The Lost Heir: Sugar Rush Edition

Most of the writing goes to Tui.
Fan Tribes Used Here
WaffleWings: Light brown scales and wings with darker stripes and amber eyes; sometimes with a colorful marking covering one ear. 
Queen: No current queen, but Princesses Meringue, Madeleine, and Marshmallow are all trying to claim the throne.
PancakeWings: Light brown or (rarely) cream scales and wings with darker brown splotches; pale yellow square marking on head; amber eyes
Queen: Queen Cupcake
CakeWings: Multiple scale colors; wrist glands produce a substance called frosting.
Queen: Queen Chiffon
CreamWings: Multiple scale colors; sometimes with additional markings called sprinkles. 
Queen: Queen Blue Moon
PieWings: Russet brown scales and wings with amber eyes and light brown stripes crisscrossing into each other.
Queen: Queen Apple Pie
CandyWings: Pink scales and wings with brown or lemon-yellow eyes.
Queen: Queen Starburst
BiscuitWings: White-tan, brown, or dark brown scales; sometimes with dark brown spots; dark brown eyes.
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== The Cast (optional just here for notes) ==
Gelato: One of Queen Blue Moon and King Butterscotch's heirs. Younger sister to Vanilla Bean and the rest of the royal heirs. Pistachio's twin.
Pistachio: One of Queen Blue Moon and King Butterscotch's heirs. Younger brother to Vanilla Bean and the rest of the royal heirs. Gelato's twin.
Mint Chocolate Chip: One of Queen Blue Moon and King Butterscotch's heirs. Older brother to Vanilla Bean and the rest of the royal heirs. Also has animus magic. 
Rocky Road (dead): One of Queen Blue Moon's brothers. 
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough: 
== Prologue ==
== Part 1: The Edge of the Tundra (WIP) ==
=== Chapter 1 ===
The freezing snow surrounded Vanilla Bean’s talons. Her creamy white wings billowed in the whistling wind.
She lifted her head, breathing in the cold tundra air.
This was where she was supposed to be. This was her tundra.
“Let me guess,” Sugar Cookie said mockingly behind her. “You guys, that’s the smell of freedom.”
“I love it,” Vanilla said. This was what the Talons of Peace had stolen from her. They’d kept her trapped in the stale, dreary air under the mountain her whole life, when she was meant to be out here, flying and gliding and living like a real CreamWing.
Cinnamon Roll glanced up at the sky and edged back toward the pine forest. “Shouldn’t we stay under the trees? What if a patrol spots us? I mean —” He stopped and took a deep breath. “We must stay under the trees. All right. Yes. Everyone back into the trees right now.”
The others ignored him, although Mochi Donut gave him a pitying glance.
Was it only a week since they’d run away from their guardians? It was hard to remember exactly how long they’d been trapped in the CakeWing prison.
You know what I love?” Caramel Tart said mournfully. “Fish. Lots of fish. Big fish I can eat, not these little wriggle-scraps.” The PieWing sat down on the snow beside Vanilla. His stomach growled loud enough for all of them to hear.
Mochi giggled. “Caramel, it’s only been a day since you caught that enormous polar bear for all of us.”
“Wasn’t enormous,” Caramel said. He sighed, his wings drooping. “That was the smallest polar bear in the whole world.”
“You should have eaten my carrots.” Mochi clambered up to sit on his back and peer out at the snow. The sun was just rising in a peach-pale sky, casting broken paths of light across the snow. Two of the moons, barely slivers like thin claws, were vanishing behind the mountains.
“I’m serious, everybody,” Cinnamon said. “It’s not safe out on the beach, not with all the PieWings and CakeWings looking for us.” The WaffleWing was trying to shake snow off his talons.
Vanilla didn’t want to keep running. She wanted to find her family. Once they knew who she was, she was sure the CreamWings would protect her and her friends.
Most of all, she really wanted Cinnamon to stop fretting, complaining, and bossing. It made the others nervously and harder to organize. She almost wished the WaffleWings hadn’t given him back.
“Why are you so worried?” Vanilla asked him. “If they do recapture us, won’t your WaffleWing friends come swooping in to rescue you again?”
Cinnamon fluttered his wings indignantly. “I’m not worried for me,” he said. “I’m trying to keep all of us safe.” He glanced at Mochi and ducked his head.
“I’m keeping us safe just fine!” Vanilla protested. “When have I ever led us wrong?”
“Well,” Sugar Cookie pointed out, “there was that one time we got captured by CakeWings and their queen nearly killed us all..."
Vanilla smacked her tail into the ground to send a cold spray of snow over Sugar Cookie. The BiscuitWing hissed and jumped away from Vanilla.
“Stop it!” Mochi said. “Stop fighting, all of you. Caramel, stop them.” She patted the top of his head to pull his attention back from the forest.
“Oh, yes, let’s hear from our bigwings,” Sugar Cookie teased. Her scales shone in the bright sunlight. She sat down and yawned at Vanilla, displaying her teeth.
“Hey,” Caramel said, nudging Vanilla’s wing with his own. “It’s all right for Cinnamon to worry. We don’t even know if Queen Chiffon is alive or dead. But,” he added quickly, “I know you want to find the CreamWings as fast as possible. So let’s find them instead of fighting about it, and then we can get to safety sooner.”
Vanilla shot one more narrow-eyed look at Cinnamon, then turned back to the ocean. Caramel was right; the important thing was to find her family and a safe place for them all to hide.
“Aww,” Sugar Cookie said. “So wise and big.”
“I think he is,” Mochi said, wrapping her forearms around Caramel’s neck. Cinnamon sat down, flipping his tail around his talons unhappily.
Sugar Cookie settled her wings. “So now what? Should we shout ‘Hey, SeaWings, we’ve got your missing princess!’ and wait for dragons to bound joyfully out of the ocean?”
“With a feast!” Caramel cried, startling a seagull into the air. “There was a feast at the end of the story! When the missing CreamWing princess got home, the kingdom was so happy they made a feast. I remember the feast. They ate a whole orca. That was a good feast. I bet I could eat a whale. Do you think we’ll get a feast?"
“The Missing Princess was just a story in a scroll,” Cinnamon said. “We have no idea what we’Il actually find in the Kingdom of Ice Cream.”
“That’s true.” Caramel’s wings drooped. “It might not be what you’re hoping for, Vanilla. Like finding out my mother sold me for a cow.”
“Hey,” said Sugar Cookie. “It was at least two cows.”
“Hmmm. Comforting,” said Caramel.
It wouldn’t be like that for Vanilla Bean. She was sure of it. Maybe Caramel’s dreams of his family had turned out all wrong, but hers would be perfect. Especially now that she knew her egg had been stolen from the Royal Hatchery.
She was the daughter of the CreamWing queen.
Not only that, but according to Cinnamon, her older sisters weren't interested in the throne and her younger sisters... Well, they were younger than her, so Vanilla would get to choose if she'd like the throne. That meant Vanilla would be queen of the CreamWings eventually.
True, that meant one day she’d have to fight her own mother to become queen. But that day could be as far off as she wanted it to be. Not something she had to think about now.
She spread her wings and breathed in the cold air again. Out of the corner of her eyes she kept seeing hares running on the snow.
“I could just fly and look for the CreamWing palace,” Vanilla suggested.
“Out there?” Cinnamon sounded alarmed. He spread his wings and shook snow off them, blinking anxiously.
“Where else do you suggest I find the CreamWings?” she asked.
“Out there it's much colder,” Cinnamon lectured. “Ten minutes in that will make you tired and sleepy. You could get frostbite—”
“I’m a CreamWing.” Vanilla said.
Cinnamon didn’t laugh. “It’s not safe,” he said. “What if we lose you?” Vanilla wanted to poke his wrinkled-up worried snout with her sharpest claw.
“Cinnamon, cheer up,” Mochi interjected. “Vanilla can do anything. And how is she supposed to get home to her family if she can’t go into the cold?”
“Oh, no!” Caramel heaved himself to his feet, scattering snow and nearly dislodging Mochi, who grabbed his neck with a yelp. Showers of snow flew through the air as he lashed his tail.
“Ow! Stop that!” Sugar Cookie commanded, covering her eyes.
“What about us?” Caramel’s big brown wings flapped. “I didn’t think of that! Vanilla, we can’t go with you to the CreamWing palace. We can’t go in that cold! How can we stick together if you’re there?” He clawed at the snow, leaving deep gouges. “What are we going to do?”
Vanilla kind of adored Caramel when he was in a tizzy. She also adored that it had taken an entire day for it to occur to him that the Kingdom of Ice Cream was underwater.
“Seriously?” Sugar Cookie said to Caramel. “All of those geography lessons, and not a single one sunk in?”
Caramel turned in a confused circle. “What?”
“The CreamWings have animus-enchanted bracelets to keep dragons warm,” Cinnamon said in his “see, you should have studied more” voice. “So they can receive guests, like diplomats and ambassadors. We need Vanilla to get us those, though.”
“Oh.” Caramel sat down with a whooshing sigh.
Mochi patted his shoulder. “I didn’t remember that either,” she offered. “So we go to the palace with those, right?”
“Not easily,” Cinnamon said. “The CreamWing palace is animus hidden and heavily animus-enchanted in general. That’s how they’ve lasted so long in this war, even though they don’t have trees or mountains to hide their land like the other tribes. Nobody can find them to attack their homes.”
“Sounds like the WaffleWings,” Sugar Cookie sniped.
“It’s nothing like the WaffleWings!” Vanilla cried. “CreamWings aren’t trying to act all mysterious and pretentious. They’re just being sensible about guarding their home.”
“It's hidden in a mountain, but it’s still probably—” Cinnamon stopped midsentence and glanced at the sky again. “Does anyone else smell fire?”
“Three moons, Cinnamon. I’m not hiding in the trees every time some little thing spooks you,” Vanilla said.
“Wait, I think he’s right,” Mochi said, lifting her head. “I hear wingbeats.”
“I do, too,” Cinnamon said. The spiny ridge along his back stood up in alarm, and he bolted for the trees, running as fast as he could.
“From this far away?” Vanilla said skeptically. “I don’t see anything up there.” But just as she said it, she spotted a cluster of brown specks like spattered dough in the sky, winging down from the mountains in the northwest.
A WaffleWing patrol was coming their way.
=== Chapter 2 ===
== Part 2: Into the Ice ==
=== Chapter 7 ===
Overwhelmed, Vanilla spread her wings and gazed around.
They were inside the mountain, surrounded by towering cliffs on all sides. Far above them, sunlight filtered through a complex system of what looked to be like spiderwebs, scattering the light into little beams. Vanilla suddenly realized that the air had gotten much warmer and felt a burning sensation. Her scales adjusting to the animus spell, she guessed. The only exit Vanilla could see was the tunnel behind her.
Four pillars of blue-tinted white stone spiraled out of the water, winding toward one another until they formed a towering pavilion in the middle. The pavilion had twelve circular levels, each one smaller than the one below. There were few walls, most of them very low, and the whole structure was latticed with curving shapes and holes. It didn’t look like it had been built; it looked as it had grown that way, although Vanilla was pretty sure that was impossible. 
Dragons were clustered along the edges of the pavilion, on ledges of the cliffs, and all across. She’d never seen so many faces like her own, colorful scales and sharp see-in-the-dark eyes staring.
The only sound was the soft hush of dragons breathing, and the whoosh of wind outside.
After a moment, Cinnamon sat down. Mochi and Caramel and Sugar Cookie followed him, sitting down next to Cinnamon.
Vanilla stayed where she was, ignoring the tiredness that was flooding her scales. Cinnamon had warned her, but she hadn't worn one of the bracelets. Now she was suffering.
Vanilla wanted to make a good impression on the dragons of her kingdom. Many of them were perched in cave openings all along the cliff or on rocks that jutted out of the water. Vanilla wondered what they’d all been doing before she appeared to capture their attention.
She spotted Rocky Road hunched on one of the spirals of the closest pillar. She rather thought he should have given some sort of welcome speech, but he only stared at her with his pale, unblinking little eyes.
In the story, the kingdom had stared and then began cheering to welcome back their missing princess. But the cheering hadn't happened yet, and now that she thought about it, a parade marching through would probably be a bit silly looking.
Well, she was a future queen, and she wasn’t going to be intimidated by crowds of staring dragons. She shook her head and lifted her neck up.
“Hello, fellow CreamWings,” she called, and then paused as her voice echoed off the rocks, much louder than she’d expected. “I’m Vanilla, um- I mean, Princess Vanilla Bean, and I'm happy to be home at last, and— and I look forward to meeting each of you.”
Three moons, was that the most awful speech in CreamWing history? What were all these still, silent faces thinking? Could the dragons see Vanilla’s natural royalty? Were they excited that she’d be their queen one day?
A murmur ran around the gathered dragons, but she couldn’t tell if it was good murmuring or bad murmuring. She turned to Cookie Dough, who was watching Rocky Road with a grim expression.
“I think you should take me somewhere I can wait for my mother,” Vanilla suggested in a low voice — or she thought it was low, but the echoes still skipped back to her across the ground. And now there was more murmuring. Vanilla wished she had mind reading like the princess in the story so she could hear the dragons’ thoughts.
“Up there,” said Cookie Dough, nodding to the top of the pavilion. He glanced at Rocky Road again. “You should bring your friends.”
The other dragonets were sprawled on ground, in front of a tall cave opening leading to a room with delicious smells. They had their wings spread out and were gasping in a rather undignified way. All except for Sugar Cookie, who was sitting neatly by the cave, peering in. Any CreamWings who weren’t staring at Vanilla were staring at her.
Vanilla thwacked the ground with her tail to get their attention. When Caramel finally looked over, she pointed to the pavilion. He nodded, and she lifted into the air. Her wings felt heavy out of the cold, and it took a few beats to get her balance. She wished the CreamWings would go back to whatever they were supposed to be doing.
Cookie Dough flew up beside her. He looked uncomfortable with all the scrutiny as well.
“Tell me about the Icebound Palace,” Vanilla said, trying to distract herself.
He flicked his tail at the cliffs. “Guest rooms are in the caves. Queen Meringue usually stays in the one closest to the tunnel. We brought in extra sand to line the floor for her, and it’s the only cave where fire is allowed.” His snout turned toward the pavilion as they flew higher. “She meets with Queen Teaberry on the second level from the top, which is only for visiting royalty. Each level has a different purpose — for instance, there’s a floor for dragonet school visits, one for celebration spectacles, and one for war planning. The Council meets on this level, halfway up.”
He paused, beating his wings, so Vanilla could look across the middle level. Twelve elegant wooden chairs were arranged in a circle with benches in front of them. Glittering emeralds the size of fish eggs, which were embedded in the front of the benches, spelled out words by each pool. Vanilla saw one marked TREASURY, one labeled DEFENSE, and another that said SECRETS & SPIES. Before she could read any further, Cookie Dough turned to fly higher.
“Council?” Vanilla said, catching up to him.
“Only Rocky Road and Spumone are here at the moment," Cookie Dough said.
Vanilla had no idea what he was talking about, but she didn’t want to reveal how ignorant she was of CreamWing politics. She wondered if there was anything about a council in Cinnamon’s favorite scrolls.
“So which level is for missing princesses?” she joked.
“I think the top pavilion would be best,” Cookie Dough said. “That’s for new visitors, and we hardly ever have any of those. Queen Meringue was probably the last — oh, no, it was that BiscuitWing.” He landed gracefully on the uppermost ledge of the pavilion, his claws catching on polished ridges in the rock.
“What BiscuitWing?” Vanilla asked, landing beside him. This level was bigger than she’d expected. A spiraling starburst of sprinkles were carved into the floor and filled with a glittering powder. Vanilla realized the pattern was the same as the one on her scales. But probably a lot of CreamWings had the same pattern of sprinkles as her.
“I don’t know,” Cookie Dough answered her. “He only spoke with Her Majesty and Queen Meringue, and all I heard was that he wanted their plan to work. He looked big and bad-tempered.”
“Sounds like Fortune,” Vanilla muttered, although she didn’t exactly have a lot of other BiscuitWings to compare him to. But he seemed more meddlesome than the rest of them. While most of the tribe hid in their secret location, being all mysterious and unhelpfully powerful, Fortune kept turning up... delivering the dragonet prophecy, inspecting the dragonets, trying to get Sugar Cookie killed, saving Cinnamon (but no one else) from the CakeWings, then giving him back once everyone had escaped. Vanilla could easily imagine him poking around here, although she couldn’t guess why.
Cookie Dough glanced down at the dragons below, including Rocky Road, who hadn’t moved from his spot on the pillar. “I can’t believe you spoke to Rocky Road like that,” he whispered. “I’ve never seen anyone talk back to him, apart from the queen and Queen Meringue.”
“He deserved it,” Vanilla said, settling her wings. “Arrogant iciclehead. When I’m queen, I'll stuff him in a glacier and keep him there until the next Freezing.”
Cookie Dough coughed hard to cover a laugh. “Don’t talk like that!” he whispered. “Don’t you know the difference between brave and reckless? Rocky Road will eat you and your friends for lunch if he thinks you’re a threat to him."
“Pfft,” Vanilla said. “He can try.” She shoved away the creepy memory of Rocky Road’s unblinking, malicious eyes.
“By the moons, you make me nervous," Cookie Dough said.
One end of the top floor was raised and carved into a magnificent dragon throne, studded with emeralds and sapphires and shot through with gold lines. Beside and below the throne was another, smaller throne carved to match, with the same patterns made of tinier gemstones.
Vanilla tilted her head at the second throne. Big enough for her father, the king.
The arrival of her friends stopped her, as the four dragonets crashed down around the ledge. Mochi landed lightly, avoiding the edge, but Caramel somehow stumbled as his claws hit the stone and nearly somersaulted right off the other side. Sugar Cookie darted in his way and pushed him back, then made another loop around and landed close to the throne. Her odd lemon-yellow eyes studied it closely; she looked almost ready to climb onto it herself.
Cinnamon arrived last, catching on to the side and pitching forward as if his wings had barely been strong enough to carry him. He lay there like a woeful puddle for a moment, taking deep breaths. Mochi hopped over his tail to nudge his wing gently.
Vanilla managed not to roll her eyes, but really. Couldn’t everyone at least try to act a little more impressive?
“This is a really big thing!” Caramel said to her and Cookie Dough. His tail accidentally whacked Sugar Cookie, but she was too busy looking at the throne to snap at him. “I mean, this thing we’re standing on. What do you call it? It’s really tall— taller than our prisons in the Cake Kingdom, I think.” He peered over the edge, missing Cookie Dough’s sharp look. Vanilla realized they hadn’t told him about being captured by Queen Chiffon and the CakeWings.
“I like it,” Caramel went on, sitting down and splashing Sugar Cookie again. “Of course, it’s much nicer to be this high when your wings are free. But at least the CakeWings gave us a pig sometimes. Do you have pigs? Octopi would be all right instead if you don’t. Or squid. Or manatees. I could go for a manatee right now. Or a whale. I’m not fussy, is what I’m saying. Say, how did you make this big thing? Did it take forever to build?”
Cookie Dough blinked for a moment, following Caramel’s train of thought. “The pavilion? An animus CreamWing designed it, many generations ago, and magicked the stone to grow this way,” Cookie Dough said. “Even so, it took nearly ten years to reach this form.”
“Wow,” said Caramel, and Vanilla couldn’t help being impressed, too. She hadn’t realized animus dragons had that kind of power. In their lessons, they had been taught that animus dragons could enchant chess pieces to play themselves. Sometimes they left curses on their jewels to poison anyone who tried to steal them. But making a whole pavilion grow from stone — that seemed like strong magic, more powerful than anything the BiscuitWings could do.
Cinnamon was clearly thinking the same thing, judging from his disgruntled snout. Vanilla hurriedly interrupted before he could begin a lecture.
“This top level is where Queen Teaberry meets new visitors, like us,” she said importantly to her friends. “So when she arrives, everyone please act like dragonets of dessert instead of dying foxes, for goodness’ sake.”
Mochi looked wounded, and Cinnamon sniffed loudly while Sugar Cookie turned up her snout like she wasn’t taking any orders from Vanilla. Caramel poked his nose over the edge and blinked at the lower pavilion tiers.
“Which level is the feasting on?” he asked. “You do have feasting, right?” His wide amber eyes turned to Cookie Dough. “No reason. Just wondering.”
“Sure, sometimes we have feasts,” Cookie Dough said. “Especially when Queen Meringue is—”
A commotion from below interrupted him. Vanilla sprang to the edge and gazed down at the ground.
A huge red CreamWing burst out of the tunnel. Vines with berries still on them were woven around her horns and neck and wings, and a twisted white horn with a wicked-looking point was attached to the end of her tail. She had odd black stains on her claws, but she was the most beautiful sight Vanilla had ever seen.
All over the palace, dragons were folding down into low bows.
This had to be her mother— queen of the CreamWings. Vanilla reached to grab Cookie Dough's forearm, feeling dizzy with joy.
But as Queen Teaberry shot out of the water, Vanilla saw that there was another dragon, flying close behind her.
The second dragon was smaller- an adult dragon, but not that much older than her. Nine or ten years old, perhaps. With a jolt of shock, Vanilla spotted the royal pattern of sprinkles on the other dragon's mint green scales and undersides of his wings. Dark brown sprinkles like hers. 
“Who is that?” she hissed at Cookie Dough. He was backing away to the edge of the floor, the farthest spot from the throne. 
“That’s Mint Chocolate Chip,” he said, blinking in surprise. “Your older brother. And the third heir to the throne."
=== Chapter 8 ===
Mint Chocolate Chip.
It took Vanilla a few moments to realize what Cookie Dough had actually said. Her skin prickled, hearing your older brother over and over again. It finally sank in that she had an older brother named Mint Chocolate Chip.
Mint Chocolate Chip. Vanilla’s brother. Another heir to the throne. 
So much for being special. So much for her guaranteed future kingdom.
“Uh-oh,” Sugar Cookie said, echoing her thoughts. “Looks like you’ve got some competition. Maybe you’re not destined to be a monarch after all.”
Vanilla whirled toward Cinnamon. “You said I was the only one,” she cried. “You said there were no others willing to take the throne.”
“That’s what I read,” he protested. He spread his claws. “Blame the Talons, not me. Our scrolls were often old and outdated. The Royal Lineage of the CreamWings, from the Second Freezing to the Present must have been written before he was hatched.” He nodded at the other dragon behind the queen.
Mint Chocolate Chip was a mint green, with the dark brown sprinkles that Vanilla had on his wings and scales. Mint Chocolate Chip’s eyes were a chocolate brown a shade lighter than Vanilla's.
She didn’t have a chance to notice anything else, because suddenly Queen Teaberry was landing and running toward her.
“My baby!” Teaberry cried. Enormous pink wings whooshed around Vanilla, enveloping her in a hug that smelled of the cold air outside. Gems pressed into Vanilla’s face as Teaberry cuddled her close. Her pink scales were warm, and her talons were gentle as she stroked Vanilla’s head and back and wings.
"I knew you’d come back to me,” she said. “I knew you were out there, trying to find your way back. I never stopped searching for you.”
It was exactly what Vanilla had always wanted to hear.
Actually, it was word-for-word what the princess's cousin said in The Missing Princess, but Vanilla shoved that thought aside.
She leaned into her mother, feeling elation flood her from horns to claws. Someone does want me. I have a place in the world.
“Mother,” said a voice from behind them. “Who is this?”
Queen Teaberry let go of Vanilla, whirled around, and looked at Mint Chocolate Chip. The mint green CreamWing stared at Vanilla.
“This is her,” Teaberry said. “She's your sister.”
“Hm,” Mint Chocolate Chip said, raising his snout and studying her.
“The one who was stolen six years ago, when you were three or four.” Teaberry reached out and slid one talon over Vanilla’s snout. “Isn’t she gorgeous?”
Mint Chocolate Chip blinked at Vanilla. He didn’t look very strong. Maybe I don’t have to worry about her, Vanilla thought. He’d be easy to defeat, and obviously I’d make a better monarch.
Then she felt a stab of guilt for thinking about something like that on her first meeting with her real family. She held out one of her front talons to Mint Chocolate Chip, and after a small pause, Mint Chocolate Chip pressed her own talon against it.
“Hi,” Vanilla awkwardly said. “I’m Vanilla Bean.”
“Ah,” Queen Teaberry said. “A good name. Popsicle did one thing right.” Her red eyes narrowed. “Where is he now? I have been planning his punishment for years.” She glanced over Vanilla’s shoulder, but when Vanilla looked around, the only dragon there was Cookie Dough. He had his head ducked and his wings folded as low as he could get.
“I knew he was a coward and a deserter,” Teaberry said, “but after he returned to steal my egg... well, let’s just say it won’t be a quick death.”
“Oh, no,” Mochi squeaked. “Please don’t hurt him. He was the only one who was really nice to us.”
“We don’t know where he is anyway,” Vanilla said as Queen Teaberry turned to stare at Mochi. “He escaped when—”
“What tribe are you from?" Queen Teaberry asked Sugar Cookie. Her gaze fell on the other dragonets, and her tail lashed dangerously. “WHY IS THERE A PIEWING IN THE ICEBOUND PALACE?” She took a step toward Caramel.
“These are my friends,” Vanilla cried, leaping in front of Caramel. “You can trust them, I promise. We were all stolen from our homes as eggs. We’re the dragonets of dessert, from the prophecy.”
“Ha,” muttered a voice, and Vanilla realized that Rocky Road was now perched on the rim of the ledge along with nine other very large dragons.
“Oh,” Queen Teaberry said slowly. “Oh, I see.” She studied Caramel suspiciously, then turned her gaze to Cinnamon, Mochi, and Sugar Cookie. “Yes, that was the rumor. If you believe in things like prophecies, of course. Dragonets of dessert. Well, Queen Meringue will be so interested to meet you. We’d better make sure you don’t go anywhere.” She clapped her front talons together. Seven burly CreamWings rose up behind the dragonets, claws twitching ominously.
“Put these four in Meringue’s cave,” Queen Teaberry commanded, “and set a guard so they stay there.”
“What?” Mochi cried. “But we came here to be safe! Not to be prisoners again!” She squeaked in terror as one guard snatched her into the air. Cinnamon stared after her, frozen in place with his claws half outstretched.
“Nobody touches me,” Sugar Cookie snarled at the CreamWing who was reaching for her. 
“Don’t hurt Mo— ow,” Caramel yelped as three CreamWings landed on him at once, pinning him down. “Ouch! Ow!” One began lashing ropes around his wings and claws and snout.
“Wait,” Vanilla said. She clasped her talons pleadingly. “Your Majesty ... Mother.” The word felt so odd on her tongue, even though she’d imagined saying it a million times. “You don’t have to do this. They’re my friends, and I brought them here so you could protect us. I swear they’re trustworthy.”
“It’s for their own safety,” Teaberry said, stroking Vanilla's head again. “We won’t hurt them, of course. You’ve come to the right place for protection. But they shouldn’t wander the palace unsupervised— most of my dragons will attack PieWings and unfamiliar PancakeWings on sight.”
“Or whatever that is,” Rocky Road muttered, sniffing at Sugar Cookie. The BiscuitWing shot him a glare.
“I guess this means no feast?” Caramel said mournfully. He rested his snout on the stone with a sigh.
“Food can certainly be arranged,” said the queen. “Spumone, make sure our guests are well fed.” A plump turquoise dragon bowed and dove off the ledge. Teaberry's face softened. “See, darling, we’ll take good care of you all. Please tell that one to stop looking so fierce.” Her mother flicked a claw at Sugar Cookie, who was still facing off with a nervous-looking CreamWing guard.
“You don’t have to tie them up,” Vanilla said. “They’ll go with you.”
“Speak for yourself,” Sugar Cookie growled.
“Calm down, Sugar Cookie,” Vanilla said. She hoped her mother and the other dragons would see her as the leader of the dragonets. “You heard the queen. It’s for your own safety. You’ll be fine.”
Please don’t argue with me in front of my mother, Vanilla prayed. 
Sugar Cookie glared at the CreamWing guard for a moment longer. “All right,” she snarled. “I’ll go with you. But I still say nobody touches me.”
“Fair enough,” Queen Teaberry nodded. “Off you all go, then. Vanilla, come sit with me and let’s talk.” She swept over to her throne, Mint Chocolate Chip trailing behind her. The dragon settled on the ground, watching Vanilla’s friends with wary eyes.
“It’ll be all right,” Vanilla said to Caramel as the guards hefted him into the air. “I’ll come join you very soon.” He nodded, still looking rather anxious. Another guard tentatively tried to shoo Cinnamon off the edge. The WaffleWing backed away from him unhappily, then turned and flew after the guard who had Mochi. 
Vanilla watched her friends spiral down to the cave by the entrance- shades of color, all of them so out of place here. She saw them vanish into the dark hole, and then the guards emerged and planted themselves outside. It didn’t look like the way you’d treat guests.
At least it’s better than the CakeWing palace, she thought. At least we’re not being forced to fight to the death. My mother is keeping us safe. She’s really being welcoming, in her own way. She glanced up at her mother’s warm eyes. Especially to me.
Her mother reached out her talons to her, smiling. She was perfect— just what Vanilla had always imagined.
Her friends would be all right, Vanilla was sure. They were in the CreamWing palace now. She was home with her family. This was her lifelong dream.
There’s nothing to worry about, she told herself. Nothing at all.
=== Chapter 9 ===
“Here,” Queen Teaberry said, taking a strand of vines off her own horns. “You’re so unadomed, my beautiful dragonet. I have to start making up for all the presents I missed giving you.” She leaned forward and draped the vines around Vanilla’s neck. They were heavy and smooth, sliding coolly across Vanilla’s scales.
My first treasure.
It was a strange thrill, having something of her very own. All dragons loved treasure— it was the only thing they had in common with scavengers. But this was more than a shiny, beautiful thing. It belonged to Vanilla and nobody else. And it made her look even more like her mother.
Vanilla stroked the berries on the vines with her claw and tucked her tail around her back talons. She wished Mint Chocolate Chip would stop staring at her. He must hate me, she thought. I would if I were him. He must know I want the throne he thought was his.
But not yet. Now was the time for getting to know her mother.
“Can we talk alone?” Vanilla asked. The ten dragons were still perched like creepy sentinels, with Rocky Road the creepiest of all.
“Of course,” said the queen. “Council, you are dismissed. Grape, send a message to Queen Meringue and see how quickly she can get here. As for you-" she stiffened slightly at this- "-go back to your guard outpost and stay there until I want to see you.”
Cookie Dough crouched, nodding, and dove over the edge. Vanilla leaned out to watch him swimming into the tunnel.
“What’s wrong with Cookie Dough?” she asked as the other ten dragons also flew away in a thunderclap of wingbeats. “I thought he was nice.”
“Well," Queen Teaberry said. “His father is Popsicle. I try to keep on hating him sometimes- it's not his fault his father is Popsicle- but the last few years have been stressful, what with your egg being stolen.”
Vanilla felt like a giant wave had just knocked her over. “Popsicle is his father?” But she’d liked Cookie Dough— and all along he was the son of her kidnapper. Which he’d carefully never mentioned. What else hadn’t he told her?
“Yes, Popsicle,” Teaberry went on. She lashed her tail, nearly hitting Mint Chocolate Chip. “Not fitting company for royalty by any means. We keep him as far away from us as possible. But other than that, I don't treat him very cruelly. I just want to keep him and his family out of my sight."
Poor Cookie Dough, Vanilla thought. It wasn’t his fault his father had turned traitor, but he suffered for it anyway.
And yet, he had hidden the truth from her, and she didn’t like that at all.
Was Queen Teaberry right about him? Surely, she knew her own subjects better than Vanilla did.
But there was still a part of Vanilla that hoped she’d see him again.
She glanced at Mint Chocolate Chip. “So— we were saying— alone—?”
“Oh, no, you can trust Mint Chocolate Chip,” Queen Teaberry said. “He's got my emotions and his father's brains.” She chuckled at that.
“And all of Mother's bad qualities too,” Mint Chocolate Chip said under his breath, not loud enough for Teaberry to heard but loud enough for Vanilla to. 
“And now I have another daughter!” Queen Teaberry said proudly. “Possibly six by the end of next week, if the guard does her job right."
“Really,” Vanilla said, eyeing the spike on the end of her mother's tail. "Who are these other four sisters that I should know about?"
“Hmmm,” said the queen. She reached out her talons. “Well, Mint Chocolate Chip has a sister in his. Gelato is one. And I had three daughters in one hatching.” She studied Vanilla as keenly as Mint Chocolate Chip.
“I have to tell you something,” Vanilla said, hoping to change the subject. “I— I don’t know much about CreamWings. Popsicle never taught about CreamWings.”
Queen Teaberry stared at her. “What is wrong with that dragon?” she growled. “It’s all right, sweetness. We’ll have Mint Chocolate Chip teach you— he’s a terrific teacher. Right, Mint Chocolate Chip?”
Her brother slowly nodded. "Sure."
“So what do you know?” Queen Teaberry asked. “Did they teach you anything?”
“Of course!” Vanilla said. She didn’t want her mother to think she was unfit to be queen. “We had lots of battle training. And Popsicle taught us history- but not specific tribe history, just stuff about the Freezings. We learned all about the Second Freezing and how the tribes were founded and how we nearly wiped out the scavengers. Um, and he did geography, too. Pumpkin Pie taught us hunting. Fruitcake was supposed to teach different tribe strengths and weaknesses, but mostly she just yelled and tried to set us on fire a lot.”
"I learned those things as well," Mint Chocolate Chip said. Vanilla couldn't tell if he was mocking her. 
“What do you study?” Vanilla asked.
Mint Chocolate Chip glanced up at his mother. “How the Council and government works,” he said. “Battle training, of course. How to interpret battle reports and order our defenses. Managing the food supply and the treasury, although the Council commanders really do all that.”
“It’s still important to stay on top of them,” purred the queen. “Dragons do their best work if you watch them closely the whole time.”
“But mostly battle training,” Mint Chocolate Chip said. "I've had my personal dagger since I was six."
“Really?" Vanilla asked.
“Never mind,” Queen Teaberry interrupted. “Mint Chocolate Chip will let you see eventually. Were the Talons of Peace very cruel to you?”
“Terribly!” Vanilla said. This was one of her favorite topics. “They never let us out of the caves at all! They acted like we were brainless snails! Nobody ever listened to me. And they wouldn’t tell us anything about our families or where we came from. I only found out about you a few days ago.”
“Poor dragonet,” Queen Teaberry said, stroking Vanilla’s head again.
Exactly, Vanilla thought. This was the sympathy she’d always wanted. Although she didn’t appreciate the skeptical look on Mint Chocolate Chip’s face.
“What are these?” Vanilla asked. She leaned forward and touched the dark stains on the queen’s talons with one claw. They looked too dark to be bloodstains, but she couldn’t guess what else they were.
“The perils of my job!” Queen Teaberry said with a laugh. “Well, my hobby. My art, you might call it. I should show you.” She sprang to her feet. "And then you can meet the twins. They're quite energetic. Unfortunately, my dear husband and your father King Butterscotch is on a diplomatic trip. You'll meet him soon, I promise."
“Your Majesty.” They all turned and found another Council dragon hovering in the air behind the queen, with a smaller dragon beside her. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but Moose Tracks just arrived with strange news. I knew you’d want to hear it right away.”
“Of course, Rose,” said Queen Teaberry. 
Rose’s eyes were small and colorless like Rocky Road's. Vanilla wondered if they were related. The Council dragon pressed her snout into a brief smug look. “That’s because I have had excellent training at the side of the most wonderful queen in CreamWing history,” she said.
Oh my word, Vanilla thought. This time she was able to catch Mint Chocolate Chip’s eye, behind the queen’s back, to make an “Is she serious?” face. Mint Chocolate Chip looked startled for a moment, then made a face back that Vanilla was pretty sure meant “Believe me, it gets worse.”
Rose went on. “Apparently a dead dragon has been found on the WaffleWing border."
“Oh, how sad,” said Queen Teaberry. She glanced at Vanilla. “What happened to him?”
“Her,” said Rose. “And we don’t know yet. But the strange part is that it’s not a CreamWing. It’s a CakeWing.”
“WHAT?” Queen Teaberry leaped to her talons. “That close to the palace?” She snapped at the air and spread her wings. “Get Rocky Road and Cherry and take me to the body. Now.”
The queen shot into the air with Mint Chocolate Chip following. Vanilla jumped after them, flying in a tight spiral. This was her chance to see the queen in action!
She thought she heard someone shout her name as flew through the tunnel. Mochi or Caramel? The racing wind rushed into her ears, muffling the cry. They didn’t have to worry; she wouldn’t be gone long. They’d be safe here.
Rocky Road whipped past, churning up the water as he charged into the tunnel ahead of her. He was between her and Teaberry now but Vanilla wasn’t going to let that stop her. She swam after them as fast as she could. She felt another dragon close on her tail but didn’t turn around or slow down.
It felt like only moments later when Vanilla felt the cold air on her snout. The wind slowed her down, and the two dragons behind her quickly passed her- Rose and another from the Council, who she guessed was Cherry.
Finally, up ahead, she saw Rose and Cherry slow down and land. Vanilla landed down as well.
Queen Teaberry was already standing on a large, craggy boulder that jutted out of a lake at the base of an enormous cliff. Mint Chocolate Chip was crowded onto a tiny outcropping beside her. Not far away, a seal edged nervouslyly into the water, trying not to attract their attention.
Waves pounded the rocks, roaring like angry dragons and spraying salt water over everyone who was clustered around the queen on smaller rocks.
Vanilla found a jagged black rock the right size for her and clambered up. For a moment she just breathed, happy not to be moving. She had no idea how she’d make it back to the Icebound Palace. Deal with that later. Far off to the north, she saw a bank of dark clouds huddled on the horizon, muttering and flashing.
“She’s been dead a day or two,” Rocky Road said grimly. “Killed quite violently, by the looks of it.”
Vanilla glanced down at the broken light pink body snagged on the rocks. Rocky Road was leaning over the corpse, inspecting the deep slashes across the throat. He shook his head and stepped back.
A bolt of shock and terror shot through Vanilla.
She knew this CakeWing.
It was Fruitcake, the dragon who’d raised them.
Fruitcake was dead. And somebody had clearly murdered her.
=== Chapter 10 ===
Tell.
Don’t tell.
Mother needs to know who it is.
But what if she thinks we killed her?
Vanilla didn’t know what to do. It was too strange a coincidence, Fruitcake turning up dead at the WaffleWing-CreamWing border at the same time as the dragonets arriving at the Icebound Palace. If Vanilla admitted she knew her, wouldn’t her mother’s first thought be that the dragonets had killed her themselves?
After the way her friends had been looking at her lately, Vanilla didn’t want to risk getting a similar reaction from her mother... the “What kind of dragon are you really?” and “Can you be trusted?” and “Who else might you attack?” looks.
She worried about it all the way back to the Icebound Palace— mercifully, they flew slower this time, giving Vanilla's wings a rest — but in the bustle of orders and flying messengers, there wasn’t a moment to talk to the queen on her own anyway.
Back at the palace, Queen Teaberry told Vanilla to wait for her and took a few Council dragons off for a war meeting. Vanilla sat on one of the pavilion pillars, watching dragons dart about.
Who would kill Fruitcake? Apart from Sugar Cookie or me, that is? 
She glanced at the cave where her friends were being held, where guards were still posted outside. She knew she should go check on the other dragonets... but what would they think when they heard about Fruitcake?
What if her friends decided it wasn’t safe here? Cinnamon might convince the others that Fruitcake’s murderer could be nearby, waiting to kill them, too. He’d talk them into leaving the Kingdom of Ice Cream, and Vanilla wasn’t ready for that.
They were all too mad at her right now to listen to sense. And they were probably pretty grumpy about being stuck in a guarded cave all afternoon, too.
It’d be better to wait and tell them everything after they had a chance to see how wonderful it could be here. Tomorrow she’d ask her mother to bring them out for a feast or something, and that would cheer up at least a couple of them.
Yes. That’s a better plan. Avoid them until tomorrow, then tell them everything.
Besides, she was so, so tired. Darkness had fallen as they flew back to the Icebound Palace, and now the cavern was lit only by small candles. Not that it mattered to CreamWings, who could see in the dark, but her friends probably wouldn’t be too thrilled about having no light either. Another argument that could wait until tomorrow.
She was relieved when the queen finally came down from the Council level and led her across the lake. Queen Teaberry’s chambers at the Icebound Palace were in a cave lined with waving tendrils of forest green and brilliant round gold balls embedded in the walls. Stone carvings of various arctic creatures danced around the entrance. The walls were studded with diamonds and pearls, and the beds were soft expanses of moss.
A bed was already made up for Vanilla next to Mint Chocolate Chip’s. She collapsed onto it with a sigh. Sleeping on comfortable moss instead of a hard ledge of stone was even more wonderful than she’d ever imagined.
She fell asleep to the sound of CreamWings talking outside and didn’t wake up until the next morning.
When she opened her eyes, she found the mint green head of Mint Chocolate Chip looking at her. Mint Chocolate Chip pointed at Queen Teaberry, who was still asleep. 
Mint Chocolate Chip carefully walked toward the entrance, glancing back at the queen. He beckoned Vanilla after him.
Her brother ran towards the cave with delicious smelling scents inside. Vanilla followed, glancing around and wondering if any CreamWings were out and about this early in the Icebound Palace.
They sat down at a table. 
"I hope she doesn’t wake up,” Mint Chocolate Chip said. He blinked at Vanilla for a moment. “Maybe if you end up an ani-" 
Mint Chocolate Chip paused. "Never mind. I can't tell you yet. Call me Mint. Only Mother calls me Mint Chocolate Chip. It's a bit of a mouthful to say."
“What?” Vanilla said, astonished. But aren't we rivals? If I’m here, doesn‘t that threaten your chance at the throne?
“Maybe you can make her less crazy,” Mint said in a whisper. “Or maybe she’Il set me free now that she has you. Vanilla, you have no idea how awful my life has been.”
Vanilla stared at him. “Your life has been awful?” she said. “You can’t even imagine awful. Try being raised under a mountain with no snow or proper sunlight. Try being raised by three dragons who hate you and treat you like a penguin chick.”
“Mother needs me for what I can do. I always stay here. Even when my sister- the one from my hatching- is away,” Mint protested. 
“For just some extra backup?” Vanilla guessed. “I’m sure that’ll change when I actually learn some combat.” Well, I’m mostly sure. Halfway sure. “And at least she cares about you."
'She cares about me way too much,” Mint said. “I'm her "special dragonet;" the one who hatched with both my father's brains and Mother's personality."
“Well, I was sort of stuck with the other dragonets of dessert,” Vanilla said. “And they’re always arguing with me or getting mad about something.” She felt a pang of guilt about not visiting them the night before. They must be wondering where she’d gone.
Well, maybe if they miss me for a while, they’Il be more pleased to see me when I do show up.
“That must be terrible," Mint said. “I can't even handle Gelato and Pistachio.”
“Really? The twins I've been hearing about are that much of a talonful?”
He snorted. “Yes. Mother thinks they play too rough, so she won’t let them near me. But they still bother me. My cousins- our cousins are all older by years, like Rose, who’s perfect and can do no wrong." 
“I guess my friends are all right when they’re not complaining,” Vanilla admitted. “They complain a lot, though.”
“I tried complaining once,” Mint said with a stab of venom in his voice. “Mother nearly locked me in my room.”
"At least somebody loves you,” Vanilla said. “And you’re with your own kind.”
“She loves you, too,” Mint boredly said. He paused, glancing down into the cave. Queen Teaberry was still fast asleep, her pink scales rising and falling smoothly.
“Anyway, Mother can’t decide who we marry,” Vanilla said.
“Really?” Mint said doubtfully. “She gets to decide everything else. And it's not the first time a thing like that happened."
“We’re royalty,” Vanilla pointed out. “Meaning we do whatever we want.”
“Moons, that is not what I’ve seen,” Mint said. “More like "you're royalty, so you need to win over the entire CreamWing tribe. Put yourself together and manage to smile as well.’”
Vanilla laughed, but her scales prickled uncomfortably. She’d never thought of royalty that way. Did queens and kings really have to worry about honor and other dragons’ approval?
"What would happen if a CreamWing monarch— or potential monarch— decided to, say, marry someone the rest of the tribe disapproved of? Or chose not to get married at all?" Vanilla suddenly said out loud.
It would be harder to rule subjects who didn’t respect you. Vanilla had enough trouble with her usual four. She imagined a whole grumbling tribe full of Sugar Cookies and Cinnamons. But no one would dare argue with the queen, would they? Maybe it depended on the kind of queen you were. No one argued with Chiffon in the CakeWings, that was for sure.
But I would have a king, too, she reminded herself. Not everything would be made by me. Oh, and the Council.
She stretched her wings out.
Outside their hidden spot, she could hear the quiet noises of the Icebound Palace waking up. Dragon wings fluttered overhead. 
“Uh-oh,” Mint whispered, glancing around. "We're in the cafe. Lots of CreamWings will show up to get their daily coffee.”
Vanilla hesitated. Should she go visit her friends now? But what would her mother think if she woke up and found Vanilla gone?
“All right,” she said, “but I have one more question. What happened in between the Freezings?” If Mint could tell her, she could put off going to ask Cinnamon about it.
"To quote the history books, 'After the First Freezing, there was a period of time where the climate slowly returned close to the climate before the First Freezing. However, it was still somewhat cold and the CreamWings kept their fur.'" Mint paused again. “We need to go now!”
Mint shot off to their shared room. Vanilla followed him, walking back to her bed a few moments before Queen Teaberry opened her eyes. The queen sat up and stretched. She beamed at Vanilla and Mint, reaching to stroke Vanilla's head.
The queen gathered her strands of vines from the tree branch where they’d hung during the night. Carefully she draped them around herself again.
Vanilla hadn’t taken off the one she’d been given the day before. Her mother smiled at this and produced another long vine with berries, the berries being a pale purple and oddly shaped instead of round.
With expert talons, Queen Teaberry wound them around Vanilla's chest and wings. They were beautiful, but it was strange to have something weighing her down. Vanilla felt almost as if she was wearing a harness of treasure. She wasn’t about to complain, though. The Talons of Peace had never given the dragonets beautiful things.
Finally, the queen beckoned for them to follow her to the pavilion.
Vanilla did like how her mother kept patting her, as if she wanted to make sure Vanilla was real.
As they flew up to the pavilion, Vanilla saw several guards clustered on one of the lowest levels, half of them sleeping and half of them drinking something steaming out of handheld cauldrons. She noticed that they looked well fed, well rested, and content, not thin and grumpy like Queen Chiffon’s guards in the CakeWing palace. Proof that my mother is a better queen than Chiffon, Vanilla thought.
When Queen Teaberry landed on the Council level, a flurry of wingbeats sounded all over the palace. Council members swept down from caves. Teaberry settled herself behind the largest bench, which was labeled QUEEN. Mint sat beside her.
Small dragons darted in with platters of food, laying them all around the pools as Council members slipped into their places. Vanilla stood awkwardly to the side. She felt like her tail and wings were in the way of everything.
“Oh,” said Queen Teaberry, finally noticing. “Vanilla, you can sit there. Cotton Candy is guarding the hatchery, so she won’t be joining us today.” The queen pointed her claw at a bench and a chair two down from hers, labeled DRAGONET CARE in tiny emeralds. The stone floor was chilly under Tsunami’s talons as she settled behind it.
The benches on either side of the queen said DEFENSE and COMMUNICATION. Rocky Road was behind the first one, and a moment later, Rose landed in behind the other.
“Good morning, Your Majesty,” Rose said, bowing and dipping her wings. “I know yesterday was a shocking day, but I hope you slept well. I worried about you all night.”
“Thank you, dear,” said the queen. Her mother didn't seem visibly charmed by Rose's display. Her eyes were scanning the rest of the Council. A CreamWing she didn't know flew up beside Moray. His bench was labeled MAGIC & PUBLISHING. Vanilla tilted her head at him. How did one become an expert in either of those things? What kind of magic did he know anything about?
She glanced around, wondering if there was a bench for the king, but the Council dragons blocked her view. Maybe her father would be back from the trip tomorrow. 
She remembered some of the Council from the day before— the plump dragon, Spumone, who’d been sent to feed the other dragonets, sat behind a bench marked AGRICULTURE. Cherry, the one who’d gone with Rocky Road to examine and dispose of Fruitcake’s body, was in war. Vanilla didn’t know any of the other dragons’ names, but from where she sat, she could see the labels TREASURY, JUSTICE, and HUNTING.
She didn’t really understand this “Council” business. She wasn’t sure what they did or why they were necessary. Wasn’t it enough to have a queen and king? Couldn’t Teaberry just decide everything herself?
That’s what I’d do, she thought. I'd get rid of this Council and run the tribe like a proper queen. Maybe it worked for Teaberry, but Vanilla didn’t need or want eleven dragons following her around offering advice all the time.
Her stomach rumbled, and she tried to remember when she’d last eaten. The platters around her were loaded with raw ruby-red fish, most of it sliced and deboned and arranged into fancy rolls with arctic grasses. She’d only ever eaten fish raw and whole, or sometimes scorched when her friends decided to set their dinner on fire.
A few cauldrons held seething mountains of what seemed to be snow crabs. Three large bowls contained some kind of salad of seal meat and herbs that Vanilla had never seen before.
She plucked out one of the seal meat chucks and tasted it. It was rubbery but sweet, with a tang like lemons and salt. She reached for another one and realized the whole Council was staring at her. Nobody else had started eating yet.
Oops.
All the Council eyes swiveled toward the queen, who was staring at the bit of seal in Vanilla’s claws. Teaberry shook herself and smiled.
“It’s all right,” the queen said, shaking her head. “Naturally I forgive my long-lost daughter. I give you all permission to eat.”
Vanilla squeezed the seal meat between her claws. What would the CreamWings think of her now? They’d think of her as the dragon who knew nothing about CreamWing customs. How would she ever earn their respect with that reputation?
Was Teaberry deliberately making Vanilla look foolish in front of the other dragons?
Vanilla studied her mother while Teaberry helped herself to the largest pieces of fish and crunched through talonfuls of crabs. 
Maybe not. Maybe Vanilla was seeing problems where there weren’t any.
But maybe it wouldn’t hurt to be a little more careful from now on.
=== Chapter 11 ===
“Strawberry, report,” ordered the queen after the dragons had eaten in silence for a while.
“No change,” said the elegant speckled light pink dragon in the treasury pool. “All your jewels are safe, as always. No scavengers can get to them, and no dragon would dare to try.”
“Splendid,” said Teaberry. She upended the last of a cauldron of crabs into her mouth. “Rocky Road, report.”
“I am concerned about our defenses,” snarled the white and muddy brown dragon. He glared at Vanilla. “The intruders in our midst are a danger to us. We have no idea whether they might have led others to our palace, or what they might be planning.”
“These are my guests,” said the queen firmly. “Not intruders. If my daughter trusts them, then of course I do, too.”
Oh, good,” Vanilla said quickly. “Because I was thinking maybe they could join us for breakfast. I’m sure they’re hungry. And if they could see that they’re really welcome here...” She trailed off as Teaberry shook her head.
“Only Council members and royalty are allowed at Council meetings, sweetness,” Queen Teaberry said, running one claw along a strand of her vines. “But they certainly won’t go hungry. Spumone, did you make sure they were served an ample breakfast?”
The CreamWing nodded.
“They can have the rest of this as well.” Queen Teaberry waved her talons at the breakfast leftovers. The same small dragons from before darted up from the kitchen level, collected the platters, and flew down to the cave with them. Vanilla watched over the edge of the pavilion. None of her friends even poked their heads out. Were they sulking in there? Were they still mad at her?
Well, she was doing a fine enough job of embarrassing herself. She didn’t need them to come out and help. Friends with other tribes... not the stuff most queens and kings were made of.
"Vanilla," her mother said suddenly, "I just remembered that I have something confidential to discuss with the Council. You and Mint Chocolate Chip are dismissed." Vanilla was sure that this was an excuse to get her awkward daughter away.
"Of- of course."
=== Chapter 12 ===
Mint glanced at Vanilla and then at their mother. He slowly walked over to the edge. "Let's go," he said, flying down.
Vanilla reluctantly followed him out the exit tunnel and outside the Icebound Palace. The sky was gray and overcast, which suited Vanilla’s mood perfectly. Wind whipped snow around.
She was sick of fighting with the tundra. Why wouldn’t it welcome her, like it was supposed to?
Why couldn’t she start over as a normal CreamWing with normal problems, instead of having her past mistakes suckered onto her tail like overgrown leeches?
Mint headed towards a cave, and Vanilla followed him.
== Part 3: Out of the Egg ==
Category:Content (Vanilla The CreamWing)
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)
Category:Fanfictions (Fanon)