Wings of Fire; The Sinking Continent

Prologue

"It was bound to happen eventually."

No, it wasn't. Weren't Sunwings supposed to be immortal? Four hundred years was nowhere close to immortality, and yet there Queen Eclipse lay, ensnared in the neverending sleep of death. At least something lasted forever. Princess Flare waved the sympathetic doctor away with a golden wing, keeping her gaze steeled on her mother's still form. She almost looked comfortable there, laid out over the lavish blankets and pillows with gentle moonlight cascading down on her from the windows overhead.

Flare exhaled a small flame, shutting her eyes. I guess it can't be helped now.

The princess hadn't said a word since walking into the bedroom, opting to sit silently in the shadows while she waited for her sisters to arrive. They'd get the news quickly, she was sure of that. It may be a big kingdom, but no one really left the palace anymore, not unless they were hungry. She glanced behind her at the doorway, staring through the empty threshold at the wall beyond it.

It occurred to her ever so briefly that she was supposed to be sad. In all honesty, she'd gotten over her grief years ago, when it was first announced to the princesses that the Queen was sick. And a week later, when she wasn't any better, Flare was the first to assume that Eclipse was dying, not sick.

You could have just passed the throne down onto one of us when you found out, mother. There was no need to act like you weren't withering away.

Did you just love flaunting your strength that much? Or did you care so much about us that you couldn't force leadership on a dragonet?

Her wings tensed. She hated not knowing what a dragon was thinking. Flare was good at that: being able to tell what was going through someone's head based on their expression, their posture, their tone of voice; she could never read Eclipse. Her own mother. Go figure. She knew Diamond was clueless to the world around her; she could see it in the way she held her wings and how she skipped through the halls like a two-year-old. Their older sister, Copper, was more disciplined, so she was harder to predict. Even so, Flare knew she had a weak resolve just from her prolonged silences and her tired voice. She sighed too much. Charcoal was better, but too much like King Garnet.

Talons tapped on the stone floors behind her. Flare turned her head, giving Garnet a small nod. Her father's sorrowful expression spoke volumes. He sat down next to her, his tail curling into a protective circle around the princess.

"This must be hard on you," he rumbled quietly, breaking the silence.

"Not really. She's been dying for years; I've had more than enough time to get over it." Squaring her shoulders, she sat up a bit straighter.

Garnet hummed, the curve of his mouth forming a tight line. Flare didn't say anything. She had nothing to prove.

They sat together for a long moment, watching over Queen Eclipse's body.

"Flare, I don't want you four to fight over the throne. I know that's how it's worked for generations, but the kingdom has seen enough death recently. Losing you or any of your sisters would be devastating."

"To you, you mean." She had to look up to meet his gaze.

"You're my dragonets. Of course."

Flare stood, arching her wings over her back in the most imposing way she could muster. "You don't have the authority to make that decision." Before Garnet could interject, she continued. "You aren't the queen's husband anymore. You haven't involved yourself in the army, so you have no power there, and any connections you have are based solely on mutual respect. I intend to be sitting on that throne come daybreak, and if you have any complaints, you can take them to a queen who'll listen."