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 They say when she was born, her wings were made of blood, which only solidified after her birth. It is often said that her mother looked down at her and smiled that cruel smile she was so good at giving, when she discovered that her daughter was the lone survivor of her clutch. There had been three other eggs, all dead before the hatchlings inside could peck their way out of their shells. No one knows for sure if it truly was a tragic accident as her mother claimed, or whether she herself had been responsible for the premature deaths of her unborn children.

Either way, none of that mattered. Exception was born alive, and she was healthy, and that was all her mother needed. Four hatchlings would have been quite troublesome, anyway. One was a much easier number to manage... and to manipulate. With the blood of her siblings already on her claws, Exception was set to inherit her mother's kingdom. While her father cared little for any progress she made, her mother paid attention to every small movement Exception made. She needed to make sure she was fit to become a Queen, after all.

Any flaws in her behavior were quickly corrected. At first, Exception was hesitant to kill the small bugs and insects which crawled around and into her nest. They were tough little Plague bugs, too; they were not easy to kill by any means. None of that mattered to her mother. If she refused to kill the bugs, she would be squished instead, is what was explained to her. With a sense of self-preservation already instilled into her, Exception took to squashing the bugs, one by one. She did discover that when their stomachs were pressed just right, they made a squishing noise that was pleasing to the ears.

She had passed one of her mother's tests, but there were many more to follow.

Her mother knew that for her daughter to succeed, she would have to be ruthless. There was simply no way around that. She would have to crave power and live for it. If she didn't, she would get left behind. Her element of birth, Plague, is the hardest to survive in. It is believe that is why her mother specifically chose to lay her eggs there, hoping the environment would make her future hatchlings stronger. What she didn't know at the time was that she would end up not needing it: Exception was born with the bloodlust already inside of her.

Even so, she was going to need to get even more dangerous and power-hungry. She couldn't kill just for fun or because she wanted to. There needed to be a reason for what she did. She had to be political as well as bloodthirsty and ruthless. Politics was a much harder concept to instill in a young dragon, but she was going to have to learn it, for the good of herself and all those who relied on her to succeed. There was a lot of pressure placed on her shoulders from a very young age, that much she has no trouble admitting. Whether or not her mother was the initial manipulator in their relationship, however, is something she will not answer. She only speaks highly of her mother, as she is the one she learned to be successful from, in her mind.

When she set her mind to it, Exception began to climb the ranks of her Clan quickly. There was nothing she wasn't willing to do or say to get her way, nothing she wasn't ready to give up or sacrifice. Although she had no interest in him as a mate, Exception had a ceremonial marriage to her current mate, the King, solely for the purpose of creating heirs and putting trust in her people. She had always been interested in females and females only, and that is a fact that both of them are painfully aware of. They are not in love, and if you look close enough, you can always notice that.

Becoming Queen in her life was the most important thing to her, and once she had achieved it, her story did not stop. Willing to do anything for power, she once proclaimed to her girlfriend, Soma, that she wanted to rule more than just this single kingdom in Plague. Eventually, she wanted to be the sole ruler of Sornieth. She would start with taking over the Clans and Kingdoms in the Scarred Wastelands, and move on until she became the only one the other dragons looked to for orders and guidance. None would come close to her in power, and none would be able to overthrow her. With her loyal mate at her side, and her cousin helping (who was also a descendant of the great Naomi), there would be nothing she wouldn't be able to do.

Even so, she had to first set her sights on conquering the current Kingdom she ruled over. Unbeknownst to the King, while he knows she does not and could never love him, he has no idea of what she is plotting. Because, of course, she does not want to share the power with her husband, no. This power is something she must have for herself if she is going to be happy. She could never share such a thing, and her fear of him growing greedy and wanting a piece of the action is much too strong to ignore. As such, she won't be keeping him around for very much longer. As soon as she gets an heir who is acceptable, he will be out of the picture. Her bloody legacy will continue, and so will that of Naomi, the Shade Goddess.

Exception wants to be a deity, and she may very well become one. After all, no dragon ever became great by being a good person. Sometimes to become great, you had to slit a few throats. Or, in her case, a little more than a few.