Frozen Waters

A fan-fiction by Xx Dreamdancer xX Please only edit typos! Thanks!
== Prologue-- 4 Years Ago... ==
The absolute cold of the barren icy wasteland reached the stranded SeaWing in no time at all, making her scales shake with an unstoppable force. A snow storm whirled in a deadly fury around her, the wind whipping in all directions like four thousand SkyWings all pumping their majestic wings together in unison. The snow was blinding, making flying an impossible task. Chunks of the hard hail that fell from the clouds slammed against the SeaWing's scales-so light blue they looked almost grey- making her wince with pain. A thousand thoughts echoed throughout her brain, each swirling around almost as violently as the storm surrounding her.
Where is he? The wandering dragon thought, glancing at the dark sky. He promised to meet me here before midnight. It's definitely past midnight. 
Another piece of hail rained down from the sky, this time hitting the young SeaWing in the eye. She leaped backwards, more startled from the blow than hurt. In her brief time off the ground, she managed to unknowingly twist her wings in the slightest motion, causing the wind to try and lift her into the sky. She forced herself back to the ground, but slipped in the snow, causing her talons to fold underneath her in a painful crouch.
How could anyone want to live in this barren desert? the SeaWing thought as she cursed her bad luck. There's no salty ocean to swim in, no color, not even a hint of warmth for miles...
The SeaWing stumbled blindly through the darkness, trying to locate her IceWing companion, accompanied only by her racing concerns.
He's not coming, she thought. Why did she ever think he was going to come? Who could ever possibly love her, an ugly grey SeaWing with a horrible curse?
No one could ever want you, you miserable Seaweed-Brain, she told herself.
The traveler was so lost in herself that she hardly noticed the wing beats until they were right in front of her. The image of a muscular IceWing materialized out of the raging storm, taking what was left of her breath away.
"You came," she exclaimed disbelievingly.
"A promise is a promise, Princess Auger," the IceWing said as he grinned.
His talons grazed the ice beneath him with a great elegance that left the princess chilled to the bone. His silver horns glittered in the moonlight, standing out in the darkness like a seashell in a box of rocks. His scales- so pure white they looked like freshly fallen snow- erupted in the storm, and his eyes glowed a frightening shade of emerald. No dragon, not even Queen Kombu of the SeaWings, could deny that he was breathtakingly handsome.
Instantly, she rushed toward him, only to find that her talons, equipped for swimming and not ice skating, failed her once again. She stumbled, then fell, right on top of her companion.
"Sorry," she whispered, shaking her head at her foolishness.
Auger glanced up at him sheepishly, expecting to find some ounce of annoyance, but she only distinguished the deep red blush that was slowly spreading over his scales. That was when she realized that she was still sitting on top of his talons.
"Sorry!" she exclaimed again, backing away from him, her tail swishing.
The IceWing grinned. "Don't apologize, it's my fault for making us meet here."
The SeaWing nervously took a step closer, holding her breath. Now was the time. Now or never. 
Gracefully for what seemed like the first time in her life, Princess Auger intertwined her bulky tail with his magnificent one, and instantly the world stopped spinning.
The cold from his scales seemed to ignite something warm inside of Auger, which didn't make any sense to her. She found herself wanting to tell him what she came here to inform him of, but she knew she couldn't. How could you tell an absolutely amazing IceWing like him that he was going to have a dragonet with someone as un-special as her?
"I-" she stammered. "Shard, I have to tell you something."
The IceWing gazed curiously at her, his deep unusual green eyes locking into her own. "What is it?"
As Auger opened her mouth to speak, the sound of wing beats entered her system. She whipped her head around, only to find that six full grown IceWings with glittering scales had landed behind her. Instantly, she released her tail from her mate's.
"SeaWing," one of the more masculine IceWings spit as he stepped forward, "Care to explain what you're doing here? In our kingdom? With one of our citizens?"
"Uh.." the SeaWing stuttered.
"Inform us now," said another, slightly smaller IceWing, "Or we'll rip out your throat without breaking a sweat."
The SeaWing princess gulped. What was she supposed to say? If she told them any of the truth, then she would be exiled from her kingdom, and so would he...
"Polar? What's going on?" hissed another dragon.
Polar? Who was Polar? Did he mean Shard?
Shard looked just as startled, then abruptly changed his posture, his usually straight and regal elegance replaced by a slouch and a low-hanging head.
"I'm sorry, General," Polar/Shard said, bowing.
"Polar, if this is what I think it is..." The first IceWing snarled, shaking his head. "With another IceWing is somewhat understandable, but with a SeaWing?"
"That SeaWing," he snapped, "is a Princess."
Another different IceWing scoffed, this one with black shining dots along her feet. "Doesn't matter. This "secret meeting" is already against IceWing law, and if it's what we think it is, then prepare to drop down many, many, many circles." The IceWing looked away, stifling a chuckle.
Polar/Shard snarled, then spread his wings and took off, shooting through the air like a bullet. This must be his plan, Auger thought sharply, go back to the IceWing kingdom, pretend none of this ever happened. Or maybe he'll frame another dragon, whoever this Polar guy was. 
Or maybe he really did leave me. Maybe he's been lying to me the whole time about his true identity; his past; his future... Our future.
She shook her head, stuffing the menacing thought deep inside herself. She refused to believe it. Her Shard would never do that to her, no matter the circumstances.
"Go," the female IceWing with the speckled feet ordered, nodding to four of her soldiers. Simultaneously, they took off into the storm, their wings spreading wide in the air. But it was no use, their target was already miles in front of them.
"As for you," the same IceWing snickered as she took a small, menacing step forward. "You know what we do to trespassers.."
Auger stood her ground, determined not to show her fear. She was an heir to the SeaWing throne, not some weak peasant. She would not go down without a fight. She dug her talons into the hard ice beneath her, swished her overly-large tail, and growled. If I'm going to die here, she thought, then let me do some damage to at least one of them...
The IceWings closed in around the young princess, snarling and lashing their tails. Surprisingly, she didn't hear the familiar hisses that indicated frost breath was fast approaching. But now that she was looking at them, she could clearly see that they were not in the proper battle stance.
They're toying with me, Auger thought. I'm no threat. They know they can dispose of me at any time.
It made sense to her, in a sick, twisted way. They had an interesting new play thing to kill, why not play with first and see what it can do?
In the blink of an eye, one of the more runty looking IceWings sprang forward, clawing at the SeaWing's snout. Auger instinctively yelped in pain, wincing as the serrated claws made contact with her scales, instantly drawing blood. She raised her claws as a mean to retaliate, but as soon as the scrawny male was there, he was gone, thrashing his tail around with his snout held up high- like he owned the world.
Oh, how she wished she could claw that smug look off his face, show him that she was capable of doing something. But it was useless, she was just a piece in their little game of snapper dragons, one that's life was fast fading. Soon, she would be off the board and replaced by another chip.
The IceWings circled the SeaWing. She could tell by their faces that they were trying to tell each other the next part of the plan, but that no one actually understood any of it. Finally, the speckled IceWing sighed and seemed to give up, lunging at Auger.
This time, however, she was ready. As the IceWing's scales came into contact with her own, she sank her teeth into her attacker, deep enough to draw ocean blue blood. The IceWing yowled and hissed, sending a trickle of frost breath out from her mouth. It hit the SeaWing across the left shoulder, causing her to scream.
Auger breathed heavily, gasping for air. She wasn't going to make it out alive. Her dragonet would die, hatching alone by himself on the darkest night, clawing out of his egg and squeaking aimlessly into the night. Why did she have to be so stupid and hide him on that island; so far away from the SeaWing Kingdom that it was bordering the SkyWing islands. If a SkyWing found her egg... Auger shuddered away the thought.
As she braced herself for the pain and darkness to come, she closed her eyes. She didn't want to see who eventually killed her, even if it was a coward's move.
But the blow never came.
No talons touched her skin, and for a second, the princess thought that it might have just been one huge nightmare. Did she really have an egg with an IceWing? Was she really risking exile just because of him? Yes. She was, and she was going to see him again.
She opened her eyes, only to find that she was still in the Ice Kingdom, and that still, her enemies were there in front of her. But instead of four dragons, there were now five, and one, who was significantly bigger and more muscular and brighter in every way was battling them. At first she thought it was her precious Shard, come to rescue her at last, but then she saw the golden glint of scales and she closed the thought.
But how could a SandWing be all the way out here? He couldn't possibly have the same magic I have.
Yes, where they currently were definitely was before the great IceWing wall, (Auger was alive right now, wasn't she) but she was absolutely certain SandWings were especially susceptible to cold...
One by one, the IceWings fell around her, their blood pooling into the ice below them. Auger wriggled in disgust. She never liked laying eyes upon dead things- when their eyes glazed over and their body just seemed so...lifeless.
The SandWing approached her, cautiously, as if he were frightened of her.
"Princess Auger," the SandWing, who was definitely male, his voice was much too low to be female, whispered. "I'm here to bring you home, not to the SeaWing kingdom, of course, but to your mother's palace."
Mother? But she's dead. I saw it with my own eyes, I saw Kombu, her sister, kill her for the throne. And even if she were alive, what could she possibly want from me, a dragonet she hardly knew existed, much less was related to?
"Struggle," the dragon hissed menacingly, "and I will not hesitate to break your spine. We don't need your fighting skills, not that you have any, my dear."
Auger gulped. Maybe she should have let those IceWing's kill her when they had the chance.
== Part One ==
-CHAPTER ONE-
Apex was tired of being the good little IceWing dragonet her mother wanted- no, expected- her to be. Sometimes she wanted to smash one of Queen Firn's majestic ice sculptures just to spite her mother. That would surely move her down a couple of circles, especially if she smashed her most prized one; a sculpture shaped similarly to Firn, with her talons outstretched, carefully helping along a lone IceWing dragonet with a look of unnatural happiness embedded into her scales. Only if you moved closer could you see the every detail of the dragonet's eyes, which were carved skillfully to show pure terror and fright.
The statue had always left Apex amazed. Was there a secret meaning behind the worrisome eyes? Or the more probable reason, could it be just a craft, meant to leave dragonets and dragons alike dazzled for hours?
Still, it was too magnificent to simply destroy, so she never laid her talons on it, much less ever chipped it. Even if the statue wasn't as mesmerizing as it was, she suspected she never would have broken it anyway. After all, Apex's seventh hatching day was only a moon away, and she was not going to throw away all the hard work it took clawing her way up to the First Circle. She was not going to lose her title because of some petty desire to disobey her only female relative.
Apex stretched her wings, yearning to soar above the frozen waters of the arctic. She could envision the salty freezing air and the cold spray of the ocean below. Her wing tips would touch the tundras, causing snow to erupt in little waterfalls over the slopes. Sometimes she questioned if she was born into the wrong tribe, after all, she liked flying better than improving her ranking, and she didn't particularly love the cold barren wasteland she called home. She paused, allowing herself to imagine life as a SkyWing.
She would have orange scales, bright and bold, unlike this miserable place devoid of absolutely any color. Her structure would be masculine and large, large enough to actually make an impact in battle, and her wings, they'd be huge, larger than most. 
She could picture herself, effortlessly soaring through the clouds, breathing fire and swooping and-
"Apex!"
Her mother's sharp voice broke her fantasy, piercing the air like an icicle.
Apex snapped her head up, looking into her mother's striking blue eyes, which were the one thing Apex actually inherited from her.
"I've been calling to you for minutes," Beluga snapped, her short flat snout wrinkling in disgust. "How do you expect to rise in the rankings if you don't even pay attention to your own mother?"
Apex felt a growl rising in her throat, but she resisted the urge. It'll only make things worse. For you and for your brothers.
She, instead, twitched her stark-white tail feverishly. Unlike most IceWings, whose scales were tinted light shades of blue and occasionally purple, hers were completely wrenched of color, except for the tips of her wings, which faded into a soft shade of blue, and her nose, which was lined with small freckles. So, in her own way, she was the very first of her unique species. She felt a proud smile erupting on her long, slender snout, and rushed to wipe it off her face-but not before Beluga saw it.
"Get that smile off of your freckled-face, Apex, or so help me, I'll report you to Queen Firn herself for not respecting your elders."
"Yes mother," Apex sighed, drooping her ears a little. Was it to much to ask for, having a good parent who actually cared about her, or was that one of the things the IceWing kingdom lacked too?
"Now," Beluga continued. "Prince Ablation requested to see you, courtesy of the Queen herself."
Apex wrinkled her nose in disgust. Every since her father had...done what he'd done, Queen Firn had decided to make all of his relatives lives miserable, and that included arranged marriages.
"Oh don't look so disgusted," Apex's mother snapped. "This is an honor after what your father did, you should be happy that someday you'll provide an heir to the throne."
Apex scoffed. She knew the only reason Firn arranged the marriage was because no one wanted to be mates with Ablation, prince or not. The IceWing was about as dumb as a box of icicles, useless as a sea lion, and was as handsome as a rotting carcass. More torture to add onto her never-ending list of pain. That was all Apex was to the kingdom; the daughter of a traitor and Firn's heir provider. After that, she had no value, excluding the fact that she had somehow clawed her way up into the First Circle.
"So go clean your scales, I expect you shimmering and standing right here in exactly four minutes."
Apex sighed once more, just barely too quiet for her mother to here. If there was one thing she hate more than Ablation, it was plunging into the frozen waters of the arctic just to "impress" him.
In a matter of a few short seconds, she was soaring above the ocean, watching as icebergs floated atop the surface of the water, allowing waves to crash over them. Taking a deep breath, she angled herself towards the waters below before tucking her wings close to her body, allowing herself to free-fall.
The cold wind stung her snout as she plummeted towards the ocean, trying to catch her wings and pull her upwards with the draft. She resisted, plunging herself into the waters.
The utter cold hit her like a punch to the gut. The freezing liquid seeped into her scales, making her yelp with surprise. Bubbles erupted from her mouth, and her talons flailed uselessly in the water. Although the pain was unbearable, Apex persisted, keeping herself under the water longer than necessary. There was something about this place that she felt attached to- and she was unsure if it was the eerie silence or the sense of danger she felt from knowing that she may never resurface.
When she couldn't take the cold any longer, the dragon burst from the waters like a bullet, sending cascades of flowing water off of her scales, left plummeting to the ocean below. The sudden light reflecting off of the tundras around her temporarily stunned her, and she sat and awe wondering if she looked as bright as that beacon of hope.
Shivering, she stretched her frozen wings and lifted off of the ground- soaring above the tundras and catching a wild updraft which bolted her upwards-towards the unforgiving sun. Yelping with shock, she landed clumsily at her mother's side.
"You're late," her mother growled. "Is it to much to ask to have at least one disciplined dragonet around here?"
Apex wanted to shout; "Well what do you expect? Our father was a traitor to the IceWings, meeting that SeaWing princess in secret and giving her treasures. Treasures that were stolen from the IceWing treasury. Treasures that she didn't even need.
But she didn't. Instead, she put a look of sheepishness upon her face and whispered, "I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize, make it better," her mother scowled. "Now come, we're going to the palace."
The palace. She hadn't been there since her father was alive.
Apex remembered the first time she had journeyed to the palace- back when she was a year old dragonet. She knew she should have been mesmerized by the enchanted place's wonders, but all she could think about was how plain it actually was.
Yes, it was brighter and shinier and bigger and more lovely than everything else in the kingdom, but it was white and glistening. Just like everything in the kingdom. If they wanted to make the palace special, an animus should have enchanted it to be pink or purple, or even green.
Apex imagined Queen Firn sitting in a pink castle. Now that would be amazing.
Apex watched as her mother spread her majestic blue wings, which would have been very beautiful, perhaps the most beautiful set of wings in the kingdom after the princess, if not for the long, mangled scar that ran down the tip of her wing membrane to the bottom. Her mother never told her how she had received the mark, but Apex suspected that it was given to her by a SkyWing, it sure would explain the resentment between the two.
Apex sighed as she stretched her own lesser magnificent wings and took off of the ground, pushing against the soft snow as she lifted into the icy air.
The palace wasn't far, but it wasn't exactly close either. What remained of Apex's family lived in one of the poorer sections, one of the farthest away from the Queen and her divine castle, outcasts in their own tribe. This was again a punishment for the dragonet's father's doings, although they hadn't exactly been close to the palace before the error.
Apex, although barely three, could remember the night perfectly. The wind had wailed in the distance, and a violent blizzard had been raging along the SandWing-IceWing boundary. The snow fell in pools across the arctic, and the ocean waves crashed against icebergs. There weren't supposed to be any patrols out in the vicious storm, but when a First Circle guard had turned up missing, along with his son without a trace, the newly verified Queen Firn sent out a search party. Supposedly, the patrol had looked for hours, but the two had seemed to have just vanished. That was, at least, until they reached about two miles away from the border. There they had found a set of webbed foot prints distinctly leading deeper into the kingdom.
How the SeaWing had made it over the border without getting shot was a mystery, but one thing remained certain- wherever this dragon was, Polar and Shard were also there.
Apex wasn't told the rest, just that Shard vanished before admitting his mistakes, and that Shard's body was found mangled and destroyed weeks later. The SeaWing had supposedly died without leaving a scratch on the IceWing guards, and everything was back to normal. 
Except for Apex's family. 
It was rumored that Firn had pursued Polar as a mate for many years, and was still not over him when she chose her new mate who died only three years later. As punishment for their father's denial and brother's actions, the dragonets were all reduced to the Seventh Circle, and even their mother's rankings were reduced, but not so drastically. Instead, she landed back in the Fifth Circle.
Four years later and Apex had recovered. She was back where she belonged in the First Circle and she was determined to prove that she wasn't just the daughter of a traitor, a thief, and a scoundrel. She was going to be someone important. Someone who left a mark on the kingdom.
Shiver, Balto, and Sea Lion, now they were different stories. Apex knew that after their bother Shard's death, they had never been the same, never felt the same urgency she did to become better. Instead, the three, four, and five year olds all were in low ranks; Shiver in the Fifth, Balto in the Fourth, and Sea Lion in the Third.
Apex wished they had the slightest bit of more urgency, after all, their entire lives depended on what they accomplished as dragonets.
***
When the two IceWings landed only mere feet from the palace, a soldier was already waiting for them, a fearsome scowl across his scarred face.
"Name?" he grunted, his spear pointed towards the family.
"Beluga, Fifth Circle," Apex's mother stated.
The guard hissed but let them in. "Only tonight, Beluga, then you'll be out of the palace for good."
Beluga snarled then narrowed her eyes. "You can only hope."
The guard wrinkled his pale ghostly eyes, then waved his spear in Beluga's direction. "Her Majesty doesn't need you alive, just your daughter, so I'd watch your tounge, traitor."
"How would the Queen react if you killed her future sister-inlaw?"
The guard opened his mouth, but instead of making a noise, it just dangled there, like a scale from a molting dragonet. Instead of speaking, he practically pushed the two dragonesses into the palace, slamming the door shut behind them. 
Apex's eyes darted the floor, where she noticed talons echoed on the floor. When she looked up, she gasped. From the outside, it appeared to by created out of tall, pointed spires of ice. The front gates were carved into the shape of giant dragon wings and studded with crystals. But inside, the walls of the palace were animus-touched, to never melt, crack, or be harmed by any attack. They were translucent to the point where the stars could be seen through them. Small, glowing, glass snowflakes encased inside of the walls drifted downward, matching the weather outside. The vast entrance hall spiraled down to a three arched opening that lead to the central courtyard. 
Beluga laughed at her daughter's appalled expression.
"Get used to it, dear," Beluga whispered. "If tonight goes right with Ablation, you'll be living here soon."
Apex nodded curtly, trying to imagine herself draped in jewels, living a boring life and having to see Firn everyday. She silently prayed that tonight would go horribly wrong, and Ablation would turn her down. Yes, it would be humiliating, but it's not like she had friends who would care anyway. 
Queen Firn then appeared suddenly, drifting down from the ceiling in a manor so delicate and perfect, Apex suspected that she had practiced many times in her life. Her almost gray scales stood out against the shimmering white flooring, and her deep purple eyes stared menacingly at Apex.
Beluga nudged Apex in the shoulder and Apex bowed forcefully, her nose almost touching the enchanted floor. 
"Your majesty, this is my eldest," Beluga bragged. 
It was strange, the dragonet decided, that Beluga acted as if she hated her only daughter most of the time, but as soon as someone of power showed up, she acted as if Apex were her pride and joy. 
"So this is the spawn of the devil," Queen Firn deadpanned. "It's.. an experience to finally meet you."
"Same to you," Apex quipped. 
Her mother shot her a look, her piercing glare gazing deep into Apex's soul. "Manners, young lady."
"Ablation will be right out," the Queen informed.
"Wonderful," Apex said sarcastically as she let out a breath. She couldn't help it, but she rolled her eyes the slightest bit.
The Queen either noticed or pretended not to, and raised her wing tip, gesturing for the dragons to follow her. It was then that Apex noticed the jewels that were studded all over her wings. They shimmered in the light, temporarily blinding her. 
Apex stretched out her talons and followed closely behind Queen Firn, carefully not to trip over her snaking, twisting tail lined with deadly spikes. 
She lead them into a hall lined with pictures of old IceWing leaders in the height of their empire. She recognized a few from history class, especially the signature purple scales of her favorite Queen, Permafrost. Permafrost was a queen who knew how to lead her tribe. During her rule, she had conquered miles of territory, and the IceWings were at the peak of their existence. Permafrost didn't wait around, she acted. That was why Apex loved her, she longed for someone who took action and determined their own destiny. 
They rounded the corner and entered a vast dining hall, lined with snowflake chandeliers. A frozen ice table was sitting perched in the center, with small golden plates on top of it, which were filled with all the food anyone could ever need and then some. Apex's mouth watered, just the thought of a narwhale, one of the rarest animals in the sea, made her drool. She had only ever had one, and it was before Polar had done what he had done. 
Surprisingly, Ablation was already seated at the table, a smug smile twisted upong his face so putridly, it almost made Apex gag. 
She winced as she took a seat next to him, noticing the jewelry that was clumped on his scales. There was so much of it, she wondered if there was any part of him that wasn't fake.
"Here, let me help you," Ablation said as he grabbed her a chunk of polar bear from off the table. 
She wrinkled her nose in disgust. If there was anything she hated more than the plain taste of polar bear, it was males making decisions for her just because they thought she was helpless.
"I can help myself, thank you," Apex stated grimly. 
"Oh," Ablation said dumbly. "I assumed you didn't get the luxury of polar bear back home, I just wanted to help you."
Apex gaped at him. Who did he think he was, rubbing in his social status like that to his possibly future wife? As she was glaring, she realized Ablation's features were even more unfitting up close. His eyes were the shade of a blank, slate blue, his nose was large and unporportional to his face, and his teeth were anything but straight. They reminded her more of the lumpy icebergs that lined the oceans.
"I live off of polar bears," she informed him. "For a prince, you're not that intelligent. And anyways, I don't need you to help me. I've managed so far, haven't I?"
She knew right then that she had just ruined her chances of any future life with him. 
"Mother," Ablation whined, "tell her I'm just trying to be nice." 
Oh three moons, how old was he? Eight? And he was still whining to his mamma? She stopped talking to her mother voluntarily at three and a half.  
Queen Firn gave her a sharp glare and Apex promptly shut her snout. Yes, she had no plans to carry out a life here, but the Queen still had power of her.  
"If you'll excuse my daughter, your majesty," Beluga pleaded.  
"No, no," Firn chided, "I completely understand. She was raised by hooligans, the poor dragonet doesn't know any better."  
Beluga set her jaw and glared down at one of her chipped talons. Her tail, which was covered in broken, uncared for scales, twitched madly around, disturbing the air. 
Apex let out a huffy breath. It was one thing to insult her, or even her mother, but not her family. She wanted to go over there and slap the smug grin right off of her so-called "Queen's" face. Oh, how she would enjoy every minute of that.  
"Queen Firn," Apex snapped, "aren't you supposed to be a role model for your tribe mates? This behavior isn't making the IceWings any more affable."  
As soon as she uttered those fateful words, Apex regretted it. But they had just erupted out of her like lava, she doubted she could have stopped them if she tried. She opened her mouth to apologize, but shut it once she realized that it wasn't her who needed to say sorry.  
Queen Firn growled, her rage boiling inside and threatening to explode. "I was giving you a chance, Apex, especially after I saw how much you were like your father. I thought you were serious about your rankings! So many dragonesses would have killed to have this position! But no, I had to choose the one dragon who wouldn't." 
Apex simply laughed. "And that was your fault."  
Then she flew out of the palace, not looking back, not caring if there was anyone who wanted to stop her. 
WIP // TO BE CONTINUED...
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)
Category:Fanfictions (Canon)
Category:Content (Animusdragon)
Category:Genre (Romance)
Category:Genre (Adventure)
Category:Content (Xx Dreamdancer xX)