Dangerous Waters

== Chapter 1 ==
Emerald sat on a stone, being licked hungrily by the waves lapping the shoreline. Her talons held a waterproof scroll that told the tales of the first NightWing's prophecy.
"You should get out to the ocean, honey," said Abyss, climbing up onto the rock and putting her talon on Emerald's shoulder.
Emerald's blue eyes widened. She felt a chill go up her spine.
"You mean go talk to that prince you want me to marry?" Emerald asked. Emerald kept reading. She had been ignoring her mother for a week now after her mother told her she had to marry a prince she didn't even know. She couldn't even describe the dragon because she never met him. Only words had been shared around the dinner table. Emerald never had a choice of who to marry or even love.
"I know you're still upset but once you get to know him-"
"WHO'S HIM???" shouted Emerald. "I DON'T EVEN KNOW HIS NAME! THE QUEEN HAS THIRTY-TWO SONS. I DON'T EVEN KNOW HALF OF THEM!"
"Calm down," Abyss said slowly. "His name is Bluegill and he's a wonderful dragon. Once you get to meet him, you and him will grow close and fall in love."
"More like fall apart," she grumbled, returning the gaze back to her scroll. Dropping the scroll into the water, she dove in, head first, and swam deep beneath the surface. She felt the presence of her mother who was swimming behind her. She never cared to stop.
She swam to her house and gently opened the door. She shoved her way in, shutting the door behind her. Emerald swam her way through the hallway and into the kitchen. A small stone table sat there with a bowl of seaweed-clam chowder. She gobbled it all up and went to her room. Pillows and blankets were laid on the floor with a shelf next to it, holding things she found around the sea that looked very odd to her.
You can't swim off like this, Abyss said in aquatic.
And maybe you should quit trying to boss me around, Emerald said. Go boss Crawfish around. I'm sure he would appreciate it more than I would.
That's no way to speak to your mother! Abyss said very sternly.
You're the one who keeps following me around wherever I go, Emerald kindly said, grinning. It's not my fault that I'm telling you the truth. You're just not listening! Emerald looked away from her mother and looked at her objects in her room. She studied one very closely, looking at its architectural designs and the hollowness in it. 
I don't like your attitude, I want you at the palace in the morning, Abyss said, raising her eyebrows. You're going to meet Bluegill and get to know him. No excuses.
Abyss swam out of their house. Emerald was going to ignore her, but she did want to know who Bluegill was. Emerald knew that all thirty-two princes probably acted the same since all of them looked the same which was what she heard.
She carried on the rest of her day like she never heard a thing but the next day was when she had to go meet the prince that could be her love one day. 
Emerald, curiously  studied the castle when she arrived.  There were big pillars with coral decorations and guards. Emerald swam to the guards. 
I am meeting up with prince Bluegill, Emerald told them in aquatic. 
The guard moved from the entrance. A big wall opened from the sides. Inside, dragons were walking around with cases and jewelry. Emerald spotted her mother talking to a dragon with  sky colored scales blending into sapphire down its body with a shaded part in the color of the blue ocean. 
There was Queen Coral. She had dark scales with a gold pearl necklace while talking to her mother. Emerald slowly swam there like she was a baby dragonet. 
Emerald, meet  Bluegill, Abyss said. Abyss took Emeralds shoulder pushed her forwards, closer to Bluegill which made everything more awkward then it already was
This is Bluegill, said Queen Coral. He’s very funny, I think if you meet him, you would get a better understanding of him. He doesn’t talk much. Queen Coral smiled as her jewelry she’d been wearing had been giggling around her neck. 
I can speak for myself, mother, Bluegill said, staring up at his mother in a gloomy way while glaring.. He gave his mother the expression, ‘You’re making a fool of me when I’m the one who’s getting married’.
Yes, but you’re awfully quiet but anyways, you two children run off, said Queen Coral. 
WE AREN’T CHILDREN!!!! He angrily looked at his mother. 
Emerald’s dark scales were offset by the somber moralities of Prince Bluegill, of whom it was so life shattering to speak of, save for the small snatches of time they’d escaped the palace for. It seemed that Bluegill, although quite mannerful, seemed not to be the right fit for Emerald, who needed someone funny and lighthearted. Bluegill seemed to be reciting palace lines instead of actually speaking his mind, something Emerald saw as a weakness rather than something she should be proud of. He was quite annoying in that sense. She needed someone who could speak up for themself, not someone who’d just sit there and agree passively to whatever their higher-ups told them. Until further action was taken, it seemed that Bluegill wasn’t going to change. It seemed that he’d always be the mommy’s-favorite, passive Prince who wouldn’t lift a talon to help. 
And yet… it seemed he had a glint of malice in his eyes, for the love he’d been faking wasn’t love at all, but pure resentment for all nobles. Emerald wondered why the hatred was posed on her rather than her awful mother, who’d thrown her into a marriage she wasn’t even ready for. She’d only just turned seven, after all, and, although she was an adult, she wanted to get out and explore the world for a bit before she settled down into royal life.
She snorted bubbles through her nose. She despised her mother for making her love someone who wouldn’t love her back. Her mother only cared about royalty. Clearly, Emerald didn’t want to be loved just  because she was a noble. She’d truly wanted to marry someone who didn’t really care whether she was poor, a noble, or just in the middle of both. 
She dulled her face. She was staring at a dragon who acted like he couldn’t make his decisions. Despite how angry  he told his mother that Emerald and him weren’t children, Emerald could still judge him from staring in his eyes. 
There was a moment of silence. You could only hear the dragons swimming around. The tension between her and Bluegill made Emerald want to explode. 
Am I going to judge someone by their front cover? She thought. Or play with the dragon till I tell him he’s annoying and depressing to look at when you know his whole background.
A green-snouted dragon came with a fancy waterproof scroll with golden lace and a sticker closing it. On the sticker was a symbol which Emerald couldn’t quite get a good look at. She looked over her shoulder but she also didn’t want to act un- formal around Queen Coral and his little prince Bluegill. 
Queen Coral, you got a message, said a smaller dragon who looked about five years of age. She put the scroll out on her two talons. 
I am a little busy , Queen Coral said. 
The dragon left with the scroll and headed up the winding stairs to the queen's fancy room. 
Whatever happened to running off, children, Queen Coral said, turned to the stairways. She drifted off to the stairs. 
As pleasant as this moment seemed, Emerald wasn’t so sure about getting to know Bluegill when she knew she wouldn’t like him. On one side of her head, it was lying to her parents and saying it was a pleasure to mean Bluegill or say the truth and be stuck in a room forever. 
Emerald knew that she could use her own mothers words. ‘Get out to the ocean’ which was the one thing that repeated in her head. 
What do you want to do now? Asked the prince. 
I was just going to ask you the same thing, Emerald replied. Emerald wanted to see if he was going to say yes or no, stand up for what he wanted instead of being in the shallows and not giving a piece of what he wanted. What do you want to do?
What do you want to do? He asked. 
Emerald knew this dragon wasn’t right. But she continued to fight with the little dragon. I asked what you wanted to do, not what I wanted to do, Mr. Prince. 
Honey, don’t speak like that to the prince, ordered Abyss as she slowly glided away to explore the massive castle which was one of the things to check off of her “Exciting things to do in the castle while Emerald and the prince madly fall in love”. 
I really don’t care… , He said. He gently put out his talon and bobbed up. 
Ok, I am going to go hunt for some food for brunch, Emerald said as she slowly drifted away from the prince. You can come with me.
Emerald felt the prince's presence behind her. The prince brushed Emerald's scales as she swam which felt discomforting. She swam faster. How fast was the prince? He was generally annoying to shake off. 
She really, really hoped she could escape this marriage, for better or for worse.
Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)
Category:Fanfictions