Long Live The Queen

This is the story of ambitious young dragoness with big dreams. Her passion has grown stronger with all the mistreatment. Along with her army of friends and followers, she's determined to reach this goal.
This is the story of Princess Jasper, and her quest to become queen.
== Chapter One ==
Ruby sat by her hatchery in the firelight, Cliff romping by her side. It was great for her to feel so safe, so secure, without worrying about that nightmare of a mother. No more haunted dreams, no more crying at night, no family issues anymore. Well, there was Vermilion, who glared at her furiously everywhere she went.
"Mom, Mom, they're hatching," Cliff wheedled.
And, like that, the eggs began stirring. They shifted, the thinning eggshells making way for slender scaled bodies. The tiny little females knocked around, and then the scarlet-colored egg began to break through. Soon, her little beak poked through the shell, followed by the rest of her head. Ruby broke the rest of the eggshell, and the scarlet dragonet chirped, shaking.
What do I call her? Ruby thought, panicked. I just can't name her Scarlet? So, what?" She glanced down at her talons. Ah, she sighed to herself, I can name them after jewels.
"I shall call you Jasper, my little delight. We're going to have sooooo much fun together!" Ruby noticed the red egg hatching.
"Oh!" she cried.
The dragonet that peeked through the shell was beautiful. Jasper was decent-looking, but the newborn practically radiated beauty. She was a ruby red, much like the gem of Ruby's namesake. The little dragonet kicked out her egg piece by piece with her disproportionate talons, and then broke free. She fell over on her stomach, screeching indignantly. Ruby gently placed Jasper down to caress the new dragonet. She whimpered in a way that broke Ruby's heart.
"And, you, my little princess, you're Jewel," Ruby cooed.
Cliff was fast asleep now, wiggling on the floor. She kissed him on the ear and laid down.
With the heart of the fire glowing the brightest and the new dragonets, Ruby confessed to herself that this was the warmest she'd ever been in her life.
== Chapter 2 ==
Jasper lashed her tail back and forth, impatient. How long would it be for Mother to pick out jewels for the both of them? Sure, it was their third hatching day and all, but waiting was such a tedious task. Cliff got off freely, like he always did. He was only three years older than herself, yet enjoyed all kinds of freedoms. He already has, like, forty friends and a girlfriend, and he's only six, Jasper grumbled to herself.
Finally, Jewel walked out- no, bounced out- of the treasury. She was clad with jewels of all kind, even earrings that looked too big for her ears.
"Jasper, come in," Ruby said.
Ruby inspected Jasper, but stopped at her face. "Take that ridiculous ring out of your nose," she barked, "you look like a punk. Where do you even get that?"
"Cliff knows a dragon," Jasper shot back.
"If you want to look like that, fine," Ruby grunted, "Here, I'll put on your jewels."
Golden sunlight poured into the room, almost masking the riches of gold that lay within. Looking up, Jasper could see Ruby stringing on necklaces on her long neck. She made quick work of it, and soon, all the jewelry was placed. Jasper
descended into the sky and looked down at herself.
They weren't near the gold and diamonds that Jewel had strung across her body. Jasper recognized copper, bronze, and jade in the mix, even some crude turquoise.
Her heart sank. This wasn't because she wanted precious jewels the way her sister did. But instead, it hit lower, that perhaps her mother didn't love her that much.
Did she?
Jasper pondered that to herself. Jewel was treated like, well, a princess, and Cliff got anything he wanted. But Jasper- she guessed that Ruby had high expectations for her. Whenever she did something that vaguely set her mother off, she'd get a slap to the face. Ruby always tried to give her a look of remorse after doing that, like nothing had ever happened. Frankly, something had happened, and Jasper would never forgive her mother.
I don't care if you hate me, Mother, Jasper growled inside her head.
I hate you.
== Chapter 3 ==
Jasper had finally reached the town square. She stretched on the cobbled streets, yawning in the most elegant way possible. She noticed dragons in houses slink out, stealing glances at her. A few stared longer than they probably should have, and one male in particular yelled out "I LOVE YOU!" Jasper didn't really know how to respond, so she awkwardly blew him a kiss. He fell over, as if he had been struck.
Gazing upon the quiet blue sky, it occured to Jasper that she arrived first, but not by far. Cliff was by her flank, winging along with his girlfriend, Caelum. Although he was a bit too young to date, he had picked a particularly beautiful dragoness to date. She had some kind of a sheen to her, and already seemed to radiate the regal prowess that naturally came to those of royal blood. And her eyeliner was on point.
Jasper let the couple pass her. They went arm in arm, smaller Caelum leaning on Cliff. Around them, many people applauded. They were happy for the young Prince Cliff, and Jasper felt a pang of jealousy that she had no one to love like that.
There was now a considerably large crowd lining the streets now. They were of varied ages- some looked newly hatched, others looked a century old. They all had come to pay her and Jewel homage. It was a noble indeed, especially when some of the SkyWings seemingly didn't want to be here.
Jewel landed down next, and she fixed her necklaces upon landing. The moment Jewel skidded against the ground, the crowd erupted in cheers. There were even more I LOVE YOU's, which somewhat relieved Jasper. And Jewel seemed to respond more gracefully, blowing kisses like it was the easiest thing to do to a complete stranger.
Finally, Queen Ruby touched down, flaring her wings with the wind. When she touched down, the crowd made so much noise that they practically broke the sound barrier. Together, the SkyWing royal family strutted down the street, leaving all mouths agape at their presence. At the end of the street, there was the Celebration Centre- the marble building where all royal events took place. It had been build as a tribute after Ruby's coronation by a particularly talented artisan.
Ruby turned around to face the roaring crowd. The sight of her face alone was enough to bring silence, so silent that one could hear talons scrabbling against the street. She cleared her throat, and proceeded to speak.
"Today, we celebrate a very special event, no doubt about that. It's a celebration of joy and fun. You can forget all your worries, and just hang out! That's because today is the hatching day of two very important dragons. They are my daughters and heirs- Princess Jasper and Princess Jewel! So, onwards to the Celebration Centre!"
The crowd roared with delight.
Hawk, Ruby's brother, was overwhelmed with the mass of dragons coming his way. Nevertheless, he said the same that thing that he said every time there was an event.
"Alright, folks, you know the rules! Fill in all the seats, don't leave any seat vacant. Wait for the vendors, they will come to you. Beware of tails, and absolutely no biting! Got it? Good."
The feeling of anticipation was apparent across the arena.
== Chapter 4 ==
Although the party itself wasn't a surprise, the events certainly were.
Ruby switched up the events all the time in the Celebration Centre. The events had evolved over time, as at first, there were solely musical acts. Ruby was a cautious slug when she became queen, apparently. She was one of those "but what if they get hurt" dragons back there. Now, she had grown out of it a bit, and allowed for acrobatic acts and a few dangerous stunt. The queen had evolved a bit since her duel with Scarlet.
Good for her, Jasper hissed in her mind, She realized what the world is- it's not safe. You have to be ruthless to survive, or things will crumble in front of your very eyes. Believe me, I've watched the battles that you prohibited me from watching, those against the rebel force. Those soldiers, they didn't go up and hug the enemy. No, they fought for their lives, and that's why those invaders aren't coming back for a very long time. Now, perhaps, she'll let me do sparring practice. Sometimes, I wish Elanus would stop giving me that look just because he's Cliff's best friend.
She blinked, Well, maybe that though was a little much for some music.
Jasper snapped her attention back to center stage, where the next event was started. There on the ground was a muscular silver IceWing, pacing back and forth in an intimidating way. She was a quite large dragon, with oddly golden eyes. Her legs were filled with black tattoos- thick lines that surrounded circles impaled with spears.
"Dragons and dragonesses, please welcome Taiga of the IceWings!" Ruby called out.
Taiga waited for the stage assistants to set up a target, warily making sure that they got all the planks in the correct places. Once they were done, Jasper expected the assistants to step away and let Taiga preform whatever act she wanted. Instead, one of the roared out of a jet of flame at the center of it. The whole thing soon was ablaze, charred bits jumping off the target like pumice.
"They set it on fire," Jasper gasped.
Taiga dramatically walked away from the target, scrapping her serrated claws on the ground in a bone-chilling way. She stopped walking, but Jasper realized in amazement that she was on the other side of the arena.
"Fire is strong, but I am stronger," Taiga growled in a way that shocked- yet somehow, at the same time, delighted- the audience.
Taiga folded up her wings and scowled. She noticed her neck quivering, and suddenly, Jasper realized what Taiga was going to do. Just then, Taiga released her full fury, and a cloud of smoke billowed up from the stage.
When the dust cleared, Jasper turned her attention to the target. Not only was the fire doused, but the whole thing was knocked apart, broken into splintering bits. The broken pieces of wood were covered in sharp, glittering icicles that stuck up towards the sky.
Taiga reared up and roared, and the crowd exploded.
Two SkyWings behind her began picking up the bits, when suddenly, there was a piercing scream. A crew member had pricked his talon on an icicle, and it bled a lot.
"You idiot!" Taiga screamed, "I TOLD you not to prick yourself! You're an idiot and a spaz, Himinn! But no one listens to an IceWing, now do they?"
"S-sorry Taiga," Himinn stuttered, "It's just that, the're so sharp and I can't seem to not prick myself."
"Well, then you're WEAK! Leave it to the professionals" she screamed back. The burly IceWing effortlessly shattered the ice with her tail, showing no emotion when she started bleeding. Himinn gingerly carried out the shards of wood, managing a scared look at Taiga.
"Crybaby..." Taiga muttered as she walked off.
----
The events of the afternoon didn't cease to amaze Jasper. Sure, there was a few times she dozed off, such as a NightWing's science lecture. Jasper even threw a bit of rotten fruit at a clown who was just asking for it. (THAT annoyed her mother.) The rest of the time, though, she was pretty impressed.
There was the artist. He was a normal-looking SkyWing. Short. Red. Glasses. The one thing that made him stand out was his canvas and stick of charcoal. This SkyWing called down Jasper, sat her down, and asked her to sit still. It was an awfully long time, and Jasper could not will her body to stop moving entirely. But, the finished product was a beautiful rendition of herself that earned a lot of cheers.
A stunning GeodeWing singer named Romance came to the stage with a band of two other RainWings. She was a beauty herself, an ageless being with striking features. Even more impressive was her voice, a voice that was as beautiful as a seraphim. This was, by far, Jasper's favorite act.
However, the best thing that happened didn't involve an act. It involved a dragon.
This dragon was named Desert Rose. She was about a year younger than Jasper, a bubbly little SandWing with a passion for music. Jasper met her when she had lost her way around the arena looking for her parents.
She had walked up to her, and began talking fast, "Hello, have you seen my parents? There a SandWing pair which is pretty obvious, since I'm a SandWing. My mommy and daddy are both sandy dragons, have you seen any sandy dragons?"
"No, sorry, I haven't" Jasper told the little SandWing, "I'm Jasper, by the way."
She gasped,"The princess of the SkyWings! Happy hatching day! I'm Desert Rose- my mommy named me after the pretty rock. You can call me Rose. Wanna be friends?"
"Sure!" Jasper replied.
The two chatted throughout the afternoon, pausing when music played. Rose mentioned many times that she wanted to pursue a career in music, to which Jasper responded with "Follow your dreams".
By the end of the night, Jasper and Rose had bonded so much that they had practically become best friends. Rose's parents had been found, thankfully. She introduced them to Jasper.
"Mommy! Daddy! This is Jasper, my new friend!" she squeaked.
The couple that appeared to be Rose's parents stood over their dragonet, beaming. Her mother was a petite, round SandWing, who stood with her wings draped over her daughter. Rose's father was the polar opposite- a tall, muscular figure who looked as swift as a rattlesnake. And yet, he radiated the same kindness and protectiveness that Rose's mother did.
"The princess! I hope you enjoyed your hatching day!" Rose's mom said, bowing.
"You don't need to do that," Jasper responded, "Pleased to meet you."
Ruby walked over at that moment, curling her wing around Jasper. The SandWing couple bowed again as Jasper pulled her mother off to the side.
"Mom, I have a new friend!" Jasper squealed.
"That's nice," Ruby replied monotonously.
"Can I hang out with her? I mean, is it okay if she comes to the palace?"
Ruby looked aghast. "Absolutely not! A SandWing, in my palace? Royalty doesn't let things like that happen!"
"So, I can't have a friend over when Cliff can waltz into a club with dragons who are certainly a bad influence and get a freaking girlfriend? And Jewel can invite twenty-plus people to dinner-without your consent- and I can't even play with this really nice dragon? It's not FAIR!" Jasper stamped her foot.
"Silence, you insolent dragonet," Ruby hissed.
Dragons around the area gasped.
Beads of sweat dripped down from her forehead, and it was clear that Ruby was embarrassed by her actions in public. "Of course, sweetie! She can come over!" Ruby said in a fake sweet voice.
Ruby went to go talk to Rose's parents, asking if it was ok that she could stay over a bit. But as they left, Ruby looked at Jasper like a volcano ready to erupt.
That was the beginning of true bad blood between Ruby and Jasper.
== Chapter 5 ==
In the courtyard, Desert Rose and Jasper sat, poking at scurrying rats with tree limbs. The sun had reached its peak, illuminating the sandy-brown dirt dusting over the courtyard path. The two had grown tired of playing games, so they just sat in silence, weary and motionless save for the poking at the ground.
Finally, Jasper placed down her twig, and looked over at Desert Rose. The little SandWing looked miserable and out-of-place. It must've had to do with the temperate, for it was cold compared to the desert she came from.
"Sorry my mom wouldn't let you in," Jasper said drowsily.
"It's okay," Desert Rose answered, looking concerned at Jasper.
Silence. The quiet squeaking of mice was all that could be heard.
Desert Rose looked around, and decided to speak. 
"Your mommy is kind of mean to you."
"Don't get me wrong," Jasper replied, "she is a good dragon. She's nicer to the soldiers and dragonets, and she does throw nice parties. But to me, it's like I'm in the devil's skin. Cliff told me it's because I remind her of Grandma Scarlet." She gave a wholehearted sigh. "I wish I could've met my grandmother, but whenever I brought her up, Mother always gets all uncomfortable."
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Content (BoneTheSandwing)
Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)