Proposal

It was a trap. It had to be a trap. At least, that's what Harrier called it. A setup, a plot... one could never trust that witch. But that was exactly what the council planned on doing. Well... not exactly. Deciding whether or not to trust Cyclonis would come later. For now, they would simply listen.

It seemed like forever ago they got that message. Gull had come bursting through the doors of the great hall, paper scroll in hand. He panted hard and was very evidently out of breath. Yet through his exhaustion he was clearly scared out of his wits. Either that, or very, very shaken by whatever had brought him so urgently into the hall. The other council members were taken aback by the man before them. Gull was normally very formal and reserved. To see him in this state was a very dark omen indeed.

"Gull," the head of the council addressed him, stepping down from his platform while the other members maintained their positions. "What has happened?"

Gull said nothing, silenced by both his depleted stamina and fear. He merely held out the scroll to his elder, hand shaking as he raised it.

It was Cyclonis. Of course it was. What – who else could cause such fear? Once the members had waited long enough for Gull to recuperate, he informed them that it was the Dark Ace himself who had given him the message. How the Talon slipped past the borrowed defenses of neighbouring terras was anyone's guess... but the message had been delivered all the same. And what fearful news it brought.

Cyclonis was coming.

It didn't reveal much. Only that she wished for a private audience with the council. No fights. No tricks. She only wanted to talk. Her note was civil enough. She would come with a single escort while Atmosia was allowed as much security as they wished. If the council felt threatened at any time, Cyclonis vowed she would leave peacefully. Civil. Tame. Yet the planned meeting was ominous in itself. For Cyclonis herself to come to Atmosia... what matters would justify that?

The council would soon find out. It had been three days (though it seemed much longer) since Gull had handed over the note, and Cyclonis' sky ride could now be seen on the horizon. Dark clouds preceded her – fitting weather which complimented the atmosphere of dread surrounding the council.

Harrier and his squad was with them. They had volunteered for the position, and as Harrier watched stoically from his place next to the head of the council, he could not help but betray the smallest snarl in distaste at what was approaching them.

Cyclonis and the Dark Ace landed smoothly in the small plaza in front of the Atmosian hall. The air of cool detachment surrounding the both of them as they dismounted their rides only made Harrier's grimace larger, and his hairs stood on end in alert defence. How dare they walk about as though this were no important matter – as though they weren't the intruders that they so obviously were. The streets were deserted and window shutters were closed; the council had advised citizens to stay inside. Yet Cyclonis was steady in her stride as she approached the large wooden doors to the hall.

"Cyclonis," the head of the council acknowledged, as he led the way further into the hall, emphasizing the absence of the word 'Master'. However, though it was noticed, Cyclonis remained unfazed and perhaps even... confident? Harrier couldn't place his finger on it, but for some reason it greatly unsettled him.

"The council won't beat about the bush," the old man continued, addressing Cyclonis. "We want to know what business you have here."

Cyclonis smiled widely which sent shivers down the spines of everyone in the room, besides the Dark Ace. He had made a point of entertaining himself by casting random glares at Gull, who, Harrier only noticed now, looked like he was ill. Harrier glanced back at the Dark Ace with disdain, and it was all he could do to keep himself in check. But then Cyclonis' voice caught his attention.

"It's simple, really," the female ruler spoke. "I have a... proposal for you. For all of Atmos."

This was clearly not what the council expected to hear, and their leader looked rather wary and taken aback. "...What kind of proposition?"

At this, Cyclonis' smile stretched to the very edges of her mouth in a large, predatory grin. She pulled out what appeared to be a contract (a treaty?) from underneath her cloak, and held it out for the council to take.

"Why don't you read the terms and find out?"

AN: Ooooo... what's in it? You'll find out eventually. This oneshot is something of a trailer / prologue / whatever to the upcoming chapter fic I have planned. Do NOT get excited. I am by no means anywhere near done planning, then after that there is the timeline, note revisions, second revisions, THEN writing the fic. So yes, I will be making this into a chapter fic eventually, but do not be expecting it anytime soon. I don't even have a title yet, that is how much I still need to develop the general plot. Anywhos, I don't want to give away too much, but lets just say that the Storm Hawks are involved in Cyclonis' terms. ;) I'll work hard on this but in the meantime, keep being the awesome readers I know you are. XD (And feedback would be much appreciated just so I could get a general idea of what the potential readership would be like).