What if...? Wings of fire edition

Carnelian's meeting with Peril

For anyone who doesn't know, in Moon Rising, carnelian remembers Peril and is quite relaxed. i'm going to write about their meeting back at the sky palace

Carnelian soared high in the sky ( or what a 2 year old dragonet thinks of " high") reaching for the clouds. Dragonets from other tribes didn't dominate flying 'till the age of 3, but Skywings were different. Even though this fact, Carnelian was way stronger than most dragonets, with enormous ruby-red wings with enormous wingspan

She caught a current and twisted gracefully between kestrels. The loud roar of the wind was the only thing she could listen, but she was more than fine with that.

However, a flicker in the corner of her eye made her stop. The dragonet noticed a shape far below, bright orange like a topaz catching sunlight. Of course, every sensible dragonet would head straight back to the nursery and report to a grown up.

Turns out, Carnelian was everything but sensible. She dove down quickly, and in a couple of seconds, she was standing before the dragon she found. It was a bright orange dragonet of her age, with flaming-blue eyes and copper wings,  bright-coloured veins, like liquid gold. It felt as if she was burning, even standing some steps away from her. She was standing on a stone platform, with some kind of soft rock in a corner.

" Stand back" she whispered, covering herself with her strange wings. " I burn"

" Wow. Your wings are really cool" She reached out a talon to touch them. The dragonet backed off.

" Didn't you hear me?! Back off! Go away! I burn. Don't you understand?! "  She took a deep breath. " if anyone touches me, even accidentally,  they can literally die" She started to cry, but instead of tears, clouds of vapor filled the air.

". Im not allowed with the rest of you because of my scales" 

For a moment Carnelian stood there, paralyzed. After hesitating, she finally whispered " You are not the only one with a secret" Her voice was as gentle as a feather, carried by the wind. The burning dragonet rose her head and wiped her tears of, listening.

" The only reason why I am in the palace is because my mother. She-she was Princess Agate. Princess Ruby took me in because of her"

"  Mother was the one who convinced the Queen so that all the dragonets of palace worker, as well as nobles, were raised there. She died  before I was born, by challenging Scarlet for the throne. She could have stopped the war. She could have made the Sky Kingdom a better place. But Scarlet killed her. She killed both of my parents!" Now acid tears slid down her face as she clawed the earth angrily. The flaming dragonet approached her wing to her, so that without burning her, she comforted her.

" My father was a general. One of the best, really. He taught me how to fly.  He met my mother in the palace, when they were both 4 years old. The last time I saw him it was 4 month ago. Scarlet gave him a mission in the Ice kingdom . He never turned back" Carnelian turned her head to the other Skywing " That's why I hate her so much. She is cruel and vicious." After some long, quiet moments, the other dragonet smiled.

" I'm Peril" Carnelian wiped of her tears and grinned.

"I'm Princess Carnelian"

 .                    .                      .                    .                              .                        .                              .                                          .

                                                                                                5 years  later

Carnelian soared past the meeting place, where Peril was waiting. She landed into the stone platform and grinned

" I'm back"  Smoke was coming from Peril's eyes instead of tears as she laughed

" What took you so long? Are you alright?" She suddenly noticed the new scars across her face and below her wings. A small, icy patch glimmered in her side, like a tiny diamond shimmering between her scales.

" Yeah, I'm alright. I had to go in an expedition to the Ice Kingdom with my squadron. Successful, I would say. 3 hostages" She quite enjoyed fighting. It was were she felt more comfortable, in the midst of the battle, where nobody would ask about your parents or other annoying questions she hated. And made her feel unsure about herself....

" Oh, those hostages. They've already been in the arena, but I only faced one" Carnelian winced. She hated what Peril's job was. 

" You know, you could join the army. You would be unstoppable. We could win the war with you around" She hesitated for a second. She had already said this before, but it was worth a trie.

" We could escape"  Peril took no notice and just said. " I will do what Her Majesty wants me to do" Arggggg why do you have to be so brainwashed by Scarlet! Carnelian thought bitterly

"I'm not kidding! This is serious! Fighting is doing no good to you and nor is Scarlet. You gotta' snap out of this Peril! Scarlet is changing you. She is using you, but you can stop this. After all, you are impossible to stop." This time, Peril glared at her. Her scales, someway, seemed hotter and more fiery than usual.

"Scarlet adopted me. She was the only one who ever saw me more than a monster. Not even your beloved Ruby ever cared about me. I'm going to remain loyal to Queen Scarlet, whether you like it or not. Plus, I can't  go. I need my black rocks to survive " What about me, Carnelian thought,don't I see in you more than a monster?

"Honestly, Peril, do you actually still believe that lie? Really, you have to think for yourself." Carnelian couldn't help but being sarcastic. Why couldn't she notice what Scarlet was doing to her.

" You say that about me however, why don't we talk about Ruby, huh?" Peril spat" The dragon who pushed you into soldier training? That keeps you away from me? Remember?"  Now Carnelian was completely outraged, and so was Peril.

" Do NOT insult Ruby in front of me" Carnelian snarled " It is certainly not my fault that you hate her so much!" Smoke rose from Peril's scales, the princess's lungs fighting for air. But she refused to show any weakness

" Neither is mine that you are a disloyal, stupid dragon. I never even wanted to talk to you in the first place!" That hurted more than Peril could have possibly imagined. Pressing her eyes together to stop tears, she opened her wings and launched into the sky. She could tell that Peril was also upset, since hazy, humid cloud rose from the earth. Not that Carnelian cared anymore. Peril and Carnelian had decided who to support in the royal family. And for Skywings, loyalty is very important.

                                                                                             *Peril*

                                                                                   At Carnelian's funeral place

And now Peril remembered that moment, a year ago and her heart started speeding and grief flooded her. How could she have been so stupid?! She lost a friend for nothing. After that discussion, they didn't need to ignore each other: Carnelian had been send from one mission to the other, almost never spend much time in the palace, plus  Peril was quite busy with the arena. She had pretended that she didn't care. That she was better without her. There was nothing further from the truth. She had missed her a lot. It felt like if her firescales burned a hole in her heart. And know that she was never going to see her again... Peril was never going to admire her new battle techniques, she was never going to listen to her stories about her expeditions, she was  never going to laugh and cry with her again... Now Carnelian was just a memory. Suddenly, a huge hawk started soaring above Peril, flapping it's wings proudly. Peril smiled as the bird flew past. She knew that Carnelian now was flying between the clouds, with her parents. Even though she was going to miss her, she knew that they were always going to be together. A Skywing never lived their tribe.