Preface
2 months ago
It was a bloody battle.
IceWings began to fly close to the oasis town, Sunstone could feel it.
"Why are we even doing this?" she asked, looking into his eyes, "What are we even fighting about."
"That is not for you to understand," Anubis replied, "You're just a princess."
Chapter 1
Queen Sunstone sat on her throne, and looked down on her subjects.
Being her son, Aten found this terrifying. He couldn't die, not yet. Not now. He was too young.
Aten found his security in knowing that he could never get the throne, so he wasn't worth killing.
Right?
"Loyal SandWings," Sunstone announced, addressing the crowd, "I have news."
Since the war with the IceWings, there had been a lot of news. Diamondback had handed her throne to show her gratitude for coming up with the big idea, and for leading them to peace.
Peace.
Aten liked hearing that word, but he knew it would never exist.
Not after that day.
"Frostbite has made me an offer," she continued, "Which I have accepted. In a week, we will be holding an arranged marriage with an IceWing Princess to strengthen our alliance. She is arriving tomorrow."
"Who's marrying her?" a council member asked, proving Aten's theory that she hadn't talked it over.
"Aten,"
Frostburn watched carefully. Now, all the other 6 year-olds had left but the chosen one had to stay. Foxfire had to teach her how to stop herself from being stabbed by a tail barb and how to defend against SandWing fighting techniques.
"But why?" she'd retorted, "We're allies, so why bother with fighting."
Foxfire glowered, her tail lashing.
"Because, princess. That's what they think. We know better. They're SandWings. They'll betray us the first chance they get."
Frostburn groaned. A speech was in order, wasn't it?
"Back to training," Foxfire grunted.
She has mercy today.
Hours after the sun went down, Foxfire escorted Frostburn to her palace quarters.
Time for the fun.
She flopped onto her bed, staring at the window. The entire palace was made of ice, and holes so big that a dragonet could fit through.
Frostburn opened her eyes.
She was in a completely different position, and a SeaWing was in her room.
"Maelstrom!" she cried.
Maelstrom was a pretty mixture of Columbia blue and white, with a seafoam green undertone. She had serrated talons, and a smile that kind of made Frostburn want to rip her snout off. Maelstrom had only inherited a few things from her IceWing grandmother, (which included being able to withstand sub-zero temperatures) who was Whirlpool's mate.
"Hey."
"I have to stop seeing you," Frostburn said, "I'll have to marry some stupid SandWing."
"Imagine!"
Dovekie looked down at the floor.
They were going at it again.
"You don't get it, do you?" Moonwatcher screamed, shooting a look at Dovekie's father. She gave another quick glance at her dragonet.
"This isn't just about us anymore! We have a 5 year-old son!"
"Of course I do!" Winter roared, "But if you hate me so much, why don't you run back to YOUR BOYFRIEND QIBLI ALREADY?"
Dovekie didn't know who Qibli was, but he had certainly heard a lot about him.
Surely he couldn't be that great.
Dovekie snuck outside, knowing that Winter wouldn't notice that he was gone. His eyes were black, and icicle-like horns went down his spine. Dovekie could hear his parents yelling from the other room, and he spread his starlike wings to reveal his pewter coloured scales. Dovekie exhaled, leaving a trace amount of frostbreath in the air.
Moonwatcher hated it when he did that.
"Dovekie?" a familiar voice called.
That meant the fight was over.
For now.
A NightWing walked out,, kind eyes searching.
"Hi mother," Dovekie replied, not looking up.
Moonwatcher sat next to him, but didn't say a word. Her tail twitched, and the silver scales by her eyes flashed in the moonlight.
You wouldn't leave us for Qibli, right?
She put her talons on his, which as far as he could tell, meant "Yep."
Maelstrom, unlike most SeaWings, hated the ocean.
She was forced to live in the Shore palace, even though all royals hated her. Yeah, it sucked.
Now she was bowing for Queen Bubbletip, who was (lucky me) Anemone's daughter. Bubbletip wanted her dead, and she didn't even try to hide it. But SeaWing law stated that she had to commit an actual crime before she could be executed.
And, she was too valuable at the moment.
"How has the mission been going?" Bubbletip asked.
"Great. Frostburn never fails to tell me about everything going on in the Ice Kingdom," Maelstrom replied.
Bubbletip was cobalt blue, and her wing membranes were crepe pink, like the inside of a conch shell.
"Then what are you waiting for? Go!"
The Shore palace had 9 tunnels that lead to each of the kingdom's palaces once they realised Porpoise was an animus.
Maelstrom looked back at emerald green scales, and Porpoise growled when he noticed.
Maelstrom found the Ice pool and got ready.
She swam through the tunnel, and in about 5 seconds, she had made it to the Ice Kingdom.
She flew upward, almost moving her wings in a full circle every time.
As expected, Frostburn was alone in her room.
"Maelstrom!" she cried.
Wow, I wish everyone were that happy to see me.
Frostburn was a sparkling white, and covered in wounds.
The way her face lit up, although she'd never admit it, actually melted Maelstrom's heart a little.
"Hey."
"I have to stop seeing you," Frostburn replied, "I'll have to marry some stupid SandWing."
That was good.
And bad.
Mostly bad
The SeaWings need me!
I can't tell her, she'll hate me forever for lying.
Oh no oh no oh no oh no Oh no oh no oh no oh no Oh no oh no oh no oh no Oh no oh no oh no oh no Oh no oh no oh no oh no Oh no oh no oh no oh no Oh no oh no oh no oh no Oh no oh no oh no oh no Oh no oh no oh no oh no Oh no oh no oh no oh no Oh no Oh no oh no oh no oh no Oh no oh no oh no oh no Oh no oh no oh no oh no Oh no oh no oh no oh no Oh no oh no oh no oh no Oh no oh no oh no oh no Oh no oh no oh no oh no Oh no oh no oh no oh no Oh no oh no oh no oh no Oh no oh no oh no oh no Oh no Oh no oh no oh no oh no Oh no oh no oh no oh no Oh no oh no oh no oh no Oh no oh no oh no oh no Oh no oh no oh no oh no Oh no oh no oh no oh no Oh no oh no oh no oh no Oh no oh no oh no oh no Oh no oh no oh no oh no Oh no oh no oh no oh no Oh no
"Imagine!"
The IceWings were beautiful.
From their glistening scales to the way to the way they stood and flew in unison.
Next to their Queen, one of them stood with a little bit of nervous energy, like Aten.
The SandWing prince curled his tail barb in, and Aten wouldn't take his eyes off of the Princess. He'd have to marry her.
In about a week.
Sunstone declared, "This is my son, Aten."
Every SandWing and IceWing in the stronghold looked right at him.
The Princess finally met his gaze. Her cold, blue eyes stared straight through his soul.
Frostbite noticed her gazing, and smiled. It wasn't a kind smile, but one with baleful intention.
"This is Princess Frostburn."
Frostburn had to stay with Aten in the SandWing stronghold.
It was infuriatingly hot, and all SandWings didn't care if they tracked in sand, so Frostburn kept on finding tiny grains between her talons. Aten looked annoyingly goofy, a little like Maelstrom but more annoying.
A lot more annoying.
The room was split into halves, one felt considerably warmer than the other. Frostburn drifted to the colder side.
This one was primarily white, with one large tapestry of the arctic tundra. It was a perfect depiction and, combined with the slightly cooler temperatures, almost made her feel like she was home again.
Almost
It even snowed a little.
Animus magic?
The other side was the exact opposite.
"It's cool, isn't it?" Aten abruptly asked.
Frostburn snorted.
"Don't tell anybody," he added, "It's enchanted to look like a regular room to everyone else?"
The end of the sentence went up when he saw the look on Frostburn's face.
"YOU'RE AN ANIMUS?"
"No, of course not. Echis, the chef, is."
He was biting the edge of his lip, on the verge of laughter.
Didn't Jerboa have a brother?
In the window of the stronghold, a SandWing appeared.
"Who's that?" Frostburn snapped.
Aten half-smiled and answered, "Gnamma. A rebel."
A rebel? Aten should turn him in! He has to, I've read every SandWing law.
But Aten didn't turn him in. He simply helped him in, said "Bye!" and watched him disappear.
So he doesn't follow rules. That's useful.
Once she knew Gnamma was gone, Frostburn said, "You don't want to marry me, right?"
Aten nodded hesitantly.
"So how about this?" she proposed, "We escape. Tonight.
We'll be free."
One parent had left within a day.
One parent had turned their back on the rest of the family.
On parent didn't care about anyone else.
And that parent was Winter.
Moonwatcher stumbled into the room where Dovekie was lying once again.
I'd supposed you'd left with him, he thought, blinking back tears.
"I'd never do that," Moonwatcher said, "He told me he'd watch you. I didn't think Winter would do something like this."
"Well he did," Dovekie responded sharply, still refusing to meet her gaze.
"There is good in your Winter's heart, you know. You should have seen the amazing things he did when he was your age."
I'm not sure there's any in yours. You've been leaving almost every couple of days.
Is it to see Qibli?
Realising his mother could read minds, he stammered, "W-wait! I didn't mean-"
"Yes, you did. But you're right,"
Moonwatcher gave a light chuckle, before saying, "I have been seeing Qibli. Maybe Winter found out. Maybe that's why he left me."
"But why?"
"Be-" she began to say, "I'll just show you."
Moonwatcher made her way out, and came out with a sand-dollar coloured rock with white circles all over it. Carefully, she placed it in front of Dovekie.
That's when he realised it wasn't a rock, but an egg.
"Did you make that," he asked, "With QIBLI?"
Maelstrom said, "I have good news and bad news."
"Good news first," Bubbletip instructed.
"The IceWings and SandWings are having an arranged marriage. Frostburn will be marrying a prince."
Every single SeaWing head shot upward, eavesdropping.
"What?" Bubbletip roared, "I must talk this over with my council. Maelstrom, you are dismissed."
The countless number of rings, the multiple woven Pearl necklaces and the sparkling tiara did nothing to make her stance look any less plebeian. Bubbletip snarled and Maelstrom knew how to take a hint.
She backed away slowly, before shooting out of the Shore Palace as fast as her wings could fly her. Bubbletip caught on, and sent 3 guards after Maelstrom.
Green blurs were gaining ground, fast and Maelstrom zipped onto the window, wings folded. She leapt, pushing off.
"Stop!" a voice barked behind her.
Maelstrom wouldn't stop. She'd never stop.
Dugong held her two-year old dragonet up in the air.
"Boarf," Maelstrom said, letting her tiny tail hanging. For a moment, she tried to struggle free, but she sighed, worn from effort.
"Dugong!" Queen Sebae called.
Maelstrom was promptly placed on the ground. She squeaked in protest, but that did no good. Dugong ran out, and Maelstrom listened from her room.
"So now we know that Turtle has had dragonets, so your job is no longer necessary. Dugong, you are dismissed."
And, moments later, Maelstrom was an orphan.
Aten trailed behind her, carefully following her footsteps. Frostburn paused, tasting the air, letting the cool autumn air filter through her glistening porcelain scales. Aten felt dirty next to her, just a sand-dollar coloured lizard who was tracking in sand. But still, he leaned in, kissing Frostburn right on the snout.
He backed away afterward once he saw the look on Frostburn's face.
"Was that a good idea?" he asked.
"I don't know," came the quiet reply.
"Let's try again and find out.
Frostburn saw Maelstrom again that night.
Aten was sleeping soundlessly, his chest rising slowly and evenly. Maelstrom had been exiled from the Sea Kingdom for as long as Frostburn knew her so it made sense that she'd come.
"Maelstrom?" she'd asked. Maelstrom flinched slightly, and smiled wider than she'd ever done before.
"Yeah, it's me," Maelstrom had replied, her head ducking.
They were alone, in the Claws of the Cloud, surrounded by hundreds of quaking aspens.
Then they started to kiss.
Dovekie had been trekking the mountain range for ages, with an egg in a pouch connected to a rope that was slung over his shoulders. He could already picture Moonwatcher's face when she realised they were both gone.
He'd come across a quaking aspen forest, with 3 dragons resting quietly.
Actually, two of them weren't resting.
Dovekie gagged.
But he needed a place to stay, and so did the Qibli-egg. Surreptitiously, Dovekie crept closer, but here his scales stuck out like a broken wing.
The SeaWing noticed within moments, and stared directly into Dovekie's eyes. The way her green eyes studied him from horns to talons was creepy, yet he felt drawn to her.
"Who are you?" she barked.
The IceWing next to her looked even more distrustful, if that was possible. She roared, revealing a large set of razor-sharp teeth.
Despite what his instincts told him, Dovekie took another step closer.
"I'm not here to hurt you, I just need a place to stay."
"Sure," the SandWing responded, half-asleep, "Are you here with the SeaWing?"
They were meeting in secret. . . Interesting.
Useful.
"Yep!" Dovekie chirped, pulling the SeaWing closer, "She's my girlfriend."
The SeaWing growled softly, and she resisted quite a bit.
"For future reference," she hissed in a hushed tone, "My name is Maelstrom."
"Cool!" the SandWing replied, "I'm Aten and I'm supposed to be marrying Frostburn."
At five?
But that doesn't matter.
Maelstrom is a Qibli
And all Qiblis deserve to die.
Maelstrom hated pretending to be Dovekie's girlfriend.
But, that was the punishment for being a spy.
Sunstone had sent many search parties for them, but they'd managed to avoid them. On their grassy mountain, Dovekie wouldn't stop staring.
It was creepy.
But the level of tension did nothing but drop.
Crack
Maelstrom screamed, and Dovekie placed the egg on the ground. A tiny, black head peered out, before the rest of a minuscule body slipped out. The hatchling was mostly black, with rivers of pale yellow all the way down to her barbed tail.
2, large, black eyes looked up at Maelstrom as they gleamed like onyx against the intense moonlight.
"She's adorable," Aten whispered.
Maelstrom smiled, keeping up her act.
"What should we name her?" she asked, turning to Dovekie, "He's your brother, after all."
"Half-brother," Dovekie snarled, before turning to Maelstrom with a grin, "How about Dawn?"
Frostburn and Maelstrom shared a look of disgust, but Maelstrom said, "Dawn's a great name!"
Dawn's snout was black, with white freckles dotted all over it. She spread her wings, which looked exactly like Dovekie's, and Maelstrom promptly scooped her up into her talons.
"Wow," she managed to choke out, "She's so cu-"
She stopped, looked to her left, and saw that about 10 SandWing guards had seen them.