Chapter Four

Aquarii Nerokouvalitís

Aquarii jumped. She’d been so lost in the palace’s intricate hallways. She hadn’t noticed anything until she heard the soft padded footsteps and saw a small black dragon trying to get away from the queen. 

“T-that’s an EclipseWing!” Aquarii exclaimed as most of her family, and some of the farmers that had come along also drew back in surprise.  Her uncles and brothers took half a step towards the black dragonet. Her father though, to everyone's surprise, calmly strode up to Queen Sundancer.

“Eri, get back over here.” Queen Sundancer said serenely with a hint of annoyance. After she said that, the black dragonet that Aquarii saw earlier slowly inched forward. “Hello, Kai. It’s nice to see you again. As I told you before, and I already apologized for lying to the country, Vesper is not my biological daughter, but my god-daughter Eridanus Réalta.”

“Hello again Sundancer, it’s nice to see you-” Kai started but couldn’t finish because Clam had started talking. 

“That-that thing is an EclipseWing!” exclaimed Clam. “And didn’t it’s parents side with Shadowwalker?! They still DO! Why is it in the palace?! Did it sneak in?”

Aquarii had to admit that Clam was a good actor, though she was still able to tell that Clam was wincing at his own words. 

“Well, that ‘thing’ as you so stupidly called her, has a name. Her name is Eridanus. And that ‘thing’s’ mother and father gave their freedom and lives for THIS KINGDOM,” Sundancer growled. “They helped make sure that this queendom was safe, and tried to prevent the war before it broke out. Also, two of my best friends trusted me to be the godmother of their child. As the legal law states I’m her guardian and her mother. I don’t need a plain SeaWing to come into my home and criticize how I run it. Also, Kai, Auiga, why do you employ this idiot?”

Aquarii’s father shrugged while giving Clam a gleeful look.

If one thing was for sure, it was the fact that the rumors about Queen Sundancer being a strong and fair queen weren’t a joke. The look on Clam’s face was priceless. If Aquarii had some kind of speed power or could pause time she would find a way to paint this onto a canvas so she would have this memory forever. Maybe add extra shading around Clam’s face to illuminate it… a blend of ochre and green might capture his wide eyes… 

Then she realized that the EclipseWing, Eridanus Réalta, was gone.