Love Lost Ch4

Love Lost Chapter 4

Flame walked through the dark halls of the temple with Ember at his side.  They had left the bustle of the bustle of the late at night and both of them were tired form their long day.
Flame smiled to himself as he felt Ember lean up against him for support, looking down he could see she was almost asleep on her feet, walking with her eyes closed.
"Tired?"  Flame's smile widened as he watched Ember pick her head off his shoulder and crack open her eyes.
"No…" Ember walked a few steps, trying to keep her head held high.
Flame only laughed at her antics, she could be fiercely independent.  After letting her take a few more steps on her own, Flame walked over and pressed up against her, nuzzling the top of her head with his chin.  Ember responded with ha heavy sigh before leaning back up against him, resting her head on his shoulder.
"Alright, maybe a little."
Flame only smiled as he walked down the hall, his best friend at his side.
But his smile faded as he walked down the hall, passing Cynder's room along the way.  By the time they reached their own room, Flame's head was heavy with thoughts.  Letting out a heavy sigh, Flame opened the door and ushered Ember inside.
"Aren't you coming?"  Ember asked sleepily from inside, seeing that Flame wasn't following her.
"I'm going to check on Cynder and make sure Shadow found his room.  I offered to let him stay in the temple tonight."
Ember tried pushing out the door but flame stopped her.  "I'll come with you."
"No you won't.  You're too tiered to stand on your own feet.  Don't worry it won't take long, I'll be back later I promise."
Ember tried pushing past him again but Flame stood firm.  Seeing she wasn't getting anywhere, Ember went and lay down on their bed.  "Alright then, I'll hold you to that promise, I'll be waiting."
"Alright then," Flame smiled at her before closing the door and walking down the hall.
He had told shadow where his room would be before they left and Shadow had said he would leave the courtyard soon after them but he wanted to make sure the poor dragon wasn't lost in the temple.  Turning around a corner Flame walked a few steps down the hall before stopping outside a room with an open door.  It was the one he had designated for Shadow.  Sticking his head inside the door, Flame saw no trace of the black dragon and quickly walked back down the hall towards his own room.  Shadow probably hadn't left the courtyard left.  It was the most exciting night of the year.
Turning another corner, Flame headed back towards Cynder's room, only to stop seeing a black dragon outside her door.
"Cynder?"  Flame called down the empty passageway while cautiously moving towards her room
"Oh…  Flame.  I'm sorry I didn't mean to intrude."
Flame stopped, it was definitely a male voice.  "Shadow?  What are you outside her room?"
"I just felt bad, after what happened tonight.  And if this is really Spyro's helmet, I wanted to give it back to her."  Shadow motioned towards her door.
"I'm not so sure that's a good idea."  Flame motioned back behind him, "come on, your room's this way."
"Please Flame, this is something I feel I have to do."  Shadow stood rooted where he was, still looking at Cynder's door.
Flame walked back and stood aggressively in front of Shadow.  Shadow may have good intentions, but he wasn't going to let someone hurt Cynder more than she already was.  It was his duty to her as a guardian and as a friend.  "Give me one good reason why I should."

Cynder lay crying on her bed looking out the window.  It was only another day of pain, this time only worse than the previous days.  She was a fool to think that she could ever get away from it, to think today would be different than any other day for the last four years.
The click of her door opening and then closing separated her from her thoughts once again.  She had been expecting someone to come check on her.  They always did when she would get like this and usually she would chase them out of her room, but tonight she just listened as the stood inside the door.  The slow heavy breathing told her it was Flame tonight.
"Cynder?"
Cynder jumped slightly as Shadow's voice carried through her room.  What was he doing here?  
"I don't mean to intrude, but I just wanted to apologize about what happened today…"
He was greeted with only silence, as Cynder stayed silent.  Eventually she heard as he crossed the short distance between her bed and the door.
"I thought you should have this…" Shadow held out something in the darkness, but Cynder didn't look to see what it was.
When Cynder didn't move, she felt cold hard metal pressed into her paws.  She didn't have to look to know what it was.
"It's not really mine, and I know it means more to you than it does to me."
Cynder was unable to reply as she became choked up with sobs, tears trickling down her face and onto the metal below.
"Do you want to talk about it?"  Shadow's voce was some distance away.  She figured he must have backed away from her bed.  But something felt right, she needed to talk with someone.
Wiping the tears from her face, Cynder opened her mouth.  Slowly the words began to flow.  "You probably know Spyro's story.  How he was the savior of the world.  Well he was my savior too, in more ways than one.  To make a long story short, he saved my from the darkness, twice.  He kept coming after me no matter what I did to try to get away.  He believed in me when no one else would.  And I believed in him.  He held my heart in his hands the day he rescued me."  Cynder paused for a moment, the tears running freely down her face.
"Did he love you?"  Shadow gently posed the question, encouraging her to continue.
"Yes, and I know he did."  Cynder pulled out the letter from beneath her pillow.  "That's when this whole thing started.  After we stopped the destroyer we came back here, and for about a week we simply spent time together.  I had told him how I felt, but I was unsure of whether he had heard or not.  I found out one night when he came into my room.  He gave me this letter and told me about his feelings, for some reason I couldn't find the strength to wake up.  It was the same night the guardians sent him out on some mission as well.  He kept me from going because he was worried about my safety, but he never came back.  About six moths later, the guardians found what was left of his armor… thee was no way… anyone could have survived."  Cynder broke down into sobs again.
Shadow waited until she had calmed down to ask the next question.  "Did you love him?"  Once again, Shadow's gently prodding helped her continue.
Cynder stood up on shaky legs and walked to her window, looking out over the city and the skies beyond.  "I loved him more than he will ever know…" Cynder trailed off as the memory races through her mind yet again.
"Do you still love him?"
Cynder was silent; it had been four years.  It had been four years since he left and never came back.  Four years of agony without him.  Six months of agonizingly waiting for him to return followed by years of pain knowing he never would.  It had been four years, but she had counted ever day.  She opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off as Shadow spoke again
"Because he still loves you."  His voice came from only inches behind her as she looked out the window.
Cynder froze; her head still turned out the window.  What Shadow had just said…  Her mind knew what it meant, but her heart couldn't believe it.  Slowly she turned around; each step feeling like it never hit the floor.  Her head down towards the floor, Cynder could only se two black forelegs in her field of vision, she couldn't bring her self to lift her head.
What seemed like minutes passed before she watched as one paw lifted up and placed itself underneath her chin.  Gently, she felt him tilt her head up until she was looking into the eyes of the dragon before her.
"Cynder…  I still love you."
Cynder felt herself unable to move as she stared into the face of the dragon before her.  Even with the back scales and the difference in age, she still knew who it was, there was no other person like him.  And his eyes, she would never forget those eyes.
"S…  Spyro…"
The dragon before her smiled.  "The one and only, I always said I would come back to you."
Cynder pulled herself away from his touch but didn't stop string into his eyes.  "But how…  We all thought you were…"  
Spyro only watched and waited as Cynder's eyes asked him a thousand questions.  He didn't seem surprised or shocked at Cynder's reaction, he only waited patiently for her.
"Spyro… what...?  Why…?  If you were alive all this time why didn't you come back?"  Spyro's eyes saddened as Cynder's asked him question after question.
"I tired Cynder, I really did, but the full story will take ages to tell and it is not a story fit for tonight."  Spyro reached out to Cynder again but stopped when she backed away.  Once again he waited patiently for her to decide.
Cynder stood helpless as the only dragon she had ever loved stood in front of her.  She wanted nothing more that to run into his arms, to have him hold her, but her rational mind kept fighting with her heart.
"Why the disguise?  Why would you wander around not telling me who you were?"
Spyro was quick to answer.  "Because I want what is best for you.  I didn't know if you had moved on or not.  If you had, me appearing would only make things more difficult.  I didn't want to cause more pain than you had already gone through.  And this way I wouldn't attract unwanted attention."
Cynder continued, not to happy with the last answer but appeased none the less.  "Those holes in your armor… they should have killed you."
"They almost did."  Spyro shuddered slightly at the thought.  "That's part of the reason I've been gone so long."  Spyro removed the black chest and tail plates he was wearing to reveal two jagged scars across his chest.
With each question her heart began to gain ground, her confidence in the dragon before her growing
"The black scales?"  Cynder's heart was beginning to race as her mind began to agree with her heart.
Spyro only smiled and gently picked up her hand before running one of her talons roughly across his face.  When Cynder pulled her hand back she could see a streak of familiar purple amongst the black.  Looking at her talon she could see the end of it was completely black.
"Volcanic ash."  Spyro answered her next question for her.  "It covers my scales well and sticks better than I could have hoped.  The only way to get it off it to scrub it hard.  I'm going to need a good bath after this."  Spyro laughed nervously to himself as Cynder stared at the ash on her talon.
Cynder gently placed her talon down on the ground.  "But what if it's just a dream."  Cynder looked deep into his eyes.  She wanted nothing more than for this to be real.  But she didn't think she could handle this if it was only a dream.
Spyro only smiled.  Leaning down, he let his lips brush gently Cynder's.  The moment didn't last long enough for Cynder. Pulling back he looked back into her eyes.  She looked back at him, her mouth slightly open and her eyes searching for answers.  "Is that real enough for you?"
Both dragons stood there for a moment, neither moving, neither speaking.
Finally Cynder made up her mind.
Throwing herself as Spyro, Cynder knocked him up and over onto his back, landing on top of him before leaning down and pressing him into a kiss.  Slowly she reached down and wrapped her arms around him, pulling herself as close to him as she physically could.  In return she felt Spyro reached his arms up and around her back, gently pulling her down to him as well.
Cynder held the kiss as long as she dared before gently pulling away, leaving both her and Spyro gasping for breath.
Slowly the tears began to fall again, though this time they were tears of relief, tears of joy.  Laying her head on his chest, Cynder let herself cry as Spyro held her.  Letting all of the pain and hurt from the past flow out of her body. Spyro stroked her back as she heaved on his chest.  And just as they came, the tears began to stop.  Cynder relaxing to Spyro's gentle rhythmic breathing below her.  As her crying stopped, Spyro reached up and kissed her forehead, still running his head down her back.
"Cynder, you don't know how much it hurt me to be away from you for so long, but I can only imagine how much harder it was for you.  I can only ask for you to forgive me, but know this.  Cynder, I love you, I always will love you, and I promise never to leave your side, never again."
Spyro stopped talking as Cynder raised her head above his, pushing her stomach against his as she looked down at her.  "You better believe that you won't ever leave me again, I'll make sure of it."  Cynder leaned down and pressed Spyro into a kiss again, her head spinning as she felt Spyro's hands along her back pulling them closer together.  Breaking the kiss, Cynder leaned back again, taking comfort in Spyro's eyes.  "And if you do for some reason, I'll make sure it's the last thing you ever do."  Cynder smiled warmly before laying her head down on Spyro's chest again, finding comfort again in the strength of his embrace and the beating of his heart.  "I love you Spyro."
"I love you Cynder."  Spyro slowly rolled onto his side, pulling Cynder with him so the were both lying together.  Cynder rotated in his grip so her back was pressed against his stomach and his arms were wrapped around her stomach.  Wrapping her tail around his, Cynder buried herself in Spyro's embrace as she felt him wrap around her.  Finally she pushed her head underneath Spyro's and nuzzled his chin before settling down.
"I love you Cynder."
"I love you too Spyro…"



A/N: All right so it is a sappy ending, so what?  What did you expect anyway?  And as for he ambiguity, well… you'll just have to live with it for now Reviews and comments are always appreciated, but just so you know I do not plan on writing another chapter, however, that may change if I decide I want to expand it further.  Other than that, I hope you enjoyed it.

tallonran