I do not own Wings of Fire.

Part One: Wings of Sea

Chapter One

Stretching her long and elegant neck, Cerulean lit up her glow-in-the-dark scales, her eyes unused to the sudden brightness in the dark space that was her room. Her throat was raw and ached with the need for water, and lapping at the nasty green droplets of moisture that congregated on the wall of the cell did not satisfy her thirst. Scraping her claws against the stone floor, Cerulean got to her feet, eyes straining in the penetrating darkness, desperate to see some form of light that did not come from her scales. Light would mean a door.

She could see nothing.

At age four, Cerulean was the only royal princess, the only heir to the SeaWing throne. All her other potential sisters had been killed mysteriously before their hatching; only the male dragonets survived.

No one knew why the female eggs never hatched. But the queen killed all the guards who failed to protect the SeaWing princesses, angry and scared for her eggs, worried about the future of the SeaWing throne.

"If I die, and no heirs remain," said the queen in worry, "what becomes of the kingdom?"

So though Cerulean wasn't the queen's daughter, she'd been chosen to be the next SeaWing heir in case none of the female eggs hatched before the queen's death.

The prospect of being queen of the SeaWings excited most female dragonets her age, but Cerulean felt nothing but dread when she thought about ruling an entire tribe. In the four months she'd been at the palace, she'd learned next to nothing about being a queen, spending most of her time locked up in the "guest room" in the Summer Palace, where she was supposed to be "recovering from the grief of being separated from her family, although really she should be totally honored that she'd been the lucky dragonet selected to take the queen's place if all else fails."

Cerulean did have royal blood in her. She was the daughter of Delta, the queen's cousin, and Fen, the queen's other cousin. Delta and Fen had not lived in the palace. They'd been assigned to govern a fairly remote village of the Sea Kingdom, and had not seen their cousin since the old queen had died, six years ago. Delta and Fen, though they loved Cerulean, had not been particularly attached to their youngest female dragonet. They had twenty-seven dragonets to take care of, and Cerulean had been the defective one of the family; pale purple instead of blue or green like all the other dragons in the village.

In fact, Delta and Fen had been kind of relieved when the royal procession had showed up at their humble abode with orders directly from the queen, demanding politely asking them to send their youngest daughter to the castle immediately. Cerulean could remember climbing onto the royal carriage and being whisked off, away from her home and her family and wondering why she'd been chosen to be the next queen.

"It's because you've been chosen," was all the queen would say whenever Cerulean asked her question." This answer left her feeling both special and confused. But mostly confused. Why had she, of all dragons, been chosen as the next queen? Why not her sisters, Bayou, Brook, Harbor…really, any of them? They were all better suited for the role of royalty. They were all ideal SeaWings, perfect in every way.

In the dark, Cerulean flashed her scales before letting the cell descend into darkness. The black, while daunting and filled with unknown, was soothing to her eyes. She closed them, wondering when the guards would come find her and take her to see the queen again. They might come now, or not for another few hours. She never knew. All she could do was sit there in the dark with her scattered and confused thoughts, wondering how her family was doing, wondering if they missed her, wondering if her old friends were jealous, wondering if they remembered her, wondering if they'd all moved on.

There was a clang of metal against metal. Cerulean jerked awake from her brief reverie, her translucent violet eyes flying open and widening. She desperately longed to see anything other than the pitch black in front of her, but knew better than to light up her scales. At last, a glowing rectangle appeared, defining the opening of the cell door. Four heavily armed guards entered, all pointing wickedly sharp spears at her chest intimidatingly, wearing wary and frightened expressions on their snouts. She didn't know why they bothered with so much security. She was utterly harmless. And if she was going to someday be queen, what was the point of being so afraid of her?

"The queen will see you now," said one of the guards, voice trembling slightly as they spoke in an authorative tone.

Cerulean wanted to run away and hide deep in an ocean trench where no one would ever find her. There was just one problem. If she did that, she'd likely drown at some point. Because unlike other SeaWings, Cerulean had been born without gills on her neck. Like a MudWing, she could hold her breath for an extended amount of time, but eventually, she'd have to come up for air.

This "deformity," as her parents had called it, was the reason for her miserable existence back in her old SeaWing village. She'd never been able to play the traditional sea games the other dragonets played, and her siblings looked down on her as if gills made them more superior. Everyone treated her as if she were some poor accident that had hatched by mistake. Even her twin brother, Moor, while trying to be understanding and inclusive, sometimes condescended towards her, referring to her as "a dragon just one step down on the SeaWing evolutionary ladder."

(Side note: Moor was a huge brainiac who was constantly reading scrolls to gain as much information as possible. And while Cerulean loved him very much, he had a habit of sounding like an epic scroll most of the time while speaking.)

"Let's get going," the same shaky authorative voice commanded. "The queen said you two have urgent business together."

Cerulean allowed the guards to lead her from her cell, trying to seem as small as possible, which wasn't too difficult. Even for a four year old, she was tiny, barely half the size of the almost full-grown guards escorting her.

"We won't be in the Deep Palace, will we?" Cerulean found the courage to ask.

The guard directly to her right shot her a sideways glance, gills rippling irritably. "No, Your Majesty. The queen understands your…unique physiology. You'll be in the Summer Palace, as usual." This all was said in a clipped and curt manner, any emotion carefully covered under cold ambivalence.

Eddy was the name of this guard. He was the only dragon who'd been even remotely nice to Cerulean since her arrival four months ago. (Side Note: Excluding Reef, but that will be explained later). Like Cerulean, Eddy had also been taken from his family for royal purposes, but he'd never told her why. She didn't know much about him, and he not much about her, but they'd become friends anyway. He was two years older than she was, but due to the special circumstances that had separated him from his family, he'd become a full guard already, and was one of the queen's most trusted advisors.

Additionally, after the guard Reef had been fired from her guard for befriending Cerulean, she and Eddy could not talk to each other as friends in public situations. The queen seemed intent on isolating her from the rest of the tribe; first with Reef, then with having Cerulean sleep in a prison cell and not one of the rooms in the Summer Palace reserved for royalty. Cerulean was also not allowed to attend any of the council meetings held daily, or go on the monthly trips the queen made to several of the nearest SeaWing villages.

"You'll get to go with me when you're older," the queen always said calmly when Cerulean asked to go on the monthly trips. "But for now, I'd like you stay here, safe and protected, in the palace. We've had several investigative teams down in the hatchery after the last egg broke, and reports are saying that the reason for my heirs' deaths is actually murder. Despite the fifteen guards I've posted there…" she would shake her head in exasperations, as if none of the fifteen guards were capable enough of guarding the hatchery. "Well, I wouldn't like whatever's killing my daughters to get to you." Then she'd climb into the carriage, and the dolphins would ride off and she'd disappear under the waves.

Cerulean had never been to the Deep Palace either, due to her lack of gills. She highly suspected this would present a major problem later on, when she was actually queen, but no one had bothered to bring up this issue, at least that she knew about.

The three guards in front of her and Eddy had already ducked under the surface of the ocean. Cerulean braced herself for the swim to the Summer Palace.

"Take a deep breath," Eddy reminded her gently as he too waded under the surface. Though they'd been tense and wary in the cell, the guards seemed to have relaxed now that they were out in the ocean. Perhaps they were confident that they had the upper talon here by the sea. Perhaps they thought that, if need be, they could simply grab Cerulean and drown her in the ocean, no matter how long that would take. If she were to take to the sky, they could easily catch up with her.

Besides, she needed them. If she got separated from them, she'd be lost, and probably never would find her way back to them. Then who'd be queen of the SeaWings? Then who'd be the chosen one?

Steeling herself, Cerulean set her first talon into the ocean. The chill of the water sent unpleasant chills up her scales, unsettling her. After a moment's pause, she set the next talon in, and then the next, and then next, and then with a huge breath she prepared herself for the worst part. Eddy and the other three guards were waiting for her as Cerulean finally plunged her whole body into the sea, body protesting the complete water surroundings.

This is unnatural, her body seemed to tell her. You don't belong in the water. You belong in the sky.

The three guards shot forward, but Eddy stuck by her side as she clumsily tried to make her way forward in the water. Watching the way the other guards moved their wings and tails, she tried to mimic their motions. Most of the time, they flew to the Summer Palace. Cerulean didn't mind that at all, but she figured the guards had started to get annoyed at her because she flew too fast for them to keep up. Here, they swam with the quick ease and efficiency she flew with, while Cerulean wriggled around in a valiant hope to attempt to catch up.

Eddy waited patiently by her side as her body finally found a rhythm, moving forward slightly with each beat of her wings, each swish of her tail, each scooping motion she made with her talons. Still, the guards were getting farther and farther ahead, and even Eddy was having difficulty going as slow as she was.

I'm so sorry, she flashed in Aquatic. At least she could speak and understand that. It was one thing she could do that other SeaWings did.

You're fine. You're doing excellent, Eddy replied encouragingly, after making sure the guards were not looking back at them. They could not risk their friendship being discovered. This is only your fourth time in the water.

It was Cerulean's fourth time in the water. And every time had been awful. She hated everything about the sea; the cold water that seemed to press down against her from every side, the way the saltiness bit at her scales, the way random fish swam way too close to her snout, the way the other SeaWings swam so gracefully while she floundered around like a fish out of water—or perhaps more like a non-fish in water—everything about the ocean was just terrible.

By the time they reached the Summer Palace, Cerulean was running out of breath. She'd become dizzy and lightheaded, but determined not to slow down the voyage from the prison cell to the palace any more than she already had, she determinedly refused to surface for air. She was sure the guards would be even more annoyed, and she didn't need another reason to remind her tribe mates that she wasn't like them.

Eddy and the other guards gracefully exited from the water, climbing onto a sandy bank in one of the underground entrance caves. Cerulean stumbled onto the ground, her limbs, aching from the strenuous amounts of swimming she'd just done, giving out. She tumbled onto the sand, and winced as she felt it cake onto her purple scales. If there was one thing she hated more than water, it was the feeling of wet sand stuck onto her. The only way to get it off was to go back into the water, or wait for the sand to dry and flake off.

She opted to let it fall off on its own, primarily due to the fact that the other guards were glaring daggers at her.

"That journey should've only taken from midsun to highsun," said the bluest dragon, the one who had the authorative voice. The tremor that had been present in her voice earlier had vanished. Now, she was cold, commanding, and utterly in control. "The queen's council will likely be in session now. Whatever urgent business Her Majesty had to discuss with you had better not be too much of an emergency."

Cerulean ducked her head in shame, feeling terrible.

"Come on, then," the blue dragon hissed, beckoning with her tail. "The rest of you, I can take care of this one on my own. Back to your other duties."

Shooting her a sympathetic look, Eddy followed his companions up one of the tunnel passageways that led up from the entrance cave into various different areas of the palace.

The blue dragon was already heading for another one of the tunnels. Cerulean knew from previous experience that the blue dragon was named Lake, extremely grouchy, and also terrified of Cerulean but refused to acknowledge her fear. Although why Lake was so terrified of a four-year-old dragonet with no gills, Cerulean had no idea.

"The queen is at the daily council meeting," Lake said curtly once they'd reached the throne room of the palace. "If you need anything, there are guards posted outside the throne room. Expect the queen back shortly." She left briskly, and Cerulean was glad to be relieved of the grumpy guard's presence. The whole walk had been one awkward moment after another. Neither of them had said anything, nor attempted to initiate a conversation.

Cerulean set about waiting for the queen. Every learning session she'd had with the queen had taken place in the throne room, with occasional visits to the library, so she'd become accustom with the space. In the center of the room was an ornate throne made of polished mahogany, with plush blue velvet lining and gold sculptures of leaping dolphins on the armrest. The queen's throne was on a platform, three steps above the rest of the room, so that it was clear to all who had the authority. Behind the throne, on the back wall, was a beautiful mosaic of a stormy sea, inlaid with some of the royal treasury; glinting sapphires, beautiful emerald, glittering diamond, shimmering topaz, with amethyst, aquamarine, and hints of ruby.

On either side of the throne lay the queen's two gifts to the SeaWing tribe; a staff enchanted with the power to defend the kingdom when great danger was approaching, and a beautifully polished sword, perhaps once belonging to a scavenger, that was infused with the power of foresight; the queen and her advisories could gaze into the smooth reflection of the weapon and see what the future had in store for them, and therefore be better prepared for whatever was coming.

Since the queen had taken the throne six years ago, the staff had only been used once. Nobody had told Cerulean why, or what had happened. She just knew that, approximately four years ago, something or someone had successfully killed Princess Anemone and her younger sister, Princess Auklet. Nothing could be found of their killer, but it became clear that whoever had performed the deed was an animus dragon. A search, issued by the queen, had immediately gone out in an attempt to find the animus, but nobody was ever found. At least, that's what any dragon Cerulean asked would always say. But she already knew that part! And besides, she always thought, the murderer must have been found, or the staff wouldn't have been used.

As for the sword that foretold the future, the queen had never allowed Cerulean to gaze upon it, saying that she was not ready for the young dragonet to be exposed to the cruel and violent ways of the world.

Cerulean had never been allowed alone in the throne room before. Usually, there were several guards waiting inside with her, their hostile gazes trained on her, ensuring that she did not do anything she wasn't supposed to. But now she was completely alone. She could look into the sword if she wanted to…

Before she could make up her mind, the doors of the throne room were thrown open. In strode a beautiful SeaWing dragoness of about twenty-six years of age. She had dark green, emerald scales that shone under the light of glowing silver orbs that were used to light the Summer Palace. Her sapphire eyes were sharp and calculating, and filled with a bright gleam that could be mistaken for madness. The queen grinned down at her small heir in what seemed a friendly way, and she spread her wings welcomingly.

"Your Highness." Cerulean lowered her body into an awkward bow, tilting her wings downwards along with her head.

"Don't bow, Cerulean," the queen commanded, but her tone was light and joking. "You'll be queen someday. You, too, are royalty."

"I know, it's just—" Cerulean tripped over her words, nervous as she always was when speaking to the intimidating queen.

"I understand," the queen cut across her stutters. "But I have great news for you, Cerulean! I figured out a solution to your little water problem."

The queen referred to Cerulean's lack of gills by using the phrase "little water problem. Cerulean didn't know what to feel about that term.

"The answer is so simple, I can't believe I haven't thought of it before," continued the queen, walking past Cerulean and seating herself on her throne. She beckoned for her heir to come stand by her side. "You'll be touring the Deep Palace in no time, and everyone will forget about your little water problem."

Cerulean felt hope bubble up inside her. "Really?"

"Really," the queen promised.

"How will you do it?"

Grinning once more, the queen leaned forward as if she were about to tell Cerulean a very big secret.

"Easy," she said. "I'll use my animus powers."

"I can't ask you to do that!" Cerulean protested. "You're soul…"

"My soul is fine," the queen promised. She glanced at her talons, inspecting them carefully, and looked back up at her heir. "I promise."

Six years ago, Queen Coral had been killed in a challenge by her daughter. Six years ago, Orca had risen to the throne as queen. Six years ago, everything had changed for the Kingdom of the Sea.

Queen Orca smiled up at Cerulean, clearly satisfied with her talons. "I promise you I'm fine."