As uncomfortable as Queen Scarlet made her, Glow couldn't help but take in the sights. The palace towered over everything and the arena was quite the centrepiece. There were towers that held prisoners surrounding the arena, tied together by a metal wire to prevent escape. The arena appeared to be lined with sand and on the other side were benches for audiences. There was only one word that could describe it. Glorious. Upon remembering a dragon who shared a name with that word, Glow reminded herself that any of the dragonets of destiny could be imprisoned here, and she began scanning the arena. She couldn't see Starflight, Sunny, or Glory at all, and she could really only pick out Tsunami and Clay.

       Worrying about Scarlet's piercing gaze, she decided to converse with the queen. Hopefully, she'd stay on the psychotic queen's good side and they'd come and go peacefully. The growing pit in her stomach told her much otherwise. "So, um..." She began nervously, the queen's ever curious gaze locked on her. "When does the match start, Your Majesty?" She asked casually with a small dip in her head. Scarlet's jowls twisted into a smile.

       "Oh, the matches actually begin tomorrow! We're preparing and setting up today. After all, my hatching day is coming up very soon, and I want everything to be absolutely thrilling!" She answered enthusiastically. Frigga answered her coolly, keeping a close wing tightly around Evenstar while Charcoal did the same for the recovering Kite.

       "I'm certain it will be, Queen Scarlet. What sort of plans do you have in mind for your celebration?" the IceWing asked.

       "Oh, actually, what thrilling news I have, my friend. You wouldn't possibly believe it, but I had the very good fortune of finding and capturing the prophesized dragonets of destiny after the MudWing and SeaWing were so rude to me!" Corona threw Glow a yeah, we noticed look. "You'll be pleased to hear that they'll be part of the main event tomorrow, as well as the following week. They really do have a NightWing! How thrilling!" She exclaimed joyfully. She then narrowed her gaze towards Evenstar maliciously, who was tucking into Frigga nervously. "Speaking of which, how about I trade a recent work of art I found for your NightWing? He'd make a thrilling addition to the entertainment."

       Evenstar shifted over uncomfortably and Frigga held him even tighter. "My apologies, Your Majesty, but Evenstar is not for sale. However," She paused, clawing around in her bag. She pulled it out and lifted it to the sun. It was an orange glass statue in the shape of the queen, adorned in gold chains and rubies like the real thing. "I do have this for sale, if you'd like." Scarlet was clearly impressed.

       "Oh my! This will make a thrilling addition to my palace décor." She grabbed a pouch of jingling coins from a golden bowl on the arm of her throne. She presented it to Frigga with a greedy glow in her dagger eyes. "Four hundred gold pieces sound alright, Frigga?" She offered. Frigga accepted and handed her the statue and Scarlet gave her the pouch of money.

       "Thank you for your gracious purchase, Your Majesty." Frigga answered calmly. Scarlet eyed it in the light and handed it to Flashover.

       "Put this somewhere where it will sparkle in the sunlight, won't you, soldier?" She cooed mockingly at him. Flashover obeyed without question, though a scowl was glimmering in his deep orange eyes. He placed it in the centre of the room on the table in front of Scarlet's throne. It was in the centre of all the windows in the room, so the light refracted through the statue and made the room shimmer with an elegant amber glow.

       Glow looked out of the corner of her eye and saw a red male SkyWing pacing about in contemplation. He looked rather handsome, his snout and jaws perfectly chiseled and his horns curving gracefully. He seemed to catch her gaze and walked over towards her, bowing to Queen Scarlet as he walked over. "Mother, you didn't tell me we had guests." He spoke. Scarlet turned around and addressed him.

       "Oh, that's right! I don't believe you've ever met Frigga or her apprentices before, have you? How disappointing." She sighed. She pointed to her attendees and introduced them. "Vermilion, this is Frigga, the thrilling leader of the band of merchants, the White Capes. These are her apprentices, um..." She hesitated, forgetting their names.

       "Corona, Evenstar, Glow, and Kite." Frigga introduced to the SkyWing. Glow thought about him for a moment. So, he's the queen's son, and prince of the Sky Kingdom. Vermilion bowed his head towards them in respect and addressed them.

       "It's an honour to meet you." He said, raising an eyebrow at Glow. He paced closer to Glow. "So, what are two SkyWings doing in this odd group of crafters?" He said with a smooth voice to Glow. She rolled her eyes at him and scoffed. He's trying WAY too hard. But at least he's nice.

       "Those are both long stories, Vermilion." She said, trying to avoid telling the truth about her.

       Scarlet narrowed her eyes at her. "Actually, I would like to hear this thrilling piece of information. Exactly how old are you, young SkyWing?" Her eyes glinted with suspicion. Glow's scales started to crawl and she immediately started to panic. She's already suspicious! How in three moons did she immediately suspect something? Then she remembered that her egg was stolen from Queen Scarlet's Palace, and she of course would have remembered something as important as a missing SkyWing and speculate that the young SkyWing standing in front of her might have survived. Glow swallowed, trying to regain her composure.

       "I'm...not actually sure, I think I'm...five? Frigga, that's right, right?" She looked to her mentor for reassurance. Frigga nodded.

       "Yes, I remember when I found your egg at the foot of my cave. Someone just dropped you off there and never came back. Sad to think that you were abandoned without a second thought, isn't it, Glow?" She falsely elaborated. Glow couldn't help but internally gawk at her savvy teacher. Nice recovery, master. Glow noticed that Scarlet's suspicion had not faded from her expression, so Glow figured she had to sell her story.

       "U-uh, yeah. It's really depressing that I was just dumped there. I could've been a great soldier in the army and my own parents just threw me away like I'm garbage. Guess that goes to show how some dragons just can't handle certain responsibilities, right, Your Majesty?" Glow added. Scarlet's expression changed from suspicion to a twisted smile.

       "You're certainly smarter than you look, little SkyWing. As long as you understand that dragons are usually pretty horrible, you'll go far in life." Glow was trying her hardest not to be visibly offended. What the hawk is THAT supposed to mean!? Scarlet turned to her son. "Vermilion, since you're off duty today, would you be so kind as to give our SkyWing guests a thrilling tour of the city?" She offered. Corona glared at the queen with distrust and Glow gently smacked her concealed tail with her own. Remember, we have to keep a low profile, or we'll get caught and probably thrown in the arena, goat-brain!

       Vermilion bowed to the queen and replied cheerfully. "Of course, mother. I'd be glad to." He walked towards the two and led them down the stairway outside. Glow cast a last look towards Corona, Evenstar, and Frigga looking at her worriedly before heading down the staircase.

       Vermilion lifted above the arena, Glow followed closely by Kite. He was looking around nervously, and Glow knew exactly who he was watching out for. She craned her neck close to him and whispered to him. "Don't worry, I promised I'd protect you and I'm keeping that promise." She soothed. "And you know how much I hate making promises." She added. He nodded and regained a look of confidence.

       Vermilion circled above the arena like a hawk, talking to them. "Here, we have our pride and joy of the Sky Kingdom - The Sky Arena." He began. Glow couldn't help but marvel at the size and scale of the landmark again. "We keep the prisoners of war in those towers. They provide the gladiator matches to keep the crowds entertained. They are each given a chance to fight for their survival. Two dragons in, one dragon out." He explained with enthusiasm. He seemed so enamored with the sight of the arena, and Glow saw Clay on his pillar and winced. Soon...I'll help you soon, Clay. He turned towards the buildings on the east side of the arena and Glow followed. The buildings weren't grand or extravagant like the palace was, but they had a certain tough charm to them. Even Kite was beginning to enjoy himself now.

       Vermilion was pointing to all of the buildings and naming them. "That there is the hospital, and these are some shops that sell food and weapons." He rambled. Glow tuned into every detail, reveling in how much she was adoring the design and architecture of the whole place. He walked towards a large square, full of stalls and shops. Glow felt a great deal of nostalgia right then. She had been to the bazaar in the Scorpion Den and saw that this was a merchant plaza of sorts. "This should be right up your alley." Vermilion said with a wink, which Glow mockingly shrugged at. "There are merchants here who trade and sell likes like you do. Hopefully you find this to your liking."

       He swung his tail to a pale magenta SkyWing in the middle of the plaza. She had bright violet spiral markings that were clearly painted on. She had silver rings in her nostrils, ears, and amethysts hanging from her silver earrings. She looked very young, and Glow thought she looked beautiful. Vermilion strode up to her and flashed her a cheeky grin. "Well, well, well. Umbalite the beautiful, I had a feeling you'd be here." He stroked her talon with his, and she blushed profusely.

       "O-oh, well hello...Vermilion. How are you doing? What brings you here to the plaza?" She nervously asked. Vermilion gave her a sly smile.

       "Well, I was just showing a couple of the queen's guests around the SkyWing Palace City, and they just so happen to be merchants." She looked like she was half paying attention as he was talking. "I was wondering, my beautiful precious gemstone, if I could possibly reserve a merchant space for my new friends here." He said, pointing to Glow and Kite. She looked them over, her amber eyes scanning them.

       "Of course, Your Highness. I'd be happy to." She got up from her stand and walked away somewhere. "Right this way, please!" She called. Glow followed her to an empty space between an extravagant tent and a rustic cart. "You can set up here. Is there anything else I can do for you?" She asked. Despite this just completely coming out of nowhere, Glow just accepted Vermilion's kindness and went along with it.

       "Um, if you could set up a small simple tent for us, that'd be great. I really don't want to give you any trouble." Glow suggested apologetically. Umbalite merely smiled and chuckled.

       "Don't worry about it. We'll get a tent set up for you right away." She strode off inside a building and Glow decided to converse with the smiling idiot prince standing next to her.

       "So, what's the deal with you and her?" Glow asked, teasing him. The handsome red SkyWing scoffed at her.

       "Nothing, she's just a really good friend of mine." He replied coolly.

       "A really good friend like a best friend? Orrrrrr, a really good friend because you liiiiiike her." Kite piped up. 

       Glow couldn't help but snicker at him. "I mean, I don't think friends constantly flirt with each other, call each other beautiful, and show that many public displays of affection." Vermilion turned away embarrassed.

       "W-well, it's not that I don't like her. I mean, she's always been really friendly to me and helping me out with some of my jobs. She even comes to watch me announce at the arena matches." He paused. Glow looked at him concerned.  "Well, honestly..." He hesitated. He glanced around to see if anyone was listening to him, and leaned in really close to Glow. "Can you keep a secret, Glow?"

       She looked at him sternly. "Yeah, sure. Go ahead." He nodded, covering his snout from the rest of the crowd.

       "My mother wouldn't exactly approve of it." Vermilion confessed.

       "So, you do like her, then." Glow teased.

       "Well...That's beside the point. The point is, Queen Scarlet wouldn't want me associating with her or becoming anything special to her." Vermilion explained.

       "Well, why?" Glow asked.

       "More challengers to her throne." He said. "Doesn't want any more. It's one of the reasons she doesn't like my brothers hanging outside the palace– except me, of course. Not even Hawk."

       "I thought she was confident that no one would challenge her." Glow questioned. "Her current heir probably wouldn't. Princess Ruby, was it?"

       "Yeah, but there was another." Glow's curiosity was piqued. "There were fourteen challengers, but two possible heirs existed after–Tourmaline and Ruby." Glow needed all the information she could get.

      "What happened to Tourmaline?" Glow asked.

       "No one knows." He said, shaking his head. "All we know is that she was Ruby's older sister, and she posed a real threat to Scarlet." He paused, looking around nervously. "Ruby would never challenge her, but Tourmaline undoubtedly would have. None of us in the family ever knew what happened to her. All we know is that one day, she was never seen again." He turned to Glow and looked at her sternly. "I think Scarlet killed her before she could challenge her. Mother always has been one to play dirty if things didn't go her way." Glow thought for a moment. It would make sense. If you can't find the proof or can cover it up, you can get away with anything, and stay in power for as long as you want. Vermilion looked very slightly paranoid. She brushed his wing with hers.

       "Do you dislike your mother?" She asked. Vermilion looked surprised at her. He thought for a moment.

       "No, actually. On the contrary." He said. "I actually get along with her really well. I just...wish I had more freedom is all. That's about it." He looked slightly crestfallen, but Glow thought best not to press the subject any longer. She had more information than she thought she could get from this.

       She saw Umbalite arguing with a furious captain, realizing who it was and looking for Kite in a panic. It's Cinnabar! "Oh, three moons! Kite, where are you?" She called quietly. She looked around behind the stalls for him and found him curled up and trembling. She motioned for Vermilion to come closer. "Vermilion, hide Kite and don't be conspicuous." She ordered.

       Vermilion looked at her confused. "Why?"

       "Just do it!" She commanded with more urgency. Without any more questioning, he smoothly stepped beside her on the side that Kite was hiding. The large SkyWing was storming towards them and the elegant merchant manager was following quickly behind with a bundle of white and some rods poking out of it.

       "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING HERE!?!" She roared. Glow found her far more intimidating and imposing than Scarlet, but knew she had to stand tall.

       "First of all, recovering from the hearing loss from your screaming. Second of all, I'm setting up a merchant stand here in the plaza by Prince Vermilion's request. Is there a problem, captain?" She replied coolly, a hint of passive aggression lacing her monotone delivery. Cinnabar's face coiled into a singeing scowl while the small elegant Umbalite was nervously fumbling behind her.

       "I'LL say! What makes you invaders think that you can just waltz around the place and sell whatever you want all willy-nilly? I could have you thrown in the dungeon right now if I wanted!" She snarled. Glow was beginning to falter, but she did not back down from this dragon.

       "Well, I'd be selling weapons and other merchandise to your SkyWing populace. I'm contributing to your side of the war because of it, in fact. So I don't quite see what the problem is, captain." She responded, still trying to maintain her composure.

       Cinnabar leaned in very closely and hissed smoke into her face. "Don't give me that sass, you bloody pig! One wrong move and you wind up in the queen's dungeon. And I suggest that you stop this right now if you want to remain in good standing with Her Majesty."

       The small SkyWing to the harsh captain's left quietly piped up. "W-well, um, actually. What t-they're doing isn't actually illegal, somaybeyoushouldjustleavethemalone...and...leave..." She whispered, though Cinnabar clearly didn't appreciate her contribution.

       "NOBODY ASKED YOUR OPINION, GYPSY!" She spat the last word like poison in her drink. Umbalite was clearly stung by her remark, tears welling up in her eyes. "IT'S ILLEGAL NOW BECAUSE I SAID SO! Now, move aside so I can inspect the area for any other secrets that you might be hiding." Glow immediately felt her stomach drop, fear and dread gripping her tightly with cold talons. Oh no! Oh no oh no oh noohnoohnoohno, she can't find him! If she finds him, it's all over for him!

       Vermilion surprised Glow and took a step threateningly towards Cinnabar. "I recall Queen Scarlet not exactly tolerating it when her guests are mistreated like this." He interjected. Cinnabar was clearly annoyed by him. "One thing she hates more than that is insubordination from her soldiers, and if you mistreat Glow or I, I can easily convince mother to punish you, and you and I both know that she isn't exactly merciful with her prisoners." Cinnabar narrowed her eyes and wrinkled her snout at him. "And we both know that I can be very persuasive."

       Cinnabar reeled back slowly, smoke curling out of her snout. "Fine, keep your stupid stall, then. But I'm watching you maggots." She stomped off and Umbalite was wiping her tears. Vermilion draped a wing across her back and Glow went to retrieve Kite once Cinnabar had gone.

       Glow coaxed him out, still shaking and trembling. "Is she alright?" Glow asked Vermilion. He looked at her appreciatively.

       "Yeah, she's fine. Right, Umbalite?" He said, trying to cheer her up. She looked at Glow dully. She walked up to her, urgency reflecting in her gaze.

       "Don't ever become like her. She's horrible and she punishes and steps on other dragons however she feels without regard for law and order. She's a tyrant in every sense of the word." She croaked.

       "What do you mean?" Glow asked. Umbalite turned away, looking ashamed.

       "She called me a 'gypsy.' It's a horrible name for traveling dragons and other merchants." She confessed. Glow looked at her, more with intrigue than with confusion. She had never heard of gypsy dragons except in stories and literature. Vermilion looked at Glow apologetically.

       "Well, that explains why she didn't like us much." Glow commented.

       "There are many myths and rumours surrounding traveling dragons. They're dragons who don't really have places to call home, so they go anywhere. Many range from them being thieves, to practicing artificial animus magic, or having their own magical abilities which bring misery and misfortune among dragons." He paused. "Bottom line, they aren't talked about well."

       Umbalite cocked her head up. "My kind are merchants and traders like you. We enjoy traveling, or at least we used to. But Queen Scarlet will not let me or my family leave the city. She has forbidden it." She hung her head low, still clutching her bundle. Kite took a step forward and rested his head against her chest.

       "It's okay. I know it seems bad, but things will change. You'll see." Umbalite looked at the young dragon with confusion. "Scarlet can't be queen forever, right? So, you just got to keep holding on until she isn't anymore." He whispered. Umbalite smiled at him and held him tightly.

       "Thank you, small one." She whispered. Glow smiled at him, and Vermilion held gratitude in his dull eyes. He nudged her affectionately.

       "Alright, I think we can all agree that this has been a long day already. Let's just get this tent set up, okay?" He suggested to his lovely friend. She nodded and began unfurling her bundle.

       "Alright. Help me set this up, won't you?" Umbalite asked.