If you follow me, you can see that I posted a chapter on my song story 'This Broken Soul'. While I was doing that another song came on the radio that I used to listen to, and it fit this story...so I made a chapter of it.
My normal thanks to those of you who took the time to say things and stuff and words. I give you all great big smiley faces and a gold stars. Holycross9, MCZ, Gameguy95, Dragon-Uprising, Folwood, DragonMaster000, and my reviewer, Meowstic Luvva (whom seems to be shocked at my words) I thank you for inspiring me.
A special thank you to 4Dragons who helped inspire me for this chapter...I hope you like it
Chapter 20 She's Got A Way
With another full goblet of his personal stock of Avalarian Ale, swashing around in his now swaying paw, Brazin takes another sip. His blurred vision, working hard to keep the purple dragon in the center of his view, now focuses upon Cynder, whom lays beside her love, sleeping peacefully.
"We are getting to be friends here, aren't we Spyro? Cause I need to know somethin'... Itz important."
His actions tell the tale of how drunk the Earth dragon is, as his speech is heavily stammered, so has his ability to make sense for the last half hour. However, with a simple nod of his head, Spyro allows the inebriated drake to ask his question.
"Why her?"
Anger begins filling the tired eyes of the purple dragon, and knowing he may have crossed the line, Brazin backs up his question with a reason for asking it.
"Don't get me wrong here...I'm not trying to be a jerk, and I don't want you to think I'm tryin' ta start a fight cause...I'm not drunk..." he pause swallowing the contents of his stomach, which try to make their way back up.
"Well...I'm not that drunk, okay, but I am curious as to why the purple dragon..."
Brazin pauses again, looking back at Spyro, and sizing him up in a second.
"Whom I would find hansom if I were attracted to you..." his eyes pop open, and the drunk dragon pauses again. "...which I'm not..."
Cynder, whom is listening in her sleep, smiles, hearing the normally strong Earth dragon crumble with every word. However, he finally asks the question, as his beer muscles return.
"...why wouldn't you just find a different mate?"
Brazin pauses again, taking another sip from his glass then continues with a stronger tone.
"Any dragoness would say yes to you...hell, I think Ember would leave me if you showed interest."
The larger dragon pauses again, taking another sip of his drink, knowing the truth in that statement. His eyes then return to Spyro, locking on the purple dragon spiraling in the middle of his swirled vision.
"Well?"
Spyro also pauses for a moment, placing a paw upon Cynder's head, then scratching between her horns softly. He smiles as she snorts out a loud purring sound of contentment.
"She's got a way about her. I don't know what it is, but I know that I can't live without her."
The purple dragon smiles, recalling many wonderful moments in Cynder's company, all the while feeling her every subtle movement through his fingertips.
"She's got a way of pleasin'. I don't know why it is, but there doesn't have to be a reason, Anyway."
Spyro looks over at Brazin, showing a grin that beams from ear to ear, and allowing the large dragon to understand just how deep these feelings go
"She's got a smile that heals me. I don't know what it is, but I have to laugh when she reveals it." He continues, slowly standing up, so not to disturb her, and padding over to the half empty bottle of Ale sitting beside its owner. Brazin refills the small goblet Spyro drank from earlier, giving him a second shot of the tasty, but potent, potable.
"She's got a way of talkin'...Ohh..." Spyro pauses for a second, after uncontrollably adding the rhythmic sound, suddenly wanting to break into song. However, he composes himself, holding back the side effects of the Avalarian Ale. "...I don't know why it is, but it lifts me up when we are walkin' Anywhere."
Spyro sits beside Brazin, staring at the black dragoness who has had him in her clutches since the day he first saw her.
"She comes to me when I'm feeling down, and inspires me, without a sound." The purple dragon confesses, then takes a deep breath recalling the first time she placed a soft paw upon his cheek. "When she touches me... I get turned around."
"She's got a way of showin'...MMM..." again Spyro pauses, as another rhythmic sound is produced, but this time, he doesn't stop and finishes the sentence with the joy he can no longer hold back "...how I make her feel, and I find the strength to keep on goin'.
The Earth Dragon quickly understands, as these feelings fill his heart when speaking of his soul mate, Ember. However, not everyone is so understanding, as the purple dragon continues raising his voice in song.
"She's got a light around her... Ohh, and anywhere she goes, a million dreams of my love surround her, Everywhere."
"That's sweet, Loverboy!" Cyrus groans sarcastically from the background. "Now if you don't mind...some of us are sleeping...including the one your singing about!"
Spyro quickly holds a paw over his mouth, realizing how late it is, and that his voice was louder than he expected. He becomes even more terrified noticing Cynder has opened her eyes.
"I'm sorry, baby, I didn't mean to wake you!" he blurts, again a bit louder than the remaining group would have hoped. However, as she gets to her feet, stretches out her front paws, then pads over to the pair of dragons, Spyro is stunned to see a smile.
"But...I like when you sing to me." she teases, as even Spyro knows his voice is not made for rhythm. However, when Cynder rubs her cheek against his, then glides under his chin with her muzzle, the purple dragon begins serenading again.
"She comes to me when I'm feeling down, and inspires me, without a sound." He looks at Brazin with a smug grin, as Cynder grinds her entire right flank and posterior against his gold chest, provocatively.
"When she touches me...I get turrrnned around...Ohh ohohhhh!"
Cynder turns around, her face blushing bright red from how loud Spyro is professing his love in song. She places a single paw gently over the purple dragon's mouth, stopping his outburst from waking everyone, but it is too late. However, as embarrassed as she is, her eyes remain locked upon his, showing the pure love she feels in what he is doing.
Spyro understands her green eyes without a word, and though they say keep it down, they also say I want the world to hear this. He slowly lowers her paw from his mouth, allowing him to finish the song in his head, one he heard in a dream while fighting against the Dark Master so long ago. ( I would listen to Billy Joel, amongst other things, while playing.)
"She's got a smile that heals me. I don't know what it is, but I have to laugh when she reveals it."
His voice is soft, and it quickly brings the smile he longs for. Spyro embraces her tightly staring at Brazin while finally giving him his answer.
"She's got a way about her. I don't know what it is, but I know that I can't live without her... Anymore"
Cynder backs away from the embrace after a long comforting hug, showing the glistening tears of joy that fill her eyes. She quickly kisses the one that helps clear the darkness from her every nightmare, drawing the life she needs to continue breathing, along with a taste of what he had to drink.
"Are you okay?" she suddenly asks, as Spyro begins listing to the right, and before he can correct himself, the purple dragon is down on his gold belly.
"I'm fine..." he replies, looking up at Cynder with a bit of confusion in his eyes. "...but how did you get up there?"
Cynder balks then looks over at Brazin, whom smugly grins while filling his stone goblet with another dose of the strong spirits.
"How many of those did you give him?"
"Let's see... I gave him the first one..." Brazin takes a swig from the stone glass he made, then pick up the much smaller one he made for Spyro. "...then he just came over here and filled his glass a second time before you woke up."
She balks again, looking at the tiny shot glass in Brazin's paw, before staring at her strong, powerful, almost unbreakable hero.
"Only two drinks, Spyro?!"
This draws a strong laugh from Cyrus, whom stares at his big brother with an odd expression.
"Dad couldn't hold his liquor either." the two toned blue dragon pauses, recalling several instances when he saw his Earth breathing father take a drink from a similar bottle, especially on the colder days in the North Mountains.
Cyrus pauses again, his emotions churning inside, recalling the many instances his dad would act foolish around his mom after taking a few sips, knowing in hindsight, it was not really the alcohol that made him do it.
"He would start singing to mom, then dance around like a child without a care. But now I can see, it was never the alcohol that made him act that way." Again the young dragon pauses, noticing Spyro struggle to stay focused on him, and realizing maybe it is not exactly the same.
"Well, maybe you are drunk, but Dad never was. It was the love he felt for mom...that's why he was so different around her."
Spyro's eyes quickly show pain, as the alcohol in his body begins hindering his ability to keep his emotions in check. Nor can he keep his voice down.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you...maybe I coulda stopped it from happening..."
"Hey!" Cyrus cuts off his brother with an angered tone in his voice. "Stop blaming yourself for things you had no control of..." his eyes snap to Cynder, whom suddenly looks uncomfortable with the conversation.
"And that goes for you too!" he continues a bit louder than he wanted, getting an angered stare from a woken Terrador. He immediately rises from his cool spot on the rock and pads quietly over to the trio of dragons who are already awake.
He sits on the other side of Brazin, staring hard at his big brother and Cynder.
"You two saved the world and yet all you do is apologize for everything." Cyrus grasps the bottle from Brazin's paw, getting a stern look from all three around, as he is still underage by a year. However, after a quick sniff to inspect the contents, he hands the bottle back to the Earth dragon with a smile on his face.
"My dad had the same stuff."
His eyes then return to Spyro and Cynder.
"You two need to stop caring about what everyone elsethinks and focus on yourselves."
Cyrus' remarks are quickly understood, as Spyro and Cynder turn to one another and smile. He then gives Brazin his attention, stopping the brown drake from raising another drink to his muzzle.
"And you... You need to stop looking for a reason to be angry all the time."
Brazin becomes angry, yanking the drink from under Cyrus' paw, and bringing it up to his mouth. He shoots it down fast, returning the stone glass to the ground before turning back to his newest friend.
"Now just what am I angry about, Boy."
Cyrus looks at his big brother and notices he is already ready to defend him, as Brazin becomes increasingly hostile. So, he replies with a straight forward answer.
"Cause you think you are the reason your brother is dead."
Spyro, shocked at how blunt his young sibling's answer is, and is unable to react fast enough to stop Brazin's paw from striking Cyrus across the mouth. However, not being under the influence, the teenager easily grasps Brazin's arm after impact, pulling the larger Earth dragon off balance and tossing him over onto his flank.
Cyrus immediately seals the stone drake's magic inside with a blast of Ice, snuffing his mouth and nose, then holds him down in an awkward position.
"Now settle yourself and listen...before you pass out..." the young dragon remarks, again with a shocking amount of calmness in his voice. He glances up at his brother and Cynder, whom are stunned beyond words at the ability this young dragon has in battle.
"...I'm not trying to be a jerk, friend, but I know how you blame yourself for what happened."
Feeling Brazin back down from his rage, Cyrus fires a single ice pellet from his mouth, shattering the cold muzzle he placed on the Earth dragon's face. He quickly yanks the larger drake back up onto four paws, then helps him down to his stomach, as Brazin is still a bit discombobulated from the sudden movements.
Cyrus grasps the bottle of spirits again, pours a small amount into Brazin's stone cup, then slides it before the reeling dragon.
"Trust me, I understand why you feel that way." Cyrus continues, looking down at the ground as his own guilt has been eating at him for the entire day. "My little brother is gone, and though everyone tells me it's not my fault, I cannot help but question why I wasn't watching him better."
"Well...I'm kinda thankful you didn't see it happen." Spyro suddenly chimes in, stunning Cyrus with his odd confession.
"Why!?" the young dragon asks, his angry blue eyes now locked upon his brother.
Spyro smirks before giving his reply.
"Because you are just like me...and would have chased you brother's kidnapper down to the ends of Avalar."
"Exactly! And we would not be here right now if I caught him." the blue dragon returns, his anger more pronounced than before.
Spyro's smile leaves, and he takes a deep breath
"And if you did, it would have led you to a possible deadly conclusion."
Cyrus turn his head away from Spyro, disgusted by how he is still treating him like a child.
"I would not have lost that fight, brother." he remarks with almost sarcastic tone, pointing at the much larger dragon he easily handled when it mattered. "A Cheetah's strength is nothing compared to a dragon's...I woulda tore him apart to get Blake back."
"Watch it, young Master!" Meadow's voice calls out from the pair of Cheetah warriors, whom continue watching the perimeter. "I may be in my forties, but I can still easily whip your little draconian butt."
Spyro smirks again, but for only a moment as the thought he had before returns.
"I know you would have torn him apart, Cyrus, but that's the problem." Spyro's eyes lose focus, recalling the fight he had only a few weeks earlier, when he hurt a desperate dragon that was just trying to get their family's vengeance.
Several youngsters were there to watch their hero show an ugly side they never knew he had, an ugly side that anyone would show to defend the one they loved.
"Do you really want Blake to see you like that?" He says, his voice barely audible, remembering the terrified look on the three whelplings' faces, when he viciously struck the dragon that tried to attack Cynder.
"Do you really want him to see you kill, because that's something that will stay with him for life."
Cyrus pauses, then looks dead into his brother's eyes.
"I would have no problem letting him see his big brother's vicious side, if it meant having him under my wing at this very moment."
He looks at Cynder, his eyes remaining stern.
"Trust me...I could have dealt with the vision of my father, snapping the neck of the Terror of the Sky, if it meant that he could still be here today."
Cyrus can see how disturbing that last statement was to her, and to his brother. His paw is out to Cynder's arm in a flash as she tries to stand up.
"But that didn't happen..." he says softly, easing the black dragon with a comforting squeeze of her paw. Cynder's tear filled eyes are quickly shown a smile, helping make her feel better, however, it is what this young dragon says with conviction that finally allows Cynder to loosen up.
"...instead, my big brother destroyed that abomination, and rescued the one enslaved within."
Seeing the black dragon settle down in her place after his comment, Cyrus again takes focus on his brother.
"Besides, my paws are not totally free of blood, Spyro, and believe you me, Blake has been witness to my dark side on several occasions, just ask Mom when we get home." A smug grin crosses his face, as he recalls one instance when he defend his home.
"I personally stopped a small army of apes by causing an avalanche that swallowed them before they could get in the house."
The blue dragon smirks even wider recalling the way Skylar reacted to this plan of attack.
"Mom must have yelled at me for at least twenty seconds straight, cause half the snow came inside and buried the living room. But then she hugged me for an hour, because I also closed off any way the apes could enter the cave, allowing us to feel safe for the long winter months."
Cyrus looks up at the sky, showing his father a smile, recalling the moment he personally believes that he became a dragon.
"Mom said Dad would have been proud of me, cause I didn't hold anything back to protected my family." his eyes again return to Spyro, showing the resolve he had in his actions years ago, the same resolve he uses in his words to big brother now.
"And even though he was very young, Blake remembers that day well, because it was his second birthday." The blue dragon chuckles to himself recalling how happy his little brother was to play in the snow, while inside the house. "He said it was the best birthday present I could ever give him, even though I don't really think he understands what I did, except that I made it snow inside."
Tthe two toned dark blue dragon pauses again, as a cold thought of what could have been fills his mind, if he didn't resort to such violence.
"I cringe to think what might have happened if I didn't use the power Dad taught me to use in an emergency. And even though I know those apes died a painful death, I was happy they would never have a chance to attack my little brother and mother again!"
"Settle down, Cyrus." Terrador grumbles, raising his head slightly from the ground, an showing the young dragon a concerned pair of eyes. "You did the right thing, now be quiet before you do the wrong thing, and wake Oswald."
"I'm already awake." the red dragon mumbles, opening one eye to show he is not sleeping. He takes a very pronounced sniff before raising his head from the nasty smelling ground. "Who can sleep, laying on a petrified turd?"
Oswald gets up on his feet, stretches out his paws, then treks the few paces over to the conversing group of youngsters. His eyes lock upon Cynder as he lays down beside her, and he shows her a smile to ease her nerves.
"We do what we must to protect the ones we love..." he says, raising his paw up to Cynder's cheek, and gently rubbing the spot where his daughter, Shannon, had struck the dark dragoness. "...and when we fail, we sometimes lash out at anyone that we feel responsible, even when they are not."
"But I am responsible for this." she says.
"That's nonsense!" Brazin's voice is very stern, pulling Cynder and Oswald's attention to him.
"You are not to blame for the kidnapping of those youngsters, regardless of what you did...I mean, what The Terror of the Sky did in the past."
Cynder is stunned to see and hear Brazin lose his rough edge in this one comment, as he actually feels bad for blaming her again. But mostly, it shows the dark dragoness he is trying to separate the two dragons in his mind.
"You keep apologizing for something you say you didn't do..." Brazin's voice tightens up once again as he finally uncovers the reason why he has never backed down from her. "...and because you continually show guilt, it makes you look guilty, and this is frustrating to most."
Brazin looks at Spyro, waiting for him to intervene, yet the purple dragon remains silent, almost begging him to continue this verbal assault on Cynder. He has been saying the same thing to her for weeks, as most altercations in the street begin with her apologizing for something she claims she didn't do.
"What should I say?" she begs, as Spyro has not had a definitive answer for this simple question.
Brazin looks at the purple dragon again, whom now shows the same wanting look that Cynder has, as he really doesn't know what she can do without angering someone.
"Tell them to go to hell!" he bluntly replies, finally drawing a response from Spyro.
"And if they don't like that answer... and decide to take a swing at her."
Brazin smugly smiles, then looks dead into Cynder's green eyes.
"Then she should show them how fruitless their attempts will be."
"You want me to fight back!?" She cries almost terrified at this thought, however, Brazin suddenly changes his tactics to prove a point.
"Why did you kill my brother?"
"I didn't mean to..." she replies, and quickly Brazin's paw is across her face.
Spyro is on his feet in half a heartbeat, but shockingly so is Cyrus.
"NO! Spyro!" the young blue dragon barks at his brother, startling everyone as he turns to Cynder and shows anger. "She is not answering the question correctly, and deserved to be hit!"
Brazin is the only one in the group who shows a smile, as Cyrus gets up in the black dragoness' face and gives her a new response.
"Your answer should be...'I didn't kill him! You have me mistake for a different dragon.' Period!"
Spyro, pushes his brother away getting face to face with him.
"She's tried that, Cyrus! But no one believed her! Hell no one listened to her!" the purple dragon argues, recalling several instances when Cynder made claim that her dark side was killed by her hero. And even with him standing there, backing her story up, they still didn't believe her.
"All they did was spit on her..." he begins saying somberly, and the young blue dragon cuts his big brother off with anger in his voice.
"And what the hell did you do to stop that? Huh!"
Spyro remains dumbfounded for a second, as his answer is not the one he wants to say.
"You did nothing...except apologize." Cyrus answers himself, as Brazin has told him how his big brother responds to these assaults on Cynder.
"What do you want me to do!?"
Cyrus suddenly takes a swing at his brother, and without even thinking, Spyro holds time. He moves out of the way of the young dragon's tail strike, then grasps him so he don't fall over from an awkward loss of balance It takes only a moment for Cyrus to understand what happened, when he ends up in his brother's secured arms. He then looks up at the purple dragon with a rather smug grin on his face.
"You can easily do that..." Cyrus pulls himself from Spyro's arms with a sturdy shove.
"...but no matter what, you get them the hell away from Cynder, without her having feel sorry for just trying to live her life." The younger brother then looks over at Cynder, a seriousness in his eyes as he tells her what he believes.
"A life that both of my brothers told me she fought hard for... and the life she deserves to have back."
Cynder lowers her head, overwhelmed by the guilt she still feels, as her respect and love for this young dragon raises to a level only reached by Spyro and Blake.
"You really believe that...don't you?"
Cyrus reaches out a paw, cups Cynder's lowered jaw, and lifts it up so she can see the truth in his lavender blues.
"With every fiber of my being."
Cynder grasps the slightly smaller dragon with her front paws, then hoists him up as she leans back on her hind haunches. The black dragoness crushes him in her arms and wings with a strong embrace, releasing a great deal of tension in one very powerful moment.
"I promise...I'll never say I'm sorry to you, ever again..." she whispers hard in the young teen's ear, making sure he hears the resolve in her voice. It puts a smile on his face, and he quickly shows it to his big brother. However, as Cynder kisses him on the cheek, sending a chill down the spine of the Ice dragon, it changes the look on his face
"...but I will say...thank you...Sweetie."
Cynder puts the reeling young dragon back down on his feet, releasing him from the cloud he was just held in. He crumbles in place, overwhelmed by a secret crush he has on the black dragoness, just like his other brother, or most male dragons on Avalar.
Cyrus' smile widens across his face, as the euphoric feeling of being kissed by the pretty dragoness breaks his train of thought. He takes a moment to catch his breath before turning back to look his brother in the eye.
"You are so right, Spyro..." he says, then once again turns his attention to her.
"...She has a way about her."
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know with a few words.