Chapter: 4

The Princess of Warfang

During the morning at the Palace that looms over the Dragon City of Warfang, it was in a peaceful state. Inside the palace, it was very quiet. Not a sound that could be heard. Outside the doors of the Garden, it was also very quiet. Until suddenly, peace has disappeared when the doors were suddenly slammed open and Prince Flame was storming out saying "I've never been so insulted!". Chasing after him was the king himself, King Volteer. He was an Electric Dragon with blue thunderbolt-shaped stripes on him with long black horns. And he was yellow scales with a dark blue underbelly and wings. For a crown, he wears a royal headdress that looks like a helmet. "Oh, prince Flame! You're not leaving so soon, are you?" asked Volteer. But the Fire dragon refused to listen. "Good luck marrying her off!" said Flame as he storms out. But what's different about him is that he's missing some parts of his cape and outfit, meaning that something has attacked him. Of course, Volteer notices this and knows who is responsible for his anger. There was only one dragon in mind: His daughter. "Ohh...Cynder!" said Volteer becoming frustrated. Then he walks into the Garden, where he sees his daughter is picking petals off a flower while lying next to the fountain. She is a dragoness with black scales with magenta-colored underbelly and wings, and she has a slender body. Her eyes were a color of emerald and has six horns, three on each side of her head with a color of silver. She wears shackle-like collars on her neck, wrists, and tail. At the end of her tail is a bladed end shaped like a curved knife. "Cynder! Cynder!" called out Volteer as he approaches her, but he was interrupted when a purple dinosaur, a T-rex called a Sharptooth named Chomper, Cynder's pet, appears in front of him, who has a piece of the prince's cape in his mouth. It just stood right in front of him and growled. Started off as a little hatchling, he gave it to Cynder so it can keep her company and also keep her safe. The tyrannosaur was shy at first, but then grew fond of Cynder. But somehow, it doesn't seem to like Volteer. But the king doesn't care. Now the Sharptooth is close to the height of Volteer. As it stares at him with piercing eyes, the ruler had enough of this T-rex halting him. And now he knows what has happened to the prince's clothes. "Comfound it, Chomper! So, this is why the prince stormed out!" said Volteer while yanking the capeout of its mouth. Apparently, Cynder was watching the whole thing. "Oh, father. Chomper was just playing with him. Weren't you, Chomper?" asked Cynder trying to calm her father with a warmful smile. Chomper approaches Cynder and lowers its head for her to pet him. "You were just playing with that overdressed, self-absorbed prince Flame, weren't you?" said Cynder as she pets him and she and Chomper chuckled. She enjoyed the moment until she looks up and sees her father's angered expression. She knows what this conversation can lead to next. Her smiles drops and quickly changed the subject as she clears her throat. "Dearest, you've got to stop rejecting every suitor that comes to call" said Volteer as Cynder gets up and walks over to a birdcage filled with doves with the king following behind her. "The law says that you..." said Volteer. Cynder knows what he means. In her minds, she groan in it because they have to say it. "...must be married to a prince" said Cynder and Volteer at the same time while she rolls their eyes.

"By your next birthday" said Volteer saying the next part alone.

"The law is wrong" said Cynder.

"You only got three more days!" said Volteer with a worried tone is his voice.

"Father, I hate being forced into this" said Cynder as she opens her birdcage and takes out a dove and pets it. Then she finishes her sentence with a loveful and soft smile appearing on her lips. "If I do marry, I want it to be for love" said Cynder..

"Cynder, it's not only this law" said Volteer calmfully as she hands him the dove and he puts it back into the cage. "I'm not going to be around forever, and I just want to make sure you're taken care of, provided for".

"Try to understand. I've never done a thing on my own" said Cynder as she swirls her paw in the water of the fountain petting the fishes in it. "I never had any real friends". Apparently, Chomper heard this and looks up at her and growls. Cynder notices his expression and realized that she made it made think that it wasn't her friend. Cynder smiled and said "Except you, Chomper". With a satisfied look on its face, Chomper smiled and went back to sleep. "I've never been outside the palace walls" said Cynder to her father as she looks at her reflection in the fountain's water.

"But Cynder, you're a princess" said Volteer.

"Then maybe I don't want to be a princess!" said Cynder and she slaps the water making a big, yet small splash. Volteer then became frustrated with her attitude. "Ohhhhh! By the Ancestors, I forbid you to have any daughters!" said Volteer and storms off back into the palace as Chomper looks up and thinks for a minute, confused by what he means. Cynder sighs as she sits on the fountain looking at the sky. But then, she walks towards the birdcage and opens it, releasing all of the doves and they all flew off into the sky. Cynder just watched in awe as they go.

As the Volteer entered his chamber, he sighs and said "I don't know where she gets it from". Then he walks over to his giant replica of the city of Warfang and plays with it but with a disappointed look on his face. "Her mother wasn't so picky" said Volteer as he plays with it. Then a large shadow appears and looms over him. He looks up started by the shadow but then he saw his dragon along with the bizarre parrot that caused him to exhale a breath of relief. "Ooh, oh. Ah, Malefor! My most trusted advisor. I am in desperate need of your wisdom" said Volteer.

"My life is but to serve you, my lord" said Malefor as he bows to him.

"It's this suitor business. Cynder refuses to choose a husband. I'm at my wit's end!" said Volteer with a worried look.

"Awk! Wit's-end!" said Scratch in response. Apparently, Volteer does not know that Scratch can actually speak in normal English like others do. But Scratch prefers to keep that a secret. Volteer smiled and said "Oh, ha ha! Have a cracker, pretty polly!". After he said that, he pulled out a cracker out of his pocket to feed Scratch. Scratch then began to look terrified because he knows what is going to happen. Then Volteer stuffs it right into his mouth. Scratch begins to grimace as he eats it, causing Malefor and Volteer to laugh. "Your majesty certainly has a way with dumb animals" laughed Malefor. Hearing this, Scratch glares at him with food still in his mouth. "Now then, perhaps I can divine a solution to this thorny problem" said Malefor.

"If anyone can help, it's you" said Volteer.

"Ah, but it would require the use of the mystic blue diamond" said Malefor as he held the Volteer's paw that has a golden band with a blue diamond on his wrist. Volteer pulled his paw back and looks at it. He was nervous about this and wasn't sure if he wants to give it to Malefor. "Uh, my jewel band? But it's been in my family for years" said Volteer.

"It is necessary to find the princess a suitor" said Malefor reasoning with him. Then he clutches his sliver necklace that held a red diamond with one paw as he uses his hypnotic gaze into Volteer's eyes. He shoots a hypnotic ray from his yellow eyes into Volteer's as the red diamond on his necklace glows. Apparently, Malefor has got ahold of this necklace from an ancient temple faraway that will give the power to hypnotise anyone. He uses it only when it is necessary. As his yellow eyes also starts to glow and grew brighter with his hypnotic gaze, Volteer becomes hypnotized as his eyes become a hypnotized look. "Don't worry, everything will be fine" said Malefor in a sinister way.

"Everything...will...be fine" said the hypnotized Volteer.

"The diamond band" said Malefor holding his paw out.

"Here, Malefor. Whatever you need will be fine" said the hypnotized Volteer as he hands the band to Malefor, and he takes it.

"You are most gracious, my liege. Now run along and play with your toys" said Malefor, breaking off his hypnosis power with a smile, and then he and Scratch walked out of the room.

"Yes...that'll be...pretty good" said Volteer still hypnotized. As they left the room, Malefor showed his disgusted look on his face. Scratch finally spits out the cracker he has in his mouth. "I can't take it anymore! If I gotta choke down on one more of those moldy, disgusting crackers...BAM! WHACK!" said Scratch. Then Malefor pulls down a hidden secret switch which reveals a hidden entrance to their chamber. "Calm yourself, Scratch" said Malefor.

"Then I'd grab him around the head. WHACK! WHACK!" said Scratch as they entered.

"Soon, I will be king, not that addlepated twit" said Malefor.

"And then I stuff the treats down his throat! Ha ha!" laughed Scratch with Malefor laughing with him.

As midnight rises, the palace is in a peacful state once again. The only sound that breaks the silence is the sound of crickets chirping. In the garden, it is peaceful as well with the moon high above, giving a perfect moonlight to the garden illuminating the place. But then, a shadow figure began to move through the trees in the garden. Soon, the moonlight was upon it, showing her as the princess. Cynder has disguised herself with a cloak and a hood over her face. She doesn't want people or other dragons to know that she is a princess who ran away from her palace. She looks at the walls making sure there's no guards in sight. But Cynder is actually looking for a way to get over the walls. She can't go through the front door without being caught. Flying over the walls won't do any good either. But then, Cynder noticed a large tree, tall enough for her to get over the walls. She begins to start climbing. But then, something grabbed her cloak and is being tugged from behind. Cynder looks down and sees her pet Sharptooth, Chomper tugging at it, not wanting her to go with a sad look on his face. "Oh, I'm sorry, Chomper. But I can't stay here and have my life lived for me. I'll miss you" said Cynder who feels bad about leaving him behind. She hugs his head one last time and Chomper lets go of her and she resumes climbing. But then, Cynder felt Chomper pushing her up the tree, helping her. She looks back at him and smiles with impress for him helping her. Soon she reached the top of the wall and looks back down at Chomper. Chomper begins to have a more sadder look on its face and began to whine and whimper. "Goodbye" said Cynder and Chomper then watched her disappear behind the wall.