Glorious Politics

AN: For those of you waiting, the next chapter of Dragons Change will be out late tomorrow or early Monday, depends on how much I can work on it tomorrow. Also, as of this chapter, SpyroAndSisuFan has completed his story about Bloodwalker's backstory. That character will show up more in this story (permission already given), so if you want to know more about him, go check it out. The title is Wings of Fire: Paths of Blood.

Also, in case there is any confusion. Yes, the Horus in this story is the same Horus that made an appearance as a minor character in Dragons Change. His backstory is mostly the same minus everything regarding Hailstorm/Pyrite. The two stories are completely exclusive from each other, I just needed a Skywing soldier, and I liked Horus enough to use him again. Plus, he actually has a larger role in this story as compared to DC so consider this his actual canon story if that helps. His character is introduced a bit better in this chapter, as well, because of this.

I don't reuse my characters that often unless they happen to be minor characters with similar roles. And I will never reuse a character that previously died in another story. For example, I wouldn't ever reuse Flint from Dragons Change again since he was a main character, and I'd never reuse Copperhead from A Brighter Future Ahead because he died.

I hope that clears up any potential confusion and doesn't actually make things worse.

WARNING: Potentially sensitive topic about war and loss in this chapter.

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

Chapter Nineteen:

Both Horus and Diamondback were dubious upon hearing she wanted to go back out into the city, especially since it was so close to sundown. Mistral, however, assured them that they wouldn't be going to the markets, so the crowds wouldn't be as bad. It was a relief to hear.

In fact, they were currently strolling through the opulent streets and massive mansions of the upper-class neighborhood. Even with all the dragons present in the city, there were only a few scattered groups here and there. "Fancy," Glory commented, looking around at their surroundings as they continued down the wide, pristine cobblestone streets. "I should have known your mystery restaurant would be in this area."

"It isn't," he responded, throwing her for a loop. "This is just the quickest route to it."

Horus suddenly hummed quietly to himself, and she glanced at him curiously. "I take it you know where he's headed?" she assumed, and he shrugged.

"I have a good idea," he answered vaguely. Mistral studied the Skywing appraisingly for a moment before refocusing on where he was walking.

After a few more minutes of silence, it was Diamondback who spoke. "You Skywings certainly know how to build big," he commented, trying to find a topic of conversation that would take away this slightly awkward silence.

Horus nodded. "Being the strongest and largest tribe on Pyrrhia for the last two thousand years has its perks. But don't let that fool you, it's astronomically expensive to live in this part of the city. Actually, it's expensive to live in the city, period. Even the low-class housing is almost twice as expensive as what you'd find in the outlying towns and villages."

"Why is that?" Glory wondered. "And why would dragons actually pay that kind of price just to live in the city?"

"Because this city is the beating heart of Pyrrhia itself," Horus boasted proudly. "As the center for trade across the entire continent, you can find anything and everything here. That, of course, brings in a lot of wealth, and that, in turn, brings in a lot of dragons. This may be the largest city in Pyrrhia, but we can still only house so many dragons here, and expansion takes time and resources. So yes, it may cost a fortune to live here, but it's also easy to make one here, too. That's why a lot of the families here, like mine, are old blood, especially in the upper and middle class areas."

"Someone sounds proud," Diamondback joked.

"As he should be," Mistral remarked. "Scarlet was more the exception than the rule. The Skywings have had a lot of good Queens over the past few millennia, and Queen Ruby is the most popular one in centuries, at least." After a few seconds, he added, "The same could be said for Queen Thorn, as well, though only regarding the latter point."

Diamondback seemed pleased to hear that, but Glory was more focused on something else. "So which are you, Captain?" she asked, and he looked to her in slight confusion. "You mentioned your family was old blood, so which class is yours from, upper or middle?"

"Ah, well...we used to be upper class," he began, and none of them had missed his use of the past tense. "Both of my parents died in the war, though, and I couldn't make enough money on my own to keep our old estate. I was...forced to sell."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Glory apologized. She sympathized with him. It was probably difficult for him to accept when it happened, she was sure, since a lot of the Skywing military families were proud of their heritage. Losing that estate must have been a terrible blow.

He nodded in thanks. "I live in the lower-class areas now since it's cheaper, and I don't need much room for myself. I'm hoping to be promoted one day, so I can eventually buy my family's old house back."

"I wish you luck," Mistral spoke. Glory and Diamondback also wished him luck.

The Skywing thanked them, but Glory was still curious. "Which house was yours if I may ask?"

Horus gestured ahead of them. "It's coming up soon on the right." When he eventually did point out his old house, she had to admit she was a little underwhelmed. It was still big and fancy, yes, but it was one of the only single-floor houses she had seen. Most were double or even triple floor mansions. Plus, it seemed...old. The whole structure seemed to be worn out and didn't seem as fresh and new as most of the other homes around here. Seeing their reactions, Horus explained. "It may not be as big or fancy as the other estates around here, but that happens to be one of the oldest buildings in the entire city—built way back when the finishing touches were being put on the palace itself."

"How long is that exactly?" Glory asked.

"Around three thousand years," was his answer, and all three of them were suddenly a bit more impressed. "It was given to my family during the reign of Queen Carmine, the Queen during Darkstalker's time." Mistral growled to himself at hearing the ancient animus' name, but no one commented on his reaction. "My too-man-greats-to-be-remembered grandfather was the Queen's most trusted general, and she gave it to him as a reward for his service. It'd been in my family ever since."

Ever since he lost it, he meant. "Who lives there now?" Diamondback wondered.

"General Levante," came the completely unexpected reply. "He bought it from me and swore he would sell it back whenever I had the money to afford it. Our families have been friends for the last five hundred years or so, and I figured if I couldn't trust one of my best friends with it, I couldn't trust anyone."

As they continued walking, they came across one of the inner walls, separating the upper-class neighborhood from the lower-class residential areas. The portcullis was raised as usual, so they were able to pass into the lower-class area easily. There was a marked increase in the amount of dragons out and about now, and the streets and buildings were decidedly less opulent than the ones on the other side of the wall. That wasn't to say they were run-down because they were still perfectly livable. They were just made out of regular stone as compared to marble.

"You get a lot of favor from the general?" Mistal asked.

"Do you get any favor from Queen Snowfall?" Horus shot back. The Icewing was quiet after that. "We're friends, yes, but he doesn't give me any special treatment when it comes to doing our jobs."

The group was mostly quiet after that as they turned down a side street, and Mistral stopped outside a particularly rough-looking building. Again, rough as in old, rather than completely rundown. The sign above the door was faded, and the stone was worn. There was a rather long line outside of the door, a good indication this place was as good as Mistral suggested it was. A glimpse inside showed it was small and cozy. All in all, it looked like your average hold-in-the-wall. "This is the place?" she asked skeptically.

"Don't let the look of it fool you," Mistral responded with a small grin. "All of these dragons wouldn't be here if the food was bad."

"Okay..." she relented on that particular point, but there was still a problem. "But I happen to be rather hungry, and I don't feel like waiting in line for two hours...if not more." A lot of the dragons closest by in the line seemed to roll their eyes at her statement.

Just when he opened his mouth to say something—probably to argue—a new voice, one that clearly belonged to an elderly dragon, interrupted him. "Ah, my dear Mistral, it's been such a long time!" Mistral smiled—actually, genuinely smiled—when he turned to the newcomer, an old Skywing with a noticeable limp in his back right leg and a partially missing horn. He was decorated with quite a few scars, too. Despite his age and limp, he appeared overjoyed to see Mistral, enough that he came up and hugged the Icewing...and Mistral hugged him back. "Oh, how I missed your visits!"

"I missed you, too, Nimbus," he responded quietly.

Then, the Skywing pulled away with a, "Come! Come!"

Mistral followed without argument, but Glory hesitated. "Aren't we cutting in line? I don't want to be rude."

"It's not rude if I invite you in!" Nimbus called back with a smile. Horus gestured for her to go ahead and follow, and Diamondback just shrugged. So, with no other option, she followed the old Skywing and Mistral through the small restaurant and out a back door.

Whereas the entire inside was packed with dragons with barely enough room to walk through, the five of them were the only ones outside. A small walled garden was where the group found themselves with a nicer table than the ones inside—probably because it didn't seem as well-used. With it being a garden, there was a nice assortment of flower bushes ringing the wall. A sudden woosh of fire made Glory jump a bit, but then she noticed what had happened. Nimbus had set a small fire in a fire pit she hadn't noticed on her initial sweep of the garden that provided a nice warm light to see by now that the sun was getting lower in the sky.

"This is beautiful," she complimented the Skywing, who smiled in thanks.

"Thank you kindly, Your Highness," he bowed slightly. His knowledge of who she was took her by surprise. She wasn't exactly wearing anything that would point to her being royalty, and she wasn't as easily recognizable as the other queens were. "Oh, don't look so surprised, Your Highness. I've been around the block enough times to recognize royalty when I see it."

"Uh huh..." she mumbled skeptically.

The Skywing just smiled before going back inside with a, "I'll go fetch some menus for you four. Make yourselves comfortable."

They did so. Glory sat with her right side towards the fire with Horus sitting on her left. Across from her was Mistral with Diamondback sitting to his right. "I take it you and Nimbus know each other," Horus pointed out, and Mistral nodded.

"There's a story there," Glory pushed. "Care to tell it? Because I've never seen you that open with another dragon."

"You mean to tell me that you never told your lady friend about me?" the old Skywing asked with a mischievous smile as he passed around some menus before sitting at the head of the table.

Mistral just shook his head in feigned annoyance at the Skywing. "She's just a friend, Nimbus. And you know I don't really talk about my past that much."

"Ah...but there's no harm in telling this story, Mistral. You know there isn't." Mistral sighed quietly before shrugging, and Nimbus smiled supportively at the Icewing.

Mistral was quiet for a moment before beginning his story. "On my first deployment as part of the Icewing military, I was assigned as part of a joint task force with the Skywings. Icewing intelligence suggested there was a cell of Scarlet supporters still holed up in the mountains between the Ice and Sky Kingdoms somewhere. When Snowfall sent the intel to Queen Ruby, she proposed working together, claiming that the rebels were still her problem but that she would allow us to help her catch them. Snowfall agreed to those terms to gain favor with Ruby as this was only a year or so after the end of the war."

He paused for a second before continuing. "To make a long story short, we found the rebels and took care of them, but there were more of them than our intelligence suggested. We...took heavy casualties. I escaped relatively unscathed, with only a small gash on my shoulder and a slightly bigger one on my chest. A lot of those soldiers weren't so lucky. One of them was a Skywing. He was young...looked like he was fresh out of training like me. I...did what I could, but...he didn't make it. He died in my arms." Mistral looked away, and Nimbus stood up to go sit next to him.

It was the Skywing that continued the story. "That Skywing was my grandson. Before he died, Jetstream asked this Icewing soldier that he didn't know to take a letter to his grandpa. And he did. I was tending the restaurant one day, as usual, when an Icewing walks in and starts asking for me. He gave me the letter, apologized for letting my grandson die, and offered his condolences. Before he could turn away, I said to him, 'What do you have to apologize for? Did you strike the killing blow?' 'No,' he said. 'Did you hide like a coward during the fight?' He shook his head, 'No, I did everything I could, but—'

"'But nothing," I said. 'If you did everything you could, why are you apologizing? Why are you blaming yourself for something you couldn't control?'" Nimbus clasped Mistral's right claws firmly with his own and placed his left arm around the Icewing's shoulders with a gentle yet firm shake. Then, the Skywing stared into the side of the Icewing's face with an intensely passionate expression. "'Did you hold onto his claws like this? Did you put your arm around him like this? Did you sit with my grandson in his last moments and tell him everything's going to be all right?'"

Mistral was quiet for a while, his expression distant as he no doubt relived those unpleasant memories. This was the first time since he grieved for Frost that she had seen Mistral show this kind of emotion. "Yes, sir..." the Icewing eventually spoke.

"Then why are you apologizing for giving him more in that moment than anyone else could've. You sat with him, someone you didn't know, and made sure he wasn't afraid or alone in his last moments. So you don't need to apologize for being a good dragon." Nimbus pulled the slightly larger Icewing in for another hug that Mistral slowly returned. The Icewing wasn't crying, but he was clearly upset.

"The first time is always the worst," Horus said quietly, looking at the Icewing sympathetically. "Then again, it never gets easier seeing someone you spoke with just a few hours ago lying dead on the floor of some stars-forsaken cave."

"We've all been there," Diamondback quietly agreed.

"Every soldier has," Nimbus spoke. "I buried both my son and grandson when they tried following in my footsteps. But that's what war does. The young die young while the old continue to get older. But it also makes friends grow closer and turns strangers into family." He sighed. "Maybe that's just me being an old fool, but it helps me look past those I've lost when I see the ones I've gained."

"It's still much harder than you make it sound," Mistral muttered. Nimbus just rubbed his shoulder to try and comfort the Icewing.

"...Sorry I asked," Glory apologized. She didn't mean to make the atmosphere so depressing, but she didn't think it would be that kind of story.

"Now don't you go apologizing, too!" the old Skywing scolded her, taking her by surprise. "It's good for you to hear these kinds of stories. Now that you know the suffering war causes, you'll make sure to keep the peace. Right?" Glory's nod was enough to make Nimbus stop glaring at her. He patted Mistral's shoulder twice more before standing. "I'll give you four some time to decide on what you want to eat. No rush; no one else uses this table." With that, he walked inside, a wave of sound washing over them from inside once the door opened before being muffled again when it closed.

There was silence for a while, no one really knowing what to say after that. The heavy atmosphere between them made it difficult to even want to say anything, though Glory was racking her brain to figure out something to say. To her surprise, however, it was Mistral who broke the silence. "Nimbus and I have been close ever since," he began quietly. "Whenever I had to come to the city, I always stopped here to visit with him...the food was just a bonus. After getting out of the military, I spent two years as Snowfall's Secretary of Defense, but...I didn't much like the position. Then, it was two years as the dignitary to the Sky Kingdom, then one year as the dignitary to the Sand Kingdom. And now, I'm technically the dignitary to the Rainforest, and Hailstorm has been reassigned to the Sand Kingdom in my place."

"So you haven't seen him in over a year?" Glory correctly assumed.

The Icewing nodded, letting out a small exhale before changing the subject. "Enough about me, though." He picked up a menu, which were written on hardened clay tablets. "I recommend anything involving pork, but it's all good."

Even still, Glory felt as if she should say something to him after he shared that story with them. One of his claws was resting atop the table, and in a bold move, Glory placed her own atop his. He glanced down at her claw atop his before looking up at her, his expression difficult to read. "Thank you for sharing that story with us," she spoke sincerely.

He studied her for a moment before responding. "You're welcome...now kindly remove your claw from mine, please." She did so, though a twinge of sorrow hit her at his clear dislike of the small contact. She rested her head atop her left claw and looked down at the menu with a small huff. Her right claw, however, was resting atop the table near the edge.

Diamondback and Horus were already in discussion about what to eat. Horus was mostly recommending things, and the Sandwing was asking the Skywing his thoughts on different meals and why he was suggested one over the other similar entrees. The door to the restaurant opened, and she heard the scraping of wood next to her, a sound which made her recoil her claw in surprise as she tried to find the source. Mistral was sitting there, his posture tense, and it didn't take her long to figure out why. "I should have known you'd be here," Snowfall said as she sat down at the foot of the table between her and the other Icewing.

"Mind if I take this seat Diamondback?" another familiar voice asked, and Anemone sat down next to her with Diamondback now sitting at the head of the table. The Seawing Queen was wearing a moderate amount of jewelry—none of which were the really distinguishing pieces—so it appeared she was still staying true to her promise. "Surprised to see us?" the Seawing asked with a smirk upon seeing Glory's expression.

"Yeah, a little bit," she confessed. "When did you get here? Matter of fact, how'd you even know we were here?"

"Anemone and I arrived within a few minutes of each other about an hour ago. And Hailstorm told us," Snowfall answered, casually placing her claw atop Mistral's. A spike of jealousy hit the Rainwing, but she forced it down with a small frown she made she the Icewing Queen didn't catch.

"I saw them outside and assumed they were with you lot," Nimbus said, placing down two more menus for the new guests. Glory caught the old Skywing looking at the tense Icewing in sympathy, shaking his head with a small sigh, leaving shortly after. Snowfall was too busy talking with Mistral to notice, who, to his credit, was talking, albeit begrudgingly. Either Snowfall didn't notice how tense he was or she simply didn't care.

Anemone just snorted quietly in amusement as she watched the two Icewings. Then, she turned to Glory. "So...you didn't even give my brother a chance, huh?" she teased. Glory just groaned, already guessing where this night was headed. Anemone laughed at her expense, wrapping a wing around the smaller Rainwing. "Oh, don't be like that, sis! You know I'm just teasing you! It's my job to annoy you, after all!"

"We already talked about this, though," Glory argued.

Anemone shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so. But seriously? Not even one date?"

"Who's dating who?" Mistral suddenly asked, obviously desperate to join a conversation with someone else. Snowfall just huffed in clear annoyance.

"Nobody...yet," Anemone grinned slyly. Then she chuckled at the Rainwing's deadpan expression, moving on with, "I granted your request, by the way. Tortoise will be my dignitary for your Kingdom." A pause. "You sure you couldn't even give him a chance?"

Glory just buried her face in her claws with another groan as Anemone cackled next to her. The Rainwing did snap her glare up to Diamondback when she heard him holding back laughter, though, and he shut right up.

When dinner finally came, it was as good as Mistral had insisted it would be. Despite the delicious meal, Anemone's constant teasing—though she did stop after a while, thankfully—and Snowfall's obliviousness to Mistral's growing distaste for her really put a damper on the rest of the night. At least Horus and Diamondback seemed to be talking amicably, swapping different combat stories. As for Glory, though she was surrounded by five other dragons, she felt more alone than she had in a long time. Anemone had caught on to her steadily worsening mood about halfway through the meal, and the Seawing's wing tightened in an attempt to comfort her.

She just wished the night would end sooner than later. It had started out fun, if a bit heavy after Mistral's story, but now it just served as a reminder of how alone she was.

AN: I'm not sure what it was, but I really liked this chapter. We get a bit more of Mistral's history, and we also see that he's actually a pretty compassionate guy at times.

I also apologize if that bit about being a soldier was dark or if it hit anyone particularly hard. I have the greatest respect for those who serve in the military. My best friend from high school was in the military for four years.

Until Next Time

AdmiralCole22