The Deathly Scream - 𝟙

༒ Twenty ༒

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Since I couldn't fight with the journalists on our ground I had to find my peace another way. Unfortunately, arrow and bow wasn't an option either, it would only make my father mad.

I sit on the side of the statue of our founder. They placed it many years ago on top of the east wing near the cages of our dragons. It was to remind the greatness of Aurelius who created Ethura to be a safe place.

The wind blows through my hair when I stare in the distance at our village. Getting chills of the evening temperature in this thin dress. On top of the roof has always been a safe place to me, here I shouldn't be afraid for the cameras. It makes no sense to me what Valentina might have thought to wear our mothers dress. That dress was a symbol for her and her power.

Every upcoming Queen has her own coronation dress. Why did Val have to be special? She always tells me to follow the rules and now she is the one breaking them.

I sigh deep and lay my head in my hands. My head has been hurting for the last couple of hours. I knew I had to focus on the Selection now, only to support my sister, but it was too much to handle. I tried to be nice to her, but all she could do was think I wanted her throne and crown. If she knew me better she would realise how wrong she is about that.

I used to admire our mother, I still do, but being a Queen and speaking up for other people wasn't my greatest capacity. Valentina was afraid that she couldn't be a Queen like our mother, everyone had realised that now, but by acting like her she didn't make herself popular. She had to be her own Queen, taking advise from the people she cared about. I could only pray that one of the candidates would have the guts to actually talk to her and make her the Queen she deep down is.

My thoughts get interrupted when one of the dragons in the cages on my right starts flapping its wings wildly. August walks past the cage, trying to calm her down but it doesn't work. I stand up and walk over to them, not keeping my distance. Dragons are in my opinion very misunderstood creatures. They aren't evil, they are loyal to their leaders.

'What is going on with them?' I ask August, standing in front of a cage with at least three dragons. 'They have been acting weird for a month now', he sighs going through his hair with one hand. 'I've never seen them this aggressive', he admits.

In a flash the darkest dragon stands up on his hind legs, raises his head up and blows a beam of red fire out of his nose, right into the air.

I open my mouth in shock, stumbling backwards for a few seconds until the fire is gone. August stands with open mouth when he observes the dragon. Her eyes have turned red which means she is angry.

'Rosa, don't', he warns me when I walk closer to the cages. He of all people in this castle should know that dragons listen to me for some reason. I walk closer to the cage and stretch my hand out to the dark dragon who lowers her head to me. Softly I touch her, trying to calm her down. The heat of it burning into my hand.

'She's afraid', I whisper. August stands closer to me, laying his hand on my shoulder. I'm not sure how I do this, it's like the dragons speak to me in a language only I can understand. I have a good feeling about them.

'We have to find out why they are', August says softer. I take my hand back and turn to him when I hear the unrest in his voice.

'Is something going on I don't know about?' I ask suspicious. 'If I knew what was going on I would tell you', he answers before turning around and walks towards the edge of the roof. I follow him quietly, seeing that something else is bothering him too. I could see it in his eyes, in the way he was calmer than normal that something was wrong.

'That dress', he whispers after a while of staring at the village. A laugh appears on his face, but it wasn't happy at all, rather sad. 'She shouldn't have worn that', he adds, his face filled with grief.

'I don't think she realised how many people she would hurt by doing this', I admit, realising how true that is. Probably she didn't think of it, maybe she thought it was a good thing.

'Father seemed proud though', I say, thinking of the sparkle in his eyes when he saw her walk down the aisle. She never did something wrong in his eyes.

'Forgive me that I say this Rosalia, but I believe by seeing Princess Valentina in that dress your father only pictured your mother. That he couldn't be mad at your mother', he says hesitating a little. It made more sense than every other option I had considered.

'Uncle August, you don't think my father wants Val on the throne only to see a vague shadow of our mother, do you?' I look up to him, the look in his eyes softening a little.

'I think that is exactly what is going on', he admits. We both stare at the skyline of the village for a while, keeping quiet when the sun goes under. My anger had disappeared, but I knew in order to survive this Selection, I had to build up my patience.

Ethura needed a great Queen and King. I would do anything to make that happen.