Transported: A Wings of Fire Story

Royalty

"YOU WHAT?!" Sundew screamed as she turned to Anemone with a mix of surprise, anger, and praise.
"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?!

Anemone backed off a little as she put her front talons in the air.
"Willow made me promise not to; she wanted to do it herself!"

Everyone in the room had their jaws on the floor as they witnessed the silver ring around Sundew's claw speak.

What sounded exactly like Willow's voice had radiated and echoed through the cave from the ring.

"Anemone!? You ENCHANTED the rings to be able to communicate!?" Daniel cried.

Anemone swapped her attention to Daniel.
"Willow wanted it! Okay!" She took a deep breath.
"She told me in private that being apart for so long made her realise just how much she needed Sundew, so she wanted to be able to communicate with her at all times."

Sundew curled her claws in annoyance before lunging at Anemone, pulling her into a hug.
"DEAR CLEARSIGHT, I DON'T KNOW WHETHER TO HATE OR LOVE YOU RIGHT NOW!"

The cave fell into an awkward silence.

"Uhh... You're welcome...?" Anemone eventually answered.

After a few moments, Sundew's face flushed red as she quickly retracted herself.
"Platonically!" She cried.
"Platonically obviously!"

Anemone chuckled as she rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, I know you're as loyal to Willow as Cricket was to Blue, don't worry."

Sundew smiled, but her eyes held a sort of small regret.
Cricket shot Sundew an awkward glance, which the Leafwing understood immediately.

Sundew's face fell a little more. But she held it together enough to pass as casual.
She let out a sigh before bringing the ring to her snout.
"Willow? Is this really you?"

Almost instantly, the ring responded with a voice that sounded almost like a happy sob.
"YES! Yes, it is."

Sundew's eyes began to tear, but she kept it together.
"Tell me something only Willow would know then."

The ring fell silent for a second, but soon responded.
"Sugar-coated grasshopper."

Everyone in the cave let off a confused expression or noise.
Hailstorm raised a brow.
"What's that supposed to mean?"

Star shrugged.
"Who knows? It seems to mean something to those two, though," she pointed at Daniel and Sundew.

Daniel's eyes widened slightly as he smiled.
Meanwhile, Sundew was in utter shock, and tears streamed down her cheeks as she let out a weak smile.
"Dear Clearsight... It really is you..."

The ring twinkled up at her.
"Yeah, it's me."

Sundew wiped her tears.
"Where are you? Willow...? The last time I saw you, you were..." She trailed off, falling silent in the process.

A few moments of silence passed before Sundew let out a difficult sigh.
"Willow... Be honest with me..." she paused.
"Are... Are you dead?"

The world fell silent as everyone focused on the ring.
Eventually, Willow spoke again.
"Yes. But I haven't been able to move on."

Sundew tensed up. Hard. Her claws curled inwards, and her face seemed to freeze in place.
Cricket tried to comfort her by placing a wing over her back, which seemed to work but only slightly.

Sundew trembled as she did her absolute best to keep it together.
"W-what do you mean by that?"

"My soul is in some way tethered to Python. My physical body is gone, I think... But my conscience or something of the sort lives on inside her."