The Legend of Rune: Forsaken Blood

by Deeth Irteen

Four years have passed since the Malefor Ordeal has ended. Rune is enjoying life in his new home. However, things are not peaceful; new conflics have arisen across the dragon realms. The largest of which is Bergan, a purple dragon, and his daughter Tyrrany, a mysterious white dragoness. Rated M for mature themes and violence.

37. Act 3, Chapter 10

It was hours later.

With most of the affairs handled for the day, Jules was ready to tackle one last meeting. Mimet wouldn't be joining him this time; she had to do her best to make peace with her sister. The other Guardians wouldn't be in attendance either; they were busy with the restoration efforts throughout the city.

The last meeting was to take place in the most peculiar of spots; the deck of the mysterious airship. A table was set up for Jules and the other leaders to take their places. Jules sat at the head of the table, with Flamaedelus seated across from him. Richard the dragonfly floated just to the side of the red drake, with his arms crossed over his chest. They were also joined by Elenar, who had Albanion and Wraith acting as her bodyguards. The both of them had been speaking amongst themselves quietly about Bergan's scroll but held their tongues when the proceedings began.

Madam Nymph was also there, acting as the representative of Aquelia. She'd spent the last few days with her family as they all worked through these trying times. But she just barely managed to draw herself away from this meeting.

Elenar put on a stoic face as she took in the expressions of all the gathered leaders. She'd quietly hoped to bring along Urobos, but he was off holding his own secret meeting with Spyro and Cynder. So, the high queen would just have to make the best of things on her own this time.

The last one to arrive was Tintreon. The lightning king was downright flustered as he flew over the deck of the airship and came to a quick landing. Some of his chosen guards stood nearby; they swore on their lives not to blab about what was to be talked about that evening.

"Are you well, King Tintreon?" Nymph asked as he sat down at the table.

"About as well as my fat guts can be…" He said between pants. "If I may ask… Why are we holding this meeting atop the airship?"

"It seemed the best place to hold a private meeting," Jules said.

"Very well…" The king grumbled. "I just hope we don't take too long; I promised my niece Ember that we'd have dinner together."

"I'm sure we won't take long," Elenar said warmly.

Once everyone was properly seated at the table, all of the leaders lifted their right forepaws in mutual salute. With that done, the General was the first to speak.

"Let's go over the first order of business…" Jules held a stern expression as he stood up tall. He glanced over at Flamaedelus and Nymph. "Where exactly do you stand regarding the attack on Glenhaven?"

Flamaedelus and Nymph exchanged glances and then stood up tall to look the General in the eyes.

"General Jules, I have nothing but revulsion for the atrocity Saul committed here," Flamaedelus said confidently. "The two of us tried to prevent the worst… but we couldn't." The red dragon put a forepaw on his chest. "By my power as acting ruler of Faeshrine, I'll devote as much recourse as I can to the restoration of Glenhaven."

"I pledge the same, as ruler of my own domain," Nymph added. "You have our word, General."

"Hmm…" Jules nodded before wracking his talons on the table. "Will Bergan approve of this?"

"I don't see why he wouldn't," Flamaedelus said. "Bergan was secretly working against Saul from the start."

"I see…"

"So, we have the word that Faeshrine and Aquelia will be backing the restoration," Tintreon said, drawing their attention. "I'll gladly devote my own recourses to the construction efforts. But supplies and a workforce alone aren't going to be enough; we're going to need to commission some blueprints for renovations to the desert city."

"True…" Jules sighed. "It could take months to plan out the construction of a new temple, let alone all the houses and businesses that were destroyed. And it may not be enough time, considering the coming skirmishes."

"Skirmishes?" Tintreon raised an eye ridge.

Jules put on a serious expression. "Although many of Saul's loyal soldiers surrendered, a good number of them fled back to the east. They've surely arrived in Aeroshard's territory by now, and will have reported back to the city's Provisional Government."

"Ah, yes; the Provisional Government…" Flamaedelus scratched his muzzle. "They're the ones who approved of Saul taking the army to march west. And now that he's gone, they'll have much to answer for."

"We don't know if they're planning to launch more attacks, or if they're going to fortify Aeroshard's defenses." Jules continued. "So we need to be ready to send our own soldiers east to counter any possible attacks. We may even have to consider the option of removing the Provisional Government from power."

There was silence in the air as the leaders considered Jules's words. Elenar in particular was growing increasingly unnerved. Jules looked over at her and sighed.

"Is something the matter, Your Grace?"

"I can understand to an extent," Elenar said softly. "If this Provisional Government is composed of warmongers, they need to be put to justice. But who will take their place as the leaders of Aeroshard?"

"I… don't have anyone fully planned," Jules said. "But, I may have an idea, if the rest of you are willing to listen in."

"By all means, put it forth," Flamaedelus replied. "I'm curious."

Jules turned off to the side and glanced at an open door leading into the airship's cabin. The leaders looked over curiously as a bright light from a torch appeared, illuminating an orange-scaled face. The orange dragon stepped out into the light, followed closely by a shadowy dragoness.

Voden and Dona came to a stop before the table of leaders. Dona moved slowly, so as not to disturb her daughter who slept upon her back. The scholar bowed his head, while Dona silently did the same.

"You don't have to bow, you two," Jules said to them.

"Erm, okay…" Voden carefully lifted his head up.

Jules stood up from his seat and walked around to stand beside Voden. He put a forepaw on his shoulder and looked him in the eyes.

"Guardian Voden, you have served Glenhaven dutifully for years as a teacher, scholar, and dear friend," Jules said. "But tonight, I have a… very large task that I must ask you to undergo, along with your wife."

Dona bit her lower lip as she looked at him. "And… what task is that?"

"Guardian Voden, Lady Dona…" Jules looked between the two of them. "I would ask the two of you to venture east to Aeroshard and oversee the replacement of the Provisional Government."

Voden's eyes widened, while Dona took a quick breath.

"You… You would have me overthrow a governing body?" Voden asked.

"They have become corrupt," Jules replied. "As Guardians, we need to put a stop to anyone who may endanger the peace throughout the realms. And once they are removed from authority, we'll need you and your wife to fill the vacuum of power."

"And…" Voden looked around nervously at the other leaders. "Is this acceptable to all of you?"

"You have no objections from me," Elenar said. "As High Queen, I approve of this."

"I'm alright with it as well," Tintreon replied. Flamaedelus and Nymph voiced their own approval.

"So…" Dona looked at Jules with a cold expression. "We are to be your puppet governors."

"That term is a bit too… imprisoning than I would have gone for," Jules replied. "First, we'll need to see to it that the current Provisional Government is overthrown. Then, once all of Saul's loyalists are finally defeated, we'll work on giving you full governing power over the city."

"I see…" Dona sighed. "The people of Aeroshard are going to hate this, you know. They're going to reject the overthrowing of their leaders. There may even be rebellions within Aeroshard's walls to see us pushed out, or worse."

"You won't be sent there alone," Jules said. "We'll send soldiers to act as your fighting force for anyone looking to do you harm."

"How… thoughtful." Dona shook her head and then looked at Voden. "What do you say to all of this, Husband?"

Voden took a deep breath. He draped a wing over Dona's back to shelter Riven. He looked her in the eyes and then grumbled quietly as he looked back at Jules.

"My General, this is a lot to take in at once." He said. "I'd never openly reject a task from you… but I need a bit more time. Dona and I are still… shaken up by all that's happened here. We'd only just arrived, and our home was broken. I can't just leave on the very next morning."

"I understand, my friend," Jules replied. "Take a few days to collect yourselves, and come talk to me at your leisure."

"Thank you, my General." Voden bowed his head again. "For now, Dona and I need to retire for the night, if that's alright with this council."

"Go, get your rest." Tintreon nodded.

Voden bowed his head and then turned to his wife to guide her out. But she stepped around her husband and approached the table with a dour expression.

"Here…" Dona reached into her robes. "I have something for you all."

The shadowy dragoness pulled out a scroll; Tintreon immediately raised an eye ridge upon recognizing it. Dona placed the scroll down on the table and slid it forward to sit between the leaders.

"The blueprints are useless to me now," Dona said quietly. "Make use of it however you want. Build a glorious new palace. I'm sure the Guardians will reign from it for many years."

"Dona…" Elenar said.

Dona didn't respond; she just turned around to stand beside Voden. She held him close with a wing and then summoned forth a pool of shadows from her paws. The shadows spread beneath Voden, who fidgeted nervously. The leaders watched as Dona, Voden, and their daughter all slowly sank down and vanished from sight.

"I must say…" Tintreon said as he looked over the blueprints. "They are the most expertly crafted designs I've ever seen in my life. Not even the moles have created something so precious."

"Hmm..." Jules scratched his chin as he beheld the intricate plans outlined. "They'll no doubt prove handy. But we can study these in the morning." He stamped his paw as he sat back down. "For now, there's one more important order of business; the custody of the prisoners."

Elenar immediately tensed up; this was the moment she'd been dreading asking about from the beginning.

"We'll start with the ones who can move freely of their own accord," Jules said, before glancing at his guards. "Bring them forth!"

Elenar sat back in her seat and quietly offered a prayer to the ancestors. It wasn't long before two young dragons were led out from below the deck of the airship.

Tyrrany looked around nervously at all the leaders. Her talons twitched and her wings shuddered; she never wanted to flee so badly before. But there was nothing she could do; her scales were exposed, and there were guards everywhere.

Flame stayed right by her side the whole time; Despite his shackles, he never let anyone get too close to the white dragoness. As they were led forward, they were followed by a guard who carried a dragonfly contained within a lantern.

"Let me out of here already!" Arthur protested. "This is ridiculous!"

"My boy!" Richard shouted out in shock. The dragonfly flew straight for the lantern and reached in to grasp Arthur's hand.

"Dad!" Arthur cried out as he clutched his father's hand. "It reeks in here!"

Flamaedelus all but leaped up to all fours upon seeing the younger drakes' shackles. "Why are they in chains?!"

"The two boys admitted to being part of Saul's machinations," Jules said calmly. "Along with the dragoness, they had to be placed under lockdown to ensure that they-"

"Those are our sons!" Flamaedelus exclaimed: He pointed a talon at Flame and Arthur before slamming his other forepaw down on the table. "Let them go!" I beg of you!"

"I ask that you calm down, Mr. Flamaedelus." Jules snapped. "If the boy and his dragonfly are yours, then by all means we'll turn them over to you. But surely you understand that they need to face the same accounting as you."

Richard shot Jules a nasty glare, but reluctantly let go of his son's hand to fly back over to Flamaedelus's shoulder.

"Very well…" The red drake struggled to keep his composure. "But what of the heiress?"

"Hmm?" Jules glanced at Tyrrany, who shrank back nervously. The General looked back at the drake. "Elaborate."

"Lady Tyrrany is the daughter of Bergan," Flamaedelus said. "By his will, she is the future ruler of Faeshrine and owner of the FTC. As such, it's my responsibility to look after her."

"True as that may be, there's still the matter of her involvement in Saul's machinations," Jules said aloud. "From what I've been told, this dragoness was directly responsible for an attack on Prince Cyrus in Warfang, and was concocting some sort of plot here in Glenhaven before Saul's attack."

Flamaedelus nervously tugged on his collar. "That… isn't fully untrue."

"And most importantly…" Jules turned to look Elenar in the eyes. "She is your daughter. Is that correct?"

Tyrrany's eyes widened as the truth rang out. She held her tongue and shrank back as all eyes fell on her. She tried to get a read on the High Queen's face, but couldn't tell what she was thinking. Elenar looked back at her so distantly, with her head held high and regal. Their horns were the same, and their faces were similar… but Tyrrany couldn't have been any more unlike this mighty, regal queen. Elenar looked back at Jules, locked eyes with him, and said…

"Yes. She is my daughter. My firstborn child, in fact."

Tyrrany tensed up; she never expected in all her life that the high queen, the one who abandoned her… would just up and claim her without a moment's hesitation.

"Then, as far as I'm concerned, Jules said, "If anyone is to decide what's to become of Tyrrany, then it's you." The General bowed his head to Elenar. "She is your prisoner."

Tyrrany flinched. She looked at Flamaedelus in the hope of support, but all the red drake could do was bite his lower lip and look sadly back at her.

"Bring her before me," Elenar ordered the guards.

At once the guards had Tyrrany march forward. The white dragoness shivered and shook in her chains as she was forced around the table of leaders. Before long, Tyrrany was made to fall back on her haunches before the High Queen, who gazed down at her with that distant gaze once again.

Tyrrany's blood turned icy, and her mind raced to find a means of escape. Everything had led up to a confrontation with the High Queen… but it wasn't supposed to be like this. Tyrrany tried so hard to get on top of things. She followed the orders from her father, and from Saul. She tried to get in the good graces of Prince Rune, all so she could have a chance at confronting Queen Elenar. She shouldn't have wound up like THIS; imprisoned with her snow-white scales exposed for the entire world to see.

"Tyrrany…" Elenar said with a serious expression. The younger dragoness shut her eyes and waited for the terrible judgment to be passed down.

"You're forgiven."

Tyrrany instinctively flinched… only to stop in surprise. The words echoed in her head, and she carefully opened one of her eyes. She wriggled her ear frills, wondering if she'd misheard, or if the queen was playing a cruel joke.

"You have been used as a pawn in a tyrant's game." Elenar continued, her voice growing softer. "I… can't speak for how my sons will treat you after this night. But as for myself, you are…"

Tyrrany could swear that she saw a tear forming in the queen's eye, despite her stoic expression. Eventually, the High Queen took a deep breath and focused intently on the younger dragoness.

"You'll be stripped of your chains, and returned to Flamaedelus's custody." Elenar continued. "And that… is that."

Tyrrany's jaw nearly fell open. Was… was this really happening right now? After everything that Tyrrany had done; all her fighting, scheming… and even failing… she was being granted mercy? By the one person who she hated? The one who abandoned her? And why was the queen looking at her like that? Why was she holding back tears?

The high queen waved her forepaw, and a few guards cautiously approached. They got to work removing the chains on the dragoness. They were quick to move their digits away from the white dragoness's talons and fangs; they likely expected her to slash and bite them instantly. That awoke a bit of anger in Tyrrany's chest, but she did her best to keep calm.

Flame and Arthur were released much quicker. From the moment the lantern was opened, the green dragonfly zoomed through the air to collide with Richard. The two dragonflies hugged each other tenderly, while Flame trotted up quickly to his own father.

Once Tyrrany was free, she walked slowly and cautiously around the High Queen. She kept her head low and tried to ignore the eyes on her back as she made to approach Flamaedelus. Once she was close enough, the adult red drake draped a wing over her back and leaned his head down to whisper to her.

"Thank the Ancestors that you're alright."

Tyrrany bent her head low and fell back onto her haunches. Flame stepped up and draped his own wing over her back to provide some basic protection from the peering eyes.

"Flamaedelus, you're free to go, for now," Jules said to him. "We'll further discuss the plans to use the FTC's funds to start rebuilding Glenhaven on the morrow."

"Very well." The red drake stood up tall.

Richard and Arthur flew around Flamaedelus's shoulders as the red drake turned toward the side of the deck. Flamaedelus looked at each of the leaders in turn, before addressing Nymph.

"I'll see you tomorrow." He said with a nod.

"Indeed." She replied. "We have much work to do."

With that done, Flamaedelus guided Flame and Tyrrany up into the air. He drifted up close to whisper to the heiress.

"We have a spare set of robes for you back at the tavern." He said. "And there will be makeup ready as well, just in case you wish to don a fresh disguise."

"Thanks…" She said halfheartedly.

Elenar watched sadly as Tyrrany left with Flamaedelus and the others. They flew together down to the world below, with the white dragoness hidden from view as best as they could manage. The high queen felt so sad to see her daughter go… but there was still one other child of hers that she needed to look after.

"General Jules," Elenar looked at him with worry. "What of the last prisoner? What… What about Prince Cyrus?"

The General sighed with regret as he turned to face her.

"Your Grace, you know that I'd never mean you any ill will." He said. "You are a good friend and a wise ruler. I'm sure you understand that your son Cyrus can't escape the consequences of his actions."

Elenar flinched, but she said nothing to protest.

"Sources have explained to me that Prince Cyrus launched a surprise attack on the Palace." Jules continued. "He brought flames and waves of crepsculi into school grounds, forcing an evacuation… Now, some could argue that the damage Cyrus caused was minimal compared to the destruction that Saul wrought. And, in a way, Cyrus forcing an evacuation at the time did enable everyone to be out of harm's way when Saul used his magic to lift up the mountain. However…" Jules put his paw on the table. "We can't claim that it was Cyrus's plan; we all know he acted alone. And he must face justice for what he's done."

Elenar shivered from head to tail tip. "Can… Can I negotiate to have him turned into my custody?"

Jules looked back at her sadly. "Allow me to at least tell you the sentence I'd planned for him."

"Very well…" Elenar frowned. She sat down and looked the General in the eyes. "What's to become of my son?"

~~…~~

Just about every bone in Cyrus's body ached.

The prince had passed out and woken up far too many times to count; the last couple of days were practically a fever dream. Every inch of his limbs felt like they were weighed down by iron chains….

Eventually, there came a moment where Cyrus could keep his eyes open for more than an instant. He blinked wearily as he gazed up at a bland ceiling. He was on his back, with his head propped up by some contraption. His limbs were still immobile, but he soon found that it was because they were heavily bandaged. His wrists were shackled to the bedposts, presumably to prevent him from running off. He slowly fidgeted with his talons, and soon found that something was held in his left forepaw. Cyrus turned his head as much as he could… and found Tina seated beside him.

The dark-yellow dragoness looked like she was sleeping, although she kept her own forepaw wrapped in his. And when he moved his digits, it subtly stirred her awake. Tina gave a yawn and then looked over Cyrus's body as if to check that he was still there. And when her eyes met him… her nostrils flared. Cyrus winced as the dragoness sucked in a breath as she drew her head closer to his.

"Cyrus…" She said bitterly. "You… big... idiot."

Cyrus shut his eyes, expecting Tina to lash out or scream at him… but instead, the dragoness sniffled. Cyrus opened his eyes again and found that Tina was crying as she cradled his forepaw.

"Why'd you have to go and let this happen to you?" She yelled as she cried a bit more. "Why did you have to… to…"

Tina sucked in a breath as she fought back more tears. She tried desperately to look angry, but she collapsed and shivered as she held his forepaw tenderly. Cyrus couldn't help but cry as well; he tried to form the right words to say… but he could barely move his lower jaw. His upper jaw was mostly covered in more bandages, while his tongue felt numb. There was nothing Cyrus could say or do… so he just cried as he looked at her.

Tina… I'm sorry. He thought miserably. I'm so sorry.

Tina just looked down at him with a sigh.

"Well, since you're finally awake… I guess you'll need to talk to your family soon."

An hour or so went by as word was sent out to the prince's family.

Several medics came around to check on Cyrus's condition. He learned from idle chatter that he'd been unconscious for two days. After checking to make sure that Cyrus's legs were mended, they removed the bandages and washed down his scales. His tongue was given a bit of medicine so it stopped being numb, though his jaws were still a bit sore. And lastly, they brought the prince a tray of bland food; bread with a bowl of water. Cyrus held his tongue regarding the meal, though he wished he could have some roast chicken or ham. Oh well, he could always enjoy some nice toasted bread with a bit of fire.

Cyrus used a fork to slice a part of the bread off, and then held two talons out to create a spark of flame between them… but it didn't form. Cyrus was confused; he concentrated harder to make the fire, but it still didn't produce a park.

What…?

Cyrus looked at his water bowl; it seemed a bit too warm. He concentrated on the surface of the water to create a bit of ice to cool it off… but no ice formed. What was happening? Why wasn't his magic coming to him? Maybe he just needed to reach within himself to awaken the power; it could have just gone dormant after a tough battle like it used to.

Cyrus reached within his being. He dove deeper… and deeper… and even deeper than he ever had before. But there was nothing; not even the smallest vestige of magical power. His reserves were completely drained; he was EMPTY.

No… Cyrus's pupils shrank. No, no, no…

He didn't have long to worry about this, as the door abruptly opened. Cyrus shivered as Elenar and Urobos stepped into the room. The High Queen and the Sage loomed above the weakened prince with what he guessed were judgmental faces; his eyes were still a bit blurry from crying. He had no clue what they were going to say to him… but it couldn't have been kind. Not after the way he treated the both of them… nor after everything he'd done that led to this point.

"Tina…" Urobos cast a short glance at the dragoness. "Please step out of the room. We need a moment alone with the prince."

"Uh, Yes, Your Grace…" Tina bowed her head and stood up. She frowned sadly down at Cyrus once more, before going around the royal dragons to leave. Cyrus was sad to see her go, but he knew he couldn't do anything to change his grandfather's mind.

"Prince Cyrus, can you speak?" Urobos demanded.

"Y… Yes, Grandfather." He said aloud; his voice was hoarse, and just that sentence alone compelled him to drink more of the water.

"Good." Urobos stepped around the bed, while Elenar stepped to the opposite side.

"Cyrus…" Elenar said coldly. "You've gone too far."

Cyrus flinched. He didn't dare say anything to the contrary. He had visions of his assault on the arena of the palace flashing before his eyes painfully reminding him of how far he'd fallen.

"We've spoken to General Jules, regarding the damage you brought upon Glenhaven Palace." Elenar continued. "And a sentence has been passed."

Cyrus's eyes widened with dread; what were the Guardians going to do to him? What would the city think of him, after everything that's happened?

"Prince Cyrus…" Elenar leaned her head down. "Once you have fully recovered, you are to enter indentured servitude to the Glenhaven Guardians."

Cyrus wasn't sure what she meant, but it made his heart sink regardless.

"You are to obey the Guardians, especially General Jules and Lady Mimet." The queen continued. "You will assist them in all efforts to rebuild Glenhaven. And you will not be allowed to leave the city until they say different."

Cyrus's eyes widened again. He was… to stay in Glenhaven? He couldn't return home to Warfang? How long would it last to rebuild the city? Wait… rebuild the city?

"I…" Cyrus's eyes threatened to burst with tears as he shuddered from head to tail. "I destroyed Glenhaven?"

Elenar and Urobos exchanged glances, and then the two of them looked down at Cyrus with pity.

"No, Cyrus," Elenar said, just a bit softer than before. "The destruction was perpetrated by the late General Saul. But…" She held a stern expression. "We have all been made aware of what you did inside the Palace."

Cyrus shuddered, and he bent his head in shame.

"I just… don't understand why you did it." Elenar glared a bit at him. "Was the corruption of Convexity really so strong that it infected your mind to that degree?" The queen fanned her wings out a bit. "Why would you attack so many innocent students?! How could you do that?! Why would you do that?!"

"I…" Cyrus stammered.

His mind scrambled to find some reason, some explanation for why he did what he did… but ultimately, he was just fooling himself. There was no excuse; he knew as plain as day why he did what he did.

"I…" Cyrus shut his eyes as his heart sank in defeat. "I'm a monster."

Elenar paused in shock. She looked at Urobos, who was just as surprised.

"I… I don't have any excuses, Mom." Cyrus said as he cried. "I wanted to be big and strong so badly, that I didn't care who I hurt. I betrayed my friends… I scared so many students…" The prince's entire body shivered as he bawled out. "I even hurt Rune!"

"Cyrus…" Elenar said as she stepped closer.

"I said so many awful things, all because I was so angry about the way I look!" Cyrus's voice cracked as he wiped his eyes. "When Bergan offered a chance to get muscular, I jumped at it! I let myself become a big brute… and I was ready to attack anyone who came at me! I went looking for a fight, so I could prove that I was FINALLY someone strong. And I was so scared of losing my muscles, that I even took a whole bunch MORE Convexity from that Bulb creep!"

"What?" Elenar balked in alarm.

"He was a… Oh, it doesn't matter who he is…" Cyrus wiped his eyes yet again. "The point is that I was a sucker. I took all of that Convexity to turn into the biggest monster I could be. I thought I was finally strong: I thought I'd finally achieved what I wanted… but even that wasn't enough to fight Saul."

Cyrus cried even more.

"I burned so many bridges, just to reach a chance to fight General Saul… and it wasn't enough," Cyrus said miserably. "He beat me down like it was nothing… and he stole all the convexity I had… no, not just the convexity." Cyrus locked eyes with his mother. "It's all gone."

"What?" Elenar stepped closer. "What's gone?"

"My magic is gone," Cyrus said miserably. "Saul stole every last scrap of magical energy I had. And now…" Cyrus shut his eyes and trembled. "…now I'm just as worthless as I look."

"CYRUS!" Elenar yelled.

"Don't say that!" Urobos snapped.

Cyrus flinched and held his tongue. There was silence for a moment… followed by sniffling. The prince opened his eyes to see his mother and grandfather crying.

"Neither of us has ever thought you were worthless, boy." Urobos glared through his tears. "Don't you know how much you mean to us?"

"But…" Cyrus began to say, only to stop when Elenar gently held his head with a paw.

"I'm sorry that you haven't been happy with the way you turned out." She said softly. "You deserve to be happy and confident in yourself. But Convexity wasn't the right way to become who you wanted to be. There was always going to be a steep price for meddling with Convexity."

"Mom…"

"Your grandfather and I weren't the only ones who have been worried sick about you…" Elenar turned toward the door. "Others are waiting to see you, Cyrus."

"There are?"

The queen nodded to Urobos, who stood up and walked over to the door. He carefully grasped the knob to pull it open… which resulted in several young dragons collapsing onto the floor. Urobos raised an eye ridge as Holly, Brisa, and Ricin fumbled around.

"Guys, get off me…" Ricin protested.

"Stop kicking me, and I'll move." Brisa stuck her tongue out.

Those three weren't the only ones. Standing just behind them were Tina, Chalice… and Rune. All of the young dragons looked at Cyrus with dread and worry, especially his brother.

One look at Rune's face was more than enough to remind Cyrus of all the things he'd said and done since bursting with flames into that arena. And he also couldn't help but think about all the cruel things he said to Rune during their… battles. Cyrus's heart was wracked with guilt, and he looked away in shame…

…only for a quick blow to his belly to knock the wind out of him.

"Cyrus!" Ricin yelled loudly as his eyes flowed with tears.

Ricin had rushed forward to slam into Cyrus to hug his belly. Ricin buried his muzzle in the prince's chest and shook miserably. Back at the doorway, Holly helped Brisa onto her paws, and the two of them led the other teenagers into the room.

"Thank the Ancestors you're okay!" Ricin continued to cry as he hugged the prince. "I owe you so much, Cyrus! So much!"

"R-Ricin…" Cyrus's cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

Elenar looked down incredulously at the indigo drake. "What's gotten into you?"

"Your Grace…" Ricin wiped his eyes as he turned toward Elenar. "Cyrus saved my life! He saved my life!"

Elenar gasped. "He did?"

"Yeah…" Brisa rubbed her upper foreleg. "It was back in Convexity, Ma'am…"

The apprentices took a moment to describe how Ricin was shot with a blowdart on the stone platform. They recalled that the indigo drake stumbled into the void, only for Cyrus to dive in after him to teleport the both of them back to safety.

"I'd probably still be freefalling in that abyss if it wasn't for you!" Ricin exclaimed as he hugged Cyrus once again. "You've always been the very best for a reason!"

"G-Give me a break…" Cyrus tried to look away. "I… I only did what anyone would have done."

"No matter what anyone says…" Ricin wiped his eyes and smiled. "You'll always be my hero."

"Mine too." Said a familiar voice.

Cyrus looked all around until he spotted someone rising up from a shadow beside his cot. Just as he suspected, Ozul appeared from the shadows to smile at the prince.

"I always knew you'd come around again," Ozul said as he patted Cyrus's side. "It was just a matter of when."

"Err…" Cyrus bit his lower lip. "Th-thanks, Ozzie."

"But you're still too full of hot air," Brisa said indignantly. "And I haven't forgotten all of the nasty stuff you said to us."

"I… I haven't either." Cyrus grimaced. "I'm sorry I hurt you, Brisa. And you too, Holly." He glanced between both dragonesses. "You didn't deserve any of that. I'll never say stuff like that to you girls again."

"It's okay." Holly smiled at him. "I know you've been through a lot, Cyrus. I forgive you!"

"Well, I haven't yet." Brisa snorted. "But… that's a start, at least."

"Pardon…" Said Chalice. Cyrus looked over to see the grey dragon stepping around the younger apprentices to approach the bed. They sighed and then looked over at Cyrus. "There's a lot that I tried to tell you from the start; I just wished you'd listened to me."

Cyrus snorted. "Chal-"

Chalice leaned forward and poked Cyrus between the eyes with a digit. The prince groaned as he rubbed his forehead with gnashed fangs. "Hey, what gives?!"

"Just listen for a moment." Chalice snapped. "I've been trying to get you to realize your showboating was only going to push everyone away. Now you've gone and gotten yourself corrupted and returned to normal again… TWICE, from what everyone's said." The dragon stamped their paw. "But even if you make even more stupid decisions, I'm not going to stop chatting your ear frills off."

"Chal…" Cyrus grimaced and leaned back.

"I am one of the oldest apprentices." Chalice declared. "King Baneth picked me to be the one to keep an eye on you. And I'll honor his decision for the rest of my life." They puffed out their chest. "Next time, I'm not letting myself get dragged into a weird portal; I'll fight fang and claw to stay by your side, and keep you from getting corrupted ever again. Even if you hate me, I'll never stop protecting you!"

Cyrus turned pale. "I… Uh… Th-Thanks?"

While the apprentices spoke with Cyrus, Rune turned to glance up at Elenar.

"Mother, is what you said earlier correct?" He asked as he stepped closer. "Cyrus has to remain in Glenhaven until the city is fully repaired?"

"It also depends on when General Jules decides to declare his sentence fulfilled." Elenar flapped her wings. "But that's about correct, Rune."

"In that case…" Rune sucked in a breath and looked his mother in the eyes. "I've made a decision, Mother: I'm going to remain in Glenhaven for as long as he does."

Everyone gasped at the declaration. Cyrus in particular flinched as if the wind had been pulled out from under his wings.

"Wh-What?" Elenar asked incredulously.

"I can't just leave in six months." Rune flapped his own wings. "Even if he's supposed to serve out a punishment, I won't leave Cyrus behind." The prince stamped his paw. "I'll stick right beside him through it all. And one day, we'll return to Warfang TOGETHER."

"Rune…" Urobos turned to put a forepaw on the prince's shoulder. "Are you really sure you want to do this? It could be well over a year before much of Glenhaven is repaired."

"I'm sure, Grandfather." Rune carefully moved Urobos's paw away. He then stepped around everyone to approach Cyrus. "I'm very sure."

Cyrus looked up anxiously at Rune. Rune looked over his brother's body; much of his scales were covered in scars from where Saul had attacked him. It made the taller prince flinch, before glancing over his own scars. With a sigh, Rune looked his brother in the eye and put on a little smile.

"I'll never give up on you, Cyrus," Rune said as he put a foreleg behind his brother's head. "I'll be right by your side. I'll help you get your magical power back. And then, I'll help you rebuild Glenhaven."

"Rune…" Cyrus blushed again and then cried a bit.

Rune pulled his brother into a hug, and shed a few of his own tears. Most of the apprentices smiled at the sight, with Ricin being just a little jealous.

"Just so you're aware…" Rune leaned in to whisper into Cyrus's ear frill. "You still have to apologize to Helianne and Lantel, too."

"I know, I know…" Cyrus grimaced a bit as Rune pulled just a bit tighter. "I'll say sorry when I see them next."

Rune snorted in amusement as he loosened the hug a little. Behind them, Urobos stamped his paw to get everyone's attention.

"Alright then, I think we've gotten to the heart of the matter now." The old drake looked down at the teenagers. "Apprentices, I want all of you to report back to the prairie to resume helping your teachers with whatever matters they need."

"Yes, Elder Urobos." They all bowed in unison.

"Bye, Shorty…" Tina leaned in to plant a kiss on Cyrus's muzzle. "I'll see you later, dummy."

"Bye…" Cyrus said with a flushing face.

One by one, the apprentices filed out of the room, leaving the princes, queen, and elder behind. Once the apprentices were gone, Urobos stretched out his back and sighed.

"Cyrus, despite everything that's happened, including your impending servitude…" Urobos relaxed his features and put on a smile. "I'm just really glad that you've returned to us."

Rune let go of Cyrus, who bowed his head to the elder. "I'll… I'll try to be better from now on, Grandfather."

"I trust you will…" Elenar sighed. "Now… there's one other thing I wish to learn from you."

"There is?" Cyrus's eyes widened.

"Yes." The queen put on a stern expression. "I want you to tell me everything you know about the thug named Bulb."

Cyrus paused for only a moment… and then he sneered.

"Gladly."

~~…~~

It was getting late.

The Guardians had their work cut out for them; they'd already had trouble accommodating all of the citizens of Glenhaven who'd last their homes. It was an entirely different matter to find a place to shelter over a hundred young dragons from another city. But they weren't about to turn away those that needed them. Thus, they started making use of all the free space they could acquire in the prairie.

Hontus had to set aside time with his family to help organize things. He brought along Blankridge to aid in the efforts to get everyone settled.

"Make sure you do your best, Blank." The Guardian lightly patted his son on the head. "Do a good enough job and I'll see if I can convince your mother to let you go on another adventure soon."

"R-really?" Blankridge asked with stars in his eyes. "You can count on me, Dad!"

"That's good. But remember to-"

Blankridge ran off at high speed, much to Hontus's chagrin. He put a paw over his eye as he blew smoke from his muzzle in irritation.

"…to mind your manners." He finished with a grunt.

~~…~~

Much of the northern side was made the space to set up temporary tents. Rows upon rows of them were set up with individual bunks for the younglings to rest their heads for the night… but not before they were brought over to the pavilions to be served dinner. It wouldn't do for children to go hungry, after all.

Cooks and chefs were called in from the adjacent marketplace to spare any dinner rations that they could. This resulted in quite a lot of makeshift soups being served in second-hand bowls. Most of the students were a bit unhappy; nobody was, really.

But one group that did their best to keep their spirits up was the apprentices.

Holly, Brisa, Ricin, and Ozul were gathered around one of the benches in the northernmost pavilion. They'd come back from visiting Cyrus in the clinic a short while ago and were now passing the time before the curfew. Tina had stayed behind with Cyrus to keep an eye on him. Meanwhile, Chalice had gone off to offer their assistance to the Guardians handing out supplies. Rune wasn't around either; he'd left to go be with his foster family for the night.

Brisa had asked around the locals and managed to find an ocarina to borrow. She played a few idle notes into the air, all while swaying her tail. Ricin had come upon a quill pen, an ink bottle, and a roll of blank parchment. She tapped the quill against his chin as he tried to think of what to write. But he found it a bit hard to concentrate as Brisa blew out a few sour notes his way.

Across the table, Holly was fidgeting in place with a dour expression. She looked all around as she tried to think of what she could do. She looked over at Ozul, who was passing the time by burying his head into a random textbook.

"Ozul, what are you doing?" Holly asked him.

"Studying." He said as he turned a page.

"Wha…?" She blinked in confusion. "Studying? For WHAT?"

"For anything, I guess." Ozul shrugged as he turned a page. "It's a nice way to pass the time.

"But that's so boooooooring…" Holly said dramatically; she flopped over and landed her head before Ozul's book. "Why don't we do something else?"

"Err…" Ozul raised an eye ridge at her. "You could always go find someone new to talk to."

"But why do that, when you're right here beside me?" She fluttered her eyes playfully at him. "There's lots of interesting things that we could do, in a big green field like this."

Ozul sighed and put his book down. He was about to say something when a little dragoness cried out behind him.

"Ozie!"

All four of the apprentices sat up in surprise. They turned and looked in time to see the dragoness trotting up to drape her wings about Ozul's back. He looked down at her in surprise before gently hugging her.

"Layla?" He asked with concern. "I thought you were taking a nap?"

"I…" She sniffled as she wiped her eyes. "I had a bad dream. We were all in a big scary place. There was nighttime everywhere… and a lot of mean dragons were making fun of me."

Brisa, Holly, and Ricin all exchanged glances; they still seethed in frustration at the very thought of the Crazy Aces, and the purple dragon Bergan. Brisa looked ready to punch someone in the eye, while Ricin gripped his quill aggressively. Holly did her best to remain calm, as she watched Layla sniffling into her brother's wing.

"Everything got very shaky and scary…" Layla continued. "It was so loud, too."

Ozul tenderly hugged his sister. "Ssshhhh… It's okay. You're safe and sound, Where nobody can hurt you."

"We're safe?" Layla wiped her eyes and looked up at her brother. "Is… Is Mommy here?"

Everyone else turned silent, and they all frowned at Layla. The crimson dragoness looked all around with hopeful eyes.

"Layla…" Ozul came up and carefully hugged her with a wing. "Mom's not here."

Her expression weakened, and she sniffled. "Wh-What?"

"Mom's up north, in Warfang," Ozul said calmly.

"But…" Her ear frills drooped as she got doe-eyed. "But I want Mommy."

"I know…" Ozul hugged his sister carefully. "I want her, too."

Layla cried as her brother held her tenderly. Everyone else frowned as Ozul did his best to comfort her. The shadow drake rocked back and forth as he tried his best to make his sister feel better… while the other three apprentices all got an idea at the same time. They looked at one another, nodded, and got to work…

"Hey, Layla?" Called Holly with a sweet voice. "Look!"

Layla wiped her eyes again and looked in Holly's direction… and saw a drawing held up in the air.

Ricin had quickly drawn the crude picture of a dragon; specifically one of Cynder as a young dragoness. He then moved the picture back and forth in a rhythmic fashion. As he did so, Brisa stood behind him and blew a few notes on her ocarina in time with his movements.

"It is I, Cynder!" Holly declared, standing behind Ricin and putting on a voice. "I'm off on an adventure to save the day!"

Layla looked at the picture in surprise… and then smiled. She happily giggled as she watched Ricin's picture dance around.

"Oh, look!" Holly called; she even went so far as to point with a talon, while shielding her eyes with a wing. "There's a monster standing beyond that hill! What could it be?"

At the same time, Brisa quickly took Ricin's picture to hold it up as he hurriedly prepared a spare sheet. Layla, meanwhile, climbed up onto her brother's watch to more directly watch.

"Is it… a grublin?" Holly asked, still pretending to be Cynder. "Is it… a two-headed ape?"

Layla giggled. "It's a Dreadwing!"

The moment she said that Ricin was hard at work drawing a makeshift dreadwing. He then held it up against the first drawing and shook it around.

"Shriek!" He said in an exaggerated tone. "I am a dreadwing! And I will steal all the gems because I'm a meanie!"

Ricin winked at Brisa, and the wind dragoness got to work playing her ocarina. She played a standard battle hymn, meant to inspire wind soldiers to march confidently into battle. It was the perfect tune for Cynder to do battle with a dreadwing. Holly and Ricin had their doodles "fight" by swinging their pages around and "crashing" into one another. This did well to make Layla giggle and clap her little paws together.

"Go, Cynder, go!" She cried.

Holly smiled; she had her doodle wind back, before "crashing" into the dreadwing to send it falling over onto its back.

"Aha! I've defeated the dreadwing!" Holly declared. "But wait, what's this? Somebody was tied up in the dreadwing's cave! But who?"

Ricin grinned; he reached for his quill just as the crimson dragoness's eyes beamed.

"Spyro!"

Right away, Ricin whipped up a doodle of the purple hero. He held it up and cleared his throat to put on his best impression.

"Thank you for releasing me!"

"And now, we're on a quest to defeat our greatest foe yet!" Holly pointed her tail tip into the air as she swayed the Cynder doodle around. "It is the great… the fearsome… the terrible…"

"Gnasty Gnorc!" Layla cried out.

Brisa nearly dropped her ocarina. Holly and Ricin nearly lost their grip on their doodles. They all looked at each other in absolute confusion.

"Uhh, Layla…" Ozul looked down at her sister. "What… What did you say the bad guy's name is?"

"Gnasty Gnorc!" Layla wagged her tail as she said it again.

Holly and Brisa looked at Ricin for some hope, but the indigo drake just stammered in absolute befuddlement.

"Err… Uhh…" He bit his lower lip. "What's a g-norc?"

And that's when a new voice caught everyone off-guard.

"I am a gnorc!"

All of a sudden, a new piece of parchment appeared beside Spyro and Cynder. All of the apprentices were stunned as the newcomer waved theirs around in a playful fashion. It depicted a crude drawing of a strange, brutish figure. It wore garish yellow armor and had comically large fangs protruding from his big mouth. The figure was posed mid-swing, with a giant club covered in spikes. And behind the picture, an orange had the widest smile as he played along.

"I am Gnasty Gnorc!" Blankridge declared in a deep, gravely voice. "The G-nastiest G-norc there ever was!"

"Noooo…" Layla said; she had a beaming smile and struggled not to giggle.

"You dare venture into my lair, dragons?!" Blankridge held his drawing up. "Your time is NIGH!"

Holly, Brisa, and Ricin just looked at each other. None of them wanted to end the little performance, so they did their best to get back into character.

"The realms will not fall to you, villain!" Ricin exclaimed as he rocked his Spyro doodle back and forth.

"This world does not belong to a creature as… simple as you!" Holly added.

"Simple?" Blankridge asked dramatically.

"A being such as yourself is no threat to the dragon kingdom!" Ricin inched his doodle closer to Blankridge's.

"No threat?" Blankridge tilted his gnorc doodle as if it was thinking.

"After all…" Holly couldn't help but chortle as she inched her Cynder doodle over to Spyro. "You're ugly."

"Ugly?" Blankridge had his doodle "jump" in place. "That does it! Have at you!"

Brisa smirked, before taking in a deep breath and playing the most exaggerated battle theme she could think of. Holly and Ricin had their doodles "clash" against Blankridge's gnorc. It was… honestly a little silly; Holly and Ricin weren't sure if they could keep up with the sheer, raw energy that Blankridge put into his role as the gnorc. But he seemed to know when to keep from overdoing it, as he timed most of his movements to sync up with Brisa's music. And when her music naturally reached its climax, Holly and Ricin had their doodles deal the "finishing blow" to gnorc, which stood in place the whole time.

"Nooooooo!" Blankridge shook his doodle all around, before slinking down toward the ground and bringing his doodle slowly down with him. "You haven't seen the last of ME!"

"The world is saved!" Holly said happily as she held her doodle up high. "All thanks to Cynder!"

"…And Spyro." Ricin quickly held his doodle up. "I helped too."

Layla clapped her paws… as did several other young dragons behind her. All of the apprentices quizzically looked back behind Layla. A crowd of a dozen or so younger dragons had turned up to watch the performance, and they all enjoyed it just as much as Layla.

Blankridge stood up and bowed proudly to the crowd, while the apprentices were left stunned for a moment. But then, Holly couldn't help but giggle as she bowed as well. Ricin and Brisa shrugged at each other and joined in. Ozul had shrunk down shyly when he noticed the crowd; he'd nearly slipped into his shadow when Layla hugged his wing again.

"Big Brother…" She said as she yawned a little. "I'm sleepy."

Ozul sighed, and he emerged up and out of his shadow. He stood up from his seat, gathered his belongings, and nudged his sister to walk beside him.

"Come on, Layla; I'll take you to your tent." He said quietly. He walked around the table and waved a wing at his friends. "I'll see you all tomorrow, guys."

"See ya!" Blankridge eagerly waved at him. This left Ozul taken aback, and he hurriedly picked up his pace with Layla to make for the tents. After that, the crowd of young dragons dispersed and went about whatever they were doing.

Blankridge just blinked and then shrugged. "What'd I say?"

"Oh, don't mind him." Brisa lightly nudged the orange drake in the shoulder. "He always gets that way around new people."

"Well, that's a shame." He sat down at the table. "You guys are Rune's friends. And Rune's one of my BEST friends." He wracked his talons on the table. "So I just kinda guess that WE could all be friends, you know?"

"Hey, that sounds fine to me." Holly beamed.

"You're that Blankridge guy, right?" Ricin asked. "Rune's foster bro?"

"Yep."

"Well don't get me wrong, but what are you doing out here?"

"Oh, I was helping my dad with the relief efforts," Blankridge said as he sat down. "He told me to go see if there was any way I could help the younger folks out. I saw your little show… and couldn't help myself." He rubbed his head with a wing-thumb. "Sorry if I butted into what you were doing."

"Nah, it was great." Ricin reached down and picked up Blank's doodle. "This thing is pretty weird. How did you know what a gnorc was?"

"Oh, you mean Gnasty Gnorc?" Blankridge looked down at it. "It was something from some obscure adventure that Spyro and Cynder went on before they settled down and got married."

"Really?" Ricin looked over the picture again. "But I've never heard of it."

"Like I said, it was something that most people don't care about these days…" Blankridge shrugged. "Usually it's reserved for storybooks for the little kiddies."

"Ah, so that's how Layla heard of it," Holly said, scooting up close to get her own look at it. "I'll bet it was from one of her favorite stories before bedtime."

"Yeah, it's a cute monster, for a cute kid.." Blankridge nodded. "But really, it pales in comparison to a horde of headless skeletons."

"Headless skeletons?" Brisa repeated dubiously.

"Yep…" Blankridge raised an eye ridge. "Form a secret desert ruin."

"Desert ruin?" Ricin's eyes widened.

"Which were guarding an ancient airship…" Blankridge turned his eyes toward the sky. "That one, in fact."

Holly, Brisa, and Ricin all looked up at the night sky and spotted the airship floating ominously over the city. They all glanced back at Blankridge, who had the proudest grin he'd ever had.

"Wanna hear about how I found it?"

"YOU?" Brisa exclaimed as she pointed up at the distant vessel. "YOU… found THAT."

"Uh-huh."

"In a desert ruin… filled with headless skeletons."

"Animated headless skeletons." Blankridge shook in anticipation of recounting the whole tale. "And they were animated by a very ANGRY skeleton with magic powers."

Brisa looked him in the eyes with a glare, but also a smirk. "You're full of it."

"Nah, I'm bad at lying." Blankridge shook his tail around.

"Well, fine then…" Brisa scooted in to sit down next to Blankridge. "Tell us about it."

Ricin and Holly walked around to sit down on the other side of the bench; all of their eyes were on the orange dragon. He took a moment to check the nearby clocktower (which had miraculously been repaired just hours prior). Once Blankridge was sure he had time before curfew, he looked into each of the apprentices' eyes; he'd never felt so much joy.

"Well…" He put on a dramatic voice, as he reached out for a quill and a piece of parchment. "It all started at midday when our hero and his merry band of adventurers went on a quest to explore some ruins…"

~~…~~

It was time for Tyrrany and her friends to finally relax again.

Flamaedelus and Richard. guided the teenagers straight to the tavern, making sure that nobody spotted Tyrrany's scales. Once they were safe, they rented out a room specifically for the heiress to stay in alone, while everyone else shared the adjacent room.

Tyrrany was swiftly provided with a new set of robes and a container of purple makeup. After a quick bath, the heiress dressed herself down in her old usual way before a mirror. Soon, she was gazing back at herself like she always did in Faeshrine.

After days of being held in custody, it felt relaxing to be back in the lap of luxury… or at least a facsimile of it. She ordered some food, which Flamaedelus provided her with swiftly. After that, Tyrrany was left on her own… with nothing to do, in this big empty tavern bedroom.

Tyrrany sat on her haunches before the lone window of the bedroom. She'd parted the curtains and gazed out at a view of an empty city street. The street ended abruptly with a massive pile of rubble and debris; the authorities hadn't fully cleaned up this street yet. It wasn't much of a view… but at least nobody was snooping around to spy on her.

Tyrrany gazed out as the afternoon sun turned to night… and night turned to the witching hour. Her talons twitched, and she instinctively reached for her bow. But it wasn't there anymore; Saul had seen to that. She sighed heavily as she tried to make sense of everything that had happened.

Knock-knock-knock.

Tyrrany pulled up her hood and gazed at the front door. She kept her head low as she stepped over to open it just enough to peer outside. It was Flame, crouched down and whispering so as not to draw too much attention.

"Hey." He said.

"Hi… Tyrrany said dubiously. "What is it?"

"I just… wanted to see if you were settling in well." Flame said. "Is… everything the way you like it?"

"I… I guess so." She backed up and opened the door a bit. Flame smiled before walking inside.

"Where's Arthur?" Tyrrany asked as she closed and locked the door.

"He's with his dad in the other room." Flame said. "Apparently he wanted to talk about dragonfly things, whatever that means."

"Heh…" Tyrrany gave a small laugh. "I'll bet he made it up."

Tyrrany and Flame sat in silence for a while. The heiress stared out the window at the starry sky. She took a few breaths, and glanced over at Flame; he was connecting stars to form constellations in his mind. Tyrrany's talons wracked against the floor, and her chest felt pressure. There was so much she wanted to say… so, why not start now?

"I… I don't know what I'm going to do." Tyrrany said. "All of General Saul's plans have fallen apart. He… He destroyed his own kingdom." She shuddered. "The Crazy Aces are all captured. Prince Jonathan has been exiled, and I…" Tyrrany wracked her talons on the floor. "I… I was pardoned."

"That's… That's good, right?" Flame asked. "You've been forgiven. After my dad squares things off properly with the Guardians, we can just go back home and put all of this behind us." He smiled at her. "We can just go home."

Tyrrany was silent for a while. Flame's smile faded, and he fell back cautiously. "Annie?"

"It just… doesn't make sense." Tyrrany took a deep breath as her eyes teared up. "Father sent me here on a mission, but everything fell apart." She held a forepaw out as she cried a little more. "So much just spiraled out of control… but Father never mentioned any of it. And my violin. I…" She cried a little harder. "I lost my violin."

Flame scooted a bit closer. "Annie."

"I did everything I thought I was supposed to… and still failed" Tyrrany put her forepaw down and sniffled. "And the Queen… she had me brought before her on a silver platter. And she just… let me go?"

"Annie…"

"Did… Did Father know I was going to fail?" Tyrrany shuddered. "Did he know from the beginning that Saul's plan was doomed? Then why did he have me come all the way out here?" She shook in place as she grasped her head. "It just… doesn't make sense." She cried harder. "Nothing I did on this mission mattered; Saul ruined EVERYTHING, and Elenar won. Now I'm just… stuck." She bent her head low as she cried more. "I have no purpose."

Tyrrany cried for several moments as her whole body shook. Never before had she felt such a crushing weight on her heart. She kept repeating all of her failures over in her head; every mistake, every bad choice of words, every fumble in battle. That was all she had to show for her grand adventure from Faeshrine.

"Annie… I love you."

Tyrrany flinched, and she looked up at him. She narrowed her eyes in a desperate attempt to look stoic, but she was sniffling and crying too much for it to work.

"I know you never wanted me to say it out loud." Flame said. "And I know this may not be the best time to say it… but I don't even know when that is." He stepped closer to her as he tried not to join her in crying. "So all I can do is just SAY IT."

"Flame…" Tyrrany said quietly.

He wiped his eyes and tried to keep his composure.

"You have no idea how much it hurts, having so many people tell me that I'll never have a chance." Flame said with a slight crack in his voice. "The senior partners always went on about how I'm the son of the vice president; it would be 'unjust nepotism' for me to pursue the heir to the company…" He tapped a talon on the floor and looked out the window. "Mother and Father always told me that I'd only ever get my heart broken if I kept feeling the way I did. That I needed to find another girl, and just… accept that you'd never like me back. But even so…" Flame turned to look Tyrrany in the eyes. "I love you. I swore that I'd always look after you, and go with you to keep you safe. I don't know how different things would have been if you let me join you, but I would have given all that I have to help you."

"Flame…" Tyrrany fell back onto her haunches as she wiped her eyes. There was a pause as she tried to find the right words, but she couldn't work up the courage. Flame just sighed and looked down at his paws for a moment.

"Whether it's my place to say or not… you deserve to find your own purpose." Flame said. "This doesn't have to be considered a failure. Maybe you could do something new; find a new instrument, or learn something from the locals. Turn this whole thing into an opportunity to find something to make you happy." Flame looked at her with worried eyes. "I just… I just want you to be happy, Annie."

"Flame… I love you, too."

Once again, the two of them were silent. Flame and Tyrrany looked into each other's eyes through their tears. The heiress wiped her paws as her lip quivered. After a while, Flame's jaw fell open. He waited for her to remark that it was a joke, or that she was being sarcastic. But no… Tyrrany had finally said those forbidden words. She sucked in her own breath and carefully clamped Flame's muzzle shut.

"You… You…" Flame blinked a few times. "You love me?"

"Of course I do." Tyrrany nodded her head as she cried a little more. "And no, I don't mean as just a friend."

"You…" Flame stammered. "But… But then why put up with Jonathan for all that time?"

Tyrrany frowned, and she looked down at her paws miserably.

"Because my father arranged us, Flame." She said in a resigned voice. "He planned for this. And when my father plans on something, then it's a good idea to listen to him. At least… that's what I thought."

"Annie…" Flame frowned.

"And what the senior partners said is right…" Tyrrany shook a bit. "They're concerned with the future of the company. And I'M the future. They don't like how Flamaedelus undermines them, and they don't want YOU to get in the way. They wouldn't like it if we became an item."

"So…" Flame tilted his head. "You've thought of us as an item?"

Tyrrany sniffled. She looked back up at Flame and struggled to keep her composure.

"Of course," Tyrrany said with a cracking voice. "You're the only one who makes me feel… not ugly."

Flame flinched, and then winced. Tyrrany inched a bit closer to Flame and struggled to keep from wrapping her forelegs around him.

"If there were no duties, or rules, or anything standing in the way…" She brought her voice to a whisper. "I'd choose you in a heartbeat. I… I love you, Flame. I wish I could be yours."

"Well… there isn't anything standing in the way NOW."

Tyrrany's eyes shot open. She had a flushing face as she looked Flame in the eyes. He smiled at her and leaned in to nuzzle her on the forehead. Tyrrany felt something stirring within herself. The way she felt as she looked at him…

What happened next was a bit of a haze. Tyrrany wasn't sure if she'd said something or Flame had said something else. But soon after, Tyrrany was on her back, and she felt Flame embrace her from top to bottom. The blanket covered the both of them and when Tyrrany eventually went to sleep… it was the happiest sleep she'd had in a long time.

Flame…

~~…~~

The time had come to discuss the matters of Bergan's scroll.

Elenar and Urobos had returned to the airship along with Wraith and Albanion. Jules had returned as well, though he struggled to keep himself awake. They were joined by two others, who stood in the shadows and waited for most other dragons to vacate the area before emerging. Spyro and Cynder stepped out from below deck and sat themselves down across from the others.

Elenar put the scroll down on the table and broke the seal. She gazed around at the faces of the other six dragons and waited for their full attention. Jules needed a moment to get used to being so close to the two heroes; he'd had to do double-takes ever since he fully realized they were present during the battle against Saul's army.

"Keep your wits about you, General," Cynder said as she stuck her tongue out at him. "We won't be in town forever."

"R-Right…" Jules cleared his throat and tried to steel his expression. "Forgive me."

"That's enough dawdle," Spyro said as he focused his gaze on Bergan's scroll. "Let's hear what he has to say."

Elenar nodded; she hefted up the scroll and cleared her throat as she read it aloud:

Dearest friends,

What I have to say is rather urgent, and more than a little… humbling. Now, as of the time of this writing, I'm more than aware of my failure to prevent a tragedy in Glenhaven. Buildings destroyed and the lives slain are devastating to consider, and I'm well and truly sorry for all that's lost. However, as painful as it may be to consider, the damage done was merely a prelude to what's threatening to come next.

Again, as of this writing, the Well of Souls has grown unstable. Tears in the magical fabrics surrounding the pit are growing in number. I've done everything in my power to seal the tears, but they're becoming an incredible nuisance. My magical reserves are far from infinite, and I won't dare to drink of the convexity leaking through for a quick recharge; not with how volatile the area has become.

And that brings me to this letter. I'm well aware that we don't exactly see eye to eye on matters about the fate of the realms. However, and despite how painful it is for me to say it… I need your help.

Lord Spyro, Lady Cynder, Sage Urobos… and even you, Elenar, are needed. I humbly request your assistance in sealing off the tears and returning stability to the Well of Souls. Even if you all hate me and are loath to work alongside me, I beg of you to set that aside for as long as it takes to save our world from a calamity that I can't even describe here.

Once more, as of the time I write this, there will be seven days until the tears form faster than I can seal them. After that… the fate of the realms will be out of my paws. Hasty travel here won't be an issue; your Airship is the key.

Yes, I'm aware that you've come upon the airship by now; my associates were interested in looking into that fascinating bit of ancient technology. And part of that technology is a conduit for shadow magic. Gather enough able-bodies shadow drakes and have them pour their elemental energy into the conduit, and you can transport across great distances in an instant. I'd say from Glenhaven to some area just south of Mount Erebus should be just within the realms of possibility.

Please, everyone… come to the Well of Souls. Help me save our world.

Sincerely,

Bergan.

Elenar looked around at the gathered dragons. "What do the rest of you think?"

"I think Bergan is up to something," Wraith said quickly.

"It's possible…" Albanion added. "He's always been quite the trickster in the past."

"We've all had our past experiences with Bergan," Urobos said. "And if there's one thing I remember as plain as day, it's that Bergan was always VERY passionate about trying to warn people when disaster was looming shortly."

"I agree…" Cynder pursed her lips. "If he says that something terrible is going to happen, then it's going to happen. We should head straight for the Well of Souls to help him as soon as we can."

"Maybe you're right…" Spyro grimaced. "He WAS very insistent on having us trust him the last time we met…" The purple dragon flapped his wings. "But what comes AFTER we stabilize the Well of Souls?"

"Bergan wouldn't likely come quietly if we asked him to surrender." Cynder shook her head. "He could probably just go poof before our very eyes thanks to time magic, and be miles away before we even realize it."

"I'm sure Bergan will stick around to listen to reason if we just choose our words carefully," Elenar said. "We all want the same thing; to save the realms. Bergan insists that he's not our enemy. So we might as well treat him as an ally for now."

"Then the way I see it, we need to make our way north immediately." Urobos stamped his forepaw. "Let's look into that conduit on the airship and see where it takes us."

Spyro and Cynder nodded in approval. Before long, all three dragons were hard at work planning on the next course of action. Elenar sighed in relief; it was nice to have plans put together quickly and without distractions…

At that moment, the scroll unfurled a bit more. Elenar looked down and realized that the message from Bergan continued on.

"Hold on…" Elenar held out the scroll a bit more. "There's something else at the very bottom."

P.S.,

By now I'm sure you will have taken a group of rogues called the Crazy Aces into custody. Though they acted under Saul's orders initially, I did my best to curb their lawbreaking tendencies. Most of them are scared teenagers who would do well with some rehabilitation. But one among them is something else. His name is Bulb, and he has ulterior motives I've yet to discern. Don't let him out of your sight, and keep him as heavily detained as you can.

Everyone paused as they pondered this final missive.

"Bulb?" Albanion repeated. "The underfed solar dragon? Bergan is wary of him?"

Spyro leaned his head back a bit. "Maybe we should speak with this… Bulb. Try to learn what he knows, and figure out his motivation."

"He's not too far away," Jules said as he worked up the nerve to look the purple hero in the eyes. "I spoke with Elenar and Urobos just before this meeting, and I've already arranged for him to be brought here."

"But why?" Wraith asked. "Is he any different from the other thugs?"

"Very much so," Elenar said with a glower.

A short while later, two guards carried the prisoner up to the airship. Bulb was wrapped up tightly in chains all over his body. His scales were dirty, and his clothes were ragged. There was a sickly look about his cheeks. But none of that stopped the teenager from looking forward calmly. When the prisoner was finally brought to a stop, he lifted his head to scan the heads about the room.

The seven dragons all glared suspiciously at the golden drake. He looked around without the slightest hint of fear or dread. In fact… he almost looked pleased.

"Do you know why you've been brought here?" Elenar demanded of him.

"Not entirely, no." The drake gave a shrug. "I presume it has something to do with all the shenanigans the Crazy Aces got into in Warfang and Convexity?"

"You have very serious allegations brought against you, boy." Urobos snapped. "We've had many students come to us as witnesses for what you've done. Especially the apprentices to the Deep Shadows, who had a lot to say about your attempted murder."

"Attempted murder?" The dragon asked with feigned surprise. "But I didn't try to KILL anybody."

"Liar!" Urobos roared. "You shot one of them with a poisoned blow-dart, and sent them falling into the abyss of Convexity!" He stamped his forepaw. "Were it not for the quick thinking of my grandson, that child would have been lost to us!"

The golden dragon rattled his chains as he tilted his head back in thought… and then he gave a little gasp and leaned forward.

"I think I remember what you're talking about…" The dragon gave a grin. "That wasn't an attempt to kill that kid; it was more along the lines of… calling that prince's bluff."

"Excuse me?" Urobos sneered.

"Prince Cyrus talked a big game about being strong and shit." The golden drake scoffed. "He acted like he'd kick that poison-elemental kid's arse. But I had a feeling that, deep down, princy-poo had a soft spot for him and the other apprentices. So," the drake gave a cheeky grin, "I hefted up my trusty blowdart and forced that moron into either giving up the act or letting one of his friends PLUMMET… which, of course, he didn't." The thug's cheeks spread wider as he snickered. "Your grandson has a heart of gold after all. You should be so PROUD."

"Enough sarcasm, boy," Urobos said as he stepped closer. "You still put that child's life in danger, and you will pay the consequences."

"Wait." Elenar put a forepaw on the old drake's shoulder. "He's trying to anger you; don't fall for it."

"My, you're a smart queen." The drake snickered.

Elenar held a stern glare as she looked back at the thug. "Your name is Bulb. Is that correct?"

"As correct as it can be, Your Grace." The drake bowed his head.

"Bulb…" Elenar lowered her head and glared a bit harder. "I want to know why you've done the things you've done."

"Oh?"

"Your actions have been completely contradictory to the goals and motivations of the rest of the Crazy Aces," Elenar said. "From what my son has told me, you've stolen several magical items, not least concerning a theft of an entire sack of convexity crystals."

"I only kept one for myself." Bulb declared. "It was so tasty, that I couldn't help but swallow it; those things are quite alluring, you know."

"Hmph…" Urobos snorted. "Cyrus mentioned as much."

Bulb's eyes gleamed. "Did the prince happen to mention that I gave that sack to HIM? And he was more than happy to gobble them down and run off to cause chaos?"

Elenar didn't break her glare. "He never would have gotten those, had you not stolen them from your master Bergan."

Bulb snorted. "He's not my master; he's just the drake who happened to convince most of my gang to do what he says. But I never swore any fealty or took some oath. I did things according to my own whims. That's all."

"That's NOT all." Elenar snapped. "You demonstrated elemental prowess that should be IMPOSSIBLE for a Solar dragon to do."

Bulb raised an eye ridge. "Maybe I just know a trick or two?"

"Or maybe you're hiding something." Elenar stood up taller and looked at Urobos. "See if he's wearing a Shroud of Darkness."

Bulb immediately balked. "W-Wait."

"Fine by me…" Urobos stepped forward and held a forepaw out toward Bulb.

"Hold on a minute!" Bulb yelled. His eyes darted over at Spyro and Cynder in a panic. "Not now! Not like THIS!"

Cynder was confused, while Spyro silently scowled.

Urobos found the sudden change of the thug's tone surprising, but also very suspicious. The golden drake fought helplessly in his chains to back away as the elder approached. Urobos created an orb of darkness between his talons and presented it before Bulb's snout. The orb broke into mist and spread quickly throughout Bulb's body.

"Damnit!" Bulb roared; he groaned in pain as his entire body was engulfed in black mist. "NOT NOW! NOOOO!"

Bulb thrashed in his chains and growled as the magic ran its course. Once the drake was completely covered, the mist began to recede and return to Urobos's talons. But in its wake, the dragon's once golden scales had turned… white. As pure white as snowfall.

Elenar flinched with a bit of alarm, but she wasn't surprised; she'd suspected as much. Albanion and Wraith were a bit more alarmed but otherwise held their tongues. Jules, however, was downright perplexed at the sigh.

"Another shroud of darkness…" He mused. "They always catch me off-guard."

Spyro and Cynder leaned forward to look curiously over Bulb's true form. His horns were a pale hue, and his eyes were pinkish-red. He panted heavily in his chains as the last of the Shroud faded away, and he took deep breaths to regain his composure.

"Damnit…" He looked up with a scowl at the gathered dragons. "DAMNIT."

"I knew it." Elenar leaned her head up higher. "You're a white dragon."

Bulb looked himself over in frustration. He returned his gaze to Spyro and Cynder; they were just as nonplussed as before. There was no gasp; no flinching or alarmed shouts. They didn't know anything… he was just a perfect stranger.

After another hateful scowl, the white dragon took a deep breath and did his best to regain his composure.

"I guess the cat's out of the bag now…" He shrugged. "You've uncovered one of my secrets."

"One of…?" Urobos repeated with suspicion. "What ELSE are you hiding?"

"Want to know another?" Bulb raised an eye ridge. "I'll give you a little hint: Just the other day, I had a pleasant conversation…" He turned his head to look straight at Spyro. "..With our Lord over here."

Elenar, Urobos, and Cynder immediately looked at Spyro in surprise. The purple dragon held a stoic gaze, but the way his eye twitched hinted to them that he knew something more.

"Not going to talk about it, Lord Spyro?" Bulb asked curiously. "It wasn't just ANY conversation we had: I reached out to you with a special meditation ritual, courtesy of some scrap notes left by Prince Cyrus in the Nexus."

"Wh-What?" Urobos stammered. "That… that's not possible. That ritual only links ancestors to their descendants." He turned to scowl at the white dragon. "You're lying AGAIN!"

Bulb shrugged his shoulders and blew smoke from his nostrils. "Do you want me to PROVE that I can perform the ritual? I'd gladly demonstrate it for you if you feel like lending me some magic."

"That's not happening." Elenar snapped. "You are a dangerous and unhinged individual."

"Ah, right, right…" Bulb nodded sarcastically. "We can't have this dangerous white dragon anywhere near magic. There's no TELLING what evil schemes I have planned."

"Your scales have nothing to do with anything." The queen growled. "You've put many dragons in danger, and you will face the consequences."

"Hmm, consequences…" Bulb turned to look at Spyro again. "Maybe YOU should dish them out, my Lord. Put an end to this dangerous young dragon."

Spyro held his silent glare, much to Cynder's concern.

"It wouldn't take much to finish me off…" Bulb tilted his head back to expose his neck. "All it would take is one clean slice across my throat with those talons. I'm well aware that you have PRIOR EXPERIENCE with that."

"SHUT UP!" Spyro roared.

The purple dragon stomped past the others and took a swing at Bulb with a forepaw. There was a loud smash, and Bulb was knocked to the floor.

"Whoa, whoa!" Wraith exclaimed in shock.

The white drake gasped as blood spilled from his mouth and nostrils. But he soon found that his throat was fine; he sat up and spat out a bit more blood as he took a breath. All the while, Spyro loomed over him with flaring nostrils.

"I do not kill young dragons!" Spyro hissed down at Bulb. "And I won't suffer another moment of your insolence, boy! I don't know how you used that meditation ritual, but I'll see to it that you're punished severely for tampering with such ancient magic! All of your wretched tricks end TONIGHT!"

"Ugh…" Bulb stuck his tongue out. "I think I swallowed some of my own blood."

"Spyro, take it easy," Cynder said as she stepped forward. She very carefully tapped him on the shoulder. "You're letting this kid get to you."

Spyro looked up at her, and then sighed and took a deep breath. He rose up to his full height and bowed his head toward Elenar and Urobos. "Please forgive me."

"Are you feeling alright, my lord?" Urobos stepped closer. "You seem a bit on edge."

"It's nothing…" Spyro stood up taller and flapped his wings. "Have we gotten all of the confessions we needed out of this brute?"

"Not quite yet," Elenar said. She turned to glare at Bulb, who stood up and sniffled as blood dripped from a nostril. The high queen sighed and signaled for a guard to put a bandage on the thug. Once that was done, she looked the white dragon in the eyes once more.

"What were you trying to accomplish with all your schemes?" Elenar demanded. "What was your plan?"

"My plan?" Bulb repeated curiously. "I… don't really have one, Your Grace. Everything I've done has just come down to my whims... and a little bit of opportunity." He flashed a grin. "You'd be surprised with how often a dragon's luck turns around at random."

"Hmph. We'll see about that…" The high queen turned to face Jules. "Bulb will stay in your custody. He's yours to do with as you please."

"Very well." The General scowled down at the white dragon. "You'll be seeing the inside of a cell for the next few decades, boy."

Bulb didn't give any witty replies; he just shrugged his shoulders and held his tongue. Elenar noticed that every time he glanced up at Spyro, the purple dragon looked ready to strike him again. The queen grimaced; there must have been some truth to this thug somehow calling upon the meditation ritual to reach out to Spyro. But why? What would he gain? Though, if it was really true, then did that mean there was a connection between the two? Perhaps those were thoughts for another time; there was work to be done.

"Lord Urobos," The queen turned toward the old king. "Before he's sent off, put a new Shroud over Bulb's body."

The other dragons all looked at the queen in surprise, while Bulb raised an eye ridge.

"Why would I do that?" Urobos asked.

"Consider it an act of mercy," Elenar said. "There are many out in the realms that would slice a white dragon's throat the moment they saw their scales." She pointed a talon at Bulb's face. "I am giving you the chance to live out your life without having it be cut short in prison. And everyone here shall keep your secret in the meantime. Whether or not you expose it yourself, is of your own decision."

"How gracious…" Bulb bowed his head. "I suppose I have no reason NOT to accept such mercy, Your Grace."

"Don't take this to mean I've forgiven you for what you've done." Elenar scowled. "You are still a criminal in my eyes, boy."

"Fair enough." Bulb grinned; a few droplets of blood slipped through to the floor, and he gagged. "Ugh."

At Elenar's discretion, Urobos stepped forward to hold out his talons. Soon, a new orb of shadows appeared to surround Bulb's body. Within moments, he was back to looking like a Solar dragon, albeit lacking in shine beneath the dirt. Bulb looked himself over and gave a slightly contented sigh.

"Now then…" Elenar stamped her forepaw as she looked toward the guards. "Take him away, and speak to NO ONE of his true form."

At once, the guards took up position around Bulb and led him away with his chains. He marched forward silently; he looked back only once and at Spyro. He flashed a very brief grin and then resumed walking forward.

"Well…" Spyro fell back onto his haunches. "That didn't accomplish much, did it?"

"I'd say it did something useful." Cynder looked Spyro over with a raised eye ridge. "He revealed that you kept a secret from me."

Spyro grumbled and looked away from her. "It was a trick. He pulled some sort of dirty con on the old magic and wasted my time by spouting nonsense at me. That's why I didn't think it was worth bringing up, Cyn."

"It was still something worth warning us about," Cynder said in exasperation. "I'd like to think you know better than to hide things from the rest of us."

"Why did he bring up slicing his throat like that?" Urobos grimaced as he looked down at Spyro's forepaw. "And My Lord… why did he seem to think that you had some experience with-?"

"Can we please not discuss that?" Spyro fanned out his wings. "Let's get back to the important topic; Bergan's letter."

"I guess that's a good point…" Albanion said as he picked up the scroll to scan over its contents. "It's been at least three days since Mountainfall… so there's only four days left until the Well of Souls grows unstable."

"No time like the present, then." Wraith declared. "I'll have a look at that conduit so we can see to powering it up to fly off to the north."

"Most of us here can provide plenty of shadow magic, I believe." Elenar glanced at Spyro, Cynder, and Urobos. "The three of you are more than willing to contribute, right?"

The three elder dragons nodded in unison.

"I can lend a paw, obviously…" Wraith nodded. "Though… are you going to pitch in too, Your Grace?"

"Why not?" Elenar asked. "Every bit will help."

"Alright, I'll head down to begin testing things out…" Wraith stood up to march down below deck. "First, I have to figure out where this conduit thing is, and how it functions. Goodnight!"

"Hmph…" Jules smirked in mild amusement. "I suppose this means the High Queen is officially commandeering Glenhaven's airship for this peace mission."

Elenar flinched, and she glanced back at him awkwardly; she'd failed to consider that this relic was technically under the desert city's domain.

"M-My apologies." She bowed her head to Jules. "If you wished to negotiate, I'm willing to oblige."

"No need." Jules shook his head as he stood up. "The airship is yours; the other Guardians were beginning to consider it a massive eyesore in the skies."

Cynder laughed at the General's comment, while Spyro mildly smiled. But that smile faded when the black dragoness prodded him in the head.

"You and I are going to have a discussion about secret-keeping, Mister." Cynder snapped. "And when we're done, I'm going to find us a place to stay, and make you sleep on the couch."

"Cyn…" Spyro slumped his shoulders. But there was no getting out of it; Cynder made him spread his wings so they could fly together down to the city below.

Elenar felt her spirit lift at the humor spread through the air. She unfurled her own wings and glanced between the other dragons.

"I need to head down below as well." She said. "There's… one other matter I need to work on, with Elza's help."

"Ah, then I'll guide you to where she's staying," Albanion said as he stood by the queen. "She'll no doubt want to chat with you as well."

"Enjoy your night," Jules said to the pair. "And…" He glanced down at the scroll. "May the Ancestors look after you."

Elenar and Albanion looked at the General before bowing their heads. "May they look after us all."

Time was of the essence.

~~…~~

Greetings, friends and loved ones.

Happy Halloween! I know this isn't exactly something themed around the holiday, but I hope you enjoyed the chapter regardless. As of this writing, I decided against ending Act 3 with 12 chapters; there will be a couple more than that.

The next update will come on November 14th, assuming life doesn't get in the way. Cheers!

Tenebra ecce Veritas