Featuring marital and familial drama, a forbidden relationship, and multiple assassination attempts, witness this insane satirical take on the Rain and Night Kingdoms around Glory's tenth year of ruling ;( Written entirely by Butterseer.
He was no longer drowning cozily in soft, sandy mud. Instead, he was in an air-conditioned hospital room.
"Wh..where are we?"
"The medicine hut, Clay," came a soft voice. Clay stiffened in surprise. Nobody had ever spoken to him in that kind of voice before, not even Peril. Peril was physically unable to speak lovingly. So Clay was alarmed, and wondered if the speaker was talking to someone else with the same name.
But it was HIM. :flushed:
Glory put her strong Strangler's hand on Clay's muddy cheek. "I thought you were going to die," she hissed, glaring at him.
"Wh... I thought we were ALL going to die," he mumbled, feeling uncomfortable. He sat up and looked around. There were a few dying burn victims around him but otherwise they were alone. :^)
"I was rescued first, since I'm the queen and RainWings get first priority," answered Glory with a smile. She looked into Clay's eyes. "And after that, I asked for YOU to be rescued."
"What about Deathbringer?"
Glory sat down on the edge of Clay's bed, looking like she were about to share some heartfelt and sad information. Clay looked on with genuine friendly concern as Glory vented.
"Clay... I'm not sure if you've noticed, but Deathbringer and I have been having some problems lately," the RainWing queen began. She brushed some mud away from her ruff with a claw, looking uncomfortable. "For a few years now he's been getting more distant. The biggest problem is how I treat the NightWings as second-class citizens. What he doesn't understand is that it's what they are; it's what they have to be!" she exclaimed with great emotion, sad blue and angry red mixing into an ugly purple color along her sides.
"Glory..." Clay began quietly. He had never heard Glory be so genuine with him before, and her actions and words were beginning to terrify him.
Glory ignored him, desiring to vent even if Clay didn't currently have the emotional capacity to support her. "I can't rule over both tribes. It's too much work, and I still dislike NightWings for what they did to my tribe a generation ago. Twenty RainWing experiments by NightWing higher-ups are affecting my prejudice against an entire tribe. NightWings don't deserve to have a queen as long as they are living in my rainforest, and I don't want them to have power either. If they have power, they might get a taste for it again, and then they'll overthrow me! I don't want that to happen, and I can't even trust Deathbringer to protect me from his entire tribe anymore." She sighed deeply.
Clay felt a lump in his throat. "Glory, I didn't realize you were dealing with so much."
The RainWing looked away, perhaps so that Clay couldn't see the emotion on her face.
"My life is nothing but worries, Clay. Worries about my death, worries about my RainWings. I am fearful of my own children. Eighth Wonder might be completely insane, and Mongoose has already tried to kill me. Not even in a proper challenge, but with poison in the night." Her wings turned an angry scarlet. "Worst of all, I feel so awfully alone. I used to feel strong being alone, but now I realize I never was truly lonely. I had you and the other Dragonets. Now everyone has split up, and I was the first one to be cast out."
"We didn't cast you out," Clay corrected her. "You chose to take responsibility over several thousand dragons, not us."
Glory glared at him. "Stop making me feel worse. Do you look down on me too?"
"Of course not," he said, feeling uncomfortable.
Glory narrowed her green eyes. "Do you think I should divorce from Deathbringer?"
"Wh... why would you ask me something like that?"
Glory stood up menacingly. "I don't think you're with Peril, Clay. I don't think you love her."
"GLORYYY. What are you SAYING?"
Glory's entire body went red. "God, Clay. You're SO dense." She stalked away, switching her tail like a whip (flushed). A few moments later Clay heard her wingbeats as the queen flew away from the hospital hut.
"Geez Louise..." Clay let out a long breath. Sometimes dragons confused him, but Glory was just something else entirely. Ruled by emotion and rage, Glory seemed to demand that everyone easily deal with her attitude and rudeness. It annoyed him, but Glory was his friend. He had to deal with her, he told himself. She had been his friend for his entire life. Helping her out was the least he could do, right?
A pat on his side almost gave Clay a heart attack.
"WHAT THE... Banana?"
"Yes, it's me," said the Glorybringer child. He had been stuck to Clay the entire time. Uncurling, the hybrid stretched and yawned.
"I'm sorry Mom's giving you such a hard time. I don't know why she is so intent on you listening to her," he said. Banana resembled a RainWing most, but his tail was uncurled and his coloring was like a banana that had turned dark brown. His yawn revealed NightWing teeth; no venomous fangs whatsoever.
"That's fine," Clay said with a friendly smile. "Glory is one of my best friends, after all."
Banana frowned, sniffing loudly. "I don't think they ever put out the fire, by the way."
Clay was like:
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