Part XI: 25 AWSS

The reign of the Committee of National Safety ushered in a period that would become known as simply "the Terror". Hundreds of dragons were executed, and the rest lived in fear. Even as this was happening, though, the food situation gradually improved and the military saw success. Seeing how things were going, the Assembly sought to end the violence and terror. The Committee, however, only sought to increase the number of dragons executed. With this strategy becoming more and more unpopular, Blizzard and the Committee alienated themselves more and more from their very own radical party.

Blizzard was excited. In fact, he was almost giddy. Today was the day that he finally ridded himself of many of those Assembly members who were so dead set against all that he was trying to do. After today, he and the Committee of National Safety would have practically no opposition whatsoever.

Really, Blizzard couldn't fathom why so many of the other Icewings were against him. After all, it was he who had led the way for the founding of the Republic and the execution of the queen. He, at the head of others, was responsible for this ushering in of a new era of the Icewings. Yes, dragons who dissented were killed, but that was a small price to pay for the freedom that he provided for the Icewings as a whole. The troublemakers had to be silenced; it was the only way to keep them from destroying themselves all over again.

Soon, they would be silenced for good.

He smiled to himself as he entered the chambers of the Assembly, where the government was in session. He had long looked forewords to this day, and he had prepared a short speech to deliver to all who were present. Taking a seat among the other Icewing leaders, he waited for his opportunity to speak. Considering the active Assembly chair-dragon was a member of the Committee, Blizzard knew that would not have long to wait before he was recognized and able to speak.

The current speaking dragon was droning on about some minor tax change in his district, and since it wouldn't be too important compared to what he was about to do, Blizzard decided to tune him out. He instead looked at some of the other dragons gathered in the chambers, musing at whether or not he should revise his list of enemies. He soon decided that it wouldn't matter much; once today was over, no one would dare to be his enemy. He was the leader of the Assembly, even if it wasn't in his title, and the other dragons would follow him no matter what…or else.

His musing ended as the current speaker wrapped up his speech and retook his seat. Blizzard stood up to take the floor, and the chair recognized him despite other dragons also rising with intent to speak. More so than the fact that he was Blizzard, he knew that the decision to let him speak was also due to the fact that he had been absent for the past several Assembly meetings. He had been working on his project for some time, and he had made it clear to the other members that when he next entered the chambers, big things would happen. As he stood and prepared to speak, he saw that the other dragons looking at him with curiosity, no doubt wondering what he was about to say.

"My fellow Icewings," he began, "In these past few months and years, we have done things that no other tribes have ever done or tried to do. We have thrown off the tyranny of the monarchy, which has oppressed the common dragon for centuries. We have created a republic, where the will of the majority presides over the thoughts of the few. And we have ensured the rights and freedoms of all who call themselves Icewings."

He paused and allowed a bit of applause, although these words weren't anything these dragons hadn't heard before. It was rather usual to begin a speech in this fashion and then build to the point. He couldn't help but notice, however, that not all of the dragons applauded. Icefire, in particular, was stoic, and Blizzard made a mental note to continue to watch his reactions.

Once the moment passed, he continued. "These strides that we have taken can not and will not ever be forgotten. Our course has been set, and we have taken strides to defend our newfound liberty. Long before we took the final step of liberation—executing the queen—we have been involved in war with the other tribes to keep and protect our freedom. The soldiers who have fought and died on the front are heroes of the Republic, and we should continue to do our best to honor and hail our nation's defenders."

He paused again for another short round of applause. He took a deep breath before getting into the real meat of his speech.

"While our troops fight hard to protect our nation from danger without, we have also fought inside our great nation to protect it from internal threats. In the past months, we have successfully stopped countless conspiracies to overthrow our government and have punished the dragons that would dare try to restore the monarchy. We have shed the blood of those that wish for our blood to be shed, and we have silenced those that would cry out against us. We have preserved the Republic."

He paused once more to allow more applause. He couldn't help but notice that this time the clapping was noticeably dimmer. A few of the dragons, Icefire included, looked a bit hostile.

"…But even as we have done these things, those who would wish our work undone have persisted. They have grown throughout our land, and they have infiltrated our institutions. They even preside among us in this very room." He stopped for a moment to allow for contemplation. "Certain members of this Assembly are against our Republic. Some of you are traitors." He said this last statement accusingly, and he gave pointed looks to some of his opponents. A few hissed at him.

"Luckily," he continued, "I have made it my mission to seek out these dragons. I have identified all of those who are against the Revolution, and I have compiled a list of all of these conspirators who seek to end our government and return the land to the monarchy—or worse. Many of you are on this list, and I think that it is clear that those who are deserve the same fate as the other traitors: death."

Grumbling broke out among the Assembly. More dragons hissed at him, even some of the ones that were supposed to be on his side. He tried to make a note of those that were, in case he had to make another list in the future.

"What we have to do here is clear. Traitors in the Assembly have a degree of natural protection against our laws, as they have influence over our courts and tribunals. We must vote immediately to approve my list and sentence all dragons that are on it. Only then can we be safe."

Shouting and hissing now broke out among the Icewings. He heard cries of "outrageous" and "unacceptable" as his enemies tried in vain to protect themselves. This uproar continued for several minutes until the chair was finally able to restore order to the Assembly. Blizzard had expected those that were against him to react this way, but he hadn't anticipated this response from so many others. Surely there couldn't be this many traitors in the Assembly.

As the other dragons finally calmed down, one female member stood up and was recognized by the chair. He recognized her as Gryfalcon, one of the more moderate members who, along with Icefire and his group, tended to toe the line between supporting Blizzard and going against him. "If you want us to vote to condemn any dragons in this building," she said, "Then show us the list."

"As much as I would like to disclose the names of the traitors, I do not feel that it in our best interests. Surely the traitors will flee if they know, or they will try to trick you into believing their innocence. No, we must not know the names as we vote. We must not—"

The room exploded into shouting in an instant. The dragons that were applauding a few minutes earlier were now calling for his silence. He looked to some of the dragons that he knew supported him and saw that they seemed to be as enraged at him as the rest. He looked to the chair-dragon—a fellow Committee member—and saw only hostility. Only a few of his closest friends in the Assembly were sitting silent, and none were jumping to his defense.

"Tyrant!" One dragon cried. "No vote!" cried another, and even more were beginning to chant something along the lines of "Kill him first!"

Blizzard couldn't understand it. Of course he had expected some opposition, but how could the whole Assembly turn against him like this? He was trying to save the Revolution; why couldn't the other dragons see it? It was he who had led the charge for independence from the monarchy. It was he who had had the queen executed. He was their leader! They had to listen to him!

He opened his mouth once again to try to say something, anything, to make them listen—to make them understand. The dragons only yelled louder, drowning out any words he tried to say. The chair-dragon wasn't even trying to control or silence the Assembly anymore; in fact, the chair-dragon was gone, along with other several other members of the Committee that had been there only moments ago. Blizzard was now completely alone, faced with a crowd of dragons that didn't seem to like him one bit.

As the crowd continued to yell, Blizzard saw Icefire and Gryfalcon leave their seats and approach the front of the room, where he still stood. Gryfalcon pushed him to the side as Icefire gained the attention of the Assembly. It took a few minutes for them to settle down enough for anyone in the room to speak. As soon as it was, Blizzard attempted to step up and say something, but Gryfalcon pushed him away once more and fixed him with a look that clearly said don't try it.

He decided to comply.

Icefire looked over the assemble dragons for a moment before turning to look at him. "I think it's fair to say that no one here is going to go along with you," he said loud enough for all to hear, "We aren't going to let you send any of us to the headslasher. The terror that you have caused ends today." He turned to the guards who were stationed in the room, the one who were supposed to make sure that no outside dragons could enter and cause harm. Up until now they had simply stayed in position, too unsure to do anything about the screaming dragons in the room. Now Icefire motioned them over. "Seize Blizzard," he told them, "Find a cell to put him. And find all of the other members of the Assembly, we're putting an end to this now."

Blizzard stood there, dumbfounded, as everything that he had worked for fell apart before his eyes. He couldn't understand. He wouldn't understand. Why…how…he could hardly think straight. Today was supposed to be his triumph, not his fall.

As the guards grabbed him and began escorting him away, only one thought came clear through his mind: How did it all go wrong?

Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire