Glorious Politics

AN: I meant to have this out yesterday, but unforeseen circumstances made sure I couldn't. But here it is.

Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OCs Mistral, Diamondback, and Levante belong to me. Bloodwalker belongs to his owner, SpyroAndSisuFan.

Chapter Seventeen:

With all the interviews done and Greatness having cross-checked all the information for them, there was nothing left to do except interrogate the one hundred and forty-eight potential suspects she identified. Being that she didn't know a single thing about interrogating someone in that kind of setting, she allowed Greatness and a few of her Sandwing guards to do it all for her. Mistral, of course, was a bit miffed at being sidelined during his own investigation, but she figured it was for the best right now. After seeing his attempted murder of one of their own, the Nightwings might be a bit unsettled to be trapped in a small room with him with the incident still fresh in their minds.

Surprisingly, he didn't complain for too long, as he started pursuing another lead that he thought might prove results. Even if it wasn't beneficial to this investigation, it was still helping the Ice Kingdom as a whole. But that led to him writing letters to different contacts of his, which meant he was stuck in her office for extended periods of time again. And this time, it was back to that awkward, tense atmosphere. She may have pardoned his actions, but that didn't mean she had completely gotten over it yet. That feeling of helplessness while trapped under someone as physically imposing and undeniably intelligent such as him had stuck with her. She'd even had a nightmare about the incident once, but she was glad it had only happened the one time.

As for Foeslayer, she kept quiet about the whole thing. Glory instructed Bloodwalker to keep an eye on both her and Peacemaker, though she asked him to remain discreet. Despite Moon's protests, the Rainwing Queen would not be dissuaded. Nobody had said anything out loud, but Glory knew the truth deep down. And Moon knew she knew. And based on Qibli's reactions, he was in on it, as well. They had both kept this secret from her.

Peacemaker was actually Darkstalker.

She didn't know how. She didn't know why. But the ancient animus had been transformed into the hybrid. Mistral concurred with her theory when she shared it with him, and though he wanted to simply kill him to remove any potential threat, she had talked him down. If the cult was after Darkstalker, that meant they would eventually come after Peacemaker. Using the hybrid as bait when that time came may not have been the most moral choice, but it was the plan they decided on. That didn't mean they would simply telegraph Peacemaker's actually identity to the world. No, if they could apprehend the cult without involving him, all the better. But this was a contingency they would implement if necessary. It's why she had Bloodwalker keeping an eye on him.

She also informed Winter of this development during a dreamvisit. To say he was both shocked and angry about learning that his friends had kept this a secret from him was an understatement. In fact, she was surprised he hadn't already known, but considering who he was, she realized she probably shouldn't have been. Regardless of his personal feelings on the matter, which were irrelevant seeing as how he was keeping low who-knows-where, he thanked her for the information and left the dreamscape.

She also received a letter from her brother, and she had sighed in relief to hear that he was alright. He and Pineapple had been gone for much longer than they had planned, and she was worried something might have happened. But no, they were fine. According to Jambu, they were 'arrested' for a 'misunderstanding', but when Ruby got wind of who they were, she released them and allowed the two to stay in a guest room in her palace until her wedding, which they got personal invitations for. She always did say that Jambu was a lovable idiot, and the fact that Ruby seemed to like him only proved her point.

Speaking of the wedding, the plan was to leave a week early, so they could get there early and get settled, maybe see the sights a bit, before the masses ended up crowding the city. Plus, it'd give her more time to catch up with the Skywing Queen and any of the other Queens that showed up early. She had mentioned the plan to Anemone, but she had said she wouldn't be able to leave early as the whole transition period between her rule and her mother's previous rule was still a bit iffy. While unfortunate to hear, she wrote a short letter to Thorn to find out what her plans were, and to her pleasant surprise, found out that Thorn had much the same idea.

That still left them a bit under three weeks until then, and quite a few small things happened during that time. Mistral received a letter from Snowfall that confirmed Glory's suspicions. He would be accompanying Glory's party to the Sky Kingdom as his presence at the massive social event was, quote, 'mandatory'. Second, Greatness finished with the second round of interrogations and narrowed down the suspect list to eleven. The Nightwing just needed to finish checking a few alibis to narrow that down even further. Mistral was understandably antsy upon hearing the news, and Glory decided to only take Diamondback and Qibli with her to the Sky Kingdom. The rest of the Sandwings would stay behind in case the perpetrator was beginning to get nervous. Hopefully, her guards would catch them if they tried to either attack or bolt.

Moon eventually did confess the truth—whether it was by her own decision or Qibli's urging, Glory couldn't say—and revealed the entire story. While it only confirmed her suspicion, the Rainwing was at least thankful that Moon finally saw reason and told her the truth. The rift that had been created between the two friends finally began to close after that, and while it was a sore subject still, they were getting better.

The most surprising thing, however, was a short conversation that she had with Mistral a nearly two weeks after the Foeslayer incident. It started with a sigh and a request that Diamondback leave for a few minutes. Curious, Glory looked to him and awaited what he was going to say. "I never thanked you for releasing me," he began. "And I felt it was wrong to not express my gratitude." He paused for a moment, but she didn't rush him, sensing this was something he needed to say in his own time. "I know I'm not the most agreeable dragon sometimes, and my temper can get me in trouble...which you've bailed me out of twice now. You've done a lot for me despite my original behavior towards you, and usually without me even asking. So thank you, Queen Glory. It really does mean a lot to me."

She had just stared at him in utter surprise before nodding. "Y-You're welcome," she lightly stuttered, looking away at his amused gaze. "Sorry. I just didn't expect that from you." But she looked to him with an appreciative smile, nonetheless. "But you're welcome," she repeated.

He nodded and turned back to his scroll before pausing and speaking again. "I'm not always so serious," he admitted quietly, keeping his gaze down towards his desk. "Normally, I only show that side of me to my friends, but...I seem to be running out of them as of late. Winter's missing. Frost is dead. Hailstorm is a workaholic. And things between Snowfall and I are...complicated."

Suddenly, that silly crush she once had didn't seem so silly in that one moment where he seemed so sincere and, dare she say...a bit lonely. Maybe they weren't so different after all. Yeah, things between them those last two weeks had been quiet and a bit tense, but she had started missing their conversations about nothing in particular. They were nice distractions from stress and work. Without them, it was all just...stress and work. "I could be your friend," she blurted out without thinking, and he gazed at her skeptically. "If you want," she continued, thinking it miraculous she hadn't stuttered there. "Most of my friends all live in the other Kingdoms and visit only rarely, so it'd be nice to have another one...if for a short while."

"I never took you for being lonely," he commented, and she wasn't surprised at how easily he had seen the truth in her words.

"Then you don't really know me," she said absently. If he was willing to open up a little, she should do the same, right? It was only decent.

He hummed in thought at that. "But I think I'd like to," he suddenly declared, making Glory smile to herself. "Keeping up my rigid Icewing persona is getting a bit tedious after nearly two months of working together, and it would be nice to just relax a little bit."

"Well, it's a good thing you're in the rainforest, then," she replied, and he chuckled in amusement. "Taking it easy is what we're known for down here."

"I've noticed," was his light-hearted response. "Yours may not be the typical Kingdom, but...I guess it's not so bad."

"High praise coming from you," was her equally teasing remark.

He looked away with a small smile at that before returning his gaze to her. "While I wasn't too thrilled about coming down here originally, I believe working with you has been good for me. Even if I'm still working, just getting away from Snowfall and all the stress in the Ice Kingdom for a while was undoubtedly a good thing." She was pleased to hear that, but she was even more pleased with what he said next. "So thank you again for helping me, Queen Glory."

"You're welcome," she replied sincerely. And then after a short pause. "And just call me Glory. All my friends do." He cocked his head at her in mild surprise before nodding with a small smile.

"Alright. I will." He looked out the window to see it was getting rather late. "But I think I'll retire for the night. See you tomorrow...Glory."

She smiled at him as he left. "See you tomorrow, Mistral." And with that, he left. Once he was gone, her smile fell, and she sighed wistfully. She was really beginning to like him, even with his faults. He was handsome and intelligent and had both a dangerous, intimidating side and a more tender side. It was just too bad he would inevitably leave once his investigation was over. Plus, there was Snowfall to consider. She sighed again, this time a bit more sadly.

It was just a stupid dream. It's not like anything would come of it. She wondered what would happen if he ever found out about this little attraction she had. Would he talk to her and let her down like she had with Tortoise? Just thinking about that made her feel for the Seawing. Would he attempt to avoid her like he was doing with Snowfall? Would he grow angry?

...Would he agree?

She shook her head to clear her thoughts. It was just a stupid dream, and nothing would ever happen. It was best to just move on and focus her attentions elsewhere. So that's what she did. She focused more on her work and the upcoming wedding in the Sky Kingdom instead, and things between her and Mistral stayed relaxed and friendly. The tense atmosphere from before was completely gone, and she was glad for it. The week between when he opened up and when they left for the wedding was filled with pleasant conversation, jokes, stories, and enough laughter to make her sides hurt.

It was honestly one of the best weeks of her life. Just the sense of normality—of not being alone—was enough to brighten her normally cloudy disposition. That's not to say she was as sunny as...well, Sunny. But it was an improvement. And he seemed to be having a good time, too. Better yet, he remained kind and courteous whenever she had other business to attend to, always understanding if she couldn't be there to help him if or when he needed it. Instead, he would be patient until her prior business was done, and they would proceed with his work while he asked—and showed genuine interest—in what she did previously to helping him. Sometimes he would give his opinion on different matters, and they would have debates over it.

It felt like that first month-and-a-half of purely professional interactions was finally over. Now they were friends. He felt like an actual friend to her now, rather than just some dragon who was forced to work with her. And it was definitely a change for the better.

"Well, I'm glad to hear he got his act together. And that you two have become good friends. While I was glad you decided to give him a second chance after Sobek's trial, I also worried a bit about you. But I'm glad nothing bad happened." Thorn sipped a bit of her tea as the two Queens sat in one of the most lavish guest rooms in the Skywing palace. Glory and the dragons who had accompanied her had arrived in the Skywing capital earlier in the day, and upon hearing of their arrival, Queen Ruby had invited her, Mistral, Moon, and Qibli to join her for dinner. Unbeknownst to Glory at the time, Thorn had arrived the day before, and Hailstorm had arrived just before Glory's group had to secure a room for Snowfall.

The royals—and one Icewing noble—had all dined together that night, catching up with each other over a casual, yet not too informal, meal where Glory was introduced to Levante, Ruby's soon-to-be husband. He was a charming and charismatic individual, to be sure, from what little she saw of him. He arrived at the dinner late and had to leave early, such was his duty to oversee the security preparations for the masses of dragons due to arrive for the big event. While clearly tired and a bit frustrated at constantly being needed, he never let that seep into his tone during the twenty minutes he was allowed to sit and talk. And when he was called back to work, he never complained and went to complete his duties with a small sigh and a cordial farewell, apologizing that he had to leave so soon.

She looked forward to speaking with him more in the future.

After dinner, however, everyone had split up to go do their own things. Moon and Qibli went on a walk around the palace. Hailstorm and Mistral went off to their own quarters, talking quietly to each other as they left. And Thorn had invited Glory over to her room so the two could catch up in a more private setting. The Rainwing Queen had just finished telling her about how Mistral had changed for the better since the trial and how they had become friends. She also mentioned the attraction she held for him, knowing she could trust Thorn enough to talk about that sort of thing. The only thing she didn't mention was anything to do with his investigation—including the Foeslayer incident.

"The one thing I'm curious about," the Sandwing continued, "is why you've decided not to tell him about your feelings."

"Maybe because we literally just went from being professional 'co-workers' to actual friends. Wouldn't confessing to him seem too...fast?" she retorted.

"Yes, but that's not what I meant. I'm not saying you need to tell him right now, but eventually..." Thorn explained, making Glory give an 'ah' of understanding. "You said it was a stupid dream, too. Why? What's stopping you from even trying?" Glory looked away and didn't answer. "I'm not trying to upset you, Glory. I just want to help, so I need to understand your reasoning," she continued, her voice gentle.

"Because he'd going to leave eventually," she admitted. "What's the point of even trying if I'll just end up hurt again?"

"If you told him, he might not leave," Thorn countered.

"But that's just it!" Glory argued, and Thorn recoiled a bit at the sudden shift in volume. "He might not! I don't want to make him choose between his Kingdom and me! That's just...selfish."

Thorn just shook her head, though her expression was sympathetic. "It's not selfish to fall in love with someone."

"But I don't love him," Glory denied. "Yes, I like him and find him attractive. So what? That doesn't mean we're destined to be together. I still hardly know him."

Thorn sighed and set her teacup down. "I can't force you to make this decision as it's one you need to decide for yourself. But my advice? Tell him. Yes, he may leave in the end, and you might get hurt again. But that pain will be nothing compared to the regret of knowing you could have said something before it was too late yet never did. I know what that's like. Our situation may be slightly different, but I still miss Stonemover. I could have done more, said more, to make him stay with me, but I didn't. And now he's stuck in his miserable, self-loathing existence."

Glory was silent for a long time after that, and Thorn never made any attempt at conversation. She merely placed a wing around the smaller dragoness in a show of support, and the two merely sat in comfortable silence until Glory eventually excused herself, when she went to her own quarters after staying up late enough.

Thorn's advice, though, stuck with her. It was as valuable and thought-provoking as ever, and she thought that maybe things weren't quite as simply as she initially thought. This was something that really needed to be pondered deeply upon. But not tonight. She was already tired enough.

The next day started with a summons to eat breakfast with Ruby and Thorn. It was just the three of them that morning, and it was a slightly more informal meal than last night's dinner. But that was mostly because of Ruby. She was an amazing Queen, yet she really couldn't turn off her formality completely. Even still, it was an enjoyable morning meal. "So what do you have planned for today?" Ruby asked, inviting either of them to speak.

The wedding was the day after tomorrow, so Glory knew today was probably the last chance to see the rest of the city before the crowds got too unbearable. It would still be bad today, yes, but tomorrow would be so much worse. "I wanted to take a tour of your city if that's okay?" Glory asked, to which Ruby nodded.

"Of course. Just be mindful of the crowds... Actually, you brought a guard with you if I remember correctly. A Sandwing named Diamondback, yes?" Glory nodded. "I must insist that you take him with you, and I'll assign one of my city guards to you, as well, for the duration of your stay."

"Expecting trouble?" Thorn wondered.

"No! Of course not!" Ruby shook her head, looking genuinely horrified at the thought of something or someone ruining her wedding. "I don't imagine anything will happen, but Levante believes we should take precautions just in case, and frankly, I'm inclined to listen to him. There's never been this many dragons in my city before." Ruby waved over one of the servants and shared a few words with him before he bowed and left. "I'll have word sent to your two guards to meet you in your quarters." Glory thanked her and began to leave. "Oh! And lest I forget, your brother and his partner have a room on the floor below yours. If you ask one of the servants, they'll take you to him." Again, Glory thanked her and left, Thorn following right behind her.

"I think I'll stay around the palace in case any of the other Queens turn up today," Thorn told Glory as they left the banquet hall. "Have fun in the city, but be careful," she stressed. "I know this isn't the Sand Kingdom, but the same rules apply. Anyone could be hiding in those crowds out there."

"Relax, mom, I'll be careful." She smirked at Thorn's exasperated eye roll, though the Sandwing did have a small smile on her face after hearing the term of endearment. "Seriously, though, I know Diamondback will keep me safe. It's why you assigned him to me, right?"

"Yes, but even Outclaws can make mistakes," Thorn argued. "Just ask Qibli." She stopped the Rainwing with a claw on her shoulder, and the younger dragoness turned to look up at her. "Don't ignore your instincts. If you feel like someone's watching you, it usually means they are. There'll be guard patrols everywhere, so if you ever feel unsafe at any time, find some additional guards and come straight back here."

Glory took a moment to study Thorn's expression, noting her clear concern. "Do you expect any trouble?"

Thorn sighed and shrugged. "I don't know. Those crowds out there make me uncomfortable. Maybe it's just me being paranoid after spending so long in places like the Scorpion Den, but...I have a bad feeling."

"I could stay here if you think I should," Glory offered, but Thorn shook her head.

"No, I'm sure you'll be fine. Just be careful out there," the Sandwing Queen urged, and Glory promised that she would. As she walked to her room, she kept Thorn's caution in mind. The Sandwing Queen's instincts were rarely wrong when it came to things like this, so Glory planned to keep an eye out just in case. She assured herself that just because something bad might happen, it didn't necessarily mean it would happen to her. But she was glad she'd have some guards with her, at least.

AN: So is anybody else getting some suspicious vibes? Is Thorn right to be worried? Will Glory be alright?

I'm sure nothing will happen...right?

Until Next Time

AdmiralCole22