When I woke, it wasn't the cold, black ground that greeted me. Instead, I found myself lying on something softer, though still far from comfortable. It was more of a ledge than a bed, perched high in the air. My senses were slow to return, but something felt... off. The air was still, too quiet, and the familiar scent of smoke and wind was gone.

I blinked, looking around, and my heart skipped a beat. The room I found myself in felt oddly familiar, like a place from a long-forgotten dream—an ancient stone chamber, walls adorned with weathered tapestries, shadows cast by a single flickering torch.

I tried to push myself up, but the weight of exhaustion still clung to me. This place... it felt like home. Or what had once been home.

A shadow moved in the doorway, a figure stepping into the dim light. She was a dragon, but unlike any I had seen before. Her scales shimmered in strange, greenish hues, like the sickly tint of moss or illness, yet there was something beautiful about her, too—an emerald-like sheen, radiant and powerful in its own way.

She tilted her head, her eyes narrowing with an odd intensity. "You're awake," she said, her voice light, almost cheerful. There was an unmistakable warmth in her tone, though a quiet caution lingered beneath. "I'm Moonwatcher. I've always wanted to meet the mount of the Targaryen king. Are you... Princess Azure of the Indigo Tribe?"

Her words hung in the air, pouring from her with an almost overwhelming eagerness. There was a sincerity in her, but it was tinged with curiosity, as if she had been waiting for this moment her entire life.

I dipped my head, a mix of frustration and confusion swirling inside me. "I'm Azure," I said slowly, the words sharp and deliberate. "But not a princess."

I twirled a stalk of something between my talons, trying to focus on something—anything—other than the strange dragon before me. "Why am I here? No... scratch that. Where am I?"

The room seemed to close in on me, the walls heavy with history I didn't understand. I wasn't used to feeling so... lost. The questions tumbled out before I could stop them, the sense of unease growing with every breath.

"Why... you're in the Night Kingdom. Don't you remember?" Moonwatcher tilted her head, a soft, almost sympathetic smile playing on her lips. An amber teardrop earring glinted in the dim light as she spoke, the color warm against her greenish scales.

She watched me carefully, as though studying my every reaction. "King Darkstalker brought you here just hours ago," she continued, her voice gentle but heavy with meaning. "He said he'd found you again."

The weight of her words hit me like a sudden storm. King Darkstalker? Found me? My mind raced, trying to piece together what she meant.

"I was fine on Berk," I hissed, my voice sharp as I spat the words out.

Moonwatcher tilted her head, her greenish eyes narrowing with curiosity. "Berk?" she repeated, the word seeming foreign to her. "You mean the Scavenger's Den?" She paused, her gaze flicking to something I couldn't quite place. "Ah, that's where you were. Darkstalker didn't say that."

She tapped a claw thoughtfully against her temple, her expression both puzzled and intrigued. "Hmm, strange... I can't read your mind either. You don't have any Skyfire rocks on you, do you?"

Her words made my blood run cold. Skyfire rocks? The thought of them—powerful, dangerous—was enough to make my instincts flare.

I hissed, fire burning deep in my throat, the heat threatening to spill over. "Let me go back home," I growled, my voice low and dangerous. "And you won't have to get hurt. Neither will any of Darkstalker's little puppets."

The words felt like they were laced with venom, but Moonwatcher just laughed, a light, almost mocking sound that echoed through the stone room.

"Oh, wow, you're funny," she said, a grin tugging at the corner of her lips, her amber earring glinting as she tilted her head in amusement.

I frowned, confused, my tail flicking irritably behind me. I tilted my head slightly, my scales prickling with tension. What's so funny? I thought, the question swirling in my mind. I didn't mean to be funny. I wasn't trying to make her laugh.

The air around us seemed to thicken, my words hanging in the air like a challenge. There was a strange sense of discomfort bubbling inside me, the laughter she gave off completely at odds with the fire I felt rising within me.¨

She called out to someone—or something—beyond the room. "Now, let's get you something to eat. I know you're hungry." Her voice was teasing, like she found my discomfort amusing, and it made the fire inside me burn hotter.

Before I could respond, she reached out, her claws unexpectedly gripping my wings. With surprising strength, she tugged me toward the edge of the ledge. "Come, come," she urged, her tone insistent, but still light.

The motion caught me off guard. I flared my wings instinctively, trying to steady myself, but her grip was firm. I could feel the weight of her determination pushing me forward, and the air around us felt charged with something I couldn't quite place—was it amusement? Or something darker, hidden behind her teasing words?

I felt a knot form in my stomach as I glanced down, the ground far below me, the cold stone beneath my talons the only thing keeping me grounded. I wasn't sure if I wanted to follow her—or fight her.

She led me into a tall room, the walls lined with large windows that let in the fading light. Dragons moved about, busy preparing food and setting the table, their voices a low hum as they worked. At a large table in the center, four dragons sat, each from a different tribe, their scales shimmering in a mix of vibrant colors. They were laughing and chatting happily, the sound of their voices blending in a chorus of contentment.

Each of them wore a single amber teardrop earring, catching the light with every movement. I couldn't help but notice the odd detail, something that struck me as strange. Why would they all have the same earring? It seemed out of place, like a secret waiting to be uncovered.

One of the dragons, a sandy-colored one, piped up from the table. "Moon, there you are!" He waved a talon in greeting, his voice cheerful. "Come on over and bring Darkstalker's queen with you!"

The words hit me like a sudden, cold wave. Darkstalker's queen? I thought, the title lingering in my mind. So, that's what they call me now. My body tensed, a flash of both confusion and unease shooting through me. I wasn't sure how I felt about being called that, or what it meant for me—Queen was a title I had never sought, never even wanted. But here, in this strange place, it seemed to carry weight, a burden I hadn't yet understood.

We both moved over to the table, the soft clinking of scales and shifting air filling the silence between us. As we approached, a seaweed-green dragon stepped aside, his gaze fixed on me with an intensity that made my pulse quicken.

"Her eyes are like mine," he said, his voice thick with an almost reverent awe.

I opened my mouth, about to respond, but he wasn't speaking to me—he was simply staring, his words a strange compliment. Moonwatcher's smile flickered at the corner of my vision, a glint of mischief hidden beneath the calm exterior.

"Just sit, please," she said softly, her voice warm and commanding all at once.

She gestured to an empty seat at the table, her eyes unwavering. It was an invitation—or a demand—I couldn't tell which. But in that moment, there was no room for hesitation.

I sat.

I felt out of place, like a stranger among these dragons. The weight of it pressed down on me, the sense that I didn't belong. I was wyrgren, that much I knew from birth. It was my blood, my heritage, something I had always carried with me, a silent understanding of who I was. But here, in this strange and unfamiliar kingdom, surrounded by creatures who seemed to know their place in the world, I couldn't help but wonder—Why had Darkstalker brought me here?

A dragon kingdom... Was that where I belonged now? It made no sense. I had never asked for this, never wanted it. Yet, here I was, caught in the web of something much bigger than I could understand.

"So, Azure," began the sandy-colored dragon, his smile warm but his eyes curious. I noticed the freckles scattered across his snout, the mark of a life lived with its own battles, and a scar that ran down the side of his face—a quiet testament to past struggles. "Why are you really here? I'm sure Darkstalker has his reasons for bringing you."

I scoffed, the bitterness sharp in my chest. "I don't know. Ask him."

My voice was cold, sharper than I intended, but the question still gnawed at me. What was Darkstalker's reason? What was his plan for me? I didn't have the answers, and I didn't know if I wanted to find out.

The sandy-colored dragon's smile widened, though there was a hint of something darker beneath it. "Oh, I will," he said with a shrug, his voice laced with both amusement and something else—perhaps frustration. "If he ever shows up. He just dumped you in here and left. I don't know where, but I'll find out."

His words hung in the air, a mixture of curiosity and a quiet promise. There was something unsettling about the way he spoke of Darkstalker, as if he wasn't just questioning the king's intentions but also determined to uncover the truth. I couldn't decide whether I felt relieved or more uneasy by his words. One thing was clear—I was not alone in this.

I sighed, a heavy breath escaping me as the weight of the situation settled deeper. Perhaps I should open up, I thought to myself. After all, these dragons... they might be the only ones I had. The only ones who could understand, or at least, who could offer something in this strange world I found myself trapped in.

The idea made my chest tighten—trust was a dangerous thing, especially here, among these creatures who I barely knew—but the truth was, I had little choice. If I was going to survive, I had to make connections, even if it meant exposing myself to danger.