Callum hefted a heavy sigh as he flopped onto the ground.
They'd been walking for hours through the dense forest since they'd escaped Sol Regem's grasp and, by the time Rayla had deemed they'd gone far enough, the moon was high in the sky and Callum's legs were in agony.
He was half aware of Rayla smirking at him from across the area she'd designated as a campsite, a small clearing in the dense forest that had seemed to spring out of nowhere the moment they'd left the desert area Sol Regem had occupied. There were tall trees forming the circle that had become their camp, with each tree sporting long, spindly branches and thick foliage. The night sky was visible through the leaves directly above where Callum had flopped down.
He slowly lifted his head up to glare at her, making her smirk widen. She offered him a sarcastic half-shrug.
"I told you not to introduce yourself to the Archdragon of the Sun," she quipped, her lack of sympathy evident in her tone. "But you just coooooouldn't help yourself."
"In my defense," Callum replied, lifting a finger and waggling at her, "Zym was the one who wanted us to get acquainted!" He pointed the finger in an accusatory manner at the baby Storm Dragon, who was curled up in a ball under the tree that Rayla had elected to lean on to catch her own breath. Zym lazily lifted his head to glare over at Callum, yapping at him.
Rayla rolled her eyes and crouched down next to Zym, lightly patting his head. "Sure," she said in a sing-song tone of voice. "Blame the baby Storm Dragon for interacting with one of the only other dragons he's ever come across."
Again, she fixed Callum with that adorably infuriating smug smirk of hers (one that Callum absolutelyhated, excuse you for insinuating otherwise.)
Callum threw his arms up in frustration. "Of course you take his side."
Rayla scoffed at him, still petting Zym, much to the Dragon Prince's delight. "There is no side - you should've left me to run after him, not reveal yourself to Sol Regem!" She shot him a playful glare from across the campsite.
Callum huffed and let his head fall back down. A small smile formed on his face as he gazed up at the night sky. Everything seemed so much more radiant in Xadia, just as Rayla had told him on that boat oh so long ago; magic seemed to be a part of everything.
He'd spent, what, three or four hours in Xadia? Most of which had been taken up with running for his life, but still his photographic memory allowed him to close his eyes and picture all the mysterious things he'd spotted as they'd run.
Callum reopened his eyes to observe the sky again; he just couldn't fathom it. In the Pentarchy, the night sky was generally black, with the stars sparkling white. But since crossing into Xadia, the night sky had blossomed into a gradient of dark violets and navy blues. The stars didn't all sparkle white; there were greens and oranges and yellows and reds too - looking up at the night sky was almost like looking at a rainbow. Callum sighed happily. He hadto memorise this to paint when he got the chance.
He could feel eyes on him, so he lifted his head to meet Rayla's eyes. His heart skipped a beat at the look she was giving him. There was a small, warm smile on her face and he'd never seen her eyes look so soft before and a ray of moonlight that streamed through some of the overhanging trees rested delicately on her face, giving her a literal glow.
Suddenly Callum's mouth felt very dry.
"What?" Rayla asked, her smile beginning to turn into that smirk again.
A fluttering feeling surfaced in Callum's chest, and he was thoroughly taken aback by how… breathtaking Rayla truly was. Looking at her made it feel like his nerve-endings were on fire. He'd felt something like this before, back when he used to notice Claudia, but this was one hundred times more overwhelming.
Callum found he didn't mind one bit. He just smiled at her in response before patting the ground next to him.
"Come look at the stars with me?"
A bemused look crossed Rayla's face, almost as if she could tell that he was thinking something completely different, but she made her way over to him and slumped down at his right-hand side, so close that their shoulders brushed together as she settled.
They stayed in a companionable silence for a while, both simply gazing up at the night sky.
"You were right, you know."
Rayla turned to watch Callum's face, a confused look on her face. He didn't notice, still staring up as he spoke, a small smile playing across his lips.
"I know I usually am," Rayla teased. "But what about specifically this time?"
Callum gestured up to the sky above him. "About Xadia. Everything here is just magical. Even the night sky! Absolutely everythingseems so..."
His words died in his throat as he turned to face Rayla, their faces so close together that their noses brushed. The ray of moonlight had followed her; she harboured still that glow and it took Callum's breath away. He swallowed, heat rising to his face. There was an intense look in Rayla's eyes as she smiled at him.
He had to remember this to draw as well, this soft side of Rayla that he very rarely saw but could already feel himself growing incredibly affectionate toward. He had the other side of Rayla sketched. He needed this side too.
"Seems so what?" she prompted, voice barely above a whisper as her eyes flicked between Callum's eyes and his lips.
His eyes flicked down to her lips briefly, before their eyes connected, sending a spark through them.
"So radiant."