TWO FLOWERS FOR THE DRAGON (Ryu no Hanawazurai), by Nari Kusakawa. First published in 2005 and first published in North America in 2008.
PLOT:
Shayuka is the heiress to the dragon clan. This grants her the ability to control water, to transform into a dragon and to someday rule over the desert oasis kingdom she calls home. As a child, she was engaged to her friend Lucien, but he disappeared in the desert. These days, she's set to marry Kuwan, the captain of the guard, but those plans go awry after Lucien reappears. Shayuka can only marry one, so the matter will be settled through Shayuka's enchanted engagement tattoos. One hand bears the rose of Lucien; the other has the bellflower of Kuwan. As her love for one or the other grows, their respective flowers will grow and bud, and whomever has the most in a year's time wins her hand. Shayuka is confident that her love for Kuwan will win out, but will Lucien's newfound strength and flirtatiousness even the odds?
