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