Alex had no idea what to do. He shuffled nervously on his talons, looking over the Queen. He saw she was much like Winter, but a little more slim and agile looking, with her wings being a few shades darker then the rest of her, looking more like a subtle blue rather than white. He had noticed the same blue on Winter when he first arrived, though he wondered if it was an Icewing thing, or a royalty thing. "Queen Snowfall." He was shaken from his thoughts as Winter spoke, hesitantly approaching the Queen. "Cousin Winter. I was both surprised and relieved to hear you were still alive. Despite that, you know why I've come." The Queen replied, her face blank of any emotion.
"Yes, I am aware… I'll come willingly and accept whatever you decide." "Good. But that will have to wait." Alex suddenly found himself under the scrutinizing gaze of Queen Snowfall. He gulped quietly. His stripes pulsed slightly faster as she walked closer, standing tall and looking down at him, as if inspecting him. "So this is the dragon Tsunami mentioned? He doesn't look dangerous." Alex just stood there, rigid and firm, as Queen Snowfall walked around him.
He did nothing other than stand still, looking straight ahead. It wasn't until Queen Snowfall spoke that he looked at her eyes. "What is your name?" For a moment, he stared at her before finding his voice. "U-uh, My name is Alex." He saw Snowfall squint slightly at him. "My name is Alex Your Majesty." He corrected himself, relaxing slightly as she stopped squinting. Suddenly, he found himself face to face with the Queen as she brought her head down, mere inches away from his face. His heartbeat and stripes pulsed quicker, prompting Snowfall to raise a brow questioningly.
"M-m-my stripes match my heartbeat y-your majesty." He clarified at the look. She just nodded softly and continued staring. Then, she sniffed. Alex quietly gulped as he saw everyone else shuffle nervously, except for Winter. His gaze came back to Snowfall as she suddenly came closer and sniffed again before pulling back and lifting her head, though he swore he saw something similar to amusement in her eyes as her mouth twitched upwards slightly. "Only a couple days here and you've already mated. Not sure if I should be impressed, concerned, or amused." HIs face went a bright red. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kinkajou turn bright pink.
"Anyway, I am here to discuss this 'Pyrrhia prophecy' Tsunami mentioned. Have the other Queens arrived yet?" "No Your Majesty, you're the first to arrive." Winter said. Winter seemed to be a lot less nervous then the others, or perhaps he didn't show it. "They should be arriving shortly though. Any minute actually. You're probably the first cause you were already coming…" Moon said, looking at the skies. Snowfall glanced at Moon and simply nodded.
Alex was about to say something when another dragon suddenly landed next to Qibli, this one a Sandwing. Qibli jumped a bit, raising his tail defensively before smiling brightly. "Thorn! I wasn't expecting you here today. What's the occasion?" QIbli asked, his signature grin on his face as he was pulled into a hug. "Oh be quiet you camel. You know why I'm here." Thorn smiled, though her snout wrinkled as she no doubt smelled what had happened last night. She looked at Qibli, Moon and Winter, with a knowing look and a smile.
"You think I'd have grandkids by now, with how often you three go at it." Thorn teased, a smile on her face. Qibli's jaw dropped, Moon smiled sheepishly, and Winter had no reaction. Though his cheeks did get a little darker. It looked like Thorn might have made another jab at the three, but she noticed Snowfall and Alex before she did. "Queen Snowfall." She said with a bow. Snowfall returned the gesture. "Queen Thorn." After that, she turned to Alex, looking over him with those black eyes much like Snowfall had. Alex looked back, instantly noticing the pendant around her neck.
It looked like a black sphere with golden wings stretched around it. Alex didn't know what it was, but he knew one thing. Whatever it was, it held power. Even with several feet between him and Thorn, he could feel the energy coming off of it. Something inside told him to grab it. To steal it away and run. He was staring, and didn't even realize until Thorn suddenly offered it to him, holding it by the chain in front of Alex. "I see you staring. If you want to hold it, go ahead."
Alex looked up at Thorn, who had a small, but knowing smile. Hesitantly, he reached up to take it. He saw everyone else's eyes widen or squint at him, as if expecting him to burst into flames or something. Nothing happened. Alex just sat there, staring at the pendant. It was nearly as big as a cantaloupe in his paws, but incredibly light. He let out a small shiver as he looked at it, stared at it. Coveted it. He wanted to keep it. To place it around his own neck and feel its power.
Tearing his eyes away from it, and reluctantly handed it back to Thorn, who put it on with a smile. Everyone else visibly relaxed, as if they had expected Alex to do something."The Eye of Onyx. It's enchanted to vaporize anybody untrustworthy. I let everybody suspicious hold it. You're ok in my book." Thorn smiled, brushing Alex's chin with a talon. He just stood there dumbfounded. "I could've died?!"
"Only if the Eye found you untrustworthy. If the Eye trusts you, I trust you." You shouldn't. Alex looked around in confusion. Who said that? Who's there? But the voice didn't speak again, leaving Alex confused and worried. "What's your name, little dragon?" "Why does everyone think I'm little? Have you all considered that maybe you're all just big?" Alex snapped, a little agitated after having a mystery voice in his head. "Barely knows anything in Pyrrhia, but he still talks back to a Queen. Reminds me of someone I know" Thorn jokes, looking at Qibli from the corner of her eye. Qibli just smiled and shrugged, as if he had no clue Thorn meant him. He totally did. "I-I'm sorry Your Majesty. My name is Alex."
Thorn just shook her head with a smile. "Don't worry about it. I imagine you're pretty stressed considering your circumstances. Though Snowfall and I won't be as forgiving as Queen Moorhen." Snowfall nodded from behind Thorn. Alex just gulped. "Anyway, now that pleasantries are out of the way. Where are the others?" "Still waiting for them to arrive." "And is this where the meeting will be held? Or will it be elsewhere?" Thorn asked. Snowfall also looked expectantly at the Jade winglet, who just stood there, nervously shuffling.
"I-inside, Your Majesties…?" Alex trailed off, wondering what the plural of 'Your majesty' was. "My eyes are very sensitive to bright lights, so everything tends to get blurry in areas like this." He said, gesturing to the area around them "And I wouldn't want to be rude to the other queens by saying they look like colored blobs. And yes, everything is starting to get blurry, before anybody asks."
He heard Thorn and Snowfall give an amused snort at that, nodding in understanding. "Then I suppose we better get inside. Perhaps the others are already waiting for us"
"We'll be right there. We just… gotta clean off first…" Alex said, smiling nervously at Thorn and Snowfall's knowing looks. "It might be better if you just come along Alex. Don't want the room to get cramped with all these dragons." Before Alex could object, the queens were gone. With a sigh, The Jade Winglet and Alex went to clean up.
About half an hour later, Alex walked into the room where the meeting would take place. He heard the others call it the Grand Hall or something like that, and now he understood why. It was very open and spacious, with room for probably around fifty dragons. However, only the Queens and DoD were present, plus a second Nightwing that followed a Rainwing around like a child. Gulping quietly, he walked further in. And was instantly noticed. Which wasn't too surprising, considering his glowing stripes. The small chatter died down as everyone looked at him, and he suddenly felt a lot smaller. "S-sorry… I got lost…?" It sounded more like a question than a statement, but he hoped it would be enough. Luckily, it was.
The first to approach him was Queen Ruby. He instantly noticed the large wings she had, no doubt the Queen of the Skywings. Much like before, she looked down at him, squinting and inspecting him. He stood perfectly still, feeling the eyes of the other queens on him. "H-hello Queen Ruby. I'm Alex." Ruby looked a bit surprised at the sudden introduction, squinting at Alex warily. "I-i read some scrolls on Skywing history. I saw you in one of them. Not because I'm here to destroy everything or anything like that." He mentally face palmed as the words left his mouth. Great first impression…
"Hm. More polite and… much smaller than I expected." Alex resisted the urge to frown. Ruby gave one more look at Alex before walking away. Queen Moorhen was next to approach. He flinched slightly as the massive Mudwing Queen stared at him. She was probably the biggest in the room. Unlike Ruby or the previous queens, Moorhen said nothing. She just stood there, inspecting Alex. After a minute of silence, she snorted and went back to her previous spot.
Next, the Rainwing queen approached, with the Nightwing in tow. Before Alex or the Rainwing queen could say anything, he was suddenly lifted up with a small yelp by the Nightwing. "Don't worry Glory, I'll handle this" Glory… I think Kinkajou mentioned her once or twice… Alex was suddenly tossed and turned around in the Nightwing's talons like he was some kind of jewel to inspect.
Alex was seriously considering biting the talons when Glory spoke "Put him down Deathbringer. He's not gonna hurt me" "How would you know? This little guy is supposedly gonna destroy Pyrrhia, and that includes you. The best Queen ever." The Nightwing, Deathbringer, responded, flashing a smile at Glory as he finished.
"Deathbringer, just put him down before I put you on Fruit gathering for a week." "Oh, you wound me my queen. I am just a faithful bodyguard making sure his Queen is safe at all times." Deathbringer put a talon on his chest, mock offense on his face as he put Alex back on the ground. Glory just scoffed and rolled her eyes, though Alex saw the corners of her mouth twitch upwards before she turned to him.
"Sorry about that. He thinks he's protecting me when all he's doing is giving me a big headache." "I heard that!" "I-it's fine… I'm Alex." "Pleasure to meet you Alex. Treat KInkajou well, or I'll deal with you personally." Glory gave a small glare, before smiling softly again and heading back to her previous spot. He couldn't tell if she was joking or not.
The Seawing queen didn't even bother approaching him, though he could see her glaring at him. "Tsunami tells me you're sensitive to light" Alex nodded at that, unable to find his voice, surrounded by dragons much, much larger than him. "Should you attempt to attack or run, we will both flash you."
Alex remembered Tsunami had said the same thing, and Qibli had responded with a joke. Before he could stop himself, he found the words leaving his mouth. "Already? That was quick, you just met me." It wasn't until he saw the surprised stares of the Queens, though Thorn had an amused look, before he realized what he said.
"O-oh, I-I'm Sorry Your Majesty. Tsunami said the same thing when I first arrived, and Qibli said a joke. I-I didn't mean it." He explained, bowing deeply to hide his sudden blush. He didn't know if the Seawing queen believed it or not, but he couldn't bring himself to look at her. Luckily for him, he didn't need to.
"It's true. Qibli did say that." Tsunami said, rubbing the bridge of her nose. He heard a soft snort and slowly brought himself into a sitting position, now under the stares of the queens, along with the Dod. Surprisingly, Moorhen was the first to speak.
Unsurprisingly, it was another jab at his size. "How is a runt like this supposed to destroy Pyrrhia? A Scavenger could kill him." Alex frowned as his size was once again mentioned, but he held his tongue. "Perhaps it's something to do with this secret in the Lost City of Day. Maybe something like the Eye of Onyx." Thorn said, a talon idly rubbing against said Eye.
"That would make sense… Alex, do you have any special abilities?" Ruby asked, the queens once again looking at him. "U-uhm, n-no. Not that I'm aware of. Unless you count making great wine." He half joked, nervously shuffling under the eyes of the queens. To his credit, he heard a couple slightly amused snorts. "Hmm… maybe we should hear this prophecy again. It might hold a clue." The Queen of the Icewings said. "I'll get Moon." Sunny said, leaving the hall.
A minute later, Sunny returned with Moon. And KInkajou to everyone's surprise. Moon went to sit next to Sunny, while KInkajou trotted over to Alex, sitting next to him and coiling her tail around him. Alex still had confusing feelings about Kinkajou, but her presence was comforting. "Kinkajou, what are you doing?" Glory asked, raising a brow. "Tsunami made me Alex's watcher, so I'm here to watch him. Y'know, watching things." She replied.
Tsunami once again confirmed it. Kinkajou just smiled and sat there. "Sunny told me you wanted to hear the prophecy again?" Moon asked the queens, who all nodded. Sighing softly, she recited the prophecy, her eyes going blank again. Hearing that voice gave Alex shivers. Good to know I don't give you shivers. Startled, Alex's eyes widened as he looked around, slightly worried again. Who's there? Who said that? He was so busy looking around that he didn't even notice Moon finish and leave. Not until Kinkajou poked him and gestured to the queens with a flick of her eyes. He looked and saw that they were all staring at him, as if waiting for a response.
"I wasn't listening. I thought I heard something. What happened?" "We were asking what you plan to do." Queen Coral said. Squinting at Alex. "Oh. I-I don't know. I always lived a simple life with my clan, so all this is all new to me… I wouldn't even know where to begin." "Why don't we just kill him? That seems like an easy fix for all this" Queen Moorhen said, idly brushing off her talons. Alex paled at that, his heartbeat quickly rising, his pulsing stripes with it. "We could." Said Queen Coral, still staring at Alex.
"But then that might doom us completely. You all heard the prophecy. It says He's our Savior too. Not just our destroyer." Kinkajou said to the surprise of everyone. Alex was suddenly very thankful she came. "Who's to say killing him will stop the prophecy? Maybe it will. Maybe it won't. it's a risk we can't take. Our best bet would be to follow the prophecy, maybe the secret is what helps Alex save Pyrrhia instead of destroying it." She continued, pulling Alex closer. Much to his surprise, he saw the queens stop and think. He was very thankful that Kinkajou came.
"She has a point." Snowfall said. "We don't know what might happen if we kill him." "I Agree with Kinkajou." Glory said. "Without any trustworthy sources, killing him would be too much of a risk." The other queens hesitantly agreed, gently nodding their heads. "So what do we do then? Just let him go find this lost city?" Moorhen asked. "It seems like the best action. I don't see much that we can do ourselves." Thorn said "Besides, the prophecy is about him."
The next few minutes went by smoothly. They had finished their talk with Alex, so they dismissed him, instead turning to more casual chatter before they left. As Soon as the two of them were out of sight, Alex tightly hugged KInkajou, who seemed slightly surprised. "Thank you so much KInkajou. I thought I was going to die." "No way was I going to let them kill my new friend. You still owe me an answer anyway." Alex blushed slightly, chuckling nervously as he let go of her. "I'm kidding. Kind of. Don't worry about it, all that matters is making sure you don't destroy the continent." Alex just nodded and let go of her.
The next hour was uneventful. Alex and KInkajou returned to the winglet dorm, where everybody was relaxing and chatting. Kinkajou went and curled up by the fire, while Alex had gone to a corner with a small scroll rack and was absently reading them, his thoughts elsewhere. And of course, they were at the events of last night. Alex had never really felt any attraction to another dragon before, sure, he had always admired beauty and other aspects, but the concept of love was somewhat foreign to him.
Alex was so lost in thought, he didn't even see or hear Queen Snowfall enter and start talking.
—-
Winter froze as Snowfall entered, his voice trailing off as he looked at his cousin and queen. "Winter. It's time to go." She said, her expression and voice emotionless. Winter just nodded and stood, turning to Moon and QIbli for what he thought would be the last. "I love you… I can't even begin to describe how much you have changed my life for the better. And I'm glad I was able to share these last five years with my two most favorite dragons." He said, tears welling in his eyes.
The same was happening for Moon and Qibli as they pulled Winter into a hug, all three silently crying. Snowfall patiently stood by the entrance to the dorm.
"Winter…" Moon began, but Winter cut her off with a small kiss. "I said I'll accept what she dictates. Even if it's death…" Qibli was about to say something as well, but just like Moon, was cut off with a kiss. "Take care of each other for me." Winter gave his best friends, his mates, one final hug and a melancholic smile before wiping away the tears. He put on the stoic and steely Icewing mask as he turned around and walked over to Snowfall "I'm ready." The queen simply nodded and left with Winter, for what the rest of them thought would be the last time they saw their friend, tears brimming in all eyes. Except one.
—-
Alex was shaken from his thoughts when he realized it had suddenly gone quiet. Confused, he looked around and saw everyone sitting their heads low. He noticed Winter was gone. Confusion growing, he put the scroll back. "Where'd Winter go?" At first, nobody responded, either ignoring or not hearing him. "He's gone back with Queen Snowfall to the Ice kingdom…" Kinkajou said, staring at the fire glumly. He was about to ask why when he saw how heartbroken Qibli and Moon looked. Qibli was holding Moon against his chest, his wings wrapped around her protectively as they both openly sobbed.
His confusion only grew, but so did a need to comfort his newfound friends. And so, without really thinking, he ran into the halls to find the Queen.
"Queen Snowfall?" He yelled as he ran through the halls, bumping into a wall occasionally or a loose rock. Torches were lit and sunlight streamed into the halls from the various rooms, rendering Alex nearly blind. Despite not being able to properly see, he was not deterred.
"Winter?!" He yelled while rounding a corner, tripping over a bigger than normal pebble and was sent rolling into an open space. Alex could hardly see, but he figured he must be in the Grand Hall, or some other place that was wide open. He looked around and was instantly hit by blinding light. He couldn't see them, but he had found who he was looking for.
Winter and Snowfall were just about to launch off when Alex rolled in, literally. Confused, they both looked at the striped dragon. "Alex? What are you doing here?" He heard Winter ask, looking towards the sound of his voice. He was met with two sparkling figures, as if they were reflecting the sunlight from their icy scales. "Geez, you two are very bright…" He slightly shook his head and refocused, squinting so much it looked like his eyes were closed, just to vaguely make out the shapes of two dragons. "Queen Snowfall, I-if i may…?" He hesitantly asked, looking at the slimmer dragon. "Explain yourself. Winter and I have a long flight ahead of us." "Th-that's what I'm here for. Please Your Majesty, reconsider. I know I'm the dragon that will supposedly destroy the continent, but please hear me out."
He paused for a moment, fearing Snowfall might deny his request. Hearing nothing, he continued. "Winter is part of the prophecy as much as I am. Admittedly, it doesn't mention him directly, but he's our wings of Ice. Before you say we could just get another, Winter was already part of a prophecy once, right? I don't know what happened in that one, but if that one was anything like this one, then you know you can trust him. I trust him. I know I have no right to ask this, but please. Let Winter stay. We need him."
The Queen was very quiet. Alex feared she might just fly off, but was relieved when she spoke again. "You say you trust him, but if Winter is anything like how I remember him, then he'll have mistreated and regarded you suspiciously. Has he?" "Yes, but I can understand why. It's not because he's from a stoic tribe or anything like that, but it's because he just wants to protect his friends and loved ones. I'm sure of it. Now I could be wrong, only Winter could confirm, but I'm sure that's why he does it all. And that's why I trust him, Your majesty."
Once again, all was quiet. Alex's fears began to rise again before Winter spoke, much to his surprise. "I love Qibli and Moon more than anything in Pyrrhia… He's right. But I'm just as surprised to find you here defending me Alex. Why? Even after I've done nothing but treat you terribly?" "Winter, like I said, I understand why. If an unknown dragon from another world suddenly appeared in my world, with a prophecy that said they could possibly destroy it, I'd do the same. Anybody would… Plus, you guys are my friends, and I can't stand to see Qibli and Moon look so devastated. So again, Queen Snowfall, I ask. Let Winter stay. If not for me or the prophecy, then for him. I may have sight problems, but even I can see how highly you regard him."
Silence. Then, a small sigh. "You make a good argument. Very well. Winter can stay until the prophecy is finished. Then, I will return. We all are putting our faith in you Alex, I and all the other Queens. We are all hoping you make the right choice. Farewell. And Good luck." Alex let out a small sigh of relief as he heard wingbeats fading away, leaving him with only one sparkling dragon.
After a few moments of silence, Winter approached Alex, and to his surprise both from the action and the cold scales, was pulled into a hug by the Icewing, a quiet "Thank you" reaching his ears. "Anything for a friend." Alex replied, smiling and returning the hug. "When i said wings of Ice, i didn't actually think you would be cold like ice." Alex joked, shivering slightly. Winter just chuckled softly as he let go of the smaller dragon. "Think you could lead me back…? I didn't really think when I was running here." Winter just chuckled again, placing a wing on Alex, who shivered slightly from the touch, as they walked side by side back to the dorm.
A minute later, they were back in the dorm. Everyone was confused on why Winter was back, and Alex quickly explained. From when he saw how devastated Moon and Qibli were, to what he had said to Snowfall. He had expected gratitude, mainly a small smile and thanks, but he was quickly surprised as he was wrapped in a hug from everyone, except Peril, for obvious reasons. He let out a small choked gasp, smiling softly. "G-guys… air…" With an embarrassed blush, they all let go of Alex, who took deep breaths.
"Thank you Alex. You have no idea how much this means to us." Qibli and Moon said at the same time, now hugging WInter tightly. "I can take a guess, considering you guys nearly squashed me." They all chuckled at that, the sad atmosphere slowly fading away.
"On the topic of prophecy, we should probably get started on this whole prophecy business. It's not gonna solve itself." Turtle said, now sitting next to Peril again."Ya, but when do we leave?" Winter asked, smiling softly as he held Qibli and Moon. "Well considering the fact i can't see a thing in the day. I would personally prefer around sunset or something. Though how are we gonna get there? Wherever 'there' is…"
"We'll fly, obviously. We all got wings." Kinkajou said, poking Alex with her tail. Everyone nodded while Alex shook his head. "I can't really fly. More like glide. I'm a pretty great climber though. Instead of flying to places above, we always just climbed to get up. When we wanted to go down, we would glide down." "Well then I'll just carry you silly. I can easily hold you." Kinkajou said, suddenly lifted Alex as if to demonstrate, much to his dismay and everyone else's amusement. "Fine… but if you drop me, I'm not talking to you for the rest of the adventure."
She just giggled as she set Alex down, everyone smiling softly. "We still need a Mudwing though." Peril pointed out. "True… we can figure that out when we wake up. For now, we better get to sleep. We got a long adventure ahead of us." Everyone nodded and went to their corners and snuggled up. Kinkajou curled up on her cushion and yawned, confusion on her face as she suddenly felt something between her. Or rather someone. Alex was curling up next to Kinkajou's chest, a small blush on his face.
"Y-you're warm… a-and don't want to break the routine." He joked when he saw her staring at him. She just smiled and curled up around Alex more, sighing contently as they both closed their eyes. Though Alex swore he felt lips against his right before he fell asleep…
While everyone else slept, another mind was planning. One hidden from the mind reader. One that shared a body with a striped dragon. One that would destroy everything the Winglet held dear.