Once, the Kingdom of Ice had animus dragons, capable of giving magical powers to objects. Though no animus dragons exist today, their enchanting gifts remain. The palace walls, made by them, do not melt or crack, and the Tree of Life provides light with moon-globes. Another such gift is The Gift of Patience, a cloak that has been in the possession of The Kingdom or Sand for generations.

Queen Taiga wants The Gift of Patience to be returned to The Kingdom or Ice. When diplomatic means failed to get the results she wanted, she declared war on the Sandwings, beginning a conflict that has come to be known as The War of Patience. The war is rapidly approaching its third year.

Trout, Queen Taiga's cousin, became a commander despite having no military experience. He finds the role challenging, but others fear to criticize him. Recently, Queen Taiga received a letter from Queen Golden, who offered to surrender the war and return The Gift of Patience. Uncertain of her true intent, Queen Taiga sends Trout and a diplomat named Blizzard to the Kingdom of Sand to discuss terms.

Blizzard and Trout go to the Southern Tundra and meet Sandwing soldiers named Coyote, Aloe, and Captain Rattlesnake, who will escort them to the Sandwing Stronghold. They travel at night to avoid detection, and to protect the heat-sensitive Icewings from the heat of the desert.

When the group arrives at the Sandwing Stronghold, they are met with hostility. Commander Trout is suspicious, but Blizzard reminds them that they've been invited by Queen Golden. She lands behind Captain Rattlesnake. The Sandwing guards advance toward her. Rattlesnake command them to stand down, but the guards reveal that The Gift of Patience has been stolen from the treasury. The Icewings are the most obvious suspects, and the guards attempt to take them into custody.

Blizzard is captured, but Trout flies away, streaking into the desert as the sun rises high above it. He flies for as long as he can, before the heat becomes overwhelming. He makes it as far as the foothills, and spots a cave. He hurries inside, and discovers a small stream of water trickling through the cave.

-

Trout dips his claws into the cool, clear water, relishing the refreshing feeling. He leans down and drinks the water, and a feeling of relief washes through him. He'd been so focused on fleeing that he's barely been able to process what the heat and the strain were doing to him. Now though, he feels his body growing heavy, drained by the events of the day. He goes deeper into the cave, feeling sand transition to smooth stone. He needs to rest, no doubt, but he wants to be certain he won't be spotted by any Sandwings. He presses himself against one of the walls, relishing the cold stone against his scales. He closes his eyes, and falls into an uneasy sleep.

Trout finds himself with heavy chains on his wings and wrists, in a darkened cell, with iron bars in front of him. He looks around- the cells on either side of him are empty, but ahead of him, in the corridor, he can see the figure of a dragon. She has a fur-lined cloak with a raised hood, obscuring her features, but her scales are mottled green, and she has four broad, flat wings. She turns her head and meets Trout's eyes. There is a sadness in her own gaze, a sense that she's worried about the Icewing before her. She stares for a long moment, and then softly says "Please wait for me."

Trout wakes up, surrounded by the darkness of the desert cave. Already the dream is fading from his mind, the face of the green dragon becoming indistinct in his memory. It's still daytime and sunlight streams into the cave. Trout got to his feet, feeling a deep ache in his wings, sore from the mornings dramatic flight. Trout dares not take flight again yet. The heat of the desert is still too oppressive, and the odds of being spotted by hostile Sandwings is too high. Trout settles in, folding his talons underneath himself. He watches the entrance of the cave as the day stretches on. He's hungry, and sore, and bored of sitting still, but the memory of Blizzard's arrest is still fresh in his memory.

Finally, the sun began to set. Trout stayed where he was for as long as he could bear it. When it was dark and cool, he stood up and crept to the mouth of the cave. He peered out, looking side-to-side until he was sure the coast was clear. He stepped further out, his pale scales shining in the light of the moons. He spread his wings, took a running start, and took to the air, gliding fast and low over the dunes. He kept alert for any sign of other dragons, but there was no sign of life beyond small, scurrying desert creatures.

He skimmed low enough to feel his wingtips brushing the sand. His thoughts started to drift back to Blizzard, wondering if they were unharmed, but he forced himself to focus on the task at hand. Sand gave way to stone as he swept into the highlands. He allowed himself to slow once he was confident that he was out of the Kingdom of Sand, though he knew the pressure was not off yet. He finally allowed himself to gain height, sweeping up into the clouds, and seeing the snowy mountain range of his home stretching before him.

Trout pressed onward, passing small Icewing settlements from time to time, until the the palace shimmered into view, smaller buildings dotting the landscape around it. Trout sailed over the wall, startling a pair of guards stationed by the gate. He flew through the hallways, navigating them with ease the hallways with ease, having spent most of his life in the palace. He dropped to the ground in front of the throne room, his claws scratching against the smooth floor as he slid to a stop in front of the grand door.

A young guard in front of the door narrowed her eyes at him and looked as if she was about to scold him, but her expression changed when she recognized who he was. "Commander!" She cried with surprise. "What are you..." She seemed to think better of questioning him, and glanced nervously toward the door. "The Queen is currently holding an audience with-"

"She'll see me," Trout said, cutting the guard off. He placed a claw against the door and pushed it open. Early morning light was creeping in through the windows, shining on the throne in the center of the room where Queen Taiga was sitting. In front of her were a trio of dragons that struck Trout as vaguely familiar, though he did not take the time to dwell on that. Queen Taiga looked up at the round of the door opening with a sharp glare. Her gaze met Trout's, and she narrowed her eyes. She turned back to her audience, and waved her claws dismissively at them. "Wait outside," she instructed. "We will resume this conversation shortly."

The three dragons walked out of the throne room, casting scornful gazes toward Trout. He wasn't worried about them now, though. He walked speedily toward the throne. Queen Taiga regarded him, her expression difficult to read. "Cousin Trout," she said in a dry tone. "You have returned." She inclined her head, as if peering over Trout's shoulder. "I cannot help but notice that the diplomat that I sent with you is not present."