After breakfast, Ember pulls Iggy to the training courtyard. Already there were a handful of similarly dressed dragons already doing their intense training.

Iggy watched the others do their workouts before being led to an isolated part of the yard.

“Weird being back here isn't it?” Ember asked, seeing how the prince was taking everything in.

“Not much changed.” Igneous muttered.

“Oh a lot has changed, I mean, see how the others are looking at you?” Ember motioned to the others.

Those who did looked at their way and saw the prince muttered to each other. A lot were surprised he even came back after taking off the way he did before going back to their training.

“They used to respect you, alot.” Ember said.

“They respect me, I'm the heir to the throne.” Igneous grunted.

Ember squinted her eyes at him. “Yeah general formality but you used to not use that title as an excuse.” She folded her arms. “You gained respect by true grit, worked your fluff ass off from sun up to sun down to earn every single ounce of respect and not relying on a title that can easily be given to your other siblings.”

Seeing how he was acting, she continued. “For fuck sakes, you rose up ranks, earned Captain with blood, sweat and tears and held it for decades. Never allowing the title Prince to pay the way, you worked for it. Your folks never gave it to anyone else when you left, that shit is yours. You can earn it back.”

Igneous shook his head. “Un-fucking-belivable. I'm out.” He goes walking off before Ember stops him.

“Acting like an eggling is not going to cut it. Now we all understand how you feel about Lake.” The name of his mate. “She was one of our top soldiers, your girl. Your parents have been working bringing these fuckers down. None of this moping is going to work.”

“Then what the fuck you want me to be?” Igneous snarled.

“What's going on in that head of yours?” Ember asked. Seeing how he was acting.

Igneous was silent, didn't say anything. Something was holding him back.

“Do you know why we've been having problems taking down Crow's Talon?” Ember asked again. “Ten years, we've been trying to bring them down. Summoned many dragonic assassins, your father and mother were able and handled them, sent out scouts on their bases and yet the other members always seemed to slip out of our claws. We all have been trying to help you while you went off. No one has seen Rakom for that long, used both scepters to find him but somehow we haven't been able to summon him, and you know with both scepters working, no dragon could hide from their magic. Living that is. Want to say something?”

When he didn't budge, Ember stepped back. “Okay, I want you to start running laps, give me fifty, now.” She ordered.

Unable to deny her, Igneous starts doing what he was told and runs.

During the four hours, Ember didn't let him go off light. After the runs, she made him do basics like a hundred push-ups, fifty sit ups, lifting heavy objects up and and down. Balancing foot works, all the nine yards.

And by the time the four hours was up, Igneous was drenched in sweat and limbs reduced to jelly.

He was on his back, completely tired.

Ember looks at him. “You used to get through this without so much a sweat, you really let yourself go, and this is just the beginning stages..”

“Fuck…you.” Igneous huffing.

“I don't do furballs, now go wash up and meet Cinder at the library.” Ember said, offering a hand for him.

Igneous just smacked it away before pushing himself up. His limbs were yelling at this point.

Needed a drink. A very strong drink.

Since he now has a thirty minute break, he'll use that time to find him one.

He casted Ember a dirty look before heading inside.

It took him a bit to head for the wine cellar, having to back track a few stairs to come to the large round door leading down.

To his luck, Flare was coming out of the cellar, holding a rather large bottle in her claws. She was reading the label, not so much of a glance at her brother as she walked.

Igneous huffed and goes in...well attempted to.

He was met with another barrier that prevented him from entering.

“The fuck?!” Igneous snapped.

Flare gave him a look. “You think you were just going to have free range of the goods, Iggy?” She asked, turning to look at him.

“Dad can't be serious.” Igneous grunted, trying to enter but it won't budge. When he saw Flare's look, he shook his head. “I just need to take the edge off, that's it.” He then eyes at the bottle in Flare's hands.

She instantly freezes it and the drink inside. “This is going to Carry-On, my dancer that was killed during my concert last night. This is for his family I'm about to send to, also the funds to plan for his funeral since no one can leave Dragon's Lair.”

“Oh, how very kind are you, Ms. Popstar.” Igneous mocked. “You're able to get another one.”

Flare thinks about it for some split second. “Nope. Good luck.” She goes to leave. “Also, it was mom that set up the barriers in all of the booze stashes and cellar after she came back from talking to you last.”

Igneous softened when she said that. Chest twisted from the reminder.

The last time he spoke to his mother before going completely no contact. It was bad, really bad.

He remembered the heart breaking look she had before he forced her to go.

The Prince shudders, not wanting to relive that memory, he goes on the hunt to find anything alcohol.

He went to all the places he could think of where all the alcohol could be stashed.

And to his surprise, every place he checked was indeed either blocked or emptied out.

Fueling his frustrations, he decided to check one final place: the kitchens.

When he came to the kitchen, he took a moment to gaze at the notes that were never taken down on the right hand wall next to the entrance.

Notes the workers in the kitchen telling mom over and over to not set one hoof in the kitchens. Going back decades of post it notes decorating the wall basically.

All the years to the first ever note when she was pregnant with Iggy. His mother would just troll them with her own notes.

He even recognizes Splinter's handwriting of telling her to stop destroying the kitchen with her cooking. He worked as one of the assistants in the kitchen.

Sighing, Igneous slips in the kitchen. At this time, there wasn't anyone at the moment so he was able to roam freely.

He goes to the wine rack, only one was left on it for cooking.

He'll take it.

Igneous grabs the bottle, quickly pops the top off and puts it against his lips and guzzles it.

He drank half of it before realizing it wasn't wine at all.

It was some colored water and MOSTLY VINEGAR!

Feeling sick, Iggy ran over to the barrel that was used for waste and threw up heavily.

As he threw up, Splinter, wearing an apron, was carrying a big sack of potatoes when he saw Iggy losing his stomach.

He made a squeamish look. “Oh God, you did try it.”

“What is this?!” Iggy asked his brother-in-law.

“Uh, The Queen didn't want us to keep anything alcoholic in the kitchen unless it's for recipes. I watched her make that bottle just for you years ago…” Splinter admitted.

Igneous groaned, looking at the fake bottle, now seeing a quick sketch of his mother's work on the label. Having a cartoony angry face staring back at him.

Given how things were the last time he saw her, it made sense. “Even unconscious, her pettiness continues.” Iggy muttered. “I earned that…”

Splinter puts the sack down against a counter before approaching him. “Come on, you need to get to the Library, you're probably late.”

Igneous spat the rest of the taste out of his mouth, tossing the prank bottle in the waste bin before sighing.

Finally, after being an hour late, Igneous finally gets to his first shift working for his brother.

Author's Note

Hmm, I wonder what Iggy's hiding, what are your thoughts about it.

Ooh ooh i know!

*groans* Pinkie, there are reasons why I written you down as dead here, you're not part of this!

👻Boo! Im a ghosty ghost