Glorious Politics

AN: Happy Halloween! Even though this isn't a very Halloween-y chapter, it's the best I have to offer right now.

For those of you who wanted more Glory and Mistral interactions now that they were friends, here you go. There'll be more in the next one during the actual dinner, but I didn't put that in here for...reasons. It would've ended up way too long for my tastes, so I decided to just cut it off where it was.

Secondly, the next Dragons Change chapter will probably be out next weekend sometime, provided no more unforeseen complications arise.

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

Chapter Eighteen:

The city was every bit as beautiful—and busy—as she had expected. Most of the fancier buildings were made out of marble, but even the buildings in the less fancy districts were made out of high-quality stone. There weren't any slums or run-down areas that she had seen so far. The streets were made of cobblestone throughout the city. The city was divided into five districts from what her new Skywing guard, Horus, told her. The palace dominated the eastern part of the city, the high-class residential district was along the northern wall, the middle-class residential district was along the southern wall, the lower-class residential district was along the western wall near the main gate of the city, and the massive market district was set between them in the exact center of the city. And since that was where all the sights for tourists were, that was where she decided to spend most of her time that day.

Of course, that plan may change if the crowds got any worse. Thankfully, Horus and Diamondback were there as a bit of a buffer between her and everyone else, but there was only so much they could do with this many dragons out and about. Surprisingly, most of the dragons here weren't even Skywings. In fact, she had only seen a clawful of them over the last hour as it seemed like every other tribe was here en masse. Horus explained that the city's residents had been banned from the markets from today to the day after the wedding in an effort to hopefully control the crowds a little better. He also assured her upon seeing her surprise that they had been given ample warning and were asked to stock up on necessities before today.

Speaking of Horus, he reminded her a bit of Mistral when she and him first met—after that first disastrous week, that is. The Skywing was serious and didn't talk much, and he seemed to be strictly business. He answered any questions she asked him, though, and he never complained about escorting her around. He'd greeted her outside her room, fully clad in armor, with a crisp salute and introduced himself as Captain Horus. She'd then asked him why a captain would be tasked with escorting her around. To his credit, he told her the truth, that he'd recently been on medical leave after getting injured, and this assignment was a way for him to ease back into his duties. His story aligned with the fresh scar on his well-muscled, reddish-orange chest.

So far, she'd gone to a few stores, all of which had been rather expensive, just to see what the Sky Kingdom had to offer. She didn't buy anything, but she did see a few pieces of jewelry that might go well with her ruff piercings she left at home. Then again, that stuff wasn't really too important to her. Around midday, however, she was getting pretty hungry and the crowds were getting worse, so instead of getting something to eat out here, she thought it best to head back to the palace.

And who knew she would run in to a familiar face with this many dragons out and about? "Queen Glory!" a familiar voice called, and her and her two guards looked around for a moment in an attempt to find the one calling her. After a moment, they saw who it was.

"Sobek?" He smiled as he approached, Diamondback nodding to his former comrade and motioning for Horus to let the other Sandwing approach. It was a surprise to see him, to be sure, but then again, he was sent to the Sky Kingdom last she heard. Knowing that standing still out here was probably not the smartest move, Glory waved him closer. "Why don't you come walk with us for a bit? It'd be nice to catch up."

He seemed glad for the offer as he joined their group as they weaved their way slowly through the crowds. "Thanks. Didn't think I'd run into anyone I knew out here."

"Me neither," she agreed. "But how have you been doing after...you know...?"

His smile fell a bit, but he didn't seem too upset at the question. "I'm alright, I guess. My therapist is nice enough, but I still think talking to him is a waste of time. There's nothing wrong with me. I just think Thorn doesn't properly appreciate my talents." Glory blinked at the bitterness in his tone and wondered if maybe he wasn't so friendly anymore.

"That's a dangerous line of thinking, old friend," Diamondback warned the other Sandwing, who just huffed in annoyance and glared at the older Sandwing in response.

Having read the tension between the three of them, Horus intervened, pushing the younger Sandwing aside at spearpoint. "The hell are you doing!?" Sobek demanded, outraged.

"My job," Horus replied calmly. "If you want to have an attitude, that's your issue, as long as you're nowhere near the Queen."

Sobek scoffed. "She's not your Queen."

"As long as it's my duty to protect her, she is," Horus shot back. Sobek just glared at the three of them before melting back into the crowds. They stood there for a few moments to make sure he was gone as both Horus and Diamondback scanned the crowds around them. "You feel that?" the Skywing asked Diamondback quietly, who nodded grimly. "Palace. Now. You four! With me!" he called to a passing Skywing patrol, who quickly rushed over at the call. Horus pointed to one. "Take up position on our rear. You two," he then pointed to two others. "Clear a path." And then he pointed to last one. "Return to the palace and tell General Levante to increase patrols in this sector and that I'll fill him in on the reason why when I return."

"Yes, sir!" the young soldier saluted, making use of the space cleared by the other two guards to take off and race back to the palace.

"Come on," Horus urged them.

"Make way!" the two soldiers up front yelled, forcing the crowds to part as the group passed, now mostly unhindered.

Glory had watched the entire thing with growing confusion and concern. "What's going on? Why the sudden rush?" she asked.

"We're being watched," Diamondback replied quietly, his eyes scanning the crowds around them. "I can't see anyone through all these crowds, but I can feel it."

"So can I," Horus affirmed. "I have a feeling that dragon is no longer any friend of yours."

The rush back to the palace was just that, and Glory was lost in her thoughts the entire time. Horus and Diamondback escorted her back to her room, and the Skywing rushed off to report to his commander while the Sandwing stayed behind. "You alright?" he asked before closing her door now that she was safe and secure.

"I'm fine. That'll be all, Diamondback," she assured him. He didn't seem convinced, but it wasn't his place to argue, so he shut her door, leaving her alone as he stood watch outside. Truthfully, however, she wasn't fine. She was a bit conflicted about what happened out in those crowded streets. As much as she wanted to refuse to believe that Sobek would turn against them, she knew she would only be deluding herself. Truthfully, she didn't know him all that well, and she was more inclined to trust Diamondback, anyway, since he had guarded her faithfully over the past seven weeks. And Horus seemed like a highly competent soldier. Plus, she knew Sobek was a bit...off, morally speaking.

She sighed just as a knock sounded at her door. But Diamondback never said anything. Why wasn't he saying anything? "Who is it?" she demanded, doing her best to keep her voice neutral.

"It's me," a familiar voice called, and Glory sighed in relief when she recognized Thorn's voice. "May I come in?"

"Yes, of course," she replied, and the door opened to reveal the Sandwing Queen looking at her with a worried expression. Glory settled down on her large bed, laying her head on her front legs.

"I was in the throne room with Ruby when your guard came in. He said a dragon threatened you?" Thorn shut the door and came over, climbing onto the mattress to settle down right next to her, draping a wing over the younger dragoness' back for comfort. "What happened?" she asked gently, seeing how upset Glory appeared to be.

Glory released a small exhale before telling the truth. "It was Sobek," she revealed, and Thorn recoiled in utter shock.

"Sobek threatened you!?" Thorn growled, and Glory could already imagine the outrage spinning around in the Sandwing Queen's mind.

Before she could get the wrong idea, Glory spoke up. "No," she shook her head, and Thorn looked to her in confusion. "Or...maybe he did? I don't know," Glory admitted with a sigh. "I'm not sure you could call anything he said an actual threat, but both Diamondback and Horus started feeling that we were being watched once Sobek left."

The Sandwing was quiet for a moment as she pondered this information. "Then what did he say?" she pressed. "I need to know what happened so I can take the proper steps to deal with it."

Glory thought back to that brief interaction. "He didn't say much, and he wasn't with us for long. He said he was still talking with his therapist, but he was also adamant that he was perfectly fine. He also seemed angry with you."

Thorn scoffed upon hearing that. "Of course he is..." she muttered, shaking her head in exasperation.

Glory raised her head and looked into the older dragoness' eyes. "Did I make a mistake reporting him?" That particular question had always been on her mind, but after what happened earlier, it felt more prominent than ever. Her report to Thorn had been what essentially ruined his entire career...and potentially his life.

"No, of course not," Thorn assured her, placing her claws atop Glory's with a gentle squeeze. "You did what you had to. Sobek was out of line, and he needed to be punished. If anyone deserves to carry the blame, it's me. Perhaps I was wrong to think he could change. Sobek is a killer, always has been. I have no doubt that if things had been different and I hadn't recruited him, he probably would have become one of Vulture's or Burn's most dangerous weapons." Thorn shook her head with a sigh. "I counted on him being loyal enough to follow my guidance, but I should have just thrown him in a cell." That didn't really make her feel better. And when she noticed that, Thorn's voice grew more serious. "If Sobek has truly turned against us, then he was never really with us to begin with."

"How are you so alright with this?" Glory suddenly demanded. "He fought for you for nearly twenty years! How can you just throw him aside so easily!?"

The warning glare was enough to know that maybe she had crossed a line. "Don't raise your voice at me, Glory." The Rainwing quietly apologized. "When I choose a dragon to become an Outclaw, I ask only three things from them. I ask them to serve with honor, to act as examples to the lower-ranking soldiers. I ask them to follow my orders when I say without any complaints. And I ask for their loyalty, to serve me and only me. In return, I trust them with my life and the stability of my Kingdom. Sobek has broken all three of those rules during his years of service. The first one I overlooked because of how good he was at his job, but the truth is that he was uncontrollable. He didn't care for collateral damage as long as he got the job done, and he had no idea what the word discretion meant. For the second, he started second-guessing my decisions after the war ended and I began to seek peace for the Kingdom. That's why he left and became a mercenary, thereby breaking the third rule, for a mercenary serves only himself and his next payment. In other words, he's betrayed my trust and is nothing but a traitor."

Glory just stared at the Sandwing Queen in utter shock. "Then why did you let him guard me!?"

Thorn winced slightly at that. "Yes...that probably wasn't my best idea. But if you look at his service record, you'd understand why I kept him around as long as I did. He's not a good dragon, but he was a good Outclaw—one of the best. I gave him more chances than he probably deserved because I didn't want to believe one of my own could fall so far. The...incident with Mistral opened my eyes to what he'd become, but even still, I wanted so desperately to see the good in him that I ignored the very real risk of him becoming cold and bitter."

Glory sighed. She did feel marginally better, even if knowing that she had ultimately been responsible for Sobek's betrayal still weighed heavily on her mind. But Thorn knew him much better than she ever did, so taking the Sandwing Queen's word at face value was probably the best choice available. "What are you going to do about him, then?" she eventually asked.

Thorn's expression turned grim. "I'll inform Ruby of the development, of course, seeing as how he's currently in her city, but ultimately, Sobek is my responsibility. Once I get back to my Kingdom, I'll send out someone capable to find him."

"You don't think the Skywings could handle him?" Glory asked. While it made sense that Thorn wanted one of her own to take care of the problem, it probably wasn't the best idea to wait so long and let Sobek potentially disappear before they deal with him—whatever that may entail.

"The Skywings are capable soldiers, but Sobek is anything but some common criminal," Thorn pointed out. "I don't want Ruby to lose any of her soldiers dealing with my problem. It'd look bad for all of us if that happened."

"Then what about Diamondback?" Glory then asked, trying to figure out a way to help the situation.

While she did think about it, another headshake was the ultimate answer. "Diamondback is a capable Outclaw, yes, even if he is the newest member. But he's a bit older than I would like. Even if he has the experience, I don't want to risk his age letting him down." Glory sighed in frustration even if she recognized the valid point. Sobek was almost twenty years younger than Diamondback, so it wasn't a stretch to believe the younger Sandwing would have an advantage because of it. "Plus, Sobek has been an elite soldier for nearly his entire life. Diamondback may have been in service for longer, but his service record is nowhere near as impressive even if he is better than the average soldier."

Just when she thought the situation might have been hopeless and Sobek would remain at free and at large—at least for now—a knock sounded at her door. "Queen Glory? It's Captain Horus. I was wondering if you'd seen Queen Thorn. She wasn't in her quarters."

Thorn sighed but stood and walked over to the door, opening it. "Yes, how can I help you, Captain?" Glory couldn't hear the rest of the discussion, but Thorn nodded and turned back to Glory. "Queen Ruby wishes to discuss the matter further. We'll talk more later?" Yes she'd like that, so she nodded and Thorn smiled before leaving.

However, the door didn't close all the way, and another soft knock sounded at her door. Surprise was the most prominent emotion when she saw Mistral standing there. "May I come in?" he asked, and she stood and waved for him to enter as she relocated to her table, a more appropriate location for this particular conversation. He entered, shutting the door behind him, and walked over to the other side of the square table, eyeing the fruit platter there with mild distaste. "I think I've eaten enough fruit to last a lifetime," he muttered. "The best part about coming to the Sky Kingdom is that they actually serve meat with every meal."

She snorted in amusement at that as she picked through the assortment of common fruits like apples, bananas, and oranges. "Yes, I imagine that is a nice change for you." While they did have fish and other types of meat in the Rain Kingdom, it was much less common than the abundance of fruits. While she was unaware if he knew what happened, she was grateful for the opportunity to have some simple, mindless chatter rather than stressing over something she couldn't really help with. "I understand that the Sky Kingdom and Ice Kingdom have some very different cuisine, though, so how do they compare?"

He shrugged. "I like Skywing food. In fact, if it's cooked right, I like some of it more than the traditional cuisine back home." He looked away in thought for a moment before continuing, "Speaking of which...I know an amazing restaurant in the city—has better food than what they serve here in the palace, arguably—and I haven't been there in...three years now. From what I hear, it's still open. I was thinking about getting a bite to eat there and thought you might want to join me."

Glory just stared at him incredulously as her hopes dared to raise. Was he asking her out on a date? "Are you asking me on a date?" she asked, her voice carefully guarded.

He huffed in amusement but shook his head. "No. Friends we are, but friends we'll stay. Your guards will come with, of course, especially if what I heard was true..." He studied her to gauge her reaction, and she nodded with a small sigh. Well, at least that was that question answered. "I almost hope he tries something," he grumbled. "I'd love to have another shot at him."

"Still sore over that?" she attempted to joke, trying to steer the conversation back to a lighter tone.

"Wouldn't you be?" he challenged her, and she reluctantly nodded. If there was one thing she was known for, it was her ability to hold grudges. "And call me paranoid, but he might have fallen in with that particular group we've been investigating."

"You're paranoid," she replied flatly. "He probably just wants to get back at me for ruining his entire career." Mistral didn't look convinced, but he thankfully didn't argue.

After nearly two minutes of slightly tense silence, he sighed. "Look, I...know what it's like to be betrayed by someone you trust." Glory looked to him, though his gaze was averted elsewhere. However, she could see he was tense. This wasn't something that was easy for him speak of, and the fact he was despite that was enough to make her listen closely. "It's easy to hold a grudge because of it. I did—have—even after fourteen years. It can make you bitter if you allow it to change you, but as long as you move on and recognize that nothing you did could ever change what was inevitable, it never will. Change you, that is."

From the clues she'd gathered from him—and Snowfall when he wasn't around—she had an idea on who he was talking about. "You're talking about Greatness, aren't you?" she asked gently. He immediately tensed and looked away, his jaw clenching. Even still, she tried pushing her luck. If he had confessed this much already, how much more would he reveal? "What exactly happened between you two?"

That did it. Though 'it' wasn't exactly the reaction she was looking for. He stood suddenly with a short growl, no doubt regretting he ever said anything. "Just forget I said anything," he snapped, heading towards the door without a single backwards glance.

Foot, meet mouth. "Wait, Mistral!" she stood, walking after him. "I'm sorry, alright? I shouldn't have pushed." He stopped, his claws on the door handle. It appeared like he was waiting for her to continue...or waiting to see if she would continue. "I know we haven't known each other for very long, but I think I've seen enough of the real you over the past week to know you aren't usually so solemn. I was just...worried about you."

He turned back to regard her. "We've only been friends for a week, Glory. You don't know me, so you have no reason and no right to worry about me. I can take care of myself just fine." Then he turned and opened the door, stepping outside before pausing. "And my offer for dinner still stands, so are you coming or not?"

Dinner? A quick glance out the window confirmed that it was indeed much later than she thought. I must have been in here longer than I thought. It would explain why she was so famished. "Yeah...Yeah, I'll come with you." Even if he was mad at her, she figured this was the best opportunity to maybe properly make up. Plus, the promise of good food was too much to pass up right now.

He nodded, though he gave no indication as to whether he was glad or annoyed by her answer. "Meet me at the front gates when you've found your two guards," he said. And then he walked off. She watched him for a moment before heading the opposite way towards the barracks—or to at least find a servant who could help her. Hopefully, dinner's conversation went better than this one had.

AN: While there wasn't much this chapter, I think Glory and Mistral's interaction in this one was a good indication of where they're at currently. Yes, he considers her a friend, but he doesn't trust her enough to spill his deepest secrets to quite yet. And her pushing him only results in him closing up even further.

They've got a ways to go yet, but they'll get there eventually. It'll just take the right...push...

Until Next Time

AdmiralCole22