A Seawing Story~Chpt 2

Instructions

The throne room was a different place now. The cheers had faded, replaced by a tense, expectant hush. Urchin sat on the throne, the weight of the coral crown feeling heavier than she'd ever imagined. Flounder was by her side, a steady presence amidst the swirling currents of courtly intrigue. He leaned close, his voice a low murmur. "Are you alright?" "Yes," she said, though her heart was still pounding from the fight. "I'm just… trying to feel like a queen." Queen Dolphin, now simply Dolphin, was being led away by two guards and a medic. Her eye, though still clouded, seemed to hold a newfound clarity as it rested on Urchin. There was no anger, only a cold, quiet resignation. The tribe’s law was absolute: the defeated monarch must be banished to a remote part of the kingdom. Urchin's first decree was a compassionate one. "Let her go to the Outer Caverns," she announced, her voice echoing in the vast chamber. "She will not be a prisoner. She will be a guardian of the reef, with only two guards for her protection." The murmurs of approval rippled through the crowd. This was not the vindictive new rule they might have expected. Later that day, Urchin and Flounder walked through the palace halls. The animus power that had hummed so loudly during the challenge was now quiet, a sleeping dragon coiled in her soul. "I didn't use it," she whispered to Flounder, almost as a confession. "I know," he replied, his hand gently touching her wing. "You won with your own strength. They will follow you for who you are, not for what you can do." "But they still need me to save them from the disarray," Urchin pointed out. "Mother's neglect… there are shortages of food, disputes with the MudWings, and ancient laws that make no sense. I can fix it all with a single enchantment." Flounder stopped and looked at her, his sea-green eyes holding hers. "And what will be the price? Every animus spell has one. And a tribe ruled by easy magic is one that can never learn to solve its own problems." Urchin knew he was right. She'd spent her life with this secret, and in that time, she’d learned to rely on her wit and courage instead of on a magic spell. But a queen's duty was to her people, and sometimes, a shortcut might be necessary. Just then, a messenger darted toward them, a frantic look on his face. "Your Majesty! The MudWings are demanding a new treaty. They say our patrols are overfishing their waters." Urchin felt a surge of frustration. A simple spell could fix this, create a new bounty of fish. But she took a deep breath, remembering Flounder's words. "Thank you. Assemble my advisors. I will meet with the MudWings at dawn." She had won the throne. Now came the hard part: ruling without magic. She still had her animus power, a safety net in the deepest abyss. But for now, she would face the world as herself: Urchin, the green-scaled dragonet who had defeated her mother and was now ready to lead her tribe—one brave, un-enchanted decision at a time.