Expect to see 473-5 in this years' Christmas Stories!

"Aconite," Curium approached her as she stepped away from the body.

"Yes, your majesty." Aconite bowed again.

"You will be coming with me to discuss the recent times this evening. You have surpassed your trial period and now will have the suite next to mine. This means you are up when the moons are out, you wake and sleep when I do." She explained.

"Thank you, your highness." Aconite said gratefully.

Aconite looked into the mirror when she went to wash off her talons.

How did he recognize me? she thought as she looked for any similarities between her SeaWing form and IceWing form.

She looked at each scale before she stared at herself. It hit her. Her eyes.

In every form, her eyes stayed the deep purple, and now that she thought about it, Tarsier's eyes also stayed the same.

Hm... I'll have to ask him. she took a mental note and hurried to the Queen's side for her daily work

The day seemed a bit longer than usual, but that didn't matter to Aconite. Tonight was the time she could kill the Queen she hoped.

The entire day she thought of different ways to assassinate her. From smother to poison, she couldn't decide.

Finally, she was shown to her new rooms, one door away from the Queen's chambers.

Excitement seemed to make each talonstep lighter. Something kept clicking back in her mind, and every dragon she saw seemed someone that she could kill.

It's that dreaded ocissio tempore, she tried to push it away as the Queen bid her goodbye and went to bed herself.

Her nerves were on fire. She was looking for a weapon when she lifted up the rug to find a red stain and a shard of broken glass.

This... this is... Getting up and looking around the room she realized with a start this was the same room she killed Northwind.

With a pang, she remembered that Debris was so distant, and she would never get another chance to have a partner.

What about Tarsier? Some part of her mind piped up. Those thoughts were too complicated to think about before a murder.

Now the question was to kill as Aconite or Azalea. She would have camoflage, but it would be interesting to see if she could be stealthy enough.

She decided to stay Aconite because if anything went wrong, she would just be exiled, not killed.

She snuck into the connector, where a messenger was sleeping. Deciding not to kill him, she moved the messenger into her room so they wouldn't hear anything.

Aconite slowly opened the door to the dark room of Curium. She could roughly see her shape on the bed.

The room was the picture of elegance, with on large stained-glass window covering half of the far wall.

Just as Aconite opened the door, it slammed shut and jammed. Blaming the wind, she continued forward.

Aconite turned to look at the sleeping Queen. Instead of seeing an asleep ruler, she saw two blue eyes looking up at her.

"Ah, Aconite." Curium rose from the bed.

"Y-Yes your majesty?" Aconite bowed.

"Oh get to the point Aconite. Or should I say, 473-5!" Curium ripped off the fine necklace and instantly Azalea felt a chill.

"Well well, this is very interesting." Curium rose from the bed smiling maliciously at Azalea's confused form.

"How did you know?" Azalea backed up, thouroughly confused.

"Really, I'm insulted. You think I don't notice my adiutrix never taking off their necklace, and the Base never forgets it's numbers." she flared her wings, "Now I thought of calling my troops, but like you I haven't killed for a while, and it would feel good. You understand, don't you?" her snarl frightened Azalea to the core.

Wait...She's playing with her food! Azalea realized, The fear is to make it easier for her. I am not afraid. She straightened and growled, "Bring it on,"

"Hm. Now, a few questions," Curium shot forward to slice Azalea's wing.

Azalea dodged and dipped, feeling the cold floor on her belly. Wincing upward, Curium threw across the room.

What has happened? Azalea looked at her talons as she struggled up from the floor.

"So, you must be sent by someone else," she put her talons under her chin mocking thought, "I'm thinking about one RainWing I knew quite a long time ago... What was his name?"

Azalea dashed forward, landing a gash in a wing membrane of the Queen about the size of a beetle. She's fast! Azalea thought as she tried to stop skidding on the ice.

"Ah yes, you are quite the adept fighter, but I have some... unique power on my talons." Curium stroke as fast as a snake and grabbed Azalea around the neck, her class digging into her scales.

She ran her talon over Azalea's communication device to Tarsier, "Hm. I never knew he could do this type of work."

Azalea struggled before biting the Queen's wrist. A cheap move, but better than dead.

Wincing, she released Azalea and rubbed her wrist. "You must care deeply for him if you would go into danger for him." she gasped at the end.

Azalea looked at her wrist to see two black lines that seemed to be burning through the Queen's scales.

"You don't know anything about me." Azalea drew herself up, "Not even about Tarsier."

"Why you little-!" Curium lunged forward to attack and Azalea moved like lightning and on top of her.

"You don't know who I am. You will never know." she growled before cutting her throat.

Azalea got up, exhausted from the fight. She had small cuts all over her, and her neck felt awful. Not to mention how freezing it was.

Just as she headed for her now-broken necklace, the large window shattered as a dragon broke through.

"Azalea!" she heard a yell and Tarsier was there and rushed forward to give her a hug, "Are you alright? I thought I lost you!" he hugged her, his warm scales touching hers.

Azalea sat for a second before hugging him back. Finally she felt why she stayed.

Then her body gave up on her, and she faded to black.

TARZALEA IS NOW CONFIRMED!! *fireworks everywhere* Now for some Exposition!!