Dragons Rising: My Mistake Changed My Kingdom {Book One}

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Battle

    Yes. You guessed right. This is the last chapter. But since it's FeaxaFoxa logic, there's going to be an epilogue as well. So, not really the last chapter.
    Anyways, on with the story!

    Orca swam to her mother's room, which was being guarded by two dragons.
    Your highness! One of them flashed. What are you doing in such a hurry?
    I have to see my mother at once. Orca replied. It's urgent.
    But Her Majesty isn't here. She's currently in the council chamber - The guard was cut off as Orca abruptly turned around and swam back quickly toward the council chamber. She waved at the guards, who seemed startled. But two of them followed her, as she had signaled for them to do.
    Orca! Queen Coral flashed as Orca bumped into her on the way to the council chamber. What's going on?
    Mother. I know this is a bit out of context, but I challenge you for the throne of the SeaWings.

    She knew it was coming. When her daughter swam up to her and had a look in her eyes that gleamed. Two guards behind her, and she never had any guards behind her. They were going to gather everyone for the fight.
    Which was why when Queen Coral was challenged, she didn't step down. She wanted to die in front of her subjects who loved her. So she agreed. They would fight . . . in the middle of the Summer Palace.
    Coral swam toward the palace, grieving. She was much stronger than Orca, but there was something about her moves, the way she swam, the way she fought sharks, the way she hunted . . . that made Coral think that she would lose the fight.
    If Queen Coral had given her narwhal tusk a thought and taken it off, maybe there would have been Queen Orca. But Queen Coral didn't pay attention to the narwhal tusk. And no one else did, either.
    She's going to kill me. Coral thought. But I have to at least try to win. For the SeaWings. For my tribe. For Blister.
    For the fate of Pyrrhia.

    The SeaWing was swimming. He was swimming after the green shape that was heading toward the middle of the palace.
    Call it off! He flashed when he reached Orca. You have to call it off!
    Why? Orca flashed. Because I'm going to kill mother?
    No. Because you're going to die. Orca, you're not old enough! Maybe if you waited a little lon-
    I'm done with waiting, Humpback! Okay? Because I've waited SEVEN YEARS to challenge mother. And the throne will be mine. And maybe the first thing I'm going to do is make you second in command. But that's not going to happen if I don't win this challenge. So just stop.
    Orca pushed past her brother, swimming soundlessly. Humpback floated for a little longer, then followed her.

    Orca pushed her way in between the crowd. As soon as she was recognized, however, there was a clear path in front of her where Queen Coral was waiting. Then, she plated herself firmly across from the queen.
    "Dragons and dragonets!" Yelled a SeaWing - Whirlpool. "We give you . . . a battle for the throne! Are you ready?"
    "I was born ready." Orca snarled at him.
    "Actually, you were born cute." Coral replied. Gill chuckled. Something in Orca's mind flashed. What am I doing? I don't have to do this. Humpback is right. Maybe I should go back and be the princess I used to be. But . . .
    Then all these dragons will think I'm scared. And I don't want them to think that their future queen is scared.
    I have to do this.
    "On my mark. Get ready. Get set . . . FIGHT!"
    Orca lunged at her mother. She scraped her side, she pounced on top of her. She slapped her mother with her tail and pinned her to the ground for a few seconds.
    But Coral was strong and got up. She bit down on Orca's tail, she slapped away her daughter with her own tail. But that only made Orca more determined.
    Remember what you learned. She thought. She watched her mother's moves carefully, and then, as she was about to strike . . . Orca leapt over her mother's tail and spun around in the air, lashing out with her talons. She scratched a few of her mother's wounds that had stopped bleeding, and now a fresh wave of blood was coming out.
    Coral roared with fury and charged at her daughter, who sidestepped at the last moment. Coral had to dig her talons into the ground in order to stop before she hit the crowd.
    "What's the matter, mother?" Orca jeered from the other side of where Coral was. "You don't have enough originality?"
    Oh, I have originality all right. Coral lunged at her daughter, and as Orca went to jump over her and attack from behind, Coral jumped into the air and brought her back down. The two wrestled for a bit, biting, scratching, and slapping.
    And then Orca got up. Something new was in her eyes. It was cold fury. Hatred. For Coral. And that was because of what she did. It was because of Coral defending herself, attacking Orca, and not giving her the throne. Orca hated her mother. Because she wanted this throne. And she would do anything to get it.
    And so when Orca lunged at her mother for a final time, Queen Coral of the SeaWings spun her tail around and jabbed it into Orca's side.
    Orca froze and then crumpled to the ground, breathing hard. She was going to die. And she couldn't even say goodbye to her friends and family. So instead she gave her mother a hint, secretly hoping that she would find the statue and destroy it.
    "I did this all wrong." She said as Coral crouched next to her daughter. "You're going to rule forever, aren't you mother? You should thank me. No one can stop you now."
    And then Orca's world went still.