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buzzkillchainsaw · 29 days

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If I were to write a WOF book arc - feat. Datura, Sidewinder, Pearl, Tetra & No-one (first draft)

Indulge me for a second. It's gonna be a long second (18 pages in Google docs), so please sit down comfortably and read this if you really have time to spare. Each "book" gets progressively longer. This is your last warning. Enjoy!

Book 1: Ice

Mandatory reading: X

The arc would start with Ice and her backstory, detailing how she grew up hidden away in the Icewing kingdom. How she lost her mother to a clueless Icewing guard and how she discovered and developed her animus powers with Icebreaker's, ahem, help. There would be moments shown between Ice and Icebreaker, as the Queen would sit down with the dragonet and personally train her, making her perform grueling tasks to the point of blood and tears. Afterwards, she would strangely switch up her behavior and act kind and loving so Ice would gravitate towards her again, now that Icebreaker was her only parental figure and source of comfort.

The prologue would end right at the moment where Ice’s glowing blue shackles snapped shut and sealed her magic away, only able to cast spells if the Queen allowed it. The main purpose of this part would be to establish Icebreaker's motives and present her as a threatening antagonist for the arc. It would also paint her as a horrible, irredeemable person (dragon?).

A little time jump later we see Ice still shackled, all alone in her room. Icebreaker and a few Icewings enter and Ice is ordered to give each enough magic to cast one spell. Ice complies, because she doesn’t have much of a choice anyways. The chains stop glowing as her magic is unsealed for just that specific spell. She touches each Icewing, but hesitates at the last one. He looks familiar somehow, but she can’t put her finger on it. His face doesn’t give it away either, he’s staring ahead blankly. She goes through with it and everyone leaves the room. Later, the door suddenly opens again and Ice is surprised to see someone who’s not Icebreaker - it’s the familiar Icewing from before! He introduces himself as Tern, Ice’s father. Ice doesn’t know what to feel. She doesn’t remember him at all because Icebreaker forbade him from seeing Mesa, Ice’s mother, once Ice showed signs of magic - mere weeks after hatching, Tern explains. The only reason he was even allowed to see Ice today to get magic was probably because Icebreaker was so caught up in her extraordinary war plans that she simply forgot about his involvement. He also explains how he even ended up marrying Mesa in the first place. How Icebreaker purposefully made the captive Mesa as miserable as possible and then “accidentally” introduced her to Tern (who was kind and meek and disgustingly weak by Icewing standards, which made him Icebreaker’s least liked son). Tern of course felt bad for Mesa and tried to cheer her up in any way he could - netting Icebreaker’s approval. And so, they started talking, spending time with each other and one thing led to another. Ice is taken aback and disgusted by this story. Knowing that her mere existence was just another one of Icebreaker’s manipulations horrified her, but even more horrifying was Ice’s and Tern’s involvement in her mother’s fate. If they never existed, maybe Mesa would still be alive. Tern points out that Mesa left Ice behind during her escape, but Ice doesn’t want to hear it: Mesa had every right to run from this horrible situation. Tern understands her anger and asks what he can do to redeem himself. “Helping me escape would be a start”, Ice scoffs. Tern complies and uses his ice breath on the chain keeping her tethered to the wall, freezing the chain plate to a point where the metal shatters easily after he smashes it with a rock. However, the chains are still intact, still glowing blue and the spell isn't broken.

They flee together through the halls of the castle, alarmed guards right behind them. In a crucial moment, Tern turns back to distract the guards, allowing his daughter to narrowly escape the palace. Ice runs alone through an unbearably cold storm, her half Sandwing body barely holding itself together in the extreme temperatures. She tries flying, but the winds are too strong and her muscles are too weak from all these years she was stuck in the palace. Her arms are weighed down by the glowing blue chains dragging between her legs as she walks, a constant reminder of what Icebreaker took from her. An Icewing patrol flies above to search for her, so Ice dives into soft snow and lets the storm bury her until she can no longer hear the wing flaps of the soldiers. Only a miracle (or perhaps her Icewing half) keeps her from losing limbs to frostbite. The stars shine above as she slowly reaches a warmer climate. The snow beneath her aching feet turns to rocks, then to sand. In the dead of night, Ice reaches the Sandwing kingdom. Standing on top of a dune, the silhouette of her mother.

Book 2: Datura

Mandatory reading: 1 , 2

The next book would start with Datura's backstory and showcase her relationship with her sister. After Queen Taipan's poisoning, Sidewinder would assume the role as replacement Queen until Taipan "was back to normal". Tensions arise in the Sandwing kingdom over this decision, especially with the threat of Icebreaker's seemingly unstoppable magic army looming over them. Sidewinder and Datura argue, which results in Datura being banished from the Sandwing kingdom. She is thrown out by reluctant guards with only her glasses to protect her from the sun.

She stays in the castle's shadow until the evening, enduring her sister's taunts from above. Sidewinder even throws a piece of Datura's veil from the balcony, hoping to watch her scramble to pick it up and put it on. Datura doesn't move. As the hours pass, Sidewinder begins to regret her decision. She realizes that she has no allies left, everyone in the castle doubts her and even thinks that she poisoned Taipan to get the crown. But just as she's about to look for Datura, she finds that her sister has disappeared along with the setting sun.

In the night, Datura would run into a strange Icewing with familiar black eyes and glowing shackles. After an awkward moment of being mistaken for the Icewing's mother, Datura listens to her story and finds out that Ice is trying to find a way to get rid of the shackles to stop Icebreaker, which makes the Sandwing perk up. She asks Ice to relay exactly what she said when she cast the spell.

"I enchant these unbreakable shackles to prevent any dragon wearing them from casting any spell, unless the Queen allows it."

Datura points out that Ice didn't specify Queen Icebreaker, so theoretically any Queen should be able to give permission. She then, reluctantly, tells Ice about her own situation and agrees to ask Sidewinder, the current "replacement Queen" to try and allow Ice to cast spells. In return, Ice would use her animus powers to heal Taipan. It’s a good plan. They travel to the Sandwing stronghold and Datura infiltrates it, leaving a note for Sidewinder asking her to meet up in one of their secret childhood playing spots. Sidewinder, overjoyed that her sister has returned, immediately leaves to find her. But as soon as Ice and the plan to free her is revealed, Sidewinder feels betrayed and accuses Datura of having become a spy for the Icewings. Giving Ice her magic back would only make the Icewings even stronger, after all. Datura and Ice try to clear up the misunderstanding, but Sidewinder sounds the alarm and the two of them flee.

Ice and Datura conclude that their plan needs some work, as they can't just waltz up to a random Queen and ask her to reactivate an enemy kingdom's magic soldier maker. Maybe an even stronger animus than Ice could just override her spell with their magic and free her? Datura remembers reading about powerful Seawing animus dragons and suggests asking around in the Seawing kingdom for help. Ice thinks that it wouldn't work and wants to try asking other Queens first, really fixated on Datura's interpretation of the spell. Maybe the Rainwings were more laid back and wouldn't care about the possible implications of freeing Ice (and, let's be honest, they'd be too stupid to comprehend the consequences anyway). Datura retorts that they have no idea if asking "a Queen" would even work and not be a huge waste of time again (like the fiasco with Sidewinder, which she blames herself for). And time is the last thing they can waste right now, with Icebreaker's army on the horizon. Ice is convinced, but at least wants to try the Rainwings before throwing in the towel. They begin to journey eastwards.

In a quiet moment, Datura asks Ice what magic feels like and if the rumors about losing your soul are true. Ice doesn't know, she doesn't feel that much different than before. Before Icebreaker and her experiments. Obviously she's terrified of turning into a soulless monster. But she also points out that it was Icebreaker who seemed more and more unhinged with each enchantment she forced Ice to do, as if the damage fell upon her soul, not Ice's. But who knows, really. All that matters now is that Ice gets her magic back and stops Icebreaker before it's too late. Too late for whom? She doesn't elaborate.

Book 3: Pearl

Mandatory reading: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4

The third book would start with Pearl's backstory, her meeting with Tetra and her eventual escape from Lamprey. Her and Tetra want to see the world together, but also find a way to cure Tetra's wing. They swim together until they reach a river that spills into the sea. This would be the only chance for Pearl to see the surface world while staying in the water. Tetra helps Pearl, who isn't a strong swimmer, to swim upstream until they reach a calmer part of the river. It's very difficult, but they manage to do it. Tetra remarks that she could just construct a harness out of grass and vines and fly, pulling Pearl along with her in the water. However, her wing is still badly injured. The two dragonets take a break, frustrated and tired. If only there was an easy fix to this situation ... Tetra suddenly remembers her father telling her a bedtime story about magic dragons called "animi" and suggests finding one to cure her wing. In the same breath, she excitedly says "and maybe they could cure you too, Pearl!" Pearl is taken aback by this, as she hasn't really considered herself in need of "curing". Sure, her inability to breathe air on land has made their journey difficult, but this is the way she was born. Should she really change such an integral part of herself with magic? Still, she nods in feigned excitement. She figures that she could still have time to think and maybe say no if they actually met one of those magic dragons. If.

The two kids continue making their way upstream, dealing with lots of difficulties, but always finding a way to make it work together. Suddenly, they run into two strange dragons. The dragons introduce themselves as Ice and Datura and tell the two kids that they're on the lookout for an animus and a Queen. Tetra excitedly proclaims that her and Pearl need an animus too and Ice reveals that she is one, but currently cannot cast spells until a "Queen" allows her to. Pearl, who cannot speak or understand "air-breather" language, is slightly put off by everyone talking over her and while she has no idea what's going on. Tetra tries her best to translate, but as soon as she flashes the words "They're looking for a Queen" in aquatic, Pearl feels terror and fear course through her body, visions of Lamprey and the cult swirling in her mind. The other dragons notice her trembling, and Datura tries approaching her to calm her down, but without Tetra's translation Pearl assumes that this huge terrifying dragon is trying to capture her. The misunderstanding gets resolved thanks to Tetra's quick thinking - speaking "air-breather" language to Datura and aquatic to Pearl at the same time to explain the situation.

Pearl agrees to try to free Ice, but doesn't tell Tetra about her doubts with the whole "curing Pearl" part. The group gathers and Pearl formally and regally tells Ice that she is allowed to cast spells - in aquatic. Nothing happens. Tetra translates her words into "air-breather" language, but it still doesn't work. The chains remain as they were, Ice is still sealed. Ice is distraught, because this is yet another "Queen" that "didn't work". As soon as Tetra (hesitantly) translates this, Pearl is overcome by anger. What was her stupid role as a "Queen" even for, if it couldn't even help one single dragon? She tells Tetra in aquatic to say the words again in "air-breather", and the little blue dragon complies. Pearl, with all her might, sticks her head far out of the water, breathes in the air and tries to replicate the sounds. However, all that comes out is painful gurgling and choking. Ice, realizing that this poor little dragonet was hurting herself because of Ice's outburst, leaps forward and splashes Pearl with a wave of water, knocking her over and causing her to slip back underwater. Pearl isn't too pleased, but remembers how Tetra had done the same that night on the beach and concludes that Ice just wanted to help. But Pearl also just wanted to help. She feels awful every time she sees Tetra wince and grimace after the slightest movement of her broken wing. She asks what she should do now. The other three dragons are quiet, thinking. Datura perks up and asks the two dragonets if they could look for an animus dragon in the Seawing kingdom, perhaps in the royal court, while her and Ice would look for the Rainwing Queen. Pearl is unsure about going back into the same ocean she just fled from. But she also knows that the entire continent is at stake. After all, from what she heard about Icebreaker, that Icewing was probably planning to freeze the oceans with magic in her pursuit of the “perfect ice kingdom”. And then, Pearl and Tetra would have nowhere to run anyways. Pearl agrees, and Tetra agrees too. Datura continues with her plan: No matter if successful or not, the two parties would meet up again during the upcoming full moon in a safe harbor between the Seawing and Rainwing kingdom. The group agrees and prepares to go to sleep and leave early tomorrow. Pearl finds a calm pocket of water in the river with not too much flow and falls asleep, dreaming of her mother.

Book 4: Tetra

The next book would be in Tetra's point of view as she sits around a small fire with Datura and Ice, on that very same evening. Tetra asks Ice what an animus is actually capable of and if one could even cure Pearl's condition and make her breathe air on land just like all the other Seawings. Ice shrugs and says "Couldn't see why not", but Datura questions whether Pearl actually wants to be "cured" of the way she was born. After all, Datura has a similar problem of being burnt by the sun because of her skin, but she never thought about asking an animus for different skin. Tetra retorts that she wants her own wing to be cured so she can fly again, so why shouldn't Pearl wish to be able to breathe on land? Datura is unsure of what the right answer is, but tells her to ask Pearl before doing anything. Tetra reluctantly agrees, but is still sure that her view of the problem is correct. Or is she? Datura's words had put doubt into her mind.

In the morning, Tetra goes to find Pearl, who appears to be less enthusiastic about following through with the plan than she seemed yesterday. Pearl says that she thought about it and is worried that going to the royal court might be dangerous, because her existence alone would probably be treason in the actual Seawing Queen's eyes. Tetra hurriedly looks for a reason to bring Pearl along anyway and says nobody has to know about Pearl's identity, she can just use another name while they're there. Besides, the Seawings and their Queen wouldn't listen to just one dragon's words, Pearl would be an additional witness and could confirm that Tetra was saying the truth. Even better, Tetra remarks, while they're there, they sleuth around for Pearl's mother. It will be fun! Pearl reluctantly agrees, convinced by Tetra's last argument but still worried about the potential dangers of entering Seawing territory. There is also a lingering fear of running into Lamprey again, but that would be impossible, wouldn't it?

They embark on their way to the Seawing kingdom. Pearl enjoys swimming more and more and feels herself becoming stronger. Tetra is excited for her, but feels weighed down by her doubts about the whole "curing" thing. She is about to finally break down and just ask Pearl directly, when the two kids are suddenly ambushed by a Seawing patrol who are looking for a dragonet that fits Pearl's description. When questioned why, they don't answer. The two kids try swimming away, but Tetra's hurt wing slows her down and Pearl turns around to wait for her, causing both to get captured. They try to deny that the patrol found who they were looking for, until one of the soldiers reveals that the dragonet in question cannot breathe air. One grabs a protesting Tetra while another snatches Pearl and quickly swims upward with her, leaping out of the water and letting her dangle in the air. Tetra watches helplessly while Pearl tries her best to pretend to breathe, but she starts choking quickly while calling for her mother in aquatic. Satisfied, the soldiers dump her back into the water and prepare to make their way back to the palace. Tetra tries to explain why they were here and why finding an animus was extremely important for everyone's safety, but the soldiers tell her to shut up and that a stupid kid has nothing to say worth listening to. Tetra realises that her assumption that anyone would hear them out was childish and not only put Pearl's life in danger, but the entire continent as well.

They arrive at the Seawing palace and are dragged before the Queen. The very same Queen that had sent Tetra's father to his death by drafting him into war. To both Tetra's and Pearl's surprise, a badly injured Lamprey is lounging in the throne room and the Queen asks him if "this" (pointing at Pearl), "is her". Lamprey says yes, with a proudly puffed out chest and malice radiating from his eyes. He is promptly taken away, while some other soldiers drag Pearl along with them. Tetra screams at them to not put Pearl into a cage and to not let Lamprey anywhere near her, but nobody acknowledges her. Finally, the Queen's eyes set on her. Queen Agate of the Seawings asks Tetra who she is, where she came from and what she is doing here with "that", nodding into the direction Pearl was taken away. Tetra answers truthfully, explaining every detail from the first time she met Pearl to the moment the soldiers caught them after they split up with Datura and Ice. The Queen's eyes shift, and she asks for clarification. Datura, the current Sandwing Queen's daughter? Really? Tetra realizes that she had said something of interest and elaborates, embellishing the actual deepness of her friendship with Datura a little. Yes, Datura was banished by Sidewinder, whom everyone considers to be unworthy anyway, so it doesn't really count. Besides, the goal was to get Ice to cure Taipan, and Taipan would surely take Datura's side after seeing the disaster Sidewinder's incompetence caused. And Datura would surely tell her mother about the cause and gain the entire Sandwing kingdom's support. The Queen nods and proclaims that she needs time to think and to send Tetra "somewhere safe" in the meantime. Tetra asks if she would see Pearl again, but again, no one acknowledges her.

She is locked into a barren room with not much inside, so she sits down in front of the door, peeping through the keyhole to try and catch something, anything of interest. Finally some soldiers pass by, and Tetra can briefly see one flashing "...and the traitor will be executed..." at the other in aquatic. She panics and throws herself against the door, claws at the walls and whirls around the room like a tornado – in vain. Tetra finally sits down and cries until the soldiers come back to get her.

She is taken before the Queen again, encountering a familiar sight: Pearl, on the one side of the throne, held down by guards. Lamprey, on the other side, with some guards behind him. The Queen in the middle, staring Tetra right in the eyes. She then turns to Lamprey and tells him to state his case, again.

"My name is Lamprey", he says, "and I have simply been misguided. I was told that this dragonet", he points to Pearl, "was actually the true heir to the throne, so I believed it. I am but a humble servant of the Seawing kingdom and I would hate to see it threatened by a traitor trying to get her grubby fingers all over the throne that rightfully belongs to yours truly, Queen Agate."

"He's lying!", Tetra flashes as brightly as she can, but only earns a sharp look from Queen Agate.

"And so, I watched as this false Queen accumulated a horde of poor, misguided souls and fed them lies about the kingdom. She preyed on the weak-minded, convincing them that staying in the ocean would be the best course of action, just so she could feel better about her unfortunate disability." Lamprey wipes away an invisible tear, underwater. "I only snapped out of her manipulation after she ordered her followers to attack me and I have been nothing but truthful with you ever since, your highness. I gave your soldiers the locations of each site of worship as well as the names of every dragon who participated in this farce. It is truly an unfortunate situation, my Queen, yet I will trust your judgement when it comes to that little traitor."

Silence. "I have made my decision", the Queen says. "Your are correct, Lamprey, the traitor must indeed be dealt with. " She looks at Pearl and flicks her tail, and before anyone can react, one of the Seawing guards raises a dagger and stabs Lamprey in the back. Surprised, he whips around with his mouth wide open, producing a cloud of blood. "You have mistaken my kindness for stupidity, Lamprey," the Queen continues, "You have been, for years, actively gathering an enemy faction seeking to depose me. Yet you seem to think that simply offering me the very same pawns you created would make me forgive and forget your crimes." Lamprey fights against the blade in his flesh and attempts to lunge towards the Queen, but is held back by her soldiers. The Queen comes closer and stares down at him. "I'm old, Lamprey, but not senile. And did you seriously think I wouldn't recognize Sixgill's daughter?" And with that, Lamprey is gone and his limp body is taken away. Pearl and Tetra, stricken by fear and confusion, stand there like statues.

The Queen turns to them and announces her decision: Tetra will to go to the meeting point and take Datura and Ice to Queen Agate, who would not only attempt to allow Ice to use her magic, but also gather the animus dragons in the royal court to break the spell if her word alone wouldn't suffice. Of course, Tetra's hurt wing would also be taken care of. In return, Datura must agree to take over leadership in the Sandwing kingdom, kill Sidewinder if she resists and then enter an alliance with the Seawing kingdom. With Ice freed, the two kingdoms would then lead a joint attack on Icebreaker's forces and amicably split the spoils of war between them. Ice must agree to take away the Icewings' magic and then make a magical swear to never cast magic against any Seawing. To ensure Tetra, Datura and Ice would follow this plan, Pearl would stay with the Seawing Queen until every condition of her pact was fulfilled. Besides, she wouldn't be much of use on the surface anyway. Tetra perks up, remembering her idea to cure Pearl, while Pearl seems to become smaller and smaller. The Queen gives Tetra one of her lavishly engraved and decorated armbands as proof of her goodwill, a huge thing that the small dragonet wears like a necklace. "And since you have personally witnessed what I do to those who betray me", the Queen finishes, "I trust that you will fulfill your end of the bargain swiftly and efficiently." Tetra nods, confused, excited, happy and scared at the same time. She is unsure whether she can trust Queen Agate after what she did to break apart her family, but right now, Pearl and the future of the entire continent is more important. Tetra is allowed to say goodbye to Pearl and promises her to come back soon and "fix everything". Pearl too gives her one of her armbands, this time it perfectly fits around Tetra's wrist. She is then escorted to the shore by Seawing soldiers.

Book 5: No-one

Mandatory reading: X

This book would start out with a very short flashback of No-one being tested with the candle and swapping places with the other hatchling, dooming them to death.

It would then jump forward in time to No-one, now appearing to be a Rainwing, hanging out at the edge of the Rainwing territory. He notices an Icewing wearing glowing shackles and a pale Sandwing accompanying her. Curious about the clearly animus-touched chains, he decides to follow them. He overhears them talking about needing to find the Rainwing Queen. Sensing an opportunity to grant some wishes, he decides to take off his earring to reveal himself as not only a Skywing, but also an animus. His instinct was right: Datura the Sandwing immediately asks him to try and break the spell on the chains with desperation in her voice. The Icewing on the other hand eyes him with distrust. No-one reveals the nature of his contract to grant a wish. Datura and Ice are taken aback, with Ice even saying how "evil" this was. Their loss, No-one says, he's not dependent on them. But they certainly are dependent on him. He asks why they wanted to visit the Rainwing Queen. Begrudgingly they tell him the rest of the story. He watches Datura closely whenever it's Ice's turn to explain and tries copying what she does: furrowing his brows at the bad parts, widening his eyes at the surprising parts and shaking his head whenever Datura does. As soon as they're done explaining, he offers to take them to the Queen in his Rainwing appearance and ask her to break Ice's spell. On one condition: once they realize that the whole ordeal was a waste of time because the spell simply won't be broken, they will make a wish with No-one. They agree, partly because of No-one's perceived confidence that he will be able to break the spell. In reality, he isn't sure at all how this will turn out. He just wants to hang around with Datura some more.

Appearing as a Rainwing, he guides the two dragons through the Rainwing kingdom, curiously watched by a few real Rainwings, but mostly ignored. Once they reach the Queen, Ice and Datura are shocked about the Rainwing custom of just letting anyone who wants to be Queen fulfill the role for a month. Still, they continue with No-one's plan. The current Queen, a spunky young Rainwing named Bloom, greets them (after they've waited in line long enough). No-one tells Bloom that Ice is an animus who will grant her a wish once her magic chains are gone. All Bloom needs to do is tell her that she's allowed to cast spells. Bloom is excited, but quickly finds that she can't decide on a wish: She wants a flower necklace that changes colors to match her scales, she wants an earring that will whisper to her where the best sun spots are, she also wants a magic satchel that will always contain the most delicious fruit whenever she reaches into it. One wish just wouldn't be enough! No-one, knowing Bloom's love for bets and games, tells her that Ice will grant all her wishes, but only on the condition that Bloom wins against Ice, Datura and No-one in a series of Rainwing games. If Bloom loses, she will only get one wish. In a sense, Bloom cannot lose at all, since she will get at least one wish granted in either outcome! Ice gets increasingly more agitated as No-one keeps deciding these things over her head. Bloom thinks for a moment, glances at Ice's chains and Datura's rigid looking Sandwing body and finally agrees. The games, clearly hand picked by Bloom to disadvantage Ice and Datura as much as possible, begin. They try to work together to win, but Ice's chains keep getting caught on every branch while climbing and Datura's wings are just too huge to beat Bloom in a gliding race through the dense rainforest. Only No-one, using his animus magic to cheat, narrowly secures the win. Ice and Datura notice, but decide to keep quiet. Bloom is disappointed but keeps up her end of the bargain, formally announcing that Ice is allowed to cast spells again. It doesn't work. Ice breaks down, unable to accept yet another failure. She screams that it obviously didn't work because Bloom isn't a real Queen since anyone can just become Rainwing Queen for a month. Three moons, why don't they try making a sloth Queen next? Or maybe a chewed-on mango? This angers Bloom and the other Rainwings. “And how come your system is the correct one?”, she naps back. “How is murdering your own family to become Queen any better, huh?” No-one tries to diffuse the situation but ultimately, the trio has to leave the kingdom.

On their way out, Ice tells No-one that she wants to make a wish with him to break the spell. Datura protests, pointing out that No-one will damage her already hurt soul even further, but Ice does not care and wants to go through with it again. Datura interjects again, saying that she will instead make a wish for No-one to heal her poisoned mother, Taipan. Taipan is, for all intents and purposes, a real Queen. No technicalities, no strange Rainwing customs, no nonsense. Ice objects, not wanting Datura to sell her soul for her. After all, Ice is too far gone anyways. Isn't it obvious? After her last outburst that would've gotten them killed if the Rainwings were just a little bit more like the other dragon tribes? Ice's soul is crumbling, so one more enchantment won't make much of a difference. Datura looks to No-one for support, but he has no idea what to say. But for some reason, he really wants Datura to think highly of him, so he agrees with her argument: They will first try Taipan and only then let No-one attempt to break the spell with Ice's appearance. But before any of that, Datura remarks, they need to meet with Tetra and Pearl in their agreed meeting spot. Maybe the two Seawings have found a better solution?

That night, they seek refuge in a small cave. As Datura is fast asleep, Ice approaches No-one and tells him to break the spell right now, no matter the cost. No-one thinks about it. On the one talon, he wants Datura's approval, and Datura said no. On the other talon, he's always up for more appearances. For some reason, another one of his favorites recently disappeared. Besides, Datura doesn't need to know, right? They can just pretend that the magic on the chains...wore off, right? Or maybe Icebreaker had choked to death on a seal bone, and that broke the spell overnight? No-one follows through with Ice's request, touches her with his earring and seals the deal. He then concentrates all his power on the chains, telling them to break, telling them to release the magic they contain, telling them to reverse Ice's spell. The chains continue to shine bright blue, not reacting to anything. No-one is secretly offended that Ice's magic seems to be stronger than his own. Ice then asks him if he can try giving her “new” powers by “making her an animus”, but that doesn’t work as well. Somehow, the chains seem to prevent any magic entering or leaving Ice’s body. Ice seems frustrated, but doesn't have another outburst like in the Rainwing kingdom. Instead, she just looks tired and defeated. Ice and No-one agree to not tell Datura about any of this, for their own reasons.

The next day, they travel towards the meeting spot. No-one asks Datura what it's like to live in the Sandwing kingdom, and to everyone's surprise switches his appearance to a Sandwing. Datura, instead of being impressed or maybe even slightly more interested in No-one, accusingly asks who this is. No-one, realizing he did something bad, switches back to one of his Rainwings and explains that the Sandwing was some random bandit he stumbled upon, a really bad guy who wished for a lot of treasure because he was just so greedy. Datura, more or less convinced, drops the topic. As soon as they reach the meeting spot, they bump into Tetra just as she emerges from the ocean, not with Pearl, but with a group of Seawing soldiers. Ice, Datura and No-one are wary at first, but then Tetra explains the situation. The Seawing soldiers stay back to let them speak in private and Tetra presents the Queen's armband. Datura is worried about Pearl while Ice is angry about yet another decision that was made over her head. "So the Seawing Queen offers to release my magic, just for me to seal myself away again?" Tetra points out that she just needs to promise not to hurt any Seawings, which should be reasonable, but is interrupted by Ice who tells her that she's just a kid who doesn't understand the bigger picture. As the situation tenses up, Ice apologizes and explains how they just suffered another failure with Queen Bloom (leaving out Ice's wish with No-one) and that she's terrified of not being able to stop Icebreaker in time. Tetra seems understanding and assures her that everything will be fine with Queen Agate at their side, leaving out her own reluctance about the whole situation - her father is still on her mind. Maybe she just wants to convince herself.

Datura thinks loudly about how an alliance with the Seawings could help when it comes down to numbers. Icebreaker's army may not be big, but their magic would probably make each Icewing as dangerous as ten Sandwings. Ice agrees, painfully aware of what spells are circulating in the army, having tested most of them herself. There's also the question of Pearl: What will Queen Agate do with her if they don't agree to her conditions? After some more talking, Datura calls over the Seawings and asks them to relay a message to Queen Agate: Datura agrees to join forces with the Seawings, but urgently needs to travel back home to her sick mother first and cannot wait for a meeting with Agate. Ice will accompany her for her own safety and later meet Agate and her soldiers at the same river that Pearl and Tetra used to travel into the continent. There, the Sandwings and the Seawings will form a stand against Icebreaker's army. She leaves out their plan to heal Taipan to try and break the spell without Agate's help. And the Rainwing? Oh, that's just our forest guide. We bribed him with mangoes. He has nothing to do with this. The Seawings agree and leave to pass on the message.

Datura, Ice, No-one and Tetra are left to figure out their next steps. Tetra asks No-one to heal her wing so she wouldn't be a burden to them, and he does under Datura's and Ice's watchful eyes. She then asks if he can somehow show her how Pearl is doing, and he enchants a puddle to do exactly that, still using Tetra's appearance. Pearl seems fine, but she's surrounded by unfamiliar dragons. Tetra then tells him about her plan to heal Pearl from whatever affliction is keeping her from breathing air. Datura raises her concerns again, but is ignored by the overexcited little Seawing. Tetra raises her arm, showing No-one Pearl's armband and asks him if he can enchant it to make Pearl breathe air. He obliges, still appearing as Tetra. As for her final wish, she asks him to magically transport the armband onto Pearl's arm. He does. Looking into the puddle, they see the armband appear on Pearl, and as soon as it does, Pearl's eyes widen, her gills flutter, her little hands shoot up to her throat, bubbles gushing out of her nose and mouth. "What's wrong?", Tetra screams, realizing too late that No-one's spell was literal. No-one panics, bringing back the bracelet onto Tetra's arm. Pearl calms down, seemingly breathing normally again. No-one removes the enchantment from the puddle and reaches for Tetra's armband to do the same, but she backs away from his grasp. "I want to keep it", she says. "You do? After almost killing her with it?", Ice asks. "I want her to have the choice.", Tetra retorts and ends the discussion, not acknowledging that she has already taken that choice away from Pearl.

The group then sits down to figure out a way to get into the Sandwing kingdom, get past Sidewinder and heal Taipan. Tetra, feeling that she has to prove herself after her latest screw-up, offers an idea.

Book 6: Sidewinder

The last book would be from Sidewinder's perspective. A full scale war is about to break out before her doorstep and she hasn't slept properly in weeks. She tries to avoid her fellow Sandwings, because every time one runs into her, she gets barraged with more problems. The soldiers are running out of rations. The scouts still aren't back. The weapon shipment is late. Sidewinder has no idea what to do about that. About any of this. This isn't what she imagined it would be like, to finally be in charge with Datura and her mother out of the picture. Advisors pop up here and there, but their advice boils down to "step down and let an actual adult handle this" sooner or later. Her aunt Hognose, Taipan's younger sister, even insinuates that she's about to challenge Sidewinder (and Taipan, indirectly) for the throne. Taipan would have her head for this, if she knew. But Taipan isn't here right now.

Devastating news hits: a troop of Sandwings Sidewinder sent to patrol the border to the Icewing territory had been wiped out by a mere handful of Icewings. Only one survivor managed to crawl back and relay the horrors: when the Icewings attacked, they brought storm clouds and snow with them, their spears finding their way into Sandwing hearts, their scales effortlessly deflecting poisonous tail barbs as if made of diamond. "They were showing off", the survivor coughs weakly, "They didn't even use their ice breath."

Before Sidewinder can even react, more news hits: Her sister Datura was seen entering the Sandwing territory from the other side and immediately captured. Sidewinder perks up. Datura is back! Datura was smart when it came to things like this. Datura always did her history homework and sometimes stayed up late reading battle reports in the library. Datura will know what to do. Sidewinder orders her soldiers to bring Datura to the stronghold immediately and runs outside to greet her. It's a strange sight: the soldiers are dragging her limp sister forward like she weighs nothing and she doesn't even protest. She's wearing a strange golden armband Sidewinder has never seen before and she's missing her glasses and her veil. Sidewinder almost feels sorry for her and is about to bend down for a hug, until she remembers how their last meeting ended. Betrayal. "How dare you leave me like this!", Sidewinder hisses, but Datura barely acknowledges her. "How dare you leave your kingdom! Do you know how many soldiers we already lost? Do you know how hard it was to keep everything together on my own? And you just left me here to go play with your friend- wait, where is she? Where's that creepy Icewing with the chains?" Datura still doesn't answer. "Answer me, before I drive my stinger into your skull!", Sidewinder screams. Only then does Datura look up and say, with a voice that is not her own, "Wow. You really are a terrible sister."

While Sidewinder is distracted, Ice, Datura, and No-one disguised as a Sandwing sneak into the stronghold to heal Taipan. No-one assumes Datura's form to fulfill her wish and casts a spell on her mother. It seems like it doesn't work at first, but then Taipan opens her eyes. Datura seizes the moment right before her mother freaks out and explains the situation. Taipan, too weak to be angry about any of this, agrees to try and free Ice under a similar condition as Queen Agate's: Ice must make a magic oath to never use her magic against Sandwings (or Seawings) again. Ice retorts that she will take the oath in front of Taipan and Agate once they have defeated Icebreaker, which Taipan is fine with. She royally announces to Ice that she is now free to make spells, right as Sidewinder bursts in with guards. The chains don't react though, Ice's magic is still sealed. Silence falls over the room. Sidewinder stares at the two Daturas, unsure which one to scream at. The guards move forward to arrest the strange Icewing in their Queen's quarters, but are stopped by Taipan who reaffirms her authority as the ruler of the Sandwings. Sidewinder watches as the guards are dismissed, feeling her own authority slip away all the same. This is it. She's done. She's not needed anymore.

As her mother turns towards her, she anticipates a scolding for all the things Sidewinder screwed up during her "reign", if you could even call it that. Instead, Taipan thanks her and says that Sidewinder likely did the best she could do in such a situation. Bewildered, Sidewinder stares at her mother, ultimately unable to accept her affection. "Now that your favorite daughter is back, I'm clearly not needed anymore", she scoffs, "She's probably dying to tell you in great detail what a terrible leader I was, so keep your praises." With that, she storms out of the room. As she runs through the stronghold, she sees how quickly the news of the Queen's comeback has spread. Excited whispers in every corner, heads held up higher, brows furrowed and eyes shining with newfound confidence. Sidewinder feels sick. She leaps out onto a balcony, the very same one she taunted Datura from after banishing her. Sidewinder sits down to cry, but is interrupted by her sister.

She tries to antagonize Datura, but all that anger from before is gone, only sadness and exhaustion remain. The two sisters share a hug as Datura tells her that she missed her, despite everything. Sidewinder apologizes for banishing her, which Datura accepts. She tells Datura how she always felt sidelined while Taipan fussed over Datura due to her condition, as if Sidewinder didn't matter to her at all. Datura points out that whenever Taipan wasn’t fussing over her, she spent her time with Sidewinder, doing all the fun things Datura wasn’t allowed to do due to her condition: fight training in the blazing sun, hunting for food in the desert, visiting different parts of the kingdom to check on her people, and so on. After all, Taipan loves them equally, but she had to treat the sisters differently due to their different needs. Sidewinder understands. They sit in silence for a while as Sidewinder feels all the tension, hurt, anger and sleepless nights fade away, even if just for a moment. Datura then tells Sidewinder that Taipan has summoned everyone to the war room to plan the next steps, and asks Sidewinder to come. She agrees and the two sisters enter Taipan's war room, a huge space with a giant table in the middle, covered in maps and small dragon figurines. A complimentary bowl of dried lizards sits on the table. Taipan sits at the table, along with a few important Sandwing generals. Ice and No-one are also present, the latter assuming the form of a Sandwing. Sidewinder immediately notices that something is off about him, as he doesn't carry himself like a proper Sandwing would. He doesn't even curl his tail tip properly, for three moons' sake! Tetra sits in a bucket of water in the corner, shooting a glare towards Sidewinder and shaking her head at her. Sidewinder has no idea what she did wrong.

Taipan tells Datura to tell them everything, and Datura does. She retells her adventure with Ice, their meeting with Pearl and Tetra, their discovery of No-one and Queen Agate's deal. She finishes at the point where they attempted to break Ice's spell with Taipan, and formally turns to No-one to ask him to break the spell with his magic. No-one and Ice share a look that Sidewinder knows all too well: they screwed up something. Ice then explains that they already tried when Datura was sleeping, that it didn't work and that they were so sure that Taipan could break the spell that they decided to not tell Datura because they didn’t want her to be mad at them. Datura is angry that she was lied to, but doesn't push it further.. Instead, one of the generals speaks up: If those two lied to Datura about such an important thing, who are they even loyal to? That Icewing may say she’s part Sandwing to gain our sympathy, but she might as well still be loyal to the Icewings. And nobody knows who or what No-one even is, let alone what his motives are. Datura says that she's been travelling with them for weeks, that she could rely on both in difficult situations and that she trusts them. But the generals want to hear it straight out of the horse's mouth. Ice grabs her chain and slams her shackled wrists on the table. "Everything I ever did since escaping Icebreaker was to try and free myself. I want to free myself to stop Icebreaker, because this war is entirely my fault. If I never existed, Icebreaker wouldn't have a giant magic army right now. My loyalties couldn't be further away from that wretched Icewing. Or any Icewing, for that matter." Satisfied, the generals turn to No-one, who turns to Datura. Datura combines a raised eyebrow with a claw gesture, in a "go on, say something" kind of way. No-one takes off his earring, revealing to the generals (and Sidewinder) that he's a Skywing. He says that he's been on the run from the Skywing kingdom all his life, because, as everyone knows, Skywings kill animi when they're discovered. He's been travelling all over Pyrrhia since, always hiding his true identity and never making any real connections. He also admits that he never really cared about other dragons and always acted in his own selfish interest - until he met Datura. He's been helping her and Ice, at first just to gain more appearances, but then even beyond that. He could've left after Ice made a wish with him, or after Tetra’s wish, or even Datura’s wish. But he didn’t, and he wants to understand why. Sticking around and helping the Sandwings further might help him understand someday. The generals and especially Taipan are less impressed with that answer, so Taipan asks Datura to personally vouch for No-one, trusting her daughter’s judgement. Datura does, and the discussion moves on.

Since they couldn't free Ice with Taipan or No-one, it was safe to assume that Agate and her animi would likely be a bust as well. Still, they needed the additional support from the Seawing army to have any chance of winning in a fight. There was also another advantage – well, two, actually. For one, Icebreaker has no idea that the Sandwings have Ice. She may be a cruel, cruel dragon, but Ice is still her granddaughter, if that even means anything to her. If not, it's safe to assume that she'd at least want her animus maker back, because she hopefully respects her (pure) Icewing subjects too much to give Ice's role to one of them. On the other talon, they have something that Icebreaker definitely would not expect: No-one. Now they need to combine these little advantages into something tangible that could actually stop Icebreaker's conquest. Taipan calls for a break and tells everyone to get some fresh air to stimulate their brains.

Sidewinder watches as Ice walks over to Tetra's bucket and puts her forearms into the water, clearly uncomfortable with the heat and dry air of the desert. Tetra scoops up some more water with her webbed talons and pours it over Ice's head. Meanwhile, the Sandwing army generals discuss something with Taipan, who's trying to keep up a tough appearance, but her talons shake slightly as she reaches into the lizard bowl. Datura calls over her friends (and Sidewinder) and offers to take them on a little tour of the stronghold. Sidewinder has a quiet chat with No-one, where she asks him if he really told the truth earlier. He says that he did, but he doesn’t know how else to prove it. Sidewinder tells him that whatever happens next, he should do everything in his (magic) power to protect Datura. That’s how he’ll prove it. The two then rejoin the group. Sidewinder, still thinking about how Datura wasn’t allowed to do the “fun things” as a dragonet, suggests a friendly game of “Sting-you”, a traditional Sandwing game that requires all players to cover their tail barbs with a special covering and then run around in teams to “sting” each other with their tails. Whoever is “stung” has to fall to the ground and be “dead” until a teammate arrives to help them up. Whichever team is left with the last “living” player wins. Tetra doesn’t want to play because she’d want to have Pearl on her team and would be the odd one out, so it’s between team red (Datura and No-one) and team blue (Sidewinder and Ice). Team blue narrowly wins. The group has a laugh and eventually returns to the war room, where Taipan and the generals are already studying maps on the table. Taipan greets the group and reaches into the lizard bowl.

"Icebreaker.", she says after she's done with the lizard. Even though her voice is still weak, everyone immediately turns to listen. "Based on Ice's intel and what the scouts managed to find out, she is not interested in diplomacy. She doesn't care about our territories or our resources. She just wants to unleash a second, magic-induced scorching onto Pyrrhia and rule over the ashes. Or the ice and snow, for that matter." Everyone nods in agreement.

"That's why we will kill her."

Palpable tension covers the room as soon as the word "kill" leaves her mouth. Datura, No-one, Tetra and even Sidewinder look over to Ice. "But what will happen to Ice’s shackles if Icebreaker...", Sidewinder begins, but doesn't finish the sentence when everyone turns to look at her. Ice has a strange look on her face that Sidewinder doesn't understand.

"We will have to lure her out first. I suggest we send her a message and tell her that we have Ice, and that we want to discuss a peace treaty directly with the Icewing Queen. Obviously she's not interested in peace, but she'll hopefully want to see Ice. Maybe she's already covered in all sorts of magic artifacts that protect her from harm, so she's probably feeling confident and untouchable. And this will be her mistake. You, animus." Taipan turns to No-one. "If one can give a dragon magic, one can also take it away, correct?"

"I...think?", No-one says. "I've never tried it before."

"Try it now. It is of utmost importance.", Taipan says. No-one looks around the room helplessly while every other dragon avoids his gaze like hatchlings who don't want to be called on by the teacher. Nobody wants to risk their soul for an experiment. Ice is ruled out by default, Tetra is just a kid whom nobody wants to harm, which would leave Datura and Sidewinder. Sidewinder steps up: "Make me an animus. I'll enchant something small to see if it works, then you undo everything." Datura protests, saying it's too dangerous, but Sidewinder doesn't want to hear it. "I've screwed up enough already. Just let me do one good thing here." After some discussion, No-one lays his hands on her and gives her magic. Sidewinder immediately feels a strange tingling in her claws. To see if it works, she looks around to find something small to enchant and lands on Datura's sunglasses, offering to make them unbreakable. Datura gives her the glasses and Sidewinder enchants them. She then violently throws them against the nearest wall, stomps on them and tries snapping them in half for good measure, but the glasses are unharmed. Sidewinder likes this power. But before she can do more, No-one picks up a dried lizard and enchants it to take away Sidewinder's magic if he snaps it in half. He snaps it in half (and then throws it into his mouth), and the tingling in her claws immediately stops. She feels a mix of disappointment and relief, knowing that she'd definitely be the type to quickly corrupt her soul with this kind of power. No-one suddenly makes a weird face, and his Sandwing appearance seems to phase in and out of existence, his Skywing appearance flickering underneath. He panics and reaches for his earring, shifting to one of his Rainwings instead. “What in the three moons was that?”, Taipan exclaims. No-one explains that sometimes, his appearances fade for no apparent reason. Ice asks whether it has something to do with how much he used them for enchantments or maybe how powerful the enchantments were and No-one shrugs, he’s not really keeping track of any of that. Tetra asks how many he has left and he starts cycling through 3 Rainwings, another Skywing, a Mudwing and then Ice, Tetra and Datura. “Huh”, he says, "I thought I had more left.” Tetra asks what will happen to the real versions if their appearances in his earring fade, but he doesn’t know. Taipan waves it off, they’ll deal with this later.

Now that it's proven that magic can be taken away, the planning can continue. Tetra, from her bucket, offers to meet the Seawings at the river and lead them to a spot in the Sandwing territory where they can prepare for the fight. The others agree, saying that Tetra should be kept safe and away from the Icewings (and she'd be useless in a fight anyways). Datura offers to represent the Sandwing kingdom together with Sidewinder, since Taipan is in no shape to leave the stronghold. Taipan doubts whether Icebreaker would come out of hiding if she saw that the actual Sandwing Queen isn't there to meet her, only her daughters. Maybe she'd even see it as a sign of weakness and attack immediately. Tetra holds up the armband Sidewinder saw on the "fake Datura" earlier and says that one of the sisters should use it to appear as Taipan. If it fooled Sidewinder, it would definitely fool Icebreaker. And now that No-one is on a tight budget when it comes to appearances, it would be better to work with what they already have. Datura and Sidewinder look at each other, unsure who should bear this responsibility. On the one talon, if Datura did it, she'd have to go without her veil and sunglasses, because Taipan definitely doesn't wear those and it would raise suspicion. On the other talon, Sidewinder is unsure whether she can pretend to be a convincing Queen, after her failure as "temporary Queen". Taipan flat out asks Sidewinder if she will do it, and she says yes.

The planning continues. Taipan will send a message to Icebreaker, telling her that she has Ice, who's still wearing the magic-sealing chains, and asking her to meet. Datura and Sidewinder (disguised as Taipan) will bring Ice to the meeting spot (which will be close to the river the Seawings are hiding in), accompanied by some guards. No-one will be among them, disguised as a Sandwing guard. When Icebreaker is close enough, No-one will snap two enchanted twigs in his mouth: one will stop Icebreaker's heart (a spell that they can't test beforehand, for obvious reasons), one will take away the magic from all Icewings nearby as well as their enchanted objects. Because nobody knows how far the spell will reach, it is important to get as many Icewings as possible to be near Icebreaker, which will be achieved by placing a battalion of Sandwings in visible (but not threatening) distance away from the meeting spot. If the spell to kill Icebreaker fails, at least the magic will be gone and the Sandwing guards, all highly trained, will kill Icebreaker - with No-one's magic help, if necessary. Either way, the Seawing and Sandwing army will attack the weakened Icewings at once to push them back into their frosty habitat. Ice, Sidewinder, Datura and No-one will escape back to the castle, protected by the attacking armies. Taipan and Agate will handle the rest from there.

Taipan dismisses the group for now to begin preparations. Datura offers her friends to stay over in her room, as it’s big enough for everyone. (Tetra brings her bucket.) She also invites Sidewinder to this sleepover. The latter remembers how the two of them used to do these all the time as dragonets. Datura tells everyone to get settled while she finds some comfy rugs the other dragons can sleep on. Tetra notices that Ice looks down and asks what’s wrong, but Ice says that she’s fine. Sidewinder asks whether this is about killing Icebreaker and Ice winces. She confesses that she’s terrified of being stuck in chains and sealed away forever if Icebreaker dies. No-one suggests that killing her might also break the spell. There might be at least a tiny chance. Ice laughs and says that it doesn’t matter anyways, the decision wasn’t in her hands anymore and she’s only left to hope for a minuscule chance of gaining a happy end out of this. Sidewinder loudly reflects upon her own desire to make decisions – she wanted to become a leader so badly, but once it happened, she was suddenly making decisions that would affect an entire kingdom and that terrified her. Ice listens, and something about that seems to make her think. Tetra says that there’s still the option of Agate and her animi, but Ice just shakes her head and asks to drop the topic before Datura returns. The group has a little sleepover party with snacks and Sandwing board games before it’s time to sleep. In the dead of night, Sidewinder opens one eye and sees Ice standing at the window, staring outside with a blank facial expression. Sidewinder silently watches for a bit and then begins to fall asleep again. Just before she’s gone, she hears Ice and No-one quietly whisper something to each other.

Hard cut to the next day. Sidewinder, disguised as Taipan, stands next to Datura. In front of them lies Ice, chains wrapped around her arms and a rope tied around her snout. Behind the trio, mere steps away, five Sandwing guards, two of them looking awfully similar to each other. In the distance, a small figure leaves the sea of white spikes and wings and tails. Icebreaker, accompanied by guards of her own, walks over to them, her eyes piercing, her smile anything but warm. She breathes in deeply, and then breathes out a cold sigh that chills Sidewinder to the bone.

“My oh my”, Icebreaker says. “What a predicament you’ve found yourself in.” The words are aimed at Ice, but somehow Sidewinder feels them hitting her own heart as well, making it skip a beat.

Icebreaker’s gaze rises up to meet Sidewinder’s. “It’s been a while, Taipan. I hoped we’d meet again under more savory circumstances, but alas.” Sidewinder ignores Icebreaker’s deliberate omission of any kind of formality one would expect when addressing a Queen.

“I’m here to talk about your plans.”, Sidewinder says. “You’ve been gathering an army near our border. What for?”

Icebreaker ignores the question: “Oh, but first, you gotta let me in on your secret.”

“M-my secret?”, Sidewinder asks. Icebreaker continues: “I’ve met Sandwings your age, and they all sound so dreadfully harsh and raspy. I always assumed it’s that dry desert air. How did you manage to keep such a pleasant and youthful voice?”

“Honey-glazed cobra cutlets”, Sidewinder answers while trying to hide her panic, “keeps the throat fresh. I would invite you to try some, but we have other matters to attend to.” Icebreaker closes her eyes and nods slowly and meaningfully. “Right, of course. I couldn’t help but notice that you have my granddaughter with you today. I hope she didn’t cause you too much trouble?” “Splendid. May I come closer to have a chat?” This is the moment everyone has been waiting for. Icebreaker makes a step, then hesitates. “Lemming”, she says with her head slightly turned towards the group of Icewings behind her. One of them jumps, then quickly stammers the following: “I enchant the enemy’s animus-touched objects to come to me!” Before anyone can react, Agate’s armband flies off Sidewinder’s arm, followed by Datura’s glasses and No-one’s earring. Lastly, the two sticks, still wet from his spit. Icebreaker’s eyes widen, then she composes herself. “Much better”, she says, studying the “new arrivals”, Sidewinder and No-one. “Taipan’s dead, isn’t she?”, she asks, “I did hear about the terrible poisoning. Why else would the Sandwings be led by these pathetic little children trying to play tricks on me?” Icebreaker steps closer. One step. Another step. So do the Icewing soldiers. They are surrounded. Datura looks to Sidewinder, who’s muscles seem to be frozen in place. Nobody moves, until –

Somehow, Ice had removed the rope from her snout and screams: “Icebreaker!!!” Her voice makes the Icewing Queen stop dead in her tracks. “You poor soul.”, she says coldly. “Have you had your share of fun running around with these creatures? Have you had enough?”

“I have”, Ice yells, “You were right. You were right all along. Everything beyond the Icewing kingdom is just a lawless wasteland. Seawings with multiple Queens, Rainwings who let just about anyone rule without question and tyrannical Sandwings who kept passing me around like some kind of bargaining chip!”

“Ice–” Datura says sharply, but Icebreaker interrupts her. “Oh, no, let her speak.”

“They treated me like trash”, Ice continues, wriggling towards Icebreaker as quickly as she can with her bound limbs. “They’re enemies, all of them. None deserve to stand between you and your perfect frozen continent.”

“Correct.”, Icebreaker says with a content smile.

“And those items you took from them were meant to kill you!”, Ice hisses. She’s now at Icebreaker’s feet. “All this time they were plotting to end your life. But unluckily for them, I’ve been plotting too. A spell that could end this war before it even started.” “I’m intrigued.”, Icebreaker says, unable to hide her excitement about a new spell. For some reason, her Icewing subjects weren’t big fans of experimenting with magic while Ice was gone.

“Do it. I allow it.”

Ice’s chains instantly lose their cold blue glow, appearing like regular metal chains. Ice turns towards Sidewinder, Datura and No-one. “This is for my enemy. My captor. My tormentor.

Die.”

Icebreaker’s eyes widen, her hands shoot up to her throat. She falls to the ground, convulsing. “And you.” Ice turns towards the Icewings. “None of you Icewings will ever use magic again!” Dark clouds accumulate in the sky above them all, and thunder begins to rumble. Ice looks down at her hands, her mouth moves and the chains fall off, disintegrating into dust.

“Ice!”, Datura screams and leaps forward, but Sidewinder holds her back. Ice looks back at them one last time before a flash of lightning descends from the sky, striking the earth. Ice disappears, with only smoke and a black stain on the ground where she stood just moments ago. The Icewings are shocked at first, then charge into battle to avenge their Queen who has now stopped moving. Sidewinder signals the Sandwings to attack and prepares to retreat. Datura is still standing there screaming Ice’s name, so Sidewinder drags her along. No-one enchants the magic items to come back and his earring flies into his open palm while the rest of the items get trampled by the Icewing soldiers. He puts on the earring and switches to his Sandwing appearance.

The guards do their best to shield the trio from the oncoming Icewing onslaught, but are quickly overwhelmed. An Icewing aims his ice breath at Datura, so No-one spits a mouthful of fire in his face. Another tries to stab Sidewinder with a spear, she ducks underneath and buries her stinger into his throat. A group tries to cut them off, so No-one enchants the rocks beneath them to shoot upwards and launch the soldiers into the air. Datura has a hard time seeing in the harsh light without her glasses, so both Sidewinder and No-one guide her through the battlefield. The latter turns the ground behind them into quicksand, enchants the Icewing spears to turn against them and hits them with anything else he can come up with. Suddenly, his Sandwing guard appearance flickers and disappears, right as the real guard’s throat is slashed by Icewing blades. No-one switches to one of his Rainwings and continues casting spells, but soon, this one also disappears. One by one, his appearances start to flicker and fade, and he hesitates, almost getting hit by a flash of ice breath.

“Use ours!”, Datura screams as Sidewinder whips around to sting another Icewing. He catches her tail in his hand and buries his serrated talons in it. She roars and Datura spits fire in his face until he lets go. No-one switches to Tetra and fires off another enchantment, then to Ice, another enchantment, then to Datura. A spear hits him in the shoulder and ice breath grazes the tip of his tail. He heals his injuries with magic and carries on. Suddenly, an Icewing manages to rip off the earring and crush it between his teeth, destroying the illusion and revealing No-one’s Skywing form. He tries to retaliate with fire, but another soldier hits him with his weapon, throwing off his aim. Then, out of nowhere, another spear flies through the air and hits Datura straight in the throat, piercing it entirely. She lets out a silent scream that turns into a gurgle as blood spews forth. “NO!”, Sidewinder screams and No-one dashes towards Datura, ripping out the spear with one hand and closing the wound with the other - his first enchantment he did as “himself” in years. He then hurls the spear back where it came from and it pierces something, someone, creating a blue fountain. But the Icewings just keep on coming. All hope seems to be lost, when suddenly, the Seawings arrive, attacking the surprised Icewings from the side. It’s this critical moment that allows the trio to finally escape more or less unharmed.

Epilogue

The war between the Icewings and Sandwings (now aided by the Seawings) wages on. Queen Taipan and Queen Agate need to negotiate new terms, now that Ice has disappeared without a trace and Datura didn’t assume leadership of the Sandwings. Sidewinder aids Taipan in any way she can, gaining knowledge and confidence in the process. Tetra leaves to go find Pearl again, who has been given a new identity and reunited with her parents thanks to Agate. The two kids have a lot to discuss. No-one, scared of becoming like Ice, refuses to do any more enchantments for this war and tries to leave the stronghold in the middle of the night. He casts a spell to make Datura’s glasses reappear in his hands and plans to drop them off by her door as a goodbye gift. Before he can do that, he runs into her. She was also about to leave on an entirely different journey to find Ice (fiercely believing that she’s still alive and out there somewhere). She knows that her mother would not approve of her leaving, but what else is she to do in the kingdom? Be Queen? Sidewinder’s there for that. The two agree to leave together and send Taipan and Sidewinder messages every so often.

And that’s how it ends.

Thank you so much for reading through the entire thing! As noted in the title, this is just a first draft and also the first time someone other than me reads this – so of course I expect you to find plot holes, inconsistent character moments and other stuff I could improve on. If you're nice about it, maybe I'll even listen ;) (joking) No matter what, I hope this serves as a (more or less) satisfying conclusion for all my WOF characters you know (and love?).

#wof #wings of fire #wof oc #icewing #sandwing #seawing #rainwing #skywing #dragon #dragon oc #very long post #buzzkill wof arc

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violetjedisylveon · 1 year

Text

A Weekend At Datura's

Summary: Eda, King and Enzo start their stay at Datura's with check ups for everyone.

Word count: 3.3k

Warnings: medical stuff, referenced trauma(it's Eda this time), medical trauma, fear of nightmares.

A/N: because of my toh aus, the collector is always just Enzo in my head, just they are more Enzo than the collector and I think that's funny.

Eda raises two gods AU link here.

________________________________________________________________________________

Enzo flared their ears on Datura's request, and she stuck a small tub with a light inside it. It tickled.

"Your ears are clean and your ear drums look normal." Datura said, writing something down.

"I'm still going to do a hearing test, just to be sure." She added.

After playing outside, the owl lady had called them back on and said that they needed a physical examination. Datura was checking a lot of things, she'd had him sit on some platform that gave her numbers. She didn't like those numbers. And she was finding issues with other things, though she insisted it wasn't their fault, and gave him a treat to prove it.

They sucked on the chewy fruit treat he had been given while she wrote something else down.

"I'm going to do another scan, Owlet, I'm scanning your lungs and heart for issues." Datura explained before she cast the spell.

The blue spotlight fell on their chest and the image appeared in front of them. It detailed their heart and lungs. Eda looked a bit confused by the display but Datura didn't mind at all.

"They don't have a bile sack?" Eda asked.

"Not every demon has a separate organ for it, the heart and bile sack are the same organ in Owlet's case, this is typically a trait of older species. Enzo's magic is in his blood." Datura said.

She wasn't entirely right but Enzo wasn't about to correct her.

"Does that change anything I should do for them?" Eda asked.

"No, they just won't need to be checked for bile leeches." Datura said.

"King needs to be checked for fleas. Este's cousin was really bad about checking and got fleas easily." Enzo remembered.

Datura smiled at him.

"I'll get a flea prescription for him." She said.

"Little guy was nasty sick with a parasite when we brought him home, he might need some shots." Eda added.

Datura nodded.

"Why does he need shots?" Enzo asked, turning to look at the owl lady.

"Oh, it's just vaccine shots, do you know what that is?" She said.

Enzo shook their head.

"Vaccines are used to strengthen immune systems by injecting dead or weakened viruses into the patient so they can build up defenses against it and stay safer if they get infected. And if he's got any other parasites, we can take care of that too." Datura told them.

"So it's immunization?" Enzo asked.

"Yes, exactly that, just with an injection." Eda said.

"Does it hurt?"

"A little bit, he will probably think I'm trying to kill him since he's too young to understand. It's just a little pinch for a few seconds then it's done, sometimes the spot will be sore because I'm injecting fluid into a muscle, but that'll fade in a few days." Datura explained.

Enzo nodded, it made enough sense. He glanced at Eda behind them, she hadn't said anything about turning into that beast yet, but she had said it messed with her magic and now they were getting a little curious about it.

"Eda, what did you turn into?" They asked without really thinking.

Her face paled and she stared at them. Uh oh. I did something wrong again! Enzo whimpered and tucked into themself.

"Edalyn has Werebeast ancestry, the creature you saw is her alternate form."

Enzo untucked and glanced up at Datura.

"Really? Is that why her magic stopped working?" He asked.

"Yes, she got unlucky and has no intermediate form, so it takes a lot of energy and magic to transform, hers are caused by strong emotional responses, not a conscious choice like mine are." She said.

That explained it.

"Is that why you have a nest?" They asked Eda.

She blinked then smiled, and laughed.

"Yeah Starshine, that's why I've got the nest." She confirmed, patting their head.

"Datura's gotta check your reflexes now, so sit still." She told them.

They did as told and sat as still as they could. Datura tapped a strange hammer looking thing on his knee, they kicked up without meaning too and almost hit Datura. The Werebeast effortlessly avoided the strike.

"Ek! I'm sorry!" They shouted.

"It's fine Owlet, that's the point of this test. You did very well." She said calmly.

She's not mad I almost kicked her?

"You're not mad I almost kicked you?" He wondered.

"No, that's the reaction I want, I'd be concerned if you had no reaction." She clarified.

"Why would that be a problem?" They asked.

"It would mean your muscles and nervous system aren't responding the way they should, which is generally a sign of health issues. You responded perfectly, so there's no problem with you." The Werebeast said.

"Oh, so it's a good thing I almost kicked you?"

"Yes, and you wouldn't be the first if you actually did, I've been doing this for decades." She said, smiling again.

Huh. That's different.

XXX

Eda's back cracked horribly when she finally got up after the kids' check up. She winced at the soreness all over her body. She'd normally hit the appleblood hard with body pains like this, though being drunk might not be a good idea as a guest.

I can just tough it out. She decided.

Enzo and King's examinations had gone great, there weren't any medical issues or problems that she needed to be aware of, and despite some oddities, Datura hadn't found anything harmful about their strange biology.

It had certainly revealed a few things though.

Apparently, both kids had extremely strong digestive systems, with poison neutralizing enzymes, much like witches and demons, but also highly acidic stomach acids more for digesting tougher foods. The kids could eat pretty much anything. At least she didn't have to worry about King giving himself food poisoning.

"Owlet, Pup, there are some treats in the fridge, you can help yourselves and watch something on the crystal ball." Datura was telling the kids.

"Okay!" Enzo chirped.

"Treat! Treat! Treat!" King cheered, squirming excitedly in Enzo's arms.

"Let's not give the little monster too much sugar." Eda warned.

Enzo shrugged and rolled out of the office with King on his lap. Eda followed but found herself stopped by a tentacle wrapping around her wrist. She glanced over her shoulder at Datura, Enzo had paused to wait for her.

"Not you. I sincerely doubt you've been to a healer in the last eleven years, kit, you're overdue for a check up." The Werebeast said sternly.

Eda took one look at the fierce expression on Datura's face and knew the old beast wouldn't budge on the topic. She groaned and turned back to the room, crossing her arms and glaring at Datura.

"Should we stay too?" Enzo asked.

"No, Owlet, I have to conduct a full body check up, which you shouldn't see." Datura stated.

"Uh, okay, is something wrong with her?" Enzo's voice had a trace of worry in it.

"No, unless being an adult is a problem, it's just part of life for grown ups." Datura said sweetly.

Enzo cooed in understanding. Eda didn't actually know if the kid really knew what Datura was talking about, but they certainly understood the private part well enough.

"She'll be out soon, Peño and Nita will watch you." Datura explained.

"Okay, see you in a bit." Enzo said.

She glanced back and saw them waving, she gave them a little wave back before Datura shut the door. The Werebeast wisely waited a few minutes, ensuring no little ears heard something they shouldn't.

"You can sit on the table." Datura told her.

Begrudgingly, Eda sat on the examination table.

"Do I really need a full check up?" She groaned.

"Have you seen a gynecologist in the last eleven years?" Datura prompted.

"No." She muttered.

"Then yes. If it helps, I'll just do a scan, nothing more, unless something warrants it." Datura told her.

"Fine." Eda grumbled.

Datura turned her back to gather the necessary equipment. She spotted a syringe among the neat line up and a shiver went down her spine.

Probably need a blood test, or a shot or something. She told herself.

She crossed her arms in an attempt to discreetly ward off the feeling of unwanted hands on her. Her fingers brushed against faded, jagged scars, they hardly felt like more than a raised line on her skin now.

She repeatedly ran her fingers over them, despite the violent acquisition of those scars, when she felt them all she could think of was warm, gentle hands carefully checking the wounds, a tender touch making sure she was okay. It was a stark contrast to the rough, cold phantom grip of being poked and prodded and examined. It was a comfort she had turned to many times in the past. A permanent reminder on her body of the first kindness she'd seen as a newly cursed teenager.

In a way, it also reminded her that there would always be one person who wasn't scared of her.

A flash of plum colored hair caught her attention right as a hand brushed against her shoulder. Kind, bright green eyes looked down at her.

"Are you ready to be scanned?" Datura asked in that same soft, gentle voice she had used with Enzo, and used way back when Eda was a child.

Eda nodded and allowed the Werebeast healer to scan her body.

The results were one of the only times Eda had seen her mentor even marginally surprised.

It made sense, the x-ray, MRI and ultrasound scans showed what a mess her body was.

From the looks of it, her arthritis had gotten worse. She had had the beginnings of it back when she still lived with Datura, but she hadn't checked up on it, or really done all that much for it besides pain relief and getting drunk, since then.

Her muscles were labeled as showing signs of strain by the diagnostic, and she had inflamed joints all over her body.

She was surprised at the extent of them, she had honestly thought it would be much worse. It felt way worse some days.

Datura was silently analyzing the results with her back turned. Eda couldn't gauge her reaction.

Finally, she spoke.

"At what point is the pain the worst?" She asked, her voice shook ever so slightly.

"It's pretty random sometimes, most days something hurts, but I feel like absolute shit after a transformation, it feels like my bones are on fire." Eda said.

"I can get potions made for you, one will help ease the pain on a day to day basis and the other can give relief to the worst of your pain after a transformation." Datura stated.

Eda raised an eyebrow at her mentor's back. Her voice sounded odd, strained with emotion. Almost like Datura was trying not to cry. She had never seen or heard Datura cry in all the years she'd known her. She was always so in control of herself, if she did cry, it was when Eda wasn't around.

"Datura?" She asked quietly.

Her mentor stilled, minus the twitching of her tail, staring at her reflection in the window. She seemed to be reminded of something that snapped her out of it.

"It's nothing, I just don't like seeing others in pain like this," she paused and drew in a sharp breath.

"But part of being a healer is knowing you can't heal every injury, and you can only do your best to make any lingering pain more manageable." She turned back to Eda with a fire in her eyes.

Eda relaxed, for a moment she was worried that something about herself had given Datura a flashback or something. The bold scar on the Werebeast's face had come from somewhere.

"Luckily for you, what your curse does to your body is similar to the effects of shifting for hybrids without an intermediate form, so the solution to the pain is similar." Datura said.

The mention of Werebeast hybrids called Datura's explanation for her curse to the kids to her mind as Datura continued to conduct the check up.

"Hey, what you said to the kids, about the Werebeast stuff, you made that up, right?" She inquired.

"No, I didn't."

"Well, that's a relief- wait, what?" Eda snapped her head towards Datura.

"You are of Evelyn's line, correct?" Datura prompted.

"Yeah but-" Eda started.

"Then you have Werebeast blood. It's fairly diluted by now, enough to be detectable in your scent but not enough for anything beastly aside from sharper senses and the occasional birth defect." Datura explained.

"Your great grandmother had a long feathered tail and claws, she liked to climb, and fell quite a bit too. I used to see her a lot, she used her claws to carve." Datura went on.

Eda stared at her mentor in disbelief. Then she started connecting the dots.

Evelyn had lived a rather long time, seen her great, great, great grandchildren and had been around long enough for them to remember her well. The clan matriarch was highly respected within her clan, and others still recognized and respected her personal symbol. A golden Phoenix. Evelyn was wild and reckless in her youth, something Eda had often been compared to as a child by her father. She and her dad shared Evelyn's golden eyes.

It suddenly made sense why she was depicted with feathers and seemingly symbolic wings in the old tapestries.

"So was Evelyn a Werebeast?" She asked, extending her arm for Datura.

"No, she was a hybrid, she had a very witch-like intermediate form from what I've been told, it wasn't especially good for her shifts. My elders say she had the form of an enormous Phoenix and could set the skies ablaze." Datura said as she drew Eda's blood.

"Huh, wonder why I've never heard of it like that." Eda mused.

Datura shot her a dark look. Oh. Covens, emperor Belos, wild magic, and wild things like Werebeasts, being withheld information. It always came back to Belos somehow.

"Your family didn't want to be targeted, so they wouldn't have told you the truth until you were old enough to keep it a secret. Knowing you, kit, you would've bragged about it." Datura said with a hint of a smile.

Eda stuck her tongue out at the Werebeast to no effect.

"Childish kit." Datura rolled her eyes and nudged her playfully.

She blew a raspberry at her.

"Oh settle down, we've got your examination to finish." Datura scolded lightly.

Eda relented with a grumble and let Datura continue.

XXX

Eda's old room looked practically untouched from when she'd last seen it, the only thing that had been cleared out were the animal bones that had been scattered around.

The nest she'd built while here still sat in the middle. It was a decent size, maybe a bit of a tight fit with the kids but she could adjust it a bit, and it wasn't like the kids gave her much space when they slept in her nest. King would end up sprawled out on her or Enzo's face and Enzo would snuggle up close to her in their sleep.

They were adorable little nest hogs.

"Nothing wanted to stay here, so I just left it, in case you ever needed it." She glanced over at Datura standing in the hallway.

The Werebeast held a stack of neatly piled sheets and blankets in her arms. Datura didn't really need blankets, if she was cold she could shift into her fur covered form, but she liked the soft, cozy feeling of them, so she had a surplus.

Eda accepted the sheets and began to make the nest comfortable for her and the kids. Datura left to get them and soon, the tired pair of siblings were curled up together.

Enzo was trying hard to stay awake, even though they were obviously exhausted.

"You can go to sleep, Starshine, nothing's gonna happen tonight." Eda said, patting their head gently.

She had told her mentor about the kid's sleeping issues, both types of nightmares they had and what she could do to help. Datura had provided her with a temporary fix, a couple vases of Hyssopi set around the room as decor, and bundles of Sage Nettles to deter spirits and foul forces.

In the past, Datura had used Hyssopi and Sage Nettles to help Eda with her own nightmares and they worked. The main problem with this method was that the plants would gradually lose their potency over a number of days and if something was extremely motivated, it could break through the barrier. But! This was in Datura's territory, her magic was a powerful force to reckon with, any unwanted forces would have to seriously think twice about continuing.

So, for tonight, no one was in danger of nightmares of any kind.

Maybe I should start growing some of those plants around the house, it might help the kid relax. Eda thought.

"How do you know?" Enzo yawned.

"Datura's good at fighting nightmares, trust me." She said.

Behind her, Datura was dragging a round, plush bed that reminded her of a dog bed into the room, setting it up beside the nest.

"You've got nothing to worry about Starshine, I'm here, King's here, Nibs is here, nothing's gonna happen." She promised the worried kid.

Enzo was biting their lip, that was becoming a bit of a nervous habit. Nibs purred and curled up on Enzo's head, tongue flicking as she urged them to sleep. King was already knocked out on Enzo's lap.

Enzo's eyes drooped and they yet out a huge yawn. Eda chuckled and Datura chuffed.

"You're a sleepy little Owlet." Datura purred softly.

"Yes, a very sleepy owlet." Eda agreed.

Enzo just blinked sleepily at her and yawned again.

"C'mon, bed time. I'll leave a light in case you need to use the bathroom." Eda said.

She drew a small spell circle and a couple of witch lights floated out of it. Her magic was slowly but steadily returning. Enzo's tired eyes lit up at the witch lights.

"It's like stars." He whispered.

"I like stars, they're pretty and bright and have fun pictures… she used to make light shows with them for me… she told the best stories…" Enzo mumbled.

"Who's this, Owlet?" Datura asked.

"My sister… she's my favorite…" they murmured.

"She sounds real nice, Starshine." Eda whispered.

Enzo nodded slightly, their eyes were drooping shut, heading off to sleep. Eda chuckled and settled herself in, while it was a bit of a squeeze, it was the cozy sort of tightness. She glanced over to find Enzo had drifted off to sleep.

"You sure have your hands full with those two." Datura whispered, her bright eyes glowing in the warm yellow light.

"Yeah, they're really good kids." Eda said.

"Your Owlet is very sweet…" Datura paused, luminous eyes fixed on the sleeping kid.

"Something troubles them, it goes deeper than I initially thought." She looked back up to meet Eda's gaze.

"I do not know what either of them are, I have some theories, but I need to research before I speak of them." Datura said, stopping Eda's questions before she could ask them.

"What matters most is that they are children, and thus, they are happy and cared for. In that aspect, you're doing a wonderful job, kit." Datura purred.

Eda could hear the pride in her voice. That sort of parental pride was something she hadn't heard in a while. Eleven years. A twinge of guilt ruined the moment, Eda couldn't meet Datura's proud, caring gaze.

As always, Datura knew how she was feeling and chose to change the subject.

"It is time to sleep, kit, there is a big day tomorrow." She yawned.

The signature sound of the Werebeast's transformation followed. She stood and stretched out her back then circled the bed she had brought in before laying back down.

"Night." Eda said.

Datura purred in response, and kept purring til morning.

That night, Enzo's dreams were filled with star sagas, space dust that shimmered a million colors, and gentle, caring laughter as they played games together.

________________________________________________________________________________

I decided that Caleb not only fell in love with a witch, he fell in love with a witch that transformed into a giant golden firebird, cause that'd make Philip even more mad about the situation.

And Phoenix Werebeast Evelyn is a really fun idea, I might draw that eventually. She'd definitely randomly take Caleb on flights and toss him around in the air for shiggles.

Evelyn was a fourth generation hybrid, so she had ~6.25% of her blood as werebeast blood, but she could shift and had an intermediate form so yeah, Werebeast blood is powerful.

Eda has about ~1.5% werebeast blood but not a sixth gen hybrid, that's due to other low level hybrids mixing in with her family and boosting the blood levels of werebeast blood concentration, cause magic science..

Enzo knows what immunization is cause the Titans immunized themselves, he just didn't know that vaccination was the same thing.

Hyssopi is based on Hyssop, it's good for nightmares. Sage Nettles is a combination of sage and stinging nettles, deters spirits and outside forces using mind based magic, used in potions to protect mindscape from being invaded, sweet smelling.

So, the finale was epic, but Enzo wouldn't leave after all of that, definitely wouldn't see the Archivists without moral support back up. The Archivists are really interesting though, I'm definitely doing something with them.

And just for clarification, Enzo didn't go to the demon realm because the Archivists told them to, he did that on his own cause, nobody's paying attention or has the time to play, imma sneak off and make new friends. That was Enzo's thought process.

I hope you all have a good day, whatever that is for you!

VJS Out!

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girlmeetsliv3 · 5 years

Text

Datura Interview

A place where the cast of Datura answer all your questions along with some fun fourth wall breaking.

Word Count: 2k

A/N: Here you go. Hope all of you enjoy and stay tuned towards the end for an announcement.

In a whitened out sound stage lit with professional lighting and multi-angle cameras stood four chairs, each having a name written on the back. Identifying which individual was designated to it. Originally there were supposed to be eight chairs, however, in an effort to avoid conflict it was decided the interview should be split into the main and supporting cast to avoid…tension. Seeing as the cast is quite difficult to control, or comprehend, a special interviewer was called into “sort them out” and be able to successfully conduct the interview without mishaps this time. The coordinators had desired more professional and worthy people to conduct the interviews, but all had declined the second they heard who their subjects were. The main doors opening as the smell of Chrysanthemum a college-aged woman walked in with her hair thrown back into a low messy bun whilst sporting baggy jeans and a crop top. Glancing up at the crew she sighed, “Let’s get this show on the road. I’ve got a one-shot that needs to be finished by tonight.” The coordinator at the event opened his mouth, to inform her that the cast had yet to arrive but before he could the lights blacked out. Once they turned back on the main cast were sitting in their chairs, as if they’d been there the whole time. Taehyung, Jimin, and Baby all sporting signature black attire and wearing long coats over top. Taehyung eyes narrowed on the crew, “What is it that you’re waiting for?” Suddenly all of the staff flew into a frenzy, attempting to get everything prepared in order to star right away. None wanting to upset Taehyung or draw his attention again. “Tae play nice,” Jimin spoke, though the sarcasm was evident. Baby shifted uncomfortably in her seat, she had never been good at interviews or anything of the sort. The questions that may possibly be asked, along with the reactions they may incite in her lovers worried her.

“You guys said you would behave so do so.” Alex Mei, the interviewer, spoke her foot tapping obnoxiously against the concrete floor. She marched right up the fourth chair, the one in front of the three of them and sat down. “The only reason we agreed to this stupid thing is that we were promised two weeks off,” Taehyung spoke with a slight snarl. The woman before him always pissed him off, mainly because she was obnoxious, but also because she was a stand-in for his creator. “If you all play along, I’ll get Cloud to agree. But if you so much as kill anyone or summon Satan, deals off.” Mei retorted, a smirk on her lips. “Mei don’t you ever not want to be covered in shit?” Jimin asked. Baby turned to look at him, eyes silently begging him not to add more fuel to the fire. “Why would I be covered in shit?!” A frown had settled between Mei’s brows demonstrating her confusion at the statement. “From being so far up Cloud’s ass.” Dead silence was all that could be heard. “Why you little –”

“And we’re live in three…two…one.”

“Hello everyone, I’m Alexa Mei here. Your favorite and most important news reporter in this literary universe.” Isn’t she the only reporter ever written though? Baby asked herself as the perky blonde continued to speak into the camera. “Now I have some questions submitted by the fans that I’m sure the cast would just love to answer!” Mei turned around facing the three of them with a fake overexaggerated grin on her face, it was the scariest thing they had ever seen. “Now how are you guys?” A symphony of muttered ‘goods’ was the only response she got. “Alright, so let’s start with the first question which is for Taehyung and Jimin. What exactly are the two of you? How did you meet? And how long have you been together?” Both men looked at each other, a silent communication occurring between the two of them before Jimin turned towards the camera. “Tae and I have known each other since we were kids. Before birth even, it was like we were destined for each other. Soulmates in this dark cruel world. Baby as well was always meant to be ours.” He gives a charming smile to the camera, one that has even those behind the stage melting at his charisma and charm.

“You didn’t answer the first question.” Mei stated rather monotonously. “Let’s move on to the next question, shall we?” Taehyung said, casting Mei a dark look. “Very well,” she rolled her eyes. “Now Baby, given the last chapter’s events: Do you still consider Taehyung and Jimin as a part of your family? Even after everything they’ve done?” Baby could feel Taehyung and Jimin staring intently at her from the corners of their eyes. Waiting to see how she would respond. The last time she had been asked this question, the fan had ended dead in a sewer eaten by rats. Baby’s hands instinctively went to her stomach in an effort to shield herself. “I love them. I always will. You can’t control who or what you love. They aren’t perfect, but neither am I. They don’t judge me for the things I’ve done, so I can’t judge them.” Mei couldn’t help but look at her with sympathy. “If you say so.”

“Back to the two of you, why did you choose Baby that night? What drew you to her?” Now it was Baby’s turn to be anxious. She had often wanted to ask them, but they always replied with the same response: their meeting was fated. It wasn’t that she doubted them, but there had to be a different reason. “She was lost. Anyone could see that. She was lost and innocent in an environment where those sorts of things are taken advantage of. Who knows what could have happened to her that night, if we didn’t take the first step?” Thoughts ran wild in Baby’s head of life without Taehyung and Jimin. It would be a different life, but would it be a better one? She couldn’t tell. “Plus to add to what Tae said. We knew from the second we laid eyes on her that she was perfect. Perfect for us. It was fate, I tell you.” Jimin leaned back into his seat, his hand finding Baby’s and entangling their fingers together. “What a perfect response. Nothing to look into at all.” Mei gave a chagrined smile, before looking back at the questions placed in her hands. “Oh, I see a question for Namjoon. It says: do you know what’s really going on with Taehyung, Jimin, and the rest of their cult. If so, what was your initial reaction?” Mei had wondered why the rest of the cast wasn’t there, but maybe they would have video responses or something. “Unfortunately Namjoon hasn’t been in the best state of mind, so he won’t be able to answer any questions today or ever,” Jimin said, giggling at the end at his own personal joke. “Namjoon has willingly chosen to become a member of our organization. He’s very thrilled to have found people who accept him for who he is and is looking forward to the future.” Taehyung’s words sounded as if they had been recited a thousand times. They probably had.

Mei nodded deciding to not prolong this anymore. “Baby how have things changed in your relationship since becoming pregnant?” Baby was able to answer this one with ease, “Taehyung and Jimin have been more protective of me, but it’s nothing too bad. They’re excited for the child and what’s to come, as am I. I think they’ll make great parents.” A soft smile spread across Baby’s face at the thought of Taehyung and Jimin cradling a child between them. It brought much-needed warmth back into her heart. “We don’t have a name yet, but we’re sure the fans will think of a great one. We’re up for suggestions.” Jimin had a small smile on his lips, as he glanced at the clock. Likely counting the minutes until the interview was over. “Lastly, this one is for some very special guests who couldn’t be with us today. However, the crew is informing me that their interview was prerecorded and will be streamed now. Please enjoy.”

A video is played of balmy tropical weather filled with palm trees and a beautiful sparkling sea. Suddenly the camera turns and Jungkook can be seen filling up the entire screen, his now long locks framing his face perfectly. “Hi, I can’t talk too loud because Hyung is sleeping beside me,” Jungkook turns the camera to show a sleeping Yoongi resting in a hammock under the shade. “However, I know you guys really wanted to know these questions, so I’ll do my best. So, how did I meet Tae and Jimin?” Jungkook sucked his lower lip into his mouth, as he thought about a way to say it without potentially pissing off the men most likely watching. “I was in college when I met them. I met Jimin first and through him Taehyung. They were always together, a part of me wanted something like that too so I asked them. We broke up due to miscommunication, that’s all.” His eyes skimmed across the next question face lighting up instantly, “What was my first reaction of Yoongi-hyung? I thought he was a bit intimidating and might not like me. It turns out he wasn’t like that at all, a bit shy and aloof sometimes but…” A sincere smile spread across his face. “I wouldn’t change anything if it means I get to be with him now.” Jungkook waves goodbye to the camera before the video clicks off.

“Well, I do believe that’s everything for today. Please join us next Tuesday for Datura’s next installment.” Mei spoke into the camera with a sadistic gleam in her eyes. “Wait a second you said if we did this, we would get two weeks off!” Jimin pouted, his voice whiny and high-pitched. “That was before you said that stupid joke, you big baby. Sorry Baby.” Mei yelled at him, before quickly apologizing to the woman beside him. All it took was a snap from Taehyung, for all the equipment in the room to cease working and for everyone to be plunged into darkness. “Well now that it’s over. I get to have my fun.” All hell broke loose in that interview room, the only thing that could be heard were screams of pain and agony that bled through the walls.

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A/N: So as you can see Datura will not be updated until November. This is because I have a new series that will be updated every weekday, starting October 4th until October 30th. I thank everyone for the support they’ve shows the series and hope that you will continue to support it. Thank you <3

#bts #yandere bts #bts au #bts crack #kim taehyung x reader #park jimin x reader #kim taehyung x park jimin #vmin #jeon jungkook x min yoongi #kim namjoon #Datura #Datura cast #Datura Interview #girlmeetsliv3 #october-fest

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