A/N: Forgive me if this chapter's overly dramatic. I think it might be a little over the top, but this is the "feeling defeated" part and all, so...

Anyways, enjoy!

Ballista and Skabb dragged Thorne down to the castle's dungeon. Tinkor and Knightriss followed, holding shiny silver chains in their hands. Thorne never made a sound or struggled with them; he just stared dejectedly at the floor beneath him as it scraped against his broken boots.

In the dungeon, the Defenders carefully snapped silver cuffs around Thorne's wrists and wrapped his forearms in chains. They attached the chains to the strong wall and to rings on the ceiling, then hoisted the half-human, half-dragon into the air. Thorne's destroyed leather boots hung three feet from the cold floor of the dungeon. And that's where his gaze was set.

Shaiden, who made it down to the dungeon, albeit with some diffulty, had been staring at him the whole time. When he was finally hanging, never in the ninja's life had she seen Thorne look so...defeated. He hung in the air limply, and his head drooped down so low that she was sure it would break from his blue neck any moment.

When Skabb, Ballista, Knightriss, and Tinkor stepped away from the hanging alchemist, Shaiden walked towards him. She stopped four feet in front of him, then glanced behind her at the retreating Defenders. When they were just about through the dungeon's exit, she looked up at her brother.

"Thorne?"

The alchemist didn't answer.

"Thorne, I didn't mean to-"

The ninja's brother whipped his head up and glared at her. Before he realized what he was about to say, the words had already left his mouth.

"This is all your fault!" he seethed. "You're the reason I'm stuck here! If you had just-"

Thorne cut himself off and drew in a sharp breath. When he had calmed his sudden burst of rage, he gazed back at his wide-eyed sister. There was a look in her eyes that made Thorne immediately regret what he had just said.

After a moment, the ninja sighed and lowered her head. "I know. And I'm sorry."

Right then, Shaiden looked younger than she actually was. She silently turned to leave. Thorne stared at her as she limped away, hardly believing what he had just done. When the dungeon's doors creaked and finally slammed shut, Thorne hung his head again and sighed deeply.

No one else had spoke to him. No one had asked if he would be okay by himself. No one had offered to stay with him. But that was fine; Thorne wanted to be by himself. He needed to be by himself. Inside the alchemist was a raging storm of emotions.

Anger was still there, but not nearly as prominent as before. Thorne was now dealing with emotions that he hadn't felt in a long time, and some of them he never knew he even possessed. Hurt. Sadness. Humiliation. Heartache. Rejection. Disappointment.

For a moment, Thorne was angry with himself. Why did he allow himself to fall in love? Why did he permit himself to become so vulnerable? Didn't he know that he'd just end up being rejected? What made him think that Crocness would like him back?

Slowly, Thorne's anger melted back into deep pain. He felt like the object of everyone's scorn. Especially her scorn. And not only had he ended up with his heart shattered, he was also stuck in the dungeon, destined to be a dragon for the rest of his life.

As he hung there, thinking, he realized how vicious he had been towards his sister. This is all your fault. Thorne shook his head in shame, knowing he was dead wrong.

This was all his fault. If he had just controlled his temper, Shaiden and Gildar wouldn't have been injured. He wouldn't be stuck in the dungeon. Perhaps Crocness would have considered liking him. If he had just controlled his emotions...

Thorne squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath. It was then that the chains around his arms felt heavier and colder. He reopened his eyes and looked down at the claws jerking from his boots. At least if he became a dragon, he'd never, ever remember this very painful, extremely embarrassing event in his life.

Thorne suddenly felt a bit better. His fate seemed brighter than before. But not by much.

***

Meanwhile, Crocness wasn't doing so well, herself. She felt guilty; she knew why Thorne was so upset. She knew she had broken his heart, and she had no idea how to make it right. But she also felt...confused.

Crocness hadn't been entirely honest with her fellow Defenders that morning. True, she didn't exactly feel the same way towards Thorne...but something inside her was stirring. It had been stirring ever since the previous night. Perhaps even before that.

If the feeling was what she suspected it to be, she wouldn't be surprised. As they spent time together for the past few weeks, the bond between her and Thorne had thickened. And because they were both half-reptile, they somehow could understand each other better.

However, the croc-woman wasn't quite ready to admit the stirring feeling was the same type of affection that Thorne felt for her. She wasn't exactly sure what it was. So she dismissed it for the time being.

It was now evening. She and Albert were hungry, so Crocness was heading for the dining hall. When she got there, she found Shaiden sitting at the table by herself, arms crossed and staring at the floor. Crocness could read anger and pain on her face.

"Shaiden, are you okay?" she asked, walking in.

Shaiden didn't answer right away. After a moment, she shook her head. "This is all my fault," she stated, still staring at the floor. "If I haven't intervened last night, Thorne wouldn't be stuck in the dungeon."

Crocness sat down next to the half-human, half-dragon's sister. "Shaiden, you're not the one responsible for his temper."

The ninja sighed. "I know, but if I hadn't shown up last night, he wouldn't have gotten so angry." Shaiden hung her head. "If I had just listened to him, he wouldn't be stuck turning into a beast," she muttered under her breath.

Shaiden knew that wasn't really true, but she nevertheless felt the most responsible for her brother's condition. Probably because she was his sister.

Crocness breathed in deeply. "You know he didn't mean what he said in the dungeon."

Shaiden blinked with surprise, then turned to Crocness. "You heard that?"

Crocness half-smirked. "My senses are better than yours." The half-human, half-reptile put on a serious frown. "I know he didn't mean that. He's just going through some emotional pain right now. He needs time to heal."

Shaiden silently agreed.

"And it's not your fault he's turning into a dragon," the croc-woman stated, a hint of sadness in her voice. Her brown eyes sparked angrily. "Moray's the one responsible for that."

In response, the ninja clenched her fists together and growled. "If I could just get my hands around his neck! I want to show him what happens when he messes with the Defenders of Splatalot. No one gets away with hurting my brother."

A pause.

"Shaiden! Crocness!"

The two Defenders turned. Gildar was standing in the doorway. Crocness noticed the look of anger on his face. He tipped his head a bit.

"We've got company," he announced darkly.