A/N: A bit of a shorter chapter this time, but things are wrapping up now. Only a chapter and an epilogue left after this one.
As always, feel free to favorite/follow if you like the story, and leave a review if you feel so inclined. Enjoy the penultimate chapter!
Ch. 35: Crowning
The next day, they were all back in the throne room, but this time the positions were reversed. Darkstalker sat not in front, but atop of the Nightwing throne, a small crown of gold wreathed around his head. Diamond stood beside him, at his right, and Arctic was beside her. Foeslayer had come as well, despite the visible tension between her and her mother-in-law. At his left were General Stargazer and several soldiers who stood a silent guard. Below the throne in front of them, filling the room, were the nobles, princes, and princesses that have come to give their loyalty, crowding the scene in black scales. If not for the scattered Icewing guards also present, it would almost look like the place was filled with the image of a night sky.
For her part, Indigo stood near the throne, but farther off to the side with Fathom and the other Seawings, as well as Clearsight. For the most part, she just watched the nobles as they came up one by one to give their oaths of loyalty and swear allegiance to their new king. Some also presented him gifts of gold or silver, laying elaborate ornaments at his feet. As a good king should, Darkstalker thanked them, and spoke words of assurance to his new subjects as they came. Indigo could almost feel some of the relief on the faces of some of them as their oaths were accepted.
Many of the nobles had come, but not all of them. Indigo had questioned Darkstalker about that before the ceremony had started in any way, and he'd seemed unconcerned. "I expect that more than a few will refuse to acknowledge me," he'd told her, "They will be dealt with later, as needed. What's important is that the princesses are here, and their relinquishment of their birthright and acknowledgement of me is all that is really needed to secure the throne."
Indigo wasn't quite sure if the lack of some nobles should be taken so lightly, but Darkstalker was right to point out the presence of the Daughters of Vigilance. All were there in their finest dresses and wore their crowns, although they had held off their approach to the throne. Instead of being the first to approach, it seemed that they had elected to be the last to swear themselves to him.
Probably just a Nightwing thing, Indigo thought to herself. She had no real knowledge of the royal intricacies when it came to these things. She'd never even witnessed a Seawing coronation, after all, not even Queen Pearl's.
She gave a frown at that, glancing over to Fathom. With Darkstalker becoming king…well, it seemed that their "mission" to the Night Kingdom would be coming to an end. Like as not, once Queen Pearl heard about what happened, they'd be recalled back to the Sea Kingdom. After all, there was a considerable difference between Fathom's job of helping and guiding a fellow animus and him trying to do that to a king. No, Indigo was pretty sure that this would mark the beginning of the end of their stay in the Nightwing domain, and the feeling burned a pit in her stomach.
Darkstalker would be king and the Seawings would be going home; what would that mean for her? She was in love with Darkstalker, that she knew for sure, but him taking the throne like this complicated everything. Surely he wouldn't settle on a Seawing without noble title, practically a commoner, when he had a kingdom to run. It would be almost foolish of her to think that he'd try to hold onto her, to raise her to a spot above most Nightwings, even if she wished it. For his sake, and perhaps for the good of the Night Kingdom, she had to face the reality that it couldn't happen.
And her heart ached like it never had before. Not even when she'd been separated from Fathom after the massacre.
So it was with mixed feelings that she watched Darkstalker take his destiny. Every dragon bowing before him brought a bit of a sting. She could have sworn that she caught Darkstalker glancing to her, too, as it happened, and she wondered if he felt the same way. And she wondered if it was tormenting him as well. She didn't resent him for choosing to become king and ending the war, saving the lives of so many, but she wished it could have happened another way.
"Oh, here the princesses come," Fathom finally said, nudging her wing and mercifully drawing her out of her thoughts. Not that it hadn't been long enough. From the start until now (which she assumed was about the ending), it had been at least a couple hours of her sitting in silence watching, and now it seemed like it was over.
From where she sat, she was close enough to hear the words between Darkstalker and the dragons before him, so Indigo made sure to tune her ears in to this particular exchange. Most of the other nobles had mostly said the same things and were as boring as watching sea snails to pay attention to, but this had potential to be more fascinating.
Marvelous, the youngest, was the first to approach. She stepped before Darkstalker, and slowly bowed her head. Reaching up, she removed the crown from atop her head and set it before him, all the while giving her vows. "With these words, I forgo my claim to the crown and my royal title," Indigo heard her say, "I pledge my life and loyalty to you, and recognize you as King of the Nightwings. Until the death of you or me, I shall serve you, King Darkstalker."
Darkstalker lifted his chin proudly, and gave an accepting nod. "Thank you," he said, and Marvelous stepped aside.
Shadowhider was the next to approach, and she said much the same thing. She, too, rested her crown in front of Darkstalker. She, too, swore her life and service to him. Then last was Vigilkeeper, who had a bit of an odd smile on her face as she walked up to him, beside her sisters.
"Funny," she said, "I always did imagine that I would be where you are now," the princess told him.
"A funny thing, how destiny works," Darkstalker observed.
"Indeed, it is," Vigilkeeper grinned, then bowed her head and spoke almost verbatim what her sisters had, declaring her loyalty and renouncing the throne as she set her crown down. But unlike the others, there was a bit of a gleam in her eye as she raised her head. "Ah well, at least I can expect an invite to your parties, can't I? So long as I can make those, I'm sure being an 'ex-princess' won't be so bad."
Darkstalker snorted. "Don't worry. So long as you keep your vow, I'll be pleased to host you for whatever celebration the Night Kingdom insists we have."
"Lovely," she nodded, then motioned to her sisters, who rose. "Now, I'm sure you'll have a larger, more formal and public coronation, but it is tradition for a monarch to crown themselves once they take the throne. I suppose you'll want to do that, before we all leave."
"I had thought that wise," he told her, and with a gesture of his claw they stepped aside as he stood. The throne room fell silent as he removed the golden crown from his head and set it aside. Instead, he gave a motion, and from the rear of the room a different crown was brought before him. It was silver, with many white jewels that sparkled like the night sky, which in the light of room seemed to glow from within. There were diamonds, Indigo knew, and some sapphires, and perhaps some gems that she didn't even know of. It was beautiful, shimmering, beyond any treasure Indigo had ever seen.
Darkstalker looked at it, then over the nobles that he now ruled. "I have your allegiance," he spoke, "You yourself have affirmed it of your own free will. It is with that assurance that I claim this throne. And although I stand before you with those not of Nightwing blood, this assurance I give you: I will rule this kingdom as a Nightwing, and I will put its peace and prosperity above all forces that oppose it, inside and out. You are now my people, and I am now your king."
With that assertion, Darkstalker took the crown that was presented to him, and he set it on his own head. There was applause from those gathered, tentative at first but growing. Then the nobles bowed, as did Icewings present, and Indigo found herself bowing as well as all but Queen Diamond, who alone could set at equal height by virtue of her own position, gave respect to the new king.
"Hail, King Darkstalker," one dragon said, and the words were repeated. For his part, Darkstalker just beamed, his face near radiant as the crown shown above his head. If Indigo had to guess, she'd have said it was the happiest moment of his life.
Yet the moment did not last too long. Slowly, the nobles began to leave, exiting the throne room as the event came to its end. Soon, only a few were left that stayed to comment on the small ceremony and compliment their new ruler beyond what they already had done. Soon, the Nightwings princesses—well, ex-princesses—were the only ones who remained, and Indigo heard them giving him advice and information on what his next steps as king should be in taking charge of the palace staff and taking hold of their mother's affairs. It was a lot, Indigo imagined, and Darkstalker did seem happy for their help.
Soon enough, they too departed, and that left just Darkstalker, his parents, Diamond, and the group of Seawings and Clearsight in the room. Upon the realization that he was out of sight of all but friends and family, Darkstalker sat back and slumped into the throne, a tired sigh of relief escaping him.
"So…that was a Nightwing crowning ceremony?" Fathom was the first one to speak, him and Indigo now stepping closer to the throne.
"Not a typical one, but yes," Foeslayer said, "Normally, it all happens right after a challenge, and there isn't any need for dragons to swear allegiance."
"It went well, though," Diamond observed, looking Darkstalker over, "You are king, now, grandson. Don't take lightly this gift you've been given."
"I don't intend to," he assured her, "But it is starting to weigh on me already. I've always imagined this, but now that it's here I hardly know where to begin. All that I can do…all that I should do…it's hard to sort it out in my mind." He looked at Diamond. "Of course, the first order of business is probably ending the war."
"Of course," she nodded, "As I said before, we will make a treaty between us. We will stop the fighting and, if you wish, become allies from now on. I will support you, and you will support me. And between both the Nightwings and Icewings, few will dare to challenge either of us."
Darkstalker nodded. "Yes, that does sound good."
"For now, however…" Diamond turned her gaze to Foeslayer, who faltered a little as she met it, "I believe I have a long overdue discussion with my daughter-in-law."
Foeslayer had shown up a bit late to the whole event, and as such hadn't had a chance to talk with the Icewings at all. In fact, Indigo knew that she'd almost been kept out of seeing her son crowned since the Icewing guard were only supposed to admit the nobility. Indigo was unaware as to the circumstances of how she'd gotten here or if she'd spent any time with Arctic the night before, but it was clear that Foeslayer had yet to encounter Diamond at all. And it did not appear to be a meeting she was looking forward to.
"Mother," Arctic interjected before anything could happen, "I've told you before. We thought it was the only way. It was just as much my idea to run away as hers—probably even more so mine. Don't do anything rash…please, mother."
"The time for being rash has long since passed away," Diamond huffed, "But that does not mean that your mate and I don't still need a long talk."
"Still…" Arctic hesitated.
"Arctic, I'll be fine," Foeslayer said reassuringly, "It's probably for the best." She looked at Diamond, and the two gave a wary nod to each other.
"Before you go, though," Darkstalker interjected, "Has anyone seen Whiteout? I know I sent for her to come. I didn't want her to miss out."
Foeslayer and Arctic looked at each other for a moment. "I came straight here from my post," Foeslayer told him, "I never even stopped at home."
"I spent the night in the Icewing camp," Arctic said, "I never had a chance to go home either."
Darkstalker sighed, raising a claw to his head. "Great, my little sister missed me becoming king. I'll never be able to hear the end of this." He said it sarcastically, but Indigo could see that he was a bit upset at the notion.
"I'm sure she'll be okay," Arctic assured him, "You know Whiteout. She wouldn't…?"
"Is someone looking for me?" A soft voice squeaked from across the room, and Whiteout's head appeared in the throne room doorway. She looked around, her eyes curious but unconcerned, then she stepped inside and approached them. Darkstalker gave a grin and stood from his throne, stepping down to meet her and throw his wings around.
"I was!" he exclaimed, "Whiteout, I didn't see you here. I thought you'd missed it."
"It was noisy," she huffed, "A loud rumble of waters. Too many eyes. I stayed outside and watched in the quiet."
"Well, you should have come in," Darkstalker smiled softly, "I would have preferred you here, next to me."
Whiteout gave a smile. "That's okay," she said, then tilted her head as she looked at him. "Brother, look how blue you are!" There was excitement in her voice. "Like a starry sky."
Darkstalker just chuckled and hugged her again.
From beside them, Queen Diamond stepped forward, looking the more obvious hybrid over. "Is this…?" she began to ask.
"Yes, this is Whiteout," Arctic said, stepping up next to her, "My daughter. Your granddaughter."
At that, Whiteout pulled away from Darkstalker and looked at the Icewing queen. She cocked her head, then grinned widely. "Grandma!" she almost shouted, then launched herself at the larger dragoness, hugging her tightly. Diamond looked shocked at that for a moment, then smiled and hugged her back.
"Dad always said I'd meet you," Whiteout said as she warmly accepted the embrace, "But that you lived many moons away. He wanted to visit you so much, and I wanted to traverse the tundra with him."
"Well, I'm here now," Diamond said softly, "No traversing required."
The two hugged for a minute more, before Whiteout pulled away and stepped back to Darkstalker. She smiled, and gave a compliment to his crown, then greeted her parents before making her way over to the Seawings and Clearsight, whereupon she began talking to the seer. Diamond just watched her for a few moments, a soft smile on her face, until she turned back to Foeslayer.
"That doesn't negate our talk," she said, although her words were much less harsh.
"Understood," came the Nightwing's response.
The two left, then, to go to a more private room. Indigo wished that she could have followed and heard what was said—as did Darkstalker, from the looks of it—but Arctic was the only one who followed them out of the room, no doubt to be closer to his mate. Once they were gone, Darkstalker finally turned his attention away from his family, and to his friends.
He stepped up to them, and Fathom gave a bow. Indigo followed suit, and Darkstalker just gave a small laugh.
"You don't need to bow to me," he told them, "Least of all you, Indigo. I wouldn't be here right now if it weren't for you."
That was meant to be good, she knew, but her heart stung at the words.
"You are a king, now," Fathom pointed out, "It's a sign of respect, regardless of our familiarity."
"Yes, well, I never imagined myself being the typical monarch," Darkstalker grinned, in his normal, charming way, "And having everyone bow all the time sounds like it would quickly get boring and annoying, don't you think?"
Fathom shrugged his wings. "My sister never has had an issue with it."
"It does get on her nerves sometimes," Indigo snorted, correcting him, "I've been around her enough; I've seen it."
"See," Darkstalker said, "It's hardly atypical."
His eyes wondered and met hers as he said it, though, and there was a gleam in his eye that said that it wasn't the only thing. Indigo smiled and shifted on her feet, then looked down. She wanted so badly to be happy for him, but it was hard. Yet she also felt selfish, and angry, and she wished that she could go back to her time with him before the whole meeting took place.
Darkstalker's head tilted as he no doubt heard that thought, and his gaze softened. "Indigo," he began to say, "I…"
"I know," she cut him off, "I know."
"I'm not sure you do," he muttered, but she'd already taken a step back. Fathom and Darkstalker both looked at her in confusion, and that was when Clearsight stepped up. She whispered something to Darkstalker, which seemed to satisfy him, and they shared a small look. Clearsight then stepped back, tapping her tail.
"Thank you," Darkstalker said, although Indigo didn't know what it was about. He nodded faintly, then gave the seer a slightly more intent look. "What happens to you now, Clearsight?" he asked.
She gave a small shrug of her wings. "I really don't know," she answered. "For the first time in a long time, I really don't know what the future holds. I have no grandiose plans or ideas of what will come. There are some faint things that I've glimpsed, but my future is an open scroll now."
"I see," Darkstalker said, then sighed. "Clearsight, I know I don't have a right to ask this of you, but with all that will come…I could really use your talents as a seer. With all you can see and do…well, I'm asking not as Darkstalker, but as king, if there can be a distinction in your mind."
Clearsight was silent for several moments, her face downcast. Her tail tapped lightly, and she gave a sigh of her own. Finally, she looked up and met his eye. "Two months," she said, "I'll spend two months looking in the future as your top seer, and I'll do what I can to give you guidance. Not for your sake, but for the sake of my tribe."
Darkstalker nodded. "That's all I can ask." He paused. "What then?"
"Then?" she asked.
"What will you do after?"
She fell silent again for a moment. "When I was younger, I always wanted to be an explorer," she said, "Maybe I'll finally do that. Travel Pyrrhia, see all that there is, hunt for lost treasures and secrets. I…I think I'd like to do that, for a while at least. Live beyond the words in a scroll."
"That sounds…nice," Indigo said, and Clearsight looked at her with a sad kind of smile.
"It does," Fathom agreed, then paused in thought. "I think…well, perhaps, if you're willing…I could come with you?"
Darkstalker, Indigo, and Clearsight all looked at him with mild surprise at that. Indigo certainly hadn't been expecting that.
"Any particular reason?" Darkstalker asked, voicing what they were all thinking.
Fathom shrugged. "Well, there's not really anything for me in the Sea Kingdom anymore," he said, "If I go back, all that would await me is distrust and fear as Queen Pearl and the others wait for me to become another Albatross. That doesn't sound like an amazing situation, and from what I understand I've completed my mission here, as best I can," he gave Darkstalker a small grin, "I don't see you becoming a monster anytime soon."
"Regardless of any of that," Darkstalker told him, "You can always have a home here, so long as I'm king."
"Thanks," Fathom said, "But…well, going away sounds good right now. For a little while at least." His eyes flickered to Indigo as he said it, and she felt another flash of guilt. So now Fathom would leave, and she'd be alone. The day just kept getting better and better.
"Then I won't try to keep you here," Darkstalker responded, setting a wing on the Seawing's shoulder, "But don't stay away for too long, my friend."
Fathom grinned. "Thanks, I doubt I will."
A silence fell, and Indigo looked down, not quite feeling up to meeting Darkstalker's eyes, although she could tell he was looking at her. Perhaps…perhaps it was better that nothing was said for now. Darkstalker had enough to worry about with being a newly crowned king than dealing with her.
"What about you?" Fathom asked, breaking that quiet. "What will you do, now that you're king?"
Darkstalker gave an interested hum. "First off, I'll probably need to look into all of Vigilance's affairs. We'll need to determine if there were any other areas like with Snowfox that she was dealing with where she shouldn't, assess the damage of that and fix it. Of course, probably even before that is dealing with the aftermath of the war—dismissing the bulk of the army, paying them, dealing with equipment and reorganizing forces—which will take no small amount of time, I'm sure. Then comes dealing with the nobles that refused to acknowledge me. I'm sure there will be some trouble from them that I have to deal with."
"Sounds like a lot," Fathom observed, "I imagine it would be useful to have someone by your side, supporting you."
Darkstalker looked at her, "Yeah, it would be."
Indigo just looked back down.
"I think you'll handle things fine," Clearsight said, "From what I've seen…well, as I told you, it was better you than Vigilance."
"Or Vigilkeeper or her sisters, I'm sure," Darkstalker added for her.
"Yes, well, even if they tried, it would end this way," Clearsight shrugged, "Diamond was rather set on the idea of you being where you are."
Darkstalker gave a short laugh. "Funny. I hated Icewings for so long. Yet now they're the reason I'm a king."
"One of the mysteries of the universe," Fathom grinned.
A bit more brief conversation ensued, with Fathom and Clearsight talking to Darkstalker and giving some advice on how to handle his newfound royalty. Indigo found herself tuning out most of it; instead, she found her mind wandering back to the Sea Kingdom. It seemed likely that is where she'd be, soon. But now, the idea of going back to her duties in the honor guard felt sickening. How could she, after spending so much time here? How could she, when there was one she cared so much about here?
Some time passed before they were interrupted by the reentry of Diamond and Darkstalker's parents. Diamond seemed…satisfied. Foeslayer looked a little shaken, but okay. She gave her son a smile as they approached, and Arctic set his wing over her as they made their way back towards the throne.
"Everything okay, I take it?" Darkstalker asked, looking them over.
"I would say so," Diamond answered, evenly, "Your mother and I have reached an…understanding, as it were. And I've decided to overlook some of their rash actions of the past. For my son's sake, at least."
"I do love him," Foeslayer said firmly.
"And I, her," Arctic immediately affirmed.
"If you didn't, we wouldn't be here," Diamond snorted, "But so long as that love endures—which had better be so long as you live, daughter-in-law—I will not object to your union."
Darkstalker gave a sigh of relief. "Good."
"And you, Arctic," she addressed her son, who snapped his head up quickly, "Come visit me. My halls are open to you, and I would like to see my son more often," she paused, looking at Foeslayer for just a moment before adding, "And his family."
Arctic pulled Foeslayer a little tighter against him. "We will," he assured her.
"Good," Diamond said, then turned to Darkstalker, "And you too, King Darkstalker. Feel free to come see me anytime."
"Thank you," Darkstalker nodded, but when he stepped forward, it was towards his parents. He stopped in front of them, and a moment passed between them. Darkstalker once more looked to be beaming, but it was different now. He looked almost younger, like a dragonet before his parents.
Foeslayer stepped forward first, pulling him into a hug, and it was then that Indigo realized that she hadn't actually had a chance to talk with him after his crowning before Diamond pulled her away. "You always said you'd be king," she told him, "Here you are. I'm proud of you, Darkstalker. So, so proud."
From where she sat, Indigo could see a tear escape his eye. He whispered a thanks that she could barely hear, and then his mother stepped lightly back. It was Arctic, then, that stepped forward, the Icewing looking at his son with what looked like uncertainty. But he, too, gently put his wings around his son. Then he spoke.
"I'm proud of you, too."
Even to Indigo, who only knew as much about their relationship from what Darsktalker told her, could see the impact of those words in how Darkstalker held his father tighter after that, the two sharing an embrace that only a father and son could know.
After a few moments, Whiteout bounded over from where she'd been watching, and the whole royal family enjoyed a moment together. And as she heard some laughter and saw their smiles, all Indigo could think was that it did indeed look like a family. Perhaps not perfect, but few were. Yet it was whole, and the world was better for it.
With the embrace, however, Indigo also felt that it was time for herself to make the exit from the throne room for now. She'd leave them to it and not be in their way; it just seemed the respectable thing to do right now. And Clearsight was already doing the same as she walked away, and Fathom looked like he wanted to as well.
But before she could leave the room, Darkstalker called out to her. She froze and turned back as he walked towards her, a purpose in his steps and a gleam in his eye.
"Darkstalker…I…" she began to say, but he wouldn't have it.
"Meet me at the cave by the sea," he told her, and he took her claw in his as he spoke. "I'll be there as soon as I can."
"But…" she muttered.
"The cave by the sea," he repeated, and the look in his face was one she could not refuse, "I won't be too long."
He left her with that, going back to his family. Indigo watched him go, frozen for a minute. Then smiled softly. He was up to something—perhaps he saw hope where she couldn't.
…Or he wished to let her down quietly.
Either way, a few minutes later her wings were carrying her towards the sea, and to the cave where she would wait expectantly for the one she loved.