Glorious Politics

AN: I wrote this whole thing in two days, and I loved the first part of it. Maybe you'll figure out why, but I'll just say this, Sobek is a bad***.

In other news, I caught covid for the first time last week, and I'm finally starting to get over it. It was pretty bad for a few days, though. Didn't have any motivation to get out of bed for a while. I'm better now, and I come back to you with this.

Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. Sobek and Mistral are my OCs.

(EDIT 7/6/22): It was pointed out to me that maybe I didn't do a very good job explaining a few things in this first scene, so I went back and added a few sentences here and there to hopefully fix that. I didn't want to change it because it's important to spark the rivalry between Mistral and Sobek as well as to introduce Sobek as a rather 'trigger-happy' character, as well. Let me know if the changes make it better or not.

Chapter Four:

Despite the fact that she had been woken up during the previous night, she still woke up early to prepare for her discourteous guest. She peaked out of the curtain to see that Diamondback was already awake and gazing at the entrance to her pavilion with a smirk. Following his gaze, she saw Sobek's wing blocking the doorway, and it didn't take long for her to piece the clues together. She camouflaged her scales and crept closer, wanting to get a closer look at the scene unfolding outside. "—hasn't given you permission to enter, so you can just wait right there until she does."

That was definitely Sobek speaking, and the snarl that followed was definitely her least favorite Icewing. "I don't take orders from you, Sandwing! Now, step aside!"

"No," came the immediate response, and she was quite surprised to hear the Sandwing was so calm despite the raging Icewing standing before him. "Because I don't take orders from you, either, Icewing."

Apparently fed up with not making any progress, Mistral tried physically moving the Sandwing out of the way. In that moment, she got a good look at the two of them close together, and she was astonished to see that Mistral was actually bigger than Sobek by at least two whole heads! She knew that Mistral was big, but until now, she hadn't really noticed how big. He had to be five to six heads taller than her! And with how physically fit he looked, he was probably twice her weight on top of that! Not that she would ever let anyone know but realizing just how outsized she was compared to him was more than enough to intimidate her. If they ended up fighting, it would be over the second he got a claw on her. Yes, she had her venom, but she wouldn't bet her life on that.

To her surprise, the Icewing seemed to succeed in pushing Sobek out of the way, but the ruse was quickly revealed as the Sandwing simply moving to get a better angle for what he did next. As he was sitting on the right side of her door, Mistral was pushing him away from Sobek's left. The Sandwing grabbed the Icewing's claw in a vice grip with his left claw and pried it off of him rather easily, surprising Mistral enough to turn his furious gaze back to the Sandwing. That, however, just allowed the back-claw Sobek sent into his cheek to catch the Icewing off guard.

Mistral stumbled back a few steps, and his surprised and furious growl was almost drowned out by Diamondback's boisterous laughter. Glory had to admit that she liked seeing that Icewing put in his place. Sending for these Sandwings was a good decision if she did say so herself. "You dare strike me?" he growled dangerously, not looking at the Sandwing. "I—ARGH!"

Either Mistral had been too surprised by the first strike that he didn't expect the second one, or he was just that full of himself. While he was just beginning to turn his glare to his assaulter, Sobek reared up and shot a full-on left hook into Mistral's face, using gravity to increase the force of his hit which ended up sending the Icewing to the ground. The Icewing wasn't given an opportunity to recover before Sobek slammed his right claw onto the downed dragon's neck to prevent him from standing while sending another left into his side to knock the wind out of him. Despite the compromised position he was currently in, the Icewing still attempted to stand, that is until Sobek brought his tail barb to Mistral's side threateningly. Knowing the danger he was in, Mistral stopped struggling to glare hatefully at the Sandwing.

Sobek, however, was unmoved by the death glare. "Listen here, you pompous asshole," the Sandwing snarled, and Glory was slightly stunned at the sudden change in her friend. She'd never seen him this angry before, but then again, she'd never seen him in this kind of situation before. "Queen Glory is a friend of mine, and the fact you scared her so badly she called for me means you are on dreadfully thin ice, so let me make this crystal clear. If you so much as step a single claw out of line around her while I'm here, the only way you'll be returning to the Ice Kingdom is as a corpse!" He hissed and pressed his barb even harder against Mistral's scales, though it still wasn't enough to break flesh.

"Tough talk..." Mistral snarled, "But that's all it is: talk. If you harm me in any way, Queen Snowfall will have your head!"

In response, Sobek growled, and to her absolute shock, he stung the downed dragon with his barb, causing Mistral to grunt in pain. Glory got a good look at his eyes in that moment. Mistral was actually afraid now, though he tried his best to hide it. "I don't make idle, threats, Icewing. So you tell Snowfall to bring it on...or were you just bluffing?"

Rather than answer the most likely rhetorical question, Mistral shuddered in pain. "G-Give me the antidote!" he demanded. Sobek, however, said nothing. Mistral's glare deepened. "If you want to hear me beg, you'll be sorely disappointed," he hissed.

Sobek hummed in acknowledgement at that. "You know what? I believe you, so I'll send Diamondback to go retrieve the antidote. With your size and weight—and your tribe—I'd say you have about three hours left to live from the dose I gave you." His gaze turned back to the other Sandwing, and he gestured for his companion to go. Diamondback nodded and left, though his pace was rather unhurried. "Hopefully he gets back from the desert before it's too late..." Sobek feigned concern in that sentence, but Glory could tell that he was enjoying this in some fashion. It made her realize that maybe she didn't know Sobek as well as she thought she did.

"You mean you don't have it here!?" the Icewing hissed in surprise and outrage. Sobek merely shrugged, unconcernedly. Despite the utter hatred he was directing at the Sandwing in his glare, Mistral stayed quiet and laid his head down to focus on his breathing, occasionally shuddering from the pain caused by Sobek's venom.

Deciding that now was as good a time as any to 'wake up', she uncloaked herself after walking to her desk, and called out, "Sobek!"

The Sandwing entered within a few seconds of his name being called with a knowing grin. "Did you enjoy the show?" he asked teasingly. From that, Glory got the sense that he knew she had been watching the entire time.

"Did you seriously have to stab him!?" she whisper yelled. "As much as I don't like him, I can't afford having him killed!" His grin disappeared after her outburst, and he studied her curiously for a moment before nodding, as if he suddenly understood something.

Though he looked apologetic, his words weren't exactly filled with remorse. "Perhaps I did go too far," he admitted. "But I've dealt with dragons like him before. He needs to learn he's not untouchable, so I showed him he isn't."

Glory just stared at him slack-jawed. She couldn't even be mad at him since it genuinely seemed like he didn't think he did anything wrong. "I realize you're not one for politics, Sobek, but you can't just attack visiting dignitaries. You may be a mercenary, but while you're here, you are under my command, and when Snowfall hears that one of my guards assaulted her dignitary—that also happens to be a personal friend of hers if Mistral is to be believed—she would have every right to either demand reparations or go to war with me."

A look of realization crossed his face before he muttered a soft, "Oh...well, I wouldn't worry about it too much," he said, making her raise her eye ridges in extreme skepticism. Seeing that, he explained. "I'm a mercenary, Glory. And since we never actually signed a contract, I'm technically not under your employ—I'm just doing this as a favor, so to speak—so he can't go after you for what I did. And if he wants to go after me, let him. It wouldn't be the first time I've spent in the Icewing jails." Then he huffed, "But now you know why I don't like guard duty. I wish I was an Outclaw again," he confessed. "Not the ones from nowadays but the ones from during the war. I had a purpose back then. I had a leader I would've died for, but now...it's just too political for my taste." He shook his head, and Glory had to prevent herself from saying anything. Yes, she considered Sobek a friend, but she didn't know him as well as her other friends. And she wasn't the best at dealing with emotions—both her own and others'. A moment of silence passed before he spoke again. "Do you ever get the feeling that you have no purpose? That you're just drifting around in life without any kind of fulfilment?"

Glory blinked at the question. "Sometimes..." she answered hesitantly. In fact, she had been thinking along those lines a few days ago.

"Then you understand," he stated. "I was raised to be a professional killer. Violence is my go-to solution, but what do I do when the killing stops?" He waited for her to speak, a glimmer of hope in his eyes that she might have an answer.

Glory thought about that for a moment, vaguely aware of Mistral's groans drifting into her ears. It was a decent question, actually. Jackass used to be an assassin, but now he was just her bodyguard...and occasional verbal punching bag. That may have worked for the Nightwing, but Sobek didn't like guard duty. Mercenary work was rather slow these days, apparently, so what else could he do? "I'm...not sure, but I'm probably not the best dragon to ask," she admitted, looking away. "I don't really do emotions."

Sobek snorted. "Says the Rainwing infamous for her temper. Anger is an emotion, too, you know?" Glory just rolled her eyes, not deigning that with a response. "Besides, when you say stuff like that, you sound like an Icewing," he chuckled at her glare, "and we all know how much you love Icewings."

Deciding not to make a snarky comeback to that in case Mistral could hear, she instead stood and began walking outside before pausing. "Sobek? Thanks for watching out for me. You went too far, yes, but you seem to have this whole thing figured out. Maybe Jackass could learn a few things from you."

The Sandwing huffed in amusement. "Still haven't forgiven him, huh?"

Glory snorted at that. "Do I look like the kind of dragon that forgives grudges?" Sobek chuckled at that but didn't verbally answer. Rather, he followed her outside as she came to stand next to the downed Icewing. A large black splotch was spreading out from where he was stabbed in the side, and he was growling in pain, his eyes screwed shut. "Mistral," she spoke, and he opened his eyes to lock his glare on her. "I want you to know that I didn't want this to happen. Sobek went too far, but I hope you understand now that I am not to be trifled with. I have friends in high places—some quite dangerous, as well." She gestured to the Sandwing sitting next to her. "You may be friends with Queen Snowfall, but I'm friends with every other Queen on Pyrrhia. You don't like me, and I sure as hell don't like you, but if we're to work together, I suggest you lose the attitude and learn to cooperate. It'll be a lot easier on both of us, and Sobek won't be at your throat constantly. Deal?"

Mistral shifted, growling in pain, and to her astonishment, he stood—albeit on shaky legs. Sobek whistled, most likely impressed with the Icewing's ability to even stand after being stung. His gaze landed on the Sandwing. "I recognize your name." Then, he looked to Glory. "First an assassin, and now a mercenary? Seems you've got friends in low places, too."

Glory didn't have the chance to say anything before Sobek spoke. "I was an Outclaw first. I may be a mercenary now, but I'm still one of Thorn's best." He stuck his face uncomfortably close to the Icewing's, though the wounded dragon didn't back away. "And don't you forget it." After they glared at each other for a few tense moments, Sobek finally backed away and sat down in his original spot.

It was right when Mistral was about to speak when Diamondback returned, and it was much sooner than any of them had expected. He dropped a familiar cactus at the Icewing's feet with a gruff, "Here."

Mistral stared at it in surprise before snarling at the younger Sandwing again. "I thought you said you didn't have the cure with you!"

"You said it. Not me," came Sobek's immediate reply, though he was smirking at the Icewing.

Mistral just growled in annoyance at that before his gaze returned back to the cactus. "I am...unfamiliar with this cure," he admitted. Glory internally scoffed at that. That's about as close as he would probably ever come to asking for help without actually asking for help.

Since neither Diamondback nor Sobek made a move to help the Icewing, Glory rolled her eyes and spoke up. "I am. Lay down, and I'll help." Honestly, she had no idea why she was offering, but she figured Sobek was the last dragon that needed to be anywhere near the Icewing's wound. Mistral, however, just gazed at her suspiciously, probably wondering why she was offering, as well. "Look. Either you accept my help, or you die in less than three hours. Take your pick."

She didn't know if it was the words themselves or the impatient tone she had used that finally got through, but he eventually grunted an acknowledgment and laid down on his uninjured side with a pained snarl. Glory didn't waste any time and didn't bother with any kind of theatrics. She simply cut the cactus open with a claw and dumped the juice onto the Icewing's wound. Said dragon hissed in discomfort, but the back area was already beginning to minutely shrink.

"Kind of odd you knew about the cure, but didn't know about it at the same time," Diamondback commented out of the blue.

Mistral snorted. "We get medicine in bottles. I didn't know it came from a cactus." After pinning the lot of them with another glare, he moved past them to enter the pavilion, and thankfully, Sobek didn't try to stop him this time. "Now if you're quite through trying to kill me, I'd like to get to work." He pinned Glory with a serious look as he passed her. "You're lucky I have more important things to worry about, else the full wrath of the Ice Kingdom would come down on you. But if something like this ever happens again, I won't be so forgiving."

Glory nodded to show she understood and would make sure to keep his threat in mind. Aggressive Mistral may be, but she got the sense he wasn't petty enough to further the issue when there were bigger things to focus on. If he wasn't going to push the issue, she would count herself fortunate and not push it, either. She entered her office after a moment's reluctance, so she came in behind the Icewing, her two Sandwing guards following her in. The space was a little tight with four dragons in here—especially with three of them being some of the largest dragons she'd ever seen. "Is there any particular way you want to go about this?"

Mistral studied her for a moment as if he wasn't sure if she was being serious in asking him or not. "How about we do it the same way you did this one?" he asked, his tone suggesting her question was exceedingly stupid.

"Because I didn't make that one. Starflight did," she pointed out. "And he's in Jade Mountain right now, so since you're the one who suggested making one, you get to do it."

He grunted. "Fine with me." He spent a moment looking around at the cleaned office before turning back to her. "I suppose a map for the Nightwing and Rainwing villages wouldn't be too hard to find? Or do those not exist, either?"

Remembering where she had put those, Glory immediately went to the particular shelf where the maps were stored and spent a few moments finding the ones he requested. It didn't take long until she put two rolled maps onto her desk. "And before you ask, yes, they are new maps. I have new ones made every other year, and these were finished a few months ago."

He rolled the first open wordlessly to show a highly detailed map of the Rainwing village. Then he opened the second to show a map of the Nightwing village with the same level of detail. He nodded in satisfaction, "These will do." He looked around and opened a drawer on her desk, pulling out a scroll and inkpot that he passed to her. And though she was annoyed he went through her desk without even asking, she didn't say anything. "I can use these maps to group up the residents and assign them particular days to come and answer my questions. You just need to draft an announcement about what we're doing and what's expected of them."

Taking in his words and thinking about the logistics needed for that, she had a better idea. And she said as much. "I have a better idea," she said, only for him to glare at her. She rolled her eyes again but didn't rise to his bait. Instead, she merely started walking out of her office while still speaking. "Come on, then. There's someone you should meet that'll make this a whole lot easier."

Maybe he was frustrated that she gave him the lead on this project only to have her dismiss her idea, but he seemed in an especially bad mood when he followed behind her. Mistral's injury still seemed to trouble him a bit, so she had to slow her pace ever-so-slightly, but he was remarkably steady on his feet for just having the cactus juice poured on his wound. Sobek and Diamondback followed the two of them as she lead the foul-tempered Icewing towards the Nightwing village.

Once they entered the bounds of the village, she glanced back at him ever so often to see him glaring at the Nightwings going about their day. As long as he didn't actually attack any of them, she couldn't do anything about it. She passed by Secretkeeper's house, and Moon stuck her head out to see what was going on. Her Nightwing friend shrunk back a little when Mistral turned his glare onto her, but once they passed by, the door shut as Moon went back inside.

Their destination ended up being one of the larger houses in the village, though it was still quite small compared to the dwellings in other Kingdoms. She knocked on the door and waited patiently for the owner to answer. The Nightwing who answered was a bit older than Glory, but she was still relatively young. Once she saw who was knocking, she smiled and bowed politely. "To what do I owe this pleasure, My Queen?"

Mistral growled, his hostility nearly reaching a boiling point, and when she turned to him, she saw recognition in his eyes. She probably should have expected that, but there wasn't anything she could do about it now. The Nightwing leaned over to see past Glory and raised her eye ridges at the Icewing standing there. "Don't mind him. He's like that to everyone," she said, making the Icewing bristle and the Nightwing look skeptical. "Mistral here wants to conduct a census of all the Nightwings, so I thought you could help us with that."

The Nightwing nodded. "I can do that." A few minutes passed as she mumbled a few things to herself, no doubt performing a few calculations. "How many do you want to see each day?"

Glory looked back to Mistral, silently asking him what he thought. He glared at her but answered, nonetheless. "No more than two hundred," he answered.

She nodded at that doing a few more calculations. "With that, the survey would be done in about two to three weeks. How soon should I start spreading the word?"

"Could you have the first group ready within the week?" Glory asked, to which the Nightwing nodded. "Alright. Thank you. You're a massive help, as always, Greatness."

Greatness smiled at that. "I try."

Glory nodded and then their group left, letting the former Nightwing princess shut the door. No doubt she was preparing to go out and start letting the village know about what was about to happen in the coming weeks. Mistral came up beside her, looking none-too-pleased, and she didn't have to be a genius to figure out what it was. "She can help," she began before he even had a chance to argue. "That's all you need to worry about."

Greatness had no desire to rule as Queen, but she still had value. In the first year or two, Glory came to realize that she didn't understand or interact with the Nightwings as well as she would've liked. The Nightwing village wasn't far away from the main Rainwing village, but it was still far enough away that she wasn't able to visit as much as she probably should've. So, she made the decision to enlist Greatness as a sort of liaison between her and the rest of the Nightwings. Having had been a steward for her mother, the former Nightwing princess knew her tribe better than anyone. She had been a bit skeptical at first, but Greatness had quickly warmed up to her position, and she loved helping Glory whenever she could. The Nightwing realized that Glory made a better Queen than she would ever be, so she did what she could to help her Queen when she could.

And hopefully with her help, this census would be made much easier.

AN: Yep. Mistral just got his tail handed to him by Sobek. Apparently, he isn't as tough as he lets on. Or maybe he is, and Sobek just caught him off guard? It's up to you to decide that.

And Greatness enters the picture now, too. All kinds of familiar faces are starting to show up, so I wonder who else will pop in?

Until Next Time

AdmiralCole22