-Blackberry Avar - The material in question will be revealed in a later chapter, it is based off a real life metal (alloy), but the IceWings don't have access to that technology due to not having access to fire (or a hot enough fire). The metal they are currently using is tin, which does not require as high a forging temperature.

This one took a while, and not because of dancing reasons. When I first planned this story, I worked out the climax(es) first, and don't worry, we are getting there. There is some more action in this chapter, and I hope to bring the story out of exposition and actually have Auster and Bering doing things instead of sitting around the palace. Anyways, I hope you enjoy - MAG.

I passed the night in the guard chambers again, not willing to go back to Bering and the laboratory. I felt a small pang of shame for abandoning my new employer over something as trivial as a harmless joke, even if said joke lingered in my mind like an aching pain.

Having seen the more luxurious parts of the palace, the room I still inhabited was comparably bare. The spear I had held in such high respect and revered looked weathered and tired. Reaching up to hold the old weapon, I noticed the ring from earlier. The stones gleamed next to the cold metal of the spear, their pink hue giving off a radiance that lit up the dim, stark room.

Lost in my thoughts, I did not hear the insistent knocking outside until the dragon became impatient and forced the door open. The familiar slender IceWing stood in the doorway, but his usual smile was gone, replaced by a miffed frown.

"Auster, this is serious. I need to find Mink before the next bell rings."

I was annoyed by his sudden intrusion, but the imperative tone urged me into action, and I also wanted to prove to myself that I was useful and fit to be his assistant.

"Where did you last see her?"

"I don't know! I just know that you went to see the jeweler, and she's standing in for her mate so that means you must've seen her yesterday."

"I did see her yesterday at the jeweler, but I left the marketplace after that."

Bering's wings visibly sagged with disappointment. Maybe it was pity or empathy or something else, but I felt anxious at seeing the normally grinning dragon so miserable.

"I know where she goes after guard inspections though, we can check there." Without waiting to see Bering's reaction, I leapt out of my chambers and down the hallway. The footsteps behind me indicated that he had followed.

Commander Mink was a very reclusive dragon, hiding any emotions behind a rigid mask of authority and tradition. When all the other guards were partying and celebrating about a week off duty, the commander sat alone, sometimes reading and sometimes staring at the moons. Often, a higher ranked IceWing would join her, presumably her mate, but outside of that she showed no feelings of tenderness.

Her favorite spot was in a remote corner of the guard tower, where few dragons went, a silent and tranquil spot. After climbing the long stairwell to the summit, I poked my head out of the interior of the guardroom, scanning the balcony for my query. Bering came up behind me, panting at the physical exertion.

Mink stood alone, still as a statue on the far end of the balcony. Her dipped head and deflated shoulders were a stark difference from her usual strong and composed figure. If she heard our footsteps, she did not acknowledge us.

Upon seeing the dejected IceWing, Bering called out, "Mink."

The commander continued to stubbornly stare out at the expanse.

"Mink, you must attend the trial. It's the only way."

She replied coldly. "What use is it? He left. He told me he had a grand vision and a plan to stop the war with some blasted dragonets. As far as I know, Hvitur is gone."

"Don't be that way, you know Hvitur cares about you. He loves you."

"And what do you know about love? All you do is keep your pathetic nose in that lab and grovel to the queen."

"Mink, I know enough to recognize that Hvitur made you happy. You have to attend his trial and believe that he will come back."

"It's like mother always said, you're too caught up in daydreaming and fluffy thoughts. Always up in the clouds, never facing your responsibilities and reality."

"You missed the part where mother also said that you have to believe in the best intentions of others. She waited so many years for father to return from battle, never giving up hope. Eventually, he did."

"Father never went to the front line. All he did was guard some remote outpost in the middle of nowhere." She flicked her tail.

Bering persisted. "Why do you have to make life so miserable for yourself?"

"Because I am in pain, that is all." My former commander turned slightly, allowing me a glimpse of her snout. The frigid resolve that typically occupied her eyes were gone, and in its place was a defeated, subdued dragon.

"Are you-?" Bering looked pointedly at her underbelly.

"No, I am not with egg." She sounded disappointed.

"Then we should go to the trial."

"That would be the rational choice." She stayed firmly planted on the ledge.

The skinny IceWing let out a frustrated groan, flaring his wings in annoyance at the elder's stubbornness. "Why are you so unreasonable? Don't you recognize that moping is not going to help?"

Exasperated, Mink whirled around and stared down her sibling, towering over him. I mentioned before that Mink stood heads taller than Bering, but with his steadfast stance, my employer held his ground, glaring right back with the fiercest glint in his eyes, spikes bristling in a show of force I did not expect out of this unassuming dragon.

They stood there glowering at each other, seeing whose will would crack first.

You should do something.

'Do what? I am not going to interrupt this sibling rivalry. Do you know how impolite that is and how much trouble I could get into?'

Neither Bering nor Mink are the type to adhere to those dumb rules. And didn't Bering say this was urgent?

'Technically he did not. He said it was serious.'

You are not helping.

'That is correct.'

Then I beseech you to help. Go tell those two to shut up and get Mink to the trial. Bering will reward you; I foresee it.

'Foresee it? Are you a NightWing?'

Stop distracting yourself. Just go and do as I say.

Reluctantly, I moved myself forward, talon by talon, towards the tense duo, who were still facing off. I had an idea, but that required getting closer to them. When I was about a wing length behind Mink, I suddenly reared up and roared at my former commander.

"Get off your glum rear and go to the trial!" Immediately, I felt intensely embarrassed and disrespectful but continued nonetheless, driven by a strange sense of power.

Caught off guard, Mink stumbled backwards, tripping over her talons, and ending up in a pile on the ground. As she regained her stance, I fully expected to be tackled and my throat ripped out for my brazen behavior.

She can't harm you, you're third circle, higher ranked.

I had forgotten about the rankings, but the lingering threat still remained. Mink didn't punish her guards often, but the intimidation from the commanders certainly inspired dread and kept the subordinates in line. And while I was in better shape than Bering, Mink had the expertise and muscular build.

Luckily, when Mink stood up again, she merely looked stunned and astonished by my outburst. Before I could act, Bering began pushing her towards the hallway from which we came.

Mink finally came to her senses and shrugged off her brother's actions with a wing flick and peered at him with a bemused expression. Her steely gaze had returned. "Alright, I'll go if it means you stop bothering me."

"Then that's settled."

It was strange to walk beside my former commander as an equal, or rather, as a higher ranked dragon instead of following in tow. Bering led the way, flapping twice for everyone one of mine given his smaller wings. As we flew, I kept glancing covertly at Mink, hoping to discern why she had changed her mind.

At one point halfway through the flight, Mink sighed and turned her tough gaze to me. "Madame Auster, you are going to crash if you keep twisting your neck in knots trying to look at me. What do you want?"

So much for 'covertly.'

"Why did you change your mind?"

Mink contemplated the landscape pensively before giving a reply. "Maybe I just needed a little shove. You happen to be very convincing."

Me? Convincing? Since when? I could barely manage to get Tusk to eat with his mouth shut, much less force someone like Mink to change her will.

She continued with her vague statements. "I suppose I saw the light, like your voice penetrated my head and told me why everything I thought was wrong and everything you and Bering said made sense all of a sudden."

"I never thought you were philosophical."

"I am not."

I wanted to inquire further about what exactly she meant but I was cut short by Bering swooping down onto a landing platform. Mink and I followed suit and entered a foreign sector of the palace.

Certain places impart certain feelings. My guard chambers were austere and grim, its only purpose was to facilitate sleep and serve as a private room for individual thinking. The guard mess hall gave off a cheery comradely aura for the guards bonded together in their own way when they had too much currant juice. The library was serene place, orderly, elegant, flowery even, much like the novels that occupied its shelves. Bering's lab was disorderly, chaotic, and informal.

As for the court rooms, the best way to describe them was that they were the decision rooms of the palace. Queen Glacier likened the courts to a fairer way to rule the tribe, granting much responsibility to these rooms and the judges that presided within. However, the queen had the ability to overturn any ruling.

Given that the IceWings took no prisoners, since they would all freeze anyways and were pawned off to the SandWings to do whatever they pleased, most cases in the courts revolved around IceWings.

Dozens of IceWings had been doled punishments here. A cold, impersonal mood emanated from the bleak walls, and despite the perfect sharp angles of the ice, I felt hemmed in and confined in this forbidding place.

Our court room was the last one, at the far end of the brightly lit hallway. Inside, our judge, a portly old IceWing with massive spectacles and a large ruby necklace stood at the podium, waiting patiently.

A small crowd of dragons sat upon the benches, some bored ones that were probably dragged along and some eager ones. In total, there were fourteen dragons in the room, including the judge and us three.

Bering and I took seats further away from the podium while Mink sat squarely in front in the standard guard posture, shoulders upright, wings set up and back, neck curved elegantly, and tail tucked neatly around her front talons.

"Ahem." The judge spoke up. "Please rise for Her Majesty."

Queen Glacier entered the room stately, her long tail trailing behind. She scanned the room and immediately sat down in our row, a couple dragon lengths away. As she took her seat, I noticed the sly nod she gave to Bering, who blinked in confusion.

"Bering, stop staring at the queen," I hissed discretely.

"So she did come after all," he murmured.

The judge was also visibly confused. "Your Majesty, are you not assuming the role of prosecutor?"

The queen shook her head. "Not in this case. Perhaps one of our enthusiastic law practitioners would like the chance." She waved a wing at the crowd and at least a couple of the IceWings swooned.

"In that case, will someone in the jury come forth and represent the prosecution?"

A young excited IceWing (2nd circle) rose up and proclaimed that he would 'represent the dignified position of the IceWing tribe in all of its glory' and ambled over to the podium, a massive grin on his snout.

The judge coughed and smacked her gavel even though the room was quiet. "Silence! Mink of the fourth circle will represent Hvitur in this case, and Fjord of the second circle shall speak on behalf of the tribe. The prosecutor accuses Hvitur of desertion and betrayal, offenses of the gravest order by the code of law."

Fjord, the young strapping IceWing spoke the moment the judge finished. "It is clear from evidence that Hvitur has disgraced the tribe and brought shame upon his name for abandoning his sacred duty to conspire with the enemy."

Mink didn't appear fazed. "Your honor, Hvitur is an honorable dragon of the third circle, one of the highest-ranking generals in the army. Without examining this evidence, we cannot prove that he abandoned the tribe."

The judge seemed to agree. "Fjord, if this evidence is so convincing, then I request that you share it with the rest of us so that we may also come to the same conclusion."

"Of course, Your honor." Fjord unbuckled his satchel and retrieved a scroll. "This was received in the mail office from the messenger dragons this morning. It reads…

-To my dearest Mink,

Life is tough outside the kingdom….

…. It will be years before I can return, but I trust the prophecy. You know that my opinions of NightWings are not particularly nice, but this one brought me hope, something I have not felt in years. It is a stronger feeling than the comradery that I experienced fighting fruitless battles in the marshes and mountains. It is a message so potent that it compels me to change my loyalty.

Hvitur -

As you can clearly see, Hvitur has not only conspired with the enemy, but has chosen to ally himself with the scum of Pyrrhia, a NightWing!"

That was pretty damning evidence, but I wondered how Fjord was able to intercept a private letter. "Bering, I thought the letters were delivered straight to the recipients, why does Fjord have access to this clearly private letter."

"You don't know? His family runs the mail office. They sort all the letters that come in, and it's pretty common for them to sift through the letters quite thoroughly. His mother has been quite desperate to have Hvitur's position."

"Isn't that wrong, like to read other dragons' mail?"

"Wouldn't you read your competitor's letter to see if you can dig up anything?"

I wanted to say I wouldn't. But I would probably take a small peek. Just to check. To make sure. I would not read the whole letter. Probably.

At least you're honest.

Bering continued. "Remember how I mentioned that all the dragons at the top are backstabbing each other for a silly place on the ranking list? This is actually quite a modest feat for their family. For all we know, they could've made this up. The way to check is with the signature, but Hvitur isn't here to provide his own talon print. Unless…"

"Unless what?"

"Never mind. I'm sure Mink will come up with something. She always does."

The judge turned to the defendant with a slight smirk. "Would the defendant like to address this piece of evidence?"

Mink still retained her calm composure, but her eyes were narrowed. She was at least slightly annoyed. "The evidence is only valid if the talon stamps match. Do you have his talon print? Because I do." She undid her necklace and fished out a piece of parchment from the locket. Unfurling the parchment yielded the talon print in question.

Fjord was visibly nervous, scratching his neck spikes absentmindedly as Mink took the talon print over to the letter. Triumphantly, she held up the letter and the talon print for the judge to see. "As you can see, the talon prints do not match, and therefore this letter is not legitimate."

The accuser faltered as his snout lit up in embarrassment. "I assure you that this letter was received by messengers from the Princess Blaze's outpost. Perhaps the letter was corrupted in the process or Hvitur used a different talon." There was a desperate tone in his voice, and he kept nervously looking at a large dragon in the audience.

"That is certainly a reasonable explanation." The judge affirmed. "We will proceed with the sentence unless there are any objections."

"What? Mink just completely disproved Fjord's accusation, and he comes up with some flimsy excuse and suddenly the judge is going to hand out a sentencing?" I felt outraged, or mildly annoyed or something to that extent. The lower guards had more integrity than this.

"Auster, lower your voice." Bering scanned the room furtively, glancing for an extra moment at the same IceWing that Fjord had been looking at. Then in a hushed voice, he whispered into my ear. "I don't remember this judge ever having that ruby necklace. She's likely being paid by Fjord's family, especially by his mother, that large IceWing he keeps looking at."

I followed his subtle pointed talon and examined the dragon in question. She looked familiar, and she stood out now. Easily the largest dragon in the room, she was built solidly and had an overall angry demeanor about her.

Then it clicked. She was the one who had objected to Bering's proposal, who Queen Glacier had derided during the feast. Alpine, now I remembered. But she was second circle, why did she want Hvitur's place so bad?

Does Fjord not look familiar to you?

'What do you mean?'

His snout looks like a dragon you used to encounter every day.

Staring closely at the young IceWing didn't give me any clues. Though the way his snout curved, and his horns did remind me of Tusk.

Exactly. I think Alpine isn't trying to get the position for herself, but for her mate.

'Well then, where's Tusk? I never see the two together.'

_If you were second circle, would you want to associate yourself with a lower ranked dragon, especially sixth circle? _

'Fair point. Maybe Tusk did something bad that caused him to drop in ranking.'

Probably ticked off the wrong dragon. He seems like a general jerk.

The audience seemed to be disgruntled as well. A few were whispering into each other's ears, but nobody spoke up. Bering was watching Queen Glacier, who hadn't budged from her original position, but had a contemplative expression.

The judge continued speaking. "If there are no objections, then we shall proceed. Because of the grave nature of this case, it calls for an equally severe punishment."

Mink, who had so far sat still, her tail swishing furiously, finally spoke. "I object, Your Honor. That is an inexcusable way to deliver a sentence. Surely you can see that the evidence is insubstantial."

The judge took offense to the suggestion that she was rushing things. "If Hvitur were to walk into this room, then we can consider that solid evidence that he was not abandoned the tribe. As it stands, he is not here, and thus we can only conclude that he is guilty of treason. I sentence him and anyone involved to execution" She smacked her gavel, and the decision was official.

"Actually," Queen Glacier rose from her position and stood majestically over the crowd. "I believe that this decision is flawed. Until we have definite confirmation of the accused actions, then this case cannot be resolved. Hvitur will be declared missing, and Mink shall take his place until further notice." With a grand swish of her tail, the monarch exited the room, her verdict overwriting the previous decision.

The judge, Alpine and Fjord all looked like they wanted to explode, but before I could see their reaction, Bering pulled me out of the room.

"Listen Auster, can you retrieve that letter."

Puzzled, I asked, "Why? It's fake."

"I'm ordering you to do it. Please."

That was strange, why would he want a fake letter? But orders were orders, and my curiosity eventually won over my hesitation and I went back into the room.

Most of the dragons were leaving but Fjord and Alpine stood next to the judge, apparently infuriated by the results. It wasn't too hard to slip by and quietly nab the scroll while they were busy shouting at each other. On my way out, I pulled Mink along with me.

Once we were outside and out of range of the wrath of Alpine and Fjord, I had a thousand questions for Bering, especially why Queen Glacier would commute Hvitur's sentence? I didn't disagree, but what motivation did she have, and why did Bering keep looking at her as if he expected her to act that way?

Unfortunately, the two IceWings immediately departed the hall and I had to scramble to keep up.

We landed in the library where the siblings promptly fell into an embrace.

All of a sudden, I felt as if I were intruding upon some private, intimate meeting, when I had just seen them interacting awkwardly a few days prior. I decided to give them some space and plodded to a more comfortable spot to lie down.

The two IceWings embraced each other for an eternity, and though their mouths were moving (mostly Bering), I heard nothing more than hushed whispers.

After an eternity, they finally separated, and Bering motioned to me. "Let's see that letter."

I handed over the scroll to Mink who unfurled it delicately. "He did write a letter. Look, it's his writing."

"Wait, the letter is real? Did you not just declare it fake because the talon prints don't match?"

For the first time since I met her, Mink smiled. "Hvitur never signs his letters with his talon prints. He figured that it was too easy to replicate and instead, he always used a code word, the word 'fruitless' because it holds a special meaning for us."

"But why 'fruitless?'" I was more baffled than ever.

"Well, he uses 'fruitless' and 'fruitful' in every letter addressed personally to me or Bering. We have to read the full thing to verify that it is indeed from him." She rolled the scroll out onto the desk and read aloud in a clear, bold voice.

-To my dearest Mink,

Life is tough outside the kingdom. It is even harder without my fellow soldiers by my side and your lovely presence to warm me up in this callous land. The air in the mountains is impossibly thin, the weather in the swamps is stuffy and disagreeable. But I find the ability to push on whenever I think of you and the countless dragons we can save.

I truly believe that peace is possible. Do you still remember when we were little dragonets and war seemed so inconceivable? The times changed and now I feel it is my duty to try and stop it. It will be years before I can return, but I trust the prophecy. You know that my opinions of NightWings are not particularly nice, but this one brought me hope, something I have not felt in years. It is a stronger feeling than the comradery that I experienced fighting fruitless battles in the marshes and mountains. It is a message so potent that it compels me to change my loyalty.

Some day, I yearn of a place where we can raise dragonets in peace. I will make that happen. For us. For everyone. A fruitful future.

If you wish to find me, send a message through the Jade Mountain dragon.

Yours truly,

Hvitur -

When Mink lifted her head, I could see tears glistening in the corners of her eyes. "Bering, it's real. Both code words are there."

The skinnier dragon nodded in affirmation. "It is true then. He joined the Talons."

"Oh Hvitur. He always had the silliest ideas of saving the world. I should've noticed when he started mentioning prophecies and staying away in the outpost for longer."

Bering laughed. "Who's always got their head in the clouds now?"

"Sure, you two can compete for the most whimsical imagination."

"I think I would still win. Auster, you wanted to know why we chose 'fruitless' and 'fruitful' as the code words. It's because of me. From a young age, I have not been able to consume meat. So mostly I eat fruit."

Mink whacked her brother playfully. "You see Auster, my dolt of a brother went and got himself bit by a bug. Soon after that, when he tried to eat a seal, he swelled up. It took a month to recover from that."

Bering ducked under his sister's onslaught. "Yes, that was very painful. Luckily, I devised a certain medicine that mostly solves that issue. Proved very helpful when Glacier's daughter had a violent issue with some currant juice."

"Is that why Queen Glacier assists you?"

"I suppose you could say it that way."

"But if the queen wanted to reward you for saving her daughter, then why didn't she promote you to first circle?"

He tensed up like I had struck a nerve of his. "Auster, I don't care about the circles at all. Third circle was the lowest I could be and still have my lab in the palace. Glacier provides everything I need anyways, much to the chagrin of Alpine and some other nasty nobles. It's a simple trade, she gives supplies, I give results. And that is the end of that."

Mink examined her brother's posture before turning back to me. "Yes, Bering is not a fan of the ranking system. It is best not to mention it in front of him before he begins some long arduous speech. Let's talk about your jewelry instead."

Bering sighed. "I have perfectly legitimate arguments. It's just that nobody wants to listen. But yes, I noticed you got some new accessories."

"Anything in particular about these pieces?"

"Well I think the horn ring looks reasonable, if a little showy, and the necklace is beautiful. Really complements your scales."

"What about my bracelet?" I recalled that Mink said this was sold recently, so maybe he could tell me who owned it before. I held up my bracelet for him to admire.

"Wow. I'm surprised that you chose that bracelet. I had just sold it to the jewelry office."

"Wait, I'm wearing your former jewelry?"

"Yeah. I had to sell it for acquire some new supplies but it looks good on you though. And Auster, I finally acquired accommodation for you in the palace. It's an older, smaller room in the south wing, but it was the only room I could get in this time frame. I had to sign at least fifty different documents and appease a crowd of stuffy, pretentious aristocrats. I'm sure you will find it suitable though. It is definitely an upgrade from your old guard quarters. Mink, your room is in the same hallway."

"I get a room in your fancy palace as well? How lovely," said Mink.

"You two have Glacier to thank for your new rooms. She told me that you would be promoted to third circle and thus hinted at some unused rooms in the south wing, which I promptly reserved. If you two do not have any plans, feel free to move there right now."

"I don't have many items to bring over."

"Even better, the sooner you get out of that cramped place the better, and the sooner you can help me." Bering gave me a small key. "To a new future."

I left the siblings, flying back towards the guard complex as the sun set over the horizon.