The Legend of Spyro: A Duel with Destiny

And the World Falls Apart

This chapter is sad, if you have a piece of music that makes you cry then I'd suggest playing it. I included a link to Waiting Between Worlds, by Zack Hemsey. If there is a piece of music that works better for you then play that instead.
That's a choice I leave to you. I'll give you a note telling you when.

The gates to Shattershelf, or what remained of them, were wide open. A lone fire dragoness walked through them towards the army of Warfang.

Asha watched as a familiar large, green, earth dragon came out to meet her. Terrador reminded her of her brother, Magmar, a great deal. Both of them were good leaders with a military disposition and extraordinary physical and mental strength. She shook her head to clear thoughts of the fire king away; she had to deal with this in a detached and logical manner.

The battlefield was a ruin, above it a dark storm growled sullenly. Lightning threatened overhead, the electric dragon Volteer was still up there somewhere. Asha had seen what he could do, and she had no desire to experience it firsthand.

The ground was blackened and torn by the elemental attacks that had been used on it. The remains of orcs, the siege weapons and the Shattershelf dividing walls were scattered randomly around the battlefield. The lashing downpour the Warfang dragons had summoned had eased off to a light rain and the ground was wet.

Asha held back a shiver as she walked further out into the bleak landscape. Scraps of red mist left over from the fear attack used by the black dragoness were still hanging around even now. The wisps were not dangerous, but they were still unsettling.

Terrador bowed to Asha as she approached.

"We've come to aid you in defence of your city, it's unfortunate that we couldn't inform you that we were coming, but I can swear that we have no ill will towards you and pose no threat."

"I thank you for coming. I would like to exchange pleasantries, Terrador, but I have to explain our position to you. It's complicated at the moment, and this is far from a good situation."

Terrador nodded.

"Very well. Please explain."

"I am acting commander of Shattershelf following the death of my brother. Shattershelf has no quarrel with Warfang, but before his death the fire king attempted to break our truce."

"Attempted?" Terrador caught the word and looked at Asha, waiting for her to explain what she meant.

"As ruler of Shattershelf and the fire dragons as a whole I am willing to surrender to Warfang once again with fair terms. But I must inform you that before his... timely... death, reportedly at the hands of the dragoness Cynder, Magmar personally murdered at least two of the dragons who came here under the peace treaty."

Terrador made no visible reaction, but after a moment he bowed his head. Asha had no way of telling for certain what Terrador was thinking, but she instinctively sensed that this news pained him a great deal.

"That's unfortunate. I am willing to trust your word that Magmar is now dead and that the ill will between our cities died with him, I do not want a war any more then you do."

Terrador was struggling to resist his urge to charge straight into the city and find out for himself what had happened; Asha saw it in his eyes.

"For the time being I have given orders that all Warfang dragons are to be allowed into the city and to go where they will, without guards. Under no circumstance is any Warfang dragon to be harmed."

"That... is a very unusual command." Terrador was surprised.

Depending on how literally the fire dragons would take Asha's orders she could quite possibly have just handed control of the entire city over to them with a few words. If the Warfang dragons chose to walk into Shattershelf in force then the guards would have been specifically ordered not to stop them.