouth.
01:11:41Remember that Alaric
01:11:42had confessed
01:11:43with his own mouth
01:11:44that he had changed
01:11:45the contract.
01:11:47Remember how the princess
01:11:48they called a thief
01:11:49and a failure
01:11:51shattered the lie
01:11:52beneath her feet
01:11:52and took the throne.
01:11:59I was not born a queen.
01:12:00I was made one
01:12:01by betrayal,
01:12:02death,
01:12:03and rebirth.
01:12:04So what?
01:12:05Valdoria did not need
01:12:06a girl spoiled
01:12:07by her father's love.
01:12:08It needed someone
01:12:09who could see a lie
01:12:10clearly and dare
01:12:11to burn it down
01:12:11with her own hands.
01:12:14And I,
01:12:15Seraphina,
01:12:16did exactly that.
01:12:19Martha stood
01:12:20by the window,
01:12:21watching the gold
01:12:22dragon circle
01:12:23over the capital.
01:12:24Your majesty,
01:12:26the people
01:12:26are gathering again.
01:12:28I looked down
01:12:29from the tower.
01:12:30Children were running
01:12:31through the streets
01:12:31beneath the dragon's shadow.
01:12:33Merchants paused
01:12:34their stalls.
01:12:35Soldiers lowered
01:12:36their spears
01:12:37in salute.
01:12:38No one shouted thief,
01:12:40no one shouted failure.
01:12:41They shouted queen.
01:12:43Far below the palace,
01:12:45Alaric could still hear
01:12:46them from his dungeon.
01:12:48Deeper still,
01:12:49Isolde could hear them
01:12:50from the dragon pit.
01:12:52That was the final justice.
01:12:55They would live
01:12:56long enough to hear.
01:12:59The name they tried
01:13:00to erase become
01:13:01the name the kingdom
01:13:02trusted most.
01:13:04The black dragon
01:13:05opened its wings
01:13:06on the highest tower.
01:13:09The gold dragon
01:13:11lowered its head
01:13:11beside me.
01:13:13I placed my hand
01:13:14on the window ledge
01:13:15and looked over Valdoria.
01:13:16Let the record
01:13:17show this clearly.
01:13:19A stolen crown
01:13:20can be returned.
01:13:21A stolen name
01:13:22can be burned clean.
01:13:24But a queen
01:13:25who has died once
01:13:26will never kneel again.
01:13:28See you then?
01:13:29A stolen name for you.
01:13:29l is a
01:13:29l is a
01:13:29Better
01:13:30L is a
01:13:30l is a
01:13:31l is a
01:13:31l is a
01:13:32l u
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