Glorious Politics

AN: I won't say much here, but I hope you enjoy this one. It's a bit more serious than the last one, and some secrets have been revealed.

Edit (10/20/22): Thanks to some feedback from Endlessness, I went back and expanded upon the end of this chapter a bit to hopefully make Glory's reasoning a bit more clear.

Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OCs Mistral, and Diamondback belong to me.

Chapter Sixteen:

This was one of those moments that was completely and utterly unexpected, though she couldn't exactly blame herself for not seeing this coming. Mistral had been doing...well, decent around the Nightwings, so watching him tackle Hope through part of the wall gave her some mental whiplash that took a couple seconds to recover from. And even then, she only really went into action when small bits of the wall flew back and smacked her in the face.

Shouts of alarm rang from the gathered crowd outside, probably horrified to see the Icewing responsible for interviewing them attacking one of their own. Qibli and Diamondback didn't waste any time before rushing in to try and separate the two brawling dragons. She just watched, stunned silent, as the two Sandwings tried and failed to break them up. She just couldn't comprehend what she was seeing...

If Mistral hated Greatness, what was this? The Icewing had just snarled and glared at the former Nightwing princess, yet these two were actually trying to kill each other from the look of it. Neither were pulling their strikes, and bloody clawmarks decorated both of their bodies, both red and blue blood flying through the air to land upon any close enough. Snarls and roars of both fury and agony filled the air as the deathmatch continued on. When the Icewing successfully threw off the two Sandwings and managed to pin Hope, Glory finally snapped out of it and went to do what she could.

It was right when Mistral was about to breathe frostbreath onto the downed Nightwing when Glory slammed into the side of his neck at full speed. She may have been a lot smaller than him, but she was still a fully grown dragon, and he stumbled and nearly fell from the sudden attack. However, he managed to keep his footing, and reached around to throw her off of him, pinning her, his claws on her neck, as he snarled at her. Shouts of, "Protect the Queen!" rang out, and Glory could spy both Qibli and Diamondback recovering nearby. Neither of them moved once Mistral increased the pressure around her neck. They couldn't risk anything that would potentially cause her harm.

So she stared up at him with a fear she had never felt before. That first week was nothing compared to this because back then it was merely a hypothetical scenario. She hadn't known if he actually would snap and attack someone. But now he had, and the murder in his eyes was enough to know that he was actually thinking about killing her. So she didn't move. Didn't speak. Didn't do anything that would risk her own life until she knew for sure what was going on. Even her venom wouldn't do much good except piss him off as he was purposefully angling his head in a way that she couldn't aim for his eyes or any of his wounds, meaning it wouldn't kill him outright. "All this time..." he hissed. "You spoke of cooperation, yet you were hiding my tribe's greatest enemy from us."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she choked out, the pressure on her neck limiting the amount of air she was able to get.

"Don't lie to me!" he roared in her face, her scales turning a ghostly white against her will. She'd faced down terrible enemies before, such as Scarlet, Blister, and even Darkstalker, but she'd never been so close to her own demise as right now.

"She isn't!" Hope snapped, standing with a pained wince. "She doesn't know who I really am. None of them do." The Nightwing glanced off to the side for a moment before glaring at the Icewing. "Let her go. This is between me and you. Right?"

Mistral answered, watching the Nightwing through his peripheral vision, though he was constantly careful to not allow Glory a clean kill shot with her venom. "I'm under no illusions, genestealer," he snarled. "Even if what you say is true, I just attacked a Queen. I let her go, and I'm a dead dragon walking."

"Well, you kill her, and you're going to be ripped to shreds by a bunch of angry dragons. Plus, I doubt Queen Thorn will stand idly by after hearing about it. You'd gain nothing but war for your tribe against the second most powerful military on Pyrrhia." Hope's—if that even was her real name—words seemed to get to him. Glory watched the conflict in his expression as he was torn between his hatred of the Nightwing, his duty to his tribe, and his desperation for getting out of this alive.

Mistral growled in frustration before releasing her. "I yield..." Two Sandwings were pinning him to the ground as soon as the words left his mouth, and Moon helped Glory to her feet.

Now that she was up, she gazed around at the crowd for a second, watching as the rest of her Sandwing guards began arriving to the scene. Then her attention returned to the downed Icewing as he stared hatefully at the Nightwing. And with that, her fear turned to anger and then into hatred. She began shaking with fury before roaring, "EVERYONE OUT OF MY ARBORETUM, NOW!" There was a scramble from the general populace to leave, to escape her fury, and her other Sandwing guards did their best to make the exodus orderly. Then she snapped her gaze to Diamondback's second, who had arrived mere moments ago. "Find Turtle and bring him here! And if he drags his feet, drag him!" Next, once he was gone, she turned to Diamondback and Qibli. "If he so much as twitches aggressively, kill him!" Then finally, she turned to two of the remaining Sandwings, and gestured to Hope—or whatever her actual name was. "You two, seize her!"

"What!?" the Nightwing recoiled, though she didn't try to fight back. A good idea with Glory's patience so dangerously slim right now.

"Take them both to the box!" she ordered, referring to the prison Darkstalker made upon his return. "I'll deal with them soon enough." Moon was staring at her in shock at seeing this forceful and aggressive side of her friend, but Glory paid her no mind. Obviously, Peacemaker was still around, and he was quite upset with everything that was going on. A quick order from his mother had the hybrid running back home for now, so at least she wouldn't have to deal with an upset son, as well.

Glory paced around the area like an agitated animal as she watched the Sandwings escort her two new prisoners out of the area and awaited Turtle's arrival. Moon stayed nearby and watched her in concern, though she wisely refrained from saying anything. Greatness remained nearby, as well, and she used that to her advantage. "Greatness," she called, the Nightwing coming over to see what her Queen needed. "Take a letter for me," she commanded, and Greatness pulled out the writing supplies that she usually carried with her just in case. "Addressed to Queen Snowfall." Greatness nodded and began to copy down Glory's words verbatim. It was just a short summation of what happened and a demand that the Icewing Queen appear before her to discuss this matter further face-to-face. Because this wasn't just bad manners, anymore. She had every right to summarily execute Mistral, but she doubted she was in the best mindset to make a decision as irreversible as that.

Answers were more important right now, anyway.

'Genestealer' was what Mistral had called Hope, and she had a hunch—one that was highly improbable to the point of near impossibility, yes—but considering who returned to the modern world after a two-millennium slumber eleven years ago, she wasn't going to discount it quite yet. There was only one Nightwing she could think of that fit with that title. Now that she was done with reciting the letter she needed sent, there was only the silence as they awaited Turtle's arrival. And she decided to fill that silence with a demand for the first answers she sought. "Why is Foeslayer in my Kingdom?" Her voice was quiet yet laced with deadly seriousness. "And more importantly, how did she get here?"

She turned to glare at Moon, figuring she might know considering she used to be friends with a certain ancient animus before he revealed his true colors. And if the troubled expression on her face was any clue, Moon did indeed know. "It's...a long story," Moon admitted quietly.

"Tell it," Glory snapped, daring the Nightwing to keep stalling.

Moon sighed, looking to the ground in what appeared to be guilt. "I don't know where she came from, I swear. I just know it was Winter who found her." Despite the fact that little tidbit of information threw her for a loop, Glory didn't linger on it too long. "As for why she's here? She just wanted a quiet life."

"Well her quiet life is over," she declared, Moon looking at her pleadingly for the other Nightwing's sake. "If the Icewings don't kill her, the Nightwings probably will." A quick glare silenced Moon's objection as Turtle and his Sandwing escort landed. Grabbing the letter from Greatness, she shoved it into Turtle's claws. "Send that to Queen Snowfall," she demanded, her look garnering no argument. Sending a courier would take time, which was something she didn't want to waste right now. Using animus magic to teleport the letter right into the Icewing's waiting claws would shave off at least two weeks off the travel time—one if she allowed the use of the tunnel.

Turtle gazed at the scroll for a moment in thought before whispering a spell she couldn't catch. The paper disappeared, and Turtle took several steps back. The reason why was shown several seconds later as a thoroughly outraged yet simultaneously confused Snowfall appeared in front of the group where Turtle had just been standing. "What the—Where am I!?" she sputtered. Glory sent a questioning glance to Turtle, but the Seawing shrugged. Well, she wasn't going to argue. It was already done, and it was quite convenient.

"I apologize for the abrupt change in scenery, but I felt the situation warranted it." Snowfall snapped her gaze to Glory, clearly angry, though it was unclear if that anger was directed at her, Mistral, Foeslayer, or some combination of all of them.

"Take me to them," the Icewing demanded, no longer concerned about having been yoinked across the entire continent by animus magic.

Glory nodded before turning to Moon and Turtle. "You two can wait for me in my pavilion. I'm not through with either of you yet." Then, she turned to Greatness. "And could you finish up the last few interviews for us?" The Nightwing nodded.

Then, Glory began leading Snowfall towards 'the box'. "Foeslayer and Greatness?" the Icewing Queen commented with a slight scoff. "Not a fan of the company you keep."

It was a comment that caught Glory's attention as they weaved through the trees towards their destination. "I can understand Foeslayer. I didn't even know who she was until like five minutes ago, but you can definitely have her if you want. I don't want that kind of trouble in my Rainforest. No idea why both you and Mistral seem to hate Greatness, though."

"Have her back," Snowfall corrected once the prison came into sight, making Glory glance at her curiously. "She's been a prisoner in the Ice Kingdom since her original capture two thousand years ago. While I don't agree with Queen Diamond's method of punishment, I will agree that Foeslayer ruined my entire tribe's future." There was a slight pause as Glory reached for the door handle. "As for Greatness? I don't know the whole story, but I was there in the end. Attempted assassination is a good way to get on my bad side. Mistral's, too." Glory paused and stared at Snowfall for a second before shaking her head and opening the door. Assassination sounded so unlike Greatness, but she wasn't going to dismiss it outright. It would explain why Mistral hated the former Nightwing princess, at least.

Glory allowed Snowfall to enter first, and all the shouting from inside stopped as soon as the Icewing Queen entered. "S-Snowfall?" she heard Mistral stutter in surprise. "How did—"

"I have an animus," Glory interrupted him. "And I also have every right to have you executed for attacking me, so start talking."

Mistral studied her for a few seconds before nodding to show he would cooperate. "What would you like to know?"

Glory pointed at the Nightwing in the cell opposite Mistral's. "I want to know where she came from and how you even recognized her. If that actually is Foeslayer, she's been living here for over a decade, and none of the Nightwings have recognized her." The Nightwing scoffed and shook her head at that, but none of them paid her any mind.

"The Diamond Trial," Mistral spoke. "Heard of it?"

"Can't say I have," Glory admitted. The next several minutes were spent with the two Icewings explaining the Diamond Trial. What it entailed and its significance to Icewing culture were the start, but that was enough for her. It was understandable why Snowfall didn't agree with the practice, but it still left her with a question. "So have either of you been in the Trial?"

"No," Mistral denied. "But Queen Glacier showed her to us when we were young after...another incident involving a Nightwing."

"Greatness, I assume?" The Icewing nodded to her query.

"My mother freed Foeslayer, which is how he recognized her. Every dragon you kill stays with you, no matter how young you are." That...was a bit horrifying to hear.

"So Queen Glacier sent you two in to fight her for...what? Practice?" She looked between the three of them and both Snowfall and Mistral nodded.

"He wasn't quite so skilled the last time we fought," Foeslayer commented, though she was clearly not too concerned with them. Currently, she was lying down in her cell, her eyes closed. Evidently, she assumed she would be here a while.

"When I had to admit what happened during the...incident to the Queen, she took Snowfall and I into the Diamond Caves to teach us a lesson I should have listened to in the first place. To never trust a Nightwing." He all but growled out that last sentence as he glared at the only Nightwing in the room.

"What I'm more interested in is how you escaped in the first place," Snowfall spoke, glaring at the Nightwing, also.

"An Icewing released me," she said matter-of-factly, opening an eye to glance at the disbelieving faces.

"A lie," Mistral hissed. "No Icewing would ever do such a thing."

"They would if the only alternative was killing your own brother," Foeslayer shrugged. "Besides, from my considerable experiences with your tribe, he was probably one of the only decent ones I've ever met."

"So you're saying this traitor, whoever he is, freed you out of some sense of compassion?" Snowfall asked.

"You said it. Not me," the Nightwing responded.

"Give me his name," was Snowfall's next demand. Foeslayer just glared at the Icewing Queen in defiance. Apparently, she wasn't going to tell. That Icewing that freed her—and Glory had a good idea who it was based on a previous conversation—must have left a good impression on Foeslayer for her to protect him. "Now that I know how you escaped, it's only a matter of time before I found out who it was. So just save me the headache and tell me so I can have him executed for treason."

That statement made Glory wince imperceptibly, and she figured she best tell Snowfall her theory. "I'm pretty sure that would mean executing your own cousin," Glory spoke, making the two Icewing's snap their gaze over to her in surprise and slight outrage. The Rainwing turned to Foeslayer. "It was Winter, wasn't it?" Foeslayer looked away with a huff and refused to answer. But that in itself was answer enough.

Suddenly, Snowfall wasn't looking as enthusiastic about meting out justice, and Mistral had just facepalmed, muttering some choice words about the missing prince under his breath. "So I guess that leaves you with a dilemma," Foeslayer commented. "Reveal who I am to Pyrrhia and kill a member of your family—"

"Winter's been missing for three years," Snowfall argued, but turned to regard Mistral when he tapped her on the shoulder. He leaned in to whisper something in her ear, and Glory assumed he was telling her that the prince was still alive. She exhaled slowly before saying, "Continue..."

Foeslayer did just that. "As I was saying. Reveal who I am and have to kill your cousin. Or leave me be and allow the world to remain ignorant of his 'crime'. Though, to be honest, it was more a mercy than anything. After all, haven't I paid enough after two thousand years?"

Snowfall was quiet, but Mistral spoke with enough venom for both of them. "You made sure the Icewings would never have animus magic again after you stole Prince Arctic from his tribe!"

The Nightwing got to her feet so fast that if any of them blinked they would have missed her moving. She slammed her claws into the bars with a furious snarl, and Glory's eyes widened in shock at seeing the not inconsiderable dents she left in them. "I did no such thing! He came with me willingly, and we truly did love each other! If there's any blame for him leaving, it falls on his own mother, the cold, uncaring bitch that she was!"

Both Icewings bristled at the insult. "Queen Diamond—" Snowfall began, only to be cut off.

"Emotionally abused and hated her own son from day one! Arctic left because he hated it in the Ice Kingdom! And he hated being a prince!" Foeslayer backed away a few steps, though her large bulk made the large cell appear smaller than it was. "And from what I've heard, Winter is pretty much the same," she said pointedly.

It sounded pretty accurate by Glory's reckoning, and the soft growl that Snowfall gave was evidence that she had come to the same conclusion. If Arctic truly had been another Winter, she could understand why he wanted to leave. Then, the Icewing Queen sighed. "I don't want to have to kill Winter," she admitted, and Mistral seemed relieved to hear that, even if he still didn't like Foeslayer. "But that doesn't mean I can't let you rot in here. Unless..." she added upon hearing Foeslayer's indignant growl. "You answer a few questions for me here and now and agree to maybe help with something in the future, and I'll pretend none of this ever happened." Foeslayer studied the Icewing skeptically but nodded for her to continue, regardless. "First, have you heard about the cult that worships your son as some sort of god?"

"Yeah...misguided fools. Darkstalker was many things, but he was no god. Why? What's your interest in those idiots?" Both Glory and Mistral understood what Snowfall was aiming for. Maybe Foeslayer knew something they didn't.

"They believe Darkstalker isn't actually dead. A belief I share, considering we never found a body," Mistral pointed out. "And they aren't as imbecilic as you might think, seeing as how they've killed several dozen Icewings in the past few years. Their beliefs may be stupid, but they're actually quite competent at what they do."

Snowfall nodded. "So where is he? Do you know?"

Foeslayer's expression was carefully neutral. "Darkstalker is dead."

"He was immortal, invincible, and unaffected by animus magic," Snowfall argued. "Someone like that doesn't just die. He's somewhere else. Is he trapped like the first time?"

The Nightwing shook her head. "He's as dead as he can be, and there's no way for him to come back."

"So what about Peacemaker?" Glory asked, taking the lead for once, and watched as Foeslayer stiffened.

"What about him?" she asked carefully.

"If my memory serves me right, he's one year older than how long you've been free. If he isn't actually yours, where did he come from?" Both the Icewings turned to gauge Foeslayer's reaction, but the Nightwing just shrugged nonchalantly.

"No idea. I adopted him after finding him alone in the woods. Abandoned or orphaned, I'd guess." Glory looked to the two Icewings, seeing neither of them bought that explanation, either.

"Alright..." Snowfall relented before turning to Glory. "That just leaves this idiot," she gestured to Mistral in emphasis.

"I'll pardon him and tell anyone who asks that it was a misunderstanding." She looked pointedly at Foeslayer. "Which means you'll have to say the same. That you're not who he thought you were." Then, she turned to Mistral. "As for you..." She punched him in the nose through the bars, and he recoiled in both pain and surprise, reaching up to rub his tender snout. "That's for actually thinking about killing me."

Snowfall just snorted in amusement at Mistral's pain before turning to Glory. "Not that he didn't deserve it, but I'm surprised you're letting him get off so easily. How come? I would have thought you'd be asking for his head by now."

Glory glared at Mistral for a moment longer before replying, "I thought about it...but I don't want to cause any trouble if I don't have to. I don't exactly have a powerful military, so antagonizing you would drag my allies in to fix my mess if things went bad." Snowfall nodded, understanding her reasons. "Besides, Pyrrhia has bled enough for this peace, and I don't want to be the one to break it over something like this that can be forgiven."

"That's a very honorable way of thinking, Queen Glory. You have my thanks." After pinning Mistral with a pointed look that he eventually averted his gaze from and nodded, Snowfall continued. "Now, I assume that animus of yours will be sending me back, right?"

AN: So yeah, Mistral did something stupid again. Thankfully Glory seems to be an understanding sort, and he isn't going to get beheaded, but he's probably going to be on thin ice for a while...get it? Icewing puns...

Until Next Time

AdmiralCole22