Ember is the Crown Prince of the Fireborne living on Drake's Peak. His parents (King Ash and Queen Sunrise) struggled for many seasons to lay an egg. King Ash's Softscale mutation seemed to carry into their eggs, which fell cold often days after being laid. Finally, they were able to keep an egg warm, and it resulted in Ember. Twelve seasons later, they were successful once again with Ember's sister, Princess Flicker.

Ember was raised with the ideals that Fireborne are superior to all living things. His studies revolved around being a good king to his subjects, and a firm master to the Iceborne. His teachers intended for him to be the sequel to his father, and heir to all who came before him, tracing the lineage all the way back to King Drake, First of Flame.

However, as a young dragonet, Ember grew attached to his Iceborne caretakers. Although he did not have the knowledge to understand, he did know that the way they were being treated was wrong.

Much of Ember's personality is a careful mask he has built into place over the seasons. He wears his cool demeanor like a shield, not allowing for his family or teachers to realize how much he cares for the Iceborn, or how much he wishes to end their suffering. Underneath the mask, he is anxious. Scared, worried that no matter what he does, it will never be enough. That hundreds of seasons of dominince will keep the Fireborne from accepting his planned changes.

Crown

Ember's crown is made of two diamond rings that fit onto his horns. Between them is a wire that suspends two dark red disks. Between these is a larger orange disk. This represents him during most of the first story. Once the events of Fire and Ice have concluded, he adds a pearl-pink disk hanging from the orange one, and suspended from that disk is a small bright blue disk. The red disks are made from rubys, and represent power and strength. The orange disk is made from one of his own scales, representing his claim to the crown. The pearl-pink is made from a pearl, and represents Crystal. The sky blue disk is made from turqoise and represents his newfound freedom.

Schooling

Ember has achieved a 10th level in Flying, 3rd level Talon Speak (signing), 7th level Talon Speak (comprehension), 10th level in Reading, 9th level in History, 7th level in Ownership, and 6th level in Combat. The maximum levels a dragon may know before pursuing Mastery is 10.

Original Design

Ember's design is largely unchanged from his original. The largest difference being the addition of an egg-horn as a dragonet (which fell off as he grew older), the curve to his horns, and the shape of his wings (See Fireborne species page for an accurate wing until I add new images)

Anxiety

Ember was originally much more open and bold in his hatred of the Iceborne's treatment. However as I developed the story, I realized it would result in his role as Crown Prince being revoked (and likely further punishment) and so I instead changed Ember. He now has a somewhat unhealthy dosing of Anxiety, and struggles to connect to others around him. As the story progresses, he falls in love with Crystal, in part because her openness helps him to realize that his feelings aren't some sort of mental illness (After all, from his perspective he is the only Fireborne who cares) but instead are something to be proud of, and he spends time learning that it's alright to openly stand for what he believes.

Ember was born to King Ash and Queen Sunrise, and was given his heirship crown as soon as his horns had developed enough to be fitted. He spent much of his life being told how to act and what to think, despite his mind telling him that these things were wrong. He built up a social mask for himself, that he rarely lets loose. Only when he is truly alone, and in the dead of night does he feel safe enough to release his tension.

Ember has had a total of four servants in his past. Each one was found to be too weak or too rebellious to continue serving him, and have been executed. In his attempts to try and make subtle changes, to ease the way of life for Iceborne, he has also inadvertendly made things worse. As such, Prince Ember is a name that is feared throughout Wynter's Grove.

The Realization

When he was twenty-three seasons old, Ember began to realize that his actions had consequences. He slacked off during one of his studies, and made mention that he wanted to go back to his caretaker. The tutor took this as a sign that the Iceborne was attempting to groom Ember to be biased against his own kind, and had her killed immediately. Upon learning what had happened, Ember began to craft his mask, although he did not know it at the time. He tried to stop himself from connecting with his future caretakers.

Heirship

When he turned turned thirty seasons, Ember was allowed to take one of his scales and forge it into a thin disk. It was added to his crown, and he officially began his heirship training. This included lessons on how to handle land disputes, how to punish criminals, how to punish Iceborne, how to manage recourses, and how to reward his subjects.

Although Ember had a history of...bad luck...with his servants, during the Allotment Ceremony of his forty-eigth season, he chose the Iceborne who was known for her...stubbornness. A vixen with one paw already buried underneath the large tree the Iceborne buried their dead in.

The Quenching

After returning to the main part of the island - after learning the truth from the scroll in the Eye of the Fang - Ember was abducted by a wing of Iceborne warriors, and trapped in a thick block of ice in their camp. They left his head free so that he could breath, but neglected to make such cares for his chest, where the inner flame of all Fireborne is kept.

Ember doesn't blame the Iceborne that trapped him in the ice, after all, the secret of a Fireborne's inner flame was a carefully guarded secret, lest the Iceborne start quenching inner flames left and right. However, he was kept in the ice for too long, and in their attempts to perform the Silencing ritual, they cut through the part of his neck that brought fire from his inner flame to his mouth, fully quenching his inner flame.

Ember happily stepped down for his sister (who had been carrying a secret relationship with a young ebony-feathered Iceborne for years), and has been trying to settle into a new, fireless life. He enjoys not having to worry about the cold anymore (Though he still does enjoy his heatingstones whenever they can be warmed) and spending time with Crystal. He was the one to discover the message in a bottle, and he wants to let it wait for another day...

...but in the back of his mind he knows that the world outside may be coming to the island, whether they're ready for it or not.