Chapter Text

Part I: Sanctuary 

Winter was in his office inside the Legislative building in the city of Sanctuary. Here he worked writing laws and regulations concerning the relationships with dragons and humans. It was a decently large room filled with shelves of scrolls. The shelves were untidy and unkept and scrolls littered the floor around them. The walls, floor, and roof were made of a light birch wood and the room was only lit by a large chandelier with candles in eight holes hanging in the middle of the room. There were no windows and there was only a single door behind his desk. He was standing at his desk in a far corner, grasping a quill dipped in ink between two claws. He was very carefully looking over his last scroll detailing a long list of rules and regulations regarding scavengers, or now humans. Humans had become more common in Sanctuary now that they didn’t have to hide and flee in terror of dragons eating them, or dismembering them, or setting them ablaze, or destroying their homes.

Well most dragons.

He still noticed a few dragons here and there simply refusing to acknowledge that humans were anything more than food to them. But, according to the laws of the various kingdoms, written by him of course, dragons could not eat humans anymore, no matter how much certain dragons disagreed with them. Of course, the vast majority of dragons were absolutely horrified by the revelation that the tiny little animals they had been eating for a quick snack for years were suddenly sentient, thinking creatures that could write, talk, and had feelings. Winter always had a suspicion. Ever since he was a dragonet he liked humans. He liked how clever they were, how they seemed to always be thinking, how interesting and fascinating they were, and of course how small and agile they were. 

Winter had just finished reading the last line on the scroll when there came a knock behind him at the door. “Yes?” Winter said looking back over his shoulder.

“Umm, Mr. Winter, sorry to bother you sir, I know you’re working very hard, but umm” The door opened and a large, dark brown MudWing walked into the room carrying a bag of scrolls in a leather bag slung around her neck. The bag had scrolls dropping everywhere because of how overstuffed it was. She was trying desperately to hold all the contents together, but to no avail. “Do you know where I could put these?” She said in a nervous tone. It was his assistant Fen. 

“Ohh um, just drop them in the corner over there and I’ll look at them later.” Winter said, turning and pointing to his right to a corner with loose scrolls. 

“Right!” she said, carefully making her way over to the corner still dropping scrolls as she went. “These…are from…Possibility.” she said in a shaky voice. “The dragons….. over there…wanted some more clarification…on the “pet” part of the…laws over there.” 

Winter gazed at her for a moment. “Hmm?” his eyes narrowed.

“Oh you know, some…dragons are still trying to keep some…humans as pets.” 

“Oh” said Winter. Now that he thought about it, the laws he wrote didn’t specifically say anything on keeping humans as pets. They mainly just went into the specifics of how to treat them and what not to do to them. He didn’t really think he had to.

Once the news got around that humans were indeed sentient, the whole “pet” thing should have died away right?

“Well, I mean…they are…kinda cute,” Fen said, interrupting his thoughts. She was still making her way slowly towards the corner, still dropping a scroll here and there. “I know they’re like…smart like us and everything, but still I would…love to have one myself, what do you…think Mr. Winter?” she looked over her shoulder at him.

“Uhh. Fen. That’s not really-” Winter started, but just then as Fen was walking forward gazing at him, her front foot caught a stray scroll on the ground. She tumbled forward and her large MudWing body hit the ground sideways with a loud CRASH. Scrolls went everywhere. The whole building shook. Winter stared at Fen with a furrowed brow, holding back his frustration.

“Oh my gosh. Mr. Winter. I am sooo sorryyy!” cried Fen as she started scrambling to pick up the hundred scrolls now scattered everywhere all over the room. 

Winter shook his head slowly. “It’s okay, Fen.” he said calmly. “You can just leave them, I'll get to them eventually.”

“No, that won’t do!” she cried. “You stay in here all day constantly writing and looking over scrolls! The least I could do is help you organize them a little bit.”

Winter had to admit she wasn’t the most helpful assistant. In fact, she was probably the worst assistant in all of Pyrrhia. She would constantly bump into things, knock over shelves, and get ink all over his scrolls. But, she was the only dragon willing to help him. She was the only one with that same sort of fascination with humans like him. Despite all of that though, she did help with the influx of scrolls from across the tribes. Even though she was clumsy and a bit dull, he still appreciated her help.

”Thanks Fen.”

Winter returned to scroll on the desk. He rolled it up and stacked it next to a few others to his right. He grabbed a bag from the floor and stuffed them into it. He slung it around his neck and turned around to Fen. She had moved the scrolls in the corner to the best of her ability. She was crouching trying to stack the scrolls neatly in a pile. They still weren’t as tidy as he would have liked, but it would do for now. 

She looked up at him. “Mr. Winter?” Fen asked. “Are you going somewhere?” she said as she carefully walked around the pile towards him. 

“Yes, actually.” he said. “I’m going to hand deliver these scrolls to Queen Glory.”

“Oh. I could do that for you! I would hate for you to have to go to the rainforest. I know how much you hate it there, well…you know considering you’re like…an IceWing and everything.” 

Winter smiled a bit. “I think I’ll be fine. This won’t be my first visit there.”

Fen hung her head slightly and her wings drooped a little. “Oh okay.”

“It’s best if I deliver these personally.” Winter said. “They are very important to the future of dragonkind’s relationship with humanity!” Winter said, drawing himself up proudly. 

Fen beamed at him. “Wow…really?”

“Well, it’s not really THAT important. It’s just some regulations regarding trading between the rainforest and some of the human villages.” Winter said with a slight smile. 

“But still, I think it’s best that I go personally to oversee this matter.”

“Well if you insist sir.” Fen said.

“Would you mind looking after the place while I’m gone?” asked Winter.

 Fen drew herself up. “Of course Sir!” she said while bumping her head into the chandelier dangling above her. “Oww.” Fen muttered while rubbing her head. 

“Right, just please don’t burn down the place and we should be fine.”

“Right!” she nodded. “I’ll start tidying these scrolls here, but there’s still some more at the front!” said Fen as she moved quickly out the door into the hall. 

“No Fen, that's okay, you don’t really...” Winter started to say, but she had already gone out into the hall. Winter sighed and turned back around to his desk making sure he had everything he needed. He twisted the cap back on the ink bottle and just as the cap squeezed tightly on another knock came at the door. “Yes… Fen….?” Winter reluctantly said, sighing. But it wasn’t her at the door.

“How’s my favorite banished prince of the IceWings doing?” said a familiar wryly voice. 

Winter turned quickly and saw Qibli standing in the doorway. "Technically it's ex-banished prince of the IceWings.” Winter said with a slight grin.

Qibli walked over and threw his wing around Winter.”Well, personally I think banished prince sounds way cooler than ex-banished prince.”

”Right, cooler.” Winter said, rolling his eyes. 

“It’s been a while huh?” Qbili smiled.

”So what brings your scruffy snout here?” Winter asked.

“Just paying my favorite IceWing a surprise visit.” Qibli said.

Winter looked at the doorway as if he was expecting someone to be there. “Where’s Moon?” Winter thought about her often. He thought about how terrible he had been to her back when Darkstalker was on the verge of conquering the world and destroying his entire tribe. He remembered how he yelled at her, how frustrated he had been with her friendship with that monster. And then he thought about Qibli. He thought about how he seemed to always be there for her. How Qibli had defended her whenever he yelled at her or was cold and distant to her.

Maybe that’s why she…no. No!, he pushed the thought out of his head not wanting to think about it. 

“Oh she’s helping Starflight and Fatespeaker with writing copies of the Guidebook on the dragon tribes.” Qibli said. “It’s a pretty neat book. Have you read it?”

“No, I don’t have one, and I really don’t have the time to.” Winter said coldly.

“Well, you’re in luck!, well at least for one of those problems. I can’t really do anything about the whole, not having any time, thing.” Qibli drew out a book from a pouch around his neck. He gave it to Winter and he studied it closely. He flipped through the pages quickly and closed the book shut again. He turned and tossed the book onto his desk and turned back starting towards the door.

Qibli stopped him. “Hey, what's with the rush, I just got here.

 “I am on an important diplomatic trip,” Winter said. 

“Hmm, sounds fun. Tell me more.” Qibli said with an inquisitive face.

“It’s actually very boring.” said Winter.

“Uh huh, right.” Qibli narrowed his eyes.

 “Yep, boring laws and rules and regulations, something you wouldn’t know anything about.” Winter stuck a claw in Qibli’s face.

Qibli put on a fake-shocked face. “What, me not following rules, I would NEVER not follow rules, how dare you, sir.“ He held his gaze on Winter. “So, what kind of laws?” Qibli said being as annoying as possible. Winter knew he wasn’t going to leave him alone. 

“Well, if you must know, I am off to meet with Queen Glory about these laws regarding humans” Winter gestured towards his scrolls while drawing himself up importantly. 

“Hmm, sounds interesting.” Qibli said. “Count me in.”

Winter looked at him with squinted eyes.

“What?” Qibli said. “I’m bored, okay?”

“Bored, right.” Winter said. “Yep, Turtle is visiting his family in the Sea Kingdom, Moon and Peril are at Jade Mountain and Kinkajou is at the rainforest teaching the RainWing dragonets how to read and write.” Qibli sighed. “I am B-O-R-E-D, BORED.” He said dramatically.

Winter snorted. “Well I wish I had time to be bored.” he said sarcastically.

“Well just because you took it upon yourself to be the sole ambassador to dragons and humans doesn’t mean you can’t relax for a bit.” Qibli said as he nudged Winter’s side.

I know…Winter thought. I just just…I had to get my mind off things just for a while.

Even if ninety-nine percent of “things” were Moon. Even if “just for a while” meant several months. “These matters are incredibly important.” Winter replied, shrugging off what Qibli said.

“Just face it, I’m coming with you.” said Qibli with a determined face. “Someone has to make sure you don’t get mind-controlled by an ancient psychotic NightWing from two thousand years ago again.”

“Weren’t you also mind controlled?” Winter raised a brow.

“What ME!? Nope.” Qibli replied with a laugh. 

Winter shook his head. He knew there wouldn’t be any possible way to get rid of Qibli, but maybe… a small small part of himself wanted him to come? 

“We hardly ever see you anymore, Winter.” Qibli had a concerned look on his face. 

“Well, no other dragon can do this, or wants to at least.” Winter said. A good bit of the dragons of Pyrrhia were uncaring towards the humans. They mostly ignored them and went about their day. Winter seemed to be the only dragon looking to expand their relationship. Well him and Fen at least. 

“Still…” Qibli said as Winter moved past him towards the door. Winter was just about to walk through into the hall when loud stomping came from out his office and Fen burst into the room.

“Oh Oh!, Mr. Winter I forgot to tell you, your friend-” she was cut off as she ran right into Winter sending him flying backwards towards Qibli.

“Ahh!” Winter screamed as he tumbled with his back hitting the ground with a thud, his regulation scrolls scattered across the ground. 

Qibli held back a laugh as he helped Winter up. “I think you’re just a bit too late Fen.” “Fen!, PLEASE watch where you are going!”. Winter nearly shouted as he looked up at her, his brow furrowed once again.

“Ohhh Mr. Winter I am so sorry." She quickly helped him pick up his scrolls and gently put them in his bag. She dusted off his shoulders and stared at him with a concerned look. “I didn’t hurt you did I?”

“No…Fen.” Winter relaxed a bit. His back was aching, but he didn’t reveal that to her. 

“You know, you might have to be executed for attacking a prince of the IceWings like that.” Qibli said with a dead serious face.

Fen looked at him with wide eyes and pure terror on her face. “Ex…ex…executed!?“ She squeaked in a shrill voice.

Winter turned and shot Qilbli a stern look.

Fen was trembling, making the whole room shake. “Uhh…Fen? I was just kidding.” Qibli patted her shoulder. “I don’t think accidentally knocking over a prince qualifies for immediate execution.” He chuckled.

“Oh! Thank the moons.” she sighed so hard she nearly blew Qibli into the wall. 

“Well…I should be going then.” Winter said, composing himself and starting towards the door again.

Qibli followed close behind.

“Please…just be careful Fen.” Winter said as he looked back through the doorway from the hall at her. Her gaze was on her claws and her head suddenly shot up as Winter said this.

“I’ll do my best!” she said proudly but with also a hint of uneasiness.

Qibli waved goodbye as he followed Winter towards the front.

They both stepped out the front door into a wide street paved with cobblestone. The forest was dense around them in all directions. The building was at the dead end of a long path that cut through the forest to their left. The sun was rising steadily on the horizon just past the Claws of the Clouds Mountains in the distance just ahead of them. 

Winter took a deep breath and the morning air filled his lungs. He looked back at Qibli. “Let’s go.” And with that, they spread their wings and jumped aloft into the air and they started to make their way towards the rainforest.