Wof: Under a Scarlet Banner

(Edited) Chapter 6 part one

Well, it's been a couple of weeks now. I have seen at least a dozen fights in the arena since Gill was sent in to fight. I have seen so many that I can now tell dragons apart just from their fighting style. There is a particular swishing motion that Sandwings make with their tails before they strike. Icewings chill the air around their mouth, making the water vapor in the air visible as they use their frost breath, and Seawings tend to attack from behind if they can.

I've seen Peril fight, too, although it's not much of a fight. It's more of an execution. Any dragon that ends up in the ring with her is as good as dead. However, there was one Icewing that almost hurt her. He was able to blast his ice breath and strike Peril in the chest, where he tried to freeze her. It did no good. Peril's flame-scales evaporated the frost, and the Icewing only managed to shove Peril backwards. The Icewing's talons were still burnt from touching Peril. Peril slashed the Icewing, leaving deep gashes in his flesh, which sizzled and popped. The Icewing howled in pain as Peril grabbed his throat and burned through his flesh. The Icewing fell with a thud, and the crowd cheered wildly. This was one of the quicker fights, but the brutality of the kill pleased Scarlet and the audience.

Speaking of the devil, I had the most wonderful chit-chat with the Skywing queen. She was definitely not satisfied with the information that Peril gave her and interrogated me herself, or at least it was what I could call an interrogation. It still worked. I was far more comfortable around the other dragons, not too comfortable, but around Scarlet, I would shiver in terror. The other Skywings are just as afraid of her as I am. I see the guards freeze whenever she walked by them, standing straight and at full attention. I think that shared fear allows me to look a dragon in the eye, at least when speaking to them, which I still don't do often.

I did notice that Scarlet was being less hostile towards me. I'm hoping she now sees me as a helpful tool rather than sport or a light snack.

Scarlet's guards walked to my cell that day and took me to her own personal chambers. It was pretty ornate. The walls were lined with various tapestries depicting Skywings fighting different dragons. There were several large silk curtains surrounding a circle of cushions where Scarlet was lying. She gave the order for her guards to leave her with "the scavenger" and close the doors behind them.

It's funny; I have been here for half a month, and I haven't heard my name mentioned once. I was always "the scavenger". It pained me that I couldn't even be referred to as a human.

I approached the queen at her command, and she motioned me to sit on one of her smaller cushions, which was still twice my length. Strangely enough, she wasn't addressing me. Instead, she was getting more comfortable in her pillow nest. She was no longer wearing her golden amour she had on whenever she sat in the throne room. That was on a dragon-shaped mannequin alongside a similar one with a black chain mail vest, encrusted with rubies just like her golden one. I noticed Scarlet had several rubies embedded into her own scales as well. Each one was a deep red and made a long line from the tip of her tail, along the sides of her body, and up her head ending at her horns in a circle around their base.

My observations of the room were cut short when Scarlet finally spoke, "You know, our Seawing prisoners have been very cooperative after our little troublemaker had been dealt with. You should be proud of yourself. I wouldn't think a scavenger would think of a punishment that was so convincing."

"Ok, just follow the classic meek servant act, and I'll be fine. Address her as "queen", "your majesty", and "totally not the vilest thing that could possibly be born unto any mother on this earth or any other."

"I am glad Her Majesty is pleased with my service."

"Hmm, well, there is something that has been bothering me." Scarlet was now raising her head from her pillow and turning towards me. "After some consideration, I figured that you must know something that could be of some use to me. It's pointless to have you sitting in a prison cell, when you could be here, giving me more delightful ideas. It's only fair to pay me back for all those thoughtful gifts I have been giving you."