"Why would he do that? He just threw himself at me. He killed himself! Did he want to die?"
Peril was pacing in a corner of Hare's room. Hare was lying on her bed, curled in a miserable ball.
"Queen Scarlet is angry," Peril went on. "I failed her today. I should've done something."
"What could you have done?" Hare pointed out.
"I could've pushed him off or something."
"It still would've had the same effect." Hare buried her nose deeper into her bed.
"The fights tomorrow have to be interesting," Peril said, flicking her tail and nearly setting Hare's rug on fire. "Her Majesty will be furious if they're not."
Prince Copper suddenly poked his head into the room. He looked at Peril and gave her a small nod. "Hey Peril. Do you mind if I talk to Hare for a minute?"
Peril stopped pacing and nodded. "Yeah, of course." She looked out the window. "I'll just go talk to the MudWing again."
"Clay?" Hare instantly sat up. She hadn't gone to see any of her friends yet. She felt horrible for it. "I'll come with you."
Copper's wings drooped in disappointment. "I was hoping to talk to you alone."
"You can come, too," Hare offered.
"Well then we wouldn't really be alone, would we?" Copper pointed out, looking at Peril.
"I'll keep my distance," Peril suggested. "I'll have to anyway. I won't eavesdrop."
"That's not what I mean." Copper shook his head.
"Alright." Hare hopped down from her bed. "I want to go check on Hvitur. You can talk to me on the way."
Copper sighed. "Beggars can't be choosers."
"I'll see you later?" Hare turned to look at Peril.
The copper SkyWing nodded. "Yeah, I'll see you later."
Peril bounded onto Hare's window and flew out. Hare turned back to the prince and signaled for him to follow her. "Come on."
Hare walked out of her room and into the hallway. Copper followed close behind her. Hare walked down the hall and toward the healers' cavern.
"Are you alright?" Copper asked.
"I will be," Hare replied, not looking at him.
"But are you okay right now?" Copper pressed. "You seemed really shaken up after the arena fight."
"Who wouldn't be?" Hare said. "I'll get used to it," she added. "I have to."
"I find it hard to believe any dragon could truly get used to that," Copper said, shaking his head. "I've been watching the fights since I was old enough to walk, and they still horrify me every time."
"Well surely some dragons have to get used to it," Hare pointed out. "You saw all the dragons in the crowd. If they can watch it and be unfazed, then surely I can too."
"Those dragons are sick," Copper spat. "Do you really want to be like them?"
The prince went on as Hare hesitated. "Those dragons are horrible. These fights are their source of entertainment. They enjoy horribly bloody scenes. It's cruel and awful. If you don't feel sick to your stomach when you watch a dragon die, or don't feel anything at all, then you're heartless. Cruel and horribly heartless."
Hare was silent for a moment before she responded. "You're right," she said quietly. "I don't want to be like that."
"Good." Prince Copper nodded approvingly. "I'm glad you're not as similar to your mother as I feared."
Hare bristled at his comment and turned her head to glare at him. "What's that supposed to mean?" she hissed.
Copper met her gaze calmly. "Everyone knows how Burn is a bloodthirsty dragon," he said. "It's no secret. She loves war, she loves battle. Anything that involves blood or death, or both, she loves it."
Hare bared her teeth in a snarl, though she couldn't fight back the panic that was beginning to bubble inside her. Was her mother really that bad? Would she end up being the kind of dragon Hare hated? Would she regret meeting her?
"She can't be all that bad," Hare snapped at Copper. "You talk like she has no good qualities at all."
"I never said she didn't have good qualities," Copper told her. "Every dragon has good qualities. Burn's a strong fighter, and she's a good ally. She must have some other redeeming qualities that made my mother decide to fight with her."
The look in Copper's eyes told Hare that he was thinking the same thing she was. Queen Scarlet was cruel and the things she did were sickening. It wouldn't take a lot for her to ally with someone else who was battle hungry.
Maybe my mother is horrible.
"Let's just focus on going to see Hvitur," Hare murmured, looking away from Copper. The SkyWing nodded and said no more, to Hare's relief.
They continued in silence. When they approached the healers' cavern, Hare hurried inside. She was aware of Copper picking up his pace a little behind her. The healers inside looked up as Hare and their prince entered. One of them bowed and greeted them.
"Prince Copper, Hare. It's a pleasure to see you."
"Greetings Cloud," Copper said, dipping his head a little. Hare squinted her eyes a little to get a better look at the SkyWing. Her scales were a light orange, only a little darker than the scales of a dragon she knew.
"Do you know Alder?" she blurted.
Cloud suddenly froze, looking extremely uncomfortable. "Yes," she admitted after a moment. "My sister, Fire, is his mother."
Hare tilted her head. "You almost look exactly like him."
"I wouldn't look too much into it," Cloud said, flicking her tail dismissively. "It's probably just because we're related."
Another healer stepped forward. Hare recognized him, this was the dragon who'd taken care of her when she spent a few days in the healers' cavern.
"I wasn't expecting to see you back so soon," the healer joked, looking at Hare. "Have you earned yourself another injury already?"
"Not yet, Juniper," Hare replied, unable to hide her smile. "I'm here to see Hvitur."
Juniper's face displayed pure disgust only for a moment, but long enough for Hare to catch it.
"Of course." Juniper flicked his tail. "Follow me."
The red SkyWing led them down a hall that turned at the very end and led into a little cave. An IceWing was chained up inside. He had a decent bed to lay on, and his eyes were closed. His sides rose and fell slowly as he slept. He laid on his side, exposing his wound. Hare couldn't help but pull away and shudder when she saw it. Four horribly long and deep slash marks ran along his belly. Dried blue blood was stuck to the edges and some was left where his blood had dripped.
How could I have done such a thing?
Copper, who was standing beside her, stared with a sad look in his eyes. "Poor dragon," he murmured.
Hare felt so ashamed that she had to step away from him a little. Copper noticed this and looked over at her. He opened his mouth to say something, she assumed it was to ask if she was alright. She quickly spoke before he could. "Can I have a moment alone with him?"
Copper blinked, then nodded. "Of course. I'll wait for you out there."
Juniper nodded, too, then led Copper away. Hare waited until she heard them enter the main part of the cavern. She walked into the small cave that her guardian was laying in. She hesitated for a moment, then gently shook him. The IceWing grunted, then opened his eyes a little.
"Hi," Hare said quietly when he looked up at her.
"You," he hissed.
"I'm sorry," Hare said quickly. "I know that doesn't fix anything, but I really am. I never meant to hurt you this bad. I'm so sorry Hvitur."
Hvitur snarled. "Do you expect my forgiveness?" he spat.
"Of course not," Hare replied.
Hvitur snorted. "Then why bother?"
"I- I just wanted you to know," Hare told him, lowering her voice a little.
"So you could make yourself feel better?" Hvitur hissed.
A whole new rush of shame and guilt washed over her. "No!" Hare cried. "I did it-"
"Both you and your mother have tried to kill me," Hvitur interrupted. "Are you really so desperate to finish the job she couldn't?"
"I didn't want to kill you," Hare protested. "I was just trying to defend myself."
Hvitur snorted again, then closed his eyes. "I hope your future dragonets don't try to kill me too."
Hare forced herself not to show her amusement. "It's too early to be thinking about that."
Hvitur didn't respond. Hare lingered for a moment longer, then turned to leave. "I wish you well, Hvitur. I hope you recover soon."
The IceWing ignored her. Hare left the cavern and headed back down the hallway. Copper was waiting for her, just like he'd said he would. He dipped his head in greeting when he saw her.
Hare walked over to him. "How's he doing?" Copper asked.
"He's been in better condition," Hare replied, looking over her shoulder at the hall.
"I can't even begin to imagine what happened to him," Copper said, shaking his head a little.
I happened.
Hare quickly pushed the thought away. "I'm going to go see my friends," she told Copper.
Copper nodded as they began to walk out the healers' cavern. "Alright, I'm going to go back to my room."
"Okay," Hare said. "I'll see you tomorrow?"
Copper smiled and flicked his tail against her side. "Of course."
Hare smiled back. "Great."
The night air was chilly as Hare flew out to see the prisoners. She tried to remember where she'd seen Starflight among the hundreds of prisoners. It seemed impossible to find anyone specific out here. So many similar scale colors, so many miserable faces. Hare felt horrible for all of them. How could her mother have allied with a dragon as cruel as Scarlet?
Hare remembered the conversation she'd had with Copper earlier. It felt terrible to admit it, but her mother and Queen Scarlet shared the same lust for blood. There was no denying it, no matter how bad Hare wanted her mother to be sweet and kind like all the mothers in the stories she'd read.
As Hare flew over the prisoners, searching for her friends, a voice called to her. "Wait!"
Hare stopped and turned to look at the dragon who'd called to her. A pale blue IceWing with a scar running down his neck was staring at her, his eyes wide. Hare flew back over to him and landed to stand beside where he lay.
"What is it?" she asked, confused.
The dragon just stared at her for a minute. "Are you Burn's daughter?" he finally asked.
"Yes," Hare replied, tilting her head. Why did this dragon seem so interested in her? He wasn't anyone she recognized.
"I've heard so much about you." Hare almost thought she could see awe in his gaze. Unless... Was that affection? Suddenly feeling nervous and a little uncomfortable, she shifted backwards a little.
"Word spreads quickly," the dragon went on. "Especially up here, when there's nothing better to do except occasionally yell gossip to one another." He blinked at her, a small smile spreading across his face. "I bet your mother will be very proud of you when she meets you. Has anyone contacted her yet?"
"Scarlet had someone send her a message this morning," Hare said, avoiding his eyes.
The dragon nodded. "Good. The sooner you meet her, the better."
"I should go," Hare said quickly. "I still have dragons to visit."
"Right, of course." He flicked his chained wing. "Go ahead."
Hare didn't wait another moment before leaping back into the sky and restarting her search for her friends, trying to shake off the weird interaction she'd just had.
Why was he so interested in me? And why did he look at me like that? Am I overthinking it? Was it nothing?
Hare forced herself to stop thinking about it and scanned the prisons for her friends. A lump of dark blue scales caught her attention. Hare swooped down to get a better look. She squealed with delight when she saw who it was.
"Tsunami!"
The SeaWing looked up as Hare landed beside her. Her eyes lit up and a smile spread across her face. "Hare! You're okay!"
"Of course I am," Hare said, sitting beside her friend. She moved close, enjoying the feeling of being pressed against one of the dragons she'd grown up with again. "Didn't you see me earlier?"
Tsunami looked away uncomfortably. "I was trying to forget about that."
"I'm sorry," Hare said, curling her tail around Tsunami's. "I've been trying to, too, but I don't think I'll ever be able to."
"That dragon was terrible," Tsunami snarled, digging her claws into her rocky sky prison. Hare realized that she was talking about Peril before she continued. "What kind of monster is she?"
"Peril's not a monster," Hare said defensively. "She's my friend."
Tsunami snorted and laid her head on her talons. "Until she kills you," she mumbled.
"She wouldn't!" Hare cried.
"She killed that SandWing without a second thought."
"Horizon killed himself!"
"So he wouldn't have to go through the slow and painful death she had planned for him," Tsunami snapped. "You saw the way she was toying with him. She's cruel and dangerous. Do you think her name is Peril for no reason?"
"Peril's only dangerous in the arena," Hare said.
"Right," Tsunami scoffed. "A dragon with fire in her scales is only dangerous in the arena. She's not a walking fire hazard or anything."
"Stop being mean," Hare snapped. "Peril's really nice, and she's my friend. She treats me well, and she welcomed me warmly."
"Because you're Burn's daughter," Tsunami pointed out. "You wouldn't be getting treated so special if you weren't the daughter of someone so important in this kingdom. If it wasn't for your kin, you'd be just like the rest of us."
"You think I don't know that?" Hare hissed.
Tsunami huffed and looked away. The two sat in silence for an uncomfortable amount of time. Finally, Hare got up. "I should go. I still have to see the others."
Tsunami didn't say anything as Hare launched into the sky and flew away. I can't be mad at her. Living like this must be worse than I can imagine. It's no wonder she's cranky.
Hare flew until she saw what looked like a dark hole in the center of one of the prisons. She eagerly flew down and landed on the rock. "Hi Starflight."
The NightWing looked up, clearly startled. Hare couldn't help but notice how crooked his glasses looked and how miserable he seemed. Hare reached out and adjusted his glasses for him. He must not have paid much mind to them, being up here must be far too scary and distracting to pay attention to a little thing like where your glasses rest on your face.
"I didn't think you'd come to see us," Starflight admitted.
"You think I'd just ignore you all?" Hare said.
"That's what it seemed like you were doing for the past few days."
Hare curled her tail over her talons and let out a small breath. "I was in the healers' cavern," she explained. "I was recovering from my injuries, and then P- my friend showed me around the palace."
Hare stopped herself before she could say Peril's name. She didn't want to get into another argument like the one she'd had with Tsunami. She just hoped Starflight had seen her with Copper earlier and assumed she meant him, or that he assumed it was some other dragon he hadn't seen before.
This kingdom is filled with SkyWings, it could've been anyone. Surely he can't know who I'm talking about.
To her relief, Starflight didn't ask any questions about it. "Have you seen Sunny?" he asked.
Hare shook her head shamefully. "I haven't had the time to look for her."
"Could you do that, when you get the chance?" Starflight said. "I know everyone is alright, except for her."
"I'll look as soon as the sun rises," Hare promised. "It'll be easier for me to see, and no one will ask why I'm wandering around if the sun is up," she added as she saw the look on Starflight's face.
"Alright." Starflight looked up at the sky. The three moons were shining high above them. "You should go see Clay soon. I don't want to keep you up for too long, and I don't want to get you into trouble."
Hare couldn't suppress her snort. "No one will dare challenge me," she said with a mock bratty tone. "I'm Burn's daughter, remember?"
Starflight smiled and flicked her side with his tail. "Don't let all the special treatment get to your head." He gently nudged her with one of his clamped wings. "Now shoo, I want you to be well rested tomorrow."
"I will be!" Hare said as she took off again.
It didn't take her long to find the final dragon she meant to visit. Clay's sides were rising and falling slowly when she landed beside him. She considered leaving for a moment, but she couldn't rest until she knew all of her friends were alright out here. Hare lightly poked Clay in the side. Her friend began to stir and looked up at her. A sleepy smile spread across his face. "Hare!"
Hare smiled. "Hi Clay, how are you doing?"
"As good as I can for someone in my situation," Clay replied, stretching a little. "What about you? Has everything been okay?"
"It's been wonderful," Hare said. "Though I can't say I'm too happy about it. I wish you guys were there."
"Don't worry about us," Clay said, brushing his wing against Hare's. "We'll be alright." Hare was about to say something, but Clay spoke before she did. "Who were those dragons with you and the queen earlier? She never introduced them."
"The dark red dragon was Princess Ruby," Hare explained. "I'm pretty sure she's Queen Scarlet's only heir." Hare stopped herself from adding what Copper had told her, about how the queen had killed all her other heirs and her mother. "The bright red dragon was Prince Vermillion. He's Scarlet's eldest son. Then the rust-colored one that I sat by was Prince Copper, the youngest."
"You two seem to get along well," Clay commented.
"We do," Hare said, then added proudly, "He's my friend."
"Friends with a prince, huh?" Clay said, nudging her playfully with his snout. "I bet you never expected that to happen."
Hare laughed a little. "Well, we never expected to be here either." She shrugged and looked up at the sky. "I guess the universe just has different things in store for us."
Clay looked up, too. "I just hope we'll be able to face it."
"Me too."