The next week went by like a blur. Each day was filled with the same routine: Winter would wake up early in the morning before the sun even rose, make himself some breakfast and get to work on the assignments he needed to submit to The Academy. This would normally take him two hours to complete. Once he finished his assignments and he was sure they satisfied the teachers at the Academy, he would get up and go into the MudWing Quarter to meet Swan.
Where exactly he would meet Swan differed day by day. It was never in the same spot as before. As a dragon who always wanted to stick with a routine, Winter was taken aback every time Swan said she wanted to meet him at a different place. Each morning, he would feel nervous about going to a different place in the MudWing quarter, afraid he would make a fool of himself in front of Swan and that she would not want to help him anymore.
But by the third day of the week, Winter started to feel almost excited about the idea of going to a different place to meet his coworker. He developed a curiosity about the MudWing quarter, the establishments they visited and just spending time with his new friend.
When the work would get finished, it would be about noon, and Swan would order him lunch and they would spend the rest of the day talking about a variety of topics about humans. Winter would share his experiences with humans, how he had met Daffodil and Wren. Swan would pay attention to him, not interrupting, and showed genuine interest in why he wanted to build the human sanctuary.
After these conversations, they would go their separate ways for the day after they agreed on a place to meet up.
But the day before the council's deadline arrived things went a bit differently. Because the hard work they had put into their figures and statistics had been finished two days before the deadline, that final day was spent preparing on how Winter would present himself and the data.
"From what you told me, Algid and Rutile seem to already have their minds made up. They will be looking for any reason whatsoever to vote against you," Swan explained as they sat together at a drinking establishment on the border between the MudWing and SeaWing quarters. "They will be trying to convince the other council members to vote the same as them...and I would not be surprised if they have been talking with the others in private."
"What's the point of trying to convince them, then, if they have already made their decisions?" Winter asked.
"They have come to their conclusions, yes...but they will be expecting you to make the same proposal as you did last week. That is where your advantages lay: Because they are expecting the same proposal, they will be taken off guard when they not only see how accurate our figures are but also how reasonable they will look," She said, pausing only to take a sip from her drink. "Plus: I'll be there. I can't do the presentation, that is something you must do, Winter. But I will be there to make sure nobody gangs up on you like last time."
Knowing that Swan was going to be with him the next day made the nervousness in his stomach subside. At least someone covering his back felt nice. Not many dragons did that for him, save Hailstorm and the Jade Winglet.
His breath seized when he remembered each dragon in the Winglet he had been a part of for a short time. He desperately tried not to think about a certain SandWing or NightWing.
"Why do you do that?" Swan asked, suddenly. Perplexed, Winter looked up at his colleague as she leaned forward and gave him an inquisitive look. She must have noticed how he looked confused, and she clarified. "I've noticed you have this distant, almost sad, look in your eye when we talk."
Did he? Rubbing his talons over his eyelids, Winter tried not to let the embarrassment show on his face as he realized this was not the first time he had done this in public. Did others in Sanctuary think he was broken or hurt in the head? So many scenarios ran through his mind, which only fed the nervousness for what would happen tomorrow.
"Hey," Swan said, sternly, tapping the table with her talons to get his attention. "There's nothing wrong, I just want to make sure you're alright."
She was not judging him for this moment of weakness, far from it, she expressed concern for him? He was touched by this, knowing that Swan was not so willing to look down on him or think him incapable of leading the project.
A part of him even wanted to talk about what was on his mind. But he stopped himself. Here was Swan, somebody he had only known for a week, offering him to open up. Yet, she did not know what kind of dragon he had been. He did not want to alienate her from a lengthy explanation of his history, or how he had alienated his friends at Jade Mountain.
Even if he wanted to tell her without being judged.
"Not right now, Swan," Winter answered. "I would much rather figure out how I'm going to get most of the council members on board. That feels much more pressing right now."
Maybe it was an answer Swan did not want to her, as he saw her frown stretch across her face. But a short nod at least confirmed to him that she knew that the Scavenger project's fate was more important to him at the moment than whatever issues were in the past.
"Okay then," She answered. Turning her direction to their notes, she quickly went into suggesting which part of their research he should explain first.
Slowly but surely, the thoughts of the academy became almost as distant as the mountain it was built into. Gone were the thoughts of school work, grades, and winglets, in their place was busy work and his current life. At least for a little while.
Hours would pass, the presentation was outlined and last-minute check-ups on the statistics they spent a week working on were finished. They would eat lunch together, going over one last time what Winter would cover and Swan reaffirming that she would not let the councilmembers run over the top of him.
"I've been in my fair share of arguments," Swan said as they cleaned up their table and collected their things. " I'm not going to let them push you around."
"Thank you, Swan...I mean it," Winter said, giving her an appreciative smile. "I'll see you tomorrow at the Community Hall."
Tomorrow came soon...almost too soon. When he got home that evening to go to bed, the next day almost seemed to arrive as soon as his body hit the bed. The sun, conveniently, peeked through his window and shined down a way that the light touched his eyelids. When his eyes finally opened, it was to the sight of the golden light blurring his vision.
Groaning, Winter sat up from his bed and sat there for what felt like an eternity. The day he had been dreading for a week had finally arrived. Exhaling deeply, Winter ran his talons over his face as his nerves became cold...well...colder than usual.
In his mind, so many scenarios ran through his mind…
What if he screwed up with the opening? What if there was one thing he had forgotten to do? What if Swan got food poisoning and she wasn't there? What would he do if the council voted to refuse the Outreach project funding?
All of these thoughts scared him to death. To the point, he wanted to stay home...he just wanted to stay here, curl up in a ball and let the world wash over him. It was too exhausting to do anything else. The world was doing everything it could to keep him down, and he felt maybe it was best to just give in.
But he would not.
As tired and scared as he was, he was not going to give up. Even if the council voted against him, he would still give it his all. He would fight hard to ensure they knew the Human Outreach Project was beneficial and worth supporting.
Removing his talons from his face, Winter exhaled deeply as he forced himself to his feet. It was hard, but he was going to do whatever he could today to ensure the project stayed alive. With his resolve strengthened, Winter started to collect his things. After all of this was done he left for the Great Decagon.
By the time he had left his home and reached the center of Sanctuary, the sun was just starting to rise over the horizon. The streets were not yet cluttered with dragons going about their business, which was why the city council wanted to do the meeting so early as to avoid the busiest parts of the day.
Once he had reached the Great Decagon, the only other dragon he could see in the area was Swan. The tall MudWing was by the doors of the council hall, drinking something from a flask while he approached.
"You ready?" Swan asked, giving him an encouraging smile that Winter tried his best to return, with little success.
"Ready as I'll ever be," He answered as they walked to the door together.
"Drink this," She said, passing him another flask. "It's warm, and it will give you a little bit of energy."
Taking the cork off the flask, Winter drank a little bit of the drink. It took every bit of restraint for him not to gag as the bitter, brown, liquid went down his throat.
"Gaa...what is that?" He asked, handing back the flask to Swan while she grinned at him.
"This, fine concoction, is coffee," Swan replied, rather proudly. "Mae from beans found in the rainforest...it's been a favorite drink of mine for the last year or so."
Three Moons, the taste was still in his mouth...and it was lingering.
"Too bitter," Winter said, rolling his tongue in his mouth to get the taste out.
"But, it did the job, right? You feel more awake?" Swan said as he turned to face the doors. Despite not saying anything, he had to admit...he felt a little more awake. Whether it was from the shock of drinking something so bitter, or the drink woke him up a bit, he didn't know. But that did not stop Swan from having the biggest grin crawl up her face. "See, told you."
"Let's just get started," Winter said, rolling his eyes.
And yet, despite the cockiness Swan had, he found it to be amusing. It wasn't like Qibli's, which had charm but came off as more of a nuisance. Swan's, however, seemed less persistent. When a point was made, she would be silent in her triumph rather than making a show of it.
Certainly, that was not something Winter felt like he could do. But he would not lie to himself: He liked that about Swan, her jokes did not outstay their welcome.
"Right behind you, boss," Swan said, opening the door to let him in.
As expected, the beginning of the meeting followed the procedures of the ones that came before it. The ten minutes before Riptide called the meeting to order focused on the council members talking with each other. Some of the council members, especially the Pantalan representatives, had likely not seen each other during the week as they took care of business in their districts.
While the council members greeted each other and filled one another in on the events of the past week, Winter silently sat at the table as he got ready for the presentation at the end of the meeting. Despite focusing so much on the material, he heard the clicking of talons beside him. Expecting to see Swan, Winter looked up...only for his blood to run colder than any ice in the north.
"Your Highness," Algid greeted him, giving him a respectful nod that did little to hide her true opinion of Winter. "I take it you were successful in your 'research' this week?"
"I was," Winter answered, trying his best not to show how nervous he was that one of the dragons who were most vocal in their opposition of the Scavenger Outreach Project was talking to him. "I had someone help me."
"Oh?" She responded, quirking a brow at her skeptically.
"That would be me," Answered Swan, who had largely been standing off to the side and observing the councilmen who had been walking in. Her sudden appearance surprised Algid, clearly not expecting someone as tall as Swan to walk into the place. "Hello, Councilmen Algid, my name is Swan, Winter's assistant."
"A pleasure to meet you," Algid said, recovering from her shock. "I wasn't expecting the young prince to have an...assistant…"
"Well, neither was he," Swan said, looking over at Winter with a wink.
She was watching his back.
"She helped me go over some of the statistics," Winter added, wanting to take this opportunity to try and show Algid that he understood her and the other council members' concerns. He cared about Sanctuary's well-being, as well, it was his home. "I can assure you, it won't be a lot."
"We will be the judge of that, your highness," She said, though she almost seemed to be sucking in an angry breath as she spoke. Then, she walked away, over to Rutile and a few other council members, likely the ones she and Rutile were trying to convince to vote against his proposal.
Before he could thank Swan, Riptide called the Council to order.
"Alright everyone, it's time to call this meeting to order," He announced to the rest of the council as everyone took their seats around the table.
He felt Swan's wing brush up against him, looking back at her he saw her reassuring smile as she took her position next to Winter. When everyone took their seat, roll call for the meeting commenced. For the sake of procedures, and to explain why he had a guest with him, Winter introduced Swan when it was his turn to confirm his attendance.
After Algid and Swan's brief conversation, Winter noticed that those who had expressed the most skepticism towards the Outreach Project were looking in Swan's general direction. As if they did not know what her presence here would mean. Were they expecting Swan to speak on Winter's behalf?
If that was the case, then Winter would ensure that he had another surprise for them.
"Riptide, if I may?" Rutile said with a raise of his talons immediately after roll call and before Riptide went over the agenda.
"Yes, Rutile?" Riptide answered.
"May I suggest we continue where our last meeting left off?" The MudWing councilmember said the suggestion itself causing Winter's eyes to almost widen at what was happening.
Wait, so soon?! But his proposal wasn't supposed to be until the end of the meeting!
Riptide looked over at Winter as if to see if he was about to hyperventilate, before looking to the other council members.
"I wouldn't mind hearing what the young prince has to say," Algid said. "He had an assistant help him with the numbers he collected, so I would assume he is ready to present it before we go into important details of this meeting."
Oh, three moons...they were…
"With all due respect, councilmen," Swan interjected just before Winter could go into a quiet panic attack. "But the Human Outreach Project is important. Winter told me that it has the support of not just Queen Snowfall, but the rest of Pyrrhia's queens and the Pantalan Queens. Is that detail not important?"
For the first time since he had met Algid, Winter did not hear a rebuttal. Someone who always had a counter to whatever somebody said, someone who always researched their opponents before a debate, Algid was never taken off guard. She must have spent an entire week thinking of ways to whittle at Winter's arguments, expecting him to stutter.
But she had not been expecting Swan, and her being taken off guard was proof of that. Most notably, was the silence of the councilmembers she and Rutile had been speaking to.
After that statement from Swan, Algid finally recovered. "I...did not mean to say that the Scavenger Outreach Project is not important, I just meant that of all the topics on our agenda...It would be best for Prince Winter's go first before we go onto more pressing matters."
"I see, thank you for clarifying your statement, Councilmen Algid," Swan said with a polite smile.
While this would come off as a polite gesture, Winter had been in his fair share of political gatherings to know that Swan's statement was anything but cordial. Instead of gloating at Algid, she capitalized on her previous words by making it clear that Algid was wrong.
This served as Swan's introduction to the Council, her way of showing them that she was not some random citizen Winter had randomly chosen to help him. She knew how to speak in these types of meetings, and that she knew how to maneuver the battlefield that was always in politics.
"Perhaps the Prince's proposal would be better off going first?" Interjected Rutile after Swan's statement. "Given its importance to the Queens, as you said."
And like that, the tides were turning against him again. How was Swan going to turn this around? Glancing at Swan, Winter's hopes that she would have a rebuttal fell when he saw her nod at her fellow MudWing.
"You're right, thank you for that suggestion and observation, Councilmen Rutile," Swan smiled. Winter tried to give her a protesting glare, anything to convince her not to make him go first. But instead of looking at him with sympathy or reassurance...she gave him a confident smile.
"You can do this," She mouthed. "Remember, I've got your back."
This was not what he wanted to do...but he was realizing it was what he needed to do. Swan had stood by him, spoke about the sanctuary's importance. Now, he needed to deliver. He knew what he needed to say, he just had to say it.
Looking across the table, he and Riptide looked directly at each other. Riptide himself looked conflicted as to if he wanted to say something. But he was the one who called the meeting to order and allowed votes to progress, he was expected to be neutral.
Taking a deep breath, Winter nodded at Riptide.
"All in favor of this change on the agenda?" Riptide asked the councilmembers.
It took only thirty seconds for deliberation.
The outcome: All in favor of the change in agenda.
Whether Winter liked it or not (he most assuredly did not like it) it was his time to speak. After the vote was held, the IceWing Prince stood up from his seat, rather shakily, and started to put the documents he and Swan had worked on in piles depending on their general topic. The three piles were for livestock, fisheries, and plants.
"Over the last week, Swan and I focused on evaluating the resources needed to make the valley outside of Sanctuary viable for human life," Winter said, making sure to emphasize human life. "Last week, I appreciate the council giving me a chance to analyze what is needed to achieve that goal. And, based on the figures, I hope the council will see that as well in the research we conducted."
With his introduction finished, Winter started to slide the piles across the table so the council members could read the statistics. Alongside Algid and Rutile, Winter noticed the NightWing and RainWings looking at the statistics with a judging gaze as if looking for a tiny detail to tear apart.
But it never came. Each council member was silent. Even Riptide, perhaps the only council member who believed in him, seemed stunned by what he read.
"Prince Winter?" The SilkWing council member asked as she went over the last paper she read regarding the flora and fauna that would be required for the valley. "I am amazed, and a bit confused...the data you have recorded, it seems like the resources that would be required is...well...it's less than what one would need for the dragonets in Sanctuary."
"Correct, are you sure that you calculated this thoroughly?" The HiveWing representative asked.
"We went over the data three times," Winter said. Just like that, the tide was turning in his favor. "I can assure you, the data is correct."
"But the scavengers...are you sure they would have enough?" Asked Riptide after he read through this. "I appreciate that you did research, but are you sure the sca...humans will have enough resources?"
"They will, and that is because of their size," Winter said as he took an apple from a plate in front of him. "This apple might be enough to satisfy a dragon for a few minutes before we go onto another...but for humans, this apple is almost as large as two adolescent humans," As he said this, he used one of his claws to cut it in half. "With these size comparisons in mind, we only need enough for an initial population. The humans can take care of the rest."
Silence filled the hall once again, all council members looked over the notes repeatedly. Some, he imagined, were trying to make a last-ditch effort at finding a flaw in his and Swan's plans. But there was nothing as they closed the notes and looked at one another. Algid and Rutile, in particular, looked at each other and nodded, almost in defeat.
"On the topic of the population," The LeafWing representative asked. "What fail-safes would be in place to ensure that the humans would not destabilize their habitat?"
A reasonable question, Winter realized.
"The humans that will be coming to the valley are survivors," He explained. "They have had to focus on rationing their supplies. They will do what is required to survive. They know how to farm and reuse resources for the next season."
He wanted to be as specific as he could, such as Daffodil's efforts to tell humans that the valley near Sanctuary was safe. If he did that, he felt it would bore the council when he already had an advantage.
The next few minutes were spent with him answering questions from the council members. But while he spoke, Winter found the nervousness he had felt earlier start to subside. In its place was confidence. Even, dare he say, he found it...enjoyable explaining to the council what the preserve would be like, what he would do to ensure that it was going to be like once all of the essentials was established.
Then, the moment of truth occurred: The announcement of the vote.
"Any more questions for Winter?" Riptide asked the council.
Looking around the table, he saw that none of the council members rose their hands. The moment of truth was upon him…
"With the information in mind, all in favor of granting Winter resources and funding?" Riptide said, officially beginning the vote.
And then, to his surprise...eight of the ten council members' talons raised into the air. Winter's eyes widened as he saw the majority, a clear one, before him of council members who believed that the Human Outreach Project was worth support. He hoped that there would be a majority...but by this much?
The only two dragons who did not vote in favor were Algid and Rutile. They looked over at Winter, giving him a skeptical look as the vote did not go in their favor. And, yet, to his greater surprise, their talons started to raise.
"The result is unanimous," Riptide said, struggling to hold back a grin as he and the others lowered their talons. "We will discuss how, and when, the resources will be brought, and how this process will work at a later date."
Hearing those words, almost made Winter feel as if he was in a dream. He felt his excitement almost burst like steam trying to break out of a container.
The Outreach project...it was going to be funded and supported!
Looking at Swan, he saw the MudWing give him a wink of her eye and gently nudged her wing into his.
For the first time in months, Winter felt his lips curl into a grin.
Perhaps, things were starting to look up...