A/N: Welcome back to another one. This chapter took me a bit longer than I'd have liked (I'll blame it on a crash that made me lose progress, even if it was only a few hundred words), but I don't think it was too bad this time. School's ramping up a bit, so finding time to write may get tougher here in the next few weeks, but rest assured that I'll continue to do my best to be timely for this story.

Anyway, and as always, feel free to favorite/follow and leave a review if you like the story. Enjoy the next chapter!

Chapter 26: Departure

The next several days flew by in a blur to Darkstalker, even if at the same time they seemed to drag on and on and on. Meeting after meeting, session after session, the preparations for the attempt to end the war hit constant snags, causing him constant headaches as he tried to organize and plan everything. And it was him that seemed to organize most everything, or at least it felt like it; Vigilance seemed perfectly content to let him bear the brunt of it all after her initial meetings, as if the idea of it all failing was more than okay with her if he couldn't pull it off.

But pull it off he had.

It was no small feat, certainly, and there would no doubt be more issues down the line, but one week after facing that task, Darkstalker had gotten it done. Of course, he couldn't take all of the credit—several of the generals that supported peace had pitched in their fair share, with generals Warbringer and Swiftclaw in particular working closely with him to ensure the military matters were well sorted, and a few unexpected diplomats, such as Prince Batcatcher, helped with the organization as well. Indeed, regardless of whatever well-concealed thoughts laid in Vigilance's head, there truly seemed to be a desire for peace among the Nightwings he encountered.

And now, things had finally fallen into place. The military aspects were well arrayed and had their standing orders, and all units involved had already moved out the previous night. Major preparations of supplies had been figured out and readied, and while minor things were no doubt occurring at the palace, Darkstalker finally had a moment of peace as the sun set on the night of the departure, with nothing more that he himself could do save wait for the diplomatic assembly, of which he and his father would be a part of, to itself leave for the Sand Kingdom after the midnight meal.

He was looking forward to this little respite, too, no matter how short it would be. Because as important as it was, throughout all the preparations and meetings, Darkstalker couldn't help but wish to be somewhere else, or at least with someone else. Every meeting he was in he couldn't help but think how much he'd rather be at the beach with Indigo, swimming and joking and making her smile. It was just his luck that right when he finally acted on those feeling and made their relationship official was when all this would happen to cut down on his time with her.

Ah well, at least she understood. He spent all the time he could with her, of course, but it was never as much as he wanted to. Yet, he supposed that it was rather good motivation to get it all done; the sooner this meeting was completed and peace with the Icewings obtained, the sooner he could spend more time with her.

Now all I have to do is wait for her to get here, he thought to himself with a sigh as he lounged on a cushion in his room, resisting the call of his scroll that sat on his desk just begging for him to use it and enchant some stuff to ensure the meeting would go well and in doing so break his vow. He knew she had time off from her guard duties (in fact, she seemed to have quite a bit more than usual, recently), and she'd told him the previous night that she planned to come over and spend the few hours they had before the departure with him as soon as her shift was over. Hopefully that would be soon; it would be nice if they had enough time to take a flight to the ocean one last time before they had to leave.

He gave a yawn as he glanced out the window, seeing the barest glimmers of light now as the sun sank in the horizon. Ideally, he would have slept a bit longer—all things considered, he wanted to sleep longer—but he supposed the anticipation had gotten to him a little, and once he'd woken up, he couldn't fall asleep again. He'd heard some sounds in the house, too, which likely meant either Arctic or Whiteout was awake as well, and deciding that it was better to wait with someone else besides lie there alone, he roused himself to leave his room and made his way out to the main living area.

As it turned out, both his father and sister were up. Whiteout was sitting at the table doing something with some parchment (he couldn't quite tell if she was writing or drawing), and he found Arctic in the kitchen with three or four plucked ducks. The Icewing offered him one, and Darkstalker wordlessly took it, snatching it up in one bite and crunching the bones in his jaws before swallowing. It was pretty good, and Darkstalker genuinely couldn't tell if it was fresh caught or market bought.

"You're up earlier than I would have expected," Arctic observed, looking him over, "With how the queen has had you running, I'd have figured I'd have to wake you before midnight came."

Darkstalker shrugged his wings, "Yeah…well, I'd rather not miss it, if I can."

Arctic snorted, but it was an amused snort, and he actually gave a small kind of grin. "Yes, I can see how that would put a damper on things."

Giving a huff, Darkstalker resisted a roll of his eyes. But it was a good feeling; how long had it been since Arctic had joked with him or been sarcastic to be funny? It was one of many things that had never happened before almost losing Foeslayer but now became more common. And Darkstalker liked it.

"What about you?" he asked his father, "You're not exactly sleeping in either."

Arctic twitched his tail and gave a deeper breath. "I suppose I'm not, am I? Let's just say that we both have our concerns for what will be coming."

Darkstalker nodded. He knew it wasn't easy for his father, doing this. To meet face to face with Queen Diamond, his mother, after all that had happened. Even despite being an Icewing prince, being strong and proud, Darkstalker could see the nervousness of Arctic grow each day as the meeting drew nearer.

He opened his mouth to say something, to reassure him, but was interrupted by a knock on the door. So he instead excused himself to go answer it, a smile on his faces as he realized it was probably Indigo. Which was a little surprising, seeing as it was a little earlier than he'd expected, not that he was complaining one bit.

What was more surprising, though, was that when he answered the door it wasn't Indigo. Nor was it Fathom or any other Seawing. Instead, the scales of the dragon there were black—Nightwing scales—and the surprise at it being a Nightwing was suddenly compounded as he realized just who it was.

"Mother!" he cried, stepping forward and embracing Foeslayer, who laughed as she put her wings around him and returned the hug. It suddenly felt like forever since she'd last gone back to her station, and he realized just how much he'd missed this embrace. She gave a nuzzle to his head and he let her go, backing into the house so that she could enter. "It's great to see you but…what are you doing here?"

"I came as soon as I could," she said, her voice a bit more serious than he'd have liked, "I had to get authorization to get away but I…Whiteout!" she stopped herself and called out to his sister, who bounded over and embraced her as he just had. "Oh, I missed you!"

"And I you, mother blue," Whiteout purred, gladly accepting the little kisses Foeslayer gave her forehead, "The dusk is so much brighter than before."

Darkstalker shook his head at his sister's words, as odd as ever, but didn't question them. This wasn't the time to get caught up in what she was trying to say, and really the important thing was the first—that Foeslayer was here. He wasn't quite sure why she was here, but she was here.

His attention was drawn away by a small clatter as the final member of their family made himself known. Arctic stepped out of the kitchen and approached almost hesitantly, but Darkstalker could see a smile on his face.

"Foeslayer?" the Icewing asked, "It's…good to see you again."

Darkstalker's mother looked him up and down for just a moment, then stepped towards him and, just as she had for Darkstalker and Whiteout, embraced him. It was a different kind of embrace, of course, and just watching it Darkstalker could see how Arctic seemed to melt into her. The smile on his face grew a bit wider, and Darkstalker could almost swear he heard a purr coming from the Icewing's throat as he rubbed his cheek against hers. It…actually reminded him of himself and Indigo when he thought of it, and he suddenly looked away, a bit embarrassed.

"I missed you," he heard Foeslayer whisper, as well as Arctic's almost immediate reply: "I missed you, too." And he could hear in their minds that both of them did indeed mean that, with all their hearts. There was a sense of…gladness there—light almost—in his father that Darkstalker had so seldom seen before, one so foreign for much of his dragonethood.

Suddenly, Darkstalker wished that he had the soulreader. Because in that moment, at least, his father didn't look like a dragon that had lost any at all.

Then Foeslayer pulled away from Arctic and looked back and forth between Darkstalker and him and gave a sigh. "We…need to talk," she said, a kind of extreme weariness in her words, and he could hear a wariness return to Arctic that was suddenly echoed in his own mind.

"What…what is it?" Arctic asked, suddenly looking her over. Did something happen in the war? Is she injured? Is that why's she's here? His thoughts mirrored some of Darkstalker's own, although he at least had the benefit of mindreading to see that such things weren't quite the case based solely on her reaction to it.

"It's the meeting…" she said softly, and looked down, "With your mother. As soon as I heard about it, I knew I had to come and talk with you, Arctic. I tried to get here sooner, but I couldn't." Stupid regulations, she thought, almost making Darkstalker laugh.

"What about it?" Arctic looked more nervous, his effort to mask his emotions like an Icewing would do failing. "Did you hear something wrong with it? Are the Icewings planning an attack? How would you know—?"

"It's nothing like that," Foeslayer said, "It's just…just…" her wings drooped and she shook her head, "I don't know how to say this, but…I don't want you to go."

Arctic took a deep breath and twitched his tail, and Darkstalker stepped closer to his parents. "Why not?" he asked as calmly as he could.

"Because…because I'm afraid of what could happen," she looked up and met her mate's eyes, and from his position Darkstalker could see tears in her own. "Arctic…I don't want to lose you."

Arctic put his wings around her and pulled her closer as she trembled. "Oh, Foeslayer," he spoke her name softly, delicately, and Darkstalker could feel his father's own emotions rather than hear them just in the way he spoke. "You won't…"

"But your mother!" she cried, interrupting him, "What if something happens? What if she takes you away from me? I haven't spent so much time away trying to fight in this stupid war just for you to give yourself back over to her!"

He sighed and leaned his head against hers, and Darkstalker could see some of the confliction inside of him. Suddenly, Darkstalker grew vary wary; it had taken more than a little bit of convincing to get his father to agree to this, and he did not want to see it undone due to Foeslayer suddenly trying to convince him otherwise. And if there was any dragon that could convince him not to go through with it, it was Foeslayer.

"It's okay," Arctic told her, holding her close, "Nothing is going to happen to me."

"But it might," Foeslayer spoke through tears, "This whole war is being fought over you. Do you really think she'll just let it go after all of that? No! She's going to try to take you away from me, Arctic, I just know it. Please…I know things haven't always been perfect between the two of us, but I can't bear to think of what would happen if I lost you. I love you, Arctic…please don't go."

The Icewing took a deep breath, and for a moment Darkstalker thought that he was going to agree with her, that he would stand down and let things be. But Arctic's eyes met Darkstalker's, and he gave a small shake of his head as he took Foeslayer's claws in his own. "I have to," he told her, "If it means a chance to end the war, then I think it's worth the chance. I don't think I can stand aside and not do anything anymore. You've shown me that, and Darkstalker, too." He paused. "Besides, my mother is not an evil dragon. She would never kill her own son. Even if the worst happens, I give you my word that I will find a way back to you."

"What about Darkstalker?" Foeslayer asked, tears still escaping her eyes and wetting her cheeks, "She's made it clear she doesn't care if he lives or dies? I don't want to lose either of you. I've only ever tried to keep my family safe."

"I know," Arctic said quietly, "I know. But it's my turn this time. I almost lost you once not long ago, and I'm not going to risk that happening again. I want you to be here with me, not away fighting in a war that's all my fault. Foeslayer…I need to do this. I need to try to make things right."

"But still…what if something happens? Is it really worth the risk?" Foeslayer continued to worry, and Arctic looked away.

"This whole meeting was my idea," Darkstalker spoke up, taking a step towards them, "And I am fully aware of the risks, both to myself and to Arctic. I know that it can work, if we try it, mother. And if it doesn't…" he paused and took a breath, before uttering words that only a few short months ago he would never have believed he'd say, "If it doesn't, then you have my word that I will do everything it takes to get Arctic back to you safely, even if it's at the cost of my own life."

There, he'd said it. Even if he'd had to guarantee Arctic's safety to him before in order to get him to agree, never had he put it in such clear words. And by the looks on both Arctic and Foeslayer's faces, neither had expected him to make such a vow. Not for Arctic, the dragon he'd despised and fought with his whole dragonethood—the dragon that had hated him ever since he'd hatched. But more and more Darkstalker had come to see that that was not the real Arctic. The real Arctic was the one here now, who loved his mate and was willing to risk his life for her. The real Arctic was the one he'd been seeing so many glimpses of recently, one who cared and controlled himself. This was the Arctic that he could be proud to call a father, one that he wanted to see more of, and one that he would be willing to sacrifice for.

Foeslayer sniffed as she looked back and forth between them. "You…would? When did this happen?"

Arctic gave her a small smile. "I promised you that I'd try to make things better that night I almost lost you. I've been trying to keep to that."

"You said so in your letters, but…" she trailed off and shook her head, her eyes still wet but a small smile growing on her face. "It's…good to see," she finally finished.

Darkstalker returned her smile and took another step forward, stretching out a wing and setting it gently on her shoulder (or as close as he could get, since Arctic's wings were still around her). "Mom," he said, "Please, let us try to end this war once and for all."

She swallowed and hesitated but gave a small nod. "Okay," she breathed, shakily, "Do what you have to."

"We will."

Darkstalker removed his wing from her and stepped back, rejoining Whiteout—who he'd actually forgotten was even there, watching everything—as his parents continued to embrace. Foeslayer remained resting in the wings of her mate, who returned her affection in a way Darkstalker seldom got to see outside of brief flashes of their memories before his hatching. He tuned out their thoughts, though, not wanting to pry into their private moment, and instead motioned for his sister to follow him into the other room.

Whiteout smiled as they left their parents alone. "The dusk is so much brighter than before," she repeated her little sentence from earlier, and Darkstalker gave a small, amused snort. He still didn't know what she meant by "dusk", but things certainly were looking bright right now.

"Come on," he told her, unable to keep from returning her happy smile, "Let's play a game. We have plenty of time before Arctic and I need to go."

"Scales and Squares?" Whiteout asked, going with her favorite choice.

"What else?"

He helped her set it up and they began playing only a minute or two later. As usual, Whiteout swiftly began to defeat him, but Darkstalker was more than a bit distracted than he'd normally be, which didn't help him at all. There was some worry over what was going to be coming at the meeting—he still couldn't get any clear visions to know how things would go—but for the most part he was just relieved that they'd be going. For a minute there, he was so sure that Arctic would have decided to stay and compromised everything. He could tell that more than a little bit of him wanted to. But Arctic hadn't. He'd decided to stick with their plan despite his fears, and Darkstalker had avoided the obstacle of Foeslayer that he'd never even seen coming.

Which was a bit surprising, actually. Perhaps it was a testament to just how occupied he'd been with getting things ready that he'd missed seeing any futures where his mother came home. He tried to ignore the implications of him missing something like that and instead focused on the positives: if Foeslayer was home, then she could take care of Whiteout while he and Arctic were gone. That would be much better for both of them than sending Whiteout to Foeslayer's mother's place liked they'd originally planned.

The two of them got through only about two games when a knocking sound interrupted them from the other room, back where their parents were. He ignored it for a little bit, expecting one of them to answer the door if that was what it was, but paused when he suddenly remembered why someone would be knocking at their door—the dragon that he had originally been expecting earlier.

Indigo! Darkstalker thought to himself, shooting to his feet and dismissing himself from the game suddenly. He'd completely forgotten she was coming in the wake of Foeslayer's arrival, and he quickly made his way to the door to greet her.

He found that Arctic had already gotten up to see who it was and had just beaten him there. The Icewing opened the door and this time Darkstalker wasn't surprised by who it was (well, he'd also used his mindreading to make sure while he was making his way there, so that helped make sure). Purple scales and a smile greeted him as he welcomed Indigo in.

She said hello to Arctic as he held the door open for her and gave him a respectful nod. The Icewing returned the gesture as Darkstalker put a wing around her and stepped with her. Unable to quite resist himself, he snuck a quick kiss on her cheek and enjoyed the sudden fluster in her thoughts at him being so…open with it in front of his father.

"Missed me that much?" she asked with a tiny roll of her eyes and a grin, "It's not been that long."

"It felt like it," was his only retort, even if she was right. But could he really help it when he so enjoyed himself around her?

"Then we'll have to make the most of tonight before we have to leave," she said, giving him a mischievous look, "After all, we won't be able to—oh!"

Indigo stopped walking and speaking dead in her tracks as she suddenly noticed the presence of the other dragon in the room, one that had not been here all the other times she'd been over to visit him. And in truth, just as he'd forgotten about Indigo with his mother's entrance, he'd about forgotten that Foeslayer was even there.

She was looking at the two of them curiously, an unreadable kind of look in her eyes. Despite the fact that she'd probably just seen his affection towards the Seawing beside him, Darkstalker removed his wing from Indigo and tried to straighten himself out a little as he realized for perhaps the first time that his mother wasn't quite privy to his currently relationship with her. Or at least, she wasn't privy to it before this very moment.

Foeslayer stood up from where she'd been sitting on the other side of the room and approached them as silence fell. She narrowed her eyes, looked to Arctic, then to him, then finally to Indigo. She stopped right in front of her, looming over them, and for what felt like a solid minute just looked at them.

"Interesting choice of jewelry," she finally said, evenly, "It looks familiar." Darkstalker baulked. He had not been expecting that. In fact, he had to do a double take to even get what his mother was referring to: Indigo was wearing the necklace that he'd given her back for the party. In fact, she'd worn it quite it a bit since then, which was probably why he'd thought nothing of it.

Indigo herself looked to be about the same as him in her reaction, and she glanced down to the pendant before her eyes widened and she looked back up at his mother. "I…uh…Darkstalker let me borrow this," she said quickly, and in a different situation Darkstalker would probably have laughed at how she so quickly put it on him.

"I kind of got attached to it… and a few other pieces," Indigo added the second part a bit hastily, and he could hear the sudden panic in her mind about being caught wearing his mother's treasure. "I should have returned it already, but I didn't think that you were…I mean…I'm sorry, I should have given it back." She reached a claw up to take off the necklace.

"It's alright," Foeslayer said before she could, reaching a claw out to stop her, "You don't need to worry about it."

Indigo blinked, confused. "I…don't?"

Foeslayer turned her gaze to Darkstalker. "No, I don't think you do. Not if I am reading this right."

I am reading this right, aren't I? he could hear her thought directed to him, and he nodded. "Yes. You've missed a little bit."

"Apparently so," Foeslayer huffed and sat back, no longer looking as intimidating as she had been. "I got the impression that there might have been something up in your and Arctic's letters, but this is…interesting. I never expected my son would fall for a Seawing."

Indigo looked back and forth between them, less uncomfortable but still confused and uncertain. "Foeslayer," she addressed his mother, "I know that we may make an…unusual pair, but you can be assured my feelings for him are genuine."

"Oh, I'm sure they are," Foeslayer said, "Darkstalker's a mind reader, so I doubt he'd engage with you if they weren't. Nor do I doubt that he returns those affections, if giving you my jewelry is anything to go off of."

Swishing her tail behind her, Indigo reached up again for her necklace. "It's really not a big deal," she said, "I can go get the other stuff I borrowed, if you want it back before we leave for the meeting."

"I told you, that's not necessary," Foeslayer stopped her again, "I've always told Darkstalker that if he finds a dragoness he fancies, he's free to make a gift of my jewelry to woo her," she looked at him, "Or had you forgotten that yourself?"

"I hadn't," he answered, "But you've been gone. I wanted to make sure you were okay with losing those before I gave them to her permanently."

His mother huffed and reached a claw up to her ear. "I have the only jewelry I need right here," she said, rubbing the earring Arctic gave her, "I thought I'd made that clear before." She rolled her eyes and looked at Indigo. "Keep what he gave you—it's yours now."

"Really?" the Seawing asked, "Thank you!"

"Thank Darkstalker," she snorted, amused, "Besides…that piece looks far better on you than it ever did me."

Indigo beamed and jostled Darkstalker a little with her wing. He looked at her and she gave him a short kiss, and he put his wing back around her where it belonged.

"So…" he asked Foeslayer, "Does that mean that you approve? Of us courting, I mean."

Her gaze fell on Indigo. "I'm afraid that I don't know you well enough to fully say one way or another…but knowing what I do, with how you helped me before…if you care for each other, then I think I can support you." She looked over to Arctic, who had been watching silently this whole time. "What do you think?"

The Icewing tapped his tail on the ground. "I've been watching the two of them," he told her, "And they remind me of us, of how we were back when we first left the Ice Kingdom. If they wish to court, then I support it. I would be a hypocrite not to."

Darkstalker let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. While Arctic had never really said much about the two of them being together despite seeing them being affectionate, he'd never actually voiced his approval so clearly. Knowing that he did…it made Darkstalker feel a bit lighter inside.

"Really?" Foeslayer asked him, surprised, "Despite her being…well, a Seawing?" she glanced back to Indigo. "No offense."

"None taken," Indigo told her, "I understand."

"I know, I know," Arctic sighed, "The Icewing in me says no. But like I said, I would be a hypocrite of that was my reason for it. I suppose it's like father, like son, falling for a different tribe."

Foeslayer gave a small laugh. "Yes, I suppose it is." She looked back at Indigo and nodded. "Very well, then I approve too."

"Thank you," Darkstalker said. Even if he technically didn't need their approval, it felt very, very good to have it. After all, a war was being fought right now due to a lack of approval on Diamond's part for his parents being together.

A small silence fell at that, no one quite sure where to go from there. He twitched his tail a bit awkwardly before wrapping it around Indigo's as he looked at his parents.

It was Indigo who broke the silence before it could get too deafening. "Well…" she asked him, "Would you like to take a flight? Or would you rather catch up with your mother? I can go, if you'd like…"

"No!" he stopped her there "Don't go! A flight sounds nice, but…" he looked over to his mother. He really would like a chance to talk to her more before they had to go.

"It's okay," Foeslayer said, as though she were the mind reader, "Arctic and I will be fine. Spend the time together."

He smiled. "Thanks. Still, we'll keep it shorter; I think."

Indigo nodded. "Sounds good."

They turned to leave, and he opened the door for the beautiful Seawing to exit, but she paused in the doorway and looked back inside as his mother called her name.

"Indigo, one last thing," Foeslayer said, straightening herself up to her full sitting height, "You're a bodyguard, right."

"Yes."

"Protect my son, then."

Bringing herself to a similar posture, Indigo gave a single nod of her head. "I will."

A few hours later, after the leisure flight and catching back up with Foeslayer up at the midnight meal, the three of them arrived at the palace: Arctic, Indigo, and Darkstalker. They landed in the palace courtyard, where the diplomatic delegation was assembling for the departure. A few dragons continued to scamper here and there, gathering things last minute, but for the most part everything seemed to be in order. Indigo gave him a small hug and left to find Fathom and her fellow guards as Darksalker and Arctic searched for Queen Vigilance. They found her at the palace steps with two guards at her side, looking bored as she surveyed the goings on around her.

"Oh, good, you made it," she said without any real enthusiasm as they approached, "It would have been embarrassing if I had to call all this off so close to our departure because you failed to arrive on time."

Darkstalker lashed his tail, frowning at how despite her words, she sounded as though she really didn't care one single bit. "Well, we did," he told her, "And we are ready to leave as soon as it suits you."

"Good," she flashed her teeth in a mirthless smile, "A few of my aides are getting some documents from the archives that may prove useful. As soon as they're here, we'll begin our departure."

He gave a small bow and turned to go, but paused when she spoke again.

"Ah, here they are now, actually," he heard her say, and he looked back to see three dragons carrying scrolls exiting the palace behind them and making their way towards the dragons assembled in the courtyard below. She turned to the guard beside her. "Give the signal to take off. The sooner as we get there, the sooner we can be done with this whole affair."

The guard nodded, grabbed a ram's horn that was hanging from around his neck, and blew into it. A low, loud note filled the air, and almost within seconds dragons were taking to the air, most of them being the soldiers who would be escorting them or servants carrying baggage. Darkstalker watched them all fly up, struggling to get organized as everything on the ground went into the air.

"I imagine you'll be flying near the front, with Clearsight and Prince Fathom," Vigilance said to him, as she stepped forward to take to the air herself, "Take care not to overexert yourself. It's a long flight to Redstone, and it would be such a pity if we failed to make the meeting because a few dragons got tired."

"I'll keep that in mind," he said as respectfully as he could, even as he words once more told him that she hardly felt it would be a pity at all.

She took off then, and her guards after her, joining the hundreds of black dragons circling high above. Soon she was lost in the sky as the dragons overhead slowly formed their groups and began to make their way north.

He looked to his father, the one Icewing among them all. They met eyes, and Darkstalker gave his father a nod. Arctic returned it, and together they took off, following the wingbeats of the Nightwings to go north and end a war.