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“You got me… a box?” Blaze asked gingerly, examining the small, wrapped package, adorned with black velvet fabric, and a golden silk ribbon. Her face was scrunched in a look of polite confusion as she turned it around in her claws, tapping it occasionally.
Glacier chuckled softly, sitting back on one of the many pillows to put her own talons on Blaze’s.
“Your present is in the box, Blaze.” Glacier hummed, leading the young Sandwing princesses talons to the lid of the package.
“Oohhhhh. Right. I knew that.”
Glacier chuckled again, flicking her tail, and removing her claws to let the princess tear into her gift. She had been meaning to visit Blaze for a while now, but with the war and such, it was difficult to find time to sit back and enjoy the little things.
The two of them were in Blaze's stronghold, a place that, from what Glacier remembered about the old Sandwing palace, looked surprisingly similar to the inside of it.
Tapestries of events, dragons, jewels, and many other stories lined the walls. Burning torches that casted a warm glow were placed on the wall around every corner. Coyote fur pillows ladened the place, with camel pelt carpets decorating the floors.
It was abnormally warm within the walls of the fortress, at least, for an Icewing it was. But, for the Sandwings who inhabited it, it was perfect, and reminded them a little of the home they’d lost by following Blaze.
They were currently situated in Blaze's room, which was a little quieter than the rest of the stronghold. A bed of comfortable pillows was pushed up against the farthest wall, with tapestries of none other than Blaze herself hung above it. A glowing lantern illuminated the two, casting both a warm glow and a warm temperature across the room. It was nice for Blaze, of course, but Icewings weren’t exactly made for the heat.
Glacier raised a talon to adjust her necklace a bit, feeling the warming metal bump her scales. It was uncomfortable, yes, but seeing Blaze was quite a bit worth it.
She remembered first seeing the Sandwing, a young princess, desperate for help, with a small army behind her. How she was shivering and cold, how she complained about frost damaging her jewellery, how she wondered if the snow would make ehr scales glitter like an Icewings, how she had begged Glacier, the queen of the Icewings, for her help, blinking those big, beautiful, dark eyes that seemed to swallow her whole whenever she looked into them…
A loud whine of confusion and distaste disrupted Glacier from her thoughts, and she frowned slightly in Blaze's direction. The princess was examining her gift, after having ripped her gift box apart with greed.
The gift in question was a large piece of selenite, a stone found deep within the rocks of the desert, that had formed into the shape of a rose. Glacier had fought tooth and claw to find one, especially one that had grown into the formation it was in.
She hadn’t expected Blaze to like it immediately. The selenite was dull, white streaks covering a pale, sandy base colour, like the stone it grew in. Blaze's jewels were shiny and polished, not faded and dusty.
Glacier raised an eyebrow at the princess as she twirled the stone in her claws.
“What?” She smirked, bringing her talons together, and resting her chin on the clasped claws. “Something wrong?”
Blaze simply frowned at her, a small pouty look forming on her snout.
“Well… Yeah. It didn’t come polished.” The Sandiwng huffed, flicking her barbed tail in confusion and annoyance.
“Whoever picked it up must’ve gotten the order wrong. And now it’s ruined!” Blaze sighed, drooping her head. Glacier couldn’t help but notice how the flickering of the lantern behind Blaze illuminated the pink in her scales, how it lined her frill like a sunset on a snow-covered mountain, how when her mouth curled into a disappointed look, her scales would reflect the light…
Glacier shook her head, chuckling softly. She unclasped her talons to take Blazes in her own, cradling the selenite gently.
“It wasn’t supposed to be polished, Blaze.” Glacier smiled at the surprised, and then the utterly bewildered look that had made its way onto Blaze's face.
“What? Why not? Jewels are supposed to be shiny. Rocks are supposed to be shiny! At least, they should be, especially if they’re a gift for me! ” The princess wailed, her talons bouncing slightly in protest.
Glacier just laughed again, squeezing Blaze's claws in reassurance.
“Yes, I know that. But it’s not supposed to be shiny. It’s beautiful, in its own way.” The Icewing lifted a talon from where she supported Blazes and the stone to trace the folds of the selenite.
“But pretty things are shiny! Like you! Icewings are GORGEOUS, especially you, because you’re so freaking shiny! ” Blaze cried, frowning down at the stone, unaware of the effect her words had on Glacier.
The intimidating, vigilant queen of the Icewings, was a little stunned by Blaze's statement, and found herself unable to find words for a moment.
She cleared her throat, and sighed softly.
“I.. don’t think that's always true, Blaze. Beauty comes from a lot of things, and you can find it in anything, even this selenite.”
“It’s called a desert rose. Fitting name, isn’t it? And yes, I usually gift you these precious gemstones that are cleaned and polished to perfection, almost like glass. But, when I saw this it… reminded me of you.”
“Of how you, Blaze, are a rose yourself. How you seem to glow in any light you exist in. How you grow in even the most arid of places. How you bloom at every opportunity. How you truly are the description of beauty.”
“How you are… My very own desert rose.”
Glacier let out a light breath as her speech finished, waiting for the Sandwings reaction. Blaze was quiet for a moment, before curling her talons around the desert rose in excitement, and letting out a happy squeal.
“Glaccierrrrrrr! That was so sweeeeeet!” The princess giggled, flinging herself forward from her bed of pillows to wrap her wings around Glacier's body, pulling her into a hug.
The heat from the Sandwings scales met Glaciers own icy cold ones, sending a welcomed shiver of affection down the Icewings back.
The embrace only lasted for a few moments, before Blaze pulled back (too quickly in Glacier's opinion), absolutely beaming.
“No one’s really said something that dazzling to me before Glacy! It’s all right, of course, everything you said, but a princess, soon to be Queen , should always hear it.” Blaze mused, twirling the stone in her talons again. She then giggled happily.
“Oh! I should go get a case for this! A big, shiny, pretty case for it! Where should I put it? I could make a whole new room for it! Oh! I COULD THROW A PARTY FOR MY NEW DECORATION!” Blaze boomed, jumping up and knocking pillows into the air as she flung her wings open in excitement, the desert rose still firmly clutched in her claws.
Glacier shook her head laughing as the princess darted towards the large doors that kept her personal room separate from the rest of the stronghold, poking her head out to yell for a guard.
The Icewing watched as Blazes scales rippled with hidden colours of white, gold, and pink, how her jewellery beat against her neck, chest, and wrists, how her tail lashed back and forth excitedly, how her dark eyes were like the dead of night, pure, soft, deep pools into the unknown.
And as Glacier watched on from the bed of pillows as Blaze excitedly explained to two confused and mildly concerned guards what her plans were, she couldn't help but smile.
Blaze.
The Sandwing princess. The true heir to the Sandwing throne.
And her desert rose.