The day before our scheduled arrival at the Palace, Stonemover, Majestic and I made a little daytrip to a tiny hut far to the north. Truth be told, I'd never actually been that far north, and the icy wind that stung my scales was just as painful and foreign to me as it was to my companions. Fortunately, we'd only been flying a few hours before we came across a lone hut atop a hill.
As we came in, we could see a dragoness resting atop a dune, holding a fishing rod fashioned from a saguaro, with a small pile of fish at her side. She didn't look like a millennia-old sorceress. She was no decrepit old hag, nor was she an absolute goddess. Indeed, by every definition she looked like an ordinary Sandwing - barely above thirty years, not twenty centuries. She was tall and long-necked and graceful, with brownish triangular spots on her pale yellow wings. Wide black eyes considered us curiously as we landed next to her, though she made no effort to hide or retreat.
"Hi, do I- oh," Jerboa was interrupted by a very happy NightWing dragonet went forward and hugged her. She chuckled, hugging him back. "Stonemover then, I presume?"
"Yes, although he needs to remember not to hug dragons unless they give him permission, right Stonemover?" I chided - I was going to have to talk to him about that.
The dragonet grumbled, breaking the hug. We were all smiling anyways - it's hard to stay mad at a kid like that.
"It's quite alright," Jerboa said, coming forward to shake my paw. "I take it you're Xerophilous?"
"Indeed I am," I said, bowing my head politely. I put my wing on my Rainwing, gently nudging her forward. "And this," I added, "Is my beloved consort and bodyguard, Queen Majestic." Maggy bowed her head in greeting, as did Jerboa.
"If I remember your letter correctly," Jerboa asked, "This is just an outing?"
"In a manner of speaking," I said, "I thought it'd be nice to give the kiddo something to do for the day, and to meet another Animus." I patted Stonemover's head affectionately, the young drake and I having bonded during our journey north. The Nightwing rolled his eyes, but noticeably didn't pull away as he brought out a pebble.
"I enchanted a bunch of these rocks," He explained, "So that when you hold it and think of someone, it'll tell you how they're feeling. Pretty cool, right?"
"Wow, very interesting," Jerboa said with a smile, "Please, come inside and tell me more."
We followed her into her hut, which doesn't really get to describe what her domicile really was. The interior was one big room with a pair of sub-rooms - a bedroom with a straw mattress and some shelves covered in trinkets, a kitchen with fish in various stages of preservation and preparation, and a central living room with a fireplace and a large sofa. It wasn't particularly fancy, but it had the aura of a well-worn and comfy domicile, where someone could live and stay on their own forever - which, in this case, was just what Jerboa had been doing.
The ancient Sandwing was a magnanimous host, preparing a wonderful fish meal that would've impressed a Seawing. She wasn't much of a conversationalist, though that was mostly due to Stonemover dominating the conversation, with Maggy and I interjecting or directing things. Still, Jerboa seemed to be enjoying the company, and from the flashes of yellow on her lavender scales, Majestic was liking her too.
This meeting was looking up... But then Stonemover had to show off his toys.
"All my friends really like the spinning rock trick," Stonemover went on excitedly, the rock in question spinning rapidly in a circle between his paws, "I can keep it going as long as I'd like. Pretty cool, huh?"
"Indeed, young master," Jerboa chuckled, sipping some water, "Though I must admit I never particularly cared for being an animus. All it's given me is centuries of isolation and the occasional pesky Icewing. You do a couple magic tricks, and suddenly everyone thinks you can solve all of their problems." She shook her head, the first hints of annoyance I'd seen on her face all day.
"How many enchantments have you made over the years?" I asked, curiosity getting the better of me, "Even if you only did one a year-"
"It's a lot less than that," She said, the first hints of sharpness she used all day, "I use my powers as little as I can. I know the dangers that come from overuse. You must be careful with how you use your magic, young Stonemover, or you risk losing your soul bit by bit, until there's nothing left."
Stonemover looked crestfallen, his wings drooping behind him. "But... But I can do so many useful things," He said, fishing through his travel bag, "I even made a bell that can find other enchanted objects. Here, look at this!" He brought out a small bell, something you could find at any farm. Jerboa had the briefest look of panic as he rang the bell, and everything changed.
Many things in the room flickered, as the bell rang loud and clear. There were mundane things that glowed, like quills and scrolls in the corner. Below us, the large shape of a dragon glowed through the floor, twitching slightly before turning invisible again. Jerboa's body flickered and her seashell necklace (which I hadn't noticed until then) glowed, revealing a scarred, elderly dragoness. Several talons were missing, as were a few of her toes, and even her stinger. She extended her wing over her body, hiding her disfigurements as the ringing began to fade. I placed my paw on the bell, and the sound stopped. The shape below us vanished, the objects around the hut stopped glowing, and Jerboa let her wing retract, as her form returned to normal.
"Alright, that's enough," I said quickly, putting an arm on Stonemover.
"Aw, but-"
"No buts," I insisted, guiding him out, "Why don't you go join Maggy outside and fish before we leave?"
Head lowered, Stonemover reluctantly went outside under her wing, helping her set up a fishing rod by the shore. As he left, however, I sighed, turning back to face Jerboa. She was frowning, though she seemed more worried about my reaction than the fact all the magic went haywire.
"I'm sorry about that," I apologized, "He can be-"
"It's alright," She assured me, "He's a dragonet. Children can get overly excited. I know he didn't mean anything by it."
I was about to step closer, but I remembered what I saw below us and stopped. "What was that in the ground?"
"My mother," She answered, as if it were some piece of art she picked up at the flea market. Noticing my expression, she shrugged and said, "She's the reason I wear this." She held up the seashell necklace. "She raised me to be her perfect daughter. When I disappointed her, she 'pruned' me like I was some shrubbery. When I continued to disappoint her, she enchanted me to fit her expectations. It's only by happy chance I retained enough of myself to entomb her before she could kill me and start over as she had with my sister."
That sounded... horrifying. I know a lot of parents wanted their dragonets to be just like them, but I didn't think they meant it literally. My parents certainly didn't. My parents would never do anything like that to me, and I'd NEVER do anything like that to my own when they hatched. I also didn't want to do anything to anger her, lest I join her mom under the hut.
"I'm sorry," I repeated.
"It was millennia ago," She insisted, shaking her head, "She can't hurt me anymore. But enough about old troubles. Is there anything else you wish to talk about?"
"Actually, yes," I said, quickly hopping away from the touchy subject, "Before we left, there was one thing I wanted to ask you about. Have you heard of Darkstalker?"
"Yes," Jerboa said, levelly, "Why?"
"I don't know, there's some weird cult of his in the mountains near the rainforest. I know you've lived a long time, so I thought you might know something about him."
Jerboa paused, a shudder passing over her. "He's an animus," She said, "Born around the same time as me. He was also a NightWing, though, and had their powers. My mother told me he went mad with power, killed his father, tried to become ruler of the NightWings. He was locked away through trickery, I believe, condemned to sleep for two thousand years, when the fates would align for him to escape again.
"I don't know about this cult," Jerboa continued, dragging a talon through the ground, "But Darkstalker is very dangerous, the most powerful animus dragon known to Pyrrhia. You'll need lots of magic and luck to defeat him, if he's come back."
Here, Jerboa paused, considering. "If he is out and about," She said, choosing her words carefully, "Write me again. I don't know what help I can offer you, and the less I use my powers the better, but I'll do what I can."
"Thank you, Jerboa," I said, "Any support you can offer would be more than appreciated." I offered my paw, and she took it. I realized then that this was the paw that was missing digits - the one that her mother damaged, the one that she wore a glamour to conceal. I don't know what came over me at that moment, but I held eye contact as I leaned down and kissed her paw.
"I'm sorry about what happened to you," I repeated, "And I understand why you'd want to hide your... yourself from strangers. But you should know that you have nothing to be ashamed about. You'll never hear any judgment from me. You were a better Queen than most of those harpies out there. If you ever want to talk or hang out after all this is said and done, I'm always available."
Jerboa stared, then nodded, the ghost of a smile gracing her muzzle. She followed me outside as we made our goodbyes. Stonemover was pretty bummed to leave, but was happy to make a new friend. Maggy flashed yellow and bowed her head politely, as did Jerboa. With that, all three of us took to the sky, and made our way back to camp.
"She was nice," Stonemover decided as we flew along.
"She was," Majestic agreed, "Though she seemed a little sad and lonely."
"I suppose so," I admitted, "If I were immortal, and I'd gone through the things she had, I might prefer to be alone, too."
"It sounds like she could use a friend," Maggy observed, letting her tail brush against mine, "I wouldn't mind visiting her again, once everything's said and done. I'm sure she'd appreciate the company."
I couldn't have agreed more. I had no idea how our fates would be so interwoven with the curious hermit by the sea.
I wish she got to knew how right she was.
It was hard to tell what was abandoned siege equipment and what was makeshift housing, as our forces approached the Sandwing Palace. The line was pretty blurry to begin with, as refugees who wouldn't or couldn't make it to the Jade Mountains fled to the aegis of the capital, turning weapons of war into huts and tents and longhouses.
As we passed by the wreckage of a months-long siege, Sandwings slowly but surely emerged from the ruins, watching us with curious, hopeful eyes. They paid no mind to the Rainwing soldiers that followed us (an all-too familiar sight in the kingdom now), but when they saw me and Stonemover, they knew exactly who we were.
Like every village we passed through, scared and desperate dragons joined us, following someone who looked like they knew what they were doing. Twos and threes became dozens, which became scores and hundreds, until the Sandwings outnumbered the Rainwings two to one.
Two dragons, however, stood out above all others.
We had briefly landed in the middle of a campsite for a late breakfast, and we were all talking with each of the dozens of dragons that surrounded us when I spotted them amongst the crowd. I stopped what I was doing, freezing like a statue. I hadn't seen them in years, but I recognized them instantly.
A dragon never forgets their parents.
"Mom!" I called out, rushing up to them, "Dad!" I had enough time to see their surprised expressions turn into beaming smiles as I wrapped my wings around both of them, pulling them into a hug. They craned their necks around mine, holding me like when I was a dragonet. Their familiar warmth and the scents of sawdust and iron filled me with nostalgic visions of days gone by, and of calmer, simpler times.
"Xerophilous, my sunshine," Mom cried, "You can't believe how happy I am to see you! When those rioters killed Burn, we feared the worst."
"And when we started hearing rumors from the south," Dad added, "We couldn't believe our ears. Our son, King of the Rainforest? You were always an ambitious dragonet, but this takes the cake!"
"I... I can't-" I stammered, rubbing my eyes quickly, "I'm just so happy you two are both okay!"
They looked like they were about to say more, but Maggy and Stonemover approached us, and Khali's eyes went wide. "Suffering Sandstorms!" She declared, looking between them and me, "Are they- Is that-"
"This," I began, placing my wings on them both, "Is my Animus friend Stonemover. And this is Majestic, one of your new daughters-in-law."
They both blinked at that, my mother looking especially taken aback. "Excuse me?" She uttered, more surprised than aghast, "You don't mean that you're, you're-"
"You got yourself a harem?!" Dad declared, more impressed than surprised, "My little hatchling, a ladies' drake? I always had hopes you'd find someone to make you happy, but two wives?"
"Three," I corrected, "Queen-Consort Majestic is just as much my wife as Queen Fruit Bat and Queen Greatness back in the Rainforest. They are, after all, the mothers of your grandchildren."
"Grandchildren" was evidently the magic word needed to get over any hangup my parents might've had over our arrangement. Mother's eyes lit up, and she stepped closer to take Maggy's paw. "You already have an egg!" She cried, taking her in a hug, "Spirits bless you, girl! I'm going to be a grandmother!"
"Congratulations, son," My dad said, patting my back with his wing, "I was starting to fear I wouldn't live to see you settle down, let alone become a 'Nesses' drake." He raised his tail and I raised to slap stingers (as drakes do), when I saw the metal prosthetic at the end.
"Three Moons!" I swore, "What happened to your tail?!"
"Oh, this?" He looked down at his tail - everything a paw's length below his stinger had been replaced with an apparatus of leather and steel, ending in a wicked blade, paired with a syringe filled with a sickly yellow liquid. "Funny story. You know how the Skywings were sieging the capital a few weeks ago? Well, one of the Wolf's goons was trying to... 'acquisition' your mother's virtue. I told him that wasn't for sale. We had a bit of a disagreement, but we came to an understanding. He'd end up taking my stinger, but not before I shoved said stinger through his mouth and into his brain. I'd say that was a fair trade." He shrugged, as if taking a life and getting maimed was just another day in the life. For some people, it used to be.
I glanced back at Mom, rapidly chatting away with Maggy and Stonemover. I always knew my parents were strong and brave, but I had no idea of the depths of will. And props to Mojave, the prosthetic he built looked exceptionally well-made, able to slash and poison as needed. They'd survived the worst war in modern history, and came out with their genial attitude intact. If they could get through this, I could too.
We chatted and caught up for about an hour, before we had to move on and continue our journey. I wrote them an identification pass, granting them free access to anything they'd want or need in the Jade Mountains or Rainforest. Promising to see them again when I was done, I hugged them both, assuring them I'd introduce them to their other daughters-in-law and future grandchildren. We all parted ways, happy and hopeful for what the future held.
It would be the only time all five of us would be together.
History is like Poetry. It's rarely the same, but it often rhymes.
When I last walked these grounds, no one knew who would become Queen of the Sandwings. Now that I came back, that answer was even more illusive. There was chaos and confusion, anger and bloodshed, and the Palace itself was yet again under control of mercenaries and foreign armies.
When I last walked these grounds, I was a mere inventor, defeated and alone and flying for my life. Now, I was a King, leading perhaps the greatest alliance Phyrria had ever seen, with its greatest armies, and hundreds and hundreds of dragons that began following me along the way. The fallen minion had become the conquering hero.
I wondered what Glacier and Moorhen were thinking, as I walked through the front gate with my ever-growing entourage. Between the extra Auxiliaries and the refugees, it must've looked like I had brought along the whole of Phyrria with me to this meeting. As we approached, the Rainwing and Nightwing armies stood at attention, as dragons that lived and worked within the Palace came out to shout and cheer our arrival. Even Nightshade's militia seemed impressed by the turnout, though they were still pretty down after the Black Wedding. Adorned in our finest Royal Rainwing regalia, with Maggy by my side and Stonemover riding on my back, I rocked my "resting smug face" to create an aura of confidence and certainty. Yeah, I'm not worried. I've got this all figured out. Everything will be back to normal in no time. You're welcome, Phyrria.
Two familiar purple dragons landed and saluted. "Your Majesty," Grandeur greeted, "I take it your journey well?"
"You could say that." I replied, my tail vaguely gesturing to the crowd behind me. I looked at Flying Fox, raising an eyebrow at the purple neckband and earrings. "Colonel Fox, eh? I don't recall giving you a promotion."
"Hey, getting the last shot in on Hypaethral has to count for something, right?" He said, smiling. My own smile became more genuine, as I rested my wings on theirs and pulled them a little closer. "I'm really glad that you're both okay." I reached into my travel bag, fishing out a rolled up piece of parchment, and continued more playfully, "Otherwise, how would I explain to Gecko that I couldn't give 'Grandy' and 'Foxy' his letter?" Fox flashed yellow with surprise, while Grandeur flashed orange with embarrassment.
"Yeah, I was a little surprised," I joked, "Not at you, Grandeur, you can have whoever you want. But damn, Fox, I didn't know you had it in you!"
"What? You mean you didn't think I could catch myself the most beautiful, ass-kicking dragoness in the Jungle? No offense, Maggie."
"None taken," Maggie said, flashing yellow, "If I can kick half as much butt and look half as beautiful at her age, I'll be happy."
"'At my age'?!" Grandeur protested, her scales turning yellow despite the indignant tone, "I'm only forty! I'm not that much older than you!"
We all had a laugh at that. Then I continued, "But seriously, I am happy for both of you. You've helped me through some crazy times, and you're the wisest dragons I know. I wish nothing but the best of everything for you guys. And Gecko, too, he seems nice. You two don't need my blessing, but you got it."
"We appreciate that," Fox said, "Truly, we do. Now, since we're all here, why don't you give us a tour of your old home? I've been wondering how this place compares to the Nightwing Palace."
"But of course," I extended my wing outward, "Please, follow me." We all continued walking to the Citadel. As me and my entourage strolled through the courtyard, I spotted Sparkling off in the shadows, keeping an eye on the crowds. Our eyes met, and I gave him a knowing nod and smile. He smiled and nodded back, and for that moment, that was all that needed to be said.
"King Xero," An icy voice called out, "Can we speak to you for a moment? In private?"
I looked to see Glacier and Moorhen standing behind me, looking all stern and authoritative like angry schoolteachers. The moment had arrived, the one Sparkling had warned me about. I figured they'd come for me right away, though perhaps not the moment I literally stepped through the front door. The growing crowd of soldiers and civilians looked on with curiosity. Grandeur and Majestic moved to get in front of me, but I stopped them with my tail.
"It's alright, ladies," I said, playing off any concerns, "I'm sure it's nothing too important. Nothing important gets discussed before lunch, after all. I'll see you all in a little bit." Grandeur blinked in confusion, but Majestic nodded in understanding.
The Royals and I walked over to the command tent. I kept a naively happy expression on my face, acting as if I suspected nothing. They brought me in, sitting me down in the middle of the one spot not covered in rugs (as if they bought the stereotype that my tribe naturally liked having our rumps covered in rough, hot dirt). Icewing and Mudwing sat down behind a table, looking big and imposing and oozing that dominating control that I'd grown oh-so accustomed to in my youth.
"Alright, My King," Glacier began, adding a little spiteful sarcasm to my title, "Now that we're away from your little fanclub, it's time we tell you how things are going to work. The Sand Kingdom will hand over the northern territories to the Ice Kingdom for our peacekeeping efforts. Princess Blaze will become Queen of the Sandwings, as she's the last of Oasis's children. Once this is all worked out, you can take your little army and your fancy toys back to your concubines in the jungle, and have all the little naps you want. Have your fun in your little corner of Phyrria, and leave the Throne of your Tribe to your betters. Are we understood?"
As she spoke, she stood up, her wings half-out, her voice carrying an angry, menacing growl. It was a tone of voice she no doubt had used dozens, if not hundreds of times. This might've been enough to cow your average, bumbling Icewing servant, but it was beyond tame compared to what Oasis and Burn were capable of. Hell, even Scarlet - when I saw her last year - had snapped worse at her servants when they got her morning tea wrong. If Sparkling hadn't told me ahead of time, I might've been offended by this dismissive tactic. Now it was just amusing.
"What are you smirking at?!" Glacier growled.
"Oh, is that your starting offer, then?" I asked smugly, sitting up straighter, "How very interesting. Now, let me present you with mine: You have three choices. You can have Princess Blaze as Queen of the Sand Kingdom, but must relinquish all claims to the northern borderlands. You can have the borderlands, but Blaze will stay off the throne, and the Sand Kingdom will be ruled by one of Oasis's relations. Or I can find someone else to rule the kingdom, and you get neither."
"Who else?" Moorhen asked pointedly, "Blaze is the only one left of the royal family."
"That you know of," I countered, tail uncoiling and relaxing behind me, "You forget that Oasis had three sons. Two of which I can personally attest to have been sexually active. How much you want to bet that they have one or more unclaimed eggs or dragonets somewhere in the dunes? As we speak, my agents are in the process of securing them, just in case they're needed."
That was admittedly a bluff. I was the one who was providing Smolder with my version of the moon tea when he was with Palm. Singe had many, many more partners, but... let's just say his preferred methods of fun made the chances of having children very slim. Not impossible, but slim. Not that either of them knew that.
There were many words to describe Glacier's expression at that moment. My favorite was "constipated". It only made me smile more.
"You can't possibly be serious!" The Icewing snapped.
"Why not?" I asked innocently.
"These proposals are outrageous! We could never accept them!"
"Oh, but I think you can," I insisted, "Would you like me to explain why?"
"Please, enlighten us."
So I did: "Because the Kingdom of Sand has gone through eight monarchs in seven months. Because everyone, from the most disciplined soldier to the most innocent civilian is tired of their homeland being fought over by tyrants and foreign occupiers. Because I could walk out of this tent right now, declare myself High King of the Rainforest and Desert, and they would cheer and thank the Spirits that this mess is finally over."
The smile went away then. "And why shouldn't they, with my track record? I became King by accident, and turned the laughingstock of Phyrria into the greatest army the world's ever seen. I defeated the enigmatic Nightwings, captured the infamous Scarlet, and rather than breaking them, I made them my friends. Despite everyone fighting everyone, I have done more to unify the Tribes than any one dragon since the Scorching. They say I'm Animus-touched because I'm so lucky, and maybe they're right, since I have more Animi as friends than most will ever see in their lives.
"Now, to be clear, I don't want to rule this Kingdom. I'm happy where I am, starting a new life and making the Rainwings prosper. But there's no way in hell I'm going to let you pick apart the pieces of my homeland like some vulture. If you want something from the Sandwings, you have to give something in return. You want to have a vapid, empty vessel ruling these lands? You won't be the only one who gets to whisper in her ears. And if you choose to be uncooperative, and waste everyone's time by being stubborn over a couple of icy hills and your gal-pal, then maybe I'll have to find an alternative solution to this game of musical thrones."
I stood up then. Glacier, like Burn, still stood over me, but I spoke with fire and passion as I continued. "Oh yes. You seem to think of me as some kind of would-be conqueror, but that couldn't be further from the truth. I'm a builder, a visionary. I was fine just staying in the jungle, fiddling with experiments and enjoying the peace and quiet. But then my Tribe started getting butchered fighting for your puppets, and I knew I was the only one who gave enough of a damn to help them. I extended my paw to all of you, and you laughed me off. Battlewinner even thought she could take us on, and invaded. I gave her every chance to stop, but she refused to listen. Then that bitch Hypaethral went and burned down my hometown, and made it personal. If I come across as a conqueror, it's only because I've been spending all year cleaning up the messes that you made. I am The Change that you have made necessary. If my proposals here seem a little outrageous, maybe it's because I'm a little tired of you rejecting every other proposal I've sent you. But let me make something clear, Your Majesty: I am King Xerophilous, and I can either be your best friend, or your worst enemy, and it's entirely your choice. Good day, Your Majesties."
With that, I turned and walked out, putting an extra strut in my step as I left that icy hag gaping in indignation.