Maroon

M A R O O N
librarian | she/they

Maroon was the unlucky dragon who had to succeed power after her parents' death.

As a hatchling, they'd grown knowing that they were a princess that had the chance of eventually becoming queen, but they'd assumed it was highly unlikely, being one of the younger siblings. She was just a quiet Coatl who loved books a little too much, who wore her father's hat and cast small spells.

Even when half the clan had been killed by one Fae, they didn't quite believe what was happening. Grief had made them emotionless when she assumed the throne. Everyone was dead. Her father. Her mothers. Her neighbor and his Snapper wife. That Pearlcatcher who had been with her since hatching. Her brother, who was supposed to be king instead of her. It felt like their whole world had changed in a blink of an eye.

She was the one who made the difficult decision to bring the clan into hiding in the Wispwillow Grove. Many of the original members of the clan still resent them for this decision, but to this day Maroon still believes they would do it again. She'd been thrust into power without any training, and this seemed like the best decision. She didn't have time to be selfish. Her world had changed, and people she loved had died, and if she wanted to keep more of them from dying, she knew she had to do this.

They hid for two years. The clan went dormant, no dragon leaving or entering, no hatchlings born. It was like everyone had fallen asleep.

And then Gumdrop brought back a spark that had almost gone out. The Nocturne had challenged Maroon for the throne in a hasty revolution, and they had given it up to her without a fight. The clan needed a new leader. They needed someone better to look up to. Maroon had no wish to lead this clan - she never had.

Gumdrop brought the clan to the Windswept Plateau, a decision that couldn't have been better for this sad, beaten down clan. The wind brought dragons' spirits up, and Maroon saw life in eyes that she never thought she'd see again.

And Maroon felt life, too. For the first time in years, they felt like they could be selfish. She'd been living in a depressive state when she led the clan, never truly able to accept the death of her parents until she stepped down.

Nowadays they run the clan's library. Maroon is happier than they have been in years, finally able to settle down and let someone else be queen. They tell stories of the clan before the genocide. They keep the old spark alive.