- 16 minutes ago
One Passionate Night, I Gave Birth to Two Dragons
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00:00I gave birth to dragons.
00:02Then a week later, a royal carriage pulled up to my cottage.
00:06Silver armoured guards at my door.
00:07Told me they were his heirs.
00:09Ten months ago, I dragged a half-dead stranger out of a ditch.
00:13I nursed him.
00:14I married him.
00:15I got pregnant.
00:16Then he disappeared without a word.
00:18Look, everyone says don't take in strangers.
00:20But you didn't see this man.
00:22Jawline like a statue.
00:23Abs you could grate cheese on.
00:25So, I took him home.
00:27His name was Tristan.
00:29Covered in blood.
00:30Total amnesia.
00:31I patched him up.
00:31Fed him soup.
00:32Changed his bandages.
00:33Three months later, we were falling hard.
00:36One white dress.
00:37Two silver candles.
00:38My mum crying in the corner.
00:40That was our wedding.
00:41Then I got pregnant.
00:42And the second I hit three months,
00:47his memory came back.
00:48No goodbye.
00:49Just a note on my pillow.
00:50Important business.
00:52I'll come back for you.
00:53Yeah, right.
00:54I knew what that note really meant.
00:57He'd remembered who he was.
00:58And whoever he was,
00:59a broke country girl with a baby bump,
01:01didn't fit the picture anymore.
01:02He wasn't coming back.
01:04He was running.
01:05Everyone warned me labor would be hell.
01:08Nine months of dread for nothing.
01:10When the day came,
01:12two pushes, done.
01:13No screaming, baby.
01:14No crying.
01:15Just my mom.
01:16Screaming like she'd seen the devil.
01:18Something cold slid down my leg.
01:20Something slimsy.
01:21I sat up.
01:22And there they were.
01:23Two baby dragons,
01:24curled on my blooded sheets.
01:26Tiny wings folded against their backs,
01:28looking right at me.
01:29Blinking.
01:30Seven days later,
01:31I was still in shock.
01:32Then I heard hooves.
01:33Dozens of them.
01:34A royal carriage pulled up to my cottage.
01:37Silver armored guards at my door.
01:38A letter,
01:39sealed in gold wax.
01:41Handwriting I'd recognize anywhere.
01:43From Tristan.
01:44The captain knelt.
01:45By order.
01:46Of his majesty,
01:47the king requests his queen.
01:49And your child,
01:50by royal decree,
01:51is to be named heir to the throne.
01:53The king.
01:54The bleeding stranger,
01:55I pulled out of a ditch.
01:57The man who left,
01:58note on my pillow and ran.
01:59He was the king.
02:00I looked down at the royal decree in my hand.
02:02Then over at the two dragon cubs
02:04napping on my pillow.
02:05One of them yawned.
02:06Showed me his tiny fangs.
02:09Hey, you two.
02:10Think you're ready to rule a kingdom?
02:13These two dragons?
02:14Absolutely beautiful.
02:16Bright colored scales.
02:17Silky as silk.
02:18Tiny perfect fangs.
02:20Just like if dragons also had a beauty pageant,
02:22my dragon would sure win the championship.
02:24But that's the problem.
02:25They're not human.
02:26I turned to my mom,
02:27my whole body going stiff.
02:29Mom, be honest with me.
02:30Do we have shifter blood in the family?
02:32Werewolf ancestors?
02:33Some kind of cursed great grandma?
02:35She looked like she'd just been slapped.
02:37What is wrong with you, Willa?
02:39Our family has been honest farmers for generations.
02:41There's no monsters in our blood.
02:44Those stories are just old whiv's tales.
02:46I pointed at the bed.
02:47Then how do you explain those?
02:49Mom looked at me,
02:50looked back at me.
02:51Her face went sheet white.
02:52A human giving birth to things like this?
02:55Willa, this is a dark omen.
02:57A curse.
02:58If anyone in this village finds out,
03:01they'll drag you to the woods.
03:03They'll tie you to a stake.
03:05They'll burn you alive.
03:06Before I could react,
03:08she grabbed a rough cloth off the table.
03:09She scooped both snakes up
03:11and started bundling them tight.
03:13She was going to dump them on the mountain,
03:15feed them to the wolves.
03:16The babies had no idea.
03:18One of them stretched,
03:19yawned,
03:20and then
03:21those big golden brown eyes
03:24locked on mine.
03:25Just looking at me
03:26and something inside me broke.
03:28Mom, stop!
03:29I carried them for nine months.
03:30I felt them move inside me.
03:32They are mine
03:33and I am not letting you
03:34throw my babies to the wolves.
03:36Willa,
03:38if anyone sees them...
03:39Then no one sees them.
03:41We tell the village I had a stillbirth.
03:43We already buried it.
03:44These two?
03:44Pets.
03:45The dragon I found in the garden.
03:47Nobody has to know.
03:48And just like that,
03:49they stayed.
03:50I figured this was my life now.
03:52Disgraced country girl.
03:53Single mom.
03:55Two skelly sons on the pillow.
03:57I was done with men.
03:58Tristan broke my heart.
03:59I was fine.
04:01Never seeing him again.
04:02I'd raise these little weirdos in the woods.
04:05Forever.
04:06That was the plan.
04:08Until day seven.
04:09I opened my door.
04:10And the captain,
04:11stepping forward,
04:12bowing deep.
04:13By order of his majesty,
04:14we are here to escort Lady Willa to the palace.
04:17You are to be crowned queen.
04:18His majesty mentions you were heavily pregnant when you departed.
04:21So,
04:21where is the royal heir?
04:22I instinctively glanced back at the house,
04:25but my mum answered before I could.
04:27Seven days ago,
04:28Willa delivered a stillborn.
04:30We've already handled it.
04:33She pulled me inside.
04:35Lowered her voice.
04:36Willa,
04:36listen to me.
04:37The Gappet kingdom is obsessed with witch hunts.
04:40If anyone finds out you gave birth to two creatures,
04:43they'll burn you.
04:45A stake is a sacrifice.
04:47You go to the palace.
04:48Be the queen.
04:49These two?
04:50I'll keep them here.
04:51I'll take care of them.
04:54If I had known that man was the king of the Cappet kingdom,
04:57I never would have been reckless enough to flirt with him.
04:59Not in a million years.
05:01But a royal command isn't a request.
05:03Whether I wanted it or not,
05:05I was going to that palace.
05:06I wiped my tears,
05:07said goodbye to my two skilly babies,
05:09and climbed into the carriage.
05:12Two weeks of bumpy roads later,
05:15we finally reached the palace.
05:20A maid led me to a guest chamber.
05:22She said the king would be with me shortly.
05:24The room was stunning.
05:25Gold-trimmed ceilings,
05:27jade ornaments,
05:28marble floors.
05:29A country girl like me had never seen wealth like this,
05:32and I didn't care about any of it.
05:34The longer I'd been away from home,
05:35the more I missed those two baby dragons.
05:37I had no idea if they were okay.
05:39Maybe I was missing them too much.
05:41Because suddenly,
05:42I was hallucinating.
05:43I saw two little dragons scaling the palace walls,
05:46slipping through my window,
05:48right in front of me,
05:50until they opened their mouths.
05:51Mommy,
05:52we finally found you.
05:54Mommy,
05:55why did you leave me and Big Brother behind?
05:58My whole body went numb.
05:59I hit the floor.
06:00I stared at them,
06:01my voice shaking.
06:02You too?
06:03Are you dragons, demon?
06:05When I was little,
06:06I used to hear storytellers talk about this.
06:08Animals that cultivated their spiritual power
06:11could borrow a pregnant woman's womb.
06:13They'd be reborn,
06:14but as humans.
06:15Looking at these two,
06:16clearly the cultivation didn't quite stick.
06:19That's why they came out of me,
06:20still in snake form.
06:22The two of them slithered up to me,
06:24nuzzling against my dress,
06:25like puppies.
06:26We're not snake demons, mommy.
06:28We're dragons.
06:29We're your baby.
06:31Mommy,
06:31I'm so hungry.
06:33We followed your scent for days.
06:35We crawled the whole way.
06:36We don't have any strength left.
06:39And just like that,
06:40they collapsed against my side.
06:42From Rowan Village to this palace
06:44was hundreds of miles.
06:45These two weren't even a month old,
06:46and they'd crawled the entire way,
06:48day and night,
06:49without stopping.
06:50I figured they were just delirious from exhaustion.
06:53Babies babbling nonsense.
06:54Two little snakes.
06:55Dragons.
06:56Yeah, right.
06:57My heart broke for them.
06:58I scooped both of them into my arms,
06:59and called for a maid.
07:01Fresh goat's milk.
07:03Now.
07:04They drank.
07:05Till their little bellies were round,
07:07then curled up in my lap
07:08and fell into a deep sleep.
07:09I sat there,
07:10gently stroking their scales,
07:12my mind spinning.
07:13What the hell am I supposed to do now,
07:15if I just told the king the truth?
07:16These snakes are our sons.
07:17He'd probably drag me out and behead me on the spot.
07:20Not everyone has my tolerance for the weird,
07:22and even if he somehow accepted it,
07:24he's the king of the KP kingdom.
07:26The court would never allow it.
07:27The people would never allow it.
07:29Two snakes as the royal heirs?
07:31No chance in hell.
07:32I was deep in my own head,
07:34spiraling.
07:35When the guards outside announced,
07:37His majesty has arrived.
07:40I moved fast,
07:42shoved both babies under the blankets,
07:44smoothed out my dress,
07:45and went to greet him.
07:46This humble girl, Willa,
07:47greets your majesty.
07:49Tristan was in full royal regala.
07:51Gold crown,
07:52velvet brobes,
07:53that untouchable era of power,
07:55combined with that gorgeous face,
07:57he was even more devastating than I remembered.
07:59That face was the whole reason I got into this mess.
08:01One look at him bleeding on the side of the road,
08:04and I ignored my mum completely.
08:05I have to save him.
08:07Look at him.
08:09Yeah, lesson learned.
08:10Tristan reached down and lifted me to my feet,
08:12a teasing smile playing on his lips.
08:14Such formality.
08:16This isn't like you, Willa.
08:17I kept my eyes down,
08:18my voice small.
08:19I didn't know you were the king before.
08:21I was out of line.
08:22He squeezed my hand.
08:24King or not,
08:24I'm still your husband.
08:25I prefer the lively,
08:27mouthed Willa I fell for.
08:28Yeah, sure.
08:29Whatever you say.
08:31But I'm not that girl anymore.
08:32Not when one wrong word from a king means rivers of blood.
08:35That's not a joke.
08:36Tristan's gaze dropped to my stomach.
08:38His eyes filled with grief.
08:39I heard about the baby.
08:41It was my fault.
08:42If I had brought you here sooner,
08:44maybe things would have been different.
08:45The second the words left his mouth,
08:49a muffled cry came from the bed.
08:51Tristan's head snapped toward the sound.
08:53What was that?
08:54It's, it's, it's cats.
08:56I got bored on the road,
08:57so I,
08:58I picked up two cats to keep me company.
09:00He started walking towards the bed.
09:02I didn't know you liked cats.
09:03I remember you hating cats.
09:05What kind of cats could win you over?
09:06Let me see them.
09:07I lunged in front of him,
09:09arms out.
09:10No!
09:11Why not?
09:12Unless,
09:13what's under there isn't a cat.
09:14It is!
09:15It's cats!
09:17It's,
09:18it's just,
09:18these two are skittish.
09:22They might scratch your majesty.
09:25Tristan laughed and pulled me into his arms.
09:27Don't worry.
09:27There's no wound I haven't survived.
09:29What harm could two little kittens possibly do?
09:32His hand reached for the blanket.
09:34His fingers gripped the edge.
09:35I was this close to confessing everything.
09:37Then suddenly,
09:38a maid rushed in.
09:39Your majesty!
09:40Miss Lancaster has collapsed.
09:42She's calling out for you.
09:43Tristan's hand froze.
09:45Then he pulled away.
09:46I need to go check on Rosie.
09:47I'll come back to you later.
09:49I watched him walk out the door.
09:50Part of me exhaled,
09:52crisis averted,
09:53but another part of me felt a bitter little sting I couldn't explain.
09:56Who's Rosie?
09:57Is she that important to him?
09:59I didn't have to wait long for an answer.
10:01The next day,
10:01I was in my chamber,
10:03feeding the two little snakes.
10:04The doors burst open.
10:06Rosie sailed in,
10:07dripping in silk.
10:08A trail of maids behind her.
10:10She looked me up and down,
10:11like I was dirt on her shoe.
10:12So you're the country girl
10:14who saved his majesty.
10:15I met her eyes,
10:16calm,
10:17steady.
10:17That would be me.
10:18She stepped closer.
10:19Her voice dropped to a warning.
10:21I grew up with his majesty.
10:22I know him better than anyone.
10:24He only brought you here to repay a debt.
10:27That's all.
10:28If you dare set your sights on a position
10:30that isn't yours,
10:31you'll pay the price.
10:33I let a small smile tug at my lips.
10:37If Miss Lackaffer truly has that kind of pull,
10:39go convince his majesty to take it back.
10:42Threatening me here is a waste of breath.
10:44The queen's seat was offered to me
10:46by the king himself.
10:47His favor is law.
10:49Who am I to refuse?
10:50Rosie's face went red.
10:52Her hands trembled with rage.
10:53You sharp-tongued little peasant.
10:56How dare you use the king against me?
10:59You just wait.
11:01I will personally make sure.
11:03He throws you out of this palace!
11:05She stormed out,
11:07her maids scurrying after her.
11:09I didn't take Rosie's threats seriously.
11:11But for the first time since I arrived,
11:13I started thinking about leaving the palace.
11:16I knew Tristan had feelings for me.
11:18He wouldn't have sent for me
11:19all the way from Roban Village
11:21or offered me a crown if he didn't.
11:23But I also knew how kings worked.
11:25I was the girl from the woods
11:26who saved his life.
11:29But he had a whole empire to rule
11:32and a palace full of beautiful women.
11:34Once the spark fades,
11:36I'd be just another forgotten face
11:37in a golden cage,
11:39locked away until the day I died.
11:40And then there were the baby.
11:42They were a ticking time bomb.
11:45They were getting bigger every day
11:46and their appetites were growing even faster.
11:49If anyone ever heard them talk,
11:51they'd be slaughtered.
11:53I had to choose.
11:55My freedom and their lives
11:57over a man who might stop loving me
11:59by next year.
12:00I decided to run.
12:01Three days later,
12:02I waited until Tristan was supposedly
12:04out of the palace on business.
12:06I piled up the silk curtains,
12:08knocked over a candle,
12:09and watched the flames take hold.
12:15In the chaos of the fire,
12:17we managed to scale the outer palace wall.
12:20I stood in the shadows,
12:21looking back at the smoke
12:23rising into the night sky.
12:26Goodbye, Tristan.
12:28It hurt more than I wanted to admit,
12:30but I had to be strong.
12:31The two little snakes
12:32rubbed against my ankles,
12:34their golden eyes glowing in the dark.
12:36Mom, come on.
12:38Let's just go.
12:40I knelt down
12:42and scooped them both into my arms.
12:45All right.
12:47Let's go.
12:48Somewhere far away
12:50where we can just be us.
12:51I turned around
12:52to head for the woods,
12:53and my heart stopped.
12:55Tristan was standing there.
12:56He wasn't away on business.
12:57He was right in front of me,
12:59backed by a dozen armed guards
13:01with torches.
13:02He didn't look angry.
13:03He looked cold.
13:05He stared at me.
13:06Then his eyes dropped
13:07to the two snakes
13:08I was clutching to my chest.
13:11He started walking.
13:12Willa.
13:13Walking towards me.
13:14Don't you think you owe me an explanation?
13:16I hugged my babies as tight as I could,
13:19backing away.
13:20If I told you
13:22that these are your children,
13:24would you even believe me?
13:26Tristan's pupils blew wide.
13:28He stared at the two black creatures
13:30in my arms,
13:31his knuckles turning white
13:32as he gripped the hilt of his sword.
13:33His throat moved
13:34as he struggled to find his voice.
13:36How is that even possible?
13:37Rosie didn't miss a beat.
13:39She jumped forward,
13:40pointing a trembling finger at me.
13:43You shameless little peasant!
13:46How dare you try
13:48to smear the king's name like that!
13:50His majesty
13:50is the ruler of this realm.
13:52There is no way on earth
13:54he is the father of these.
13:57These animals!
13:59Your majesty, look at them!
14:00They're demons!
14:02She's obviously practicing,
14:04practicing dark magic.
14:06For the safety of the entire kingdom,
14:08you have to act!
14:09Kill the witch
14:10and those monsters
14:11before they curse us all!
14:13The two little snakes
14:15felt her hatred.
14:16They bared their tiny fangs,
14:19hissing and snapping at her.
14:22Evil woman!
14:23You hurt our mom!
14:24And we'll kill you!
14:27Rosie scrambled back,
14:29nearly tripping.
14:30I slammed my hand
14:31over their mouths.
14:34Stop!
14:35You can't talk
14:36in front of them!
14:38Even Tristan
14:39looked stunned
14:39for a second.
14:40You heard them,
14:42Tristan!
14:42They talk!
14:44They're unholy!
14:45Kill them now!
14:46Do your duty!
14:49Tristan drew his sword.
14:51The cold steel
14:52glinted dangerously
14:53in the torchlight
14:54as he pointed the tip
14:55right at my babies.
14:57Willa,
14:58I know you.
14:59You're a good person.
15:01These creatures
15:02must have put a spell on you.
15:04They're using you.
15:05They're clouding your mind.
15:06He took a step closer.
15:08The edge of the blade
15:09inches from my chest.
15:11Give them to me.
15:12Hand them over.
15:14Right now.
15:15And I'll forgive everything.
15:18I'll pretend
15:18this never happened.
15:20I shook my head.
15:21No, Tristan.
15:22I'm their mother.
15:23I'm spouting
15:24at their mother.
15:25I will never
15:26let you touch them.
15:27Not as long
15:28as I'm breathing.
15:29You've lost your mind.
15:30He didn't wait
15:31for another word.
15:32My babies
15:33didn't hesitate either.
15:34They flew out
15:35of my arms.
15:36Small black blurs
15:37through the air.
15:38Trying to bite him.
15:39But Tristan
15:39was a seasoned warrior.
15:41He was too fast.
15:42Too strong.
15:43He kicked one aside.
15:45Then the other.
15:46Sending them skidding
15:47across the dirt
15:48like stones.
15:49He didn't give them
15:49a chance to recover.
15:51He raised his sword
15:51high over his head.
15:53Ready to bring it down
15:54for the kill.
15:54I didn't think.
15:56I just threw my body
15:57over them.
15:58Shielding them
15:59with my own back.
16:00Tristan saw me.
16:00Pulled his strike
16:01at the last second.
16:02But the tip of his sword
16:03still tore through my dress.
16:04He looked at me.
16:06Furious and shaken
16:07all at once.
16:07Willa.
16:08Have you lost your mind?
16:10You're gonna die
16:11for these animals?
16:13I looked at him.
16:14Tears streaming
16:15down my face.
16:16I can't explain
16:17why they look like this,
16:18Tristan.
16:19I don't know why.
16:20But they came from me.
16:21They are my flesh and blood.
16:23And they are yours.
16:25If you want them dead,
16:27you'll have to step
16:28over my body first.
16:29The standoff held
16:30for a long moment.
16:31Then Tithra threw
16:32the sword to the ground.
16:33He turned to his guards.
16:34Take the queen
16:34back to the palace.
16:36Do not harm her
16:37or those two creatures.
16:39Not a scratch.
16:40And just like that,
16:41I was hauled
16:42back to the palace.
16:43I reached down
16:44and gently rubbed
16:45the little bellies
16:46of my two snakes.
16:47Are you okay?
16:48Does anything hurt?
16:50Are your tummies sore?
16:51Both of them
16:51nuzzled their cheeks
16:52against my palm.
16:53Mummy's hand
16:54is so warm.
16:55We're not hurt at all.
16:56Mummy,
16:57when we grow up,
16:58we're going to bite
17:00every bad person
17:01who ever hurt you.
17:03No!
17:04You may not be human,
17:05but you cannot
17:06just hurt people.
17:07And the man
17:07who tried to hurt you today,
17:09he's your father.
17:11Both of them
17:11blinked up at me,
17:12those big golden brown eyes
17:14confused.
17:15He wanted to kill us.
17:16We don't want
17:17a daddy like that.
17:18We just want you, mummy.
17:20Only you.
17:21I laughed softly
17:22and stroked their heads.
17:23All right,
17:24all right,
17:24just mummy.
17:25Once I'd lulled
17:26them both to sleep,
17:28I looked out the window.
17:32Armed guards everywhere,
17:33stationed around
17:34the entire chamber.
17:35My heart sank.
17:36What is Tristan
17:37going to do with us?
17:40This palace
17:41was never going to be safe.
17:43I could protect them
17:44for now,
17:45but not forever.
17:49Three days passed.
17:50The babies and I
17:51locked away.
17:52Then,
17:52on the third day,
17:54Tristan finally sent for us.
17:55I scooped both
17:56little cords
17:57into my arms
17:57and followed the guards
17:59to the royal study.
18:02The moment I stepped
18:03through the door,
18:04I saw my mother
18:07on her knees.
18:08The second my mum saw me,
18:10she started laying into me.
18:13Willa,
18:13what on earth
18:14did you do?
18:15Do you have any idea
18:17what it's like
18:17for a woman my age
18:18to be hauled away
18:20by guards
18:21and forced onto a horse?
18:22I thought I was going
18:23to die on the road.
18:24And her voice
18:25died in her throat.
18:26She stared
18:27at the two snakes
18:28I was holding.
18:30How,
18:30how are they here?
18:32They vanished
18:33the day after
18:34you left for the palace.
18:37I thought they'd run
18:38off into the woods.
18:39I looked for them
18:40for days,
18:42but I never imagined
18:43they'd find their way
18:44to...
18:44Wait,
18:46His Majesty
18:47brought me here.
18:49Because of them?
18:50I let out a soft sigh
18:52and nodded.
18:53Tristan sat on his throne,
18:54that untouchable aura
18:56back in full motion.
18:57He looked down
18:58at my mother.
18:58The truth.
19:00My mother dropped
19:00to her knees.
19:01And she told him
19:02everything.
19:04The birth,
19:05the snakes,
19:06the wings,
19:07all of it.
19:09Tristan exploded.
19:11What the punishment
19:12is for lying
19:13to your king.
19:15My mother trembled
19:17head to toe.
19:19I wouldn't dare.
19:21Every word I spoke
19:22is the truth.
19:23His expression,
19:25complicated.
19:27I dropped to my knees
19:29in front of him.
19:30Your Majesty,
19:31I know this is
19:32impossible to believe,
19:33but it's the truth.
19:34From this day on,
19:35I'll take them
19:36as far from you
19:37as possible.
19:38You will never
19:39see us again.
19:40The court would
19:41never accept it.
19:42The people would
19:42never accept it.
19:43A king naming
19:44two snakes
19:45as his sons?
19:46Impossible.
19:47That was the only
19:48way out.
19:49But Tristan
19:50refused.
19:51Willa,
19:53you said you
19:54want to take them
19:54and disappear.
19:56Far away from me.
19:58Did you ever stop
19:58to think about
19:59how I feel?
20:01Is the throne
20:01of my entire kingdom,
20:03queen of the
20:04Kapox kingdom,
20:05not enough
20:05to make you stay?
20:06I shook my head.
20:07I grew up
20:08in the countryside.
20:09If you really
20:10made me queen,
20:11I'd be the laughing
20:11stock of the
20:12entire kingdom.
20:13Anyone who laughs,
20:15I take their head.
20:16I want a marriage,
20:17not a competition.
20:21You'll have
20:21a harem of women,
20:23a palace full
20:23of mistresses.
20:24I'm not interested
20:26in fighting
20:26for a fraction
20:27of your heart.
20:28What if I gave
20:28them all up?
20:29What if I promised
20:30never another woman?
20:31Only you,
20:32for the rest
20:33of my life.
20:34I have to admit it.
20:35His words moved me.
20:36The most powerful,
20:38most beautiful man
20:39in the kingdom,
20:39telling me I was
20:40his beloved,
20:41telling me I'd
20:42be the only one.
20:43There isn't a woman
20:44in this world
20:45who wouldn't melt
20:46at those words.
20:47But after the rush
20:48came clarity.
20:49Because everything
20:50he was offering,
20:51he could take back
20:52at any moment.
20:54When I loved him most,
20:56he left a single note
20:57on my pillow
20:58and disappeared.
21:00I waited,
21:01three months pregnant,
21:03day after day,
21:04holding that letter.
21:08I'm not doing it again.
21:09I can't give him
21:11my whole heart twice.
21:12That endless waiting.
21:14That torture.
21:16I'm done with it.
21:18I pressed my forehead
21:19to the floor.
21:21Your Majesty,
21:22I do not wish
21:23to be trapped
21:24behind the walls
21:24of this palace.
21:25Please,
21:26let me go.
21:28Tristan wanted me to stay.
21:29I wanted to leave.
21:31Neither of us
21:31would back down.
21:32Not an inch.
21:34In the end,
21:34Tristan gave me
21:35seven days to reconsider.
21:37If after seven days
21:37I still chose to leave,
21:40he'd let me
21:40and my two little snakes
21:41go free.
21:44For the next seven days,
21:46my mum stayed with me
21:47in the palace.
21:47She spent half her time
21:48just staring at the
21:49gold-leafed walls
21:51and the emerald-encrusted
21:53vases.
21:53Willa,
21:54are you really going to
21:55walk away from all of this?
21:57For those two little
22:00things?
22:01If you didn't,
22:02you wouldn't have
22:02kept the pregnancy
22:04when you thought
22:04he'd abandoned you.
22:07The king loves you.
22:09I can see it
22:10in his eyes.
22:11And I know
22:12you still love him too.
22:14If it's them
22:14you're worried about,
22:16leave them with me.
22:17I'll take them far away
22:18and raise them in secret.
22:20You stay here.
22:21Be the queen.
22:22Live the life you deserve.
22:24I looked at my mother
22:25and shook my head.
22:26Mum,
22:27he's a king.
22:28He owns an entire country.
22:29He'll never be the man
22:30who lived in our cottage again.
22:31I'd rather be free
22:33in the woods.
22:34Fine.
22:35Whatever you decide,
22:36I'm with you.
22:38I leaned into her,
22:40resting my head
22:41on her shoulder.
22:42Thanks, Mum.
22:44I don't know
22:45what I'd do without you.
22:48The seven days
22:49flew by.
22:50Tristan saw that
22:51I wasn't going to
22:51change my mind
22:52and finally,
22:53he gave in.
22:58He walked us
22:59to the palace gate
23:00since himself,
23:01his eyes lingering on me
23:03with a look of pure heartbreak.
23:05Willa,
23:06if you ever change your mind,
23:08the gates of this kingdom
23:09will always be open to you.
23:12I bowed one last time,
23:13ready to walk away
23:14with my mother
23:15and my babies.
23:16I thought we were
23:17finally free.
23:18But before I could
23:19take a single step,
23:20a flood of soldiers
23:21came charging out,
23:22surrounding us
23:23on all sides
23:24and a line
23:25of senior court officials
23:27on horseback.
23:29Tristan's face
23:30went white with fury.
23:32What the hell is this?
23:33Who gave you permission
23:34to move my troops?
23:36This is treason!
23:37The council members
23:38scrambled off their horses
23:39and dropped to their knees.
23:40Forgive us,
23:41your majesty,
23:42but we cannot let a threat
23:44like this
23:45just walk out of our gates.
23:46That woman
23:46and the creatures
23:47in her arms
23:48are unholy
23:50for the peace
23:51of the kingdom,
23:52for the safety
23:53of every man,
23:54woman,
23:55and child.
23:57We beg you,
23:59execute the witch!
24:00Death to the witch!
24:02Kill the monster!
24:03Tristan drew his sword,
24:04the metal singing
24:05as it left the scabble.
24:07Willa is not a witch!
24:09If any of you
24:10say that word again,
24:11I'll take your head
24:12myself.
24:13Rosie didn't back down.
24:15She looked at Tristan,
24:17tears welling in her eyes.
24:19Tristan, please!
24:20Look at her!
24:22Those things talk!
24:23They speak like humans,
24:25but they have scales
24:25and fangs!
24:26If that isn't black magic,
24:28then what is?
24:29I clutched my babies tighter,
24:31my heart pounding
24:32against my ribs.
24:34I looked Rosie
24:35right in the eye.
24:36You call me a witch?
24:37Tell me.
24:38What have I actually done?
24:40Have I hurt anyone?
24:42Have I brought a plague?
24:45I'm just a mother
24:46trying to protect
24:46my children!
24:48Rosie sneered,
24:50her mask slipping.
24:52Maybe they haven't
24:53hurt anyone yet
24:54because they're still small.
24:56But what happens
24:56when they grow up?
24:57They'll be monsters.
25:00Burn our cities
25:01and eat our people!
25:02We have to end this now!
25:04Before it's too late!
25:06My babies felt
25:07the danger closing in.
25:09They popped their heads
25:11out from under my arms,
25:13their golden eyes glowing
25:14with a terrifying light.
25:16You're a bad lady!
25:18We aren't monsters!
25:19Leave us alone!
25:21Good adieu!
25:23Stroud!
25:24Nad!
25:25And leave us
25:25to Toyingahal!
25:27Did you hear that?
25:28They're talking again!
25:29The demons are speaking!
25:31The minister's eyes
25:32locked onto my arms.
25:34Pure terror
25:35on every face.
25:36Tristan's jaw clenched.
25:37His eyes darted
25:38between me and the minister's.
25:40They're just babies.
25:41Do you really need
25:42to blow this out of proportion?
25:44The ministers buzzed
25:45with panic.
25:46A beast speaks
25:47in human tongue?
25:48This is a dark omen!
25:50It's a warning!
25:51From the heavens themselves!
25:54The ancient texts
25:55say it clearly.
25:57When the heavens
25:58send such a sign,
26:00the creature must be killed.
26:02Its blood must be offered up
26:03to calm the god's wrath.
26:05The witch and the monsters
26:07must be executed immediately,
26:09hung from the city walls,
26:11drained of every drop of blood.
26:14her team seals the plight
26:16to beg the heavens
26:18for forgiveness.
26:19Tristan's face turned
26:20darker by the second,
26:22rage burning behind his eyes.
26:24But the pressure from his court
26:26was crushing him.
26:27His knuckles went bone white.
26:28My mother dropped to her knees,
26:31begging.
26:31Willa isn't a witch!
26:33She's my daughter!
26:34If you need a blood sacrifice,
26:36take me!
26:37Just spare her life!
26:39I reached down
26:40and pulled her back up.
26:42Mom,
26:43don't beg them.
26:45The world is full
26:46of strange things.
26:47You don't understand it,
26:49so you fear it.
26:50You call it a dark omen?
26:52That's absurd.
26:53I'm standing right here.
26:55If you want my life,
26:56come and take it.
26:58One of them gave the order
27:00immediately.
27:01Move!
27:02Execute the monsters!
27:03Now!
27:04Soldiers raised their swords,
27:05charged at me.
27:06In a flash!
27:07Tristan had his blade
27:09pressed against the throat
27:10of the general
27:10who gave the order.
27:11Are you committing treason?
27:13Stand down.
27:14I am still your king.
27:16The soldiers froze,
27:18caught between two commands.
27:19The general didn't flinch,
27:22stared Tristan down.
27:23Your majesty,
27:25even if you kill me here today,
27:27for the safety of the Capite kingdom,
27:29the monsters must die!
27:30Then,
27:31right in front of everyone,
27:33the two little snakes in my arms
27:35jumped to the ground.
27:36And in plain sight
27:38of the entire court,
27:41they transformed
27:42into two perfect
27:45porcelain-skinned children.
27:47Everyone was stunned.
27:48Tristan's eyes widened so hard
27:50it looked like he forgot
27:51how to breathe.
27:52I'd always thought
27:53they were two boys.
27:55But they weren't.
27:56One was a boy.
27:57One was a girl.
27:58I dropped into a crouch
28:00and stared at them in shock.
28:01You two?
28:02Did you actually turn human?
28:04My little snakes, please.
28:05Do some magic.
28:06Get me and Grandma out of here.
28:07If we stay any longer,
28:08we're dead.
28:09The two little kids
28:11wrapped themselves
28:11around my legs.
28:13Mom,
28:13we don't know any magic.
28:15Mom,
28:16we're your children.
28:17I let out a quiet sigh.
28:19So first you spoke like humans.
28:21Then you turned into humans
28:23in front of everyone.
28:24Made the biggest possible scene.
28:26Got the whole court
28:27convinced we were monsters.
28:29And after all that,
28:30you two can't do anything?
28:32Then some of the older ministers
28:33started pointing
28:34at the little boy.
28:36Look at him.
28:37He looks exactly like
28:39his majesty did as a child.
28:41He really does.
28:42It's uncanny.
28:44Could they actually be
28:45the king's children?
28:46Bit by bit,
28:47the mood in the room
28:48started to shift.
28:50Then Rosie snapped.
28:51Have you all lost your minds?
28:53They're monsters.
28:55Of course they can change
28:56how they look.
28:57He made himself
28:59resemble the king on purpose.
29:00If we hadn't exposed this today,
29:03one of these creatures
29:04could have stolen the throne.
29:08And then the whole
29:09Capac kingdom
29:10would have fallen
29:11because of us!
29:12The second she said that,
29:14the court seemed
29:14to wake back up.
29:16The ministers turned
29:17to Tristan
29:18one after another.
29:19Your majesty,
29:20you cannot hesitate
29:21any longer.
29:22These creatures
29:23must be killed at once.
29:24I pulled my children
29:25tight against me
29:26and looked at Tristan.
29:27I don't even know
29:28how to explain
29:29what you're seeing.
29:30But Tristan,
29:31please believe me.
29:33They really are
29:34your children.
29:35They are not monsters.
29:37Tristan walked toward us
29:38and looked down
29:39at the two beautiful
29:40little children.
29:41Something in his expression
29:42softened,
29:43like even he
29:44couldn't understand why.
29:45He started to reach out
29:47to touch them,
29:47but both children
29:48pulled back,
29:49watching him warily.
29:51Willa, I believe you.
29:54As long as I'm here today,
29:56no one will harm them.
29:57Then Tristan drew his sword
29:59across his body
30:00and stepped in front of me
30:01and the children.
30:04At once,
30:05he stood locked
30:05in a standoff
30:06against the entire court.
30:08They were all claiming
30:08to destroy monsters
30:09and protect the Capos kingdom,
30:11not stage a rebellion.
30:12So no one actually dared
30:13lay a hand on Tristan.
30:14Then suddenly,
30:15someone shouted from outside.
30:16His majesty,
30:17the former king has arrived!
30:18Gifting the throne to Tristan,
30:20his father had left the capital
30:21and gone to a mountain abbey
30:23to live in seclusion.
30:24Some of the ministers
30:24had clearly guessed
30:25Tristan would protect
30:26the so-called witch today
30:28and that the whole court
30:29would end up deadlocked.
30:30So they'd already sent word
30:31to the abbey
30:32and summoned the former king back
30:33to settle it.
30:34An old man in a black monastic robe
30:36stepped down from the carriage,
30:37then slowly walked over
30:39to my children.
30:39He reached out
30:40and gently touched their faces,
30:42his expression full of kindness.
30:43Then he turned to the court
30:44and said,
30:45These two children
30:46are indeed of the royal bloodline.
30:48The ministers looked so shocked.
30:49Your majesty,
30:50those children are monsters.
30:51They transformed right in front
30:52of all of us.
30:53We saw it with our own eyes.
30:54How could they possibly
30:55be royal blood?
30:55Rosie suddenly pointed
30:56at my children.
30:57I know what this is.
30:58Their magic must be
30:59clouding people's minds.
31:01That's why everyone
31:01is speaking for them.
31:02The first thing we have to do
31:04is kill her.
31:05She snatched a sword
31:05from one of the guards
31:06and lunged straight at us.
31:07But one of the former king's guards
31:09batted the blade aside
31:10and dropped her
31:10with a brutal kick.
31:11With both his majesty
31:13and the former king
31:13standing here,
31:14how dare you act out like this?
31:16The former king
31:16didn't even spare her a glance.
31:18He simply looked
31:18at the ministers and said,
31:20Five hundred years ago,
31:21the founder of the Capo line
31:22was part dragon.
31:23Back then,
31:24the world was in chaos.
31:25Disasters struck again and again.
31:26And the people were barely surviving
31:28because he carried dragon blood.
31:29Our ancestor was stronger
31:30and swifter than ordinary men.
31:32He also had a natural instinct
31:33for danger.
31:34Time after time,
31:35he led people away from disaster
31:36before it struck.
31:37And over the years,
31:38capable men gathered around him.
31:40That was how the Kapat kingdom
31:41was founded.
31:42Later,
31:42our ancestor
31:43married a common-born woman.
31:45The dragon blood thinned out
31:46until it became no different
31:47from any other royal line.
31:48These two children
31:49are simply a rare return
31:51of that blood.
31:52The old king needed proof.
31:53He produced the royal scrolls,
31:55the sacred legacy
31:55of the Kapat line.
31:57There was a prophecy
31:57written in them.
31:58It said that when the dragon blood
32:00vanished completely,
32:01the Kapat kingdom would fall.
32:02When I was king,
32:03I brought many fertile women
32:04into the palace.
32:05I hoped one of them
32:06would bear a child
32:07with dragon blood.
32:08But of all my children,
32:09only Tristan survived
32:10to adulthood.
32:11And even he showed
32:11no sign
32:13of the blood at all.
32:14I thought our family's fortune
32:15had already run out.
32:16I didn't want Tristan trapped
32:17by that burden
32:18the way I was.
32:18So I never told him
32:19any of this.
32:21Then the former king
32:21looked at my children,
32:22his eyes shining with hope.
32:23Never did I dream Tristan
32:24would spire two heirs
32:26of such pure blood.
32:27With them,
32:28the Kapar kingdom
32:29will flourish for an age.
32:30Every question Tristan
32:31had been carrying
32:32seemed to break apart
32:33all at once.
32:34What replaced it
32:34was pure shock
32:35and excitement.
32:36For me,
32:37it was the same.
32:37That was the moment
32:38I truly understood it.
32:39My children were never
32:40just little black snakes.
32:41They were dragons.
32:42So dragons are real.
32:44I always thought
32:44that was just a story
32:45about our ancestors.
32:46And these two little royals
32:47aren't monsters at all.
32:49They're a blessing
32:50on the kingdom.
32:50Just look at them.
32:51So young
32:52and already so noble.
32:53And in the end,
32:54they had only acted
32:54out of loyalty
32:55to the kingdom.
32:55So Tristan couldn't
32:56punish them too harshly.
32:57He docked each of them
32:58half a year's pay.
32:59Then my children
32:59and I returned to the palace.
33:00But this time,
33:01we weren't prisoners.
33:02We belonged there.
33:03Tristan couldn't stop
33:04staring at his children.
33:05He was completely smitten
33:06and stepped forward
33:07trying to pick them up.
33:08But the two little ones
33:09still remembered
33:09that he had kicked
33:10each of them before.
33:12So they both dove
33:13straight into my arms.
33:14Father is a mean man.
33:15He kicked us.
33:16We don't like him.
33:17Mom, make him leave.
33:19Tristan looked at me
33:20like a man
33:20begging for his life.
33:21I knelt down
33:22and capped the kids'
33:23chubby faces,
33:24keeping my voice
33:24soft and gentle.
33:25Hey, listen to me.
33:26Dad didn't mean to hurt you.
33:27He didn't realize
33:28you were special
33:28little black dragons.
33:29He was just scared
33:30because he didn't understand.
33:31I gave them a small smile.
33:32But you two are
33:33the smartest, bravest kids I know.
33:34Can you find it
33:35in your hearts
33:35to forgive him
33:36just this once?
33:37The two little ones
33:38looked at me,
33:38then at Tristan.
33:39They weren't stupid.
33:40They remembered
33:40how Tristan had stood
33:41in front of them
33:42with his sword drawn
33:43against the entire army.
33:44They reached out
33:45their tiny hands,
33:46looking very serious.
33:46Fine, but you have
33:48to be as nice to us
33:49as mum is.
33:49No more hitting.
33:50Tristan let out a breath
33:51he'd been holding
33:52for a lifetime.
33:53He scooped them both up
33:54into a massive hug,
33:55kissing their foreheads
33:56over and over.
33:57I promise.
33:58He whispered,
33:58his eyes wet.
33:59He looked over at me,
34:00his gaze full of a raw,
34:01deep heat.
34:02Willa,
34:02I felt my face heat up.
34:03You and these children
34:04are all I'll ever need.
34:05But I wasn't going
34:06to let him off that easy.
34:07Don't start with
34:07the smooth talk, Tristan.
34:08I haven't forgotten
34:09how you ran off
34:10to check on Rosie
34:10and left me standing there.
34:12Willa, I swear,
34:13it's not what you think.
34:14Rosie took a blow
34:16to check.
34:17He continued to explain
34:18and I listened.
34:18I had no idea
34:19you'd think I was choosing her.
34:20He stepped closer,
34:20his voice dropping
34:21to a low, steady vow.
34:22I've already cleared
34:23out the royal court.
34:24There are no other women here.
34:25There never will be.
34:26I looked into his eyes.
34:27It's only ever been you.
34:28The same eyes
34:29I'd fallen for back
34:29in that tiny cottage.
34:30I didn't know
34:31how long a king's heart
34:32could stay true.
34:33Three months later,
34:34the entire kingdom gathered
34:35for the most lavish
34:36coronation in history.
34:37I was crowned queen
34:38and for the first time
34:39in centuries,
34:39the people cheered
34:40for their dragon princes.
34:41The years flew by
34:42like a dream.
34:43For 15 years,
34:44Tristan kept
34:44every single promise
34:45he made.
34:46Our love became a legend.
34:47The king and queen
34:48who only had eyes
34:49for each other.
34:50When Tristan turned 50,
34:51he decided he'd had
34:51enough of the crown.
34:52He abcated the throne,
34:53handing the heavy gold
34:54circle to our son.
34:55He knew I hated
34:56the strifling life
34:57of the palace,
34:57so he took me away.
34:58We spent the next few years
34:59traveling,
35:00seeing every mountain,
35:01forest,
35:02and hidden valley
35:02in the kingdom.
35:03We were finally just
35:04Willa and Tristan again.
35:05Our children grew up
35:06into everything
35:07we hoped they'd be.
35:08Arthur took the throne
35:09with a steady hand,
35:10a king who ruled
35:11with both strength
35:12and heart.
35:13And our daughter,
35:13Ella,
35:14the princess of the
35:14dragon soul,
35:15was as brave
35:15and sharp as a blade.
35:17We had just returned
35:17to the palace for a visit,
35:18expecting a quiet
35:19family dinner.
35:20But as we walked
35:20toward the great hall,
35:21we felt the shift
35:22in the air.
35:22The heavy doors
35:23were wide open.
35:24Inside,
35:24the entire high council
35:25was gathered,
35:26their faces pale and grim.
35:27Arthur was standing
35:27at the head of the room,
35:28his jaw tight.
35:29Something was very,
35:30very wrong.
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