The Curse of Love

Xyla

These halls were once beautifully decorated with pictures of family photos and happy faces. But as I walk these halls once filled with joy, all I see is grey and saddened faces. Faces of my parents, filled with disappointment and seriousness. I could have been great. A perfect trophy wife for whatever prince they saw suitable. My mother was one, my grandmother was one, and all the woman down my family tree. And now I'm a disappointment for all of them. 

At 10 years old, me and my brother, Kaladin, were finally old enough to see our dragon form. It was something we had waited for our whole lives. To finally see where we belong in life, at least for the boys. It didn't matter how strong my form was, or how large. Woman had no jobs in our society.

I have no fucking purpose in this world filled with hatred. 

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My feet tap the ground and echo through the manner. I run towards my brother's courters.

"Brother!!" I knock on his door with three light taps. The door has a dark brown furnish and gold etching down all the nineteen feet of the door. 

"Kaladin! The ceremony is starting, we can finally see our forms!!" I shout through the door. I hear faint footsteps approaching me. 

The door opens with a creak and settles with a bang. 

"Hello Sister," Kaladin says with an eager face.  His coffee-stained hair, the same as the King, had been shaven just for this occasion. He had a tight angled face that showed the sternness from our father. Brothers' eyes filled with a happy green and his lavender tail waged in the darkness. The faint gold designs in all our tails and wings shined was he practically jumped up and down. 

"Oh Xyla, I cant wait! I wonder if Ill be tall and strong like the general of war? Maybe you'll be even taller than me! Father would hate that!" He grabbed my hand and pulled me down the hallway. 

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I was standing behind my brother, our mother holding his hand and pulling him to the middle of the large crystal room. Mother stepped back to the wall as mist gently swirled around his 5'4 body. As we waited for the transformation, I looked up at my father beside me. His eyes were narrowed as he intently watched his son. I might have seen a trickle of sweat fall down his forehead if not the fact that mother gasped, and both our heads shot towards Kaladin. Kaladin wasn't standing there anymore, instead stood a huge crystal dragon. I slowly looked up at his face. He was about the size of a three-story building. He let out a growl of happiness, at least that's what I thought it was. Father walked closer to his son, slowly letting out a breath before saying, 

"I have to say son, this is not the best you could have been." Almost immediately Kaladin's eyes drooped and even his now dragon like face showed sadness. Kaladin always needed father's approval, and even I could tell his heart shattered from those words. Kaladin slowly retransformed into his usual human body, and my excitement skyrocketed. "I have work to do." Father said sharply as he walked towards the 30 feet tall doors. My mother seemed to step Infront of father and whisper something to him. He rolled his eyes and turned back around, looking at me. "I do not have all day Xyla, hurry up." All excitement I had turned into anger as my mother grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the middle of the room. I slowly closed my eyes, as my mother backed up and smiled at me. I let the mist consume me, flowing over my body in gentle strokes. I focused on all the stories about dragons my father had told me, letting it be my only thought. I focused on the stories on how his first transformation went. How he had such power and strength that it consumed him into a killing state. My eyebrows furrowed. What if that happened to me? My breathe hitched. What would happen? How did he calm down? The worrying thoughts took over my brain and I didn't even notice that my feet weren't where they normally were. How my eyes seemed to become more focused on colors I did not even know I could see. How a strange sensation rolled through me as I tried to scream out. But a roar replaced it. My eyes shot open even wider as I whipped around, my tail hitting the wall and knocking the crystals down with it. I heard my father yell, and my mother scream. It sounded like such an agonizing scream that I physically could not bring my body to move. I panted heavily as my eyes focused on the pile of rubble next to my huge body. Mother and father had begun digging at it, and something hit me like a rock slamming into my heart. Where was Kaladin? My head whipped to my left, searching for his face, that face I had known for my whole life. I looked to my right, where was my brother? I slowly moved my gaze to that pile of rubble next my back feet. As I saw my mother's sobbing face, and my father's face, eerily and terribly still with no emotion, an earth shattering cry left my mouth. Kaladin's once beautiful and full of life body layed still in mother's arms. His body was covered his scars, blood smeared everywhere. The thing that truly set me off, was the rock speared through his side. My eyes blurred and a mist filled my vision as I stumbled on my normal two feet onto the floor. I crawled to the wall, tucking my knees up to my face. I shook and wailed as tears blurred my vision. My eyes seemed to forget how to focus as I slowly lost feel to my body. It felt like I was floating as my eyes went dark and my body went limp. The last thing I remembered was my brothers dead face, once so beautiful, now ruined. And it was all my fault.