The Mudwings of Jade Mountain Academy (Wings of Fire Fanfiction)

Chapter 18: Queen Paradise of the Seawings

The whole room stared as she approached them. Cattail could hear dragons whispering in surprise around them. "Where's she going?" "Who's that?" "Is that the queen?" "Three moon's it her!" Cattail really hoped the queen wasn't actually coming to them. Usually if that happened you had probably done something wrong. She was also seriously worried Chasm might pass out if that happened. Right now he was staring with his mouth hanging half open in shock. Mirage took the liberty to close his mouth. "You look like an idiot." "Sorry." He mumbled. Prim was leaning forward, staring so intently that Chasm was giving her weird looks. The same color as the queen's scales flooded over hers. Prim smiled. "Cool! I have a new favorite color!" She cheered. Cattail thought she might have lost it. Chasm looked like he might tackle her. The queen as she approached, however, seemed amused. "I'm glad you like my scale color." She said. Her voice was smooth, gentle, and kind. She seemed like a dragon that laughed a lot, not like someone who murdered their kin for a throne. She was not as terrifying as Cattail would have expected. So why was she here? "You're Paradise- uh sorry Queen Paradise now." Chasm sounded like she was not who he had expected. Mirage looked like she was tempted to ask him to talk in half competent sentences. "I know I'm not who you would expect, but I had good motivation." What kind of motivation was she talking about? "Actually that's why I'm here. I came to talk to a Mudwing, more specifically, Delta."

The group was briefly silent before a dumbfounded Delta said "Me?" "Yes, you." "Why?" Paradise looked slightly uncomfortable. "Well this is going to sound really weird but Delta you're my daughter." Delta stared at her in incomprehension. Paradise rushed on as if she was afraid she would lose her nerve. "I feel in love with a Mudwing, your father, and when I found out I was going to have an egg I knew the queen wouldn't approve of you. You might even have been in danger, if not from her than from any number of other disapproving dragons, and that even if I could raise you safely you would be terribly picked on and probably miserable. So I hid your egg until I could find out what to do. Then your father had the idea to put you with a group of other Mudwing dragonets that would hatch at the same time as you. He promised that because of how close siblings are that you would be safe, happy, and have an amazing family. That they would protect you no matter what." That was certainly true. "But I wanted to know you,  to still be your mother. So I decided the best way to do that was to become queen. Almost no dragon would go against a rightful queen. I worked as hard as I could to prepare to challenge for the throne. I did, and I won. The first thing I did was come find you. I knew where and who you were because you father kept tabs on you for me. I'm not ashamed or embarrassed by you. And I just did the most terrifying thing I have ever done, even more terrifying than fighting for the throne. I really hope you will at least think about it, and you know, not hate or disown me." An extremely nervous looking Queen Paradise took her leave about as fast as she could without looking like she had just delivered some world changing news. A hybrid heir to the throne of the Seawings. Was that even allowed? Delta still hadn't moved. "We ah, should leave you all to talk about this." Prim said awkwardly. Poinsettia and Chasm weren't helping the situation by staring at Delta as if she had suddenly grown an extra head. Cattail wrapped a wing around her sister. "Come on, we can all go talk."

Cattail waited nervously by the entrance to an empty classroom. After calming down a hysterical Delta, all of her siblings agreed that she should give her mom a chance. They also had to assure to Delta that they didn't consider her any less their sister than before. Delta was now having a private catch up moment with her mom. Cattail was anxious to hear the results. "Wow, a princess. Can you believe it? I mean, not that I can't or anything, Delta is totally princess material but you know, just wow." Prim went on. That pretty much summed out how Cattail felt, if you added a hurricane in as well. Chasm had started looking at Delta as if she was queen instead of Paradise. Right now Prim was so excited that Cattail couldn't look at her because it looked like a neon rainbow kept repeatedly throwing up on her. The founders had excused her, her siblings, and, at some extreme persuasive nagging, Prim from their classes for the rest of the day. "Uh, Cattail, if you keep pacing your gonna wear a groove in the floor." Prim told her, sounding sincerely concerned for the health of the floor. "Sorry." "Honestly Cattail, it's her mother not an executioner." "Tell me again how you even convinced them to let you out of class?" Prim gave a smile. "Oh, you know, just that you need a friend to support you etcetera." Cattail snorted. "Sure I do, and you didn't just want to skip class." "Well at least I'm protecting the floor from homicidal pacing!" "Homicidal what now?" Delta asked as she came up behind them. "Don't worry about it." Cattail said at the same time as Prim said "Your sisters a floor murderer." Delta looked like she couldn't decide who was crazier. "Should I ask?" "No." They answered unanimously. "So, how'd it go?" "She's... cool. She wants to get to know all my siblings too, but she has stuff to deal with in the Sea Kingdom. But she promised to visit and when JMA gets out she wants us to visit the Sea Kingdom. But she also understands if I still want to live where I hatched." "Sounds good, as long as you're not going anywhere without us. I'm your Bigwings, I gotta look after you." Delta rolled her eyes but Cattail knew she didn't actually mind. "So... You're a princess now! Congratulations! Your all extra important and stuff! How does it feel?" Prim said to Delta while spreading her wings in mock majesty. "Elegantly put." Cattail told her flatly. "Honestly, not much different. I don't feel like a princess. I just am one." Cattail wondered briefly if maybe Prim was jealous but the blinding swirls of pink joy, yellow excitement, and royal purple pride said otherwise. "Well, let's go be royal all over school!" Prim declared, bounding away. Cattail had a feeling there would be a lot of dragons screaming "My eyes!" today.