The hardest thing I do when I write is going back and rereading chapters I have made because they never sound as cool as they did in my head.
A week? That sounded about right. It had probably been a week since she got to see the sunlight. Not a very long time but she wanted anything to break up the boring routine she had gotten used to. Wake up, eat, stare at the portrait in the mirror as it criticized every single thing she ever did in her whole life, eat, sulk, then sleep. "Ok one of those things probably isn't normal." Either way, she still wished Lynx's task could get done faster so she could TALK to someone. Preferably someones that weren't guards. She had enough of them.
"No. I DO NOT want to talk with Lynx. She's an annoying know-it-all that thinks she knows how others work." Maybe THAT would get the portrait of Tundra off of her back. "Of course not." Nothing would rid Icicle of her mothers gaze. The real question was whether she would prefer her mothers harsh and demeaning stare or walking back out into the Ice kingdom to be met with scorn and mockery.
"I'll be hated either way so not like it matters." She had gotten semi used to Tundra and Narwhal seeing her as a bigger failure then Winter so she could probably live with the cell. But being outside, it had been so nice at first. Seeing the actual sun and the kingdom. Then she saw how different everything was…two years didn't sound like a lot but so many things had happened since she saw it last that it just wasn't the same. Everything was so out of place. "No, I'M the one out of place." The world had moved on without her and there was nothing she could do to fix it. "Well, sulking sounds good right about now. But it's a little early for that." Maybe breaking up her routine was exactly what she needed to not feel like ramming her head against the wall.
"Icebeam, Frostbite." Icicle could hear the muffled voice from behind the walls of her cell. It wasn't Lynx that spoke to the guards keeping her imprisoned. It was a voice with much more authority. It was a voice Icicle knew decently well during her time in the Sky kingdom to negotiate Hailstorm's release. "Open the door." The guards didn't argue and Icicle got to see the latch jiggle and shake before she was met with Ivory, the lead general of the Icewing army.
She didn't shut the door behind her and stood in a controlled, statue-like stance while looking down at Icicle like she was a bug to squash. Icicle didn't want to give Ivory the satisfaction of being 'tough' so she responded by baring her fangs and hissing at the general. "What do you want?"
Ivory revealed the same key that Lynx had used to free her and didn't say a word as the bars lowered. Icicle didn't move and stared Ivory straight in the eye, both challenging the other to speak first. It was like staring into a blizzard. Icicle grew up being told not to do anything that would get on Ivory's bad side and yet here she was, doing that same thing and getting a worried look from Winter's portrait. Icicle felt her eyes burn before she closed them, trying to make it seem like she was annoyed and not that she was unable to keep up with the pressure of Ivory AND Tundra's glare. Ivory swirled her tail, gesturing for Icicle to follow her out of the cell. "Queen Snowfall requires your assistance so I have come to bring you to her."
Icicle lightly grinded her teeth against each other. There wasn't much use in arguing with her so Icicle headed out after her and past the guards. Ivory not even looking back to Icicle, letting the prisoner avoid her sight, proved how sure she was that Icicle couldn't hurt her if she tried. The other open doors made Icicle's blood boil. It was a long silence even after they walked out and Icicle realized it was night. Not that it mattered with the moonglobes. Ivory took her to the front of the palace and luckily for Icicle, everyone else was most likely asleep.
The front of the palace was an unchanging masterpiece. The solid beams of ice that supported the lustrous window designs and different curves of the castle floors was a glamorous display even without entering. The palace was protected from any damage or erosion of time so the Icewings would be able to enjoy the gift forever. Ivory didn't wait for Icicle to catch up and for the first time in so long, Icicle got to enter the castle that she once called home. "Well, I've technically been here the whole time if you want to get semantic." she thought angrily at the vision of Winter's portrait.
The halls of the Ice palace stretched far and wide. Icicle often wondered if it was meant to intimidate those who didn't live in the castle as the ceiling shot up with a claustrophobic effect where it looked like the hallway got smaller as you walked forward. It was magical in its own twisted way that Icicle could appreciate. Seconds felt like hours as they walked until Icicle could make out the large, semi-circular room that held Snowfall's throne. The dozens of chandeliers hung down in three different heights and illuminated the room with light that could rival the sun just with less eye piercing strength. On either side of the throne were small podiums for the Queen's advisors to stand but instead they stood in the center of the room bickering. Ivory released a low growl from deep within her chest and marched forward. "The Queen has dismissed her council."
Fringe looked back at his fellow advisors and scowled at two new looking advisors that Icicle didn't know the name of. "We have been discussing her majesty's recent decision and the majority of us heavily disagree with her. We feel it is important to ask Queen Snowfall why she is so determined for this."
"She has said that no council is needed for this decision. I advise you to go back to your post before the Queen finds out you intend to bother her." Ivory's voice echoed through the throne room, shaking the chandeliers. The younger looking advisors gave Ivory a thankful look then headed out to the left of the throne and down to the advisors quarters. The others looked ready to fight but they gave up and marched off after them.
That's when Icicle saw Tundra who didn't even give her daughter a passing glance. She walked briskly after Fringe and Icicle wished the flames in her scales would stop prickling her claws. Icicle let her tail drop rather loudly onto the floor to get Ivory's attention. "Are Snowfall's 'friends' not happy about Lynx talking to the kingdom's greatest prisoner?"
The general's gaze could shatter the most dense ice sculpture out in the plaza. "What they are upset about doesn't involve you." She said blankly. "Now come." And she began walking again. Lynx not being in the group was odd but she was probably off doing something else. They walked down another hallway to the right of the throne that led to a zigzagging part of stars. On the wall was carving of a scroll, the path to the castle library. "Oh joy."
It didn't take long for them to reach the giant archway that would lead into the scroll filled room. Before Icicle could take a step forward however, Ivory's wing jutted out to block her path and Icicle looked up to see the dark look of suspicion that the general was giving her. "Lynx may trust that you will not threaten my Queen, but I don't. It is my job to protect Queen Snowfall from any threat so if you do not give me a reason to act, I will not. I've dealt with dragons far more scary than a snowdrop like you. Are we clear?"
Icicle dug her claws into the ice beneath her. "Crystal." If the situation was different, Ivory would have to treat the princess with far more respect than she seemed comfortable doing. But to her, Icicle was just a prisoner that deserved to be locked up and away from her wonderful Queen.
Ivory didn't say anything or make an action for a response. She simply pulled her wings back towards her and allowed Icicle to go forward and followed the prisoner inside. The shelfs loomed over the Icewings in patterns that made the room like a maze. Despite the labels, it was still confusing to look around. Mostly because it was meant to accommodate many different dragons to be inside without fear of them bumping into each other. The only meet up place in the library was the large table that rested in the center of the room which was where Icicle guessed she would see the Queen.
Snowfall was slightly taller than Icicle but not as built. Her claws were somehow even sharper than Icicle's but that was because she couldn't stand them getting dirty. "Not that I can." It was frustrating how similar they were when Icicle thought about it. The real difference was that one of them actually became Queen. She was wearing a different crown than the one Glacier had. It was more blue than white with red rubies adorning the front. She was staring at a scroll laid out on the table and tracing her talon along with the words. It was a minute later when Snowfall would close up the scroll and look up, seeing Ivory and Icicle. She nodded at Ivory then handed her the scroll. "Put it in the old legends section. It didn't have what I was looking for."
Ivory saluted then walked off with the scroll but kept Icicle in her line of sight. The young dragoness could make out the scroll's name. "Scavengers before the scorching. Doesn't seem very important to ruling." She said with a raised eye at Snowfall.
Snowfall shrugged her shoulders back and looked over at the row about former royals. "No, but I promised Winter I would look into his little project. It's such a headache but a promise is a promise. Did you know how persistent he is when he really wants something?" She asked Icicle while walking over to the royal lineage section.
Icicle grit her teeth at the mention of her brother that seemed to forget to visit her. "I had no idea." In truth, her brother actually sucked at that. When he wanted to climb the ranks he kept finding a reason to fall. When he tried to please Narwhal, he would give him a diseased penguin. Yet when it came to his odd fascination with scavengers, he would just…not…stop…talking about them. The only reason she didn't tell their parents about his obsession was because it might cost the whole family in rankings.
The Queen would pull out a scroll, give it the most offended look, then put it back. "I see. Well he's sent me about ten letters about the subject and I'm tempted to tell him to buzz off. Anyway, back to why I called you here." At this point Ivory had already returned and when Icicle didn't start walking to follow Snowfall, she let out a sharp cough and Icicle walked behind Snowfall. "You see, I've found that having a prison underneath my castle may not be a smart idea. So I'm thinking about changing it. Seeing as Hailstorm, Winter and Crystal don't live here anymore and Mink would just want me to turn it into a play place I figured I'd ask my only remaining relative that hasn't gotten on my nerves in the last week. So what do you think it should be?"
Hailstorm didn't live in the Ice kingdom anymore? Why hadn't she been told about this?! "When did Hailstorm leave?" She asked in a low, emotionless voice that Icicle hoped would show she didn't care for her brother's whereabouts.
Snowfall didn't give her a second look and dragged her talons along the scrolls meant for studying purposes. She didn't seem interested in any of them but she looked nonetheless. "A few months ago. He's still having issues with the whole 'being a different dragon for two years' thing. He thinks that spending some time with Winter might help jog his memories back in place, or at the very least make him come to terms with who he is now."
"He COULD have come to talk to ME and learn why Icewings are better in EVERY SINGLE WAY to those stupid Skywings but sure, go talk to that Nightwing loving loser." The pathetic look she got from the portrait of Winter made her wince on the inside and the dark hole expanded in her chest. She needed to change subjects so she didn't have to deal with the abyss. "What about the prison?"
The Queen turned back and swiped her tail to the left. There was a small silence where the only sound was Ivory's coughing. Snowfall eventually caught on and cleared her throat. "I was asking what you think I should put in to replace the prison under the castle. A storage room sounds nice."
Icicle nodded along without much notice to what Snowfall was really saying. Why did it matter what her thoughts on it were? She was just a priso-"Wait, where will I be if you change everything down there?" She asked, her shadow casting a dark aura around the Queen of the Icewings who didn't seem to notice.
Snowfall scratched right above her neck in the same stupid way that Lynx did when she was messing with Icicle. The only difference was that Snowfall looked genuine. "Haven't decided yet. I could position you on the outskirts but then nobody would be there to make sure you don't run off. Queen Glory kept two of her prisoners with Queen Thorn until she got her own system created. I could just do that."
"I will NOT be held by that lazy Queen." Icicle thought bitterly, remembering how the Rainwings kept pointing at her scales and trying to mimic them but getting disgusted at the red Nightwing blood on her claws. The Nightwing, she didn't remember his name, had leaped out at her as she tried to find Queen Glory and kill her. She didn't have a choice. He was a Nightwing and he was in her way. She couldn't let him stop her. She could-"
"Icicle?" Snowfall had narrowed her eyes at her cousin and was holding some kind of scroll.
Icicle snapped back to reality and shook her head. "I don't care. You're in charge aren't you? Why are you asking for anyone's assistance?" She asked with a sneer. "A Queen doesn't need help. A Queen can do whatever they want."
Ivory let out a laugh and Snowfall flicked her tail, trying to tell the general to hush. Snowfall then rolled out the scroll and stifled a groan. "Would you mind telling that to Lynx? I'd really like to have her know that I am the one in charge." That almost got a laugh out of Icicle before she bit down hard on her tongue. "Anyway, I just want to hear some ideas and Lynx said I should ask family. Family that won't take me a day to reach, that is."
"Sounds like she just wants an excuse for us to have to talk." Icicle said with a sour taste in her mouth.
Snowfall looked down at the scroll. "Sounds like something she'd do." But she didn't elaborate. "So are you just trying to find reasons to avoid the question?"
The portrait of Narwhal should be happy that she was giving the new Queen a hard time but he simply looked displeased. She snarled at the window on the far end of the roop and turned back to Snowfall. "You want to know what I think you should build there?" She asked with mock curiosity. "I think you should make a statue of Queen Glacier and ask IT for advice since she actually knew how to BE a Queen." She spat out, glaring heavily at Snowfall who annoyingly just brushed Icicle's remark aside.
Ivory let out a growl in warning but Snowfall flicked her tail again, signaling that she could handle it. "If you want I can send you someplace else. Queen Thorn has a nice little dark room you could stay in if you really want to be left alone. Or how about Queen Ruby's palace? You've visited there before, haven't you? Or maybe Queen Glory might want a second chance at having you in her custody? It might make the NIghtwings happy to have you back." Her glow of ferocity matched Icicle's stare of disdain and hatred.
Icicle knew she didn't have much of a choice. She scowled at the scroll and walked to the other side of the table, away from Snowfall. "I don't care what you do with that stupid prison. Turn it into a 'get along center' for all I care." The thought of being put on a second trial by the Nightwings of all dragons was enough to make her almost send back her breakfast.
Snowfall considered this then continued looking at the scroll. "You are exhausting." She mumbled but loud enough for Ivory and Icicle to hear. She read the first half of the scroll then stopped, rolling it up and putting it back in its place. "For being such a 'polite' guest, I'll let you pick out a scroll to take with you."
Icicle growled at the Queen and stormed off to one of the sections. Ivory snorted at the prisoner going towards 'battle tactics' which was the only worthwhile scroll section in the whole moons forsaken library. It was actually the only reason Icicle ever went there before she was sent to Jade mountain. She took out the scroll on different offensive formations against Mudwings instinctively then felt the presence of the portrait Tundra staring at her, looking for Icicle to act as orderly as she was supposed to. The fire in her scales roared with ferocity. She wasn't thinking and when she turned, her tail slammed into the column, sending out half of the scrolls.
Ivory bared her fangs at Icicle. It was obvious that the general thought Icicle had done this on purpose and the disappointed but refined stare from Snowfall let her know that Ivory wasn't the only one to share this sentiment. Icicle lifted her tail to avoid kicking the scrolls out of place but she didn't say anything. "Fine. Let them think I did it on purpose. Shows you." Ivory took a single step towards Icicle. "Are you going to clean up your mess?" She hissed dangerously.
It was Snowfall that tried to ease the tension first. "Forget it. Someone else can clean it up. I need to go eat something." She said simply, rolling up the scroll and holding it in her claw. "If we're done here, Ivory, take her back. Icicle, this wasn't a complete waste of time."
Ivory rolled her eyes and swirled her tail to signal for Icicle to follow. The Icewing took exaggerated steps to drag out the time and she cast a shadowy look at Snowfall. Her legs continued forward until she was behind Ivory and they left the library, leaving Snowfall who was looking at something in the corner that Icicle couldn't see. "Massive waste of time if you ask me." Icicle muttered, trailing behind Ivory.
The general waited until they were down the steps to turn and shove her face in front of Icicle's with her teeth out and ready for an attack. It forced Icicle back only to hit the wall roughly. "You are lucky that Queen Snowfall allowed you to show her such disrespect. Any other Icewing would have spent ten days in the nurse's room after what I would do to them."
Icicle hissed back, her tongue twirling. "She doesn't deserve my respect! She didn't even fight for her throne! She isn't even half the Queen that stupid Rainwing is and even has half the work!"
That was probably not the right thing to say to Snowfall's most trusted guard. Ivory's face twisted in a way that showed Snowfall how difficult it was not to slam her spiked tail into Icicle's face. She narrowed her eyes and growled. "The only reason I still let you speak is because Lynx wishes you to be alive. You are very lucky and it's time you start appreciating that." She said and turned to continue walking.
The portrait of Hailstorm was reaching out, trying to tell Icicle not to argue, not to fight back. Just accept it. "But I can't. It ISN'T fair!" Icicle reluctantly followed behind Ivory. "I should have been able to challenge Glacier. I should be the one on the throne. Snowfall couldn't take me on in a thousand years." She lashed her tail once more.
The laugh from Ivory ignited the flame inside of Icicle to a frightening degree. She turned her neck to size up Icicle then shook her head. "Queen Glacier would have smashed you like a bug." Said flatly. "It takes more to rule than just winning a challenge."
That wasn't true. All it TOOK was winning the challenge. That was how Glacier became Queen and how the Queen before Glacier got it. It was tradition and yet Queen Glacier cast it aside for what? To avoid some war of succession? Icewings would never do that. They would accept the outcome or face the consequences. "You don't know that." She said but the fire was being overtaken by the black void that Icicle really wanted to rip out. "I had trained for it my whole life." She spat.
Ivory didn't speak until they made it out of the castle, the sun slowly rising in the distance. "Too bad your efforts would have been wasted either way." She said which only made the void larger. "Did they know? Were they setting me up the whole time?" No, they couldn't be. They believed in her. She was ICICLE! The only thing holding her back was Winter making the family look bad. "But they wished Hailstorm was a girl. They wished he could have done it instead." She really wanted to attack the portrait of Tundra right now.
They arrived at the back of the castle and the guards opened the door for Ivory and Icicle to enter. It wasn't long before they arrived at Icicle's cell and the two guards that were playing some kind of game with their claws. When they saw Ivory, they stood back at attention and Ivory opened the latch, growling lightly for Icicle to go in herself.
It probably wouldn't matter how many times Icicle got to go outside if each time it ended as horribly as this. She gets a glimpse of freedom only for her to hate it because of other dragons and then being sent back to her solitude. Icicle swore the cell shrunk each time she was sent back to it. She walked onto the fur she called a bed and sat down, glaring at Ivory who didn't hesitate to bring the bars back up quickly. Without a word, she was gone and the door was shot.
So overall, a pleasant conversation in Icicle's eyes. Or, ears? Ugh, whatever. She needed to sleep. She needed to do something. She…ok sleep actually sounded really good. She closed her eyes in an attempt to ignore the glares from portrait Tundra and Narwhal.
Icicle walked into her winglet room and forced her legs onto the bed that seemed semi fitting for an Icewing. Not Icewing royalty but it would suffice if she was forced to be here. (Of course her cousin didn't have to go here but that wasn't important) Her winglet wasn't exactly amazing but she could just hang out with her fellow Icewings and ignore the rest. Well she WOULD do that but compared to her brother, her winglet didn't seem awful.
Bigtail was an issue but he seemed preoccupied with his trying not to kill Pike so she didn't need to give him any mind. Yeah he was a Nightwing so she was anti Bigtail but it could be worse. He didn't talk to her so she didn't talk to him.
Pike was an anomaly. He talked non stop about Anemone, so much so that Icicle wished the princess was in her winget instead of Pike but as long as his attention wasn't directed at the Icewing, she figured it could be worse.
Flame was apparently from the Talons of peace so Icicle didn't have to blame him for her losing Hailstorm. Surprisingly she wasn't mad about a Skywing. Sure the Talons of peace were awful but apparently he wasn't even important in the group. He was also quiet so that was nice. Though he did look as if he was going to tear open the next dragon that looked at his scar.
Onyx was probably her second favorite dragon in her winglet. She spoke as if she could have been royalty! The only dragon Icicle didn't mind listening to. Onyx knew how to get on Icicle's good side despite being a Sandwing that didn't side with Blaze. Her amulet or whatever it was, was very pretty.
Tamrin was definitely the least annoying Rainwing Icicle thought could ever exist. She didn't ask too many questions, she didn't try to shift into other dragon's scales and she didn't try to get other dragons to eat fruit. She was also blind which Icicle felt bad for at first but then the Rainwing caught a scroll mid tumble because she heard it fall and Icicle knew she could take care of herself.
Finally there was Sora. Sora was…odd. She was just as quiet as Flame but didn't have that look of perpetual hatred. Instead she looked ready to hide under a table at the first sight of danger. Icicle also didn't like how she would wake up to the Mudwing just…staring at her. But at the same time, Sora would ask Icicle some questions about her past battles. The Icewing was reluctant at first until Sora promised she wouldn't say anything she heard.
She shouldn't have trusted the sister of one of the dragons Icicle needed to kill but Sora was also completely harmless. What was one battle story? Everything would be fine.
Icicle was awoken to an Icewing guard opening the latch. She wasn't one of the guards Icicle was used to. She looked new and small, a lot like that terrible Mudwing but lacking the lost look in her eyes. The guard cleared her throat and said, "Lynx, head advisor to Queen Snowfall, has requested that you be a guest at the full moon banquet that Queen Snowfall is hosting. Do you accept?"