Username: Xirino
Name:Nuria Talem (Nuria means "fire of the Lord" and Talem means "empower.")
Bond's nameAgni (Agni is the Hindu god of fire.)
Gender:Female
Personality: Nuria is a somewhat strict ruler, but does her best to keep the citizens of Juriende protected and well cared for. She enjoys taking strolls around the city, mostly the in colder areas of Juriende. Nuria enjoys reading and loves to read about gods. She never talks about her feelings, and puts up walls around her heart as to not get attached to people, because she knows she could easily loose people. When Nuria goes on her walks she likes to imagine she's escaping the life that she's in, but always has to go back to it. Nuria's favorite food is anything with fish, though her favorite is salmon. Nuria often wonders why she, a queen, would have to deal with a life such this. When Nuria was first born she was treated rather poorly, "a deformed child" or a "demon child" was what they often called her but her father, the king, loved his daughter dearly and after all, it would probably bring bad publicity if they gave her to someone else. Because of Nuria's strange appearance she was often secluded away from other children, it didn't help the fact that she was a princess, where she was secluded even more.
MapRelationship with bond:Nuria and her bond, Agni, can practically read each other's mind. She grew very close to him because of her being secluded from most people growing up. Agni reminds Nuria of important things/events she needs to do and he also does treasury for her and he is extremely good at it. Agni is a rather cocky bond and often laughs when Nuria is distressed, though that could be just because he's distressed and trying to calm Nuria down. Agni has always been there for Nuria, because it was very difficult for her growing up, being a bond, so Agni is Nuria's best friend, no, soulmates. Agni is probably what has encouraged Nuria to be as strong as she is because Nuria is actually a very sensitive creature, being scared to hurt people who have no voice anyway.
Give them a theme song:Sentimental AndroidExtras: Story:
Nuria sat upright in her chair as she watched the court in front of her. Her father had just delivered a particularly harsh sentence on a couple of common thieves. No one questioned the verdict of five years behind bars, of course, because it was the king’s decree. No one cared that all they had stolen was a couple of pigs. No one cared that they had been starving.
I know what you’re thinking. Nuria didn’t have to look to know that her Bond was watching her with amusement.
“And I know what you’re going to say, so don’t bother.” She resumed her perfect posture- back straight, hands folded, legs uncrossed- as everyone stood up to leave. The court was over for the day (thank the gods) and her father cast her a sideways glance from his center throne.
“So? How did I go?”
Nuria sighed. She couldn’t very well tell him that she sided with the criminals. Or that she disagreed with him, for that matter. He was her king as well as her father.
Before she could reply, her father dissolved into a sudden coughing fit. Nuria stood up worriedly. This sort of thing was becoming more and more common. She couldn’t deny it any more.
Her father was sick.
“F-father?” Nuria moved closer. She heard the slight flutter of wings as Agni hopped off the chair arm to follow her. “Can I…”
Her father held up a hand, and she froze. It seemed like forever before the coughing subsided.
“I’m alright.” He smiled weakly up at his daughter.
She didn’t know whether he was trying to convince her, or himself.
*
Nuria awoke with a start.
This was it.
This was the day she became queen.
She should be getting up, getting ready, doing something, but all she could think of as she lay shivering was her father, lying sick in his own bed, a shell of his kingly self. The doctors assured her and her hysterical mother that he would get better, but he was most certainly not in any state to rule.
Her mind flashed back to the last court he’d ever held, the court that kept plaguing her dreams. I’m alright, he’d said. But it was only now that Nuria realized how much she depended on him to actually be alright, how much she wanted her life to just stay the same.
It wasn’t that she was scared of being queen. Oh, no. She’d been preparing for this her whole life- etiquette lessons, finance managing, decision making, how to be a good ruler in general. Technically, she’d be able to handle any situation, from child custody to military funding.
Emotionally, though- that was a different story. Rulers weren’t supposed to let feelings get in the way of fairness. It was basically the motto of her life. But what was a girl supposed to do when her father was lying sick in bed, her mother was an emotional train wreck and she herself was so empathic that she felt for the bad guys in court?
Hey. Agni sat up from his sleeping place, curled up near her side. You’ll be fine. And you’ve got me!
Nuria pushed herself up and managed a half-smile. “Yeah. I think I’m going to be needing you a whole lot.”
She meant it. She was very, very glad that she had a Bond. Even though being a sprite could be annoying sometimes- especially when people questioned her, um, appearance- having Agni around definitely made up for it. When the other palace children refused to play with her, Agni was there. When she was learning the royal dos and don’ts, Agni was there. And when she had her first tough court experience, Agni was there. She could go to him for anything, and he wouldn’t judge her- he was probably the only creature in the kingdom that didn’t see her as a reptilian hybrid princess.
And she was beginning to realize that her Bond was possibly the only way she could be completely herself when she became ruler. Because she knew that she couldn’t be two things at once- it had to be either the perfect queen or the mess of a girl. She’d been told that enough times. And she’d believed that once the circlet was placed on her head, her old life would be dead. Her old self would be dead. That’s what seemed to happen at every coronation she’d attended.
But she wasn’t just another royal heir. She was a Soul Sprite. She had a Bond, a best friend to support her through thick and thin. She was pretty sure that most other rulers couldn’t claim that. Heck, most other ordinary people couldn’t claim that.
She looked at her bond. Agni’s emerald green eyes stared right back at her own, serious and thoughtful but always with that little bright spark that made him so much more alive than most people. These were the eyes she’d been looking at for years, and they hadn’t changed one bit from the first day she’d glimpsed them. Because she knew Agni inside and out.
The same way Agni knew her.
If anyone could have seen the two right then, the girl and her dragon, it would’ve been clear that they were much more than best friends.
They were soulmates- one and the same.
The dragon cocked his head.
Admiring my beauty?
Nuria smiled properly for the first time in weeks. “In your dreams.” she retorted, before throwing back her covers and stepping out of bed.
“Now, come one. We’ve got-“
- a coronation to prepare for!
He sounded so excited- probably for the food and shiny objects- that Nuria laughed.
And if dragons could smile, Agni’s would light up the world.
Art: