Queen Coatella sat alone in her throne room, fanning herself with the colorful feathers which decorated the tip of her tail. This was often what one would find her doing on a hot afternoon, but that was not the case today. In fact, the weather had been rather brisk the past few days. The only sunlight that shone were thin beams which barely cut through the thick gray sky. Not to say this was an uncommon occurrence in the Dragoness Village, but there was something off about the queen's behavior. It was as if she sensed something...
"Queen Coatella." Bae said as she entered the room, Na following close behind. Their sudden appearance startled the queen, as she had not been looking in their direction.
"Bae, Na, what is the meaning of this?" She asked, trying to keep as calm as possible. "You two should know better than to enter my throne room without warning."
"Our apologies, my queen," Bae went on, "but this is urgent."
Coatella sank back in her seat. She was not much one for urgent news. But she insisted they continue anyway. "Go on."
"As you know, our Prophecy states that the dragon and snake clans must rule as one."
The queen nodded, but rolled her eyes at the mention of the Prophecy. As a young princess, that was all she had ever heard her mother talk about. Ever since, she had generally tried to avoid conversations relating to the topic. "But our Gods can't stand each other." She added.
"Yes, but we have devised a plan."
"A way around it." Na chimed in.
"Oh?" Coatella responded, a hint of skepticism in her voice. "And what might I ask is this plan of yours?"
The priestesses gave each other a glance, eager to tell her of their brilliant idea.
"Well," Bae began, "we figured there must be a way to bond our clans together without interference from the Gods. And then it dawned on me. Bond. As in the bonds... of matrimony."
For a moment, the three of them were silent. Surely she couldn't be serious. Coatella twitched slightly at the thought of marrying the Snake Men's king. Knowing him, he'd sooner want to eat her than wed her.
"That's preposterous." She finally said. "I will not have our people be united under such circumstances."
"But your highness," Na pleaded, "you must understand-"
"I have made my decision. Now, please, be on your way."
Bae sighed and gave a bow. "Yes, my queen." She said, and turned to leave. Na did the same.
After they had gone, the royal dragon stood up and started to pace around the room, no doubt still in disbelief of what she had just been told. No matter how hard she tried to dismiss the thought, it remained. Was it true? Could this really be the only means of fulfilling the Prophecy?
"Just give her time." Bae told her sister as they walked to the border of the village.
"But I fear time will make no difference." Na replied. "She will not cooperate."
The elder priestess paused and stepped over the border. "She will soon realize she has no choice in the matter," she turned back one final time, "and neither does King Hiss."