One True Queen: A Wings of Fire fanfiction

47.

content warning: the Darkstalker family being a mess, emotional abuse, and Sharp-eyes is in this one, so be warned.

Whiteout

When my brother became king, I didn't really think I'd be done with monsters. I just didn't think it would be so soon before everything fell apart again.

"I commend the sacrifice of... everyone who has given their powers to our beloved Emperor," Clearsight says. I can't see her face from this far away, but I can hear her voice; twisted up in disgust. She sounds like she's on the verge of tears. Normally, Clearsight is a soft azure. But she's deeper now, more desperate.

She's not the one pulling the strings.

"We willingly surrender our powers, and fully endorse and fully support the new regime. All hail Emperor Sharp-eyes," she finishes. She takes a step closer to Darkstalker.

"There's no way," Listener mutters. "There's no way. He's done something to her. That's not the Clearsight I know." She lashes her tail back and forth. "Is she hurt? Can you see anything weird? Has he been torturing her?"

Ever since we woke up stuck in the same room together, unable to leave this black-and-whitehellscape—Listener has started talking to me this way, like a walking diary. I think she just needs to talk to someone, constantly broadcasting her most passing thoughts out loud. It's strange—back when we were in school, she wasn't the worst bully I'd had to deal with, but she always looked down her nose at me, and called me names.

But she doesn't feel that way anymore; a bright magenta. Now she is a tired, aching mauve. I don't entirely mind the company.

"There's something strange. But it's more subtle," I say, narrowing my eyes.

Darkstalker glances up. Can he see me? Is he trying to meet my eyes? If he is, it's only a moment before walls encase the king and queen and lower them back down, below the throne room, where they must be imprisoned.

"There's no way," Listener whispers.

***

"As much as I think Darkstalker would absolutely leave us all to rot under Emperor Sharp-eyes..." Indigo says, marking big air quotes around the title. "I mean, he sounded like he was reading an instruction manual. He'd be a lot more smug and evil about it." She makes a worried face at Fathom, and he brushes his wing against hers as we walk up the stairs.

This deep blue dragon is something of a puzzle to me.  She's made of stone, a little paranoid, except for when it comes to this one dragon. Fathom. I ran into him every now and then when we were dragonets. I remember him weak, and shaking—but he's stronger now, I think. Stronger than he thinks he is. "He could have enchanted them," he says quietly.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Brilliance scoffs. "I think they're just cowards, who bit off more than they could chew." This dragon is a sandpaper rasp, an irritating beige. The sound of his voice sets me on edge.

"How dare you?!" Listener retorts. "My best friend is probably being tortured as we speak—who knows what he did to make her break! And you're just—you don't—" she whirls around, as though looking for something to throw. "You have no idea the decisions she had to make, all the dragons she had to please—"

"Listener," Solstice says softly, looking up to meet her eyes.

Listener growls, calming down a little bit.

"I think my dad's right," Trailblazer adds, puffing out his chest. I get the edge this red-gold-blue dragonet feels a little out of place amongst so many unimpressed grown-ups. I don't think he knows what to do when there's no one to push around.