Wings Of Fire Oneshots

Al-bruh-tross (💔🗯)

The door swung open without any further warning, starling the SeaWing. He turned around to see Lagoon standing there, her face scowling and agitated.

"Have you made your choice now?" she asked mockingly.

Albatross frowned. "I thought I told you not to barge in without announcing its you."

"I am your queen, am I not? You've already bothered me enough today by refusing to do what I asked of you."

"I just wanted to sit and think about it, that is all," he replied, his talons clenching. "I just... you know..."

"Wanted to waste my time?"

"That isn't what I meant by my actions and you know it. I understand that, to you, this is a simple spell. Just something to reverse the damage done to the castle done by the hurricane. However, to me–"

"I've heard this speech before, Albatross," his sister spoke coldly. "You're worried about your soul and all. I don't quite see why. You're obviously fine, aren't you?"

The paler SeaWing scratched at his ear, that ever present-ringing still almost silently screeching. It was his 'curse' if he was led to believe, something all animus dragons have. A toll on their body and senses that, in combination with losing their soul, would make any dragon go mad.

He's heard tales of other curses. Some dragons lose their claws. Others begin to see the dragons of those they hurt following them. For Albatross? It was his hearing that was being attacked, constantly having to hear a dull ringing in his ear. A high-pitched screech that would remain there for the rest of his life. It wasn't that overbearing, even after the creation of the Summer Palace, but it still picked away at him.

"That's..." he paused. "Whatever. I'm not quite interested in following through with the enchantment."

Lagoon had a flash of rage spark in her eyes. "And why is that? It's just a couple repairs?"

"Can't you contract some other dragons to fix it? There are tons of talented SeaWings who would do it for free just to work near the queen."

"That would take months, even with the best dragons on Pyrrhia. You saw the damage. A good chunk of the seventh floor has been wiped out and needs fixing. You can do that in seconds for basically no cost."

"No cost?" He scoffed. "Did you forget that this is my soul we're talking about?"

"No, I did not. However, it is just a simple fix. I doubt that cleaning up some things would have that much of an effect on your precious soul. I don't get why you're so worked up over it. You've made it this far without going off the deep end, so why not use it a bit more? By the moons you animus dragons are so stingy with your magic..."

"Am I not the only animus you know of?"

Lagoon stayed quiet for a moment. "Yes, you are, but hopefully one of your daughter's spawn inherits something. It's still disappointing that your dragonets didn't have it."

Albatross grinded his teeth, irritated by the needless insult towards his dragonets. "I still won't budge."

"That's a shame," she said. "Oh well. Just leave it to yourself. Don't use your magic. After all, what has it done besides hurt others?"

The animus recognized this sort of tone of voice. He mentally prepared himself for what he knew what was to come.

"Speaking of which, I just recently stopped by and visited Sapphire. It's terrible still her state. I could've sworn you did more than just enchant that shell to attack her. Are you sure you didn't accidentally sap her of her sanity as well? When I last went by, some of her sevants told me that she had recently been having 'episodes' where she'll just start breaking down in tears and trying to bite at her little claw nubs."

Albatross swallowed. She knew all of his weak spots, always has since he hatched. She knew that he felt so incredibly guilty over that incident, over harming his sister and possibly doing more. He couldn't remember if he'd accidentally enchanted her even more during the panic, having the situation mostly be a blur now, but the thought alone keeps him up most nights.

He was a monster. His sister had gone mad and was isolated on a random island. His other sister hated him. The whole kingdom forever knew him as the animus who violently attacked Princess Sapphire with his magic.

"Isn't that something awful?" she inquired. "I feel so bad for her. She was only five when that happened. Now, almost forty-five years later, she's in such a terrible state."

"Please stop..." he muttered; his voice weak as the ringing grew more noticeable. His heartbeat faster merely thinking about the incident. The screaming, the panic, the blood...

"Is it bothering you, talking about her? That's a bit selfish. I can't even talk about my beloved sister without you butting in. Though, I wouldn't blame you. It was you who made her this way after all. Your magic has only hurt dragons in my and the rest of the Kingdom's eyes, you know?"

He sighed and let out a small, pathetic, "I know..."

"But things can change, no? Imagine that. If you use your magic for something useful, perhaps it could distract others from that mistake. Who knows! Maybe they'll forget about it."

"I–"

"Shh, shh... I know. I know you are too afraid and you'd rather wallow away in sadness and your own self-pity. That's okay, that's fine. I'll just be out there making something of myself while you stay in there and still remain as the freaky SeaWing animus who drove her sister off the deep end." Lagoon turned away and headed to the door.

"W– wait!"

She stopped, her head slowly turning around. Albatross knew this was exactly what she wanted but couldn't stop himself at this point. He just wanted some peace...

"I– I'll do it, okay?"

"Good! Great to hear," she said with a smile. "Now come on, let's get a move on."

The SeaWing awkwardly shuffled out of his bed and walked over towards Lagoon, his heart sagging. He wasn't happy or satisfied with this outcome. He knew he didn't want to fix it.

But... he had to do it. That tiny, miniscule part of him begged him to do it, to listen to his sister. She was right, you know. He was a monster, but maybe one that could be forgiven.

He kept chasing after that. The mere thought of being redeemed forced him to keep going, to keep complying with his queen's demands.

It could only be so long until she'd be satisfied, right?