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