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phoenixyfriend · 3 years

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Quinlan and the Interdimensional Ingenues (except not really)

Context: SW Suddenly Omegaverse AU (Original Post), Interior Design (Nesting Divots), Chrono Rating: T+ Relationships: Anakin & Obi-Wan, Quinlan/Obi-Wan

This is like 90% cuddles and scenting that’s a few steps to the side of a/b/o standard. There is a lot of non-sexual licking. It’s a little odd, but I’m assuming that’s what you’re here for. It’s also over 5k words, so, you know. There’s that.

Note: “Ternary” is to the number three as “binary” is to the number two. Binary gender/sex refers to IRL male/female distinctions, and ternary refers to alpha/beta/omega. Gender and sex are much more complicated than is touched on in this particular fic, and trans identities exist within both the binary system and the ternary system. (More notes at end.)

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“Sorry to tell you this,” Quinlan says, sliding into the room as quickly as he can, “but we can smell omega distress from several rooms down the hall. What the hell is going on?”

“We’ve having a lot of feelings,” Kenobi says drily. He’s on the couch, looking damnably normal, and Skywalker’s got his face shoved into his master’s neck. Kenobi’s fingers card through the curls, and it’s... well, it would be easy to tell which of them was having said feelings even if Quinlan hadn’t already been able to tell them apart in scent.

“I’m distraught,” Skywalker moans, mushing himself somehow closer.

Kenobi’s eyes go to the ceiling, and he visibly prays to the Force for patience. “I know, Anakin.”

“You think I’m being dumb.”

“I think you’ve had a few months to prepare for this, but that your reaction is understandable nevertheless,” Kenobi says carefully. “Quinlan, would you like to take a seat?”

He hops the back of an armchair in a way that earns him a long-suffering, fond sigh. Quinlan grins encouragingly. “So, do I get to know what this is about?”

“I’m having trouble keeping it out of the Force, but at least I can do that,” Skywalker mutters. He does not lift his head. “I can’t control the scent stuff.”

“Yeah,” Quinlan says, because he’s not sure what else to say. “Do you want me to go get Tano? Might make you feel better.”

Skywalker just whines, high and pained, and tries to curl impossibly closer to Kenobi.

“Anakin,” Kenobi tries. “Anakin, do you want me to explain?”

“I want my--” Skywalker cuts himself off with a choking noise, and then keens. It’s a very omega noise, in the sense that his vocal cords can make it, and non-omegas have trouble mimicking it, and it makes Quinlan want to go over and do his best to fix things in whatever way he can.

(This, everyone is finding, is the truly awkward element to having Skywalker and Kenobi around. They don’t have any experience with controlling their ternary sex instincts, and it makes everyone else react poorly when they do, well, almost anything. They can’t be blamed, considering exactly how inconvenient this is for them, as well, but it’s not a great time for anyone.)

Quinlan tries to keep his own scent pleasant and calm, as soothing as he can make it through the blockers. He doesn’t think it works. “Your what?”

“His wife,” Kenobi says. “Because apparently that was the other way he broke the Code.”

“I looked her up,” Skywalker moans, dramatic as anyone. “She’s already mated and married, in this timeline. To that artist. She’s totally happy and she’s never met me and I’m never gonna be able to work with or around her because I won’t be able to act normal about it and I miss her.”

‘A lot of feelings‘ Kenobi mouths at Quinlan over Skywalker’s head.

“Well, at least it explains the position you’re in,” Quinlan tries to joke. The blank look he gets from Kenobi tells him clearly that the joke didn’t land. “Uh, scenting at the neck like that.”

“Inappropriate?” Kenobi hazards a guess. He doesn’t pull Skywalker away.

“Sort of,” Quinlan says. “You’re family, or as good as, so between that and the need for comfort, nobody’s really going to judge you for it, especially given your backgrounds, but that kind of prolonged neck-scenting for comfort is something kids outgrow in pre-adolescence. It’s only really used for either comfort for extreme emotions, like this, or, uh, between lovers. Post-coital, or during foreplay before, you know, mouths get involved.”

Kenobi grimaces. “Lovely. And what do you mean by ‘of our backgrounds’ in this case? That we have less control, or another factor?”

He doesn’t sound offended. Quinlan appreciates that. “You didn’t have ten years to get that comfort. It’s like... touch starvation, but for scenting. Anyone who knows what’s going on with you, even in the vague sense that doesn’t involve dimensional travel, is going to give you leeway on scenting because you didn’t have that, growing up.”

Kenobi’s grimace doesn’t go away until Skywalker’s breath hitches, hand curling in his master’s robes. “Anakin?”

“I don’t like feeling like this,” Skywalker mutters. “It sucks.”

“I know.”

“And we can’t delay the war much longer, and she was one of the only reasons I stayed even kinda sane through it.”

“I know, Anakin,” Kenobi sighs, running a hand through Skywalker’s hair and, awkwardly as anything, pressing a small kiss to the young man’s forehead. “You’ll have other ways to de-stress this time around. Maybe you’ll actually attend your meditative retreats.”

Skywalker huffs out a breath, in a laugh wet with what might be burgeoning tears. “Shut up.”

“I think you’ve known me far too long to think I’ll ever run out of words,” Kenobi says. He meets Quinlan’s eyes again, but before either of them can communicate about whether Quinlan should leave, Skywalker lurches to his feet, muttering something about a shower.

He’s gone before Kenobi can get more than two words out, and the man is left looking ruffled and confused by his former padawan’s sudden departure. He stays watching the door, and slowly wilts in a way that doesn’t speak well for his state of mind. The man sighs and drops his head into his hands, cradling it with his elbows on his knees, and whatever calm he’d had fades into pure stress, the air curdling with the smell of it.

Quinlan waits, unsure of how to handle this; Kenobi’s Quinlan Vos probably would have known how to deal with the change.

“What am I doing?” Kenobi breathes out, the words almost inaudible from behind his hands.

There are a few moments for Quinlan to consider the many complications and ramifications of getting involved, and then he decides to do so anyway. He stands up and steps around the caff table, and sits down next to Kenobi. He wraps an arm around the man’s shoulders, and brings him in close.

“You don’t have to do this,” Kenobi says, though he makes no move to pull away. “I know you don’t... this is just an obligation. The Council assigned you to gather information and keep an eye out for us in terms of the whole omega thing, since you already shared my heat, and... I know I’m not a friend to you. You barely know me, and the fact that you have to look out for me is something that truly grates. Such care shouldn’t...”

Quinlan waits for him to finish, but he doesn’t.

“I won’t say that they didn’t give me that assignment, because that would be a lie and you’d know it,” Quinlan says. “But I do want to be friends with you. We’re sort of there, already, even if that’s mostly you knowing my other self, and my psychometry, but I’ve seen what a friendship with you could be like, in what you let me see. We’ll never have that same dynamic, because I didn’t grow up with you, and the ternary sex adds an element that changes things, but I do want to be your friend.”

He hesitates, unsure if the rest will make things worse or better, but says it anyway. “As for taking care of you, looking out for you... I do feel a need to do that on an instinctual level, yes, but I can ignore it. It’s an instinct, but one that I, like everyone else that’s grown up as a human or near human in this galaxy, can work around. I am doing more than the minimum the Council requested, and it’s because I do actually like you as a person, and want to know you better.”

Kenobi’s head is resting on his shoulder by this point, tired and heavy, and Quinlan reaches up to brush his knuckles against the beard without looking. His blockers are still keeping his scent down, but the contact seems to make Kenobi relax more. His hands are mostly laced together, and falling into the dip between their legs.

“There’s a way I can help, but it’s, ah... not inherently sexual in nature, but generally only done by those whose relationship is already some degree of sexual,” Quinlan tells him. “To make you feel better, less stressed.”

“I’m assuming you’re not suggesting an orgasm,” Kenobi mutters, dry as anything. He laughs when Quinlan puts a hand on his knee.

“Not exactly feeling it,” Quinlan agrees. He squeezes Kenobi’s knee, and then says, “No, it’s mostly scenting in a way that’s usually only done by lovers; it’s more effective, but very intimate in a way many find uncomfortably sexual, because the amount of tongue involved is very reminiscent of foreplay.”

Kenobi laughs, a little harder, and nuzzles a little. He doesn’t seem aware of the fact that he’s doing it. “Alright, then.”

“I’d also suggest moving to one of the nests,” Quinlan says, and Kenobi immediately freezes. He gives it a moment, and then says, “I know you found it helpful after your heat, Kenobi. The nesting instinct is human here. It’s not shameful. There are people who don’t get anything out of it, but I’ve seen you nesting, and it’s good for you.”

Kenobi shudders and Quinlan thinks he might be fighting down a whine. “It’s a change, Quin. I mean, Quinlan. It’s... it’s just another thing out of many that’s different.”

“And one of the few you have control over?” Quinlan guesses. He tries to purr for support when Kenobi nods against his shoulder, and he thinks the deep rumble is soothing to Kenobi. “I get that.”

“Don’t stop,” Kenobi mutters, and Quinlan can guess he’s blushing about it.

“Into the nest,” Quinlan mutters. “It’ll help convince Skywalker to use it, and he really needs that kind of comfort.”

That’s the line of logic that actually works, and Quinlan isn’t the least bit surprised.

“Fine,” Kenobi sighs, and gets to his feet before Quinlan can offer to carry him or something similarly joking. The man walks to the communal nest at the edge of the room, and then looks down into the barely-used mess of blankets and pillows in the floor divot like he doesn’t even know how to get in.

Quinlan thinks there might be dust, even.

Fine. He can work with that. He’s taken this duo on as a project of his own free will, and he’s damn well going to follow through.

“Want to rearrange it?” he asks, in hopes that he can prompt Kenobi into figuring out what’s wrong.

“I don’t... know,” Kenobi says, frowning in a way that’s more worried and uncomfortable than angry. “I don’t know what’s wrong.”

Quinlan considers it, thinks of how the dust means nobody’s been here, that there’s not even a hint of scent, and then turns and grabs the throw pillows and thick, woven blanket from the couch.

“Wait,” Kenobi protests. “They don’t--”

“We can put them back later,” Quinlan assures him. He holds them out to Kenobi. “Trust me? I may not be an omega, but I do know enough of the theory.”

Kenobi takes the pillows and the blanket, stares down at them and then at the nest, and steps out of his slippers and into the nest. The layer already there is thin, and likely not doing much for anyone, but it’s the bare minimum and Quinlan can work with that.

He turns and scouts the room for spare fabrics, grabs all three of the outer robes from where they hang by the door, and the recently-used dishtowel that only barely carries Skywalker’s scent, and brings them to Kenobi.

“The robes aren’t clean!” Kenobi protests.

“I could grab something from your room instead,” Quinlan says. “Or you could just leave the hems on the outside. But you need more fabric that actually smells like someone.”

Quinlan wonders, idly, if Kenobi would have this kind of reaction to the suggestion without omega instincts at play, or if it’s just the instincts and he doesn’t realize, or maybe that he’s decided to let the instincts happen since Quinlan’s pushed him into nesting already anyway. The man had insisted in perfectly pressing his robes from the beginning, long before their bodies had had a chance to change, and Skywalker had found it normal, so it’s probably, at least a little, just the man’s personality. It probably doesn’t matter, overall, because all Quinlan has to do is sit at the edge of the nest until Kenobi--the person who actually lives here--is done arranging things.

Quinlan takes off another two layers and offers them, noting out loud that he can get them back later when Skywalker can fill in the gaps or something before too many protests can be voiced. Kenobi hesitantly takes them and tucks them in among his own additional layers. Quinlan’s seen enough communal nests to know that most of the placements are odd and not going to work out long-term, but that’s not the point right now. The point is getting Kenobi to recognize the his body, and more importantly, his mental health, rely at least somewhat on nesting now.

“Are you going to come in?” Kenobi asks, belatedly realizing Quinlan’s still outside the lip of the flooring divot.

“Not without permission,” Quinlan says, and sees the realization flicker in.

Kenobi holds out a hand, silent, and Quinlan lets himself get tugged in among the half-stale, half-new nest. It’s not great, but that’ll come with practice. He tucks himself around Kenobi, and rubs at the man’s arms in an attempt to ease some of the tension that’s clinging to every line of his body.

“What now?” Kenobi asks, just a shade more quiet than Quinlan thinks is really required by the situation.

“A lot of the stress you’re feeling is a feedback loop from being covered in your own distress scent,” Quinlan says. “You can shower to handle that, which is what Skywalker is doing, or you can manually remove it.”

“I’d imagine a wet towel,” Kenobi says, a touch wry, “but given that you mentioned tongue earlier, I’m guessing you intend to lick it away?”

“It’s more effective,” Quinlan admits. “Not at removing the scent, necessarily, but it removes enough to help while also generating comfort and relaxation hormones from the close contact, and being scented by a trusted individual.”

“Makes sense,” Kenobi admits. “You, ah, use scent blockers usually, right? Can you, er, scent me?”

Quinlan can see just how much Kenobi dislikes using the words. He tries to keep it quick. “I use a cream blocker over my scent glands, namely at the neck and wrists, since the rest are covered in fabric. It’s... well, it can be wiped off, or also removed orally. Most manually-applied blockers are formulated to be safe for contact with the mouth or genitals. Only really gets to be a problem if there are rare allergies or with specific species. It doesn’t taste like anything, if that matters.”

Kenobi’s discomfort is almost palpable, but Quinlan lets him work through that. This isn’t really something he can make a choice for Kenobi about, and the discomfort is... well, it’s not really the kind of discomfort usually associated with ternary sex and associated behaviors. Everything’s just very new, and comes with changes to the body that Kenobi never agreed to.

“Right,” Kenobi says. “I want to... to at least try it, I think.”

He turns and blushes, eyes anywhere by Quinlan’s face. “I don’t know how much longer Anakin will be. I’d rather he not think we’re, er...”

“Then I’ll take care of that part fast,” Quinlan promises, and is rewarded by Kenobi offering a wrist.

It’s... not sexual. Quinlan knows he has a hard time explaining this to near-humans that don’t have the scent glands, that don’t have the ternary dynamics. He’s had a similarly hard time explaining it to Kenobi and Skywalker. It’s not sexual, just intimate, when he pulls Kenobi’s wrist to his face, closes his eyes, and breathes in the scent of a distressed, uncomfortable, bitter omega that he’s shared a heat with and knows as almost-friend. The smell, this close and this strong, triggers the production of pheromones of his own, and when he feels Kenobi tentatively start pressing kisses to Quinlan’s own wrist, he relaxes. He brushes his lips against Kenobi’s wrist, and then puts his open mouth to it, the slightest press of teeth and his tongue laving across the skin. He hears Kenobi’s gasp, an almost-yelp, and pulls away long enough to press a kiss the the veins under his lips, and to say, “Relax, Kenobi.”

He forces a purr out, low and rumbling, and feels it work on Kenobi just like it did earlier. There’s a tongue pulling, a little dry, to rub away the blocker on the inside of his wrist, and he turns his attention back to Kenobi’s. The scent is even stronger on his tongue, bitter and unhappy, and his body continues to produce calm and comfort as he pulls away the uglier feelings painted on Kenobi’s skin.

More pheromones leak under his mouth, but less bitter. Less intense. He does what he can, opens his eyes and turns and sees that Kenobi is unduly focused on his wrist, mouthing and not quite purring, but oddly fuzzy in the Force. His eyes are closed, but Quinlan’s pretty sure they’d be glazed if not.

“Kenobi?”

“Hm?”

“Guess you haven’t encountered this outside of a heat before,” Quinlan mutters. He shakes his arm a bit, and puts his other hand on Kenobi’s shoulder. “Kenobi, hey, look at me?”

Kenobi pulls away, blinking, and then makes a face. “That...”

“Didn’t like losing control?” Quinlan guesses. The answer is clear enough. “It’s a matter of practice, especially for you.”

“Why did I... it smelled and tasted like... like I was safe,” Kenobi mutters lowly, eyes on the nest instead of on Quinlan. “I’ve never associated any sense with safety other than the Force.”

“You trust me,” Quinlan says, as if that’s not a little terrifying in its own way. He already knew that Kenobi trusted him, but he thinks that this strong of a reaction might make him Kenobi’s most trusted person after Skywalker and maybe Tano. “And since you trust me, your body subconsciously takes cues from mine, when it comes to pheromones. I project comfort and safety, and your body takes it as... not fact, but affirmation.”

“So I won’t react to anyone like this,” Kenobi says, not quite begging for Quinlan to confirm, but close to it. “Just you, and... does that same logic apply to those who aren’t Alpha designation?”

“Yeah,” Quinlan says. “Not in the same way, but familiarity and trust does affect which pheromones affect you, and how strongly. Children are largely unresponsive to aggression pheromones from their parents, by default, since their minds process it as aggression in defense of them, rather than aggression at them.”

Kenobi purses his lips, but nods and looks at Quinlan’s other wrist. “Moving on?”

“If you’re okay with it,” Quinlan says, but he brings his cleaned wrist to Kenobi’s and rubs them together until his own comfort scent is covering up what’s left of the distress. “Take a smell at that and see how you feel.”

Kenobi eyes him warily--he’s pretty sure he hasn’t done anything to deserve that, but allows it because, well, Kenobi--and sniffs at his own wrist. His brow furrows in confusion, and he sniffs again.

“Good?” Quinlan hazards.

“I... yeah,” Kenobi says. He sounds as confused as he looks. “I like it. It’s... the safe thing, again, but mixing with me?”

“That’s how it’s supposed to feel,” Quinlan assures him. “Other wrist?”

If he were actually the friend that Kenobi had grown up with, if he’d actually had a Kenobi to grow up with, he thinks he might have thrown in a few joking pet names by now.

But he’s not, and they didn’t, so he won’t.

He thinks he hears Skywalker finish up in the shower, but Kenobi pulls his mouth to the neck, and mutters that they have some time while Skywalker does something to his hair. Apparently, there are products needed for those curls.

The angle’s going to be a little uncomfortable if they try to get at each other’s scent glands simultaneously, so Quinlan suggests that Kenobi handle getting the blocker off first.

“Why?”

“More convenient,” Quinlan says, and then clasps Kenobi’s hands so their wrists rub together. He squeezes, just a little, a touch of reassurance, and smiles and tilts his head. “All yours, Kenobi.”

The man smiles, brittle, and almost giggles. Maybe Quinlan was doing something oddly similar to his counterpart from Kenobi’s dimension. Maybe it was an inside joke he didn’t know. It doesn’t matter, because Kenobi’s leaning in and mouthing along Quinlan’s neck and throat like a man possessed a half-second later.

Quinlan closes his eyes and threads a hand into Kenobi’s hair, focuses on warmth and comfort and protection, rather than anything aroused. Kenobi slows down, lapping at Quinlan’s neck and inhaling, and in the Force he radiates confusion.

“That’s it,” Quinlan mutters, and Kenobi makes a low chirruping noise that he immediately stifles with an annoyed huff. “Hey, no, those are normal. You don’t have to be embarrassed.”

“I want control over my own body, Quin,” Kenobi mutters, and switches to the other side. He rubs his face against Quinlan’s neck, and it’s another point on the list of things Kenobi does that he might not realize are based in newer instincts. “I don’t like something being wrong with me, and not understanding what it is.”

“Nothing is wrong with you,” Quinlan mutters, using the hand in Kenobi’s hair to guide him into actually removing the scent blocker instead of donating a case of beard burn. “Even going as fast as you did just now wasn’t something wrong. Your instincts got a bit confused, that’s all. You’re fine.”

He purrs until Kenobi is done, and gets that chirruping noise again. Kenobi’s still annoyed about it, but Quinlan’s just happy he’s getting less uncomfortable about it.

“Okay, sit up and turn around,” Quinlan says, and Kenobi eyes him again. “Have I steered you wrong yet?”

“No.”

“So trust me,” Quinlan urges. “Just turn around.”

Kenobi does. Quinlan sits up and rearranges his legs so there’s one on either side of Kenobi, half-bent. He pulls the other man closer, blankets folding oddly beneath them, and wraps his arms around Kenobi’s waist.

He breathes for a moment, chin hooked over Kenobi’s shoulder, and asks, “Good?”

“Oddly so, yes,” Kenobi mutters. He might be blushing. “Er, should I... do anything?”

“Hands on mine, if you’d like,” Quinlan tells him. “We can lie back down and spoon after I clean up your left.”

The noise Kenobi makes is low, affronted in a way that speaks to his ongoing embarrassment. Quinlan ignores it, just gets to work taking away as much of Kenobi’s stress scent as he can, mouthing along the man’s neck and managing a purr that isn’t even forced. It rumbles out of him unprompted, his hindbrain piecing together the relaxing omega in his lap and the safety of the Temple and the pride he’s got in doing this right, the knowledge that Kenobi’s happier than he was an hour ago and it’s all Quinlan’s doing.

He rubs his face along Kenobi’s neck as he finishes up, scenting and being scented back, and is gratified when Kenobi starts purring too. The nuzzling is mostly soft, though Quinlan’s stubble is nothing to Kenobi’s beard; the hairs trap Quinlan’s scent where it’ll do the most good. He follows a hint of mischievous intent and tugs at Kenobi’s earlobe with his teeth, earning himself a little whine. He laughs, and licks the curve of Kenobi’s ear, immediately scenting further.

“Anakin’s going to be back soon,” Kenobi says, sounding almost sleep drunk.

Quinlan switches sides and guides them both down to lie, chest to front, in the nest. He works more slowly on the other side, keeps himself propped up on his elbow, forearm slipped neatly under Kenobi’s neck. The scent gland at Quinlan’s wrist rests under Kenobi’s nose, right where it’ll have the most effect. His other hand rubs up and down Kenobi’s side, and by the time Skywalker reenters the room, Quinlan’s done with licking the stress off and rubbing his scent into anything he thinks will help. He’s lying fully on his side instead of having his head propped up, and just doing his best to spread comfort through the room through Force and smell. He maybe nibbles at the back of Kenobi’s neck, here and there, because the man has lothcat response, and

“Guys?”

“Over here, Skywalker.”

The kid--not really a kid, but younger than Aayla, still, so he counts--rounds the couch, and sees them among the added cloaks and pillows and blanket. He stares. Kenobi starts to stiffen back up.

Quinlan increases his purring, and rubs his face against Kenobi’s neck, and glares up at Skywalker for good measure. Kenobi can’t see past Quinlan, probably, and squirms. Skywalker tilts his head, and then puts up a finger in a ‘one moment’ sort of gesture. He runs off.

“Anakin--”

“Kid’s fine,” Quinlan assures him, and Skywalker skids back into the room at unsafe speeds, arms full of what Quinlan’s pretty sure are his own duvet and pillow, and falls face-first into the nest. Kenobi jerks back into Quinlan, but Skywalker ignores this in favor of rearranging the nest into something approaching functional. He’s better at it than Kenobi.

Quinlan’s pretty sure Skywalker was more open to these things from the start. It tracks.

“Now Anakin, really,” Kenobi sputters, as Skywalker finishes layering things in the way he thinks is best. Skywalker beams at him, earlier melancholy forgotten for the moment, and flops down to drop his head somewhere near Kenobi’s chest.

“You haven’t been sleeping,” Skywalker says. “This is good for you.”

Kenobi blushes, and Quinlan scrapes his teeth against the back of his neck again.

“Quinlan!” Kenobi yelps, jolting. “Not--we’re not alone!”

“Helps you calm down, though,” Quinlan says, pressing a few close-mouthed kisses at Kenobi’s hairline.

“Different cultural standards,” Skywalker adds, half-guessing but sure of himself nonetheless. He seems entirely too delighted to be here. “You know what? We should invite Ahsoka.”

“She’s not your padawan here,” Kenobi scolds.

“Yet,” Skywalker corrects. “As soon as I get all my psych evals cleared, the Council’s going to promise. She’s basically my padawan already.”

Kenobi sighs, aggrieved in a manner that feels more fond than actually upset, in the Force, and places a hand lightly on Skywalker’s.

Skywalker chirrups and wriggles closer, pressing his face to Kenobi’s tunic with a smile.

“I see someone’s feeling better,” Kenobi notes, and moves his hand up to play with Skywalker’s hair. “The shower helped?”

“Mm-hm,” Skywalker says. “’nd some of the stuff they made me learn in therapy.”

Kenobi hums low in his throat, an aimless vocalization, as he continues to comb his fingers through Skywalker’s hair.

Skywalker blinks, slow and bleary, with a soft and dopey smile, and Kenobi stops.

“What?”

“I like it when you play with my hair,” Skywalker says, almost too low to hear. His eyes close. “Feels nice. Cared for. Family.”

Kenobi freezes, breath hitching, and Quinlan shifts and lifts just enough to see the man is staring at his own hand in confusion and a slight bit of fear.

“Kenobi?”

“I didn’t even question it,” Kenobi says faintly. “I don’t... I haven’t done that since he was just a child, but I didn’t even question it. I stopped myself from commenting that he’s too old to come to his master for cuddles, because he’s not, in this dimension, and I’m getting used to that, but I started playing with his hair like it was normal and it’s not.”

Quinlan puts his mouth to Kenobi’s trapezius, just enough pressure that he’s not biting, just there, and purrs.

It’s several inches away from anything resembling a mating bite, but Kenobi tilts his head and whines anyway.

“Obi-Wan?” Skywalker prompts, brow furrowed. “It’s not... I mean, I’m not going to say it’s okay, since I know we’re both still upset about our bodies being changed without our permission or input or even a warning, but we’re getting used to it. We’re working with it. The hair thing is fine with me, I like it and would have before. And now that you know you’ll want to do, uh, that sort of thing--”

“Subset of grooming behaviors,” Quinlan tells them, pulling away from Kenobi’s neck with a final open-mouthed kiss. He sees the face Skywalker makes in response to the words, and feels Kenobi’s discomfort, so he elaborates. They’ve compared most of what they hear with tookas and lothwolves, so he thinks he knows what this is about. “We’re not exactly going to start licking each other clean--excluding scent comfort, that’s different--like lothcats, but you’ve already noticed that humans and near-humans are more tactile than you’re used to. Most forms of care, especially of partners and children, ends up physical in some way.”

He gestures between the two of them. “You view Skywalker as family, for all that you shy away from defining it, and so naturally gravitate to care. The easiest way for that to manifest when sharing a nest is usually playing with someone’s hair. Since he’s younger than you, and you’ve spent as much time as you have being the adult in his life...”

Quinlan trails off before he can comment on the question of whether they’re closer to brothers or father-and-son. Kenobi’s already expressed discomfort with that topic, well before they started naturalizing to this dimension. Quinlan’s not going to push for Kenobi to acknowledge Skywalker’s importance to him.

(They’ll have to address it at some point, but that’s a job for the mind healers, not for Quinlan.)

(For all that it’s going to impact and be impacted by their dynamics, that much is definitely not Quinlan’s to handle.)

Kenobi shudders in his arms, but doesn’t shake him off, and doesn’t stop Skywalker from burrowing somehow closer. Quinlan settles back in as Kenobi returns to playing with Skywalker’s hair.

“We really should invite Ahsoka, though.”

“Not tonight, padawan.”

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Additional notes:

I initially wrote “ternary gender,” but found that it didn’t strike true to how I envisioned gender and dynamic playing out among Jedi culture in particular. While the term ‘dynamic’ is used regularly in a more casual setting, Quinlan uses the term “ternary sex” when talking about it in the company of Anakin and Obi-Wan. I view it as a subconscious attempt to keep a clinical view of the ternary sex system present in the omegaverse dimension, in recognition that it’s new and unfamiliar and often unpleasant for Anakin and Obi-Wan, having come from a dimension that doesn’t have ternary sexes or the associated reproductive capabilities, instincts, or cycles.

I’d like to explore how the ideas of sex, gender, dynamic, and so on intersect within the context of this universe, because I think it’s something I’d have a lot of fun working with, but this is not the fic for that.

#Quinlan Vos #Obi Wan Kenobi #Anakin Skywalker #QuinObi #anakin and obi wan #obi wan and anakin #disaster lineage #time travel #dimension hopping #omegaverse #SW Suddenly Omegaverse #past anidala #star wars #the clone wars #nesting #grooming #scenting #we went fully weird with this and I'm not apologizing... much #Phoenix Posts

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theforsakenprince · 4 years

Text

Nightmare’s Lullaby

A/N: So this is what I’ve been working on for the past six months! A huge thank you to @jajathelivingmeme for the artwork they made of my fic which you can find here and @ts-storytime for organizing the event! I had a lot of fun writing this, and I hope you enjoy!

Ao3 link

Masterpost

Words: 31,540

Pairings: Prinxiety

Characters: Roman, Remus, Patton, Logan, Janus, Virgil, Frost (OC)

Warnings: Minor character deaths, blood, knives, cursing, mentions of abuse, fighting, food (let me know if I need to tag anything!)

Summary: Roman had spent his entire life as a prince of the SkyWing tribe, nothing remarkable. He spent his days doing his princely duties and trying to stay in Queen Scarlet’s good graces. When he hears about an assassin killing off members of the other tribe’s royal families, he isn’t too worried. No one from the Sky Kingdom had been killed, and surely the assassin would be caught soon.

He’s proven wrong when the RainWing queen is murdered at a meeting and Remus goes missing. Queen Scarlet tasks him with finding the assassin and putting them down, and he doesn’t want to find out what will happen if he doesn’t.

If Roman were given any choice in the matter, he would most certainly not be sitting next to Queen Scarlet, watching over the arena battles. But since he wasn't given a choice, he found himself doing exactly that on the balcony overlooking the stadium, absolutely miserable.

The smell of dead dragons made his stomach churn. The way the crowd roared for blood made him want to squeeze his eyes shut and clap his talons over his ears. The way his mother, Queen Scarlet, seemed to enjoy the screams of agony made him want to vomit over the side of the balcony where they watched the arena fights.

To put it simply, he was the exact opposite of his brother.

Where Roman was disgusted, Remus was thrilled. Where Roman wanted to gouge his own eyes out, Remus watched with unrestrained glee, which was probably why Remus had become Queen Scarlet’s champion. After a prisoner had won a few fights, Scarlet always sent Remus in. She said that if they could beat him, they could go free.

No dragon had ever beaten Remus.

So when Roman saw his brother was going to fight, he knew it was going to be a short one.

“Welcome to today’s battle!” Prince Vermilion, the announcer, shouted from the center of the arena. “In this corner, we have Horizon of the SandWings!” he swept a wing to the side where Horizon cowered. Horizon was bigger than Remus, but he still looked terrified. Roman could see the SandWing’s legs trembling from his spot next to Scarlet.

“And in the other corner, we have Her Majesty’s champion, Prince Remus of the SkyWings!”

The crowd roared so loudly they shook the stadium. Roman had to suppress a wince. Remus grinned and basked in the crowd’s cheering.

Vermilion spread his wings and started to rise slowly. “Are our battlers prepared? Claws out! Teeth ready! FIGHT!” Vermilion flew over to the balcony and landed beside Roman to watch the battle unfold.

Horizon turned and bolted, then stopped, as if just realizing he was trapped. He whirled around and faced Remus, growling. His barbed tail lashed, sending clouds of sand to stir up around him.

Remus, meanwhile, hadn’t moved a muscle. Horizon, unsure of what to do, swiped a talon at him, but Remus sidestepped easily and twisted, flinging sand into the SandWing’s eyes. Horizon hissed and shook his head to dispel the grit, clawing at his eyes. While he was blinded, Remus lunged forward and shoved him into the ground, but Horizon managed to scramble away. He turned around and raised his poisonous barbed tail like a scorpion, hissing.

Beside Roman, Queen Scarlet yawned. “Get on with it!” she yelled. Remus glanced at her and Horizon pounced, his claws aimed at the champion’s throat.

Remus whipped around, suddenly holding a knife. He stabbed upward with the knife, hitting Horizon in the chest just before he could tear out Remus’ throat. The SandWing crumbled to the ground, coughing and spitting out blood. Horizon was dead within moments. Remus pulled the knife free and wiped it on his frilly sleeves, staining them red.

Vermilion grunted. “Good one.”

As the guards rushed to clean up the mess, Remus flew up to the balcony, grinning. “Did you see how fast I did that?” he said, catching up to Roman as he started to walk back to their chambers. “That was too easy. The criminals are slacking.”

Roman smirked. “Or maybe you’re just really good at your job. Where did you hide that knife anyway?”

“I hid it up my-”

“You know what, I don’t want to know.”

“-sleeve. I was going to say sleeve.”

“Right. I knew that.”

Roman stepped into the room he and Remus shared. A black line divided the room in half, with Roman’s side being mostly red and white and Remus’s mostly green and black. Despite the palace having more rooms than Queen Scarlet could ever use, Roman insisted on sharing a room with Remus. It just felt… right.

Remus moved to his half of the room, placing his knife on the wall where an assortment of weapons hung. He started to rearrange his weapons in an order Roman could never figure out. As far as he knew, there was no rhyme or reason to it.

“Did you hear the news?”

Roman was busy dusting off his cloak and wrapping it around his shoulders, studying himself in his floor to ceiling mirror. “What news?”

He could feel Remus’s eyes on his back. “You seriously don’t know?”

Roman narrowed his eyes. “What is it?”

Remus shrugged and turned back to his wall of weapons. “King Gill of the SeaWings has been assassinated.”

Roman sighed. “So soon after the RainWings lost Princess Toucan. When was that, a week ago?”

Remus didn’t reply.

He looked over his shoulder, concerned. “Remus?”

For a second, he thought Remus looked… worried? But then the moment passed and the grin was back.

“Yep! That was just a week ago. Time flies when royalty’s getting murdered!”

“Indeed,” Roman murmured as he finally did the clasp for his cloak. Suddenly, something occurred to him. He stepped over the line that divided the room in half. “How did you know Gill was murdered? Of course,” he answered himself. “You’re Remus.”

“That I am, brother,”

Just then, a SkyWing burst into the room, panting hard. Roman widened his eyes and moved forward to catch her as she listed to the side.

“Th-thank you,” she said after she got her breathing under control. “Queen Scarlet wishes to see you both in her throne room, Your Highnesses.” she bowed deeply to both of them before swiftly leaving the room.

He glanced at Remus nervously. Being summoned by the queen in the Sky Kingdom was never good. “Do you know what she wants?”

“Why would I know?”

“I don’t know! You just seem to know everything that happens around here!”

Remus pondered that for a moment. “Fair enough.”

“...Do you want to go see what she wants?”

“That would be great.”

“There you are! You took your time.” Queen Scarlet’s voice had an unnatural cheer to it, as if the slightest inconvenience would send her on a murder spree (that had happened once. Roman had been horrified.)

Roman bowed deeply. “We apologize for being late, Your Majesty.” he could feel her gaze searing into his head. He resolutely kept his eyes on the ground and his expression blank. He didn’t dare move a muscle.

Remus crouched beside him. “Suck up,” he hissed, too quietly for Queen Scarlet to hear.

He wanted to protest, to say that no, he was not a suck up, but Scarlet was looking at them exasperatedly, and he valued his life, thank you very much.

“Oh, you can get up,” she said when neither of them moved for a few moments. “I have a very important job for you.”

Roman got up slowly, eyeing her warily, and nudged Remus, prompting him to do the same. “What you may not know is that King Gill of the SeaWings has been murdered,” Queen Scarlet said, far too casually for the topic she was discussing. “The other queens are setting up a meeting at the SandWing stronghold to discuss what to do next and all that. You two are going to represent the SkyWings! Isn’t that thrilling? You should go to your room to prepare, you leave first thing tomorrow.”

Roman nodded and dipped his head. “We’ll get packed right away Your Majesty.” he wondered why she wasn’t going herself, but from the way she was looking at them, he wasn’t sure he wanted to ask.

“You better. Oh, and Roman?” she said, making him stop and turn around to face her.

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

“Don’t disappoint me.”

Roman shouldered his pack as he waited for the guards to join them at the front of the palace. He and Remus had finished packing ages ago, and he was just about to lose his mind. He was still pondering what Queen Scarlet had said to him before.

Don’t disappoint me. What did that mean? He didn’t want to think about what would happen if he did disappoint her, whatever that meant.

“Didn’t Queen Scarlet say she would talonpick the guard herself?” Remus said irritably, flinging rocks off the edge of the palace and watching them skitter down the mountain. “So what’s taking her so damn long?”

“Shush!” Roman hissed, looking around to see if anyone heard. “You never know who’s listening. However,” he added in a hushed tone, leaning toward Remus, “I agree wholeheartedly.”

“Prince Roman,” a voice from behind him said.

He immediately straightened his posture and whirled around to face the speaker.

He found himself face to face with his sister, Princess Ruby. She had a wing of six SkyWings at her side, all who were much bigger and more threatening than him. Ruby flicked her tail and the guards formed a line behind her.

“Prince Remus,” she acknowledged his twin with a dip of her head before turning back to Roman. “We’re ready to depart whenever you are.”

Roman nodded and turned toward the horizon. “Let’s go while there’s still daylight left. We have a long journey ahead of us.”

Six days and far too many complaints of aching wings later, the SandWing stronghold was finally within sight.

They touched down on the burning sand. Roman checked to make sure everyone was still following him, then made his way to the palace.

Remus walked alongside him. “I hope a fight breaks out. Remember last time? Now that was entertainment! I don’t think I’ve seen Ruby so angry before!”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that this time,” Ruby said from behind them. “As long as Queen Thorn doesn’t make passive aggressive comments and Prince Nightstalker has learned to hold his tongue-”

“-And none of us wound Queen Glacier’s pride.” Roman added.

“And Queen Coral doesn’t take every comment as an insult toward the SeaWing royal family,” Remus piped up.

Ruby sighed. “This is going to be a disaster.”

Roman tilted his golden wings to catch the sunlight. “Well, let’s try to be as diplomatic as dragonly possible, shall we?”

Princess Ruby offered him a small, rare smile. “You simply ask for the impossible, brother.” The three chuckled as they approached the heavy, iron doors of the stronghold.

The two SandWing guards that stood at the entrance of the stronghold raised their spears at the approaching SkyWings threateningly. “Your names and titles.”

“Prince Roman of the SkyWings.”

“Prince and Champion Remus of the SkyWings.”

“Princess and General Ruby of the SkyWings.”

The SandWing guards shared a glance, probably wondering why Queen Scarlet was not present. Roman picked at the flap of his satchel and prayed that they wouldn’t mention it.

Fortunately, the guards pulled the heavy doors open without questioning them. They began to accompany the SkyWings down a long hallway lined with torches as Ruby ordered the SkyWing guard to stay outside. They were eventually led into a large room made of sandstone. A circular table took up a majority of the room. As they entered the room, Roman’s eyes were drawn to the large, black box that sat in the corner. A strange hissing sound emanated from the box, and he wondered what was in it.

His attention was drawn back to the table as more dragons arrived. Despite living a great distance away from the sand kingdom, they were the second to arrive, beaten only by the RainWings.

“You’re Prince Roman, aren’t you?”

He whirled around. In front of him stood a peculiar looking RainWing. His scales were blue and black, a strange color combination for a RainWing to choose. Glasses sat upon his triangular face, and spikes ran down his neck and ended on the tip of his tail.

“You would be correct in assuming that I am Prince Roman,” he said, quickly regaining his wits. He looked closely at the shorter dragon. “I can’t say that I’ve seen you around before. What’s your name?”

The RainWing adjusted his glasses. “My name is Logan, advisor to Queen Grandeur.”

“Advisor? I didn’t think advisors were… important enough to be present here.”

Logan frowned, but ignored his comment. “Anyway, I approached you to inquire about Queen Scarlet’s absence.”

Roman opened his mouth, but had no idea what he was supposed to say. She was busy? Had other matters to attend to? Now Logan was staring at him expectantly and he still hadn’t come up with an excuse and oh moons he was going to disappoint all his SkyWing ancestors-

He was saved from eternal embarrassment by a roar for a silence. The meeting was about to begin.

Roman gave Logan an awkward smile and quickly took his seat between Remus and Ruby, near the corner where the black box sat. He turned his attention towards the head of the table, where Queen Thorn looked uncomfortable sitting on an elaborate throne. Beside her was her NightWing-SandWing hybrid daughter, Princess Sunny. She was a small, golden yellow dragon that looked entirely out of place in the midst of all the royals.

Next to Sunny was the NightWing queen, Queen Voidwalker and her son, Prince Nightstalker. Voidwalker was gazing regally around the table, and with a jolt Roman remembered that she could read minds as well as see the future. He ducked his head as her gaze landed on him. On Voidwalker’s other side was Queen Glacier of the IceWings. She looked miserable in the heat, and was constantly fanning herself with her wings. Her guards sat behind her, still as statues.

Queen Moorhen of the Mudwings sat next to the IceWing. Like Glacier, she hadn’t brought anyone else from the royal family. Her guards were nowhere to be seen. Queen Coral and her daughter, Princess Tsunami, sat next to Remus. Both of the SeaWings were drowning in pearls and other jewelry (it was quiet overkill, in Roman’s humble opinion)

Lastly, on Ruby’s side sat Queen Grandeur of the RainWings and her advisor, Logan. The queen’s scales were a brilliant shade of purple, though they were slowly starting to shift towards green. Logan’s scales were still the same blue and black.

“Let’s get started, shall we?” Queen Thorn announced, effectively ending any remaining conversations. She cleared her throat. “We are gathered here today-”

“Oh, skip all the boring stuff, we know why we’re here,” Remus interrupted. Roman elbowed him hard beneath the table. Remus discreetly stuck his tongue out at him.

“Prince Remus is correct,” Queen Voidwalker said, to Roman’s surprise. “every second we spend in inaction is a second given to the assassin. Lives are at stake.”

Princess Tsunami nodded. “They have already taken Princess Toucan of the RainWings and Lady Crane of the MudWings.” she paused, her claws digging into the table. “And my father, King Gill of the SeaWings.”

The table was silent for a moment.

Queen Glacier broke the silence. “Is there a pattern to these murders?”

Logan replied, “Not any pattern that makes sense. The assassin’s first victim was Princess Toucan. However, they left the queen and her granddaughter alone, which of course we’re all grateful for, but doesn’t make sense if the assassin’s goal is to kill the royal families. Next, the assassin went to the Mud Kingdom and killed Lady Crane. What puzzles me is after visiting the Mud Kingdom, the killer flies all the way back to the Sea Kingdom with no reported sightings in between.” Logan took a deep breath. “The only pattern I can find is the victims are all from different tribes.”

“Who’s doing this?” Princess Sunny asked nervously. Roman didn’t miss the way her voice shook.

“I think the real question is who’s going to be next?” Voidwalker growled, clenching her fists. “The killer’s murders seem to be random, so we cannot rely on a pattern.”

“If I may add something,” Roman cut in. “I think it is important to note that no queens have been killed.”

“Yet,” Queen Coral said in the high, paranoid voice of hers. “They have already taken my king. It’s safe to assume that no one in the royal family-or anyone, for that matter- is safe from this killer.”

“So the most we can do is keep an eye on our families?” Queen Grandeur demanded, flaring the ruff on her neck. “That doesn’t sound like much of a solution, I’m afraid.”

“Actually,” Queen Thorn said, drawing everyone’s attention to her. “this brings me to the reason I called you all here.”

This piqued the interest of the royals. Roman raised a brow, prompting her to continue.

“I propose a continent wide dragon hunt.” Queen Thorn continued. “My hope is that we find and apprehend the assassin quickly and we can put this all behind us.”

Silence filled the room as the royals contemplated this.

“It’s preposterous,” Prince Nightstalker said after a moment despite Queen Voidwalker shooting him a glare. “We need our armies at our palaces to defend the royal family. We shouldn’t spread our forces too thin.”

“On the contrary,” said Queen Moorhen, lifting her large, flat head. “If we combine our forces, finding the killer won’t be a problem. They can’t hide from all the seven tribes. Not for long, at least.”

As the room dissolved into arguing and shouts, the hissing from the black box only grew louder. Roman flinched as Ruby stretched her long neck and added her roaring to the noise. He resisted the urge to cover his ears and settled for digging his claws into the wooden table and gritting his teeth, praying to the moons that the yelling would stop.

A bloodcurdling scream was what finally silenced the noise.

A viper the size of Roman’s entire body had latched onto Queen Grandeur’s throat.

At first, stunned silence. Then, Logan stumbled back, eyes wide with fear, followed by ear splitting shrieks.

All the dragons ran for the hallway, pushing and shoving anyone in their way. Roman was thrown to the ground by an IceWing guard. He clutched his bag close to his chest as his heart pounded and he staggered to his feet, looking around wildly for Remus and Ruby. They were nowhere in sight.

“Remus!” he roared, pushing through the crowd of panicked royals and guards. “REMUS!”

He was slowly being pushed toward the hallway when he suddenly tripped. He hissed as someone stepped on his claws. Roman craned his neck to see what he tripped on and stifled a scream.

The empty, sightless eyes of Queen Grandeur stared back at him, the dead snake coiled around her neck. He shuddered and got to his feet.

“Prince Roman?” a voice from behind him called out.

“Not right now, I need to find my brother and make sure he’s okay-”

“Prince Roman.”

He turned around. Logan was crouched over Grandeur’s body in the now empty meeting room. He had tossed the snake’s body to the side and was currently trying to heave the body up.

“I... may... require some assistance,” Logan said with a huff, letting the body fall to the floor.

Roman blinked, setting aside his internal panic. “Of- of course.” He slung the queen’s body across his back, grunting with the effort. She was much heavier than she looked.

The two walked side by side down the hallway, Logan muttering under his breath while Roman looked for any signs of Remus and Ruby. He was really starting to worry and almost regretted helping the RainWing instead of looking for his tribemates.

“Dragonbite viper,” Logan said as they exited the palace.

“Sorry?” Roman said absently, his gaze sweeping across the empty desert.

“That snake was called a dragonbite viper. The only snake on the continent that can kill a dragon with a single bite.”

“Oh.” was all Roman said.

They continued across the sand, the sun’s heat beating onto Roman’s scales, yet he refused to rest. He was afraid that if he stopped walking, he would give in to the panic and not be able to get up again.

“This was most certainly the assassin’s doing,” Logan said matter-of-factly. “It’s too deliberate to be a coincidence.” Roman was too tired to reply.

After what felt like an eternity of walking, they came across an oasis. Roman set down the body onto the sand and rubbed his aching shoulders. It was fully dark. Two full moons hung in the sky, the third barely visible behind the clouds.

“What are you going to do now?” he asked softly. He wasn’t sure if he was asking Logan or himself.

“Go back to the rainforest, firstly.” Logan answered. “Then hunt down the assassin. They are not getting away with this.”

Privately, Roman thought the tiny RainWing was biting off more than he could chew, but he kept that thought to himself.

“Logan!” a voice from above called. Roman tensed, then relaxed when he realized the voice belonged to a RainWing.

Logan squinted at the sky. “Is that… Emile?”

Emile landed and immediately ran towards his friend. “We searched everywhere for hours! We thought you were dead!” His scales turned from camouflage to a radiant yellow.

“Well, as you can see, I am alive and well. But the queen…”

Emile’s scales turned a desolate grey and his smile melted. “So the rumors are true?”

Logan nodded in affirmation, and the two RainWings lowered their heads. Roman stood awkwardly to the side, desperately wanting to leave to search for his companions, but not wanting to interrupt them.

After a moment of silence, Emile lifted his head. “I have a message for you. Prin- Queen Glory wants you to stay away from the rainforest until the assassin is caught.”

Logan furrowed his brows. “Did she say why?”

Emile shook his head. “She wouldn’t give any more details. I think she’s afraid the killer will target you because you witnessed the murder.”

Logan shuddered. “Understood.”

“Oh! Before I forget!” Emile said. “Um, you’re Prince Roman, right?”

He nodded.

“Queen Scarlet had a message for you.”

Roman widened his eyes. “Really? What did she say?”

He fidgeted with his claws nervously. “She- she said that you are tasked with finding the assassin,” he looked up apologetically. “and you can’t go back to the Sky Kingdom until you do so.”

Roman opened his mouth, then closed it, searching for the right words. Why would Queen Scarlet choose him? He was hardly qualified to find a killer. His skills mostly consisted of storytelling and painting. Remus was the one who was good at fighting. Does she want to get rid of me that badly?

He finally settled for “Thank you, er… Emile, was it? I’ll try my best.” If I don’t die first.

Emile coughed uncomfortably. “Well, I’ll take Grandeur and be on my way, I guess.” he heaved Grandeur onto his shoulders and crouched to leap in the air.

“Wait!” Roman said, a question on the tip of his tongue. “Have you seen my siblings, Remus and Ruby?”

Emile brightened. “Actually, I have seen Ruby on her way to the Sky Palace, though I have not seen Remus. I’m sorry.”

“Oh, there’s no need to apologize!” on the outside he was smiling, but a fresh wave of worry threatened to overwhelm him. Was his brother okay? Where did he go? And more importantly, how in the world was he supposed to find an assassin?

As Emile left with the queen and his squadron of RainWings, Logan’s frill fluttered nervously. “Seeing as I’m unable to return to the rain kingdom, I could perhaps… assist you in your search?”

That stirred Roman out of his thoughts. “Really? You?”

Logan shot him a glare. “Yes, me. It might surprise you, but I am not entirely useless.”

Roman scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed. “Sorry, I didn’t mean that. It’s just…” he wasn’t sure how to describe whatever it was that he was feeling, but thankfully, Logan seemed to understand.

“It’s quite alright,” he said. He began to make preparations for the night, making indentations in the sand for them to sleep in. Roman had a feeling that the strange RainWing would find a way to follow him, whether or not he refused his companionship.

“I’ll stay awake to keep watch for threats,” Roman said.

Logan yawned. “Wake me when you begin to feel tired. A sleeping guard won’t do anybody any good.” his eyes were already closing, and within moments, Logan was asleep.

For a while, Roman paced back and forth, too energized to sit still. Twice he almost stepped on a scorpion. He lost count of how many times he heard wingbeats and looked up hopefully, only for it to be a bat or some other desert dwelling creature.

He was about to wake Logan for the next shift when he heard a snap.Suddenly alert, Roman headed toward the noise.

He could barely make out the silhouette of a dragon on the other side of the oasis, drinking from the small pond. Roman crouched down and snuck along the perimeter of the pond, trying not to make a sound. As he crept closer, he realized the dragon was an IceWing. Spikes sprouted from the IceWing’s neck and went down their back. The dragon’s ice colored scales caught the light of the moons, causing them to glisten.

What if this is the assassin? He thought. Am I skilled enough to fight them?

Despite his hammering heart and every rational thought screaming at him to wake Logan and run, he snarled and pounced, landing squarely on the IceWing’s back.

The IceWing roared and threw him off. Sand filled his nose and mouth and he coughed. She was on him in an instant, pinning him to the ground. The IceWing’s claws dug into his shoulders, drawing blood.

Roman twisted his neck around and sank his teeth into her arm. She roared in pain and tried to wrench her arm free from his grip, but he didn’t let go, even when the sharp taste of blood reached his tongue.

The IceWing finally managed to get free of Roman and stumbled back, giving him enough time to get back on his feet. He crouched in a defensive stance, but the expression on the IceWing’s face stopped him from attacking.

“Wait… are you Prince Roman?” she asked, squinting. Dark blue blood dripped from the bite in her arm.

“That is the third time I’ve been asked that question today,” he said, feeling irritated. “You’d think they’d recognize me! I don’t even look like most SkyWings anyway!”

The IceWing gave him a tired look. “Is that a yes?”

“...yes.”

“Then why did you attack me?” Roman flinched at the sudden outburst. “Aren’t you supposed to be brave and honorable or something?”

“Wait, the other tribes really say that about me?” he asked delightedly, rising from his defensive crouch.

“Stop changing the subject.”

“Right,” he grumbled. “Sorry for attacking you. Although, one can’t be too careful in these times.”

The IceWing raised a brow. “Do I really look like an assassin?”

“You did leave these nasty scratches in my shoulders,” Roman whimpered. “I think I might be dying!”

The IceWIng rolled her eyes. “As long as it doesn’t get infected, you’ll be fine. If anyone should be worried, it’s me.” she inspected the gash in her arm. “You left a pretty deep bite in there.”

“Oh, er, sorry about that.”Roman squinted at the IceWing. “Wait, I know you. You’re Frost, aren’t you? First circle IceWing? Youngest member of the royal guard at six years old?”

Frost blinked at him. “Uh, yeah, that’s me.”

“Well, Frost, where is your queen? And the rest of the guard? Perhaps I could accompany you-”

“No!” Frost said quickly, her eyes widening. “I mean.” she regained her composure. “I can find my way back on my own.”

Roman blinked at her. “Are you sure? It wouldn’t be any trouble-”

“I’m fine,” she said firmly.

“Well, at least stay with us for the night. No one should be wandering the desert alone. Especially when it’s dark.”

Frost avoided his gaze while she contemplated his offer. Finally, she said, “Alright. But only for tonight. In the morning, I’m leaving.”

He nodded. “That’s fair. Now come and get some rest. You look exhausted.”

He led her to the empty spot next to Logan. It took some time to convince her that no, he was not going to kill her in her sleep and yes, she was completely safe here.

As Frost finally fell asleep, Roman realized how tired he was. He briefly considered waking Logan, but decided not to. Perhaps a part of him still clung to a small, foolish hope that Remus would show up, laugh Roman’s worries away, and they could go hunt the assassin down together.

No such hope arrived.

As Roman watched the horizon steadily turn brighter, he wondered what his brother was doing now, and if he was even alive.

“Roman, who is that?”

Roman jerked awake, blinking in bewilderment. The sun had fully risen and was slowly making its way across the sky.

“What?” he asked groggily when he finally registered Logan’s question.

The RainWing sighed and pointed at Frost, who was still asleep. “Who is that IceWing? I almost spat my venom at her.”

Roman blinked the last of the sleep away. “Oh, Frost? She was one of the IceWing guards that came with Queen Glacier. I told her she could stay at the oasis for the night.”

Logan sat back on his hind legs and rubbed his forehead. “This kind of… politeness… will only bring about more trouble. There is a murderer on the loose, remember?”

Roman frowned. “Just because there’s a killer out there doesn’t mean we have to stop being nice to strangers.”

“Those words are going to be written on my tombstone, aren’t they?”

“What’re you two yapping on about?” Frost said from behind them, sounding irritated. She stretched each leg one at a time before climbing the sand dune to join them.

Logan sighed. “Nothing of importance. Isn’t it about time you were on your way, Frost?”

Frost rubbed the back of her neck. “Yeah, I gotta fly over the entire rainforest today. That’s gonna be fun.”

Roman narrowed his eyes. “Isn’t the Ice kingdom in the opposite direction of the rainforest?”

Frost froze, looking trapped. “Well, um, Queen Glacier said that she wanted to speak with the Queen of the RainWings before going back to the Ice Kingdom?”

Before Roman could even blink, Logan was on the IceWing’s back, his fangs aimed at her throat. “She’s lying, Roman,” he said quickly. “She’s the assassin. She was probably on her way to the MudWings or SeaWings, if I had to guess.”

“Wait!” Frost exclaimed, struggling to stand under Logan’s weight. “I swear by my mother’s grave that I’m not the assassin. I have an explanation for this.” Logan hesitated and glanced at Roman, unsure. Roman nodded slightly and Logan sighed, getting off of Frost.

“Fine. You may explain, but one wrong move and I give you a face full of venom.”

Frost growled softly. “I didn’t get separated from my tribe, I ran away. And I don’t plan on going back either.” she glared at both of them. “That good enough for you?”

They were both silent for a few moments.

Logan stared at her, shocked. “You would abandon your tribe? After all they’ve done for you?”

“They didn’t do shit for me.” she snarled, lashing her tail. “You haven’t lived with the IceWings. Maybe your tribe actually cares about its dragons, but mine didn’t. You don’t know anything.”

Logan shook his head, bewildered. “I don’t understand.”

But Roman did understand, sort of. He understood the feeling of wanting to leave your tribe because they’ve hurt you, and how could they possibly be your tribe if they’ve hurt you? How were they supposed to be your family if they cared so little for you?

Roman stepped forward. “I may not understand exactly why you left, but I understand that you’re not here to hurt anyone.”

Frost stared at him suspiciously. “So you’re letting me go? Just like that?”

“Hold on,” Logan said, eyeing the IceWing warily. “I think we’re being a little hasty. I don’t think we should let her go just yet.”

Roman turned to him. “So what do you suppose we do?”

“Simple. We take her with us. If she is the assassin, then you,” he nodded at Roman. “have completed your task and you can go back to the Sky Kingdom. If she isn’t, then she’ll help us find the actual assassin.” he turned to Frost. “Isn’t that right?”

Frost was silent for a moment, seeming to realize that she was trapped. “Fine. It’s not like I have anything better to do. But after all this is over, I am owed an apology.”

Logan ignored her last statement and turned to him. “What should our next course of action be? I am reluctant to admit this, but,” he added in a low voice. “I don’t have a single clue where we should start. I’ve thought about it, trying to find a pattern or a lead or something, but I have had no luck.”

Roman thought back to the meeting and the moment the Dragonbite viper appeared. “You know, back in the meeting room, there was a black box in one of the corners. I’m sure I heard hissing noises coming from it.”

Logan tilted his head thoughtfully. “So you think we should go back to the SandWing Stronghold and investigate this black box?”

“Yep!” he wiggled his tail happily. “Oooh, I feel like a real detective!”

Logan sighed and muttered something along the lines of, “I am surrounded by idiots.”

“So that’s your big plan?” Frost cut in. “What about after that? The assassin could be anywhere.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” Roman said, turning in the direction of the stronghold. “For now, we’ve got a SandWing Queen to visit.”

“What’s even the point of coming back here?” Frost complained, using her wings to shield herself from the sun. “I don’t think Thorn will have any information. Grandeur was killed by a snake. And are you sure that snake was planted by the assassin? Maybe Thorn just had a Dragonbite Viper that unfortunately got loose.”

Logan frowned. “Why would Thorn keep a Dragonbite Viper, of all snakes?”

Frost shrugged. “I don’t know, SandWings are weird.”

Roman gritted his teeth. “Why would she keep the snake in the meeting room, of all places? No, it was too deliberate to be a coincidence. We have to ask her where that black box came from.”

Frost sighed. “You keep mentioning this… black box, but are you sure you didn’t imagine it? I didn’t see it.”

“It was shoved in a corner. Lots of dragons didn’t see it.”

“Whatever you say, Your Highness.” she said mockingly.

Roman suppressed a sigh and kept walking. The past day they had been trekking back to the stronghold, enduring the brutal heat of the desert. Frost, as the only IceWing, had it the worst, but Roman was surprised that she didn’t complain (much). But even if she didn’t complain, however, she did find great joy in finding everything wrong with every sentence that came out of his mouth, and that was starting to get on his nerves.

“We’re here!” Logan shouted from the top of the next sand dune. After making sure they were following, he started down the other side of the dune. Roman struggled up the side of the dune and sat down at the top with a huff. Frost settled beside him, wiping sweat from her brow but otherwise looking unbothered.

Logan was already walking towards the Stronghold and Roman scrambled down the mountain of sand. Frost glided down gracefully and landed beside him, smirking.

Show off, Roman thought to himself.

Up ahead, Logan was already talking to the SandWing guards in front of the palace.

“-so we need to see the queen,” Logan was saying to the guards. “And quickly, if possible.”

Roman walked up to them while Frost hung back. “It is of the utmost importance.”

The guards glanced at each other, uncertain. Then, the guard on the right nodded and opened the door.

“Fine, but make it quick.” She turned to Frost. “And the IceWing stays here.”

“What? Why?” Frost asked, eyes wide.

“You say you’re here on royal business? Well, you’re not royalty.” she nodded at her partner. “Keep an eye on her.”

Frost opened her mouth to protest, but was stopped by a glare from Logan. She clamped her jaw shut and sat down angrily.

As they were escorted into the stronghold, Roman leaned down and whispered, “How much did you tell them?”

Logan kept his gaze forward. “Enough to get us an audience with Queen Thorn.”

Roman drew back, uneasy. He wasn’t sure he wanted all of Pyrrhia to know he had been sent on a fool’s quest. Nevertheless, he kept his chin up, his back straight, and his eyes forward.

They were led through long hallways and winding tunnels, so many that Roman wondered how anyone could possibly navigate it. Eventually, they arrived at a courtyard. Tents were scattered around it, seemingly at random. The SandWing guard beckoned them toward the tent in the middle, calling out to whoever was in it.

“Come in,” called a voice from inside, presumably Thorn. Roman and Logan shared a look before crouching through the front flap.

Pillows lined the inside of the tent. Queen Thorn, Princess Sunny, and other dragons Roman didn’t recognize were sitting around it, engrossed in their own conversations. He counted at least five dragons before Thorn started to speak.

“Prince Roman? I must say, I’m curious to see why you’ve come.” Thorn waved the guard away before giving Roman her full attention.

“Well,” Roman started. “We are here to inquire about Queen Grandeur’s… assassination.” He could feel the stare of several sets of eyes on him, but he kept his gaze on Thorn’s, waiting for a reply.

“Sunny,” Thorn said, standing up. “Stay here and continue with things until I return.”

Sunny looked up at her mother. “But-” she was silenced by Thorn’s stern stare.

Thorn swept past them and beckoned for them to follow her. Roman and Logan followed the Queen back into the palace, entering the first empty room they came across.

Thorn spun around to face them. “Let’s get down to business.” she looked at them, narrowing her eyes. “Why do you want to ask about Grandeur’s… death? If you’re thinking about going after the assassin, I can’t help you.”

“That’s alright, Your Majesty.” Roman said, dipping his head. “All I ask is that you tell us where you acquired the black box that was in the meeting room on that day.”

“What black-Oh.” Thorn’s eyes widened in realization. She pushed past them, beckoning them to follow.

“While I can’t tell you where it came from, I can take you to see it.” She led them through brightly lit passages, a few that were somewhat familiar to him from his previous visits.

Logan frowned thoughtfully. “If I may ask, why can’t you tell us where it came from? It must have come from somewhere.”

Thorn pushed open the door that led to the meeting room. “It just… appeared one day, and I wasn’t notified about it until after the meeting.” she made her way to the other side of the room toward the box, chuckling. “I’m afraid my Outclaws are too used to dealing with problems on their own.”

No one told the queen? What kind of guards are they? He quickly dismissed the thought. It wasn’t his problem if the guards here were unreliable.

Roman leaned closer to the box, inspecting it. It was black, with seven clasps on it, five on the front and one on either side. Thirteen diamond shaped pieces of silver lined the edge of the top of the box, with a single red gem embedded in the center. It was a very beautiful box, and Roman took note of its fine craftsmanship.

Roman cautiously opened the box, almost expecting another snake to jump out of it, but fortunately, it was empty. The inside of the box was bare except for the tiny snake scales that were scattered around the interior. He suppressed a shudder, then felt silly for being scared. The snake was dead, after all.

Logan stared at the box with wide eyes, adjusting his glasses. “You say it just appeared here? Has anyone tried moving it out of this room?”

Thorn nodded. “I was told that someone attempted to, but it would always appear here, no matter where they put it.”

“Do you think someone was moving it? Someone that was in the palace?” Logan asked.

“If you’re suggesting that one of my SandWings is the assassin,” Thorn said. “It’s impossible. Every single SandWings is and has been accounted for. No one had the opportunity to fly across the continent without anyone noticing.”

“Maybe no one here is the assassin, but someone could be helping them. There could be multiple assassins, for all we know,” Logan said, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

Thorn patted Logan on the shoulder. “Let’s not jump to any conclusions. Though I will keep a careful eye out for any traitors.”

Roman sighed. “So that’s it? We’ve hit a dead end?” the box was their only hope. If it didn’t lead anywhere…

“Actually, there is someone you can go talk to,” Thorn said. “I’m hesitant to tell you this, but there’s a dragon that lives on one of the islands in the Bay of a Thousand Scales. This dragon can see the future, like a NightWing, but he’s more likely to help you than Queen Voidwalker is. She hasn’t been very kind to visitors lately.”

Roman frowned. “So we’re looking for a NightWing?”

Thorn smiled. “Not exactly. You’ll see.” she headed out of the room. “I might have a map somewhere that leads to his exact location…”

Roman hesitated as she left the room. “How do you think she knows about this… seer?”

Logan shrugged. “She lived in the Scorpion Den for most of her life, remember? She most likely knows about many of Pyrrhia’s… special dragons.”

“Oh, right.” Roman replied. He vaguely remembered reading something about that in one of his classes he had as a dragonet.

As they followed Thorn down the hall, Roman wondered if they were headed toward another dead end.

“Do you recall what Thorn said? About the box moving on its own?”

“Hmm?” Roman replied. They had been flying over the desert for hours, and the rainforest was just within sight. He was so tired he felt like he could fall asleep up here in the air.

“What?” Frost shrieked from behind them. “A teleporting box? Why does no one tell me these things?”

Logan ignored her. “I don’t think a dragon was moving it.

Roman twisted around to look at him. “Then what do you think it is?”

Logan’s eyes were down, watching the ground pass by them as they flew over it. “I think… I think it might be animus magic.”

“Animus magic? Like from the stories?” Roman vividly recalled reading a scroll about the wonders and dangers of animus magic. It was said that animus dragons could do anything they wanted, the only boundaries being their imaginations. The price of such power, however, was their souls. With each spell they cast, a part of their soul would be lost. Eventually, their soul would deteriorate until they went insane.

Roman had never liked those stories.

Logan nodded. “I know it sounds unreasonable, but it is a possibility that we cannot overlook.”

“So you think the assassin is an animus dragon?” Frost asked. It was only there for a second, but for a moment, Frost looked… terrified. The moment passed, however and the scowl was back on her face.

“It is the only explanation that makes sense,” Logan said, “How else could the assassin move across the continent without being spotted? How else could they kill without leaving a trace?”

No one had a reply to that. Roman tugged on the edge of his sash nervously, feeling sick. If he had to kill an animus, he might as well go back to the Sky Kingdom and face Queen Scarlet’s wrath. Then, at least his death would entertain someone.

But he knew Logan- and maybe even Frost- would keep searching, and though he wouldn’t admit it, he had grown fond of the strange RainWing, and he knew he would always feel a lingering guilt if anything happened to the snarky IceWing.

They flew on in silence, save for the occasional sigh or muttering. Just as Roman felt like he was about to drop out of the sky, Logan called for a rest. They had just made it to the edge of the rainforest, and the cool shade was a welcome change from the unbearable heat of the desert. The sun was about to set, washing everything in a purple and blue glow.

“I’ll take first watch,” Frost said as soon as they found a suitable clearing to sleep in. Trees and other foliage surrounded it, and a small lake occupied a corner. “I’m not that tired anyway.”

“Absolutely not,” Logan snapped. “I’ll take the first watch. Seeing as I am familiar with the rainforest already, I believe I am better suited to look out for potential dangers.”

Frost snorted. “That’s rich, especially because you’re not even-”

Logan shot her a death glare, effectively silencing her. Roman looked at both of them in confusion. “Not even what? Am I missing something?” he wasn’t sure what Frost was going to say, but judging by Logan’s reaction, it was probably offensive.

Logan looked at him in surprise, “You… mean you don’t know?”

He tilted his head. “Don’t know what?”

Frost stifled a snicker. “Well, isn’t this awkward.”

Logan growled at her, but returned his gaze to Roman’s. “I thought- I thought everybody knew.”

Roman looked at the ground, embarrassed. “Well, SkyWing dragonets-especially royalty-aren’t really taught anything about the other tribes. Everything I do know about the other tribes are from scrolls Remus used to sneak into our room.”

The RainWing looked up at him. “So...you don’t know that I am half IceWing?”

Roman gaped at him. “You- you’re a hybrid?”

“Well,” Logan said. “I never knew my parents, but since I cannot change the color of my scales and my venom is… icier than regular venom, I always assumed that I was half IceWing.”

“We were taught that Logan’s… existence was a mistake.” she narrowed her eyes at him. “That hybrids were a mistake.”

Logan snarled. “Well, clearly they were wrong. I am an advisor to the queen and a respected member of her court.” his voice caught on the word ‘queen’. “I don’t think any mistake could accomplish that.”

Roman quickly changed the subject, sensing a fight was about to break out. “So you’re half IceWing? What else can you do?” In the stories he’d read, there weren’t many hybrids, so he was curious to see what they could do.

“Well, my ice venom and camouflage abilities seem to be the only things that were altered.” he glanced down at his body. “Although I have been told that I seem to radiate cold like SandWings radiate heat.”

Roman clasped his talons together. “Can you show us your ice venom?”

Logan gave him a sharp look. “Maybe later. For now, you need to rest. You barely slept last night.”

He suddenly realized how weary he felt. He slumped to the ground, feeling his eyes start to close. “Alright, but… wake me for…”

He was asleep before he could finish his sentence.

Roman woke up to cold water being dumped on his head.

His eyes snapped open. “Hey! Unnecessary!” he sat up, shaking out his soaked claws. “You got my sash wet!” he wailed, taking it off and wringing it out.

Frost rolled her eyes, shaking the water off her tail. “You’ll live.”

Roman grumbled, taking the tiny cloth he had brought with him out of his bag and started drying himself. “So where’s Logan?”

“He said he was going to go find us some food,” she said, sharpening her claws on a rock. “He’s been gone for most of the morning, actually.” she paused for a moment. “He seemed… angry.”

He looked up from his sash, surprised. “Logan left you alone? While I was sleeping?”

Frost kept her eyes on her rock. “I was surprised too. Guess he trusted me not to kill you in your sleep. Even after I was about to insult him about his heritage.” she barked out a humorless laugh. “I may have left the IceWings, but I still act like them.”

Roman set down his cloth, thinking. He wasn’t the best at solving these kinds of problems, but Logan had seemed upset when she made that comment. And Frost said that Logan seemed angry earlier.

“I’m sure that if you go apologize to Logan, everything will be fine,” he said, unsure if Logan would accept an apology.

Frost opened her mouth to reply, but just then, the bushes around the clearing trembled. Logan stumbled out of them, holding various fruits. He let them spill out of his arms and onto the ground, panting.

Roman widened his eyes. “Woah. That is a lot of fruit.”

“I apologize for taking so long. I haven’t gone fruit gathering in… a very long time.” Logan said, sitting down and readjusting his glasses.

Frost poked one of the fruits, looking like she was still contemplating their conversation. “Is this a papaya?” she asked.

Logan eyed her. “That one is actually a mango.”

Frost nodded and picked up a banana. She peeled it and took a bite, wrinkling her nose at the taste. Roman picked a talonful of clementines and started to peel them while Logan put the rest of the fruit in his bag, explaining that he had already eaten on the way back.

As they ate, Logan glanced up at the trees worriedly. “We should hurry,” he said. “I don’t think the RainWings will be hostile, but I would rather we not run into any.”

They finished their meal quickly and set out for the Bay of a Thousand Scales. They skirted around the RainWing village, lying low until they were far enough to fly away. Around midday, they found themselves on the coast, looking out to sea.

Logan pulled out the map Thorn gave them, studying it closely. “So the seer is on this island,” Logan said, pointing to a spot marked with a black circle. It was close to the Mud Kingdom, but there were still hundreds of islands to search.

“How are we supposed to find one island among all the other ones?” Frost complained. “It’s called the Bay of a Thousand Scales for a reason.”

Logan waved his talon for silence. “Don’t worry everyone.” he pointed at the seer’s island. “Do you see that strange looking rock? We can use that as a landmark.”

Frost still looked doubtful. “A rock that is very easy to miss.”

“Well, it is the only thing we have to go on,” Logan said stiffly, rolling up the map and stuffing it back into Roman’s bag. He took off into the sky, lashing his tail.

Frost looked at him with an unreadable expression before lifting off the ground, leaving Roman alone.

He sighed, hanging his bag around his neck. He made sure that it was secure before joining his companions in the air.

They flew for a few hours, searching each island from the sky carefully. Logan had his eyes fixed on the map, almost flying straight into trees and birds on several occasions. Roman had started the search with hope, sure that they would find the island in no time. But as time went on and the sun crawled closer to the horizon, he grew weary. They had searched what felt like hundreds of islands and they still hadn’t found the seer.

Just as Roman was about to give up hope, Frost yelped in surprise and pointed at one of the islands below. A rock stood on the island, identical to the one on the map. Down on the sand, a hooded figure sat and stared up at them. He was standing in front of a small wooden house. It was too dark to see what tribe the mysterious dragon was from, but there was no doubt in Roman’s mind that they were the seer.

The trio touched down on the sand, the water lapping at their talons. They climbed up the hill toward the seer, stumbling and getting sand between their claws. After almost falling flat on his face for the third time, Roman vowed that he wouldn’t step into any place with sand ever again.

“Sand isn’t that bad,” the seer said suddenly. “You get used to it after a while.”

Roman stepped in front of him, blinking. It was as if this dragon had read his mind, but that couldn’t be right. Thorn hadn’t mentioned-

“Looks like someone gave you incomplete information,” the seer interrupted. “Yes, I can read minds.” Of course he’s a mind reader, Roman thought. Figures. The seer put his hood down, interrupting Roman’s train of thought.

His scales were black at first glance, but as Roman looked closer, he could see purple scales under his eyes and going down his neck. They glowed faintly in the dark. Huge webs not unlike a SeaWing’s started near his horns and ran down his back, where they disappeared under his hoodie. Spider webs were tattooed on the membrane of his wings, though they were hard to see under the moonlight.

Frost and Logan stepped up beside him, eyeing the seer warily. Frost took one look at him and growled, “Thorn led us to a mindreader? You really can’t trust a SandWing.”

The seer gave her an unfriendly stare. “You might want to tone down the aggression there, Frosty.” he growled. “You’re already standing on thin ice.”

“You look like you were expecting us,” Roman said. “Did you have a vision?”

The seer chuckled. “No, you were flying around for most of the day. You can’t really miss golden wings that obnoxious.”

“Hey!” Roman squawked, glancing at his wings. Even in the dark, they glowed. “My wings are not obnoxious!”

The seer quirked a brow. “Riiight. Anyway, what’s your name?”

“I’m Roman,” he offered. “What’s your name? What tribe are you from?”

The seer turned his gaze back to Roman. He tilted his head, as if listening to something. He smirked at Roman’s confused expression.

“Virgil,” the seer said at last. “My name is Virgil. And well, I’m sure you can guess what tribe I’m from.”

Roman stared at him. “You look like a NightWing, but those webs…” he gasped. “Are you half SeaWing?”

Virgil nodded, smirking. “You got it faster than I thought you would. Good for you.”

“Virgil,” Logan interrupted, as Roman huffed indignantly. “We’re here to-”

Virgil held up a talon. “I know why you’re here, and the answer is no. I have not had any visions, and no, I am not going with you.”

Roman shook his head, looking at him in dismay. “But we haven’t even told you what we’re here for! Just let us explain!” No! He’s our only hope!

“You don’t need to. You forget you’re talking to a mindreader.” Virgil looked at him sympathetically. “You can stay for the night, but you should go in the morning. I don’t want to get caught up in this.”

Roman dug his claws into the ground, ripping up a plant from its roots. “So that’s it?” he roared suddenly, causing Frost to flinch and shrink away from him. “We came all this way to see you, and you won’t even let us explain? Won’t even try?”

“Oh, I’m sorry that I’m not willing to put my life on the line to catch some stupid assassin!” Virgil shouted back, surprising him. Virgil turned to the small wooden house, taking deep breaths.

Logan cleared his throat. “How about we sort this out in the morning?” he asked hesitantly. “We’re all tired, and perhaps a good night’s rest will be beneficial.”

Virgil nodded, his back still turned to them. “All right,” he said softly. “Once you enter the house, go in the room on the left. That’s where you’ll be sleeping for the night.”

Virgil went around to the back of the hut without another word.

The three were silent for a moment.

“I think you made him mad,” Frost commented, breaking the silence.

“Oh, really? Thank you for telling me, Frost, I wouldn’t have noticed.” Roman yelled, still fuming. Frost stepped back and hissed. It didn’t occur to him until much later that she had looked angry, but also… fearful.

“Let’s just go and get some rest,” Logan interjected, leading them into the house. “It has been a very long day.”

The room they had been given was small, with two pieces of cloth on the floor to sleep on. “We have to sleep on these?” Roman hissed.

“I’m sorry they aren’t up to your standards, Your Highness.” Frost spat from the other side of the room. “Do you want me to go find you some polar bear fur to sleep on? Perhaps some sheeps’ wool? Or maybe you’d prefer eagle feathers?”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.” Roman shot back.

“Enough,” Logan ordered, stepping between the fighting dragons. “Stop it, you two. You can work it out in the morning, just let me sleep for Moons’ sake.”

Frost snarled at him one last time before curling up on the floor, her back turned to him. Roman glared and laid on the piece of cloth, trying to a comfortable position. The room could fit two dragons comfortably, but with three, it was cramped. After much shuffling around, Roman settled on laying on his side with Logan’s tail poking his back. The cold radiating off of Frost’s scales made him shiver.

Maybe we can convince Virgil in the morning, He thought hopefully, but he doubted it. He had seemed pretty adamant in his decision.

Roman wondered what he would do if he couldn’t convince Virgil to come with them. Look for Remus, he thought, determined. Brother, please be alive. I still need to find you.

Please.

Virgil didn’t usually get angry. That night had been an exception.

He opened the back door, stepped inside, then closed it quietly. A pair of blue eyes greeted him.

“Are you okay?” Patton asked. “I heard shouting outside.”

Virgil avoided his gaze. “Yeah, I’m fine. They’re sleeping in the other room, but they’ll be gone in the morning.”

Patton fiddled with his tiny bag and fluttered his wings nervously. “The one you were talking to sounded desperate.”

Virgil began to take his hoodie off, careful not to tear it. “He was desperate,” he said, moving over to the spot on the floor where he slept. “But it’s not my problem.”

Patton nodded hesitantly from his spot on the bed. “I just… wish we could do more to help.” he pulled a small rock out from his bag and began to fiddle with it.

Virgil turned his back to the bed so Patton couldn’t see his expression.

I do too.

Virgil woke up feeling more anxious than usual. He could hear both mental and verbal voices from the other side of the house. Patton sat up and yawned, feeling around for his glasses. Virgil got up and handed them to him, already moving across the room to put his hoodie on.

Patton hummed as he got up to leave the room. “Do you mind if I go whip something up for our guests?” he asked, pausing in the doorway. “I think we have some fruit left over from that RainWing market.”

“Yeah, sure,” Virgil said, “But aren’t they going to notice that you’re… different?”

“What, that I look nothing like any tribe that lives on this continent?” he smiled, brandishing his butterfly-like wings. “I think I’ll be fine.”

As Virgil got ready, he listened to the conversation outside his room.

“Does that dragon have four wings or am I just sleep deprived?” that was the IceWing speaking.

“Frost, you got plenty of sleep last night,” said the RainWing (Or IceWing? Virgil wasn’t sure. His mind was confusing)

“Oh shut up, you know what I mean.”

“I do have four wings. I’m a SilkWing!” Patton interjected. “I’m from the other continent, across the ocean.”

Virgil winced as the RainWing’s brain was suddenly filled with questions. Another continent? Across the ocean? SilkWing?

“How did you get here?” asked the RainWing.

“Oh, I came here on a boat and shipwrecked on this island,” Patton replied sadly. “Virgil found me and gave me shelter while I recovered.”

Frost sighed. “Royal assassins, teleporting boxes, and now a dragon from another continent?” he heard the spikes on her back clatter. “Sure, why not?”

“But… why did you come here?” the RainWing asked.

He could hear Patton’s voice drop. “Well, on my continent, SilkWings aren’t treated fairly. My sister eventually convinced me to find this continent and get help, but… now I have no way to go back.”

An awkward silence followed soon after.

Virgil decided to announce himself before things got even more awkward. All eyes turned to him as he stepped into the kitchen.

“Good morning, Virgil!” Patton greeted cheerfully.

“Good morning,” the RainWing said, dipping his head. “I don’t think I introduced myself last night. My name is Logan.”

Logan elbowed the IceWing in the side. “Ow!” she yelped, jumping away from him. “What was that for?”

You are seriously asking to get bitten, she thought angrily.

“Introduce yourself!” Logan hissed in what he probably thought was a quiet voice.

“Fine, fine,” she said, turning to Virgil. “My name’s Frost. Happy?” she hissed the last word to Logan.

Virgil nodded to both of them uncertainly before turning to Patton, who was peeling various fruits and setting them into wooden bowls. “How much food is left?”

Patton finished with the fruit and turned to wash his talons in a bucket of water. “This is the last of it. We’ll have to go to the market soon.” he jerked his head toward the table where Logan and Frost stood awkwardly. “I’m just getting finished here. Why don’t you join the others?”

Virgil sighed and went to wait by the table. He took a seat and gestured for the others to do the same.

“Soooo,” Frost said casually as she sat in the chair opposite Virgil. “You know about the assassin?”

He narrowed his eyes. “Of course I have. I don’t live under a rock.”

Right, of course. He’s a seer... And a mindreader, Frost glanced at him distrustfully. He smirked in response.

“Anyway,” he said, changing the subject. “Where’s your prince friend?”

“I’m right here.”

Roman was standing in the doorway of the bedroom, rubbing his eyes. He barely spared Virgil a glance before sitting next to Logan.

Virgil frowned. The night before, Roman’s mind was just like any others: laid out in front of him and easy to read. Maybe not as easy to read as Logan’s or Frost’s, but not too difficult either. Now, it was all muddled and… blocked off. Just like mother’s was. He quickly pushed the thought away.

“Breakfast is ready!” Patton sang, interrupting his train of thought. A bowl of fruit was dropped in front of each dragon.

Roman blinked at the SilkWing. “Who are you? Are you some sort of hybrid?”

“I’m Patton!” Patton replied. “And no, I’m not a hybrid, exactly…”

Virgil shifted his focus to Roman as Patton started to explain where he came from. His expression was tired, and his shoulders were tense.

Roman caught him staring and Virgil looked away quickly.

“So, what’re you planning to do now?” Patton asked as they ate.

Evidently, this was the wrong question to ask. Frost choked on her fruit and tried to cover it up with a cough. Logan looked to Roman with a raised brow. Virgil didn’t need to read his mind to know he was thinking Yeah, what are we going to do?

Roman looked trapped, and Virgil was surprised to see that he sympathized with him. He looked down at his food and avoided the gaze of everyone at the table.

“We’ll figure something out,” was Roman’s reply. Patton widened his eyes as if just realizing his mistake, but said nothing.

The table was silent for a long, awkward moment.

“So,” Frost mused, nodding at Patton. “What’s that rock for?”

“Oh, this?” Patton held up the small black rock he’d been fiddling with. “It’s…”

He looked to Virgil, uncertain. He hesitated, then nodded.

“It’s called skyfire,” Patton continued. “And it can block mind reading.”

Frost almost choked on her food again. She coughed and asked, “You didn’t think to mention this earlier?”

“It won’t matter,” Virgil said. “You won’t be around mindreaders for a while.”

He pretended not to notice Roman’s talons curling into fists.

Logan leaned forward. “Hypothetically, if someone wanted to obtain some of this skyfire, where would they find it?”

“Well, if they were to, hypothetically, ask me,” Virgil replied. “They wouldn’t get an answer.”

The clouds around Roman’s mind cleared enough for Virgil to hear, He literally couldn’t get any more annoying.

“Careful, Princey,” Virgil said, smirking. “I don’t think you want me as an enemy.”

Roman clenched his fists but said nothing. They finished the meal in silence.

A few minutes later, Virgil and Patton were standing on the sand to see Roman, Logan, and Frost off.

“Thank you for letting us stay the night,” Logan said gratefully, dipping his head.

Virgil nodded back. “It was really no problem, but,” he added in a hushed tone, “I’m… sorry that I couldn’t help more, it’s just-”

“It’s fine, we understand.” Logan glanced at Roman. “Well, most of us do, anyway.”

As Logan went to join the others, Virgil turned to walk back into the house. Before he could, however, he felt a tug on his hoodie sleeve and the unmistakable sound of tearing fabric.

“Hey! You tore my hoodie!” Virgil yelped, glaring at the dragon who tore it, which turned out to be Roman.

Roman widened his eyes. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to, I just wanted to ask-”

Virgil shoved Roman away, but he suddenly felt dizzy. He stumbled, and Roman caught him.

“Woah, are you alright?” he turned around to yell something, but Virgil could barely hear him as images started to flood his brain.

The five of them, trapped in a snowstorm.

The Queen of the IceWings laying dead in the Ice Palace, blue blood trickling from multiple cuts on her throat.

Virgil turning a corner to see a wingless SandWing holding out a talon to him. He pulled something out of his cloak, and upon further inspection, he realized it was an earring shaped like a rose.

And, probably the worst of them, Patton laying dead on the ground, a pool of blood slowly growing around his head.

“-gil? Virgil, are you okay?”

Virgil was crouching down, talons clutching his head. Patton was gripping his shoulders and shaking him gently. “Was that- did you just have a vision?”

He struggled to push the images out of his mind. He focused on pulling himself up on his talons, digging his claws into the sand to keep from swaying. He stared at Patton, almost expecting to see him covered in blood. He shook his head and turned to Roman.

“Looks like you’re getting what you want,” he said in a low voice, moving to stand in front of Roman. “I’m coming with you.”

“Virgil, I think I got everything packed!” Patton called, poking his head through the doorway.

Virgil almost dropped the skyfire he was packing for the others. “I never said you were coming with us.”

Patton frowned, entering the room fully. “But… I want to come.”

He shook his head. “No, Patton. I don’t want you risking your life coming with me.”

Patton’s frown deepened. “So you want me to stay here? Alone?”

“Yes,” Virgil said firmly. “You’ll be safer here.”

Patton crossed his arms. “Virgil, what happened in your vision? Did you see something that made you want to keep me here?”

Your dead body was laid out in front of me and I could do nothing about it, and I don’t want to do that, not again, he thought. He continued putting pieces of skyfire in tiny leather bags instead of replying.

Patton brushed his wing with Virgil’s. “It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me. But,” he added. “I still want to go with you. That way you could keep an eye on me, right? And… maybe I could find a way home.”

Virgil finally met the SilkWing’s eyes and saw that he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. He sighed in defeat. “Fine. You can come.”

“Yay!” Patton cheered, throwing his arms around him. “Thanks, Virgil!”

“Yeah, whatever.” he said, pulling away quickly. “I knew you would find a way to come anyway.”

Patton smiled mischievously. “I would have!”

As Patton left and Virgil finished packing, he hoped he didn’t just make a terrible decision.

“Roman, are you sure about this?” Frost asked, shielding herself from the sun with her wings. “Because I’m pretty sure Virgil hates you.”

“I’m not sure that we have a choice,” Roman muttered.

“Perhaps you should not have yelled at him last night,” Logan commented. He was barely focusing on the conversation, instead looking out to sea and frowning.

“Yeah, maybe,” Frost muttered bitterly.

Roman blinked at her in confusion before realizing what she meant. He widened his eyes. “Oh! Frost, I am so sorry for yelling at you last night. Please forgive me.” he bowed his head, looking up at her.

Frost looked at him in surprise for a moment before breaking into a smile and punching him in the shoulder.

“Ouch!” he yelped, rubbing the spot where she hit him. “What was that for?”

“There, now we’re even. But,” the smile fell. “I’m sorry for yelling too.” she glanced at him. “And you’re forgiven, I guess.”

Roman grinned and wrapped his arms and wings around Frost. “Thank you! I forgive you too!”

“Ugh, okay, that’s enough.” she wriggled out of the hug.

“Speaking of apologies.” Frost turned to Logan, who narrowed his eyes. “I’m sorry for insulting you that night in the rainforest. It- it won’t happen again. I promise.”

Logan regarded her for a moment before nodding slowly. “Thank you, Frost. That… means a lot.” he looked at his talons. “And… I’m sorry for not trusting you.”

Frost waved a talon dismissively. “It’s fine. I would have done the same thing.”

“If all of you are done,” Virgil called from behind them as he walked out of the house. “We’re ready to leave.”

He produced two small leather bags and handed them to Logan and Frost. “Skyfire,” Virgil explained. “If we’re going to be travelling together, I don’t want to hear your yapping the entire time.” he turned to Roman and shoved a piece of skyfire into the bag that hung around his neck.

“So, where are we headed to now?” Frost asked, securing the bag around her wrist.

“The Ice Kingdom,” Virgil replied.

Frost tensed and let out a string of curses that made Patton wince. “I just escaped that hell and you want me to go back?” she demanded.

Virgil stepped back, holding up his talons. “Hey, I’m just the seer.”

Logan rested a claw on Frost’s shoulder for a brief moment. “We’ll need a guide if we want to survive, and I promise we’ll be quick. Please, Frost.”

After much grumbling, shouting, and reassuring, they finally managed to calm Frost down and start to fly west toward the Ice Kingdom.

“Hey, Roman?” Frost asked tentatively.

Roman turned to face her, frowning. She had been silent the entire time, and he wondered why she sounded so nervous. “Yes? What do you need?”

“Don’t you think Virgil’s kind of… strange?” she wouldn’t meet his eyes. “Like, yesterday he really didn’t want to come with us, but today he suddenly changed his mind? What makes me more suspicious is that he won’t tell anyone what was in his visions. Not even Patton.”

“What, you asked him?”

Frost winced. “Yeah. He didn’t seem to appreciate the question very much.”

“Well, he’s our only option.” Roman sighed. “Believe me, I would rather beg Queen Voidwalker for help then this.”

Frost nodded hesitantly. “I’ll be keeping an eye on him, then.”

I am curious about him, Roman thought, staring at Virgil. How has he lived there for so long without Queen Coral knowing? Why is he suddenly so eager to help?

After a little while of flying, they entered the Mud Kingdom. “We should stop and rest for a bit,” Frost called, pointing to the swamps below. “We won’t get many places to stop before we reach the Sky Kingdom.”

The Sky Kingdom. Roman’s eyes were fixed on the distant mountains as they landed among the low trees. I’m going back to the Sky Kingdom, even if I’m just passing through. Why am I so nervous?

“Feeling homesick, Princey?” Virgil said, making him jump.

Roman squinted at the distant peaks and didn’t answer. Did he miss his home? He wanted to say yes, that he longed for the grand halls and the vast rooms of the Sky Palace, that his heart ached to be among his tribe, but… he didn’t. He didn’t want to know what that meant.

“Hey Roman, you got any food?” Frost called from the other side of the clearing, interrupting his train of thought.

Roman checked his bag and pulled out some fruit. “Just some clementines, I’m afraid.”

“Don’t you mean clawmentines, Roman?” Patton giggled at his own joke.

Roman chuckled at the pun as Frost groaned. He also didn’t miss how Virgil stifled a snort.

“If I am correct, which I am,” Logan interrupted, pulling the map out of Roman’s bag, “We should be at the Diamond Spray Delta.”

Roman leaned over the map. “So we follow the Diamond Spray River until we reach the mountains?”

“That’s right.” Logan nodded at him. “And from there, Roman can guide us through SkyWing territory.”

Roman tugged at his sash. “We’ll have to be careful.”

“Why?” Patton asked. “Aren’t you a Prince there? Isn’t this your kingdom?”

“It’s… complicated,” he replied. “All you need to know is that Queen Scarlet tasked me with finding the assassin, and to not come back until they were dead.” he cleared his throat awkwardly. “I don’t think we want to find out what happens if we get caught.” At Patton’s expression, he quickly added. “But you all are under my protection! I will not let any harm come to you during this journey!”

Frost leaned over to whisper to Logan, “How long do you think that statement can hold up? A sunrise?”

Virgil snickered. “Good one, Frosty!”

The IceWing narrowed her eyes. “Don’t call me Frosty.”

Roman huffed indignantly. “I’ll have you know that I have been training to fight for practically my entire life!”

“So have I!” Frost exclaimed, turning to Roman. “You’re not special!”

Everyone started to laugh at that. Roman managed to keep the pout on his face for a few moments before breaking into a laugh as well.

After everyone had rested, they continued to follow the Diamond Spray river. By nightfall, they had reached the base of the mountains. A valley was laid out in front of them, surrounded by the peaks. In the distance, the Sky Palace glowed with the light of hundreds of torches. He wondered what Queen Scarlet was doing. He hoped she wasn’t angry. He hoped Ruby was okay.

“We should head west in the morning,” Roman said, pointing in a direction opposite the Sky Palace. “And then north, I think.”

“You think?” Virgil said skeptically. “So glad our guide has so much confidence.”

“Oh, would you like to try to guide us through SkyWing territory?” Roman snapped. “If so, be my guest.”

Virgil widened his eyes apologetically, but Roman was already turning away. He wasn’t sure why he was so angry, but he suspected it had something to do with being so close to the Sky Palace. And Queen Scarlet. He shuddered.

“So,” Virgil said casually, attempting to break the tension. “Why did Queen Scarlet choose you specifically to find the assassin?”

Roman took a deep breath as he thought about what to say. Finally, he decided on, “My guess? Queen Scarlet wants me out of the way. Maybe I offended her. Or bored her.” he could feel anger rising in his chest, and he quickly stamped it down.

“Really?” Virgil sounded shocked. “I knew Queen Scarlet was bad, but… she would really do that? To her own son?”

He felt the anger grow until it spilled over and he snapped. “My mother has killed eleven of my sisters, Virgil. What makes you think she has any love for her sons?”

Patton reached to him. “Roman-”

“I’m going to go find some kindling for the fire,” he announced, cutting Patton off. “I won’t be long.”

He could feel the others’ gaze on him as he flew into the dark forest. “You screwed up,” he heard Frost say. He didn’t hear Virgil’s reply.

Roman spent the next hour angrily ripping branches off of trees and dumping them in a pile to collect later. He attempted to rip a twig off of a tree but got slapped in the face. He growled and set the tree on fire, watching it burn for a moment before stomping back to the pile of branches.

I didn’t know she was that bad. Virgil’s words echoed in his mind. The fact that anyone could think Queen Scarlet had an ounce of mercy in her body made him want to set the entire forest on fire. He squeezed his eyes shut and dug his claws into the ground. He tried to calm himself down.

It wasn’t his fault. He thought to himself. He couldn’t have possibly known. I shouldn’t have snapped at him.

Maybe apologizing to Virgil for snapping would make him feel better. He nodded to himself. Yes, that was what he was going to do.

Roman scooped up the wood in his arms and set out to find the camp. By the time he found the others, everyone was asleep except for Virgil. He tossed the branches into the middle of the clearing and breathed fire onto the pile, watching them burn.

The two of them stood on opposite sides of the fire awkwardly.

Virgil sighed. “I’m really sorry for what happened earlier. I should have known that my question was treading on sensitive territory.” he rubbed the back of his neck. “So, um, sorry.”

Roman blinked at him, caught off guard. He didn’t expect Virgil to be the one apologizing. “Oh, um, thank you for the apology.” he looked down at his claws. “I’m sorry too. For yelling at you.”

Virgil nodded, acknowledging the apology. He fiddled with the strings of his hoodie nervously. “So, are we...cool?”

Roman smiled. He realized he enjoyed Virgil’s presence a lot more when they weren’t fighting. “Yeah, we’re cool.”

They fell into a silence again, though not as awkward this time. The fire crackled warmly, and Roman felt relaxed for the first time in days.

“What did you want to ask me?” Virgil asked suddenly.

“Sorry?”

“That day on the island, when you were about to leave,” he explained. “When you tore my hoodie.”

Roman winced. “Yeah, sorry about that.”

Virgil waved a talon. “It’s fine, I can fix it. What I want to know is what you wanted to ask me.”

Roman thought about it for a moment before suddenly remembering. He braced himself before speaking. “I wanted to ask if you’ve seen my brother in any of your visions.” his heart was hammering in his chest and his talons were clenched into fists,, as if he suddenly realized that he might not want to know the answer.

Virgil shook his head. “I’m sorry, I haven’t seen him.”

Roman’s claws dug into his palm. He was dimly aware of the way his breathing turned shallow and the way his eyes burned with unshed tears. No. No, he couldn’t be…

Then, without warning, Virgil was beside him, coaching him through a breathing exercise. “In for four… hold it for seven, then out for eight. That’s it, Princey.”

It took a few tries, but eventually, Roman calmed down. Virgil moved away, coughing awkwardly, but stayed within arm’s reach. He was silent for a moment. “You know,” he began, “My seer powers aren’t the strongest. Even if I didn’t see your brother, he could still be alive.”

Roman rubbed his eyes. “You think so?”

“Yeah,” Virgil gave him a small smile, a far cry from the scowl he usually wore. Roman suddenly wanted nothing more than for Virgil to keep smiling at him.

“Thank you,” Roman said, taking a deep breath. “I… really needed that.”

“No problem, Princey,” Virgil replied. “Just don’t make a habit out of it.”

The prince chuckled. “I’ll try my best.”

They sat in comfortable silence until he felt his eyelids grow heavy. He yawned, and Virgil nodded to the spot where the others were sleeping. “You should get some rest. I’ll wake you if anything happens.”

Roman was too tired to protest. He laid his head on his talons and closed his eyes.

“Or you could just fall asleep there. That works too.” Virgil’s soothing voice was the last thing he heard before he sank into the depths of sleep.

The next morning, Roman was awoken by roars of anger.

He stood up, immediately dropping into a battle stance. Three SkyWing soldiers stood in front of him, growling. He blinked in surprise. How have they found us already? We should have gone through a different route!

Beside him, Frost hissed, clouds of frost seeping out of her mouth. On his other side, Virgil rolled up his sleeves, ready to attack.

Behind them, Logan was trying to discreetly hide Patton in the trees. The soldiers haven’t noticed them yet, but it was only a matter of time. He spread his wings to hide them and snarled, hoping he looked intimidating.

“Prince Roman, how dare you show your face here?” the orange SkyWing in front said, lashing his tail.

“We’re just passing through,” he replied, still not entirely sure what was happening. How had they been found so quickly?

“Your orders were specifically to not come back until you’ve killed the assassin.” he growled back. “Well? Are they dead?”

“N-no, but-”

“Then soldiers, attack!” the SkyWing suddenly roared.

One of the soldiers leaped onto Virgil and they rolled away, clawing and biting at each other. Roman turned to help, but another SkyWing stood in his path, grinning maliciously. He growled and swiped a claw at her, but she dodged and suddenly barreled into him. He collapsed on his side, winded. He quickly rolled out of the way as she brought her spear down. It stuck into the ground where his head was a moment before.

Hissing, Roman got to his feet. He felt his chest warm up before a burst of fire shot out of his mouth. The SkyWing fell face first into it and she flew away, screaming. He watched as she shakily flew away, feeling absolutely awful.

He turned to Frost, intending to help her, but it turned out she didn’t need it. Her attacks were sure and quick, enough to rival Remus. She clawed the SkyWing’s cheek and whirled around, smashing them in the face with her spiked tail. The SkyWing fell to the ground, unconscious.

He whipped his head around as he heard Virgil cry out, but relaxed when he saw he wasn’t in any danger. Virgil had climbed onto his opponents back and had dug his claws into their scales. The SkyWing finally threw him onto the ground and took off without looking back.

“Is everyone alright?” Roman asked.

“Everything’s good over here,” Virgil called.

“Same here,” Frost added. She glanced down at the unconscious SkyWing. “He’s just knocked out, don’t worry.”

He nodded and turned to the forest, where Logan was helping Patton out of a tree. “Are you two okay?”

Logan nodded as they made their way to them. “We’re fine. We should leave before more SkyWings arrive.”

Roman glanced at the sky. He could hardly believe the SkyWings had found them this quickly. “Yeah,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady. “Let’s go.”

A few minutes later, Roman, Patton, Logan, Virgil, and Frost made their way into the valley.

They flew close to the ground so they would be harder to spot from the sky. Roman longed to fly among the clouds, to spread his wings as far as they could go and ride the air currents to his heart’s content, but the risk of being caught was too great. He settled for gazing longingly at the distant red and orange silhouettes that drifted lazily across the sky.

They took frequent breaks, to Roman’s dismay. After their fifth stop before midday, Roman grew frustrated.

“Three moons!” he exclaimed as they rested under some trees. “You all are as slow as snails! I could have made it to the Ice Kingdom and back by now!”

“You know why we have to move slowly, Roman,” Logan said. “We have to fly low, or we’ll be caught. And well, none of us are as fast as you.”

Virgil rolled his eyes. “Sorry we can’t keep up with a SkyWing.”

Roman glanced at him curiously, then quickly looked away when he was caught staring. Virgil had barely talked to him since the night before. He wondered what that meant, or if it even meant anything at all.

“Roman does have a point, though,” Frost commented. “At the rate we’re going, the assassin will be long gone by the time we reach the Great Ice Cliff.”

“Well, what can we do?” Logan asked. “My wings aren’t designed to fly long distances.”

“And I’m not used to this much flying. I’ve lived on an island my entire life.” Virgil added.

“Maybe… maybe someone could carry you?” Patton proposed, sounding hesitant.

They all glanced at each other, then back to Patton.

“It could work,” Logan said slowly.

“I guess I could carry one of you,” Frost agreed reluctantly. “I call dibs on Logan.”

Everyone stared at her, wide-eyed. “What?” she said. “He looks like he doesn’t weigh much.”

“Then that leaves me with Virgil. Or Patton?” Roman said.

Patton chuckled. “No, I don’t think I need to be carried. I can take Virgil if you don’t want to, Roman.”

“No, I can do it,” he said with obvious reluctance. “I just want to get to the Ice Kingdom fast.”

“Virgil?” Logan prompted.

Virgil’s eyes narrowed as he gazed at Roman. “Whatever gets us there the fastest,” he said at last.

And that was how Roman found himself flying toward the Ice Kingdom with Virgil on his back, arms wrapped around his neck.

“I suddenly regret my decision now,” Virgil said in his ear. “Why are we going to fast?” the arms around his neck tightened as Roman put on a burst of speed.

Roman twisted his neck around to look at him and grinned. “You could go with Frost and I can take Logan if you want.”

“So I can be poked by spikes and be freezing to my bones the entire time?” Virgil started to shake his head, but suddenly widened his eyes. “Tree!”

Roman whipped his head around to see that he was indeed about to fly straight into a tree. He stopped right before he hit the trunk, flapping his wings furiously. He hovered in place for a moment, realizing that Virgil had his face in his shoulder and was shaking.

“Virgil? Are you okay?” he asked softly.

“Fine!” Virgil yelled in his ear. “I’m fine!”

“What’s wrong? Why’d you stop?” Frost asked from behind them. Patton flew in after her, looking confused.

“Princey almost flew into a tree,” Virgil stated matter-of-factly. His voice shook slightly.

Roman hid his face in his talons. “Only because this emo distracted me!”

“Emo?” Virgil poked his neck hard.

“Ow!”

Patton sighed, adjusting his circular glasses. “If you two won’t get along, then Virgil and Logan can switch places.”

“No!” Virgil and Roman said at the same time. They glanced at each other and burst out laughing.

Logan narrowed his eyes at them. “I’m not sure if I should be offended.”

Frost sighed impatiently. “Alright chatting with all of you was nice can we go now?”

“You were so hesitant to go to the Ice Kingdom before,” Logan observed. “Why are you now so eager to get there?”

Frost clenched her fists. “I just want to get this over with.”

Roman nodded. “Then let’s go.”

They flew for the rest of the day before they stopped in a field at the edge of the Sky Kingdom. Roman felt Virgil rest his head against his neck as they descended.

Roman nudged him with his wing. “You can get off now.” he twisted his neck around and narrowed his eyes at Virgil. “How are you tired?”

Virgil yawned and slid to the ground, stumbling a little until he found his footing. “Well, I’m awake now.”

Roman’s eyes were on the sky, watching Frost, Logan and Patton dive toward them. “Looks like we made it first.”

Frost touched down on the ground, followed by Patton. She dumped Logan unceremoniously onto the ground and sat down, rubbing her shoulders. Logan grunted and sat up, adjusting his glasses.

Logan glanced up at the sky uneasily. “I don’t like it here. We’re too exposed out in a field like this.”

Roman narrowed his eyes at the night sky. Only one moon was full, the other two crescents thin as claws. It was impossible to see if anyone had followed them, even with the light of the moons.

Frost shook out her wings. “It’s not like we can do anything about it.” she glanced at Roman. “In the meantime, do you have any food? I haven’t eaten since lunch yesterday and it feels like my stomach is going to eat itself.”

Roman dug around in his bag and shook his head. “We finished it all yesterday.”

Virgil sighed. “Well, that settles it. I’m going to go find some food. Roman, you wanna come with?”

“Huh? Why me?” Roman asked, confused. He became even more confused when Virgil started laughing.

“Well, how am I supposed to defend myself, Mr. I Won’t Let Any Harm Come To You?” he replied, smirking. Seeing Roman’s startled and embarrassed expression, he laughed. “Relax, I’m just messing with you.”

Roman blinked at him.

Patton glanced between them. “Wait, I’m sure Roman is exhausted-”

“No, I want to go,” Roman said, surprising himself. Sure he was tired, but they needed food, right? One glance at Virgil told him there was more to that, however.

Patton nodded hesitantly. “Just be careful, okay?”

Roman grinned. “We’ll be back before you know it!”

The two of them picked a direction and walked, not wanting to draw attention to themselves by flying.

“I still think those golden wings are obnoxious,” Virgil said as they walked, glancing at his wings.

Roman huffed. “You’re just jealous that your wings aren’t as glorious as mine.”

“At least mine aren’t obnoxious.”

They continued to bicker and joke as they searched for food for about an hour. The only thing Roman caught was a rabbit, and after a while they decided to head back to the others.

As they walked back, Roman grew more and more exhausted. His talons felt as heavy as rocks and his head hung low. He tried not to let it show. One glance at Virgil told him that he wasn’t doing much better.

The sound of shouting coming from the direction of their camp was enough to wake him up, however.

He ran toward the noise without waiting for Virgil. He stopped dead in his tracks as he saw flashes of red and orange scales. SkyWings.

“What? What is it?” Virgil whispered.

“SkyWing soldiers,” he replied. He felt more terrified than he had in his life as the SkyWings surrounded the others.

“Who are you?” one of the SKyWings shouted. “What business do you have on SkyWing territory?”

Frost growled, but Logan silenced her. “We’re just passing through. We mean no harm.”

“Queen Ruby will be the judge of that.”

Logan narrowed his eyes. “Queen Ruby? What happened to Queen Scarlet?”

“Don’t play dumb, Queen Scarlet was killed by the assassin,” the red SkyWing said. “Now, I’m going to ask again. What are you doing on SkyWing territory?”

Roman gasped and brought a talon to his mouth. Queen Scarlet… dead? He didn’t feel any sorrow, just shock. How did the assassin manage to kill Queen Scarlet?

Frost growled. “We’re not going anywhere with you.”

The red SkyWing glanced at the other soldiers and nodded slightly. The four other SkyWings fanned out, surrounding Frost, Logan, and Patton in moments.

He heard Frost growl, and before he could blink, she leaped at the nearest SkyWing. Two more SkyWings piled on top of her, and when Logan and Patton moved to help, the other two soldiers jabbed their spears at them.

That snapped him out of his shock. He moved forward, but a tug on his arm forced him to stop.

“Roman, no!” Virgil hissed. “I want to help them as much as you do, but if they see you, you get caught, and this entire mission would be for nothing!”

“But they’re in trouble!” Roman hissed desperately. He glanced back at them. Frost was still pinned down by the three SkyWings, and Logan was struggling to hold the other two off. “I can’t just sit here and do nothing!”

Virgil growled in frustration. “Roman, think. You stand no chance against five SkyWings, even with Frost’s help. The rest of us won’t be much help.”

Roman snarled. “I don’t care.” he shook Virgil off and continued forward.

He was suddenly tackled to the ground, face buried in the dirt. He shook his head free of the grit and glanced up at his attacker, who turned out to be Virgil. Virgil spread his wings to cover Roman’s body, eyes on the fight.

He grunted loudly in protest, but Virgil quickly shushed him. He sighed in frustration. From where he was (Quite rudely) shoved into the ground, he couldn’t see anything that was happening. Virgil perching on his back and pushing his head down whenever he tried to see didn’t help.

Virgil suddenly ducked low. Roman could hear his heartbeat quicken.

“What’s going on?” he whispered. “I can’t see anything!” he heard Frost let out a cry of pain and he tensed up. “What was that? Is Frost hurt?”

“T-they started to attack her,” Virgil stammered. “Three of them.”

Roman craned his neck to see, but Virgil pushed him down. He growled in frustration. “Let me help!”

Virgil looked down at him. “If they see you, they’ll take you away, and I don’t want that to happen.” he sounded sincere, which surprised him. Did Virgil genuinely care about what would happen to him?

Roman shook his head. “If I don’t go, Frost will die!” Virgil shushed him, putting a talon on his snout.

Virgil peeked at the fight again. He wasn’t sure what was going on, and it was frustrating. He was about to ask about what was happening again when a scream stopped him.

The scream went on for far longer than he could bear. What kind of pain could cause that?

He heard wingbeats and he looked up. The SkyWings were flying away. What happened? Who screamed?

After a while, Virgil let him up, coughing uncomfortably. “S-sorry about that.”

Roman’s legs still felt shaky. “I- it’s alright. What happened?”

Virgil looked scared, more scared than he had ever seen him. “Hey, what’s wrong?” he stepped forward, leaning towards Virgil.

Virgil took a deep breath. “Logan- he used his venom on a SkyWing soldier.”

Roman gasped and stepped back, finally understanding.��

He had only seen RainWing use their venom once, in the arena. It was agonizingly slow, and the SandWing it had been shot at didn’t stop screaming until they were dead.

The fact that Logan would do that to another dragon was… horrifying.

“Roman! Virgil!” Patton shouted from his spot next to Frost. “Are you two okay?”

“We’re fine!” Roman called back. His gaze landed on Frost, and he gasped. “Frost!” he bounded over to her.

Frost was laying on her side, eyes closed. She lifted her head wearily as they approached.

Roman crouched next to her, tucking his talons underneath him. “Are you alright?”

“Why is everyone asking me that? I’m fine,” she replied as Virgil sat down next to him.

Virgil narrowed his eyes. “Even so, you should still get some rest.” he eyed the cuts all over her body. “And you should probably get those wounds cleaned.”

“And why do you care?” she snapped suddenly.

“Frost!” Roman gasped as Virgil stared at her, stunned.

“What? He said that he didn’t want to get caught up in this,” she said, propping herself up on her elbows. “And then he gets a headache and suddenly he wants to help us?” she glared at Virgil. “You’re hiding something, and I don’t know if I can trust you if you keep hiding it.”

Virgil looked to Roman for help, but he looked down at his talons. He instantly felt guilty as Virgil took a shaky breath.

“You’re the one who wanted me to come in the first place!” Virgil hissed. Roman flinched at the hostility in his voice. “You were willing to put your trust in me before you even met me. Just… take my word for it.”

Frost narrowed her eyes at him. “I better not end up dead for this, NightWing.”

“I’m not-” Virgil started, but stopped as Roman gave him a pleading look.

“Hey kiddo?” Patton said, standing up. “Let’s go see Logan and see if he’s okay. Roman can take care of Frost, right?” he said, looking at him.

Roman nodded, taking a cloth out of his bag. “These scratches aren’t too bad. They just need to be cleaned.”

As Patton dragged Virgil away, Frost sighed. “I know you trust him, but something feels… off. He’s hiding something, I know it.”

Roman reached to wipe some blood off of her back. “All that matters is that he helps us find the assassin and Remus,” he said.

Frost blinked at him. “Of course.” after a moment, she added. “You know I can do this myself, right?”

Roman shrugged. “Maybe, but at least I feel like I’m doing something. You got hurt while I was hiding. That… wasn’t very princely of me.”

“That’s alright,” she said. “I get it. You didn’t want to get captured.”

“Yeah, but… I hate feeling useless,” he said.

Frost snorted. “Well, if you got caught, then you’d truly be useless.” she yawned as he finished up. “Are you done?”

Roman nodded and smiled. “Yeah. And thank you, Frost.”

Frost hummed. “No problem.”

After everyone had cleaned up, they moved to another spot in case the SkyWings came back. Before long, everyone was settling down for the night, with Virgil keeping watch.

Frost was the first to fall asleep, then Logan, followed by Patton. It took awhile for Roman to fall asleep, his thoughts whirling around his head.

Queen Scarlet was dead. His sister Ruby was now queen.

It terrified him how the assassin had managed to kill the queen of the SkyWings. Eleven of her daughters had tried and failed, and one assassin had succeeded. How?

His thoughts swirled around his head until he finally managed to fall into a fitful sleep.

Roman woke up the next morning feeling absolutely terrible.

His shoulders ached from carrying Virgil for an entire day. His wings cried out in pain at the thought of more flying.

And his brain hurt from thinking about what Frost had said the night before.

Virgil seemed like a decent dragon, but Frost was right. He was hiding something.

His talon hovered his bag, where he kept the skyfire. For all he knew, the skyfire didn’t actually block mind reading.Virgil could be reading their minds right now.

Virgil wouldn’t do that. Roman decided, thinking about how Virgil had comforted him two nights ago. He might be hiding something, but I’m sure he has a good reason.

He shook his head, shifting his focus to something else. If everything went smoothly, they would catch the assassin, and Roman could focus on looking for his brother. He clenched his fists. Yes, he would catch the assassin, then everything would be okay.

“Good morning, Roman,” Frost said, shaking him from his thoughts. She winced, rubbing a scar on her neck.

Roman frowned. “Are you sure you’re up for this? We can wait a few hours if you need it.”

Frost rolled her eyes. “I’m completely fine, quit asking.”

He narrowed his eyes at her. He suspected that she was more tired than she let on, but he was doing the same thing, so he was in no position to judge.

“If you’re sure…” he stood up, helping Frost up as well.

The others had already woken up. “Good morning.” Logan greeted. Virgil nodded in acknowledgment.

Patton looked at Frost worriedly. “Are you sure you don’t want to rest a little longer? We don’t mind waiting.”

Frost sighed. “I am fine, can we move on?”

Roman nodded. “We should start heading north soon. After that, it’s all up to Frosty here.”

Frost ignored the nickname. “It’s going to get really cold,” she said. “Are you sure you still want to go?”

“Yes,” Virgil was the one to reply, to Roman’s surprise. “We need to catch this assassin as soon as possible.”

Frost glared at him, suspicious, and Roman quickly changed the topic to avoid a fight. “I’m sure we can handle a little cold,” he said, gesturing enthusiastically. “Especially with my fire!”

Logan looked doubtful. “You haven’t been to the Ice kingdom. You don’t know how cold it is up there.” noticing the pleading look on Roman’s face, he added, “But we did not have fire the last time I was there, so I am certain we will be fine.”

Frost tore at the grass below her. “Well, if you’re sure…”

Patton frowned. “Frost, you’re acting strange. You don’t have to go if you don’t want to.”

“Yeah,” Roman agreed. “We can figure it out ourselves if we have to.”

“No, no. I...I want to go,” Frost looked up. “It’s just… nevermind. Let’s just go.”

Patton glanced at him uneasily, and he shook his head. “You’re right,” Patton said to her. “We should start flying, in case more SkyWings arrive.”

He turned to Virgil. “Do you need me to carry you, or…?”

Virgil shook his head. “Frost is in no condition to carry anyone, and I think Logan and I can manage.”

He nodded. “Okay. Then let’s get going!”

They continued to fly west, toward the desert. From there, Frost would lead them north, where the Ice Kingdom waited for them.

Roman tried to keep an eye on Frost as they flew, but it proved to be difficult. Everytime she caught him looking at her worriedly, she glared until he looked away.

The fifth time he was caught this, Frost said, “Three moons, if you want to bother someone so badly, go annoy Logan or something.”

Roman tugged at his sash. “But-”

Frost sighed. “I promise I will tell you if I need a break, just stop giving me that look.”

He reluctantly turned to fly alongside Logan, but not before telling Patton to keep an eye on the IceWing.

“How is your shoulder?” Roman asked Logan.

Logan didn’t look at him. “It feels fine, Patton looked at it last night.” he paused for a moment. “Thank you for asking.”

They flew in silence for a few moments.

“I apologize for what happened last night.” Logan said at last. “I realize it must have been… upsetting to see.”

Roman kept his eyes down, watching the desert pass by below them. “I see why you had to do it, but even if they would have taken me back to the Sky Kingdom, they’re still my tribe, Logan.” Before he could change his mind, he added, “Do you regret it?”

“What?”

“Do you regret using your venom on that SkyWing?” he could feel Logan staring at him, be he kept his eyes on the ground.

“I don’t think I do,” Logan replied. “I would have preferred not to use my venom, but that is what ended up happening. They were attacking Frost and Patton. I had no other choice.” he sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

Roman sighed. “I suppose.”

They flew for a little while longer until Patton called for a rest. Roman hadn’t noticed how much his wings ached.

The ground was more rock than sand now, and it was significantly less hot than it was earlier. Even so, it was difficult to believe that the Ice Kingdom bordered the desert. Even harder to believe that the IceWings and SandWings had fought over this barren land years ago.

Virgil paced restlessly. “We should hurry. I don’t want to let the assassin get there first.”

Roman glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. “Is there a reason you’re so eager to catch the assassin? You were so reluctant before.”

Virgil sighed. “I promise I’ll explain just… not now.”

Roman blinked at him. That was not the answer he expected.

“Well,” Frost huffed, “If Stormcloud here wants to get to the Ice Kingdom quickly, then we should start flying now, right?”

Virgil tilted his head at her. “Stormcloud?”

“Yeah. ‘Cause you’re like, the personification of a dark and stormy night.” she replied, gesturing to his hoodie. “You even have a stormcloud on your hoodie.”

Logan sighed. “Frost is correct, we should leave soon. We should get there by nightfall if we fly swiftly.”

They took off, in the direction of the Ice Kingdom. As they neared the frozen desert, he was reminded of how much they still had to do. There wasn’t a guarantee Queen Glacier would welcome them. And even if they found the assassin, then what? They had no idea where Remus was, and he wasn’t sure Ruby would welcome him back to the Sky Kingdom.

He sighed shakily, and Patton glanced at him worriedly. “You okay, kiddo?” he asked.

Roman thought about that question. He thought about what Logan had said and about Remus. He thought about the assassin and about what Ruby must be thinking of him at that moment.

“Yeah,” he lied. “I’m okay.”

Roman was cold.

Cold wasn’t a strong enough word to describe it. He could feel it seeping through his skin and wrapping around his bones. He could feel it enter his throat as he breathed, ripping through his lungs. The very concept of warmth escaped him, as if it was a world away.

The only comfort he had was Virgil pressed to his side, his thin, wiry frame hardly giving off any warmth.

“Sh-shut up,” he had chattered after he had slid under Roman’s golden wing. “Y-you’re w-warm.”

Roman had tried to come up with a witty reply, but all that came out was a croak.

Behind them, Logan and Patton trudged through the snow, huddled together. In front of them, Frost led the way, looking over her shoulder worriedly when she thought no one was looking.

“Bad news!” Frost shouted over the wind. “Looks like a storm’s coming!”

A gust of wind threatened to knock him over and made Virgil stumble. He wrapped his wing around the seer and continued through the blizzard.

After what felt like forever of fighting the storm and almost freezing to death, Frost finally managed to find a cave for them to shelter in. She ushered them inside, looking at the sky uneasily. The sun was completely covered by the clouds and the snow was falling more heavily than before.

Roman collapsed at the back of the cave, shivering. The cave sheltered them from the wind, but he was still colder than he had ever been in his life.

Logan and Patton sat down on the opposite side of the cave, and Virgil plopped down next to Roman. He sat there, shivering, until Roman sighed and pulled him closer.

“Y-you’re freezing.” Roman said through chattering teeth.

“So a-are you,” Virgil replied, shaking snow off his hoodie.

Patton held up his wrists, and gray silk poured onto the floor. “Here,” he said. “You can burn this.”

Roman nodded and took a deep breath. It took a few tries, but he managed to set the silk on fire. Virgil stared at the flames with wide eyes.

“We never had fire back on the island because, well, SeaWings.” he said.

“Well, it’s v-very hot,” Roman offered helpfully.

Virgil glared at him. “Yeah, no shit.”

“You should try to get some rest.” Frost interrupted. Even she was starting to shiver.

“Hey, Frost,” he said, trying to distract her. “Tell us something about the Ice Kingdom. What was it like?”

Frost was silent for a long moment. “Well, to be honest, I hated it.” she finally said, taking a shaky breath and opening her mouth to continue.

Roman widened his eyes. “Oh! You don’t have to talk about it if-”

“No, I want to,” Frost said, clenching her fists. “My mom made it bearable, but one day she went hunting and… she never came back.” her voice was oddly hollow, devoid of emotion.

Roman gulped. “And your father?”

“He never paid any attention to me when mother was alive,” she replied. “But then she died, and he suddenly took an interest in me. Started pushing me harder and harder until I was at the top of the rankings, but even that wasn’t enough. I had to be the best at everything.” she looked out the mouth of the cave and into the storm. “Eventually, I got tired of it and left.”

Roman stared at her. “Permission to push your father off a mountain?” he pretended not to notice the whack Virgil gave him.

Frost chuckled. “I wish I could say yes to that.”

“So that’s why you were so reluctant to return here.” Logan said thoughtfully.

She glanced at him. “I guess.”

“Then you don’t have to come with us,” Roman decided. “Maybe-maybe you can get us to the Great Ice cliff, and we’ll find a way around it.”

“No, the wall is too big to fly around,” Logan argued. “We need Frost to get us the Gift of Diplomacy.”

He felt Virgil shiver against his side. “The gift of what?”

“The Gift of Diplomacy,” Frost answered. “They’re bracelets that let dragons of other tribes cross the Great Ice Cliff, since the cliff kills everything but IceWings.”

Patton’s eyes went wide. “And you didn’t think to tell us this sooner?”

Frost rubbed the back of her neck. “Sorry, I thought you knew.”

“All of that aside, we still need Frost to get those bracelets.” Logan said. “We won’t survive otherwise.”

Frost stood up. “No. I refuse to go back in there. I can’t- I can’t afford it.”

Logan still wouldn’t give up. “Frost-”

“I’ll go see if I can find something to eat,” she interrupted. She stepped toward the mouth of the cave. It was snowing so hard, Roman couldn’t see five feet outside.

“Frost, wait!” he shouted as she spread her wings. “You can’t go out in that!”

Frost didn’t look back as she said, “I’ve been in worse. I’ll be back soon.”

With that, she turned and flew into the storm.

Roman turned to Logan. “Look what you did! She’s going to freeze out there!”

“You don’t think I know that?” Logan shouted back. “I shouldn’t have done that. I-I made a mistake.”

He tried to stand on his shaking legs. “I’m going after her.”

Virgil grabbed his arm. “No you’re not. You’re just going to get lost and freeze to death. She’ll come back, and if she doesn’t, then we’ll look. After the storm.”

Roman reluctantly sat down, still staring at the cave’s opening. Even if IceWings could survive subzero temperatures, they weren’t supposed to be out during blizzards. Eventually, even an IceWing would freeze to death, like any other dragon.

I won’t let that happen. Roman thought fiercely. We’ll get in, warn the IceWings, catch the assassin, and leave.

Moons above, I hope this works.

Fortunately, Frost had come back as the storm was dying down.

“Frost! You’re okay!” Roman stood up and pulled her into a hug. She gasped at the sudden contact, the relaxed. She was shivering violently, and Roman pulled away to look at her. “Frost? Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’m fine.” she said, stepping away awkwardly. “We should get going.”

“Frost, I want to-” Logan started.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” she interrupted. “I’ll get you as far as the Ice cliff. After that, you’re on your own. I- I know I promised to help you find the assassin, but I also promised myself that I wouldn’t go back there.”

“That’s okay,” Patton said. “You’ve already done so much for us. It wouldn’t be fair to ask for more.”

Frost nodded. “R-right.”

They began to walk north, in the direction of the Ice palace. Frost led them through the tough terrain, pointing out the easiest paths and the more dangerous ones.

“You’re gonna have to fly around the Great Ice Cliff,” Frost said, walking alongside them. “It shouldn’t be too long of a flight, just a couple of hours. From there, fly north until you see the Ice palace. It’s big, tall towers, you can’t miss it.”

Roman sighed and looked up at the sky. Even the thought of more flying made his wings feel tired. The storm had died down significantly, but the wind was still fairly strong.

Virgil shivered against his side. “I just want to get out of here as soon as possible. It’s c-cold.”

Roman opened his mouth to reply, but a streak of green flashing at the edge of his vision interrupted his train of thought. He whipped his head around, but there was nothing there.

Virgil narrowed his eyes. “What? What is it?”

“It’s nothing, I just thought-”

“Uh, Roman?” Frost cut him off, pointing to something in front of them.

A black and green dragon was standing in front of them, lazily swinging his tail from side to side. Roman squinted at the dragon. Wait, it couldn’t be. Is that…?

“Remus?” he ran toward him, ignoring Logan’s shouts.

He stopped a few feet away from him, frowning. He was absolutely certain that dragon was Remus, but something felt… off. Remus had his head down, and his shoulders were tense.

“Remus?” he said hesitantly. “W- what are you doing here?” he shook his head. That didn’t matter right now. “We finally found you.”

Remus didn’t respond.

He stepped forward, grabbing his wrist. “Come on, Rem. Let’s go home-”

Remus wrenched his arm away from his grasp, looking up. Roman gasped.

His eyes were completely white.

He stumbled back. “Remus, what-”

Remus swiped a talon at him, and he barely dodged it. Someone tried to drag him back, but he dug his claws into the snow. “Wait! There’s something wrong. What’s wrong with my brother?”

Now that Roman was out of reach, Remus turned to the closest target. Frost was crouching in a defensive stance, and Remus growled at her, shaking a knife out of his sleeve. He stabbed at her face and she reared up to grab his arms at the last second. Remus pressed harder, growling. Frost’s eyes flickered between Remus and the knife.

“Roman?” Virgil’s grip tightened on his arm. “Is that-is that your brother?”

“It looks like him,” he hated the way his voice shook. “But that’s not- that can’t be him.”

He watched numbly as Patton held his wrist out and shot silk at the knife. It wrapped around the handle and he yanked it out of Remus’s talons. He snapped his head toward them, snarling.

Virgil let go of his arm, shifting to stand in front of Patton. “Looks like we’re going to have to fight him.”

“No, no, I can’t, that’s my brother,” Roman muttered, barely aware of what he was saying. He flinched as Logan tackled Remus off of Frost. Logan got thrown into the snow and Remus stood up, turning his glare on Roman. Patton moved away from Roman and Virgil, taking Remus’s attention. The light caught on something on his ear and- was that an earring?

Virgil looked down at Roman’s shaking talons, then back up at his eyes. “You don’t have to fight him, then. Just- just stay here.”

Roman watched as he shoved Patton out of the way of Remus’s fire. The knife was still stuck in the ground, forgotten.

He shifted his gaze to Remus. His eyes were pearly white, his expression blank. It was all so not Remus that for a moment he doubted it was even him. But there was no one in Pyrrhia who was quite the same shade of green. His sleeves were still stained red from when he wiped his knife with it. Even the way he moved, with quick, fluid motions that were almost too fast to follow was familiar.

Logan let out a cry as he was flung away from Remus. His eyes snapped back to Virgil as he clawed at Remus’s throat.

Roman squeezed his eyes shut. Logically, he knew they had to stop Remus, but that didn’t make it hurt any less when he heard his brother’s shouts of pain.

“Roman!” Virgil shouted. He opened his eyes to see Remus charging toward him, knife held high.

He wouldn’t hurt me. Roman thought dimly. He wouldn’t, I trust-

Remus threw the knife.

It hurtled through the air and sank into his forearm. He heard someone scream and wondered why it was so loud when he realized he was the one screaming. He lifted his arm shakily, watching the blood trickle down his scales. The sight of it made him dizzy.

He was dimly aware of Patton screaming, of Virgil grabbing his arm desperately, of the pain he should’ve been more aware of, but his gaze was locked on the knife.

Virgil stared at the knife embedded in his arm, shouting, “Logan! Come help me over here!” to Roman, he said, “Come on, Princey, we gotta get out of here.”

He slumped against Virgil, and he grunted under Roman’s weight. “I-I…” he tried to apologize for being unhelpful, but his tongue wouldn’t cooperate with him.

Frost roared and leaped at Remus. The two dragons clawed and bit at each other, rolling through the snow. Blood splattered the ground, staining it red and blue.

Logan came to support him on his other side. He held his arm up again and moved to take the knife out.

“No!” Logan exclaimed. “I do not know much about stab wounds, but I know you should not take the knife out.” he turned around. “Patton?”

Patton hurried toward them, glancing between the battling dragons and Roman worriedly. “Logan’s right, we should wait until we can get to safety before taking it out.”

Roman groaned, putting more of his weight on Virgil. “It- it hurts.”

Patton looked at him sadly. “I know, kiddo. I promise we’ll fix it soon.” he spoke as if he was talking to a startled animal. He probably should have been offended by that, but he was in too much pain to think about that.

He started to lead them away, but Roman looked back at Frost and Remus. “But what about Frost? And my brother?”

“I’m sure Frost will be fine.” Virgil didn’t sound sure, which wasn’t comforting in the slightest. “And Remus…”

“I can talk to him,” he pleaded. He hated how desperate he sounded. “I’m sure this is all a big misunderstanding. Remus would never-”

“Roman.” Virgil said, forcing him to look him in the eye. “I’m sorry, but...”

Roman shook his head, knowing what he was about to say. He didn’t want to hear it, didn’t want to confirm it, as if not thinking about it would will it out of existence.

“I think Remus is the assassin.”

“Hey, Ro. Finally awake?”

Roman slowly opened his eyes, blinking the sleepiness away. He tried to sit up, but gasped in pain when he put weight on his injured arm.

“Hey, careful.” He looked up to see Virgil staring down at him.

He looked back down at the injured arm, which was covered in bandages. The previous day was hazy, like he had dreamed it up.

“Frost?” he asked.

“I’m over here.” The IceWing sat in a corner, arm held out so Patton could wrap bandages around it. She also had a bandage around her waist and back leg. “Some IceWings living on the outskirts gave us some supplies. Probably saved our scales.”

He looked back up at Virgil. “And Remus?”

Virgil shook his head. “He got away. I’m sorry Roman, but he’s the only one who could be the assassin.”

“Could you read his mind? What was it like?” he asked.

“It-it was strange,” he replied. “The only way to describe it is... sharp. Like it was blocked off by a wall of thorns.”

“Well, I-I want to talk to him,” Roman said, blinking tears out of his eyes. “I want to know why he did it.”

Virgil shared a glance with Logan.

“I don’t think you can,” Logan said slowly. “Did you see his eyes?”

Roman perked up. “That’s it! He must be under a spell!”

“A spell?” Patton tilted his head. “How?”

“Long story short, there are these dragons called animus dragons who can do anything they want by enchanting something. They’re supposed to be super rare.” Roman explained.

“Woah,” Patton said, awestruck. “That sounds amazing.”

“Yeah,” Roman sighed. “I wonder how Remus found one.”

Beside him, Virgil shivered, and he realized there was no fire in the cave.

“T-there’s no fire,” Roman’s teeth chattered.

“Well, none of us have fire,” Frost replied, studying her newly applied bandages as Patton worked on putting new ones on her waist. “And you were unconscious.”

Roman sat up, careful not to put weight on his injured arm. “Then I’ll make one right now.”

Patton stepped forward, holding out his wrists. Silk poured from them, and soon there was a small pile of silk sitting on the cave floor. He breathed fire on the silk, setting it ablaze. He sat back down, feeling dizzy.

“Take it easy, Prince Charming,” Frost said. “You lost a lot of blood.”

“And it should be time for Roman to change his now,” Patton called, not looking up from his work. “Virgil, can you take care of that for me?”

Frost tossed a roll of bandages at Virgil, who fumbled it, almost dropping it on Roman. “Watch it!”

“Oops!” Frost smirked.

“Hey, be nice!” Patton called.

“Whatever, dad,” Frost muttered.

“What was that?”

“Nothing!”

Virgil sighed and turned to Roman. He started to unwrap the bandages on his arm wordlessly.

“I can do this myself, you know,” Roman said, trying to catch Virgil’s eye. He’d patched Remus up enough times to know how to do it in his sleep.

“I know,” Virgil murmured, still not meeting his eyes. “I just need something to do. I’ve been sitting in this cave for hours.”

“Oh,” Roman said. “Sorry about that.”

“Sorry about what? Getting stabbed?” Virgil finally managed to get the bandage off and he had to resist the urge to gag at the sight of the stab wound.

Virgil noticed his expression. “Yeah, it was pretty bad. You shouldn’t put weight on it for a while.”

Virgil began to apply the bandages to his arm. Roman watched him work, struggling to stay awake. He must have been more tired than he thought.

“Don’t fall asleep on me, Princey.” Virgil nudged his face gently. “You’re not sleeping until you’ve had something to eat.”

Roman shook his head to clear it. “I wasn’t falling asleep, Stormcloud.”

Virgil raised a brow. “Oh, we’re going with that nickname?” without waiting for a reply, he turned to Frost. “You got any food left from those IceWings?”

He heard Frost rummage around for something. The sound of the something slapping Virgil in the face followed soon after.

“Hey!”

“You were supposed to catch it!”

“Frost, maybe you should not throw the food?” Logan said tiredly from the other side of the fire.

Frost muttered something too quiet for him to hear.

Virgil grumbled and handed Roman half of the seal Frost had thrown, keeping the other half for himself.

Roman ate it in two bites, too hungry to roast it. He wrinkled his nose at the taste. “I don’t know how anyone could enjoy raw meat,” Roman commented, ignoring Frost’s offended squawk. “But… Remus would have loved it.” he stared down at the bandage on his arm, pretending not to notice the worried glance Logan sent to Virgil.

“If he is under a spell,” Frost said. “Then we’ll have to find the animus that enchanted him, right?”

“Not necessarily,” Logan said. “An animus dragon needs an object to enchant, correct? All we have to do is find the enchanted object.” Logan turned to Roman. “Was your brother carrying or wearing anything that could have been enchanted?”

Roman thought about it and suddenly remembered the earring he saw briefly. “Remus was wearing an earring earlier, but I couldn’t see what it looked like. That must be it, though.” Virgil suddenly gasped, then quickly hid it with a cough. Roman gave him a puzzled look. Virgil didn’t notice.

Frost was shaking her head. “But we have no guarantee that that’s the enchanted object. For all we know, the animus could be controlling him from across the continent.”

Patton laced his claws together. “There are a lot more dragons here than on Pantala, and it’s a lot less… organized. We don’t have time to search for one dragon.”

Virgil tensed, his grip tightening on his seal. Roman narrowed his eyes and frowned.

“Maybe… what if we had a way to find the animus?” Frost wondered aloud, giving Virgil a pointed look.

Virgil let out a shaky breath and stood up. “I have something to tell you all. It’s about my visions.”

Logan looked up from the fire, intrigued. Frost widened her eyes, then immediately narrowed them, suspicious. Patton somehow managed to look even more worried than he already was.

“In one of my visions, there was a SandWing, but not any ordinary SandWing- this one was wingless.” Virgil said quickly. “And-and in his talons, he was holding an earring. One that was shaped like a rose.”

Roman clenched his fists, leaving imprints in his palms. He remembered that earring, remembered giving that earring to Remus for his hatching day, remembered being so excited to give it to him. Remus never wore it, claiming that he didn’t want to break it. “That has to be the one with the enchantment on it. He never used to wear it before.”

“That does make sense,” Frost admitted begrudgingly. “But still…”

“Virgil, that can’t be the only vision you had. Earlier you said visions, plural.” Logan pointed out.

“You’re right,” Virgil said. “I had a vision of Queen Glacier dying, so that’s why we came here.”

Frost shuddered, rubbing the scratches on her waist. “I don’t like the sound of that. Princess Snowfall is a pain in the ass.”

“And the last vision,” Virgil said, ignoring Frost. “Was of- of Patton dying.”

Virgil was looking down at his talons while everyone stared at him. Roman lightly brushed his wing with his own in an attempt at comforting him. Virgil didn’t notice.

Patton stood up and ran towards Virgil, wrapping his wings around him. “This is why you wanted me to stay on the island, isn’t it?”

Roman turned away, letting the two dragons have as much privacy as possible in the small cave.

He couldn’t imagine what it would feel like to watch someone he loved die, with seemingly no way to stop it.

Except I can. He thought miserably. Remus is taking out the royal families, and one day it’s going to get him killed.

I need to stop him before that happens.

Roman couldn’t sleep.

Even though he was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and not open them until morning, his body refused to let him rest. After much tossing and turning and picking at the bandages on his arm, he finally gave up and limped onto the ledge outside the cave.

The cold was almost enough to make him go back inside, but the stars convinced him to stay. For a while, he sat in the cold and watched the stars in silence, thinking.

The sound of talonsteps made him turn around. He lit up as he saw that it was Virgil that had come to join him.

“Hey, Stormcloud,” he greeted.

“Hey. Couldn’t sleep?” Virgil asked as he sat down next to Roman.

“Yeah. My thoughts won’t leave me alone,” Roman said, pressing himself against Virgil for warmth.

Virgil laid a wing over Roman’s back and sighed. “I know the feeling well.” He laid his head on his talons, and Roman did the same. He looked at the bandages on his arm. “How’s your arm? Does it still hurt?”

“Not that much,” he lied. In fact, he thought it hurt more than it had a day ago. “A few more days and I’ll be good as new!” he forced himself to smile.

Virgil narrowed his eyes as if he saw right through the lie, but didn’t comment. “Something’s on your mind.” It was more of a statement than a question.

His talons instinctively moved to his bag, where he kept his skyfire. Virgil just chuckled. “I don’t need to read your mind to know that. So, what’s up?”

Roman looked up at the sky. “I- I really want to help him, Virgil.” he didn’t need to say Remus’s name in order for Virgil to figure out who he was talking about. “And I know we can’t do anything to help him right now, but that doesn’t stop me from feeling anxious and-”

“Then just talk about something else.” Virgil interrupted.

Roman blinked at him. “What?”

Virgil looked down and rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. “It’s just something my mom and I used to do. Whenever one of us got stressed, we would talk about a completely different topic until we could confront the problem. Since we can’t fix this problem right now, why not take your mind off of it?”

Roman smiled. “Alright then.” he thought for a moment. “When I was a dragonet, I was cared for by a SkyWing named Crimson. She was awesome. She played games with us, and whenever I didn’t feel like doing battle practice, she would tell us stories. The stories were always something I had never heard of before, and she knew how to spin a tale. I miss her.”

“What happened to her?” Virgil asked.

“Oh, um…” he wasn’t sure how to say that one day she had disappeared and he never saw her again.

Virgil seemed to get the hint. “Oh! I’m sorry, I-”

“It’s alright, it was a long time ago anyway.” Even as he said it, he felt a pang in his chest. He was surprised at how sad he felt about it, even after so many years.

He bumped Virgil’s shoulder with his own, attempting to change the subject. “Your turn.”

Virgil furrowed his brows in confusion. “My turn to what?”

“I told you something about me. Now it’s your turn.”

“Oh, right.” Virgil was silent for a moment before he smirked. He held up his arms, rolling up his sleeves. “You see these purple scales?” He nodded at the scales that ran up his arm. “Watch them carefully.”

Roman nodded and kept his eyes on Virgil’s arm. The scales suddenly lit up, causing him to cry out in alarm.

He rubbed his eyes and blinked rapidly while Virgil laughed his head off. “I probably should have expected that. You’re half SeaWing, after all.”

Virgil laughed even harder at that, and Roman couldn’t help but join in. After a while, Virgil finally calmed down enough to say, “I didn’t think you’d actually fall for it!”

Roman whacked him with his wing and pouted. “Shut up.” he was trying to sound annoyed, but he couldn’t keep the fond look off his face.

Virgil giggled and whacked him back.

“So, uh.” Roman wasn’t sure why he was so nervous. “Can I see them again? Without burning my eyes, please.”

Virgil got his giggles under control and nodded. “Okay.” he held out his arms again and they began to glow, dimmer than before. The scales on his tail and under his eyes began to glow as well until he was emanating a soft, purple light.

“Wow,” Roman whispered, reaching out to touch Virgil’s arm lightly. “They’re like… violet fireflies.”

“Really?” he dimmed the scales until they were no longer glowing. “I never thought about them like that.”

“Well, they’re lovelier than any firefly I’ve ever seen,” Roman said.

Virgil rolled his eyes. “Are you like this with every dragon you meet?”

Roman smirked. “Just the interesting ones.”

“And I’m interesting to you?”

“A little bit.”

Virgil smiled. “I can live with that.”

They sat under the stars for a while until Roman began to shiver.

“We should head back in,” Virgil said as he started to shiver too.

“Yeah, let’s go.” Roman stood up, holding his injured arm in the air and helped Virgil up. They headed inside the cave, but Virgil suddenly stumbled.

“Woah, are you-” he caught Virgil with one arm as he collapsed. He was staring into the horizon, muttering under his breath. “Virgil? Are you okay?”

He was about to go get help when Virgil’s eyes fluttered open. He groaned and rubbed his head.

“You okay, Stormcloud?” Roman asked, adjusting his grip on him.

Virgil’s eyes widened and he quickly pulled away. “I-I’m fine. It was just a vision. Sorry about that.”

Roman frowned. “Are they always that dramatic?”

“Usually.”

He nodded slowly. “Alright. What was your vision about this time?”

“It was of Remus.” Roman gasped. “And I think I know where our animus is.”

“We have to go to the desert again?” Frost cried, distraught.

“Uh, yeah? Where else would you find a SandWing, genius?” Virgil snapped.

Roman sighed. They had been arguing for what was probably only a few minutes, but felt like hours.

“Though I would prefer not to go to the desert again, it’s our only option if we want to help Roman.” Logan added.

Roman buried his head in his talons, suddenly feeling guilty. He had dragged them into this. He was responsible for everything that had happened. They didn’t need to help him, and yet…

“Roman, you okay?” Patton’s voice forced him out of his thoughts.

“I’m quite alright,” he replied. “But… this is my problem. None of you need to help me.” he turned to Frost. “You don’t have to come if you don’t want to. And Virgil.” he looked at the seer. “I’m so sorry for forcing you into this. You don’t have to help me either. None of you do.” he looked down at his talons, feeling miserable. They must hate him for dragging them into his problems.

Virgil stood up. “You idiot.”

His head snapped up. “What?”

Virgil walked over, took Roman’s talons between his, and squeezed them. “You’re an idiot if you think we’re going to leave you to do this by yourself. I chose to come, remember? And I also chose to stay.” Roman stared at their entwined talons, stunned.

Frost nodded. “He’s right. Besides, I promised I would help you find the assassin, and I’m not one to break my promises.”

“And there’s no way we’d let you do this yourself, right Logan?” Patton said excitedly.

“Correct. We’re helping you solve this problem, Roman, whether you like it or not,” Logan said, adjusting his glasses.

Roman smiled so wide his face hurt. He let go of Virgil’s talons and pulled his friends into a hug. He buried his face into someone’s shoulder, muttering, “Thank you,” over and over and over again. He didn’t even realize he had been crying until he pulled away with tears streaming down his face.

He wiped his tears away with his uninjured arm. “Thank you,” he whispered one last time.

“Right, with that out of the way,” Logan said, flustered. “Let’s go find this animus, shall we?”

After about a day of flying, they had finally reached the SandWing stronghold.

“Should we… go inside?” Roman asked as they took a break near an oasis. Patton was refilling their water bottles they got from Frost’s IceWing friends while Frost submerged herself in the water.

“Why should we?” Frost asked, lifting her head out of the water. “We don’t need Thorn’s help.”

“And wouldn’t it be more wise to keep this all a secret? At least until it’s fixed?” Logan added.

“I suppose you’re right,” Roman sighed. “It would have been nice to have a backup army, though.”

“So Virgil, where exactly is this animus?” Frost asked, sitting up. “Because I don’t think Thorn has any wingless SandWings in her palace.”

Virgil shook his head. “No, he’s not in the stronghold. In my vision, he was standing in front of a cave that went into the ground, and he was holding that earring again.”

“And where’s the cave?” Roman asked.

“Somewhere west of the palace.”

Frost sighed. “We’ve got a lot of flying ahead of us.”

Night had fallen on the desert, but they still hadn’t found the animus’s cave.

The five of them had found a hole that would presumably lead them into a tunnel system, judging by the rock Frost had thrown down it.

“I guess we can sleep in this hole in the ground,” Virgil said, staring down the hole.

Frost nodded. “It looks safe.”

Roman looked up at the sky, feeling restless. “Shouldn’t we try looking for a little while longer? The moons are bright and there isn’t a cloud in sight.”

Patton reached out and patted him on the shoulder. “I know you want to find Remus, but we’ve been flying all day, and we need rest.”

“And I would like to scout before we make any rash decisions,” Frost added.

Logan sighed when he still didn’t look entirely convinced. “We’ll scout out the animus’s cave first thing in the morning.” he said. “But for now, you need to rest that arm.”

Roman glanced down at his injured arm. It had healed enough that he didn’t need the bandages anymore, but it still hurt when he put his weight on it. “Fine, fine.”

Roman went down the hole first. He was surprised at how deep it was, and he had to suppress a hiss of pain as he landed on his injured arm.

“Roman, are you okay?” Patton called.

Roman grunted and stood up. “Yeah, I’m fine! It’s safe to come down!”

Patton came down next, fluttering his wings to break his fall. “There isn’t much space to spread your wings, so be careful!” he shouted up at the others.

Frost poked her head through the hole, blocking out the moonlight momentarily. She squeezed her shoulders through and almost fell, but righted herself at the last second, landing ungracefully on her feet. The bandages on her arm came loose, and Patton quickly moved to fix it.

Logan went down after her. He spread his wings to slow his descent, but one of them scraped against the cave walls and he plummeted to the ground.

“Logan!” Roman cried, running to his side. “Are you okay?”

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?” Virgil called from above.

“I’m alright!” Logan shouted back. “It was just a fall, nothing to worry about,” he said to Roman.

“Well, it looked like it hurt,” Roman replied, helping Logan up. He turned his head up to the skylight. “Virgil, you can come down now!”

Virgil squinted down at them. “Um, how far is the drop, exactly?”

Roman frowned. Was that a hint of fear in his voice? “Uh, it’s not that far. You’ll probably be fine!” he said, glancing at Frost and Logan, who were both grimacing in pain.

“Right, very reassuring.” Virgil disappeared from view for a moment before he suddenly threw himself down the hole. He plummeted like a rock and landed on Logan, squashing him to the ground.

Roman gasped. “Virgil, are you okay?” he asked, offering him his uninjured arm.

Virgil grabbed his arm and pulled himself off of Logan. “Yeah- ow- I’m fine.” he looked down at Logan. “Sorry Logan,”

“It’s… alright,” Logan said, adjusting his glasses and brushing himself off. “Let’s get moving, shall we?”

Frost nodded, tightening the bandages on her arm. “Let’s find somewhere bigger. I feel cramped in here.”

Roman led the way through the tunnels, occasionally breathing fire to light their way. The tunnels were narrow, so they had to walk single file. Sometimes they became so small Roman was afraid he had gotten stuck. The stone was dry, and it scraped painfully against his scales.

Eventually, the tunnel opened up into a small cave just big enough for all five of them to sit in.

Frost drew her wings in close to her body, looking around the cramped space. “Isn’t it a bit… small?”

“It’s the best we can do for now,” Patton said. “Besides, I’m sure we’re all too tired to search for a bigger cave.”

Roman laid down, his head on his talons. Virgil laid down next to him, and Logan sat on his other side. “Do we need someone to keep watch? I don’t think it’s likely that anyone will find us,” Roman said, stifling a yawn.

“We’re so close to the animus, though,” Virgil pointed out. “We can’t be too careful.”

“Well, who wants to keep watch then?” Patton asked. “I can-”

Frost raised a talon. “I’ll-”

“Absolutely not,” Patton said sternly. “You, an IceWing, just flew through a desert, and you still haven’t healed completely from that fight with Remus. Anyone else?”

Frost lowered her arm sheepishly.

Logan sighed. “I suppose I’ll do it.”

Patton nodded. “Alright, everybody else, try to get some rest. Logan, wake Virgil or me when you start to feel tired.”

It took some time and quite a bit of shuffling around, but eventually they managed to find a comfortable position to lie in. It wasn’t perfect, with Frost’s spikes poking him in the back, Patton’s wings in his face, and Virgil’s head resting on his talons, but he was comfortable enough to drift into a fitful sleep.

Roman woke the next morning to darkness. He panicked for a moment before he remembered he was in the tunnels beneath the desert. He blinked awake and saw Logan sitting next to Patton’s sleeping form. He gently lifted Virgil’s head off his talons and set it on the floor and gingerly stood up, trying not to wake anyone.

He stepped over tails and talons to sit next to Logan, carefully pushing Patton’s leg out of the way.

“Good morning,” Logan greeted. He was scratching something on the floor, but quickly wiped it away as Roman leaned over to look.

Roman sat down, curling his tail around his talons. “How do you know it’s morning? There’s no light down here.”

Logan shrugged. “I guessed, mostly. You wake up around the same time everyday, correct? Therefore, it’s safe to assume that it is morning.”

Roman chuckled. “Good morning, then.”

Logan rubbed his eyes and stifled a yawn. Roman looked closer and saw that his eyes were red from lack of sleep.

“Did you stay up the whole night?” he asked. “I thought you were supposed to wake Virgil.”

“He was already asleep, and I was doing fine,” Logan huffed. “I was able to stay awake the entire night, so it hardly matters.”

Roman frowned, but didn’t reply.

The two dragons sat in silence for a long time, lost in thought, until the cave grew warmer.

“We should wake the others,” Logan said, standing up. “I’ll get Patton.” Roman nodded, moving to rouse Virgil and Frost.

He woke Frost by poking her in the shoulder, to which she responded by batting his talons away. He eventually managed to get her to sit up, though she wasn’t happy about it.

Rousing Virgil proved to be a much easier task. All it took was a few nudges and the seer was on his feet.

“Mornin’” Virgil greeted, rubbing his eyes and yawning.

“Good morning,” he replied.

“Alright, who’s going to scout with me?” Frost called, effectively silencing everyone in the cave.

“I’ll go,” Roman volunteered immediately.

“I’ll go too,” Virgil said. “I can show you where the animus is.”

Patton frowned. “Should Frost go? She still hasn’t recovered completely…”

Frost sighed, looking up at the ceiling. “I just want to do something,” she said. “Being in these tunnels is… suffocating.”

“But the desert will be the most dangerous to you,” Roman pointed out. “That’s why IceWings are rarely seen anywhere other than the Ice Kingdom, right? Because you’ll overheat?”

“It won’t take that long,” she pressed. “I just don’t like sitting around doing nothing.”

Roman wanted to argue more, but seeing the look on her face, he knew she wouldn’t change her mind.

He nodded reluctantly. “Alright. Let’s get going.”

Roman, Virgil, and Frost set out before the sun was highest, leaving Logan and Patton behind in case something happened to them.

“Can you lead us to the animus’s cave?” Roman asked as soon as they emerged from the tunnels.

Virgil squinted at the sky, blinking rapidly at the sudden brightness. He had taken off his hoodie and left it with Patton, so Roman could see the glowing purple scales that ran up his arms and along his side. “I think so. Now that I think about it, the tunnels we were just in might be connected to the animus’s.

Roman’s eyes widened. “Should we have left Patton and Logan alone down there?”

“They’ll be fine,” Frost said, shielding her eyes from the sun. “Logan has his venom.”

“And Patton knows how to take care of himself,” Virgil added, though Roman could hear the uncertainty in his voice. “Now, let’s go find this animus.”

They searched for the rest of the morning, growing more and more weary at each cave they searched that wasn’t the animus’s. It wasn’t until noon that they found something.

“Roman, did you see that?” Virgil said urgently, grabbing his arm.

“See what?” he said right as he saw a streak of black and green fly overhead.

His eyes went wide. “That’s him! That’s Remus!” he spread his wings to follow him, but Virgil tugged him back.

“We should stay hidden,” he explained. “Maybe he’ll lead us to wherever the animus is.”

Roman folded his wings in begrudgingly, admitting that Virgil made sense.

They followed Remus from the ground, freezing when he looked down. There wasn’t anywhere to hide in the desert, and Roman found that he missed the towering peaks and dense forests of the Sky Kingdom.

“How… far away… is this dragon?” Frost panted, looking like she was about to faint. Roman steadied her with a wing, and she nodded at him gratefully.

“Looks like it’s not much farther,” Virgil said. “He’s landing.”

Sure enough, Remus was diving straight to the sand, spreading his wings right before he hit the ground. A few moments later, a wingless SandWing wearing a black cloak stepped outside. He nodded at Remus and scanned the sand dunes. The three of them ducked until his gaze wandered off of them. He gestured to the cave and he and Remus went inside the cave.

“We should go after him,” Roman decided as soon as the SandWing disappeared into the cave. “Right now. We could free him.”

“Don’t be stupid,” Virgil snapped. “There’s no way the three of us can take Remus on, especially when he has an animus as backup.”

Roman lashed his tail, sending clouds of sand stirring around him. “I know, I know, it’s just… frustrating. We’re so close.”

Virgil sighed. “But if we go now, we’re all going to die, and I am not dying in this miserable place.”

“Besides, don’t you want to go and rest?” Frost said, fanning herself with her wings. “It’s… really hot, don’t you think?”

Roman dug his claws into the sand, ignoring the jolt of pain it sent up his injured arm. He could see the cave clearly, opening into the sand dune and continuing downward. A ring of cacti stood in front of the mouth of the cave, looking almost deliberate.

Virgil stared at him with a concerned expression before he quickly looked away. Frost lifted into the air, hovering while she waited for them to join her. “Let’s hurry,” she said, sounding out of breath. “We don’t want to keep Logan and Patton waiting.”

“Did you find anything?” Patton asked as soon as they dropped into the tunnel.

“We saw the animus at his cave,” Frost answered. “Roman’s brother was there too.”

“That’s good, right?” Patton said, propping a torch against a rock.

While they had been gone, Patton and Logan had gone deeper into the tunnels and found a bigger cave for them to wait in. The new cave was big enough for Roman to spread his wings, so that was a plus.

“Yeah, all we need is a plan.” Virgil said, putting his hoodie back on. his claws and face were still soaking from his trip to the underground river Patton and Logan had found.

“But we don’t need a plan!” Roman said, frustrated. “We can just go and free Remus, can’t we?”

“But we do need a plan,” Logan cut in. “We need a way to lure your brother out without alerting the animus. I don’t think you want to deal with an animus anymore than I do.”

Roman had to admit that it didn’t sound very appealing. “Then what do you suppose we do?”

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Frost said. She scooted over to an empty spot on the floor and started to scratch something into it. Roman leaned over to see what it was. It turned out to be a map of the area around the animus’s cave.

“Alright,” Frost said, leaning forward. “This is what I had in mind…”

Roman yawned as he sat on the other side of the cave. They had been discussing the plan all day, and Frost and Logan were finalizing it. It was still so surreal to him that they would go through all these lengths just to help him with his own problems. They didn’t gain anything from it. They weren’t even royalty, and yet they stood by him. It was baffling.

He looked up as Virgil plopped down next to him. “How are you feeling?” he asked. He had taken his hoodie off earlier, and his scales glowed faintly in the dark.

“Well, as good as I can be in this miserable heat,” Roman said. “I don’t know how SandWings stand it.”

Virgil punched him lightly in the shoulder. “I meant like, mentally, Princey.”

Roman’s smile melted off his face. “I’m just impatient. Another day gone. Another day that Remus has to be under a spell.”

“At least we’ll be prepared,” Virgil said. He was silent for a moment before he nervously asked, “Roman, can I ask you something?”

Roman looked at him out of the corner of his eye. “Um, sure.”

“What- what are you going to do if we can’t free your brother? If the animus gets away?” Virgil asked quickly.

“I’ll try again, of course!” he said, clenching his fists. “I’ll try however many times it takes.”

“No, I mean, what are you going to do if you can’t save him? Ever?”

Roman’s eyes widened as he realized what Virgil was asking. “I- I don’t know,” he answered truthfully. If he was being honest with himself, he was terrified at the prospect of failing. If he couldn’t save Remus, what else was he going to do? Go back to being a prince? How was he going to explain to his kingdom that their beloved champion was dead?

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked that!” Virgil said, his eyes widening in horror when Roman didn’t elaborate.

Roman bumped his shoulder. “Hey, it’s alright. It’s important to think about, anyway.”

Virgil glanced at him. “I guess.”

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed when Frost suddenly cried out in triumph. Roman’s head snapped up and he winced as something in his neck cracked.

“Who’s screeching?” Virgil mumbled tiredly. He yawned and stretched his wings, accidentally whacking him in the face.

“I’m not screeching,” Frost grumbled. “Anyway, we finally have a plan!”

Logan adjusted his glasses. “We may have an idea on what to do,”

Roman stood up and stretched. “So let’s hear it.”

The next morning, Roman set out on his own to be used as bait.

Well, technically he wasn’t alone. Frost was flying over head, prepared to act as a distraction if needed. Patton, Logan, and Virgil were hidden somewhere among the dunes, acting as backup if anything went wrong.

It was strange, being away from other dragons, even if for a short time. Frost was barely visible among the clouds, and Logan, Patton, and Virgil were nowhere to be seen.

Roman stopped a short way from the ring of cacti that stood in front of the cave, running the plan through his head again.

It was fairly simple. Roman would stand in front of the cave, hopefully luring Remus out. They would then surround him, and Roman would take the earring and break the spell. If everything went smoothly, the animus wouldn’t take notice of a random SkyWing standing at his doorstep.

Roman took one last look at the sand dunes around them before stepping closer to the cave. He tried to keep his wings from shaking, but he was sure he hadn’t succeeded.

He stepped into the ring of cacti, eyeing them warily as if some sort of trap would spring from them. His head snapped toward the cave as he heard heavy breathing coming from it.

One moment he was glancing skyward, wondering if Frost had sensed something amiss, the next he was thrown into the ground, winded.

He coughed and attempted to stand, but his attacker was on him in an instant. He looked up to see blank white eyes staring back at him.

Remus dug his claws into his shoulders, and he gritted his teeth. He struggled, but Remus had an ironclad grip on him.

Claws closed around his throat and he struggled to breathe. Remus dug his claws into his neck, drawing blood. He could feel it trickle down his scales.

Suddenly, the weight was lifted. He coughed and choked, rubbing his neck before looking up to see Logan deftly avoiding Remus’s attacks.

Logan ducked as Remus swiped a talon at him, then whirled around with his jaw wide open, fangs aimed at Remus.

Roman’s eyes widened. “Logan, no!”

Logan looked at him, startled. While he was distracted, Remus tackled him to the ground.

Before Roman could move, Frost dove onto Remus from above. The two clawed and bit at each other, trying their hardest to tear each other apart. Roman looked on, feeling helpless.

“Roman!” he turned around to see Patton and Virgil running up to them. “You’re bleeding!” Patton said worriedly, stopping just in front of them.

He reached up to the cut on his neck. “It’s just a cut,” he said absently.

Virgil’s eyes suddenly went wide. “Behind you!”

Without looking behind him, he dove to the side. Remus landed in the place he had just been a moment before, but instead of attacking him, he leaped at Virgil.

“Virgil!” He dove in front of Virgil before Remus could get to him. “Snap out of it!” he shouted, but his cries fell on deaf ears. Behind Remus, he watched in dismay as Frost leaned heavily on Logan. He would have to act quickly if he wanted no one else to get hurt.

Roman reached for the earring, but Remus snapped his teeth at him. He growled and stepped back. Remus had been the SkyWing champion for years. There was no way Roman could beat him in a fight. As he stood indecisively, Remus snarled and pounced at him, pushing him onto the ground.

Roman grunted as he landed on his wings awkwardly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Virgil move forward to help. “No! Stay back!” he shouted. He wasn’t sure why Remus had gone after Virgil instead of him, but Roman was not going to let Virgil get hurt.

He aimed for the earring again. It took a few tries, but he finally managed to get a hold of it. With one forceful tug, he ripped it off his brother’s ear.

Remus roared and clutched his ear, stumbling off of him. He struggled to his feet, watching Remus carefully. He could see blood dripping from where he ripped the earring out. Remus had his back turned to him so he couldn’t see his eyes.

“R-Remus?” he said hesitantly. He didn’t get a response.

Then, almost too quiet to hear. “Roman?”

Roman gasped. He stepped closer, limbs trembling. “I’m- I’m here.”

Slowly, Remus turned, and he finally got a good look at him.

His sash was in tatters, his claws dirty, and he was bleeding from several wounds, but his eyes were normal and that was all that mattered.

Roman felt himself smile. “You’re okay!” he exclaimed, pulling him into a hug. He wrapped his wings around his brother, still not quite believing this was real.

Slowly, very slowly, Remus hugged back.

He was dimly aware that he was crying, but he didn’t care. He had his brother back, and that was all that mattered.

Remus pulled away, quickly wiping away his own tears. “Bet you want an explanation now, huh?”

Roman shook his head. “I do, but… not right now. I- I thought you had done something terrible, Rem.”

Remus’s smile fell. “I-”

“Interesting. I didn’t think you would free him so quickly.” a voice from behind them hissed.

Roman whirled around and his eyes widened in horror.

The animus was standing at the mouth of the cave.

Roman spread his wings and motioned his friends to stay back. “Don’t come any closer!” he growled at the SandWing.

The animus stared at him quizzically, then chuckled. “You misunderstand me completely. I only want to talk.”

Roman snarled. “Like hell you do. How can you possibly explain putting that spell on Remus?”

“Roman, stop,” Remus said, stepping up beside him. “Just… hear him out.”

He folded his wings in and stared at Remus in shock. Roman had never heard him sound so serious in his life. “But… why?” He was the one that put a spell on you, right?”

“It’s more complicated than that.” Remus wouldn’t meet his eyes.

Virgil stepped forward, baring his teeth. “I don’t care what he has to say. We may have avoided the future where Patton dies, but I don’t trust him. What are we waiting for?”

Roman nodded. “Right. Remus, I’m sorry, but-”

Faster than he could blink, the animus moved and was suddenly holding a knife to his throat.

“Alright, since none of you are willing to listen to me, we’ll just have to do this the hard way,” he said, digging the knife into Roman’s skin just hard enough for it to sting. “You let me take Remus and your Prince into my cave to talk, or I’ll slit his throat.”

To Roman, he whispered, “I’m not going to hurt you or your brother. Just get your friends to leave and I’ll explain everything.”

“What are you doing?” Remus cried. “You better not hurt-”

“Just trust me,” the animus hissed.

Remus hesitated before nodding. “Fine. But if you hurt him, I’ll flay you alive.”

“Understood.”

Meanwhile, Roman’s friends stood frozen to the spot. Frost crouched like she was going to pounce, though she looked like she was going to fall over any moment. Logan’s frill was bristling. Patton’s wings beat furiously. Virgil just stared in shock and horror, his eyes glued to the knife at Roman’s throat. He wanted to tell him that everything was okay, but he wasn’t sure it was.

He gulped. Could he trust this SandWing? He looked at his friends, then back to Remus. If Remus of all dragons could trust this animus, then he could too.

“I’ll be fine!” he called. “You don’t have to worry about me. Just go!”

“No way!” Patton said angrily. “We’re not leaving you with him!”

“He could be under a spell,” Frost snarled. “The animus could be controlling what he’s saying.”

Roman looked desperately between his friends. He racked his brain for something to convince them.

“Wait, hold on.” he started to dig around in his bag until he found it. He took the skyfire and tossed it at Virgil. He caught it, looking confused,

I’m not under a spell! He mentally shouted once he had Virgil’s attention.

Virgil flinched and brought a talon to his head. He stared at Roman, fear mostly replaced with puzzlement.

Just go! I’ll be fine! He thought to Virgil. Trust me. And, in case he wouldn’t get a chance to later, he added, I love you.

Virgil’s eyes widened. He nodded slowly. “We should go,” he said to the others. “I- I think he’ll be fine.”

Patton furrowed his brows. “Are you sure? What did he say?”

“N-nothing important,” he stammered. “Let’s just go.”

One by one, they lifted off into the sky. The animus waited until they were out of sight before he put the knife back into his cloak.

He motioned to his cave. “Let’s head in, shall we?” without waiting for an answer, he walked until he was swallowed up by the darkness of the cave. Remus picked the earring up off the ground before they followed.

The inside of the animus’s dwelling was surprisingly cozy. A small kitchen took up most of the cave. A stone table was squeezed into a corner with a couple of chairs shoved against the wall next to it. Two tunnels branched off on either side of the cave, most likely leading to more rooms.

“You must have many questions,” the animus said. He moved into the kitchen, pouring tea into a small cup. He set them onto the table. “And I promise to answer as many of them as I can, but you may want to ask your brother what happened first.” he took a sip of his tea, staring at them expectantly over the rim of the cup.

Remus sighed. “It all started when I heard rumors of an animus living out here. I sought him out and asked for a… favor.”

Roman shivered. “What kind of favor?” he asked. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer.

Remus finally met his eyes. “I wanted to get rid of Queen Scarlet.”

Roman was silent for a moment, struggling to find the right words. “Wh- why? She made you her champion! You… were the favorite twin.” he hadn’t realized he was so bitter about it, even though he knew how awful she was.

Remus shook his head angrily. “Roman, you don’t get it, do you?” when he didn’t reply, he added. “I wanted to get rid of her for you. I saw how upset and scared she made you, so I looked for a way to get her off the throne.”

Roman stared at him. “F- for me? But… how did it go so wrong?”

“Roman, you wouldn’t happen to know what a wish dragon is, would you?” the SandWing said, making him jump. He had been so quiet Roman had forgotten he was there.

“N- no, I haven’t,” he replied. “What’s a wish dragon?”

“They’ve had many names in the past, like Dreammakers and Realityshifters, but they’re all the same thing,” the SandWing said, setting down his cup. “They’re like animus dragons, but… different.”

He took a deep breath. “A wish dragon’s magic works differently than an animus’s. They don’t need an object to enchant, or even a dragon.” he lifted a talon, staring at his palm. “Just a wish.”

Roman looked at his brother. “What- what did you wish for?”

“I told you, to get rid of Scarlet.” Remus replied.

“Then, how…”

“It’s not as simple as just making a wish,” the SandWing said. “There’s always a curse to the wish, something to balance the scales. Remus only wanted to get rid of one queen. He ended up trying to kill them all.”

Roman looked at the earring that Remus had set on the table. “If you don’t need an object to enchant, why did you enchant the earring?”

The wish dragon sighed. “I don’t know. Perhaps I hoped someone could break the spell. I don’t actually know the curses before I cast a spell, so I didn’t know that it would turn out this bad.” he nodded at him, and Roman wondered how exactly the SandWing lost his wings. “I’m just glad that someone stopped it.”

Roman looked at his brother and suddenly burst into tears, pulling him into another hug. “Y-you d-didn’t have to,” he choked out between sobs.

Remus tightened his arms around his shoulders. “I know, but I wanted to. Moons, I wanted to do it for ages. If there was a way to do it sooner, I would have.”

They stayed like that for a while until Roman stopped crying. He pulled away, wiping his eyes.

The wish dragon cleared his throat awkwardly. “You two should get going. I’m sure your friends are very worried about you.”

He led them outside. Night had fallen, and Roman was surprised at how long they spent down there. Virgil’s probably freaking out. I hope they’re okay.

As the wish dragon turned to leave, Roman said, “Wait! We never got your name!”

The wingless SandWing paused, contemplating the question. “Janus,” he said finally. “My name is Janus. Don’t go telling everyone that, alright?”

Without waiting for a reply, Janus disappeared back into the cave.

“Janus, huh?” Roman said, lost in thought. “You think we’ll see him again?”

“I really hope not,” Remus said unexpectedly. “He seems nice and whatever, but I don’t think I want to mess with wish magic again.”

“That’s strange, coming from you.”

Remus smirked and punched him in the shoulder. “First time for everything!” he suddenly lifted off into the sky and hovered in place. “Race you back!”

Roman tilted his head. “But you don’t know the way back!”

“I’ll improvise!”

Roman laughed and took off after him, relishing the feeling of being in his brother’s presence again.

“Not if I get there first!”

Virgil was waiting for them back at the tunnels. He jumped as they touched down on the sand and narrowed his eyes at Remus.

“You made it back,” he said to Roman. He sounded casual, but Roman could hear the relief in his voice.

Roman smirked. “Were you worried?”

Virgil rolled his eyes. “You w-”

“Holy moons, what are you?” Remus interrupted.

Virgil blinked. “Excuse me?”

Remus circled him, muttering to himself. “You’re like a NightWing but… not.”

“Oh. Um, I’m half SeaWing,” Virgil replied, eyeing Remus uncomfortably.

“Hey Remus, why don’t you go introduce yourself to the others?” Roman said, sensing Virgil’s nervousness.

Remus looked at him and Virgil and smirked. “Alright!” he said cheerfully. “Have fun!”

He hopped down the hole, leaving Roman and Virgil alone.

“So, um, what happened with the animus?” Virgil asked, avoiding his gaze.

“I think I want to tell the entire story where everyone can hear it.” Roman said. “What’s wrong? You look all gloomy.”

“I’m not-” Virgil took a deep breath. “Did you mean it? When you said- or thought? Back at the cave?”

Roman tilted his head, feeling his face heat up. “Of- of course I did.” he took Virgil’s talons in his, hoping he wasn’t overstepping.

“Oh well, that’s good,” Roman could feel him relax. “It would’ve been awkward if you didn’t.”

Roman chuckled. “Oh? And why’s that, Stormcloud?”

Virgil looked down at his feet. “Because I love you too or whatever,” he mumbled, almost too quiet for him to hear.

Roman wrapped his wings around the smaller the dragon and twined his tail around his. “Yeah. That is good,”

Virgil looked up at him. “But… you’re a prince. How-”

“I don’t want to think about that right now,” Roman said, resting his chin on Virgil’s head.

Virgil sighed. “Alright.”

They stayed like that in comfortable silence for a little while, until they heard a loud thump beneath them.

“We should probably go check on the others.” Virgil mumbled into his shoulder.

“Yeah,” Roman agreed, reluctantly pulling away. “Hopefully, Remus is getting along with everyone else.”

He turned and jumped through the hole, Virgil close behind him. They squeezed into the tunnel to see Remus and Frost wrestling in the middle of the cave while Patton tried in vain to stop them. Logan looked on tiredly.

“Woah, what are you doing?” Roman cried, running over to them.

“Oh, hey Roman, Virgil.” Frost nodded at them from her spot on Remus’s back. “I wanted a rematch. As you can see, I’m winning.” she let him up, giving him a smug look.

“I’m glad to see that you are safe,” Logan said, giving him a small smile. “Would you care to tell us what happened?”

Roman glanced at his brother, who shook his head slightly. He nodded back. “Perhaps I’ll tell you all in the morning? I’m exhausted, after all.”

“That’s alright.” he didn’t miss the way Logan’s voice sank in disappointment.

As they all prepared to settle down for the night, he pulled Remus aside. “Are you alright?”

Remus snorted. “I’m fine! Why do you ask?”

“It’s just… you’ve been through a lot these past few weeks,” Roman said. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Remus sighed. “I’m fine. I don’t remember most of it anyway,” after a short pause, he said. “Can I see the earring?”

Roman brought a talon to his bag. “The earring? Why?”

“I just need to see it,” he said. “The spell won’t work anyway, it was a one use thing.”

Roman reluctantly pulled the rose earring out of his bag and handed it to Remus. He studied it for a moment before putting it on his uninjured ear. Roman held his breath, waiting for his eyes to go white, but they were still the same dark green.

Remus grinned. “See, I told you I would be fine!”

Roman smiled in return. “Never doubted you for a second.” he tried to sound reassuring, but secretly he was worried. Remus sounded too casual, too unworried about something as serious as this. At least, he did until he noticed Remus’s tense shoulders and shaking wings.

“Hey Roman, are you coming?” Patton said from the other side of the cave.

Roman looked at where his friends were settling down for the night, then back at Remus. Though he was the biggest of them, he suddenly looked so small in the light of Patton’s torch.

“Actually Patton, I think I’m going to stay here with Remus,” Roman said, glancing at his brother. Remus looked at him with a grateful expression.

“Oh, alright.” Patton said. “Good night, both of you!”

The two brothers curled up back to back like they used to do when they were dragonets. Roman could feel Remus relax as he fell asleep.

Roman sighed. Maybe not everything was perfect. They definitely had some things to talk about in the morning.

But he had his brother back, and that was all that mattered.

“Ah, home sweet home, isn’t it?”

Roman glanced at Remus. “Well, it’s not sweet, but it's certainly a home.”

After freeing Remus, they had decided to come back to the Sky Palace while Virgil and the others went back to the island. Queen Ruby had welcomed them back with open wings, so here they were, walking the halls of the Sky Palace once again.

“So, what’re you planning on telling our dear sister?” Remus asked. “Not the truth, I hope.”

“No. Not the whole truth, anyway,” Roman said. Hopefully, she believes it.

They stopped right outside the throne room. Roman took a deep breath, and, before he could change his mind, walked in.

The throne room had changed in the time he was gone. Half the gold on the walls was gone, and so was the giant portrait of Queen Scarlet that used to hang behind the throne.

“Your Majesty,” Roman greeted as he bowed. Remus did the same.

“Prince Roman and Prince Remus, I am glad to see that you are safe,” Ruby said. She sounded nothing like Queen Scarlet. “Do you mind telling us who the assassin was?”

He took a deep breath. “The assassin was a SandWing animus, Your Majesty.”

Gasps and whispers erupted around the room. Ruby held up a talon for silence. “How did you manage to kill an animus dragon?” she narrowed her eyes. “You did kill the assassin, right?”

“Y- yes, Your Majesty,” Roman said quickly. He could feel the eyes of the entire court on him. He wondered if they could tell he was lying.

“Well, I for one would love to know that story.” Ruby said, leaning forward on her throne.

Roman swallowed. “Remus was the one who killed the assassin.”

It took all his willpower to keep looking ahead, even when Remus glanced at him quizzically.

Ruby’s eyes widened. “I’m impressed. In any case, both of you are welcome to stay-”

“I’m not staying.”

He could feel the stare of every dragon in the room on him, but he kept his eyes on his sister.

Ruby’s eyes narrowed, then softened just as quickly. “I- if you no longer want to stay here, then I understand. You’re welcome back in the Sky palace if you ever change your mind.” she nodded at them, and they were dismissed.

Roman and Remus bowed one more time before they turned and walked out of the throne room.

Remus was the first to speak. “I’m an animus slayer, huh? I like the sound of that.” Roman opened his mouth to reply, but snapped it shut as they walked out onto the balcony overlooking the arena.

Well, what used to be the arena. Queen Ruby had turned it into a hospital, but no matter what she turned it into, nothing could erase the smell of death that was all too familiar.

“I can see why you want to leave,” Remus murmured, joining him on the balcony.

Roman nodded. “Are you staying?”

Remus contemplated the question, drumming his claws on the railing. “No, I don’t think so,” he said at last.

Roman glanced at him, surprised. “But… you’re the champion!”

Remus nodded at the arena. “Not anymore. Can’t really have fights in the arena if it’s a hospital now,”

Roman hummed in agreement. “So you’re coming to the island with me?” he tried not to show the hopefulness in his voice.

“Of course, brother!” he patted him so hard on the back that he almost fell over. “Who else can keep up with me?”

Roman brushed him away, laughing. “You have a point. You’d be so bored without me!”

“Um, Your Highnesses?” A voice from behind them said.

He whirled around to see a SkyWing dipping her head to them. “There are guards in your room waiting to help you pack your belongings.”

Remus glanced at him. “So, what do you say? Let’s get out of here.”

Roman grinned. “I’d like that.”

“Hey, Logan, have you decided yet?”

Logan turned to see Frost walking up to him.

He turned back to the ocean. “I have not, actually. Perhaps I’ll make up my mind tomorrow.”

“That’s when you go back to the rainforest, right?” Frost asked, sitting down beside him.

“Indeed.” for the past few days, Logan has been staying on the island with the others. He was enjoying his time there, but he knew he would eventually have to return to his duties.

“W- well, I hope you choose to stay,” Frost said, staring down at her talons. The water lapped at her claws, but she didn’t seem to notice.

Logan glanced at her, surprised. “Really? I was under the impression that you didn’t like me.”

Frost chuckled awkwardly. “Yeah, uh. Sorry about that. But for the record, I think you’re pretty cool.” she glanced at him. “Uh, no pun intended.”

Logan blinked at her, not sure what to make of that. “Uh, thank you. I think.”

Frost nodded. “No problem.”

They sat in silence for a while, watching the sun set. The sand squelched beneath his talons as wave after wave lapped at his claws. It was soothing.

“I do appreciate your… input,” Logan said, breaking the silence. “I’ll try to keep that in mind.”

Frost patted him on the shoulder, causing him to stumble. “You’d better. And even if you do choose to stay in the rainforest, come visit us.”

Logan offered her a small smile. “I’ll keep that in mind as well.”

He turned toward the sunset again. He still wasn’t sure what he was going to do, but the decision making could wait for another day.

For now, he was content to sit with a friend and watch the sun set.

Frost was beginning to regret her decision.

The others had insisted that she didn’t need to go, but she needed closure. She needed to confront her father.

The past few days had been spent trying to find a way to talk to him without being spotted by other IceWings. It wasn’t as hard as she thought it would be. Her father hadn’t changed a bit.

The snow crunched under her talons as she landed. It was strange to be back here, but not unpleasant. She squinted at the sky as the figure of her father flew overhead.

Scratch that. It was definitely unpleasant.

She waited for him to see her, though she knew it wouldn’t take long. Her father’s vision was sharper than an eagle’s.

Within moments, she was standing in front of her father again. He was bigger than she remembered, with a neck longer than one of her arms. He had dark blue triangles like her own under his eyes and along his wings. The scowl on his face was all too familiar.

“So, you came back.” the disappointment in his voice wasn’t new either.

“I’m not coming back,” she said defiantly. She forced herself to stop trembling. “I just want to know why you did it.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Did what?”

“Pushed me so hard to be the best,” she said. “I was at the top of the rankings, youngest member of the royal guard, and yet it still wasn’t enough.”

Her father growled. “I don’t need to tell you anything.”

Frost dug her claws into the ground. Somehow she knew he would say that.

“Now, give me one reason I shouldn’t turn you in to Queen Glacier right now,” Her father said.

She narrowed her eyes. She knew he was going to ask that question. “Because bringing me back will not only lower my rank, but yours too. Especially if I tell her what I’ve been doing while I was gone.”

Her father growled. “You’ve gotten it all figured out, don’t you?” he lashed his tail. “Your mother would be-”

“Mother is dead.” she hated the way her voice cracked as she said it. “Mother is dead,” she repeated, more steadily this time. “What she would think doesn’t matter because she’s gone.” Frost walked up to her father and jabbed a claw at him. “So don’t even think about playing that card.”

He snarled and slapped her talon away. “I’ll turn you in,” he threatened. “Queen Glacier won’t lower my rank if I’m the one who found you. I’ll get a patrol right now and-”

“And what?” she interrupted. “There’s no one here. By the time you get back, I’ll be long gone, and no one will believe you.”

“I could beat you in a fight without trying,” he said. “I could bring you back by force.”

Frost felt her breath quicken. This was what she had been afraid of. “But are you?”

Her father regarded her with soulless black eyes. “No,” he said at last. “Get out of my sight. I never want to see you again. You’re a disgrace to the IceWing tribe.”

Those words shouldn’t have hurt her, but they did. It was as if he had plunged a spear into her chest.

She didn’t let it show, though. Without replying, she took off into the sky. When she looked back, her father was gone.

She frowned and continued to fly.

She had to admit that that didn’t make her feel as good as she thought it would. She just felt more… hollow, which didn’t make any sense.

She shook her head and continued to fly.

Frost definitely regretted her decision.

Patton winced as he stepped on yet another piece of wood. He stopped to pick it out of his palm, then moved on through the debris.

The wreckage of his boat hadn’t changed one bit.

“Back again?”

Patton jumped and whirled around. Virgil was lounging on one of the bigger pieces of wood.

“Oh, Virgil! What’re you doing here?” Patton said.

“I figured you’d be here,” Virgil replied. “I couldn’t find you anywhere else. And I know it’s not my place to ask, but-”

“Of course you can ask kiddo!” Patton interrupted, walking up to the younger dragon. “I actually wouldn’t mind some company right now.”

Virgil blinked at him, then looked around the wreckage of his boat. “Still trying to figure out a way to get home?”

Patton sighed, feeling his heart sink. “It’s been much too long, Virgil. I was sent to get help, but who will? This continent’s got its own problems.”

“You know, we could help if you want us to,” Virgil said hesitantly.

Patton smiled sadly. “I can’t ask that of you. You don’t want to get tangled up in this web.”

Virgil still wouldn’t give up. “At least let us help you find a way home!”

Patton nodded reluctantly. “Alright.”

He decided not to point out that if they succeeded, Virgil would probably never see him again. He was sure Virgil was painfully aware.

“Do you really think we can do it?” Patton asked after a moment.

Virgil hesitated then nodded. “I think so. One day.”

Patton turned back toward the ocean. Toward his home.

One day. One day, I will set this right.

Virgil rolled the smooth rock around in his palm as he stood on the beach, staring at a distant island.

“Hey Stormcloud, what’re you up to?” Roman announced himself loudly, plopping down beside him. Even sitting down, Roman was taller than him, much to his annoyance.

“I was just about to go visit my mom,” Virgil replied, holding up the rock. He leaned into Roman’s side as he lifted his wing.

“Oh,” Roman said, staring at the rock. “Do... you want company? I’m not busy or any-”

Virgil shook his head, glad Roman couldn’t see the smile on his face. “I’ll be fine. I try to visit her every month, so I’m used to it.”

“Oh,” Roman said again, folding his wing into his side as Virgil pulled away. “How long will you be gone?”

“Not too long,” Virgil said, standing up and touching his nose to Roman’s. He spread his wings and flew into the air. “Tell Patton where I’ve gone, will you?”

Roman nodded.

Virgil turned and flew in the direction of the distant island, clutching the rock close to his chest.

He touched down on the ground and walked over to where his mother was buried. The spot was marked by a tiny gravestone that was etched with his mother’s name. The ground around it was littered with rocks and shells, gifts from past years.

He stepped closer to the grave, careful to not step on any of the shells. Despite what he has told Roman, he always felt a fresh wave of grief come over him everytime he came here.

His mother would have absolutely loved his friends. Logan and his politeness, Patton and his bubbling optimism, Frost and her snarky sarcasm, Remus and his disturbing stories, and Roman-

She would have loved everything about Roman.

Virgil sighed and set the rock down on the pile. “Hey mom,” he started, but stopped when he felt his throat close up. He was always upset whenever he visited her grave, but this time felt… different. Maybe it was the fact that he finally made other friends, and it felt like he was leaving her behind. He just wished he could tell her everything that had happened.

Well, maybe he could try anyway.

“Hey mom,” Virgil said, more steadily this time. “You wouldn’t believe the adventure I went on…”

Remus stood at the edge of the cliff, turning the rose earring around and around in his talon. The ocean tore at the rocks below relentlessly, the gray liquid looking more like ice than water. The wind buffeted his wings and threatened to throw him into the sea.

He stared at the earring in his palm. He had searched for Janus for months before he found him in the Scorpion Den. Janus had put the spell on him, and the rest was history.

Or was it? Remus thought about the lie Roman had told Ruby. They thought he was a hero. It left a bad taste in his mouth.

He wondered how they would react if they knew the truth.

He shook his head and clenched his fist, the earring digging into his palm. The earring had been a gift from Roman for his hatching day a few years ago. He wasn’t sure why he had kept it, other than the fact that he knew Roman would be upset if he got rid of it.

He opened his palm and studied it. The rose was blood red and intricately detailed. Thorns surrounded the flower, wrapping around the base and hanging off the side. It was the most beautiful piece of jewelry Remus had laid his eyes on.

And he never wanted to see it again.

He threw it off the edge of the cliff, watching it hurtle toward the water. He turned and walked away before he could see it crash into the sea.

That was one thing taken care of.

Roman looked around the beach, smiling as he saw his friends having fun. Frost and Remus joked and laughed together while Patton and Logan built a sand castle.

“What’re you doing here all by yourself?” Virgil asked as he sat down next to him.

He lifted a wing and Virgil leaned into his side. “Just enjoying the view,” he said, smiling at Virgil.

Virgil rolled his eyes and swatted his arm. “Stop that.”

Roman chuckled. “So did you fix up your hoodie?”

“I had to spend all afternoon fixing it,” Virgil complained, resting his head against Roman’s shoulder. “Turns out you end up having to fix a lot of holes in your hoodie when you fly across the continent looking for an assassin.” he paused for a moment. “How is Remus doing anyway?”

Roman looked at his brother, who was in what looked like a heated debate with Frost. “He’s not completely back to normal, but I think he’s doing okay.”

Virgil sighed in content. “That’s good. I haven’t talked to him much, but he seems cool.”

Roman nodded. “Yeah. He is.”

“Hey Roman!” Frost shouted. “We need your opinion on something! It is very important!”

Patton giggled. “Better go see what they want!”

“Please,” Logan said tiredly. “They’ve been arguing for hours.”

Virgil laughed, prodding him with his wing. “You better get going, Your Highness.”

Roman huffed. “I’m going, I’m going.” he acted annoyed, but he could barely stifle a grin.

Maybe not everything was perfectly okay, (The rose earring was gone, for example. He wondered what had happened to it) but all his friends were alive and happy.

And that was all that mattered.

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