Glorious Politics

AN: And now the chapter many have you been waiting for. Sobek's trial and Mistral's reckoning has come, and we'll finally see what becomes of the two. I won't say too much, but OC Nightwing submissions are still open if you want a future cameo of your character. I just need name, age, any relatives and their names, physical description, and a brief summary of their personality. Hybrids are acceptable, but I need to know exactly who the parents are and what their current whereabouts are. The only rule is that all OCs have to live in the Rainforest.

Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OCs Mistral, Sobek, and Diamondback belong to me.

Chapter Ten:

Midday saw Glory back to her normal, moody self and Sobek's trial beginning. It took place in the throne room, Queen Thorn sitting upon her throne, looking down upon the proceedings as judge. Sobek was sat before the throne, his head bowed in defeat, and was flanked by two Sandwing guards Glory didn't know. His tail had been wrapped within thick leather to prevent him from using it, and his wings were bound at his side. She and Queen Snowfall were among the audience, which consisted of several military officials and the witness to this case, Diamondback. Several other Sandwings were present, and Glory recognized a few of them as Outclaws. Qibli had taken a position next to his adopted mother, and he was armed with a quill and scroll, ready to record everything said for the records. Several Icewing soldiers also stood at one side of the room, no doubt Snowfall's guards, and a familiar Icewing sat next to the Queen and Mistral. Moon and Jackass were sitting next to Glory herself.

The braziers had been snuffed out now that the sun was up, yet it was still quite stuffy in the room, especially with so many dragons in here. A few whispered conversations were happening here and there as everyone got to their assigned positions. "Alright, now that we're all here, let's keep this brief," Thorn began, all chatter ceasing as her strong voice cut through the relative quietness of the throne room. "Sobek, you are charged with assaulting and poisoning a foreign dignitary while on assignment in the Rain Kingdom. Do you deny this?"

"No, Your Highness," Sobek spoke, though his gaze never left the floor.

"Have you anything to say in your defense?" the Queen then asked.

This time, the accused Sandwing looked up to the Queen with a glare. "I was doing my job," he hissed.

Thorn matched his glare with one of her own. "This is not the first time you've tried to justify your actions with that excuse, Sobek. We both know you went too far, just as you always do." He looked away at that, and Thorn turned to Diamondback. "As the only witness to this incident that wasn't a part of it, will you give a detailed rundown for us?"

Diamondback nodded from his place in the audience, walking forward to sit in front of the Queen as Sobek and his guards moved out of the way for the witness. Before this trial had begun, Thorn had spoken to Diamondback and Jackass about the plan to embarrass Mistral. Both of them had parts to play. To the rest of the crowd, the nod Thorn gave him was an indication he could begin his account, but for those in the know, it meant something completely different.

"Well, Sobek and I volunteered for assignment in the Rainforest after Queen Glory requested additional security. We arrived a bit after midnight, but we both stayed up to keep watch. When morning came, our Icewing friend over there came up to the Queen's Pavilion and tried to enter—while she was still sleeping, I might add! When we attempted to prevent him from entering, he got more physical, tried pushing past us. Since Mistral was becoming more physical, Sobek took things a bit further and slapped him across the face, stunning him long enough for Sobek to properly subdue him." At this point, Snowfall had turned to glare at Mistral. She had already been aware of these details since they were in Glory's letter, but that didn't mean they were any less embarrassing for her to hear in front of an audience.

"To prevent his quarry from struggling, Sobek placed his tail barb on Mistral's side as a warning. When Mistral called his bluff, however, Sobek decided to show that he wasn't bluffing, and that's when he stabbed him. I believe that's when he also said for Queen Snowfall to 'bring it on'." Snowfall snorted at that, looking at the Sandwing responsible for all of this. She was very clearly satisfied with herself and the fact that she did 'bring it'. "I left to go retrieve the antidote at this point, so I don't know what happened until I returned. But I do know that Mistral was given the antidote, and then everyone decided to work together after a few more warnings were given."

Thorn hummed in thought at the story she was just told. It was nothing new to her since Glory's letter had already outlined everything that happened, but as Thorn was so fond of saying, there was a process for things like this. "Thank you, Sergeant-Major, you may return to your place." Diamondback did so, and Thorn held out a claw, silently asking for the scroll Qibli had used to record the entire story on. She looked it over for a few minutes before nodding and giving it back. "Queen Glory, Lord Mistral, did Diamondback's testimony correctly convey the sequence of events?"

"Yes," was Glory's response

"It does," Mistral said immediately afterward.

"Very well. Queen Glory, will you answer a few questions for me?" Thorn then spoke, and Glory nodded, walking to take the witness stand. "Diamondback referenced your letter I received—the one asking for extra security. Will you tell the court why you made such a request?"

"My usual bodyguard, Deathbringer, was out of the Rainforest at the time," Glory revealed.

"And what was he doing?" Thorn asked, looking over at the Nightwing, who stepped forward next to Glory.

"The reason I left sort of ties into the reason why Queen Glory asked for additional security," he began, and Queen Thorn nodded for him to continue. "The morning of the day you received her letter, Queen Glory's pavilion was broken into while she was sleeping, and I was attacked and rendered unconscious." Several gasps and quiet murmurs started up when he revealed that.

"And who, pray tell, is responsible for attacking you and trespassing in a Queen's personal quarters while she was sleeping? Do you know?" Thorn's expression was deadly serious. Obviously, she knew the severity of the situation, which is what the audience would assume. But Glory was impressed with how authentic Thorn's expressions were since she already knew the answer to that. This particular incident hadn't been outlined in Glory's letter, so this is where things were about to get heated.

"I do," Deathbringer nodded. "And it was the same dragon who attempted the same thing the next day against Sobek and Diamondback. Lord Mistral was the one who attacked me and entered the Queen's pavilion without permission!"

The muttering turned to shouting, the Icewings trying to defend one of their own against what they thought was a ploy to defame their Lord. Guards moved forward to prevent the enraged crowd from doing anything more than shouting until Thorn had enough. "SILENCE!" she roared, the bedlam ceasing almost in an instant. "Lord Mistral, is this true?"

"Of course it isn't!" Snowfall snapped. "You think I don't know what you're up to, Glory? You're trying to take the heat off your friend over there by throwing false accusations around! Mistral wouldn't—"

"Yes, it is," the Icewing Lord said, making Snowfall silence herself.

The Icewing Queen turned to her closest friend, at first too surprised by his confession to speak. But then, she growled and spoke with quiet fury, "Are they telling the truth, Mistral?" A sharp nod was her only response, and Snowfall breathed out slowly, turning to Queen Glory. "I apologize for my outburst, Queen Glory. Is there anything else that he has done that I should know about?" She was clearly hoping the answer was 'no', but Snowfall was about to be sorely disappointed.

"As a matter of fact..." she began. Glory spent the next fifteen minutes detailing his behavior during his short stay. From his rude behavior and personal grudges to his violent tendencies and the threats he had made against her and some of her friends. Queen Snowfall and the rest of the audience listened to the whole thing silently, Snowfall nodding once the entire explanation was done.

"And is all of that true?" she once more asked Mistral, who nodded once more, unable to meet his Queen's eyes. Snowfall sighed and then groaned as she face-palmed. "I asked you to remain professional, did I not? You said I could trust you despite your personal views on Nightwings." Another sigh and Snowfall looked to Glory once more. "I am so sorry for Mistral's behavior, and it seems you were right to be concerned for your safety and to second-guess my decision. As soon as we return to the Ice Kingdom, he will be demoted to the bottom of the fourth circle..." When Mistral winced at the severity of his demotion, Snowfall glared at him. "Though he's lucky he doesn't get seventh circle." Her glare lingered for a few moments before Snowfall turned back to Thorn. "May I have a moment to speak with Mistral outside, Queen Thorn? We shall only be a few minutes."

Thorn nodded, and Snowfall all but shoved the larger Icewing towards the door with a scowl. The other Icewings staring after them, looking equally as ashamed as their Queen for their former Lord's behavior.

Once they were out of earshot, Glory leaned down and whispered to Moon. "I want to know everything they say."

Moon nodded, closing her eyes to better concentrate on her task. "Snowfall is furious," she whispered just as the door to the throne room opened and immediately slammed shut. Even with the thick door between them, the gathered crowd could still hear Snowfall's shouting through the door, muffled though it was. "She said he ruined her plans to surprise him with a wedding once he returned." Glory nodded. From what she knew of the Icewing caste system, Snowfall and Mistral wouldn't have any problems being married with him being in the second circle. Third circle was a stretch but still possible given the right amount of persuasion. But fourth circle? There was no way. "Now he's apologizing—trying to, anyway. She isn't listening. I can tell she's on the verge of tears. She's waited so long for this, and now she'll have to wait longer."

Just then, the doors opened again, and Glory looked around to make sure no one noticed what she and Moon were doing, It didn't look like anyone did, though. Snowfall lead Mistral before Queen Thorn, and the former Lord bowed before the Sandwing Queen as Snowfall glared daggers into the back of his skull. "Mistral will be dealt with appropriately, Queen Thorn. You have my word. With his demotion, he will be stripped of his rank, power, and title, and it will doubtless be y-years before he redeems himself through menial work in the Ice Kingdom." Mouths were wisely kept shut by any who noticed Snowfall's small stutter. "But I still wish for Sobek to receive his punishment, as well. As atrocious as Mistral's behavior has apparently been, that's still no excuse for what he did."

Thorn studied the two Icewings before nodding. "I find that acceptable. Have any of you opinions on the matter?" She looked to the military officials to see if there was any disagreement, but none spoke up in Sobek's defense. "Very well. Sobek, you are hereby dishonorably discharged from both the Sandwing military and the Outclaws. Your violent tendencies have caused me trouble one time too many, so you will be sent to the Sky Kingdom to receive professional counseling." Sobek appeared as if he wanted to argue, to call out the unfairness of this situation, but Thorn's stern glare kept him from speaking. "Be grateful you haven't been banished. As long as you receive the help you need, the Sand Kingdom is still yours to call home."

Sobek closed his eyes in acceptance, letting the guards take him away. Glory watched the Sandwing leave, a pang of guilt once more hitting her despite Thorn's counsel. She really hoped Sobek would get help. If he came out of this better than he entered, perhaps then she might stop feeling guilty for potentially ruining his life. "Now, with Sobek's discharge, I have an opening in my Outclaws that needs to be filled." Her gaze landed on Diamondback, and when the Sandwing veteran realized she was looking at him, he gasped in surprise. "Congratulations on your promotion, Lieutenant Diamondback."

"M-Me? But I served Blaze during the war! I thought—" he began, though Thorn interrupted him.

"Blaze has been a friend of mine for over a decade, and I know many of the Sandwings that followed her did so with the hope of a better Sand Kingdom—one not under the iron rule of Blister or Burn. You serve me just as loyally as you did her, and my son has spoken highly of you. Of every dragon who served one of the Sandwing sisters during the war, I believe it is you who deserves the honor of being the first Outclaw among them. Do you accept?"

Diamondback saluted his Queen and bowed his head in respect. "You honor me with this chance, My Queen. I readily accept, and thank you for, this opportunity. And I thank my Captain for believing in me."

Glory watched as Qibli smiled down at his former subordinate. "I'm not your Captain anymore, Diamondback. You're an Outclaw, now, which means you'll have your own command to look forward to."

"Indeed," Thorn agreed. "I'll let you know the details of your first assignment later." Then, Thorn returned her gaze to the two Icewings still before her. Mistral was still prostrate, most likely because Snowfall wouldn't let him rise as yet another punishment. "As for you two, I believe you have business to discuss with Queen Glory. The rest of you are dismissed!"

The officials and the majority of the guards all filed out of the doors while Qibli, Thorn, and Diamondback left through another set of doors behind the throne itself. Moon, Jackass, and the majority of the Icewings all stood off to the side while Snowfall and Mistral, who was finally allowed to stand, approached the Rainwing Queen. "I apologize once again, Queen Glory. But this leaves the matter of Mistral's original purpose in the Rainforest unresolved. I can have another agent of mine down there within two weeks...if you're still willing to cooperate, that is."

"Of course I am," Glory immediately replied, Snowfall sighing in relief that Mistral's behavior hadn't messed their arrangement up. "But I don't think that will be necessary." She couldn't explain why she decided to do this. Perhaps it was Qibli and Thorn's words about how good of a dragon Mistral usually once. Perhaps it was Mistral's confession that he didn't love Snowfall. Perhaps she wanted to spare Snowfall the pain she felt after learning the truth. Or perhaps it was Thorn's advice to give dragons a chance. While meant for a different sort of situation, it still fit.

Mistral looked downright miserable at hearing his punishment. At least...he did on the surface. There was something about the way he was carrying himself right now that didn't sit right with her. His expression was one of misery, but his strong, confident posture spoke of something else. Maybe she was reading too much into this, but she was willing to bet Mistral wasn't as broken up about this as he seemed.

"What do you mean?" Snowfall asked curiously.

"I know the situation you face is a rather delicate, time-sensitive one. Mistral has already started his investigation, and while we didn't start of on the right claw, at least I am familiar with him. And I know exactly who to come to if he begins to walk out of line again." Both Icewings were staring at her in shock by the end of her explanation.

"Are...you asking me to allow Mistral to continue working in the Rainforest?" Glory nodded, and Snowfall looked as if she was thinking hard on the matter. Eventually, she nodded. "Yes...I will allow it. A successful finish to his investigation should be sufficient work to return him to the third circle, at least. Yes, this will work." Based on what Moon overheard and her knowledge on the subject, Snowfall was doubtlessly trying to figure out a way to expedite Mistral's return to grace for her own reasons. Snowfall then turned to face Mistral with the most serious expression Glory had ever seen. She poked the larger male in the chest with a single talon and said, "Don't screw this up again."

With a huff, Snowfall left, calling her guards to her. Apparently, she was leaving, and from the sounds of it, it was back to the Ice Kingdom. That just left the Rainwing Queen, the two Nightwings, and the lone Icewing. Glory turned to the two Nightwings behind her. "You can head back to the rainforest," she told Jackass, who left with a quiet sigh. "But what about you, Moon? Are you staying here?"

Moon shrugged. "Depends on what Qibli's going to do."

That was fair. As much as Glory enjoyed Moon's company, the Nightwing had a husband to think about, too. Just then, the three Sandwings left the room behind the throne, the lot heading their way. They were clearly surprised to see Mistral still here, but none of them said anything to him directly. "I see you're giving him another chance," Qibli commented.

Glory shrugged as Thorn spoke next. "I'm assigning Diamondback and a squad of Sandwings to the Rainforest as permanent additions to your security force...such as it is. You need more guards, Glory. The two incidents with our friend here merely proves me right, so don't argue." Glory closed her mouth with a small huff, though she was thankful for Thorn's help. "Diamondback gave me a report of his time there, and since he seemed to enjoy himself and you two got along rather well, I thought he would be perfect for the position."

"And I'll be hanging around, too, since I've officially been relieved of my command. And the rest of the 52nd wing is being disbanded," Qibli added, upset at the loss of his Wing but understanding considering what happened while he was gone.

"While I would love to stay and chat with you, Glory, I'm afraid I have some things to see to after this. If you'll excuse me..." Thorn moved past them and began heading towards the door to the throne room, but she only made it a few steps before Glory called out to her.

"Thorn!" The Sandwing Queen paused and turned to gaze at her curiously. "I noticed Prince Hailstorm in the crowd. Did he arrive as part of Queen Snowfall's group?"

"No," Thorn shook her head. "He's here to conduct the investigations into Qibli's former Wing members as the impartial third party. Why?"

"I need to talk to him. Do you know where I can find him?" Winter's disappearance was still heavy on her mind. While she figured the dreamvisitor was the best chance at finding him—assuming he was still alive, which she hoped he was—perhaps talking to his brother would shed some more light on the situation.

"I can take you to him," Qibli offered, looking to Thorn for her approval. The Sandwing Queen nodded and left now that Glory's request would be fulfilled. "Diamondback, why don't you escort Mistral back to the rainforest. We'll follow once we're done."

The older Sandwing nodded, "Alright then. Come on, you." Mistral huffed but allowed Diamondback to lead him away. Once they started leaving, Qibli motioned for Glory and Moon to follow him,

After leaving the throne room, Qibli lead them through the palace hallways, passing a guard every now and then, which Qibli nodded to when they saluted him. Curiously, however, they ended up walking past the barracks. "Where are we going?" Glory wondered.

"Queen Thorn thought it best to place the rest of my former Wing under arrest in case any of them got any ideas about shirking their responsibilities. It's temporary, of course. Once Hailstorm is finished with his investigations, they'll all be let out." Glory nodded at the explanation.

"I don't think I've seen Hailstorm since Jade Mountain," Moon commented. "He sends letters, of course, but I haven't actually spoken to him since then."

"Oh, that's right! He took Winter's place as the Icewing for your Winglet, didn't he?" Glory asked, remembering that little detail.

"Yeah," Qibli answered, his voice suddenly a bit emptier at the question, and Glory could understand why. He and Winter were close during those days, but then the Icewing left and decided to cut all ties. It was a sore point for Qibli—and for the entire Jade Winglet, really.

They arrived at the entrance to the dungeons not long after that short exchange. Qibli held the door open for the two dragonesses before following behind them. They walked down a flight of stairs before arriving at the cells. At least it was well lit and not the dark, dank dungeons she remembered after Thorn first took the throne. A few iron grates lined the ceilings and let natural light in, and torches lined the wall—to be lit when the sun went down. Several of the closest cells had Sandwing occupants who promptly looked away in shame upon seeing their former Wing leader. Hailstorm stood a few cells down, talking to one of them, though he paused when he noticed the new group. The Icewing walked over to them with a friendly smile, though his expression was curious. "I was hoping you three would stop by."

"Really?" Moon asked, mildly skeptical.

Hailstorm winced at her tone, his smile falling, before nodding. "Yeah, Sorry for not visiting, but the life of a royal doesn't leave much time for visiting other Kingdoms unless on business. Cousin Snowfall has kept me busy—not that I blame her. Mother isn't her biggest fan, and Icicle takes after her, so..." He trailed off, shaking his head at all that. "But we're all here now, right?"

Qibli snorted in amusement at that. "I guess so. I know you're busy, so we won't take up much of your time. Moon here just wanted to see you were still alive, and Glory wanted to talk to you for a minute."

Hailstorm chuckled at that. "Well, as you can see, Moon, I am quite alive. And while I appreciate the thoughtfulness, I'll be here for a month or more, so you guys have plenty of opportunity to visit." Glory was glad Hailstorm's time in Jade Mountain seemed to have helped him quite a bit. He wasn't the uncertain wreck he used to be immediately after he was rescued from Scarlet. Now, he was strong and confident like any Icewing should be in his position, but his friendly and open demeanor was a much different—and more welcome—change compared to most Icewings Glory had met. "You needed to talk to me, Queen Glory?"

"Yeah," she replied, looking at the other two. "You two stay here." They nodded, understanding this was private business. Glory motioned for Hailstorm to follow her down the row of cells until they were far enough away from prying ears. "I recently heard about what happened to your brother," Glory spoke quietly. Hailstorm's friendly expression fell, and he became much more serious as he listened to the Rainwing Queen. "Obviously, his disappearance is a matter of some concern, especially because of...other reasons." She was originally going to say 'because of the recent string of Icewing murders', but she wasn't sure if Hailstorm knew about those.

However, it appeared she was worried for nothing. "You mean the murders? I know about them." She really shouldn't have been surprised, but for some reason, she was. "I'm the second-highest ranked Icewing in the entire Ice Kingdom, Glory. Snowfall and I are close. She comes to me for a lot of things."

"Right, yeah...I knew that. Anyway, no one else knows what happened to him, but I thought—" she was cut off when Hailstorm finished for her.

"That I might know where he is?" He shook his head. "I don't, okay? The last time I saw him was a few days after he was attacked. He asked for my necklace, and then he disappeared. I haven't seen or heard from him since."

Glory furrowed her eye ridges. "Why would he want the Pyrite spell?"

Hailstorm shrugged. "My guess? He isn't after the spell itself, and instead it's what it's written on that he cares about."

She nodded at that, understanding beginning to dawn upon her. "The piece of Darkstalker's scroll. He used it to write a spell. But what spell?" she thought aloud.

Hailstorm shook his head. "I don't know, and he didn't give me the chance to ask. I've been keeping his disappearance quiet per Snowfall's request, but if you find him—or a lead on him—let me know. I'm worried about him."

"I will, Hailstorm. I promise. I sent Turtle to Jade Mountain for Sunny's dreamvisitor. Hopefully, I'll be able to contact him." Hailstorm sighed in relief at hearing her plan, a glimmer of hope lighting up his eyes at the possibility of finding his lost brother. "But let's keep all this between us for now, alright? If Winter went so far as to use a spell to stay hidden, he must be in some kind of trouble. Until we know for certain, it's best not to draw attention to ourselves, or him by proxy."

Hailstorm nodded once more, and then the two of them returned to their friends. Farewells were said as Hailstorm returned to his questioning, and the three of them left the dungeons to start heading back to the Rainforest. Hopefully, Turtle and Kinkajou were back and she'd be able to get some answers about Winter's whereabouts tonight.

And also, that her decision to give Mistral another chance wasn't something she'd regret.

AN: So Sobek's going to get the help he needs in the Sky Kingdom, Mistral has been severely demoted, Snowfall's angry, Glory is surprisingly merciful, Hailstorm's back, and Winter is still missing. Answers (a few at least) for that last one will be in the next chapter, so stick around for that. And I hope Glory's reasons for sparing Mistral were believable.

I recently got Wing of Fire Roblox, and I hang around on there Saturdays from 6-7 pm Central US time. I've had a couple pop in to chat with me so far, and you're all welcome to join. Meetings are held in the dining hall, so I hope to see some of you there.

Until Next Time

AdmiralCole22