Glow was taken aback. She didn't know what to think. This IceWing could easily just be lying to earn Glow's trust in order to escape from Queen Scarlet's arena. But if she was telling the truth, that meant that Frigga still had hope after all.

       She had to be sure, however. "If that's true, then what's your name?" Glow asked warily.

       The IceWing nodded understandingly. "My name is Captain Snowstorm, the oldest daughter to Shiver and Commander Freeze, son of Admiral Nova and General Icestorm." Glow flicked her ear in acknowledgement. "Among us are also my twin brother, Lieutenant North, my young sister, Frigga, and our young brother, Hvitur." Snowstorm added. Okay, so she isn't lying after all. But still...

       "Why did you 'beckon' me here, then?" Glow asked, still remaining cautious.

       Snowstorm dipped her head and sidled over to make room for Glow to lay. "Mainly, I wanted to know what has happened after I was gone. It's been around a decade, if any educated guess were to be made, since I've seen her– and I worried." She explained. "And, I now want her to know that I'm alive. I'm certain she was worried about me." She added.

       Glow took a seat next to the IceWing. Despite her scarred and battered body, she still looked rather elegant in the moonlight. She wondered if Snowstorm had even been in any arena matches, or how many. The scars on her body looked rather old and it was rather difficult to believe that she'd be so skilled in combat that her opponents couldn't even land a hit on her. "How are you even still alive?" Glow asked, astonished. The SkyWing quickly frowned. "Frigga thought you were dead." She added.

       Snowstorm scoffed. "Well, it would be safe to assume that. It is Queen Scarlet that we're dealing with, after all." She morbidly joked. Her small smile quickly drooped into a frown. "Unfortunately North died within the first week of being here. He wasn't valuable to them. He was just a lieutenant, after all." Snowstorm remarked with wavering sadness. "They thought I had valuable information. As a captain, and a Third Circle IceWing, I was 'precious.'" She sighed. "I suppose they grew tired of trying to get information I didn't have and just let me stay here and delivered food to me." She breathed.

       Glow shrugged. "Frigga will be happy to know you're alive, but I'm not sure what we can do to help you." She admitted.

       Snowstorm laughed. "That's fine." She said. "I realized I was a lost cause years ago. What I want to know is what she's been doing all these years." Snowstorm suggested.

       Glow smiled. She felt more comfortable with this IceWing. She talks a lot like Frigga, actually. She could see the familial resemblance, and it made her feel safer. She shuffled closer to the captain, feeling the familiar cold from her scales. "Well, she became a merchant and craftsdragon. She makes all sorts of things – pots, tapestries, weapons, sculptures, but her passion is cartography. She picked us up and practically raised us as her own along the way." Glow began.

       Snowstorm scoffed and scratched her nose. "I can see that." She gave Glow a once-over, as if she were admiring the work Frigga put into raising her. "What has she made for any of you?" She asked.

       Glow flexed her talons reflexively. "She's made me some 'iron talons.' They're weapons I can wear, they're like talons with blades on them. She's also made a cover for Corona to keep her tail barb from accidentally scratching the others that she can open any time without using her talons."

       Snowstorm smiled. "That sounds like my sister, alright. Clever, inventive, and nurturing." She divulged. Her eyebrows furrowed inquisitively. "I'd like to know more about you and the others Frigga has 'picked up,' as you say." She suggested.

       Glow fumbled a bit before answering her. "Well, she picked up Whitecap, first. He was less than a year old, I think. He's a SeaWing prince, but he ran away from home. Frigga saved him from getting eaten by a barracuda and offered him the chance to work with her and learn to craft. She was then traded Willow, a MudWing, for some weapons about a year later. They're living together on the Bay of a Thousand Scales. They're doing business there." Glow paused. Snowstorm looked genuinely happy and interested. But the next part, Glow wasn't sure if she wanted to tell her. Losing North was bad enough, as well as their father. Glow came to a depressing realization. She doesn't even know that Shiver's dead. Her stomach turned. Or that her murderer defiled her corpse. She thought angrily. She looked into Snowstorm's patient and expectant eyes, and came to terms with her resolve. She deserves to know...

       "Shiver – your mother." Glow paused, seeing the light drain from Snowstorm's eyes. "She's dead." The SkyWing admitted.

       The IceWing's eyes glinted with forming tears. "How – how did she die?" She asked shakily.

       Glow dipped her head respectfully. "She was murdered by a traitorous IceWing. He," she paused cautiously. "He 'violated' her corpse." She said, her lip quivering. Frigga had obviously found it difficult enough to tell Glow, so it was difficult for Glow to even imagine. Not because it was actually difficult, but because it was just so...horrific to think about. I can't even imagine what Frigga felt actually seeing that being done to her own mother.

       "Did he suffer a punishment?" Snowstorm hissed, tears falling out of her eyes.

       Glow nodded in her nauseous daze. "Yes. Frigga killed him right at the scene." She answered, clenching her jaw.

       Snowstorm nodded, sighing her rising aggression out. "Where was she buried?" The IceWing asked.

       Glow hesitated. "I – I don't know." She answered honestly. "Frigga never told me."

       Snowstorm nodded, wiping her tears from her diamond-shaped snout. "What about Hvitur? Any news from him?" Snowstorm asked.

       "I was getting to that, actually." Glow reminded. Snowstorm settled in further. Well, can't get any worse than that, honestly. "Frigga rescued my egg from Burn the night before the brightest night. Hvitur joined the Talons of Peace after you and North disappeared." She paused, noting Snowstorm's worried expression. "He was stealing my egg from the Sky Palace. Frigga couldn't save him, but she saved me. She raised me. Then came Corona." She paused. Corona's confident and smug face and mischievous black eyes danced in her mind. Her sarcastic laugh, yet warm smile made her heart start race. Sunny's beautiful golden scales and gentle soft green eyes fluttered in her mind, followed by Peril's steaming copper body and sharp blue eyes.

       All sorts of confusing emotions were running through her mind and she realized she had gotten distracted from telling the rest to Snowstorm. "Corona was a thief in the Scorpion Den that Frigga, Willow, and I saved from execution. We offered her a life with us and she agreed the next morning. Shortly after that, Frigga found a dying NightWing who gave her her egg. The egg hatched, and we named him Evenstar. And finally, there's Kite." Glow thought of the little SkyWing, sleeping soundly in Frigga and Evenstar's wings. She smiled sheepishly to herself at the thought. "We found him injured near our cave. He has an abusive mother, Captain Cinnabar, and she abused him and his father, Condor. He ran away and found us. He was injured pretty badly, but we took him in and now he's part of the family." Glow finished.

       "So Hvitur's dead, too. I should have figured." She muttered. Snowstorm sighed. "So, I suppose that means that you're the SkyWing of destiny, if he was willing to risk his life to steal you." Glow quickly realized her mistake. Oops. I was supposed to keep a low profile. Snowstorm draped a cold wing over Glow. "No need to worry– I'll keep quiet." Glow wasn't sure if she could take her word, but felt relieved anyway. "I'm not surprised that Hvitur joined the Talons of Peace. He always wanted some part in saving Pyrrhia when he was young. He was a sensitive dragon not meant for war. North and I just did what we thought we should have, and Frigga was caring for us as best she could. Our family was very close, after all." Snowstorm dabbled. Glow looked up at the stars. They twinkled faintly in the deep shadowy sky and strangely enough, the moons overhead didn't overshadow the stars' brightness. Glow thought back to the times she'd just sit outside the cave at night, talking with Evenstar. Sometimes Corona would join them and they'd just sit there and spend their time in each other's company until they got too tired to keep their eyes open. Evenstar would never feel tired, but went to bed anyway to make it more convenient for the others.Glow wondered if it was a NightWing thing to be energized by the night rather than the day. It would make sense, wouldn't it?

       Glow's thoughts were interrupted by Snowstorm once again. "North and I never really believed all that much in the Dragonet Prophecy." She said quickly.

       Glow looked up into her intriguing sky blue eyes. "Really?" She asked curiously.

       Snowstorm nodded. "We just believed in winning the war as quickly as possible. We just wanted it to end so that dragons would stop suffering. Besides, we thought that, despite her dizziness, Blaze would make a better queen than either of her sisters–especially Blister." Snowstorm shuddered. "That dragon is what mothers tell tales about to scare their dragonets into behaving. That dragon is pure evil." She added. Snowstorm shrugged. "Well, if not for the Darkstalker."

       Glow cocked her head at her. Darkstalker? "I've heard the name. From one of Evenstar's scrolls, I think." The SkyWing said.

       "It's an IceWing legend." Snowstorm answered. Glow furrowed her brow. Not from what Evenstar's scroll said. "He's said to be the forbidden offspring between Prince Arctic and a NightWing named Foeslayer. This dragon was said to be the most powerful dragon to have ever existed, but supposedly disappeared over two-thousand years ago." Snowstorm paused. "Ever since then, an IceWing has died every year, killed by a clean cut with a knife. It's believed that he's still out there killing the IceWings. So he became an IceWing monster of legend." The IceWing explained. Well, that part the scroll was right about.

       "Evenstar's scroll said that Darkstalker was gifted with powerful foresight and mindreading abilities. He was also an animus that was trained by a SeaWing animus named Fathom – Albatross's grandson. They were best friends. Apparently, he and NightWings, namely his lover, Clearsight, sealed him away and fled the old Night Kingdom." Glow paused, seeing the unease in Snowstorm's blue eyes. "It seems like the NightWings were just as afraid of him as the IceWings."

       "Another surprising thing IceWings and NightWings have in common." Snowstorm remarked. "Their fear of Darkstalker, their delusions of tribal superiority, and their hatred towards each other."

       Glow decided to change the subject. "So, why didn't you believe in the Dragonet Prophecy?" She asked Snowstorm, interested to hear her opinion.

       Snowstorm shrugged and shifted closer to Glow. "North and I never believed that the NightWings could have prophesized such a thing. If they were so powerful and knew how to stop the war, they would have stopped it years ago without involving a clutch of innocent dragonets in it." She explained. Snowstorm sighed sadly. "Our younger siblings, as well as our dear mother, believed in the prophecy. Not because they didn't believe they could do anything, but she wanted us to have hope. She wanted us to keep fighting and surviving so that we'd live to see the day that the war would end." She looked down sadly at the arena, as if she was seeing North there dying in battle again. "It's a shame that Frigga will be the only one to see it through." She muttered.

       Glow put a wing around Snowstorm. The battered IceWing suddenly looked decades older– ancient, almost. She'd been in this arena watching dragons die for Scarlet's amusement for years. Glow couldn't help but suddenly feel a lot smaller in comparison. "Promise me something, young SkyWing." Snowstorm suddenly said.

       Glow was taken aback, but nodded anyway. "Of course." She said simply.

       Snowstorm tilted her elegant snout towards the two moons in the sky. "I have a distinct feeling that I won't last much longer here. It would seem that the dragonets of destiny have started earlier than the prophecy intended." Snowstorm sighed. "See this prophecy to the end. End this war, and give Pyrrhia the SandWing queen it deserves, whoever you choose." She said. Glow nodded. "And please, for me, take care of Frigga. My sister deserves to live in a world of peace where she can live freely and happily. Keep her safe and be there for her. Tell her I love her. Can you do that for me?"

       Glow nodded and dipped her head to the captain in respect. "I promise. We'll keep her safe." She said.

       Snowstorm dipped her head to the SkyWing gratefully. "Thank you, young one. Nothing can possibly express my gratitude." She thanked. They just sat there, staring at the sky in silence, appreciating the other's company. Snowstorm then broke the silence with another sigh. "I wish there was more I could do to help you and my sister." She wished wistfully.

       An idea suddenly popped into Glow's head. "Actually, I think you can." Glow said.

       Snowstorm's ears flicked curiously. "Really? How so?" She asked hopefully.

       Glow shuffled a bit into a more comfortable position. "Does the name 'Glass' sound familiar to you?" She asked.

       Snowstorm shook her head. "No, I'm afraid not. Should it?"

       "He's Frigga's son. And that SandWing, Horizon, was his father." Glow explained.

       Snowstorm's eyes widened in surprise. "She had a son? With a SandWing?" The IceWing paused. "I mean, I suppose that would make sense. She never did care about tribes or even genders when it came to whom she wanted to be with, and she did seem rather fond of him after Fjord. All I remember is her relationship with him, and that was a rather unhealthy relationship if you were to ask me. It didn't end well for anyone involved." She explained.

       Glow nodded. "He's about Whitecap's age – around nine years old. Whitecap used to send letters to him and Horizon from Frigga and bring letters from them back to her. They became pretty close." She paused, remembering how often Whitecap used to talk about him. They sounded really fond of each other. I wonder why he doesn't talk about him anymore. Then she remembered Horizon's last words in the arena. He's been missing for two months! Talking about him after such a long time without knowing what happened to him would make him feel horrible. Glow thought of Corona and her family. It's a good thing he always has Willow for company. Glow shook the memory away, trying to stay on task.

       "In that case, I wouldn't have known him. I was captured before they even engaged in a relationship. Why do you ask?" Snowstorm asked.

       "He's been missing for two months and he hasn't been confirmed dead yet. Do you have an idea of where he might be?" Glow asked.

       Snowstorm brought her talon to her chin and looked off in thought. Glow could see her eyes darting back and forth as possibilities were circling in her head. It reminded Glow of Evenstar when trying to piece together a response for advice. Finally, Snowstorm sighed and turned back towards Glow. "First of all, I'd like you to understand that hybrid dragons are rather frowned upon in Pyrrhia – especially in the Ice Kingdom. Life in the Ice Kingdom is rules, regulations, restrictions, and traditions. Everything is decided and certain rules must be followed if you wish to be valued. It's rather cruel and outdated, but that's how things are. While hybrid dragons would 'taint the pure blood of the IceWing tribe,' Queen Glacier is one of, if not, the most merciful and kind queen the IceWings have ever had – to her own tribe, that is. She's fair and she would never throw away a perfectly good soldier, especially in this time of sacrifices and limited resources. She's one of only two kingdoms that is against conscription, which is when dragons are forced into the war by law, in case you're not aware. The other is the Kingdom of the Sea, mostly based on its isolated geography and secretive strategies."

       Glow was taking this all in. "Alright, but what does that have to do with Glass's disappearance?" She asked impatiently.

       Snowstorm waved a talon for her to settle down. "I'm getting there." Snowstorm cleared her throat. "Now, in the Ice Kingdom, dragons fit in a hierarchy. At the very top is the royal family and at the bottom are dragons that live in the Seventh Circle. First and second circle dragons live in the palace with the royals. Our family is in the Third Circle." She explained. "If Glass is a hybrid, if he has any IceWing status at all, he'll be placed in the Seventh Circle immediately, no matter how the queen feels about it. Dragons born in the war at the border between the Kingdom of Sand and the Ice Kingdom are placed by the military, since that area is under martial law. Many dragons in the military are known to be rather biased and (let's call it what it is) bigoted–and I'm using that term tamely, by the way. The queen would demand that he have a place in the Ice Kingdom because he is technically part IceWing and was born and living in the kingdom, but where he fits in the hierarchy would be determined by the commanding officer of that area.

       "Now, he would probably be placed in the welcoming hall, where we have visitors like Whitecap who have things to deliver and sell. It's a cave by the border where it's not too far into IceWing territory where they'd freeze to death. That's most likely where he would be stationed. Knowing the soldiers, they'd send him on patrol or scouting missions closer to SandWing territory than IceWing territory. As you most likely already know– Burn currently holds the SandWing kingdom and stronghold until the war is over.

       "Burn has a...let's call it 'fascination' with oddities such as three-headed snakes, misshapen crocodiles, and what have you. This also includes 'odd dragons.'" Snowstorm paused. Glow felt a lump in her stomach begin to grow and her throat hitched. "This gives way for two possibilities. The first is that Glass has been sent on a 'secret scouting mission' into the SandWing kingdom and has not come back to give a report, most likely still completing his mission. The second possibility is that he's been captured by Burn and is now one of the stuffed dragons in her 'collection.'" Glow blinked and swallowed uncomfortably.

       "Let's just hope that it's not the latter possibility." Glow said. She lifted herself up from her seating position and stretched. "Well, now Frigga knows where to look for her lost son, and we might be able to find him." Key word being "might." "Thank you for your help." Glow said to her IceWing companion.

       Snowstorm shook her head. "No– thank you. This is the first pleasant conversation I've had with someone in years. I'm glad I could help my sister. Family was always important to her." Snowstorm said. Glow smiled and shook her wings. "She's lucky, you know."

       Glow turned around and looked at her confused. "Why?" She asked.

       Snowstorm breathed a chuckle. "To have a family like you. You're always there for her, and she wouldn't be where she is now without any of you." She praised. Glow felt honoured by the IceWing captain's kind words. "Good luck, SkyWing of destiny, and please give my sister my regards." Snowstorm added.

       Glow dipped her head to Snowstorm and saluted her like she saluted her own master. She spread her large orange wings and leaped into the sky. She swerved around the pillars, casting a look back towards Snowstorm and glimpsing Peril and Clay still sitting on his pillar. She smiled to herself as she flew back towards the palace. They make pretty good friends. She snickered. They could be more if she was upfront about her feelings. Then again, it's probably too soon for her to say anything to him about it given how much they've actually talked. She coasted the balcony and landed smoothly. Actually, maybe they shouldn't. Not until after Peril's left Scarlet and gotten herself sorted out. The thought of Clay and Peril being the the same kind of relationship as Peril was with Scarlet made her extremely uncomfortable.

       She poked her head around inside, looking for Vermilion. She couldn't find him anywhere to be seen. Must be in bed, then. She stalked off to her room, making sure her iron talons didn't click too loudly against the stone floor. She poked her head inside the room and saw Frigga surrounded by the other dragonets.

       Frigga's ice blue eyes lit up when Glow entered the room. It was a relief to see that her master was doing better after the days of hardship that she had endured whilst being here. I have a bad feeling that she's going to relapse. She remembered the times when she was little when she'd accidentally walk in on Frigga sobbing. Now she understood why, as well as why Whitecap was always the one to comfort her while Willow looked after her. She was snapped from her drifting by Frigga's hopeful voice. "Hello, Glow. How was your visit with Clay and Peril?" She asked, smiling.

       "Yeah, you've been gone for a while." Corona said with a drowsy yawn. Kite was already asleep. As expected, Evenstar was the only one who was active and didn't seem to be tired. Then again, he seemed to always know what was going on.

       "You definitely took a long while." Evenstar quipped. Smart guy.

       "Well, if it helps, I've got some important info for you guys." She said, shaking herself off and settling next to Corona. "First, Queen Scarlet's having a trial for the SkyWing guardian of the other dragonets – Kestrel, I believe." Glow started. "And I found out where Glass most likely is. He's most likely in the Kingdom of Sand." Glow said. Frigga jumped and bounded towards Glow, tears shimmering at the corners of her eyes.

       "Are you certain? Is he alright?" She began asking frantically.

       Glow shook her head. "It's only speculation, and I don't know."

       Frigga looked disappointed. "How do you know, then?" She asked skeptically.

       Glow smiled. "Someone you haven't seen in a long time." She paused, seeing Frigga's eyes widen curiously. "It's your sister, Snowstorm. She's alive."