*so i skipped this one yesterday cuz i had no ideas but i came up with one today so here we are
*welcome back to i torture callum on today's episode-
*is this really rayllum? no but we don't talk about that
*scene inspiration from the words we weave by atticuskaine (great story btw! i love callum being a badass)
*prompt - returning zym
*title from little lion man - mumford and sons
He's not sure what he was expecting.
His first feelings about their journey had been positive, return the egg, stop a war. It never sounded easy, but it did sound fun, and in all honesty, he was excited for the chance to do something. He had been looking for an excuse to leave the confinement of the castle and go on an adventure, and the sudden quest sure seemed like a sign.
He knew it wouldn't be easy; they were going to have to survive out in the wild with an elven assassin no less, and while he was less concerned about the 'elf' and more concerned about the 'assassin,' he still had his apprehensions. But Rayla proved herself over and over again, and once she gave her explanation, he knew that everything would be fine.
Her and Ezran teamed up and banded against him, and while he really didn't mind because he knew they meant no harm and it was just teasing, it still left a numb feeling in his chest and sadness in his heart at the thought of being nothing again. But he brushed it off with a smile because it wasn't the first time he had been teased and at least with them it was harmless.
He didn't realize he would end up smashing the primal stone, the one item that kept him useful to the group, the one thing he had ever been good at, but he had said goodbye before and wasn't new to the concept. It hurt less than he thought it would, and while there was a certain heaviness in his heart that wasn't there before, seeing the smile on the baby dragon's face reminded him of how much it was worth it.
After that, he knew he had to chase magic, had to get the rush of electricity in his veins back, and while he didn't expect it to take him out in a storm, he wasn't opposed to the idea. But ultimately his logical mind won out, and he left with a dragon with lightning foaming in his mouth and a human that had never felt more useless.
How that led him to dark magic, he wasn't sure, but all he could think about was how Rayla might never return and how he would never see her silver hair or violet eyes or hear her laugh or make a joke or even make fun of him, and then he found himself staring at her likeness on the page and he saw an old picture of Claudia, and he picked up the book and scrambled through the forest. What his intention was, he didn't know, saving the dragon, saving Rayla, but the grub felt squishy in his hands and the magic clogged his throat and he couldn't breathe.
But then he could after his dream, where he hugged his mother and heard Rayla call for him desperately, and when he opened his eyes he knew he has found it. And the air rushed through his lungs and into a swirl of magic, and happiness fluttered through his heart.
Ezran left, which was sad, and he couldn't stop thinking about it the whole walk to the Border, but Rayla put her hand on his shoulder and told him not to worry, and he believed her because of course he would, she was his best friend. And then they crossed the path with Zym's mighty shadow and his quick thinking, and he threw his arms around Rayla and everything felt right.
Sol Regem happened. Those were memories he hoped to forget. He and Rayla shoved themselves into the nearest cave and watched helplessly as Zym bounded over to the archdragon and tittered, and then Rayla went after him and picked him up in her arms, and Callum walked out and then things went downhill.
But they made it into Xadia despite all that, and the first town they found was full of Sunfire elves and heat, and he didn't like the burn on his skin, it reminded him of old memories he was trying to repress, thank you very much. But he got to dress up like an elf and they found an inn and that's all that matters.
That became their routine, bounce from town to town, stay in inns, have elf Callum make an appearance, and it was peaceful for a while. Well, about as peaceful as it could be, there was still the stress of looming war over their heads, but learning useless facts about Rayla and watching Zym learn to fly almost made him forget about all that.
Almost.
He knew there were both good and bad people on both sides, humans could be just as bad as elves, but he decided elves were worse because when they were evil, they were evil. They came for Rayla and Zym and he watched from behind a tree with Zym in his arms as Rayla took on enemies three sizes bigger than her, and when they knocked her down he channeled energy he didn't know he had and struck lightning at their feet and dragged her away. And later, when they sat in a cave with a campfire he made, he embraced her just because it was relieving to know she was alive.
Things returned to semi normal after that. They ran into more rebels the deeper they went into Xadia, but as Rayla remembered more Draconic words, he gained more spells, and he learned even more when they picked up a book in a town. They were content. He was content.
Then the blizzard came.
His hood had gotten blown off by the vicious wind, and elves in the town had chased after both him and Rayla. She held them off for a while while Callum looked worriedly at the cliff edge, and Rayla was pushed back just far enough by one of them to take steps backwards, but eventually she ran out of ground and toppled over the edge of the mountain.
He was kicked over too, too stunned to think about anything after watching her get thrown off the edge of a mountain, and as he and Zym fell down, he had the sense to do a roll while Zym grabbed his jacket with his claws and flew up. Hitting the ground still hurt, his legs burned and his arm felt like it was on fire, but he was alive. He was okay.
He couldn't say the same for Rayla. Zym has slowed his fall by a lot, but she had fallen into the solid rock, and there was no way she could walk or move, much less even breathe.
Then the wolves came, and apparently they looked like a meal and Callum wasn't intimidating enough to stop them, so he told Zym to fly and Rayla to crawl away as the rabid animals charged at him.
The first one bit into his jacket, tearing open nothing but the material of the cover and his shirt. The second bit his leg, and while his pants did little to stop the teeth, it didn't take a chomp out of his leg.
But then the wolves realized the problem, and Xadian wolves were much smarter and stronger, and they shredded his jacket, leaving his arms out and vulnerable. They tore through his skin like it was a meal, which he supposed he was to them, and god, it burned, more than the lava of the Border and it hurt more than losing his magic, and he couldn't take it anymore, and lightning foamed in his fingertips without him saying a word or drawing a rune and he pushed it out in hopes of getting them away, push them away.
He didn't care what happened to them. All that he was focused on was the burn in his arms and legs and body against the chill of the wind, and Rayla laying on the ground in front of him, and no matter what, he had to keep her alive. Others before himself.
He stumbled over and looped her arm around his shoulder, letting red stain the snow but he didn't care, and he took a step and his foot sank deep into the mush and dots swam in his vision, but keeping her alive was more important, so he pressed on. Another step, more burning through his legs, his broken, torn apart legs, and he felt sick. Another step, and his knees wobbled and his vision blinked out for a second, but Rayla slumped over in his arms and he pressed forward.
But he hit a rock or sank too deep in the snow, he wasn't sure, and he tumbled forwards, his knees giving out, and Rayla slipped out of his grip and into the snow beside him. He tried to push back up but his arms were on fire and he couldn't move, and god, he wanted nothing more than to sleep and never move again.
But he saw Rayla, and thought of how hard he tried to keep them alive, how much he had sacrificed for their mission, how much he would never get to see or do, and tears rushed to his eyes because he couldn't save her, no matter how hard he tried, and he felt so powerless, so human.
So he picked up her arm and slung it around his shoulders and planted his feet in the snow and stood, shakily, but he stood, and he took a step. They fell over and sank into the snow, but with a grunt and determination, he grabbed her arm and started again. His knees gave out and they dropped, but he put his foot on the ground and pushed up again, and took a step, but he swayed and stumbled back into the ground, this time not being able to stand again.
He didn't notice Zym licking his face or the rumble in the sky, but he did notice his vision fading to black and the weakness in his limbs, and he tried to say he was sorry but he didn't think that's what he said, and he tumbled into sleep.
And woke up again in a cot in a room he didn't recognize.
Someone was in there, a girl with black hair tied in high pigtails and no markings or horns but four fingers, and she pushed him down onto the bed and scolded him for sitting up, saying he could've torn his stitching. He blinked, confused, but the itch of bandages woven around his arms told him she was being truthful.
Rayla rushed to his mind next, and he asked for her, and the girl left to go retrieve her supposedly, and he sat in the bed and stared at the bandages wrapped around his hands and legs and wondered how it all happened.
She opened the door, and any pain he was in washed away and he threw his arms around her and she did the same, holding on tight and wishing he could never let go because god, he could never lose her, and how he ever could've taken her silver hair and moonberry scent or stupid jokes for granted was beyond him.
The elves must've worked some sort of magic or it had been a long time because he could stand, albeit unsteadily, but with Rayla by his side, he had all the support he needed. He would have to wear bandages for the rest of his life, and while they had managed to replace the parts of his arms and legs that had been torn, there would always be pink marks all over.
But he didn't mind. They were alive, and that was all that mattered.
The girl who had taken care of him said something about the Dragon Queen wanting to meet with them, and they stumbled through the halls, Callum holding onto Rayla's shoulders and her wrapping her arm around his waist. When they reached the entrance to the open field where the Dragon Queen resided, Rayla turned to him and said, "This is it."
He gazed at her, and her purple marks and small nose and big eyes and replied, "Yeah, it is."
She stared at him for a moment, and they turned to the door at the same time and reached for it together. They turned the knob with her hand over his, and before they pulled open the door she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek for good luck that made his face burn in a good way.
But it died down quickly because of what was at hand.
The Dragon Queen was a mix of blues and gold and whites, like a royal sky dragon, like he supposed she was. Zym chittered at her feet, an ant in comparison. She had horns by her head that looked like a crown and she towered over them, looking down at them with golden eyes. Rayla got on one knee and bowed, and Callum tried to do the same but ended up not being able to bend his knees with bandages covering them, so he settled for the human version of the bow, hoping she still got the message.
Rayla spoke first. "Thank you, your majesty, for your hospitality and taking care of us."
Her voice echoed in his head, like a rumble of thunder. "It was the least I could do, considering you returned my son." She peered down at the baby dragon by her feet. "Which we need to discuss."
Rayla's breath hitched in her throat and Callum took a deep breath as well and braced himself for what she would say.
"While I appreciate the thought and what you went through to return my son to me," she said, "this changes nothing. Humans still used dark magic to slay my mate, the king, stole my only son, and the war still wages. Returning the dragon prince does not change that."
Callum's heart sank, he thought she would say that, even though he wasn't quite prepared to actually hear it. They had done all this for nothing. He had chosen to leave his home for nothing. She had chosen to betray her people for nothing. They had trekked across Katolis and Xadia for nothing. They had nearly died for nothing.
And suddenly, a burning desire filled Callum, and one thought popped into his head. He couldn't let it be for nothing. He couldn't. He wouldn't.
And so, he took a step forwards. "Your highness," he said, and she blinked, awaiting him to continue. He looked down at the grass. "I grew up along the Border, back when there were many disputes over territory."
He still remembered the heat surrounding him and the sounds of explosions going off all the time and the smell of antiseptic in the infirmary, and his mother would wrap her arm around his shoulders and tell him everything would be okay.
He looked up at the Queen, not afraid to meet her eyes. "I saw the burns soldiers came back with because of your elven troops when I was two years old."
He stepped forwards again. "I was six when my step-dad walked into the room and told me that when I grow up there will be changes I'm not ready for, and my mother never returned from her mission because your mate, the Dragon King, killed her, along with two of our queens."
His voice grew louder. "My step-dad, the one who took me to the summer lodge and splashed in the ocean with me, the one who let me redraw the family portrait so I would have an image of my mother, the one who gave me a letter with wisdom I choose to live by, was struck down by elven assassins that you sent to my home."
He peered down at Zym, the adorable baby dragon running around his mother's feet, and he said, "But I still think returning Zym has been the best decision I've made. It was the right decision."
He turned back to Rayla, who was staring at him with something like awe in her eyes, and he saw her purple marks and violet eyes and pointed horns and perfect face and he smiled, because god, she made him so happy, and he said, "And I made friends with an elf, one of the members of the same race that killed my family, and Rayla..." he trailed off, suddenly feeling a little shy, but he saw the sparkle in her eyes and he finished, "Rayla has taught me how to be kind and thoughtful and," he smiled, "how to love."
He turned back to the Dragon Queen and met her eyes again. "When we fight, we get bloodshed and death. But when we work together, we get friendship and companionship and happiness. So please, make the right decision. Choose peace over war. Choose happiness over despair. Choose to make our story a narrative of love, not a narrative of power."
It fell silent after that. He stared down the Queen, refusing to break his gaze, because if there was one thing he had learned on their journey it was how to stand tall, and he felt confident in his words, despite her lack of reply.
But then she did reply. "There will always be tensions between humans and elves. There will be many disputes and we may reach the brink of war again."
She peered down at her son, and said, "But, being able to rise above the hatred and violence will prove to be the greatest achievement of all, and one I would like to stick around and see."
Relief fluttered through Callum, and the hugest grin broke out on his face, and he said, "We'll do whatever it takes."
She looked at him again. "I'm sure you will. You are dismissed."
He turned back to Rayla, who had risen and looked at him with a smile lighting up her features, and he strided over to her and wrapped her up in a hug that she gladly returned, and god, they had a chance for peace, and he thought that sounded great to him.
And as they walked out the door, the Dragon Queen called, "Prince Callum?"
He twisted around. The Queen smiled down at him. "Thank you for restoring my faith in humanity."
He beamed, and with a wave and twinkle in his eye, he replied with words he wasn't sure how he knew but felt right on his tongue. Her eyes widened a smidge, but Rayla pulled him along and they left the hall.
He wasn't sure what he had been expecting, maybe something less climatic, like them simply bringing Zym into her lair and everything automatically being alright, but he learned that's not how it works. They'll have to put in a lot of work and effort to gain peace.
But even if they have to claw their way from a deep, deep hole, he thinks they can do it.
No, he knows they can do it.
And with Rayla by his side and love in his heart, he thinks they can do anything.
*oh i guess it is rayllum
*um this was not necessarily what i thought i was gonna end up writing but i mean this actually managed to combine both my old idea i scrapped cuz i didn't think i could write it and my new idea so uh that's cool