If the Battle of the Portal was the main event, the invasion of the Nightwing's home was the encore. If Queen Battlewinner refused to listen to reason through letters, maybe more personal interactions would prove more convincing. A failure to communicate would result in the Rainwings participating in their first offensive military action in all their recorded history. It would mark a true turning point, not just for me as a King, but for my subjects as a culture and a people. In a manner of speaking, they would finally be growing up, and participating in war as every other Tribe had done for untold centuries.
But ours wasn't going to be like the fighting of the old days, with claws and teeth and fire. This would be a subtle, sneaky affair, settled with sleeper darts and arrows and invisible dragons. If everything went according to plan, our attack would be so quick and overwhelming that the Nightwings wouldn't even have a chance to respond. We would take the island, capture their Tribe and their Queen, and either force her surrender, or find someone more reasonable to run things.
A tall order, going against the powerful, mysterious Nightwings on their home turf. But if we beat them once, we could do it again. And now, with experienced soldiers, inside knowledge provided by Slaughter and Morrowseer, and the Nightwing Army still en route home, the odds remained in our favor.
But this time, I was not content to just wait in the Village and hope things turned out well. If there was a chance that I could get to Battlewinner personally and talk her out of this madness, I would do it. I would accompany my Army, don my armor, ready my crossbow. I would go into the heat of battle, and witness firsthand just how amazing my fighters were.
It was mid-morning as I finished donning my armor, and reached our assembled forces at the portals. Nearly a thousand Rainwings were gathered, arms ready and at ease. After the slam-dunk of the Battle of the Portal, a lot of the nervousness and fear they used to have had nearly completely dissipated. As I descended, I spotted Batty, Maggy and Grandeur gathered at the edge of the force, talking.
"Hello, ladies," I greeted them as I touched down, "How're the preparations coming along?"
"The Army has been gathered, as requested." Majestic announced, gesturing to the dragons now forming lines. "We're about to send in the first scouts. Once we have both ends of the portal secured, we can send the rest of our forces through."
I nodded, turning to Fruit Bat. "Fruit Bat," I said, "You're in charge of the Rainforest until we come back. Can you do that for me?"
She smiled and nodded, but I knew she was troubled, even if her scales didn't change color. Her golden eyes showed me everything she was feeling - for all that she was still angry over about the meeting, she was even more worried about me heading off into battle. I was worried too, but I couldn't afford to let that fear show. I had to be brave: for her, and for them.
I craned my neck around hers, and held her close. She leaned into me, and we just stood there savoring the moment for as long as we could. She wore the scent of roses and lavender. A couple of the troops "Awww'd" at us.
"Please come back." She whispered, her green scales going darker with worry, "I know Maggy'll keep you safe, but... I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you."
"We're going to be fine." I assured her, nuzzling her frill. "We're going to make Battlewinner see reason. We're going to finish this dumb war. And when we're done, we can go back to how things used to be. Just the three of us working together in your garden, like you've always wanted."
"And sun-time afterwards?"
"All the sun-time you want. I promise."
She sighed, and she kissed me. It was a long, lingering kiss, one that said, I hope this isn't the last time we're together, but if it is, I'll always remember this moment. We broke the kiss, and rested our foreheads together.
"I love you," She whispered, "Please stay safe."
"I will," I promised, "And I love you too."
She gave me one last peck on the cheek, and took flight back to the Village. I had to force myself to turn away, and step up in front of my troops. They all gathered together in organized lines, pretending they didn't see their boss get lovey-dovey a few seconds ago. I switched on my professional mode, and recalled the speech I prepared for this very moment.
"The Nightwings," I began, "Believe themselves to be our superiors. They cloak themselves in superstition and fear, jealously hiding themselves in shadows and ancient magic, meddling in the affairs of other kingdoms for their benefit. They see themselves as kingmakers and magicians, lording over lesser beings. They believe that they are the Night Itself!" There were scattered boos and growls amongst the crowd, the troops turning various shades of orange and red.
"Maybe they are The Night," I continued, letting emotion and hype flow through me, "But WE are the Lightning that shall illuminate the Heavens! WE are the Thunder that shakes the Mountains! WE are the Storm that blows away their walls of illusions and hubris! The Light of Science and Progress shall shatter the darkness like dawn's early light, and usher in a New Day, a New Age of Truth and Reason! WE are the Rainwings, and today we shall show the world that OUR time has come!"
Everyone cheered, making loud birdcalls and howls that echoed through the forest. I turned to Maggy, saying, "Pretty good speech, right?"
"Very Kingly." Majestic agreed, beaming gold. "Couldn't have said it better myself."
"Are we all set?"
"Almost. One more thing." She leaned in until our lips met, kissing me passionately. I was distantly aware of the crowd behind us hooting and cheering at the public display of affection, but I was more focused on returning the favor and enjoying the moment. When she finally pulled back, I was gasping for breath, the taste of citrus lingering on my tongue.
"Was that a 'good luck' kiss?" I asked, smiling.
"You could say that." She giggled. "Just reminding myself of what I'm fighting for."
"Heh, you won't get any complaints from me." I chuckled, stretching out my wings. "Now, let's go see what the Night Kingdom looks like..."
I didn't really know what to expect as we made our way through the Portal. A grand city, bigger and better than the ruins I spent a night in? A picturesque oasis of palm trees and sandalwood? A giant library containing all the knowledge in the world and prophecies for every possible future? These were all widely debated possibilities for the Night Kingdom. What I found was nothing like any of those.
After walking through the dark, Animus-made shortcut in space and reality, I emerged onto a barren, rocky outcropping under an overcast sky. I had to watch my step - outside a well-worn path, the ground was covered in jagged, obsidian spikes. The Rainwings were hopping about gingerly over the rocks, and at least one soldier was already getting a backpaw bandaged up by our medic.
"Wow," One of them declared, "This place looks like hell!"
"Literally." Said another, picking a black stone out of his toes, "Are we sure we didn't die and enter the afterlife?"
"Everything looks black and dead." Yet another Rainwing hissed. "Dragons live here? No wonder those Nightwings seem so mean."
"The Portal's secure," A fourth Rainwing announced, coming to attention in front of us, "We can start bringing in the rest of our army, Your Majesty."
"Very good," I said, "Now, you go back and send word to Grandeur to start sending them over. From here on out, we're going in silent and swift. Everyone is to remain camouflaged and to keep talking to a minimum until I give the command to strike. Keep blowguns and tranq rounds at the ready - we're here for aggressive negotiations, not conquest."
The troopers all nodded in acknowledgement, one by one disappearing into the haze. Only Maggy remained, standing beside me with her crossbow at the ready. "Do you think this plan will work?" She asked.
"Can't hurt to try." I told her, cocking my RFC. "I don't want to take out another Queen if I can help it, but I'm not going to let anyone or anything threaten my kingdom, my people or my queens. Battlewinner can either see reason, or I'll find someone who will."
"Then let's go find her." She said. "It's impolite to keep a lady waiting."
We took flight. It's a surreal experience, flying over a volcanic wasteland, to hear and feel dozens of wingbeats around you, only to see one dragon anywhere near you. We flew in the direction of the summit, where I could spot the vague shapes of a castle built into the side of the mountain. Down below, once green forests were now an ugly mix of dying brown, yellow and gray. Columns of steam and toxic gases sprouted up here and there, far enough away that none of us had to duck or fly around.
"Look at this place!" Maggy declared, looking downright horrified at everything below us. "How can dragons live in a place like this?"
"I've been to their city." I told her. "It was beautiful, but it'd been abandoned for centuries. Whatever happened that drove them from their homes, it had to be absolutely terrifying." Tiny spots of fearful white flickered along her body, but her expression remained focused and calm. She held her crossbow close to her chest, but in fairness, so was I.
"That's far enough!" A loud, booming voice echoed.
I looked up, and stopped midair as I saw the largest dragon I'd ever seen. This dragon was massive, easily big enough to make Burn look like a dragonet in comparison, as she came to a stop over a dozen dragon-lengths away from us. Black wings stretched far to either side of us, briefly shrouding us in a starlit sky. Baleful blue eyes glared down at us, viewing us as foul rodents or meddlesome scavengers. A crown of black steel adorned her head, matching the armor along her neck and body. Half-a-dozen Nightwings decked out in similar armor followed behind her, holding their spears menacingly at us.
"Queen Battlewinner, I presume?" I asked, trying to sound calmer and more casual than I actually was. We descended to the rocky ground beneath us, a small outcropping of flat land in a forest of sharp basalt.
"You have some nerve showing your face." She growled, a voice so base and threatening I could almost feel it resonate in my chest. "After all you've done to us."
"I wanted to offer you one last chance to talk things out." I explained, flying down to perch myself atop a ledge. "There's been miscommunication for both of us, and I wanted to meet face to face, so we can avoid bloodshed and end this as civilized dragons."
"Oh really?" She scoffed, "You call yourselves civilized? You send spies out to every kingdom, you have rivals assassinated, and you demand my daughter when you already have a harem? See, this is why our ancestors made it so only Queens can rule. Even the smartest drake will always think with what's between their legs!"
"And yet so many Queens are ruled by emotions!" I snapped, my tail arching up in anger. "Do you know how many Queens and Princesses I've met over the years? Do you know how many ended up being backstabbers and murderers? Almost all of them! Burn, Blister, Oasis, Scarlet, Coral, Glacier. For all this 'lazy Rainwing' bullshit, they're the only tribe that doesn't require killing family members to take the throne! Tell me, Your Majesty, in what other context besides royal succession does murdering your mother and sisters not make you a fucking psychopath?!"
"That's how things are, cactus-licker." Battlewinner growled. "That's how things have always been. Daughters must replace their mothers, and the strong must overcome the weak."
"BUT THAT'S THE PROBLEM!" I shouted, growing increasingly frustrated. "Everyone's been doing the same Moons-damned thing since The Scorching, and look at what it's gotten us!" I gestured to the guards on either side of her. "Look at them, still using the same pointy sticks that the first dragons used, living in the same caves and huts, dying of the same illnesses. Rinse and repeat ad infinitum. That's life under your way." I held up my crossbow. "Now look at this. I built this weapon a few months ago, and already I've revolutionized warfare. With but the bare minimum of training, my invention turned the weakest Tribe in Phyrria into the greatest army this world's ever seen. In two months, I made the Rainwings your equal! Imagine where we'd all be if every Queen was as open to change as me!"
"Because you're so special, aren't you?" She sneered. "You survive a coup, fly into a new kingdom and win one battle, and suddenly you think you're some kind of savior? You're nothing like us. You can shower yourself in accolades and praise, but you'll never be a real King."
"Xero might not have hatched a King," Maggy interjected, flashing indignant orange and red, "But he's the King we chose! He's proven himself time and again to be kind and wise and bold. Unlike you, he's earned our loyalty!"
"Enough of this!" Battlewinner shouted. "I was considering letting your whore live, Xerophilous, but now I'll have to mount her head next to yours!"
"Oh really?" I chuckled. "You and what army?"
"Funny," The Queen smirked menacingly, "I was going to ask you the same thing. Because mine's right over there." She pointed off to the southwest. Off in the distance, we could see what looked like a distant flock of birds flying through the distant clouds. Only as they came closer and closer could we see that they were, in fact, dragons.
The Nightwing Army had arrived.
But even as I realized this, I noticed that something was off with them. Their wingbeats were slow, sluggish, more gliding on the currents than speeding their way here. They had flown here all the way from the Sandwing Palace, easily halfway across the continent. That they still had enough stamina to make it from Phyrria to here and not crash into the sea was a point in their favor. Against Majestic and I, they'd easily kick our asses.
But we weren't alone.
"Oh, what a coincidence," I said, turning back to the Queen, "Mine's already here." I lifted my freepaw up, and snapped my talons.
As one, a thousand Rainwings materialized all around us. Dozens surrounded in a great multicolored dome, and hundreds and hundreds more flew overhead or were following the incoming Nightwings. Crossbows and blowguns at the ready, they fired at the enemy soldiers, a barrage of arrows and darts falling upon them like an unstoppable monsoon. The black dragons tried to fight back, spewing fire and trying to bite and claw at my fighters. Dragon after dragon got darted and fell, and the Rainwings - being the kind and considerate dragons they were - flew in groups of two and three to catch them and carefully bring them to the ground. Every now and then a Nightwing was drugged or heavily wounded, falling too quickly for them to catch, crashing onto the rocky ground in meaty SPLATs! or becoming impaled on sharp spikes.
But then something unexpected happened. Something that, as far as I know, had never happened in all of Phyrrian History. As Rainwings pointed their bows and blowguns at them, the Nightwings raised their forelegs, palms-out and panicky. As My soldiers escorted Her soldiers down to the ground to be bound and captured, Battlewinner's expression soured as mine brightened. The mighty Nightwing Army was surrendering en masse.
With just one volley, the so-called "Greatest Army in Phyrria" had been broken.
I turned back to Battlewinner, grinning in triumph. "I think I'll be accepting your surrender now." I said, looking at the guards behind her. They'd already lowered their spears and took a few steps back. "I'm a nice guy. We can still end this peacefully between us, and work together like I offered."
"And let you get close to my daughter and Animus?" She growled, smoke escaping from her mouth. "I'd rather die!"
"Have it your way then." Maggy replied. Before I could tell her to stop, she'd already raised her crossbow and fired a bolt. It struck the Queen's neck, blood pouring out of a wound next to her carotid artery. Battlewinner roared her pain and fury, and made to charge at us. All around me, Rainwings materialized and opening fire on the colossal dragoness. Reflexively, I raised my 'bow, firing a shot. The bolt went wide, striking her bicep.
"YOU WILL NOT TAKE THEM FROM ME!" The Nightwing Queen roared. "YOU WILL NOT TAKE HER FROM ME!"
"Stop!" I shouted, firing another arrow at Battlewinner, striking her in the shoulder. She was already cut and bleeding and hit with six other arrows, but still she kept coming.
"STOP!" I reloaded my bow, but another arrow flew overhead and pierced the Queen's throat, poking out the back of her neck. She was dead instantly, her body tensing up, collapsing and sliding across the rocky ground, stopping inches from my feet. More arrows struck her body.
"STOP!" I roared, turning back to the Guards. They complied, the soldiers looking on in confusion; Majestic, with concern. I looked at the body of the dead Queen, her body still twitching, blood already starting to pool. I felt myself fill with anger, frustration, remorse. I didn't want to do this: fighting the Nightwings, invading their island, having the blood of another Queen on my paws. How many did this make now, two? Three? I'd given her every chance, every opportunity to talk this out, and she refused right to the end. What else could I have done to make her see reason?
"I only wanted to help you," I hissed, squeezing my crossbow until it began to creak. "I only wanted to help! We were on the same side! Why couldn't you just fucking listen to me, you-"
Off to my right, I heard someone scream. I looked up to the afternoon sun, just starting to peek through the volcanic overcast, to see another Nightwing. She was roaring with rage and anguish, brandishing a spear as big as she was, barely knowing how to hold it. She was young, maybe 18 or 19, though it was hard to tell, looking long and thin as many of the malnourished members of her Tribe did. Her eyes were full of angry tears, the starry scales on her wings reflecting the baleful orange light of the lava below. She was beautiful - in an avenging Angel kind of way - and surprising enough that I just stood there watching, and would've been skewered had a blowdart not struck true on her neck. By the time my mind got up to, Wait, is she coming right at me?, she fell unconscious, dropping her spear and gliding close enough for Maggy to catch and bind her. As she looked her over, her scales turned dark-blue and white.
"...Oh no." She murmured.
"What?" I asked.
"This is Princess Greatness," She explained, "Battlewinner's daughter…"
I looked at the unconscious dragoness, then at the bloody corpse of the Queen, and then back at her. Oh for fuck's sake, I thought, rubbing a headache already starting to creep up...
