A/N: So I was listening to the Phantom of the Opera soundtrack the other day (one of my favorite musicals) when the idea for a fic got into my mind and stayed there. Needless to say, this is the end result of that. Fellow Phantom fans may recognize some lyrics from this work's namesake song, as one of my goals was to work in as much as I reasonably could. But enough of that for now; enjoy the story!
Masquerade
Moonwatcher couldn't really say that she liked parties. There were always too many people, too many thoughts, and altogether too much noise for her tastes. Given the choice between going to a festivity and staying in her room and reading a scroll, she would almost always choose the latter. And while it was true that she'd been getting much better at and more confident in larger group setting since coming to school, defeating Darkstalker, and everything else that followed, parties were simply never her thing.
But the one tonight…this one she was looking forward to.
Raising a talon to her head, she gave a small adjustment to the mask that covered much of her upper face. Black, but with small green gems set in it (artificial, of course, there was no way she could get real ones), it went rather well with her scales. It had a kind of charm, blending into them yet still obscuring her features just enough. The green feathers on top were a nice touch as well, adding a little bit more mystery.
Yes, tonight was a costume ball: a masquerade party. Moon had heard of them in the past, but she'd never imagined that she'd get to be in one. Then one day the announcement came from the Dragonets of Destiny that the end of semester celebration would be one, and Moon had been looking forward to it ever since. It just seemed so fun! Getting to dress up and disguise herself, trying to see the costumes of her clawmates and guessing who was who…it all felt like it would be an amazing time.
And Moon wasn't the only one who thought so either. Poor Kinkajou had been bubbling with excitement all day for night to fall, constantly leaving to check outside and see if it was dark yet. Of course, Moon was more than used to her roommate's energy and almost constant excitement over something or other, but this time it was almost getting on her nerves.
Oh well, Moon thought, glancing in a mirror and adjusting her mask once more, The night's almost here. She won't be waiting long now.
Almost as if on cue, Moon heard the sound of the Rainwing entering the room. "Dusk is falling!" Kinkajou announced, a wide smile on her face, "I just bumped into Clay, and he says the party will begin in a half-hour, give or take."
"Great!" Moon responded with only a little bit less enthusiasm. She motioned to her mask, "What do you think?"
"Oh, Moon, it's so pretty!" Kinkajou said instantly, "I was wondering what you were planning, and that definitely fits you."
"Are you sure it works for a masquerade, though," Moon had to question, "I mean, all I could get was the mask. I don't have any ribbons or capes to conceal myself like I heard some of the other dragons talking about. Do you think this is…how to put it? Mysterious enough?"
Kinkajou looked her over for just a moment before nodding. "I'd say so. I mean, just covering you silver scales does wonders. I'd say that you could fool any friend who ever knew you."
Moon gave a sigh of relief. "Good to know," she told the Rainwing. "What are you going to wear?"
The answer she received was a flash of color from Kinkajou's scales as the little Rainwing flashed through a dozen colors and patterns. "I don't think I really need to wear anything," she said, "I might throw on a simple mask, but right now I'm thinking dark blue for my scales, or maybe a grass green. Ugh, there's sooo many options to choose, what do you think?"
Moon had to give a small laugh at her friend's sudden indecision. "Honestly, I'm surprised you're not planning to just change them every hour or so. You can have a dozen costumes."
"True," Kinkajou observed, looking over her scales with an interested look on her face, as though the idea was something amazing and novel. Moon had to roll her eyes at that.
"Although I have to say," Moonwatcher went on, "Maybe try to imitate a Seawing. If you're already thinking about blue…I don't know…you could see if Anemone could lend you some jewelry just to really sell it."
"Huh. I like that, I really do," Kinajou nodded, "I may have to do that. After what she did, she owes me more than just letting me borrow a necklace or two."
"That's the truth." Putting that love spell on Kinkajou was something that Anemone had shown quite a bit of regret over, and Kinkajou had been waiting a while now to call in one of many of the favors the Seawing princess had offered to make things right.
The Rainwing shook her head at a similar thought of Anemone, but was back to her normal self in just a moment. "But regardless, I can't wait. Oh, Moon, it's going to be a splendid party. A prologue to a bright new school year!"
"Quite a night, I hope," Moon agreed, "I'm sure we'll be impressed."
"Well, one does one's best!"
She poked the Rainwing's wing with her own and grinned. "Indeed, and with the school year it's been, we deserve a nice party. So…" Moon gave a kind of tip of her mask to Kinkajou, "Here's to us!"
"That we do," Kinkajou grinned, "But I must say all the same that it's a pity that Sparkles can't be here."
"Sparkles?" Moon asked, suddenly confused.
"Yeah, Sparkles…you know…Winter."
"Oh…yeah," Moon faltered a bit. She'd forgotten about Kinkajou's little nickname for him. But what she said was true; it really was a pity Winter couldn't be here.
The Icewing had up and left Jade Mountain following the defeat of Darkstalker and everything that had followed. He hadn't felt comfortable being around his winglet anymore, and between his father being killed and he himself being banished from his kingdom…it had been a lot for him to deal with. Moon had wished he'd stayed, but in the end she really couldn't blame him for flying away. Especially with what had happened at the time between her and Qibli.
She gave a sigh as she thought about that. It still hurt that what had happened pushed him away. She still did wish that the Icewing prince could have just stayed, that he hadn't felt like he'd been forced to leave. Winter was a good dragon, one that didn't deserve what had befallen him. And he was a good friend, one that easily could have been so much more. Moon knew that he had those feelings for her, and she would be lying to herself if she said she didn't return them…at least to some degree, her mind told her to add.
But regardless of any of that, she cared for Winter, and she missed him very much.
"A real shame," Kinkajou stated, tearing her out of her thoughts, "You think he would have danced with me? At the party, I mean."
Moon looked the Rainwing over. "I don't know. Maybe."
"You have to admit, few dragons out there are as handsome as Winter," Kinkajou gave a look of longing, "If I were a two or three year old, I might even call him dreamy. I certainly wouldn't mind a dance with him, or two, or three."
Shifting a little bit uncomfortably on her feet, Moon gave the Rainwing a pat on her shoulder. "I honestly wouldn't either, but there's no use wishing for it." In all truth, Moon didn't really know what to think about her friend's sudden interest in Winter. Part of her suddenly felt a bit…worried? Concerned? Possessive? That couldn't be right. Why would she care at all if Kinkajou held some romantic feelings towards the Icewing?
"His brother's coming, you know," Kinkajou said, ripping her out of her thoughts again.
"Pardon?"
"Prince Hailstorm," Kinkajou clarified, "I heard that he's coming to Jade Mountain."
"To be a student?" Moon was a bit confused.
"No, no," the Rainwing shook her head, "Apparently, Queen Snowfall wants to make sure the school is running smoothly and all before the upcoming semester, so she's sending him to just check things out and investigate. I don't know all the specifics, but probably just the standard look around and report stuff. If I recall correctly, he should be arriving today or tomorrow. So, I guess he could be here tonight."
"Huh," Moon swished her tail in thought, "I'll have to look for him, then. I wonder if he's kept up with Winter at all."
Kinkajou shrugged her wings. "I'm just curious as to whether or not he'll be dressed up. If not, then he'll probably be the easiest dragon there to identify," she snickered.
"Probably," Moon glanced out of the room and saw a few dragons walking down the hallway in costume, "Looks like we may be getting ready," she told Kinkajou, "If you want to ask Anemone if you can borrow some jewelry, I'd say do it now."
"We are?" her friend looked out with a squeak, "I…yeah, that's a good idea. I'll be right back!"
Moon laughed at how she rushed out of the room, then rolled her eyes. There was never a dull moment with Kinkajou around.
Although her mask was the only real costume part of her costume, Moon spent a little bit more time picking out a nice necklace and bracelet and making her scales look nice. After all, it wouldn't do not to look nice just because it was a masquerade. It was a fairly formal party, after all.
By the time Kinkajou was back, she was ready. She opened her mouth to comment on the Seawing jewelry that the Rainwing now wore, but before either could say a word they heard a yell through the hallway saying that the party was starting. So, instead, she settled on a supportive grin at her friend's "costume" as they made their way over, Moon almost as giddy as the Rainwing beside her.
As expected, the party was marvelous. Of course, Moon didn't really know what to expect for a masquerade, but the colors and costumes completely captivated her from the moment she walked into the dining cave where it was being held. Everywhere she looked there was a flash of mauve, a splash of puce. The costumes on some were extravagant: fool and king; ghoul and goose. Here was green and black, there queen and priest. A trace of rogue and a face of beast.
Banners and streamers filled the room as colors swirled. It was only just beginning as she found a spot and watched, but already dragons were filling the room, each in their own disguise. Some were more obvious than others, of course, but there were a few from the other winglets that she had to admit that she couldn't quite be certain who was who, at least at first. Jade Mountain was only so big, after all, and she saw these dragons on a fairly regular basis.
Qibli, for instance, she was able to identify almost immediately where he sat chatting with some fellow Sandwings, a black cloth with eye holes across his upper face and tied behind his horns being really the only thing that served to hide him. Well, aside from a few painted-on tattoos, but those did little to mask his appearance like other dragons did. Some of the other students had taken it a step farther, wearing capes and cloths to cover their scales and conceal even more; one Skywing had an elaborate rope of feathers looped around his horns and across both wings, presumably in an imitation of a bird.
Really, it was all almost too much to take in, and so she was relieved when she saw Kinkajou (who'd disappeared in the crowd the second they'd arrived), standing and talking with a couple of others that she recognized as Peril and Turtle. The latter noticed her and waved her over to join them, a prospect she readily accepted. The Seawing was dressed as what appeared to be a soldier, with a chest plate and vambraces but lacking any weapon or helmet. Beside him, Peril was the only dragon that wore absolutely nothing at all, her firescales making her the odd one out at the dance…not that she seemed to mind much.
"Nice mask," Turtle complimented her as she approached, before she could give a similar comment on his own costume.
"Thank you," Moon told him, "I like your outfit as well. Did you bring that all the way from the Sea Kingdom?"
"Pike did, actually," came the Seawing's answer, "I just borrowed it for the night—not that I've ever seen him use it before."
"Makes sense," Kinkajou said, "Although I'm surprised he doesn't use it himself."
"I thought the same thing," Turtle answered, "But to him, it isn't a costume."
"Oh well," Peril spoke up, "His loss."
Moon chuckled and glanced around at the other dragons. "So…I heard there would be music?"
"I think that's the band setting up now," Peril said, pointing across the room with her tail. Moon looked across the room and was almost embarrassed that she'd missed it before. A group of Skywings, all with matching red masks, were readying themselves in a corner, pulling out an assortment of brass and string instruments. They looked rather professional; the Dragonets of Destiny must have pulled out all the stops for the party.
"Oh," was her only response, and her friends laughed at her moment of obliviousness as she shook her head.
"Well, I'm sure glad there is," Kinkajou said, nudging Turtle, "After all, I was looking forward to a dance or two."
The Seawing prince grinned. "So was I."
Peril rolled her eyes. "I'd say the same, but I probably wouldn't be able to do so without setting something on fire. But Clay promised me something special to make up for it, so we'll see."
Kinkajou poked Moon with her tail. "And I imagine you'll be spinning the night away with Qibli, won't you?" her friend asked.
Moonwatcher tried not to give a wince or anything as she answered. "Yeah…I guess."
Peril frowned, unsatisfied with that response. "You guess?"
"Well…" Moon rubbed her forearm with a claw, suddenly very uncomfortable.
"I thought the two of you were a couple," the Skywing dragoness pressed, raising an eye ridge.
"I…I mean…we are," Moon tried to get out, "But lately…"
"Don't tell me you two had another argument," Kinkajou cut her off with a sigh.
"We didn't!" Moon stated quickly, "And they were never arguments! Just…disagreements."
"Uh huh," Peril said dryly.
"What was it this time?" Kinkajou asked, "More of 'you should work for Thorn' or another one over what happened with Darkstalker?"
"Kinkajou!" Turtle exclaimed, "You shouldn't listen in on their conversations like that."
"It's not my fault when they raise their voices so loud I can hear them in the library," the Rainwing defended herself.
Moon shook her head, a sinking feeling suddenly in the pit of her stomach, "It wasn't anything like that," she told her friends, "It's just that…well, I'd rather not talk about it. Not here."
Peril snorted. "Very well."
Kinkajou still didn't look satisfied, and she was opening her mouth back up to presumably say as much when the sound of music from the band filled the room and stopped her. It was rather relieving to see Turtle take her away and into the area made into a dance floor for the night, although the Rainwing gave her a look as she went that clearly said that they'd speak more about this later.
Peril dismissed herself a moment later to find Clay, and Moon found herself alone again. She made her way to the refreshments and ate a small snack as she watched some of the other couples in Jade Mountain dance. It really was a beautiful scene with everything decorated in a rainbow of color, with the dragons twisting and turning and shining and glittering around. So many faces; for a while, all she could do was drink it in, drink it up, until she'd almost drowned in the light, in the sound.
It was the arrival of Qibli who snapped her out of almost a trance as she watched and listened to the words and thoughts around her. He grinned and offered her a claw as a new song began, offering her a dance. She couldn't deny that he looked rather dashing with his own mask; it was almost enough to make her forget why she was so hesitant to take his claw and accept. But in the end she did. After all, as Peril had observed, they were a couple.
But even as they began their dance, Moon just couldn't put her heart into it. Qibli was a great dragon, a great friend, but there was something that was just missing. And there had been for some time. Moon couldn't really explain it, not even to herself, but the more time she spent with Qibli, the less right it felt to be with him. And it wasn't even really because of those argum—those, disagreements, but rather that those seemed to be the result of that other feeling.
It was like the dance they did now; it didn't quite feel like it was supposed to. Reared up on her hind legs, Qibli took her foreclaws in his and gently spun her around the room. But it felt awkward and clunky, despite both of them knowing what they were doing; it wasn't the first time they'd danced, after all. Her footing felt unsure, each step a misstep, and while Qibli himself seemed unconcerned, Moon soon found her focus more on not falling than enjoying herself.
"You look beautiful tonight," Qibli told her, but she couldn't quite find a response as she tried not to trip over her own tail. The grin on his face may normally be infectious, but she couldn't bring herself to smile with him. He seemed to be having a good enough time; Moon was not.
The song that had begun playing when he'd invited her ended, and she broke away from him and dropped back to all fours. A new one began, but she shook her head when he offered her a claw again.
"Sorry," she said as apologetically as she could, "But…I need a break."
He looked at her in confusion. "It was only one song."
"I know but…" she trailed off and shook her head, trying not to feel so bad at the sudden disappointment on his face, "We can do more later, I just…I need to sit down for a moment."
He sighed but didn't push her as she dismissed herself and exited the dance area. She glanced back to see him making his back over to the other Sandwings he'd been talking with earlier as she made her own way across the room. She soon found herself sitting and watching the party once again, taking in the grinning yellows, spinning reds, and all the paper faces on parade around the room. If she was honest, it was about as much fun just watching as partaking.
The night was still young, with a few dragons still arriving for Moon to observe as she watched over the masquerade. She saw Pike make his entrance, the Seawing wearing some sort of white fabric that really didn't compliment his scales (although perhaps that was his point). Coconut, another of the Rainwings, slunk in not long later. Moon noticed pretty much all of the Rainwings had done the same thing as Kinkajou, relying on their scales to change color and not bothering much with masks or clothes.
She was just doing a count of dragons in the room to see if anyone was still missing when one more dragon made an appearance. But unlike the others, this one didn't come from the tunnels that led to the student's rooms. No, this dragon came from the one that led out to the main entrance.
Moon tilted her head as she observed this new arrival, and she wasn't the only one, it seemed. Immediately upon stepping into the room, this dragon seemed to just have a presence about him. For it was an Icewing, that Moon could tell, but aside from the way that the dragon held itself that bespoke it was a male, there was not much else she could tell about him. On his face was a yellow-gold mask with streaks of red on the edges like horns and which cast shadows over his eyes. At his neck was a gold pendant that held a large black cape with a red underside draped across his back and which fell down low across his shoulders and concealed nearly the whole of his body so long as he kept his wings tucked in. In fact, there seemed to almost be a second cape attached or coming out of the first, which fell farther and fanned out around his tail. On his arms were a pair of golden bands that nearly covered them completely. In truth, aside from the horns at the back of his head, he was so well concealed that there was actually very little to actually indicate this was an Icewing, at least at first glance.
The costume was done extremely well, Moon had to say, and it could easily have thrown her for a loop if she hadn't already done a count of Icewings and knew that they were all already there. So that left only one option: Prince Hailstorm had apparently arrived in time for the party. With what she knew of Icewings, Moon honestly wouldn't have thought that he would have gotten all dressed up for it when Kinkajou mentioned he might arrive, but here he was.
Intrigued, and with nothing else to do at the moment, she watched the Icewing make his way through the crowd. He seemed to move with confidence, but she couldn't really tell due to mask hiding his face so well. She tried to search his thoughts, but couldn't quite locate them among the sea of dragons. A few of said dragons he brushed past wordlessly, a few he gave small nods to, but if she had to guess, she would have to say he was looking for something.
Maybe one of the Jade Winglet, Moon thought to herself as she forced herself to turn away and get a drink from the table, if for no other reason than not being rude and staring, Perhaps he remembers us from the short time in Sanctuary, and is wanting to say hello. It made sense, she supposed.
She got her drink and was contemplating another light snack when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Looking up, she expected to see Qibli, or perhaps Turtle, but instead she was met with the mask-covered face of the Icewing who had just arrived. Even this close the mask cast darkness over the eyes, giving an almost soulless appearance.
Moon resisted the urge to jump—she somehow hadn't heard him approach, be that the sound of footsteps or the sound of his mind—and she quickly took a step back, assuming that she was in his way and that he wanted to get some food himself. She mumbled out "sorry" as she did so, but the Icewing didn't make for the refreshments like she thought he would. Instead, she could feel rather than see his eyes stay on her.
Slowly, almost carefully, he raised a claw out to her wordlessly. She tilted her head in confusion, before her eyes widened slightly in surprise: he was offering her a dance. Her first instinct was to refuse, but she paused as she looked him over again. He stood strong and proud, the picture of an Icewing prince, the picture of an Icewing she knew very well. There was something that was suddenly so very captivating about this dragon, and almost in spite of herself she accepted his claw and allowed him to take her back onto the dance floor she'd just left.
Without saying a word, he took her claws in his and began to gently spin her, each step in time with the music. Into the seething shadows and breathing lies of the masks he took her, guiding her through it effortlessly as they danced. And although she'd never been this dragon's partner before, she found herself surprised how easy he was to do it with. And although she still couldn't quite make out the dragon's own emotions, there seemed to almost be a kind of urgency about his as he spun her around. Or perhaps urgency wasn't the right word. Perhaps…focus would be better. For although he appeared calm and collected, the way that he held her felt almost possessive. As though she wasn't a stranger to him, but rather that he'd sought her out intentionally for some reason, and that he didn't wish to let her go.
As one song bled into another, she couldn't resist the urge to look in the Icewing's mind, to see if there really was a reason for it. To her surprise, she found nothing; the dragon's mind was unreadable. Confused, she looked him over as they went along, and it took her more than a few moments to figure out why. There, set into one of his armbands, was a small stone that she recognized as a Skyfire. Moon briefly had to wonder where he'd gotten it from, but she supposed that it wasn't important. After all, he wouldn't be the first dragon that she that had the rare stone. And it was entirely possible that Winter could have given his to his brother for some reason or other.
As he continued to take her through the swirl of gown, ace of hearts, and face of clown that filled the room, she found herself continuing to observe the dragon in front of her instead of the many others around her. She had only met Prince Hailstorm one, but the dragon before her now seemed far more familiar than he should. Perhaps it was because she saw so much of his brother in him. Indeed, the family resemblance was more than there in just the way he carried himself. The horns, too, look just like Winter's did. The flashes of wings and tail that sometimes peaked out of the Icewing's cape even looked like his. In fact, as she thought of it, she didn't remember Hailstorm's scales being as blue as they looked, but perhaps it was just a trick of the light.
Of course, she knew intrinsically that perhaps the biggest way that she could tell that this wasn't Winter was that this dragon was dancing with her. The Winter she knew would probably never have been able to bring himself to ask her—even if she wished he would have. She would have accepted if he had. Even now it was almost nice to think that it was him she danced with now, that things hadn't happened the way they did, and he was here to be the one spinning her around the room.
She felt a bit guilty at that thought as she glanced Qibli out of the corner of her eye watching them dance, but she really couldn't help herself. With how things had been between them the last few months, she'd been having similar thoughts for a while now. A lingering suspicion, a constant doubt, that perhaps a mistake had been made in the wake of the whole Darkstalker situation. That maybe the whirlwind of thoughts and emotions that she'd had following everything had clouded her judgement, and that some choices she made weren't the ones she should have had. It hurt to think about, surely, but she couldn't not think it.
It was almost funny, she mused, that all she could think about when dancing with the Icewing prince in front of her was thoughts of his brother, of Winter. But if the dragon saw any confliction in her face about dancing with the wrong drake, he said nothing, only continuing to guide her though the crowd of leering satyrs and peering eyes, where wherever she looked around, there was another mask behind her.
At last the song ended (was it the fourth or fifth since they started?) and she reluctantly pulled away and dropped back to her feet. In this instance, it wasn't really that she didn't want to dance more, but the truth was that it sometimes got uncomfortable when reared up on her hind legs. Perhaps that was why the Icewing also didn't look very disappoint as she thanked him and excused herself from the dance floor. Although she felt his concealed eyes follow her as she left.
Moon found herself once again watching the crowd as she took her break and rested for a moment. She tapped her tail to the rhythm as the band played on, but got distracted by the sound of voices beside her. Glancing over, she noticed for the first time that the spot she'd chosen was right next to where a couple of her teachers were sitting, similarly looking over the scene. Tsunami and Sunny sat together, a bright smile on the small Sandwing's face as she watched the students enjoying herself.
"What a night," she heard Sunny saying as she moved closer to them, perhaps to join the small conversation, "And what a crowd."
"Makes you glad," Tsunami agreed.
"Makes you proud," Starflight added, as Moon noticed him there with them for the first time. Moon couldn't help but feel a little pity that he couldn't see the colors and sights of the party, but the Nightwing appeared to be enjoying himself nonetheless.
Sunny noticed her listening in and motioned for her to join them. "Enjoying yourself, Moonwatcher?" she asked cheerfully, and Moon responded with a nod and a return of the Sandwing's smile.
"Ah, and it's so nice, too," Tsunami sighed as she watched, "With how much trouble we had getting everything started, it's more than relieving that we haven't had another…incident since what happened with that animus."
Moon tried not to let the small look the Seawing gave her bother her. "That animus" had quickly become Tsunami's way of saying Darkstalker, her despising the very name, and Moon couldn't really blame her. What had happened had almost destroyed everything her and the other Dragonet's of Destiny had been trying so hard to build. And then there had been the whole issue with Icicle and Sora that had shaken the school to its core before even that. But since then, as Tsunami had just observed, the school had been running smoothly.
"It really has been," Starflight said, "Several months now of relief, and even of delight, at times."
"And we can breathe at last, at least," Tsunami said, not able to keep all the exasperation out of her voice. Moon had to wonder just how long she'd had to deal with the issues the Jade Winglet had caused her (not that they were all bad, of course).
"I've tried looking ahead," Moon told her, trying to look encouraging, "I see no more ghosts, no move visions of horrible futures to befall us. For now, at least, everything seems calm."
"Good to know," the Seawing grumbled, but she didn't really look that shaken up about it all, or at she wasn't at the moment. It was hard to be unhappy at a party like this one.
Moon opened her mouth to say something else, but was cut off by the arrival of Clay and Peril, the former of which held a glass of the punch or whatever drink was at the refreshment table. She'd already seen him visiting it several times throughout the night, and she expected there were still to be many more trips for him.
"Here's a health, here's a toast," the Mudwing said, raising his glass to his fellow teachers, "To a prosperous end to our last semester, and a great upcoming school year."
"And to our new chandelier," Sunny added, glancing up to the fixture hanging from the ceiling, casting light down and throughout the cave. This particular piece was a gift from a Queen Ruby to "bring a sense of grace and dignity to Jade Mountain", as the Skywing queen had put it when she'd gifted it to the school. Moon thought it was a bit too exquisite for a school—much less a dining hall at a school—but she didn't exactly have a say in the matter. And besides, on a night like this one it really did fit in.
"Indeed," Clay agreed, looking back at the chandelier himself, "May it splendor, never fade," he added before taking a drink.
"Ah," Tsunami said as she relaxed her wings and looked over the students having a good time. "A working school, no wars or evils on the horizon, everything running smoothly…I almost would have never expected it. What a joy, what a change," she gave a contented sigh, "What a blessed release."
"And what a masquerade!" Sunny finished for her with a giggle. She grinned and donned a mask that Moon hadn't even seen her holding in her claws and with a small wave stepped out and disappeared into the sea of colors.
Moon shook her head but smiled as she watched the Sandwing go and join in the dancing. Part of her wanted to join her in going back to the fray, but instead she turned back to the teachers who remained watching instead of participating.
"You gonna get back out there?" Peril asked her from where she stood at Clays side, no doubt having caught her glance, "You looked to be enjoying yourself earlier."
Moon shrugged her wings. "I was. Hailstorm is a good dancer."
"Hailstorm?" Tsunami asked her, looking confused.
"Yeah, we danced for a few songs," Moon explained.
"You must be confused, that or one of our students had a really good costume," Clay told her, giving her a look as concerned as Tsunami's was.
Shaking her head, Moon returned their looks with one of her own. "No, it was him. Kinkajou said he was arriving, and I think I'd know if it was one of the dragons I've been attending classes with the past few months."
"But," Starflight said, speaking up for only the second time since she'd arrived to join the teachers, "Hailstorm can't be here. We just got a letter that said that he was delayed in his trip. He won't arrive for another week, at least."
Moon tilted her head. "But…that can't be right."
"It is," Tsunami told her, "The first thing he's supposed to do when he arrives is find and talk to me, and I've seen no sight of him."
"But…but…" Moon stuttered, frustrated, "If not him…then who?"
She glanced back over the crowd and saw the Icewing in question standing across the room, watching her. He lifted his head and for the first time she got an extremely brief glimpse of familiar sea-blue eyes before they were covered in the shadow of his mask once more. And suddenly, pieces began to slowly come together, even if she couldn't really believe it. But maybe she should have expected it; after all, this was a dragon that so often wore a mask, disguising himself with an air of arrogance or indifference when indeed there was a different dragon in his scales.
"Who indeed?" Tsunami asked with a growl, looking over the students with new eyes, "Is there someone that shouldn't be here? Do I need to—"
"No!" Moon exclaimed, cutting her off, "I mean…I don't think there's a problem. As you said, it's probably just one of the students with a very good costume." Of course, Moon knew that was a lie. All the Icewing students had already been accounted for before the arrival of this one. So while perhaps he technically shouldn't be here, Moon was not going to do a thing to suggest he leave.
The Seawing gave a look somewhere between amusement and doubt. "Okay…if you say so…"
Moon nodded, looking again at the Icewing. "I do." Suddenly, she was very much wishing for another dance with this dragon. And in that instant, she was resolved to do just that. Dismissing herself from the group of teachers, she began to cut across the dance floor towards him.
But before she could make it to him, she was intercepted by a different dragon. Sand-yellow scales cut across her vision as she was suddenly whisked up by Qibli, who must have seen her alone and moved in to continue on from earlier. "Care to dance?" he asked, but he didn't really give her an option as he all but pulled her onto her hind legs and began to spin her.
Moon glanced to the Icewing she was going to and almost refused, but had to bite her tongue. She did tell Qibli she'd dance more with him earlier, after all, even if she didn't particularly want to. And after dancing with her other partner, this dance felt even more awkward and uncertain, with her misstepping and almost falling several times in the first minute. It didn't help that her gaze kept turning away from her dance partner and back to the Icewing, something that Qibli seemed to notice, considering that he seemed to intentionally try to lead her to the other side of the room, away from him.
Stepping on her own tail, she gave a hiss and cast a pleading look for help towards the Icewing, only to find that he was gone from his previous spot. The few looks she sent around the room to try to find him only caused her to repeat the same mistake and give another growl. Trying not to look as miserable as she felt, she resigned herself to enduring the dance with the Sandwing.
"Pardon."
Fortunately, they were suddenly interrupted by a voice and a claw that reached out and tapped Qibli on the shoulder. Halting their momentum, Qibli released her and they dropped down as he gave the intruder a glare. Moon was suddenly filled with both surprise and relief as she recognized her savior as the Icewing she'd been looking for, who'd apparently snuck across to them with all the stealth of a shadow.
"Excuse me?" Qibli asked, annoyed.
"May I cut in?" the Icewing spoke, and although these were the first words out of him and the voice he used felt artificially deeper than it should be, she nonetheless recognized it, and she knew her suspicions were correct.
"No, you may not," Qibli hissed, "Moon is my…" he trailed off as the Icewing lifted his head, pulling his eyes out of the shadow of his mask, revealing himself. The Sandwing's eyes grew wide as he made the same connections that Moon already had. "You…" he breathed, then his gaze flickered to Moon.
"Yes," Moon confirmed, "It's him."
"But…but you already chose…" his voice suddenly felt strained as he looked over her, "Moon…" he offered her a claw, "Dance with me."
She swallowed, eyes going back and forth between the two drakes. The Icewing similarly raised a claw, offering her the same. And Moon knew she was faced with a choice.
It wasn't a new one. As Qibli had implied, it was a choice she'd faced before. And also, as he'd said, she'd already chose. But hardly a day went by that she hadn't regretted that choice. Perhaps it only now took seeing this Icewing again that made her realize why. It had been a mistake from the beginning. For how was she supposed to live and love the Sandwing when her heart belonged to another?
She looked in the Icewing's eyes, into the soul of the dragon that had come back for her. And she knew what her choice would be. This was the dragon that she belonged to, that she should have been with from the beginning. She could not, would not, allow him to be pushed away again.
With no more hesitation, she reached out and took the Icewing's claw.
Qibli's wings slumped to his sides in sudden defeat. "I should have known," he said, taking a step away, "Perhaps it's for the best. You always were good for each other, I thought. Better you have what you want than for me to play pretend."
Moon gave him a small glance of thanks for his understanding, but said nothing before she was swept up by the Icewing, once more taking a turn, taking a ride on the merry-go-round that was the masquerade. And this time, as they twirled around the dance floor, among the burning glances and turning heads, she realized why it felt so right. Every movement was smooth, gentle, a picture of how she was suddenly so free inside. She felt her heart beating faster just being next to this dragon, of being so close to the one she'd missed so much, who she'd longed to be with for so long.
Oh, how'd she'd missed this, missed him. And as they danced together, inseparable as song blended into song, she knew more and more that the feelings the Icewing had for her she returned just as much, if not more so. For he was perhaps the best dragon she knew, despite his flaws, a dragon with so much compassion who'd overcome so much. A dragon that despite what had happened would have given his life for her and his friends or brother. A dragon that even though she'd pushed away had come back for her.
She looked into his eyes, ones which he no longer tried to hide behind his mask, and saw the same look of love in his eyes that she was giving him. In fact, she could have even sworn she saw a tear escaping his cold Icewing exterior. But still he spoke no more words, hiding himself and everything else from all but her. As though by revealing himself he would erase the mystery and be stripped away. Perhaps he feared that this was the only way he could hope to be with her, under the protection of a costume and deception, fearing that the real him wasn't good enough.
But that wasn't true. For the real him was what she wanted, what she needed, and as the music around them swelled in the climax of a song she found herself raising her head to meet his, putting her face before his, gazing into his eyes, trying to tell him that it was okay, that she wanted this as more than just a single night, as more than a masquerade.
Then, as she leaned into him, he seemed to understand. And she closed that gap between them and met his mouth with a kiss, one long overdue. She could feel him melting into her as she did the same with him, ignoring the gazes and glances of the dragons around them as they ceased their dancing to instead join in their embrace. For there were only the two of them in this moment, as she put all those feelings into deed. And he in turn told her of his own love in that kiss, as he threw his wings and cape around her, drawing her close, his eyes closed in bliss.
She raised a claw to his face, tracing his jaw as she deepened the kiss, marveling at the wonderful feeling of his cold scales against hers. He tilted his head, leaning into the touch of her claw even as she moved it upwards, to the corner of his mask. In fact, he didn't even open his eyes as she gently pulled it off of him, revealing at last the full face of Prince Winter.
It was the sudden gasps of the other dragons around them recognizing him that finally caused him to come back to himself and gently pull out of the kiss with hesitation as he realized that his disguise was gone. His eyes shifted around the room as the music stopped and the spectators gawked, and he gently began to pull away from her, uncertainty in his eyes at being revealed. He was a dragon that didn't belong, and suddenly everyone knew it.
"I…I should go," he said, looking away, but she refused to let him as she clung to his arm with one claw and his cape with another.
"No," she told him firmly, stopping him where he still stood on his hind legs. He looked back at her, and her face softened as she released his arm and raised her claw back up to his face and set it on his cheek. "Winter…you don't need to hide your face so the world will never find you."
He gazed at her, uncertain, "But Moon…"
"No buts," she told him, "You're here with me now. I don't want a costume; I don't want a masquerade. I want you, Winter. The real you."
"And I want you, Moon," he told her, his eyes meeting hers.
"Then we're agreed," she said, "There's no reason for you to leave."
"I know, but…"
"I said no buts," she reminded him, stepping closer and closing the gap he'd made between them. "Now tell me, Winter, why did you come here?"
He sighed. "You know that, Moon."
"I do," she confirmed, finding his tail with her own and wrapping hers around it, "But I want to hear you say it.
He glanced around at the sea of smiles around him, where everywhere he looked there was another dragon. "Here?" he asked, "In front of everyone?"
"Yes," she said, "Why not? It shouldn't be a secret, not to anyone."
He hesitated, but nodded. "Very well," he said, raising a claw and setting it on her cheek like hers still was on his. "Moon, I…I should have said this from the moment I realized it, but…you're the most wonderful dragon I've ever met. I know that I sometimes didn't act like I thought that, I know I did things I shouldn't have, and I'd like to apologize for all of that. Because, Moon, I don't want things to be how we left them. I care for you more than any other dragon in my life. I came here tonight just for the chance to see you again, because…well, I can't deny it any longer, nor can I pretend that it never was or could never be. What I mean to say is that…I love you, Moon."
She smiled and wiped away a tear that escaped his eye. "You didn't need to disguise yourself and sneak into a party to tell me that—although it was a nice touch. I would have accepted it any way you gave it. Because I love you too, Winter."
A smile filled his whole face as she kissed him again, surrendering herself to him as she wrapped herself back up within his wings and leaned into him. She felt safe, she felt warm despite the cold of his scales, and she felt right. It was a feeling that she wished would never fade, and one that could never fray.
"What about—" he started to ask once the kiss ended, but she stopped him with a small hush.
"Just dance with me," she whispered to him as the band began to play again, "Don't worry about what will come later. For now, this is enough."
He nodded and held her tight as they began to move once more with the music. And there in the middle of a crowd full of masks where all was fake and full of deception, Moon had something that was real. Not a masquerade, not even a mask, but a dragon that she would no longer allow to hide from her, nor her from him. And while she could look around to see the colors of the party like she had before, to take her fill and let the spectacle astound her, the only thing that held her attention were the eyes of the Icewing in front of her.
For to her, Winter was the most wondrous, handsome dragon in the room, and now and forever he would captivate her more than all the colors and music of a thousand masquerades.
A/N: This was a fun one to write, and I hope a fun read as well! Depending on the reception this gets, I'm considering the possibility of a follow up fic based on the song "All I ask of you", also from Phantom of the Opera, so let me know if that's something you'd like to see. Anyway, thank you all for reading, and I'll see you in the next one!
-Firehawk1100
