#moonshadow racing

[never-ending-fanfic]

The Dragon Prince x Rebels AU

I'm excited to announce I officially finished drawing the designs for the Spectres in The Dragon Prince universe! I already talked about it in this post, but made a few changes. Their elf race is based mostly off of their personalities, not appearance so:

Hera- Skywing Elf (she loves flying and as a pilot, she needed to have wings, so she's in this small percentage of Skywing Elves who are born with them)

Kanan- Startouched Elf (both he and Erza fit with this, because Startouched Elves are the most myselterious and powerful race

Ezra- Startouched Elf (^)

Sabine- Sunfire Elf (I mostly went with the fact that I can give her a bow and she could shoot flaming arrows at her enemies- you know, like bombs. Also Mandaloria s kinda remind me of Sunfire Elves in general)

Zeb- Earthblood Elf (that should be obvious- he's big, he's strong and I don't know if that's because of all the headcanons about Lasats being very close to nature, he fits with Earthblood Elves the most)

Kallus- Moonshadow Elf (perfect for an assassin spy, who would join up with the Spectres later on- and also by the light of Lothal's Moons- COME ON, IT'S PERFECT)

Also I'm so so so excited for their marks to match with their Rebels designs- Hera's lekku markings, Kanan's Jaig eyes, Sabine's helmet designs, Zeb's stripes and Kallus' freckles- the only problem was Ezra, I had to get a little more creative

[chronicallylatetotheparty]

Read the Dragon Prince tie-in comics and:

This is just straight up propaganda.

We have no indication of the relationship between the different elf races which means Ethari is talking about humans.

He's talking about destabilizing sovereign nations so an imperialist power can better dominate them.

Taking away a society's leaders so they're "not a threat anymore".

Making racist assumptions about the motivations of other powers because obviously assassinating a foreign head of state is better than engaging in any kind of dialogue whatsoever.

Nowhere in this comic does any Moonshadow Elf even mention the fact that the Bloodmoon Huntress comes from THEIR culture. Is a part of THEIR legacy.

She's a spooky ghost story little kids tell each other around the bonfire. Not a state sanctioned living weapon worse than anything we've ever seen Dark Magic do.

When they fight Runaan acts like he has some moral high ground when they both have the same job. The Order of the Blood Moon is ideologically indistinguishable from the modern Moonshadow Assassins.

They're both expected to kill whoever the dragons point them at without question.

The only difference is that the Huntress is willing to hurt elf children too. Not just human ones.

[zuppizup]

Sixish Sentence Sunday - Rayllum Month

15th July: Second First Kiss

When he just continues to simply stand there and stare at her, Rayla raises her eyebrows mockingly, a soft chuckle escaping her lips. “I thought you were supposed to be the morning person?”

She had grumbled about the ceremony being at dawn but there’s something so endearing about her morning grumpiness, he thinks he’ll never tire of it. She’d told him Moonshadow weddings begin at midnight and his heart raced as he asked her more and more questions about Moonshadow weddings.

“Callum?” Her smile drops a little and she begins to look concerned.

He sighs, laughing and shaking himself. He’s acting like a complete idiot. He gestures to the crowd before them, numerous couples moving in rhythm. “Do you want to dance?”

Rayla’s face lights up as she looks to the crowd for a moment, then back at him. “I don’t know any of the dances.”

“Neither do I.” He shrugs, reaching for her hand.

May I interest you in two awkward dorks being super awkward but in pretty clothes?

At a wedding?

Flustered Callum POV, perhaps?

~2.5k, all things going to plan, it shall be posted tomorrow.

[a-e-redacted]

Ohhhhh this so much!!

I’m simultaneously in need of new canon content, while desperately trying to get to some key plot points of MoonShadow before everything gets completely jossed. I need more TIME.

Doesn’t help that the upcoming two months are my busiest and most intense of the entire year even WITHOUT writing a massive fanfic.

Everyone else: I wish the hiatus would end already I wanna see the next episode

Me: I need to get all my ideas into tangible content before canon demolishes them entirely and I only have 2 months to do it oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck

[raayllum]

happy pride month featuring. demisexual rayla and mayhaps some aro spec vibes too

Rayla has never really felt the stirrings, before, as other elves call it.

 Her training ramps up when she’s twelve, but the other kids her age are starting to be consumed by crushes, blushing and making fools of themselves unnecessarily. It’s hard to understand, and even more annoying to watch. Can’t they just focus on what needs to be done? They’re the future warriors, defenders and protectors, of their village. They don’t have time for silliness, never mind the time consuming foolishness that comes with often short lived romantic (or even sexual) entanglements she sees the older assassins in training partake in. 

She supposes she’s just much more mature than they are. It’s the only explanation. 

Then she meets Callum. 

It’s not that they suddenly start, exactly — but for the first time, it feels like there’s potential for them to. How else is she supposed to explain this want to always be close to him, unable to resist from placing her hands on his shoulders, getting all up in his face as she teases him with her human impression? This maddening need to see him smile, to lift his spirits on the rare occasion he’s the downtrodden one (a situation that becomes less and less rare once he learns the truth about his father)? The racing of her heart and incessant thoughts in her mind that she can’t lose him, her fingers hesitantly touching his cheek, because she’s felt so many things since she ran away with two human princes and a dragon egg, but this — this is something else. 

His hand in hers makes sparks buzz in her chest, their interlaced fingers before the blind Sol Regem wholly for their own benefit. Her heart feels like it’s about to burst out of her chest with fondness and affection when she catches him blushing, when she catches him staring at her the way she imagines she’s been staring at him for quite a while now.

Once the embarrassment of the Oasis has faded, Rayla curls into his arms that cool night on the back of the ambler, and lets herself chase that warmth, a blanket draped over their laps and his lips firm against hers.

They explore a little more at the Nexus and the castle—kissing in dark alcoves and pressed against walls, pulling him close by his scarf, exploring more confidently the further they go, as far as his shirt being off one unbearably hot summer night, anyway.

Then she leaves, and is achingly cold. 

It’s not as though there are no offers while she’s away. The pubs and inns she frequents as she crosses through Xadia, when she can afford to and when camping isn’t an option, are home to many travellers looking for a good time. When she breaks her leg falling from a stupid tree, the clerk at the apocathery is very sweet, and asks if she’d stay a little longer once she’s healed up. His eyes are so green it’s almost tempting, but Rayla knows what she knows, and especially knows her heart.

There’s no one else. There never will be.

The jitters grow worse the closer she gets to Katolis when she finally turns around, Stella doing her best to soothe her nerves to little avail. 

She misses his birthday by one night and spends most of the next day crying, pacing outside the city walls till it’s almost nightfall. What will he say? What will he do? How has he changed, and what if he hasn’t? What if he still...

She climbs through his window, catching sight of the back of him first—broader, taller, with shorter, spikier hair swooped to one side—and then he turns around, gasping.

Still her Callum.

Boom. Stirrings. 

She spends most of the night admiring him once he’s relaxed enough to fall asleep, basking in the fact she’s by his side again, that she can do this—that he didn’t leave.

She thinks of the time one of the other Moonshadow kids had made a face when she didn’t have a crush on anyone, calling her strange.

Runaan had taken her aside and explained that sometimes, falling in love works differently for people, if they fall in love at all. That it was the same for him with Ethari. “Sometimes you fall in love only once,” he’d said.

She watches the way the sun catches Callum’s hair, illuminating a face that’s only grown more handsome since she left. In spite of everything, or perhaps precisely because of everything, she smiles.

This is it.

[greenmoons]

Andromeda's age

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

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

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

Tales of Xadia characters-Fentheth

Name: Fentheth Pronounce: He/him Race: Moonshadow Elf Living place: Hollow Wood Profession: Bug trader Information: He is old elf with wry grin and it's hard to read him. He trades mantigrades.

[rainwalker-dragonblade29]

The beauty of The Queen's Mercy

I doubt it struck any of us before that Kimdael's collar was of importance. Taken to be just a jewelry element, but never of Sunfire make.

Look at this, it's been centuries now and the collar is still on her neck in The Bloodmoon Huntress...

And there is an interesting implication I've gleaned after reading the story, here come the first thoughts...

In the new short story, The Queen's Mercy, Kimdael goes to Lux Aurea to seek the Protection of Queen Aditi. Protection from the dragons who had driven Moonshadow Elves out of their own forest and "killed them one by one" leaving only Kimdael.

Which we know is a lie, because the moonshadow race is perfectly fine in the show and that does not make her the last of them. Also, multiple times, she pretends to plead while it is evident that inside she is plotting something. That her visit to Lux Aurea is for another crime. She pretended to be meek to gain Aditi's protection. But she is there for a different motive for why else would the Bloodmoon Huntress walk in broad daylight?

As Zubeia mentioned, there was a time when, after the death of Luna Tenebris, the dragons fought over succession. So their wrath is very real. And Xadia did descend into chaos... but Lux Aurea held strong through it. So it seems evident that of someone wanted to seek protection at the queen's mercy, it was the place.

What is interesting is that the dragons killing other moonshadow elves. Specifically the reaction of the other elves in the court:

It may seem like a rumour because we know moonshadow elves lived and that Kimdael is lying. Or perhaps twisting a truth...

Given reason, the dragons could have attacked the moonshadow elves, if they decided to intervene and help sort the matter. It is possible that the moonshadow elves are hiding from the dragons and that no one has seen them in a while that Kimdael's desperate plea raises the question in the minds of the court elves that it could be truth.

But Aditi sees through it and takes her to the forge where upon, she makes the ornament and puts it red hot, and burning, sealing it around Kimdael's neck. Even enchanted so if Kimdael tried to kill her, the collar will choke the huntress, and thus it binds her to the Sunfire royal line.

Here's where it gets messy. Aditi says:

As of what Kimdael said, she pledges in return, the remainder of her entire life to repay the Queen's Mercy. And this moment a spark:

The collar can only be removed by a member of Aditi's line. Kimdael is bound to servitude.

That leaves only TWO people: JANAI and KARIM...

The question is... who will remove it? More importantly, who will Kimdael side with?

One obvious answer is... well, Karim.

Courtesy to this shot, it seems he will leave Lux Aurea. And Aaravos tempts makes into serving him by offering them what they seek. Karim has drive, he seeks a brighter future for Lux Aurea despite the way his ways clash with Janai's. And to better his own fate, maybe he would have left/escaped after the generals apprehended him.

Kimdael could rarely be accepted on Janai's side as she is obviously with the trio or will be later anyway, and Rayla will not let Kimdael anywhere near her friends.

And because of my previous meta here, between a possible connection with Kimdael and Aaravos, in the sense that maybe he is the one who gave her the longevity, in giving her knowledge of dark magic that she uses for the ritual and that he has kept her alive for some cause. (ie given her the opportunity of immortality that she followed in herself unknowing of a greater role she has to play)

She is a tool to him. One of his chess pieces.

She will be useful to Aaravos after he is free or perhaps she has something to do with the freedom... but anyway, it makes more sense that she joins the Aaravos party, and later or before her, Karim gets bound in it too...

Also it could be that she met Karim first, before Aaravos is released, and they are the ones Amaya, Rayla and Callum are against here:

Whatever happens now, Kimdael, by the collar, is bound in the narrative.

[starrylayle]

I am in desperate need of some long-form, magical canon-ish marauders fic recs y’all — I can’t keep rereading atyd lmao. The issue is is there are plenty of fics like this nowadays, but they all have jegulus in them and I’m sorry but I just don’t like that ship 😭. I read ‘choices’, ‘just lovers’ and ‘only the brave’,, and as well written as they were that’s enough jegulus to last a lifetime lol. I know there’s a lot of wolfstar long form fics but idk some of them are a little bit fetish-isy (cough cough casting moonshadows) and a lot of older ones aren’t really up to my taste (e.g. the shoebox project, the lost generation). I also feel like a lot of fics don’t really delve deep into themes of queerness, disability, race, class, etc. (Which is totally fine btw!!! I just personally prefer when they do). And as much as I love jily I don’t like ships centred on them because i only like str8 couples as side pairings in my fics lol. Also for some reason everyone’s white in those long jily fics 😭

The last two long-ish fics I read that I enjoyed that basically hit all my requirements (besides atyd lol) were ‘The Hand that Feeds’ (dorlene my loves <33) and ‘As the Worm Moon Dies’ (both by Rollercoasterwords I’m actually they’re biggest fan fr). They’re so well written, explore deeper themes and flesh out characterisation,,, and ATWMD makes my world building heart so happy coz it addresses all the issues I had with the magic system and life style in the og series and takes a much more critical/interesting approach. Actually side tangent to say that everyone should read ATWMD — it’s a wolfstar au where voldy won and sirius is a death eater and remus is in an illegal werewolf-fighting ring and it’s literally SO GOOD!!

I’ve also read ‘That’s the art of getting by’ (I forgot who it was by) and I enjoyed it coz I love my magical fix it fics too. I’ve heard, ‘It never gets out’, ‘the penigwens marauders series’ and ‘the last enemy: the howling nights’ are interesting portrayals of world and characters so I’m wondering if anyone would recommend them?

Also I’m open to a fic being centred around any characters/themes as long as it has some gay stuff somewhere lol. Like an exploration of peter’s character as he slowly succumbs to ‘the dark side’? Yes please!! The Black sisters family dynamic? Yummy. lady zabini and bellatrix having lesbian murder sex as they kill their husbands? fuckk yeah. Anyways point is i just want a long form marauders fic to obsess over and would love some recs!!

[bittrlys]

Hi, I have a question that I hoped you or your followers could answer. I stopped watching tdp after S3 but now S6 here and I've heard many say that it's the best season we had since S2. I'm watching S4 now so it's been some time since I touched anything tdp. Now here is my question, which might be silly I apologize, why do the Moonshadow elves need assassins? As much as I remember there isn't any conflicts between the elves and the assassins were sent after Harrow and Ezran after the dragon King's death. So either the elves do have conflicts and it was cut out? Or the elves kill humans a lot, like they kill any human that they consider a threat to Xadia(or for revenge). As far as I remember they trained assassins so it's a reall job for them and you can't be an assassin if you just kill 2 humans a be done. Do we have any evidence of elves having conflicts with each other or sending assassins after other humans?

This is something I've wanted to write on but never did, so your ask made me smile when I saw it!

A very short answer to your question: No explicit evidence, but we can draw assumptions that the assassins were used -- however, I believe the assassins exist for cultural reasons as well.

A much longer answer to your question: A lot of series love the idea of assassins because they're cool and sexy, but don't like so much actually making their characters stone cold killers, so they end up being assassins who don't assassinate. TDP falls more into the latter camp, but there are some things that give you pause.

In the very first episode we have this exchange between Harrow and Viren:

VIREN: Assassins. HARROW, more resigned than surprised: I see. VIREN: A scout on patrol discovered them just before dawn. HARROW: Well, don't look so grim. We've fought off plenty of assassins. Haven't we, Pip? VIREN: It's different this time. We believe they're Moonshadow elves. HARROW, visibly more perturbed: Moonshadow elves? Then how did the scout escape?

They go on to express concern that tonight is a full moon, which means the Moonshadow elves will be at "the height of their power."

This conversation raises immediate questions. If they are used to fending off assassins, but Moonshadow elves are different, who the hell has been sending assassins after them? The human kingdoms aren't in active conflict with each other. Non-Moonshadow elves? Dissidents in the kingdom, like Queen Aanya has? All this despite Viren (admittedly not the most truthful person) stating it was a peaceful time in Katolis? Who knows! However, we can say that Moonshadow elves have a clear reputation as they're aware of how they operate and treat them as highly lethal. Later, when Viren tells his children they have "unwanted visitors" from Xadia, they jump straight to "assassins" instead of "invading army and/or dragon" which would be a logical assumption with Xadia and the human kingdoms being established as on the brink of open war.

Is this just human bias? The Moonshadow assassins take their job very seriously. We see throughout the show they have a number of rituals with very real consequences to ensure their devotion to their death cult. "We take (life) but we do not take it lightly." Runaan doesn't hesitate to send his most untried member off to kill a human. (He is, however, unable to tell berry juice from blood so maybe he's just LARPing as an assassin too.) Honestly, Rayla's presence almost feels like going after humans is a beginner mission, even if the human in question is guarded by a castle full of people. Still, if they aren't going after humans all the time, who would they be targeting?

In the trivia section for Elves on the TDP fan wiki it states "For the most part, there is unity among the elves. However, not all of the elven races get along, and conflict is not unheard of." Sadly, the citation is to some kind of creator interview that has been taken down and I can't find, so we can't rely on that -- if anybody knows the video in question, I'd be curious to hear the exact phrasing. Turning to available canon and ancillary canon material, in the short story 'The Queen's Mercy' we get this exchange:

“You are not afraid of me—but what of the dragons?” asked Kim’dael. “You would dare invoke their wrath?” “The dragons know better than to invoke mine,” Aditi said.

This implies Sunfire elves see themselves as a powerful independent force who resent the implication that they should answer to dragons. We also know that there are certain elves in an insular community that keep drakes as pets and mistreat them, something that doesn't seem to line up with the way other elven societies treat magical animals. I can believe there is some tension between Xadian sub-groups, but for the most part they do seem united as allies, if only because they have the 'common threat' of humanity to often bring them together. Maybe when there are less humans about, they are less united.

The Kim'dael above is a member of the Order of the Blood Moon -- Moonshadow elves who went vampiric and were exterminated by dragons. I don't believe it's outright stated Moonshadow assassins helped with this anti-vampirism campaign, but I assume so. In the Rayla backstory comic she decides to become an assassin after a run-in with this Bloodmoon elf. She wants to be like Runaan and protect others, and this includes protecting them from other elves. It seems very likely that Moonshadow assassins operate against internal threats to Xadian society like this. However, you may presume from this very noble description of being an assassin that within Moonshadow culture, 'assassin' seems equivalent to 'warrior.'

Personally, I think the Moonshadow assassins are partly an active combat force, and partly a ritualistic bit of tradition. Essentially, they play an almost ceremonial, spiritual role in the society. Moonshadow culture and magic is very centred around illusions and the line between life and death, and the assassins are perfect distillations of all of these elements. Even if they were never killing anyone, I could see them still existing and being seen as highly valued members of the society. Symbolic assassins, you know?

That being said, I do think they kill people -- (Runaan definitely seems to have done so as it's said he truly understands the value of a life and the taking of one) -- and though I think they probably primarily operate as an internal security force, based on human reactions to the mere whiff of them it's very possible they have infiltrated human kingdoms before. After all, we know they have a sneaky way in and out of the human kingdoms via the Moonstone Path. When the world was divided their Nexus was left in human territory so they have non-assassinating non-spying reasons to be visiting the human kingdoms, but paired with everything else it is interesting that they want such easy access to the human kingdoms. I'm not saying they were doing a lot of assassinations there -- it seems the degree of interaction between these two halves of the continent have intensified only recently -- but it's all very suggestive.

Ultimately, I think they probably don't kill a lot in general, but it would be really funny if the show would just go there. Like have Runaan look the camera dead in the eye and say "I have taken sixty-two lives and I don't regret a single one." Hashtag let assassins be assassins!

Thank you very much for the question, this is a subject I've thought at length about so I'm happy to finally discuss it. ♥ I hope my answer was helpful despite the lack of explicit evidence in any one direction.

[blade-liger-4ever]

Dragon Prince - Blade's Freestyle

So, in my take, there are only four types of Elves: The Tidebound, the Sunfire, the Moonshadow, and the Skywing (I'm keeping that to give Tui T. Sutherland a piece of my mind.) The Startouch exist as the equivalent of the Greek pantheon, though they maintain an elf-ish look in order to seem both familiar and distant from the rest; therefore, they're nicknamed "the High Ones". The Earthblood are like the Ghillie Dhu of Scottish myth: towering, tree-like beings who go along to get along, and generally nonviolent. The dragons are at the head of this hierarchy, as appointed by the Startouch, and thus the Elves are second to them, with humanity at the lowest tier of this creation order. Additionally, the dragons can shapeshift into virtually any form, and possess the ability to use Celestial Magic, and any of the Four Seasonal Magics.

Regarding the sources of magic, there are only four, all derived from the four seasons and connected to something tied to that season. The Tidebound, for example, are intrinsically tied to the spring and the ocean, with their power being based around water, healing, cold, wind, floods, tsunamis, and VERY specific oaths/tithes. When you make an oath to do something, or agree to a tithe that carries on for generations, you'd better dang well adhere to it or your life is forfeit. That's how severe and serious this business is.

The Sunfire are tied to summer and the sun, giving them talents in blacksmithing, warfare, heat, fire, metal, plasma (a rare and dangerous technique), wind, and truth finding. The Sunfire detest lies and deceit, as it goes against the sun, which brings light to all that goes on in the shadows. Thus, not only are they powerful warriors and capable in war, but excellent lie detectors. Any of their kind who turn to deception are anathema to the Sunfire, which also means they have a rivalry of sorts with the Moonshadow.

Speaking of, the Moonshadow are tied to autumn and the moon, giving them access to bending light, traveling through shadows (allowing them real fast travel), poisons of any kind, life cycle awareness and occasional manipulation of it, wind, darkness, and Spirit Sense/Walk, where they walk in a parallel plane between the world of the living and the dead (also allowing them to see/interact with ghosts throughout the year, though especially on full moons and the peak of autumn). For this they are the perfect assassins, but despite this, the Moonshadow have a strict code of honor, and will only take the life of those who have done serious crime in the eyes of the magical community - hence why 1 they're great bodyguards for the Royal Dragon Clan, and 2 why they're so loyal to the dragons. They know serving the dragons is the right thing, and that if they have to take a life, they're better off doing said tasks from the dragons.

The Skywings are the most unusual - and powerful. They're tied to winter and the magnetic poles, and have abilities tied to ice, cold, wind, snow, temperature, magnetism, light, tornadoes, hurricanes, sound, rain, storms, lightning, and can form the nigh-unheard of life-force bonds. When Skywings want to marry, they perform some kind of magical binding rite that is deeply private, to the point no one outside of a Skywing knows how to perform it. This bond is unbreakable and can reach each person no matter the distance, and will give the lingering presence of the deceased spouse to the one still living, often providing comfort from beyond the grave. When a Skywing intermarries with a dragon, a different elf, or - more rarely - a human, they teach the future spouse this rite. They marry for life, with divorce or "separation" practically unheard of; should they encounter one of another race who is divorced/separated, the Skywing will express disappointment or disgust, depending on the situation.

Now we come to Dark Magic.

It's more of an offshoot of Moonshadow Magic, as it still relates to the darkness. However, it's not corruptive; rather, it's tied to the shadows, dark nights, storm clouds, fog, mists, swamplands, bogs, dead forests, and grants access to "grave visits" - you can see and interact with the dead. You cannot bring them back to life, but you can find them and learn things from them. As the Elves were intrinsically tied to the sources of magic, and the Dragons bound to Celestial Magic, humanity had no tie to any source but death and destruction. So when they discovered Dark Magic, it had the Dragons eyeing them nervously, as it was dangerous if you got too into the grave visits, which have the side effect of driving yourself to death if you went to see dead loved ones too much.

The real taboo is Blood Magic.

Blood magic requires the use of blood from still living creatures, siphoning it while the person lives and using it for vile rituals that raise the bodies of the dead, twist people into horrifying monsters, drain the life out of certain targets at will, turn you into a cannibal who cannot live without feasting on human/elven/dragon flesh or blood, and drive you to insanity as you fall further and further away from humanity. Somehow, a Mage Apprentice discovered this magic, and used it before terrorizing the village he dwelled in. Thus began the Great Exile, when the humans were banished by the Elves and Dragons a thousand years before Callum's time to the Western Lands, where fighting had once more begun to settle land disputes and out rose various human kingdoms. However, some Elves also fell from grace, selling themselves out as mercenaries for hire, assassins, or even allying with humans in war.

This brought upon the Mage Wars, which lasted until three centuries before Callum's birth. With the Orphan Queen of Katolis, Queen Aditi, and Avizandum's collaboration, the Mage Wars ended, though the peace was fragile, and skirmishes broke out frequently over the next few decades. For this, Avizandum guarded the Border, the thin patch of land that kept Xadia and the Western Lands divided, himself. However, ten years ago, King Harrow, Vizier Viren, and General Amaya, snuck past Avizandum and killed him in his sleep, his heart being carved out by an apprehensive Viren. However, the egg of Avizandum's son, the Dragon Prince, was left in pieces, leaving all to surmise that the Dragon Prince had been killed.

For this, the world is teetering on the razor's edge of war, though attempts by Viren and a slowly repenting Harrow have stalled the outbreak of war. Amaya has receded into the background, apparently conducting good relations with the neighboring kingdom of Neolandia, likely to bring the countries together in case war breaks out.

However, on the eve of the anniversary of the tenth year since Avizandum's death, a group of Moonshadow Elves have broken past the borders of Katolis on a secret mission....

[beautifulterriblequeen]

Rayla: I see it! The window! We’re almost there, Callum!

Callum: Hold tight! *does a barrel roll to fit through a long narrow window frame with Rayla clinging to him*

Rayla: *skids to a tidy halt* Alright, now let’s see about that Novablade, and these horrible, cursed coins.

Callum: *landing lightly* Race you!

*they dash through the hallways, eventually chuckling at themselves, then skid to a halt at the sight of a large Moonshadow elf trying to talk his way past a blindfolded Celestial elf. The two are surrounded by a mess of discarded equipment and ropes*

Rayla: It can’t be! Ethari??

Ethari: *turns* Rayla?

Rayla: What are you doing here?

Callum: More importantly, how did you get all the way up here? It’s like, really far.

Ethari: *glances at the pile of ropes and gear* I ever so slightly noticed that, aye.

Rayla: *hands on hips* I’m serious, what in the name of the Moon are you doing up here, Ethari?

Ethari: I told Runaan I'd storm heaven for him if I had to. He laughed and said I was heading the wrong direction. Well, I'm here to prove him wrong.

Rayla: *looks at Callum*

Callum: *nods encouragingly*

Rayla: *pulls out Runaan’s coin* Well, I might have some good news for you. Runaan isn’t in heaven, he’s… a lot closer than that.

Ethari: *holds coin gently* Oh, Runaan…

Callum: I wonder… Rayla, do you think the Novablade might have any effect on those cursed coins?

Rayla: Only one way to find out! 

Ethari: You might know how to free him? Listen. Rayla, Callum. For Runaan’s coin alone, I’d follow you anywhere. But getting him back as well? Whatever your quest, you have my sword. *produces sword* And my bow. *produces bow* And my axe. *produces axe* And my-

Callum: Okay, I think we get the idea!

Rayla: Oh, Ethari, you didn’t.

Ethari: -And my epic theme song! *produces lute, strums*

Callum: Oh yeah, now it's a party!

Rayla: Don’t humor him!

Ethari: *epic riff*

[raayllum]

The hollowed husk of coral Aaravos’ prison is sealed inside is a red, shadowy labyrinth—Rayla keeps one hand along the wall, Stella on her shoulder watching her back and to try and remember the way they’d come. Claudia’s stupid spell had caved in half the ceiling of the core antechamber and sent them all scattering in different directions, the floor wet enough to be uncomfortable in boots and also not enough to actually offer any help in hearing what’s up ahead, a stitching her side as her ears prick, straining.

If she can just find Callum or Ezran or Soren, then—

A shadow darts ahead on the curve of the wall, and Rayla races toward it. Friend or foe, there’s only one way to go and—

It’s not Callum, the way her heart hopes.

It’s Viren, the way her gut knows.

His face is pale and smooth, not corrupted—another dirty lie—and she gnashes her teeth, drawing her blades on instinct. She has them levied and poised to strike (he doesn’t have his staff—where is his staff?) when he raises his hands, surely to offer up some pitiful excuse or deadly spell, as he says—“I need you to kill me.”

It’s enough to make her stupidly stop short, her blade less than an inch from his throat. She hasn’t even had to shove him up against the wall. “What?”

“Kill me,” he repeats. “We don’t have much time until the magic runs out, and Claudia—”

“Why would you want me to kill you?” Rayla demands, not lowering her swords. This has to be some kind of trick, too. Another lie. Saying what the other person wants to hear so you can slip away. She’d understand better than anyone. 

“Because Aaravos is—worse than death,” Viren says, haltingly. “So kill me, assassin. That’s what you’ve wanted, isn’t it?”

Her hand shakes. Her blade nearly strays. He can’t be serious. She can’t be serious. Her target is here, asking to be killed, no fear in his eyes, and nothing but hate for him in her veins, and she still—

“Rayla!”

Callum. Her heart turns to face him, while she remains focused on Viren, keeping her eyes locked on the dark mage’s pale, unsmiling face. She hears Callum’s steps slow as he takes in the situation, an angered expression transforming to something more quizzical perhaps: Viren unarmed and non-resistant, Rayla with the prized death she’s wanted all this time, and yet no blood spilt.

Somehow, having the person she swore to kill Viren for in order to protect is what makes the lump rise in her throat. She has to do this. She’s killed animals for hunting. She thought she’d killed Viren before. She can do this. Viren is even asking for it. She has to do this.

Then Viren rolls his eyes, tossing the blade at his throat a disdainful look. “Get on with it, will you? I told you, there’s not much time.” His eyes go to Callum. “Can’t you tell your elf to kill me faster? I won’t put up a fight.”

“She’s not—what on earth are you talking about?” Callum spits.

“Viren wants me to kill him,” she says. “But I—” Certainty has never proved her well. Hesitation less so.

A Moonshadow assassin who—can this be right?—isn’t capable of killing.

Callum’s hand finds her shoulder, a warm weight, tugging her away from the wall, and the only reason she lets him is because it’s Callum and she doesn’t want to cry in front of fucking Viren of all people just because she can’t—

“It’s okay,” Callum says, Viren lightly massaging his throat once she’s let him down from the wall. He unfolds her hand around around her blade, slipping it into his own grasp. “It’s alright, Rayla.” He folds it up and hands it back to her. 

She mops at her eyes with her fingers, sloppy and stained only with tears of her own frustration, her vision clearing enough to see the look that passes between the two high mages.

“You want to die?” Callum checks, a hard look in his eyes. She wonders if he hates Viren too—for taking her away from him, in a way. But it’s colder than that too. He’s still thinking. Sizing up the situation, determining the honesty.

Viren sighs, looking beyond exasperated. “Yes, for gods’ sake. I thought it’d be easier than the first time. But she can’t kill me like this, apparently—”

Callum raises his staff with one hand and nudges her behind him with the other. “That’s alright,” he says darkly. “I can.” 

[thejadevampire]

As the days turned into weeks and the weeks into months, the dynamic between the reader, Runaan, and Ethari evolved into a harmonious trio unlike any other in the mystical realm of Xadia. Their interactions were filled with a delicate balance of adventure, understanding, and unwavering support for one another. Runaan, with his stoic demeanor and unparalleled skills as an assassin, found solace in the reader's compassionate nature and Ethari's calming presence. Together, they embarked on daring missions that tested their limits, relying on each other's strengths to overcome every obstacle in their path. Runaan's icy exterior melted away in the warmth of their companionship, revealing a depth of emotion he had long kept hidden. Ethari, the talented blacksmith with a heart as pure as the moonlight, shared in the reader's joys and sorrows with unwavering loyalty. His gentle guidance and boundless wisdom provided a steady anchor for the trio, offering a sense of security and comfort in the midst of chaos. Ethari's genuine affection for both the reader and Runaan created a sense of unity that transcended boundaries of race and culture. Together, the reader, Runaan, and Ethari embarked on a quest that would shape the destiny of Xadia itself. Their bond became a symbol of unity and understanding, inspiring others to set aside differences and embrace the power of love and friendship. As they faced formidable challenges and formidable foes, their unwavering belief in each other never wavered, strengthening their resolve with each passing day. In the annals of Xadia's history, the tale of the human reader, the Moonshadow Elf assassin Runaan, and the compassionate blacksmith Ethari was immortalized as a testament to the transformative power of love and camaraderie. Their legacy lived on as a beacon of hope for future generations, a reminder that true strength lies in the bonds we forge and the hearts we touch along the way.

#thedragonprince

#fanfictions

#runaanxetharioneshots

#runaanxetharixreader

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

Tales of Xadia characters-Perris

Name: Perris Pronounce: He/him Race: Moonshadow Elf Profession: Carpenter Information: Most of his career he did furnitures and upholstered them for the upper class but he needed more projects so he decided to become the town carpenter but he really hates it. He should probably focus on his artistic side.