High in the skies above Icewing territory, Queen Glacier soared with all the grace of hunting falcon, her snow-white scales glinting in the pale sunlight. Beside her flew Iceberg, her most trusted advisor and longtime friend of several years. Iceberg's silvery scales glittered with every beat of her wings, highlighting the shards of ice that were stuck to them. A small entourage of royal guards flew a good way behind the two, allowing them to speak privately for the duration of the flight. Clearing her throat in preparation to speak, Glacier glanced over at Iceberg, who was also looking at her in turn, and said:

"This is a mistake."

Iceberg's smooth flying faltered for a moment as she recovered from the abrupt statement. "A mistake? Whatever in the world made you think like that all of a sudden?"

Glacier sighed and shook her head. "I'm being foolish. Very foolish. Here I am, flying all the way across Icewing territory just to see someone when I should be in the throne room where I belong. Surely you see the issue in that?"

"Not really," Iceberg replied. "I would think it's perfectly natural to want to see your special someone. And besides, I haven't seen you this eager in years! It's always a delight to see my dear, sweet Glacier in—"

"I'm warning you, Iceberg," Glacier growled. "Don't you dare say it."

The other Icewing grinned mischievously, showing off her rows of sparkling fangs. "Oh, whatever do you mean, my dear Glacier? I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Iceberg… I'm warning you…"

"Is it such a shame to want to see my friend in looooove?"

Glacier's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Were it not for the fact that I care for you, I'd have you executed for that."

"Oh, hush," Iceberg said as she waved a claw dismissively. "Both you and I know the real reason for this excursion."

"Oh?" Glacier asked. "And what would that be, pray tell?"

"You want to spend some quality time with Blaze, don't you?" Iceberg smiled at seeing Glacier flinch. "Don't be embarrassed! Personally, I think it's very sweet of you."

Glacier groaned and buried her face in her talons. "Yes, yes. Rub it in, why don't you?"

"Oh, believe me, I will," said Iceberg. "But only after you two get together." She paused for a moment, humming thoughtfully. "Say… how long do you think it would take one of you to propose? I want to make sure I have enough time to make preparations for the wedding, you know."

"Would you look at that?" Glacier replied. "Looks like we're right above Blaze's fortress. Sorry, Iceberg, but it seems like we'll have to cut this conversation short." Glacier hoped that Iceberg couldn't see grin fighting its way onto her maw as they descended toward the snow-covered ground.

But then again... she didn't really care.

~X~

After the guards announced their arrival, Glacier and Iceberg made their way into the main room of the fortress. Fireplaces were located in the many alcoves that lined the walls, making the inside of the structure more temperate than the frigid outside air. Sandwing-crafted tapestries hung from many of the walls, and beautiful carpets made of fine crimson fabric lay on the floor, giving the room a slightly ornate feel, despite the barren state of the rest of the interior. A makeshift throne sat at the far end of the room along with two velvet cushions for guests. Seeing these, Glacier and Iceberg made their way to sit down as they waited for Blaze to appear.

Shortly after the two Icewings had sat down, they were met with the sound of well-manicured claws clicking on the hard stone floor. Before Glacier even had time to react, she was knocked right off her haunches by something incredibly heavy slamming into her. Dazed and confused, Glacier tried to get back up, but she stopped whenever the thing that had crashed into her squealed with delight.

"Oh, it's so good to see you!" Blaze said as she wrapped Glacier in a crushing hug. "Where have you been? You haven't come to visit me in ages!"

Glacier struggled desperately to fight down the blush that was threatening to appear on her face. She tried (not really) to gently pry the Sandwing off her, but to no avail. Eventually, she resigned to wait until Blaze removed herself of her own volition.

But that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy the contact while it lasted.

Blaze let go about a full minute later, stepping back to look up at the slightly taller dragon with a beaming smile. From what Glacier could see, Blaze hadn't changed much since coming to stay at the fortress. Despite all of the ordeals she had gone through since the beginning of the war, she had managed to keep her voluptuous appearance, and her white-gold scales shone with a healthy luster. The Sandwing's horns were in perfect condition, and on her pearly white talons she wore several rings inlaid with gemstones.

Realizing that she was staring, Glacier quickly looked away. She cleared her throat awkwardly and stared down at her talons, attempting to avoid meeting Blaze's gaze. "So…" Glacier began. "How are you enjoying your stay here, Blaze?"

"Well, I was just sitting around, bored out of my mind and wondering when you would come to visit me again since last week." Blaze looked a bit crestfallen at that, but she quickly perked back up. "You're here now, though! So, no worries!"

"Whoa whoa whoa," Iceberg said as she cut in. "Last week?" She turned to glare at Glacier, who had found a sudden interest in staring at the floor. "And what is the meaning of this, your highness?"

"You see," Blaze began, "I was just having a normal, totally ordinary day last week when Glacier came to visit for tea! Oh, and she also brought me a lovely scarf that she had made for me in case it got really cold. You should see it!" After saying this, she went silent for a moment, looking thoughtfully at her claws. "Though I thought it was sort of strange how she came in the middle of the night."

Glacier felt like she might just melt into the floor. Anything would be better than seeing that insufferable, knowing smirk on Iceberg's face.

"Oh, did she now?" Iceberg asked. "That's quite bold of you, Glacier. I almost didn't think you had it in you! Just don't go eloping with Blaze without telling me, alright?"

A look of confusion flitted across Blaze's face. "Huh? What does 'eloping' mean?"

Oh no. I can't let this happen, not here, Glacier thought to herself before jumping into action. She moved quickly, placing her claws on Blaze's backside, ignoring the sounds of indignation that followed, and started pushing her forward toward one of the fortress's corridors. "Well, I, uh," she stammered. "I need to talk to Blaze in private!" She winced at just how loud her voice sounded.

Glacier realized her mistake once she saw the growing smile on Iceberg's face. "In private, your highness?" the silver Icewing asked. "Well, don't let me get in your way!" She turned around and headed for another corridor on the opposite side of the fortress. "Don't forget to come get me before you leave, alright, Glacier?" After seeing her friend nod in agreement, Iceberg disappeared down the hall.

"That dragon, I swear…" Glacier grumbled. Seeing as Iceberg was now gone, she took her claws off Blaze, letting the other dragon her regain her footing.

"Well, that certainly was strange," Blaze said. "Oh, I do have something to show you in my room, though. Come on!"

Glacier was all too happy to let Blaze take her claws in her own and pull her down the hall to her personal chambers.

~X~

Glacier didn't quite know what she had been expecting when Blaze said she had something to show her, but this certainly was not it.

She also hoped that this wasn't a dream. And if it was a dream, it was the best one that she's had in a few years.

Glacier sat on one of the many velvet cushions that comprised Blaze's sleeping area, waiting for the Sandwing to reappear. As soon as Blaze had managed to pull Glacier into her quarters, she quickly disappeared behind a screen that stood near one of the walls of her room. The Sandwing had been going on about some of the new outfits that she had sent her guards out to retrieve for her. In her mind, Glacier distantly registered this as a breach of security, but otherwise ignored it as she waited to see what Blaze had in store for her.

After a while, Blaze called out to announce that she was through changing and that Glacier should close her eyes so she wouldn't spoil the surprise. Glacier did as she was told, and shortly after she was met with the sound of claws clicking on stone.

"Ok, you can look now!" Blaze called. Glacier eagerly opened her eyes, not knowing quite to expect from the Sandwing.

But whatever Glacier had been expecting, it certainly wasn't that.

From her time spent studying the cultural aspects of her newfound allies, Glacier could recognize that Blaze was dressed up in the traditional attire of a Sandwing dancer. Long swaths of bright crimson silks were wrapped elegantly around her neck, trailing all the way down her body until they eventually came to an end at her waist, where they were gathered together to form a loose-fitting sash that emphasized her curves. Her wings were decorated in a similar fashion, with the red fabric hanging gently from the appendages, accentuating every little movement they made. More pieces of the lightweight material were affixed to her forelegs and hind legs, and a thin veil concealed part of her face. Various articles of golden jewelry inlaid with brilliant rubies completed the ensemble, giving Blaze an appearance more akin to a goddess than any mortal dragon.

And all Glacier could do was sit there and stare.

"Do you like it?" Blaze asked. She spun around in a small circle, showing off the flowing nature of the garments. "It's typically only used for festivals, but I thought it was pretty, so I had my guards go and get it for me. It looks nice, right? And it's sooo comfortable!" She shook her hips as if to emphasize her statement.

As Glacier took in the sight that lay before her eyes, she came to realize just how charming she found the Sandwing that stood before her. Blaze was a natural beauty, possessing a magnificent coloration of scales and a figure that even Glacier found herself envying at times.

And aside from her looks, Glacier also adored Blaze's personality. Beneath the prevalent facade of vanity and obliviousness, she saw the Sandwing's optimistic nature. Not only that, but the way that Blaze's eyes lit up when she was talking about something that she genuinely enjoyed never failed to bring a smile to Glacier's face.

Glacier sighed, resting her head on one of her claws as she whispered, "Beautiful…"

"What was that?" Blaze asked. "It sounded like you said 'beautiful' or something." Her eyes suddenly brightened and she clapped her claws together in delight. "Oh! Does that mean you like it?"

"Y-yes," Glacier said after recovering from her slip-up. "It's… beautiful." She smiled, her features softening as she gazed upon Blaze's features. "I love it."

"Yes!" Blaze cheered. "Score one: Blaze! I just knew you'd like it!"

Glacier laughed lovingly at Blaze's antics. "Yes, it does look quite lovely on you. Very striking, indeed." She glanced toward one of the windows of the room and saw that the sun was beginning its descent toward the horizon.

"Well, it's getting late, I'm afraid," the Icewing remarked. "I… I must be going soon." She was surprised to find just how hard it was to say those few words to the Sandwing standing in front of her.

"Oh, I see," Blaze responded. She seemed disappointed for a moment but immediately perked back up. "Alright! You'd better come and visit me real soon, okay?"

Glacier smiled as she reached out to grasp Blaze's claws within her own, bringing them up to rest against her chest.

"It's a promise."