#runaan got his balance back

[beautifulterriblequeen]

The tightly leashed control on this man is so hhghghhh

Claudia just tried to kill them with a rock and several spells and he simply does not shoot her at all about it

also the way he knows he wasn't her target and discounts his own injuries as a self-defense motive because he got them saving Callum. hi. hello. hi. hi.

[liridus]

Okay so Tdp s7 thoughts that nobody asked for:

I did like this season but I do think that was primarily because of how much I like the characters. Like looking back, it was a little messy, and kind of in your face at times. That's probably just personal preference because I love when the show makes little parallels and foreshadows things without it being explicit, so some aspects of this season felt a little clumsy to me (like Callum talking to the dark version of himself, and them making two references to "however vile" pretty close to each other). I did really like all the character interaction, especially seeing more of Ruunan and Ethari with Rayla.

Other thoughts in no particular order:

- I get Ezran being angry, and I also kind of get the things he does this season. Like he's grieving, he's a child. He's a person who tries to make peace, tries to talk it out with people, but at this point he starts to believe that's not enough and that makes sense. I do agree that Zym should have had more of a profound impact on him changing his mind, but that's me

- Soren keeping the picture under his arm plate armor (and Corvus knowing about it???) destroyed me a little

- I love the way Aaravos talks, like it's fun, manipulative. I do think he was underpowered though? Either that or he was overconfident. Loved when he killed Karim, fully expected it

- I love Terry and he needed to get away from Claudia for himself like he said, I don't know if I like how it was done, but he is really fun with everyone else. And he does bring Ezran back some perspective. Terry and Soren bonding is not something I knew I needed

- There was a moment when Claudia said Terry had unfinished business and the moon orb thing looked like a star ascending that I thought Claudia had killed him for a second

- I NEEDED CLAUDIA TO BE MORE UPSET ABOUT NOT BEING ABLE TO SEE THE MAP ANYMORE

- Claudia feels lost to me now. I love her, she's one of my favorite characters, but she feels so numb to everything and her motivations are everywhere and nowhere. I feel like Terry leaving should have destroyed her more, but maybe she's used to it a bit more now. I kind of get how she's using Aaravos to cope with loss, but that was a bit I wish was a little clearer, like motivation wise

- Low key, I also don't fully understand all of Aaravos' motivation. Like I guess it's being stuck in the anger phase of greif, but I don't know. Though he might not be explaining his motivation in full

- Fully don't know how I feel about all the archdragons dying. Though the scene with Sir Sparklepuff landing on Aaravos and Avizandum jumping him is so funny to me

- Runaan regretting aspects of being an assassin even though it was so ingrained in him that he was right is everything to me. And him agreeing to kill Callum is in a weird way beautiful to me. (he also feels underpowered, but for now I'm going to chalk that up to him still recovering)

- Ethari ghosting Rayla (he did do that, right? Am I misremembering??) should have been addressed. Like you can't skip over that, you can't

- There are times when I feel like the show loses the balance between funny and serious moments

-I think there were just too many things to cut to and too few episodes so sometimes the scenes feel disjointed

- "I got you" "I know"

- Soren and Claudia not knowing what to do with each other is important to me

- Callum picking up the becoming resistant to tickles thing from his dad is so so precious

- I absolutely hated the bird Harrow reveal. Like if it happened earlier on, sure, fun little (kind of massive) fan theory with some weight to it. But now? Immediately after Ezran is starting to begin to come to terms with Harrow's death? No. (Also did Viren do that? Why? Like it feels more like a retrospective addition than something intentional)

[sarasade]

On Claudia, Viren, Aaravos & Claudia's Character Arc

This post is mostly about Claudia's character development or should I say character deterioration.

It's highly likely that Callum will be the one to take down Aaravos- like it all goes back to Harrow's letter in s2 and chains of history and the themes of free will vs destiny and such. Aaravos possessing Callum is all about that. He's literally taking control of Callum's faith. There is clear antagonism there that's in a direct conflict with who Callum is.

But at the same time Claudia is the one who's got the biggest personal beef with Aaravos. He exploited her grief, manipulated her and used her father to accomplish his own goals. If Aaravos didn't exist Claudia wouldn't have spent two years of her life in a complete stagnation waiting for her dad to come back from the dead instead of moving on. It seems like Aaravos has been molding Claudia into his personal minion through dark magic during the time skip as well.

Taking this into account it would be really satisfying to see Claudia snap out of it and take her revenge. Characters having a personal connection to the villain always makes a story's climax more gripping. More personal the better! And everything between Aaravos and Claudia is VERY personal.

That's why Viren worked so well as a foil to Callum and Ezran in s 1-3. Especially Ezran whose rightful place as the king he tried to take. He was basically their shitty, power hungry uncle who turned against them. Side note but if Viren is still alive I hope he makes a return as Ezran's foil.

Claudia helping to take down Aaravos would be emotionally satisfying. All the elements for that are already there. Of course Claudia should come to some kind of realisation about the way she's been used by Aaravos before she can take that turn. I doubt the show's got the time for that but it's an interesting possibility to think about.

I really like how the plot around Aaravos manipulating Claudia is done. Even Claudia's own father didn't do anything to prevent it from happening although all the signs of Aaravos having sinister plans for Claudia were there from the beginning: Aaravos calling Claudia "an asset" and encouraging Viren to lie to her in s3 therefore enabling Viren's worst impulses while also using them to his benefit. It's SO EVIL (and I love it). Viren isn't that much better since he always had some kind of excuse to ignore the red flags. At this point of TDP's run I'm convinced that Runaan's "Faith worse than death" line about Aaravos' mirror is finally paying off. It means that the consequences of Viren's actions have hurt Claudia, the only person Viren loves unconditionally, in an unfathomable way.

I think Claudia's arc is relatively subtle and very well done. It balances between Claudia being a victim of manipulation and neglect while also giving her agency to influence the plot as a whole. My only complaint is that Lost Child short story should have been implemented in the show itself and not just be extra material. I have some other grievances but those are mostly fandom related.

How some fans, especially in YouTube reviews, talk about Claudia's downfall like it was inevitable because she's always been fucked up or talking about how "trauma isn't an excuse for bad behaviour" is strange to me. Like, yeah, it isn't an excuse but it's simply just bad media analysis to instantly jump into condemning Claudia's actions, like she's a real person who uses trauma as an excuse to hurt other real people, instead of seeing it in the terms of a character study. Claudia clearly uses trauma to convince herself that what she's doing is right but never tries to manipulate anyone else by using it as an excuse. Think about her and Terry for example: she usually refuses Terry's help instead of trying to garner sympathy from him. This character trait is one of the many reasons why she felt obligated to keep her family together as well. She's extremely stubborn and not very self-conscious about her trauma brain but she does understand why others would see her actions as objectionable. I think this character type (usually a woman) has been given the playful nickname "trauma bitch" in the internet lexicon. Anyway god forbid if we actually empathise, reflect on and engage with unpleasant or problematic characters instead of instantly condemning them.

TDP is about how people can always CHOOSE a different path. Viren's dark magic hallucination in season 5 stated this very clearly.

In Claudia's case it's more interesting to think about WHY she DOESN'T choose differently. That's where all the meat of her character writing lies.

Claudia's arc is what happens when the desperate actions of someone motivated by trauma around abandonment are taken to their logical conclusion in this fantasy setting. It's a fictional story, it has metaphors and shit. Fantasy genre has used necromancy and extending one's life by magical means as a story element to explore humanity's relationship to death many times. The metaphor for loss and regret basically writes itself. Ursula Le Guin has used this trope in The Earthsea books, Peter S. Beagle's The Last Unicorn has done it etc. Everything can't be a one to one comparison to real life (trauma rarely makes you want to kill your friends with dark magic irl. idk that's just me though) and there needs to be a level of abstraction involved in a fantasy story. Abstraction and metaphor, paradoxically, can reveal a greater truth about the world. (I'm probably accidentally quoting someone here but can't remember who.)

Anyway the rest is great. When you think of it all for a moment it's pretty fucked up how Claudia has been used by Aaravos. It's not some tiny part of Caludia's story. It IS her story. And Viren set that norm for her. Viren too has abused Claudia's trust. It's a complex subject and probably requires its own post since Viren, Soren and Claudia's situation reflects some pretty realistic dynamics real life troubled families have. That's why the characters compliment each other's stories so well. Viren is a more realistic character after all when Aaravos is more over the top and symbolic and less of a real person. Aaravos is one of those villains who embodies the opposing ideology of the heros. We (still) don't know almost anything personal about him so he matters mostly in relation to other characters.

Thanks for reading this Claudia propaganda! I've had so many of these in the drafts. Anyway TL;DR

[frogwithgun]

Ok so I am finally done with the last season of the dragon prince and aside from all the funny moments (like that little kid saying Callum wants ten babies lol) I think that this season gave way to many new theories.

First the obvious, King Harrow is a bird. There's no way he wasn't based on what Runaan said. And to be honest I wasn't in the fandom before. I tried to be but back then I just wasn't interested so I wasn't really on that Harrow is a bird bandwagon. Now that I am in this fandom I am full into this theory and I fucking love it.

The question is though how will they find this bird, will they even find it, and when they do how are they going to get Harrow out.

See the thing is this was likely done by black magic. Because of that it will either take very powerful magic to reverse or more dark magic.

Which leads me to my next point, will Callum use more dark magic? If we get a third arc (hoping and praying for that to happen) I believe that Callum may end up being the one to make the switch. Not only that but that he will use dark magic to make it happen.

Jumping to a different topic, Claudia and the possibility of her having a redemption. Overall she is a beautifully written character and she is definitely very realistic to the way many people would think in her situation.

But her getting a redemption arc? I unfortunately don't think it will happen. In fact, I do honestly think she will either die or have a half redemption like Viren did. He was never truly forgiven but went out doing something that for once wasn't selfish.

However I have less hope for Claudia. It is likely she will die thinking everything she did was for her family and the greater good.

Onto Ezran. I believe he will lead to Aaravos' death. He was the one who found the sword after it was lost to history. Even if he doesn't end up being the one to kill Aaravos I think he will lead to the death of Aaravos in some way or another.

Back to Claudia and Aaravos again. I believe that when Aaravos comes back he will have a different goal in mind: kill Callum. He is now not only getting revenge for his fallen daughter, but now for the daughter that he wishes he had. And that would be a very interesting third arc.

This got VERY long so I apologize I just have many many theories on things that may happen if this shows third arc gets greenlighted. Which it hopefully does.

To the people who are reading this and wondering "what the hell is the dragon prince?" I ask you to please watch the show. It is an incredible show that is sort of avatar adjacent. It dives into heavy topics perfectly without making the show seem too edgy.

On the flip side it can an incredibly goofy show without taking away from the main plot. It does a great job of balancing these two aspects in both show and character in a way that can make you both hate and love the villains and hero's alike.

Please check out this show and boost the views so that we can have a third arc.

As always I love you, stay safe, and Merry Christmas! 💚

[hoothalcyon]

For the kisses prompt: 15.

15. ...passionately

Rated E for NSFW descriptions but it's pretty mild. also cw for mentions of using handcuffs in case that squicks anyone. Just Ruthari having open communication and being soft in between NSFW activities.

“What’s your colour, Runaan?”

Runaan opened his eyes, careening off the high of his first orgasm. His skin felt red hot, immeasurably searing with pleasure and pain whenever Ethari so much as brushed his fingers against him. The hair stuck to his forehead soon became irrelevant as his husband gently swept it away before raking his eyes over him in a sultry manner, looking forward to more.

Runaan contemplated his husband’s inquiry. Being tied to the bed and adored on by Ethari—endlessly teased and brought to his high before being lulled back down made his head spin, finding utopia in each new sensation he had to offer.

And yet,

“Yellow.”

Ethari’s seductive demeanour faded in the blink of a sweat stung eye. He moved in closer to his husband, leaning in close enough so that his soft whisper could be heard without strain. “What’s worrying you, my heart?”

Runaan welcomed his concern. “I…I’m not sure.”

Ethari’s hand brushed across his hair again, smoothing it with delicate strokes. “Have you been feeling good up until this point?”

He nodded, finding his breath with the simpler, clearer questions.

“Okay,” he nodded. “Does coming down from a lot of emotions make you want to change what we’re doing?”

He looked contemplative as he pondered this. “Not exactly. It’s…I enjoyed this, and I felt very safe while doing so, but…”

“Would releasing you from the handcuffs help you think more clearly?”

“I think so.”

Ethari didn’t hesitate to undo the metal from the man’s wrists, gently whispering endearments to him all the while. He wrapped his fingers around his thin, indigo marked wrist, massaging away any stiffness and soothing his nerves. Runaan smiled, bringing a free hand to guide Ethari towards his lips; sighing as the two embraced softly.

“Thank you,” he whispered, dropping a smaller kiss to his nose.

Ethari smiled warmly. “So what’s on your mind, handsome?”

Runaan chuckled before taking his hand to help guide him through his thoughts. “I think…I felt more than usual because of the new addition. I enjoyed it, but…when it comes to continuing, at least for now, I think I would prefer to return to ‘normal’.

“It’d make you feel more balanced.”

“Exactly.”

Ethari brought his other hand to rest it over the top of Runaan’s, gently warming his skin with unconditional understanding. “That’s alright, we can do that,” he affirmed, leaving a kiss where his hand had just sat. He trailed a line of kisses along his wrist and then his arm, smirking playfully against his skin. Runaan watched him with soft amusement before a quiet laugh broke through, making Ethari’s grin widen.

He moved from his arm to his neck, kissing along every inch there. “We can still have fun like normally,” he teased; nose bumping against his husband’s tremors of laughter.

“You charmer,” Runaan said. “Ethari…” he continued, prompting his attention. Ethari looked at him, listening with soft adoration. “Thank you,” he finished. He wrapped his arms around him, grateful for the ability to do so as he pulled him closer, leaving little room for space. He didn’t miss the throaty sound of approval his husband made at the new friction; offering him a final soft glance before he got to work.

[hiccstrxd]

a winter wonderland in spring

Behold the ice skating au no one asked for! My first multi chapter and i'm already dreading not finishing it lol. Read it on ao3.

Summary: Rayla glided, her skates creating a grinding sound on the ice. She felt a hand coming to encircle her waist from behind, it's a feather-light touch; the jolt of electricity wasn't. There's something unspoken that hung in the air between them, a connection that hadn't been there before, a delicate balance.

Rayla is in search of a skating partner, she might have just found the one. Perhaps even more.

Ever since she can remember, a pair of skates under her feet felt like the whole universe was within her reach, and the unachievable turned achievable. It’s everything she has known, everything she has put her entire heart into. It brought her a sense of serenity and freedom, peacefulness and strength; it’s her primary source of self-confidence and gallantry. It’s part of who she is.

She first fell in love with it when her surrogate father took her for the very first time to their local ice rink as a child. The wonder in her eyes, the pure delight in her smile and the giddiness that overtook her as she saw countless skaters performing tricks and spins and footwork on the ice is something that she still remembers rather vividly. It’s what called to her, after all.

Later on, that sentiment was fueled by her father teaching her some basic moves. She didn’t think it was possible to fall even more in love, but it turned out wrong because she ended up getting impossibly eager to start classes right then – which subsequently became a reality and led her to become the professional skater that she is now, twelve years later.

She was very determined even as a kid.

So she doesn’t see how this is any different. But somehow it is because then she wouldn’t be so nervous about asking for this one request (maybe because she knows the answer and dreads it).

Rayla paced back and forth in front of her coach’s office, worrying her bottom lip in between her teeth, hands shaking in anticipation. She would occasionally glance at the door — a barrier between herself and her next goal on the ice — and glare daggers for it seemed to be outright mocking her lack of resolve.

She knows she can do it, but she’s not exactly thrilled for the resistance that’s bound to come.

She raised one hand, a fist mere inches away from making contact but she couldn’t bring herself to knock. The number of times she has come after practice thinking that today would be the day she would do it just for her to end up going through this exact ritual is more often than not. No, this time she’d do it for sure. Rayla took one last deep breath, closed her eyes, and murmured encouraging words under her breath because nothing could deter her now.

And she would not go out of that office with a no for an answer.

Before Rayla could back out once again — and all the courage she had mustered could fade away — she knocked thrice at the door and it was immediately followed by a muffled come-in from the other side.

She gripped the handle and pulled, and upon seeing her coach, she squared her shoulders to make herself seem more confident than she felt.

“Ah, I was wondering when you’d knock.” Runaan didn’t even bother to avert his eyes from the forms he was filling. Her posture faltered a bit, blushing at the revelation that she wasn’t being as discreet as she thought she was being. For one week straight.

“Coach,” She gave him a court nod and waited for him to pull the paperwork away. Rayla shifted uneasily on both feet while trying hard to push down the nagging turnabout of thoughts — perhaps this could have been a whole lot easier if she had decided to do this at home, Ethari would have been a nice backup if things went sour.

When she was sure she had his full attention, she cleared her throat and set her jaw, “I’ve decided I’m ready to try pair skating.”

Rayla could practically foresee his exasperated sigh and the furrowing of his eyebrows before any of them could take place. “Rayla—“

“And I know what you are going to say, but I’ve mastered all the solo techniques, spins, and jumps already. I’m a proficient single skater and my skills are one of the sharpest out there.” She looked him in the eye, staring closely for a change in his stern expression but all he did was fold his arms across his chest, leaning backward on the chair. Seeing as he made no attempt to cut in with an argument of his own, she continued on with the spiel she has been practicing beforehand for the past few weeks.

“I’m aware of the strenuous work that goes into pair skating, I know about its complexity and hardship but I feel ready. I want to do it.”

Runaan only stared at her, unmoving, with his characteristic frown whenever she decides to defy his authority (which are more times than he’d like to, she’s sure). It should make her back out. It doesn’t.

She stood firm, undeterred, doing her best to make herself look bigger under his gaze.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk and intertwining his fingers together, a pensive look on his face. “A talented skater such as you should not depend on someone else. Your skills must not be at someone’s expense.”

She had expected that answer, of course, it’s what she has been hearing every time she brings the topic up during practices, dinners, and car rides. And just like the other times, Rayla had to swallow down a retort that would surely land her two weeks off the ice, which would certainly make matters worse. “It would be a crime, for the expertise you’ve got it’s too highly thought of for someone else to come and taint it. Besides, pair skating is ten times more difficult than single skating — more effort is put into each move, each trick.”

“And I’m willing to take every risk.” She said, not missing a beat. He needs to realize that she has never been more certain about something in her life. She raised her chin up, eyes solemnly staring at his, though she’s sure her nerves are pretty much transparent at this point.

Runaan blinked, clenching his jaw, brows furrowing further. “Rayla, I just don’t think it’s such a good idea for your career. I believe this could either end extremely good or extremely bad.”

“I know. But that doesn’t change the fact that I will do it.”

His patience was running thin. So was hers.

He took a deep breath, his nostrils flaring in the process. “Very well, then.”

Rayla had to physically restrain herself from widening her eyes in disbelief because despite coming in here with determination in her tone and confidence in her posture, part of her had expected this reunion to be futile like the previous ones. He had always been very firm when it came to sharing his thoughts on pair skating — which he had oh-so-fondly labeled every solo skater’s doomsday — and it was clear that he had some type of reservation towards it. She envisioned nothing else but rebuttals from his part.

“Let me make several calls, ask if a skater is looking to pair. In the meantime, you can put a notice on the bulletin board or an ad on the web.” He said at last and regardless of his suggestion, his lack of enthusiasm was more or less translucent. “Heard those new databases are great search engines for a skating partner.” Runaan mumbled under his breath.

Rayla knows for a fact that, in spite of his demur and the hesitancy he’s got for pair skating, he’d still give his best to coach her — and her partner — through.

“You are dismissed.”

She smiled, “Thank you, Runaan.”

He gave her a small smile in return.

She exited his office feeling lighter on the shoulders, relaxed on the limbs, and calmer within. It was something that had been troubling her for quite some time now, and its resolution was like a breath of fresh air, a weight off her mind. Truthfully, she had been prepared to give thoroughly thought reasons to his upcoming excuses. She’s glad she hadn’t need to put those into use.

Just as the door closed behind her, a feeling of excitement came over her in full force, though she tried to contain it in as to not make a scene in the middle of the hallway. She can’t say she did the same in the enclosed quarters of her room.

Now, all that rests to do is to get to work in those ads.

How hard could it be to find a partner?

[ask-ethari-anything]

Do you ever have a thought about the people who'll be on the receiving end of the weapons you've crafted that makes you shudder? Have you ever had a nightmare about it or had the looming thought so bad that you had to take a small hiatus from crafting weapons?

*sits quietly by the edge of the ritual pool, eyes on the water* Too often.

Runaan has a hard side. He can stash his feelings for as long as he likes and function quite well--or so he thinks. But me? I don’t have a hard side. Just a protective side. I make swords to protect my husband and his assassins from falling in battle. But that means that humans will fall instead. There is no other option when you’re at war.

They have families too. Mothers, husbands, little ones. Why must they choose to break the old promises, to draw the ire of the Dragon Throne? Surely they must have good reasons. Don’t they know they’re risking the happiness of everyone they love when they act so rashly? Surely they must.

Perhaps they act so rashly because of those they love... *stares intently at the very reflective pool* If they feel they have no other choice, they surely will act to protect their own, yes? They would risk everything to keep others safe. And they do their best, until they come up against my swords, in my husband’s hands.

*hands twitch and clasp together* I make trinkets and jewelry to balance out my blades. Things that will bring happiness, joy, laughter, a soft smile. Things that elves will be alive a long time to appreciate.

It’s a dark balance for the harder work of my hands. But it’s the best I can do. When I was crafting Rayla’s butterfly blades, I made so many trinkets. I’d stay up late polishing and twisting and inlaying, until I’d get so tired I’d get sloppy and nick myself sometimes, and that seemed only fair, too. If I bled for my soft creations, didn’t that balance the blood Rayla would spill with her swords?

My soft little girl, taking life... for the rest of her life... I wasn’t ready, not at all. She was supposed to have a few more years. Runaan promised. But then... the Storm Spire happened. And all our lives changed, very suddenly. Too suddenly.

I dreamed one night that humans invaded the Silvergrove, and I had to take my own swords and go out to defend it. And then one of the humans attacking me... was Runaan. A human Runaan, coming at me with his war face on.

I couldn’t. I couldn’t. I woke up in a cold sweat. Runaan’s eyes got very wide in concern--usually it’s him having the bad dreams. So I didn’t tell him about it, and I let him cuddle me back to sleep.

I did my best to work the next few days, but my concentration was shot, and I made a lot of trinkets instead. Trinkets with turquoise and purple gems in them.

And then I got back to work. Because I’m the Master Craftsman of the Silvergrove, and I have work to do.

[zuppizup]

Introductions: Ethari

Tumblr keeps doing weird things to reading panes and asks... reposting to resolve that.

Introductions Part One: Ezran

Rayla glanced up at the courtyard entrance for what felt like the 10th time that hour.

“You’re going to give yourself a crick in your neck, you know?” Callum teased, as he tickled Tio under the chin.

She was still trying to get the hang of crawling, rocking back and forward on her hands and knees while cooing loudly.  

“Well, you’ll just have to give me a neck rub then.” Rayla rolled her eyes, strolling over to them both and sitting down beside them.

The courtyard was pleasant this time of morning, the sun shining softly on the manicured lawn and gardens. The plants here were some of the most varied in both the Pentarchy and Xadia, Callum having taken an interest in botany as he studied the Earth arcanum.

“No objections here.” He teased, leaning forward to kiss her.

Rayla chuckled as Tio objected, trying to crawl forward but only succeeding in shuffling backwards. She squealed in protest and frustration. Rayla took pity on her and scooped Tio up, only for the little halfling to push her away, reaching out for Callum.

“Oh, we're a Daddy’s girl today, are we?” She chuckled, handing the struggling baby to Callum.

“Just like her Mum at that age.”

Rayla’s head snapped around at Ethari's soft voice. “Ethari!” She jumped to her feet, running the short distance to where he stood at the edge of the lawn. They embraced, while Callum got to his feet, Tio balanced on his hip.

“You’re looking well.” Ethari stepped back to look at Rayla. “I can’t remember the last time I saw you in a dress.”

“Probably our wedding day.” Callum grinned as he joined them.

“We had a reception with some of the local nobles.” Rayla rolled her eyes. “Some of them are still a bit wary of elves. I thought it would be easier if I also didn’t turn up in armour and Moonshadow colours.”

Ethari smiled softly. “The colours of Katolis are very becoming on you, little one. What a proper princess you have become.” He added, a glint in his eye.

Rayla grimaced as Callum laughed. Even after all these years, she still couldn’t take to the title.

“Lovely to see you again, Callum.” Eathari grinned, turning his attention to his son-in-law. “And this must be the little lady of the hour.” Ethari stepped a little closer to the baby in Callum’s arms, holding his hand out to her. “Trees to meet you, Tio.”  

Callum chuckled at the old joke, as Rayla scoffed.

“Trees to meet you, grandpa.” Callum moved Tio closer to Ethari.

She observed him for a second, then buried her head in the crook of Callum’s shoulder.

“Sorry.” Rayla winced. “She’s going through a bit of a phase at the moment.”

“Ai, I remember those.” Ethari winked at her. “Maybe some of Mama’s old toys will cheer her up.” The older elf swung a bag off his shoulder, rummaging around until he found a cloth elf doll, holding it out for Tio.

“Adora!” Rayla exclaimed. “Where did you find her?”

“You know Runaan never let me throw anything out.” Ethari paused briefly, his eyes flickering to Callum. “I couldn’t bring it all, but it’ll be good for her to have a few things at home for when you visit.”

“Good idea.” Callum hitched Tio, whispering to her and pointing at Ethari. “Look what grandpa brought you?”

Tio pouted, her eyes on the doll.

“Why don’t we sit down, and she can pick out what she wants?” Ethari offered.

“Sounds like a plan.” Callum agreed, getting to his knees awkwardly with Tio in his arms.

Rayla and Ethari joined them, Ethari placing his bag in front of Tio, pulling some of the other toys to the top so she could see them better.

This seemed to do the trick, and she shuffled forward, clumsily pulling on the strap before sticking it in her mouth and sucking on it.

Rayla turned up her nose. “You have a million toys for actually chewing on, but you decide on that?”

Ethari chuckled. “Teething, I suppose?”

“Yep.” Callum lifted Tio up and placed her closer to the bag. “She’s gnawing on everything these days. Books, Bait, Rayla’s horns…”

Rayla snorted. “Seriously, don’t let her near your head.”

Ethari laughed, looking at them softly. “You look very happy.” He said after a brief pause.

Rayla looked over at Callum and Tio, still sucking on the bag. “We are.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” Ethari leaned forward and took her hand. “You deserve it.” He smiled at her, then looked over at Tio. “She’s beautiful.”

Rayla nodded, stroking Tio’s head softly.

“I know I shouldn’t be surprised but she’s exactly like the drawings you sent.” Ethari glances at Callum.

“Well, he has enough practice.” Rayla teased.

“I can’t help it. Everything she does is so cute.” Callum tickled Tio. “I have to draw it.”

Rayla rolled her eyes, sniggering. “How many sketch books have you gone through?”

“You say that like there’s some kind of shortage of sketch books.”  

Tio quickly warmed to Ethari, connecting all the new toys with his presence. As they took their refreshments in the sunshine, she was happily sitting in his lap, clumsily trying to stuff a cucumber sandwich into her mouth.

“She’s going to ruin your clothes.” Rayla said around a jelly tart.

“I can wash my clothes.” Ethari held her little hand, his eyes soft as he watched his granddaughter desperately concentrate on eating.

 Callum slipped a hand around Rayla’s waist as they made their way inside. Tio was giggling in Ethari’s arms, poking and prodding his facial markings with her chubby, uncoordinated fingers.

Ethari was almost giggling as hard.

Callum looked at Rayla surprised to see her frowning slightly.

“Hey, what’s up?” He stopped, turning to look at her.

“It’s nothing.” She smiled at him, the gesture not quite reaching her eyes.

“Rayla.” Callum cautioned, sighing.

She frowned again. “It’s just… seeing Tio with Ethari…” She shrugged. “She should have five other grandparents. It… it just makes me a little sad.”

Callum stepped forward, embracing her. “Yeah, me too.” He leaned back, cupping her face. “The war deprived a lot of people of their loves ones.” He kissed her softly. “Which is why you have to do lame things like wear dresses and get called Princess and make merry with random people of influence so we can maintain the peace.”

“I’m still not convinced it’s worth it.” Rayla replied sarcastically.

Callum snorted. “Tio will be ok. She couldn’t ask for a more attentive grandpa than Ethari.”

They both glanced around to see Tio sitting on Ethari’s shoulders, gnawing on one of his horns.

“I warned you.” Rayla snickered.

Ethari grinned, holding Tio tight. “I expect a sketch of this.” He glanced at Callum.

“Certainly.”

[iwillhaveamoonbase]

The Long Game ch. 2

Rayla glared a bit at her reflection in the mirror.  How could she look just like herself and look nothing like she always did at the same time? Her horns were gone, her skin lacking the pink undertones, and she had the human pinkos.  No…pinkies.  They were called ‘pinkies.’  Her hair had yellow in it now and her lavender eyes were now a piercing blue.  She hated it.  Even her voice had lost it’s Silvergrove accent.  She had spent the whole six months trying to get rid of it only for the powerful illusion to take care of it for her.  Rayla quirked a lip as she remembered how she had reacted to that back at Lujanne’s.  Lujanne had taken the whole thing as a learning process, that she was capable of losing her accent, but Rayla had been frustrated with the situation.  

Rayla put a hand under her bare eye.  She was sorely missing the dye normally under her eyes.  She felt naked without it. The dye…she hadn’t been able to bring any with her and the design she chose….it had been a variant of the one her parents had put on her.  

Rayla wasn’t foolish. She knew why the Assassins Guild had approved Runaan’s plan so easily and why no one but Ethari had opposed the idea. It didn’t matter if she died in the process; she was here to make up for her parents’ disgrace.  “You two just had to run away…”

Rayla turned her head to look around the lavish room.  She had hoped that King Harrow would take her in and give her a place among the palace staff. Easy to hide, easy to maneuver. That’s not what was happening, apparently.  The room was right next to Prince Callum’s if she had heard correctly because she had asked for a view of the moon.  Rayla walked around the room.  It was too big, the balcony too ostentatious.  She needed the moonlight to continue to charge the talisman, but she didn’t need all this.  The dark purple stone had been created by all the mages of Silvergrove and crafted by Ethari. Lunjanne had added her own illusion magic and the power of the Moon Nexus had made it even stronger.  It had to be perfect.  She had to be perfect.

The moon was slowly rising, signaling the end of the day.  Dinner had been awkward to say the least.  They had done introductions and Viren had glared at her the whole time.  His son, Soren, had stared at her for most of the time.  Rayla was used to people staring at her, but this was different.  All she knew was she didn’t like it.  One of the princes, Callum, had also stared at her most of the night.  But, his look had been different than Viren’s suspicious one and Soren’s….whatever that was. Callum looked at her with pure confusion.  Did he see through the illusion?  Lujanne had warned her that incredibly magically sensitive beings would be able to see through it, but that shouldn’t count a human, right?  Right?  

As she stepped onto the balcony, she sighed at the cool breeze that came over her.  She heard a scritch-scatching to her right and turned her head to see Callum drawing the half moon.  The moonlight was hitting the planes of his face and his green eyes almost looked like they were glowing.  When he looked up again, she saw the emergence of a sharp jawline; something that would come as he grew older.  He was a lot more handsome than her initial perusal had indicated.  “Drawing the night sky, Your Highness?”

He yelped, startled out of his thoughts.  “Oh! Rayla, right?”

She quirked a brow.  “Yep.”

“Sorry.  I just…get into a groove, I guess.”

“Don’t let me keep you from your ‘groove.’”

Callum gave her a soft smile, before turning back to his sketchbook.  They sat in silence for a bit, Rayla perfectly content to stare at the stars.  After some time, Callum nervously coughed.  “Do you want to see?”

“Sure.”  Before Callum could hand the sketchbook over to her, Rayla got on the ledge of her balcony and jumped onto his.  He looked shocked for a moment, unsure.  “Everything OK?”

“Yeah.  I’ve just never done that before.  I don’t think I’d have the confidence to not fall to my death.”

Rayla shrugged.  “You need good control and balance.  It’s not that tricky once you get those two things.” Callum had a look of disbelief on his face, but showed her the sketchbook.  Rayla’s eyes went wide as she stared at the picture.  Callum had indeed drawn the moon, craters and all, but he had also drawn her.  There was a peaceful expression on her face.  “I didn’t realize you were drawing me.”

“Sorry.  I should have asked first.”

“No, it’s fine.  I’m amazed you would pick me to draw.”

“It was hard not to.  I have a feeling you don’t often feel as at peace as you did right then.”

“What makes you say that?”

Callum shrugged.  “Just a feeling.  Maybe I’m projecting.  I don’t feel at peace very often myself.”

“Really?”

Callum nodded.  “The king is my step-father and he’s been great, but our relationship isn’t really the parent-child one I want.”

“And your biological father?”

“Dead.  Has been since I was about a year old.  And my mom died about ten years ago.”

Rayla was quiet for a few moments.  “I don’t know where my parents are.  I was raised by their friends.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.  It’s for the best.”

Callum looked away for a bit.  “You said your village is gone?”

“Yeah.”

“And it was elves?”

Rayla shrugged her shoulders.  “Maybe. I don’t really know.  Everything’s a little fuzzy.”  Callum let it drop, but he turned his eyes back to her.  There was that look again.  “What?”

“What?”

“You’re looking at me like you’re confused.”

Callum flushed a bit. “Sorry.”  He apologized too easily, Rayla decided.  He tried to make himself small and unnoticed.  Why?  Weren’t humans supposed to be arrogant?  “I don’t know how to explain it, but when I look at you, something’s…off.”

“‘Off?’”

“I don’t know.  I asked Soren and Claudia and they both said you’re just really pretty and I’m not used to it.”

Rayla blinked twice.  “What do you think?”

The light flush on his cheeks became a dark red.  “I mean, you are quite pretty, but I don’t think that’s it.”

“What do you think it is, then?”

Callum stood up, so he was almost at her height.  He was about an inch shorter than her, their eyes almost meeting directly.  His lips were a lot fuller than she had thought.  He tilted his head, an intense look directed right at her.  “Do you dye your hair?  Claudia does.”

“No.”  Rayla gulped.  He was too close.  Could he hear her heart beating loudly?  Why was it beating so fast?  What was happening?  She had to get out of here!  “Sorry, but it’s late.  I think I’ll head to bed.”

“Of course.  Good night.”  Rayla quickly turned and got on the railing to jump back onto her balcony. She turned her head to see Callum still looking at her with that same intense look.  She gave him a quick wave and closed the balcony doors.  Rayla leaned against the door, putting a hand to her chest. Why was her heart threatening to beat out of her chest?  Was she almost caught?  No….That hadn’t been it.  Prince Callum was dangerous to her mission.  That she knew.

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

“Harrow!  We can’t trust her!”

Harrow pinched the bridge of his nose as Viren continued to denounce his commitment to Rayla.  “We must care for all of our citizens.”

“Prove to me she’s one of our citizens!  There has been nothing about what she claims!  No villages have been attacked.  NOTHING!”

“Viren, there could be a million reasons why her story isn’t adding up.  What if she hit her head and this is the story her mind’s put together? We’ll help her find her home.  If there is no home, I’ll give her one until she’s ready to leave.”

“This is a mistake.  We can’t just take anyone in!  Do we want a repeat of Duren?  You don’t think things through enough when you’re trying to be compassionate.”

Harrow grit his teeth. “Let’s make something clear.  I take full responsibility for what we had to do in Xadia.  I lost my wife because I didn’t think ahead enough.  My sons have to grow up without their mother!  But I will not leave someone in need.  I am trying to build a world that will accept the love and compassion that is so strong in Ezran.”

“Ezran?”

“His heart is far purer than mine ever was.  He forgives easily and is incredibly understanding.  He’ll be a better king than I am.  But, I have to show compassion and understanding as well.”

“Harrow, listen to me-”

“The subject of Rayla is closed.  She stays unless she proves she cannot be trusted.”

Viren growled low in his throat, quickly leaving the room.  Harrow sighed as he leaned against his chair.  Pip began to sing, the melody almost cheerful.

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

The next morning, Rayla followed Callum and Soren as they went to do their lessons.  Callum looked completely unenthused while Soren kept sending smirks her way.  What was with this blonde idiot?  She watched Soren basically not teach Callum much of anything, except to expect to fall down.  Which, would have been fine if he was also teaching Callum how to get up quickly.  “Can I interject?”

Soren gave her a cocky grin. “No offense, but what does someone from a farming village know about swords?”

Rayla wracked her brain for the excuse Lujanne and her had come up with.  “I’ve seen the military practice often enough.  Besides, you don’t think children pretend to play with swords?”

Soren shrugged, handing her his sword.  Rayla shook her head, taking Callum’s from the ground.  “You’re not teaching him right.”

“With all due respect, I’m teaching him fine.”

“You’re teaching him to expect to fail but not how to get back up.  In other words, you’re screwing with his confidence.  That’s not teaching.”  Rayla lunged forward, Soren barely able to block it.  “His mother used a lance.  Train him on that.”  Soren pushed back, shock on his face as Rayla spun and used his own force against him so that he leaned forward, almost losing his balance.  “Not everyone is made for the same thing.”  Soren spun to face her.  They traded blows, but it was obvious to all that Rayla was the superior swordsman.  She was too light on her feet and knew when to add the right amount of power.  She also knew when to back off, which was ultimately Soren’s downfall as she finally swept his legs out from under him, landing him on his back.

“You-You SWEPT THE LEG!” Callum exclaimed.  Rayla smirked over at him.   She wanted his attention on her, she realized.  She wanted his praise.

“That’s not a thing in sword fighting!”  Soren groaned from the ground.

“Apparently it is.”  Everyone looked up to see Harrow, Viren, and Opeli at the entrance to the courtyard.  “Rayla, you have a lot of talent in sword fighting.”

“I played a lot as a kid with fake weapons.”  Viren raised a brow as Opeli looked her up and down.

“Perhaps, you would be better suited to training Callum.”

More time with Callum? BAD IDEA.  He wasn’t suspicious of her, but he saw through the illusion, in some way he knew it was there.  Rayla turned to see Callum looking at her.  There was hope in his gaze instead of confusion.  How could she refuse him when he looked at her like that?  “I would be honored, Your Majesty.”  She briefly curtseyed, sighing when the adults moved on.  ‘I’m in trouble.’   “Alright, Prince Callum.  No more swords. You’re going to be learning how to use a battle lance.”

“Let’s do it!”  He looked so excited, his toothy smile and shining eyes hit her heart way too hard.  

As they moved through practice, every little touch sent lightning coursing through her body.  His laugh was infectious and his questions were actually incredibly insightful.  The hours passed so quickly, she had barely noticed when dinner time came and judging by his expression, he hadn’t either.  

As Rayla lay in bed that night, her heart still hadn’t slowed down.  Every time she closed her eyes, a pair of green ones haunted her. Was this a crush?  No, it was too intense for that.  Either way, she had to pack these feelings deep into the corners of her heart and forget about that.  There was no room for error.  She couldn’t…she couldn’t fall in love with someone she was going to leave without a family.  ‘Oh, gods…I’m falling for him….’      

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

Callum went through his sketchbook.  It’d been several months since Rayla had come and his notebook was becoming filled to the brim with pictures of her.  The last time he had drawn Claudia had been the day Rayla had come.  That itch in the back of his mind was still strong, but he felt drawn to Rayla in a way he didn’t know was possible.  Every move she made had his immediate attention.  Her laugh was infectious and her snark and sarcasm showed an intelligent mind that was screaming for knowledge and also an eye for loopholes. She had taken to lessons with him and Ezran, devouring knowledge almost as soon as it was presented to her, though she preferred to be outside and moving about.  It was hard to keep her attention for long when the sun was shining and there were things to do outside.  

“Hey.”  Callum looked up to see the object of his thoughts smiling at him from her balcony.

“Hey.”

“The moon’s full.” Callum nodded, wondering where this was going.  “Back home, we sing and celebrate the passing of each cycle.  I haven’t been able to do it much since coming here.  Do you mind if I sing a bit?”

“Not at all.”  Callum had not expected the haunting voice that Rayla had when she sang.  He felt the gooseflesh on his skin as she vocalized for a bit.

There's an old familiar silence

When I'm lost inside my heart

I can't hear the voice inside me

So I look up to the stars

Oh

There is darkness ever waiting

I can feel it in the air

So I call upon my angels

Are you still there?

When the wind bends the branch to softly touch me

When the band plays your song

I feel strong enough to keep dreaming

Even when I'm all alone our love goes on and on

Oh

When the wind bends the branch to softly touch me

When the band plays your song

I feel strong enough to keep dreaming

Even when I'm all alone our love goes on and on

When she finished, she turned to him.  Callum was struck speechless.  The softness on her features as she sang compared with just how deep her song reached his soul…In the back of his mind, Callum remembered a conversation his mother and Viren’s ex-wife had once had when he was little.  That, sometimes, souls called out for each other in ways no one could run away from.  The light of the full moon hit her gaze and Callum wondered if that’s what was happening. Was his soul drawn to Rayla’s?  It felt like it.  “Thank you for sharing that,” he whispered.  Whatever spell had taken over the both of them, he didn’t want to break it.

“You’re welcome,” she whispered back.  When they parted for the night, Callum stared at her balcony for a few moments longer. He wasn’t quite sure when he had stopped liking Claudia, but he knew that what he was feeling for Rayla was far stronger and, most likely, not nearly as easy to let go of.

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

The song is Love Goes On and On by Lindsey Stirling and Amy Lee. If you have not seen the Older Rayllum AU content that is Lindsey Stirling's Between Twilight, go to YouTube and watch it!

[ask-runaan-anything]

Could you tell us of a time you took care of ethari after a long day at the forge?

That’s terribly specific. How can I not indulge you? Very well, settle in.

Runaan padded down the stairs and adjusted his damp hair to spread more fully across his shoulders so it would dry faster. His shower had been longer and warmer than usual after a more intense training session, and now he felt soft and warm and utterly content.

His feet stilled as the silence of the tree house registered in his mind. The heavy metallic pounding from Ethari’s workshop had stopped at some point during his shower. A smile tugged at Runaan’s lips, and he went in search of his husband. Late work evenings for both of them led to less time together at the end of the day, but Runaan always looked forward to it. The way Ethari’s smile lit up at the sight of him always lifted his spirits no matter how tired he was, and he always had a long, tight hug for his stabby husband, which completely melted Runaan into a soft pile of sweetness against his shoulder.

He found Ethari in the kitchen with a cup of tea in his hand. At first glance, he seemed contemplative, with his other hand brushing across his eyes. But as Runaan approached, Ethari’s hand remained in place, pressing across his forehead. A small, tight frown tugged at his lips.

“What’s wrong, my light?” Runaan asked softly.

“Mmfff. Headache.” Ethari’s voice was low and raspy with pain.

Runaan’s eyes widened, and he scanned Ethari from head to toe, searching for details. Stance: hunched and protective. Shoulders: tight and high, carrying tension, increasing blood pressure. Not good for headaches. Eyes: hidden from the light. Jaw: clenched. Tea: mostly empty, but cooled. He hadn’t finished it, been standing, trapped in his pain, for a few minutes at least.

I can fix this, Runaan realized with a start. This one thing. I can fix it.

“Let me help, Ethari. I’ve had my share of headaches.” Runaan eased forward and kept his voice low. He ran his fingers up Ethari’s arm to let him know where he was standing, and gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze.

Ethari turned toward him with a soft exhalation of relief. “Runaan. Pounded a little too long today, I guess. I can still hear the ring of the anvil in my ears.”

“Does the light hurt your eyes?”

“Mmhmm.” Ethari stepped closer and pressed his face against Runaan’s cheek.

Runaan rescued the tea from Ethari’s drifting hand and set it on the counter, while his other arm held Ethari close and smoothed a hand down his back. “Come with me, then. I know what will help.”

“Okay.”

Runaan threaded his fingers through Ethari’s. He cupped his husband’s cheek and kissed him softly. “Close your eyes and let me lead you upstairs.”

“Mm,” Ethari agreed. His eyes slid shut, and Runaan guided him out of the kitchen. He eased Ethari slowly up the stairs, letting him lean against him as much as he wanted.

“I’ve got you, my heart. Almost there.” Runaan pressed a single glowing mushroom alight at the bedroom doorway and guided Ethari across the floor. He gently halted him at the edge of the bed. “Here. Sit for a moment.” He eased Ethari down and reached for a nearby drawer.

Ethari kept his eyes shut, but he reached for Runaan, slipped his arms around his waist, and pressed his face against his chest. His fingers eagerly wove through Runaan’s thick, damp hair. “Mmhhh,” he protested softly. “Stay. You’re nice and warm.”

“Oh, I’m not going anywhere, I promise you that. Everything I need to take care of you is right here. But…” Runaan stretched out one arm and barely hooked the drawer knob with his finger. He slid it open and nabbed a soft bit of cloth with his fingertips, since Ethari’s powerful arms refused to let him lean over any further. “…Here we go,” he added, straightening again. “Let’s get this on you.”

Ethari peeked then, to see what Runaan was holding. His dark brows rose. “A blindfold? Now?”

Runaan chuckled. “Just for the darkness. I promise, love, I’m going to be soft and gentle and take every care with you. You need rest, not excitement. The blindfold will help, you’ll see.”

Ethari’s sigh was pained and resigned, but his arms tightened around Runaan’s waist, and he looked up at him with soft trust. “I do like it when I’m embraced by the shadows.”

Runaan smiled gently and pressed a light kiss against Ethari’s hair as he tied the dark blindfold around Ethari’s head. “Is it too tight?”

Ethari shook his head.

Runaan’s fingers tugged at the edges of the blindfold, smoothing it and centering it. “No light gaps?”

Ethari repeated his silent response.

“Good.” Another kiss fell atop Ethari’s gleaming hair. He released the closure on his shirt and peeled it back off his shoulders, fully aware that Ethari could tell what he was doing. After draping it across the dresser, he pulled Ethari’s scarf free and then slid his fingers into the side vents on Ethari’s crop top and took hold of the soft fabric. “Now your turn.”

Ethari sucked in a breath and spoke through a warm smile. “Are you absolutely sure this is rest and not excitement, love? It’s feeling a lot like excitement.”

Runaan couldn’t help grinning. “They’re very similar. But I happen to know that you find my skin very soothing when it’s pressed against yours. I’m only trying to give you what I know you enjoy.” His hands left Ethari’s shirt and cradled his head, running his fingers through Ethari’s wayward locks.

“Mmm, that’s nice, too,” Ethari murmured. With slow, deliberate movements, he tugged his own shirt off, careful not to dislodge his blindfold.

Runaan lifted it from his fingers and set it with his own shirt. He cupped his hands around Ethari’s cheeks and let his fingers slide gently down the sides of his neck. They came to rest atop his broad, powerful shoulders, which were radiant with warmth but still tense from his long day at work. With a turn of his head, Runaan let his hair drape across the front of his shoulder, and he leaned down again, letting the cool bright hair fall against Ethari’s chest in a thick waterfall that smelled freshly of his shampoo.

Ethari made a soft sound of longing deep in his throat and bunched Runaan’s hair in his hands, inhaling its deep woodsy scent with a long breath.

Runaan kept running his fingers soothingly through Ethari’s hair. “There, see? Just what you needed—ah!”

Ethari pulled Runaan into a crushing hug and toppled back onto the bed with him, burying his face against Runaan’s neck. Runaan’s damp hair spilled everywhere, drowning them both in cool moonlight and the smell of the deepest woods. Runaan gently tried to lift himself free, but Ethari wouldn’t let go, so he settled in with a smiling sigh.

They lay together, breathing in unison, holding each other softly. Runaan pressed a kiss against Ethari’s temple with each exhalation they shared.

Ethari’s hands finally loosened, and they began caressing Runaan’s skin, across his shoulders, down his back, along his arms. Tracing the dark cobalt marks along his arms with perfect recall, even though he couldn’t see them. Ethari knew every inch of Runaan by heart. Runaan hummed appreciatively at Ethari’s gentle precision, and that prompted Ethari to seek Runaan’s lips with his own.

Their kiss began softly, but it swiftly built from gentle to urgent. Runaan worried for Ethari’s headache, so he broke the kiss and began, “Ethari—”

At the same moment, Ethari grimaced and groaned. “Aah, Runaan, I see what you mean now. Excitement is not good for this headache.”

Runaan offered a last soft kiss that turned into a smiling hum. “Come, let’s get you sitting up and resting, my heart. I promise, we can find a nice balance. We always do.”

As Runaan sat up and off of Ethari, his husband held up a hand, and Runaan pulled him up into a sitting position, too. In a few moments, Runaan had shifted all the pillows on the bed into one pile, and he drew Ethari with him as he settled against them into a comfortable seated position. He spread his knees, and Ethari scooted close and eased his back against Runaan’s chest. He tucked his horns over Runaan’s left shoulder, resting his weight warmly against Runaan with a deep sigh. Runaan wrapped his arms around Ethari’s shoulders and pressed a kiss against his hair again, and Ethari’s hands found Runaan’s, tangling their fingers together and clinging with a tightness borne of need and pain.

Runaan let him squeeze as tightly as he needed to, and when Ethari’s grip relaxed, Runaan pulled his loose hair across the front of Ethari’s shoulder. The damp hair brushed invitingly against Ethari’s bare chest and brought Runaan’s scent to his nose again. Ethari’s free hand lifted and stroked it, letting it fall against his skin with trailing softness.

“I’ll never need to grow my hair long,” Ethari murmured, letting his hand slide loosely along Runaan’s hair. “I can just borrow yours like this anytime I want to know what it feels like.”

“Mmm. My hair is yours for the fondling, anytime you need it,” Runaan responded smilingly.

Ethari chuckled lightly and pressed himself back against Runaan’s chest. “This blindfold is helping, but it’s also making me appreciate your voice more than ever. Will you read to me, Runaan?”

“Of course, my light. What would you like me to read?”

“You choose. I just want to hear your voice.”

Runaan encircled Ethari’s shoulders in another firm hug and pressed his lips against his temple for a long, heartfelt kiss. “I know just the thing.”

He stretched a hand toward the little bookshelf Ethari had built into the wall for him and pulled down a slender, well-used tome. As Ethari took a deep breath and sighed in happy anticipation, Runaan held the book on Ethari’s lap and flipped through the pages with slow deliberation. He knew the poem he sought—had it memorized, in fact—but he kept his pace slow and steady, turning the pages softly, his every action aimed at soothing his husband.

Then he found it. “Here we go. Ready?”

“Mmhmm.” Ethari’s voice was soft and high, pliant with anticipation.

Runaan couldn’t help but smile and press one more kiss against Ethari’s hair before he began to read.

“Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments. Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove:

O no; it is an ever-fixed mark,

That looks on tempests, and is never shaken;

It is the star to every wandering bark,

Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.

Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks

Within his bending sickle's compass come;

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,

But bears it out even to the edge of doom.

  If this be error and upon me proved,

  I never writ, nor no man ever loved.”

Ethari sighed deeply and snuggled against Runaan. “It’s so beautiful. I love the part about love being the star to every wandering bark.”

“Me too. Though I think of you as my moon rather than a star,” Runaan murmured. He folded the book shut over one bookmarking finger and gently cupped Ethari’s cheek, turning his face up for a slow, soft kiss. Runaan dropped delicate kisses across Ethari’s cheeks too, and then along his forehead at the top of the blindfold, before letting out a soft sigh of deep contentment and softly pressing their foreheads together. “I’d be lost without you, Ethari, and I think we both know it.”

Ethari made a soft and needy sound deep in his chest. “You’re terribly romantic for an assassin, Runaan. Are you sure your favorite part isn’t that bit about the edge of doom?” he murmured.

“I like that part, too. If I ever find myself there, be assured, my heart, that I’ll carry you there with me.”

“You won’t have to, Runaan. I’ll march right in there with you.”

Runaan spoke against Ethari’s hair. “Mmm, don’t you dare. I need you safe. Shh, now. No harsh thoughts. Shall I read you another?”

“…Yes. Please.”

Runaan propped one knee up alongside Ethari’s ribs, and Ethari wrapped an arm around it and gave his knee a kiss. The poetry book rested atop Ethari’s other thigh, and Runaan held its pages open with one hand and cradled Ethari against him as he read another poem, and another, and another. Ethari’s responses grew softer and quieter, until he drifted off to sleep, held warm and safe in Runaan’s embrace.

As the gentle sounds of Ethari’s sleepy breaths filled the quiet space, Runaan took a moment to surrender to his softest feelings. Loving tears pricked at his eyes, and a bright, radiant warmth beamed from the deepest and most shadowy recesses of his heart. With the softest of kisses against Ethari’s hair, Runaan whispered, “Rest well, my darling heart. I love you.”

[raayllum]

So season 4 is still so far away (if ever 🙏🏻), but what do you want to see in that season Rayllum wise and Moonshadow fam wise and conflict-wise?

I’m exploring it a lot more in depth with the fic “(if time is money) then i’ll spend it all for you,” although that’s set in a sort of speculative s6-ish space rather than s4, so... 

For me it really depends on how big the timeskip is (which, no matter what, I’m so here for good god), so I guess I’m gonna put this under two main categories: one year or less timeskip, and three year timeskip. Some of the general stuff overlaps, like

Callum is a prodigy sky mage, deftly trained, and now wants to learn the moon arcanum next. Lujanne and Ethari are both his tutors; Lujanne with actual moon magic, Ethari more so with magic metalwork and craftmanship.

AKA give Callum a staff. I want it.

Rayla and Callum have been together in Xadia since S3. Ezran’s own council has been strengthened, although the three reunite regularly for holidays and visits. Ezran also comes to see Zym sometimes.

Aaravos’ cocoon creature isn’t quite him, but enough him to be worrisome. Dude isn’t out of the mirror but that’s the next step, now that he has his own self created vessel

All the kids (Callum, Ezran, Rayla, Soren) deserve parental figures. Give them caring parental figures, dammit.

Now for the One Year or Less Timeskip Specifics:

Rayllum is still a bit in puppy love. 

Rayla and Callum are also quite serious about one another despite the relative newness of their relationship, although neither of those things that they’re necessarily talking about. 

Their relationship is strong but able to be shaken, basically. Not to the point of breaking up, but they can definitely be seriously rattled.

They visit Ethari somewhat regularly once Rayla is let back into the Silvergrove, although there’s still tension between her and her people. 

Rayla is more worried about the logistics and safety of Callum pursuing a new arcanum. 

Peace is more fragile and that also impacts things. Main plotline is about navigating that. 

Another note: Rayla has no reason to think of the hundred of elves that Viren may have encountered that her parents, or Runaan - who is presumed dead by everyone - to be in the coins. While Gren knows that an elf was imprisoned, he never got an actual look at Runaan and would have no reason to know his name. 

I also think because things are so tentative Rayla, upon learning that her three parents have been Coined somehow, while Viren and Aaravos may have less time to pose as a threat, she’ll be less diehard about immediately rescuing them. Other things - like solidifying peace and continuing to take care of Zym - may take precedent in her mind.

Three Years:

Given that Callum and Rayla are only like a month away from turning 15 and 16 respectively post-s3, a three year timeskip would put them at ages 18 and 19. They, along with their relationship, has matured naturally and they’re solid as a rock.

One of their plotlines is Callum and/or Rayla wanting to propose / being engaged. 

Because peace has lasted and so has Zym’s protection, and they’ve each had time to get a lot closer to Ethari - and Rayla has now had actual time, more so, to mourn her three parent figures and to see what it’s done to Ethari, to lose his best friends and husband the way he did - so the second Rayla knows about her family and the coins, she wants to charge at it.

At the same time, because it’s a longer skip, Viren and Aaravos have had more time to plot and set the stage for more damage. 

Cue angsty emotional Rayllum fight that culminates in making up with tender hugs and promises and pseudo marriage vows.

Young Teenage Ezran who’s grown into being king and simultaneously has learned to balance his childhood with it, who must now very firmly give the latter up now once and for all, my poor boy.

More grown up Zym and more information on when / how Zym will be the King of the Dragons someday. 

Moon fam stuff which are more headcanons but also double as a wishlist, bc what am I if not optimistic and well catered to

Post-S3, Rayla is fine until one day it hits her that her parents are dead (at least, she thinks so) and she never really mourned them because she was just so glad they weren’t traitors. Cue tears and Callum and Rayla talking about and actually processing the death of their parents, both new (hi Runaan and Harrow) and old (Callum’s birth father and Sarai, Rayla’s parents). 

Ethari gets quite the surprise through Callum when Rayla and him come back to the Silvergrove for the first time. Now that he knows how much the boy means to his daughter, Ethari is quietly evaluating him to see what he’s made of / whether it’s exactly earned. 

It’s a shock when he realizes that Callum is also quietly evaluating him, to see if the hand Ethari had in Rayla’s pain has been fixed properly. The realization kind of answers Ethari’s evaluation of him, to be honest.

Callum and Runaan have a lot of issues with each other once Runaan is de-coined (likely thanks to Callum and Rayla, anyway) but Callum is more willing to work things through, mostly for Rayla’s sake and because of similar empathy he had for Avizandum (“I hate him [...] or maybe regretful, and sad, because... that was Zym’s dad”).

Runaan and Ezran getting along surprisingly well, just because Ezran is such a good hearted kid who barrels past all Runaan’s defences, so a long way in helping Callum and Runaan actually have a positive relationship.

Once Runaan is close(r) to each boy, he then has to tackle any feelings of regret or guilt for killing Harrow, but that’s a post for another day.

Lain is delighted by Callum’s terrible jokes and sense of humour, as is Ethari, who greatly encourages them.

Callum and Ethari swapping scarves for a day. Runaan and Rayla both agree that purple suits Callum more than red suits Ethari, but that’s mostly because Ethari’s Look was perfection not to be trifled with.

Tiadrin goes from “I’m not sure how much I trust him” to “this boy deserves a mother figure” in like three days flat. Valid. 

They all love their new human son and help share Moonshadow customs and get him prepared for him and Rayla’s wedding dance and adopt him and Ez and everyone else and their family is full and happy and healing. The end thank you crying forever

[beautifulterriblequeen]

BH: focus

When Runaan focuses hard in Bloodmoon Huntress, it's shown with a turquoise background and burstlines angling in toward the center of the panel, giving a zeroing-in effect.

This begins with the in-universe explanation we get from Andromeda:

She calls him "aware" and this is the next panel we see.

Turquoise background, with burstlines drawing our eyes from the outside of the panel to the center.

Knowing that this explanation is deliberately given to us, we can look at the other times such color-coding and treatment occurs and begin to piece together a subtle background narrative:

This is the panel where Runaan aims at Rayla before he knows it's her:

And this is the panel that made me notice the turquoise treatment in the first place: Runaan blocks out every other color except his husband, and his target, and he lets his instincts have their way:

Alright, this is where things get angsty. (please don't be surprised!)

Runaan's turquoise focus is his duty, his conscious choice to serve as an assassin. That's what he's doing in all the above panels - or intending to. It's one of the reasons he was so horrified to have almost shot Rayla - he was acting on instincts honed to protect those he loves, and he scared and nearly injured one of them instead. What a horrible mistake!

So, with that dutiful turquoise aspect of Runaan in mind, take a look back at this panel from early on:

Ouch!

Turquoise background and burstlines, just like all his other conflicts so far.

In his mind, he was having to defend his duty to people, his honor, his entire life's purpose, to a child who was too young to understand and too stubborn to let it go. Oh, he meant every word he said, this is who Runaan is, deep down and right on the surface and everywhere in between. He is his duty to those he loves, and Rayla waltzed in his door, invaded his private quiet space, and questioned that??

How absolutely dare.

No wonder he looked Like That. No wonder Ethari reached to stop him more than Rayla!

Okay I still have more connected thoughts so buckle up

There are more burstline panels in BH and I feel they're also important:

This one is gray, and Runaan is actively attempting to murder Kim'dael. He's got his sword deep in her gut!

It's not turquoise anymore, and perhaps that's because this is more of an assassin mindset than a Runaan-specific mindset. He's balancing life and death here, protecting his people by taking his target with full killing intent. And black + white = gray.

We also get this panel, which is a deep blue-gray with a lighter gradient, soon after the one above.

I think it's important to note that this panel here is right after Runaan popped out of full Moonshadow form. He jumped invisibly and landed visible here, to clash swords with Kim'dael. Did he lose his balance, is he personally invested and unable to maintain his shades of gray? A fascinating thought!!

The above panel is followed soon by the turquoise-hued one where he's saving Ethari's life. Taken together, Runaan's burstline backgrounds go from gray to dark blue to turquoise while he's fighting the Bloodmoon Huntress...

and it's when he's in turquoise mode, acting in defense instead of in aggression, that he succeeds with Ethari in defeating their deadly foe.

Runaan only succeeds in doing his duty when his heart is in the right place.

Rayla has one burstline panel and I have a really cool observation about it, coming up in a sec!

[wildselkie]

Top 10 Scenes in TDP Season 1 (pt. 1/3)

Top 10 Scenes in TDP Season 1 (pt. 1/3)

*not ordered in which is better or worse, but it will be in chronological order*

Also some things are worded weirdly. I have a pain in the ass time trying to get my thoughts across in words so... I thank you for your patience :))

_________________________________________

1) The scene where Callum, Ezran, and Rayla find the dragon prince. Ep. 2

I think this is one of the more pivotal moments in the show. I mean it is literally the scene that sets the story in motion after all! Two human princes, an elf assassin, and the lost dragon prince (who was thought to be dead/gone/egg destroyed(?)).. this is just IT.

*also i’m aware that Ez probably found the egg first cos he already knew about this secret area but still

2) Viren (attempts to) proposes the idea to trade his life in for Harrow. Ep. 3

Now there are other well thought and well written posts on this scene with Viren and Harrow, so I won't waste your time with all the gushy stuff. I find this scene important because it shows the lengths that Viren would go for his friend. Whether he's doing out of the goodness of his heart or some other selfish reason... maybe both(?)..

!WARNING! MINI VIREN POST ALERT EVEN THO I SAID I WOULDN'T GET INTO IT

In the book Moon, it dives deeper into the plot along with expressing the characters' thoughts and feelings. As for Viren, it's stated in the book that he wanted to:

"offer his life for Harrow's, but he wanted him to understand that this was more than just a sacrifice of a subject to his king. This was personal"

"... he would need to be straightforward. He wanted to say simply I love you and I will die for you" (Ehasz 80).

I have no doubts that Viren didn't not love Harrow or anything of the sorts, but at the same time it feels like there was another motive. Maybe there was, who knows.

All we know about Viren is that he's a father of two (Claudia & Soren), divorced/ separated from his wife, and he's a dark mage. Of course there's some more (like he's taller than Harrow according to the character line up)... also his staff... like if you look at it, it's the same one as the mage who faced Sol Regem all those centuries (?) ago. Maybe he's related to him, or possibly descended from one of the followers. I'd imagine that teaching dark magic may be a thing within his family and ancestors... he taught Claudia dark magic. That doesn't prove anything but it's a small thought.

ANYWAY-- this scene is one of many scenes that show Viren in a vulnerable state. The book gives a look into how he felt when he decided to sacrifice himself and everything. It's just interesting and I'm here for it. 

3) Amaya and her weapons grade baguette Ep. 4

On a less serious and more fun note, the fact that Amaya is a breakfast connoisseur is just perfect. Amazing. Fantabulous.

"As a breakfast connoisseur, she was offended that Ezran would neglect a hearty morning meal" (Ehasz 120).

I only emboldened and italicized "offended" because in the show YOU CAN LITERALLY SEE HER FACE WHEN EZ TELLS HER.

Bruh she was so offended lmaooo

It's right at 13:36 time in the show... the slow zoom in and all 😂

4) Amaya and Gren meeting Viren at the statue Ep. 5

I’m trying to see if I should have paired this with the first scene where Amaya arrives first. That scene is pretty calm but has a somber feeling. It introduces the relationship of Amaya and Sarai without having to directly say it. 

But this scene here is... interesting. Not in a good way or bad way, but we see they’re reminiscing of the past. At some point, they all got along nicely. Callum even noted in his spellbook that Viren’s family became like a second family to him when he moved to the castle. 

This interaction was cute tho. It started out positive (sort of) with them joking about Viren eating the last jelly tart which pissed Sarai off lol. But then Viren went on to apologize to Amaya and reassured her that what he does is out of the goodness of his heart and love for Katolis. But...

“Aaaaand, he’s back, Amaya thought” (Ehasz 150). 

And then went on to sign that he’s on a bunch of bs. See? Even Amaya knows he’s full of shit lol. But really tho... it makes me wonder how much of bs Viren goes on even before the events of the current story line. 

5) Rayla saves Bait from the sea monster Ep. 5

Let us give a round of applause for Rayla going against her fear of water to save Bait, the grumpy frog who hates her. I think this just goes to show how compassionate Rayla really is. This would include the time when she goes back to grab bait back in the banther lodge in episode 4. 

6) Viren giving his kids their *secret* missions Ep. 6

Okay this isn’t just one scene. I cheated yeah yeah whatever >:3

When Viren is telling Soren what he must do when he finds the princes, at first he doesn’t fully get it, but then.. OH n0

Viren’s intentions are starting to unfold and come together as one. Like, this man just told his own SON that should he find the princes, he should kill them. This 18 yr old bby 

bruh

And Viren didn’t say it aloud, but he heavily implied it. Only to then gaslight him later on when Claudia confronts him in prison. 

As for Claudia, Viren tells her that she must retrieve the egg. And do everything in her power to bring it back, even if it means that she’ll have to sacrifice Soren... her own damn brother ;-;

7) When Callum finally lets Rayla hold the egg Ep. 6

This scene is pretty big. Rayla knows that Harrow is long gone and is trying to find a way to tell them. Obviously she doesn’t choose the best time to try it.

They were in a dire situation that could potentially kill them (even tho they had plenty of those moments already). The reason why this scene is so big is because it shows her struggle to break the bad news (ever since the right binding fell) as she continues to grow closer to them. Here you can see Callum passing the egg to her, despite her hand being in the terrible state that it is in. It is also the scene where right before passing it, he finally tells Rayla that he trusts her. 

8) Human Rayla!! Ep. 7

Human Rayla is so corny but it’s the good kind of corny. One of the best comedic jokes in the series! 

That is all cos human Rayla needs an AU of being a nighttime tv host or smthg

9) Viren and Runaan Ep. 8

yo this is alot okay. The scenes with these two introduced some Moonshadow philosophy and such (ie. not being scared of death). Runaan being the stoic and serious assassin that he is. And Viren not having any of this shit. 

There are three major things here:

 Runaan knows about the mirror and is most likely aware of who Aaravos is. He literally says, “That mirror? You have found something worse than death.” Goddamn...

And then Viren just... trapped his soul.. his essence into a goddamn coin. Just like that? wow. And hold it, almost admiring it in front of Gren. 

Also this is the first time we officially see Viren in that form. In the beginning of episode 5 we are given a darkened silhouette of Viren and the butterflies. But here we see the damage resulted from years of having done dark magic, and it’s horrifying. He is the high mage and all but goddamn. I mean with every action there are consequences so- 

10) Callum destroying the primal stone Ep. 9

I feel like this is one of the “of course it’s this one!” scenes but it really is! Callum realizes that only a sky dragon can be hatched in the eye of storm and there he is with a literal storm in his hand. By now, Callum has come to understanding what feels right and that being a mage is his destiny. But he also understands that he needs to sacrifice some things for new beginnings. This whole journey was to get the lost dragon prince home and restore balance and peace and with the egg starting to die... well you can’t really do that without the egg. 

It’s at 18:50 where he realizes all of this. It’s one of the big boy moments in the show. Seriously, it’s a big moment and the suspension helped get the feels in. And we got a cute baby dragon!! 

End, begin. it’s all the same. (pls someone get that reference ;-;;;)

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

Some honorable mentions:

- Episode 7: Claudia and Soren interacting. I love their sibling bond; it’s so silly and sweet and I love it. It makes me wish I had an older brother of some sort. 

Ellis and Ava,, I like the flashback story given when they meet the dragang. I just like it, okay? Smol chiald w/ smol wolf pup and a hippie Lujaane seeing the beauty & strength in Ava. 

CGI Coran. That all I have to say about that guy lmao

- Episode 8: When the group is going up the cursed caldera and they encounter that giant leech. Like can we just appreciate Callum’s funny way of making out a plan? Fat respect for that. 

Another is when the group split up and waited for the leech to leave. The conversation between Ellis and Callum were sweet as was the one between Rayla and Ez. I loved Ellis’s admiration for Callum being a mage. And her expectations of what a mage was is pretty hilarious. So wholesome. The same goes for Ez when he gave Rayla that daily fill of positivity. 

Like... Ellis is telling Callum how smart and confident and cool he is. And meanwhile Callum is like... it’s not me, it’s this. *whips out primal stone* And she goes on to tell him that she believe he’ll be amazing with or without the stone. 

And Rayla is telling Ez how she failed in her job of killing the enemy. And Ez is telling her how she’s awesome at everything she does.

this is the positive wholesome shit I come for like... this is parallels but GODDAMNIT it’s so.. ;;;;-;;

Yo this is long ENOUGH! Thank you so damn much if you read to the end. You’re the real beauties. Anywho... uh parts 2 and 3 will be up soon. 

 It’s 11 now so I need some sleep. goodnight kids

[theredhairedmonkey]

What do you think will happen in "Through the Moon"?

Hmm, I’ve changed my mind a couple times as to what I think will happen, but I’ll let you know what I’m thinking right now, anon:

Since this story takes place in the Moon Nexus (and involves some kind of invitation for a ritual there), I imagine that some time must have taken place since the Battle of the Storm Spire. Just throwing out a number, I’ll guess that something like a year to 18 months have passed, which gives the trio enough time to change and adjust to the new peace they helped create.

So, some background on each of them before we dive into “Through the Moon.” All three are now living in Katolis.

Ezran is having a tough time, as he now has the most responsibilities of the three of them (oh, how the tables have turned). It turns out that Opeli’s “peace will require just as much strength as war” was not a joke. The battle to save Zym might have led to peace with the elves and dragons, but it has upended the entire world order. Katolis now has closer ties with the elves (the Sunfire elves in particular) and the Dragon King Azymondias than it does with several of the Human Kingdoms (particularly Neoloandia, which has cut off ties to Duren and Katolis after Prince Kasef’s death). 

The battle also shifted the balance of power; Katolis lost much of its army, while Duren, which suffered the fewest casualties, is now the strongest Human Kingdom and breadbasket for the Pentarchy. While Queen Aanya means well, King Ezran has been encouraged to allow General Amaya to rebuild the Katolian army. Additionally, racism against elves and dragons is a hard beast to overcome, and Ezran has been struggling with certain voices in his court that are urging him to take an aggressive stance against Xadia. Keeping these people pacified has been a challenge…especially now that Rayla is living in the capital as a permanent guest.

In spite of his age, Ezran is pretty much on top of this all—Corvus once commented that he had shown more “courage, strength, and grace than most leaders show in a lifetime,” and I think that will shine through here. He might not be the most learned or most well-informed person in the room, but he knows when to rely on experts and when to rely on his sense of right and wrong.

So, “Through the Moon” might show a little bit of that–how Ezran has begun to fill his father’s shoes (as well as make his own), how well he’s adjusted to being a ruler during peacetime, and how much he still has to grow.

Callum is a prince reborn. In just a few months after the battle, he quickly mastered Sky Magic in its entirety, even coming up with several new techniques along the way. He has also learned quite a bit about the other Primal Sources and their respective Arcana. Callum is also within striking distance of finally understanding the Moon Arcanum (more on that later).

He’s trying to help Ezran as best he can, but this “awkward step-prince” always had trouble succeeding at his princely duties, and that extends to administrative and political matters. He’s no Viren, and neither his personality nor his Sky Magic provides much help at court. His abilities are more physical than the creative, complex spells that Viren often does.

Instead, Callum finds that he’s most helpful outside and beyond the walls of the castle—this is, after all, where the sky is, and where Callum is at his strongest. He’s often flying to other towns, and helps the common people with building roads, constructing dams, clearing out fields for farmland, irrigation, and the like.

The people who knew him before are quite surprised by this change. He used to be this bookish artist boy who could barely hold up a sword, wearing a signature red scarf and blue jacket. Now, he’s a strong, confident mage, sporting sleeveless shirts that reveal elaborate runes on his arms. He can fly and is therefore more physically capable than any ordinary human in the kingdom. Many less tolerant people are also put off by how protective he is over his new elven, um, “friend” Rayla.

Now, on to Rayla. Hoo boy…

Here’s what we first hear about her—Only Rayla is still restless

At first, I was wondering why she was refusing to believe Viren is dead, when it seems everyone else is ready to move on. And then I remembered this scene:

Viren: “I’ll return for you soon. It will be a pleasure to add one more Moonshadow elf to my collection”

Both her terrified expression and her registering what Viren is saying help explain why she’s so restless—whatever was in that bag must contain something related to other Moonshadow elves (either their remnants or their essence).

Then, when talking to Callum about what he saw in his spell, she’ll start to put two and two together. Even if he didn’t understand what he was seeing, he must have seen Lain and Tiadrin get coined by Viren.

Rayla doesn’t know if they’re dead or not, but she realizes she needs to find that bag. Maybe they can be revived, maybe they can’t. But the pain of not knowing is overwhelming.

She’s also probably fearful of the man himself. While she’s been overpowered before, she’s never been so helpless as she was before Viren. His “I’ll return for you soon” line stays with her, and not being able to confirm beyond a shadow of a doubt that this monster is gone will haunt her.

And to make matters worse, no one has been able to find Viren’s remains. Most assume his body was just lost, perhaps in a ravine somewhere. But Rayla needs to find his bag of coins. Combine that with the sheer terror she expresses in the scene above, she probably doesn’t fully believe that something like a fall could kill someone like Viren. And part of her hopes that’s the case; if she’s right, there’s a chance she can find her parents’ coins (and whoever else) and either revive them or, at worst, make peace with the fact that they are gone for good because the uncertainty is just that painful.

Without knowing for sure whether Viren, her parents or Runaan are gone, she’s lost. At least Callum, who tragically lost his parents, knows they are gone. There is a bit of solace in the finality of accepting your loved one’s passing. Rayla, on the other hand, is trapped between hope and fear. Hope that they may be alive, fear that she’ll never know.

Callum will pick up on the fact that something’s wrong, and Rayla will likewise let him in. She knows now that she’s safe around him. She can be vulnerable and scared and raw around Callum, because he will never think less of her, never judge her, and never love her any less.

And this is just something she will absolutely adore about him. Even though he’s incapable of giving her closure (even as a mage, he can’t just bring them back or give her an answer), he’ll always try to make her feel better, even if only by a little bit and for a short while.

Nevertheless, the three of them are called to an ancient ritual at the Moon Nexus. I’m guessing that, since there’s peace with Xadia, Lujanne either invites the trio back, or reveals the Moon Nexus to the Human world. In either case, there’s an invitation for Ezran, Callum, and Rayla to come back and take part in this ritual.

At some point, either by accidentally overhearing something or just from Lujanne explaining the ritual, she learns that the lake is a portal between life or death.

This is her chance, she thinks. This portal contains the answers to all the questions she’s been craving. The questions that have been eating away at her that no amount of “Big Feelings Time” has been able to ease.

Part of it is to see once and for all if Viren is dead, but the main reason is that she wants closure. She wants to know whether she needs to save her parents and Runaan or mourn for them. At least then, in either case, she can move on.

But the portal is unstable, and the ancient Moonshadow Elves who destroyed it never intended for it to be reopened. It seems as though Rayla will have to risk life and limb (and maybe not just her life and limb) to reopen the portal. I’d wager that, in the midst of the ceremony, she’ll jump right into the lake because, let’s face it, jumping into certain danger is something she’s used to at this point.

And speaking of things certain characters are used to, Callum will for sure have another episode of “here I go doing something reckless to protect Rayla,” and follow her.

As a quick side note, if there’s a time for Callum to unlock the Moon Arcanum, it’s here. He’s already worked through his understanding of reality and appearance well enough to apply it when facing Sol Regem. He’s also cast his first Moon spell, and hence knows how it “feels” to do Moon magic. Just as with the Sky Arcanum, Callum’s got all the details he needs “swirling in his head,” and just needs a way to bring it all together.

But, for Rayla, this is very much an introspective journey– Will Rayla’s quest to uncover the secrets of the dead put her living friends in mortal danger?

I am very skeptical that we’ll learn Viren is alive before S4. That is such a huge reveal to occur before we even see the trio on screen! And to a lesser extent, I have a hard time imagining how S4 could start off with Rayla knowing that her parents and Runaan are indeed alive.

Instead, I imagine “Through the Moon” to be more of an introspective look into Rayla—How does she see the world? How does she see herself? What’s bothering her, and what does she do to overcome her internal strife?

This would honestly be a breath of fresh air—while S3 does a good job shining a light on Rayla, it’s mostly from Callum’s perspective (he notices her sobbing and goes to comfort her; he observes and comments how she’s a hero; he helps her work through her feelings about her parents).

This graphic novel is a great way to focus on Rayla’s perspective instead. Her journey at the end of S3 left us with a bit of a “now what”? So, this book might be a good way to begin answering that.

[kiminicricket]

Swords and Opals - Part 5

Previously Ruthari Fic - because I’m awesome at naming things...

Anyways, previous parts can be found below:

1 // 2 // 3 // 4

Tiadrin set a pace similar to the one Runaan had been setting the last two days - if a little bit faster - and the team made very good time, coming to the coast by mid-morning. They pulled up, overlooking the vast ocean and clear blue sky.  

“Ok, so where do we find this flower?” Lain asked, shifting the pack on his shoulders. 

Tiadrin shrugged and looked to Runaan.

“The instructions didn’t say beyond this point.” Runaan looked at Ethari, “do you know?”

Ethari looked up the shoreline, noting some cliffs in the distance. 

“There is probably a good place to start. They tend to do well on sea-side cliffs.”

The team nodded and started to move in that direction. 

It was a long walk, and the team stayed quiet for most of it. Ethari, walking beside Runaan for a change, tried desperately to come up with a topic of conversation. Something that would make him look good. His mind however was painfully blank. What was he supposed to just start asking twenty questions? His favourite colour? How he liked to take his tea? It seemed stupid, and completely irrelevant to the situation. Glancing over out of the corner of his eye, Runaan seemed content to travel in silence so Ethari contented himself with the same, letting his mind wander instead over their journey so far. Eventful as it had been emotionally, and taxing as it had been physically it had still gone fairly smoothly so far, all things considered. He glanced up at the cliffs. They were getting close. 

The trial did seem a little easy, as Lain had suggested two days ago. Ethari couldn’t shake the feeling that there must be something more to it. He also couldn’t wait to see the flower up close. There were so many applications for the flower, his mind was running through the different enchantments he could try, so long as they got it home alive. 

“Did the instructor send along anything to transport the flower back in?” Ethari asked.

“I don’t think so, why?” Runaan turned to him as they walked. 

Ethari bit his lip and considered for a moment. “It must be part of the trial. The flower doesn’t do well with transplanting or transporting. It’s part of the reason they’re so rare.”

“Did the instructions say we had to bring it back alive?” Tiadrin called back, “Maybe just the fact that we got it will be enough?”

Runaan paused and pulled out the parchment, studying it for a moment. Ethari stopped beside him and Tiadrin and Lain also paused, turning back to face them. 

“We pass if we bring it back at all, but there are extra points for bringing it back alive.”

Lain groaned. “I need all the extra points I can get.”

“Maybe if you stuck your nose in a book once in a while you’d be ok.” Runaan teased. Lain grinned and shrugged. 

“Probably, but I wouldn’t have nearly as much fun.” He smiled down at Tiadrin, who pretended not to notice. Ethari caught the ends of her ears turning slightly pink though.

“If we get the extra points, we basically get the pick of where we want to go after this. What we want to do with our lives. Assassins Guild, Dragon Guard, anything. I say we bring it back alive.” Tiadrin said. 

“I’m inclined to agree.” Runaan turned to Ethari, “Any idea’s on how?”

“I have a few things that might work?” He said, hesitantly. “I’ll start thinking on it. We need to get the thing first.”

“Right you are.” Lain turned and dropped the short distance onto the sand, Tiadrin following close behind. 

As their feet made contact, the sand in front of them started shifting, knocking them off balance. Lain tried to steady Tiadrin, but they fell in a heap together as the sand shifted, displacing as an enormous head rose from the sand. A forked tongue flickered out as the neck kept coming impossibly longer. 

Ethari stared in horror, Tiadrin was down there! She was going to be- An arrow flew past him and hit its mark straight into the creatures eye. It hissed in pain and outrage and lunged forward. 

Ethari spun to see Runaan, bow in hand, already loosing another arrow before rolling out of the way of the creature’s strike. 

Right, weapons. Ethari dropped his pack and scrambled for his bow. Trying to calm his shaking hands as he notched an arrow and lined up the creature in his sights. It wasn’t hard, the thing was huge. He had already lost sight of Runaan behind it, so let his arrow fly. It hit the creature, but bounced harmlessly off the thick hide. 

Tiadrin and Lain came charging over the embankment they had dropped down, Tiadrin with her sword out, Lain with his Scythe, they ran towards the creature, Ethari went to follow when the creature swiped around with it’s long, barbed tail. Tiadrin and Lain jumped over the swipe with ease, but Ethari was a little slower, and found himself flying sideways and colliding with a tree. 

Ethari tried to get up to go to his friends but found he couldn’t move. He tried to wiggle his fingers, but nothing happened. Helpless, Ethari watched as Tiadrin loosed the tip of her sword, screaming as she flung it around the creatures neck and used the momentum to haul herself up onto its back before retracting the tip and stabbing it. Runaan let out arrow after arrow and Lain sliced against the scales with his Scythe, the three of them quickly bringing the creature down. Runaan was the first to notice Ethari, motionless against the tree. 

“Ethari!” He called, running over to him. “Are you alright?” He knelt down beside him. Ethari tried to speak, but couldn’t. He tried to keep the fear from his eyes, but knew he was failing. 

Runaan ran an assessing eye over Ethari. He grabbed his hand. 

“Can you feel that?”

Ethari could, but didn’t know how to express it. He blinked. Runaan looked at him expectantly. Tiadrin and Lain had also crowded around, Tiadrin kneeling on his other side. 

“He got hit by the tail.” She said. “He went flying.”

Lain jogged over to the creature and hacked off one of the barbs from the tail. He brought it back and Runaan inspected it, sniffing. 

“A paralytic.” He sighed in relief. He turned to Ethari and smiled. “You’ll be ok, it should wear off shortly.”

Tiadrin grabbed Ethari’s other hand, holding it close to her. “And we’ll wait here until it does.”

Ethari just blinked at her. Relieved at the news that this was a short term issue, but embarrassed that he was in this situation, and helpless to do anything about it.

The other three settled in around him, weapons within arms reach, but seemingly relaxed for the moment. 

Ethari closed his eyes, willing the moments to pass swiftly so he could be a functioning member of the team again. He tried not to dwell on the fight, trying instead to think about the flower, about transporting it safely, but again and again his mind returned to his friends effortless grace, and his own ineptitude. 

“That is quite a sword Tiadrin,” he heard Runaan’s voice say above him, pulling him out of his thoughts.

“Isn’t it though?” She replied, with no small amount of pride. “My father made it, but Ethari has been working on it. He’s enchanted it to be sturdier against creatures with thicker hides, and that laso trick you saw? All Ethari’s tinkering!”

“What?”

“That’s amazing!”

Lain and Ruthari spoke together.

“Yeah, he reckon’s he’s gonna improve it some more for me.”

Ethari cracked his eyes open. Runaan and Lain were staring at him with wide eyes, Lain’s jaw was hanging open. 

“That is impressive!”

“You have to do something for my pole-arm!” 

“Ahem!” Tiadrin quieted them. “Commissions take time and effort so you can submit your requests through me and Ethari and I will discuss a fair price.” She gave them both a pointed glare. Ethari would have chuckled if he could have. He would be more than happy to have a look at their weapons. Trust Tiadrin to guard his time.

“Of course, of course,” Runaan said.

“Aw come-on Tia, don’t be like that.”

In a flash Tiadrin’s sword was at Lain’s throat. 

“Call me that again.” She growled.

Lain’s eyes widened and he held up his hands placatingly. It was at that moment feeling returned in a rush to Ethari, and he reached out to grab Tiadrin’s sword hand. 

Tiadrin turned towards Ethari, dropping the sword and throwing her arms around him. 

“Don’t you ever do that to me again! I need you in my life, ok? Don’t scare me like that!” She wailed into his shoulder. Ethari returned the embrace, chuckling. 

“I’ll do my best.” He raised his gaze to Lain’s still shaken one. “She doesn’t like that name.” He smiled. 

Lain nodded, eyes still on Tiadrin “Noted.”

Ethari let his gaze wander to Runaan, but the other elf’s attention was back towards the beach and the cliffs. 

“I think we should take the forest route to the cliffs.” Runaan said.

“I don’t know I reckon I could take another of those…” Etharis joking tone trailed off as he looked over at the giant corpse, “Or, yeah we could take the forest route.”

Tiadrin helped him up and Ethari retrieved his pack before following the others back into the forest.

Part 6 now up!

[araminia16]

Not An Illness After All (Third Trimester)

XxOxX

After the third bathroom trip in what seemed to be only a few minutes Rayla glared down at the bump which housed her growing child. She could no longer see her feet. As far as she knew they didn’t exist except when they ached in time with her back and the struggle when she put footwear on and off.

Almost as if in response she received a strong kick to her rib. “Cheeky thing.” She huffed then glanced upward to find a servant across the hall from where she stood at the doorway to her room. “What are you looking at then?”

The servant quickly scurried away from her wrath and she began to walk through the castle. The training ground. That’s where she could just relax and not worry about Callum and his attentive anxious aura or Claudia’s gaze or the glare from other Moonshadow elves as they took in her state and the reason for it.

Claudia ended up on the convoy to the Moonshadow elf capital and once they arrived she had hardly been seen since in the open but Rayla knew the corners from which she hid herself.

She and Callum were ambassadors and as such received lavish accommodations though she tried to ignore the way the other elves whispered and looked her way. At this stage there was nothing to hide. None of her old clothes fit anymore and her once slim musculature of her abdomen devolved into this ball shaped mass. Her center of gravity changed with each day and the things she had been able to do in the stage before she was unable to now. Her tree travel ended up with a rolled ankle and a trip to the healer here in Xadia with a frantic Callum at her back. There was no way she wanted to have a repeat of such an embarrassment. So now her feet remained firmly on the ground though they did not remain idle as she still jogged at least a mile a day and practiced her sword forms as well as balance exercises to keep her body in shape. The head healer here Terlynna told her exercise would be good for her child as well as herself to prepare her for the arduous task of childbirth. At least Callum had embraced what she said with vigor not that she would ever be truly lazy regardless.

The training yard was much like the one in Katolis and much like the one she had trained on as she grew with Runaan. Her new shoes allowed her to feel much of the earth beneath her and she rolled her toes before she started up her jog. It was strange to feel all the weight of the child and fluids within her belly with each measured movement of her body. The support sash given to her by Terlynna helped immensely with the back pain as well. As the jog ended she went directly to the sword post and drew a practice blade or tried to when a younger male stopped her. “Shouldn’t you be in your rooms knitting or something?”

“What does it matter to ya?” She fired back and pulled the wooden blade from the rack.

“I don’t even know why they let you come back. You failed in killing the king and his son then you brought a human into Xadia to steal our magic. You should be locked up as a traitor, not married to their royalty. Or was that your plan all along?”

“Why don’t ya mind your own business before ya get hurt.” Her hiss took the male aback and for a moment she thought her threat would leave her in peace but nothing ever went as planned.

“Even that thing in your belly isn’t natural. It will probably die after birth anyway so I don’t know why you would go through all this trouble for it.”

Rayla knew she didn’t have much in the way of experience when it came to mothers. She often had doubts about what sort of mother she would make but she couldn't’ stop her hand from it’s path with the wooden sword as it hit solid flesh with a satisfying crack. The sound of his pain as he fell back and hit the ground with a thud was like music to her ears as she stood over him with menace. “I gave ya a chance didn’t I? Then you had to say something about my baby. Listen here, boy. If you so much as look my way again while I’m here I will break so many bones you won’t be able to carry a weapon much less talk again. Do ya understand me?”

The boy nodded and held his bloody nose as some other younger trainees hauled him up.

“Anyone else have a problem with me or my baby?” When no one else answered, “Good. Let’s keep it that way then.” It wasn’t until later in the safety of her room and Callum’s arms she cried.

The next day there were so many apologies from the Consul’s staff she thought she might vomit or thwack them upside the head too while she nearly had to chase Callum away from her. He actually wanted to go back to the boy who accosted her and throw him around with his power a bit. Though it would have made her happy she told him it would be a bad idea for a human to do such things to an elf with their peace so new still.

In the end he agreed grumpily and rubbed her back and feet properly as she lounged and gorged herself on Moonberries.

It was in the garden where Claudia found her of all places. A moment of peace secluded in the trees of her homeland. “Hello, Rayla.”

“Claudia.” Came the guarded reply.

“I heard about the thing in the yard.”

“It seems like everyone has. What do ya want?” Straight to the point there was no sense in making small talk as far as Rayla was concerned.

“I just wanted to talk to you. Maybe get to know you a little bit since you married Callum and all.”

“That was a role you expected to take, right?” Rayla didn’t bother to hide much of the bite of jealousy from her tone.

“I know you have a lot of really good reasons to be on your guard but please don’t do that.” Claudia came around to sit on the bench across from her.

Rayla put hand atop her belly to comfort the suddenly active child within. “Do what?”

“Attack me. It’s not fair and you know it. That stuff has been in the past for a long time now and I would rather not bring it up. Though if you want to know Callum had always been my friend and I knew he liked me but I also knew that we probably wouldn’t last as a couple. Not with his disdain for Dark Magic and I think you two are actually a really good match. You compliment each other way better than he and I could have. It was just a crush. Mostly one sided but I wouldn’t have minded if it hadn’t been. He’s got a thing for the unattainable I think.”

Claudia looked so sincere that Rayla loosened up at little bit, “Well I also have other reasons ta not like you much. With the whole trying to kill me thing...quite a few times actually.” Rayla had been about to count on her hand but decided against it. There were too many. She would have to include toes too.

“Yeah. I’m really sorry about all that too. I just feel so out of place in Katolis and here but that’s because there’s elves everywhere. Home doesn’t feel like home anymore, you know. I grew up there my whole life and I feel like it’s all gone now.”

Strangely Rayla knew exactly what she meant, “Yeah. I’m back in Xadia but since I married Callum and ‘betrayed’ everyone I feel like everyone’s judging me. Especially with this little wee thing in me. They keep thinking it’s some kind of monster but I can tell it’s only got two legs and two arms and probably a head in there somewhere. But I can’t help but wonder if they’re right. What if it can’t live?” Why she confessed such things to the women in front of her she didn’t know but the way Claudia looked at her only made her feel more vulnerable.

“I didn’t know that.” She uttered quietly though her look now pensive as she offered Rayla a small smile, “I’m sure everything will be fine. Does it move a lot?”

“Constantly especially while I’m trying to sleep. It likes it when I run and move sort of like i’m rocking it to sleep.”

“Is it moving now?”

“A bit.” Rayla paused, “I suppose you want ta feel it then?”

Claudia looked guilty but put her hands up, “Well I do but I wasn’t going to ask you. That’s really personal and I don’t know if we could even be that personal anyway.” She had started to ramble a little after that when Rayla sighed. The elf reached over and sntached the wrist of the other girl in hand to place it atop her belly.

It warmed her heart when she felt her child kick against Claudia's palm. Claudia jerked a little and looked in open mouthed shock at the place where her hand rested. There was a quiet wonder in bright eyes as it happened again and this time she smiled and Rayla heard a quiet giggle. “Holy cow. It kicks really hard. Do you know what it is? Well of course you don’t. It’s not here yet. Do you think you know what it is? What do you want?” The questions were rapid fire as Rayla released Claudia’s hand and the other woman sat back in anticipation of the answers. It reminded her a little of Callum.

“I haven't thought much about it. I just hope it’s healthy. Callum thinks it’s a boy. I’m not sure if that’s because men have an obsession with a carrying on the bloodline or something ridiculous.”

“Yeah. It’s pretty dumb honestly. But I think you have a preference. You just don’t want to jinx it.”

Rayla felt her child kick but didn’t answer the question, “What about you? Do ya have any men in mind?”

Claudia gave a slow, sly smile, “Maybe.”

Rayla leaned back to listen. Maybe Claudia wasn’t quiet so bad after all.

$#$#$#

Callum sighed as he felt the steady thump of their child’s feet on his back. It amazed him how hard such a little thing could kick and from the even breaths on the nape of his neck he knew she slept deeply now even if his abuser didn’t. Callum managed to wiggle away from Rayla without her awakening and he silently congratulated himself even though he was sure she was just exhausted and sore from her continued punishment on her body.

There was nothing he could say to make her slow down but she wouldn’t be Rayla if she did.

He scooted down the bed until he lay face to rounded belly. The loose shirt she wore to bed had ridden up to expose round purple flesh  and half of her belly button. He could see the bulge just under her skin and muscle where he rested. Or she. He would secretly call the baby ‘he’ until they knew for sure. Right now he lay on the bed where his mother positioned herself and each kick shifted the shirt a minute amount but he could see where her skin poked out and it fascinated him. One time when they lay in bed he watched as his son rolled from one side of Rayla’s belly to the other with fascinated horror and an exclamation to match. To Rayla it was business as usual and so she laughed at his utter shock of something actually being alive in there. Something alive that moved constantly from the way she talked about it. It would be so interested to be pregnant but he didn’t have any wish to be in her shoes.

Elven pregnancies, he learned were shorter than human ones at thirty four- thirty six weeks where humans usually lasted longer. Maybe it was the less fingers but he had to hide from a projectile when she learned she might actually have to be pregnant longer than she thought with a half human child. Right now she was thirty two weeks along and he thought she looked better than she ever had. It was a testosterone thing but he didn’t care.

“Hey.” He whispered to his child. “Could you take it easy on your mom and me? She’s pretty tired and grumpy and you have a crazy hard kick. I think I might actually have a bruise or something tomorrow. I bet you’ll be just like your mom. Kicking serious butt all the time or maybe like me because I can’t even lift a sword properly. Or you might not be like either of us but whatever you do just know we will always love you and be so proud of you. But for right now you should get some sleep. You have some more growing to do before we get to meet you for real.”

“Who are ya talking to you loon?” Rayla mumbled sleepily from above as she shifted and sat up on her elbow to stare at him through bleary eyes.

“Your child was kicking me in the back.”

“Welcome to my life. It’s always kicking me somewhere. Speaking of I think I need some help. I feel like a whale and I probably look like one too.”

“You look beautiful.” His response was automatic, “Trust me.” He moved up and over her legs to help her sit then stand up.

“Yeah well you are the one who got us in this mess to begin with.”

“It takes two you know.”

“Shut it.” She meandered over to the door.

“That’s the hallway.” He called out just before she turned the knob and he could hear her sigh of irritation as she turned and went to the other door.

Callum smiled as he leaned over to his side of the bed and pulled out his sketchbook. Rayla trudged back to lay on her side and pulled the covers over her before she drifted back to sleep.

It was a while before he went to bed. He just had to draw her again. Had to capture this moment forever onto paper though with his memory he would likely remember it for as long as he wanted. Soon he might not have the time to do much of anything from what the other older parents told them. Soon two would become three.

$#$#$#

Rayla shifted on her knees uncomfortably, “Would you hurry up?”

Callum shifted behind her, “I have a feeling you don’t want to do this.”

“Noooo. Ya don’t say? This is what the healer told me we should do to get this little beast out of me faster. It’s been thirty six weeks. I want ta be done already.” She whined.

“I don’t think I want to do this if you don’t want it.”

“Just do it already. I’ll be fine.” Even with the pillows bunched as a cocoon under her substantial belly her back was already sore. She shifted on hands. “Now.”

“I’m...I’m not feeling it.”

“Do ya need me ta serenade ya with a sweet melody and hold ya close before ya get into the mood then? I swear I ask my husband to lie with me and he acts as if it is a burden.”

“I--.” He started then gave up. “You aren’t even ready.” For emphasis he stroked fingers through her warmth and she knew he was right. This would be painful and so close to delivery injury to her nethers was hardly a good idea.

“I want to try this. I’ve done just about everything else.” And she had. She tried to walk and eat spicy foods, tried to bounce on a large spongy ball, but not the castor oil the healer recommended. She wanted to do this first. “Ya know how to prepare me. So do it.”

Callum sighed, “It will be harder in this position. You’ll have to get on your side for me.”

She complied and soon his mouth had her well and ready for whatever he wanted to do for her as he rolled her onto her knees again. It was still a snug fit even with preparation but he went so slow she growled with impatience and in return he gave her a swat on her backside.

At first she felt as if everything was too deep. This position didn’t usually do much for her but it was the only one she could manage without too much trouble. Being flat on her back made her breathless and if she tried to sit astride she would have to do all the work and she was too heavy for that. They had tried on their sides a few times but they couldn’t get the angle right.

Rayla’s arms wobbled with sudden weakness and she dropped to her forearms to wait Callum out. The movement arched her back and sudden on his next pass he brushed against something strange but good.

He paused as he felt her reaction and passed over the same spot slowly and she reacted again with a short exhale. Callum gave a small noise of triumph and though the angle brought something in his back taut and sore he hit the same spot with slow regularity. She shifted and moaned softly as he sped up. Soon enough her cries grew needy and Callum’s brow moist with the effort of trying to keep his release in check as she shuddered and whined. It wasn’t enough.

Though it messed with his rhythm he reached around to the front and found the other place he knew she loved and timed each thrust with a motion of his hand.

There it was. Within a few more strokes he had her keen her release as he groaned and let himself be carried away with her until they were both sated and spent.

“I hope that was enough.”

“Me too.” Callum pulled back and grimaced as his back spasmed uncomfortably while he stood. “Not that I don’t really enjoy doing this together.”

“Quiet, you.” Rayla sighed and shifted to lie on her side. “How am I so tired all the time?”

Callum smiled and leaned over to kiss her, “It probably won’t get any better. At least that’s what they tell me.”

“Comforting.” She grumbled.

Several hours later in the dead of night Rayla stirred but didn’t understand why. Eyes open she surveyed the room and found no sound or strange shadow in the room. She felt the heat of Callum’s hand atop her belly and just as she started to drift off to sleep she felt a pain tighten in her belly. It rose slowly and peaked uncomfortably before it fell again to disappear. Now she was awake. It happened two more times in sporadic intervals before she decided to wake him, “Callum. Wake up.”

When he only muttered and shifted sleepily she sighed, “Callum.” Louder now. “I think it’s time.”

“Time?” The sleepy murmur sounded adorably confused until he shot up as she shifted to sit up herself. “Time? As in ‘the time’?” He scrambled out of bed and with very little grace he shot across the room to unlock the door and flung it open.

He was halfway out the door, “Callum.” Rayla called out, “You might want to get some proper clothes on before we find the healer.” She felt far calmer than she ought to as another pain began.

Callum scrambled back to her and hovered anxiously, “What can I do?”

“Get clothes on. And find some for me too.”

He did as he was bid while the pain passed and soon she had a proper dress thrown over her head and Callum had some semblance of proper clothing on as they made their way down to the healing ward, “Shouldn’t we go faster?”

“I don’t think it’s just going ta fall out of me, Callum. There’s some work to it. My work.”

When they reached the hall the pains continued for a while but after the healer checked her over she had told the two expectant parents, “You’re child isn’t on the way just yet. These are practice contractions.”

“Practice? They bloody well hurt ta be practice.”

“Labor is no easy thing. As with your weapons your body needs to train to be able to do its job.”

“This is all your fault.” She huffed at Callum who merely sighed in disappointment.

“Well I think we should go back to our room and get some rest.”

After a heated discussion between the two parties Rayla’s contractions had faded into the day and they trudged back to their room exhausted and discouraged. The healer had told them the baby was low and in position but was in no hurry to leave it’s current residence.

He left her for the day in their rooms for her to rest with a kiss to her head near her horns and a rub to her back, “Don’t worry about it. Everything will be fine. He’s just being stubborn. You rest and maybe today will be better.”

Rayla nodded off to sleep after she had gone to the bathroom again. For the millionth time today.

It was three more nights in the past five days where they made their way down to the healer ward to be told there were only practice contractions. By the last they didn’t even bother to get dressed properly as they made their way down the halls.

With little to no sign that her child would make an appearance any time soon Callum arranged for their departure to Katolis with Claudia in tow. A healer had offered to make the journey with them just in case they had need of one.

Rayla, now a week overdue by her standards, sat in the carriage as now she felt too large to ride comfortably on horseback in a sullen mood.

Claudia offered to sit with her a while on the road back to the new bridge built to cross from Xadia into the human kingdoms.

“It can’t be that bad can it?”

“What?” Rayla shifted as her back spasm and ached uncomfortably. The pain radiated around her sides and faded after she moved.

“I mean at least you get to be more prepared for it. It gives you more time to just be the two of you. Because from now on it’s going to be the three of you. No more couple time.”

“We have had plenty of ‘couple time’. I just want to stop aching and be able to sleep and eat without having to pee every two minutes.” She paused and growled, “Stop. I need ta take a break.” She called out of the window and the two women felt the carriage stop. The door opened and Callum appeared to help Rayla down the step and watched as she trudged into the foliage to take care of things.

“So you and Rayla are friends now?”

“Maybe. I’m not really sure. We talk but I would call us more friendly acquaintances than friends. It’s hard to be the only girl in a group of guys.”

“Yeah. I get that.” Callum agreed and spied Rayla on her way back. “Thanks for being there for her. I really appreciate it.”

“We’re friends, aren’t we, Callum? At least I hope we still are.”

Callum nodded as he helped Rayla back up who now winded settled into the carriage as the door closed and they started to move again. She sighed and leaned back as another shot of pain started at her back and rolled around to the front.

“Are you okay? Do you need anything?”

“No. Not at the moment, thank you.” Rayla sighed and rubbed at her belly. “There feels as if there’s a large fruit in between my thighs and I cannot move without looking foolish.”

The pains continued with increased regularity and intensity but Rayla paid them little mind and contributed them to the less than perfectly comfortable carriage but Claudia kept time on each wince on Rayla’s face in time to notice a pattern.

She was about to bring it up when Rayla’s expression changed and the sound of water colliding with wood filled the space as Claudia looked down at the mess of liquid on the floor and her shoes. Rayla froze as Claudia opened up the door and leaned out, “Callum! I think Rayla’s water just broke."

XxOxX

Sorry it’s a bit late. Work sucks. The wee babe is coming! And the next chapter should be out sometime next week! Have a good weekend!