"Forgive me for disturbing your rest, princess Amira, your father has called you for dinner!" A lady of fine-tuning, wearing a nature cotton clothe that stretches to her ankle, appears from Amira’s door.
She lifts her upper body and the attendant dashes to assist her. "Thank you, Diana," Amira utters.
Diana curls her fist and places it on her chest lowering her head in acquiescence.
"Is everyone already in the hall?" she asks.
"Everyone is, princess, except you and princess Alianah."
"She's not awake yet, is she?"
"Not yet, princess."
She releases a deep sigh and ponders on what she has done to her sister. Guilt is squeezing her heart yet the damage has already been done and she can only wish for her sister to get better soon.
Sigh.
She trots to the wardrobe to check for a dress. She changes into her blue Celtic gown with broad bordure and long chiffon sleeves. Diana ironed the back of her dress and utters, "Go ahead, princess Amira."
She proceeds to the long dinner table where her family awaits. Cynic stares from her other siblings greet her. They have started eating so she has to apologize herself for being late.
"Serve yourself, princess," says her Aba Mandel, breaking the silence that suddenly engulfs them.
She sits between her aba and princess Vanessa. Before her butt can even touch the carved rosewood chair, she meets Winona's glaring eyes. She disregards it like she always does and makes herself comfortable on her seat. She eyes the food. Roasted meat, spinach and cabbage are what she places on her plate.
Princess Vanessa can’t help but observe princess Amira as she slices the meat and wraps it in spinach before consuming it.
"Does it taste good?" Vanessa asks innocently.
Amira nods.
"Can I try—?”
"Don't ever think about it, Princess Vanessa. That food is for weaklings. Here, feed your body with this so you'll grow strong," Winona says and offers the bowl of charcoal.
"I've been eating that, Winona. I won't weaken if I take just one bit of Amira's food," she answers back. "Besides, true power comes from our inner strength and not just from our body's physical vitality."
"Listen to your sister, Vanessa! Do not train yourself to eat rubbish food or else…” Yeshua hesitates to continue.
“Or you may grow like the sister you've been admiring." Winona completes her eldest brother’s word and throws her taunting face to Amira.
"There's nothing wrong with princess Amira, I believe. She doesn't have to transform into a dragon for her to become strong because she herself is powerful without it. See what happened weeks ago in the arena?"
"Oh, you mean how her curse almost kills princess Alianah?" clarifies Winona.
A loud palm on the wooden table startles everyone. A terrifying aura emanates from the enrage alpha Douman. “You have the audacity to argue in front of me?” growls the alpha, his eyes craving for answer from each of his child. He grits his teeth when he sees the apologies in their eyes. "If you have nothing senseful to say, shut your mouth!”
Winona scrapes her seat and takes the courage to speak up on her siblings’ behalf. “Father, are we not going to hold Amira accountable for what happened to princess Alianah? It’s been weeks and yet you haven’t done anything yet!”
Amira can see the forbearance of her father as his expression hardened, his fists brimming to close.
Winona’s hand is trembling and her eyes start to water but she endures the intensity of her father’s stare.
“Princess, I understand that you care about your elder sister…” grackles Aba Mandel.
An insulting whimper escapes Winona’s lips but her Aba knows better not to fan the flames.
“But no one needs to face the whip nor fangs of death, Princess. Your father and I think of it well and our decision is already final,” says Aba Mandel.
Winona grunts as she throws herself to her chair, crossing her arms and piercing daggers to the sister she despises the most.
Amira’s mouth subconsciously curves into a smile. Rarely has her father’s decision turns to her favor and she’s pleased that he considers her well.
“There’s no need to be happy about this, Amira. Remember that you’re the reason why your sister is lying unconscious in bed!” reminds Alpha Douman before scraping his seat to leave. “I’ll go take my rest.”
Amira watches her father as he turns his back on them. It hurts to see her father throwing that same cold stare whenever her sister claim she has done something wrong when in fact, there isn’t.
Amira watches the dull reflection of her face from the shiny, golden table they have. All she ever wanted is to feel belonged but it’s too elusive for her.
“I’m already full, Aba. I’ll just go back to my room!” Amira says and without anyone’s approval yet, she excuses herself.
She heads to her chamber and wet her pillow with her tears. Her aba Mandel comes to comfort her.
“I don’t understand, aba, why I feel like I am not part of this family. If I am the one is Alianah’s position, will they care about me too? I-I don’t even understand how I managed to put her down. I don’t know where that power came from. Maybe, Winona is right. I was cursed!” She pours all her resentment on her Aba’s arm. The latter remains silent but hush his granddaughter to sleep.
When the day dawns crisp and clear, Amira strolls in the façade of their kingdom, observing the fluffy white clouds as it gives the mountains an ethereal beauty. The blooming meadow beneath it is carped with yellow, orange and purple wildflowers while the idyllic forest to her other side, lush with healthy green trees. She reminisces its panoramic view from the clouds where Hasham used to take her at times. While her imagination is almost enough to wash her pain away, it is faltered by the distinct stares of her fellow draconian passing her way. Some are piercing daggers to her while others are keeping a distance.
Her expression dulls. She embraces herself and decides to stroll on the other wing of their kingdom. That’s when she notices some sovereigns and their trustees parading into the hall where royal meetings are usually held.
The rock dragon’s alpha in his fuzzy grey sugarcoat carries a forward expression as he takes the stairs into the hall, his two apprentices behind him, neutral.
Alpha Rowal, upfront and reverse, appears with the alpha of the desert dragons. Their small talks can’t be heard by Amira but judging by the crooks on the other alpha’s forehead and his constant rubbing on his spade shape beard, they are talking about a serious matter. The piercing eyes of Alpha Rowal, the alpha of the red dragons, suddenly travels to Amira, his eyes are communicating something she can’t decipher.
“Princess Amira,” calls Prince Yeshua from behind her, startling and grabbing her attention in the process. She turns to see her brother wearing an embellish tunic with gold lace and a sun-kissed cloak on top of it. Standing erect and effortlessly elegant beside him is Princess Winona who’s giving Amira a prying eyes, her hand resting on her waist level.
“Oh, the ungrateful princess is wandering in the palace. You have the guts to show off your face after almost taking the life out of your elder sister, hmm?”
Vex clouds Amira’s face. Not only is she confused with what’s happening in the palace, she can’t understand, too, why she is being blamed for a fate already expected from her or Alianah.
Seeing that she succeeds in ruining her sister’s day, Winona winces and walks past Amira, hitting her by the shoulder. The latter grabs her wrist and sneers, “The challenge clearly stated that bloodshed is not forbidden. We either win or die. Too bad, Alianah is the one in the position you expect me to be in.”
Her sister feigns a smile. “Whatever, Amira! A cursed and abandoned draconian like you don’t matter anyway.” She forces her arm out of Amira’s grip and gives her a sharp-witted, scornful shot from head to toe. As she does so, a corner of her mouth twitches. “Celebrate now, regret later. I will make sure you will pay for what you’ve done to Alianah,” Winona hisses before slinking into the hall. Her elder brother follows after sparing Amira an apologetic look.
Tired of her sister’s treatment, she swears not to play as a pitiful princess anymore. She’ll only believe her Aba’s words, not her sisters. She is a royalty. The blood of the powerful class of dragons runs in her veins. She’s but a favored dragon-a golden dragon. That’s right. She is.
Hours have past the bluish sky is now ablaze with the fire of the setting sun. The busy day of the sovereigns with their discussion on something has finally come to an end. Amira notices the strange behavior enveloping each one of them but she chooses to just keep an eye.
She stays in the comfort of her room and wonders why Hasham hasn't show himself yet and why Winona and her eldest brother, Yeshua, are present in the discussion while she is not. She thinks of other things too until drowsiness creeps over her.
Chaos. Destruction. Havoc. The smells and sight are evident as people scream and cry their fears. The houses are burning and spreading faster. The shadows of the dark, monstrous flying beasts burning the humans alive and the scared faces of children running for their lives huddles the woman's sight. She's just standing there, shaking and trembling.A guy snatches her hand and drags her away. He is tall with a symmetrical body, but his figure is obscured by the darkness of the night. She can't recognize him yet she let him pull her into running, until a huge, dark, monstrous dragon lands in front of them. He hides her behind him but he is easily wiped out by the long, reptilian tail of the frightening dragon."Give me the heart of magic," it orders. Its voice is rough, deep, and dominating. "Give me!"Amira catches her breath as she wakes from her bad dream. She is panting and trembling with every flash of the monster she saw in her dream.She manages to pull herself up and figures that
The heat is infiltrating the skin of the woman lying unconscious by the shore. The rays of the morning sun are causing the few scales on her exposed lower arm to glitter. Birds continue to chirp and disturb the sleepy state of the lady, whereas the sea behaves calmly. A group of curious kids spots her from a distance and scampers to check if she's still alive. They exhange words of supposition and hunts over the matter until their chatter causes to awaken Amira.With a heavy head, she sits on her butt and brushes the traces of sleepiness away. As she opens her eyes, she is shocked to wake at a completely new world. The mountains high and low she used to adore in every rim of their realm are gone, at least from the point where she is at. The smell, the atmosphere, and the vibe, all are distinct from what she has used to. Structures line up a distance from the grand oceanfrontShe stands on her feet and examines the place foreign to her sight. "So, this is the mortal world," she mumbles
She stands stiff as the stranger approaches closer and hands her the hair clasp. His saucy smell taunts her nostrils. She can't help but notice his pointed nose that perfectly complements his thin, reddish lips. "I believe this is yours," attests the stranger. His sterling grey eyes meet her pure hazel eyes. He too stops to adore the lovely face of the lady in front of him. "Ahm, y-yes!" Amira says and reaches for her belonging, but the guy hides them behind his back. "Aisst. May I know your name first, miss beautiful?" With hopeful eyes, he flashes a long smile. "Amira, I am Amira." She gently lowers her head and touches her chest as she introduces herself. "Amira. Hmm, it suits a princess-like lady like you. I am Kian by the way. He grabs her hand for a kiss but she quickly stifles her hand making him conclude she isn't com
The cold brush of the wind welcomes them as they reach the mountainous area of the city of Lavandel. Amira watches the kids as they cup some water from the stream before slaughtering on the grassy ground. The feels of the mountains bring her back to her home in Hauraya. She closes her eyes to feel the movement of the trees and the soft touches of the wind on her face. Kian can't help but steal glances at her. "What are the royal guards doing in the city? Are they with a member of the royal family?" Miguel's question brings Amira and Kian's attention to him. The mere mention of 'royal' piques Amira's interest. To her mind, 'so there's also royalty in this realm.' She knows a little about humans, but unlike what she's seeing from them, she hears differently from her father. Her known father, Douman, used to tell her that humans are useless being and they are created to serve and make dragons more powerful. Her aba Mandel says the oppos
While the kids are trying to lighten the mood, heavy thuds muffle in Amira's ear. She shifts in all directions to track the source. From the hasty movements of feet, she estimates they are being surrounded. She can't recognize if the group are threats for, judging by the aura, they aren't draconian. "There's a bunch of strangers coming our way," she announces. "Ha?" whimpers the kids. Amira looks at Kian who becomes alarmed all of a sudden. He gawks from a distance and spots a group of armed men swiftly maneuvering in their direction. "We need to get away here," he says. But before they can go any farther they've been stopped by a gang of men and women in black suits. "Oh, men! What have we done?" Miguel cries. "Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen. We believe that's a path you're blocking! Let us get away first before you rumble." Br
"Amira," calls the enchanted voice. In one snap, Amira finds herself back in the forest near their kingdom. She runs her eyes around to find the source of the voice. Behind her appears the spirit of the woods—the wood fairy— floating with the autumn leaves circling around her. "I'm back!" she exclaims. Her eyes sparkle in glee but her sudden happiness is washed off by the maiden's response. "Not yet, Amira." The fold on her forehead doublees as she states her contradiction. "No! I AM already home," she asserts her statement firmly. "I won't go back in the mortal world! That place isn't meant for me. Hauraya is my place! This is where I belong!" "Is that really what your heart says?" The wood maiden's words snatch the courage out of her, she strides back. Her voice rescinds. Hauraya maybe her place of birth but her memories of it are all but bitter. She ponders if
~Flashback~~ Eight-year-old Amira covers herself behind the cemented wall when she passes by their catacomb and hears how her father, Alpha Douman, raises his voice over her Aba. "If it wasn't for that sea-serpent, we won't lose Argon! If we have Argon's mind, we will not be stocked in this realm! We could travel and cause havoc in mortals' world and non of our lives will be short-lived!" Douman grumbles while he mourns the death of his hundred and four years old mother. Mandel hovers to Douman's side and taps his shoulder. "This shall be the last demise of our kind, son. After decades of waiting, our alas has been born. She'll lead us back to the mortal world." "She better do or else she's as good as a trash!" Douman crooks and passes over his father. When he reaches the door and spots Amira, he stops and gawks at her innocent stares. He takes a deep breath before lowering his head s
Amira snarls at the condition set by Liza. There's no way she'll give up the clasp. It's Hasham's gift to her, the symbol of their interminable love. "If you can't give up that hair clasp, how do we expect you to give us 'some of your jewels' then?" Liza disparages. "If you are really rich, it shouldn't be hard to let go of such a thing, right? She hates to admit it but she gets Liza's point. She is sure her gem hunting experience in the mortal world won't be easy and she'll be needing some help from some trustworthy mortals. Torn between giving up her clasp or giving up her mission, she decides to let go of the first. Reluctant, she hands over the clasp to Liza. "Please take care of it, it's precious to me. Once I got some jewels for you, I'll get back the clasp." Liza examines the clasp made of Musgravites the moment it lands on the rind of her palm. Satisfied, she carefully wraps it with a towel before inserting it into her worn-out sling bag. "I will IF i