Carmine Streaks

Chapter 8

In the moments that followed, Carmine tried to figure out what happened.

She had landed at Broken Berm, and then something had made her think about her choice again.

"Your mother looks down upon you. No matter how much you hate it, your blood ties you to her and to your power. This is the wrong call..."

She had looked at Wisp and had seen everything her mother didn't want her to be. But now, she was also in the wrong place, the lair of the lowest-born and most dangerous SkyWings of the whole Kingdom.

Her head told her to fly back to the palace, and forget about this forever.
Her heart told her to stay and stand by her friend.
And her gut told her that something bad was going to happen either way.

She wasn't a character in those adventure scrolls she used to read in her rare free time. Those characters would follow their heart and end up breaking it.

So she hadn't followed Wisp. She had stammered an excuse and had flown away from there as fast as her wings could carry her.

Carmine had hated it. Hated every second of that flight. She was scared. But not because she had risked her life by landing at Broken Berm, but because she hadn't been brave enough to stay, and be free.

The ties of her role overwrote the ones of her free will.

When she landed at the palace, she didn't talk to anyone. She didn't look at anyone. She didn't notice the parade of soldiers that had recently arrived there and that were swarming the courtyard.

She ran upstairs, through the corridors and halls of the palace, and then flew upwards, to her quarters.

With a decisive pull, she opened her door, her mind seeking the refuge of those familiar walls.

But her room wasn't empty.

A SkyWing turned around to look at her as she opened the door. His scales were vermillion, and his wings were pink with streaks on them that resembled her own.

He was wearing heavy, gold-looking armor, with a plume of red feathers crowing the helmet between his thin horns.

Carmine felt her heart miss a beat.

She walked inside the room, closed the door, and threw herself between the wings of her cousin, Prince Robin.

And there, she felt safe enough to start crying.

-/-

"Wait... so you flew away because?" Robin asked, sipping his chamomile as he tried to understand what was going on.

Carmine had spent the whole evening with Robin. They talked about his experience in the army, and then the SkyWing Princess told him everything: her friendship with Wisp, their afternoons together, how she had left him out of fear earlier that day.

Robin listened, intrigued but respectful. They had dined together, and her mother had shown her some mercy, excusing her from that evening's banquet.

Carmine shook her head, trying to find a suitable answer. "I was scared. But not because that place is objectively dangerous, but because I was scared about what would happen if Mother found out... I didn't have the power to be brave."

Robin looked at her, putting his teacup down. "It seems that every step forward you take, you take two backward," he said thoughtfully.

Carmine took her head in he talons and leaned on the table. "I don't know what to do. I thought I could finally be brave, brave enough to have my own power and make my own choices."

Robin pulled back the corners on his mouth to form a smile. "I've spent more than five months in the army. We're all brothers there, fighting wing by wing. If one of us betrays our trust, we will never look at him the same ever again."

He turned serious again, looking straight at me. "If you had done what you did this afternoon in the army, I don't think I would have forgiven you. And now, Wisp would have all the right to feel betrayed. He's risking more than you, and you don't seem to care at all."

Carmine wanted to say, "that's not true. You're making it up. I would never become that kind of dragon." But it wasn't true. And she knew it, unfortunately.

Her mind was already starting to elaborate and seek a path to untangle this mess.

But luckily Robin already knew how to aid her.

He put his talons on her shoulders, and she looked up at him.

"Go after him. It's rare to have any friends that would risk their lives for you. You saved him from Lance without even knowing. Now you must do it again, but knowing that he's Wisp. That's what friends should do." Robin said, looking at her with kind eyes.

She hugged him tightly. Joy was clouding her mind. This was why she loved her cousin. Her reasonable, calm, and not-at-all a warrior cousin.

He let go of her and opened the window.

They understood why this would be safer than passing by the Queen's feast. If she knew about this, she might even exile Robin for attempted treason.

"I'll cover for you," Robin said, as the wind buffeted his eyes, making him blink.

"Thank you... I've missed you, Robin," she said, with sincerity. Her wings were aching to take off, her heart taking control now.

The Prince smiled and nodded. "I've missed you too. Now go. And be careful, Carmine."

And with one last smile, the SkyWing heir flew through the window and towards the red-tainted twilight sky.