The SkyWing princess spread her wings out wide and made her move.

"Hey!" She roared, taking a lumbering step towards the other SkyWings.

The three of them immediately raised their heads and stopped hitting the already wounded dragon on the floor.

"Step away from him. It's an order from the Sky," She declared, taking another step forward.

One of the few interesting things that Gust had taught her was how to meddle with the minds of dragons using your words and actions.

"To be respected, you have to show dragons something worthy of respect," Gust had instructed her years ago.

So, now she was walking forward with her wings outspread, looking bigger. She kept her head high, while her steps were timed and equally distanced as she bent her talons before they touched the ground again.

And her voice was something else. She wasn't speaking for herself anymore. Her voice was the one of SkyWing royalty, law, and justice.

"Or what?" The reply came out sharp as the biggest of the offenders stepped forward, baring her fangs.

"Fly away dragonet, before Lance snaps your neck too," another SkyWing warned, staying behind what looked to be their leader.

"I don't follow your orders, but you better follow mine. SkyWing law prohibits unofficial violence against tribemates. So you better step away from that Dragon right away. It's an order from Princess Carmine of the SkyWings. Step away," She replied, as her voice came out righteous and non-faltering.

It was always satisfying to see the expression on the dragons around her when she revealed she was a SkyWing princess. The only exception to this was when she was talking to dragons her age or whom she was trying to befriend: then it just became embarrassing and awkward.

And in this situation, the two SkyWings behind Lance blinked in surprise and took a step back, but their leader didn't move.

"Your presence flatters me, Princess," she replied, narrowing her eyes "But you don't order me around. This dragon is a traitor. He deserves death. Don't you believe that such SkyWings shouldn't be allowed to live?" she asked, her voice sharp and demanding.

"Whatever I believe, it is not your role to administer justice. Traitors are barely SkyWings at all, but insurgents are the worst kind of vermin. So step back, before my guards take you to the presence of Queen Titian."

Lance shook her head and smirked. "This dragon will die anyway. Good job on wasting your time, princess. Let's go guys. Your majesty needs to pretend to be just like she will ever be."

And with that, she and her associates took off. But Carmine will never forget the look on Lance's face.

It roared, "Do something to me, I plead you. Raise a claw and see if it will make any difference to the big scheme of things because it won't".

She blinked, and she was back to reality.

The SkyWing on the floor was coughing, and Carmine walked over to him to assess how wounded he was.

His neck and back were bruised, but he had shielded his head with his wings. He was bleeding from a tear on his wings and a cut on his tail. Carmine couldn't tell how serious it was.

But as he lowered his wings, she gasped.

She knew that dragon.

"Hello, your majesty," he whispered.

The SkyWing laying at her feet was Wisp.

-/-

"Is he going to recover?" Carmine asked, looking at the doctor who had taken care of Wisp.

She nodded, looking at her. "Her majesty should not worry. The patient only has a mild wing wound and a rib fracture. Both should recover fairly soon," the SkyWing medic informed her, handing her Wisp's charts before walking away.

Carmine sighed. Her muscles ached. She had flown to the hospital to tell the healers about Wisp, to then lead them to where he was, and then come back with them to Summit Central, the SkyWing Kingdom's most known and renowned hospital.

She walked into Wisp's room. He was laying on his bed and looked up when the Princess entered.

Carmine talked quickly as if trying to say all at once.

"They'll let you go soon, and the payment for your healing has been covered. You should be back at the academy in a few days," she told him, before turning around to walk out.

"Thank you. But-Wait, please! Carmine, wait a second!"

She stopped at the doorway, looked back at him, but she spread her wings, enough for him to see the streaks of color than shared her name as they curved in an elegant semi-circle. And enough go silence him before he could even start formulating a sentence.

"I don't want your thankfulness. I interfered with your fight today because our law believes that no SkyWing should be killed unjustly. But looking back on it, I also remember that all dragons should be able to fight for themselves, and you not only failed, but you don't seem to recognize that this leads to weakness... and treachery... which some SkyWings may argue runs in your blood anyways. Goodbye, Wisp. I hope your courage will heal with your scales."

And saying so, she walked out.

But this didn't impede her mind to wonder.

Would she have saved that SkyWing if she had known it was Wisp, the son of a traitor and a weak-hearted dragon all along?

It lead her to think deeper.

Why had she stepped forward?

And for who?