“It feels like it was all bound to come to this, right?” she muttered. “You and I. Two women fighting for a man.... no, because of a man. I’m not that interested in the King anymore. He’s about to die, and the Yekara will marry their daughter to his adopted brother before getting rid of him too. Such a simple plan, but then again, this Kingdom is already on its knees.”

“You d-don’t know a thing about this Kingdom,” said Cessilia, lifting her weapons.

“And you do?” Jisel mocked.

Without waiting, Cessilia jumped forward, launching the first strike. Surprised, Jisel frowned and lifted her two blades just in time to block her. The two women’s blades loudly clashed, and for a few seconds, they measured each other’s strength, trying to push the other’s defense, their faces only inches away from each other. Their styles were somewhat similar, using the flow of their movements, rather than brute force, and trying to outmaneuver their opponent. For a while, it was as if a red fire and a purple-scaled creature were dancing around each other, trying to burn or bite the other, looking for a weakness. They never split up for more than a couple of seconds, before throwing themselves at each other again. Their style was superb, flawless, and fierce. It was nothing like the rugged fights from before, or between men using only their brute strength. Each woman was using her best skill, her wits, and showing off impressive fighting choreography. Jisel was dancing with her two mismatched blades as if they had been extensions of herself, while Cessilia balanced herself perfectly with her identical weapons. Despite the difference in their respective styles, the flow of their movements was sharp and swift, looking for the smallest window to attack, using speed and reflexes to try and best the other. Neither of them were showing any mistakes, always in motion, their light steps never touching the floor for more than a second. Their dance was like a death ritual, with the thunder and dragon’s furious growls as background percussion. Pearls of sweat appeared on their skin, as each woman was getting frustrated with the other.

After a while, they broke apart, by just a few steps, catching a quick break. The two women were now circling around each other like two furious wolves ready to bite one another.

“You sh-should have left, Jisel,” muttered Cessilia.

“You already said that, Princess. But you know what? I think the same of you. You don’t belong here. You’re a coward. And without your dragon, well, you’re nothing.”

The furious Princess thrust her swords at her again, and Jisel blocked it with a smile on her lips. They began fighting for real, their four blades hitting each other for a few minutes, the metallic clashes echoing throughout the banquet hall. Their fight was violent, cold, and merciless. Both of them were glaring at one another, looking for the next place to viciously hit and try to hurt the other. The more hits their weapons exchanged, the more Cessilia felt her blood boiling. Jisel’s repeated smirks were annoying her, as if that woman always mocked her.

She tried to keep fighting and remain focused, but it was too late, the venom from Jisel’s words were slowly poisoning her mind. She kept thinking about what she had said, and about Cece.

Was she right?

Probably. At least, when it came to her being a coward. Cessilia felt the same. She had felt that for a long time now, but the more she tried to push that thought away, the more vivid it came to her mind. Saying she was afraid of her own shadow wasn’t a lie either. It was just as Kassian had said… she was scared of looking back at the Cessilia from before. She couldn’t even remember what kind of girl she was before she had lost Cece. All she could think of, whenever she tried, was the painful result of her mistake. The guilt that was choking her up and tightening its claws around her voice all the time. Was it really love that had brought her back to Ashen, or the need to prove she was right to do what she had done for that love of theirs? It was suffocating just to think about it. Jisel was right. Her own anger, sadness, and remorse had been slowly building up inside, in all those words she had never dared to say. She resented herself for the weakness she had shown back then when her dragon needed her. Even more today.

“You don’t deserve a... dragon,” grunted Jisel, as their weapons clashed again. “That’s right. You’re too weak! Too much of a coward!”

She suddenly managed to graze Cessilia’s arm. Not a deep wound, but the sharp edge of her blade suddenly sliced the skin that was showing between the parts of Cessilia’s armor, leaving a vivid red line. Far from being bothered by the pain, Cessilia suddenly swung beautifully, and sent a violent flying kick toward her opponent, throwing Jisel far across the room. It wasn’t enough to injure her, though, as the redhead fell back on her feet, a victorious smile on her lips.

“Ha! See! The precious daughter of the God of War is nothing but...”

She stopped herself upon seeing Cessilia’s eyes.

The Princess was now standing completely still, suddenly looking different, almost taller. Her eyes were shining with a dangerous, vivid green fire in them, as if lit up by some inner flame.

Cessilia stepped forward, and despite the distance between them, Jisel stepped back, scared. Something felt off, as if she was suddenly faced with a completely different person. Someone that was not human.

“...You were right,” she said with a strangely calm, almost mesmerizing voice. “I am done being a coward. ...I am done being sorry and afraid.”

She looked down, frowning.

“There is some truth in what you said. I was always... dependent on Ashen’s love. Not because I didn’t truly love him, but because I could hide behind that to excuse what had happened to Cece.”

Cessilia’s heart ached painfully at the mention of her deceased dragon. Yet, she took a deep breath in. She’d had enough of resisting this pain. She didn’t even try to hold back her tears.

“...It was all my fault,” she muttered. “Although my family was there to tell me it wasn’t... Not because I went out. Not because I was captured while trying to reunite with Ashen. What those men did... none of that was my fault, that much is true. Whatever they were seeking, their misdeeds are their fault only. And they paid with their lives for it. The one thing I can never forgive myself for is... that fear.”

Cessilia closed her eyes. She was done pushing that memory to the back of her mind, silencing it like her own voice had been silenced for so long. She didn’t care anymore. No, she wasn’t going to allow herself to flee from it any longer.

“You said it,” she continued. “I was... paralyzed by fear. I was so terrified of what they’d do to me, of the pain I had already endured, that I couldn’t react, even when they did that horrible thing to my dragon.”

She lifted her fingers, touching the scars on her neck.

“For a long time, I couldn’t even bear to see these. I couldn’t bear the memory of that pain. I felt like they were still hurting like the first second their blades had opened my throat. I’d wake up in horror at night, terrorized. My mother had to drug me, just so I could endure it... but it wasn’t the pain that really hurt me. It was to relive the fear, and the pain in Cece’s eyes, over and over again. My dragon didn’t die for me. She died because of me. Because I was too paralyzed by fear to fight back.”

Cessilia suddenly reopened her eyes, once again burning with a green, scary flame inside. Jisel could feel something was completely different about her. It was as if she was facing an entirely different woman. Even her posture was straighter, taller, looking like her real height. When the Princess resumed walking toward her, she backed off again, realizing she only had a few steps left between the wall behind and herself. Right now, her whole body was screaming to get out of there, to put as many walls as possible between her and that woman’s green eyes...

“And you know what? The worst part is that I am still afraid to fight back. I’ve been afraid for so long, because I’ve seen the monster in those men’s eyes. And I knew that if I let go, even just one bit, of my fear, the anger I was building up inside would eat me up, and make me a monster too.”

She did have the eyes of a monster right then. The eyes of a furious dragon, stuck on her prey with a murderous, terrifying intent. Jisel kept backing away, raising her blades in a protective stance, but Cessilia’s cold and composed approach was just paralyzing her with fear. She felt like she had unleashed something in that woman, and would only regret it once she got over there much too soon.

“You... You’re just thinking this is because of Ashen?” said Jisel, in an attempt to say something, anything to save herself. “You think his love has made you stronger?!”

“This has nothing to do with my love for Ashen.”

Suddenly, she was there, and her attack came from the sky, only leaving Jisel half a second to put her blades up. It was the same amount of strength as before, so why was she so scared? She could keep up with that woman, she had the strength to measure up to her... So why did she feel like Cessilia had grown into an absolute beast in just a matter of seconds?!

Their blades clashed, and Jisel rolled to the side, cautiously using the opportunity to put some more distance between them. Still, Cessilia’s eyes wouldn’t leave her alone as the Princess followed her every single step.

“You know nothing about what love is supposed to be, Jisel. You only ever saw him as your way to survive. You used him.”

“So what? You’re no better than I am! You only hid behind him like a coward!”

“No,” Cessilia retorted. “...Do you know why I love Ashen so much? ...He’s not as special as you, or everyone else, is trying to push him to be. He was never meant to be a king’s son. He’s just a man, like any other out there. He’s not a great king, and he’s full of flaws too. His bad temper, his stubbornness. He’s made tons of mistakes, and I know it all too well. He can’t even trust people close to him... and that’s all why I love him even more. He’s imperfect, and he’s broken... just like me. But, at least Ashen’s true to his feelings; he gets mad when he’s mad, and he never fears his own voice. He doesn’t flee from his responsibilities, and he knows how to bear the blame for his own mistakes and flaws. While… While all I did, for all these years, was push my own responsibilities to the back of my mind and act like a victim.”

At the opposite window, Jinn kept growling furiously, almost covering Cessilia’s voice with the ruckus. The dragon’s red-scaled paws were slowly digging their way inside the room, weakening the whole structure of the tower the banquet hall belonged to. The walls around and above the windows Jinn was destroying were starting to creak dangerously, thin dust coming off as a warning of a potential collapse. Still, neither of the two women bothered to try and stop the dragon from smashing its way into the room.

Jisel was actually hoping her dragon would get there soon to help her, while Cessilia couldn’t be bothered. No one could tell if she was even hearing the dragon coming in behind her, the thunder above their heads, and the ruckus coming from the streets.

“...But I’m done,” she said. “You were right, Jisel. I’m done being a coward.”

They swung their swords at each other again. The two women resumed their battle, fiercer, faster, more violent than before. It was down to who would be able to kill the other first. They weren’t leaving any time for rest, every second was passed trying to pierce the other’s defenses. It was a continuous ballet of blades, blocking or attacking relentlessly. They were flying and dancing around the banquet hall as if it had been just the right size to contain their attacks, as pieces of furniture were regularly stabbed and sliced in their stead, or violently thrown across the room to make way. The strength of their attacks was no less than that of a battle between male warriors. Those two had the Dragon Blood flowing fiercely through their veins, fueling the adrenaline and making them as aggressive as dragons ferociously defending their territory. There was no territory to defend, only the burning desire to best the other woman and get rid of their opponent.

“It doesn’t change a thing,” muttered Jisel as soon as Cessilia gave her a second to catch her breath. “Once a coward, always a coward, Princess. Don’t think you can change just because you’re a bit mad now.”

“Oh, I’m beyond mad,” hissed Cessilia, “and I won’t allow myself to be a coward anymore!”

She furiously struck again, Jisel’s sword barely appearing in time to block her attack. Yet, she wasn’t done, and not leaving her opponent any chance. Cessilia immediately spun around, and struck again, aiming at her flank this time; Jisel stopped it again, but too late. She was thrown violently to the side, forced to drop her dagger as her flank brutally hitting the ground.

“You know, for a while, I even feared that my dragon would actually come back,” said Cessilia, “because I wouldn’t know how to face her. I was that afraid of facing my own mistake that deep down, I really thought she was better off dead than with an owner like me!”

She struck as Jisel was still on the ground, leaving her to raise her sword above her body to protect herself. It didn’t matter how Jisel held her sword up; Cessilia relentlessly attacked, again and again. However, behind all her reckless stabbing, teardrops began to appear. She wasn’t trying to kill her opponent; her reckless attacks endlessly hit the blade of Jisel’s sword, putting enormous pressure on the redhead, but without actually targeting her for real underneath her sword. No, instead, Cessilia was putting all of her rage into every single strike. Her arms were swinging with furious strength, like she could have kept punching a wall in anger. Those tears were coming from her inner rage, bottled up all these years, more than the hatred she felt for Jisel.

She was mad, furious at herself. She had tried to be good, to only allow herself to hide in the fear of that memory, while keeping the anger away. She had been so scared of letting that anger come out, scared of what she would have been capable of, if she had let her fury come out that day. Cessilia could almost remember the bitter disappointment in her heart when she had heard her brothers and father had already killed those men. And one second later, she had been shocked with the thoughts that had come to her mind, of what she would have been capable of doing to them herself if she had grasped her chance for revenge... It had been a constant trap. Fear, anger, fear of herself again. Fear of becoming the same kind of monster she had seen in those monsters’ eyes. Cessilia had always admired her mother, and she wanted to be kind, gentle, like her. But she had her father’s strength, and the blood of a dragon running through her veins. Her mother wasn’t capable of killing people twice her size, but she was. And right now, she felt like she had finally reached that point, where the dragon inside could finally be free, after being trapped for so long and for all the wrong reasons.

She suddenly stopped striking and took a step back, catching her breath, and wiping her tears.

“See, Jisel. I’m done being a coward like you. Hiding behind a man or my cousin. Behind a dragon... behind any excuse. I am done passing for the one that needs protection. I am no weak, hurt child anymore!”

Just as she shouted that, the wall behind them violently burst open.

With a terrifying roar, Jinn crawled into the room, the large red head immediately going for Cessilia. The Princess only had time to turn around and raise her swords before she was brutally thrown across the room. A hilt escaped her fingers, and her back violently hit the opposite wall, her whole body shaking inside the armor. Even as she fell down, Cessilia had to immediately  curl and try to protect herself from the stones crumbling above her. It was like a landslide, trying to bury her alive. She heard Jisel scream and shout something to her dragon, but it was barely heard through the ruckus. Cessilia quickly dug herself out with painful grunts, before Jinn’s claws cut through the mountain covering her. The young dragon wasn’t just trying to kill her; it was wrecking the whole place!