Queen Icicle rubbed a razor-sharp along the inside of her necklace. A single, gleaming silver circle. She was quite pleased with it. Before Queen Glacier's death, she'd been stuck in Fourth Circle. It didn't suit a dragon like her. Why hadn't Glacier understood what she'd done had all been for Hailstorm? If only she had succeeded, she would have been a hero instead. But now she was queen. She got to decide what ranking she was in.
Icicle was situated on one of the highest floors of the palace, granting her a view over the grounds. It had been quite a while since her family had been allowed to live here. Since her two brothers had cheated the Diamond Trial, dooming their family to infamy and oblivion. But now, that had changed.
The young queen turned back behind her. Most of the rest of her family was there. At least, the ones who were still supposed to be alive. Queen Glacier had made sure that Winter would never be welcome into the Ice Kingdom again after the Diamond Trial, and Icicle wasn't about to change that. Not that he would come back anyways, he was far too busy hanging around dragons from other tribes.
None of the three seemed quite as happy as Icicle herself. Hailstorm was frowning, moving his tail back and forth across the ice floors. Tundra and Narwhal had slightly concerned looks on their faces, and both were whispering back and forth to each other about something.
Queen Icicle flicked her tongue in and out. "Mother, Father," she said, "is there something you needed to tell me?" She was the queen. Her parents answered to her now.
"Yes," Narwhal replied directly. "We noticed that you changed Circle Ranking necklace. You shouldn't have done that."
Icicle snorted. She glanced quickly at her parents' necklaces. Both had three concentric silver rings, instead of Icicle's one. "If you're asking whether or not I'm planning to move you up, I am. It would be embarrassing for the royal family not to be allowed to live in the palace."
"It's not that," Tundra spoke. "It's only been four days. Most IceWings still view you as Fourth Circle. Changing your ranking so soon is an abuse of your privileges, and that's how the rest of the kingdom will view it."
"And don't change ours back, not yet," Narwhal added. "As much as we would love to live in the palace again, queens should not be favoring their families."
Icicle snorted, light from the moon globes reflecting off her shimmering snout. "Nor should they be treating them unfairly. Queen Glacier kept both of you down because of some grudge she had against Winter. I was planning on remedying that. But suit yourselves, if you want to keep bowing to Lynx whenever she passes."
Narwhal gave his daughter a stern look. "Queen Glacier was just in her rankings. We were lowered in the rankings because we were unable to raise our dragonets to behave properly, not because of some grudge."
Icicle hissed quietly. She knew that her father had said 'dragonets' instead of 'Winter' intentionally. She glanced towards Hailstorm, wondering if he had anything to say. He didn't, keeping his head down.
"Fine," Icicle conceded. "You can stay in your places, for now, but there's no way I'm moving myself back down to Fourth Circle. Have we gotten any news from the other kingdoms? Condolences for Glacier and Snowfall's deaths, recognitions of me as the new queen?"
"There hasn't been enough time for news of your ascension to go out and for letters to have come back already," Narwhal remarked. "If you're asking about Queen Sunny and Queen Glory in particular, I should remind you that you attempted to murder both of them at one point. I'd recommend sending out another apology for that, just to ease their worries."
"I did it for Hailstorm," Icicle growled, giving her brother a growl. You ungrateful seal. "Any IceWing would have done the same in my situation."
"You not only conspired with an enemy and attempted to assassinate a queen, you failed," Tundra retorted. "You could have gotten us in another war, maybe two. The life of one dragon, even if it's your brother, is not worth that. We had hoped that you'd have spent enough time so lowly-ranked to realize that and take responsibility for what happened with Queen Scarlet."
Icicle's claws curled up at the name. "I hate her," she hissed. "She's the one who made me do it, and brought shame on our family. I want her dead for what she did to Hailstorm, for what she did to all of us."
Hailstorm raised his head. "You're not thinking of declaring war, are you?" he asked. The fact that Icicle didn't give him an immediate answer made him gulp. "You can't," he pleaded, "please, don't risk IceWing lives just to get revenge for my sake."
Tundra and Narwhal nodded in agreement with their son. At least they had raised one dragonet right.
Icicle scoffed. "I'm not going to declare war, even if the honor of our family and our kingdom is at stake here. But it's my choice, not any of yours."
Narwhal sighed. He supposed he and Tundra would just have to spend the rest of their lives convincing their daughter not to destroy the Ice Kingdom. He needed to find a better way to control her. Queen Scarlet had done a good job by putting Hailstorm's life on the line, and it wasn't like it would be the first time Narwhal had put a son's life in danger . . .
"It might be your choice, but just barely," Tundra responded. "The Black Princes are still out there, and we know Blackice is planning to lay claim to the throne. Who the kingdom supports is up to you. If you think you can just make whatever choices you want as queen without caring for what the rest of the IceWings think, you won't be in charge much longer. I'll remind you that we are in a time of crisis. Queen Glacier and Princess Snowfall weren't the only ones killed. Queen Glacier's council, some of the most important aristocrats in the kingdom, are also dead. Any stability the masses had is ruin, and if you don't listen to your father and I, the kingdom will fall to chaos."
"I should also point out that none of us are safe, and we need to be wary," Narwhal brought up. "The palace may be compromised, and there's a chance that the dragon who killed Queen Glacier and Princess Snowfall may come back for seconds. If it wasn't clear enough from what happened, she's extremely dangerous."
Icicle's ears perked up. "She?" the queen asked. "You know who killed Glacier?"
"I'm not certain," Narwhal admitted, "but I suspect it was an IceWing named Crystal."
"Crystal," Icicle repeated. She'd seen that name before. Back when she'd been a dragonet, she'd occasionally gone with Snowfall, Winter, and Vortex to check on the adult rankings every so often. Sometimes to see where dragons she knew were, and deciding if they could get ahead of them or face them in combat once they got the chance. They usually looked at the First Circle, full of war heroes, generals, and royalty, but occasionally, they looked at the bottom of the Seventh Circle. This was where the worst traitors, murderers, and exiles resided. The three had asked around, to see what she'd done, but few dragons seemed to know anything other than it was unspeakably horrible, so terrible that she was placed below even Blackice.
Eventually, Snowfall had asked her mother. 'The Second Coming of Foeslayer,' Glacier had called Crystal, although the queen had refused to provided more details. Foeslayer was the NightWing who had stolen animus magic from the IceWings, thrusting the Ice Kingdom into two-thousand years of cultural darkness. Only a dragon so wicked, so traitorous, could have killed Queen Glacier and Princess Snowfall. It still haunted Icicle that her own brother had been the one to release Foeslayer, to allow such an evil to roam freely.
"What if it was Foeslayer?" Icicle suddenly suggested. "I'll bet she could have done this. She certainly has the motive."
Narwhal shook his head. "It's possible, but the magical way that the killings were done matches Crystal's style. Something similar happened a few years before you were hatched." He supposed that if she was queen now, he'd need to tell Icicle what little he knew about Project Darkstone. But it could wait, at least until things were more stable and he and Tundra had Icicle under control. "Do you remember Polar? Crystal is his aunt."
Icicle thought for a moment, and nodded. He'd lived in the palace when Icicle had, and was around her age. She'd known that his family members had done something bad enough to get exiled, so she, Vortex, and Snowfall had sometimes made fun of him for that and being practically an orphan. Still, Polar worked hard and was quite good at kissing Queen Glacier's tail, so he'd been frustratingly good at competing with the three of them for their spots at the top of the First Circle. Thinking about it, she hadn't seen him since she'd gotten back to the palace, not that she'd looked. Had he been kicked out, too?
"Then I'll make sure that Crystal is brought to justice," Icicle announced. If there was one way to ensure her reign and popularity as the next queen, it would be catching her predecessor's killer.
Suddenly, a knock sounded on the door leading to their chamber. Hailstorm got up, and walked over to the door, slowly opening it to see who it was. One of the palace guards, with four silver circles hanging from her neck. Just barely low enough in the rankings that Queen Icicle's parents could speak down to her, ironically.
The guard bowed her head. "Your majesty," she said to Icicle, "there's an IceWing outside of the gates of the palace, asking for an audience with you. He claims to be one of the Black Princes, and wishes to meet with you and the royal family as part of a diplomatic mission."
Queen Icicle frowned. So her cousin Blackice was making a move? So far, there hadn't been much news about her, other than a short letter notifying Icicle that Blackice was laying claim to the throne. Although Blackice had supporters, she didn't have the army that Icicle had. What sort of diplomatic mission did she want? Was she hoping that Icicle would allow her to return from exile if she backed down on her claim? That was certainly possible. Icicle hated to give in like that, but it would remove a competitor. Anyways, she and Blackice were both alike, in some way. Both had them had been punished unfairly by Queen Glacier. If Icicle allowed Blackice to return from exile, she'd be able to start off her queenship by undoing her aunt's wrongs.
"I'll hear what he has to say," Icicle responded.
The guard nodded, and started to back away. Before she did, Tundra spoke up. "We'll meet him in the palace hall. Check very carefully that he's unarmed, and put guards around him."
The guard bowed again, and left the room. Icicle gave her mother a glare. Icicle was the one giving orders around here, not Tundra.
"Icicle," Tundra suggested, her voice quiet and worried, "I want to make sure you understand how dangerous Blackice is. Even before she was exiled, things never ended well for dragons who got in her way back while she was still in the palace. Some ended up hurt, even dead, and Blackice always got away with it. She's not to be trusted, and I want you to promise me that you'll consult with your father and I before making any deals with her or the Black Princes."
Narwhal nodded in agreement. Icicle snorted, annoyed. She was queen, not her parents, why should she have to ask them for permission to invoke her powers? "Fine," she still grumbled, years of deference towards her parents getting the best of her. "But I have the final say."
"Of course," Tundra replied, though Narwhal looked a bit less certain of that. "Hailstorm, go find to the Captain of the Guard, and tell her that we're meeting."
Hailstorm nodded, and quickly trotted off into the palace as Icicle, Narwhal, and Tundra went down to the palace hall. The great chamber loomed over them ominously, a million glittering icicles covering the frozen top of the hall. Glowing blue snowflakes glittered along them, making the ceiling almost look like a starry sky. The queen's throne sat at the back of the room, bold and menacing. On it were carved two IceWings, possibly renditions of the creators of the palace. They held up what looked like a small, round, indentation in the throne, which looked like it might have represented the moon. More twinkling blue snowflakes fell through the throne like stars.
Queen Icicle slowly climbed up into it, placing her forepaws on its arms as she put her wings over the edges of the throne. Her spiked tail hung down over the side of the throne, swinging back and forth. She frowned. Usually when Queen Glacier had sat here, the bright colors of an aurora would magically appear in the throne's ice. Was there some reason that the throne hadn't done the same for Icicle? Was there some rite of passage she had to go through, first?
Tundra and Narwhal walked up to the throne, beside it. The three waited quietly as the doors at the back of the great hall opened, revealing eight or so IceWings marching in unison, all with four silver circles on their neck. Each of them carried a pointed spear, ready to be used at any time. They formed a circle around an IceWing in the center, who slowly walked towards Queen Icicle, swaying back and forth as he did so. Each of his spines and claws was painted as black as his eyes, contrasting with his snowy white scales. As he grinned, it was revealed that his fangs were stained the same color.
The parade eventually reached the area in front of the throne, and each of the guards bowed to Queen Icicle. The IceWing in the center did not. Even though he walked like aristocracy, and was definitely an adult, he had no silver rings around his neck to indicate his ranking. He slowly looked around the great hall, taking in every detail as he breathed in and out the cold air.
The IceWing gave out a sigh. "It's so nice to be back," he spoke, his voice smooth and calm. "The palace is quite a work of art. I hatched here, you see, and I'm glad I got to see it again, after being exiled in the northern reaches for so long. There's nothing like this up there. We got nine moon globes total, one for each of us. It's not much to keep you going for six months of darkness, and the food was, well, cold and scaly. But this palace, all this light! It brings back good memories."
"It's not the time for nostalgia," Queen Icicle growled, angry that she hadn't been given the proper respect she deserved as queen. "You're here on a diplomatic mission, correct? What does Blackice want? Does she want her title reinstated? To be returned from exile? Pardoned? A place in the palace?"
The Black Prince snorted. "I know you're not the one making the deals here." He turned to Narwhal, then Tundra. "I suspect you have your own thoughts, do you not?"
Tundra and Narwhal stayed emotionless, as Icicle's claws clenched against the throne. "Excuse me?" she growled, before her father silenced her with a glare. She was the queen, not her parents! She opened her mouth to say something else, before Tundra interrupted her.
"What are Blackice's demands?" Tundra interrogated the IceWing, staring ruthlessly into his eyes.
The Black Prince grinned. "Queen Blackice has asked for a public statement from you and Icicle granting her full control over the throne. In return, Queen Blackice will allow Tundra and her family to peacefully keep their place in the palace, except for Icicle, whose head will be placed on a spear in front of the palace to make sure that the kingdom knows Queen Blackice knows is the one and only queen."
Icicle let out a laugh. "Are you serious?" she asked. She looked over to her mother. Tundra and Narwhal were exchanging glances, as if silently discussing the offer. Icicle tensed up.
"You're not considering this, are you?" Icicle questioned her parents, slightly fearful. They wouldn't, right? She was their daughter. She was the perfect dragonet, the one who had been at almost the top of the rankings for most of her life. The last couple years had been a unfortunate mistake, but now she was queen. Sure, they'd been willing to get rid of Winter, but that was different, right? He was a failure.
Finally, Tundra and Narwhal turned away from each other. "We don't accept Blackice's offer," Tundra stated. "If that's her final demand, she can stay on her island and pray to the Great Ice Dragon that we don't sentence her and the rest of you to death."
The Black Prince looked mildly amused at this thinly veiled threat. He let out an exaggerated sigh, and tapped his claws on the ice floor of the palace. "I was really hoping, for my own sake, that you would agree."
Suddenly, the IceWing pounced forward towards the throne, his black claws outstretched and ready for blood. He stretched his jaws far apart, and a wisp of white smoke came from his mouth before he shot out a blast of frostbreath at Icicle. A moment later, the guards surrounding the Black Prince put their spears into action, one of them impaling the IceWing in his neck, piercing through scale and flesh.
Queen Icicle immediately jumped to the side to avoid the blast of frostbreath. She winced as it only barely brushed her scales, mainly landing on the side of the throne. She turned back with a snarl, but it was too late for the Black Prince. His head fell limp on the spear, his beady black eyes dull and lifeless.
Icicle snorted. "Well, that was a stupid mistake."
Then the Black Prince exploded.
Hoarfrost paced back and forth. His white scales camouflaged him well against the snowy mountainside, but if an IceWing looked down on him from above, they would have seen the black paint on his horns, talons, and spines standing out against the pure snow. Possibly not the best tactical move, but exposing yourself to the enemy was a sign of loyalty and courage. Had Hoarfrost been chosen for Squall's mission instead, he would have gladly taken the IceWing's place, even if it had meant his death. It had been his idea. Yet, his queen had chosen for him to remain with her, alive.
Hoarfrost continued his pacing. Squall should have been done by now. Had there been some delay? Had Tundra agreed to the terms? Doubtful. But it was always possible that complications could arise. That was why one always needed to be prepared.
Suddenly, a small rumble shook through the snow, and a loud noise sounded from across the valley floor. Hoarfrost immediately snapped his neck to the left, where the IceWing palace was visible in the distance, reaching up to the clouds. He stared intently towards its top as a red plume of smoke came out from around where the throne room should have been. Part of the palace has collapsed in on itself, but soon it would quickly start to reform.
"Sweet dreams, my friend," Hoarfrost whispered, knowing that Squall was no more. "Your death shall be remembered as the one which brings in a new age of IceWing glory. We shall celebrate you through our song and dance."
Within moments, Hoarfrost had taken off, quickly gliding around the mountainside, to the temporary camp situated in the snowdrift on the other side. A small number of white tents were situated against the snow, and the faint outlines of dragons could be seen moving between them. The small number of forces that Blackice's allies in the outskirts of the kingdom had gathered over the past two decades.
In the center of a camp was the largest tent, belonging to Queen Blackice herself. Hoarfrost landed at the entrance, and walked into the tent, nodding to the two young guards as he passed them, neither of them wearing silver circles around their necks. The air around him warmed up slightly as he ducked beneath the cloth, and an unnatural smell of chemicals filled his nostrils, causing him to let out a small cough. It came from a small iron cauldron in the tent, where a shivering NightWing stood hunched over, breathing in the fumes as whatever concoction was in the pot helped keep him warm.
Shaking almost violently, the NightWing turned his head to Hoarfrost, who tried to avoid his glance. Even with how useful he was, Alchemy was far from a pleasant sight. Only stubs remained of the talons on his hindlegs, and all of his claws on his forepaws been ruthlessly pulled out. He grinned manically as he shuddered, his gums toothless. His wings had been mutilated, their membranes irreparably shredded beneath Blackice's talons. Even his horns and spines on his back hadn't been spared. Alchemy was Blackice's favorite toy, something for her to take her anger out when she needed to. None of the Black Princes objected. It was all fair for what the NightWings had done to the Ice Kingdom, plunging the IceWings into two-thousand years of darkness and stealing the magic that the Great Ice Dragon had given the IceWings.
Yet, Alchemy was far more useful alive than dead. Although Hoarfrost doubted he still knew much, at one point he'd had intimate details of the Night Kingdom that he'd given Blackice, and before his capture, Alchemy had been apprenticed under a NightWing scientist. Still, Hoarfrost was surprised the pitiful creature still had both of his eyes and ears. And sometimes annoyingly, his tongue. There were fresh wounds on his scales — Blackice had been quite furious that someone else had gotten to her mother and sister first.
A thick shackle wrapped around one of Alchemy's hind legs, his scales cracked and worn beneath the tight iron. The chain dragged across the snow to the dragon who was holding it, Queen Blackice herself. Unlike her mother, Blackice wore no jewelry or adornishments, but was just as formidable. Her scales were as white as snow, and her eyes a blue as bright as a clear summer sky. She curiously watched Alchemy, observing the shivering NightWing before turning to Hoarfrost. Hoarfrost gave her a quick bow.
"Your majesty. Squall's mission was a success. A red plume was visible from the top of the palace. I can only assume that Icicle and the royal family are dead. The palace will reform quickly, and it won't be long before the chaos winds down. Shall we attack?"
Blackice swirled a pearly white talon in the snow, as if pondering the decision. "I don't know," she responded, her voice hissing, like the sound an IceWing makes before frostbreath. She turned to the NightWing. "Alchemy. What do you think we should do?"
The NightWing bobbed his head from side to side, his grin getting even wider. Even his lack of teeth made it normally difficult to tell what he was saying, the message was clear. "Kiw dem!" he spoke gleefully, almost jumping up and down. "Kiw dem aw!"
Blackice clucked her tongue, and stared back at Hoarfrost. "You heard Alchemy. Kill every dragon in the palace. Anyone with silver circles around their neck. Leave no remains of my mother's weak kingdom but the heads of those loyal to her."
Hoarfrost bowed again. "I will do as you wish, your majesty." He quickly turned around, and exited the tent, starting to shout out orders.
Queen Blackice smiled, flicking her tongue across her teeth. Finally, things were starting to go her way.