TLoS: Challenge of Hearts (Chapter 4)
Chapter 4:
No Way
The purple dragon recoiled is head from Cynder. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. Cynder said that she loved him, but something didn't seem right to Spyro. It was exactly what the purple dragon wanted to hear from Cynder, it had been for the past fortnight, but Spyro knew that the black dragoness before him wasn't in her right mind. "Cynder, you need some rest. I think that knock to the head is affecting you a little too much," Spyro pulled himself away from Cynder's form, leaving her alone on his bed. "You just wait here, I'll get us some breakfast."
Cynder tried to lift her head up from Spyro's bed. She did mean to say that she loved him. Every last word of it. But what made her unsure was Spyro's reaction to it. She heard the purple dragon admit to loving her, so why wouldn't he want her to say the same back? Cynder was lost within her own mind. Amongst the throbbing pain in her head, delightful scent of Spyro's bed and the constant arguing with her mind on whether or not it was the right thing to say. Cynder was mentally frozen. She heard that Spyro was leaving for a moment, but when he would be back was unknown to the black dragoness. Cynder watched Spyro leave the room, leaving her to cope with the constant bliss and agony by herself.
Cynder closed her eyes just after Spyro had left her view. Cynder ran their last conversation through her mind, wondering if she missed anything when Spyro had admitted to loving her. But Cynder could gather nothing more than what she had already heard. I love... You Cynder... I... care about... You... That was all she heard.
The black dragoness lifted her head up from Spyro's bed, his scent still strong in the air around her, wanting to talk to the purple dragon at the exact moment he arrived. She knew that he loved her, but the reaction to her admitting love to him too but received a less than welcoming response.
Many minutes passed, and Cynder held her head in the same levitate position, regardless of what her straining muscles said to her. But soon enough, the purple dragon returned carrying two separate bowls filled with what she could only assume was soup.
Cynder immediately dropped her head as Spyro entered the room, allowing her entire body to rest once more. She would wait until she had eaten before talking to Spyro about her love. She was feeling fine apart from the constant throbbing headache, but Spyro was none the wiser.
"Cynder, can you roll onto your stomach to eat?" Spyro had placed both bowls onto the ground, watching as the black dragoness prodded her underbelly slightly with her arms, recoiling and wedging her eyes shut after every touch.
"No..." was her only answer.
"Then let me help you." Spyro picked up one of the bowls in his foreleg and slowly made his way to Cynder. The purple dragon approached Cynder slowly and placed the edge of the bowl against her bottom jaw. "Careful, it's hot."
Cynder nodded slightly and opened her maw ajar, allowing for Spyro to slowly pour the warm liquid down her throat. It felt good to Cynder, for she hadn't eaten before bed yesterday night. And before she knew it the entire bowlful was empty.
Spyro pulled the empty bowl away from Cynder's face and placed it gently on the ground beside his bed, reaching for the second one. "I guess that you need this more than I do."
Cynder shook her head. "You have to eat something Spyro. I don't want anymore."
The purple dragon looked at Cynder for a moment, frozen with the bowl of soup in his paws. "Ok Cynder, but if you want some more just ask." Spyro then placed the bowl on the ground at the side of his bed and began to lap up the liquid.
Cynder stared at Spyro the entire time, which slightly un-nerved the purple dragon, but it didn't stop him from eating. Cynder waited until Spyro was finished until perusing him with her first mention of love.
During the entire time of Spyro eating, Cynder thought about whether or not she should continue with her original plan of revealing her true feelings for Spyro, or continuing to live the lie that was. They had spent their first day together less than ten hours ago, yet Cynder felt that she knew it was the right thing to do. Either that, or risk Ember taking Spyro from her despite her feigned attraction towards Flame. The black dragoness had figured out that it was just a plan that didn't work out. Which only wanted to make her drive to Spyro sooner. Which is what she decided on doing today.
Spyro had finished his meal and stacked both bowls near the entryway, out of reach from the bed. Cynder continued to lay lifelessly on Spyro's bed, apart from her eyes darting from side to side, looking intently at whatever caught her attention. But for the most part, Spyro was the source of attention.
Spyro walked around Cynder once more, this time purposefully averting his gaze from Cynder's body until he was at her side. As Spyro knelt down on his bed beside Cynder, he felt her rub the edge of her bladed tail along his. It was a good feeling, one that he wouldn't allow to get the better of him, but Cynder was partially incapacitated, so he ran almost no risk if the worst was to happen, all he had to do was remain calm.
But then the thought came to him. He glanced down at Cynder who eyed him with a newfound interest. What if what she said is true... What if she does love me? Spyro looked up and down the entire form of Cynder once more. "Cynder?"
The black dragoness shuffled her neck around slightly, allowing herself a better look of the purple dragon. "Yes Spyro?"
"About what you said earlier..." Spyro looked straight into Cynder's eyes, he knew that there was only one way to ask it. "Do you really mean it?"
Cynder answered almost immediately. "Of course I do Spyro! Why else would I say it? I love you, I always have since the day you released me from my torment."
Spyro was stunned. It was almost as if he could feel her love just by being in the same area as her. It was everything that he had always wanted, and all it took were three small words. "I love you too Cynder." He paused for a moment. His feelings were exactly the same. The moment that he freed her from darkness was the one moment he fell in love.
The two dragons lay beside each other. Everything they dreamt about, every feeling that they had been hiding from each other, every minute of wasted time together, all seemed to be worth it. All in that moment.
Both Spyro and Cynder stared into each other's eyes. It was almost all they could do. Cynder was stuck in her position, blinded with pain from almost any movement, but she continued to rub her tail up and down the entire length of Spyro's, which made the purple dragon uneasy by his renewed attraction to the dragoness laying before him.
Spyro looked back to where Cynder wat stroking his tail, only to find that Cynder had stopped completely. "Why did you stop?" Spyro looked back into Cynder's eyes. He enjoyed the contact between them, but now he didn't care if he did enjoy it. Cynder loved him.
Cynder started stroking her tail up against his again. "Sorry Spyro... I just can't believe this... All of this." Cynder reached down with one of her paws, trying to grab one of Spyro's. "You and me."
Spyro lifted up his right foreleg, grasping onto Cynder's instantly. The touch of her arm wrapping around his only heightened the feelings towards the black dragoness. Cynder craned her neck further to get a better view of her love. She had done it, her one dream of being in love with Spyro had finally come true.
Cynder continued to stare into Spyro's amethyst eyes as he slowly inched closer to her side, eventually lying completely against her. There was nothing between the two of them as Spyro rest his head down next to Cynder's, keeping their eyes glued to each other.
The two dragons continued to stare at each other until there was a light knock on the door, just able to be heard over the two dragons's deepened breathing. "Hey, Spyro! You in there?" It was Sparx.
Spyro instantly pulled away from Cynder, but she understood exactly why he did. Sparx had been against Cynder's cause much like most of the other dragons. He believed that she was still evil, still under control by Malefor, trying to gain the trust of the guardians only to strike when they least expected it.
"Yes Sparx, I'm here..." Spyro moved away from Cynder, much to both of their dismay, but they had only just become together, and Sparx was one of the last people that Spyro or Cynder wanted to know. "What is it?"
"I saw you running from the hall with two bowls and wondered what the hell you were up to. I called your name twice but you didn't hear me." There was a slight pause as Spyro tried to think about an excuse that he could use. Until Sparx spoke again. "You sick or something?"
Spyro thought about the idea, and in the end it sounded like a fair excuse. He took a quick glance at Cynder who didn't care what he said, as long as Sparx would leave them alone. But he couldn't lie to his brother, even if it was just to give him some time alone with Cynder. Then Spyro thought. "No, I'm fine Sparx... But could you come in here for a second I need your help with something."
Cynder, despite the fact that she couldn't move, wanted nothing more than to leave the room. She almost despised Sparx because of his clear distrust of her. But if she was to stay as Spyro's love, there was no way around it. But Cynder wanted to wait at least a few weeks being with Spyro until she had to tell him. But if she stayed calm, nothing would go wrong.
Spyro opened the door for his much smaller brother, only for him to fly directly back out upon the sight of Cynder. "What is that she-devil doing here? Spyro! Quick, run for your life!"
"Sparx! Calm down!" Spyro knew that Cynder would take some effect to Sparx's almost thoughtless words, but for now, he wanted them both to at least try and get along. "Cynder's been injured in a fight against Ember, and I need you to heal her."
Sparx quickly flew back inside the room, landing on the very back of Spyro's head. Keeping as much of the purple dragon as possible between him and Cynder. "No way am I going to heal that murderer! Have you forgotten already the amount of pain and suffering she brought upon us?" Sparx was making Spyro's job much harder than it needed to be. His first comment was enough to make Cynder sad, but the little dragonfly's continuous insults almost pushed Cynder to tears. But luckily for her, Cynder's face was hidden behind her entire form.
"Sparx that's enough! What do you want me to do just to get you to heal her?"
Sparx slowly crawled up to a higher point of Spyro's head, bracing himself between the purple dragon's horns. "Is she asleep?"
"I told her to rest because of her injuries, as far as I know she is asleep now."
Spyro slowly took a few steps forward, inching towards Cynder's still form. "Alright, fine... I'll do it. But you have to hold her arms. I'm not going to put myself in harms way just for you..."
"Good. Because some of her injuries are a little serious."
Spyro cut along the entire side of the bandage, revealing the many deep wounds and gashes that lined her stomach and sides. "Wow, looks like Ember really did a number on her."
"Shut up Sparx. Just fix her up." Spyro pressed himself against Cynder's side, giving him the most leverage over Cynder's limbs if she was to spring awake as Sparx assumed she would. Cynder felt Spyro against her side and smiled slightly as she felt the warmth of his body against hers.
Sparx started at one side of Cynder's body and slowly worked his way to the final cut. The entire job took a little longer than ten minutes. "Man, that'll really take the energy out of ya... And you said that Ember did this."
Spyro nodded his head slightly. Watching as Sparx turned his back on Cynder to look at Spyro. "For some reason I find that hard to believe, but it's your story. How did this happen anyway?"
Cynder groaned slightly as Spyro had moved away from against her side, which caused Sparx to shoot towards the other side of the room. "She's waking up! Spyro, do something!"
"Do what Sparx? You healed her, for all you know Cynder might say thank you."
"No way, I'm not going to believe you... Because as long as that devil-dragon and you are in the same room, I'm going the other way!"
Cynder got up to her feet, but sat down on Spyro's bed. Feeling her body like it was new. There were a few places that were cramped, but they were all along where her wounds were.
"Sparx, calm down. Cynder isn't going to hurt you."
"No way man, I'm not going anywhere near that... That thing!" Sparx whizzed out of Spyro's room, saying nothing more as he left the two dragons alone together. Oblivious to their newly formed relationship.
"Cynder, I'm sorry for what he said about you. Sparx has always had a hard time adjusting to new things."
Cynder pressed herself up against Spyro's side, enjoying the fact that she could now move freely around the one she loved. "It's ok Spyro. I don't care about what Sparx thinks. As long as I am by your side, I will always be happy."
Cynder gave Spyro a warm smile as she lay her head on the purple dragon's shoulder. Wrapping one of her arms around the inside of his. "I love you Cynder."
"I love you Spyro."
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Ok, before anybody asks.... (But I'm sure they would before they read up to this bit) there will be 'yiffs' (if that's what they're called here) eventually.....
But I am fairly pretentious when it comes to writing that kind of stuff..... Yes, I have written one in this story (later chapter.... being posted momentarily if my internet speeds up) But it's not until.... like..... chapter 15..... I don't know, can't remember.... I know there's one there though....