The little black dragonet dodged out of the way of the first claw, and responded with a rebound. With his claws out, ready to attack, he lunged, but the NightWing dodged out of the way faster than he could comprehend and sent him tumbling to the rocky floor.
"Too slow, Endwatcher," his mother told him. "Dig your talons into the rocks more; get a better grip; put your muscles into it!" She flicked her tail back and forth.
He had been training all day every day ever since he was hatched, just for the big ceremony that would take place. He wasn't exactly sure what it was called, and Endseeker had never even told him. But what he did know is that he had to fight, and if he didn't, bad things would happen.
Like his father, Endwatcher had been one of the 'lucky' ones to become an assassin. At least, that's how Princess Greatness described his role — it felt like the exact opposite. Instead of being raised like a normal dragonet, he was forced to train day and night for a stupid ceremony that would decide if he was good enough.
In fact, Endseeker hardly even had time to teach him Dragon, so most of his communication was from him observing and teaching himself.
Endwatcher laid on the rocky floor, his head lowered in not only disappointment in himself, but also a bit of fear. "I'm sorry," he apologized, two words he knew very well from the countless times he had to say them.
A hurt look zipped by on Endseeker's face, before she came over and laid beside him, casting a comforting gaze and warming arm around him. "Endwatcher, honey," she started, her voice low and vulnerable. "You know I hate this just as much as you do, but if we don't…" she trailed off, wincing. "We have to. Bloodshedder was just like you when he was a dragonet, and look at him now: a happy dragon with a loving wife and son." She smiled. "Everything will be okay, alright?"
His eyes idled on the cave floor, zoning out, wishing he was somewhere else — maybe the Ruined Kingdoms he was told so much about; they couldn't be as bad as the Night Kingdom, right? But he was always told they were bad. At least there he wouldn't have to kill, would he? "But Daddy hurts," he said slowly, his hours of self-teaching of Dragon coming into play. "I don't want to."
"I know, my little Endwatcher, but you have to." She looked down at him. "Your father said the same thing, but there's nothing we can do about it." She paused, reading his expression that turned sour. "It's just the way things work, and there's nothing we can do to change it. Besides, it's either here or the Ruined Kingdoms."
He sighed. "You're right." The words felt bitter in his mouth, not just because she was right, but also because her being right meant that he would have to spend his life hurting other dragons. He couldn't believe it had taken him that long to realize that there was no way out of becoming an assassin.
For the rest of his life, he would have to kill for his queen. Just like his father.
"Endwatcher, look at me," his mother said, grabbing ahold of his face and tilting it towards her. "Stop worrying about that now, you're only eight months old, things will change."
As much he wanted to say she was right, he wasn't so sure. Ever since he was hatched, that's the only thing he was told. But things only got worse. From eating rotten food, to appearing in front of the Queen's heir to be told he was selected as an assassin, to almost never even seeing his father because he was always outside of the Night Kingdom, scoping out the Ruined Kingdoms.
And soon, that would be him.
No matter how often she told him to stop thinking of the future, he couldn't help it. It was the only thing he could think about. How was he supposed to have normal thoughts when his entire life wasn't normal? When he had no friends, no free time, and no normal hobbies. All he did throughout the day was train for hours.
And if he wasn't training, he was staring down Princess Greatness, looking at each fold in her disappointed expression as she observed his progress.
At that point, any normal dragonet would think they had escaped training for at least an hour, but not Endwatcher — no, he knew the exact words that were about to come out of his mother's mouth next. "Alright, stand up, let's go again. Keep your stance firm this time, and put more power into your lunges."
He stood up, his bones sore from every other fall he'd taken that day. His mother got in her stance, and he mirrored it with his own, digging his claws deep into the stone of their cave. "This time, Endearcher, rebound my attack with your own. Don't be afraid of hurting me, I can-"
Her sentence was cut off by the sound of metal clanking against stone. Endwatcher looked over, only to see the terrifying sight of five NightWing guards standing at their cave entrance. Their terrifying eyes stared at Endwatcher as if something bad was about to happen.
One guard stood in the front, while the other four stood behind him in a triangular formation. They were all covered in fireproof armor, wielding spears that looked as if they could cut through scales like butter — crystal and shiny, and even reflected the little light that emanated from the candles.
The one in the front took a step forward, eyeing down his mother. Subconsciously, Endwatcher took a preemptive step back and bent his knees in an attempt to look smaller and curled his wings in closely. Guards were never a good sign. The only time any guards show up to anyone's home is when they're in trouble. Something was wrong.
He dug through his memories. Did he miss a meeting with Princess Greatness? Did he say something wrong to her? Did he anger her somehow? But he found nothing. He had followed every rule and never done nothing wrong. So why were guards at their cave? He didn't know. He was scared.
Endseeker took a step in front of him, protecting him from them. He knew it wouldn't do anything. If it did, it would only keep him from their grasp temporarily. "What do you want?" she spat. "Did Queen Battlewinner send you here to harass us some more? We're in the middle of training!"
"Come with us," the one in the front said. His voice was deep, hardened by years of fighting and killing. They all took another step forwards, blocking the only entrance and exit to the cave. Endwatcher could feel his talons trembling in fear. He knew they were about to face some sort of punishment, he just didn't know what.
His eyes felt like lasers, slicing through his mother and into Endwatcher. Every NightWing guard was terrifying, that's exactly what they were trained to do. "Tell me why first," Endseeker demanded. She spread her wings to shield Endwatcher, as if that would stop anyone from taking him.
"Queen's orders," he said. The stare from the guards told him that nothing good was about to happen, and his heart only sank deeper into his chest as he thought through the endless possibilities of what could happen. They could be beheaded, tortured, starved, imprisoned for life, or just killed on the spot — all things Princess Greatness never failed to make clear enough, as even the smallest infraction could lead to any of those.
"Queen's orders on what account?" Endseeker demanded again. "We've done nothing wrong!" She backed away more, pushing Endwatcher against the wall.
"I will not ask again!" the guard snarled angrily. "Come with us or more infractions will be laid upon you!" Endwatcher felt like crying in fear, but he wouldn't allow himself to, as again, it was another infraction. Crying was looked upon as disrespect towards the queen. 'More infractions'? He thought. What did we do?!
For a few moments, they sat in complete silence, unknowing of what to do. At least, that was what he assumed his mother was doing. Endwatcher, on the other talon, was completely frozen in fear. Princess Greatness always said that there was no god, but deep down, Endwatcher was wishing it weren't true. He wished that some higher power would come down and save the both of them.
The guards, with their patience running thin, advanced towards them both. But within a split second, Endwatcher heard a terrifying hissing sound fill the cave — the same hissing sound he would always make right before breathing fire.
The cave lit up orange, temporarily blinding Endwatcher. "Endwatcher, go!" his mother screamed. As his vision came back to him, he could see the guards staggering back and shielding their eyes as smoke filled the cave. Unfortunately the fire didn't cause any real damage because of their armor, but it gave him a window — one hopefully long enough for him to flee. So that's exactly what he did.
With his talons carrying him faster than he thought possible, he slipped between the still-blinded guards and out into the volcanic wasteland he called home. He always wished there was a better place to go, but the Ruined Kingdoms were far worse.
It's not like he'd be able to get there even if he tried — the only way there was blocked by guards, and he couldn't fly regardless. He wished he could; Endseeker always told him how great it felt to fly. But he never had any time to with his training. But he couldn't dwell on that thought; the guards were recovering from the blindness.
Little specks of orange dotted his vision — an aftereffect from the blindness, he assumed. Traversing the bare ground wasn't easy, especially with his heart beating through his chest and the sound of blood rushing through his ears, but he had to.
He looked back only to see Endseeker being pinned by three guards, while another — who were still recovering — started to turn his way. It wasn't long before they spotted him and his little legs sprinting as fast as he could to…he didn't know where. Away. Far, far away. That answer would have to suffice enough.
As he dodged tiny pockets of bubbling lava splashing over the edges, and many different rocks set at awkward angles that could break his wrists or ankles in a second, he looked back to see his worst fear gaining on him. At least, his worst fear at that moment — facing whatever cruel death they had planned for them both would be far worse than a simple chase.
It didn't take long for one of the guards to catch up. Endwatcher looked behind him only to see one of the two guards in the air, less than a second away from pouncing on him. He let his muscle memory take over as he rolled to the side, sending the guard face first into volcanic rock. The other guard, on the other talon, was very much not ready to miss. On the contrary, Endwatcher was far from ready to evade another attack.
So with one pounce from the other guard, he was knocked clean out. The last thing he heard was, "Run!"
He awoke with a pounding headache. The room he was in was nearly pitch black, and it took a few seconds before his night vision kicked in. The sight he was greeted with was…horrifying, to say the least.
One large NightWing, who he immediately recognized as his father, Bloodshedder, was strapped down to a large mechanism of some sort. One large wooden bed was where he laid, strapped to, along with his wings. At the end of the wooden bed, a sort of wooden arch laid where a large metal blade sat suspended at the top with a rope.
His heart sank. He knew what that mechanism was. He knew exactly what kind of fate he would be forced to watch his father endure. But why? Why was his father being punished? Why were they all being punished?
His first instinct was to run to him, so he did. But he only managed to get a few feet before he was violently tugged back by his ankle, almost dislocating it if he were to guess. "Daddy!" he yelled. His eyes darted back only to see a small metal shackle wrapped firmly around his ankle. The chain was drilled into the wall firmly and there was no chance he'd be able to get it out. Unless…
He built up fire in the back of his throat — as much as he possibly could. A hissing sound filled the cave, but right before he was about to unleash the fire from his maw, talons grabbed ahold of him. "Endwatcher, stop!" they yelled. "Stop!"
It was his mother's voice, and he looked over to see her comforting face. Except…there was a large metal muzzle over her snout. He guided his talons to his own face, only to feel the same thing. "If you breathe fire, you'll melt your own face off!" she warned, before turning towards his father. "Bloodshedder, what is the meaning of this?!" she demanded.
He hesitated, and a look of horrible guilt presented itself on his face for all to see. It was almost as if he was the reason they were there. His suspicions were correct. "This is my fault," he admitted. "I shouldn't have done what I did." Endwatcher suspected he held back on exactly what on purpose. But why? What had he done? Assassins were almost never executed for a failed mission, just punished. The only thing they're executed for is… Treason. The worst crime anyone could commit.
He felt another surge of dread run through him. Not only were they going to watch his beheading, but they were next.
He was going to die before his life could begin, in a dark, dead cave, cut off from the rest of the world. Cut off from the Ruined Kingdoms, where he was sure he'd be better off. Where they would all be better off. No matter how 'ruined' they were, they would find peace knowing that the Night Kingdom wanted them dead for a crime they didn't commit. But it was too late to dwell on that, because the Ruined Kingdoms were out of their reach.
"Bloodshedder!" Endseeker exclaimed angrily. "You were supposed to kill Princess Ruby, you mindless buffoon! What did you do, form an alliance with them?!" His father stayed silent. It was all they needed to know. "How could you be so selfish?! You have a family! You have a dragonet! You don't have the luxury of caring for just yourself! What were you even planning to do with them, you moron?!"
"I was feeding her information! Information that could get us out of this wasteland we call home and out into the real world!" The 'real world'? Endwatcher thought. He and his father exchanged glances. "You hear that, Endwatcher? There are no 'Ruined Kingdoms', it's all a bunch of bullshit made up by Greatness to scare you into staying put! The kingdoms beyond the Night Kingdom are beyond what you could even comprehend as better!"
There are no Ruined Kingdoms? Endwatcher thought to himself. But… He had trouble dealing with the fact that everything he might have known had been a lie. No Ruined Kingdoms, and the Night Kingdom is the worst of them all, by far. So did that mean that the Night Kingdom was the bad one? Was he training to fight for something that was wrong? All his life, he had been told that he'd be growing up and killing dragons that were trying to make his life worse, not better.
He looked over to his mother for confirmation, — who was holding him in her arms — but her gaze remained blank. That was all he needed to know.
But none of that mattered, not since they were next in line to be strapped to the guillotine. Not since their life had been cut down to mere minutes. Not since that he had no way of doing anything with the information except taking it to his grave.
"Endwatcher-" his mother started, but she was quickly interrupted by one large shake of the cave. Rocks tumbled down the walls and cracked into many different pieces, and even a few stalactites fell before shattering. He wished one impaled one of the guards.
"What was that?" one of the guards questioned.
"Don't worry about it. You always overthink everything, it's probably nothing," another guard responded. "Let's just hurry up and do this before Princess Greatness gets impatient and puts us in their place." Oh how much Endwatcher wished that was reality.
Instead of thinking about how the Ruined Kingdoms weren't real, and that he was on the enemy's team instead of the latter, he pushed himself closer to his mother, because she was probably the last dragon he'd ever touch. He let tears stream down his eyes as he buried his head into her, and his light sobs filled the cave. Sadness and fear filled his chest as he thought about his impending doom.
"It'll be alright, Endwatcher," Endseeker said. Her voice was shaky. She was scared. "The afterlife is beautiful, did you know that? Dragons from every tribe live in peace, and you never go hungry. You'll have lots and lots of friends there and you'll never get tired, so you can play with them as long as you want."
"Really?" is what he wanted to say, but his tears were soaking up every word that could come out of his mouth. He never had a friend before, all of his time was spent training in his cave.
Another rumble shook the ground, and he heard more rocks come loose and smash against the cave floor. But he could see a strange orange glow through his eyelids right next to them. He felt heat against his scales — hotter than the Night Kingdom already was. Burning, even.
He pushed his head out from where it was buried in her chest and looked beside them, only to see thick, yellow liquid that could only be described as one thing pouring from the walls: lava.
Cracks appeared in the walls around him, and little bits of lava poured from each one. Was the cave going to collapse on them? Did Princess Greatness really hate them that much that she was going to drop an entire cave full of lava on them? He looked over at the guards, but they hadn't seemed to notice.
"Alright," one of the guards said. "Any last words?" Their talons were placed firmly against the only rope keeping his father alive. "You know, to your wife and kids who are next on the cutting board?"
"Fuck you!" Bloodshedder spat.
Their talons pulled back, but another rumble shook the cave. "Okay, seriously, what is that no-" One large rock interrupted their sentence, landing directly on their head. They dropped to the ground, and Endwatcher hoped that they were dead. The other guards looked around and one of their eyes finally caught wind of the lava drooling down the walls.
"Run!" one of them warned. It only took a second for the others to realize what was happening. The seven dragons in the cave quickly turned to four, leaving them chained up to meet their demise. Endwatcher wished he had been beheaded. Burning in lava is the most painful way to go, according to Princess Greatness.
How had the day ended like it did? From a normal training day, to being cooked alive in a cave. Cooked alive with his mother, father, and a guard who he was sure deserved it. It's not how he thought his life would end, to say the least. But if his mother was telling the truth, then the pain would finally be over, and a new chapter of his life would start before the other had time to finish.
He would be happy — a foreign feeling that he was sure Princess Greatness would want him dead for feeling. Not like it mattered much anyway when his life was just moments from ending.
He felt his mother's arms pull him closer. "It'll be alright, my little Endwatcher," she said. Her voice shivered as tears rolled down her scales like a waterfall. The metal muzzle around her snout felt cold against his shoulder. Her weeps were hardly noticeable, but Endwatcher could hear them. Their end was close, that's what she was crying about.
Another rumble shook the cave — more cracks lined the walls with lava. His scales burned hot, and a headache began forming. His fate was sealed the moment he failed to run.
He was accepting his death.
It was hard, but necessary.
Hopefully he would have friends on the other side. Just like his mother said.
He closed his eyes and awaited his fiery hot fate.
But a sound awoke him; the sound of a voice bouncing off of the walls. The sound of hope. "Endseeker!" his father yelled. "The keys! Get the keys!"
Endwatcher turned his head to see his father pointing to the unconscious guard. As he inspected him closer, silver glimmered in the light; a beacon of hope; the light at the end of the tunnel, and possibly, their salvation for many years to come.
Keys. Keys that were comfortably chained around the guard's wrist. Keys that could get them all away and out through the tunnel and into the light, and they could be a family again. The three of them. They just had to get them.
His mother made the same observation he did, and she didn't hesitate to try and reach for them. With her ankle pulling and tugging against the chain, and one of her talons reaching out to the guard, she was too far away. But she kept trying, and Endwatcher could practically see the pain in her limbs from stretching. "Dammit!" she shouted angrily, before her gaze switched over to Endwatcher.
He looked behind him, only to see that the lava was creeping towards them as it pooled onto the floor. The beginning of Endwatcher's chain became submerged in the bright orange liquid. He hoped it would melt, but he knew it wouldn't melt fast enough. Not before the lava already had him fully engulfed. Another rumble shook the cave, one more powerful than the last.
What was causing the shaking? He didn't know. All he knew is that he had to get him and his mother out of there, and fast. "Endwatcher, grab the keys!" his mother yelled. He looked over at the guard, who was closer to him. But even with the shortened distance he wasn't sure if he could reach, but he didn't hesitate. He sprung forward, almost as hard as he did when he first tried running towards his father and clawed his way forwards, as much as his body would allow him.
His ankle hurt — it hurt alot, especially with the metal shackle pressing against it. But it was either that or becoming a well-done dragon. His talons flopped around for a few moments before he finally grabbed ahold of the guard, and with all of his might, he pulled. He pulled to save his father. He pulled to save his mother. He pulled to save himself.
With a few desperate tugs, he was able to reach the guard's wrist. His talons fumbled with the keys before he was finally able to figure out how to detach them. He looked back, and to his horror, the lava was creeping even closer. His scales burned; they almost felt as if they were on fire.
He threw the keys to his mother, because he knew she'd be faster at picking the right key. She started with him, and it wasn't long before he was free from his shackles. The lava inched closer and closer to her, to the point where it was just centimeters from her talons. She roared in pain, and her scales bubbled up as they burned. With one last key in the ring, she practically threw herself forwards and immediately went to gripping her ankle. Her shackles submerged in lava hardly a second later.
Endwatcher quickly grabbed the keys from the cold stone floor. It was his father's turn to be let free.
"Endwatcher, hurry!" his father beckoned. Panic filled his voice, and another rumble shook the cave, but it didn't stop. They were running out of time, and running out of time quickly. His shaky talons fumbled with the keys, trying every single one in each of the locks, but none of them worked. He started panicking.
"Mommy, help!" he cried. Tears filled his eyes, not only from fear, but from the thought of losing his father before he even got to know him. Endseeker grabbed a hold of the keys, and quickly did the exact same thing he had. And like before, nothing worked.
"Endwatcher, go!" Bloodshedder screamed. But he didn't want to. He couldn't.
His vision was blocked by tears as he forcefully grabbed the keys from his mother's talons and began fumbling with them in the locks. "Endwatcher, we need to go!" his mother yelled. Pieces of the ceiling fell down and shattered against the stone floor. Lava began dripping from the ceiling, creating columns made of hot, fiery death.
He swore he had been there for at least an hour as time halted. "Endwatcher, leave me!" his father yelled. "Leave me here, please!" He sounded as if he was begging, and after a moment Endwatcher realized that he was. He was begging to die. Begging to suffer the most painful death a dragon could. For them. "It's my time anyway. I got you into this mess, and I'll be damned if I'm the reason you don't get out." His voice dropped to a whisper, and their eyes met. "Go, Endwatcher. Go live your life."
"Daddy…" he sniffled.
Then a rock fell from the ceiling above him, and everything went black.
A bright light fluttered in his eyes, and a smell he had never smelled before filled his nose. It smelled fresh, like nothing was on fire, like no dragons were dying or dead. It smelled happy. He looked around the room, which was made of something he knew was wood, but had never seen before. Windows were carved, and as he looked out, he saw trees. Lots and lots of trees. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen before.
He sat up, and almost immediately, footsteps against the wood started coming his way. His body moved for him, and the next thing he knew, a hissing sound filled the room as he got his fire ready — a trick his mother never forgot to remind him to do. Always keep your guard up.
The dragon was unfamiliar, which in his mind, only meant danger. After all, the Ruined Kingdoms was filled with many dragon species he had no idea about, and the dragon he was staring down certainly wasn't a NightWing. Their scales reflected in the sunlight, and they almost looked as if they were…changing colors.
From a bright pink to pale white, their scales shifted in almost an instant, and their face looked terrified. "Get back!" Endwatcher said, remembering his lines whenever he was taught to say whenever he was met with danger. "I'm not afraid to attack!"
He slid off of the strangely comfortable bed he was in and backed himself near the doorway. Millions of questions flooded his mind. Questions like, where am I? Why am I here? Who is this strange dragon and do they want to hurt me? Where is my mother? Why can't I remember anything? Am I in the Ruined Kingdoms? Was I sent out for my first mission? Will Princess Greatness be mad at me? Will I be executed? Is my father with me?
He felt talons grab ahold of his shoulder. He tried to whip around to melt their face off, but their grip wouldn't allow him to. "Endwatcher!" a dragon's voice said happily. A dragon's voice whom he recognized. His mother. "Moons, you're finally awake!" Her grip was tight around him, almost like he'd been out for days. Was I? He wondered.
"Mommy!" he yelled out in joy, before letting go of his fire, twisting around, and hugging her back. That's when he saw it; an entire forest. He was told about them when he was in training, and he was always told that it was filled with dangerous dragons that could spit venom.
He noticed that many, many dragons who looked like the one who he almost lit on fire swung from trees all around him. The smell of fruit filled his nose. But he couldn't be tricked by it, he knew it was dangerous, and he knew they had to get out of there, and fast. "Mommy, we need leave!" he said in his broken Dragon. His heart began pumping, and he could feel blood rushing in his ears.
He tried to pull away, but his mother stood firm. "No, Endwatcher!" she said, laughing. "No we don't! We don't need to go anywhere! We're safe! We're out of the Night Kingdom!"
More questions filled his mind. "But…the Night Kingdom is home? Where are we? These the Ruined Kingdoms?" If they were, they didn't look very 'ruined' to him. They looked better than the Night Kingdom could ever wish to look.
"Endwtcher, what are you talking…" she trailed off. There was a moment of silence. "You know the Ruined Kingdoms were a lie, right?" He didn't know at that point. He was confused, and disoriented. But mostly confused. Very, very confused. What was she talking about? He had been training to go out into the Ruined Kingdoms for months and assassinate anyone who threatened the best kingdom of them all — the Night Kingdom.
"No?" was all he said. He didn't know what he was saying 'no' to though — him knowing if the Ruined Kingdoms were a lie, or if they were real.
"Endwatcher, what's the last thing you remember?" she questioned. He thought back and dug into his memory. The last thing he remembered was them going to sleep in their cave, and his father didn't return home that night. And he hadn't been on a mission, so they thought it was strange. But apparently his hesitation was enough to answer her question.
Her face stayed puzzled as she thought. She stayed like that for the next few minutes, and Endwatcher instead looked around at what he thought were the Ruined Kingdoms. Dragons swinging from tree to tree, giving fruit to one another, laying in the sun and hammocks. But most importantly of all, they looked happy. Like nothing could bother them and nobody could change that.
"The Night Kingdom's gone, Endwatcher," she finally said. "The volcano exploded. Your father…" she winced and a shy tear fell from her eye. "Your father didn't make it." His jaw dropped. The feeling of shock and sadness filled his chest and whatever he was going to say had been blown away in the wind.
"Daddy's…dead?" he chanced. The words hurt, as if he was being stabbed in the heart a million times over. His mother clamped her eyes shut as tears fell from them and she nodded head. Tears clouded his vision, and the next thing he knew, he was sobbing. Endseeker was quick to pull him into her warm embrace.
"But we're safe now, my little Endwatcher," she said. Her voice shook and he could tell she was clearly crying. "The Night Kingdom was a very bad place, but it's gone now. This is our new home, where nobody will ever hurt us again." What she said next faded into the background. He tried to think of happy memories of him and his father, but none came to mind. They hardly even knew each other.
But he did know one thing for sure: his father loved him. Go, Endwatcher. Go live your life! The words rang in his head. He didn't know where they were from, but he somehow knew that those were the last words he ever heard from him.
And he did live his life. It wasn't long before they moved to a place called Possibility, and his mother would never share him the details of that night. He got new friends, Chromis and Atlantic, and a new house and new food and new love and new everything. His life flipped upside down, and for the better.
The memories of the Night Kingdom faded into the background as he made space for new, better ones.
But the words he would always live by were "Go live your life".
Author's notes: Poor Endwatcher, who knew he was hiding so much trauma in his past? At least he doesn't remember the worst of it — and wasn't told by his mother. I plan on posting more of these, so expect updates! Especially after Healed 2 is completed!