Chapter Text
There is a tale passed down through the ages. It speaks of a dragon. The Queen of what is dubbed ‘The End’. She slumbers in her dimension and every decade she travels to the overworld and she burns villages to the ground. She purges crops and slaughters the livestock, leaving the towns starving and dying. Time and time again, warriors from across the globe have made their way into The End and time and time again not one of them returns. The Queen remains unbeaten, slumbering once more.
In a week, she will return.
“So don’t do anything stupid.”
The book slammed shut with a loud bang and Teddy startled, almost slipping out of her chair. She rightened herself and grinned, “What am I going to do? Not like I’m going to go looking for the queen or whatever.”
Her Father looked at her with a steely gaze and she sagged, “Fine, I promise I won’t do anything stupid.” She muttered and he smiled, ruffling her pink hair (that she had dyed herself, thank you very much) as he stood up, replacing the book of tales on the shelf.
“Can’t you read the tale of the three warriors again?” Teddy pleaded but her father merely sighed, looking disappointed, “Your mother and I don’t want you getting caught up in anymore fairytales lest we have an incident like last week.”
Teddy winced, ‘the incident’ being when she had climbed a tree and proclaimed that she could fly. Her mother had been aghast, scolding her for making the neighbours think she was a hybrid. Teddy didn’t really see what the hatred for hybrids was all about but she wasn’t going to challenge her mother and father. Especially not in high tension situations like the countdown until ‘desecration day’.
“Yes, of course Father, I’m sorry.”
He merely turned and walked out of her room, probably going to help her mother prepare for the carnage that was to come.
There was a week until desecration day and Teddy felt like she was lonelier than ever.
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Guppy had heard the tale of the dragon for years and years. She had practically grown up with it. It had been her bedtime story, taught in schools and later rehearsed every practice.
Her village prided itself on the fierce warriors it moulded and sent off to try their hand at slaying the dragon but not one of them had returned yet. Guppy found it a bit daft, they sung the warrior’s praises but they were still unsuccessful in their attempts and in a week’s time this would only be furthered by the slaughter Guppy was just waiting to happen. She kept these remarks to herself, however, as the first few times she had spoken aloud about her gripes had gotten her some lovely smacks around the head.
The children always talked about her when they thought she wasn’t listening. They’d call her weak and at some point the adults started doing so as well. They’d say it to her face when she had reached the age of 12 and still hadn’t improved her fighting skills. They called her many names, especially as her birthday fell on desecration day. They said it was an omen and outcasted her. She was seventeen in a week and she could feel the resentment growing. This time it wasn’t just the resentment from those around her, it was her own hatred for the stupid village that had too much pride.
She had her bag packed and was set on leaving when she got an opening. The whispers were getting louder and if she didn’t know any better then she’d guess that some of the more spiritual villagers were even suggesting offering her as a sacrifice to the dragon. She could tell from the long, hard gazes they gave her and the sudden conversations cut short whenever she was around more so than usual.
There was a week until desecration day and Guppy felt like she needed to get out soon.