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Cyrno looked into a mirror, trying on a ceremonial suit of armor. The armor was white instead of the normal dark blue. The royal crest, painted by the best artists, rested on his shoulder plate. While it had less plating than his normal armor, it allowed him to move faster. Hell, if he could, he would wear this set.

He was happier than he had ever been in his life, humming the entire time. Just the night before, he had fulfilled his dream and was to be the mate of his queen. Even though it was supposed to be a secret, he could barely contain the wide grin plastered on his muzzle. Cyrno felt a lot better about himself; he had actually stood up for himself and won the competition. Just the taste of Shiva was enough to make him melt.

On the subject of Shiva, he turned to his bed to see her laying there, a loving expression on her face. After confessing their love for each other, Shiva decided to sleep in his room and keep him up all night. Yet, after all of that, he wasn't the least bit tired. Maybe he would collapse on the floor after.

The sudden thought of him being the future king worried him. "Shiva." Cyrno turned to face her, "What if I'm not ready to be a king?"

Shiva got up and nuzzled him, "Don't worry; Dad won't be dying any time soon and he'll show you how. If you wouldn't make a great king, Dad wouldn't have adopted you and I wouldn't have chosen you. Just focus on looking surprised."

Shiva was right: Cyrno had nothing to worry about. He would have advisors and Shiva to aid him with his rule. Still, the weight of the entire nation weighing down on him was enough to make him buckle. On the subject of being a king, Glace walked right into his room, shutting the door after seeing the two of them together.

"So Shiva...have you chosen?" Glace held his head, annoyance in his voice. Cyrno felt her tail wrap around his. The look on Glace's face was priceless, "Ok, so my daughter turns to incest. Technically, it's not, but whatever."

Cyrno watched Shiva turn a dark blue color. Cyrno was too happy to care about the small things, "I've wanted him for a long time...you know I have..." Shiva shuffled her claws, mumbling.

"I'm not calling you out on it!" Glace walked between them, folding his wing around them to the point where Cyrno thought he was going to snap his spine along with Shiva's. "Oh well, we won't be getting any land this time around, but maybe when you two have a child. From the way the room looks, I'd say you two were already on that..."

Cyrno did blush this time around and he thought Shiva was going to turn into a female version of him. "Dad...can you stop...?" Shiva gasped out, pulling out of his grip. "I'd rather not have the world hear of what we did...."

Glace frowned. It wasn't hard to figure out that he wanted to continue, "Alright, if you insist. Just make sure that you are down in the main chamber in thirty minutes. I would like to send these suitors as far away as possible. It's bad enough with the ambassador's here..."

"Yeah, I'm supposed to act surprised, but I can't seem to wipe the smile off of my face," Cyrno laughed.

"Yeah, well...just seal the face mask or something." Shiva slapped him playfully.

After about ten minutes of getting prepared, the three of them left the room, Glace going his separate way to round up everyone. The lack of guards in the hall surprised Cyrno, but it allowed him to steal a quick kiss from Shiva. He could have died right now he was so happy. Nothing could ruin this day unless the suitors formed a riot.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement. Motioning Shiva to stop, he went over to the corner of the wall and looked around. Fearing an attack by another monster like he did yesterday, he instead saw a fleeting draconic form going into the main hall. Shrugging, he motioned Shiva over again. When she asked what happened, he said it was a suitor.

Cyrno didn't feel the urge to rush into his seat, so he decided to take a walk through the garden. "I'm sorry Cyrno," Shiva said, staying where she was, "I don't want anyone to know I've chosen yet, so I can't be seen with you. I promise to make it up to you later."

Cyrno blinked before smiling, "I understand. I'll see you in a few."

"I'd better see you in a few..."

Even though he knew she was joking, it still frightening him. He didn't want to lose her just yet. Waving her off, Cyrno took to the fields once more. Maybe when he was king, he would move the flowers in the cave here or at least plant the seeds. Looking up, he saw that the moon was hidden behind a cloud.

Picking up a small leaf, he watched it blow away in the wind. As odd as it sounded, Cyrno was going to miss his patrols through the castle. He hoped that he could still walk around and have as much freedom as he did before. Then again, if what Glace said was true, he was going to be dealing with a lot of ambassadors. He had no idea how to be political...

Continuing to walk, five minutes passed before he found he was too impatient to sit around. Figuring he may as well get a good place to sit, Cyrno started towards the hall. Along the way there, he heard the sound of banging. Scanning around, he saw that it was Xiao who was banging his head against the wall.

"What are you doing?" Cyrno asked, jogging over.

"Trying to repress my memories of what happened last night," Xiao muttered, stopping only when Cyrno pulled him away from the wall. Even then, he attempted to go back.

"What happened?" Cyrno examined where he was smacking his head. It was a bit bruised.

"Mikai exposed herself to me after I talked with her. That was a sight I didn't need to see," Xiao pulled at his horns. Cyrno found it hard not to laugh, "I tried to run, but the doors and windows were locked. That sneaky little..."

This time, Cyrno really did laugh. Xiao narrowed his eyes at him and he looked away. Still, he felt a bit sorry for his friend, but he couldn't help but notice the look of joy that Xiao was trying desperately to hide. He was just trying to act like he didn't want to do it.

After talking for another minute or two, they ventured to the main hall and got a reasonably good seat. More and more suitors flowed in and he realized just how many there were. Had Shiva not chosen him and he had to entertain multiple females like she did, he would probably shatter his mind. The thought that he would never have to do it made his tail wag slightly.

Minutes crept by like hours and soon Shiva arrived with her father. Feeling her gaze on him, he tried to look nervous. Cyrno had the misfortune to be seated next to a muscular and male version of Aura, who was looking at him with these same golden eyes. Besides the gender and more muscular appearance, this dragon struck fear into the heart of Cyrno whereas Aura did not. The dragon's eyes narrowed, but Cyrno found it hard to turn away.

"What are you looking at, Cyrno?" the dragon flashed him a wicked grin.

"N-nothing..." Cyrno squeaked. The dragon looked satisfied at his reaction.

"Oh Aurgal, will you stop bullying everyone?" the accented voice that belonged only to Aura asked, landing on the dragon's head, keeping herself balanced by her wings. How the male's neck didn't snap was beyond him.

"No," Aurgal replied, looking angry at the fact that his sister (it was the only conclusion Cyrno could reach) was on his head. Yet, he made no motions to shake her off.

"How the hell are you going to get a mate if you act...well...yourself," Aura gave a look that Cyrno recognized as the 'shifty eye' look.

"I have no need for one. Now get off of me."

"I refuse!"

Cyrno looked at Xiao, who was just as confused as he was. Even a few suitors were looking at the twins. Cyrno was incredibly uneasy around them, remembering that it was a dragoness who looked very similar to Aura who took out his eye. So long as they weren't hostile for the next thirty minutes...

Soon, the entire place was packed and the ceremony was about to start. Aura, as she said before, refused to get off of Aurgal's head. Although, she did spread her weight around and was flopped on his back, her head still on his. Had they not been related, Cyrno would have assumed they were lovers.

And then, Glace started to speak. He had heard the speech before, so Cyrno was only half paying attention. Basically, it was a 'thanks for coming' kind of speech and it would last about a minute or two. Looking up, he saw Shiva smile at him. It was all he could do not to smile back.

Shiva herself walked up and now Cyrno paid attention, "As my father has said, I wish to thank you all for coming...even though some of you were dicks...but I have reached a verdict. I will say, it was tough, but that was until I opened my eyes and looked in front of me for the first time. For the longest time, I just considered him to be nothing more than a friend and that all changed last night."

Cyrno knew that she was half making up the story so it looked like the choice wasn't obvious. He felt her gaze on him before she continued, "I couldn't help but love him after last night...he knew me the best and he used it against me, but in the right way. I couldn't picture my life without him. Some of you may have seen this choice coming and may even consider it one of the oddest things ever, but I stand by my choice...which is Cyrno."

Cyrno felt every single gaze suddenly turn to him. Looking as surprised as possible, he rose up and saw that at least half the crowd was either shocked or pissed off at him. The sound of clapping came from right beside him as Aura was beating her wings together while Aurgal simply stared at him. After a second, a small smile tugged at Aurgal's face before Cyrno was nudged forward by him and Xiao.

Eager to escape the crowd, he flew up next to Shiva, taking off his helmet. "Do you accept being my mate, Cyrno?" Shiva asked.

Cyrno wasted no time in kissing her. Slowly, others joined Aura in clapping. Glancing at the crowd, he saw that Ephiral had joined the crowd and was slowly clapping, a smile on his beak. Even Aurgal clapped one, although he suspected that Aura forced him. Hell, even that one guard that was stabbed in the scuffle with that monster was there, being supported by her comrade.

However, it was there that he noticed Aura stop clapping and have a look of horror on her muzzle. "CYRNO, MOVE!" she cried out.

Before he could even blink, pain from his upper spine made his legs give out instantly. He collapsed on Shiva, who was almost knocked over. Cyrno's vision dimmed before he fell on his back, getting a view of the source of his pain. When he did, Cyrno could barely let out a surprised gasp.

It was an ebony scaled dragoness with pearl-white horns, wing membranes, and claws. Her horns went back a bit before going up and jutting towards her muzzle. A small horn pointed backwards from her lower jaw. Her wings were a bit large for her body. On her shoulders, two large crystals stretched to her lower jaw. Her tail ended in a trident-like shape, dripping with his blood.

His eye met her jade eyes, and he saw a tinge of red energy in them. "Wow, you guys suck. Seriously, it didn't take me any time to sneak past the guards and assassinate this bastard." The dragoness then looked at Shiva before bowing, "Oh, excuse me princess...my name is Mothgaria. I hope you don't mind what I did, because if you do, I'll kill you too."

The last thing Cyrno heard before falling into unconsciousness was her twisted laughter...

--

Shiva couldn't believe what just happened. At the time closest to her version of heaven, this dragoness named Mothgaria just assassinated her lover. Every fiber of her being demanded that she paid in blood, but something about her stopped Shiva from attacking. There was no way she could have simply walked in unless...

Mothgaria started to laugh when Cyrno's eye shut, "Come on, princess...or king...come at me! I just killed your next king! I dare to disagree with what I just said!"

Shiva was already at Mothgaria's muzzle with her claw, raking her talon across the side. Mothgaria jumped backwards before screaming in pain. When Shiva and Glace advanced, guards came from behind Mothgaria. When they succeeded in capturing her, that laugh came again and suddenly every single guard was torn to shreds by electricity when Mothgaria spun forward.

To make matters worse, the wound that Shiva inflicted was gone.

"That was mildly annoying," Mothgaria cracked her neck and charged at Shiva, "Too bad nothing you do can kill me!"

"What about what I do?"

A red claw suddenly punched Mothgaria in the jaw, sending her twirling to the side. Standing in front of her were those weird twins that she saw Cyrno talking with. The male, being the one who punched her, lunged again while the female landed near Shiva. When Shiva looked into her eyes, she gasped: no longer were they gold, but they were red with black slits. She was completely enthralled by them.

"Shiva, listen to me," Aura said, helping Glace lift up Cyrno, "He's still alive. If you can get him medical treatment, you can save his life...but I don't know the damage of Mothgaria's attack. He may never walk again." Aura nudged both of them, "Go on! We'll take care of Mothgaria!"

Without words, Shiva thanked her and, almost unconsciously, she bolted for the medical wing with Cyrno...

--

"Well...I have some good and some bad news..." Xiao removed his claw from the wound on Cyrno's back.

Shiva managed to get Cyrno to the medical wing and find a table to place him on. He was on his stomach, his breathing slow and shallow. Placing her claw on his forehead, she felt that he was almost too cold for an ice dragon. His mouth had thankfully stopped dripping blood; the only area still bleeding was his bandaged back.

Xiao had come in a few moments later and shoved everyone aside, pressing his claw on the wound. A few seconds later, a blue light came from under his claw and the wound started to close. However he pulled away when it was half sealed, saying that he fixed what he could for the moment. Then, he turned to Shiva.

"...Tell me whatever way you want to tell me..." Shiva said after a moment.

"The good news is that I fixed most of the nerves that connected from his spine to his legs...but he will have weakness for the rest of his life...which should be normal. If anything, I'd take away ten years." Xiao sighed.

"And...?" Shiva pressed. It was all but confirmed that he was going to live. Yet, she kept her joy from overflowing her.

"The bad news is...gah, I'm sorry to say this...but he'll never fly again. All of the nerves in his wings were severed from Mothgaria's attack. He'll never be able to return to the guard or travel long distances. In fact, it's doubtful that his body will allow him to wear his armor any time soon..."

Shiva almost fell over. Her mate...was crippled for life? Looking at his body, Shiva saw that it was the truth. When she touched his wings, all they did was fall back down. They would be nothing but a burden...and may have to be removed. Shiva didn't want to make that decision yet; she would wait until he woke up.

Stroking his muzzle, Shiva didn't stop the tears from flowing down her face. Crippled or not, she was his mate and she would be there every step of the way to help him recover. Yet, she couldn't face the fact that he would never fly again. She had so many places that she wanted to show him that required flying...but maybe technology would advance enough to allow him to fly.

In the land that Xiao was from, she heard that there were reports of dracidons with machinery grafted onto lost or injured parts that allowed them to move again. Glancing at the prince, she debated if she should ask him now or wait for Cyrno's input. Shiva shook her head; if she waited any longer, he may not have that chance.

"Xiao, is it true that you have the technology to build him a new pair of wings?" Shiva asked, wiping the tears from her muzzle.

Xiao focused on her before placing a claw under his chin, "It's still in the testing phases, but yes...there are some successful surgeries. When I return, I will try and grab a pair. No guarantees it will work, though..."

Shiva frowned, expecting that. Still, what did he have to lose? "I'll be forever in your debt if you at least try."

"Don't worry about it. Seriously...don't." Xiao avoided eye contact, "I came here expecting nothing, but Cyrno befriended me. That's good enough for me."

Shiva could only nod before turning to Cyrno and pecking him on the cheek, "I promise...I'll fix you. I swear it..."

--

20 dollars no one expected this ending.

But yes, this concludes the prequel to everything I have ever written. Yes, this includes my book work, which takes place 27 years after this event. I understand if you are a bit confused about the whole scenario and why there were a bunch of different named characters that only showed up once, but this event will be retold from another PoV (Namely, Aurgal and Aura), so it makes a lot more sense that way. Mothgaria I wasn't going to have in the story, but I decided to put her in as a tease between the connection for her and Virith, a character who looks exactly like her (and no, they are not related by family, heart, blah... Virith is a character in the book series).

Now, some of you may look at Shiva and go 'blerg, generic love interest'. Actually, I deliberately left out details about her. She is a central character in a later series and I wanted to wait until THEN to expand her character. Some of my older fans know who she really is, but I never touched upon a certain subject. I plan on doing that sometime this year.

Xiao was supposed to be an antagonist, but I decided 'Nah, I like this character...' and made him a friend of Cyrno. Expect to see him again sometime.

TBH, this series was only supposed to be 2-3 chapters long and was more of a doodle experiment, which is why the writing is subpar compared to my other works. I may rewrite this down the road. Yes, Cyrno being crippled was something I had planned ever since I finished chapter one. Cyrno may or may not die from his wound: I'll leave it up to you. Either way, I have a story to go from.

So yeah, I hope you enjoyed this and leave your honest opinions. I know a certain someone will kill me on IM later.

To quote the ending of the Metroid games...

...Seeya next mission!