Basilisk's Gambit

Chapter 5: Daughter of The First Dragons | Elysia Focus

"You look beautiful sweetheart. Don't get yourself all worked up."

Aunt Chua coos, placing her hands on my shoulders and admiring me in the mirror from behind.

"Will the dragons be there?.." I ask quietly, expecting the usual answer that I get whenever I inquire about them.

Chua frowns and kneels down, turning me to face her now. "I'm sorry dear, I'm afraid not. The dragons must stay confined within Drakonia for their safety, and others."

I bite my inner cheek and brush past Chua angrily. "What is the point of being the nation of dragons if we have no dragons?!" I yell, throwing my arms up in disbelief.

"Now Elysia, You need to calm yourself and watch your tone. Yelling is not becoming of a young la-" She stops herself mid sentence and smiles softly. "A princess."

My eyes dart to the floor defeatedly as the realization of eternal captivity finally takes it's toll. I am going to live on this island for the rest of my life. I will never learn to fly dragons like my ancestors, I will never soar across the seas and explore the many nations of Primordia. I'm destined to rot here in this palace till the end of time, succeeding a throne one day that holds none of it's former glory. I can't help but refuse this fate.

"Don't be so solemn... It's the festival, your birthday, and your coronation!" Chua exclaims, giving me a bright smile as she lifts my chin up and brushes silken white hair from my face. "Now why don't we get you to the banquet hall so we can practice your speech once more?"

I nod silently and take her hand as she leads me through the palace corridors to the banquet hall where we would be holding a private ball for the royal patrons and court after the festival. The walls of this castle predate anyone on this island, forged from dragons fire and stone from the tallest mountains. I've never taken my life for granted but if I could just taste freedom outside these ancient walls, I might never come back.

"Alright, from the top." Chua says cheerfully, taking a seat in one of the ballroom chairs and staring me down intently.

I stand frozen for a bit, trying to remember the lines we so dutifully rehearsed for days. "I am-"

Chua holds her hand up to me and shakes her head. "My name is..." She says, signaling me to continue my speech.

"My name is.. Elysia Terragon. I am-"

Chua interrupts me once more with an expression of contempt on her face, I can tell she's fed up with my lack of enthusiasm for the coronation specifically... "Elysia Terragon, Daughter of The First Dragons, Scion to The Throne of Illyria.."

I can't help but roll my eyes at such a long winded title, Chua tells me it's not that long and that my father has at least a dozen titles. "Do I have to really introduce myself like that forever?"

Chua furrows her eyebrows at me and crosses her arms dejectedly. "Fine, Fine." I concede, brushing my dress of invisible particulates and lifting my chin in the most pompous way I can.

"My name is Elysia Terragon! Daughter of THE First Dragons, Scion to The Throne of Illyria~ And I am going to SIT on my royal as-"

Smack 

I bring my hand to my cheek shakily, realizing what just happened.

"If you can't take this seriously then I'm afraid I don't believe you'll ever be fit to rule, you're a young woman now act like it!"

"ahem"

My father's voice interjects amongst the tense atmosphere created by Chua and I's incessant arguing.