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Act 3, Chapter 9
For the longest time, Rune was asleep.
But the young dragon didn't dream of anything. He was surrounded by absolute Darkness, but not the frightening kind of darkness. It was the kind of darkness that helps you sleep at night.
Rune was calm. He felt as though a great burden was lifted from him. Malefor was nowhere to be found in his mind, and the being named Runefor seemed to vanish along with him. It was the best sleep he had gotten in ages.
But soon, his slumber would come to an end…
"Rune." He heard someone say. He didn't respond. He only wanted to sleep.
"Rune, wake up." He heard again. The voice sounded familiar…..
And then, realization dawned on the Black dragon. He suddenly remembered everything that happened to him, from his flight from Glenhaven, to the resurrection of Malefor, to the Havoc he Wreaked in the Purple dragon's captivity, to the final battle with his father Bane. All of the evil things he was forced to witness replayed in his mind. He became afraid.
"Wake up, my son." The voice said.
Her son? It was Elenar.
Rune slowly opened his eyes. His vision was blurred, almost useless.
He looked up and saw the face of his mother glaring down at him with her Fiery red eyes, just like in his nightmares. His heart raced in his chest.
"No..." He wimpered. "Not again..."
Rune tried to move to run away, but found that he could barely move. He was lying on his back, forced to look up into the face of his mother..
But after a moment, the haze in his eyes started clearing. The darkness around himself started fading away to reveal a stone room around him. The Demonic eyes of his mother became earthly. And her gaze wasn't filled with anger or disgust. It was a look of concern and worry.
Rune looked around himself.
He found himself lying on a large cloth mattress, in a large infirmary of some sort. The reason Rune couldn't move was because various bandages were wrapped around his limbs and torso, and his right foreleg had a splint worn on it. His forehead had a bandage wrapped around it as well.
Elenar was standing next to the mattress Rune way lying on, and watched his every move.
"Mo..Mother." He stuttered, fear welling up inside him once again
The young dragon tried to suddenly move away from the dragoness, but groaned in slight pain when he tried this. Elenar seemed to sense his fear, because she frowned.
"Why are you afraid of me, Rune?" She asked.
He struggled to get up the nerve to speak to her.
"Aren't you mad at me?" He asked.
"For what, Rune?"
"I…I'm the reason you died in the attack on The Hive."
The dragoness sighed.
"That wasn't your fault, Rune. I don't blame you. I never did."
"But, I…"
"Give me some time to talk to him." A powerful voice stated.
Rune looked around for the source, but saw no one else.
"Who's there?" He asked.
"Bring him to the Elders' Chamber, Elenar." The voice commanded.
"As you wish." The Dark Grey dragoness looked down at her son. "Are you able to walk, Rune?"
"Um.."
The Black dragon slowly walked towards the edge of the mattress, ignoring the slight pain in his chest. He set his left foreleg on the cold floor with no incident, but groaned in pain when his right foreleg came next.
Elenar sighed.
"Here. I'll help you."
She placed a forepaw on her son's shoulder, and the pains in his leg vanished.
"Th.. Thank you." He said quietly.
"You're welcome, Rune."
Once Rune was on all fours, he looked up at his mother.
"What now?" He asked.
"Follow me to the Elders' Chamber." She stated. "There's someone you need to meet."
Elenar proceeded to lead Rune out of the door to the Infirmary and into the hallway beyond.
As the two dragons walked along, Rune saw that he was in a large, stone-and-metal building. A great number of Dark dragons were walking through the many halls and pathways, heading on their way towards various destinations and preparing for any number of tasks and assignments.
Whenever a Dark dragon saw Elenar, they bowed in aliegance to her. During this, Rune tried to avoid looking at them: He was unsure what they thought of him.
"What is wrong, Rune?" The Dark Grey dragoness asked.
He refused to answer.
Eventually, Elenar and Rune arrived at the doorway to the Elders' Chamber.
When they walked in, the room was completely devoid of life. Rune could see the sun's light shining through the windows high above. The Pool of Visions glistened in the light as well, filling the nearby air with a Green aura of sorts.
"There's no one here." The young dragon stated, slightly confused. "Mother, why did you..?"
Suddenly, a Cloud of Black fog appeared on the opposite side of the pool of visions, surprising the young dragon. A large, Black dragoness with Emerald eyes appeared in the cloud, and looked down at Rune.
"Greetings, little one." She stated. "This meeting is long overdue."
"Who are….?" Rune asked, though unable to finish the question out of fear.
Pity welled up on the dragoness's face.
"Don't be afraid, little one. I am Cynder, though you may know me as 'The Great Shadow'."
"The Great Shadow?!" Rune repeated, alarmed.
The Black dragoness sighed.
"You may call me Cynder."
Elenar turned around and proceeded to walk out of the chamber.
"I will return shortly." She said.
After the door shut behind her, Rune looked back up at the Black dragoness.
"Rune, you have made mistakes in the past that have led to the deaths of hundreds. And just recently, you have had a hand in the resurrection of the Dark Master, who has caused the deaths of even MORE dragons."
Rune knelt his head in shame.
"Do you admit your guilt?"
"…Yes." He stammered. "Please, I never meant for any of this to happen. I'm sorry..."
The young dragon shut his eyes and waited. He expected Cynder to do something to him as punishment for his sins.
But nothing came.
"What you don't realize is that you have already been pardoned."
Rune looked up in confusion.
"What?" He asked.
"Did you misunderstand? No one blames you, save for yourself."
"But, I'm the reason that hundreds are dead!" Rune protested. "I've done so much wrong! How can I be forgiven so easily?"
Cynder sighed. She walked up to Rune, holding a talon out towards him. The small dragon jumped back a little.
"I'm not going to hurt you." The dragoness reassured. "I merely wish to show you something."
Cynder placed her talon on Rune's forehead. Instantly, images started appearing in his mind….
Rune saw the image of a Black Dragoness of great size leading an army of apes against an army of dragons. The Dragoness looked similar to Cynder, though much younger and slightly bigger.
Everything seemed so real: The air was filled with a thousand battlecries, and the light of the setting sun beat down upon Rune's vision. The earth shook beneath the young dragon's feet, and a multitude of dragons and apes rushed past him in the battle.
It was if he were actually on the battlefield, witnessing it take place firsthand.
"Do know who that is?" Cynder asked, referring to the other Black dragoness. Rune thought for a moment, and it dawned on him.
"That's you."
"Correct. I was not always the Matriarch of the Dark dragon race. Long ago, I was the monster you see there, raging a war against my own kind. I was a minion of the Dark Master, the dragon Malefor. I led his armies all across the world, slaughtering hundreds of lives."
"But, that wasn't your fault!" Rune said. "You were captured as an egg and forced to do his bidding."
"Correct."
The image changed to one of Cynder fighting a young Purple dragon in a strange, ethereal world of floating platforms.
"Is that Lord Spyro as a young dragon?" Rune asked.
"Yes."
Rune watched as Spyro blasted Cynder with Convexity. The Black dragoness fell down defeated, her body shrinking down to that of a young child.
"This is the moment Spyro freed me from Malefor's control. After this, he dived into the portal to save me, and he carried me back to the Mortal world."
As Cynder described them, the events took place before Rune's eyes.
"After this, you returned to normal, right?"
"Correct."
The scene changed again. An image of the child Cynder running away from the Dragon Temple  appeared. Sorrow was painted on the young dragoness's face.
"After Spyro freed me, I still felt guilty for what I had done while under Malefor's control, despite Spyro saying that it wasn't my fault. So, I ran away, looking to find my own place in the world."
The next images showed a montage of Cynder's journey across the world. One of the more detailed images was one where Spyro and Cynder circled each other on a massive flying Pirate Ship. The two young dragons seemed prepared to attack one another, though a moment later, this proved to be a ruse. Soon, the image faded away, and several others took its place.
"During my travels, I encountered a number of beings who still remembered my evil deeds, and they tried to kill me. To make matters worse, I was being pursued by Gaul, who believed I had turned traitor."
The image of Cynder being led forwards in a chain before a large Ape dressed in battle armor and wielding twin Katanas appeared.
"Eventually, his forces captured me and brought me to the Well of Souls. Gaul intended to turn me over to Malefor once he had returned."
"But Spyro came to save you."
The image changed to Spyro fighting Gaul in the Well of Souls.
"Yes. But, he almost failed. He became filled with part of Malefor's essence, and temporarily fell under his influence. Malefor then used Spyro to kill Gaul. I managed to get him out from under Malefor's control. You know what happened next, I presume."
"The Mountain started to crumble down around you, so Spyro used Time Fury to create a Crystal barrier around you two. It saved you, but it also held you prisoner for three years. That's when you escaped."
Images of Spyro and Cynder fighting monsters appeared. They were each wearing a strange, Green, Snake-like necklace, and an ethereal chain appeared whenever they moved too far apart.
"After we escaped, we encountered many beings who were under attack by Malefor's forces. They were grateful to Spyro, but a great number of them spat hate at me. I recall you once saying that this wasn't fair."
Rune blushed.
"Yeah."
"But despite the hostility I received, I still did my best to help those people. Eventually, when Spyro and I faced Malefor, he managed to trick me. He made me believe  that I tricked Spyro into coming to rescue me from the Well of Souls, so that he could accidentally resurrect Malefor. For a brief moment, I doubted myself, and he took control of me again."
An image appeared of Spyro, Cynder, and Malefor. Cynder had turned evil once again, and was attacking Spyro, trying to force him to fight back.
"That's so horrible."
"Despite my assault, Spyro did not defend himself. This was the moment I finally learned of Spyro's feelings for me. I managed to break free of Malefor's control, and the two of us fought him, together once again. During the fight, we fell to the Crystal core of the world, where Malefor was sealed away by Ancient spirits."
The images appeared just as Cynder said.
"After this, the planet started to fall apart. I finally apologized to Spyro for all my past actions, and he forgave me. Shortly afterwards, he used his power as a Purple dragon to restore the entire world. I confessed my love for him in that moment."
"After that, the countless dragons that were killed by Malefor before their time were brought to life, right?"
"Correct. The twelve breeds of dragons were created, six of Light and six of Darkness."
A new image appeared. It was one of an adult Cynder standing before a great Temple in a grand city. Countless Dark dragons were standing before her, bowing their heads in reverence to her.
"What is this?" Rune asked.
"This is many years later, in the newly completed city of Aeroshard, the new home of the Wind dragons. This was the day the Dark dragons of the world praised me for my past deeds to save the Dragon race, and the day I was given the title 'The Great Shadow'."
Rune watched as Cynder looked upon the great crowd, a look of satisfaction on her face. She held a paw against her belly.
"Where was Spyro during this time?"
"He was in Warfang during this moment. He had to organize the Light dragons together, just as I was doing here. We hadn't seen each other in a few days at this time."
"Didn't you miss him?"
"Oh, I missed him. But I was also happy. I had recently discovered I was going to have another egg."
"Another?" Rune repeated.
"The first child that Spyro and I conceived was a girl, a Purple dragoness whom we named Chrisala. The second one we had was a boy, who was named Nexius."
"He's the one who would eventually become the first Black Dragon King of Clan Capricorn."
"Correct."
"But what does all of this have to do with me?"
The image began changing again.
"You're not so different than I was at your age."
"How so?"
"You blame yourself for things that were beyond your control. Like this day…"
An image appeared of Rune being confronted by Darkstalkers in the city of Warfang.
"This was when I revealed the existence of The Hive." The young dragon said ashamedly.
"Yes. You blame yourself for revealing your city's location. But, you were only a cub at the time. You didn't know who these people were. They took advantage of your naivety and tricked you. They then lied to you that they would keep your secret, and you believed them."
The image changed again, this time to a more recent one. Rune saw himself talking to "The Chronicler" in that cave in the Fractured Hills.
"This is when Malefor first convinced you to go to the Pit of the Fallen."
"He told me I could find Cyrus and help him resurrect mother."
"Yes. He was lying to you. His real intention was to have you resurrect himself, and manipulated you with false promises. However, the desire to resurrect your mother was yours, and it was real."
"Yeah."
The images faded away, and Rune returned to the outside world, and saw Cynder looking down at him.
"Tell me, Rune. Why did you want to revive your mother?"
"I wanted her to forgive me for causing her death."
"Rune, it is time you learned the truth: That night in The Hive, your mother Elenar killed you."
The young dragon gasped, his eyes lightning up.
"What?!" Rune shouted, taken aback. "That's not possible!"
"Do you remember being surrounded by an army of Darkstalkers?"
"Well, yeah, but..."
"During that moment, Elenar used Pain Fury to kill both you and herself painlessly while the attackers suffered."
"But, then how..?"
"Shortly after you two died, you fell into the Underworld. While there, Malefor found your mother as she was trying to find a way to send you back to the living world. Elenar struck a deal with Malefor to have you brought back to life, offering herself up as payment. As Malefor revived you, he placed a small portion of his essence into you, so that you would eventually become his puppet. Your memory was erased in the process."
"But I thought Malefor was sealed away in the core of the world hundreds of years ago."
"He was. But, seven years ago, your father Bane fell down into the Underworld, and stumbled upon Malefor's chamber. He started freeing the Dark Master from the crystal, because the Purple dragon had promised him power in return. Malefor then used his power to slowly corrupt Bane's mind, and the King's desire for power increased. But, when Malefor tried to take over your father's mind completely, he came to his senses and retaliated by killing Malefor.  Unfortunately, this was a terrible mistake: by killing Malefor, his spirit was free to wander the Underworld. That's how he came to find you and your mother."
"So, everything that has happened to me is because of my parents?"
"Yes. Neither of them were happy with their actions when the full extent of their deeds was revealed to each of them. It pained your mother to watch you living on, blaming yourself. Your father believed you were dead this whole time, as well as your Grandfather. When Bane finally learned the truth about what happened that night, he fled to the Pit of the Fallen in hopes of stopping you before Malefor could use you to revive himself. But your father failed."
"Where is Father now?"
"After he absorbed Malefor and all of his essence out of your body, he had himself sealed away in the Core of the World. He is now frozen there, with Malefor's Spirit trapped within him. As for your mother, she is trying to work up the nerve to ask you to forgive her for killing you that night."
Rune was nearly dumbstruck.
"Mother wants me to forgive her?"
"Of course, little one."
"What about everyone else?"
Cynder smiled. She turned and walked over to the door to the Chamber.
"Cynder?" Rune asked.
The Black dragoness opened the door slightly.
"Elenar, come here."
Cynder turned and walked back. Rune's mother entered the room shortly afterwards and joined them once again.
"Speak to your son, Elenar."
The Dark Grey dragoness looked down at Rune. The young dragon could see sorrow building on his mother's face.
"Rune, I'm sorry for everything that's happened to you. I never should have used Pain Fury that night."
Elenar lowered her head down to bow to her son.
"Can you ever forgive me, my son?"
Rune never expected to here this from Elenar.
For the longest time, he had feared she would one day come after him for revenge. But now, here she was, fearing that Rune would be the one seeking vengeance. Rune had only  imagined his mother's hostility all along.
Rune walked up and hugged Elenar's foreleg.
"I love you, Mother."
He started crying.
The Dark Grey dragoness hugged him back, crying as well.
"I love you to, my son."
Cynder watched them, satisfaction on her face.
"This is how it should be."
......
After speaking with Cynder, Elenar took Rune to see the others. Along the way, he found what happened after he passed out at Mount Erebus:
Rune had been asleep for an entire week.
The Night of Eternal Darkness had come to an end. During the inbetween period of time, Elenar ordered Albanion and the other Deep Shadows to take large platoons of soldiers and disperce to every part of the Dragon Realms where Bane and Malefor had both sent swarms of Crepsculi. In the meantime, most of the other Dark dragons had been hard at work repairing the damage done to Warfang.
Elenar decided to reveal to the Dark dragons that she and Urobos were, in fact, alive and well. It was also announced that Bane had given his life to defeat the giant white monster, which was revealed to be Malefor, who, through "Unknown methods", had managed to reincarnate himself as the hulking White Beast. No word was allowed to be spread of Rune and Cyrus's involvement in the Dark Master's resurrection. Cynder and Spyro's existence and involvement in Malefor's defeat was also kept secret.
The citizens were sad to learn of Bane's death, but were also happy to have their Queen and Ex-King back. Not a single dragon objected when Elenar announced to them that she would be taking over Bane's place as ruler of the Dark Dragon Monarchy, and the coronation was made official when the Deep Shadows and their soldiers all returned from their week-long extermination.
"Where are Spyro and Grandfather?" Rune asked.
"Urobos is currently speaking with the Elders up in The Nexus." Elenar answered. "As for Spyro, he doesn't want anyone else knowing that He and Cynder are around, so he's taken to hiding in the deepest parts of the Temple. You'll speak to him later."
The dragoness came to a stop.
"We're here."
Elenar brought Rune to the Temple Library. It was unpopulated, except for Albanion, Elza, Cyrus, Hontus, Seraph, Blank, and Emerald.
At first, Rune was nervous. But Elenar told him that Spyro and Urobos explained to everyone that Rune had been possessed by Malefor and took over the young dragon's body. They had forgiven him.
The first person to greet Rune was Cyrus, who was overjoyed to see his brother again. The shorter Prince held his brother in a tight hug, which drove him nuts.
"I never gave up on you!" Cyrus said happily.
"Cy, let go of me!" Rune protested.
"Oh, right." Cyrus let go of him, embarrassed. "Sorry."
The three adult Dark dragons chuckled at the sight.
Rune walked up to Albanion and Elza next.
"Hi..." He said awkwardly.
The Wind dragoness smiled at Rune. She was wearing her Dark Grey robes once again.
"It's good to see that you are yourself again, your highness." She said warmly.
Rune allowed Elza to hug him. He glanced up at Albanion during this.
"I was convinced that you were lost to us." He said coldly. "I am glad that I was wrong."
Rune smiled. That was the same Albanion that he always knew.
The young dragon then turned and looked up at Elza.
"I'm sorry that I attacked you back in Glenhaven, Aunt Elza." He stated.
The Wind dragoness chuckled.
"Aunt Elza?" She repeated. "I haven't heard either you or your brother call me that in ages."
"Is it alright?" Rune asked.
"Of course it is." Elza replied. "And I accept your apology as well."
After talking to the Flora and Wind dragons for a few more minutes, Rune turned and walked up to the people he was most nervous about speaking to: Hontus and Seraph, his foster parents.
Elenar watched as Rune approached them.
"Hi, guys." Rune said to them.
"Are you feeling alright now, Rune?" Hontus asked.
"Yeah." He said.
He started crying.
"Rune?" Seraph asked.
"I'm sorry for the things I said back in the Pit chamber!" Rune started. "You two have been great parents to me! The best! I was wrong to say those things! But, I couldn't help it! I..."
Seraph wrapped her forelegs around Rune. Hontus hugged him as well.
"It's alright, Rune." Seraph said
"We know you weren't yourself at the time.", Hontus added.
"Everything's alright, Rune!" Blank exclaimed.
Rune started to calm down a little.
"Thank you." He said.
Elenar walked over to the group, Cyrus following close behind.
"I never thanked you two, did I?" The Pain dragoness stated
"For what?" The Water dragoness asked.
"I want to thank you both for being there to raise my son while I was... unable to."
"Oh, your welcome, your highness." Hontus replied.
"Please, just call me Elenar."
"Alright then", Seraph said, smiling. "You're welcome, Elenar."
Elza was watching the dragonesses, a scowl on her face.
"Are you sure you want to be so buddy-buddy with the likes of HER, your majesty?" The Dark Green dragoness asked, hostility in her voice.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Seraph snapped.
"Elza, Seraph, please! Not now!" Elenar pleaded. "This isn't the time to be picking fights."
Elza harrumphed.
"This should be behind you by now, Elza." Albanion stated
"Who's side are you on?" Elza demanded.
"Everyone's." Albanion responded. "What kind of question is that?"
Elza just glared at him. His face showed discomfort.
"What?"
"You're such an idiot, Albanion."
Elza turned to leave the room. The Flora dragon was confused.
"What? What did I say?"
He then chased off after her. Cyrus and Blank started to laugh, but each boy's mother glared at him, making them both stop.
Elenar sighed.
"I hope she hasn't caused you too much trouble, Seraph."
"It's alright." Seraph replied. "I was wrong. There are a lot more good-natured Dark dragons than I first believed, such as yourself."
"Thank you." The Pain dragoness said, smiling.
"Now that Rune is awake, there's something I wish to talk about with you two, Hontus and Seraph."
"What is it?" The Red dragon asked.
Elenar turned to face Rune.
"Rune, if you want to, you may go back to Glenhaven to live with your foster family."
"What?" Rune asked. "I can go back to Glenhaven?"
"Yes, if you want to." Seraph said.
"It's also okay if you want to stay with you real family in Warfang, Rune." Hontus added.
Rune looked between his foster parents and his Blood mother.
He was happy to have finally made peace with Elenar, and would be more than happy to go back to living as a Prince. On the other hand, he still loved his Foster family, and didn't want to forget about them.
After thinking for a minute, he looked up at Elenar.
"Can spend part of the year living with you, and part of the year living in Glenhaven?"
The Dark Grey dragoness smiled.
"That sounds reasonable to me. Hontus, Seraph, do you agree?"
"If that's what Rune wants, than it's okay with us." Hontus said happily.
"When we return to Glenhaven, we'll speak to the Elders about this." Seraph added. "I'm sure they'll agree."
"Thank you, guys." Rune said to them.
"Rune, while we discuss the arrangements, why don't you go off and spend some time with Blank, Emerald and Cyrus?" Elenar asked.
"Okay."
Rune, Blank, Cyrus and Emerald went off to explore the upper levels of the library.
They spent a good half hour talking up a storm. Rune told them about his journey since leaving Glenhaven, and Blank and Emerald talked about their journey trying to find him. Cyrus spent some time talking about his journey in the Raunn Jungle and the Valley of Avalar.
For a while, Rune was happy. He was chatting with his brother and two of his best friends, all of whom seemed to have become friends as well. But then, something started to bother him.
Someone was missing.
"Where's Nellie?" Rune asked.
As soon as Rune mentioned her, Blank, Emerald and Cyrus got silent.
"What's wrong?" the Black dragon asked. "Is she alright?"
"Well….." Emerald mumbled awkardly.
"The adults don't want us to tell you about her." Blank replied.
Rune's eyes lit up in alarm.
"Why not?" He asked, getting worried.
"We're not sure." Cyrus answered.
"I've got to find out what happened to her!" Rune exclaimed.
"Why don't you just ask one of the adults?" Emerald asked. "Maybe they'll tell you."
Immediately, Rune turned to run back down to where the adults were. However, the vigorous movement caused his stilted leg to flare with pain again, and he changed to a casul half-walk, half-limp.
Elenar, Hontus and Seraph were still talking where Rune had left them. Seraph was the first to notice that something was wrong by the look on the young dragon's face.
"What is it, sweetie?" She asked, concerned.
"Where's Nellie?" Rune demanded. "Is she okay?"
"Are you sure that you're ready to see her?" Hontus asked. Rune didn't like the sound of that.
"Yes, I'm sure!" He shouted.
"Alright, calm down." The Red dragon looked over to Elenar.
"Could you show him the way?"
"Of course." The Pain dragoness said. "Follow me, Rune."
......
Elenar led Rune out of the Library and down several halls. Hontus went with them as well.
As the three dragons walked through the halls, they happened to encounter two Dark Red, very old dragons: Argos and Icarox.
The Twin Elders had been making their way towards the lower floors of the Temple, When they saw three other dragons, they nodded to their Queen in servitude, and then looked down at the Black dragon.
"Greetings, Prince Rune." Argos started.
"It's a great honor to be seeing you in person once again." Icarox added.
"Um, hello..." The young dragon said nervously.
Prince Rune. He would have to get used to being called that again.
"How have things been going with the other children?" Elenar queried.
"Other children?" Rune asked, confused.
The Elders ignored the young dragon's question.
"Several of the naturally born hatchlings and cubs are beginning to stir." Argos answered.
"However, they have not all awakened yet." Icarox stated.
"The transformed ones are still locked in slumber as well." The Twins said in unison.
"I see..." The Pain dragoness stated. "Well, I will attend to that matter once I have finished with the one concerning my son."
"Understood." The two Elders stated. "We shall await your aid, your Majesty."
The Twins continued walkind on their way, and the other three continued on theirs as well. The whole while, Rune tried asking what the Dark Red dragons were talking about, but Elenar didn't seem to want to answer.
"You'll find out about it later, Rune." She promised.
Elenar led Rune and Hontus to another part of the Temple that was used as an infirmary, independent from the one that the Black dragon woke up in earlier. After walking down several rows of doors, they stopped at one.
"Nellie is in here." Elenar said. "She was healed of her burns a few days ago. She's been allowed to stay here until her magic energy returns, so she can heal anything the Healers may have missed."
The Water dragoness was alive and well. Rune sighed with relief.
"We'll let you see her alone, okay, Rune?" Hontus asked.
"That's fine." He answered.
The Fire Guardian opened the door, and Rune walked inside, the door shutting behind him.
The room looked like a standard hospital room. The floor was hard tiled, with white walls. There was a window on the far side of the room, whch was left open. There was a bed to the right of the window, and a small bench right underneath it. A pair of torches were placed around the sides of the room, though they were left unlit at the moment.
And on the bed, there was a young Blue dragoness. Nellie.
Nellie was still pale from losing her Magic. Various bandages covered several parts of her scales, similar to Rune. She seemed to have a cold as well, since a small, damp rag soaked in hot water was draped over her forehead, and she was sneezing slightly.
The Black dragon got nervous as he approached her. She must have heard the door open, because she spoke.
"Who is it?" She asked, not looking up.
Rune took a deep breath before speaking to her.
"Hi, Nellie."
She gasped, and sat up to look at him.
"Rune?"
Nellie moved the rag from her forehead, got off the bed, and stood up to face him.
"You're back to normal."
"Um, yeah…."
The two young dragons looked at each other, both of them unsure of what to say.
But then, when the memories of the horrible things Malefor had said to the Water dragoness came back, the Black dragon started crying.
"Oh, Nellie.."
He crumpled to the floor, bawling.
"I'm so sorry! I couldn't stop Malefor from saying those disgusting things to you! He was lying! I swear on my life! I don't hate you, and I never have! And I..."
"No, he was right." The Blue dragoness said.
"Huh?"
Nellie got teary-eyed as well.
"In all the time I've known you, I've done nothing but pester you. I've always been trying to get you to talk about you past, when I should've just minded my own business. And even though you've gotten angry at me for it countless times, I never learn to stop. I should've known not to develop a crush on you, when it was obvious you didn't share the same feelings."
"Nellie…"
"And I shouldn't have had these feelings in the first place. You're my foster brother. We could never be together normally. It's wrong. If Malefor had killed me that night he swallowed me, I would have deserved it. So, I'm sorry for the way I've behaved towards you, Rune, and I understand if you never want to see me again."
Rune couldn't bear to hear the dragoness talk like that. He got up and looked her in the eyes.
"Nellie, you've got it all wrong. I've had the same feelings for you too."
"You have?" She sounded confused.
"Yes."
"Why didn't you ever tell me?"
"Well, It's just that, I always get mad so easily, I was afraid that I might hurt you someday, so I kept the feelings to myself. And then, thanks to me, I almost got you killed by the Dark Master..."
Rune knelt his head in shame.
"I'm really, really sorry, Nellie."
The Blue dragoness put a paw on one of Rune's. He looked up at her.
"I forgive you, Rune." She said, smiling. "Do you forgive me?"
The Black dragon finally calmed down. He smiled back.
"Yes."
After that, the two young dragons hugged each other. The fear and doubt that each one felt was gone.
"What happens now?" Nellie asked.
"I'm going to be spending part of the year here in Warfang, and another part of the year in Glenhaven", Rune answered. "I won't technically be part of your family anymore, so maybe we can have a relationship without it being a secret."
"I'd like that." Nellie said.
Rune sighed.
"I wonder what Roxanne and the others will say when they find out." He stated.
"Well, I guess we'll worry about that later." The dragoness replied.
"I guess so."
Rune stepped away from Nellie.
"Is there anything you want to do while you're here?"
"Well, I'd like to explore the Temple."
"Then let's go together."
Rune and Nellie turned and walked out of the room, their tails wrapping around each other.
......
It was the middle of the night.
The eight Deep Shadows were gathered together in the bottommost chamber of The Nexus, the chamber known as The Crux.
It was a Large, circular, stone roon, with no windows of any kind. Thw chamber was kept illuminated by various torches along the wally. Twelve doors were built into the sides of the chamber, and the floor was divided into thriteen sections: twelve around each door, and the thriteenth sat in the very center. Each of the first twelve sections had a large Glyph engraved into the floor near the centermost section, which was completely Black in color. Starting from the northernmost section of the chamber, and rotating clockwise, the pattern of glyphs was:
A pair of crossed infinity signs of Aries, a roaring Lionhead of Taurus, a massive Lightning bolt of Gemini, a Crab of Cancer, a rippling Echo pattern of Leo, an Inverted Circle of Virgo, a Set of Scales of Libra, a Lily Flower of Scorpio, a Flaming Arrowhead of Sagitttarius, an Hourglass of Capricorn, a Cyclone Aquarius, and a Tear drop of Pisces.
Each of the eight warriors stood upon a glyph that matched the clan they hailed from.
Albanion was the first to speak.
"Would you care to explain why you requested this meeting, Grail?"
"There is a certain matter that needs to be brought to our organization's full attention." The Fauna dragon replied. "Something that will require our Queen's presence."
Nerona flashed Grail a quick glare. Wraith noticed this.
"What's your problem?" He asked.
"Nothing." She sneered.
"I beg to differ." Grail stated.
"What are you goin on about?" Aegis queried.
"As I said: It is a matter that requires the Queen's presence."
Before long, Elenar walked through the southernmost door of the chamber, passing by Albanion and coming to a stop just across from Nerona.
"Good evening, everyone." She said warmly.
"Greetings, your majesty." Rose, Lilith and Elza said in unison.
"I'm sorry I couldn't appear sooner." The Queen stated. "I'm still getting used to this Fortress."
"No need to apologize to us, milady." Aegis stated.
"Well, now that Lady Elenar has arrived," Albanion began, "The floor is open for Grail. What is the matter that you believe must be brought to light?"
Nerona glared at Grail once again as the large dragon cleared his throat.
"You majesty, there is something that has come to my attention that you must be informed of."
"What is it, Grail?" The Queen asked.
"Some time ago, just a few days after Warfang was taken over, there came an evening when Bane retired to his bedchamber."
"Is that it?" Wraith queried. "What's the big deal?"
"Well, it should so happen that Nerona followed him into his chamber." The Fauna dragon stated. "And after this, she attempted to seduce him."
In an instant, tension replaced the calmness of the room. Several of the other Deep Shadows gasped in surprise.
"What?!" Elenar asked, the news hitting her like a brick to the head.
"You SLIME!!" Elza roared. "How dare you dosuch a thing!"
"'How Dare I'?!" Nerona repeated, enraged. "You have NO CLUE what I was attempting!"
"Then what was it, then?!" The Wind dragoness demanded.
"It's none of your business, Elza!" The Dark Grey Deep Shadow snapped.
"You filthy TRAITOR!"
"I am NOT a traitor!!"
"Elza, Nerona, Stop this arguing." Elenar begged.
When the two dragoness didn't cease, Albanion was next to speak.
"SILENCE!!" The Flora dragon commanded. "The Queen demands it!"
Immediately, the two female Deep Shadows stopped shouting. However, they continued to glare at each other with hatred.
"Now then..." Elenar began. "Would you care to explain your side of the tale, Nerona?"
The other Pain dragoness sneered at Grail, then at Elza, and then sighed.
"Lord Bane was planning to commit suicide." She began.
Rose, Wraith and Lilith gasped.
"Did you three not know?" Albanion asked.
"What would drive him to consider such a fate for himself?" The Sound dragoness queried.
"His depression over your death had grown greater and greater over all these years." Nerona continued. "It was a self-inflicted pain that I couldn't bear to see him suffer."
"Nor could any of us, I'm sure." Albanion added.
"When I went to Bane that night, I believed that It would be best if I offered him my paw in marriage. I felt that, if he had another dragoness by his side, the void in his life would be filled, and his thoughts of self-murder would vanish."
"So, you believed that you would make a suitable replacement for our Queen?" Aegis queried.
"Must you word it to sound much worse than it really is?!" Nerona hissed.
"My apologies." The Dark Brown dragon replied. "I was just-"
"There's no need to apologize to her." Elza sneered. "You treasonous slime."
"Treasonous?!" The Deep Shadow exclaimed. "I only wanted what was best, for both our King, and our People! How was I supposed to know that Lady Elenar would be revived?!"
"Were you unaware of Prince Cyrus's quest?" The Wind dragoness stated.
"Of course I was!" The Pain Deep Shadow snapped. "But how was I to know he would succeed?! I believed that Bane needed a new mate to help him accept the loss of his first one, so I offered up myself! As a Deep Shadow, my Duty is to preserve the health of all members of the Royal family, Mental health included. Why is that such a crime?!"
Elza looked towards Elenar.
"What do you think of this, your Majesty?"
The Queen sighed. She looked towards Albanion.
"Are their any other matters that need to be attended to after this?" She asked.
"None that I can think of, Milady." He replied.
"Then in that case, I want all of you, except for Nerona, to leave The Crux. I wish to speak her alone."
"As you wish, your Majesty." The Deep Shadows said in unison.
The seven other Dark dragons turned around to walk out of their respective doors, Elza shooting a Death glare at Nerona, who reciprocated the action.
Once the two Pain dragonesses were alone, Elenar walked forewards.
"Nerona.." She began, a sullen expression on her face, "...Why would you do this?"
The shorter dragoness sneered.
"Was I not clear?" She snapped. "I only wanted Bane to be himself again. Had I but known that you would soon be alive again, I never would have seeked his paw, because he would have you to fill the void in his life again."
The Queen frowned, and looked away.
"Is that your cover story?" She asked.
"Excuse me?" Nerona demanded. "What do you think I'm trying to hide."
"... I know you well, Nerona." The taller dragoness stated solemnly. "You mad a motif behind trying to become Bane's new wife."
Nerona flinched.
Has she found out?, she thought.
"What motif do you think that would be?" The shorter Pain dragoness queried.
Elenar sighed.
"...You wanted power again." She said calmly. "You wished to become a Queen, just as you always desired."
Nerona growled lowly in her throat.
"So what if I did?" She stated. "It's not as if I was trying to steal it."
Elenar frowned.
"Why do you seek vengeance against me?" She asked. "I'm not the one who did wrong to you all that time ago."
"It wasn't vengeance I sought." Nerona stated. "I saw a golden opportunity, and I attempted to pursue it. I had no clue that you would be revived, especially not so soon after I tried to have Bane."
The Queen frowned.
"Did you succeed?" She ask.
"Of course not." The Deep Shadow replied. "Bane rejected me, as he did all the other women who have tried to become his mate in the past five years."
"That's not what I meant." Elenar stated. "Did you convince him to take you to his bed that night?"
Nerona rolled her eyes.
"Certainly not." She stated. "And even if he did, nothing could have come of it. It was much too late by that time."
Elenar became confused.
"What do you mean?"
The Deep Shadow sat down on her feet, slumped to her side, and exposed her underside to the Queen.
"Place a paw upon my belly."
Her interest piqued, Elenar reached out and felt Nerona's belly. She was surprised to find a small, hard bulge hiding just under her flesh.
"Why, you're pregnant!" The Queen declared.
"Yes." The Deep Shadow stated. "My egg shall be fully developed very shortly."
"This is wonderful!" Elenar stated, smiling. "Tell me: Who is the father?"
Nerona grinned.
"An old friend." She said triumphantly.
"Hmm?"
The Deep Shadow stood up as high as she could and whispered into The Queen's earhole. When she heard the answer, she gasped.
"Him?" Elenar asked, somewhat horrified.
"Correct." Nerona stated.
"But, why? You two don't seem like the type to get together. Or, did he...?"
"A whle back, we had gotten into a matter on Goods and Services." The Deep Shadow answered. "One of us required a type of Good, the other required a type of Service. During the debate, we couldn't help but enjoy a night of pleasure."
The shorter dragoness stepped backwards a bit.
"Now, you won't go tell everyone about the babe sleeping inside me, will you?" She stated.
"Uh..."
"You certainly wouldn't want me telling everyone your secret out of vengeance."
Elenar sighed.
"I am actually planning to speak to Him as soon as I can." She stated. "But I am more than willing to do as you ask: Your secret is safe with me, Nerona."
The Deep Shadow smiled
"Thank you, Elenar."
"Considering how you know him so well..." The Queen continued. "There is a small task that I have for you."