Hey everybody! I bet half of you want to strangle me for how long it's been, but believe me it wasn't easy to write this part. I know a lot of you asked me how I was doing, and i appreciate that. Just know I'm doing the best I can...huh? What are you doing here Selema?
Selema: Biz, hurry up and get them together already!
I'm doing the best I can here.
But if you don't, then I'll never exist!
You honestly think I'll let that happen? Look, good relationships take time...so I'm not going to rush this. Be patient like all the other readers, Selema. Please?
(Pouts) Fine...but at least do something this chapter!
Oh...just read and find out!
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Spyro characters or games. They belong to their repective owners. The OCs Aragon, Aurona, Jaden, and Mia belong to me.
Aragon couldn't have been happier for Jaden. As it turned out, Mia had been hiding a little crush on Jaden as well. Whenever the electric dragon wasn't with Aragon, he could always assume he was hanging out with Mia.
Unfortunately, Jaden didn't take his own piece of news very well. "You didn't tell her?"
"I'm sorry, J," Aragon replied. He'd already explained to his best friend about what Aurona had told him, including about her already planned future. "I just…I just couldn't do it."
"Why not?" Jaden asked. "I go through the most horrifying experience of my young life and you don't do the same?"
"Horrifying?" Aragon asked. "You and Mia are a couple, Jaden! You got what you wanted."
"True, true. But still man, a deal is a deal. "You've got to tell Aurona that you like her…unless our friendship doesn't mean anything to you at all..."
"Of course it does," Aragon yelled. "I just…I don't know how to do it."
"It's simple, Aragon. You go up to her…and then you tell her."
Aragon groaned. "Jaden…she's going back to her own home once the year is over. There's no point in telling her now."
Jaden then growled as well. "Aragon…if you don't tell her, I'm gonna do it." Aragon shot him a dirty look. "Ok…maybe not. But still, you'd better hurry up before it's too late."
Aragon sighed. "I know….i know…"
Meanwhile, Aurona was out on the balcony by herself. She felt that she couldn't study at all that evening…not with all that was going on in her mind at the moment.
The blue dragoness couldn't help but think of the last time she'd sat on this very balcony and told a bit of her story to Aragon. It made her remember about wanting to travel and see the world. It wasn't that she hated her home, she loved it and would die in order to protect it. The thing was though, she had gotten tired of everyone treating her like royalty.
Here at the temple, Aurona was just another dragoness wanting to learn and grow. She'd met and made new friends in her time here so far, and she'd loved every minute of it. As a matter of fact, there was something that she'd come to like most of all…
"Beautiful evening, isn't it?" Aurona whirled around to find one of her teachers joining her.
"It sure is, Master Ignitus," she replied.
"Care if I join you?"
"Please do…"
The two sat down for a while, gazing at the skies for some time. "You know something, my dear? I like to come out here every once in a while. It's a good place to think, wouldn't you agree?"
"Yeah…," Aurona nodded. "I guess it can be."
"Master Cyril tells me you are doing quite well in your sessions…nothing but praise. He's positive that there is a bright future ahead of you, young dragoness of ice."
Aurona blushed. "Thank you, Master. I appreciate your praise."
"He also mentioned of what awaits you back home…and the duties that you are to undertake."
Aurona sighed. "Yes…that's correct. You already know that's the reason I came here…so I could get stronger."
"And grown you have," Ignitus replied. "Still, I sense there is still something troubling you deep down."
Aurona looked away and back up towards the sky. "It's nothing, Master. I've just…had a lot on my mind lately."
Ignitus sighed. "Oh how it must feel to be young. You may not realize it yet, but you've got your whole life ahead of you."
"Yeah…it's pretty exciting." Her head dropped a little.
"It's one of the reasons I enjoy teaching the next generations," Ignitus replied. "You are all the future of dragonkind, and I am intrigued at what you can do to make your marks on this world."
Aurona laughed a little at the thought. "Yeah…," she said. "We'll make you proud, Master. I'm sure of it."
The two stayed there for a little while longer. "Well then," Ignitus said. "I suppose we should both retire for the night."
"Very well," Aurona replied. She bowed in respect and took her leave, with both dragons going off in different directions. As she made the short walk back to her room, the ice dragoness pondered over the Guardian's words. Deep down, she wanted to make everyone happy…but did that mean sacrificing her own happiness?
The ice dragoness sighed. "What do I do? Why am I feeling like this?" She then looked out the window and suddenly remembered that thought from before.
Aragon…
Ever since she'd met the fire dragon, Aurona had always felt a small attraction towards him. He wasn't perfect in terms of looks, but she could tell all his training had made him grow into a strong male. Aragon had also shown her kindness and respect, which she valued greatly in a person. Whenever she'd been around him lately, her heart seemed to beat just a tad bit faster. No one had ever made her feel like that before…no one.
Whenever she thought of him, like she was now, Aurona felt at ease. She pondered over sometimes what he was thinking too. At that thought, her cheeks suddenly became a deep red.
Could I…be falling for Aragon? Aurona thought. She'd known several males back home who wished to claim her as their own…but that was only because of her heritage and her power. It's true their advancements were flattering, but to Aurona it wasn't enough. She wanted to someone to love her for her and nothing else…like Aragon might feel for her.
Aurona smiled at the thought one more time before she closed her eyes and lost herself in slumber.
The next day, Aragon woke up from a somewhat restless night. Hard as he tried, he just couldn't get the image of Aurona off of his mind.
Jaden's right… Aragon thought. Sooner or later I have to tell her how I feel… The young fire dragon took a deep breath and made up his mind as he strode his way towards the dining hall for a morning meal.
When he got there, Aragon told Jaden what he planned to do. The electric dragon curled his lips in a grin. "Good for you," Jaden said. "You're finally going to man up on our deal."
"It's not just about the deal," Aragon replied with a snort. "I don't know why…but I have to do this, Jaden. I just have to."
At that moment, the fire dragon's heart skipped a beat when he saw the very dragoness in his thoughts strode through the hall. Aragon took a deep breath and quickly walked up to her.
"Morning, Aurona," he said hurriedly. "How are you this fine day?"
Aurona smiled. "Morning, Aragon. I'm…just fine."
The two dragons stood there in silence for a few moments before Aragon found what words he'd wanted to say. "Say um…I was wondering…"
Aurona tilted her head in curiosity. Why was he so nervous? "Wondering what?"
Aragon looked her in the eye. "Tonight…after lessons are over…do you want to meet by the balcony again? I…was hoping we could watch the sunset together again."
Aurona blushed furiously. Maybe he really does like me… "Um…sure. I'd be glad to."
"Great…," Aragon replied back.
Meanwhile, Jaden kept his gaze on his friend when he suddenly felt a lick on his neck, causing him to jump. "Mia…don't do that!"
The green dragoness laughed heartily at the small joke. "Sorry…I couldn't resist. How are you doing this morning?" she asked with a seductive look in her eye.
"I'm great now that you're here," Jaden replied before licking her back on the cheek. "You won't believe what's happening…" He motioned with a paw over to the other two young dragons conversing. Mia's eyes widened in realization.
"No…," she said. "Is Aragon actually going to…?"
Jaden nodded. "He will later tonight…"
Mia simled and giggled. "It's about time. Those two look so good together."
"You think she'll say yes?"
"I'm not entirely sure…," Mia replied. "Aurona can be very quiet. Still, I think she'll say yes."
"I sure hope so…that way we can go on double dates together!" Jaden nuzzled her affectionately at the thought while she pushed him back gently.
"Oh…you would like that wouldn't you?" Mia exclaimed. She then remembered something. "I hope she says yes for her own sake too."
"Why do you say that?" Jaden asked curiously.
Mia's face quickly turned to a frown and she motioned her wing towards another end of the hall. In the middle stood a hulking male earth dragon with several others surrounding him. His name was Damien, and he was unofficially the Temple tough guy for say.
"I've heard…," Mia continued. "That Damien's been having an eye on Aurona too."
"What?" Jaden asked. "Oh no…" He turned back to the two other dragons who were walking towards him. "Aragon…you'd better hurry."
The rest of the day dragged by for both Aragon and Aurona. Both found lessons to be a drag, their thoughts on what they would be doing later that evening.
For Aragon, he kept going over what he was going to say in his head again and again. Still, the idea of looking into her eyes and bearing his soul was something that was scaring him to death. The closer and closer the hour came, the more and more anxious he got.
For Aurona on the other hand, she couldn't help but keep an eye on the sun's position as well. She kept wondering what Aragon wanted to talk to her about. The very thought of being alone with him was enough to make her heart beat a little faster in itself. Even Master Cyril noticed that something was off as her attacks weren't as crisp as they usually were in her training session.
"Is something wrong my dear?" The Ice Guardian asked. "Are you feeling alright?"
"I'm fine," Aurona replied. "I guess…I'm just a little off today."
"Well…if you're sure…" He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
Eventually, that hour did come to past. Aurona quickly went to her room and groomed herself thoroughly for the occasion. Before she left the room, the ice dragoness looked in the mirror and took a deep breath. She then left her room and made her way toward the balcony, stopping at the latrine really quickly before going on. However, she didn't notice that the door slowly creeped open behind her as she finished her business.
When she turned around, Aurona gasped when she found another dragon standing right in front of her.
"Oh, sorry," she said.
"It's ok," the dragon replied. When she got a better look, Aurona found it was Damien standing in her way. "How are you doing on this fine evening, Aurona?"
"Um…fine," she replied. The ice dragoness couldn't explain it, but she quickly got uncomfortable with the earth dragon's presence. "Excuse me…" She tried to move past, but Damien quickly got back in her way.
"What's the rush?" Damien asked. "I was wondering if we could have a little…chat."
"No thanks," Aurona replied. "I have to be elsewhere now." Try as she might though, Damien wouldn't get out of the way. "Damien…let me through."
The earth dragon suddenly looked at her in a way that made her cringe. "You know something Aurona, you are one fine dragoness." He moved towards her, causing Aurona to back up a few feet. "And by fine, I mean downright sexy." Damien licked his lips.
Aurona gritted her teeth. "This isn't funny, Damien. Get out of my way."
Still, Damien didn't listen. The earth dragon kept backing Aurona up until she was up against the wall. "You're sassy…I like that. That's half the fun."
"I'm not doing anything with you, Damien. Ever. Now I'll ask you again…get out of my way or I'll make you."
Damien chuckled. "I don't think so." He motioned his head from left to right. From out of the shadows came another fire dragon and an electric dragon…both from Damien's crew. Aurona glanced at them both, realizing just how dire her situation really was. Damien then advanced even further. "Now we can do this the easy way…or the hard way. It's up to you, Aurona."
Aurona backed up and bared her teeth at all three, preparing herself for the imminent struggle. Why did this have to happen now?
Meanwhile, Aragon patiently waited for the ice dragoness on the balcony.
"That's weird," he said out loud. "It's not like Aurona to be this late. In fact, she's never late. Where could she be?"
After about ten minutes or so, the fire dragon decided to head over to her room to check if she was there. As he made his way down the hall, a number of doubts circled in his mind.
Maybe she didn't want to come after all...Aragon thought sadly. Could she really have done that?
Suddenly, a loud clang alerted him back to reality. It sounded like it was coming from the latrine, so the fire dragon curiously went over and was about to peer inside when he suddenly heard voices.
"Geez…she is one tough bitch…," a male voice said. "Is she really worth this much trouble?"
"Yes," another more familiar voice said. "Now shut up and hold her down."
Aragon's eyes narrowed before he launched himself inside the latrine and stared wide eyed at the sight before him.
Beneath the hold of two males was none other than Aurona, who was covered in small cuts and bruises from head to toe. Standing next to them was none other than Damien…
The sight before him sparked a feeling of rage deep within Aragon's soul, something he'd never felt before. His teeth bared, he let out a furious roar. How dare they hurt Aurona?
"Hey!" Aragon roared. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Damien?"
The earth dragon whirled around. "None of your business, Aragon. Turn around and walk away."
From beneath him, Aurona looked up and gasped when she saw Aragon in the doorway. Though her body was weak from trying to fight off three dragons, she suddenly never felt better. "Aragon…," she said weakly.
Aragon growled and stepped forward. "No…," he said coldly. "Let Aurona go right now…"
"Or what?" Damien asked. "You gonna make me, tough guy?"
Aragon kept his cool as best he could. "I'd rather not fight you, Damien…even though a part of me wants to tear you limb from limb for what you were about to do. I'll ask you again…let Aurona go NOW!"
Damien smirked as he stepped forward and crouched into a battle stance.. "You want her…come and get her."
"Aragon, wait," Aurona pleaded.
However, the fire dragon's mind was already made up. He let out a furious roar before he launched himself towards Damien and tackled him to the stone floor. The two males started biting and clawing at each other with everything they had, rolling on the floor.
After a few seconds, Aragon quickly rolled back to his feet and shot a fireball at Damien. The greendragon quickly formed a ball of eartharound himself as a shield, but that was what Aragon had been hoping for. When the shield was down, Aragon quickly lowered his horns and rammed into Damien, sending the larger dragon flying across the wall.
"Enough, Damien," Aragon exclaimed, panting hard. "I'm faster and more experienced than you."
Damien roared and fired an earth missle at the fire dragon, who managed to dodge out of the way in time. This time it was Damien who countered by ramming his horns into Aragon, sending him towards the wall. Aragon landed with a thud, his right wing crumbling on the impact. The fire dragon yelped in pain before landing on the floor.
"Aragon!" Aurona yelled. She struggled under the weight of the two other dragons to try and help him.
Damien strutted over and placed a paw over Aragon's throat. "What's the matter? Is that all you've got? And Master Ignitus keeps saying you're a top fire dragon…what a waste."
Aragon roared loudly, summoning as much fire within him as he could to his aid. Ignoring the pain in his wing, the young dragon shot up with his entire body covered in flames. With one push, he performed his comet dash attack and launched Damien back again, burning a few of the earth dragon's scales.
"I've…heard…enough…," Aragon said. He roared, preparing another fireball in his maw…
"ENOUGH!" A loud, thunderous voice suddenly boomed over the latrine. Aragon immediately halted his attack and everyone turned to see the source of the voice.
It was none other than the Earth Guardian, Master Terrador. A look of pure fury was in his eyes as he strode slowly into the latrine. "What in the Ancestors name is the meaning of this?" By now, Damien's cronies had gotten off of Aurona. Aragon quickly rushed to her side.
"Master Terrador," Damien spoke up, wincing from his injuries. "It was Aragon…he attacked me sir…he was trying to…hurt Aurona."
"Really now…? Aragon…what do you have to say to yourself? Aragon…?"
However, Aragon wasn't paying attention to the Guardian at the moment. He was busy scanning over Aurona's injuries. They didn't look too severe, but he didn't want to take any chances. "Master Terrador, please…Aurona needs help."
Terrador walked over and glanced over the ice dragoness, who seemed to wither in pain. "Who did this to her? Was it you…Aragon?"
"No, Master, I swear!" Aragon replied. "Why would I do that? It was Damien who tried to…well…uh…you know…"
Terrador shot another menacing look towards Damien and the others. "Is that so…? Aragon, take Aurona to the infirmary. I'll be with you shortly."
"Yes, Master," Aragon replied. He quickly lifted his head underneath Aurona and pulled her onto his back. The fire dragon's wing still was in pain, but that was the least of his worries. As they exited the latrine, Aurona groaned.
"Just hold on, Aurona," Aragon said.
Soon, Aragon made it to the infirmary and rushed to the head mole. He and his assistants quickly brought Aurona over to one of the beds. For the next thirty minutes, the moles applied several red gems to her body, causing most of her wounds to heal.
"Is…is she going to be OK?" Aragon asked.
The head mole nodded. "She's going to be fine, but we may need her to stay the night just in case."
"Can…can I see her?"
"I don't see why not…"
Aragon slowly strode over to the bed where Aurona lay. He couldn't help but smile at how peaceful she looked despite her recent ordeal. He said a silent prayer to the ancestors that he'd found her in time.
"Are you alright, Aurona?" Aragon asked as she opened her eyes.
The dragoness nodded. "I've been better. But what about you…are you ok?"
"I'm fine, it's you I'm worried about. I'm just so glad you're ok, Aurona. If Damien had…if he'd…I don't know what I'd be doing to him right now."
"Aragon…," she said weakly. "I'm…sorry…"
"Ssh…it's alright. It's not your fault to what those bastards did."
Aurona groaned. "I…really wanted to be with you tonight."
Aragon blushed at the comment. "Me too..."
"Aragon…thanks for being there…"
Aragon smiled. "Anytime…you can count on that." With that, the fire dragon slowly rested his head next to hers.
"Aragon…can I ask you a favor?"
"Anything…"
Aurona looked him in the eye. "Can you…stay with me? Just for tonight?"
"You don't even have to ask…"
Aurona smiled and licked Aragon on the muzzle. "Thank you…" True to his word, Aragon remained in his place next to her side, their heads laying next to one another in a peaceful state.
At that moment, Ignitus had walked into the infirmary. He'd just heard from Terrador about the incident inside one of the latrines and wanted to hear from both Aragon and Aurona.
However, as soon as he saw both dragons nuzzled together, he immediately decided against it. Perhaps it can wait until tomorrow… he thought as he turned around to leave. Taking one last look, Ignitus couldn't help but smile at the sight.
"Young Mia is right…," he said to himself. "They do look good together."
Selema: Aww...that's so cute...
Yeah, looks like they just got a little closer. Where do both dragons go from here? Find out next chapter!
Btw, one of you asked about JadenxMia and their relationship...I meant to say they'll probably be together for the most part.
Anyways...
Peace out,
Biz
