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beautifulterriblequeen · 4 years ago

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I've been thinking about your Ruthari angst prompts and idk if that's even allowed 😅 but what do you think about a mixture of 3 and 11? 👀

Okay, so I wanted to play with the arranged marriage au for a bit, and these two lines landed like they might be part of negotiations. So here you go:

“What would you do if I didn’t come back?” and “How am I supposed to go on?”

“What would you do if I didn’t come back?” Runaan paced slowly at Ethari’s side as they circled the fog-shrouded gardens of the Silvergrove Council House for the seventh time, matching the craftsman’s easy amble. The assassin had begun their negotiations with his hands clasped behind his back as they trod the well-worn path just inside the pale filigree wall that ringed the grounds. Now they hung loose at his sides, after over an hour of conversation that gradually found its rhythm. Ethari was surprisingly easy to converse with, so far. Runaan wasn’t certain he really approved of the taller elf’s playful mindset, but his easy forgiveness and acceptance had soothed away a lot of Runaan’s initial worries.

Runaan kept his face carefully forward as they walked, not wishing to indicate any weakness by glancing Ethari’s way too often, but he kept Ethari’s boots in the corner of his eye so he didn’t walk too fast and leave him behind.

I could. I could leave him behind. I’m faster, stronger. But my life has never been mine to direct. It belongs to Xadia. And so does my heart. Runaan took a slow breath as Ethari thoughtfully contemplated his reply, nibbling at his lip. My heart for Xadia. So, my heart for Ethari, as much as I can manage it.

“I suppose,” Ethari began slowly, “I would do whatever the council wished me to do.”

That was the best answer Runaan could have expected. Ethari had a deep sense of duty that overrode his personal feelings, just as Runaan did. Another thread of tension loosened in his shoulders. No one understood duty like an assassin, but the council had selected Ethari from among all the eligible craftsmen in the Silvergrove. He was the best they could find. But Runaan was the one who’d marry him, and he needed to be sure, too. And now, to his relief, he was sure. Ethari was willing to do his duty, no matter what.

Good. He’ll need that as much as I do.

“Would they make me marry the next assassin leader, too, do you suppose?” Ethari continued. He looked further ahead on their circular path, as if he could see such a dark future already looming.

Runaan blinked in surprise. He shifted himself out of the equation--an easy habit of long practice--and considered the idea. “It depends on what sort of match we have, I think.”

“How do you mean?” Ethari’s voice was carefully distant, unwilling to give any indication of interest either way.

Runaan pouted thoughtfully. “Well, if we match well in skill, if your crafting is of high quality and I perform admirably with your weapons, then the council will be inclined to match you with another assassin so you can continue to perform your valuable services.”

“Hmm.”

Runaan glanced over from beneath a single raised brow at Ethari’s noncommittal noise. “You don’t agree?”

“Does the council take feelings into consideration in situations like that?” Ethari asked.

“Feelings?” Runaan scoffed lightly. Feelings never protected anyone from anything. They were more likely to cause chaos than bring order.

Ethari shot him an uncertain glance. “Yes, feelings. What if...?” He looked away abruptly.

“You worry they would match you with a woman?” Runaan guessed.

A tiny smile flickered at the corner of Ethari’s lips and vanished. “That wouldn’t be a problem.”

“Oh. What, then?”

Ethari glanced across the gardens, to where the lacy arches of the Council House faded into the mist. “Can I ask you for a favor, Runaan?”

Runaan’s spine straightened. A personal request from his intended? This was the sort of thing he would be expected to agree to, wasn’t it? They were to be partners, allies, for the protection of Xadia and the Silvergrove. But soft subjects were merely practice for the important things. That was Runaan’s takeaway after Tiadrin sat him down and gave him a thorough talking-to, anyway. “Of course,” he responded. He had no idea what to expect, but he was intensely curious what could prompt Ethari to ask for a personal boon just then. “Anything you like.”

The craftsman’s eyes scanned the foggy garden until he spotted something that met with his approval. He held out a broad-palmed hand toward Runaan. “Will you come with me for a moment?”

Runaan stilled, studying the outstretched hand so easily offered. I suppose I should get used to this elf’s touch sooner rather than later, he reasoned. Slowly, he placed his gloved hand in Ethari’s, resting it there as lightly as a landing bird.

Ethari grinned warmly and gave Runaan’s hand a gentle squeeze. Then he towed him past a couple of short fruit trees that were just budding their spring leaves, until they were entirely hidden from sight, against the outer wall of the gardens. He pulled Runaan to face him and gave him a secretive smile. “Here, this’ll do.”

Runaan glanced around uncertainly. “For what?”

Ethari glanced down, suddenly bashful. “I, I thought we should kiss. To get used to it. They’ll expect it of us in public from time to time.”

Runaan’s brows lowered. “We don’t have to kiss.”

Ethari’s shoulders slumped a little. “Do you mean right now, or... ever...?”

Runaan’s expression tightened as he struggled with these unfamiliar notions Ethari was creating in him. “We are to be wed for the good of the SIlvergrove, Ethari. You are a craftsman of immense skill, and I am to become the leader of the assassins. Our union will stabilize the chaos of the past few years and ensure a brighter future for everyone. Kissing...” Runaan shook his head slowly, baffled. “Kissing doesn’t enter into it.”

“Kissing doesn’t--?” Ethari blurted. “Runaan...”

Perplexed at Ethari’s sudden outburst, the assassin took a moment to look him up and down, seeking some reason for his intense reaction. But he saw only a tall, frustrated craftsman before him, clearly in on some secret Runaan did not possess. It seemed he’d have to ask out loud for it. “What?”

“You fool.” Ethari’s hands were on his cheeks in a heartbeat, pulling him closer. Runaan’s sound of protest was trapped in his mouth as Ethari’s lips found his, hard and urgent, driving him back against the garden wall. Runaan backed into it with enough force to draw a grunt from his chest.

Ethari chased him there, pressing himself flush against Runaan, pinning him with writhing eagerness. At the sound of Runaan’s grunt, he let out a low, grinding moan to match, sieving his fingers into the assassin’s hair.

Don’t stab him. Do not stab him. He wouldn’t understand. This is for Xadia. The thought flared red in Runaan’s mind, tangled and fragmented by a truly frightening amount of heated sensations that burst out of nowhere and swarmed him like a cloud of moon moths seeking escape, finding none. What is... what is he doing to me... what is this...

A stifled groan slipped through Runaan’s teeth. Instead of shoving Ethari away as he felt would be proper for such an uninvited assault, Runaan found his hands knotting in Ethari’s shirt and tugging him closer still. He wrapped a leg around Ethari’s ass and snugged their bodies together, lost in the grip of unreasoning neediness.

“Nnngh.” Ethari’s moan nibbled its way along Runaan’s jaw and nipped at the delicate skin beneath his ear. Runaan arched against his lips, tilting his chin up, bucking his hips forward with a soft cry.

Ethari steadied himself with a grip on a swirly amid the pattern in the filigree wall. His other hand teased beneath the lower edge of Runaan’s shirt, and his words rang breathlessly in Runaan’s ear. “Runaan... I’ve always loved you... always... You make me so happy, this is a dream come true...”

“Aah!” Runaan tore himself away and stumbled a couple of steps sideways, panting heavily. His body throbbed in all the best places, his skin was flushed, his pupils blown. But he held out a hand to ward Ethari off. “You tricked the council?” he puffed. “You lied to them?”

Bereft, shocked, Ethari made an abortive reach toward Runaan and then stopped. “What? No!”

“They asked me if I had any attachments.” Runaan’s voice was cold, but why wouldn’t Runaan’s heart settle? It insisted on galloping across the Forest like a wild moonstrider. “I said no, so I was approved for consideration. And it was the truth.”

“I... Runaan, it wasn’t a lie! I’d never told you. There was no attachment to lie about.”

“There was in your heart.”

Baffled, breathless, desperate, Ethari took a step forward with his hands out pleadingly. “How is that a bad thing? I told them nothing of my feelings. I let them decide, for the good of the Silvergrove. And now that it’s decided, I’m telling you the truth! Isn’t that what couples do when they trust each other?”

Runaan’s brows drew down, and he thought searchingly through the wild storm of his feelings, seeking the hard edges of something reliable. Ah. There. He tucked his hands behind his back--the better to keep them off this deceptively charming elf before him--and straightened up into a formal assassin pose. “That’s just it, Ethari. I don’t trust you. We don’t know each other that well. And we’re not a couple. We’re a team--or trying to be--serving Xadia first and foremost. And you just admitted that you’re capable of deceiving the whole village council--and me--to get what you want. You told me you’d marry whoever the council paired you with, if I fell, but that’s not true, is it? You’ve put your needs above those of the many. And that, I cannot abide.”

Genuine fear bled across Ethari’s face as Runaan’s words sank in. “Runaan, please don’t... Are you calling this off?” His bottom lip trembled, and he pressed a shaking fist against his mouth. “Please don’t tell me I’ve ruined everything, please, please...” He closed his eyes and stood there, vulnerable, exposed. “You’re right. You’re right. It probably isn’t true. If I lose you to the humans someday, I won’t want to marry another. I just want to be with you. If...” His sunset eyes searched the mists for answers and flew back to meet Runaan’s stern gaze. “If I lose you--later, or right now--how am I supposed to go on?”

Runaan’s jaw worked as he stared at the pleading craftsman. His touch had been electric, dazzling. Runaan craved it again already. But such neediness would be an imbalance that could cost him in a critical moment--and if he fell, then his entire purpose was at risk. His head scrambled for distance even as his heart thrummed with eager heat. “I cannot trust you, Ethari. That must be the base tenet of this relationship, or we cannot serve Xadia as it requires.”

In true distress, Ethari grabbed his own horns and turned away, pacing erratically, muttering “No, no, no” through his teeth. Then he whirled back to face Runaan. “Please, I promise you, I won’t give you any further cause to doubt me. Let me prove myself. I’ll do anything. Just tell me what you need.”

Runaan stalked closer until they stood nose to nose. “I need you to give your heart to Xadia. Not to me.”

“Done,” Ethari blurted. His gaze clung to Runaan’s face, and he trembled with tension, his fate hanging in the balance.

Runaan’s gaze betrayed him, falling for a single moment from those urgent eyes to his intended’s full lips, before snapping back up. He gritted his teeth, tugged his shirt smooth of Ethari’s recent elfhandling, and added roughly, “And don’t you dare kiss me again. You’re lucky I didn’t stab you.”

Ethari looked down. “I’m sorry. It... won’t happen again.” His voice faded to a whisper like a wounded animal crawling into the shadows to die.

“How am I supposed to go on?” Ethari’s words echoed in Runaan’s mind, and he relented a little. “Wait. This is to be an alliance. I must consider your feelings, however... misguided, if we are to make this work, yes?” Ethari will make a solid ally, at least. I cannot say the same for every craftsman in the Silvergrove. I may never find an easier or stronger connection than this.

Ethari looked up from beneath his downcast brows, curious but not hopeful. “I suppose so,” he allowed uncertainly.

Runaan nodded decisively. “Then I’ll do the kissing, when it’s appropriate. You were right: they will expect it from time to time. Does this meet with your satisfaction?”

Ethari stared at him for a long moment and sighed dully. “I’ll take it.“

Runaan’s brows drew together. He’d expected Ethari to be delighted, grateful, that Runaan had considered his feelings and made allowances. Wasn’t that how these negotiations were supposed to work? Moon help me, I may just be making this worse... is it too late to take it all back and just let him kiss me again? That was... hnnngh...

Runaan opened his mouth to admit he was wrong, but Ethari spoke first.

“My heart for Xadia.” The craftsman offered his hand again, hesitantly.

Runaan studied that open palm again. Holding hands. A decent compromise in itself. He took it softly and nodded.

Together, hand in hand and worlds apart, the betrothed elves made their way through the mists to the Council House. For Xadia.

#ruthari angst #tdp angst #ruthari arranged marriage au #runaan #ethari #ruthari #my writing #tdp ficlet #tdp fanfic #HI HELLO WOW THIS IS ANGSTY AND I KIND OF LOVE IT #THE PINING GUYS THE PINING #RUNAAN SLOWLY FALLING IN LOVE #AND NOT WILLING TO ADMIT IT #ETHARI FEELING UNLOVED AND BEING SO SO WRONG #HELP MEEEEE

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ask-runaan-anything · 4 years ago

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Was there ever a time you worried about your marriage (even if it turned out unfounded)? How did you overcome it?

I overcame it by being a soft fool for my husband, and by actually talking to him, and listening as well. You know, the usual.

Angst warning, little shadows.

The first time that Ethari worked on a big village project as the Master Craftsman of the Silvergrove, he spent long hours, and long days, in the company of his fellow crafters. He was in charge, so he had to be there from very early until very late, for more than two full Moons.

I was busy training, as always, and I didn’t understand what the difference in our daily rhythms would mean at first. But I started to miss little things, like morning tea with him, and letting him do all the talking to Rayla’s teachers at PTA meetings, and extra long hair brushing sessions where he and I would talk of soft things.

I missed them, and I missed him. But I had my duty, and he had his. And so we continued on.

I took a bit of a tumble in training after a while, but Ethari was in a big consultation meeting, so I patched myself up, with a little help from Rayla. Ethari looked sad when he saw my injuries, but he didn’t say anything.

A few days later, he came home with bandages of his own, along his shoulder and one side of his chest, and I nearly had a heart attack. But he brushed it off, saying it wasn’t that bad and a support structure had just gotten out of hand during construction, and his team was just being overly protective of their project leader. So I let that go, too.

Then.

Then his team publicly revealed the project they’d been striving over so long and hard, and I had to stand in the crowd and listen to my husband say that the village wouldn’t need assassin patrols like before, because his team had crafted an early warning system attuned to sensing approaching life forms around the village’s protective spells. And they were planning on extending the alarm towers in a spreading pattern out from the village, too.

Excuse me??

I may have stalked off, but I assure you, it was just to find a quiet place to think. I definitely wasn’t furious, not me. Did not at all feel like my entire purpose in life was being casually discounted and replaced by a, a, a, a magic pillar.

Was that all I was to Ethari, in my professional capacity, a magic pillar? That he could just up and replace me, my service to the Silvergrove? Did he only want me doing my duty far far away in the human lands where he didn’t have to hear about it? Was my being an assassin repellent to him?

Under my fury--which I totally did not have--I was scared. And lost. I thought I knew what our professional partnership meant: he made the swords and I swung them. Simple. But he had gone and made these plans, and involved the whole village, and they all went along with it.

I worried that Ethari was lying to them, that they thought that because it was Ethari making these defenses, that he had my approval and support, and so did his project.

I was not a hot mess of negative feels, nope, not me, not this stoic assassin. I was Fine.

I may have stopped speaking to my husband, though. May have needed more information than I had access to and didn’t want to misstep without it. Didn’t know if my trust in him had been misplaced.

That’s, um. That’s a very bad feeling. I hated it with every fiber of my being.

So I lurked around my own house in silence, trying not to spend much time in any room with Ethari, lost in my own worries. Meanwhile, at work, I changed exactly nothing about our training routines. Somehow, I would find a way to keep my assassins relevant to the village’s needs, on top of our missions.

Ethari pulled away from me, too, when he realized I’d gone silent. He didn’t know what it meant, he’d never seen that from me before. But he constantly offered small tokens of connection, trying to reach me.

I wanted to reach out to him, so badly. I desperately needed to understand. But at the same time, I didn’t trust him anymore, not like I had. When you crave reassurance but your only source is the person who hurt you... My thoughts went through some dark cycles then. The darkest of which was something like: Should I just leave the village and let them ghost me for choosing an elf who so completely failed to understand my life’s purpose and ended up hamstringing the assassins and their ability to perform their duty for Xadia and led to the ruination of the Moonshadow elves’ honor in the eyes of all our fellow elves and the Dragon Throne?

The genuine terror that I may have failed to understand Ethari’s heart so deeply that I’d brought the end of my entire people as we knew ourselves... was not a good headspace.

“Runaan. Runaan, you haven’t washed your hair in days.” Ethari tentatively lifted the end of my ponytail and showed me a bit of leaf that had been there yesterday. And the day before.

I nodded and took my ponytail from him, and I started toward the bath to take care of it. Can’t let your appearance slide, not if you’re a Moonshadow elf.

But he followed me. I was exhausted, and lonely, and afraid, and very much lost in my own head. And Ethari had always made me feel better. So, in a moment of weakness, I let him wash my hair again. I needed him, however I could get him, even if I couldn’t trust him anymore.

He poured clean water over my hair and sluiced out my bubbly shampoo, and then he paused. I tensed up, waiting, not sure what to expect. He leaned close from behind me and rested his forehead against my wet hair.

And then I heard him sob. “Where have you gone, my heart? What have I done to push you away? I was only trying to help you, I promise. Please, Runaan. Tell me how I can make it better. I’ll do anything. I’ll always do anything for you.” And he pressed his head against mine and cried.

I nearly broke the edges of the tub, I was squeezing them so hard. Wherever Ethari was coming from, it wasn’t the place I had imagined. “You... never asked,” I managed to say. My voice sounded strange, rusty.

“I wanted to surprise you. You’ve always liked my surprises before,” he murmured.

“Your trinkets weren’t trying to put me out of a job,” I sassed.

“I was trying to keep you safe!” he exclaimed. “Fewer patrols, fewer skirmishes. But if that’s how you feel about my project, I’ll scrap it.”

And just like that, the old Ethari resurrected in my heart. He’d never changed. I hadn’t read him wrong. We just... hadn’t communicated well.

I turned in the tub and faced him, cupping his cheeks in my wet hands. “You impulsive fool,” I begged him, “why didn’t you consult with me first? Or any assassin? All your work, and you never asked any of us.”

His dark brows bent. “You never keep the right secrets from each other.”

That sent my heart racing, because I knew he was right, and I couldn’t say so. I scooted away from him on my knees and shoved my face under the water and shouted out of sheer frustration. When I pushed myself up again, panting for breath, Ethari’s mood shifted suddenly.

“Wait, Runaan, I think I can fix this. The bubbles you just made... Yes, I have an idea. And as soon as you’re dressed, I’d like to consult with you properly on it. If you’ll let me...?” He bit his lip and waited nervously.

I slicked my hair back and took a deep breath. “No special treatment.”

“What?”

“The Master Craftsman of the Silvergrove shouldn’t give out special treatment. You need to treat me the same as everyone else.”

Well, that made one of his brows pop, and he looked me up and down in the tub. “I’m not sure I have that much shampoo on hand, love.”

I firmed my lips to keep from smiling at his sass. “When it comes to project consultation, Ethari. Let’s start from the beginning, where we should’ve begun in the first place. Tell me what you want, and I’ll tell you what I need. That’s how we’ve always done things. We shouldn’t have changed a formula that works.”

He nodded for a moment. “I’m sorry. I did give you special treatment, and it’s gone all wrong. I shouldn’t have tried to soften your hard side. You need it to keep yourself safe.”

“I do.” Our eyes met for a long moment, and then I squeezed his shoulders and pressed my forehead against his, finally confident once again that Ethari was the elf I thought I’d fallen in love with. “But I will give you care of my soft side again, my heart. I am sorry I doubted you.”

“You doubted me?” Ethari breathed.

I nodded against his forehead. “It was... severely unpleasant and I never wish to repeat it.”

Ethari whisked a towel around my shoulders and used it to pull me closer. “Then I’ll never give you cause, my shade. Let’s get you dried off. You have a consult with the Master Craftsman of the Silvergrove in a little while, and I want you looking your best for him.”

I pulled Ethari into a tight, wet hug and squeezed my eyes shut, clinging desperately to his warm and stable strength. “He deserves my best.”

#ask runaan #runaan answers #story time #ruthari #tdp angst #ruthari angst #runaan #ethari #is couples therapy a thing in the silvergrove #it should be #but it should probably be run by a sunfire #and everyone can refer to seeing them as getting a tan #so one has to admit they're getting therapy #but come on #we all need it look at us.#also why do i always have such deep conversations in the bath #such a mystery #it's like i'm vulnerable there or something #no layers to hide under

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iwillhaveamoonbase · 4 years ago

Text

Replay ch. 3

Chapter is rated M

------------------------------------

Rayla got up at seven, eyes heavy from the lack of sleep last night. “Noooo. UGH.” She turned to angrily glare at her alarm that had interrupted her rain noises. Aberdeen wasn’t the rainiest place in the world, but the sound of a rain storm always helped put her to sleep. Her mum and da always joked she was named ‘Rayla’ because she was born right when the moon shone through a stormy night.

Rayla went through her emails quickly, making a note in her phone to call both sets of her parents this weekend. She missed the days in Scotland when Runaan would speak French with her and talk cheese or helping Ethari in his jewelry business. Runaan ran the books while Ethari ran the artistic side, his work with metal and jewel placement both tasteful and modern while taking classic elements from Celtic art.

Her parents had yet to retire from being bodyguards, but they regaled her with stories of Africa and Asia and Australia, how kind people were, the different foods and cultures. Sometimes, she wished she could have grown up going with them. Other times, she knew they had made the right choice leaving her with Runaan and Ethari. They wouldn’t have had much time for her anyways.

Sighing, she rolled out of bed. She had a breakfast date with Corvus before she had to be at the office. God. She hated those pricks sometimes; a lot of old money lived in that office. She had thought she was leaving classism behind when she did her study abroad in the States for her law degree. Apparently, America just hid their classism really well instead of openly displaying it like they did back in the UK.

She lived well, was paid well, did better than anyone had expected her to do, probably. She had been more focused on athletics as a kid, leading Runaan to force her into ballet (‘you already know some French. It’s perfect!’), Ethari insisting on Irish step dance (‘Lain’s mother was Irish. It’s a world wide sensation, Rayla!’), and her own parents signing her up for kickboxing when she was in high school during their vacation from work. Her teachers had been frustrated that she was smart but didn’t ‘apply herself’ whatever that meant. She got good grades, did better in college, got into law school in another country, and passed the bar. She could apply herself just fine. She just liked to be active.

Rayla sighed as she stepped into the hot water of her shower. She had made a good choice buying this shower head. Slowly, she felt the burn that had started last night begin to build back up again. Green eyes entered her mind again, as well as a voice that she would love to hear calling her name out while she rode him. ‘Calm down, Rayla.’ She couldn’t meet Corvus horny. Rayla sighed, putting her forehead against the shower wall before starting to massage her breast. She tried to imagine it was Callum’s hand stroking her, dipping down to touch between her thighs where she ached.

Would his hands be soft or rough? There hadn’t been any obvious calluses when she had shaken his hand at the cheese shop. She moaned, dipping her fingers into her wet heat. Her thighs rubbed together as she tried to chase that elusive release. She didn’t have time for this. The more she tried to speed up, the more it just wasn’t happening. Growling in frustration, she tried to play with her clit, breathing deeply as she finally found a rhythm that was working. Rayla bit her bottom lip and sighed as she came, inwardly crowing with satisfaction. There was no worse start to a day than being unable to cum after a wet dream or being too horny to function.

She washed and dried off, stretching her muscles before dressing. The green pantsuit and black top showed off her toned figure without drawing too much attention to any one place. Her heels made her even taller and, hopefully, a little intimidating to jerky clients or coworkers. She grabbed her purse and went out the door. When she finally made it to her car, she leaned her head on the steering wheel. Had she really started her day off by masturbating to a guy she met YESERDAY?

She shook her head, driving off until she made it to the little café she and Corvus frequented. Corvus also worked in the same building, but for a different law office, specifically divorce. Rayla had no idea how he did it, but someone had to. She saw Corvus at their usual table, smiling at something on his phone. “Your boyfriend sent you a naughty text?”

Corvus smirked back up at her. “Nope. Just something about one of my latest clients. Well, their soon-to-be-ex.”

“Good news or bad news?”

“Well, considering it’s a custody case, it’s good for my client.”

“Abuse?” Rayla frowned.

“I would not be smirking if that was the case. No. Apparently, the ex has been mismanaging the children’s money. Lying about putting it in a back account for them and spending it on gambling debts.”

“You don’t call that abuse?” Rayla smiled up at the waiter who came over, ordering an earl grey, a coffee to go, and an omelet.

“Thank you,” Corvus nodded to the waiter. “I do, personally, but everyone views that differently. The children were never struck, no record of emotional, mental, or oral abuse. It seemed like it was going to go 50-50 custody, which tends to be the ideal situation, but my client was concerned about the gambling problem.”

“So best case scenario, gambler’s anonymous and supervised visits eventually leading to 50-50 custody?”

“Best case scenario. Probably won’t happen, but we can all hope.”

Rayla shook her head. “I don’t know how you do it. I didn’t do criminal law or divorce law because I wasn’t sure I could handle seeing evidence of child abuse all day.”

“It’s a lot. We try to spread those cases around as much as we can, because it gets to be too much when it’s all you see. When police reports come into play, it’s even worse.” Rayla nodded. “While you work for old money. Tell me, how’s Kasef doing?”

“Hitting on me, again. Got upset when I told him off for glaring at a guy in a cheese shop for asking me a question.”

“He comes down to our office on his breaks and hits on half the women there.”

“Believe me, I know. His father gets really upset about it.”

“How is Mr. Ahling?”

“Still insisting we call him ‘Mr. Ahling’ and not the proper ‘Mr. Patel.’ His health is starting to go downhill, so we’re hoping his daughter graduates soon and can start to learn how to take over the office.”

Corvus shook his head, smiling at the waiter with her when they brought their food. “Thank you. I’m telling you, join our office. You could be really good at gathering information.”

“Thank you, but, no thanks. I grew up believing in true love with both sets of my parents. I’d like to continue believing in it.”

“You still believe in love. I love my boyfriend so much we’re moving in together.”

“Well, congratulations to you both. You moving in to his apartment or is he moving into your’s?”

“Mine’s bigger and closer to both our jobs.”

They talked work for a few more minutes, keeping an eye on the time. Rayla sighed as she looked at Corvus. “I’ve got a favor to ask.”

“My hairdresser would love to do your hair. Those layers are cute, but maybe you need a new look.”

“Ha ha. My hair’s fine, thanks. You remember me mentioning a guy in the cheese shop?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, he asked to draw me. He said it’s cool that I brought a friend and I would like to bring you. I don’t really have any other friends in the city.” She finished her tea, opening the lid of her coffee to put some cream in.

“He seem legit?”

“I saw his art. He also runs a YouTube channel with his friends and little brother?”

“What’s his name?”

“Callum Evans.”

“Katolis Squad!” Corvus smiled, clapping his hands together.

“You know them?”

“Of course. They do a lot of food stuff. I found this café because of one of their videos. Also, my boyfriend’s a baker, remember? Ezran and Claudia do a series on baking and sweets and he likes to watch them. Callum Evans is also kind of known in the art scene in town and I’ve met his aunt a few times. Lovely lady, so’s her wife.”

“Huh. Apparently, I’m out of it.”

“You just arrived in Katolis last year. I grew up here. You remember my boyfriend’s beignets you liked so much?”

“Those were delicious.”

“Ezran’s recipe. His grandmother’s friend was from Louisiana and she taught him how to make them like it’s done in the French-Quarter.”

“Huh. So, you’ll come with me?”

“Sure. Callum Evans seems harmless, but since he already approved it, might as well take advantage.”

“Agreed. I can take care of myself, but, you never know.”

“Where’s it going to be?”

“At his house. He said he has an art studio there. At least, that’s what he implied. I’m waiting for a text from him to iron out the details.”

“Maybe he’ll ask to draw you nude?” Rayla flushed red at that, looking down at her almost finished breakfast. “Oh? Something you want to share with the class? A reason you were distracted during kickboxing last night, perhaps?”

Rayla glared up at him, taking a few harsh bites of her omelet. She swallowed, keeping eye contact with him. “He’s cute, I’m single, that’s it.”

“He’s single.” Rayla paused. “He broke-up with his last girlfriend months ago. She made a big Instagram post about it, saying they wanted to focus on their careers. Which was weird because no one even knew they were in a relationship.”

“So, he’s probably used to people trying to use him for fame.”

“Most likely. He keeps to himself.”

“I saw that when I went digging online. His step-father’s the governor and his mother was in the military for a few years, rising through the ranks very quickly.”

“Yeah. They try to keep their channel separate from all that, though. People are always asking them questions about it and they’ll either ignore it or say they aren’t a mouthpiece for Harrow Williams.”

“Fair. I’ll text you the details. I’ve got my coffee, gotta go.” Rayla put a $20 on the table and waved good-bye to Corvus, leaving to head to the office. Well, this just got even more interesting, didn’t it?

---------------------------------------------

Callum rubbed his eyes as he looked up at the ceiling. All night, he had dreamed of Rayla. Her white hair down and around bare shoulders, purple eyes starting deep into his. ‘Come on, Callum. Make me feel good.’ He tossed and turned in his bed, suddenly thankful for the fact he lived alone. His cock was at attention and it was not going to be going down any time soon. Rolling out of bed, he took his sleep clothes off as he made his was to his shower. He winced at the cold water, but sighing in relief as his erection went down. He had no time to rub one out. He was already running late for his meeting with Ezran, Soren, and Claudia. They had to go over whether or not to actually hire a crew now that their channel had six million subscribers.

It would be a smart move. Claudia’s home-made beauty series was getting a lot of attention, as were her and Ez’s baking series. Soren and Ezran’s sub channel and Twitch channel was getting a lot of attention in the video game community for their let’s plays and commentary. Even Callum’s art sub channel was getting more and more attention. He was just worried about going bigger because, if they did, what if drama followed? It had been a PR nightmare when his ex-girlfriend had posted on Instagram about going their separate ways for their careers. Callum had asked her to keep it between them because he wanted to keep his personal life and his YouTube life separate. She had apparently felt that, after they broke-up, what he wanted didn’t matter.

As he quickly ate breakfast, he couldn’t get the idea of Rayla from his dreams or of her in a forest out of his head. Those eyes haunted his every though. ‘She’s a freaking fae. That must be it.’ Callum rubbed his eyes again, sighing. He sent a quick text to Rayla asking if she would be alright with her modeling for him in the woods outside of town. She would probably say ‘no’, but Callum needed to get this image out of his head and out of his system. He had just met her and she was distracting him already. Still, Callum wasn’t so sure he could ever get someone like her out of his system. Even if they had sex a week straight, he would probably still crave her. ‘Stop getting ahead of yourself, Callum. She’s probably in a relationship, you just want to draw her, and you have other things to focus on right now.’

All day, as the group discussed the benefits to do YouTube full-time, barring Ezran because he was still in college, a Scottish accent and a pair of soft eyes stayed in the back of his mind. Beckoning him to find her and take her under a waterfall in the forest. Would she scratch and like it rough or did she like to go soft and slow, like a wave?

Ezran snapped his fingers in his face. “Callum, focus.”

“Right. So, I think taking a step forward is a good idea….” He didn’t have time to be thinking about faeries in suits from Scotland.

#rayllum #rayllum fanfic #tdp #the dragon prince #au #replay #moonbase fanfics

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rayllurn · 5 years ago

Text

To Build a Home

A/N: *dusts cobwebs off of English degree* Hi, all! Welcome to my first ever tdp fanfic! It’s been a little while since I’ve written fanfiction, so this was an experience (but a good one). This is my gift for @imactualfandomtrash for the @tdpholidayexchange. I heard you like Rayllum and Janaya (and so do I), so I’ve included both, of course! I hope you and anyone else who reads this enjoy! Have a wonderful, safe, and happy holiday season everyone!

Title: To Build a Home

Ao3: This fanfic can also be read here

Word Count: 5,688

Pairings: Rayllum, with sprinkles of Janaya and Ruthari

Summary: In which Callum contemplates what home really means to him while attempting to propose to Rayla at Katolis’s annual winter festival; Ezran, Bait, Runaan, and Ethari observe in amusement from a distance; and Amaya and Janai compete to see who will win this year’s annual arm wrestling competition.

***

In his 20 years, Callum had never really been that excited about Katolis’s annual winter festival.

Sure, there were fun games, warm drinks, and amazing treats, but growing up as the princes of Katolis, he and Ezran had never gotten to enjoy the celebration the same way other kids did. It always seemed to come with responsibilities. As kids, they were expected to smile, wave, and make a good impression as the youngest members of the royal family. Though King Harrow had, of course, always encouraged them to go play games, win prizes, and eat winterberry jelly tarts, Callum could never shake the feeling that the entire kingdom was watching everything he did.

In the years after Ezran became king, Callum hadn’t made it back to Katolis for the festival. Though he usually kept pretty busy in the winter months practicing ice spells with Ibis, he’d never really made an effort to come. Ez would be busy with kingly duties -- giving speeches, conversing with citizens, making political connections, and so on -- so it wasn’t really the best time to visit his brother anyway. He’d always entertained the thought of taking Rayla someday, but it was rare that she could get an extended period of time off from her Dragonguard duties, and he really didn’t have any desire to go without her.

This year, however, was different. This year was special.

At king Ezran’s insistence, the Dragon Queen had allowed Rayla to take two weeks off from the Dragonguard to attend Katolis’s winter festival with Callum -- where he planned to ask her to marry him.

It had been Ezran’s idea, two months ago when Callum had come to Katolis to ask for his permission to marry her.

***

“Really?!” Ezran asked, smiling from ear to ear, eyes sparkling with excitement. “I mean, we’ll have to be a little careful about how we navigate the politics of it all, but I would love nothing more.”

“You’re...sure?” He asked. “Is the world ready for something like this? A marriage between Katolis and Xadia?”

Ezran hesitated, and for a brief, terrifying moment, Callum thought perhaps he’d change his mind. That maybe the world wasn’t ready yet.

“They won’t ever be ready until it happens,” he said finally. “Someone has to take the first step, and I don’t see why it shouldn’t be you and Rayla -- the two people who nearly single-handedly made peace between humans and Xadia possible in the first place.”

“I mean, you played a pretty significant role in that too, Ez,” Callum smiled.

Bait, who had been curled up in Ezran’s lap sleeping for most of the conversation, popped open an eye and groaned in protest.

“And Bait too,” Callum added quickly. “Bait also helped.”

Bait smiled, growling in approval before sinking back down into Ezran’s lap.

“So how will you propose?” Asked Ez.

“Oh...um...” Callum hadn’t really thought that far ahead, especially given that the supposed proposal hinged on Ez approving the marriage first.

“You know…,” Ez interrupted his thoughts, “I hear the winter festival is going to be pretty special this year…”

“What? You think I should propose to Rayla at the festival?”

“Why not?” His brother shrugged.

Callum hesitated. It was no secret that while he held treasured childhood memories of the event, he wasn’t especially fond of the spotlight that came with it for him as a prince.

“Won’t there be...people?” He asked. “Staring at us when it happens, I mean?”

“There are plenty of private places where you two could run off and hide,” Ez winked. “I hear you’re both really good at that. Mysteriously disappearing at the same time and reappearing hours later.”

Callum blushed. “Well...I…”

“Just think about it.”

***

Callum had thought about it, like Ezran had asked.

And he’d concluded that no proposal he could possibly plan would accurately convey everything he felt for Rayla. The perfect words, location, method, and timing...they just didn’t exist. Nothing could ever sufficiently demonstrate the love and admiration he felt for his girlfriend.

So he had decided that the winter festival was just as good of an opportunity as any.

Ez was thrilled of course, especially since Callum hadn’t attended the festival since his stepfather had been killed, and Rayla had lit up with joy when Callum first asked her if she was interested in going last month. She’d always been curious about the human festival, and seeing her brim with excitement at the opportunity had put Callum at ease for the moment.

But now the day was here, and he felt a kind of terror that he’d never felt before.

He wasn’t worried about her answer (he was fairly confident that she’d say yes), but this would be one of the most important moments in both of their lives, and he absolutely had to get it right.

Callum took a deep breath and looked in the mirror. He hadn’t bothered to do anything different with his hair. After all, Rayla liked it just the way it was -- a bit messy with dark brown locks falling naturally over his face. Tonight, he wore a white vest and a red coat with golden buttons. He was going for a look that represented his kingdom while perhaps also appearing a little more formal than usual.

He gave himself one final glance in the mirror and hummed in approval. This was as good as it was going to get. He sighed, striding across the room and opening the door to find--

“Rayla,” he jumped back in surprise. Her hand was raised in a loose fist, as if she were moments away from knocking.

“Hey,” she smiled, leaning in to give him a quick peck on the cheek. “You look dashing,” she teased.

“You don’t look so bad yourself.”

Strands of her silvery white hair were braided and pulled back into a low bun while loose bangs framed her face. Tonight was one of the few occasions where he’d seen her wear red, and she looked absolutely stunning. Her crimson robes were layered and lined with golden accents, resting just above her knees in the front and flowing down to her ankles at the back. She wore black pants and knee-high formal boots to help keep warm in the chilled winter evening.

“Are you ready?” He asked, extending his arm.

“Yup!” She reached out to loop her arm through his. “Are you ready?”

“Of course,” he replied a little too quickly, voice faltering slightly. She gave him a quick, questioning look before shrugging it off and tugging him down the hall.

Was he ready? Truthfully, he wasn’t sure.

***

Ez smiled as he sat upon an outdoor throne overlooking the festival. He heard soft music and joyful laughter in the distance and smelled the sweet scent of fresh jelly tarts rising in the chilled winter air.

“I wish we could join them, Bait,” Ezran sighed, stroking a hand gently along the glow toad’s back. Bait groaned, transitioning into a depressed, bluish-green color.

The festival was lively, as usual. The planning committee had informed him that only the most delicious food, most talented musicians, and most entertaining games would be showcased this year. At a glance, it appeared that the planning committee had lived up to the claim.

Glancing across the festival grounds, Ezran’s eye caught his Aunt Amaya dragging her elven girlfriend, Janai, to the arm wrestling competition.

In recent years, one major change to the festival had been the invitation of Xadian citizens. In light of the tentative peace between Xadia and the human kingdoms, Ezran went out of his way to ensure that elves and dragons felt welcome to participate in Katolis’s traditional festivities. However, despite appreciating the invitation, only a handful of elves ever actually came -- usually those who knew Ezran personally.

He smiled softly. This was Janai’s second time attending the festival, and if he remembered correctly, she had enjoyed competing against his aunt in the many games and tournaments hosted last year.

The couple appeared to be one of the first to arrive for the arm wrestling tournament. His aunt had won last year, defeating her girlfriend in the championship round after an intense, five-minute match.

“Think Janai will get revenge this year, Bait?”

Bait looked up at Ezran and growled in agreement.

Ezran smiled, his thoughts drifting to his brother...his poor brother, who had seemed extremely nervous and uncomfortable earlier that day, despite his assurance that everything would be just fine.

“How do you suppose Callum is doing?” He asked the glow toad, who rolled his eyes and groaned dramatically.

Ez laughed. His brother and Rayla had been in love for years. They were soulmates. Callum just needed to take a deep breath and speak from the heart.

“He can do it.”

***

I don’t think I can do this. Callum gulped, too consumed in his thoughts and worries to focus on Rayla’s many questions.

“So why is your annual festival held at this time of year? It seems strange to have an outdoor festival in the dead of winter when it’s so cold. What is that delicious smell? Can you show me what the best human food is! Ohhh what’s your favorite festival game? You should teach me how to play!”

She tugged him along from stall to stall, asking questions and glowing with excitement. He’d never seen her so interested in his home before, and any other time, he would have appreciated her curiosity.

“Callum,” her eyes narrowed in concern as she halted to a stop. “Callum, are you okay? You don’t seem very excited.”

“Oh, uh…no...I- I am, it’s just been awhile, that’s all,” he smiled nervously, scratching the back of his neck in an obvious sign of discomfort.

She smiled back half-heartedly. He knew she didn’t believe it. She knew him better than that.

A group of girls around their age whispered as they walked past, presumably gossiping jealously about how an elven warrior was no fit for the prince of Katolis.

Callum had told her about his experiences as a kid -- how the festival had always been fun but burdened with responsibilities. Even though Ez had freed him from any responsibilities this year given the true motivation for his attendance, Callum still felt the eyes of everyone in Katolis drilling into his back as he and Rayla made their way across the festival grounds.

Hopefully, she had chalked up his discomfort to the unwanted attention and remained unsuspicious about his plans.

“Oh, what’s this?” She motioned excitedly toward an axe throwing stall. She tugged his arm, causing him to stumble forward.

“Come on! Win me prizes!”

He smiled a little at her contagious enthusiasm, knowing that her excitement was, at least in part, an effort to help him have fun.

“Step right up, throw yer axe, win a prize,” droned the vendor, a short, stumpy man with balding gray hair and a few missing teeth.

“Do ya wanna give it a go?” He asked Callum, extending the axe he was presumably supposed to throw at the target.

Callum shot a glance back to Rayla, shrugged, and dropped a silver coin in the man’s hand before picking up the axe and taking aim.

“I might duck if I were you,” Rayla said to the vendor, looking him dead in the eye with a mixture of seriousness and amusement.

“Hey,” Callum sulked, dropping the axe back down to his side. “What’s that supposed to mean? You think I can’t throw things?”

“I know you can’t throw things, Callum,” she quipped, crossing her arms across her chest.

“I guess I’ll have to prove you wrong then,” he replied, raising the axe back into throwing position. He scoffed when he noticed the vendor slowing side-stepping away from the target at Rayla’s recommendation.

He took a deep breath, just like he did whenever he attempted a new spell for the first time, and launched the axe toward the target with a grunt, stumbling forward ungracefully in the process.

As Rayla had predicted, he missed terribly.

Instead of hitting the target, he watched in horror as the axe spun into the ground where the vendor had been standing previously.

“Good call,” the vendor nodded at Rayla, who stood smirking at a distance.

Rayla giggled, picking up another axe from nearby and stepping forward to take Callum’s hand. “Here, I’ll show you a trick that will help you hit the target every time…”

***

“Well Bait, it looks like the arm wrestling championship match is once again down to Amaya and Janai,” Ez smiled.

Despite being in an intense state of competition, he couldn’t help but notice how happy his aunt looked with her girlfriend. He was truly happy for her and wished them both the best (though he was secretly rooting for Janai to win this year).

“We’ll see who wins and then we should probably start making our rounds around the festival, huh Bait?”

“King Ezran,” a familiar voice interrupted him from behind.

Ezran spun around to see Runaan and Ethari walking toward him.

“Runaan! Ethari! I’m so glad you both could make it this year,” Ez beamed.

The couple bowed. “We’re happy to be here,” said Ethari, smiling gently. This was the first year he and his husband had made an effort to come to the festival, despite being relatively close to him and Callum in recent years.

“Yes, this should be...interesting,” Runaan added with a tone that Ezran couldn’t quite place.

After Callum had asked Ez about the potential of marriage, he had traveled to the Silvergrove to talk to Rayla’s parents, Tiadrin and Lain, as well as her surrogate parents, Runaan and Ethari. In a recent letter, Callum had told Ezran that all four of Rayla’s parental figures had responded positively to the request. However, Ez had a feeling that Runaan was secretly less than thrilled and had agreed to the proposal out of his love for Rayla and his desire for her happiness. Moreover, despite his status as a human prince, Ezran knew that Runaan had a deep respect for his brother. After all, it was Callum who had rescued him from Viren’s coin all those years ago.

“Runaan,” Ethari took his hand, squeezing it gently, “we’re happy for Callum and Rayla, remember?”

“I am happy for them,” Runaan’s gaze softed, “it’s just...I never imagined that Rayla would marry the human prince of Katolis. It’s an adjustment. That’s all.”

Ez smiled at the couple. Their love seemed so effortless, and they balanced each other out so well. All it took was one look from Ethari, and Runaan -- one of the hardest and most deadly people Ezran had ever met -- softened like butter.

Runaan’s eyes sharpened once more, darting back to Ezran. “For the record, Callum is the only human I would ever allow Rayla to marry,” his voice was harsh on the surface but betrayed a hint of softness.

“I know,” Ezran smiled sincerely, his gaze drifting back down to the arm wrestling competition.

He appeared to have missed the end, but given the prize in Amaya’s hand and the scowl on Janai’s face, he’d assumed his aunt had swept the armwrestling title for the second year in a row.

“It looks like my aunt won the arm wrestling competition.”

“Oh, is that what all the commotion was about?” Ethari replied, looking over to where Amaya had now pulled Janai in for an apologetic kiss.

From the looks of it, Janai had already forgiven her, smiling gently as their lips met once more.

“They make a great couple,” Runaan admitted.

Ezran smiled, happy to see that Runaan was finally opening up to the idea of elves and humans entering into romantic relationships.

Speaking of which…

“And...what are Callum and Rayla doing exactly?” Runaan asked, nodding his head in the direction of the other elf/human couple of relevance.

The two were on the opposite end of the festival grounds and appeared to be engaged in some sort of axe throwing competition. A blushing Callum was holding up an axe in throwing position (which was pretty scary, honestly). Rayla was standing directly behind him, one arm wrapped around his waist and the other guiding his axe throwing arm.

“She...appears to be teaching him how to throw an axe?” Ez replied. It was more of a question than an answer.

Runaan rolled his eyes. “That looks like an accident waiting to happen. We all know that Callum can’t throw things.”

To everyone’s surprise, Callum managed to hit the target dead-on (under Rayla’s guidance, of course).

They watched as the couple cheered in celebration, jumping into an embrace before pulling apart, making eye contact, and slowly meeting in long, passionate kiss. The stall vendor stood just a few feet away, looking mildly uncomfortable.

“That poor vendor,” said Ez. “Callum has probably almost killed him at least twice tonight, and now he gets to watch the two of them make out five feet in front of him.”

Ethari laughed gently. “So, when do you think the proposal will happen?”

Ez sighed. “No idea. Callum is pretty nervous.”

The three looked back down at the couple, who appeared to have stopped kissing in front of the vendor and were now choosing a prize.

Ethari smiled. “He’ll figure it out.”

***

I really need to figure this out, Callum thought in panic as he and Rayla walked hand-in-hand across the festival grounds.

The prize they’d picked out was a little Zym plushie, which Rayla cradled in her right arm. It was no secret that they both missed the young dragon, so the moment they saw the plushie, they knew immediately that they had to have it. Rayla was excited to show it to Zym when they got home.

“Do you think he’ll like it?” She asked excitedly. “I bet he wasn’t expecting us to bring home souvenirs. Much less souvenirs that look like him.”

Callum smiled at her enthusiasm, gently squeezing her hand. It was heartwarming to see her this excited about something. She always worked so hard, and she truly deserved the vacation.

“I’m sure he’ll love it,” Callum leaned over to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. Ever since their brief makeout session in front of the axe vendor had taken a turn for the awkward, he’d been trying to tone down his acts of affection. They were so used to being alone at the Storm Spire that they’d forgotten how to behave when people -- specifically, the citizens of Katolis -- were watching their every move.

Rayla cleared her throat. “Wow, it sure is chilly out here tonight. I wish I would have brought a scarf,” she hinted.

“Yeah, it’s pretty cold.” He felt himself staring into the distance at absolutely nothing but couldn’t seem to focus on the current conversation.

“Callum,” Rayla stopped walking, tugging Callum backwards to face her. “I’m cold,” she nodded at the scarf wrapped around his neck.

Her request finally clicked. “Oh, you want to wear my scarf?”

“If it’s okay, that is,” she added quickly. “I don’t want you to be cold, of course...I just...you just...you know how much I love wearing it and…”

“Shhh,” he pressed a kiss to her forehead and as he unraveled the scarf. “Of course you can wear it, love.”

Gently, he wrapped the scarf around her neck before looking up to meet her violet eyes, which were filled with a mix of love and concern. For a brief moment, it felt like he was standing just across the border of Xadia on that fateful day five years ago when they had faced Sol Regem together. Back then, they were just two teenagers in love -- one not ready to admit her feelings and the other painfully unaware of his own.

“Thank you,” she smiled softly, pulling him into a quick but gentle kiss.

She hesitated for a brief moment, clearly wanting to say something more.

“Callum,” she began, gently cupping the side of his face with her hand. It was cold, he noticed, but he wasn’t wearing any gloves that he could give her, and even if he were, they wouldn’t fit her fingers. “Are you feeling okay? You seem a bit off tonight.”

“I’m...fine,” he forced a smile, but he knew that she could see right through it. Thankfully, before she could question him further, the pair were interrupted by a familiar voice.

“Rayla, Callum,” the voice called out to them. They spun around to see Ethari and Runaan standing just a few feet behind them.

***

“Rayla, Callum,” Ethari called out upon spotting the pair. He’d truly missed them both so much and was delighted to run into them on the festival grounds.

“Ethari! Runaan!” Rayla rushed forward to embrace them both.

Ethari smiled, extending his arm and motioning for Callum to join them. After a brief moment of hesitation, Callum stepped forward to join the family hug.

“I’ve missed you both so much,” Rayla said, stepping back to look at them. “I’m so glad you could make it.”

“Like we told King Ezran, we’re happy to be here,” Ethari replied with a gentle smile.

His gaze shifted over to Callum, who looked noticeably uncomfortable. Given his usual effortless comfort around Rayla and his unashamed love for the girl, it was a bit strange (and somewhat amusing) to see him looking so out of place. However, he couldn’t help but feel a bit bad for him.

“Callum,” he began carefully, “how’s it going?” He asked in an attempt to inquire about the proposal efforts without giving anything away.

“Well, um…” Callum stuttered, and Ethari visibly noticed the blood draining from his face. “I...well...I…”

Ethari watched the young man’s gaze shift from his and Runaan’s intertwined fingers to his aunt Amaya in the distance, who was smiling lovingly at Janai, and then back to Rayla, who was standing next to him with a look of complete confusion and concern.

“I just remembered that I need to go talk to Ezran about something,” Callum said finally. “I’ll be right back!” He told Rayla, giving her a quick peck on the cheek before literally sprinting in the opposite direction.

They watched him run, and an awkward silence fell over the group. For a brief moment, Ethari felt bad that he and Runaan knew why Callum was acting like this while Rayla was left completely in the dark. He hoped that she didn’t think it was any fault of her own.

“Um,” Rayla finally broke the silence, turning around to face them both again. “I’m sorry about that.”

“It’s fine,” Runaan replied a little too quickly, stiffening awkwardly as he spoke. “He said he needed to talk to Ezran, so he must have just remembered something really important that just couldn’t wait.”

“Does Callum seem...a bit weird tonight?” She asked. “Like...weirder than he normally is?”

“Nope. Nope he seems...totally normal to me. At least by Callum standards.” Runaan answered nervously, purposely avoiding eye contact with both Rayla and Ethari. “That kid has always been weird. You’ve got your work cut out for you, Rayla.”

Ethari tried to contain a sigh. Runaan was trying his best, but his husband had never been good at keeping secrets from Rayla. If he continued to ramble carelessly like this, they would start to look suspicious. They needed to wrap up this conversation and get out of here until Callum could gather himself and propose. Hopefully Ezran could help him.

***

“Ez! You’ve got to help me!”

“Callum?” Ezran turned around.

Callum ran toward his brother, stumbling to a halt a few feet away and resting his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

“Callum, what’s wrong? Bait and I were just about to head down there.”

Callum held up a hand, panting frantically as he struggled to catch his breath. “I just…don’t...know...how...to do this...Ezran,” he said between breaths.

Ezran sighed, motioning for his brother to sit down beside him. “Would you like a winterberry jelly tart? You know that Barius only makes these once a year.” He motioned to a tray of tarts that he and Bait had clearly been snacking on for the past hour or so.

Callum usually never accepted Ezran’s jelly tart offerings, but today, he took one off the tray without hesitation, nearly stuffing the entire thing in his mouth before reaching for another.

“It’s okay to be nervous,” Ez continued, reaching for what must have been his fifth jelly tart, Callum guessed from looking at the tray. “But Callum, Rayla loves you so much, and she’s going to be so happy no matter where and how you ask her to be your wife.”

“I know,” Callum sighed, “it’s just...I can’t find the words to tell her how much she means to me. I wish I could. That’s all.”

“So show her,” Ez insisted. “But if it’s in public, please keep it clean,” he added quickly with a wink.

Callum laughed briefly, but his smile quickly faded, and his gaze shifted down to his hands resting on his lap.

“You know, you’ve seemed a bit off since you’ve been home,” said Ez. “Almost like...it’s not just Rayla and the proposal, but something more that’s been bothering you.”

Callum looked up at him with a puzzled expression. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, Katolis is your home,” Ez replied. “You grew up here. You know this area. You’ve experienced this festival. You know these people.”

Callum gazed out over the citizens of Katolis -- smiling, laughing, sharing treats, and exchanging embraces.

“But yet,” Ez continued, “you seem like an outsider, uncomfortable and unfamiliar with these people and this place -- Katolis...your own home. Why is that?”

Callum hesitated. Home. What did that mean? Home was the place where you made your life your own. Where you sought comfort and safety from the harsh realities of the outside world. Where you were free to be yourself and live truly and speak honestly and love deeply. Home was a place where you belonged and felt loved and valued and supported. Home was…

“Rayla,” he breathed, just above a whisper.

“What?”

“Rayla,” he repeated confidently, abruptly standing up.

“Okay?” Ez answered, staring up at him in confusion.

From the first day they met, Rayla had supported him and encouraged him in ways that no one else ever had, calling him a mage and praising his magical abilities. She protected him and loved him and made him feel safe and valued. She comforted him after the loss of his father. She made him smile and laugh, and when he was with her he felt happy. He finally felt like he was home.

And, what’s more, it began here... in the home where he had grown up but never truly felt like he belonged. How ironic was it that he’d met Rayla, who felt so much like home to him, in the place he’d forced to feel like home for so many years?

And then everything clicked into place.

“I know what I need to do, Ez,” he leapt forward and squeezed his brother into an uncomfortably tight hug. “Thank you. You’re the best, and I love you.”

“I love you too, Callum,” he replied, clearly still confused by Callum’s sudden realization.

But there was no time to explain. Callum was running again.

Except this time, he had a sense of direction.

***

“Callum! Where are we going?”

“You’ll see!” His voice wavered with excitement as he tugged Rayla along behind him.

The two ran through the castle halls, which were largely empty thanks to the lively festivities taking place right outside the walls. Callum drug her through the great hall, up a winding spiral staircase, and down the nearest hallway. He turned right, then left, then left once more and --

“Here we are!” He stumbled to a halt in the middle of a hall. Neither of them had been in this place since the day Rayla’s assassination squad had invaded the castle over five years ago, and he just hoped that she remembered. He hoped that it looked familiar to her.

She gasped, eyes widening as she took in the surrounding decorations...the curtains...the windows and the halls…“This is…”

“Where we met,” Callum finished, smiling sincerely for what felt like the first time in a week.

Rayla smiled fondly, slowly spinning around to take it all in. “But...why?”

Callum closed his eyes, breathing deeply before taking both of her hands in his own.

“Rayla, we’ve been through so much together,” he began. “From the day we met when we discovered Zym’s egg until now...we started out on a journey that literally changed my life. You changed my life.”

His breath caught in his throat. Their faces were close now, and her eyes were sparkling with a realization that Callum hadn’t noticed before. She knew what was going on now. And there was no turning back.

He swallowed, refocusing himself on the task at hand.

“I grew up here,” he continued. “But this isn’t my home. I’ve never felt as at home as I do with you, Rayla. You make me feel safe and loved and...happy. I’m confident in myself. I feel comfortable with who I am. I feel like I belong with you, and I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life.”

She was crying now, he noticed. But she was smiling and looking at him like he was the most important thing in the entire world. She laughed through the tears, leaning forward to press her forehead against his own.

He was painfully aware of how close her lips were. But he couldn’t kiss her. Not yet. He had to finish this.

“This is a pretty big castle,” he continued. “So I have to ask, what were the odds that you would find me, wandering around the corridors that day? Something brought us together, Rayla. You came into my life for a reason. And it all comes back to this moment. Here. Where you found me.”

This was it. He was a little lightheaded and out of breath and wanted to kiss her so badly, but the moment he’d been waiting for since they’d first confessed their love at the Storm Spire had finally arrived.

He took a step back, keeping both of his hands gripped firmly around her right hand.

“I want to be with you forever. I want you to be my home forever. I want to be your home forever,” he said, taking a deep breath, dropping down onto one knee, and staring into the beautiful violet eyes of the amazing young woman he wanted to spend forever with.

“So, Rayla,” his voice cracked, and he felt his own tears prickling at the corners of his eyes. “Can we be ‘a thing’ for the rest of our lives? Will you marry me, Rayla?”

A joyful sob escaped her lips, and she nodded eagerly. “Of course, dummy,” she managed to say before leaping forward and crashing her lips against his own. He melted into the kiss, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer.

She’s going to be my wife, he thought in amazement, smiling as he kissed her again and again. He just couldn’t believe this was real. It seemed too good to be true. He was really going to get to marry her -- his best friend, his partner, his family.

And in that moment, he knew for certain that this was where he belonged. This was his home.

***

**BONUS**

“Shhh! Shhhh! Everyone be quiet! I think it’s happening!” Ezran whispered harshly as the group of elves and humans huddled around a dark corner in the castle.

Earlier that evening, Ethari and Runaan had been talking to Amaya and Janai when the four of them had seen Callum frantically run up to Rayla, grabbing her hand and dragging her off toward the castle at full speed. At first, they’d been a bit concerned, so they went to find Ezran (and Bait) just to make sure that everything was okay.

Worried, the six of them had followed the couple into the castle, but by the time they realized what was really going on, it was too late to turn back.

“No one move,” Runaan whispered, the six of them pressing their backs against the cold stone walls in an attempt to remain unseen.

Thankfully, Callum and Rayla had rounded the next corner and were now out of sight. However, that did not prevent them from hearing Callum’s heartfelt proposal speech.

“This must be the cheesiest, most sickening thing I’ve ever heard,” Runaan grumbled under his breath.

“Shh,” Ethari whispered, pressing a finger to his husband’s lips. “They’ll hear you. Also, I know you, and I know that you secretly think this is very sweet, even though you’ll never admit it.”

Runaan shook his head.

To their left, Janai, who had learned Katolis sign language in an effort to better communicate with her girlfriend, was translating Callum’s speech for Amaya, who was smiling proudly.

“Okay, I think it’s finally over,” Ezran said, peeking his head around the corner to get a glimpse of his brother and his now fiancee (unsurprisingly) kissing. “Let’s move out as quietly as possible so they don’t know we followed them and accidentally eavesdropped.”

In that moment, however, Bait decided to move directly in front of Janai’s foot, causing her to trip and tumble into Amaya, who fell forward and collided with Runaan and Ethari, who then fell forward into Ezran, and the six of them toppled out into the open hall where Callum and Rayla were presently making out, knocking down an empty suit of armor and a curtain in the process.

Callum and Rayla jumped apart, spinning around to see six of their closest friends and family in a pile on the floor.

An awkward silence fell over the group.

“Have you guys just been...standing there the whole time?” Callum finally asked.

“Umm,” Ezran stood up, rubbing the back of his shoulder. “This isn’t what it looks like?”

***

A/N: If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading, and happy holidays! I hope you enjoyed my extremely self-indulgent holiday rom-com.

Lots of love,

Ada

#i can't stare at this any longer it's 2:00 a.m. and my eyes are burning lol #this is incredibly cheesy you guys #there's so much fluff my teeth are literally rotting #also these are a pain in the ass to post on tumblr and ao3 #I've never attempted either I've always used FFN #i have a newfound respect for regular fanfiction writers y'all are the true mvps #once again please forgive me for this fluffy nonsense lol #rayllum #janaya #ruthari #tdp #the dragon prince

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mimosaeyes · 5 years ago

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Runaan babysits Rayla for the first time. Everything goes much better than expected.

A Ruthari getting together fic.

Credit to the Hot Brown Morning Potion Podcast episode 5, for notes on characterisation. Especially this part. Beta-ed by @sequoiawintersnight. Also available on AO3.

“Um,” says Runaan, after the door closes behind Tiadrin and Lain.

He had braced himself for tears, tantrums — any sort of fuss, really, that a toddler can kick up. But Rayla had been serene as she bid her parents farewell for the day, only giggling a little as they ruffled her tufty hair.

Surely that bodes well. Surely.

You are one of the Silvergrove’s finest warriors, Runaan tells himself sternly. You can handle babysitting your best friends’ toddler for one afternoon.

Rayla looks up from her toy. She watches him with huge, expectant eyes.

“Um,” Runaan says again. Sitting across from her, he’s suddenly realising that he has no idea how to talk to children. Sure, he’s interacted with Rayla before. Plenty, in fact. But it was always with someone else around, whose lead he could follow.

Awkwardly, he crosses his arms over his chest, then un-crosses them again.

Rayla cocks her head at him. “Thawi?” she asks. At least, he figures it’s a question, since her voice goes up at the end of it.

It takes him another moment of staring at her blankly before he understands. “You want to know where Ethari is?” Runaan ventures.

By way of answer, she leans forward to deposit, in his hastily cupped hands, her toy — a small wooden dragon that Ethari whittled for her. Runaan smiles as he recalls how painstakingly he’d worked on it in the weeks leading up to Rayla’s birth.

Runaan would be sparring with Lain when he would wave, and Runaan would turn around to see Ethari lounging in the shade of a nearby tree, using a small knife to coax, from a block of wood, the curve of a dragon’s neck or the fine tessellation of its scales. Ethari spent ages childproofing his design — rounding off any bits that jutted out, sanding everything down to perfect, splinter-free smoothness.

That’s Ethari, though: always putting his whole heart into his craft. It’s one of the reasons Runaan, ahem, admires him so much. And shows up at his workshop with some regularity for advice on proper weapons care (as is only prudent). And trips over his own feet sometimes when he notices Ethari watching their practice sessions. Which, okay, is somewhat embarrassing. Especially when Lain elbows him, or exchanges a look with Tiadrin.

Runaan clears his throat and wiggles the toy dragon at Rayla. “Ethari is busy today,” he tells her, “but we’re in his workshop anyway, since your mum says you like it here.”

Rayla perks up at the mention of her mother, and scrambles to her feet. Runaan watches, bemused, as she runs to a low shelf and tiptoes to retrieve something from it. He lets her, because he knows Ethari wouldn’t keep anything dangerous within Rayla’s reach, not when she comes by so often.

Besides, Runaan is pretty much subconsciously attuned to anything even vaguely weapon-like. He could disarm Rayla of a hazardous object in a heartbeat.

It looks like he won’t need to, though. Rayla returns brandishing two twigs, both filed blunt at the ends. More of Ethari’s handiwork, Runaan would wager.

She leaps about in a very, very loose interpretation of the basic drills she must have seen her parents performing countless times. Her face is scrunched up in concentration, and she exclaims, “Yah!” occasionally to punctuate a motion.

At the end of the display, Rayla holds a pose and looks up at him for approval.

Runaan holds her dragon aloft and bows his head. “Well done, young warrior,” he intones gravely. He suspects she might get a kick out of that.

He suspects right. Rayla lights up, grinning at him, and the thought flashes across Runaan’s mind that Well, you’re not Favourite Toy-Making Uncle, but maybe you can be Serious But Nice Uncle.

Even as he contemplates the implications of this stray thought — is he jealous that Rayla probably likes Ethari more? is he already so wrapped around her finger? — Runaan reaches out and ever so slightly adjusts her stance. He smiles at her to take any sting out of the criticism.

Rayla smiles back cheekily, then puts on her serious face again and waves her twigs at him. She doesn’t come close to landing a hit, so when she very deliberately pokes him with one of the sticks, Runaan makes sure to flail dramatically and fall over, crying defeat.

His eyes are closed, but he can hear her chuckling to herself as she clambers over his legs and flops down on the floor next to him. She pulls lightly on his hair, and he cracks open an eye to peer at her suspiciously.

She remains fixated on his hair, though, perhaps because it’s longer than that of her parents. Runaan gives a mental shrug and resigns himself to lying there on Ethari’s workshop floor, letting a tiny child play with his hair. It’s a pleasant enough, albeit surreal, way to spend an afternoon.

Rayla seems to be attempting a braid of some kind, but her fingers are too stubby for her to manage it. After a while, Runaan props himself up on one elbow so he can see what she’s doing and give her the occasional pointer.

Instead of undoing her flubs, Rayla just moves on to another section of hair, leaving little twists and knots and frizzy locks everywhere. Runaan distantly notes that he would not put up with this from anyone else in the world. And then he continues to let it happen.

And that’s when the door to the workshop opens, and Runaan looks up to see Ethari standing in the doorway.

He freezes — which goes against every principle of his training. He’s simply so mortified at how he must look right now, in front of Ethari of all people, that it takes precedence over everything else. Rayla yells, “Thawi!” and runs over to him, and Runaan is still just frozen in place, gawking at Ethari, thoughts stuck on But he was supposed to be busy today and Oh stars, my hair looks like a moonberry bush.

To his credit, Ethari takes it all in stride. He smiles at Runaan, amused but kindly, and then goes, “Oof,” as Rayla bodily slams into his legs.

“Hello, Rayla,” Ethari says. “I see you’ve had a fun morning.”

Runaan picks himself up off the floor as Rayla nods fervently. “With Wunie!” she chirps.

Ethari makes a noncommittal noise and leans over to place his shoulder bag on a nearby stool. “Oh yes. But are you sure he wouldn’t prefer to be called Wunaan?”

Rayla tilts her head back to check with Runaan, who finds himself somewhat helplessly shaking his head.

“Wunie says no,” she reports.

“Alright then,” Ethari says mildly. There is the faintest hint of a smile playing over his lips. Runaan is momentarily entranced by it.

Ethari retrieves a jar from his bag. “How’s about some of your favourite Moonberry Surprise?”

Rayla’s squeals of joy could probably be heard from the top of the Storm Spire. Ethari sends her off to search a cubbyhole for cups, and sets about unpacking the rest of his things. From the look of it, he’s been around the village, trading for supplies and materials. Just watching his calm, systematic mannerisms sets Runaan at ease.

Which is why he takes a moment to react when Ethari indicates the jar and says conversationally, “Tiadrin sprinted out of the council meeting to give this to me. She was oddly insistent that I leave the rest of my errands be, and go back to my workshop to enjoy it.”

A creeping suspicion sidles into Runaan’s mind.

Ethari continues, nonchalant. “It would’ve been Lain, I think, but I doubt he could’ve kept a straight face.”

Runaan blinks. “What do you mean?” he asks, half-sure he knows the answer but needing to hear it from Ethari. To gauge his reaction, and to be sure this isn’t all wishful thinking on his part.

Ethari bends down to accept two cups from Rayla, who can’t hold a third one at the same time and has to go back for it.

“I mean,” he says after another moment, “that I think we’ve been set up.”

Try as he might, Runaan can’t read much from Ethari’s neutral tone and facial expression. He’s implied that he knows their friends think… well, that there’s something between them. But is it a one-sided something, or is it reciprocated? Runaan still doesn’t know, not for sure.

He formulates — not for the first time — a dozen different ways to ask. He rejects each of them in turn. Also, obviously, not for the first time. The silence stretches on until he’s saved by Rayla returning with the last cup.

Which seems to have been custom-made for her small hands, as he absently notices. Ethari really does spoil her.

He pushes away the accusatory thought: So do you.

“Up?” Rayla asks Ethari hopefully, and he sits down on one of the stools so he can hoist her up onto his lap. For a moment, Runaan doesn’t so much envy his easy way with her, as wish he got to observe it more often.

Among the Silvergrove elves, Runaan has noticed, Ethari’s relative pacifism means he avoids publicly showing this side of himself. This truth about himself, which Runaan sees anyway, in glimpses: empathy and kindness, rather in excess of what Moonshadow society approves of.

All the while he’s thinking this, Ethari is bouncing Rayla up and down between sips of her Moonberry Surprise, making a game out of it. The sight of them playing, and the sound of her laughter, are beyond endearing to Runaan.

Then Rayla notices him watching and holds out her little arms to him. “Up!” she demands.

Runaan spares a moment to reflect that there was definitely a time when he was not a total pushover. Then he stands and lifts the tiny elf girl up onto his shoulders.

Ethari helps settle Rayla securely on her newfound perch. “Hey! When did you get so much taller than me?” he teases her, prompting another brief giggle.

His hand rests on Runaan’s shoulder as he speaks. Probably accidentally. Runaan tries not to think about the warmth of his touch, or wonder whether it lingers a moment longer than it has to.

He holds on to Rayla’s ankle, wary of dropping her. “Don’t squirm,” he warns.

But Rayla is already distracted by everything she can see from so high up. She pays him no heed, listing from side to side as if wanting to touch all the things on Ethari’s workbenches and shelves. When Runaan doesn’t immediately move toward the objects of her curiosity, she makes a pathetic whine in the back of her throat.

“You’re like a Moonstrider pup,” Runaan informs her, even as he obliges and takes a couple of steps forward.

Rayla just burbles and pokes at something shiny sitting on top of a cabinet. When Runaan peers closer, he sees that it’s one of a pair of horn guards — and that there are several more beside it, in various stages of completion. Of course. Although the elves of Silvergrove primarily go to Ethari for weapons (his are the most versatile and perfectly balanced), they also seek his services for engagements and jewellery in general.

Runaan gently nudges aside Rayla’s hand. “Careful,” he admonishes, but without much heat. “These are delicate.”

He glances at Ethari, who shrugs.

“I don’t make anything purely ornamental,” he says, then turns to address Rayla. “Wunie’s right, though; these do mean a lot to people. I have some other things you might like, over here.”

Runaan follows him to the far side of the workshop, where Ethari takes down a plain box and sets it on the table. Still seated on his shoulders, Rayla leans forward in anticipation, inadvertently pushing against Runaan’s head.

He laughs at how eager she is. “Alright, little one,” he says, and carefully sets her down.

They both watch as Ethari snaps open the catch on the box, and lifts the lid.

Inside is a collection of — Runaan doesn’t even have the words. Rationally, he recognises that these are ordinary household items. Small plates, hair clasps, buckles for securing supplies when travelling. They’re functional. But they’re also beautiful: engraved with swirls and curves, never a straight line anywhere. The silvery patterns remind Runaan of the way water moves in a river or brook under moonlight. They look like art, and yet they’re also textures begging to be touched. With careful hands. With reverence, or love.

Sitting cross-legged on the counter, Rayla’s eyes have gone wide.

“I didn’t know you made things like this,” Runaan says in awe. “Out of — what, scrap metal? Left over from your main work?”

Ethari shakes his head. “Not for these. Sometimes... people bring me weapons I can’t fix. Or won’t. Fine blades ruined because they were wielded improperly. Daggers they want to dispose of, that have drawn innocent blood.”

The mood turns sombre between them. Things happen. They both know it.

Ethari continues, “I never destroy them. I melt them down and reshape them.”

Runaan reaches out and runs his fingers over a hair clasp. It moves him, he realises: how much beauty Ethari sees in the world — even in the ugly, discarded parts of it — and brings out through his craft. Which he does, not out of obligation or necessity, but simply for the joy of creating something special out of something unwanted.

He remembers, abruptly, Ethari knocking on his door over a year ago. It was pouring rain and Ethari had been as sodden as the shivering bundle of fur cradled in his arms. The abandoned Shadowpaw pup had grown up hale and hearty under his care, after that first night when Runaan invited him in, offering him hot tea, blankets, a place by the fire. And — surprisingly, in retrospect — no questions as to why he showed up there.

He sees, with sudden clarity, that Ethari has always had a penchant for taking lost and broken things, and making them feel needed and whole.

“They’re amazing,” Runaan tells him, and bites back his next words. You’re amazing.

Instead of responding to the compliment, Ethari clasps his hands together nervously. “I, ah. I made that for you, actually.”

“What?” Runaan does a double take and stares at him. His fingers go still on the hair clasp. His heart thuds in his chest, thunderous.

Ethari quite deliberately unfastens his hands from each other. Pausing only to glance at Runaan, as if asking for permission, he leans forward and tucks a lock of Runaan’s hair behind his ear. The gesture is tender and shockingly familiar, as if he’d done it a hundred times before.

“It’s your heart,” Ethari tells him simply. “That’s what inspired me. You scowl and bluster, and goodness knows, you fight like a raging storm. But you also lay on the floor playing with a child because it makes her happy. You turn down the honour of joining the Dragon Guard with your best friends because you would rather stay and protect your home.”

He touches his shoulder. “Your heart is kind. It deserves something just as beautiful.”

Silent, stunned, Runaan watches him for a moment longer.

Then he surges forward and kisses him.

It’s only the briefest press of lips. He registers closeness, warmth. A huff of air from Ethari; he’s taken him by surprise. The other elf only begins to kiss back when Runaan is already pulling away again.

He gulps, instantly panicky. How many times has he dreamt of doing what he just did? And there he goes, rushing through it and probably ruining everything. He never even explained—

“I was wondering if you’d ever do that,” Ethari breathes.

Runaan blinks. “You knew?!”

Coming from a normally mild-mannered person, the look Ethari gives him then is exceedingly sassy. “Runaan, you come into my workshop with requests three times as often as any other elf. You volunteer to test out my weapon designs so we can talk shop and you can compliment my work, because you can’t figure out how else to express affection.”

He smirks at Runaan, but his voice is indulgent. “I love you, but you can be a real idiot sometimes.”

A beat.

“Oh,” Ethari mutters. “That just slipped out, didn’t it?”

And he rests both hands around Runaan’s neck, and pulls him into another kiss. This one is deeper, longer. Runaan is still stunned, but he quickly relaxes into the embrace. Just for a moment, he lets himself melt.

They only break apart when Rayla makes an indignant noise at no longer being the centre of attention.

She holds up some sort of rectangular, metal item from the box. “Mine?” she asks.

“What is that?” Runaan wonders aloud.

“A harness buckle,” Ethari supplies. He wags a finger at Rayla. “Maybe when you’re old enough to ride.”

Rayla makes a moue.

Runaan sighs as if very put upon by her (in all of two seconds, yes). “I’ll teach you,” he promises.

“Softie,” Ethari teases.

Runaan smiles lopsidedly. “I do my best.”

The rest of the afternoon passes in a blur. They find ways to entertain Rayla, or more often, she comes up with them. At one point, having refused for over an hour, Rayla finally dozes off for her nap, curled up among some soft cloths Ethari uses to clean filigree. While she sleeps, Runaan and Ethari tiptoe around, putting things to rights around the workshop. Ethari offers him a comb he finds lying around, and shakes his head fondly when Runaan mouths the words, “I don’t want to hurt her feelings.”

By the time Tiadrin and Lain return from their meeting, Rayla has roused from her nap to sleepily play a little more with her toy dragon. Lain picks her up without any bother from her. Leaning over her father’s shoulder, she waves goodbye to Runaan and Ethari.

Runaan waves back until she looks away to nuzzle her face in the hollow of Lain’s neck. Lain coos softly at her. It still surprises Runaan how differently his jokester friend behaves around his daughter.

He turns his attention to Tiadrin, who is hanging back. There’s a tension around her eyes that wasn’t there this morning. “Everything alright?” he asks, worried.

She hesitates, but nods briskly. “It will be. How was Rayla?”

“A perfect angel,” Runaan starts to say.

At the same time, Ethari nudges him and says, “Utterly spoiled by this one.”

Tiadrin tilts her head at them both, visibly taking in how close together they’ve subconsciously begun to stand. Runaan is struck by how much Rayla is picking up her mannerisms. They have the same intelligence behind their bright eyes as they puzzle him out.

“So,” Tiadrin says slowly, beginning to smile at them.

Runaan narrows his eyes. “So,” he says back at her.

On some level, he does mean for that to serve as confirmation of Tiadrin’s suspicions. Watching the way she glances between him and Ethari, looking genuinely pleased for them, Runaan knows she’s gotten the message.

Tiadrin lowers her voice. “You do realise Lain is going to be unbearable when I tell him that his ridiculous plan actually worked.”

“Was it really orchestrated by you two then?” Ethari asks.

She shrugs. “We just figured if we could find you an excuse to spend an afternoon in close quarters… you might work out the rest. Finally.”

“‘Finally’?” Runaan repeats. Tiadrin raises an eyebrow at him. Ethari holds up his hands in the universal gesture for I’m not getting into this.

Runaan groans. “Was I seriously the last one to know?”

“Seriously.” Tiadrin winks at him; she knows one of his pet peeves is when people answer rhetorical questions.

She moves toward the door. “You’re welcome,” she calls back over her shoulder as she leaves.

And Runaan is left in the same position as a few hours ago, when this whole adventure began. Only this time Ethari is standing right by him, close enough to touch, and he can do that now. He can stop wondering what that would feel like; he knows.

He also knows what it feels like to hear him speak the words I love you.

Runaan just isn’t as emotionally open as he is. He’s not built that way, no matter what Ethari may believe about his heart.

Ethari seems to know, somehow, what kinds of thoughts are running through his head. Quietly, into the hush of a room suddenly bereft of Rayla’s boisterous energy, he says, “You don’t have to say it back.”

Runaan looks at him. He… he wants to. He just doesn’t quite know how.

Biting his lip, he picks up the hair clasp from the table. The one Ethari said he’d made especially for him. Beauty out of broken bits. Something soft out of loss.

Runaan holds it out to Ethari. “Mine?” he says wryly, mimicking Rayla earlier. And all the while thinking, How do I tell you I love you?

Whether or not Ethari understands what he thinks but does not say then, Runaan may never know. But Ethari smiles, takes the clasp from him, and threads it gently through his hair. “Here,” he says. “I’ll teach you.”

#the dragon prince #ruthari #baby rayla #rayla #runaan #ethari #mimofic

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kuno-chan · 5 years ago

Text

Love Amongst the Dragons - Ch. 7, The Bars That Bind

Summary: In a sentence, Prince Callum doesn’t care for dragons. He has his reasons for not being a fan, but the Dragon Ban has expired and now his life is full of them as the Dragon Keep has finished and everyone around him is preoccupied in making sure everything is ready for the Xadians arriving so the dragon rider’s training program may succeed. Now, Callum is up to his neck in everything that has to do with dragons as he does his best to satiate some dangerous curiosities, wrestle sorrowful memories and support his stepfather, King Harrow, in this time of redemption.

Rating: G

–

Please consider reading and reviewing on Ao3

–

The next morning, the Xadian party visited again. As always, Callum beat everyone to the keep. Again, Ezran was nowhere to be found. He would have to start asking around and almost did that morning, but the news of the Xadian party’s return visit piqued his curiosity.

His worried stepfather also had Callum willing to go.

The morning began much like the last; the Xadians inspecting the keep and irritating Lord Viren in the process. He didn’t like how the elves inspected the place as if they owned it, but their supervision was part of the peace deal with Xadia.

It didn’t exactly help that it all came from a place of mistrust. Elves did not, under most circumstances, trust humans. They especially didn’t trust humans with dragons. Frankly, the elves were better and probably could have dealt with almost any rider the humans could produce. Then again, maybe Callum was being presumptuous.

“Today, we will show you how to ride a dragon,” Runaan announced to the keep. “Our way.”

He nodded to Rayla who promptly mounted Luna. She nodded back and patted Luna before bursting into the air, twirling like the wind itself. They soared around the keep, diving and flying together as one. Rayla even leapt off of Luna mid-air and, somehow, Luna was right there to catch her before she fell.

Callum marveled at them. At her. Rayla did not hesitate. She held no fear of the ground below or the sky above. Not with Luna.

He might have envied her, but… that freedom. Fearlessness. It seemed so attainable now. His mind naturally went back to the Tempest. Callum shook his head. He would never ride a dragon, but he could admire those who could.

Rayla and Luna landed gracefully just as Runaan flew off on Athena. If Rayla and Luna were one, then Runaan and Athena were a part of the sky itself. They wove through the air seamlessly. Like silk and clouds. Not an ounce of hesitation anywhere in sight.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Callum could see Lord Viren frowning beside King Harrow who was smiling. The king clapped as Runaan landed and dismounted in one swift motion. “You truly are a master.”

“It’s the result of many years of training. Bonding. If a dragon doesn’t trust you, then you have nothing but a weapon.”

“We are in agreement.” Harrow looked over the titan wing dragon. “She would save you from anything. Give her life for you.”

Runaan ran a hand over Athena’s scales. “I wouldn’t want her to. But yes.”

King Harrow’s gaze flickered down, then back to Runaan’s face. “You have shown us a true gift. My hope is that humans can have the same understanding and love you both have with your dragons.”

Lord Viren inclined his head at King Harrow. Callum wondered what it was about.

After the meeting, Callum caught up to Rayla on the ramparts, feeding Luna a Xadian orange and scratching her freely.

“... you did so good today. I’ll get you a pear later, okay?”

Luna warbled happily, proudly receiving her scratches.

“There’s a dragon I know who likes pears.” Callum said, making Rayla turn her head. “Is that a dragon thing?”

Rayla blinked at him, assessing. Luna nudged her and warbled again, this time encouraging. Rayla glared at her softly, but it quickly fell into something softer. “Crescentbacks like them, for sure. But they’re picky things. I think they just like fruit in general.”

There was a pause between them as Rayla fed Luna another cut of orange. “You were amazing up there. In the sky?” Callum could have smacked himself. Where else would she be flying? “I just mean… you’re an amazing flyer. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Rayla looked over him. Another nudge from Luna. “... thank you,” she said proudly. “Even if half of it is Luna. She does a lot of the legwork. I trust her with my life.”

“That’s incredible. You’re incredible. Both of you are, I mean.”

Luna approached and snuffled him. Approval, perhaps?

“She’s saying thank you.”

Callum laughed. “You’re welcome?”

Luna sniffed him again, setting her eyes on him for a moment. Callum’s stomach fell. Right. The Tempest. Then, he caught Rayla’s face from behind. She was… smiling?

He smiled back at her. “I mean it. I know I barely know you, but you’re just… incredible.”

If he didn’t know better, he’d say her face was turning red, but she cleared her throat and shook her head. “Thank you. I… that’s appreciated. And, yeah. Thanks.” She looked away. “Luna, we should go. Runaan’s going to leave us behind.”

Luna snuffled another goodbye. Rayla waited for her.

“Callum?” she said his name, cocking her head.

“Yes?” Callum blinked.

“I’ll see you tomorrow? I’m usually flying in the courtyard. I’m sure Luna would like to see you again. I could ask you some questions.”

“What kind of questions?”

“I’ll ask you tomorrow.”

Then, she left. He felt the urge to follow after her.

-:-:-:-

The Tempest was much more receiving of Rayla than he was of Claudia. His nostrils flared and whatever Rayla’s scent was, it seemed familiar enough for him to relax and let Callum talk about the elvish dragon rider he couldn’t stop thinking about.

“And she’s fearless. You should have seen her! I just… she loved being up there. And she was good at it! Better than any of the riders I’ve ever seen.” Not that he was an expert on the subject. “She wants to talk to me tomorrow.”

He didn’t know why the prospect excited him so much. He’d known her for all of a few days, but she never ceased to impress him. And, apparently, Luna didn’t mind him either. Callum didn’t blame her for not trusting him entirely, but he was glad she’d give him the time of day.

She was wary of him, but her invitation for a talk was genuine. Welcome.

She seemed just as curious as he was.

He didn’t know why it mattered to him so much.

The Tempest made a noise. Amused? Laughing?

“Listen, the king wants peace, right?” He retorted, his face warming. “I’m just helping. It’d be nice if we were friends. It could help in the long run… right?”

After all, that was why he was so interested.

The Tempest grunted.

“And I think she’s cool.”

Whatever it was, the dragon snuffled at him fondly and Callum rubbed his nose. He lingered there, his mind going back to a place he often tried to leave. It didn’t escape him that there were bars between the two of them. That the Tempest had been in this cell for more than a little while.

He wondered if they ever came to see him, give him water or scraps. Callum provided these things in secret, but it shouldn’t have been that way. He still noticed the way the Tempest looked at the sky from time to time. How he seemed to get darker as time moved on, the color of a heavy thundercloud. His strength was coming back, but he still seemed…

Sad?

Not completely there.

That was Callum’s intuition, anyway. He didn’t exactly know the Tempest outside of this cage.

Callum paused.

He didn’t know the Tempest outside of this cage .

They’d never interacted outside of this room, had they?

Sure, Callum visited him, but--

He might as well have been a more accommodating jailer.

And the prime question coming to Callum’s mind:

Did they hurt him? When Callum wasn’t here, did they hurt him? It’s not like he’d ever know. Did dragons even bruise?

Maybe he’d never know. Or maybe he did. It wasn’t like they would never visit him. And Callum had seen what the Tempest was like with other humans. There was no way they--

Enough. This was enough.

He could ask himself questions again and again and have the same thoughts run through his head endlessly, but that wouldn’t solve anything.

And something about today--

Callum couldn’t stand to see him in this cage anymore.

“I’ll be back for you tomorrow night. It’ll be different tomorrow night,” Callum said to him. “I promise.”

The Tempest snuffled at him softly and laid back down when Callum left.

-:-:-:-

This idea had been a lot less nerve-wracking when he’d thought of it last night. Last night, he’d felt brave and determined and just… he just wanted the Tempest to have a better life than what was going on in that room.

But now he was heading to the courtyard, his mind running through whatever he was going to say when he told her he’d been visiting a caged dragon that looked just like her own.

And then having the audacity to ask her for a favor and not run to her very scary dragon commander. Leader. Whatever he was.

In the courtyard, Callum heard her before he saw her. She was flying high, taking Luna around and around in what seemed less like a drill and more like an instance where Luna wanted to play. They twisted and turned in the air, whizzing by and soaring. Callum heard Rayla laugh. It made him smile despite his nerves.

He waited for her to see him. She seemed pleased and his breath hitched in his throat.

“Callum, there you are. I wasn’t sure if you were going to--”

“I need a favor,” he blurted out. He smacked himself on the forehead. “I’m sorry. I just… I need your help.”

Rayla raised her brows when he looked to her, then she frowned. “With?”

He didn’t answer right away, and he kept his voice quiet. “There’s something I think you’d like to see.”

Like was a bit of a strong word in this context.

Callum pulled her aside and told her what was going on -- and begged her to keep quiet about it. The last person he wanted to hear about this was… well, everyone, but Viren and Runaan were amongst the two people he was mainly talking about.

In any case, he won her over.

“So, what exactly was your plan?” she asked him that night.

They didn’t fly that night. Too risky. And it wasn’t like Callum had ever gotten on a dragon’s back before. So, they walked along the path Callum went through every other night.

She wasn’t… pleased with the revelation that he’d been visiting a caged dragon. Or that they locked it up in the first place. She said something about humans and how Runaan had warned her about this.

But she let up and ultimately agreed to help him once he told her his plan.

Callum winced. “Okay, I know it sounds bad, but… I guess I just wasn’t sure what to do.”

“So, you just kept him in there?” The look she gave him was scathing.

“The king-- my stepfather needs this to work. I didn’t want to cause trouble.”

“Right.” She said. With bite. “The king.”

He was in no position to ask what she meant by that. In fact, he was lucky she didn’t rat him out, but that only made him look at her more.

“What are you staring at?” she asked. Luna was around, Callum realized. Somewhere he couldn’t see. He also realized it didn’t bother him.

“Thank you.”

“What?”

“Thank you. For doing this. For helping me get him out.”

“He should already be out. Why would you put him in a cage?”

Callum frowned. “I didn’t put him in there.”

“Then why did you keep him in there? You said the king needs this to work. Well, if you’d said something, we would have demanded him out already.” She argued. “This isn’t right. He’s a magical creature. Not an experiment.”

“I know that.” Callum stopped in his tracks. “Look, I hate seeing him in there. But… my stepdad needs this peace to work, okay? What was I supposed to do? Bring this to him and make him worry more?”

“I’m not really worried about what your king is worried about,” she said, turning to look at him. Luna appeared between them, revealing herself.

“This peace is important to him. It means everything to him. He wants this to work more than you know.” Callum bit his lip. Tried to bite his tongue. “And you don’t know him.”

He locked eyes with her. Violet eyes mixed with something between regret, anger and irritation.

And I don’t know you, he realized.

“You knew somebody, didn’t you?” he asked, deflating. “In the war.”

“In the war he started?” she turned away and started walking. “Yeah.”

He did it because of what happened to Callum’s mother. He did it because the elves sent a dragon to kill her. He did it to avenge her death.

Callum said none of these things.

“I’m sorry,” he said instead. “That war was a mistake. It shouldn’t have happened and… I’m sorry. For your loss, too.”

Rayla froze. Her shoulders hunched. “... I’m… sorry for yours, too.” She turned back to him. Her face was softer, even if whatever feelings she had before lacked absolution. “I am. All of it was a mistake.”

There was too much to unpack there. The history. The deaths. King Harrow could never talk about it in a way that Callum could understand. This moment wouldn’t fix that.

“I know this doesn’t… help, much. I know it doesn’t really make sense, but I really do appreciate you coming to help me.” They started walking again. “I can’t stand to see him like this anymore, but I don’t know what else to do.”

“You’re trying to be loyal to your family,” she said weakly. “I get that. And you’re trying to help. I’ll admit I didn’t exactly expect this from you.”

“What did you expect from me?”

“I’m not sure, to be honest. I guess that’s why I wanted to talk to you. In the courtyard, I mean. Runaan told me what to expect from humans. You kept coming around and you weren’t really like how he said you might be.”

“And what did he say?”

She glanced at him. “... not nice things.”

Callum laughed, if only to himself.

She turned her attention to him. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing. You’re just-- you’re good at talking in circles. Didn’t really expect that from you. You seem like you’d be the direct type.”

She didn’t know how to take that. Her head raised, then lowered, then raised again as if unsure how to respond and how to carry herself. “I am,” she said, raising her chin again. “I am direct. But I’m on an important mission here. I’m not supposed to just be discussing anything with just any human, you know.”

He walked ahead of her. Turned to her. “But I’m not just any human. I’m Callum. Remember?”

He grinned. She blinked at him and--

The crack of a smile. “I suppose so.” She walked past him, the smile growing a bit wider. “Callum… you’re lucky I like your name.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, why not?” She shrugged. “I think it’s nice.”

-:-:-:-

The Tempest was waiting for Callum as usual, but his attention went straight to Rayla before she even entered the room. He could smell her judging by the flare of his nostrils.

“It’s alright,” Callum reassured him, reaching through the bars. Rayla knew better than to approach him right away. The Tempest’s pupils were in slits, trained on Rayla for any sudden moves. Callum stroked his nose. “This is Rayla. Remember me telling you about her?”

“You told him about me?”

Callum shushed her, his face warmer than normal. He placed a hand on the dragon’s horn. “It’s fine. I promise. She’s here to help.”

The Tempest snorted. His nostrils flared one more time. He looked at Callum, then relaxed, a noise of resignation rising from his throat.

“How did you ever get close to him?” she asked, carefully walking up.

Callum shrugged, pulling out the Tempest’s dinner: a piece of beef and some pears. “He just kind of let me, to be honest. Then, I started bringing food, and he warmed up more.”

“Interesting…”

The Tempest stopped eating, his pupils slit again, and he focused on an empty spot.

Luna appeared in that spot. She warbled a greeting at him, but kept her distance. On instinct, Rayla approached her dragon and stroked her muzzle. “We’re friendly,” she said. “We’re here to help.”

Callum smiled when the Tempest went back to eating his food. “We’re going to get you out.”

Whether the dragon actually understood or just knew something was different, Callum didn’t know, but they looked at each other and Callum nodded. He was doing this. Tonight. He refused to keep acting like the Tempest’s jailer or one of the humans that imprisoned him.

He wasn’t sure how Rayla would help him, but she was here and between the two of them he was sure they could figure it out. Granted, his plan could have been better. He had the idea of picking the lock or breaking the bars with Luna and the Tempest, perhaps the impact of their strength would--

Rayla pulled out two wicked blades from under her hood. Callum’s mouth dropped open. He kept a tight hold on the Tempest. “I didn’t know you had those.”

“Of course you didn’t. I didn’t want you to know,” she said and got to work on the lock.

“You can pick that?”

“I can try. These blades are a bit big for picking, but this lock is pretty big too. If nothing else, I can try to break it, but it’s probably proofed against dragon fire and claws. I’m willing to bet my blades won’t so much as scratch it.”

Callum sat nervously, hoping that this was a good idea and he wasn’t making a big mistake. He waited as Rayla tried with the lock. It opened in less than five minutes.

Rayla stared at it. She slowly stood up, but didn’t put her swords away.

“That was too easy.”

“Well, I’m glad it was because--”

“No, I mean-- That should have been harder to do. I shouldn't have been able to open it so fast. Callum, are you sure nobody knows you come down here?”

Callum shook his head. “I’m sure. I’ve been coming down here for weeks. If anyone knew, why would they just keep letting me?”

She didn’t answer.

She still didn’t put her swords away.

“Let’s go,” she urged. “Will he come outside with you?”

Callum hoped so. The Tempest edged out of his cage. Slowly. Slowly.

He spread his wings and stretched his body. Callum let him do these things at his own pace. The Tempest was cautious, but reached his head out and snuffled at Callum. A thank you? Curiosity? Either way, Callum was more concerned with just how big the beast was. He was at least twice Callum’s size now that he was uncurled.

In the corner with Luna, Rayla hadn’t put her blades away.

“You can trust him,” Callum said.

“I trust him,” Rayla said. “But I also trust him to be a dragon that’s been locked in a cage for weeks.”

The Tempest looked at her, his tail slowly moving. Ready to pounce at any moment. Callum ventured and scratched under his chin. “It’s okay. They’re friends. They’re with me.”

Callum stepped between them. He had the Tempest’s attention and smiled. Whatever the dragon saw, he went back to stretching.

“We need to get out of here,” Rayla said. “If he wants to fly away, then he needs to get going.”

A lump formed in Callum’s throat. “You’re right.”

He didn’t think about this part.

He didn’t think it would make him feel like...

Well, like this.

But Callum owed it to the Tempest. If his mother’s death had taught him anything it was that, sometimes, people left you. Sometimes, you had to leave them.

His fingers on the Tempest’s dry scales slowed and his mind misted back to the hours after his mother died.

“Don’t make me go!”

“Prince Callum… you have to let her go now.”

His stepfather wasn’t there yet. The guards were digging their fingers in him and pulling him off his mother’s corpse. She was ice cold, but he clung to her and laid his head against her still chest.

He waited for her voice. Her lullaby. Her gentle words.

Anything.

There was nothing, and he screamed when they pried his arms from around her.

He wailed.

He didn’t stop crying even when his stepfather finally crushed Callum into a hug.

He never saw her again. Callum only ever saw her in the stone of her grave, but she was still gone. It never stopped feeling like she left. Or she was taken. He could never decide the difference, really.

Callum blinked back any tears that threatened to spill. Not right now. He’d cry about this later.

They led the Tempest outside and Callum still hadn’t quite let go. Rayla didn’t say anything, but when they got outside, he looked at her. Comfort? Reassurance? He didn’t know.

She smiled softly.

“Do you know his name?”

Callum shook his head.

“Dragons usually have their own names,” she said gently. “When they tell you, it means they choose you. You’re the one they want to bond with.”

The lump in Callum’s throat grew. He turned back to the Tempest. “I wish I’d had time to learn your name,” he whispered. He bit down on his inner cheek. “But you miss your freedom. And I can at least give you that.”

The Tempest snuffled Callum’s hair. He nudged him and bowed his head.

Then, he turned and spread his wings. He launched himself into the air.

A chain dragged him back down to the earth.

Callum’s breath caught in his throat. The commotion startled him as the guards spilled into the arena, one chain after another keeping the Tempest grounded. The Tempest snarled and thrashed, but they kept him down. Rayla ran into the fray and knocked one of the guards out, but they quickly surrounded her to the point where he couldn’t see her.

“No!” Callum ran forward, but one of the guards grabbed him and kept him back. He fought back. “Stop! You’re going to hurt them.”

He didn’t know where Luna was, but he could hear her, roaring and snarling to get to Rayla. There was the beginning of dragonfire in his peripheral, then there was a commotion and--

“Luna!”

The tip of Rayla’s blade found the apex of a guard’s throat. No, wait--

Not a guard.

Lord Viren stood where he’d approached. His staff in hand, he raised his brows. “And what do you intend to do with that? Kill me? As a diplomatic envoy?”

“I don’t care,” she growled. “Let Luna go.”

“Do you honestly expect me to put my men in danger? Your beast attacked them--”

“Because of what you’re doing!” Callum shouted at him. “Lord Viren, I’m begging you. Please, don’t--”

“Don’t what, exactly?” Lord Viren glowered at him. “Don’t hurt them? Do you not understand that these people would all slit our throats and set fire to our cities if we so much as give them an edge to stand on? Look at her!”

“She’s done nothing wrong,” Callum ground his teeth. “I asked Rayla to be here.”

“Because you have been coerced-- brainwashed by this Tempest Crescentback! A vindictive, unholy beast! One of the most dangerous of the Lesser Dragons! Your soft heart has led us all here! And she,” Lord Viren gestured to Rayla. “Has misled you twice that. Do you truly believe that her weapons are just for protection--”

Rayla pressed her sword to his throat. “We’d be fools to walk into your kingdom, with our dragons, unprepared. Don’t think we don’t know what dark mages do with the dragons they find.”

Lord Viren glared at her. Then, he snorted. “Very well, then. Kill me.” He raised his chin. “Kill me and let the war begin.”

Rayla’s elbow bent. The sword retracted slightly.

Hesitation.

“Don’t say that to her,” Callum’s voice was soft. His eyes were not.

The guards approached Rayla. She readied her blades for a fight. Dragons snarled--

“That is enough.”

The king had never sounded so venomous. Not in Callum’s living memory.

The crownguard at his back were small compared to King Harrow’s glowering anger at the scene before him. Guards that weren’t holding dragons immediately stepped back from whatever they were doing.

“What is the meaning of this?” King Harrow demanded.

“Your majesty, I discovered Prince Callum cooperating with this elven girl to free this Tempest. I had him put away because he was a danger to the trainers and the other dragons.”

The king frowned and raised a brow. “Put away?”

“You locked him in a cage for weeks! I’m the one who had to feed him so he didn’t starve,” Callum fought against the guards restraining him. “Your majesty, please, he’s not a bad dragon. I know I shouldn’t have been this close to him by myself, but he’s good and he doesn’t deserve to be left in a tiny cage to die.”

The king narrowed his eyes at the guards holding Callum. “If you know what is good for you, I suggest you both let my son go.” The guards obeyed, letting Callum go so fast he almost stumbled to the ground. King Harrow’s gaze softened. “Callum, of course he doesn’t deserve that. Why didn’t you come to me about this sooner if you were so concerned?”

Callum pursed his lips. He wasn’t sure how to answer. “I… I just didn’t want it to get in the way of everything that was going on.”

The king sighed. He turned to Rayla. “Are you hurt, Rayla?”

Rayla stiffened. She shook her head.

“Good. Runaan will want to see you when he hears of this. I can’t imagine he would be very happy if you were.” He turned to Viren. “As for you--”

“Your majesty--”

“No. We will discuss this later. After I make sure the Tempest is placed somewhere safe for the night. You will also let Rayla’s dragon go.”

“Harrow.”

“Now.”

They stared at each other for a split second. Viren hesitated. He bowed.

The guards let Luna go. She snapped at them and returned to Rayla’s side, snarling protectively at them while Rayla smoothed down the crescent spines on her back. Rayla hushed her, keeping one hand on her saddle.

“This is over. I won’t have any more trouble. Before the night is truly over, I must now explain this to the Xadians,” said King Harrow. He turned to Rayla and Callum. “I’d like the both of you to remain here and I will escort you both back to the castle.”

“I can get back on my own,” Rayla protested.

“I have no doubt that you can, but nothing will happen to you if you are accompanied by me. And as far as I’m concerned, your safety is my responsibility until you return to Runaan’s charge when we get back to the castle. “

Rayla didn’t argue, but it was clear she wasn’t looking forward to seeing Runaan after all of this.

Callum stepped forward to go to the Tempest, but the king stopped him. “Your Majesty--”

Something flickered in his eyes before he set sturdy hands on Callum’s shoulders. “Not right now, Callum.”

“Please,” Callum looked at the dragon still struggling on the ground. “Just let me help him.”

“Tomorrow. Right now, he’s an agitated, cornered creature. I won’t risk you getting hurt. Let us get him somewhere where he can calm down.”

“Can’t we just let him free?”

“Not if he’s upset enough that he might attack someone. Tomorrow, Callum.” The king’s voice broke a little. “I promise.”

Callum felt the faintest touch on his arm. He looked over his shoulder at Rayla, pulling back as if she weren’t sure what she was doing. Still, the tone in her voice was anything but harsh. “Callum…”

His eyes burned. “I can’t just leave him like this.”

“I know, but... he’s kind of right.” She pointedly did not look at the king. “We don’t want him to end up getting hurt.”

Luna groaned at him, tugging gently on his sleeve.

He hated this.

He really hated this.

Callum stepped back, but he didn’t turn away. Rayla never left his side which made it easier -- if only a little -- to deal with the fear that crept into his heart.

This was the longest chapter yet! This chapter is almost at the halfway point for this fic. It's right about there and this was an important chapter, marking other important chapters. Soon, very soon. The Tempest also, for me, becomes more and more real as the chapters go on. His place in Callum's life a little more solidified each time. The chapters coming after this are going to be very important and the fic is really going to wind up.

As always, guys I love it when you leave those reviews, they really keep me going and really keep me going. I sincerely thank you guys for your patience with me on this fic and Sides of the Moon because with school going it's harder to write, but I'm going to keep going! Train's not stopping anytime soon! Thank you for reading! Tune in for next chapter!

#the dragon prince #tdp #rayllum #rayla #callum #my fics

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theunchainedmelody · 2 years ago

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"I Shouldn't Love You" A TDP Sorayllum fanfic

Note: Why make this fic? Because Rayla has two hands B) Also, I just love Rayllum (my OTP) but I'm also drawn to Sorayla (especially after Season 4) so why not combine them? Let the poor traumatized elf assassin have two boyfriends. Problem solved.

The escape from Umber Tor was long behind the heroes of Xadia. Another week had passed the dragang by, leaving Callum scrambling with an array of plans and missions that were yet to be accomplished. One was coordinating a hunting expedition with the Dragon Queen to hunt down Claudia and her troupe. Another was delving into research for a way to free the Moonshadow elves sealed agonizingly into coins, a dark fate inflicted on them by Lord Viren years prior. The idea of them remaining inside those miniature prisons a moment longer was enough to keep the high mage awake at night, and he feared it was doing the same to Rayla. Three parents could be returned to her if he was skilled enough, if he was powerful enough. He ran a hand through his well-styled brown hair, shutting his jade eyes for a moment. The High Mage let out a deep sigh, trying to clear a mess of scattered thoughts. A small groan alerted him that a certain someone wanted attention. Callum’s hand went down to comb over the top of Bait’s head, offering the glow toad an affectionate smile. The yellow critter gave a low growl of approval.

Rayla silently peered at Callum from across the room, soaking in the sight of him. He was so focused right now, so responsible. In many ways, he was entirely different from the fledgling mage she’d befriended years before. In other ways, such as his overly-excited way of speaking, Callum, fortunately, remained very much the same. Just looking at him brought on fond feelings that had not extinguished over the years. In Rayla’s mind, Callum and she were destined to be together, a two-year separation be damned.

It was the chattering of her baby cuddle monkey that alerted her ex-boyfriend to her presence. Stella was affectionately nuzzling at Rayla’s fingers, a gesture her elven mother encouraged by rubbing the monkey’s nose with her thumb. Stella shut her eyes happily from the mutual affection. Rayla’s violet eyes now fell upon Callum, who had gone stiff the moment he detected the elf's presence. It hurt to see. It hurt to see Callum retreat further and further away from her. He had begun to reciprocate her affections back at Umber Tor but since then, he’d been actively avoiding her.

Rayla broke the silence, asking, “Are you getting enough sleep?”

“Yep. Yep,” said the high mage with a sigh as he turned to face her, “Is there something I can help you with?”

Well, the man wasn't facing her exactly. While Callum was polite enough to not offer the elf his back, his eyes repeatedly glanced away. Rayla’s eyebrows rose, so pained that he wouldn’t look her in the eyes. And yet she couldn’t help but admire him. Callum had grown so handsome in the last few years. Tall and slim with a sharp jawline and the prettiest green eyes of any guy she knew. It took all her self-control to keep from kissing him, to not jump his bones right then and there.

She answered, “I was just checking up on you. You’ve been locked in here so often… I miss you, Callum.”

Callum’s eyes shifted darkly, and Rayla knew she had said the wrong thing.

“Well, you have a funny way of showing it sometimes."

Rayla squirmed at his words, trying desperately not to fight with her ex-boyfriend. It was instinctual for her to throw back sass or a mocking jab, but right now her fiery temper was dampened.

Callum sighed and continued, “Alright, I think I’d like some peace and quiet. I have more volumes to scour.”

“I appreciate what you’re doing,” said the Moonshadow elf, “Really. What you are putting yourself through to get Runaan and my parents out of there. I know you must not want to see Runaan but-I’m grateful.”

Stella chittered a bit before nodding her head and beaming just the same as her Cuddle Mama.

Callum’s voice softened and he said, “I’ll get them out, Rayla.”

There was a moment their eyes finally met and Rayla’s heart nearly shattered. She needed him to look at her again, to look at her with affection. The feeling of being without him left her desperate and empty, and for a moment, she wondered how she had managed the years without him. How stupid she'd been to lose him.

“But…will you be okay?” asked the Moonshadow elf.

“What does it matter? I’m doing my duties, my... high mage duties.”

“I know… I know you're working hard. And I know you don’t think I care but I do. Callum… I still love you. I promised to carry that love over the years. I thought… you would too.”

Callum’s green eyes flashed in anger and he snapped, “Love? You want to talk about love? I did love you, Rayla. I spent the last two years scared and hurt and…”

He paused for a moment before belting out, “You haven’t even apologized! So how can I just pretend nothing happened?”

“I hurt you. I didn’t mean to, but I did. I’m sorry. So so sorry. I just… If I had stayed… I would have… I can’t forget how I was with you back then. I was angry and I took it out on you. I was obsessed and desperate and I would have gotten worse. I had to leave to cool my mind, to find myself, and Callum, I’ll never leave again… if you’ll take me back.”

“I’m glad you’re back,” he said lovingly, his hand recoiling just as it went for her shoulder.

Callum sighed and continued, “But that doesn’t magically make all that pain go away. You broke my heart, Rayla, and you seem just fine. I don’t think I’m ready... I don’t know if I ever will be.”

Rayla’s eyes flashed open in pain. Was he…

“C-Callum?”

His eyes wouldn’t meet hers. His lips remained sealed tight, every moment of silence sending his girlfriend into a panic.

“Please don’t do this… I can do better. Please, I need you.”

“Rayla… I don’t want you to leave but… I can’t be with you. I’m sorry.”

“Oh...” she said as her lips tightened, holding back tears, “I understand. This is my fault.”

She gulped before confessing, “I don’t deserve your love. I never did.”

Rayla covered her mouth as she raced out of the room. Callum suddenly felt his heart stop. It was the tears that had reached him. Being mad at Rayla was one thing, but hurting her was something he never hoped to do. Suddenly, all the anger and all the bitterness that had been confining him to an empty prison broke loose in a dam and out sprang a desperation, something raw and deep that came from a fourteen -year-old Callum that had jumped off a cliff to save her. And now he reached out for her and cried out.

“Wait-Rayla!”

The High Mage ran down the hall as fast as his lithe legs would take him, but it was to no avail. The Moonshadow elf was gone. If he had to guess, Rayla had slipped out of one of the many windows. Callum prepared the words needed to summon his mage wings, to chase after her and yet… It occurred to him he had no idea what to say. He didn’t wish for the elf to go but if she stayed, what would he say if he couldn’t forgive her?

Callum grit his teeth as his own tears came out. His fists tightened painfully before he collapsed onto his knees.

_____________________________________________

One month later…

The search for Claudia had come up empty, yet there was no sign of the Startouch elf’s return. For an elf as powerful as Aaravos, surely his echoes should have been felt throughout Xadia? He had not been as subtle as his old ways when Zubeia dared to speak to him. And so, the Katolis forces were left confused, finding a lull in the eye of the storm. As for the High Mage, he had failed to find a way to release Rayla’s family from the coins. And so, amidst his obsession, he locked himself away in his study, deep in books and knowingly only faint candlelight. It was in those days, he became so consumed by his work that King Ezran found the throne room surprisingly quiet. His brother was deep in machinations, the Moonshadow elf was off doing work for Zubeia, and Soren was leading in coordinated searches with the other human kingdoms. However, all that was about to change for the Crown Guard’s captain was finally due to return.

And he wasn't the only one.

_____________________________________________

Rayla had arrived just a day before the news of Soren's return reached Katolis.

Now, on an especially warm sunrise, Rayla, Ezran, Corvus, and Callum were all gathered together to meet the head of the Crown Guard. Ezran's eyes lit up as he watched his most trusted bodyguard flying in on the back of the crimson Pyrrah. Her talons set wide and dug into the soil as she came to an earth-shattering halt. Soren didn't waste a moment in dismounting. He gave the dragon a thumbs up and then turned his attention towards the welcoming party. He strode forward with his arrogant gait, adorned in his black and white raiment and his luscious blonde locks. As she watched him passively, the Moonshadow assassin found her eyes darting to Soren more than she would have liked. In truth, Rayla wasn’t blind to the fact that Soren had grown even more handsome since she last saw him at the Nexus. Taller too. It was funny to think that once she despised him. But ever since Soren stood up to his father so many years ago, she’d seen her rival in a new light. Even so, what truly grabbed her was just how happy she was to see him. Soren was a lot like Callum now, a bright light luring her in from the edges of her two year exile, two years draped in darkness, trials, and misery. And yet, here Soren was, returning to Katolis with a grin on his face and two arrogant hands on his hips. Still a dumb lump.

Callum smiled brightly at his friend and said, “It’s good to have you back, Soren.”

Soren stepped up briskly in front of the High Mage and Callum blinked in confusion as the knight’s arms started to curl around him

“Uh… Soren, what are you-"

Immediately, he got his answer as Soren’s arms tightened around his back and the young man was lifted off his feet.

“Wha-Okay. We’re doing this again,” was what the high mage uttered in acceptance as he was swooped into a bear hug.

Rayla giggled. She’d missed her boys the last two years. Azymondius, the wee dragon, was large enough to ride. Ezran had grown upwards like the shoot of a seedling, now so tall that it blew her mind. And Callum was… everything she’d hoped. He’d grown strong in her absence too.

Ezran said, “Welcome back. You get any rest over there?”

“Rest? Nah. I’m-I’m full of energy. You just got to get out there and do something.”

As Soren threw a comedic punch into the air, Rayla’s heart nearly stopped. She could tell he was putting on a strong front. Really, it was so obvious with how he bragged and shewed away anyone's doubts as to his mental health. And then it all returned to her. Her guilt. She had aimed a blade at Soren just for trying to give her relationship advice. She’d ditched him in the wilds when he pleaded to her to rescue a drake from a cruel muscley type. Soren’s disappearance after that had the surprising affect of sending Rayla into a spiral of fear, so afraid it was her fault and so afraid the last thing he’d know was her negligence. And when she found him at last beside Rex Igneous, the blond knight had seemed like the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. But much like with Callum, Rayla hadn’t seen much of Soren since that day.

“Um… Hey” said Rayla in a warm but anxious tone, her hands politely tucked together at her waist.

Enough with the “hey!”, Rayla!

She chided herself before trying to regain her dignity. That response had not gone over well with her estranged ex-boyfriend, so why was she resorting to it a second time?

Soren blinked at her with silvery eyes, almost seeming apprehensive, before offering her that stupid cheeky smile of his and opening his arms wide. Oh no. Did he want a hug from her? Rayla froze in her boots. There was no way she could hug him so unprompted. What had come over her anyway? Why couldn’t she hug him? Why had she recoiled back then when he put a hand on her shoulder. It was all platonic, wasn’t it?

“Rayla , my man. My wo-man. Haha!”

“Hey Soren…” she said a bit flustered.

Callum rose an eyebrow at how she shrunk away from the hug, and he and Stella shared a look of bewilderment. As for Soren, he waited for a good ten seconds for the elf to return his hug, an eternity for Rayla who simply smiled at him awkwardly. At last, Soren slumped down to normal in disappointment, and then walked past her. Rayla instantly felt a pang of regret. Soren must have thought she hated him given so much of their past consisted of duels, her giving him sass, and cold shoulders. But that wasn’t true, not to her. If there was one bit of relief, it was when she saw how Soren perked up again as he sauntered on past, his hand lazily pressed down on his sword. And not a moment later, he had Corvus pulled into a deep embrace. At this rate, the elf would be forgotten.

Rayla eyed him with purple irises under concerned brows. The Moonshadow elf needed to apologize, and a talk between them was more than two years overdue.

_____________________________________________

Soren and Callum were standing amid Viren’s library, a title they had both silently agreed to retire after the events of the Storm Spire. The twenty-year-old leaned up lazily against one of the few clear walls not home to a bookshelf. His eyes wandered inquisitively over the state of the high mage’s room. Books were overturned and not returned to their proper shelves. There were empty goblets on the ground, crumpled up balls of parchment, and spilled ink staining the desk.

“No luck finding a way to get those elves out, buddy?” asked Soren, taking on a more grave voice.

“Sadly no… Listen, Soren I need to tell you something and you aren’t gonna like it.”

“Okay. I’m listening”

“Things aren't working. I… I might have to start considering dark magic,” said Callum wearily, bagged eyes falling low.

“Oh…”

“Rayla wouldn’t approve. And I know you don’t. And neither do I. I wanted it banned from Katolis but… Soren, every day they are in there, they're suffering. And Rayla’s suffering. But if I do it… Aaravos, does he win? Am I one step closer to being some pawn in his stupid game?”

Soren said, “Hmm. That’s quite the dilemma. My father’s kind of magic… I’m not a fan. I saw what it did to him. To Claudia. To that prince Kasef. And… I don’t want it taking you.”

Callum crossed his arms defensively at the response, but his eyes seemed in agreement with Soren’s sentiment.

The knight continued, “But if you do go through with it, we’ll support you. And this blue guy Aaravos? He hasn’t won anything. You’ll still be a good guy, Callum.”

“Thanks, Soren.”

“Right? I’m proud of myself for that one. But I think I know a certain elf who could cheer you up even better.”

“Rayla…”

Callum’s eyes fell low. He had barely talked to her all month, only breaking their silence to offer her an update on his research and now he avoided that too. Telling the poor girl that he hadn’t made any progress was demoralizing, it sapped the strength from his body and the way she nodded in understanding was pain inducing. Rayla was already a painful memory, one that now haunted him in the face, promising him a future after stealing it from him. But he’d denied himself the hope she brought, all to escape her curse.

“Heard she had a birthday. The big eighteen. So how did-”

“We broke up, Soren. I mean… technically she broke us up when she left but… I guess she didn’t see it that way.”

“Wait… You dumped Rayla?! Callum, you love her more than anything!”

“I know!” shouted Callum, “But she… I do love her. And I… I think I hate her too.”

The air between them fell into a heavy silence, leaving them both with pained eyes seeping with anger.

At last, the Crownguard let out, “Oh.”

Soren shook his head.

“Buddy, your feelings are totally valid. But I think you’ll just be even more miserable this way. And… what if some other guy comes and takes her? How would you feel about that?”

“What? Soren, it’s not my business if-”

“You’d be jealous wouldn’t you?”

“I… I don’t know. For all I know, was I the only guy for her these last two years?”

“Yeesh,” remarked Soren, “Don’t give her that answer if she asks. Well, I hope you two work it out. At least, become friends again. Still rooting for you two.”

He fired finger guns at Callum before awkwardly backing out of the room. The second he was down the spiraling set of stairs, Soren let out a sigh of exasperation and fell into a more sunken posture. His friends were hurting. Callum and Rayla had never seemed happier than when they were together at the Storm Spire, and they’d made so much progress after Umber Tor. What had gone wrong?

_____________________________________________

Rayla was waiting for Soren at dusk as he began one of his old patrols along the wall. The knight was letting out deep breaths from his jog as he realized the elf was sitting atop the wall’s battlement, one knee pulled into her chest as her hand lay atop it. Her silky white hair was flowing freely, loose and long, as she gazed over the horizon. Her eyes seemed heavily bagged, and she seemed a bit thin. Soren’s eyes blinked in worry. She gazed over at him now and soaked in his appearance. The captain himself seemed a bit thin these days.

“Soren… I was hoping we could talk.”

“Talk?” he asked, not masking his confusion.

“I wanted to apologize. For what happened in the Drakewood. I’ve… I’ve wanted to apologize for a while now, but you left and… and…”

Rayla was holding back tears. For some reason, admitting her mistakes to Soren brought other failures into the center of her mind, forcing her to acknowledge each and every one. Failures in her journey and a failure to love and cherish Callum. In the end, Rayla was nothing but a failure who hurt the people she loved, neither protecting them from foe nor herself.

“Oh that? It’s fine I…”

“It isn’t fine, Soren,” said Rayla exasperatedly, “I know you’re hurting. I see it when you think people aren’t looking. You said you met them. Claudia and Viren. And… you didn’t get them back. They were your family.”

Soren frowned before looking away towards the skyline.

Rayla asked, “Have you let any of it out? Callum always said humans had their ‘Big Feelings Time’ where they…”

Upon hearing the elf say those words, Soren started clutching at his stomach as he let out a belly laugh.

“Haha! Oh man. I’ve… I don’t think my dad was a big fan of that game. Oh. Oh I needed that! Thanks, Rayla.”

He wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.

“That’s it? Do you want to… hug?”

Rayla was disgusted with how merely asking it flustered her. She was overcome with emotion, yet still aware of just how broad Soren’s shoulders were. Although in truth, Callum’s narrow frame remained her favorite but… Before she could dream of her ex, the knight had enveloped her in powerful forearms and boy, was he warm. Strong. Able to snap her in two. The way his hand nestled into her back so tenderly and needily… It was magical. Soren had pulled her in flush against him and oh no… Rayla realized now just how long it had been since she’d had physical affection from something besides a cuddle monkey, how long she‘d been touch starved. She’d wanted Callum to hug her like this… at least more than the one time, and now she’d never get that again. And yet Soren was doing a really good job to satisfy that primal need, much to the elf’s horror.

It was then she felt him hugging even tighter.

“Ack! Soren… You idiot. Yer. Crush. Me!” she said, barely any air left in her lungs.

“Thanks Rayla. I needed this. I… I’m not doing so good.”

Rayla’s amethyst eyes widened in horror before shutting entirely.

“Oh Soren… It’s okay. I have you.”

As his hug softened, Rayla’s arms wrapped around him ever tighter.

“I’m sorry what happened with your family," she began, "and I know… we… I… I abandoned you too.”

“Yeah… I missed you. We used to spar, remember?”

“I do. I remember. I remember you, me, and Callum going on picnics and watching the sunset together… Comforting you when you tossed and turned in your sleep… I… I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I don’t know how I was able to leave. I almost wasn’t but I did. I was gone so long even though I loved Callum. And you meant so much to me. You all did. I… I know I don’t deserve it but…”

Soren’s fingers slid over her cheek, wiping away her frozen tears chilled by an evening wind.

The elf cried out, “I want back. I just want to be home again. And I won’t leave you anymore, Soren. You’re not alone, you hear?”

And with that, his blue eyes trembled and down came the tears.

“Claudia didn’t care…” said Soren, “And Dad wouldn’t talk to me. I begged them to talk. To stay but… they wouldn’t. If I had tried a little harder, would they have…?”

“I don’t know. But what they did was wrong. Leaving you was wrong, Soren.”

Every word to comfort him was a strike against her.

And Rayla realized…

Just how sorry she was.

How much she had hurt Callum.

And Soren.

And Ethari.

And everyone she ever loved.

She was no better than Claudia in the end.

Tears were pouring down the Moonshadow assassin’s face and mixing with those of Soren. Rayla cradled herself in his arms, as he pulled her in even tighter and they both felt the weight of their horrid loneliness lightened at last. Her face was pressed hard against his own, feeling the dampness of his tears and the length of his hair. His hands were sliding exploratively up her back, not sexually, but searching for something to hold onto. He lost all his strength and began to slide down the wall until she was sitting atop of his lap, straddling him. Rayla was blushing but neither was looking for romance. They needed companionship. Stella also seemed to have slipped over Soren’s shoulder to offer him a comforting hand. Like mother like daughter.

Soren said, “I really missed you, Rayla.”

Rayla grabbed him affectionately by the wrist and cradled it in her hand.

She said, “I missed you too, Soren.”

“Do you want to…” he asked suddenly chipper, “Go for a spar?”

“A spar? That sounds fun.”

_____________________________________________

Their duel was a beautiful thing. Rayla’s speed and agility had increased in those two years, but so had Soren’s. She admired it, truly. He had learned so much in those few months they had known each other and so his prowess made the most of it. Soren could effortlessly maneuver from a thrust into a flourish and a slash. Rayla was forced to stay on her toes when he began his onslaught, but she was daring enough to dance as she did, to remind the knight of her elegance in battle. This man was her equal in every way. Afterwards, they headed to the royal court for that night’s banquet and stole as many jelly tarts as they could carry. They smuggled them back up to the castle wall and now began to munch on them, all the while Rayla lay her head on Soren’s armored shoulder. It was strange to her to think there was another man she could be as casually intimate with as she had with Callum.

“Eat it up for Mama,” said Rayla with affection as she handed Stella a chunk of pastry covered in a fruity glaze. The cuddle monkey scurried up to her and nabbed the snack with her four arms. After a quick sniff, Stella offered her mother a loving look of gratitude before her little fangs sunk into her dessert. The Moonshadow elf now turned to watch as Soren wolfed down another tart.

“Huh? Aren’t you full? You stuffing yourself for hibernation, Soren?”

“What no… I... Just love jelly tarts, heh heh.”

Soren gulped down another, nearly choking on it, before gruffly slamming on his chest to help it down the old pipe.

Rayla asked gently, “Easy there, big guy. So… Why do you like being up here? On the walls and such?”

“The walls? I guess it’s just part of my exercise routine. And… it’s quiet. It’s peaceful. It feels good to know you can see everything. That everything is safe but also the worlds’ beauty is right there with you.”

“Huh…” she said mouth slightly agape, “That’s deep. Didn’t think you one for waxing philosophical.”

Rayla jabbed him lightly in the rib with her elbow.

“Well… I try,” he said cheekily.

“You know,” began the ivory-haired woman, “I remember scaling these walls back then. The walls of the enemy… And now I’m beginning to see them as my home. I think… I think this is my home now. Well, I did… I don’t know if Callum wants me here. And if my parents and Runaan get out… I wonder if I should go with them back to the Silvergrove?”

“That’s up to you, elf,” said the knight, “But… Between you and me, I want you here.”

“Do you now?”

“Yeah…”

“You’re sweet,” said Rayla, “I was wrong about you, Soren. So very wrong. I… I really like you.”

“I-I like you too. You’re… being awfully nice. Where’s the sassy Rayla we all know?”

His head was dangerously close to her own as he teased.

“Shut up,” she said with a laugh before she slid up onto his chest. She wasn’t sure what was pulling her in, but it reminded her of how she instinctively pressed a hand to Callum’s chest as they kissed atop the Ambler. Soren seemed to feel the same way because his arms wrapped tightly around her back. Rayla reached for his lips. She knew she shouldn’t. She already had a man she loved and to kiss Soren was a horrible mistake for her grieving heart. This man was Callum’s best friend. And he was her own too. Both had been her very best friends in a world that had felt all too lonely. Could she do this?

Nonetheless, no matter how afraid she was, Rayla couldn’t stop herself from leaning forward still. His lips seemed to draw her in, so soft-looking and inviting, promising her a taste of romance. Soren shut his eyes and Rayla did the same, melting into his arms as the kiss deepened. Rayla let out a moan of ecstasy. She’d needed to be kissed over the last few years. As their lips parted, Rayla looked down at Soren, at his sapphire eyes brimming with joy. She couldn’t help but smile at what they had done, and…

Then she freaked the hell out.

“Moon! What did I-? What did you-? I’m so sorry, Soren. I shouldn’t have… I should have asked... I…”

“Don’t go…” he said weakly, “I want you here.”

“Huh? I… Okay.”

His arms had remained locked around her desperately sealing her in a prison of heat and desire. She leaned up against him and lay kisses on his neck, feeling the scruff of his beard itch at her soft cheek. He was so different than Callum. Tall, muscular, hairy, and rugged. Callum was also tall but he was equally lithe, with soft skin and a beauty to him. And both were alluring to her in their own way, making her feel loved and warm. Did that mean she had feelings for Soren too? Was that possible? It wasn’t unheard of to take two husbands in the Silvergrove, but humans had no such couplings in Katolis, and Ethari and Runaan wouldn’t have shared their partner in a million years, so where did that leave her?

Then again, Callum wasn’t hers anymore, now, was he? And he’d never be hers ever again thanks to her cruelty. And if she was so quick to fall in love again, then she truly never did deserve Callum’s heart. There was a certain relief in knowing she could never again hurt him, but it was bittersweet at best, masking a deep heartache.

Rayla snuggled again into Soren, letting her hands wander over his chest. And to her despair, her hips that had never stopped straddling him started to instinctively gyrate. Soren was growing “excited” himself and Rayla felt her mind wanting to go all the way, to a place of fevers and kisses. But she wouldn’t. She fought back the need that had been eating at her for years. She drew herself up to her feet now and looked down at Soren awkwardly. Rayla frowned a bit, begging for Soren to say something.

“Well?”

“That was…” began the handsome knight, “Unexpected. I liked it. But… I also don’t want to hurt your chances with Callum.”

He was still so sweet. Not wishing to hurt either of his friends. Soren was a man of sacrifice, even when it came to matters of love.

“Soren, I can’t-”

“It’s alright, Rayla. Really.”

It wasn’t alright.

“Perhaps we should give it some time to process,” said Rayla.

“It’s fine, Ray. I’m backing off. For now. One day, I might just give it another shot.”

Rayla watched him wink. That arrogant wink that always made her roll her eyes was making her heart flutter madly right now. Even worse, her cheeks were smattered pink.

“If so, I might just give it another shot too, big guy.”

“If it’s Callum though… It’s alright, Rayla. Really.”

Rayla smiled affectionately at him, reaching out with a pale hand. The scratch of his beard enamored her as she cradled his cheek for a moment.

He really was the sweetest.

_____________________________________________

Several days later…

Rayla sat atop a chair, eyes focused on sharpening her blades with a whetstone. The Moonshadow elf paused her task for a moment to watch as Stella danced around the room, climbing every surface and hanging by her tail at times to lazily peer down at her cuddle mama from the chandelier. Rayla smiled up at her lovingly. The little cuddle monkey enjoyed their moments together, but these days she was often gone playing with Bait. And really, she’d taken a liking to everyone in the “dragang” as Soren called them. They were one big family. All except for the elf. Rayla wondered if she’d ever feel fully a part of it as long as Callum hated her.

Her ears flickered at she heard the sound of rapidly approaching boots. Each tap was quick and excited, the runner ready to trip over their own feet. The feel of the vibrations was light like a feather… Callum. He was running towards her room and fast. Rayla gulped as the door flew open and Callum found himself gawking at Rayla with her pants halfway down her knees. Callum blushed at the sight of her bare curvy legs while the Moonshadow elf remained wide-eyed and frozen.

Rayla said, “Ah… Well, at least it can’t get any more embarrassing. Oh no. Not the irony.”

The soldier Marcos jogged up to Callum and said between breaths, “High Mage, why did you run off-Oh. I’ll come back later.”

Marcos, squirming and red, marched awkwardly back the way he had come. The elf was equally beet red. Her interactions with that man were always memorable, if for the wrong reasons. As for her ex-boyfriend…

Callum blushed furiously before spinning around, gazing out the hall but showing no sign of leaving.

He asked, “Um… Rayla… Sorry for barging in but also you’ll absolutely want to hear this.”

“Mah pants are up. Speak away.”

“Okay,” he said while cheerfully clapping his gloved hands together, “So I’ve found it. I know how to get your family out of the coins!”

“Wha-?!”

He ran into her bedchambers, eyes lit up like a child at a birthday party, seeming to forget his resentment against her. Callum was “dorking” out shamelessly and he was proud of himself. In that moment, Rayla’s love of him was mixed with utter relief knowing Runaan and the others would finally be out of that hellish prison. She leapt up and threw her arms around Callum. The mage smiled radiantly as they embraced, deepening the hug.

“I… I missed you, Rayla.”

“I missed you too, Callum.”

“Okay so… This is great news and all but… Um, can we talk alone? Er... not in front of the kid?”

“Stella baby, give us just a wee sec?”

Stella chirped obediently and Rayla swore she gave them both a knowing look before she skittered out of the room. Callum ran a hand through his hair timidly, immediately regretting it as his flawlessly-kempt hair became far messier.

He looked away awkwardly as he resumed his chattering, “Bad news is that I only found out how to do it with dark magic.”

“Oh… That’s not so good.”

“Right? Very bad and well… Rayla, I’m willing to do it. I am. Getting your family back is worth it.”

“But Callum… You’ve been so worried about Aaravos. What if… What if this is just what he wants? You despise Dark Magic. I can’t ask this… Not even for them.”

“Yes, you can. And I’ll be fine… I think.”

“Callum, I’m so grateful. And I’m so sorry. It’s not right you have to do something you dislike so bad just to save them.”

“It happens,” he said as his voice took on a deeper tone, “You’re not a killer Rayla. But even you… With Zym. You chose to do that to save him and sometimes to do the right thing, we have to forsake our morals. As long as we don’t make a habit of it… Perhaps we’re not really on that path of darkness.”

She watched as his eyes took on a darker hue, and for a moment, her mind struggled to understand how such words had left innocent Callum’s lips. Even so, they struck true.

“I hope so. But with you Callum… I know you’ll do the right thing in the end. Even so, be careful. I don’t want you falling into another deathly fever again. If you decide not to do this, I’ll be relieved.”

“And you’ll be mortified knowing they’re still stuck in there. I know. But I’ve chosen to do it as High Mage. I just need some time to… To prepare. To think.”

“That's more than fair,” said Rayla.

“But… Rayla, happy birthday.”

“Huh?”

Callum rubbed the back of his hair and said, “I know. I know. I’m a month late and I never wished you one. I guess I was mad at you for not wishing me one, but I always intended to give you a present. To give you the best present I could give you. A family.”

“Oh Callum… Thank you.”

“Rayla… I know I broke your heart back then. But I’ve been thinking about it, and I’ve been dying without you. I miss you so bad. I’m not sleeping anymore. I miss your jokes. The way we bonded over my silly magical rambling. The way you teased me. The way you supported and kissed me. I haven’t been myself since you left two years ago, and I still don’t feel like me.”

Rayla coyly ran a hand through her white locks and asked, “Do you mean… You’ll take me back?”

“I’m asking if you’ll takemeback.”

“Callum! Yes! A thousand times yes. All month, I’ve just been pining and sulking.”

Callum’s slender but muscled arms wrapped around her back and his hug felt spectacular. Her head rested on his shoulder, and she took in his scent. The smell of dusty old books, of jelly tarts, and some sort of spices. Her dorky mage boyfriend was back. But then a bitter revelation struck her. Rayla was no good for him. The guilt was stifling as she realized either way a man would be hurt. And she’d have to tell Callum the truth. There could be no more lies if this relationship was to have a chance.

“But…” she said as she pulled away from him, “I can’t. Callum, I did something and you’re going to hate me again. And I deserve it. I really am the worst.”

“Did what? Is this about Soren?”

“About-Wha?”

“I have guards, Rayla. I know you are spending time with him. And cuddling and all that.”

“You knew?”

“Well, I figured you’d been crushing on him for a while now. The way you were so desperate to find him in the Drakewoods and how sad you got when he left.”

“I-It wasn’t-I wasn’t.” she spazzed, face utterly mortified as it had been back when Runaan learned she’d spared Marcos.

Callum took her four fingers into his five and said, “I’m not mad, Rayla. I… I don’t really care. I mean I was pissed at first. Like, it’s one of the reasons I was avoiding you lately. But now, I just want you back. I don’t mind sharing but I need to know you won’t leave me for him. That… I’m enough whether or not he’s around.”

“Of course, you are. But what are you saying? Callum, you should still be furious. Jealous. Angry. If you were in love with someone else, I’d be devastated. I was dreading it the whole time. Afraid Claudia would come back and steal you away from me or it’d be someone new. Ready to split them up the spine if you asked to share.”

“Wow, you have an active imagination. And I’m not interested in anyone else. That’s not what this is about. This is about whether you’ll come back.”

“Yes. Callum, a thousand times yes.”

He pulled her into his arms again and then Rayla reached beneath his chin, propping it up with a thumb and she kissed the man of her dreams. Her soulmate. Her everything. The kiss was deep. Her hand groped at his firm chest as they shared a tender kiss, one of a hundred they’d enjoyed together since the Oasis. Oh, how the feeling of his body drove her wild with lust! She was laying mad kisses up and down his neck. Pushing him onto the bed to kiss him deeper… and soon they were cuddled up against each other, gazing out the window at a full moon. Rayla lay huddled against his chest, a hand resting on his other pec as she drifted off to sleep. In that moment, her world was restored to her. Well, mostly.

There was no way she could risk Callum's offer no matter how much he promised it was safe. She only hoped Soren would understand.

_____________________________________________

The time came for gathering magical ingredients or more specifically, for beginning a wild hunt. The dark magic in question called for a great number of things, few cheap or easy to acquire, and many were only found in Xadia. All that now remained, was a rare bushel of fruit and sets of enchanted antlers found on an elusive breed of Xadian deer, one needed for each coin. The Dragon Queen had been gracious. While she vehemently disagreed with their usage of forbidden magic, she made a sole exception as the family to be rescued were victims of dark magic curses. Even more, these imprisoned elves belonged to the hero Rayla who had personally saved her little boy Zym. As such, the knights of Katolis were given permission to hunt their game in the Drakewood. But never again would Zubeia allow such evil to be willingly conducted in her territory.

Soon night came upon them, and Callum, Rayla, and Soren began to set up camp.

Soren stretched his legs and flexed his back. “Oh wow. Look. At. That. Sky. Beautiful. Nothing beats the fresh outdoors, huh, gang?”

Rayla retorted mockingly, “Well, why don’t you stay out here while Callum and I take the nice warm tent then, big guy?”

“Oh! Don’t tempt me with a good time. While you have a good time!” cooed Soren with finger guns.

Rayla blushed and asked, “Wha-?”

“Just pulling your leg. But for real, you guys enjoy the tent. The sleeping bag suits me. Enjoy your couples time.”

His blue eyes grew soft at the pair of them.

Rayla said, “Soren… I don’t know…”

“Get in here, Soren,” said Callum bluntly, “We’re a trio. We stick together. Or you’ll get nabbed by another dragon.”

“Yeah,” said the Moonshadow elf, “I’m not letting you leave my sight again. Not after the Drakewood.”

“Rayla, that was…”

“I’m not losing you again.”

Her voice had a desperate edge to it, free of her usual sarcasm. Soren nodded and slipped into the tent with the both of them. Rayla gulped a bit as the tent was more cramped than she expected. Human royal tents were supposed to be bigger than this right? Stella was off in the corner, comfortably resting with her back on Bait’s side, and even they were so close that Rayla’s tippy toes could poke them. But the real issue was being between the two men she loved. The elf decided to turn towards Callum and wrap her arms around him, kissing him on the lips goodnight and snuggling in his arms. Rayla close her eyes immediately to ease the awkwardness of it all, a part of her regretting that Soren had to see this. She wondered if she should go back to sleeping in a more platonic position.

Soren broke the long silence by confessing, “So… Don’t be mad but I uh… I can’t fall asleep. You guys do know it’s only like 8 pm, right?”

“Soren, you-Actually, that’s a pretty good point,” admitted Rayla, a hand beneath her chin.

Callum said, “Yeah. I’m not falling asleep for hours. Especially with those drakes screaming out there like its mating season.”

Rayla scoffed and swatted his shoulder playfully.

The knight said, “Oh! I hope I run into my girl.”

Callum asked, “Your girl?”

Rayla sighed and said in a deadpan tone, “It’s probably just gonna be a dragon.”

“Ding! We have a winner. It’s a drake and she is my friend.”

Rayla said, “A friend eh? Maybe if we put some honey on you in the morning, we can-”

Oh no. She was imagining covering Soren’s bare muscles coated in honey… Why did all their platonic humor now feel so wrong after the kiss? She missed their bromance and morning duels with all their chaste glory.

Callum said somberly, “Actually, there is something I want to talk about. That we haven’t talked about, Rayla. Soren, can hear it too.”

“Wha-? Wait…” began Rayla, “Is this Big Feelings Time?”

“Yep. Big Feelings Time.”

“Ugh… fine,” replied the elf, defeated hand resting on her cheek, “I suppose I owe you that much.”

“You do,” said Callum with an assertive finger, “You said you were gonna put an effort to start talking about what’s aching you and… Rayla, there’s no way you aren’t feeling things. Getting Runaan back? Your parents? You haven’t seen them since you were a kid. It must be a lot on your mind.”

Rayla dug her nails into the blanket and turned to him, asking, “That’s what you’re worried about?”

“Sorry that I’m worried about my girlfriend who still won’t talk to me about what’s hurting her.”

The elf’s teeth clamped together before she lashed out, “Me? What about you? How can you be so cool about this, Callum? Runaan… What he did to your dad… And you, Soren! Harrow was your king too. Ezran’s father… None of you say anything. You're allowed to be bothered by it. To be mad.”

Soren’s eyes lowered as he answered, “Rayla, I’m happy for you. I don’t have to like the guy. But it’s fine. What he went through is punishment enough for what he did to my king.”

Callum said, “I’m not happy to see him either, Rayla, but I am happy to help restore a piece of your broken heart. When you came back, I was so mad. All I could think about was the pain you put me through. And now? And now I’m starting to think of other things. What you went through… What this means to you. I want to make it hurt less, Rayla. I love you.”

“I love you too, my moon” sung Rayla with a kiss on his lips.

Soren said, “I want to help too. I wouldn’t have done something like this otherwise. So, Rayla, how are you feeling?”

Rayla’s eyes lowered as she contemplated for a second what to say. It needed to be earnest or Callum’s trust in her would wane.

“I… I don’t know if Runaan hates me or not. I always thought that he’d survive… Get away. That he was holding back when we fought. But if he’s been alive in that prison... suffering… Has he come to hate me? I wouldn’t blame him.”

“Runaan doesn’t hate you," answered the mage.

“I hate me though… He was my father and he loved me like I was his own. I see that now. I don’t regret going with you and Ezran to save the egg but… I can never apologize enough to him. I was an ungrateful daughter. Yearning for parents, pushing him into training me when I was a wee girl just so I wasn’t so alone, and then abandoning his Ethari the last two years to grieve alone. Right when he put his trust in me, I betrayed him. And he was starved, tortured, and sealed away horrifically because of me.”

Rayla’s talons dug into her skull as she said, “Sometimes at night, I… I feel his hands wrapping around my throat and pulling me into that sea of souls. They remind me of my sins, they drag me into a grave and I wonder if… If I’m finally getting what I deserve.”

“That’s enough, Rayla!” shouted Callum as he pulled her into his chest.

Soren put a comforting hand on her shoulder and said, “He’s right. That’s enough of these… dark thoughts. I still have nightmares you know, about the day I killed… my dad. It wasn’t real but… it felt real. And it was eating at me and you know what I did?”

“What?” asked Rayla.

“I trained. I exercised. I did my duties as captain. And I laughed and ate with all my friends. I stayed where I was loved. This is where you are loved.”

“S-Soren…?” asked Rayla with a blush.

“Oh um… I didn’t mean…”

Callum said, “I know, Soren. I saw you with her and I don’t care. I just want Rayla to be fine again. So… you better be there for her too.”

Soren blinked in confusion, as did Rayla.

They asked in harmony, “What?”

Callum kissed Rayla hard on the lips again and pulled her back in his arms. Soren moved his arms hesitantly forward, freezing as if worried that touching a finger on Rayla would destroy everything he loved. At last, he lay his chest on her back and his arms wrapped around her waist. Rayla moaned and winced from the sensation, turning to receive his own kiss. She felt her heart racing as if the jaws of Sol Regem were behind her. She was in bliss being sandwiched between these two gorgeous men, bodies radiating like furnaces and spoiling her in hugs and kisses. Ambushed in the front and from behind, Rayla felt her body wanting to give into a type of pleasure there was no coming back from. She fought to resist it, simply enjoying how they kissed her and slid hands along her back, front, and legs. It was hard to cry and be sad when Soren and Callum enveloped her in so much love.

“Beautiful elf,” said Soren into her ear.

“Handsome boys,” she answered softly, growling right as she tugged on the High Mage’s ear.

Callum said, “Rayla… I love you.”

Her lips pressed again to his own.

“I love you too, Callum. And I love you too, Soren.”

That night, Rayla slept happily sweet and sound, with gentle breaths and a pleased smile on her face. Her little girl Stella lay asleep on her chest, all six limbs sprawled out. As for her two lovers, they were laying on her shoulders, arms overlapping on her stomach. Soren and Callum were close, and she found some solace that night, knowing soon her family would only grow larger. Runaan, Tiadrin, and Lain would be freed and then… And then she’d have to explain to them why she had two human boyfriends.

END

#Sorayllum #Rayllum #Sorayla #The Dragon Prince #One-shot #Callum x Rayla #Soren x Rayla #Rayla x Soren #OT3 #poly relationship #Because Rayla has two hands and deserves two boyfriends

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ask-runaan-anything · 4 years ago

Note

Hi Runaan! Btw it's my birthday on Dec 15 and a birthday wish from my fav assassin would make my day - but anyway I was wondering if we could have a story? I love the stories on these blogs and I've been wondering about right before you left for your mission. I know Ethari told you Rayla shouldn't go, but I'd like the full story. Like, did Ethari approve of the motives? The targets? What did the assassin team think? I basically just want to hear about the preparation.

Happy birthday, little shadow. I wish you a day of peace and joy, and may you be most content.

Will you truly find contentment in these dark and angsty details? *shakes head* Humans have very strange birthday traditions, indeed. But very well. Rayla has patiently instructed me that birthday wishes are very important, so if this is your wish, then you should have it.

Enjoy your extra helping of angst, then.

The news of the humans’ vile attack at the Storm Spire reached the Silvergrove with hurricane force and took us all by storm. We were all angry, sorrowful, and ashamed that two of our most honorable elves had apparently fled, abandoning their precious duty. I had to stand before the Queen of the Dragons and let her rage and shout at my friends, at my choices, at my faulty judgment in sending them to her. My eardrums nearly burst under the force of her fury. I knew she would get to her point eventually, and I knew what that point would be, but the leader of the Moonshadow assassins does not interrupt the Queen of the Dragons, even on a good day. And that was not a good day. So I let her continue, and I took her thunderous words with an agonized heart and stubborn silence.

I didn’t realize Rayla had followed me out into the forest until she shouted--shouted--at Queen Zubeia to stop tangling my hair with her fury. I nearly had a heart attack when the queen whipped her head toward Rayla and growled. I knew what she was seeing: the living child of her egg’s failed defenders. And in her state of mind--her grief and fury--she might’ve done something we would all would regret.

I did the only thing I could think of to distract the angry dragon from taking tragic revenge. I drew my swords on her and called her out. “Justice belongs to the Moonshadow elves, Queen Zubeia, not to you. If you take one innocent life in revenge for another, that is not justice.”

She glanced back at me, and I could feel the volcano of emotions seething in her eyes. Rayla froze across the clearing.

Queen Zubeia’s tail lashed out, a lazy whip of deadly muscle. I did my best to avoid its full strike, but even the most agile of assassins will have a hard time defending against an adult arch-dragon. For my backtalk, I ended up tumbled in a heap, feeling my shirt soak through. Before I could even think about getting back to my feet, Rayla was standing over me, her hands in fists, staring up at the enraged dragon.

I held one of Rayla’s ankles, in case this was the end. I wanted her to know that I was still with her. Queen Zubeia roared down at us, but Rayla didn’t flinch. I barely heard her words over the ringing in my ears as she said, “I’ll go with him. I’m an assassin, too. Let me prove myself, to both of you.”

“Rayla, no....”

Rayla knelt by my side and pulled off her hoodie, pressing it against my wounds. I was proud and relieved to see that she wasn’t scared, only handling things as best she could.

“This idea has merit,” the queen said. “Runaan, your expert opinion?”

Rayla was well trained. I’d seen to it myself. And taking her on a mission of revenge was slightly safer than letting Queen Zubeia bite her in half right in front of me. I’d managed to finagle a second option. I’d get no chance to force a third. “She is worthy.”

The queen’s toothy smile was the darkest thing I’d ever seen. “Then you will take this dishonored assassin with you. You will travel to Katolis and take its king, in retribution for his murder of my husband.” Her great blue eyes flickered toward Rayla and back to me again. “And you will take its crown prince as well, in retribution for the murder of my son.”

I felt her words burn into me. The deed was done, the mission given.

Rayla gasped. “But he just said that taking one innocent life in revenge for another isn’t justice,” she blurted.

“Perhaps not for the Queen of the Dragons,” Zubeia purred. “But you are assassins. You are Justice. If Runaan wishes to play at merciful compromises, then he had better bring his best game, little elfling. Now, you’d best tend to him before he bleeds out. I fear this mission will fail if his chosen successor has to lead it.... considering...”

Zubeia departed in a thunderous rush of wind, and Rayla used all her years of training to patch me up. She hadn’t even gotten me back to the village before my assassins rushed over to help.

All was chaos for some while, and I admit I don’t remember all of it. But I woke safe at home in my bed, with Ethari bending worriedly over me. He kissed my forehead, and then my hands, and he murmured, “What have you done, my heart?”

I had to tell him. Rayla didn’t understand enough of the subtleties. I had to save Rayla, and the cost of that was bringing her to Katolis with me--and taking an innocent prince, in her place. It was the best I could do, but Ethari was devastated.

He asked me to explain it again and again, hoping for a different story, a loophole. But the binding ribbon is smooth and has no loops. I was tied down, and so was Rayla. There is no way to release one’s duty as an assassin, save for death itself.

Ethari is a gentle elf. He drapes his workshop in pretty stones and drenches it with light. He plays music, and he dances, and he laughs freely. He is pure and precious, and I’ve worked hard to help him remain as soft and gentle as possible, despite his ardent fondness for an unlucky assassin leader. But this... this chaos burst through his workshop door and slapped him across the face. Neither of us could hide or disguise it anymore. Death was always present in the Silvergrove. It has always shadowed me. But after that it moved into the tree house with us, and it brought its friends: Shame, Sorrow, and Heartbreak.

I healed up, on the outside. But none of us truly healed within, not with the mission looming over us all. I was bound to Queen Zubeia’s will, and through me, my assassins... and my craftsman... and my newest squad member, Rayla. Binding ribbons for us all, ghosts of promises past, of loyalty and trust tightening in the face of disaster.

Ethari set to work making Rayla the best swords he could. He worked for weeks to make them perfect, and he hid in his workshop and hammered away his bone-deep fears for her future.

Rayla trained endlessly, eager to prove herself even more than she had in the past, and I had to encourage that. I had no intention of letting her anywhere near Prince Ezran, and I knew I’d have to take King Harrow myself, for Queen Zubeia’s satisfaction. But Rayla still needed to come with us, and that meant she had to be as ready as the rest of us were--on the outside, at least.

My assassins accepted the mission to Katolis readily. They accepted Rayla’s presence as a complex part of the arrangement, as well. Balancing one life with another is very Moonshadow, and so is balancing one death with another. The Moon is never afraid to go dark. It does so every month. For the sake of the murdered Dragon Prince, they understood the heavy balance in taking the prince of Katolis. And all the Silvergrove agreed that it was better to take an innocent human life than an innocent elven one. A distant life instead of Rayla’s, whom they all knew. They believed that I’d chosen well in sparing her.

I did not think so. I had only done my best to save Rayla’s life. But that only shifted the queen’s rage. Someone innocent was still going to die. And I was going to be the one to take that life. That was the price I was going to pay to save Rayla.

I was relieved beyond words to find a way to avoid paying that price. Ezran himself showing me the egg of the Dragon Prince was a clear sign that several things were dangerously out of alignment. But the binding ribbons were on by then.

The last few weeks before my team left for Katolis seemed to take years. Ethari thought he was hiding his tears better than he truly was. I had no time for tears at all. Rayla and my assassins were in mission prep. And the Silvergrove woke each morning under a heavy fog of dark anticipation.

The loss of the egg of the Dragon Prince lay at Lain and Tiadrin’s feet. My assassins, my best friends. I’d sent them to the Storm Spire. I needed to remedy their mistake myself. As an assassin, as a Moonshadow elf, as their friend, and as the soft-hearted fool who’d taken in their daughter when they left, their supposed failure was my mistake to fix.

The weight of all of Xadia’s expectations--their sorrow, rage, and thirst for vengeance--rested on my shoulders, every morning, every day, until that mission was complete. I became the linchpin in the mechanism that would deliver justice to a sorrowing land. I could not fail, I could not falter, not for an instant, not by a hairsbreadth. Not in the five months before we left Xadia, not when Rayla let Marcos live, not when she tried to stall me from the tower, and not when my assassins fell around me.

Xadia was waiting. The Silvergrove was waiting. Ethari was waiting. Everyone needed it to be over.

It’s a good thing my hair is already white.

#ask runaan #runaan answers #story time #angst #silvergrove #runaan #ethari #rayla #zubeia #i really must wonder if this will make you happy on your birthday #but i hope so #happy birthday again

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iwillhaveamoonbase · 4 years ago

Text

The Long Game ch. 2

Rayla glared a bit at her reflection in the mirror. How could she look just like herself and look nothing like she always did at the same time? Her horns were gone, her skin lacking the pink undertones, and she had the human pinkos. No…pinkies. They were called ‘pinkies.’ Her hair had yellow in it now and her lavender eyes were now a piercing blue. She hated it. Even her voice had lost it’s Silvergrove accent. She had spent the whole six months trying to get rid of it only for the powerful illusion to take care of it for her. Rayla quirked a lip as she remembered how she had reacted to that back at Lujanne’s. Lujanne had taken the whole thing as a learning process, that she was capable of losing her accent, but Rayla had been frustrated with the situation.

Rayla put a hand under her bare eye. She was sorely missing the dye normally under her eyes. She felt naked without it. The dye…she hadn’t been able to bring any with her and the design she chose….it had been a variant of the one her parents had put on her.

Rayla wasn’t foolish. She knew why the Assassins Guild had approved Runaan’s plan so easily and why no one but Ethari had opposed the idea. It didn’t matter if she died in the process; she was here to make up for her parents’ disgrace. “You two just had to run away…”

Rayla turned her head to look around the lavish room. She had hoped that King Harrow would take her in and give her a place among the palace staff. Easy to hide, easy to maneuver. That’s not what was happening, apparently. The room was right next to Prince Callum’s if she had heard correctly because she had asked for a view of the moon. Rayla walked around the room. It was too big, the balcony too ostentatious. She needed the moonlight to continue to charge the talisman, but she didn’t need all this. The dark purple stone had been created by all the mages of Silvergrove and crafted by Ethari. Lunjanne had added her own illusion magic and the power of the Moon Nexus had made it even stronger. It had to be perfect. She had to be perfect.

The moon was slowly rising, signaling the end of the day. Dinner had been awkward to say the least. They had done introductions and Viren had glared at her the whole time. His son, Soren, had stared at her for most of the time. Rayla was used to people staring at her, but this was different. All she knew was she didn’t like it. One of the princes, Callum, had also stared at her most of the night. But, his look had been different than Viren’s suspicious one and Soren’s….whatever that was. Callum looked at her with pure confusion. Did he see through the illusion? Lujanne had warned her that incredibly magically sensitive beings would be able to see through it, but that shouldn’t count a human, right? Right?

As she stepped onto the balcony, she sighed at the cool breeze that came over her. She heard a scritch-scatching to her right and turned her head to see Callum drawing the half moon. The moonlight was hitting the planes of his face and his green eyes almost looked like they were glowing. When he looked up again, she saw the emergence of a sharp jawline; something that would come as he grew older. He was a lot more handsome than her initial perusal had indicated. “Drawing the night sky, Your Highness?”

He yelped, startled out of his thoughts. “Oh! Rayla, right?”

She quirked a brow. “Yep.”

“Sorry. I just…get into a groove, I guess.”

“Don’t let me keep you from your ‘groove.’”

Callum gave her a soft smile, before turning back to his sketchbook. They sat in silence for a bit, Rayla perfectly content to stare at the stars. After some time, Callum nervously coughed. “Do you want to see?”

“Sure.” Before Callum could hand the sketchbook over to her, Rayla got on the ledge of her balcony and jumped onto his. He looked shocked for a moment, unsure. “Everything OK?”

“Yeah. I’ve just never done that before. I don’t think I’d have the confidence to not fall to my death.”

Rayla shrugged. “You need good control and balance. It’s not that tricky once you get those two things.” Callum had a look of disbelief on his face, but showed her the sketchbook. Rayla’s eyes went wide as she stared at the picture. Callum had indeed drawn the moon, craters and all, but he had also drawn her. There was a peaceful expression on her face. “I didn’t realize you were drawing me.”

“Sorry. I should have asked first.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m amazed you would pick me to draw.”

“It was hard not to. I have a feeling you don’t often feel as at peace as you did right then.”

“What makes you say that?”

Callum shrugged. “Just a feeling. Maybe I’m projecting. I don’t feel at peace very often myself.”

“Really?”

Callum nodded. “The king is my step-father and he’s been great, but our relationship isn’t really the parent-child one I want.”

“And your biological father?”

“Dead. Has been since I was about a year old. And my mom died about ten years ago.”

Rayla was quiet for a few moments. “I don’t know where my parents are. I was raised by their friends.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s for the best.”

Callum looked away for a bit. “You said your village is gone?”

“Yeah.”

“And it was elves?”

Rayla shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe. I don’t really know. Everything’s a little fuzzy.” Callum let it drop, but he turned his eyes back to her. There was that look again. “What?”

“What?”

“You’re looking at me like you’re confused.”

Callum flushed a bit. “Sorry.” He apologized too easily, Rayla decided. He tried to make himself small and unnoticed. Why? Weren’t humans supposed to be arrogant? “I don’t know how to explain it, but when I look at you, something’s…off.”

“‘Off?’”

“I don’t know. I asked Soren and Claudia and they both said you’re just really pretty and I’m not used to it.”

Rayla blinked twice. “What do you think?”

The light flush on his cheeks became a dark red. “I mean, you are quite pretty, but I don’t think that’s it.”

“What do you think it is, then?”

Callum stood up, so he was almost at her height. He was about an inch shorter than her, their eyes almost meeting directly. His lips were a lot fuller than she had thought. He tilted his head, an intense look directed right at her. “Do you dye your hair? Claudia does.”

“No.” Rayla gulped. He was too close. Could he hear her heart beating loudly? Why was it beating so fast? What was happening? She had to get out of here! “Sorry, but it’s late. I think I’ll head to bed.”

“Of course. Good night.” Rayla quickly turned and got on the railing to jump back onto her balcony. She turned her head to see Callum still looking at her with that same intense look. She gave him a quick wave and closed the balcony doors. Rayla leaned against the door, putting a hand to her chest. Why was her heart threatening to beat out of her chest? Was she almost caught? No….That hadn’t been it. Prince Callum was dangerous to her mission. That she knew.

----------------------------------------------

“Harrow! We can’t trust her!”

Harrow pinched the bridge of his nose as Viren continued to denounce his commitment to Rayla. “We must care for all of our citizens.”

“Prove to me she’s one of our citizens! There has been nothing about what she claims! No villages have been attacked. NOTHING!”

“Viren, there could be a million reasons why her story isn’t adding up. What if she hit her head and this is the story her mind’s put together? We’ll help her find her home. If there is no home, I’ll give her one until she’s ready to leave.”

“This is a mistake. We can’t just take anyone in! Do we want a repeat of Duren? You don’t think things through enough when you’re trying to be compassionate.”

Harrow grit his teeth. “Let’s make something clear. I take full responsibility for what we had to do in Xadia. I lost my wife because I didn’t think ahead enough. My sons have to grow up without their mother! But I will not leave someone in need. I am trying to build a world that will accept the love and compassion that is so strong in Ezran.”

“Ezran?”

“His heart is far purer than mine ever was. He forgives easily and is incredibly understanding. He’ll be a better king than I am. But, I have to show compassion and understanding as well.”

“Harrow, listen to me-”

“The subject of Rayla is closed. She stays unless she proves she cannot be trusted.”

Viren growled low in his throat, quickly leaving the room. Harrow sighed as he leaned against his chair. Pip began to sing, the melody almost cheerful.

---------------------------------------------

The next morning, Rayla followed Callum and Soren as they went to do their lessons. Callum looked completely unenthused while Soren kept sending smirks her way. What was with this blonde idiot? She watched Soren basically not teach Callum much of anything, except to expect to fall down. Which, would have been fine if he was also teaching Callum how to get up quickly. “Can I interject?”

Soren gave her a cocky grin. “No offense, but what does someone from a farming village know about swords?”

Rayla wracked her brain for the excuse Lujanne and her had come up with. “I’ve seen the military practice often enough. Besides, you don’t think children pretend to play with swords?”

Soren shrugged, handing her his sword. Rayla shook her head, taking Callum’s from the ground. “You’re not teaching him right.”

“With all due respect, I’m teaching him fine.”

“You’re teaching him to expect to fail but not how to get back up. In other words, you’re screwing with his confidence. That’s not teaching.” Rayla lunged forward, Soren barely able to block it. “His mother used a lance. Train him on that.” Soren pushed back, shock on his face as Rayla spun and used his own force against him so that he leaned forward, almost losing his balance. “Not everyone is made for the same thing.” Soren spun to face her. They traded blows, but it was obvious to all that Rayla was the superior swordsman. She was too light on her feet and knew when to add the right amount of power. She also knew when to back off, which was ultimately Soren’s downfall as she finally swept his legs out from under him, landing him on his back.

“You-You SWEPT THE LEG!” Callum exclaimed. Rayla smirked over at him. She wanted his attention on her, she realized. She wanted his praise.

“That’s not a thing in sword fighting!” Soren groaned from the ground.

“Apparently it is.” Everyone looked up to see Harrow, Viren, and Opeli at the entrance to the courtyard. “Rayla, you have a lot of talent in sword fighting.”

“I played a lot as a kid with fake weapons.” Viren raised a brow as Opeli looked her up and down.

“Perhaps, you would be better suited to training Callum.”

More time with Callum? BAD IDEA. He wasn’t suspicious of her, but he saw through the illusion, in some way he knew it was there. Rayla turned to see Callum looking at her. There was hope in his gaze instead of confusion. How could she refuse him when he looked at her like that? “I would be honored, Your Majesty.” She briefly curtseyed, sighing when the adults moved on. ‘I’m in trouble.’ “Alright, Prince Callum. No more swords. You’re going to be learning how to use a battle lance.”

“Let’s do it!” He looked so excited, his toothy smile and shining eyes hit her heart way too hard.

As they moved through practice, every little touch sent lightning coursing through her body. His laugh was infectious and his questions were actually incredibly insightful. The hours passed so quickly, she had barely noticed when dinner time came and judging by his expression, he hadn’t either.

As Rayla lay in bed that night, her heart still hadn’t slowed down. Every time she closed her eyes, a pair of green ones haunted her. Was this a crush? No, it was too intense for that. Either way, she had to pack these feelings deep into the corners of her heart and forget about that. There was no room for error. She couldn’t…she couldn’t fall in love with someone she was going to leave without a family. ‘Oh, gods…I’m falling for him….’

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Callum went through his sketchbook. It’d been several months since Rayla had come and his notebook was becoming filled to the brim with pictures of her. The last time he had drawn Claudia had been the day Rayla had come. That itch in the back of his mind was still strong, but he felt drawn to Rayla in a way he didn’t know was possible. Every move she made had his immediate attention. Her laugh was infectious and her snark and sarcasm showed an intelligent mind that was screaming for knowledge and also an eye for loopholes. She had taken to lessons with him and Ezran, devouring knowledge almost as soon as it was presented to her, though she preferred to be outside and moving about. It was hard to keep her attention for long when the sun was shining and there were things to do outside.

“Hey.” Callum looked up to see the object of his thoughts smiling at him from her balcony.

“Hey.”

“The moon’s full.” Callum nodded, wondering where this was going. “Back home, we sing and celebrate the passing of each cycle. I haven’t been able to do it much since coming here. Do you mind if I sing a bit?”

“Not at all.” Callum had not expected the haunting voice that Rayla had when she sang. He felt the gooseflesh on his skin as she vocalized for a bit.

There's an old familiar silence

When I'm lost inside my heart

I can't hear the voice inside me

So I look up to the stars

There is darkness ever waiting

I can feel it in the air

So I call upon my angels

Are you still there?

When the wind bends the branch to softly touch me

When the band plays your song

I feel strong enough to keep dreaming

Even when I'm all alone our love goes on and on

When the wind bends the branch to softly touch me

When the band plays your song

I feel strong enough to keep dreaming

Even when I'm all alone our love goes on and on

When she finished, she turned to him. Callum was struck speechless. The softness on her features as she sang compared with just how deep her song reached his soul…In the back of his mind, Callum remembered a conversation his mother and Viren’s ex-wife had once had when he was little. That, sometimes, souls called out for each other in ways no one could run away from. The light of the full moon hit her gaze and Callum wondered if that’s what was happening. Was his soul drawn to Rayla’s? It felt like it. “Thank you for sharing that,” he whispered. Whatever spell had taken over the both of them, he didn’t want to break it.

“You’re welcome,” she whispered back. When they parted for the night, Callum stared at her balcony for a few moments longer. He wasn’t quite sure when he had stopped liking Claudia, but he knew that what he was feeling for Rayla was far stronger and, most likely, not nearly as easy to let go of.

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The song is Love Goes On and On by Lindsey Stirling and Amy Lee. If you have not seen the Older Rayllum AU content that is Lindsey Stirling's Between Twilight, go to YouTube and watch it!

#rayllum #rayllum fanfic #moonbase fanfics #tdp #the dragon prince #the long game

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