The Crown

Screams of anger and pain were all that could be heard in the great halls of the Sandwing Palace, echoing off the walls and out into the courtyard beyond. A young golden tipped dragonet sat, watching in horror as the two grown dragons in front of her fought, waiting for the horrible scene ahead of her to stop. She wished royal tradition was not like this, having to fight for the crown and kill the other, it just didn't seem quite right. All she could do was watch as her mother and sister threw blow after blow at each other, slowly growing more tired by the second. Looking over her shoulder at the crowd of dragons collecting behind her, she saw that they were excited by this sudden battle between mother and daughter, and frowned.

Why can't this just end, she thought to herself with a sob, with both of them alive and on good terms again instead of one's blood on the others claws!?!

Looking back at the fight in front of her, she saw her mother had managed to pin down her sister with the strength she had left, claws at her throat and barbed tail raised dangerously over her back like a scorpion, poised to strike.

"Do you have any last word, Needle, before I put you out of the awful life of yours?" Growled her mother, Sphinx, in a hoarse tone that sent a shiver down little Scorpio's spine.

"Only one, Mother," Needle answered in a too calm a voice for the position she was in at the moment, and continued with a quick glance at Scorpio, "Take better care of my sister, like a real mother, not like how you do now, only punishing her when she needs and never rewarding when deserved. Treat her like a daughter."

"I'll treat her how I want." Were the last words her sister ever heard as her mother tightened her grip on Needle's throat and ripped it out with all her might, leaving the Throne Room and clearing the dragons that cheered and praised the Queen's win in the fight for the crown, and left Scorpio to watch as the life slowly drained from her beloved sister, blood pooling in a dark puddle around the gash where it flowed like water.

She wish it hadn't ended this way, she wished this had never happened and wished it would never happen again for as long as she lived.

I will avenge you, though, my dear sister, she vowed silently to herself, till my body grows cold and my blood runs dry.

Shaking her head, she growled at that dreadful day when she was just a dragonet, innocent and harmless back then, not knowing how it came to be. Now she stood, in the same situation as her sister, fighting for the crown. Only she wasn't fighting for her own self greed, but merely for a vow she made back then. To avenge her sister. Looking down at the dragon pinned beneath her, she saw her mother's frightened eyes staring back up at her, begging for forgiveness.

"What have I done to deserve this, my dear Scorpio, I am your mother after all?" Asked Sphinx in a quavering voice, looking up at her daughter in question.

"You killed my sister," Scorpio spat back at her mother, her words laced in a venomous tone, "I vowed to avenge her till I am dead, and I always stick to my word, Mother."

"I am also here to take the crown from you, not for my own self greed but for the honour of Needle, and to put this kingdom in its place." She continued as her mother's eyes gleamed with little understanding, confused almost.

Smoke swirled around Queen Sphinx's horns as she sighed at her daughter and said, "You know you can kill me, but they will never accept you as their Queen, Scorpio."

"Then I'll make them, Mother, for I am a dragon not afraid to kill after all." Hissed Scorpio, a glint of amusement in her eyes, leaning down, "Especially for loyalty."

Gripping her mother's throat in her jaws she bit down, ripping the flesh as she pulled away, hearing her mother's shrill scream of pain.

"I will never forgive you for this." Sphinx choked out while blood pooled in her throat, the light dying from her eyes, as her last words were barely a whisper.

Scorpio moved to the side of her mother's dead body that lay in blood and walked over to where the crown sat upon the throne, glowing in the light from the sunset outside, as if nothing had ever happened. Picking the crown up in her talons, Scorpio placed the crown upon her head and turned back to her mother's corpse, stopping just next to her head and slowly drew her claws over the gash in her neck until it was entirely detached, walking over to the balcony just a couple paces away and readying herself to fly to the main city to make the announcement of their Queen's death.

With a burst of her powerful wings she soared from the Sandwing Palace, the queen's decapitated head in her claws and the crown on her head, and banked west toward the capital Sandwing city of Oasis.

Swooping low over buildings, she landed in the middle of a wide stage built for Queen Sphinx's hatching day celebration planned for later that night.

"All dragons gather round for special news from the queen!" She bellowed out and settled herself with a menacing grin.

As dragons gathered round, whispering quietly to each other, she started to speak.

"As you all know today is Queen Sphinx's hatching day, but she will not be joining you." She continued "She is dead. If you don't believe me then look at this."

Reaching behind her, she grabbed the head and showed the audience who gasped in shock at their dead queen's head.

" How did this happen? " Someone shouted from the gathering dragons.

"How'd she die?" She said in a questioningly chilly voice, "Well, I may have challenged her but why should you know. After all it's royal business."

"Who will be our queen since her daughter, Scorpio, ran away insane?"

"Well you're looking at them now."

"And who are you to take her place when we don't even know you." Called someone to her left.

"Oh you know me. For I am daughter of Queen Sphinx of the Sandwings and the rightful ruler."

"You'll never be half the queen she was!" Yelled the dragon in front of her.

Whipping her head around she stared at him for a second and roared, "How dare you challenge the queen!"

In a blink of a dragons eye she swished her tail around and plunged the venomous tip deep into his skull, leaving him screaming and withering on the ground until all was silent.

"Take that as a lesson." She hissed at her subjects and adjusted her crown, seeing fear in their eyes.

Good, she thought, the more they fear me the more loyal they are to me.

The End

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Have a lovely day/night/evening

-Noctis