Artemis may have been as quiet as a falling feather, but internally, she was shrieking at the top of her lungs. Stars above.

Lance? Why why why why. Three moons, MY father murdered HER father. I didn't even know he had a dragonet...Poor Tailwind.

Yes, he threatened them, but they were also not in a place they belonged. He was doing his duty, albeit with too much enthusiasm. He had a dragonet. A family.

"I-I'm sorry to hear that." She stammered out. Tailwind glared at Artemis with yellow eyes. They were piercing, like Lance's.

"Sure."'Tailwind replied simply, her tail lashing back and forth.

Artemis stood in front of the Skywings, waiting anxiously to see what they'd do. She'd never outfly them.

"So, Melt." Flare said with an unexpected kindness to his tone. "We should probably take you back home. I'm sure your parents are worried about you."

No! I have to go back to Jade Mountain! She thought as panic shot through her chest. I need to get some help and find my sister, or Shadow, or literally any other dragons beside these ones!

"My parents are dead." She blurted.

Lies upon lies.

Though she was kind of getting good at that.

Tailwind's eyes sparkled, and her facial expression softened. Just a little.

"Oh..." Flare began. "Well, we can just take you to Queen Ruby then. Y'know, just to make sure you have someone looking out for you."

No! She panicked. No, now how can I get back..?

"Thank you, Flare." Artemis said, dipping her head to the older Skywing. He smiled half heartedly.

"No problem."

Cardinal tapped her talons on the ground, her tail swishing across a patch of grass. Artemis noticed how much larger she was compared to the other two.

"Can we go now?" She urged. "We're too close to the Mud Kingdom. I wouldn't like to run into those dirty nuisances, old allies or not."

"Mudwings are actually very nice dragons." Artemis put in quietly. "Well, most of them."

Cardinal and Tailwind stared.

"Anyways..." Flare said.

"We were leaving." Artemis said, opening her gold and orange wings.

Tailwind, Cardinal, and Flare followed by flapping their own. Cardinal took off first, becoming a garnet dot in seconds. Tailwind flew after her just as quick. Flare was about to take off, but he saw Artemis hesitating.

"Melt? What's wrong?" He asked, turning to her. A little too close if you asked her. She sauntered a step back.

"I...haven't flown in a while." She said. She let her gaze dart to the ground. Guilt was clouding her eyes, though it was taken as embarrassment.

I just want to go HOME. She thought.

"A Skywing that is too afraid to fly after a while?" Flare questioned. "I'm so sorry...That is just terrible."

She sighed, feeling as if her wings were being weighed down each second by tiny stones, and soon big boulders. Flare tilted his head, the wind blowing his wings to the left. A small smile formed on his face, which was very weird to see on a Skywing.

"I'll fly beside you, make sure you're alright," he suddenly offered. Artemis then glanced at him sideways, her pupils shrinking.

Looks like I'll be staying at the Sky Kingdom for a while...Not to mention I now have someone right there to possibly figure me out before I devise a plan to get out of here. She thought glumly.

"I guess." She mumbled. Flare smiled, quickly snapping his wings open. Artemis unfurled her own, getting ready to take off.

"Just bring your wings down, the air will do the rest." Flare advised. Artemis rolled her eyes, raising her wings and bringing them down in a big flap. She rocketed into the air, beating her large wings. Once a bit higher up, the wind caught her and sent her flailing sideways- hurtling into a cloud. She didn't know how to control the bulky things.

She yelped and squeezed her eyes shut upon feeling something lightly hit her side. The wind seemed to stop blowing, and she leveled out. Artemis dared to open her eyes, and when she did, she found herself casually gliding over a mound of cirrus clouds.

"Keep your wings fully spread!" A voice shouted from above, she turned her eyes skywards, seeing Flare smirking down at her. Artemis growled and stretched her wings so the membrane caught the air smoothly, sending her into a fast glide.

"It is obvious you haven't flown in a while." He laughed, Artemis frowned and looked forwards.

"Come on. Just joking." Flare apologized, dropping to her level, soaring alongside her smoothly. "Your captors must've been pretty cruel to keep a Skywing from flying."

"Yeah." She muttered, eyes scanning the terrain. "Pretty cruel."

They kept flying at a quick pace for about ten minutes.

They flew over the Claws of The Cloud Mountains, and the vast peaks and pines along the way. Artemis' heartbeat quickened when she saw the familiar cave and start of the boulders where she spent most of her life. Luckily, Flare didn't notice.

It seemed they would be flying forever, until a beautiful palace came into view. Artemis caught her breath, seeing the towering stone walls and red banners that decorated the front of the palace.

A huge oval building sat not far near it, constructed of a pale white stone with even larger banners and tapestries and flags- the tapestries were decorated with an assortment of fighting Skywings. Above the building were hundreds of pillars connected with silver wire, like a spiders web. But Artemis noticed, if she looked close enough, she could see the wriggling bodies of dragons. Rows of empty stands lined the inside, and a sand filled center beamed out against the red stands and the sunlight.

Flare caught her looking at it, and his voice turned icy as he spoke. His friendly, relaxed demeanor switched off like a snuffed out flame.

"There's the arena Scarlet used to love. Dragons are killed there. Especially traitors."

Artemis felt a chill go up her spine as she stared down at her dangling necklace as they soared overhead. Traitors...I have to be extra careful.

"If you were captive that long, let me sum things up for you. We thought Queen Ruby would cease its use once her mother disappeared, but she seemed to think it was a pretty good idea to get rid of the dragons left behind that still supported Scarlet, and those of other tribes with equally treasonous and treacherous crimes. Since Pyhrria is supposed to be at peace... Secretly, she still runs it. Every day at sundown and sunrise, you can hear the screams of prisoners echoing off the walls." He shuddered, looking at a wide eyed Artemis. "It's pretty awful."

She clasped her front talons together, hoping the pressure would cease their small trembles.

"Basically a thing everybody knows is don't double-cross Queen Ruby, and don't dare mention Scarlet. Other than that, she's pretty okay. My old friend, Titan, made the mistake of helping out a well wanted prisoner...he died the next day."

Artemis blinked, and Flare sighed. "Sorry, I probably just scared the scales off you. Not to mention I'm being such a sorry-snout, aren't I?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but he spoke first, once again. "Come on! Just down here."

Flare glided down to the entrance of the palace, landing in front of the two guards posted nearest to the large door. It didn't make much sense, considering all the open windows that the palace had, but Artemis guessed it was just about formality.

Artemis followed and ended her flight shakily, stopping next to him. He nudged her with his shoulder, folding his ruby wings to his side perfectly. She followed his example, sidling a bit closer.

"Good evening." Flare smiled to the guards, an orange male and auburn female. The female snorted and rolled her eyes, looking at the male to her right. They knew Flare for sure, and seemed to not be too pleased with that prospect.

"State your business." The male growled. Flare frowned, his head tilting to the side.

"Oh come on, Cloudbreak. I see you every day. I'm in the same troop for crying out loud."

"State your business." Cloudbreak repeated.

Flare rolled his eyes, "I'm here to see Queen Ruby." He said with no tone, and absolute vexation.

"Who is this with you?" The auburn dragon questioned. Flare's tongue flicked out of his mouth as he looked to Artemis, then back to the other Skywing.

"Did I tell you that your scales are especially beautiful today, Sonic?"

"Don't try and charm yourself out of this, kid." Sonic huffed. Smoke was beginning to funnel from her ears and nose now. She didn't understand why he had been purposely beating around the bush, but that was ticking off the guards. Ticking off the guards was an activity she definitely did not want to do.

"My name is Melt." Artemis said, hitting Flare with her wing and acting exasperated.

"Thank you." Sonic said, casting an arch look at Flare like she might set him on fire.

"Go on in." Cloudbreak said, pushing the door open with one of his big wings. It was a beautiful stone door, and Artemis couldn't help but admire the marbling in it.

Artemis dipped her head to the guards, who returned the gesture. Flare walked inside, a sly smile on his face.

"Nice going." He said, turning to Artemis.

She looked at the Skywing, narrowing her eyes and flattening down her ears.

"Now, you ready to see a Queen?"