Warning: Depictions of Violence/Matricide.
Camilla sat in her room, nervous and scared. Her father had a gift for her twelfth birthday. A great power, that would rival her brother's, or so her mother said. Her people had captured a powerful dragon.
"What could be more powerful than a child of the tamer's blood, sired by the king himself, bound to this kind of beast?" her mother had said when she ranted about how this would bolster her standing with the king...turning her daughter into a weapon.
Camilla trembled and closed her eyes, her mother's words echoing in her mind. This is what she was born to be...a way for her mother to grab power from the king...no matter how fearful she was of this.
Her eyes snapped open when the door clattered open, her mother standing there. "Come, it's time for you to hold true to your blood."
Camilla obediently stood and followed behind with her head down. She caught guards nodding at her solemnly. This dragon her mother was taking her towards was...terrifying. The guards who had seen him were scared stiff. They nodded, as one would to a cavalry sent on a suicide mission.
Camilla focused downward towards the ground. She didn't want to see the others...if this was the moment to kill her, she didn't want others to pity her, or at least she didn't want to see their pity. She followed her mother in silence outside to the stables, where her people stood, the presence of their dragons holding the wild one in the stables.
"Pick up your chin and stand up straight," her mother instructed.
Camilla picked up her stance, straightening her back and sharpening her gaze. "I will not displease you, Mother."
Her mother nodded and gestured the girl inside. The building was dark, Camilla could barely see the creature inside. A silhouette of dark purple, only visible when it moved, and two piercing red eyes scanned the small room. Camilla didn't want to approach this creature of darkness, but with her mother's hand on her back, she knew she didn't have a choice.
She took a deep breath and stepped forward, away from the light streaming through the crack in the door. Her mother had trained her how to deal with dragons. She only needed a firm hand and stance. She reached out with a hand, and the shadow did approach. Like the monsters Leo said crawled from under his bed, the shadow moved forward, stopping just short of her touch.
Camilla would have to reach out for the dragon. But she did not want to. Surrounding this dark purple shadow was an aura of dark magic. Its red eyes were hungry...and stared at Camilla, unblinkingly.
This creature could kill her.
And would not care as her life slipped away.
Camilla heard her mother clear her throat behind her. She was not allowed to turn back from this. Her mother had promised the king a dragon...and a dragon with no rider is useless. So, Camilla reached out and placed her hand on the dragon's head.
Pain. That's all that overcame the girl when her hand touched the shadow. A debilitating pain, that surged through her body, and nearly robbed her of her mind. She couldn't move...she couldn't pull away...she couldn't even fall to her knees.
'You believed yourself strong enough to tame me? To hold my power?' A thundering voice rang through her mind.
"Yes," she eked out an answer.
'Hmm...I'm not sure. I cannot have a fearful rider.'
"I am...not afraid…"
'You are not?'
Camilla cried out as the dark power ripped through her mind. It ripped through her mind, pulling every time she had submitted to her mother out of fear to be played before her eyes, every time she ducked her head down before her father and hid behind her brother. Even her hesitation to touch the dragon before her.
Camilla gritted her teeth and trembled. "No. I'm not afraid."
A laugh echoed in her ears, then the dragon stepped away. The pain in her body lessened, reducing to a simple ache in her muscles. She couldn't keep her body up, her weakened form falling forward, landing on her hands and knees. Was this a rejection? Had she failed?
Camilla raised her head, only to freeze again when the dragon pressed his snout against her forehead. She braced herself for pain...but it never came. Instead she felt a strange power arc through her.
'Here, child. An ounce of my power. What will you do with it?' The dragon pulled away and retreated to the darkest shadows.
Camilla gasped for air as she sits back. She stares down at her hands and watches as sparks of dark violet energy arched between her fingers. She flicked her forefinger, a spark landing and charring the wood not far away.
"What was that?!" Her mother's voice suddenly ruined the silence.
Camilla felt her mother approach and she growled softly. "...don't touch me…" she said darkly.
"What did you say, whelp!" Her mother lashed out, grabbing Camilla's shoulder.
Camilla felt something snap inside her, and she lashed out, spinning around and shoving her mother away. Lightning arched from her hands, throwing her mother backward to the wall. Camilla gasped and pulled away, staring down at her hands.
'You're not done...are you, child?' the dragon's voice echoed in her mind. 'You have power now. And she dared to defy you. Show her our power.'
"...our power…" Camilla echoed. Then she stood. She was tired...so so tired of being pushed around by her mother, being told what to do, and being used as a political pawn for her gain. The princess groaned, the ache returning to her muscles.
'I am behind you. I am your strength.' The voice was now a gentle whisper, kinder and softer than any voice she had heard...but still powerful. There was no question that nothing that faced this creature's wrath...her wrath...would stand to survive. 'Do not be afraid, child. I can sense your rage, simmering beneath your fear. Cast that aside. Now is a time for her to fear.'
Camilla nodded and stepped towards her mother, who had finally scrambled to her feet. "What are you doing, girl?" the older woman demanded.
"Freeing myself of fear," Camilla answered simply, a cold cryptic answer, the kind she would become known for. Camilla lifted her hand, and a dark fire lit in her palm. "I am not afraid of you. You should be afraid of me."
She gulped, but kept a straight face. "Now listen, gi-"
"No." Camilla's response was short and curt. She outstretched her arm...and the black fire erupted from her hand. Her mother barely had time to scream as the fire overwhelmed her. And Camilla just smiled. She smiled as her mother passed away, a weak chuckle even escaped her lips.
The fire died as her mother was completely gone, leaving nothing but a charred body and clothes. Camilla dropped her arm, and felt the dragon crawl up behind her. The hooks on his wings clung to her shoulder, his tail wrapped around her legs and rested on her feet, his head resting on her own.
'Good...good, my dear. With you, I can be strong. I can make you strong.'
Camilla shivered and nodded. The weight on her back kept her mostly still. His whisper was so quiet now she could barely make out what he was saying...she could make out words of violent hunger, of bloodshed and death. But the murmur became nothing but white noise. Camilla felt nothing but power. She was strong now. She would always be strong.
Camilla shrugged the dragon off with a grunt. The dragon hissed and growled. 'Do not get a big head, child.'
"I know my place," Camilla said plainly. She glanced back at the dragon. "But there are others waiting for us. They expect us to come out, in victory or failure. Let's make a show of it, eh?"
Camilla watched as the dragon grinned. She felt her mind being probed gently, and the dragon licked his lips. 'I like the way you think, child. I am hungry.'
"Make a show of it, then. I want them to fear us." With that said, Camilla walked out of the stables.
Outside she met her mother's people. The chieftain, her mother's father, approached on his old withered dragon.
"Where is your mother, Camilla?" he asked.
Camilla was silent for a few moments. She carefully turned to look at the man, the symbol of her bond emblazoned in her right eye. "She thought I had been rejected...and tried to tame the dragon herself." Camilla glanced behind her, a dark grunt drawing her attention. She turned and stepped back. "Here she comes now."
Everyone watched in silent horror as her mother's corpse was thrown at her feet, the charred body now a bloody and mangled mess. Camilla couldn't help but let a smile grow on her face as the dragon pounced on the body from the shadow, and ripped into it. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the others horror...through her dragon she could sense their fear. Even the other wyvern looked unnerved, they weren't allowed to eat human meat, humans were their masters...not meat...right?
The chieftain squirmed on his mount. "Camilla, what...is this?"
"Striker was hungry...and she was already dead," Camilla answered plainly. Her dragon rose his head, licking blood off his lips. She reached out and put a hand on his snout, hoping that to be enough to keep him quiet on his new name, for now at least. "She overstepped her bounds, that is all." She turned and gestured at a nearby guard. "Fetch my father, tell him this dragon will obey."
'I will not obey some mortal.'
Camilla lowered her voice to barely a whisper. "If you do not wish for me to die, you will allow me to obey this man."
Striker grunted and continued his meal, the others slipping away to do as Camilla requested. Camilla was silent and still for a moment before carefully sitting on the ground, her back to her dragon. Striker, after eating a little more, cast aside the scraps of meat and curled himself around his rider.
'You have impressed me, child,' Striker whispered gently as his head rested in her lap. 'We will do well with each other.'
Camilla hummed softly and closed her eyes. She allowed the tiredness in her body to overtake the ache, and she slipped into sleep...but her dreams were plagued by Striker's whispers. While her body relaxed, her mind was kept active and aware.
She was aware enough to notice that someone was approaching, and she snapped away. She looked up to find Xander, her older brother by four years, walking up to her. Striker lifted his head, a growl rising through his throat, but it stopped when Camilla put a hand on his snout.
"What do you want, Xander?" she asked softly.
Xander smiled gently and sat down in front of his sister. "I wanted to see what had terrified those old men. But I had not expected it to be my little sister."
Camilla smiled and laughed softly. "Yeah. Striker thought it was a good idea."
'What are you doing, child?' Striker hissed.
Camilla looked down at her dragon and smiled. "It's okay Striker. He's not our enemy."
Xander stared at his little sister for a moment. "Are you-" Xander cut himself off and shook his head. Questions later, calm his sister now. "Camilla, you really scared them."
Camilla's smile curved into a cruel grin. "Good...I want them to fear me."
Xander grimaced. "Camilla, remember your promise…. We're going to keep them safe."
Camilla quickly nodded and smiled. "I know. If they're afraid of me, then I can keep them away from Leo and Elise. They won't want to make me angry."
"You are correct, Camilla," Xander sighed. "But there is value in not being feared."
Camilla nodded. "I know. That's why I'm not going to let Striker scare my family."
Xander shook his head. "There is value in not being feared by others, little princess. You need others to talk to...people outside the family. Like your attendants, or your eventual retainers."
Camilla frowned and shook her head. "I only need my siblings. I don't need anyone else."
And Camilla would believe that for so long...that everyone should, and would fear her. Until an assassin would fail to slit her throat in her sleep.