Regardless of being royal blood, Noctuna never cared about becoming a ruler, such life never seemed attractive to her. She rather spend her time studying, learning, while her brothers and sisters prepared for their future roles.

Specifically she was interested in the matters of magic, especially the darker side of it. Her interest didn’t lie in the power it could provide however, but rather in the unknown nature of it, as darkness by its nature, was secretive and corruptive, hiding its secrets from those too scared to face the abyss, and often driving mad those not prepared to carry its burden.

During her studies, Noctuna found something curious, or more accurately, it found her. A being of darkness, something that took the form of a long, snake like dragon. Dragå, she came to call it, and as they interacted, they formed a friendly relationship, learning from each other, and growing more powerful each.

At some point, the politics of the royal life became too much for Noctuna, and she left her home behind, relinquishing any privileges her blood brought her.
She settled down far away, continuing her studies in a remote cabin she build, no longer having need for existing literature, as she had Dragå, a direct line of communication in darkness.

As time passed, as years turned into decades, and decades into centuries, the once remote cabin was no longer alone. First there were couple of neighbors, then a village, and eventually the once vacant land had grown into a city state. A city state, which Noctuna found herself ruling as a queen, regardless of how much she had been against it.

The centuries she ruled were relatively uneventful, there were some conflicts, a crisis or few, but those were a normal part of governance. The most notable part to Noctuna herself, was the day she found a partner to share the rest of her life with, or at least, that had been the plan. Unfortunately fate had different plans.

Empires grew around her, and it was only a matter of time until they hungered after the lone city.

And so the day came, the city fell, not to the might of an army, but to a conspiracy in the heart of the city. It could have ended there, Noctuna was ready to let go, but the traitors were not satisfied. Execution was planned.

Noctuna escaped, but it cost her partner’s life, and she herself was not in good health either, her injuries certain to end up lethal. Desperate to not have the sacrifice to be in vain, she reached into the darkness, and did something she had avoided until now, she let it in.

And so, Dragå fused with her, bringing the full power of darkness with it, it was painful, and Noctuna could feel the dark power fill her soul, but she was alive. And as her wounds burned shut, pain turning from hindrance to strength, rage took over, she had been betrayed, the one she loved had been taken from her. They would pay.

-----

In the land between two empires, sits ruins of a city, a city surrounded by land where now life grows, where no animal enters. Most travelers are too scared to explore it, and those who do, tell about feeling of unease, the feeling of being watched. Some swear they could see something moving in the shadows.

It had been a normal day in the city, it had been a decade since the last queen had been dethroned, so things had long been back to normal. While her body had not been found, Queen Noctuna was assumed dead, and most barely remembered her name.

One day, what was mistakenly assumed to be a simple rainstorm, made its way towards the city. 

Reports told of creatures of darkness, beings beyond sensible description. Deadly shadows snatching soldier and civilian alike. And in their lead a dragon with a missing horn, a queen thought to be long dead. Few survived, spared for the sole purpose of telling what happened.

They told of the terrifying power the queen held, how a single glance from her caused indescribable agony, how a dragon like shadow ate soldiers whole.

The ruins of the city were investigated in the aftermath. All evidence of life was gone, all information destroyed, every structure brought to ruin. No bodies were ever found. The only thing found, was a broken crown, sitting on the ruined throne.

-----

Elsewhere rumors speak of odd single horned dragon, one that calls herself queen, but has no kingdom. She lives in a humble cottage, away from the hustle of cities and towns, and while seemingly harmless, some claim to feel unease around her, and some, they swear her shadow was looking at them.

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*Å=O, not A