I have "Darkness of dragons" on my kindle but the charger stopped working and I haven't found a new one yet :') can't continue my reread without one.
Icicle was really starting to hate her bed of fur. The hair was old and starting to itch her scales in places that were annoying to reach. But nothing was more annoying than the nasty look Lynx was giving the imprisoned Icewing. If her mother didn't act like Icicle didn't exist, then she would be pretty happy to know how mad Icicle had made Lynx. "What do you mean you don't want to go?!"
The dragon in the cell shrugged her shoulders back. "I mean I decline the offer. I'm choosing to abstain. Basically I don't want to go." She finished by passing the plate of prison food through the bars so Lynx could pick it up. "What's the big deal? No one but you would want me to go anyway. Stuck with a bunch of royal snobbish nobles? I'd rather get my teeth pulled out."
Lynx looked ready to smash the plate with her bare claws. "I am TRYING to show everyone that you don't deserve to be in here anymore!" The advisor walked back and forth on the free side of the ice bars, lashing her tail at each turn.
"Great. Tell me how it goes." Icicle said and turned away from Lynx so she could focus on the disappointed frown that the portrait of Hailstorm and Winter were giving her. "Shove it. If you two want to go, be my guest."
Lynx's steps were very loud. If the advisor wasn't in such a foul mood, Icicle would have told her to keep her annoyed pacing to a mouse level of quietness. "You can just stand in the back and pretend to talk to a sculpture! Why are you making this so difficult?"
The memory of past parties that Icicle attended were not very glamorous. Nobles were very frustrating to talk with since all they wanted to do was increase their own power. She was actually stuck hanging out with Snowfall most of the time since Crystal and Hailstorm hung out with older noble dragonets and Winter ran off to talk with Lynx. The night was usually just Snowfall and Icicle pretending to get along until the party was over. Not exactly something Icicle was too keen on replicating. "Consider it pay back for all of the times you made MY life difficult."
It was mostly said as a joke but Lynx didn't seem to hear it. She took a deep breath and then exhaled, attempting to regain her previous look of friendliness. "Look, I know you really hate this food but if you go to the banquet, there will be all sorts of stuff for you to eat that isn't this." She pointed to the empty plate that previously had the gray and brown sludge that the kingdom considered food. "Just an hour. Deal?"
Icicle turned her head back and narrowed her eyes at the rather desperate looking Icewing. "And who will be making sure I don't step out of line this time? Something tells me no one would allow me to go otherwise."
Lynx sighed and sat down. "Ridge will be attending for his son. I can get him to stay close in case something happens. Not that it will, right?" She questioned Icicle who shrugged once again. Not really inspiring confidence in Lynx. "Even Queen Snowfall wasn't this annoying to deal with." She groaned.
She had only met Ridge once but did she hear Lynx right? "Ridge is a father? How?!" He didn't strike her as the type to find someone, let alone have eggs at all.
Lynx nodded. "He's been one for a while. You probably saw Flake a few days ago. Ivory said she had to deal with some advisors. He was the one of the dragons that agreed with Queen Snowfall." That did sound familiar. "I'm kind of surprised he took a job at the castle instead of working similarly to Ridge. Though I guess dealing with Icewings that were banished to the outposts wasn't a very fun job."
"Great, so I get to go to a party I hate, interact with dragons I hate, get chaperoned by a dragon I hate and on the bright side I get some food?" It wasn't the greatest description. She wasn't sure if she truly hated Ridge yet. Yes he did humiliate her in front of that annoying brat but he also scared him off better than Icicle could have. He was also much more reserved when it came to stopping her. Ivory would take any opportunity to leap out and slam her head into the ground if she so much as sneezed wrong (If Snowfall wasn't there to stop her) but Ridge only did it once and gave her a warning. "Because Ivory was protecting Snowfall while Ridge was just keeping me in check." She thought to herself.
"I don't think that's completely fair. What if Queen Snowfall thinks you aren't that dangerous and moves you to somewhere better?" Obviously she had not been told about the previous discussion Icicle had with Snowfall.
Icicle rolled her eyes. That was as likely as Icicle ever returning to that terrible island. Getting out of the cell once more did sound pretty enjoyable…ugh, why did she have to work with Lynx to get what she wanted? "Fine. I'll go, but don't expect me to be as cheery as you about this." Lynx gave her a thankful look while Icicle tried to ignore the glaring spears that her parents' portraits were shooting at her.
The advisor swiped the key by the ice bars which lowered them for Icicle to leave. She crawled out and stood by Lynx, waiting for her to open the door. When she did, there was a familiar face on the other side that made Lynx jump. "Gah! Ivory?"
The general leered at Icicle, not taking her eyes off of her for a second, not even to address Lynx. "I was told that you intended to escort Icicle through the castle without supervision. I'm assuming that Queen Snowfall didn't sign off on this?" Lynx being unable to form a coherent sentence about 'well I did-I mean sh-well I wasn't told I couldn't-' made Icicle give her a suspicious look. "Huh, so she CAN break rules." Ivory gave an amused grunt. "In that case, I will gladly take on the job. Lead the way, head advisor."
Lynx looked even more unhappy than before and for some reason, seeing her pouting made the dark hole in Icicle's chest close up a little. Lynx led the trio out of the prison cell and out into the sunlit sky. The beauty of the Ice kingdom was still a wonder to behold even if the greatest building in all of Pyrrhia was gone. They made their way up the castle steps and once again, Icicle was taken away from the light to be trapped under a mountain of ice. The entrance to the castle was just as claustrophobic as before but somehow even worse now that there was a dragon in front of her and behind her. At last they made it to the throne room but this time it was empty. "Does Snowfall ever sit on her throne?"
Instead of going to the library, they took a right into the closest door out of the four (two on each side) then a left to go up some stairs. They stopped at the second floor and Lynx led them towards a long hallway with different carvings that indicated which one was which. The advisor stopped in front of a room with a carving of a claw and Icicle winced. She knew exactly where she was now and for once since being imprisoned, she actually DIDN'T want to see a dragon from her past.
Ivory nudged Icicle with her tail and the Icewing hissed back then turned, taking a deep breath and walking in. Ivory waited outside, not wanting to go in. The room had buckets of fresh water and a strange type of sponge that sparkled like the shiniest diamond while being as soft as the greatest piece of polar bear fur. There were two beds each with a side table holding different instruments and in the center of the room was the dragon Icicle really didn't want to see. She hunched down to Lynx and whispered. "Why are we here exactly?"
Lynx smiled at her. "Because you are not going to the banquet looking like that." She pointed to her claws that still looked like she had recently torn apart an Icewing. "Blizzard is the best at dealing with this."
Icicle already knew this but before she could protest, Blizzard had already seen her. The Icewing had a patch of light blue on her forehead and tail that made her look rather odd but Icicle didn't mind when she was younger. "Icicle. It's been some time." She said without much emotion.
Lynx tilted her head at Icicle. "You know her?" As the hole in Icicle's chest grew twice as large. After Icicle nodded her head, Lynx continued. "Oh, well uh Blizzard? Icicle and I need to get ready for the banq-"
"Yes I know. I've been told what is happening today. Of course I'm supposed to be closed." She gave a nod to Icicle. "But I do miss our chats so I can make an exception."
When Lynx signaled for Icicle to move, the Icewing was frozen. Blizzard wasn't upset or outraged to see her? Wouldn't she be super super mad that Icicle got put so low in the rankings? "What is she playing at?" Icicle cautiously climbed onto the closest bed and Lynx took the other.
Blizzard was a master of one thing and that was making Icewings look fit for any kind of event. Diplomatic mission, hunting parties and banquets included. She was as old as dirt but Icicle had to admit that she was great at what she did. Blizzard had supposedly lived through two Queens and she'd be attending the third one's funeral as well. (She didn't have much faith in living past a fourth) Apparently, before Glacier, Blizzard had set out to all of the kingdoms on pyrrhia to learn what techniques each tribe used on their scales and claws. (This was obviously before the war but even then, it was a difficult journey) She had learned proper sunlight care from the Rainwings, how good cactus juice was to numb claws for proper trimming and she mixed the skywings flames with the seawings water to burn off even the smallest of dust to really make the white and blue scales of the Icewings shine. She even learned that putting mud on the burns was surprisingly effective at making the hot water heal faster.
But what Icicle liked most was the stories. Blizzard had tales from every tribe except Nightwings and she would gladly share them as she worked. She had spent some time with a Mudwing unit in the marsh which was where she got used to putting up with not looking as nice. (Something that Icicle could never get behind) When the war first broke out, the tribe believed that Mudwings would be simple to defeat. Their bond with each other made them be more loyal to their bigwings than to their own generals. It was a ludicrous idea, yet Blizzard had warned Glacier not to underestimate them. "Mudwings may listen to their bigwings more than their generals, but that means they will fight ten times as hard to protect them." And that had come true when they met on the battlefield. Killing a general would usually result in an easy fight as the enemy dragons fell into disarray.
But not Mudwings. The Icewings would slowly realize that to stop a Mudwing attack, you needed to kill the bigwings of each unit which was easier said than done. The smaller dragons would fight viciously, more savage like than Icicle had ever seen from a dragon, if they caught on to what the Icewings were trying to do to their bigwings. The only time Icicle ever truly feared for her life was when she killed a bigwings. The four other Mudwings nearby heard the cry of her dying gasp and the fires in their eyes could burn down an entire forest. They all stopped fighting their targets and turned on her, flying as fast as they could to end her own life. The Icewings around her had to intercept them and Icicle just barely escaped. At least she thought it was a big wings. Looking back, the Mudwing didn't seem like the biggest of the group…
That was the last battle she ever underestimated Mudwings. "Stop thinking about it. You won that battle." But the vision of four fiery eyes still loomed over her sometimes.
"And done." The creaky voice of Blizzard said to Lynx. "Go and wait outside until I'm done with her." The voice snapped Icicle out of her trance and she looked over to see Lynx getting up and waving to Icicle, leaving the room. "Wait, where are you going?!" Icicle shouted in her mind. "Get back here, Lynx!" Blizzard's eyes turned to Icicle and the prisoner could see the foggy, ancient, crumbly look that Blizzard saved for customers she knew would be difficult. Icicle had never actually had them turned on her before. "There's a first time for everything…" She thought as the dark hole reached out to grab her heart.
Blizzard grabbed Icicle's wrist and the prisoner winced as a claw grazed one of her blue scars. Blizzard glared down at it and snarled. "What did you do to it? This is too deep to cure naturally." She said harshly. Icicle did NOT miss her scolding. It was always "you're too young to go into battle" or "you need to get more sleep". It got really really old.
"Nothing important." Icicle said back to her and closed her talons on her palm. Blizzard released her wrist and Icicle pulled it back. The old Icewings gaze loomed over Icicle like a broken statue that had seen too many things in its life. She turned to the table and grabbed an egg shaped rock that was surprisingly smooth.
Blizzard admired the rock before flicking her tail which Icicle knew to mean 'stick your tail out straight'. After she did, Blizzard rubbed the stone across the spikes on Icicle's tail. The rock was given to her by a Seawing that had died long ago, at least that's what she said. It sharpened the spikes so they were more deadly. Or as Blizzard said, made you look more presentable. (They differed on the purpose of the spikes) "You need to stand out in the sun and let your scales heal. They're not shining properly."
As much as being in the sun sounded fun, she did not want to do anything like laying outside. "I'm not a lazy Rainwing. If I want sunlight, I'll get it my own way." She hissed back as Blizzard started on another spike.
Blizzard sighed. "It's not lazy. It's healthy. While your body recharges from sleeping, your scales recharge from being exposed to natural light. Better than they are from the moonglobes anyway." She muttered.
"Amazing. Mind telling Snowfall to let her most dangerous criminal out for sun time? I'm so sure she would love that." Blizzard let out a chuckle at this.
The Icewing looked through her instruments and pulled out some kind of bottled substance and examined it. She then used her other claw to hold Icicle's up as she looked over the scars once more. Icicle flinched as one of Blizzard's talons brushed against her blue mark. "This will make it look more presentable but don't expect it to stay for long." She said and poured some of it over Icicle's right claw.
It felt like fire burning through her scales. Icicle yelped and pulled her claw away, hissing angrily at Blizzard. "Why didn't you TELL me it was going to sting?!" She yelled as she blew on her scars.
Blizzard groaned, setting the bottle back under the table and grabbing a cloth of some kind, draping it over Icicles's scars. "Last I remembered, you were able to take that stuff without issue." But her voice had a soothing aura to it that was hidden under her annoyance.
"I could…why can't I now?" Icicle glared behind Blizzard's shoulder as the portrait of Narwhal glared back at her for being so weak. "I haven't BEEN here in YEARS!" She shouted, but her anger was dying down. "I'll show you how weak I am." Icicle thought bitterly. "Just try it again." She said through gritted teeth.
Blizzard bristled, rolling her eyes at the stubbornness of the royal but she didn't argue. Icicle figured the sooner she got this done, the sooner she could go back to treating Icewings that wouldn't make her look bad. "Fine, but hold still this time."
This time when Blizzard applied the ointment, Icicle only shuddered. She put it on each claw and each time she did, Icicle resisted less and less until finally it was done. The Icewing prisoner looked over her front claw and had to admit that Blizzard was right. The substance made the scars look like minor scratches compared to what they once were. But it couldn't hide what had happened to her. What she did to herself to avoid that terrible, awful, nightmarish former Queen.
"I'd give it a day before the sealing comes off on its own." She said, putting the now near empty bottle away. "Hm, I still say you need some time out in the sun. But the amount of daylight left won't be enough."
Icicle sneered at the mirror, trying to signal to her stupid mother to stop looking like Icicle was a failed sculpture left to melt. "I don't need my scales shining."
The old Icewing hit Icicle on the back of the head. Not harshly, but to get her attention. "Sunlight isn't just for shining scales." She said, her frustration growing. Usually she reserved this for when Hailstorm would tell her not to remove his new amazing battle mark. (She would do it anyway) "Sunlight helps us mentally. Maybe if Icewings started actually going to sleep at night instead of whenever thanks to the moonglobes, we wouldn't have so many Tundra's in the kingdom."
Icicle couldn't help but let out a snort of amusement at that. "Fine, are we done here?" It wasn't like she had anything to go back to, but being around Blizzard felt…weird. She couldn't put it into words but the old dragon brought back memories that made the aching hole in her chest grow ever larger.
Blizzard shrugged, pointing to the door. "If you're sure. No one is keeping you here." That stung more than Icicle was willing to admit. She opened her mouth to speak but shut it quickly, not looking back as her tail dragged on the floor towards the exit. "But I do hope Queen Snowfall lets you come back soon. No one else asks me to tell my stories."
"Is she joking?" Icicle turned her head back to try and see but Blizzard was always difficult to read. She had this stupid look like Lynx of 'I'm totally telling the truth right now with no nefarious motives behind it' which Icicle never believed. "Am I wrong? Maybe she has been telling the truth." But that didn't make sense. Icewings weren't supposed to let their feelings hang out for everyone to see like Rainwings. "Yeah, I'll try…" She said half heartedly. It wasn't all that likely that Snowfall would let her out too often, especially not long enough to visit even if Icicle thought Blizzard was telling the truth.
Icicle left the room and came face to face with Lynx and Ivory. The general gave Icicle a challenging look as if daring her to try something. "She doesn't look all that different."
The prisoner felt her teeth grind against each other in frustration. "Not all of us can see beauty when it's right in our face."
Lynx stepped in between the two and gave both a stern look. "Enough you two. Look, we still have plenty of time until the banquet so why don't we go see if Queen Snowfall needs any help setting up?"
Icicle and Ivory both let out a loud groan. "I want to go back to my cell." Icicle said dryly, her claws still stinging from the liquid.
Ivory nodded, for once giving a look as if she said something smart. "I agree. Vote?"
Lynx looked offended at both of them. "Now wait a minute, cleaning up the main hall isn-" She was stopped when both dragons raised their tails in unison. Showing she was out voted. "I-you two are-GAH! You both suck!" She said in defeat.
(Many hours later)
Icicle did NOT get any extra sunlight hours. What she DID get was a cold stare of disappointment from the portrait of her mother and father. Not like it matters. THEY weren't going to the banquet. "Wait, yes, mother is going. Probably. I mean, she had a chance to talk to me but she chose not to. Well guess what mother, I can get invited to a royal party as a prisoner! What can YOU do?"
Ok that is probably not a good mindset. If there was one good thing about being locked away for two years, it gave Icicle a lot of time to think. Unfortunately, that time was now being spent thinking about the future banquet and all of the dragons that would be attending. It didn't really hit her at first but so far she only had to deal with a few dragons staring at her and muttering under their breaths. It still wasn't a NICE feeling, but at least she could think about said dragons being boiled alive or having their teeth ripped out.
There was a turning of the latch and Icicle tensed up, turning her head then looking at her claws. They didn't look as bad as they did before Blizzard did her magic but she could still SEE scars and the blue blood from her body. How many others will see it? "Why do I care who sees it? These are VERY important wounds of a WARRIOR!" Just disregard how the way she got the scars was not from fighting.
Lynx popped her head in and then held up the key. "Time to go party!" She entered the room and swiped the bars with the key. Icicle took a step back as the bars made the annoying swivel sound of ice scraping on more ice.
Icicle cringed at the sound and once it was finally over, she took some steps forward until she was finally out of her prison and face to face with Lynx who looked obnoxiously happy about this whole ordeal. Icicle scoffed. "Let's get this over with. I have a date with scowling and dreaming after this." In fact, she would rather do that than have to see her mother in person. (The stupid portraits kept GLARING at her for NO REASON)
The advisor to Snowfall rolled her eyes. "Fine, try to at least pretend to have fun? This is a banquet after all." Lynx received a joking sneer which surprised her. The two left the cell and walked down the Icy hallways of the prison. It was just starting to become night and Icicle got to admire the stars and moons. They were truly beautiful. It took Lynx nudging Icicle to move that got her attention.
Icicle had to go through the nightmarish entrance and felt the world try to crush her as the noise of the banquet further into the castle got louder. "It's just dragons. It's just dragons. It's ju-WHY AM I SAYING THIS?!" There was an odd spark in her chest. It wasn't like the fire that was a small ember or the dark emptiness that seemed less annoying to deal with when Lynx was around. (And Snowfall which was odd) It banged quietly when she heard some of the commotion in the dining halls. She really hoped it wouldn't be an issue.
"Are you ok? You look like you just ate a poisoned rat." Lynx's attempt at a joke was undercut by her worried stare, the power of which made Icicle happy Lynx couldn't read her mind. Icicle ignored her and walked on, making Lynx have to follow. They walked behind the throne and the prisoner could have sword the scolding eyes of Tundra made themselves known from the top spike. It was like being struck by lightning. "Icicle!"
Icicle shook her head. She was looking up at the throne, her claws arching like she was about to pounce. When she came to, she growled to herself. This did NOT look like a stable party guest. "Shut up, Winter." She said to the ice image of her brother that was sadly looking past her in the throne. She stood back up and rubbed her forehead. The noise of the party guests made the banging worse. "Just…admiring it is all."
Well THAT was just the most believable lie of all time. Lynx definitely looked convinced. "Maybe we can skip the party? I mean it isn't really that important. We could al-"
"She doesn't think I can handle it? I can handle some stupid, fox chewing, snout chasing Icewings and their whispers! I AM PERFECTLY FINE FOR THIS!" Ok, maybe Icicle needed to take a second and not say that outloud. She turned from the throne and gave Lynx the biggest (And fakest) smile ever that totally didn't look like a "I am stable!" expression. "It's just a party. I just need some uh…water! I just need a drink, parched throat and all that. What are we waiting for? Let's go!"
Lynx did not look so sure anymore but Icicle made her go forward into the banquet. The dining hall was nothing like how Icicle remembered it. The chandeliers were lined up in ten rows, each two dragon lengths apart, and having ten in each row. There were sculptures carved of different nobles and royalty that stood at attention under the giant windows each with jewel encrusted eyes. They were made with much care and detail so they could be perfect replicas of the dragons they were made for.
The noise from all of the talking dragons made Lynx's voice very difficult to make out but Icicle could hear her at least say something about heading over to a corner. She followed the advisor through the many tables that blocked their path, trying to avoid brushing up against other dragons in the limited space for the dining area. At first, no one noticed her. She was a small rock stick floating in the river, making its way down stream. She could make out some familiar faces like Tundra on the other side of the room. The Icewing glared daggers that were somehow even more viscous than her portrait. She turned away so as to not give her daughter anymore attention but Icicle could still feel the dark hole swallow the embers.
The more they walked past the tables, the more dragons began to look over. It was only one or two at a time who would look over and wave at Lynx, smiling happily at the obviously crowd favorite of Snowfalls advisor's. Then when their eyes shifted to the dragon behind her, Icicle felt the sparks light up. The dragon's reactions ranged from shocked, to angry, to frightened. They would nudge the dragon next to them and whisper something which Icicle would avert her eyes so as to try and quell the bright lights that were beginning to block out some of her vision.
"Stop FLASHING!" She thought angrily and worriedly at the same time. "What is this? Make it STOP!" With each step, with each dragon stare and whisper, the area around Icicle began to grow dark until the only thing she could see was the walking Lynx in front of her. A single light source in the abyss that surrounded her. How many voices were mocking her? How many eyes were looking down at her claws that were now starting to feel like talons digging into her exposed scars. Now even Lynx began to get consumed by the darkness.
Icicle was standing on her small podium. The court room smelled of pine trees and moonglobes. The Icewing building that determined the fate of Icewings that had done great harm to the kingdom was a large, circular structure with about seventy five seats on the bottom row. The seats surrounded the podium that Icicle was confined to to show the dragon on trial that there was no escape from justice. On the second floor was a smaller throne than the one in the castle but still large enough to show how much power the Queen had. Next to the Queen were her advisors who were walled off from the common seats where non busy Icewings could come to view the trial if they so pleased. Usually not many attended but for some reason they thought Icicle's trail was too important to miss. The whole building was filled with what felt like the whole kingdom. And all of them were staring at Icicle. Their eyes pierced through her scales, trying to read what she was thinking. Many looked to have already had their minds made up. The only question was whether Snowfall, the new Queen, had a similar thought…
"Icicle!" Lynx's voice brought her back to reality and Icicle could see that they were finally at the back corner, rather far from the conversing dragons at the tables. She shook her head and looked around. There was a giant Icewing looking down at her with an emotionless stare.
The prisoner shook her head, trying to get rid of the sparks blocking her vision. She let out a rough grunt of acknowledgement to Ridge then looked back to Lynx who looked rather worried. "What?"
"You were just staring straight ahead. Is something on your mind?"
It took a second for Icicle to almost start to block out the talking dragons at the tables so she could focus on Lynx. The one thing on her mind was the one memory she was desperately trying to squash. "No, just tired."
Lynx nodded but gave a sideways look to Ridge. "Ok, well I'm going to go get some food. I'll bring you two something as well. Don't have too much fun without me!" And she was off, leaving the two extremely talkative dragons to their own devices.
Icicle looked over to Ridge who looked down at her. She wasn't sure whether he was waiting for her to say something or if he was searching his brain for something to start. "Maybe he sucks at small talk." She put on her usual scowl that Icicle had gained after being in her cell for so long. "So…you have a son?"
Ridge nodded slowly, his head still as slow as a turtle. "I do, yes." Then he stopped talking.
"Hmm." Not a very enthusiastic response. "Ok, change topics. He can't be this boring, can he?" She checked her scars once again before speaking. "Lynx said you used to oversee dragons posted on the distant outposts. I've always been a little interested in that but my mother and father said it wasn't a job fit for us." Well THAT sounded a little condescending. "Don't care. Last I checked, he doesn't have an ounce of royal blood in him." Yet the abyss in her chest grew when she saw his eyes shift.
Ridge was deep in thought, his forehead showing small lines of stress that Icicle had actually not caused. "It was rather lonely. The Icewings sent there weren't keen to discuss their past with me. The winds were brutal, even for Icewings. But it gave me a good place on the rankings."
Icicle nodded along. Truthfully, she thought it would involve a lot more fun stuff, not just sitting around in the cold. Ridge didn't look too interested in continuing the conversation. Icicle looked out to the crowd before turning away as some of the voices brought the sparks back. There were about three to five dragons at each table and from what Icicle could see, Snowfall hadn't even arrived yet.
Lynx came back with three pieces of polar bear meat and the three began eating. Icicle never understood why polar bears of all creatures were considered the highest honor of food to eat in the Ice kingdom. They weren't particularly hard to kill and they didn't even taste that good. If anything, they were just a big time waster.
Ridge ate his rather fast and went back to scanning the banquet guests. He seemed to be looking for someone and that was when Icicle remembered that Flake was supposed to be here as well. Icicle tried to peer through the crowd and look for the dragon she saw before but honestly she wasn't paying much attention to what he actually looked like. Unlike her brothers, she never saw a point in remembering other dragons unless they seemed useful.
A lot of the faces looked oddly familiar. "Of course they look familiar. They're nobles." Yet the thought didn't settle the dark void growing in her stomach. The sparks banged and shook her vision of the banquet. She tried to focus on one dragon but then he stared back at Icicle and the air around her grew cold even for an Icewing. The dragons around her began to disappear as did the voices. The castle dissolved and a new structure was taking its place.
Icicle glared at the new Queen. Glacier had put off her trial for a ridiculous amount of time and then her daughter tried to carry on the tradition. Only now did she finally hold the trial.
Icicle could feel every eye either glaring at her or whispering to another dragon beside them about the events that brought the princess to the stand. A lot of the faces were very familiar. Most nobles that her family had known and parents of other dragonets she knew. The crowd was eager for Queen Snowfall to make her decision on the Ice kingdom's most dangerous criminal. Some random Icewing advisor stood up beside Snowfall, taking out a scroll and unrolling it. His mouth opened and he was about to speak…"
"All stand for Queen Snowfall!" Icicle shook her head violently to wipe away the memory. Two Icewing guards stood by the entrance as all heads turned to face the Queen of the Icewings. Snowfall wore her new crown and a golden encrusted necklace with a diamond colored Icewing symbol. Every single scale of hers shined like the sun, so much so that Icicle had to shake her head to get rid of the light with each step the Queen took.
Almost every dragon in the room bowed as she took her seat. Almost. Icicle made sure to keep herself standing, her eyes darting between each of the advisors that sat by Snowfall. "She's still just my stupid cousin." She thought bitterly, imagining the portrait of Icicle sitting on the throne.
Ridge tilted his head at Icicle, his eyes seeking to ask questions that he knew would not be answered, or at least not answered honestly. Instead, he went back to scanning the crowd.
Icicle let out a low growl that not even Lynx would be able to hear. This banquet was just like all of the other ones she had to go to for her family. The main difference was that this time, she didn't have to sit with Winter so he wasn't alone. "Not that he ever was. Lynx would always sit with him so they could chat about who knows what." Speaking of Icicle, the dragon looked over to give Icicle what she assumed was an apologetic look. "I kind of need to be over there while Queen Snowfall delivers her speech. Promise I'll be back soon!" And she was off, dodging the tables to find her place to the left of Snowfall.
"Take your time." Icicle muttered though the recipient of her words had already gone past where she could hear it. Seeing Icicle walk away for some reason made the hole in Icicle's chest grow ever so slightly.
If the island was the most alone Icicle ever felt, then this trial was the most watched she ever felt. The Icewing read off the charges against Icicle, mostly how she put the Ice kingdom at risk of another war, tried to kill one of the dragons that helped END the previous war (Though last she checked, Starflight didn't want to press charges against a student. Which Icicle considered pretty weak but at least it worked out in her favor) and helping an enemy to the Ice kingdom. So treason. To any Icewing, Snowfall would have every right to have Icicle executed for her crimes.
That didn't make her knowledge of it any less disturbing. Over a hundred Icewings looking down at her thinking Icicle would be given the harshest punishment in the kingdom. And yet, after the trial that Icicle mostly zoned out too, she heard the verdict that made every Icewing give out an audible gasp.
An Icewing was talking to Ridge which snapped Icicle back to reality. He looked familiar, the strange look of his cyan spots dotting his body told Icicle that he was one of the advisors that she met last time she was out. Ridge let out a small grunt and the young dragon turned to look at Icicle and bowed in greeting. "Y-you must be Icicle." He said simply, waiting for Icicle to mimic his gesture. When she scoffed in response, he realized she wasn't going to respond in the same way.
When he got up, he gave Ridge a nervous look who simply nodded which Icicle wasn't sure the purpose of. "My name is Flake…um, I think we've seen each other before."
"I remember." Icicle said flatly. "Great, now I sound like Ridge."
Flake looked like he was trying to smile but couldn't find a reason to. He waved to Ridge then looked off to the rest of the crowd of Icewings. "Um well, I have some colleagues I need to speak with…it was nice seeing you again." He seemed to find his smile when he looked back to Ridge before scampering off and leaving Icicle alone with the guard.
It was still hard to read, but Ridge did not look too happy about how their talk went. Though Icicle wasn't too interested. She glared up at him and spoke. "I'm going to get a drink." She wasn't sure whether he planned on following her to keep Icicle in check or to sit back and expect her not to do anything but regardless she pressed forward and unfortunately into the crowd.
While she was talking with Flake, apparently Snowfall had allowed the dragons to get up from the tables and into the open space to dance and converse. (Usually Icicle's least favorite part. She did not need the whole kingdom knowing how terrible of a dancer she was) Sadly it also meant she needed to walk past them all to reach the food and drink table near the entrance.
She brushed past a few dragons who looked ready to snap at her before seeing the dragon that walked past them and shutting up. Icicle was walking through a maze of dragon scales that kept blocking her path forward until she bumped into a snobbish looking Icewing (Not that there was much distinguishing in that statement) who glared down at Icicle and then bared her fangs when she recognized who she was.
"You!" Her voice gained the attention of a couple of nearby Icewings but wasn't loud enough to stop most from partying. "I cannot believe what was going through Lynx's head to even think about letting you out." She hissed.
Icicle returned the fangy look with a growl. "Get out of my way."
The dragon narrowed her eyes them stepped aside, letting icicle walk forward yet what she truly wanted was to rip the Icewings throat out. The yellow spots in her vision sparked even more, showing images of the trial before she shook her head but it wasn't enough to stop them from showing up. What she really wished now was to get rid of her own ears so the voices would stop.
"That's Icicle!" "The prisoner?" "Why is she here?" "All Lynx's idea…" "Still dangerous"
"Outrageous!" "Not justice…" "Glacier would have killed her!" "How could she do this?"
"Why is she here?!" "How could Queen Snowfall do this?" "Another stupid idea from Lynx" "Queen Glory won't allow this!"
Icicle felt her claws rush forward, not caring who she knocked aside. The memories and the current dragons ridiculing her mashed together in her head as she ran past the food. Once she was out of the hall, Icicle could feel the air try to escape her lungs while her body wanted to suck it back in. Her chest hit the ground as the area around her grew dark.
The guards dragged Icicle out of the trial building as the other Icewings scowled at either her or Snowfall. Yet all Icicle could do was glare at her cousin who had sentenced her. She wasn't even strong enough to give Icicle what her mother would do. She marched out into the open sky-"
"Icicle!" It was a familiar voice, lifting her wing and helping her walk. "I'm so sorry, I didn't think-come on, over here." She said worriedly, leading Icicle down what she thought was the hall but all Icicle could see-
Was the darkness that the back of the castle showed. She wasn't sure how long she would be trapped in the dungeon but she didn't care. Of course she didn't know that this might be the last time she ever saw the sun.
And then everything went black.
This chapter took me soooooo long to write :/