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Snowfall had always felt safest under her mother’s wings.
It wasn’t a place she found herself often. While she was sure now that Glacier would have gladly let her duck under her wing, considering what she’d felt in the last vision Opal gave her, she hadn’t done it. It wasn’t behavior befitting of a first circle dragonet.
Still, every so often she would allow herself a hug, when everything felt like a little too much.
The only other place she felt that safe was under Blaze’s wings.
The sandwing was warm, but not in the awful way that made her want to claw her own scales off. She was warm like polar bear fur, or the lanterns they lit for the midnight sun.
And Blaze never hesitated to pull one of the princesses into a hug. She had a way of knowing exactly when they needed one. And she could always tell whether they needed a quick brush of the wingtips or to be tucked away under her wings.
Blaze wasn’t the smartest dragon, sure. But she was kind, and she cared. Probably more than most of the other dragons Snowfall had known growing up.
So- when she saw Blaze in the halls of the Sandwing palace, after not having seen her in person since her mother died, she wanted desperately to be tucked under her wings. But Snowfall was the queen, and she couldn’t do things like that. As much as she wanted to.
Still, she nodded back when Blaze bowed to her. That would never not feel unusual.
“Queen Snowfall,” she greeted warmly. “You look radiant.”
“Thank you,” Snowfall replied, failing to squash down her smile. “Perhaps… perhaps we could go for a flight? Later?”
“That sounds wonderful.”
Snowfall felt lighter as she continued to her meeting with Queen Thorn.
❄️❄️❄️
After the meeting, they met on one of the high rooftops of the palace.
Snowfall and Blaze took to the skies. It was blisteringly hot, but there was enough wind in their scales that Snowfall could tolerate it.
She could admit, the golden sands below her looked beautiful. She could almost understand why so many dragons loved it in the sand kingdom.
“How was your meeting?” Blaze asked.
“It went well,” Snowfall answered. “Queen Thorn has a lot of good ideas. She’s… a good queen.”
“Better than I would have been,” Blaze laughed.
Snowfall grinned back. As much as she loved Blaze, she could admit she wasn’t the best dragon to rule the sand kingdom.
“I’m proud of you, Snowfall.” Blaze smiled softly. “You’re an amazing queen and a wonderful dragon. Your mother would be so, so proud.”
“Do you really think so?” Snowfall asked quietly. She’d already known that, but hearing it from Blaze… if anyone knew Glacier, it was her.
“I know so,” Blaze said firmly. “You remind me of her, you know.”
“Thank you.” Snowfall’s voice was a little shaky.
“You’re just as determined, and caring, and fiercely kind as she was,” Blaze continued. “You carry yourself the same way, and you love your dragons like she did. You are every bit your mother’s daughter.”
Snowfall had heard that from countless dragons, but it was so much warmer coming from Blaze. No one else had loved Glacier the way she had. No one else knew her like Blaze did.
Silently, Snowfall wondered if she was anything like Blaze. She wanted to be. She wanted to be like Blaze.
(Like her mother.)