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It had been some time since their little plot began, several years to be exact. Ever since little Arctic had let his heart fly away with him, Diamond left stunned and enraged.
Together they had adjusted, calculated, slid the pieces together right under their soon-to-be-ex-Queen’s nose.
Snowfox and Snowflake, afterall, were a powerful pair. Fox was sly and sharp-tongued where Snowflake’s words stumbled and failed her. Snowflake was collected and ever-too-good at seeming harmless when Fox was all too prideful and subject to outbursts.
They planned, weaving in and out of each other’s ideas to bind the weaknesses and strengthen the pinpoints. They worked together, Snowflake subtle and cautious while Fox navigated the more complex parts and interactions. They enjoyed time together, Snowflake able to exist as she was without her empty mask and Fox having someone that actually understood her.
Diamond would never even see it coming.
Fox and Snowflake were at the bottom of her priority list, they were, afterall, nothing compared to her magical son.
Snowflake wasn’t worth keeping an eye on, she couldn’t give Diamond her little animus heirs now, and Fox? Well, Fox had always been a simple necessity, for Diamond never had luck with daughters, only sons. It also wasn’t like Diamond had let any of her other sisters live long to have more. One dragon to inherit the throne after she died was plenty.
“What a pity she lacks foresight.” Fox spun the drink she held in a tight little circle, watching the dark liquid swish around inside. The icewing smiled, glancing to her partner in crime. “Maybe she wouldn’t be feeling so unfortunately ill these days.”
An unfortunate occurrence indeed, for you see, an icewing rarely gets sick. At least those that live within and in close proximation of the castle.
Snowflake gave the barest hint of a smile, eyes knowing and glinting. “You should really hold your tongue.”
“Want a sip,” Fox questioned with a grin, leaning forward. She chuckled as Snowflake rolled her eyes, brushing away the comment with an absent wave.
“Have you reduced the dosage for the challenge?”
“Of course, I’ve been having to, need her to be able to accept. An icewing’s resistance is just delightful.” Fox scratched at her face as she huffed. “Besides, that sandwing has been getting pricey. Might as well do it now.” She set her drink aside, pausing to extend her glimmering claws, sharpened to the point they shined like carved ice.
Snowflake moved to idly take the other’s talon in hers, examining each claw one by one before smirking at Fox. “How many times a day have you been sharpening them?” The icewing kissed the other’s knuckles as Fox rolled her eyes.
“I want a quick in and out, who knows what she may do. Maybe she’d even go as lowly as to use her magic.”
“Carve out her tongue, freeze her mouth shut, and it shouldn’t be a problem anymore.”
Fox moved to lift Snowflake’s chin with a claw, smiling. “Oh, I love how brutal you are.”
Snowflake smiled right on back, moving to ease a kiss from her partner. Fox sank into the gesture before giving a pout as Snowflake broke off.
As she moved back a bit, Snowflake whispered in an eager hiss, “And I can’t wait to see you carve her open.”
Fox chuckled, winking at the other, “I’ll let you have the best view.”
“You better.”
With a few more secret smiles and hushed exchanges, they separated.
Time to finally see things through, after all these years, they were ready to kill Diamond.
~
Diamond, despite what rumors and crude whispers would say, was not a fool. There was a difference between being ignorant, and being assured in one’s own ability. But she knew that dragons were selfish and waiting for a chance to better their own situations.
The icewing knew several things others thought she was unaware of; for example, she knew that her niece was up to something. What that was, well she didn’t exactly care, but she wasn’t daft to the younger waltzing about and taking full opportunity of Diamond’s illness to practice being queen.
She also knew that her ignorant son, the only one she considered so for the others were quite dull and useless, had had dragonets with that damned nightwing. A truly repulsive act, a taint placed upon their lineage once more.
Diamond also knew, that for whatever reason, that noble she’d set up to be engaged to her son was now protecting him. Perhaps out of some barely convinced affection, or more likely, out of irritation from having the chance of heirs taken from her.
Afterall, it’s not like the noble was worth much else, it would have been such an honor to have a prince’s daughters.
Diamond huffed, sipping from her elegant, jewel-encrusted goblet, listening as a servant read aloud the letters and carvings that had been delivered to her along with her current meal. Nothing a couple polar bears and a fatty caribou couldn’t do for her sour mood, though at least that irritating headache of hers had eased up.
She should have listened to her advisors about forgoing meetings with those lower classed dragons several months ago. Who knows what diseases they had been carrying, living on the outskirts and closer towards that damned desert.
Disgusting. The queen sighed, laying back with another long swig. Today felt like it was going to drag on for ages.
She hadn’t had an interesting day in so long.
~
It was dawn, several days having proceeded between secret meetings, and now, Fox was ready.
Diamond had, in wonderful timing, recovered miraculously from whatever mysterious alignment had been plaguing her. She was back to her duties, back to trying to drag her troublesome son home, and, fully back as queen.
With all the lovely queen duties one could imagine. With all the lovely dictations of ruling the icewing tribe.
Would be a pity if someone were to challenge her, wouldn’t it?
~
Snowflake gazed at the queen with a cool shell of indifference, gaze half-lidded as she listened to the prattle and idlings of the queen’s court.
Several nobles here, servants ducking about to fill goblets or pass reports between dragons, and the queen sat glaring at an empty chair.
Fox was nearby, the royal listening with barely hidden boredom. They were waiting for an opening. Snowflake wanted to see Diamond’s full expression when Fox announced her challenge, and Fox knew that.
The icewing talking, some general or whatever, who cares, finally snapped his trap with an audible creak, the mess of skin and bones all sorts of gray and dusty.
A moment, the queen looked back with a slow exhale of frost, mouth easing open with a hiss, “Very well.”
The general looked disappointed at being brushed aside so simply, Snowflake was casually amused.
“Any more things to report or bring to my knowledge?” That head turned to regally contuine her staring match with empty air, eyes narrowing in annoyance when Arctic hadn’t magically reappeared.
A quiet, Snowflake leaned in with a subtle dip of her head towards Fox. Fox met her gaze with a smile, then she stood.
“Yes, actually.”
Diamond rolled her eyes, “And what is that, Snowfox?” The queen’s tongue gave a disapproving flick.
“I, Snowfox, royal-born, ranking 1st circle, challenge you, Queen Diamond, for your title.”
The air chilled. Gazes dipped towards the younger with hisses and sputters. Queen Diamond turned slowly, blinking in apparent surprise before her face morphed into a disappointed glower.
She rose, head raised significantly to stare down her niece, those sharp and ever-too dark eyes narrowing further. Her wings, rippled in dark sways of cloth, opened and spread. A clear showcasing of the significant size difference between them, one glistening talon settled on the table with a silencing thud.
Her claws began to tap slowly, a low dangerous rhythm, jewels and rings glistening contrastingly againist blinding white scales.
The silence and growing tension made a delighted shiver run down Snowflake’s back, breath caught in her throat as the queen leaned in slowly, ever-so-white teeth bared beautifully against blue gums.
“Is that so?”
The message was clear. I am giving you a chance right now to back down. I am giving you this chance to reclaim your challenge. Otherwise, I will kill you.
Fox smiled, all teeth, “Indeed.”
Diamond’s jaws shut, a low chuckle rumbling from her throat. Then she sneered, dropping down with a low rattling of her elegant spines, “Very well.”
The challenge accepted, everyone got up to see the preceding fight.
Fox glanced briefly at Snowflake and Snowflake gave her an approving nod. Fox gave a sly, shy smile. Then she was following after her aunt.
~
Fox removed her first circle chain, her bracelets, and her shimmering rings. She could see where Diamond had unclipped her flowing cape, untwining the dark loops of fabric that hung from her horns, removing her earrings, etc.
Fox had never seen a challenge, but she knew of the basics regarding it, as the only female heir she had to know.
After the official challenge was accepted, the combatants would head outside to a wide area, choosing to remove any jewelry or accessories they thought would possibly cause a disadvantage to them off at the sidelines. Often most dragons would simply remove more decorative pieces while keeping claw extensions or other idle things like that.
Fox, however, selected to remove all jewelry and accessories, including the silver spine caps she’d chose to wore this morning.
Diamond, noting this, did similarly. And truthfully, it was one of the few moments Fox had seen her aunt without that grasping silver crown, glinting gems in her ears, obsidian talon sheaths, or flowing fabric decor.
She was… surprisingly beautiful even without it all. It was simply fact.
For the queen was almost entirely an abnormal, haunting white.
Her talons glistened like polished quartz, her horns carved from glacier ice, her scales shone like the purest of snow, her wings the same color as silken white pelts.
The only color that truly shone upon her perfect, intimating figure was the dark blue of her eyes (nearly black in their intensity), and the almost invisible blue scales along her wing tips. Like a subtle clue of hidden sapphires buried under the ice, just barely showing through as the sun hit them just right.
She truthfully hurt to look at. Large, sleek, regal in all the ways one could only dream of. Diamond always had stood out like a diamond in the ruff.
Fox was determined though. She was not willing to try and slip her way out of this, for even if the queen allowed it, Snowfox would never be able to look at herself in the mirror again.
The icewing took a slow, calming breath. In and out, powerful as the dark arctic waves, as steady as the mountain peaks, as clever as the lone snow cat. Her aunt had the advantage of experience and size, but Snowfox was as crafty as they came.
She looked into the settling crowd, the shifting mass of wings and claws, and through them all, she sought one gaze in particular.
There. Snowflake gazed back, their eyes locked. A smile teased along her partner’s lips and Snowfox felt her mouth curving into a matching ease.
She nodded, Snowflake nodded back.
Fox turned towards her aunt with that grin still plastered on her face. After all this time, everything had settled right into place.
Now to carve Diamond’s heart out.
~
Diamond observed the younger with a shallow dip of her snout, eyes narrowed with a slight hint of annoyance, jaws creaking open with a low, demanding hiss. “I will give you one last chance to back down, Snowfox… a show of my… benevolence.”
The icewing had matters to attend to, things that were more important than this irritating ordeal. She could always have Snowfox locked up if she did decide to yield right then and there. Put her somewhere quiet and isolated, no longer having to deal with the younger’s annoying attitude. And when needed, well they could just fetch her once more.
She really didn’t want to have to raise another dragonet for the purpose of taking the throne just because her niece had as much sense as a bloated narwhal corpse.
Her foolish little niece simply sneered, haughty and ignorant. “Worried, Aunty?”
She growled and with that answer cemented her decision, Diamond figured she could always get one of her sons to have a daughter. Very well.
“You stupid little brat,” The icewing snarled, claws readied to bury into flesh as she lunged.
~
Fox was already in motion as her aunt lunged for her, those gleaming claws outstretched like some vengeful bird of prey. She dodged, claws clinging to the ground tightly, blinking back as the queen skidded to a stop with a snarl.
“Get. Back. Here.”
Diamond wasn’t going to play around or waste time with fancy words or taunts it seemed. Fox already had one more advantage, she’d gotten on the Queen’s nerves.
Those wings spread sharply, aggressively. “Do you think this is a game?”
Fox moved to circle the makeshift battle field as Diamond did like so. “A game would be more fun I’d think.”
”Why you—“
Fox darted inwards. Snapping suddenly onto Diamond’s wing membrane, a dirty move a few in the crowd gasped at. She tore her head back, lunging once more to tear even more of that glorious white skin away, blue already staining that beautiful wing membrane. The royal didn’t care though, this was life or death, she didn’t care for honorable.
Diamond screeched, lashing out and Fox inhaled sharply at the fresh sting along her side, falling back before hurrying to her feet. The queen wasn’t making a move towards her however, simply staring at her own bloodied wing with a sour glare.
The younger hissed softly, looking quickly to her side and the deep cuts caused by the queen’s claws. Fox exhaled slowly, calming her breath. It’d be fine.
Her aunt had turned back towards her, the sparking annoyance quickly becoming a burning inferno. Those dark eyes were alit with growing anger.
“That was quite a dirty move. Targeting a dragon’s most defining feature, hm?”
Fox didn’t answer, simply smiling and baring her bloodied teeth.
The queen’s spines rattled sharply, tail lashing harshly. Diamond growled, quickly moving to tackle her, Fox desperately avoiding her grasp, using her spined tail to slam into the older’s face.
Diamond hissed, flinching back, and Fox took the opportunity to inhale a sharp breath. She could feel the chill in her lungs, building into an icy force. The queen looked back up with her jaws wide open before those dark eyes widened quickly.
Fox let the frost loose, Diamond barely avoiding the blast. The younger icewing was admittedly surprised, the queen was certainly quicker to react then she’d given her credit for.
The queen growled lowly, tail lashing as she looked from the spreading ice shards caused by the frostbreath then back towards Fox. “Oh, is that how’ll it’ll be?”
The younger stared, a chill going down her spine at that simple comment. Why… what was— surely she wasn’t implying— no… she must be. No. Surely she wouldn’t… would she?
Diamond struck out, tail catching Fox across the face and chest, the younger yelping as she went falling back. Her claws gripped desperately to whatever she could as she slipped and rolled further. Her head spun, eyes shooting open.
The queen was already stalking over, wings spreading wider and wider, shadowing the area around them. Diamond glowed like a luminous, full moon in a starless haunt. Fox felt her heart begin to beat faster.
She scrambled to her feet, stumbling back. Had to play it smart. Had to play it clever. She had to stop getting cocky—
“Where’s that smile?” The voice hissed like a claw against glass, sharp and dangerous. “I tired to let you back out.”
Fox lowered herself into a crouch, widening her eyes. Lower your wings, look smaller, vulnerable.
“I warned you,” Diamond loved the sound of her own voice, “And then you decided to play dirty and weak.”
The royal gaped her jaw, slowly inhaling as the frost built once more. Allow a tremble to your stance, an anxiety the queen will take as victory.
“Now look where we are.” The queen lowered herself so they were closer to one another, her teeth bared wickedly. “You always were all talk, weren’t you?”
She closed her mouth. Readying.
“What a pit—“
Fox didn’t let her finish that statement. A turmoil of ice and cold released and latched onto the queen’s face, those dark, dark eyes wild with brief realization.
The ice began its spread, Diamond screaming as it crawled across her snout, up her scales, into her eyes.
The ice spread like a grasping vine, it consumed like a hungry disease, it clung like cold to death.
The queen’s head, either fortunately or not, had moved just slightly before the blast had made contact. It had hit where it wouldn’t end up sealing her mouth closed as Fox had desired, but the damage was done either way. Her voice peaked in shrill screeches.
“YOU IGNORANT BEAST! YOU CONCEITED BRAT!”
The audience watched in horror as their queen stumbled back, howling as her claws reached desperately for her face. Her claws scraped wildly against the ice, unfocused and ever-too frantic, cutting into the ice and even her own face.
She swung her head wildly, as though a serpent without its head, coiling on herself in her newfound frenzy.
“I’LL KILL YOU! I’LL ENCHANT YOUR TEETH TO FALL OUT! I’LL TEAR YOUR FOOLISH LITTLE HEAD FROM YOUR SHOULDERS!”
Her wings flared as though to catch her from a free-fall, droplets of brilliant blue blood splattering across the area as she did so. There was blue staining her wing, blue staining her head, and blue staining her claws now. Diamond fell, still trying to claw the ice off, wild and panicked.
The crowd of watching icewings was deathly silent now, as though they’d been frozen in place. Fox sneered.
She began to approach, stalking slowly and lowly. Diamond panted wildly, trembling as she stumbled to her feet, head lashing around as she tried to figure out where her niece had gone.
Her jaws opened, and before she could say anything, possibly a spell even with how desperate she’d grown, Fox snapped her jaws around the older’s.
Diamond hissed loudly, stumbling at the new weight ramming into her, Fox snarling as she shook the queen’s snout in her grasp. Her claws scrapped at the larger’s chest and shoulder, trying to keep on as Diamond tried to both keep balance and throw her off.
The icewing let go suddenly, using her wings to wildly bat at her aunt’s head. Diamond swiped at her, ears twitching around. Fox had no issue backing up, licking at her lips with a shaky exhale.
She had to make sure Diamond couldn’t talk, she had to do something quick.
The royal rushed in to bite and crush down on one of her aunt’s forearms, teeth digging in as she shook her head sharply. She ignored how those rigid, piercing scales bit into her mouth, tearing a chunk of skin and scales away from Diamond’s arm after another vicious shake.
A talon slammed sloppily against her head, but it was enough to knock her off, the unexpected action causing her to fall hard. She winced, stunned briefly. Then she was shakily stood once more.
A throb built in her temples, Fox raising a claw to her head, blinking as she saw fresh blue on her claws. Ah. She’d have to hurry this up. Head injuries wouldn’t do her any good.
Diamond was limping though. The queen’s blood pooling around scales and skin, trickling down like a sick mimicry of a waterfall. “You’ll regret this.” The queen shook her head sharply, mouth open as she panted, wings quivering at her sides. “You’ll regret hatching! I’ll—”
The queen was taking in wild breaths and Fox realized that the ice covering her snout was preventing her from getting air through her nostrils. The royal wiped her mouth, then she snapped out, “Come on then. Come kill me you sniveling weasel!”
Diamond’s head swung towards her voice, a low growl her response.
Fox merely tensed, watching.
Then the icewing queen stepped forward slowly, wheezing. Diamond was certainly not looking all that good.
Fox began to move closer once again, eyeing the queen warily. The audience was deathly silent, the sounds of her and Diamond’s pants and steps the only sound now. Her claws felt too loud, the sway of her tail againist the ice too sharp, the catch in her breath all too telling.
She wasn’t made for fighting like this. Fox had to develop other methods to getting her way not only because of the power of words in icewing society, but because while she maintained her status as first circle well enough, she wasn’t as powerful physically as she’d like to claim.
Diamond was stronger then she’d seemed, even if she was supposedly weakened by her and Snowflake’s plan. She wasn’t just dangerous because of her magic.
Fox slammed into Diamond’s side, on the opposite side of her injured leg, and when the queen went to try and use her stance to keep herself upright, the injured leg gave out. She fell hard, a sudden crack echoing out as Diamond gave a gasping hiss of pain.
It didn’t matter, had to keep going. Her claws tore at the older’s jaws, those teeth gleaming and brutal. The queen was trying to speak now, until her talon closed around their prize.
Her other talon desperately tried to keep the queen’s teeth from closing onto her arm as Diamond tried to shake her loose. Fox tore away, and the queen went frozen momentarily.
Her back legs kicked at Diamond’s head as she hurriedly spread her wings to help push herself backwards. A blue, serpentine tongue lashed in her grasp and Fox stared at it passively.
Diamond’s mouth opened and closed wildly, moist gurgling bubbling up as blue began to pour from that gaping maw. The queen tried to stumble to her feet, coughing and desperate.
She stared at her aunt with a cold, cold gaze. Her eyes slid to the torn out tongue as she dropped the twitching thing to the ground. She didn’t have to worry about that animus magic anymore.
Fox began to circle around Diamond’s exhausted form, the queen hadn’t been able to get to her feet it seemed. Too exhausted, too stunned. She didn’t care though, her aunt had misjudged her niece’s capability.
The icewing stepped closer, avoiding wings that were growing weaker and weaker in their flailing, watching idly her aunt’s trembling claws, staring at that limp head.
Fox’s gaze raised to those watching, eyes slowly moving from one dragon to the other. Some looked away quickly, some stared back in horror, others stared in silent awe, but only one mattered to her truly.
When she found Snowflake, her partner was smiling. Fox smiled back slowly, then she crushed her forelimbs against her aunt’s head, the queen giving a weak wriggle before going limp in a gurgling, panting mess.
Her talons traced her aunt’s horns, standing slowly on her hindlegs with purposeful ease. All eyes were on her, everyone seemed to hold their breath, barley daring to breath as their queen so desperately tried to catch her stolen breath.
Her claws closed against those gleaming, elegant horns. They were solid and wonderous, sharp and arching with age. And with the last bit of strength, Fox jerked the older’s head to the side, snapping Diamond’s neck. A shudder, then the body slumped fully.
The panting cut off. The gurgling choked. And Fox slowly walked along to Diamond’s stilled chest.
The icewing tribe watched.
Fox hummed and stood once more, propping herself on the queen’s ribcage. Resting a moment, she preceded to push down, a low creaking sounding before she pushed down sharper in a sudden motion. That flesh tore, the blood splattered, and her tribe watched as she moved to bury her snout into the flesh with a renewed vigor.
No one moved.
Her jaws tore, blood filled her mouth, and she pushed apart Diamond’s ribs. Fox closed her bloodied teeth around a no-longer beating heart.
A wet sound made some in the audience flinch. Fox had pulled her head back, head and chest coated in blue, blue, blue.
Their new queen smiled around the prize held inbetween blue, blue, blue teeth.
And with a careless toss, she threw it towards the crowd.
The dragons scattered, some hurriedly flinching back at the blue, blue, blue spray. Others gagged, stumbling back into others. But one figure remained steadfast, the heart rolling until it bumped into those patient claws.
Snowflake began to laugh, talon enclosing around the organ with a horrid sound. “Really?” The icewing noble was stared at with horror as she absoutely beamed, examining the heart with clear interest. “That was extra.”
Queen Fox smiled back. “I think…” She inhaled and exhaled in puffing breaths, “I won.”
Snowflake shook her head fondly, letting the heart drop carelessly. Then she dipped into a bow. Wings spread regally, head lowered, eyes gazing upon the other with adoration. “All hail Queen Snowfox.”
Voices trembled, whispers sparked up, and then slowly, the icewings began to bow.
~
Snowflake hummed as she watched Fox swim in the dark arctic waters, the now sticky, somewhat crusting blue blood on her scales coming off slowly but surely. Though, the icewing did have to duck her face and head into the shifting waves to get it off from there as well.
Snowflake had already wiped off her claws and palms, scales already gleaming wonderfully once more. Her partner, after the adrenaline wore off, having let Snowflake drag her off to get cleaned.
For while it had surely been hot to see, the noble had a feeling Fox tearing out Diamond’s heart would be something most dragons would be seeing in their haunted dreams later.
Fox would have to regain her ordered look, even if her new queen looked so stupidly cute with that grin of hers. Snowflake leaned in as Fox swam over, the royal born exhaling out a giddy breath as she leaned her forearms onto the ice floe Snowflake had been sprawled upon.
“Well, hello there.” Fox gave a teasing raise of her eye ridges, “What’s someone so beautiful doing out here all alone?”
Snowflake chuckled, laying her head down on her arms, “Oh, nothing much, admiring the view, your highness.”
“Oh, I love how that sounds. Your highness!” Fox’s smile came back just as gleaming and bright. “I’ll admit I was a bit worried about that whole ordeal.”
“Oh, yeah?” The noble paused as a snowflake drifted by her nose. Her gaze trailed upwards as Fox answered her.
“Diamond was a lot stronger than I imagined… oh,” the queen noted a few twirling snowflakes pass by, “is it snowing?”
The two were gazing skyward now, Snowflake humming. “Seems so.”
“Shall we contuine our wonderous conversation inside, my dear?” A huff and Snowflake looked back over to see Fox hoisting herself up, the new queen wincing momentarily. They’d bandaged the gashes along her side and the cuts on her face, but she’d certainly be feeling the aftermath of that fight for awhile.
“Might as well.” Snowflake moved to her partner’s side, a subtle offer of support.
Fox simply nodded, leaning into the other easily. They began to make their way back to the palace as the snow came down harder.
A lone, blue-stained corpse soon enough was covered in the low sprinkling. A quiet burial, a silent farewell, a preceding of one age into the next.
The crown rested upon a new brow.