Two Days Later

"I wonder if he'll even like me," Syllvia thought to herself, surprised that the notion came to mind.

It was not as if she was interested in him or this whole crazy deal with the dragons. What Princess in her right mind would be? Yet as she smoothed down the front of the yellow ballgown she wore, there was the thought that, if she was going to be fighting for her purity then that purity should at least be somewhat desired by the one intended to try and take it.

She had always been frustrated at her body, her broad shoulders and annoyingly large chest always looking awkward to her outside of her armor, which she had gotten forged to hide her figure. Even the frilly dress that went down to her feet and hid her muscular legs did little to flatter the wide hips she had inherited from her mother and stuck out way too far for her liking.

Syllvia sighed, putting on the golden tiara with a single yellow jewel in the center she had to wear for these kinds of royal functions, taking a deep breath as she gave herself one last look over in the mirror one of the servants held in front of her. "You look fabulous, your highness," the servant commented, eyes wide in admiration.

The Princess grunted an acceptance of the compliment, even if she did not agree with it.

She turned towards the door as it opened to admit Camilla, the Queen having changed into a dark red ballgown for the occasion. "Are you ready, daughter?" she asked.

"Not really, mother," Syllvia replied glumly, "but there are some things we can never be truly ready for."

Camilla sighed as she walked over to her daughter's side and patted her shoulder as she asked, "Would it make you feel any better to think of this as less of a potential engagement ceremony and more a per-tournament celebration to salute those about to fight?"

Syllvia found herself momentarily smiling as a huff of laughter escaped her throat. "I suppose," she said, "let's go see my competition then."

The two left the room together, heading past the banquet room where a feast for them and their swiftly arriving guests was being laid out. Syllvia was surprised to find her stomach rumble ever so slightly at the sight of the meat, fruits and bread, having expected herself to be too nervous to want to eat.

They continued on into the main courtyard, Syllvia looking wistfully up at the ramparts of the walls surrounding the castle. She had always enjoyed the view from up there, especially at night when one could see the glow of the lights from the city bellow and the fluttering outlines of dragons flying to and from their mountain homes. From down in the courtyard the wall blocked the outside light but, on this night she could still see the form of dragons in the sky.

In this case, it was two dragon forms, flying towards them from above and growing ever larger as they approached. She and Camilla took a step back as the two landed before them, the wind from their leathery wings kicking up a cloud of dust as they landed. The two creatures were in their large, quadrupedal forms, towering over the humans around them as they looked down their long, thin necks.

One was noticeably larger than the other, his scales a dull green save for a small web of equally dull red lines of scales around his snout. His eyes were a deep blue and Syllvia fought the urge to squirm whenever they passed over her, feeling as if they were looking right into her soul. The other was half the size of the first but that still made him more than a fair bit larger than the humans. In contrast, his scales were a shiny jet black, the magic lights around him glittering off them. His face was also adorned with a web of scales of a different color but again, their bright purple hue was in contrast to the more muted tones of his larger companion. His eyes were an equally sharp green and his gaze was less intense but more curious as he looked at the humans around them, as if he were only doing so for the first time.

This was not the first time Syllvia had seen a dragon in this form before, but somehow they seemed larger now, more ominous as a single thought ran through her mind.

"I'm expected to... bed... something like THAT?!"