Dragons Change
AN: Happy 4th of July to my fellow Americans! To celebrate, I have a chapter for each of my three stories: Brighter Future, Dragons Change, and No Greater Disaster! Hope you enjoy these chapters, and I hope you have a fun day!
I know in the last chapter, I said things were going to get real in this one, but...they didn't. To be fair, I did say 'barring any unexpected additions' or something along that line, and well...I didn't exactly plan this chapter to go this way, but I think it works. It's the shortest chapter yet, and for that I'm sorry, but it's almost entirely WinterWatcher fluff. Hopefully that makes up for it. Next chapter will continue with the plot, though. But I have a Perspectives planned before that.
Also, I did some estimation with how many more chapters are left, and I came to the conclusion that there's only 6-8 chapters left to go and only three more Perspectives. And since this story is finally coming close to its end, I have to ask all of you a question. I have two other stories planned within this universe. The first is about the Great War fifteen thousand years ago. It'll tell the story of how Urfael turned evil and how the Spirits eventually defeated him. The second story will be two parts: the first is about how Faredir met Taiga, the Icewing he fell in love with, and how they came to have a son. The second is about Flint's life up until he met Winter.
Which story would everyone prefer to read first? I'll put a poll up on my profile so everyone can vote for their preference.
Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OCs Aurora and the Spirits, Flint, and Faredir belong to me. Cover art for the story belongs to beyzul on deviantart.
Chapter 30:
Hailstorm and Horus made plans for having lunch at the café they mentioned tomorrow, and after the Skywing left, Hailstorm invited him to use his room now that the room he shared with Flint was partially destroyed. Moon joined them while Winter laid back down on the bed to rest his sore chest. It hurt a lot less than it did an hour ago, but it was still a bit tender.
Right now, the three of them were looking through the scrolls Faredir had sent down to him. There was the scroll with the shield technique, of course, but there were also others that sounded interesting—even fun—to learn. One scroll further explained the light ball technique and how to control the amount of power it used. It also explained how to turn them into seekers—light balls that would track an enemy in motion.
There was one for creating a shockwave pulse. There was one that explained different ways his power could enhance his physical qualities—whether that be speed, strength, sharper claws, etc… Yet another explained a technique to throw his voice. And while that would make an excellent trick for pranks, it could also be useful for sneaking through enemy territory by distracting guards.
The final scroll showed how he could use his power to paralyze other dragons by locking them within a shell of his white magic. It was labeled as number two, so Faredir must believe he needed to learn this one sooner rather than later.
And yet despite all the knowledge in these scrolls, Winter couldn't help but feel disappointed for a few reasons. The first was that none of them explained what happened earlier when he healed Hailstorm. The second was that there were only six scrolls. He was sure that these were just the most important things he needed to learn—the basics, as it were—but he was hoping for more. The third and largest source of disappointment was that these scrolls were just that: scrolls. He didn't want to just read some scrolls about his power; he wanted to be taught about his power. More importantly, he wanted Faredir to teach him.
Which was rather odd, considering what happened, but he didn't blame the Changewing for it. He let his anger and fear get the better of him—something Winter was guilty of himself. He couldn't hold that against him. He also had a feeling that's what happened between Flint and Hailstorm, but he needed to talk with the Mudwing before he completely forgave him.
"This is some cool stuff," marveled Hailstorm. "It's hard to believe any of this is possible—much less that my little brother will be able to do it." He looked up and saw the frown on Winter's face as he studied the scroll about the shield technique. "You don't seem too excited, though."
"I am," he said with a sigh. "But I want to be taught," he explained.
"And I still don't think it's a good idea to mess with him," Hailstorm said seriously. "He specifically ordered us not to bother him. And you're still recovering from the last time he tried to teach you. I don't even want to think about what he might do next time."
"He won't hurt me again," Winter said resolutely as he turned his attention back to his scroll.
Hailstorm scoffed. "And how do you know that?" he challenged.
"Because I do!" Winter snapped back. Upon seeing Hailstorm recoil back in surprise from the ferocity in his tone, Winter sighed and turned away so he was facing the wall—dropping the scroll on the floor in the process. "Just…leave me alone," he said quietly.
He heard a set of clawsteps retreat out the door, and he immediately felt guilty for driving his brother away when he was only trying to help. He felt a claw start rubbing his shoulder in a soothing manner, and he looked back to see Moon there with a sympathetic expression. "He cares about you…in his own way. You know that, right?"
Winter looked at her in confusion. "Of course I know Hailstorm cares about me. He's my brother," he said, but she shook her head.
"I meant Faredir," she explained, to which he blinked in slight surprise. "He locked himself up there because he was afraid of hurting you again. After what happened, he believes he doesn't deserve to be your father." Winter looked away again. He had mentioned that Moon knew of their familial ties, but to hear her actually say it still caught him a bit off guard.
He was quiet for a while before he finally spoke. "But I want him to be," he confessed. He looked back at her. "Is that so wrong?" he asked, almost desperately.
She shook her head. "No, of course not. You deserve to have dragons that support you, Winter. And…I know you never really had a father, so if you think Faredir can be that for you…" She trailed off and looked out the door for a moment before looking back to him. "How's your chest?" she asked. "Do you think you can make it upstairs?"
He nodded, a smile beginning to form. "Yeah, I can make it." He got up with a slight groan and steadied himself on his feet. Moon stood beside him and draped her wing across his back. He leaned on her ever so slightly to get some of the pressure off his chest from standing, and she held steady. He nodded at her, and they started walking towards the staircase. "Thanks, Moon," he said when they were halfway up the stairs. "And I'm sorry," he confessed.
She looked to him and cocked her head in confusion. "Sorry for what?"
"I hurt you," he all but whispered. She stopped walking, and since her wing was across his back, he had to stop, too. "I kept ignoring the pain in my heart as I pushed you away because I thought it was the right thing to do. When I heard about you and Qibli being engaged, I chose Blaze because I didn't want to make you choose between me and him. But I can't delude myself anymore. When I think about a future without you in it…there isn't one." He looked into her eyes and took in her shocked expression. He smiled sadly. "Because a life without you isn't worth living."
She stared at him in both bewilderment and amazement. "W-Where did this come from?" she asked. When he didn't answer immediately, she reached up and cupped his cheek with one of her claws. He closed his eyes and leaned into the contact for a moment of contentment before turning back to her.
"When Faredir brought me back and kept me alive, my whole existence felt like nothing but agony. I wanted to give up so many times—to bring an end to the constant pain—but…the only thing that kept me going…was you," he explained. "It was during that cycle of constant suffering that made me realize…that I made a mistake. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I want to be with you—forever—if you'll have me…"
The elation she had gained during his confession suddenly drained away to be replaced by something akin to suspicion. "What about Blaze?" she asked.
He sighed. "I want to explain things to her face-to-face. It wouldn't feel right to break up with her in a dreamvisit. But as soon as I do, I'm all yours."
Her expression turned mischievous, and when she spoke, her voice was sensual. "Oh, you're already mine, Winter. You've always been my Icewing." She grinned at his dumbfounded expression and kissed his cheek. "But we can discuss this further later…perhaps when we're alone… But you wanted to talk with Faredir, right?"
It took his brain a few seconds to register what she asked, and when he did answer, it came out in an awkward stutter. "O-Oh, um…y-yes. I did." He was still reeling from her almost lusty response, though. Needless to say, he hadn't expected something like that from her. She had never struck him as that sort of dragoness.
"Did I overdo it?" she asked somewhat bashfully. "I've been reading stuff in the library…romance stuff," she said sheepishly.
"What for?" he asked. The fact she was reading stuff about romance was a bit unexpected, but he was silently glad what she said was coming from some cheesy romance story.
She opened the door to the fifth floor before answering. "Just seeing if there was anything I was doing wrong, or what I should do to improve my chances," she confessed with a blush. "But I guess I didn't have to worry, huh?"
He smiled at her as they continued up the stairs once more. "So you've been spending time in the library?" he asked, to which she nodded. "Have you been reading anything more…how do I say this…worthwhile?" He grinned at her as she tried to hold back her smile.
"Yes, I have, actually. And I find the current scroll I'm reading to be quite illuminating," she responded as they finally reached the top floor. He opened the door, and her smile faded away. "Do you want me to wait here?"
He looked down the hallway, spying the splintered remains of furniture and other debris that had been scattered during Faredir's fit of rage. "That would probably be for the best," he answered her. "If you hear screams of pain within the next few minutes…run," he added. He looked to her and saw her staring at him in terror and dread, and he chuckled nervously. "I'm kidding! …I think."
Winter allowed himself a deep breath and was about to walk when Moon grabbed him again. "If he's not ready to talk, don't push him. Despite what he's done for us so far, he's still dangerous. It's a miracle you still trust him enough to give him another chance after what happened, but…" She sighed. "Just remember that, alright?"
He nodded at her but looked down the hallway again. "He won't hurt me…" he whispered so quietly he barely heard himself say it. She released her grip on him, so he walked down the hall. He stepped carefully over the debris, making sure he didn't trip or stretch in the wrong way. He found himself outside the only shut door in the hallway, and he exhaled to ready himself.
He knocked.
"What is it!? I told you I wasn't to be disturbed, Falcon!" came the angered reply from inside. Winter had to pause when he heard the name of Cliff's tutor. Though, that was confirmation that the old Skywing actually was a Changewing like he had suspected. "Answer me, Falcon!"
He shook himself from his momentary stupor and answered. "N-No, it's—it's just me," he called. A few seconds passed, and he didn't hear any kind of movement coming from within, so Winter tried again. He looked down, and in a softer voice said, "It's your son."
The door opened a few seconds later, and Faredir studied him with an unreadable expression. "What do you want?" he asked, coldly.
Winter deflated a bit at the cold tone but answered. "I just wanted to talk…"
The Changewing narrowed his eyes dangerously. "There's nothing for us to talk about," he replied, causing Winter to shrink in on himself. He began to shut the door in a clear dismissal, but the Icewing stopped it from shutting with a wince.
Faredir growled in warning and was about to say something, but Winter interrupted him. "Father, please…" he begged, and Faredir froze.
"What did you call me?" he asked quietly.
Emboldened by Faredir's hesitation, Winter looked the Changewing in the eye and answered. "I called you my father…because that is what you are."
However, Faredir merely scoffed. "You would call me that after what I did to you!?" Winter nodded timidly. "Why!? I doubt you would have given Narwhal such forgiveness, so what makes me so special!? Why would you still want anything to do with me after I almost…" He trailed off for a moment and looked away, taking a breath to calm himself, before turning back to look at the Icewing again and finishing with a slightly softer tone. "…After I hurt you?"
Winter stared at Faredir in great surprise at the amount of emotion in his tone. Moon was right…He does care about me. As for his question…Winter knew the answer, but he had always been afraid to voice it. He looked away as his emotions began to build within him as he wrestled with himself on whether he should say anything. "Well?" Faredir pressed, frustrated at Winter's silence. A few more moments passed without an answer, and Faredir scoffed, once more beginning to close the door.
In a moment of panic at losing his opportunity to talk with Faredir, he blurted out the answer with tears in his eyes. "Because you wanted me!" he shouted, bowing his head against the continued flow of tears. He heard the door creak back open slowly, but Winter refused to meet his gaze. "My parents never even wanted a third dragonet! I was an accident! At first, they hoped I would be as good as my siblings, but when that didn't happen, they all but ignored the fact I was their son! My father would say that my sister hatched lucky, and that I was lucky to be hatched!" He took a few shaky breaths before finally looking into Faredir's eyes.
What he saw was enough to make the tears fall faster, but Winter wasn't done yet. "They never wanted me! My own father tried to have me killed more times than anyone else! He hated me from the moment I hatched, and my mother never cared enough to stop him! I thought you were different! …But I'm still as expendable as I've always been." Winter bowed his head once more and let the sobs overtake him, though he felt Faredir's gaze constantly on him.
Several minutes passed before he finally calmed himself. It was then that Faredir spoke. "You would still want me as a father after what I did to you?" he asked softly. "I almost killed you…"
Winter raised his gaze to Faredir's. "It was an accident," he said with conviction. "You were angry, and—"
"Yes, Winter. I was angry," he interrupted. "And that is not uncommon for me. What happened once could very well happen again, and…" He trailed off with a sigh then lowered his head to be even with Winter's. "I could not bear the thought of hurting you again," he finished with a tone Winter had never heard before in his life. It was that of a loving father genuinely concerned for the safety of his son, and it was almost enough to make him cry again—though this time, the tears would be of happiness.
"You would never hurt me again," Winter replied with a small, sad smile. "I know it."
"How?" Faredir asked curiously.
"Because I saw you. You cried when you saw what you did," Winter answered, reaching up to the larger dragon's face. Faredir watched him but didn't move and allowed him to wipe away a tear that had fallen from his eye. "Just as you do now."
Faredir smiled genuinely and gazed at him affectionately. "That's because my son is the greatest dragon I know," he said tenderly before bringing the stunned Icewing into an embrace. "If you still believe me worthy of being your father, I'll do everything I can to live up to your expectations." He pulled Winter away to look him in the eyes. "I'm not a good dragon, Winter," he said, shaking his head for emphasis. "And I doubt I ever will be, but I'll try…for your sake."
They hugged again, and that's when he remembered why he had come up here in the first place. "Does this mean you'll train me again?" he asked, though his voice was a bit muffled from where he was pressed against the larger dragon's chest.
He felt Faredir's rumbling laugh before he was pushed away again. "Yes, of course I'll train you." Then, he sighed guiltily. "But we should wait a few days at least so you can heal some more. I don't want to push you right now while you're injured."
Winter nodded in understanding before a thought popped into his head, and he couldn't stop himself from chuckling. At Faredir's quizzical look, he explained. "It's nothing. But I just realized…I have a Mudwing for a brother—or Uncle now, I guess—and a Skywing for a father."
"Technically, we're both Changewings," Faredir corrected him, but he hummed in thought immediately afterwards. His form shifted, and where a Skywing once stood, a familiar Icewing now resided. Winter stared into the face that should have belonged to his ancestor, but though he knew what Faredir had done to the first Winter, he found that he didn't really mind seeing his ancestor's face on his new father.
"To anyone else, they'd probably mistake you for my actual, biological father," he said with a smile.
"Seeing me like this doesn't make you uncomfortable?" Faredir asked with a hint of concern. "You do know that I was the one who killed him," he said as more of a statement than a question.
"I know," Winter confirmed. "But I think he would be proud of what you've become." Faredir recoiled back in shock, so Winter explained. "You once said he tried to convince you to join the Spirits against Urfael, and now you have, in a way. Not only that, but you decided to become a part of his descendant's life—my life."
Faredir hummed once more. "You are right, of course. But you really believe this form suits me?"
Winter nodded. "I do," he confirmed.
"Then I shall remain like this," Faredir decided. "This way, everyone else will think of me as your father, like you said." He smiled as he thought about that for a moment. "You know…I actually quite like that thought."
"I like it, too," Winter said sincerely. "So…" he began. "What should we do today?"
Faredir sighed guiltily. "You can do what you wish. I have important matters to attend to that I cannot put off…not even for you." He looked down the hall and waved for Moon to come over, and she joined them a few moments later. "Take Winter back downstairs, and this time I am being serious when I say do not come back up here. I will join the both of you later if I have time," he said, dismissing them. Then he shut the door, and the two of them were left alone.
As they walked back to the stairs, he decided to peak his head into the room Faredir destroyed to see if the dreamvisitor was still there. He didn't like being in the dark, so he thought maybe he could talk with one of the others to see what was happening. To his amazement, it actually was still there, so he grabbed it and turned to Moon. "Are you still wearing your satchel?" he asked.
"Always," she replied. She lifted her wing and reached around to open it up for him. Then, he dropped the dreamvisitor inside. "Who are you going to dreamvisit?" she asked curiously.
He shrugged. "I'm not sure yet, but…I was thinking Darkstalker," he replied, looking at her out of the corner of his eye to gauge her expression. Needless to say, she was surprised by his answer.
"I take it that means you two are getting along better?" she asked, to which he nodded but didn't elaborate on. Nevertheless, she smiled. "That's good. I'm glad."
There was a short moment of silence as they made it to the end of the hallway, at which point he felt Moon's curious gaze on him. "My tremendous intuitive sense of the female creature informs me that you are…curious," he said while looking at her with a straight face.
She tried her best to hold back her smile, but ultimately failed and giggled at his antics. "You're in a good mood," she observed. "Does Faredir's appearance have something to do with that?"
He nodded happily. "For the first time in my life, Moon, I have a parent that actually cares about me."
Her smile shifted from one of amusement to one of sincere happiness for him. "I'm happy for you, Winter. I really am." She kissed his cheek and nuzzled under his jaw. "You deserve to be loved."
"Was that from your romance story, too?" he asked with a grin.
"Nope. That was all me," she replied with an affectionate smile. "So, um…" she started a bit bashfully. "What do you want to do for the rest of the day?"
"I should probably talk with Flint about what happened earlier, but there's no way to know where he went. Until then?" He shrugged then grinned at her mischievously, "Why? Did you have something in mind?"
She smacked him in the side playfully with her wing. "I didn't mean anything like that, so stop being a male for two seconds!" she scolded him, though she was grinning the entire time.
"I'm sorry, Moon, but I literally can't stop being a male. It isn't biologically possible," he retorted with his own smirk.
She feigned seriousness and looked him in the eyes. "Don't make me smack you," she warned. He bit back a chuckle and bowed his head submissively. She shuffled her wings proudly at making him back down before speaking once again. "And I was going to ask if you wanted to go down to the library," she revealed with a hopeful look.
He nodded without hesitation. "Alright. Sounds like fun." She smiled, and they continued on their way down to the first floor. However, Winter had one more quip in him before they got there. "As long as we stay away from the romance section," he stated casually. She smacked him, and he laughed. "Careful, Moon! I'm injured," he joked.
"Oh, sorry," she returned nonchalantly. "I can smack you harder if you want?"
He chuckled again, this time a bit nervously. That last one actually did kind of hurt, though he would never admit that to her. "N-No. I'm good, thanks." A few moments of silence passed as they made it to the first floor and began walking to the library. "So…" he started a bit uncertainly—not knowing if he should bring this topic up without Hailstorm here. "What did you make of Horus?"
He heard her hum and looked over to see that she was deep in thought. "I'm not quite sure about him yet," she admitted. "I'd have to listen to him some more, but I do know that he still mourns Pyrite. I also know that he's still angry and bitter with Hailstorm, and that the plans they made tomorrow have some ulterior motive for him."
"Ulterior motive?" Winter asked a bit worriedly. "Should I be fearing for my brother's life?"
She shook her head. "No. I wasn't able to listen to his thoughts for long, but I can say for certain that Horus isn't that kind of dragon. Nothing I heard suggested that he would try to hurt Hailstorm, but I don't think his goal for their lunch tomorrow is friendship."
"Do you think he might try to convince Hailstorm to become Pyrite again?" Winter speculated.
She nodded grimly. "I heard that same thought in Hailstorm's mind," she revealed. She looked down and sighed. "And he's seriously considering it from what I heard."
Winter looked away. He should have been happy that Hailstorm had a chance at love—even at the cost of being Pyrite for what could quite possibly amount to being the rest of his life. And the short time he had spent around Pyrite showed that he could accept her as a sister. But could he seriously say goodbye to Hailstorm forever?
It was selfish to want to keep Hailstorm beside him forever. Eventually, his brother would want to live his own life. But was that time now?
"Sorry for bringing your mood down," Moon quietly apologized.
"It's okay," he reassured her as they finally entered the library. "I'm the one who asked." Seeing as how they appeared to be the only dragons in here—which was a surprise, but a welcome one—he didn't bother lowering his voice.
Moon took the lead now that they were here, and he followed her to a particular section with the label 'Cultural' on the end of the scroll shelf. Oddly enough, she didn't grab any scrolls. She just passed through the section and into a little alcove at the corner of the room that had a table with a few scrolls already on it. "I'm almost finished with this one," she said as she grabbed one and unrolled it. "Then we can go look for something else."
"Did you already finish the other three?" he asked, reaching for one. She nodded, then he read the title. His expression became carefully neutral and his mind went blank at what he read. When he checked the other two, they weren't any better. "Intricacies of Icewing Etiquette?" he asked pointedly. "The Cultural Significance of the Icewing Code of Conduct? The Seven Circles of Icewing Society?"
She seemed taken aback by his sudden shift in emotion. "Yeah…After my conversation with Hope, I realized there was a lot I didn't know about your tribe. And I thought you would be happy I wanted to learn more about you," she defended.
He sighed. "I'm glad you want to learn more about Icewings, but you could have just asked me. Besides, none of this is who I am—not anymore, at least."
A silence fell between them as Moon walked over to sit beside him. "Yes, it is," she said gently. He looked at her in confusion. "I know you showed me your memories, but I still don't fully understand some of the things I saw. Learning more about Icewings in general is helping me to understand you better, and that's something I want more than anything."
They stared into each other's eyes for a long stretch of companionable silence before Winter spoke. "I know you told me to stop being a male, but you're making that really hard right now."
She snickered in amusement before taking the initiative and kissing him softly. She drew back and grinned as if inviting him to continue this further. He closed his eyes and leaned forward to do just that when he felt her claws holding back his snout, so he opened his eyes and looked at her curiously. "Nope," she giggled. "It was your idea to wait until you talked to Blaze…remember?" she teased him.
He growled at having his prize denied to him but leaned back and looked away with a huff. "You are such a tease," he complained, though not too seriously.
Her grin grew wider. "You know you love me," she said, her tone sounding more than a little victorious. He didn't say anything, keeping his gaze averted and his mind carefully blank. He noticed her furrow her eye ridges in confusion, and when she opened her mouth to speak again, he shot forward without warning and locked their maws in a passionate kiss. She tensed momentarily at the unexpected act but soon melted into him.
As much as he wanted to escalate this a bit further, he held himself in check. His chest felt much better than it did this morning, but that was probably because he had been using his muscles. As soon as he went to sleep tonight, they would probably be just as bad if not worse the next morning. He also didn't want to strain his chest too much right now just in case he hurt himself. And he knew that as soon as those thoughts entered his mind, Moon definitely heard them, too.
So they contented themselves with a slow, passionate kiss and a wandering claw or two, but they ultimately restrained themselves. It was hard for him to finally break away from her, and when he looked into her eyes, he saw the same was true for her. They both wanted this to go further, but unfortunately, now wasn't the time.
Instead, they both pulled away from the other, and Moon sighed in resignation. "I really can't wait for you to talk with Blaze," she mumbled. Then she smiled apologetically. "Sorry. Patience is a virtue, I know, but it's never been one I could get the hang of."
He shrugged. "I'm not the most patient dragon in the world, either, so I have no room to judge." He glanced at the scrolls on the table and then back to Moon. "Did you want to finish that scroll?" he asked, gesturing to it for emphasis.
She shrugged, as well. "I mean, I would like to. But I can finish it later if you want to do something else. Mostly I just wanted to show you that I'm…I'm trying," she finished a bit guiltily. "Late thought the effort came," she shook her head. "I should have done this a long time ago."
"Hey…" he said softly before leaning down and kissing her lightly again. "Don't beat yourself up over it. You had other things to worry about back then, and I understand that now. I don't blame you, Moon, and I never did." He cupped the side of her face with one of his claws and kissed her forehead. "You have no idea how happy I am that you're trying so hard to make this—to make us—work, but you shouldn't have to rely on scrolls. You can ask me about anything."
"I thought about it," she started. "But I thought it might upset you to talk about."
He nodded in understanding. "It might," he admitted. Then he leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "But you're worth it."
He leaned back and grinned at her, and she stared at him with pure love. "And now you're making it hard for me to be a female." She started fanning herself with her claws. "Is it getting hot in here?" she asked, a bit breathy.
He laughed lightly at that. "No, it's just you. And I think it's time to change the subject. As fun as it sounds, I don't think having sex in the library will go over too well," he finished with an amused grin.
"Why not? They do it in the scrolls," she pointed out then sighed. "But you're right. We should find something else to do, so…any ideas?"
He thought for a moment and came up with an idea that was just as quickly dashed. "I would say I would practice my guitar, but I left it in the Sea Kingdom, thinking I would go back there after finding the anchor." He sighed. "That was the second one I've lost now. And Hailstorm bought me that one."
"Well…" she began uncertainly. "You offered to talk about Icewing culture, so why don't we go up to our room and do that for a little bit?"
He perked up a bit when she mentioned 'our room', so he decided to ask, "Our room?"
She nodded, embarrassed. "I just thought you might be up to sharing a room again…maybe?" She looked at him uncertainly. He was about to answer when she continued a bit more flustered than she already was. "I mean, I know you said you wanted to wait, but it was just an offer. I-I shouldn't have made it, I'm sorry," she rambled.
"Moon?" he asked with a small, affectionate smile.
"Y-Yeah?" she stopped and swallowed a bit heavily.
"Let's go up to our room," he suggested.
So that's what they did. They meandered their way up to their room on the fourth floor, though they weren't in any hurry. They would stop and look at different works of art in the hallways or comment on the ornamental architecture. Conversation came easy between the two of them unlike when they first arrived in the city. It hadn't taken him long to realize that Moon truly did have his heart, so he decided there was no point in acting like she didn't. It made him happier to just accept the truth he had known for so long instead of continuously pushing the dragoness he loved away.
Once they finally arrived at their destination, Winter noticed that neither Flint nor Hailstorm were in any of the three rooms given to them. And since he was in no condition to go looking for him—his chest was starting to hurt from overusing it—he and Moon decided to just enter their room and relax together for the rest of the day.
He gently laid himself on his back on one side of the bed, and she laid down on her side facing him on the other side of the bed. He had the sneaking suspicion that these rooms were actually meant for single occupants even though they were big enough for two—possibly three if they didn't mind sleeping on the floor. He supposed it was just another way for the Skywings to flaunt their wealth to visitors from the other tribes. They were the largest, wealthiest, and strongest tribe on Pyrrhia—a fact that had remained true since the Nightwing exodus two thousand years ago.
Keeping to her word, Moon had taken the opportunity to ask him about certain things in Icewing culture she either didn't understand or was curious to learn more about. Despite the subject, Winter didn't once close up or get upset in any way. It was because of Moon, he knew. If he was having this conversation with anyone else, he would've, but as he told her earlier, she was worth it.
As the sun began to go down, she lit a candle next to their bed so they would have some light, at least. The only other source of light was the steadily glowing anchor, but it wasn't bright enough to light up more than the space between them. The romantic atmosphere hadn't gone unnoticed by either of them, so they had settled into a routine of having short breaks of staring into the other's eyes between longer make-out sessions.
It was when tiredness was just beginning to affect them that Moon asked a completely unexpected question. "How many dragonets do you want to have?"
"Two," he answered, surprised at his lack of surprise. That wasn't the kind of question to ask on a whim—especially after having intermittent make-out sessions for the past…four hours now? Honestly, neither of them could have enough of the other, and it was kind of hard to tell just how long they had been here. Yet he had answered as calmly as if she had asked him his favorite color. "Preferably a son and daughter."
"One of each, huh?" She smiled. "That sounds nice." There was a small pause. "Qibli wanted to have four, but I told him that was too many for me. We settled on three, but I like two better."
He shifted a bit closer to her so their foreheads were touching. "What brought thinking about dragonets up?" he asked. She averted her gaze away from him and stayed quiet for a moment too long. "Moon?" he pressed gently.
"My hatch-day is next week," she confessed in a whisper. "I don't even know if you remember our deal we made in the woods after you shared your memories with me, but—"
"I remember," he interrupted her, and her gaze shifted back to him. "I don't know what exactly you meant by 'make it official', but I don't care anymore. My answer will always be the same."
"Really?" she asked, a bit doubtfully. He nodded. "What if I asked you to marry me?" she challenged him.
His smile slowly grew, and he planted a gentle, loving kiss on her forehead. "I would still say yes," he revealed. She gasped. "But I know you were just talking in hypotheticals," he teased her. As he stared into her eyes during his brief pause, he could actually see her fear of him thinking she was joking. "So I have to ask in absolute seriousness," he continued, both looking and sounding as if what he was about to say were the most serious thing in the world. "Moon…will you marry me?"
Her eyes went comically wide, and she stared at him, not knowing if he was joking or not. "Are you asking me for real?" He nodded. "You're not joking?" He shook his head. Her eyes began to fill with tears of pure joy, and she buried her head under his jaw and cried happily into his neck. When she calmed down enough to actually speak, she pulled away and nodded vigorously. "Yes! Of course I'll marry you, Winter!" Then her happy expression fell slightly, "Wait…but what about Blaze? I thought you wanted to talk to her first?"
"You make it too hard to wait," he confessed. "I'll still talk to her, but this is what I want. What about you? Is this what you want?"
"Of course!" she happily confirmed. "It was your idea to wait, not mine. As far as I'm concerned, the sooner the better!"
He smiled at that and brought her back in for an embrace. "Sorry I didn't get you anything," he whispered in her ear. "But I will," he promised. "It'll be made of the finest silver with the purest emeralds, and it'll have intricate carvings all along the side of it, and one of my scales will be embedded on the inside so you can always carry a part of me with you."
"That sounds beautiful," she sighed wistfully. "Do you think we could live here in the Sky Kingdom?"
He nodded, his cheek rubbing against the back of her neck. "I don't see why not. We'll get a nice house in the city or maybe Ruby will let us live here in the Palace—it'd be the least I could ask for after I save the world," he finished with a small chuckle. "And we'll have our two dragonets, and…" He trailed off, just having thought of something that made him feel guilty.
"And?" Moon asked curiously.
He pushed her away so he could look into her eyes. "There's something you should know. If I disconnect myself from the anchor, part of my soul will return to the Spirit Realm, but even if I stay connected to it for the rest of my life, it'll still need a source of Spirit Magic on this plane to draw from. Either way, Aurora is always going to be a part of me," he explained, leaving part of what he wanted to say unsaid.
Understanding dawned on her expression. "You think that you and Aurora will inevitably fall in love…" At his guilty expression, she corrected her previous statement. "You already have…haven't you?"
"She loves me," he confirmed. "And I would be lying if I said I didn't care deeply about her, too. But she's a Spirit, and I'm mortal. Any relationship between us would be platonic at best," he explained. "I know it's probably not what you wanted, but it's something you need to know…and a compromise you would have to make."
"Then I'll make it," she declared, determination in her gaze. "You're right. It isn't what I would have wanted, but if accepting Aurora's presence and her feelings for you is what it takes to be with you, then so be it. You're still my Icewing."
"Always…" he whispered, kissing her deeply once again. They fell asleep not long after, held in each other's arms like they had the last time they stayed in this room. The only difference is that last time they were merely close friends—not quite dating but close enough.
Now, however, they were fiancées.
AN: YES! It's now official! Winter and Moon have finally decided to be together, for better or worse! We'll see how that unfolds in later chapters so stick around.
And I got a lot of good answer for my 'interesting ships you've never heard of' question! Here's the list I got as well as my thoughts on them:
Glory x Tsunami: Technically, this ship already exists (as in I've seen it before in another story), but since it was just in the one story, I'll allow it.
Glory x Mangrove: Hmm...not really sure how that would work. If I remember right, Mangrove was already in a relationship. But I did ask, and it's definitely one I've never heard of.
Darkstalker x Indigo: ... ... ... I'm not sure this would actually be a willing ship. Like, this one legit makes me uncomfortable to think about. Sorry.
Smolder x Lynx: I'm not complaining as I like the idea of shipping Icewings and Sandwings (for some unknown reason :P), but why Lynx? I haven't read the third arc yet, so I don't know if this changes, but wasn't Lynx only mentioned a few times?
Qibli x Turtle: Yeah...that one's a bit out there. I realize they were friends, but they didn't strike me as very close friends in the books.
Tsunami x Sunny: This isn't one I would agree with for one reason. When Starflight told Sunny he lover her, Sunny replied by saying she did, too...as a brother. That would lead me to think Sunny views all of the other Dragonets of Destiny as her siblings, too.
Glory x Darkstalker: Honestly, out of all the replies I got for this question, I like this one the most. I can actually see this working. For instance, maybe Darkstalker would enchant Glory to ditch Deathbringer and they got into a relationship. Then Darkstalker would technically be king, and he could subtly shift the balance of power to his favor, therefore becoming King of two tribes. So kudos to Horizon for this suggestion!
If there's any other interesting ships you've never heard of, feel free to leave your thoughts in a review. Here's another one I thought of as an example: Thorn x Blister
Until Next Time
AdmiralCole22