(Blog 27) Stripped of Her Crown
(Continued from our last post…)
Lena returned to school the following week, her usually vibrant scales were muted and lacked luster. She moved through the hallways on autopilot careful to blend into the crowd, a task she knew was nearly impossible after last week’s scene.
Principal Peachthroat was standing outside his door and called her into his office. He was gentle, but firm. "Lena, my deepest condolences about your father. We all mourn his loss," he started. "I wish this wasn’t a conversation we had to have, but there is no sense in prolonging this news. Your... emotional display damaged significant school property. Unfortunately, regardless of the circumstances that triggered it, actions have consequences. As of last week, the board has decided that your title as Homecoming Queen is revoked. Your runner-up, Sienna, will be crowned Queen for the remainder of the year."
Lena blinked. For a moment, she said nothing. Then she nodded once and left without a word. The conversation came as a surprise, but given prior events, it was just another loss in a line of tragedy. She cared, but not enough to give any energy to the news.
Weeks later, prom night arrived. The gym was strung with golden lights and twinkling, floral decorations. Sienna, now Queen, was called to the stage for the senior tribute. She stepped up to the mic and cleared her throat.
"Tonight celebrates all of us- dragon, snake, and reptiles of all kinds," She began nervously. "We've learned that strength comes in different forms. Some of us breathe fire when we're hurting, some of us shed our skin to glow, and some of us..." she glanced toward Principal Peachthroat, who gave her a warm approving nod, "Some of us have to make the hard decisions. I worked hard to earn this moment, but I couldn't have done it without learning from someone whose integrity I’ve look up to for the past four years." Gasps filled the room as she removed the crown and slithered offstage.
Lena was standing with Robert near the punch table. She held a cup in her claws and was focused on the floor as she tried to bare the thought of another Queen standing on stage. Her mind had checked out and she hadn’t heard the beginning of Sienna’s speech. Sienna’s words dissolved into the white noise of the gym - that is, until she was standing directly in front of her.
Lena looked at her as Sienna removed the cup from her shaking claws and placed it on the table.
"The school board can strip away titles," Sienna said, her eyes sparkling with admiration, "but they can't change who you truly are. This was always meant to be yours."
She placed the crown in Lena’s claws.
Both girls cried as they held each other in a tight hug. In that embrace, a dragon and a snake proved that friendship could break the generational curse among their kinds. Their friendship became living proof that chosen loyalty runs deeper than any instinct or old prejudice, a united strength that surpassed any crown either could have worn alone.
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To be continued… New posts each Friday. Subscribe below to follow the dragons. Read the beginning of it all at Blog 1: New Adventure Awaits.
