Forgetting who you are
Chapter 11
The warm rays of morning light spread across the world, shimmering off the fresh morning dew. The eyes of a certain black dragoness struggled to open. Her head throbbed and eyes strained at the light. "I'm never drinking again". She swore. Like all those before her, this is a promise she would not keep.
As she rose from her bed, head pounding, regret flowing. She heard her stomach rumble through the nausea. "I Don't think I could hold anything down". As her stomach rumbled again, she gave in to her hunger, and strode from her room, to the dinning hall.
The dinning hall was rather empty. Only a few tables had anyone sitting at them. One table did catch her eye. The one with the spot of purple and red. They were laughing with a plate of food in front of them. another friend at the end of the table, covered in loose bandages, revealing a few patches of his burnt hide.
Spyro turned his head when he saw movement from the corner of his eye. "Well good morning. Sleep well"? He asked, ushering her to sit.
"Better than being awake. That's for sure". She clutched her head, rubbed her eyes. "How am I gonna party tonight"?
"You'll fine a way. I'm hure of it". Said Flame, a mouth full of meat making his words hard to understand. He swallowed what he had chewed and spoke again. "Besides, you'll have friends there to pressure you into drinking. It'll be easy". He stuffed a sausage between his teeth.
Cynder looked to her thrask friend. "Good morning Ash. How was your night"?
He shrugged. "There was less kissing involved, but I had fun regardless".
Cynder raised an eyebrow. "Less kissing? What do you mean"? He pointed to Spyro, who glared at him angrily. "Ooohh. Did you meet someone special last night, Spyro"?
"If by special, you mean Ciezan's drunk self, then yes. Very special".
Cynder's jaw dropped. "Ciezan"!?
Spyro shook his head and waved his arms. "No no no! Not like that! I was helping him into bed, and he kind of"..
"Kind of"...? She pushed.
"Well he sort of"... Spyro stammered.
"Sort of what"? She pushed again.
"Ciezan tried to slide his tongue down Spyro's throat". Cut in Ash, getting another glare from his friend.
"Why would he do that"? Questioned Cynder, looking between the three around her. "What happened last night"?
As Spyro was going to speak, Ash cut in yet again. "Let me tell you".
"No". Stated the purple dragon. "Knowing you, you'd blow everything out of proportion".
"Pleeeeaaase"? Begged Ash, placing his hands together and staring into Spyro's eyes.
Spyro sighed. "Fine. Just keep it honest".
"Yes! I promise to be as honest as possible". He cleared his throat. "As Spyro held the gryphon, he could not help but notice how tense his big, toned muscles had become". Spyro dropped his head to the table. "He almost regretted having to let go, but knew it was the right thing to do. He could not let his desires step between him and his duties as the dragon of prophecy". Spyro slammed his head against the table again. "As he helped Ciezan into bed, Spyro happened to notice how empty it seemed. He knew this was his chance. So he 'fell' in next to the gryphon, arms wrapped tightly around his luxurious mane of feathers, soft as the silk they lay upon".
"Okay"! Interrupted Spyro. "I think we've heard enough. I don't need a dramatic reading of something I told you one time. There was no embracing. I helped him into bed, he pulled me next to him, and he thought I was someone else! I got away before it went any farther, okay"?!
"I don't know.. I like my version more".
"Yeah, I bet you would".
Ash glared from behind his loose bandages. "If you're suggesting what I think you are, I'd recommend you stop before you regret it".
Spyro rolled his eyes. "Oh I'm 'soooo scared'. The last thing I want to hear is you mocking me by giving a dramatic reading of how I screwed someone".
"That's enough you two". Ordered Cynder. "If Spyro isn't comfortable with how you tell it, then you should stop".
Ash crossed his arms. "Well I pride myself in my stories. And I was hoping to share the art with you all".
"As much as I 'loved' Ash's story time, I don't want to hear the rest. In case you didn't notice, we are trying to eat". He looked to Flame, who's cheeks were filled with food.
"I'm fi wi it".
The thrask threw his hands up. "He's fine with it, see? Can I finish the story"? He said, a smile on his face.
Spyro stood from the table. "If you're going to, I'm not staying". He walked away in a huff.
Cynder watched him as he left. "
As she turned her head toward Spyro, Flame and Ash shared a glance between each other. "Maybe he's just stressed. A lot has happened and a lot more surely will. It's probably nothing to worry about". Reassured Flame.
"Maybe".. She sounded worried.
"Whatever it is, we shouldn't pry". Said Ash, gesturing to Spyro's empty seat. "But what you can do is sit down and eat. You must be hungry after all the fun last night. Even if you are nauseous, it should help".
Spyro turned his head to see Cynder finally sit. As the purple dragon rounded the corner, he walked right into someone on their way to eat. Spyro jumped back. "I'm sor.. . Oh. Hey Ciezan". He smiled awkwardly.
"Yeah... hey". A nervous laugh escaped his beak. "How are you doing? Not too hung over"?
Spyro shook his head. "Nope. I'm... uh.. I'm good. How are you holding up"?
"I've been better". Vesh and Takkye ran from behind Ciezan to the scent of food.
Spyro turned as they rounded the corner. "Pretty hungry, aren't they"? He turned back to Ciezan, who wore a very serious face.
"Can we talk? About what happened"?
Spyro sighed. "I was kinda hoping to avoid that".
"I thought so, but we can't pretend it didn't happen".
"I don't know. I've done a pretty good job at forgetting it. Ash did make it worse though".
"Overly dramatic"? Spyro nodded. "How far did he go"?
"He made it to, 'Luxurious mane of feathers, soft as the silk they lay upon'. But I stopped him before he managed to go any farther".
Ciezan chuckled. "I bet he would have if you let him. Really makes you wonder how often he thinks of that stuff".
A smile ran across Spyro's face. "Yeah. I told him that. Didn't go over well with him".
"Really? He normally welcomes the chance to get into an insult war".
"I can believe that"! A laugh was shared between the two before an awkward silence took over. "Well, I'm gonna go. I'll see you at the party, okay"?
As Spyro stepped to the side to pass him, Ciezan extended an arm, blocking his path. "Look, I want to say I'm sorry for the whole... trying to make out with you. And that I'm thankful you haven't let it get between our friendship. Well, not that much anyway".
Spyro made no eye contact as he nodded. "Don't worry about it".
Ciezan smiled warmly as their eyes met for a split second. "Well", he said as he looked away, "I'm gonna get some food. Make sure Vesh and Takkye haven't destroyed anything. And thank you. For not making it that big of a problem". The gryphon lowered his arm, and walked on.
As he rounded the corner, Spyro spoke up. "Hey, Ciezan"?
The gryphon turned back and peaked around the wall. "Yeah"?
Spyro scratched the back of his head. "If it wasn't me last night, how... ah.. how far do you think you would have gone"?
The gryphon's eyes went wide, and he swallowed a lump in his throat. "Well"...
A voice behind him stopped his words in their tracks. "Ciezan"! Exclaimed Cynder. "I was wondering what was taking you so long". She hugged him as he turned around. "Come eat. You must be starving".
Ciezan looked back down the hallway. At the far end he saw a purple tail round the corner. "Of course. Let's eat". He smiled and together they tread to join the rest of their friends.
Spyro found himself wondering the streets of Warfang, looking at the dragons as they lived their life like every other day. He walked past the library, school and market, until he reached the staircase that lead to the top of the wall. As he walked upward into the sky, Spyro would occasionally look out over the city. Spots of red, green, blue and a myriad of others graced his purple eyes.
It wasn't until he reached the top did he look out over the valley. A sea of green laid before him. Dotted by trees, flowers and animals.
An image flashed before his eyes. It was one of a vast army, attacking the city. "Malefor". He said quietly.
In the distance he made out a shape, rushing across the horizon. It was an immense metal beast, running across a steel track.
As Spyro attempted to make out more detail, one of the patrolling moles spoke from beside him. "Dat's a train. New ting we came up wit. Useful".
The purple dragon looked to the mole, questions flooding his mind. "What does it do"?
"Delivers tings. Like food and water. Stuff dat don't fly well. Lot's o' times dey bring us moles from city to city".
Spyro looked out over the wall again. "There are other cities"?
The mole rolled his eyes. "You daft? Or as no one told you bout dem"? Spyro shrugged. "Yes dere are oder cities. Asling, Dedania and Yiorwitch are da big ones. Warfang's da capitol dough. Dere are da towns between dem all. Between Warfang and Asling dere are two towns, witout da cheetah village. Dere is Goldcrest, it's a gold mine. Den dere's Bullmar, fishing mostly.. Dey also give da best fighters, so we keep 'em supplied".
"What about the others"? Questioned Spyro.
"Oi, I ain't a tourist guide! You want 'o know, go find 'em yourself". The mole stomped away, spitting insults as he did.
Spyro watched the train as it disappeared behind a line of trees. "Maybe one day I will".
He turned back the way he came. Only this time, he stopped at the market. It was various rows of many stalls. Basic, but a market nonetheless. He walked past the stalls selling food, the ones selling weapons and the ones selling toys. It wasn't until a crystal ball rolled into his ankle did he stop. It wasn't like any crystal Spyro had seen before. It appeared to hold the night sky inside itself. A pink and beige dragoness that looked around his age ran out out from behind her stall to grab the orb, which Spyro held for her safely.
"Oh thank you"! She exclaimed gratefully. "These are not cheap. I'd hate to lose it". She took the crystal ball and placed it in a brass stand.
"Why do you need a fancy glass egg"? Asked Spyro, looking it over and touching it.
She swiped it from the stand, and polished it with a silk cloth. "It isn't a 'fancy glass egg'. It's a scrying stone". She looked into it, mesmerized by it's flawless polish. "And it let's me see your destiny OOooOOooh"! She said, trying to be spooky. She looked the purple dragon over. "Not that you'd need your destiny told, oh mighty purple dragon". She placed the stone back on it's stand. "Unless you want me to. Never know what you might learn". She smiled widely and fluttered her eyes, trying to look cute.
Spyro shook his head. "No thanks. The last thing I want is more to worry about". He began walking away.
"I'll do it for free"! She pushed, really trying to sell her fortune telling.
Spyro rolled his eyes. "What's the worst that could happen"? He turned. "Alright. Tell me my destiny".
"Yippee"! She yelled ecstatically, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him up to her stall. "Would you believe it if I told you you were my first customer of the day? Well not really customer. Considering I'm doing this for free". She bent down under the counter that stood between them.
He nodded as he looked around her stall. "You don't say". It was in fair condition. Old wooden boards painted a dark purple, and stars stuck to the cloth awning that hung over the customer.
She popped her head up and placed an old book next to her scyring stone. She also brought out some incense and a few candles. She tilted a candle to Spyro. "Could you light that for me"?
He spat a tiny ember. After the candle had caught fire, she used it to light the others. She held up a stick of incense. "And this too". He complied, and she let the incense burn in a small dish next to the scrying stone. "Thanks. It's a lot easier to see your destiny when you light it. Now we let that burn for a little".
Spyro looked around. "And what do we while that's happening"?
"You tell me about yourself. You okay with that"? He nodded. "Great! Okay, I already know your name. You are kind famous after all. So let's get started with the first question; what is your favorite color"?
"Red"?
"You don't sound very sure of your answer. Any particular reason behind that"? Spyro thought for an excuse. "Hey". He looked to her. "If it happens to be a bit personal, don't worry. I never tell a soul. That's my business motto"! She gestured to the rotten wood plank of a sign that hung above her stall.
Spyro looked to the sign. "The Future You"? He looked back to her. "Not very clear on what you're offering, don't you think"?
She waved his comment aside. "I'm the one asking the questions around here. So next question. You ready"? He nodded again. "Who do you consider the most important in you life? Is or isn't alive is irrelevant".
Spyro opened his mouth to say Cynder's name, but he hesitated. "Sparx. My brother".
"That's so sweet. Next question will be a bit more personal. You okay with that"? He nodded again. "You are the most cooperative customer I've ever had. If it wasn't already I'd make this free". She shook her mind back on track. "Anyway. What do you regret most"?
Spyro considered many things, but he managed to settle on one. "Not returning the feelings of someone who loved me".
She nodded. "Most honest answer I've got so far. It's good that you said that, next question will be about your romantic life. That okay"? He nodded slowly. "Alright". She took a breath. "Have you ever 'been' with someone? Romantically"?
Spyro raised an eyebrow. "Like a date"?
"I'm gonna take that as a no".
Spyro clicked and he understood what she meant. "Why would you need to know that"?
She shrugged. "Oh I already know". She pointed to her crystal ball. "The scrying stone sees all, knows all". She pinched the incense ashes from the bowl, and placed them on the stone. They melted into the rock, which began glowing a vibrant purple. She stared into it deeply. "Having some memory issues I see. Never fun". She squinted. "Oooh, lot's of jealousy. Fueling your desires? Possibly. Unsure since you can't really tell if you love her or not. And is that.. Ooohh, no wonder she fell for him. Tall, strong, good with children the whole package! Not to mention how badly you blew it".
"Lot's of help with my destiny happening here".
"Fine fine. I'm not getting paid, at least let me pry a little". She shook her head clear, then went back to the orb. "Let' see... Weird. Weirder. Eww"!She turned her head. "What the hell kind of baths do you take"?
"Don't judge me. They saved my life". He defended himself quickly.
"Well sorry". She said sarcastically. "That's what was, let's see what is".
"When are you going to get to what will be"? Asked Spyro impatiently.
"I didn't realize I was interrupting your moping and feeling bad about yourself. Can I continue"? The purple dragon sighed and nodded. "Thank you. Now I see you are pretty jealous of Ciezan, but you're confused as to why. Why do you think Cynder isn't right for him? And don't give me the whole, 'She's a dragon, he's a gryphon' garbage. You already used that one on Flame".
The purple dragon looked at her, unsure of how to answer. "I don't know. I guess it just seemed like destiny. The last two dragons our age. Continue the dragon species. But now".. he looked to the passing dragons and sighed. "I feel useless. She didn't even fall for a dragon. She fell for a gryphon. It feels like adding insult to injury".
"Do you think that constantly being told you two were meant to be had an impact on your decision"?
He shook his head. "I don't know, maybe? It doesn't help that I can't remember anything about her. Or even about me. I don't know whether I actually did love her".
She looked into the stone yet again. "It also seems you've had some rather... 'vivid' dreams about them. This seems to be what sparked your jealousy. But the confusion doesn't seem to have started until... Later that exact night. I'm pretty sure you know what I'm talking about".
He nodded. "I think so, yeah. How does he feel about it"?
She looked at Spyro, and tilted her head. "Who's destiny am I telling here? Yours. So don't go asking about others. Remember the motto"? She pointed to the sign. "Now I'm gonna get out of present, too sad. Especially the letters". She wiped a tear from her eye, and stared into the stone one last time. "Alright I see... Wait what"?
Spyro looked into the orb. "What do you see"?
"It's a... it's a wall. There's something on it. 'Walls forward, fruit picked. This is the last end of the beginning. Unbind the eternal'. That's quite the prophecy". She looked to him. "Made friends with the thrask I see".
"Yeah. What's wrong with that"?
"Nothing. Except for the fact that they cloud my vision. And if I can't see your future, I can't tell you your destiny".
"So this was pretty much pointless"?
"Not pointless". She exclaimed, smiling. "I learned a lot about you. And I think we could be good friends". The scrying stone flashed purple, her eyes darted to it, then back to Spyro, a smile wrapped around her face. "As much as I'd love to go to the party with you, we both know you just want to get Cynder jealous".
"I wasn't going to ask you"! He said defensively.
The pink dragoness laughed. "I know you weren't. But you wanted too. That's why I brought it up"! She laughed more as Spyro frowned. She wiped a tear from her eye as she composed herself. "Woo". She looked at his frowning face. "Oh don't give me that look. Feeling sorry for yourself won't bring back your self confidence". She pointed to a stone building a few streets over. "If you want to make her jealous, you can do so for just a few hundred gold".
"I'm not paying someone to go to a party with me. I'm not desperate".
"Okay. I guess you can have fun alone. There are a lot of lonely dragons in this city, and I'm sure with the color of your scales, you'll be able to find someone to go with". She picked up the stone, and placed it into a bag that she strapped to her back. "Now that I've done my part, how about you take me to the council of elders"? She fluttered her eyes.
"What happened to free"?
"Silly dragon. Nothing in this world is ever truly free".
"Why do you need to go there? Why can't you go alone"?
"Well, no ones allowed in the templeary. Get it? Temporary temple? Anyway, no ones allowed inside unless they're either invited by the guardians, or accompanied by someone with free reign to come and go. You've seen how capable I am, and hopefully a good word from the purple dragon could bring me on the council as the seer". She padded her bag. "Without the thrask to act as a prophesier, the elders are running blind. Maybe I can open their eyes".
"I'm your only hope for meeting the guardians"? She nodded. "Why can't you request an audience"?
"You think I haven't? I've requested more than I can count. I stopped last year. Kinda hoping one of them would stumble across my stall". She sighed and hung her head low. "But it's in the ass end of the market. The only thing anyone goes to the ass end to get is a piece of ass".
Spyro sighed. "If it means that much to you... I'll take you to the guardians".
Her head shot up, a smile so wide it looked unnatural. She squealed loudly. Causing Spyro to cover one ear with a wing. "Thank you thank you thank you! You don't understand how much this means to me"! She hugged Spyro tightly. As she let go, she noticed Spyro was blushing. "Stop that. I already said no. You really are terrible around females. Now let's go"! She ran down the markets path to the street. Spyro ran after her, but never managed to keep up.
As he arrived at the templeary, he was breathing heavily. Her breathing however was as calm as it had always been. "You... run... fast". He wheezed.
"Maybe you just run slow". She gestured to the door. More specifically the guards outside of it. "Well, go work your magic".
"Can't I...catch...my breath...first"?
"No time for that"! She got behind him, and pushed him toward the door. He took over after a few feet.
"She's with me". He said to the guard, who nodded in acknowledgement. They walked through the door, and into the great foyer.