Aster was in the central hospital of Dafin when news arrived of the troops returning. She rushed out to see the state. A little bit of dirt and grime, here and there, but nothing major. Their faces bore bad news for her, though. She pushed through the crowd, praying to herself that he was alright.
There was no sight of her Radiance, but there was a stretcher with a Skywing banner laid over it. She rolled the banner back, before quickly throwing it back and stumbling backward, tears spilling out. She couldn't lose him. She didn't deserve this.
"Did he die with honor?!" she begged the nearest soldier.
"He is the only reason we won," he answered.
"FUCK!" she screamed. "So fucking stupid..."
He had hopes and dreams. He had a family. He had her, and she had him. Nothing could be done now, not anymore. Maybe she should have gone with him, instead of staying behind and managing the hospital supplies for the anticipated wounded. Maybe then, he would have returned to her safe.
She wiped her tears, before shambling to Colonel Ardeur.
"Are there any other casualties, sir?" she asked.
"No. Radiance is our sole loss," he answered coldly. "You knew him better than us. Deliver this to his parents."
He handed her an icewing spear, blood still stained on it. She took it gingerly, tears welling up as she examined it, examined the blood. His blood. She thanked the colonel. She turned to the troops standing by Radiance's corpse.
"Give me the banner. Prepare the funeral proceedings. I will inform his family," she ordered.
"Yes, lieutenant!"
Aster looked at Ardeur.
"You are granted leave, Lieutenant Aster," he said.
Aster took off.
Himmel awoke to pounding on the door. Ciel grumbled beside him as he sat up.
"5 more minutes mom," Ciel moaned. Himmel smiled and kissed her on the forehead.
"I'll go get the door, sweetie," he soothed her.
He built up the fire in his throat before opening the door, wanting to be prepared just in case. It fizzed out.
It was a lone female Skywing, wearing the Lieutenant's battlefield armor. Besides her tired, exhausted composure, she looked completely proper. She was holding an Icewing Spear wrapped in the Imperial Skywing Banner.
"No..." was all he could whimper. He looked back to his room with Ciel, then to Strato's room, shaking. He shouldn't wake them.
He pushed past the soldier, not even asking for her name, flying into the night sky to mourn for his son. She was still there when he returned. Their home was filled with wailing that day.
The Icewings extended the talon for peace, realizing the whole war was stupid, needing almost 500 dead dragons over the 3 years to realize they were being stupid. It was empty land and threatening Dafin was the last straw for the Skywings who retaliated full force. Some of the Icewing brass resented stopping the war effort, especially now that the Skywing with glowing eyes was not only corroborated with a second witness but also killed, according to that witness. But, negotiating for peace with the very noble whose son was killed in the war solidified the Icewing Queen's resolve for peace.
Himmel and a royal envoy with guards sat opposite the Icewing Queen and her entourage. He could only stare at her silently, too tired to lash out, and more than eager to negotiate terms for peace. As for the queen, losing one of her prized commanders in an ambush certainly woke her up to the realities of war.
"The meeting has commenced," the scribe, a Sandwing, announced.
"The Skywing delegation demands 3 conditions. We request that all borders be returned to their former status, for Icewing aggression to cease, and for relations between the two kingdoms to be normalized," Himmel hoarsely demanded, per the order of the Skywing Queen.
The Icewing Queen looked pensive for a moment. "We wish for transgressions to be forgiven and concur wholeheartedly with the Skywing delegation's requests."
Himmel felt surprised, but the haggard look on his face said otherwise.
Silence rang for several minutes before the scribe tentatively announced the end of negotiations. The treaty was an astounding... 50 words long, signed and sealed with the signature of the Icewing Queen and Governor Himmel of Kallion Reunalla as the lead delegate from the Skywings.
1000 Years after The Scorching,
Borders to be returned to their status before the Borderland Conflict.
Icewing transgressions will cease.
Relations between the two Kingdoms are to be normalized.
Signed by the Delegations of the Icewings and Skywings, Respectively
Queen Boreas
Governor Himmel
The flight to the Imperial Palace from the island where the Ambush of Dafin took place and the negotiations signed was arduous, at least for Himmel. There was a celebration in the palace that night as cheers for the end of the war echoed the halls. Himmel excused himself early.
He walked through the empty hallways, the click of his talons barely muffled by the carpets. He stared out the tall windows into the city below. What he would give to walk these halls and enjoy these views with his son. He meandered his way up to the highest tower, where his son was cremated.
It was just a week ago, the longest week in Himmel's life. He watched the banner that entombed his son's body go up in flames as he clung to the spear that took Radiance, standing next to who he would find out was Radiance's mate, Aster. The acrid scent told him the ashes were scattered to the winds, where according to Skywing customs, the soul would reincarnate into another Skywing.
He wanted nothing more than to return home to Ciel and Strato. He sat down shakily and took a shaky breath, feeling the cold marble sink into his scales as he looked at the sky, tears spilling out of his eyes.
"I'm sorry about putting you through the formalities, knowing how you are. I figured I'd find you here. I wanted to... thank you. For everything, Governor."
Himmel couldn't even get himself to do anything formal. No bowing, no your majesties. He didn't even wipe his tears to make himself presentable before the queen.
The pair sat silently for a moment before Himmel started talking.
"You should have accepted my request to make him a Brigadier. He had all the skills," he croaked. "My son would still be with me today. For all that I've done for Kallion Reunalla and the Skywing Kingdom, I hoped I was favored enough for that. I would have given you everything I had to guarantee his safety, because, in my heart, Radiance was everything I had."
The queen was silent, so Himmel continued. "I taught him everything I knew, took him everywhere to give him the wisdom and character needed to continue my work in prospering our dragons. How could he have faltered?"
"I could not have foreseen this. I had placed Radiance with other skilled commanders. I would have given him all the promotions after the battle, if not to just save face before the military over conflict of interest," the Queen admitted after a long while.
"It's my fault. Radiance was the only one to die. He must have done something truly remarkable to be the only one killed in an overwhelming massacre. Why did he have to go? There is so much more to see and do. How many more times would we have enjoyed the paintings in the hallways and met little dragonets in the schools. I could have been taking care of his dragonets when he and Aster were overwhelmed with work."
Himmel started crying in earnest. "I don't deserve this. Radiance didn't deserve this. Aster didn't deserve this. What did we do to deserve this?"
The Queen had left already, leaving him alone, as he wished. He didn't want her around. He just wanted to be by himself. He didn't know if he could ever move on. Maybe he should have tried harder to convince his son to not join the military. Maybe he could have roughed his son up a bit, try to make him tougher, and not susceptible to pride. Where did he mess up with raising his son?
His son was bad luck after all. Ciel's beliefs were right. Well, on paper. Himmel bitterly realized it was him who failed Radiance, not Radiance who failed him.
Aster's leave took her back to the grounds of the officer academy, where she met Radiance. After speaking at the memorial for Radiance at the Academy, and at his cremation on the highest tower of the Skywing Palace, she needed some isolation from the frenzy that occurred at the end of the war.
She sat down at the lake, right where Radiance had those years ago, clinging to the feeling of warmth and joy he gave her. Maybe they will meet again in the next life. Two souls, kind and intelligent, a touch too prideful and disobedient.
A/N:
This story was written a year ago, meant to just be a tragedy about a dragon who hatched on Halloween who happens to have magical laser eyes, but since October 26, I revisited this story, wanting to update it, prompted by the submission of my package as part of my application process to a service academy. I find myself writing reflections and parts of myself into it. My hopes, my dreams. Even my manner of speech and my mannerisms are wrote into how Aster speaks. The military is a part of the human experience, whether you like it or not. Your freedoms, your hopes, your dreams, they're all protected by sacrifice. War with China is inevitable.
It's just a military story, at the end of it. A reflection of personal characteristics, interpersonal relationship, family, patriotism told through a story about a dragon with laser eyes. I hope I get the opportunity to serve, but I do not wish for two people to knock on my mother's door, informing her I died. Wish me luck in this endeavor.