Prepare
338 Words
Jessa helps me into my emerald green dress, her hands steady even though mine aren’t. The fabric settles over my hips like it was made for me, which it was. My parents chose it months ago, certain it would catch the lord’s eye. My red hair falls in soft curls down my back, bright enough to stand out in any crowd.
Jessa steps back and studies me. She’s beautiful in a way that feels effortless. Long blonde hair, icy blue eyes, a face that looks carved from sunlight. But she’s a second daughter, and her fertility test marked her as sterile. That single moment on her sixteenth birthday decided everything. Lady’s maid. No mate. No household. No future beyond service.
The test is a spectacle. Every girl stands in front of the entire clan while the elders determine her fertility. They claim it’s divine judgment, a reflection of purity and worth. I’ve never believed that. Jessa is the kindest dragon I know. If the gods cared about purity, she wouldn’t have been cast aside.
I’m adjusting the sleeves when Ravessa bursts into my room without knocking. Her lighter red hair swings around her shoulders as she practically bounces toward me, blue eyes bright with excitement.
“Are you so excited? By the end of the day you could be a lady of a lord’s house. Think of all the fine things you’ll have. All the treasures.”
She grabs my hands and twirls me before I can pull away, her laughter filling the room.
Treasures. Dragons cling to that word like it’s sacred. But treasure isn’t always gold or jewels. It can be rank. It can be children. It can be anything a dragon holds closest to their heart. Whatever you treasure becomes the most important thing in your life.
Ravessa thinks I should be thrilled. She thinks this is the moment I’ve been waiting for. She doesn’t understand the weight pressing against my ribs, or how it feels to be prepared for a fate I never chose.
- Writer
