The Legend of Spyro: Series: Below Zero.
Book One: Betrayal of Heroes.
Note: This will, I think, be rated M. Not for this first chapter, but for later ones. Also, note that I am only having this at M now for consistancy's sake. This being a six-book series, I am certain that the content of the second and later books will be rated M. I wouldn't want people who only search K-T to wonder where the promised rest of this series had gone. However, I still need a valid reason for this to be rated M, and will include some torture that wasn't in the original plan, as well as possible limes (no way am I confident with full-blown lemons). However, that is only a possibility, and one that I am uncertain on implementing. Torture I can do. Torture I can imagine. Being personally inexperienced in the romance department, simple things like kisses and confessions are a stretch for me. Writing lemons would be so far out of my comfort zone I might as well be on Mars without a spacesuit. Sorry, if you're that sort of person.
Another note: As will be obvious pretty soon, this is a SpyroxCynder fanfic. As will become obvious not quite so soon, this is not going along a normal path for a fanfic. It will take roughly twenty years (the plot's timeframe) before a satisfactory conclusion is reached. Hopefully I won't take that long to write the thing, but I will do my best to write it. Also, some of the content, I believe, is unique, and it will revisit and develop a few old guys as well as bring in new ones, but that's quite a way into the future.
Yet another note: The series will be set out like this:
Legend of Spyro: Below Zero: Series.
Six books, eleven chapters in each. Split into two sort of trilogies.
Trilogy 1: Shifting Fortunes.
BOOK 1: BETRAYAL OF HEROES, BOOK 2: PROGRESSION TO REVELATION, BOOK 3: RECOVERY OF THE RETREATED.
Trilogy 2: Collaborative Glory.
BOOK 4: UNITED WE FALL, BOOK 5: DIVIDED WE STAND, and BOOK 6: TOGETHER WE CONQUER.
BETRAYAL OF HEROES.
Chapter One: 'After' the war.
Revitalise: give new life and vitality to.
Joy.
Happiness, relief, every pleasant emotion they felt, all compressed into a single three-letter word as the purple and black dragons soared through the airs above a calm valley. Joy coursing through both Spyro and Cynder was the only thing they cared to feel as they chased and whirled, riding the currents of the wind that buffeted them. Spyro turned and twisted, trying to keep up with Cynder's elegant movements, but she always seemed just out of his reach. He didn't mind, content to just follow for once in his hectic life.
She angled her wings, gliding down; he narrowed his, speeding downwards like an arrow. She barrel-rolled off to the sides, he copied, allowing a laugh to escape his jaws. She laughed too, the sounds echoing around the serene landscape whilst the young dragons, scarred by war, enjoyed themselves for the first time in too long.
Spyro had heard what she'd said perfectly after the defeat of Malefor, and knew that he felt the same. His worries about her response to his own confession were nil; he knew her, and she would never say something like that without cause. Plus, he could see it clearly in her eyes now; the love she held for him was easily visible as she glanced back, smiling, still in flight, and he smiled back, certain that his own eyes reflected the feelings in full.
He flapped his wings harder, trying to catch up, but she was faster. She always had been, but at least with the chains she was restrained somewhat.
The chains!
Spyro halted in mid-flight, hovering, and hesitantly felt where the necklace had used to be with his paw. It flickered into existence, as did Cynder's at the same time. But they obviously had no effect any more, as Cynder was already out of the previous range of effect as well. In fact, she too was hovering, almost above the ground, and looking at her own serpent necklace. It gave him the chance to catch up to her, as she was distracted looking at the now-lifeless, dull eyes of the coiled serpent. He did so, but went past, intending to land. He descended, landing on a ridge just below her, which, he noted, was above one of the waterfalls of Avalar Valley. She landed next to him a second later, seemingly about to say something, but he cut her off with the wave of a paw, wanting to tell her what he felt now in light of the perfect scenery before them.
He took a deep breath, trying to build up the courage to say what he'd wanted to for a long while. Though it might not be the perfect time, when they had only just landed, it was the perfect location, and Spyro would take the chance when it was given. He breathed deeply to gather his courage, and spoke.
"Cynder, I want to tell you this now, in reply to what you said in the core of the earth. I love you too, more than I ever could anyone else, or would ever want to. I love you more than the moon, the sun, this whole universe. I would have let the world be destroyed by Malefor if it would keep you safe and happy, and I would destroy it myself if it had the same affect. I love you, Cynder." As he spoke, happiness revealed itself all over Cynder's face, growing with every word. By the end of it, she was beaming, and she stepped closer to him as he went on as well, ending up pressed against his side, her eyes meeting his.
"I'm not quite sure what I can say to that," she grinned, "But I love you too." She leant forwards, as did he, and their necks seemed, without command, to wrap around each other on instinct.
Spyro whispered gently into her ear, "That's all you needed to say," before making sure to tighten the grip his neck had around hers and closing his eyes. When he opened them again, he found himself to be looking at the necklace that encircled her neck, and, his eyes darting sideways, he found that she had mirrored his actions perfectly and was staring at the band around his own throat. He almost laughed at the coincidence, before withdrawing his head and touching his nose to hers. She smiled slightly, then looked down.
"Well, that's one pressing issue resolved, but a few more to follow. Should we get rid of these?" She gestured to the bands around their necks, but Spyro shook his head.
"No, I like what they represent between us." Cynder nodded, deep in thought, or so she seemed.
You're right," she said. "We keep them, then, as a physical representation of both our love and the bond between us?" He nodded.
"For good and for bad."
"For now and for then."
"For pride and for punishment."
"For life and for love."
"For Unity."
"For Ever."
Then, in unison, they both said "And for our future together."
Grinning, the pair leant in more, if that was even possible, and they each tried to lick the other on the snout at the same time, ending up frozen in shock as their tongues met in the middle. They remained like that for a few seconds, Spyro just glancing around nervously, suddenly self-conscious of anyone seeing them, before looking back and seeing Cynder's eyes filled with mirth. Their tongues retracted, as each of them tried to hold off a bout of laughter at the predicament they were in.
Neither succeeded. Cynder could not stave off a small giggle; Spyro's utter shock that she'd made such a sound pushed him over the edge too, and seconds later the couple were laughing and rolling on the floor. Spyro came dangerously close to falling off the ever-present cliff at one point; his confused antics as he tried to regain his balance rendered Cynder incapable of helping him either, until he righted himself, only to laugh at her laughing. The pair continued for a good few minutes after that, until eventually stopping, as it was getting dark, and they had both caught sight of the cheetah village in Avalar. In an unspoken question, they looked at each other, before they nodded, Spyro, then, more reluctantly, Cynder, and began to gently glide downwards towards the wooden cluster of huts.
The air caressed Spyro's wings gently now, not buffeting as it was before, as he and Cynder flew side-by-side, something else beginning to caress Spyro's right wing as Cynder timed her wingbeats with his and moved slightly closer. He smiled at her, and she smiled back, but a tempting thought passed through his mind, and he couldn't resist quickly speeding up, as his smile turned to a grin.
She moved faster too, putting on a burst of speed greater than his own and quickly catching up, trying to keep their wings in contact. He narrowed his eyes playfully, then his wings, diving downwards, but within seconds she was back at his side, wingbeats in time as they pulled up, and laughing again. It became a game; he would try to stop her from catching him; she would, invariably, succeed in catching him and matching him within a couple of wingbeats, at which point he would try again.
When it became obvious that he would not manage to throw her off, and they were getting extremely close to the village, Spyro stopped dodging, allowing her to come to his side again. She had a frustrated, yet playful, look on her face; his was one of mischeif, and of slight apology, but they didn't put voice to their thoughts, communicating them instead in a strange series of glares, paw motions, and lip movements, culminating in a couple of wide smiles as the dragons impacted the ground in front of the village's gate.
Archers rose, bows ready, but aiming down, and smiles momentarily appeared on their faces as they recognised the two who had helped them previously. However, they seemed nervous, and the smiles were quick to vanish again as a few of the Cheetahs looked behind them. They quickly glanced back as the gates-newly rebuilt since the Grublin attack-opened, and Cheif Prowlus strode out, two others with swords drawn following him.
Spyro's face fell momentarily, before picking up a neutral expression and studying the leader of the Cheetahs. Prowlus was almost stalking up to them, cautious, yet there was hope in his eyes, as well as fear. It was an extremely strange combination.
Cynder appeared slightly concerned, eyeing the swords, and the archers' arrows, as well as Prowlus. Her emerald eyes flickered around as fast as he knew her claws could, taking everything in. In contrast, Spyro was just looking directly towards Prowlus, who was glancing between him and Cynder. A tense moment passed as Prowlus stopped before them.
"Are you friends or foes of the Cheetah Tribes?" Prowlus intoned, in a deep, gruff voice, much unlike that of Hunter. Spyro stepped forwards, but Cynder cut off what he had intended to say.
As Cynder stalked towards Prowlus, the Cheetah archers aimed their bows at her, but she continued regardless. "Are you asking that again? After we already proved our trustworthyness to you last time we were here? After we saved Meadow? After we defended Warfang? After we defeated the Golem? Practically incapacitated the Destroyer? Drove Malefor to the centre of the world? Defeated him as it was being ripped apart? And then Spyro pulled the whole thing back together again?!" She snorted. "Are we working for Malefor or aren't we, and just how obvious is the answer to that question?"
She was obviously extremely irate and frustrated, and Prowlus took a step away from her, taken aback, but Spyro jumped to her side, pressing himself against her and speaking quietly next to her ear, noting the pleasurable sensation he derived from being so close to his love and reminding himself to replicate the motion at more conveniant times later.
"Cynder, there's no need to blame them. They don't know what happened there; and if they did, they would have the right to be worried, as we were each corrupted by darkness at one point on that journey. Just remember that all we need is each other now, whatever others think or suspect, and we can prove what they think wrong if it is so. That's all we need to do, my love, so just relax and explain what transpired between now and the last time we saw them. That's all we need to calm things down, and shouting, unfortunately, doesn't create a peaceful and accepted atmosphere for an already suspicious meeting."
Cynder growled gently in response, but the growl died away with a sigh as she leant into him more, letting his body support hers momentarily. She twisted her neck around so that her eyes were facing his, and whispered her own reply.
"I know, and I'm sorry. It's just irritating when we've done so much to help people like these everywhere and they are doubting whether we want to assist them or their greatest, and now dead-thanks to us, I might add-enemy!" She rubbed her cheek against his, calmingly, and gently licked his neck. "But I will try to calm down now, I promise."
He nodded, the motion pushing her snout above his as he turned his head towards hers. "I ask no more of you than that." She nodded too, and as she did so, their noses made contact, staring into each other's eyes again, but closer than before. They were almost kissing; upon that realisation, Spyro jerked his head back, glancing towards the cheetahs, some of which were looking on in disbelief, some in suspicion, and some in acceptance. Spyro spoke to Prowlus, who was one of the former group, and Cynder too turned to face the cheif.
"No, Cheif Prowlus, we are not your enemies. In fact, we have just returned victorious from the Burned Lands, where we defeated the Dark Master, though nonetheless we bring grim news. Ignitus sacrificed himself in order to get us through the fires that guarded Malefor's lair from view." Prowlus recoiled slightly, as a tear began to build up in Spyro's eye as he remembered the great leader that had taught him. When the tear escaped the iris, Cynder looked at him with pity and understanding, before gently licking the tear away as it trailed down his cheek. She pressed her body to his, and the physical and mental suppoprt allowed him to resist more tears flowing from then on.
A pawstep thudded in front of Spyro, the only thing that made him remember the Cheetahs through his grief over Ignitus and the closeness of Cynder. He jerked his head upwards to see the Cheetah cheif smiling.
"I have seen neither tears nor sympathy from any servant of the Dark Master, and never had any indication of you being enemies. Hence, you are friends." Spyro bowed his head to the tough cheetah leader, not knowing himself why he did it, but feeling, somehow, that it was the right thing to do. Cynder too inclined her head to Prowlus.
Even more awkwardly and surprisingly, were that possible, Prowlus bowed to them in return, with the words, "You are the killers of the Dark Master, and deserve my respect; possibly, more than I do yours. You may stay the night in our village if you wish. I believe Meadow is willing to provide for you; space, food, and so on. He has already expressed his gratitude to you on a number of occasions, and I am sure he would be honoured to repay what he considers his heartfelt debt of gratitude."
Spyro glanced to Cynder, who likewise looked at him, and they both nodded. He was the one to speak. "I believe that we shall be grateful to take him up on such an offer, were it indeed offered. Thank you, chief, for the hospitality of both you and your clan." Behind Prowlus, the gates could be seen to be quickly swinging open, pulled by quick and eager hands.
"No, young dragons, thank you. Hospitality is the least we can give, when you saved our lives and our world." Though his words were welcoming, there was still some restraint in his eyes. Spyro got the impression that Prowlus would never be entirely willing to allow people outside of his clan to associate with himself and the rest of the Cheetahs, but would do it nonetheless out of gratitude.
The cheif stepped aside, waving an arm to usher them through into the village. Many of the Cheetahs stood down from their positions on the walls, congratulating the two young heroes. Spyro couldn't help but think of Sparx basking in the attention; it forced a small laugh out of him, imagining the dragonfly's antics at yet another group praising them. What the dragonfly was doing back at Warfang, Spyro didn't dare to guess. Probably boasting about how his brother had saved the world yet again.
But strangely, Spyro was zoned out from the praises and congratulations. The world was safe; in the mind of the still-young dragon, that meant he had some time to take off. He wanted to spend time in peace, undisturbed by others, when the simple smiles of his friends were far superior to any praises from strangers.
Speaking of friends, Cynder, looking similarly awkward, nudged his flank, gesturing off to his right paw/wing side. Leaning in the entrance to a hut, a wooden ctutch under one arm and a smile on his face, was Meadow.
A few 'excuse me's from Spyro and a simple sneaking into the shadows trick from Cynder and they were both out of what was fast becoming a throng of Cheetahs.
"Welcome Spyro, Cynder. As long as it and I stand, my house is yours if you wish it to be." Spyro grinned at the cheetah's words.
"Prowlus already made that offer in your stead, but I am again delighted to say that I accept your offer, Meadow." A grin spread across Meadow's face as well, and the corner of Cynder's mouth twitched upwards noticeably.
"Shall we enter?" Spyro glanced around the village, where a lot of the villagers were congregating around huts and talking amongst themselves, glancing in their direction. He sighed, already tired of the attention; and already tired from the trip.
Cynder answered for him. "I think so, yes. Spyro needs to rest by the looks of things." Meadow paused, looking at the purple dragon, who only nodded, then entered the hut, gesturing for the dragons to follow. They did so, side by side, as Cynder was obviously concerned enough to look out for him like that.
It was a simple hut; only one room, with a work surface to one side, a cushioned area of floor around a sofa, and a bed to the side of that.
Meadow took a place on the floor, gesturing them to the sofa and the bed. "You two look tired; as much as I would love to hear the tales of your adventures, you should rest first. The least I can do is sleep on the floor to give you two some room for comfort." Both dragons looked at the bed, then the sofa, the former of which was obviously the more comfortable.
They both took one step towards the sofa, deciding to give the other more comfort than themselves.
They looked at each other, slight amusement in their eyes.
Cynder broke eye contact and leapt forwards, landing on the sofa and leaving Spyro both the bed and speechless. She spoke up from her perch. "Spyro, you're the tired one by the looks of things. Take the bed. You need it."
There was nothing he could say; he simply nodded, heading for the aforementioned item of furniture. As he passeed Meadow, he muttered an indistinct 'thank you,' and recieved a nod in return. He climbed onto the bed; it was soft and warm, and the only thing he could recall doing was looking up at Cynder, who was looking across at him, saying a quiet goodnight and mouthing the words 'I love you' before collapsing to the bed and falling asleep.
End A.N: One thing I like about this chapter is that it has one aspect that as far as I know, is unique to me; the Serpant collars, magic removed, serving as wedding rings of some description. I only saw them mentioned once before in an after DotD fanfic; the author (dragonshina, a lot of credit to her for some of the inspiration!) just had them removed and thought no more of it. I wanted to make a change from the norm early on, and I'm pretty damn certain that this is only one of many to come. I can't wait to reveal some of these concepts... Just glad I've got them planned out, or I might forget them! And that would truly be a tragedy!
A note on chapter length: These will not be any set length chapters, with a target of a certain word count. Length will vary with content. From what I can see, several real authors do this, for example, author of the Irish book of the decade, Derek Landy, the author of the awesome fantasy-horror-adventure series Skulduggery Pleasant. Some of his chapters are less than a page, yet amongst the most important in the book. The next will be a shorter one is basically what I'm saying. And there will be one or two very short ones in the future.