Listen, And The Stars Shall Speak

All's Well That Ends Well

 

Soon enough, everyone was gathered in one cave. An unconscious Fierceteeth, Strongwings, and Darkheart were chained to the walls, along with Juniper- who just hadn't been taken down- and a brutally beaten Prickle. Pineapple was dragged in soon after by a bored looking Joy, and chained up with the rest of them. 

As for the dragonets that were hostages, everyone had surrounded them, making sure they were okay. Out of them all, Haze had definitely received the worst treatment. Some of Ander's garrison quietly patched her up as Boysen sat worriedly beside her. 

Next to Haze, Ray was in the next worst condition, but he would be fine. He and Ander sat next to each other, speaking softly in Latin so that the others wouldn't overhear them.

Everyone else, it seemed, was fine. Joy was talking with some of the other adult dragons, trying to determine what they should do with the escaped prisoners. 

Cypress and Stardust relayed the story of their kidnapping to Anaconda, Permafrost, and some of the others. Everything it seemed, was returning to normal.

"What happens now?" Shore asked.

"Well," Joy began. "Some of us will return to the school, to inform the DOD and to send messengers to Queen Thorn and the rainforest. I assume Prickle will be sent to a Sandwing Prison, and that Mother will try Fierceteeth, Strongwings, and Pineapple." She sighed. "I am really sick of going to Pineapple's stupid trials."

"Why don't we just execute her then?" Orange questioned.

"As much as I'd like to do that," Joy offered. "It's not that easy. She's still Jambu's daughter, and a technical heir to the throne. We have to keep her alive as a just in case."

"Mother, there's four heirs to the throne without her." Shore replied. "And one of them is you, another is Ander, who has like a secret army, apparently. Another is Rin, who I doubt anyone would dare to touch, and then there's Apple." He paused, glancing over at Apple, who was laughing with Ember. "...Apple, who I'm pretty sure doesn't even remember that she could be Queen. There's no reason we need Pineapple too."

"She'd be no great loss..." Orange added in. Joy smirked.

"You're talking to the wrong dragon." She declared. "It's my mother you need to convince." Shore groaned.

"Uncle Jambu doesn't even like Pineapple. What more does Grandmother need?" He proclaimed.

"Reassurance that there will be an heir to the throne." Joy explained. "Besides the four she has, I suppose."

"So, what, do I have to convince her that I will have a daughter some day or something?" Shore joked. Joy's serious expression made his face fall. "Oh come on. I'm like six!"

"You could convince her, though...." Joy offered teasingly, her eyes flicking to Orange and then back. Shore wrinkled his snout.

"Ew, Mother. I'm six. I'm not marrying Orange."

"Yet." 

"MOTHER!" Orange smiled.

"Maybe one day...." She said dreamily. Joy nodded, sighing slightly. 

"One day," she continued. "In a dream world where Shore gives in, Rin swallows her pride and accepts that she's in love with Parrot, and little Ander marries that Latin speaking Seawing."

"Out of those three, your best bet is with Ander." Orange suggested. "Those two are inseparable."

"Yeaaaaah."

"Wait a sec...." Shore frowned. "Where IS Ander?" They looked around the cave, but she was no where to be found. Orange gasped.

"Prickle's gone too!"

*~*~*~*~*~*

A muffled shriek cut through the air. In a cave deep in the back of the mountain, Prickle was tied up to a spit, slowly rotating over a contained fire. There was a rag stuffed in his mouth, muffling his screams of pain.

Ander pranced around the fire, occasionally turning the dragon so that he'd burn evenly, like a roasting pig.

"Double, Double, toil and trouble," she sang maniacally. "Fire burn and cauldron bubble. Hurt my soulmate and you'll BURN."