Glorious Politics

AN: Sorry for the slightly late update. Had some minor writer's block to work through. Once I pushed through it, though, this turned into one of the longest chapters I've done in a while. By only about 800 words, but still, I call that a win.

This chapter really delves into Foeslayer's backstory and character, and it develops the group dynamic a bit before we get into the drama again next chapter. I know not much happens to progress the plot, but that's a downside of having small chapters, I guess. I really wish I could write longer ones, but that'd push my updates to every two weeks rather than every week. (Meaning, this one would only be updated once a month, and the chapters wouldn't be much more than twice the length, so 6-7k words.)

I guess you guys can give your opinions on that, though. Shorter chapters and quicker updates, or slower updates but longer chapters?

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-Nine:

As Glory and Foeslayer crossed the tunnel into the Sand Kingdom, the first thing that really hit was how much colder it suddenly was. Even with the interior braziers of the outpost's keep, the cool desert air came in through the small windows near the top of the building. And once the guards saw them and opened the door, it became a whole lot colder.

It was always a shock to her that a place so blazingly hot in the day could end up so bitingly cold at night. She knew why the desert behaved like that. Anemone had explained it to her once. It was because there was no humidity in the desert, so the temperature would swing wildly. She also explained that that was why the rainforest always felt the same temperature year round.

There was more to the explanation, of course, but Glory had tuned her out after the first couple of minutes. It's not that she didn't care how the world worked, she just wasn't interested in learning it. She knew the effects of different things, so why did she need to learn the underlying cause?

"Now this brings back memories…" Foeslayer muttered, letting the cold air wash over her scales. Then, she scowled. "I forgot how much I hate this place." The Sandwings nearby who'd heard her comment scowled at her, but the Nightwing either didn't notice or didn't care about the dirty looks she got.

"Having second thoughts?" Glory asked, her tone challenging.

The Nightwing just gave her a dirty look before walking away. "Let's just get to the palace."

Glory followed her outside, wondering what sort of horrors the Nightwing was reliving. Foeslayer's face was stoic, her posture straight and proud. Though…maybe rigid was a more appropriate descriptor. Too rigid. As if she was expecting to be jumped any second now.

Not that that wasn't a distinct possibility, what with Vulture's goons being an ever-present threat, but something told her that it wasn't Sandwings that Foeslayer was worried about. Having never been involved in large-scale, prolonged warfare, she couldn't even begin to imagine what Foeslayer was feeling.

They were nearly to the main gate when a Sandwing approached them. "If you're heading to the palace, you might want to bring an escort just in case. It's not safe to travel in the desert alone at night. I can get a few guys together if you're okay with waiting a few minutes."

Glory was just about to respond, thinking that that was a smart idea, but Foeslayer interrupted her. "We'll be fine, thanks. Nothing will happen to Queen Glory while I'm with her."

The Sandwing just raised a brow in skepticism. "You sure about that? Sure enough to risk something happening?"

"Positive," the Nightwing shot back instantly. It looked like the Sandwing was going to argue, but a glare from Foeslayer had him backing off with a shrug.

"Whatever. It's your neck, not mine." With that, he walked off, shaking his head and muttering something about egotistical idiots.

Glory just looked at Foeslayer and said a single word. "Why?"

"Trust no one." Foeslayer started walking, and Glory followed right behind her. Once they were outside the outpost and out of earshot, Foeslayer turned to her. "Especially when they not only make a point of saying how dangerous it is to travel alone but then try to push so hard to travel with you."

Glory was silent before looking back at the outpost. "You think he's one of Vulture's?"

Foeslayer shrugged, looking slightly unsure. "Honestly? I don't know. He could be just a good soldier offering to help, but something about that guy just rubbed me the wrong way. I'd rather not chance it."

"But you'd chance running into an ambush in the middle of the desert at night with no one else to back us up?" the Rainwing shot back.

Foeslayer just shook her head, waving her concerns away. "Nope. We won't run into an ambush even if there is one out there waiting for us."

"And how can you be so certain?" she wondered, torn between being annoyed and curious.

Foeslayer looked out at the Great Sand Sea for a moment before turning to her with a confident smirk. "You don't become the most accomplished night raider in the entire Nightwing military for nothing."

"Night raider? What does that mean?"

"It just means that I was the one they always came to whenever a night attack was being planned. Nobody ever saw me coming. And I pretty much mastered the art of counter-ambushing." She chuckled. "Me and my team had more successful raids than any other squad, the least amount of casualties on our side, and the most confirmed kills."

Glory blinked in shock upon hearing that, and Foeslayer's grin grew wider, though she just motioned for Glory to follow as she took flight. Once in the air, the Rainwing came up to fly on Foeslayer's right, and turned to ask, "Your team? You mean you were a squad leader?"

"Yeah. For a while, at least. I started out as a grunt, then got promoted to squad leader once I showed promise. As in, my squad commander was killed in action, and I took over, completed the mission, and still got us all out in one piece. I guess I had a natural aptitude for leadership." She shrugged. "I stayed a squad leader for three years, moving up in rank and taking more and more dangerous missions as time went on. Eventually, though, I became a platoon leader, and then a company commander."

"Woah…" Having never known this about the ancient Nightwing, Glory found Foeslayer's story to be quite interesting.

"I would've made battalion commander, was offered the promotion and everything." The Nightwing's expression soured a bit and she sighed.

"What happened?"

Foeslayer remained quiet for a moment before speaking, this time in a more reserved tone. "Before leaving on my last deployment, I had promised Arctic that that was it. I'd already gotten permission from the higher-ups to retire after one last assignment. But the day I got back home, a representative from the military came and offered me the promotion. Battalion commander. I wouldn't be fighting on the front lines anymore, but I'd still be in the field. It was safer, and I thought it would be fine with Arctic, so I accepted. When I told him, though…he exploded. We got into a fight. A big one."

Having heard the basics before, she could figure where this was heading. "Is that how you ended up in the Ice Kingdom?"

Foeslayer nodded. "I wasn't thinking. Arctic told me that if I left again, then that was it. He wouldn't be there when I got back. Then, he went on saying that he'd never have married me if he'd known I wouldn't even be there most of the time, that it was unfair to him that he had to raise our dragonets himself, and that, 'you know what, maybe divorce is the best thing we can do right now because I don't need this shit anymore'." Stunned speechless, Glory remained silent and allowed Foeslayer to collect herself and continue. "I was…understandably hurt by that, so, not thinking, I threw the protective earring he gave me after we eloped at him and stormed out. The next thing I know, I'm freezing my tail off in the Ice Kingdom, a particularly pleased Queen Diamond staring down at me."

The Nightwing let out a shaky breath. "That right there was my greatest mistake, Glory. If I had just decided to stay home with my family, it could have changed everything. But I was blinded by my ambition and search for glory…no pun intended. So if there's one lesson to take from my story, it's that family is more important than anything. More important than honor, than duty, than power."

"Why are you telling me this?" Not that it wasn't an important lesson, but that seemed more personal. As if Foeslayer was warning her specifically.

"Because you're in a similar situation that I once was. Like me, you've captured the heart of an Icewing close to the Queen. I'm just…worried about what Snowfall might do when she learns the truth. If she's anything like Diamond, I fear for you and your tribes."

"I'm hoping my alliances will dissuade her from doing something stupid," Glory remarked. Though, inside, even she would admit that stealing another dragoness', and a Queen at that, future husband was much, much worse than seducing a son, animus or not, like in Foeslayer's case.

"The whole point of love is that it makes us do stupid things," Foeslayer huffed. She sighed and shook her head. "You're playing with fire, Glory. As much as I feel for your and Mistral's respective situations, you may have to sacrifice your happiness if things go bad."

"Mistral already told me he's not going back," Glory defended. "What Snowfall wants to do is wrong."

"Right or wrong doesn't matter," Foeslayer snapped. "Have you not been listening?"

The biting tone took her by surprise. "Excuse me?"

"The only thing that matters is protecting your friends and family, Glory. You don't have an army. The Icewings do. If you had a military to rival theirs, it'd be a different story. But you don't, and if your decision to steal Mistral from Snowfall leads to armed conflict, the Rainwings and Nightwings will be slaughtered, if the latter even decide to defend him, which I doubt they will." Foeslayer's gaze grew deadly. "And you shouldn't make others fight your battles for you. The Sandwings and Seawings have nothing to do with your choices."

Glory stared at her in derision. "What right do you have to lecture me about my personal relationships? I don't know you that well. We're not close."

"I have the only right, Glory," Foeslayer shot back. "Because I've been in your claws before. I've seen what happens. And one day you'll have to ask yourself if your love is worth starting a war over. If it's worth the untold numbers that will die just so you can have your happily ever after."

Silence reigned, save for the chilling whistling of the cold night air. Glory could think of nothing to say. Truly, there was nothing she could say. Seeing that her words had finally been driven home, Foeslayer turned back to watching the horizon. As for Glory, a massive wave of doubt hit her. She'd known the risks. But hearing someone as experienced as Foeslayer tell her, straight up, what kind of consequences she could expect hit harder than she had expected. It was almost like she had been subconsciously reassuring herself that 'it can't be that bad' when, in reality, it really could.

If the Icewings were to be called anything, it'd be vengeful. Those dragons could hold grudges unlike any other tribe on Pyrrhia. Loyalty to the crown was a concept that wasn't foreign to dragonkind as a whole, but the Icewings took it to another level. If someone wronged their Queen or tribe, the entire tribe would rise up against that interloper. Their tribal pride was as much of a strength as a weakness, uniting them in times of hardship but also occasionally blinding them from paths other than violence.

Glory was no expert on Icewing culture, of course, but having met a few in her time and learning the fundamentals of their society through politics, she could reasonably say that what Foeslayer said would happen…probably would. Snowfall would flip, the entire tribe would be incited, and if there wasn't a quick diplomatic resolution—ie: an unconditional surrender—there would be war. War which the Icewings would win without external support.

That meant the Sandwings and Seawings, but she honestly had no idea if Thorn and Anemone would actually come to her aid for something like this. It was hard to know what would happen. Thorn and Anemone seemed to be alright with her and Mistral being together, but would they go to war with the Icewings for them? Thorn had terrorists surrounding her capital with spies in her palace, and Anemone had just become the Queen. Starting a war with such an uneasy atmosphere in her Kingdom would be a political shitstorm. And if Thorn were to declare her support for Glory and march to war against the Icewings, she imagined Vulture would be leaping for joy at the blatant opening she'd given him.

Basically, like it always did, it came down to politics. The Rainwings couldn't fight a war against the Icewings, even if they wanted to, which she highly doubted they would. Her falling in love with Mistral wasn't their problem. It was hers. The Rainwings didn't have the same sort of tribal loyalty that the Icewings did. There would be no uprising in support on her side. And her two allies couldn't help her even if they wanted to.

To sum it up, Foeslayer's words were the biggest wakeup call she'd ever experienced.

She needed to talk to Mistral about this, see what he said. Empty assurances wouldn't be enough this time. If they were to be together, they needed a plan. They needed some way to mollify Snowfall and get her to allow this. Otherwise, if the only other alternative was war, she knew what needed to be done. Even if she really, really didn't want to do it.

It wasn't much longer that the two landed in front of the palace steps, the myriad braziers lit, the flames dancing in the light breeze and casting flickering shadows in the surrounding area. The streets were utterly empty save for the guard patrols, a result of the curfew Thorn had imposed until the security issues had been resolved.

The guards at the main door let them in with no trouble since Glory was a regular sight here by now. They did give Foeslayer a lingering look, probably because they'd never seen her before. The Nightwing didn't even spare the pair a glance, merely walking in like she owned the place. Glory just followed behind her, taking the lead once they were inside since Foeslayer didn't know the layout of the palace. "I guess we should check in with Thorn, see if we missed anything important in the last few hours."

"Probably a good idea," Foeslayer commented. She remained silent as she walked next to Glory, but after a few seconds, she sighed quietly. "Look…I'm sorry if what I said upset you, It's not that I don't want you two to be happy together, I just thought you should be aware of the risks."

"I get that," Glory responded, her tone neutral. "And you did open my eyes. I'm going to talk with him about it, see what he thinks we should do."

Foeslayer nodded. "Good…"

They arrived at the door to the throne room just then, and the sight inside wasn't one she'd expected. Everyone was gathered inside save for the two Nightwing assassins. And Bloodwalker and Peril, of course, but that went without saying. Everyone else was here, though: Moon, Qibli, Turtle, Bear, Hailstorm, Mistral, Veneno, and, of course, Thorn, who sat upon her throne, her gaze locking upon the pair as they entered. A quick nod had the guards closing the doors behind them.

"I told you she'd be back," Moon said, a smile in her tone.

"Despite me urging her otherwise," Mistral inputted, a small frown on his face, which turned into a hostile glare as soon as he noticed the Nightwing accompanying her.

Glory just looked around, wondering why everyone was here, and seemed to be waiting for her. "Uh…what's going on?"

"I think we should be asking you that question," Thorn spoke. "First, Peril comes back to fetch Bloodwalker. Then, Turtle comes back not long after and grabs Qibli. Qibli comes back, telling me you had Turtle cast a spell to retrieve a bowl?" She looked to Qibli to confirm that, and her adopted son nodded. "Obviously something happened in the rainforest. Mind explaining?"

"And where's Peril and Bloodwalker?" Veneno wondered.

"And why is she here?" Mistral hissed, glaring hatefully at Foeslayer. Next to him, Hailstorm only rolled his eyes.

Veneno, Thorn, and Bear, the only three in the room that weren't aware of Foeslayer's true identity looked to Mistral in surprise. "What's your problem?" Bear asked.

Mistral sat up straighter, his expression becoming neutral again as he stared straight ahead. "Nothing."

There were a few lingering stares before everyone left the surly Icewing alone. "Long story short, the dreamvisitor was stolen."

"Alright…and what's the long version?" Thorn pressed. "I'm especially curious about this 'bowl' that Turtle needed."

"It just duplicates whatever's in it," Turtle muttered.

Thorn glanced at him before turning back to Glory. "And what needed duplicating?"

Glory pulled out the coral piece that Turtle had duplicated and showed it to everyone gathered. "Turtle's been hiding this ingenious little device from us. Tell it to find anyone or anything, and it'll point you in the exact direction."

Other than the former members of the Jade Winglet, who already knew about it, the others grew immediately intrigued. "That sounds incredibly useful," Thorn commented.

"We made four. Turtle has the original. I have one. Peril and Bloodwalker have the other two, but we can make more if need be. I just figured making a limited number of them meant they wouldn't be misplaced, or stolen, as easily."

"A good idea," Bear nodded approvingly.

"So why do Peril and Bloodwalker have ones?" Qibli asked.

"Peril's tracking down the stolen dreamvisitor. It couldn't have been snatched too long ago, and with her speed, she should be able to catch up," Glory explained, earning some understanding nods from everyone. "I sent Bloodwalker after Magnificent. I figure it's past time for that snake to die."

And those understanding looks turned to wariness. "Is that wise?" Hailstorm wondered. "Weren't you guys worried about potential retaliation from their animus? I'm sure Vulture wouldn't appreciate one of his greatest assets being killed."

"We're doing it the old fashioned way, though, which is what he wants, right?" Glory shrugged.

"Yes, but you're using an animus-enchanted object to hunt her down," Thorn explained. "It may not be a direct use of magic to kill her, but magic is still involved."

"Whatever he doesn't know won't hurt him," Glory shot back. "You think he's not using little spells to make his operations easier?"

"I know he is," Qibli muttered.

Thorn glanced at him thoughtfully before nodding. "Fair point," she acquiesced. "I still think it's a risk, but you're right, Magnificent's death would only strengthen our position."

"And you trust him to get the job done?" Bear asked. There was no hidden malice in his words, he was asking a genuine question, wondering if Bloodwalker had the skills to accomplish such a task.

"He's one of the best assassins on Pyrrhia," Glory shrugged.

"'One of the best'…" Bear shook his head. "We're up against the likes of Cobra and Deathbringer, two of the most feared assassins on the entire continent. Not to mention Mystic, who I'm told is just as dangerous, if not as well known."

"Bloodwalker's capable," Glory repeated. "I trust him to get the job done."

"It's not like we have another assassin, anyway," Moon commented, earning some nods.

Thorn remained quiet before turning to the Nightwing still standing at Glory's side. "And who is your friend, Glory? I assume she's your new bodyguard, but I've never met her before."

Glory noticed Qibli and Moon sharing a glance before the latter spoke up. "That's Hope. She's a friend of mine."

"Please, Moon, I can speak for myself," 'Hope' said. "And I'm through with the lies." She turned to Thorn and introduced herself. "Hope is the name I assumed eleven years ago, in the hopes of living a normal life. My true name, however…is Foeslayer."

There was a beat of silence before Veneno snorted. "That's an unfortunate name."

Foeslayer glared at her, but it was Mistral who spoke up. "She's not named after Foeslayer. She is Foeslayer. Darkstalker's mother. The genestealer."

Veneno's eyes went wide as Bear shook his head in denial. "That's not possible. I can understand Darkstalker being two thousand years old. He's an animus. But how could a regular dragon still be alive after all this time. Unless…"

"I'm not immortal, if that's what you're about to suggest," Foeslayer shut him down. "I was frozen in an enchanted block of ice for two thousand years by Queen Diamond, only thawing out to fight dragonets in the Diamond Trial once every hundred years or so." There were a lot of disbelieving and horrified expressions from those unaware of what the Diamond Trial involved. "And if you don't believe me, ask those two." She motioned to the pair of Icewings. "I fought both of them. Mistral actually killed me once before."

There were some furrowed brows at that. "He killed you?" Bear asked, looking her over.

Foeslayer shrugged. "I got better."

"I'll just chalk that under the 'animus weirdness' column and move on," Thorn mumbled, rubbing her temples as if fighting against an oncoming headache. "If you were trapped for two thousand years, how did you escape?"

Mistral snorted and rolled his eyes, and everyone turned to him, though it was Hailstorm who spoke. "It was my idiot brother who let her out."

"So that's why the two of you were flying together back then…" Qibli muttered.

Foeslayer nodded. "He'd just freed me before meeting up with you lot." Then, she turned to Hailstorm. "And Winter is a lot of things, but an idiot isn't one of them. If your historians ever wonder what Arctic was truly like, they need look no further than your brother. Winter reminds me of Arctic so much it hurts." Mistral just scoffed, and Foeslayer glared at him. The Icewing met her glare with one of his own.

"Is that all that happened, then?" Thorn asked, ignoring the hostile staring contest for now.

"Yep," Glory nodded.

Thorn nodded. "Then you're all dismissed. I'll relay your updates to my war council, and we'll go from there."

With that declaration, everyone got up and began to leave, the guards opening the doors to allow the congregation to leave. Mistral turned to leave with Hailstorm, but Glory stopped him before he could leave. He looked at her, his expression a mix of anger and curiosity. "I need to talk to you…"

AN: So what do you guys think about Foeslayer's character? Is she believable? I tried to tie in my own plot ideas with the books' canon. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think we ever find out why Arctic and Foeslayer fought the night she was captured.

Anyways, what about the briefing? I'm particularly pleased with how the character interactions turned out in that scene. I think it really shows the standing between all the different players.

Until Next Time

AdmiralCole22