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Chapter Text

Anemone had always know that she was going to one day rule her tribe. Her mother, Coral, had trained her to do just that since she was only a few months old. She’d always wished to play with the other dragonets, but either they weren’t of high enough status or they played too rough. As she got older, she gave up on finding a playmate. She just wanted a friend, at this point. Even the other dragonets were now too old to be playing silly games. Some days she’d stare down at them from her seat next to Mother at her boring council meetings before Mother regained her attention with a quick tug on her harness.

Anemone hated the harness. She hated how she couldn’t do anything without her Mother there, watching. That’s why she had enchanted Auklet’s harness to be looser and longer than hers. Her dearest little sister was all she had, and she wanted to keep her safe. She had Tsunami aswell, but Tsunami didn’t live in the Kingdom of The Sea. She lived in the school she ran with her friends. After the whole prophecy incident, Anemone was pulled out of school. She missed it every day, the freedom it brought her. Sometimes she’d see Pike or Turtle or another of the SeaWing students coming home to visit, and they’d always exchange a somber smile. Even though the war was over and everyone was at peace, Mother was as paranoid as ever. She was afraid of Darkstalker returning, even though everyone made sure no one else knew about Peacemaker, Mother always seemed to know that the monster that had hurt her dear baby so cruelly wasn’t entirely gone.

Mother had kept the majority of the SeaWings underwater with her while she had sent a brave few to scout a new island, where Anemone and Turtle would build them a new Summer Palace. Anemone could only imagine how Turtle felt after Mother found out about his magic- his spell on Anemone. She was told to look away while Mother and Turtle argued in Aquatic, but she could tell they weren’t on the best of terms. She wasn’t allowed to see him anymore, except for by chance or at important events. Now that everyone knew of Turtle’s powers, he was probably feeling worse than ever. Everyone started sweet-talking him, just as they once did Anemone. She was glad to have the the pressure off of herself even though she felt a tinge of guilt for Turtle. After all, she had essentially caused him to have to reveal his powers to the tribe after they’d fixed animus magic.

Oh well, she’d make it up eventually. Maybe after she was off her harness she’d do something for him. Maybe she’d give him a nice writing position? He sure took after Mother’s literary talent. Maybe he’d finally just make out with Kinkajou and they’d go live together in the new palace that she and Turtle would make. Maybe they’d even have a bunch of cute little hybrid babies that were glittered with pinks and blues, like their Aunt Anemone. She laughed aloud to herself at the thought. Kinkajou and Turtle were the definition of the phrase “off again, on again” at this point. She was sure they loved each other but there was always something holding Kinkajou back. Anemone couldn’t help but think it was that spell she had placed on her; what was it? Four years ago? Wait, four- Auklet is four so that means- Anemone thought giddily.

Today was her seventh hatching day, conveniently a few days before the anniversary of… everything. It had been named “Darkstalker Day” which ironically had become a holiday of family and friendship. The survivors thought it honored him, not them, especially the IceWings, Queen Snowfall the most vocal of them all. A couple more names would be thrown around for years.

Anemone shook herself from snout to tail. No, she was getting off track. She was meant to be thinking about her hatching day. She thought about what Mother might gift her for it. It was probably the most important hatching days like, ever since she would finally be an adult.

She proudly puffed out her chest a little more as her servants decorated her in the kingdom’s finest jewelry. She was wearing a harness of pearls (that, fortunately, wasn’t connected to Mother), silver studs in her ears, each hanging a diamond-shaped piece of turquoise tourmaline, coils of silver that wound around her horns, inlaid with many of the same jewels in her earrings and dangling more down like a beaded curtain of precious stones, and many bands of pearls wound around her tail and lower legs, hanging periodically with the same shimmering color of tourmaline. Mother had the ensemble custom-made for her by her best jeweler, Crawdad. Mother let her be alone while Crawdad fitted her, wanting everyone to be surprised with her daughter’s dazzling appearance, including herself. She sent Sardine, her least favorite of her three personal servants, to go tell the crowd that she was ready. Porpoise and Salmon waited alongside their Princess, adjusting her accessories if they moved even an inch as she breathed. Anemone picked up a front talon and noticed it was clammy. Was she… nervous? No! No, she couldn’t be. Princess Anemone, the next Queen of the SeaWings, could not be nervous on her crowning day. Her official crowning would give her the new title of crown Princess, along with the ability to challenge her mother for the throne and a few other perks. She swallowed and allowed Porpoise to polish her scales and Salmon to adjust her claws to perfection. This day had to go perfectly. If Anemone wanted one thing other than freedom, it would be to enjoy herself unburdened. Or to have a friend, something inside her said. She pulsed her gills once Sardine returned. “Everyone is ready for you, Princess Anemone,” she said in Aquatic with a bow. Anemone gave an affirmative nod and started after Sardine, her two other servants trailing behind her.

As she left her quarters, the two guards stationed outside her door started walking on either side of her. She growled softly at them before preparing herself. Anemone, you can do this. You’re their Princess. They adore you. Don’t be nervous- quit squirming! Anemone’s lip quivered uncomfortably. I can do this. I can. I am Princess Anemone. She gave Sardine a nod and watched as she pushed open the doors to the Deep Palace’s Ballroom.

Chapter Text

The ballroom froze as Sardine and Salmon held open the massive doors for her. Everyone had their eyes on their princess, and she could see Mother, dressed in her favorite pearl and platinum outfit and crown. They almost matched in a weird way. Anemone couldn’t help but think it was intentional. She held her head high and glanced around at the SeaWings all gathered for her party. Her party. All this attention on her, for her crowning and hatching day, made her face burn with pride. She strode over to Mother confidently. 

“Mother,” she said. “Don’t you think we look stunning together?” Coral beamed lovingly at her precious pearl. “Oh, you look wonderful my dear. Auklet, how do you think your sister looks?” The two looked down at the four-and-a-half year old dragonet standing beside Mother. They weren’t harnessed but Anemone knew that Mother wouldn’t let Auklet leave her sight at this party. Auklet was clad in some platinum and amber tourmaline, no doubt trying to match her Mother (which was probably Mother’s doing) while still having something to tie her to Anemone and bring out her gorgeous chartreuse eyes. “I think she looks super pretty, like a really pretty grown dragon!” Auklet declared, wagging her tail in excitement. Auklet always did odd things like that, but Anemone found it endearing. “Aww, thank you, Auklet,” Anemone nuzzled her sister sweetly.

“Also,” Auklet flashed. “Have you tried the food yet? It’s really good!” Anemone was about to respond when Auklet continued flashing. “Oh, and Tsunami and Riptide are here.” She dimmed her glowscales while Mother turned her head to look at Moray while the two began to chat. “Your Jade Mountain friends want you to visit during the visitor week that’s in a month.” Auklet returned her Aquatic to normal brightness. “Happy hatching day, sis!” The two exchanged a quick hug before Anemone set off again.

She smiled and weaved her way through the crowd, tediously exchanging pleasantries with what felt like everyone there until she found Turtle, Tsunami, and Riptide in the farthernmost left corner, where they would always meet at parties like this. Turtle spotted her first and waved her over excitedly. She made a beeline for them while studying their outfits on her big day. Riptide wore one pearl necklace with an emerald hanging from it. Ever the simple one , Anemone thought. Tsunami was wearing a silk necklace and with an emerald that matched Riptide’s on it and an elegant white cape trimmed with silver thread. Ever the extravagant one, Anemone thought with a smirk. And her brother, Turtle, wore his signature armband, a golden breastplate inlaid with obsidian, and three golden rings on each horn.

She scanned the three familiar faces of Turtle, Tsunami, and Riptide before noticing a newcomer with a startled stream of bubbles erupting from her nostrils as she came to an abrupt stop in the water. This new SeaWing was cerulean with splashes of turquoise and had blazing amber eyes. He was quite handsome, Anemone couldn’t help but think, with horns that curved inwards like a heart. Mother always loved SeaWings with those horns, as King Gill had them, too. This dragon was wearing a simple silver chain necklace and had topaz earrings dangling from his ears.

Anemone wasn’t into guys, she even had her eye on a girl at the moment, but she’d admit if she was, he’d be just her type. She introduced herself to him first. “Hello, newcomer,” she flashed. “I am Princess Anemone, the dragon who this party is for.” The SeaWing smiled. “I know. I am Clownfish, son of Lord Anchovy and heir to the family fortune.” Anemone could see where he got his name from, with the spots and orange eyes. She turned to her family (she’d admit, calling Riptide “family” was new but she’d get used to it) and began to chat away happily. But she couldn’t get the feeling out of her head that her life was about to be turned on it’s head.

…

The party had tired out Anemone a lot. She was awake and very happy for her crowning ceremony, but at the on-land after party she just... crashed. She was refilling her dish with some more pastries as she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see Clownfish before her. He bowed with a polite “Hello.” She just stared blankly back before turning and starting to walk towards a small table she’d claimed as her own. He followed her with his own plate of pastries, not saying a word until they sat down. “What do you want?” Anemone asked groggily, doing her best to shield herself from the public eye as she stuffed a cream-filled puff into her mouth. “Um, well, you seemed lonely.”

“Ha, a Princess? Lonely? No one ever leaves me alone!” Anemone replied. That just made Clownfish tense a little. “That isn’t good, Princess. You deserve freedom and I want to help you with that.”

“And why should I trust you? I don’t know you.”

“Well, maybe I don’t know you but I know how you feel .” Clownfish replied sheepishly. That certainly got Anemone’s attention. “As a son of a high-ranking Lord,” he continued. “And heir to a considerable wealth, I’ve always had pressure on me to be the best and to need no one. I wasn’t allowed friends either. I’ve seen how Queen Coral treats you when I’ve gone with my father to meetings. You just look so…” Anemone shifted her gaze away from him as he grimaced. “Sad.” Anemone would’ve normally retorted with something snarky like “a princess is never sad,” but… he was right.

Anemone could hear the sincerity in his voice. She put down her pastry and met his gaze. “If you’re suggesting what I think you are, I’d like to let you know that I like girls,” she said coolly. Clownfish nodded. “I know. I don’t really like anyone but I think it will be beneficial to us both. Just… think about it.” He got up from her table and walked away.

Anemone could see Mother approaching soon after, Auklet and Turtle in tow. They seem to have made up, Anemone observed. The three sat down at her small table before Mother began to speak. “Well, Anemone, hasn’t this been a great evening? So much fun and festivities, and it seems you’ve met a new ‘friend.’” The emphasis Mother put on the word “friend” almost made her gag, like she was implying that they were more than just mere acquaintances. “Oh, that is Clownfish, son of-“ 

“Yes, I know darling.” Mother said with a dismissive wave. “His father is a very important SeaWing, he’s a high ranking noble and his late mother was a decorated veteran. Perfect for a Princess…”

“Veteran?” Auklet echoed. 

“Yes, dear. She fought valiantly in the war and then died,” Coral replied bluntly. 

“Veterinarian?”

“No- “

Mother began to painstakingly explain the difference between a veteran and a veterinarian. This was her chance. She turned to Turtle. “I’m off the harness. I want to visit you at Jade Mountain Academy during the visitor week,” Anemone whispered. Turtle nodded. “Write to me,” he said before giving her a quick side hug. “Well,” Anemone announced loudly, turning an annoyed Mother’s attention away from Auklet. “I am going to retire for the night, enjoy yourselves.” After giving hugs to her family, she sought out Tsunami and Riptude for another quick goodbye. She lifted up, off the ground and began to fly in the direction of the Deep Palace under the milky glow of the three moons.

Chapter Text

As Anemone sat in her new chambers alone, she couldn’t get her mind off of Clownfish’s offer. She unhooked her pearls and took out her earrings, laying them neatly on a table in a sort of lounge area. She took of her horn ornaments and her other accessories and carefully laid them on the table aswell. When she had finally gotten them all off, she picked up her favorite scroll and sat in her new bed, hoping to read herself to sleep.

She dove headfirst into her favorite underwater reef town of talking dolphins. She saw herself in them and let her worries and doubts slip away into The Magnificent Tales of The Dolphin Detectives. She liked mystery scrolls for the clever sleuths, unlike her mother’s adoration of good endings and truth prevailing. Anemone despised how she was usually right about that. She huffed and readjusted in her new plush bed. She allowed her heavy eyelids to close.

Anemone blinked herself awake. Wow, had she slept great! She stretched out on her little bed next to Mama’s, carefully of the gummy harness that attached them. She gave a few tugs before Mama awoke with a rush of bubbles from her snout. She glared at Anemone and flashed “Go to sleep. It’s too early to be bothered, sweetheart.” 

Anemone puffed out a large bubble and slunk back down into her little bed. She picked up the scroll she had hidden under her mattress and began to read. The Missing Princess. Even though she wasn’t yet six months old, Anemone could tell that Mama had written this. Her style was distinct. For whom worried her. Was it Orca, the mysterious princess everyone whispered about but hushed up whenever a royal neared? Or was it someone else? Was it a metaphor about her dead sisters? She could almost hear Whirlpool chastising her for not understanding. She wished that Mama would make him be nice, but she didn’t. She was too invested in “the war” and Papa. The Papa who she’d never met. She hoped she would. Maybe he’d make Mama more reasonable. Maybe he’d pay the right amount of attention to her instead of so much or so little.

…

Anemone realized two days after Tsunami left who The Missing Princess was for. It wasn’t a metaphor; it was for the stolen one. The lucky one who had grown big, strong, and fierce with friends to back her up. Anemone always looked at her newly found older sister with sparkling eyes, hardly believing that her turning out like that was a possibility. If only someone like The Talons of Peace has stolen her egg.

…

Anemone sat at a long dining table with only herself and Mother, at opposite ends. Auklet was with Mother but desperately trying to get to her big sister. The little hatchling flapped her tiny wings but they didn’t move. Auklet began to contort, as did the room around them. Her limbs snapped into odd positions as Mother began to grow massive. The room around them crumbled, sending rocks spiraling at the three of them. Anemone froze, tears streaming down her cheeks, as she curled herself into a small, insignificant ball, hoping to resemble a rock. She wished she had gone to help Auklet instead.

…

Anemone leaped out of her bed, thrashing wildly with her tears floating in the water around her. She spun in a circle, frantically breathing, gills pulsing, and eyes darting everywhere. She dug her right talon into her palm, drawing whisps of dark red blood to fill the water. Good, this was finally the real world. Anemone briskly opened the doors to her quarters, startling the drowsy guards on duty. She swam with determined strikes of her tail as the two guards fumbled with their spears, trying to catch up. She took one left, then two rights. The Palace Library.  

It wasn’t open now but no one would stop their Princess. She ripped open the doors and stormed inside, frantically searching through waterproof scrolls and stone tablets in the “psychology” section. She could see that her guard were flashing something at her in the reflection of the polished marble floor, but she couldn’t tell, nor care. 

She tucked three tablets and one scroll under her left arm before swam right past her guards, to the one last place she needed to go to for the night. 

Tautog was the night medic for the palace. She was an old, pale green SeaWing with an endearing spunk that Anemone had liked since she was hatched. Tautog had been hired by Coral’s parents to take care of her personally as a dragonet. Anemone had never met her grandmother, Wavepool, since Coral had already killed her and she’d barely met her grandfather, Capelin, before he passed away when she was four months old. She couldn’t imagine how her mother’s parents were to make her… to make her like this. 

Anemone didn’t have to say anything, she just showed Tuatog her talon and the elderly dragon scurried away into the medicine stores. She waited there patiently for a moment with her palm up before Tuatog reappeared. She applied some greenish-blue ointment to Anemone’s deep scratch (wow, she had done that?) and bandaged it up securely. Tuatog seemed to have gotten what happened because she let Anemone leave without another sound.

The next morning, Anemone dressed in emeralds and pearls. She flew over to their “beach party” island and landed with a clack next to her sister. To her surprise but not dismay, Clownfish thudded down behind her a couple seconds later. She hadn’t been aware that he’d been following her, but somehow it didn’t feel malicious. She couldn’t help but notice Clownfish’s single pearl bracelet.

Anemone made curtious small talk with them as she placed a letter in Riptide’s talon. “Read it when you get back to The Academy,” she instructed him. She turned to her sister with a slightly lighter expression. “I’ll miss you, Tsunami. Write to me,” she said, flinging her wings around her sister and squeezing tightly. “Aw, you little sap, we’ll miss you too,” Tsunami replied, huggin Anemone with her front legs. “Maybe we’ll visit more?” Anemone nodded vigorously before letting Tsunami out of her clutches.

She watched Riptide and Tsunami fly in the direction of the mainland until they were far out of sight. I wish I could’ve gone with them, a little voice inside her couldn’t help but say. She squashed it down with a gulp and closed her eyes. She let the salty sea breeze fill her lungs and brush against her scales.

Chapter Text

“Um, Anemone?” Clownfish called, breaking Anemone’s perfect silence and nice thoughts. The two were laying in the sand on the beach, where they had watched Tsunami and Riptide leave a few hours earlier. They were just staring at the waves. Anemone turned her head to face him. Usually, she’d snap at him but… Tsunami’s departure made her feel calmer, more somber.

“What?” she replied finally. Clownfish sat there, carefully thinking over his words while tracing circles in the cool sand around him. “Has your mother been… pressuring you to get married recently?”

“Oh, for my entire life!” Anemone barked, laughing. “She wanted me to marry Whirlpool. Do you know how old and creepy that guy was?” Clownfish shivered, perhaps on purpose. “Yuck, I’ve heard. I’m glad he… had an accident trying to kill the dragonets.” Shoot. Anemone had forgotten about the whole story Tsunami made up about why her mother’s favorite awful teacher ended up dead in the electric eel moat around their cell. Anemone took a shaky breath in. “Me too.”

The two sat their in silence, staring at the moons above and the waves in front of them. The biggest moon was almost full, signifying their next trade meeting, probably with Glory.

“My Father has, too,” Clownfish said, again breaking the silence. “He… wants me to marry up and my only options are Lady Stingray and someone…” his eyes lingered on her necklace. “Higher up.”

Anemone quickly sat up, expecting some dumb confession and plea for desperate marriage. She turned away from him. How dare he!? She thought. How dare I be fooled! “Wait- please wait! Let me explain! Please, Anemone!” he begged, standing up to join her. She flicked her wings, thrashing her tail and pulsing her gills as she whipped back around to face him. “What could you possibly have to explain?” she growled. 

“It isn’t how you think. I don’t love you, nor want to marry you but I… I have to do something and you need to marry someone of your status.” Anemone cooled off a little, still glaring at him. “We could… pretend. I already love another, a non-noble, village dragon named Brine. But my father wouldn’t ever let me be with him, so we meet in secret.”

Anemone suddenly realized that… he was just like her. “I understand,” she said. “I am not seeing anyone at the moment but I… like girls. Not many SeaWing girls though, especially not SeaWing nobles. They’re too… posh for me.” Clownfish smiled sincerely at her. “So you have to be the posh one?” A grin spread across his face when Anemone laughed at him. 

“I think it’s a good idea, what do you say?” Clownfish stuck out a talon at her. Anemone stared at his palm for a moment before shaking hands with him. “It’ll get my mother off my back and have easy access to a friend. If all else fails…” Anemone looked away from him. “I have a plan.”

…

Anemone and Clownfish flew back to the Deep Palace together, whispering the entire time about the smaller details in their plan. Boundaries, showing fake affection, sharing duties, but decidedly not talking about the big issue. An heir. The SandWings had too many but what if the SeaWings had too little? Anemone said no words but decided that she would, for the good of her tribe, have dragonets if she needed to. But only if it was truly necessary.

Anemone hoped she and Clownfish would be great friends. She hoped that she wasn’t planning to eventually marry a crazy or mean or boring dragon. Maybe they’d be best friends one day. Ruling side by side, something inside of her whispered. Anemone shook her neck out and beat her wings faster.

Chapter Text

Chapter 5a

Tonight, the biggest moon would be full. Tonight was the trade meeting between Anemone’s mother and Glory. After all, the Rainforest and the Sea were both abundant in unique resources. Anemone had noticed that her mother seemed to quite like Glory. Not as much as Thorn or Ruby, but still. 

Anemone and Clownfish readied themselves in Anemone’s quarters, picking out matching outfits made of gold and gorgeous, bluish sea rocks. Anemone wore two bracelets on each front leg and two bands on her tail while Clownfish spotted two necklaces and golden leaf earrings. The two flew to the meeting cave together as the sky began to turn brilliant shades of pink and orange. Anemone hoped that Clownfish would be allowed in and presumed the new partner of their Princess, but he was only allowed in for the non-top-secret parts of the meetings. For the others he’d have to leave the room and wait outside. 

They were the first ones there, followed by the scattered members of her mother’s council. Shark gave Clownfish a quick glare before perhaps remembering his mother and looking away from him. 

Anemone studied the expansive meeting room she was in, a bit impressed with what her mother had ordered. Their on-land meeting room was a system of shallow caves with plenty of skylight. The rooms were divided in half, one with SeaWing decor and floor pools and the other themed around whatever tribe was arriving next. The side of the rainforest tribes was lush with plenty of light and flowers. She recognized one as a carnation with a sting in her chest. Tamarin had taught her that. Anemone hadn’t really talked to Tamarin after her confession and Tamarin’s subsequent rejection and it began to weigh on her a little. Maybe she could one day make “just friends” and option but the wound was still fresh to her.

Anemone got up from her pool and plucked a carnation and a sweet-smelling orange and pink flower. She walked back over to her pool next to Clownfish’s and silently fixed the sweet-smelling flower to his head before tucking the carnation behind her own ear. “The RainWings are fond of flowers,” she explained. “Besides, it suits you.”

Her mother finally decided to make her (rather noisy) entrance now by flinging open the leaf curtain. She walked over to her spot at one of the heads of the table, in a raised pool with a smaller one beside it. Auklet and I used to share that , she thought with a tinge of… was that jealousy? No, she hated her mother’s control over her. Or did she like her affection and attention? Anemone hated when her own thoughts betrayed her like this. Coral have a quick glance at Anemone and a judging side eye to the SeaWing she was sitting next to. Anemone sat there stiffly, awaiting her mother’s comment. Coral only just smiled a little wider and took her place, making sure Auklet was plenty comfortable with doting talons. Anemone glared off into the distance. The sun was quickly disappearing. Wingbeats soon grew louder and louder, clearly Glory’s party. 

Deathbringer entered first, making way for his done-with-it Queen. She had set her scales to be dull blues and greens with freckles of strawberry red that looked like rubies. After her came her makeshift council, Grandeur, Pineapple, and Jambu for the RainWings and Starflight, Fatespeaker, and… Anemone took a sharp breath in. Moon. Anemone looked around. Turtle wasn’t here and she didn’t have her skyfire on her! How can I face a dragon who can hear my thoughts? Moon would know… Moon glanced over at Anemone, her gaze lingering as some RainWing and NightWing guards stationed around their side of the room, parallel to the SeaWing guards. 

Glory took her seat next to Coral and Deathbringer stood next to her, insisting on being with his queen at all times. Anemone rolled her eyes and groaned a bit and the bickering of the couple. “Do NOT do that,” she hissed at Clownfish.

The entire SeaWing council wasn’t here, just the important ones, especially those pertinent to this meeting. Anemone was across from Grandeur and Clownfish was across from… Moon. Anemone felt more guilt burn in her face and chest. She’d have to apologize after the meeting, that would make her feel better about… everything, right? There were also other NightWings and RainWings, though she didn’t recognize them. 

“Welcome, esteemed guests,” Coral began. She smiled and placed a talon on Glory’s shoulder that sent a ripple of pale green down her back that quickly faded back into the waves of dark blue dappled with turquoise accents that she had chosen today. Glory also had made her frill and wings shades of purple, which created a gorgeous effect of cool tones that made her emerald eyes pop. 

Many servants entered the room, placing down players, trays, and bowls of decadent foods that all tribes would like from seaweed salad to calamari (also the name of the new head chef, coincidentally) to roasted chicken skewers. “You may begin eating as we discuss,” Coral declared, setting off a frenzy of clanking plates and pans being passed down to the other guests. Anemone instinctively filled her plate with some mango and salmon, turning to her left to put some strawberries on Auklet’s plate, as she always had. Auklet still could barely fit at the table and had to lift her plate up high to get some of the fruit from her big sister. Coral shot a quick, disapproving glance at them before continuing to chat away with her fellow queen. 

Chapter 5b

Anemone ate her meal slowly, giving ample time between each bite to give quick comments about whatever Glory and her mother were discussing. They did eventually come to a trade deal that benefited both kingdoms a lot, especially the NightWings, as Anemone thought they would. The thought of NightWings made her remember about Moon and…

The first recess soon came and everyone clamored outside to go take a walk or stretch or go for a quick swim. Jambu, Pineapple, and Moon, however, stayed on the beach, just chatting. With Clownfish at her side to back her up if needed, she approached them.

“Excuse me? Moon? Can we talk?” Moon turned to her, a slight smile on her face. She nodded, looking a bit flustered and pleasantly surprised. Anemone knew that Moon knew what was going on, but she didn’t care. She had to do this. “Moon, I’m sorry for everything. With Darkstalker, how I treated you was… awful.” Don’t be your mother. It isn’t magically okay now, her subconscious hissed. “I know that doesn’t excuse my actions but- OOF!” Moon had Anemone tightly grasped in a hug. “It’s okay, Anemone. Darkstalker did this, not you. So please, just please forgive yourself.” Moon seemed to be responding to her every thought. Silent tears welled in Anemone’s eyes and trickled down her cheeks. 

Anemone pressed her eyes shut until Moon let go. The three moons were now at the highest point in the sky, the full one casting a brighter glow on the dragons below. Moon clasped Anemone’s talons for a moment before slipping them away to wipe off Anemone’s tears, then her own. 

Anemone now realized that the two RainWings had turned shades of blue and strawberry pink. She didn’t remember who was who, but their tails were intertwined in a way that she had only seen Glory and Deathbringer do. She turned to Clownfish, debating for a moment to reveal their secret. Oh, whatever. Moon’s already seen it. “Clownfish these are my friends. Moon, Pineapple, and Jambu.” Pineapple and Jambu’s scales lost their blue and gradually turned back to their normal patterns of yellow, green and brown and pink respectively. “Moon’s the NightWing, Jambu’s the pink one, Glory’s brother, and Pineapple’s the yellow one, Jambu’s partner.” Clownfish studied each one as she introduced them, lingering on Pineapple. “Did you say-'' he started. “Yep, just like you,” she replied. Moon giggled softly, and would've probably turned crimson at the embarrassment of what Clownfish was probably thinking right now if she was a RainWing. 

Jambu looked at them, puzzled. “Wait, he’s just like us? But he’s not a RainWing…?” Anemone turned to look at Moon. Don’t say a word now. Explain it to them later, in private, please. We’re faking for the sake of our tribe and future. Moon nodded, turning to the two RainWings. “It’s fine, we’ll talk about it later.” 

The group got up and headed back inside of the meeting cave for another round.

“We have discussed trade routes but we haven’t discussed territory,” Glory said. “I don’t want any more, but I don’t want any SeaWings wandering into my Rainforest. It’s dangerous and I’m not going to have a war on my talons.” Coral nodded, unrolling a large map of Pyrrhia. She waved over Shark while Fatespeaker helped Starflight to walk over to the scroll as well. 

“Are the waters safe to swim in?” Coral asked. “They don’t have any harmful bacteria, but here,” Shark stuck a claw into a section of the lower right rainforest coast. “Is some sort of hotspots for whirlpools. Some creatures like to lurk around here to catch prey disoriented by the whirlpools.” Anemone couldn’t tell if by “creatures,” Shark meant dragons or wild animals. Coral clicked her tongue, stroking Auklet’s head in thought. 

“And what do you propose we do about that?” Coral said, not unkindly but certainly not sweetly. Glory turned to Starflight, who whispered something to Fatespeaker, who whispered something back at Glory. “Use joint funds to build a small rocky outcropping here,” Glory swiped a claw in a semicircle around Shark’s original claw-mark. “Place signs warning others of danger over it.” Coral sat back in her pond, readjusting the harness that collected her to Auklet as she often did when tired. 

“Are you proposing we contribute equally?” Coral said.

“Yes. Split the costs for the benefit of your people,” Glory replied.

“It is your land, not ours.”

“Queen Coral, we don’t use the waters. Your people do. It is for their safety.”

“But it is your land, is it not?” Pearl challenged.

“Do you not care for your people? It benefits you,” Pineapple said.

Coral sighed in her pool and examined her claws. “Is it necessary? Hardly anyone even swims by there,” she said airily. Anemone could see swirls of orange, red, and black in the RainWings on the other side of the table. The NightWings just scowled a little more, except Fatespeaker and Starflight who looked a little sad, but mostly disappointed.

“That area is a high-traffic area due to the schools of fish that inhabit it, your majesty. It’s a prime fishing spot, my Queen,” Moray interjected. Coral shot a glare at her, and the councilor quickly snapped her mouth back shut. “Shark, how many injuries has it caused?” she said, looking for a backup from another biased relative. Shark looked away, perhaps thinking about his answer, before gruffly replying with “four injuries, one death, all in one… incident.” Coral pursed her lips, not happy. More subtle clouds of red creeped up Glory’s scales.

“A dragon has died and you’re not willing to do anything!? ” Jambu said, his voice rising with a sharp sticking-out of his frills. His pink scales shifted to a more reddish hue. Pineapple placed a gentle claw on his shoulder. Jambu’s scales didn’t return to pink, they just simmered down to some shades of orange and red.

Anemone looked at her mother. Coral was scowling, clearly backed into a corner. “Mother, I think it’s for the best,” she said sweetly. Coral didn’t look at or acknowledge her, just put one talon on Auklet’s head and began to massage her head gently. Coral took a deep breath and, through her teeth, softly hissed. Her talon froze on Auklet’s head, earning a soft wince from the young emerald dragonet. Coral turned to her fellow queen. “Very well,” she nearly growled.

Chapter Text

The meeting dragged on for a long time, but Anemone had been forced to attend boring council meetings since she hatched. She could deal with it. All she had to do was wait.

The moons were lowering and the sky was beginning to change colors as dawn approached. Coral and Glory dismissed everyone. Coral had to go do something Anemone didn’t catch, but she and Auklet would be back soon to send them off. That gave Anemone enough time to enjoy herself.

She laid out in the sand, taking in the salty sea air while waiting for her friends to join her. Clownfish arrived first and sat on her left. Next was Pineapple and Jambu, who sat opposite from them, creating a circle. Moon sat between Pineapple and Clownfish and motioned for an elegant and skinny NightWing to sit across from her, between Anemone and Jambu. 

The NightWing was shades of dull blues and purples with sharp features and tired eyes. She was wearing a necklace of teardrop diamonds, which contrasted her scales wonderfully. Crawdad would love to meet with her jeweler , Anemone thought with a snort. The NightWing turned to her and they locked eyes, before the NightWing gave a small smile and looked away.

Anemone turned to Moon silently for help. She didn’t have silver scales by her eyes, but there was a cluster of them around her shoulders. Can she-? Moon shook her head, no. A grin spread across her face as she giggled softly. “Anemone, Clownfish,” Moon said. “This is (ex-Princess) Greatness of the NightWings! Greatness, meet Princess Anemone and Clownfish of the SeaWings!”

So that’s your name, pretty dragon, Anemone thought. Your silver scales don’t gleam like Moon’s do, though. She shot a quick grin at a rather flustered Moon. “Wait, you two are Princess buddies!” Jambu declared. “Technically I’m also a Prince, since my sister’s the queen. I think.” Pineapple gave an affectionate nudge. “What does that make me, hmm?” he teased. Clownfish stifled a small laugh. “Chopped liver,” he whispered. Anemone couldn’t help but laugh. “But- RainWings don’t- eat meat!” she cried through laughter. Moon joined in with giggles of her own while the RainWing couple just looked bewildered.

“We all seem to have things in common,” Clownfish observed. “Royalty, tribe, sense of humor…”

The group happily chatted away for nearly an hour before Shark and Moray stood at attention by the water. Anemone sat up straight, and wacked Clownfish with her tail until he followed her lead. Quite soon after, a large mass of gleaming marine scales emerged from the water, dragging along a smaller mass of verdant scales. Poor Auklet looked exhausted from the night’s meeting and whatever errand she had just come from. Anemone shared a sad look with Auklet before she was marched past her. Coral walked straight up to Glory and the two said their courteous goodbyes. Jambu gave hugs to everyone in their small group. Glory and a few guards began their journey home, so the RainWings followed suit quickly. Moon said a sincere goodbye, leaving Clownfish and Anemone with Greatness. 

“Can you, um, visit sometime?” Anemone asked. 

“I don’t know,” Greatness admitted. 

“Then I’ll find a way to meet with you! I like you a lot already, Greatness.”

Greatness was silent for a moment before her soft reply came. “Me too.”  Anemone gave her a sweet smile and watched longingly as she turned and flew away with Moon and her queen.

“Sometimes,” Anemone whispered under her breath. “I wish other tribes could breathe underwater.”

“Me too,” Clownfish quietly responded. The two shared a look as the SeaWings began to depart. “Anemone, there’s someone you need to meet.”

…

The two were flying east wordlessly, past the ruins of the Summer Palace and many large cities. In the quiet, Anemone couldn’t help but notice how weird Coral acted around her today. She glared at her! This was odd coming from a dragon who once nearly took out the eye of a SeaWing who growled something at Anemone.

“I can see you’re deep in thought . What are you thinking about?” Clownfish said, startling Anemone again. 

“You have a bad habit of interrupting my thinking,” she observed.

“Is something wrong?”

“I just think Auklet has changed her, and not for the better,” Anemone growled.

“Who, your mother? Are you sure?”

“Positive. She’s almost… hostile to others, using Auklet to calm herself down. But also, she wore Auklet out a lot, but didn’t care. Not one bit. And she was quite… manipulative and uncaring during tonight’s meeting, like she wanted her council to lie and agree with her.”

Clownfish forgot to flap for a moment and dropped for a second before regaining his altitude. “Whoa, that’s a lot you just unloaded on me. I’m going to need a moment to think,” he said. He looked away from her, his expression shifting with what Anemone could only imagine was his inner dialogue. 

“Have you ever considered,” Clownfish said. “That maybe, her majesty hasn’t changed?” Anemone stared at him, stunned. “ What ? I already said that she’s acting weird.” Clownfish looked away for a moment. “Maybe… she replaced you with Auklet and that has… changed your view so now you can… see what your mother is really like?” 

Anemone flew next to Clownfish, thinking carefully over what he said (which she didn’t do often). She had never even considered that her mother was… mean. Sure, she was cruel with her punishments and very over protective, but that showed that she cared. Right?

Anemone dropped the subject, resolving to think over it later, when Clownfish dove down, at a small beach island with massive, craggy cliffs that contained many caves that likely intertwined. 

Anemone had a suspicion of who she was going to meet before she arrived, but all suspicions were confirmed when a scrawny, battle-scarred SeaWing emerged from a particularly lush cave entrance. He walked straight up to Clownfish and the two quickly nuzzled and wrapped necks as “hello.” They let go quite quickly as the stormy-sea colored SeaWing stood back to look at her. “That’s-“ he started. “I know, she’s on our side. Didn’t I tell you we were getting fake-but-sorta-not-really-married?” The other SeaWing stepped back. “Yeah, but- I didn’t imagine- oh, what am I-'' he quickly lowered himself to the floor in a bow. “Greetings, your highness. I am Brine.” Anemone sighed. “Get up, you look stupid,” she ordered. “To you, I’m Anemone, your friend, not your princess.” Brine nodded intensely. “Friends… with the Princess?” he asked tentatively. “Did I stutter?” Anemone challenged playfully. She and Clownfish laughed. She could see what he liked in this sweet little SeaWing.

Chapter Text

The sun had risen fully by the time she got back to her quarters, and she was so tired that all she wanted to do was go to sleep. So she did. She took a very, very long nap.

…

Someone tapped on Anemone’s shoulder. She fluttered her eyes open slowly and turned to see Salmon, one of her servants. “What?” she snapped in Aquatic. “Her majesty has requested a private meeting with you,” Salmon replied. “She says it’s important, and to meet in her private meeting room in two hours.” Salmon bowed and dismissed herself. Anemone stood up and rubbed her face to wake herself. Salmon peeked around her door tentatively. “You have a visitor. He calls himself ‘Clownfish.’ Should I let him in?” she flashed. Anemone’s groan turned into a sigh. She gave an affirmative nod.

Salmon stepped out of the way and Clownfish bounded in. Salmon backed out and closed the door behind her. Clownfish bowed sloppily. “Greetings, your majesty,” he flashed with a smirk. Bubbles rose from Anemone’s snout as she sighed and laughed at the same time. 

Clownfish grabbed a couple decorative pillows and set up a little nest. He stretched himself out on his back, yawning. Anemone chuckled at the goofy little (well, not little. Clownfish was slightly plumper than her but a bit shorter) dragon before her. He wagged his tail around, like Auklet did sometimes and grinned up at her. “What are we doing today?” he asked. “Do you not have anything to do?” Anemone observed. 

“Eh,” he flashed dismissively with a wave of a talon. “I told my father that I was ‘seeing’ the princess and, well, he wanted to encourage us to… move faster . I know, gross.” Anemone stuck out her tongue and faked a gag. 

Salmon popped into the room. “Her majesty requests his presence at your meeting in an hour,” she flashed. Clownfish sat up in his pillow nest. “Alright, thank you,” he flashed as Anemone nodded. Salmon slipped back out of the doorway.

Clownfish twisted onto his belly and turned to face Anemone. “Um, what meeting? Is it bad?” he flashed nervously. Anemone looked away, her brow furrowing in thought. “I don’t know,” she responded. Clownfish took a sharp breath in, sending a stream of bubbles up towards the ceiling. “We should… get going,” she continued. 

Clownfish sat up and tossed the pillows to the side. “We should match our jewelry before we go,” he smirked, running over to her large wardrobe and dressing corner. “What color?” he turned to her. “Crimson? Like Garnets?” Anemone offered. Clownfish turned back to Anemone’s rows of precious stones, neatly organized by color in shelves organized by type of accessory. He found a dark red cape with a golden clasp and two garnet earrings. “Which one?” he signaled. Anemone opted for the earrings and two gold bangles on her left foreleg. Clownfish clasped the cape around his neck and Anemone helped him put a gold horn ring on each of his oddly-shaped horns.

The two shared a grin as Clownfish swished his cape. “Lead the way, Princess!” he flashed. Anemone took the lead, her usual frown fading into a neutral one,  not quite happy. She weaved diligently through the halls of the Deep Palace, knowing the way by heart. Clownfish diligently swam behind her, keeping just a tail length behind her. They were soon at the large doors of her mother’s private meeting room. The two guards posted outside took one look at the two clad in matching accessories and opened the doors for them.

…

Anemone was a bit surprised at how well it was going. “I quite like this young dragon, Anemone,” Coral flashed with a slight smile. “He’s quite a handsome, respectable high-class SeaWing. I’m honestly surprised. I think he'd be good for you. You have my blessing to continue seeing this dragon.” Clownfish and Anemone turned to each other and smiled. “You two are pretty and nice for each other. Good luck,” Auklet flashed.

Anemone’s face scrunched sweetly. “Thank you, Auklet. It means a lot,” she flashed back, putting on her best performance. Two knocks came from the large, closed double doors of the room. “Dismissed,” her mother said, turning towards the sound. “Careful,” Auklet signaled quickly as Anemone and Clownfish swam out.

The two made their way back to Anemone’s quarters and began to put away their jewelry. “Will I have to move in with you or something, now?” Clownfish asked. “No, not until we’re married,” Anemone flashed. “Three moons, marriage is going to be dreadful.” A muted chuckle escaped both of them in large bubbles. “We’re going to be star actors to pull that off.” Anemone rolled her eyes. “We’ll get to it when we get to it. We’ll get a lot of experience by then.”

…

“Okay, remember the plan. We’re visiting Codtown.”

“And if my mother asks, we say it’s remote and was recently hit by shark attacks that we’re helping in the aftermath of.”

“And hint that we want some time to ourselves.”

“Got it.”

The two entered Queen Coral’s chambers for the second time in a week. This time, they were the ones to schedule the “appointment.” Her majesty quickly appeared out from the door to her writing room, Auklet peeking out as well. “Come,” she signaled before disappearing back into her room.

Ever since the destruction of the Summer Palace all those years ago, her majesty was carving her writing into stone tablets. These were shorter, one-of-a-kind stories that became prized from the upper classes. Infact, Clownfish’s father, Lord Anchovy, owned one. Anemone couldn’t remember what it was about, since her mother just kept churning out these tablets. Many of them tackled grief and loss, Anemone had observed.

Clownfish and Anemone exchanged a quick glance that signaled “let’s do this,” before either began to flash. “Mother, I’d like to go on my first mission as Crown Princess. There is a small village, about a day’s journey that way,” Anemone flicked her tail in the direction of the “village.”

“It is called Codville, and recently had a series of shark attacks that injured many. I, and Clownfish, would like to go there to provide moral support and introduce my Clownfish to the public.” 

Her majesty eyed her daughter warily. “Is the shark gone? Will it be safe?” she asked. Anemone nodded emphatically. “Yes, the shark has been dealt with, but we just want to allude to helping. Get the populous on our side, so to speak.” 

Her majesty seemed satisfied with this answer. “Very well. Take six guards to rotate on eight-hour shifts with staggered times. And be careful, my precious pearl.” Mother gave Anemone a lone embrace. “Clownfish, do anything to protect her,” she flashed, partially a warning, partially an order. “Of course, your majesty,” he flashed back with a polite dip of the head. Anemone gave Auklet a quick hug, flashing a soft “goodbye,” before leaving to go pack. Jade Mountain, here I come. 

Chapter Text

Anemone and Clownfish, followed by their pack of six guards, dove down to an island to talk. “You six are dismissed. Do not follow us, do not tell her majesty. According to you, we went to Codville and helped out. Make yourself scarce until we return. Understand?” Anemone growled. Five of them nodded obediently, while the sixth slowly, reluctantly, gave an affirmative head nod. “Good. Now go!” she flung out her wings to scare them a little, and it worked. They all scattered like seagulls.

She turned back to Clownfish. “You really want to come with me?” she asked. “Yup, I’m making the whole world know of us,” he teased. Anemone sighed and smiled. “Alright, well, Jade Mountain’s that way. Let’s get going. The two lifted back off the beach of the small island, headed straight for Jade Mountain Academy.

…

A full night and half a day later, the two touched down at the most prestigious school in all of Pyrrhia as the sun was beginning to set again. They had arrived half a day early, meant to be here just before dawn. Anemone didn’t mind, since that would mean more quality time with her friends. Was friends the right word for Jambu, Pineapple, and Moon? Maybe… Either way, she was here now, and Tsunami was absolutely delighted. “Anemone! You made it!” she said, wrapping her wings around her little sister. Tsunami peeled around Anemone. “Clownfish? What are you doing here?” Tsunami asked, more directed at Anemone than Clownfish. “It’s a whole story,” Clownfish said dismissively. “The thing you need to know most is that we’re pretending to date, but don’t tell anyone, okay, sis?” Anemone continued. Tsunami gave them a strange look but did nod. I’m glad she’s so loyal, Anemone thought with a soft exhale.

“Well, classes will be over soon. Then I’ll have to go get some more fish for the hunt area. But you can stay here, maybe talk to some of your friends?” Tsunami offered. “There are some visitors here early, too.” Anemone thought for a moment. “I’ll just get some fish for now,” she said. Hopefully that will buy me some time to think about- well, everything, she thought. Tsunami nodded with a toothy smile. “See you later, sis!” she called, sprinting off down the side corridors.

Anemone turned back around and headed to the entrance, a confused Clownfish walking behind her. “Are we… not going to see anyone?” he asked. Anemone took off, flying into an open crevice in the side of the mountain. The Hunt Room. “I’ve got to make something right, first,” she said. Clownfish gave her a confused look but soon shrugged, as if to say “oh, what will I do with you, Princess.” Anemone did not like being dealt with. She snatched an empty net from a tangled pile of them and threw it over to Clownfish before grabbing one of her own.

“The last time I was here, I was a jerk who did things I could never be proud of. Today, I just want to make everything better.”

Clownfish nodded, appearing to understand. “Are these for fish?”

“Yes.”

“Race to see who can get more and be back here in an hour?”

A grin spread across Anemone’s face. “Deal!” she shouted, whipping around and speeding off to the closest river that she could think of. She held her net down with a rock and dove into the water. Seconds later she emerged with some sort of trout in her jaws, dripping. She lifted up the net like a cave entrance and tossed the fish in.

…

“Forty-one… forty-two… forty…” Clownfish turned to Anemone with a comically large frown on his face. “Forty-three. You beat me!” Anemone stuck her tongue out playfully at him. “Woohoo!” she hollered. When she finished hollering, she noticed that Clownfish was looking behind her, towards the Hunt Cave entrance. She turned herself to see… Pike.

He froze when she caught his gaze. “Princess?” he called tentatively. Anemone waved him over. “Hi, Pike! I just beat Clownfish in a fish-catching contest,” she declared. Pike, filled with a little more confidence, walked over like a hungry wolf. Anemone took one look at him. His scales were more blue-green than grayish anymore, and he had slimmed down quite a lot since she had last seen him. “Come on, eat with us!” she offered, nudging a striped bass towards him, which she remembered him to favor.

He sat with their little band, and began to eat. He seemed a lot more comfortable with them than before. Maybe that was because… “Hey, Pike?” Anemone said. Pike looked up from his fish and finished chewing.

“Yes, Princess Anemone?”

“I’m sorry.”

“W-what?”

“I said I’m sorry. For how I treated you when I was here. It wasn’t right of me to make you a servant. You were just a dragonet.”

“So were you.”

“Yes, but I’m saying this now, as an adult,” Anemone said. She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry for everything I put you through, and I hope you’re leading a fulfilled life.”

Pike just stared at her, stunned. “Wow, I heard that you used to be mean but… wow…” Clownfish said. Pike began to chew his fish again, perhaps considering his options and thinking.

“Anemone, is that why you’re here?” Clownfish asked softly. “Is what why I’m here?” She responded. “I’m here because I want to be.” Clownfish frowned. “Are you here to apologize? To everyone; for your past behavior?” Anemone looked down at her claws. She knew he was right, but didn’t want to answer. She just gave a small nod. “Don’t blame yourself,” Clownfish put a claw on her shoulder. “As your friend, I am obligated to tell you that Darkstalker and everything you did under his spell wasn’t your fault.” Quiet tears formed in Anemone’s eyes as her lips quivered. “I know, but it’s hard,” she softly whimpered.

Clownfish let go of her and sat back. Pike brushed his fish bones aside with his tail and wrapped his forelegs around Anemone’s neck. “It’s okay, I don’t blame you. I’d never blame you,” he said. Anemone stood there for a moment, frozen, tears rolling down her cheeks. She suddenly squeezed Pike back in a big, sincere hug. She sobbed a little into his glossy, sea-colored scales. I don’t deserve friends like these. You two are amazing, she thought. Thank you so much. More than everything.

…

It took Anemone a while to cry it all out, but after she did it made her feel better. Maybe in another life, Pike would’ve been the one for her, but that life wasn’t this one.

They were now all sitting in Starflight’s library, curled up in a large area with many soft seats stuffed with feathers. They had found Moon, Kinkajou, and Turtle on their travels through the school. Since class was let out an hour ago at sundown, Starflight was sitting with the group, along with Fatespeaker at his side.

The large group of eight chatted quite softly in the dark room, only lit by some lanterns and thin streams of moonlight from the leafy windows. Anemone was just now waiting for an opportunity to apologize to Kinkajou and Turtle. She thought up a plan quite quickly before whispering it to Clownfish. Clownfish turned to Pike and whispered something that Anemone couldn’t hear, but was sure was about what she had just told him. “Hey, NightWings, what are the best scrolls you have on the volcano? My father said it was awful.” Starflight heaved himself up, Fatespeaker’s talons outstretched to catch him if he fell. He and Moon, Fatespeaker just behind, trotted over to a shelf marked with “the tribes.” Pike and Clownfish followed.

Kinkajou just stared at her, the pink and yellow of her scales being replaced with reds and purples. “I know you just wanted to get us alone, Anemone. What do you want?” Anemone looked between the two dragons in front of her. She felt more awful about what she did to them in person.

“I wanted to apologize, to you both, for being so… vile and cruel to you two. I shouldn’t have played with your emotions, and I’m sorry.”

Kinkajou glanced up at her, looking a little startled and surprised before a red scowl returned to her face. “Okay, I don’t forgive you. Do you know how much that messed with me, Anemone? Do you know how hard it is to know who I love? How much I second-guess myself!?” Kinkajou’s voice was rising, as Anemone shrunk into her chair. “That’s alright. You don’t need to forgive me,” she said, laying her head between her front talons. She kept her gaze on Kinkajou, her back fin flopping to the side.

Turtle, on the other hand, looked more pitiful than anything. He stared down at her, likely knowing why she was the way she was, why she did the things she did. “I do Anemone,” he said finally, breaking the long, tension-filled silence after Anemone's last remark. “I forgive you.”

…

Clownfish’s ruse didn’t last for long, and soon they returned. Moon kept stealing sorrowful glances at her whenever she thought Anemone wasn’t looking.

That night, Clownfish and Anemone got a visiting cave for themselves. Clownfish falls right asleep, but Anemone is still wide awake. There is one more person she needs to see right now.

The corridors of Jade Mountain Academy were confusing, but the maps and signs every two. freaking. steps. helped a little. It took her half the time it took her last time to make it to a small cave deep in the mountain, with a gift.

Stonemover was awake as soon as he heard her talonsteps near. He lifted his head a little and strained his eyes in the dim torchlight of his cave to tell who his visitor was. “Hello, Stonemover,” she said. “I’m Princess Anemone.” Stonemover winced at her name, as if he remembered. Since the last time she had seen him, his scales seemed to be less stoney and more charcoal, as if his soul was healing from the animus magic. Anemone didn’t know how it was possible, but she chalked it up to her imagination. After all, she hadn’t seen him in ages.

Stonemover laid his head back down by his front talons and sighed. “Do you need something from me?” he asked (well, pretty much groaned which Anemone did not appreciate). Anemone laid down facing him. “Not from you,” she said. “I want to talk with you.”

Chapter Text

“With me or to me?” came a low response. Anemone thought for a moment, carefully considering her words as Stonemover did. “With,” she said. “I’m making everything right, starting with my relations. All of my relations.” Stonemover’s yellow and blue eyes fixated on her instead of the floor ahead of him. A piece of rock on one of his back legs crumbled off.

“I’m glad,” he said slowly. He opened his mouth again, as if he wanted to speak more, but he didn’t say anything and just closed his mouth again. Anemone let herself relax further, her fins flopping over limply and her wings tucking into her sides.

“Sunny and Moon visit sometimes. Most others who’ve seen me don’t come back. But those who do don’t visit often.” He looked over at the nook of objects Anemone hadn’t noticed when she walked in. A shallow inlet in the rocky wall near Stonemover’s right talon was filled with what looked to be gifts from different people. Cooked foods, berries, flowers, a rug of goat wool, and all sorts of things. “Do they… think gifts will make up for not… visiting you and… talking?” Anemone asked softly.

Stonemover sighed and looked away. “Yes, they do. I take it, you know how that feels?” he said sadly. Anemone just nodded, laying her head on her talons. “I enjoy when you dragonets visit me. Their cheerfulness gives me hope for the world. For them,” he continued. Anemone laughed. “I was crowned recently. Two weeks ago tomorrow. I’m seven now, and officially Crown Princess Anemone of the SeaWings.”

Stonemover smiled. “Sometimes it’s peculiar to think about how I and the leader of an outlaw group have a daughter who is now Crown Princess of the SandWings.” Oh. Anemone had forgotten about that. Maybe Sunny could help her with advice about her duties. “Wait, but she doesn’t stay in the Sand Kingdom for the most part, what duties is she doing?” Stonemover sighed again, but it sounded more amused than exhausted. “Thorn and her outclaws do most of the work. When Thorn gets older she’ll have Sunny go learn how to be Queen. For now, they’re both happy where they are.” He lowered his voice to a gentle whisper. “I can tell Sunny doesn’t want to be Queen. I hope that Thorn finds a good dragon to have dragonets with, ones who would be willing to rule. But Sunny would do it if she had to. She’s just that kind of dragon.”

“I’ve heard rumors about Queen Thorn and Ex-Prince Smolder,” Anemone offered. “But, I think a soldier is more her type, from what I’ve gathered.” Stonemover sighed again. “Dragons can change, and often do, for the ones they love.”

Anemone looked down at her claws. She had chipped one while fishing and they had all become duller and more blunt over the two days of wear and tear she’d put them through. Just two days and they barely looked like her own. She flexed her talons, then turned them over. She was herself, like she always was.

“Sometimes… dragons just change,” she said finally. Stonemover kept his eyes locked onto her. “They do. Dragons are complicated,” he said with another happy-sigh. He closed his eyes again. “I’m very tired. May we talk again later?” he said. “Oh, uh, yeah! Of course,” Anemone said, ducking out of his room.

She backed down the hallway out of his room before turning around and briskly walking towards the visitor center. Even after all this time she still knew her way around like the back of her talon. She turned the final corner that spilled out into a massive room full of dragons.

On visitors’ day, anyone and everyone’s family was allowed to visit. Classes were canceled and the school was free roaming ground for everyone… after they checked in. It was always hectic, but Tsunami and Peril were good at getting dragons to the check-in location, and Riptide and Sunny worked diligently. Fatespeaker and Clay have group tours while Starflight tried his best to make sure that the library wasn’t destroyed.

Anemone spotted her friends (that word still felt odd to her, especially describing Moon). Moon, Turtle, Kinkajou, Greatness, and Jambu had congregated by a table filled with fruits that Jambu and Greatness were eating albeit, one more graceful than the other, she admitted to herself with a chuckle. Greatness was graceful no matter what she did. “Maybe it’s the royalty in her,” a voice said. Anemone hadn’t even noticed that Moon had walked over to her. What an idiot I am, I need to be more careful! she scolded herself.

“Did you say royalty? I thought Greatness was older than Glory and Deathbringer?” she asked. Moon laughed softly. “No, not like that! Sure, she’s close to the Rainforest Royal Family like a dragonet, but she’s the daughter of the late Queen Battlewinner.” Right. How could Anemone forget something like that? “It’s why she has her necklace, and everyone still respects and the little ones look up to her. She’s like royalty in the same way that… the SandWings treat Qibli like a Prince. Actually, I think Queen Thorn officially adopted him recently… People still treat Grandeur like a Queen even though she’s retired?” Moon offered.

Anemone laughed. “Alright, I get the picture. Is she here to visit her ‘subjects?’ The NightWing students?” Anemone asked, whispering the last part loudly. Moon gave a small nod and a smile. “Yep! Ever since the… incident… she’s been a lot nicer.” Anemone’s gills flared out. “What incident?” she asked nervously. Moon stole a glance back at the group, where Jambu and Greatness were chattering about types of sloths. “She can tell you on her own,” Moon said finally. “Oh, and one more question!” Anemone said. “Greatness is nine, she is younger than Glory now,” Moon responded, probably having read her mind. “I can tell you like her. You should talk to her.”

“I’m trying,” Anemone hissed playfully. She and Moon walked over to the rest of the group. When Kinkajou caught sight of her, a lot of colors swirled through her scales; pale green (fear), indigo (guilt or pride, I can’t remember which), scarlet (anger or irritation), and dark green (maybe hatred? Probably hatred). Moon gave her a quick, pitying glance before Greatness walked over to greet her, visibly quite happy.. “Anemone, I’m glad to finally see you again!” she said. “Me too!” Anemone replied, trying not to get flustered.

She groaned internally. What kind of response was that? She had to be witty and cool. That would make Greatness like her, right? It didn’t work with Tamarin. Just… be you. Stop pretending, something inside her said. Anemone swallowed, pushing down her emotions.

Greatness stared into her eyes with a smile on her face, not saying a word. Anemone stole glances back at her, feeling a bit awkward.
“I like you,” Greatness said finally. Anemone’s heart skipped a beat. “W-what?” she muttered, shocked with the NightWing's forwardness. “I don’t see why Kinkajou is so mad at you. You’re quite pleasant,” Greatness continued. “It’s fine, she can be mad at me, Greatness. After all, I was awful to her.” Out of the corner of her eye Anemone could’ve sworn she saw Moon whisper something to Kinkajou, who turned a pale orange for a moment before settling into a dull teal.

Greatness frowned. “If you don’t mind me asking, what did you do?” Anemone glanced around at the bustle around them. “I don’t want to say, not here. Someone might hear me. But it wasn’t pleasant,” she said firmly. Greatness looked a little disappointed for a moment before she nodded solemnly.

“You guys can talk in my room. Arum and Fossa probably won’t mind,” Turtle offered, stepping closer to the two. Greatness smiled. “I’d like that, thank you,” she said. The two followed Turtle back to the room he had once shared with Umber. Now two other dragons inhabit it, Arum and Fossa.

Anemone had already guessed that Arum was the MudWing before she walked in, but she underestimated how green the room would be. It was split into three equalish chunks. A very lush, mossy carpet with drawings stuck to and claw marks in the wall was likely the MudWing’s, as he was currently sitting on a sort of tree-stump made of mud bricks. His pale brown and green scales almost blended in with his environment, which Anemone thought he seemed to like. He was drawing something on a piece of paper with small sticks of pigment. Anemone could only guess that the tealish-green, greenish-brown, and pale tan shapes were the dragons who inhabited this room.

The MudWing, Arum, didn’t look up as they entered, only letting his stick of pigment down and lifting his head up when Turtle called his name. “Arum? Can my friends talk here?” he asked. “Do you want privacy?” came a low response. Anemone turned to Greatness, who shrugged. Turtle shrugged himself.

They all stood there awkwardly before Turtle left. By then, Arum had gone back to his drawing. Greatness walked over to Turtle’s section and took a few throw pillows from his bed and made a little nest on the floor. She made sure that there was enough room for the both of them before motioning Anemone to sit beside her.

Anemone tried her best not to touch Greatness, but their little pile of pillows was quite small. She found herself laying on her belly, almost laying on Greatness’s wing, which neither dragon seemed to mind. Greatness had her long neck laying on the floor, curling around to look back at Anemone. She fidgeted with her claws, more chipped than ever, and took a few deep breaths.

“When I was around 2 years old, 5 or so years ago, I was a spoiled little brat who had grown up so sheltered that she didn’t understand emotions, or how to separate right and wrong. Due to other events, Kinkajou was badly injured, and in a coma. Turtle was desperate so he… came to me for help. I regret what I did now, but in addition to healing her I had an extra spell placed on her. I… enchanted her to fall in love with Turtle.”

Greatness silently stared at her.

“I hate my past self for how awful I was, but I can’t change the past. I messed with Kinkajou’s emotions in a way that she still has to deal with every day. I don’t know if she and Turtle could ever recover.” Greatness kept blinking at her, like she was surprised. But she shouldn’t be. Anemone’s an awful dragon who doesn’t deserve to be loved.

Chapter Text

Anemone didn’t get to find out what happened to Greatness before she left that day. She didn’t really say goodbye, but Clownfish seemed a bit relieved to get going. “Don’t get me wrong, I like Jambu but wow are RainWings a lot ,” he’d said. And Anemone had laughed.

It had taken another day, but now she was home. And her Queen was not happy. 

“Anemone! My pearl, you worried me sick! Don’t ever do that to me again, do you understand?” Coral wrapped her in a tight hug, and sobbed while flashing brightly in Aquatic. “I thought something bad had happened. Please, don’t do that to your mother again, understand?” Anemone just floated there, letting Coral wrap her arms and wings around her. Coral would stroke her daughter while crying gently into the water. Anemone felt a pang of guilt. She’d made Coral feel the way that Webs did when he stole Tsunami. Or when another of her eggs was destroyed by that awful statue.

Coral released her daughter, tears still in her eyes. “I- I can’t look at you right now. Just… go to your quarters until I say you can leave. I only want you to talk with your servants or family. I… need some time,” she flashed. Anemone somberly nodded. She couldn’t bring herself to get all riled up. Coral’s grief was contagious.

“I love you, Anemone,” Coral flashed as Anemone swam out of her throne room. Anemone pretended not to see her.

…

Coral had all but sentenced her to two months alone in her room, only able to communicate with Coral, Shark, Moray, or her servants. She always pretended to be asleep when she heard Moray or Shark knock on her door. They’d enter, see her sprawled out across her bed with a stone tablet carelessly thrown to the side, and assume that she was asleep. Anemone was becoming an excellent actress.

When Coral would come in, Anemone wouldn’t bother pretending to sleep. She’d sit at her desk with piles of shells and some string, and she’d make hundreds of necklaces, bracelets, bands, all sorts of things. Coral would talk to her. She’d say things like “Don’t be mad, I’m doing this because I love you,” or “Never worry me like that again,” or “If you learn your lesson soon, you can see your boyfriend again.” Anemone particularly hated that last one, because she didn’t see Clownfish as her “boyfriend” - even as her fake boyfriend. She saw him as a friend who understood her more than anyone.

Two weeks into her punishment, she heard a knock at the door. It didn’t sound like anyone who had been visiting her. Under the crack of her door, she saw Coral’s unmistakably blue talons but also, a smaller set of green ones. Auklet opened the door a crack and slipped inside, closing the door behind her. She was off her leash, but she still had the harness on. Maybe Coral is going to put it back on when she goes back outside. 

As soon as the door closed fully, Auklet shot at her, talons outstretched. “Anemone! Sister!” she cried in Aquatic, wrapping her small frame around Anemone’s upright torso in a full-body hug. Her tail was thrashing around, wagging wildly. “Mother’s been so mean! She doesn’t let me out of her line of sight anymore, well, except for now, but I had to BEG her!” she flashed rapidly. “She’s so mad and scared and embarrassed about you: and she’s rubbed my head so much I have a nearly constant headache! And she doesn’t listen when I talk, I hate it.”

Anemone listened intently to what Auklet was saying. And she realized, That’s something I would have said. She’s… acting like we’re the same dragon. Anemone detached Auklet from herself, but still let her cuddle close. She shuffled through her stacks of seashell necklaces. “What’s your favorite color, Auklet?” she asked the little emerald dragonet beside her. Auklet wiped her nose, snotty from crying, and gave a soft response. “Pink and blue, like you and Tsunami.” Anemone took a moment to just gaze into her baby sister’s big eyes. She nuzzled her neck affectionately. “Aww, sister…” she flashed. 

She grabbed an extra pillow for Auklet to sit atop on the bench at Anemone’s desk, and let her look through the seashell jewelry. She swiped everything that didn’t have any blue or pink to the side, but the main pile was still considerable. So she moved it to the floor, and let Auklet try some on. “I don’t like things touching my neck, '' Auklet said, so Anemone brushed all necklaces aside as well. 

Auklet and Anemone must have picked through fifty bracelets and bands before Auklet found one that she loved . It was a tight bangle of pearlescent, pale pink seashells that were strung tightly together to make one nearly stiff band around the wearer’s forearm. “This one’s so pretty! Like you, Anemone,” Auklet flashed. Anemone beamed at her little sister. “Thank you, Auklet.”

The cuff was the perfect size for Auklet, but one thing was missing. Auklet wanted to remember Anemone and Tsunami with the cuff, so they’d need something Tsunami-related. Tsunami was a deep cobalt with flecks of emerald and a brave fighter. She stands up for what she believes in. Maybe she could embed some sapphires into the cuff? Or some turquoise? How would she? Anemone wasn’t trained to be a jeweler. She was trained to be a Queen.

She opened her wardrobe, pulling out a string of sapphires. She untied the string from the clasp and slipped off many of the small cobalt gemstones. She measured around Auklet’s wrist. Perfect. She redid the clasp around Auklet’s cuff. It had to be wrapped around twice, but in the end, the gems sat in the small gaps between the tops of the seashells. 

Auklet stared at the cuff for a moment before a wide smile spread across her face and she looked up at her sister. “Anemone, I love it!” she flashed, launching herself at Anemone again, her tail wagging. She nuzzled her face into Anemone’s neck and let her sister hold her up in the water.

…

Coral knocked on the door. Auklet slowly detached herself from her sister with a massive frown. “Talk later,” she flashed quickly before scurrying away and slipping out the door. She watched the flashing scales of the two disappear down the hallway. She waited until she couldn’t see their flashing lights anymore before thumping down on her bed. 

Anemone was exhausted . She had some paperwork to do tomorrow, but Moray always collects it in the afternoon. Like a school teacher , she thought with an eye roll. She gathered her pillows around her and slept in a jumbled mess of blankets, pillows, sheets, and her own limbs and fins.

Chapter Text

Anemone hated those two months. She loved Auklet’s visits, and she’d always help Clownfish sneak in if he wanted to see her. Those two were the only ones there for her. Well, not really. The other dragonets from Jade Mountain Academy kept writing to her. She didn’t have a clue why. Every time she got a scroll, she’d have to get some guards to bring her up to the surface to look at it on the mail island, where SeaWings could pick up non-waterproof messages and packages, as well as send some out. Sunny, Moon, Greatness (who didn’t go to Jade Mountain Academy? Why was she writing?) Turtle, Tsunami… even Pike! She was quite glad to hear that Pike was doing well, after what she put him through.

Anemone was released when Tsunami had come to visit her kingdom, around sixty days into her punishment. Coral and Tsunami got into a heated argument about it, wildly signing and flashing in Aquatic, both using choice words that Whirlpool would’ve called “not fit for a Princess,” let alone the queen . Anemone could see where Tsunami got her temper from.

Her release didn’t mean that she was off, to go galavanting around the world. She wouldn’t be allowed to leave the Sea Kingdom until the new year, in three weeks. So she still had a lot of time to kill.

She often would wander the Deep Palace halls, looking for something to do or someone to talk to. Turtle’s vacation semester started in the new year. Perfect timing, she thought amusedly when she received his letter.

The Deep Palace was always expanding, with more rooms being built, carved, and decorated at almost all times. Expansion project one-hundred-fifty-nine was just completed and Anemone often saw Coral and Auklet around there on her walks. So she decided to go see what was so special about this new palace wing.

Each door had a small engraving above it that labeled each room, in written Aquatic, of course. Her room was marked “Crown Princess Quarters,” and had belonged to the eldest SeaWing princess of each generation, and was Orca’s before it was hers. Anemone shuddered at the dead dragon’s name. Her statue still sometimes appeared in her nightmares, killing her or her sisters over and over. She hadn’t slept for a while after Tsunami discovered the statue and she had destroyed it.

A room labeled what would roughly translate to “Royal Writer,” or “Royal Author,” caught her eye. Wasn’t her mother’s writing room in the Arts Wing of the palace? Why was there another room here? And why weren’t there any guards? So, she decided to knock on the door. 

Anemone was surprised that it opened so quickly. She’d usually have to knock a couple of times. Sounds were quite dulled underwater. She suddenly found herself looking at the face of a tired SeaWing. He was a dark forest green with teal gills and pale seafoam green underscales.

“Pri- um- Princess, I wasn’t expecting a-a-any visitors. Wha-what a pleas-sant surprise,” he stammered, his flashes of different brightnesses and repeating a few times. Anemone was confused. He seemed to actually be happy to have a visitor but he was acting so weird, like he hadn’t talked to another dragon in years. But he most definitely would have. He knows that Anemone is his princess and he is in the newest wing of the palace.

“Who are you?” Anemone blurted out. “Oh, I thought y-your mother would’ve t-t-told you.” Yep, he definitely has a stutter , Anemone thought definitively. “No idea,” she held up her talons in defeat. “Ah, well I’m Kelp- S-sir Kelp officially, I believe- a-a-and I’m Her Majesty’s official writer. I am to constantly write stories for her.”

“Constantly?” Anemone echoed. That sounded awful. Unfortunately, she couldn’t put it past her mother to do this. “Ple-ase, come in. I need to c-continue to write,” he motioned her inside.

The room was covered wall to wall with shelves full of stone tablets. They were likely organized precisely, but at a glance, Anemone couldn’t guess how so. In the middle of the room was a large desk filled to the brim with stone tablets, in different stages of being written, and differing writing utensils. There was a sort of bed made out of blankets and pillows that Anemone guessed that Kelp had to sleep on, sit on while writing, or both. The thought made her shutter. Did this poor dragon ever leave this room?

“Dear moons…” she muttered through the water.

“Ah, you seem confused-d,” Kelp flashed. 

“Uh, yeah, very.”

Kelp bustled over to his desk and fumbled through some chisels. 

“Um, don’t worry, Princess. I’m a great multitas-multitasker. I can read whatever you’re say-ing.”

“Why does Coral keep you writing all the time? That’s- cruel.”

“Because I’m good at it,” Kelp responded. “That’s my use to her.”

Anemone sure knew what that felt like. 

“You’re more than your use, Kelp,” she said, turning to leave. She could see that Kelp had flashed something to her while she slipped out of the room, but she didn’t want to turn around to look. Just another reminder of how awful her mother was. To everyone.

…

Kelp had never thought he was anything much. He’d always had a passion for writing, sure, but he never thought it would go this far. Queen Coral had loved his last scroll. So she set him up in a fancy room of her writing pavilion in the Summer Palace and… left him there.

He kept churning out works on scrolls and stone tablets, but The Queen hankered after his work. She was just mad about it! And so was his audience. Dragons, not just SeaWings, loved him. 

He was a popular figure. He guessed that’s how he ended up in Blister’s claws. He couldn’t exactly remember what happened, nor could he think of what his Queen was doing about his sudden disappearance, but he did know he had to get out of the sinister SandWing’s clutches. He’d guessed quite early that Blister was keeping him for bargaining, as the guards assigned to keeping him fed slipped bits of information about her crumbling alliance with the SeaWings. 

When Blister left on the False Brightest Night, she assumed she’d be named Queen, and as such she took all of her guards with her. All. That left Kelp, a lonely, shy, and nonconfrontational coward of a SeaWing to his own devices. He could finally be free! As he smashed his tail into the stone wall, making it crumble enough to squeeze through, a scary truth set in on him. 

He’d have to go back to the Sea Kingdom. Queen Coral would work his talons until his claws had fallen off, as she so often did. He watched a comet go through the starry sky and land in the dark waters of the ocean lapping against Blister’s hideout island. He dove in and quickly hit something quite warm and jagged. A small stone, likely from the comet, with a sleek black surface and a cloud of ash washing off in the water around it. He carefully picked it up in one claw and held it tight.

He stayed in the Deep Palace with  Queen Coral for almost a year. He kept his special rock safe and hidden. And every night, when he’d get a few hours of sleep, he’d hold it tight in his talons and imagine he was free.

His Princess’ visit changed him. It shook him to his core, but most of all, it inspired him. That night, he slipped out of his room, out of his palace. Out of his kingdom. He swam day and night, only stopping to catch a fish or two to eat. When he reached the Diamond Spray River, he moved slower, more carefully, so as not to be seen. For the last two days, he’d switched to flying to his destination. 

But finally, after nearly ten days, he had made it. Possibility, where he could live free and with whomever he wanted, doing whatever he wanted. His SkyWing partner, Grenadier, and their SandWing dragonet, Cretan, were proof of that.

Chapter Text

Chapter 12A

Anemone awoke at dawn, excited but a little nervous. Turtle would be arriving home today, and the two had a very important job to do. 

Anemone had spent the last week just thinking . Brainstorming, plotting… Okay, that sounded worse than it did in her head. It wasn’t malicious or anything. No. I promised Turtle that I’d keep it a  secret , she scolded herself.

She dressed herself in a necklace of fine golden chains and obsidian shard earrings, to match her brother. She could hardly contain herself, and so could Auklet at the breakfast table. It still felt so weird to sit in what was her father’s place.

On the island where they’d meet him, she slipped away to go find her secret cave. It was blocked by a big boulder that she hollowed out to make it easier to move. Inside was her stashes of items that couldn’t be stored in her room underwater. Many scroll, especially those where she’d planned with Turtle. His message tablet was there, too. He’d made some for all of his friends, and finally made them multi-directional. Anemone’s messages came out in a soft pink, while Turtle’s were amber orange, like his eyes. Winter’s were blue, Kinkajou’s were yellow, Moon’s were green, Qibli’s were yellow, Peril’s were red, and Sunny’s, which she used to transmit important messages about the state of the school, were white. Anemone thought that Turtle’s system was quite clever with the color-coding.

She paced the shore for so long that she didn’t realize that he was approaching until she heard wing beats. She watched him rise out of the water to greet the front guard. Prince Shark said a few quick words in Dragon that Anemone couldn’t quite make out, before the two descended back to the beach.

Anemone wrapped her brother in a tight hug. She felt a heavy thwap as Auklet had flung herself at the two, trying to hold onto them with her claws in a hug too wide for her small frame. Auklet slid down slowly, landing with an oomph in the sand. The three broke out into loud laughter. Turtle picked up Auket with ease and hugged her close. Anemone smushed herself against her siblings and shouted “Auklet sandwich!”

They broke out into loud giggles again. When they calmed, she saw Shark glaring at her. She gave a quick growl in his direction before Coral stepped closer, leaning in and wrapping her wings around her newly-home son. Turtle hugged back until she released him. “My dearest Turtle, I am so glad that you have returned home to us. How was your time at Jade Mountain Academy?”

“Very, very fun,” he replied curtly.

“Time to go. Now,” Shark signaled in Aquatic to Coral. Maybe he was trying to be discreet, but he wasn’t doing a great job. 

“Dearest, I’m afraid I need to leave now. Have fun with your sister,” Coral called, turning and diving into the ocean in front of her, presumably headed back to the Deep Palace. Anemone didn’t like that her mother had essentially stationed her to play with Turtle, but she tried to brush it off. It was time for them to work on the plan they’d had since the beginning.

“Do you have any of our planning papers on you?” Anemone asked. Turtle gave an affirmative nod, lifting up a wing with a waterproof pouch tucked under it. “Come on, I know a private place near here,” Anemone said. She turned around, motioned with her tail for him to follow her, and started off to her little hideout. They were very close to the main mail island, so she made sure to duck under the island’s sparse foliage wherever she could. She heard Turtle, although a bit poorly, mimicking her movements. She rolled the boulder to the side, and flicked her tail towards the entrance. Turtle entered and Anemone backed in, closing the boulder “door” behind her.

“Lights on,” Anemone said, and the damp, dark cave roared to life. The floor smoothed out to a nicely polished stone and the walls collapsed inwards to become bookshelves again. A few flamesilk lanterns hung across the ceiling on a sturdy wire, illuminating the entire room brightly. The floor in the middle of the room rose up into a small table, shooting out four sitting-pillows from under it. Anemone grabbed them, tossing over two to Turtle. She settled herself into her pillows, grinning. “Like my little trick? Don’t worry, Qibli approved the spell.” Turtle smiled back a little.

Anemone got up to retrieve her planning documents while Turtle unpacked his satchel. She rolled out hers next to his, trying to put relevant ones close to each other. Finally, they could work on their plans, the ones they’d had for years. Now that Anemone was fully-grown, she and Turtle would be powerful enough to do the spells needed. The spells needed to grow a new palace, just as Albatross and Fathom did, but better. 

Anemone had done more of the designing elements, while Turtle had carefully worded each and every spell needed. Their plan was finally complete, with Turtle home. The Shore Palace. The SeaWing’s third attempt at a land palace would be better than all the rest. Third time’s the charm, right?

Anemone had made sure that it was large and beautiful while still functional. It was similar to a regular palace, except each layer was flooded up to a hatchling’s nest, the perfect size for pools, and the flood could easily drain off the sides if it needed to be dry, like one massive fountain. On top of it would be a large statue of three SeaWings in flight. It would have rooms and levels for everything like the Summer Palace did, but there would be more room for visitors, with the visitors’ level having specific sections for each tribes’ delegation. And, at Tsunami’s request, everything was clearly labeled in Dragon, save for the artists’ names which would be written in traditional Aquatic. But the decorations were the last step. They had to find an ample island first. 

Chapter 12B

Anemone and Turtle left their hideout where it was, just making sure to carefully hide it when they left. Anemone picked up a crab claw from a nearby bank of sand and marked the entrance with it, laying it gently, a tail’s width in front of the entrance.

Turtle was already circling when Anemone leaped up, into the sky to join him.  He turned around slowly and set off at a slow pace, waiting for Anemone to catch up. “See anything yet?” she called, heavily breathing after the steep incline. Her words were whipped away by the wind. She decided that it was no use talking. Another reason that Aquatic was so helpful. 

She scanned the islands below, looking for a nice, large, flat semi-tropical one. Sand didn’t work out too well for the Island Palace, nor did rocky for the Summer Palace, so they had decided that their palace, the Shore Palace, would be on an island teeming with life and promise.

…

They had been flying around the Bay of A Thousand Scales for hours now, searching for the perfect island. “Land,” Turtle had flashed in Aquatic a moment before. They’d both glided down to the nearest island and laid down under a nice myrtle tree. They stretched out, and Turtle laid on his side, seemingly ready for a nap.

“Hey, Turtle?” she asked

“Yes?”

“C-can you tell me Savior’s Story again?”

“No.”

“Aw come on, why!? You’re such a good storyteller!” Anemone whined, turning to face him. He lifted his head up, just enough to stare at her for a few moments before dropping back down.

“I’m tired o- HEY!”

Turtle shook off the sand along his wings, groaning as Anemone lifted up her tail again. She grinned at him before very slowly letting her tail gently drop back onto the sand.

Turtle sighed.

 “Fine.”

“Timebider and Charming were two NightWing dragonets, raised on the horrible volcano island. They grew up with smoke in their pores, heat in their blood. The Rainforest was a much-needed salvation for the young lovers, for their tribe. They drank in the cool rain that first night, delighting in how cool it was. 

“But all was not to last. Bowing to another queen, let alone one half their age, was just not something that most NightWings would do. They let the RainWings count them. They let Queen Glory give them food and shelter. But this place wasn’t home. After Darkstalker visited, the young lovers were part of the party that went with him, to their old kingdom. Their true Night Kingdom. And they loved it. 

“And when Fierceteeth and Strongwings came around each hut in the NightWing Rainforest Village, they were part of the eager thirty or so who flew off with her. They quickly learned that the volcano was likely the reason that they couldn’t have dragonets, as Timebider laid two eggs just a few months into their new village. One egg didn’t make it, unfortunately.” 

Anemone had always hated that part. It made her think of all the sisters that she lost.

“Inside the other was a healthy NightWing dragonet. She was the first NightWing born in three years, she was a miracle. She was proof that the NightWings could survive after the horrors of that island. They named her Savior. Little did they know, she would be a savior to us all .

“When she was a month old, and learning to talk, she tried asking Charming for something, a piece of the hawk he was eating. ‘Gimme that… bird,’ she’d said. And Charming did. Only, it wasn’t him, his scales were moving on their own. He told his wife, and together they brought her to Hope, in the Rainforest Village. She knew what she’d seen immediately.

“Savior was a miracle. Hope sent word to the academy, and they contacted me and Qibli.”

“Qibli and I,” Anemone teased. Turtle sighed. 

“Qibli and I. We met as quickly as we could, and drafted a few spells. But, we decided on my original spell, the one that made you an animus, Anemone. According to Qibli and Starflight, it was the one least likely to backfire. And so, with the scroll where we’d written the spell in talon, Qibli and I set off to visit Boa.

“She wasn’t excited about our idea. She said that animus magic caused awful things. ‘I can’t stop you, just don’t do anything to me. I’m done with spells,’ she’d told us. And then we were off, this time to Hope and Peacemaker’s hut. 

“We met with Charming and Timebider, and agreed on a plan. We’d get Savior to enchant the old animus dragons, you, me, and Stonemover, to be animus again. We didn’t have time to visit Stonemover, but we decided that if he was going to suffer, he could keep his powers. We repeated the words, and slowly, Savior began to repeat them back. It took two days of nudging for her to get it. My spine shivered when she said those words. ‘I enchant Turtle and Anemone of the SeaWings, and Stonemover of the NightWings, to be animus.”

“I felt it too,” Anemone replied softly.

“And now… we’ve got it back. Savior goes to Jade Mountain Academy now, and I’m an instructor of Animus Studies, even though I’m still doing a literature course, and am technically a student.”

“And now we’re going to enchant our new palace! Well, the structure, at least,” Anemone said cheerily. “But, we need to find an island first.” Turtle looked around for a moment. “How about this one?” he asked. Anemone flipped over in exasperation. “Come on, Turtle, you can’t just say yes to the first island we see,” she whined. “This isn’t the first. And look at it.”

Anemone huffed and snorted some sand in her brother’s direction, standing up to take a look. It was quite large, she had to admit. It was a raised, soil land with luscious green grass, like the Rainforest had. There was a wide, sand beach with some trees and animal nests on the left side of the island. There was a pool of sea water in the center of the island, like an eye. It was covered in many different plants and animals in the wide-open stretch of raised grass.

Anemone flew up, and heard Turtle get up to follow her. She soared across the beach, over to inspect the flora of this promising island. Nothing overtly poisonous, that she could see. Her time in the Rainforest with Tamarin had taught her a lot, and the plants were bright and lively, but not too much. It was perfect. This would be the island for their new palace.

Chapter Text

Anemone unrolled her scroll, and Turtle his. And they began to recite. As the words flowed out of their mouths, the earth around them began to shape. Spiraling columns of rock grew out of the ground, spreading out into the Shell of the Palace. The Shell appeared to be rock, but was organic in the nature that it could regenerate (well, unless the Core was destroyed, but that was a failsafe that was heavily guarded with animus magic). Anemone was shivering all over, even on this warm, sunny day. She looked over at her brother. Turtle’s shoulders were shuddering, but he appeared to be keeping calm. She looked back at her scrolls. “And let any creature be welcomed by safe passage.” 

They had done it. Turtle’s scrolls were closed, and he was just gazing at the new palace in front of them. The Shore Palace. They had done it. For millennia their names would be remembered, treasured, like the great IceWing animus. Of course, they had done other spells for their tribe before, but this was objectively the best. She could host visitors, and not have to travel miles to see them.

Tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision. She let them roll off her face and splash into the grass below. Her body began to heave and choke. She let herself down slowly, curling up in the soft grass. Turtle curled up next to her, blocking her face from the setting sun. He closed his eyes and just listened to his sister. Her pure emotions, flowing out of her entire body.

…

Anemone couldn’t tell you how long she laid there, with her brother. Hours, at least. Her eyes felt dry and she had a massive headache. The moons were now beginning to set, making way for the sun once more. 

Now, they’d have to tell Coral. Anemone splashed some water on her eyes, then slipped into the depths of the ocean. She knew which currents to take, she’d memorized them when she was little. Her chest burned with pride. The Palace had come out amazing , just as they’d hoped. She’d never felt so great, swimming home. 

She beamed at the guards who watched her swim through the checkpoints in front of the Deep Palace. They looked quite startled, but no matter. Even Turtle was grinning as they snaked their way through their palace, to the throne room. “I request an immediate audience with her majesty. It is urgent,” she flashed to one of the SeaWings guarding the door, Ascidian. He looked a little confused that she seemed so happy with her demeanor, but her words spoke with such authority that after a few moments of stunned shock, he slipped into her majesty’s room. He came out a few moments later, and nudged the two in.

…

The celebrations were massive. Half of the time every SeaWing would travel to see their new palace, maybe add a little bit of work to it, and the other half they’d be partying like there was no tomorrow. Anemone loved parties, and she was enjoying this as well. She could walk around a particularly large gathering and spot dragons of every color. She enjoyed every second of it.

She walked over to the closest pastry station and mused over its selection. The other tribes (probably the SandWings, if she had to guess) had picked off most of her favorites, but she happily loaded two cannolis onto her plate. 

“Ack!” she yelled, whipping around.

“BAHAHAHAHAAAA,” Clownfish burst out, taking his talon off her shoulder. Greatness was standing next to him, giggling with a talon over her snout. 

Clownfish was dressed in a silver whale medallion with a few silver bangles along his tail, somehow matching Anemone’s simple silver-clasped cape and studs. Greatness was wearing some dark pink gems along her horns, chest, and wings that looked to be sapphires, clasped in silver. The whole piece looked to be too big for her. It was quite a coincidence that Anemone’s cape was the same dark pink. She’d have to ask Clownfish about that when she got the chance.

Brine was there too, hardly noticeable with how close he was pressed against Clownfish’s side. He looked terrified of the busy celebration. He kept eyeing the orchestra as if they’d suddenly drop their instruments and leap at him. He was wearing a silver helmet, somewhat similar to Blister’s. Yuck, Anemone did not like to think of that dragon. She shivered, grasping the plate in her talons. 

“Oh, are you good, Anemone?” Clownfish asked, his eyes darting between her talons and her face. She took a bite of a cannoli, careful not to let any of the filling spill out. She chewed slowly, trying to think of an excuse. Bah, whatever, she thought. 

“Yeah, something just reminded me of… Blister,” she mumbled, taking another bite of her cannoli as soon as she finished. Greatness turned to Clownfish and whispered something. She couldn’t make out the word that Clownfish said back. 

Wait… is that…? She spotted a familiar greenish-teal blob somewhere in the crowd behind Brine. 

“Hey, Clownfish, is that Turtle?” she asked. 

The group turned around to look. Indeed, it looked to be their familiar royal prince. At a party, no less! It was his own party, but still. He looked so lonely, nestled next to his cup of what was probably tea. Chai or earl gray, if she had to guess. 

Anemone pushed herself onto her hind legs, opening her wings upward to make a large, oddly-colored pillar for Turtle to see. “Turtle! We’re over here!” she shouted, waving at him. He turned to her and his mouth opened really wide and THREE MOONS-

She raised a claw to her neck. She brought it up to her face. 

It was crimson. 

She didn’t have time to scream before Brine started for her.

The happy shouts of the party grew into terrified shrieks.

Three arrows were shot at the Crown Princess. One hit her chest and two hit… Brine. His shoulder and side. Clownfish was yelling, but Brine was screaming so loud that no one could hear. The large scar along his shoulder looked like it was beginning to reopen. Anemone had to choke back a vomit. That just lodged the arrow deeper in her chest.

She looked around wildly.

She saw the next three were launched at a crowd of teal SeaWings. Her brothers.

She didn’t remember their names. She didn’t have to. Turtle follows the arrows along with Anemone. “Octopus! Fin!” He shouted. 

One of them, who she'd later learn was Octopus, had an arrow so far into his jaw that it came out the other side, knocking him to the floor.

And the other one. Poor Fin. The arrow hit through his ear, into his head and neck.

Crimson rage clouded Anemone’s vision. Her brothers. How dare they. She didn’t even register her own injury. She snapped her neck around the room, teeth bared in animalistic anger. 

“Plate,” she whispered. “Lead me to the person who attacked me.” 

That’s the spell I did on Whirlpool.

The plate went whizzing through the air, her close behind. She probably ruined the floor with how much blood she was dripping, but she didn’t care. 

A NightWing darted out from behind the table. Maybe he was trying to make a break for it? Whatever spurred him on, it was enough for the plate to speed up and smash across the dragon’s face.

He shrieked, using one claw to wipe the bloody ceramic off his face while the other reached for the bow slung across his back. 

“Quiver!” Anemone shouted. “Use your arrows to stab this dragon!” 

Unfortunately for him, he was a good shot. There were 6 arrows left in his quiver. 

Anemone watched as all six floated into the air for a moment before piercing into the soft spots between the scales on the NightWing’s back.

He shrieked louder than anyone that night. Anemone was sure he was dead before he even thumped against the ground.

Chapter Text

Anemone didn’t know how long she’d stood there. She remembered some healers running over to her then… nothing.

She’d woken up in a hospital room about 2 hours ago. She just laid there with her eyes open, staring at the ceiling. 

That’s the second dragon I’ve killed.

Did he deserve it? 

Did Whirlpool? 

What am I thinking, he was awful! He deserved it! 

But eels… 

No! Anemone, stop this! You’d never make a mistake with something that big. 

Right? 

Is my soul getting corrupted, like Albatross’? Like Darkstalker’s? Am I evil? 

I sure feel like it. 

I’m so cold. 

Everything hurts.

Whirlpool and that NightWing didn’t get to suffer for their actions, like I have to.

Why am I so stupid? Why can’t I think ahead like Starflight or Turtle or Mother?

Is that why she hates me? Is that why I’m not good enough for her? Is that why none of us are?

Well, if she hates me, then I get to hate her.

Tautog had appeared by her side. Anemone startled herself, suddenly blinking. She twisted an inch to look at Tautog, but her neck began to sear with pain. “Don’t move your neck,” Tautog explained. “That’s where you were shot. Speaking will hurt.”

The well of tears in Anemone’s eyes tried to calm themselves. She wanted to nod or say something but she knew it wasn’t worth it. 

“ Who? ” she flashed.

“Who did this to you?”

Anemone flicked her ears up twice. “ Yes, thank you .”

Tautog hesitated for a moment.

“He was an assassin hired by a crime-group of SandWings. He went by… Shapeshifter.”

Anemone’s sails involuntarily raised in fury. Him . She’d never met him personally before, and she was glad he was dead.

He was the one who put Kinkajou in that coma.

He was Peril’s father.

He was banished from his tribe.

He was a traitor.

And his real name came easy to her. Chameleon .

I’m glad he’s gone.

“Angry memories,” Tautog whispered empathetically. “I heard that they have his animus objects. They realized once they took off his earrings. 

Do you know how the IceWings have their secret cave of animus gifts stowed away somewhere? Her majesty was thinking of doing something like that, with the first contributions being from you and Turtle, then a store of the detained objects.

Does that sound good?”

“ Yes, thank you. No, thank you. ”

“Maybe?”

“ Yes, thank you. ”

“Alright,” Tautog gently tucked her tail into the blankets. She gently began to unwrap some bandages on Anemone’s neck. Anemone winced in pain, only causing more to blossom from her throat. She pressed her jaw and eyes shut tightly. She could feel Tautog's gentle talons applying some sort of medicine to the wound on her neck. Stings of pain shot through her neck again, before settling into a cool, numb feeling. 

She stayed frozen still as Tautog brought her dirty bandages over to a disposal site and gathered new ones. She only flinched slightly when Tuatog began rewrapping the new bandages. She felt less exposed with them on. 

Tautog sat there quietly with Anemone for a few minutes, the only thing each could hear would be their breathing. Tautog had grown a slight rasp with age and Anemone made soft gasping noises. “Anemone, you have a visitor,” Tautog whispered, but Anemone could hear just fine. “Do you want me to let them in?”

“ Who ?”

“It’s a NightWing, a grayish blue one. She has this necklace of gorgeous off-white stones.”

“ Name? ”

“I don’t remember, I’m afraid.”

“ Yes, of course .”

“Alright. Just say the word and I’ll have her out of here.”

Tautog got up slowly, her old bones creaking softly. She winced after a particularly loud hip-crack. When she had stood up fully, she took a moment to catch her breath before walking over to the door and opening it. 

Greatness peeped her head in. “Anemone? Are you alright?” Anemone lifted up a claw and shook it.

“ I don’t know .”

“Oh, should I go…?”

“ No, of course not .”

Greatness looked at Tautog for reassurance. “Can she speak?” Tautog gave a little wheeze-chuckle. “She’s using Aquatic. But we don’t think she can, not right now. But she can hear you perfectly fine.” Tautog looked between the two dragons for a moment. She exhaled softly and walked out of the room, closing the door fully behind her.

…

“Alright, what story next?” Greatness called from her perch, half on a chair, half on the slab of stone at the end of Anemone’s bed.

Anemone pointed forward.

“ You. ”

Greatness turned around, once in each direction.

“Wait what?”

“ You. ” Anemone repeated. “What happened? You. ” 

“Doesn’t that scale mean ‘what’s wrong?’ What’s wrong with me?”

Anemone tilted her head to the side a little. She flattened her talons and shook them. “ Not really .” Greatness stared at her blankly. 

It took a moment before her face shifted and she gasped. “Ohhh, what happened to me? That’s what you want to know?”

“ Yes, of course. ”

“Alright, well it all started when Darkstalker arrived. I was an adult back then, and superrrrr old. Like, probably Coral’s age or something. And I was the old Princess of the NightWings. I don’t remember a lot about the old me, only bits and pieces, mostly from my dragonethood, with Mother. Queen Battlewinner, before her injury. She used to be so much nicer. But being cooped up in that cauldron… 

“Anyway! So Darkstalker didn’t like me, he thought I was a weak candidate for Queen. So he gave me one of his ‘gifts.’ He gave me another chance to be a strong leader. He made me a three year old dragonet . He erased my memories after my third birthday, but the older I get the more begins to come back to me. 

“I don’t know what his plan was, but Qibli’s earring didn’t… it didn’t work. I got all my memories back, but somehow my body… It was too much for me. I don’t wear it anymore, I want this second chance, even if it was forced upon me. And in this time, I’m not going to mess anything up.”

Greatness straightened up, and took one of Anemone’s talons in hers, careful not to put pressure on the delicate membrane between her claws.

This can’t be happening.

“So… Anemone…”

Three moons.

“Do you… do you want to…?”

I am going to scream.

“Um, be… my partner?”

“Yes,” Anemone croaked softly, eliciting a lurch of pain from her neck. But she didn’t care. She was the happiest dragon in Pyrrhia.

Chapter Text

Anemone didn’t stay that happy for long. Turtle had given his healing stone to the LeafSilk Kingdom as a gift from the SeaWings, and to help all the young and elderly who’d been harmed along their journey to Pyrrhia years ago. He couldn’t use it to save anyone.

Turtle told her how Octopus had died in his arms. Maybe he was trying to comfort her with how he died surrounded by family but… it didn’t really work. It felt weird for Anemone to think that she had thirty-one brothers now. It was always thirty-two. 

Thirty-two and her for years , until she got her two sisters. Oh, her sisters… She hadn’t spent a whole lot of time with Auklet recently, and her last letter to Tsunami was ages ago. Coral had probably already told her about Octopus; they wrote every day . She still felt some guilt eating at her chest, but chose to ignore it.

Someone knocked on Anemone’s door. She lit up her scales brightly, as if to say “come in.” She hoped it was Greatness, she’d enjoyed her stories. But it wasn’t. It was Moray. Anemone stifled back a glare. Moray hated her, why was she here? For once, Moray wasn’t glaring at her. She looked more anxious than anything, with her eyes rimmed in red and dark bags under her eyes.

“Princess Anemone,” she said, bowing her head just the right amount. 

Anemone narrowed her eyes a little. “ What ?”

“I came to see how you were doing. Her majesty has been quite paranoid lately.”

“ You too .”

“Yes, I know. Her majesty has had me doing overtime on other dragons’ jobs ,” she hissed. “She seems mad at you for some reason. I was at the party, but not very close. Everyone told me that you saved anyone else from being injured.”

“ Why is she like this ?”

Moray let out a deep sigh. “She probably blames you, since there’s no one else left to blame. She was… quite cruel to me when Lord Shrimp and I announced our marriage plans. She said that I shouldn’t make any surprise announcements anymore, because it would take attention away from the focus of that gathering. It was earlier during that party. I thought the focus was on how great and prosperous our tribe is. Is she just… not happy for us? She’s my Aunt, my Queen, and- and for once in my life I felt… I don’t know, angry. I’m not used to this, I usually don’t care, but I don’t know how she gets under my scales like that. It’s… unnerving. She’s so anxious right now, she isn’t herself. Maybe I should ask for some calming herbs…?”

Anemone sat up in her bed, stone-faced. “No. Don’t bother,” she said. Moray turned to face her fully in surprise. “You can talk now?” Anemone huffed softly. “No, but this is important.”

“She is like that, as a dragon. She isn’t anxious. She’s just cruel. She hasn’t even visited me, and I almost died. I don’t know what she used to be like, but without King Gill, she’s awful. You of all people should’ve seen that, with how she treats me.”

Moray glared down at her talons.

“She’s our Queen. I don’t know what to do.”

“Not for long,” Anemone whispered.

…

Anemone had to wait another week before she could fly over to The Cove. That’s where the SilkWings and LeafWings kept their healing rock. Neither animus wanted to waste their magic on healing her neck, Turtle for his soul and Anemone because she deserved it. She couldn’t save Octopus, or any of the injured.

But Coral insisted that she not have scars on her for the wedding with Clownfish. So it came to this. She was with nine guards this time, along with two medics, Clownfish, Moray, and Greatness. Anemone was glad that Moray was still in Coral’s good graces. She enjoyed the calm flight there, and the welcome party.

Some of Anemone’s favorite SilkWings, Morpho and Io, were guarding the camp entrance that morning. Io led them to the large beige tent in the middle of their camp. It was pitched between the two largest trees Anemone had ever seen, each with dark green leaves. Little red leaves were embroidered in silk all along the entrance flaps and windows instead of trimming. It was perplexing yet charming, in its own right.

Io held open the tent for their little group of fourteen, before entering and closing the flap behind them. The inside was massive, lit by a bright glow, a mix of flamesilk lanterns, moonglobes, and the leafy greenish lights in Jade Mountain Academy. It was quite chaotic, with desks, dragons, and papers of all kinds strewn about. Io walked in front of them and tapped on the desk of a SilkWing with glasses who was entranced in his writing. He looked up, eyed the SeaWings (and Greatness) for a moment before closing his scroll with a sigh and standing up. 

He crossed out from behind his desk. “Hello there, you can call me Lappet,” he said, reaching back with one of his arms to grab a scroll while still looking at them. “I’m going to need you all to write down your names on this entry sheet. It's just a safety precaution.” He grabbed a charcoal stick and gave it to Anemone to write first. 

Alright, who’s here?  Greatness, Clownfish, Moray, Ascidian, Wrasse, Basin, Bay, Rasbora… Porpoise, Cod, Otter, Wharf…. Gudgeon… Estuary… oh, right. Me…

“I’ve got everyone down,” Anemone announced to Lappet. Without a word, he opened his talon, she placed the scroll in it, and that was that.

“Okay, well time to meet our assembly! As you know Anemone but the rest of you may not, the LeafSilk kingdom is ruled by twenty dragons, ten SilkWings and ten LeafWings, selected at random over 6-month periods to serve the tribes and make decisions. We’re still improving, so any suggestions would be most helpful.”

Io talked while she walked, and she walked fast . They wound through underground hallways with only a few support beams holding in the soil around them. Gradually, the floor became more packed, the ceilings higher, and more small doors in the walls. 

“Woah, this is kinda creepy,” Clownfish whispered. “Scared?” Moray challenged with a grin. “NO- no,” Clownfish took a moment to clear his throat. “Nuh-uh, no way, not at all. I am a very brave and strong SeaWing thank you very much.” Moray gave a little snort and shook her head. “I can see why you and Anemone like each other.”

Anemone and Clownfish exchanged a glance. Should we tell her? Anemone dropped her gaze and looked over to Greatness. She looked quite… hm, maybe uncomfortable. She certainly wasn’t happy, that’s for sure. Anemone wished she could tell Moray to shut her trap, but the guards would make it difficult.

So she scowled and held her tongue until they entered a massive cavern. It was shaped like a hollowed-out pumpkin, with a large drapery chandelier of dragons from every tribe hanging down. The entire room was covered in soft, silk draperies, each as ornate as the last. There was a circle of desks with a small part removed to act as an entrance into the sunken-in middle. At each desk was either a SilkWing or a LeafWing, all intermingled and whispering quietly. There was even a red and purple LeafWing with antennae, which Anemone assumed was a hybrid. Io entered the circle and flicked her tail to beckon them to follow her. 

Anemone turned to her entourage and made a quick flick of her wrists with her palm out. “ Stay here .” 

“Greatness, Clownfish, Moray, you can come with me,” she announced. She strode into the circle, her friends close behind her. The two older SilkWings at the council gasped. Anemone stared up at them, quite confused. What was shocking?

“SeaWing, you weren’t permitted to enter the circle,” a dark green LeafWing said coldly.

Chapter Text

Chapter 16

“Wha- but I thought-“ Anemone slowly padded in a circle, staring up at the counselors, ears back. “Io motioned-”

“What? I never said anything?” Io stared at her in puzzlement. A pang of fear stretched through Anemone’s chest. “What? But you… she…” she whispered. Anemone’s face flushed bright pink. How could she have made a mistake as minor as this? They don’t speak Aquatic, of course; that tail flick didn’t mean “ follow .” Anemone felt her eyes dampen, but she tried her best to blink it away and push down the shame. She swallowed hard and re-set her shoulders.

“My apologies, in Aquatic the tail flicking motion you did means ‘follow me’ or ‘come here.’ Please forgive my insolence to your own customs,” she said, dipping her head. Most of the councilors seemed pleased with this explanation, and let her be.

“Well, as it seems that all affairs are in order, if prematurely, we may begin,” said the largest SilkWing. He didn’t look too old, but he was probably almost as big as Coral and somewhat resembled her with his cobalt and magenta swirls. “Please state your claim to the council and why.”

“Your graces,” Clownfish said. “My dearest fiancée, Crown Princess Anemone of the SeaWings, and I, Lord Heir Clownfish, are to be married in two weeks. Around a month ago, her majesty was injured by an assassination attempt that now causes her great pain.

“We are asking if she can borrow Prince Turtle’s healing stone, a gift from the SeaWings to you all, in an effort to conserve magic.”

The elderly pale indigo SilkWing pursed her lips and furrowed her brow. “And why should we let you? Don’t the SeaWings have their own healing gift?”

“Not anymore. We gave ours to you while we come up with a new one. Our animus dragons recently grew a palace, as you may have heard, which takes a lot of energy. On top of the emotional toll of the palace attack, it wouldn’t be wise for her to use any magic in this state. We ask for a chance for our Princess, brother of your gifter, to be given leeway to heal her neck.

“The scar is clearly visible, which would be such a detriment to her image as a princess. Her wedding is soon and as a royal, she needs to keep up appearances. Scars show weakness to SeaWings, which would negatively impact her popularity with the people as their future Queen. We agree to supervision, and to only her entering the room, if you so wish. All we ask is for her health.”

Clownfish bowed his head, and Anemone followed suit. 

“Heads up, SeaWings,” said the hybrid. “We don’t usually let others use our gift, lest they steal it. Even Queen Snowfall, when she dubbed it The Gift of Soothing, was never let touch it. We’ve only used it for injured dragons of our own tribes. We reconvene in an hour. Dismissed.”

With that, their party was led out of the room, Io shutting the doors behind them on the way out. She led them to a small wooden room with a large table, littered with trays of cookies. It had been too long since Anemone had eaten a nice scone or anything, and with how stressed she was, she was hoping that they were for them.

“Ah, I can see you eyeing those cookies, Princess Anemone. They’re chocolate chip, one of the most common flavors in Pantala but a surprisingly nonexistent one here. These are for guests, eat as many as you like! Flannel enjoys baking them in their spare time.”

Anemone beamed at her. “Send them my thanks, I’m going to try one now.”

Anemone picked up one that looked quite small and carefully nibbled off a chunk. This is amazing…! “Greatness! Come try this, have you had chocolate before?” She quickly gulped down her cookie and picked up one, which she handed to Greatness. “Chocolate?” Moray echoed, tentatively picking one up.

Clownfish grabbed the biggest cookie he could reach. “Yep! It’s made from this fruit but it doesn’t taste like fruit, it’s really sweet!” he messily chomped it down, causing Anemone and Greatness to giggle at him. “We’re in the company of guests,” Anemone choked out, between fits of laughter. “Have you no shame, Clown ?”

“Nope!” Clownfish said curtly, causing Anemone and Greatness to burst out laughing again. Io, who was leaning against the wall with the SeaWing guards, wasn’t making any noise but she had her snout covered and her chest was heaving. “You’re really entertaining our hosts,” Anemone said with a dry smirk. Io quietly laughed some more, turning away from them so they couldn’t see her giggles.

Anemone chewed her way through another cookie, and another, until she almost felt sick. She loved chocolate, at home all she had was pastry cream but here… it was heavenly. If only she was a traveler, she could tour the world and eat all sorts of unique foods.

Io turned and opened the door to a LeafWing, pale brown and green with what looked like glue and bits of animal skin between her claws. “The council has come to a decision, we have to bring them over to say the good news in person.”

…

This was it. Anemone would heal off her scars and then she’d go home to marry Clownfish. 

What if I don’t heal my scars? Then will I not have to marry him? I don’t want to. Her majesty would be mad, though. She’d probably force me. 

Anemone pensively thought as she walked through the long, winding underground halls. It was a miracle that SilkWings had antennae, they could get around so easily, even underground, and with their eyes closed. It was a quite clever ability, a blessing in disguise as another set of horns. 

But… what if she isn’t there to force me?

A plan was starting to unfold in Anemone’s head as she walked just behind Io, leading her party.

When she went home, she was going to kill her mother.

Chapter Text

Anemone enjoyed her less crumpled throat as she flew back to the Deep Palace. It likely wasn’t going to last long, if she fought her mother fairly, but Anemone was going to do whatever it would take. She’d be queen, and she’d be the best Queen of the SeaWings in years.

I’m going to fix all of Coral’s mistakes, and have a council that’s actually useful, Anemone promised herself. I’ll be better to her, and be kind to my dragonets and actually love them.

Anemone had no patience left. She begrudgingly accepted Coral’s cold embrace in front of the Shore Palace. Her palace.

“My darling, I’m glad you’re alright,” Coral told her. “I love you to bits but do stay out of trouble, your dearest Mother’s heart couldn’t bear to see you like that.”

Anemone glared up at her Mother. Coral returned a confused glance, as if to “What have I done?” 

“You’ve done plenty, Mother. That’s why I’m going to take it off your tired shoulders. Queen Coral of the SeaWings, I, Crowned Princess Anemone, challenge you for the royal throne.”

Anemone let her glare melt into a cold, emotionless stare as she watched the emotions of everyone around her. Her party looked quite surprised. Though Greatness looked terrified and Clownfish looked excited. The other dragons in the room, Coral’s advisors and guards, looked genuinely mortified.

And finally, Coral herself. She looked petrified, her pupils fearful pinpricks and dewy tears ebbing her eyes. She appeared to be trying to say something, but no sound escaped her lips. Her breathing was labored as her pupils quivered. Anemone stared her mother in the face until an advisor ushered her away, claiming that the Queen was having a panic attack. But Anemone had seen real panic attacks before. This wasn’t it. Was Coral really that shocked? That the dragonet she abused had grown to despise her?

Anemone held a defensive position until she couldn’t hear Coral or her advisors anymore. She then relaxed her muscles and let down her shoulders. She opened up her nostrils and mouth again to let air in. She hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath, let alone breathing.

I’ve… done it. There’s no turning back now.

…

Three Hours Before the Challenge

Anemone hadn’t seen Coral since the announcement. She’d gotten glare after glare from Coral’s officials, which almost began to feel good. Anemone’s chest burned, prideful instead of embarrassed as she was before. She was taking what was hers and commanding her own life for once.

Today was the day. Countless servants swarmed her, polishing her scales. Traditionally, she would’ve worn jewelry but Coral outlawed it after her win against Orca. But Anemone didn’t need an artificial stinger or an animus-touched object. Her rage alone would carry her through this. And as always, a touch of magic in case she needed it. Sure, Turtle wouldn’t have approved (had he known) but he was a suck-up and Coral needed to be rid of him.

Anemone needed to become queen. She needed to win this.

…

An hour before the challenge 

Anemone was ready. She could do this. And she would win.

As per custom, she wouldn’t see the reigning Queen until their battle started. Her last meal was two hours ago, and she felt energized. She’d even drank some coffee that Greatness had bought off a SilkWing merchant at the LeafSilk Kingdom. It was much harder to make than tea, Sardine had told her. It didn’t taste like it either, it was strong and bitter and turned the water a dark brown, almost black with flavor. But Anemone appreciated its boldness and didn’t really mind how earthy it tasted. Unlike the teas many bureaucrats drank, this wasn’t floral, subtle, or sweet. 

She dunked a biscotti into her coffee and enjoyed it as she watched the sunrise on The Opponent Side of Challenge Island.

Challenge Island was where Royal challenges took place. It was also where the contestants would prepare; the challenger on the Opponent Side and the reigning Queen on the Defendant Side. The island was quite symmetrical for a naturally occurring island, which was part of the reason that Queen Oyster chose it, at least according to the legend. Knowing the other accounts of her airheadedness, Anemone had long suspected that it was more likely the Queen’s scheming father, Tidalwave, had chosen it. 

It was far out of sight from the Deep Palace, a day and a half’s flight South. The Defendant Side was gilded in blues, purples, and golds while the Opponent Side was decorated with lots of white, silver, and browns.

This wasn’t where Orca had lost against Coral, that was a special room in the Deep Palace. The Opponent could choose a land or water challenge, and Anemone didn’t want to repeat her sister’s mistakes. A sister she never got to meet, thanks to Coral. Then again, without her she wouldn’t be alive - Coral’s first one or two clutches would have had enough female dragonets. Now she just had to finish what Orca started.

…

Yeah, this was going to be a lot harder than she thought. First of all, Coral kept giving her this pitiful look from across the battlefield. As if to taunt her, to mock her. Coral was convinced that she’d win again and cave to either crown Auklet or hatch and raise another heir. Coral was always too prideful to give Anemone an easy win. She’d worked hard to get here, and the only place for her to go was up.

Anemone held her face still, keeping a slight frown and her head high. 

“On this glorious day, Crowned Princess Anemone of the SeaWings is undertaking her challenge against Queen Coral of the Sea Kingdom for the royal throne,” the announcer boomed.

“In order to ensure a fair fight and the most capable Queen, the Opponent must be killed fairly. Shall either side fail to adhere to the rules, she shall be imprisoned in the highest security land dungeon. Shall either side forfeit at any point, she shall be executed swiftly. 

“Shall either side make use of weapons other than such she was born with, excluding the animus gift, she shall be considered unfairly winning and unfit and shall be executed swiftly.

“Shall either side use animus magic of any kind during the battle, whether an object or via wielding the power in the Arenadome, she shall be considered unfairly winning and unfit, and shall be executed swiftly.”

That rule was probably added for me, Anemone thought.

“Either side shall start, and only start after the conch shell has been blown. If either side begins early, she shall be restrained for ten seconds while the other side is allowed an advantage.

“Shall either side injure any spectator, she shall be considered as a forfeit and unloving of her people and shall be executed swiftly.

“Shall either side leave the confines of the Arenadome of her own accord, she shall be considered a forfeit and unfit and shall be executed swiftly.

“Shall any spectator hasten either side’s demise, they shall be executed for high treason. Shall any spectator cheer for the demise of either side, they shall be imprisoned for dishonoring the late royal and treason. Shall any spectator disrupt the challenge,  they shall be imprisoned for treason and public nuicancy.

“The challenge is only considered won when the opposing side has ceased, as determined by the referee on the field. This referee may not be harmed by either side.”

Anemone knew these rules by heart. She’d repeated them over and over. A few Coral had even added herself, namely the weapons and animus ones. Anemone doubted that Coral ever thought that her dragonets would challenge her. Maybe she’d been hoping that she’d live a long, happy life as Queen. She still could, if I don’t play my cards right, she reminded herself.

Anemone watched the referee as he flew to a high bar in the ceiling that would act as his perch, to see the battle from above. The spectators surrounding them in the arena could shout out if they saw a cheat from the sidelines. In the crowd was every SeaWing Anemone had ever known, plus hundreds more. The royal family were seated at the front row overlooking the middle of the battleground to Anemone’s left, and across from them, to Anemonr’s right, were the visitors from other tribes, Greatness, and some merchants from other tribes.

“Battlers, turn around.”

“Now lower onto your stomachs.”

“Claws up.”

“Tails ready”

“Fight!”

Chapter Text

The night after Crowned Princess Anemone left…

Io had never been very open to newcomers. Since she was little, living in the Hives with those cruel HiveWings, Io had learned that her family was her only safe space. And now she was rooming with a LeafWing — Yew, one of the PoisonWing encampment, though she hated to be called one — the fabled extinct tribe, in their own joint Kingdom. Well, this was only temporary, after all. Hopefully, they’d return to Pantala one day. There isn’t enough space here. 

And we can’t let Wasp win! Io told herself. She can’t keep the Hives and all of Pantala. Sure, she may be gone but who’s to say there aren’t some spare reserves? That someone, maybe a secret ally of her or something, could sneak some of the Breath of Evil and take over the continent again? Is Queen Jewel really doing all she can to fix everything before our return? The scouts are quite keen on it, and Blue, Luna, and Swordtail are still there helping. Well, Luna and Swordtail go back and forth, the same as Cricket and Sundew and Willow. 

It still felt icky to think about HoveWings being good. After all, they’ve done? But Moon and Winter, a NightWing and IceWing pair, taught her about their tribal feud. NightWings had apparently slighted the IceWings, though it was a misunderstanding, and they went to war for years and years and spread hatred of each other’s tribes until a few years ago, with the events around Darkstalker Day and such. Learning about all the Phyrrian tribes was pretty boring to her, and she could never tell MudWings apart from the other tribes, but she did enjoy their history. For just a guard, she had an excellent memory, she liked to think.

When she wrote to Blue, using the Phyrrian “scrolls” instead of the Pantalan manuscripts, she’d share every detail with him. He’d always had a fondness for fairy tales, and the tales of the Ancient Phyrrian tribes enthralled him. Io was pretty sure that his favorite tribe was the SkyWings, as he’d always ask about their festivals and dragonet’s stories. Io preferred a lot of Queen Coral’s cheesy writing. She’d heard how only SeaWings were blind enough to like them, but she enjoyed how easy they were to follow and the action/romance elements. Io felt a tinge of jealousy. All her friends had partners, and she didn’t even have time for romance. She’d always dreamed of sweeping some sweet SilkWing off their feet with her valor and bravery, and fly off, into the sunset with her happily-ever-after. But as much as she wished and willed it, life wasn’t one of Queen Coral’s corny scrolls. Talons and tails, it sounded even worse to phrase it like that.

Yet still, with her eyes closed and body still, she couldn’t help but dream in the moonlight.

Chapter Text

Six moons before Anemone’s coronation…

“WOOHOOOO!!” 

Everyone was singing and dancing along to the music, and just having a swell old time. Armadillo was wiping all these HiveWings off their feet, they were such slow and boring dancers. She could show these stiffs a good time, just like she did for the Outclaws. Sure, the four wings were hard to get around, but she made do. If they kept their wings folded down she could just grab the front of their shoulder. It felt awkward, 

Moving to Jewel Hive was probably the best decision Armadillo had ever made. She could wake up late, spend all day shopping, then spend the night partying — and that was the norm! She didn’t exactly have a job here yet, but every moon she would send a scroll to Thorn with all the intel and gossip she’d gathered in exchange for some money. Plus, her savings were quite large. The daughter of General Sandstorm would get a hefty compensation after his death. She’d never really known her father too well, since he’d been in the army since she was two. Hyrax was an amazing, essentially single, mother until she died in a storm a little while back.

Armadillo hummed to the music as she made her way to the food stands. It was too loud to even talk, so everything was marked with a price on a piece of paper stuck to the dishes. She’d just have to hand the seller what they needed. “Two scales for a strip of gazelle jerky… so that makes six for three,” she muttered under her breath. She pulled out her coin purse from its hidden compartment in her tail band. “Camel spit,” she cursed under her breath.

“Out of scales again, Armadillo?” She whipped her head around to see who had called out. Just great. Pantaloon of all dragons… she thought, a frown souring her happy mood. Pantaloon’s signature medallion, which she claimed she got after her father passed away sacrificing himself during the Tree Wars, but was actually just a small family heirloom wall decoration put on a gold chain, swung wildly on her neck. She liked to draw attention to it in order to talk about its “history,” Armadillo had noticed.

“No, darling, haha,” she chortled, brushing off the accusation with a talon. She dug her talon into the coin pouch, using her claws to make little bulges, so the pouch would look fuller. She smiled wide, a phony grin that hurt her cheeks. “It’s just tough to see in this lighting. You know, living in the Scorpion Den, on Phyrria, I always either had the sun, moon, or my own fire to light my way. These lanterns and globes just aren’t bright enough. And you poor things, you get so little sun curled up in here!”

The corner of Pantaloon’s mouth twitched, and her tail rattled a little bit. Not like there’s much to do with that useless one, she thought bitterly, rattling her tail barb. My tail is a real threat, I am a real threat, unlike that lying sack of useless meat. Her eyes darted to the SilkWing servant by Pantaloon’s side, Leafwing — a silly name for those who thought the LeafWing tribe had truly gone, in Armadillo’s opinion — who shuddered at Armadillo’s tail barb. She grinned a little wider at the little dragon. She couldn’t have been more than eight and had these ugly scales — like many unfortunate SilkWings — that were gold, dark purple, and pinky-red which hardly matched. She sort of felt bad for the scrawny thing. 

“Do not be afraid, little SilkWing,” she said loud enough for Pantaloon to hear. “We SandWings are trained with our tails since our poison comes in. We’d never accidentally sting anyone.” She cast a curt look at Pantaloon, a warning, before closing up her purse. 

She yawned loudly, using the sound to block out the noise she snatched the coin pouch in Pantaloon’s talons. Just keep her distracted, she won’t notice, Armadillo told herself. “Wow, I’m just so tired. I have an important meeting with the LeafSilk Council tomorrow. So I best head out,” she said. She pretended to stretch, quickly throwing the coin pouch up, and ruffling her wings just in time to snag it in a fold of her wing membrane. “Oh, what a coincidence! Me too, dear,” Pantaloon replied. “I best walk you home, it’s the least a good HiveWing could do.”

“Oh, that’s quite alright, darling,” Armadillo chuckled, waving a dismissive talon again. “Oh no, please, I insist,” Pantaloon said. Beetle dung. This certainly is a wrench in my plans. How could I say no? That’s too unlikely of a socialite such as myself. I best be careful… Armadillo thought with narrowed eyes. “Well, if you insist, darling.”

…

The little posse was almost at Armadillo’s house before a voice ruined the silence. “Oh, a honey drop store! I bet Oriental would want one when we get back. Leafwing, my coin pouch, please.” Platoon held out her talon expectantly. “Madam,” the little SilkWing responded shakily. “I gave it to you by the gazelle jerky stands. You never gave it back so… well, I just assumed that you were carrying it and that you wanted to buy something on the way back to the Manor.”

“What!? Dear Clearsight, it’s probably back at the party!” Pantaloon yelled. “Oh, well I’m just so sorry for you, darling, but I’m afraid I need to get my beauty rest for my important work tomorrow.” Pantaloon huffed, clearly wishing she hadn’t walked all this way. “Goodbye, Pantaloon!” Armadillo called in a sing-song voice. What a bumbling idiot, Armadillo thought. At least now I can get something to eat at home. Armadillo spun on her heels with a phony smile beaming at Pantaloon. 

Whooshh-ompt-chch 

Armadillo froze in her tracks, turning towards the noise. 

Camel spit.

Pantaloon’s purse had gone flying out of her wing and landed against the wall of a nearby building, making an awful racket as it came to a stop. 

Camel spit!

“Oh, you clumsy SandWing! Leafwing, go get Armadillo’s purse for her,” Pantaloon chided. Leafwing obeyed wordlessly, picking it up and examining it in her claws for a moment before turning to face Pantaloon. “Um, madam…?”

CAMEL SPIT. THIS ISN’T GOOD.

“What?” Pantaloon snapped. “Come on, what are you looking at? Give it here.” She held out her palm and Leafwing warily obliged. “Wait a moment…” she said, examining it. “This is…”

Armadillo didn’t need to hear the rest of what she said. She took off running and soon heard Pantaloon and Leafwing do the same. Sometimes she was grateful that there wasn’t enough room to fly down here. She took two lefts, a straightaway, then a right, then—

CAMEL SPIT!!

A dead end. Armadillo curled around, ready to face the approaching HiveWing. “You cowardly, dull SandWing! I’ve got you cornered!” Pantaloon roared, blocking the exit of the alleyway with her wings. Armadillo slunk back a little farther, slowly raising her tail a little more. Pantaloon ran for her, talons outstretched and made a charge that Armadillo dodged swiftly. It was almost too easy for Armadillo; the Scorpion Den had taught her well. It sorta reminded her of her spars with Thorn — well, Queen Thorn now — and how Thorn had shown her the best places to sting. Aha, she thought with a smirk. 

Pantaloon had finally recovered from her first failure of a charge and decided to launch for Armadillo again. Just as Pantaloon was about to jump, Armadillo ran forward, using her tail as a bar to knock down Pantaloon. Armadillo grabbed Pantaloon’s left talon, the one that had her diamond tattoos on it and stabbed through it. 

“AGAHGHHHHHAAAAHHHH” Pantaloon shrieked, convulsing. Armadillo smirked and retracted her tail. “Let this be a lesson, HiveWing. Never cross a SandWing, especially one from the Scorpion Den.” Armadillo’s grin morphed into a glaring scowl as she thought more of the putrid dragon that was Pantaloon. “You’re a weak little liar, you know that? You’re a bumbling idiot who touts a tail stinger they don’t have and can’t even fight better than a two-year-old. Do better, you useless waste of scales.”

Armadillo turned to Leafwing, the scowl on her face smoothing out. The poor thing looked terrified, frozen in fear with her claws tightly gripping the coin pouch. “Keep it. Get yourself something nice, and get a new mistress. This one’s as good as dead, I doubt they have cactus juice here. Maybe you can try anyway if you wish.”

Leafwing’s eyes darted back and forth before she ran over to her mistress’ dying side. 

“Suit yourself,” Armadillo shrugged. It always confused her why others would keep choosing their tormentors over salvation. But maybe that’s why she was here, to fix the SilkWings left and to put those moons-awful HiveWings back in their place, as equals.

Chapter Text

Filler Chapter 3 - Puka

Puka’s parents still appeared in her dreams sometimes. The two LeafWings, still fighting in death, intertwined in a ring of fire and green smoke. It was happening less and less, but each time it did she’d go wake up her caretakers to soothe her worries.

She’d been placed with Winter and Moon as both a LeafWing exchange student in Jade Mountain Academy and as a now-orphaned foster child. They were surprisingly nice. Moon was a mindreader and was always very open and kind to her. She was a NightWing, too – Clearsight’s tribe. They looked so different than she imagined, like the sky in the middle of the night instead of more of the twilight she’d hoped. Besides that, Clearsight was a dark purple and Moon was more of a sage green, like Puka herself. Moon was still missing the pink stripes swirling down her neck and up her forelegs, but sometimes she wore pink flowers that Auntie Kinkajou gave her; she called them carnations . She said that if Auntie Kinkajou ever had dragonets, she’d name one “Carnation.” 

Winter was alright. He seemed like he was really trying to be nice to her, but mostly he just seemed sort of… defeated… that he wasn’t naturally.  Puka felt really bad for him, he seemed to have a good heart. He definitely loved her and Moon, though, which was sweet. Hickory and Monkshood were a perilous couple. They loved each other, but that was about as well as they got along. Their constant shouting and noise, it drove Puka insane. Her older brother, Camphor used to help break up their fights. But he died with them, and now Puka was the last one left. She had to make her big brother proud and carry on the LeafWing legacy proudly. 

Puka’s plan for today was to study Phyrrian geography, her worst subject, but her body had other plans. She awoke in the middle of the night (well, early morning at that point).  She tried to stay asleep, pressing her eyelids tightly together and digging her back into her mossy bed. But it didn’t really help. And she kept hearing noises. It sounded like someone talking quietly. It was quite unnerving, really, so she got up.

She tried making as little sound as possible as she slunk out of bed, hoping it was just her host family talking. Or maybe Qibli had arrived in the middle of the night? Qibli was like another foster parent to her, although he was only there sometimes. Moon said that he was an advisor to Queen Thorn, the SandWing queen, and that he was often busy with both that and helping correspond with other queens on behalf of Jade Mountain Academy and Queen Thorn. But the voice she heard didn’t sound like his silly, drawling voice.

Puka crept through her cave, through the dining room and kitchen and all the way to the foyer. There she found Moon, with her back against her. Moon was whispering something, the same something, over and over.

“No, no, don’t. Don’t let your rage control you.”

“No, no, don’t. Don’t let your rage control you.”

“No, no, don’t. Don’t let your rage control you.”

“No, no, don’t. Don’t let your rage control you.”

“No, no, don’t. Don’t let your rage control you.”

“No, no, don’t. Don’t let your rage control you.”

“No, no, don’t. Don’t let your rage control you.”

“No, no, don’t. Don’t let your rage control you.”

“No, no, don’t. Don’t let your rage control you.”

“No, no, don’t. Don’t let your rage control you.”

“No, no, don’t. Don’t let your rage control you.”

“No, no, don’t. Don’t let your rage control you.”

“No, no, don’t. Don’t let your rage control you.”

“No, no, don’t. Don’t let your rage control you.”

It made Puka’s head hurt, the whispering. What was going on. “Moon?” she whispered, emerging from behind the wall. Moon didn’t react, still muttering. Her tail had begun to slowly lash in stress. “Moon?” she called, a little louder. She neared, placing a talon on Moon’s shoulder. Moon turned to her, eyes pure white, and Puka screamed.

Chapter Text

Anemone smashed down her front talons and pushed herself out of her laid stance, using her tail to swiftly whirl around and propel herself forward, at her mother, still down. Her old bones were not nearly as quick as Anemone’s, and while it took Anemone only a second or two, Coral took about six seconds to stand and turn around, enough time for Anemone to have run across the field.

Anemone raised her tail and crouched, then slammed her tail down with tremendous force, launching at Coral. She knocked her into the hard floor with a gentle crack. Coral's eyes flew into dilated shock as she roared under Anemone’s grip. Anemone lifted Coral’s head briefly before slamming it back down, breaking off a huge chunk of Coral’s right horn. Coral roared again, using her tail to swipe Anemone off her. She fell onto her shoulder, scraping some scales off. 

Coral heaved herself up and ran for a dazed (but standing) Anemone. She clamped her jaw around Anemone’s neck, slamming her into the floor. The force of her mother and her weight combined made a large crack in the floor, and a loud cracking sound that Anemone couldn’t tell if was the floor or her neck.

No, this can’t be it. I need to fight longer! Harder!

Anemone wildly swung her talons around and used her back claws to try to slash Coral’s stomach. Coral clamped down on Anemone’s neck harder. She’s probably trying to snap my next, so it’s over quickly, Anemone realized. She flung her forearms around helplessly, trying to muster a growl. She snagged a rock with her talon and tossed it over to her tail, where she slugged it at Coral’s face. It hit just above Coral’s eye, causing her to instinctively flinch and release her jaw. 

Anemone skittered from under her mother and started beating her wings, lifting off into the tall dome. She heaved a few times, trying to regain her breath. The slight brush of a talon to her gills sent a sore pain throughout her neck, in a ring shape where her mother’s tooth marks left blood dripping down her scales. She circled her mother for a little while, her like a vulture and her mother like a cobra, ready to strike the glorious bird out of the sky. Coral was crouched,with narrowed eyes trained on Anemone. When Coral blinked, Anemone began to dive down, talons outstretched. Coral lept, jumping up with outstretched talons to meet Anemone’s. Coral’s ink-stained claws ripped through Anemone’s talon webbing, and Anemone shrieked, spinning around to smack Coral with her tail and push back off into the air. 

Anemone almost wished that the challenge would take place in the ocean, before remembering how she’s never been able to keep up with her mother. On land, Coral’s beefy body weighed her down, but in the water it let the currents carry her faster, farther without getting tired. Anemone’s wings still ached as she began to circle again, her claws slowly letting droplets of her blood fall like the leaky roof of the old Summer Palace when it rained. 

Under her, Coral had spread out her wings, probably trying to trick Anemone into going for her wings, an easy enough target, then rolling over and crushing her. But Anemone was smarter than that. She dived down towards Coral’s right wing before swiftly pivoting to headbutt Coral. That caught Coral off guard, knocking them both to the ground. Anemone went flying off after Coral crashed into the ground, another sickening crack heard as Coral’s other horn snapped off and her cheekbone fractured. Anemone had flipped off Coral and slid until she tripped over her own talons and fell over.

As Anemone tried to lift herself, she heard a sickening roar. A roar she’d only heard before when a destroyed egg of one of her sisters was discovered. Anemone tried to scrabble and heave herself up into the sky before she felt sharp talons on her tail. She turned around to see Coral’s enraged face. If she had fire, smoke would be pouring out of her nostrils and ears. She looked like a deep blue Scarlet, her face contorted in pure rage. Was it because her majestic horns were gone? Or was it because she realized that it wouldn’t be as easy as she thought? Either way, she was eager for blood, her own dripping down the left side of her scratched-up face. She dug her claws harder into Anemone’s tail, causing her to shriek, and flug her. Anemone landed not very far from her, with a loud “oof,” and a soft crackle. She tried to lift herself, quickly realizing that a few of her ribs were likely broken. 

Coral was sprinting towards her, her gills pulsing and beating her wings to speed up. Anemone narrowed her eyes and lowered her horns, preparing to take the attack head-on. But Coral used her trick against her, darting to the side and slicing deeply across Anemone’s side. She yelped out in pain, nearly tripping as she lunged forward. Coral, who had the same idea, had leaped over Anemone instead, landing on her shoulder, which promptly made her wing go limp. Coral turned to take a look at it, giving a soft growl before hurrying up and sprinting after Anemone,

I can’t do this anymore, Anemone thought, panic washing over her face. She picked up a piece of rubble from one of her falls. I enchant this rock to make my next slash lethal as soon as I drop it. Anemone really didn’t want to do this. She could’ve won without this, but she would’ve suffered more injuries. As Coral neared, Anemone closed her eyes, let out a breath, and threw the rock as hard as she could at Coral, hitting her nose. Coral flinched, but only for a moment before speeding up. When she was just a wing’s distance away, Anemone used all her energy left to launch for her mother’s neck, biting through layers of soft scale, tissue, and what she could only assume was Coral’s throat. A rasp exited Coral’s mouth, so Anemone let her fall to the ground. She was entirely limp, her face contorted in rage that she’d forever be frozen in. 

Anemone stepped back politely as the announcer flew closer, inspecting Coral. He poked and prodded at her but turned towards Anemone upon receiving no reaction. “We have a winner!” he announced to the crowd. They all roared in response, with claps and cheers intermittent. Anemone caught her breath as she searched the crowd for her friends.

They didn’t have the reaction she was expecting. Clownfish had his head buried in Brine’s shoulder, shaking. Brine had his eyes pressed tightly closed, probably since the start. Moray was weeping, probably for numerous reasons, and kept wiping her eyes with her wings. Luckily, Greatness looked a little queasy but mostly fine.

Some servants took her talons and led her off to the dressing room she had came from. There, they prepared a bath and washed off all the blood. Tuatog was there to dress her wounds as soon as she had stepped out. Anemone could hardly bring herself to look at her. She didn’t want to see what Tuatog thought of her. She was cleaned up in entire silence, save for one of the senior ladies-in-waiting whispering for one of the lower maids to fetch something for them.

She had ample time to see her wounds, ones that were sure to scar. A gash on her right shoulder, slashes all over her ribs, deep scratches down her tail, a large bite across her neck, and a sizable cut on her forehead. Anemone toyed with the idea of healing her wounds instantly, but that would be the weak way out. Besides, the pain would help ground her, so she wouldn’y get lost in her thoughts. Besides, the scars would make everyone know that she was smarter, stronger, than they thought. And they would know that she didn’t need her magic.

…

Six days later…

Anemone made sure that she was wearing her royal best. No pearls, as that was Coral’s thing. She wore elegant spirals of silk, gems, and seashells all down her neck, body, wings, and tail that made her appear like a walking seashore. It was her style, and she’d made sure that she wore something by the same tailor for all official appearances. She made sure that nothing else was on her head, no earrings or anything, as to not take away from the crown she’d soon don in front of all of her subjects. Clownfish had it especially made for her, as was tradition for the crowning of a new queen. This crown would be hers, to wear on all official business, and she’d only wear the traditional SeaWing crown, the Marine Headress, for special occasions or royal visits.

She waited patiently for her cue, Clownfish dressed in similar silks at her side, before taking off. She flew as elegantly as she could, landing softly and neatly on the top pavilion of the Island Palace. Her palace, in every sense of the words. She spotted Greatness in the massive crowd, in the visiting NightWing section, near Moon. Moon looked nervous, as always, but Anemone took a breath and closed her eyes. She readied herself before turning towards the SeaWing in front of her, holding her new crown. He was the announcer from her challenge.

“SeaWings and dragons of all tribes!” he boomed. “Behold, our newest queen, the elegant, brilliant, loving, Queen Anemone!” Anemone ducked to let him place the crown on her head. It’s weight felt nice, comforting. She then lifted her head back up and turned to face the crowd. Clownfish took one of her talons and lifted it up in triumph, nudging her a little. She beamed brightly, unfurling her wings and letting her royal swirls glow.

The crowd began to chant her name, and Anemone’s face burned with pride. She had done it. She would now have her happily-ever-after.