The Dark Queen ✔

26

We walked during the daytime and flew during the nighttime. 

We talked occasionally, but not about anything interesting. We avoided talking about the obvious things; my past and powers, the impending war, the evil king. It was just easier this way.

We were walking into the sunset when a sudden chill ran through the air, goose bumps crawling up my legs and arms. I buried myself deeper in Phoenix's jacket and inched closer to him and the heat radiating off of his skin. 

He froze and grabbed his sword, his eyes burning. 

"What is it?" I asked, fear gripping my chest. He looked at him and wrapped his hand around mine, pulling me close. 

"Look straight ahead," he whispered. I narrowed my eyes and looked straight ahead as he said and gasped. The red and orange leaves of the trees turned white and brittle, covered with a thin layer of frost. A few feet beyond the frozen trees sat a wide river, pieces of ice bobbing along the frigid water. "We have reached the Southern Kingdom."

We sat before the border, waiting for night to fly across the river and into their territory. "Where is the dragon?" I asked him, huddling closer against the cold. 

"In the heart of the territory, there is a mountain range. The dragon lives there, deep inside." I nodded. "You will have to go inside alone. Find the dragon and..." he trailed off.

"And?"

"I've never heard what happens next. You might have to fight him." I shivered. He smiled and said, "You'll be okay."

We watched the sun set through the trees, setting everything on fire. I sighed and watched the sky melt from a light blue to navy to the inky purple of the night. Stars shone through the thin clouds, the moon rising and turning the world a strange milky color. 

"Let's go," he whispered. He stood up and his wings flared out. I wrapped my arms around his neck and we took off again. We flew silently over the border and I watched as the land turned from the golden colors of autumn to the cold colors of winter. 

The world below, different shades of whites and silvers, gave off an eerie impression. "Is this dangerous?" I asked Phoenix, who was focused on flying around the actual kingdom itself. He glanced at me, then back at the ground. 

"Yes," he finally said. "They have the biggest army, and I don't know if they are here or somewhere else." I didn't ask him anything else. Instead, I ran my fingers over my tattoo, reminding myself that I had a weapon a moment away. 

"There," he whispered after a while of silence. My eyes widen at the sight. Great, pointed stones looming ahead of us, gleaming silver in the moonlight. The mountains were draped in a strange fog that circled all around it.

We lowered as we reached it, both searching for the cave. "There," I said, pointing to it. He landed in the mouth of the cave, the stone yawning, ready to swallow us in darkness. 

"That was easy," I said, willing my sword to me. 

"Too easy," Phoenix said, his wings flared. "Are you ready?"

I looked in, at the waiting darkness, and felt something tugging at me. "Yes."