Glorious Politics

AN: I did absolutely no writing over the weekend. Not because I didn't have the time, but because I just didn't want to.

But I'm back. Happy New Year! Hopefully it's better than the last few, but I rather doubt it.

Anyway, enjoy the chapter

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. Bear belongs to Schwanze. The concept for the character Soulseer partially belongs to SpyroAndSisuFan. Mystic belongs to Flerovium.

Chapter Forty-Seven:

It had to be Magnificent, she reasoned. Not only had they lost track of her after the events in the Sky Kingdom, but she had also been the one to steal the mind reading bracelet that Anemone had gifted her. It only made sense that she was the one to steal the dreamvisitor. The only question that remained, then, was whether Magnificent still had it in her possession and was currently on her way back to Vulture to drop off her prize or if she had given in to someone else. If it was the former, she was long gone. If it was the latter, however, she may still be around here somewhere.

Fortunately, she had probably the most useful enchanted object she'd ever seen in her talons at the moment, surprising though that statement was. She never would've thought that Turtle, of all dragons, would've come up with such a genius spell, though it was almost guaranteed he'd never thought too deeply into the potential applications of this little thingamajig.

The general direction that the dreamvisitor had registered was still fresh in her mind, so she decided to test her theory. "Find Magnificent," she told the little device. It spun around a few times before pointing in a completely separate direction, one that lead further into the rainforest in pretty much the opposite direction the dreamvisitor was. Her gaze narrowed, knowing that meant there was yet another agent they needed to deal with. Someone had taken the dreamvisitor out of Magnificent's filthy claws.

That meant she needed another someone to track down the Rainwing. Peril was supposed to be her permanent bodyguard, so she couldn't send her. Bloodwalker would be going after the dreamvisitor. Veneno was needed in the Sand Kingdom. Qibli was a very intelligent dragon, but he would be way out of his element here in the rainforest. Plus, he was supposed to be her night guard, and she would much rather have him close by in case Soulseer and DB showed their true colors. Mistral was also needed in the Sand Kingdom for their little 'act'. Maybe she could get Bear to spare some troops? But she wasn't sure if he would risk his guards' lives by going after Magnificent. They were soldiers, after all. Hunting down dangerous fugitives wasn't in their normal job description.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Greatness asked, pulling Glory out of her thoughts. The Rainwing looked up to see Turtle was gone, but a quick look around showed he was talking with Kinkajou a little ways away. Greatness was the only one still hanging around.

"Just trying to figure out who's available to track down Magnificent," Glory admitted. She explained her thought process to the Nightwing, who frowned. "We need another Bloodwalker, to be honest. Or another Peril. Just someone who I know can get the job done without me constantly worrying about their safety."

"Well..." Greatness began, somewhat hesitantly. "There's Hope."

At first, Glory thought she was saying that as a corny remark. Something like 'there's still hope'. But then, she realized Greatness was talking about the dragon.

As in, Foeslayer.

She didn't know much about the mysterious Nightwing. Just that her falling in love with Prince Arctic started the Icewing-Nightwing war, she fought in said war and became a war hero, though she wasn't aware of the details how, and she spent about two thousand years trapped in ice due to an animus enchantment. And during those two thousand years, she was occasionally thawed out to fight Icewings in the barbaric Diamond Trial.

"I don't know all that much about her, just the basic stuff that I'm sure everyone knows," Glory explained. "How capable is she, really?"

Greatness thought for a moment before replying. "I'll explain it this way: She fought in that war for seven years, and for the particular front she fought on, there was a near seventy percent attrition rate after one year. She survived for six. And the label of 'War Hero' was only ever applied to exactly fifty-three dragons in the entire war." Greatness paused a moment to let that sink in before finishing up with, "She's capable."

One thing bothered her, though. "And you don't think that's a little suspicious? Maybe Darkstalker put some enchantments on her to make her less likely to die."

"If that's the case, wouldn't that make her even more capable and invaluable than she already is?" Glory had to concede that particular point. "Plus, the cult has already shown they don't want Foeslayer dead. That gives her a massive advantage in whatever engagement she might end up in."

She hadn't thought of that.

And oh, how foolish she felt because of it! "Of course!" She scoffed, unable to believe she had been so blind to such a massive asset. "How did I not think of that!?" Greatness smiled in mild amusement, but Glory was too busy doing some mental breakdowns of the situation to care.

With Foeslayer added to the table of assets to call upon, a whole new slew of possibilities opened up, and it made her realize that perhaps the dragons she had assigned to specific tasks weren't best suited to those tasks. Bloodwalker was an assassin, so he was best suited to tracking down Magnificent, not finding the dreamvisitor. Peril was a Skywing, which meant she could fly farther and faster than any other tribe. Whoever took the dreamvisitor had a massive headstart, so sending a Skywing in pursuit would give them the best probability of catching up.

And Foeslayer was probably just as capable a fighter as Peril...or maybe Mistral. Very few were actually on Peril's level. But the possibility of lingering enchantments placed upon her by Darkstalker, and the cult's unwillingness to kill her meant she would be a great bodyguard to stand between her and the two Nightwings that may or may not actually be in the Sand Kingdom to kill her.

She turned to Greatness with a self-satisfied grin. "You're a genius!"

Greatness cocked her head in mild confusion but accepted the compliment anyway. "Thanks?"

"Go find her for me. I have a job for her, and it's not tracking down Magnificent." Greatness seemed rather intrigued by that remark, no doubt wondering why Glory had changed her mind so quickly, but she left with a nod to go find Foeslayer. Then, her gaze turned to the Seawing, who was still talking with Kinkajou. He looked upset, and his wife was trying her best to comfort him. "Turtle!" she called, making both of them look her way. She beckoned him to come closer, so both of them slowly made their way over.

When they got closer, Glory saw that Turtle had been crying, and she felt mildly bad for that. Yeah, she was a bit miffed at him for neglecting to mention his little doohickey, but she hadn't wanted to make him cry. "Yeah?" She internally winced at how crushed he sounded, but she ignored that, and Kinkajou's glare, for the moment.

She pinned him with a serious look. "Where's your bowl?"

He shrugged. "It was in the Sea Kingdom, so I sent a letter to Anemone to have it shipped here. I don't know where it is at the moment."

She thought for a moment before looking down at the coral again. "Find Turtle's magic bowl." It spun around and pointed in a general northeasterly direction. "That's about the direction of the Sea Kingdom, right?" He nodded. That meant it was likely not in the hands of an enemy agent. Of course, with all things magic-related these days, doing this was a bit of a risk, but she needed that bowl yesterday. "Magic it here."

He looked absolutely taken aback by the order. "W-What? B-But I thought—"

She cut him off with a glare and repeated her order. "Magic it here, Turtle. I need that bowl now. We can't afford to wait days or weeks longer for it."

He shook his head after a moment. "How am I supposed to teleport an item I don't have in my possession?"

Glory just stared at him, not for the first time wondering how a dragon like him was blessed with animus magic. "You're the one with the magic. Figure it out. Confer with Qibli if you need to, but I need it here, in my claws, within the hour." He nodded morosely and began shuffling away, looking miserable. The sight made her growl softly. "Mope later, Turtle! This is a bit of an emergency!" That put a pep in his step as he started running away. Kinkajou just sat there glaring at her, but Glory just glared right back. "If you've got something to say, say it. Otherwise, I'm a little busy at the moment."

Kinkajou just scoffed and bolted after her husband. Glory just watched her go with an eye roll. Those two were way too sensitive sometimes. Yeah, maybe she was being a bit of a unfair grump to them, but this was a serious situation. Neither of them seemed to understand that. Maybe because the threat wasn't right in front of them? Back when they were dragonets on their own adventure, the world was a lot more black and white. Darkstalker and Scarlet were the bad guys.

There was a lot more grey area at the moment. Threats weren't obvious, and dragons they thought were allies could be enemies. Of course, the opposite could be true. Maybe DB and Soulseer actually were on their side. She doubted it. Highly. But it was a possibility. The point was that they simply didn't know.

As the two left, Glory turned to more important matters. She knew they'd be fine. Neither of them were the type to hold grudges. "So where is she?" she asked the Nightwing, speaking of Foeslayer.

"Um..." Greatness seemed somewhat embarrassed. Or maybe 'awkward' was the more appropriate term. Just as she was about to ask the question again, Greatness admitted the truth. "She's staying in your room."

Glory's mind blanked for a moment, but then she scowled at Greatness. "I said you could stay there. I never said she could." It's not like it was a big deal, but the thought of someone she didn't know all that well sleeping in her bed while she was away was a bit...uncomfortable. Greatness was her friend, which is why she'd offered the room to her in the first place.

"I know, but after Sobek attacked you here a couple nights ago, I realized it was dangerous to leave her on her own, without guards or backup. The cult wants her, so I thought it better to have her somewhere where we could keep an eye on her. And...well, I figured your office was more comfortable than the Box." To her credit, Greatness did look a bit guilty about inviting Foeslayer into Glory's home without even asking her.

Of course, after the explanation, Glory understood her reasoning and accepted her logic. She liked to think she was a pragmatic dragoness. "That makes sense," he acquiesced. She still didn't like Foeslayer being in her room, but she would also admit that, considering the situation, it was the best course of action. "Then, I guess that's where I'm headed. You want to come with to help me break the news to her, or you want to stay here and manage...things." Looking around, she realized there wasn't much left around here to actually manage, but she was giving the Nightwing an out if she didn't want to go with.

"I'll..." Greatness trailed off a moment in thought. "I'll stay here." No reason was forthcoming, but Glory didn't make her give one. It wasn't a big deal, either way.

"Okay," Glory shrugged. With nothing left to say, the Rainwing began walking to her pavilion.

Once she was far enough away from the crowd around the ruins of Greatness' house and surrounding by peaceful tranquility of the rainforest, she realized how naked she felt without anyone following her. It'd been so long since she could go off on her own without a bodyguard following her. For the longest time, that had been DB. Then, it had been Bloodwalker. Then Mistral or Veneno, occasionally. Then Peril. Soon enough Foeslayer would be taking that mantle, but for the moment...Glory was completely alone.

There was no one around except for the insects and animals.

Funnily enough, upon realizing she was walking through the rainforest—her rainforest—by herself, she'd expected to feel free. Like she could breathe easier without someone always breathing down her neck, worried about her safety. But she didn't. She felt exposed. Naked. Vulnerable.

She remembered that, as a dragonet, she always preferred being alone. Now, the very prospect sent chills down her spine and made her look around at her surroundings with a keen eye, her gaze shifting in the direction whenever she heard the rustle of leaves or the snapping of a twig. It was just the animals, she knew. But the sudden feeling of being alone brought with it an enhanced sense of paranoia.

She didn't know how to feel about that.

On the one claw, she understood that the rainforest wasn't safe. It'd been attacked twice now in the past several weeks. On the other claw, she felt a bit silly, and weak, that the temporary solitude had such an effect on her. As a Queen, there was always someone nearby to protect her. There were always dragons coming to her for things, be it business or an audience. Point being, there was always someone close by. In this short moment that there wasn't...she honestly felt afraid.

Once she crossed the short stretch of jungle between the Nightwing and Rainwing villages, and she was once against surrounded by other dragons, that fear instantly disappeared. To her, this little experience warranted further thought and self-reflection, and it convinced her even more that a telepathic link between her and Mistral would ultimately be a good thing. That way, even if she was left alone, like in those previous few minutes, she'd still not be alone.

Then again, maybe not. Maybe it was the absence of a physical companion that made her feel so anxious. If that was the case, this link wouldn't do anything because Mistral still wouldn't be near her.

She shook her head to clear her mind of these thoughts. Why was that short little jaunt through the forest such a big deal? There were more important things to deal with...but she couldn't forget that sense of anxiety and vulnerability she'd felt in those few minutes where'd she been completely and utterly alone.

Someone could have attacked her in that moment, and no one would've been any the wiser. That thought immediately reminded her of when she'd been captured in the Sky Kingdom. She'd walked into her room, and in that one moment she was alone, Sobek had knocked her unconscious and stole her away from her friends and protectors. Then, again, when she had been in Greatness' house by herself, that same Sandwing had attacked her.

Anxiety now rising quickly, Glory increased her pace, wanting to get somewhere that she felt safer. Experience had shown that she was vulnerable when she was alone. Putting her pride aside, she would admit that being alone was dangerous, and that because of that, she didn't want to be alone.

A brief thought of this sort of reasoning being why so many Queens became paranoid later in life crossed her mind, but she quickly shook her mind clear of such things.

She had a new bodyguard to recruit.

The Sandwing guards let her pass. This was her own pavilion, after all, even if she wasn't currently staying in it.

The lone Nightwing guest was currently sitting behind Glory's desk, her head lying on the top. Her gaze instantly locked with the Rainwing's, and Glory could tell that Foeslayer was pretty much bored to tears. Hopefully, that would make convincing her easier.

"How, in the name of Pyrrhia, do you live here?" Foeslayer asked. "There's nothing to do. There's nothing here except office supplies, a bed, and a small chest of clothing and jewelry. There's no scrolls to read, no kitchen to cook in, no instruments to play or art supplies."

Glory just stared at her. "Did you go through my personal belongings?" she asked, her voice dangerously low.

"I took a peak," Foeslayer answered, completely unconcerned by Glory's stormy expression. "And I tried on some of your jewelry." She shrugged. "Like I said, I'm bored, and there's nothing to do up here."

Glory frowned, only mildly angry that Foeslayer had gone through her stuff. "So I take it you want something to do?"

Foeslayer suddenly looked a lot more interested, raising her head from the desk and looking at the Rainwing with clear intrigue. "You finally letting me help with this cult nonsense?"

"I am," Glory nodded.

Foeslayer nodded, but then she snorted in apparent amusement. "Does your Icewing know you're asking me for help?"

Glory blinked, the phrase 'your Icewing' having an unexpected effect on her. Her heart fluttered, and her belly felt warm. Whether or not Foeslayer meant that to sound as possessive and intimate as she took it, she didn't know. But she liked it. Her Icewing. Of course, she refrained from giving a goofy smile to show just how much she liked it, instead keeping her expression mostly neutral. "Not yet."

"That ought to be fun..." the Nightwing muttered under her breath. "You know, I'm not in the mood to be attacked again, so you might want to let him know before you bring me into the fold."

Glory chuckled, taking the Nightwing by clear surprise. "Trust me, it might actually work out better this way." At Foeslayer's confused look, she proceeded to explain the situation with DB and Soulseer, and Thorn's plan regarding them. "So me and Mistral need to appear like we're constantly at each other's throats, and I think bringing you in without telling him will make his reaction a bit more...real."

The Nightwing studied her intently, her expression completely unreadable. "That's dirty, playing with someone's heart like that." Not expecting that response from the ancient Nightwing, Glory blinked in surprise. But then, Foeslayer grinned, almost maliciously. "I like it."

Of course, that reaction also took her by surprise, though she didn't know why. If she hadn't expected Foeslayer to not like it, then logic dictated she expected Foeslayer to like it. But for some reason, she was still surprised that Foeslayer liked it. Confusing as that was, she chalked it up to the fact that she simply didn't know the Nightwing all that well. "Really? After all the rumors about you and Arctic?"

Foeslayer scoffed. "You mean the ones about me joining the diplomatic mission just to seduce him and thereby deprive the Icewings of their animus gene?" Glory nodded, and Foeslayer sighed heavily. She looked away, and what she said next completely rocked Glory's perception of this dragoness. "They're true, you know."

"W-What?" It was the only thing she could think to say, having not expected such an admission from her. As far as Glory knew, the two had genuinely fallen in love.

"Oh, don't get me wrong, I did end up genuinely falling in love with him, but my purpose for being on that mission was to seduce him." She sighed again. "Arctic never knew that. I never told him the truth. I never told Darkstalker, either. I suspect that if I had, my son would've been a lot more sympathetic to his father. Perhaps even taking Arctic's side and growing to hate me, instead."

"Why are you telling me, then?" Glory wondered, lost for words.

Foeslayer was quiet for a moment before replying. "Practice...for when I admit the truth to my son."

AN: Can anyone grasp the implications of Foeslayer's confession? Because, by the moons, it would be huge. Put your thoughts about it in a review. Not only am I interested to hear what you all think, but I'm sure the other readers will be, too.

I will say this, though. Foeslayer getting involved isn't going to go over well with you-know-who.

Until Next Time

AdmiralCole22