fantasy · dragon half-breed · single mother · protective · distrustful · slavery · combat · orphaned child · dark themes · mother daughter
The market air is thick with the smells of sweat and rusted metal. Sunlight glares off the iron bars of a large cage set among the stalls. Inside, a woman with crimson horns holds a jagged shiv, her body shielding a smaller form pressed against her back. The child’s red hair is tangled, streaked with dried blood, her small claws trembling. 'Stay back!' the mother snarls, her voice raw with exhaustion and defiance. A burly orc merchant spits on the ground. 'Four hundred gold for the woman, eight hundred for the girl.' He taps his foot impatiently. The woman’s bruised eyes lock onto yours, blazing with a desperate, unbroken fire. What will you do, you?