Smolder

"He wasn't evil — he wasn't even mean. He was a dragon in a terrible family, in a hard situation, in danger of being put to death like his brothers at any moment. He could have killed her the moment he got his talons on her. He could have left her in the tower. Maybe she shouldn't like him, but she did anyway."

— Sunny's thoughts about Smolder, The Brightest Night

Smolder is an adult male SandWing prince who was introduced in the epilogue of The Dark Secret. He was allied with Burn during the War of SandWing Succession. He currently resides in the SandWing stronghold and keeps a pet human he named Flower.

Description

Smolder has sharp claws, with pale yellow scales and wings that are patterned with black diamonds. He has a narrow face and unfathomable, kind, lidded dark eyes. He is smaller than Burn, and wears a cluster of keys, pouches, and bells on chains around his neck that clink and jingle slightly as he walks. Several are plain iron, while others are plated in jewelry or gold. He is handsome, with a crooked smile, and his face conveys his emotions quite clearly. To Burn and Sunny, he resembles Blister.

Personality

Sunny noted that Smolder's voice sounded normal, similar to one of her friends. He speaks directly to Sunny rather than over her head as though she was only a piece of treasure, as this was the case with many other dragons. He is firm, easily amused, thoughtful, patient, hilarious, compassionate, odd, kind, and hopeful. Smolder disappreciates surprises and change. He has a sarcastic, sardonic, odd way of speaking that makes everything he says humorous. He is clever and cunning, but not cruel or evil. He is reasonable, funny, and interesting, and easy-to-laugh. He is also wary, expectant, cowardly, stubborn, and lazy, but he is not ashamed of it.

Biography

The Dragonet Prophecy

The Hidden Kingdom
In Blaze's fortress, Blaze mentioned her brother and how he fell in love with a dragon their mother would never agree with, and she broke his heart. A tapestry was shown to be hanging in her fortress, showing two dragons, presumably Palm and Smolder flying in the sunset.

The Dark Secret
In the epilogue, he was at Burn's stronghold speaking to Burn about the dragonets of destiny. He and Burn plotted to kill all of the dragonets. He also talked about a prisoner that was revealed to be Scarlet, and stated that he was not used to calling Burn "Your Majesty."

The Brightest Night

Smolder was running Burn's stronghold while Burn was away, looking "for a certain quintet of dragonets." He led Sunny to the tower where Burn stored her collection and "special" prisoners, such as Scarlet. He introduced Sunny to his pet scavenger, Flower, and showed her that Flower was trained to come when she heard her master ring a bell, among other things. After this, he proceeded to lead her to her cell in the tower. Seeing how miserable Sunny was, he decided that he would take her out at midday for a walk every day. Sunny began realizing that he was actually a nice dragon. When they went walking, he explained to Sunny the mystery of the missing SandWing treasure, showing her the doors to the previous treasure holds and revealing to her a clue about the Eye of Onyx, telling her if any of the other SandWing sisters had the treasure, they would be queen already. When Thorn's Outclaws attacked the stronghold, he ordered Camel to watch Sunny while he organized troops to defend the stronghold. Thorn and the Outclaws were attacking the stronghold, and Smolder was successfully fending them off. Sunny begged Peril to stop the fight to save her mother, and Peril agreed. However, that had to come with the price of also saving Scarlet. Smolder then led Thorn, Sunny, and Peril to Burn's collection, on Thorn's orders to see the dead, stuffed NightWing that Burn owned. Smolder also mentioned that he had seen a letter to Thorn, in the many intercepted letter in the stronghold, so he led Thorn and Sunny into the library and locked them in there, because Burn would kill him if she found out that he let them escape. At the choosing of the SandWing queen, Smolder was present and handed Burn Blister's gift. The gift happened to be two dragonbite vipers, one of which killed Burn, and the other nearly killed Clay. While his sister's were fighting, Smolder joined the dragonets and asks them if Blister would let him live, though he guessed no. Wondering where to go now, he then asked Thorn if he could join the Outclaws. After Thorn threaten to kill him for tricking her and Sunny before, Smolder apologized to Thorn about locking them in the library, and Thorn claimed that it would be hard to forgive him.

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The Jade Mountain Prophecy

Moon Rising
Sunny thought about Smolder when she was talking to Winter about his pet human, Bandit. She was not sure how to refer to him, whether as a friend, a former captor, or a dragon who almost got her killed.

Winter Turning
Although he does not formally appear, there was a letter from him addressed to Vermilion on the joys of raising and taming a scavenger, which Smolder did himself in the case of Flower. Some of the lines told him what to do, what not to do and some general information about scavengers. The letter came after the book's epilogue and it also appeared in the special edition of The Brightest Night.

Escaping Peril
Scarlet mentioned that Peril had not let her kill Smolder.

Darkness of Dragons

Palm, his lost love, thought of him many times whilst fleeing from Oasis's guards. She gave the earrings he gifted her with to her sister Prickle as payment for her refuge. Later in the book, Qibli walked into Thorn's tent and saw Smolder in the tent discussing the IceWing plague. He was flirting with Thorn, and he seemed astonished that she was letting Qibli have an opinion. When Onyx challenged Thorn, he and Blaze went to watch the fight. Upon Onyx revealing her identity, Smolder jumped into the ring and tried to convince her not to fight. Qibli noted that, while he was facing Onyx, his wings keep brushing affectionately with Thorn's. Onyx refused and goes on with the challenge. During the sandstorm, he took shelter with his daughter in the dungeon. While looking for him, Thorn mentioned that he was terrified of the dungeon. They found him in there with Onyx, who had a badly injured leg. Qibli noted that it was not obvious whether she was injured by the storm or if Smolder did it so she would be unable to challenge Thorn.

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The Lost Continent Prophecy

The Dangerous Gift

When Winter first met Wren and realized that humans had really been a species with feelings of their own, he was horrified to remember how Smolder had a pet human for nearly twenty years. Winter wondered about freeing her in order to fulfill the promise given to Wren that dragons would no longer eat scavengers or keep them as pets, but was stopped by Wren when she told him that she had met Rose and known that she is happy being with Smolder.

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Legends

Dragonslayer

Smolder was seen by Wren greeting General Sandstorm when he returned to the palace. She noted the way they spoke to each other was veiled, both of them barely hiding contempt and annoyance. Smolder said Burn would be back in a few days, and that was when Sandstorm could give her her gift. Sandstorm was happy about this, saying Burn would want him alive for now. Smolder winced and said he was fine. Wren noted that Smolder seemed confused about why Sandstorm seemed comfortable ordering him around. Later, he was mentioned by Rose, unnamed, to be her dragon. Even later, once she described him to Wren, Wren told her his name. Rose was unaware of this and said that she had been calling him Ember since she met him. Smolder is woken up by a dragon cook in the middle of the night; the cook mistook Stone for Rose, and trapped him in a net bag. Smolder is confused and points to Rose, who is lying in a bunch of green pillows in the corner of his room. The dragon enters his room and they start arguing as Stone and Rose reunite, and she meets Ivy and Leaf. After the dragon leaves, Rose attempts to get Smolder to leave his room for a bit by speaking to him in Dragon, telling him to get her some apricots. He laughs when she does this and saunters out to get what she requested. Rose says her pronunciation is "abominable," and wonders what Smolder will actually bring back.

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Winglets

Deserter

Smolder approached Six-Claws while he was digging up a shrub to inform him that Blister and Burn were up to something, hoping that Six-Claws would come up with a way to fix it because he did not want to get involved. When Six-Claws thought that Blaze could be in trouble, Smolder refused to help and fled back toward the palace. Later, he was seen sobbing over Palm's disappearance, unable to be comforted. As he and his brothers discovered the corpse of Queen Oasis, he was satisfied knowing that Oasis had died. Smolder then first met Flower when he and the other SandWings searched for traces of Oasis's murderers.

---

Field Guides

A Guide to the Dragon World

Smolder was depicted in a portrait with Thorn and Rose at the beginning of the SandWing chapter of the guide. He was mentioned in Sunny's letter to Starflight about Burn's Weirdling Tower. Later in the chapter, his observations on Rose the first week he kept her as a pet were featured. In the SkyWing chapter, he was mentioned as one of the dragons that Scarlet wanted dead. He was later seen at the end of the book with Rose in Wren's notice to the dragons to stop eating humans.

Relationships

Burn

Smolder had a rocky relationship with Burn. He often made her mad, which almost led to him being killed. He resented his sister but often carried out her bidding throughout the war to avoid being killed by her like his brothers before him. Burn was abusive towards Smolder, once thinking of injuring him to get a more sincere apology.

Flower

Flower is Smolder's pet. She is bold around him, and she and Smolder are very physically affectionate. When speaking about her, Smolder's voice seems to lose its sardonic tone, and is instead affectionate. He views her as very clever, and is proud of her, although Flower is indignant towards him when he becomes stern. He cares deeply for her well-being, and is gentle towards her.

Oasis

Oasis is Smolder's mother. He once briefly mentioned that she made him unhappy when she was alive. Smolder eyes shone, and he looked happy and relieved when Oasis died. Thorn suspected that Oasis used to punish Smolder by locking him in the dungeons. After Oasis death, Smolder admitted that he thought his mother was awful and would not miss her.^{[citation needed]}

Onyx

Smolder is sincere towards his daughter, and wanted to get to know her before she challenged Thorn. However, Onyx did not seem to want anything to do with him, and was only focused on the SandWing throne. He refused to leave her alone when she was injured after a sandstorm.

Palm

Smolder loved Palm. When she disappeared, Smolder wept and was so distraught that he stated Oasis should just kill him.

Sunny

Smolder was respectful toward Sunny as she was presented as a gift for his sister. Smolder was kind to her and cared about her, having taken her on midday walks when he noticed how miserable she was. In addition, he chose to let her live, but also did not want her escaping. She genuinely likes him, and appreciated how he spoke directly to her.

Thorn

Thorn and Smolder have a very teasing relationship, but Smolder is clearly affectionate towards her. His body reacts subconsciously by leaning closer to her, and Qibli wondered when it was that they had fallen for one another. She hides her worry for him under exasperation, and she likes him very much; she cried out in joy when she found him unharmed after a sandstorm, and he smiled weakly at her despite being terrified. They worry for one another, but are cautious with public affection, as if they do not want to become too emotional in front of witnesses.

Vermilion

Smolder seems to be friends with Prince Vermilion, as in a special edition of The Brightest Night and Winter Turning, he gives him advice on how to take care of a scavenger.

Family tree

Char

Oasis

2 Dragons

Scald

Singe

Burn

Blister

Blaze

Prickle

Palm

Smolder

Onyx

Quotes

"There used to be three of us, but the other two made the wrong dragons mad."

― to Sunny about his brothers

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"You can live for now, but I'd appreciate it if you made your escape attempts as feeble and ineffective as possible."

― to Sunny

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"I think I should put you in the weirdling collection. It's as safe as the dungeon but more comfortable. Also more psychologically destabilizing."

― to Sunny, Smolder debating where to imprison her

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"I have heard that before. There was someone who used to tease me about it. She told me she was going to assume everything I said was a joke, since that would simplify things. You can do that, too, if you like."

― to Sunny about his voice

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"This is not Burn's favorite place. I can't guarantee she's ever been in here, in fact. And our mother wasn't the most organized dragon in the world either. I tried once to put it all in order. As you can see, I was wildly successful."

― to Sunny and Thorn about the SandWing messaging room

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"An extremely beautiful frog. One we're all still proud to call our queen."

― to Thorn, after she put on a copy of Qibli's enchanted earring

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"Onyx, I have a suggestion. How about instead of immediately risking death against our shiny new queen, you take a few days to get to know us first? Stay here at the palace. Tell me all about your life. See how incredibly boring the job of queen really is. Eat as much as you want. Hang out with me. I mean, wouldn't you rather get to know your father than expire in a ball of ancient crackly magic?"

― to Onyx

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"Flower, I promise I'm going to take care of you. I'm going to protect you from dragons like Mother, the way I couldn't protect Palm. Whatever I have to do to stay alive, so you'll be safe, I'll do it. We're going to be alright, you and me. Goodnight, Flower."

― to Rose in his journal

Trivia

• Smolder had chosen Onyx's name.
• Rose called Smolder "Ember" before she knew his real name.
• Smolder intensely dislikes visiting the dungeons within the SandWing stronghold. It is possible that his mother shut him in there as a punishment.

Gallery

• 
  Smolder and Flower in Thorn's portrait in A Guide to the Dragon World, by Joy Ang
• 
  Smolder from The Brightest Night (graphic novel), by Mike Holmes
• 
  Smolder and Flower from Winter Turning (A Letter From Smolder of the SandWings to Vermilion of the SkyWings) by Joy Ang
• Smolder and Flower (colored) from A Guide to the Dragon World, by Joy Ang
  Smolder and Flower (colored) from A Guide to the Dragon World, by Joy Ang
• 
  Reference by SpaceshipEarth

• Art by Mike Holmes, from the Wings of Fire Graphic Novels
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References

cs:Doutnák de:Smolder fi:Hohka fr:Brasier nl:Sintel pl:Żar ru:Искр