Chapter 8: Future

Blaze and Dust had settled into her old room at the top of one of the towers. It overlooked the snowy tundra all around them and offered a beautiful view of the skies above.

Dust had helped with her unpacking, having finished laying out his own meagre belongings and by the time they had finished, dusk was beginning to settle over the Ice Kingdom.

A guard had tramped up the stairs to the room earlier, lugging a large tub of ice and snow with him. For bathing purposes, he had said briefly before leaving them alone again.

Dust had offered to melt the ice for Blaze but she refused to let him, saying she was capable of doing things like that herself. Honestly, she thought, I've been pampered most of my life but that doesn't mean I can't help myself.

Then on a more serious note, she wondered, wow, what happened to me? A few years ago I would've been appalled at the very sentiment of doing anything on my own. Though, come to think of it, it's a surprisingly pleasant change.

"No peeking," she joked cheekily as she slipped into the tub.

"Perish the thought," Dust said seriously, quickly retreating into one of the other rooms.

Blaze emerged quickly. She had heated the water with her fire breath but even that didn't keep it hot for long in the frigid Ice Kingdom air. She quickly dried herself off, shivering violently.

"Alright, bathroom's all your's, Dust," Blaze said through chattering teeth.

Dust was in and out in a flash-though that was hardly unexpected when the water was as cold as ice. He noticed Blaze still shivering and wrapped a thick, camel-hair blanket around her gently. Putting his wings around her, he asked, "Feeling better?"

Blaze nodded, not trusting herself to speak until her shivers subsided. Eventually they did and she spoke up. "Let's go out to the balcony-the skies are usually beautiful on nights like these."

"But isn't it colder out there?" Dust asked concernedly.

"Oh I'll be fine," Blaze said. "Besides, it's only for a little while. We'll be back in here before you know it."

"Right," Dust said reluctantly, helping her up.

They strode over to the small set of double doors that led out to the balcony and Dust held them open for Blaze. "Always such a gentleman," Blaze murmured. "That's one of the things I adore about you."

"I try," Dust replied. Then, he stopped in his tracks, momentarily stunned to the point of speechlessness by what he saw next.

"I told you so," Blaze remarked.

The skies all around them were black as the void-a cloudless expanse that seemed to envelope the world and go on forever. The stars stood out as small pinpricks of light in the darkness-not too few that the skies would seem devoid but not too many that it would be excessively overwhelming either.

"It was a night like this," Blaze said thoughtfully. "I got attacked by that SkyWing assassin while looking at the stars."

That snapped Dust out of his apparent daze. "Assassin?"

"Yep," Blaze confirmed. "It happened during the war. I was six years old. Glacier always told me not to open the window-at least not till the war ended. But the stars were so beautiful that night, I had to take a look. It was just a few short minutes, I reasoned."

"Next thing I knew, I was sprawled on my back and there was this SkyWing hovering over me like an angry thundercloud. I ran, screaming as loud as I could. Thank goodness I inherited mum's huge lungs because the IceWings heard. Glacier was so mad she tore the assassin's wings right out of his back. I had nightmares about that for months."

"Yikes," Dust said. "It must've been terrible."

"Yeah it was," Blaze answered. "But that's enough about the past, have you ever thought about the future."

"The future?"

"Yep," she replied, resting her head on his shoulder. "Our future. Just you, me and a little brood of dragonets."

"Dragonets?!" Dust spluttered.

"Baby dragons, kids," Blaze said, paraphrasing and enjoying every bit of discomfort on Dust's face.

Funny how a girl like her could make a big, tough dragon like him squirm. She knew Dust didn't like talking about the finer details of their relationship and honestly, neither did she. For her, it was enough to know that she had someone she could count on, someone who would always be there for her.

Dust shook his head weakly. "No, never thought about that. Never even considered it. Isn't it a bit too early for all that?"

"I was joking," Blaze said. I've been doing that a lot lately.

After a moment's laughter, Dust tried to change the subject. "So have you ever thought about being Queen someday?"

This time it was Blaze's turn to splutter in surprise. "No way!" she said, as if horrified by the very thought. "I'd never want to be Queen. Not when Thorn's doing such a good job of running the Sand Kingdom. And trying to become Queen would mean I would have I challenge her. I'd never do that! Especially after she's been so kind to me."

"I didn't mean it that way," Dust clarified. "What I meant was do you think you're ready? To lead the Sand Kingdom if the unthinkable does come to pass? If what happened to Queen Oasis happens to Her Majesty, would you be prepared to take the reins?"

Blaze shuddered at the very thought of it. "Why this all of a sudden?"

"I don't know," Dust replied somberly. "Maybe it's just the cold messing with me but I've got a bad feeling that something's going to happen. And whatever it is, I don't think it spells good for anyone."

"Well for all our sakes, I hope nothing like that ever does," Blaze said. "And as to whether I'm ready, I guess we'll find out in the next few days when the negotiations start."

Meanwhile...

In the Bay of a Thousand Scales, a lone SandWing gazed out across the sea. Just a scant year ago, she'd commanded one of the largest armies in Pyrrhia at the behest of Queen Blister. Now she had been reduced to this-to hiding amidst the forgotten islands of the vast sea. And it was all because of those blasted dragonets and that upstart Outclaw, Thorn, who had murdered Blister at what was supposed to be a peace summit.

But soon that would all change. A few months before, she'd been contacted by a dragon who'd given them the opportunity of a lifetime. He had told her of Thorn's visit to the Sea Kingdom-a golden opportunity for her to remove the upstart Queen permanently. His only request was that when the deed was done, he would be given the SandWing artifact known as the lazulite dragon-a small price for his help.

Now she and her dragons prepared meticulously for the single act of regicide that would change everything. It would have to be flawless, an assassination that could not go wrong. And she was confident that she was the dragon for the job. For she was General Cobra, foremost leader of one of the most fearsome armies ever fielded during the war and formerly one of the most feared dragons on the continent.

Most of all, she was Blister's own daughter, a dragon of royal blood and, by extension, the true heir to the throne-a secret privy only to Blister's closest allies, now her most trusted lieutenants. She would avenge her mother and soon, all of Pyrrhia would know her name.

Author's Note:

Hey guys sorry for the late chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! Please tell me how you found it in a review! So it seems Dust's prediction proved true. And yes, the villain is none other than General Cobra-a SandWing out for blood and vengeance (though there may be another mysterious party working behind the scenes...). Will Thorn survive this attempt on her life? See you soon for the next part!