This Is INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What are your favorite rottmnt fanfics?! I’m looking for suggestions!!!!

An excuse to ramble about my favorite rottmnt fics?!?! HECK YEAH!!! HERE WE GO

(I dont know everyone’s tumblrs, but Ill tag the ones I do know)

A Long Way To Go by @sammyheroes

(2018) Leonardo gets really sick with a strange yokai disease and his family tries to figure out why…  Dont wanna say too much to give anything away, but if you like to read about magic, possession,  brotherly bonding and angst, and a lil bit of apriltello, read this!! It’s amazing, and theres a sequel too that just started that Im OBSESSED with.

Like Father Like Son by @eternalglitch

(2018) Probably the most popular rottmnt fic in existence, but its going on this list anyways for the new people in the fandom to know about too! Its Leo centric and features Draxum kidnapping him to get his original turtle warrior plan back up and running. Its an amazing fanfiction, one of my favorite fanfics of any fandom Ive ever been in, but it does feature some pretty dark topics. Make sure u keep the tags and warnings in mind if you read!

It Started With the Milk

Donnie is acting strange, very strange… And Leo is gonna figure out why. A creepy fic that has just the right amount of psychological horror and angst for me.

Frayed Knots

My favorite 2012/2018 crossover fic! It has some really cool takes on the concept I havent seen before, like the emotions and fears that one of them have bleeding into their counterpart (so like, 2012 Leo feeling 2018 Leo’s fears, for example). Its really really good and I definitely reccommend it

Shellshocked

Angsty fic in which Leo gets his shell cracked while protecting Donnie. Angst/comfort with a happy ending—I may or may not have stopped writing this list in the middle of it just to reread this one

The Cornerstore by @imaginashon

(2018) Cute turtle tots story with amazing artwork to go along with it. Splinter lets the boys play while he goes scavenging, but when it gets too cold theyre forced to find refuge in a human store. A lot of my previous recs are pretty angsty but this is so fluffy and its adorable!

The Brains and the Brawn

Ok its a comic, not a fic, but close enough. Donnie and Raph team up! The two try and beat the Purple Dragons but stuff happens and Donnie loses access to his tech and Raph is forced to do some math. Its got angst, comfort, and humor. Definitely recommend.

Its Alright Its Okay

When Leo is injured during a cave in incident, his brothers try and keep him alive… The only problem? Leo is the team’s only medic, and his brothers have no idea what to do. Angst/comfort, and I must have read the final chapter like a dozen times by now because I love one of the ending scenes so much.

If anyone else has any recs, feel free to reblog and add them!

Oh boy, it's a long one but hear me out

If you happen to be reading this, i’m sorry to say that this will be my last post I make on ninjaheadcanons; that being said, remember me for what I did then and not what I’ll be remembered for now.

I mean, hey, if i’m being sentenced for a crime I may as well pled my case, right?

I do not condone any Lloyd ships nor do I support them, I never have.

When I first started this blog I did every single request that went into my inbox. Every single one. Wether it made me uncomfortable or not.

Why did I do it??

Cause I can’t say no to people. As silly as it sounds, I can’t and still can’t say no. That’s just who I am. It wasn’t until I finally drew the line did I start standing up against the ships I am not comfortable with.

And I'm going to be completely honest, I write for things I don't want to all the time. Whether it's Lloyd related or not, a good portion of the time I have written for things that make me uncomfortable.

Why? Because it made people happy. And that is all I ever wanted. By answering requests ANY request good or bad, It made people smile. I wanted to make people happy and I hope that I was able to do so❤️

And as for the transphobic thing, I AM A TRANS MALE; If I had written anything remotely transphobic, it must have been misconstrued.

There's so much more I want to say to you all; to all those who have supported me since the begin. New or old. You matter and you are all my friends and to some you are even family. You have made everything so amazing❤️❤️❤️

I should probably say that I’m not leaving cause of that list. I said, in the beginning, I write HCs because it was fun for me and unfortunately, it’s not enjoyable as it once was.

I did have so much fun though! It was so nice to be able to talk with you all and have conversations about au and all different kinds of headcanons!❤️❤️

I just thought I should address those things as I have gotten a ton of questions about it.

I’ve been planning on making this post for awhile but, thought that I should probably do it early.

This is my final goodbye, my friends.

Thank you for everything -Grim Valentine🌻

UPDATED Ninjago Ship List

B!=Bizarro

IE!=Ice Emperor

Bruise or Geode- Cole x Jay

Plasma- Jay x Kai

Techno- Jay x Zane

Lava- Kai x Cole

Opposite- Zane x Kai

Glacier- Cole x Zane

Polyninja- Zane x Cole x Jay x Kai

Greenflame- Kai x Lloyd

Jaya- Jay x Nya

Pixane- Pixal x Zane

Samurai- Pixal x Nya

Ice Samurai- Nya x Pixal x Zane

Future- Cyrus x Acronix

AmberPhoenix- Skylor x Nya

Llorumi- Lloyd x Harumi

Kailor- Kai x Skylor

Coliel- Cole x Seliel

Heavy Metal- Cole x Zane x Pixal

Moss- Cole x Lloyd

Unique or Popsicle- Lloyd x Zane

Mountain- Kai x Zane x Cole

Scruff- Dareth x Ronin

Garsako- Garmadon x Misako

Wusako- Wu x Misako

Outdated- Cryptor x Zane

Blizzard- Zane x Morro

Destiny- Kai x Morro

Hailstorm- Jay x Cole x Zane

Crystal- Morro x Cole x Zane

Spirit- Morro x Cole

Conya- Cole x Nya

Greenwind- Lloyd x Morro

ElectricStorm- Jay x Morro

Thinkfast- Neuro x Griffin

Ronya- Ronin x Nya

Citrus- Morro x Echo Zane

Greenwisp- Lloyd x Jay

Forgiven- Brad x Lloyd

Morrumi or JadeStorm- Morro x Harumi

Survival- Vinny x Garmadon

AmberPrincess- Skylor x Harumi

GarmaClouse- Garmadon x Clouse

Cryxal- Cryptor x Pixal

Sunshine- Cole x Ultra Violet

Golden Matter- Overlord x Lloyd

User-Friendly- Zane x Overlord

Cake- Cole x cake

ForeverAlone- Wu x tea

Tea- Wu x Mistaké

GarmaKai- Garmadon x Kai

SnakeGlacier- “Snake Jaguar” x Cole

SnakeBlizzard- “Snake Jaguar” x Morro

Dark History- Garmadon x Krux

Inventor- Cyrus x Dr. Julien

Self-Centered- Dareth x Garmadon

Loulien- Lou x Dr. Julien

YingYang- Overlord x First Spinjitzu Master

Ash- Garmadon x Ray

Spell- Master Chen x Clouse

SmokeShade- Ash x Shade

Nightshade- Tox x Chamille

ResonatedGravity- Jacob x Gravis

Dumbass- Jay x Kai x Cole

PolyPonytail- Nya x Pixal x Skylor

Geostorm- Jay x Nya x Cole

Braincell- Nya x Zane

Gunpowder- Kai x Ash

JetFaith- Jet Jack x Faith

Riptide- Nya x Ultra Violet

Ore- Karlof x Cole

Eyepatch- Clutch x Ronin

Supernatural- Snek!Jay x Ghost!Cole x Zane x Anacondrai!Kai

Iceberg- Zane x Nya x Cole

Violent- Harumi x Ultra Violet

Snakecell- Nya x “Snake Jaguar”

DarkThinking- Shade x Neuro

Steampunk- Jay x Echo Zane

TheyDeservedBetter- Show!Garmadon x Koko

GreenCheer- Movie!Lloyd x Movie!Chen I really don’t like this ship tho

Blue- Nya x Jay x Zane

VioletSnake- Ultra Violet x “Snake Jaguar”

GarmaChen- Garmadon x Master Chen

Hurricane- Nya x Morro

JadedSnake- “Snake Jaguar” x Harumi

StolenData- Skylor x Pixal

PlayDate- Nya x Dogshank

Sleet- Kai x Zane AND Zane x Nya (Nya and Kai are both dating Zane; they’re not dating each other)

Slush- Kai x Nya x Zane (this is an incest ship that @dynamicdragonite said they intended the name to be for, as they ship it and got rather upset when they found out I was using it for a healthy platonic ship.)

S’mores- Dareth x Zane

Chaos- B!Kai x B!Cole x B!Jay x B!Zane

DarkPlasma- B!Kai x B!Jay

DarkGlacier- B!Cole x B!Zane

DarkLava- B!Kai x B!Cole

DarkGeode- B!Jay x B!Cole

DarkTechno- B!Zane x B!Jay

DarkOpposite- B!Kai x B!Zane

StoneCold- B!Zane x Cole

BlackIce- Zane x B!Zane

Virus- Zane x B!Jay

GreasedLightning- B!Jay x Jay

Fireworks- B!Jay x Kai

Trojan- B!Zane x Jay

Avalanche- Zane x B!Cole

Magma- B!Kai x Cole

Obsidian- Cole x B!Cole

Inferno- Kai x B!Kai

Eruption- B!Cole x Kai

Pyrotechnic- B!Kai x Zane

Frostbite- B!Zane x Kai

BlackLightning- B!Cole x Jay

Aftershock- B!Jay x Cole

FireStarter- B!Kai x Jay

Blizzaro- B!Zane x Morro

IceStorm- Zane x Nya x Morro

LightningFast- Jay x Griffin

DryIce- IE!Zane x Kai

HowlingWind- Morro x Bansha

Arson- B!Jay x B!Cole x B!Zane x Kai

BrainFreeze- Neuro x Zane

Skeleton- Morro x Ghoultar

Eclipse- Kai x Shade

ThunderSnow- Morro x Jay x Zane

Hellstorm- Kai x Zane + Zane x Morro (they’re both in love with Zane)

TropicalStorm- Jay x Nya x Morro

Turquoise- Harumi x Nya

Holly- Lloyd x Akita

Fog- Nya x Shade

Corrupted- Staff!Kai x IE!Zane

Never- Zane x Vex

this is for those who despair over seeing ships or tropes that make them uncomfortable while they do their little scrolly-scroll on ao3, acting like they aren’t responsible for their own internet experience

(alternatively, the back button also works)

[remembers 20 years later to post this]

Oh yeah, here was my piece for the first Mad Dogz zine! It’s been a year, but I’m still proud of it :}

Life of a High School Vampire One-Shots 9 True Love?

Requested by Lava_Serpant on Wattpad

SUMMARY: Cole encounters Kai again in a pet store and gives the vampire his best doggy-face try at a second chance...

****************

Kai smirked as he loaded his shopping basket with dozens of tubs crickets and other creepy crawlies. He was currently hanging out in the reptile section of the Animal Crackers pet store and clearing all their shelves of insects. The reason for this was a large prank he and Lloyd were planning to pull off on their science teacher. While he still found his roommates, Kai had to admit that Lloyd's hidden devious personality was inspiring and a cause for caution.

Kai would rather have the blond prankster as an ally than a foe.

They had come up with this prank to get back at their science teacher for all the bad grades he gave them purely out of spite. Even when they studied and did well on a test or a project he still failed them and when Kai confronted him about this the teacher admitted that he just didn't like them. He thought Kai was a gothic freak and that Lloyd was a sad loser who would probably only get a job behind the counter at a fast-food place. Not only that but he was incredibly creepy to his female co-workers and rude to his female students.

If he saw a girl with their skirts even a little bit above the knee he would give them a detention.

He even did this to students outside his classes. When they learned this Jay tried to report the teacher to the school but their complaints were ignored. The only thing to change was that the science teacher started to fail Jay's science projects as well. That was when Kai and Lloyd decided to take matters into their own hands. At first, Kai wanted to use his powers to secretly torment the mind of the older man while he slept, but Lloyd's suggestion was much more fun.

It was no secret that the science teacher had severe entomophobia, the fear of insects.

It was all Lloyd's idea. He said that they would buy as many bugs as they could, fill the teacher's house with them, and secretly record him as he woke up and freaked out at the sight of all the bugs that were filling up his home. He and Kai were split up in the city buying as many bugs as they could while Jay went to get them some small cameras to record with. This was his third pet store and Lloyd had just texted telling him he was heading to his fourth now.

The prank would be set up tonight and would activate early in the morning.

Without much effort, Kai convinced his roommates to let him sneak into the house to set up the cameras and release the insects. He could easily fly in and out of the house like a bat and sneak all the items in without being detected, not that Jay or Lloyd knew that. After Kai was certain that he had everything he needed, he rounded the corner of the reptile sector to leave. He began to pass the toy aisle when he suddenly froze. There was a man crouched down in front of him examining some squeaky cat toys.

Although he could see his face, Kai already knew very well who this person was just from looking at his back.

The figure seemed to feel Kai's eyes on him because he stood up and slowly turned around to face the brunette, revealing Cole's shocked face.

"Kai?" He gasped when he saw his one-night stand again after over six weeks. "Wow, it's been uh it's been a long time, you look... the same?" He stammered, unsure what he was supposed to say in this situation.

"Thanks," Kai replied but it was very stiff and robotic. They stood there in silence for a while until Cole couldn't take it anymore.

"I thought you were gonna call me?" He demanded as he took a step forward, but a glare from Kai stopped him from going any further.

"I thought I put you in stronger chains?" The brunette retorted, still maintaining his glare as another uncomfortable began to form. That awkwardness was cut short, however, when a young woman around Cole's age suddenly approached them. She was a tan-skinned girl who seemed around Cole's age with teal blue eyes. She has a micro fringe and long golden curls with a purple hairclip on her side. She wore a cyan crop-top, light blue denim capri pants, and white flats.

Her makeup consisted of lavender-colored eyeshadow and mauve purple lipstick.

They say don't judge a book by its cover, but Kai could already see everything about her. He could tell that she considered herself to be one of the most beautiful and popular girls at whatever school she went to. He almost growled at the obvious drama diva princess. He saw what she thought she was more deserving and better than everyone else. He wouldn't be surprised if her parents bought her everything she ever wanted. Kai glared at the girl that he knew would get nowhere in life after school finished.

He almost allowed himself a small smirk at the thought.

"This pet store is so fucking stinky! Can we leave yet?" She complained loudly to Cole before she finally saw Kai. "Oh, hi there!" She smiled, showing off all her perfectly white teeth as she walked around to Cole's side and looped her arm around him, making sure to look Kai in the eye the entire time. Cole looked like a deer in headlights as his eyes darted back and forth between the girl and Kai. If he thought it was awkward before it was worse now.

How was he supposed to talk to his one-night stand about his new girlfriend?

When he saw that they were both looking at him expectedly, Cole finally snapped back to reality and plastered on a weak, worried smile.

"Uh, Kai meet Lucy, Lucy this is Kai." He introduced nervously.

"Charmed I'm sure." Lucy smiled at the brunette expectedly.

"No, you'd know if you were." Kai snapped, very unimpressed. Lucy paused for a second and Kai suspected that that was the first time anyone had ever spoken to her like that. Her disbelief changed to anger though as her smile melted into a disgusted scowl.

"How do you know this... person?" She asked her boyfriend as she gave Kai a judgemental once over, her tone implying that Kai was something she scraped off the bottom of her high heels.

"We were... friends?" Cole asked, not sure how to explain his relationship with Kai. "We know each other from a past life." He suddenly said with a chuckle, hoping some humor would lighten the mood, but Lucy didn't look convinced.

"It's true," Kai replied, confusing the couple. Kai barely managed to suppress a smirk as he began to spin his tale. "He was a soldier and I was a slave freeing gypsy prostitute; after seeing the light he made a passionate plea to his comrades to do what was right for mankind and was immediately shot in the chest eighty-one times, and a week later I poisoned myself for unrelated reasons." He shrugged as if he just told them what groceries he was buying.

Both humans could only stare at him in silence.

Cole in wonder and awe while Lucy in concern and disgust.

"Well it has been... super interesting meeting you Kai but we should go." She said with a grimace before she began to head for the entrance. She stopped, however, when she realized that Cole hadn't moved and was still staring at Kai, with the brunette doing the same. "Puppy?" She whined in frustration, snapping out of his little trance.

"J-Just give me a minute, Lucy." He told his girlfriend and this caused Lucy to sigh loudly as if he had just asked her to find every giant bag of pet food and carry them all to the car by herself. Nevertheless, the blond teen listened to him and left to wait for him outside. Cole waited until he was sure they were alone before he turned back to Kai, who still looked calm, cool, and collected.

"So is that story true? I mean did we meet in a past life?" He asked in amazement.

"Do you think I'm a liar?" Kai glared, sounding very offended that Cole would think he was a liar.

"No...?" Cole replied, scared that anything he said would be the wrong thing.

"Good, I'm trying to sharpen my skills for an upcoming court appearance." The brunette smiled in satisfaction.

"So... wait! Is that... it- it was a lie? Is it a lie? Not a lie?" Cole stammered in confusion as his mind struggled to comprehend what Kai told him. Everything about the brunette intrigued and irritated Cole in ways he couldn't understand. There was something about Kai that was mysterious yet dangerous and Cole wanted to know what it was no matter what happened to him. As he stared into Kai's bright, almost glowing, amber eyes the human was suddenly flooded with a feeling he hadn't felt since he met Kai.

Before he realized what was happening, Cole suddenly lunged forward and grabbed Kai's both sides of his head intending to steal a kiss.

He quickly jumped back, however, when Kai suddenly hissed at him like an enraged, feral cat. Cole was so ashamed of himself that he failed to see the split-second flash of Kai's fangs before they vanished. Shooting the human an offended glare, the vampire turned on his heel and stormed off.

"I'm sorry! That was stupid of me!" Cole exclaimed in horror, scared that he had just blown his chance, as he began to chase after Kai. "Wait, it- it's not even serious with Lucy! I don't even like her!" He tried to explain as he kept glancing over his shoulder, worried that Lucy could show up any second.

"Don't you?" Kai scoffed. "She referred to you as her loyal mutt, which is pretty dominate; I know you like that." He smirked when he could almost feel Cole's blush.

"Yeah but it's not the same Kai, I seriously miss you." He insisted but Kai kept walking, not even giving Cole a second look. "Kai, I still have the chains!" He suddenly shouted and that finally made Kai stop in his tracks. Kai turned around and was surprised to see the manacles from their last meeting were still around Cole's legs just above his ankles. "I called a hundred locksmiths and none of them could figure out how to get these things off," Cole added but that didn't shock Kai.

Those chains were custom made in his home country and Kai had hidden the key after he had left Cole's bed.

The only way to remove the chains was to either get the key from Kai or track down the person who made them and get them to craft a new key.

"Yes, sure it's a little awkward when I go to the beach or when I go to the gym but h-honestly, I don't want them off; I like the way they make me feel, I like the way they jingle about when I dance; I think I love you, Kai Smith," Cole admitted, sounding truly sincere, but Kai couldn't tell whether he meant it or not. All his life Kai knew when people were lying to him from his family, his roommates, to people he met in the streets. But with Cole it was different.

No matter how much he tried he couldn't figure this human out and that both angered and scared him.

He wanted to understand why Cole was so unique, but he couldn't get too close until he knew what Cole's intentions were.

"Do you know what it's like to be shot in the chest eighty-one times?" The brunette suddenly asked, catching Cole off guard.

"What?" He asked in confusion. Of all the responses to his confession that was not one of them.

"Eighty-one bullets in your chest," Kai repeated as he started to approach the noirette, keeping his movements slow and deliberate. "It feels like your heart becomes a thousand fireworks, your body is merely a vessel for that one moment that lasts a fraction of a second before you perish but it feels like lifetimes." He whispered as he stared Cole dead in the eyes. "That is what love feels like." He finished as he placed a hand over Cole's rapidly beating heart.

"I-I-I don't know if I know what that feels like." Cole stammered, not fully processing what Kai was saying or the brunette's shoulders slumping slightly.

"Then you're not the man in the past life I thought you were." The vampire muttered, disappointment clear in his voice as he tore his amber eyes away from Cole's emeralds. This scared Cole, causing him to think Kai was going to vanish as he did all those weeks ago, only this time the noirette would never see him again.

"Okay, but I-"

"Why don't you call me when you know what love feels like?" Kai suggested with a small smirk and a wink as he stepped out of Cole's personal space.

"D-Does that mean you want me to get shot in the chest o-or is it a metaphor?" He asked, trying to understand what Kai was talking about. It looked like Kai was about to answer until Cole's phone suddenly started ringing, the ringtone being Jingle Bells played by barking dogs.

"Your owner is calling you." Kai chuckled as Cole pulled out the phone to check the caller ID. It was Lucy but he wasn't in the mood to talk to her. After he declined the call, Cole looked up and suppressed an irritated groan when he saw that Kai had seemingly vanished into thin air again like the last time. The human could only hope that that wasn't the last time he ever saw Kai again. After paying for his items, Kai exited the store and his eyes scanned the area around the entrance until he found his target.

Cole's girlfriend, Lucy.

She was standing by the edge of the car park, smoking a cigarette as she impatiently waited for Cole. She had tried calling him a few times but the call went to voicemail. Adjusting the grip on his bags, Kai narrowed his eyes and walked over to her. When she saw him, Lucy glared at him and blew a cloud of smoke into his face. Kai didn't even blink as he pulled something out of the bags and extended it towards her.

"I have a gift for you." He said as she reluctantly took the item from him. "I advice you to shorten it." He smirked before walking away and leaving her with even more questions. Lucy watched him leave for a moment before she turned to the item he had given her and it only confused her more. He had given her a long, black, and grey dog leash...

Alright, people, I was planning on releasing two new Ninjago stories but some issues have raised recently. When I posted Club of Flaming Passion on Fanfaction.Net I started getting some rather rude comments about the mature content, which were made by guests so I could remove them but I can't block the users.

I've also seen a few other authors going through similar things but involving songfics.

 People who have been using guest accounts to harasses writers, saying that they are breaking the law by using an artist's song without permission. With all this happening I'm not sure if I will be able to upload these new stories or update some of my others such as Club of Flaming Passion. But that doesn't mean I will never post again, I'm just laying low and trying not to draw attention to myself.

These are the summaries for these new stories:

Lustful Sinners - Kai thought he had it all. An incredible singing career, millions of adoring fans, a close family, and good friends. He thought he had everything he ever wanted, except the one thing his Omega wanted. An Alpha to love and spoil him. Unfortunately, when the Alpha he wants rejects him, Kai places a bet with his best friend that he can sleep with the married Alpha, Zane Julien...

Guilty Pleasures - A demon Kai and an angel Zane, longtime acquaintances who, having grown accustomed to life on Earth as representatives of Heaven and Hell, seek to prevent the coming of the Armageddon...

Why put on the Christmas special? Wouldn't it have been better to put it in another work like the special "How to train your Dragon"?

I was just trying to create more drama between Kai and Cole and show off the villain a little bit more.

The Flame and the Dragon Ch1

Chapter 1: The Legend of the Dragon Lord

It was many a year ago, at least by mortal reckoning when a proud and magnificent family ruled the lands from a shining castle of marble and stone. They were both fierce and protective, yet kind and loyal and fair. Their reign was a golden age and the people were eternally grateful to them. It wasn't always like this, however. The royal family had been faced with many foes over the years. The most fierce and dangerous of the enemies came from within their own castle.

The royal family had always had a royal sorcerer to protect and entertain them, but one day, the sorcerer's young, orphan apprentice found him experimenting with dark magic.

He had been planning on overthrowing the royal family for years. The apprentice immediately went to inform the King. The sorcerer was promptly exiled to the farthest mountains and his family name banished from the realm. For her heroic actions, the royal family adopted the apprentice. The townspeople and the country flourished under the peaceful and prosperous reign of the King, Queen, and their son and adopted daughter. The King, known throughout the land as Lou, though had eccentric and unorthodox manners of ruling the kingdom, was an exceptionally good King.

His wife Lily was his equal in every way, an eccentric warrior whose strong spirit and golden heart could not be tamed.

Both loved their people and made the fact known both within and outside the walls of the castle. Many of the castle's servants were wards of the king and queen who were given jobs and treated as if they were their own flesh and blood. But the most beloved of all the royal family was the only son. He was truly a handsome man both externally and within. A proud and stubborn man but with a will as strong as a dragon and a heart brighter than gold, eyes as beautiful and green as a stunning emerald.

Though it was uncommon in that day and age, the royals spent as much time among their citizens as they could.

Even their adopted daughter was loved among them. Among his people, the prince was kind and fair, and among the servants, each one was like a younger sibling to him, but when the people were in danger he defended them with the ferocity and power of a dragon, earning him a nickname. The Dragon Lord. The people loved their rulers and their rulers loved their people, but the dark destiny of all kingdoms would soon doom this peaceful paradise.

Deep in the mountains, the exiled sorcerer swore vengeance upon the royal family for their betrayal and his own thirst for the crown.

Yet above all he despised the prince. Most people believed he hated the prince was because he was jealous and believed the throne that should be his. However, that was only a small part of it. In truth, he envied the prince with all his soul. He hated how the people loved and respected him, how everyone idolized the Dragon Lord instead of him. He hated how the prince commanded the love, respect, and attention of everyone who laid eyes on him without even trying.

But he'd had to perform complex and difficult magical spells to demand their love.

He hated how, while he'd had to struggle and work for every little thing his entire life, the people simply gave the Dragon Lord their love on a silver platter. Yet the prince did nothing with it. Even if the King and Queen were the true rulers, the exiled sorcerer knew without a shadow of a doubt that it was the Dragon Lord who had the kingdom's love and respect. He vowed one day to return and rip away everything the Prince loved and treasured so deeply.

He wanted to do it in the most malicious and unforgiving manner he could concoct.

Banished to the darkest shadows and forced to live a solitary existence of seclusion, his bitterness festered until it consumed his soul. Finally, after years of training in the dark arts, his bitterness, jealousy, and rage transformed him into a more powerful sorcerer. His dark heart had all but consumed him. One dark day, after all, but signing away his soul to the darkness, he unlocked the dark, unforgiving arts of the Cursed Realm. The darkness consumed him, making him a prisoner of his own power yet affording him the ability to control some of the darkest magic.

Only one thing burned within his poisoned mind now.

His never-ending lust for vengeance...

****************

It was a day that should've been a day of great celebration. The Prince's coronation on his 21st birthday, the day he became a man, and the day he would be no longer known as the Dragon Lord, but the King. It was on this day that everything changed. The sorcerer, wearing a mask of glamour to hide his black hair and the wickedness in his eyes with an appearance more commonly seen among the people attended the new king's majesty with a terrible plan.

He was going to make the new king and his family suffer for their crimes against his person.

Only after everyone else had presented their gifts and their best wishes and promises to their beloved prince and soon-to-be king, Lou stood from his throne, holding in his hands a magnificently sculpted crown in the shape of a majestic silver dragon with eyes of emerald and powerful onyx wings. Just as the former king was about to crown his son, the Sorcerer stepped forward and spoke his impossible demands. He commanded that the Dragon Lord relinquish his crown and his throne to him or great doom would befall them all.

He cast aside his glamour as he spoke, eliciting a scream of terror from his former apprentice who was the first to recognize him, and gasps of shock and fear from the townspeople whom he had terrorized.

Naturally, the prince refused, claiming nothing would convince him to relinquish his throne and the lives of his people and loved ones to a madman. He did not fear death or enchantment. The sorcerer's eyes narrowed at the defiant family of royals before a smile struck his face; a smile that sent a shiver of fear down the spines of everyone present, chilling everyone in the room to the bone. Even as the royal guards attacked and the people rushed to escape, the Sorcerer's wicked eyes turned black as shadows and dark purple energy flooded his body like a wispy ghost.

Finally, the sorcerer unleashed a deadly wave of black magic, consuming the entire throne room.

While the townspeople had already escaped, the servants and those loyal to their royals refused to leave and screamed in anguish and fear as their very essences warped to that of the dark master's sick desires. The sorcerer's dark magic ensnared the royals, and all except for the Dragon Lord's vanished before the young king's horrified eyes. But the Sorcerer refused to reveal to the devastated Dragon Lord what had become of his parents and adopted sister.

He then invoked the magic of the Cursed Realm and placed a terrible curse upon the castle and a deadly spell upon the kingdom and all who lived there.

Proclaiming doom on the royal family and all who served them, friends and servants alike, the servants and wards of the castle were stripped of their physical forms and were warped into new ones for their loyalty, ones of creatures from the realm of fantasy. As for the prince himself, the Sorcerer wanted him to suffer the most. He wanted to see him wither away and suffer alone in solitude and anguish just as he had suffered, before extracting the final act of his vengeance.

So he cursed him with the most terrible form of all.

The form of the most magnificent and dangerous creature of myth and legend, once beloved by the royal family and the kingdom, and would now be used to doom the new King. The form of the Dragon. But his form was cursed to be neither monster nor human, but something awful in between. Trapped as a prisoner within his own body, with only his most loyal of followers in bodies no human would dare trust, he was imprisoned within his castle.

To entertain himself, the Sorcerer gave the prince an ultimatum.

The prince would have a century to find his one true love and break the curse. It couldn't just be anyone, however. It had to be a person that could accept the King for the monster he was, else his soul and the souls of all those he held dear would never know peace and would instead be trapped within the dark depths of the Cursed Realm for all eternity. With a maniacal laugh and a haunting scream, he vanished, claiming to return once his time had come, leaving behind a confused and terrified crowd who couldn't recognize themselves in a mirror.

The prince let out a shallow gasp as he collapsed to his knees before he screamed in horror at the body that was no longer his.

Instead of human hands, black claws had replaced his fingers and scaled paws were his hands. Thick scales and black talons adorned his arms. At his feet were the back legs and claws of a dragon. Confused and scared he turned to his servants, each holding a sad expression on their faces, and when a mirror was raised to the prince's face, he screamed. Black scales adorned his body, torso, and chest, a powerful, whip-like tail sprouted from behind him; fin-like appendages grew from his shoulders.

From his shoulder blades sprouted two enormous wings large enough to consume his body, glittering with blood as they ripped from his skin.

But most terrifying of all were his eyes. No longer were they the brilliant green he'd grown up with, nor were they human. Instead, he saw the dark brown eyes and slit-like pupils of a dragon staring back at him in horror and fear. It was just as the sorcerer cursed him. He was neither dragon nor man but something terrible in-between. His servants and friends urged him not to lose hope, that they would find his love, whoever it may be, and rescue his parents and the young princess from wherever the evil Sorcerer sent them.

But it wasn't long before hope began to fade. As the years passed, he fell into despair.

His followers and the people he'd worked so hard to protect refused to leave him or abandon the castle. The rest of the world forgot as the long years of the century rolled by. Alone in the castle, the former King's heir began to chill and stiffen, angered and bitter towards the world that shunned him so cruelly as a horrible monster. As hope became an illusion scorned by the prince, his lonely heart grew cold and desolate. But his servants never lost hope.

They prayed and prayed to the FSM for aid, to save their master from the malicious fate cursed upon him and to help him find his love.

For only the Prince knew about his love and told only a select two and they swore to take the secret to their graves, keeping it from even their most trusted friends and family. They just trusted their Master to find his love, knowing that whoever it may be would have to be a special soul to earn the heart and rescue the soul of their master. Though the secret was safe, it didn't stop the servants from wonder who would lift their curse. They wondered who was the Dragon Lord's one true love...

The Flame and the Dragon Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Cold Concern

Cole's eyes widened as his mind trying to wrap around what he was just told. After he had taken a shivering Kai back to his room, Neuro had examined the brunette, but the news had been grim, to say the least. His skin is still freezing, and his fever wouldn't go down and they couldn't give him anything because he was unconscious and it was too dangerous. Even if they did give him something to bring down the fever, it would only make the hypothermia worse.

It was very dangerous to treat hypothermia using medication.

Too much heat was just a dangerous as too much cold when it came to treating hypothermia. They needed to get the brunette's core temperature back up to a safe level. Unfortunately, that was impossible at this point because they couldn't do it anymore. It required something none of them were able to properly do long enough to bring up his core temperature. They needed body heat. Jay and the others tried to help, but Neuro dismissed them.

Their spirit forms didn't give off any body heat and their creature forms didn't provide enough.

That was when Cole said he would do it. He was the only one of them that was purely physical, and he was a dragon. His body's naturally warmer than a human's. Neuro advised against this, however, saying that Kai's cold body could have serious consequences against the prince's own body heat. Cole ran his claws through his hair, barely nicking his fin-like ears until he heard another haggard cough. His eyes shot to Kai, who was coughing again, barely able to move.

The boys held him down trying to keep him steady.

Cole made up his mind. He walked past Neuro, removed his clothes, and worked off his boots.

"Neuro, take the boys outside and tell everyone what's going on and check on Kai's vitals every so often until he wakes up; take shifts if you must."

"What? No!" Neuro cried. "I mean, it's possible, but what if it doesn't work? Cole's heat might get Kai's core temperature back up, but if he doesn't cool down in time, he could-"

"Would it give Kai a chance?" Cole asked, sitting on the edge of the bed, and gently scooped the protesting fox, bear cub, troll, and naga into his arms. Neuron's jaw dropped.

"Well, yes, but-"

"That's all I need to know," Cole decided, placing Jay and Nelson in Neuro's arms and Ronin and Tox in Echo's.

"This isn't fair, Master! Let us stay too!" Nelson pleaded, squirming to escape his prison.

"No!" Echo chided, gently. "Listen you four, I know you want to help, but the best thing we can do right now is waiting, trust your master." He told them and all four of them opened their mouth to protest, but Echo's smile silences them.

"You better know what you're doing, Cole!" Jay glared, but his worry was visible in his eyes.

"I do, leave us." He told them, undoing his belt. Neuro's eyes narrowed, but he obeyed and followed Echo outside.

"Don't bother with his arms or legs, that'll only work the cold back towards his heart and lungs, focus on his head, his torso, and his groin, and if he doesn't warm up by morning come find us immediately." He warned just before closing the door behind him. When the door shut, Cole stripped the rest of his clothes and slid under the thick cocoon of blankets. He carefully pulled Kai into his warm chest and pressed their torsos together. He hissed when Kai's icy skin touched his.

He bit his lip and pressed Kai's forehead against his collar.

He wrapped a wing around Kai's head and hair, the other around his back and hips. He tucked the covers into every crevice around him, making sure no cold seeped through.

"Kai, I'm sorry." He whispered, hoping his flame could still hear him. He rubbed the young man's back when he started shivering again. He hugged Kai closer. "I'm so sorry I didn't protect you, I never thought... I didn't think that bastard would go this far! I know I should've seen it, but..." His voice broke on the last part, and he had to stop to keep himself from breaking down. He lay his precious flame down again, smiling when Kai stopped shivering, but his skin was still cold, and his fever still high.

He gently kissed the boy's forehead and pulled him closer, wrapping him in his warmth and letting the coolness of Kai's flesh wash over him.

He hadn't realized just how hot he'd been until now. Already he could feel drowsiness overcome him.

"I promise," Cole whispered in Kai's ear. "I promise when you wake up, I'll protect you and I don't care what he throws at me; I'll never let that...that... monster anywhere near you, again! I won't!" Cole hissed as he clenched the blankets at his side, before settling down against the mattress, then the warmth of the cocoon the staff created for Kai and the soothing coolness of Kai's skin, lulling the Dragon Lord to sleep.

"Please... come back to me, Kai." He whimpered as a small tear rolled down his cheek, gently damping the teen's forehead. "I can't lose you too, Kai, I can't..." He said at last before the stress, anxiety, and terror finally took their toll on him and he collapsed into darkness. "I'm not strong enough too."...

****************

Zane sighed as he slid his back against the door to the room his younger brother shared with the three other servants. After a flurry of questions and concerns, panic attacks, and hours of reassurance from Neuro, he had finally got the three boys to settle into an uneasy sleep. He had been annoyed when Echo clamped onto Jay the entire time before finally falling asleep in the fox's arms. But he didn't have the heart to comment on it. There was too much unrest already.

"How are they?" Someone suddenly asked and Zane looked up to see Ronin standing in the hallway.

"They'll be fine, they're just worried like we all are," Zane explained and slouched against the door, anxiety taking its toll on him as well.

"I'm not surprised, who knows what those kids saw," Ronin sighed as he took off his hat and ran a hand through his dark hair, and closed his eyes. Just then Griffin sped in, having listening into their conversation, but Zane and Ronin didn't seem to care.

"Speaking of that, what exactly happened today?" He asked gravely.

"This was more than just a simple ice break wasn't it?" Zane also asked the troll. Ronin's eyes scanned the hallway, double-checking to make sure no one was there and gestured Griffin and Zane to come closer.

"I didn't want to say anything in front of everyone but something doesn't add up," He whispered. "I checked that ice meself and I swear on my life it was at least six inches thick and I think we can all agree there's no way Kai's heavy enough to crack it, let alone fall through, and something else was there, in the lake."

"What?"

"There was this little creepy-looking bird there, it let out this sound that scared Kai's horse and made it break the ice." He explained and Griffin's eyes widened in horror. He turned to the Stewart whose eyes were hard and unreadable.

"Zane?" He gulped but Zane said nothing. Then he closed his eyes and sighed.

"Double the guard, no one is to leave the castle without an escort and at least one of the guards, myself, you two, or the Master." He ordered, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Until winter is over, everyone is confined to the immediate grounds until further notice; if our fears are correct, then we're not taking any chances."...