"Prophecy began playing its tricks, pushing her closer to the darkness of Hades' world."

------

In the dark depths of the Dragon palace lay cells designated for the changelings. These changelings were diverse beings from various worlds, yet many were humans.

Folklore tells of humans leaving their infants in the forest, hoping faeries would exchange them with fae offspring.

Unbeknownst to them, their children were being abducted by dragons, held captive, and treated as slaves.

Transforming an infant into a dragon was challenging. The transformation required acceptance and could only be performed after the human infants reached the age of 15.

The Dragon Queen exploited human children for various purposes: trading them with witches, vampires, the Ice Queen, and giants, reserving the finest for her kingdom.

Her actions were to protect her realm from the Mist of Tamraaj, an unholy offspring of Nyx.

Was it morally right or wrong?

Well, only time knows the correct answer.

----

Before leaving Rue to fend for herself among strangers, Baon kicked her in her dragon face and spat fire on her wings, harming her delicate dragon form. Rue was still adjusting to her dragon form, and such attacks could cause long-lasting harm. Only magic from the Queen's hands could save her, but that hope was as distant as the farthest sun.

Whimpering in pain, Rue retreated to a corner of her cell. It was so dark that she tried to produce some fire from her gut, but being a new recruit, this was not yet possible. She had to learn the trick.

For now, Rue had no choice but to stay silent and learn. She had to play smart, even if that meant portraying herself as a naive human.

"What is this place?" Rue said to herself, feeling both helpless and in severe pain from the shackles.

Those shackles burned her dragon legs. Whenever she attempted to escape, they pinched her more and dug deeper into her skin.

Rue finally tried, dragged herself near to the bars. She peered into the darkness enveloping the layer. "Hello!" her voice echoed. "Is there anyone? Please help," she whimpered.

A voice, chilling enough to freeze your soul yet imbued with a kindness that suggested trustworthiness, responded, "You're the new recruit. A newbie."

"Who is there?" Rue asked.

A sulky laugh echoed back. "I am Hajun," a silhouette of a dragon materialized in front of her, exhaling smoke from his nostrils. "And who might you be?"

"I'm Rue."

"Rue, huh? A human," he said, moving closer to inhale her scent. Rue turned her face away. "What are you doing?" she inquired.

"Nothing. Just observing you. Memorizing your image in my mind."

"Oh!"

"Sleep, little dragon human. Tomorrow is a big day." With that, Hajun retreated to his corner and curled up.

Rue was brimming with questions, yet she only received cold responses and stares from the dragons and now from this changeling too.

The one aspect she hadn't learned about was changelings. Folklore on changelings was scarce; all she knew was their ability to shapeshift. However, in her current predicament, she couldn't do even that.

Rue looked up, trying to see through the walls for anything, a hope. But there was nothing.

"What are you thinking?" A voice from within called to Rue.

"Who are you?"

"Your Dragon-form. You should give me a name before you totally lose yourself."

"What do you mean by that?"

"See, you are new here. You transformed magically, but nature has rules and magic too. "

"So?"

"So, I am old. Bound to ancient magic. You have to listen me. I am the mother of the first dragon kind. This time they called me. That Foolish Queen."

"Who are you!"

"Human, don't you have ears?"

"Yes, I heard you. That was an expression."

"You humans are weird. No wonder your kind forgets magic."

"You said you are the MOTHER of the first dragons. Does Aurelia know about you?"

"No, she doesn't. She will soon. Name me, girl; otherwise, I will claim you forever, and there will be no turning back."

"Wait a minute. If you are that old, why were you lunging at that Baon Dragon? What a pervy."

"Listen, girl. Stop judging me. I have been sleeping for ages. Look at your condition. You will be needing my help. Better name me."

"Ok, ok. I name you... What is your real name?"

"Tiamat."

"You are Tiamat. I claim you."

"Good, little dragon-human. Now sleep. Tomorrow is a big day for everyone," Tiamat said with a mischievous grin.

Curled up in a circle, Rue looked up, with tear falling from her eyes, she wished for a chance to get out from here and find her grandparents as soon as possible.

---

Next day, Baon throw water on Rue's face to wake her up.

"Hi, Changeling get up."

Baffled by this outburst, Rue tried to gather herself.

"Taimat, Where are you?" Rue called her Dragon soul.

"What?" Dragon- soul yawned.

"Please help me."

"You do not worry. I will take care of everything. You just have to stay quiet." Dragon-soul replied.

Rue stood on her feet. It was hard to stand straight, but she was trying her best.

Baon picked up the shackles and dragged Rue to the upper layer.

"You don't need to drag me. I can walk," Rue asserted, pressing her dominance over him. Baon might be a muscular dragon, but that gave him no right to treat her this way.

"You want to earn my respect? Then earn it," he replied.

This left Rue speechless.

Before leaving the layer, she glanced back to check on another dragon whose name she couldn't recall.

She then followed Baon.

Baon opened his giant wings to fly. Before taking off, he looked at Rue and signaled for her to do the same.

Rue also opened her wings, which shone with a beautiful golden hue even in the darkness, as if they were flambeau.

Both took flight, with Baon still holding Rue's shackles in his forehand.

As they fly upward, darkness started to died and the shine from the jewels took the place. 

They rested at the middle aisle. From there, anyone could have a 360-degree view of the dragon palace. The small gates on the walls of the palace now had dragons standing outside, as if they were gathered to witness a match.

Baon released Rue, freeing her from the shackles, and flew towards a giant blue emerald gate. After a few minutes, the gate opened, and Aurelia emerged, followed by an old, cranky dragon who was more mysterious than Aurelia herself.

Baon bowed to Aurelia.

In her human form, Aurelia looked like an Apsara from the heaven of Indra. Her golden gown, adorned with scales from her dragon form, twinkled as she walked.

"Greetings, my noble Dragons" Aurelia greeted everyone warmly.

Everyone tilted their wings and hooted together.

"I am pleased to present our latest addition. Pray, acquaint yourselves with Rue."Aurelia declared, her countenance adorned with a smile.

"According to the terms of the accord, this day finds me betrothed to the Fae King," she whispered sotto voce, "Foolish King." She then continued. "For many ages, we have cloaked our true natures, shielding ourselves from the ire of Tamraj and the Fae King. On this day, I shall spearhead our endeavor for the benefit of us all."

Every dragon nodded at each other.

Aurelia then proceeded, "Rue shall accompany me. 'Tis a matter of fifteen moons. Upon my return, I shall bring forth our future king or queen." And for the sacrifice, she will employ a human infant, masked with the scent of a dragon.

Rue was dumbfounded by the announcement. She couldn't understand why, in all this chaos, she was needed—a mere human in dragon form.

"Baon, ready the chariot and secure Rue and Hajun unto it. This affair shall be magnificent. Let all others make ready for the feast." commanded Aurelia.

Rue was perplexed by the unnecessary drama. She glanced at the cranky old dragon for any clue, receiving only a look that seemed to say, "I know everything, but I'm not going to tell you."

"Aurelia," Rue called out to the Queen.

Silence spread throughout the entire palace, the sound of the wind echoing distinctly.

Aurelia walked towards Rue. "Yes, little dragon-human?"

"You promised you would tell me where my grandparents are."

Aurelia smirked and suddenly transformed into her dragon form, now much more fierce and humongous than before. She hovered over the smaller dragon, Rue.

"You shall find them soon. Yet, you would do well to guard your speech before addressing the Queen. Did your parents not instruct you on the proper manner to speak to Her Majesty?" Aurelia retorted, her words laced with a hint of sarcasm. 

Aurelia is aware that to lift her curse, she will require Rue's assistance. Only a soul as pure as gold can free kingdom.

But Rue was not intimidated by her. She knew she did not deserve this treatment. "Stop this nonsense. I want my answers. Otherwise I am not going with you." Rue echoed firmly.

"You small wretch, think so grand of yourself. Soon you will be crushed," Aurelia looses her temper. No-one can talk to her like this. 

Tiamat was growling from within; she also could not accept such an insult. Rue didn't know what came over her, but she suddenly began to grow in her dragon form, reaching the height of Aurelia.

And now Rue growled, her voice shaking the entire palace. "Listen to me, why don't you stay in your limits!"

This shocked Aurelia to her core. She realized she had to make a decision quickly, or her entire kingdom would be reduced to ashes. "Be at peace, little human. I am acquainted with your grandparents. You shall find them in the Fae kingdom, which is why I am bringing you with me."

After a moment's thought, Rue reverted to her timid yet beautiful dragon form.

This time Baon didn't shackled Rue but shows her path to walk on to be tied to the chariot.

Little did anyone know about the master plan of the Queen, and Rue was utterly oblivious to everything happening in this strange land.

If you were to open the Golden Book detailing the history of the Fae King, you would uncover a story veiled by the dust of time yet still recounted by the inhabitants of this fae land. The truth of this tale remains uncertain, as it was written based on rumors from that era. The author is unknown, but the story remains a cherished piece of folklore. As your narrator, I will share this tale with you.

∏∞∏∞∏∞∏∞

Once upon a time, there lived a king of unmatchable resilience and strength, a great leader known as a pillar of bravery. Thalion, the Son of the Sun, the Fae King, one day while patrolling his kingdom's border, encountered a human girl who had lost her way. This girl was the epitome of beauty, with porcelain skin, deep brown almond eyes, and long curly hair cascading down to her hips. Her slender, lithe figure could captivate anyone.

When questioned, she revealed that she was fleeing from her owners; she had been a slave in the human lands. Thalion, captivated by her beauty, desired to marry her to offer her protection and all the riches of his world, even the stars and the moon. He was, truly, madly in love.

The Snow Beauty accepted his proposal and chose to stay with the king. She began to love the people of this mystical land, a place she had only heard of in fairy tales but was now living in. A few months later, they welcomed their first fae-human child, celebrating their union with joy.

However, during the festivities, dark clouds enveloped the sky, thunder clapped sending everyone into shock, and a celestial announcement echoed:

"Born of pure love, this child will herald the downfall of your kind. White as snow, the harbinger of darkness, she will become the Queen of all Kings and Queens across the three worlds."

This prophecy shocked everyone, inciting chants to kill the child. In a panic, the Dragon Queen rushed to destroy the baby only to discover that Thalion's wife had fled the faeland with their child, never to be found.

In his rage, Thalion cursed all the kingdoms: their wishes would fail, werewolves and vampires would eternally battle, dragon offspring would be weak, and witches would lose their beauty. His anger wreaked havoc across the lands.

He cursed the dragon royalty specifically: they would never see their firstborns. The Mad Fae King, Thalion, driven to insanity, sought to burn both the human and fae worlds. Although the royals plotted to kill him, Thalion's strength was godlike; he could be killed but not destroyed.

Before leaving, he sacrificed numerous human infants to summon Tamraaj, the God of Darkness, to rule the fae land. However, unknowingly, he was about to sacrifice his own daughter. His wife's wails and cries brought him out of his trance, but it was too late.

Realizing his grave mistake and seeing his wife's despair, he understood the gravity of his actions. Since the sacrifice was incomplete, Tamraaj's dark mist remained confined to a specific region instead of engulfing the entire kingdom.

Hence, to protect their realm, they created an illusionary town called Westbury, cleverly hiding the entrance and placing their own beings in charge.

∏∞∏∞∏∞∏∞

But the question remained: How could anyone lift this wall of dark mist from the fae land?

<a/n>
I am excited to announce that my story has finally qualified for Round 3. I am very happy.

I hope you all are enjoying this story.

Thank you for reading. Don't forget to leave a like and a comment too.