Chapter 4: An Arrival Bringing Unsure Feelings

Spyro walked into the bathing room. It was divided into multiple sections with tubs that were large enough for a dragon to bathe in and had plenty of extra space to dry off. Spyro got into the middle section and tuned the handle. With a twist from his paw, water began to run into the tub. The purple dragon waited on his haunches as the water level in the tub rose. When the tub was just less than three quarters full of water, Spyro turned the handle in the opposite direction, stopping the water. He took in a breath and exhaled a small stream of fire to heat up the water. Steam rose when the flames hit the liquid's surface. Spyro got into the tub, making the water level rise a bit, but not enough to over fill it. Spyro smiled and sighed at the perfect warmth of the water. He dunked his head under the water's surface for a brief moment and came back up. Spyro relaxed in the tub of warm water and thought, This is nice.

After several minutes of relaxation he decided that it was time to get out. He unplugged the drain to let the water rush out of the tub. Once the water was completely gone, he got out and shook to get the water off of himself. He then walked out of the section he was in and exited the bathing room. He made his way to his room to wait out the next fifteen minutes. I hope that no one looks down at me because Malefor is here. He is a master of all the elements after all, and I am still in training. He got into his room and pulled out a book from his bookshelf on dragon history. He flopped onto the bed he turned to the page that had information on the purple dragons. There wasn't much, it only said that they are a very rare breed of dragons, and that they can use the four elements. Spyro let out a soft sigh, tossed the book aside, and rolled onto his back as his thoughts drifted to the conversation he had with Glacia and Blaze earlier. Spyro, any dragoness would be lucky to have you as their lover. Spyro let out a small snort and thought, I've gone nineteen, almost twenty, years with no one. Why should anything change? Then he thought about his brief conversation with Incendia,Maybe soon that will all change, he thought with a more positive attitude. He picked the book up off of his bed, put it back in his bookshelf, and walked out of his room.

As he closed the door to his room, he saw Volt sitting on his haunches, "Hey, Volt," the purple dragon greeted.

Volt looked at Spyro and replied, "Hey Spyro. How are you?"

"I'm fine. I'm just heading to the main corridor. Where's Electra?"

Volt shook his head and pointed his snout toward a room on the other side of the hallway, "She is 'getting ready the meet the purple dragon.'" Volt let a sigh escape his lips, "It's not like she's going to the Ball or anything!"

Spyro laughed and said, "Well have fun. I'm off."

"Okay, see you in a few minutes… hopefully."

Spyro smiled at the comment and continued forward. After a bit of walking he entered the main corridor where the Guardians and Incendia were waiting. "Hello Spyro," Ignitus greeted, "Are you ready to meet the other purple dragon?"

Spyro nodded and replied, "Yeah, I guess."

Ignitus looked at his pupil and asked in a low voice so the others couldn't hear, "What is the matter, Spyro?"

Spyro looked at his master and said, "I'm just afraid that everyone will compare me to Malefor and think less of me."

Ignitus chuckled and said, "Young dragon, remember that Malefor has spent years to master his elements. You, however, are still a student. But fear not, one day you will master your elements and," Ignitus leaned his head closer to Spyro's and whispered, "Maybe even surpass Malefor." Ignitus gave the purple dragon a wink.

Spyro smiled and walked over to towards Terrain and Gaia, who had just arrived.

"Hey, Spyro," said Terrain. "How are you?"

Spyro replied, "Good, just ready to meet Malefor. Also, I'm waiting for you guys."

"Sorry," the earth apprentice apologized, "We're late because-"

Spyro cut him off, "Because you had to wait for Gaia to get ready to meet Malefor."

Both dragons widened their eyes in surprise that their friend was spot on. "Are you psychic or something?" asked Gaia

Spyro laughed and answered, "No, I ran into Volt and he said that Electra was doing the same thing. I'm assuming that Glacia is too."

As Spyro finished the last four dragons walked in. "Sorry we're late," Blaze apologized, "the girls were-"

"We know," Spyro cut in. As the group got together he turned to the dragonesses and, with a stupid grin, asked, "Why don't you ladies do all this preparation for me?"

Glacia answered sarcastically, "Oh, we are sooooo sorry Spyro. Do you want us to start calling you magnificent purple dragon when we see you too?" She earned a giggle from the girls and chuckles from the boys.

Spyro gave her a friendly glare, but couldn't help but laugh, "Well, that would be nice."

Suddenly the large doors began to open. Slowly the doors revealed the guest. Malefor, the purple dragon. Malefor was purple with a golden colored chest, which was darker than Spyro's. He had five dark golden horns on his head; three larger horns on the left, right, and middle, and two smaller ones. The two smaller horns were on the left and right side of his head and were in between the larger horns. His wing membranes were purple, as opposed to Spyro's gold-orange ones. He had yellow spines on both sides of his upper chest and ran down the sides of his body until the middle of his tail. His eyes were a dark purple.

But what surprised the group was the black dragoness next to him. The guests walked towards the Guardians and stopped in front of them. Spyro got a good look at the dragoness. She looked the same age as he and his friends. She had black scales, with red underbelly, and red wing membranes with what looked like short blades where the wing joints met. She had nine white horns, three on each side of her head and three down the middle of her neck. She had a true tail blade, obviously meant for fighting. What stood out the most were the strange symbols that were on her forehead, under her eyes, on her shoulders, and on her lower back, close to the base of her tail. She had emerald green eyes. Spyro couldn't help but stare, Wow, she's beautiful.

"Hello Guardians. It is good to be back in Warfang," Malefor said with a friendly smile.

"Hello Malefor," greeted Ignitus, "Welcome back. It is indeed good to see you again after all these years."

Malefor nodded and said, "I heard that you have chosen apprentices to take under your wings to become the next Guardians."

"This is true," Ignitus motioned for the Guardian apprentices to come forward. When the students were with their respective masters Ignitus said, "This is Blaze, my apprentice of fire, and my son."

"This is Glacia, my current apprentice of ice," said Cyril gesturing to the ice dragoness.

"Volt is my student of electricity," said Volteer.

"And Terrain is my apprentice of earth," said Terrador.

Malefor smiled at the apprentices and said, "It is a pleasure to meet the future Guardians." He looked at Incendia and said, "And a pleasure to meet the Fire Guardian's mate." Incendia returned a smile.

"Malefor," said Ignitus, "there is one other student you should meet." Spyro saw his cue and walked up next to Ignitus. "This is Spyro."

Malefor looked at Spyro and said, "I never thought I would see another of my color."

"Malefor?" asked Ignitus, gesturing to the black dragoness, "Who is this?"

She answered the Fire Guardian, "My name is Cynder." She looked at Malefor and he gave her a nod. She looked back at Ignitus, "Three years ago my parents went out somewhere and never came back. About a year after that, Malefor found me and helped train me."

"My dear," Incendia said, sadness in her voice, "that's terrible."

Ignitus nodded in agreement and asked, "What is your element?"

Malefor answered, "Actually, the proper wording is elements."

"What?" all the Guardians asked surprised and confused.

"Cynder knows four elements. These are; shadow, poison, wind, and fear."

"Ah, the Secondary elements," Volteer said, earning confused looks from the younger dragons, except Cynder. Volteer noticed this and explained, "Secondary elements are what we call the shadow, wind, fear, and poison elements. We teach the Primary elements. The two terms are nothing more than vocabulary." He looked back at Cynder, "This is fascinating that she knows all four. Like an opposite of a purple dragon."

"Yes," said Malefor, "I have tried to teach her in these elements, however, it is difficult to teach an element that you do not possess. I was hoping that she could learn more here at the temple."

The Guardians exchanged looks and Ignitus replied, "We can, we just have to look more into this. Until then, these young dragons would like to learn from you about their elements. Is this okay?"

Malefor smiled and said, "Of course it is."

Ignitus smiled and said, "Spyro, would you be kind to show Cynder to an open room and show her around the temple?"

Spyro glanced at Cynder and back to Ignitus, "Sure." Spyro looked at Cynder and motioned with his head in the direction to the door that lead to the hall were the apprentices' rooms were. Cynder followed the purple dragon.

"We are going to our chamber for the time being," said Ignitus, "Malefor, how long will you be staying with us?"

Malefor thought for a brief moment and answered with a smile, "I honestly do not know. How long are you willing to let Cynder and me stay?"

Ignitus chuckled and answered back, "What kind of hosts would we be if we didn't say as long as you need? Don't worry, we have plenty of room for you both to stay." Malefor nodded in acknowledgement. "We are going to our chamber to discuss plans for the upcoming week." Ignitus looked to the apprentices and asked, "Would you please take Malefor to us when you are finished?" They all gave and nod, and the Guardians, along with Incendia, left the corridor.

"So… um… Malefor, excuse me, Master Malefor?" asked Glacia timidly.

Malefor chuckled and said, "Don't worry dear. There is no need for titles."

Glacia nodded and asked, "Could you talk about the ice element for a bit?" The purple dragon nodded.

Spyro and Cynder walked in silence. Come on Spyro start a conversation, he thought to himself. "So, how was the trip here?" Spyro mentally slapped himself for the dumb question.

"It was fine. The city is a sight to see." Spyro nodded, but stayed silent. He glanced at her, looking at the strange symbols she had.

Cynder took notice and grew slightly annoyed at his staring, "What is it?"

Spyro shook his head and apologized, "I'm sorry for staring. It's just, those symbols you have. What are they?"

Cynder calmed down and answered, "I hatched with them. They are a trait I inherited from my mother."

"Oh, I have never seen anything like them before." They walked past Spyro's room and stopped in front of the one next to his. "Well, here is where you will be staying." He opened the door and revealed an empty room that was set up just like Spyro's, but the book case was empty. It was also the same size. "Sorry if it's not much."

Cynder walked in and said, "It's okay, it's roomy." She looked around for a bit and looked back at Spyro, "How about that tour?"

Spyro smile and said, "Sure, follow me." They left Cynder's new room and started to head toward the bathing room. "So, what's your story?" he asked attempting for a better conversation starter.

Cynder said, "What I said back there was it."

Spyro didn't buy it, and stopped in front of her, "There has to be more than that."

Cynder stopped walking because of the dragon in front of her. She sighed and said, "Fine. I had loving parents, both of them were shadow dragons. We all loved each other like nothing else. We were happy. Then one day they left to run errands and didn't come back. I worked to support myself. After about a year Malefor came and took me under his wing. I showed him my elements and he did what he could to teach me. So that's it. Nineteen years in a nutshell. What about you?"

Spyro said, "Well first, do you know about the incident with the apes at the swamp temple?"

"Yes. One egg was missing. Why?"

"I was that egg." Cynder let out a soft gasp. "I hatched the next day in the middle of a swamp and was raised by a family of dragonflies who adopted me into their family. I spent fifteen years thinking that I too was a dragonfly. But one day Sparx, my adopted brother, got into trouble with bulb spiders. Somehow I breathed fire to help him. When we told our parents about it Ignitus came and told me that I was actually a dragon, not a dragonfly like I thought for so long. He invited me to live in Warfang and teach me about my elements. Sparx decided to come, but mom and dad wanted to say in the swamp. So four years later here we are, and that's my nineteen years in a nutshell."

Cynder thought, I thought I had it bad, but… "Spyro, do you know your parents? I mean, your real parents?"

Spyro shook his head, "No, I don't. Ignitus said no parents asked for my egg."

Cynder felt bad, "I'm sorry. My parents kept my egg. I hatched a few weeks after that temple incident."

Spyro shrugged and said, "Is fine, like I said, I hatched the day after the temple incident. And despite being raised by dragonflies, I think I turned out fine." Cynder giggled at the comment. When her giggle died down she stared into Spyro's amethyst eyes, while Spyro stared back into her emerald ones. Both dragons noticed that their heads were close to each other. They looked away with light blushes on their cheeks, "So, uh," Spyro stuttered, "how about we finish the tour?"

"Sure," Cynder lightly replied.

"Wow! So you can redirect lightning?! What does it feel like when the lightning is coursing through your body?" Volt asked with an excited tone.

After discussing the ice and fire elements, Malefor was discussing the element of electricity to the young dragons. Volt and Electra were having the time of their lives.

"It is exhilarating. I would not advise you to try it on your own, at least not without Volteer. It can be dangerous."

"How so?" asked Electra with curiosity.

"Because if the lightning is in your body for too long, then it has nowhere to go except…"

"Out," finished Volt with a shiver.

"Do not fret," reassured the purple dragon, "Just be sure that Volteer goes over the lessons required, and that he is there to safeguard you."

Glacia leaned toward Blaze and asked in a low enough voice so that only he could hear, "Where is Spyro and that black dragoness?"

He shrugged and whispered back, "I don't know. Maybe he's almost done giving her the tour."

"And finally, this is the training room." Lucky for him, his friends cleaned up after he, Blaze, and Glacia did their practice session and game.

"How often do you use this room?" the black dragoness asked.

Spyro shook his head, "With Terrador, too much," Cynder giggled at the comment. "I swear his training sessions are the true meaning of 'What doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger.' I prefer to at least be able to go a day without being sore."

"It must be terrible for the earth apprentice," the dragoness replied.

Spyro replied, "Terrain is a dragon with few words, especially around elders. He opens up around friends. And if he gets angry, there is a problem." Cynder looked at Spyro as if she wanted to ask something. "What is it, Cynder?" he asked taking notice.

"Well, I wanted to ask, if you could… um… introduce me to your friends."

Spyro gave her a broad smile and replied, "Of course! They're great dragons, nice too. You'll like them!"

Cynder gave the purple dragon a thankful smile, "Really? Thank you so much."

Spyro waved his paw and said, "It's nothing. Let's go meet back up with them." The two dragons walked out of the training room, heading to back to the main corridor. As they were walking Spyro was deep in thought, What is this feeling in my chest? I feel all warm inside. Why? Is it because of Cynder? He stole another glace at the dragoness, She is beautiful and kind. Is it because I like her? We just met.

Cynder was having the same inner conflict. Why do I have this warm feeling in my chest? I never felt this way before. Is it…because of Spyro? She stole a glace when he looked away. He has been nothing but nice to me. And he's quite handsome.

Cynder broke the silence, "So tell me about your friends."

"Well you know the apprentices by name right?" The dragoness nodded. "Well, Blaze is confident and has a kind heart. He also enjoys a good joke. If one is directed to you, and if it is getting a little out of line, which is rare for him, than Glacia will jump in. She is his girlfriend."

"Fire and ice? So opposites do attract." She stated with a slight smile.

Spyro nodded and replied, "Yeah, she is very nice. If you have a problem, go to her. She loves to help others. Volt is the most intellectual. He is also shy sometimes, but when he is out of his shell, everyone likes to hang around him. Terrain is mostly the silent type like I said before. Around friends, he is very open."

Cynder nodded and asked, "Who were those other two dragonesses?"

"The earth dragoness is Gaia, Terrain's girlfriend, and the electric dragoness is Electra, Volt's girlfriend."

She smiled and said, "They all sound nice. Come on, let's get going." As if to emphasize her sentence, she jogged ahead. Spyro smiled and ran after the dragoness.

"I think I should lead the way, unless you are sure you know where you're going."

"Then by all means, lead the way." Spyro nodded and lead her to the main corridor.

They slowed to a walk as they approached the door. When they got to the entrance, it opened and revealed Spyro's friends and Malefor.

"Hey, Spyro!" exclaimed Blaze. Everyone glanced at the door to see the two dragons walking in, "What took you so long?"

"I was just giving Cynder a tour of the temple."

Malefor approached the younger purple dragon.

He sat on his haunches and asked Spyro, "So tell me… Spyro, is it?"

Spyro nodded.

"How skilled are you in your elements?"

Spyro looked at the ground, rubbing the floor with his right paw, "I guess I'm proficient, but-"

"Don't be so modest, Spyro!" interrupted Volt. The electric apprentice walked to the other side of his purple friend and said, "Just today, he bested Glacia in ice shard target practice, and Blaze in… 'Dodge Fireball'," he stopped as he said the game's name and said to Blaze, "By the way. That name sounds terrible."

The fire dragon gave him a glare, "How about you come up with a better name for a game like that."

Gaia joined in, "Irrelevant. The point is, Spyro here has beaten every one of us in our respective element at one point or another."

Malefor looked down at the younger purple dragon. Spyro was looking at the ground avoiding eye contact, and hiding his embarrassment. Malefor laughed and said, "Spyro, it makes sense. You are a purple dragon, so your power is greater than most dragons. But I am afraid that we will have to hold that conversation for another time. Could you all take me to the Guardians' chamber?"

"Of course!" everyone except Cynder answered and they all walked him to where he needed to go.

After a few minutes of walking, they were outside the chamber. "Thank you, young dragons. Cynder?"

"Yes?" the black dragoness asked.

"Go ahead and do as you wish." Malefor then walked into the room leaving the eight nineteen year old dragons by themselves.

When the door closed, Terrain asked, "So, what now?" Suddenly the four boys' stomachs growled, causing the girls to laugh. "Um…" Terrain tried to talk but nothing came out.

"Didn't we eat not long ago?" asked Electra. Her only response from the males were shrugs, "How about some lunch?" she asked in between laughs.

"Sure," said Spyro as they all started to walk to the dining hall.

Spyro lead the way as the others followed. Blaze walked up next to the purple dragon, "So, what really took you and Cynder so long?" he asked in a whisper with a mischievous grin.

"Well, I took her around the temple so she won't get lost while she is staying." Spyro saw his friend's grin and asked, "What are you getting at?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Spyro. I saw that look on your face when she walked in."

Spyro blushed, but did his best to not let it show, "I have no idea what you're talking about." Spyro tried to sound as serious as possible, unfortunately Blaze saw right through it.

"Sure Spyro. I totally believe you," he said sarcastically and slowed down his pace to be with Glacia again.

Spyro got lost in his thoughts, Ancestors, if Blaze gets the idea that I like Cynder, I'll never hear the end of… wait, what? Am I saying that I like Cynder? I mean, she's beautiful and caring, and… aaahhh! Stop it Spyro! Get your head together. She is most likely not interested in you. Spyro stole a glance at Cynder. She was walking in silence by herself.

The group arrived to the dining room. "I'll get us some lamb," said Volt going in the kitchen in the corner of the room. Blaze, Terrain, and Spyro walked with him to get the meat.

The girls went to their usual table in the center of the dining hall. In no time, the boys came back with plates of meat, which Spyro and Blaze heated up. They all got seated in their spots except for Cynder.

Spryo noticed Cynder's lack of a place to sit, "Cynder, do you want to sit next to me?" All of his friends stared at him, Blaze had the 'I knew it' look. Cynder blushed at the purple dragon's offer. Spyro's face turned red as he clarified, "I mean… if you want to… because you don't have to… I mean, Sparx isn't here… and he normally sits here, so you can have his spot if-"

"Thank you Spyro," Cynder interrupted trying her best to not laugh at his embarrassment and to hide her reddening cheeks. Spyro looked at his friends and they all had the same smirks. He then glanced back at Cynder who sat next to him.

"So, I guess we introduce ourselves," said Blaze, "I'm Blaze."

Glacia said, "I'm his girlfriend Glacia."

Volt went next, "I'm Volt and his is my girlfriend Electra." Electra gave Cynder a friendly wave and smile.

"And I am Terrain, this is my girlfriend Gaia." Gaia nodded to the black dragoness.

"I am Cynder. It is nice to meet you all," Cynder replied not wanting to be rude and tell them that Spyro already introduced them for her.

"You too," said Glacia.

Cynder took a bite out of the lamb that was in front of her. "This is good!" she exclaimed as she continued to eat it.

Everyone ate in silence, enjoying the food. Spyro stole a glance to Cynder from the corner of his eye. Fine, I admit it. I like her, but that doesn't mean that she likes me back.

If only Spyro knew what Cynder was thinking, I think I like Spyro, but we just met today. How can I possibly feel this way to someone that I just met?

"So, what is the plan for the rest of the day?" asked Gaia, breaking Spyro and Cynder from their thoughts.

Spyro shrugged, "I don't know, I think I'll go to my room and relax until Malefor is finished with the Guardians. It's not every day you see a purple dragon." Everyone looked at him with blank expressions. He sighed and added, "I was referring to me!"

The group let out 'Oh's'.

"Well, you can say that, but we've seen a purple dragon almost every day for the last few years," stated Volt.

"Yeah Spyro, how does it feel to be the last one at this table to meet a purple dragon?" Blaze asked getting laughs from everyone else.

Spyro shook his head and said, "You guys are the worst," but he couldn't help but smile. He finished his lamb and walked to the exit saying, "I'll be in my room if anyone needs me." He got different acknowledgements from the group and left.

Glacia turned to Cynder and asked, "So Cynder, how about you tell us more about yourself."

Cynder was unsure at first, until she remembered what Spyro had said earlier, 'They're great dragons, nice too. You'll like them!' She smiled and said, "Sure," and began to tell them what she had told Spyro.