Can't Shred Our Love - Ripnami

Chapter 22

i know no update, I'M SORRY 😭  i was grounded ;-; 

and now ive pretty much forgotten what i'd planned...but it's fine! ill just wing it

also tryna string together some sort of unscrewed up schedule but im probably too disorganised for that to happen

"We have captured the murdered, your royal majesty," the guard bowed down to Mother. 

"And what of that traitor, Typhoon? Speak." Coral commanded as the guard trembled and avoided her gaze.

"A...apologies, your majesty, but Typhoon escaped. The members of that rebel group managed to get him past our guards, and harmed a few of them to death as well."

Coral roared incoherently. I winced. "You're dismissed," I yelled at the guard before Coral did something rash and injured him. Yes, Coral might be irritated at me later, but at least she wouldn't injure me or harm me in any way, like she might to the guard.

Coral finished her wordless rant and gave a sigh. "Whirlpool always served me well...how can their family be traitors? Whirlpool would risk his life for Anemone. Even if he wouldn't do the same for you, he would help the royal family no matter what. I never expected his brother to be the traitor."

Whirlpool was a traitor too, I thought angrily, remembering his calculating rants to me and anemone about who would be a better queen and protest less to his schemes. And when he tried to kill me. And also, the fact that she added "even if he wouldn't do the same for you" did not help at all. Although I would still hate both of them the same if that wasn't added.

"I still remember when they were younger, and they'd spend hours pouring over their Pyhrric War books. They loved that for some reason, some reason I'd never understand, I always hated them. I suppose it makes sense, with Whirlpool becoming such an important scholar." Coral reminisced. "Typhoon loved his brother devoutly. He followed whatever his brother did, and helped him no matter what. With Whirlpool such a royalist, I aways expected Typhoon to stay on the royal's side. And good thing too, they'd be a deadly duo if they weren't on our side."

"Wait a minute..." I slowly muttered, processing what she said. "So, Typhoon was Whirlpool's helper, right?"

"Indeed," Coral nodded. "I remember the two of them scheming to prank other dragons when they were younger. Ah, those were the days...and Gill would..." Coral frowned at her mention of Gill, but I ignored her.

"So – where was Typhoon when I came back here?"

Coral thought for a moment. "I believe that was he'd just finished going to the Imperial SeaWing College of Economic and Political Affairs, if I'm not wrong. Right, Whirlpool said something about letting Typhoon bunk with him. He also said that Typhoon was helping him with inking some of my stories, and I said that it was okay. That was when Typhoon set up the Association of Royal Protection and Guarding. I genuinely thought he was trying to help at the time, especially as Whirlpool was the sponsor and a leader of it, but I guess I was wrong. Look what it's become, a rebel group who wants to overthrow me and set up Typhoon on the throne. Which is strange as well, honestly. Typhoon used to hate responsibility and declined me twenty six times when I offered to make him a baron. A small position with quite little responsibility, yet he declined, citing the responsibility as the exact reason he refused. He always hated being duty bound, I believe. I can't think why he would want to be king." 

I thought hard, trying to piece the pieces together. Whirlpool wanted to be king, and plotted against me and mother. Typhoon didn't want to be king, but supported Whirlpool with anything, and happened to be close to Whirlpool at the time of his plotting, and at the time of setting up the association which now sought to overthrow Coral. Which happened to be sponsored by Whirlpool. 

Somehow, Whirlpool was tied to this. Typhoon wanted to overthrow Coral yet not wanting to become king. Could he possibly have aided Whirlpool with trying to overthrow Coral, placing Anemone on the throne and crowning Whirlpool? Was that his goal? It would make sense and fit into the puzzle.

But if that was his goal back then, what was his goal now? Whirlpool was dead, and I'd never heard of even an animus able to bring back someone from the dead. So what was he trying to do now? Even if he did overthrow Coral...then potentially marry me...what then? If he truly didn't want to be king, that was all a useless plan. 

Unless, there was truly a way to bring someone back from the dead. Which would mean if he did all that he planned, he would indeed be able to make Whirlpool king as he intended. 

I stood up, and clattered out the room, my claws loud in the silent, almost stifling room, in which I'd pondered and Coral mourned and ran towards the library. The librarian looked up with a glare when I reached there, then flinched and bowed. "Your highness."

"Yes, yes. Do you know if there's any way for a dead dragon to be bought back to life?"

The librarian frowned. "I don't believe so, your highness. The most powerful animus have said that they are unable to." The librarian scrambled up and ran to the rows of shelves, pulling out a book. "Here, I recommend you read this."

Upon the cover were the words "Study on the Limit to Animus Power". I grimaced internally. If only Starflight hadn't returned to JMA. Now there was no way to force him to read the book and sum it up. Although it would be more of a lecture and less of a sum up. I picked the book up and wandered off, settling into a nearby pool and beginning to read.

a bit short but im tryna get the update out asap again i'm sorry ;-; please don't hate me–

ill try make the next one longer and get it out within a week (i know that's a long time but if i set it shorter i probably won't manage it)

anyway thanks for reading bye bye