Wings Of Fire | #2 | The Lost Heir | Switched Dragonets AU

Chapter 15

Queen Coral tried flashing something at Anemone, but Anemone didn't know enough Aquatic to understand, Coral finally flapped her wings and pointed at the surface, Anemone pressed the egg to her chest and followed Queen Coral up and through the winding tunnels, they swam to the top of the Deep Palace, where a guard stood to watch over a view for miles underwater, the guard saluted the queen and she swam up past him toward the gray light overhead, where raindrops pelted the surface of water, Tsunami quickly paddled behind Coral, they all emerged into a fierce storm, the egg in Anemone's talons began to slip. Don't you dare drop it! Anemone thoughtthought, fiercely. "What do you think you're doing?!" Coral snapped. "Someone has to protect this egg! It's not safe in the hatchery," Anemone said. "It'll be safe in the hatchery if I put my guards on it," Coral said. Anemone shook her head. "Haven't you tried that before?" Anemone asked, "Has it ever worked?"
Anemone paused for a minute, and glanced at Tsunami, Queen Coral's only other living daughter. "What did you do for Tsunami?" Anemone asked. Queen Coral's tail twitched. "I slept by the egg myself, for the entire year," She said. "You did?" Tsunami asked. "Really?" Anemone asked, surprised. Coral looked down her talons. "I barely left the hatchery, I let Gill run the war for me, but-" Coral stopped herself for a moment, "that's how I lost him."
Coral's voice caught and she frowned, and Anemone couldn't help but notice a small, unnoticeable, single tear go down Queen Coral's scales, Tsunami noticed, aswell as Anemone, Coral shook her wings and straightened out. "I can't neglect my duties as queen, now that he's gone," Coral said. "So let me do this," Anemone badgered, "Let me protect this egg."
"But you have to stay in the hatchery," Coral insisted, "It must be kept warm, especially right before hatching."
Warmth, Anemone thought. An image of Ostrich popped in. "I have a better idea," Anemone said, "I'll take it back to the Summer Palace."
"The Summer Palace!? Not in this weather, it gets terribly flooded," Coral snapped. "Flooded? You mean-" Anemone stopped herself for a moment, "where my friends are?"
"Oh, I'm sure they'll be alright, can't they swim?" Coral asked, brushing it off. "Not like we can!" Anemone snapped. Anemone turned to Coral. "I'm going to find them!" Anemone yelled. "With MY egg?!" Coral snarled. "You've tried trusting everyone else, now trust her, she's your daughter," Tsunami said. Coral looked down, then looked back up, into Anemone's eyes. "If anything happens to that egg. . . I'll lose two daughters," Coral worried. Anemone quickly dove into water. "How will you get back to the Summer Palace? You don't know where it is," Coral said. "I'll find it," Anemone said. Pike, I hope you're nearby. . . Anemone thought.