Having defeated Viren, everyone took to celebrating rather quickly. Humans and elves intermingled en masse for the first time in centuries. Ezran took turns talking to as many people as he could, a duty he had been taught was very important as king of Katolis. These would be his future allies. Something still felt off to him in this regard. It had started out as just three people; himself his older brother and Rayla, a moonshadow elf they had somehow befriended.

A part of him longed for that peace again, unbothered by duty and expectations everyone was dumping on him. Looking at his older brother, alone in his company with Rayla, he suddenly felt quite detached from what remained of his family. Even Amaya was blushingly chatting away to an elf.

Maybe there was a good reason for an earlier bedtime his father had insisted upon so much. He was tired, and looking around, there wasn't much reason to stay awake. He headed for the chambers set for him and Callum (as well as Rayla, most likely) by the dragon queen.

Despite all of that, he still couldn't sleep. Rather than laying down on the comfortable, but old, mattress designed for taller elves, he sat up, casually paging through his older brother's sketchbook.

A familiar knock at the door failed to startle him. They knew each other far too well for that.

"Come in."

"Ez?"

"Callum?" Ezran called, laying the book down gently to the side.

"Looking through my sketchbook?" Callum inquired. "That's private, you know."

"Nothing more than some runes" Ezran shrugged. "And a lot of drawings of Rayla" he smiled a little.

Callum took a seat on his younger brother's bed next to him. "What's on your mind?"

"All those older people just wanted to talk politics, or some scheme to get power" Ezran sighed. "Aanya had to get them all to shut up."

"Yeah, she has some experience in your shoes."

"Sometimes it feels like every time I think I'm getting used to being king, something new goes wrong" he admitted. "There's always more to learn, more pressure to feel."

Callum hummed in agreement, and thought for a moment. "Yeah."

"Yeah what?"

"Harrow- er, dad, mentioned it in his last letter to me." Callum's voice grew soft and quiet.

"You finally read that?" Ezran asked.

"A while ago, actually."

The young king paused before speaking again. "What did it say?"

"Mostly a bunch of emotional stuff... that doesn't really concern you" Callum began, glancing at his younger brother and cringing slightly at his disappointing answer. "And terrible jokes" he continued, laughing a little. "But some of it did concern you. And how I would be there to help you be king. He wrote the letter the day he died... he knew you would become a child king."

"Oh." He didn't know how to feel about that. As if his role was expected of him, ready or not.

"He wanted me to be your most important counsel" Callum told him. "And I'm a mage now, a real, primal one! I could be the High Mage" he said, excitement brimming in his voice.

Ezran cracked a smile. "That would be nice" he replied, hesitantly.

"There's more" Callum noticed. "C'mon, I never had this much trouble getting you to talk out your big feelings before."

"It's different now."

"No dad?"

"Or mom."

"Right. Well, there's always Aunt Amaya and I!" Callum reasoned. "And Rayla too! She could be considered family now too, more than before."

The monarch wasn't enthused. "That's just it." His voice sounded disappointed, almost. In a way that made Callum's heart wrench, not just for his brother, but for himself. He didn't want to estrange his brother through his relationship. Not when they both needed him. Ezran didn't feel like broaching the subject outright. "Did you see Amaya hanging out with the sunfire elf princess? I guess she's a queen now."

"Is it just me, or-?"

"Do they kinda like each other? Absolutely."

Callum hesitated before talking again. "Does her relationship with an elf... bother you?"

"No, no!" he rejected. "That doesn't bother me. You and Rayla seem happy together..."

"Then what's bothering you?" His weariness seemed to subside with Ezran's admission, but it didn't fully dissipate. There was more to it than that.

There was slight hesitation as he tried to scramble the words together to explain himself. Ever since their separation, and since Ezran had originally taken up his role as the king of Katolis, there had been a slight disconnect between the two, especially regarding their father. Harrow had always made sure there was enough time to talk about their 'big feelings,' but now he wasn't here. Ezran had lost both his parents, but he pitied Callum for having lost three. There wasn't many of them left.

"It feels weird" the boy managed. Callum raised an eyebrow. "I don't feel ready for this."

Callum leaned back against the bed frame, and placed his hands behind his head for cushioning. "Yeah, me neither."

"And it just feels weird now... it really feels like mom and dad are gone. If that makes sense."

"It... does, strangely."

"And now you and Rayla are a thing, and Aunt Amaya is doing her thing. It's just me."

The older brother took in his words. "You know," he began gently. "It doesn't mean you're alone. You have more family now. Rayla is your friend, too, she'll be there like I am. And same for whatever happens between Amaya and Janai."

"So... Rayla is kinda like my sister then."

"Ah, well," Callum flushed, "we're not quite there yet." He wasn't even sure about elven marriage customs. "But I suppose you could say that. Just don't say that to her" he added quickly.

"Alright" he laughed quietly. "That's actually nice to hear. You know, it's kinda nice to see the elves and humans mixing. I'm starting to get why the dragon queen was so happy."

"It is nice" Callum replied dreamily. "I just hope there isn't too much resistance to... you know, us."

"Well, if Janai and Amaya happen, the other elves don't have much choice. She is a queen."

"Alright. How much are we betting on them now?"

"Lifetime supply of jelly tarts."

"That's an easy bet" he dismissed. "But deal."

They sat like that smiling for a while. They had been used to sharing a bed since their travels, and even so during especially cold winter nights at their lodge. It was nothing uncomfortable or out of the ordinary for them.

Their peace and contentedness was interrupted when Rayla, rather loudly, barged in. "What are you two doing?"

"Chatting" Callum replied, nonchalantly.

"Oh, so that's why you left me with all those humans out there?"

"Ez was sad" he said.

"It's true!"

Her expression softened, though she looked at the pair quizzically before plopping herself on Callum's bed. Her boyfriend slid off Ezran's, slotting himself next to Rayla. "So... I kinda gave up the room I was given to some of the soldiers" she smiled.

"Right" Callum responded. "And where will you sleep?"

Her smile faltered as her confidence waivered. "Here" she said, blushing.

"So you were just looking for an excuse to sleep with him" Ezran concluded.

The elf crossed her arms, and said, "Well, he is my boyfriend."

"... And it's a good thing I actually don't mind." Rayla leaned her head against his.

Ezran felt a mix of disgust and warmth in his heart just looking at the couple. "So, Rayla, what do you think of Aunt Amaya?"

She tensed quickly. "Scary. I think I'm lucky she wasn't judging me too hard. She seemed a little into Queen Janai."

"So it's not just us" Callum mused.

"It's certainly nice to see" she said. "I think she understands us more because of it" she finished, looking at Callum. Though a foreboding feeling gnawed at her, deep down, even if everything seemed okay.

"Yeah" Callum sighed with content. "Finally, peace. Though I didn't live long through the war."

"None of us did."

Callum squeezed her hand, and they all lay there, in their beds until sleep overtook them, dreaming of future peace.