Chapter 20 – Silvergrove Betrayal

Corvus kept his head high as he walked around the palace. It wasn't his place of choice to spend his time, but he had sworn to protect the new king. He was also one of the few that knew the truth.

He blinked when he turned a corner and spotted the young king with his glow toad, sitting on a windowsill. His knees were pulled up to his chest as he looked outside.

As he got closer, Corvus realised what the boy was looking at; the window looked out over the city, and in the distance, it was possible to make out the Neolandian camp.

He took a deep breath, then approached with a bow. "King Ezran."

"It's just me Corvus. You can call me Ez when we're alone."

He smiled at the allowance. "Any word from the others?"

"No...and even if they made it, it would be hard to know. I was told the Breach had been destroyed. The only way to get a message across now would be to fly."

"I see."

"Have you heard from Pyrrah?"

"No, and I doubt we will. She...she's a stubborn one."

"Yeah, but she has a good heart."

"Somewhere," the hunter chuckled as he sat in the windowsill beside him. "What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking...I may have put all of Katolis in danger…that…people should know why I'm doing this. To end a thousand years of fighting. To bring peace."

"Well, you do have something now that was never there before." He glanced at the king's wrist, the mark turning a pale green. "Any idea what each colour means?"

"I think yellow is happy…and blue is worried. Green…I think is tired?" he guessed, looking at the band again. "But…I might be wrong."

"Would've been nice if he'd told you what they meant," the tracker chuckled.

"Yeah," Ez sniggered, "But that's what you get for having a dragon for a brother."

Corvus chuckled deeply at the words. "Indeed. Better you than me."

They fell back into silence, then the king frowned. "Why don't I tell everyone?"

"What?"

"If they knew that the Dragon Prince is alive… that he's going home to make peace… then… maybe they'd stop. Everyone wants peace at the end of the day, don't they?"

"I would hope so, yes."

"Then… that's what we do." He smiled. "I will tell everyone about Callum!"

"Is that a good idea?"

"I'll tell Opeli first, see what she thinks."

The man's eyes narrowed. "Can she be trusted?"

"I think so. She helped my dad a lot so… she should help me too. Will you come with me?"

"As you wish my King."

"Corvus~" he whined as they stood up.

The hunter just smirked, then ruffled the boy's hair. "Alright, as you wish Ez."

Nodding in approval, the pair left to find the cleric and found her in the library with a collection of scrolls. She blinked in surprise when she saw the king and tracker, but soon bowed respectfully. "Your Highness."

"Opeli… there's something I need to talk to you about. I need your advice."

"Of course sire, however I can serve you."

He took a deep breath. "Y-you know the person I told you about, Callum?"

"Your Xadian friend? Your…brother?" she questioned, still confused.

The king nodded. "Yeah… him. Remember I said… it would be amazing if you could meet him?"

"Yes?"

"Well… that's because… Callum… is a dragon. More than that…" He gave her a shy smile. "He's… the Dragon Prince."

The woman blinked in amazement. "W-what?"

"He wasn't killed. Viren kidnapped him, and locked him up in this castle for ten years. But…but a Moonshadow elf named Rayla, and I freed him. We were taking him home when Corvus caught up. They're in Xadia now, on their way to the palace. Once Callum sees his mother and explains everything, he's going to call for peace, and I will do the same from Katolis."

The advisor staggered a little, grabbing hold of the table to steady herself while the information sank in. "So…you honestly do have a way to stop this war?"

"Yes! I wasn't kidding! Peace is so close! We just have to wait for Callum to get home and make it official! A few days, that's all we need!"

"If Prince Kasef knew this… it may be enough to stop him."

"So… you agree? I should tell everyone about this?"

She smiled at him, kneeling and taking his wrist, showing the band. "As soon as I saw this, I knew it was a dragon mark. I remember reading about them when I was younger, but I had no idea it was the Prince that gave it to you." She blinked again. "You really are his brother."

Ezran nodded several times. "Yeah, and he's mine. So please, you need to help me stop this."

She frowned, then stood up, looking to the door. "Send for Prince Kasef! Tell him the King wishes to speak to him at once!"

With a bow, the guard hurried away while Opeli nodded. "You need to tell him at once, before anything can happen to tip the scales."

"I agree."

The trio soon hurried to the throne room, Ezran sparing a moment to put on a warm cloak as he went. He stood, waiting for the Neolandian prince to return. The throne room's doors opened without announcement, and the older man walked in, still looking angry from the day before.

"Prince Kasef, thank you for coming," the king greeted politely.

"Why have you summoned me?" he snapped, not bowing this time. "Have you had a change of heart?"

"No," the boy said flatly, "But there's something I want to tell you that might change your heart."

"Try me."

"Some bad things have happened, I know that. My dad is gone. Your dad is badly hurt. But there is something you don't know about." He glanced at the others by his side, both of them giving a small, approving nod. "There is hope. This war only got worse because Xadia thought we killed the Dragon Prince, but we didn't! The Dragon Prince is alive!"

The Neolandian stepped back a little at his words. "What?"

"He's alive. He was held prisoner here, without anyone knowing. And he's really amazing!"

Kasef said nothing as he stared at the young king.

Ezran continued. "He's going home to the Dragon Queen, with the help of an elf named Rayla. And when he gets home, he's going to call for peace. He's going to make the elves and dragons stop fighting, and I will do the same for the human kingdoms."

"Kingdom," Kasef corrected, "You only speak for Katolis."

"But if one human kingdom can do it, the others can follow. The world can change Prince Kasef. We can change the world! There can be peace again. We just have to believe in it."

The tracker and the cleric both smiled proudly at his words.

He turned back to the prince, Ez stepping down from the throne so he was nearer to the other. "So, what do you think?"

The other royal glared, towering over the young king. "I think you're a little boy putting his hopes in fairy tales."

The sharp words had everyone defensive, the guards behind ready for any attack, and both Corvus and Opeli stepping forward to defend Ezran, but Kasef just glared and turned away. "You don't need to throw me out. We're finished here," he said, storming off once more.

Ezran sighed as he left. "I… I had hoped… I thought… he'd see it," he whispered, then turned to the others. "What do we do now?"

~#~

Soren really, really didn't want to do this, but if he had any chance of saving Claudia, he knew he had to. He walked with her down into the dungeons to see their father, the guard letting them pass without question.

"My children," came the voice as he stepped out of the shadows, looking the same as when they'd left him. "I'm so glad to see you safe."

Soren glared at him, but held his tongue for the moment.

Claudia walked towards the bars and smiled sadly. "What happened, Dad? Why are you down here?"

Viren sighed. "While I tried to unite the five kingdoms against Xadia, the Council was more concerned that I broke a few rules along the way. But none of that matters," he looked at his daughter expectantly, "The dragon, did you get it back?"

"It?" Soren snapped, "You still think of him as an it?"

"Soren? What are you talking about?"

"He's a boy, father! No older than your own daughter, and you tortured him!" the guard shouted, "You kept him locked up like an animal!"

"Soren, we've been over this!" Claudia hissed. "It is an animal!"

"Callum has more heart and kindness in him than both of you! He had the chance to kill me, but didn't, and I'm glad he didn't! It gave me a chance to see the mistakes I've been making...because of you, father."

Viren glared at his son. "Soren, that…boy...is the most powerful creature in the world. Where is he now?"

"Back in Xadia, where he belongs," Soren explained with a huff, "Away from you."

"What I did was for the good of humanity!" he shouted, pulling on his chains.

Soren didn't even flinch at the words. "Really? Kidnapping an innocent young dragon from his home after you killed his father? That's for the good of humanity?! And what about you asking me to kill Ezran?!"

"I did no such thing!"

"You told me to come back with the news that the prince was dead… and if he wasn't… then to make sure it was true."

Viren's face looked confused. "Oh, is that what you thought Soren? Claudia, do you really think I would ask him to do such a thing? Surely you know your brother is um…easily confused."

"Don't try that, father. I know what I heard!"

"Oh, really? What do you remember?"

"You told me to return with the news that the prince died. You said, accidents happen all the time."

"Soren, I was preparing you for the worst. I knew tragedy might have already befallen him."

"No! You said that I'd know to do the right thing."

"Soren, I said 'do the right thing', and somehow you heard 'kill the prince'? Oh, this is disappointing, son. Even for you."

The guard glared at him. "Why you manipulating…Even if you didn't tell me to kill Ezran, you still wanted Claudia to capture Callum so you could keep using him for your own twisted magic! And you can't deny that! I saw what you did to him! I know about the scars on his wrists! I saw the pain in his eyes, the hate when he spoke about you!"

"And you're going to believe a dragon over your own father?"

"At least that dragon cares about me!" he snapped, storming out of the dungeon.

~#~

Rayla was becoming more and more energetic as they walked through the forest, skipping on ahead as they walked. Callum couldn't stop smiling at her, never seeing her like this before. It made his stomach flutter a little.

As she hurried on ahead once more, he reached out and held her hand to pull her back. "Slow down Rayla," he chuckled, "Silvergrove will still be there."

She glanced at their hands before nodding and looking away, brushing some hair behind her ear. "I know… I'm just excited to show you my home… and for you to meet everyone."

"I know."

"We aren't far now, just along that branch." She pointed over to a huge branch that was much wider than Callum thought a tree could grow, but Rayla still pulled him along. Finally, she let out a deep, heartfelt sigh as they reached the middle. "We're here. My home," she said fondly.

Callum frowned, tilting his head as he saw a clearing. It was barren, and void of any village. "Here?" he asked, confused. "I… I don't understand. You said it was a village?"

She smirked at him. "It's hidden by an illusion. We can't let just anyone into the village."

"So… how do we see past the illusion?"

"To get in, I perform a special ritual that lets me see through the spell. It's like having a magic key."

The dragon frowned at her. "Okay… I guess that makes sense. But what about me? How do I get in?"

"You can use my key." She took a stand, one arm held out to the side and the other bending over her chest.

He looked her up and down, then copied her position.

"That's it. It's easy. Just do what I do," she explained, then began to move, swaying her arms from one side to the other, and making sure Callum could copy her before she moved on to the next step. Gradually, she began to move around in a circle, almost as if she were dancing with the prince. They turned and spun, the prince ungracefully matching her every move while his eyes never left her.

It wasn't long before runes began to appear on the tree bark and glow around them, creating a circle where they stepped. As the key called for them to hold hands in the middle, a magical bubble broke the illusion, and the grove began to come into view. Buildings and walkways appeared around the trees, and people walked from place to place. The illusion also cast them into a darker space, as if the moon was above them even when the sun still shone.

As the dance came to an end, Rayla hurried forward yet again. "This is it!" she announced proudly, "My home."

Standing at her side, Callum smiled. "Wow," he whispered before frowning. "Rayla?"

"Come on, isn't it amazing?" she questioned, ignoring him while walking backwards. She grabbed his hand and pulled him along. "I want to show you everything! Oh, are you hungry? I can take you where they make the best Moonberry Surprise."

The dragon continued to frown, looking around at the air. "Rayla…"

"I know what you're going to ask. 'What's in a Moonberry Surprise?' but I can't just tell you what's in a Moonberry Surprise, Callum. It's a surprise!"

"Rayla!" he snapped, his concern growing. "Rayla, something's…"

"I can show you where I grew up, where I went to school, and…"

"Rayla, something's wrong!" he shouted at last.

Stopping, the elf stared at him. "What?"

"The village..." he explained, sniffing the air. "I can feel it...something's wrong." He walked over to someone before stopping, backing off from them with a gasp.

Rayla hurried over as she saw the faceless elf. "Oh, no! I'm...I'm a ghost!" she gasped, covering her mouth.

"What do you mean?" he asked, walking over to the villager and waving his hand in front of their face. There was no reaction.

"They made me a ghost," she sighed, sitting down on a rock with her head in her hands.

Walking over to her, Callum knelt down and placed a hand on her knee. "Rayla? What's going on? I don't understand."

"I've been banished, Cal. And because you used my key, they can't see you either."

"Why would they banish you? Y-you did nothing wrong."

"It's what happened to my parents when they abandoned the Dragonguard. And now it's happened to me." She curled in on herself before pulling her hood over her face.

Callum stared at her for a bit, then reached over and pulled it down. He saw the tears in her eyes and reached over to wipe them away. "Rayla...you… this is wrong. They just don't know what happened." He leant over and nuzzled her cheek. "Rayla, please, there must be something I can do."

"I'm sorry Callum, but other than waiting outside the illusion for someone to come out… there's nothing we can do."

"This isn't right," he whispered, leaning on her shoulder. "This is a mistake."

Stroking his hair back, Rayla suddenly blinked, a smile forming on her lips. "Yeah, you're right! This is a mistake." She pushed him back and kissed his brow before standing. "Come on. There's one person who will understand," she explained as she held his hand, pulling him along with her.

They headed around the outskirts of the buildings to a ramp that went up the side of a tree. Rayla's good mood appeared to have returned. "Remember Runaan, the leader of the assassins?"

"Hard to forget," Callum sighed, "The guy with the bow? The one who aimed at Ezran?"

"Yeah… sorry about that by the way."

He gave her a smirk in return. "What about him?"

"When my parents joined the Dragonguard, I went to live with Runaan and his husband, Ethari. They were my parents' best friends, and they took care of me for years. We're going to meet Ethari."

Callum frowned as they walked, a feeling of dread tightening in his chest. "Will he be able to see you?"

"He wouldn't have done the spell," she said with an optimism that just made his dread grow. "He always had faith in me!" They arrived at the top of the stairs and looked up at the large doors before them. She took a breath and pushed them open, walking inside. "Ethari! It's me!" she called.

Callum walked in carefully behind her, staying near the door.

Rayla stared at an elf working at his desk on the other side of the room. "I'm so glad you're here. There's been a mistake. They made me a ghost! But you have to tell them, I didn't run away."

Ethari didn't seem to react to her words, just carried on working.

Taking a deep breath, the dragon walked over to Rayla and held her shoulder, preparing himself. "Rayla…"

"Ethari?" she called once more, watching as he turned to them...and showed no face.

Callum sighed and stepped over to his friend. "I'm so sorry Rayla."

She turned to him, tears in her eyes. "I… I don't believe it… he… he did it."

The dragon stared at her, then walked over to the elf as he returned to his work. "Hey! Ethari! Listen to me! This isn't fair! Rayla said you had faith in her, and now look at you! You're the traitor here, turning your back on her!"

He didn't even flinch as he carried on.

The prince growled. "Didn't you hear me?!" he shouted, grabbing the elf by the shoulder. "I'm speaking to you!"

Ethari did flinch that time, turning to look in his direction. The elf paused for a moment, then reached out towards him. The prince glared. "Yeah, I'm talking to you! And you're going to listen!"

"Callum, it's no use. It's hopeless."

Callum squeezed a little tighter, concentrating. "Listen to me! Rayla doesn't deserve this!" he snapped, watching as a shock of lightning danced from his hand, onto Ethari, down his arm, and into the metal sword he was working on. With a tip of his head, Ethari picked it up, looking it over before standing sharply.

The prince gasped. "I think it worked," he said, glancing at the blade as well before smiling. "Look, in the reflection!" He pointed, seeing in the polished metal, the face of the weapon-smith. He was staring at the dragon, confusion clear, but Callum just pointed in Rayla's direction. He turned the blade and directed it to where he pointed, seeing the ghost behind him.

He stood, mouth agape as he stared at the reflection.

"Yeah… it's me."

"Can he hear you?" Callum asked, watching the elf carefully.

"No, but he can see how I feel."

Callum grabbed the smith once more. "Speak to her!" he ordered.

If Ethari heard him, the elf lowered the sword and sighed. "Rayla, before you left, I told Runaan that you were too goodhearted for the work of an assassin. So I know you did not betray them out of malice." He paused, and Callum felt him shudder. "But that doesn't matter. They're gone." He shuddered again, then pounded his hands on the table. "He's gone. Because you abandoned them."

He shook the dragon's hand off him and walked to the side of the room, not paying any attention to either of them. Callum was about to zap him when Rayla turned around and ran off. After giving the elf a dirty glare, Callum ran after her. "Rayla! Rayla, wait!" he called, hurrying to catch up. As he ran down, he noticed her heading to a pond in the square. He flapped his wings to glide down and join her by the water's edge, taking hold of her hands. "Rayla?"

She sniffed and leaned into him, letting the tears fall. "It's not fair Callum," she whispered, "It-it's not fair. Th-they won't give me a chance."

"I will make them Rayla. There must be something I can do. Ethari seemed to feel it when I held his shoulder. Maybe… because I'm a dragon, my magic is stronger than the spell. If I can get past it…"

"It won't change anything. And it won't change this." She pointed to the pond beside them. "It won't change that…they didn't make it," she sighed. "I knew…somehow...I knew when Sol Regem called me a traitor…I somehow knew they didn't make it back… but a part of me hoped that they may have gone another way? Maybe they did, and he just didn't know about it… but then… I saw this." She pointed to a metal flower floating in the middle of the pond.

"What is it?"

"It's an enchanted flower. When assassins are sent out on a dangerous mission, Ethari enchants one of these flowers for each of them. As long as the assassin lives and breathes, their flower floats." She sighed, reaching for his wrist and looking at the bond on it. "It's similar to this… just… without the emotions."

"And… the others sank...so…"

"They didn't make it. They thought I ran away," she sniffed.

"But you didn't run," he cooed, stroking her hair back. "They have it all wrong. They just need to see that."

"Callum, it's no use! They will never understand...I've lost everything."

He stared at her, then reached down to hold her chin, lifting it up so she could see him. "Not everything...You still have me."

With a small smile, she nodded, and rested her head on his chest. "Yeah…I have you…dumb lizard."

Embracing her, he sighed. "Come on, we should leave this place. Once we have stopped the war, we'll come back and set everything straight."

She nodded and sighed, leaning back before noticing someone behind her. Looking at them in the water, his face was shocked by what he was seeing.

Turning to face them in the reflection, Ethari held out his hand to Rayla's. "Take my hand," he told her, and slowly, a glow came from the contact. His face returned, and he smiled when he saw her fully. "There you are."

After a moment of taking in his features, the pair embraced, Rayla holding back tears as they parted. "Ethari."

"You know, I was never as strong as the others," he sighed, holding her hands. "This will only break the spell for a moment, but I couldn't bear to let you leave without seeing you one last time." His gaze was saddened as he looked at her. "But I don't understand Rayla. How could you abandon them?"

"I'm so sorry Ethari… I… I didn't want to. But… you have to understand… I didn't run away. I tried to stop them, I tried to show them what I'd found, but he wouldn't listen… I'm sorry."

The elf looked over to the hybrid dragon who was giving him a disapproving glare, but Ethari just blinked. "Wait… is that…"

"The Dragon Prince," Callum introduced himself. "And yes, I'm alive. I'm getting a little fed up with people saying that. And you have some explaining to do! How dare you cast Rayla out without hearing her side of the story!"

Ethari backed off a little from Rayla. "I… I didn't know… I just… I thought…"

"You thought she ran away? That she was a coward? Well, you were wrong! She was saving my life!"

"I… I didn't know!"

"Well you do now! So get this damn spell broken!"

"I-I can't!"

"You cast a spell you can't undo?!"

"It has to be done by the whole village."

"THEN GET THEM TO DO IT!"

"Callum, please, calm down," Rayla sighed, holding her hand towards him.

He calmed down a little, still giving the smith the stink eye. Ethari swallowed as he looked over the pair once more. "Rayla, what you've found… it will change the world."

"I know. Which is why I have to get Callum home."

He smiled, then noticed the badge on her jacket. "Dragon Guard?"

"My Dragon Guard," Callum confirmed in a low growl.

Ethari nodded. "I see. But… your highness, you need to know. The Dragon Queen is dying."

"What?" the prince gasped, his growl ceasing quickly.

"Since the death of her mate, she's been getting weaker, and has recently fallen very ill. The word is… she doesn't have long left."

A cold shiver ran down the dragon's spine. "We have to get to her, fast."

The weapon-smith nodded, then brought his fingers to his lips to whistle. After a few seconds, two silver and dark-blue creatures came running from the distance. The first one was a Shadowpaw, coming up to nuzzle Rayla, while the other stood proudly behind the prince. "You can ride faster than you can walk," he explained, watching as the other, a Moonstrider, sniffed the prince.

It took a few sniffs, then leaned back before slowly lowering its head towards the ground. It bowed to the dragon, then sat on the ground to give him easier access to the saddle.

Ethari and Rayla both looked amazed at the unusual behaviour for the normally proud Moonstrider. "Wow… he really is the prince," the tinker said as he watched Rayla mount her own ride. "I'll send a message to the Dragon Queen. If she knows her son is on his way and still lives, perhaps she'll hold on."

As she sat on the back of the Shadowpaw, Rayla looked sadly at the man she called family. "Ethari…" she started, but then glanced away. "Can I ever come home again?"

The other averted his gaze as well. "I don't know," he confessed, ignoring the look the prince was giving him before reaching for the necklace that he wore. He took it off and put it around the girl's neck. "It's a real Moon Opal," he explained as she looked down at the simple stone. "When I gave its match to Runaan, I told him, 'My love will be with you even when the moon is not.'" He smiled sadly at the memory. "Goodbye, Rayla," he whispered, just before a blue glow shrouded them and removed his face once more.

While Rayla sighed, already heading out, Callum moved the Strider over to Ethari, reaching out to grab his arm tight. "You will find a way for Rayla to come home," he ordered.

Even without a face, he nodded and turned away, the prince tapping the creature's reins and hurrying after his friend. The Strider was fast and agile as it leapt from rock to rock to join them.

Soon, he was riding beside Rayla, watching as her hand still held the Moon Opal. He sighed softly. "Rayla, are...are you alright?"

"I'll be fine," she sighed, then looked over at him. "It's just…let's get you home."


SL: So, this chapter had a lot of changes and a lot of… heart stopping moments. Soren having to face his father… it wasn't easy to write.

RK: This chapter is basically the chapter of "good baby boys standing up for the right thing". But I liked the changes we made in this chapter, and I hope you guys liked em too. :)