A Light in the Shadows.

The Beginning.

I paced the halls growling, this was the fifth assasination attempt.

The guards should be better. I was just going to get more and more paranoid. I don't particularly care about myself, but a whole crumbling kingdom depends on me. Not to mention my sibling, Astra.

Although they were occasionally annoying, I became like their mom after our parents died. Yes, that happened.

They were assassinated at the beginning of the uprising.

Speaking of the little devil, they came bounding up to me, their short spiky black hair even more spiky than usual and their ice blue eyes glinting with their usual gold. Their tan skin glowing with their usual energy. Yes, my sibling is nonbinary.

They were only thirty when our parents died so they don't remember them very well.

My name is Seraphina. In draconic, that means warrior. Astra means star.

"Let's go to the elf city!" they exclaimed enthusiastically like it was the best idea in the whole world. "Not today sweety" I told them gently. "When?" they pushed. "I don't know," I said tiredly. They curled their little body against mine. "Do you want to come with me to the guards chamber?" I asked them. "Sure!" they said, their eyes lighting up.

Astra loved literally everyone in the world, especially a surly young cadet named Nyx who was about my age. Why Astra would love that dragon, I don't know but they did. I transformed into my dragon form and they hopped on my back.

I shifted my wings so they would be comfortable.

I was a hybrid between a shadow dragon and a sky dragon. I wondered if that's why there have been so many assassination attempts, hybrids tend to be looked down upon in our culture, although for the life of me I can't figure out why.

I hurry on the passage feeling my dragon muscles ripple, until I eventually reached the guards chambers.

All the guards looked scared, especially one that I seem to remember standing outside my sibling's room. "Who is responsible for this?" I roared.

The air was electric. Literally, I can summon lightning when I want to and when I feel strong negative emotions my powers can get out of hand. The shadows heightened "why don't you go find Nyx, dear" I suggested to Astra gently.

They slid off my back and I could hear a muffled growl as they found her.

"Do you know what would happen if I died? the country would have fallen into disrepair and the rebels would have taken over."

"We can't afford for that to happen. So who is responsible?" the guards shifted until one was left standing alone. Not again. "Caspian" I say, my voice getting dangerously low. "Come with me." he lightly stepped forward, his tail the only sign he was nervous, flicking anxiously back and forth.

The shadows from around the room wrapped around him before I took a deep breath, and they settled down. I morphed into my half dragon form, with horns and scales covering my face, and wings and a tail and talons instead of hands. I grabbed his arm.

He was in human form allowing me to dig my claws into his soft flesh. He winced as blood sprung out of the wound. I dragged him out of the room. "Do you know what could have happened?" I demanded, so angry I was shaking. "Our kingdom could have fallen! So many innocent people could have died!" he kept quiet, wisely letting me rant although he didn't look concerned.

"Listen, Caspian. I have to exile you from the guards."

"You can't do that,"

he told me matter of factly. "And why is that?" I gritted my teeth.

"Because I'm the best warrior you have," he told me. "Well, not anymore."

He looked at me, seeming shocked that his logic didn't work on me. "Yes. now. out." I told him.

He made me so mad it didn't even make sense. He was just so annoying. He sullenly looked at me.

I stared sullenly back. Then I cracked up. "You look so stupid," I chuckled. "Excuse me, your majesty?" He said pretending to be offended, but really I'm pretty sure he was just relieved I didn't publicly and painfully execute him.

I thought about it but eventually decided against it.

Tempting though.

He walked down the passage to where he and the other earth dragons stayed, a garden full of plants and crystals and other earth-y stuff. I walked away looking forward to never having to see him again. Ah, how I wish that was the case.

When my parents were assassinated it was the start of a rebellion of the dragons, and no one knows why. Everyone thinks it's the elves but I don't. I've talked with their leader Dionne and she seemed like she was telling the truth when she told me it wasn't the elves.

So I still didn't know. Now our world is in chaos, and other colonies of dragons seem to be experiencing the same chaos.

I went back to the guards chamber to collect Astra as they were still chatting animatedly to an annoyed Nyx.

Suddenly, one of the cadets rushed up to me. "There's an earth messenger waiting for you," he said.

"Ok, I'll take it from here,'' I told him, smiling faintly. He was one of my favorite guards, quiet and sweet.He looked relieved.

I grabbed Nyx and made my way to the throne room where I knew the earth dragon would be waiting. Where I thought an earth dragon would be standing, was a rock and plant hybrid dragon.

They knelt down into a bow, "Q-queen S-Seraphina- I mean y-your majesty! I have b-been sent from the e-earth dragons t-to deliver a m-message!" I stared at them thoughtfully, "okay, spit it out" I said.

"A-alright! W-well, I saw t-two elves n-near one o-of the sh-shadow dragon c-caves. O-one of them had been i-in the cave!" The nervous dragon spurted out. "I'll check it out," I told them kindly.

"Send your leader my regards will you? I haven't talked to her in a while" every dragon species and subspecies had a ruler. I was the queen of all dragons, and the rulers helped by leading their own kind.

"O-okay" they agreed.

"Astra" I said "yes?" they chirped "can you occupy yourself for the day?" I asked them. I know, I'm not very much of a control freak, but everyone in the castle loves Astra, except maybe Nyx, so I think they're safe. I made my way out of the winding passages and caught a burst of fresh air quickly transforming myself into a dragon. I launched myself into the air feeling happier than I had in a long time, flipping around in the air like a dragonet.

I sighed happily catching a draft of air and floating upwards letting the wind take me. It was early afternoon and the sun was soothing on my tense muscles. My wings beat powerful strokes.

I decided I should probably get going. I spiraled down, looking at the volcano with pride. Did I not mention I lived on a volcano? Well I do. The fire dragons actually live in the volcano, but that's beside the point. My eyes were sharp in my dragon form and I eventually spotted the elves in a small clearing in the forest at the base of the volcano.

I flew down and landed with a thump in the clearing, turning into human form quickly. The two elves turned to see me.

"What do we have here?"