Chapter 5:
"So, I have a couple of questions for you," Iceflower began.
"I knew you would," Truthspeaker sighed, "Alright then, Iceflower. Please, ask me anything."
"Okay, first off. Why didn't you tell me I was a dragon from the Prophecy of Peace?" Iceflower demanded, stamping her right talon onto the ground.
"I didn't think you'd be ready to know," Truthspeaker answered honestly, "You're still young, Iceflower. If you were to find out the truth too early, I feared that you might leave the den and try to profill the prophecy yourself. But, I see now that keeping the truth from you only made you more curious about the world. I apologize for that."
"And why did you want to keep me hidden from the world again? Well, aside from the whole Kingdom of Ice incident," Iceflower asked, "Wait, is every other kingdom like that? Is every ruling dragon out there out to kill me for being a prophecy dragon?"
"No, Iceflower. Not all kingdoms are the same as the Kingdom of Ice," Truthspeaker answered solemnly, "You see, the other kingdoms have their own response to the Prophecy of Peace. The Kingdom of Ice wants to stop the prophecy by killing off the dragons involved. The other kingdoms however, have their own responses to the prophecy."
"I see," Iceflower said thoughtfully.
"But wait," Frostbreather interrupted, "How did Queen Winterbringer know that Ice was a prophecy dragon? I don't see anything special about her. What if she's not a prophecy dragon?"
"Believe me, little one. Iceflower is a prophecy dragon," Truthspeaker answered, "If you need proof, just look deeply into her eyes. You will know she's the one once you see it."
"See what?" Frostbreather asked, squinting into Iceflower's eyes, "I don't see any- Whoa, Ice! You have a mark on your eye!"
"I have a what?!" Iceflower quickly scrambled up to the underground pond, and squinted at her reflection, "Oh my gosh, I have a mark on my eye! How did it get there?! How do I get it off?"
"I'm afraid that's not possible, Iceflower," Truthspeaker chuckled, "That is the mark that every prophecy dragon is born with, the Mark of Peace. You are the White Dragon of the prophecy, Iceflower."
"White Dragon?" Iceflower looked back at Truthspeaker with a confused expression.
"Haven't you ever heard the prophecy before?" Frostbreather asked, "Y'know, the part with the four dragons?"
"I hope this doesn't mean you've been slacking in your studies, Iceflower" Truthspeaker remarked, "But, allow me to refresh your memory."
Truthspeaker took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and began to recite the prophecy slowly.
When the war has torn the land apart
When the war has torn apart Dragolif's heart
The branded dragons shall rise
When the war has claimed a hundred lives
And destroyed the land where peace once thrived
The branded dragons shall rise
Hailing from the land of ice and snow
A dragon of white shall bring warmth to the cold
Standing proud above a kingdom of might
A dragon of red shall end the bloody night
Wandering with the great ocean's tides
A dragon of blue shall awaken and fly
Soaring alone with the moon and stars
A dragon of black shall mend the land's scars
Guided by a dragon of night
The branded dragons shall make things right
The branded dragons shall rise
Truthspeaker opened his eyes and looked back at Iceflower who stood silently thinking.
"So, this means there are more dragons like me," Iceflower mumbled.
"That's right," Truthspeaker confirmed.
"Then, where are they?" Iceflower asked.
Truthspeaker paused for a moment before answering, "I'm afraid I don't know. All I know is that they're somewhere out there, and soon, they shall unite to bring an end to the Great War."
"Well," Frostbreather began with a casual tone, "Why don't we unite the Prophecy Dragons? I mean, didn't the prophecy say that the Prophecy Dragons will be guided by a dragon of night? What if that dragon is you?"
Truthspeaker looked towards Frostbreather in surprise for a moment then let his gaze fall to the ground below him.
"I suppose that does make sense," Truthspeaker murmured, "What do you think about this Iceflower? Could I really be the one destined to guide the legendary Dragons of Prophecy?"
"Well, you guided me pretty well," Iceflower chimed, "Maybe you really are the dragon of night. Maybe you were really the one destined to bring us all together."
"Hm," Truthspeaker chuckled under his breath, "An old, humble dragon like me bringing together the Prophecy Dragons, huh? That doesn't sound impossible."
"So, let's do it!" Iceflower hopped up excitedly, "We'll search the entire land for them, and when we find the Prophecy Dragons, the war can finally end!"
Truthspeaker smiled warmly at Iceflower, "We'll leave at dawn then. It's still too dangerous to be outside right now while the Kingdom of Ice is still searching for you two."
Frostbreather chuckled nervously, "Heh, sorry about that."
"Do not apologize, young one," Truthspeaker said in a calming voice, "Without you, my dear little Iceflower here would have never made it home. I owe everything to you for her safety."
Frostbreather scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, "Aw, shucks. Now you're just making me blush."
The three dragons quietly made their way deeper into the den, and Iceflower, who followed from behind, took another look at the closed doors of the cave entrance. Wing beats can still be heard from outside, not many, but still enough to pose a threat to the three dragons. Iceflower finally looked away and continued walking deeper into the den with her companions.
After a long silent night, dawn finally came, bringing with it, a soft and warm light. The wing beats had disappeared sometime during the night, and it was finally safe enough for the three to begin their journey. Iceflower stood beside the doors of the cave, and waited patiently as Truthspeaker and Frostbreather walked out of the shadows of the den. In Truthspeaker's talons was a single satchel.
"This should be all we need for this journey," Truthspeaker said shifting the bag around between his claws, "We'll need to travel far and quickly. Carrying too much with us may slow us down, so I've only prepared the bare minimum essentials for us. We'll have to make do with this."
Iceflower nodded and looked to Frostbreather, "You ready to go, Frost?"
Frostbreather smiled confidently, and exhaled, "Let's go."
Iceflower placed a talon on the large wooden doors. This might be the last time she'll ever see the den. Iceflower knew that. Shutting her eyes, Iceflower pushed on the doors, slowly opening them, and letting in the cool morning air. Iceflower opened her eyes and walked forward a few steps, taking in as much of the beautiful sight as she could, but she knew that time was of the essence. Iceflower knew that if they lingered in one place for too long, they would eventually be spotted by enemy dragons, so one by one the dragons spread their massive wings and ascended into the sky. In the air, Iceflower took one last look at her home before turning ahead, and soaring far into the West where the Kingdom of Fire awaited.
Cool air rushed past Iceflower's scales, a coolness that almost reminded her of the Kingdom of Ice. Maybe one day it'll be different. Maybe I'll be truly accepted there. Maybe one day, when the war is finally over, I'll be able to return as a hero instead of a traitor. Iceflower held onto her hopes as the trio flew. About an hour passed before the Kingdom of Fire finally came into view. The cool air rushing past Iceflower suddenly turned warm. Below the trio, a dark and barren wasteland stretched on. Lava and fire decorated the land, and sharp, jagged rocks protrude out from the towering cliffs and spires. Something about this place unnerved Iceflower. The heat was overwhelming, and the smell of smoke and death rose up from the ground like a never-ending wave. Suddenly, from the corner of her eyes, Iceflower spotted a head ducking away into the shadows as the dragons flew by. Something didn't seem right. Iceflower was shaking in the air, and struggling to stay in the sky. From behind her, Iceflower sensed dozens of glaring eyes staring at them from the shadows of the charcoal black stones.
"T-Truth, I think something's wrong," Iceflower stuttered as they flew deeper into the wasteland.
"Huh? What do you m-"
Truthspeaker was suddenly knocked out of the sky in a flash of fiery red scales.
"Truth!" Iceflower reacted quickly, diving after Truthspeaker's plummeting body.
"Ice, look out-!" Frostbreather's voice was immediately silenced.
Iceflower spun around to see the heap of smoking silver scales falling lifelessly behind her. Iceflower opened her mouth to call out to the falling dragon, but before she could call out his name, Iceflower was struck hard in the back of the head by what felt like a dozen scorching stones. Losing her grip on consciousness, Iceflower faltered, taking one quick glimpse of the charcoal colored dragon behind her before blacking out.
For some time, Iceflower could feel herself slip in and out of consciousness until she felt the sweltering heat become almost unbearable. Shooting up from her position in a panic, Iceflower found herself bumping heads with another dragon. The bright crimson dragon recoiled in pain, which gave Iceflower ample time to react. Stretching out her wings, Iceflower tried to fly away as quickly as possible. However, she instead found herself plummeting onto the floor before she could even catch a wingbeat. Looking back in pain, Iceflower realized that her wings had been bound and her ankle had been chained to the wall. She was in a dungeon again, and that much information was enough to send Iceflower in a greater panic.
"No no, don't worry," the stranger reassured, "You're safe. You're not in danger."
Iceflower didn't believe the dragon for a second, but seeing as she had no choice, decided to at least stop struggling against the chains.
"Where am I?" Iceflower demanded shakily, "Why am I here?"
"I'd like to know that myself," the red dragon said flashing a ring of keys at Iceflower, "You were flying over the kingdom. That was something risky for war times. How didn't you expect to be captured?"
"Are you going to unlock my chains?" Iceflower asked with a steadier tone.
"Well, yes. That's what the keys are for," the red dragon began undoing Iceflower's restraints as he spoke, "Usually, the King would've had you executed immediately for being an ice dragon, but for some reason this time around he was feeling more generous. He even came to see you while you were unconscious. Now aren't you lucky?"
Iceflower felt the weight on her wings fall off and her leg freed from the grip of the chain. Stretching her wings out, Iceflower saw the red dragon beckon her to follow him.
"Where are we going?" Iceflower asked shyly.
"Why, to meet King Darkfire of course!" the red dragon declared, "His majesty specifically requested to meet you and your party the moment you all woke up. The other two have already woken up without a problem. All we're waiting for was you, Miss… um-"
"Iceflower," she finished.
"Iceflower! What a pretty name," the red dragon smiled almost goofily, "I'm Flamewing by the way. It's not as pretty a name as yours, but at least it sounds pretty cool, eh?"
Iceflower gave a weak chuckle out of pity. She knew the dragon was trying his best to lighten the mood, but walking down the ashen stone corridors filled Iceflower with nothing but a heavy sense of dread. The halls were broken in some places where the stones appeared jagged and shattered and open to the outside. Rumble and dust filled the corners of the walkway, and occasionally, a wounded dragon can be seen resting pathetically on the warm stones or limping past in the halls. The outside wasn't much better either. The sky was constantly covered by a layer of ash and glowed an eerie red from the lava beneath it. Spires of black stones and decayed animal skeletons littered the landscape, jutting out of the various lava pools and creating a nightmarish forest of ash. From the far distance, Iceflower could spot the very edge of the Fire Kingdom territory where the smoke was much thinner and the pale blue of the sky could be seen. But Iceflower couldn't see much beyond that as the smoky air began to burn her eyes. This place felt like the worst place possible— a complete opposite of the cool and bright Kingdom of Ice.
"Here we are," Flamewing announced as they reached a pair of large stone doors, "The king and your friends are through here. Let's not keep them waiting any longer shall we?"
Iceflower swallowed and nodded as the bright red dragon slowly pushed the stone doors open.
"Ah, there you are," a booming voice called out, "I was beginning to get worried."
In front of Iceflower on a magnificent jagged stone throne was a gigantic black dragon with blood-red horns and a charming smile. Iceflower could feel her blood freeze even in the smothering heat of the Kingdom of Fire as the great dragon beckoned for her to come forward. Glancing around nervously, Iceflower spotted Truthspeaker and Frostbreather already standing before the throne, and shakily walked towards them.
"Come now, no need to approach so nervously," the black dragon smiled confidently as he got off his throne and stepped forward, "I've seen your courage with my own eyes before. Where has all that courage gone, I wonder?"
"H-Huh," Iceflower stuttered before coming to a stop beside Truthspeaker.
"At the Kingdom of Ice, was it not you and this brave fellow over there that those ice dragon soldiers were chasing that day?" The king asked, "I have nothing but admiration for dragons as brave as you are. To have an army at your back, and still continue running. Now that's something I don't see kids doing every day."
Iceflower wasn't following at all, but suddenly Truthspeaker spoke up.
"Permission to speak, King Darkfire?" Truthspeaker asked.
"Granted," Darkfire smirked as if permission meant nothing to him.
"You called us here to talk, did you not?" Truthspeaker continued, "Was there anything you wanted to talk to us about?"
Iceflower marveled at Truthspeaker's steady tone. Although she could sense his fear, Truthspeaker remained calm, showing none of his anxiousness to the King.
"Not particularly," Darkfire dismissed casually, "I simply wanted to meet the two ice dragons who ran from the Kingdom of Ice. Although, if you feel like answering, I'd like to know why a couple of unarmed dragons like yourself decided to fly over my territory. Surely you must know that during war times such an act is a guaranteed death sentence."
"We… are travellers, your majesty," Truthspeaker answered, "We are looking for someone who may be in the Kingdom of Fire."
"Oh?" Darkfire paced before them, "A relative perhaps— well, actually that doesn't seem likely. Acquaintance? No, wait."
Darkfire's eyes suddenly narrow at Truthspeaker, paying close attention to his gleaming black scales. Suddenly, a devilish smile spread across his face.
"Oh, I see," The King returned to his jagged throne, "I know exactly who you've come for, shadow dragon."
Iceflower swallowed hard. Is this going to be like the Kingdom of Ice all over again? Before she could start panicking, Iceflower felt a cool touch on the tip of her wing. It was Frostbreather. Although she could feel the tremble in his touch, the cool sensation of another ice dragon helped her stay just a bit calmer.
Darkfire beckoned to a nearby guard, "Go fetch Skyfire. Tell her the guests she hasn't been waiting for have arrived."
End of Chapter 5