The Letters You Send Me

Chapter 32: Restoration

Snowslide looked around, seeing the injured dragons. They were clearly confused as they looked at each other. "No... No I... I can't be out. I can't be freed... All those dragons I've... The things I-" 

He fell to the ground and lowered his head "how many?" He asked, but it was directed towards the other Icewing. "A little over 700 in total." Snowslide looked at his talons. "And I remember... Every... Single... One..." He looked up at Winter "I'm so sorry for what I said to you about Gelid..." He looked at the others "and I'm sorry for what I've said about you all."

Winter knelt down and placed his claw on Snowsilde's shoulder "you're alright now. You're free." Snowslide sighed "but why? Why didn't you just kill me?" "Because it wasn't you." Everyone looked at Turtle "you were being controlled by your sister. You deserved to live a normal life free of the enchantment."

Snowslide nodded sadly, then looked up at Moon "I'm sorry, especially to you, for everything." "Don't. Don't apologize for something you had no control over. None of this was your fault. Australis is to blame."

Snowslide nodded. "What was it like, being you but not at the same time?" Kinkajou asked, getting his attention. Snowslide sighed "it was like I was trapped in my own mind, seeing things through my eyes, doing things with my claws... But at the same time... It's like I wasn't there. I wasn't... Snowslide anymore. I was a monster."

He sighed and looked at Qibli and Turtle "why would you give a monster a second chance at life?" 

Peril smiled "I was a monster. I killed by my own will in Scarlet's arena. More dragons than I can count died because of me. Sometimes I think that I don't deserve a second chance, but it's because of the dragons around me that I've come to terms with my past and made amendments."

"Come with us, there's someone you should see."

----

"The... Rainwing kingdom?" Snowslide questioned, looking at Moon. "Come on, let's go." They walked past the guards and some civilians. They arrived at a small house, tucked away from the rest.

Moon and Kinkajou knocked on the door. After a few seconds, a Nightwing answered. "Hello again, come on in." Snowslide looked closely at the Nightwing and studied their appearance. "My son is sleeping in the other room so please be quiet, and have a seat at the table. I'll make you all some tea."

The Nightwing turned around and faced a small counter where it they began making some tea. Snowslide looked around "why have you brought me here? What does this have to do with my second chance?"

Moon smiled "why don't you ask her?" She asked, nodding to the other Nightwing. After a few minutes of Snowslide staring at the Nightwing and her making tea, he came to a conclusion. Snowslide nudged Winter "I... I think I know that Nightwing... Isn't that... The one from the Diamond Trial?"

"Indeed I am."

Snowslide looked up at the Nightwing and she smiled sweetly, pouring some tea in the cups then distributing them to the dragonets. "My real name is Foeslayer, but you can call me Hope now." Snowslide blinked "I... I think I fought you once in the Diamond Trial." She nodded "I know, you put up a very good fight against me but I remember the poor Icewing you fought. I think Everest was her name." 

Snowslide nodded "I know... I remember the time we fought in there... What I did to her because of Australis..." Snowslide looked up at Hope "but you were imprisoned. You didn't do anything wrong." She sighed and looked at Moon "we aren't here because of her."

Just then, there was a small yawn. Snowslide felt someone tug his leg. He looked down and saw a small Rain-Night hybrid that was rubbing their eyes. Snowslide picked up the dragonet and smiled "hello," the small dragonet yawned and waved "Snowslide meet Peacemaker. But you'd know him as Darkstalker."

Snowslide froze and extended his arms so he was holding Peacemaker at arm's length. He was visibly distraught.

 "This is Darkstalker?" Hope nodded "yes and no, he doesn't remember who he was. All he knows is that his father was a Rainwing and he died from an illness when he was still an egg, he lives in the rainforest and loves strawberries."

Snowslide "but, I thought you all kil- Defeated Darkstalker. You had his scroll, you could have just written a different enchantment to put him to sleep forever and nothing could wake him up or.." 

"We thought this would be best for him." Kinkajou said with a smile "and besides, if Darkstalker got a second chance, you should too. After all, nothing that happened was your fault." Snowslide gently rested Peacemaker on his lap and the small dragonet curled into a ball and closed his eyes. "He's so... So peaceful." 

Snowslide smiled and gently pet the hybrid "I barley remember the time before I was enchanted." Snowslide looked at Hope "how should I move on from this?" The Nightwing smiled "only you can figure that out. You have the options of going back to the Kingdom of Ice, or starting a new life somewhere else."

Snowslide looked at Winter "I'd like to go back home. See everyone there, how everything turned out. And pay my respects to the ones whose lives I've taken." Winter nodded "as you wish. We can leave whenever you'd like." 

Hope smiled "if you have any concerns, or you just want to talk, you can come to me whenever you'd like. I'd be happy to help you." Snowslide smiled and nodded "thank you all for everything you've done. I will always be indebted to you all." He bowed his head then raised it.

"Well, I'd like to know how everything started with you and Australis if you wouldn't mind." Turtle asked, mixing his tea with a spoon then sipping it. 

"Alright. I'll tell you all everything I know. How it all started, what happened to my sister... To my tribe... To me..."