TLoS: Challenge of Hearts (Chapter 12)
Chapter 12: You've said it Before
"Spyro, look at what your choices have done." Cyril spoke strongly towards the purple dragon, who spent most of his attention on Cynder regardless of what the ice guardian said. "There isn't a dragon in this temple who hasn't been either hurt or effected by what has just happened."
"But I don't care about them for once." Spyro argued in defence. "For once I have been able to make a choice for myself."
"I don't have anything against the fact that you chose Cynder over the others, but that won't stop chaos to erupt within the entire temple, already we have bee-" There was a loud crash down the hall coming from where Cyril only assumed was Flame's room. The ice guardian took a deep sigh. "Do you know who broke your door?"
Spyro simply shook his head. "I heard a few shouts from the hall just before it happened but I don't know who did it."
Cyril glanced towards the window, finding Spyro's sheet stuck over the top of it to obscure everything from the outside. "Do you know who broke your curtain?"
"That was me after Cy-"
"That's ok. I'm just trying to figure out who is responsible for what damages." Cyril turned his attention to the corridor after seeing Volteer walk past Spyro's door with Flame in one of his arms. "Great, I'm going to have to clear this up. All of the other dragons are gathered in the foyer, you don't have to come as it will be about Cynder and yourself."
"Wait, before you go, do you know anything about what the power I used was?" Spyro asked quickly, stopping the ice guardian from anything.
"Sound itself is a variation of-" There was another loud crash from the corridor. "I will tell you about it later, Volteer knows more than I do about it so you can ask him, but for now I am needed to settle a few issues. Cyril once more headed out Spyro's door, this time turning around to face the purple dragon, who had immediately turned back to Cynder, nuzzling against her. "Spyro." The ice guardian said once more, once again receiving no response. "Spyro! This is important!" The purple dragon simply turned his head around to look at the ice guardian. "Ember is still out there. And if we don't send word to you that she's here in about thirty minutes, I want you to go out and find her regardless of what objections you may have. Ember is one of us and we need her much like how much we all need each other."
Spyro nodded, if not only slightly. But the moment Cyril left his sight the purple dragon turned his attention back to Cynder, who had been unusually quiet the whole time the ice guardian was there.
"Put me down!" Flame shouted as he struggled against the electric restraints Volteer had put on him. "Let me go and I'll find Ember!" The crimson dragon tried to break out of his bonds once more, but failed miserably as he was carted into the main foyer.
"Flame, if I let you go, you will fly out of this temple faster than any of us ever could. But whether or not it will be to find Ember is a different question."
"Let me go and I'll prove it! I have to talk to her"
"You're not going anywhere until some form of punishment has been set for the damages you have caused to your room." Just as Volteer and Flame entered the main foyer, every single dragon looked at the crimson dragon.
"That will do!" Terrador shouted over the gathered dragon populace. The earth guardian then moved towards Volteer who placed Flame on his back beside him.
"What was that about?" Volteer whispered towards Terrador.
"That just proved who broke down Spyro's door." Terrador answered back, watching as Cyril came into view.
"Spyro and Cynder are both aware of what has happened and I have told them to search for Ember if nothing has been told to them within half an hour." The ice guardian paused for a moment. Now was the time when Ignitus would usually step in and take control of hat would happen and who would have to control what. Unfortunately for Cyril, all of the decisions were up to him now. "Alright, did we find out who broke down Spyro's door?"
"All of the dragoness' who were there said that Flame did so."
"Very well," Cyril took a heavy sigh and moved towards the front of the group. "Thank you for your co-operation, even to those who weren't involved." Cyril gave a quick glance towards Jolt and Singe who, much like Spyro and Cynder, weren't paying much attention. "You are all free to go back about yourselves, but I now hereby set the following standards for immediate effect! One, you must respect each other's choices, regardless of your opinion. If you have a problem, talk to us, don't fight each other. Two, everyone's room belongs to you, and you only. Only under certain circumstances will two dragons be able to share a room, but that must be talked through with us before any arrangements are set. If you have any concerns about these rules at least one of us are around the temple at all times."
The gathered crowd started murmuring amongst themselves, the most notable word that was overheard by Cyril was 'Spyro' but the message soon got across that he was no longer available. "Silence!" Terrador shouted over the crowd once more, giving a quick nod towards Cyril who looked back across the group to continue.
* * *
I have to... Keep... Going! Ember was shouting inwardly at herself as each step became slightly more and more agonising. The pink dragoness had covered just over half of the distance to the temple since she had started her pain filled journey over an hour ago. Each half step hovered closer to the ground as Ember went on, until her forepaws just dragged along the soft grass underfoot. More than once did Ember feel the urge to jus collapse on the cooling lush green, but a large part of her mind forced the pink dragoness onwards. The part that wished for Flame to be beside her.
The dragon temple was just within sight amongst the slight breaks in the forest which urged the injured dragoness onwards despite anything her body said. I hope he won't ignore me. Please Flame, just once listen to me.
Ember shuffled on slowly, one half step at a time, closer towards the dragon temple. With nothing but herself to talk to, the pink dragoness thought that she should plan what to say before she arrived.
* * *
"Do you know how much damage you have caused Flame? You have broken two doors, a bookcase and a bed! All four of those items had been inside this temple since the day it was completed countless centuries ago! What drove you to act this way is beyond me but there are no excuses." Cyril paced back and forth before Flame, who had both Volteer and Terrador standing behind him as the crimson dragon had been released from his electric bonds. "I don't think that anything this serious has happened before, and it leaves me to wonder on how I will act upon it."
I don't have time for this! Ember is still out there and they won't let me find her! Flame turned away from the ice guardian to glance out a window. I have to find her!
"Flame! Are you even listening to me?"
"Yes, I am! I just... It's n-"
"You what? Couldn't control yourself? Lost all reason to think?"
"I have to find Ember!" Flame quickly answered, readying his stance for what would be a quick getaway.
"And why would we let you go out and talk to the one you abandoned out there in the first place?" Cyril asked quickly.
"I made a mistake, this all could've been avoided if only I had listened to her!"
"Then why didn't you listen to her in the first place?"
"Because... I-I... I don't know, I wasn't thinking."
"So you thought that you'd destroy this place instead?" Cyril spoke harshly, noticing Flame's constant views of the open window.
"No, it's not that... I just-"
"Stop." Cyril said quickly, cutting off the crimson dragon. "Flame, just stop. Ember is still out there, and you happen to be the only one who knows where she is, who is willing to find her. Now, as far as your punishment goes, it will have to wait for a later time so I can come to terms with what has happened and what sounds reasonable."
"So you mean to say th-"
"You are free to go for now, but you must find Ember. Either one of Volteer or Terrador will be watching, so don't try and use this time to escape your punishment." Cyril spoke calmly in his normal voice. "Leave now, I will call you when I have made up my mind." The crimson dragon wasted no time. He immediately leapt from the floor and headed outside through the open window. Both Volteer and Terrador soon stood up and headed towards the stairs that led to the roof, both dragons being too big to fit through the window. "Terrador, Volteer. Where are you going?"
"To somewhere we can watch Flame, you said so yourself that he might use this time to try and escape whatever punishment you may be able to come up with." Volteer answered towards the head guardian.
"Leave him be, Flame won't try to escape. His conscience would get the better of him. He is a wild dragon sometimes, yes, but I can tell when he means right and wrong."
"So you trust what he said?" Terrador asked in response.
"Entirely."
* * *
The pink dragoness found a very shallow stream in a gully along her way towards the dragon temple. The third quarter of Ember's painful journey had just begun, but the young dragoness decided to take a rest from the constant travelling and agony that came with it. The cool water that rushed over Ember's aching paws gave them a numbed feeling, but it helped to hide what pain she felt.
Despite the fact that it was the season of ice, Avalar had seen very little, to no snowfall. Along with that, the temperatures had been of an unusual high, causing most plant life to flourish at an early rate. But thankfully, Ember thought, it was better off that way, for it did follow routine with snowfall and ice the pink dragoness' survival would have been highly doubtful.
Ember dipped the bottom of her jaw under water and took a large draught from the stream, promptly followed by a slight shiver as the remaining droplets rolled down the underside of her neck.
The pink dragoness slowly turned back towards where the temple was, and started the slow climb over the ridge. Upon reaching the top, the tip of the dragon temple came into view. I'm almost there... I just have to keep going. I hope tha-.
Ember found herself lost as she saw a dragon fly overhead, but as to what colour it was, she couldn't tell. The sun was placed directly behind the flying dragon, making anything but a silhouette.
"Ember!" Was shouted from the overhead dragon. "I thought that I'd lost you!" The pink dragoness tried to shield her eyes from the sunlight with one of her wings, cutting out most of the unwanted light, but it was then she could tell who had come for her.
"Flame?"
The crimson dragon landed before Ember with a slight thud, only further implying how quickly he was travelling. "Ember, I'm sorry for leaving you out here and I should've known that you wouldn't attack me on purpose."
"Flame I-"
"No, it was my fault. I should've listened to you." The male dragon continued, stopping Ember from making any form of communication. "I didn't mean for what happened this morning to...... I wanted to tell you but I- I- I couldn't!"
"Flame, please liste-"
"No, you don't have to say anything. Everyone's worried sick about you back in the temple. But I didn't mean for anything like this happen. When we get back, can we just forget that anything happened out here? This is something I would rather not have to remember." The crimson dragon walked passed Ember, his head hanging low and tail brushing against the ground. The pink dragoness simply put one of her forepaws forward and stepped on Flame's slacking tail. There was another slight yelp as Flame felt his tail almost being pulled at just by his walking. "What did you do that for?" He asked with a large amount of frustration.
"Because you won't listen to me." Ember calmly answered, driving Flame into confusion. "Flame, I tried to tell you before you left this morning, and I've been trying to tell you now."
"Ember, I know. You don't want anything to do with me when we get back to the temple. Look, you don't know how hard this is for me so can we please go now?"
"Flame, you're not listening again!" Ember took several paces closer to the red dragon. "But you don't understand what I'm trying to tell you." The pink dragoness continued to inch closer Flame, leaving their noses less than a few inches apart. "I love you."
Flame immediately shot away from her. "And you expect me to believe you this time? I remember last time you said that I ended up being the pity of the entire temple! Or at least the part of it that wasn't obsessed with Spyro!" The crimson dragon turned away from Ember.
"But Flame! I do mean it!"
The male dragon only scoffed. "I remember when you said that last time too. Or was it the time before? Ember, I don't know what you have planned with this, but I don't believe you."
"Then believe this!" Ember moved as quickly as she could towards Flame, who was still facing towards the dragon temple. The pink dragoness summoned all of her strength and collided with the male dragon, setting him off balance to fall onto his side. Flame was completely caught off guard by Ember's sudden attack on him, but before he could react he found her lying on top of him.
"Ember! What are you doing?" Flame shouted out, struggling against Ember's weight as much as he could, but to no avail as Ember had managed to find enough power to keep him at bay.
"I'm proving to you that I'm serious!"
"Really? Because it looks like you want to-"
Flame's voice was cut off as he found Ember's maw pressed against his. After a few seconds of contact, Ember pulled herself away from Flame and moved back onto the grass, allowing for the male dragon to find his feet once more. "Flame, I truly mean it this time. But... Do you believe me now?"
The crimson dragon slowly made it to his feet again, he couldn't believe it. Ember, the dragoness he had been chasing since during the war, had finally found feelings for him. Flame nodded slightly, still unsure if the kiss had actually happened.
As Ember angled towards the dragon temple once more, Flame slowly made his way to her side, leaving about a foot gap between them. The pink dragoness quickly removed their distance, and wrapped her tail around Flame's.
This can't be happening! Flame was shouting inwardly at himself. I can't believe it! The male dragon gave a quick glance to Ember who was smiling sweetly towards him. It's true, she does love me! Flame quickly averted his gaze from Ember to the dragon temple before them, he tried to take a step forward, but Ember held firm.
"What's the hurry? Can't we spend what time we have together?" Ember then sat down on her haunches, releasing Flame's tail in the process.
The crimson dragon immediately sat down beside her, she was right, they were alone out there. Nothing could go wrong.