Let The Chaos Continue

Queen of Thorns

The meeting ended a few hours later, and the Queens and their guards returned to their respective Kingdoms.

Thorn let out a sigh as she walked back into the Stronghold. Why couldn't she go just a little while without some idiot in the Scorpion Den stirring up trouble?

"Hi Thorn!" Parch called out to her, smiling. She shot him a grin in return.

"And here I thought you'd be remaining in the rainforest for the rest of the year," She commented. "Why the sudden change?"

"Rosella wanted to visit here instead," Parch replied. "How was your meeting?"

"Tolerable," She nodded in the direction of her usual meeting room. "I'm meeting with your mother and some others to discuss some of it if you'd care to join." Parch's eyes lit up.

"You'd let ME in some secret Sandwing meeting?" Thorn shrugged.

"I don't see why not. What are you going to do with it? Sell gossip about Queen Auklet dating the Skywing Prince to the highest bidder?"

"According to Sellie, I could get my weight in figs in the rainforest for a bit of gossip on that, actually." Thorn paused.

"Who's asking for it?"

"Practically the entire Rainwing tribe and Permafrost. They love gossip and rumors more than Icewings love denying any kind of emotion."

"That sounds about right, come along."

Thorn went over a few things in her small meeting. Only Sunny, Haze, Six-Claws, Qibli, Coal, Armadillo, Smolder, and now Parch were present. She couldn't say too much about the meeting after all. The Queens were sworn to secrecy on more delicate matters.

But some topics didn't have to be hidden at all.

"Snowfall actually had the audacity," Thorn began. "To say that Parch and Rosella should be banned from seeing one another." Parch went deathly still and Sunny's eyes widened.

"Excuse me?" Haze demanded. "What right does SNOWFALL have to decide-"

"Can they do that?" Parch interrupted, looking momentarily panicked. "They can't do that, right? Ban me from seeing Sellie?"

"No one is banning you from seeing her," Thorn declared. "Joy and I threatened her quite colorfully, actually. She's just angry at the prospect of one dragon having so much power." PArch sighed in relief.

"Good," Sunny said. "Because if anybody banned any of my ships from being together, I'd kill them, Queen or no Queen."

"Sunny-"

"I DO NOT CARE WHAT WAR I'D BE STARTING."

"Fair enough," Thorn smirked. "But that's about it for things I can discuss, so you're dismissed for the night, I suppose. Except for Coal, I want to talk with you in private." She glanced over at Parch. "This is the part where you leave too."

"I figured," He said. 

"Tell your girlfriend I said hello,"

"Will do." Once everyone else left the room, Thorn turned her attention to Coal, who faced her with an emotionless expression.

"I'll cut to the chase," She offered. "Someone at the meeting mentioned that they'd heard rumors that one of your siblings might still be alive. Is this true?" Coal glanced towards the floor.

"I have reasons to suspect that Fennec is alive, yes," He admitted. 

"And you didn't tell me about this until now WHY?" 

"Because Fennec is different," Coal sighed.

"Coal, you know the Sting and its dragons better than anyone. No one in it is different. He could be using you, starting up the Sting again behind our backs- maybe even using Sirocco's death to add fuel to the fire-"

"He's not," Coal said firmly, looking up at her. "Fennec wants nothing more to disappear, but he's a follower. He always has been. He followed my father, then Prickle, then Drought, but he doesn't want to follow Vulture, and therefore, he has no one left to turn to. My family was cruel, yes, but if anyone dared to have a heart besides me, it would be Fennec. He is a situation I have entirely under control, and if he gets out of hand, I will end him. I promise you that. No one wants a repeat of what happened with the Sting, least of all me."

"I can't ask you to kill your own brother, Coal,"

"Then don't ask, I'll just do it." He retorted. "Fennec may be the only dragon in my family capable of chance, but that doesn't make him good. He knows where he stands, and he knows what will happen if he steps out of line." Thorn nodded.

"Alright," She sighed. "As long as you're sure you have it under control."

"I do."

"Good. Then there's just one other thing," Thorn said. "I thought it would be a good idea for someone to personally inform Stream that, for one thing, Thistle will remain in her care permanently, and two, that no Sandwing will be pursuing her because she killed Sirocco. I thought maybe you or Dawn would like to deliver the message to her." Coal forced a smile.

"Dawn has been asking me for an excuse to go see her. I'll be happy to give her one."

"Good. Then I'll see you tomorrow, Coal." Coal nodded and left. The minute he was gone, Sunny poked her head in the room.

"I heard you had gossip about Auklet and Cliff?" She asked. Thorn raised her eyebrows.

"Girl, get in here, you have NO IDEA," She started. "We've got new stuff for the fanfiction."

A/N: I'm just warning you now.....

This book is winding down and nearing the end. 

After all, we've passed a hundred parts, and I'm running low on ideas, and it's nearing that time where the book ends, so I'm sorry, but LTCC will be ending soon, probably before the end of the summer.