"I don't believe it." Rayla said fixing her eyes and the newly rediscovered egg of the Dragon Prince. She, Leon, Callum, and Ezran focused all their attention on it.

"So this is it?" Leon asked. "This is what I was sent for? But how did they know…"

"What?" Rayla asked. "What does that mean? Did you know this was here, Mandalorian?"

"No. All I knew was that there was something very special here." Leon answered. "Some strange people in robes hired me to take something from the High Mage, and I guess this is it."

"So what?" Callum asked. "Are you going to take it to those guys?"

"I was," Leon said putting his helmet back on over his head, "But after seeing it myself, the plan has changed. Because if this thing is still alive, it could stop the war."

Ezran pressed his ear to the egg. "I can hear him. He's alive and well."

"You can hear him?" Leon asked.

"Yeah. I kinda have a way with animals."

"But I don't get it." Callum said. "Why wasn't the egg destroyed?"

"Because my father saved it!"

Everyone turned to see a human girl at the bottom of the spiral staircase. She had long black hair that matched her robes. She held a glowing crystal orb in one hand and pointed her hand at the group.

"Who is that?" Leon asked gripping the hilt of his sword.

"That's Claudia, Viren's daughter." Ezran introduced.

"Boys, don't tell him any more and step away from the intruders." Claudia said.

"Give me a break." Rayla said. "Your father didn't save the egg. He stole it."

"That's a lie. My father took it to protect us. So the elves and dragons couldn't use it against us."

"What are you talking about?" Rayla asked. "How could we use it?"

"Don't play dumb! You know it's a powerful weapon."

"It's not a weapon. It's an egg."

"More than that. It's a foundling." Leon said. "If your father plans to use this egg for his dark magic, I cannot in good conscience let that happen."

Claudia turned to Ezran, who at the moment was holding the egg in his hands. "Ezran, don't be afraid. Walk toward me. And if either of these two move even an inch… Just bring that thing here, Ez."

"It's not a thing!" Rayla yelled. "It has a mother, and it needs to go back to her!"

"You're right. It does want its mother." Ezran said stroking the shell.

"I can tell you're a good person, kid." Leon said. "So I know that you can figure out the right thing to do."

Ezran heard the armored stranger's words and realized what the real right thing to do was. "Follow me!"

He ran down a passageway away from Claudia. Rayla and Leon both sprinted behind him. All the while, Callum stopped Claudia from firing a lightning spell by chaining her wrist away. He took her primal stone and rushed to catch up with the others.

Claudia wasn't done yet. She managed to grab a handheld candle within her reach and snapped her fingers above it lighting a purple flame. She muttered cryptic words with the candle held in front of her before exhaling the magic into the fire. What came out was purple smoke in the shape of two wolves that chased after the others.

Down the dark hallway, Callum finally caught up with Leon, Ezran, and Rayla. He ran right beside them down the hallway.

"What happened with the girl?" Leon asked.

"I kinda chained her up back at the secret lab." Callum said as he ran right past everyone.

Ezran stopped seeing his brother's direction. "Callum, not that way!"

"Why not?" THUMP! Callum collided into a stone wall.

"Because it's a dead end."

The smoke wolves caught up with the group. Rayla and Leon fought side by side against them, but they proved to be ineffective. These incorporeal beasts couldn't be touched, but they could bite down on the people they were attacking. Thankfully, there was only one bite, and it was on Leon's metal armor.

"This is useless!" Rayla said. "We can't touch them! They're just smoke!"

"Smoke…" Callum said before an idea popped in his head. "I have an idea, but I don't know if I can do it."

"Is this a guessing game?" Rayla asked impatiently. "Just do it!"

As the wolves were readying to pounce, Callum held out the crystal ball he stole and traced his fingers in their direction. Glowing lines and shapes appeared before him before saying, "ASPIRO!" He blew the rune he drew which let out a strong gust of wind. When it enveloped the smokey predators, they disappeared into thin air.

"You did it, Callum!" Ezran said proudly. "You saved us!"

"You never mentioned you were a mage." Rayla said.

"Who, me?" Callum asked. "I'm not really anything."

"Don't be so sure." Leon said. "That in your hand is a primal stone. Aside from dark magic, that's how mages use magic. If you can use it, then the only explanation is that you're a mage."

"He's right, Callum." Rayla said. "You're a mage."

Callum couldn't believe his ears. "Wow. I'm a mage! I'M A MAGE!"

"Shhhhh. Nobody likes a loud mage." Rayle said.

"Sorry." Callum said lowering his voice. "I'm a mage."

"So what now?" Ezran asked.

"The attack!" Rayla gasped. "The other elves! They're on a revenge mission because they believe this egg was destroyed. We have to show this egg to them to stop them from making a terrible mistake."

"So what do we do?" Leon asked.

"We need to get up to the roof. That's where the leader, Runaan, will be." Rayla said.

"All right." Ezran said. "I know the way."


Rayla stood on the roof of the castle seemingly alone. With the full moon obscured by the clouds, she knew she would have a clear view of her leader once he showed himself.

"I know you're here." Rayla said.

Runaan revealed himself from out of nowhere and approached the teen elf sternly. "Rayla, you defied me."

"Runaan, you need to call off the mission." Rayla advised with an urgent tone.

"Have you lost your mind?" Runaan asked.

"Please listen to me. I've found something. The egg of the Dragon Prince."

"That's impossible!"

"The high mage didn't destroy it. He stole it. He was going to use it for dark magic, but one of the human princes found it."

"No, Rayla! Humans are liars! This is a trick!"

"It's no trick." Leon said walking out of the shadows with Callum right beside him. The sight of him made Runaan widen his eyes.

"A Mandalorian? Rayla, what's gotten into you? You know better than to trust one of them!"

"This is bigger than that." Leon said. "She's telling you the truth. The egg is alive."

"Enough words, fool!" Runaan said readying to shot an arrow.

"Ez, show him." Callum said.

Ezran walked out right behind the two of them with the egg in his hands, shining like a beacon in the night. Runaan immediately changed his tone after seeing the egg with his own eyes.

"It's beautiful."

"How can we take vengeance for an act that never happened?" Rayla asked. "You have to call it off."

"Rayla, you know it doesn't work that way." Runaan said. "We bound ourselves. There's only one way tobe released from this commitment."

"Runaan, please, there must be another way. This is a miracle, a chance for peace."

"If you go through with this, it will only make things worse." Leon said. "The right thing to do here will be to walk away and spare the king and prince."

"The humans struck down the king of the dragons." Runaan argued. "Justice will not be denied. Now, give me the egg."

Rayla knew there was no convincing her mentor. She pulled out her weapons and stood in his way. "Leon, get Callum, Ezran, and the egg to safety."

Leon nodded and grabbed the boys' shoulders. While Rayla fought Runaan under the moonlight, they ran away from the battle.

After dashing down the stairs, Leon and the princes looked around for a place to hide. All they found was a wagon full of hay.

"Perfect." Callum said as he helped Ezran into the wagon covering him up. "Stay hidden. Keep the egg safe."

"What about you?" Ezran asked.

"I'll go talk with the king." Callum said. "He needs to know about the egg."

"I better go with you." Leon said. "You know, in case you run into any elves."

"Callum," Ezran said softly, "You keep calling him the king. Why don't you just call him Dad?"

"Because he's the king." Callum replied. "And because I'm his stepson."

"You are?" Leon asked the older brother.

"So what?" Ezran asked. "I think he would want you to call him Dad, if you wanted to."

"I don't know about that. I'll think about it. Come on, Leon." Callum said. He hurried to the tower with the Mandalorian behind him.


Callum and Leon ran up the stairs to the highest room of the tower. The king's bedroom was within sight with his door surrounded by a number of guards. An older teen boy in armor kept Callum from getting any closer.

"Whoa, slow down there, Step-Prince. The king is pretty busy right now. He's trying not to die and stuff. "

"You're not stopping me, Soren." Callum said.

"I think we both know I can."

"But you can't stop me." Leon said.

"Right… and who are you?" Soren asked. "You're not one of those elves, are you?"

"No." Leon answered removing his helmet. "See? Round ears. Now, let us pass."

At that moment, the king's bedroom door opened, and the man who came out wasn't the king. It was a finely-dressed man who carried a metal cane. He gave a glance at Callum and his friend.

"You should not be here."

Callum gave the man a stern look. "I know what you did, Viren?"

"That's Viren, the high mage?" Leon asked.

"Who is this?" Viren asked.

"It doesn't matter." Callum said. "We know you stole the egg of the Dragon Prince. We found it and we're keeping it safe."

"Really?" Viren asked with a mocking smile. "You mean you and this man?"

"You can't talk your way out of this." Leon said. "The king will have you in shackles when he finds out."

"What makes you so sure he doesn't already know?" Viren asked. His eyes then shifted to Leon's hands which held the helmet. After taking a look at its design, his eyes widened. "Seize them! Grab them both!"

"But, Dad, he's the prince." Soren said.

"And the other one is a Mandalorian! Do it now!"

The guards were about to grab Callum, but Leon pulled him away. He then drew out his sword raising it against the guards.

"If you come near me, the Moonshadow elves will be the least of your concerns." Leon warned.

"You dare threaten us?" Viren asked seemingly losing his cool. "I'm only asking you this one time. Where is the egg?"

"If you think I'm letting you anywhere near that thing for your mad experiments, you've got another thing coming." Leon answered.

"Typical of a Mandalorian to not see the big picture." Viren spat.

"Wait, you don't like Mandalorians either?" Callum asked. "Leon, who's side are you on?"

"Mandalorians belong to neither side. That's why they hate us."

"And yet, you protect that egg?" Viren asked. "That thing is a terrible weapon which will end us all in the wrong hands. Why are you protecting something that will be our undoing?"

Leon scowled before putting his helmet back on. He gripped his sword's hilt by both hands ready to fight. "This is the Way."

Viren scowled. "Then you are in my way. And so help me, I will…"

Just then, a howling breeze filled the room. The torches went out and everyone immediately changed their focus on the dark staircase. Leon and Callum slowly stepped back, and then jumped backwards when the obscure shadows of the Moonshadow elves attacked. Swords and other bladed weapons clashed between elves and humans. While Viren moved to the side away from the action, Leon was defending the prince from any elf that would try to get at him. All the while, Callum was trying to call out to the king.

"King Harrow!" Callum cried out. There was no answer amidst all the chaos. "DAD!" Still no answer.

"Callum!" a voice called out in the distance. Callum and Leon looked out the window and saw Ezran and Rayla waiting in the courtyard.

Leon groaned. "We can't stay here, kid!"

"But…"

"No buts!" Leon swung his elbow at the window shattering it to pieces. "Now, hang on!"

Callum gripped onto Leon's armored body as he climbed up the window frame. Leon shot his grappling hook to latch onto the nearest perch. With it, he jumped out of the window with Callum holding on tight. They swung out of the castle tower flying through the air swift as the wind. As soon as they were close enough, Leon broke his grappler and rolled on the ground alongside Callum. They immediately reunited with the other kids.

"That's quite an exit." Rayla said.

"Callum, did you talk to Dad?" Ezran asked. Callum just shook his head.

"We couldn't get past Viren." Leon said. "Sorry we couldn't get to your dad, kid."

"Just say the word and I'll go back into that tower with you." Rayla offered.

Callum gazed at the tower where the chaos ensued. He looked back at Ezran who was holding onto the egg. "No. It's up to us now. We must return this egg."

"And find its mother." Ezran added.

"If we return this egg, we could change things." Rayla said. "We could actually make a different."

"Just the four of us." A grumpy snort from the glow toad made Callum correct himself. "I meant the five of us." They all began their exit of the castle, but Ezran stopped once they were out of the gate.

Ezran took one last look at the tower. "Callum, do you think Dad will be okay."

Callum didn't want to distress his little brother any further, so he assured him, "Our dad has the finest guards in the kingdom defending him."

"That's true." Ezran said. "Of course, things will be okay."

It wasn't though as Rayla would soon find out. First, she saw a red, winged batch of smoke fly through the sky. Then, one of the bands on her wrists went loose and fell off. She gasped silently.

"Oh, no."

Nobody else heard her. They just kept going into the forest. Once they were clear enough, Leon stopped.

"What's up?" Callum asked.

"Well, if we're going to Xadia, we'll have to prepare." Leon said. "It's a long journey there, so we'll need a lot of supplies. And I know just where to go first."

"Where?" Ezran asked.

"To my covert."


Author's Note: That's part 2 of the fanfic done. I gotta say. I'm really surprised how much praise this fanfic is getting. I understand that the Mandalorian is trending and it fits in the Dragon Prince story, but still.

Anyway, in the next chapter, the gang enters Leon's covert and learns more about the Mandalorians. Any and all comments are welcome.