Dragonborn: Mated to the Dragon king

"Where are Aria and Livia?" Sybilla demanded, storming from one chamber to another.

"You know how those two are. They act nothing like proper princesses, always sneaking off somewhere or causing trouble, especially that chaotic little redhead, Livia," Wilhemina said, equally irked, folding her arms.

"Father will blame us for their reckless behavior. Those 'creatures' need to be put on a leash!" Elysandre groaned, fanning herself dramatically.

"They're a disgrace to this family...!"

As the sisters bickered, throwing blame on each other for failing to keep an eye on their youngest siblings, the chamber door burst open. Aria and Livia strolled in, giggling like little girls. Their dresses were filthy, torn in several places, and their faces flushed with mischief.

The ten sisters froze, staring in stunned silence at the disheveled pair. Suddenly, Gisela, reclining on a nearby couch, erupted into peals of laughter while kicking her feet in the air. The other nine looked on, their faces etched with disgust.

"Look at them," Genevieve whispered, her tone laced with disapproval.

"So un-ladylike!" muttered Hildegard, her nose wrinkled in disgust.

"Sybilla, the eldest of the twelve sisters, marched toward Aria with fury etched on her face, gripping her shoulders tightly."

"Do you have any idea how long Wilhemina and I have been looking for you?" Her green eyes burned with anger as she shook Aria slightly.

"I... it's not her fault...!" Livia immediately blurted out. She was the youngest of the sisters.

"Explain yourselves then!"

"We... Um... We... We..." Livia stammered uncontrollably.

"You what?!" Sybilla uttered impatiently.

"Actually...It's my fault." Aria countered with a sigh, trying to defend Livia. "Since it's my birthday tomorrow, I thought I could give myself a little gift by going on an adventure. I planned to go alone, but Livia found out about it and begged me to let her come along. So I did."

The sisters exchanged scandalized glances, their disbelief palpable as they turned back to the pair.

"Aria...Aria..." Sybilla uttered with a click of her tongue in a mocking manner. "You don't want to grow up, do you? Look at you! You're turning nineteen tomorrow and yet, you still act like a child!"

"Yes, and what of it?" Aria shot back defiantly.

Livia stifled a giggle at her sister's audacity.

"There's nothing to do around here anyway. In my entire life, I have never truly lived. All we do is waste away behind these massive walls under the guise of luxury, eating, drinking, and dressing up in fancy, expensive clothes like dolls. I am tired of living that way."

Sybilla stared at Aria, her face etched with annoyance.

"You ungrateful, little—!" She spat. "Do you know how many people would kill to have the life you have? You should be thankful that you were born a princess and not some dirt poor commoner eating scraps off the street."

"I'd rather eat dirt off the street than spend one more day in this gilded prison castle," Aria declared.

The sisters recoiled, shocked by her brazenness. Wilhemina gasped, Hildegard crossed her arms, and Genevieve simply stared, too stunned to speak.

Livia stared at Aria with big, gleaming eyes of admiration.

Aria was the only one among her sisters who truly understood her: bold, free-spirited, and unafraid to defy expectations. The others were too stiff and rigid, shackled by royal decorum and the desire to live up to their father, the king's lofty expectations.

While the others adorned themselves in elegant gowns, mastering foreign languages to charm nobles and maintain a polished image, all Livia yearned for was a life far removed from the confines of royal duties.

She had the soul of a brave lad—curious, adventurous, and mischievous. While other girls her age fantasized about future husbands or the next lavish ball, Livia dreamed of great adventures: fighting in wars, wearing armor and welding swords, or leading a fearless crew on a treasure hunt across the uncharted seas.

Aria shared some of Livia's adventurous spirit, but her desires ran deeper and more personal. She did not want to marry a stranger from a foreign land chosen for political gain, Aria wanted to find love on her terms— a love that defied convention. She yearned for something far from the mundane fairy tale of being rescued by a flawed prince. What she craved was a connection that was raw, intense, and, above all, dangerous.

Just as Sybilla's fury reached its peak and she raised a hand to strike, a gentle knock on the door halted her.

The sisters quickly adjusted themselves and the door creaked open. Bertha, the caretaker entrusted with the king's twelve daughters, walked in.

"What is all that bickering about?"

Her stern expression deepened as her eyes swept over the disheveled pair.

"What happened to you two?!" She whispered, approaching the duo. Her assistants, two younger maids, followed behind her.

"We... we were playing outside the palace, Bertha," Aria said calmly.

"You what?! How could you?!" Bertha, who seemed to be overreacting, asked with wide eyes.

"We went outside the palace walls to play a little. Where's the harm in that?" Livia spoke up, and Bertha was unimpressed.

"You're princesses, not commoners. Princesses don't simply go 'outside' to play. Now, I must get you both cleaned and dressed. If your father, the king, finds you both looking like this, It'll be my head on the chopping block, not yours."

Bertha's assistants walked up to the duo and began leading them away to the bathing chamber whilst the other princesses watched.

"Thank you, Bertha," Sybilla uttered with a smile and she nodded.

"Oh... That reminds me. Your father, the king has asked me to inform you about a brief meeting after dinner. He has something important to tell you, princesses."

"A meeting? Whatever for?" One of the sisters asked, sitting up from the sofa.

"I don't know, but from the look on his face, I could tell that it is important..."

There was a brief silence.

"Is it...the Morveth?" Elysandre's voice faltered, her words laden with fear.

The mere mention of the name sent a chill through the room. The sisters glanced at each other uneasily, as if the word itself might summon disaster.

"Shhhh...! Don't say that out loud! The walls have ears you know!" Bertha whispered a warning seriously, placing a finger on her lips.

"But don't you find it unsettlingly interesting that our dear naive little sister's birthday coincided with the....abomination day?" Elysandre spoke again with a sly chuckle and the other princesses agreed.

"Tomorrow may be a dark day for Eldoria, but it won't stop us from celebrating Princess Aria's birthday properly." Bertha tried to ease the tension a bit. "Think of it as a small blessing amid the darkness that is about to befall us. Let's stay positive."

But the sisters still had worried looks on their faces.

"I despise those dragons. I don't understand why they won't leave us alone. They have taken everything from us. What more do they want?!"

"Lower your voice, Princess Hildegard!" Bertha warned again, almost placing her hand over the princess's mouth.

"I know you all are upset about them. Believe me, I share your hatred, but there's nothing we can do to stop them. They are stronger, larger, and far more powerful than we could ever hope to be. All we can do is pray that one day their reign of tyranny ends."

There was another tense silence as the sisters absorbed Bertha's words.

The deafening silence was broken by the chamber door opening. Aria and Livia stepped in with the assistants. They had been thoroughly cleaned and were now dressed in elegant gowns. Their hair had also been braided and put up in a simple but beautiful Eldorian fashion.

"Now you both look like real princesses. Come now, all of you. The table is set for dinner. We mustn't keep the king waiting."