Glorious Politics

AN: This is part two of three for Operation Queen-Maker.

I've noticed that no one really goes into how bad life on the Nightwing island was. Like really into it. Well, in this one, I give a pretty big hint on how bad the situation was. So...in addition to the warning from previous chapter, add in mentions of culturally-accepted cannibalism.

Also, Happy New Year!

Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. Mistral is my OC.

"N-No! S-Stay away!" The dragonet was beside himself with fear. He retreated more and more into a ball as I tried to approach, even slashing his claws in my direction in an attempt to ward me away.

And I did stay away. I sat down halfway between the mouth of the cave and the corner where he was. It was best to be understanding in this situation. I mean, he did just lose his parents. That kind of trauma would probably stick with him forever, so right now, I needed to be patient and let him come to me in his own time. "It's alright, I'm not going to hurt you." He just looked at me, still afraid and suspicious. "What's your name? I'm Starfall." The lie rolled off my tongue sickeningly easy. I just let his parents get murdered, and here I am trying to make nice.

When he didn't answer, I just sighed. I'd have to earn his trust, and to do that, I'd have to show him I wasn't a threat. For starters, I grabbed the body of the dead Skywing and dragged it out of the cave. With it gone, there'd be less visual reminders of what I was capable of.

I stayed close to the cave mouth, though. I didn't need him flying off until we could establish some kind of rapport. Chasing after him if he did try to escape would only make him fear me more. Luckily, I didn't have to even leave his line of sight to move the bodies out of the way and gather some wood for a fire. There were a few trees right next to the cave, so I grabbed a few dead branches and some of the scattered spears. The shafts would burn, too.

Once that was done, I piled it all up in the center of the cave and set fire to it. I saw Mistral flinch away from the fire at first, but he seemed to settle down after a few minutes once he realized I wasn't actually attacking him with it.

I didn't dare leave to go find some food even though I was starving again. Hunting would take too long, and I wasn't desperate enough to eat one of the bodies outside. Cannibalism wasn't exactly rare on our island. When there was no food to go around, one did what they had to. There were old legends about cannibals going insane, but Mastermind proved them all wrong. Eating another dragon wouldn't cause any kind of mental deterioration, even after multiple occurrences. Though, he did discover doing so often enough would cause bacterial buildup in the mouth which would cause serious infection to anything we bit. It was useful for hunting or fighting, but the bacteria would die away given time and a proper diet. The only real lasting problem that could befall someone would be the emotional toll of eating one of your own. It wasn't easy, and it certainly wasn't right, but it was sometimes necessary.

Sapience had given us morality, and that morality deemed it a horrendous act, looked down upon by dragon culture as a whole. But it was something our ancestors did back when we were basically just animals. Back then, being picky meant getting killed. If you were hungry and came upon a dead dragon, you'd do what you had to and eat the free meal.

Again, I'm not saying it's right or even acceptable, but it was sometimes necessary. It was doubtful that Mistral would see it that way, though. If he saw me eating another dragon, he'd probably die from pure fear. Like I said, I wasn't that desperate. I could wait a bit before eating. Hunger wasn't new to me.

I...didn't really care for the taste, anyway.

It's not something I'm proud to admit, but such was life on the Nightwing island. I was mother's only heir, and she wasn't going to let me starve just because I was a picky eater.

We never killed our own, though anyone who died naturally was eaten rather than buried or thrown into the lava, usually by family members. The only exception was dragonets. That was one line even we wouldn't cross. Anyone who murdered another for food was likewise thrown into the lava. Call us superstitious, but most dragons considered those individuals 'bad meat', as if consuming them would poison their minds.

With less than five thousand dragons living on that island, a mere fraction of the other tribes' numbers, natural deaths weren't everyday occurrences. Just because we ate our dead doesn't mean we were eating dead dragons every day. We'd be lucky to have two or three deaths a month. And one of those was almost always a dragonet.

It was a sad, shameful part of our lives, but it's part of the reason I was out here. Morrowseer claimed he could give us a better future, one where we could bury our dead and treat them with the respect they deserve. That alone would almost make everything we had to do to accomplish that future worth it.

"Am I a prisoner?" The soft question broke me out of my rather dark and depressing thoughts, and I looked to the dragonet in surprise. His gaze was still focused on the ground before him, but he wasn't shaking anymore. A quick glance outside told me maybe an hour or two had passed.

"No, you're not a prisoner," I assured him with a soft smile.

"Then...can I leave?" I sighed and shook my head. His posture slumped with a dejected "Oh...okay..."

"There's Skywings still patrolling the area," I lied. There weren't, actually, but he didn't need to know that. "And they're still after you. You'll be safer in here with me."

"Safe? But you're a Nightwing. Why should I even trust you?" At that, he finally did meet her gaze with a glare, one that soon fizzled out when he averted his gaze again.

I thought for a moment, trying to figure out an answer that would satisfy him when I figured that telling him my cover-story was probably my best bet. "I was a scout, and I got captured by Skywings about a month ago. I should have been rescued during that time, but I wasn't. I guess I wasn't important enough to my commanders. I escaped, though, about a week ago. I stole some armor, a dagger, and then started flying to the mountains, figuring I could lose any pursuers in here. When I saw Icewings being attacked by the same dragons I recognized from the camp I was kept at, I decided to intervene, but I was too late to save anyone else." Tears formed in his eyes at the reminder that his parents were dead, and my heart broke at his lost expression. "I may be a Nightwing, but I'm not going to kill a dragonet. I'm not heartless. Once it's safe, I'll even take you back home."

He sniffled and nodded, wiping his eyes. I thought that was that, but he surprised me when he spoke again. "Mistral," he whispered. I cocked my head, feigning confusion. "My name...it's Mistral."

I gave him a soft smile for that. "It's nice to meet you, Mistral." If only the circumstances were better, I mentally added. My stomach rumbled and reminded me of another dilemma. "Are you hungry?" He nodded. "If I go find us some food, will you promise to stay in the cave?" He nodded again.

The fact he still wasn't really looking at me sparked a bit of suspicion, so I decided to watch the cave from a nearby ledge for around ten minutes before I actually went hunting. He didn't leave, but I did notice the fire went out. He must have put it out as a way to avoid attention now that the sun was going down. Smart move, I'll admit.

While I was out hunting, I took the time to think. It was surprising how quickly Mistral seemed to trust me, even if not fully. Maybe he just realized he didn't have much of a choice but to trust me. He was in the middle of the mountains, alone, probably a hundred miles away from friendly civilization with enemy patrols a constant worry in the region.

Morrowseer's dossier on Mistral mentioned he was so highly ranked because he favored brains over brawn. He was highly intelligent and had top marks in almost every subject in school, though he seemed to specialize in law and politics. Not surprising, given his family. He wasn't a fighter despite being an Icewing, which was readily apparent given his skinny build and his tendency to prefer flight over fight responses. With that being the case, he probably wasn't much of a survivalist. Being left alone out here was probably a death sentence for him, honestly.

Had things stayed on course for him, he probably would have become a high-ranking official of some kind. Perhaps even an advisor to the Queen. If his friendship with Princess Snowfall was any indication, he might even end up marrying her and becoming a Prince or perhaps even the King if Snowfall became the next Queen.

But no, he would die. And then I'd frame him for the death of the Princess. I truly did pity him. If he was literally anyone else, this wouldn't be happening to him. "He just...looked so helpless..." I muttered, the only witness being the wind.

Dragonets were supposed to be precious, something to protect above all else, especially for Nightwings. They always got the best food and the safest accommodations because they were our future. Without them, the old would just get older and our tribe would eventually end. We were already an endangered species. We couldn't afford to lose our dragonets.

Maybe that's why this was so hard for me. My natural instincts—of being both a female and a Nightwing—were completely against bringing intentional harm to the young. It didn't matter what tribe he was. I just...I wanted...

I don't know what I wanted. Did I want to ensure my tribe's future? Did I want to uphold my moral and instinctual values? Did I want to somehow accomplish both goals? That last one was definitely a 'yes' even if I knew it wasn't possible. At least...as far I knew. But trying to alter Morrowseer's plan just to satisfy my own conscience could lead to unknown outcomes. I wasn't much of a planner, anyway.

I'd still think on it, though. A Nightwing courier would be swinging by every month to receive my report. I could maybe throw in a few suggestions, right? I doubted Morrowseer would even consider them, but it was worth a try. Then again...he might take that as a sign I wasn't fully committed to the mission. Maybe he'd even come out here himself. It wouldn't be the first time he'd personally checked on one of his field operatives.

It was one massive dilemma that I didn't know how to solve. Indecisiveness was one of my defining characteristics, not that that was much to brag about. Following orders was so much easier than giving them. Just like following someone else's plan was easier than making your own.

All these deep thoughts were beginning to drag my mood down, so I shook my head of the distractions and focused on getting food. About an hour later, I'd snatched both of us a mountain goat, though I had to fly closer to the Skywing border to get them. The mountains weren't exactly teeming with wildlife, especially on the Icewing side. It was just too cold.

When I returned to the small clearing, it was past dark, but the moonlight was enough to see by. The terrain and cold didn't allow for clouds, so the skies were clear. It's how I so easily spotted Mistral, hunched over the body of his mother like he was. He'd curled up next to her, even draping one of her arms across his back. He'd also removed the spear from his father's body and closed his eyes. In the dark, it was easy to believe the two adults were simply sleeping.

The sight alone brought tears to my eyes, and my heart clenched when his quiet sobs reached my ears. I dropped the two goats nearby and walked up to the grieving dragonet. "Mistral?" I called softly. I went to place a claw on his back but hesitated, indecision hitting me again. Should I let him be for now? I doubted this was healthy, but I didn't want to upset him even more by dragging him away. After a few seconds, I decided that, no, he didn't need to be out here. "Mistral, you shouldn't be out here."

As soon as my claw touched his back, he sniffled and turned his gaze up to me. I was just about to urge him back into the cave when he all but launched himself at me. At first, I thought he was attacking me, but it was a brief, panicked thought. When I realized that he had latched onto me, his head buried into my chest, it took my brain a moment to connect the dots. I even blushed a bit at the contact. No one had hugged me in years, not since before my mom's condition. I certainly hadn't expected this reaction from him, and definitely not this soon. Then again, I was the only non-Icewing that hadn't tried to kill him today.

This whole situation was making me both unsure and uncomfortable, but it wasn't the contact itself that was causing it. No, it was my knowledge of the truth. Hesitantly, I placed a claw on his back and gave him a few soothing rubs between his shoulders. "It's alright..." I told him gently. "It's alright to cry." I swallowed, my throat thick with emotion, as he did just that. After a few seconds, I couldn't stop myself from wrapping my wings around him and hugging him back just as tightly. "I'm sorry, Mistral. I wish...I wish things were different."

Originally, I was going to say 'I wish I'd gotten here sooner', but I knew that wouldn't change anything. All I'd end up doing is watching the carnage for longer before acting, so saying as much felt both wrong and empty.

It took probably ten minutes before he sufficiently calmed down. "I-I w-want to b-bury them."

I nodded. "I can help if you want." It was the absolute least I could do. I felt him nod against my chest. "Do you want to do it right now?" Another nod.

With a small sigh, I resigned myself to some hard labor in the cold and dark without any food in my belly. I ended up piling all the dead Skywings on the opposite side of the clearing and stacking as much wood as possible around them before setting the whole macabre pile alight. After that, I set all the Icewings next to each other where Mistral told me to. Then, he flew up to the snowy ledge above and started a mini avalanche that buried the lot of them in the snow. "It'll have to do for now..." he spoke sadly when he landed.

"When you get back home, you can tell someone where to find them. I'm sure they'd come get them for a proper burial." Actually, she wasn't entirely sure about that, but he nodded, anyway.

After that, they ate in silence before finally going to sleep.

I could only reasonably sustain the lie about patrolling Skywings for about two weeks before I was forced to lead Mistral back towards the Ice Kingdom. I spent the time getting closer with him, learning more about him and what he liked and didn't like. I was reasonably confident to say he trusted me almost completely by the time we left, which was a good thing regarding the plan. I needed him to trust me and enjoy my company enough to be willing to come seek me out again once he was back home.

Crucially, I urged him not to tell anyone about me. It was a discussion we had on the flight back after he said he wanted to introduce me to the Queen. He was, of course, confused and a bit suspicious of my request, but I simply told him that just because we were friends didn't mean the other Icewings would feel the same. I'd probably be arrested and executed—which wasn't a lie, that probably would happen—so it was best not to mention me. He agreed after my explanation, saying he would feel horrible if I was killed because of him.

That, in turn, just made me feel horrible.

The other reason I didn't want him to tell anyone about me was because I was under orders. Morrowseer had explicitly stated that I was not to interact with any other Icewings. They were not to be aware of my existence. Simply because if they knew a Nightwing was hanging around, they'd automatically assume I was framing Mistral for Snowfall's murder when it happened. Which would be true.

A few things I learned about Mistral during those two weeks are important enough to mention here. First, he was turning five in less than two months. Second, he had no siblings. Third, his parents weren't very close with their own siblings, so he doubted any of his aunts or uncles would take him in. I thought that was really sad, actually, but he predicted that Queen Glacier herself would take him in since he and Snowfall were so close. Fourth, and most importantly, his parents' deaths had convinced him to learn how to defend himself. Despite what I tried to tell him, he blamed himself for their deaths. He kept trying to reason that they probably wouldn't have died if he knew how to fight back, so he wanted to learn.

I just hoped that his lessons wouldn't make my job at the end of this impossible. It was already hard enough to even think about what I would have to do. I'd never had any true friends before, an unfortunate effect of my position. Yet here I was, trying my best to become friends with Mistral when in less than ten months, I'd be forced to kill him.

"Are you okay, Starfall?" His question brought me out of my thoughts, and I noticed his concern. "You look upset about something."

"Just sad to see my friend leave," I replied, the lie leaving a sour taste in my mouth.

He frowned and looked away at that. We were less than an hour's flight from the great ice wall, which meant we'd have to split up within the next few minutes. I'd purposely refrained from talking to him about my next step. I needed him to invite me to stick around. "Are you going back to the Nightwings, then?" he wondered.

"No. I went rouge, so the only thing waiting for me back there is a prison cell." I have to admit, Morrowseer's story about my persona was a really good one. He'd apparently thought of everything.

"Do you...have anywhere else to go?" He was hesitant, uncertain. He was getting ready to ask me to stay in the Ice Kingdom, I could tell. But he was still wrestling with his tribe's old anger and mistrust towards mine. Trusting me enough to bring him home and asking me to stay in enemy territory were two different things. To any other Icewing, it would probably be considered treason.

I shook my head at his question. "No, not really. But I'm sure I could figure something out." That was crucial. He needed to have an out. He needed to be aware that him asking me to stay was by his choice rather than for my survival or comfort.

Rather than answer immediately, he angled down as if preparing to land, so I followed. Once we touched down, he spent several minutes staring at the northern horizon. When he finally spoke, it was so quiet that I couldn't really hear him. When I asked him to repeat it, he sighed and turned to me. "I want you to stay."

I blinked, burying my conflicting pride and guilt at his request, and feigned skepticism. "Stay? In the Ice Kingdom? I'm not sure that's the best idea."

A brief flash of anger flashed through his eyes before it disappeared, replaced by grief. "I just lost both of my parents, Starfall. I don't want to lose my friend so soon." Both of us were quiet after his admittance. I knew whatever was said next would either save his life or seal his fate, and I wasn't going to be the one to say anything. "My parents had a safe house in the outskirts of the city. No one else knows about it except the royal family, so you should be safe there." Right when I was about to point out the impossibility of that plan—the ice wall was impassable—he continued. "I can get you past the ice wall, but it'll take some time. There's a cave nearby that should be relatively safe. I can show you."

I was quiet for a moment, pinning him with a serious expression. "Are you sure about this? Do you know what will happen, to both of us, if you're caught?"

He nodded after a moment's hesitation. "I'm sure. I want you to stay."

So that's the way it'd be...

There was no way he could know this, but he had just invited death into his home. He'd unknowingly sealed his fate...and here I was, going along with it. I had no choice, though. It was either him or my entire tribe. And I knew which choice I would make.

"So where's this cave at?" I asked, flashing him a smile when he realized I was accepting. He smiled back, gave me a short hug, and beckoned for me to follow him as he took off again.

I was starting to feel sick to my stomach again.

The cave he showed to me wasn't large, and it certainly wasn't warm, but it would do for a while. "I know it isn't the best accommodations, but I promise I'll be back as soon as I can." He paused for a moment as I made sure the whole place was empty. It was, and it didn't look like anyone had been here in a while. There were no footprints or fresh scratch marks on the walls or anything like that, so I figured I'd be safe enough here. Hunting would probably be my biggest concern. This was much closer to Icewing civilization that the cave in the mountains which meant running into a patrol was a very real possibility. "You'll be here when I get back...right?

He sounded so scared right then, as if coming back here and seeing me gone would be almost as bad as losing his parents. "Of course I will," I assured him. I walked over to sit right next to him and drape a wing across his back. Despite being five years older than him, his head still sat at around the middle of my neck. Skinny he may be, but he was tall for his age. The fact I was small for my age also didn't help. "You're taking a big risk to help me out, Mistral, and I'm not about to forget that, especially since you didn't have to."

"Yes, I did," he stated resolutely. "You saved me. It's only fair I do the same for you. I can give you a safe place to live in the Ice Kingdom until you're ready to either leave or..."

"Or...?" I pressed, curious to hear what he was about to say.

"Queen Glacier is a good Queen. She's nice and understanding, and I'm positive she'll grant you asylum once we tell her what happened. I may be young, but my word counts for a lot." He looked away, and she saw his slight blush. "You could stay and live here in the Ice Kingdom...with me."

That...that right there was what I was hoping to avoid. This whole situation was messed up enough without him developing some kind of crush on me! I should have known the universe wouldn't be so kind. He was at that age where females were beginning to cross his mind a bit more often, but I honestly didn't expect an Icewing like him to actually consider a relationship with a Nightwing like me.

How to handle this, though? I didn't want to encourage him if I could help it, but I also didn't want to say something that would potentially drive him away. He was awaiting my answer, though, so I gave him a slightly forced smile. "I'll think about it."

"O-Okay," he replied with a small stutter. "I'll, uh...be back." With that, he turned to hug me, a gesture which I went ahead and returned. "Bye, Starfall! I'll be back soon!" And then I was alone, the young Icewing already flying north towards home. With nothing to do except make this cave my temporary home, that's what I did. As I lay there shivering from the extreme cold, I wondered how long I would have to wait.

A week passed with no sign of Mistral. In that time, I did end up having a few close calls with some patrols, though I remained undiscovered. Hunting was done exclusively at night—when it was even colder—so the energy from the food I caught wasn't enough to replenish the energy my body expended shivering and flying in the bitter chill of the arctic wasteland. I was pretty much gorging myself whenever I could, and though my stomach was usually full, I was actually still losing weight.

The truth was, I wouldn't survive up here for much longer. The Icewings had a magic wall that prevented any other dragon from crossing it, but it was so far north, it was rendered mostly useless. No army would survive in this conditions for more than a few days, and the palace was farther north still! The cool-blooded dragons didn't even need border security when the freezing temperatures was all the defense they needed! If they holed up in the palace, I doubted any army would ever defeat them. Much like the Seawings, actually. Just like no other tribe could breathe underwater, no other tribe could survive in this frozen land.

I was up far enough where trees didn't grow anymore, so I couldn't even start a fire to try and attempt to ward off the cold. I slept during the day when it was slightly warmer. Nights were spent either hunting or as a shivering mess in the farthest, warmest corner of the cave. Usually both.

One week. I'd give Mistral one more week. If he wasn't back by then, I'd have no choice but to fly south. I wasn't about to die for this mission, especially not from exposure.

Mercifully, I didn't even have to wait that long. Three days later, he arrived, alone, in almost a panic, sprinting inside and sighing in relief when he saw me. "I'm so sorry! I didn't think it'd take this long, I swear! I was afraid you'd left already, but you said you promised, and—" He was talking so fast, so urgently that I couldn't stop the small, amused smile from showing on my muzzle.

I placed a single talon over his mouth, and he looked at me in confusion. "I did promise. I wasn't going to go back on my word. Even if I am cold...and hungry. And did I mention I was cold?" Despite my complaints, I was just glad he was back. Four more days of waiting was not my idea of a good time.

"Oh!" He pulled out a bracelet from the small satchel he was carrying and held it out for me to take. "This should help with the cold. Again, I'm so sorry for taking so long, but Queen Glacier was a bit overprotective after I told her what happened." At my concerned expression, he amended his statement. "I didn't tell her about you, like you asked."

I nodded appreciatively and put on the bracelet. The difference was as instantaneous as it was startling. I went from barely suppressing my shivers to feeling like I was standing in a temperate forest on a sunny day. "Wow..."

"Cool, right? That's one of the Gifts of Diplomacy. Blaze wears one at all times, but the other two were just sitting in the Queen's chambers. Snowfall and I broke into her mom's room one day and hung out in there just for fun, and I snatched it when she wasn't looking. Nobody uses them, anyway." I remember reading about these things. I should be able to live up here no problem now. As long as I had these on, I could come and go from the Ice Kingdom proper as I pleased.

There was one problem I could see, though. "What happens when you need to take this back?"

He shrugged. "Like I said, no one uses them anymore. From what Snowfall said, they'd been sitting there for the last fifteen years or so. I doubt anyone will even realize it's missing." He paused. "Oh, and you might be happy to hear that Queen Glacier plans on escalating our offensive strategies in the Sky Kingdom."

I was happy to hear that, but not for the reason he thought. More pressure on the Skywings meant the Icewings had less focus on my tribe. It also meant the Skywings would divert more troops and resources to their western border instead of focusing on the Seawings, which would strengthen Blister's position in the long run. I'm sure Morrowseer would be delighted about that...as much as he could be delighted, at least.

"I guess we'll both get our revenge, huh?" He nodded with a victorious smirk. "I guess we should get going, though. Best not to arouse any suspicion by being out any longer, right?" The ice wall was almost a six-hour flight from the palace, so it'd be after dinnertime when we got back. He nodded. And with that, we began the long journey into hostile territory—at least for me.

I'd probably be killed if I was caught. Mistral may have promised to stand up for me, but that was probably an admittance to treason for the Queen. On the bright side, if he was convicted of treason, a lot of dragons wouldn't be happy about it. It may not be as violent as Morrowseer's plan, but it'd still cause some internal tension. I'd still be dead, though, so I hoped that wouldn't happen.

AN: Next chapter is the conclusion of Operation Queen-Maker, and then we get back into the main story again. Also, no reviews last chapter? I assume everyone's waiting for it to be finished before reviewing, so my feelings aren't too hurt, lol.

A bit of bad news, though: The epilogue of Dragons Change will be coming out tomorrow. I woke up with a pretty bad headache yesterday that lingered almost all day despite me taking some Tylenol. As such, I didn't get much writing done, and I won't be able to do much today, so...sorry. But the last chapter was one day early. So having the epilogue one day late balances it out, right? ...Right?

Honestly, I feel bad for not getting it done, but I just felt like crap yesterday. So sorry again and thanks for being patient. Hopefully...

Until Next Time

AdmiralCole22