Always - Moonbli

Prologue

Princess Splash paced the room anxiously. Her azure scales shone like the jewels around her neck and talons, and her tail was lashing. The SeaWing princess kept glancing at the oak doors, as if waiting for someone. Pleasant music drifted through the open window, which let in a cool scented breeze. Splash momentarily stopped in her pacing to gaze at the starry night sky. Down on the Sunset Beach of the palace, dragons milled around, waiting for the party to start. They were all SeaWings; he was not there. She sighed.

Suddenly, the doors were thrown open and a majestic SeaWing marched in. The SeaWing's sapphire-coloures scales rippled as she drew herself back, her green eyes hardening. Atop her head sat a delicately sculpted crown. Behind the SeaWing, a few members of the Royal Council entered, their heads bowed. The queen had come to visit. 'Mother.' Splash made an elegant bow, the way she'd been taught. Queen Lagoon sniffed disapprovingly. 

'Splash, what are you doing here? You need to be down at the beach! The NightWing company is about to leave! Don't be impolite!' 'Now?' asked Splash, startled. 'Yes, now. Hurry up.' Queen Lagoon stayed a while longer, critically examining Splash's jewelry and arranging the necklace of pearls around Splash's neck. She kept talking, but Splash didn't really hear much. She was too busy brooding. 'Splash!' The princess looked up, startled. 'Come on! Time is wasting!' With that, she whirled around and left Splash's room.

The princess gave one last, forlorn glance at the beach. Nightfall's going already? He could've at least told me! Doesn't he care? She answered her own question. No. Not anymore. Not since the argument. She hunched her shoulders and followed the array of bowing, scraping dragons behind her mother. Her lover's image flashed in her mind - a handsome jet-black dragon, his scales tinged with midnight blue, the spiral of stars underneath his wings glowing silver and his dark eyes twinkling merrily.

Miserably, she dragged her talons as she walked, keeping her head low. No one seemed to pay much attention to her, though all around them, dragons folded their wings in a crouch or waved as the queen passed. Little Pearl, barely a year old, stuck to her side as soon as she saw her and pestered Splash about life as the next queen, but soon got bored when Splash didn't reply and ran off. Probably to find Fathom, her brother. Finally, they reached the party pavilion. There. In the small cluster of NightWings. Nightfall.

The NightWing diplomat and merchant wouldn't meet her eyes. Instead, he kept turning away to talk with the others and reach for the buffet. Manta came over to talk and handed Splash a pineapple drink, but seeing that her cousin didn't want to talk with her, she left her and went to Reef. Splash mingled with the SeaWings, trying to act normal. She slowly sipped her beverage, keeping an eye on Nightfall but talking with the dragons around her at the same time.

At last, when the NightWings had all dispersed into the crowd, Nightfall came over to her. He looked haughty and cold, quite unlike himself.

'Splash,' he greeted her. But his voice was hard. Splash's sadness ebbed away and fury bubbled in her as he continued to gaze at her as calmly as though they were just meeting during a diplomatic mission, and were no more than two dragons from different tribes under a brief truce. 'You,' she hissed. He took a step back, startled at her sudden rage. 'Come with me.' She dragged him behind a wide pillar which would easily conceal them from prying eyes. 

'Splash -' he began uncertainly, fidgeting with the emerald ring he was wearing, A present from her. The sight of it made her furious all over again. 'Stop treating me like I mean nothing to you!' Splash cried. Her tone was soft but angry. 'The past week, you've been acting as though I don't exist! Why can't you see, Nightfall? I love you! I felt like I was stabbed every time you ignored me, turned your back and spoke harshly to me!'

 Nightfall took a deep breath, his cold facade melting. His eyes shone with sadness and he opened his mouth to speak. 'I can explain, Splash -' he started again, but she was quicker. 'If you want it to end, then fine. If you don't need me anymore, that's okay. I'm fed up, Nightfall. I'm not a piece of jewelry to be discarded after a single use. But I wish it didn't come to this.' 

'Please listen,' he begged. She stopped in her rant and leaned against the pillar, her eyes hardening and her expression closed-off and cold. 'I didn't want to argue, I didn't want a fight. But Prudence was becoming suspicious, and she's threatening that if I keep talking to you, I'd be replaced by my sister, Foeslayer. I don't want to. It's not that I care about the job - it's that I'll never see you again. I'm sorry, Splash. Can you forgive me? No matter what you say or do, I still love you.'

Splash looked disconcerted for a minute. Then tears filled her eyes. Dragons did not cry easily, and she'd never shed a tear in her whole life, even when her older sister and best friend Stream was killed while fighting her mother for the throne. But now she sobbed openly. Nightfall enveloped her in his wings and she leant against him.

'Nightfall, I didn't mean anything I said earlier,' she whispered, as he gently wiped away her tears. She listened to his steady heartbeat and let possibilities wash over her. He was hers, and hers alone. No matter what, they would stay together. Always. 'I need you.'

'Our daughter needs you.'