#skor tdp | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

dragon-susceptible · 15 days ago

Text

Different Path Taken Ch19 P1: Runaan and Skor's Discussion

I'm not as happy with this section as I have been with some of the other tough ones, and I haven't quite isolated what the problem is. It might end up going through some bigger edits? I don't know, I kinda wanna just be done with it, since while it feels clumsy, it did go over what I wanted it to do.

Skor wasn’t far away when Runaan found him. He didn’t even need to track prints through the snow, as the other swordsman was sitting on an outcropping of rock within sight of the cave entrance, eyes fixed on the human village below. Runaan made sure to crunch a bit of snow on his approach, and saw Skor glance at him, so he wasn’t startled when Runaan sat down on the rock beside him.

“How stable are you?” Runaan asked softly, without looking directly at him, just looking out of the corner of his eye.

Skor sighed through his nose. “He’s coming with us, isn’t he.”

“I asked first.”

“That’s a yes.” Skor rubbed his forehead tiredly, and when Runaan looked a little closer, he winced internally at the exhausted lines around his eyes and the tight pupils. He wasn’t panicked anymore, but this was taking a toll on him.

Runaan sighed, not bothering to contradict him, and cast his own eyes down to the village. He spared a moment to hope Rayla - and those he had sent with her - were doing well, and the humans had found some help for the egg. “It seems the most viable option going forward.”

“We can’t trust him.” Skor growled. “You know better than anyone, Runaan. Humans can’t be trusted and that one works for her.”

Runaan tilted his head at him. “And what makes the princes so different?”

Skor pressed his lips into a thin line and shook his head. “Nothin’. Small children don’t have higher morals, they have needs and people who fill them, and human children grow up slower than ours in that way. Right now, that’s us, so of course Ezran wants to help. It might even work for a few years. But once he goes home, is surrounded by adults that hate us the way they do for enough years? I doubt it will last. Callum is old enough t’ have his own values, but he won’t be the one on the throne that could actually harm us.”

Runaan frowned a bit and looked back down to the village, where he had sent them, entrusting the future of the world to the boys Skor now spoke of with such skepticism. “I don’t think either of them are young enough to be in that state of mind,” He said carefully. “While it’s true that human children mature . . . slower, Ezran should be around the same mindset as Rayla was when I took her in. She was more than capable of this kind of planning and reason - as you well know.”

Skor shook his head. “Does it matter? We’ll do this, and it’ll be a reprieve for a few years, if it works. It’ll save our home from Zubeia, at least. I don’t doubt their intentions now. I just . . . don’t trust them to keep them. Especially back in Katolis once it’s over, with her counsel.”

“Perhaps,” Runaan conceded, reluctantly, after a moment. “But while she is vicious to us, she is a general in a war. We have never been given a reason to believe she would turn on her own people, and these are her own nephews. I do not believe she would give Corvus orders that would lead to their harm.”

“Like your friends would never have abandoned their posts or their daughter?” Skor asked, and the words struck Runaan so close to the heart that he couldn’t even process the tone that they came with. He flinched involuntarily.

He didn’t grit his teeth, but it was a near thing, and he groaned softly into his hands as he rubbed the stress lines from his own face. “That was different.”

“Yes, it was,” Skor growled. “We knew them better than we know her. What makes ye think we can trust her more than we trusted them?”

Runaan growled right back at him. “I am not saying we should trust him, and certainly not her. Even if she would turn on her nephews, the tracker may not be willing to harm them. He knows he can’t fight us. We keep him with us, keep him close, to keep an eye on him. If he stays true to his word, he may be an asset.”

“And when he doesn’t?”

“We put him to sleep, and drop him as far off our trail as we can, and leave.” Runaan said, meeting his burning golden eyes again. “If he continues to chase after that, you and Ram may deal with him as viciously as you choose.”

Skor held his gaze for a long minute, searching, before finally giving a huff and looking back down at the village, his shoulders dropping in concession.

Runaan kept looking at his profile, and sighed again, softly. He placed a gentle hand on his friend’s shoulder, and Skor leaned away from it for a moment before settling, pushing back against the weight of it instead. “I know how difficult this is.” He said. “Believe me, I understand what I am asking of you.”

Skor shook his head. “It’s what’s best for the mission.” He replied, voice brittle. “What it does to us is secondary.” He looked over at Runaan through his hair and acknowledged, softer, “I lost my voice, but you lost four lives to her. That’s far worse.”

Closing his eyes at the memory of the elves he had been forced to abandon inside the caves, Runaan took a deep, even breath, and shook his head. “I will not quantify suffering.” He said after a moment. “You lost a life, too, in a way. The life you should have had.”

The thought hung in the air between them for a moment, both well aware that if things had turned out differently - if Skor had not lost his voice, and his pride had not been killed under Runaan’s command - he would likely have retired several years ago. He would not be in Katolis at all.

“I’ve made my peace with that.” Skor said softly. “Have you?”

Runaan blinked at him. “Have I made my peace with what?”

Skor glanced at him through his hair. “Losin’ the life you should have had.”

“What are you . . .” the question died in Runaan’s throat as Skor tilted his head towards the village below, the implication from before pressing in like blades around his ears. He laid them back a little defensively.

“You set all your plans aside for two elves who’ve gone on t’ betray you.” Skor pointed out softly.

Runaan rubbed the marks across his nose, closing his eyes against the darkness pressing in from his sides. “You know as well as I do the Dragonguard had no choice in leaving,” He said slowly. “What was I supposed to do? I had been a part of Rayla’s life since she was born. Was I to leave her with someone else?”

“That’s not what I mean.” Skor said, tilting his head to look at Runaan around the hair that fell over his face. “That was seven years ago, an’ she’s only fifteen. They didn’t have a choice about leavin’? They left t’ protect her? They threw her life away along with the rest of us when they ran. Saved their own skins instead.”

“Skor-”

“We’ve all a right t’ be angry with them for that,” Skor pressed. “But even before that, Rayla’s only fifteen. She’ll remember more of her life with you than with them. She’s practically grown, and they did what, sent letters? That’s not parenting, and you know it. They dropped that on you, an’ never let ye take the title ye deserve for the responsibility ye took, too selfish to let her have a family they weren’t a part of.”

Runaan flinched, hand dropping from Skor’s shoulder and covering his own face as he grimaced. “That doesn’t - Skor, I can’t deal with this right now,” He said desperately. “She is their daughter, she is the one who suffers the most from what they’ve done. Her feelings on the matter come first.”

“That’s my point.” Skor shifted his weight onto his opposite hip to turn a little more towards Runaan, arching his brows pointedly. “You’re the only adult in her life that always puts her first, except Ethari, and honestly, my friend, I’m not as sure as you are that he’d choose her over you.”

He would. Runaan was more than confident of that. He grimaced at the very thought of making him choose, though, and shook his head.

“I’m not sayin’ ye should talk to Rayla about it.” Skor said. “It’s not her job tae take care of you. But I knew them, too. Ye do have other friends, not all of us willin’ to fuck you over for seven years and end it with a stab in the back.”

Runaan flinched again and snapped. “Alright, yes, I am angry! I am confused, and frustrated. I do not understand what changed, I trusted - I loved them as my brother and sister, and I can’t - I don’t understand why they would betray us like this. But I cannot deal with this right now. I must do what I can to minimize the damage from what they’ve done, to Rayla and to our people’s reputation in the eyes of the dragons.”

“You’ve been cleanin’ up after those two your whole life.” Skor observed softly.

Runaan grimaced. “That will no longer be an issue after this, will it?” He said bitterly, and then narrowed his eyes at Skor. “And you are deflecting.”

Skor wrinkled his nose at him and lifted his lip to show one chipped fang in halfhearted spite. “I don’t wanna talk about it.”

Runaan showed his own fangs right back, heart aching at the memory of when that fang had been chipped, but appeased when Skor’s mouth closed again under his show of dominance. “I will not force you,” He said anyway, a little wry after Skor had done exactly that to him. “But know that I am here if you need it. I know, better than anyone, why this is difficult for you, and I share your concerns.”

“It’s what’s best for the mission.” Skor repeated reluctantly, and groaned softly as he leaned back on his hands, raising his face to the sun’s heat and closing his eyes against its light. “Runaan, if he says anythin’ else about that woman’s honor -”

“I will not restrict his right to speak,” Runaan said, but shrugged when Skor scowled. “But I will not restrict yours, either. If he offends you, respond as you wish, just - verbally. We don’t resort to violence until he does.”

Skor’s eyes remained shut but he nodded slowly. “Fine.”

He would not have returned to the field, and Runaan would not have allowed him to stay there, if he weren’t capable of stabilizing even under circumstances that brought up plagues from his past. Runaan accepted this answer and looked back down to the village below. He took note of a small group of people - four - one smaller than the other three - leaving the well-trodden path towards where he and Skor sat up on the slope. “The children are returning.”

“Then we should do the same.” Skor said, sounding far calmer than he had when Runaan first approached him, at least, and nodded with eyes open when Runaan looked at him again. They both stood up and dusted the bits of snow off of themselves, and took a few breaths to clear their minds after the discussion they’d had. Skor returned to the cave, ducking inside with only a glance at Runaan. Runaan remained by the entrance, waiting for the children to return.

For all they weren’t all his children, he couldn’t help his growing concern for the human boys, and he had known Ram since he was quite young as well. They were all his responsibility.

He shoved Skor’s words from earlier out of his mind. Rayla’s needs came first. He knew what he had to do about his friends’ betrayal, and processing his reaction to it could come later, when he had less on his plate and could justify devoting precious energy to doing so.

#the dragon prince #fic: different path taken #tdp runaan #moonshadow assassins #tdp skor #fic update #my writing #my fics #giveusthesaga #continuethesaga #greenlight arc 3

38 notes · View notes

fandom-susceptible · 2 months ago

Text

TDP Rewatch: S1 E3, "Moonrise"

It's interesting that they zoomed on Soren's face as the procession crossed the courtyard, not Harrow's - and that he didn't look nervous, just determined. He was right, too.

God, Harrow cuddling with his bird is the cutest thing. That bird adores him. Also, (who gives the best birdie kisses) "Pip Does." was said so fiercely and then the face he made after, I just. Ah, that hit me in the chest.

How is "hard-headed" more acceptable in your vernacular than "stubborn", Viren? Or are you just the only one you want to be insulting Harrow in public?

It's interesting how Viren's smiling in the coronation portrait, but Harrow isn't. Viren says Harrow insisted on doing the portrait together, but I . . . have my doubts, now.

Yeah honestly Claudia we're on the same page about the persimmon jelly.

Something about how Ezran doesn't hesitate to trust Rayla, and when she kneels in front of the egg she looks at him so softly even though ten minutes ago she was convinced he had to die - and then Claudia, whom Ezran has known his entire life, threatens violence immediately and just keeps spouting threats while trying to get him to cooperate with her. They showed us who these girls were from the very beginning; Claudia acts sweet but in the moment of truth will turn cruel, and Rayla projects coldness but in the moment of truth will offer love instead. It's a neat mirror. And I love the way Rayla smiles at Ezran when he looks to her for reassurance in that very first moment in Viren's dungeon. That moment of yes, I'm with you.

They really sell being teenagers in this first season, and I love it. "NOT THAT WAY!" "WHY?" *runs into wall* "Is this a guessing game? Just do it!" "I'M A MAGE!" *shushes him* "Nobody likes a loud mage."

Also, can we talk about how the first time Rayla actually touched Callum was to shush him in that moment? And how she was the first person to call him a mage? And how she then proceeded to tell him something she's clearly said before, which when I first watched I assumed was just a common saying/joke in Xadia, but after finding out Ethari is a mage might be a family in-joke? Yeah I've got Rayllum feelings why

"What's in the basket? A bigger moth?" omg Soren is SUCH a sarcastic little shit around Viren and I love that for him????

Also, "When all of your swords have failed." is such a clear attempt to undermine Soren's personal confidence, and the worst part is I bet Viren didn't even do it consciously. He's just so used to tearing Soren down that he doesn't have to think about it anymore, it's become automatic. It's a really common trait of abusive parents and I hate him so much for it. (obligatory acknowledgement that I actually love it as a writing choice, it's great. He is a bad guy! I am supposed to dislike him! They did a good job!) But also, Soren responding to it with a spiteful defense of his soldiers was a good moment for him.

"We go way back! Like that one time, ten minutes ago, when you chased me through the castle trying to stab me!" Bless Jack De Sena for Callum's voice acting and also bless whoever animated his and Rayla's expressions in that exchange because I am fucking wheezing

Can we talk about how Harrow's tone was coldly neutral until Viren walked in and sat in Harrow's marriage bed, uninvited, and then the next thing he said - "Your friend?" sounded venomous? Or that fucking single eyebrow raised when Viren said "brother". Harrow is WELL aware that his best friend has a weird gay thing about him, and he regrets not nipping that in the bud before it became this unhealthy obsession.

Yeah that whole "On. Your. Knees." does not get less gay with subsequent rewatches. Like bruh. They showed this to kids. Harrow. I stg. But also, Harrow sees Viren's weird gay obsession and meets his freak by putting him down about it, in a way that they both know he wouldn't if he actually returned it with any kind of affection. Oh, I think all Harrow's dialogue about Viren's arrogance and self-importance was very much also what he meant, I don't think he was talking around anything, but yeah, that was. Wow.

Also ngl Harrow can tell me to do anything he goddamn wants if he talks in that tone, jesus

Interesting. Okay so Runaan does say that humans are liars - he doesn't say there's nothing worth sparing, as Rayla seemed to imply. He's been tricked before. That said, for all he talks a big game about his ruthlessness, he doesn't just shoot Callum outright. He warns him that he's made a mistake and he very much takes his time nocking that arrow. He doesn't want to kill this kid if he doesn't have to.

I also love that one moment where his eyes go wide after Rayla tells him again he needs to call off the mission, in the middle of "You know it doesn't work that way." He glances down at his own bindings and he looks panicked for half a second before covering it in this sudden anger that doesn't quite fit with how he reacted to the egg's appearance. He's scared. He knows she's right, but he's much older, more set in his ways, and doesn't see a way out. He's fucked up. So he just tries to fall back on what he's Supposed to do - just finish the mission, worry about the egg later, because those are the rules.

And then Rayla sends the boys away and forces him to confront those values instead of just falling back on them. Now he doesn't get to separate himself and his feelings from reality. And I don't think she actually believes he'll kill her here, even though he threatens to and she smirks and says "Probably" - if he was willing to do that, he would have done it already, and they both know it. She's just forcing him to confront the conflict between his moral values and his cultural ones.

oh, god, I forgot that Ezran brought up Callum calling him Dad in the very first episode.

I think it's interesting how Runaan accuses Rayla of being "Better than this" while very obviously holding back. He keeps pausing. Rayla's constantly in motion in this fight, whether attacking or defending or just trying to catch her breath, but he attacks once and then waits for her to recover, defends once and freezes up. He can't do this. Now he's the one hesitating and he can't stop doing it. Rayla has to know this too - that's why she sasses him when he realizes she's just stalling, because she knows she's gotten into his head. She knows he can't stop her because he can't bring himself to hurt her. So if she can just call on the fatherly part of him a little more, maybe she can get him on her side. It just doesn't quite work, because he's too set in his ways and his teenage daughter's wild idea is not enough to convince him that turning the entire world upside down is possible.

Do you think Viren had a moment of abject panic when Callum said "I know what you did!" after he came out of Harrow's chambers after switching the king's soul out with Pip's? Like HOW THE FUCK DOES THE KID KNOW, I LITERALLY JUST DID - "You stole the egg of the Dragon Pricne!" oh nvm. wait, what. why does he know that, who - what the fuck is happening right now?

Soren insisting Callum is the prince and refusing to arrest him is another good moment for him. Bless that young man for trying so hard. But also, Viren taking Callum's voice was awful on so many levels, and Soren's lack of surprise makes that one hurt??? Because. Viren had that spell just right there in his sleeve. He constantly undermines and dismisses Soren. Now he's using it so casually on the prince. Has he done this to Soren before? Is that why Soren's face just went so stony and he refused to say anything else after that? Viren is just such a fundamentally awful person and I love to hate him.

Knowing more about the assassins has me watching this scene with so much interest now. It's Runaan's arrow that hits Soren first, but Skor's the first through the door - two blades and brute strength. Ram hits the ground next, going low with no visible weapons, with Callisto and Andromeda flanking him with Callisto's glaive and Andromeda's sickles. Runaan brings up the rear with a bow, and honestly? He's walking in with his horns already at heights Ram and Andromeda leaped to get to, moving the slowest of any of them, not curling in or dodging or anything. He's just strode in leaving himself wide open because fuck you, I guess, what does this bitch have to worry about? That's terrifying.

The fucking "DA!" He does does undercut the intimidation as a viewer tho now I'm just laughing at him because his actor clearly was not out of breath or stressed when delivering that.

I've never noticed before that the elves reacted to Viren's spell releasing Callum's voice. Or that Soren moved between Viren and recovering control of the spell. Skor stepped back from a fight and glanced towards the spell, got distracted by it. Callisto ducked as if he thought it was coming towards him. Ram and Andromeda didn't twitch but Runaan bridled at it too.

Callisto was the first to reach the door but couldn't break it open and Soren went for him. The assassins converge on the door and Soren manages to hold off Callisto, Ram, and Andromeda all at once for a moment before Skor and Runaan step in. Runaan just wholly grabs a guard by the face and throws them to the ground with his bare hands (well, gloved, but weaponless). As in like. Picks them up off the floor and slams them back down one-handed by the face. I know he's an antagonist right now and like we like the guards in Katolis they're fine but also the sheer ability to do that is hot I'm so sorry.

When the elves press the door again after Callum calls for "Dad!" it's Skor to the left, Runaan, and Callisto to the right, and Runaan has zeroed in on Soren as the greatest obstacle to their goals. He's bigger than Soren, has an advantage in height, weight, strength, and experience, and he's bearing down on him but losing time, and Ram ends up lunging in to try and take Soren out while Runaan has him distracted. And it doesn't work, Soren manages to block them both at once. He's genuinely very good at his fucking job and I hate that Viren tore him down so much he doesn't see it.

Oh, fuck. Andromeda was the first elf to fall. We don't see her after the first clash at the door breaks free. Ram disappears briefly but returns at Runaan's side, everyone's converging on the door again, but she's gone.

Rayla's so quickly ride or die for these boys and this mission, and I love her so much for it. "Say the word, and I'll go back into that tower with ye." And she meant it. But she'll also guard them on their way out, when that's what they choose to do instead.

Can we also address that Soren's losing guards left and right to the clash in this tower, and Viren is RIGHT THERE, able to do random magic like stealing the voice from a kid, but he doesn't do a thing to assist in the actual battle? Absolutely nothing to help his son in their alleged shared goal of defending the king?

Runaan stumbles through clutching his side, and given the wounds we see later, I'm guessing Soren kicked him in the ribs to get out of one of their sword locks and broke them. He also can't breathe right. There's a bruise on his jaw and we saw from how Soren fought with Ram (and how he fights later) that he's willing to just punch people with his other hand while he's got them distracted with his sword. I'm betting most of his injuries are from Soren, including the broken horn. We don't see that part happen. I'm actually gonna, once this episode is over, skip ahead to the season 7 finale briefly to see Runaan's retelling of this scene, because I'm curious about those moments between that we missed here.

the binding also doesn't fall off until he reaches the balcony. Pip/Harrow wasn't killed instantly; he just succumbed quickly to what I'm betting was the poison on Runaan's arrow.

The face he gives after releasing the arrow hits, though, because he's reporting a failure. I'm also very interested in like, what he thought would happen for Rayla here. I would have guessed initially that his "Your justice will come later." was meant as him realizing if she stops them, if they fail, she'll suffer becoming a Ghost, but he's surprised by the news in season 7. Did he just assume there wouldn't be a unanimous vote to ghost her? It would sort of make sense; there's a certain amount of arrogance he clearly has regarding his own place in the Silvergrove, and a lot of it's justified by how the community treats him and Ethari. It wouldn't be unreasonable for him to guess that as his daughter and a clearly talented and relatively respectable warrior in her own right, there would be at least a few voices who were reluctant to abandon her entirely, even if she'd have to live with the same of losing her hand to her failure. That's a thing I don't think we give enough credit to, either, is the fact that Ghosting has to be a unanimous decision and therefore, not everyone in Rayla's position ends up ghosted. That's why the bindings are there. She'd have had to sacrifice her hand, but if she was respected enough to begin with to escape a ghosting, that would have been it. She'd pay her price and still get to go home.

Claudia appearing just to insist "we can find more practical uses for this one" gives me the creeps. Like "she sees Runaan and sees spell parts, not a person" kind of creeps.

I'm so very fond of this credits sketch, because it shows just how long Runaan has been in her life. Rayla was 8 when she moved in with him and Ethari - she's clearly younger than that here, and he's already there teaching her things, so clearly fond of her.

It also shows how her facial markings have changed over time; in this sketch we can see that the slash mark used to go both above her brow and below her eye, presumably unbroken (Lain's across the eye markings also cover his eyelids, so stands to reason hers would too). The curve below her eye is also different, where Runaan's remains consistent in this sketch to the show.

I could comment on her reaction to losing Harrow's binding but honestly like. That's been analyzed to death for six years straight. I don't really feel the need to go over something that's been addressed repeatedly in the show already.

Addition after checking the story in Season 7, so don't read further if you haven't seen that yet:

Runaan's horn was not broken yet when he broke into the room. Skor was the only one who made it in after him. So the other assassins may never have seen Harrow at all, and the fighting after the poisoned arrow hit Pip could have lasted for a while, justifying Runaan's ability to vault into the room initially but also barely being able to stumble out onto the balcony in the end.

So Andromeda died before they even got the door open. Skor followed Runaan through the door, but we don't see Callisto or Ram after that point, so they may or may not have made it that far. I would guess that Runaan's grievous injuries were likely due to fighting virtually on his own for an extended period of time, and the brief time he got to send off the shadowhawk was Skor's last sacrifice, keeping them busy for long enough to do that.

#the dragon prince #tdp rewatch #tdp rewatch liveblog #tdp callum #tdp ezran #tdp rayla #tdp dragang #tdp runaan #tdp soren #tdp viren #tdp harrow #moonshadow assassins #tdp andromeda #tdp ram #tdp callisto #tdp skor #tdp claudia #magefam #moonfam

27 notes · View notes

moon-sky-sun-earth-ocean-stars · 10 months ago

Text

Moonshadow Elves characters 🌙

Here is a list of all the Moonshadow elves characters I found, if I missed someone please let me know.

Agricultural workers:

Biffy (she/her)

Maive (she/her)

Somma (she/her)

Vankan (she/her)

Artisans:

Ethari (he/him)

Perris (he/him)

Assassins:

Andromeda (she/her)

Callisto (he/him)

Eljaal (they/them)

Fayln (she/her)

Pandyne (she/her)

Ram (he/him)

Runaan (he/him)

Rayla (she/her)

Skor (he/him)

Dragonguards:

Lain (he/him)

Tiadrin (she/her)

Mages:

Draylenn (she/her)

Lujanne (she/her)

Tylluan/Feathershawl (they/them)

Others:

Fara

Fentheth (he/him)

Gwenyn (she/her)

Kim'dael (she/her)

Laaner (he/him)

Redfeather (she/her)

Lira (she/her)

Maggs (she/her)

Shiv

Rangers:

Neva

Remmi

Daav

30 notes · View notes

fandomsandflyingstingrays · 2 years ago

Note

Congrats on 300 followers, Ray!!! For a request, how about something extra fluffy…

Callum meeting Rayla’s parents (and Runaan, of course) and accidentally lets slip that he wants to marry her

Mando this is perfect thank you so much, I've been itching to write some rayllum since season 5 dropped but haven't had any idea which direction to take. I hope you like it!!

When Rayla poked her head out of the makeshift tent, she looked almost as terrified as Callum was. Maybe it should have made him feel better to know that he wasn’t alone, but instead, his nerves skyrocketed, his heart doubling its already-too-fast pace in his chest.

He should have gone somewhere else, anywhere else in the makeshift camp they’d set up after the battle at the Starscraper. But he hadn’t been able to shake the idea that Rayla might need him. The last time she’d seen Runaan, after all, he’d threatened to kill her. But this was pointless, wasn’t it? None of the people in Rayla’s tent had so much as raised their voices, and Callum’s pacing had probably interrupted their reunion, and he’d made a bad impression without them even needing to see him—

“Do you want to meet them?” Rayla asked.

Callum blinked. It took a second for the words to sink in through his panic, and even then, he opened his mouth and closed it several times before he could find his voice. “Sure?”

Rayla gave him a small, nervous smile and extended her hand. Callum reached out to take it, then hesitated.

“Are you… are you sure?”

Rayla smacked his arm. “They know everything already, dummy.”

“Oh!” Just when he thought he couldn’t get any more terrified. “Okay.”

He slipped his hand into Rayla’s, gripping it tightly, and she pulled him through the opening.

All three of her parents were armed. That did not seem like a good sign.

Runaan’s arms were folded, a steely glare on his face. Lain and Tiadrin were a little more relaxed, standing with their arms around each other’s waists, but their faces were devoid of any discernible emotion. Callum swallowed hard.

To his shock, it was Runaan who broke the silence. The older man’s glare deepened into something sadder, and he bowed his head.

“I know you must have mixed feelings about seeing me again, after… what transpired since we last met. I thought I knew the weight of your stepfather’s life, that I had factored the place he held in the hearts of those who loved him against the harm he dealt my people and found the scales tipped against him. But I have committed actions just as cruel against you, and you still chose to spare me. I’m grateful for that— and more importantly, I’m grateful that you kept Rayla safe when I could— when I would not.”

Callum swallowed again, this time holding back grief instead of fear. He had made his peace with Rayla loving Runaan— but peace with what happened to his dad was a long way off.

More than anything, he wished it didn’t have to be this way. That meeting the three people who meant so much to the girl he loved wouldn’t have to be tainted by so much loss.

“We’re all grateful,” Tiadrin said, her cool expression breaking into an understanding smile. Lain gave him a similar look.

Their warmth thawed Callum enough to find the right words. “You raised an incredible daughter. Being with her has been the most incredible privilege of my life.”

“A mage and a poet. You picked a good one, moonberry,” Lain said, winking at Rayla. She ducked her head, but not enough to hide her smile.

“You’re under no obligation, of course, but I can assure you you’ll always be welcome in the Silvergrove,” Tiadrin added to Callum.

A grimace chased Rayla’s grin away. “Actually… he won’t. Neither of us will. I’m a ghost.” She turned to Runaan. “They banished me for botching our mission.”

“But you saved the dragon prince!” Runaan bellowed, outrage pouring from every word. It raised Callum’s opinion of him, just slightly.

“And that won’t bring Ram, Skor, Callisto, and Andromeda back to life,” Rayla replied quietly.

The names cast a silence over the tent. Callum looked down, giving the others a moment to mourn, letting them break it on their own terms.

“But where will you go?” Tiadrin asked.

Callum raised his head. “She can come back to Katolis with me.”

Lain raised an eyebrow. “A lone elf in a human castle?”

“She won’t be alone. I would stay with her for the rest of my life— and so she’ll have a home there for the rest of her life, too.”

A split second later, he realized what he said, and fought the urge to clamp his hands over his mouth.

He meant it. Of course he did. He’d faced enough with Rayla to understand how deeply he loved her— and he’d faced enough without her to understand how much it ached to be away from her. But there was a difference between knowing she was the only person he wanted to spend his life with and admitting that to her parents within five minutes of introducing himself.

He risked a glance at them to find that Tiadrin’s smile had only widened, and he allowed himself a single, relieved exhale.

“Then let’s talk about that,” she said, waving him over to her corner of the tent. Taking her hint, Lain and Runaan motioned Rayla over to the other end.

Callum glanced at Rayla, tense, only to find her beaming, her eyes shining with tears. She raised their entwined hands and kissed the back of his before letting him go, lightly pushing him over to where her mother stood waiting.

“I’m sorry,” Callum blurted, before she could even get a word out, directing the words more to the wall of the tent than to her. “I never meant to imply that I wanted to— to take Rayla away from you, or make any decisions for her. I know I shouldn’t have said that, but—"

“I’m glad you did.”

Callum finally met her eyes.

“A prince who ran away with an assassin. A human who can do primal magic. A dragonguard who never once abandoned his post.”

Tiadrin’s beaming face blurred as Callum found his own eyes brimming with tears. He blinked rapidly, trying to dispel them, and only succeeded in pushing them onto his cheeks. Tiadrin gently reached out, wiping them away, and placed her hands on his shoulders.

“I can think of no one better to entrust with my daughter’s future than you.”

She let go of his shoulders and reached up, removing one of the silver bands that encircled her horns. “Ethari made this for Lain when he told him he wanted to ask me to marry him. I got this—" she tapped the matching silver band on her other horn— “on my wedding day. I suppose I could have taken the old one off then, but I’ve been too attached to it. But I’m ready to let it go.” Carefully, she placed the band in Callum’s hands.

“You’re so young, Callum. Take some time to be with Rayla now, to understand who you are in peace. If you decide, at the end of that, to give this back to me, I won’t judge you.”

She stepped back and gave him a wink. “But if you decide you want to pass it on to a new owner… well, I have a hunch that she’ll be ready.”

#the dragon prince #tdp #tdp callum #tdp rayla #rayllum #tdp runaan #tdp lain #tdp tiadrin #tdp harrow #tdp ram #tdp skor #tdp callisto #tdp andromeda #tdp spoilers #the dragon prince spoilers #mandaloriandragontrainer #ray writes #ray rambles

59 notes · View notes

fwitolei · 9 months ago

Text

Warrior's Honor Chapter 2: Building the Barriers

Summary: Tensions rise as midnight approaches.

Word Count: 3k

Previous // Masterlist // Next

Join the Taglist

Iris scratched her discolored face as she rushed through Katolis castle, hurrying to her next post. Emelyn and Soren had returned from their mission a few hours ago, and co-Crownguard had informed her of orders circulating throughout the castle, warning of the impending arrival of the elves. The orders were clear: Prepare for sundown.

"I want every soldier we have present and prepared for combat by sundown, got it?"

Iris stopped, her ears alert for the source of the commanding voice.

"Even those who are off-duty?" someone else asked.

"Yes, even them. Everyone has to be posted and looking for those elves by sundown. Everyone." As the voice continued barking orders, Iris followed it around the corner to find a young woman with auburn hair conversing with an anxious-looking soldier. Emelyn.

"There you are," Iris called as the other soldier saluted Emelyn and dashed off. Emelyn turned to see Iris, then smiled softly. Her eyes were dull with fatigue, and her usually shiny armor tarnished with dust and dirt. "I take it you failed?" Iris asked, joining Emelyn as they walked down the hall together.

Emleyn sighed deeply, rubbing her temples. "Unfortunately, yes. All we did was chase a stupid bug Soren brought."

Iris scoffed. "So Soren found out about your little fear of bugs, huh?" "I'm not afraid of them!" Emelyn burst out. "Just because I think they're a little creepy doesn't mean they scare me!"

"Right," Iris said, unconvinced. "And what about you? You look like you haven’t slept in a week."

"Don't get me started," Emelyn grumbled. "I've been sending soldiers in all kinds of directions. It's a mess." Emelyn crossed her arms, begrudgingly adding, "And the stupid High Mage won't let me report to King Harrow."

Iris threw her head back and barked in laughter. "I'm pretty sure lectures from the High Mage are the least of your problems. Besides, if we fend off the elves--"

"When, Iris," Emelyn interrupted, stepping aside as a group of Crownguard carrying halberds hurried by. "We need to be as optimistic as possible."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Iris dismissed. "When we fend off the elves, you'll have time to talk to Harrow tomorrow morning."

Emelyn didn't answer. As the two Crownguard entered the castle courtyard, Iris saw Millie flying overhead.

"It's almost sundown," Emelyn mumbled. "What would you think if Ezran became king? Like, by tomorrow?"

Iris scoffed. "That little kid? Please. He wouldn't last a week."

"What?" Emelyn asked, sounding almost astonished. "You really think he can't do it?"

"Sure he could, but for how long?" Iris said. "He's, what, nine? There's no way a kid like him could rule. Not without a regent, at least."

Emelyn hummed thoughtfully. "Who do you think would end up as regent? Maybe Cleric Opeli?"

"Nah, she's too by the book," Iris answered. "Lord Viren's pretty sharp, he would know what he's doing."

Emelyn sighed. The day was almost done, and there was still so much to prepare for. Moonshadow elves could be in the kingdom already, waiting for the right moment to strike. Emelyn couldn’t give up now. Not when King Harrow’s life was at stake.

Emelyn looked up and whistled loudly. Millie changed course and flew toward the two Crownguard, landing on Emelyn’s outstretched forearm. She fed the Golden Eagle a small handful of food from the pocket on her hip, speed-walking across the courtyard and leaving a confused Iris behind.

"Hey! Where are you going?!" Iris called.

"I’m going to make sure the elves don’t kill Harrow!" Emelyn called back, releasing Millie back into the sky and brushing her hands off before running back into the castle. Iris watched her disappear from sight, then crossed her arms and scoffed.

"Try-hard.”

A beautiful evening light cast a warm glow over the castle courtyard, highlighting the intricate details of the stonework. Soren's gaze drifted across the scene, eyes lingering on the shadows. Shadows. They were long and inviting, reminiscent of the stolen exchanges he and Emelyn shared in their youth. But not today. Today, those very same shadows were cold and secretive. They were hiding something… evil.

He clenched his fingers around the hilt of the king's sword, adorned with beautiful Katolian engravings. The weight of the blade served as a reminder of tonight's mission— failure was not an option.

The doors to the Throne Room opened, revealing a fully-armored King Harrow flanked by four Crownguard. Soren stepped away from the window and presented the king with his sword, which Harrow accepted solemnly. As Harrow and his guards made their way to the courtyard toward his chambers, Soren felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked back to see Iris posted behind him.

"Iris!" Soren murmured. "Where's Red-- I mean, Emelyn? She was supposed to be here."

"She went to recheck defenses and do, like, 15 more perimeter checks," Iris said with an exasperated sigh. "I'm sure she'll meet us at the tower."

As Harrow and the Crownguard approached the tower, they spotted Emelyn at the base of the stairs, her helmet in hand. Her face was set with determination, yet her eyes betrayed an underlying sense of anxiety.

"Your Majesty," she said, nodding in acknowledgment. "I've bolstered defenses to four times the usual. If the elves are in the kingdom, we'll find them."

"Thank you, Emelyn," Harrow acknowledged, and the other members of the Crownguard began to move past him and ascend the stairs. Soren hung back, hesitating.

"Emelyn," Harrow started, then sighed heavily. "I'm sure we both know how this will end."

"Of course," Emelyn said promptly. "With your survival."

Harrow smiled ruefully. For just a moment, Soren saw Emelyn's face flicker with emotion. Sadness. Anger. Respect. Before Soren could figure out which, she had gathered her composure once more.

Harrow opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn't seem to find the right words. After a moment, he rested his hand on her shoulder and said, "You always did have that blind determination. Don't lose it."

Soren saw the emotion in Emelyn's face again and figured it out. She was on the verge of tears.

Emelyn pressed her lips together, not daring to cry in front of the king. She breathed deeply, looked Harrow in the eye, and answered, "Yes, sir!"

Harrow smiled, patting her shoulder, then turned to the stairs leading up to his chambers. As he passed her by, Harrow glanced back, speaking softly.

"Please, Emelyn. Take care of my sons."

Soren watched as Harrow disappeared behind the staircase before glancing at Emelyn. Her grip tightened around her helmet, her eyes lowering as she grimaced.

"Is Millie still on watch?" Emelyn asked, pushing her emotions down. Soren closed the distance between them and crossed his arms.

"Yeah. I saw her flying around a few minutes ago."

Emelyn nodded. A moment of silence passed.

"...You okay?" Soren asked. Emelyn sighed. The sky turned orange as the sun set, turning the clouds pink.

"I'm fine. It's just… I'm afraid of what could happen if we fail."

"We're not going to fail," Soren said confidently, uncrossing his arms and placing a hand on her shoulder. Emelyn looked up at him. "You got it? We're gonna beat those elves, and that'll be the end of it."

Emelyn chuckled. "Yeah. And then a dragon will swoop down from the sky, and you'll somehow figure out how to slay it so you can brag to Claudia."

"Exactly," Soren replied with a grin.

Emelyn laughed. As the moon rose behind the tower, it sent a massive shadow on the castle grounds, causing a glow on the Crownguards' faces. Two Crownguard appeared on the opposite side of the courtyard, approaching their posts.

Finally, Soren said, "I better… head to my post."

"Yeah," Emelyn answered absentmindedly. Soren glanced at her for a moment longer, then turned to leave. Emelyn listened as his heavy boots receded up the stairs. Just then, She inhaled sharply and turned toward him.

"Soren?"

Soren halted upon hearing his name and looked back to see Emelyn staring at him, her hand slightly extended towards him. She had tied her auburn hair into a low bun, a change from her usual ponytail. Her side-swept bangs fluttered slightly in the breeze, highlighting the bright red streaks of dye framing her honey-brown eyes.

"...Be careful, okay?" Emelyn said.

"I should be saying that to you. They'll attack you first, after all," Soren answered. Emelyn chuckled.

"Still, though."

Soren grinned. He nodded, saluted her with two fingers, and continued up the stairs.

"Don't die, Red," he mumbled as he climbed out of Emelyn's sight.

Emelyn noticed the moon shining brightly overhead and realized it was likely nearing midnight. Her eyes were becoming heavy, her body longing for sleep. She yawned, bringing a hand to her mouth, but the sound of footsteps made her freeze. She peered out to see a shadowy figure approaching. Her hand shot to her sheathed sword, her heart pounding, her mind racing. Was it the Moonshadow elves? Why was there only one? Or were the others–

"Sir!" the male soldier on her right hissed, eyes wide. "It's Lord Viren!"

"What?!" Emelyn narrowed her eyes, focusing on the figure. Sure enough, the High Mage's gray robes illuminated in the moonlight overhead, his relic staff gleaming. Emelyn's stomach dropped at the sight of the mysterious woven basket in his hands.

"Move aside," Viren ordered, his brows furrowing in irritation at the mere sight of the auburn Crownguard. Emelyn crossed her arms.

"What's in the basket?" she asked suspiciously, looking the High Mage up and down. Viren glanced down at the basket's woven lid and pulled it further away from her.

"I have found a solution to the problem we are facing. It will ensure the safety of Harrow, unlike your sword-fighting abilities," stated Viren, with a slight inclination of his head. Emelyn felt the urge to draw her sword and prove her skills to the High Mage but decided against it. She was about to reply when a disturbing thought crossed her mind, causing her to freeze. Viren noticed her sudden change in demeanor and looked at her with a puzzled expression as she stepped back, glowering at him.

Emelyn swallowed hard, her hand moving to her sword as she said slowly, "...How do I know you're not a Moonshadow elf in disguise?"

Both Crownguard behind Emelyn snapped to attention. The female on her right gripped her weapon, ready for an attack. The other soldier had been dozing against his halberd and almost dropped it as he was startled by the mention of Moonshadow elves.

"I beg your pardon?" Viren snarled, stepping menacingly toward Emelyn. "Do you really think a Moonshadow elf would simply walk into Katolis, assuming we wouldn't have put counter-measures in place? I apologize," he continued, his lip curling as he addressed the soldiers flanking Emelyn. The male soldier to her left turned beet red. "if your squadron was not informed of the code we implemented to alleviate your concerns. Rather, that issue falls under your responsibility, further revealing your incompetence as a captain and proper Crownguard."

Emelyn swelled with anger. How could he-- how dare he-- in the darkest hours of Katolis, when the kingdom was on the brink of a royal crisis, have the time to insult her as if mentioning the weather? Emelyn shook with rage, her mind racing for something to say, but she was speechless. Despite the frustration, she took a deep breath and composed herself, reminding herself of the bigger picture. At least she knew the man standing before her was indeed Lord Viren.

"...Fine," Emelyn muttered, stepping aside as she glared at the violet jewel adorning the front of the High Mage's robes. Viren stepped past her, only curtly replying, "Thank you."

Emelyn stared hard at the other side of the courtyard, lost in thought. The soldier to her right shifted her halberd to her other hand and stepped forward, gently placing a hand on Emelyn's shoulder. "Sir? Everything alright?"

"I'm fine," Emelyn answered after a moment. "Keep your eyes peeled for the elves." The soldier gazed at Emelyn, then glanced at the other soldier to Emelyn's right. He shrugged.

The female soldier glared at him, then turned to Emelyn. "Don't think too much about it, Sir. You were right to assume. Honestly, I would've done the same."

Emelyn sighed, ruminating. The full moon's light beamed down on the three soldiers, reminding them of the attack yet to come.

If only I had thought of something to say, Emelyn thought bitterly. Gritting her teeth, she groaned and put a hand over her face, covering one eye.

Then she heard hurried footsteps. She froze, then glanced behind her at the other Crownguard. Judging by their wary eyes darting along the grounds, they had also heard it. Emelyn started to pull her sword out but stopped when she saw only a young boy running toward her. She squinted, then exclaimed when she realized who it was.

"Prince Callum?!"

Callum tried to run past without a word, but she grabbed his sleeve and quickly pulled him before her.

"Callum, what in the world are you doing here? You're supposed to be at the Banther Lodge!" Emelyn said, wrestling with him as he tried to pull away.

"Sorry, but I can't talk. I need to see the king!" Callum shouted, struggling to pull her hand away from his jacket.

"What in the world could be so important that you have to walk up to his chambers when the elves could arrive at any minute-- CALLUM!"

Callum slammed his body into Emelyn, causing her to loosen her grip on his sleeve. Callum yanked his arm away and raced up the stairs two at a time.

"IRIS! STOP HIM!" Emelyn screamed.

Halfway up the staircase, Iris heard the commotion. She looked to see Callum running past the confused Crownguard. Iris started to step out and stop him, but Callum saw it coming. He ducked under her arm, but she grabbed his scarf. The force of Callum running pulled Iris forward, and she tripped on a star. He pulled his scarf out of her hand, continuing up the stairs.

Iris swore to herself, turning around. The other Crownguards started talking amongst themselves, trying to figure out what had happened.

Emelyn listened to the commotion, groaning in frustration. She started to climb the stairs three at a time to catch up to Callum, but one of the Crownguard stopped her.

"Sir!" she said urgently.

"What, what?!"

"Look!" she whispered.

Emelyn froze. She whipped around, her eyes darting along the terrain. A whirl in the wind. A crack of a boot on bricks. Sure, she heard it, but the question was where it came from.

Emelyn pulled her sword out, her eyes darting along the perimeter to figure out where the elves could've been if they were even there. She shifted her blade to one hand and used her other to readjust her helmet.

"This is the last time I'll ever wear a helmet," Emelyn said, her voice barely above a whisper. Just then, an arrow shot out of nowhere and hit the Crownguard on Emelyn's left.

"What the…?" Emelyn started, staring as he collapsed with a hiss of pain. Desperately now, Emelyn's eyes returned to the setting, straining them to find the source of the arrow. Her hands trembled, her sword vibrating with excitement, and she tightened her grip around its hilt.

She then noticed a shimmer in the distance, moving toward her. Another appeared, then another. As they came closer, Emelyn watched as they became five translucent figures with pointy ears, horns, and weapons sprinting toward them.

"Keep it quick, Andromeda," Runaan reminded her.

"Of course," Andromeda answered, gripping her curved blade as she clashed with Emelyn's sword. She kept the lead Crownguard occupied as Runaan and Skor passed by. Callisto quickly finished the other Crownguard with a sweep of his double-bladed naginata. Ram hung back as backup.

Emelyn glanced behind her to see three wisps of figures running up the staircase. She averted her attention back to her battle just in time to see Andromeda jump back and Ram charge at her with his daggers. She raised her sword to block one blade, then grabbed at what she guessed was his other wrist. She slammed her knee into his torso, and Ram pushed her away, gripping his abdomen. Emelyn stepped back, watching her opponents like a hawk.

I can barely see them, Emelyn thought nervously. I have to finish them before they can inflict any more damage.

"Are you alright?" Andromeda asked Ram, raising her blade and glaring at Emelyn.

"Yes. She's more skilled than I thought," Ram answered. "But I have an idea."

Ram muttered something, and Andromeda nodded with a smirk. Emelyn twirled her sword, readying herself as Ram ran toward her. Ram raised his daggers to attack but jumped over Emelyn at the last second, throwing her off guard.

Emelyn spun around, expecting to see Ram before her, but he ran up the staircase after the other three elves. Emelyn stared after him momentarily, confused, then thought about Andromeda. She started to turn, realizing that the elf was already standing before her.

Emelyn froze as a flash of silver slashed by her. As her eyes came in and out of focus, she noticed the last remaining elf standing before Emelyn, the end of her blade dripping in blood. Her blood.

"Humans," Andromeda sneered. Emelyn looked down at her chest to see the giant blood stain growing on her tunic, starting on her right hip and cutting through to her left shoulder. Emelyn staggered momentarily, her hands raising to the wound before she fell to her knees, gasping for air.

Andromeda knelt in front of Emelyn and raised her hand. She gently lifted the Crownguard's pained face, then grabbed her jaw, further constricting her breath. "Pathetic," Andromeda scoffed. Emelyn yanked her face away.

"You-" Emelyn gasped, glaring at Andromeda. "You won't win."

Andromeda chuckled, then stood. She raised her foot and placed it on Emelyn's chest.

"We already have," Andromeda gibed, kicking Emelyn. Emelyn lay sprawled on the ground, writhing in pain. Andromeda turned, glanced back at Emelyn in pure hatred, then followed her comrades up to Harrow's chambers.

"No…!" Emelyn gasped, trying to climb to her feet. She looked up at the staircase as her vision blurred and watched Andromeda climb out of her sight

"Soren…" Emelyn murmured, wincing, before everything faded to black.

5 notes · View notes

dragon-susceptible · 1 month ago

Text

Okay, I'm coming in with the screenshots fam because I have So Many Theories about this event. I also am going to reference the flashback from Runaan's story in Season 7 to cover some of the time we don't see after Callum runs away, but we'll start with 1x03 Moonrise. This also ended up being Really Long, so I'm putting it under a cut.

So Runaan's arrow flies around the corner into Soren's shoulder armor and doesn't pierce it, but announces their presence after the moon magic takes all the lights out.

Skor flips into the room first, backflipping this guard over his head like he weighs nothing. This is interesting because we see in Harrow's narration of their approach later that Ram was the one leading the approach to the castle.

So two down in about three seconds, and this screenshot is mostly because Skor is pretty and I like looking at him and their Moonshadow forms in general.

Ram is next, followed by Callisto and Andromeda.

Their weapons styles seem to inform how they approach. Skor is the only one with a mid-range weapon, dual wielding swords that aren't as long as Runaan's, and he comes in first dealing heavy damage with his feet as much as his blades. Ram and Andromeda, with their close-range weapons, come in and stay low to the ground. Callisto, with their glaive's reach, stays upright on approach, but is confident enough to hold it one-handed in a block position.

Runaan doesn't hesitate to shoot over his companions' heads, trusting that Andromeda (whose path he is aiming directly towards) will be low enough to stay out of his way.

So in the first wide shot we get, we see all of them. Skor made it closest to the door first, and is attempting to engage Viren. Callisto is on his heels, and Andromeda isn't being engaged yet. Ram appears to be trying to distract two different guards, and has just noticed Soren coming for him and needs to disengage Fast.

It's hard to get screenshots of it, but Andromeda attempts to move around the edge of the battlefield to get to the doors, as their goal is an assassination, not a skirmish. Skor engages with the group bearing down on Ram instead of successfully getting to Viren, and Callisto gets their attacker off them and then dives for them. Skor throws one of the guards at Viren and he loses control of the spell holding Callum's voice.

The elves react to Callum's voice returning to him.

Skor fully disengages from the fight he's in to look at it, and it's fascinating to me that his eyes have gone completely black with Moonshadow form here. That's part of why I headcanon him as having a pretty strong connection to the darker parts of moon magic.

Callisto also turns to look at it, and they clearly didn't expect us to be scrubbing through this frame by frame because they didn't bother animating a face or even the tattoos in their head to indicate a look over the shoulder lol

Ram isn't in frame enough to tell if he reacted, we really just got a second-long ass shot of him, but Andromeda appears to be too busy to notice the spell. She's already lost one of her sickles at this point, so she's down a weapon.

But also look at her she's so pretty in Moonshadow form my goodness

Runaan also pulls back and looks at it as he flips his swords around, and he's the only one who witnesses the spell reach Callum. I have to wonder what he's thinking right here. This boy who he saw a few minutes ago, who alleges he wants to help them save the dragon egg, is clearly being attacked by dark magic by the same people that Runaan is fighting. What the hell is going on? I think this is the moment where he realizes that it wasn't just a mistake of thinking the egg was destroyed when it wasn't, there's something Very Wrong within the castle itself that they didn't know about, because even the people he's striking against are divided.

Now there's three different presses towards the door, and here we have the first one - it's just Callisto, alone, and they can't break through it.

Soren fends them off, they're forced to retreat, and Soren falls back against the door himself to defend it since none of his soldiers have managed to do so.

Ram he bats aside like a gnat. Like it literally takes him less than a second. It took me so goddamn long to get that screenshot because Ram is in frame at all for like a total of one second.

He gets Callisto on the backstroke, and goddamn, knowing how strong Soren is, Callisto might spend the rest of this fight with a broken jaw ngl. They also clearly lose hold of their glaive for a second from the impact - you see it fall to the ground in the next frame as they're thrown out. Runaan backs towards Soren without seeming worried at all about him, and interestingly, is not using his bowblade at all - he may have temporarily lost it.

He throws down the guard in front of him with nothing but his hands, and Skor is approaching from the other side now to join him in the push against the door.

Ram fights like a wolf, actually - he keeps dashing in and falling back to tire them out, flitting in and out of frame so quickly it's hard to tell who it is. He also uses throwing knives, so his weapon isn't as distinctive as the others.

Second press towards the door.

Skor is down a weapon too, fighting with just one sword. Runaan's recovered his weapon and is using the full length of his bowblade as a single melee weapon now. Callisto hasn't regained their glaive and is just pressing forward with their hands, but they've successfully disarmed the guard they're fighting too.

Skor gains ground as Callisto loses it, and Ram dashes in to strike at Runaan's opponent, who they've now identified as the biggest threat to the mission. Soren is monstrously strong, apparently, and fends them both off at once, despite Runaan's superior height, weight, and reach.

Soren successfully fended off the second press towards the door while Callum was distracted at the window, and Skor and Callisto have traded sides. Runaan displays the "coming down on the enemy" technique is just A Thing Moonshadow Do on Soren, which (nerd lore moment) makes sense for their ancestral history being associated with cliffsides around the Moon Nexus. It'd be a very traditional fighting style. Callisto has recovered half of their glaive - so either it splits and folds like Runaan's and Rayla's blades, or it's been broken in half. Considering Tiadrin and Lain's weapons also convert, and Skor's and Andromeda's also fold, I'm inclined to say it probably can split for easier transport and that's what's happened here, it's just detached from the other half.

At the third press to the door, it's once again down to Skor, Runaan, Ram, and Callisto.

So Andromeda was likely the first to fall, because she was left defending the others from the entire hallway of guards during that second press towards the door. That said, given the fact that Soren kicks like a goddamn horse, Callisto and Ram might be effective deaf elf fighting long before she dies, from internal injuries. Horrifying as it is, continuing to fight after being mortally wounded is a very real thing that happens sometimes even to humans, and it's very much a thing for the night elves of Warcraft that the Moonshadow are blatantly based on. (Runaan is even named after the writer Devon's night elf hunter)

So that's all we really see in Moonrise, until Runaan stumbles out to the balcony alone.

Someone else pointed out in the comments of my Moonrise rewatch that you can see one of the other assassins' legs in this scene, and yeah, confirming.

It's a more reddish purple, which means it's either Callisto or Ram, and the lines come to a point down towards the knee instead of up towards the thigh, so it's Ram. He also made it into Harrow's room.

However! There's a bit more that we get to see in Season 7.

Holy fuck wait a second I'm wrong!!! Andromeda made it past the doors!!

She's only in frame for like a second and a half, but she burst through on Runaan's right as Skor came in on his left! So the only one who didn't make it through the door for certain is Callisto, because we see Ram's body in there in Moonrise.

Holy shit I have to revise my whole theory now.

So Andromeda made it past fending off the entire hallway by herself, not once, but twice at LEAST, while being partially disarmed. Holy fuck what a badass.

She, Skor, Ram, and Runaan were all in fighting shape when they burst into the king's chamber, as she and Skor leap in with Skor also doing the Anime Jump to come down on his enemies. Runaan had not broken his horn yet.

Callisto is the only one we see try to take Soren on alone, and they get pretty decisively bodied repeatedly, including being disarmed and likely having their weapon broken (even if it can split, there's no reason for them to do that on purpose mid-battle, so Im inclined to believe Soren broke the locking mechanism so it split into its halves). They took some serious trauma to the jaw - a blow to the chin with an armored elbow strong enough to throw them backwards - so actually, I said when watching Moonrise that Andromeda likely died first, but nah, Callisto was the first to fall, based on the information Runaan drops in Season 7.

After that, it's unclear. We know from where Ram's body is that he made it the furthest towards the balcony, but the room is a complete mess and it's been hours of fighting after the breakthrough before we see that. Based on his strategy of striking quickly and retreating, he may have lasted quite a while, but being in an enclosed space is going to fuck him up; it was only a matter of time before he hit a wall in the hallway, and there's furniture in the room. If I have the layout right, he fell because he backed into Harrow's table and couldn't retreat like he usually does.

Andromeda has a habit of going low, striking at legs with her sickles. There's a lot of ways that could have gone badly for her, but based on how long she lasted in the hallway, my guess is that she went under someone's sword and didn't see a pikeman coming at her from behind from too far away to fend off.

Skor is fighting with the same type of weapon as the majority of the guards, with the same type of reach, but a stupid amount of strength for his size, like Rayla does, and the ability to be partially intangible. This is the same playing field that Runaan is dealing with, and Runaan survives to make it to the balcony, so I'm inclined to say Skor likely lasted the longest - especially if those black eyes were an indication of his connection to the darker moon magic, in which case, I would theorize he cleared the room with it as a last act of sacrifice to ensure Runaan could get out. There are no soldiers in the room behind Runaan when he leaves, but Soren is still alive, so something must have driven them back out and made them hesitate to return.

I'm really not sure about who would have died first between Andromeda and Ram, since the fight clearly lasted for hours (Rayla and the princes are miles away from the castle by the time her binding falls and dawn breaks). Callisto may have been dead or dying before they made it over the river away from the castle, though.

If the assassins were soldiers, I would say it's possible that Callisto stayed back to guard the door to bottleneck the other soldiers from entering, but we see from how Andromeda moves around the battlefield in the hall that that's not really how it works. Their goal is the king's death - they're engaging with the soldiers only to get past them. They're not defending their flanks because minimizing their own casualties isn't a concern for them, only getting to Harrow is. They're not trained to bail each other out - Andromeda could have beheaded the soldier Callisto was fighting and chose to step around instead to try and get to the door. Ram could have gone low to kill Soren while Runaan had him distracted and he didn't, he pushed high to try and help get through the door. This is an offensive-only assault.

The one exception that I really see to this is as I'm going back over it, in the first group press toward the door, Callisto is still disarmed. In the wide shot, we see Callisto and Skor trade sides of the door, with Callisto ending up further from any opponents, but getting half their glaive back in hand. So Skor covered Callisto's retreat to get their weapon once. That's the only moment of mercy we see from the assassins towards each other. Otherwise, it's fully just trusting each other to take care of themselves and prioritizing getting to Harrow over everything else.

So, with the information from Season 7, my revised mental theory, consolidated:

Callisto was dead elf walking from brain trauma when they took Soren's elbow to the chin, but kept fighting because it took a while for the problem to get catastrophic. Skor covered their retreat Once, but they never actually made it through the door; Andromeda had to take their place to help break it open because their coordination and strength was starting to fail first.

It took Skor, Andromeda, and Runaan all together slamming the door to get it to break open, which is what happens in canon. Ram came in on their heels. Callisto fell outside, never saw the king.

Runaan got an arrow into "Harrow" right away, but the soldiers pressed through the door after them, and there was nowhere to retreat to anymore since they were bottlenecked in the room. Ram fights closest to him, but his strike and retreat tactic is fucked up by the furniture, and he's killed by the table where the king was shot and dying.

Andromeda keeps going low, trying to fight past the swords, and she holds her own for a while as she did in the hallway, but eventually is taken out by a pike as she tries to go under the guards' swords to strike from below.

Skor lasts the longest, striking from above with as much brute strength as blades, as Runaan does. He's mortally wounded near dawn, and as a last act of desperation, uses the last of his strength to send out the sort of dark illusion/death magic that Lujanne warns about, that the bloodmoon cult is derived from, which causes Soren to pull his surviving soldiers back from the room. Runaan stumbles to the balcony as they're chased down by the mind-melting illusion, only for it to fade out as Skor dies, and they return to Runaan having sent the shadowhawk to Zubeia and the other elves all dead.

All this with the caveat that we don't know for sure, except that Callisto didn't enter the king's chamber, and so likely died first.

How'd I do, @flaming-thing? XD

Watching tdp rn, I'm on 1×03. The episode harrow 'dies'

And I was watching the scene where the assassins come into the tower and are fighting the guards and stuff and? There's a scene where they all go to the door to try and break it down? But? Andromeda's not there? Like they're all there? But her? Is she dead? 😭

But now I'm curious, I wonder what order they all died in, and how? Like, they all seemed to be ok up to reaching the door (apart from andromeda 😔), and then we see only runaan survived? I would like to know

( @dragon-susceptible theorise with me, please 🙏🙏)

#the dragon prince #moonshadow assassins #tdp runaan #tdp andromeda #tdp callisto #tdp ram #tdp skor #tdp season 7 spoilers #tdp analysis #tdp lore

46 notes · View notes

amazingfandommomarch · 3 years ago

Text

Runaan : Anyone d-

Callisto: Depressed?

Andromeda : Drained?

Skor: Dumb?

Ram: Disliked?

Runaan : -done with their work... what is wrong with you people ...

#skor tdp #skor #callisto #callisto tdp #andromeda tdp #andromeda #ram tdp #ram #tdp runaan #runaan #tdp #tdp incorrect quotes #the dragon prince #incorrect quotes

72 notes · View notes

pinotorto · 4 years ago

Text

TDP Olympics: rhytmic gymnastics. 2/?

Featuring: Rayla, Skor, Ram, Callisto and Andromeda for Silvergrove nation, Xadia.

#Rayla #tdp #the dragon prince #ram tdp #andromeda tdp #skor tdp #callisto tdp #elves assassins tdp #moonshadow elf #moonshadow elves #tdp art #sports

58 notes · View notes

dragon-susceptible · 1 month ago

Text

Different Path Taken Ch15: The Cave P1

I don't know exactly how many parts this will be before they get out of the cave. I've been debating the order of a couple of the next story points and think that Important Discussion between Runaan and Rayla might need to happen before he lets her out of his sight again, and I'll need her down in the village. For now, there's this little bit though from the night after they make it to the cave to warm up, and before that discussion is had.

They didn’t erect the tents properly in the cave that night. Instead, Runaan and Skor had spread the walls up around the edges of the cave, making nests out of their combined blankets and settling Andromeda, Ezran, and the egg close together to get warm. Callum cuddled with his brother for the body heat until Callisto deemed him well enough to be left alone.

Without their separate bedrolls, all of the elves seemed to settle readily enough to cuddling up with each other. Skor lay apart from the others with Callisto in the curve of his body. Ram remained near enough to Andromeda to touch, sharing his heat with her. Rayla found herself wrapped in Runaan’s blanket and under his arm like she was a child again.

She woke up halfway through the night to the sounds of the others shifting around, a low growl from Ram as the human man - Corvus - moved too much and settled back down in his bedroll. He’d been placed where Skor and Callisto were between him and the entrance to the cave, and the rest of them were between him and the human princes. Though everything settled quickly, she was aware Runaan wasn’t asleep by the way he shifted in response to the noise, as if getting ready to sit up.

“Runaan?” She whispered.

He settled back down in the blanket and petted her hair with the hand that had been across her shoulders. “I’m here, little blade.” He murmured.

“You said we needed to talk later.” She said hesitantly.

He sighed through his nose and tucked her more carefully under the blanket. “We do, but . . . I don’t quite know how to say it all yet.”

Rayla grimaced. “That bad?”

Runaan shifted to press a kiss to the top of her head, nudging her horns gently, leaving his scent in her hair, and she felt very small suddenly beside him. “Yes. I owe you an apology, Rayla, for so many things, and there are other things you deserve to know that I . . . had not figured out for myself yet. I’m not angry with you, little blade. I’m furious with myself.”

The news took her by surprise and she frowned, pulling away to look up at him. “But you didn’t do anything wrong. I’m the one who messed up.”

Runaan just gave her a very soft look and shook his head. “You’ve made mistakes,” He allowed. “But I have made choices that harmed you, and all of us, and you deserve an apology and some honesty about that. Right now I am just . . . worried.”

“About Andromeda? Or the egg?” Rayla asked, still concerned, but she settled back down a little. Runaan was just as stubborn as she was and she wasn’t likely to make any progress arguing with him directly.

“Both.” he admitted. “Callisto is optimistic, I think she’ll be all right eventually, but being forced to rely on a human for her rescue . . .” He shook his head. “Perhaps it won’t bother her as much as it would bother me. As for the egg . . .” He grimaced. “We will talk about that in the morning. The stakes are so high, everyone should be aware of them. Get some sleep, little blade. I’m here.”

Rayla bit her lip and settled herself back down cuddled up to his side. “You should get some sleep too.” She reminded him, and he huffed softly as he curled towards her in response.

“I will try, Rayla. Now close your eyes, elfling, hush.” He hummed softly and despite her automatic rebellion when he called her an elfling, the soothing noise soon brought her persistent sleepiness back to the present and she fell asleep.

#fic: different path taken #the dragon prince #my fic #tdp runaan #tdp rayla #moonfam #tdp callisto #tdp skor #tdp andromeda #tdp ram #tdp callum #tdp ezran #tdp corvus

38 notes · View notes