Chapter 1: a stay in the dragon town
Ember had been attacked, and escaped by the skin of her teeth. The young dragoness had no idea of the events to come, and was merely glad that she had just about managed to deliver the crystal-of-eighteen-sides to Ignitus. It was a miracle, to say the very least. Shaking off the shiver that had come from the remembrance of the assault, but failing to rid herself of the memory itself, the visualization of the event filled her thoughts once more; how the enormous being whose eyes she could not see had raised his naturally heavy and heavily ironclad right arm before shattering the large, oaken club with which she had been equipped using one downward motion of his balled fist.
Clenching her teeth, the dragoness forced herself to turn her mind's attention to other matters.
The fact that Ignitus had made the decision to dispatch Ember back to her homeland under the escort of Spyro and Cynder was not a miracle. It was a sheer honour. Upon the great reshaping of the world, it had become impossible to travel from any one realm to another in both directions; and so, this setback had led to the creation of the portals. She was being escorted to the nearest and newest one in the whole of the dragon realms. And they had just arrived.
"You'd seriously do that just because it's us?" the shopkeeper nodded vigorously. Spyro gave the older dragon a warm smile. "Thanks." he said, before slipping away from the crowds to find Cynder. She was with Ember, who was showing her the niceties of shopping and trading; an experience that Cynder had never had the chance to sample before. After recognizing her voice, Spyro flew above the crowd and over to the general direction from which he had heard it, and landed next to Ember. She jumped, leaving Spyro and Cynder laughing hysterically. "Hi, you two. Enjoying yourselves, I see? I've come to book us in to the inn." the joke was deliberate, and it added to the trio's laughing in spite of how bad it was.
He handed Cynder an amulet with a blue gem in the centre of twelve spiralling arms of silver. This was what the shopkeeper had insisted he have for free, quote "A present to the two who saved the world." It fitted her perfectly, hanging from her neck by a platinum chain. And so, after receiving a Cynder's thanks, Spyro led the others to the inn which one of his newfound friends among the town's inhabitants had directed him to upon request, the flaming glacier.
Upon entering the trio was met by a mass of applause. Clearly, it seemed, the residents of this town knew the stories of his many battles, and Cynder's, well. The barman gave them their room for free and a drink each on the house. After a moment's thought, Spyro decided that the explanation of this was probably because their presence would increase the pub's popularity to turn a profit far beyond the loss of allowing them to stay without paying. After eating a carvery lunch and filling themselves with mead, they excused themselves from the company of their fans and hit the sack.
