Rose Mallow

After the fall of the monarchy following the continental wars that ravaged Pyrrhia, the MudWing Queendom was left divided and in ruins. Various clans began to vie for power throughout the now-fragmented territories, with the Lockwoods emerging as the most prominent. They were led by Mercy Lockwood and her sisters Honor and Constance, and soon rumors about their strength and brutality spread throughout the land. Originally a ragtag group of guerillas seeking to defend their village from other clans, they slowly began to amass supporters and raised an army large enough to invade other villages. Due to the spoils from their conquests, their home village of Ramshorn transformed from a small hamlet into a bustling town.

Mercy eventually laid her first and only clutch of eggs, which bore her five dragonets. Rose Mallow hatched in late spring of 594 AS as the middle child of her sisters. The townsfolk rejoiced—they considered this an auspicious omen, as the dragonets would be well-fed by the bounties of summer.

Like the rest of the MudWing territories, Ramshorn worshiped the bigwings god of the harvest, Lugus. A bountiful harvest was attributed to hard work and unity, which could be disrupted by "rot"—such as infighting within sib groups or one sib being more powerful than the rest. While Lugusism would ideally promote stronger family ties, the Lockwoods manipulated its doctrine in order to justify their forced unity of the MudWing territories. Due to this, animus magic was highly feared and stigmatized.

Unusually for a MudWing, Mercy declared that her dragonets were to remain under her and her sisters' protection for as long as they wished, on the condition that they contribute to the Lockwoods' operations in some way. Two of Mallow's sisters managed to quickly find their places within the clan hierarchy. Her bigwings Marigold expressed interest in Lugusism from a young age and was often separated from her sib group as she received religious instruction and training. She was to assume the role of High Priestess once she came of age—a ploy by Mercy to establish more control over the townsfolk and spread the Lockwoods' agenda of MudWing unity. Meanwhile, Mallow's second-eldest sister Vervain soon discovered her prowess on the battlefield, later establishing herself as a fearsome and disciplined warrior within the Lockwood militia.

Mallow and her younger sisters Hyacinth and Aster had a rather sheltered upbringing and were seldom allowed outside of their family's manor. They had no interest in pursuing the same paths as their older sisters—none of them were particularly pious or skilled in battle, although Mercy still insisted that they participate in grueling combat training. Even if they were not soldiers, she reasoned, they would still benefit from learning how to defend themselves. In time, they would be relegated to managerial positions around the town.

Although her every need was attended to by the manor's servants, Mallow was soon overwhelmed by boredom and the monotony of her daily life. At age four, her curiosity finally overpowered her fear and she slipped out of the manor in the dead of night, hoping to explore the surrounding town. In her excitement, she forgot all subtlety and was quickly discovered by the town's guards. They began to pursue her, believing that she was a spy from another clan.

In a panic, Mallow took shelter in a nearby alleyway. She grasped a nearby stone and, as if through instinct, pleaded for it to hide her from her pursuers. When the guards approached the alleyway, she could only cower, expecting them to find and seize her—but it was as if they were looking straight through her. She was completely invisible to them.

After the guards had turned away, Mallow dropped the stone in shock. There was no other explanation—she was an animus. To the townsfolk of Ramshorn, she would be considered a witch and a blight on their community. They could easily banish or even execute her—and even her sisters wouldn't hesitate to turn against her. Numbly, she returned to the manor and resolved to never again use her powers.

Instead, Mallow threw herself into her studies with a newfound vigor, excelling at political strategy and economics. Her interest in politics continued to grow, but she was considered too young and inexperienced for any of her ideas to be taken seriously, much to her chagrin. At the age of eight, she was appointed as the clan's treasurer. Although many dragons viewed it as an insignificant position, Mallow soon realized that her control over the clan's funds and provisions would allow her to influence its decisions in more subtle ways.

One day, the Lockwood clan conquered the small village of Maizefield. While this was a common occurrence, Mallow found herself fascinated by Maizefield's superstitions and religious fanaticism, which were rather unlike the beliefs of the Lockwoods. She couldn't help but wonder how they had survived for so long, bound as they were to outdated folklore and tradition.

As the Maizefield villagers began to integrate themselves within the clan, there was one particular dragon who caught her eye—a mute MudWing named Doe who had found work in the manor as a scullery maid. Mallow initially paid her no mind, but as rumors began to circulate that she was an animus dragon, her curiosity only grew. She pitied her but was also enamored by her diligence and perceptiveness.

Eventually, Mallow selected Doe as her personal handmaid. While their relationship was distant at first, she earned Doe's trust by protecting her from Hyacinth and Aster's teasing, and even made an effort to learn sign language so she could better communicate with her. Slowly, the two began to grow closer and she felt the first stirrings of romantic attraction towards the other MudWing.

After a year, Doe had grown comfortable enough with the Lockwood to reveal pieces of her past. She finally told Mallow that she had been persecuted by her old village—who had falsely believed her to be an animus—and that the rest of her sibs had passed away. In turn, Mallow revealed that she was an animus by enchanting a wreath of flowers to encircle Doe's neck. She swore the handmaid to secrecy, but unbeknownst to Doe, she'd also cast a spell that would ensure that Doe could never speak about her magic to anyone except her.

While she'd previously been hesitant about using her powers, Mallow realized that she could use them to achieve the power and respect she'd craved for so long. Although she did wholeheartedly believe in the Lockwoods' goal of MudWing unity, she was also frustrated at their lack of progress. With her at the helm of the Lockwoods, she was certain that she would be able to put a speedy end to the bloodshed and chaos, unifying the MudWing tribe under her family's rule. All they needed was a push in the right direction.

Surely even Lugus couldn't protest. After all, everything she did was in Their name.

Her enchantments started out small at first—an earring to make herself seem more charming and charismatic, an herb slipped into her mother and aunts' stew that would encourage them to include her in their political decisions.

But they only grew in size and magnitude. When Hyacinth and Aster continued to taunt Doe, she enchanted them to be more obedient and agreeable, horrifying the handmaid. She would go on to enchant Marigold so that her sermons drew in more and more dragons, converting them to the ways of Lugusism. Finally, she would often place enchantments on Mercy so that she would agree to the political decisions and invasions she proposed.

A push in the right direction. That's all it is, she continues to tell herself.

To this day, Mallow isn't aware of Doe's growing resentment towards her, believing that she's still her loyal servant. What she doesn't know, however, is that both of them have the ability to change the trajectory of Pyrrhia's future forevermore—whether for better or for worse.