The Choice of Prince Ragnar Clementine

Time frame: after war

"It was easy for you to laugh at me, My Lady. You were already married to the gentle and loving Sir Arthur George. You were safe in this match with the barbarian Gamalooth."

"Watch your language, my dear Adeline Shad. It was their barbarians who protected us from the dark times of the present and the future," Lady Sophia said softly.

She let out a long sigh and looked up at Lady Sophia anxiously. "I want to be like you, My Lady, happily married and all. I don't want to be just a mistress or a concubine. Perhaps my desire is excessive as a mutant but... can't I have an honorable life like you? There is no need to marry a noble or a prince. I can simply marry an ordinary man from a humble family. I will bear his child and be a good mother."

Lady Sophia smiled again. "May the Old God grant your pure wish, my dear Adeline."

She smiled. "Thank you, My Lady."

"Ah, here we are." Lady Sophia said as she jumped down from her white horse. She lowered her headdress and walked in front as the leader of the Healer Clan.

Lady Sophia was the illegitimate child of King Reinald and Lady Severa - once the strongest healer in the entire kingdom.

Lady Sophia was essentially a princess though she chose a life outside the palace and joined her Clan to serve the kingdom.

Adeline still didn't understand Lady Sophia's life choices. If she were her, she would happily enjoy the peaceful and luxurious royal life instead of going to the dangerous battlefield and risking being killed at any time.

Adeline's thoughts mirrored those of many in the royal court. They couldn't fathom why Lady Sophia would forsake her birthright and choose a life of danger and uncertainty.

For Adeline, the comfort and trappings of royalty were too alluring ever to consider leaving.

But Lady Sophia saw things differently. She knew that true peace and happiness could not be found solely within the walls of the palace.

Lady Sophia understood the risks of her choices, but she would rather live a life of purpose and meaning than one of idle luxury.

And even when faced with danger, she knew that she was serving something greater than herself. For her, her people's welfare and the kingdom's good always came first.

Adeline may never fully comprehend Lady Sophia's choices. As the illegitimate child of King Reinald and Lady Severa, Lady Sophia had always felt like an outsider in the royal court.

Despite this, she was raised to be a princess and taught protocol, diplomacy, and the art of war. She excelled in all her studies, but something always felt off. There was a restlessness inside her that courtly duties or royal expectations could not quell.

Sophia was no longer a princess, but the people knew her as a warrior, a healer, and a friend. She found a sense of purpose among them that she never thought possible within the palace walls.

She walked forward to face the throne of King Reinald and the Queen Mother - who hated her with a passion. Lady Sophia saluted them with grace and charm.

She knew that she was not in the good graces of the Queen Mother, who harbored a deep hatred for Lady Sophia's mother, who had passed away.

Though Lady Sophia had no direct hand in whatever feud lay between them, she could sense the resentment in the Queen Mother's gaze as she walked forward.

Then before long, the entire palace gasped in fear at the sound of the dragon's screeching and the flapping of huge wings beating the air.

It got closer and closer until the sound of the ground shaking violently could be heard as the dragon's large scaly claws touched the ground.

People screamed and ran in terror as the ground beneath their feet began to tremble violently.

Lady Sophia stood calmly as the dragon drew nearer, its massive wings creating a gust of wind that whipped up her hair and clothing.

She watched as the dragon touched down on the ground, its scaly claws causing the very earth to shake beneath her feet.

Its eyes glowed with an intense intelligence as it regarded the people before it.

The dragon rider jumped down. He wore a grayish-white wolf fur robe, the gray edges burnt by the hot ash of the dragon's fire breath.

He walked gallantly into the palace and stood next to the petite Lady Sophia. She felt dwarfed by his height and strength, yet his presence was also comforting.

The dragon rider's silence starkly contrasted Lady Sophia's charisma, but his energy was palpable, as if he was waiting for something to happen.

Together, they faced the King and the Queen Mother.

Lady Sophia initially saluted. He must be the crown prince who had been participating in the war without revealing his identity.

The Crown Prince nodded. He lifted one hand out of his fur robe and placed it on the hilt of the sword.

Lady Sophia's eyes widened in surprise and confusion as she realized that she recognized the hand resting on the hilt of the sword.

She had seen that detached thumbnail before, and her heart raced as the realization hit her.

Slowly, she lifted her gaze to the Crown Prince's face, still obscured by the iron visor of his helmet. She felt a sense of dread wash over her, for she knew what this meant.

The Crown Prince had been sent to the front lines of the war, and many rumors had circulated about his involvement.

Some said that he was a great warrior, a fearless leader who had fought bravely for his kingdom.

Others whispered that he had lost his mind to the horrors of war and was now no more than a shell of his former self.

He removed his hood and visor for the first time. He had never done so once in their nine months together. Unexpectedly, he did not look like a monster.

Nor did he have a genetic mutation defect, as he had claimed. His face was normal, like an ordinary human being with brilliantly sharp gray-green eyes.

Too extraordinarily normal to be categorized as extraordinarily handsome. His hair was grayish platinum white in color in some strands.

The prince took Lady Sophia's tiny hand and gently kissed the back of her palm.

The Prince's lips were warm against Lady Sophia's skin. She felt a flutter in her chest as she gazed up at him, struck by the tenderness in his eyes.

His hair gleamed in the light, the strands shimmering with a silver hue that seemed to glow from within.

"My Lady," he said.

Lady Sophia held her breath, realizing her new best friend in Clearport was the crown prince himself. Many foolish things she had told him. Many secrets she shouldn't have told.

Things she shouldn't have done that she was beginning to regret.

"Ragnar!" Her voice was shrill and sharp, somewhere between shock and anger.

She felt a flush of embarrassment spread across her cheeks. How could she have been so foolish?

"My Lady!" Adeline rebuked her quickly, trying to remind her that they were in a public place and in the presence of the King.

Lady Sophia was probably still lost in thoughts and memories of her time in Clearport. She was too shocked that she had been treating the Crown Prince so cavalierly.

Lady Sophia bit her tiny red lips hard and forcefully greeted back. "Your Highness...," she saluted once more.

Ragnar nodded and turned back to face King Reinald, nodding his head haughtily. "I am

  here to collect your promise to my people. The nation of Galaamooth, far to the north, has crossed vast seas and endless lands to provide great service and protection to the nation of Cescil, a nation famous for its year-round blossoms and maidens whose beauty exceeds those blossoms."

Adeline swallowed hard. The other noble girls did the same. They initially looked frightened and held back tears.

But seeing the appearance of Prince Ragnar and his followers, who had also removed their head coverings and face shields - they changed their minds about them.

They were not like the fairy tales their mothers had told them before bedtime. They were not monsters. They were just ordinary men with big tall stature. Very intimidating.

Their skin is pale because they live in a cold climate with very low temperatures, and most of them have white to gray hair.

They were said to be a remote, isolated nation that was forced to marry each other.

"It's such a handsome face. How could the ancestors miss such an important detail?" Adeline wondered silently.

"If they turned out to be this handsome, as long as they don't rape, it's actually not so bad to be their mistress for a few months or years."

Oh, wait, she's already rambling like a slut.

Silently, with her head down, Adeline looked at Prince Ragnar's entourage. There was one young man staring at her with a look that was about to eat her whole.

Damn, is that Uzana?

His hair is platinum white, just like his older brother's. Oh wait, that means he's also a Prince. Oh, she's dead.

She's been arguing with him all this time!

"We will fulfill their promise to the Great Galaamoth Nation. We have the most beautiful girls from all over the land who will feast your eyes and warm your bed."

"We want them to bear their children and live with us forever!" Cut Ragnar off firmly. "We do not need cheap perverted things!"

"Oh!" The Queen Mother was stunned. She had misunderstood all along. "You want a wife?"

"Yes. Oh, women are allowed to speak in public here?" he said incredulously.

Oh, what? Yes, Ragnar!, Lady Sophia watched him in disbelief.

"We thought your people didn't enjoy marria-,"

The Queen Mother held back the King's words to avoid offending Prince Ragnar. "Then our noble maidens will be good and faithful wives to the Gamaaloth Nation. Choose according to your heart." The Queen Mother smiled as she pointed her hand towards the most beautiful girls in the land.

The girls looked down. They looked shy but occasionally raised their heads to steal a glance at Prince Ragnar.

But Prince Ragnar seemed not interested at all. His eyes never met the beautiful girls in beautiful silks and sparkling gold jewelry.

"We would be very honored if the Prince would marry our daughter, but alas, she is only 13 years old -"

"Shhh." The Queen Mother stopped the King again.

"I have made my choice, Your Majesty. I want Lady Sophia Mary to be my wife."

"Ragnar!" Rebuked Lady Sophia again.

"My Lady!" Adeline rebuked her again.

*