This chapter doesn't have much, except for the differences from canon. Because of that, any scene that remains equal to the shows has either been skipped or skimmed over. I'm not very good at writing english accents, but I hope I have done good enough for Rayla's. And please review. This is still in its infancy and there are holes in the future plot that haven't been covered, yet. Any suggestion is welcomed.
Queenlaur: to answer your question is that both werewolves and vampires existed in Xadia, long ago. But werewolves disappeared about 400 years ago, while vampires went extinct thousands of years ago. So much so that humans and most elves don't even know they existed at all. Just like Viren said in the last chapter, that's why information on vampirism is very scarce and shrouded in myth.
"Moonshadow elves will kill the king."
It all made sense then; the King was sending them away so they wouldn't be caught in the crossfire of an assassination attempt. A regicide that would most likely succeed.
As Callum marched ever more dreadfully to his and Ezran's connected rooms, he recalled the tales he heard about elves. How the moon elves were the deadliest and stealthiest of killers. Murderers, always carrying sharp blades and a literal and figurative thirst for blood.
(Callum was too tense to notice the twisted irony.)
Those perturbed thoughts caused him to snap at Ezran because his brother was packing too slow. Upset, the crown prince left for his own room. Callum felt a bit guilty but let him go, thinking a time-out would do him good.
(Oh, how he would come to regret that choice, later.)
"Okay, plenty of elixirs and some dried meat." Callum took the time to prepare Ezran's backpack with enough potions for three weeks. Better safe than sorry. Plus, Lord Viren could cook up those elixirs in great quantity easily enough.
The meat was just for a quick snack; since the werewolf curse took effect, Ezran's appetite had become more carnivorous. Nowadays he seldom touches a jelly tart, much to the royal chef's relief.
"Okay, Ez, I'm done. I even packed your things, so let's go."
No answer. Callum sighed. "Come on, Ezran, we need to go. Look, I'm sorry I yelled at you."
Still no answer. That got him preoccupied. He placed an ear against the door but heard no movement. Fearing the worst, he managed to shove his head through the little door which was once used by Bait, to peek inside. His fears were confirmed when he couldn't see any sign of his brother in the room.
"Not this again, Ez. Not today, please." he groaned exasperated. Of all the times for his little brother to pull off a disappearing act, he couldn't have picked a worse occasion! It had to be on the day assassins picked to pay a visit, which doubled as a night of full moon!
"Okay, think, Callum! How many places in a royal castle could a ten-year-old soon-to-be werewolf hide in?"
"Rock, rock, stone, rock, stone, stone, rock, stone, rock!" It had taken him a month to figure out the combination, but the results were worth it. The spiral staircase revealed itself on the ground and Ezran descended it in an exhilarated frenzy.
Discovering the secret laboratory had been a mixed experience for him. His first reaction was fright upon seeing the preserved magic creatures and animals in small jars, diagrams that detailed how to dissect them and sharp tools.
"Hey, Zym!" he waved at the egg. "Guess what?"
There was no audible reply. Ezran giggled like he had heard a joke.
"No, that's not it. But that sounds fun, still. No, tonight I won't be going to the Box. Callum and I are going to the Banther Lodge for a few days!" he paused, waiting for a reply or a reaction. Again the egg offered neither, but for Ezran was different. He snapped his fingers like he just remembered something.
"Oh, right! You wouldn't know. It's our lodge for winter vacation. We play all sorts of games in the snow. But since it's spring, there will be no snow there. Though my dad insisted we come up with new games that use dirt and rock instead of snow." he paused again, this time to gather his thoughts. "I could tell something was weird. And Callum did, too, he said..." Ezran halted and shook his head, chasing bad thoughts away. He turned around and sat on the floor.
"Yeah, maybe dad just has some important stuff to do and doesn't want us to get bored. And Callum is sometimes so angry. He's been like that since my curse first reared its ugly head. But that's just because he worries. But he used to be so much fun before." the prince grinned impishly. "Maybe if I trick him into doing the jerkface dance, he'll be fun again."
The egg continued glowing, unaltered by the young werewolf's talk. Said boy still acted as if the egg replied.
"That's the other good news I have. You're coming with us! I'll just carry you in my backpack. Callum won't even know it."
Ezran approached the egg and put his arms and face around it, like hugging a friend. "Of course you're coming. You're my friend, Zym. Maybe while we're there, you'll finally hatch and we can fly together!"
To add apprehension to Callum's trepidation, he was summoned by the King. And Ezran was still nowhere to be found.
He hesitantly entered the throne room and found it empty, save for the monarch.
"Your Majesty." Callum bowed.
"Callum, please. Drop the formalities. Just this once."
Callum faced the monarch fully. In the last four months, the King's eyes held nothing but regret whenever they bore into his own. Yet, at the moment, they produced a strange mix of tiredness and determination. Even if the latter appeared to be hesitant.
"Callum, I know I'm not your father, but I wish you understand I have always considered you my family. And I want you to..." he paused, hesitance having momentarily won out. "This isn't easy. There's so much I want to say, and so little time. So, the most important parts, I've written them down."
He produced a scroll, sealed with red wax and stamped with the official sigil of Katolis – the two uneven towers – and handed it to Callum.
"A letter for me?" Callum turned it over in his hands.
"For your eyes only. You'll know when the time is right to open it."
Callum cast him a look. "You mean, after you've been assassinated."
Harrow's look of surprise was brief. He approached the prince and was relieved that the boy didn't step back. He put both hands on his shoulders.
"War is full of uncertainties." the king's gaze turned to the window from where he could watch the afternoon sun. The last day he would enjoy it. "But one thing I can be certain of is that tonight I may pay the price for my sins."
Callum's hand clenched, gripping the letter hard enough to almost damage the seal. "Funny, I was under the impression Ezran and I paid the price for you." he came close to voice those bitter thoughts but held back. "This isn't fair. You're the King! Can't you do anything about it?"
"It's not that simple, Callum. There are centuries of blood and wrongdoings, on both sides. They cannot just be forgotten. Some of those wrongs are my doing, as you well know. What is done, cannot be undone."
At one time, Callum would have objected to that. That a king, a man with so much power, could change the world. Yet life had force fed him a bitter dose of reality when the curses first manifested. What was done, could not be undone. He suppressed the instinct of passing a hand over his sharpening ears for emphasis.
"Callum..." the king grabbed his attention. His voice faltered, like he had spoken without knowing for certain what to say. So uncharacteristic of the king. "I know I've said this too many times, but I'll say it again; I'm truly sorry for this. For bringing this suffering upon you and your brother. For betraying your mother's memory..."
That was the last straw! Callum threw the clenched scroll to the ground and shot the king an irate glare.
"And like I told you too many times, being sorry doesn't change a thing! You can't just undo it by apologizing! What's done can't be undone."
Harrow didn't dare to lower his head in shame like he had a number of times before. The time to regret mistakes had long passed. Now it was time to face them head-on. And try to salvage what little he could for the future.
"Callum," the king spoke firmly, any hesitance gone. "Your rage is earned and you have every right to hate me. I did what I thought was necessary and righteous. And those actions led us here and now.
"Please, just promise me you'll read that letter, when the time comes."
A resigned Callum looked down at the letter and grabbed it. It was crushed, but it would still be readable. He showed it in front of Harrow's face.
"I promise I'll read it on one condition; don't die." Harrow was flabbergasted "You said multiple times you wanted to make it up for Ezran and me. Well, you can't do that if you're dead. So that's my condition. Survive."
Harrow sighed, neither confirming nor denying it. Callum felt the man wasn't going to make a promise he knew he couldn't keep. Resigned, Callum muttered:
"If that is all, I have to go help Ezran pack."
Harrow sighed. "Yes, that is all." He took a step forward, spreading his arms, intent on hugging his step-son. But Callum stepped backwards and promptly bowed. That shot down Harrow's hope for a familial farewell. And in a way, the king felt he didn't deserve one. Not from one of the people he had hurt the most.
"Take care of your brother, Callum."
The prince left the throne room with a lump in his throat. So much he wanted to say and to ask. To say he despised Harrow for bringing all these troubles upon them. To ask why the king chose to antagonize Xadia. And to plead, to beg for Harrow to save himself in any possible way, for Callum couldn't bear to lose his fath...
Callum put a screeching halt to that train of thought. He took the time to look out a window. In a few hours the sun would be down. And then the castle would be swarming with elven assassins. That notion darkened Callum's mood more than anything. Assassins were coming. Ezran had gone missing. And now it was confirmed those monsters were here to collect revenge for King Harrow's crimes.
"Because apparently, cursing the man's son and step-son is not enough for the elves and dragons!" he thought with bitter anger.
He turned from the window and his glance passed by a polished armor standing against the wall. It was so shiny, he could see his face reflected, including his now pointed ears. Nowhere near as prominent as elf ears, but not ordinary human ones, anymore. He scowled and noticed his canines also looked sharper.
His fist trembled with rage and, guided by emotion, met the armor on the side of the plackart with force. The decorative armor was disassembled into scattered pieces on the ground. Callum walked away, too angry to care about such un-princely behavior. Or the fact that he had never been able to punch something so heavy with any result, before.
As he walked and pondered where Ezran could be hiding, something put him on alert. Callum was not someone who regularly followed instinct, but right then he felt something. A feeling, neither cold nor hot, going up his spine. That feeling commanded his brain to put away the anger and worry for a moment and keep attentive. His instinct told him; someone was sneaking from behind.
Callum suddenly turned around to see a figure clad in exotic clothing of black and dark green shades that clung to its skin, standing just as high as him. It pulled down the hood concealing the face, revealing itself to be young and seemingly female. Callum couldn't help but stare at the elven features, the ears and the horns.
"Uh, uh, you're a…" he stammered, shock giving way to fear. "You're one of those, with the pointy…"
The elf creature smirked. "Oh, ya don't like mah ears?"
Recalling the predicament with his own ears, Callum's irritation resurfaced. "As a matter of fact, yeah, I don't. But I meant the pointy swords."
She didn't take offense and pointed the sword at him, stepping forward menacingly. "That's far enough. Ah'm looking for someone."
Thinking quickly, he pointed to the corridor on the side. "Did you check back there?"
The elf either looked where he pointed in belief or reflex. Callum pulled a large drape over her and sprinted in the opposite direction. He heard a slashing sound and then a steady gust of wind. He didn't need to look back to know the elf was chasing him.
On his dash to avoid death, he ran past two guards patrolling the wall. They attempted to fight her, but the elf leaped over them and struck their legs from behind, putting them out of commission. If Callum didn't fear for his life, he would have voiced how amazing that was. Instead, he continued running with one destination in mind; Lord Viren's office.
"Lord Viren! Claudia! Anyone!" with despair he realized the office was empty. He grunted as he was suddenly pushed into the office against the desk. Harrow's letters rolled under the table.
He held his head to see the elf pointing a blade at him. Nowhere left to run.
"Ya don't have tah die." she proclaimed. "There are only two targets tonight."
That caught Callum off guard. "Wait, two? What do you mean?" he knew they were here for the King.
"Ah'm here for the king. And Ah'm also here for his son, Prince Ezran."
Callum widened his eyes in shock. "You can't. That's not fair! Why would you hurt someone who's done nothing wrong?"
The elf's steely gaze didn't waver. "Humans cut down the King of the Dragons, and destroyed his only egg, the Dragon Prince. Justice will not be denied."
The cornered prince's expression became as determined as her own. "Well, then, you've found me. I am Prince Ezran."
She looked surprised briefly, then stepped close. "Ah have to do this. Ah'm sorry. Ah don't want to, but Ah have to." she said it like a mantra.
"Why? You know this is wrong."
"An assassin doesn't decide right and wrong, only life and death."
Callum retorted with a twinge of sarcasm. "That's very clever, but come on, really? How does this solve anything?"
"This is justice. Humans attacked us unprovoked."
The prince scowled. "Justice? You call this justice? Didn't you have enough justice when your Dragon King cursed my brother and me?!"
She quirked an eyebrow. "What in Xadia are ya talking about?"
"Don't play dumb! Right before he died, Thunder used his dark magic to put a curse over us as revenge. As far as I'm concerned, your kind has already got their vengeance."
"Dark Magic!" she hissed back at him, furious. "Ya accuse our fallen King of practicing your kind's vile acts! Ya're not just a cowardly liar, but also a poor one. Runaan's right, you humans are vile!"
She pulled back her blade for a deadly strike, but Callum reacted in time. Just like he tried to do to Soren in swordfighting and failing, he swept at her leg. The elf's balance shook and Callum lunged at her. He always lost at sword fighting and unarmed combat due to lack of technique and rushing in. In here, though, he had a brief element of surprise.
Callum pushed her away and got her down with her back on the floor. He grabbed her wrists to try and keep those blades not pointed at him. The elf kicked him in the torso with both legs, getting him off of her. Callum hit his back against the desk, tumbling it over and falling on top of it.
The elf jumped at him with an extended blade. The prince gasped and moved his head to the side, avoiding getting impaled in the neck by mere inches. Her left blade had become embedded in the desk. So, she brought down the other blade for a certain deadly strike. It happened in a fraction of milliseconds, but seeing imminent death approaching, Callum's reaction was instinctive. He opened his mouth and sank his teeth as deep as he could in her left arm.
The elf's reaction was immediate. She cried out and hit him in the nose with the handle of her right blade, making him let go. She jumped back, more in shock than pain. Upon inspecting the two bleeding punctures in her skin, she looked at him, scandalized.
"Ya bit my arm!"
"You hit me in the nose!" he fired back, clutching said place in pain.
Then there was a bodiless whisper. "Callum."
The prince and the elf both turn their heads to look at a portrait of a woman with sheep on the wall.
"Psst, Callum. I need to introduce you to someone."
"This is not a good time." Callum whispered between clenched jaws.
"Are ya talking to that paintin'?" the elf eyed him weirdly.
"Uh, no? What do you think I am? A weirdo?"
She deadpanned. "As a matter of fact…"
"If you're not coming in, then I'm coming out." the painting tilted forward.
"No!" Callum pleaded despairingly. Too late, his brother made himself revealed. He looked between Callum and the elf. Unaware of the situation, he offered the stranger a piece of fried meat he had been munching on.
"Uh...You like greasy jerky?"
"Kid, get out of here!" Callum ordered, hoping his brother would have the notion to avoid names.
"Callum, what's going on?" so much for that.
The elf glared at him. "Callum? I thought ya were Prince Ezran. Ya lied to me."
Callum glared back. "Oh, yeah. And such a bad guy compared to you, Miss I'm-going-to-kill-a-kid-because-two-eyes-for-one-eye-is-the-law-of elves."
Ezran interrupted. "Is this one of those things I shouldn't interrupt? Uh, what's it called...a date?"
"Absolutely not! I'm only here to kill Prince Ezran!" the elf retorted indignated.
"Well, I'm Prince Ezran. Oh!" the young boy realized his slip-up too late. Thankfully, Callum reacted just in time by hurling the nearest, heaviest object he had at hand: his own sketchbook. The once again surprised elf was then shoved out of the office. Callum hurriedly closed the doors and thankfully, locked with the key that was inserted in the keyhole inside the office.
"Come on, Callum!" Ezran called out.
"Ezran, where have you been? We should be on our way to the Banther Lodge!"
"I couldn't leave without Zym."
Callum groaned in frustration. "Ez, this is no time to play with your imaginary friends!"
"He's not imaginary. Come on, I'll show you."
Callum was about to protest when he heard a cutting sound behind him. The elf stabbed a sword through the door and was cutting away the lock.
"When Ah find ya, oh 'Callum', A'm gunna hit ya in the noose with your stupid book. Repeatedly!" the elf snarled from the other side.
"Okay, time to go. Lead the way." and he promptly followed his brother into the catacombs, hastily closing the painting behind him.
As he ran in the tunnel, he noticed a strange flavor in his mouth when his tongue casually touched his canines.
"Uh...elf blood? Tastes gross." he felt disgusted by both the notion and taste.
After reaching a dead end, Ezran pressed rocks and stones (what the difference was between one and the other, Callum would never know) in a precise sequence. That revealed a spiral staircase that they quickly descended. When the stairway pulled back up, Callum asked.
"You sure she won't be able to follow us?"
"No way. It took me over a month to figure out that combination. Now, come on." Ezran walked deeper into the room. It was poorly illuminated, but Callum could make out shapes of strange exotic artifacts, most appearing to have been once part of something alive. There were also small animals preserved in jars of alcohol. It was ominous to say the least.
"What is this place?"
"One of Lord Viren's secret dark magic storage rooms, or something. Once or twice he comes in here, but I always hide before he can see me. He never stays for long. Just comes in, takes something and leaves. Claudia also showed up, once." the young prince spoke casually.
"Wait, wait, Claudia knows about this creepy place?"
"Yep, but never mind that." unaware of how that revelation had disturbed Callum, Ezran walked over to a pedestal holding an object covered by a cloth. Ezran removed the cloth. The object was a large egg. Its deep blue shell sporting markings of yellow and red produced a bright glow of the same colorations.
"W-what is that?"
"That's Zym, it's short for Azymondias. He's the Dragon Prince, still inside his egg."
Before Callum could pose anymore questions, the two brothers flinched as the spiral staircase redescended with the murderous elf standing on the last stair, looking triumphant.
"But how did you…"
"Ah just pressed all the stones with fat handprints." she revealed smugly.
Ezran facepalmed, leaving a greasy handprint on his forehead. The elf stepped closer, slowly, glancing at the contents of the room. Her gaze grew ever more disgusted and irate.
"What is this place? Runaan is right. There's nothing in humans worth sparing. It's over. Humans destroyed the egg of the Dragon Prince. There must be justice." she pointed a sword at the pair of humans, now more determined than ever to commit the deed.
"You'll have to go through me, first."
"As ya wish." she approached, undeterred.
"Wait, Callum, step aside." Ezran pleaded.
"No way."
"Callum, please, let her see it."
"See what?" the elf halted, suddenly wary. Callum slowly did as his brother said. The assassin gasped. "The egg...the egg of the Dragon Prince!"
DIFFERENCES FROM CANON:
Because of his curse, Ezran's connection with animals, especially canines, is much stronger. He can communicate with Azymondias before he's even hatched.
Callum is quite upset with Harrow, but maintains respect for the monarch. However, that mask breaks in emotional moments, such as the one in the throne room.
While Callum's ears are already sharpening since his last transformation, his canines have also grown since his meeting with Harrow. Why though? No spoilers!
Callum is still not proficient in swordfighting or combat in general, yet he was able to push Rayla because he caught her by surprise. Why, though? Because, in canon, Rayla has shown to be a bit too trusting of people she just met. But also, no spoilers!