| “ | Try me, princess. This is just a sprinkle, and my dragon fire would still work fine even in the worst sort of deluge. Bet your last splinter on that. | „ |
| ― Clara threatening Princess Alder in Fables #98 — "Red Dawn, Chapter Five of Rose Red" |
Clarathea, better known as Clara, is a dragon Fable that resides at the Farm and debuts in Fables #8 — "The Pirates of Upstate New York: Part Three of Animal Farm." Originally a dragon, she was transformed into a fire-breathing raven after the failed revolution at the Farm and became Rose Red's enforcer.
Biography
Eternal slumber
Clarathea, Clara for short,[1] is a mighty dragon who slumbered for centuries[4] with the three giants, Johnny, Donny and Lonny on the mountains in the Valley of the Big Sleepers.[5] They are awakened by Snow White, to help her and Weyland Smith seize control back on the Farm during Goldilocks' revolution.[6]
After their long slumber, the hibernating creatures don't want to go back to sleep for hundreds of years. However, continuously providing them with food is depleting the Farm's resources, so Rose Red authorizes for Clara being permanently transformed into a raven, while the giant brothers become the new Three Little Pigs after the other three were killed. The nature of the spell allows her to maintain her fire-breathing abilities in her new form, and to take up her new position as Rose Red's enforcer.[1]
The enforcer
Clara takes her new job seriously, always staying close enough to hear her boss. Her keen eyes and hearing allows her to closely monitor the people at the Farm,[4] always knowing where everyone and everything is,[7] and ready to investigate and potentially break up any potentially threatening situations or signs of trouble.[4] She remains fiercely loyal to Rose, and makes, if necessary, threats to burn to death anyone who goes against Red's authority.[7]
Clara is seen perched in the administration office, observing Rose Red as she engages in a phone conversation with Jack Horner, while Rose's assistant, Stinky, provides her with updates on the state of the Farm.[8]
Invasion of the wooden soldiers
As Rose arrives early one morning to take over for Mustard Pot Pete, who has been working the night shift, Clara is already present in the administration office, with wisps of smoke escaping from the dragon bird's beak.[9]
Clara, along with numerous other Farm Fables, is enlisted to journey to New York City and join the defense of Fabletown when the wooden soldiers plot an attack on the secret Fable society. Accompanied by Rose Red and Stinky, she arrives in the city by truck. Upon their arrival, she and the other recruits assemble outside in the street and listen attentively as Snow White gives them a briefing.[10]
Amidst the chaos of battle, Clara's act of setting the wooden soldiers on fire unintentionally creates an army of living torches, as these solid figures take a while to burn up. Fortunately, the rain produced by the magicians from the 13th Floor successfully extinguishes the flames.[11]
Sometime after being turned into a raven, Clara starts dating Vulco Crow[12] when he is in bird form, and is the one who catches the bouquet at Snow White and Bigby's wedding.[13]
Fabletown-Imperial war
When Fabletown goes to war with the Adversary, Clara recruits Bo Peep and Peter Piper to perform a series of secret strategic assassinations in the Homelands. Despite their initial reluctance, they ultimately agree to join when Clara mentions that it will minimize the collateral damage caused by her dragon fire.[14]
Threat of Mister Dark
Having reached her breaking point with Geppetto's bodyguards, Prince Aspen and Princess Alder, Rose Red takes decisive action. She orders Clara to destroy Grandfather Oak by burning him down if any of the three threaten her again. Alder reacts in horror and disbelief, but Rose says to Clara that she is free to take action if they act. Alder inquires whether Rose's threats will be effective in the rain, to which Clara responds that the current weather is merely a light drizzle and that her dragon fire functions adequately even in the most severe downpour. Rose Red's ultimatum forces Aspen and Alder to leave the grounds of the Farm. [7]
Return to the Farm
As the Fables ready themselves to return to the Farm[15] after seeking refuge in Haven from the threat of Mister Dark,[16] Flycatcher magically transports Bagheera, Clara, Maddy and Rose Red to the Farm to investigate potential threats. To ensure the safety of the area, Rose instructs Clara to conduct an aerial reconnaissance.[15]
The glamour Lottery
Clara and Vulco get intimate while Clara is glamoured as a human
Upon discovering the Lottery at the Farm offering a temporary glamour prize, Clara becomes thrilled at the opportunity to win a glamour for herself and go to Fabletown and spend more time with Vulco. Being in a long-distance relationship is difficult, especially when she keeps hearing rumors about a human girl catching Vulco's attention. At one point, she finds herself daydreaming about strolling into Vulco's diner and surprising him with her new human appearance, before kissing him passionately as the entire room bursts into flames around them.[17]
Clara is ultimately successful in winning a glamour, and is paired with Vulco as her human chaperone. But due to a mishap by Mister Sunflower, not only is Clara glamoured as a human, but Vulco is completely transformed into a fire-breathing dragon. Thankfully, Morgan le Fay is able to fix the problem and change Vulco back to his original form. The glamoured Clara, eager to fulfill her deepest fantasy, wastes no time in pulling Vulco aside and seducing him in the barn.[18]
Return to the Homelands
To prevent an all-out war from happening, Rose Red and her sister Snow White peacefully depart from the mundane world, vowing to keep worlds apart. The two sisters maintain their correspondence through letters, with Clara taking on the role of delivering the messages between them.[19]
Ever faithful until the end, Clara takes on the role of Rose Red's envoy to other worlds. In her spare time, she embarks on a personal mission that has lasted for centuries, focusing on the search for Grimble, who did not come back from[3] his mission to destroy Prince Brandish's heart.[19] Clara and Rose only discovered the nature of his secret mission after it had concluded, yet they are still eager to locate him. Many years after the fall of Fabletown, Clara finally locates Grimble, who is now turned into a bird, in the Homelands. After she states that her relationship with Vulco ended a long time ago, the two avians strike up a romance.[3]
Powers and abilities
- Fire breather: Clara's dragon fire is incredibly potent and can even withstand the heaviest of downpours.[7]
- Super senses: Clara's sharp vision and acute hearing enable her to keep a close watch on the people at the Farm,[4] constantly aware of their whereabouts.[7] She constantly stays within earshot of Rose Red, able to hear her at all times.[4]
Appearances
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