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Peril stared at the scene in horror. The palace was quiet, except for the ragged breaths of recently-ex-Queen Scarlet of the SkyWings. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Ruby was supposed to win. She had to, for the entire SkyWing tribe, but mostly for Cliff.
But it hadn’t gone that way, so now Scarlet was once again Queen of the SkyWings. Cliff was just hovering in the air, staring down at his mother, with his mouth open. Peril wanted to hug him, to hide his eyes, to take him far away from this, but she couldn’t even touch him without killing him.
“Well, that…is the end…of THAT,” Scarlet snarled, turning to look up at the crowd as they began to descend. A smile crossed her face as she slowly circled the body of Queen Ruby. “Vermilion?” she called.
Why didn’t I do something? Peril had known letting them fight was risky, but what was she supposed to do? It wasn’t her fight, and neither of the possible future queens had wanted her to interfere. But I should’ve done something, Peril thought, for the SkyWings, who needed a good queen, for Cliff, who needed a good mother…and for ME.
Peril’s eyes sizzled. Cliff was taking shuddering breaths. The SkyWings around them seemed conflicted, which was a surprise. They really don’t want Scarlet back, she realized.
“VERMILLION!” Scarlet yelled, impatiently.
“You’re majesty! Uh…you did it!” Vermilion said as he flew in front of her and landed with a bow, that was somehow exaggerated, and hesitant at the same time.
“Of course I did!” she hissed, “and now…” She looked up and raised her voice so everyone could hear, “…just so we’re all clear, THIS is how we will be treating TRAITORS again from now on!” Her voice crackled loud, echoing off the peaks around the palace as she stepped toward his cowering form.
I should do something. Right now.
“Mommy…” Cliff sobbed, and began to glide down toward Ruby’s body. Peril followed, as the world around them swirled into a thick fog. “Mommy? Mommy you have to get up, grandma’s being-” his voice cut off as he saw her face, the life drained from it. Now he just stared down at her.
“Cliff…I,” Peril tried, “I’m so sorry, Cliff, I just…”
“No.” he said.
Peril fell silent. Is he talking to me, or…
“Noooo!” he said again through his teeth.
Nearby there was a lot of commotion, and it snapped Peril out of her shock as Dragons all around her were arguing with each other. She flew up a bit to see what was going on. Scarlet had Vermilion pinned down, and she was ripping apart the last membrane of his wing.
He was clearly in agony, but surprisingly quiet. I should have prevented this too, she thought miserably. Why is it so hard to stand up to her?
“All, right. Guards, carry this traitor up to the spire,” she eyed them significantly, giving them a chance to realize what she was saying, “and drop him onto it!” Scarlet raised her head with a fierce grin. Guards looked at each other with wide eyes, and a few glanced up at the needle-sharp point at the top of the palace, but no one came forward. Scarlet glared at them all, furiously.
“Fine, if ALL of you are traitors too, you can all JOIN HIM!” she shrieked. Scarlet jumped onto Vermilion’s back, and her tendons pulled tight as she dug her claws in to lift him, and began flying him up. Now, he was yelling, “Wait…wait, no, no, no!”
He remembers, Peril thought. She had seen this before. Scarlet hadn’t done this to a dragon in years, but she never forgot it. Of course she would use the spire now, she had to send a strong message. If this was how she was punishing disloyalty, she wouldn’t have to do very much of it. Vermilion might be screaming from the spire for days.
Scarlet wasn’t much bigger than him, however, and she was having a hard time lifting him, exhausted from the fight.
“Rhodonite!” she hissed at the nearest guard as she tried to back away, “Come…help me with this…or you’ll be…up there NEXT!” Her words were punctuated by grunts as she struggled in the direction of the spire, but not really gaining any altitude, he was just too heavy. “We’ll…have a STACK of you…disloyal…traitorous-” Her words cut off with a much louder grunt as Vermilion slipped from her claws and landed on a little ornamental hill of shrubs with a groan of pain.
Scarlet turned to the guard immediately. In a moment, she was grabbing Rhodonite by the arm with one talon, and sinking her claws into her neck as she let herself drop to the ground, pulling the guard with her. Peril inhaled a deep breath.
“Stop!” she finally managed to say.
“What now,” Scarlet groaned, sounding more annoyed than furious, as she turned to glare at her. “Can’t a queen perform a simple execution without all this fuss?” She seemed to be talking to everyone. It didn’t get the reaction she was hoping for.
“Your precious, fake Queen Ruby is DEAD,” Scarlet spat at the crowd, “deal with it.” She turned around, dragging Rhodonite in a small circle. “I! AM! YOUR! QUEEN!” She yelled this at the top of her lungs, loud and angry.
Rhodonite clutched feebly at Scarlet’s talon on her neck, still too afraid to fight back, but unwilling to just roll over, like Vermilion had.
Scarlet finished her circle just as Peril got to her. She tried to duck away but it was too late, and Peril slapped her hard on the snout. She dropped Rhodonite with a gasp as she clutched the side of her face…the side that glory hadn’t burned. Rhodonite scrambled away from her, and Peril watched with fascination as Scarlet reacted to her touch. It had only been for a second, but it still burned her. She rubbed her face with her talon, groaning, and then snapped her head up, as if finally realizing that Peril had done that on purpose, and was prepared to do it again.
“You stay back!” Scarlet hissed at her. “Soar! The prince!”
“He’s right here with me.”
Peril whipped around to see Cliff, still devastated, but suddenly distracted by being held. Oh, no Cliff, she thought, no, no, no. His face was fiercer than she had ever seen it, but soar held him tight. Peril looked her father in the eyes. He looked away. He is choosing her over me, she realized.
“Alright, so that we all understand the situation,” Scarlet began, “my champion, you need to remember your place.” Her voice was quieter now, but also ragged and shaky. The queen was relieved, but very nervous. “Bring him to me, Soar” she called to him.
Peril looked at Cliff. Chameleon-Soar was walking toward the queen, but Cliff gave her a pleading look. He turned to look up at Soar, and she followed his eyes to the necklace. Peril’s eyes went wide. She drew a line across her neck to indicate a necklace, as Cliff looked back at her. She mimed pulling it off, and Cliff turned his head up to see the charm hanging right over his head. He squirmed a talon free and ripped the necklace off before anyone could react, and threw it to Peril.
“What did you just,” Soar began to roar, as his scales began popping away into lime green, and Cliff slashed at Chameleon’s face as it transformed. The chain immediately melted, and Peril had to catch the charm holding the enchantment. Scarlet growled, as she watched the necklace melt in Peril’s talons.
Chameleon dropped Cliff and yelled with pain, and Peril advanced on Scarlet once again.
“I MEAN it!” she yelled, “You stay BACK!” Scarlet stumbled as she backed up, trying desperately not to get cornered, but she had stepped on her wing and fell back onto it, and couldn’t get up without rolling forward.
“My place,” Peril growled at her, “is wherever I want it to be.” She took a final step forward and added in a mocking tone, “You. Are. NOT. My. Queen!” She placed a talon on the tip of Scarlet’s wing, and held it down. The Queen exhaled a breath, biting her tongue, and then let out a strangled silent scream as her breath ran out. Peril snorted out a small burst of flame, stepped forward again, this time on Scarlet’s tail. Now she gasped and let out a real scream, long and loud.
“Are you just going to lay there?” Peril mocked, using her best Scarlet impression, “THAT’S not THRILLING at all!” She had stepped back now, watching Scarlet’s tail twitch helplessly as it burned.
“Wait,” Scarlet cut in, “Peril, you don’t…have to do this. Don’t you remember…who saved you…and gave you-”
“Oh, it is far too late for that,” Peril interrupted her. “Besides, you heard me, I told Ruby I wouldn’t let you near Cliff.” Scarlet squirmed, wincing as more of her wing tip touched Perils firescales. “Did you think I was just going to roll over for you again just because you won the fight? It’s over, Scarlet.” She gave Cliff a sad look, “I shouldn’t have let that happen. I’ll spend my whole life trying to make up for it.” She leaned forward toward Scarlet.
“Peril, come on,” she pleaded, “you can-” but Peril cut her off by grabbing her neck in both talons and holding it. Scarlet finally fought back, viciously slashing at Peril with her talons, letting out another long shriek, and shot fire in her face. Peril didn’t feel any of it as she dropped the queen’s neck and grabbed the sides of her head. The screams suddenly rose in pitch and became more strangled for a moment before they cut off entirely.
Peril held the head as it began to burn, and then let go and stepped back. The Queen’s body slumped back and flopped as Peril began to look at all the still shocked faces, all staring right at her. Three moons, she winced, have I just…become the SkyWing Queen?