Glorious Politics

AN: And so the fight commences. Hope you enjoy, and I'll see you all at the bottom!

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

Chapter Thirty:

Despite the fact the two were supposed to be fighting, neither Icewing seemed willing to make the first move. Minutes passed by, and the two were still circling each other, sometimes feinting a lunge to make the other slip up. Honestly, the slow start was making the whole thing seem a bit...anticlimactic. Bloodwalker said they were trying to get the measure of each other, but still...

Even the crowd seemed bored, some even taunting the two Icewings into attacking, though neither seemed to pay them any attention. Neither of them were even saying anything. Mistral seemed as stoic as ever while Winter wore a constant snarl.

"So...what's going on again?" Turtle and Kinkajou had wandered over to her a minute or so ago. Kinkajou seemed just as impatient as the rest of the crowd, probably thinking this was some innocent sparring match or something. Turtle, however, was a bit more confused and concerned.

"Mistral and Snowfall found out that Winter freed Foeslayer, which was technically treason," she began, taking this explanation one step at a time.

Turtle nodded. "I got that part."

Glory glanced at the two Icewings before continuing. They still were circling each other. "Snowfall, as Queen, was bound by Icewing law to punish Winter accordingly, which usually means death. Mistral, however, convinced her to keep Winter's crime secret and banish him from the Kingdom to prevent anyone from figuring it out."

"Okay...so why didn't Snowfall just keep Winter's crime secret and not banish him? That's the part that doesn't really make sense." Oh, poor Turtle, he really was too naïve to really deal with politics.

"What do you think would happen if one of Snowfall's rivals figured out the truth? They'd blackmail her for their own gain." The Seawing looked genuinely uncomfortable with the thought. He tended to think the best of everyone, but most dragons weren't nearly as ambitious as Icewings, a tribe he hadn't interacted with at all save for the ones at Jade Mountain. "This is her way of taking precautions to prevent political fallout. At least this way, if someone figures out what Winter did and that he's still alive, she can argue that she did punish him. Very few dragons will begrudge her for not wanting to kill a member of her own family."

"So...Mistral is in the right here? OW!" The Seawing recoiled from Kinkajou, who had just slapped him upside the head with her tail.

Plus, she was glaring holes into his skull. "How can you say that, Turtle!? Winter is our friend, and we should be rooting for him regardless of what anyone else says! Right, Glory?"

Not expecting to be brought into that argument, Glory took a second to respond. "Uh...yeah. What you said." Kinkajou studied her skeptically for a moment before going back to watching the 'fight'.

In truth, she agreed with Turtle. Mistral was in the right here, even if she hated to see something bad happen to a friend. Winter had been through so much already. He didn't deserve to be punished for doing a good deed, yet that was the way the world worked, unfortunately. Snowfall was protecting herself, and Mistral was protecting his Queen.

Still...that jealous part of her heart hoped Winter would win if it meant Mistral had to stay in her Kingdom. If Snowfall couldn't have him, then her chances went up exponentially. It was extremely selfish to even think about, but she'd been selfless for far too long. All she wanted was just for this one thing to go her way. She'd never wish for anything again if she could only have someone to spend her life with.

Moons...did that sound desperate or what?

While Glory was having an internal debate as to whether or not that made her a terrible dragon, a collective cheer rang out from the crowd, followed by Kinkajou shouting, "KICK HIS TAIL, WINTER!"

Glory looked up just in time to see Winter leap back and Mistral wipe a bit of blood off his cheek where Winter had scored a trio of shallow cuts with his claws. Mistral stared at it for a second before glaring at the other Icewing. "So that's the way you want to play it, huh? I had no intention of using my claws, just so you know. But if you're going to use them, I see no reason to limit myself."

The consequences of that statement only registered in the Rainwing Queen's mind when Mistral lunged forward. Winter went to jump over the low attack, yet, almost as if he predicted Winter's move, Mistral jumped straight up as soon as Winter left the ground, effectively headbutting the former prince right in the soft underbelly. Winter's eyes bugged out as the air left him completely, and he flew upwards only to land in a heap a few feet away from Mistral, who did not move to attack or finish Winter off while he was exposed.

"It's been a long time since we sparred together, Winter, but I remember who walked out of the ring victorious the vast majority of the time," Mistral taunted his recovering opponent. "And I saw how you fought during the attack not long ago. You've adopted some Skywing techniques, haven't you? Too bad your wings are too small to make proper use of some of them." That was a good point. If Winter had been a Skywing or Mistral a smaller dragon, the former prince would have sailed over his opponent's head without being hit. "And you remember how I was assigned to the task force that hunted down Scarlet's remaining sympathizers? I gained a lot of experience fighting Skywings during that time."

By this point, Winter was on his feet again. "You talk too much," he snarled. Winter took the initiative again, taking a swing a Mistral's head, claws fully extended. Glory gasped, but Mistral parried the blow with expert defense and used his powerful hind legs to launch him straight into Winter's chest before the former prince could so much as swing again. The two rolled, head over tail, before Mistral sent Winter flying across the ring. Only then, did he look down and see another set of clawmarks on his chest. Those looked deeper and wept a decent amount of blood. Mistral winced a bit then glared at the other Icewing. "I know more than just Skywing techniques."

As if proving that, Winter took on a different ready pose with his upper body lower to the ground and his tail poised to strike like a scorpion, the spines glinting menacingly in the failing light. "Sandwing...interesting."

"Why use different techniques?" Turtle wondered aloud.

It was Bloodwalker who answered. "Because if Mistral is right, then Winter can't take him conventionally. If both were to use purely Icewing technique, Mistral would win. Winter is trying to find a way to tilt the odds to his favor by using a technique his opponent is less familiar with."

"But I've seen Winter fight before," Glory argued. "He's no slouch in combat."

"What's the Seawing saying? 'There's always a bigger fish'?" Turtle nodded to confirm Bloodwalker's guess. "Is it so hard to believe that maybe Mistral is simply the more skilled fighter?"

Glory thought about that for a moment. Sure, she saw Mistral trade blows with Sobek, but the Sandwing had bested him soundly in the end. That was the only time she'd seen him fight one-on-one. It was hard to believe Mistral was better than Winter, but she supposed it wasn't impossible. Maybe Sobek beat Mistral because the Icewing was less skilled against Sandwing combat techniques.

If that was the case, Winter mimicking that style might swing things to his favor.

Glory was no combat expert, but she knew the gist of the different styles. Icewings were really precise and technical, lacking in the Mudwing style's raw power but more effective for conserving energy in longer fights. Skywings liked using their wings, both as weapons and to outmaneuver their opponents with leaps and dashes. Sandwings, to little surprise, utilized their tails a lot. Having an additional limb to distract their opponent meant it was easier to take them by surprise. Many other tribes called that style of fighting 'dirty'. The usual Sandwing response to that was, 'tough'.

While Winter didn't possess a tail barb with lethal venom, he did have a bunch of sharp spikes that could cut or even impale given enough force and a proper angle.

Unlike before, Mistral genuinely seemed wary of his opponent, providing some validity to her theory. They were back to circling each other, and Mistral kept sending Winter's tail brief glances to make sure it wasn't heading straight for his eyes or something.

Again, it was Winter who struck first, probing his opponent's defenses with a few claw swipes or tail jabs. Mistral was playing it purely defensive now, swatting aside each strike with near-perfect precision. Every time he tried to counter, however, an attack came from another angle that Mistral couldn't catch in time. The normally stoic Icewing was becoming increasingly frustrated as time went on and cuts and scratches began appearing all over his chest, shoulders, and neck.

"Death by a thousand cuts," Bloodwalker murmured. She really wished he hadn't said it like that.

But that did seem to be Winter's strategy. Mistral couldn't get close without suffering another small knick while Winter had only a few scratches. With a furious roar, Mistral lost all composure, charging at Winter from across the ring. The former prince smirked, and Glory thought it was over.

She should have known better than to underestimate Mistral. In an incredible show of acrobatics, the former lord launched a good way into the air, tucked into a ball, did a front flip, and used that leverage to bring his tail down on Winter hard. As the crowd erupted in excited shouts over the completely unexpected move, the former prince tried to dodge. The tail slam, however, was apparently a diversion. Mistral's right wing shot out and hit Winter on the side of his head, momentarily disorienting him as Mistral landed, spun on the spot, smacked Winter with a tail spin, and then sucker punched him so hard that Winter went airborne for a second.

"A bit flashy for my taste, but it certainly took Winter by surprise," Bloodwalker commented. "And I doubt he'd use such moves in actual combat, anyway."

Glory had to agree. It certainly wasn't elegant, but it got the job done. Even still, Mistral didn't move to pin Winter, though he did close the distance quickly. "No more games!" he growled.

Mistral attacked this time, and with his furious opponent at close range, Winter had no choice but to fight on Mistral's terms. Attack and counterattack. Block, parry, dodge and slash. It was a dance unlike any she had seen before.

Every time Winter tried to retreat, Mistral was quickly upon him before Winter could do anything except try to match Mistral blow for blow. And in this contest, their levels of skill were shown.

Winter was an agile combatant. Like he showed during the attack on her Kingdom, he could take out groups of opponents as long as he was able to keep moving and take them off guard. In a one-on-one match, he preferred to dodge rather than block or parry. He also seemed to be more of a generalist, taking techniques from different styles and creating his own unique style meant to outmaneuver his opponent and strike from angles least expected. That's how he was able to beat DB in a sparring match. The assassin was fast, but Winter had been just that much faster and had more tricks to draw upon.

Mistral, however, was clearly a specialist. He was an Icewing, so he fought like an Icewing. Every strike, every block, and every parry was almost perfectly executed to do exactly what was needed both when and where necessary. He almost never overextended, his movements crisp, clean, and precise. No more energy than necessary was wasted with fancy maneuvers—except that one front flip, but she would admit that was pretty amazing that he was able to pull that off and still press the advantage. And while Winter had a more lean build, Mistral had well-developed muscles that allowed his strikes to hit harder than Winter's.

"Sweet moons, Winter's getting his tail kicked!" Kinkajou cried in dismay.

It was true. Winter was doing surprisingly well against the onslaught, but after a feinted attack from Mistral that the former prince fell for, Mistral used the opening to grab Winter's left forearm with his right claws, used his left arm to hook underneath Winter's right shoulder, and then pushed.

Winter went tumbling backwards, landing on his back with a resounding crack and a scream. Mistral stood over his downed opponent, left claws against Winter's neck and right claws poised and ready to strike. "Do you yield?" His voice was barely more than a growl as he glared down at the former prince.

With a broken wing, Winter could do nothing but glare at his victorious opponent. "I yield..."

In the audience, some dragons cheered while others groaned at losing their respective bets. Kinkajou and Turtle seemed sad to see their friend lose regardless of who they thought was in the right. Both combatants were covered in a myriad of scrapes and scratches, some leaking more blood than others.

Mistral stepped off of the former prince, and in a move that took everyone by surprise, held out his claw for Winter to take. Winter, however, glared at the proffered claw in suspicion. "I am many things, Winter, but one thing I am not is callous. You have every right to be angry with me, and I apologize for being so brusque earlier. You aren't the only one having a bad time of late." Curiously, he glanced at her for a moment before continuing. "In time, I might be able to help you return to the Ice Kingdom, but above all, you must trust me. You know who I am, Winter. I don't abandon my friends."

All eyes turned to see Winter's reaction. Gone was his anger, to be replaced with skepticism. "And you promise to do this for me?"

"I promise to do everything I can," was Mistral's immediate reply. It wasn't completely what Winter was hoping for, but ultimately, he grabbed Mistral's claw, and the victor pulled his opponent onto his feet. Winter immediately winced in pain, glancing back at his broken wing.

Glory also frowned at it. She had hoped to send Winter after Sobek, but that wouldn't be possible now. If only they still had Anemone's healing necklace. Oh, wait... "Turtle, I need you to heal Winter's wing. I've got a job for him that can't exactly wait." The Seawing nodded, and the named Icewing looked to her curiously.

"Uh...I need—" Mistral held out Winter's old circle necklace to the Seawing, who grabbed it with a small, "That'll work."

"Get healed up," Glory commanded them. "The three of us need to have a talk in my pavilion."

Both Icewings nodded, and then Winter punched Mistral on the shoulder. "Next time, don't be such a jerk." Glory paused in case this was about to turn ugly.

Mistral, however, just smirked. "You realize this is me we're talking about, right?" Winter snorted. Then, the former prince apologized for challenging him. In response, Mistral brought his friend in for a short, one-armed hug. "Apology accepted."

Glory watched the interaction from a short distance away and shook her head in utter bewilderment. "All that and they're still friends? I swear I'll never understand males."

While the crowd was beginning to slowly disperse, Glory and Bloodwalker made their way through the now-darkened rainforest towards her pavilion. Winter and Mistral were probably only a few minutes behind them, so she wasn't in too big of a rush. Once she briefed Winter on his assignment, she'd send him off to get packed, and then he'd leave in the morning.

As for Mistral...

She was glad that he won. He was in the right initially, and after promising to do what he could to make things right, she realized that Winter winning probably would have been a bad thing. Well...Mistral would have to stay here with her, but honestly, the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she didn't want to win him over that way. It would be better for both of them if he chose to stay of his own free will. That would take a lot of effort on her part—if it was even possible—but she was still wanting to try. At least then, she'd have a chance.

When they were nearing her pavilion, she found herself unable to hold in the question that had been bothering her. She trusted Bloodwalker enough, even if this was a rather unorthodox thing to ask. "Do you think Mistral could ever love me?"

Bloodwalker stared at her in surprise, the only noise he was able to make was an extended, "Uh..." Glory just huffed and looked away with a small sigh. That's sort of the reaction she was expecting. "I guess... Anything is possible, right?"

"No, not really," she muttered quietly, walking inside her office. "It's just a foolish dream, anyway."

"Well, I can tell you that's wrong," Bloodwalker countered. "Love is never a foolish dream. Yours...may be a bit harder than normal, but that's no reason to just not try."

Glory studied him for a moment before nodding. "Thanks...I think I needed to hear that." He nodded back, giving her a small smile which she returned. That's when the two Icewings entered. Winter came in first, and he was clearly anxious to see what his new Queen wanted of him. Mistral, however, was quiet, and his expression was carefully guarded again. "Let's do this one at a time, I guess. Mistral, could you step outside for a few minutes?"

Though he raised an eye ridge in mild intrigue, he didn't argue and stepped outside. Winter just seemed confused. "Um...am I in trouble or something?"

"Unless you want me to chew your tail out for that stunt you pulled..." She left it hanging there, and he quickly shook his head. "Then, no. If you two have made up, then I see no point in lingering upon it." She beckoned him to follow as she stepped into her room. Winter did so, clearly becoming more uncomfortable by the second. "I don't want Mistral hearing any of this," she spoke quietly. Winter nodded, coming to understand why they were in here. "First, business: I need you to track down Sobek." Winter looked away but then nodded after a moment. She would not begrudge him for being nervous or even scared. "I suggest using that necklace of yours to stay hidden and start in the Sky Kingdom where he was last spotted. Thorn wants him alive, so she can question him." She saw no point in saying what the Sandwing Queen would do after questioning him.

"So...what else did you need to say?" Winter asked.

Glory remained quiet and thoughtful for a few seconds. This was probably a bad idea, but Winter was probably her best bet here. Asking Snowfall was definitely out of the question regarding this particular subject, after all. But first, a warning, "If you repeat anything I'm about to say to anyone, especially Mistral, I will make your service to me a living nightmare. Understood?" He blinked a few times at her clearly serious threat but agreed. Glory then sighed, dropping her Queenly mask for the moment. "I...love Mistral."

It was a quiet admittance, and one that had Winter choking on air as he gasped in complete surprise. "Sorry," he croaked. "I just didn't expect that." After composing himself, he looked at her as if not knowing what to do or say. "What does...that have to do with me?"

"You're his friend, Winter. You've known him longer than I have. How do I win his heart?" She hated herself for sounding so desperate, like this was some Jade Mountain crush or something.

Winter gave wore an expression she didn't like to see. That sad sympathy was as foreboding and hope-destroying as the words he said next. "Glory...you can't," he began, his voice gentle. He was clearly upset at having to tell her this. "Mistral...he doesn't do relationships. You aren't the first dragoness who wanted to have him, and I'm not talking about Snowfall. She thinks she'll be different because they're lifelong friends, but...she's just in denial. The closer you try to get with him, the harder he'll push you away, and he'll resent you for it."

"So it's hopeless, then?" she glared at him, unsatisfied by his answer. "I should just not even try?"

"You'll only end up hurting yourself and him," Winter shook his head sadly. "I would highly suggest you let it go."

Glory glared at him and shook her head in denial. "I don't accept that. I won't accept that." After everything they'd been through over the past months, all the progress they'd made to go from having shouting matches to sharing personal stories, did he really expect her to accept that it was all for nothing?

She hated the sad look he gave her. It made her feel as if she was the one acting illogical. "Then, for what it's worth, I wish you luck. Just...try not to take it too hard when he breaks your heart."

"Get out and get packed. You have your assignment," she hissed, not wanting to hear his nay-saying anymore. He left with a small sigh and a quiet apology.

It didn't matter what he said. She was resolved to try, and she would succeed. She had to succeed.

She deserved to be happy...

...Right...?

AN: Hopefully, all that made sense. Yeah, Winter's good, but Mistral's not a pushover. Next chapter, he'll tell us more about how he got so skilled and why he believes he beat Winter.

Until then, Glory's got her own personal dilemma to think about. Mistral doesn't do relationships according to Winter. Wonder why and what she'll do.

Until Next Time

AdmiralCole22