It has been a year. And Spyro's and Cynder's love for eachother has only grown stronger. They were now 3/4 the size of adults. Early in the morning, Spyro was walking down the halls, being careful no to wake Cynder as he passed her room. He made his way to Cyril's and Penumbra's room. He knocked on the door and Cyril came out.
"Ah, good morning, Spyro. What are you doing up so early?"
"Cyril, can I talk to you about something?"
"Of course. Come on in. Penumbra is out right now." Spyro stepped inside and sat on one of the cushions on the floor. "So, Spyro. What can I do for you?"
"Umm. It's about Cynder."
"My Cynder?"
Spyro nodded.
"What about her?"
"Cyril... you know I'm in love with your daughter."
"Yes."
"And... you're the only person I could turn to."
"What is it?"
Spyro took a deep breath and said, "I'm going to ask Cynder to marry me. But I can't find a good ring for her."
Cyril chuckled and said, "Spyro, my boy, look no further! I will help you."
"Thank you, Cyril."
"Follow me." Spyro followed Cyril through the temple. They went through the many halls and finally stopped at a small door. "Mind your head." Cyril opened the door and they both stepped in. The door was small, but the room was humongous! A single torch was lit, but the countless treasures had reflected the glow so much that the room shined brightly.
"Wow! Look at all this treasure!"
Cyril laughed and said, "Spyro, you can pick any single piece of jewelry to give to Cynder. But I will say this: Do not get her a ring."
"Why not?"
"Rings are for cheetahs and moles. Dragons have a hard time putting a ring on."
"Oh. That makes sense. Okay, I guess I'll look around." Spyro looked all over for something to give Cynder. He found head-dresses and necklaces, but nothing satisfied his taste. He looked for almost an hour. "I can't find anything good enough, Cyril."
Cyril chuckled. "I know what you can give her. I made it while you were looking." Cyril stretched out his fore-leg and opened his paw to reveal a beautiful amulet. It had a silver chain. The amulet itself was gold with six gems. The two at the top were purple and green. The two in the middle were gold and magenta. And the two at the bottom were purple and black.
"Wow... It's perfect! Thank you, Cyril!"
"When do you plan to propose?"
"Well... Next week is the one year anniversary of Malefor's defeat. I want to propose to her in the temple's dining room, right when desert is about to be served."
"Well, Spyro. You have my blessing." He handed Spyro the amulet.
"Thank you, Cyril."
Next week...
The dining room was large. It had many rows of tables. And countless people were gathered there: dragons, moles, and cheetahs. The guardians ate at a table in the front of the room, where everyone could see them. Spyro, Cynder, Flame, Ember, and Penumbra also sat at the table. Spyro carried the amulet in a neatly folded cloth, out of Cynder's view.
"Hey, dad, can you pass the beef?" asked Flame.
"Of course, my boy." Volteer handed Flame a bowl of beef.
Terrador looked at his daughter and saw she was not eating. "Ember, are you alright? You haven't touched your food."
"Yeah. I'm fine, Dad." Ember simply stared at Spyro and Cynder. 'That bitch doesn't deserve Spyro! I'll find a way to win him over,' she thought to herself.
Cyril leaned over and whispered in Spyro's ear. "Spyro. They are going to serve the desert any minute now. Get ready."
"Thank you, Cyril." Spyro waited for a few minutes. When the staff began to clear the tables, he made his move. "Attention please!"
Everyone stopped talking to hear what Spyro had to say.
"I would like to thank everyone for coming here. As you know, Malefor has been defeated one year ago today!"
Everyone cheered.
"Yes. And I appreciate that you see me as a hero. But you give me too much credit. The truth is... I couldn't have done it alone." He turned and pointed at Cynder. "This is Cynder. We fought Malefor together. Without her, I couldn't have won. Please give her the respect she deserves!"
The crowd cheered even louder.
"She... is a great friend and a powerful ally." Spyro paused for a second. "And I am in love with her."
The entire crowd gasped. Cynder blushed.
Spyro stepped closer to Cynder and took out the folded cloth. Both their hearts were racing. "Cynder... You complete my world. And I don't want to spend my life with anyone but you." He began to open the cloth. "Cynder..." He pulled out the beautiful amulet. "Will you marry me?"
The crowd gasped again. Ember fainted. Cynder stood dumbstruck.
"Spyro..." Suddenly, Cynder leaped over the table and pounced on the purple dragon, causing him to fall to the floor. "Yes, Spyro! Of course I'll marry you!" The two began kissing while they were still on the floor.
The crowd all cheered again. Sparx went to go congratulate the two. Penumbra cried tears of joy along with Cyril. Terrador and Volteer gave eachother a nod. And Ember, who had woken up, was boiling with rage.
