The CloudWings

29 - Crystal's Choice

Crystal's POV

Crystal lay on her ice shelf, awake and staring out into the endless darkness. She didn't know who to trust anymore. All her life, she had been scapegoated and ostracized by her sisters--she was always regarded as "that stupid little tagalong sister who ruins all our fun." 

And yet what Mist had told her caused her to waver. Maybe Stratus wasn't the right choice after all. Maybe he was too power-hungry, too selfish, too dangerous, only wanting the best for himself and not to share with everyone. 

Was he?

Crystal sighed. She had had no idea how much decision-making it involved to be queen of the IceWings or any other tribe, and now she regretted it, regretted everything, from the moment she, as a dragonet, had yearned to challenge her mother for the throne. 

Water runs thicker than air was their mother's favorite quote. So should she turn to her sisters? Stratus, indeed, was their brother, but now he seemed different. Distant. A tornado roaring away on the horizon, far from them, not someone related to them, not their brother.

Give second chances, their mother had also said frequently. She had been a great fan of "forgive and forget," but that didn't mean that she was always correct, right?

It was true that sometimes, or always, Stratus's comments and ideas had sounded a little iffy, but before, Crystal had never questioned them. Now, as Mist pulled the veil of gullibility from Crystal's eyes, she could see more than just Stratus's way of saying and seeing things.

A decision abruptly leaped into her mind. I choose to ally with Lightbringer, Glade, Sandstorm, Drizzle, Hibiscus and Mist. Stratus can do whatever he wants. We are united now, the eight sisters from the prophecy, and we will defeat him and his scheming plans.

The next morning, she called Mist upstairs. "I have made my decision."

Here we switch to Mist's POV

Mist knew that Crystal would decide by today, because she had accidentally enchanted her to do so. But nevertheless, she fought to put a happily surprised expression on her face. "Really? What--who do you want as your ally? Which side do you choose?" She was mentally crossing her talons that it would be her and Lightbringer and the others.

A silence. It seemed to last for eternities but was only a few heartbeats.

"You. You and your sisters. Our sisters. After all, Mother did say that water runs thicker than air, right?" The words sounded like a beautiful melody in Mist's ears. "And just to be clear, air doesn't run at all!" Both dragons laughed, and Mist felt as though a great stone burden had been lifted from her back. "How are you enjoying your stay here?"

"It's wonderful! It's beautiful, the palace, the scenic areas, they're all so amazing!" Mist smiled. "I love it here!"

"Maybe you can become an IceWing later," Crystal said thoughtfully. "After Stratus is defeated, the Cloud Kingdom will probably fall, and you will have to move somewhere else. Maybe you could consider moving in? If you don't mind the cold, of course." She frowned, as if just realizing that Mist could be uncomfortable because of the low temperatures. "Why aren't you shivering? I just realized that other tribes' dragons would freeze to death in a few minutes here."

Mist froze, metaphorically. She had enchanted herself to withstand the cold, but how could she explain the magic to Crystal? Perhaps Crystal hadn't really changed, but she was trying to deceive them. "Oh, Stratus, uh, kept me in the small room at the top of the tallest tower at the top of the castle. Remember that one? It had a telescope, you know, and some cushions, and a map of the constellations on the wall? Like the Kite's Nest* and the Eagle*? Remember? All that stuff was taken out when I was moved there. Anyway, it was really cold there. Really cold. And super windy, too. I had to get used to living there, you know, so, um, I'm, uh, not that sensitive to cold anymore." She let out a breath.

Crystal's eyes narrowed, but she seemed to buy the story. Hopefully. "Oh, okay then. You are welcome to stay here, or you can go find the others, if they have told you anything about their location."

"Thank you for your kind offer, but I will pack and leave now to find the others. I heard their broadcasted thought-message, but they could have moved by now."

"All right, if you must," Crystal sighed. "I don't suppose I could join you? But I'm a little, er, you could say, used to staying at home. If you won't mind my "tagging along," could I come with you?"

"Of course." Mist needed every opportunity to be near Crystal to make sure of her loyalty towards her and the others. If Crystal stayed nearby, Mist might be able to check that she was not secretly communicating with Stratus. "Water runs thicker than air."

*CloudWings have different names for the constellations. In this case, however, the Eagle is also the Eagle constellation as it is named.