Cynder began to tear up as the worse things possible started to flood her mind. "Spyro, I… I… I don't want to lose you, not again." Spyro couldn't help but begin to cry as well, only he was sad that this might be one of the few times left he had with her. Cynder leaned close to him and began to gently nuzzle him to which Spyro returned the gesture. "I love you Spyro." A grin grew on Spyro's face after hearing this.
"I know Cynder, and I love you to." The two held one another for some time, while the guards stood there letting them have their time together, though they kept a close eye on her in case she tried something. Seeing as they wouldn't have much time for something like this once they start moving again, the two guards figured they shouldn't ruin the moment just yet. That is until one of them mentioned when they were leaving.
"Cynder was it?" One of the guards asked, grabbing her attention.
"Yeah, that's me. Can I help you?" She tried not to sound to annoyed that he was butting in on her moment with Spyro.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to let you guys know that we are going to start moving camp again in less than an hour. Warfang is only a few days away and it would be best to get back as soon as possible." Cynder nodded, understanding the situation, and went back to relaxing with Spyro.
When they finally started to start moving camp, Cynder stayed as close to Spyro as the guards would let her. Meanwhile Hunter, Terrador, and Sparx were all towards the back of the patrol group, keeping an eye on Spyro and Cynder as best as they could.
"I don't get it," Sparx said, flying beside Hunter. "Why does he want to go back to Warfang?"
Hunter didn't have to think to long on the answer and a smile formed along his face. "That's just the kind of person Spyro is. Once he learned that people were getting hurt and killed because of him, he wanted to try and fix things."
Sparx only looked more confused. "But doesn't he still want to be with you guys? He does know that there's a good chance someone will kill him once he gets there right?"
This time Terrador spoke up. "And that is his choice to make, and there is nothing that I, nor you could do to change his mind. The only one with that kind of power is that little black abomination by his side, and if she's ok with this… well then all we can do is do our best to make sure he stays safe."
"Speaking of which," Hunter said, jumping back in the conversation. "Why do you care about Spyro's safety? Last time I saw you, you were trying to kill us. What changed?"
"I made a promise to someone very close to me…" Terrador stopped talking for a moment as memories of his own beloved filled his head. He glanced towards Cynder, and thought of how much she meant to Spyro. He thought back to when he was about to kill her, and make right to all the wrongs that she had done to him as well as what her heritage had done to everyone. Before he could end her, however, he thought about Nova and how much she meant to him before she died and the promise she made him. No matter how much he wanted Cynder dead, he knew he couldn't do it.
"Everything alright?" Sparx asked, breaking Terrador's thought.
"Hm?" he glanced towards Sparx and Hunter, who were both staring back at him. "Oh, right. Like I said, I made a promise to someone, and I will do everything in my power to fix all the wrongs I've caused him."
"That seems like a hard thing to do." Hunter added. "You've done a lot to Spyro that most would find unforgiveable."
"I know, but even after everything that I've done to my son… he still finds it in himself to forgive me and give me a second chance… For what reason that may be, well I don't know, but I'm going to take this opportunity to give Spyro the life he truly deserves."
"That's very noble of you to say Terrador." Hunter said rather surprise by the sudden change in Terrador's heart. "Then I'll help you wherever I can. He's my friend after all." Hunter glanced over to Sparx, curious if he was going to pledge to help Spyro as well. Sparx just looked back at Hunter confused.
"What?" Sparx looked creeped out that Hunter was staring at him. "Do I've have something on me?" he looked around his body, but couldn't find anything. Hunter began to chuckle and shook his head.
"No, my little friend, I just wanted to see if you had something to add."
"To add? Like what? I'm just a dragonfly after all. What could I possibly do to help Spyro?"
Hunter shrugged, but Terrador stepped in. "You've done more than I could have thought a dragonfly could do. Though you are small, weak, talkative, annoying, and many, many other things…."
"Oh wow, please stop praising me, I don't think I can take any more." Sparx said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
"But!" Terrador shot back, not liking Sparx's tone of voice. "Despite all of that, you've managed to help me find Spyro and rescue him. You also helped me fight off some of the pirates. While it's not much, I'd say that it's much more than I thought someone like you could have ever done."
"Not to mention Sparx, you also rescued me. Though Terrador may be too stubborn to say how helpful you've been, thank you Sparx for saving me."
Sparx wasn't sure what to say as he's never been thanked by someone bigger than him. "Um…. Your welcome I guess?"
The patrol party walked nearly all day, only taking minor breaks when they needed it. Almost everyone was fine with this, though everyone was more than happy to sit down and eat something after walking all day. The only ones who struggled with this was Sparx, but whenever he tried to get the group to stop to rest for a bit, they would just tell him to leave them alone and go sit beside Spyro who was being dragged along on a small platform, still tied up despite Cynder attempts to convince them that Spyro wasn't going to run away if they cut him loose. They were about a day's walk away from Warfang now and they had set up camp once more. Much like last time, while everyone was doing their part, hunting, gathering, and preparing for the next day, they set two guards to watch over Spyro, only this time they wouldn't permit Cynder to be close to Spyro like last time saying that she was a huge risk being so close as she could free him easily if she tried. Despite this, she still stayed near them, though she was forced to sit in front of the guards as she spoke with Spyro. The night went fast, faster than any of them would have liked and soon enough they could see Warfang in the distance.
"So how are we going to get Spyro in there without people seeing him?" Terrador asked one of the patrol members. "The moment they do, there will be a riot."
"We've already sent someone ahead to inform King Flame that we've found Spyro and are bringing him in. From there, his majesty will send troops out and hide Spyro away inside a crate or something like that. From there we just have to hope that things go smoothly."
"Why do you say that?" Cynder asked as she walked up behind the two of them. "What are you worried about?"
"People have been fighting and stealing for months now, regardless of age, race, or class or at least that's what I've heard. For all I know, they will see the solders walking about carrying something and will want to see what's inside. People have been crazy enough to kill one another, who's to say they wouldn't try to fight trained men over a box?"
"What about to sewer systems? It's how Spyro and I got out the first time. We'd just need to find the same ventilation tunnel that we used way back when and travel under the city."
"It's a good idea on paper." Terrador interjected. "The problem is though that it would be hard to get him out of those tunnels without being spotted, and dragging a box or some sort of object out of the sewers will raise more questions than just walking through the city."
They then heard the sound of armor clanking together, signaling the solder's arrival. There were at least seven solders that walked up to the patrol group, with an empty crate. Cynder turned to Spyro as they untied him. "Last chance Spyro, you sure you want to go through with this?"
"I have to Cynder. To many people are getting hurt because of me." Cynder still wasn't too sure, but knew she couldn't say or do anything to stop him. They loaded Spyro into the crate and closed it back up. Everyone then began to follow the solders into Warfang. Cynder wasn't sure what to expect when they go inside the walls again, though the looming smoke plumes filled her heart with dread. Hunter took notice of this and tried his best to comfort her, placing a reassuring paw on her back. Cynder looked up at him and smiled, thanking him. They city was a mess, just like they had heard. While Cynder never remembered Warfang being perfectly clean, the state it was in now was a drastic change since she was last here.
While the destroyed city did bother her, what really made her skin crawl was the distant sounds of people crying, and people arguing which quickly developed to the sound of people fighting. "Things really have gotten worse here." She said aloud, as to try and distract herself from everything around them.
One of the solders nodded. "Trust me, this is normal around here now." He didn't seem to happy to say this, granted Cynder couldn't blame him for hating the way things were. As they walked further into the city they came across a small group of shady looking people. They noticed the crate the soldiers were carrying as well as the large amount of people around it which peaked their interest.
"What's in the box?" one of them called out, but everyone ignored him. He grunted and walked up to the group. "Hey, I asked you guys a question!" he grabbed Hunters arm, pulling him back with no intention of letting him go until he got an answer. The only answer that the man got was a swift punch to the face from Hunter. The man fell to the ground, both hands on his face as he shriveled on the ground in pain.
"Great now you've done it." One of the patrol men sighed. The solders started to run as best as they could with the crate, as the others from the little gang chanced after everyone to avenge their friend. Thankfully they reached the palace before anymore of a fight could break out. Once there the gang left them alone, not wanting to pick a fight with even more of the city guards. Hunter, Terrador, Sparx, and Cynder followed everyone up the steps and into the castle and let out a sigh of relief once the doors closed behind him.
"Why did you punch that guy?" Terrador asked, rather annoyed that Hunter nearly started a fight. Hunter rubbed the back of his neck shamefully.
"Sorry, I just figured that he wasn't going to let us go without an answer, so…."
"It doesn't matter now." One of the guards said as they started to open the crate, letting Spyro out. "We made it all in one piece, and we got Spyro here safely. You guys relax, we'll go tell the king of your arrival." Finally, being able to walk around, Spyro started to pace around the room, growing anxious by the minute as they waited for Flame.
"You'll be fine Spyro, I'm sure of it." Hunter said, trying to be supportive. Spyro still wasn't to sure but he was happy to hear this none the less.
"Thanks Hunter, but I still can't help but worry. I was nearly executed last time I was here."
"Well you wanted to come here Spyro." Terrador reminded him. "If you were worried about that, then you shouldn't have agreed to come here and just let us help you escape."
"I know, but-" Before he could finish, the doors opened once more, and Flame stepped into the room.
"Ah, Spyro, it's good to see you again." Flame said as he walked up to the purple dragon. "I presume these are friends of yours?" Flame over at Cynder and Hunter who both bowed respectfully back at him alongside Terrador. Flame didn't seem to happy to see Terrador though. "I see that you also came back. I hope you don't have any plans on causing any further harm?" Terrador only shook his head.
"He's trying to make amends." Spyro said, defending his father. "Please let him stay." Flame turned back to Spyro and thought about it for a moment.
"Well if you are alright with him being here, then I suppose it will be fine for him to stay. Now then, we have important business to discuss." Flame said as he gently pushed Spyro along beside of him.
Cynder walked around and stopped in front of Flame, not wanting Spyro to leave her site. "Excuse me, your majesty, what do you plan on doing with Spyro? I won't let you hurt him." Flame smile down at Cynder and couldn't help but chuckle.
"Don't you worry, I have no plans on bringing anymore harm to him than what was already dealt. All I plan on doing is use him to try and calm the people."
"And how do you plan on doing that?" Sparx asked just as he floated out from behind Terrador. He stretched his arms and yawned, seemingly just waking up from a nap. Terrador turned and looked at the dragonfly, confused by how he managed to fall asleep while they were running through the city.
"Oh?" Flame tilted his head, surprised by the new addition to the group. "You must be another friend of Spyro I presume?"
"Ha, I'm much more than just his friend, I'm his savoir! He wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for me." Sparx puffed out his chest, trying to seem more impressive.
"Hmm, right, well you'll have to fill me in on your adventures another time." Flame said, mostly ignoring what Sparx was saying and turned back to Spyro. "Right now, Spyro I need your help saving this city." Spyro couldn't help but look worried.
"How do can I possibly do that?"
"Well, I was thinking that I could give this grand speech and then you step in and talk about… well something to help calm people down… Maybe something that shows them that you're not like Malefor or something of that nature."
"That's your grand plan?" Terrador asked, trying not to sound to unimpressed." Flame looked back towards Terrador.
"Ok, I know it's not the best plan, but I'm at a lose as to what else to do here. It's either this or I just give Spyro up to the crowd, and I think we both know how that is going to go."
"But won't people riot once they see him?" Hunter chimed in.
"Well maybe, but I'm hoping that they don't."
"You don't know?" This time Sparx questioned. "You're going to risk every person in the crowd with this plan. If they riot a lot of people can get hurt."
"I know that!" Flame shouted at everyone, fumes flowing from his jaws. "I know the risks that we are taking, but I honestly don't have any idea on how else to fix this!"
"I say we give it a try." Everyone turned to Spyro, surprised that he wants to go through with it.
"Are you sure Spyro?" Cynder asked and he nodded.
"I agree with you all, this is a very risky thing to do, but if the only other option here is to give me up to them… what other choice do we have?"
"I don't like this plan." Terrador grunted. Spyro smiled and walked up to him and placed a paw on top of his.
"I know dad, but I'll have you here with me to help if things go wrong, and I have all of you as well," he said looking at all of his friends and Cynder. He then turned to Flame. "And I'm sure that Flame will do everything in his power to keep the people calm." Flame nodded.
"You have my word, I'll make sure that you won't be attacked."
Spyro nodded. "Alright then, when can we do this meeting?" Flame smiled and began to walk towards the door.
"I'll arrange a town meeting."
A few hours pasted, and Flame moved everyone to a lower floor, to a room with a balcony that over looked the town square. This was where Flame gave most of his 'grand' speeches to the public. Spyro peeked around the corner, just enough to see the hundreds of people gathering. He gulped nervously as he watched more people come. He looked a little bit closer and saw a line of guards, all facing the crowd. Other than a few walls and stairs, they were the only ones keeping the people of Warfang and Spyro. The thought alone made him shiver in fear as the worst outcomes came to his mind. Thankfully Cynder came over to him and draped her wing over him.
"I know you're nervous, but if things do go south, then we'll do everything in our power to get you out of here. We did it once and we'll do it again. I promise." Spyro smiled, thankful that everyone was still here with him.
"Thank you Cynder, and thank you everyone. I don't know where I would be without each and everyone of you."
Flame walked into the room soon after and looked towards Spyro. "You ready?" Spyro nodded. "Alright, then when I call for you, just walk out ok? All you have to do is tell people that you're nothing like Malefor and wont ever be like him and why. Think you can do that?"
Spyro nodded. "I think so…. I was kind of hoping to have more time to think of something though."
"Don't worry, if you struggle, I'll be there to help you." Flame reassured before walking out onto the balcony. The moment he did, the crowd started to hush and waited for Flame to speak. Flame looked down upon the crowd, making sure he had the people's attention before starting. "My people of Warfang, I understand that times have been tough, but I seek to remedy this." Several people started to break the silence with shouts of outrage, saying that Flame hasn't done enough and that he needs to be replaced. "People, please calm yourselves, I have something very important to share with you all. Once this is over, if you still have any issues, I'll do everything in my power to fix them." Flame paused again waited for people to quiet down again.
"Good. Now, like I was saying, things have been tough here… people are dying everyday in the streets, and much, much worse, but do any of you know why these things are happening? It's because each and everyone of you here has a fear of the purple dragon. I've heard the rumors that go around Warfang, and I've seen what these rumors have brought. I wanted to make things clear today that none of those things about Spyro is true. I know you have your doubts about my words, but I can promise each and everyone of you that the purple dragon has no intention to follow in Malefor's footsteps.
"But what about the child he killed!" One man shouted, which stirred the rest of the crowed into another uproar.
"What happened was not his fault, but the fault of his upbringing!" Flame shouted above everyone, trying to calm them down again.
"Then who's to say that he won't take his anger out on all of us!" Another person shouted aloud, making several people go into a panic. The guards tensed as people began to shout more and more, saying things like how Flame is doing nothing to stop Spyro or how that Spyro was a menses that needed to be destroyed.
"People, people, please!" Flame shouted again above them all. "If you want proof that Spyro is none of these things, then I shall give it to you, but first I must ask that you all calm down." It took a while, but the crowd's shouts died down to a murmur, till one person spoke out again.
"And how do you plan on doing that?"
Flame turned behind him and nodded towards Spyro, stepping aside so that he could walk up to the balcony and let everyone see him. Spyro gulped nervously again and walked forwards. The crowd gasped, and threats were given to Spyro. "People, please before you do anything rash, please just hear him out." Flame asked the people of Warfang. Though many of them looked like they wanted to storm the building and kill Spyro, they calmed down and let him talk. Flame turned to Spyro and whispered. "Go ahead Spyro, tell them who you are."
Spyro nodded, trying to hide his nervousness as best as he could. "Um… hello everyone… Um as you know, I'm Spyro, the purple dragon... um well you see, I'm nothing like Malefor… Not once have I ever had the intention to hurt someone and I, um promise you all that I wont ever kill another dragon." Terrador cringed after hearing that opening speech, along with most of the crowd below.
"Spyro." Flame whispered to him again. "Try to sound more confident." Spyro just nodded before looking out to the crowd and all he saw were people that wanted him dead, people who probably have done far worse things that what Terrador had ever done to him, people who would be much happier if he were just dead. He froze, and the people in the crowd began to whisper to one another, some questioning why the rumored killer dragon was shaking in fear, while others were starting to panic themselves, fearing that Spyro was going to attack them.
Seeing Spyro freeze, Cynder stepped out and stood beside him. People took a moment to realize who the black dragoness standing beside Spyro was. "Spyro isn't the dragon that you all think that he is. He's made mistakes in the past, but those weren't his fault. You see he-"
"That's Cynder!" Someone shouted among the crowd. "The daughter of Malefor himself! She's here to raise an army against us all!" The crowd began to panic once more.
"Please, everyone stop this! They mean us no harm, you have to believe us!" Flame shouted down below as people started to push and shove each other out of the way as they tried to run for their lives.
"Enough!" Terrador's voice boomed across the town square. Everyone froze and looked up at the green dragon, most of which recognized him instantly, and they all began to question why he was with Spyro and Cynder. "You are all acting like hatchling with this behavior of yours. Spyro only showed up and you are all running around like he has shown you a dead body. Show some respect, and let the boy speak!"
"And why do you defend this monster?" a woman shouted from the crowd.
"I defend him because…" Terrador paused and looked down at Spyro, looking at him with sorrowful eyes, showing the months of regret forming in them. "I defend Spyro because it was my fault that he turned out to be this way." People began to murmur to themselves again but let him continue. Terrador let out a sigh. "Most of you should know who I am. I am Terrador, and I fought against Malefor when he attacked the city and was there when we killed him, but that War took so much from me, so much from all of us. So much so that when me and my mate Nova had our first child and found that we gave birth to the next purple dragon, we vowed to make sure he was treated less than dirt…. What we did to him… they were inhumane. He wasn't even a dragon, in our eyes, but scum that we thought we could take advantage of… then, one day we threw him out… out onto the streets where he had to fend for himself for who knows how long." Terrador spread his wings and flew down to the crowd below, stopping just behind the guards. "Spyro did in fact murder someone, a child if I heard correctly, but that is not his fault. It is mine for twisting his mind and corrupting him. What I had was a chance to make things right and fix the title of purple dragon. They are a gift to us from the ancestors and all we've done to it was make him see the world as an ugly, hateful, rotten place filled with the worst of the worst… but you want to know something? After Spyro had ran away and escaped Warfang, he found me again, and instead of trying to kill me for everything that I did to him, he forgave me…" the crowd looked at Terrador confused, but stayed silent and let him continue.
"I still don't understand why he could possibly do that or why, but even after treating him as worse then a dragonfly, he still found it in himself to forgive me… does that sound like the kind of person that you all have been freaking out about?" Terrador looked behind him and back up at Spyro, and silently gave him the floor again. Spyro smiled back at his father, thankful for his help.
Feeling a bit more courage now that he had Cynder and his father by his side, he began to speak again. "I don't know all the things that Malefor has done to you all, but I know he has done a lot. He's destroyed homes, killed hundreds, both friends and family, and he's betrayed all of dragon kind, but I am not like that, and I promise you all that I don't wish to hurt anyone. I can't even fly, as I was robbed of that to, thanks to my father, and yet still all I want is to live a happy life… I don't know if any of you would understand when I say this, but that's all I want in life. I want people to be happy and I want to be among people who don't see you as less than a being. I don't want to hurt anyone, I don't want people to die. If it will make you all happy… I'll give myself up to you all and I'll let you decide my fate… just please, stop hurting one another." The crowd went silent for a moment, thinking over the words Spyro and Terrador had said.
Flame was the first to speak again. "If anyone has something to say or if there if you want something done to Spyro as payment for his actions, you're free to do so now." No one stepped forwards or said anything. "Good. Now for now this meeting is over, and I want you all to know that Spyro will be staying inside the castle till the time comes were I believe that it is safe for him to walk among people again, however if anyone has anything to say regarding him, then you are free to come to the caste and do so. You may all go home now." Spyro was the first to leave, wanting nothing more than to get out of there as soon as possible, his heart beating quickly due to nervous energy and soon enough the crowd followed, leaving the town square.
Cynder walked up behind Spyro and hugged him "Good job Spyro, I'm very proud of you."
"Thank you Cynder." Spyro gladly hugged her back. "I couldn't have done it without your support."
"Things aren't over yet Spyro." Terrador said as the doors to the balcony were closed behind him by servants.
"Terrador is right" Flame added. "Things aren't going to fix themselves just after this. We will probably have to do several more before people come to their senses, and even then, this could take years"
"I know," Spyro smiled and looked around at all of his friends and family that were with him. "but so long as I have all of you to back me up, I think that we can make it through this."