An Assassin's Choice {Wings Of Fire Fanfic/AU}

Chapter 72: A Horrible Meeting

[Welp, it's what you've all been long awaiting for, the next three chapters. It's fine if you want to yell at me for taking so long, but the important thing is that they're out now. Enjoy!]

     Queen Anarchy sat regally on the cushion at the end of the table in the dining hall, waiting for her guests to arrive.

     It had been about a month since the kidnappings incident and the raid, but not much had changed. Aside from the dungeon being stuffed with the fugitives that they took prisoner, and a few guards redeemed, nothing else changed. Queen Anarchy had still been busy the entire time she'd been back, and so it was today.

     Lady Ruby shifted on her talons behind her. The Queen knew that her mother didn't trust the scarred SandWing, ex-Princess Burn, but she had agreed to meet her here and brought her mother along for good measure. It was decided.

Not long after, the guests arrived. The SandWing from before, the one that had been sent to request the meeting, soared in first, announcing the arrival of "Queen" Burn. Right as she landed, a shiver went down the SkyWing Queen's spine as a massive desert dragon entered the room behind the messenger, her talonsteps so loud that the table shook each time they hit the ground.

     Though she was slightly panicking on the inside, Anarchy maintained her cool and that authoritistic aura that all Queens had. Lady Ruby, however, did not. The red SkyWing let out a squeak of fear at her mother's former war ally, and scurried behind her daughter. Queen Anarchy rolled her eyes before turning to Burn and nodding, signaling for the meeting to commence.

     Burn nodded at her deputy, signaling to her that she was dismissed before clearing her throat finally speaking.

    "So, as you know, I wish to be the Queen of the SandWings," she rumbled, lowering her snout while still keeping eye contact. The SkyWing Queen nodded.

    "Well, I'd be willing to let you have the entire Great Five-Tail River in exchange for you aiding in the act to put me on the throne." Queen Anarchy blinked, trying to shoo away the shock that the offer gave her.

    "Thorn and I are presently sharing the River and are in an alliance, I don't currently-"

    "I am willing to match and exceed that phony's offer. You'll have the whole Great Five-Tail River and a strong alliance with the SandWings (and MudWings when I get them back on my side)," Burn interrupted her. The SkyWing Queen paused, further processing the offer.

    "That is.. for a price," the scarred SandWing continued. Huh? Anarchy glanced back up at the ex-Princess.

    "But.. isn't getting you on the thro-"

    "That one SkyWing guard- Flint, I think his name was- he's a Firescales, isn't he?"

     Queen Anarchy fought back the fear rising in her as she cautiously nodded in confirmation. Burn smirked.

    "And Firescales are quite rare, are they not? He would do lovely in my Weirdling Tower, or for any.. other.. purposes..." the pale desert dragon hissed suggestively. Before all the words were even out of her mouth Anarchy had interrupted her.

    "NO!" the SkyWing Queen barked, turning the offer down flat. Lady Ruby flinched, taking note of her daughter's ferocity at the prospect of losing this one dragon. Burn's expression, at first surprised, quickly turned to blazing anger.

    "What did you say?" she ordered, her voice dripping with toxicity. The SkyWing Queen took a deep breath, looking away.

    "No, I can't give away any of my guards," she reinforced her previous outburst.

     The scarred SandWing leaned back, black smoke billowing from her nostrils and writhing thickly around her horns. She tapped her claws on the wood in irritation.

    "Surely one guard wouldn't cost that much from the overall kingdom, but that's- fine.. I'm sure we can find something else more valuable that you might give m-"

    "No," the Queen cut her off for the second time, standing up. Burn's expression changed again to one of, and Anarchy would quote, "being exasperatedly pissed off."

    "I apologize, but I will not except your offer," Queen Anarchy elaborated.

    "Well," Burn snarled, standing up herself. "In that case, I'll do what I was planning to do from the start."

    "...That is..?" the SkyWing Queen asked warily. Lady Ruby, obviously sensing something bad was about to happen, backed up. The SandWing smirked.

    "Kill you." She suddenly lunged at the unsuspecting Queen Anarchy, managing to claw a deep slash in one of her front legs and rip a part of her wing before the SkyWing could throw her off and completely heat her Firescales. The Queen flinched with pain as she tried to stand up, lifting her injured leg.

     Lady Ruby, who was shocked from the sudden attack, fled the scene, hopefully to retrieve backup. Anarchy might be strong, but Burn was much stronger, bigger, older, and more experienced than her. There was a low probably of actually winning this battle on her own.

    "Now you'll remember me and the consequences of denying me whenever you try to fly," Burn sneered, whipping around and spreading her wings to take off. Oh no no, the Queen thought glaring at the scarred SandWing who had just attacked her as she tried to just fly away as if nothing happened.

     Queen Anarchy launched at Burn, managing to land on top of her and cause her to lose her balance in the air and tumble to the ground. The SkyWing Queen quickly scrambled on top of the massive SandWing again, attempting to pin her.

    "Hey! What the f-!?" Quickly, Queen Anarchy grabbed the nearby spear on the table and aligned it with where Burns's heart was.

    "What, what are you-?!" Anarchy scrunched her snout in anger, thrusting the spear straight through her back into her heart. The SandWing let out a blood-curdling scream before ultimately falling limp, a  mixed look of rage and pain permanently written on her face.

     Queen Anarchy weakly stumbled backwards off of the dead ex-Princess. The blood was rapidly spreading across the floor as if it were an avalanche covering the mountain in red mud and rock. The Queen had made it a few steps away, but weariness quickly overwhelmed her and she collapsed on the floor. The blood loss from her injuries was already beginning to make her dizzy and tired. It's fine, Anarchy thought in her last moments of consciousness. Somebody will come for me eventually...

     And everything went black.