Wings Of Fire X Reader

Scarlet X SkyWing Reader (Pt. 2)

~years later~

It was unorthodox at first. A SkyWing king, someone right by Queen Scarlet's side that would have to be treated with the same respect she was... it was definitely surprising to most of the SkyWings. Some hated it. Some loved it. Most were indifferent, as long as nothing changed. For the most part, nothing did. Not for the SkyWings, anyway.
Scarlet was... fierce, to say the least. She almost never had time, or wasn't in the mood for romance. Sometimes, the two of you had moments. Sweet moments, where the demeanor of 'Queen Scarlet' finally got to crack, and someone different was shown. Just Scarlet. But those moments were rare, and became even more so over the years. Her work had only seemed to pile with news of the Dragonets of Destiny, and she was gone more often, leaving you to run things around the Sky Kingdom. You'd made a reputation for yourself quickly, and Scarlet liked that. "I see my king is well received by my people." She'd said one day. She finally had time for just the two of you, and this is what she decided to talk about. "That's good, it means you're going to be in stories of history, right alongside me."

Scarlet seemed ready to leave, but you couldn't help it. Something on your mind had to be said. "Is that really how you see it? Me by your side?" You questioned. She stopped and narrowed her eyes, almost like a warning, but you didn't want to stop. "Because it seems like it's just you, and I'm some kind of honorable menti-"
Before you knew it, you were pinned to the ground, with Scarlet on top of you. "Mind your tongue, Sparrow. I brought you on that day for a reason, do you think I'd just take any other SkyWing as my king? Do you really believe anyone else is fit to be the mate of the great and honorable Scarlet?" She hissed out. It only made you more frustrated, enough to force her off and lock claws with her.
"That's just it. It's only about you, Scarlet. It's about not your mate. It's about your king. You care about nothing but yourself." You could feel the two of you shuffling across the floor, but you were too focused about the argument to care. "You expect me to sit here and deal with that because there was a day I was infatuated with you. I won't. I'm either your mate or I'm nothing to you." You stated firmly. Her grip on your claws seemed to loosen, expression softening, and you let your guard down too.
Then she hissed, holding one of her sharp talons over your eye. "Where did you learn to be so bold?" She growled, dragging the talon across your scales. But she stopped when she reached your eye, and sighed, stepping back. "I told you I was looking for someone to help me run this kingdom. I don't want someone to have to care about, and you're no exception." For a second, Scarlet's voice seemed to waver when she'd said the last part, but her demeanor said otherwise. Maybe it was just your imagination. "Besides. Being a well-liked king only means they'll care about you more than me. And we can't have that. So... you can't be my king." She said, in a rather dismissive tone. "I should've known this wouldn't have worked."
"So that's it. You never wanted a mate, just a king. And now I really am nothing to you, hm? Fine, I suppose it's going to be that way." You sighed, walking out of the room. "I cared, Your Majesty." You hissed the last part before leaving.
She didn't follow.

After that, you were just a soldier once more. A couple more years passed, years of constant reminders of Scarlet and her rule, before the Dragonets of Destiny came and wreaked havoc. You had no idea what had happened, but it was at night, when the chaos ensued. NightWings, SandWings, and Dragonets coming and going. What was left was a disheveled kingdom, a panicked population, and a missing queen. You didn't want to, you tried so hard not to worry... but you couldn't help it. You had to chase after Scarlet, make sure she was okay. You checked the throne room first, there was nothing. You checked every place she might've been. The arena, the dining hall, Peril's cave. Nothing. Eventually, you started asking the other SkyWings for anything, any direction to your search. Finally, after narrowing down which way she'd gone, you shot off into the sky after her. You could hear her roars of fury before you even saw her. Something sounded... off. She actually seemed worried. Threatened. Scared.
You landed in front of Scarlet, and could immediately tell what was wrong. Half of her face was melted, the scales seeming to get burned... by some inky black substance on them. "Scarlet? What happened to you?"

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" She roared out, jumping back and lashing her tail. "I only look this way because of the RainWing... SHE did this to me!" Her fury couldn't be quelled, she clawed at trees, smashed her tail into the dirt, anything. You were hesitant to even try anything, because she was just too blinded by her rage. "Scarlet, please. You need to stop and think things through. Your kingdom's in disarray, the SkyWings are terrified. You can-"
"NO! You don't understand. The RainWing did this to me, in front of a packed arena. She made a show out of me, she made me vulnerable. They escaped from my grasp. Do you get it, you insufferable dragon?" She seemed to be calming down, at least she wasn't trying to destroy everything anymore. "My face, my scales, my reputation.... it's all ruined because of those dragonets. They wounded me. I can't simply go back. I have to go into exile, leave and wait for the right moment to-"
"SCARLET!" You roared. It stunned her into silence, and admittedly yourself. But you couldn't just stop now. "You are wounded. You're hurt. You know who else is? Your people. The SkyWings that loyally follow you and are devoted to you. They think their queen is dead. And you're saying you don't even want to go back there because a RainWing wounded you in front of them? Isn't running away the worst thing you can do?" You pointed out.

Scarlet couldn't seem to form words, so you continued. "I heard the news and tried to find you as soon as I could. And I do, and you speak of running away. Going into exile."
"They hated me, Sparrow." Scarlet said suddenly. "My people. My guards. Everyone who worked for me, who served me. They hated me. They'll use this as an excuse to turn on me, to leave me behind for their own desires. I am not their queen, and as long as they hated me, I never was. They'll forget about me soon enough." She said, finally calming down. Her breaths were shallow, and her almost perfect demeanor finally seemed to crack.
A tear fell onto the ground, and it wasn't yours.

You couldn't find words for a moment, so all you did was walk forward and stop right in front of Scarlet. She glanced up at you, before blinking away the tears, huffing lightly. "How the mighty queen has fallen..." She murmured.
Your talons fell over hers. "I didn't hate you. Nor did I want to forget you. Even after what happened, those years ago." You admitted. Scarlet seemed shocked, but you continued. "Sure, I saw you as Queen Scarlet, but I never really forgot you, either. Just Scarlet. My mate. I know you never saw me the same. And-"
"And nothing, Sparrow. You were right." She said suddenly. You blinked a few times, never expecting to hear those words in your life. "H-Huh?"

"You were right. Back then, you'd said that either you were my mate or nothing to me." Scarlet continued, looking down at the ground. But her claw reached up onto your cheek, and her eyes met yours. For a while, you couldn't see anything wrong with it. "I regret trying to make you nothing to me. You weren't. You were something and I wasn't ready to admit that. 'Queen Scarlet' wasn't." She confessed. "I'm terribly sorry it's taken me this long to realize. But you've come for me. Even after I told you you were nothing. I see it now. Sparrow, I want to be your mate. I want to be yours. If... you'll have me, that is."
You smiled a little bit, placing your claw over hers. "Of course I will, Scarlet. I always would've. If you want to go into exile, we can go together." You said. Scarlet seemed apprehensive about it. "Are you sure?"
You nodded.

"I'd follow you anywhere you went, your majesty."