Re does something in this climax that pays omage to Dragonheart, my second favorite dragon film. And the song is from Disny's The Rescuers.
Chapter 10
Back on Dragon Island all the Draconians were fast asleep. The stars and moon were hidden by snow clouds. Snow was lightly falling. Re and Aurora were cuddled up together in the throne room, suddenly Aurora woke up. She'd been aroused by a terrible feeling. She sat up and tensed. Her animal instincts were on red alert. She turned to Re who was still asleep.
"Re wake up," she said, not bothering to whisper. She nudged him. Re woke up, a bit annoyed.
"Uh, what is it?" he said. "What's wrong?"
"Something bad's about to happen," Aurora said, sounding officially terrified. Re sat up.
"Go get everyone else," he said. "Bring them here." Aurora jumped to her feet. But just as she was about to take off, both dragons heard a very faint, very deep rumble. It sounded like it was coming from beneath their feet. Both dragons looked at the floor.
"HURRY!" Re cried. Aurora spread her wings and took off. Re took off as well. They went from room to room gathering: Avalon, Apollo, Eider, Ruby, and Harmony. Once they were all brought to the throne room, Aurora went to get Serenity, Edelweiss, and their dragons. She flew on to the balcony and ran into the room.
"Everyone wake up!" she shouted. "Something's about to happen we need you all down in the throne room now!" Edelweiss woke up and started crying. Serenity got out of bed. Tenor and Black Widow waited for her. Serenity picked up Edelweiss and wrapped her in Chris's coat. Then she put the child in her special seat on Tenor's saddle. Then Serenity mounted her dragon and they all took off. They arrived at the throne room, Edelweiss was still crying. Serenity dismounted and took the child out of the seat, trying to calm her.
"What's going on?" asked Avalon.
"I don't know but we need to get out of here now," said Aurora. Suddenly a rock fell from the ceiling and hit Tenor in the head, knocking him out. He fell to the floor.
"Tenor!" Serenity cried. She put Edelweiss down and knelt beside her dragon. Edelweiss continued to cry, Black Widow ran to her side and nuzzles her. Serenity tried to rouse Tenor.
"Tenor wake up," she cried desperately. Re and Aurora looked at each other.
"We have to get out of here now," Aurora said.
"I can't leave him here," said Serenity, on the verge of tears. Re sighed, he couldn't bare to leave his brother behind either. He turned to Ruby.
"Ruby, Harmony will you take the children to Berk?" he asked.
"Yes your majesty," said Ruby. Serenity took the child seat off Tenor's saddle and put it on Ruby's saddle. Once it was secure Serenity picked Edelweiss up and put her into it, then put Chris's coat over her.
"You're flying alone Edelweiss," Serenity said. She made sure the child was nice and snug. Ruby, Harmony, and the young dragons went outside.
"What about you guys?" asked Harmony.
"Don't worry about us," said Aurora. "We'll meet you on Berk once we get Tenor on his feet." Ruby and the other dragons spread their wings and took off.
Then just as they cleared the island, the volcano erupted violently. The top of the mountain burst into flames. Huge clouds of ash, smoke, and pumice shot into the sky, blocking the sun. Lava bombs also shot out of the mountain. The eruption shook the ground, putting the ocean through a rainless storm. The volcano belched out fire and magma, rocks fell down the side in huge avalanches. Ash began to fall like dirty, grey snow.
Inside the throne room Serenity and the dragons were huddled around each other. Serenity clutched her dragon's head begging him to wake up.
"Please wake up Tenor," she said. Then he weakly opened his eyes and groaned.
"Tenor! are you okay?" Re asked.
"My head hurts," Tenor said. "What's going on?"
"The volcano is erupting," Aurora shouted over the loud rumbling. "We have to get out of here." Tenor shakily got to his feet, which was difficult as the ground was shaking as bad as he was. Re and Aurora supported him.
"You think you can fly?" Re asked.
"If it'll get me away from this pissed off mountain, then yes," said Tenor. They were just about to get outside, when suddenly a huge boulder was shaken off the mountain side and landed right in the doorway, blocking their way out.
"I guess the volcano doesn't want us going anywhere," Tenor said, on the verge of passing out again.
"Now what do we do?" asked Serenity. "We're trapped."
"Our only hope is to ride this out," Re said, defeated. He and Aurora set Tenor down and laid beside him. Serenity sat next to her friends and leaned on Tenor's shoulder. The volcano continued erupting without hesitation. Then clouds of smoke and ash flooded the throne room through openings too small for dragons. It became hard for the volcano's prisoners to breathe. They laid their heads down on the floor where they could breathe easier. They huddled together again; Re around Aurora and both Aurora and Tenor around Serenity. The smoke and ash became more and more dense, turning all four of them grey. Serenity was just as scared as the dragons were.
"How long will this take?" Tenor cried over the loud volcanic sounds.
"Now way of knowing," Re called back. "We just have to wait here."
Soon the shaking stopped for a while, but the smoke and ash still came in and overwhelmed Serenity and the dragons. They started coughing. Serenity dug her face into Tenor's scales, praying for a miracle. She wanted to comfort the dragons but couldn't think of what to say, so she sang a song to them. It was the only thing she could think of to get their minds off the disaster.
Come along
Will there be sunshine shinin'
Will we find a silver linin'
Come along, sing a song
When today becomes tomorrow
Will we find joy or sorrow?
Sing a song.
The dragons listened to the song, focusing on nothing else. Serenity kept singing.
Is is wrong
To put all our hopes together
And wish for something better?
Is it wrong to be loved?
To face the future with another
Who means more than any other
Is to be loved.
We'll paint the grey clouds
With pretty rainbow hues
And we'll brush the gloom away
And save it for a rainy day
Rainy day, oh today
If troubles cast a shadow
And shadows make the sun
Afraid to stay, why it's okay
'Cause there'll be sunshine shinin'
And we'll find a silver linin'
Another day.
Tomorrow is another day
How I hope you'll always stay
Tomorrow is another day.
The song came to an end. The volcano continued to erupt, and smoke continued to fill the room. But the four of them were calm. Serenity sang the song over and over, to keep them calm. This was the prettiest song they had yet heard. It had a calm, beautiful, and comforting tune. The lyrics gave all three dragons much needed hope. Tenor painfully lifted his head and nuzzled his rider. Soon the air go so heavy that it started to put them all to sleep. Serenity kept repeating the song for as long as she could, it was starting to sound more like a lullaby. The ground shook again as the volcano let out all its inner rage. More ash, smoke, and pumice filled the sky. The ashfall turned into an ash blizzard. Inside the throne room the air began to heat up, and suck out all the oxygen.
Then about half an hour later the volcano began to calm down. The ash blizzard came to a halt, and the ground stopped shaking for good. Inside the throne room the four prisoners were completely covered in ash and dust. They were all out, Serenity had sung the last verse of the song before falling asleep draped over Tenor's neck. Suddenly there came a high pitched screech. It grew louder and louder, until the boulder blocking the doorway was blown to bits by a plasma blast. Then a Night Fury landed in the doorway and her rider dismounted.
Serenity began to wake up, without opening her eyes. She tried to get her bearings through sound. She was outside and laying flat on her back on hard ground. Someone was calling her name, and felt a hand in her own.
"Serenity?" said the voice. "Sweetheart can you hear me? Can you squeeze my hand?" Serenity gently gripped the hand tighter.
"She's alive," said the voice happily. The sound of talons on rock came over to where Serenity lay. Then she felt a scaly muzzle on her other hand, which was laying on her stomach. She slowly lifted her hand and stroked the dragon's muzzle. Finally she opened her eyes. All she could see was grey ash clouds. She turned her head in the direction of the dragon she was petting, it was Tenor. He looked like he'd aged a thousand years, his glossy black scales were now light grey.
"Tenor where am I?" she asked him.
"You're outside on a different island," Tenor said hoarsely. "Chris and Windwalker came to our rescue just in time, another five minuets and we'd all be soaring through the Eternal Skies."
"Chris is here?" Serenity said, surprised. "Were is he?"
"I'm right here," Chris said. He came into the view. He too was covered in ash. Serenity slowly sat up, and Chris helped her. She saw Re, Aurora, Tenor, and Windwalker standing on a large tooth-shaped sea stack. All the dragons were covered in ash, Windwalker a bit less than others.
"How are you feeling?" Chris asked, worried.
"Better after seeing you," Serenity said, smiling. Chris helped her to her feet. A hundred feet away she could see the volcano still spewing out lava, and the lava ran down the side of the mountain. The whole mountain glowed red orange, including the entrance to the throne room. Serenity saw what Tenor meant. If Chris hadn't shown up when he did the lave would have flooded the throne room and they would have all burned to death. Serenity felt a bit lightheaded. She turned to Chris and gave him a big hug, he hugged her back.
"How did you get here so fast?" she asked.
"I ride a Night Fury," Chris reminded her. "And I was already on my way here, I was half way when the volcano erupted. I've come to warn you." He let her go.
"What are you talking about?" Re asked, flapping the ash off his wings. Chris turned to the others with a solemn look on his face.
"Rufus and the rest of his village are after Serenity," he said. "They plan kidnap, abuse, and possibly murder." All the dragons growled at this news.
"It's true your majesty," Windwalker said to Re and Aurora. "I heard Rufus plan it myself." Re groaned.
"This is why I don't trust my Dragon Healer with just anybody," he said. They looked at Serenity who looked very afraid, but calm at the same time. Tenor went over and stood on the other side of her.
"Are you okay?" he asked her. She nodded silently.
"We'll they won't get you now," said Aurora. "We'll be ready for them."
Little did they now that Rufus and Valkyrie were right behind a nearby boulder. Rufus had the crossbow at the ready. They had arrived shortly before Chris, Serenity, and the dragons arrived at the sea stack. They climbed to the top of the sea stack and listened for the oppertune moment to strike. When they heard Chris give his warning, Rufus stamped his foot in frustration.
"That's it, the girl has got to go," he hissed. He ran out from behind the boulder and aimed the crossbow right at Serenity. He pulled the trigger and the arrow sailed right towards its target. At first it looked like it was going to make a hit, but Chris saw it and pushed Serenity out of the way. The arrow missed her, but pierced Chris right in the heart. At that moment the volcano ejected a singe lava bomb from the depths of it's still running lava. The bomb arched towards the sea stack, and hit the spot where Rufus and Valkyrie stood. It hit with such force that it sent that section of the sea stack into the ocean, taking Rufus and Valkyrie with it. They plummeted into the water, never to be seen again. The dragons watched the whole thing in amazement. Then they remembered Chris. They turned around to find him on the ground, the arrow sticking out of his chest, blood was everywhere, and Serenity was kneeling beside him. Chris was still alive, but was getting weaker by the second as he slowly bled to death. Serenity pulled a rag out of her pocket. She carefully pulled the arrow out and quickly pressed the rag to the wound. Chris groaned in pain.
"Serenity stop," he said, placing his hand on top of hers. "You can't fix this one, the arrow went too deep."
"I can't loose you," Serenity said, her voice breaking. But she had to come the awful truth that he was right, he was dying. She gripped his hand very tightly. Chris gently placed a hand on her face.
"Hey, it's okay," he said weakly. "Your life is saved, I can die happy."
"No, please don't leave me," Serenity sobbed. She put her hand on top of his, holding it to her face.
"Where's Edelweiss?" Chis asked in a hushed voice.
"On Berk," Serenity said. "We sent Ruby, Harmony, and all the children there just before the eruption." Chris seemed to relax a bit at this news. His eyes grew heavier.
"No, please Chris," Serenity sobbed. "Please don't go." Chris summoned his last bit of strength to sit up and crushed his lips to hers. She kissed him back, holding him there with her hand. But then Chris lost his strength, and reluctantly ended the kiss. Serenity gently laid him back down so he was comfortable. He looked her in the eye.
"I love you," he said with his last breath, before he lost consciousness. Serenity laid her head on his chest and sobbed. The dragons all bowed their heads in respect, even the volcano seemed to stop its activity for the moment. But then Re remembered the spell Draco had given him, and something told him this was the time to use it. He lifted his head.
"I think I have away to fix this," he said quietly. "Serenity, could you step back please sweetheart?" Serenity sat up, her eyes red and puffy. She shakily got to her feet. She looked like she about to fall over. Windwalker was closest and went to Serenity's side so she had something to lean on. They went over and stood next to Tenor. Re approached Chris and sat on his haunches. He activated his Titan Wing. Then he heaved himself on his hind legs, using his tail and wings to keep his balance. He took a deep breathe. He could hear Draco in his mind telling him what to do. Re used his talons to peel back a large scale on his chest, right over his heart; exposing a bare patch of wrinkly skin. Then he used a sharp talon on his other paw to slice open his chest. Heavenly, golden light shined out of the cut, and Re didn't even flinch. He then reached into the cut, and seemed to pull out a piece of the light. He held it firmly in his talons. He gently place the light into the wound on Chris's chest, and it disappeared into his body. Re put the scale back over the glowing scar, and deactivated his Tian Wing. Then he repeated the phrase Draco said.
"Half my heart to make you whole, its strength to purify your weakness." Chris stirred and opened his eyes. He saw Re looking down at him.
"Dad?" he said roughly. Somehow he already knew what Re just did.
"Hi son," Re said calmly. He helped Chris sit up. He looked down at the wound, which was nothing more than a scar now. Windwalker turned to Aurora.
"What just happened?" she asked.
"Re gave Chris half his heart to save his life," said Aurora. "No dragon has done that in centuries. Chris will live for as long as Re lives, which I imagine will be a really long time." They all watched Re help Chris to his feet. Chris hugged his dad with gratitude.
"Thank you," he said.
"You save our lives, I save yours," Re said, hugging him back. Chris then turned to the rest of his family. He held his had out to Serenity. She took it, and Chris pulled her into his arms. She hugged him tightly, burying her face in his shoulder.
"I love you too," she said. They pulled back slightly, so Chris could kiss her again. Then the volcano erupted all over again. Huge walls of fire, magma, and lava bombs burst out of the mountain. Serenity and Chris separated then turned to watch the mountain go mad. More lava burst out, and splashed down the mountain. Serenity and Chris watch it side by side. He had his arm around her waist, and she had her arm around his shoulders. Tenor stood on Serenity's other side, and Windwalker stood beside him. Re and Aurora stood on Chris's other side. They all watched the happy volcano together, as a family.