Chapter 14: Loose ends
Spyro and Cynder entered the gates of Warfang and began their walk to the temple.
"That went pretty well." Spyro said. "
"Considering the defenses still listened to me I would think so." Cynder stated. "Think any one noticed we were gone?"
"Its been a week I am pretty sure that they noticed we were missing." Spyro answered.
"maybe." Cynder said. "but this is a huge city and there are plenty of places to hide.
Spyro chuckled.
"that is true." Spyro said. "they could spend a month thurougly searching for hatchling and they would find nothing."
The pair entered Warfangs market and casually strolled through the large crowds.
"That put one thing out of the way." Spyro said.
"Still so many things to do." Cynder finished.
"There is something we need to talk about but later." Spyro said.
"Perhaps in our room." Cynder suggested.
Spyro nodded. They reached them temple and head straight to their room without stopping. Once in their room they sat close to each other on the balcony. The crowds were beginning to disperse as the sun set.
"I always loved the sunset." Cynder said.
"Mmm." Spyro replied as he leaned against Cynder and pulled her under a wing.
Cynder shuffled a bit.
"Spyro?" She asked.
"Yes Cynder?" Spyro replied.
"I want to find some place outside of Warfang to raise a hatchling." Cynder answered.
Spyro sat there pondering about this.
"Warfang had numerous structures outside of the city that acted as outposts and such." Spyro said. "There is one near the Valley of Avalar in the forests close to Warfang."
"Sounds desirable but what state is it in?" Cynder asked.
"It was abandoned when Malefor returned." Spyro answered. "The scout who went to find it says it was never touched by the grublins."
"Shall we take this up with the council and guardians?" Cynder asked.
"They are currently in diplomatic talks." Spyro answered. "Will be for most of the day."
"Well then let's go to the market." Cynder chimed. "Or better yet let's go find Chi."
"Sounds like a plan." Spyro stated as he stood up. "Where is Chi?"
"The hospital most likely." Cynder answered. "Best to see her and tell her we are leaving Warfang."
"It would be rude not to." Spyro replied.
Graphite looked over the supplies he brought with him. Among them was a small case carrying a green paste. Graphite snickered and Terrador looked at him.
"What's so funny?" Terrador asked.
Graphite showed him the case.
"Remember this?" Graphite asked.
Terrador looked at the case then chuckled.
"Your disguise that your father put on you when you were younger to hide your unique colour." Terrador said with a smirk.
"Father thought my colour was a shame and that I would be made fun of so he created this sticky annoying paste that made my scales blend." Graphite said. "Turns out everyone likes my shiny colour."
"you got that right." Terrador chuckled. "Shiny butt."
Graphite snickered and blushed.
"Ah Mel's nickname for me." Graphite stated. "And now were mates."
"What about Coal and Stutter?" Terrador asked.
"They have not found mates yet but I think they secretly love each other." Graphite stated. "They seem to act like it, or maybe they are just close friends you know I have trouble reading others."
Terrador nodded. Graphite threw the case back into the chest.
"Who knew mashed berries could stick to scales so easily." Graphite said with a snicker.
"Your father was sort of paranoid." Terrador stated.
Graphite nodded.
"Anyways thanks for that chat it was nice to catch up some more." Terrador said as he stood up.
"Anytime old friend." Graphite replied.
"I am going for a walk to get some fresh air, I have had enough of politics for today." Terrador said.
Graphite waved to Terrador as he left the room and walked through the temples golden halls to the exit of the temple. He exited the temple and continued down the stairs into the streets of Warfang.
"Excuse me…um councilor Terrador?" A female dragon asked.
Terrador turned and saw a Dark green dragon with a young black dragon lying on her back.
"Yes…Miss?" Terrador asked.
"I'm Chi one of the head medics." The dragoness said. "Anyways one of our patients called for you, a dragoness by the name of Jade."
Terrador stiffened at the mention of that name.
"She does not even know I'm alive why is she calling for me?" Terrador asked.
"She says it's the only name she remembers ad she wants to know why." Chi stated. "Follow me and I will take you to her."
Terrador followed Chi as they walked in the direction of the hospital Terrador felt a pang of worry. What would he encounter when he met her?
Spyro and Cynder stood patiently in front of the hospital waiting for Chi to return.
"They said she was sent to retrieve someone." Cynder stated.
"Then we should not have to wait too long." Spyro replied.
"How can you be sure?" Cynder asked.
"There are smaller hospitals set up around the city due to its size each is assigned a certain area of the city." Spyro explained.
"That minimizes the risk of a crisis." Cynder said.
"That's the reason it was done." Spyro replied.
Chi arrived with Terrador following.
"Hi Chi!" Cynder chimed happily.
"Cynder!" Chi replied before hugging Cynder with her wings.
"Sorry I haven visited you in a while." Cynder said.
"It's okay I have been busy anyways." Chi said. "I work at the hospital now and I have a child now."
Chi motioned to the hatchling on her back which waved. Cynder smiled.
"Nice to see you finally got your wish." Cynder chimed.
Chi nodded.
"The nurses told me that his parents named him Epitaph right before they dropped his egg off and left." Chi stated.
"He was abandoned?" Cynder asked in disbelief.
Epitaph nodded.
"Chi promised to take good care of me, and I promised to be the child she never had." Epitaph chimed. "She is everything I could have ever asked for in a parent."
Chi smiled as the words of the hatchling touched her heart.
"I could not think of a better choice for a parent." Cynder said with a warm smile.
"Thank you Cynder." Chi said in a sincere voice before her face became serious. "Oh yeah I forgot."
Chi turned to Terrador.
"Sorry about that anyways head inside and the nurse in the entrance should be able to point you in the right direction." Chi stated.
"Thank you." Terrador replied before heading into the hospital.
Chi turned back to Cynder and Spyro.
"I don't have to work today so I have time for a walk if you like." Chi said.
"That would be lovely." Cynder replied while Spyro nodded in agreement.
Terrador walked through the halls of the hospital until he reached the Psychiatric ward it was oddly quiet and had few patients compared to the rest of the hospital, he asked a nurse for directions to Jade's room then followed her directions till he reached the room at the farthest end of the ward. He stood there trying to plan out what he would say. It had been almost twenty years since he found her in the ape prison and the memory of the event was still there. Terrador took a deep breath and entered. The room was like most of the others in the hospital. Sandstone and well lit by torches with a large cushion at the back of the room for the patient to sit or lie depending on the situation there were two baskets holding gems in the corner near the cushion. Terrador slowly entered the room and looked over the dragoness sitting on the cushion. He could recognise her anywhere.
"Jade." He breathed.
The dragoness turned her blue eyes to him and Terrador stared back. There was no sign of the broken dragoness in her eyes only a lonely wounded dragoness. Terrador shifted his eyes away from hers and looked over her mangled body. Her once radiant Emerald scales and dulled to a pale green that blended with her underbelly scales. There were numerous scars along the length of her body. Her wings membranes were torn away leaving only small patches regardless she would never fly again. Yet through all that she was smiling.
"You are Terrador?" She asked curiously in her beautiful voice.
"Yes." Terrador answered carefully while keeping his head lowered in shame. "You called me here?"
Jade nodded.
"I want to know why I can only remember your name out of many things that were supposedly in my life." Jade stated.
Terrador gave a confused look.
"I can't remember anything else from my past life the only thing that comes to mind is your name." Jade explained. "Why?"
Terrador sighed.
"we knew each other once." Terrador said.
Jade gave him a suspicious glance and stood up without difficulty.
"There's more to it than that." Jade stated. "I can see it in your eyes."
Terrador lowered his head.
"We courted each other when we were younger." Terrador replied expecting her to not believe him.
Jade frowned.
"Why did we stop?" Jade asked.
"Because Guardians are not allowed mates." Terrador explained. "I chose to become a Guardian instead of perusing a relationship with you."
"Why?" Jade asked.
"My father urged me to leave you and I did." Terrador began. "If I had chosen you we could be happily raising a family right now and you would not have suffered at the hands of the apes."
Jade nuzzled against Terrador.
"Your name brings warmth to my heart." Jade soothed. "Now I know why, I understand if you still cannot accept me but if you are allowed I would like to see what we could have been in my past."
Terrador smiled.
"There is nothing stopping us now." Terrador said in a joyful voice. "I shall stay here with you until they let you leave then we can head to the temple."
Jade walked over to the cushion and sat on it while leaving room for Terrador to join her.
Epitaph was sound asleep on Chi's back as she walked through Warfang she pondered about the others that came here with her and as if on que Tixir appeared in the crowd ahead of her.
"Tixir." Chi said as she approached him.
Tixir turned to face Chi.
"I was looking for you." Tixir chimed in an unusually cheerful manner for him.
"Something happen?" Chi asked.
"I think that we outcasts should join Warfang." Tixir replied.
"Sound like a great idea." Chi agreed happily.
Tixir spotted the hatchling on Chi's back.
"Already making friends." Tixir chuckled.
"Yeah but will the rest of the village be comfortable with it?" Chi wondered.
"We shall see." Tixir stated. "I am heading back to our village to tell them about Warfang and hear their opinion."
Chi nodded as Tixir walked past.
"Good luck." Chi called.
Chi continued her walk while Epitaph continued to sleep on her back. The two of them earned glances from nearby dragons and moles who smiled at the sight of the two.
Spyro and Cynder entered the council's quarters.
"So what did you want to see us about?" Volteer asked.
"We are thinking of leaving Warfang and settling down somewhere quiet." Spyro answered.
The councilors looked at each other in confusion. Cynder sighed.
"Is there a protocol that states that we have to stay in Warfang?" She asked in an irritated voice.
"No not at all." Volteer answered.
"We were just wondering why you have chosen so suddenly." Lute stated.
Cynder cleared her throat.
"My mating cycle is in less than a month and Spyro and I are committed." Cynder explained. "We want to raise our child in a quiet area, and we found an abandoned Outpost near the forests close to Warfang."
"Consider it yours!" Terrador chimed. "You are close to Warfang and that is all we can ask."
"Thank you." Cynder replied.
"Good luck both of you and may the ancestor watch over you." Incineric said.
Flame and Ember walked through the temple.
"Now we are lost." Flame stated.
"We should have visited the council section a bit more." Ember snickered.
"Excuse me." A female voice called.
Flame and Ember turned to see a pale green dragoness who looked like she had been through hell.
"By the ancestors." Ember gasped.
The dragoness just smiled.
"Your concern is appreciated but I am fine." The dragoness chimed.
"But.." Flame began.
"It apparently happened years ago and I have learned to live with it." The dragoness interrupted.
"Wait a minute….Jade?" Flame asked.
"You know me?" The dragoness asked.
"Terrador told us about you." Ember answered. "He said you were in the hospital, how did you get here."
Jade smiled.
"I accompanied him from the hospital." Jade explained. "He wants to make up for giving me up to become a guardian."
"He says it was the biggest mistake of his life." Flame stated.
"I don't blame him though and I can't." Jade stated. "I don't remember anything beyond a fog and Terrador's name; the doctors say it was due to the torture I suffered at the hands of the apes."
"Still it is nice to finally meet you and under all those wounds I can see that looks were not the only thing Terrador liked about you." Ember chimed.
"Terrador said that my cheerful demeanor, lovely personality and my radiant beauty were what attracted him before, now he says the scars are a mark of my resilience and how I recovered from torture." Jade said.
"Well you are not huddled in a ball with a broken mind so that speaks volumes of your resilience." Flame said.
A nearby door opened and multiple dragons exited the room. Jade recognised Terrador among the councillors.
"Terrador." Jade chimed.
Jade walked up to Terrador a nuzzled him. Terrador gently pulled Jade into and embrace. Volteer and Lute both smiled.
"My dearest Jade." He whispered.
Spyro and Cynder smiled. Jade turned to them and smiled back.
"Hello." Jade greeted.
"Hi." Spyro and Cynder said simultaneously.
"I have heard stories about you while I was conscious at the hospital, judging by their description you are Spyro and Cynder." Jade guessed.
"Yep." Spyro chimed.
"We should talk sometime." Jade suggested.
"Sounds like a plan." Cynder replied.
The group began splitting off eventually leaving only Terrador, Jade, Flame, Ember, Volteer and Lute.
"This is where our paths diverge for the night." Volteer said. "Good luck to you both."
Volteer and Lute left.
"Terrador I am really happy that you were able to find and make amends with Jade." Flame said.
"Thank you Flame." Terrador said. "You listened to me when I need someone to talk to and you were willing to forgive me after I tried to end your relationship, and for that I am truly thankful."
"We forgive you completely." Ember replied. "Good night Jade and Terrador."
Flame and Ember walked off down the hallway towards the guardian's quarters. While Jade and Terrador kept their pace towards Terrador's room.
"A comfy place to sleep sounds nice after all those nights on that hospital cushion." Jade stated.
"It's big enough for both of us." Terrador said.
Jade nodded and smiled but her smiled faded slightly.
"Something bothering you?" Terrador asked.
"I want to know what you know about my past." Jade replied.
Terrador nodded.
"We will settle down in my room and I will tell you all I know." Terrador said.
Jade nodded thankfully as the two approached Terrador's room. Terrador opened the door and Jade walked Terrador followed and closed the door. He finally had a spark in his life something to truly fight for and for that he was happy.