Glorious Politics

AN: Big things happen in this chapter, and I'm going to be straight up with all of you. When I first wrote it, I loved it. But then, I got to thinking a bit further and thought that maybe it happened too soon, that the scene that happens in this chapter was too rushed. (You'll figure out quite quickly what part of the chapter I'm talking about, I promise.) It was going to happen eventually, anyway, and I thought that maybe 180,000 words in was enough of a wait, but you all judge it and let me know.

Information about the Mudwing OCs will be at the bottom because I don't want to spoil the surprise just yet.

Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. Nimbus, Sobek, Mistral, and Veneno are my OCs. Bloodwalker belongs to SpyroAndSisuFan. Certus, Solstice, and Swiftback belong to Epsilon33.

Chapter Thirty-Seven:

Glory woke to an empty room. Thorn, apparently, had already left, so Glory climbed out of bed with a yawn and a stretch. Padding over to the window, she looked across the illuminated city. The sun was already high in the sky, so she judged it to be around noon. As much as she appreciated the extra sleep after staying up so late last night, she would've preferred to be awake to help take care of some things.

It wasn't long after that when a knock came from the door. "You awake yet?"

A flash of orange surprise colored her scales when she recognized who it was. "Yeah, you can come in." The door opened to reveal Mistral, who quickly accepted her invitation, shutting the door behind him. "You need something?"

"A moment to talk if you have one, which I assume you do." He walked into the room, pausing long enough at the table to glance at the fruit there as if contemplating having a piece.

The way he phrased that made her curious. "What do you mean by that?"

At her question, he apparently made his decision to not take some fruit and turned his attention back to her as he sat down. "Thorn and Levante are taking care of everything with the occasional assistance from Anemone. She specifically told the others to leave you be."

"But not you?" Glory clarified.

He shook his head. "She told me what happened last night." Her mood soured at the reminder, and she looked back out the window. "And while I'm still furious about Winter, I can still sympathize with you after hearing what happened down there." He paused and sighed. "They got his body out of there if that means anything."

"I appreciate it," she answered, her voice quiet. "Pineapple deserves to be buried in his home. Has anyone seen Jambu?"

There was a beat of silence, but then the dreaded answer came. "Not yet." Glory sighed, and her shoulders slumped in defeat. "Are you okay?"

"No, not really," she responded, a bit snappishly. "And why do you care, anyway? You've been avoiding me like the plague whenever possible for weeks now."

No immediate answer was forthcoming, so she turned to look at him, her glare disappearing when she saw his stern gaze. "Don't pretend like you don't know my reasons, Glory. You've put me in a rather difficult and awkward situation. I left the Ice Kingdom for a time because I wanted to be away from Snowfall and her feelings for me, and now you have feelings for me that I am trying to distance myself from. Despite that, yes, I do consider you to be my friend. I would even go so far as to say you are one of my best friends for everything you've done for me."

Glory huffed and looked away again. A sudden well of frustration began to rise within her. "Just friends, huh? Look, I respect your feelings, Mistral. If you have no romantic feelings for me, fine. I respect that." Then, she turned and gave him a stern look. "But I don't believe you. In either case, whether you do or don't is irrelevant because maybe, instead of running from your problems, if you had spoken up and just told me and Snowfall about your feelings at the onset, you wouldn't be in this situation right now." His expression darkened considerably at that. "And I don't even understand why it's such a problem. Most dragons don't have two dragonesses pining after them and wish they could. Not only that, you have two Queens that have feelings for you. Do you know how many dragons would die for a chance like that?"

Honestly, she had no idea where all this was coming from. Maybe she was still upset about last night, and now she was taking it out on Mistral. The poor dragon didn't deserve it, but it was too late now. If she didn't push forward and try to fix this mess, she could kiss their friendship goodbye.

"Well, I didn't ask to be put in this situation!" he snapped. "You know me well enough by now to know I'm not good with opening up to others! I'm sure you recognized the similarities between Snowfall and you, so why didn't you just stop and move on!?"

"Because I'm tired of being alone!" she yelled at him, her scales flickering red with her rising anger. "I'm sick of waking up day after day, seeing all my friends with their significant others, and wondering if I'd ever have the same! I thought I found love once before, and when he didn't feel the same, I pushed him away! Deathbringer is gone!" Her voice cracked at that, but she pressed on. "And because of me, he's with the cult, now!"

"What Greatness did to you is unforgivable," she continued. "I understand that. And I know you're hurting— DON'T WALK AWAY FROM ME!" Her gentle, understanding tone turned to red hot fury the moment he got up and began walking away.

He stopped, whether from sheer surprise at the sudden change in tone or for some other reason. However, the door still opened even though he hadn't touched it. Qibli was in the doorway, looking genuinely alarmed. "I heard shouting. Is everything okay?"

"Qibli, you stay right at that door and don't let it open until I say otherwise," she ordered the Sandwing. His eyes went wide at her tone and furious expression, but he nodded and closed the door. Privacy—somewhat—restored—she turned her attention back to Mistral. "You're not running anymore, Mistral. We're talking this out, no matter the end. Because that's how you solve problems." He turned then, his expression completely neutral, though she could see how his jaw was clenched.

"Or holding dragons hostage, apparently," he snarled. "And for the record, I did tell you before, multiple times, that I had no romantic feelings for you."

"You did," she agreed, taking him by slight surprise. "And I believed you, at first. But then things started getting complicated. On the Nightwing island, after you saved my life, I kissed you—on the cheek, granted—but still, you didn't do anything. You didn't ask me not to do that again. You didn't try to push me away or act disgusted. Then, before we left to come here a few days ago, you wouldn't even let me hug you. You see where the confusion comes in? Because I'm getting mixed signals here. And by the way, I did recognize the similarities between my situation and Snowfall's and how you've treated both. That's why I know there's something more going on. I think you do have feelings for me, and maybe even Snowfall, too."

This was the moment when she finally used the enchanted bracelet given to her by Anemone for its—other—intended purpose. She'd refrained from doing so until now, but now she needed to know the truth if this situation was going to be rectified. As he glared at her, his thoughts filtered into her mind. Of course I do! That's why this whole situation is so hard! But so be it...if she's going to push this issue, I'll make sure this is the last time. I didn't want to hurt her, but I don't have much choice now.

A small spike of worry hit her when she heard 'hurt her', but she disregarded it after a fleeting thought. She knew he didn't mean physically. She trusted him enough to know that he'd never do that. "I don't have feelings for you," he said, his voice completely neutral. "The kiss took me off-guard, which is why I didn't react. But it made me realize that your own feelings were growing, so I've actively avoided you. Apparently, that didn't work, so I'll be surrendering my position in the investigation and going back to the Ice Kingdom post haste."

In other words, he was still trying to run from the main problem here. "Uh huh..." The skepticism was clear in her voice, and she could see a flicker of confusion in his expression. He was wondering why she wasn't more upset, and he was about to learn. "I'm calling your bluff." She held up her wrist with the bracelet on it. "Anemone told me that this enchantment supersedes that one on yours, and she was right. I heard the truth in your mind."

His neutral expression rapidly went to surprised and then to anger. "Excuse me!? You've been invading my thoughts!?"

"Just this one time, and don't try to change the subject!" she shot back. "The only reason I did it is because I needed to know the truth, and now I do!" In emphasis, she took off the bracelet and threw it onto the bed. "You have feelings for me, and I heard it straight from your thoughts! Now, admit it!"

He growled. "You are obsessed! And I'm calling your bluff! That bracelet didn't invade my thoughts, otherwise you would know that I am starting to dislike you immensely! And if this is even remotely how you treated Deathbringer, then I'm not surprised he left! You're insane!"

She scoffed, not rising to the bait. "Don't throw this back on me! And I'm not insane; you're in denial! I heard your thoughts, Mistral! I know the truth! You can't lie your way out of this one anymore, and I'm not letting you go until I get you to admit it, so WHY IS THAT SO HARD!? GIVE ME A REASON!"

"BECAUSE I'M AFRAID OF BEING HURT AGAIN!" he exploded. He stood with a furious and constant growl, and his teeth were bared in anger. After the admittance, his breathing was hard and heavy, and his glare was utterly livid. Curls of frost drifted out of his nostrils and mouth. It would be an intimidating sight were he anyone else. "Are you satisfied now!?"

Frustration turned to sympathy as the truth she had suspected finally came to light. When she spoke once again, her voice was back to being gentle. "Mistral...listen to me, please... Greatness hurt you. But that is no reason to reject any and all meaningful relationships that come your way. Because one day you'll wake up and realize just how alone you are and wish you could have that time back. I did. After Deathbringer hurt me, I did the same thing you did. I understand you. I understand how you feel. So I know that, deep down, you feel just as alone as I do. I..." She paused, searching deep into her heart for how she truly felt. It didn't take long for her to find the answer. "I love you, Mistral. I really do."

He scoffed. "You don't love me," he denied vehemently. "Whatever game you're playing, I want no part of it."

"Game?" she parroted incredulously. "I'm not Greatness, alright? Not everyone has an ulterior motive for falling in love with you! Did you ever stop to think that maybe my feelings were genuine? I mean, I'm not some random dragoness you've never heard of. I've been a prominent public figure for over a decade. You know who I am!"

"Yes, I do." He approached her, his gaze accusatory, and stopped right in front of her to stare down at her imperiously. "Which is why I find it hard to believe that your feelings are actually genuine and not some nefarious attempt to gain influence in the Ice Kingdom or leverage over Queen Snowfall herself."

She scoffed, her incredulity rising. "Do you even hear yourself?" Their gazes remained locked together for several seconds, hers full of frustration and his full of doubt. An idea occurred to her. "Put on the bracelet. Read my thoughts. If you don't like what you hear, you can leave, and we never have to cross paths again."

There it was. The ultimatum. The next few minutes would decide whether or not they would ever see each other again. He studied her for a moment, though he decided to do as she suggested. He walked over to the bed, took off his own bracelet, put hers on, and like she had the first time, grimaced at the mental assault. Still, his resolve was enough that he forced his way through the pain and walked closer to her, his expression one of pure focus.

In her mind, she focused on how she felt about him. He was very intelligent with how often and easily he was able to deduce things from the smallest of clues. She also considered him to be very handsome. She especially liked the way raindrops shimmered on his scales. She admired his ability to fight with such precision and grace.

Beyond just the physical aspects, she trusted him. He'd saved her life and admitted to trusting her in return when she'd saved his. She felt safe and protected around him. He'd fought off Sobek long enough for reinforcements to arrive down in those sewers. He was also strong enough to prevent her from falling off a cliff to her death. It seemed like every time she was in danger, he was there to pull her out of it.

More than even that, though...she felt that he was the only dragon that really understood her. They'd both been through similar situations in their love lives. For him, it was Greatness. For her, it was Deathbringer. They'd both been hurt. They'd both pushed others away for a long time afterwards because they'd both been afraid of being hurt again.

But now she was more afraid of being alone forever. This wasn't just some fleeting crush she felt. She genuinely did care about him and wanted him to be a permanent fixture of her life. Yes, maybe she was a little desperate...but it was only because she truly did love him and didn't want to see him go. And she was willing to put in the effort and time to make sure their relationship worked if she was lucky enough that he said 'yes'.

Minutes passed, and though his eyes were closed for the duration, his expression noticeably softened. Eventually, he opened his eyes, and she saw the conflict within them. He knew she was genuine now, but he'd been so adamantly against any sort of relationship for so long that he was uncertain what to do or what to believe. "I... I don't..."

"Shh..." He went quiet and looked at her, his expression as lost as she'd ever seen. "Don't overthink it. Just do what your heart wants you to." Sparks of hope danced within her gaze as she watched him puzzle out what exactly that was.

Was this it? Were her fears of spending her life alone finally about to be put to rest?

He looked to the door, contemplating, and swallowed heavily. He turned back to her. "I would be giving you something I've not given to another dragoness since Greatness betrayed me," he whispered.

"I would take care of it," she swore. "I promise you that."

But that wasn't his only concern. "And when Snowfall hears about this?"

She cupped his cheek with her right claw, and he didn't try to move away. "I will fight for us if you just give me a chance." When he still didn't appear convinced, she tried another tactic. "Would you rather willingly date someone you have genuine feelings for, no matter how many problems it might cause in the future? Or would you let yourself be forced into a marriage with someone you don't love? No matter what, I promise we'll get through things. Together."

He closed his eyes for a moment and leaned into her touch. "Together..." he repeated, finally beginning to accept the idea. Then, he opened his eyes and gave her a stern look. "Don't make me regret this."

She smiled fondly at him and leaned up to give him a quick kiss. "I won't."

He released a shaky exhale, and he reached up with his right claw to cup her cheek. And then he did the same with his left before pulling her into a deep kiss. The sudden action surprised her, and her eyes flew open for a mere moment before they fluttered close as she quickly melted into, and returned, the action. Her arms maneuvered around his neck and pulled him even closer as their kiss deepened even further.

Then, they broke apart, breathing heavily, though he quickly moved to nuzzle her cheek. "I love you, too..." It wasn't just the words themselves that made her shiver with delight. His breaths tickled her ear when he whispered them. He backed up and gave her a small smile. "Happy now?"

"Extraordinarily..." He chuckled, and she marveled at him. Now that he wasn't trying to push her away and hide how he truly felt, he seemed more like the dragon she remembered before the Nightwing island incident. A massive weight seemed to have disappeared from his shoulders now that he was finally able to be himself. "What about you? You feeling better now that you've moved on?"

He frowned at that, which wasn't the reaction she expected. "I wouldn't say I've moved on just yet. This idea is still...strange for me. I will be the first to admit that the last thing I expected when I volunteered for this assignment was to end up dating you, of all dragons." He huffed. "It's still strange to even say out loud. Just...be patient with me. I'd like to take things slow for now."

"Okay," she agreed instantly. "We'll go your speed." Now that she didn't have to worry about losing him, she wasn't worried about rushing things. He smiled at her in appreciation before taking off the bracelet and tossing it back onto the bed. "You heard that, didn't you?"

He bent down and kissed her cheek in response. "You hungry?" he asked suddenly as he pulled away and stood up. She looked at him curiously, wondering what he meant. "Don't dates usually involve a meal?" It seemed like he was asking a genuine question, so she shrugged and then nodded. "We can go to Nimbus' restaurant."

At the suggestion, her stomach growled loudly. Not only was in past noon when she hadn't even had breakfast, but the idea of having some more of that delicious food was highly appealing. "I would like that," she agreed with a smile. It fell shortly after. "What about Snowfall? Won't she find out?"

"She left early this morning to head back to her Kingdom." That was fortunate. "But...I suppose we should at least try to keep...this a secret." He gestured between the two of them for emphasis.

"Agreed," she nodded as he motioned for her to leave first. "Qibli, you can open the door now." The door did open, but it wasn't Qibli who was standing there. "Uh...how long have you been there?"

"Long enough," Thorn shrugged. "This is my room, after all." Then, she grinned playfully. "So I didn't hear much after the yelling stopped. Am I to assume you two worked something out?"

Glory just gawked, so it was Mistral who responded, his voice carrying a not-insignificant amount of annoyance. "You knew this would happen when you asked me to check on her, didn't you?"

"I suspected there might be an argument, yes," Thorn nodded.

"What!?" The incredulity and anger she felt towards Thorn at that moment was staggering. "And what if things didn't work out, huh!? Our entire friendship could've been ruined right then and there!"

"It was a calculated risk, yes," Thorn admitted. "But there's no sense in thinking about 'what ifs' when things turned out alright. I knew you were upset about Mistral's behavior, so I took him aside and told him about what happened to see his reaction. And I didn't ask you to check on her, Mistral. I merely...suggested it. I had the sense you were worried about her even if you tried to hide it, so I guessed you would go check on her. And with Glory being as upset as she was, I knew she would end up instigating something."

Both Mistral and Glory glared at the Sandwing Queen. "You have been spending too much time around Anemone," Glory huffed after a moment.

Thorn snickered. "I like to think she's spent too much time around me. But we both wanted what was best for you, and since the two of you were dancing around the problem, I just...gave you a little push."

"I honestly don't know whether to be mad or grateful," Mistral muttered.

Thorn shrugged, grinning as she pulled a fuming Glory in for a quick hug. "I won't keep you two. Enjoy your day out." Thorn moved to walk past them as they walked out, but before she shut the door, she called out. "And Mistral? I like you. A lot. If I didn't, you wouldn't be dating my daughter. Take care of her, would you?"

Mistral and Glory shared a brief look before he looked back at Thorn. "I will." The Sandwing nodded, satisfied, and shut the door, which meant they were left on their own in the hallway save for the patrolling guards.

They remained quiet and kept a small distance between them in an attempt to appear 'professional'. Well, she attempted to. He was a natural at it. He had his usual serious expression up as they walked down the halls, so she decided to start up a conversation. "So did I miss anything else important this morning?"

He didn't even miss a beat before he responded. "Levante spoke with Queen Moorhen before she left this morning. She likes the idea of the task force and already has a candidate picked out."

Despite the good news, he didn't sound too happy. "I take it you know who it is, and you're not a fan."

"Bear is the captain of Moorhen's palace guard. He's a great soldier and commander, but he's not overfond of Icewings." He huffed. "And if you thought I was stubborn, you're in for a world of frustration when you meet him."

"Great..." She couldn't judge Bear too harshly since she hadn't even met him yet, but it sounded like he wouldn't be a very good fit for the task force. Actually, she wondered what Mistral's thoughts were. "But do you think he's a good fit for the task force?"

He thought for a moment before shrugging. "It's hard to say. I don't know him well enough to say what he might or might not do. Actually, I've never even met him. I just know him by reputation only."

"Oh..." She was sort of hoping for more than that. "Anything else happen this morning?"

"Anemone gave Veneno an earring and told her to have Turtle use his bowl?" He shook his head. "I'm not sure what that means, but I assume the earring was enchanted. She said it was best to not use any magic while Jerboa is out there because Darkstalker once used a spell that would let him know when any other spells were performed, and she's worried that Jerboa might have done the same."

"Makes sense. If we use enchantments we already have access to, then they won't know what we have, if anything." That was crafty, but she didn't expect anything less from Anemone.

They reached the front door at about that time, so the guards opened the door for them, and they walked out. Once they were on the busy streets, talking became a lot harder due to the noise, so they just silently enjoyed the others' company. As they were walking, she spied a few other couples out and about. Most were of the same tribe, but there were some inter-tribal couples that she saw.

It gave her an idea, actually. Since they were forced closer together because of the busy streets, she turned her scales white and leaned her head against his neck. The last time she'd tried looking like an Icewing was when she and the Dragonets of Destiny met DB for the first time. She sighed at the memory and only then realized that Mistral had been staring at her.

"What?" she wondered. "Never seen a female Icewing before?"

He snorted in amusement. "Actually, I have, which is why I'm so confused." At her own confused expression, he smirked. "You're a bit too small to be an Icewing." Then, he draped his wing across her back. "And I've grown rather fond of your normal colors."

A ripple of orange went across her scales before they transitioned to her normal colors. "Really?"

He nodded. "When I was listening to your thoughts, I heard you think I was handsome. I thought that was fortunate because I think you're quite beautiful." She smiled at him, and his wing squeezed her gently. "This does feel better," he confessed quietly. "I like being able to talk to you without having to worry about acting like I don't care. So thank you for that."

"Well...thank you for listening." If he hadn't listened to her, things might have turned out differently. Fortunately, he could be reasonable sometimes.

"Speaking of Icewing females," he began, and she looked at him curiously, wondering which direction this topic was about to go. "I got a look at the body you saw down there. I recognized her. She's a silversmith named Solstice. She was quite skilled, and her shop was rather popular until dragons started learning about her personal life."

"What does that mean?" she asked. "Was she...sleeping around or something?"

"No, nothing like that. She married a Nightwing not long after the Darkstalker incident. A lot of upper-nobility Icewings didn't appreciate that, and since they made up a significant portion of her clientele, she was forced to close up shop and was on her way to the Rainforest when she disappeared."

"When did all this happen?" she wondered. She'd never heard about any of this before. As a matter of fact... "And what's her husband's name?"

"A couple years ago. And I didn't care to remember." A couple of years? Had Solstice been the cult's prisoner for that long? Why? Could she have been somewhere else for all that time?

"Why would the cult keep someone prisoner for that long?" She'd been a prisoner for a few days, so she couldn't imagine how horrible a couple years of captivity would be.

"Maybe she was attacked by them and escaped like Winter," he suggested. It was possible, she supposed. Solstice wouldn't have had a magic necklace like Winter, but if she was cunning enough, she could've evaded detection. Pyrrhia was a big place, after all. "I do know she had a son. Certus is his name. He's a courier."

"Yeah...I know him, I think." Now that she was actually thinking about it, Certus was the only Icewing/Nightwing hybrid she knew. "He lives with his dad, Swiftback, in the Rainforest, though he's gone most of the time. He wasn't there for the census we did."

Mistral nodded. "He may be a hybrid, but he's apparently Icewing enough to get into the Ice Kingdom. He tends to spend a while up there getting work and asking about his mother. I told Snowfall to send him back to the Rainforest if he's still up there. He'll want to know we found her." Yeah, he would. And that was not a conversation she was looking forward to.

They arrived at Nimbus' restaurant not long after that, the walk having gone by almost in the blink of an eye. She'd been more focused on Mistral and their conversation than their surroundings, anyway. Unfortunately, Mistral had to take his wing off of her, so they could go in.

The old building looked the same as last time, and the line was just as long. There were a few indignant yells when the just walked in ahead of everyone else, but Glory snickered when she heard someone say, "Shut up, idiots, that's Queen Glory!" Most of the shouts stopped at that declaration.

The inside was packed with as many dragons as possible without creating any sort of safety hazard, and the old Skywing was sitting at one of the guests' tables and talking with his customers, who seemed to be enjoying whatever story Nimbus was telling them. When his gaze drifted up to the entrance, and he saw them, he positively beamed with joy as he quickly excused himself. "Ah, Mistral, so good to see you again!" he laughed as he hugged the Icewing. When he backed away, he dipped his head to her respectfully. "And Queen Glory, an honor to have you in my humble establishment again."

"Well, it was just so good the first time," she smiled at him. In fact, the mere smell of all the delicious food was already making her mouth water.

"Ah, I should use that as an advertisement. 'Endorsed by Queen Glory'." He chuckled. "You wouldn't mind that, would you?"

She laughed. "Of course not. But I don't think you need the extra advertising. This place is just as packed as last time."

He looked around his restaurant with a fond smile. "So it is..." Shaking his head with a jovial chuckle, he beckoned them to follow as he grabbed a single menu from the box atop the waiter's station. "Come, come, your table is waiting." They went out the back door into the small garden, and the three of them took a seat. She and Mistral sat together on one side, and Nimbus sat on the other as he placed the menu in front of them. He looked between the two, taking in how close they sat, and smiled fondly. "And how long has this been going on?"

She and Mistral shared a glance and a small smile. "Less than an hour," she admitted.

"And your first date is at my restaurant...I'm touched. Truly, I am." From anyone else, that might've sounded sarcastic, but she could tell Nimbus was being sincere. "When I saw the two of you together that first time, I did hope it would become official. I could tell Mistral liked you, and I'm proud of him for accepting that."

The old Skywing had looked right at Mistral when he said that last part, and when she glanced at the Icewing, he had a small but genuine smile. "Thanks, Nimbus."

"Always..." Then, he clasped his claws upon the table and looked at them excitedly. "So...tell me what happened!"

AN: The Mudwing I chose, Bear, was submitted to me in a private message by Schwanze. As for the rest of you who submitted potential candidates (Flerovium, Churrozard, SpyroAndSisuFan, and namasteeee), thank you for submitting characters, too. And to be clear, just because I didn't choose your character doesn't mean I didn't like them. All of the submitted OCs were fantastic, but I could only choose one for the role, and I believed Bear fit the position the best. I will, however, see if I can fit the other OCs in a small cameo later in the story. With permission and credit given, of course.

As for what I was talking about up top, did Glory and Mistral getting together feel too rushed? Yeah, it was mostly because of Thorn and Anemone working together to move things along, but I'm honestly conflicted about it now, so I need some genuine feedback on this one especially. Thanks in advance to anyone who does leave a review.

Until Next Time

AdmiralCole22