The dragons could not have chosen a better time to arrive. Three of them had circled the red dragon, casting a spell upon him that prevented him from breathing fire... What's more was that the binding spell also served as a leash of sorts ; so try as he could, he was unable to fly away from the others. He spat curses at the Elder Dragons, and curses at Elora, and the little sorcerer. But Elora paid no heed.

She looked down at the little sorcerer in her arms, silent and unmoving... She could not see his breath in the cold night air.

"Ripto?" She tried calling out to him, softly, gently shaking him in her arms in the hopes of seeing some response... Again she called to him, her voice growing more urgent... It was then that she was approached by one of the Dragon Elders, this one with purple scales, and crystalline wings. "H-he's not breathing...!"

It was all she could say. And she couldn't mask the distress in her voice... The dragon regarded the little sorcerer, and held out his hand. And without question, she handed the little sorcerer over, carefully situating him in the dragon's hand. He was so small in the dragon's palm...

The Dragon Elder was gentle, looking the little sorcerer over. Carefully, he ran a clawed finger over the sorcerer's cheek, and Elora watched as he glowed with a soft, warm light... And just like that, the dragon had given him back. Elora reached out, taking the sorcerer into her arms. Small little clouds puffed from the sorcerer's nostrils, and he stirred in her arms. Shivering. His eyes cracked open, and he looked up at the faun, before curling up.

"S-so cold..."

"Shh, shh... It's okay." She held the little sorcerer close to her. Turning, she was just about to make her way back up to the castle, but paused. She looked back over at the blue dragon, and nodded her head to him.

"Thank you... Thank you so much."

"... You're so stupid... Stupid AND stubborn."

She sat beside the little sorcerer, rubbing his cheek just as she had back at the Autumn Plains... Crush and Gulp both sat outside the room, their heads poking in through the door, keeping a watchful eye over the little sorcerer. Elora regretted not being able to bring the two beasts inside.

"Ripto... Why did you insist on fighting him alone? Why wouldn't you have taken Crush and Gulp with you. With the power crystal, the three of you could have beaten him easily... You could have died... You ALMOST died."

The faun sighed... Seeing the red dragon dropping him from the sky like that... Holding him in her arms, seemingly lifeless... The memories filled her with a certain pain in hear heart... She gently stroked one of his brows with her thumb. Watching as his face twitched slightly at her touch... With a soft breath, he opened his eyes, looking up at the faun.

"... I'm sorry."

She quietly shook her head... Leaning forward, she pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead.

"... The good news is that Red is defeated... The Elder Dragons came at just the right time, and managed to subdue him... Thanks to you... Your plan worked... I just... I wish you hadn't gone in alone."

After a moment, the faun laid herself down beside the sorcerer, shutting her eyes.

'You seem to have grown fond of him...' And she had. She wasn't even ashamed to admit it... Avalar had been saved. But the biggest relief to her was that Ripto was still alive.

"... Elora?" "Hm?" The faun opened her eyes, looking to the little sorcerer.

"... Why did you kiss me?" asked the sorcerer. "I've heard of the tales... Where the hero goes off to face the villain. Is given a kiss before the fateful fight... But why me? I'm no hero."

"... You saved Avalar."

"Maybe so, but... Calling me a hero? It seems to be a bit of a stretch..." "... Remember what I told you back at Autumn Plains?" the faun started. "You're different from when we first met... There's more to you than what you're letting on... I believe you DO have a good heart. It's just that you're hurting. And you've closed yourself off because of that... I don't believe I have the ability to heal you of your hurts. But I can help ease the pain of them at least... As long as you trust me."

There was a sigh... The little sorcerer reached for her hand, holding it in a tight yet careful grip... He remembered being caught in the dragon's grip, held several stories above a pit of lava, choked until he had fallen unconscious... Then the next thing he knew, he woke up in her arms... He wasn't sure how she'd done it, but she had saved him... She cared enough to save him.

"... I trust you... And... Next time, I'll be sure to keep Crush and Gulp with me."

"Thank you again for your help," said the faun to the large purple dragon with the crystalline wings. "I'd... Also like to apologize for running off on you before."

"Young faun, you had a friend in need," said the dragon with a nod of his head. "Your reasons were justifiable. You needn't ask for forgiveness... The fairy, Zoe, has filled us in on the goings-on in Avalar. Of Red's arrival, and your goal of stopping him... I do believe it was by accident that he came here - an accident of your own doing?"

"Y-yes," the faun started. "It all began last week... We were working on a new Super Portal, and..."

"... And that's when I came in."

The little faun flinched slightly at the sound of Ripto's voice... She turned to the sorcerer, with Crush and Gulp at his side once more, and a large fur cape draped over his shoulders - far too big for his tiny body, but more than enough to keep him warm in the Winter Tundra.

Her ears dropped slightly as the little sorcerer strode forward, keeping a tight hold on his cape to keep it from falling off. Crush and Gulp accompanied him. He came to a stop before the purple dragon, his eyes narrowed and brows furrowed, glaring daggers.

"I'm assuming that the fairy filled you in on the full story?"

"Bits and pieces," said the old dragon. "But not the entire story."

There was a pause... Ripto turned to look at the faun. She regarded the little sorcerer for a moment, then sighed.

"First off... We had brought Ripto to Avalar by accident... When he realized that Avalar was free of dragons, he proclaimed himself as king... So we wanted to bring a Dragon to Avalar to help us, and... We got Red instead."

"... And then Red went about corrupting the realm with his Dark Gems," the old dragon finished. "So you chose to join forces with Ripto..."

The faun nodded her head. "As rowdy and unruly as he was when he first came, he wasn't polluting the realm with dark magic... We came to an agreement. Once Red was dealt with, he could be king... And I would serve as his advisor. It's thanks to him that Avalar is safe again. So for that, I'm in his debt."

"And if I may, it would seem that he, too, owes you a dept of gratitude," said the dragon. "If not for you, he might not have survived."

"Rest assured, I intend to repay the faun," said the sorcerer.

The dragon looked back down to the faun.

"... Stubborn as he is, I feel he's mellowed out some since we first met..." "... You believe he will make a good king?"

"With the right hand to guide him... I believe in him."

"... So be it."

With a wave of his hand, the dragon conjured a small mirror with a leafy base, and held it to the faun. With a twitch of her ears, she picked up the mirror, holding it in her hand.

"Take this mirror, as a sign of friendship between the Dragon Realms and Avalar," said the dragon... And turning to the little sorcerer, he approached. "Little lord-" "Don't call me little..." "My apologies, my lord... Should the realm of Avalar need our aid, you need only call-" "Yeah, sure, whatever, thanks for the help, now go away." With another scrunch of his nose, the little sorcerer waved his hand dismissively at the dragon, and turned to walk away... Elora was offering an apologetic smile at the dragon, but he didn't seem at all bothered.

"As you will," said the dragon. "I cannot bring back to you the wings you've lost all those years ago... But should you find yourself wanting, you need only seek out Zander of the Magic Crafters world."

The sorcerer froze in his tracks. He spun around to face the dragon, but did not have that chance to speak in response, as the dragon Zander had already taken flight, with his wings of crystal.