One of a Kind Dragon

Hail pattered down on the windows echoing through the castle making it sound like bullets ;however, Hope was not afraid as she scrambled to her destination

Her scales glistened in the moonlight as she flew down a hallway covered in tapestry and jewels, her claws clicking against the marble floor.

“Tonight is the night! I have to get there now!” she thought,

The guards made sure to move out of the way and bow as their queen flew past.

She slid to a stop to admire the doors of the hatchery, they were covered in a massive carving of an egg painted gold, with stars and galaxies around it.

On the top of the door was a saying made by Queen Benignus had created printed in gold “Peace is not to be kept, Peace can not be held, Peace is a privilege, not a right, Peace is earned by hope and kindness”

She slowly opened the doors carefully not to wake any dragonets. The

hatchery was covered in moss and flowers, rock ledges and trees. The walls were covered in gold and white. A bulb of soft light floated down towards her, the room reminded her of her childhood.

“Mommy! Mommy! Look at me!” she cried soaring down to her mother with

a flower cupped in her claws

“Now Hope, you must stop getting yourself so dirty, a future queen should

know better than to go digging up flowers like a gardener! That is the Midnight Alliances job! Those scum bag teachers must be teaching you something wrong! I knew I should’ve teach you myself! Go wash your hands immediately! I don't want to see that again!” her mother scolded

“Yes mommy…” Hope replied her head drooping

“And from now on you are not to call me mommy, or mom, or even mother!” she said her temper rising even more.

“Then what should I call you?” Hope asked tilting her head. Her mother bent down to look her straight in the eye.

“You are to call me Queen Peace”

Hope always hated her mother. She dismissed the memory.

In the middle of the room was a white marble statue of Hope holding a golden egg with a look on her face as if to say “Touch my egg and you will die a very painful death”

Her face softened as she watched the dragonets bonding around and playing as the caretakers ran around trying to catch up.

The adorable dragonets looked like they didn’t have a care in the world. They reminded her of her first dragonet, Animo.

Animo’s white scales glittered in the sunlight as she bounded around trying to catch a small gold dragonet laughing as Hope watched her.

Animo was amazing, and if Hope could have one wish in the whole world it wouldn’t be power (She already had that), world peace (Animo could have created that), or anything else, it would be to see Animo one more time to say thank you for everything she gave to the world she was brought into.

“Is there anything you need my Queen?” a young caretaker asked snapping hope back into reality

“Hm? Oh yes, I was hoping to see my egg.” Hope answered, ensuring her posture was perfect, not a flaw in her stance.

“Of course my Queen,” said the caretaker as she ushered the queen to a separate room.

The room was humid and dark and in the middle of the room lay pillows circling a large gold and white egg. The egg had a huge crack down the middle.

“Where are my dragonets?!” Hope demanded angrily as she whipped around to face the caretaker, her eyes flashing dangerously

“The-They were here a minute ago!” she cried, her eyes wide with fear Hope’s eyes went wide, and her head whipped side to side, as Chimera raced into the room.

“What is it dear?” he asked, out of breath

“Their gone!” Hope burst into tears. Chimera wrapped his wings around Hope as she leaned into his shoulder and started to cry.

“Mommy?” asked two small voices. Hope’s head shot up so fast she butted Chimera in the snout.

Hope looked around until she saw two small white dragonets sitting on a ledge looking down. Both of their faces were full of wonder as if thinking “Who is this lady dragon?” Hope’s face filled with relief.

She shot up to the ledge “Oh wow…” Hope whispered as she landed on the ledge.

One daughter looked like a mix of all the dragons, with ripped wings, webbed feet, and two different coloured eyes that seemed to shift colours every few seconds, but she had white scales like every other Auroratail.

The other looked exactly like Hope, except with orange eyes

“Your name will be Willow,” Hope whispered to the odd dragonet, “you will grow old and become wise, like the willow trees. You will be Malum, and you will be strong, and agile.” she said to the other dragonets. “I will love you both equally, but you Willow will be queen, this kingdom needs an odd and wise queen in the future” she smiled as Willow chirped happily at her, her eyes shifting to a golden yellow.

“What’s going on?” asked Chimera as he landed on the ledge “Oh my… Guards! Dragon in the palace!” yelled Chimera.

Hope whipped around shocked at how empty-hearted her husband was acting.

“Chimera! She’s only a baby!” Hope cried.

“She will attack us!” he snarled “She isn't one of us!”

“She came from my egg!”She exclaimed

“She is dangerous!” he spat back

“No, she not!” Hope cried as tears streamed down her snout.

“Yurple!” Willow burbled.

Chimera launched off the ledge and into the air spreading his wings like an eagle before catching his daughter in mid-air, turning and fly out the door before Hope could even blink. Willow’s cries echoed down the hall as Hope raced after him leaving Malum behind.

She flew as fast as she could around the white, gold palace searching for her fake husband. After flying around for what felt like an eternity, there he was. Laying in the green grass, a wet dark pool surrounded him.

Hope shot down towards them as hail rained down on her scales and snout and blocked her view. Hope collided with Chimera.

His eyes were blank, his pupils were rolled up into his head, his mouth hanging open with a shocked look on his face, and there were small bits and pieces of rock sticking out of his chest, his wounds were pouring dark blood creating a large pool of blood that could shake the bravest dragon to their very core.

“What? How!” She thought in dismay.

Hope noticed another dragon holding her daughter. Her eyes flashed dangerously. She was not about to lose another daughter “Put her down.” Hope warned the dragon, her voice tipped with bitter venom.

“Move one step closer and your daughter dies.” The stranger’s voice was raspy and cold like claws scraping on stone. She realised it was Rollan the real love of her life, but before her face shifted to happiness she hardened her expression. Hope looked down at his snout. His claws were hovering over her daughter’s throat as the dragonet cried silently. She knew he wouldn’t kill his own daughter.

“What if he didn’t know it was his offspring?” a voice whispered in the back of her mind but she dismissed it.

“What do you want from me?” asked Hope

“I want your daughter,” He answered, glaring coldly at the queen.

“Mommy! Mama!…” Cried the dragonet, struggling fiercely under the dragon’s claws.

For the first time, she noticed her daughter’s eyes were shifting to a very dark black, Hope had never seen a dragon or dragonet do that. “You will be okay my baby, I love you my little Willow…”

“Mama?” The dragonet cooed, looking up into her mother’s eyes, her eyes shifting to gold.

Everything felt like it was moving slowly, as a guard came up behind Hope and shot an arrow at the brown and green dragon. He shrieked, Hope, reached out for her dragonet.

The guards surrounded, aiming arrows at the dragon. The dragon growled, his claws closing around the dragonet’s small throat.

Hope screamed at them to stop, the dragonet clawing aggressively at her captor’s claws. Hope held out her palms, one claw closing into a fist and the other staying the same, a signal for the guards to stop their shooting.

“Let go of her and my guards will leave” Hope growled

“No” He roared as he turned and flew off into the night without another word. The guards immediately started to load their bows but she called to the head guard Mia

“Surrender, we won’t be able to hit the dragon without hitting my daughter.”

“But my queen-”

“Silence!” Hope snapped. She was secretly saying that so they didn’t hit her husband.

Hope heard the last call from her daughter as she grew further and further away as the guards marched back to the castle. Once they were gone Hope curled up and started to cry quietly on the cold frozen ground.

She couldn’t believe he had taken her daughter when he promised to help her raise her at the castle. She felt heartbroken. Hope knew that for the rest of her life, she would be miserable.

She wanted to yell up to the Moon Gods “Is this what you wanted!” but she knew better… All she could do was watch her daughter fly away into the night with no one to help her.

She knew this was her sacrifice, her payment to the Gods for what she had done to them. For everything, she had ever done wrong.

A lightning bolt shot down beside her making Hope jump. Virgo the moon God materialized in front of her. She looked up and scowled as unnoticeable tears dripped down her snout.

“Virgo,” Hope said scornfully. Virgo smiled dryly at her tone.

“You will see her again, Hope. This is not your punishment, you will never have a punishment my dear, but she must grow up on her own,” he said in a sad tone, his head angling down Hope’s golden snout

“What about being loved? She can’t live without it. No one can.” Hope retorted

“She has your husband and someone out there who will find her and nurse her back to health, take care of her, and love her. He is from the Midnight Alliance.” Virgo continued, “Her memory has been wiped except for her memory of you. She has the destiny to fulfill”

“Is he a dragon?” Hope asked in curiosity.

“No, he is human but he is different from the others,” Virgo said and with another flash of white, he was gone.

“Keep her safe Rollan. I will miss her. Please keep her safe.” whispered Hope as she lay down on the cold and frozen ground.