Conquest : A Wings of Fire Fanfiction

2. Reunions

Sandstorm dragged her trunk into her cave and sighed with relief, collapsing on her pile of blankets. 

Nearby was a rock shelf with a mattress of woven seaweed that stayed magically moist and didn't give off any smell - it was animus-enchanted. All of the SeaWings' sleeping spots were enchanted like that. 

She sighed again, giving the empty space a once-over. 

Maelstrom wasn't there yet. 

Obviously. 

What did you expect? she asked herself. You know royalty, they're always as fashionably late as they can be and more. She browsed through the scrolls in the scroll-rack by the golden light of the lamp by her sleeping spot and the blue-green one by Maelstrom's sleeping spot. 

Sandstorm liked reading - correction, she loved reading. 

It was a peaceful activity - and it made her forget her own troubles as she dived into worlds of warrior princesses and lost heroes and warrior princesses who saved lost heroes (and then helped the not-so-lost heroes get lost again so the whole cycle repeated). 

She sighed in disappointment - she'd read all the scrolls there already. 

Giving up on finding entertainment in the cave, she wandered out and back to the Great Hall. Other dragonets were arriving. Sandstorm recognised a SkyWing from her Winglet - the Emerald Winglet - Falcon. 

His dark red scales rippled as he uncertainly looked around, a strangely lost-looking figure without his best friend, Prince Cliff of the SkyWings (again, royalty's late trait). 

Sandstorm didn't go over to say hi. She wasn't one to voluntarily start up conversations with dragons. Sadly, Falcon saw her and his yellow eyes lit up. She tried to backpedal and leave the Hall, but she wasn't quick enough. 

Falcon reached her, grinning widely. 

'Hey, Sandstorm! You're here early.' She nodded, resigned to the conversation. 'You know Moon, she can't stand being late.' Falcon curiously looked over her shoulder. 'Hey, isn't that your little sister?' he asked. 

Sandstorm whirled around. 

Sure enough, Secretwish was nervously looking around, sticking close to Cougar, who was chatting away with the pretty SandWing she'd seen earlier. 'Yeah, she is,' confirmed Sandstorm. 'She just started - she's in the Quartz Winglet.' 

Falcon smiled at Secretwish, and then blinked at the entrance, where a loud commotion ensued.

 'Hey, what's happening?' They both flew across the Great Hall and landed lightly at the entrance, where a familiar voice was saying loudly, 'How many times do I tell you, Mother?! I don't need a bodyguard!' 

'Maelstrom!' cried Sandstorm. 

She pushed through the milling dragons and found herself face-to-face with the SeaWing royal family. 

Queen Tsunami was arguing with her youngest son with a lot of angry gestures and talon-waving, while King Riptide boredly watched the curious dragonets running around, not in the least bothered by the fight between his wife and his son. 

Tsunami's other son - Maelstrom's older brother Tiger - and Tsunami's daughter, Iris, were both talking animatedly with their respective friends. Maelstrom caught sight of her and grinned his famous mischievous grin. 

'Sandstorm!' 

Tsunami turned and Sandstorm apprehensively tried to melt in with the others, but Maelstrom lunged forward, seized her arm and dragged her in front of his mother. Well, he's the death wish I never wished for, thought Sandstorm, unconsciously cowering before Tsunami's furious gaze.