'Hope', formerly known
as 'Foeslayer', is an adult female NightWing and was one of the three
main protagonists of Runaway. Many IceWings believed that she was one of
the main causes of the NightWing-IceWing War, as Hope and Arctic's
forbidden relationship infuriated Queen Diamond and led her to declare
war on the NightWings.

She was imprisoned in the Diamond Caves for over 2,000 years due to an
Animus magic|enchantment cast by Queen Diamond, but was freed by Winter
when he breathed frostbreath onto the diamond shapes on her shackles
after his Diamond Trial was over. She is currently raising Peacemaker in
the NightWing village.

## Description

Hope is huge, with black scales that are as dark as a moonless night.
She has dark green underscales, dark green eyes, a smooth, dark neck,
and black wings.

## Personality

As a dragonet, Hope was scatterbrained, likely to blurt whatever she was
thinking, and passionate over things that most other dragons found
pointless. She was loudmouthed, hopeful, and slightly strange. She had a
sharp tongue but was not the kind of dragon to leave others in danger.
She did not typically follow orders, and she was sarcastic and
interesting. She would rather be a happy dragon than a smart dragon.

When Winter appeared horrified by the enchantment that imprisoned Hope
in the Diamond Caves, she only shrugged eloquently in response. She is
absorbed with worry, protective, and ready to defend, love, and rage at
a moment's notice. She is wry, energetic, nervous, patient, loyal,
hopeful, and caring, and although she sparks with anger from snout to
tail, there is immense room inside her for love. She feels guilty
whenever she upsets her loved ones, and during a party in Darkstalker, she felt relief and eagerness to get to the food
after being dismissed by Vigilance. When interacting with Qibli, her
eyes were neither friendly nor unfriendly, and her face was difficult to
read. Her tone was not open to argument, and when Darkstalker was
surprised that she did not want vengeance against the IceWings for what
they did to her, she replied that she was never vengeful.

## Biography

### The Jade Mountain Prophecy

left Winter Turning

To win the Diamond Trial, one must defeat Foeslayer and then kill the
opposition. When Hailstorm and Winter found her in the Diamond Caves,
Hailstorm touched his narwhal spear to the layer of ice covering her,
cracking it off. He then attacked her. Foeslayer fought back and
immobilized him, but when she moved in to kill him, Winter attacked her
to protect Hailstorm. After a short conversation about the history of
her imprisonment and an explanation of how Diamond's enchantment worked,
she let Hailstorm kill her, telling him to "Make it quick." Afterward,
Hailstorm then revealed that he had been told in advance that one of
them has to kill the other to win the Diamond Trial.

Hailstorm agreed to let Winter sneak off and pretend he was killed
instead of Hailstorm having to kill his brother. When Hailstorm left,
Winter tapped his spear to Foeslayer's ice again and cracked it, and she
remarked that she has never been woken up by the same dragonets twice.
Winter then demanded why Foeslayer stole Prince Arctic, but she objected
to the word "steal" and told Winter that they fell in love with each
other, so Prince Arctic ran off with her, knowing the IceWings would not
accept this. Winter felt sympathetic to the love she had for Arctic,
comparing it to the feelings he has for Moonwatcher, and decided to set
Foeslayer free.

Winter figured out that he needed to use frostbreath on the base of the
chains to break off the Animus magic|animus-touched shackles that kept
Foeslayer from escaping the Diamond Caves. Before he broke them off, he
asked her to promise to leave the IceWings alone. She agreed, stating
she never wanted to see another IceWing ever again and said that she was
going straight back to the 'old' Lost city of night|Night Kingdom.
Winter decided that this would be a chance to find the lost city of
night since Foeslayer and Darkstalker are the only ones who know where
it was hidden. He hoped that after finding it, he would be able to
rejoin his friends and save Jade Mountain.

left Escaping Peril

Foeslayer appeared with Winter when they were flying back to
Possibility. Upon seeing Peril, Foeslayer remarked that she had not seen
a firescales dragon in a long time. Later, after Peril accidentally
burned Winter in their fight, Peril shouted for Foeslayer to look for
help, and she left. After Winter was healed, he explained that Foeslayer
was with him because they were flying to the lost city of night.

left
Darkness of Dragons
Qibli met
Foeslayer while he was in the library getting the blueprints of the Old
Night Kingdom's Castle. She asked Qibli what his opinion on Darkstalker
was. When he said that he did not trust Darkstalker, she asked why, and
Qibli was forced to tell the truth seeing that there was no way around
it. He told her that he did not trust Darkstalker because he killed his
father and Foeslayer later gave him a map to the location where Tsunami
was imprisoned.

Near the end of the book, Foeslayer was sitting on a ledge, and
Darkstalker flies over to her. They embrace and Qibli saw that
Darkstalker loved her more than Clearsight or Moonwatcher. Soon after,
Foeslayer tried convincing Darkstalker to eat a strawberry and make
himself a dragonet with no powers and a wiped memory. Darkstalker was
not persuaded, but Kinkajou was able to turn him into a
NightWing-RainWing dragonet using scraps of his animus-touched scroll
that she stole from Chameleon. Foeslayer took over as the dragonet's
mother. She changed her name to Hope, upon the suggestion from Qibli,
and went to live with the RainWings and NightWings in the rainforest.
She also changed Darkstalker's name to Peacemaker.

In the epilogue, Moonwatcher asked her about Pantala|the lost continent,
and she replied that it was a kind of joke in her time, and then said
that the NightWings calculated that Pyrrhia only covered a third of the
world and that another continent might have been out there. Then she
told her that "Before you go looking for trouble, see if you can find
anything on the Legend of the Hive."

-----

### The Lost Continent Prophecy

left
The Dangerous Gift
Snowfall
mentioned how Diamond's son ran off with a NightWing. Tundra objected
and claimed that Arctic was kidnapped by a NightWing. The NightWing they
are referring to is Foeslayer.

-----

### Legends

left Darkstalker

Foeslayer appeared in the prologue, she pushing her way past Arctic and
Snowflake to the balcony. She was shown talking and jumping around to
try to warm herself up, and she eventually annoyed Snowflake into
leaving. After learning the reason why Snowflake was so irritable was
that Arctic forgot her name, she teased Arctic about it. The two
proceeded to talk and flirt for a while. Eventually, to stay and talk
with her for a while longer, Arctic enchanted his diamond earring to
keep the wearer warm and protected, then gave it to Foeslayer, although
he was aware that doing so was defying the IceWing heritage and law of
only using animus magic once in a lifetime. This made her very surprised
and worried about Arctic's soul.

In the first chapter, Foeslayer was heard arguing with Arctic over what
would be best for their two eggs. When the first one hatched, she named
the dragonet Darkstalker. Arctic said that it sounded creepy, like he
was stalking in the darkness, but she retorted that it sounded heroic,
like he was following the darkness and chasing the shadows away. Arctic
reluctantly agreed to the name but claimed he got to name the other
dragonet, their daughter, Whiteout.

About three years after Darkstalker and Whiteout hatched, Darkstalker
came home to Foeslayer arguing with Prince Arctic about whether he
should leave or stay in the Night Kingdom after Queen Diamond sent him a
message that offered him amnesty if he returned to her and he killed his
dragonets. Foeslayer was shocked, but Arctic told her that he would not
accept it, and just wanted her to know what he could do if the topic
came up again. Darkstalker ended their argument by saying he and
Whiteout were both there, and Foeslayer apologized to both of them.

The dinner after Arctic found out about Darkstalker's animus powers, he
told Foeslayer that their son had been keeping a secret from them. She
firstly thought that he was talking about Clearsight, but then Arctic
explained that the secret was animus magic. Foeslayer said that Prudence
would be horribly pleased, then wondered if she should tell the queen.
She asked to discuss that with Arctic later, in private.

Later, Darkstalker enchanted a map to reveal the location of his mother
after finding her enchanted earring discarded inside his house after a
fight with Arctic. The red dot showed her frozen in place in the Ice
Kingdom, and he presumed her to be dead, not aware that she had been
enchanted by Queen Diamond and trapped in the Diamond Caves.

-----

### Winglets

left
Runaway
Foeslayer was in the IceWing
palace dome right after she met Prince Arctic for the first time.
Prudence, Foeslayer's mother, came over and asked where she was.
Prudence noticed Foeslayer's new earring recently given to her by Arctic
and asked if she stole it, which Foeslayer gave her mother a version of
the truth, saying that an IceWing gave it to her. This led to a squabble
broken up by Arctic, who had just walked in the room, trying to protect
her from punishment. Prudence was confused about who Arctic was and why
he was trying to protect her daughter. Foeslayer finally admitted to
Prudence, that she met Arctic earlier, and Prudence became angry because
she had told Foeslayer earlier to keep silent and not interact with any
of the IceWings. Prudence punished Foeslayer by sending her to her
chambers. While walking there, Foeslayer saw Snowflake who was supposed
to marry Arctic, which made her feel worse because she loves Arctic and
wanted him to herself.

Foeslayer was locked in her chambers for two days. On the last day of
their visit, Foeslayer and Prudence were seen packing up and getting
ready to leave. Foeslayer was annoyed that Arctic never visited her in
two days and now she would have to leave him forever. Prudence was
scolding her about her pacing when she suddenly froze in place.
Foeslayer was surprised to see Arctic walk through the wall of her
chambers, and Foeslayer realized that he was using his animus magic to
escape his kingdom and go with her so they could be together. Arctic and
Foeslayer had a happy reunion, and he enchanted Foeslayer's earring so
that she could not be harmed by any of Diamond's spells. Arctic then
unfroze Prudence and persuaded her to go to the Night Kingdom with them.
The three of them went together back to the hallway to escape. As Arctic
froze IceWing guards in their way, Prudence revealed to her that she was
letting Arctic come with them in hopes that Foeslayer and Arctic had
dragonets and passed the animus gene to the NightWing tribe. Prudence
then went to get the other two NightWings that came along with them,
Starclaws and Discretion, Foeslayer swore to herself to never tell
Arctic what her mother just told her.

Snowflake and Snowfox spot the two fleeing and sent a huge wave of
IceWing guards after them. The guards shot arrows at Foeslayer, but they
swerved away from her due to her earring's enchantment. Arctic enchanted
the guard's spears to stop them, and the spears killed the guards, which
was not what Arctic meant to do. Snowflake then caught up with them,
shouting at Arctic that he should never be happy. Foeslayer then
breathed fire and Arctic enchanted it to fly over and burn Snowflake's
wing, making her fall onto the snow below. They then flew to a cliff and
met up with Prudence and the rest of the NightWings. Prudence offered
Foeslayer one of the enchanted bracelets to survive the harsh, cold
weather ahead of them, but Foeslayer declined, saying that her earring
would save her. The group flew toward the Night Kingdom. Foeslayer asked
Arctic if his soul was okay, which he replied saying that it was none of
her business. When she told him that it was, Arctic just growled and
looked at her with a smug expression. Foeslayer convinced herself that
she would make Arctic happy again and that he and she would be together
forever.

## Relationships

### Arctic

When Arctic first met Hope, he found his wings responding in a way that
matched her own. When Arctic figured out Hope's name at the time,
Foeslayer, he felt a thrill like the first time he had touched fire.
Hope laughed and grinned with him, and he found himself unable to stop
smiling at her. He thought that perhaps nothing would ever be boring or
frustrating again so long as they were together, and he would do
anything to spend a few more minutes with her. He broke his animus vow
for Hope, and longed for her to view him as a dragon who did not care
much for rules. He brushed his wing with her own, and promised her that
his soul was hers, if she wanted it. Hope believed that she would make
their relationship work, and that they would be happy.

In later stages of their relationship, Arctic threatened Hope after she
made a joke towards him, and Darkstalker sensed that his mother was in
danger. There was fury, bitterness, suspicion, hatred, and emanating
outrage from both partners. They often argued and squabbled loudly, and
Hope was irritated with Arctic for staying within their home and
complaining constantly. Although Arctic believed Hope only loved him for
his animus magic, in truth, she disliked his magic and wished he had not
been an animus. In fact, she stated she loved him more than anything.

However, he still loved her; when Darkstalker hatched, he sensed a
small, warm ember of love for Hope hidden under layers of ice. He could
not bear to keep secrets from her, and worried about her safety. In one
of Clearsight's visions, he was crying over a painting of Foeslayer by
Whiteout. They were still physically affectionate with one another in
the later stages of their relationship. She truly loved him. Arctic did
not want to leave Hope or Whiteout for the Ice Kingdom.

### Darkstalker

During Darkstalker's hatching, Hope's mind shimmered with excitement,
and she considered him strong. She adored him from hatching, heart and
soul, and cared about him very deeply; she named him Darkstalker as an
allusion to chasing back the darkness, like a hero. She was supportive
of his relationship with Clearsight, and smiled at him often. She
worried about Vigilance's intentions to use Darkstalker's animus magic,
as she was concerned for the safety of her son. Darkstalker was willing
to do anything to see his mother again after awakening from his
enchantment, and he appeared desperately hopeful at the prospect of
seeing her. He sobbed when they were reunited. During their reunion, she
told her son that she was sorry that he had to live a life shaped with
anger and wished that they could start over again. She urged Darkstalker
to start over again as a dragonet and believes it was ultimately better
for both of them.

### Diamond

Hope and Diamond were described to have a "complicated" relationship by
Hope. Diamond mainly blamed Hope for causing the NightWing-IceWing War,
and in revenge, imprisoning her in the Diamond Caves, Diamond killed
Hope forty times herself just to vent her anger.

### Prudence

Although Prudence was Hope's mother, she treated Hope poorly, commenting
that she looked frightful and then seizing Hope's ear so harshly that
she recoiled in pain. Prudence viewed Hope as smart-mouthed and wayward,
as well as idiotic, brainless, and prone to catastrophe. Prudence was
dismissive, and typically would act outraged if Hope refused something
she offered, but as soon as Hope wanted something, Prudence would refuse
to give it to her. Although Prudence was overbearing, Hope still cared
about her, and refused to leave her mother in Diamond's claws while she
and Arctic fled the Ice Kingdom together. When Hope confessed that she
had fallen in love with Arctic, she expected her mother's yelling,
disapproval, and abuse, and was surprised when she reacted more calmly.

## Quotes

That's Arctic's fiancée. The dragon he's supposed to marry.
He's taken. He's going to marry someone else. But he never could have
been mine anyway. So why did I agree to meet him in secret later
tonight? Am I still going to? A smart dragon wouldn't. A smart dragon
would keep her head down and make it home to the Night Kingdom instead
of risking an intertribal incident. Yes, but … that smart dragon sounds
perfectly miserable. All right. So what if I choose not to be smart?
It's only one secret meeting. I just want to talk to him some more. I
mean, really, universe … what's the worst that could happen?

thoughts about Arctic and Snowflake
Runaway

-----

Seriously the worst! That poor dragon! I am completely
telling her not to marry you. I pity whoever gets tricked into that.
You'll be like, 'Happy fortieth anniversary … what's your name again?'
and she'll be all, 'It's our FIFTIETH, you slime weasel, and my name is
you're sleeping on an iceberg tonight.
to Arctic about
Snowflake Darkstalker
prologue

-----

Oh, she's always lecturing me about how I ruin everything.
Foeslayer, why are the scrolls shelved in the wrong places again?
Foeslayer, you smiled at the wrong dragons this morning! Foeslayer, the
queen will never want you on her council if you insist on having
opinions all the time. Foeslayer, I'm bringing you on this mission
because I don't trust you if I leave you behind, but if you say one word
to any IceWing, I will mount your head on a spike in the throne room.

to Arctic about Prudence
Darkstalker
prologue

-----

Nothing is wrong with my dragonets.
to Arctic Darkstalker
11

-----

And of course you think your 'rank' is higher than mine. But
we're not in your kingdom. My dragonets will never set foot in your
frozen wasteland. We are here, whether you like it or not, and he is my
son, and his name is Darkstalker.
to Arctic

Darkstalker
15

-----

No, keep smiling. I know you're doing all this for me. It'll
all be worth it. Together forever, Arctic! We're going to be the
happiest dragons in the world.
to Arctic
Runaway

-----

You think you know everything about me and Arctic, Mother. You
think we're already falling apart and you're so pleased with yourself.
You can't wait to say I told you so to me every day for the rest of my
life. But I love Arctic. I do, and that's real. I'm going to make this
marriage work. I'm going to make him keep loving me, and I'm not going
to let him get away with acting like a jerk. I'm going to hang on to his
soul. I'm going to make him happy. We are going to be happy. Maybe this
isn't exactly the fate either of us expected. But it's ours now. Me and
Arctic. Together against the world. Forever.
thoughts towards
Prudence
Runaway

-----

This is very moving, but would one of you please kill me
already? I'm tired, I haven't eaten in hundreds of years, and these days
it's more painful to be awake than to go through the process of dying
again.
to Hailstorm and Winter
Winter Turning
280

-----

Yes. You stab me, I die painfully, and then I go back to being
frozen until someone wakes me up again. It's a cunning enchantment. The
first forty times, Queen Diamond killed me herself. I suspect the
original point of the spell was that she wasn't satisfied with killing
me just once. But then the forty-first time, there were two dragonets
here … so she must have decided I could be used for this other purpose,
whatever you two are here for.
to Hailstorm and Winter Winter Turning
281

-----

It's part of your queen's gift, IceWing. I have been frozen in
time, so I only age in the moments when I'm unfrozen like this. The
plan, evidently, is to keep me here a very, very long time.

to Winter Winter Turning
277

-----

I didn't steal him. I fell in love with him. And he loved me,
too. That's the truth, although no IceWing has ever listened long enough
to hear it before. We didn't mean to ruin everything, or start a
terrible war, or make two tribes hate each other for all eternity. We
just wanted to be together.
to Winter
Winter Turning
287-288

-----

Darkstalker. My beloved disaster.
to Darkstalker
when they first met after two thousand years
Darkness of Dragons

344

-----

I was never a vengeful dragon. You get that from your father.
Calm down, it's true. But it doesn't make sense to punish the IceWing
tribe for what happened to us all those centuries ago, Darkstalker.
Queen Diamond is long gone. The war should have ended then. Time has
moved on without us and we should let it, not drag it back into the
blood and fire of our old fight. I remember what Arctic did during our
escape from the Ice Kingdom. I understand why they were so angry, and
why he never really recovered. I'm sorry you had to live a life shaped
by that anger.
to Darkstalker
Darkness of Dragons

346-347

-----

I think I'll call him Peacemaker. I wonder if history would
have been different if I'd chosen a name like that from the beginning.

to Kinkajou, Moonwatcher, and Qibli
Darkness of
Dragons
355

## Trivia

  - Whenever Arctic and Hope attended parties in the lost city of night
    together, they would intentionally complement one another's jewelry
    because it gave the illusion of matching and fitting perfectly
    together.
  - Hope was one of the strongest fighters in her class.
  - During the welcome party in Darkstalker, Hope was the first to rush
    in and fill one of Queen Vigilance's usual momentary silences.
    Darkstalker made a mental note to find a subtle way to make
    Vigilance pay later.
  - Hope knows a few tricks to hide her thoughts from mind-readers.