For Peace

Largest Egg on Mountain High

Hvitur clutched the egg to his chest.

Sneaking into the hatchery had gone smoother than he thought it would. The guards had been in a heated argument, so they hadn't paid much attention to him as he snuck inside.

He was nearly to the mountain that had the cave when he heard wingbeats behind him.

No, no, no, I didn't want to have to fight anyone- I'm going to get caught-

Two Sandwings roughly grabbed his wings and he yelled out in panic. They dragged him over to an enormous, battle-scarred Sandwing that he recognized as Burn.

Don't panic. You can freeze them before they have time to react.

"Bind his mouth," Burn said before he had time to gather his frostbreath.

The soldiers threw a burning chain around his mouth. Bright spots burst in front of his eyes and he screamed, or tried to.

What can I do now? he thought through his pain.

"Too late," Burn said, smiling cruelly. "You won't be using your freezing-death breath on us, ice dragon."

But my claws still work. I wonder if I could make it fast enough to protect the egg. He tried to inconspicuously make sure the egg was alright, but one of the soldiers noticed.

"He was carrying this, Queen Burn," he said, handing it to her.

No. Hvitur growled softly. Please, no.

"This is not an Icewing egg," Burn hissed. "You stole this from the Skywing palace."

She knows. She knows.

I have to get away. I have to save the dragonet.

"You thought you got away unnoticed, didn't you? My Skywing ally is not a fool. Queen Scarlet knows everything that happens in her kingdom. Her lookouts reported an Icewing thief sneaking away, and I decided finding you might add some violence to my boring visit."

I knew I should have been more careful. Asha is going to be so, so mad at me.

"Yes, this is a Skywing egg about to hatch." She lifted the egg, studying it closely, and dread began to creep up Hvitur's claws.

"Why would my sister send you to steal a Skywing dragonet? Blaze hates any dragon younger and prettier than she is."

She paused, and Hvitur was sinking down, down, into an abyss. She was going to figure it out.

He was going to die.

"Unless... the brightest night is tomorrow..."

He tried to keep any reaction out of his eyes.

"You're not in Blaze's army, are you? You're one of those insipid underground peacemongers."

"The Talons of Peace?" one of the soldiers asked incredulously. "You mean they're real?"

"A few worms crying over a little blood. Unwrap his chains. He won't be able to freeze us until his scales cool down." She reached forward and removed the chains from his snout, relieving the pain just a bit. 

"Tell me, ice dragon, do you really believe in that pompous old Nightwing's prophecy?"

A tiny part of him wanted to laugh at the fact that even Burn thought Morrowseer was pompous, but it was quickly drowned out by anger at her words.

"Haven't enough dragons died for your war?" he growled. Pain shot from his jaws and he flinched, just a little, before continuing. "All of Pyrrhia has suffered for the last twelve years. The prophecy says-"

"I don't care. No prophecy decides what happens to me," she said before she could finish. "I'm not letting a bunch of words or baby dragons choose when I die or what I bow to. We can have peace when my sisters are dead and I am queen of the Sandwings."

Of course the prophecy decides. It's fate.

"The dragonets are coming, whether you like it or not, and they'll choose who the next Sandwing queen should be," he said, glaring up at her.

"Really?" She smiled cruelly, and his heart sunk again. "So, Icewing. Is this egg a part of your pathetic prophecy?"

No. 

Not the egg.

She wouldn't.

"Hello?" she called, tapping on the egg. "Is there a dragonet of destiny in there? Ready to come out and end this big bad war?"

"Leave it alone," he said, his voice breaking, panic peeking through the anger.

"Tell me," she said, her dark eyes gleaming, "what becomes of your precious prophecy... if one of the five dragonets is never hatched at all?"

"You wouldn't," he said desperately. "No one would harm a dragon egg."

Please. Even you, the most murderous dragon in Pyrrhia, must have enough empathy to spare a baby.

"No 'wings of sky' to save the world. What a sad, sad story." She tossed the egg from one talon to the other.

Great ice spirits, help me, help me save it-

"I guess that means you should be very, very careful with this terribly important little- oops!"

She theatrically tripped forward, letting the egg slip out of her talons and over the cliff edge. His heart fell with it.

"No!" he tried to leap after the egg. My kid. That's my kid. I can't let it just die like this-

But strong talons clamped down on his back, and he was stopped short.

"So much for destiny," Burn said smugly. "So much for your tragic little movement."

"You're a monster," he gasped, tears streaming down his face. "We'll never give up. The dragonets- the dragonets will come and stop this war." 

The prophecy must go on. The others- they'll find another egg.

This assurance didn't make a dent in the torrent of grief washing over him.

She killed the dragonet without a second thought.

"Even if they do," Burn hissed into his ear, sending a shiver down his spine, "it'll be far too late for you."

And suddenly pain shot through his wings, and blue blood spattered on the ground. He screamed in pain.

I am going to die, and I'll never get to tell Asha how I feel about her.

I'm an idiot.

Suddenly there was a piercing burn in the back of his head, and he roared out again.

Sandwing venom. There's nothing I can do now.

Suddenly he was falling, falling, spiraling towards the darkness and the body of the little one he had lost.

I hope Asha will be okay without me. I hope the others will be able to get a Skywing for the prophecy safely.

Even without me, the prophecy will go on. This war will end, and dragons will be happy again.

I just won't be here to see it.

And then the bright moons and the clouded rain and the jagged rocks faded out of view, and Hvitur was thankful he would not have to feel the crushing rocks on the bottom.

And then the venom took over, and the world faded away.