Wings of Fire 2: Toward the Horizon

Chapter 7

          Minnow, who was surrounded with books, glared at Athebea.
         "You're late!" She hissed. "Thanks to you there won't be enough time to explain everything. What's even worse is that I can't find that book-"
        "Why are there Skywings here?" interrupted Athebea. She was yelling now from fear. "I just saw one outside one the way here."
        Minnow looked at her with a worried look, and her eyes matched Athebea's terrified expression.
      "What do you mean?" She said almost with a laugh as if Athebea was telling a joke. "Skywings are not allowed here, because they're enemies of my kingdom. Are you sure you saw them?"
       "I can recognize them anywhere." Athebea clenched with smooth floor of the castle trying to keep her talons from shaking. It was all over now. The Skywings had found her despite being in a kingdom like this, and they were never going to leave her alone. She thought of Falcon, Vixen, Scarlet, and the many other Skywings, who would rejoice to see her die. Athebea stared at Minnow was pleading eyes praying that the princess would understand her.
      "Please get me out of here!" She cried. "I can't let them catch me I have to find Darkshadow and Peacock! I have to!" Unfortunately for Athebea, Minnow was at it again with her "ignore all people" attitude and seemed be in a deep thought about something. She glanced at Athebea and then glanced back at the ground as if wanting to say something but was unsure how to say it.
     "You're the Sunwing that Sandwing king and my mother's been talking about, are you?" She said. Athebea looked at her eyes wide with surprise at Minnow's statement. She knew all this time!?
     "N-no."
    "You can trust me! The Skywings are my enemies, and I won't tell my mother. I heard of your kind from the meetings, and you look similar to the descriptions besides the wings....-ANYWAY! I sort of pity you a bit."
     Athebea just stared at her full of disbelief.
    "We relate in a way. We're both trapped by the rules of others, and I really want to help you and your friends."
    "My friends..." Athebea repeated. "Can I see them?" Minnow glared at her and turned to the huge interior of the library in front of them.
    "Not now! It's late and our deal isn't up yet!"
    "I thought you wanted to help me?"
    "I am!" Then the princess shot up in the air and hovered to the side of one of the tall shelves. "I've already started my research about you and the rest of the Sunwings."
    "Oh?" 

     "Mmhmm, ever since my mother joined with the Sandwings, she's been talking nonstop about the Sunwings, the sun, sun this-sun-that, sun blah blah blah. It's honestly an obssession if you ask me." Minnow sighed and glanced down at her book, and she looked rather exhausted for some reason and even stressed, but that was quickly replaced with annoyance.
     "This started after the Sandwings arrived?" asked Athebea. Even though she had talked a lot with Storm, he hadn't said anything that had to do with her or her family. He was basically like any other dragon and as normal as can be.
     "Yes yes and I already said that. UUUUGGGH I don't have time for rants. We need to start our research and then get out of here." She then noticed the look of distress flash on Athebea' face.         "Oh! And release your friends. THEN WE LEAVE!"
    "We?" Repeated Athebea, but the princess was already flying around the tall pearl colored shelves looking through each of the books. Athebea followed. "What do you mean by-"
    "CATCH!" A book was hurled at Athebea face and, to her surprise, she caught it! She slowly landed to regain her balance and read it's title.
    Origin of the Sun
    "Leader of the Sandwings always talked about how the sun was a blessing to Pyrriah, our world" Said Minnow as she landed next to Athebea taking the book from her hand. "And believe or not the Sandwings have many copies of these. I was lucky to be able to sneak this past my mother and hide it in the library."
    Minnow then flipped over the cover to revealing the first page. Athebea read it over the princesses shoulder.
   "Why does the sun rise and set? Was it alway like that before? Did ever even exist in the beginnning? Together we will learn the truth behind this and learn that the sun was not just an object that has been around like the trees, the sky, and the sea, but a gift-"
    Minnow closed the book. Athebea looked at her stunned and even disappointed, but she was even suprised at herself. For a book hating dragon, this one book sparked a bit of interest in her, and that was a suprise in itself.
     "I heard it's been written by a Sandwing a long time ago." Said Minnow. "The name of the author is unknown, but the story itself is like a folktale or something."
    "Is it?" Asked Athebea. Her eyes were still on the book, but she was at full attention with Minnow's words.
     "Who knows, if I have to be honest, but my mom and the Sandwings believe it. That's why, when we leave, we should star-"
     "You're coming with me and my friends?" Athebea stared at the princess with disbelieve. "You know that's dangerous, and you are the-"
    "DONT SAY IT!" Minnow glared at Athebea wearing a look with no remorse about her words. "If you, who is, for some reason, the most talked about thing in all of Pyrriah, get to fly around without a care, then I can-!"
   "It's not going to be easy." Interrupted Athebea. "Have you forgotten that the Skywings are after me? They even have an assassin or something the drag me back to the little dungeon for who knows what. If you get caught, you'll probably be killed or tortured since you know about me."
   "PFFT!"
   "Eh?" Athebea looked at Minnow with disbelief. Did the princess just laugh?
   "It seems you forgotten something too." She said with a smirk. "I'm the princess of the Seawings! If they catch me, then they are basically asking for a war with the Sandwings and my kingdom, which would outnumber them."

   "But do you want a risk for a war?" Athebea asked, hoping that the princess would reconsider.    "Would you mother want that too?"
   The last thing Athebea needed was another kingdom bent on finding her, especially because of a stubborn princess. Even though the Seawing kingdom wanted to find her, they seemed to be more peace unlike Scarlet, but Athebea couldn't risk it.
   "It's fine!" answered Minnow, who was unfazed by the question. "I leave the kingdom often for little explorations of my own, and besides an opportunity to maybe be part of a huge event in history is hard to pass up. War or no war."
    Athebea just gaped at her. Minnow could be very bratty sometimes, but the fact that she didn't care about lives being lost because of a war that she caused was shocking. She was actually important and leaving her kingdom for a dangerous adventure was ridiculous!
   "We relate in a way. We're both trapped by the rules of others..."
    Athebea blinked at the sudden remembrance at what Minnow said to her earlier.

    Athebea was no different than her. She was just as selfish as her, because instead of just being another soldier for the Skywings and living under the rules of Scarlet, she ran away, causing rifts on the other kingdoms. Minnow wanted to continue her studies, even though they went beyond the boundaries that her mother set up. A crazy thought formed along with the others in Athebea's head. 

    Why should I care?

   Athebea gave Minnow a small nod, and the princess grinned with excitement.
  "I'm glad you understand!" Minnow said and then added, "I was going to leave whether you wanted to or not anyway."
  "Then why the heck did you ask?"
  "Because asking would have confirmed the fact that we would've gotten along to together. If you refused, I would still follow you along, but instead of being a companion, I would've been a burden. Still I wouldn't have cared either way."
   Athebea growled to herself knowing that she would have to deal with Minnow's bluntness for the rest of her life...if it took that long to find the Sunwings. A small tug in the wing freed her from her thoughts, and she suddenly realized that she was being led out of the library.
  "Minnow! What are you-"
  "Not so loud!" The princess hissed, and she released Athebea's wing. "The dungeon's close to here, and this might be our only chance successfully getting to our goal."
  "Dungeon! Why would we need to go there?" Athebea stopped abruptly and glared at Minnow. "You're not trying to trick me are you."
   Minnow returned Athebea's glare but with more hatred.
  "I didn't expect you lose hope on me that easily." She snorted. "I'm taking you to your friends."