-Island of Fire and Cold-

"Celty, how long are we going to be in here?" Heat asked. They'd been in the cave for about six months.

"I'm not sure, Heat. We have to stay here until Grandma comes and says it's safe." Celtic smiled at him.

"Do you think Nate and Bane are alright?" Frost asked after a while. Celtic thought for a moment.

"I'm sure they are." Celtic tried to reassure the boys as well as herself. She didn't know how much longer they would have to stay in the cave, but it wasn't uncomfortable or scary. The dragons made sure they were safe, they played with the babies, and learned all kinds of things. They were already being homeschooled, so this wasn't much different to their life before.

"I hope we can go home soon." Heat said one day. They'd been in the cave now for almost a year. They knew nothing that was going on outside the forest. Their grandmother was only visiting about once a month now. It was getting too dangerous for her to come more often than that. Birthdays and holidays had come and gone; the dragons had done everything to make those days special, but it wasn't the same. Celtic loved the dragons, especially the Frostfires and the Blue Fires. Heat and Frost weren't all that comfortable around them but they were fine. All three were hoping to go home soon though. The forest was thick enough that they were allowed to go outside but they were quickly shuffled back into the caves if the dragons sensed any kind of danger.

-Main Island-

The war was over. Liber, Nate, Bane, and Dt were sitting in the dining room. They weren't hungry, they were exhausted but they weren't sleepy – they just sat around in silence. Another wave of dead were being prepared to be sent back to their respective islands – among them were Bane's mother and Liber's father. The four were not returning to their homes. There was much to do to rebuild the islands after the war. The morale of the people was low due to the grieving of the dead but they were glad the war was over.

"Bane, Nate, I need to speak with you privately." The Dragon Master called them into his study. The time had come to block the memories of Celtic, Heat, Frost, and Abigail.

"Sir?" Bane asked. He had an unsettling feeling.

"First, you all did wonderfully. We can enter into a time of peace now. We can rebuild the islands." The Dragon Master tried to ease into this. "However, I must block the memories you have of Celtic, the twins, and Abigail. It is safer for you and them that you don't remember."

"But…" Nate understood but he didn't like it.

"Nate, it's better this way. We knew this was a possibility." Bane said. Nate nodded. "Their memory will be blocked too?"

"Celtic, Heat, and Frost, yes. Abigail will retain her memories. She has been through enough to have them taken away too. She will not mention anything about you to them, but she will remember you." The Dragon Master answered. Nate nodded, reserved that this was safer for all involved.

"I guess we don't have a choice in the matter." Bane didn't like the idea either but he knew that if the Dragon Master said it was safer, than it was for the best. The Dragon Master handed them each a vial. He didn't explain what it was but instructed them to make sure that they drank it all. He also explained that they would gain these memories back when it was the right time.

"…" Nate and Bane looked at each other after drinking the liquid. The memories they had were no longer there; they were a gray, fuzzy blur that spanned three days. The Dragon Master told them that they had gotten sick from exhaustion and were laid up in bed for a few days. It wasn't something that was mentioned to the others and they were instructed not to ask. Bane moved to the Seasonal Island and began to oversee the Kingdoms combined treat farms. Nate moved to the Island that had the Colosseum and Dragon Track. He continued to train dragons, and he started to host tournaments and dragon races for added income and training. The dragons thrived with the stimulation and were more willing to help out around the Kingdom. Liber began to fill in as an interim leader for the Kingdom, and he appointed someone named Robotron to oversee dragon breeding. The dragons were so well taken care of that discovering new breeds of dragons was not that uncommon. Together with Dt, Robo managed to eventually discover all of the gemstone dragons. The Dragon Master stepped down as his son, Argyos, stepped into his place. The Kingdom was thriving, then a dark cloud began to move in and a once-upon-a-time friend became an enemy and threatened to destroy everything they had accomplished.

-years later, during Celtic's poisoning (Enchantress of the Elements)-

"Bane, you need to sleep." Nate joined his friend outside Celtic's cottage one evening. She had been unconscious for several days now as the Generals searched the Kingdom for the ingredients to an antidote.

"I know, but I can't." Bane looked at his friend. They had been like brothers since they first met. Even though Nate was a couple of years older, the two were a lot alike. For a while, Celtic had felt like a younger sister. He had always felt the need to protect her; he remembered watching over her while growing up on the Island of Fire and Cold. He wasn't sure if his feelings for her were changing or what but it didn't matter at this point. He just wanted her to be alright.

"I get it." For some reason, Nate had felt a connection to Celtic as well. It wasn't like the connection Bane had with her, but it felt familiar. He couldn't shake the feeling that he had met her before she awakened as the Mistress of Fire and Cold. "She's going to be fine, she's strong." Nate squeezed his friend's shoulder. Bane and Nate sat outside for a while before heading back inside the cottage. Bane managed to drift off to sleep while he sat next to Celtic. Nate slept in the oversized chair in the same room. The others had divided into the bedrooms and the addition that Bane had slept in when he had come in search of the Mistress of Fire and Cold. Liber was observing both Nate and Bane and he had been since the Mistresses had awakened. Both seemed extremely protective of Celtic, Bane more so than Nate, but Nate seemed to fill in when Bane wasn't around. He found it interesting and wondered which friendship with the Enchantress would develop into a romantic relationship – his money was on Bane. Nate and Celtic seemed to interact more like brother and sister than anything else.

"So what's with you and Celtic?" Liber asked Nate one day while they were looking for information about who was responsible for poisoning Celtic.

"What do you mean?" Nate looked at Liber. He figured Liber had been watching him, Bane, and Celtic.

"You and Bane seem awful close to Celtic. Bane more so than you, but you're there when he's not. It's weird." Liber smirked.

"Bane said that he's always felt some need to protect Celtic. I've kind of felt the same thing, but it's more of a brotherly thing. I'm not quite sure what Bane's feelings are in that regard." Nate thought for a moment. "I can't really explain it, but ever since Celtic awakened as the Mistress and came to the Main Island, I've felt this connection to her; like I've known her for a long time."

"Bane is from the Fire Clan, right?" Liber thought he was but wanted to make sure. "That might explain his connection to her."

"He is from the Fire Clan, but I'm not sure if that really has anything to do with it. I'm not from the Fire Clan or the Cold Clan but I have this connection to her. I wonder if he's the foretold Guardian?" Nate looked up at the sky. They had landed on a remote island for the night.

"So, you guys think I had something to do with Celtic being poisoned?!" A familiar voice come from behind them; from the tree line.

"Heat?" Nate and Liber stood up and faced the man who was now approaching them. "What are you doing here? How did you know about Celtic's poisoning?"

"I bumped into Frost and Andy a couple of days ago. Frost nearly chopped my head off." Heat was on the defensive. "Why on Earth would I poison my sister?"

"There was a couple of letters from you to her. Andy and Frost said she started to get sick around the time those letters came." Liber said.

"I had nothing to do with that. I haven't spoken to Celty or Frost since I left the Island." Heat was irritated. "Maybe you should look into Justin and someone named 'Kululu'."

"Kululu?" Liber and Nate exchanged a look.

"You've heard of him?" Heat questioned.

"Yes. We fought against him in the first war." Nate replied. "Why would he be back and why would he go after Celtic?"

"I guess if it is him, we'll find out." Liber looked at Heat. "What made you mention that name?"

"This." Heat handed Liber a letter. It basically mentioned that Heat made the right choice by leaving because something was about to happen. It was signed "Kululu".

"…" Nate clinched his hands into a tight fist as he looked of the letter. "I'm sorry we doubted you, Heat."

"It's okay, I probably would have doubted me too given everything that's happened. But know that I would never hurt Celty in any way. Celtic and Frost are my only family and I would never do anything to hurt them." Heat said.

"We believe you." Nate said and Liber nodded his headed in agreement.

"How is she?" Heat needed to know.

"Hopefully, the Generals have found the ingredients needed. She wasn't doing too well when we last checked in with Dt. They fear that if she isn't giving the antidote soon she could die." Liber answered.

"Do you want us to let you know when she wakes up?" Nate asked.

"It's alright. I'll come by sometime. I don't know when, but some day." Heat said before leaving.

"I wish he'd come back." Nate said. "I know Celtic would like to see him again."

"Maybe someday he'll return. Now that we have this information, let's head back to the Island of Fire and Cold in the morning." Liber replied.