Joy Ride

Chapter 18: Deathbringer's Unknown Past

Every now and then, the Queens would have a super secretive meeting. These meetings were famous and extremely secretive. No one but the Queens and their most trusted guards knew the location. Despite this, the meetings were still the most heavily guarded events in Pyrrhia. There was one rule... no one was to speak or discuss what happened in the meetings. Some of the crueller Queens in history would kill their guards after the meeting. It was that serious. 

Glory stood outside the royal pavilion. She would be gone for a couple of days for the meeting, and she was supposed to bring her most trusted guards, so Deathbringer was coming. They're both reluctant. This was the first time they'd ever left their dragonets for more than a day. What if something happened to them?

Glory was taking four guards. Deathbringer, Jambu, Vigilante and a Nightwing named Nighthawk.

Her dragonets were staying with Vibrance. 

Glory sighed. They had to leave soon, which meant she had to say goodbye. Despite her son's protests, she hugged both of them. 

"Please take care of your sister for me," Glory ordered, "And be good."

"We will," Rainkeeper answered for the both of them. Glory planted a kiss on both of their heads. Joy laughed as Deathbringer picked her up and spun around while hugging her.

"You behave for Vibrance, alright?" he questioned, Joy smiled.

"I will daddy. I promise!" She said sweetly. Deathbringer grinned at her ruefully and set her down, "Alright," Deathbringer said, planting a kiss on her forehead. How could he stay away from her for so long? She's just so cute. It's only a couple of days but for Deathbringer... It's going to feel like a year. He smiled. Years ago, he wouldn't believe he would be this attached to his dragonets- let alone have any. But he did. He hugged Raindrop and Hunter goodbye. He was seriously going to miss them. Besides Glory, they were the light of his life. 

After saying goodbye, Glory, Deathbringer, Vigilante and Nighthawk. 

By the next day, they had arrived at the meeting. The meeting was in a hidden cave, oblivious to the Skywings.

Each Queen was allowed one guard inside the chamber while the rest would wait outside. So the other guards waited outside in the outer chamber of the cave while Deathbringer and Glory went inside and closed the door. The chamber was enchanted to be soundproof, but that didn't stop the other guards from trying to eavesdrop.

Glory walked gracefully into the room and took her seat. At one end of the table, Queen Glacier sat regally. She was the dragon who normally ran the meetings. Queen Coral sat on her left, and Queen Ruby on her right. Next to Queen Glory was Queen Thorn. A few minutes later, Queen Moorhen entered and sat next to Thorn. 

The six guards allowed in the room spaced themselves around the room, pressed against the walls. They were to remain silent and unmoving the entire time.

A guard that interrupted the meeting was a guard that would die. No matter their position in the Kingdom. 

Out of the corner of her eye, Glory could spot Deathbringer watching her.

Rather than standing behind her, he decided to stand on the other side of the room. This way, he could watch her back. In case anyone entered the room.

Even though the meetings were supposed to be serious, sometimes the Queens would go off-topic and have a normal conversation. But those were difficult. 

All the rulers of Pyrrhia created quite a lot of tension. 

Coral and Moorhen would glare at each other; even Glacier and Glory would sometimes glare at each other. Glory was Queen of the Nightwings, after all.

At one point, Coral and Moorhen started arguing. This brought a question to Ruby and Glory's mind, but Ruby asked first.

"I don't mean to interrupt, but I was wondering if you could clarify something. We all know that certain tribes don't get along with each other, but with most, Nightwings and Icewings, for example, it's clear why. But I don't understand why Seawings and Mudwings don't get along." Glory nodded.

"I'm sure it's something obvious that Ruby and I are unaware of, but I too would like to know the reason." Glory added.

"I always thought it was obvious why they dislike each other." Thorn admitted, "It's because of Tempest, right?" Was Glory imagining it, or did Deathbringer stiffen at the name Tempest?  Was it just her, or did he look slightly nervous? The other queens nodded. 

"Tempest was likely before their time though," Glacier realised.

"Who's Tempest?" Ruby asked, and the story began.

"Tempest," Glacier began, "Was a commander for Queen Coral's army, back when the Mudwings were allied with Blister. Dragons rumoured that Blister had found a general as smart as her, and it was true. They could've ended the war in a couple of weeks with the both of them."

"What happened to Tempest?" Glory questioned, now watching Deathbringer getting more stone-like.

"She was killed," Glacier explained.

"Blister was having a meeting with Tempest and General Swamp. They were discussing a new strategy, but when Tempest came out of the tent a spear was thrown, and it hit her in the heart. She died right there," Moorhen added.

"It was an amazing throw from what I heard," Glacier admitted. Glory frowned. Why did Deathbringer look momentarily proud when Glacier said that? What's he hiding?

"But the thing that changed the assassination was that it was a Mudwing spear, that had killed her," Coral explained, "Blister searched the entire island while the other dignitaries argued, Swamp argued that no Mudwing would've killed her, while my third in command at the time, Piranha, insisted that the evidence was right in front of them. Nobody was found that wasn't supposed to be there. Blister, had two Mudwings executed for the murder."

"Two innocent Mudwings," Moorhen argued, "We never found out who really killed her."

"Wait, they did find someone," Glacier remembered, "There was that Nightwing." Now, this was an interesting... reaction from Deathbringer. At the mention of the Nightwing, Deathbringer winced and shut his eyes, stiffening like a statue. Clearly wanting to be anywhere else.

"What Nightwing," Ruby pressed.

"When they searched the island, they found a female Nightwing, half-dead, never to wake up again. It was inconvenient, so Blister ordered for her to be killed." Coral explained.

"Really nothing important," Moorhen agreed.

Deathbringer wanted to scream. He wanted to choke Moorhen for that comment. He wanted to cry at the memory of his mother. Quicktrike wasn't just some random dragon. Not to him. But to speak... meant death... so he kept quiet.

A/N That was fun to write. For anyone who doesn't know or has forgotten who Quickstike is, Quickstike is Deathbringer's mother. 

1090 words.

-Ethan