#kingdom of duren

[wheretwofacesmeet]

[raylasrightbraid]

before arc 3 was announced, im not gonna lie, i was kinda disappointed that we wouldnt have been able to see all the human kingdoms besides katolis 😓

BUT NOW WE DO HAVE THE CHANCE IF NETFLIX ISNT GONNA BE A LITTLE BITCH AND GIVE US THE SAGA SO PLEASEEE

REWATCH, GIVE TDP SOME ATTENTION, LIKE EVERY OFFICAL POST, BUY SOME OF THEIR MERCH, MAKE CONTENT- IDK

[letsplaythermalnuclearwar]

shout out to Katolis for being a diplomatic powerhouse. King Ezran is blood brothers with Azymondias, King of the Dragons. his aunt is Queen of the Sunfire Elves. his half brother is the only Human Primal Mage, and the only person to ever master two arcanum's. their staunch allies with the human kingdom of Duren. attack this kingdom, and the whole world's gonna attack back

[jelzorz]

184.

Ezran gets the message as Aunt Amaya and Queen Janai's wedding draws to a close. It's been a big day, joyous for the most part, almost-civil war in the middle notwithstanding (although that wasn't so bad either—Sol Regem had never appeared, and Queen Janai's forces overpowered Karin's easily in what must have been the quickest battle in history), so Ezran expects it to be from Callum, catching him up on whatever they've been up to, or Soren, writing to keep him up to date on whatever's happening at home.

It is from Soren, and it is news from home, but it's not good in the least.

It's four sentences, barely even a paragraph, Soren's usual untidy scrawl untidier still in the haste he must have written it in:

Sol Regem attacked. Castle gone. ? Casualties. Send help.

Ezran stares at it, unable to form meaning in the words because it can't be right, he must have misread it, there's no way—

Corvus swears. Queen Aanya gasps. The world speeds back into motion and Ezran sinks to his knees, his pulse rapid and thundering in his ears.

No. No. Katolis isn't—

"We need to get back," says Corvus distantly. "I'll get the horses. Gen—Queen Amaya, something's happened—" his voice fades as he hurries away, and then there's movement that Ez doesn't really register as Queen Janai starts ordering her men to pack supplies. Beside him, Aanya grips his shoulder and calls for her brother, snapping commands at the men around her before they start rushing off too.

"Hey," she says gently. "King Ezran, can you hear me?"

Ez opens his mouth and closes it, not quite present enough in his own mind to answer her.

"Ez."

His breath rushes in, and Aanya's face comes into focus before his, her eyes full of concern.

"Queen Aanya," he croaks. "I-I'm so sorry, we have to go. I have to get home—"

"I know," she says gently, her fingers tightening briefly around his shoulders. "I've sent a message to Duren for aid and supplies. My brother is rounding up our troops now and we'll depart as soon as they're ready. Can you stand?"

"I—" Ez breathes in again, but it's sharp and shallow, more of a gasp than a breath at all. His throat hurts. His eyes sting. For a moment, he thinks he might cry, but he's King, and he can't, he won't, not right now. He blinks furiously, his lungs tight. "Aanya—we?"

"Yes, we," she says. "We're coming with you. You need help."

"I havent—I can't ask—"

"Yes, you can, and you're not." She tugs him to his feet then, her fingers tight around his. "It's going to be okay."

Ez almost doesn't believe her. How can things possibly be okay at a time like this? But Aanya's hand is warm and firm, a comfort he hadn't realised he'd needed, and though her smile is pinched with worry, there is comfort in that too.

"Thank you," he mumbles.

"Don't mention it," she says. "Katolis has always been a friend to Duren, and friends don't let friends' kingdoms burn. Let's get moving."

Ez nods and follows, the world growing sharper and clearer with every step he takes. When he breathes in, he breathes in fully, and Aanya squeezes his hand once before she lets go entirely. She said not to mention it so he doesn't, but he thanks her again mentally anyway, eternally grateful that Katolis has a friend in Duren indeed.

[m4rs-ex3]

trailer screaming part 1

say it with me now: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA ok

i was trying to see ezran being sad but then i saw fucking corvus. 170% seeing soren and running to him oh my god holy shit

oh yeah yeah that's that good shit.

the way we keep seeing the spirits of those cave fuckers i KNEW that those things were way too cool/horrifying to go to waste and apparently they knew it too. also i guess zym fucking killed them

well oh my god that's so coo

WHO NOW WHAT

oh hell yeah fuck shit up bestie!!

i'm very happy to be back at the banther lodge, and i assume this is an impromptu council meeting, but i can't get over the fact that this is literally the last supper. go ahead and tell me it's not

a) i am so happy that aanya is joining the ez and sorvus gang like hello they are a perfect group and b) dunno where tf they are but CRYSTAL CAVERNS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!@#!!!#W!!

*kissing noises*

a) yay astrid's here b) sorvus, pyrrah, astrid and rayla in lux aurea... yeah i don't even know what so think about that

my. fucking. GIRLS

from "my heart for xadia!" to "for ALL of xadia" oh you know she's including the human kingdoms in that now

"we all made mistakes" that's fair but i don't think i like you saying it

making a separate post for the rayllum scene don't you worry

what can i say except this is the sickest thing i've ever seen??

why's bro just fuckig standing 😭

FUCK SHIT UP!!!!!

HELL YES RUN FOR YOUR LIFE PLEASE LET THIS BE WHAT I THINK IT IS IVE BEEN WAITING FO RTHIS DAY

noo the bisexuals are fighting

ok but this syncs up pretty perfectly with the teaser image (based on both the sky + the layout of the banther lodge lot) as well as ez parting the guards so my guess is that runaan has been broken out of jail (probably not literally but who knows), soren is pissed and wants to fight about it, and ez comes to break it up

also the rayllum scene is once again at the lodge and with different lighting so it either takes place before or after and i pray it's after

1) slay 2) i have no fucking idea where she is. maybe i'm just stupid maybe not. duren perhaps? idk

he's not happy but honestly the charred ends are an absolute LOOK (i see he's taking a page out of claudia's "dyed tips" book)

to be continued~

[stuck-in-jelly]

Details i think about constantly from the novelizations of The Dragon Prince:

King Harrow made that doggy door for Bait himself instead of letting the royal carpenter do it

Viren calls hugs ‘familial clasp’

Amaya makes Ezran and Callum a full breakfast at the Banther Lodge and is described as ‘A breakfast connoisseur’

Corvus wears a cloak in his initial appearance

When Viren first tries to sieze the crown he fully puts on coronation robes before Amaya stops the ceremony (side note i couldn’t stop laughing thinking about it in terms of having your wedding crashed)

When Gren hesitates translating Amaya saying ‘Bullshit’ she turns to him and signs ‘Say it.’

Its stated that Soren ‘adored Callum and Ezran.’ And he hoped that they were still alive (said when Viren told him to kill the princes)

When Ezran was drowning in the icy water trying to get Zym he dreamt of his mother hugging him

Soren pretended he thought Claudia’s nose tap was stupid whenever their dad was around cause Viren thought it was stupid. But when their dad wasn’t around Soren would tap his nose in response to her

Soren calls Claudia “a daddy’s girl” (way to drive in the foreshadowing)

King Harrow was going to listen to Sarai and not kill the titan but Viren told The Queens of Duren the cost Katolis would pay and they refused help if Harrow’s Kingdom was to suffer as well

Corvus waited for Claudia to leave for the bathroom cause he knew he wouldnt be able to fool her but could fool Soren. Only reason he didn’t make it was cause Claudia came back just in time to trap him again

Oh yeah Ezran not only can speak to animals and sense their emotions. He can FEEL their pain. He felt Pyrrah’s pain when she was shot.

Opeli during a council meeting with Harrow as king objected one of his ideas then became scared she would demoted or killed but Harrow assigned her head of the council that day

Ezran recognizes Corvus? (Possibly cause he was in Amaya’s Battalion)

When Soren makes his Dragon Smash Boy ‘Haiku’ and Claudia tells him he got the wrong number of syllables he yells “Well, Im rebelling against the tyranny of the Haiku!”

Claudia was in the puzzle house when Viren and Kpp’Ar got into their argument and accidentally overheard them

Amaya initially offered her hand to Janai when she was dangling off the cliff but Janai refused it.

[luniviravosshipper]

I feel like so many people are focusing on how Aaravos is a giant and how the episode The Titan and The King could be about Aaravos and Ezran that they’re overlooking the fact that we have seen an actual titan before.

And how that titan is the one Ezran’s mother and father went on a journey to get the heart of. The journey they went on to feed two starving kingdoms. The journey his mother died on.

And I mean, considering all the speculation that’s been made about how Ezran and the rest of the castle’s old residents might be moving to Duren temporarily… the other kingdom that his father was trying to help feed…

And knowing that they were specifically searching for the titan’s heart for the spell… and seeing how Aaravos has a darkened heart that’s been viewed as heavily symbolic for his character since the moment we first saw him…

And all the references people have made between Sarai’s words about the Magma Titan and how those might relate to Aaravos…

Harrow: “We kill one monster to save a hundred thousand people.” Sarai: “You keep calling it a monster.” Harrow: “Yes. It’s a giant beast made of rock and magma. I call that a monster.” Sarai: “Is it intelligent?” Harrow: “What? What do you mean?” Sarai: “Does it think? Does it feel? Does it have a family?” Harrow: “I sincerely doubt it has a family.” Sarai: “Than is it the last of its kind?” Harrow: “Why does any of that matter?”

(I’m not including the rest of the dialogue because I’m not sure how relevant it is, unless anyone else can come up with how it might be here.)

And, well, the fact that the show runners have hinted at the possibility of there being a few more lives lost this season… like Sarai’s life was…

I don’t know. There’s just a lot of loosely connected ideas here that I feel like we should be doing more to investigate.

[sorinethemastermind]

The Banther Lodge

In which the Katolis survivors arrive at The Banther Lodge, and Corvus and Soren remember the last times they were there. #Sorvus

 Corvus remembered the last time he had been at The Banther Lodge. It had been back at the start of all of this, when General Amaya had tasked him with tracking down and rescuing the princes. Of course, they had never needed saving in the first place. It was something they could laugh about now, and Rayla seemed the find the place a bit nostalgic, if in a bittersweet way; going to show Runaan around the cabin and the spot where they’d set off on the river. He faintly overheard something about a giant fish before they turned a bend and vanished from sight.

 The camp was already in the process of being rebuilt, and he could see Soren out of the corner of his eye helping a family to erect their tent. As much as he wanted to go over and lend a hand, he knew their skills were better allocated separately in these circumstances, and so walked to the far side of the camp where there was nobody else with a Camp Katolis level of knowledge of tents and knot tying to offer assistance. 

 It had been wise of King Ezran to bring everyone here. The lodge itself was big enough to offer shelter to the wounded and smaller children, protecting them from chill nights and offering some much needed comfort, and the clearing outside had plenty of room for the tents and a great big fire pit, so that they needn’t overcrowd any one location. Maybe there would even be some food left over in the pantries and they could supplement their new diet of berries with some more familiar flavors. Corvus wondered if he could catch fish in the river.

 And of course, it was easier to mark on a map than some spot in the woods was, which also meant it would be much easier for the relief effort from Duren to find them. Corvus had to admit he was a little surprised by how quickly they had responded to Ezran’s request for aid. They had only sent crows out to the other kingdoms a few mornings ago, and yet they had gotten a reply almost as fast as birds could fly.

 The trek to The Banther Lodge had taken several days, and based on Queen Aanya’s reply, they could expect aid to arrive anytime now. So all they had to do was find enough food and keep morale up until they got here and could help put things to right for good. Not that Corvus really knew what that looked like without the castle, and these people’s homes. And with Aaravos on the loose. And with Claudia-

 Corvus’ foot caught on a small circle of stones that hadn’t been there the last time he’d visited. Looking down, he saw the charred remnants of a small fire pit. Claudia. It made sense that they would have traveled through here on their way to the castle, but the idea still hadn’t occurred to him until now. He glanced up, looking around for any other signs of their passage. But it was pointless. Their path would only lead back to the castle and the fire already looked at least a week old. Corvus sighed, kicking dirt and leaves over it until it was indistinguishable from the forest floor around it. Maybe it was better that Soren not be reminded of her right now, when there was nothing else that could be done. Not until the survivors were safe.

 Where was Soren, he realized, glancing about again. He had spent a good amount of time flitting from group to group, and now, with most of the tents set up and the injured done being carried into the lodge, he couldn’t spot him anywhere. A chill of fear ran through him. Could he have found some other sign of his sister and wandered off to try and find her? Or was she still here somehow, having returned after finding the castle in ruins?

 Corvus’ feet carried him quickly into the lodge, the only place he could think that she could have hidden, but a quick survey of the rooms found them all empty. With his heart thudding heavily in his chest he exited the building and rounded it’s corner, letting out a sigh of relief as he caught sight of his partner. 

 Soren was sat on the edge of a stone bridge that crossed the river, feet dangling over the water. His shoulders were hunched, hair falling into his face and obscuring his expression from view. But Corvus didn’t need to see his face to guess how he was feeling.

 He walked up beside him quietly, maybe a little too quietly, because he jumped when he spotted him, nearly toppling forward into the river. Only Corvus’ quick reflexes and steadying grip stopped him from falling headfirst into the water.

 “Don’t sneak up on me like that!” Soren exclaimed once he’d steadied himself, though he was laughing a bit too. 

 “Sorry.” Corvus boosted himself up to sit on the stone wall beside him, studying his expression carefully.

 Soren’s smile faded as he watched, and he looked back out over the water. Corvus waited until he was ready to talk. 

 “The last time I was here…” he said at last, voice trailing off.

 Corvus leaned a shoulder against his, and Soren wrapped a hand around his waist, pulling him in closer. He took a breath and started again, eyes still fixed on the water lapping just below their feet.

 “Last time I was here we were trying to find the princes. I called them the step-prince and the crown runt.” he recalled with a wince. “And Clauds-” his voice faltered on her nickname before he tried again. “She was going to cast this spell to track them, and we had to go and get all these weird ingredients, and there was this cave full of glowy things, and I made a really great joke but I don’t even know if she got it and-”

 He let out a huffing breath, “and I can’t help but feel like if I’d told her then, when she was like that, when I was still her brother, that maybe she would have listened to me. That maybe she’d be here right now, and we could go to that cave and collect the glowy things and use them to, I don’t know, track Aaravos or something. Or we wouldn't need to because he wouldn’t even be out!” Soren threw his hands up into the air, almost knocking himself into the river again, but he didn’t seem to notice. “Because if I had just been a better brother we wouldn’t even be in this mess in the first place.”

 “You are still her brother.” Corvus said after a moment, once he’d calmed down. “And you were a good brother. You couldn’t have changed this.”

 “I left her.” he said quietly. “Just like Mom left us.”

 Soren had never talked about his mother, not once in the years Corvus had known him. He had rarely talked about his family at all, other than the occasional quickly stifled comment. 

 “Soren, I don’t know why your mother left, but whatever happened is not your fault. Just like how what Claudia has done is not your fault.”

 “But-”

 “No buts.” Corvus cut him off with a shake of his head. “For someone who’s always comforting others, you sure are bad at being comforted.”

 The corner of Soren’s mouth twitched up a bit and he leaned his head on Corvus’ shoulder. “Thank you. For being here. And for listening.”

 “I’m sure that if you just told the others-”

 “I don’t want to tell them.” Soren muttered into his neck. “I only really want to tell you.”

 Corvus didn’t know why that made his face all warm, not when everything was so dire and Soren needed his help, but it did.  “I’m happy to listen. And you’ve done everything you could. You may have made mistakes, Soren. But you’ve always had a big heart. These were her choices. Not giving up on her is all you can do now.”

 “I won’t. Give up on her, I mean.”

 “I know.”

 “Do you think…”

 “I think she knows it too.”

[herwrittenuniverse]

What do you think Kpp'Ar knew?

When Viren comes to ask for The Staff of Ziard and eventually take it by force , Kpp'Ar refuses. Before he's coined, he tells Viren, "I told you that staff must never be used again."

How do you think he knew that staff was dangerous? A spell gone wrong? A gut instinct? A sudden urge to stop seeping life from creatures in order to do Dark Magic?

Here's the thing. We know that Aaravos has been manipulating events for centuries. Viren was just a pawn in his plan for his release. Even without the mirror (which definitely advanced things), Aaravos would be able to communicate and control Dark Mages because of their connection to Dark Magic.

And we also now know that Aaravos' story is that of revenge. He is a parent mourning the unjust death of his child.

I can't help but think that Aaravos preys on those that have deep connections because he knows how far people will go to protect those that he loves. And Kpp'Ar, being somewhat of a loner, doesn't really have any of those connections.

Maybe Kpp'Ar would have been able to break that cycle of using Dark Magic to protect those that you love...if Viren hadn't intervened.

Viren's motif throughout the show ("I'll do whatever it takes - however dangerous, however vile") proves how far he will go for his family - and we see the results and aftermath of those actions. Claudia clearly follows in his footsteps.

They will do anything to protect their family and those they love.

But Kpp'Ar seemingly didn't have anything - or anyone - to protect.

So...would he have been able to break the cycle?

And really, that's what Dark Magic is, right? Being so desperate to help others that you'll take the life of something in order to preserve something else. It's present several times throughout the show - going back to the kingdoms of Katolis and Duren, to Claudia and Viren, and Callum and Rayla. Heck, the show even opens with Ziard using Dark Magic to protect the city of Elarion.

Kpp'Ar wasn't blinded by his love of others - and maybe that was the key. Maybe Kpp'Ar knew that's what needed to be done in order to break the cycle.

[otter-and-terrier]

is it just me but is katolis so cool?? like i wanna live there?? maybe it's because we've only seen the castle and the castle is nice but like it has a nice flag and red is a nice colour and ezran is the king and callum is the high mage so what could go wrong there (a lot, actually).

also they have the biggest and best army and they are the biggest kingdom and they are the best 😏 (duren is cool too tho)

also lots of the scenes set in katolis are so soft and sweet and cosy and homely (probably because it is callum and ezran's home) and i really like the vibe especially when rayllum was in katolis at the start of s5 that was very cute. like the vibe of the city in general is really nice.

also the name is so juicy and delicious try saying it. "katolis" "katolis" "katolis" so crispy and nice

i was so SAD when katolis was destroyed like sol regem you bitch you can't destroy this lovely kingdom how dare you.

i'm sorry i'm fucking crazy.

but god help me i'm so fucking patriotic for this FICTIONAL kingdom that DOESN'T EXIST.

[wheretwofacesmeet]

[milevenstancyendgame]

Okay, so @starryarose and @celestialowlryx pointed out that Aanya might give refuge to the citizens of Katolis, and I've been thinking the same, because it would be the perfect way to mirror Harrow and Sarai helping Aanya's mothers/the kingdom of Duren with the famine back then! History repeated, but in a good way (pssh: it can be a narrative of love).❤️🩵

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

Tales of Xadia characters-Blayne

Name: Blayne Pronounce: She/her Kingdom: Duren Profession: Beekeeper Information: Blayne has an apiarist and she is really obsessive about that. She thinks she saw all of Xadian history through her bees. The bees do create an amazing honey.

[raayllum]

I have a question that has been very divisive in my friend group of people who enjoy tdp.

What direction do you think they'll take Callum's magic in:

Do you think he'll master his Sky Arcanum, following the footsteps of Ibis, especially with his staff.

Or, connect to and become a master of all 6 primal sources, like Aaravos, but for good and love.

And more importantly, what idea do you enjoy more as a concept?

First off would just like to say your header is incredible.

As for your actual question: Callum is a character who chases magic out of a desire to learn and have agency. It becomes a fundamental part of who he is ("I will learn magic. It's who I am") which eventually manifests in him literally creating magic inside him (an arcanum). This transcending of limitations and what other people thought was possible means that Sky (representation of Freedom) was the perfect arcanum for him... to start. After all, seeing through illusions and crafting your own reality is very Moon arcanum-y, and there's been a decent amount of foreshadowing that he might connect to the Moon arcanum next for a while now ("After all, you really only know the appearance itself" "Now you're starting to sound like Lujanne" from 3x01). By forging a manual connection to one arcanum, it naturally begs the question of why wouldn't he at least try to connect to others in a similar manner?

All of this to say: I'd be surprised if Callum isn't connected to all 6 by the end of the show, for a few reasons.

While Callum being connected to primal magic is extraordinary on its own, and it's certainly an accomplishment... it ultimately means next to nothing if Other Humans don't also follow in his footsteps. A lack of access to magic is what created a lot of issues in the world of Xadia, and evening out that score / removing the need of dark magic is the ultimate way to Break the Cycle, as the wheel has always spun on magic and dark magic. If other humans don't connect, we're right back where we started. And humans being connected to Sky would be great, but there's so much more out there, and Callum will only really be able to be a teacher for all the arcanums if he knows and understands all the arcanums... hence, Archmage. (It'd also be very nicely full circle, given that Callum starts off as part of a lacklustre student-teacher pair in 1x01, and growing to become a wise and understanding teacher.)

Callum's parallels to and eventual rivalry Aaravos are mostly dependent upon Callum gaining more magical prowess. Right now they don't have a ton of parallels, but they are undeniably wrestling for narrative control. Aaravos is also underestimating as being just another dark mage like all the rest, "and destined to play right into my hands" but Callum will be, eventually, so much more than that. And thanks to Aaravos, we know a six primal archmage is possible. Seems only right that Callum would become his literal mirror.

One of the core weaknesses of Xadia is their insistence on isolation. Exile is their most common punishment and they literally split the continent in two. Elven society is generally very segregated according to their primal with only a handful of exceptions in ways we know don't exist in the Human Kingdoms (Duren coming to Katolis for aid; Lissa being from Del Bar and marrying a man from Katolis, etc). We see that the arch dragons are more likely to fight than convene with each other successfully and that since imprisoning Aaravos, they basically all went no contact. Xadian characters are also more likely to want to do things alone (Runaan, Rayla, Zubeia) than to pull on all possible resource areas, and the human villains who hate them (Viren) are also more likely to be isolationist. VS the princes ("We're in this together" in 1x05, "This is a chance to solve our problems together" in 4x03, Opeli and Corvus going to Duren for aid) and the Human Kingdoms. Kasef, however antagonist, believed in and depended on the collective. Karim starts to lose his shit in S4 precisely because New Aurea isn't going to be entirely Sunfire elf in nature; I don't think he would've responded to other elves any better than he did humans, honestly. Okay, great, so what? Well the one Xadian character we have who hardcore rejects that isolationist attitude in regards to a primal source with his very existence... is Aaravos. And that elves, humans, and dragons all presumably worked together to imprison him once before. It would make sense that the kid who is going to be the key (or one of the keys) to his defeat would likewise carry that same Rejection of Isolation, and instead embody literal Magical Solidarity by having access to all magics.

As for which I prefer, it depends. I think canon could do just about anything and make it work, and so long as we see other humans connect to arcanums (with or without Callum's help) I have no other Narrative Requirements, I think, in regards to places I think the story has to go in order to function narratively, in the end. He could master just sky magic, and as long as other humans are able to connect to arcanums, I think that'd be just fine.

If I'm writing fic, and I want Callum to be more limited for plot / angst reasons, I'll probs just write him as a sky mage. Magic is useful but can't (and should not, for story reasons) be able to fix everything, and is still only as useful as your brain can figure out how to use it, anyway. By and large, a magic system is only as good as its limitations, as that is what allows a story to have conflict, and places to show off creative thinking (with or without magic).

But generally (in post-war / late season speculative stuff; in looking at where canon is going, etc) I lean towards Archmage Callum and always have, and dumped all my headcanons about it accordingly into this fic (order of connection, how each of the arcanums feel different, dual wielding, what it brings between him and Aaravos, etc).

I would also love for Callum to get his own staff at one point, simply because it'd be nice to have a weapon 1) of his own and 2) wasn't yet another thing he inherited from a dead man (the cube from Harrow, the mirror from Viren) but if he uses the staff all throughout the show, that's perfectly fine too. Just means I get to write a fic where it gets destroyed for some reason, and then him (and maybe Ethari) get to help design and build his own for Reasons

[jelzorz]

163c.

a and b

It's quiet in the castle when they're out. Opeli had thought she was used to it, and there was a time, not so long ago, that she'd welcomed the peace. It's not to say she didn't enjoy their company—they were younger in those days, louder and more boisterous, and she was a stick in the mud to begin with, let alone a stick in the mud with frequent migraines.

They're all grown now, and these days, they are her friends, not her wards. Ezran can rule without her guidance, and Callum and Rayla are married, and Soren is a fine Captain of the Crownguard, and a better friend to her than she will admit. They go where they're needed, when they're needed, and Opeli stays to hold the fort as she's always done, managing their correspondence with the other kingdoms and praying for their safe return.

She still worries though. It's a difficult habit to shakw. It was part of her job to worry over them for so long that it's second nature now, and they're only in Duren, where the road is familiar and wide and well traveled, and they are a knight, an ex-assassin, an archmage, and a king who can talk to animals, but still, Opeli frets, and moreso than usual. Three times now, she has caught herself watching the northern horizon, hoping to see their horses on the road into to town, and three times, she has had to go to Barius for tea to help shake the anxiety gnawing at her bones.

"You worried less when they were younger," points out Barius, sliding a plate of jelly tarts across the table to her as well. Her tea is still steeping and Opeli drums her fingers on her tea cup, eyes drifting to the empty seat beside her and thinking of early morning conversations in the near dark. "You know they're fine."

"Yes," says Opeli levelly. "But be fair, Barius, they went to help Queen Aanya with a recent attempt on her life, you cannot blame me for being concerned."

"There's a difference being concerned and being neurotic," drawls Barius, taking the seat across from her. "This is the third time this week you've asked me to brew Claudia's calming tea for you. Should you perhaps see someone about your concerns?"

"Who is there to see? I am usually the one people come to to discuss their troubles."

"Yes, and one of the things I've heard you say many a time is to know when it's time to seek further help."

Opeli snorts into a jelly tart. "You of all people should know I am terrible at taking my own advice."

"I do know that," chuckles Barius. He studies her for a moment, and too late Opeli realises she's staring at the empty seat beside her again. Her eyes flit away, but not quickly enough for Barius to misunderstand. He waits until she sips at her tea and pours his own, eyes far too knowing to be comfortable. "Is this because of the last assassination attempt?"

Opeli tries not to wince. The last assassination attempt, though taken care of quickly and discreetly, was not without injury on their side. Opeli can still feel blood on her hands sometimes, warm and sticky and too red against the white of her hood. They never even came near Ezran, but it was Soren who took the brunt of the damage, and her fingerprints are still marked on her copy of Iustita in his blood. "No," she says stubbornly, which is only half a lie.

Barius raises an eyebrow at her. "I meant no disrespect, High Cleric," he says. "The Captain was fine, after all, but I can see how the early mornings can feel lonely without him."

Opeli almost spills her tea. She makes a face at him, scandalised, affronted, but her mouth goes dry at the mention of him and she's too caught off guard to deny it. "I—what—I did not say—"

"This is my kitchen, Opeli," says Barius drily. "There are two cups left here most mornings, and who it's for is a relatively easy process of elimination. We've known each other long enough now that I'd hope you can be honest with me about these things."

Opeli feels warmth flood her cheeks, because the way Barius looks at her over his tea is too knowing, and there's no lying her away around this. "You can't say anything," she says sharply.

"What would I say?" asks Barius. "Who would I tell? My loyalty is to the crown and royal family."

"That is not comforting, neither of us are the crown."

"But you are both the royal family," he points out. "No one would argue that. In a few years, you may be formally."

She shuts her mouth, her face warm and not because of the steam rising from the lip of her teacup. "You're not..." She trails off, unsure how to finish the sentence, but Barius eyes her seriously over his cup, and for the first time, Opeli knows what it's like to be on the other side of her stare.

"It's your business," he says, "but you're still my friend, Opeli. Whatever is going on between you both... it has consequences for you. I don't doubt the Captain's intentions but you still have vows to uphold."

Opeli looks away. She's broken them already, and Barius does not ask, but she knows he knows that too.

"Are you happy?"

Opeli blinks then, caught off guard again for the second time in the same conversation. Barius reminds her of her father sometimes, and she'd thought he would disapprove or reprimand her for being involved in something so scandalous. But there is only concern there; genuine concern, and hope for her and for something even she doubts she can really have.

"Yes," she says quietly. "More than I thought I would be."

He chuckles and reaches across the table to pat her hand. "I'm glad for that at least."

[stuck-in-jelly]

Ever think about how Harrow had to not only go home to explain to his step son that his mother isn’t coming back but then also had to turn to the Kingdom of Duren only to return a ring to child still in a cradle