One True Queen: A Wings of Fire fanfiction

27.

Content warning: stalking, gaslighting, invasion of privacy, breaking and entering, psychological manipulation, and a really exploitative, creepy dynamic. In other words, another day in the life of Sharp-eyes.

Sharp-eyes

Eclipse and Nebula moved back into the palace with the first group of flood survivors. I understand why Darkstalker and Clearsight would have to come back first, to prove it's safe enough, even for royalty. But why put their dragonets on the line?

They must have not wanted to be separated.

I bet there was a fight over that.

I've been forbidden to go anywhere near their family, of course. But I know Darkstalker and Clearsight's schedule like the back of my talon--right now, they're both at their last meeting of the night, Nebula his after-dinner walk through the gardens, and there are so few guards that for the next fifteen minutes while they change shifts, the royal wing will be unprotected.

I glance behind my shoulder and knock on the NightWing princess's door.

I can hear Eclipse stumble to her feet, and answer it. "Sharp-eyes?" There's a flash of panic in her eyes. She wraps her wings tight around herself. "My, uh... my parents said I'm not supposed to talk to you. You should... probably go." She stares down at the floor.

This is just a minor setback. She'll follow the orders of whoever's right in front of her; the king and queen will never have to know.

"Now why would they possibly say that, Eclipse?" I tilt my head quizzically, making my most wounded expression. "I'm your friend."

"They're just... worried. That's all." She laughs nervously. "You know. Parents, am I right?" She gestures wildly in the air, glancing out the door like all she wants to do is run away. "But you're my friend, you would never hurt me." She hesitates before meeting my eyes. I get the sense she's not actually sure.

"Of course not," I say, with my most perfect smile. It's so hard, holding it together for this stupid dragonet. If I could, I'd strangle her right now--for her hours of complaining about her silly little problems, for her irritating inability to assert herself (even if that does come in handy), her neverending rambles about her family and how much she loves them. For being sweet, and soft, and kind. She is just like her mother--only ten times more naive. But something tells me that Princess Eclipse is far more calculating than she appears.

"Oh. Good. Then... why are you here? Shouldn't you be having, like, dinner or something?" She laughs nervously.

"I just wanted to check in with you. It must be so difficult to move back into the palace; have you gotten settled back in?"

"Oh." She brightens, just a bit. "I was feeling really down, about, like... losing all my stuff, and he asked if I wanted to break something, and then he let me yell at a board of wood and hit it until I snapped it in two—which is something I can do, side note! So cool! And we talked about our feelings and how sad we both were that we haven't gotten to spend much time together 'cause of the war, and I gave him a hug and told him not to cry, and he helped me get some new stuff in here--he fixed my bed, and made me a new easel, it was actually really fun. My dad is so nice, I just feel really... safe I guess, whenever I'm with him. And he gives really great hugs. And he always makes me laugh when I'm sad. I have the best parents--I'm really lucky." She's grinning from ear to ear now. (See? She's gone on with stories like this for hours before, it's insufferable.)

Eclipse is angry. She doesn't show it, but I was right about that.

And Darkstalker--I was right. He feels guilt, over missing out on his dragonets' lives during the war. I'm not sure how I can use either of those unsurprising revelations to my advantage, but I suppose it's good to know.