#Andromeda (TDP)

[amazingfandommomarch]

*Everyone is standing around the broken coffee maker*

Runaan : So. Who broke it? I'm not mad, I just wanna know.

Everyone:

Callisto: ...I did. I broke it.

Runaan : No. No you didn't. Rayla?

Rayla: Don't look at me. Look at Skor.

Skor: What?! I didn't break it.

Rayla: Huh, that's weird. How'd you even know it was broken?

Skor: Because it's sitting right in front of us and it's broken.

Rayla: Suspicious.

Skor: No, it's not!

Ram: If it matters, probably not, but Andromeda was the last one to use it.

Andromeda : Liar! I don't even drink that crap!

Ram: Oh really? Then what were you doing by the coffee cart earlier?

Andromeda : I use the wooden stirrers to push back my cuticles. Everyone knows that, Ram!

Callisto: Okay let's not fight. I broke it. Let me pay for it, Runaan .

Runaan : No! Who broke it!?

Everyone:

Ram: Runaan ... Rayla's been awfully quiet.

Rayla: rEALLY?!

*Everyone starts arguing*

Runaan , being interviewed: I broke it. I burned my hand so I punched it.

Runaan : I predict 10 minutes from now they'll be at each other's throats with warpaint on their faces and a pig head on a stick.

Runaan :

Runaan : Good. It was getting a little chummy around here.

[greenmoons]

Andromeda's age

So because of what Runaan said here I thought Andromeda is the youngest besides Rayla. She and Ram looks pretty young and they were at least teens when Rayla was a child. But look at her horns cuffs, she is already married. So she got married when she was sixteen or seventeen? She is not fully trained yet because she can't access the moonshadow form yet, so she is young. It might not be weird in their race to marry at a young age.

By the way and it's not related but my headcanon is that she was married with Eljaal from Tales of Xadia. He is also assassin and he left because he was afraid their partner won't agree with their action, because they didn't kill their target so it's make sense their partner is assassin as well. They are married because of their horn cuffs so it's nice to think they are married to each other.

[moon-sky-sun-earth-ocean-stars]

Tales of Xadia characters-Eljaal

Name: Eljaal Pronounce: They/them Race: Moonshadow Elf Profession: Assassin Information: Eljaal travelled to Del Bar to assassinate a human target. They were unable to fulfill their mission because their target fell to death in a climbing accident. Since then, they've been wandering in human lands trying to find a new purpose in life, knowing their beloved onces might not accept their failure.

*They have horn cuffs so they probably married.

On a personal note: I'm writing a fanfic about them and here are my headcanons about them. 1. I think they are from Hollow Wood 2. I think they are in relationship with Andromeda.

[ace-artemis-fanartist]

Some of The Dragon Prince ladies that I wish we saw more of.

[dragon-susceptible]

Different Path Taken Ch15: The Cave P1

I don't know exactly how many parts this will be before they get out of the cave. I've been debating the order of a couple of the next story points and think that Important Discussion between Runaan and Rayla might need to happen before he lets her out of his sight again, and I'll need her down in the village. For now, there's this little bit though from the night after they make it to the cave to warm up, and before that discussion is had.

They didn’t erect the tents properly in the cave that night.  Instead, Runaan and Skor had spread the walls up around the edges of the cave, making nests out of their combined blankets and settling Andromeda, Ezran, and the egg close together to get warm.  Callum cuddled with his brother for the body heat until Callisto deemed him well enough to be left alone.

Without their separate bedrolls, all of the elves seemed to settle readily enough to cuddling up with each other.  Skor lay apart from the others with Callisto in the curve of his body.  Ram remained near enough to Andromeda to touch, sharing his heat with her.  Rayla found herself wrapped in Runaan’s blanket and under his arm like she was a child again. 

She woke up halfway through the night to the sounds of the others shifting around, a low growl from Ram as the human man - Corvus - moved too much and settled back down in his bedroll.  He’d been placed where Skor and Callisto were between him and the entrance to the cave, and the rest of them were between him and the human princes.  Though everything settled quickly, she was aware Runaan wasn’t asleep by the way he shifted in response to the noise, as if getting ready to sit up.

“Runaan?” She whispered.

He settled back down in the blanket and petted her hair with the hand that had been across her shoulders. “I’m here, little blade.” He murmured.

“You said we needed to talk later.” She said hesitantly. 

He sighed through his nose and tucked her more carefully under the blanket. “We  do, but . . . I don’t quite know how to say it all yet.”

Rayla grimaced. “That bad?”

Runaan shifted to press a kiss to the top of her head, nudging her horns gently, leaving his scent in her hair, and she felt very small suddenly beside him. “Yes.  I owe you an apology, Rayla, for so many things, and there are other things you deserve to know that I . . . had not figured out for myself yet.  I’m not angry with you, little blade.  I’m furious with myself.”

The news took her by surprise and she frowned, pulling away to look up at him. “But you didn’t do anything wrong.  I’m the one who messed up.”

Runaan just gave her a very soft look and shook his head. “You’ve made mistakes,” He allowed. “But I have made choices that harmed you, and all of us, and you deserve an apology and some honesty about that.  Right now I am just . . . worried.”

“About Andromeda?  Or the egg?” Rayla asked, still concerned, but she settled back down a little.  Runaan was just as stubborn as she was and she wasn’t likely to make any progress arguing with him directly. 

“Both.” he admitted. “Callisto is optimistic, I think she’ll be all right eventually, but being forced to rely on a human for her rescue . . .” He shook his head. “Perhaps it won’t bother her as much as it would bother me.  As for the egg . . .” He grimaced. “We will talk about that in the morning.  The stakes are so high, everyone should be aware of them.  Get some sleep, little blade.  I’m here.”

Rayla bit her lip and settled herself back down cuddled up to his side. “You should get some sleep too.” She reminded him, and he huffed softly as he curled towards her in response.

“I will try, Rayla.  Now close your eyes, elfling, hush.” He hummed softly and despite her automatic rebellion when he called her an elfling, the soothing noise soon brought her persistent sleepiness back to the present and she fell asleep.

[halyasgirl]

In honor of Runaan’s birthday, I have a headcanon that his first birthday with Rayla did… not go as planned 😄

For one thing, it begins very early in the morning, when Ruthari's preview 👀 of that night's activities is interrupted by a suspiciously stray adoraburr, giving them about five seconds of warning before their squealing 6-year-old barrels into their room, launches herself onto their bed, and showers them with living adoraburr confetti. (They manage to make themselves decent before Rayla glomps them, but only just).

When Rayla drags them into the kitchen, they find:

Cake batter on every conceivable countertop

The ceiling? How?

The stove, which Rayla has left burning in their wooden house

Rayla presents Runaan with her homemade birthday cake as Ethari books it across the room to put out their stove. The “cake” is burnt on one side and raw on the other, and used their household’s entire supply of sugar. It is, however, made with so much obvious effort and love Runaan can’t help but be touched as Rayla beams up at him.

Runaan to Ethari under his breath: I have to eat that, don’t I? Ethari: Oh yeah.

Just as Runaan steels himself to eat it, a knock at the door reveals Skor, Andromeda, Callisto, and Ram, all of whom look just as confused as Runaan. Rayla informs them that since Runaan didn’t plan anything for his birthday, she had to invite his friends herself. With no good way to tell his kid the only plans for his birthday involved a nice glass of wine and getting laid, Runaan is forced to go along with it. The sun has barely risen, Runaan is half-dressed, and Callisto helpfully informs him he has an adoraburr in his hair.

Ethari: Oh that’s very sweet Rayla, but I’m sure everyone has lots to do today— Rayla (whose only frame of reference for birthday parties is a 6-year-old’s): Noo, I made them clear their whole schedule. And we can’t skip Runaan’s Birthday Dance! (Runaan would very much like to be mercy-killed at this point) Andromeda: Uh, happy birthday, I guess… Runaan: 😑 …Thank you.

That night Runaan and Ethari have to spend another 45 minutes catching any remaining adoraburrs, which have merrily scattered to every hard-to-reach corner of their bedroom. They agree they should probably just plan a small family party next year, along with talking with Rayla about things like “knocking” and “kitchen safety.” The assassins also have a rather awkward start to their workweek.

Runaan: Before we begin I would like to extend my thanks and also apologies for the events this weekend. I assure you this is not an expectation moving forward and steps have been taken to prevent future incidents. Now, for the first item on our agenda…

(In the end, Runaan considers the day one of his happiest memories).

[lithuiwen2016]

IT'S DONE!!!

Here we have Moonshadow Assassin Andromeda, enjoying a lovely performance by her husband Elyrin (OC by @dragon-susceptible)

I did play around a little with Elyrin's design based off of the Hero Forge design @dragon-susceptible created, but only because Hero Forge did not have the lovely swirly designs the Moonshadows have.

Also added a sneaky little couple's moment between two other Assassins, but they are fairly easy to spot.

This will likely be the first in a series of drawings of OCs (or scenes, if I feel brave enough) from the fic A Different Path Taken (also by @dragon-susceptible)

Go and check it out, it is really good!

I hope I did him justice!

[fandom-susceptible]

TDP Rewatch: S1 E3, "Moonrise"

It's interesting that they zoomed on Soren's face as the procession crossed the courtyard, not Harrow's - and that he didn't look nervous, just determined. He was right, too.

God, Harrow cuddling with his bird is the cutest thing. That bird adores him. Also, (who gives the best birdie kisses) "Pip Does." was said so fiercely and then the face he made after, I just. Ah, that hit me in the chest.

How is "hard-headed" more acceptable in your vernacular than "stubborn", Viren? Or are you just the only one you want to be insulting Harrow in public?

It's interesting how Viren's smiling in the coronation portrait, but Harrow isn't. Viren says Harrow insisted on doing the portrait together, but I . . . have my doubts, now.

Yeah honestly Claudia we're on the same page about the persimmon jelly.

Something about how Ezran doesn't hesitate to trust Rayla, and when she kneels in front of the egg she looks at him so softly even though ten minutes ago she was convinced he had to die - and then Claudia, whom Ezran has known his entire life, threatens violence immediately and just keeps spouting threats while trying to get him to cooperate with her. They showed us who these girls were from the very beginning; Claudia acts sweet but in the moment of truth will turn cruel, and Rayla projects coldness but in the moment of truth will offer love instead. It's a neat mirror. And I love the way Rayla smiles at Ezran when he looks to her for reassurance in that very first moment in Viren's dungeon. That moment of yes, I'm with you.

They really sell being teenagers in this first season, and I love it. "NOT THAT WAY!" "WHY?" *runs into wall* "Is this a guessing game? Just do it!" "I'M A MAGE!" *shushes him* "Nobody likes a loud mage."

Also, can we talk about how the first time Rayla actually touched Callum was to shush him in that moment? And how she was the first person to call him a mage? And how she then proceeded to tell him something she's clearly said before, which when I first watched I assumed was just a common saying/joke in Xadia, but after finding out Ethari is a mage might be a family in-joke? Yeah I've got Rayllum feelings why

"What's in the basket? A bigger moth?" omg Soren is SUCH a sarcastic little shit around Viren and I love that for him????

Also, "When all of your swords have failed." is such a clear attempt to undermine Soren's personal confidence, and the worst part is I bet Viren didn't even do it consciously. He's just so used to tearing Soren down that he doesn't have to think about it anymore, it's become automatic. It's a really common trait of abusive parents and I hate him so much for it. (obligatory acknowledgement that I actually love it as a writing choice, it's great. He is a bad guy! I am supposed to dislike him! They did a good job!) But also, Soren responding to it with a spiteful defense of his soldiers was a good moment for him.

"We go way back! Like that one time, ten minutes ago, when you chased me through the castle trying to stab me!" Bless Jack De Sena for Callum's voice acting and also bless whoever animated his and Rayla's expressions in that exchange because I am fucking wheezing

Can we talk about how Harrow's tone was coldly neutral until Viren walked in and sat in Harrow's marriage bed, uninvited, and then the next thing he said - "Your friend?" sounded venomous? Or that fucking single eyebrow raised when Viren said "brother". Harrow is WELL aware that his best friend has a weird gay thing about him, and he regrets not nipping that in the bud before it became this unhealthy obsession.

Yeah that whole "On. Your. Knees." does not get less gay with subsequent rewatches. Like bruh. They showed this to kids. Harrow. I stg. But also, Harrow sees Viren's weird gay obsession and meets his freak by putting him down about it, in a way that they both know he wouldn't if he actually returned it with any kind of affection. Oh, I think all Harrow's dialogue about Viren's arrogance and self-importance was very much also what he meant, I don't think he was talking around anything, but yeah, that was. Wow.

Also ngl Harrow can tell me to do anything he goddamn wants if he talks in that tone, jesus

Interesting. Okay so Runaan does say that humans are liars - he doesn't say there's nothing worth sparing, as Rayla seemed to imply. He's been tricked before. That said, for all he talks a big game about his ruthlessness, he doesn't just shoot Callum outright. He warns him that he's made a mistake and he very much takes his time nocking that arrow. He doesn't want to kill this kid if he doesn't have to.

I also love that one moment where his eyes go wide after Rayla tells him again he needs to call off the mission, in the middle of "You know it doesn't work that way." He glances down at his own bindings and he looks panicked for half a second before covering it in this sudden anger that doesn't quite fit with how he reacted to the egg's appearance. He's scared. He knows she's right, but he's much older, more set in his ways, and doesn't see a way out. He's fucked up. So he just tries to fall back on what he's Supposed to do - just finish the mission, worry about the egg later, because those are the rules.

And then Rayla sends the boys away and forces him to confront those values instead of just falling back on them. Now he doesn't get to separate himself and his feelings from reality. And I don't think she actually believes he'll kill her here, even though he threatens to and she smirks and says "Probably" - if he was willing to do that, he would have done it already, and they both know it. She's just forcing him to confront the conflict between his moral values and his cultural ones.

oh, god, I forgot that Ezran brought up Callum calling him Dad in the very first episode.

I think it's interesting how Runaan accuses Rayla of being "Better than this" while very obviously holding back. He keeps pausing. Rayla's constantly in motion in this fight, whether attacking or defending or just trying to catch her breath, but he attacks once and then waits for her to recover, defends once and freezes up. He can't do this. Now he's the one hesitating and he can't stop doing it. Rayla has to know this too - that's why she sasses him when he realizes she's just stalling, because she knows she's gotten into his head. She knows he can't stop her because he can't bring himself to hurt her. So if she can just call on the fatherly part of him a little more, maybe she can get him on her side. It just doesn't quite work, because he's too set in his ways and his teenage daughter's wild idea is not enough to convince him that turning the entire world upside down is possible.

Do you think Viren had a moment of abject panic when Callum said "I know what you did!" after he came out of Harrow's chambers after switching the king's soul out with Pip's? Like HOW THE FUCK DOES THE KID KNOW, I LITERALLY JUST DID - "You stole the egg of the Dragon Pricne!" oh nvm. wait, what. why does he know that, who - what the fuck is happening right now?

Soren insisting Callum is the prince and refusing to arrest him is another good moment for him. Bless that young man for trying so hard. But also, Viren taking Callum's voice was awful on so many levels, and Soren's lack of surprise makes that one hurt??? Because. Viren had that spell just right there in his sleeve. He constantly undermines and dismisses Soren. Now he's using it so casually on the prince. Has he done this to Soren before? Is that why Soren's face just went so stony and he refused to say anything else after that? Viren is just such a fundamentally awful person and I love to hate him.

Knowing more about the assassins has me watching this scene with so much interest now. It's Runaan's arrow that hits Soren first, but Skor's the first through the door - two blades and brute strength. Ram hits the ground next, going low with no visible weapons, with Callisto and Andromeda flanking him with Callisto's glaive and Andromeda's sickles. Runaan brings up the rear with a bow, and honestly? He's walking in with his horns already at heights Ram and Andromeda leaped to get to, moving the slowest of any of them, not curling in or dodging or anything. He's just strode in leaving himself wide open because fuck you, I guess, what does this bitch have to worry about? That's terrifying.

The fucking "DA!" He does does undercut the intimidation as a viewer tho now I'm just laughing at him because his actor clearly was not out of breath or stressed when delivering that.

I've never noticed before that the elves reacted to Viren's spell releasing Callum's voice. Or that Soren moved between Viren and recovering control of the spell. Skor stepped back from a fight and glanced towards the spell, got distracted by it. Callisto ducked as if he thought it was coming towards him. Ram and Andromeda didn't twitch but Runaan bridled at it too.

Callisto was the first to reach the door but couldn't break it open and Soren went for him. The assassins converge on the door and Soren manages to hold off Callisto, Ram, and Andromeda all at once for a moment before Skor and Runaan step in. Runaan just wholly grabs a guard by the face and throws them to the ground with his bare hands (well, gloved, but weaponless). As in like. Picks them up off the floor and slams them back down one-handed by the face. I know he's an antagonist right now and like we like the guards in Katolis they're fine but also the sheer ability to do that is hot I'm so sorry.

When the elves press the door again after Callum calls for "Dad!" it's Skor to the left, Runaan, and Callisto to the right, and Runaan has zeroed in on Soren as the greatest obstacle to their goals. He's bigger than Soren, has an advantage in height, weight, strength, and experience, and he's bearing down on him but losing time, and Ram ends up lunging in to try and take Soren out while Runaan has him distracted. And it doesn't work, Soren manages to block them both at once. He's genuinely very good at his fucking job and I hate that Viren tore him down so much he doesn't see it.

Oh, fuck. Andromeda was the first elf to fall. We don't see her after the first clash at the door breaks free. Ram disappears briefly but returns at Runaan's side, everyone's converging on the door again, but she's gone.

Rayla's so quickly ride or die for these boys and this mission, and I love her so much for it. "Say the word, and I'll go back into that tower with ye." And she meant it. But she'll also guard them on their way out, when that's what they choose to do instead.

Can we also address that Soren's losing guards left and right to the clash in this tower, and Viren is RIGHT THERE, able to do random magic like stealing the voice from a kid, but he doesn't do a thing to assist in the actual battle? Absolutely nothing to help his son in their alleged shared goal of defending the king?

Runaan stumbles through clutching his side, and given the wounds we see later, I'm guessing Soren kicked him in the ribs to get out of one of their sword locks and broke them. He also can't breathe right. There's a bruise on his jaw and we saw from how Soren fought with Ram (and how he fights later) that he's willing to just punch people with his other hand while he's got them distracted with his sword. I'm betting most of his injuries are from Soren, including the broken horn. We don't see that part happen. I'm actually gonna, once this episode is over, skip ahead to the season 7 finale briefly to see Runaan's retelling of this scene, because I'm curious about those moments between that we missed here.

the binding also doesn't fall off until he reaches the balcony. Pip/Harrow wasn't killed instantly; he just succumbed quickly to what I'm betting was the poison on Runaan's arrow.

The face he gives after releasing the arrow hits, though, because he's reporting a failure. I'm also very interested in like, what he thought would happen for Rayla here. I would have guessed initially that his "Your justice will come later." was meant as him realizing if she stops them, if they fail, she'll suffer becoming a Ghost, but he's surprised by the news in season 7. Did he just assume there wouldn't be a unanimous vote to ghost her? It would sort of make sense; there's a certain amount of arrogance he clearly has regarding his own place in the Silvergrove, and a lot of it's justified by how the community treats him and Ethari. It wouldn't be unreasonable for him to guess that as his daughter and a clearly talented and relatively respectable warrior in her own right, there would be at least a few voices who were reluctant to abandon her entirely, even if she'd have to live with the same of losing her hand to her failure. That's a thing I don't think we give enough credit to, either, is the fact that Ghosting has to be a unanimous decision and therefore, not everyone in Rayla's position ends up ghosted. That's why the bindings are there. She'd have had to sacrifice her hand, but if she was respected enough to begin with to escape a ghosting, that would have been it. She'd pay her price and still get to go home.

Claudia appearing just to insist "we can find more practical uses for this one" gives me the creeps. Like "she sees Runaan and sees spell parts, not a person" kind of creeps.

I'm so very fond of this credits sketch, because it shows just how long Runaan has been in her life. Rayla was 8 when she moved in with him and Ethari - she's clearly younger than that here, and he's already there teaching her things, so clearly fond of her.

It also shows how her facial markings have changed over time; in this sketch we can see that the slash mark used to go both above her brow and below her eye, presumably unbroken (Lain's across the eye markings also cover his eyelids, so stands to reason hers would too). The curve below her eye is also different, where Runaan's remains consistent in this sketch to the show.

I could comment on her reaction to losing Harrow's binding but honestly like. That's been analyzed to death for six years straight. I don't really feel the need to go over something that's been addressed repeatedly in the show already.

Addition after checking the story in Season 7, so don't read further if you haven't seen that yet:

Runaan's horn was not broken yet when he broke into the room. Skor was the only one who made it in after him. So the other assassins may never have seen Harrow at all, and the fighting after the poisoned arrow hit Pip could have lasted for a while, justifying Runaan's ability to vault into the room initially but also barely being able to stumble out onto the balcony in the end.

So Andromeda died before they even got the door open. Skor followed Runaan through the door, but we don't see Callisto or Ram after that point, so they may or may not have made it that far. I would guess that Runaan's grievous injuries were likely due to fighting virtually on his own for an extended period of time, and the brief time he got to send off the shadowhawk was Skor's last sacrifice, keeping them busy for long enough to do that.

[dailytdp]

[greenmoons]

Eljaal

We've got several glimpses about Rayla's training as assassin and we didn't see Eljaal. Rayla watched Runaan train the assassins in the Bloodmoon Huntress but Eljaal is not part of them, the assassins were the ones who went to the assassination mission against Harrow and Ezran. In Chasing Shadows Rayla mentioning her training with Andromeda and Skor, but they were in the mission.

Silvergrove doesn't feel like a huge place so probably all the assassins are train together, so that means Eljaal is from Hollow Wood? Because if they were from Silvergrove they should have train with Runaan as well right?

[miyanaxxi]

3 rounds of Kiss Marry Kill for women in TDP GO:

Round 1: Moonshadow Elves

- Kim’dael

- Andromeda

- Tiadrin

Round 2: Humans

- Amaya

- Fareeda

- Esmeralda Skall

Round 3: Sunfire Elves

- Janai

- Miyana

- Aditi

Moonshadow elves

Kiss: Andromeda

Marry: Kim’dael

Kill: Tiadrin

Humans

Kiss: Fareeda

Marry: Esmerelda

Kill: Amaya

Sunfire Elves

Kiss: Aditi

Marry: Miyana (SHE’S ALREADY MY WIIIFE)

Kill: Janai

[moon-sky-sun-earth-ocean-stars]

Moonshadow Elves characters 🌙

Here is a list of all the Moonshadow elves characters I found, if I missed someone please let me know.

Agricultural workers:

Biffy (she/her)

Maive (she/her)

Somma (she/her)

Vankan (she/her)

Artisans:

Ethari (he/him)

Perris (he/him)

Assassins:

Andromeda (she/her)

Callisto (he/him)

Eljaal (they/them)

Fayln (she/her)

Pandyne (she/her)

Ram (he/him)

Runaan (he/him)

Rayla (she/her)

Skor (he/him)

Dragonguards:

Lain (he/him)

Tiadrin (she/her)

Mages:

Draylenn (she/her)

Lujanne (she/her)

Tylluan/Feathershawl (they/them)

Others:

Fara

Fentheth (he/him)

Gwenyn (she/her)

Kim'dael (she/her)

Laaner (he/him)

Redfeather (she/her)

Lira (she/her)

Maggs (she/her)

Shiv

Rangers:

Neva

Remmi

Daav

[dragon-susceptible]

Different Path Taken Ch18 P1: Lord Virus

Am I embracing the old fandom meme of refusing to use Lord Viagra's actual name because I think it's funny? Yes. Is it actually at least partially because I couldn't fucking spell it for a second in that title? Absolutely yes. Here have a section from the next chapter featuring the remaining adult elves (as Ram's with the kids) questioning Corvus about Lord Villain.

“It was a position King Harrow invented for him - as I understand it they were friends in their youth.” Corvus recited, and Andromeda tilted her head as she watched him go over the information.  He’d tried to bargain a little, but he caved the moment Runaan had pressed him about it. “He wasn’t highborn, but most of King Harrow’s Council aren’t.  Neither was Queen Sarai.  Lord Viren was a mage before he took the position, but I don’t know who he studied with or where.”

Interesting.  So dark magic wasn’t something readily found in Katolis, or at least wasn’t prominent enough to guess where a master studied.  That made sense with the relatively few dark mages they encountered near the border.  Andromeda glanced over at Skor for his reaction, and caught him scowling at the human’s shoulder.

Ah, yes.  Corvus was sent by General Amaya, so Skor’s hackles would be up automatically.  She didn’t know exactly what had happened to him, but the loss of his voice was a scar not easily forgotten.

“He’s - he was one of the king’s closest advisors.” Corvus continued. “He was said to be the closest, before Prince Harrow married Crownguard Sarai, and after she was killed in Xadia by Thunder.”

“Avizandum.” Runaan interrupted, arms folded, face darkening in response to the name.  Andromeda winced at it too.  When Corvus paused, Runaan said coolly, “The dragon king.  His name was Avizandum.”

Corvus’ eyes flickered to her and to Callisto, and Andromeda wasn’t sure what he saw in their faces when he nodded carefully. “Avizandum.  I’m sorry, I just - we don’t know.”

Callisto’s lip curled. “You don’t even know his name, but your people killed him at the foot of his own den.” They sneered softly. 

“He killed Queen Sarai,” Corvus countered, frowning back bravely. “Did you expect that act of violence to go unanswered?”

“He killed your queen after an unprovoked attack on the border!” Callisto said incredulously. “What were you expectin’ the reaction to be?”

“It wasn’t -” Corvus grimaced. “I can’t say that the mission was provoked by Xadia, but it wasn’t reasonless.  Katolis and Duren had been suffering a drought that had left our kingdoms starving.”

“And your solution was to kill some innocent creature on the border?” Callisto challenged.

Corvus took a deep breath and met their gaze evenly. “Lord Viren found a spell he could use to bring warmth and rain back to the kingdoms, allowing us to grow enough food to save a hundred thousand souls that would otherwise have starved to death that winter.  It . . . required the heart of the magma titan to cast it.  It was dark magic, and Queen Sarai disliked the idea, but . . . it saved the lives it was meant to save.” He looked up at Runaan bravely. “As assassins I imagine you understand the logic of taking one life in defense of many.”

Runaan tilted his head at him, and Andromeda’s eyes widened at the daring.  Privately, she had to concede he had a point, but . . . dark magic wasn’t as clean as a simple killing.

“Dark magic is not the same as death itself.” Runaan put her thoughts into words with a voice that was deadly soft. “It is a poison that eats away at the users and drains the lives of those around them, sacrificing innocents for power that isn’t yours to take.  It spreads like a plague wherever it touches and all bleeds back to its original source, feeding an evil much deeper, much darker than you know.  So no, what we do is not the same, and Katolis of all the human kingdoms should know this.  But if you have forgotten your own history, that is likely the fault of recordkeepers generations behind you who have failed you.” 

Corvus frowned deeper as he sat back in his seat. “Why would Katolis know better than the other human kingdoms?  What deeper evil gave rise to dark magic?” He wanted to know.

Runaan did not answer him. “Lord Viren, tracker.  You were saying he found this spell that prompted the attack?”

Though the human looked somewhat frustrated by Runaan’s refusal to answer his questions, he sat deeper in his place and nodded. “Queen Sarai was . . . displeased by the idea.  She and General Amaya have never agreed with the use of dark magic.”

Skor scoffed loudly from the other side of the cave, but when they all looked at him he waved a hand dismissively rather than bothering to answer.  He sneered in silence at the tracker. 

Corvus pursed his lips and kept talking. “They’ve always said that it’s a shortcut, and shortcuts are bound to have consequences.” He shrugged. “I guess they were right.  General Amaya - no one knows what exactly happened across the border, except the soldiers who were there.  I wasn’t, I was - too young.  But ever since Queen Sarai’s death, the general has said Lord Viren isn’t to be trusted.  That no matter how helpful he seems, and he may be helpful for years on end, he will one day stab you in the back.  I’ve never properly spoken to him myself, I’ve only met him a handful of times and kept my distance per her advice.”

“So why does the king trust him so?” Runaan asked, brows furrowing, as a thought began to take root in Andromeda’s mind.

Corvus shrugged helplessly. “He is the king’s oldest friend.  Why wouldn’t he?  As far as he is aware, Lord Viren’s never betrayed him.  The queen died in rescuing him from the - the dragon king.”

“You said he was the king’s closest advisor both before his marriage and after the death of his wife?” Andromeda asked thoughtfully, tapping the fingers of her good hand against her own lips as her thoughts came to a full theory.

Corvus nodded. “Yes.  At one time he was friends with both the queen and the general, but after the queen’s death . . .”

“No one else witnessed the queen’s death?”

“. . . No.”

Andromeda looked at Runaan. “Perhaps the dragon king isn’t the one who killed their queen at all.”

Runaan frowned, sitting back on his heels. “Why stop there, then?” He asked. “If he seeks power, why wait until his friend married, and then only kill the wife, if he was the closest thing the king had to family before this?”

“He wasn’t in line for the throne directly,” Corvus said quickly. “And he never will be.  That claim is hereditary, tracked through the bloodline.  King Harrow married Crownguard Sarai when he was still a prince, anyway, and he only took the throne shortly after Prince Ezran was born ten years ago.”

“Still, why wait ten years?” Runaan pointed out. “If he was likely to be chosen as regent for the boy, once he was born . . . ?”

“Unless it wasn’t just power he wanted,” Andromeda pointed out, and all of the men looked at her in confusion.  Dawning realization spread across Runaan’s face first. “What if it wasn’t just about the throne?  If he was so close to the king . . .” Skor and Corvus’ eyes widened next.

Callisto was still squinting in confusion. “What exactly are you gettin’ at?”

She resisted the urge to taunt them about it. “Perhaps his interests in the king weren’t strictly political, is all I mean.”

“They were both married at different points,” Corvus said hesitantly. “And Lord Viren was married first, as I understand it.  I don’t know exactly what happened to his wife, all the general ever says is that she vanished many years ago when their children were very small.”

“Vanished?” Andromeda echoed, grimacing as her stomach twisted unpleasantly at the implications of that. 

“Voluntarily,” Corvus said quickly. “At least from what we know, she just left without much of a warning or an explanation.”

“Doesn’t disprove my point, then,” She said, though she still grimaced at the very concept of being willing to abandon her children entirely, even with their father. “They both sought other relationships, but he wanted his control over the king, and his wife eventually realized she could not compete with that desire.  She leaves, the king marries and starts to drift away from his influence.  Perhaps he didn’t orchestrate the attack to get the queen killed, specifically, but when he sees a chance to get rid of her without suspicion, he takes it.”

Runaan grunted. “Seems he didn’t quite manage without suspicion, if what Corvus says about his general’s thoughts is true.”

Andromeda nodded to concede the point. “Still, the king is fooled.  So he regains his influence over the king for a few years . . .”

“So why is the king dead now?” Callisto asked, frowning. “If we follow that reasoning, there’s no reason for him to have died that night if we didn’t do it.”

Andromeda shook her head. “I don’t know.  It has to have something to do with the death of the dragon king and the egg.  Something about those events a few moons ago changed things on both sides of the border.  And if the attack was meant to be vengeance for the queen, why wait as long as they did for that?  The attack that led to her death was years ago.”

“Only King Harrow and Lord Viren crossed the border for that.” Corvus said carefully. “It wasn’t a mission known to most of the kingdom until it was too late to stop them.  Assistance from the Standing Battalion was turned away.”

“So he whipped the king up into a vengeful fury again.” Andromeda said, dread settling deep in her stomach as it all fell into place with Ram’s suspicions. “He leads the king across the border to respond with sudden vitriol to a death that happened years in the past, and they use the chance to steal the egg of the dragon prince and leave the dragons believing it was dead.”

Runaan’s hand was over his mouth with deep thought and he moved it to rumble, “The egg was not all that was stolen.” He glanced over them all seriously. “The queen did not give me a list, but she mentioned many things from her nest and her hoard were missing.  The dragons do not keep many artifacts that are not of great power or significance in their den.”

“So this all was a power grab.” Andromeda said softly. “Get the dragon king out of the way using the human king’s rage, get the egg, get whatever other power he can gather up . . . but why not reveal he has the egg?  Why keep that a secret?”

“King Harrow was usually a kind man,” Corvus said carefully. “It’s . . . he wanted revenge, but no one knew about the egg being stolen until now.  No one, I swear on my mother’s life, no one on this side of the border that I know of knew that the egg was here.  I somehow don’t think King Harrow was on the short list that did know.  He wouldn’t have approved of taking a child - or, close enough to one - from its mother, for no reason.”

Runaan narrowed his eyes. “But you could think of a reason he might justify it.”

“If he thought the mother was harming them.” Corvus replied immediately, and shrugged when they all looked at him.

Andromeda cut off the tangent before it could get further, outlining the theory once again as it took place in her mind. “So something triggers the mage to want more power from Xadia - dark magic alone could do that.  He whips the king up into a rage, comes to the dragons for another power grab.  The king grows suspicious in the wake of the attack, presumably realizing he’s taken more than just the life of the dragon king that they attacked for.  The mage loses influence over the king, we come to kill him . . .” She trailed off with a frustrated scoff. “It still doesn’t make sense that he would kill the king if he’s kept him alive this long, unless something else happened that we don’t know about.”

“It could be as simple as you say,” Runaan pointed out. “He lost control, the general’s distrust filtered through the king’s freshened grief and Harrow grew suspicious of the mage.  On top of that, we know Ezran fears him.  He won’t be able to manipulate the boy the way he can the father, if Ezran takes the throne.  So he has to take control now, before Ezran is old enough to take it from him.”

It was true.  Ezran had confessed before that he disliked Lord Viren, and was intimidated even by his ‘friend’, Claudia, the other dark mage like her father.  Animals were unsettled by the air of dark magic and that made the boy just as unsettled, and Lord Viren had been rather openly cruel to his own son. 

“There’s still something missing,” Callisto said slowly. “We’re theorizin’ things to fill in the blank of why the king is dead now.  But as for everything that led up to that night . . . it all does fall a little too well into place if the mage is playin’ us all for fools.”

Runaan hummed an agreement. “What about you, Corvus?” He asked, narrowing his eyes at the tracker. “Where do you fall in your loyalties, and why?”

[fandomsandflyingstingrays]

Congrats on 300 followers, Ray!!! For a request, how about something extra fluffy…

Callum meeting Rayla’s parents (and Runaan, of course) and accidentally lets slip that he wants to marry her

Mando this is perfect thank you so much, I've been itching to write some rayllum since season 5 dropped but haven't had any idea which direction to take. I hope you like it!!

When Rayla poked her head out of the makeshift tent, she looked almost as terrified as Callum was. Maybe it should have made him feel better to know that he wasn’t alone, but instead, his nerves skyrocketed, his heart doubling its already-too-fast pace in his chest.

He should have gone somewhere else, anywhere else in the makeshift camp they’d set up after the battle at the Starscraper. But he hadn’t been able to shake the idea that Rayla might need him. The last time she’d seen Runaan, after all, he’d threatened to kill her. But this was pointless, wasn’t it? None of the people in Rayla’s tent had so much as raised their voices, and Callum’s pacing had probably interrupted their reunion, and he’d made a bad impression without them even needing to see him—

“Do you want to meet them?” Rayla asked.

Callum blinked. It took a second for the words to sink in through his panic, and even then, he opened his mouth and closed it several times before he could find his voice. “Sure?”

Rayla gave him a small, nervous smile and extended her hand. Callum reached out to take it, then hesitated.

“Are you… are you sure?”

Rayla smacked his arm. “They know everything already, dummy.”

“Oh!” Just when he thought he couldn’t get any more terrified. “Okay.”

He slipped his hand into Rayla’s, gripping it tightly, and she pulled him through the opening. 

All three of her parents were armed. That did not seem like a good sign.

Runaan’s arms were folded, a steely glare on his face. Lain and Tiadrin were a little more relaxed, standing with their arms around each other’s waists, but their faces were devoid of any discernible emotion. Callum swallowed hard.

To his shock, it was Runaan who broke the silence. The older man’s glare deepened into something sadder, and he bowed his head. 

“I know you must have mixed feelings about seeing me again, after… what transpired since we last met. I thought I knew the weight of your stepfather’s life, that I had factored the place he held in the hearts of those who loved him against the harm he dealt my people and found the scales tipped against him. But I have committed actions just as cruel against you, and you still chose to spare me. I’m grateful for that— and more importantly, I’m grateful that you kept Rayla safe when I could— when I would not.”

Callum swallowed again, this time holding back grief instead of fear. He had made his peace with Rayla loving Runaan— but peace with what happened to his dad was a long way off.

More than anything, he wished it didn’t have to be this way. That meeting the three people who meant so much to the girl he loved wouldn’t have to be tainted by so much loss. 

“We’re all grateful,” Tiadrin said, her cool expression breaking into an understanding smile. Lain gave him a similar look.

Their warmth thawed Callum enough to find the right words. “You raised an incredible daughter. Being with her has been the most incredible privilege of my life.”

“A mage and a poet. You picked a good one, moonberry,” Lain said, winking at Rayla. She ducked her head, but not enough to hide her smile. 

“You’re under no obligation, of course, but I can assure you you’ll always be welcome in the Silvergrove,” Tiadrin added to Callum.

A grimace chased Rayla’s grin away. “Actually… he won’t. Neither of us will. I’m a ghost.” She turned to Runaan. “They banished me for botching our mission.”

“But you saved the dragon prince!” Runaan bellowed, outrage pouring from every word. It raised Callum’s opinion of him, just slightly.

“And that won’t bring Ram, Skor, Callisto, and Andromeda back to life,” Rayla replied quietly. 

The names cast a silence over the tent. Callum looked down, giving the others a moment to mourn, letting them break it on their own terms.

“But where will you go?” Tiadrin asked.

Callum raised his head. “She can come back to Katolis with me.”

Lain raised an eyebrow. “A lone elf in a human castle?”

“She won’t be alone. I would stay with her for the rest of my life— and so she’ll have a home there for the rest of her life, too.”

A split second later, he realized what he said, and fought the urge to clamp his hands over his mouth. 

He meant it. Of course he did. He’d faced enough with Rayla to understand how deeply he loved her— and he’d faced enough without her to understand how much it ached to be away from her. But there was a difference between knowing she was the only person he wanted to spend his life with and admitting that to her parents within five minutes of introducing himself.

He risked a glance at them to find that Tiadrin’s smile had only widened, and he allowed himself a single, relieved exhale.

“Then let’s talk about that,” she said, waving him over to her corner of the tent. Taking her hint, Lain and Runaan motioned Rayla over to the other end. 

Callum glanced at Rayla, tense, only to find her beaming, her eyes shining with tears. She raised their entwined hands and kissed the back of his before letting him go, lightly pushing him over to where her mother stood waiting.

“I’m sorry,” Callum blurted, before she could even get a word out, directing the words more to the wall of the tent than to her. “I never meant to imply that I wanted to— to take Rayla away from you, or make any decisions for her. I know I shouldn’t have said that, but—"

“I’m glad you did.”

Callum finally met her eyes.

“A prince who ran away with an assassin. A human who can do primal magic. A dragonguard who never once abandoned his post.”

Tiadrin’s beaming face blurred as Callum found his own eyes brimming with tears. He blinked rapidly, trying to dispel them, and only succeeded in pushing them onto his cheeks. Tiadrin gently reached out, wiping them away, and placed her hands on his shoulders.

“I can think of no one better to entrust with my daughter’s future than you.”

She let go of his shoulders and reached up, removing one of the silver bands that encircled her horns. “Ethari made this for Lain when he told him he wanted to ask me to marry him. I got this—" she tapped the matching silver band on her other horn— “on my wedding day. I suppose I could have taken the old one off then, but I’ve been too attached to it. But I’m ready to let it go.” Carefully, she placed the band in Callum’s hands.

“You’re so young, Callum. Take some time to be with Rayla now, to understand who you are in peace. If you decide, at the end of that, to give this back to me, I won’t judge you.”

She stepped back and gave him a wink. “But if you decide you want to pass it on to a new owner… well, I have a hunch that she’ll be ready.”

[beautifulterriblequeen]

Updating my various headcanons on Runaan and Lujanne being related and Runaan and Andromeda being related to include Runaan and Kim'dael being related. I've got an old headcanon that she used to be an assassin back in the day, but this is juuuust a half step closer.

They all have British accents. And they're currently the only Moonshadow elves who do.

[raayllum]

perseus callum and andromeda rayla i think