Wings of Fire; Crowns of Betrayal

Chapter 2

      "I still can't believe we're related to her," Thorn shook his head.

   The royal triplets had just come out of one of their lessons about the Kingdom of Sand's dark history, and it was quick to turn onto the topic of Beetle rather than the brutal and bloody skirmishes along the border close to Possibility and the steppe with the SkyWings back when Queen Skyfire- the grandmother of the current SkyWing queen, Queen Amber- held the crown.

   Ray snorted, hopping in front of the pair and twisting around, walking backwards. "I can," he grinned.

   Thorn and Scorpion raised a brow, Ray's grin only widening. "Really?" Thorn asked, "how?"

   "Scorpion has her face."

   He had to duck out of the way of Scorpion's swings as she swiped at the prince with her talons, narrowly missing his snout as he laughed. "I do not!" She hollered, chasing after him as his laughter turned into playful screeches as the two raced down the hall, Thorn shouting words of caution before chasing after them.

   "Do too!"

   Ray looked over his shoulder in time to scream as Scorpion lunged, tacking him to the ground as they rolled across the carpeted floor. Thorn trotted up beside them as Scorpion rolled on top, shoving on Ray's shoulders to pin him to the ground. Ray began to complain and whine, Scorpion reaching out to messily ruffle his frill.

   "How is it that we're supposed to be turning nine soon, yet you both still act like dragonets?"

   "Because we actually like to have fun, ever heard of that?" Ray snickered from on the floor. "It must be so hard to imagine, but some dragons actually like-MFPH!"

   "The only one who likes to act like a dragonet is Ray," Scorpion brazenly replied, pushing Ray down, "not me."

   "Yeah, but you're no better."

   She raised a brow, "in comparison to Ray?"

   "I'm right here!" Ray twisted, wedging his hind talons underneath Scorpion to kick at her gut, giving him enough room to slip backwards and pull his shoulders out. She tried to grab him again, but he managed to slip away with a cackle.

   The stronghold's corridors were quieter than usual, only the occasional pair of patrolling guards passing by or servants quickly ducking around corners carrying baskets or piles of dishes with a guard watching over them as they passed. They must be getting ready for the celebration, Scorpion watched another group of servants slip past, turning to quicken her pace and catch back up with Thorn and Ray as they turned down another hall to their right, heading deeper within the palace. Turning down corridors and pacing down spiraling stairs.

   "It would be so much faster to fly there," Ray grinned, shuffling his wings.

   Thorn scowled, "don't even think about it, you wreckless dragonfly."

   "The courtyard's just down the hall," Scorpion rolled her eyes, "you can handle walking a bit longer.

   He groaned, hanging his head back dramatically as he complained, his winning falling on deaf ears. It didn't take the prince long to grow bored from being ignored, so he turned his attention to Thorn. The two began to lightly bicker as they walked, with Scorpion following silently behind them, listening as if their lighthearted argument were nothing more than white noise as her mind began to wander.

   Their history lesson with Dromedary had taken a quick turn onto the topic of Beetle once Thorn and Ray managed to pry what her and Cactus' conversation on the rooftop was about. The advisor was only a few years younger than Camel- close to Cactus and Vulture's age- and was by far the youngest of the royal advisors, still having been a dragonet during the old queen's reign. While Dromedary was supposed to be teaching them the intertribal relationships and disputes, Ray's pestering had turned the lesson away from Queen Skyfire to Queen Beetle.