I am going to tell you a story of a people who were feared, enslaved and executed. Long ago, in a land called Arethasia, those of Dragon Blood were to be enslaved as a result of the decision of the Faerie Court by the Council of Green Bloods. This Council agreed that due to all of the attacks inflicted upon them from those of Dragon Blood, they would be stripped of their powers so that they could do no harm to anyone. At the time I was very young and had no idea of what intense events would follow that day.
“Wake up Elmina! Today is a big day!” exclaimed my maid Gwen excitedly.
I popped out of my bed and said, “Thank you for waking me Gwen.” I was just about to walk out of my chambers when I realized, I was wearing my nightgown. I also realized my hair was so messy it might as well have been straw, because it is light brown in color with blonde streaks. If I had approached the coronation in this state, my parents would most certainly be ashamed. So as I headed back into my chambers, Gwen saved my life when she helped me to get ready. As soon as I was all prepared for the event, I proceeded gracefully to the great room. As I approached my throne, there was a crowd applauding. I could see the nation that I would vow my loyalty to. As I sat down, I could see the western wall of the castle and portraits of generations before I had even been born. I could feel the positive energy of the birth of a new era. Once I rose I was ready to perform the ceremony. As I took the oath, the blade used to perform the ceremony cut my shoulder just enough for it to bleed. My cut oozed green with streaks of yellow, I knew my blood was green but the yellow in my blood was new, it reminded me of the golden streaks in my hair. It aroused suspicion of some kind because the crowd not only gasped with worry due to my cut, but they also whispered to each other about the yellow in my blood. They believed that I might be of golden blood. This led to a great deal of chaos in the crowd. It became uncontrollable as the crowds became wild. My parents tried to gain control and cancelled the event. There was no coronation that day.
That night I heard my parents talking and I heard my father’s voice boom, “What good does it do us, hiding our dragon blood like cowards?” That night my father confessed to the Council of Green Bloods. I'll never forget his words of wisdom and pride before he received his death sentence. “I am one of the Dragon Bloods, and have I not treated you with kindness? I humbly ask of you to free my people from slavery, for it is not they who have done wrong” he pleaded. The Council of Green Bloods were ruthless and did not heed to my father’s plea and soon he received his death sentence. As this happened, my mother grabbed me and we ran into the village. She dropped me at the doorstep of a cottage and gave me her locket.
She stole a last glance into my amber eyes as she whispered to me, “One day you shall sit upon the throne and rule with kindness and on that day the people of Arethasia will accept you for who and what you are.” She kissed me one last time before she ran off into the darkness. Before I knocked on the door I decided to take the name of my maid because I knew that if I kept my true name, my mother's intention of keeping me safe would have been in vain. Alas, I swallowed as I knocked on the door and I tried my hardest to pretend to be lost.
“Wake up Gwen, Wake up.” My dear friend Amity called to me. She told me that the Faerie Court called the townspeople to the kingdom and to inform them of recent attacks by the “Power hungry Dragon Bloods”. At these words, I had woken up in shock. I rushed to get ready so that we could appear on time before the Council of Green Bloods. Once we had arrived at the kingdom, the Faerie Court had started to give their news of the attacks of Dragon-Bloods. It had appeared that the Faerie Court was attempting to direct fear towards Dragon Bloods. The remarkably disappointing part, was that it was working. It felt as though I was the only one who felt remorse. It felt as though I was the only one in that room who could see through their disguise. They craved loyalty and that was what made them the power hungry ones. They claimed to be protecting Arethasia, when all they were protecting was their power. Later that day I spoke to Amity, for she was the most understanding faerie I knew. I asked her if she thought I was power hungry and selfish.
She replied with a serious, “No”. She claimed that if anything, I was selfless. I asked her if she had a needle and she was about to ask me why. I met her eyes with a look that said “Please trust me.” She handed me a needle and I gave my fingertip a tiny prick. I could feel her eyes snap shut. When her eyes opened she saw liquid gold drip down my finger and she could see that my blood was dragon’s blood. She clapped her hand over her mouth.
As soon as she saw, the first tear flowed down my cheek. Her arms went around me and I sobbed “Do you still want me here?” “Am I still selfless?”
She replied with the one word that I had longed to hear, “Yes”. A word as true and pure as my blood of golden. I asked her “What would you do if you were me?” Before she had the chance to answer I showed her my locket as she looked at it wide eyed. It bore a crown, a symbol of royalty. She looked at me and then back at the locket when she said “You need to take back your throne Elmina.”
“Amity” I sighed, “I have no idea how to free my people.” She sighed with me this time. We had thought and thought together, until finally we had an idea.
“Why don’t we check The Scroll of Laws?” Amity said.
“That’s brilliant!” I exclaimed. We skimmed and skimmed the Scroll, until we finally found it, the one law that decreed “A crowned prince/princess has the right to the throne and no one from the Faerie Court can interfere.” We were both overjoyed that we had found that law, until I realized that this might mean leaving Amity. I would have never dreamt of doing such a thing yet I had to. So I hugged her and said my goodbye, but I promised her that we'd see each other again. I approached the Faerie Court shivering with fear as this was where my father had received his death sentence. I stepped in with all my confidence and said “I am Princess Elmina.”
Just as the words had escaped my mouth, someone said, “Seize her!”
I immediately blurted, “I command you to hold your fire!” After I had spoken, the Faerie Court was roaring with laughter.
“What makes you think you can command us?” A member of the court snickered.
“I have come to reclaim the throne for I am of age to be queen and I believe that you should treat me as such.” I said.
“Give us one good reason not to fire.” The senior member said.
I looked at him and told him that the Scroll of Laws states that, “A crowned prince/princess has the right to the throne and no one from the Faerie Court can interfere.” The senior member of the Council of the Green Bloods came to look at the Scroll as he did not believe me. Once he saw that I was telling the truth, his face turned red from shock and embarrassment.
He commanded everyone in the Court, “Bow to your Queen!” There was disbelief and confusion, but they all stepped down and bowed.
The bows were followed by choruses of the members saying, “We apologize your highness, tell us what we can do to make it up to you.”
The Faerie Court decided that they would give me a fine coronation to make me queen. Once I was ready I took the oath. The sword was weld was by someone I trusted with my life, none other than Amity. Once the ceremony was performed, delicious smelling vanilla sponge cakes were served and all was well. My mother came out of hiding and attended my coronation. She told me of how my father would have been proud. I gave my first decree that, Dragon Bloods were not to be enslaved or punished for the crimes of others. I made Amity, my lady in waiting. Soon, day had turned to night and everyone except for my mother and Amity had left. This was because I had catching up to do with my mother since it had been so long. Finally as the night was winding down and I was about to go to sleep I went out on my balcony and I swore that I had heard the voice of my father echo. “My life’s sole purpose has been satisfied.”
There was a girl named Nora in New York who loved to draw and loved the beauty of sketching. Anyone who knew her well, knew that she had the eyes of a true artist. When she was in fifth grade she knew that she wanted to take more advanced art classes so she decided that she would form a portfolio of her most beautiful drawings and apply to an art school. She delightedly told her mother and father of the news that she wanted to pursue visual art and follow her dreams. When her parents heard of her idea, they were not as delighted as she had expected. They wanted her to pursue a practical and respectable career, so they immediately dismissed the thought. After receiving no support from her parents Nora went up to her room and emailed her Aunt Vicky in tears. Her aunt Vicky had pursued an art career and for that reason she had always been a superhero in Nora's eyes. She got an immediate response from her aunt saying that she should apply regardless of her parents’ thoughts. After getting that email, she became inspired to create artwork using newer and more advanced techniques. Nora expertly blended oil pastels until they formed a sunset on her paper. She shaded her portraits until they showed the dimension of a woman’s face.
The very next day, Aunt Vicky took a day off from one of her design jobs to talk to Nora's parents. She talked to them about the benefits of the application process. She also talked about her own job as a graphic designer and how, with all her art knowledge she creates aesthetically pleasing logos and advertisements for many companies. She convinced Nora's parents with a counterargument for every argument they had. After the argument, Aunt Vicky gifted Nora her favorite sketching pen. Together they filled out the application and decided what to include in the portfolio. They got the artwork laminated and organized and it was ready to go.
After months of hard work, preparation and some challenges, it was time for the interview. Nora was shaking with excitement as she heard her name announced by the teacher at the prestigious art school. He asked her to draw something that represented her. She closed her eyes and took out the pen aunt Vicky had given her. She breathed deeply and let the pen glide against the paper as she drew a winged horse, a Pegasus with such intricacy and detail. The teacher looked at what she had drawn and was surprised. He asked why this represented her. She looked at what she had drawn and noticed that the Pegasus had transferred exactly from her imagination to the paper. She explained to the teacher that ever since she was a child, she liked the idea of a real animal with the fantastical ability to fly. Nora said that in this moment she felt like the Pegasus, as she is flying in the direction of the dreams she has had since she was first given a pen and paper. The teacher winked as he told her that he looked forward to teaching her next year.