Glorious Politics

AN: Back into the main story we go! This one's mostly just the characters' reactions to Operation Queen-Maker.

I've got some good news and bad news before we get into the chapter, though. Bad news is, I think I'm going to go to a two-week schedule for this story. I don't make New Year's resolutions very often, but I made one this year, and I plan on sticking with it. Over the past two weeks, I've proven to myself that I can write two chapters for my fanfics and still have time to work on my actual book. That being said, I could theoretically handle four fanfics at once.

I know what I said about having that many stories last year, but an idea just hit me about a week ago, and now I've got another story already planned out, notes taken, and plot contrived. And this isn't just done on a whim, either. I literally cannot wait to start actually writing this new story. So much so that I've already written the prologue. That's the good news, I guess. I'll have another new story starting next weekend, and I imagine a fair few of you might enjoy what it is.

Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OCs Horus and Mistral belong to me. Bloodwalker belongs to SpyroAndSisuFan. Shortsail belongs to Flerovium.

Chapter 26:

"Wow..." It was really the only thing Glory could even think to say once Greatness had finished her story. It certainly explained why Mistral hated her and why Snowfall wasn't a fan, either. It completely went against everything she thought about the Nightwing Princess, though. If she was hiding a secret like this, was she hiding anything else?

But the assassination plot wasn't the only shocking thing revealed. The Nightwings used to be cannibals? How bad must life on that island have been for that to be even remotely acceptable? The whole bad breath thing most of them used to have was making a lot more sense now, and she doubted she'd ever look at the Nightwings the same way again.

She also couldn't help but wonder if Deathbringer had done...that.

And Morrowseer planned to marry Greatness? She'd only met the massive Nightwing a few times, but those few times were enough to know he was bad news. 'Morally compromised' was right. He hadn't exactly been broken up about ordering her death or trying to kill her friends.

Greatness stopped her story right when she was leaving the Ice Kingdom, and she was about to ask what happened when she returned to the island when a growl caught their attention. Her, Thorn, and Greatness had varying reactions to seeing Mistral shaking in apparent rage and hatred. She was more concerned than anything. Thorn was wary, stepping away from him since she was the closest. Her guards also shifted nervously in case they were needed. Greatness, however, was staring at the Icewing in abject terror.

She was beginning to think Mistral hadn't known the full story, a suspicion that was quickly confirmed. "My parents...you just watched them be murdered..." Glory stepped in front of him as he started moving, his gaze locked on the Nightwing like a predator stalking his prey. "Worse yet...you orchestrated their deaths like they were mere pawns in some sick game!"

It was at that moment that Glory realized his intention. He was going to kill Greatness right then and there unless someone stopped him. "Mistral...think about the consequences," she warned him, even placing a palm on his chest as if that would stop him.

Surprisingly, he did stop and snap his furious gaze to her. "DAMN THE CONSEQUENCES!" Glory actually shied away from him, a spike of fear hitting her. She'd never seen him this angry before. His previous episodes seemed like mere temper tantrums in comparison. He was quite literally shaking with barely contained savagery. "Now get out of my way so I can make good on my promise..." Furious shouting turned to savage growls, but Glory held her ground.

Glory looked to Thorn in a plea for help, so the Sandwing Queen nodded to her guards and pointed at the petrified Nightwing. In any normal situation, taking one of the parties away from an altercation would calm them both down, but Mistral only saw this as them trying to take away his kill. He pushed forward with a snarl, uncaring of the Rainwing still in his way. His muscled chest hit Glory like a solid brick wall and sent her careening into the wall.

She vaguely heard Thorn shouting at her in concern through the sudden wave of dizziness. She tried to stand but fell back to the ground with a groan as a massive wave of nausea hit her. She screwed her eyes shut at the sensation and focused on her breathing as the world seemed to spin around her. "What did you do to her!?" she heard Thorn shout.

She didn't catch the response, but she did feel cold talons on her forehead. "You're burning up..." That was Mistral's voice. Wasn't he just angry at her? Or was he angry at someone else? She couldn't really remember what was going on before she started feeling dizzy.

What he said did catch her attention. "Is the desert..."

She heard him sigh as a commotion happened off to the side. He snarled for a second before turning back to her. "No, you stupid dragoness, it isn't the desert. You're sick."

She groaned. "Not sick," she denied. Being sick was overrated, and she had too many important things to deal with right now! There was no time for her to be sick!

Whatever he said was lost as she slipped into unconsciousness.

She awoke later in an unfamiliar room, lying on her left side with her back facing a wall. Her stomach still felt funny, and she now had a massive headache. Her muscles and joints were all sore, too, and it didn't take a genius to know that she was sick.

"Why didn't you say anything?" She jumped a bit at the voice but calmed after a second when she saw who it was. Mistral was glaring at her, though his gaze had no real heat to it. In fact, after a few seconds, he sighed and looked down. "You gave us all a bit of a scare."

It took a short moment, but she grinned as his words registered. "Are you saying...you were worried about me?" He rolled his eyes with a scoff but nodded. Another thought occurred to her. "What about Greatness?"

He growled at the name but answered after a few seconds. "In a cell until Queen Thorn figures out how involved she is. But innocent or guilty, I will kill her." There was no hesitation or uncertainty. His declaration was just that. He was resolved to see Greatness dead no matter what.

She pinned him with a hard look. "You can't kill her, Mistral."

"Watch me," he snapped back. "She deserves to die for what she did to me." Glory was about to respond when she coughed, her mouth dry. "Here..." She took the mug of water Mistral was holding out for her. "The doctor said you were dehydrated pretty badly. When I told him everything that happened between your capture and now, he said it was a miracle you were able to go on for so long." She passed the empty mug back to him, and he turned to refill it with a pitcher sitting on a nearby table before passing it back to her. She drank that one, too. "So I ask again: why didn't you say anything?"

"We had more important things to worry about," she replied. It was the same excuse she'd been giving herself whenever she felt like sitting down ever since being freed.

"Your health is the most important thing to worry about, Glory. Politics can come later, and you actually didn't have to go gallivanting after cultists on the old Nightwing island. We could have handled that just find without you." Mistral took her cup, set it aside, and presented her with what looked like some kind of stew. "You should eat something." Her stomach immediately growled in agreement. "I think it has some kind of meat in it, but you can pick around it if you want."

In response, she grabbed the whole bowl and dumped the entire thing into her mouth, downing the whole thing in a few swallows. There was definitely meat in there, yeah. Tasted like beef. She wondered how expensive fresh beef was in the middle of the desert. There were also carrots, potatoes, and maybe a few onions. It wasn't hot, but it was warm and tasty, and she rather hoped there was more.

Mistral stared at her in mild surprise, and she snorted in amusement. "We had to eat whatever the guardians brought us while under the mountain. Most of the time, there wasn't fruit." He grunted his understanding. "Going back to our previous conversation now, I agree that what Greatness did to you is terrible. And yes, she should be punished. I'll even help you get the justice you deserve, but I will not condone any revenge killing."

"You think I need your permission?" he scoffed.

"Use your head, Mistral!" she snapped, taking him by surprise. "Greatness may not be the Queen of the Nightwings in title, but many look to her before me. If you kill her in revenge without due process, they're going to want blood, which means I'll have no choice but to declare war with the Icewings or risk revolution. And if I declare war, Thorn and Anemone will have to, as well. Without allies, the Icewings will lose, so Snowfall would probably ally with Moorhen and Ruby, sending Pyrrhia into another world war. Is that what you want?"

He glared at her but shook his head with a small sigh. "No."

"Good. Because it's probably what the cult wants." Upon seeing his thoughtful expression, she explained her theory. "They left behind that note for a reason. Maybe they know your and Greatness' past and are trying to use it to create division. If we're too busy focused on tearing each other's throats out, they'll be able to move and plan more freely."

"That...makes sense," he conceded. "I didn't know about my parents until now. I can't forgive her, Glory. And if you try to protect her, I won't forgive you, either."

"You'll have justice. I can promise you that." She didn't agree with what happened. Even if it was Morrowseer's plan, Greatness was the one who carried it out, unwillingly or not. She needed to be held accountable for that. Her transgressions against the Icewing royal family and nobility were serious and would be addressed properly. Until her trial, Greatness would remain in prison. No matter her personal feelings regarding Mistral, he was the victim here. "But I do have some questions about what happened...if you feel like talking about it."

He studied her for a few moments, his expression carefully neutral. Eventually, and to her great surprise, he nodded. "What do you want to know?"

"Just like that?" she wondered. "Based on the last couple times I tried to ask about it, I figured it would take a bit more convincing."

"You already heard the full story, so there's no point in hiding it. Besides..." He looked away for a moment and sighed. "We did save each other's lives. Call me old-fashioned, but I take things like that seriously. I figure you've earned some of my trust."

Based on what she knew about him, his trust wasn't easily earned. The fact he was willing to trust her despite everything he's been through was a privilege—one she would never take for granted. "Thank you," she replied sincerely. He nodded and motioned for her to ask her questions. "When did you learn the truth about who she was?"

"After the Battle of Jade Mountain. I was just a fresh recruit back then, but I saw her during the fight. Just when I was about to attack, our army was teleported back to the Ice Kingdom. I found out the next day from some of my comrades who she really was." He sighed. "When I told Snowfall, she all but ordered me to stop my pursuit. She didn't want any trouble and was willing to let bygones be bygones. I wasn't so willing, but I didn't dare defy my new Queen. That's really the only thing that prevented me from killing the snake once I saw her when I first arrived."

"You fully expected to run into her, then?" she asked to make sure. He nodded. "So if you were willing to leave Greatness be despite your personal feelings, why did you attack Foeslayer?"

"Because I didn't expect to see her," was his simple reply. "For me, duty to tribe comes before duty to self. Foeslayer is my entire tribe's enemy while Greatness is my enemy." Ah, so he thought he was doing his tribe a service, then.

"So...did you actually love her?" It was probably a longshot that he would actually answer, but she was curious.

"Getting a mite personal, aren't we?" he frowned.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to. I was just curious," she responded, making sure he knew she wasn't going to pry if he didn't want her to.

He sighed and looked away. "Yes...I did." She blinked in surprise at that. "I was young and stupid, but I have no intention of making the same mistake."

Before she could ask what that meant, the door opened, and Thorn walked in. "Will you give us a moment, Mistral?" The Icewing nodded and walked out. Thorn came over and sat next to Glory's bed, placing a claw over the Rainwing's forehead. "Well, you don't feel as warm, at least. How do you feel?"

"I've got a headache, I'm hungry, and I'm starting to get a bit tired. Other than that, I'm fine." While that was all true, she didn't like it. She hated being out of commission like this, especially when there were things that needed to get done.

"Yes, I imagine. The doctor said you'll be fine after a few days of rest. I just wanted to update you on a few things if that's alright?" Glory nodded, so Thorn continued. "I sent Moon and Qibli to Greatness' house to see if they could find anything that might incriminate her. I've also sent some of my Outclaws to the Scorpion Den to see if they could find this 'Shortsail' that Winter mentioned. He's probably our best bet at finding Mystic, who happens to be our best lead on the cult right now. I...also wanted to share a theory I had."

Glory blinked at the hesitation in her voice. "I'm not going to like this, am I?"

Thorn shook her head, her expression grave. "The cult seems to be turning dragons you've personally wronged against you. First Sobek. Then Magnificent. Mastermind, potentially. When the note we found mentioned multiple assassins, I couldn't help but think who the other one might be..."

The insinuation was obvious. "Deathbringer, you mean."

Thorn nodded. "You have been a bit unfair with him, but...you know him better than I. Do you think it's possible?"

If Magnificent could become a psychopath, the chances of Deathbringer betraying her were a non-zero. It was, admittedly, a possibility, as ashamed as she was to admit it, for she had been unfair to him. "Maybe," she answered vaguely. She just didn't know, and that actually scared her. She wanted to be able to say, with confidence, that DB would never betray her, but she simply couldn't.

"Do you know where he went when he left?" Thorn asked, her voice gentle. Glory shook her head. He'd never said anything about where he was going. He'd just up and left...after she yelled at him to. "I'll be sending some more troops to your Kingdom just in case, but I want you to find another bodyguard. I know Winter is a fantastic fighter, so you could ask him."

"He's Icewing royalty. I can't ask him to be a bodyguard," Glory replied. He'd probably actually accept if she asked him, but she didn't want to demean him. "I do have someone in mind, though I..." A yawn cut off what she was about to say.

"As long as you think whoever it is can protect you against assassins like Cobra and Deathbringer, I don't care who you pick. I just want you to stay safe." Thorn placed a kiss on Glory's forehead. "Now get some rest. I love you."

Glory allowed herself a secret smile at that as her eyes drifted closed. "Love you, too, mom."

By the next day, she was feeling better, so she started by getting some more food in her belly. A quick check-in with Thorn later, and she was being escorted through the palace to the dungeons once more. This time, however, she was heading down to talk with Greatness. The Nightwing was upset, understandably so, at her imprisonment if her expression was anything to go by, but she didn't seem bitter. "Are you alright?"

Greatness jumped a bit, apparently not realizing she had company. She sat up when she saw Glory and shrugged. "I guess...for now. Am I...am I going to die?" That seemed to be her greatest fear in this moment. If she knew she would be punished, it didn't really concern her, though she was afraid of how severe her punishment would be.

"Hopefully not." She'd rather not see Greatness executed, honestly. "I think prison time or maybe house arrest is more likely." Then, she remembered the note. "Unless...you weren't sending information to the cult, were you?"

Greatness looked positively insulted by the question. "Of course not! I don't know what that note was talking about, I swear!" Glory just hummed at that, wanting to believe her but not sure if she could yet. "Glory...we've been friends for eleven years. When have I ever done anything to betray your trust?"

That was a good point. The Nightwing Princess had been faithfully loyal since the Nightwings started living in the rainforest. "Just...keep cooperating, alright? I'll try and do what I can for you, but...Mistral is—"

"I know," she interrupted quietly. "And he has every right to hate me for what I did. If there was anything I could do—minus letting him kill me—that would make up for it...or at least start to, I'd do it in a heartbeat."

"So you really did love him." It was more of an observation than a question, to which Greatness nodded. "That's why you spared him." Another nod. "Then what happened between you and Morrowseer? Did you two..."

She shook her head, taking Glory by surprise. "No, thank the stars. The Icewings' attention on the Skywings for those several months let Blister's forces recover, so she was in a better mood than normal. Or so I heard. The gift of diplomacy I brought back also gave me some favor, so my mother decided I'd done enough to allow me to remain free. Though...I like to think she loved me enough to protect me from Morrowseer despite my failure."

"Was he angry?" Morrowseer hadn't struck her as the most understanding dragon when things didn't go his way.

Greatness nodded. "Furious. Even more so when mother prevented him from following through on his threat. There was quite a verbal beatdown later. Bloodwalker was actually the one who saved me from the worst of it." That was interesting. She hadn't known the two were friends. Or friendly, at least.

"So...are you glad Morrowseer died?" From her story, it sounded as if Greatness feared yet admired the massive Nightwing. She wondered which was dominant now that he was gone.

"Well...yes and no. I have no doubt that you've given us a better life than he ever could, but..." She hesitated, so Glory pressed for her to continue. "I can't help but think that maybe we would be better off with Morrowseer." Glory actually recoiled at that, a feeling akin to betrayal rising within her. Greatness hurried to correct her mistake. "I just mean that he wouldn't be content with us Nightwings basically turning into black-scaled Rainwings. He always had plans, ways for us to improve our lives. Maybe we could have had a small city by now rather than our little village. It's just...something I think about sometimes."

"Then...why don't you do stuff like that?" It's not like Glory would oppose the Nightwings becoming more active or independent. They were their own tribe. Honestly, she was surprised they were content with her as their Queen, but she wasn't complaining about the additional responsibility. She'd be their Queen for as long as the wanted or needed her to be.

"I'm not a leader, Glory. I'm not like mother or Morrowseer." Glory chuckled at that, and Greatness looked to her in growing indignation. "What's so funny?"

"You don't have to be like them to be a good leader, Greatness. It's actually better that you're not like them. You already do a good job as the top Nightwing: organizing events, handling internal matters and the like. I think you'd make a good Queen." Greatness just shook her head emphatically. "Why not?"

"Because I have you to help me! If there's something I can't handle, I can just ask you for help!" Glory just stared at her curiously.

"And what makes you think I wouldn't help you once you become Queen?" Greatness opened her mouth to respond but closed it after a moment. "If you want us to be allies, I have no qualms about it. You could even become a vassal state for a while as you got used to being Queen, and I'd give you all independence as soon as you were ready to lead on your own. That's basically what you are now, just without the official treaties." Greatness seemed deep in thought, so Glory gave her a parting statement. "Just think about it, alright?"

And then, she left, wondering when the next problem would show its ugly face.

AN: Yeah, so...if things were tense between Mistral and Greatness before, they're downright hostile now. The real investigations are starting now, but they still have a certain Skywing problem to take care of, too.

But is Thorn right? Could DB really be a bad guy?

Guess we'll find out later...

Until Next Time

AdmiralCole22