Okay everyone, here it is, the epilogue of my first fanfic. I want to thank all of you who have followed me since day 1 and especially those of you who have reviewed my stories be they good or bad. It is your words that inspire me to do better and to keep the ball rolling along.
Now then, let's get going.
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING IN THE SPYRO UNIVERSE. ONLY MY OCS.
Epilogue: A New Beginning
_*_*_***_*_**_8-8-8-8-8-8-*_*_**_*_*_*-88-8-8-8-8_*_*_*_*-8-8-8-8-8-8-*_*_*_*-8-8-88
The first time James had ever felt nervous like this was years ago when his eldest brother had asked him to be his best man at his wedding years ago. He knew the day would eventually come, but he never thought it would come this soon. The day he walked his daughter down the aisle and gave her away to the young male who had won her heart through all manner of trials and tribulations. As he fastened the brass button on his dress uniform, he kept remembering things from Thera's childhood that brought tears to his eyes.
Memories of her first steps and first words. Her first time shifting back between her forms, as well as her first flight. All of these had nearly turned the normally cool and calm mechanist into a bundle of nerves. Him; a man who had led men into battle from everything from dragons to artillery to infantry and cavalry, reduced time and again to a nervous father by the antics of his young daughter. For the first time in a long time, he found himself going over every memory he'd ever shared with his daughter. He wiped away his tears though and smiled to himself.
(Look at me, blubbering like a fool over something that is good. Like Lysa says, there comes a time when all hatchlings leave the nest. Now it is Thera's turn to learn to live.)
As he stepped out of the room, he turned and saw Lysa, his wife and mate, and the sight of her took his breath away. She wore a dress that James recalled he'd bought for her on their anniversary several years ago. Lysa had remembered to bring his uniform as well a a little something he'd made just in case this day came to pass. He took the box containing the gift under his arm and took Lysa's arm in the crook of his other arm. Together they cut an impressive pair coming down the steps in the castel and made their way to the throne room where the ceremony would take place.
James had made sure his uniform was spotless when Lysa had brought it down from the airship. His dress uniform coat was a solid and deep vibrant blue, with a double breasted cover that closed the front of the jacket. The sash that marked his as a Dragoon was the ornamental version, deep red with gold lining and embroidering. His trousers were of the same deep blue and had gold stripes running down the outside of the legs. He wore white gloves upon his hands and his black boots were polished to a perfect shine. The sword given to him at the surrender hung from his left side. Eddy had allowed him to keep the blade as a token of what he had done. His shoulder bars had been changed from the one-star rank of brigadier general to the five-star rank of Lord General. His uniform also bore his medals and ribbons. On the left breast of his uniform, he had his ribbons, seven columns of three ribbons each, some marked with bronze clusters, some with silver, and one or two with gold. He also wore his medals proudly under his ribbons. Around his neck he wore the Syllian Cross, the medal polished to a flawless shine.
Lysa's dress was a sight to behold as well, the elegant blue fold of the dress stretched almost to the floor to keep her from having to pick it up when she walked. The corset that was part of the dress accentuated her beauty. She wore minimal jewelery so as not attract too much attention, after all, this was her daughter's day and not hers. Nevertheless, she managed to turn several heads. Humans, dragons, and cheetahs occasionally were awed by them. Once she was sure she heard a wolf whistle from, of course, a wolf. James seemed to take it all good-naturedly as they made their way to the throne room.
Once inside, James saw the Honor Guard, a group of Dragoons and Marines who lined the aisle, all in their dress uniforms; the Marines in bright red, the Dragoons in vibrant blue. A group of dragons from the Dracocorps were there as well, their scales and armor polished to a perfect shine. A Captain came up and escorted Lysa to her place. James turned and walked towards where he knew Thera would be. Along the way, he saw Spyro and Cynder speaking to Ignitus, all three of them had their scales polished to a bright sheen, indeed as did all the dragons. So much so that every dragon looked to be covered in gems rather than scales. Spyro noticed James and nodded, beaming brightly, as was Cynder. Ignitus looked to be a bundle of nerves though, he was trembling like a bush in a storm. James stepped towards him and rested a hand on his shoulder.
"Being nervous is normal. Just take a deep breath to steady yourself and you'll be fine." Ignitus nodded and breathed deeply.
"W-Were you nervous when your ceremony took place?" James laughed and nodded.
"Indeed. I was so nervous I nearly fainted the day of the wedding, I held it together through the wedding, but once that evening was done and I was in the castle that night, all bets were off. Nervousness, is a sign that we are ready for something and that we know that a change is upon us. Just take life one day at a time and never let your love for each other waver." He then turned to Cynder.
"I know that Thera and Ignitus will remain here once they are mated, can you make sure they don't get into too much trouble? You know how kids are." Cynder chuckled and nodded at this, evidently trying to hold back tears. Spyro had better luck than his mate concealing his emotions. He draped a wing over both Ignitus and Cynder and embraced them.
"Starting today, a whole new beginning awaits us all. Our family grows and will continue to grow for years to come. This day, no matter what anyone else says, will be the day that starts a new adventure for us all." James nodded and continued to the room where Thera was.
When he stepped into the room, he immediately saw his daughter in her dragon form. She was nervous but perked up when she saw her father and smiled.
"Making sure I'm ready for this?" James chuckled to her and came upby her.
"I've never truly believed that anyone is ready for event that will change their lives. It is good that you've fond someone who cares for you deeply. Your mother and I will miss you in Syllia, however, try to visit whenever you get the chance. Your mother and I will try to do likewise. I'll have to see about building a civilian ship meant to carry dragons back and forth. Ah, but I degress, that is an idea for another day. This day is yours and Ignitus'. Now then, come, I think they are ready to begin."
Thera nodded and began a slow walk alongside her father to the throne room. Along the way, several dragons, humans, wolves, cheetahs, atlawa, and moles saw her and respectfully inclined their heads. The humans saluted James sharply as he passed by, which he returned. As they turned and looked down the aisle to where Ignitus was, Thera had to stifle a laugh when Ignitus' jaw dropped, nor was he the only one. Several dragons from Syllia who had never truly considered Thera a possible mate went slackjawed at how her silver scales gleamed radiantly. Her eyes sparkled with an inner light that reminded James of the old saying that the 'eyes were the gateway to the soul'.
As they came down the aisle, the Dragoons and Marines drew their ceremony sabers and saluted with them. The Marines held expressions of pride in their eyes and faces, the Dragoons, most of whom knew Thera personally, wer emore open with their emotions, some even shedding a few tears.
As James neared the front, he saw Havvers and Reyson sitting nearby. Havvers did not weep but was smiling broadly. Partly because of the wedding here now but also for the news his son had told him just the day before about the girl back home in Launces. General Williams was present as well, in his army dress uniform. Thera was followed by Ignitus' sisters who she had asked to be her flower maidens. Several female humans and dragons stood by the altar as bridesmaids. Gerald stood by Ignitus holding two gold dragon bands that clasped over the foreleg similar to wedding rings. King Skyclaw sat at his throne behind the altar, next to him sat Eddy in his full uniform and royal cape. The guardians also were present including the new Fire Guardian. Each wore a kind of crest over their hearts engraved with the symbol of their elements and a likewise colored cape that draped over their wings.
Lord Bannon stood at the altar, wearing deep royal purple robes he had brought with him, he wore a heavy gold emblem around his neck, carried a scepter in one hand and a very thick book in the other, and wore a gold circlet upon his brow. He smiled warmly at the approaching bride and nodded to James as he stood by. Lord Bannon cleared his throat and nodded to both Ignitus and Thera.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the presence of friends and family to witness not only the binding of two souls, but also the binding of families and of countries. Is the groom present?" Ignitus inclined his head and answered in the affermative. Lord Bannon then turned to Thera.
"Who does give this young lady away?" James stepped forward.
"I hereby give her." Lord Bannon again nodded.
"Ignitus, son of Spyro and Cynder, what assurances do you give to Lady Thera here before you? Do you promise to love, to comfort, to cherish her, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do thee part?" Ignitus gazed deeply into Thera's eyes and immediately felt the emotions he'd felt when he'd first seen her. She was not just a beautiful dragoness but a beautiful and pure spirit. He couldn't even consider answering any other way.
"I-I do so swear. I also swear that, upon my honor and my strength, that you shall never be without anything. If it is within my power and my ability, whatever you desire from me shall be yours. My love for you is absolute and my heart shall never be swayed by another. This is my vow to you." Thera nodded and tears began to form.
"I...I as well do swear. I swear that no matter what the future holds for us, we shall never be parted by anything on this world, and that my love for you will never be won or taken by another. My heart will only be bound to you. This is my vow to you."
Lord Bannon nodded gently and motioned for Gerald.
"These bands were forged of pure gold mined from the mountains in Syllia's Northern Reach. Gold is considered to be the purest metal in the world, as is such, ones love for their mate must be as pure and untarnished." Gerald fastened one band to Ignitus, and moved to fasten the other one to Thera. Bannon continued as he fastened them.
"Let these bands serve only as the material witness for the love the two of you share. Let your hearts hold the true love that can never be extinguished. As these bonds are clasped, let your love be recognized by all assembled here today. As High Priest of the Praetorian Empire, I do hereby declare the two of you to be husband and wife, and mates for all eternity. You may now kiss the bride." Ignitus bent his head down and Thera picked hers up and the two connected. At the same time, their tails wrapped around each others in a true expression of love. Lord Bannon looked up to the crowd.
"Family and friends and assembled guests, allow me the honor of presenting, for the first time in public, Lord Ignitus and Lady Magothera, may their paths ever go to the light and may their love never falter, so may it be."
The crowd erupted into wild cheering and several people now let their tears freely flow. Eddy stood up and stepped forward.
"Now that the ceremony is complete, I believe it is time the newlyweds recieve their gifts. I believe I should start. Lady Thera, you have decided to remain in the Southlands with your mate rather than the two of you return to Launces? Then, by my word as King of Syllia, Lady Thera is hereby declared the first Syllian Ambassador to the Southlands, this hereby restores her name in Syllia as nobility and gives her mate and descendants the same honor." Skyclaw also came forward.
"Ignitus, your service in fighting the battle here did nit go unnoticed, neither did your dedication to bringing two nations together. Therefore, as King, allow me to start you and your mate on the right path. I hereby award you a home here in Warfang, consider it a gift of thanks for all you have done." James came forward, the box under his arm.
"Ignitus, you have stayed by my daughter's side ever since the assassin attack so long ago. Before we departed for the Southlands, Thera made it clear to me that she intended to ask you to be her mate and that she would accept no other. Therefore, I set to work on what I can easily say is the most beautiful device I've ever worked on." He opened the box, revealing a shield-like device made of platinum. The sides were edged in gold and in the center was a gold Syllian cross and the arms and crest of Launces ingraved on the blue painted field. A gold chain enabled the device to be worn as an emblem around the neck. James noticed everyone's eyes go wide at the device, he smiled.
"When you and Thera spoke to each other at the Launces Dracocorps field, she confided in me that she had, in a manner, tied you to an old tradition in Syllia that, to be quite honest, is no longer practiced. Well, in keeping with Thera's idea, I dug another old tradition out of the history books and olden times. During the days when Syllia was actually a series of city states, whenever the ruler of one city had a child who loved the child of another city ruler, the father of the bride would have a device such as this made, accepting the groom into the family as a son. It was actually through such unions as these that eventually William the First became the first King of Syllia. This emblem is a physical representation that just as Thera is now Spyro and Cynder's daughter, you are my son. We are family and thus, we will never forsake each other. You and Thera will always have a home in Launces should you wish to stay for a time, as will Spyro and Cynder." James turned to his daughter.
"Thera...I truly am glad that you have found someone with which to spend your life with. For you, I have a gift. These belonged to your great-great-grandmother, I think it is only fitting that you should have them." James produced a small crest that hung on a chain of pearls that he fastened around Thera's neck. He then turned back to Ignitus.
"Take good care of her for me, eh?" Ignitus smiled and nodded and looked back at Thera happily. James meanwhile walked toward Eddy.
"Eddy, I have a favor to ask of you." Eddy looked at him curiously, but nodded.
"Of course cousin. What do you need?" James took a deep breath.
"This war has shown me that there are things in life that my duty as a soldier has made me miss. Now that there is a child on the way, I think it is time. As of now, I would like to formally request your leave to retire from the military and become a civilian mechanist. I will take it upon myself to train promising young student on how to become mechanists and shall also make the blueprints in the Auralis and the Crimsonas public knowledge. I am tired of making weapons. I think I would now like to devote my time to doing what I originally became a mechanist to do: To improve the lives of the people and their descendants. Will you accept my resignation and retirement, Your Majesty?" Eddy stood for a moment without so much as moving a muscle, but finally, he smiled and nodded.
"It will take some time to finalize everything and I know I can never replace you as a weapons manufacturerer, but, I'd say that you have more than earned your rest. Go then, cousin, with my blessing and the thanks of a grateful nation." Lysa overheard this and put James into a bear, er, dragon strength hug.
"I was wondering if you ever were going to retire. Now then, what do we do first?" James gasped.
"W-Well love, h-how about l-letting me breathe?" Lysa blushed brightly and let go, leaving James a moment to reinflate his lungs. Once he'd recovered, he turned to Lysa.
"First thing is the child. It's never too early to decide on a name. What would you think?"
Lysa pondered for a moment. Then snapped her fingers.
"How about Anna for a girl and Thomas for a boy?" James thought for a moment but then looked at her.
"Actually, I was thinking about another name for a boy...how about...Bertram?"
_*_**_**_**_*_8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8_*_*_*_*_**_*_88-8-8-8_*_*_*_*_*_*-8-8-8-8-8_*_*_**
Gerald had left the proceedings without anyone noticing. He was gazing at the night sky when he felt someone behind him. He turned and saw Pyre and Shimmer standing there. Shimmer eyed him curiously.
"You're not returning to Syllia?" Gerald shook his head.
"I want to...but I've been piecing together some things. Remember what Walpose said when he arrived? The entire nation thought I was dead. Even though James pardoned me, if I return, I'll be branded a traitor and there will be no end of trouble. With James and Lysa adding to their family and with Ignitus and Thera being married, I can't give them problems now. I've decided to remain here in the Southlands. Terrador asked me to train a few groups of soldiers in modern human tactics so that they can better defend themselves." Pyre cocked his head to one side, his way of physically expressing curiousity.
"But...aren't the human nations all friends now? I mean, this may sound foolish of me considering, but Syllia, Schildhaven, Praetoria, Anozira, Espan, and Tellanos are all allied now aren't they?" Gerald nodded but kept his scowl.
"A temporary truce is one thing, still, even though these nations were here, there were several that were not. For instance, the Rotiart Principality, the Damoneni Confederacy, the Tullinar Union, and Callinar Islands Nation were not present. None of them, mind you have friendly relations to Syllia with the exception of the Tullinar Union, but it is too isolated to send aid should it be needed. They have to watch their own borders and coasts with Damoneni and Callinar all but surrounding them. Alliances change, dimplomacy fails, and people will often decide to wage war for no other reason other than they are bored. The Southlands are technically in Syllian territorial waters yet they are an independant nation. It will fall to Syllia to protect the islands until they can stand on their own against a modern threat. The King has given me permission to remain here with a battalion of Dragoons and Marines and a small scale fleet to protect them. I'm needed here, as are you Pyre...or should I address you as Guardian, now?" Pyre laughed.
"To me old friend, just Pyre will do. It's great to have you back partner."
_*_**_***_**_*_**-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-88**-8-8-8-8-*_*_*_8-8-8_*_*_*-8-8-8-*_*_*-88-8-8
Spyro and Cynder had left the group as they presented Ignitus and Thera with various presents and various congradulations. As the sun sunk in the west, Spyro wrapped his tail around Cynder's and smiled.
"I can sense the world is back in balance now. All is as it should." Cynder craned her neck and rubbed under his.
"Indeed my love, I can feel it as well. It is the start of a new day and age for all of us. I can hardly wait to see where our paths take us next." Spyro chuckled.
"No matter what path we travel down, we will travel down it together as we always have."
Spyro spread a wing over Cynder and held her close as up in the sky, quick darts of light began flashing by. Spyro watched the sight in awe and thought there could be no better end to a day such as this. And indeed, he knew, that the peace would surely last."
_*_*_*_**_-8-8-8-8-8_*_*_*_**_*-8-8-8*_*-8-8-8-88_*_*-8-8-8-8-88_*_*_*-8-8-8-
Wow...I...I can't believe it...Metal Storm is finished...it's finally done... The fanfic I started so long ago has finally been completed. All that's left for me is to post the teaser to the sequal I mentioned earlier.
Once again, I would like to thank all of you who have read this fanfic, even if you didn't comment. To those of you who did leave comments be they good or bad, or helpful, I thank you all for your words, encouragement and critisism. It will be a while before I post the first chapters of the next installment. In the meantime, please feel free to look over and comment on my other stories I have.
I will be posting a poll on my profile about which to focus on next, but if you like I would enjoy seeing you guys commenting on my other stories as well if you wish. Here are the others currently in the works and one that I am planning on posting the prologue for soon.
Suikoden: Eclipse (2 chapters complete/poll story)
Fire Emblem: Knights of the Star (4 chapters complete/poll story)
The Elder Scrolls: The Hammerfell Campaign (In Progress)
Legend of Spyro: Galactic Fall (In Progress)
Fallout: Louisiana (Prologue complete, not posted yet/poll story)
Again, as always, please rate, review and comment if you like! As always Launces Mechanist here saying that ya'll be blessed, and take care!