"Ssh, don't cry. That would make you weak," my mother muttered as she brushed my hair.
Tears slipped down my cheeks as she dragged the brush harder and harder through the tangles.
"But... it hurts," my eight-year-old self whispered with a fragile voice.
"Does it?" she asked, and I nodded.
"Then take that pain and turn it into something wicked," she muttered, a sinister gleam in her eyes.
"But... I don't know how," I whispered.
"You will, baby. You will..." Her voice echoed like a spell cast over my soul.
I stared at Farouk with an unblinking hatred.
I saw her gulp under the intensity of my gaze.
"Did you just threaten me just now?" she asked, stunned and... afraid.
I smirked darkly.
"Huida, you and your daughter should go to your chambers. Now," my father said calmly.
"But-"
One look from him was enough to shut them up. They left, huffing and puffing, defeated.
When the large doors closed behind them, my father turned to me.
"I'll make him pay for what he did," he said.
"There's no need for that, Father. It's good I didn't marry him. My life would've gone to waste if I did," I muttered.
He sighed.
My father stood up from his throne, his robe trailing behind him like a whisper of power. He stepped toward me with a heavy smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"You're growing every day, my Bell," he whispered, patting my head with a gentleness he rarely showed.
His eyes,mirror images of mine, jade,gleamed in the flickering lights of the throne room.
A small smile tugged at the corner of my lips.
"Don't show your emotions." My mother's voice echoed sternly in my head.
And just like that, my smile vanished.
"I need to go, Father," I muttered, stepping back.
"The dragons can wait another day. I want to be there for my daughter," he said, still reaching out toward my head.
I gently took his hand and moved it away.
"Firstly, I'm not a kid anymore. Secondly, you have another daughter," I said coldly.
He rolled his eyes with a dramatic sigh, as if the other daughter was more of an inconvenience than a blessing.
Which, for me, was an inconvenience.
"Thirdly, we need the dragons. Without them, our kingdom falls."
His jaw clenched. "This is dangerous, Bell. You might get killed. I can't lose you too," he muttered.
I was taken aback a little but didn't show it.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine. Besides, Venus is coming with me," I said, mentioning one of my trusted guards.
He exhaled deeply, his eyes studying mine for any sign of hesitation.
"You're not going to listen, even if I say no again, are you?"
I shook my head with finality.
Surprisingly, he stepped forward, cupped my face for a moment, and pressed a kiss on my forehead.
"I don't want to see a single bruise on your body," he whispered darkly, "unless Venus is dead."
I rolled my eyes, hiding the slight twist of emotions in my chest.
"You're acting like I haven't gone to war before, Dad."
He smiled weakly, his wrinkles popping out.
I sighed.
"Fine, Dad," I said before turning away, my boots echoing through the crystal floors as I headed for the large doors.
As soon as I walked out of the large doors, Venus appeared beside me silent, deadly, and loyal.
"Where are they?" I asked without looking at him, my steps steady and sure.
"Dragon Kingdom," he said, his voice as tough as ever.
I nodded, the weight of the mission heavy but familiar on my shoulders.
"My Princess," he called out softly.
"Speak."
"Prince James of the Northern Kingdom seeks your presence," he stated calmly, but with a hint of something darker underneath.
I stopped in my tracks, and so did he.
"Should I kill him?" he said, a flicker of darkness lacing his words.
"No," I said coldly.
Then I turned to face him fully.
His long black hair fanned across his sharp features, eyes like frozen steel watching me.
"Where is he?"
"Yorkshire," he responded instantly, without question or hesitation.
I nodded once.
"Prepare the horses," I muttered.
"Looks like a certain prince wants another chance with a princess," I muttered, more to myself than anyone.
Venus didn't react. His face remained carved in stone, expressionless as ever. He simply bowed and left to prepare the horses.
I turned and walked down the hallway, the clack of my boots echoing softly. Soon, I reached the garden.
As I pushed open the wide green doors, a wave of floral scent filled the air, roses, lilac, jasmine. A stark contrast to the storm brewing inside me.
Without wasting a second, I walked toward Yorkshire.
He was already there, standing like he had the right to breathe the same air as me.
"What do you want?" I muttered, arms crossed.
"Babe-"
The word hadn't even fully left his mouth before I unsheathed my sword, pointing the tip directly at his chest.
I raised a brow, sharp and cold. "If I were you, I wouldn't say that word again, Prince James."
He gulped, visibly shaken. "B... I mean, Bella-"
"Princess Bella," I corrected, my voice flat but dangerous.
He nodded quickly. "Princess Bella, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for what I did. There's no excuse for it."
He took a slow step forward, hands raised in surrender.
"And I'm deeply sorry for hurting you... for lying and staining your honor."
My grip on the sword tightened.
I raised a brow and scoffed, pure disbelief lacing my voice.
"Honor? Since when do you care about honor, Prince James?" I muttered, taking a slow step back, sword still glinting in my hand.
He furrowed his brows. "I… I don't understand what you mean."
"Oh? Really? You don't?" I blinked, faking surprise as I tilted my head. "That's rich. Coming from the same man who sold my name for a treaty and my heart for a throne."
He opened his mouth, but I didn't give him the chance.
"Guards!" I called out, my voice slicing through the garden air like lightning.
Two armored men appeared almost instantly, as if they'd been waiting for the signal.
"Throw him out of my sight," I commanded coldly. "And out of every inch of this kingdom."
The guards moved forward.
James's eyes widened. "Bella, wait. Please-"
"Princess Bella," I corrected once again, not even looking at him this time.
The guards seized him by the arms.
"I came here for peace!" he shouted as they began to drag him away.
I turned my back to him, slowly sheathing my sword.
"You should've come with dignity then… not desperation."
He kept shouting, but his voice grew smaller with every step they dragged him away.
Once he was gone, silence returned to the garden.
Venus appeared beside me, his footsteps silent as always.
"The horses are ready, my Princess," he muttered, head slightly bowed.
"Let's go."
We walked up to the stables, the scent of saddle leather and wild earth thick in the air.
My horse, Pary, graceful and untamed,stood tall. Her coat glimmered like moonlight, white and pure. She was a gift from my mother on my thirteenth birthday… back when my mother still had a heart.
I shoved the memory down.
No time for ghosts.
I climbed onto Pary's back, gripping the reins lightly. She didn't wait for my command. She galloped forward, knowing exactly where to go.
The wind hit my face, brushing my skin with eerie neutrality. Not hot. Not cold.
And that... was a problem.
Dragons breed in the extremes-icy peaks or scorching valleys. This in-between? It meant instability. It meant something had changed.
Or worse...
Someone had interfered.
We pushed forward through the dead forest, the trees clawing at the sky like dying fingers. Then suddenly, Pary halted.
My brows furrowed. "What is it, girl?"
I looked ahead.
Flames.
A massive wall of fire danced ahead, crackling wildly, stretching across the horizon like a warning.
But that wasn't what made my heart stop.
Above the fire, wings stretched wide.
A dragon.
A massive onyx dragon, its scales shining with a metallic sheen, as though dipped in the shadows of the moon.
Its wings flapped with elegance and authority-regal, ruthless.
It hovered in the air like it owned the skies, then dipped down, huffing and puffing molten fire onto the earth.
That fire wasn't wild.
It was controlled.
And that dragon…
That beast was exactly what I needed.
Venus rode up beside me, eyes locked on the sky.
"Is that-?"
"Yes," I breathed. "The last of the royal bloodline. The Nightburner."
I smiled darkly.
"Time to claim what's mine."