Shadows and Peace Book 1: A Wings of Fire Fanfiction

Chapter 26 Starflower and Kapok

"Aaaaawkwaaaaard." Blackpearl whispered. She was standing at the top of the staircase, looking at the face off between the adults with wide eyes. Blackpearl looked unharmed from the fight, luckily.

Amber pushed past her and ran over. She had cuts and gashes all over. Cherry poked her, and she winced. Amber slapped her hand away. "I'm fine. Anyway. How are we freeing Starflower?"

"Good question." Rose said. "Maybe if Amber breathed fire on the bars, they would melt?"

"NO." Starflower ordered. "You'll burn me!" She stood up and looked down her nose at Rose.

Rose held Starflower's gaze for a second. Then she gave her own look of cold disappointment. "One, That's the point. You deserve to be burned. Two, YOU don't order ME around. We have power over you. If we wanted, you could stay here until Oak's followers decide otherwise. So. Apologize for kidnapping my daughter, being a jerk, and ENDANGERING THEIR LIVES!"

Rose ended up screaming, and the remaining guards who had recuperated from Amber's attack looked up. "Um..." Blackpearl looked nervous, and Amber didn't look like she could handle another fight.

"MOM! Help me hold them off!" Cherry drew Rose's attention to the guards who were now flocking to the platform. They were spilling over the railing, and Cherry was starting to hyperventilate. "Mom!" She pleaded.

Rose lurched forward, shielding them all. Her face remained perfectly calm as she motioned towards Blackpearl and Amber. Blackpearl, surprisingly, didn't look worried anymore, either.

Blackpearl and Amber started unlocking Starflower's cage, and she was frantically murmuring, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Rose held her head high, and plastered a disgusted, regal look upon her head. "SILENCE!" She hollered at the guards.

They all froze. "Get back girls. These fools OBVIOUSLY don't know who they are dealing with." To the guards' confused looks, she clarified, "I am Oak's MOTHER."

The guards could tell she wasn't lying, and the chief guard dismissed everyone hurriedly with a wave of her hand. The female Leafwing marched forward, then swept into a deep bow at Rose's feet.

"Apologies, ma'am. We had some ruffians sneak in earlier, and we are trying to locate them." Rose unraveled her wings a little more, hiding Starflower from sight.

"Oh, yes, we simply got lost but I dearly hope you find those-those-those RUFFIANS." Rose inclined her head at the guards, then called, "Darling! Bring your servants over, and introduce yourselves to this nice lady."

The guards coughed. "Um, ma'am...it's me."

Rose looked blankly at the guard. "I'm sorry, I forget faces so easily. Remind me...?"

The guard bowed again. "It's Kapok."

"OH, yes. I remember. You brew tea, right?" Rose gave Cherry a look, like I actually know this person! Not just pretend. Cherry wondered if maybe Oak had had some normal friends before he went evil.

Kapok flushed. "You remembered!"

Cherry and the girls came into sight, and the guard smiled. "Hey, Hyacinth! How are things going with Ooooooaaak?"

Cherry flushed. She forgot she was pretending to be Oak's girlfriend. She gave a meek wave, and couldn't help but notice that Rose was grinding her teeth. Rose was still mad Oak hadn't told her about his girlfriend. Even though, y'know, he was evil and had run away from home and all that...

Cherry could have sworn she heard Rose mutter, "Oakacinth" under her breath. Their eyes connected, and Rose wiggled her eyebrows up and down. Cherry fought back a laugh. Even in the midst of danger, Rose was still happy.