A Brighter Future Ahead

AN: As promised, a new chapter of Brighter Future. It's a direct continuation of last chapter, so it's still with Trench, but we'll get back to Darkstalker in the next one.

Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OC Trench belongs to me.

Trench:

For the first time in, dare he say ever, Trench was genuinely nervous. Not only did Diamond possess animus magic, she happened to be the only Icewing animus in history that had used her magic more than once…and continued to use it. That, and she happened to be one of the most ruthless and vindictive Queens he had ever met.

He had heard rumors of what she used to do to Nightwings captured in the war—none of them pleasant. What made her even more awe-inspiring was that the Icewings were perhaps the most feared military on Pyrrhia. They may not have the numbers like the Skywings did or the physical strength of the Mudwings, but their discipline and training more than made up for it.

He looked over to Pearl where she sat at the head of the negotiation table. Apparently, she planned to personally oversee these talks now, and he had no qualms about that. He was sitting immediately to her right, and he was the only other dragon sitting at the table right now. All of the other dragons that were going to attend originally had been sent away by Pearl. Even the Seawing guards were stationed outside. Now the plan was for the two of them and Diamond to negotiate—just the three of them.

She wasn't quite here yet, but the waiting seemed to be the hardest part. It was then that three resounding bangs sounded at the door before they were opened by the two Seawing guards stationed outside. In walked Queen Diamond with a scowl on her face.

She sat at her appointed spot and glared at Trench. "I didn't know I could bring a plus one," she drawled.

"Commander Trench has full authority over the Seawing military," Pearl explained. "He has every right to be here, too."

"Very well," the Icewing Queen relented with a dismissive flick of her claw. "I didn't come here to argue about such trifles anyways." She switched her gaze to Pearl, and Trench was silently thankful that intense glare wasn't aimed at him anymore. "What would you give for Icewing support in your war?" she asked.

"Well, we promised the Sandwings whatever was in the Skywing treasury, but I'm sure there's enough there for them to split it with you," Pearl tried. "They are the richest tribe," she pointed out.

Diamond merely scoffed. "I have no interest in Skywing treasure," she dismissed. "Now, will you continue to guess…or shall I give you my price?" she grinned almost maliciously.

Pearl looked at him uncertainly before turning her gaze back to the other Queen. "What price did you have in mind?" she asked hesitantly.

"There's no need to sound so anxious, dear," she chuckled. "It's rather a trifle. It won't affect you or your tribe at all," she said with that same grin before it fell away and she became deathly serious. "I want the Sky Kingdom," she revealed. "And more than that, I want Carmine to willingly give up her throne before I part her pathetic head from her wretched shoulders!"

"And so you become the Queen of two tribes?" Trench asked. "Why?"

"Why not?" she replied matter-of-factly. "Besides. I hear having two kingdoms is all the rage these days, what with Anaconda declaring herself Queen of the Mudwings."

Both Trench and Pearl were deathly silent after Diamond's statement. "That's not possible," Trench argued. "Last I heard, the entire Mudwing army was about to assault the norther border of the Rainforest, and I should know since I'm the one who ordered it."

"And yet it is true," the Queen revealed. "I flew over the battlefield on the way here. The entire Mudwing army has been defeated."

Trench stared at her in utter disbelief for a long moment before shaking his head. "No, that can't be right! The entire Rainwing force was occupied with my soldiers on their eastern border. The Skywings were busy fighting my troops from the east and Sandwings from the southwest. No one could have destroyed the Mudwings that quickly! It's impossible!" he denied, though Diamond's smirk grew throughout his tirade.

"Oh, but you've forgotten something, Commander," she claimed. "My…dear grandson, Darkstalker, was the one who killed the Mudwings," she revealed. "I saw him down there with my own eyes." She placed her elbows on the table and steepled her claws, all traces of humor gone from her voice and expression. "He has become quite powerful," she mused. "Stronger than I could have ever imagined."

And it was at this point, for the first time in, dare he say ever, that Trench felt real fear. He had heard the stories about Darkstalker and what the young, ambitious animus did in the Nightwing Kingdom—about how he had no reservations for using his magic for evil things such as manipulation or killing. He'd heard about the Icewing murders out in the desert—bloody, broken bodies with his name carved in their corpses.

Yet despite all that he had heard, he had believed most of it to be nothing but stories. Now, though, the Queen of the Icewings had personally witnessed Darkstalker annihilate the entire Mudwing army…

What have I done? Was declaring war the right thing to do? Could they have solved everything they needed to solve through diplomacy or maybe an assassination or two? Yes, they could've. So why declare war if they didn't need to?

He knew the answer, of course. He enjoyed war. It was what ultimately proved him to Pearl. It was what gave him the title of Commander. It was what gave him full authority over the Seawing military. It was what gave him the chance to perhaps be King one day.

"By the look on your faces, I would say you have no choice but to accept my terms. The fact remains that I am the only animus outside of Anaconda's control, and despite your dislike of it, animus magic is the only possible way to defeat Darkstalker," Diamond explained. Then, she smirked once more. "So…de we have a deal?"

AN: Did I get Diamond's character right? I feel like I didn't really do her much justice, but I'd like to hear your thoughts on the matter.

Until Next Time

AdmiralCole22