One True Queen: A Wings of Fire fanfiction

39.

Content warning: Snowfox's godawful parenting, brief mention of suicide, lots and lots of shouting and conflict, discussion of child soldiers, IceWing society shittiniess

***

Polar

I thought I'd be happy. To be home.

But the ice and snow stretching out around me just doesn't have the same appeal anymore.

My wings ache from flying for weeks, and the Great Ice Cliff looms ahead of us.

She still needs me, I remind myself, glancing ahead at Mother. She insisted on carrying Princess Eclipse the entire way—which makes absolutely no sense. She's three; what's she going to do, make a run for it?

"STOP!" Mother shouts, glancing back at the thousands of soldiers behind her. She dives down toward the ground, and I follow after her, breaking formation. The snow crunches beneath my talons.

"Are you okay?" I ask, rushing towards her. Eclipse shivers, wrapping her wings around herself. (Mother never carried me around when I was little; if I got tired, she'd just yell at me.)

She glares at me. "Did I ask you to join?"

"No! But I thought you were hurt! Are you hurt?" I worry up my brows.

"Your father got over the Great Ice Cliff just fine," Mother says, meeting Eclipse's eyes. "You should be fine too. As I understand it, the enchantment wasn't designed to recognize hybrids--to kill any non-IceWing. Therefore anyone with a single drop of IceWing blood in them... should be able to get through."

"I could enchant her," I offer. And what I mean is, I could give you my entire soul if you asked for it, I could burn myself down to ash on your order, if you'd just meet my eyes. Just once. But no matter how hard I try, she never does. "I can hold the enchantment for a short flight. If she's really that important to you." I glare at the soft, greyish purple dragonet, and wish I could snap her stupid neck in two.

***

The gates to the palace are open—and standing beside them is Queen-Regent Snowflake.

Her eyes go wide, her eyes snagging on my mother. "Fox," she whispers. "You came. You really came."

Mother nods. "I believe you owe me something."

Snowflake storms up toward her, snapping out of a reverie. "You absolute idiot! What were you thinking, leaving me here! I came all this way for you! When will you get that through your thick head?!"

Mother doesn't say anything. I wonder if Snowflake is aware that the entire army is watching her right now.

Their eyes meet. Snowflake softens, and presses her snout to my mother's. I look away—I thought Mother was just cold and formal with everyone, but I guess I was wrong.

"I missed you," Snowflake whispers.

"I meant my crown, Snowflake," Mother says, glancing back at the thousands of dragons behind us, all whispering to each other.

"Oh. Right." Snowflake's expression falls. She takes off the crown, and palaces it on my mother's head. "There." She looks away. "Your husband is utterly intolerable, you know."

"Isn't he?" Mother says, sighing wearily.

***

What kind of traitor can speak that way of the crown in public?! I fume, storming past the Permafrost and Arctic memorial, the ice sculpture laden with offerings.