Chapter 3 – Lily and Torden
Three days have passed since their flight from Australia, and Cynder, Draco, and Darky have arrived at Norway. Draco and Darky shivered as the weather was very cold. Cynder on the other hand was used to it as it was her birthplace.
"Boy, it's really freezing here!" spluttered Draco through his chattering teeth. "How does your species manage to live in such weather conditions, Cynder?"
Cynder chuckled. "I would say it is adaptation," she said.
"So where are we going, big sis?" asked Darky.
"You'll see soon enough, guys," said Cynder as they flew onward.
Shortly after, the three dragons reached the capital city of Oslo. As Cynder looked around, one Night Fury approached the arrivals. "Excuse me," he asked. "What brings you here to Norway?"
"I've come to see Her Majesty," replied Cynder. "As Princess of the Shadow Dragon Clan, I hope that she can be able to help me with an important request I have."
The Night Fury was struck with awe. "Oh, Thor Almighty!" he exclaimed with delight. "Princess Cynder has returned!"
With that, a crowd of dragons came out of the buildings and gathered around to Cynder, Draco, and Darky. While Cynder smiled with regal modesty, Draco and Darky were dumbfounded at how she could be famous to all those dragons.
"Your Highness," said one female dragon. "It is a great honour for me to see you and to say how blessed we are that you would come back to our native land."
"I would appreciate if you can simply address me by my name, please," said Cynder.
"Princess Cynder!" called another voice. Emerging from the crowd of people was a fairly tall Night Fury. "Her Majesty has been expecting you."
"Moonracer, lead me and my friends to her immediately."
Moonracer was true to his word. Soon after all the dragons left, he brought Cynder, Draco, and Darky to the Norwegian Dragon Palace. There, they meet with the Night Fury Queen Ibenholt, who oversees the dragons of Norway. Cynder told her all about her training at the Dragon Academy and why she returned to her homeland.
"So I was hoping there would be a few dragons here who would be interested, if you know any," finished Cynder.
"Say what?" asked Moonracer. "I don't know, Princess, I can't be able accommodate your request."
"I'm afraid Moonracer is correct," said Queen Ibenholt. "There's not a single dragon willing to leave our beloved Norway."
"Well that is a disappointment," Cynder sighed. "I felt like I came all the way here for nothing."
"Don't worry, Cynder," said Draco. "Maybe if we try another place, perhaps we could find better prospects."
"Hold on a minute," said Moonracer all at once. "I know a couple of dragons you could find, but it may be a bit of a flight from here."
"Really?" asked Cynder. "Where are they exactly, I don't care if it's far away, I just hope that they will want to join me and my friends."
"I believe they live all the way up north in Tromso," replied Moonracer. "It's a quaint little town by the seaside."
"Ah, of course, I have been to Tromso before!" exclaimed Cynder. "That's one of my favourite places to go since they have the best fish."
"Then you must go to the town and find your dragons," said the Queen Ibenholt. "I wish you the best of the luck on your endeavours."
"Thank you very much, your Majesty," bowed Cynder.
After the appointment with Queen Ibenholt, Cynder, Draco, and Darky reached the town of Tromso. It was a sight to behold, a peaceful port complete with fish markets, piers, and tall mountains. As they made their way across the town, they met a friendly and cute pink female dragon. Cynder decided to greet her.
"Um, hello," she said. "My name is Cynder, and yours?"
"Hello, my lovelies!" said the pink dragon with such enthusiasm. "My name is Lily, and it is wonderful to see you!" She then went over to Draco and Darky and gave them long hugs and deep kisses.
"Aha," chuckled Draco as he blushed heavily. "I am Draco and this little dragon here is Darky."
"If you don't mind your loving," grumbled Cynder. "We were wondering if you would like to come along with us and if you know anyone else interested as well."
"Oh? Ah, yes, I might come along with you," said Lily. "But before I do, you might want to meet up a friend of mine named Torden."
Cynder looked at Lily. Somehow she reminded her of Ember. "You look kind of familiar, have we met before?"
Lily widened her eyes for a second, and then she burst out laughing. "You crack me up! Of course we haven't!"
"I thought so," grumbled Cynder, slightly annoyed. She cleared her throat. "So, where can we find this Torden dragon?"
"He must be up ahead at the docks," said Lily as she pointed to a certain direction. "Go there, and you'll find him."
Following Lily's directions, the three dragons headed to the docks and searched for Torden. Eventually, they heard some cheering and loud music ahead. As Cynder, Draco, and Darky investigated, they see a crowd surrounding what appeared to be like a concert. A tall blue dragon with a long gold mane was riffing away at his electric guitar to the music. He was covering a heavy metal song. When he finished, the crowd went wild and applauded.
"And that was the cover of Keep of Kalessin's 'The Dragontower,' folks," said the dragon guitarist.
"You're our number one guitar hero, Torden!" shouted one female dragon as the crowd cheered.
Upon hearing those words, Cynder, Draco, and Darky realised that's the dragon Lily recommended. They decided he might be the right dragon to join them. Moments after the crowd departed, the three approached the big blue dragon.
Torden turned around to see them. "Who might you be?" he asked confidently.
"Hi," said Cynder politely. "I'm Cynder, and this is Draco and Darky."
"That was some really awesome playing!" said Darky excitedly.
"Well, thanks for the compliment, kid," replied Torden. "If you want to know my name, it is Torden. I'm a heavy metal enthusiast, inspiring guitar player, and also the best athlete in all of Tromso!"
"You are quite talented!" exclaimed Draco.
"Anyway, we're wondering if you'd be interested in coming along with me and my friends on an adventure," continued Cynder.
"Hmph, it all depends if Lily is going with you," said Torden. "We had made a solemn oath that we will always stick together."
"Oh, we have seen her earlier," said Draco. "And she's willing to go if you will."
"We shall see about that," said Torden doubtfully. "But, I must go and talk to her now, and I'll catch up with you guys later."
After Torden left, Cynder, Draco, and Darky wondered where to go next.
"Maybe we should head to America," suggested Draco. "I hear there's a lot of Charizards in the state of Texas, and we might find some interested in forming a team with us."
"Texas?" asked Darky. "I'd love to see Texas! From where I hailed from, they say a horse resided there a long time ago."
"Well, if you say so," said Cynder. "I suppose America will be our next stop."
Author's Note: Torden and Ibenholt are Norwegian words, meaning "thunder" and "ebony" respectively.