The Day of Fire

Chapter Six: Unexpected Friendships

"You're a prince!?" Coral gasped, staring at Skyfall.

"I-I am," he answered with a nervous look on his face as he looked at the guard dragons who grabbed him. "I never told you since I knew you would treat me differently, like I was royal and I would never speak to you again..." 

"We're bringing you back with us to the castle as well, since you aided in Prince Skyfall's escape," one of them snarled, grabbing Coral.

"Let me go!" Coral shouted, struggling in the dragon's claws.

"Coral!" her mother gasped, trying to hold on to her dear daughter. "Let my daughter go!" she shouted, still trying to pry Coral free, but the dragons started flying towards the castle before she could do anything.

"I'll get out of there mom, I'll find a way!" Coral shouted as the dragons flew away.

"I'm sorry Coral, I never meant for this to happen," Skyfall said as the castle got closer. "I only wanted to see you happy, but it all ended in ruin."

"It's alright, Skyfall, and we'll find a way to get out, and we'll go to our place again," Coral assured him. "Somehow, someway, we'll find a way to escape.

Suddenly, the two dragons parted, the one with Coral going to the dungeons, and the one with Skyfall heading to the throne room. The dragon holding Coral dumped her into a random cell, not seeming to notice there was a dragon in it. 

"Aaaaah!" Coral shouted as she fell, and managed to do a roll so she only got bruised. "Ouch, do they even have a little respect for the prisoners, such as just shoving them into the cell instead of dropping them from a high height?" She grumbled, standing up and brushing herself off.

"Those guards don't have any respect for any of their prisoners, human," a voice rumbled from the shadows.

"Who are you?" Coral asked, and a dragon came out of the shadows, seeming surprised that she wasn't afraid.

"I am Indigoscales, but everyone calls me indigo. What is your name?" she asked.

"I'm Coral, it's nice to meet you," Coral answered.

"You don't look like you've been in battle, so why are you here?" Indigo asked.

"I was thrown in here for 'aiding' in Skyfall's 'escape," Coral answered.

"You were a part of it?" Indigo asked.

"Actually, it was Skyfall who asked me to run away with him since we were friends and no one would allow our friendship," Coral answered.

"I had a human friend once," Indigo reminisced. "her name was Rose, and we met when we were young. I was looking for food so my family wouldn't starve, and I had almost died from exhaustion. I had been in human form so I could look for food better, and Rose found me. She took me back to her home and took care of me until I was well again."

"Wow, and to think I thought I was the only one with a strange friend!" Coral murmured.

"When I was well, I told her that I was a dragon, and she wasn't scared, even though she had known then that I was one. When I got home, my family was relieved I came home safely. They asked where I had been for the past couple of months, and I had been stupid enough to tell them I made a human friend. They found Rose and threw her into the dungeons, and I could never forgive myself for my mistake, so I offered them something: Rose's freedom, in exchange for mine."

"You gave up your own freedom to let Rose go free?" Coral asked, her heart warming.

"Yes, and she never forgot it. She was able to send me letters, and-" she suddenly paused. "Wait...tell me your mother's name, will you?" she asked.

"Um...Gem?" Coral answered, confused, and she gasped.

"Rose told me that she had a daughter named Gem, and that she had a granddaughter in her last letter, and that was the last one she ever sent," Indigo explained. "And I think that was you!"