Timeline: a Wings of Fire fanfiction (COMPLETED)

16.

Clearsight

The wedding rehearsal isn't as bad as I thought it would be. Maybe it's less stressful without the full audience, only Whiteout, Foeslayer, a couple caterers and wedding planner dragons we hired, and my parents in the background. We actually had to leak a false date to the dragons at the palace so a whole throng wouldn't come.

It was actually Darkstalker's idea. I can't believe he passed up the chance to garner public attention, to be honest.

But... he's not the dragon he used to be.

Is that still the dragon you want to marry? This broken, mess of a dragon?

I glance down at the ring on my talon, adjusting the pearls my mother insisted on wrapping around me in some kind of anxious tirade.

"Now, I really think you should--" she starts.

I rub my forehead. "Mother, please. Just... give me a moment without you criticizing my choice in tablecloths, all right?"

"It's not the tablecloths, those are fine. It's the seats," she fusses. Darkstalker's mother shoots her a bemused look. "They're too cramped, you see? Dragons will be knocking into each other--"

I take a deep breath, resisting the urge to bite someone's head off. I have so much work to do, as soon as I get home--great kingdoms--

"They're perfect. I saw it in a vision," Darkstalker says confidently, wrapping a wing around me. "Isn't that right, darling?"

"Oh!" I silently bless every scale on Darkstalker's body. "Yep! Absolutely!"

Mother raises her eyebrows suspiciously.

***

"Mom?"

I fiddled with my talons. Three years old. Now, it seems, honestly, a little silly, how worried I was back then. But back then, it felt like the hugest deal in the world to me.

"Yes, sweetie?" Mother frowned, chopping up a carrot and dumping it into a pot, only half paying attention to me.

"I..." I bit my lip. "I have a boyfriend."

"Aw, you have a crush! What's his name?"

"No," I said slowly. "I mean I have a boyfriend. An actual, serious boyfriend." I tapped my tail against the floor nervously. "His name is--Darkstalker."

"Surely, you don't mean--the son of--"

"That one. The mind-reader."

"Isn't he, six or something?"

"He's only four," I said, offended on Darkstalker's behalf.

"Oh, you're so young..."

"I'm not stupid. You don't need to talk like that, you know."

She sighed. "I wish you weren't always rushing into things, Clearsight. Please be careful... can't you just be friends? You were practically an egg yesterday--"

Anger bubbled in my stomach. My talons were clenched so tight it hurt, but I barely noticed that part until afterward.

"I've seen--"

"You're just a kid, darling. Please... listen to me... just... take it slowly...:"

I closed my eyes, rubbing my forehead.

"I'm not having this conversation anymore."

"Clearsight."

"I'll be back by dinner. I'm going to the library."