TLoS: Challenge of Hearts (Chapter 14)
Chapter 14: Couple Talk
Spyro and Cynder continued slowly through the endless hallways and corridors of the dragon temple, as if trying to show each other off to the rest of the world. Evil looks were the usual response towards Cynder, but envy was almost constant throughout the entire journey. All dragonesses wished to be Cynder, whereas the few other males praised Spyro to no end. For although the news was hard to admit for many of the dragons, many dragonesses figured that their second choice happened to be the only other one they would get.
As the couple continued on their way through the main foyer towards the gardens, the two wondered when the truth would set in, but Spyro and Cynder couldn't help but watch. One singular male dragon moved towards a group of dragonesses. From Spyro's point of view, the dark emerald dragon looked like he had tried to make himself look nicer than all the others.
After a few minutes of talking amongst themselves, the emerald dragon tried himself towards an ice blue dragoness, which caused her to stop completely. She took a quick glance towards her friends, who all had mixed emotions over everything, but in the end, the green dragon strolled away, with the blue dragoness by his side.
"I guess that some understand faster than others." Spyro observed.
"It doesn't bother me either way... I have the male I wanted, and that's all that matters." Cynder moved herself closer to Spyro once more, tightening the grip she held his tail in. "But it is nice to see that we're not going to be the only 'couple' within the temple."
Spyro immediately tried to start walking again, forcing Cynder along with him. "You don't have to say it like that..." He rushed out.
Cynder increased her walking pace to move before Spyro. "What's the rush Spyro? We have the rest of our lives together."
"Y-yes... I know that, but we only have about five minutes until sunset."
"I don't care about that, it happens virtually twice every day. But what we have is only once a day... And I don't want to waste a minute without you." Cynder placed one of her forepaws onto Spyro's. "I don't care about anything but you."
"But I want things to be perfect, will you at least allow me that?" Spyro asked in reply. "I don't want it to happen every day, but, just this once."
"Ok, just this once." Cynder removed her paw from on Spyro's and proceeded forward beside the purple dragon.
As if on cue, the pair stepped outside into the temple garden and sat themselves against each other on the highest ridge within the temple grounds. Just as the tip of the sun skimmed the horizon and started falling behind the few trees that over-stood the rest of the forest.
Spyro couldn't help but smile inwardly at himself. It was as if his one and only dream had come true, again. The tranquillity of the garden, along with the unmentionable warmth that radiated from both Cynder and the sun was almost worth the fourteen years of fighting against Malefor and his forces. Everything that he had worked for over those years, paid off to him again. The purple dragon looked towards his would be mate, her green eyes were staring lovingly back towards him, this was yet another moment that the purple dragon wanted to live forever.
"Spyro?" Cynder whispered out after resting her head against the purple dragon's shoulder.
"Yes Cynder?"
"I've been thinking, but I don't quite know how to put it..." Cynder stayed her position against Spyro, who only leant against Cynder with the rest of his form, laying his head on her opposite shoulder.
"What is it Cynder?"
"It's just... I've been thinking about us... And what it would be like to, you know..." Cynder turned her eyes towards Spyro. "What it would be like for us to mate."
Spyro took a deep breath, as if he had prepared for a comment like this to be spoken, it wasn't something he feared, but Spyro himself was curious. Although his teachings with Ignitus were fairly thorough, as with everything the fire guardian did, but there were still questions that bugged the purple dragon's mind. "I don't know Cynder," Spyro answered honestly. "There is much that I don't know about it, but-"
"It's not how Spyro, but what. What would it mean between us? What if something happens? What if I am to fall gravid?" Cynder wrapped one of her forepaws around Spyro's. "What if something goes wrong?"
"Cynder, I won't let anything happen to you."
"I know, but... You can't be there forever, what if it's not you... I know that you won't let anything bad happen, but-"
"No buts Cynder. I will always be there for you. That's what part of being mates together is about." Spyro lifted his head from Cynder's shoulder. "Never to leave each other's side." The purple dragon sighed once more. "Cynder, I have to be honest with you."
The black dragoness pulled away from Spyro slightly. "W-what is it?"
"Cynder, you know that I would never do anything to hurt you, right?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Just, can you answer the question Cynder..." Spyro continued quietly.
"You would never do anything to hurt me, you wouldn't..."
"I know, but, I was told then when a couple first mates together, it is more painful than anything for the female." Spyro turned to face Cynder once more. "So, regardless of what I say about never hurting you, if we wish to-"
"I- I understand Spyro... I know myself well enough that after seeing... You... That not everything would go as I had imagined." Cynder looked straight into Spyro's amethyst eyes. "I know that you would never do anything wrong if you could Spyro, but this is something I am willing to go through for us."
"I don't want to force you-"
"But you won't. I do, someday, wish to be a mother... And I want to do that beside you, with you. I love you Spyro, and nothing can change that."
The black dragoness' last few words settled Spyro's nerves. Cynder always seemed to have that power over him, and as Spyro's body visibly relaxed she believed that the subject was over. Cynder leant in closer to Spyro as he did back towards her. The couple's lips connected briefly for a moment only to break away quickly as the two heard footsteps behind them.
"You two have caused quite the trouble today." Spyro and Cynder immediately turned around upon hearing Cyril's voice, separating slightly if only from habit. "But through all the problems you have caused, many more have been solved today."
"What are you talking about?" Spyro quickly asked.
"Oh, hasn't Sparx found you two yet?"
"Actually, we found him." Cynder answered. "And Spyro believes that he doesn't have anything against us, which is all I could've hoped for." The black dragoness inched back towards Spyro again.
"Yes, quite. Now tell me. Have either of you two seen Ember or Flame arrive back yet?"
"I thought he was with you... But that means Ember's still out there, I forgot to-!" Spyro immediately shot to his feet and flared out his wings.
"Relax Spyro, I figured that something like this would happen." The purple dragon sat back down and wrapped one of his opened wings around Cynder. "As far as I know, Flame is out there with Ember. But he was due to arrive back about an hour ago, unless Ember was further away from the temple than I figured."
"If they're walking then they won't be back until tomorrow because Ember wouldn't be able to walk on her forelegs." Cynder once more answered, using one of her forepaws to pull Spyro's wing further around herself.
"But if Flame is out there, I don't think he would let anything else happen." Spyro continued.
"I tried to set Flame a limit on time, so he would try to hurry as much as he can, but if you see any sign of him, let me know immediately." Cyril turned around and started on his way back to the temple.
"Cyril, wait." The ice guardian twisted his neck back to look at Spyro. "What is to happen with Flame, I heard that it was him who broke down my-"
"Nothing. Since times have changed, my role as a guardian changed with them. Before I was the teacher of wisdom and tactics, but now, all that is required is supervision. Flame will have enough on his hands trying to live with Ember without me adding to his burdens. But speaking of his actions, Spyro, unless you want to stay in a room with no privacy, I suggest you stay with Cynder from now. Volteer Terrador and I have spoken about this, and we believe that you two can stay together, even though you did so last night behind our backs." The ice guardian looked back towards the temple once more. "Goodnight Spyro, Cynder. I will see you two again tomorrow just to follow up, making sure that our choices were correct."
And so both Spyro and Cynder were alone once more. The sun had half disappeared behind the horizon as Spyro and Cynder turned back around to feel the remnants of it's warmth on their chests. The air temperature was dropping quite rapidly, but the warmth generated between Spyro and Cynder along with the dying sunlight kept them more than comfortable for the time.
"So, where were we?" Cynder asked quietly.
"I can't remember" Spyro answered back after a few moments of silence. "But I don't care either." The purple dragon tightened the grip he held around Cynder's form. "As long as you're here." Cynder gave a light laugh at Spyro's words. "What?"
"Nothing..." She answered quickly. "It's just, you said that last time."
"That doesn't make it any less true..."
The rest of the afternoon for the dragon couple was exactly how Spyro had imagined it, they sat against each other until the very tip of the sun's light had retired into its daily slumber, and so, Spyro and Cynder followed.
The walk back to the temple was slow, both dragons wanting to spend as much time as they could together. Although after receiving word from Cyril that they were allowed to sleep together was good news nonetheless, Spyro wasn't going to spend his time in a room with no door regardless of what anyone thought.
The temple was deathly silent as only the repeated clicks of Spyro and Cynder's talons against the hard stone floor. Although the two were walking incredibly slowly, there was no way to stop the echoing sounds.
Upon reaching the hallway where the dragons lived, it too was dead. No sign of life was within sight which, along with the dim light, giving the entire curving hallway an eerie appearance.
"Why did you have to pick the room furthest away?" Spyro whispered in question, only receiving a dumb look from Cynder, as if he already knew the answer.
"Would you rather stay in your room tonight?" Cynder answered, only to have silence in response. "That's what I thought, because you are in no position to complain about my room."
"I thought it was going to be 'our' room from now on..." Spyro once more gained a sly grin.
"While only 'my' things are in there, it will remain 'my' room."
"So does that make me your property?" Cynder gave Spyro a slight nudge from a quick turn of her body, forcing their hips to collide together. Spyro though caught Cynder's tail with his own and wrapped himself around it.
Silence surrounded the two dragons as they continued down towards Cynder's room, but upon arrival, the black dragoness was wary about entering straight away. Although she always kept her room scrupulously clean, Cynder never thought that it was good enough. Yet whenever she entered Spyro's room, it was as if the purple dragon didn't care that his room was a mess and Cynder was to see it, although both times Spyro was in a rush and he had no other option. But that was Spyro.
"Could you, wait here for a moment?" Cynder asked quietly.
"But, why?"
"There are just some, things... I need to fix up." Cynder stood still, watching intently as Spyro thought about it for a moment. Slowly untangling his tail from hers, Spyro allowed for Cynder to enter her room, leaving him alone out in the corridor.
The moment Cynder stepped inside she remembered what changes she had made yesterday. Most of her small items were placed in a small pile against a wall. That won't do. The black dragoness quickly picked up each item and re-decorated her room back to the way it was before she had packed everything away.
Spyro stood with one ear pressed against the door. Everything was silent apart from the odd sound of natural clutter. The purple dragon himself had never actually been inside Cynder's room, and so he wondered what she could've been doing. But what he also wondered was if that night was going to be anything like their previous one. After several minutes of the near silent activity, and many muttered words later, Cynder opened her door only just wide enough for Spyro to enter.
As the purple dragon moved inside, he was instantly hit with a wave of Cynder's scent which was the most predominant thing Spyro noticed, aside from the black dragoness herself.
Spyro quickly glanced around the room and noticed how everything held its own place. The gaps in ornaments were few and far spread, leaving Spyro to believe that Cynder was one high on neatness and order, which suddenly put his room to shame. But the purple dragon himself was speechless, both from how Cynder's room appeared, and from what aroma it carried.
Cynder noticed Spyro's non-stop staring, and thought she had done something wrong. "I'm sorry if it's not-"
"You have nothing to apologise for," Spyro interrupted. "T- this is beautiful... But not as beautiful as you."
Cynder once more thanked herself for being a black dragoness, for if she wasn't, Spyro would be able to tell that she was blushing. Despite the fact that Spyro could hold himself calm throughout the whole comment, Cynder couldn't help herself.
The moment the purple male had turned around completely once more to face Cynder, that was when she pressed herself against the purple dragon and walked him to her, or what was soon to be their, bed.