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Sakary was oddly aware of the sound of her claws clicking against the stone below her. It reminded her of the beat of wings before rushing into battle, or the suspenseful drumbeat of some performance. The dull firelit walls of the castle didn't do much to calm her nerves. Every step she took felt as though she were falling further into some dark abyss. A place she could never return from. Her heartbeat with rapid intensity and the red scales on her tail caught the light as the tip anxiously twisted back and forth with every step.

She knew she shouldn't be nervous. She had done nothing wrong after all. It wasn't her that had been lying to the queen for decades. It wasn't her that had played a role in the prince's death. But that thought didn't help the uneasy gurgling of her stomach as she pulled her wings close to her body. Despite her innocence, it might not do anything. Not when one of the most trusted dragons in the nation had betrayed them all, and she was rather close to said dragon. She couldn't just refuse to come either, as that would only make her more suspicious.

"Come on Sakary. You're innocent. You know you're innocent. She will know it too," the dragoness murmured to herself as she continued down the castle corridor.

As she walked a strange smell touched her snout. She came to a startled stop, tilting her head as she took in the scent. A smoky, burning scent flooded her, and her eyes widened in a slight panic. She forgot about her nerves for a moment and accelerated into a quick run, her four legs propelling her forward along with a swift flap of her wings. As she got closer to the scent the castle corridors became shrouded in dark smoke, the air becoming significantly harder to breathe.

Being a fire dragon, it didn't bother Sakary too much. Even if she was fire-starved, the smoke wouldn't harm her. But she knew that it would be quite dangerous for the many human servants that lived within the castle. It was also rather strange to see something burning with smoke, as it wasn't something a fire dragon's flames usually caused unless the fire they caused got out of control. In a castle made primarily of stone, that seemed incredibly unlikely. There was only one place that could produce something like this.

"No, no, no, no," the dragoness murmured as she approached what she knew to be the entryway into what was widely known throughout the castle to be the garden.

As she rushed inside she was met by a wave of heat, forcing her to raise her wings somewhat to shield herself. Her eyes were wide as she looked around. The once green foliage was now red and yellow, burning with savage intensity. The stream that once ran through the centre had evaporated, leaving scorched stone in its place, and the tree in the centre seemed to sprout as a large bonfire, smoke billowing from the top and spread over the roof.

Sakary looked around in horror, feeling the dread in her increase substantially. The garden was one of the most looked after areas of the castle, one that everyone living there eagerly praised and honoured. For someone to burn it down was unheard of. But as she looked around the burning garden, her eyes found a dragon sitting in the centre of it all. Their red scales glimmered softly in the red firelight, and their eyes were turned toward the flaming tree as if entranced by the burning flames. It only took a moment for Sakary to recognise the elegant form of queen Athaer. Horror was replaced by confusion as Sakary began to walk into the burning room. The sound of her footsteps must have alerted the queen, as she turned to see the approaching dragon.

Athaer gave a short nod of greeting, "Sakary. I'm glad you came."

The words seemed normal enough, or at the very least, no less absent and authoritative than how the queen usually spoke.

"Why don't you come join me?" Athaer said, spreading her wing as an invitation.

Sakary bowed her head slightly, still utterly confused. As she approached the queen she couldn't help but be overcome with slight awe, as she was every time the two met. The elegant and radiant red scales accompanied by the aura of fire itself made the queen the most intimidating combination Sakary had ever come across. Even amongst the heat of the flames, it was Athaer that demanded the most cautious attention.

Sakary sat on her haunches near the queen, who seemed utterly transfixed by the burning tree once again. Sakary uneasily glanced around the garden again, noting that the other flames were not giving off the smoke that the tree was. If anything, they seemed oddly calm and purposeful, at least compared to the erratic twisting and turning of the flames covering the tree. She glanced at the queen again, wondering what she wanted with Sakary, and wondering why Athaer had decided to burn her garden.

The silence grew on uncomfortably long, making it difficult for Sakary to calm the nerves in her stomach. Her wings on her back constantly shifted, while the tip of her tail twitched back and forth. It eventually got to the point where Sakary could barely handle sitting there for another moment.

"Your majesty... forgive me for distracting you... but why have you burnt down your garden?" Sakary asked eventually, hoping that she wasn't stepping out of line with her question.

Athaer didn't look at the other dragon, only allowing a soft smile to quickly flash along her maw, "Sakary, do you know what a passive flame is?"

Sakary blinked, the sudden change in topic taking her off guard, "Aah... no... your majesty."

The queen nodded thoughtfully, still hypnotised by the dancing erratic flames of the tree, "A passive flame is... oh how do I say this... a flame of no master. Or a flame of many. It is entirely independent of its creator and is able to be controlled by any fire dragon with the will to do so. It simply exists to burn, with little other purpose, before eventually dying out. A natural flame if you will. One that can be used by all living things yet has no direction or control of its own."

"Oh... that doesn't seem very... passive to me," Sakary said a little hesitantly.

Athaer chuckled, "I said the same thing when I first learned about it. It is passive because it has no direction, no master, and can be easily directed by other beings with the knowledge to do so."

"I... guess that makes sense," said Sakary, wondering why Athaer was discussing this flame.

"It is of great interest to me because, while the average fire dragon can quite easily create a passive flame, an elemental dragon like myself cannot. We can control a passive flame of course, though if we do that it no longer is passive."

"Elemental dragon?"

"It's a term I came up with for a dragon with an innate connection to their element. They govern their own fire, instead of relying on a connection to one or more of the seven elements."

"Oh," Sakary frowned, thinking for a moment, "I'm sorry your majesty, but I still don't understand what this has to do with me?"

"Patience," the queen rumbled, "I will be getting to that. But first I have several questions I want to ask you."

Athaer turned away from the burning tree to scrutinize Sakary with a burning gaze. The other dragoness backed away, shocked at the sudden change in her queen's demeanour. All the nerves that she had forgotten about came back full force, and she lowered her head a little, smothering a soft whimper.

"As you know, Sakary, just recently it was revealed that a close friend of yours was not who we believed he was," Athaer got up, beginning to pace around the smaller dragoness, "As you must suspect, this hurt me a lot. Especially since his secret ended in... the death... of my son."

The thinly veiled sorrow and fury within those words caused a cold shiver to run down Sakary's back.

"But more than that, it has also thrown into question the loyalty of many dragons that I have considered friends and allies to my rule. You are one of those dragons Sakary."

"I... I'm not a spirit dragon... your highness," Sakary blurted out in a stutter, "And I would never betray you. You have been so kind to me... and others like me. I could... I could never..."

She cursed the obvious fear within her voice. She had seen this side of the queen before, but never had it been directed at her. She also knew what often happened to the dragon that caused it.

"And I believe you," Athaer continued to pace, "But I also believed Vitto was who he said he was."

Sakary closed her eyes at the well of emotion that came from the name of the dragon that betrayed them. A dragon she thought she knew, one she had grown quite close to, and a dragon she even fancied as one who she would consider a potential mate. She had only been waiting for him to make a move. But he never did. It frustrated her, but now she understood. When he had changed forms in front of everyone, it had broken her heart. The one she thought she loved, was not the one at all.

"I didn't know," she said softly, trying to keep the tears out of her eyes. She had already cried enough.

The queen sighed, turning away for a moment, "I always knew a spirit dragon would try to worm their way into my court. Especially if I was ready to accept any fire-starved dragon into the castle. I believed they would be easy to recognise. That their underhanded mannerisms and evil desires would stand out against their peers. I did not realise they could fake such genuineness... such loyalty. I sometimes question if it was faked at all. Ember and Yova believe it to be real. But then I remember the types of dragons the spirit dragons are."

"But... surely they can't all be bad... right?"

Athaer looked at her, tilting her head, "Those that aren't... are killed. If any survive, they would be so deep in hiding they would be impossible for the likes of you or I to find. Any that stay with their conclave are evil. The things that they allow... what their leaders do... it's horrible."

Sakary only nodded her head, not trusting herself to speak to the queen while she was so obviously enraged. She remembered what Vitto had said to them, that he had attempted to protect the queen's son, and failed. Because of that he would have to go into hiding. Part of her wanted to find where if she was able. Only to find the answer to the question she never had the courage to ask him.

"Sakary, I do not believe you are one of them. But I can't be sure," the queen continued, coming to a stop and looking directly into Sakary's eyes, "But I believe I have found a way to prove once and for all if you are who you say you are."

Sakary was once again taken back by the queen, "I will do anything, your highness, if it can prove my loyalty to you."

"Good," Athaer looked at the tree once again as a branch cracked and fell, "I will warn you though, what I am about to do will cause you a severe amount of pain, and possible death. If you aren't a fire dragon, death is inevitable."

"D...death?" Sakary's eyes widened.

"Yes," Athaer replied, turning to look at the dragoness.

"What is it?"

"You shall see."

Sakary shifted uneasily, looking at the ground. She didn't know if proving herself was worth risking her life. She was innocent, she knew that. She shouldn't need to prove it. But she also knew why Athaer was taking such drastic measures.

"And... and if I refuse?"

"You will be thrown out of the castle, the same as any of the fire starved that refuse."

"Have any of the others done this?"

"You will be the first."

That didn't inspire much confidence in the dragoness either. She looked back at the door, thinking back to her life within the castle. It had been the best thirty years of her life. When her parents had found out that Athaer was accepting fire starved, they had been so relieved, and eagerly sent her along. For the longest time, Sakary had been happy with her place as well. She had been well looked after, well treated, and felt she had had a purpose beyond hiding from those who saw her as lesser. And when Athaer had talked with her... it was like she understood what she was going through. The queen of the nation was concerned and understanding of a nobody like Sakary. She owed Athaer her life. So if it was her life that Athaer wanted, then the queen would have it.

"I'll do it," Sakary said, still scared, but resolute, "If... if this is what I need to do to prove my loyalty, then I will do it."

Athaer let out a rumble, seeming a little impressed with her decision, "Very well. Stay still and brace yourself."

The fire queen spread her wings. The calmer, more controlled fire surrounding them leaped to her command, curling up around them like serpents, twisting and snapping as they began to surround Sakary. The dragoness looked around anxiously, feeling the heat increasing around her to uncomfortable levels. She looked at the fire queen, who merely stared back solemnly, eyes narrowed in concentration.

Sakary took a deep breath, sitting on her haunches again and taking a deep breath. She was ready. With a sudden lurch, the fiery serpents pounced on her. It latched onto her scales like hungry maws. She opened her mouth to scream, and fire poured into it instead. The fire was everywhere. Even her nostrils and eyelids weren't safe. And it burned. Her entire body was aflame, like nothing she had ever experienced. She screamed, her roar of pain flooding what was left of the garden as she fell to the ground, writhing as the fire ate its way into her body. Under her scales, through her skin... everywhere.

She slapped her scales with her claws in desperate attempts to rid herself of the flame, but nothing happened. It was inside her now, flooding her body with glee. It was as though her very blood was boiling her from the inside. It was like she had drunk lava, and now her insides were melting out of her. Her stomach clenched and screamed, and her heart pounded like frantic wingbeats.

The fire around her slowly disappeared, being absorbed by her body, leaving her alone to thrash on the burnt ground as the fire continued to burn its way deeper and deeper into her body. But the pain was slowly disappearing. The burning slowly faded until it was nothing but a dull ache in her stomach, and the heat dissipated, seeming to be absorbed by her very soul. All she was left with was a soft smouldering sensation in the pit of her very being.

She lay where she was for several moments, breathing heavily as she slowly recovered from the shock of what felt like being burned alive. The fire around them had gone out, the only thing still burning the tree. All that was left of the rest of the garden was charred black plants

"You are still alive," Athaer stated, with some semblance of relief in her words.

Sakary slowly pushed herself to her feet, staggering a little as she did, "What... what did you do to me?"

The queen grinned, "You asked earlier what a passive flame had to do with you? Well, you see Sakary, a long time ago I had a thought. A passive flame, despite having no master, still is a part of the Element of Fire. It still is a part of Terrinian. Still is Terrinian if you will. If dragons can control it, that must mean he must be able to give part of himself over to be controlled."

Sakary frowned as she listened, shaking herself down as she realised the soft burn at the centre of her being was holding strong. Not disappearing.

"Similarly, my fire is a part of me. It is me. I am it. The flames you see before you are as much a part of my body as my flesh and blood. At first, I thought that meant it to be impossible for me to create a passive flame, because of course if my flames are part of me then I will always be their master. But then I thought... well... if Terrinian is able to give part of himself away to be controlled, then shouldn't I?"

The other dragoness's eyes widened as she looked at Athaer, beginning to understand what she was getting to.

"It has taken me years of research, and a great understanding of the way a flame works, including questioning the element of fire himself rather extensively, but I have finally been able to do it. I created a passive flame. A part of me as wild and natural as any fire you find in the wilderness. A part of me I am able to pass on. That is how we are able to have a connection with the element of fire after all. Through a passive flame that is a part of our very being."

Sakary's heart began to beat rapidly at the thought. The very concept was insane to the dragoness. But heat at the centre of her being seemed to be real. Tangible even. She reached for it, feeling it respond to her touch with an eagerness to be given a direction. A thought. So, she pulled at it, and it rushed through her stomach, through her throat then... she opened her mouth and a brilliant red and yellow flame burst forth, singeing the air and tickling her throat. She snapped her mouth shut, eyes wide.

"You didn't have that passive flame, Sakary. So, I have decided to give it to you," Athaer concluded, with a small smile.

"Your majesty... I don't... how..." Sakary bowed her head, her eyes filling with tears, "How could I ever repay you?"

"Your loyalty will be enough Sakary. You and I are forever connected now, as you are the first dragon to breathe my flame."

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Hello all! Here is the Chronicle of the week! I hope you enjoyed. This one has honestly been one of my favourites to write so far. I hope my explanation of how this works makes sense. If it doesn't, tell me and I'll see if I can figure out a way to explain it in a simpler way. By yeah, tell me what you think of the chronicle. Vote if you enjoyed and comment on what you thought. The next five stories are available to vote on below.

Ocean Depths: Ruban, Water drake - 1 Yr BTA

The Dragonslayer and the Fire Queen Pt 1 (Titles) - Athaer, fire dragoness - 5Yrs BTA

A Tale of Light and Dark: Ender, Shadow drake - 6Yrs BTA

Flightless Wings: Aviosa, Crystal dragoness - 7Yrs BTA

Under an Open Heaven: Konan, Rift drake - 24Yrs BTA

Vote on what you want to see next, See Ya!

Pennator^^