Welcome back to another chapter of Love of My Life! It certainly has been a while, hasn't it? I must apologize for the slight delay, procrastination has been an utter pain in the ass lately.
Anyway last time, Spyro and Cynder had the whole day to themselves after Spyro's little 'moment' during the Autumn Fair. The two went flying and stopped by the marketplace to buy some food for their picnic. Once when they get quiet time for themselves, they are interrupted by the Skylanders, Eruptor annoying Spyro to the point where he channels his dark power and ultimately collapses.
Interested to see what happens next? Let's find out… enjoy!
(Chapter 4: A Winter's Tale)
A hero falls…
(CYNDER's POV)
"Spyro!?" I exclaimed as Spyro collapsed in front of me.
My eyes widened at the sight of him, my heart beating like crazy as he shook and thrashed violently on the ground. His limbs were stiff, besides from his tail, which was lashing about like a loose garden hose. I had never seen anything like it; it was like he was possessed by something. It was such a horrific sight to see… more than that, I was terrified.
"SPYRO!?" I cried out, immediately rushing to Spyro's side.
As tears of fear and confusion streamed down my face, I sat closer to Spyro and held his head in my paws so it wasn't convulsing about on the grass. "S-Spyro, can you hear me!?" I queried, panic in my voice.
Spyro's only response was a painful groan. He did, however, make eye contact with me, so he knew that I was there, and I knew that he was listening. But then he snapped his eyes shut as his body started to spasm again.
I sat there speechless. I had no idea what was happening to him, or even why this was happening to him. I had known Spyro for a very long time and he wasn't prone to these… whatever this was. Was he sick? I wasn't sure; the worst he'd ever gotten was vomiting after eating a funny-tasting quiche.
"H-Hey, hey, e-everything's going to be alright… I'm here, I'm h-here," I assured him, unsure of what to do next.
I quickly glanced up towards the Skylanders, who stood there and stared at Spyro with their eyes widened. Even Eruptor looked horrified, despite him unintentionally causing it in the first place.
Why were they just standing there!? Why weren't they doing anything?! They weren't going to leave Spyro to die, will they?
"H-Help me!" I pleaded. "Please…"
Stealth Elf, snapping out of her shocked, rigid state, soon nodded her head shakily and turned to the other Skylanders.
"Right, right... Pop, Jet, you go and find the Guardians and notify them what's happening," Stealth Elf ordered. "I'll stay here with Cynder and help her get Spyro to the infirmary…"
"But…" Jet-Vac was about to protest until Stealth Elf glared at him.
"Would you rather stay here then?!" Stealth Elf barked. "Need I remind you what happens when you get stressed?"
Jet-Vac was about to say something but eventually decided to keep his mouth shut, a look of embarrassment on his face. "Good point…" he muttered. "Come on, Pop!"
With Pop Fizz following behind, he and Jet-Vac sprinted away in the direction that Spyro and I took when we arrived. Spyro, meanwhile, was engulfed by another violent spasm that caused me to hug him tighter. Come on, Stealth… hurry up with your planning!
"And Eruptor…" Stealth Elf said, turning around and stopping in her tracks since nobody was around.
Stealth Elf's eyes widened with utter confusion. "Eruptor?" she wondered, looking around for any signs of Eruptor.
Eventually, Stealth Elf caught sight of Eruptor making a run for it in the opposite direction that Jet-Vac and Pop Fizz left in. Due to his size and stature, he had only made it a short distance from Stealth Elf and myself. But there was no clear indication that he was going to turn back.
When I saw him running away, all my feelings of panic and sadness vanished and were replaced with pure rage. What an asshole! He caused Spyro to be in the condition that he is now and he thinks he can just leave!? Many words came to mind, words that Spyro doesn't like me using.
"HEY! COME BACK HERE, YOU PUS-" I screamed, forgetting that there were potentially kids and families nearby.
"Cynder, forget about him!" Stealth Elf spoke up before I could finish my sentence. "What matters now is getting Spyro to the infirmary, okay?"
I frowned at the cowardly Eruptor before taking a deep breath. Stealth Elf was right; Spyro was more important right now. He needed medical care… and quick!
"Okay…" I nodded. "Help me get him on my back."
After carefully putting Spyro's head back on the ground, Stealth Elf slowly lifted him onto her back before gently moving him onto mine. I was slightly strained by the sudden intake of having Spyro's full weight on top of me since he was heavier than me, but I could manage until we got to the infirmary. It didn't help that Spyro would have sudden fits every few minutes.
What was happening to him? Was this something that usually happened to him and I didn't know about it? If so, why didn't he tell me about it? This is something you don't keep hidden from your girlfriend!
"Come on, we haven't got time to lose!" Stealth Elf said as she and I quickly dashed out of the park and towards the infirmary. Many passersby looked shocked to see the heroic purple dragon currently passed out, foaming at the mouth and shaking like he was blasted by a couple of electric dragons.
"Hold on Spyro… just stay with me, okay?" I muttered. "Keep fighting, everything's going to be alright…"
(-)
Within minutes of zooming through the streets of the Valley, Stealth Elf and I finally reached the infirmary. It was a considerable distance from the park, but I remembered where to go since Spyro and I had both been to the infirmary many times, specifically when I was comatose for two weeks and Spyro came to visit every day.
When we entered through the double sliding doors, we were met with a bright whiteness. The waiting area was a large space, but it wasn't utilized properly. The reception desk took up much of the space, with four moles a couple of metres from each other behind the desk. Chairs were placed on each side of the room, a mix of dragons, cheetahs, and moles waiting patiently for their appointment to start.
The calm atmosphere quickly dissipated when everyone saw Spyro in his condition. There were a few gasps, a couple of quiet mutters asking what happened to him, and kids having no clue what was going on and curiously tapping their parents' shoulders to wonder why the purple dragon was shaking and foaming at the mouth.
Everyone was going to want answers… This was going spread across the Valley; how can't it? Something was happening to Spyro and no one knew why!
If he…
I immediately shook that thought from my head. No, there's no way Spyro's going to die… I told myself. He's stronger than that…
I almost crashed into the reception desk, thankfully skidding to a sudden stop just before any part of my body could touch it.
"We need to see the nurse!" I barked at the receptionist that was in front of me, out of breath and sounding scared. "NOW!"
The receptionist nodded frantically, understanding my sense of urgency, and quickly scuttled off to find a nurse. After a minute, the receptionist came back with a team of nurses who were holding onto a yellow gurney. One particular nurse that I instantly recognised was Nurse Braya, the nurse who looked after me when I was comatose, so I knew that Spyro was in good hands here.
Nurse Braya took only one good look at Spyro before turning to one of the other nurses. "We need to get him to theatre, stat!" she exclaimed
The nurses lowered the gurney down to around my height, which allowed me to slowly place Spyro on the mattress. As much I would've wanted to insist that I take him down to the operating theatre myself, I had to hand him off to the professionals… no matter how much I hated leaving him.
Nurse Braya then darted around to another nurse on the other side of her. "Send for Levina at once; we need her for an electric discharge in the vagus nerve!"
As the other nurse bolted off to find someone named Levina, Nurse Braya gestured to the remaining nurses to take Spyro away. But before she went to join them, she briefly turned her head to see that I was standing firmly still and nearly on the brink of tears.
"Ms Cynder, everything's going to be okay…" Nurse Braya assured as she made her way towards me.
"W-what's happening to him!?" I demanded frantically. I was in complete panic mode at this point, my paws refusing to stop fidgeting in one place. My head was twitching between looking at Nurse Braya, then to Spyro on the gurney, and back again.
"It seems that he's having a seizure, a very bad one," Nurse Braya explained calmly. "We need to get him stabilised before it gets worse…"
A seizure? That didn't sound good. I'd read about them during my tutoring sessions after I awoke from my coma; they are no laughing matter. But I didn't expect Spyro to be prone to seizures; I didn't even think he had the disorder that caused them.
Unless… maybe it was something else entirely. Something… spiritual.
I shuddered at the mere thought of that.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" I offered. There was no way I was going to leave my boyfriend… especially under these circumstances.
"No, Cynder… all I need you to do is wait and let us look at Spyro," Nurse Braya muttered, shaking her head. "He'll be in safe hands, I promise you."
"But-"
Nurse Braya gave me a reassuring look. "Cynder… he'll be okay," she murmured.
I didn't answer back; I couldn't even move. As long as I had been with Spyro, we always had each other's back. We would help each other; if one of us fell then there was always someone to get them back up again. One could even say we were dependable on one another. That's just how our relationship worked; we were a team… a real dynamic duo. Kind of like that hero that dressed up as a bat and his young sidekick… except Spyro and I were both like that masked hero.
But now? I felt useless. I couldn't help him, nor could I be by his side. He was probably scared, unsure of what's happening to him. He needed me… and I needed him.
As Nurse Braya and her team of nurses began to take Spyro down to the operating theatre, Stealth Elf cautiously put her hand on my shoulder. Feeling her touch, I darted around and glared at her. I know I shouldn't be mad at her considering that she helped me get Spyro here, but I couldn't help it; she didn't exactly stop Eruptor either.
Seeing my reaction to her comforting gesture, Stealth Elf slowly backed off. "We should go with them; there's another waiting room by the theatre.
I raised my eyebrow. "We?" I queried. Since when did Stealth Elf and Spyro become such good friends?
Stealth Elf frowned. "Yes, we," she replied. "There's no way I'm leaving you alone…"
Unsure on what to say, I stayed silent. Stealth Elf then sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Look… I know that we aren't the best of friends and I'm not sure what Spyro has told you about the Skylanders, but you can't stay here on your own…" she expressed in an almost fed-up tone. "At least, let me stay until the Guardians show up… It's the least I can do."
Oh man, why did everything have to be so difficult? On one hand, it would be good to have some company… maybe I could find out why Spyro and the Skylanders never got along while I waited for Spyro's operation to finish. However, this whole 'being friendly' thing that Stealth Elf was doing could be another cheap way to get Spyro to like them. They tried it when they were thirteen; who's to stop them from trying again?
I thought about it for a moment until I made my decision. "Fine…" I mumbled.
So Stealth Elf and I hurried off in pursuit of Nurse Braya and her team, who were halfway down the hallway by the time we caught up with them. Spyro's shaking seemed to have calmed down slightly but he was still badly in pain, eyes shut tight as he slowly curled into a ball. I walked closely next to the gurney that he was laying on, being the only company I could give him before he entered the theatre.
Two wide open doors were placed just in front of us, briefly showing a large room full of monitors and other technology that I couldn't identify, as well as an average-sized table in the centre of the room. Another mole, the same one that left to find the dragon named Levina, was holding the door on the left, while an electric dragoness, who wore a white coat and had small glasses on her snout, held the door on the right. I guessed that was Levina; hopefully she could stop whatever is happening to Spyro…
Stealth Elf and I stopped just as Nurse Braya and her team pushed Spyro into the theatre. I really wanted to be in there with him, holding his paw and telling him that everything was going to be fine as the nurses did their job. But I couldn't… I had to let the nurses fix him without having to deal with me being all panicky and fearing for Spyro's life.
As Stealth Elf and I sat on a row of metal seats nearby, I couldn't help but stare plainly at the closed door that Spyro just went through. I could feel my heart rapidly thumping against my chest, my paws feeling moist against the steel surface of the chair as my body slowly trembled anxiously.
I was nervous… I was worried... I was terrified. Two minutes hadn't even passed yet and all this waiting was killing me inside. I couldn't help but feel partly responsible for everything that has happened. Of course, I had to take a day off work, and then everything went to shit. If I was still at work then Spyro would be okay and safe at home.
But… I couldn't just leave him at home, could I? Not after he disappeared at the Autumn Fair… Not after he talked about missing his biological family. If Spyro were around, he'd probably say that none of this was my fault. But why did I feel like it was?
"Hey… Spyro will be fine," Stealth Elf whispered gently, seeing that I was on the brink of an emotional breakdown. "He's strong; he'll pull through."
"I know… but what if he doesn't? What if it gets worse?" I whimpered, burying my head in my paws. "If I only I just went to work instead of taking a fricking day off then this wouldn't have happened!"
"Cynder, this wasn't your fault. You couldn't have known what would happen…" Stealth Elf muttered. "This was all Eruptor's doing…"
My blood instantly boiled at the mere thought of that volcanic son of a bitch. But this was no time to think about that guy; Spyro was the priority right now. But that did beg the question…
"Why was Eruptor with you guys anyway?" I questioned. "Last time I heard, he was kicked out for continuously tormenting Spyro…"
"Well, as we said before, we were doing our last patrols before we graduate," Stealth Elf started to explain. "Eruptor wasn't meant to come with us, but Master Eon was convinced that he should be given a final chance. If he had behaved himself then he would've graduated with the rest of us… but now? I think Eon's patience has worn thin with him…"
"He just couldn't resist, could he?" I snarled. "As if Spyro isn't going through enough already…"
Stealth Elf looked at me shamefully. "We tried to stop him, I swear…" she said. "But once Eruptor does something, he doesn't stop. Much like a volcano, really."
"You didn't try enough…" I mumbled. "Now because of what he did, Spyro is now shaking like crazy for who knows why, and I'm not even sure if he'll make it!"
"I know, and I'm sorry…"
"Mark my words…" I then snapped. "If I ever see that bastard anywhere near Spyro, I will make him pay for all the times he has bullied him. Spyro will never be ridiculed again… and that's a promise!"
Stealth Elf's eyes widened at my outburst, but she didn't say anything and simply looked towards the wall, not attempting to argue back. Okay, I may have gone a tad bit overboard… but I was pissed off; I had to vent it out somehow. It's not like I was actually going to kill Eruptor, Spyro would probably stop me before I could react.
There was a brief moment of silence between the two of us, before Stealth Elf turned to me and spoke up again. "Did Spyro ever tell you why we haven't gotten along with each other?"
"Yes," I murmured. "He told me that you refused to be his friend because he was the purple dragon…"
Stealth Elf looked down at the ground sadly. "Oh…"
My brow raised as I saw Stealth Elf's mood change. "Oh? Did something else happen?"
"No, no…" Stealth Elf shook her head. "That's pretty much accurate…"
"Why?" I pondered. "Why were you so mean to him for such a long time?"
"It was back when we were kids, around seven or eight years old. Master Eon held a special course for junior cadets younger than the usual age the Association enrolls. It was meant as a kind of audition to who gets into the Association or not. Eon had invited Ignitus, who brought Spyro along…" Stealth Elf recalled, leaning forward on her chair. "And, I don't know, we all just felt jealous of him. He was the purple dragon; to us, he had it all…"
My eyes narrowed. I can't believe I was hearing this. "You were jealous of him so you made his life a living hell?"
"We were kids back then, Cynder. When we got older, that jealousy went away and many times we thought to talk and hang out with him just once… But Eruptor had a bigger grudge than the rest of us; he always drove those thoughts out of our heads," Stealth Elf justified. "I never meant to hurt Spyro in the way we did. If I could take those moments back, then I would."
I turned away from Stealth Elf and looked firmly at the ground as all this new information sunk in. All this time… they just wanted to stop? Then why didn't they? Surely Eruptor wasn't the smartest out of them all, at least… smart enough to influence the rest of the Skylanders. Much of this didn't make sense to me and I seriously doubted that this would make sense to Spyro either.
"I'm sorry Stealth Elf… but that's not good enough," I muttered, shaking my head slowly.
Before Stealth Elf could respond, I immediately added, "You say that you want to take those moments back… but if you wanted to stop, then why didn't you? You let Eruptor manipulate the way you think of Spyro for so long that you've just accepted it as a normal part of your day."
"That's not true…" That was all Stealth Elf could say before I interjected once again.
"Because you didn't stop, Spyro had no friends his age and lived his life as a social outcast. I was the first dragon outside of the Guardians, Dragon Elders or Sparx that he could properly trust," I continued. "Do you know why he's been alone? Because he gave up on finding someone since all he'd ever known was just plain rejection!"
Sadness filled Stealth Elf's eyes, but I wasn't sure whether it was fake or genuine. "I had no idea…"
"Oh, you did," I retorted. "You just never cared for him enough to try…"
Stealth Elf opened her mouth to answer but nothing came out. There was nothing she could say to make this any better; all she could do was bury herself deeper in the hole that she was currently digging. Her 'friend' had caused Spyro to have a seizure, and she didn't do jackshit to stop it.
Suddenly a large thundering sound started to erupt from down the corridor, becoming louder every second. Since I was sitting near the corner of the wall, I slowly peered around to see four large dragons bounding towards the operating theatre.
As soon as I saw the familiar colours of red, yellow, blue and green, I couldn't help but sigh with relief. Thank the ancestors… the Guardians had finally arrived.
Instantly I jumped from my seat and stood in between the doors and the running Guardians. All of the Guardians had a mixed look of fatigue and worry on their faces, Ignitus looking the most worried out of the lot of them.
"Ignitus, ancestors am I glad to see you…" I muttered in relief.
"Cynder, what happened?!" Ignitus quickly questioned, sounding like a scared parent. "Where's Spyro?!"
"He's in theatre at the moment…" I replied. "I don't know what happened... He just… he… I..."
Emotions started to emerge once again; I couldn't speak all of a sudden as everything I felt back in the park came flowing back. No matter how I tried, all that came out was confused stuttering. After a few seconds of trying to talk, I sat on my haunches in defeat as tears formed in the corner of my eyes.
"Breathe, young dragoness," Terrador calmly murmured. "Take a second to collect yourself then tell us what happened."
I nodded and took a deep breath, taking a second to sniffle before I tried again. "Spyro and I were having a picnic in the park when the Skylanders came around; we tried to leave but Eruptor insulted me which made Spyro angry enough for him to use his Aether element," I recounted, voice croaky from how upset I was getting. "Then… he just collapsed and started shaking!"
"He used his Aether element?" Volteer queried, stroking his chin and staring at the ceiling. "How curious, odd, pelicular…"
I simply stared at him, giving Volteer a confused look. "What do you mean? How's that curious?"
"I agree with Cynder here," Cyril chimed in. "What are you talking about, Volteer?"
Volteer's eyes widened as he took his eyes away from the ceiling and towards me. "Cynder, when was the last time Spyro used his Aether element?"
"Five years ago; I had just gotten out of the infirmary and Spyro was showing me around," I answered instantly. It was the day that Spyro asked me out; how could I not forget that day? "Why?"
Volteer went back to stroking the frills on his chin as he contemplated my answer. "Interesting, fascinating, riveting…" he muttered.
Cyril let out an annoyed snort. "Volteer, we don't have time for your dramatic soap opera pauses!" he exclaimed. "Out with it!"
Volteer gave Cyril a frustrated glare before speaking out. "After Spyro had the incident with the Skylanders back when he was thirteen, I read about the Aether element to try and figure out why our young dragon's scales turned dark when his emotions got out of control…" he began to explain.
"I remember that; we told Spyro never to use the Aether element until he was ready to control it…" Ignitus said.
"Exactly!" Volteer shouted out, snapping his claws. "Since Aether is difficult to master between light and dark, it would be easier for Spyro to be tempted into using Dark Aether rather than Light Aether…"
"Meaning?" Terrador spoke up.
"We've kept Spyro away from this power for so long, it's built up inside him. Now if he could control it then it would be alright, but since Spyro hasn't used the element in five years and we've yet to teach him to control it…" Volteer continued to ramble.
"Are you saying the Aether element caused him to overload his brain?" Ignitus questioned.
Volteer nodded frantically. "Precisely! The seizures he's experiencing is a mere side effect of keeping that raw energy contained for so long…"
"It's not… permanent, is it?" I wondered.
Volteer's expression quickly fell. "Hopefully not, but I can't say for certain…"
Well, that's reassuring.
Ignitus groaned in frustration and rubbed his eyes intensely. "I just want to know why Eruptor was there in the first place… Eon specifically told me that he was kicked out!"
Having been quiet for the time that the Guardians and I had been talking, Stealth Elf suddenly emerged from her seat and slowly approached us, standing next to me in an awkward kind-of fashion.
"Um… Guardian Ignitus?" she mumbled. "If I could say something…"
Ignitus looked down at Stealth Elf, his frustration fading away at the sight of how nervous Stealth Elf was. I wondered what made her nervous all of a sudden… was it because of the Guardians? Or was she still shaking from me being brutally honest? Who knows…?
"Yes, young Skylander?" Ignitus muttered.
"It's just that… Master Eon gave Eruptor a final chance since graduation was only a few days away. We thought you might've known that already…" Stealth Elf said, folding her arms.
All of the Guardians exchanged confused and annoyed looks amongst each other, Ignitus' emotions, however, were more pissed off as he frowned and shook his head slowly.
"Odd…" Cyril was the first to speak. "We were not made aware of this…"
I blinked, utter bewilderment on my face. "Wait… you guys weren't told?"
Volteer shrugged. "As far as we know… no."
"It is most unusual for Eon to keep something from us, especially if it concerns Spyro," Terrador pondered.
"But you guys aren't in charge of the Skylanders, why does Eon need your permission?" I then pointed out.
"He doesn't," Cyril clarified. "We merely consulted him about Spyro and Eruptor's ongoing rivalry but we have no final say on what Master Eon does to his students…"
Ignitus nodded in agreement. "Quite right…" he said. "It doesn't make sense for Eon to do that if he wanted Spyro to attend the Skylanders' graduation ceremony."
My eyes widened. Wait… what?!
"Hold on, hold on! Eon wanted Spyro to go to the Skylanders' graduation?!" I exclaimed. "That's just ridiculous, does he not know of his history with them?!"
"I thought that as well, young dragoness…" Ignitus said calmly. "Which makes this situation even more strange."
"And you were planning on telling us this, when?" I frowned. "What else have you been hiding from him?"
Ignitus, at first, seemed stunned by my second question but he quickly changed it to a confused look, raising an eyebrow to hide his true emotions.
"I assure you, young dragoness, we're not hiding anything from Spyro that he isn't aware of already…" Ignitus responded.
I scoffed, not believing a single word that Ignitus was saying. "Oh yeah? How come he doesn't know who his parents are then?"
Everyone went silent again, staring surprisingly at how I was behaving. The only time I ever spoke to them like that was when I asked the Guardians if Spyro and I could have some time off for our anniversary. Back then, I was frustrated that Spyro was being used as the Guardians' glorified errand boy and suggested they cut him some slack every now and then. But now? They were hiding something from him, I don't know what it was but it was something big… like it could change someone's life kind of big. If only I could figure out what they were hiding…
"I don't understand…" Ignitus murmured, trying not to antagonise me further.
"You guys are the Guardians, right? You're supposed to be in charge of watching the eggs of future dragons… Surely someone would've seen Spyro's parents," I deduced. "I mean, he is the purple dragon; knowing who birthed him would've been quite important to know about…"
Ignitus frowned at my suspicions but managed to keep his cool. "We don't always see who the parents are; sometimes the egg just arrives from out of nowhere," he clarified. "Like your egg, for instance…"
A small smirk emerged from my corner of my mouth. I'd got him now. "But black dragons aren't born every ten generations, are they?" I pointed out.
By the time my point was made, Ignitus was completely speechless. For once, the wise Guardian had nothing to share; no wisdom could get him out of this situation. The rest of the Guardians were completely shocked as well, exchanging surprised looks with each other. Stealth Elf, meanwhile, stood in silence, having already received the side of me that Ignitus was facing at the moment.
"I need to see how Spyro is doing…" Ignitus then said, turning to head towards the door.
Before Ignitus could reach the door, I immediately dashed past him and put myself between him and the door. My wings were spread in a defensive position while I spread my legs out, ready to fight or dodge.
"NO!" I barked. "Not until I get a proper answer!"
Ignitus's calm demeanour instantly changed to an angry one. "Young dragoness, this is unacceptable behaviour!" he roared, his teeth bared.
"So is hiding things from someone that looks up to you as a father figure!" I snapped back.
Suddenly, before either of us could retaliate, the doors leading into the operating theatre swung open, causing me and Ignitus to quickly dart our heads to the source of the noise. Nurse Braya calmly walked out into the waiting area, a neutral expression on her face. I wasn't sure if her neutral look was a good thing or a bad thing. Oh please, don't let it be a bad thing…
All my anger and frustration towards Ignitus quickly dissipated as I approached Nurse Braya. "How is he?" I asked, dreading the nurse's response.
"He's stable…" Nurse Braya replied. I sighed with relief; thank the ancestors. "But I would like to keep him here overnight… just in case."
"Can he have visitors?"
Nurse Braya simply smiled. "Of course, dear. He should be waking up soon anyway," she said before gazing at everyone in the room. "But best not to overwhelm him though, he's in a fragile state at the moment."
I gave a small nod before Nurse Braya retreated back into the theatre. Before I could follow, I instinctively turned and saw Stealth Elf walking off into the corridor. Even though I said some unkind things to her earlier, I felt kind of bad for her. Despite her history with Spyro, she still stopped everything to help me get him here… and I didn't even thank her. Still, how she and her friends treated Spyro was downright wrong, but she deserved some recognition for the assistance at least.
I managed to catch up with Stealth Elf before she reached halfway down the corridor. "Leaving already?" I muttered.
Stealth Elf turned around and rubbed her arm. "Um… yeah, yeah," she responded. "Besides, I don't think Spyro would want me around…"
"If you explained what happened, he might understand…" I said.
Not believing me whatsoever, Stealth Elf shook her head. "No, he won't. You should know that by now…"
There was no argument there. Stealth Elf was right; there was no way that Spyro was going to listen to what she had to say even if I had somehow convinced him that everything she was saying was true. He had been bullied by them for so long that any form of trust could never be formed. But it was worth trying… right?
"I'll see you around Cynder…" Stealth Elf murmured as she turned around to leave. "I just hope it's under better circumstances."
"Hey," I called out, causing Stealth Elf to turn to me once more. "Thank you for the assistance…"
Stealth Elf looked down at the ground for a brief moment before looking at me, a small smile creeping onto her face.
"No problem…" she then said, before disappearing in a puff of green smoke and leaving me alone in the corridor.
After Stealth Elf's departure, I turned back towards the operating theatre where Nurse Braya was still waiting by the doors. When I arrived, she started to head through the door with me closely following her from behind.
I was on my way to see Spyro… and after the recent events that transpired, I need him now more than ever.
Nurse Braya led me to the room where they put Spyro in. It looked very similar to the room that I stayed in after I awoke from my coma. The walls were an uninteresting white, and a couple of chairs were placed on the far side of the room. The bed was smaller than mine and Spyro's bed back home, obviously meant to fit only one creature instead of two. Monitors and wires surrounded the bed, a slow beeping noise echoing throughout the room which briefly drowned out the Beatles song that was playing on the radio.
As I entered the room, my eyes instantly went to Spyro. He was laying still on the bed, the only movement was his chest rising up and down. He was attached to many wires, which were probably meant to keep his fluids up since he was resting at the moment.
He stopped shaking, I thought. That's a good sign…
I approached the side of the bed that Spyro was facing and sat on my haunches, staring sadly at the state that my boyfriend was currently in.
Poor Spyro; he didn't deserve any of this. He didn't deserve to have this unbalanced power that emerges whenever he loses control of his emotions. He shouldn't have to worry about something happening to him when he gets angry or sad, even if this whole seizure thing was a one time thing or not.
Is this what I have to live with now? Will Spyro continue to have seizures if he can't control his Aether element? Why should he have to control it anyway? He wasn't able to use his ice, electricity or earth elements until he was thirteen; I know that because I was there when he first used them and nothing happened to him then!
If Volteer knew this was going to happen eventually, why didn't the Guardians train Spyro to master the Aether element? Was he too young to control it? Or were the Guardians too nervous to teach him? Spyro did use the element to destroy Malefor… perhaps the Guardians thought he was going to be demonised and try to kill everyone that he ever cared about.
As my eyes started to well up, I grabbed Spyro's paw, which was dangling on the side of the bed, and clutched it tightly with both of my front paws. His paw hung limply in my grasp as he laid there, no sign of moving.
I'm sorry, Spyro… I cried out in my head. So, so sorry…
Suddenly, out of nowhere, I felt Spyro's paw twitch slightly. I quickly glanced at my paw to see if I wasn't imagining what I just felt. That's when I saw his paw twitch again, like he was trying to flex his claws or grab onto something.
My eyes widened when I saw Spyro's paw softly clutch around mine. I gripped his paw even tighter as I looked towards his face and saw movements in his eyelids, slowly lifting themselves to reveal a pair of tired, light amethyst eyes.
I smiled warmly at my boyfriend, quickly wiping the tears away from my face. "Hey, handsome…" I murmured, happy to see that Spyro had woken up.
"Hey Cyn…" Spyro managed to whisper, smiling back at me.
"How are you feeling?" I muttered softly, leaning my head closer to his.
"Drained…" Spyro said, before his eyes then slowly scanned the room, to which he became instantly confused. "Um… where am I?" he then wondered, looking back at me.
"You're in the infirmary…" I replied.
Spyro blinked. "Why…?" he queried, looking more befuddled.
I raised an eyebrow. Did he not know what happened? He seriously didn't feel his entire body shaking?! "You mean you don't know?"
"No…" Spyro mumbled. "Should I? It's a bit of a blur really."
"What's the last thing you remember?" I asked Spyro curiously.
Spyro looked up to the ceiling as he tried to put his thoughts together before lowering back down to answer me. "We were at the park having a picnic… then the Skylanders showed up, Eruptor insulted you so I stepped in and angrily snapped at him. Then…"
He then stopped himself as he tried to remember what happened next. There was a look on his face that looked like he thought he knew what happened but he suddenly forgot about it… how strange. "I suddenly woke up here; so odd that I can't remember how I got here…"
Spyro then looked suddenly worried. "Cynder… what happened to me?"
I almost didn't say anything; I was too anxious to tell him. But Spyro had to know what was going on. So I took a deep breath and answered. "You had a seizure…" I started to explain. "Eruptor pissed you off so much that you started to go… dark. But before you could do anything, you collapsed."
Spyro raised an eyebrow. "A seizure? Are you sure?"
I nodded. "That's what Nurse Braya told me…" I muttered. "Your entire body was going out of control, it would've gotten worse if Stealth Elf and I didn't get to the infirmary in time…"
"Stealth Elf?" Spyro interjected, sounding surprised. "Why was she helping you?"
"I asked her to…" I replied. "I didn't have much of a choice in the matter…"
Spyro stayed silent and merely frowned, looking at the opposite wall. He didn't know what to say, but I knew he wasn't upset with me. To me, he looked more confused than anything… as if the idea of the Skylanders helping me or him was completely strange to him.
"And Eruptor?" Spyro eventually spoke up.
"Ran off like the little bitch he is…" I grumbled, pure venom in my words.
While Spyro did snicker at my response, his mood eventually soured again. "Typical…" he murmured, shaking his head disapprovingly.
"So did anyone explain why I was… shaky?" he then wondered.
I rubbed the back of my head. "Volteer thinks it's because you repressed the Aether element for so long, your brain couldn't cope with the sudden surge of power after five years…"
"Really?" Spyro mumbled to which I responded with a nod. "Shit…"
"Tell me about it…" I growled, trying so hard not to rant in Spyro's face. "I just wish the Guardians had told us this ages ago, then we would've been more prepared for it!"
Remembering what Nurse Braya told me about Spyro being in a fragile state, I immediately started to calm down when I saw that he was looking upset.
"Sorry… It's just been a rough afternoon…" I apologised, rubbing my exhausted eyes and burying my face in my paws.
"I must've scared you so much…" Spyro murmured sadly. "I'm sorry…"
"Honey, you don't have to apologise…" I assured Spyro, lifting my head up. "This wasn't your fault."
Spyro looked down at his blankets, guilt in his eyes. "It sure feels like my fault…"
Without saying anything, I reached out for Spyro's paw and grasped it with the lightest touch. Spyro returned the gesture. I had known Spyro for so long that I could just give him a small smile and that was all the comfort he needed.
Before we could do anything else, the door swung open cautiously. Nurse Braya had popped her head for a brief second before entering the room, clipboard in hand.
"Ah, Mr Spyro… glad to see that you're awake," Nurse Braya said as she approached Spyro's bed. "How are you feeling?"
"Um… good, I guess," Spyro replied. "Just a little tired…"
"That's good to hear, dearie," Nurse Braya muttered with a smile. "I'm sure young Cynder here has told you what has happened?"
"She has, yeah…" Spyro nodded. "Something about my Aether element…?"
Nurse Braya retreated to her clipboard, flipping back and forth between a couple of pages. "Hmm… yes, that is correct. But your vitals seem to be normal now."
Spyro's eyes lit up. "Does that mean I can go home?" He asked excitedly, like a little hatchling.
Nurse Braya chuckled at Spyro's sudden enthusiasm. "Unfortunately not, young dragon," she replied, causing Spyro to grunt annoyingly. "We're keeping you overnight to monitor you just in case you have another seizure again. You'll be able to go home tomorrow, but I recommend taking it easy for a few days…"
"Understood… thanks doc," Spyro muttered, sounding a bit disappointed. Now he knew how I felt when I was staying here. But unlike me, he got to stay overnight rather than four weeks.
Nurse Braya then turned to me. "Cynder… could I have a word with you for a second?"
"Oh… yeah, sure," I said, unsure why Braya wanted to talk to me personally.
I got up from my spot beside Spyro and followed Nurse Braya out of the room, giving Spyro a confused look on the way. I hoped everything was alright with Spyro... But why else would the nurse want to talk to me by myself? Spyro couldn't recall his seizure or his trip to the infirmary so maybe it had something to do with his memory? Oh ancestors, please don't let it be memory loss… I wasn't sure how I would cope with that!
Nurse Braya and I stopped just outside of the door to Spyro's room, facing opposite to each other. My heart started to thump harder as the silence between us became more tense.
"Is everything alright?" I wondered.
"Oh, nothing to worry about dear…" Nurse Braya assured as she handed over her clipboard and a pen to me. "I just need you to sign Spyro's discharge papers… But I do want to talk about looking after him over the next few days."
I sighed with relief. "Right, right… of course." I began to jot down our details on the piece of paper, before pausing when I realised something. "But shouldn't Ignitus or one of the Guardians be signing this? They were his caregivers after all…"
"They could…" Nurse Braya answered. "But according to my records of Spyro's last check up, he's named you his next-of-kin…"
I raised an eyebrow. "Spyro named me his next-of-kin?" I queried. "But we're not mates… well, not yet anyway."
Nurse Braya shrugged. "In other realms, it's true that spouses are first to be next-of kin," she started to clarify. "But not here. Here, anyone can be nominated for next-of-kin. So when Spyro was old enough, he chose you…"
I chuckled under my breath, flattered by Spyro's loyalty and trust towards me. But then something came to mind which made me pause again. "Wait… I don't have to pay for this, do I?"
Nurse Braya shook her head. "You don't need to worry, dearie; Ignitus has already taken care of everything." Oh thank the ancestors… it would've taken me a long time to pay for Spyro's hospital bill with the minimum wage that work was giving me. Rent was enough of a struggle already…
After writing my signature at the bottom, I handed the clipboard and pen back to Braya. "Are you sure Spyro's going to be okay?" I questioned.
"He'll be fine, Cynder. I know Spyro's medical history like the back of my paw… I even helped to lay his egg!" Nurse Braya assured me, putting her paw on my shoulder. "All he needs is rest and a calm environment…"
My eyes immediately widened with shock and my heart skipped a beat. Did she say what I think she said? After all this time, was I finally going to get some answers? "Wait… did you say you helped to lay Spyro's egg?" I interrupted.
Nurse Braya stopped in the middle of what she was saying and looked surprised. "Oh yes… why do you ask?"
"Sorry… it's just that Spyro has been wondering who his parents were for some time now," I explained. "Did you happen to know who his mother and father were by any chance?"
Strangely, Nurse Braya's expression changed to bewilderment. It was almost like she thought I should already know the answer to my own question. "D-Does Spyro not know?" she muttered softly.
Okay, seriously, what is up with everyone keeping secrets all of a sudden!? I thought the Guardians were in the wrong but Braya too? This is getting ridiculous now…
"Know about what?! No one's been telling us anything!" I exclaimed.
Nurse Braya slowly face-palmed, whispering to herself as she took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. "Oh boy, where do I start…?" she murmured in a normal tone before looking at me. "Okay, okay… once Spyro recovers and he has free time, tell him he should come and see me. I'll try to explain what I can…"
She then put her glasses back on, adjusting them so they fit snugly on her nose, before she started to walk off. "Anyway, I need to go back to work; there's other patients that need my attention," she said in an almost unenthusiastic tone. "I'll be back to check on Spyro later…"
Then Nurse Braya was gone, leaving me gobsmacked outside of Spyro's room. As everything that had been revealed to me was rewinding constantly in my head, I headed back inside. Thankfully, Spyro didn't notice my sudden change in mood.
Oh man… how was I going to tell him that the key to finding his parents was just hiding under our snouts?
(-)
Hours passed, afternoon turned into evening and evening turned into night. During this time, I left Spyro to briefly return to our flat so that I could notify Sparx what had happened to him, as well as bringing some books for Spyro to read because his room didn't have a TV. Even though I still had no clue what he said, it was clear to me that the yellow dragonfly was worried. I think he wanted to visit but I convinced him to stay, saying that Spyro will explain everything when he comes home tomorrow… if he comes home tomorrow.
While I was out, the Guardians managed to visit Spyro. Ignitus apparently didn't stay long since he had to go and speak to Master Eon about Eruptor's behaviour. I was glad that I wasn't there while the Guardians were visiting; something told me that my outburst towards them still lingered in their minds. Besides, I didn't want to argue with them in front of Spyro. He didn't deserve to be caught up in my drama.
I returned to the infirmary when the twin suns started to go down; Braya allowed me to stay the night in Spyro's room so I could keep an eye on him. I knew it wouldn't be a comfortable sleep, but since Spyro was with me, I figured it would at least be tolerable.
Staring at the night sky through the window, the events of today played through my head like a family home video. But there was one thing that kept repeating over and over again, no matter how much I tried to bury it.
It was the fact that the identity of Spyro's parents was within our grasp…
For some time now, both Spyro and I had been trying to find out who our parents were. We looked in every school yearbook and every newspaper, only to find nothing… absolutely nothing. We kept failing so much that I had completely given up on searching for my parents, despite Spyro's pleas of hope.
But now? We finally got a lead… after all this time, the answer had been right there shouting at us from afar. How come we never thought to look for medical records or even ask the nurses themselves? It seemed such an obvious path to pursue.
Maybe… just maybe, if Spyro could find out about his parents, then I could find out who mine were. It was worth a shot at least… they couldn't have just given birth in the middle of the woods, now could they?
"Hey, Cyn…"
What should I tell Spyro? When should I tell him? I know the nurse said after Spyro had recovered but this news was too exciting to keep secret. Spyro was going to find out who his parents were, for ancestors sake! Why should I keep that hidden from him? He needed to know, it was his family after all… I was not going to be like the Guardians and repress it until it was too late.
Urgh, what do I do?!
"Cynder!" I heard Spyro shout out. "Hello?!"
Hearing Spyro's voice, I immediately snapped back into reality. "Huh? What?" I exclaimed, turning my body around to face him.
Spyro, who was sitting upright and reading a book, raised an eyebrow. "Are you alright?" he wondered. "You've been staring at the window for half an hour now…"
"Have I?" I turned to look at the clock and realised that thirty minutes had gone by, rather quickly in fact. "Sorry, I just have a lot on my mind at the moment…"
Spyro put the book that he was reading down on his lap. "Do you want to talk about it?"
I shaked my head slightly. "I wish I could… but I can't."
"Why not?" Spyro wondered, a curious frown on his face.
I sighed. "It's better that I tell you after you've recovered; Braya doesn't want you to get your emotions up again…"
It tore me inside that I couldn't tell him straight away. We'd been telling ourselves that we didn't like how everyone was keeping secrets from us, yet I was now the one keeping something from him. But I didn't want to risk another seizure; I couldn't bear to see him go through that again. I loved Spyro too much just to witness him get hurt again.
"Is it… about us?" Spyro then reluctantly asked.
My eyes widened, realising my choice of words. "Wh-no! Of course not!" I assured him. "This is different… much different."
Spyro gave me a confused look before picking up his book again. "Guess I'll have to wait a few days, huh?" he questioned. "At least you're telling me something… unlike the Guardians."
I stayed silent at Spyro's comment. As much as I wanted to rant about the Guardians' secretiveness, I chose not to discuss it further. I'd had enough of talking about hiding secrets for one day.
Instead, I wriggled closer to Spyro so that I was resting on his chest. Spyro saw this and draped his foreleg around me, reacting with a warm smile.
"What are you reading?" I wondered, changing the subject.
"Oh… um, Redemption," Spyro answered, briefly looking at the cover of the book. "It's about outlaws at the end of the wild west…"
I raised a brow. "Isn't that a video game?"
"It is… this is the novelisation of it." Spyro clarified.
"I've always wondered why they make books about a game… Why not just play the game? It's the same story, isn't it?" I pondered as I looked at the ceiling.
Spyro smirked. "I guess they made it for ones that skip the cutscenes…"
I chuckled before making myself comfortable again, nuzzling closer to Spyro's head and resting my eyes. "Read a bit to me…" I then muttered softly.
"I thought you didn't like the wild west…"
"I know…" I murmured, kissing him on the cheek. "But I like when you read it; your voice is very soothing."
Spyro chuckled as he cleared his throat and began to read aloud. The passage he read involved a character named Mr Morgan, who was diagnosed with tuberculosis, talking to a sister of the church, who he apparently met earlier in the book according to Spyro.
Despite the seriousness of what Spyro was reading, I couldn't help but giggle at Spyro's impression of 'Mr Morgan'. It was terrible but cute nonetheless. Even Spyro knew that his impression was terrible as he completely dropped the accent when the passage got too emotional.
But there was one quote that stuck in my head for the remainder of Spyro's readthrough.
'Take a gamble that love exists, and do a loving act.'
As Spyro read that last sentence, he briefly glanced at me and smiled. I soon started to process what Spyro was reading, realising that the conversation was about the idea of mortality. That got me thinking about my life with Spyro.
Today he almost died over a small scuffle, and I was terrified of the idea of losing him. I was very, very lucky that the nurses were able to get him stable… who knows what could've happened if Stealth Elf and I weren't able to get him here in time! I didn't even want to think about it!
But unlike the character of Mr Morgan, who had lost everything… I was able to keep my everything. It didn't seem like a coincidence that our stories were that closely related, but that different at the same time. Were the ancestors trying to warn me about something? Did I need to watch out for Spyro in case he snapped and all his perceptions on who he is and who he loves are broken?
Would Spyro ever find peace? Would finding out the truth about his parents finally give him the closure he needs?
Whatever happened, whether it'll be good or bad, I would be there for him… every step of the way.
Alright… that's it, I'm done. Hopefully all this drama will keep you occupied until I am able to update this again.
Next month, I'll definitely be updating Convergence again. I had a bit of a writer's block on that story the last couple of months and instead updated another story in its place. But I can assure you that it'll be coming next month!
Also I advise everyone to be patient during my bi-monthly writing schedule. I do want to write other stories and if I only do one, that makes things slower. I'm not working on your time, I'm working on my own…
This is TARDIS1039, signing off… Allons-y!