#tdp themes

[beautifulterriblequeen]

Brittle - a Narrative of Strength theory

We've all seen the explosion in the S6 trailer by now. Something very big is going BOOM.

And I think I know what it is.

See the ledge in the foreground of the above image? See the ridges on the green hills in the distance? We've seen this before.

I think this is the same ledge that Rayla sat on when she tried to cut off her binding ribbon back in S1.

Remember what she could see from that vantage point, in the distance?

In this recent theory post, I compared the Cosmic Order to King Harrow's Narrative of Strength - two versions of the same concept. And ages ago I had fun creating the theory that Harrow's Narrative of Strength is represented by his castle (Banther Lodge = Narrative of Love).

Lads, I've been thinking about Katolis Castle getting destroyed for five years.

I am so very excited right now. Do I still have time to fill Viren's old dungeon with popcorn kernels?

Speculation time: who blows it up, and how does Ezran handle losing all those chains of rulership?

[1lovepeace]

With 13 days left until the premiere of TDP S5 and SDCC, we're most likely getting 1 or 2 more short stories and perhaps some surprises about our characters. After reading the new short story, Deep Below, and learning about Ezran's own extreme emotional turmoil and conflict. We see how Ezran feels so much anger and hurt

But it got me wondering about how Rayla is going to handle her very own extreme emotional conflicts and negative feelings in all of this as well, knowing she has her own severe conflicts and extreme tormented emotions about her family because of all the separation and fragmentation they've had. Like she's happy and relieved that they're alive, but deep beneath the surface of her heart, she's likely having to process her own negative feelings such as hurt, anger, resentment, and bitterness towards her family for what they put her through. We possibly might get that in the new short story next week.

I don't know what's about to happen with this, but what I do know is that it's gonna be an extremely massive and monumental mess. Where so many emotions are gonna run high for our main trio. Let the main trio be angry and bitter. Let them be an absolute angry and grieving mess. They've held in their hurt, pain, anger, and bitterness for far too long.

[beautifulterriblequeen]

This feels like a Theme. Callum did dark magic when he was 14, should he be punished for not knowing any better? Claudia learned to see living beings as spell components from a dad she adored, should she be punished for not knowing any better? Rayla did her best to be just like the dad who took her under his wing and became an assassin, should she be punished for not knowing any better? Viren learned dark magic when he was young as a way to finally mean something, should he be punished for not knowing any better? Runaan took up the assassin way when he was young and swore to die keeping his people safe so no one else would have to kill anyone, should he be punished for not knowing any better? Soren learned to be a jerk trying to get his dad to love him, should he be punished for not knowing any better?

It's a good question. I think we can put Anak Arow in with the others for it.

We never saw Sol Regem in Aaravos' version of the story. I wonder if he was still a little dragon, who either thought he was doing the right thing based on what he was taught, or happened to mentioned it to the wrong people by accident. Maybe he wasn't malicious, and had no idea Leola would be punished so harshly.

[chaikachi]

Quick outfit swap for two wizard boys. I think they'd make good friends. 🥰

[dotcircledot]

sketchy things bc school and i cant do big rendered things for a while :’)

[beautifulterriblequeen]

My own pregnancy trauma is not bothered whatsoever by whatever Viren has going on with spawning Sir Sparklepuff so I actually love this idea and I'm glad someone else has seen it as well. It seems extremely clear that Aaravos got that caterpillar positioned just right for those blasts of Sun magic to kick it into a growth cycle.

The extra fun part is: though Aaravos claimed that he dealt with Aditi by swallowing her, so what does that mean in light of the fact that Viren swallowed Aaravos too? Is she a part of him? Did he burp her back out in a different shape as well? Is he kinda sorta her dad now?

is that why his double diamonds symbol is all over Katolis

Sorry but I need to revisit the growth cycle of Wormvaros/Sir Sparklepuff

I know literally no one likes to think about this because it occupies that deeply weird niche where "visceral body horror" and "uncomfortable awareness that someone out there has this fetish" overlap but bear with me.

Back in the post-s3 days, I concluded that Wormvaros grows due to crossing into Xadia where magic is plentiful, basically absorbing magic and funneling it to Aaravos, which is why Aaravos has Viren go after powerful magic sources in the Sunforge and Zym. Then I just kind of never thought about it again.

But that's wasn't even accurate then: Wormvaros starts growing at a very specific point, and that point is somewhere between when Aaravos and Viren discuss visiting Lux Aurea and when the Sunforge is corrupted. Before that, it doesn't grow at all.

When Aaravos is pitching the plan to Trojan Horse into Lux Aurea, Wormvaros is his regular 2-inch or so Hot Topic earcuff size:

Then when it emerges at the Sunforge, it's suddenly like... a solid 2 feet long? I'll spare all of us the disgorgement shot, here it is crawling up Viren's arm for scale:

Now, the timeline of events in this series is... fuzzy, at best, but I don't think it's incorrect to interpret that the entire Lux Aurea business takes place in a single day. At the least, I think the Sunforge corruption and Viren walking back to the camp are the same day. By that point, Wormvaros has already grown into a jaunty scarf. By sometime mid-next day, it has attained its full drag show fabulous feather boa status.

Wormvaros grows exponentially within the 18-24 hours between the Sunforge and the final battle, presumably feeding/having fed on the massive source of corrupted magic that was formerly the Sun nexus. Except that's not quite right, either: Wormvaros has already had its first growth spurt before the Sunforge is corrupted.

Also just to quickly go over this scene in light of s5... Wormvaros bites Pharos, and the corruption then goes from Pharos to the Sun primal stone in the staff, and from there to the Sunforge itself. The artbook, of all places, notes that Pharos (there just "Sunfire High Priest") has a "direct connection to the Sun primal [that] helps him channel the incalculable power of the Sunforge."

The "direct connection to the Sun primal" bit is I think a bit misleading, since that should describe... every Sun primal mage, at minimum. Channeling the power of the Sunforge, however, explains the transmission of the corruption. It's not an accident of proximity that makes Wormvaros go for Pharos, it's that there has to be a transmission vector from Wormvaros to the Sunforge, and it's Pharos's arcanum during this ritual where the Sunforge's power is brought to bear.

But anyway, back to Wormvaros's growth. Viren is also exposed to the power of the Sunforge when he's tested in the throne room, though on a smaller scale. I bet that's when Wormvaros starts to feed.

I still think the magic has to be corrupted to be of use to Aaravos's specific purpose, here: neither the Sunforge nor the staff are diminished, so the power is either being replenished as fast as it's consumed or the corruption was itself the act of consumption. I feel like you could even say that the corruption of Sunforge power also happens in the throne room test ritual, in that whatever power from the Sunforge reaches Wormvaros where it's hiding inside Viren, it could easily have been filtered through and affected by Viren's own corruption.

On the one hand, all of this means that by whatever method Wormvaros... got inside Viren to Trojan Horse into Lux Aurea, it was still comfortably small at the time. On the other hand, it also means Wormvaros grew to like 10x its former size in the space of a few hours, while inside. Which... hhhnnnnnrrggh.

No, don't leave yet. I promise I have an additional point that's not just making everyone exquisitely uncomfortable about mpreg.

Wormvaros goes from a static, growthless state to a period of rapid maturing when exposed to the Sunforge. The Sun primal. The sun. After some time it returns to a similar hibernating state in the chrysalis. And then:

Hmmm.

[tategaminu]

Isn't cute how Rayla's clothes has something similar to Katolis' diamond patterns? they are matching now 🥹

[beautifulterriblequeen]

So, regarding your post about the TDP angst and Runaan/Ethari possibly dying to balance out needing both an Elf and a human to die in regards to Aaravos's chaos.....

An Elf ALREADY died.

Ibis! Was literally killed! In the retrieval of the Staff of Ziard (and what we now know to be the third Quasar Diamond)!

Maybe this is just me trying to convince myself that Runaan and Ethari will get their happily ever after and nothing bad is going to happen to them😬😬

I hear what you're saying, and I feel for all our worries as we anticipate S7's swift arrival upon us! I'm not saying I definitely expect Ruthari to perish. I'm just acknowledging sad connections that I see, so they don't sneak up on me and surprise me terribly if they turn out to be true, because for me that would be miles worse than at least seeing it coming.

There are a lot of characters in the show, so any one of them only has a low chance of dying, statistically speaking. Chances are good that they'll survive! I'm sorry that I worried you with my, uh, worries.

As to Ibis specifically, his death feels like it is still part of the cycle to me. He died in battle with a human, as they fought over a unique weapon. He was trying to stop the cycle, but he was trying to do that by killing Claudia. He said so, specifically.

In contrast to that, Viren's death sacrificed only himself, and no one else. That was a necessary step for him, choosing to use his own heart instead of Soren's. It's wild to realize that Viren died further from the cycle than Ibis did, but that's what I see here.

Regardless of who the unlucky character in S7 is who steps forward and makes a sacrifice, it sounds like it'll be one made in the same spirit as Viren's choice: to personally take the L in order to save lives, rather than killing to save lives.

I love Ibis, he's a great character! But the cycle ate him, too, and made him try to eat Claudia.

Here, have an endless kissing Ruthari gif as compensation for me making you worry, fam. Sorry about that.

[peculiaritybending]

Soren & Claudia and Laios & Falin are like what if you were a blonde knight with a heart of gold and a thirst for adventure and you lost your sweet, talented mage sister to dark magic to the point where she has become almost unrecognizable.

[beautifulterriblequeen]

I love how this illustrates TDP's theme that good and evil are not permanent states, but a series of choices.

Viren didn't magically absolve himself of his crimes by sacrificing himself, but his last choices did change who he was, during those days of his life. He was a better person, those days, than he was when he was making evil choices. No one else has to accept this, especially if he hurt them (looking at you, Soren bby), but we as the audience can see the change in him.

The same can be true of Aaravos, then, if he chooses differently in the future. And Claudia, and Runaan, and anyone else. They can be better than they were, even if no one else trusts that. It will still be true, if they truly mean to make better choices.

The Dragon Prince: Hatred & Vengeance vs Justice.

We are always told that Justice is better than Vengeance. If someone does something morally wrong with no defense for their actions, then they need to be brought to their actions.

Viren killed Rayla's parents, at least put them in a fate worse than death, she is justified in her hatred. Viren is also a threat to Xadia, a threat to peace, willing to kill a baby dragon, start a war with Xadia, kills humans just to achieve that war. He's dangerous and needs to be dealt with. That's justice. Do what needs to be done and nothing more. However, when Viren disappears, Rayla can't rest until she knows he's gone. She gets obsessed with revenge and this makes her leave Callum behind, believing she was doing what was best for him. As she admits in the second arc, it was wrong to leave him behind and go searching for Viren. She didn't even find him so all she did was leave Callum for 2 years.

Then there's the characters who lost who they loved in similar situations.

Avizandum, the Dragon King, struck down Sarai as she attempted to save Viren's life. She didn't want to go on the mission to Xadia, she thought it was wrong what they were doing, but she died doing the right thing. Avizandum was protecting the border, he was doing his job, he's not a threat to anyone who doesn't cross it. There's no need for violent justice, sadly. It was cruel, but that's just how things were.

Similarly, Leola was tattled on by Anak Arow, which caused the Star touch elves to deem her worthy of death. Her crime, she gave magic to humans, and thanks to divination, they foresaw that this would lead to the end. Yet, she was a child who just wished to be kind to the people she loved. They were just enacting what they saw as justice, it's cruel and sad, but there is no need for justice as violence.

The best form of justice here, is making sure they don't die in vain, to fulfill their wishes. For Sarai, making sure the people could survive the winter. For Leola, making sure the humans had a chance.

However, justice is doing what is necessary and nothing more.

Both Aaravos, as well as Callum and Harrow, are justified in their hatred. (Heck, I hate the Star touch elves and Leola is not even my daughter).

How they act on their hatred determines who they are as people.

Harrow was willing to leave Avizandum alone, knowing vengeance for Sarai would not fix anything, only creating a bigger mess. Callum seeing Avizandum dead does not bring him joy, despite still hating the dragon. The reason, he's sad for Zym, it's his father and Zym is an innocent. Zym had nothing to do with what happened to his mom, heck Zym is a friend. Who is he to wish the death of a parent on him, despite it already happened, he can't be happy for it knowing what Zym has to live with.

Then there's Aaravos, who has spent centuries enacting his vengeance, trying so hard to destroy the cosmic order. Leola would have been content with humans just knowing primal magic, but he chose to make a bigger mess of things by giving them dark magic. He not only enacts vengeance on Sol Regum, but causes the end of several Xadian rulers all to cause war and have Xadia destroy itself. He killed Khessa for no reason, tried to kill baby Zym for no real reason, and had Katollis destroyed for no real reason (he could have had Claudia sneak in and get it). When Sol Regum eventually does die, Aaravos has to taunt him over the fact he's been manipulated for centuries, and enjoys his suffering. Meanwhile, he doesn't care that a kingdom of innocent people got torched.

Aaravos doesn't seem to care about lives anymore, only seeing people as potential pawns. He seems to enjoy arrogant people meeting their end in painful, humiliating ways, even if those people had nothing to do with his suffering.

Terry is right: What happened to him was awful, but he's been so twisted by hatred and vengeance that it's turned him into a monster with no concern for life, living for the suffering of others.

Callum and Harrow are better for attempting to not let their hatred rule them, Rayla is better for choosing justice over vengeance, but Aaravos is a villain for choosing violence and chaos and war.

[raylasrightbraid]

hey guys i noticed something a few weeks ago and i just feel the need to share it bc as a music nerd, it HITS 😭

so everybody knows the melody that plays during the rayllum moment in s3 on the big antler, (yk “because shes rayla”) and most people see it as “rayllum’s theme” and while it kinda is?? it also isnt 🧐

technically, its only rayla’s theme. i mean, theres a reason why you hear the full thing during “silvergrove” because its hers!!

in season 1, you can hear it when rayla let Marcos live in ep 1, and you can briefly hear it when she goes sit down on that cliff to try to cut her ribbon off. (theres more but its what i remember)

AND callum has his own theme too!! you can hear it when he hugs harrow for the last time in s1, and of course when he saves rayla from falling in s3 (again, theres probably more but those are the ones i remember)

sometimes both melodies play when either rayla or callum does something that impacts their character, like rayla letting marcos go, or callum getting his wings. its a melody that resembles them truly for what they are

in “because shes rayla”, it’s rayla’s theme playing because callum is describing rayla on who she is, on why she saved nyx despite the fact she betrayed them and stole zym, and its because shes rayla

and season 3 isnt the last you hear of both themes

in ep 1 of s4, when callum is outside the balcony, HIS theme is playing, but when he looks up to the moon thinking of rayla, it switches and its HER theme that plays!! very sadly and minor i might add (and that whole scene is what made me notice in the first place…. and cry too 😢)

plus you can also hear her theme play when she comes back!!

basically what im trying to get at here, is that frederik is a muscial genius who isnt appreciated enough of his hard work 🫡

honestly one of my speculations for s6 is that when (or if 😰) rayllum reconciled fully ( as in back to their canon ways ) we get to hear a mix of both melodies playing as a musical way of saying that they really are, stronger together 🤗 and i really hope that happens because both of their songs are SO beautiful and impactful and it what makes this show so so magical 🥹

[no-cinnamon-for-synonym]

The things we do at 3 in the morning...

[its-leethee]

Reflecting on Claudia's conversation with Terry about the leaflynx kitten, and how even though she acknowledges that it's cute, she still can't see the sum of the animal from all of its parts.

So far, only Ezran has been able to inspire Claudia to actually relate to another creature, and not just see it as a threat or a tool: Hey, that's like me!

2x09 // 6x04

Bonus: what's with this look, Ez?!

[beautifulterriblequeen]

I just rewatched S5 over the holiday and had a similar thought when Finnegrin was holding Ez's crown, but it went in this direction:

Ez got his crown back (both times), but Karim is still out here missing his tin ring. The ring that means a lot to him, but no one else.

The guards said it belonged to Janai now. I wonder if we'll see him reclaim it, and how that'll go.

So I've been trying to figure out what the fuck is Up with the pattern of Ezran giving up his crown (3x04 yes, but particularly in the scenes with Rex Igneous in 4x08 and Finnegrin in 5x06) and I think I've got it

E: My father was a strong king, and I wanted to carry that strength with me. But he also taught me that strength isn't always about weapons and war. This crown reminds me of that lesson.

Which, given that it's confirmed we'll see Ezran's pacifism be tested, and the crown being representative of his relationship with Harrow in a variety of ways + lingering grief and anger towards Runaan... Tested indeed, it seems!

[raayllum]

1x01 / 6x09

[soulsbleedink]

𝙇𝙐𝘿𝙄𝘾 | 𝙍𝙐𝙉𝘼𝘼𝙉 𝙓 𝙀𝙏𝙃𝘼𝙍𝙄

Prompt: Runaan returns from a mission; exhausted. Ethari braids his hair and they have a soft and slow night in the meadow. Then Rayla decides to join them.

Warning[s]: None, all fluffy <3

Pairing: Runaan x Ethari & Rayla [Rayla's scene right at the end]

Word count: 1.5k

masterlist

this is what was mentioned in orphic. the memory rayla was reminiscing about. and i just had to, i think it's beyond adorable. i love ruthari so much <3 have fun reading. :)

Ethari’s hands were gentle as he combed through Runaan’s mane of silky white hair, weaving his fingers through the slightly tangled locks. The moon gleamed above them, the clock ticking on while nature paid no heed to that. Neither did they. They didn’t know how long it had been since they had sat out here. But neither of them cared, or minded. Runaan returned from a mission, tired, but wanting desperately to bask in his husband’s warmth, of course Ethari would never deny him of that simple joy in life. Although an elfling Rayla did. She wouldn’t stop tugging at Runaan’s hair, to the point that the already messed up hair was now practically falling apart. Somehow Runaan had found it in himself to tuck the very… enthusiastic elfling into bed. Huffing and snaking his arms around Ethari as the craftsman waited at their kitchen, chopping some fruit for him. 

“It took so long…” He yawned, pressing his face onto Ethari’s shoulder, chin resting there. Ethari hummed, placing the knife away and turning back to his husband. 

He ran his hands through his white curls of hair, one of the silver cuffs slipping off and onto his palm. “You should’ve let me put her to bed.”

“It was my turn,” Runaan reasoned, but the way his eyes drooped begged to disagree with the words leaving his mouth. He leaned into Ethari’s touch, barely noticing how the tip of one of his horns poked him. Ethari didn’t react, just continued carding his fingers through his husband’s hair.

“It would’ve been fine, but she’s asleep now. Here.” His warm hand left the plain of Runaan’s face and hair, the assassin frowned from the loss of warmth, but his eyes followed the hand anyway. Ethari held up a plate of nicely sliced fruit for him. How endearing, he smiled. Gently, Runaan accepted the plate, Ethari’s arm snaking around his waist and leading him to the table. Runaan sat down wordlessly, Ethari opposite him as he smiled at his husband.

Runaan picked up a slice, taking a slow bite, but his hand shook slightly. He hurried with the next, until he was on the next slice. And he did it with the rest of the fruit on the plate. Ethari frowned softly, he opened his mouth to say but Runaan smiled at him. 

“I’m fine,” He insisted to Ethari’s silent plea. Ethari wasn’t particularly convinced anyway. 

“I wouldn’t think so,” He said, standing up. He made his way over to Runaan, pushing the plate away. He held his hands out. Runaan eyed them, glancing at the blacksmith before he accepted the hands. Ethari intertwined their fingers, pulling Runaan up. The assassin stumbled into his chest, cursing himself for the imbalance. “It’s okay, you just need some rest.”

“I don’t want to head back to bed just yet,” Runaan whispered.

Ethari chuckled. “You sound a lot like Rayla now, and no, we’re not heading back to bed just yet.” He tugged Runaan forward, leading the tired assassin out of their humble abode. Into the meadow just outside the Silvergrove. Runaan wasn’t even sure how he managed to keep on walking, but as long as he was with Ethari, he supposed he could do it. 

The flowers tickled Runaan’s ankles, but it felt like a breeze to him, with the way Ethari hummed ahead of him and then sat down, pulling Runaan with him. A soft gasp left Runaan’s mouth as he dropped onto the soft grass beneath him. When he hit the ground, Ethari laughed, pulling the assassin’s back closer to him, until he could rest his chin on Runaan’s shoulder, brushing the hair to one side. 

“Let me do this for you, just relax.” He twirled some of the white hair around his fingers. Runaan relaxed into the grip, shoulders slumping. Ethari squeezed his shoulder, softly moving the long white hair back over his shoulder. He inched back, just a bit. Runaan missed the warmth, but he didn’t mind. 

The assassin watched the moon, the stars twinkling beside her, and he smiled, the soft gleam that she casted down on the grass dancing with the breeze that swept through the meadow, hitting Runaan’s skin like the drafts that swept through their house in the early mornings, when he’d be draped safely in Ethari’s arms and warmth. Who was humming behind him, effectively lulling him into a near sleep state. Although the soft tugs on his hair did anchor him in the real world. He just wanted to fall back, watch those hazel eyes as he slipped out of consciousness for the night. 

“Runaan?” The humming stopped, his husband’s soft voice whispering against the shell of his ear. He shivered, nodding in acknowledgement. “Just a bit longer, alright?” Ethari continued, picking up his pace. Runaan wished he’d take longer, he didn’t mind this. It felt incredibly nice. 

He didn’t realise when Ethari had finished his braid, already slipping back on the silver cuff that always held it together. He glanced towards his side and noticed a flower getting plucked out. He turned around, but couldn’t fully. Ethari had his hands on the assassin’s shoulders.

“Hold still, please.” He smiled softly.

“What are you doing?” Runaan asked, raising an eyebrow at him. His husband laughed, voice a gentle breath that flushed warmth against his face. Runaan smiled too, reaching back gently, tracing a hand over Ethari’s jaw. “You’re incredible, love.” 

Ethari blushed, his face getting warmer under Runaan’s touch. The assassin leaned forward, capturing his lips in a gentle kiss, as a thanks, as a reminder, as many things that he couldn’t put into words. He just wasn’t up to task for that, but Ethari did that. Ethari spoke his appreciation, and his love existed in all the words he spoke every day. In the way he weaved words together, love was prominent. Runaan didn’t do that, he touched, and he gave, and he did. His love was in the way he would leave an extra plate of moonberries every morning before training, and in the way he would take extra time to fix Ethari’s clothes, or when he lingered at the door of the forge. And maybe that’s why they were married. They were different, but perfectly the same. 

“I can see a whole ocean’s worth of thoughts behind those eyes, Runaan,” Ethari whispered, grinning. Runaan smiled.

“There are, and all of them concern you,” He said in earnest.

“Alright, let me finish this. Just a few more flowers.” Ethari turned him back around. He closed his eyes, “oh gosh.” Ethari’s voice was much quieter. And then Runaan heard it too. The shuffling. He opened his eyes, glancing at the elfling standing in front of him. Purple eyes gazed up at him in confusion.

“Rayla, you woke up?” He asked, although it was pretty obvious that yes, she was awake—He opened his arms for her, the elfling lunged for his chest, tackling him with her hug, putting as much force as she could, although there wasn’t much force being exerted, to begin with.

She nodded against his chest, relaxing. “What are you doing?” She asked, voice still laced with the last traces of her sleep that should’ve lasted the whole night. 

“I’m just doing Runaan’s hair, we were intending to head to bed right after,” Ethari explained softly. He rechecked the flowers that were woven in, letting the braid drape itself over Runaan’s left shoulder. The elfling stood up, using the assassin’s lap to seem taller as she looked up at Ethari, who leaned closer.

“Can you do that for me too? Can you teach me?” She asked, excitement obvious in the way her voice was growing in volume. Runaan traced shapes on her back, making her relax. She yawned, letting him law her down on his lap, her head resting against his chest. 

“Of course I can, Rayla. Tomorrow though, alright?” Ethari whispered, now beside Runaan. He brushed strands of Rayla’s hair off her face. “We’ve got a whole night to sleep through. He intertwined his fingers with Rayla’s, squeezing her smaller hand as he watched her fall back asleep. 

“Next time, we ought to be more careful…” Runaan said, nodding at the elfling asleep on him. “What if she got lost?” 

Ethari nodded, “true, well, she’s here now.”

Ethari smiled at him, and Runaan’s whole heart warmed, along with his face. He let Ethari pull him up gently, snaking an arm around his waist as they walked back to the Silvergrove. 

Runaan didn’t speak much, he never did, and Ethari’s voice was soft as he recounted the whole day with their Rayla. The wind hummed in their faces, the usually loud and bustling Silvergrove quiet in the early hours of the morning, or late hours of night. Or whatever the time was. To Runaan, that didn’t truly matter. He was back with his family, and he was sure he would have the best rest with them. Rayla moved in his arms, maybe once, or twice, but it meant near nothing. She always did that in her sleep, he’d noted over the while she had been with him and Ethari. 

He looked to his side, Ethari looked as beautiful as ever, animated as he spoke in a soft tone. Runaan smiled. Letting his own words die out in the breeze while his husband became his lullaby for the night. How he was every night. One he never got tired of, he never could.