Author's note:

Not all named characters are important.

This chapter has been revised only slightly

Chapter 10: Terrador's Sorrow and a spar between heroes

Terrador turned to see Flame standing there with Ember behind him both looked concerned.

"Come in is you wish." Terrador said in a woeful tone.

Flame and Ember walked in and sat down near Terrador's sleeping cushion as he went and fell on it curling up with the small gem.

"Let's skip the question because we already know something is wrong so don't deny it please." Flame ordered.

Terrador nodded.

"There is something I must confess and it is something that relates to you two." Terrador said as he wiped away the tears in his eyes.

Terrador took a moment to breath and clam down then he opened his eyes and looked at them.

"When I was younger about the same age as Spyro was when he and Cynder saved the world, I left for training as a guardian it was something my father really wanted and at the time I thought so too." Terrador began. "Training then was much different classes were shorter so we had more time to train or study, it was eight years for me unlike your four."

Flame blinked and wanted to ask about that but decided to let Terrador continue.

"During my second year I met an earth dragoness named jade she was a scholar at the temple." Terrador continued. "We fell in love becuase I did not read the pair bonding protocol yet, needless to say during my fourth year we were caught and both of us got very strict punishments, when they ended I went to my father for suggestions."

Terrador's face went from sorrow to hatred.

"My father told me to ditch Jade and continue with guardian training, not wanting to let my father down I agreed, we kept in contact as friends even after I finished training and became the earth guardian." Terrador said as he took a breath and was about to continue.

"That's great why don't you send her a message now that pair bonding is down you two can be together." Ember chirped.

Terrador's eyes began to tear up.

"I can't." He mumbled.

"She's with someone else?" Flame asked with horror.

"No." Terrador said. "She was captured and tortured by the apes."

Both Flame and Ember gasped.

"When I found her she was a broken dragoness a shade of her former self she did not remember me or if she did and she blamed me." Terrador said his voice quivering as memories began to return, memories he repressed.

"Get away from me!" The maimed green dragoness shrieked her eyes glaring at Terrador with hatred.

Young Terrador reached for her.

"Don't you remember me love?" Terrador asked his voice shaking.

"MONSTER!" the dragoness shrieked.

Terrador shrank back as she kept shrieking foul words at him.

WRECH!

FREAK!

TRAITOR!

More kept hitting him until she stopped, her eyes went blank and she stood there. Terrador crawled up to her and wrapped his wing around her as he began sobbing.

"I'm so sorry." Terrador cried. "I chose to impress my father over being with my love, you are the only thing good in my life and now you are gone."

He placed her on his back.

"Your parents at least deserve to see you." Terrador whispered. "Maybe they can help you."

She began screaming at him again, he tried his best to block it out as he ran through the wrecked ape fort until he found the medics that were with him and the rest of his team, the medics tried to help but her frantic struggling forced them to tie her down and carry her out still screaming. Terrador felt tears fall from his eyes as the once beautiful dragoness was now a quivering wreck.

Terrador had burst into tears.

"She is currently in The Warfang hospital in the Psychiatric ward." Terrador managed through heavy sobs. "I never had the courage to go and see her."

Flame and Ember looked at each other both had expected to come in here and tell him off at first.

"I though you two were just starting your relationship." He stifled. "I though before that you were just friends so I thought if I ended your love early I could spare you the pain of loss."

Flame moved closer to Terrador as did Ember.

"We understand Terrador." They both said. "And we forgive you."

Terrador slowly stopped crying.

"Thank you for hearing that I feel better getting that off my chest." Terrador said.

He then smiled.

"I wish you both a happy life." He said. "Now if you excuse me I need to visit her and give her my apology."

All three left the room Terrador strode out of the temple while Flame and Ember head for the Warfangs civil gardens.

Volia lay under Veniks wing in the middle of Warfangs garden. Running around them and crawling on their backs were multiple electricity hatchlings who were Volia's students. The hatchlings did not bother Venik at the least he found he enjoyed their energetic personalities and playful attitudes. A male hatchling was sitting on his back and busy play fighting a dragoness hatchling.

"I mighty Spyro will defeat you Cynder, and rescue you from the darkness." The hatchling said.

"Is that so Spyro well I Cynder Terror of the skies shall defeat you and bring darkness to the realms." The dragoness hatchling responded.

Venik and Volia chuckled. The two hatchlings carefully collided in their mock fight that ended up going off the two larger dragons and onto the grass in front of the two dragons. The male hatchling backed up and carefully stood on his back paws.

"Purple fury!" He shouted.

A small spark shot from his mouth but did not hit the dragoness. But the dragoness fell over feinting defeat.

"Oh mighty Spyro you have bested me." She said as she lay on the ground. "You have saved me from the darkness."

The male hatching looked pleased with himself. Flame and Ember trotted up.

"I see Spyro and Cynder is still a favourite of the hatchlings." Flame said with a smile.

"Yep." Volia said with a chuckle.

Flame and Ember went and lay next to Volia and Venik. The hatchlings took notice of this and swarmed them too.

"Do you mind this Flame?" Ember asked.

"No, we have to get used to it if we have our own." Flame replied.

Ember nuzzled Flame.

"I am glad you are taking this seriously." Ember cooed.

"Of course, this is our hatchling we are talking about I am not fooling around I am going to be a great father." Flame stated.

"I have no doubt about that." Volia chimed.

"What about you and Venik?" Ember asked.

Venik twitched and stared at Ember with a look of shock. Volia looked calmly.

"I'm in my mating cycle right now but I can wait, I want this relationship to work before we think about hatchlings." Volia stated and Venik relaxed.

A Hatchling came sprinting by and stopped near them.

"Spyro and Cynder are sparing against each other." The hatchling yelled.

All other hatchlings stopped playing then turned and ran towards the training grounds. Ember and Flame got up to follow them.

"Coming?" Flame asked Volia and Venik.

Both shook their heads. Flame shrugged and ran to the training grounds.

Spyro and Cynder stood on opposing sides of the dirt floored training ground they slowly circled each other as the crowd began to build. Most of the crowd were hatchlings but moles, cheetahs and adult dragons were there too and among them were three familiar cheetahs residing near a dragonfly.

"GO SPYRO!" Sparx shouted.

Hunter chuckled.

"This should be an interesting fight." Prowlus stated. "Let's see if they have learned anything new since we last saw them."

"We will see." Meadow said with a nod.

Both dragons stopped and stared at each other for a moment.

"Ladies first." Spyro said with a smile.

"Your funeral." Cynder joked.

Cynder dove into her own shadow. Spyro smiled and prepare to counter her when she leaped out of his. Instead she grabbed his back right paw and pulled him into his own shadow leaving the arena empty. It was quiet for a moment then a cluster of shadow energy appeared in the middle of the arena and Cynder came flying out as if she had been launched into the air, Spyro soared out of the fading shadows close behind her he sped above her and brought his tail down upon her propelling her towards the dirt. Cynder quickly recovered and use her wings to halt her decent. Spyro hovered at a decent height in the air waiting for Cynders next move. Cynder launched herself at Spyro who noticing this moved to dodge but Cynder being the faster of the two caught him by his tail with her paws.

"Still not quick enough to dodge me." She chimed before tossing him to the ground.

Spyro collided with the ground and pain shot through his back. He pushed the pain away and noticed that Cynder was diving in for an easy kill. Spyro quickly leaped out of the way and Cynder smashed into the ground.

"What was that about not being quick enough?" Spyro laughed.

Cynder shook her head to banish disorientation.

"All right purple boy." Cynder said as she got back into a combat stance. "Now the fun begins."

Cynder charged forward and leaped at Spyro who jumped up to dodge it, he then realized that Cynder had been counting on this and had not leaped at him but the space above him. Cynder collided head first with Spyro's gut. Cynder than took off pushing Spyro into the ground again. Spyro got up and looked up to see Cynder Descend and land near him.

"I am getting tired of swatting you down come on Spyro." Cynder taunted.

Spyro smiled and stamped his left front paw on the ground. Cynder realized what he was doing and rolled out of the way of a pillar of rock. Spyro leaped in breathing ice which Cynder countered with her wind breath. Spyro found himself covered in frost.

"Aww poor Spyro you attack… eek!" Cynder was interrupted from her taunt as Spyro Jumped on top of her and pulled her into an embrace.

"I may be covered in ice but it still is an effective attack." Spyro chuckled.

Spyro leaped off leaving Cynder shivering from his cold scales. Cynder than looked at him and huffed.

"That's not nice." She snorted.

"No that was nice." Spyro said before breathing snow and collecting it into a ball. "This is not nice."

He tossed the snowball at Cynder and hit her face with a 'paff'. Many of the hatchlings in the crowd giggled. Cynder wiped the snow off,

"Are you even fighting?" Cynder asked.

"Yes, I'm just trying to irritate you so that you slip up." Spyro said.

Spyro than leaped at Cynder claws ready Cynder saw this and readied her claws. Spyro had studied over the years in mixing speed and power giving him fast powerful attacks, Cynder had practiced this as well but her own agility gave her the speed advantage over Spyro. They blocked and countered each other perfectly as they knew each other moves. Cynder quickly broke the close combat knowing that it was going nowhere. Spyro readied to pounce but Cynder pounced first and landed on Spyro but Spyro used his strength to flip them over putting Cynder on her back. Spyro put his teeth around Cynder's throat. Spyro was about to release her to make a snappy quote but he realized something was at his throat. Cynder's tailblade was at his throat.

"Looks like it's a draw." Cynder whispered.

Spyro released his hold on Cynder and Cynder moved her tailblade away from his throat. The crowd began to cheer.

"That was fun." Spyro chimed.

Cynder nuzzled against him.

"We should spar more often." Cynder suggested earning a nod from Spyro.

Spyro and Cynder walked from the arena as the spectators departed.

"I saw Hunter and Meadow in the audience." Spyro stated.

"Why don't we go find them?" Cynder suggested.

"Sure." Spyro said.

They turned to go back but were stopped by two Blue dragons. One was wearing gold armor and was an adult the other was their age.

"Ah I was wondering when I would meet you both." The golden armored one said. "I am Hydrius Leader of the Aquis province and this is my son."

The Younger one bowed to Cynder and like with ember he gently lifted and kissed on of Cynders front paws causing Spyro to growl quietly. Cynder was not used to this treatment and pulled her paw away.

"I am spoken for." Cynder huffed.

"I was just being polite honorable dragoness; I did not mean to offend." The young water said. "I am Donovan, And you two are?"

"I am Spyro and this is my mate…"

"Cynder." Cynder interjected.

Hydrius looked at her.

"As in Cynder the terror of the skies?" Hydrius asked.

"Former." Cynder stated. "Former terror of the skies."

Hydrius nodded.

"I do not blame you for what you did." Hydrius said. "Beside when you arrived to destroy us we sank our cities and pretended to die, seemed to fool your apes."

Hydrius laughed.

"Anyways Spyro was it?" Hydrius asked.

Spyro nodded.

"I want you to talk to the guardians about sending a representative to Hurrical, to find a water guardian, if they want one that is." Hydrius stated.

"We shall go ask than." Spyro said.

"Thank you, perhaps we shall met latter but for now I need to find my guards they got lost again." Hydrius stated.

Cynder snickered at this remark.

Authors's note

There a small fight scene for you.

Plus one tragic story with a happy ending.

Hurrical is the capital of the Aquis Province.