When Fjord finally died and Clay was returned to his tower, Frigga snorted and turned around to face Scarlet. The queen's lip was twisted into a sinister grin. Frigga dipped her head to the queen in respect. "Thank you. This particular match was rather...thrilling, as you say." The IceWing paused. She glanced over at her dormitory. "I think I'll go back to my chambers. I'm still rather tired." Frigga mumbled.

       Scarlet nodded and waved a talon at her. "Very well. I'm glad you enjoyed the fight. It was rather exciting, wasn't it?" She cooed, smiling at Glow.

       Frigga placed a cold tail on Glow's back. "I'd like you four to stay with me in my chambers. I've–" She paused once again. Her face then wore a weak, yet genuine, smile. "I've missed speaking with you." Glow nodded, smiling back at her. That's a good sign, right? She then remembered the attitude that Frigga had shown toward Fjord in the arena, and grimaced. Hopefully we can help her get better. She looked back toward Peril, her eyes filled with longing, yet also excitement. Glow dipped her head at her. I'll talk to you again, soon.

       The IceWing's apprentices followed their master back to her dorm and settled down beside her. She placed her head on a pillow stuffed with eagle feathers. Kite crawled in her arms and Evenstar laid down behind Frigga, his snout draped across her neck. Glow laid down behind Evenstar and Frigga and craned her neck across her master's wing, and Corona sat quietly near them in front of Frigga's snout.

       Frigga let out a sigh and Glow nuzzled into her master's chilling scales. Moments of silence passed and Glow was beginning to nod off to sleep when her master's voice interrupted her. "So, what has happened these past few days?" Frigga asked. "I feel guilty for having spoken little, if at all, to any of you. Perhaps learning of all of your activities will take my mind off of all that's happened recently." She admitted.

       Glow nodded, feeling more optimistic in her master's recovery. "Not really much to say from me, Frigga." Evenstar's quiet soothing voice murmured. "I pretty much stuck with you. It would be rather dangerous for a NightWing like me to walk around freely in a foreign kingdom, after all." He said with a chuckle. "Especially a kingdom run by Queen Scarlet." Frigga let out a delighted snort.

       "What about you, Kite?" She asked the small yellow-orange SkyWing.

       Kite looked away. "Nothing, really. Just hung out with Corona and Glow most of the time and sold stuff." Kite muttered. Glow felt like she knew what he really wanted to say. Trying to avoid being seen by my mother.

       "And Corona?" Frigga asked hopefully. Corona smiled and chuckled. "Same thing, really. Although I did a little more than the little bird, here." Corona joked, earning a silly pout from Kite. "Glow can tell you way more than I can." Corona suggested.

       Glow suddenly felt very awkward. How much do I tell them? What do I tell them? How much is Frigga really ready to hear right now? All eyes were glued on her, but Frigga's smiling face reassured her. "W-well, first of all, I made friends with Vermilion, one of the four SkyWing princes." The room gasped. Glow felt more comfortable talking to her friends again. She only wished that Whitecap and Willow were here to hear it. "We then met the manager of the Merchant Plaza, Umbalite. And she looked after us while we were selling things there. Then, that night, I went to the Sky City Tavern with the queen's champion, Peril." The whole room practically jumped.

       "You made friends with that dragon? B-but– but why?" Kite asked, bewildered.

       "Yeah. You told me the night after, but if you ask me, isn't that a little dangerous?" Corona asked, coiling her sheathed tail. Evenstar and Frigga were listening intently.

       "Look, I suppose I had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know her before I found out about the whole arena champion and firescales thing." She paused. "But that was honestly the most fun I've had the whole time I've been here." Glow admitted. She smiled to herself as the image of Peril's excited grin and joyful blue eyes in the tavern danced in her mind's eye. "She's not a bad dragon – really she's not. She's just lonely and awkward, but she's quirky, bubbly, excitable, and just pleasant to be around when she's not under Scarlet's eyes." She paused. "She's just not in a good situation right now. She was raised by Queen Scarlet, after all." She thought, an image of Scarlet's maniacal laughing yellow eyes slithered into her trembling mind.

       "Well, anyways." Glow went on. "After the arena match next morning, Vermilion took me and Corona to Umbalite's home. Her family is a family of traveling dragons, and they are very kind. We met her older twin sisters, Thermal and Gust, and her younger brother, Falcon. Falcon is deaf, so Corona spoke to him in Sign Language." Kite looked over at Corona in surprise.

       "You can do that?" He asked curiously.

       Corona smiled awkwardly. "Yeah, I learned when I was really young. I think I was about a year old." She said. Glow noticed she left out the part about her friend, Djinn, but thought it best not to bring it up right now.

       Glow smiled. "Anyways, we met their parents, Amethyst and Citrine. Citrine's mother, Zinc, is the oldest dragon anyone has ever known. She's one-hundred-and-fifty years old, and she's a descendant from both RainWing and SkyWing royalty from thousands of years ago. She told us the story of Queen Forestfire and her dragonets, Queen Inferno, who would become the first queen of the RainWings, and King Flare, who would become the king of the SkyWings." Glow paused, looking at each of their stunned faces. "She gave us some scrolls that held memoirs from Queen Inferno herself, as well as other records from back then." A gasp was earned from everyone at that. Everyone except for Corona.

       "When you sum it up like that, you sound like you're getting into a lot of complicated and important things." Corona observed. "It might backfire on you."

       Glow shook her head. "Zinc trusted me with them, and I will make sure they're safe. The General of the Army has them, and he covered for me that night at the tavern to make sure I wasn't caught. He's Kite's grandfather." She explained.

       Kite's soft hazel eyes lit up in intrigue. "Really? My grandfather's the general of the whole army?" He asked excitedly.

       Glow chuckled. "Yup! And he's on our side." She confirmed.

       Corona sighed. "Well, at least you have our help. And, I was there with you when you got the scrolls, so there's that. You've got me by your side, and I'm not going to let anything happen to you." The SandWing promised, looking away quickly, avoiding Glow's amber gaze.

       Evenstar looked at Glow intently, his searching radiant eyes swirling with concern. "I hope you know what you're doing, Glow." Evenstar consoled.

       Moments passed in silence, but Glow felt much better than she had in the past few days. Just sitting in this silence, just in each other's presence, was enough to calm her nerves – at least for a little while. In the comfortable silence, Glow's mind began to wander. She thought of Peril and her current situation. All her life, Scarlet had let her use her abilities for destruction and death – all for a little sick fun. But Glow had a feeling Scarlet didn't necessarily let her as much as she probably made her. It would make why Scarlet didn't just use her as a weapon of war make sense. Glow knew perfectly well that Scarlet was good at manipulating other dragons to do what she wanted. It would make sense for her to trick and manipulate Peril into staying with Scarlet. She didn't exactly trust her completely, since she was angry with her for visiting Clay, which was very telling of what Scarlet knows Peril is emotionally capable of.

       Glow began to grow absolutely livid towards Scarlet. No matter how you look at it, Scarlet was an abusive caretaker to Peril. Not violent with her (as she'd probably die being so), but it was clear that Peril developed a toxic dependence on Scarlet for no other reason than "she saved her life." She wasn't entirely certain that was even the truth of the matter. Scarlet could have just as easily lied to Peril about that to gain her immediate trust. Even then, Peril wasn't completely blind to Scarlet's..."habits." She has wants and needs, even if Scarlet doesn't think so. She wanted a real family and she wanted real friends, and Scarlet never provided her with either. Essentially, she grew up mostly alone with the only influencing figure being a controlling and manipulative dragon. This was an abusive situation that was going to kill Peril more slowly and more painfully than it would have with Kite and his mother. Thank the moons he found us.

       An idea suddenly sparked in Glow. She thought of the forges at home and how difficult it was to find good coals that didn't die out too quickly, or how long it often took to melt or heat the metals to just the right temperature. Things that were fairly difficult at home could be much easier with a certain dragon's help. Yes. Instead of destroying, she could help create!

       "Could I ask something, master?" Glow asked.

       Frigga turned her head toward the SkyWing, curiosity twinkling in her dullen blue eyes. "Yes, of course. What is it?" She asked.

       Glow thought for a moment about how to phrase the question, or how to begin. "Last night, I went with Peril to meet Clay on his prison spiral." She began. "He really is as kind of a dragon as he seemed when we saw him in the cave. He's kind, humourous, mellow, big-hearted, open, and very accepting. He's nice to talk to. After Peril left, we talked about her– and our lives for a bit– and after meeting him, I...got in a bit of an argument with Peril." She paused, seeing the worried faces on her friends, particularly Corona. "I'm fine, don't worry about me – she didn't hurt me!" Glow reassured them. Glow looked over at the door to make sure no one was listening in.

       "She told me after we argued that no one cared about her like I did. No one really cared about her happiness or her well-being. She said that it was more than she could say for Scarlet or anyone else. She was glad to call me her friend." Glow admitted. "All she really wants is a family." She said. "Friends and dragons who actually care about her beyond her being a weapon of destruction or a toy. She's a very lonely dragon and she deserves better. She deserves to get best help she can." Glow paused, preparing to present the question to her friends. She took in a deep breath and sighed, getting ready. Once she collected herself, she asked them. "Do you –do you think...that maybe–maybe she could–" She paused again, nervous as to what their answers would be. "Do you think that maybe we could let her come with us? Let her live with us, I mean?" Glow finally asked.

       Glow was beginning to fear her suggestion was about to be shot down. The expressions on their faces were not reassuring her, to say the least. Kite and Corona looked as if they were the most doubtful and resistant to the idea. "Are you sure that's a good idea? We might accidentally get burned by her, and I don't think I want to live through that." Kite said, unsure.

       Corona looked equally skeptical. "Yeah. I'm not sure if I trust her just yet – basically being Queen Scarlet's pet, and all." Corona admitted. Glow felt a little offended by her comment. "What can she offer us in terms of what we do?" Corona brought up.

       Evenstar and Frigga were simply looking expectant, as if they just wanted to hear what Glow thought before they spoke on the matter themselves. Although, Frigga looked more conflicted, for obvious reasons. Of course she'd be hesitant. Peril was the one who killed Horizon. Glow looked down in regret, but went on anyway. "Well, forging and glassblowing are very time-consuming, considering how long it takes to heat up both metal and glass. She could help with coals and fires and basically anything having to do with pyrotechnics. She could be quite an asset, but–" She paused again, thinking more carefully about the decision. Was this really about Peril helping them? Or was it more about what they could offer to Peril? Peril was the one that needed help. She needed a group like the White Capes. She needed a family like them. She needed to be appreciated for who she is instead of what she's capable of.

       "It's not about us– it's about her." Glow insisted. "It's about giving a lonely dragon what we always had, and what she never had. She should live the rest of her life in a place where she isn't being taken advantage of or used by someone who doesn't care about her." Glow paused, looking directly at each of them. "She needs us. She needs love and care. She needs a real family." Glow finally said.

       Moments of silence passed. The group was exchanging uncomfortable glances with each other, unsure how to answer or to respond. Glow was feeling something crush inside of her, suffocating her, and grinding her insides to a pulp. Thankfully, before she could propel into a full-scale panic attack, Evenstar's soothing and reasonable voice weaved into her rattling conscience.

      "I think your heart's in the right place, Glow." He began. Glow looked into his calm pink eyes and felt a wave of comfort flow through her. "You've always been a very forgiving and kind dragon. I think it's a good thing that you believe in Peril. If you think we can help her, then I'd be more than happy to offer her my services." Evenstar finished.

       Kite was the next to speak up. "I'm still not sure. I don't even know Peril, and to be honest, I'm still kind of scared she'll burn me." Kite's doubtful face turned into a bright smile. "But, I'd be willing to try. You've always taken care of us, so I know you won't ever let anything happen to any of us. So, I think that you'll take care of Peril, too." Kite finished.

       Glow felt better now with the support she's getting. She started thinking of waking up to Peril's bright blue eyes every morning or flying to the Bay of a Thousand Scales to see her when she visited Whitecap and Willow. She thought even more of seeing Peril's smiling face at the dinner table, sharing stories, jokes, and laughs with them. She imagined her as a seamless part of their family.

       Her hopeful amber eyes locked with Corona's doubtful black ones. She wasn't entirely certain what Corona's answer would be, or whether the others would be happy with it. Corona let out a defeated sigh. "I still don't trust her and I still don't think she would fit in with us." Glow felt a stab of disappointment, and felt her progress start crumbling. This is it. I've failed again. Corona's facial expression changed to something more accepting. "But if you think she'll be happy with us, or that we can help her, then I'll trust you. I've always trusted you, and I don't trust a lot of dragons outside of us. So if you think this will work, then I'm willing to put my trust you." Corona's eyes softened. The SandWing gave Glow a loving smile. "The way I always have." Glow felt her heart flutter a thousand miles a second.

       Frigga smiled and dipped her head to Glow. "Well there you have it, my SkyWing of destiny. I myself am in agreement. If you sincerely believe we can help her and provide her the family she needs, then I'm more than willing to invite her to become a part of it." Frigga murmured agreeably. Glow's eyes began watering. Tears of joy and relief were starting to leak from them. They...they really believe in me. They want to bring Peril with us! We're...we're actually going to be able to help her!

       They noticed that she started to cry and Frigga reached over and wiped her tears away with her talons. "There's no need to cry, my dragonet. Everything is alright." The gentle IceWing's eyes were soft and loving, returning slowly to the way Glow has always known them.

       Glow crawled over and wrapped her wings over her master's in a tight hug. She felt the others shift to join in a giant amalgamation of love and support. "Thank you..." Glow whispered. "Just...thank you so much for this." Glow still couldn't believe it. She felt so light and dizzy that she was questioning if this was a dream. But it's not. This is real! Glow thought blissfully. Peril's going to be one of us.