A Dragon's Lament

The small town of Sylthrim lay on the edge of Mystarya - the dark forest. This town was known as a home to elves, as well as many woodland animals. The Elven often had celebrations to honor the Queen and her daughter. These wondrous celebrations consisted of a gathering around a fire - with food, drink, and games for the young. The Queen was always present, as was her daughter. Yet the Elven princess of fourteen was far too absorbed in admiring herself in her gilded mirror to enjoy the festivities. The Queen always reprimanded her with a scowl. 

Now, this princess was betrothed - in an arranged marriage, no less - to a young man of fifteen. He was of a noble line, the closest to being a young prince without actually being a prince. However, the youngling didn't realize he was nobility, and chose to live the life of a peasant boy - a young boy with aspiring dreams to be a Hunter.

Every young boy wanted to be a Hunter - to receive a bow carved just for him, to go out and explore the Outlands, to speak with his oathbrother with his mind - yet few actually achieved this. The young elf often trained with others his age - even made new friends. At one point, he had met a young orphaned boy who lived on his own. The noble elf took him home and his mother adopted a new son. The two grew up as brothers, taking care of each other, as well as their mother.

The princess had yet to meet her betrothed, yet as she looked into the mirror each day, she grew less concerned about the arranged marriage, for she had fallen in love with her own reflection. When the princess turned sixteen, and her betrothed seventeen, plans were made for their wedding. The princess had no interest in being with anyone else. After all, she thought, who is more beautiful than I?

The Queen discovered her daughter's distaste for the marriage, and when told the reasoning behind it, flew into a rage. "I will not have my daughter - the future of Sylthrim - put herself before her people!"

The princess ignored her mother and continued to stare into her hand mirror. This angered the Queen even more, and without warning, the golden mirror shattered into tiny fragments. The Queen's aura crackled with electricity, the anger clearly visible on her angular face.

"You are my daughter - yet you are also a princess. Royalty should not be vain. They put their people above themselves. Yet you do nothin but sit here and stare at yourself. Yes, you are my daughter - which gives me every right to teach you a lesson. From now on, you shall look in the mirror and see the face of a beast."

With that, the Queen cursed her daughter to a different form. As months went by, the princess no longer ventured outside, for the people were terrified of her. At long last, she decided she would leave - leave her mother and the fear and hatred of the Elven people.

The rain poured down in torrents that day, and the beast went to live in the Outlands. No one could speak with her, for she was nothing but an animal. No one except Hunters.

On the very day the princess left, the young noble elf and his adopted brother passed the test to become Hunters. They became doscartha, or oathbrothers - two people joined by blood and oath to protect each other at all costs. Their bond was a strong one - as strong as a mother's bond to her child. They began to hunt in the Outlands immediately, careful to avoid the beast that dwelled there. 

The princess wanted badly to be loved. She hated her reflection - the vile ugliness of the creature that stared back at her. She took any opportunity to attempt to talk to Hunters, yet they always ran away or tried to hurt her when she approached them. However, she was always hopeful. Yet no one dared venture close to a creature such as her, for she was frightening. No one could ever love a beast.