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Trust is the foundation of every relationship. Without trust, love can't exist. Sometimes, all it takes is a moment to strengthen the faith between the two to the point where not even the darkness from the abyss can break it. others a single moment can destroy everything a couple has.

--Dragon Proverb--

Chapter Eleven

It was past midnight when Cyndrithil slowly crawled away from his sleeping mate. His body was exhausted from the day's events; however, his mind was wide awake with questions and doubts swirling like a hurricane in his mind.

He curled his claws inward, moving silently through the hallway. The others were sound asleep, including his son. But now, he wasn't sure if he wanted Ymerc.

"I used...an...enslavement spell." Ymerc's words echoed endlessly in Cyndrithil's skull, resentment and hatred joining the party.

Cyndrithil knew his son had used dark magic. When he first learned of Ymerc's past, he figured it would be something simple, like taking a wild animal's life for a spell. Never in a million did he think Ymerc had used enslavement magic.

There was nothing lower than enslavement magic--taking away a creature's free will. Cyndrithil needed to parse through these thoughts, but he couldn't bear to burden Ymithia. They had only spent days together, and already she was protective of Ymerc. Cyndrithil wished he could express that sentiment as well, but with this new information, he was beginning to doubt his previous enthusiasm.

Outside in the cool of night, Cyndrithil unfolded his wings. Then, with a mighty leap, he took flight and headed for Xithris's den across Dravawynn. The sound of air beneath his wings was a balm on his heavy heart.

Cyndrithil knew he had a long flight ahead of him, and morning would likely be here before he got back. His mate would wake, wondering where he went. He just hoped she didn't guess what he was doing when he did arrive at her side.

The moon continued its arc through the night, shadows lengthening along the ground as it progressed. While most dragons preferred to be awake during the day, he wasn't surprised to see some dragons out hunting, training, and practicing magic at this hour.

Ymithia still seemed to love the hatchling as much as before, if not more. That's why he was going to see Xithris. If anyone could understand him right now, it was him.

He couldn't quite explain it. Ever since the truth came out, it seemed like a fog had come over his mind, keeping him from thinking clearly. The only swirl of thought was his anger towards Ymerc, the unwillingness to forgive him.

"What am I going to do?" he said out loud, knowing no one was near enough to hear.

He wanted to go back and change his decision.

Down below, Xithris's den lay. Cyndrithil nose-dived, his secondary eyelids covering his eyes so he could see through the roaring winds that felt like a massage on his scales but hurt his eyes if it weren't for his nictitating membranes. His wings roared with strain when he opened them, the wind catching them like a parachute and sending him flying backward for a short moment, his stomach flying up into his throat before he landed hard, his legs shaking with the strain he had just put on them.

Maybe I should have slowed down a bit more before landing, he thought.

He stood at the entrance for a moment before releasing a brief gout of flame, sending the scent of his flames into the den. It was a dragon's way of asking for permission to enter. Each dragon could infuse its flames with its own scent that would tell a dragon who they were. It was better than yelling into a den asking for permission to enter. If they didn't receive an answer, they could wait or leave.

Cyndrithil didn't have to wait long before another gout of flame answered him, allowing him inside. The smell of smoke struck him. He exhaled a small flame from his nostrils to cleanse the odor.

Deeper inside, Xithris sat, reading a book, his tail on the near side of his hind legs.

A few steps more, and Xithris looked up.

"What brings my brother to my den so late at night?" Xithris asked, his head cocked to the side like a cat.

He should have thought more about what he would say when he got here, but Cyndrithil found himself at a loss for words.

"My brother, at a loss for words. How strange. Does the harpy have your tongue?" he teased, a devilish smirk hinting on his lips.

Cyndrithil did not respond, his head arched in an s shape looking at the floor.

Xithris's tone darkened. He knew something was wrong. Cyndrithil seldom acted like this, and when he did, it usually meant his heart was heavy.

"Well, don't stand there like a stranger. Come in," he gestured, waving his paw.

Cyndrithil hesitated a moment, wondering why he was here before he strode toward his brother. The fog over his mind seemed to grow in density, a cloud of confusion.

"What brings you by?" Xithris asked.

Cyndrithil took a moment before responding, choosing his words carefully.

"I don't think I can do it."

"Do what?"

"I can't be Ymerc's father," he explained, arching his head further in shame.

"And why would that be?" his brother responded without judgment.

"He used dark magic," he explained.

"You knew that going in, so what changed?" Xithris set his book aside, placing a flattened tree branch as a bookmark inside.

"I thought he used a lighter form of it, not something as heavy as enslavement. He took a creature's freedom away all because of an...opportunity." He didn't think through what he was saying.

Xithris grew serious, eyes like storm clouds.

"Cyndrithil Drackan," Xithris said, his voice tense.

All dragons in a clan used the same last name. It helped distinguish dragons from others in times of all-out war. Cyndrithil knew he had angered Xithris when he used his last name. He only did so when Cyndrithil made a grave mistake. He was starting to wonder if his mistake was coming here.

"Look at me."

Reluctantly Cyndrithil met his eyes.

"What was the first thing we were taught about dark magic?" Xithris stood before sitting on his hind paws.

"Dark magic is horrific and evil," Cyndrithil responded, his voice weak from hesitance.

"No, all dragons know at a young age that dark magic is evil. What was the first thing we learned?"

Though Cyndrithil and Xithris had different parents, it didn't stop them from teaching them together due to how close they had been.

He took a moment, thinking hard about what they were taught.

"All dark magic is the same. There is no greater or lesser evil when it comes to dark magic."

"Precisely," Came Xithris's response, happy that his brother remembered.

"And why is that?"

"It makes it easier to judge those who have used it when they repent," he said.

Though dragons protect the world from dark magic, they are taught second chances, giving the creature using evil magic a chance to repent before being killed. However, if they do, they are judged before the dragons of the clan and given a punishment based on how long they used it.

"Good, you understand. Then why are you placing a single spell above the rest? What is it about this spell that you can't forgive?"

Cyndrithil did not respond. He wasn't even sure himself.

"What else are we taught?" Xithris asked, his lips lifted, ready to snarl in response to what he knew Cyndrithil was going to say.

"Forgive those who regret using dark magic."

"And what does Ymerc feel about dark magic!" he snarled at his brother.

"He regrets using it--but."

"No buts! I would understand if your parents had been killed using enslavement, but they weren't. Heck, they are still alive to this day, so what exactly is it that you can't forgive?"

"I don't even know myself. I just feel angry. I feel hatred towards Ymerc for his actions." He hurriedly explained lest Xithris cut him off.

Xithris calmed himself before continuing.

"Are you sure it's anger towards Ymerc and not someone else?"

He considered his brother's words. His eyes widened as he understood his own mistake.

"Good, it looks like you've realized it. I think you need to be somewhere else besides standing here like a dolt," Xithris concluded.

Cyndrithil turned to leave with his mind finally cleared of the fog that had been covering his mind. But, just before Cyndrithil took off, Xithris reached out one more time, his words echoing through his den.

"Don't let your mind get muddled again. It will help in the long run."

Cyndrithil looked back, his lips lifted, revealing his teeth. His heart was no longer heavy but light as a feather.

"Thank you, brother."

"Of course," he said just before Cyndrithil leaped into the sky, changing his direction, so he was facing the mountain where his mate and hatchling slept, his heart flying in the very winds that carried him home.

The anger he felt wasn't towards Ymerc. Instead, it was the elders, forcing him to endure more pain after all he had been through.

"Where have you been?" Ymithia snarled as quietly as she could, doing her best not to wake Ymerc.

Cyndrithil strode in to meet a very cross Ymithia glaring daggers at him.

"I was visiting Xithris." was his only response before he laid down next to them.

"Nope--not good enough. It's fine when I know what you're up to, or even when you're trying not to wake me after a long night, but when you sneak out late in the night... tell me what really happened."

It wasn't that she didn't trust him, Cyndrithil knew that, and he knew he had made a mistake; he should have gone to Ymithia first. Maybe she would have cleared the dirt over his eyes much sooner.

Cyndrithil already gave her the truth, or at least part of it.

He released a soft sigh, giving in and preparing himself for what was to come.

"I was visiting Xithris. I had doubts, and I needed advice." He tried to nuzzle her, but she scooted away on her belly out of his reach.

"And why couldn't you have come to me? Sometimes it feels like you trust him more than me."

She was right. He couldn't deny that. Shame gripped him, his heart turning to lead, feeling heavier than before he had talked to Xithris.

He regretted his choice now, but what's done is done. Now, he had to make it up to her, and it started by telling her the whole truth.

"I had doubts about Ymerc, especially after today. I went to talk to Xithris about it because you had already become so close to Ymerc. I didn't want to be seen as the enemy," he told her. He didn't meet her eyes, too afraid of what he'd see there. His breath hitched in surprise. His body tensed as she nuzzled him close.

"It's okay to have doubts. Do you really think I don't have my own?"

Her words surprised him further. Tears started to reach the edges of his eyes before sliding down the planes of his face.

"I know we can't read each other's minds. That's why these things happen. I had not intended to share them with you, afraid of how you would react. I think the lesson here is we need to learn to trust each other more." She moved closer to him as she spoke. Their sides and wings touched before she nuzzled him again.

"I'm so sorry, please forgive me," he cried, tears racing down his scales in rushing rivers, plinking on the soft stone below.

"You are my mate, and I take great pride in that. I love you more than words can possibly describe. Next time, let's take the time and fully talk to each other, so this kind of thing doesn't happen."

Cyndrithil sat there in shock. This wasn't going at all how he imagined. Did he underestimate his mate? Guilt crept in at that thought, and tears continued to pour down his scales forming a small puddle on the stone below his snout.

"I'm so sorry I underestimated you. I thought we would end up arguing. I thought telling you the truth would end poorly for the both of us."

She licked his cheek with her tongue before responding. Cyndrithil's jaw went slack.

"We underestimated each other. Because of everything that's happened, I thought you would argue with me if I voiced my doubts. You would end up hating me for it. When I woke and you were gone, I thought something bad had happened. I wondered if you were coming back."

Tears started filling her eyes now, threatening to spill over.

"My precious, I will always return to you even through death. It would seem we still have a lot to learn about each other and our relationship."

"I-it would seem so," she stuttered between breaths. A smile lit up her face, and to Cyndrithil, it was the most perfect thing he had ever seen.

The first light of day peeked over the horizon, its warm rays reaching into the den. The chirping of birds filled the room as they awoke and began singing their songs for the world to hear. A gust of wind rattled the window, signaling that it would be the first of many that day. Ymithia, though she had been furious at him, was now confused at her loose body's reaction to being this close to him, something she hadn't felt in years.

Her heart, beating fast like the flapping of a hummingbird's wings; her body, growing hotter than lightning. She stood on her legs, walking over to her mate, whose eyebrows raised in response. She surprised herself with her following action: standing in front of Cyndrithil, she leaned in, her lips brushing over his. She felt him tense, his body going rigid before he leaned into her, their tongues meeting in a firm embrace, their hearts beating as one as a heat hotter than a thousand suns filled her chest.

Though they had only been together a few years, she had never kissed him before and wished now she had done so earlier. Her eyes opened when she felt his wings wrap around her sides, their warmth adding to the wildfire surging through her body.

As Ymithia leaned in, Cyndrithil's breath caught in his throat; his heart threatened to leap out of his chest. His tail tensed. Ymithia's lips brushed him like a bolt of lightning, igniting every scale on his body in a blazing fire. His heart stopped; the world fell silent. All that mattered to him at that moment was Ymithia--the kiss he wished would never end.

When Ymithia broke the kiss, her chest heaved with every breath in a sweet wind that met Cyndrithil's snout. His breathing matched hers--like he'd just flown across the forest. Everywhere his wings touched her seemed like kindling to an inferno.

She closed the meager distance between them, nuzzling him as if she couldn't get enough of him no matter how hard she tried to.

"I love you to the stars and back."

Cyndrithil's words stopped her--love poured into her overflowing heart.

She looked at him. "And I love you with all that I am and more," she replied, tears sliding down her cheeks.

Honestly, she felt if her heart filled anymore, it would burst and kill her, a swelling in her chest that felt hard like a rock yet soft like sand.

"Thank you for being my mate. I can't imagine life without you."

His words floored her. She, too, couldn't imagine life without him. It nearly broke her heart just to think about it, let alone imagine it.

She nestled her wings under his and wrapped them as tightly as she could, the fear of letting him go taking control of her. Her claws wrapped around his, bringing him as close to her as she could possibly get.

Cyndrithil could feel her heart furiously beating against his chest. He never wanted to let her go, so he settled for the next best thing. He leaned to the side, pulling Ymithia with him; her body tensed until she figured out what he was doing. Fatigue washed over her like a strong wave, crashing into each of her scales with the force of a lightning strike.

Now laying together on their sides, their wings wrapped around each other and their bellies touching, they fell asleep, their single moment still strong in their dreams.