The Right Choice

Author's Note

This story will contain death, gore, and betrayal. You have been warned. Also, you can only edit this story when you are fixing a grammar or spelling problem, please and thank you. BEWARE: There are spoilers for The Dangerous Gift. However, Part 1 of this story was written before The Dangerous Gift was released, so it will contradict the events of The Dangerous Gift. I may edit it out later on, but so far no guarantees.

Key:

Text

"Dialogue"

Thoughts

Aquatic

written by Insanity0101

Book Summary

2000 years after Book 15 of Wings of Fire (from Part 1)...

The SkyWings and SeaWings are in the middle of war. What was originally an argument about an island of the Bay of a Thousand Scales that was close to the Sky Kingdom has grown into much more than what it was intended to be. With the SkyWings and SeaWings forcing other tribes to join them on their side, all of the dragons of Pyrrhia are now included.

Marlin never wanted this war to happen. He never wanted to be included. But by the time he found out, it was far too late. When the SeaWing queen disappears without a trace, it is Marlin’s job to track her down, before the SeaWing Side loses the war. He’s confident he’ll be able to save her, but with no clues, and no knowledge of how long it will take, his confidence is slowly fading. When an unlikely friend falls into danger, Marlin must do the right thing. No matter how risky it is.

Alpine will do anything for her tribe. She is a loyal guard. At least, before the war. Alpine's brother, North, completely supports the SkyWings. But Alpine isn't so sure. As she is thrown into more and more dangerous battles, she has to accept the fact that this war isn't something good for the IceWings - it isn't good for any tribe. Alpine needs to do something - fast - to prevent the tribes of Pyrrhia from destroying each other, before it's too late. And sometimes, the only way to do that is betray your tribe.

Other Stories

Will be making a super edition thing about Flipper soon. He's got an interesting backstory, or at least I hope you guys will think that.

Information

Sides

SkyWing Side (SKS): SkyWings, SandWings, IceWings

SeaWing Side (SES): SeaWings, MudWings, NightWings

Neutral: RainWings

Queens

SandWings: Queen Caracal

• pretty secretive
• can creep up and gut you in two seconds
• asexual
• she broke the eye of onyx when she became queen...hmmm
• has a billion laws but shes a softie toward orphans

MudWings: Queen Arrowhead

Queen Copperhead

• lesbian queens
• have five adopted dragonets and both are the oldest queens, so they're probably going to get challenged soon
• mudwings have lots of LGBTQ+ dragons since theres no rules against stuff like that and arrowhead and copperhead support it a lot.

SkyWings: Queen Nimbus

• very mean to prisoners and likes torturing them
• was going to be called stratus and cumulus
• hates hybrids and thinks animi are cool (even if they're hybrids)

SeaWings: Queen Starfish

• nice but can get really violent if provoked
• very reasonable and uses brutal logic can make your hopes sink SO fast
• king mate is dead (whoops shellfish)
• has a dead daughter and a daughter, ex princess azurite and princess tanzanite
• has a dead prince, a former prince, and a prince: ex prince atlantic, ex prince ???????, prince pacific

IceWings: Queen Glacial

• loves polar bears
• is REALLY strict
• has a son, prince polar, but very far apart....or are they?

RainWings: Queen Jaguar

• eats meat and privately cause no one wants to see her ripping apart monkeys
• insists on having a pile of petals brought before her every day
• likes spots and her scales always have spots on them

NightWings: Queen Obscure

• likes her bling
• actually isnt obscure at all
• aromantic and finds love stories in scrolls sort of cute

How Things Have Changed

• RainWings are more like the other tribes, but they’re still stereotyped to be lazy and avoid using their venom when possible
• There was a NightWing - IceWing War a few decades ago and the Great Ice Cliff was demolished
• Along with a council, SeaWings have a new role called messenger-guards, and they take critical messages back and forth and do important, secret missions for the queen. Messenger-guards need to do a mission in order to prove themselves before they fully become a messenger-guard
• Over the centuries, Pyrrhia has slowly lost contact with Pantala, but there are still legends about the lost continent and the dragonets of destiny
• The NightWings have returned to their old kingdom before Darkstalker, and currently live there
• (in other words, more organized, the way I like it)

Six years ago...

Prologue: Four Blue Dots

The cloudless sky shone with stars, the moonlight reflecting off of a beach that seemed to stretch on forever. From far away, the four dragons sitting on the beach looked like four blue dots. “I’m done,” the dark blue dragon snapped, scraping her claws across the sand. “You’re not -” began the cerulean dragon. “You can’t tell me that I’m not ready. I’m older than you.” A navy blue dragon and a pale blue dragon glanced at each other in the corner. “Well, I can tell you that the SkyWings might not be ready,” the cerulean dragon countered. “We can wait a while. They haven’t even sent a message back.” And they might not, the dark blue dragon thought. She gritted her teeth and pushed away her thoughts. Nothing will stop me this time. They didn’t even assume I was the culprit for Azurite’s death! That’s just plain dishonor. But if I can get in touch with dear Flipper, I’m sure he’ll help. “I’m acting as soon as possible,” the dark blue dragon snapped. “Whether you’ll help me or not.” “Of course I will,” the cerulean dragon said, sounding surprised. “You know I hate...her as much as you do. Maybe even more. I really do hope that Flipper will help.” “He will,” the dark blue dragon said. “If we can reach him. The SandWings aren’t all that involved with the war.” The dark blue dragon barked a laugh. “Isn’t that such a coincidence? A war to help us defeat the queen.” The pale blue dragon cleared her throat and flashed something with her glowing stripes. Don’t fight, ???????. We need to focus. The dark blue dragon snorted. “I’m fighting? It was Pa -” The dark blue dragon smacked a talon over her mouth. The cerulean dragon gave her a look like, See? You’re trouble. The dark blue dragon scowled but didn’t say anything else. “Fine,” she said. “I’ll wait. But just until the SkyWings respond to my message.” The cerulean dragon frowned. “Shouldn’t we send a message to Flipper, too?” “Fine, I will, but I’m sure Queen Caracal will intercept it and throw it away. She won’t want anyone interfering with her little pet,” said the dark blue dragon. The cerulean dragon muttered something under his breath, probably Three moons, I hate Queen Caracal. “But when the time is up, Queen Starfish will be no more.”

Prologue 2: Krill's Egg

The hurricane ripped through the sky, and the Island Palace II had finally been evacuated. Everyone was in the water...except for Queen Starfish, Shellfish (the king), and Krill, Queen Starfish’s best advisor.

“That’s everyone, right?” Krill asked, clutching his egg so tightly that Queen Starfish thought it might break.

“Yes,” Shellfish answered for her. “We’d better get shelter now!”

A bolt of lightning struck a domed roof of the Island Palace II. “Too late!” Queen Starfish shouted. “Dive!”

Krill and Queen Starfish tucked in their wings and dove toward the water, but Shellfish was one millisecond behind - the light from another lightning bolt filled Queen Starfish’s eyes, and she squeezed them shut, tears leaking between her eyelids from the brightness.

When the flash was over and Queen Starfish opened her eyes, Krill was diving after his egg, which had slipped, and Shellfish...he was...freefalling toward the water, clearly hit by the lightning.

“Krill!” Queen Starfish gasped, flying as fast as she could toward the falling green dragon. “Help!” Krill looked up from his egg for a moment, then dove back toward it.

There wasn’t enough time. Shellfish hit, sinking faster than Queen Starfish had predicted, and Queen Starfish grabbed a talonful of water instead of his tail.

“Shellfish!” she howled, but he definitely was unconscious. Queen Starfish landed in the water, the waves instantly pushing her toward Shellfish, and she seized his tail, and shook his head furiously, trying to pump water through his gills to help. Nothing did. Shellfish was...no, he couldn’t be.

Krill! KRILL! KRILL! Queen Starfish flashed, terrified. HELP!

Krill did not respond with any other flashes, and Queen Starfish turned around, stunned by what she saw. He was vainly trying to battle more sharks than Queen Starfish had ever seen in her life from swallowing his egg, obviously losing.

He smacked three sharks away with his tail, but more kept on coming, chomping at the egg, missing by mere inches. One bit down on Krill’s claw as he swiped the egg away from a shark’s mouth, and the blood drifted off into the water, probably attracting even more of them.

What matters more? New life or old life? Queen Starfish glanced back at Shellfish’s body, and to her horror, it had drifted out of view, carried off by the strong currents and waves. There was only one answer now.

Queen Starfish lunged at the sharks just as one bit down on the leg holding the egg, and he released his grip on it. The other sharks instantly attacked it, but Queen Starfish sent their bodies careening away with her powerful tail.

She seized the egg and cradled it, then flashed SWIM! to Krill, but it was no use. He was done for. Too many sharks had overwhelmed him, and his body was drifting away as well. Queen Starfish had never cried, or even felt like crying, even when she brutally smashed her mother’s skull to become queen, and she didn’t ever want to experience it ever again.

Queen Starfish fought back her tears as she battled the rest of the sharks, anger and grief driving her forward. A few sharks sneaked in some bites at her, and she didn’t want to get overwhelmed as well. Queen Starfish retreated, still clutching the egg.

The sharks attempted to pursue her, but she let the currents carry her far, far away from it all. Queen Starfish looked down at Krill’s egg, and felt life and energy radiating from inside. She realized that there was a little spike poking out of the egg. It was so tiny that it couldn’t possibly have much effect with anything, but it reminded her of something.

It reminded her of a marlin bill.

Part 1: The Quest

Chapter 1: Where?

Marlin dove underneath the waves and stretched out his wings, a weak current brushing past him. Marlin followed it with one wing in it and soon arrived at Pebble Village, the village he was assigned to bringing messages to the queen from. The SeaWings who lived in Pebble Village were extremely poor - they were pearl divers and seaweed farmers, and they received money by sending seaweed to the Deep Palace and the Island Palace II once every week. Marlin waved to a few of the dragons, and soon arrived at the platform in the middle of the village. There was a slate on the top of a stone ledge, and Marlin picked up the slate and placed it carefully in his bag, then twisted to go back up to the surface. Wait no, Starfish is supposed to be in the Deep Palace right now. Marlin turned back around awkwardly and followed the currents to the underwater canyon where the immense coral palace lay. Marlin nodded to a few of the soldiers. "Where is the queen?" he said to a guard he'd become friends with who was four years older than him, a dragon called Poseidon. "In the meeting room. She's promoting a few messengers to messenger-guards, you'd better be there." Marlin slapped one of his talons against his forehead. He'd forgotten. How could he? He himself might be promoted this hour. "Right, thanks for reminding me," he replied, and swam over the staircases up to the meeting room. He burst through the large doors and quickly took his place by the side, reminding himself he still had to take Starfish her message. " - Good, Oyster. Now, Marlin, come forward," Starfish announced from where she sat on her coral throne. That was close. He hesitantly took a step closer to the queen. "Get a move on," Oyster hissed, passing by him. Oyster flicked Marlin with his tail and Marlin stumbled over to Starfish, folding into a bow. "Rise," Starfish commanded, resting her tail on Marlin's shoulder. Marlin slowly stood up, meeting Starfish's eyes. It was intimidating to be the center of the queen's gaze. Marlin shifted nervously. "Marlin, do you promise to be a loyal guard through and through?" Starfish asked. "I do," Marlin replied. "Good. Waterfall, come forward." The pale blue SeaWing shot Marlin an excited look and walked over to Starfish. "Waterfall, do you promise to be a loyal guard through and through?" Starfish asked, using the same words as before. "I do," Waterfall answered, her eyes shining. Starfish smiled faintly, then announced, "This meeting is adjourned. Four messengers have become messenger-guards - Torpedo, Oyster, Marlin, and Waterfall." Torpedo? Really? Starfish had never shown much appreciation for Torpedo, but there she was, her head raised as she stood beside Oyster. Starfish waved her wing and left. Marlin followed her, Torpedo quickly exiting after. I need to give her the slate. Marlin guessed she'd gone to her living chambers. They were on the same floor as the meeting room, since she held meetings all the time. Marlin knocked on the door to her chambers. "Hello?" he called, hoping that if Starfish was inside she would manage to see the glow. Nothing happened. Marlin hesitated, then twisted the knob and peeked inside. There was a large coral bed with seaweed blankets and some coral furniture, but there was no sign of a queen. He looked into the next room, but again, there was nothing. Maybe she's heading to the Island Palace II...I'll ask if anyone's seen her. "Queen Starfish?" Marlin called again. He didn't see anything. Huh. That's weird... Marlin exited the room and asked every SeaWing he saw if they'd seen Starfish. Most of their responses were: "I last saw her when she went to the meeting room for the promotion." Two hours had passed, and Marlin hadn't made any progress. In an hour, it'd be time for dinner. Marlin sighed and slumped down in his chambers. "Hey, Marlin." It was Waterfall and her younger sister, Beluga. "Hello," Marlin replied. "You've been asking everyone where Queen Starfish is?" Beluga asked curiously. Marlin avoided looking at her. Waterfall's younger sister was the creepiest dragon Marlin had ever met. She looked extremely intelligent, even though she was only three years old, and she seemed to know everything. "Well, I saw her walking down the hall toward her chambers, but you say she wasn't there?" Marlin nodded. "And I need to give her this message." He held out the slate. Waterfall suddenly looked alarmed. "Beluga, I'm sure Starfish will be at dinner," she replied. "She's probably doing things in the Island Palace II." Beluga's eyes narrowed. "Are you sure she didn't go to the tunnel?" she asked slowly. Waterfall's eyes widened. She grabbed one of Beluga's wings and dragged her sister outside of Marlin's room, despite her sister's protests. That was weird. Marlin wondered what they meant by secret tunnel. He wasn't a curious dragonet, though - when he heard the words secret tunnel, he instantly thought, Well, that's dangerous. It sounded like something that Beluga would know. Marlin decided that Starfish was at the Island Palace II, and knew she would be at dinner. When it was time, he went to the banquet hall. Usually, he wouldn't eat here, but when you were a messenger-guard, you ate at one of the side tables. Marlin took his place at the seat labeled Marlin, Messenger-Guard and looked around for Queen Starfish, reaching inside his leather bag to bring her the slate. But she wasn't sitting at the head of the table in the middle of the room. In fact, when Marlin looked around, she wasn't even in the room. There was no doubt to it now. Something was wrong. Queen Starfish would be here, unless she couldn't be. The SeaWing queen was in trouble. 

Chapter 2: A Mission

Tidal, Queen Starfish's new most trusted advisor, stood up from the seat beside Starfish's. Across from him, Princess Tanzanite glanced quizzically at her mother's empty throne. Tidal followed her gaze and shifted awkwardly. Tidal cleared his throat, and Waterfall rolled her eyes at Marlin from the other side of the Messenger-Guard table. The sound of many dragons whispering to one another immediately ceased. "Before we have our supper this evening, we have a ceremony. Four messengers have become messenger-guards, and they must express their thanks. Torpedo?" I forgot about the ceremony? How could you, Marlin?! The dark blue SeaWing sat up. "I'm very thankful for everyone's support. I have enjoyed my time as a messenger, and it's sad to see me leave my past rank, but I'm sure life as a messenger-guard will offer me much more opportunities," Torpedo replied swiftly. Tanzanite smiled briskly, but it vanished when she looked toward Queen Starfish's coral throne again. Torpedo had always been the ten-year-old princess's favorite, out of all the messengers. A murmur spread throughout the dining hall - the dragons liked Torpedo's response. "Oyster?" Tidal asked. The SeaWing dragonet was staring down at his talons, looking perplexed. He didn't say anything. "Oyster?" Tidal asked again, louder this time. Oyster jumped. "What? Uh - oh, right, same. Same with Torpedo." The hall remained quiet. You could've tried harder to gain their respect, Oyster. Tidal scrunched his snout skeptically. "Whatever," he decided after a tense moment. "Marlin?" I would've spent the whole day after the ceremony thinking of what to say next, if Queen Starfish hadn't gone missing, Marlin thought regretfully. But none of that matters anymore. Queen Starfish is missing. We have to save her! "Marlin," Tidal repeated cautiously. "Yes, yes, I'm very thankful," Marlin said, ignoring the other dragons' reactions. "Well, then, Waterfall -" Marlin raised his right talon. Tidal stopped talking. "You know how I asked you all if you had seen Queen Starfish today, right?" Tidal demanded. "Yes," the SeaWings in the room responded half-heartedly. "Well, she's missing! Gone! Dragonapped!" Tidal frowned. "I'm sure that's not the case -" Tidal began, but was cut off by Waterfall. "Marlin's right!" Waterfall exclaimed. "Queen Starfish has been dragonapped! She would be here if she wasn't dragonapped, but she isn't. That's the answer!" Tanzanite looked uneasy, and she shifted in her chair. "Now, Queen Starfish is in the Island Palace II doing important work. Just like many generations of SeaWing queens, Queen Starfish writes many scrolls, and she's probably just finishing up one." Waterfall snorted disbelievingly. "Give me proof, then," she said. "Yeah," Torpedo agreed. Oyster nodded. "Would you really listen to a dragonet?" Tidal asked, glaring at the dragons around him. Tension hung in the air. "I would," Tanzanite replied, standing up. She folded her front talons and frowned at Tidal. "I will choose one of the four new messenger-guards to rescue my mother. Now, don't come back without her. It can be their loyalty test." Tidal scowled. "Are you sure those dragonets are capable? I'm sure there's many more dragons who can do this." Tanzanite nodded. "I am sure. I'll choose..." She trailed off as she looked to the four eager dragonets. She's going to choose Torpedo, she's going to choose Torpedo, a voice said in Marlin's head, and he struggled to block it out. You never know, he responded quietly. "...Marlin. This is your mission. You noticed that Queen Starfish was missing. I trust that you will bring her back, alive and safe?" Marlin nodded. "Good. You'll got to the SkyWings first, then the SandWings, and lastly, the IceWings. Now, don't start -" Tanzanite shot a warning glare at Oyster, who looked as if he was about to explode. Torpedo merely gave Marlin a nod, while Waterfall seemed to be filled with happiness, like she was about to float away. They were underwater, though, so that could happen even if Waterfall wasn't bloated with joy. Tomorrow morning, you will leave on your mission." Tanzanite cast a look to a pale blue SeaWing dragonet at the edge of the room, standing guard. Beluga, Marlin realized in surprise. "And, Beluga, don't forget to tell Marlin about the..." Tanzanite trailed off. ...secret tunnel, Marlin finished in his mine. "I won't," Beluga promised. Marlin glanced toward Torpedo, who looked irritated and jealous at the fact that Tanzanite was giving so much attention to Beluga. "Have a good night's sleep, Marlin," Tanzanite told him. "You'll need it." I sure will.

Chapter 3: The Labyrinth

Marlin stared at the ceiling. His seaweed bed seemed harder than usual, and he couldn't sleep. His mind was filled with worries about his mission. He wondered what the secret tunnel was. Beluga will tell me where, Marlin tried to comfort himself. But he couldn't shake his uneasy feeling. The feeling that everything was going to be wrong. In just an hour, Marlin's world had flipped over, and now he was lost in space and time. At least, it felt like that. Marlin shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. It didn't work. Sighing, Marlin sat up. He swam out of bed and opened the door, nearly crashing into a pale blue SeaWing. It was Beluga, though Marlin could barely make out her features underneath the heavy armor. She brandished her spear and nearly sliced Marlin's head off. "Ah!" Marlin jumped backward, yelping in surprise. Waterfall's creepy little sister was now creepier than ever before. "Oh. Marlin." Beluga lowered her spear and stepped back. "Why are you here?" Marlin asked, his heart pounding. "Tanzanite sent me to watch over you," Beluga replied solemnly. Marlin wasn't sure if she was lying or not. "Uh...yes?" he asked. "In the morning, as you should already know, I'll show you where the secret tunnel is. It'll be dangerous, Marlin. Not just the secret tunnel - your whole mission. Sure, there's no more Great Ice Wall anymore - but you'll freeze to death if you even survive the Sky Kingdom and the Sand Kingdom." Marlin sighed. "I know," he replied. "But I'll do it anyway. Starfish is the reason I'm alive, anyway. Otherwise the sharks would've gotten me. Just like Krill." Beluga looked up at the ceiling. "True," she said. "Are you going to go back to sleep now?" Marlin shook his head. "In that case, let me tell you about the dangers of the secret tunnel. There are falling rocks and sand, and..."

Marlin trudged through the halls to the dining hall. It was time for breakfast, and right after, he'd begin his mission. His death mission. The dining hall was almost empty when he reached it. Only Tanzanite, Tidal, Oyster and Beluga were there. Tanzanite sat beside her mother's throne in her usual chair. No matter how much Tidal pestered her to sit at Queen Starfish's throne, Tanzanite refused. Oyster stood at the side, holding a spear that looked the exact same as the one that had nearly gutted him last night. Oyster glared at Marlin as he entered, the spear in his talon shaking as if he intended to impale Marlin. Marlin didn't make any noise as he entered, but Beluga and Tanzanite simultaneously looked over to him. The SeaWing princess, at least in Marlin's opinion, was becoming as creepy as Beluga. "Ah, Marlin," Tanzanite said. "We've been expecting you. You'll need a light breakfast - that tunnel has dangers you won't expect. Or think of. Some that even Beluga and I don't know of. Anyway...Beluga caught an octopus for you. And a crab. Here's your breakfast." Tanzanite pushed a plate with a blue-ringed octopus and a bright red crab, both dead, toward Marlin. He ate his breakfast quickly, and then Beluga led him out of the Deep Palace and to a small cave opening in the canyon where the Deep Palace stood. "This is the opening? To the tunnel?" Marlin asked. "Yes," Beluga responded. "It doesn't seem too...secret," Marlin replied. "Maybe not, but very little SeaWings know about this. Not like any other tribe could come down here." Beluga looked grim and she peeked into the murky darkness of the cave. "I'll go first." She swam down into the cave and disappeared. Marlin hesitated, but went after Beluga. The tunnel was dark and narrow, and Marlin began feeling claustrophobic. "How long is this tunnel?" Marlin asked, flashing his luminecent stripes so he could see Beluga and the walls around him. "It's more of a labyrinth than a tunnel, really," Beluga replied. "I went exploring in this tunnel once, with Amphitrite, a year ago. It was...our biggest mistake. Since then, I've been a lot more cautious. I think I've explored nearly half of this labyrinth. But we can never be sure." Amphitrite, Marlin remembered. The only other egg in Beluga's hatching. Marlin remembered what had happened last year. Beluga and Amphitrite had snuck out of the Deep Palace and found a labyrinth. They explored it and got lost. Tanzanite and Starfish went after them, but Beluga and Amphitrite had been careless and were constantly bumping into the walls. It triggered the walls caving in. Amphitrite was killed, and Beluga barely survived. Since then, Starfish, Tanzanite, and Beluga had been working together to map the labyrinth so it would no longer serve as a danger, it could serve as safety if another tribe managed to invade the Deep Palace. "So this is the labyrinth. The labyrinth." Beluga flinched. "Yes, it is," she replied in a small voice. Suddenly, Beluga seemed two years old again, staggering into the Deep Palace with Tanzanite and Starfish accompanying them, looking grim. Amphitrite's broken body had never been found - it was Beluga who told them the story. "Let's go," Beluga told him. Marlin followed her deeper into the dark tunnels. They brushed past the sandy walls, flashing their stripes as bright as they could, calling Starfish's name. There was no response. "I don't think I've explored this place yet," Beluga told Marlin, looking worried, after they had searched for almost three hours. "I don't think Starfish is here. Let's go back." Suddenly, Marlin caught sight of an aquamarine tail, just before it disappeared into the darkness. It wasn't Beluga's tail. And it wasn't his. Shivers went down Marlin's spine. He stepped away from it - or so he thought. And stepped on an aquamarine body.

Chapter 4: The Prisoner Queen

Alpine chewed on the seal in her plate, devouring the fat and meat as fast as possible. She'd never shown that much table manners, and she had never wanted to. A commotion came from the hall, and she glanced up. Queen Glacial paused, and frowned as a SkyWing messenger rushed in, flanked by two grumpy-faced IceWings guard. One of them prodded the messenger with a spear, muttering under his breath. The SkyWing held a limp blue body in his talons, and presented it to Queen Glacial, bowing. He was shivering, and his scales were very pale, as if they had iced over. "How did he survive?" North, Alpine's brother, whispered to her. "No idea," Alpine replied under her breath, studying the orange SkyWing with interest. "Who are you? And who have you brought to me?" Queen Glacial asked skeptically, flexing her claws dangerously. "I am Condor, one of Queen Nimbus's greatest messengers," the orange SkyWing replied. "Sounds nice," Glacial commented dryly. "You still haven't told me what you're doing here." Condor hesitated. "We...we managed to dragonap, uh, Starfish. And knock her out." Queen Glacial's eyes bulged. "The Starfish?" Alpine hissed to North. "The queen? Of the SeaWings?" Queen Glacial looked down at the body Condor was holding. "Are you sure that that is Starfish," she replied slowly. "Yes, Your Majesty," Condor replied eagerly, his eyes shining. "It can't be," North hissed. "How do the SkyWings get to her? Surely someone would've noticed if she'd gone missing or something at the Island Palace II. The SeaWings are going to wreck us." Queen Glacial calmly looked up at Condor. "You're lying," she replied, and the air in the room seemed to become tense. "I'm afraid you're wrong," Condor answered. "Liar," Glacial hissed, sitting up. Alpine inhaled, readying frostbreath, just in case Glacial needed some backup. A voice in her mind that had been nagging her since the war had started began talking again. Everything about this stupid war is wrong! It's all wrong. Everything is wrong. There shouldn't be any violence. Islands in the Bay of a Thousand Scales belong to the SeaWings. There shouldn't be any conflict or even any argument over it. Alpine pushed it away. If she listened to that voice, then...well, she couldn't even be sure that North would stand up for her. "I swear, I am not!" Condor protested. "Then tell me how you got her," Glacial snarled. "I...I...we found a SeaWing willing to dragonap Queen Starfish! She helped us!" Condor cried. "And she did what she told you to?" Glacial snapped. "Yes!" Condor replied. "Then why did you bring this SeaWing to me?" Glacial asked. "The SeaWings will come to the Sky Kingdom looking for her. But if you keep her here, then they won't find her when they come looking for her! Besides, they'll probably be weak from the cold by then," Condor explained. Glacial's eyes narrowed, and she lunged at Condor. Glacial knocked him to the ground, and slashed her claws across his underbelly, ripping it open. Condor's face went blank as his life spilled out of him. "Good grief," Glacial spat. "Take this SeaWing to the dungeon, like all the others that we've captured. And -" One of Glacial's talons brushed across a coral medallion hanging from the SeaWing prisoner's neck, and she froze. "He wasn't lying after all," Glacial breathed. "This is Queen Starfish." She whipped her head over to the soldiers, who had frozen with shock. She showed no remorse for the blood staining the ice below her throne and simply kicked Condor's body away. "Take her to the prison," Glacial commanded. "She won't ever escape this place." Alpine froze as she watched the guards take Starfish away. The war would never stop if Starfish didn't get out of this prison. But neither would she.

Chapter 5: Collapse

Marlin froze on the spot, petrified. "Marlin, what...?" Beluga asked, turning toward him. She looked confused. Suddenly, her face went pale. "That's...that's..." Marlin instantly knew the answer. "Amphitrite," he finished. "Yes," Beluga whispered. "Her body." Beluga started toward her sister's body, about to pick it up. Marlin moved aside to let her, when all of a sudden the ground began shaking. Marlin and Beluga looked around, terrified. Sand fell down from the walls, landing in heaps on the floor. "The tunnels!" Beluga gasped. "They're caving in!" Marlin looked around. "Where's the way out?" he shouted. Beluga picked up Amphitrite's body, and swam toward the exit, but the weight of her sister made her slow down. "Just leave her!"Marlin said. "We can only save ourselves now." Beluga looked down at her talons. "But..." she protested. "We have to go," Marlin said. "We can come back for her body later. Beluga sighed. "Alright," she said, dropping her sister's body. The two of them rushed through the tunnels, and light showed up ahead after a while. Beluga swam ahead, just as the sand caved in around Marlin. "Beluga! Help!" Marlin choked out. Beluga turned around, and dove back into the tunnel. She shouldered Marlin out just as the tunnel completely caved in around her and she disappeared. "Beluga!" Marlin shouted. There was no response. Oh, no... Marlin began digging into the sand, clawing his way into the tunnels. "Marlin." A talon landed on his shoulder, and Marlin spun around. Tanzanite watched him, looking sad. "What are you doing? I need to dig her out!" Marlin shouted. "I trust that Beluga is still alive," Tanzanite replied. "But digging may make the entrance cave in. The sand hasn't settled yet." Marlin sighed and stared at the wall of sand. "It's my fault," he finally said. "Of course it isn't," Tanzanite answered, but there was an odd glimmer in her eyes. Then Marlin blinked, and it was gone. "I'll get some other dragons to help me dig Beluga out," Tanzanite replied. "For now, go to the SkyWing kingdom, and take my mother back from Queen Nimbus!" Marlin hesitated. "Should I...go now?" he asked. "Of course," Tanzanite replied. "As fast as possible. Marlin, remember to try and stay alive. Beluga was an expert of the tunnels, yet she might take her last breath in them." Marlin glanced back at the tunnels. "What about Beluga?" he choked out. "We'll get her out. I'll do anything in my power to make sure she survives. Your job is to find Starfish. Without her, things may never be the same again." Marlin nodded, and shot toward the surface, bursting out of the water with drops flying everywhere. He set his course for the Sky Kingdom, turning toward the west and starting to fly. Even in the Sea Kingdom, things were dangerous. More than ever, Marlin didn't know if he would survive.

Chapter 6: Well, That Was A Big Mistake

As Marlin reached the land, it began to slope up into mountains. Marlin shivered, not only because the air became colder, but also because he knew he was entering enemy territory. Maybe Starfish isn't here. I should just...go somewhere else. But for some reason, he didn't turn back. If Starfish really was in the Sky Kingdom, then he'd do anything that was possible to get her out. As long as the SkyWings didn't have an animus, of course. After about a day or so of traveling, the towering spires of the SkyWing palace appeared through the mist in the distance. Marlin was surprised he hadn't been caught yet, when a sudden blast of heat made him turn around. And as usual, it was a SkyWing. Marlin wasn't a soldier and had only brought a small knife with him, but he tried to stab the SkyWing in the neck. The red dragon dodged the attack and smacked Marlin's snout with his tail. Something trickled down Marlin's nose, and he realized his nose was bleeding. Ignoring the smell of iron, he threw the knife at the SkyWing's right wing. Big mistake. The SkyWing dodged it easily, and the knife plummeted down to the ground. Marlin had just lost his only weapon, during his first battle on this mission. The SkyWing smirked when he saw Marlin's I'm so stupid face. "Sorry, SeaWing," he said. "You're coming with us. I hope you have a good time...at least before you die." What did I just get myself into?

Chapter 7: Crayfish, the Not-So SkyWing

The dungeon was small and cramped, and Marlin wasn't used to being out of water for this long. At least there was a bucket of water that the guards had given him to drink, but it was freshwater. Not the saltwater all SeaWings craved. A similar bucket had been given to the other prisoners, and Marlin saw quite a few SeaWings. There were five SkyWings guarding the entrance of the dungeon, and the dungeon hall stretched on for quite a long while. Marlin had heard myths about how, in a war thousands of years ago, a SkyWing queen had built towers and an arena for prisoners to fight each other to the death, and she had a dragon made of fire that she used to torture the prisoners. It was called the death monster, and Marlin and the other SeaWing dragonets would shiver when they heard those two ominous words. Marlin would prefer sitting in a bare dungeon all day rather than being burned to ashes by the death monster. As long as he had a bucket of water, or else he would go insane. He gripped the iron bars and stared through the gaps in the door. He heard a few faint chuckles coming from the SkyWing guards down the hall, and shook the bars angrily. They didn't budge. With a sigh, Marlin turned around and stuck his head into the bucket of water. Liquid flowed through his gills rhythmically and sloshed into his mouth. He smiled briskly, and then jerked his head back up. "Hey, you." Marlin jumped. A SkyWing guard, with a spear in his talons,glared at him through the bars. "The queen wants to see you." Marlin hesitated. "Why?" he asked. "Interrogating, obviously. What were you doing so far into SkyWing territory?" Marlin glared at him. “None of your business.” The guard’s eyes narrowed. “Oh? I think you’d might mind if I took you to Queen Nimbus.” Marlin shrank back into the far corner of his prison and said nothing. “What’s your name, by the way?” the guard continued. He seemed to want to start up a conversation. For some reason, Marlin felt as if he should trust him. “Marlin,” he muttered. The guard’s eyes widened. “I see. My name is Crayfish.” Marlin frowned. “That’s not a normal SkyWing name,” he pointed out. “I didn’t name myself,” the guard answered, looking away from Marlin. Marlin had a feeling that this guard had something hidden, but didn’t argue. “So, uh, Crayfish. I...don’t want to see Nimbus. I’m completely fine. I’ll just stay here.” Crayfish narrowed his eyes. “Ah, maybe, but the queen wants to see you. So you’ll have to go.” Marlin couldn't believe how stupid he was making himself seem. “There’s another way we can convince you. It’s less convenient, but it is bloodier.” Marlin froze. “Can you get a random SeaWing from one of the prisons?” Crayfish called to one of the other guards. “Sure,” he grunted, and Marlin heard a loud clunk. Soon, a thin green SeaWing was pulled over to them. “This is Surge,” Crayfish explained. “And I have a knife.” Crayfish opened one of his talons and revealed a sharp weapon. “That’s mine!” Marlin cried, recognizing the octopus engraving on the handle. “Is it?” Crayfish asked sourly. “Well, it’s mine now.” Marlin scowled and glared at the SkyWing guard. He didn’t know why he had the feeling that he should trust the SkyWing with the weird name. He was just like any other arrogant SkyWing who wanted to beat the SeaWings in the war. “Anyway,” Crayfish continued, glancing at Surge, “Surge, this is Marlin. And Marlin’s going to decide if you live or not. Make your choice, SeaWing.” Crayfish’s eyes flashed with menace. “Fine. I’ll go with you,” Marlin growled. Surge looked relieved. “Take him back to his cell,” Crayfish shouted to one of the other guards. Marlin heard muttering, but an orange SkyWing arrived to take Surge away. She shot a resentful glance at Crayfish before steering the green SeaWing away from Marlin’s cell. "Come on now, Marlin," Crayfish said, taking a large iron key out of a slot in his armor and unlocking Marlin's door. "Or would you rather Nimbus came here?" Marlin sighed, pushed the door open, and stepped out. He followed Crayfish out of the dungeon, toward wherever the jerk of a queen was. Marlin had never known any SeaWing who had been in an encounter with the queen of the SkyWings, though he knew it wouldn't end well. Perilous death missions never did.

Chapter 8: Free, But With A Price

Crayfish brought Marlin to the throne room where Nimbus was, or at least where Marlin thought the throne room was. He waited in the corner of the room while Nimbus examined Marlin with narrowed eyes. “I see,” she said. “You’re the stupid little dragonet they sent to go rescue Queen Starfish. You won’t get a chance to rescue her anyway. Queen Starfish’s daughter will just take the throne. She’s weak - she’ll help me win the war. Weak queens always do. As for the little prince...haha.” Nimbus smiled, then snapped her attention back to Marlin. “Well, I already know why you’re here. But I have a question for you, dragonet. Does that...SkyWing over there have a normal name?” Marlin was pretty sure she was referring to Crayfish. “Yes?” he said with a nervous quiver. “Of course!” Nimbus snorted. “Three moons, what do they teach dragonets these days? To kill? That would make sense - after all, there’s a war to win. But you don’t look like a battle-hardened warrior. More like a pathetic little dragonet hardly out of the hatchery. I have a test for you. I’ll tell you where your precious queen is...if you complete the test I have for you.” Marlin perked up, and looked at the SkyWing queen. “Can you really?” he asked. “We’ll see,” Nimbus replied, glaring down at Marlin. “It’s a question. Just a simple one. What are the two other names that my mother thought about when I hatched?” Marlin frowned. What type of question was this? SeaWings didn’t learn SkyWing history, much less two names that a SkyWing queen could’ve been named, not the name that a SkyWing queen actually had. “I’ll give you one try,” Nimbus replied coldly, her eyes flaring. Marlin looked to Crayfish for help, but his eyes were fixed on the ground. “Don’t expect that stupid Mud-Sea hybrid to help you,” Nimbus snorted. Marlin gasped. “He’s a...hybrid?” Nimbus rolled her eyes. “What do you think?” she snapped. Marlin looked back at Crayfish. He seemed outraged, probably by the fact that Nimbus had revealed his secret. If it was a secret. Crayfish looked over at Marlin, his mouth opening and closing. Marlin strained his ears to hear what Crayfish was saying. “S,” Crayfish hissed. “C.” Marlin whipped his head around and stared up at Nimbus. Nimbus. Her name is Nimbus. And Nimbus is... Suddenly, the answer popped into Marlin’s mind. “Stratus and Cumulus,” he said. “Was that your...?” Nimbus glared down at him, her eyes filled with hatred. Smoke started to rise out of her snout. “Very well,” she hissed. “The stupid starfish isn’t in the Sky Kingdom.” She means Starfish! But is she in the Sand Kingdom or the Ice Kingdom? “Wait, I -” Marlin began. “Take him back to his cell, and make sure he never gets free!” Nimbus spat at Crayfish, flaring her bright red wings. Crayfish seemed reluctant, but looked at Marlin and beckoned for him to come and follow him. “So you’re a hybrid,” Marlin said as they walked out of the room. “Yes,” Crayfish replied. “Everyone who lives in this palace knows that. Except the eggs.” His voice had a touch of humor, but Marlin didn’t laugh. “Why did you join the SkyWings?” Marlin demanded. “MudWings and SeaWings are on the same side!” Crayfish cast a long glance at him, and took a deep breath. “Tell me your story,” Marlin demanded. Crayfish took a deep breath. “Fine,” he said. “Five years ago, the war started. I hatched eight years before that. That was when SeaWings and MudWings hated each other. I hatched in an underwater cave. My mother and father’s secret had been revealed only a month after they laid my egg, and they were both killed. And right before my father died, he revealed that they had an egg. So the race was on - the SeaWings were looking for a Mud-SeaWing egg. They found me, but a day before I hatched, a SeaWing smuggled me out of where they were keeping me. He took care of me, and when I was a year old, he told me to find the MudWings and hope that they would accept me. I went to the Mud Kingdom. But they didn’t. They didn’t accept me.” Crayfish looked up at the sky. “At that time, the SkyWings were the least hostile tribe in Pyrrhia. So when I went back to the SeaWing, he told me to go to the SkyWings. I did. They accepted me. They trained me to become a guard. I’ve always hated MudWings and SeaWings to this day, for what they’ve done to me.” Crayfish’s eyes blazed with fury. “Well,” Marlin said, “you seem pretty nice. And why do you look like a SkyWing?” Crayfish glared at Marlin. “None of your business.  And you have no idea what I’ve been through!” he snarled. “It’s not too late,” Marlin said. “Join your parents’ side. Join the SeaWings and the MudWings. You can’t trust SkyWings. Queen Nimbus doesn’t trust you! She doesn’t like you. But I’m sure SES would accept you. Arrowhead and Starfish will take you in!” Crayfish sighed. “Sometimes, I wish I could just go to the Mud Kingdom or Sea Kingdom and have a normal life. I can breathe in water, you know. But what is done has been done, and no one will ever trust me.” Marlin stopped, and Crayfish spun around to face him. “What?” he demanded. “I trust you, Marlin. And you should trust me on what I say. The SES side will accept you, as long as you trust them.” Crayfish turned back around, his back to Marlin. “We’ll see,” he said. “Hey! Crayfish! What are you doing?” a gruff voice barked. Crayfish and Marlin both turned to see a dark red SkyWing running toward them with hints of gold in his underscales. “Taking this prisoner back to his cell,” Crayfish answered smoothly. “Then stop with the chit-chat!” the SkyWing barked. “You’re a hybrid, and we can’t trust you!” Crayfish met the SkyWing’s eyes. “I see,” he said calmly. “You’re true, Flare. And you’ll always be.” Flare looked alarmed and stepped back, intimidated. Crayfish handed Marlin's dagger to him, pressing it into his talons. “What do you mean?” he asked. Crayfish began hissing, and Marlin jumped backward. He knew what was coming next. Fire shot out of Crayfish’s mouth, blasting into Flare’s face. He screamed with agony, and SkyWing heads turned all around the palace. “Fly, Marlin! Fly!” Crayfish shouted. He blew a small flame onto the key in his claws, and held it to Marlin’s wing bindings. They burned off and he smiled. Crayfish and Marlin exchanged a smile. “Trust me,” Crayfish called to Marlin as he lifted off. “You’ll survive!” Suddenly, Crayfish was swarmed by SkyWings by all sides. “Kill him!” a familiar voice boomed. It was Nimbus’s. “No!” Marlin shouted, diving back to Crayfish. “Fly, Marlin!” Crayfish shouted at him. “You need to survive, and save Starfish! Fly!” Marlin flew as fast as his wings could take him, flapping his wings as fast as he could. He turned around one last time, and saw Crayfish sinking below the mass of SkyWings. “No...” Marlin whispered. Then an orange talon stretched between two SkyWings’ wings, almost reaching toward him. I can’t lose someone else. But it was too late. Crayfish disappeared, and Marlin turned back around, heading toward the desert, just as Tanzanite had told him. It was a miracle that he’d survived both of those risky escapes. And two dragons had been sacrificed for him. There was still a chance that both of them were alive, if not one. And there was still a chance for Marlin. 

Chapter 9: SandWings Are Quite Weird

Sand appeared in the distance, and Marlin beat his wings harder, trying to get to the Kingdom of Sand before the sun set. The sky glowed orange and pink, illuminating the desert. Marlin had only a few minutes before the sun disappeared below the horizon, and he wanted to make the most of it. When it grew dark, Marlin landed in the sand. The desert was a treacherous place, especially for a SeaWing. There was hardly any water here, and Marlin doubted he could get to an oasis. Most of them were surrounded by SandWing cities, and he'd probably get ripped apart before he even stepped foot into them. Marlin tried to build a small fort out of sand but it didn't work, so he just sat down and covered his head with his wings for the night. When he woke up, the sun was just rising. Today, his goal was to get to Queen Caracal's stronghold, no matter how many hours it took. He looked around and spotted a fat brown lizard on a small rock jutting out of the desert sand, and stalked toward it stealthily. When he was close enough, he reached out and stabbed it with his claws as fast as he could. The lizard was killed in an instant, and Marlin bit off its head. It didn't taste like the animals that he usually ate. It was dry and chewy, but Marlin didn't want to starve to death, so he ate it until there was the tail left. Marlin tucked it into his leather bag. It'd serve as a snack for later. He took out his map of Pyrrhia and was distracted by the arrow pointing to the left and right sides of the map. Underneath both of them were the words: Lost continent? Marlin loved hearing about the Legend of the Hive and the Tree Wars, but he couldn't be sure they were true. Perhaps there was a lost continent, just no dragon had found it yet. Marlin was lost in thought for a moment, then looked toward the Kingdom of Sand on the map. He was pretty far from the stronghold, but he was also pretty sure he could get there after a while. Marlin placed it back in his leather bag and then jumped into the sky, stretching his wings out. In the late afternoon, the towers of the SandWing stronghold appeared in the distance, and Marlin paused for a moment, hovering in midair. He reached inside his bag again and closed his claws around his dagger, hoping there would be no sign of danger. One side of the palace was swarming with SandWings. Marlin identified it as the soldiers' barracks, but the others didn't have so many pale yellow dragons, and Marlin took his chances on the opposite side of the barracks - the right side. He flew in a wide loop around the palace until he came to the right side, and spotted an opening in the side of the palace. He poked his head and looked around. There were no dragons in sight. Slowly, Marlin crept into the stronghold, glancing around warily. The hall looked deserted, and he wondered where the dungeons were. He ducked behind curtains and pillars as he continued through the palace, but it seemed deserted. Was there anyone here? Sudden footsteps alerted him, and he spun around, inhaling sharply. A female SandWing with a spear in her talons walked toward him, with no sign of having seen him. But the SandWing looked up. "Oh, you again," she said. "Queen Caracal's little SeaWing puppet. Where are you going?" Marlin gulped. "Uh...the dungeons. I - um - want to make sure - the other SeaWings have - er - enough water...?" The SandWing rolled her eyes. "Whatever. It's right this way, Flipper." Queen Caracal has a SeaWing puppet named Flipper? I've got to tell Queen Starfish when I find her - that is, if I find her. The SandWing led Marlin through the twists and turns of the stronghold, which still seemed to be deserted. "Where is everyone?" Marlin asked, his curiosity getting the best of him. "You don't know?" she asked. "Everyone's celebrating Caracal's seventeenth crowning anniversary. Seventeen years as queen...blah, blah, blah. Four years ago was the best crowning anniversary. When someone put poison in all the drinks and killed like fifty SandWings. It was fabulous." The SandWing's eyes glittered, and Marlin gulped and edged away from her a little. "Well, here you are. The SandWing dungeons. When the guards ask for your name, just say Flipper. 'Cause its your name, you know." She smiled mischievously. "Anyway, see you around, Flipper." The SandWing left, her poisonous barb making a scraping sound as she walked away. Marlin was just about to open the door when he heard an ear-shattering scream.

Chapter 10: Trapped...Yet Again

Marlin wanted to run, but he knew if Queen Starfish was inside, and if she was the one who had screamed, then he had to go rescue her. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door. To his surprise, shields, spears, swords, and other weapons were scattered on the ground, and three SandWings were unconscious on the ground. Marlin guessed they were the guards, since they wore heavy armor, and slowly walked over the weapons, doing his best not to step on the SandWings. He didn’t know what had happened, and he didn’t want to. When he made it to the other side, he looked around. The cells were filled with prisoners, and they were unconscious too. Marlin gulped. He looked around and spotted almost seventeen blue SeaWings at once, and he raced to their prisons and looked at them all. Most of them were female, but none of them were Queen Starfish. He sighed and journeyed deeper into the prison. Suddenly, he heard a swishing noise and glanced up. A SandWing with a black mask covering its face was hovering above him. It looked down at Marlin as he approached it. “Marlin, Marlin,” the SandWing said. It’s voice had an echoey quality, and Marlin shivered. “Yes?” he said in a small voice. “Think more about how Starfish disappeared. If she was kidnapped, surely another tribe would’ve taken here,” the SandWing said. “Well...yes...but the other tribes can’t breathe underwater! Maybe it was an animus or something…” Although Marlin couldn’t see the SandWing’s face, he was pretty sure that the SandWing was smiling. “Think about it more. Surely, if another tribe had animuses, then they would’ve won the war already…” And then it hit him. “There’s a traitor,” Marlin gasped. “Yes,” the SandWing answered pleasantly. “As your IceWing friend knows.” Marlin frowned. “I don’t have any IceWing friends.” The SandWing made a scoffing noise. “At least not yet. Now, you’d better get out of here before they catch you. You’re not the only one who heard the scream, you see.” Then the SandWing disappeared before his eyes. Marlin blinked. Was that just an illusion or something? What has just happened? As he looked around, he realized that the prisoners were awake, groaning and rubbing their eyes. He heard shouts and realized that the three guards were rushing toward him, brandishing their spears. “Halt!” one of them shouted. “Nice try escaping, SeaWing,” the second one sneered. “You’re getting back in your prison,” the third agreed. Marlin was still dazed by the encounter, and the fact that there was a traitor. And who was the IceWing friend that he had? And most of all, who was that mysterious SandWing? Wait. Marlin froze. Is she an animus?

Chapter 11: Sekhmet

At this rate, Marlin knew he wasn't going to get Queen Starfish back. Ever. Especially with a traitor. He was trapped and stuck in this prison, without even a bucket of water. Without any sun, it wasn't as hot as it would be up on the desert sand, but it was very dark and damp and quiet. None of the prisoners talked to one another - they were just being miserable. "Hey, you." Marlin looked up. The same female SandWing as before was staring through the bars at him. "You're not Flipper, are you?" she said. "No," he admitted. "I'm...Marlin." The SandWing's eyes narrowed. "Interesting," she replied. "What's your name?" Marlin asked. "Not Aloe, I'm guessing?" The SandWing smirked. "No, of course not. I'd rather kill than heal. I'm Sekhmet." Marlin gulped. Her name certainly fit her well. "So...why are you here." The SandWing shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. I just wanted to ask, why are you here? You just came into the SandWing stronghold like you owned the place." Sekhmet frowned at him. Marlin slowly edged away from her, then asked, "Do you know who the traitor is?" Sekhmet took a step forward, her expression odd. "What traitor?" she asked. "Like - the one - who, uh, kidnapped Queen Starfish." Sekhmet nodded slowly. "Right. The...dragons told us about...that dragon. Forgot who, though, and I don't care about it either." Marlin sighed. "I just want to ask you - is the SeaWing queen in this dungeon?" Sekhmet shook her head. "No. I would no, I've spent countless hours in the dungeon checking over the prisoners. I'm the executioner." Marlin shivered. "Sounds wonderful," he said, pressing himself against the back wall. Was she here to kill him? “Just kidding. I don’t know about any traitor. Sounds like a problem for you.” Sekhmet shrugged. She certainly wasn’t about to help Marlin. At all. “Are you here to kill me?” Marlin muttered. He was half-hoping Sekhmet wouldn’t hear it, but she did. “Who, me? Well, actually, no.” Marlin frowned. “Then why are you here?” he demanded. Sekhmet grinned toothily. “We’ll see.” Marlin sighed. He liked answers that explained everything very clearly, or plain yes or no, not “I think” or “Maybe” or “We’ll see.” Marlin was uncomfortable with the SandWing “executioner” just watching him, so he leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, trying to go to sleep. It didn’t work - the prisoner in the cell beside him was breathing heavily as he slept, and the sound kept Marlin awake. Sekhmet was still staring at him. “What do you want?” Marlin demanded. At this point, the SandWing was just being creepy. “You do want to get out, don’t you?” Sekhmet asked. “Of course,” Marlin replied. Sekhmet nodded slowly. “You’ll need someone to provide you with that. Of course. But first, let me speak to your IceWing friend.” Sekhmet grinned at him and disappeared.  

Chapter 12: A Mysterious Encounter

Alpine wandered through the long halls in Glacial’s palace. She hadn’t slept for the past few days. All she could think about was Queen Starfish. North constantly told her she could get sleep, but there was no point in even trying. Alpine was stuck between being loyal to her tribe and stopping the war. North had asked her nearly a million times why she couldn’t sleep, but if Alpine told him, nothing she wanted would ever be possible. Just as she was about to decide and check the dungeon, she heard a weird buzzing noise. In front of her, the air seemed to twist and turn, and a SandWing dropped out of the air before her. Alpine yelped and jumped backward a few steps. SandWings were their allies - though. She shouldn't have been frightened. "Keep watch for a blue dragon," the SandWing said, then disappeared again. For a moment, Alpine was dumbfounded. "Do you mean a SeaWing?" she asked to empty air. "Or an IceWing? I see pale blue dragons every day!" There was no response, and Alpine sighed. It'd probably be more obvious that the blue dragon was a SeaWing, but that dragon was so mysterious, how could she be sure?

Chapter 13: Flipper, the Not-So-Traitor

Marlin stared at the spot where Sekhmet had disappeared for what seemed like forever, but she never came back. Marlin shook his head in confusion. Sekhmet had probably just been a hallucination, or something like that. Something green moved at the corner of Marlin’s vision, and he glanced toward the right. A thin, seedy-looking seaweed-colored dragon slowly stalked toward him with a crazed look in his eyes. “Um - hello,” Marlin said. “Who are you?” The dragon’s ears twitched. “Three moons, you don’t know who I am? You must be a new prisoner, though we’ve had no battles for months! Must’ve been an unfortunate SeaWing who decided to get caught. Anyway, I’m Flipper.” Marlin nodded slowly. “You must be here for a reason,” Flipper said. Marlin sighed. Did every dragon visit his cell and want to know why he was here? “Look, I check on every single SeaWing in this dungeon,” Flipper said, like he knew what Marlin felt like right now. “You’re not receiving any special treatment. I always ask them why they’re here, and I’ve gotten a...fifteen dragon long streak of ‘caught during a battle.’ Would you mind continuing it…?” Marlin scowled, flattening his ears with irritation. Here was a traitor SeaWing, sitting at Queen Caracal’s side, doing nothing to help his real tribe during the war. He knew nothing about what was happening. “Yes, I would mind,” Marlin snapped. “I’m here to find Queen Starfish!” Flipper’s eyes widened. “Whoa, whoa,” he said. “I don’t want to get in this business. See you later.” Flipper began backing up, but Marlin stopped him. “What do you mean? What do you have against Queen Starfish?” Flipper scowled. “She banished me. Um, anyway. I’m the executioner’s assistant, sort of - we check on all the prisoners. Sekhmet’s not really an executioner, she just likes to say that she is. We’re just...prisoner-checkers or something like that. Have you seen Sekhmet, by the way?” Marlin frowned. He'd never heard of a "Flipper" from Queen Starfish “Uh…” There was a flash, and suddenly Sekhmet was standing beside Marlin in the cell. “Oh, there she is!” Sekhmet scrunched her snout and teleported outside of the prison cell. Flipper must’ve known she was an animus, since he didn’t seem surprised at all. “Where did you go? To assassinate Queen Nimbus?” he joked. “Nope. I got...stuck in the Caracal Den. Nearly consumed a bottle of poison, but I got out of that sticky situation.” Marlin couldn’t believe his ears. “Wait, the Caracal Den? Do you mean the…” Flipper nodded. “The Scorpion Den. Queen Caracal renamed it after herself.” I’m assuming this SandWing queen is as bad as Nimbus, then. “Nice. Why did Starfish banish you, by the way?” Marlin said, turning to Flipper. The green SeaWing slowly edged away from Marlin. “I don’t - I don’t -” Flipper stammered. “Um, hey, Sekhmet. Who tried to get you to, er, drink the poison?” Flipper was dodging the question, and Marlin was pretty sure the answer wasn’t something Flipper was particularly fond of. Sekhmet ignored Flipper’s question, but stared at the SeaWing. The three of them were quiet for an awkward moment. Sekhmet shot a significant look at Flipper, and then disappeared. Flipper hesitated, staring at the spot where the SandWing animus had disappeared, and then turned back to Marlin. “Now to get to the real point. I know why you’re here, Marlin.” Marlin frowned. “How do you know my name’s Marlin? It could be Aquatic or Starfish II or Jellyfish or something.” Flipper gritted his teeth. “Sekhmet told me, and it was her idea to do this anyway. She says you have some kind of fate.” A thought appeared in Marlin’s head. “Wait,” Marlin said. “Are you…?” Flipper smiled briefly, but his eyes were dark and unforgiving. It must’ve taken Sekhmet a long time to convince him, or he was just still sore about the topic of Queen Starfish. “Yes, I am. I’m going to let you out.”

Chapter 14: Where Is He?

“One thing’s for sure,” Flipper answered. “Starfish is definitely not - I mean, definitely in this dungeon.” Flipper looked surprised at himself and glanced at the air surrounding him, as if he expected Sekhmet to pop out of nowhere. Marlin grinned warmly. “Thanks so much. Could I somehow - er, get to her?” Flipper hesitated. “Queen Caracal would kill me if I released Queen Starfish by myself. It’d probably be best for me to let you go and give you the key so you could release Starfish.” Marlin nodded. The other way would be quicker, but Marlin would accept this, too. Plus, it meant he’d be out of this horrible prison sooner. “I’ll go and get the key quickly,” Flipper said. He left Marlin’s cell, his tail disappearing into the shadows around the corner. Marlin sighed, and slumped against the sandstone wall of the dungeon. No matter how many dragons said they would help him, it always seemed like he would never get out of this dungeon. He wished Crayfish was here - he would help Marlin get out of this stupid prison. Marlin gripped the iron bars of the prison and shook them as hard as he could, as if they would fall off and he would be released. It didn’t work. Marlin sat in the corner of the prison and stared at the bars. After a long time, for what seemed like hours, Flipper still hadn’t returned. Marlin was exhausted, and he closed his eyes. Instantly, everything went black.

Chapter 15: Free For Now

When Marlin woke up, he smelled something burning. He shook off his drowsiness and leaped to his feet. Flipper was holding a flaming torch in one of his front talons, watching Marlin grimly. His claws twitched, and Flipper smiled. Marlin frowned, since he saw a flash of silver as Flipper’s claws moved. Marlin shrugged - it must’ve been a trick of the light. But he had other questions on his mind. “Where were you yesterday?” he asked. Flipper shifted nervously. “Queen Caracal told me to stay in the throne room. She said that she couldn’t have me wandering off during her 17th anniversary celebration.” Marlin’s eyes narrowed. “Why do you let that SandWing order you around anyway?” he demanded. Flipper stared at the ceiling. “She gave me a home and a living,” he said. “So? You could have a good living somewhere else. Besides, everyone says that Caracal is a self-centered, irresponsible queen.” Flipper snapped his head around to stare at Marlin. “This is a war. Of course they’d say she was a bad queen.” Marlin leaned forward, gripping the prison bars. “Then why does everyone say Queen Glacial is the best queen in Pyrrhia right now?” Flipper scowled. “Really? Who’s the second-best, then?” Marlin tensed, but he answered, “Queen Starfish.” Flipper snickered. “Exactly. Everyone has different opinions. Personally, I think Queen Starfish is a jerk. I don’t see how Sekhmet convinced me into doing this.” Flipper held up a shining silver key. That must be what I saw earlier. “Do you want to get out or not?” he hissed. “Of course I want to get out,” Marlin answered. Flipper scrunched his snout with displeasure. He blew out the fire on the torch and inserted the key into a lock at the side of the prison door. Old metal creaked as Flipper twisted the key, and the door slowly swung open. Marlin stepped out eagerly, his eyes thankful. “I won’t forget this, Flipper,” he said. “Now, where’s Queen Starfish?” Marlin turned to Flipper and realized he was staring at the key in his talons. Marlin leaned over and took a closer glance at the key. He realized it was iron, like the prison bars, not silver. Marlin frowned. Then what had he seen? Marlin looked around, and spotted a few trinkets clipped on a leather pouch hanging from his neck. There were a few hanging out, and nearly all of them were silver or gold. Stop being so curious, Marlin. It doesn’t matter, anyway. Stop overthinking. Marlin shook his head, trying to clear his head. “Anyway, come on over,” Flipper said, gesturing for Marlin to follow him. “Let’s go to find Queen Starfish.”

Chapter 16: Looking For A Prisoner

Marlin followed Flipper throughout the dusty dungeon of the SandWings. As they journeyed deeper and deeper into the prison, the more guards they saw. Luckily, Flipper covered him, and told them Marlin was a younger brother of his who had just recently escaped from Queen Starfish’s wrath. They grumpily let Marlin pass, stepping aside but keeping their grip on their spears. Marlin glanced at every cell they passed by. There weren’t a lot of SeaWings but not too few either. Marlin wished there were none. He wanted to rescue all the prisoners in this dungeon, but he knew Flipper wouldn’t tolerate it, and he’d end up worse than he already was. Maybe at least the SeaWings... Ignoring the pleading looks from the prisoners they passed by, Marlin looked hopefully to Flipper. Flipper kept a straight face, ignoring Marlin and staring ahead, but his talons twitched again. Marlin hoped it meant a good thing, but Flipper kept on ignoring him. He didn’t say a single word. After three hours, the two of them finally reached the very end of the prison cells. It must’ve been miles away from where the actual SandWing stronghold was, and the prisoners in this part of the underground prison were bound with chains, tied around their snouts, wings, and nearly pinned to the ground. A few of them had guards surrounding them, dressed in sturdy armor and armed with the sharpest weapons Marlin had ever seen. This was clearly the most secure place in the prison, and obviously where the SeaWing queen would be. Marlin saw five or six SeaWings, but none of them looked familiar. There was a murderous look in their eyes as they stared hungrily at Marlin and Flipper as the two SeaWings passed by. They reached the final sandstone wall, but there still had been no sign of Queen Starfish. Flipper finally glanced at Marlin. “She must have escaped.”

Chapter 17: A True Traitor

Marlin’s heart filled with hope. “Are you sure about that?” Marlin asked. It was too good to be true. But what if she was caught on her way back to the Sea Kingdom? “Can you bring me back to my cell?” Marlin asked Flipper. “I want to ask Tanzanite if Starfish has reached the Sea Kingdom yet. Probably not, but just in case.” Flipper’s eyes narrowed. “Princess Tanzanite? Of the SeaWings?” he asked slowly. “Yes,” Marlin said without a hint of remorse. “She’ll make a nice queen one day. An awesome queen.” Marlin’s eyes shone with so much admiration, his eyes were blurred with tears. He couldn’t see the furious look on Flipper’s snout. “Did you know,” he said, “that Queen Starfish didn’t have just two dragonets?” Marlin glanced over at Flipper. “You mean Tanzanite and Prince Pacific?” Flipper nodded. “She had two daughters and three sons, including Tanzanite and Pacific.” Marlin frowned. “Then...did they die?” Flipper turned and glared at Marlin. “Perhaps,” he answered. It gave Marlin no answers, and he was almost more confused than before. “Anyway,” Marlin said. “Can you take me back to my cell so I can speak with Sekhmet? We can at least track where Starfish is going if she isn’t to the Sea Kingdom yet.” Flipper stared at Marlin. “Yes,” he said. “Or maybe...I just thought I saw her, and I didn’t actually see her.” Marlin nudged Flipper. “I believe that you’re right. After all, how could you forget the face of a dragon who exiled you? And you don’t have any reason to lie to me.” Flipper shrugged. “I guess,” he said. Suddenly, the air twisted in front of them and spat out Sekhmet. “You wanted my assistance?” the SandWing animus said coolly. Marlin’s eyes lit up. “Hey, Sekhmet!” he said. Suddenly, a thought popped into Marlin’s head. He felt so stupid. Why hadn’t he thought of this before? “I want to ask you a question, Sekhmet,” Marlin said. Sekhmet shrugged. “Sure, tell me.” Marlin hesitated. “Sekhmet, if you’re an animus, don’t you have the power to teleport Queen Starfish to hear? And get us back to the Sea Kingdom in nearly a split second?” Marlin awaited Sekhmet’s answer eagerly. Sekhmet seemed stunned. For a moment, Marlin thought he saw fear flash in Flipper’s eyes, but it disappeared in a heartbeat. Another trick of the light, Marlin guessed. “You have a whole path spread out for you,” Sekhmet answered. “It may not be the right one, though it does have many twists and turns. Believe me - there are no shortcuts in fate. Perhaps I could do it, but animuses - or animi - should know not to interfere with destiny. If you asked me, I wouldn’t. Fate isn’t always a path spread out for you, though - you don’t always have to do what is written in the stars.” Sekhmet turned to smile at Marlin. “So - I could wander off my path and have you save Starfish?” Marlin asked. “Is that what you’re saying.” Sekhmet sighed. “Wandering off your path of fate is one of the most dangerous things to do. You wouldn’t learn many things, and you might as well become a worse dragon that you would become if you had followed your path. There are good things and bad things that would happen. What if you were lost in a forest full of deadly traps, and there was a path that led straight out of the forest and had no traps? You would go on the path, right?” Marlin nodded. “That is the rule of fate. It’s more likely you would survive if you stayed on your path.” Marlin narrowed his eyes. “Survive means freezing to death in the Ice Kingdom, right? Even if I get out of this prison, there’s no way I’m going to survive in the Ice Kingdom. There may not be a Great Ice Cliff anymore, but there are still tons of other dangers.” Sekhmet sighed. “Look, Marlin, one day you’ll understand. There are lots of bumps in the path, forks, and dead ends. You’re still a dragonet. Though I do think you need some help right now.” Sekhmet squeezed one of her talons and the world shimmered around Marlin, bending and twisting when all of a sudden he was standing in his prison cell. The problem was, Flipper was stuck, too. Flipper groaned and shook the bars, almost managing to rattle them. Sekhmet slid the tip of her tail into the lock, and the door slowly opened. Marlin stared at Sekhmet in awe. “Sekhmet, you’re an animus - so your soul -” Sekhmet shook her head. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be just fine. Besides, I -” Sekhmet cut off, an odd expression creeping over her face. “Let’s just - let’s just -” Sekhmet spluttered. Suddenly, Sekhmet disappeared. Marlin blinked, staring at the place where Sekhmet had just been. Flipper grimaced and gestured to Marlin for him to follow him. “I’ll get you out of here. Sekhmet hates that question. I’m pretty sure her spells don’t really affect her soul that much, but if her emotions are wild, then she can’t control her powers. Did she tell you about the poison in the drinks? Four years ago?” Marlin nodded. “Yeah. She did that. It was an accident, of course, but a little bit...serious of an accident. That’s why she stays in the dungeon - Sekhmet is pretty horrible at interaction with other dragons.” Marlin frowned. “Who were her parents?” he asked. Flipper shrugged. “She never told me,” Flipper answered. “She obviously had a very - er - rough dragonethood.” Flipper led Marlin through the dungeon door and Marlin followed him toward the door Marlin had entered through when he’d first entered the SandWing stronghold. It almost seemed as if Marlin had been inside the SandWing stronghold for months - it was almost as if, in the dungeon, time was slower. Suddenly, Flipper spun around and stepped in front of Marlin. Flipper was holding something silver. The same thing as before, Marlin guessed. But what was it? “I’m a dungeon guard,” Flipper growled softly. Marlin tensed, sensing danger. “You may be a SeaWing, but the SeaWings exiled me! Do you think I would help a prisoner, especially if they were on a quest to save Queen Starfish, who personally exiled me? Do you think I would kill my brother? I had three other - well, two other siblings that could’ve done it. Anyone could’ve done it! And she had to choose me, with no evidence, to banish!” Marlin stepped back. “What do you mean?” he asked. Flipper smashed into Marlin, pinning him to the ground. Flipper raised the silver thing above Marlin’s throat. It was a dagger. Marlin squirmed around, desperately trying to get away, but it wasn’t working. “Your path in fate is to die! To never succeed!” Flipper snarled. He brought the dagger down on Marlin’s neck. Just before Marlin was about to be killed, Flipper was blown across the hall by an extremely powerful gust of wind. “Guards!” Flipper screamed, just before the SeaWing’s head collided with the sandstone wall, and he fell to the ground, knocked unconscious. Sekhmet appeared, shooting a scathing glance at Flipper’s limp body. Marlin heard yells and turned around. Alarmingly, a bunch of SandWing guards were flying toward them. “Marlin, I’ll distract them!” Sekhmet shouted, and her mouth curved into a smile for a split second. Suddenly, Marlin was standing on barren, cold plains. Sekhmet had teleported him to the edge of the Sand Kingdom.

Chapter 18: Pyrrhia's Coldest Kingdom

Marlin gazed across the barren tundra. He could only see shrubs dotting the ground here and there, no signs of ice or any palace ahead of him. Marlin turned around. A few dragon-lengths behind him, the frozen fields gave way to desert sand. Marlin walked over to the sand, hoping it would warm him up a little - it was already cold! - but even the dusty particles seemed colder than usual. Marlin took a deep breath. Hopefully, I don’t freeze to death within the first day. Three moons, how have I never realized how terrifying the continent is in the middle of war? Marlin spread his wings and lifted into the sky, heading toward the north. The landscape didn’t change beneath him as he continued to fly, though it started to get colder and colder. As he flew, Marlin wondered how he could get to Starfish’s prison and how he could save her. It seemed very likely that he would freeze to death first. After a while, Marlin spotted a dent in the ground. The Great Ice Cliff...this must be where it once stood. Which means the other side...is the Ice Kingdom. Marlin stopped, hovering in midair. He stared at the land on the other side of the large dent. All he could see was snow, and gray clouds smothered the sky. Taking a deep breath, Marlin swooped past the dent. Immediately, he was given the chills. Not only was it freezing, but the aura of creepiness hung in the air. Marlin took a deep breath and continued to fly north. His wings started to get numb after a while and Marlin plummeted from the sky, landing in a deep snowdrift. Marlin struggled to get out, and when he finally managed to clamber out of the suffocating white blanket, his bones felt as if they were made of frost. He was so cold he could hardly feel his body. Marlin spotted a rocky outcrop a few yards away from where he knelt. He crawled over to it. Below was a patch of yellow, dead grass, but at least it was dry. He sat underneath the outcrop, leaning against the stone wall where it protruded from, and fell asleep.

Chapter 19: The Blue Dragon

Alpine left Queen Glacial’s palace, a spear held in her talons. The sun was starting to set. Only two days a week did she have patrol, though she patrolled at her "watchtower", or what she called it, nearly every day. It was peaceful and faraway from prying eyes. Alpine was assigned to a post farther out than the rest of the IceWings, the top of a rocky outcrop. Alpine had almost reached it when she spotted a blue tail sticking out of the shadows below the outcrop. Alpine frowned, and looked around. The snowbank a few yards away was flung everywhere, snow piled all over the place. A dragon not suited to this place had definitely been here - or even was here right now. Alpine glanced back at the outcrop. The blue tail was still there. Maybe that dragon - maybe it was a SeaWing - was asleep. All of a sudden, Alpine remembered what the mysterious SandWing had told her. Keep watch for a blue dragon. Was this dragon “the blue dragon?” The way the SandWing had said it, it seemed as if this blue dragon would change her life. Alpine crept closer and realized the dragon was indeed a SeaWing. A blue SeaWing dragonet, about her age, sleeping underneath the rocky overhang. “Hey!” Alpine barked. “You’re trespassing on IceWing territory!” The SeaWing’s eyes shot open and he stared at Alpine in fear. “What are you doing here? Tell me, and I might let you go.” Alpine’s eyes narrowed. The SeaWing hesitated, then said, “I’m here to save Queen Starfish. I know she’s in the IceWing dungeon. You can kill me. I know there’s nothing to prevent it.” Alpine gasped. Her spear fell from her talons and sank into the snow. The SeaWing’s eyes lit up. “I hope that means something promising,” he said. The SandWing had been right. This SeaWing would change her life forever, whether good or bad. “You’re here to save Queen Starfish,” Alpine said. “Yes,” the SeaWing confirmed. “Well - well - I’ll check to see if she’s still there for you,” Alpine answered. “In the meanwhile, I guess you can stay here. Whenever they assign a dragon to this post, it’s always me. They - the other IceWings - always call this Alpine’s post.” The SeaWing cracked a smile. “I’m guessing your name is Alpine, then?” Alpine nodded. “What’s yours?” she asked. “Marlin. Fast and speedy. I’m quite the opposite." Marlin laughed nervously. “I don’t think marlins have ever been this cold, anyway.” Alpine remembered that the other dragon tribes weren’t used to the icy climate the IceWings lived in. “Will you come back every day?” Marlin asked. “Yes, I will,” Alpine agreed. “And today, you’ll check and see if she’s still there? Or tomorrow? Or as soon as possible, then come back?” Marlin asked with a grin. Alpine hesitated, then nodded. “Yes. I will.” Marlin stared at her for a moment, dumbfounded, then exploded, “What type of IceWing even are you?” Alpine scrunched her snout. “Excuse me?” she demanded. “I mean - it’s just - “ Marlin searched for a word. “Unlikely. It’s unlikely that an IceWing would be a traitor to their tribe. They’re all about - discipline and icy stuff. Snowballs and popsicles. You know. It’s unlikely that any dragon would betray their tribe.” Alpine glared at Marlin. “Wow,” she said. “The stereotypes go that far?” Marlin backed up quickly. “Whoa, whoa - it’s just what I heard as a dragonet,” he answered. “Huh,” Alpine said, raising an eyebrow. “Interesting. But do you want to rescue Queen Starfish or not?” Marlin nodded. “Yes, I do.” Alpine smiled. “Good,” she said. “Then I’ll start with checking the dungeon.”

Chapter 20: Starfish's Cell

Alpine slowly flew into the palace, hoping that some IceWing hadn't moved an ice sculpture for her to crash into when she landed. Luckily, there wasn't any sign of one, so she quickly landed and headed toward the dungeon immediately. The halls of the IceWing palace were mostly empty, but Alpine spotted a pale purple IceWing and realized it was Queen Glacial’s mate - Sleet. They had had their first clutch of eggs three months ago, and now there were two male eggs and one female egg in the Royal Hatchery. “‘Ello there, Alpine!” Sleet boomed gruffly. “How are we doing today?” Alpine hesitated. “Um - good. Queen Starfish still in the dungeon?” Sleet nodded. “Yeah. I just came back from checkin’ on her. Still there. But I ‘ear animus magic runs in the SeaWing royal family. Maybe you should check.” Alpine nodded. “Yes, I will,” she answered. Besides, that’ll give me an excuse, if anyone asks me why I’m lurking around the dungeon. Alpine quickly hurried in the direction of the dungeon. When she arrived, she guessed that Queen Starfish must be at the very end of the dungeon, and her instincts were right. Queen Starfish, trapped in a cell, gripped the bars of her prison angrily. She was blindfolded, white cloth wrapped around her eyes. Wires were tied across her wings, preventing her from flying, even though the prison was still very small. Chains were bound to her arms and legs attached to four metal boxes in the corners of the cell. “Who’s there?” Queen Starfish demanded, attempting to swipe at Alpine through the bars, but missed. “Marlin’s at the border of the Ice Kingdom,” Alpine said. “My name is Alpine. I’m an IceWing. I want to help you get out of here. But, first -” Alpine hesitated. “ - do you know who the traitor is?” Starfish shook her head. “No. Will you tell Marlin where I am?” Alpine nodded, then remembered Starfish couldn’t see her. “Yes,” she answered. “How were you kidnapped, by the way?” Starfish sighed. “I was about to enter my chambers when someone tied a blindfold around my eyes from behind. I was taken up to the surface, where these SkyWings took me to their kingdom. My blindfold fell off, and that’s when I noticed they were SkyWings, then they hit my head with a metal pole or hammer. When I woke up, I was in this prison, trapped like I am right now.” Alpine nodded thoughtfully. “So you have no idea who the traitor is?” Starfish nodded. “I only know there’s a traitor because no other tribe could possibly swim down to the Deep Palace and kidnap me.” Starfish frownd. “Before you bring - or tell Marlin to come here, how about get him something to keep him warm? I’m sure that the Ice Kingdom is very cold.” Alpine thought about Starfish’s suggestion, and her eyes lit up. “In the war a decade or so ago against the NightWings, we got the animus-touched bracelets back that make you warm and protect you. You know, the Gift of Diplomacy?” Alpine grinned at Starfish. The SeaWing queen shrugged. “I’m not exactly sure what those are, but they sound...helpful. Where are they, anyways?” Alpine hesitated. “Queen Glacial keeps them in her chambers, I think,” she said. “She thinks that she can do a better job protecting them than the guards.” Starfish nodded. “Then would you mind hurrying up and getting it? You’re an IceWing - she’ll trust you. Besides, er - how many are there again?” Alpine racked her brain, scrunching her forehead as she thought about it. “I think...three or four,” she answered after a few moments. Starfish nodded. “If there’s that many, I’m sure it won’t matter much if one of them is missing.” Alpine shrugged. “I guess you’re right,” she answered. Starfish flicked a talon in Alpine’s direction, obviously gesturing for her to hurry up with it. “Oh,” Starfish added right before Alpine was about to leave, “would you mind taking my blindfold off?” Alpine glanced around hesitantly. “Sure,” she answered. “But they’ll probably just put another blindfold on you. And raise their guard, ‘cause they now know someone is trying to free you.” Starfish nodded in agreement. “Well, yes, that’s possible, or they could think that I took it off myself.” Alpine frowned skeptically. “You have chains around your arms, though,” she pointed out. “I’m pretty sure most IceWings would be smart enough to know that someone is helping you.” Starfish nodded again. “That’s true, too. You don’t have to take my blindfold off, if it helps Marlin a bit.” Alpine shook her head. “No, I can take it off.” Alpine reached through the bars and gently untied the piece of cloth around Starfish’s eyes. The SeaWing queen opened her eyes and blinked. She stared at Alpine for a moment. “You’re Alpine?” Starfish asked. “Yes,” Alpine answered. “You aren’t close to what I thought you looked like at all,” Starfish said. “What did you -” “HEY!” a voice hissed. “What do you think you’re doing right now?” Alpine spun around. “Oh!” she said nervously. “Polar! Uh - I’m replacing Queen Starfish’s blindfold. Sleet wanted me to check on her, and she was shaking her head and trying to get her blindfold off. She nearly succeeded so I grabbed it before she could rip it in half and - er - I’m getting ready to tie it around her snout now.” Polar scowled at Alpine. He was holding a spear, and Alpine was pretty sure she could see a dagger tucked into the folds of one of his wings. Polar was North’s best friend - they were both fiercely loyal, unlike Alpine. “I can do it myself, thank you very much,” Polar said icily. With quivering talons, Alpine gave the blindfold over to Polar and scurried out of the dungeon, casting an uneasy glance at Starfish. But don’t worry. I’ll get Marlin the bracelet.

Chapter 21: A Team

Alpine crept silently through the halls of the IceWing palace. There was no one watching her, but she still felt nervous. Alpine finally arrived at Queen Glacial’s chambers and stared into the doorway. It seemed empty, but Alpine decided to check just in case. She peered inside and saw no sign of an IceWIng queen, so she quietly and slowly snuck in. There were three bracelets stacked on top of each other on the top of an ice cabinet, and Alpine grabbed one quickly, almost laughing at the fact that they weren’t protected at all. Alpine dashed out of Queen Glacial’s chambers before she could get caught, and flew all the way back to the outer post, where Marlin was. Her eyes flashed with relief when she spotted a blue tail sticking out underneath the overhanging rock ledge - she was glad he hadn’t been caught yet. “Hey, Marlin,” Alpine called to the SeaWing. Marlin’s head jerked up and he looked around. “Hi, Alpine,” he answered. “Is Queen Starfish in the dungeon?” Alpine nodded quickly. “Yes, she is,” she answered. “And I got you something.” Alpine handed the bracelet to Marlin. The SeaWing stared at it quizzically, they looked up at Alpine. “Do you want me to put it on? I’ve never been the type for - er - jewelry,” he said. “Put it on,” Alpine said firmly. “It’s the Gift of Diplomacy. It’ll keep you warm and safe.” Marlin shrugged. “Okay,” he said, and slipped it onto the wrist of one of his front legs. Immediately, Marlin stopped shivering. “Wow,” he said. “I’ve never felt so warm in my life. This is...toasty!” Marlin stretched his wings out, welcoming the cold air. “Hey, I bet I could pretend to be a Sea-Ice hybrid! If you put some ice on my scales, I’d look like a SeaWing but I would be pale blue, so you could sneak me in and I could nab Queen Starfish, plus I would act like an IceWing, I wouldn’t be cold in these environments.” Alpine snorted skeptically. “You know that that plans of yours won’t work. The warmth must be getting to your head - honestly, that’s the stupidest and weirdest plan I’ve ever heard of.” Marlin looked sad, so Alpine added, “But at least you’re warm. And yes...Queen Starfish is in the dungeon, but she’s in the dungeon. So…” Alpine glanced over at Marlin hesitatingly. “Are you sure you want to? You could die. There are tons of guards.” Marlin glared at Alpine accusingly. “Are you sure that you’re on my side?” he demanded. “Of course. You can count on me,” Alpine answered truthfully. “Then good,” Marlin said. “‘Cause I’m going to need your help to save Queen Starfish.”

Part 2: The Risk

Chapter 22: Suspicion Already?

Alpine had gone back to the palace and Marlin crouched beneath the rocky overhang, hoping that no IceWing would come and find him and attack him and rip out his guts like IceWings usually would. Marlin yawned, stretching his wings out, but snapped them back as soon as he heard footsteps. Marlin quickly jumped behind the rocky overhang, pressing himself into the shadows, hoping that whoever the dragon was wouldn’t see him. Maybe a fellow friendly SeaWing, a random IceWing, or had Alpine betrayed him? Am I too trusting? He remembered how Flipper had attempted to kill him, but he believed that Alpine was a good dragon with good intentions. Or at least the SeaWings would say that. The IceWings would call it bad intentions. Marlin winced. If Alpine got caught and killed, it would be only because she got involved in rescuing Queen Starfish with him. It would be his fault. Then she won’t get caught and killed, Marlin thought determinedly. But he couldn’t be sure. Not ever, after the rollercoaster of a trip he’d just had. And this ride into the Ice Kingdom could only get bumpier. Marlin’s tail stuck straight up as he saw two IceWings pass right by him, one pale blue with green eyes, the other a darker blue-gray with indigo eyes. Marlin held his breath. They settled in the snow a few yards away from the rocky overhang, and he hoped they hadn’t seen him. Luckily, they seemed busy talking, and appeared to not have noticed him. Unless they were pretending, but the two of them had a sort of aggressive and loyal air around them - the opposite of Alpine - the type that made Marlin think that if they saw him they’d rip his guts out immediately. Marlin’s thinking was so violent now, obviously changed by all the life-risking trips he'd had. The purple-eyed and the green-eyed IceWing began talking, and Marlin pricked his ears. "You saw Alpine near....her prison?" the green-eyed IceWing asked, leaning closer. He looked uneasy and refusing to accept any information than the information he already believed. In other words, stubborn. "Yes, North," the purple-eyed IceWing said scornfully. "Three moons, you don't have to repeat EVERYTHING I say twenty billion times." North, the green-eyed IceWing, scrunched his snout. "Well, you've been telling me all day," he contradicted. "Just because you've been repeating everything and telling me to confirm it," the purple-eyed IceWing crossed. Marlin's guess about North had been right. The two of them started shaking and making weird noises, and Marlin realized they were laughing. They were friends. The SeaWing myths about IceWings was that they never had friends. But they were clearly wrong if Alpine didn't sling penguin corpses on her horns. Or some sort of grotesque ritual that the SeaWing myths claimed. Marlin yawned. They clearly didn't have any information that would be useful to him. "Anyways," the purple-eyed IceWing continued. "Alpine was near there. I bet she was going to free her! I've never trusted her." "Calm down," North snapped. "You don't have any evidence. She's my sister. She's not a traitor, Polar." Polar sniffed. "Do you have any evidence, then?" Marlin froze. What? How do they know already? How do they suspect? Was she trying to free Starfish before I came? Did they see me talking about her? Alpine's in danger....I've got to warn her.

Chapter 23: Breakfast Interrogation

Alpine gloomily started at the polar bear leg in front of her. Beside her, Polar and North each gnawed on two polar bear ears, and though Alpine knew that they were trying not to look at her, she could feel their gazes on her every few minutes. Alpine wasn't hungry - how could she be? When she worried about Marlin and Starfish, she could feel her brother and his friend staring at her, like they could read her mind. And if she didn't, she just felt hollow like nothing in her life mattered. And Polar and North still stared at her. Marlin wanted to come with her into the IceWing dungeon to free Queen Starfish and there was no way she could stop him. How were they going to do it without getting caught? Alpine sighed and scratched at the floor. She glanced up at the empty silver throne again. Why wasn't Queen Glacial here? What was she doing? Today the hunters had caught polar bears, Queen Glacial's favorite, but she wasn't here. Alpine absently sliced the polar bear leg in half, then again to each of the pieces, and again and again until they were the thinnest slices of polar bear in the dining hall. Suddenly, she heard a stomping noise, slowly growing louder and louder. Alpine sat upright and perked her ears. The rest of the IceWings gazed toward the entrance, a few looking scared, a few puzzled, and a few annoyed. Queen Glacial burst into the dining room, her eyes wide and angry. She was radiating outrage, and Alpine gulped. "WHERE. IS. THE. BRACELET?" Sleet appeared beside his mate, his eyes narrowed and darted around the room suspiciously. Alpine felt North and Polar's gazes burning into her back. I...I didn't even think about Queen Glacial being mad. Why didn't you, Alpine? You're an idiot! You should've been more sneaky! Maybe put like a replacement? Or something? "Bracelet?" asked an IceWing in front of Alpine, standing up. "Yes, Flurry!" Queen Glacial hissed. "You mean, the Gift of Diplomacy?" Flurry demanded, his dark blue eyes judging the expressions of every IceWing in the room. His eyes landed on Alpine, and Alpine attempted to twist her mouth and eyes this way and that, settling on an angry and scared look. "Yes, what other bracelet?" Queen Glacial hissed. A few IceWings glanced pointedly to the diamond bands around Queen Glacial and Sleet's wrists, and quickly the queen added, "Besides these." No one said anything. "Well? Any of you know where the bracelet is? Any liars will be punished." Queen Glacial fixed her gaze on Flurry. "Judge them," Queen Glacial snapped. "Interrogate them. You'll know if they're lying." Alpine gulped. She'd almost forgotten Flurry's excellent skill at identifying what was wrong and what was right, who was lying, who was telling the truth by the look on your face and the tone of your voice. Flurry narrowed his eyes and interrogated the IceWings in the room one by one. Any IceWings who excused themselves and blurted out a few rushed excuses to leave were immediately grabbed by the guards and placed directly in front of Flurry. Alpine didn't dare run for it. She held her breath as she watched Flurry walk closer and closer to her with every minute. At last, Flurry reached her spot. "What were you doing before this meal?" Flurry asked curtly. Alpine took a deep breath, and switched up her expression again. "You dare challenge me?" she asked warningly, like she was the largest dragon in the room. A murmur came from behind her, and Flurry hissed. "Quiet!" he snapped, and North and Polar promptly shut up behind her. Flurry turned his penetrating dark blue gaze back to Alpine. His eyes knew. They ate the information out of you. They just knew. They looked like they knew everything, and Alpine believed they really knew everything. Then she realized Flurry's secret. His eyes didn't know anything, but they looked like this. They really didn't know anything about Alpine. But he was so sure, his eyes so deep and dark, that he could find any secret from anyone. But he couldn't. Alpine clenched her teeth, keeping her expression neutral. She could feel dozens of IceWing gazes fixed on her. "I was at my post, and returned afterwards." Flurry didn't look satisfied and gazed deep into Alpine's eyes. Alpine held his gaze, repeating over and over again in her mind, He doesn't know anything about me. He doesn't know anything about me. Flurry's expression suddenly dissolved into fear and he stepped away, looking around the room in a panic, anywhere but at her. He quickly moved on to North and Polar, who were looking at her, confused by how she had terrified Flurry so much. Alpine suddenly felt upbeat for the first time that day. She had the upper hand over Flurry. She could threaten him, she could blackmail him...and it made her excited, for some odd reason. Alpine almost had to prevent herself from laughing when she spotted Flurry's terrified eyes looking at her. Or maybe they were actually penetrating, but Alpine could see right through them. She knew much more about Flurry than she'd thought Flurry had known about her.

Chapter 24: Midnight Tomorrow

Alpine returned to her post, ignoring Polar and North's mutters behind her back. Marlin was waiting for her, his fearful eyes darting around the snowy landscape anxiously. Alpine found Marlin in the shadows, almost hidden, and Marlin seemed terrified at first when he spotted her, then relaxed. "Oh," he said. "It's just you. I thought you were..." Marlin hesitated. "What is it?" Alpine pressed. "Did something happen? Did you get caught?" Marlin didn't have any wounds, but his eyes were hollow. "They were two IceWings," Marlin hissed. "One of them was called...uh - Bear - P - Bear, and uh, South, I think." Alpine frowned, then realized what Marlin was trying to say. Her blood turned to ice. "You mean Polar and North?" she asked. "Yes, them. They were talking about you and they thought you were..." Marlin trailed off uneasily. Alpine gritted her teeth. Of course. They suspected her. "I'll handle it," Alpine said. "They might trust me a little more now." Alpine told Marlin about breakfast. Marlin looked shocked for a moment, then he said, "You should be more careful." Alpine shrugged. "Flurry's a bit of an idiot. He's actually clumsy and a coward, and I'm not scared of him, not anymore." Marlin still looked hesitant, but he didn't argue again. "Anyways," Alpine said, "Are you sure you still want to sneak into the palace which is TOTALLY safe and you will TOTALLY not get caught and TOTALLY not get killed or tortured or something horrible." Marlin scrunched his snout up. "Being sarcastic will not help any of us in this situation," Marlin pointed out. "But yes, I'm sure. I need to bring Starfish back. I need to make sure she gets back to the Sea Kingdom safely. She's our queen, and the SkyWings will immediately sense a weakness if she dies or something. Oh, wait! She's already missing! The SkyWings must know if the traitor is working with them or something. They must've taken her to the Ice Kingdom since it's the farthest from the Sea Kingdom! Oh, no. The SkyWings are going to attack! I shouldn't have left them! Another more experienced SeaWing should've gone to look for Queen Starfish! But then the SeaWing palace wouldn't be well protected if an experienced SeaWing went like a general or something! But I'm just a dragonet! I can't -" Alpine cut him off. "Calm down," she said. "You're doing good. Good enough to be allied with an IceWing." She smiled, and Marlin briefly twitched his mouth. "Anyways," Marlin continued. "When do you think is the best time for us to sneak in?" Alpine thought for a moment. "Midnight," she decided finally. "Most everyone is sleeping then. We do have guards....but I can sneak something in their dinner. The problem is, I don't know who the guards are, and they shift every week. Tonight, I'll see who the guards are, and maybe....maybe tomorrow we can try. But if I don't come to you tomorrow midnight that means we can't do it, alright? That'll mean I'm busy." Or they've caught me.

Chapter 25: A Surprise

Alpine talked with Marlin for a short while, then decided, in the afternoon, to return to the ice palace to scout out a path for Marlin and Alpine to take the route. She also needed to find out who the guards were. No IceWings looked at her suspiciously, which was comforting, but Alpine still had no idea if Polar and North were passing information and secrets about her, and it just hadn't reached these IceWings yet. The majority of her time was spent messing with moon globes and she found out she could make them change color when she tapped on the top a different number of times. Alpine skipped dinner, since she didn't want to see anyone, though she did grab a snack from the pantry later that night. As she ate it, she watched two IceWings take their posts. December and Flurry. Alpine yawned. December was a little weakling - everyone knew that, and Alpine could always overpower him in battle class. Flurry was scared of her, obviously, since she knew her secret. Suddenly, Alpine heard voices behind her. She spun around and spotted a shape flying rapidly toward them, gasping and hacking. He face-planted into the snow and gasped, "We have to get her. Now!" It was Marlin.

Chapter 26: Hide and Seek

Marlin couldn't wait. He couldn't just sit sleeping in the shadows waiting for a mission. Waiting for doom to come. He had to act. It would be midnight soon - today's midnight, not the scheduled time - or it had already passed - Marlin had lost track of time when he woke up. He got to his feet and knew that Alpine wouldn't like this, but he couldn't wait. Marlin scanned the area, his eyes narrowed. No sign of any Ice Palace...except for Alpine's talon prints in the snow. Hesitantly, Marlin began to follow them. Wait. Alpine had flown. Whose talon prints were these? Suddenly, Marlin's ears caught the faintest sound of a footstep. Marlin ducked as a ball of spikes lunged at him and flew into the sky, rapidly beating his wings. I've been caught! "GET HIM, NORTH!" a voice roared behind Marlin. "Do you think I'm not trying to?!" demanded North, and Marlin heard wingbeats behind him, growing louder and louder. Marlin put on a burst of speed and tried to feint underneath North, the dragon who was chasing him. The IceWing caught his trick and flew down to intercept him. "Nice trick, SeaWing," he sneered, then opened his mouth and Marlin barely managed to dodge the stream of frostbreath that shot out of his mouth. He felt claws dig into his back and shook himself hard, and eventually the IceWing's grip released. "You idiot!" the other IceWing snarled. "If I'm such an idiot, then chase him instead of hovering, Polar!" North snarled. Marlin gulped. He wasn't looking where he was going and he plowed into a pile of snow. Instead of flying back out, Marlin realized that he could dig down and hide. Marlin quickly began to dig down, creating a tiny tunnel for himself as he slid through. "He's not here!" North shouted. "Don't be foolish!" Polar yelled from the air. Marlin hoped that they would leave. As usual, that did not happen. Marlin heard heavy breathing from the air above him and "Well, he's got to be somewhere here," Polar hissed. "He can't have just disappeared." North coughed. "Actually, I think that's exactly what happened." Yes. Go away. Leave me here. Please. "That isn't possible," Polar snapped. "Search the place! Maybe he's in the snow." Marlin groaned, and a moment later he realized that was the complete wrong thing to do. "He is!" North called gleefully. Marlin braced himself for sharp claws piercing his back, but instead he heard the ice and snow beside him being caved away. A small hole appeared and Marlin spotted North through it, digging into the snow with determination. Marlin pressed closer to the tiny hole - it was big enough for him to fit his eye in. As Marlin leaned closer, his weight made the ice around the small hole collapse, and he froze. (no pun intended) North heard the noise and looked through the now very big gap - right at Marlin. North let out an aha! noise and Marlin quickly flew out of his hole, nearly smashing into Polar's face, and managed to snap his tail across Polar's snout before fleeing. Polar roared in pain and Marlin heard North yelling something inaudible. Marlin hoped he'd gotten far enough before he dove in the snow again. Unfortunately, within moments, he heard wingbeats above him. Marlin hoped that North and Polar didn't know where he is, but he heard voices soon after. "Search the snow!" Polar demanded. "He's got to be down there somewhere!" Marlin cursed silently and stayed as still and as quiet as possible. Once more, North began to dig in the snow, except this time Polar was helping. They dug two holes a dragon-length apart - right on both sides of Marlin. Marlin didn't move. He was terrified. Then North suddenly looked up and spat frostbreath right in his face.

Chapter 27: Flying

Marlin screamed. And screamed. And screamed. He didn't care about how much noise he was making, he didn't care about all the sound, he just cared about not dying. He lunged out of the snow, coughing and spitting and shrieking and gagging. Some ice had gotten in his mouth but not much, and Marlin worked on spitting that out. Marlin wished he could breathe fire. Then he would breathe fire on this whole horrible cold place, he'd breathe fire at those two horrible IceWings, he'd breathe fire on the traitor who kidnapped Queen Starfish, and if he could travel back in time, he'd burn the whole island that started the horrible war in the first place. Then they wouldn't have anything to fight about, and there would be no war, and he didn't have to die so early before even getting to be a messenger-guard for long. Then slowly, Marlin felt the ice on his face melting away, and realized that the band kept him safe from ALL forms of cold, even an explosion of ice crystals in his face. He couldn't even think how grateful he was for Alpine for bringing him this life-saving animus enchantment. Polar had chased him and now looked shocked, his eyes darting back and forth as if he'd done something wrong, then Marlin smacked him in his head as hard as he could with his tail, and Polar keeled away, then fell toward the ground, out cold. (No pun intended.) Marlin sat on the snow, catching his breath, not even noticing Polar flying toward him at top speed, mouth open. It didn't matter to Marlin. He was practically indestructible from frostbreath. Then Marlin realized Polar was trying to bite him. So he leaped up in the air and flew and flew and flew and flew some more, flying as fast as he could, never more thankful for warmth than right now, until even Polar couldn't catch up with him. Marlin flew some more and flew some more, never stopping to take a break. He didn't know how far away the Ice Palace was, but he knew he was going to find Alpine. Somehow, someway. And at last, Marlin spotted the towering crystal tips of the Ice Palace, and he made his final break for it, knowing that there were IceWings everywhere and they would all see him. But he wouldn't get there without trouble. He was almost there, he could see Alpine but she couldn't see him, out in the courtyard, watching two guards who didn't know anything right now either, when something barreled into him, sending him tumbling toward the ground, plowing straight at Alpine's feet. She looked up, stunned, just as he reached her. "We have to get her. Now!" Alpine stared at Marlin, her expression so terrified and shocked and anxious that it was almost unreadable, as December and Flurry raised their weapons, and Polar landed in the snow beside them, North's unconscious body lying limply on his back."Well, what are you waiting for?" Polar barked. "Kill the SeaWing!"

Chapter 28: A True Risk

Alpine had a feeling that Polar was staring right at her as December and Flurry charged at Marlin, who yelped in fear and nearly bowled her over as he raced into the Ice Palace. "After them!" Polar shouted, and he, December, and Flurry ran in pursuit of Marlin. Alpine quickly charged after him - he wouldn't survive without her. She didn't want to do this, but it meant she had to betray her tribe openly. Oh, Marlin, why did you come? Why not flee? Like, to the Sand Kingdom or something? To be fair, the Sand Kingdom was enemy territory too, but Marlin wouldn't mess up Alpine as badly. Alpine realized her pace had slowed and she could just see Polar's icy blue tail whipping around the corner, toward the dining hall. Alpine knew that there would still be some servants cleaning up the area, and maybe some of them had a taste for battle. For killing. Or for SeaWings. So, not so good news. Alpine ran forward once more, charging after the four dragons. As she caught up, she realized that Marlin had been cornered by Polar, December, Flurry, and a servant, whom she recognized as Crystallos. Crystallos was holding a plate above her head, probably to smash on top of Marlin's head, and Alpine had to do something. She couldn't let her only help be knocked out and dragged to the dungeon to be imprisoned, so Alpine lunged. She didn't leap quite as far as Alpine had hoped, but she extended her wings a bit and hit the floor running. Alpine knocked into Polar, Flurry, and December, and they tripped and slid toward Crystallos, Crystallos realized what was happening too late...and she smashed the plate down on Flurry's head. Alpine seized Marlin's forearms and dragged him up. He had a few scratches, but otherwise he was alright. They weren't nearly as deep as IceWing claws could go. "What are you doing?" one of the IceWings yelled. Alpine glanced up and realized December had spotted her. Alpine didn't respond, but she heaved Marlin to his feet and shoved him out of the way, into the next hall, then darted after him. "TRAITOR!" Crystallos and Polar bellowed simultaneously while Alpine heard crashing and slipping as they tried to pursue them. Alpine heard a small scrabble and then suddenly, claws were clamped around her neck.

Chapter 29: December

She skidded to a stop, Marlin still racing ahead. "You're going to go into the dungeon.” December began to push Alpine toward the dungeon. Alpine didn't budge. "If you'd like to make this hard, then I'll accept that." December dug his claws into Alpine's neck. It wasn't too deep, but it still hurt, and she could feel the drops of blood sliding down her scales. Suddenly, December wrenched her neck into the most uncomfortable and agonizing position ever, and Alpine gagged, coughing. "Now you're going to kill your friend." Then a blue blur raced toward them, slashing a talon down December's face and smacking it at the same with his tail. December fell back, moaning. His nose was bleeding and Alpine thought that Marlin had blinded December in one eye. Marlin grabbed Alpine's talon and tugged her up. Alpine gagged and coughed some more, and Marlin ran ahead again. "Come on! We've got to go!" Alpine dashed after Marlin, and she pointed out the directions to the dungeon. They both met lots and lots of IceWings, all of them so stunned it didn't occur to them to chase them. "How are we going to get out?" Marlin shouted. "We'll worry about that later!" Alpine answered. Then, all too soon, they were at the dungeon.

Chapter 30: You're There

Alpine and Marlin hesitated for a few moments at the door to the dungeon. Marlin tested it, and it slowly creaked open. "Who's there?" a voice barked. "It's me," Alpine responded. Marlin watched Alpine talk. Her expression was the opposite of her confident tone. "Me who?" two other dragons hissed. Marlin could tell that Alpine was calculating the same thing as he was - there were at least three dragons. Alpine turned to Marlin, holding up five claws and then slowly counting down. Then they both charged at the door, almost knocking over the five guards right behind it. Skirting around them, Alpine flung herself toward the far side of the dungeon, with Marlin following. But one of the guards grabbed his tail and yanked him back, growling. Alpine twisted around to stare at Marlin, terrified. “What do you think you’re doing, you little dragonet?” hissed the guard. “Nothing,” Marlin squeaked. “And what are you doing, you little IceWing dragonet?” roared the guard. Alpine froze, seeming to realize that she wasn’t invisible. “A traitor,” one of the others said simply. “Wait,” Alpine said, backing up. “This is a misunderstanding! I was -” “Shut up!” roared the guard holding Marlin back. He raised one of his talons to strike Alpine - and his arm brushed Marlin’s bracelet. Curious, the guard lowered his arm and peered at the bracelet. He gasped. “You stole Queen Glacial’s bracelet! Oh, I’ll be glad to get this reward and gut you.” Then suddenly, Alpine struck. The guard was fast, but not fast enough. A cloud of crystals covered the guard’s arm, freezing it in place. He roared, surprised, and tried shaking his arm, but it was frozen solid. Marlin could tell he couldn’t feel his arm anymore, by the horrified expression on his face. He retreated, still staring at his arm in horror. Before Marlin could express any form of sympathy, Alpine flung him in front of her and pointed to the very end of the dungeon. “Go there,” she gasped, breathing hard. “I’ll catch up to you later.” “But -” “GO!” Marlin could see there was no convincing Alpine out of this, so he ran toward the very edge of the dungeon. At last, there she was. Queen Starfish.

Chapter 31: Key

Marlin fumbled with the chain and the lock, digging his claw into it, wiggling it around, but nothing would work. He couldn’t free Queen Starfish, no matter how hard he tried, and soon Alpine was going to turn into an ice statue from the amount of frostbreath the other IceWings were spitting. In other words, Marlin was paranoid. “Hurry up, hurry up!” hissed Queen Starfish. “We don’t have much time!” Marlin wanted to snap at her like Queen Starfish was snapping at him, but he knew that it would just waste time. He fiddled with the lock some more, and even attempted to stuff the ripped blindfold he’d taken off of Queen Starfish into the lock. Nothing worked. They were running out of time, and so was Alpine. She was just barely managing to dodge the streams of frostbreath and only one guard had a single scratch. They hadn’t even bothered to draw blood, only spit ice. Marlin furrowed his eyebrows and dug his claw into the lock again. It still didn’t work. He growled and shook the chain so hard the other guards stared at him, pausing their frostbreath bombs. And so did Alpine. Her eyes widened and suddenly she reached out with her tail and flicked one of the guards, smacking their snout and drawing their blood. They cried out in agony and fell to the ground, something small and silver dropping to the floor beside them. Alpine lunged for it, the other guards yelling and shouting. Alpine raised the key and tossed it to Marlin. It landed on the ground a few feet away from him and Marlin scrambled to get it. When it finally landed safely in his talons, he inserted it into the lock and twisted. After a long, heart-wrenching twist, there was an enormous click, echoing throughout the prison. There were also footsteps, heading closer and closer. Marlin flung open the door and Queen Starfish dashed out, only being tugged back by her chains. She roared in anger, her tail thrashing. Marlin ducked as her tail swung into the air, but was yanked back by the chain. “Is this the right key?” Marlin, waving the key above his head, shouted to Alpine, who was now fending off three IceWing guards. Uh oh. The other one was no where to be found. He ducked as teeth snapped above his head. An IceWing had come to try and stop Marlin! Marlin ducked and rolled, trying to keep Alpine in his sight. It was no use! But Marlin would just have to try.

Chapter 32: Finally Free

Marlin jammed the key into the chains around Queen Starfish’s snout, and it popped off instantly. Marlin barely ducked, and the chain slammed into the IceWing’s snout. He roared, the chain tangling around his snout. Marlin took this chance. Marlin quickly lunged for the chains around Queen Starfish’s ankles, and then wings, and at last her tail. Queen Starfish was free. And she was mad. Queen Starfish roared, lunging at the IceWing guard. She dug her claws into its underbelly and the IceWing opened his mouth, ice shooting out from his throat. Queen Starfish wasn’t ducking. She hadn’t even noticed. Marlin hadn’t come all this way just for his work to fail. Marlin lunged. He collided with the IceWing, the frostbreath freezing his right wing. The IceWing looked satisfied and triumphant for a moment, and then it turned to pure horror. Marlin’s snout was skimmed by Queen Starfish’s tail as it smacked into the IceWing’s skull. Blood flew everywhere. The IceWing screamed, along with a more familiar scream. Marlin spun. There Alpine was...on the floor, her legs frozen, out cold. She was going to die. And it was all Marlin’s fault.

Chapter 33: Lost

Marlin did what he had to do. He raced toward Alpine, knocking the other IceWings aside with his tail, and slipped the bracelet onto Alpine’s arm. Immediately, the ice began to recede and melt, and immediately, Marlin was cold. So cold. His insides were freezing. It was so cold...frozen...cold…

Alpine jerked back to life and then she instantly gave Marlin back his bracelet. Luckily, it had done its job.

“Did you free Queen Starfish?” Alpine gasped, looking at the other dumbfounded IceWing guards.

“Yes.”

“Well, then, RUN!” Alpine shouted, louder than Marlin thought possible. Marlin hesitated, but Alpine shoved him toward the door. Queen Starfish was already out of the door, gesturing to Marlin impatiently.

“I’ll be fine,” Alpine promised, ducking another blast of frostbreath. Marlin quickly raced after Queen Starfish as Alpine slammed the door closed.

He could hear some more yelling and realized that December was banging on the door a few feet away, shouting furiously. Marlin gulped as he spotted the wounds he had given the IceWing, who hadn’t noticed the two SeaWings yet.

“Run!” Queen Starfish hissed silently, and the two of them dashed off, dodging and weaving between the puzzled IceWings around them. Some of them found their minds and raced after them, though most just stood and stared at the chase dumbfoundedly.

Without the Gift of Order that had been destroyed around 2000 years ago, the IceWings seemed to be very unorganized.

Marlin grabbed one of those weird magic glowing light balls out of the air over an IceWing dragonet’s shoulder and threw it at one of the dragons tailing them as hard as possible. They were knocked back, crashing against the wall.

Queen Starfish realized what had happened and began snatching those glowing light balls and pelting them at the IceWings following them, hitting them every time with her incredible aim. But with every one Queen Starfish took down, two more joined the chase. They were losing ground!

Marlin grabbed Queen Starfish’s throwing arm and yanked it back, five glowing balls crashing to the ground. Marlin kicked them toward the IceWings following them, who promptly tripped on them and yelped as they hit the ground.

“What was that for?” Queen Starfish demanded. “We needed them!”

“Right now, all we need to do is run!” Marlin responded, dragging the queen through the IceWing palace.

The two of them ran through a dozen more ice halls with doors lining the sides, and then a dozen or so more after that. The amount of IceWings in the halls varied from time to time, but there were so many whites, blues, purples, and grays that Marlin was getting dizzy. Couldn’t there be a nice orange sometime? Marlin would kill for a deep ocean blue.

“That’s a lot of purple!” Marlin yelled as they whizzed past yet another hall. “Do you think they’re ordered according to color?”

In response, Queen Starfish answered, “Do you know where you’re going? I think we’ve visited this hall at least maybe one thousand times.”

“Well, um…” Marlin said, realizing he didn’t know where they were going. And that? Well, that meant they were sort of doomed.

Chapter 34: Cave - No, Palace In

“Wait, you don’t know where we’re going?” Queen Starfish demanded, skidding to a halt.

Marlin tried to tug on her arm and get her moving again, but that trick was over. “What are you doing? We have to run!” he cried.

“If you don’t know where we’re going, there’s no point in running!” Queen Starfish snapped back.

Marlin had to admit, the SeaWing queen had a point. Of course, not like she never had one.

The IceWings trailing them realized they had stopped, but it was too late. They bumped into Marlin and Queen Starfish, knocking Marlin over.

He gasped for air, and the IceWing clamped a talon over his nostrils and another over his mouth.

Marlin’s chest started to burn, more and more.

Death by suffocation was rather ironic - as a SeaWing, he’d never thought he could suffocate. But now he was. Of course, the IceWing hadn’t covered his gills, but those were useless now.

Then the IceWing screamed, the same loud shriek that every IceWing did when Queen Starfish slammed her mighty tail in their smug snouts.

The IceWing dropped to the ground, his talons now covering his eyes. Blood dripped between his claws, and the other IceWings shouted and ran to help him.

Only two IceWings dashed after them as they tried to reach the end of the hall - and Marlin remembered one of them as that servant with the silver plate who would’ve smashed it on his head if it weren’t for Alpine.

She hissed and grinded her teeth angrily, and Marlin noticed how nervous the other IceWing was, taking small, hesitant steps, looking everywhere but at Marlin and Queen Starfish...hmm…maybe they could use her for something.

Queen Starfish roared and raised her tail again.

Marlin bumped into her at the last moment so her tail would connect with the IceWing who’d used a platter, and she was sent keeling to the side, slamming into the wall with so much force that some ice fell from the ceiling.

It felt like the whole palace was buckling as more ice cracked, and Marlin froze. It was going to collapse. It was just like the tunnel all over again.

“Oh, no,” he murmured, and the other IceWing who had been chasing them shrieked, pelting down the hall faster than any dragon he’d ever seen before.

Then he realized something.

“We can use them to our advantage!” Marlin shouted to Queen Starfish. “They’ll lead us straight to the entrance.”

Queen Starfish rolled her eyes. “They’ll just capture us the moment we’re out!” She glanced up at the collapsing ceiling, the walls trembling around them.

Then she flew up, straight toward the hole in the ceiling.

“Are you crazy?” Marlin demanded, but he took off after her. They darted between the chunks of falling ice, and they began to fall more rapidly, when all of a sudden the whole ceiling plummeted, along with the rest of the palace.

Queen Starfish disappeared in the icy torment, and Marlin’s mind filled with the memories of the tunnel collapsing.

“Queen Starfish!” he shouted, but it was like walls of ice were falling around him, trapping him in a cage where he would be squashed.

“QUEEN STARFISH?!” Marlin bellowed, and a shadow was cast over his snout as a particularly large chunk of ice fell toward him.

Chapter 35: A Long Swim Ahead

In the nick of time, someone grabbed his wing and tugged him back, the chunk of ice falling down inches away.

He turned around, expecting - hoping - to see Queen Starfish - but it was Alpine.

“Thank you,” he gasped, still trying to grasp the magnitude of the situation. “Do you know where Queen -”

“She’s waiting for you,” Alpine said. “I’d come, but I’ve got to make sure that the...other queen is alright.”

Marlin hadn’t expected that, but he nodded. Alpine was still loyal to the IceWings, but in a different sense.

“Hurry!” she shouted, and flew off, disappearing behind an enormous chunk of ice.

Marlin finally reached the large hole at the top and flew through, instantly spotting Queen Starfish in the sky.

She was shivering violently - Marlin had forgotten how cold the Ice Kingdom was meant to be.

“Do you want to use my bracelet?” he asked, putting his talon on the animus gift.

“No, it’ll be alright,” Queen Starfish said, scanning the landscape around them. Unexpectedly, she smiled.

“Well, we’ve got to go!” he cried.

“I have an idea,” Queen Starfish said with a grin.

She turned and flew away, leaving Marlin dumbfounded behind her. What dumbfounded him was the fact that she was flying north, not south, toward the Sand Kingdom.

“What are you doing? It’ll be even colder up there!” Marlin shouted.

Queen Starfish wheeled around and yelled back, “We’ll be able to swim! And we won’t be in enemy territory.”

Marlin missed swimming quite a lot, and Queen Starfish’s plan seemed pretty smart, so he flew after Queen Starfish, looking forward to getting out of there.

For the half day journey it took, it got colder and colder, and Queen Starfish’s scales became white with frost. Marlin couldn’t resist, and he slipped the bracelet on Queen Starfish’s arm.

She shuddered, then gasped, and glanced back at Marlin, confused. “Why did it...oh.”

Marlin smiled, doing his best not to shiver. It was freezing out here, even colder than the time he’d taken the bracelet off for Alpine.

“I wish we’d gotten another bracelet,” Marlin muttered under his breath.

Up ahead, a thin blue line appeared. Queen Starfish and Marlin increased their pace. The ocean was right there!

Night fell, but the two of them continued flying, until at last they reached a cliff overlooking the sea.

“Water,” Marlin breathed, his teeth chattering. “After so long.”

Queen Starfish smirked. “Well, then, what are you waiting for?”

Together, they dove into the sea, two small splashes in one big, blue ocean.