#moonstrider answers

[moonstrider9904]

If you could get to know and/or write with another writer (or more) who would it be?

Hey there! Sorry for taking all day to answer this. You really got me thinking and I didn't want to give an answer halfway just to get it done quickly.

I would first and foremost want to write with my dear friend @photogirl894. As a fellow major fan of The Bad Batch, I think a mutual love for this show and the characters would make way for an awesome story, and plus, the way that she can bring her original characters to life is stunning to me. Y'all should read her works, such as Sun and Rain (Hunter x OC) and Mirrors in the Force (Kanan x OC)

I would also love to get to know @freesia-writes since I know the love for TBB is also mutual. I'm so in love with the way she writes Crosshair particularly.

Another writer I respect greatly is @nahoney22. Not only does Honey capture each bad batcher fantastically well but her personality is top tier and I think everyone should get to know her.

@darthzero22 is very dear to me as well, and we share many fandoms besides Star Wars that we have bonded over the years with. She is a kind, wonderful soul who writes beautifully and I'm honored to know her.

Of course @lizartgurl your writing does not go unnoticed as well!!

And there are so many other writers I'd like to give a shout out to! @eyecandyeoz @eloquentmoon @firstofficerwiggles @arctrooper69 @rowansparrow @arctrooperechy @emperor-palpaminty @dragonrider9905 @angelltheninth @imabeautifulbutterfly @justalittletomato and I'm sorry if I forgot anyone!! Y'all are incredible and getting to know any of you / write with you over fandom love would be AWESOME!

Thank you for this ask, Lizart!! I had a lot of fun giving this little shout out :D

[ask-runaan-anything]

do you miss Rayla?

Thanks to the bleeding edge capabilities of dark magic coins, it is possible to miss someone and be tormented by their memory at the same time.

Of course I miss her. I hope she's doing better in the real world than she is in my nightmares.

[raayllum]

One thing I noted watching The Dragon Prince is that the intro splits the same continent in half with the elves/humans so they started with the same amount of magical animals/plants each. There’s still some magical animals the human side but their presence is far, far reduced comparatively so do you think that’s specifically because of dark magic harvesting leading to more “normal” to our eyes species dominating?

I’m fairly surprised there isn’t a visibly established livestock industry’s for magic animals too (that way say your lunar moths can be renewably hatched each year, or a sheep population equivalent kept etc).

You seem very immersed in much of the lore so thought it’d be fun to at least pose as a query.

I think there's a few different things here to consider (that we'll probably never get a definitive answer on) but this is my best guess + what we do know about how dark magic operates:

Both regular animals and magical creatures can be used for dark magic. We know this because we've seen human blood be used in a couple of spells, Claudia puts grasshopper goop in Soren's mouth (2x08), and then later uses the deer in its entirety to undo Soren's paralysis.

That said, it does seem that magical creatures are more potent and preferred for dark magic spells. This makes sense - while you can use the life essence of anyone/anything for dark magic, creatures with magic inside them (any arcanum) are inevitably going to have more to "squeeze out" than a non magical creature would.

With that in mind, I think canon gives us a few answers and subtextual clues.

The most important one is something Viren refers to 2x05 (which has haunted me ever since), in which he cites that, "After centuries of fighting amongst ourselves, the five human kingdoms finally found balance, an era of peace." The Book 2 novelization gives a little more information about this period on conflict, explaining that "The first summit of the Pentarchy had been held centuries ago, and it had brought an end to the Mage Wars and created the modern order of the human kingdoms" (Ch17).

We don't know, of course, if this is precisely the same period of time. Maybe by helping to imprison Aaravos (and presumably disposing of the last king of Katolis), the Orphan Queen likewise helped put an end to the mage wars. Maybe she only came on the scene centuries after the mage wars! Who knows. "Held centuries ago" could mean three, which matches up with the Orphan Queen / Aaravos imprisonment timeline (and no more mister startouch elf preying on mages) or it could go back closer to 700-800 years. We'll just have to wait and see if we ever get more details!

Regardless, the Mage Wars and the fact they were likely fuelled by dark magic, since it was humans fighting amongst themselves, might answer why we see so few (known) magical creatures in the Human Kingdoms other than maybe glow toads: mages went after the most potent magical ingredients during the fighting, and reduced those numbers to virtually nonexistent or extinct.

I would imagine before the Mage Wars / even before Xadia split, maybe, more magical creatures were held and domesticated as livestalk. (Elves certainly do keep some animals as pets, such as Janai's flying hot cat, though I'd expect something like a Moonstrider to maybe have evolved as a sort of hunting companion.) However, humans on the eastern side and elves on the western side were likely forced to abandon any farms / communities they had in regards to animal care when the Exile / Schism happened. Information and resources might've been lost, as animals on one side of the continent were likely different compared to others, although some humans (who already lived in the west) and some elves (who already lived in the east) wouldn't have had to have moved.

That said, I think the simplest and shortest answer is just that there's not a lot of mages within TDP's world. For each group of people, we see a lot more warriors or diplomats than mages and they don't seem to regularly be employed in the military of kingdom we've seen, Sunfire or Pentarchy troops or otherwise. We can also guess that in the Pentarchy due to the specificity of the ingredients needed, sometimes, that Katolis by virtue of being closest to the Border would be primed to have the most dark mages and dark mage traffic / travellers (although I've HC'd that Evenere due to its isolation has a fair bit of lingering magic more than say Del Bar or Duren). But due to the amount of knowledge and ingredients required to seemingly do most dark magic spells, as well as the toll it takes on the body, I think it makes sense that most people wouldn't have the interest, access, or ability to pursue that kind of path when there's plenty of others that are less gruelling / easier

Magic is everywhere, and small pieces of magic (like Ruthari's moon opals) are everywhere, but outside of the specific skillsets of each primal (Moonshadow illusion spells and forgery, maybe cooking, forgery and healing for Sunfire elves) it doesn't seem like magic is something they readily depend on for food or livestock in their day to day lives. And if that's not the case for the majority in Xadia (only used in times of crisis, etc), I can see that need plummeting in the Human Kingdoms simply because it takes a lot more time/energy to maintain than might be necessarily utilized because of the low demand

This was all long winded speculation and hopefully mostly coherent. If you're interested in more deep dive worldbuilding thoughts I'd really recommend some of @kradogsrats stuff as it's great and a lot more eloquent / all encompassing tbh

[wizzycore]

Nonhuman Showdown Semifinals

Why you should vote for each of them and full art below!

Wood/Woodie/Woodrow (species: construct, by @aberrantparadox, art by @/kurofae)

"Woodrow isn't a human, and Woodie isn't a person, though they do like to roleplay as one. Are they cool? What are they? They aren't even sure. Woodie, Woodrow.... they're not even the being's names, simply names extrapolated from the common answer they give to the question of they are ("....uhm....I'm wood"). They're human shaped but not human looking, with a human heart but not human emotions, they're a machine in a literal sense but also a metaphorical one as they do do their duty as told, but they're also doing it of their free will - theyre certainly a thinking person but they aren't. It would be wrong though to say they're looking for real personhood, though, or to be utterly rid of personhood also - they're searching for something beyond that, and beyond the spiral too, they think. Something like the jungle of stardust they always see in their "dreams".

There's the factual part - as in, they're a wood mannequin made by Merle Ambrose to fight off Malistaire and other threats. Well, they're actually just plucked from Golem Tower and altered. Their concept was brought up before Malistaire went rogue, and then abandoned. Woodie is the golem, and the magic possessing it, and the heart of the fallen champion of Bartleby, and the heads. He is also none of these at any given time. It isn't his heart - it lives in their chest cavity with all their gears, things that belong to them, indubitably, and is theirs, as much as their heads are or aren't.

Their heads - each professor made a different swappable head distinctly tuned to their school of magic, so that their new champion could perfectly and easily master all the schools. They're necessary to channel the magic inherent in other tools, for someone/thing who otherwise has no magic within them. Each head feels different to use for Woodrow, gives different consequences and a different mindset, but the spirit doesn't become different beings, unless you define a being by its personality and magical energy - a common definition. Woodrow leaves it open. They can see out of any of the heads, or all at the same time, having 7-fold (and eventually 9-fold) vision. They don't need any attached to their body to move, think, or function, but they do need them to cast spells, and when in the field its better to keep at least one head attached just in case. Their weird sight also lets them see stranger things, like invisible beings, currents of magic, and other phenomena. They can't gape at any of that though, because they don't have a face, and they wouldnt anyway, because they came into the world that way and none of this is surprising. But it is a bit lonely.

Feelings are difficult when youre made of wood and don't have human sensations. Most emotions Woodie experiences are muted and overlaid with boredom or a sort of diffuse nothingness. But occasionally they do feel something properly, and that is the most vast thing in the world to them. They deeply care about other beings and will readily use violence to keep the majority safe. They're unsympathetic to those who hurt others out of hurt, but aren't cruel. Every being, secure in their self, breathing with lungs and gills and magic, even the evil ones, are a wonder to Woodrow, and like the person who once had his-but-not-his heart, protecting those beings in their perfect imperfection - just to look at them - just to look at them, it's everything, just to look at them...."

Devin Griffinsmith (species: wolf (moonstrider guard), by @griffinsmith)

"She is the second oldest child of Gath Duskwraith and left home to pursue training to become the best storm magic user in Grizzleheim! Saving the spiral was not on their to-do list originally but they love going around the spiral with fellow Grizzleheim export, Iridian (the polar bear in the post linked above). Devin may not know whats going on a lot of the time but the spiral has never been in safer hands - we hope."

[hoothalcyon]

You asked for tdp asks, so here's a few.

In the entire cast of tdp:

1) who would you most likely be best friends with? (Can be several characters)

2) who would you not get along with at all / find difficult to talk to or even work with on a daily basis?

3) which character is closest to you in terms of personality?

Other miscellaneous questions, still tdp-related:

4) besides horses, what animal would you love to climb on for a ride?

5) what is one of your favourite plotlines and why?

6) is there a character design that you think is pure genius? And why?

That's all hehe! You don't have to answer all of the questions if you don't feel like it! I hope you have fun with these!

I'd like to think it'd be Ethari! I love him so much and would die for him in every universe

Viren LOL

hmmm....no idea. gonna let my mutuals answer that!

shadowpaw and moonstrider for sure!!! I ride a horse that is built like a shadowpaw but has the spirit of a moonstrider, so that's fun

the storyline of ellis finding and saving ava <3 "she never needed that fourth leg to be happy, everyone else did" fuckin GETS to me, it's such a beautiful narrative about disability!

all of them!! >:D I'm a big fan of Callum's new design! it just has so many different elements (long coat, spiky hair) that I enjoy and it all comes together to form a design I often just take a minute to go WOW at ✨

thank u for ur ask!

[moonstrider9904]

RO

RO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVE ROSE

RO DJSKZINDKSMA

I AM ASKING. ME MEEEEEEEEE

hehe.

smutty smut below the cut.

You felt Rose’s thumb drift over your panties, pressing slightly against your core in a way that made you whimper before he withdrew, chuckling to himself.

“You’re so wet, darling.” He cooed, pressing a kiss to your lower back and making eye contact with Rex. “Did you get yourself that worked up just from sucking on your Captain’s cock?”

Your Captain. The words struck Rex like a perfect chord, and it was his turn to shiver. Of course, he was your Captain. He could be anything you wanted him to be. He was yours, wholly and entirely, even if nobody knew it but him.

Any sentimental thought he might have had flew out of his brain between one breath and the next, because your hand had shifted to cup his balls as your tongue swirled back around the head, and Rex gasped.

“Don’t cum in her.” Rose said sharply, bringing Rex back to reality. “That includes her mouth.”

“Yep.” Rex replied breathlessly, reigning himself back in. He shifted his gaze from you to Rose, watching as he peeled your panties from your hips and pulled them down your thighs. You hummed, the vibrations sending another shiver through Rex as Rose gripped your hips tightly, lifting you up off the bed.

You moaned, Rex’s cock slipping from your mouth as you arched your back, and Rex moaned right along with you at the sight. Behind you, Rose licked a slow stripe through the lips of your pussy, gathering your slick on his tongue before diving deeper, eating you out from behind.

[asking-the-danger-star]

You and Ethari and Runaan are so very cute (mostly you and Ethari tbh, Runaan is sliiiightly stabbier) ^_^ How many cats do you three have?

Aaravos chuckles.

“That is not an inaccurate description of him, yes~”

“We have six cats, not counting Mira, Ethari’s Shadowpaw. Over time they were named after the Primal magic source of which they reminded us of by their pelt colors.

“That is before it was revealed fur is not the only thing that connects them to the Primals...

“As for their names, if you were curious: They are Starlight, Tiger, Sunspot, Moon Moon, Laika, and Wrenevere.”

“They are a handful...but not even Runaan can resist them~”

[lunagojo]

characters I write for / rules! (UPDATED)

Marvel Cinematic Universe:

Loki Laufeyson (MCU)

Stephen Strange / Doctor Strange (MCU)

Wade Wilson / Deadpool (MCU)

Thor Odinson (MCU)

Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier (MCU)

Yondu Udonta (MCU)

Quentin Beck / Mysterio (MCU)

Pietro Maximoff / Quicksilver (MCU)

Logan Howlett / Wolverine (X-Men)

Peter Parker / Amazing Spiderman (Andrew Garfield ver.) (Sony)

Eddie Brock / Venom (Sony)

Thena (MCU)

Sylvie Laufeydottir (MCU)

Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch (MCU)

Valkyrie (MCU)

Gamora (MCU)

Anime:

Gundham Tanaka (Danganronpa)

Mondo Oowada (Danganronpa)

Nagito Komaeda (Danganronpa)

Rantaro Amami (Danganronpa)

Kiyotaka Ishimaru (Danganronpa)

Koga (Inuyasha)

Sesshomaru (Inuyasha)

Inuyasha

Tanjirou Kamado (Demon Slayer)

Inosuke Hashibira (Demon Slayer)

Sanemi Shinazugawa (Demon Slayer)

Kyojuro Rengoku (Demon Slayer)

Giyu Tomioka (Demon Slayer)

Tengen Uzui (Demon Slayer)

Mitsuri Kanroji (Demon Slayer)

Gojo Satoru (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Itadori Yuuji (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Fushiguro Megumi (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Ryomen Sukuna (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Kento Nanami (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Inumaki Toge (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Bakugou Katsuki (BNHA)

Shoto Todoroki (BNHA)

Tenya Iida (BNHA)

Eijiro Kirishima (BNHA)

Dabi (BNHA)

Tomura Shigaraki (BNHA)

Atsuhiro Sako / Mr. Compress (BNHA)

Toga Himiko (BNHA)

Jin Bubaigawara / Twice (BNHA)

Keigo Takami / Hawks (BNHA)

Kai Chisaki / Overhaul (BNHA)

Shoto Aizawa (BNHA)

Video Games:

Gabriel Reyes / Reaper (Overwatch)

Jamison Fawkes / Junkrat (Overwatch)

Mick Mundy / Sniper (Team Fortress 2)

Dell Conagher / Engineer (Team Fortress 2)

Jeremy Charleston / Scout (Team Fortress 2)

Dr. Ludwig / Medic (Team Fortress 2)

Karl Heisenberg (Resident Evil 8)

Lady Alcina Dimitrescu (Resident Evil 8)

Prince Sidon (LOZ: Breath of the Wild)

Princess Zelda (Mainly Twilight Princess ver.)

Noob Saibot (Mortal Kombat)

Steve Fox (Tekken)

Vega Fabio la Cerda (Street Fighter)

Lor'themar Theron (World of Warcraft)

Grand Magister Rommath (World of Warcraft)

Dragonqueen Alexstrasza (World of Warcraft)

Dragonprincess Lunastrasza Moonstrider (World of Warcraft, my oc! :) )

Prince Kael’thas Sunstrider (World of Warcraft)

Illidan Stormrage (World of Warcraft)

Other:

Jun-ho (Squid Game)

King Orm (Aquaman, Patrick Wilson ver.)

Adrian Veidt / Ozymandias (Watchmen)

Dan Dreiberg / Nite Owl II (Watchmen)

Thorin Oakenshield (The Hobbit)

Din Djarin / The Mandalorian (Star Wars)

Obi Wan Kenobi (Star Wars)

Bruce Wayne / Batman (Battinson, Nolanverse or Arkhamverse)

Selina Kyle / Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz, Nolanverse or Arkhamverse)

Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie or Arkhamverse)

Roman Sionis / Black Mask (Ewan McGregor or Arkhamverse)

Slade Wilson / Deathstroke (Arkhamverse)

Arthur Curry / Aquaman (Jason Momoa ver.)

What I will write:

Mainly headcanons and preferences, _____x reader

Only doing SFW for now (this might change depending on my comfort level) -- I will do suggestive content, however (just not blatant smut)

Please be as clear as possible when sending in a request! This helps me be as accurate as possible!

Please be patient with the time it takes for me to answer! I have a part time job and a life outside of tumblr, plus I get burnout a lot

I will not do: yandere, noncon, p*dophilia, abuse, etc.

I am 25 years old (soooo not a minor, lol)

I will do maximum 3 characters / ask

If the ask does not follow the rules then I will delete / not answer!

[ladykatakuri]

Doomdoomdoom

A small Jesse and Kix drabble

TW: None

W.C: 376

Summary: When you hear something others do not, you best go to your medic vod.

A/N: This is one of those small drabbles that can pop up into your mind when you think about certain memes, what ifs, tropes etc. I hope you all like what I did with it and as always, comment and reblogs are always welcomed 😘

"Vod, sometimes I hear this sound and I have no idea why. No One else hears it. I think something's wrong with me."

Kix looks at his brother sitting on the medbed and reaches for the handheld scanner. "What kind of sound is it and when is it that you hear it?" Starting at the top, Kix scans the entirety of the body coming up with absolutely nothing. As it is with all the clones, they are pretty much in peak condition until battle happens, that is when he will find issues with his brothers who have been injured one way or another.

Jesse sighs and takes a minute before he answers. "It's this deep and ominous sound. Like, doomdoomdoom. Can't say why I hear it, when I hear it…."  

Kix frowns as he prepares to take a blood sample. Mulling over in his head the reasons why his brother could be hearing something none of the others have reported hearing. Force sensitivity perhaps? It has been around for centuries among all the species that are sentient and why would a clone not be included in this? They are as sentient as any other race and though created by the Kaminoans, it is not as uncommon to have a deviation in the genetic makeup of one or more of the clones. Clone Force 99 being a prime example of the experiments done. It would be worth reading into.

Jesse undergoes the testing and scanning while mulling over the last time he heard the sound that none of his brothers seem to hear. Wondering if this is reason enough for him to fear decommissioning. “Kix… Do you think this could be a reason to…?” For a moment he pauses when suddenly his eyes widen. "There! There it is again! Do you hear it? Tell me you hear it too vod!"

Before Kix can try to answer the questions his brother is asking, they hear a snort and a cough. Quickly looking to where the sounds came from, they see their captain standing behind a man they did not expect to see on board the ship. Pong Krell seemed annoyed that he had to announce his presence instead of being noticed as soon as he entered the room.

Tagging: @imabeautifulbutterfly@chaoticvampirejedi@hellothere-generalangsty@cyroku@reluctant-mandalore@uponrightful@zinzinina@saradika@galacticgraffiti@ashotofspotchka@dindjarindiaries@dinbeskarbaby@djarrex@djarinsbeskar@rowansparrow@photogirl894@rigelmoonshine@rigel-the-moonstrider@nahoney22@loth-wolffe@neon-junkie@bobafetts-princess@cyarbika@charnelhouse@zoeykallus@kin-rokku@jgvfhl@honestly-shite@here-comes-the-moose@dindjarindiaries@firstofficerwiggles@fictional-men-ruin-lives @ladysongmaster @lozalot If you want to be tagged too, please shoot me a message!

[ask-ethari-anything]

Have you ever designed a wheelchair before? What kind of features would you look into?

I have some designs sketched out in uhhh two? maybe three? of my notebooks, actually. And the first thing to go was the wheels!

It's gonna need a new name. I accept this. But without a finalized design, I can't name it, so that'll come later.

In the Silvergrove, roads and pathways aren't a thing nearly so much as they are in the human lands. While I can appreciate the smooth surface of humans' roads for ease of travel, that's really not something I can implement here at home, so I usually take a different tack in my idea doodles.

If I had enough magic at my disposal - which, let's say for hypothetical reasons that I do, and how nice would that be? - then I'd simply make a hoverchair that effected a constant repulsor field between equidistant runes - and stabilizer runes at right angles, with some kind of... happytwig? name still in progress! - to make spatial adjustments in realtime.

It wouldn't go terribly fast, for safety reasons, but hmmm, *pulls pen from behind ear, makes a few notes* those could be modified or disabled in case of emergency... and I'd need to make the chair strong enough to take the weight of others who might be traveling with the pilot, so they could save their friends, too... *more scribbling noises*

Ahaha, oops, that one got away from me. *writes HAPPYTWIG EXPRESS FRIEND RESCUE SYSTEM in big letters across top of page* Heh... HEFRS... Heifers? Cows... CowCart?? *more notes*

I'm with you, I'm with you, okay here we go, ideas that do not require an entire Moon Primal Stone: The Trioctipede was an early sketch idea. I was watching Lachir step past me one day and appreciating her delicate little feet, compared to Tethu's great clawed stompers, which he will in fact dig into your chest with and knead you like dough if you let him... and I thought, I wonder how many Moonstrider legs I can fit on the bottom of a chair?

The answer, as it turns out, is 30. Well, 24 in human math. Hence the name, see? *taps temple* Nailed that name, totally nailed it. But some of them work best for stability if they're angled out to the side to help with speed and corners and uneven surfaces - which, you may have noticed, we have plenty of in the Silvergrove. In most of Xadia, in fact. I have a prototype of the Trioctipede somewhere in the understump, but it would need a bit of, uh, dusting off before it was... road-ready? seaworthy?

Hill-handy. Slope-set. Promontory-prepped. *finger guns*

And just for fun, I thought it would be really cute to have a few illusions to choose from, in case the sight of 24 Moonstrider legs looked a little weird. I thought maybe people might enjoy riding around on top of 24 glowing tentacles, or flowery vines, or swirly moonbeams, or uh... long white ponytails... Okay that last one got away from me again, but can you really blame me? *helpless shrug*

Ooh, hold up: *grabs pen again and scribbles* 24 thigh high boots! YOU COULD BE TALLER JUST BECAUSE!! This is brilliant!

*hums under my breath*

These boots were made for walkin' And that's just what they'll do Today these thigh high boots are gonna Walk around for you!

Alright, you have to admit that's catchy.

Also in my scribbles are sketches for pockets and secret snack chambers and a reclining button and a pop-up neck massager and a really big sunshade and of course a little adoraburr flower nest in case you encounter any, ah... stowaways. But I can add more! And likely I will. These are just scattered ideas, see...

So if you know anyone who needs alternate transport, I am happy to assist! Freedom is a very important concept to me, as you might guess... and it comes in many forms. Including at least one with 24 Moonstrider legs on it.

[moonstrider9904]

he has more!

Don’t mind the fact that I’m sending these to you as I’m editing them

A HANDSOME MAN BRINGS FLOWERS 😭❤️✨🌙

This is literally making me so happy ✨ keep 'em coming as much as you want, I'm having a great time receiving flowers from Crosshair lol

[ask-runaan-anything]

What was it like with your moonshrider when they were a baby?

Lachir was a perfect little angel baby who has never done anything wrong ever. She loves me most, as she should, and she begrudgingly puts up with everyone else.

As she should.

When she was brand new, she would nuzzle up under my hair while I was sleeping and make an absolute nest of it. And I was soft enough to let her, because she made the cutest sleep sounds right in my ear.

The trouble is, now that she's fully grown, she still assumes she can fit under my ponytail when I lie down. I have tried instructing her about physics and mass, but she's very good at pretending she does not see things that do not benefit her - I have no idea where she gets this irritable habit from!

Anyway. If she finds me catching my breath on the ground during training, she will stuff her nose under my hair and assume that she fits. And her whuffing noises are still cute.

[beautifulterriblequeen]

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.

[tenspontaneite]

Wish Fulfilment (Chapter 1/?)

Rayla woke up in a tiny body in a tiny bed, blinked, looked at her tiny hands, and said “Right.”

(Time travel; indulgent and light-hearted. Ao3 link)

---

  Rayla woke up in a tiny body in a tiny bed, blinked, looked at her tiny hands, and said “Right.”

She spent the next few days taking stock of herself, the time-frame, her living situation, and her own abilities. She was a pipsqueak, lacking the advantages of a decade of training and conditioning, but she’d been a scrappy thing even at this age – climbing trees, making a nuisance of herself, getting hardier and more agile than most bairns did, and so on. She scrambled experimentally about some trees for a while, and assessed her stealth by mud-bombing the townspeople she disliked, and in the end decided that it would do just fine.

Her parents had joined the Dragonguard recently, and judging by her age, Callum must have lost his mother only a month or two ago. She regretted that she couldn’t have stopped that, but, well. Nothing to be done.

She spent a further week stealing supplies, testing herself, and getting ready. The Moon answered her when she called on it, even so close to its darkest phase. Magic answered too, when she begrudgingly tested the spells Callum had bullied her into learning. It would be enough.

She left a note for Ethari and Runaan that read ‘I know you’ll never listen if I tell you not to look for me, so just try not to waste too much time, alright? I’m fine.’ She took a moment to feel disconcerted at her history of leaving notes and disappearing, then added ‘Sorry. Try not to worry. I’ll see if I can send letters or something.’ With that in mind she took a brief detour into Ethari’s workshop and stole a shadowhawk. With that tucked into her pack, she did some last-minute checks of her supplies and headed out.

First on her agenda was heading North-East and breaking up her trail. Runaan would absolutely try to follow her, so she made it as hard for him as she possibly could, laying false trails, disturbing the true ones, and dunking herself in every body of water she could find to break up the chance of the family Moonstrider being able to track her. He’d probably still find his way through the first leg of her journey, but that was okay. She could live with that.

Rayla arrived at the mountainous plains on the edge of Lux Aurea a week later, finding with satisfaction what she’d expected to: vast tracts of farmland, developed for the feeding of the equally vast population of the golden city. It took a further day to find the farm itself, whereupon she broke in, ambushed the residents, and made some very uncompromising demands.

The Sunfire farmers looked so bewildered at having been hogtied and extorted by a baby-faced Moonshadow child that they offered absolutely no resistance except plaintive questions like ‘where are your parents’, or ‘are you okay’, or ‘do you need any help’. In the end Rayla departed with her packs three bags of seeds heavier, and also stole a Sunfin on her way out. She flew on the placid creature for three days due West before running afoul of the Sunfire army.

Rayla spent eight disgruntled hours in the custody of those soldiers, refusing to talk, until they finally left a twin-tailed inferno-tooth tiger to guard her while they went off to send letters to their superiors, trusting the guard-cat’s intelligence and ferocity to be equal to the task of keeping watch on a wee Moonshadow bairn. This turned out to be a mistake.

Within an hour, the animal was eyeing her with interest. Within two, it had drifted close to sniff at her. “What’re you looking at?” She demanded, in her tiny irritable child-voice, and that was when the thing instantly and very plainly took a liking to her. She spent ten minutes grumbling loudly about being sat on by a giant cat, then finally conceded to pragmatism and started using its tail-flames to burn through her ties. They’d only used rope, not wanting to restrain a child too sternly. It was very helpful stupidity on their part.

Rayla escaped on the cat and was only mildly singed by the ordeal. Later, after a day of very enthusiastic pursuit-evasion, she settled down with said cat and eyed it with resignation. “You’re not leaving, are you.” She said. It licked her with a sandpapery tongue almost as big as her entire face, and that was answer enough. She sighed. “Well, it’ll make the journey a lot faster, I suppose.” She decided. “But you’re going to be a pain to hide.”

Unconcerned, it rubbed its face against her insistently enough to push her over. But she’d grown up with a shadowpaw, so she was used to that.

Rayla, who was not good at naming things, named it Cat.

 ---

 Brightly-coloured cats with two flaming tails were not stealthy. They just weren’t. Cheerfully unaware of how inconvenient this was, Cat spent the next two weeks ruining her efforts at stealth by roaring at inconvenient times, following her when she’d told it to stay put, and in general by being constantly on fire. As such she arrived in the Pentarchy and crossed the Weeping Bay with considerably more flair than she’d have preferred, but at least the tails eliminated the need for campfires. It had obviously been used to cook food before, and tolerated the experience very agreeably, if it had also been fed.

On the third week she finally figured out that the thing had been trained with Luçais commands, and muddled her way through her extremely bare vocabulary in the language to finally get Cat to follow basic directions. With the ability to tell it to stay put somewhere while she went off to do something else, things went much better. She disappeared into the mountain range on Cat’s wings, choosing the least-populated route she could manage, and in the end managed to approach Katolis castle with no one the wiser that she was there.

Finding somewhere to leave Cat proved challenging, though. She briefly considered the alcove in the cliff under the castle, but dismissed it on grounds that someone would notice the roaring eventually. Cat was a noisy bastard. Eventually she resigned herself to the fact that she’d just need to relocate it periodically, and left it in a relatively well-concealed ditch with a freshly-killed deer corpse to occupy it.

Rayla waited till nightfall for the first excursion, calling on the Moon to turn her skin to shadows, and stalked down the castle halls, learning it as it was in this time. Learning the guard stations, the patrol patterns, its rhythms and sounds. She was half-way to checking whether Callum still had the right room at this age when she stopped in the middle of the hallway, goosebumps raising up in lines over her arms, feeling a vast and familiar presence passing over her mind. She slumped with relief.

“Ezran.” She murmured, more thankful than words could say. “So you made it back too.”

Being a baby had apparently not agreed with him, because he seemed to lack the control and finesse he’d developed with age. Instead his ability brushed at her in vague sweeps of feeling and intent, saying relief and frustration and this way. She followed his lead to the nursery where he was kept, his guards pressed into sleep by his far-reaching touch.

She looked down at him in his cot, so tiny she wasn’t even sure if he could crawl, and raised an eyebrow. “Somehow, you’re even tinier than I expected.”

“Ee,” he expressed sourly, blinking up at her with eyes that looked too big for his face. Babies were so weird. His hands reached up and made grabby motions at her, so obediently she leaned in and let him slap one baby hand onto her cheek. With the skin contact, it got a lot clearer.

Been here months, he seemed to complain, along with a rush of gratitude/relief/fondness at seeing her. Couldn’t do anything/missed you/been awful.

“How many months?” She asked with interest, and after a little back-and-forth managed to surmise that he’d awakened in his body very shortly after the titan-slaying party had departed for Xadia. She winced, entirely aware of how terrible that must have been for him. “I’m sorry, Ez.”

His little baby face screwed up, as if he was going to start crying. He almost did, but then seemed to summon the will to suppress the infant-body’s powerful instincts before it actually got going. Really sucked, he managed to express, with a little echo of his helplessness and anger. Then, subverbal: an impression of the heavy miasma of grief that had hung over the castle. Harrow crying, Callum crying.

She inhaled sharply. “Callum-“ she couldn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t make it back? She thought, numbly, and that was as good as saying it, with Ezran touching her.

He blinked wide ice-blue eyes at her. Hasn't yet/getting worried, he said, tangled up in the impression he had that she’d arrived later than him, hadn’t she, so maybe, maybe Callum would join them eventually too. He hoped. But time was passing and he was afraid.

She closed her eyes. Exhaled. “Did Zym make it?” Yes, he had. “Can you talk to him the same? Reach past him?” Talking: yes, but it was hard. Reaching: no. “Okay. We can work with that.” She hesitated, steeling herself, not thinking about Callum. “I’ve got a hotcat a little bit past the castle. Think you can convince it not to make noise?” She asked, half-heartedly.

Ezran blinked again. Then he looked delighted, a wide baby grin spreading across his face. He nearly bowled her over with the wave of enthusiasm and approval for her having made a proper animal friend, and expressed his intention to begin communing with said animal at once.

Rayla nodded a little, still tightly controlling her reaction to the news about Callum, and after a moment reached into the cot to lift Ezran up under his wee chubby baby arms. He made a surprised gurgle at her, then burped contentedly when she hugged him, patting her clumsily on the shoulder. He was so bloody little. It was making her annoyingly emotional. Damn it, Callum, she thought to herself, get back here already so you can look at how tiny your brother is with me.

Ez sighed, patting her with mental impressions of hope and affection and subdued sadness. Then he told her, though not in as many words, that Cat was a terrible name and someone really needed to make fun of her for it.

Rayla huffed and set him back down again. “Shush, you.” She said gruffly, and hesitated. “I’ll…come back to see you tomorrow, alright? Maybe in the day this time.” She had to get an idea of the daytime watch rotations too, after all. She still wasn’t sure what the plan was, but taking someone hostage might well end up being part of it. That would be a lot easier, with Ez on board. A lot of things would be easier.

A little spitefully, to let off steam, she made one final stop before leaving the castle that night: she broke into Viren’s rooms and stole one each of three pairs of his boots. She took these back to Cat and watched it maul the boots in question with a great deal of satisfaction.

Cat did quiet down after whatever Ezran communicated to it, but unfortunately also decided that if it wasn’t going to announce its presence by roaring, it had to do it some other way. This was how Cat ended up spraying the brambles at the edge of the ditch in urine, and incidentally also how Rayla discovered that it was a male. Thereafter the area stank too much for her to linger in, so she had to go off to sleep in a nearby tree, beyond the warmth of Cat’s burning tails. Rayla woke the next morning with a pronounced crick in her neck, grumbled a little, then went back to work.  

  ---

 Notes:

So this story exists because I made myself Really Sad about five year old Callum when writing the latest chapter (21) of piaj, and then made myself Even Sadder by promptly writing a future scene where Callum talked about said period of his life to Rayla, and then out of abject desperation I fired up a fresh document and started writing this to comfort myself.

Setting background: canon, but with worldbuilding borrowed from piaj. Future Rayla was somewhere in the region of 18+ years old, unspecified. Circumstances of the future and method of time travel left extremely deliberately vague. I have every intention of playing as fast and loose with this story as I can possibly manage; I already have one exhaustive and meticulous tdp work and I’m not interested in reallocating my brainpower from that to this.

Warning: what plans I have for this story heavily feature piaj worldbuilding that I consider pretty critical to the setting, and also unlikely to come out any time soon. Therefore, it’s pretty guaranteed that I’ll get two or three chapters in to publishing this and then have to keep the rest to myself for the next four years while piaj progresses.

 Other details:

Sunfin: a creature I came up with for piaj worldbuilding. It cannot breathe, and uses Sun magic in place of respiratory processes. If kept indoors it will die very quickly. It’s unintelligent and usually lives at high altitudes and will not generally touch the ground in its lifetime, but can be trained for use in farming, where it’s very useful in dispersing large amounts of Stuff (i.e. water, seeds, fertiliser) over a field from the sky. They’re basically crop dusters. Concept and name inspired by the Skyfin from endless legend. Looks somewhat more like a cross between an air shark and manta ray though.

Ezran: future Ezran in this setting was very, very powerful. Less so now that he’s a one year old baby. Rip.

Rayla: future Rayla learned how to use Moonshadow form at most times of the month, and in addition was eventually nagged by Callum into learning some spells. She uses them as part of her stealth repertoire but doesn’t consider herself a mage.

Callum: is baby.

Cat: a twin tailed inferno tooth tiger, highly trained, and in use by the Lux Aurea military as a war mount prior to his desertion in this story. They had a different name for him, but he rather prefers ‘Cat’.

Luçais: piaj worldbuilding; this is the in universe name for the French language as Draconic is the in universe name for Latin. Spoken by many Sunfire elves.

[aaravos-answers]

Five fingers, starling? Are you sure you are entirely elven? There is no shame in being half human.

Horses are wonderful companions, sweet and caring. But perhaps, since you are half Moonshadow, you would prefer a Shadowpaw? I am afraid Moonstriders are difficult mounts, not suitable for those who do not have many hours to devote to training. I once had a Shadowpaw, though; she was more loyal than many elves. Also, she purred. Elves rarely do this.

A gryphon might be a good mount for you. They can be intractable at times, but there is hardly a thing more loyal than a gryphon whose trust you have earned.

Do you have any preference? Of course I shall help you find and train whatever animal you choose.

*blushes* happy new year master aaravos. I have a friend I would love to introduce to you. She's very shy and quite unique like yourself. Could I introduce her to you?

Of course, starling! I’m always happy to grow my flock.

Happy new year to you too, sweet starling.

[dragon-fics]

HA: Ch. 5 Knowledge

Chapter summary: Heather sits down with Aaravos to finally get some answers about what she’s going through.

Prologue, Pt. 1, Pt. 2, Pt. 3 , Pt. 4, Pt. 5, Pt. 6 , Pt. 7, Pt. 8, Pt. 9, Pt. 10, Pt. 11, Pt. 12, Pt. 13, Pt. 14, Pt. 15

“So, how did you become a Dragonguard? Especially so young?” Rayla asked from her shadowpaw. She walked by Heather and Réalta as they moved towards Spireville.

“I guess my drill sergeants noticed me and reported me to their superiors, who told King Avizandum,” Heather replied, looking from Rayla to the humans beside her. King Ezran and Prince Callum shared Janai’s twin-tailed inferno-tooth tiger, while Soren rode a moonstrider, whom he had completely under control—which impressed Heather.

To her other side were Khonsu and Elara. Heather knew that if these two weren’t by her side, she’d be walking to the barracks, as Réalta would not be willing to stay near Rayla—for any amount of time.

Khonsu glanced at Heather, subtly shaking his head.

“Still, you need to prove yourself in the Dragonguard trial, a test unlike any other. That is the deciding factor as to whether you are worthy of wearing the uniform,” Heather continued, looking forward in her rugged posture.

“Not at all cocky, are you?” Aaravos asked rhetorically in all but a whisper. Heather smiled to herself.

“What’s the Dragonguard trial?” Rayla asked.

“I cannot tell you. I am sworn to secrecy; as is every other Dragonguard.” She pulled her Dragonguard necklace out from under her sash. Dragonguards used it to find each other and to know if the Archdragon they watched over was in danger. Most wore it as a badge, but Heather wore it as a necklace for convenience.

Rayla inclined her head. “I understand.”

Heather ran her hand over Réalta’s black and red coat, feeling his intense heat against her skin. “But if you’re anything like your parents—and if I remember correctly, you are—you’ll be fine and you’ll pass first try.”

“Can I prepare for it?”

Heather nodded her head. “With the proper training, yes.”

“What type of training would that be?”

“I find military training is best. Soldiers have to face threats head-on, with their weapons and nothing more. Assassins use their enemies’ senses against them; that will be useless against in the Dragonguard trial.”

Rayal hesitated, wounded by Heather’s words. “Can you teach me?”

Heather hesitated, glancing down at Khonsu. “I can’t. I have to guard the Archmage for the time being,” she gestured to the caterpillar on her shoulders. “I’m sure one of the other Dragonguards will be happy to train you. Or you can wait until we find Tiadrin and Lain; whichever you prefer.”

“You can do that?”

“Queen Zubeia has many plans.”

“What does that mean?”

Heather stayed silent.

I’ve said too much! I wasn’t supposed to mention anything from this morning’s meeting.

“That’s all I can say.”

They stopped in front of the walls of Spireville.

“Do you want to go into the town? Or would you like to explore the forest nearby?” Heather asked them.

“Well, Queen Zubeia was made it quite clear that we should stay in the barracks before we travel to Xadia. So we should probably go to the barracks,” informed Prince Callum. “So, can you bring us there?”

Heather looked at the gates. “The barracks are inside the town. I’ll lead you there.” She looked up at the stone turrets on either side of the enchanted wooden gates.

Heather slipped her forefinger and thumb into her mouth and whistled and three times. A yellow dragon-shifter in silver armour looked over the wall and saw Heather in her uniform.

“Open the gate!” He bellowed.

A moment later, the sound of chains clinking and wood creaking filled the area. The two wooden gates slowly separated, opening for the group to see what was inside the wall. Houses, shops and inns all lined the streets. Shops and markets stands primarily lined the innermost street, with large inns every few shops apart. The farther out there were more residential areas, with fewer shops and inns.

“Alright, let’s go,” Heather said, nudging Réalta forward through the gates.

*-*-*-*

Heather stroked Réalta’s face as she sat cross-legged in the ‘star cave’, listening to the water gurgle outside of the crystal cave. It was a quaint cave with tiny crystals in the walls, and roof of the cave walls practically looked like the night sky. Heather had found the cave soon after moving to Spireville, and so she and her father would camp here every weekend until winter—then the cave was unbearably cold.

“So, what exactly is happening to me?” She asked, looking at the caterpillar curled up on the opposite side of the firepit.

“Haven’t you looked into this already?” Aaravos asked. Heather still found the way its beak moved unnerving.

“I... wasn’t completely sure how to look for answers.” She looked down at her crossed legs and took a breath.

Aaravos hummed. “You are going through a strange transformation, one few go through, to become one of the most powerful beings on earth. You are changing into a Startouch elf-dragon halfling.”

“But I never wanted this,” she whispered. She looked up at him with wide eyes begging for mercy. “Is—is there a way to undo it?”

“There is no way to un-learn an arcanum.”

Heather sighed. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” She quietly removed her moonstone necklace and placed it in one of Réalta’s saddlebags. “So, what do I do now?”

“You must learn how to use the sun, sky and moon arcana and then I will help you learn the earth and ocean arcana and how to use them.”

“What about the star arcanum?”

“I can guide you towards its secret, but only you can discover it.”

“Aren’t all arcana like that?”

“The meaning of the star arcana changes depending on whom it grants its knowledge.”

“So, every Startouch elf has a different understanding of the star arcanum? And no one knows the true meaning of the star arcanum?”

“Yes,” Aaravos breathed. The caterpillar looked around.

“I’ve had no one use my knowledge in this way.”

Heather tilted her head. “How so?”

“People—human’s mainly, have used my knowledge for power or revenge or something equally sinister. No one has ever asked to learn what I know, only to use it. You are very different.”

“I’m still using your knowledge for personal gain, though.”

“People rarely learn without wanting to gain something. Otherwise we would learn nothing at all.”

Heather paused. “You make an interesting point.”

“I know,” Aaravos said, with a smile in his voice.

“Have you ever had an apprentice? Or a student?”

“No. You’re my first. And I promise to be nothing like my former master, Kalani.”

“Was he as bad as you say he was?”

“Yes. How did you know that?”

Heather smiled. “You were one of the elves nominated for the Year of the Star celebration on the equinox this year. We had to do some research on your life, but every book we looked at was destroyed. So, we... uh, broke into your home to see if we could find anything, and we found your memoirs.”

“How considerate of you to break into my home?” Aaravos said sarcastically. “And what memoirs?”

Heather dug around in Réalta’s saddlebag for the book she had read last night. Finally, she found it and showed it to the caterpillar.

“Ah, my diaries,” he perceived. “Have you found them useful?”

“For the show? Yes.”

“I meant with your arcanum education.”

Heather glanced down at the leather-backed book. “Yeah, I guess they have.” She ran her finger over the embroidery of the cover. “Did you do this yourself?”

“Yes. It required a lot of focus, but it was calming and helped me stay on track, even in my prison.”

“I guess I could say the same about archery.” She looked over the gold and silver thread, it looked almost perfect and was smooth to the touch. “You must have been good at a young age... Or did you do all these years after you wrote this diary?” According to the inside cover, Aaravos had been thirteen when he started it.

“I suppose so—I did it as I wrote it,” he paused. “You must have more questions.”

Heather drew in a breath. “Yeah, I guess so.”

The caterpillar leaned its head forward, telling her to continue.

“Why are the sun and moon arcana on the diaries?” She asked.

The caterpillar sighed. “You’re not very interested in your education, are you?”

“Like I said; I never wanted this.” She practically spat out the words.

"It was a mistake; something that never should have happened. I’m strong enough as it is, nevermind throwing four more arcana into the mix."

“Many mages would kill for your gift,” Aaravos informed softly.

“Then let them. I’d gladly give this power away.”

“But they give few the opportunity.”

Heather eyed him.

“The stars enjoy being thought of as powerful and all-mighty. In other words; they relish being feared. The first Startouch elves were connected to all the primal sources—“

“—like the first Archdragons,” Heather interrupted.

“Yes, and when Startouch elves only had one arcanum, others believed to have all six arcana—“

“—and when others found out that they no longer had that power, they no longer feared them.” The caterpillar tilted its head at her. “Dragons and elves are pretty similar—at least the ones connected to the stars.”

“So to through this change is a gift from the stars, allowing you to reach your full potential—it makes you an archetype and prodigy of a Startouch elf.”

Heather glanced aside.

“The stars rarely ever grant their power and knowledge to anyone who isn’t born a Startouch elf. They see something in you, much like Réalta did all those years ago.”

Heather sighed. “You sound like all the other mages I talked to.” She pushed herself to her feet. “I don’t want this. Tell me there’s a way to travel through time and stop what happened from happening. Tell me there’s a way to stop this! Or reverse it! Or stop it from happening at all! Please!”

Aaravos stayed quiet. “You’re scared. You’re scared this transformation will change you negatively.”

Heather wanted to crush the caterpillar. But he was right. She sat down again beside Réalta. “I don’t want to be a mage.”

“Who said you had to be a mage?”

“Everyone I’ve talked to has mentioned magic or being a mage.”

“That’s just so you can find a practical use for your power. The energy you will create while being connected to all six primal sources will be immense, you will need to disperse some of that—even just a little.”

“So...?”

“No, you don’t need to have a new profession, you just need to have a means of using your power—no amount of archery or fencing will use up the energy you create daily; not to mention should there be a storm or if you’re travelling underground, and your arcana are stronger during these events. They will create many inconveniences if you are not educated properly.”

A smile formed on Heather’s face. “Alright then, that makes sense.” She looked out the mouth of the cave; the sky was now an orange colour. “We should get going. The kitchens should be serving again now that everyone has been called back into duty.”

She looked at the caterpillar. “Thank you, Aaravos.”

The caterpillar inclined its head and crawled over to her as she stood up. Réalta rose to his hooves as well. Heather crouched down and offered the caterpillar her hand to climb up. As it settled on her shoulders, Heather hoisted herself onto Réalta’s saddle. She removed their Dragonguard uniforms; leaving only Realta’s saddle and bridle on him and Heather’s vest, leggings and thigh-high boots. She slipped on her necklace once again and packed away the diary.

“Yip yip, Réalta,” Heather said, nudging him forward.

They ambled through the forest as the evening chill set in.

“As for your question; I’m a halfling.”

“Huh?”

“Your question about the embroidery,” Aaravos paused. “I’m part Sunfire elf, part Moonshadow elf—a Moonfire elf if you will. That’s why the sun and moon symbols are on my diaries; they’re my original arcana.”

“Oh...”

“I know it’s not the same, but I went through the same transformation you’re going through—except I was older and it was a choice for me.”

“That explains most of your memoirs,” Heather mused, looking up at the sky. She could feel the moon rising in power as the sun set—it confused her.

“Don’t worry, I’ll help you get around that, so it doesn’t irritate you anymore.”