Chapter 2: An Introduction a Test and some Sorrow
Flame sat patiently while a pink dragoness held a red gem over his broken ribs. The dragoness gave him a warm smile which he returned. The gem finally disappeared as it finished healing Flame. Flame stood up and looked over his body noticing the bandages that covered what the red gems could not heal.
"Thank you Ember." Flame said kindly. "You're a magnificent healer."
Ember blushed. Flame leapt off the bed and looked over the bandages to find that they were still wrapped firmly around his chest.
"No problem." Ember replied before looking away and blushing.
Flame turned his head slightly sideways and gave a look of confusion.
"Ember?" Flame asked.
Ember blushed again but then her expression turned to panic.
"Sorry." Ember murmured.
Flame just smiled at her and head towards the exit of Ember's room which was also the Temple's medical center thanks to Ember. Ember frowned.
"I'm too shy around him; he is completely oblivious to how I feel about him." She muttered in a depressed voice. "If I don't try harder than Flame will find another dragoness."
Ember curled up on her bed which Flame had been laying on a few moments ago. She inhaled deeply allowing Flames scent to enter her nose she gave a relaxed sigh and drifted off for a short rest having spent most of the night tending to Flame.
The four guardians gave Cynder rather warm smiles as she stood in their presence. These four dragons were old by many species standards but by dragon standards their elder years were still a few decades away. The circular meeting room was odd in the dramatic silence that held it until one of the guardians spoke.
"You look so much like her." The red one stated.
"Who?" Cynder asked.
"Your mother." The red dragon answered.
"You're right Ignitus but I can see her father in her as well." The ice blue dragon stated.
"Yes very true Cyril her eyes match Shard's almost perfectly." The yellow one replied.
"You knew my parents?" Cynder asked.
"Yes we did." The green one answered. "Your father was good friends with the wind guardian and your mother Eline was one of the best healers in Warfang."
"Indeed Terrador but their passing is deeply saddening." Ignitus said in a sad tone. "We have lost enough today."
"Who else did we lose today?" Spyro asked.
Ignitus sighed and his face showed that he did not want to tell but he did regardless.
"Your father the wind guardian Cavalade." Ignitus answered.
Cynder turned to Spyro with concern and saw that he was frozen with shock as his mind went over what he just heard.
"My father is…" Spyro began slowly.
"We don't know if he is dead he disappeared while investigating attacks on our convoys." The green one answered.
"Terrador we should not be so hasty in our assumptions." The yellow dragon stated.
"Volteer you know that even if he is alive he will be tortured by the apes and eventually broken." Terrador countered.
Three of them began to argue while Ignitus just sighed and lowered his head in sadness. Spyro however fell to the ground silently and began sobbing. Cynder rushed to his side and placed a paw on his shoulder. She knew all too well what it was like to lose family. Spyro turned his head to her and gave a brief smile. Both Cyril the ice dragon and Terrador the earth dragon let out a yelp causing Spyro and Cynder to turn towards them. Both Cyril and Terrador were frozen in place with electricity dancing around their body while Volteer approached the young dragons.
"Cynder can you escort Spyro to his room which is in the left wing of the temple and keep him company until me and Ignitus get there?" Volteer asked. "I need to sort these two out and that might take a little while depending on how long the paralysis lasts."
Cynder nodded and motioned for Spyro to follow. Spyro followed Cynder out of the meeting room into the golden hallways of the temple. Their pace was slow as Spyro quite upset but Cynder stayed beside him.
"I'm sorry that this had to happen to you." Cynder whispered. "Now you know how I feel."
"Completely." Spyro mumbled.
"What?" Cynder asked quietly.
"The apes killed my mother as well." Spyro answered.
Cynder gasped.
"I never even got to meet her when I was a hatchling and two years before I could meet her she was murdered!" Spyro shouted while trying to hold back tears. "Now my father too!"
Cynder placed and wing over Spyro and led him to his room. After some directions from Spyro they reached his room. It was not gold like the halls instead it was made out of a sturdy light grey stone the room was large and rectangular and was decorated with bookshelves that were filled with a variety of books. In one corner though was an armor stand that held Spyro's armor which was commonly polished. Spyro went to the corner of his room where a large red cushion that was his bed lay and lay down on his bed letting tears leave his eyes while he gently cried. Cynder sat near his bed and waited patiently while Spyro settled down.
"You are not alone Spyro." Cynder stated in a sincere voice. "I know how you feel, and your friends will be willing to comfort you."
"You are a friend too." Spyro mumbled.
Cynder smiled at him.
"Thank you Spyro." Cynder cooed.
They sat there in utter silence.
"Ignitus took your father's death hard." Cynder blurted out.
Spyro nodded.
"They were good friends and saw each other like brothers." Spyro stated. "When Cavalade could not be there for me Ignitus was, he was my teacher throughout most of my life, with exception because the others had to teach me their elements as well."
A knock sounded at the door to the hallway.
"Come in." Spyro called.
Ignitus and Volteer slowly walked into the room.
"Spyro I am truly sorry." Ignitus mumbled as he moved to sit down near Spyro's cushion.
"You have nothing to be sorry for." Spyro replied.
"No I should have gone with him." Ignitus countered. "We have always been fighting beside each other it is harder to fight alone when you usually rely on someone watching your back."
"Don't blame yourself Ignitus." Spyro replied. "You could not have predicted this would have happened."
"I know young dragon it is just hard not to blame myself for the death of one of my closest friends." Ignitus stated.
"He would not want you to weep for him he would want you to carry on and remember him with a smile." Spyro replied.
Ignitus sat there for a moment before a slight smile appeared on his face.
"As I would want him to do were our places switched." Ignitus said. "Thank you Spyro."
Spyro just nodded to Ignitus. Volteer approached the group.
"I have sent a team to recover the bodies of Cynder's parents so that they could have a ceremony." Volteer stated.
Cynder gave him a sincere smile.
"Thank you." Cynder whispered.
Volteer just nodded and left with Ignitus following. Cynder turned to Spyro.
"Will you be okay?" Cynder asked.
"Yes I will be fine." Spyro answered. "My father warned me that he may die in this war and if he did I should be prepared."
Cynder frowned.
"I'm okay Cynder you don't need to look so gloomy I will go to make my peace with his death tomorrow." Spyro stated.
Cynder walked out of Spyro's room and down the hall a few doors to her own room which she had been given earlier that day. She entered her room and looked around. It had no decoration meaning she would have to find her own decorations. Her sleeping cushion was red much like Spyro's.
"Better than nothing." Cynder sighed as she curled up on the cushion.
She lay there for a while letting recent events sink in. So much happened most of it bad. Cynder sighed as sleep finally came and she drifted away from the horrid memories.
Cynder awoke to the sound of knocking on her door. She shifted to get away from the sound but ultimately it was futile. She finally got up and stretched before walking to the door. When she opened it she was greeted by a cheerful Pink dragoness about her age.
"Cynder correct?" The pink dragoness asked.
"Yeah." Cynder answered. "And you?"
"Ember." The pink dragoness replied.
"So why are you here?" Cynder asked.
"The Guardians want to see you in the training room." Ember stated. "They want to test you in combat."
Cynder gave a smile and began to follow Ember down the hall.
"I hope they don't underestimate me because I won't disappoint." Cynder stated in a confident voice.
"I guess the others are in for a show then." Ember chimed.
Cynder snickered and nodded.
"It will be good to see another female fighter around here along with Fira." Ember stated.
Cynder turned her head and looked at Ember.
"You're not a soldier here?" Cynder asked.
"No I am a Healer for Spyro's team but I don't go into the field." Ember answered.
"Why not?" Cynder asked.
"I am not much of a fighter." Ember confessed.
"I wasn't either until I was captured by the apes and thrown into an arena as part of some bid to turn me into a deadly servant or watch me die as entertainment." Cynder stated.
Ember gasped.
"How can they do something that cruel?" Ember growled.
"I don't know but I am sort of thankful for it." Cynder stated.
Ember gave her a confused glance.
"I learned an adaptive fighting style that focuses on timing and using enemies against each other." Cynder stated. "Also how to be aware of everything around you even when in the heat of battle."
"Must have been hard." Ember sighed.
"Yeah it was I had to push myself during those fights, I felt like death at the end." Cynder replied.
"What kept you going?" Ember asked.
"My parents." Cynder replied. "They were also being held prisoner and I always though of using this cruel torture method as a way of getting stronger so that I could eventually break out and free my parents."
Cynder sighed.
"Six weeks trapped and now I am free but my parents are gone." Cynder stated.
"At least they went to retrieve the bodies." Ember stated as she sniffled a bit.
"What does that have to do with it?" Cynder asked in an almost aggressive tone before backing off from Ember after seeing she was close to tears.
"We are all here for different reasons." Ember stated. "I have nowhere else to go."
"Ember?" Cynder asked carefully.
"I d-don't want to talk about it." Ember stated.
Cynder nodded.
"I understand." Cynder whispered.
"Thank you." Ember replied.
The next few moments were quite as they approached the training room.
"Well here you are." Ember stated. "I must be heading back to my room."
Cynder waved to ember as the two split off and Cynder entered the training room. It was a large circular arena that was actually an outdoor field with large stone bleachers surrounding it on all sides. The four guardians sat in the bleachers along with Fira, Flame, Spirit and Frost. Oddly Spyro and Terrik were nowhere to be seen.
"Welcome Cynder!" Terrador boomed. "Please step into the center of the arena."
Cynder did as asked and moved to the center of the arena.
"Now we can start off easy if you wish." Terrador stated.
"The apes didn't, I was thrown into their arena and mercilessly set upon by them." Cynder huffed taking offence at them treating her like a rookie.
"A challenge then." Volteer chimed as Terrador stepped back and Volteer stepped up. "Nice to see someone else who is willing to push themselves."
Spirit gave a respectful nod to Cynder which she noticed and confidently smiled at Spirit.
"Alright then." Volteer said as he went at sat back down and Terrador moved forward and looked at Cynder from the bleachers.
"Begin!" Terrador boomed.
Nearby dummies that were just lying in piles got up and walked towards her brandishing blunt round training swords. Others that were in pieces rose up and retrieved their missing pieces before putting themselves together an joining the rest that were moving into the arena. Those that were too damaged and could not get up were fixed by their non-sentient comrades. Cynder analysed the ape like dummies which behaved nothing like apes as apes would just abandon wounded teammates it was obvious a dragons mind was behind it or maybe more than one. Cynder turned to the guardians and noticed that all four had their eyes closed and seemed to be deep in thought which only seemed to add to Cynder's suspicions. Regardless she readied for battle and moved into a combat stance. Once the dummies actually entered the arena they moved around the perimeter of the white "out" line and they took places all around her. One stepped across the line and began to charge, four others joined in and Cynder waited patiently for the first to get close and once it raised its weapon Cynder leaped out of the way. She put her front paws out as she landed which allowed her to spin herself around and face the group of dummies. Cynder smiled as the group charged at her. She dove into her shadow which confused the dummies for a moment. She leaped out of one of the dummies shadows and eviscerated it with her claws. The other dummies lunged at her but Cynder used what was left of her victim as a weapon and swung it into three of the dummies before turning to deal with the one that was still standing. Cynder lunged at it and tore it apart with her claws leaving it in a pile of kindling and straw on the floor. She turned to the ones that had just pushed the dead dummy she threw at them off. They then charged at her which she responded to with a leap into the air before landing on the first one and taking the head off with her tail the second was then cut down by her claws. The five that had charged her now lay in scattered around the arena in pieces but many more remained standing outside the white line.
"Next wave please!" Cynder shouted with confidence.
Another group crossed the white line this time with greater numbers and the whole process began again.
Spyro sat at the gravestone of his mother. He placed an amulet his father gave him in front of it. Tears fell to the grass surrounding the grave.
"I guess he is with you now mom." Spyro whispered. "Or he will be soon."
Spyro sighed as he turned away from the grave and walked out of the cemetery back into the streets of Warfang. The streets were always crowded not to a degree that inhibited free movement but between the dragons, cheetahs, and moles all wandering around trying to get to market stalls or whatever they did on a daily basis. Spyro was not paying attention to any of it though as he walked back to the temple. When he entered there was an odd silence among the trainee dragons that were schooled in the temple unlike Spyro who also slept there. The trainees were only like this when gossiping about something which piqued Spyro's curiosity. He slowed down his walk to a crawl and let his path move closer to the dispersed groups that were hanging around the temple main hall.
They say she absolutely dominated the training floor.
No way!
Yeah way!
She was almost as brutal as Fracture.
No she is efficient compared to that brute.
I'll say, she was practically dancing.
"What's going on?" Spyro asked.
A young fire dragon amongst the group turned to Spyro.
"That new girl…..Cynder I think." The fire dragon began. "anyway she just tore apart the traiing room floor in a graceful combat display."
"What did she out do Fracture?" Spyro asked.
"No unlike his barbaric crush opponents with mace tail Cynder gracefully danced across the field moving with precision and timing." The fire dragon stated. "I believe Terrador referred to her as efficient unlike Fracture who is sort of obsessed with the style in which he smashes an enemy."
Spyro chuckled. Among the trainees Fracture was one of the top but he was egotistical which meant he enjoyed making his fights a scene and always tried to prove himself better than everyone else. Spyro knew that fracture was jealous of him due to his ability to use four elements instead of just earth. His presence was commonly followed by rolled eyes as he walked proudly by in a way that made Cyril look apathetic about his heritage. Spyro knew that when Fracture caught word of being outdone by another he would flip.
"Fracture find out yet?" Spyro asked with a smile.
"Not yet but you will know as soon as your hear his enraged yelling." The fire dragon answered.
"It's quite odd for him to be Terrik's brother when you compare their attitudes." A young Ice dragon stated.
Spyro chuckled again.
"anything else interesting happen?" Spyro asked.
"Yeah we think Flame is getting attached to the new dragoness." The Ice dragon stated. "He was practically speechless and sat through the hole training session staring at her."
"he is usually attracted by those who show physical prowess, if he was a dragoness he would probably be all over Fracture." The fire dragon chuckled.
"Really because there are none who even show interest in Fracture." The Ice dragon countered.
"It's because he is so self-absorbed." The fire dragon replied.
Spyro sighed and turned away from the group trotting down the hallway towards his room. Spirit passed him in the hallway and the two acknowledged each other with friendly nod and a smile.
Okay so this was sort of a filler and introduction chapter things should start picking up next chapter I just wanted this stuff out of the way. anyways thanks for the encouraging reviews that convinced me to continue this story.