Disclaimer: I own nothing except my characters and the story itself. Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies.

Exclaimer: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it.

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Legacy of Legends 3

Chapter 15

Past and Future

Flame lied down his cushions, staring out the window. The night was relatively young and he was bored out of his mind, not to mention completely tired. He had been studying earlier as much as he could, evident with all the rolls of scrolls and a few scattered tomes here and there that surrounded his pile of red cushions. The fire dragon sighed. What changed in his life that ended up having him stay cooped up in his room so early in the night? He should have been out with his friends, having a blast. But here he was, studying until his brain rejected to put anything anymore since he had tuckered himself out completely. Lately his grades had been slipping and he needed to focus to get them back into gear. Elemental wise however, he was still topnotch. Well, as topnotch one can be when you have Spyro and Zaze in the same class. He couldn’t beat those two even if he did try. They were just on a whole different level. He rolled to his side and glanced at the pile of green cushions across from him. That was Crombe’s pile. Where on earth was the green dragon? Crombe wasn’t the type to stay late hanging out with friends, and that was a fact. The dragon usually was the first one to be in their room, and by then he was cooped up in the corner, reading a book or reading a scroll, and at one point, both at the same time.

As if to answer his question, the door gently swung open and in came in the green dragon that was on his mind.

“Oh, you’re here.” Crombe’s usual flat tone greeted him. Flame wondered if the earth dragon ever showed emotion. He couldn’t remember at time he ever did.
The fire dragon eyed his roommate as he entered the fray, carrying a pile of scrolls and tomes on the bag that was slung across his back. “You were at the library again?” he asked.
Crombe placed the pile on his cushions and began spreading them out. “I was,” he answered, not looking at him. “What are you doing here so early?”
“I had to study. I’m not as smart as you are.” Flame proceeded to flop on his bed and relax.

The earth dragon glanced at him at the corner of his eye. Throughout the entire afternoon, Crombe couldn’t get his mind off of what had happened earlier. His agreement on ‘teaching’ Steppe had taken center stage. What did he get himself into? He wasn’t a teacher. All the skills he learned were all self-taught. They didn’t come from a textbook. Everything he knew, he just picked it up and made it his own. His own unique style, as one could refer to it. How on earth was he going to pass it down to someone else?

“Flame?”
The fire dragon perked up. “Yeah?”
“Can I ask you a question?”
“What is it?”
“What would you do if someone asked something from you that you’re not sure you could do?”
“Uh…” Flame sat upright and turned to Crombe. “Where did that come from?”
The earth dragon sighed. “It’s just something stupid.” He was really beginning to regret ever saying yes. “There was this dragon I ended up helping and afterwards he practically begged me to tutor him.”
Flame blinked. Crombe and helping, as far as Flame knew, did not belong in the same sentence. “Are you joking or something?”
The dragon glared at him. “Do I look like I’m joking?”
He raised his paws in defense. “Okay, okay, no need to get angry.” Flame scratched his chin. “Can you tell me what exactly happened?”

Crombe then proceeded to retell what had happened earlier that day. How he fought off Vein who was basically trying to bully Steppe with his lackeys. Flame listened intently knowing full well how it ended.

“Knowing you, they never stood a chance did they?” he asked, after Crombe finished his story.
Crombe smirked. “Of course they didn’t. I’ve fought against Phase and lived. I think I can handle a few hormone filled males.”
“I think I can understand why Steppe would want to learn from you. You’re awesome!”
“Am I? All I did was just do what an earth dragon would normally do.”
“You did. But you forget that we’re not as good as you are. Most of the stuff I know are nothing compared to what you can do right off the bat.”
“Really?” Crombe eyed Flame. “What can you do?”
Flame stared at him flatly. “Are you insulting me, Crombe?”
The dragon shook his head. “No! I’m curious. What can you do, Flame?”
Flame looked at Crombe warily before proceeding to answer. “Simple stuff really. Fireballs, uh…flamethrowers…what else can I do…?” The dragon scratched his chin and thought of the other stuff he could. He tried to think of cool stuff that would impress the dragon but he couldn’t think of anything in particular, except for one thing.
“Anything else?”
“Well there was this one time where I was able to channel my fire element into my paws.”

0 = 0 = 0

Flame immediately focused all of his powers to his paws. With a gentle tap on the floor, all of his four paws sparked. To Zaze’s surprise, Flame’s paws were literally, on fire. This, Zaze didn’t expect. Flame flashed him a smug smirk. Using the momentary surprise, Flame charged right at him, his paws leaving a trail off small fires in its wake. He lunged at him with his claws, but missed him, barely. Zaze sidestepped to the right, though he was clearly met with a swipe of Flame’s tail. It smacked him at his side, taking his defense down.

0 = 0 = 0

“You sparred with Zaze?” Crombe asked, looking surprised. “Who won?”
Flame cringed a little at the memory. He didn’t exactly like what happened afterwards. “I won mainly because Zaze gave up.”
“What? He gave up?” The notion of Zaze giving up seemed so foreign for Crombe. Then again, he was thinking about Zaze. That dragon was anything but normal. He found happiness in pairing dragons up. Who does that?  “Why?”
“It’s a long and…” Flame coughed. “It’s a bit of an awkward story, in retrospect.”
Crombe lied down his cushions and propped himself up with a paw. “I have all night.”
Flame’s eyes narrowed. “You’re awfully feeling social today. Are you okay, Crombe?”
“Don’t get used to it. I’m just curious to know what you guys have been up to before I met you. So you were saying?”
The dragon shrugged. “You know me and Ember, right? Well, at the time we weren’t together and…”

Flame proceeded to retell how his relationship with Ember began. How he wanted to try and win her affection, against his rival, Zaze. In hindsight, he now realized that Zaze was never interested in Ember. He was interested in hooking the two of them up. And being his rival, managed to coax him out of his shell and in turn profess his feelings for the dragoness. He really was a matchmaker and he made it work. Crombe on the other hand just listened quietly and asked a question here and there. He always thought Zaze was weird, but now hearing Flame’s story, his opinion didn’t change. The electric dragon was weird now, and even before then.

“And that’s how it was.”
“You ended up together because of Zaze?”
The dragon nodded. “That’s Zaze for you. Even if he doesn’t have to, he goes the extra mile just to make sure you’re going to be fine.” Flame looked at Crombe. “You should be more like him Crombe. It’ll do you good.”
“Be like Zaze?” The earth dragon scoffed. “Can you imagine me being sprightly?”
For a brief moment, Flame did. And it made him chuckle. The image of Crombe being the source of happiness and joy just didn’t seem to fit the rough and edgy personality he possessed. “No, I meant, being helpful; being social; like you are now with Steppe. I say, go teach him.”
“Why should I?” Crombe asked flatly. “I taught myself and I turned out fine.”
“It’s because there’s no else that’ll help him.”
“He can help himself.”
“Look where that got him; being bullied by Vein and unable to defend himself.”
“Too bad then; that’s just how it is.”
“You’ve got the power to change someone’s life, Crombe. Don’t you think you get some sense of responsibility in all of this?”
The dragon looked at Flame flatly. “I’m not obligated to do anything, aside from teaching him that one stupid wall technique.”
“Alright then,” Flame said, noting just how stubborn the dragon was. Maybe he could compromise. He knew deep down that Crombe needed this. The earth dragon needed someone he could talk to. “Why don’t you just teach him the thing and be done with it?”
“That was the original plan. Why give up now?”
Flame chuckled. “You’re too stubborn for your own good.”
The dragon shrugged. “I guess you could say it’s one of my traits. And Flame,” the dragon glanced back at him, “Just to be clear, I’m not Zaze. I don’t see everything as nice and vibrant. I see things for the way they are.”
“I know that. But I also know one other thing.”
Crombe’s brow rose. “And that is?”
“Try as hard as you might, I know you’re a good dragon, Crombe. I know you’ll do the right thing.”
Crombe stared at him, before shrugging and turning his back on the fire dragon. He lied down the cushions and closed his eyes. “I’m turning in for the night.”
Flame glanced the dragon, nodding more to himself. He too lied down and closed his eyes, waiting for sleep to take him.

That was the end of that.

0 0 0 0 0

Day broke.

The purple dragon let out a tired groan as he rubbed his eyes, wanting to wipe the dust away. For once, he was actually grateful that he didn’t have nightmares for a change. Usually he’d woke up, pieces of his cushion bed strewn about from his late night thrashings as his dreams took a turn for the worse. It always started cheery, and then…he shook his head. He shouldn’t be thinking about that. He needed to stay positive. His late night talk with Volteer actually eased his mind well enough to stop him from having the troubling dreams. That was a start. And he hoped that was the beginning of the end for his problems.

A few minutes later, Zaze stood in front of his room, his bed neatly fixed in an orderly manner. The dragon didn’t have a roommate for the most obvious reasons. No one wanted to be with him. And he couldn’t blame them. Who would want to wake up in a room, to find a younger version of Malefor sleeping a few feet from you? Males weren’t allowed to room with females unless it was Courtship Week so Cynder and Ember were out of the option. Flame was with Crombe and Spyro decided it was best to give him space. The other purple dragon was with his brother. And that left Zaze to be with himself.

The dragon just shrugged and headed outside, having a new outlook and perspective on things. He decided to take Volteer’s words to heart and just let it go. No, he wasn’t about to sing and go into a song number. But instead fully realized that what happened has happened, and he can’t change that. It was just time for him to move on. Zaze smirked, as he headed down the halls of the temple. The last few words he had last night with Volteer had been on his mind. The idea of being with someone was nice, but being in love with them? Zaze wasn’t sure himself if he even knew “how” to love someone. The idea of just romantically being involved with someone wasn’t something he was excited to try. It was kind of hypocritical since he enjoyed pairing other dragons up. Zaze shook his head. Maybe it was the subconscious memories that Maffrin had of being rejected rather badly. That was the main event that practically triggered his downward spiral into becoming Malefor.

Whatever the case may be, Zaze just didn’t see himself being someone wanted. He already had a rather…colorful history. If anything, he was undesirable.

“Good morning!” a voice chimed in from behind him as he entered the Dining Hall.
Zaze turned his head to find a familiar face. It was Latis.

Wait, what?

He blinked a few times, to which the dragoness giggled at. “Are you okay?”
“I, uh, I’m fine.” He shook his head, his vision clearing. That wasn’t Latis. “You’re…Shaylus, right?”
“You remembered my name!” The dragoness smiled, completely happy. “And here I thought you wouldn’t remember since we only talked briefly yesterday.”
Zaze smiled back. Shaylus’ happiness was contagious. “Your friend kind of dragged you off.”
“She did. Have you eaten breakfast yet?”
“No. But I was about to.”
“That’s great! Let’s eat together!”

Zaze was then proceeded to get dragged alongside Shaylus rather comically.

Maybe he wasn’t all that undesirable.

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Author's Notes:

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