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The last two months had been, without a single doubt, the greatest period of Winter’s entire existence.
If someone had told the arrogant IceWing prince a year ago that his happiest days would be spent in exile, far from the glittering palaces of the Ice Kingdom, and hopelessly in love with a NightWing, he would have frozen them solid on the spot. Yet, here he was. Ever since that fateful afternoon overlooking the peaks of Jade Mountain, when the dam holding back his pride had finally broken and he had confessed his feelings to Moonwatcher - and she, miraculously, had returned them - Winter’s world had completely shifted.
He had taken the matter of their relationship with the utmost seriousness. Being an exile of the Ice Kingdom didn't mean he had to abandon his dignity, nor did it mean Moon deserved anything less than the greatest respect of traditional IceWing courtship. He had hunted for her, bringing her the finest, most difficult catches he could manage - a massive eagle from the highest peaks near Jade Mountain, and a mountain goat with horns like curved daggers. He had also presented her with gifts of silver and rare, glittering quartz carved into a miniature flower by his own claws.
Moon had accepted these gestures with a mixture of endearment and amusement. She didn't really care much about the rigid IceWing courting, but she knew how much they mattered to him. She had worn the quartz flower on a woven vine necklace every day since. He was proud and fulfilled, he had actually followed through the courting practice to a tee and he was about to take their relationship to the next level. Moon, however, decide to drop a reality check right then and there.
"It's beautiful, Winter," she had said, admiring the quartz flower. "But you know, for NightWings, courting is a bit different. And usually...well, it involves both of our families. We should probably go to the Rainforest soon. I think it's time you properly met my mother."
Winter had stopped breathing. He had literally choked on the piece of frozen fish he was eating, coughing violently while Moon patted his back with a concerned frown.
Families.
Winter’s family was out of the question. He was an exile, dead to them in the ways that mattered, a disgrace to the royal family. But Moon’s family? Moon had a mother. She still has Secretkeeper.
The realization had been a slow-creeping frost over his nerves. He, an IceWing - a tribe historically despised by NightWings, a tribe that had been locked in a bitter, bloody feud with Moon’s ancestors for over two thousand years - was going to have to stand before Secretkeeper and ask for her daughter's talons. To say Winter was terrified would be a laughable and serious understatement.
For the past week, he had barely slept and today is the day they would march towards his doom. He had spent hours pacing the floor of his cave, his tail lashing, his frostbreath escaping in anxious little puffs that left his furnitures coated in rime. He had read and re-read every scroll in the library regarding NightWing customs, only to find that most of them were written by biased SeaWings or outdated SandWing scholars. Why the hell did no NightWing ever document their own culture? Do NightWings expect a dowry? Do they require a trial of combat? Would Secretkeeper take one look at his shimmering white scales and immediately demand he be thrown into a volcano?
"You are overthinking this," a gentle voice interrupted his frantic pacing.
Winter snapped his head up. Moonwatcher was standing in the entrance of his cave, the quartz flower resting against her chest. Her dark green eyes, that was once full of anxiety, were focused entirely on him with profound warmth. Because of the skyfire armband strapped securely to his forearm, she couldn't read his mind, but she didn't need to. His panic was written in the rigid line of his spine and the flared spikes along his neck.
"I am not overthinking," Winter said, his voice coming out a bit more breathless than he intended. He stopped pacing and forcefully smoothed down his spikes. "I am....okay I might be overthinking this."
Moon laughed, a soft, chiming sound that made Winter’s chest ache with affection. She stepped into the freezing cave, shivering slightly but ignoring the chill as she walked up to him and bumped her snout against his. "It's going to be fine, Winter. You're just meeting my mother."
"Your mother," Winter repeated, the words tasting like ash. "A NightWing mother who raised her incredibly precious daughter in complete secrecy in the rainforest to protect her from the rest of her tribe. A mother who is famously protective. A mother who, statistically speaking, likely harbors a deep-seated hatred for my kind."
"My mother doesn't hate IceWings," Moon reassured him, wrapping her tail around his. "She just cares about me."
"Exactly!" Winter threw his talons up in the air. "She cares about you! And what mother in her right mind would want her brilliant, beautiful, daughter to tie herself to a disgraced, exiled IceWing with a horrible temper?"
Moon’s expression softened. She reached up, placing her warm talons against his cold cheeks. "Winter. Stop. You are not just a disgraced exile, and your temper has gotten much better. You are brave, and fiercely loyal, and you have the best heart of anyone I know. She will see that. Because I see that."
Winter leaned into her touch, closing his eyes for a brief moment. He wanted to believe her. By the moons, he wanted to believe her. "What if she doesn't?" he whispered, the vulnerability slipping through his regal facade. "Moon, if she denies us... if she says I am not worthy of you... there is nothing I could do about it. I respect the laws of family too much. It would destroy me."
Moon stroked his cheek scales, her thumb tracing the jagged edge of his face. "She won't deny us, Winter. I promise." She stepped closer, closing the distance between them until they were completely pressed together, her warmth seeping into his icy scales. "My mother doesn't dictate my heart. Even if she didn't like you - which isn't going to happen - she wouldn't force me to leave you. NightWings don't have the same strict rules as your tribe. We are allowed to choose."
"But her blessing matters to you," Winter insisted, closing his eyes as he felt Moon's talon on the side of his face
"Yes, it does," Moon admitted softly. "I love her, and I want her to see the dragon I fell in love with. But she will, Winter. Because I’m going to be right there with you."
Winter took a deep breath, steeling himself. "Alright. Fine. I will trust you. What should I expect? Has she mentioned anything about me? Was the tone of her letters welcoming when you told her about us?"
Moon’s talons suddenly froze on his face.
Winter opened his eyes. Moon was looking slightly to the left, suddenly very fascinated by his bedding in the corner of his cave. A faint, nervous flush was creeping up the dark scales of her neck.
"Moon?" Winter asked, a new, sharper kind of dread pooling in his stomach. "What did she say when you told her we were courting?"
"Well," Moon started, her voice pitching up half an octave. "The thing is..."
"Moonwatcher."
"I...might not have technically...exactly...told her yet?"
The silence that followed was so profound it could have shattered glass. Winter stared at her, his dark blue eyes wide, his brain entirely stalling. Suddenly, he felt lightheaded.
"You..." Winter started, his voice a low, dangerous whisper. "You have not told her."
"I was going to!" Moon said hurriedly, stepping back and holding up her talons defensively. "I really was! But every time I wrote a letter, it felt so impersonal. 'Dear Mother, the weather is nice, I’m dating an IceWing, please send more mangoes.' It just didn't seem right! I wanted to tell her in person. So that she could see how happy I am!"
Winter felt as though he were free-falling from the highest peak of the Ice Kingdom. He was going to have a heart attack. A literal, physical heart attack. He pressed a talon to his chest to ensure his heart had not actually exploded.
"Let me be sure I am comprehending this," Winter said, his voice trembling with barely contained panic. "We are flying to the rainforest today. To meet your mother. To introduce me as your partner. And she is currently under the impression that I am... what? A random classmate? A passing acquaintance?"
"A very good friend!" Moon offered with a weak, apologetic smile.
"I am going to die," Winter announced to nobody. He turned and walked toward his bed of furs, dramatically throwing himself onto them. "I am going to be murdered by a NightWing in the middle of a jungle, and my body will be eaten by panthers, and no one will ever find me."
"Winter, you're being dramatic." Moon walked over, prodding his side. "C'mon, get up."
"I cannot get up. I am paralyzed by my impending doom, which you indirectly orchestrated."
Moon sighed, a mixture of exasperation and deep affection. She climbed onto the furs, curling up against his side despite his freezing scales. "I am sorry," she murmured, resting her chin on his shoulder. "I should have warned you. Or I should have told her. But I promise you, I will do all the talking at first. I will break the news. All you have to do is stand there, look incredibly handsome, and be polite."
Winter grumbled, burying his snout in his paws. He could feel her warmth seeping into his side, a stark contrast to his own icy nature. It was that warmth that gave him the strength to eventually lift his head.
"If she kills me," Winter muttered, "I want you to know that I am holding you personally responsible."
"Noted," Moon smiled, kissing the top of his head. "Now come on. We have a long flight to the rainforest, and we don't want to keep her waiting."
Winter sighed as he got up and walked outside with Moon. Perhaps he could regain his nerves during the journey there.
The flight to the rainforest did absolutely nothing to soothe Winter’s shattered nerves.
It didn't help that he completely forgot to bring the one thing he deemed crucial. I should have brought a gift Winter mentally kicked himself. A peace offering. But what does a NightWing mother like? Roasted cow? Scrolls? I should have brought a scroll.
Moon didn't give him enough time to panic. "The NightWing village is just ahead," Moon called back to him, banking gracefully around a massive mahogany tree.
Winter swallowed hard. His throat felt dry despite the suffocating humidity. He adjusted his posture, forcing his spine straight, lifting his chin, and trying to channel every ounce of aristocratic confidence his parents had ever instilled in him. I am Winter of the IceWings. I am a survivor of the Diamond Trial. I have fought in wars and faced Darkstalker. I can handle a mother.
They landed on a wide, sturdy wooden platform suspended high in the branches. The NightWing village was a sprawling network of these platforms, connected by woven vine bridges. Several NightWings turned to look at them as they landed, their dark eyes widening slightly at the sight of an IceWing in their midst. Winter ignored their stares, keeping his focus entirely on Moon.
"Her hut is this way," Moon said, leading him down a slightly narrower bridge.
Winter’s talons clacked loudly against the wood. Every step felt like a march to the executioner's block. He nervously adjusted the skyfire pouch on his forearm.
They arrived at a modest, well-built hut nestled between two massive branches. Woven tapestries hung in the doorway, swaying gently in the humid breeze. A faint smell of roasting boar and crushed herbs wafted from within.
"Hello?" Moon called out, stepping through the tapestries.
Winter hesitated for a second before forcing himself to follow her inside.
The interior was cozy, lit by filtered sunlight through the leaves. In the center of the room, standing over a stone hearth, was a familiar large NightWing that he saw briefly back when he was pursuing his sister.
Secretkeeper.
She turned around to greet whoever it was standing in her doorway, and her face immediately broke into a massive, radiant smile at the sight of her daughter. "Moon!" she cried out, dropping the wooden stirring spoon she was holding and rushing forward. She threw her wings around Moon, pulling her into a tight, fierce embrace. "Oh, my beautiful girl. It feels like you've been away for years."
"I missed you too, Mother," Moon said, burying her face in Secretkeeper’s shoulder.
Winter stood rigidly near the entrance, trying to make himself look both respectable and entirely non-threatening, which was a difficult task for a dragon built like a colossal iceberg.
Secretkeeper pulled back, her eyes crinkling with joy. "Let me look at you. You look so healthy. The mountain air is doing you good." Then, her gaze shifted over Moon’s shoulder, and she finally seemed to process the massive, gleaming white dragon standing in her living room.
The warmth in Secretkeeper’s eyes vanished, replaced instantly by a sharp, calculating vigilance. The smile slowly vanished from her face, replaced by a mask of intense wariness.
"And you brought a friend," Secretkeeper said, her voice smooth, deep, and carrying a distinct edge of caution. "Winter, is it? The IceWing from your winglet."
Winter swallowed. He bowed, deeply and formally, keeping his eyes respectfully lowered. "Greetings, Secretkeeper. I am Winter. It is an honor to stand in your home."
Silence hung in the humid air, thick and heavy.
Secretkeeper did not blink. She looked down at him, her dark eyes unreadable. Winter held his bow, his muscles locking, refusing to rise until he was acknowledged. Please say something, he thought desperately. Please don't just stare at me.
"Moonwatcher," Secretkeeper said, her voice losing all of its previous warmth and replacing it with steel. "Remind me again, this IS the same IceWing that came with you back then, yes? The one that likes to threaten the face of dragons he found looking at him wrong?"
"Yes, you are correct Mother," Moon sighed softly, stepping out from behind Secretkeeper’s wing and moving to stand next to Winter as he slowly rise up from his bow. "He's been my clawmate and my best friend since we started at Jade Mountain. We've been through so much together."
Secretkeeper’s gaze flicked back to Winter, assessing him like a predator calculating the worth of its prey. "An IceWing best friend. How... progressive." She took a step closer to Winter. He forced himself not to step back. "I assume you are here on some sort of school assignment? A cultural exchange?"
"Not exactly," Moon interjected before Winter could speak.
Moon took a deep breath. She reached out and, to Winter's horror, gently intertwined her dark talons with Winter’s pale ones. Winter felt his soul briefly leave his body.
"Mother," Moon said, her voice clear and proud. "Winter isn't just my friend. He's my partner. We've been courting for the last two months."
For a long, terrifying moment, the only sound in the hut was the distant sound of NightWing crowd.
Secretkeeper stared at their joined talons. Then she looked up at Winter’s face, then back to Moon. Her expression was completely unreadable.
"Courting," Secretkeeper repeated flatly.
"Yes," Moon said.
"An IceWing."
"Yes."
Secretkeeper slowly closed her eyes, took a deep breath through her nose, and pinched the bridge of her snout. "Moonwatcher. Would you be kind enough leave my hut for awhile? I need to speak with the IceWing. Alone."
"Mother, wait-"
"Now, Moonwatcher."
Moon hesitated, looking from her mother’s fierce expression to Winter’s terrified face. Winter squeezed her talon gently, a silent plea. Go, he thought. If I am to face my doom, I must do it with dignity.
"It's okay, Moon," Winter managed to say, his voice remarkably steady despite the hurricane of panic inside his chest. "I will be fine."
Moon looked deeply uncertain, but the conditioned obedience of a daughter to her mother won out. She slowly unlaced her talons from his. "Okay. I'll just be outside." She gave Winter one last, agonizingly sympathetic look before turning and walking away towards the door, disappearing from his sight.
Winter was alone with the dragoness.
Secretkeeper gestured with a wing toward a small alcove at the back of the hut, separated by a thin woven screen. "In here, IceWing."
Winter followed her. The alcove was small, making the sheer size difference between them less apparent, though Winter was still noticeably larger than her. Secretkeeper sat down on a woven mat and motioned for him to do the same. He sat, keeping his tail curled neatly around his talons.
"Let us dispense with the pleasantries," Secretkeeper said, her voice low enough that Moon wouldn't hear over the crackling fire. "You are an IceWing. A tribe that has slaughtered mine for centuries. A tribe known for its arrogance, its superiority complex, and its cruelty. And you are sitting in my home, telling me you are courting my daughter. The daughter I sacrificed everything to hide and protect."
Winter met her gaze steadily. "Everything you said about my tribe is true. I will not deny our history. And I will not deny that I was raised to hate NightWings."
"Then why are you here?" she demanded, her eyes flashing.
"Because Moonwatcher is the exception to everything I was ever taught," Winter said. The words came out entirely genuine, stripped of his usual arrogant haughtiness. "When I met her, I was angry, bitter, and bound by a sense of duty that I hated. She saw past all of that. She showed me kindness when I deserved none. She is the bravest, most compassionate dragon I have ever known." The words kept tumbling out of his mouth, "I am an exile, Secretkeeper. I have no kingdom to offer her. I have no palace, no royal title anymore. But I offer her my life. I offer her my talons to defend her, my wings to shelter her, and my heart to love her."
Secretkeeper remained silent, but the harshness in her posture relaxed slightly.
"Do you know what I went through to keep her safe?" Secretkeeper softly whispered. "I lied to my Queen and my mate. I hid my daughter in a jungle filled with creatures that wanted to eat her. I lived every single day in absolute, paralyzing terror that someone would find her, that someone would take her away from me, or hurt her."
"I know," Winter said softly, the stiffness dropping from his posture, leaving only the raw, honest truth. "She told me. You are the bravest dragon I have ever heard of."
Secretkeeper’s eyes narrowed slightly, searching his face for any hint of mockery or deceit. Finding none, she let out a long breath, some of the tension finally leaving her shoulders.
"She didn't tell me," Secretkeeper murmured, almost to herself. "She wrote to me every week, and she didn't mention you."
"She was afraid," Winter admitted softly. "And...so was I. I was terrified you would look at my scales and hate me before I ever had a chance to speak."
Secretkeeper finally looked up, meeting Winter’s eyes. For the first time, Winter saw the resemblance between her and Moon. It wasn't just the dark scales; it was the depth of emotion in her eyes, the overwhelming capacity for love.
"I don't care about your scales, Winter," Secretkeeper said, her tone much gentler now, though still carrying a mother's authority. "I care about whether or not you will break her heart."
"I would sooner tear out my own," Winter stated, without a shred of hesitation.
Secretkeeper studied him for a long moment. She was looking for a lie, for any sign of deception. But Winter had nothing left to hide. He laid his soul bare for her, letting her see the depth of his devotion to her daughter.
Finally, the edges of Secretkeeper’s mouth twitched upward into a small, reluctant smile. "You are very dramatic. Just like she is."
Winter blinked, caught off guard. "I... suppose I can be."
"Listen to me Winter," Secretkeeper leaned forward, her voice dropping to a whisper. "If you ever hurt her. If you ever make her cry, or if your IceWing politics ever put her in danger...there is no corner in Pyrrhia where you will be able to hide from me. I survived the volcano. I survived raising a dragonet in secret. I can most definitely end you."
It was a death threat. A terrifying, genuine death threat from a mother.
Winter had never felt so relieved in his entire life.
He bowed his head, a genuine smile breaking across his snout. "I understand completely, Secretkeeper. And I accept those terms."
Secretkeeper sighed, shaking her head as she stood up. "Come on. The boar is probably burning, and Moon is likely having an anxiety attack waiting for you."
Winter stood, his legs feeling more like a jelly compared to when he walked in. As they stepped back out to the living room, they found Moon peeking from the doorway, her eyes wide and anxious, darting between Winter’s face and her mother’s.
Secretkeeper walked over to her stone hearth to continue her cooking. "Well," she said casually, picking up the wooden spoon once again. "He is exceedingly polite, I will give him that."
Moon stared at her mother, then looked at Winter. Winter gave her a small, triumphant nod.
The tension practically evaporated from the room. Moon’s shoulders slumped in massive relief, and a radiant smile broke across her face. She practically tackled Winter, throwing her wings around his neck and burying her snout in his cold scales.
"You did it," she whispered into his neck.
Winter wrapped his wings around her, closing his eyes as a profound sense of peace finally washed over him. The anxiety that had plagued him for weeks was entirely gone.
"I told you," Winter whispered back, unable to keep the smugness entirely out of his voice, though his heart was overflowing with love. "I survived worse, I can survive your mother."
Secretkeeper snorted from across the room, shaking her head as she began to slice the boar. "IceWings. So dramatic. Come sit down, both of you. Winter, you look like you're about to faint from the heat. Tell me how my daughter managed to tolerate an arrogant prince for two whole months. Oh, and I suppose you may call me mother from now on."
Winter laughed, a real, genuine sound that surprised even him. He pulled back, looking into Moon’s bright, happy eyes, and realized that he truly was exactly where he was meant to be. Exiled, far from the place he once called home, surrounded by NightWings, but completely and undeniably happy.