Inferno wished she could do so much as touch her sister. Inferno's scales were a glowing scarlet. Her eyes were the color of bright, blue flames. She had a slender build, but powerful muscles underneath, even at only five years old.
Inferno was no normal SkyWing, no, she was a princess. The sole heir to Queen Olympus. At least, she was, until Olympus had shown Princess Inferno that blasted clutch of eggs. But more than that, she was Fire-born. Like Peril, all those years ago, but Princess Inferno knew there would be no fire-proof MudWing to come sweep her off her feet and save the rest of the world from the monster she was.
But one thing had kept the princess sane, the thing that kept her from going and dying in a hole somewhere. The promise of the SkyWing throne. Being completely untouchable throughout her reign. Recently, SkyWings had taken on a slightly less violent way of taking the throne, having a regular battle, where instead of killing, the victor simply had to force her opponent into submission. One could only try three times, before accepting that they could no longer try for the throne.
The idea always excited Inferno. There was literally no way she could lose. But then, Olympus came to her daughter with the "wonderful" news of having a sister. The dragonet might take the throne first, and immediately banish Princess Inferno from the Sky Kingdom, like how Queen Ruby had banished Peril.
Inferno didn't want to end up like Peril, a monster under the guise of an innocent dragonet. A dragon banished from the only home she'd ever known, for simply being herself, for doing what she was told. But Inferno wanted to hold that moons-cursed egg in her talons, and watch it burn, and melt. So that the dragonet inside could never steal Inferno's future. So it could never steal her throne.
The ferocity of the princess's desires scared her. She wasn't going to be a monster. I'll never kill another dragon unless it's in self-defense. Inferno vowed.
Each day ticked by, and Inferno counted the days until the egg hatched. Finally, it was time. Inferno was six years old now, and she watched from the far corner of the room as the next princess hatched. After her, nothing. Only the female had hatched. The exact opposite of what Inferno had been secretly praying.
The dragonet had pastel red scales, with scarlet, triangular markings on her horns, muzzle, and chest. Her eyes were a gorgeous emerald green. The perfect look for a princess. "I think we should name her Garnet," Olympus blinked the tears from her eyes as she glanced at the two, unhatched eggs.
"Princess Garnet of the SkyWings," Zeus nuzzled his wife.
"M-May I name my brothers?" Inferno asked tentatively, glancing at her parents.
Olympus smiled, and nodded.
Inferno had been thinking of names for her brothers, hoping that they'd be close. Secretly wishing that one of them would be Fire-born as well, as with the curse of too much fire, came the gift of fire-proof scales. Someone to romp and play with, for once. "Alpine," she carefully extended her wing to the egg on the left. "And Everest," she gestured to the other.
"They're beautiful names, Inferno," Zeus smiled at the dragonet.
"Awrk?" Garnet gazed up at her family. Her small face made it clear that she wondered why everyone was so gloomy.
Queen Olympus took her dragonet in her claw and held Garnet to her chest. "Would you two take Alpine and Everest to the burial grounds?" she choked on the names of the unborn dragonets.
"Of course," Inferno and Zeus said at the same time. They looked at each other and Zeus gave a weak smile.
Zeus took one egg in each claw, and they began winging off into the distance. At the burial ground, the king seat the two eggs on the ground, and painstakingly cracked the shells open, revealing the two dragonet bodies.
They were not twisted or disfigured, they were calm and peaceful. As if asleep. Everest had scales almost identical to Garnet, just without the markings. Alpine, his scales were similar to Inferno's scales. A similar rich crimson, but Alpine had much paler scales, as he had been born dead.
"Would you like to do the honors?" Zeus choked out.
Without words, the princess reached over and gently touched Everest's side, watching him burn like a brittle piece of paper. She watched the flames dance, tears turning to steam on her cheeks.
When the fire burned out, she did the same to Alpine, but he did not burn. "H-he must've been fire-born. I've heard that they stay fire-proof even after death, but their scales no longer emit heat," the king explained.
"Oh, three moons!" Inferno wailed. She took Alpine in her talons, cradling his body in her arms. "May I stay a little longer? Olympus and Garnet need you, I'm sure," Inferno hadn't meant there to be any sarcasm in her voice, but it was there.
Zeus nodded, and flew away on his majestic wings. Inferno, now left alone with her unborn fire-born brother. "I'm sorry, Alpine, I'm sorry, Everest," she kissed Alpine's forehead, and set him on the ground.
Princess Inferno dug a hole, and set Alpine inside it, trying to position him comfortably. She quickly covered the hole back up with dirt. No one would ever realize a fire-born SkyWing prince was buried under there, except Inferno herself. She stared at the grave for a few long hours, her heart slowly tuning to stone in her chest.
When she finally tore her gaze away from her brother's final resting place, she came to a decision. It was clear by the way that Zeus and Olympus looked at Garnet, that she was a much better daughter already. That she wasn't a disappointment to the throne, with flaming scales, and unsettling blue eyes. It was clear that by the way that no one had come looking for Inferno, that she wasn't cared for here.
Inferno was going to run away. Maybe she would come back some day, and take the throne for herself. Maybe not. Inferno spread her wings and, with one last look at Alpine's grave, she flew off towards the setting sun.