Let The Chaos Continue

A Meeting of the Queens

"Remind me again why we have to fly out to some remote mountain in the middle of Sklywing territory instead of you all just having a meeting at someone's palace?" Kelp questioned. He, Joy, Rainkeeper, and a couple other trusted guards were currently flying about the Claws of the Clouds mountains as Joy scanned, looking for the right one.

"Because Queen meetings are always held in neutral territory," Joy explained. "Specifically in an animus enchanted cave that only the seven queens, well, now six,  and one of their most trusted guards can enter."

"One of their most trusted guards?" Rainkeeper echoed, frowning. "But why can't-"

"Too many guards, too many risks of secrets getting out. Sometimes guards aren't even allowed in. We just agreed this time around to let one in."

"Oh... So who gets to go in?" Joy wordlessly pointed at Kelp and Rainkeeper let out a groan.

"But I'm a stronger fighter, so I could protect you better!" He whined.

"Sure, DAD, but I'd rather stare at Kelp's bored face when this meeting gets dull enough that I want to blow my brains out."

"It won't be THAT dull," Kelp insisted. "...Will it?"

"No, we gossip too much for that. What will be dull is all the guards sitting outside the meeting fiddling with their talons and avoiding making awkward small talk. It's such fun."

"Rainkeeper, I dare you to make the awkwardest conversation you can with all of the guards." 

"If I get bored enough, I just might do that," He admitted. Joy laughed, and they headed for one of the taller mountains.

Ruby, as their host of sorts, was already there, as were Snowfall, Thorn, and Auklet. Joy gave Qibli a high five before she walked in with Kelp, and nodded in greetingd to the other Queens before taking up her place.

"And then there were five," Thorn commented. "Do you think Moorhen will show?"

"Unlikely," Ruby admitted. "Last I heard, she was doing quite poorly."

"Yeah, but it's Moorhen," Joy countered. "She's like the most stubborn Queen."

"Next to you, Thorn, and Snowfall, perhaps," Auklet went on. 

"I'm not stubborn!" Auklet raised her eyebrows. "Okay.... maybe a little."

They sat in awkward silence for a few minutes more, unsure if the Queen of the Mudwings would show.

"How's Cliff?" Auklet asked overcasually, trying to break the silence. Ruby grinned.

"You tell me," She said. "He spends more time with you these days." Auklet blushed and stared at the table as Joy and Thorn smiled. "The day I appointed him the Seawing liaison, I might as well have handed him the Holy Grail."

"Well, he's, uh- he does his job very well," Auklet said, her face going red enough to rival Ruby's own scales. 

"I'm sensing a ship here," Joy commented. "Another Queen in an intertribal relationship sounds good to me."

"It doesn't to me," Snowfall grumbled.

"Shut up Snowfall," Joy smiled. 

"Honestly, Joy, the tribes in your family are getting so mixed, we might as well just have one Queen of Pyrrhia instead of six," Thorn declared. "Especially if Parch and Rosella ever have a dragonet."

"Oh, I hope they do, they're so cute together."

"Speaking of that relationship," Snowfall piped up. "Is no one going to bring up how problematic a dragonet of theirs could be?"

"What's problematic about it?" Ruby questioned.

"Their daughter would be sole heir to the Sandwing Throne, an heir to the Rainforest throne, and even a descendant and potential heir to the Seawing throne. She could end up ruling over half the tribes in Pyrrhia!"

"And what's wrong with that?" Joy asked. "Sounds a bit ambitious to me, but if she wants to go for it, then sure."

"It's absurd! And what if she were to go mad with that power? Four tribes worth of armies, plus whatever multi-species armies rumor says you have, Joy, would be utterly undefeatable. I have no problem with a hybrid running a tribe anymore, but one that could take over the whole continent is concerning!"

"That won't happen, Snowfall," Thorn said firmly. "For starters, we're talking about a dragonet that doesn't even exist, or may never exist. And even if one day she does, she's so distantly related to the Seawing royal family that next to Auklet or Anemone's daughter, she'd never stand a chance at the throne. And Joy's family is big. I'm sure there will be other heirs in the future besides Rosella's daughter. And what if they have two daughters? One for each kingdom. The odds of your situation happening are ridiculous."

"But it could happen," Snowfall countered. 

"So what? It's not like you can stop someone from challenging for the throne when its their birthright," Auklet said.

"True," Snowfall looked pointedly at Thorn and Joy. "But we could ban Parch and Rosella from being together."

Thorn's face went still with murder and Joy burst out laughing. But before they could properly threaten Snowfall and rip her stupid idea to shreds with harsh words, the door opened.

And Queen Moorhen stepped inside.