Chapter Text
Snow spun through the air in shimmering gusts, glinting like shards of glass under the pale Ice Kingdom sun. Two dragonets tumbled through the drifts of the vast palace courtyard — one a bright, laughing blur of silver-blue scales, the other smaller, steadier, her twisted lavender wings tucked close to her sides against the wind.
'Bet you can’t hit me, Frazil!' Princess Mistral called, flinging a snowball that shattered harmlessly against her friend’s pale purple shoulder.
Frazil snorted, shaking the frost off her side. 'You throw like a RainWing.'
'That’s treason,' Mistral declared, puffing herself up. Her horns caught the sunlight like shards of ice. 'You’ll regret that, peasant!'
They darted around each other, wings stirring up flurries, the courtyard echoing with squeals and laughter. Mistral stayed grounded, chasing and nudging her friend playfully. Frazil's twisted wings flapped once, trying to catch the breeze they would never be strong enough to glide through.
Then Mistral stopped, staring down at a lumpy heap of snow between them.
'Behold!' she said dramatically, stamping her talons into the snow. 'The mighty Snow King!'
Frazil rolled her eyes. 'It looks more like a — '
'Shh!' Mistral interrupted, grinning. 'Watch this. By the power of the IceWings — uh — I order you to turn into a snowdragon!'
The words left her mouth in a burst of frostbreath that glittered in the sun. For a heartbeat, nothing happened. Then the heap of snow twitched. Packed frost gathered into limbs, spikes, a snout, two uneven eyes made of ice chips. The snowdragon rose shakily to its feet.
Both dragonets froze.
'Mistral,' Frazil whispered. 'You — '
Mistral didn’t hear her. Suddenly, a sharp, searing pain shot down her side. She screamed, glancing back. One of her scales — halfway down her tail — was gone, leaving a raw patch of pale flesh that stung in the cold air.
'My scale!' the dragonet wailed, her breath hitching. Blood ran down her tail like a warm river, dripping to the snow. 'I — it hurts!'
Frazil stepped closer, eyes wide. 'You’re bleeding!'
Mistral recoiled, wings trembling. 'I have to tell Mother!'
She bolted across the courtyard, snow kicking up under her claws. Frazil took off after her, her little snout twisted with worry.
Inside the grand IceWing throne room, Queen Aurora sat on her throne and tented a wing over her princess as the dragonet babbled through tears.
'It hurts,' The silver-blue dragonet sniffled. 'My scale went away . . . I'm bleeding . . . '
'Dragonets play rough,' Aurora said. 'You and Frazil scratched each other, that’s all. Don’t fret, my little blizzard.'
'I didn't do anything!' Frazil yelped from the base of the throne, shifting on her claws and flapping her stunted wings. 'I didn't — I wouldn't — '
'I didn't say you did, dragonet.' Queen Aurora held out a grey talon for her to take. 'You and my daughter are good friends, and accidents happen. You will not be punished for this.' Frazil climbed up into the throne and tucked her snout under Mistral's chin, the two dragonets huddling together for comfort.
'Mother,' Mistral mumbled again, looking up. 'I — I told the snow in the courtyard to become a snowdragon, and it . . . it did.'
Aurora looked down, a sudden sparkle in her eye. 'If the snow moved, it was because you told it to. Maybe there’s more to my daughter than I thought.' She tilted Mistral’s chin up with a talon, pride gleaming in her eyes. 'An animus dragon in the royal line again. What a gift to the tribe.'
Mistral blinked through her tears. Animus? A gift to the tribe? Me?
Frazil twined her tail with Mistral's, neither dragonet yet understanding the impact of this discovery.
Outside, the wind howled against the palace walls, scattering the snowman’s remains across the ice.