This was the weirdest flipping day of my life.

I was apparently a Princess, yuck. I suppose I shouldn't really be complaining because of how many dragons who would die to be in my position, but even though this Queen seemed nice didn't mean she was nice. I kept flicking back to the name of the Nightwing that the scientist had yelled out… okay Tundra, you need to focus. Focus Focus Focus. Seal always told me that when she got too excited or angry she would take lots of deep breaths in and out, so I did just that, it only helped marginally but keeping yourself cool was an Ice Wing thing after all, don't want any messy outbursts like when your dealing with Rainwings.

I still didn't understand why I wasn't awarded with the compliment earlier, even if it had been a bit condescending, I was simply following Icewing rules of respecting elders, especially the Queen, princess or not. I wasn't mad at Aureus or anything, she was just being… Aureus, it just seemed unfair was all… I wasn't jealous either, well maybe I was… I had never been good with emotions, that was always Aureus's job, I more felt bitter towards her but not angry or jealous.

Meanwhile my moon headed companion also nearly got us in trouble by grabbing onto the first shiny thing she saw, when the Queen had expressly specified that she not touch anything, and what did she do? Touch something. Of course. If we weren't her daughters and that hadn't been something sentimental we could be rotting in jail right now, when I declared us as sisters I forgot how irritating she could be, sure while if one was successful then we both would be but now we were caught in a tangle of our own lies. While I still was internally rolling my eyes at Aureus her jaw dropped as the Queen revealed some sort of painting.

"Is that our Dad?" Aureus asked, looking at herself in a one of the many reflective surfaces, and 'Slush' turning her head back and forth. They looked undoubtedly similar, sharing a near identical face with sharp features and a small stubby snout.

The Queen didn't respond for a moment before a quiet 'yes.'

It didn't sound like a story we wanted to hear. I could feel Aureus's eyes on me once more. The Queen let out a weighty sigh dusting off the portrait, and setting it back up high above our heads, "Slush always said he wanted two perfect dragonets. Well… We had wanted a girl and a boy of course, but two girls is okay as well. Please tell me about yourselves."

Aureus started speaking before I could even open my mouth, "I'm Aureus! And that's Tundra! We were stuck in this dragon orphanage for soo long enchanted by anumis magic so only dragons genuinely wanting to adopt could find it!" Aureus gushed on, "We've had so many adventures in the Kingdom of Sand! Oh and we have a new kind of family. They are so nice, you said you would compensate them right?"

Queen Lichen gave a small smile, "Yes. Yes I will if it makes you happy." She patted Aureus on the top of her head before turning towards me, "You don't talk much." she observed, I shot a glare at my 'sister', I never really talked for a reason.

"I am simply being suspicious." I replied smoothly, "After all I don't know anything about you." I was pretty sure there something in this vague handbook about being wary of other dragons, granted it was talking about other tribes but even within your tribe it was risky business. I paused. "Your Majesty." Better safe than sorry.

She let out a small laugh. I was really starting to hate her condescending attitude, "In the Ice Wing Manual Book Volume-" She only laughed louder, I could feel the spikes on the back of my neck rising. Then the Queen turned away and Aureus shot me a concerned look settling her claws on my shoulder, I shrugged it off looking into the bin that the Queen was looking at, it was a smallish bin with objects shoved in there that really shouldn't be able to fit, after some very loud rummaging she pulled out a tightly bound rustic looking book with a slightly singed cover.

"I'm sure you have lots of questions about your Father." she started, flipping open past it's dull gray-brown exterior to reveal beautiful paintings all of the dragon me and Aureus saw before us. "He was absolutely marvelous." Gesturing towards the book, "Every ounce of him was kingly, the moment I laid eyes on him I knew that he had to be mine, the one for me…" She went quiet again slowly moving through the pages of the book.

Everyone suffered from the war I supposed. The paintings were expertly made, careful brushstrokes and beautiful watercoloring sprinkled in which must have been exceedingly hard to maintain in the Ice Kingdom considering up North water didn't last so long… maybe that was why so many depicted her as a young adult dragoness holding up peace treaties and laws surrounded by green pastures. Some standalones depicted gorgeous woodland landscapes others showed dazzling ice palaces but most featured the Queen at various ages. "These are so pretty." breathed Aureus with an awestruck expression on tracing her gray claws over the table .

We started nearing the end when a light-gray egg started coming up multiple times small jagged edges arising on the side in ridges and iridescent rainbows coating the sides of it from the right… his portraits were heavily exaggerated when it came to things he loved if the photos of the Queen were any indication. "That's your egg." said the Queen tapping on it, I glanced at Aureus… this would get us ahead significantly but…

There were several more pictures of the exact same egg, guess that's all you could do when the egg just sat there. "I wish he could see you both now. I don't have any drawings of my beautiful girls." I shuddered at the idea of someone drawing me constantly and if those got hung up…

I didn't really know what to think about the whole DNA testing, royalty blood, or whatever… The Guardians could say anything they wanted, they could have told us anything and we would just have to suck it up and believe them and me and Aureus did share quite a few physical features I had originally just chalked up to us being Icewings since there wasn't many Ice Wings at our former home, there had been mostly just hybrids.

There were five Ice Wings there not including me and Aureus. There was Wholphin the oldest and a guardian and a hybrid. Another Ice Wing who was adopted out when I was young but I faintly remembered him sharing snacks with me. Then two other hybrids another Ice-wing Seawing and the other one was a Sandwing-Icewing who preferred the sandy den over ours. There was also a baby Icewing who hatched just a couple of nights before me and Aureus broke out we weren't allowed to see them though so they could have been a hybrid as well although their egg certainly looked like an Ice Wings.

She tapped her chin with a small quill, "I could try drawing you two… You'll have to stay really still though."

Aureus jumped up excitedly latching onto my shoulder and pulling us forward and showing off all of her teeth, "Yes please!" I took in a deep breathe willing myself not to cuff Aureus around the ears again.

"Can I hug her?" cooed Aureus adorably which I had to admit if it had been directed at me I probably would have been barely able to resist, and she knew that, she was really leaning into the fact that I couldn't protest against this and that the Queen was pretty much bowing to her every whim. Ironic wasn't it?

I really really hoped I had the power to activate frost breath from my eyes because I was not hugging Aureus. "Erm." Queen Lichen said with a cough awkwardly, "That isn't a very good idea for a regal portrait."

Aureus deflated, looking at me as if I was going to give her backup, I looked pointedly away. "She's right, Sister." I tried to keep my voice neutral and calm ducking out of the arm she had resting across my shoulders, and standing regally to one side, safely away from her.

And then we sat there. For an excruciatingly long time, at some point my pained smile slowly devolved into a twitching mess. "Stay still. Aureus, stop twitching so much. Tundra… a real smile."

She had guards poke and prod at us, stretching our wings out before settling them down again, as she tried to twist us into impossible angles to get the full depth of our scales is what she said. I glanced back over at Aureus who looked ready to cave from being held at one foot. Although being rude to the Queen was a definite no-no threatening to undo everything we worked for I felt a small faint twist in my heart as Aureus looked pleadingly at me for help, no pain no gain I suppose looking away from her and fanning out my wings once more, she was the one who wanted the picture in the first place.

Finally as the sky was streaked with sunset colors blending together in a spectacular ray of light we were released from our statue like poses and sat on the Queen's luxurious silk lined bed that reflected back the colors of the sunset to the rest of the room… ha, maybe I really did want to inherit the throne. There laid a ink blotched painting with uneven lines, and comically bad proportions all that for this one stupidly made messy painting. "I know it's a little rough, but I've been trying to get better at shading… I just haven't felt much motivation ever since Slush died."

Those ink stains was shading-

It wasn't as if I could do any better but to be honest I was extremely underwhelmed and even more cranky than before. Aureus was smiling ear to ear, "It looks great! Exactly like Tundra, she even has clouds coming out of her nostrils." giggled Aureus. "

Fine then. If Aureus was going to play dirty using the cute kid card, two could play this as well. I was only almost two months older than her anyways, I gave out another puff of air before saying, "Yeah." Aureus looked at me as if I had just grown another head, "I've always wanted to be a painter you know. And seeing what my Father created maybe I inherited some of his skill. Could I draw you two?" Aureus's mouth plopped open. Yeaah my art had been horrible and I had always complained how I only participated because it would give my friend some sense of importance watching it dry. O.D was so odd.

Aureus looked at me warily but the Queen was drawn in hook line and sinker, "Oh- What a pleasant surprise, I was worried that I'd have to spend years cultivating your love of drawing like my love had to do for me. Here." She shoved several pages into my hand. "Draw me and your sister. Guards! Come here, my daughter, Tundra, wants to give drawing a shot."

I tried to hide the growing smirk I had watching Aureus's fear increase, I simply did not smirk… too often at least.

Payback time.