Artemis and Flare walked side by side, and the prince seemed pleased. He appeared to be overdoing it, which made Artemis suspicious of how he truly felt.

"What's got you so excited?" Artemis questioned, tilting her head. Her new scales flashed in the sun and torchlight, making her actually look like she belonged in the halls alongside him.

Flare smiled, brushing his large wing against hers. "You'll see." He turned back around, his head tilted upwards as if to hide an expression.

Artemis and Flare kept walking along the gold veined halls, all until they stopped at an ornate entrance. They were the very doors to Queen Ruby's throne room.

"What are we doing here?" Artemis asked, looking over her shoulder at the empty halls behind them. Flare shrugged, pushing open the doors with a shoulder.

"Not me, you." He said, giving her an apologetic glance that was truthful but also way more relieved than necessary. "Sorry Melt. But tell me how it goes!"

"Wait-" she blurted, but Flare closed the doors on her. She yelped as the heavy door nearly smacked her snout, and she leapt backwards with a wince and a hiss of irritation.

She rubbed her snout with a talon, irked at the close call.

"Melt!" A familiar voice called.

Artemis whipped back around, seeing the Queen of the Skywings approaching her.

"Your majesty." She said, quickly dipping her head and flattening her wings to the ground. Ruby simply rolled her eyes, patting Artemis on the horns.

"Enough of that, dear." Ruby sighed. "Now come. We need to get you presentable."

"Presentable? For what, your majesty?" She asked, raising a brow.

"You are my guest for today. Lucky enough, I've taking a liking to you. I want to know more about you. And your kidnapping, especially. If you were the only one, who your captors are." Ruby said, examining her talons with a rueful expression. "But those details are for later."

Artemis balked. "What will you have me do, Queen Ruby?"

"Firstly, you get to sit by me." Ruby smiled, and Artemis couldn't help but lean back at their sharpness and pristinely color . "And, no offense Melt, but those boring scales need a little sprucing up before you can be seen. I can't have some of my other guests doubting their queen." She frowned, looking at her. "Diamonds and silver to go with that necklace of yours?"

Artemis opened to her mouth to respond, rather confused as she glanced down at her gold scales.

Boring?

"Ah, why am I asking you?" Ruby laughed, filling in the silence. "I can make you wear whatever I want. I am queen after all!" She swept her long wings around herself, walking to a room Artemis hadn't even seen before. It was to the left of Ruby's throne room, and lit with tiny glass globes filled with fire.

"Come on." She called, and Artemis followed hurriedly.

They entered the bright room- in which Skywings were scurrying back and forth. It was much larger than Artemis anticipated.

Work was busy away in the air, and on the ground. All of the workers were carrying some type of jewelry. As Queen Ruby and Artemis entered, they froze in place. A smaller Skywing yelped and fell over, not able to hold her awkward position anymore. Yellow gems that were yet to be polished scattered to the ground.

Ruby sighed, her tail flicking back and forth. "Did I tell you to stop?"

They nodded and bowed, a few comments like "yes your majesty" and "of course Queen Ruby" floating around the room as they resumed their previous activities. Two orange dragons helped pick up the gems from before.

The Queen turned back to Artemis, showing her white teeth again in a benign type of smile. "Come along, dear. Before I change my mind. I've got a lot to think about, you know."

"Yes, your majesty."

Ruby directed her gaze upwards, as if searching for something. Artemis looked up too, curious.

"TAILWIND!" She hollered.

Artemis froze, the name making her scales turn cold. She felt like she was hit with an Icewing's frostbreath.

Tailwind? She thought miserably, inching a little bit closer to the Queen in dread of seeing Lance's dragonet again.

Skywings in the air yelped and parted, a red comet soaring from within their clustered flight.

In a flash of cherry red, the diamond studded dragonet landed gracefully at the Queen's feet.

"Yes, Queen Ruby?" She asked, dipping her head and spreading her wings in an exaggerative outward gesture. Not yet noticing Artemis, so it seemed..

"I want you to take this lovely dragonet and get her some nice jewelry. " Ruby said, pointing at Artemis with her tail. "She is my special guest today. The main color I picked for her is silver. And diamonds, too. So get her some of that. Just none of my special collection." The Queen added, putting a talon up to her gold necklace- which she now wore only one of.

Tailwind's eyes met Artemis, and she gave her a cold stare that could freeze over the desert.

"Of course your majesty." She said, a growl forcing its way from her mouth at the end of the sentence.

"I'll see you at dinner, Melt. Look nice! Relax! Whatever strange dragons do." Queen Ruby shouted over her shoulder as she walked away.

Tailwind stepped up to Artemis, and she raised her long neck above her.

"What do you think you're doing?" She hissed, and Artemis took a staggered step backwards in shock.

"You show up out of nowhere. I had felt back for you because I know what it's like to lose a parent. But then you steal Flare from me, and now you're the Queen's new favorite dragonet? " Tailwind snarled. "I've never seen you in my life. Who are you?"

Artemis shivered, clenching her teeth together.

I didn't steal Flare! Obnoxious Skywing.

"I'm Melt." She answered simply, shooting a poisoned glance into Tailwind's eyes.

"You won't be able to manipulate me." The dragonet growled, but shrunk back anyways. Artemis felt a bit of pride well up in her core.

"Come on." She spat. " Lucky for you, if I laid a talon on your stupid gold scales Ruby would have me thrown in the arena with all the other leftover good-for-nothings." Tailwind grumbed, shoving two Skywings out of her way as she thundered across the room, snorting smoke from her nose.

Artemis bat the smoke with a wing, following behind slowly. They entered an smaller room, like a storage area. It was carved into one of the walls and curved in a crescent shape. Hundreds of tiny diamonds, amethysts, emeralds, topaz, and any other type of gemstone imaginable sat in weaved bins. There were some that were newly polished, others as raw as if they were mined the day before.

She tilted her head, amazed at the perfect organization of so many tiny gems.

"Us jewelers take beauty seriously." Tailwind said, swatting away Artemis with a large wing.

Artemis hopped back, just as Tailwind began to sort through the diamonds. She shot her a look she knew she wouldn't catch.

She picked up about ten tiny, perfectly shaped diamonds. They were rounded at the top and came to a point at the bottom. Tailwind turned back around, and a sudden smirk played across her face.

"Should I do more?" She wondered, quietly. "Yes."

Tailwind turned back around, going through the bin again. This time, she produced ten or twenty larger diamonds. Small enough to still fit into her paw, though.

"Come here." She growled. Artemis looked at Tailwind warily, eventually walking over to the angry Skywing.

She smirked, grabbing Artemis' wrist, forcing her to pull back and sit down.

"There." Tailwind hissed, picking a single diamond from the pile that now sat beside her.

"Now this is going to hurt." She said, grabbing Artemis' snout. Artemis pulled back in shock, but that only made Tailwind dig in her talons. "Stay still." She ordered, growling once more.

Slowly, she began to lift up one of the scales on Artemis' snout. She wriggled in her grip and winced in pain as Tailwind set a diamond in place. After letting go, the scale squished the diamond into her skin, drawing a stream of blood. Tailwind paused, nodding in satisfaction as she dabbed the blood from Artemis' face with a wool cloth.

"I told you it'd hurt." She laughed. Artemis winced again, tears welling up in her eyes against her will

"With beauty comes pain." Tailwind shrugged, "Come on, Melt. Do you think this didn't hurt?" She said, pointing to her face, neck, and tail where the pink diamonds sat. She saw the look on Artemis' face and giggled.

"I'm only doing your face and neck, calm down." She rolled her eyes, picking up another diamond. "Here we go again."

The process was repeated about four more times on the left side of her face. Then Tailwind started on the right side, placing five more diamonds.

"Time for your neck." Tailwind said cheerily- something about her voice made Artemis know this hurt the most. She lifted each scale agonizingly slowly, and placed the larger diamonds in. Ten on each side of her neck, she now had a total of fifteen diamonds on her left and right side.

Tailwind clapped her talons together, producing a bowl of water in which she washed the now blood soaked cloth. Artemis grit her teeth, waiting for the headache she obtained, and the sharp throbbing in her neck, to go away.

"The neat things about getting jewels implanted, is the scales just eventually grow around them and keep them in place. Well...Unless they're taken out." Tailwind began wringing the cloth fiercely, like it was a certain dragon's neck she wanted to break.

"You won't be getting anymore diamonds set in, sadly." She frowned, the anger starting to show in her eyes again.

"Now come on." She growled. "I need to get a necklace or something for you." Tailwind mumbled to herself about how Artemis was being treated like a "storming princess".

Tailwind stalked off, giving Artemis a sharp order to follow. Which, she did so with a dramatically arrogant look shot at her back.

Eventually, under much growling and snapping from Tailwind, Artemis was given a thick chain necklace with black stones embedded in the metal to match her original. The very one that got her into this mess in the first place. It added salt to the wound.

Tailwind stood back and studied her with sharp eyes, nodding.

"Not my best work." She mused. "Yet again, jewels always look better on a pretty dragon."

Artemis frowned and furrowed her brow, but decided to keep her mouth shut. For now.

"Come on." Tailwind barked, grabbing her wrist as if Artemis was a young dragonet that had gone astray from her parent. Dragging her alongside, she began to walk out of the jewelers.

She mumbled something else, shoving her on. They soon approached another set of doors, much larger with a set of gold handles in the shape of soaring dragons. Tailwind spun on her heels, glaring at Artemis.

"Stay behind me, Melt." She ordered. "Do not meet another dragons eyes. Do not speak. And don't touch the diamonds!" Tailwind snapped, swatting away Artemis' talons as she went to fix an irritating diamond under her eye.

Bossy much? Artemis thought angrily, putting a forced smile on her face. Tailwind snorted, pushing open the doors. A torrent of voices attacked Artemis' ears, as Skywings went on chatting with their loud conversations. Tailwind walked in, stepping over a wildly squealing pig, which was running in circles as fast as its little legs could carry it.

Skywings lined a grand table, where birds, fish, deer carcasses and other rather interesting smelling meat lay. A few scavengers darted across the table, yelping each time they neared a dragon. Others scrabbled and pounded the stone walls uselessly with their tiny paws, trying to avoid the dragons and rampaging chickens and cows.

Artemis cast an apologetic look at a scavenger she passed. It squeaked and waved its paws, running in terror.

"Pathetic." Tailwind growled, suddenly lunging forwards and snapping up the scavenger in her wide jaws. Artemis felt her heartbeat increase, a wave of nausea passing over her.

After maneuvering their way past the rowdy eating Skywings, they approached a set of steps that led up to three thrones. The one the right was a plain silver-white marble with a few black diamonds here and there to mimic cloud shapes- it was empty. The middle was the largest, and by far most impressive. It was also marble, inlaid with rubies, diamonds, and yellow jewels. Dragons in flight were carved on the side, the eyes small red gems. The third was empty like the first, but it was made of silver and obsidian with a reversed mimic of the earlier clouds.

Artemis thought back to her wood sculptures at Jade Mountain and a sharp pain in her chest brought her back to reality. Upon the large throne sat a very familiar dragon who was none other than Queen Ruby herself. Adorned with silver chainmail, and silver necklaces with chains of black gems. More than her usual look. Just one glance at the Queen made Artemis wary. Never ever would she obtain anymore jewelry than she already had. Once her gaze crossed over Artemis, she gave a smile.

"Melt! So glad you made it." She purred, waving over Artemis and Tailwind.

They approached the Queen and bowed low to the floor. She told them to rise and gave them another smile. "Well done, Tailwind." Ruby said looking over Artemis. "You haven't managed to disappoint me. Yet."

Tailwind shifted on her feet, not meeting the large Queen's gaze. "You are dismissed." Ruby said with a wave of her wing. Tailwind gave Artemis one last growl, and disappeared into the mass of dragons.

"Come here, Melt." She called, pointing to the spot next to her.

Artemis trudged up the rest of the steps, stopping beside the Queen hesitantly.

"You may sit here." Ruby announced, pointing to a rather small black stone seat she hadn't noticed. Just big enough to fit Artemis.

"Your majesty, I'm alright. I'll stand." Artemis insisted.

The look Ruby gave her could even chill an Icewing. Ruby pointed to the seat yet again, her eyes demanding and almost begging.

"Okay." Artemis yelped, wandering up the steps and sitting down quickly. Ruby sighed, turning forwards.

"If you're hungry, let me know." She hissed. "I'll have my guards catch something for you. Just sit there and look nice."

Artemis nodded in hesitation, not wanting to upset the Queen. Instead, she let her gaze scan over the group of dragons. Two orange Skywings were fighting over a fairly large salted seabird to her right. The first shoved at the second, shouting something as they dug their talons into the feathers. She sighed and shook her head, looking in a different direction.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the doors swing open. From the doors came another familiar dragon, one who brought a tiny smile to her face. Flare walked out of the doors, slowly closing them. He looked a little different from when she last saw him.

His scales were clean and polished and flowed like lava. He had a tiny row of yellow jewels under one eye. A long crimson cloak hung from his shoulders, the rim at his neck made of gold. He gave the crowd a cautious ridden look. Then Flare carefully approached, winding past Skywings who roamed aimlessly. Darting up the steps, he came to a stop by Queen Ruby's throne, bowing.

"Hello sister." He blurted, his wings ruffling slightly, obvious he was in a rush. Ruby tilted her head, looking down her snout at him.

"Brother." She said, her teeth sparkling dangerously. "You may take your seat." She added, spreading a wing to the black and silver throne. Flare quickly strode up to his seat, slumping as he sat and sunk into it.

He covered his face with a wing, but still caughr Artemis' gaze. His eyes gleamed like old buried treasure as he gave her a sideways smile.

"Hey." He whispered, lowering his wing.

"Hi." She whispered back, scooting a little closer, as much as her seat allow allowed, studying his face. "You seem nervous, Prince Flare."

He chuckled lightly, embarrassed. "I don't handle large crowds very well." Flare added, his talons clenching and unclenching.

"A prince who doesn't like big crowds and attention." Artemis smirked slightly. "Strange."

Flare hissed a bit, grumbling. "Oh, quit it."

Artemis snorted, amused by his sudden irritation.

"Sorry." He sighed, still slumping in his throne. Artemis found her amusement riding, and she grinned.

"Moons, is this thing uncomfortable." Flare complained.

She snorted again, giggling slightly. Flare gave her a look and caught her gaze, but just shook his head. There is a long silence between the two, then Flare suddenly sat up and shook out his wings.

"Melt. You hungry?" He asked Artemis, tilting his head. She nodded, sighing a bit.

"Very." She admitted. When had she even last eaten? She didn't remember

Flare got up, stretching out his legs and arching his back like a mountain lion.

"Bird, deer, cow, or whatever?" He wondered. Artemis laughed, looking at the prince.

"I'll have whatever." She smiled, and Flare groaned in return.

"I walked right into that one, didn't I?"

"Yes you did." She said. "But seriously," Artemis coaxed, "Surprise me!"

Flare raised his wings and traveled down the stairs to the hustle and bustle of dragons. Artemis watched him go.

Queen Ruby looked over at Artemis, raising a brow. "Taken a liking to my little brother then, hm?"

Artemis stared at the Queen, her gold scales becoming a flushed color. "Not at all, your majesty!" She protested. "Flare is just my friend! We've only just recently met."

"So?" Ruby smirked. "He's seven, and you're six or so...I do approve, if you were concerned."

Artemis growled m. "Queen Ruby, I'm sorry, but no. I do not like him in that way!"

The Queen threw back her head, laughing. "Just saying. It could happen."

Flare suddenly eased back up the steps, holding two large and featherless hawks in his claws. He grinned and passed one to Artemis, who took it gratefully.

"Thank you, Flare." She smiled, shifting her wings. Flare tore into his hawk, the speckles of peppers it was seasoned with blending in with his scales. Artemis tried to be a little neater as she took a bite of the bird, wiping her snout to get rid of any excess. It tasted rather salty and citrusy, despite its well-cooked interior.

Soon enough she finished the bird, now satisfied and full. Skywings were starting to file out of the room, shouting and laughing as they did. A few chefs and smaller dragons went to clean up the scraps and leftovers. Queen Ruby then rose from her throne.

"I'll go be getting ready now." She said, walking off. "I trust that I will see you two later." Ruby called. Artemis watched the Skywing leave with growing relief, her heart rate turning normal again, though she didn't even realize its irregularity until she was no longer with the queen.

"I'm probably going to sound stupid, but what's later?" She asked Flare as they both got up, heading down the stairs after dropping their scraps into a cauldron to be burned.

"Sundown." Flare said quietly, "Sundown means a show in the arena." He mumbled. "All until every traitor and threat is gone."

Artemis felt her stomach lurch, it's contents threatening to rise.

"I wish I could save you from seeing it, but it is Ruby's order." Flare apologized. "And Ruby's orders are followed, Melt."

She and Flare walked from the dining area, heading down the gold laced halls. Artemis traced her steps with the talon prints already there.

"So I'll see you at Sundown, then." Artemis said as she and Flare prepare to part ways.

"See you at Sundown." He agreed, lightly brushing their wings together.

He left down the opposite hall, leaving Artemis alone with her thoughts. A feeling of dread was set over her as she watched the prince leave. It was something she knew wouldn't leave for quite a while. Slowly, she turned from Flare's hall. With the ghost of his wing on hers, Artemis walked down to her doors.