Thread: Killing the Cliche (Atroxa and Myself)

Is this really necessary mother? Calarel asked with a frown on her face as she was dressed in one of her finest dresses an her long strawberry blonde hair was brushed out. Necessary? Her mother asked shrilly, shocked at her daughter's question, Of course it's necessary! Don't you want to get married?! Not really... the young woman thought, but she would never say that out loud. Can't I just pick a husband? Why do we have to go through this silly charade? Her mother, the duchess of Denbrook, made a face as if Calarel had just put a dead, smelly fish under her nose, Pick a husband?! Don't you let your father talking like that! How preposterous! This is the way we've always done it and it's how you're going to to do it as well. How do we know if a man is truly worthy of you unless he's brave enough to face down a dragon?! But the dragons let them win... Calarel protested quietly, grunting softly as the laces of her bodice were tightened almost painfully. That's beside the point, it's still terrifying to go up against one, and some of the dragons do kill young men who prove too cowardly, they have their own strange system of honor as well, the duchess explained, taking out a god, curling circlet and placing it tenderly on her daughter's head. She looked at the beautiful young woman, tears welling in her eyes, Oh Calarel! I can't believe this day has come! You'll be a woman soon. Calarel let out a surprised noise as her mother pulled her into a tight hug, squeezing her daughter fiercely. Mother! the young woman wheezed, I can't breathe! She gasped for air when her mother let her go. Sorry, just this bodice is so tight, and you were squeezing me... It's alright, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hug you so tightly, I just can't believe how you've grown! It seems like you were just a baby only a little while ago... Her mother reminisced fondly, brushing a strand of stray hair out of Calarel's face. Come on then, your father will be growing impatient. Calarel gave a resigned sigh and stood, leaving with her mother to meet her father to be taken to the maiden's chamber and await the dragon that would take her 'captive', holding her until some brave knight or lord or prince came to 'rescue' her and marry her. It was all rather ridiculous in her opinion. The dragons kidnapped young women with large enough dowries, held them for a few day or however long it took for a man to show up at their lair, they put on a show of a fight, and either the dragon was defeated or he pretended to be defeated and the knight left with half the dowry and a new wife. Dragons who killed suitors generally found it too difficult to take young women for their dowry because her parents wouldn't want their daughter to have to wait too long or for potential suitors to be too scared. It was all tricky and balanced and jut absolutely ridiculous. Her mother and father had both cried a little and then she was put in the maiden's chamber with her dowry, some food, and something to do while she waited. Towards the end of the day she finally began to hear some kind of commotion out in the halls, sighing softly as she guessed that the dragon had finally arrived. Wonderful. This was the beginning of the end of her life.