A Delightful Story

Category:Fanfictions
Category:Fanfictions (Semi-Canon)
Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)
Stolen as an egg from her home, Delightful keeps a diary of her experience on the NightWing Island as a puppet toy for the assassins.
== Prologue ==
The rainforest was loud, especially at night.
Secretkeeper was perched on the edge of the RainWing hatchery. Or at least, one of them. Four other NightWings, all big and tough and scary looking, were glancing around, their narrowed eyes scanning the buffet of eggs presented to them. Moonlight ricocheted off their smooth shells, and she could see small shapes squirming and pulsing beneath them. No guards, no lookouts. It certaintly fit with the ditzy, lazy stereotype that her partner, Morrowseer, described to her. "Which will make them easy to defeat. They can't even be bothered to use their venom."
The sound of toucans cawing, raindrops dripping onto the wet ground, snoring dug into their ears. It was all overwhelming. A squawk came, and three of the NightWings spun around, teeth bared and talons ready, but it was just a ruffled-looking parrot. He glared at them, twitched his rainbow feathers, and soared off into the treetops again. Nearby, a sloth clambered between moss-covered branches. 
"I don't even know why we need to steal an egg," mumbled one NightWing in a growly voice, glowering at the pale shapes in front of them.
"Queen Battlewinner says we do. Now just choose one!" snapped Secretkeeper. 
"I don't see why we're in a hurry. We can just kill any RainWings who find us, or they'll just assume we're a dream and go back to sleep. Lazy papaya-eaters," pointed out another female dragon, ripping up the dangling, soaking leaves from beneath her. Another NightWing swung around to face her angrily.
"Just take one! Our orders are to be back to the tunnel before the sun rises."
"Okay, okay," mumbled the female dragon. She soared down, circled the eggs for a moment, then grabbed one. It had cracks along the top, indicating it was going to hatch soon. Immediately, they spread their wings and leaped down, and toward the tunnels.
As they flew, Secretkeeper eyed the egg. The dragon holding her, a pompous salamander named Fearmind, was being careless, trying to show off as she held it with one talon. She couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for the poor dragonet inside. They would have to grow up away from their tribe, their home, their family...
= Part 1 - Alone on an Island =
== Chapter 1 ==
Delightful did not have the normal dragonethood of a RainWing.
For one, she was named by a princess. Princess Greatness had chosen her name, and often was nice to her, giving her treats when she was good or requesting that the others were nicer to her, to no avail. She was the reason Delightful knew about all the tribes and the war and the prophecy made by the NightWings, after begging her mother to allow her some small tutor sessions.
Secondly, she was raised by NightWings on a volcanic island, and did not spend her days eating and sleeping. She spent her days as a distraction for assassin victims: Apparently, she was meant to distract the victims so that the assassins could kill them. At least she had her own room in the fortress: A small, bare, stiflingly hot room with nothing but a single window and a pile of blankets in the corner. Along with chains, as every night she was chained to the wall so she could not escape. Her scales had also not properly developed, only being out in sunlight for small snatches of time. Her scales were always this odd, pale gray colour, and her startlingly blue eyes shone against the black of the stone and red of the lava.
Delightful had not been given a proper education. The NightWings said she was too dumb and stupid like the other RainWings to learn anything like reading or writing, but with some begging from Princess Greatness, she was at least allowed to know about the geography of Pyrrhia, the Great War, the tribes, and the prophecy the NightWings had cooked up a few years ago. She was also raised in the mindset that Blister was the true queen of the SandWings, and that Blaze and Burn were ditzy idiots, no better than RainWings. They'd also made it very clear she was under their protection so long as she followed their rules, and that made her feel better. If she followed the rules, she had no one to fear.
But, there was one place she feared, more than anyone or anything.
The Chamber.
It was a large black tower, with no windows. Due to it being so far from the ground and the lava, it was freezing. Whenever Delightful spoke back, was impertinent, or made any other mistake, she was tossed in here. If it was just her saying an insult, then it would usually be only for a couple hours; a day at most. But sometimes she was locked in there for days, with only small bowls of water being delivered and no food. 
That was why Delightful chose to be an obedient subject, only talked when talked to, and never asked for anything more. Well, maybe scrolls. She was often not needed for assassin missions, so she was bored most days. But she hadn't been allowed to learn how to write and read, and the scrolls were mostly not very fun, and only about NightWing surperiority, and those were only for the NightWing dragonets, who mostly ignored her and never let them join in their games. The youngest dragonet was three years older than her. 
And that was her life.
== Chapter 2 ==
Delightful fluttered her wings, landing on a black ledge. The NightWing dragonets were off in one of their Vision Classes, to learn how to pretend to have visions, and she'd been told she could go into the forest and hunt if she wanted. 
The trees waved and whispered above her, and she knew this would be the most she could have of a 'rainforest' in her entire life. She peered down the black sand beach, where guards were stationed around the tunnel, alert and ready. She could never dream of going down there, and she didn't want to. The NightWings were the srperior tribe to RainWings. It was the way things were.
She ducked back, under a thick layer of ivy, and pounced on a shrew. She then devoured it, wincing at the taste. The hunters never brought back any fruit for her, only disgusting dead sloths or toucans from the rainforest. This was, again, something Princess Greatness had requested to change, but was silenced after a menacing glare from Morrowseer. But over time, her stomach got used to it. 
She gently looked aroud, then dug under the pile of moss she'd stashed here a month ago. Underneath was a beautiful flower crown. It was made with the last of the honeysuckle and salmon pink blossoms on the island, and had bits of vines woven into a tiara shape. She placed it on her head and stroked it. She looked down, and saw her scales flash weakly. That often happened when she was happy and her scales wanted to turn pink, but simply couldn't due to the lack of sun. Would it really be that bad if the NightWings let her have a nap in the rainforest?
Delightful stared around instinctively. She knew NightWings didn't really have mind-reading powers (though they tried to convince her they did), but they still scared her that she might be...might be...
She swallowed her fear, and tried not to think of the stone tower, and how she'd been sick for three days after being exposed to the cold for two days. 
I might as well go back to the fortress.
She removed the crown and hid it under the moss again, trying to make it look natural. She knew she'd be in trouble if she was caught wearing a crown, real or just a fake. It would be seen as mocking Her Majesty. She spread her wings, and aimed for the spiny trees, before then spinning to catch on a ledge. Rivers of lava sludged around, and NightWings whom couldn't fly yet were forbidden to go near them, especially those who didn't have any control over their limbs. A sort of lake of lava flowed underneath the hatchery, incubating the ebony-black eggs. 
As she peered toward the fortress, a massive NightWing landed in front of her. It was Beauty. 
Beauty was an assassin, but she certainly didn't look like one. Beauty looked more like a queen. She was surprisingly plump, with shining, smooth black scales that looked like perfectly bits of cut obsidian. When blood cloaked her scales, it looked as though the last remnants of her victim's soul was splattered onto her. Her eyes were slices of what looked like chipped dark green emeralds. Her forked black tongue often slithered in and out of her mouth, even when she wasn't talking. Her voice could slice stones in half. It was said she dove into the stormy ocean twenty times a day to keep her scales pristine and perfect and beautiful, like her name. 
"Helloooooooooo..." she purred. She took a sleek black tail and ran it over Delightful's face. The RainWing winced at the scent of blood and despair and dead sloth from her mouth. She then yanked her closer and lapped at her face, like some sort of animal. Delightful didn't pull away, instead just waiting until Beauty moved away and began to itch a spot on her neck. Three scars ran along the insides of her wings from where spears had pierced them, and a patch of her scales had a scorch mark on, presumably from a SkyWing or MudWing burning her.
"You're needed. We're having a meeting, come on!" barked Beauty all of a sudden. Delightful nodded, bowing slightly, and spread her wings, following the NightWing assassin toward the fortress.
***
The council chamber was packed more than ever with dragons. Lava glittered off the black scales of dragons as they perched on rock ledges and spires, and Princess Greatness was perched by the Queen's Eye. Beauty grabbed Delightful, and she was dropped onto a smooth stone slab. No one even looked at them as they hurried in, and certainly no one looked at Delightful. 
Delightful was running her claws through the marks in the stone just when Morrowseer stromped through, soared over to her rock, and sat down so that she was at his feet. He didn't look at her either, and she wondered if her scales had somehow turned invisible. She couldn't do that, not with the lack of sunlight in her life. "Please be quiet!" bleated Princess Greatness sadly. No one paid attention, and Delightful stared at her sympathetically. Her diamonds glittered in the light of the lava. 
"Quiet!" hissed a voice, and Morrowseer flared his wings as he roared. Everyone fell silent, and the last sentences of conversations disappeared. Delightful tried to look as small as possible, curling her wings and tail in, and she covered her ears with her talons.
Princess Greatness inclined her head toward the wall, and then she moved it back after a pause, clearing her throat and facing the dragons. "Queen Battlewinner says that we need to continue our discussions of the prophecy dragonets."
A thin, ragged male NightWing leaped to his feet. "We have four suitable female NightWings who would be more than willing to lay eggs to hatch on the Brightest Night in a couple of years."
Princess Greatness nodded, moved her head back to the screen, and then returned to her position. "Her Majesty agrees, but says we should find suitable males to have them partnered up with in the system. Queen Battlewinner suggests Morrowseer or Mastermind for it."
Morrowseer looked as though he'd rather jump into a lake of lava filled with SandWing poisoned barbs and electric eels sticking out of it. She knew what electric eels were from when SeaWings would visit; it was a clever system. Blister would order her spies to meet her on a cliff, where the NightWings would knock them out, put them in sacks, and drag them back to the island. Then, they would give their spy reports, and then NightWings would toss them into the lava, making sure they could never reveal their secrets...
== Chapter 3 ==
Soon, the chamber was filled with clamoring voices. Morrowseer was coiled above her, glaring at Princess Greatness, who was fiddling nervously with her diamonds. She tilted her head back to the screen, and then suddenly stood up, spread her wings, and puffed herself up, as though trying to look like the queen. 
"Queen Battlewinner says we're to discuss the eggs." 
And then they talked for so long, Delightful nearly fell asleep. It was only when Princess Greatness announced that it was break and snacktime for Queen Battlewinner did they stop. The black scales of the NightWings flashed as they hurried out of the tunnel to grab the biggest bits of dead sloth or parrot. Delightful did not eat in the cafeteria, instead eating in her chambers. She chose a small slice of parrot that still had some multicoloured feathers on, and silently fluttered to her room. 
The walls were covered in grime and mould, and a small niche held a single candle. The bundle of blankets was lumpy and dusty, no matter how many times she cleaned them. She did like to decorate her little nest in the rainbow feathers, though. 
She curled onto the blankets, chewing the slice elegantly after plucking the feathers off of it. It tasted rather awful, but she wasn't going to complain. At least she had food, even if it was the smallest piece of parrot possible. 
She twitched her ears and listened to the silence, broken only by the gurgle of lava outside and the shouting of the NightWing dragonets as they soared around outside, screeching and laughing as they played. She then bent her head down, closing her eyes. Annoying lava and noisy dragonets were better than Beauty. 
Beauty seemed to be made to torment Delightful. Sometimes she would barge into her chamber, unannounced, and start to toy with her. She would often pin her to the ground and cut her painfully on the legs, so she had trouble standing, or the neck, never going too deep. Other times she would simply do it verbally, having a lisp that made her words sound all funny. And then, after Delightful was broken down, tears often welling in her eyes, Beauty would get bored and go off to hunt in the rainforest or to a meeting or someting. But not before making Delightful swear on her life not to tell anyone what had happened, and make up some silly excuse for why she had loads of cuts on her, like falling down a sharp ledge or something. 
At this, the pitiful dragonet no longer felt hungry, pushing what was left of the parrot under her blankets for later, scattering the feathers over the blankets to decorate them. She padded over to the niche, with the candle in, and blew it out. Morrowseer often lit it for her when he came to chain her to the wall.
She then flapped her way over to the window, which was rather small and so she could only fit her skinny neck through it.
Thick smog blocked the sky, and below, two NightWing guards were soaring through the ruined city, clutching spears and coughing like mad. Delightful sighed and craned her head to the steep slope, where a few ramshackle huts were bundle together, made of stone and looking hazardly made. It seemed that most dragons lived in the cave systems below the fortress, in case the volcano erupted. 
Delightful reeled her head back in and then glanced at the chains, lying pitifully on the ground like dead snakes. Four of them went around her legs, one on each leg, while two snapped her wings together. It was a painful way to sleep, but it was to make sure she didn't attempt and escape.
A quiet knock came at the door, and she spun around as Princess Greatness entered, holding a charcoal pencil and some crumpled pieces of parchment.
More coming soon...