Ulterior Motives

AN: After this one, there's only one more Perspectives left to go, and it won't be until after the next chapter of Dragons Change. And both of them will be quite special, so I hope everyone's excited. I'll try to get the next major chapter out by mid-September. It might be sooner, but that's the absolute latest it'll be out by.

Anyways, this one takes place during Dragons Change Ch. 31, so it's recommended to read it after that one.

Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. Horus is my OC and belongs to me.

Horus:

He honestly didn't know why he agreed to the Icewing's proposal. Well, he did…but also not really. He planned on convincing him to become Pyrite again, but even if he succeeded, it would never be the same between them. He knew the truth of who Pyrite really was now, and nothing could change that.

But he doubted he could convince him, anyways, so why was he even bothering?

That was the question he had been wrestling with all night. He finally had fallen asleep, but it seemed like he woke up immediately afterwards with the sun's first rays. Now he was just sitting in what was left of his living room pondering the same question. As he thought about that, he looked around at the rather sparse decorations. Pyrite wouldn't even recognize this place anymore with the amount of stuff he'd had to sell to make ends meet.

That, in turn, lead him to think on why most everything was missing. After he learned the truth, he had been devastated. He went AWOL from his posting as he fell into a slump. He had been suspended from his duties when the Queen learned of his absence. And that had been another reason for what happened next. He started drinking…a lot.

He had been passed out drunk when guards had literally dragged him before the Queen after the third week of his suspension. She took one look at him and ordered the guards to throw him in a cell. He spend almost a month down there before he was ordered to resume his duties. But because of his transgressions, he had been stripped of his command and rank. He became a simple private, and everything went downhill from there.

He had barely been able to make ends meet when he was a Captain, but now that he was demoted to a lowly Private and his wages were down to a quarter of what he used to make, he had been forced to take more and more from his family's vault. And even then, he still had to sell his family's heirlooms and most prized possessions to make it work.

It didn't help that he still drank more than he should. It had become a habit, and he blamed that Icewing for everything that had happened to him. Everything had been perfectly fine between them, so why did that bastard have to ruin it?

His mood having soured quite a bit, he got up and grabbed a new bottle of liquor from his kitchen. He took a swig of it and grimaced a bit at the taste. He much rather preferred the Skywing brews, but this Seawing stuff was all he could afford now.

A knock sounded at his door, and he set the bottle down with an aggravated huff. He answered it, and upon seeing who it was, he immediately saluted then stood at attention. His commanding officer just studied him for a minute before scoffing. "It's not even mid-morning, and you're already drinking? You're a disgrace, Horus, to both the military and your family."

He grit his teeth but didn't argue. He couldn't. So instead, he said, "I'm sorry, sir."

Captain Hawke just grunted. "Not yet, you aren't." He looked behind him, and Horus noticed the two other guards that had been behind his CO. One of them passed a letter to him, and he, in turn, passed it to Horus. He looked at it for a moment before his eyes flew open and he looked up in a panic. However, he received no empathy from Hawke. "Pack your bag, Private. You're being evicted. You have until sundown to comply."

He just stared at the letter in his claws as the three Skywings walked away, their business concluded. He finally became lucid enough to walk back inside after shutting the door. He set the scroll down on one of the few tables he had left and put his palm over his mouth to stop himself from breaking down. Two thousand years of proud military service, and his family's legacy ends with him.

He did the only reasonable thing someone in his position could do: he downed the rest of that bottle before throwing it with a furious yell across the room where it shattered against the far wall. Breathing heavily, he took a look at the bare walls. Banners used to hang from them, proudly showing his family's heritage and service. All of them, gone. His family's vault, empty. And now, his family's home…lost.

The brief thought of simply ending his own life crossed his mind, but he disregarded it as quickly as it came. He wouldn't dishonor his family even further by doing that. He needed to get it all back. He needed to fix everything, but how? His thoughts eventually turned to that Icewing…

Maybe Prince Hailstorm could be useful, after all.

And his brother, Winter, supposedly was friends with not only Queen Ruby, but also Glory and the other former Dragonets of Destiny—including both the Seawing and Sandwing princesses. Yes…maybe the two of them could help him. He'd just have to play along for a while.

He spent the rest of the morning packing what little personal effects he had. He didn't have much—his armor, weapon, a few other odds and ends—but even if he did, he wouldn't be able to bring much. Without his house, the only place he could stay was in the barracks, and he wasn't looking forward to that.

Luckily, he was on leave for a few days by recommendation from his superior. Of course, what that actually meant was that he got suspended for drinking on patrol again. In any case, he was able to bring his stuff up to his bunk in the barracks. After stowing his belongings, he left, not wanting to stick around too long in case someone he didn't want to see right now came back.

Which meant pretty much everyone…

At this point, it was almost lunchtime, so he figured it would probably be best to start heading to his prior arrangement. It was a long walk, though not really because of the distance. The markets were always crowded this time of day, so it took him a while to navigate the packed streets. The café itself was in the southwest portion of the market, so at least the crowds were a bit thinner compared to the center. And even then, it was situated back in a small, cozy courtyard with nice, decorative trees to create a small sort of division between it and the busy streets outside.

He stopped for a moment outside to take in the familiar sights. He and Pyrite used to come here at least once a month after they discovered it during one of their trips into the city. It was a nice place with good food and service, but he hadn't been here since his heart had been ripped out of his chest—metaphorically speaking, that is. It was for two reasons: the painful memories, and the fact it wasn't exactly cheap. Back then, he could handle it since Pyrite had been helping him with a few of his expenses, but now it was way outside his budget.

With a huff, he entered and scanned the few occupied tables, waving away the server as he found who he was looking for. The Icewing was a bit fidgety, but he seemed to relax a tiny bit as he sat down across from him. He tried to smile, but when he was met with his own stony expression, it quickly fell away. "I'm glad you could make it," he tried, a bit uncertain.

He scoffed. "Don't flatter yourself, Icewing. You know why I came," he shot back.

The Icewing nodded sadly but didn't comment on it. "I took the liberty of ordering for you. I hope that's okay…" he told him instead.

"Long as you're paying," he answered curtly. Another nod. A silence fell between them, and he took a moment to observe his unwanted company. That's when he remembered something. "Where is it?" he asked. The Icewing's expression fell even more at that, and he sighed, pulling up a familiar necklace. He was about to demand that he put it on as it would at least give him better company when the other dragon did it anyways. Only…

Nothing happened.

He remembered this necklace turning this dragon into Pyrite and vice versa. Why wasn't it working. He snarled before he even realized what he was doing. "Where is she?" he demanded, his tone low yet dangerous.

Instead of immediately answering, the Icewing opened the locket and showed it to be empty. He stared at it for a moment before the other dragon finally responded. "Pyrite is an enchanted piece of scroll that used to sit inside here," he explained despondently. "My brother has it now."

Horus glared at the Icewing and clenched his teeth. "Pyrite is more than some scrap of paper," he grit out. "She was more than you'll ever be!"

The Icewing looked truly hurt when he heard that and looked away. "I figured as much," he said quietly. "But I hoped you might understand."

"Understand!?" he asked incredulously, the other dragons turning to stare at them, but he didn't care. "Do you have any idea what you did to me? What you've cost me?" The Icewing nodded, guilt in his expression. "Really?" he asked, his tone dripping skepticism.

"I asked around," the Icewing choked out. "I cost you everything…" He was almost in tears when he admitted that, but Horus couldn't bring himself to care. In fact, the Icewing deserved all the guilt he had and more, in his opinion.

"My rank, my house, my honor, my family's legacy: all gone! Because of you!" he snapped. There was no response, other than the Icewing wiping a few of his tears away. He wouldn't even look him in the eyes. "Do you have anything to say to me?"

That question hung between them for several minutes. The Icewing was just looking down at the table in guilt and shame, and he spoke so quiet that Horus barely heard him. "I'm sorry…" he whispered.

Horus just narrowed his eyes dangerously. "You're sorry?" he echoed. "You think a simply apology will be enough?"

The Icewing shook his head. "I doubt anything I do or say will ever be enough, but…I want to try…if you'll let me," he began. Horus studied him for a moment before motioning for him to continue. "I know what I did to you is unforgivable, and you have ever right to hate me for it, but…I still love you." Horus barely managed to bite back his scathing retort to that, but he decided to let the Icewing continue. "Which is why I'll help you get your house back," he declared.

The Skywing suddenly became a bit more intrigued. "Oh? And how do you plan to do that?" he challenged.

"My brother, Winter, is close with both Ruby and Faredir," he explained. "I can convince him to help, and he, in turn, can convince them." Horus nodded. That was about what he was expecting, anyways. "And I'll also help with finding all the stuff you had to sell. And I can help with your expenses like I—like Pyrite—used to."

Horus sat back and studied the other dragon once more. All the things he had offered to help with was pretty much everything he was going to demand of him. The fact he was freely offering to do all of that made him look at the Icewing in a new light. He honestly hadn't expected it, but his respect for this Icewing—for Hailstorm—just grew ever-so-slightly.

As the minutes dragged on, he nodded to himself, coming to a conclusion. "Do all that, and maybe I'll consider us even," he finally agreed.

After that declaration, Hailstorm smiled. It was a genuine smile—one that said he was happy to be given a chance. Horus just grunted in response, looking away. Maybe he was being a bit too soft, but the poor guy wanted to try and fix his mistake. He could respect that if nothing else. And he wasn't the kind of dragon to kick someone while they were down. If Hailstorm were willing to try, the least he could do in return go easy on him.

Their food finally arrived a few minutes later, and they both apologized for making a scene. They ate in relative silence, but it was no longer as tense. They weren't friends by any means, but Horus decided that he would tolerate Hailstorm's presence since he had decided to help. It was a rather nice, peaceful meal.

Until the palace exploded…

AN: And so begins the long road to forgiveness.

The only announcement I have is that the poll for the next Dragons Change universe story will end after the next chapter of Dragons Change is posted. So...

Until Next Time

AdmiralCole22