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Flame winged through the night, flying as fast as he could. Below him, the island swooshed by in ultrarapid, hills, trees and towers turning into an indistinct blur. He didn't slow down until the temple was far in the distance, until he saw the lights of Dark Hollow glimmering below.

It was a good thing that the elders still kept the lanterns burning throughout the night. Elder Magnus never failed to take his tour every evening. Flame had always thought it a waste of time since dragons never visisted the old library anyway, but tonight the young dragon was grateful for it.

Elder Magnus... The pink old dragon instantly came to mind - big, soft and always with a smile. Would he miss Magnus? Should he try to find the elder and say goodbye, and maybe return all the chamomile tea he had borrowed? No, it's too late for that... Flame shook the thought out of his head and dove down to land.

He touched down in the garden, by the gatehouse. He shook the rainwater off his wings, picked a lantern from the stonewall which he held in his muzzle, then descended into the old library.

The sun had long since set, leaving behind a dark, cloudy sky and no moon, and it was hard to see where he was going. The ancient bookshelves towered on each side of him, like great, dark monoliths, watching the passing dragon with indifference. The elders had cast a protection spell over them, to shield the old books and scrolls from the elements, so all the raindrops seemed to bounce right off them and land on Flame instead, while also making the grass under him extra wet and slippery. "Gnorc spit!" he cursed when his talon slipped in a puddle. Even as he was leaving, the island seemed intent on making his last minutes there as annoying as possible.

At least finding the gateway portal wasn't too difficult. It stood waiting for him on a grassy stone platform, next to the stairs to the inner sanctum, and nestled between a pair of old oak trees. Immediately, a volley of memories struck, of all the days he had waited for Spyro by that portal. He hadn't been here in a decade, yet the place seemed completely unchanged. Well, your days of waiting for another dragon are over...

He hung his lantern from a swaying branch, then stepped towards the stone arc and tapped its side twice. He breathed a sigh of relief when the portal buzzed to life, bathing the garden in its eerie white glow. It still works... The golden letters hovering above the arc spelled "The Forgotten Realms" - the perfect destination for a dragon wanting to be forgotten.

He was forbidden from using the portal, of course, all dragons were, but he didn't care. It hadn't stopped Spyro from leaving Dragon Island ten years ago and it wouldn't stop Flame now. He didn't much care what kind of place The Forgotten Realms was, only that it'd take him far far away, that it was big enough to get lost in, to live free and unbothered with no risk of being found. Big enough to start a new life.

Yet, even with the portal right in front of him, he couldn't bring himself to take the final step.

Instead, he looked back towards the shoreline, towards the elder temple which glimmered in the distance. The party still seemed to be in full swing back there, the flickering light from the windows reflected in the dark water, creating an inviting scene, a distant promise of warmth and company.

But Flame didn't feel invited, not when he knew that somewhere in there, Ember was smooching up to Spyro, while Flame wasn't even on the "list". Not when his role as Spyro's old sidekick had been replaced by this new snaring, green-eyed black dragon. Not when after ten years, he hadn't gotten as much as a "hi" from a dragon who had once kissed him.

A fresh surge of anger flared up in his chest. No, he wouldn't miss any of them! And they wouldn't miss him either - so really this was for the best. And perhaps in ten years or so, he could return, just to see if they had noticed he'd left yet.

Strangely, only one dragon that he might miss came to mind. Ashes. She had been nice to him, and Flame felt that she at least deserved a goodbye of some sort. He suddenly remembered that she had wanted to visit the Forgotten Realms. She was going to ask Spyro, but maybe she would like to come with Flame instead? His heart leaped at the idea of asking her, of starting his new life in the foreign world with a friend rather than alone. He was close to taking off towards the temple again just to ask her, but then he remembered that he'd probably run into Spyro or Ember, and what if she didn't want to come? Asking her was probably a bad idea, and when he thought about it, he would rather be alone anyway.

He turned back towards the portal, steeling himself for what he knew he had to do. Just one more step and he would be leaving the stupid island behind forever. Just one more step and could start a new life as a free dragon.

Hurry up... before someone finds you... before you change your mind...

The surface felt oddly cool against his claw when he stepped forward. The cold spread over his scales, almost pulling him in. His heart pounded hard, his legs felt like jelly, but he closed his eyes and forced himself to take another step, and the cold spread over his nose, his leg and he was just about to take the last step when he felt something pulling his horn.

"What the..." There was an angry buzzing around his head, and then a familiar glowing dragonfly came into view. "Spa... Sparx!? What are you doing here?!" The little bug clambered onto his horn again, pulling him away from the portal. "Hey, stop that!" Flame said, shaking his head. "Where did you even come from!?"

His question was answered when he heard wingbeats in the air above. A familiar yet unwelcome voice cut through the night. "Lil bro! Is that you down there?" He looked up and could see a flurry of pink wings as Ember's swooshed down to land in front of him, followed closely by a larger dragon - a purple one.

Spyro touched down with a heavy thud in the grass next to Ember. His great wings were so big they almost eclipsed his sister before he pulled them against his body. He then turned to Flame, his eyes lighting up when he saw him. "Hi there," he said a little timidly, and gave a small smile.

Flame just stared, his mind barely registering that he was in fact looking at Spyro. In the bright light from the portal, he could see him more clearly. He had a brown satchel strapped to his side, old and torn, and Flame guessed it had survived many battles. There was a small scar across the scales of his nose. His sunglasses were still tucked behind his horns.

A thousand questions came to him at once; what was Spyro doing here? Why had he left the party to seek him out in Dark Hollow, in the middle of the night, and why was Ember with him?

But before he could ask any questions, his sister had thrown herself over him, pulling him into a tight hug. "There you are!" she chirped happily in his ear while squeezing him way too hard. "We've been looking all over for ya!"

"Nghhh..you... you have?" he wheezed out between her inexplicably strong arms. It took a great deal of force to free himself from her death grip.

"Of course we have!" Ember replied, innocently. "Why didn't you wait on the beach, you dolt?"

"I was waiting on the beach!" Flame snarled. "But then you two just left me outside, while you were busy doing... whatever it is you were doing!" He glared angrily at Ember, then Spyro who instantly shied away from his gaze. He looked down on the grass, rubbing his talons nervously.

"Oh, right, you're still angry, huh?" Ember took a few cautious steps back, looking a little abashed. "Well... I'm sorry about leaving you outside and all that..."

"Whatever...". Flame recomposed himself. His frills had shot up again, and he quickly brushed them back. "What are you guys doing here, anyway? Party got boring?"

"Well... when we couldn't find you at the beach, we got a little worried. So me and Spyro went looking for ya." She glanced anxiously at the portal which Flame was standing next to. It was still turned on.

Flame, noticing this, stepped away from the portal, and his sister seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"...Aaaaanyway. I suggested we look for you here in Dark Hollow since you used to be kind of obsessed with the place after Spyro left... you know with your paintings and everything." She chuckled slightly, but Flame wasn't amused.

Great... she had to go tell Spyro about those too...

"But the real reason we're here," Ember went on, "is because Spyro wanted a chance to talk with you. In private. Isn't that right, Spyro?"

She nudged the bigger dragon who had neither moved from his spot or said a word since he landed. Now he seemed a little unsure what to do with himself, his eyes flicking between Flame and Ember. "Ehm... yeah!" he managed finally, giving an awkward smile. "We didn't really get a chance to talk much... at the party, I mean."

Maybe if you hadn't been so busy parading around like a show dog and snuggling with Ember...

Flame studied the big dragon. He did seem unusually stiff. He was looking away from Flame, down at his talons, tail curled around himself - a far cry from the charismatic hero-dragon he had seen at the party.

Is he here to apologize, perhaps?

"Sooo... " Ember rubbed her talons. "You boys are hitting it off excellently. I better give y'all some privacy!" She gave Flame a wink, then hopped off the platform and spread her wings. "I'll see you guys later!" And with that, she was winging off into the night, leaving the two males alone.

For a moment, the dragons regarded each other in silence, a thick, painfully uncomfortable silence. Then Spyro was the first to speak. "Wow, you've gotten big!" he burst out, regarding Flame with eyes full of adoration. It was a strange compliment coming from someone who stood almost half a dragon taller than him. "I mean, not to say you were small before or anything", he quickly amended.

Flame, still overcome with the surreality of the situation, didn't say anything, so Spyro tried again. "Wow, Dark Hollow huh?" he chuckled. "I haven't set claw here for so long. Feels like a lifetime ago," he mused and looked around as if to really absorb all the memories.

"It wasn't a lifetime ago. Just ten years." Flame replied, finally. "Ten years, two months, and three days, actually. Not that I've noticed..."

Spyro's frills perked. "Ten years? You sure it's been that long? Geez! Time kinda flows differently in the Forgotten Realms. Really does a number on your day-night cycle too!" The dragon yawned, stretching out his wings and back in his typical feline-fashion. "Hey, did you know that they have realms where time goes backwards?"

Flame gave a deep sigh, feeling his annoyance spike. "Spyro..."

"It's true!" Spyro went on. "Like magical time-paradox realms. They also have homeworlds with zero gravity, so you can jump really far! I didn't believe it first, but then Cynder..."

"Spyro!" Flame interrupted. He didn't want to hear about zero-gravity realms and time paradoxes right now. "What exactly is that you want? Why are you here? And why did you just come back all of a sudden, after ten freaking years away?"

"Why I'm back? I came to see you, of course! I couldn't let my little chili steal all my speedway records while I'm gone, heh heh." He cracked a smile, and for a second it was as if the old Spyro was back again, the dragon that wore shades and rode around on a skateboard and never hesitated once in his life, except when usually Spyro's smile seemed to come as natural as breathing, now it felt forced, desperate. He stepped closer towards Flame, his smile fading somewhat. "What's wrong, Flamo?"

"Speedway records, huh? Is that what you came here to talk about? Your stupid speedway records?" He fixed his eyes on Spyro who seemed to squirm under his gaze.

"I... guess?" he gave a helpless shrug.

Once again, Flame was speechless. Spyro wasn't here to apologize, to explain himself. The sadness, the abandonment that had laid dormant in all those years, threatened to bubble to the surface, but he swallowed it down. "Well, I know you have a party to get back to," he said, turning his tail to the other dragon, and once out of sight, wiped away some of the growing dampness in his eyes. "See ya around, Spyro."

"Wait!" The other dragon suddenly sprung up from his place. He caught up with Flame, putting his talons on his shoulders. "Flame I... I...." he started. but whatever right words he was looking for didn't seem to want to come out, so he just looked at Flame and stammered stupidly.

Then, as if unable to hold himself back any longer, he wrapped his forearms around the smaller dragon, scooped him up and pulled him tight to his chest.

"I just really missed you..." he whispered in Flame's ear, and Flame, transfixed by the sudden nearness, his warmth, his smooth scales, the fact that he was being embraced by a dragon he had missed for so long, felt his body go limp. All he could do was rest his head weakly against Spyro's shoulder while his heart thundered in his chest. Spyro's scent, at once new and familiar, turned his brain to syrup, making thinking impossible.

It would have been easy to just close his eyes and lose himself in the sweet moment, and indeed every fiber of his being wanted nothing more than to do just that, but all the anger and loneliness that had built up inside of him for over a decade wouldn't let him. Instead, he pressed his paws against Spyro's chest, pushing him away with such force that the purple dragon fell back on his haunches with a surprised yelp.

"What's your problem Spyro!?" he growled at the other dragon, smoke billowing out his nostrils. "What do you think you're doing!?"

Spyro just sat on his haunches, blinking and staring at Flame in utter shock. "I er... I'm hugging you?"

"No..." Flame stepped closer. "I mean... you disappear for a decade, you pretend I don't exist at the party, and then you show up here to hug me like everything is fine!?"

"I'm sorry... I meant to be back sooner. I really did!" Spyro scrambled to his feet. He attempted to step closer to Flame, but the little dragon snarled and whipped his tail, making Spyro step back with a nervous gulp. "I... I can see that you're angry," he continued, "and I know I was gone a little longer than I said I'd be..."

"A little? You were gone for a decade, Spyro!"

"Yeah but... I'm back now!" No amount of dark lords or rampaging dragons is gonna keep me from my old wingmate, right?" He gave a hopeful smile. "And I came here to check on you. You just bolted after you... ran into me like that," he rubbed his neck again, trying to find the right words. "I wanted to see why you acted so...you know... weird."

"I'm acting weird!?" Flame hissed, bristling, his frills standing on end again. "You just show up, prancing about in front of everyone with your stupid sunglasses and signing autographs, like you saved the world or something!"

"I did save the world, actually..."

"And then your new girlfriend, that thin, black dragon, snarls at me, and you act like you don't even recognize me..."

"What girlfriend?...." Spyro tried. "Flame, will you please..."

"And worse of all," Flame stomped the ground, anger pulsing through him with every heartbeat. "You ask for my sister! You don't ask for me, oh no I'm not even in the stupid list, you want my selfish, black-hearted sister, so you can cozy up in private, even after you promised you weren't into her!"

"Into ... into Ember?! And what list!?" Spyro was so upset he almost forgot he wasn't allowed to approach and stopped himself just in front of the sizzling dragon. "Flame please, you gotta listen to me," he pleaded. "I did recognize you, I just didn't know what to say! And when not even your sister knew where you were, we went looking for you straight away! I promise, we went straight away!"

"... And what makes you think you can flirt with my sis when you already have ... Wait... What?" Flame sat back on his haunches, his anger momentarily diffused. "You... wanted Ember so you could ask her... about me?"

"Of course I did! Who else was I gonna ask when nobody seemed to know where the heck you had run off to!? Besides... I wasn't prancing," he added, a little wounded. "I didn't even want the stupid parade..."

"But...but I saw you in the temple!" Flame said, thinking back to what he had seen in Spyro's private booth. "You were talking privately with her... and you... you were blushing!"

"You spied on me?" The scales on Spyro's cheek took on that distinctive pink hue instantly. "And yes, maybe I blushed a bit, but your sis wanted to know why I was so keen on finding you. She practically demanded I tell her..."

Flame cocked his head, studying Spyro closely. "What exactly did you tell her?"

"I don't know!" Spyro rubbed his frills again, his cheeks still a distinct pink. "That I missed you I guess...And that I wanted a chance to talk to you in alone... and I wanted to know if she thought you still missed me, or if you had moved on..."

"So that's why you wanted to speak to her in private..." Flame's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. Everything was so backwards! So Ember brought Spyro here for Flame's sake? At once, it was like a weight was lifted from his shoulders and he breathed a sigh of relief. With that came a slight tinge of guilt too. She must have been so disappointed, yet she had helped Spyro find you...

"Yes, that's why I asked the elders to bring her. Because when you just bolted like that, the second you saw me, I thought that maybe you didn't want to see me. That maybe you had started hating me." Spyro's big violet eyes fixed on him, a glint of hope returning to them. "Does this mean... you don't hate me?"

Flame didn't know what to say. You're an idiot, his mind told him. If you had just talked to Spyro instead of bolting like a lunatic, none of this would have happened. And you were gonna hop through a portal to the Forgotten Realms over it!. He looked at Spyro and knew right away that he didn't hate him. In fact, he wanted to run into his arms and forget all about this stupid misunderstanding, about how angry he had felt just minutes before and all the many years they had been apart.

But his talons wouldn't move. It still didn't feel right, no matter how much he wanted it to be so. Instead, he felt nauseous. Maybe he was tired. Maybe it was because he hadn't eaten all day. Maybe it was something else. In front of him, Spyro's hopeful smile was slowly fading.

"I... I don't hate you Spyro," Flame finally said. "But... I feel so weird right now. I think I need some time to process all this..."

"But... but I'm here now..." Spyro whimpered, so quietly Flame could barely hear his voice. "If you don't hate me, then what's the problem? I'm back. It'll be just like before." He looked at Flame with his big bright eyes that hadn't changed a bit since he left, eyes that couldn't understand why Flame was hurting, why he was keeping his distance. And that's when Flame realized that Spyro wondering that was exactly the problem. Because he should know.

He made himself look back at Spyro, and it took a great deal of will force to meet his pleading eyes. "Look," he said, struggling to come up with the right words. "Okay, so maybe I... misread the situation a little bit. But you're still acting like everything is fine and..." his voice cracked up a bit, and when he blinked he realized the tears in his eyes were back. "...I'm not sure it is."

"But it is fine!" Spyro insisted. He stepped closer, taking his talons into his. "I'm not leaving, again Flame. It'll be as if I never left to begin with!" His grip around his talons tightened. "Please, just tell me what's going on. Whatever it is, I can fix it."

Flame turned away. His stomach was knotted with a mix of anger and guilt. Betrayal and love. Then Spyro's soft nose nudged his cheek.

"Hey, remember the first night we spent here? You pretended you weren't cold, but you were shaking like an aspen leaf."

Flame did remember. He had fallen asleep under Spyro's wing that night.

"And when we went to DragonFly falls, and you were so nervous about running into those jungle gnorcs, which of course we did, but then we totally roasted them all, you and me."

"I seem to remember you roasted them all," Flame said. "I just hid behind a stump. And then you had to rescue me from another tribe of jungle gnorcs on the way back, the ones who wanted me for their voodoo ritual..."

"I don't remember that part," Spyro chuckled. "But I always kinda liked getting you out of trouble. I guess, spending all that time rescuing you, made me feel a little less afraid, myself, you know?"

Flame nodded. He knew exactly what Spyro meant. Spyro had been a friend, a teacher and protector, all in one - all things Flame had never really had. He had taught him to fly and defended him against his bullies. Yet, in this moment, it changed nothing.

He sighed deeply... "I'm sorry," he said, looking at the gatehouse exit. "Spyro, I really need some space right now, okay? I need - to be - alone."

Every word seemed to hit Spyro like a sledgehammer. A flicker of hurt passed over his eyes, and his talons let go of Flame, and his entire, elegant body seemed to deflate. He looked at the ground, heaved a deep sigh then said... "I understand."

Flame looked up, almost surprised. Without saying anything, his old wingmate stepped away from him, turned his nose to the sky and with one last longing look over his shoulder, spread his wings and took flight. A few seconds later and he was gone and Flame was alone.

At once he felt like he might collapse. His whole body went numb, the writhing ball of contradictory emotions in his chest settling into an uneasy exhaustion that made him feel like curling up on the ground.

The dragon he had missed for ten years had finally returned, and Flame had sent him away. He was at once struck with a sudden wish to fly after Spyro, to apologize and promise him that everything was fine after all, but another side of him just wanted to be alone for once this entire annoying day.

He left Dark Hollow through the gatehouse, too tired to even fly. He just wanted to get back to his cave. He just wanted to sleep and deal with Spyro and everything else in the morning.

Unfortunately, it seemed like the Ancestors wouldn't even grant him that much, because barely had he made it out the gatehouse when he heard a familiar voice behind him. "Bro! Flame! Hold-up!"

Ember hopped into view, closely followed by Ashes, and that brown dragon he had seen with Ember before, Umber. "So... how did it go?" His sister looked at him with eyes full of excitement. Ashes and Umber looked just as curious.

"It went... okay." Flame didn't know what else to say.

Ashes furrowed her brow in confusion. "What's the matter? You okay?" She peered over Flame's shoulder, as if expecting Spyro to be with him, and seemed a little confused when he wasn't. Surely, he had expected them to walk out, tail in tail.

"Everything's fine. We just... needed some time to process things," Flame assured her. "Really, I'm fine."

He gave a small smile, but his hurt must have slipped through since Ember walked over and sat down next to him. "You know I'm here if you wanna talk about it, right?" Her eyes were warm and concerned.

But Flame didn't want to talk about it. "Maybe another time. I'm just a little tired right now. And I'm sorry for snapping at you before..."

"Oh hey, don't worry about that. I probably deserved it." She gave him a hug.

She let go of him, but her claws remained on his shoulder. "It's late, and me and Umber got a long flight back to Artisans. But we'll talk tomorrow, okay?"

Flame nodded, although he wondered if he would feel any more ready to talk about it tomorrow. He watched his sister take off into the night, followed closely by Umber.

Before him remained only Ashes. "I guess I'll... see you around," she said, giving Flame a small smile.

"Of course. It was nice meeting ya," he said with a small smile of his own. He wasn't lying. He was glad that she had insisted on following him to the party. It had made things slightly easier.

Ashes nodded. She spread her wings, and looked like she was about to take off, but then stopped and looked back at Flame again. "Ehm... in which direction is Dragon Village exactly?"

Flame stared at her, confused at first. Then he remembered that she wasn't from the island. "Oh! Well, just follow the main road. The cobblestone one, the one we took here." The road would take her past Crocodile Swamp, back to the village.

"Oh, thanks heh. Well, I'll see ya later then!." And with that, the gray dragon took off as well. Flame watched her wing into the night until he couldn't see her gray hide anymore. He wondered if he would ever see her again. He really hoped he would.

The night was cold. There were still some faint drops of rain. He walked and looked down at his talons as they clicked over the cobblestone. And he thought about Spyro, how big and beautiful and handsome he had gotten, and then his awkward chuckle, his forced smile and insistence that everything was fine because he had bothered to come back after ten years of careless adventuring in the Forgotten Realms.

Then he thought about his pleading eyes, and how in difference to everything else about him, they had seemed real, like he had truly missed him. Not fake, not pretend, real. But if it was real, he never should have just left for so long. He should have been back much sooner.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard wingbeats above. He looked up to see the shape of a dark-gray dragon flying through the darkness, coming straight towards him. It must be Ashes. Was she lost? What could she want now?

He watched her spiral down and land on the cobblestone road in front of him. She tucked her wings in and walked towards Flame, but as the dragon shape came closer, it grew taller, thinner and darker and showed itself not to be Ashes at all. Ashes didn't have piercing green eyes and a long scythe-like blade on her tail-tip.

Oh no.. It's that scary black dragon from The Forgotten Realms. Flame felt a knot of dread in his stomach. Had she come to snarl at him again or maybe scare him off so she could have Spyro to herself?

"Flame?" a low voice asked, at once as smooth as milk and as dark as the deepest onyx.

He gulped nervously, yet looked up bravely at the black dragon. "So you know who I am now?"

The dragon chuckled dryly. She craned her neck to look at him curiously, circling around him like a shark with its prey. "You're shorter than I imagined," she said suddenly as a smile grew on her thin muzzle. "But I can see why Spyro sees in you! You do have that innocent dragonfly-in-the-spiderweb look about you. Really cute."

"I'm... what now?"

"It's great to finally meet you, Flame." She sat down on her haunches, then surprised him with a sudden hug. Her scales were smooth and dry, and she smelled a little like charcoal. "Hell, I've heard so much about you by now it's like we know each other."

She let go of him, then extended a long talon in Flame's direction which the latter shook warily. "Name's Cynder," she explained. "I'm sorry about not introducing myself before. I didn't recognize you at first, although I should have. Smallish red dragon, yellow belly, a little fidgety..."

Flame just blinked stupidly. Was this the same scary thing that had snarled at him before? Even weirder, she really did know him. "So... Spyro has mentioned me huh?"

"You kidding!?" Cynder snorted. "The guy would never shut up about you. Geez! And actually, that's kinda what I was hoping to talk to you about... If you have a minute."

Flame had hoped to be in bed by now, but whatever this Cynder dragon wanted to talk about must have been important for her to seek him out like this. Besides, she seemed much nicer now than at the party. And since it didn't seem like she was going to eat him either, he nodded his okay.

Cynder moved over and sat herself down next to Flame, her scythe tail swishing through the grass as it wrapped around them both. "Look, Spyro can be a little.... clueless sometimes, but he doesn't mean anything by it. I don't know exactly how things ended between you guys - he told me a lot but never wanted to talk about that last night - but trust me when I say that you are incredibly important to him."

Flame's heart skipped a beat. So he did miss me... At first, relief washed over him, warming him to his core, but at the same time this only led to more questions. "Then why were you guys gone for so long? Couldn't you have found time to visit, or at least send a postcard or something?

"We actually couldn't," Cynder said. "That's another thing that I want you to know. "She craned her neck and looked down at him, her green eyes glimmering in the moonlight. "You can blame him for leaving, but you can't blame him for not coming back sooner. That was all me."

Flame cocked his head, confused. "What do you mean?"

She sighed deeply, her black wings sagging. "I'm the one that got us trapped in the Well of Souls. Got us tethered together. Because he went there to rescue me, we fell so deep into the realm I wasn't sure we'd be back at all..."

She looked up at the moon, which had peaked out between the clouds. "I made a lot of mistakes, and I would have never survived if it wasn't for him. I owe that dragon a lot. That's why I'm talking to you now, because I really think that he won't truly be happy until you guys are friends again."

Flame nodded mutely, but inside his brain was struggling to make sense of the world. He felt like he had been hit by a boulder thrown by a rock gnorc, and everything had been turned on its head. He had always assumed that Spyro stayed gone because he had more important things on his mind. To hear that he wanted to be back and he couldn't...it changed everything.

"Don't get me wrong," Cynder continued. "He still left ya, that was all his choice. And rushing headfirst into the Forgotten Realms was pretty dumb. The guy didn't even have a back-up plan when he showed up, he just threw himself right into it..." The dragoness chuckled again. "Can you believe that he thought we could dive into the underworld, get Malefor and be back the next weekend?"

A slight smile tugged at Flame's lips. He had no problem believing that part. "So... you guys are not really a thing anymore then?"

Cynder rolled her eyes. "We were never a thing, Flame. Trust me when I say the guy showed up just to rescue me, no ulterior motives. That's just how he is."

"You mean that in all that time, you guys never...?"

Cynder shook his head. "We were tethered together for close to a decade, and he still didn't make a move. So even if it was your business, which it kinda isn't by the way," she added with a roll of her eyes, "I'm happy to report that he's all yours. Which is why I was curious to see what dragons might have left such an impression."

Again, Flame didn't know what to say. He was too tired, too confused, but still there was one question he needed to have answered. He looked directly at the black dragoness. "Does he love me? If you know him so well, you should know that."

Cynder sighed. "I'm sorry, Flame. But I think that's a question you should ask Spyro. I know what I think, but you need to hear it from him."

Flame's heart sank in his chest. He was disappointed, even though he knew she was right.

"Hey..." Cynder nudged the smaller dragon. "You look like you're about ready to faint. You should go home, get some sleep. Your elders have graciously offered to host me and Spyro in the temple chambers. Why don't you come over for breakfast tomorrow, we can all talk about this? I think you deserve to know what me and Spyro have been up to all this time... And there are some things you should know about why we're here too."

"I'm not allowed in the elder temple," Flame said. "Besides... I haven't exactly been on the best of terms with the elders since Spyro left..." And my little accident at the party today probably hasn't improved that any...

Cynder snorted. "You won't have to worry about them much longer. And if they kick up a fuss, just come to me or Spyro and we'll sort it out, set them straight."

Flame knew that they would definitely kick up a fuss, but he was usually pretty good at sneaking past them. Still, he was surprised to hear a guest talk about the elders in such a way.

"I'm glad we got to talk at least." She moved closer and wrapped a wing around Flame. "Thanks for letting me borrow him," she whispered, petting him on the head with a wingtip, which he begrudgingly accepted only because it made him feel a little bit better. "You seem like a good dragon, Flame," she said. "And I'm looking forward to getting to know you better!"

She winked at him, then disappeared into the darkness of the night, leaving Flame to stare after her and wonder if she had been real or just an illusion caused by his sleep-deprived brain.

Not too long later, he stood outside his cave. His own, familiar fortress of solitude, where he could feel safe. He had missed it all day, yet now that he stepped inside, it felt more empty and more lonely than it ever had.

He fetched his teapot and made a fire. He poured some tea into a cup and sat himself down by the window, warming chilled talons. He thought about how he had met Ashes outside his door this morning - kickstarting a series of events that would see him meeting Cynder for the first time, being reunited with Spyro and almost stepping through a portal to The Forgotten Realms. That morning felt like a lifetime ago.

He emptied his untouched teacup in the fire and stumbled into his bedroom. He dropped in his bed, wrapped his furs around himself and closed his eyes - but even while his body was totally exhausted, he could not sleep.

Instead, he thought about the painting he had made for Spyro, the one he had found left behind in his satchel the morning after. When he burned it, he was sure that he would never see the dragon again. It was his way of making peace with the fact that his friend had made his choice - and that that choice did not involve Flame. Except Spyro hadn't made that choice.

Maybe he even loved Flame after all. Maybe that kiss was more than just some impulsive he did because he felt like it. Maybe he should apologize for assuming the worst and pushing him away, admit that he just overreacted and beg Spyro to forget the whole evening. They could start over again tomorrow - as if none of this ever happened. That is if Spyro even wants to start over, after you screamed at him like that...

But would he really stay for good this time, or just until some new adventure on the horizon pulled him away? Next time duty calls and he has to leave, will he decide again that Flame isn't ready, isn't good enough, and leave him behind? Last time Spyro had promised never to leave him, he had left the same night.

Does he really love me?

Do I even still love him?

The questions made him want to tear his horns off. He buried his nose in his pillow, wondering why everything had to be so complicated.

Then came a sound, thump thump thump, as if someone was knocking. For a moment he thought he imagined it, and closed his eyes when he heard the sound again of thump thump thump. It was definitely someone there, and so the red dragon slipped from his bed confused and padded over to the door.

He opened the door, and there was Ashes. "I'm sorry for disturbing you so late but..." the gray dragon shuffled her talons timidly. "I was wondering, if maybe I could crash at your place?"

Flame just blinked. "You err... what?"

The dragonesses gray cheeks flushed up. "I'm sorry. I was hoping to find someplace in the village, but it's closed everywhere and ehm... But actually, maybe I should just see if I can catch up with Ember and..."

"Don't," Flame said, surprising both himself and Ashes. "You can... sleep here if you want." He knew that Ember would be halfway to the Artisans Homeworld by now. She'd never catch up with her, and the dragoness didn't live on the island, so she'd have nowhere else to go.

Ashes' face lit up. "Thank you!", she exclaimed, hopping inside as Flame opened the door for her. He gestured for her to take a seat at his kitchen table, then winced when he saw the week's dishes piled up on the table, not to mention the assortment of paint cans, canvas and other junk crowding the floor. He wasn't used to having guests over, and it showed. In fact, aside from the occasional unannounced visit from his sister, he had never really had a guest over before.

There was some of the peppermint tea left in the pot which he heated up and then offered Ashes, who politely accepted a cup. Flame suspected she didn't drink much tea though, as she mostly just flicked her tongue skeptically over the hot surface, taking itty bitty sips and trying not to grimace. Then again, he and Magnus were the only tea drinking dragons he knew of. He had made some for Spyro once, and Spyro, too impatient to wait, had burnt his tongue pretty badly and refused to try it again.

Flame sat down on the opposite side of the table with his own cup. "So... how was the party?" he asked, unable to think of much else to bring up.

Ashes shrugged. "It was okay." She pretended to take another sip from her cup. "...Actually it was really boring."

Flame chuckled and took a sip himself. "At least I didn't miss much then..."

The conversation died down. Flame looked at Ashes who in turn stared down into her cup. He realized then why he had invited her in. He didn't want to be alone, after all. He wanted someone to talk to. "You know..." he said to her. "I did promise to tell you about the day Spyro left, after the party."

The dragoness looked up. "You sure you wanna talk about that?"

Flame nodded. "It's a story I've never really told another dragon before. I think it'd be nice too... share it with someone I trust." He poured up some more tea for himself. "Besides, maybe you can help me."

Ashes listened closely as Flame told her all about that night ten years ago, when Spyro had left. He also told her about everything else, about the summer when Spyro had trained him to be a hero, taught him how to glide and headbash and fight gnorcs, believed in him. And how just as Flame had started to believe in himself as well, he had disappeared without a word.

Then, after a week, he had come back just in time for First Flight Day - a day that could have been the best in Flame's life if it wasn't for how it ended. He told her about the kiss, about their fight and how he had burnt the satchel Spyro had left behind. Then he told her about his awkward reunion with Spyro this evening, how he seemed at once like his old self but also a completely different dragon.

All the while, Ashes listened closely without saying a word.

Eventually, Flame got to his disastrous reunion with Spyro, and his meeting with Cynder. "...and then his mate, this giant black dragon shows up, except she wasn't his mate after all, and she's actually quite nice, and she starts talking about how apparently all the time they were together, Spyro wouldn't shut up about me. As if he loves me after all." He heaved a deep sigh, emptying the evening's fourth cup.

"And now I'm here...and everything is screwed up. I made him feel like shit, all because of a stupid misunderstanding. How could I be so... immature?! The feeling from Dark Hollow was back, the mix of guilt and anger, settling in his throat like a lump that refused to be swallowed. He took a few shaky breaths, then looked up at his friend. "I should just apologize right?"

Ashes looked back at him. Her eyes were full of concern, like she wanted to tell him what she knew he wanted to hear, but couldn't let herself. "I'm not sure it's that simple," she said, grasping her cup. "But you have to do what you think is best."

Flame's heart sank in his chest, even though he knew she was right.

"What did he seem like when you met?" she asked.

"He seemed like... he had missed me for ten years. Like, he had to struggle not to hug me. And when I wouldn't let him, it destroyed him. But he didn't seem like he understood why. Or if he did, he didn't want to talk about it..."

"I think this is all very natural," Ashes said, taking another sip. Flame looked up, a little surprised.

"It is?"

"Yeah... Look, even if it wasn't his fault he couldn't be back sooner, the fact of the matter is that he still left, and in doing so he wounded you. And that wound won't heal overnight just because he's back now. And he needs to realize that, so when he acted like everything was fine, it became too much for you."

"But I don't want to be angry with him!" Flame yelped. "What if he leaves again now that I was so mean? What if I lost my chance?"

"Sometimes what we want and what we need are two different things." Ashes said. She looked directly at him. "Does he love you?"

Flame was taken aback by the question. "I... I think so?"

Ashes nodded. "I think that before things can go back to being how they were, you need to know that for sure. You need to know that the next time he needs to leave, he'll let you come along no matter what. So let's go ask him!"

Flame's frills shot up. "Right away? As in tonight?" It was well past midnight when Flame had gotten home, and that must have been an hour ago at least. "They're probably asleep."

"I'm sure that if Spyro cares about you, he wouldn't want you to lie sleepless over this."

Flame sank down in his chair. He knew that Ashes was right. He sighed. "If... if I do it..." he said, looking down on his cup, his cheeks already flushing up. "...will you come with me?"

Ashes inched closer and laid a talon on his shoulder. She nodded, giving him a warm smile, and Flame felt a little better.

They went outside, then took off together, into the night once more. To find Spyro.

...

Thanks a bunch for reading and again, sorry for the long delay! Hopefully, this and the next few chapters will make up for it.

And yes, I'm sorry for the massive cliff-hanger here. But the good news is that I have the next chapter almost ready to go! So no more long delays! I'll probably have it out in one or two weeks.

So anyway, tell me what you think in the comments! Did you like the chapter? How would you have reacted if you were Flame? Do you feel he treated Spyro unfairly? Let me know and as always, thanks so much for keeping up with my Spyro fic! We're almost at the end now!

V_2020-06-11 10:18:44