The Stolen Princess and the Cursed Dragon

Visual Narrative

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Transcript

00:00:22Serafina

00:00:30I was the one who brought it to life from the egg

00:00:32Murmurs swept through the noble stands like a storm

00:00:35King Alaric slammed his seppler against the stone floor

00:00:39And guards swarmed forward to pin my arms behind my hat

00:00:44Isolette glided toward me through the chaos

00:00:46But when she leaned close to my ear

00:00:48Her voice was cold and sharp

00:00:50Stripped of all pretense

00:00:53Did you really think the dragon chose you?

00:00:55Newborn hatchlings are blind

00:00:57They know their master only by the scent of blood on the egg

00:01:00For three whole months

00:01:02I snuck into your incubation chamber every midnight

00:01:05And dapped the shell with my own blood

00:01:08Day and night you sat by it

00:01:10But it never smelled you

00:01:12All it knew was my scent

00:01:14She paused

00:01:16Her fingertips brushing the bite wound on my finger

00:01:18And I flinched as a sting of burning pain shot through my hand

00:01:22I brushed dragon repellent sap on your fingertips before the ceremony

00:01:26That's why it bit you the moment it touched you

00:01:29To it

00:01:30You reek of something loathsome

00:01:35Why would you do this to me?

00:01:40Isolette laughed softly

00:01:42Why?

00:01:44Because you were born first and the crown was handed to you without effort?

00:01:48A golden dragon is the omen of a rightful ruler

00:01:52With it, I will take your throne

00:01:54Your title

00:01:56Everything that should have been mine

00:01:58Just like that, I became a thief

00:02:01My father stripped me of my claims into the throne

00:02:04And threw me into the dragon pit

00:02:06The iron gate crashed shut behind me with a deafening boom

00:02:10Starving lesser drakes tore at the hem of my gown

00:02:13Hot, rancid breath rolled over my face

00:02:17And sharp claws scraped against my arms

00:02:24Before I closed my eyes

00:02:25My sister was holding the golden dragon and wearing my crown

00:02:29Basking in smug triumph

00:02:31When I opened my eyes again

00:02:33I was back on the day my father gave us our dragon eggs

00:02:36This time

00:02:37I'd not kneel and beg anyone to believe me

00:02:40If Isolate wanted to steal my dragon so badly

00:02:43I'd give her the most dangerous one of all

00:02:47King Alaric's voice rang out above me

00:02:49Serafina, what are you waiting for?

00:02:52My head shot up

00:02:53I was standing in the golden hall

00:02:55Candlelight flickered over the marble marble floors

00:02:58Nobles lined both sides of the chamber

00:03:00Every pair of eyes fixed on me

00:03:02Before the daisk stood two silver trays

00:03:05Each holding a dragon egg

00:03:07One was pale

00:03:08Threaded with delicate gold veins

00:03:10The other was dull and dark

00:03:12Without shine at all

00:03:14I had seen this scene before

00:03:16No

00:03:16I had lived it before

00:03:18Back then

00:03:20I was the crown princess of Valderria

00:03:22The only daughter of the late queen

00:03:24The kingdom called me

00:03:26Calm

00:03:26Disciplined

00:03:27Worthy of the throne

00:03:29I had believed that

00:03:30If I worked hard enough

00:03:31If I became perfect enough

00:03:33My father would finally see me

00:03:35Later

00:03:36I learned the truth

00:03:37Some fathers don't need a reason

00:03:39To favor one child over another

00:03:41The child he loved was Isolet

00:03:43The daughter born to his second queen

00:03:45It did not matter how many royal laws I memorized

00:03:47How many court rituals I mastered

00:03:50Or how many noble sons I defeated's training

00:03:52To him

00:03:53I'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

00:04:02Valderria was once protected by dragons

00:04:07After the great war

00:04:08Almost every adult dragon died

00:04:11Only a few eggs remain

00:04:14Sealed in the royal vaults

00:04:16By our oldest law

00:04:19The one who hatches a dragon

00:04:21Will earn the right to inherit the throne

00:04:24What he did not say was this

00:04:27Valderria's nobles would never accept an heir without dragon

00:04:30No matter how much he loved Isolet

00:04:32He still needed her to receive a dragon in public

00:04:34Only then would everyone keep quiet when she took the throne

00:04:37I stared at the golden-veined egg

00:04:40In my last life

00:04:41I had reached for it first

00:04:43My chest swelling with pride

00:04:45I had thought it was a reward for my diligence

00:04:48I had never guessed it was a trap laid from the very start

00:04:51He lifted his hand

00:04:53And a servant carried one of the eggs toward me

00:04:56You and will each receive one

00:04:59In one month

00:05:00Every noble and citizen

00:05:02Will gather in the palace square to witness the hatching

00:05:05When that day comes

00:05:08The true heir

00:05:10Will show herself

00:05:17I reached out and took the egg

00:05:20The shell was cold

00:05:22Exactly 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

00:05:36She looked soft

00:05:39Innocent

00:05:39Like a cherished little princess

00:05:42Who had never done anything cruel in her life

00:05:44But 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

00:05:53As she watched me fall into the dragon pit

00:05:57Isolde came to my side

00:05:59Her voice was soft enough

00:06:01That only the two of us could hear

00:06:07You were definitely close to me

00:06:11In my last life

00:06:12I had flushed with anger at this line

00:06:16Arguing loudly that I would hatch the stronger dragon

00:06:23The nobles had whispered that I was petty

00:06:25And unworthy of the crown

00:06:29But this time

00:06:30I only tightened my grip on the egg

00:06:34We'll see about that

00:06:36For a second she froze

00:06:38She had not expected me to be so calm

00:06:40I held the dragon egg close

00:06:44But inside

00:06:45I went cold all the way through

00:06:50In this life

00:06:51I'd never again give my life

00:06:53Just to earn my father's approval

00:07:00After I returned to my old tower

00:07:02I dismissed every maid

00:07:06I placed the dragon egg on the table

00:07:08And stared at it

00:07:13In my last life

00:07:15This was the egg that hatched into the gold dragon

00:07:18Before it broke open

00:07:19It had answered my voice from within the shell

00:07:29I drew a small knife and pressed the tip to my finger

00:07:36If my blood touched the contract

00:07:38The hatching would begin

00:07:43My hand hovered there for a long time

00:07:48Images of Isolda's smug face

00:07:50The dragon pit's darkness

00:07:52The drake's sharp teeth flashed before my eyes

00:07:57In the end

00:07:58I lowered the knife

00:07:59Pushed the egg into an iron box

00:08:02And locked it

00:08:04By the time I reached the palace

00:08:06The hall outside the throne room

00:08:08Was already packed with nobles

00:08:09Everyone was whispering excitedly about Isolda

00:08:12Who would have thought?

00:08:14Everyone assumed Princess Serafina had the stronger gift

00:08:17But Princess Islaid is the one truly chosen by the dragons

00:08:20A gold dragon

00:08:22That is the symbol of royal power

00:08:24The succession is practically settled

00:08:27Princess Serafina has been hiding in that old tower, hasn't she?

00:08:31I heard her egg hasn't stirred at all

00:08:33What a shame for the late queen

00:08:35I walked through the crowd and entered the hall

00:08:38Isolda stood before the throne with a gold dragon egg in her arms

00:08:41Golden light wrapped around her like a halo

00:08:43Making her look like a saint anointed by the dragons

00:08:47One glance was enough to turn my blood cold

00:08:49It wasn't the egg hidden in my tower

00:08:51But the gold markings, the cracks forming in the shell

00:08:54Even the heartbeat coming from inside it

00:08:57Everything matched the egg I had awakened with my own hands

00:08:59A chill crept slowly up my spine

00:09:01My egg was still in the hidden chamber beneath my tower

00:09:04Martha had been guarding it without leaving her post

00:09:07The windows were sealed

00:09:09My own people watched the door

00:09:11Not even a bird could get in

00:09:13So maybe the problem was never that someone stole the physical egg

00:09:17Perhaps something had been redirecting the results of my hatching to Isolda all along

00:09:22Isolda saw me and her eyes lit up

00:09:23She adjusted her hold on the egg

00:09:25Holding it higher as if displaying a trophy

00:09:29Sister

00:09:31You came

00:09:33She carried the gold egg toward me smiling sweetly

00:09:36Sis

00:09:37I didn't think you'd show up

00:09:40It must hurt

00:09:41Watching your little sister hatch a gold dragon first

00:09:44No matter how hard you try

00:09:47The dragon always ends up mine

00:09:51I did not smash the egg

00:09:53I did not hurt the young life sleeping inside

00:09:58The egg was not the one at fault

00:10:00The people using it to trap me were

00:10:02At the northern edge of the palace grounds stood an old dragon roost that had been sealed for years

00:10:07My mother had told me of it when I was small

00:10:10Her voice soft as she spoke of the gold egg she had hidden there

00:10:14A gift left for me when I came of age

00:10:17Under the cover of night, I slipped past the sleeping guards and pushed open the rusted iron gate

00:10:25Ash swirled up around my boots, thick with the scent of burnt scales and old magic

00:10:31At the very back of the roost, half buried in cold ash, I saw it

00:10:35It was small, but the moment I drew close, it trembled

00:10:40From that night on, I began hatching a dragon again

00:10:44I snuck to the roost every midnight

00:10:47Sitting for hours with the egg pressed to my chest

00:10:50Whispering old dragon lullabies my mother had taught me

00:10:54Day by day, the shell grew brighter

00:10:56The gold veins glowing like molten sunlight

00:10:59On the 20th night, I pressed my ear against it

00:11:02And heard a faint heartbeat from within

00:11:05It was alive

00:11:06It was mine

00:11:08Then, at dawn on the 21st day, the palace bells began to ring

00:11:16Martha hurried into my chamber, her face pale

00:11:25Your 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

00:11:40The cup slipped from my hand and shattered on the floor

00:11:45Impossible

00:11:47The gold dragon egg was right here with me

00:11:51How could Isolde's egg turn gold at the exact same moment my dragon awakened?

00:11:58Was this fate?

00:11:59Had I struggled so hard to change everything

00:12:02Only to walk right back into the same ending?

00:12:06I stared at the egg in her arms, my fingers going cold

00:12:09My father sat on the throne, his satisfaction plain on his face

00:12:15Serafina

00:12:19Bring out your egg too

00:12:21I looked up at him

00:12:22He had spoken to me the same way in my last life

00:12:25He had never given me a chance to explain

00:12:27If Isolde shed a single tear, he could condemn me without hesitation

00:12:32My egg has not hatched yet

00:12:35Whispers burst through the hall

00:12:37Isolde covered her mouth in exaggerated surprise

00:12:40Her eyes wide with false pity

00:12:43How could that be?

00:12:45Sister, haven't you always worked the hardest?

00:12:48Are you saying you can't hatch a dragon at all?

00:12:51She shook her head softly as if grieving for me

00:12:53Father, don't be angry with sister

00:12:56I'm sure she tried her best

00:12:57It's just

00:12:59Maybe the dragons don't favor her

00:13:01My father's face darkened

00:13:04Useless

00:13:05He seized the goblet beside him and hurled it at my feet

00:13:08It shattered against the floor

00:13:10Shards scraping my hem, wine splashing over the tips of my shoes

00:13:15Valdoria needs someone who can wake a dragon

00:13:18Not a failure who only knows how to look proud

00:13:21I said nothing

00:13:22Not because I was afraid

00:13:24Because I had finally realized this was deeper than I had thought

00:13:27The egg had not been stolen

00:13:29Isolde had not been lucky

00:13:32Something had been delivering my results to her from the very beginning

00:13:36From this day forward, Serafina will remain in the old tower

00:13:40She will not leave unless summoned

00:13:42She will stay there until she hatches a dragon of her own

00:13:47The noble's eyes changed when they looked at me

00:13:50In my first life they called me a thief

00:13:53In this life they called me a failure

00:13:55There was not much difference

00:13:58When I left the hall, Isolde followed me

00:14:02She waved a hand to dismiss her maids

00:14:04And the soft, innocent mask fell from her face the moment they were out of sight

00:14:10Sister, the look on your face just now was beautiful

00:14:13I stopped walking

00:14:16You can't understand it can you?

00:14:20You hid your eggs so carefully

00:14:25So, why do I have a gold egg too?

00:14:28The truth is, I don't even need to know what you did

00:14:33The result will always be the same

00:14:35She lifted a hand and patted my shoulder as if comforting a loser

00:14:39You guard it

00:14:41You feed it

00:14:43You love it

00:14:46But when it breaks out of its shell

00:14:49It will still choose me

00:14:52I grabbed her wrist

00:14:54Pain flashed across her face but she did not pull away

00:14:58Instead her smile widened

00:15:00Angry?

00:15:02Then I must be right

00:15:03She leaned in, her lips almost brushing my ear

00:15:07Just like in your little incubation chamber

00:15:11You thought you were raising a dragon for...

00:15:14Yourself?

00:15:16You were raising it for me all along

00:15:19I released her

00:15:21Isolid

00:15:23You had better pray you can keep winning

00:15:27She smoothed her sleeve, her eyes full of contempt

00:15:31I will

00:15:33Father loves me

00:15:34The kingdom expects me

00:15:36Even the dragons choose me

00:15:38What do you have?

00:15:40Sister?

00:15:41I watched her walk away and my mind became clearer than it had been all day

00:15:46She was wrong

00:15:48There was one thing I had that she did not

00:15:51And I knew there was a second dragon growing in the old roost

00:15:55One she would never see coming

00:15:59On the third day of my confinement I began searching through my mother's belongings

00:16:03At the top of the old tower was a small study

00:16:05It had been locked for years

00:16:07My father never came there

00:16:10Isolde thought it too cold and dreary to set foot in

00:16:12After my mother died her books, letters

00:16:15And some old royal records had been piled inside like dust the whole palace wanted to forget

00:16:19I sat on the floor and went through them one by one

00:16:22Most of the books about dragon eggs had yellowed with age

00:16:25They did not record mysterious legends

00:16:28They recorded rules

00:16:29Dragon eggs need warmth

00:16:31Dragon eggs need quiet

00:16:33Dragon eggs remember the contract

00:16:36My hand froze

00:16:37The contract?

00:16:39I read on quickly

00:16:41Before a royal dragon egg could be hatched

00:16:43The hatcher had to sign a magical contract

00:16:46The contract bore the hatcher's name

00:16:48When the dragon broke from its shell

00:16:50It would recognize the name on the contract as its master

00:16:53Worse, the contract did more than decide ownership

00:16:56The blood, warmth, voice and awakening power given by the hatcher would all be credited to the name that truly

00:17:02took effect

00:17:03Then I saw a tiny note my mother had written in the margin

00:17:07Queen's note

00:17:08Beware the double ink

00:17:10My heart clenched

00:17:11Double ink was something royal mages used to hide secret orders

00:17:14A line of writing appeared on the surface but beneath it

00:17:18Another line the one that actually took effect could be concealed

00:17:21Ordinary eyes could not see it

00:17:23Only a revealing solution could expose it

00:17:26At last I understood where the problem might be

00:17:29That night I changed into a maid's dress slipped past the guards and broke into the royal archive

00:17:34In my last life when I was desperate to prove my innocence

00:17:38I had knelt there and begged them to let me see the contracts

00:17:41They did not open the door

00:17:42They only shoved me down the steps and called me a lying thief

00:17:46This time I did not beg

00:17:48I used the sleeping powder Martha had given me to put the guards to sleep

00:17:52Then took the keys from his belt

00:17:55Who's there?

00:17:56The guard's voice faded before he could finish

00:17:58He slid down against the wall asleep

00:18:00The archive was cold

00:18:02Rows of wooden cabinets stretched into the darkness

00:18:04I found the contracts from the day of the egg ceremony by date

00:18:08My fingers shaking so badly I could barely hold the papers

00:18:11The first contract was Isolda's

00:18:13On the surface it said Isolda

00:18:16The second contract was mine

00:18:18On the surface it said Serafina

00:18:20I took out the revealing solution my mother had left behind and let a drop fall onto the page

00:18:25At first nothing happened

00:18:27Then the ink began to blur

00:18:29The name Serafina faded

00:18:31Beneath it, another name rose to the surface

00:18:35Isolda

00:18:36I stared at that name, ice flooding my veins

00:18:38So that was it

00:18:40My dragon had not betrayed me

00:18:42Isolda had not truly beaten me with her own power

00:18:45From the moment I signed my name on that paper

00:18:48My father had already replaced it with hers

00:18:50Every drop of blood, every hour of warmth

00:18:53Every whisper I had breathed into that egg

00:18:55None of it had ever been mine

00:18:56It had all belonged to her

00:18:59The next morning, I walked straight into the throne room

00:19:02King Alaric with Islica, examining her gold dragon egg

00:19:08The shell was already criss-crossed with cracks

00:19:11And faint, thin cries of a young dragon drifted from within

00:19:19Isolet

00:19:19Isolet looked up at the sound of my footsteps

00:19:22A sweet, triumphant smile spreading across her face

00:19:25Sister, have you finally come to your senses?

00:19:29Are you here to apologize to father?

00:19:31And beg to keep your place at my side?

00:19:34I did not look at her

00:19:36I bowed to the man on the throne

00:19:39Father

00:19:41I can't hatch a dragon

00:19:44The hole went silent

00:19:48What did you say?

00:19:50I said I am willing to withdraw from the succession trial

00:19:55I am no match for Isolet

00:19:58Since she has already hatched a gold dragon

00:20:01The throne should naturally belong for her

00:20:06The smile frozen on Isolet's face

00:20:10Her fingers tightened around the egg so hard her knuckles whited

00:20:14And a small piece of shell flaked off onto her skirt

00:20:20My father did not look pleased either

00:20:24Nonsense

00:20:26I looked at him calmly

00:20:29Of course he could not let me quit

00:20:32Isolet had not truly hatched anything

00:20:34The gold dragon egg in her arms

00:20:36Depending on my contract upon my blood

00:20:40If I stopped hatching dragons

00:20:42She would have nothing left to steal

00:20:45Alarith softened his voice

00:20:47Trying on the mask of a gentle father

00:20:49Seraphina, you have always been a proud child

00:20:53One failure means nothing

00:20:55The kingdom needs you to keep trying

00:20:58I almost laughed

00:21:01In my first life

00:21:03When he stood over me in the dragon pit

00:21:06And condemned me to die

00:21:08He had never once said the kingdom needed me

00:21:11The kinder he pretended to be

00:21:13The clearer the truth became

00:21:18Isolet's golden dragon

00:21:20Isolet's golden dragon was nothing but a shadow of mine

00:21:22And without me

00:21:23It would die before it ever saw the sun

00:21:28The answer was already in my hands

00:21:30As long as that hidden name remained

00:21:33Every drop of blood I gave would become Isolet's claim

00:21:37A small zound came from behind me

00:21:40A soft rustle came from the archway behind me

00:21:43I whirled

00:21:45Dagger drawn and pressed to the intruder's throat

00:21:48Before I saw her face

00:21:49Martha stood in the doorway

00:21:51Pale as a ghost

00:21:54Your highness

00:21:55It's me

00:21:56I saw you leave the tower and followed

00:21:59I was afraid you'd be caught

00:22:02Slowly, I lowered the blade

00:22:04She stepped inside

00:22:06And when her eyes fell on the glowing contract in my hand

00:22:09Her lips trembled and tears spilled over at once

00:22:13The queen suspected something like this would happen

00:22:18The year the eggs were moved to the vault

00:22:21She said the contracts felt wrong

00:22:25But she was already too ill

00:22:27She died before she could prove it

00:22:30I closed my eyes

00:22:32The weight of my mother's unfinished protection settled over me

00:22:36Warm and sharp all at once

00:22:38My mother had not failed to protect me

00:22:40She had simply run out of time

00:22:45Your highness

00:22:46What do we do now?

00:22:48We have proof

00:22:50We can call the nobles at dawn

00:22:53Show them the truth

00:22:55We can clear your name and take everything back

00:22:58I looked at the name on the page and suddenly laughed

00:23:05No

00:23:06Martha stared at me

00:23:08They won't believe it

00:23:10In my last life

00:23:11I laid everything bare

00:23:12And they still chose Isolette's tears

00:23:15The nobles did not care about the truth

00:23:18Neither did the people

00:23:19They believed the winner

00:23:21Truth doesn't win here

00:23:23Winners write the truth

00:23:26So this time

00:23:27I'd make the winner confess she was a fraud

00:23:30I rolled the contract back up

00:23:32And put it where I had found it

00:23:36If father loves changing names so much

00:23:39Then let that name stay there

00:23:44Isolette likes stealing my dragons

00:23:46Then I'll let her steal one

00:23:49She stole my golden dragon

00:23:51My crown, my life

00:23:53This time, I will let her steal something else

00:23:55Something that will tear her lies apart from the inside out

00:24:00The Royal Forbidden's Vault lay beneath the dragon pit

00:24:05There were no gilded pillars there

00:24:07No golden flames to symbolize royal power

00:24:12Only a cold, damp staircase leading down into darkness

00:24:16The walls scarred with black burn marks

00:24:19After the war, the royal family had sealed the most dangerous dragon eggs here

00:24:26Not because they were noble

00:24:28Because no one dared to hatch them

00:24:37My mother's notes mentioned one egg in particular

00:24:43A black dragon egg

00:24:50Black dragons were powerful, savage, and almost impossible to tame

00:24:59They were not like gold dragons, which symbolized the throne

00:25:05They were not like red dragons, which burned for war

00:25:08Black dragons devoured falsehood in a contract

00:25:12They attacked those who deceived them

00:25:17Three kings had tried to bind black dragons to their will

00:25:20Over 300 years

00:25:21All had paid a terrible price

00:25:24The first lost an entire hand to dragon fire

00:25:27The second went mad on the day the dragon hatched

00:25:31The third managed to make the dragon poop in 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 Forbidden's Vault

00:25:53In my first life, I died without ever knowing it existed

00:25:57In this life, I opened the door

00:26:02There was no light behind the iron door

00:26:06I walked in with a torch and saw a jet black dragon egg resting silently on a stone platform

00:26:12It was much larger than an ordinary egg

00:26:15There were no markings on the shell

00:26:17As I approached, the torch flame shrank and dimmed, as if the darkness itself was eating the light

00:26:22The thing inside was awake

00:26:24I know you're dangerous

00:26:27The black egg did not respond

00:26:29I also know you won't kneel tamely at anyone's feet

00:26:34This time, the shell trembled lightly

00:26:40Father, I'm tired

00:26:42I accept that I am not as capable as Isoth

00:26:47Please allow me to leave the tower and move to the estate outside the city

00:26:50I will never touch another dragon egg

00:26:54No!

00:26:57This time, it was Isolid who spoke

00:27:00She flinched as soon as she said it

00:27:02Realizing she too taution to had broken her gentle ale mask in front of the nobles

00:27:08Sister, I didn't mean it that way

00:27:10I only think you shouldn't give up so easily

00:27:15You are my sister

00:27:28I want you to prove yourself too

00:27:30I turned to her fully, taking one slow step forward

00:27:35She stumbled back half a step before she caught herself

00:27:40What good would that do you?

00:27:44Isolidh's face went pale

00:27:46Don't you already have a gold dragon?

00:27:49Aren't you about to become the heir?

00:27:52Why are you afraid I'll stop hatching dragons?

00:27:55Several nobles in the hall exchanged puzzled looks

00:27:57Isolate bit down hard on her lip

00:27:59Tears rolling down her cheeks

00:28:01Sister, how can you think that of me?

00:28:05I'm only worried about you

00:28:09In my last life

00:28:10I'd have rushed to defend myself and ended up looking cruel beside her tears

00:28:17This time

00:28:19I only smiled

00:28:21Then thank you for your concern

00:28:23I bowed to my father again

00:28:35Father, since Isolidh has won

00:28:37There is no reason for me to remain here

00:28:39Alaric stared at me

00:28:41For the first time, I saw panic in his eyes

00:28:46You must continue hatching dragon eggs

00:28:50Why?

00:28:52He stopped

00:28:53The words died on his tongue

00:28:56He could not say the quiet part out loud

00:28:59I lowered my voice, just loud enough for the front rows of nobles to hear

00:29:04Surely it isn't because Isolidh needs me to hatch them for her

00:29:07The sentence cut through the false calm of the hall

00:29:12Isolidh's face changed completely

00:29:14Alex slammed his palm down on the arm of the throne so hard the goblets rattled

00:29:19How dare you?

00:29:21I knelt slowly, my back straight

00:29:24Forgive me father

00:29:25It was only a joke

00:29:27But the joke

00:29:28Had already sunk its teeth in

00:29:31No one in that hall would forget the question

00:29:33Or the panic on Isolidh's face

00:29:35After I left the hall, Isolidh followed me

00:29:41She grabbed my wrist, her nails digging hard into my sleeve through the fabric

00:29:49Serafina, what are you planning?

00:29:51I'm planning to give up

00:29:53You're lying

00:29:54You must have hidden another dragon egg somewhere

00:29:56You think?

00:29:57You can raise one in secret?

00:29:59And take everything back?

00:30:00I pulled my wrist free

00:30:02Brushing off my sleeve as if I'd touched something dirty

00:30:05Then take your time looking

00:30:08Search every tower, every cellar, every corner of the palace

00:30:12I won't stop you

00:30:14Her chest and fell with anger

00:30:17She leaned in, her voice low and vicious

00:30:20Don't think you can threaten me

00:30:22Father will stand with me

00:30:24The nobles will stand with me

00:30:25As long as I say you stole something from me

00:30:28They will throw you into the dragon pit

00:30:30All over again

00:30:32I know

00:30:33My calm only stoked her panic

00:30:36She had expected tears

00:30:38Rage

00:30:40Please

00:30:41Anything but this quiet certainty

00:30:43That's why this time

00:30:45I'll give you something you won't be able to resist stealing

00:30:49Something you will beg to take from me

00:30:52She did not follow again

00:30:55The bait was already set

00:30:57And I knew she would bite

00:31:01I unfolded the crumpled copy of the altered contract I'd taken from the archive

00:31:05On the surface

00:31:05The name that truly took effect was Isolda

00:31:09My father thought he had built a throne for Isolda

00:31:11He did not realize the same forged contract he'd used to steal my dragon

00:31:14Would also tie a ravenous noose tight around her neck

00:31:17I cut my finger and let my blood fall onto the contract

00:31:19The name on the page flared

00:31:21Isolette

00:31:22On the stone platform the black egg shook violently

00:31:24So hard it rattled against the rock

00:31:26A low, rumbling growl rolled out from within the shell

00:31:29Deep and guttural nothing like the soft

00:31:31High chirp of a newborn gold dragon

00:31:34Grow well

00:31:36Soon enough she will come to steal you

00:31:38For the next ten days and ten nights

00:31:40I did not step foot back in the old tower

00:31:42I stayed in the damp, dark forbiddance vault

00:31:44Curled up beside the black egg through every hour

00:31:47I gave it warmth

00:31:48I gave it blood

00:31:49I gave it silence

00:31:50It was nothing like the gold dragon I'd raised in my last life

00:31:53The gold dragon had answered my whispers with tiny, soft taps from inside the shell

00:31:57Gentle as an unborn child reaching for its mother

00:32:00The black dragon never sought comfort

00:32:01It never tapped back, never leaned into my palm

00:32:04It only grew hotter and heavier with each passing day

00:32:07The shell burning like forged iron

00:32:08More than once, I felt as if it was watching me

00:32:11On the eleventh day the first crack appeared in the shell

00:32:13Martha stood at the door, her face paler than the dust

00:32:16Your highness

00:32:17Black dragons are untamable

00:32:19Once it breaks free, people may truly die

00:32:22Isoled may die

00:32:23And you still want to go through with this?

00:32:26There's no turning back once the shell breaks

00:32:29I stared at the glowing crack on the black shell

00:32:31And the memories of my last life flashed before my eyes

00:32:34The iron gate of the dragon pit were shut

00:32:36Isolde's smug

00:32:38Tear-streaked smile high above

00:32:39My father's cold, unforgiving eyes

00:32:41The roar of the crowd screaming thief as I fell

00:32:44They never gave me a way back

00:32:45Yes, I continue

00:32:47If it truly recognizes Iselec as its master, will she die?

00:32:51I did not answer right away

00:32:52Death would be too easy for her

00:32:55First, the black dragon will tear away every last one of her lies

00:32:59It will make every person in this kingdom see exactly what she stole

00:33:04The dragon, the crown, and my life

00:33:06On the night before the succession ceremony

00:33:08Isolde came to the entrance of the Forbidden's Vault herself

00:33:11She could not enter

00:33:12She could only look at me through the iron gate

00:33:15Sister

00:33:17I knew it

00:33:18You've been hiding something this whole time

00:33:20I picked up the black egg and carried it to the iron gate

00:33:22Holding it up so the firelight fell full across its glossy black shell

00:33:26Her eyes lit up at once, bright with naked greed

00:33:28All pretence of gentleness vanishing in the dark

00:33:30A black dragon egg

00:33:32The most powerful dragon in all of Valdoria

00:33:36Stronger than any gold dragon

00:33:38Isolde's throat bobbed hard as she swallowed

00:33:40She could not look away from the egg

00:33:42Tomorrow, at the ceremony in the square

00:33:44You can stand in front of all the nobles and all the people

00:33:47And tell everyone that this egg belongs to you

00:33:50As I turned away, I heard her whisper

00:33:51It will be mine, everything will be mine

00:33:55I smiled, Serafina quietly to herself

00:33:57Of course it will

00:34:00On the day of the succession ceremony

00:34:02The palace square was packed from end to end

00:34:04The crowd buzzing with excitement

00:34:06Nobles stood on both sides of the high platform

00:34:09Commoners crowded behind the iron railings

00:34:11Everyone wanted to see the gold dragon hatch

00:34:13And witness Isolde become the next queen

00:34:15Isolde stood at the center of the high platform

00:34:18In a snow white ceremonial gown

00:34:19A delicate pearl crown perched on her golden hair

00:34:22The gold dragon egg in her arms was crisscrossed with cracks

00:34:25Warm golden light seeping through every gap

00:34:28And faint, soft chirps drifted out from within

00:34:31King Alaric stood proudly at her side

00:34:34His chest puffed out, every line of his face screaming satisfaction

00:34:37At the heir he had chosen

00:34:39The sight burned into my eyes, sharp with the pain of old memories

00:34:43In my last life I had stood exactly where she was

00:34:46Holding that same glowing gold egg

00:34:48Believing my diligence had finally been rewarded

00:34:51I had thought the world was fair

00:34:53That the dragon would choose the one who raised it

00:34:55But justice had always been a joke written by the winners

00:34:58The real rules had been rewritten in secret

00:35:01Long before I ever stepped into that hall

00:35:03The master of ceremonies lifted his staff

00:35:06And his booming voice rolled across the square

00:35:08By the ancient laws of Valdoria

00:35:12Let both princesses

00:35:15Present their dragon eggs

00:35:18Before the people

00:35:20Isolde stepped forward first

00:35:21Her skirt trailing elegantly behind her

00:35:23She set the gold dragon egg gently on the stone altar

00:35:26And golden light burst forth drawing a wave of odd murmurs from the nobles

00:35:31A true gold dragon

00:35:34I never thought I'd see one in my lifetime

00:35:36The gold dragon is the very symbol of royal power

00:35:39This is an omen

00:35:41Princess Isolette truly is the chosen one

00:35:45She is Valdoria's future

00:35:47Beneath the hum of admiration

00:35:48I stepped out from the shadow of the archway

00:35:50The black dragon egg held steady in my arms

00:35:53In an instant every sound vanished

00:35:55The black egg did not glow with warm, brilliant light like the gold one

00:35:59It drank in the light around it

00:36:01Heavy and oppressive, pressing down on every breath

00:36:04Wherever it passed, the flames nearby bent low

00:36:08A commoner in the front row breathed out the question

00:36:12What... what... what is that thing?

00:36:15An elderly noble in the front row stood up abruptly, his hands shaking on the railing

00:36:19A black black dragon egg

00:36:22That... that's a black dragon egg

00:36:25Another noble leaned forward, his face pale with shock

00:36:28Impossible

00:36:30Wasn't that sealed deep in the forbidden vault generations ago?

00:36:34How did she get it?

00:36:35When Isolde saw the egg, all color drained from her face

00:36:40Isolette drew a deep breath, lifting her chin and straightening her back

00:36:42Putting on all the dignity of a rightful heir

00:36:44Yes, it belongs to me

00:36:45It was sealed away for the royal heir and I am the heir

00:36:48I looked at her

00:36:48And you are equally certain that when it breaks its shell

00:36:52It will recognize you, and only you

00:36:55As its master

00:36:56Unease flickered in her eyes, but the thrill of victory quickly smothered it

00:37:00Of course it will! Dragons know their true master

00:37:05I stepped back slowly, putting distance between myself and the altar

00:37:10Then go ahead

00:37:13Prove it to everyone

00:37:15Isolette had not expected me to yield so easily

00:37:17She stared at me for a long time

00:37:19As if searching for the trap

00:37:21Every eye in the square was on her

00:37:22Every noble, every commoner was waiting to see their future queen command her dragon

00:37:26She had already declared the egg hers

00:37:27If she hesitated now all her lies would crumble

00:37:28So she squirms flat against the cold black shell

00:37:30In the name of Valdoria's future queen

00:37:32I command you to break your shell and recognize your master

00:37:35For one moment, the black egg was still

00:37:37Then it cracked

00:37:38A single razor sharp black line split the shell clean from top to bottom

00:37:42Glowing with faint smoky light

00:37:43The nobles closest to the altar stumbled back at once

00:37:46Their faces white

00:37:46Black dragons are ferocious

00:37:49You cannot stand so close at hatching

00:37:51Isolette forced a proud smile onto her face

00:37:53But her fingers were trembling so hard against the shell she could barely keep them still

00:37:56Why should I?

00:37:57It is my dragon, it will not hurt its own master

00:38:04Before the crowd could finish whispering, Isavid suddenly stepped forward to the edge of the platform

00:38:10Sister, why do you keep doing this?

00:38:13I stopped and looked at her

00:38:14Tears filled her eyes right on Cuse

00:38:16Was stealing my gold dragon egg not enough?

00:38:20Now you've snuck into the forbidden vault to steal my black dragon egg too?

00:38:25The square exploded into an uproar

00:38:28Angry shouts and murmurs rolled over me like a wave

00:38:32I heard the crowd call me greedy, shameless, a thief who would do anything for power

00:38:38I heard them say I'd never change, that I'd always been jealous of my sister

00:38:42I heard a woman's sharp voice yell that I was not worthy of being a princess

00:38:46Not worthy of the royal blood in my veins

00:38:49On the throne, King Alaric rose slowly

00:38:52Serafina, hand over the black dragon egg at once

00:38:56I did not move

00:38:58On what grounds?

00:39:02His gaze cut through the noise

00:39:04Isleth has said it belongs to her

00:39:07I laughed

00:39:10So that's the law of the palace now?

00:39:13If she says it is hers

00:39:16Then it is hers

00:39:18Isleth shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks

00:39:21Sister I know you hate me for being loved by father

00:39:22But you can't steal from me again and again just because you want the throne

00:39:25The gold dragon chose me and you refused to accept it

00:39:26Now you've gone and stolen the black dragon too

00:39:28What else do you want from me? Do you want my life?

00:39:30In my last life, I had lost everything to those tears

00:39:34I'd shouted, I'd argued, I'd begged

00:39:37And I'd still looked like a cruel bully beside her soft weeping figure

00:39:42But this life

00:39:44There is no mention of, of explaining myself

00:39:48I would not beg

00:39:50I would not yell

00:39:51I stepped up onto the platform

00:39:53Walked to the altar

00:39:55And set the black dragon egg down right beside the blowing gold one

00:39:58Isleth are you certain this black dragon egg belongs to you?

00:40:01In front of father, in front of every noble, every citizen standing in the square

00:40:05Are you certain you want to swear before all of them that this is your dragon egg?

00:40:08Isleth's eyes darted to King Alaric, searching for reassurance

00:40:11Alaric nodded almost imperceptibly

00:40:14I saw it. Good. Just like last time

00:40:18They had chosen greed over truth

00:40:21The moment the second clock had split open

00:40:23The sky above the square darkened

00:40:25It was not that clouds had rolled in to cover the sun

00:40:28It was as if something inside the shell had reached up and swallowed all the light in the air

00:40:32One torch after another bent low

00:40:34Even the faint cries from the gold dragon egg suddenly stopped

00:40:37Isolde's hands were still pressed tight to the black shell

00:40:40But her knuckles had gone white

00:40:41Her smile froze

00:40:43This is wrong. This is all wrong

00:40:46A black dragon's hatching is thunder and fire

00:40:49It should not be this quiet

00:40:51This is unnatural

00:40:53The next second with a sound like shattering obsidian

00:40:55The entire shell burst apart

00:40:57A young black dragon crawled out

00:41:00It was not large

00:41:01But the entire square fell into dead silence

00:41:03Its wet black scales clung to its body

00:41:06But its eyes were already cold

00:41:08It did not cry softly like a gold dragon

00:41:11It did not nuzzle anyone's hand

00:41:12It only lifted its head and looked at Isolde

00:41:17Isolde took a step back before she could stop herself

00:41:22Come here

00:41:25I am your master

00:41:27The black dragon tilted its head

00:41:29Then it lowered its snout and sniffed the contact

00:41:32Paper on the altar black fire ignited across the page

00:41:35The name hidden beneath the surface slowly appeared

00:41:38Isolde

00:41:43Everyone saw it dot

00:41:44Sharp breaths rose all around me

00:41:47Isolde's face turned white

00:41:49She whipped her head toward our father

00:41:51Alaric had frozen to

00:41:52Must not have expected the black dragon to burn the hidden name into the open

00:42:02The black dragon took one slow, deliberate step toward Isolde

00:42:06Its claws clicking sharp on the stone altar

00:42:10At last

00:42:11Panic broke through her composure

00:42:15No!

00:42:16No it wasn't me!

00:42:17This is a trick!

00:42:18She backed away, her voice shaking

00:42:20I didn't hatch you!

00:42:22She did!

00:42:24Seraphina hatched you!

00:42:25She's the one who fed you her blood!

00:42:29But you just stood in front of this entire kingdom and swore it was yours

00:42:34Isolde screamed, sharp and streal, her composure gone entirely

00:42:40That isn't what I meant!

00:42:42You tricked me! You lured me into saying it!

00:42:45You said the gold dragon was yours and everyone believed you

00:42:49No one tricked you then

00:42:50You said the black dragon was yours and everyone believed that too

00:42:54You reached for it gladly

00:42:55You called it your birthright

00:42:57I stopped just out of the dragon's reach

00:42:59Looking down at her cringing figure

00:43:02Dear sisters

00:43:04Haven't you always loved stealing my dragons?

00:43:07This one is yours now

00:43:08Keep it!

00:43:09The black dragon lunged without warning

00:43:12A low snarl rumbling in its chest

00:43:15The guards beside Isolde drew their swords with a sharp clang

00:43:18But the dragon swept them aside with one flick of its tail

00:43:21Sending men and steel crashing into the stone steps

00:43:24It did not kill her at once

00:43:26It was toying with her, the way a cat toys with a mouse before the kill

00:43:30It pinned her wrist beneath its claws, and black fire crawled up her skin

00:43:35Isilad screamed

00:43:37The golden contract marks on the back of her hand burned away inch by inch

00:43:42It was not ordinary fire

00:43:43It did not char her flesh

00:43:45It burned the stolen contract out of her

00:43:49Father!

00:43:52Save me!

00:43:53Please!

00:43:55She sobbed and shrieked toward Alaric

00:43:57Her body twisting uselessly beneath the dragon's claw

00:44:00At last, Alaric could no longer stand still and watch

00:44:04He stormed down from the throne platform

00:44:07Stop it!

00:44:08Seraphina!

00:44:09Make it stop this instant!

00:44:12Why should I?

00:44:15Isn't it Issala's dragon?

00:44:17Shouldn't her own dragon obey her?

00:44:21His face went studged

00:44:23The black dragon continued pressing in on Isolde

00:44:26Black fire had already climbed to her throat

00:44:35Her carefully arranged hair had fallen loose

00:44:38Her pearl crown dropped to the ground and shattered beneath her own foot

00:44:42She no longer looked like a noble princess

00:44:46She looked like a fraud finally being exposed

00:44:51Father!

00:44:52Tell them!

00:44:53Say it out loud!

00:44:55Or it will burn me alive!

00:44:58I don't want to die!

00:45:00Every eye in the square turned to the king

00:45:04Curiosity, doubt, judgement

00:45:05All of it landed on him at once

00:45:08I walked toward him

00:45:11Tell them what father?

00:45:13Alaric stared at me

00:45:15Hatred and fear warring in his eyes

00:45:17His hands clenched at his sides

00:45:21I lowered my voice

00:45:23Father!

00:45:25Don't you love Issylith most?

00:45:29Saving her is simple

00:45:31Tell everyone why every dragon I hatched

00:45:35Every drop of Bly gave

00:45:38All ended up recognizing her as their master

00:45:43His lips trembled

00:45:46Serafina!

00:45:48Must you destroy the royal family?

00:45:50Must you humiliate us in front of every subject?

00:45:54I smiled

00:45:57Didn't you already do that?

00:46:00The day you altered the contract

00:46:03The day you threw your own daughter into the dragon pit

00:46:08You destroyed the royal family's honor yourself

00:46:13The black dragon growled again

00:46:15And Isolde's scream tore through the square

00:46:20Finally, Alaric closed his eyes

00:46:24It was me

00:46:30I changed the name on the contract

00:46:35Wind swept across the altar

00:46:37Scattering the ashes of the burned contract into the air like black snow

00:46:48Before any royal dragon egg can be hatched

00:46:53The magical contract must be signed

00:47:04When the dragon breaks from its shell, it recognizes the name on the contract as its master

00:47:12I ordered the royal mages to use double ink on Serafina's contract

00:47:27On the surface, Serafina's contract bore her own name

00:47:35But the name that truly took effect was

00:47:38Isolette

00:47:48Gasps erupted from the crowd

00:47:53Isolette

00:47:54Isolde was crying so hard she could barely breathe

00:47:56But she still shook her head wildly

00:47:59No!

00:48:01No it wasn't me!

00:48:03Father did it!

00:48:05I didn't know anything!

00:48:06I knew nothing!

00:48:13You knew nothing?

00:48:18I crouched down in front of her

00:48:23Three whole months

00:48:26Every midnight you snuck into my incubation chamber and dapped my egg with your blood

00:48:33You knew nothing then either?

00:48:35Her eyes went wide

00:48:37She had never told anyone about those midnight visits

00:48:42Before the hatching ceremony

00:48:44You brushed dragon repellent sap on my fingertips

00:48:48So the gold dragon bite me

00:48:52You knew nothing about that either?

00:48:55Of course, no one else in this life understood those words

00:48:58But Isolde did

00:49:01The fear on her face deepened

00:49:03Turning to something close to terror

00:49:10You knew every time

00:49:14Every time

00:49:15You planned every step

00:49:19You just thought you'd never get caught

00:49:22You also knew that if you cried

00:49:26Father would always stand on your side

00:49:31Isolde tried to answer

00:49:32But the black dragon's claws pressed into her shoulder

00:49:36And she could not form a single complete sentence

00:49:39I stood and turned to the nobles

00:49:44Do you still think I am a thief?

00:49:47No one answered

00:49:47Those who had been so eager to insult me lowered their heads one by one

00:49:52The hidden name has been burned into the open

00:49:56The king has confessed with his own mouth

00:50:00The gold dragon, the black dragon, and every dragon Isilic ever claimed as hers

00:50:05Were hatched by me

00:50:07Some stepped back

00:50:09Others dropped their eyes

00:50:10Unable to meet my gaze

00:50:12At last, they understood that the princess they had worshipped was not chosen by dragons

00:50:17She was a fraud propped up by her father's cheating

00:50:19And they had all been her willing audience

00:50:21An elderly noble fell to his knees

00:50:23His whole body trembling

00:50:27Princess Seraphina

00:50:28We were deceived

00:50:32We did not know the truth

00:50:35Forgive us

00:50:36I looked at him

00:50:39No

00:50:41You were not deceived

00:50:44You chose the more convenient lie

00:50:46Because that lie did not require them to oppose the king

00:50:49Because that lie let them stomp a disgraced princess into the mud

00:50:52Because Isolde cried beautifully

00:50:54And I refused to lower my head

00:50:56They were not blind

00:50:57They had simply decided the truth did not matter

00:51:00Alaric suddenly spoke

00:51:03Seraphina, this was my crime

00:51:04Punish me if you must

00:51:07Isolette is innocent

00:51:08I turned to him

00:51:09Even now, he was still protecting her

00:51:14Innocent?

00:51:15She just claimed the black dragon egg in front of the entire kingdom

00:51:17Did you force her to do that too?

00:51:19Alaric had no answer

00:51:21Isolde finally broke

00:51:23I was wrong, sister

00:51:24I was wrong, I swear

00:51:27She tried to crawl toward my skirt

00:51:29But the black dragon pinned her to the ground

00:51:32I was just scared

00:51:35I was afraid that once you inherited the throne

00:51:37We would have nothing

00:51:39I only wanted a better life

00:51:42You wanted a better life so I deserved to die

00:51:46You stole my dragons

00:51:47You stole my throne

00:51:49You stole my reputation

00:51:51You let everyone call me a thief

00:51:54You let father throw me into the dragon pit

00:51:59She stared at me in horror

00:52:01As if looking at someone who should not remember those things

00:52:03I did not explain

00:52:05I lifted my hand

00:52:06The black dragon raised its head to look at me

00:52:09Its cold eyes softening for the first time

00:52:12Enough!

00:52:13The black dragon released Isolde

00:52:15She collapsed on the ground

00:52:17Trembling all over

00:52:18The golden markings on her hand were gone

00:52:20Only scorched black traces remained

00:52:22She had lost every claim the stolen contracts had given her

00:52:25From that moment on

00:52:27No dragon in Valdoria would ever recognize her as its master again

00:52:32It rained softly on the day my father was deposed

00:52:34After the hidden contract was exposed

00:52:37The council had no choice but to strip Alaric of the crown before the entire court

00:52:41I did not kill him

00:52:42Death would have been to light

00:52:44I had his crown removed and replaced with a crude iron circlet

00:52:47It had no jewels

00:52:49No gold designs

00:52:50Only cold weight

00:52:51When the guards lifted the old crown away

00:52:54Alaric reached for it by instinct

00:52:57Former King Alaric

00:52:58Lower your hand

00:52:59The title struck harder than a slap

00:53:02For the first time in his life

00:53:03No one called him your majesty

00:53:05He was imprisoned in the deepest dungeon beneath the throne room

00:53:09There was a narrow window there

00:53:11Facing the great hall

00:53:12He could not see the throne

00:53:14But he could hear every word spoken above him

00:53:16From then on

00:53:17Whenever the nobles swore loyalty to me

00:53:19He heard it

00:53:24Whenever the people shouted long live the queen

00:53:26That sound would drift down through the stone and into his cell

00:53:29The daughter he had despised

00:53:31The one he'd thrown away like trash

00:53:33Sat on his throne

00:53:34The daughter he'd loved most

00:53:36The one he'd given everything to

00:53:38Had lost everything and been cast out of the palace in disgrace

00:53:41That was the punishment I chose for him

00:53:45Seraphina

00:53:46You cannot do this

00:53:48I am still your father

00:53:50You cannot lock your own father in a dungeon

00:53:54I stood outside the iron bars

00:53:56Looking at the iron circlet pressing into his greying hair

00:53:59You only remembered you were my father

00:54:03After you lost your crown

00:54:05The kingdom needs me

00:54:07You're your young

00:54:08You don't know how to rule

00:54:10You'll tear it apart

00:54:12No

00:54:14And it will thrive without you

00:54:17The guards closed the iron door

00:54:20The sound echoed under the throne room

00:54:22Alaric stood behind the bars

00:54:24Staring upward as the first voice from the great hall rang down

00:54:28Long live Queen Seraphina

00:54:33Then another, then a hundred, then a thousand

00:54:36Until the whole palace rang with it

00:54:38His face twisted with rage and grief and humiliation

00:54:41He couldn't cover his ears

00:54:43From that day on

00:54:44He would have to listen to it every single day until the day he died

00:54:49As for Isolde

00:54:50I did not let her die either

00:54:53After the black dragon burned away the stolen contract

00:54:55She was too weak to stand on her own

00:54:57Half her hair had been scorched by black fire

00:55:00The contract mark on her hand would never return

00:55:02Nobles no longer called her princess

00:55:04Maids no longer lowered their eyes when she passed

00:55:06I stripped her of her title and sent her to the lowest level of the dragon pit

00:55:10It was no longer a place of quick execution

00:55:12Now it housed the lesser drakes kept by the royal family

00:55:14Filthy sharp-toothed things that ate scraps and charred bone

00:55:19Every day, she had to muck out their pens

00:55:21Carry baskets of charred bones

00:55:23And scrub rust and filth off the iron bars until her hands bled

00:55:26Chains circled her wrists

00:55:27Shackles clamped her ankles

00:55:29Isolde would slam her fists against the bars

00:55:31Her voice hoarse from screaming

00:55:35Isolde

00:55:36Take these chains off me

00:55:38I am Princess Isoleth

00:55:42You cannot do this to me

00:55:45Guard

00:55:48There is no Princess Isoleth in Valdoria anymore

00:55:51There is only a prisoner doing hard labour

00:55:54Noble girls who had once clung to her skirts

00:55:56Flattering her every word

00:55:58Would come to the pit edge on fine days and look down at her through the bars

00:56:02Noble girl 1

00:56:07Is that the former Princess Isolde?

00:56:10The one who used to call us common and unworthy?

00:56:14Noble girl 2

00:56:15She looks like any other servant now

00:56:18Hard to believe she almost wore the crown

00:56:20Noble girl 3

00:56:21I heard she never hatched a single dragon egg herself

00:56:25Every bit of it was stolen from the queen

00:56:28Whenever she heard those words

00:56:29She would throw herself at the bars like a wild animal

00:56:32Spitting and screaming

00:56:34Isolde

00:56:35Liars! All of you are liars!

00:56:38I was chosen by the dragons!

00:56:41I was the rightful future queen!

00:56:43But no one was afraid of her now

00:56:45She had lost my father's protection

00:56:46She had lost her title

00:56:48She had lost everyone's trust

00:56:50The cruelest part of all was the black dragon

00:56:52Sometimes it would circle high above the pit

00:56:54Whenever its shadow fell over her

00:56:56Isolde would scramble into the darkest corner

00:56:58Curling into a ball and covering her head

00:57:00Because she knew that she had once claimed that dragon as her own

00:57:03She had stolen every dragon

00:57:05I raised the last one became the nightmare she would live with for the rest of her life

00:57:10On the night before my coronation

00:57:11Martha carried the gold egg from the old tower to me

00:57:13She told me that when Isolde's gold egg began to crack

00:57:16Mine had gone dim

00:57:17As if every bit of life had been drained from it

00:57:19But it had not died

00:57:21After the black dragon burned away the false contract

00:57:23It warmed again

00:57:24Little by little, the power that had been diverted returned to it

00:57:27The gold veins on the shell glowed once more

00:57:29Like a late sunrise

00:57:31Martha

00:57:31Your majesty

00:57:33It waited for you

00:57:35I touched the shell with my fingertips

00:57:37Seraphina

00:57:40I made it wait too long

00:57:41On the day I was crowned

00:57:43The blood had already been washed from the square by rain

00:57:45The gold dragon from my old tower finally hatched

00:57:47It was small, its scales bright, its eyes clear

00:57:50Now that the contract had been corrected

00:57:52It walked me at last and rested its head gently against my palm

00:57:55The entire square knelt

00:57:58Crowd

00:58:02Long live the queen

00:58:04I looked down at the warm gold dragon in my hand

00:58:06Then lifted my gaze toward the highest tower

00:58:08The black dragon perched there, silent

00:58:13One symbolized the throne, the glory, the hope of the kingdom

00:58:16One symbolized the price

00:58:17The truth, the cost of every lie

00:58:19Valdoria would no longer be ruled by lies

00:58:22That same day, I abolished every clause in the old contracts

00:58:25That allowed a king to alter them in secret

00:58:26From then on, every dragon egg contract had to be signed in the presence of the council

00:58:31Noble witnesses, and representatives of the people

00:58:33No one would ever again use double ink to steal a name

00:58:36I also opened the royal vaults and ordered every sleeping dragon egg to be registered again

00:58:40Dragons would no longer be tools for a father to favor one daughter over another

00:58:44They belong to the ones who truly awaken them

00:58:47The first public dragon egg registration under the new law was held in the same square where Isolde had once

00:58:53lied

00:58:53This time, there was no hidden ink

00:58:55The contract table stood in the open

00:58:56Three counselors to noble witnesses and five representatives of the people watched every name written down

00:59:02A baker's son stepped forward with shaking hands

00:59:04Your majesty, may someone like me really try

00:59:07I looked at the small copper colored egg resting before him

00:59:10An 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

00:59:18Your warmth and your patience

00:59:20Then you may try

00:59:22Dragons do not care about birth

00:59:24They care about who wakes them

00:59:27The boy lifted his head, his eyes bright

00:59:29He took a small knife, cut his fingertip, and signed his name clearly on the contract

00:59:33The crowd murmured, not in fear this time, but wonder

00:59:36At that moment, a pair of guards led Isolde through the edge of the square

00:59:39On their way to deliver ash from the dragon pens

00:59:41She was bent under the weight of a heavy basket

00:59:44Chains clinking with every step

00:59:45She stopped when she saw the boy at the contract table

00:59:47A baker's child?

00:59:50You let a baker's child touch a dragon egg?

00:59:53People turned to look at her

00:59:55People turned to look at her

00:59:56A laugh broke out first

00:59:57Then another

00:59:58Then more

00:59:58Better a baker's child with his own name on the contract

01:00:01Than a princess who stole every name she ever had

01:00:04Isolde lunged toward the table, chains dragging across the stones

01:00:08Dragons belong to royal blood

01:00:10The copper egg trembled

01:00:12A tiny crack appeared in the shell

01:00:13The boy gasped, his hand flying to his mouth

01:00:15It moved

01:00:17The gold dragon beside me lowered its head

01:00:19Calm and watchful

01:00:20The black dragon's shadow slid across the square from the high tower

01:00:23Isolde froze under that shadow

01:00:25I stepped between her and the table

01:00:27The guard pulled Isolde back toward the pit

01:00:29No! Dragons belong to the ones who truly awaken them

01:00:33She screamed and struggled until her voice cracked

01:00:36But no one looked at her anymore

01:00:37Behind her, the small copper dragon pushed its way out of the shell

01:00:41And crawled unsteadily toward the baker's son, nuzzling his hand

01:00:45The crowd burst into cheers for a child Isolde would once have stepped over without a glance

01:00:49That sound hurt for more than chains

01:00:52The first winter of my reign was harsh

01:00:54Not all the nobles King Alaric had left behind accepted me

01:00:57Some swore loyalty to my face while secretly trying to support distant relatives for the throne

01:01:01I did not rush to kill them, I let them expose themselves

01:01:04One duke tried to bribe a witness during a public dragon egg registration

01:01:07To have his son's name secretly added

01:01:09And the witness's testimony read aloud in the square

01:01:12Then I stripped him of all his lands in front of his own family and his own people

01:01:16Your majesty, this is only a misdisunderstanding

01:01:18A servant acted without my knowledge

01:01:20Then let this misunderstanding be clear to everyone

01:01:23From today on your lands return to the crown

01:01:25And your house will never again hold a dragon contract

01:01:28One bishop declared from his pulpit that a woman could not rule Valdoria

01:01:31That my reign was against the old gods

01:01:33The ledgers of bribes he had taken were nailed to the doors of his own cathedral

01:01:36This is an insult to the temple!

01:01:38No, taking gold from villages where children froze to death was the insult

01:01:44Then there were those who tried to smuggle Isolde out of the dragon pit

01:01:47Thinking they could raise a banner in her name

01:01:49I did not execute them

01:01:50I sentenced them to serve three months in the dragon pit themselves

01:01:53Doing the same work she did

01:01:55When the three months ended

01:01:56The man who planned the escape knelt before me, thin and shaking

01:02:00Your majesty, I beg forgiveness

01:02:03One week in that pit is worse than a year in exile

01:02:05I will never do anything so foolish again

01:02:09Then remember where you tried to send your loyalty

01:02:12I was not merciful

01:02:13But I'd not destroy the laws of my own kingdom for selfish love the way my father had

01:02:17A year later, Valdoria was stable again

01:02:19The gold dragon had grown enough to carry me over the capital

01:02:22When the people looked up and saw it, they took off their hats and bowed

01:02:25Children chased its shadow through the streets shouting my name

01:02:28Queen Seraphina! The gold dragon is coming!

01:02:32For the first time, their voices did not sound like judgment

01:02:34They sounded like a kingdom learning a new truth

01:02:39Sometimes, I visited Alarep in the dungeon

01:02:44He aged quickly in that dark cell

01:02:47The iron crown bent his neck

01:02:50The king who once sat above everyone

01:02:52Now had only a damp stone bed

01:02:55And the sound of cheering from above

01:02:59Serafina

01:03:00He called once through the bars

01:03:02Can you truly never forgive me?

01:03:05I am your father

01:03:07I looked at him

01:03:08There was regret in his eyes, yes

01:03:11But there was resentment too

01:03:12And pride

01:03:13And the bitter taste of having lost

01:03:16I knew then that he did not regret hurting me

01:03:18He regretted losing

01:03:22No

01:03:23His hands tightened on the bars

01:03:25His voice shook

01:03:27I am your father

01:03:29I gave you life

01:03:30You had many chances to remember that

01:03:33Before the contract was altered

01:03:37Before I was thrown to the drakes

01:03:40Before you chose her over and over and over again

01:03:45I turned and left

01:03:49Behind me, I heard him crying quietly

01:03:52I did not look back

01:03:54Later, Martha asked me whether I ever felt lonely

01:03:57Your majesty

01:03:58Do you ever wish there was someone who could stand beside you

01:04:01Without bowing, without calling you majesty?

01:04:04Just someone who knew you before the throne?

01:04:07I thought about it for a long time

01:04:09Staring out the window at the black dragon's tower

01:04:12After taking the throne

01:04:13I was surrounded by ministers, guards, and people who bowed to me

01:04:18But there were very few people I could truly lower my guard around

01:04:21Still, that loneliness was far better than kneeling at someone else's feet and begging for fairness

01:04:29I'd rather stand alone on the throne than return to the girl who needed someone else's approval to exist

01:04:34Martha lowered her head, her eyes red

01:04:38Your majesty

01:04:40The queen would have been proud

01:04:47Over the years, dragons slowly returned to Valdoria

01:04:52Not every egg hatched

01:04:54Not everyone who tried succeeded

01:04:57But at least, the new laws gave everyone a real chance

01:05:01Isolette remained alive, deep in the dragon pit

01:05:05She was no longer beautiful

01:05:07No longer proud

01:05:08Years of labor in the dragon pit roughened her hands and bent her back

01:05:13Sometimes the new servants didn't recognize her

01:05:15And even asked whether she had once been a servant herself

01:05:18She would fly into a rage and scream that she had been a princess

01:05:21I am a princess!

01:05:24I was Valdoria's future queen!

01:05:26You dare speak to me like that?!

01:05:29Then everyone would laugh

01:05:31A princess?

01:05:32In the dragon pit?

01:05:37What princess cleans dragon filth down here?

01:05:42What she could not bear was not the hard work

01:05:46It was that no one believed in her nobility anymore

01:05:49The identity she had valued most had become the biggest joke of all

01:05:53As for the black dragon, it never belonged to anyone

01:05:58It still lived on the highest black tower of the palace

01:06:02Sometimes it landed outside my window and watched me with those cold eyes

01:06:06I knew it was not obedience

01:06:08It was not affection either

01:06:13It simply remembered that I had let it hatch

01:06:16That was enough

01:06:20Years after my coronation

01:06:22One of Isolde's former flatterers came to the dragon pit at midnight

01:06:25The woman had once knelt beside Isolde's skirts

01:06:27Praising her beauty, her purity and her so-called destiny

01:06:30Now she wore a dark cloak and carried a hidden key stolen from a drunk guard

01:06:35Old noblewoman

01:06:36Isolde

01:06:36Isolde, be quiet and come with me

01:06:41Isolde lifted her head from beside the filthy stone trough

01:06:43For one impossible second

01:06:45Light returned to her eyes

01:06:47Isolde

01:06:48I knew it

01:06:50I knew someone still remembered who I am

01:06:53Old noblewoman

01:06:57There are still people who hate the new queen

01:07:00If we get you outside the city, they can use your name

01:07:03Isolde grabbed the bars with both hands

01:07:05Isolde

01:07:10Lose my name

01:07:12No

01:07:14They will kneel to me

01:07:16I am the true princess

01:07:18A lesser drake raised its head and arrived

01:07:20The guards appeared from both ends of the passage

01:07:22Swords drawn

01:07:23Guard

01:07:24Step away from the prisoner

01:07:26The noblewoman dropped the key

01:07:27It rang against the stone floor

01:07:29I walked down the stairs behind the guards

01:07:31My cloak untouched by the rain

01:07:33Isolde's face changed from joy to horror

01:07:35Serafina

01:07:37Still trying to steal something that isn't yours?

01:07:40Isolde

01:07:40You set this up!

01:07:42You knew she would come!

01:07:44No

01:07:46I let greed walk where it wanted

01:07:47The old noblewoman collapsed to her knees

01:07:50Old noblewoman

01:07:52Your Majesty Mercy

01:07:54I only thought the old bloodline

01:07:57Serafina

01:07:58The old bloodline nearly destroyed Valdonia

01:08:01With forged contracts and stolen dragons

01:08:06I ordered the woman stripped of her remaining title

01:08:08And assigned to the dragon pit for one year

01:08:10Then I looked at Isolde

01:08:12Serafina

01:08:12For encouraging escape

01:08:14Your chains will be moved to the lower pens

01:08:17Isolde

01:08:20No!

01:08:21Not there!

01:08:22The lower pens housed the smallest drakes

01:08:24But they were the cruelest

01:08:25They snapped at ankles, spat sparks, and never slept quietly

01:08:29As the guards dragged her down the steps

01:08:31Isolde finally screamed without pretending to cry

01:08:34Serafina!

01:08:35I am your sister!

01:08:37I did not answer

01:08:38It's too late to awaken to family ties now

01:08:41The next morning, Alaric heard the news before I went to him

01:08:46The dungeon carried sound strangely

01:08:49Cheers from the throne room drifted down

01:08:51So did screams from the passages leading to the dragon pit

01:08:56Alaric gripped the bars

01:09:02That voice

01:09:05Isolet

01:09:06The guard did not answer

01:09:10When I entered, Alaric's eyes were bloodshot

01:09:15What have you done to her?

01:09:18What she earned

01:09:19She is weak

01:09:21She was never meant for filth and chains

01:09:24I looked at the man who had once thrown me into the dragon pit without blinking

01:09:31Neither was I

01:09:35For once, he had no answer

01:09:38I ordered the guards to open the small passage window that faced the lower pens through the iron grate

01:09:45Alaric saw Isolde in the mud

01:09:47Wrists chained above her head while a young drake snapped sparks near her feet

01:09:52Her white dresses were long gone

01:09:54Her hands were cracked

01:09:57Her hair was uneven

01:10:04Father! Father, tell them to stop!

01:10:07Alaric staggered back as if the sight had struck him

01:10:11Serafina, please

01:10:13Whatever I did, she should not suffer for it

01:10:16You still don't understand

01:10:19I stepped closer to the bars

01:10:23She did not suffer for your crime

01:10:25She suffers for her own

01:10:29She was young

01:10:32She was old enough to hold my dragon and call me a thief

01:10:35The words landed between us like a blade

01:10:38Above us, the morning council began

01:10:40Long live Queen Serafina

01:10:44The sound poured into the dungeon

01:10:46It also poured into the passage where Isolde was screaming

01:10:49For the first time

01:10:52Father and daughter heard the same truth from opposite cages

01:10:57They had lost the kingdom they stole

01:11:03Many years later, a historian asked whether I regretted hatching the Black Dragon

01:11:08Your Majesty, the Black Dragon changed the fate of Valdoria

01:11:12Did 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

01:11:25Now they did not need to believe me

01:11:30They only needed to remember that day

01:11:33Remember that Isolde had claimed the Black Dragon egg as hers with her own mouth

01:11:37Remember that Alaric had confessed with his own mouth that he had changed the contract

01:11:43Remember how the princess they called a thief and a failure shattered the lie beneath her feet and took the

01:11:49throne

01:11:55I was not born a queen

01:11:56I was made one by betrayal, death, and rebirth, so what?

01:12:01Valdoria did not need a girl spoiled by her father's love

01:12:04It needed someone who could see a lie clearly and dare to burn it down with her own hands

01:12:11And I, Serafina, did exactly that

01:12:16Martha stood by the window, watching the gold dragon circle over the capital

01:12:20Your Majesty, the people are gathering again

01:12:23I looked down from the tower

01:12:25Children were running through the streets beneath the dragon's shadow

01:12:29Merchants paused their stalls

01:12:31Soldiers lowered their spears in salute

01:12:34No one shouted thief, no one shouted failure

01:12:37They shouted queen

01:12:38Far below the palace, Alaric could still hear them from his dungeon

01:12:44Deeper still, Isolde could hear them from the dragon pit

01:12:48That was the final justice

01:12:51They would live long enough to hear

01:12:55The name they tried to erase become the name the kingdom trusted most

01:13:00The black dragon opened its wings on the highest tower

01:13:06The gold dragon lowered its head beside me

01:13:08I placed my hand on the window ledge and looked over Valdoria

01:13:12Let the record show this clearly

01:13:15A stolen crown can be returned

01:13:17A stolen name can be burned clean

01:13:20But a queen who has died once

01:13:23Will never kneel again

01:13:24That is a Neander

01:13:24Following the Lord and saw the red chain of the kraamables

01:13:26precious wood and the hard hood came into the arch The

01:13:26word was frickinổ

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