ANOTHER DRAGON PRINCESS

Because I can't have enough of dragon princess false heroines, after the fair Valdis and the raven Contessa, I bring you the one who started it all: the illustrations by Laurel Long that made me fall for the character... but also inspired me to create Katla and make her a redhead!

Here we see her after recovering her human shape, whisking away the hero on the griffon's back while the powerless heroine watches. Aside from being fire-haired, the Katla source, in her non-verbal communication, breathes life into the false heroine stereotype: "aggressive, dynamic, self-centered, and self-reliant". While the true heroine is always (except when deconstructed in my Snow Queen/Haikara-san fic "The Apple, the Pear, and the Plum") a proper lady. A good share of genderism and stigmatizing tomboys has nowadays come to an end, but she may still appear as a femme fatale against an innocent child.

Here's the false heroine at her estate, located in a barren wasteland and created in a Gothic/Baroque style, with oodles of reptilian motifs (and the griffon parked plus stationed plus chained at the entrance). The heroine (veiled like a nun or like an Eastern bride!) tries to strike a bargain with our lady, who has taken a liking to her impressive gown. Notice the many pearl bracelets and necklaces, the tangle of fire-red hair, and the scarlet dress that gave me the idea for Katla's flapper outfits!

Turns out that, in this version (NOT in the Valdis nor Contessa ones!), the heroine had the antidote for that potion! The little flask of antidote came out of the Easter egg, a gift from the (Man in the) Moon.

So she puts it to his beloved's lips, while soothing him... "Drink it up... fine fine... gulp-gulp-gulp"

Like Liselotte to a wounded Gerhard (with brandy) after Lützen.

He comes to, recognizes her, and both decide to make their escape together.

So they free the griffon and fly away, while the false heroine throws herself in their pursuit, accidentally missing, defenestrating herself, and falling into a watery grave in the lake below...

In my EAH canon, the Dragon Princess survives the obligatory defenestration, left disabled and impregnated by her first beau. She takes the commanding officer of her ranks for a consort, and she raises Katla à la Miss Havisham (or Mary Eleanor), due to a black legend at court about Katla's illegitimacy. We all know how all this will somehow end...