The third arc begins. Nothing will ever be the same.
When Typhoon got the letter from her father, she couldn't believe it.
Her grandfather, Cerulean, had gotten a new neighbor. Starfish, the hero of the Sea Kingdom. The guard who stopped Anemone and saved the palace from her wrath, and his father, Urchin. Cerulean was an aristocrat in the Sea Kingdom and had met Urchin, the strange father of the kingdom's hero. Cerulean had wanted his granddaughter to marry Starfish, but he was already taken. But Cerulean knew it would be too good to pass up an opportunity to marry into the family of a hero like that. Already being a noble was good, but this would solidify the family's position in Coral's aristocracy, and for generations of queens to come.
So a deal was struck between Cerulean and Urchin. Urchin's other son, Swordfish, was available, and even attending the same school as Typhoon was. If there was a marriage between the two, both families would benefit greatly. Cerulean's family would get a stake in whatever Starfish's family was bestowed by the crown, and Urchin's family could achieve the old glory they once had within the capital as guards. Urchin told stories of how generations upon generations of his ancestors had guarded the crown with honor, and recently had fallen from their grace.
The only one who didn't benefit from this was Typhoon herself. And maybe Swordfish too. Typhoon didn't know the other new Seawing very well.
The other problem with this arrangement was that Typhoon was quite convinced that Swordfish and the rest of his winglet, save Darkseer, were dead. They had disappeared after Swordfish and that weird new Rainwing Vine, went to see the queen of the Rainwings, Glory.
Typhoon had a theory about what had happened to them. Someone had tipped off the teachers of Jade Mountain Academy, the Dragonets of Destiny that four of their students, including two from Typhoon's own winglet, Scaleslasher and Savanna, were part of a cult that had plans to take over Pyrrhia by freeing Darkstalker. None of the dragonets had shown up since then.
Typhoon was convinced that those dragonets who had left had been captured and possibly killed by the "Darkists." Messages had been sent out to every queen from the dragonets about this threat, but nobody had been able to find any leads on their members, or where they might meet. Fear and paranoia were rippling through Pyrrhia. The teachers and the other students were freaking out over so many missing students. It had been about a month since they left.
After receiving the letter, Typhoon had to go into the pool within the academy. She was alone there. Perfect. She dove into the water and felt the liquid soak into her scales. This pool was the only place in this stupid mountain that reminded Typhoon of what she did when she got mad back home, float near the surface and let the sun shine through the water and onto her scales.
Doing this at a time like this reminded Typhoon of times she had done this when mad at her family.
Once, when Aunt Aqua came over, before she died in a battle against Icewings, she had gotten into an argument with Typhoon's mother, Ling.
"You've grown soft, Ling. Don't you remember how our father raised us? This war is how Seawings will rise to the top, along with all Sandwings who support their true queen!" "Aqua, you're the one who has gotten too zealous! This war is harming us! We are outnumbered greatly! We need to try and draw it to a close, not keep it going!" "War keeps the Seawings moving! An enemy forces our guard up! If we let it slip, the other queens will come eventually. Peace will only come when Seawings rule the entire continent!" "My daughter will not grow up in a world at war." Ling flashed. "Oh, because our generation is going to end the war! They've proven to be so good at it!" Aqua flashed with a nasty grin. She grabbed the young Typhoon by the horns and smiled into her face. "Do you trust your dad out there?" She flashed. "Aqua stop!" Ling flashed. "Are you going to be tough? Or are you going to be a shrimp like your mother?!"
Typhoon felt the water wash over her. There was a time when Typhoon's father, Wave, tried to make her kill an octopus.
"How will you defend this kingdom if you can't kill?" Her father flashed angrily. "Do you want to be a soldier?" Typhoon looked at the floating creature. "Are you going to be a shrimp?" Her father asked threateningly. "Because there are no shrimps in this family!" The young Typhoon stared into the animal's eyes, and swam away, her father swimming after her in anger.
The water was calming. Once, during a family get-together, Typhoon's grandmother, Ray, gave a speech in Aquatic.
"I look around at these dragons, and I see proud veterans and soon-to-be soldiers." She flashed proudly. "Of course, there are a few weak links here and there, but we remain as swords of the Seawings!" Typhoon had known that comment was aimed at her. She felt eyes on her for a moment as the other dragons looked at her as if she was an oyster who had gone bad, and was now undesirable. Typhoon could almost see it in their faces, as if eyes had Aquatic all on their own. "Shrimp…"
Sinking down into the water felt like Typhoon could momentarily drop her strength and be a dragonet again. It had been after that day that Typhoon decided there would be no more shrimp. She would reinvent herself as someone her family would finally accept. She killed the octopus, she killed more than an octopus. She became tough. She became strong. She learned what her family liked and did it until it became nature for her. She even went with Aqua one day…
She was flying alongside her aunt and her aunt's son, Turtle. Her aunt wanted to show her what it was like to be a soldier on the islands above the sea level. "It was on this island that Commander Tempest was killed years ago." Turtle said to Typhoon. "Some Seawings say that the assassin who killed her was struck by lightning and died, and their ghost still haunts the island." He said as if to scare her. Typhoon shrugged it off.
The Seawings landed on the shore of the island and looked around. "It's on islands like these where we have to be careful. Our enemies don't know the location of the Summer Palace and we can't give them any ideas. If too many Seawings are seen on the islands around it, they might be able to guess where it is." Aqua said. Typhoon nodded curtly.
"It's Mudwings we have to be the most careful of. Our old alliance with them resulted with Moorhen having knowledge of key islands in our archipelago." "Why did we break with them again?" Turtle asked, bored. "Because of the note that was attached to the spear that killed Commander Tempest." Typhoon answered. "You are correct Typhoon." Aqua responded, and Typhoon felt pride. There was not a hint of disappointment in her aunt's voice.
"However, I do not believe the Mudwings did it. It wouldn't make sense for them to do it. The deal they had with Blister for land was greater than they had initially hoped. Moorhen is many things, but not a greedy queen. Blister was correct to search the island that day. Did you know that a dying Nightwing was found on this very island?"
Silence fell upon the two dragonets. "I believe someone else killed Tempest. This war, while great for the Seawings and our progression as a tribe, is a front. Someone else is pulling the strings, and I think it's the Nightwings."
Unfortunately for Aqua, she would not live to see her theory proven. She was killed by Icewings shortly before the Dragonets of Destiny were first found by Scarlet. Her body was never found.
But Typhoon always remembered that day. The day that Aunt Aqua, the toughest of the entire family, accepted her. It made her feel… special. That she was truly a warrior of the sea.
Typhoon floated back up to the top of the pool. There was still other angry memories. Her fight with her mother when she wanted her to go to this school. The time she fought Turtle over a piece of shark meat when she was young and lost. The time she swore at another student in school and received punishment from her grandfather in the form of labor. But those memories could be thought of another time.
Right now, it was time for class. Typhoon went back to her cave to dry off and get her scrolls. She paused and stared at the spot where Scorch used to sleep. That insufferable Skywing. Her insecure attitude reminded Typhoon so much of her own, younger, weaker self. Constantly trying to act as if she was something she wasn't. Yet… part of her missed her clawmate, and then the one last embarrassment rippled through her mind.
Typhoon grabbed her scrolls and walked towards the class she had with Clay. She passed Webs in the hallway, who gave her a nod, but Typhoon almost felt like his eyes could see right through her. Something about him seemed… off. Typhoon looked away from him, ashamed.
The one last thing that would make the marriage with Swordfish so awful. One last thing her family would never approve of. One last thing that haunted Typhoon everywhere she went.
She didn't like males.
Reveal Moment: The cover image is a post-Scorching depiction of the humans worshipping Hecate, the first animus, as dragons bear down on them. Hecate has been burned out of the middle.