Tundra

"Good. No apologies. But now it is time to rise. There will be a ceremony in the courtyard in seven minutes that you must attend."

— Tundra to Winter, Winter Turning

Tundra is an adult female IceWing princess who was introduced in Winter Turning. Along with being the widow of Prince Narwhal, she was formerly a warrior of the First Circle and is an advisor to Queen Snowfall. She currently resides in the IceWing palace and is a member of the IceWing royal family.

Description

Tundra has cold, shimmering, stormy gray eyes and wears a necklace of SkyWing teeth that emits a jittery, small clattering sound when she moves. She has a slippery, smooth, cutting, flat, informative voice and gleaming scales.

Personality

Tundra is sharp and demanding, and dropped an expressionless mask over her features after glancing at Icicle's last place Circle ranking. She is willing to take great risks for much greater gains.

She also has no qualms in showing open admiration for Hailstorm and Icicle's accomplishments while demeaning Winter's. She is calm, smug, judgemental, disapproving, skeptical, cold, and impassive, with a marble face that repels sarcasm and a perpetually frozen expression. Snowfall noted that she had never seen a hint of sadness, rage, or resentment on Tundra's face. It is rare for her to display emotion, but she looked quite scandalized when Snowfall questioned the royal IceWing crown's origin.

Biography

The Jade Mountain Prophecy

Moon Rising
Icicle mentioned her family in her thoughts here: "By the teeth of the Great Ice Dragon, this is boring as sand. I shall certainly tell Mother and Father and Aunt Glacier what a waste of time this entire school is."

Winter Turning

In the first chapter of the book, Tundra, Narwhal, Winter, Icicle, Hailstorm, three attendants, and one of Winter's uncles were all part of a hunting party. Tundra hissed for the attention of the others, announcing that whoever brought down the first polar bear would later sit beside the queen while she ate it. She shot a look at her daughter, Icicle. She told Winter that he should try harder while hunting during the tense meals shared with his family. She would often compare him negatively to Hailstorm and Icicle. While Winter was out hunting, he paused, noticing that his prey, a female polar bear, has two cubs. He also watched a scavenger. Tundra flew towards him with Icicle and Narwhal following, shrieking at him to kill the bear. Winter attempted to do so but failed because he had hesitated too long. Winter remembered how she would make him practice the IceWing guard stance perfectly every day before he could eat. According to him, this was not very fun. Later on, when Winter woke up, she was waiting next to him and thanked him for bringing Hailstorm back, before saying it was the least he could do. She then complimented him by telling him that it was good that he had not apologized, showing some form of emotion towards her son. She was later seen as the dragon who scratches the names and moves them around the Circle rankings.

Talons of Power
Tundra was mentioned when Hailstorm asked about his parents' condition. Tundra was one of the five confirmed IceWings who had received the plague, another one being her husband Narwhal.

Darkness of Dragons
In the epilogue, Winter said that Tundra never wanted to see him again after the death of her husband, Narwhal.

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The Lost Continent Prophecy

The Dangerous Gift

Tundra had reminded Queen Snowfall about the Circle Ranks. She later glared at Crystal's name on the wall. After Snowfall left the Ice Kingdom, Tundra was mentioned many times throughout the book when Snowfall remembered the wall. When Snowfall returned to the Kingdom and came back to the IceWing palace, Tundra was surprised to see her return, assuming that she was not coming back and had made Mink the new queen. When Snowfall ordered Ivory to destroy the IceWing crown, Tundra became distressed. She then reminded Snowfall about the Circle Rankings needing rearrangements from her absence and followed her to the wall. However, Snowfall soon destroyed the Circle Rankings wall using the gift of strength in front of her aunt, causing Tundra to scream desperately at her and then fainted. Snowfall ordered her soldiers to take Tundra back to her room to rest, afterwards.

Relationships

Icicle

Similar to her firstborn, Icicle is also Tundra's favorite dragonet since she is a prodigy and an heir to the throne. Tundra wanted Icicle to succeed Glacier as queen instead of Snowfall.

Narwhal

It has been implied that Tundra did have feelings for her husband, as she was saddened by his death. The news hurt her to the point she ended up disowning Winter.

Snowfall

Tundra is often frosty, disapproving, and skeptical towards Snowfall's decisions. She hates having to obey Snowfall. She was distressed about Snowfall's actions of destroying the enchanted IceWing crown and the gift of order, causing her to scream and faint.

Winter

Tundra is Winter's mother. After Winter dropped into the Fifth Circle due to a failed polar bear hunt, Tundra made him memorize long sagas for months about dragons who had attempted the Diamond Trial, including about a hundred verses speculating how gruesomely they may have died. Tundra made it clear that no dragonet of hers would reach their seventh hatching day any lower than the Second Circle, even if it meant risking their life for the Diamond Trial. Winter speculated that his mother sees him as nothing more than a lump of gray ice. For a month after Hailstorm's death report, Tundra did not speak to Winter. He felt elation and pride when Tundra thanked Winter for rescuing Hailstorm, but she then added that it was the least that Winter could do. After realizing that Tundra had intended for him to die during the Diamond Trial, he felt hurt in a deep place where he had thought his family could not hurt him anymore. Winter suspected that Tundra would have wanted Winter to complete a necessary task in any way possible, even if it was immoral. She is sharp and demanding towards Winter, and does not want to see him.

Family Tree

More

Glacier

Several Dragons

Narwhal

Tundra

Crystal

Snowfall

Mink

Hailstorm

Winter

Icicle

Quotes

"Hailstorm killed a polar bear on his first hunt. Icicle has killed three so far. You obviously need to try harder."

― to Winter

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"What is wrong with you? Are you hunting or sightseeing? Are you an IceWing or a RainWing? Kill that bear!"

― to Winter during a hunt

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"Good. [...] No apologies. But now it is time to rise. There will be a ceremony in the courtyard in seven minutes that you must attend."

― to Winter

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"Thank you for bringing Hailstorm home [...] It was the least you could do."

― to Winter

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"Restore our family's rank."

― to Winter before the Diamond Trial

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"Tundra looked exactly the same, though. Snowfall never saw a hint of sadness or rage or resentment in her face. Even though they both knew perfectly well that Tundra had always hoped her daughter, Icicle, would take the throne from Glacier before Snowfall could."

― narration

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"It's been in the royal family for hundreds of years! It's one of the most treasured IceWing heirlooms!"

― to Snowfall about the royal IceWing crown

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"Your Majesty, as the wall has been neglected for a number of days, despite my best efforts, perhaps you would appreciate a few updates about the behavior of the palace IceWings in your absence."

― to Snowfall about the gift of order

Trivia

• The sound of Tundra's necklace always made Winter want to go and hide in a snowbank. Snowfall described it as noisy instead.

Gallery

• 
  Tundra from Winter Turning (graphic novel), by Mike Holmes
• 
  Reference by Skyla the Skywing

• Art by Mike Holmes, from the Wings of Fire Graphic Novels
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References

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