Eclipse flew out of the palace disguised as Sienna while Dawn chattered behind her. The princess was pompous, spoilt, and had clearly never experienced skipping a meal or going without a snack for about two minutes. She grumbled about hunger and gastric pains while Eclipse ignored her. They passed Rory and Fire on the way out, and while Dawn dismissed them as lowborn, Eclipse gave them a slight wave with her wing. They were friendly acquaintances, and who knew when Eclipse would need friends from the Sky Kingdom.
Princess Dawn tutted disapprovingly when she waved. Clearly, those lowborn guards were not to be associated with, and Eclipse was not only foolish, but poorly educated to boot. Eclipse rolled her eyes and let the SkyWing princess whisper and hiss insults behind her back. She could hear them all, and she didn't care in the slightest. Why would she?
But upon arriving at the Night Kingdom, she was almost speared through by a NightWing. She coughed quietly and slid off her bracelet, transforming back into a NightWing. The guard, who happened to be a friend of Thoughtful's, gasped upon witnessing the transformation.
"My gosh, Eclipse!" he gasped, clutching his chest. "My old heart can only take so much! Did you know the DARKSTALKER has RETURNED?"
"Oh, how tragic," Eclipse said gravely without paying much attention.
"Tragic? Eclipse!" Dawn feigned horror. "My gosh, lowborn! Darkstalker is a terror! Horrifying! He hasn't killed any SkyWings, but heaven knows how many IceWings he's slaughtered!"
"I'm well aware," Eclipse responded calmly. "He's my uncle. Now stop spouting nonsense, princess, or I'm transporting you back to the Sky Kingdom."
"Oh, you wouldn't," Dawn said dramatically. "The damage it would do to your soul! I'm surprised you did that SkyWing enchantment at all. Must've taken a big piece of your soul with it, huh?"
"Not at all!" A loud flapping of wings interrupted their conversation and Darkstalker landed between Dawn and Eclipse. "My dear niece here has already protected her soul, thank you very much, SkyWing!"
Dawn looked affronted. "SkyWing? You dare disrespect me? I'm Princess Dawn, sole heir to the SkyWing throne!"
"Princess Sunset lives," Eclipse whispered. They all knew that now. The news should have spread like wildfire.
Princess Dawn sighed. "I suppose the cat is out of the bag. But I'm the prime candidate for queen! I have support! Lots of it! Oh, I'm going to relish the moment I wipe that horrible smile off Mother's face." The princess giggles gleefully and smiled to herself.
"Who is this loon?" Darkstalker asked airily. "Oh, and Eclipse, it appears my sister... Wasn't that happy to see me?"
"You lunatic!" Eclipse hissed. "I told you to stay hidden!"
"Um, yeah, and let a SeaWing fly in on her own. A SeaWing who barely knows what's going on. Such a good idea."
"A better one than letting a mass murderer suddenly appear in the town square!" Eclipse retorted, and Darkstalker looked suddenly hurt.
"I'm not a mass murderer," he breathed.
"Yeah, of course. I'm not that gullible, stupid. You killed IceWings and your own father. You think I'm that dumb?" Eclipse snarled.
"You resurrected me," Darkstalker pointed out.
"I believe you have good in you," Eclipse whispered.
"YOU brought him back?" came a soft voice. It was Whiteout. "The sky is... No, it's already white."
Eclipse shrugged. "Maybe if you spoke non gibberish sometimes, Mother, I'd actually listen to you. Darkstalker was a choice I made. I've promised him I'll help him find Foeslayer, in exchange for a bunch of promises."
"No hurting Queen Vigilance, Icewings, and a couple other things," Darkstalker muttered. "It was such a simple promise that there weren't even any loopholes."
"Of course there weren't. I thought it through," Eclipse snapped. "Now, I'm not entirely sure Queen Pearl needs to know what happened to her daughter, and Princess Dawn of the SkyWings apparently has some prepositions to make, so kindly hear her out. I'm taking my leave. Darkstalker, come with me."
"Is that an order?" her uncle asked jokingly.
"Yes," she said, her voice unwavering, icy.
Darkstalker sighed. "I guess I have to go, then."
YOU ARE READING
Wings of Fire: Overcast
FanficEclipse was hatched to Whiteout and Thoughtful shortly after the mess with Darkstalker was resolved. She was supposed to bring her family great happiness, and yet all they can see is a reflection of Darkstalker within her. She has the same powers, t...
