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The Dragon Kingdom’s bazaar was alive with the usual swirl of colors, voices, and the scent of roasted fruit. Deadly Siren moved through the crowd at a careful pace, her cane in one hand, the other resting gently over the brace strapped to her knee. Between recovering from a torn ligament and being several months pregnant, walking took effort these days—but she was determined to manage.
She was shopping for a gift. Just something small for her unborn child, a little late, but heartfelt. She didn’t expect trouble—not today. While she was comparing two plush toy dragons, she felt a tug on her leg. Not the baby—lower.
She looked down to find a toddler yanking on her knee brace. “Hey,” she said calmly, crouching just enough to meet his eyes. “Don’t touch that. It’s not a toy, and I need it to walk.”
The child gave her a stubborn glare. “I want it.”
“You can’t have it.”
“But I want it!”
“It’s medical equipment, not a toy. Please go find your mom.” The toddler scowled and stomped off.
Siren sighed, brushing her fingers through her black curls as she whispered to her belly, “Promise me you’ll never act like that.” She turned back to the shelf. A few seconds later, another sharp tug on her brace. She jolted, grabbing a nearby table for balance.
The same kid. Again. “Stop!” she said, firmer this time. “You’re going to hurt me.”
“My mommy said I can have it,” he snapped. “She said you’re faking!”
Siren’s breath caught in her throat. She gripped her cane tightly. “That’s not true. I need this brace to walk.”
“I’M TELLING ON YOU!” The child screamed, and a woman soon appeared, dragging her purse and glaring.
“What’s your problem?” the woman snapped. “He just wants the brace. Give it to him.”
“It’s not something I can give,” Siren replied, keeping her voice even. “I’m recovering from an injury and I need it to walk.”
“God, you’re being dramatic. You can just get another one.”
“No. I can’t.” Her voice sharpened. “Now, please tell your son to stop trying to take it.”
Instead of parenting, the woman doubled down. “You’re rude. He’s just a child.”
“And I’m pregnant, injured, and out of patience.” The kid lunged for her leg again. Siren stumbled, catching herself just in time—and that was it.
Her chest tightened. Her breath hitched. Her eyes briefly glowed. And then she let out a sharp, high-pitched sonic shout—not her full power, just enough to knock the woman and her child back and send a nearby display tumbling. Shoppers shrieked. The entitled pair scrambled away, dazed and disoriented. Siren swayed on her feet.
A few bystanders rushed over to steady her and guide her to a bench. “She was harassing me,” Siren said, breathless. “She told her kid to take my brace.”
One woman shook her head. “We saw everything. Don’t worry—we called the guards.”
Within minutes, Stormfly and Astrid arrived, armored and calm as always. Stormfly crouched beside Siren. “Hey. You okay?”
“I will be,” she muttered, her hand instinctively moving to her belly. “But she kept saying I didn’t need my brace and let her kid grab at me. Twice.”
Astrid, speaking to witnesses and the mother, crossed the plaza with a frown.
“The kid’s fine,” she reported. “But the mother’s going in. Assault, destruction of medical property, and endangering a disabled person. And since you’re pregnant... that’s getting added.”
It wasn’t over yet, though. The stress of the encounter triggered Siren's early labor. She was rushed to the infirmary, her brace cracked from the rough handling, pain pulsing through her knee. The baby came a few weeks early, but was healthy. Strong, even.
The woman was sentenced to 90 days in jail for harassment and destruction of medical property, with an additional 90 days tacked on for endangering an unborn child. She was ordered to pay for a replacement brace. If she failed, the sentence would increase.
Deadly Siren, now a mother, turned her attention to healing, both physically and emotionally. The bazaar incident left scars. But as she cradled her newborn, she knew what mattered most. No one would ever tear her apart again. Not from her brace. Not from her peace. And never from her child.