A comfortable and relieved silence hung in the great hall as Zubeia, the dragon queen of Xadia, marvelled at the sight before her. Her son was alive and an alliance of humans and elves had gathered in the Storm Spire. No one wished to break the serene silence that reigned in the great hall. Queen Zubeia searched the group for any familiar faces. Her voice was strong and sympathetic as she spoke.

"I see many new faces, and… battle-weary ones as well." Her sight rested upon Ibis, her liaison with the elves. "Ah, Ibis, please tell me the truth. I've been away for some time now, haven't I?"

The blue skinned skywing elf bowed as his queen addressed him. "Yes, your highness. You've been asleep for a little less than two weeks. May I say, you are looking much better?"

"I feel better, Ibis. I feel… hopeful." She said as her eyes shone with pride and joy while looking at her son. "But tell me, what has transpired?"

"Much has happened. Through ways unknown to me, these…" He gestured to Rayla, Callum and Ezran. "have returned your son to you, already hatched. They were followed by an army of humans, transformed by dark magic."

Zubeia hissed at that and raised her head. Her eyes narrowed. "Dark Magic? Here!?" She rumbled, raising her voice which resonated in the chamber. The crowd before her looked fearful. She stopped though when she saw Azymondias, her son, was frightened of her reaction. She immediately lowered her head to nuzzle Zym.

Ibis stepped forward to placate Queen Zubeia. "Please be at ease, your majesty! The armies were defeated by an alliance of elves, dragons and humans." The crowd mumbled approvingly. Amaya and Janai squeezed each other's hands, thinking with fondness of the strength they found fighting side by side.

Callum and Rayla simply leaned into each other, until Callum accidentally poked himself with one of Rayla's horns. "Auch!"

Rayla giggled. "Dummy…"

The queen scanned the crowd. "Have humans finally risen up against their own? Have they finally rid themselves of the taint that is dark magic?" She sniffed the air, then hissed. She put a paw protectively over Zym, who was dwarfed and caged by it. "I still smell death amongst you! I still smell darkness in their hearts!"

Her eyes scanned the crowd. The humans trembled at the sudden change while the elves looked confused at their newfound compatriots, but Queen Aanya stepped forward. "Your Majesty. I am Queen Aanya of Duren, and I can assure you that none of the humans present here would ever use dark magic! They fought for life! For the life of your son! They fought for peace!"

No one but Rayla noticed the pale look Callum had on his face, nor that he was shaking in his boots. She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, but did not feel at ease herself.

The queen was silent for a while. The only sign of her relaxing was her releasing her paw from Zym, who flew into the air right away and landed on Ezran (who was nearly toppled by the weight). "I am sorry, humans. You must know I mean well. I too wish for peace. But so much was lost along the way." Her voice cracked when she said. "My husband, my son…."

"We understand, your majesty," Queen Aanya continued. "Might I suggest we all get some rest. That we reconvene tomorrow, for then, together, we will discuss the future of all humans, dragons and elves."

The dragon queen grunted approvingly. "Very well. Ibis, do you have the strength to remain? I still have many questions."

"Of course, your majesty." He said as he bowed deeply. He also radiated happiness. His liege had returned to him and he was ready to serve her once more.

-/-/-/-

The crowd exited the hall. Queen Aanya, General Amaya and Janai of the Sunfire Elves all issued orders to their troops. Ezran held Bait close to him for comfort as he listened to the translations of her friend Gren. "Make sure to have two guards for each prisoner! Arrange for transport to get the wounded back across the border as soon as possible."

Janai was asked if it was possible to stop for help at Lux Aurea, but she responded that since humans were responsible for the corruption of the Sunforge, they would most likely rebel and attack at the sight of another human army. "Best to avoid them for now." She said to Amaya with sympathy in her eyes. Gren translated for her. Amaya smiled sadly. It would mean a long and dangerous trek back to the border. Still, the Sunfire Elves under Janai's command had promised to get them across the river of lava, so there was hope to reach home safely, which gave her a sense of security she hadn't had in a while.

Rayla had pulled Callum with her into an alcove in the chamber before the great hall. They both sat down and leaned their heads against the wall. "Whew, we sure dodged an arrow there, didn't we?" Rayla said, trying to sound cheerful.

Callum was still pale. "I… think so? I didn't realise that using dark magic once would still affect me."

Rayla looked at him sadly. "Dark magic corrupts you, even if just a little." She pressed herself against him, again nearly poking his eye out.

"Okay, this takes some getting used to," Callum said with a nervous smile, as he tried to find a position where he could rest his head against hers without possibly fatal consequences.

She giggled, shaking her horns and causing Callum to back away from her. "Sorry," she said sheepishly.

Callum grinned and grabbed her hand. "We'll make it work, somehow." When he said that, he saw Rayla's smile falter ever so slightly. She's worried about something, he thought.

But she simply said, "Yeah, we will."

They stayed there for a while until Callum was called to help some of the other humans. When he returned it was well and truly in the middle of the night. Callum expected sleeping together would be awkward. They had only just declared their love, but even though they were a 'thing', no boundaries had been set. He wasn't sure what was proper, what she was expecting. However, the Storm Spire was crowded and when he found her asleep in a corner at the end of a very long day, he simply laid himself down next to her. He heard the murmur of soft voices, and sometimes, the soft rumble of the voice of the dragon queen. It was soothing.

Rayla shifted next to him. She sat up as she looked at him, not quite surprised that he had found his way to her. "Where are you going?" he whispered to her. She mouthed the word 'chamber pot' and made her way into a hallway. He laid down again as she disappeared, making a pillow for them out of his scarf.

So much has happened today. We won! But… what now? He didn't know what to think of. Up until now, his mission had been clear. They had to deliver the egg, and later the dragon prince, back to his mom. And they succeeded.

So…what now? He sighed. He didn't know what the future would bring, but, he thought just as Rayla rounded the corner and walked back to him, he would make sure that it included her. And as she smiled and pressed herself close to him (being very careful with the horns this time) he had the feeling she was having similar thoughts. Soon, the last murmur of voices quieted down and they both drifted into a blissful sleep.

-/-/-/-

The next morning, food was brought in by various elves. Apparently, Ibis had arranged a hunting and gathering party together with some other elves who were familiar with the area. When Callum woke up, he noticed that there were more elves now. Huh… new faces. He quietly detached himself from Rayla, still fast asleep on his scarf, and made his way to Ezran who had already helped himself to a bowl of fruit.

"Hey Ez. How are you, buddy?"

"Umgewd!" he exclaimed, holding up a large pink piece of fruit.

Bait scuttled under the table, having looted what looked like a large, green vegetable. Callum was long used to Bait's escapades and ignored it. "Hey, do you know who these new elves are?"

Ezran shrugged. "Hawe no ibea."

"Right…" He looked around. There were more skywing elves mostly, but also some sunfire elves he had not seen before. Then again, it's not like he knew all the sunfire elves from the battle yesterday. "Well, just…be careful."

Ezran finally swallowed his mouth-full. "Why? We won, right? It's over!"

"I know, it's just…" but he couldn't put it to words and he didn't want to offend any elves who overheard him. He just knew that not all the elves would view humans the way Rayla viewed them. But there was no point discussing it now so he just grabbed a bowl and started piling up food. The elves that were at the table did the same thing, but when they saw Callum approach they did stare a little before continuing.

Callum made his way back to Rayla who was only just now waking up. She yawned and stretched. "What's all the fuss this mornin'? There are a lot more elves than there were yesterday!"

Callum shrugged. "Don't know. But I'm sure it'll be an exciting day for everyone!" He gave her the bowl with food. "Here, before you go 'hangry'," he said with a wink.

Rayla smiled. "Yeah, we wouldn't want that, now would we?" She grabbed a long piece of green fruit or vegetable resembling a cucumber and swooshed it around dramatically. "Callum, our hero, who braved storms and dragons on his quest, only to be slain by a hangry elf!"

Callum laughed as Rayla held the piece of food right under his chin, before taking a bite out of it. "What kind of fruit is that?"

"This?" As she waved the wobbly green piece again dramatically? "A cucumber. It's a vegetable actually."

"Oh…" Callum said, disappointed. "Is it…magical?"

Rayla looked at him weirdly. "Noooo…. But it is juicy! I suppose you don't have those at home?"

"No, actually, we do. I was just surprised to find normal fruit at the table as well."

"Well…. Maybe one of the elves brought somethin' more interestin'?" Rayla offered. Callum shrugged.

Silence. Awkward silence. Why is this awkward? Callum wondered. We never had any problems before, especially not since the last few days… so why does this feel… weird. He looked at Rayla, who looked like she was trying to find the meaning of life in her food.

Rayla, in the meantime, was thinking about the future. Just like Callum, her thoughts had never wandered far beyond the mission. But now that mission was completed. Would Callum want to see the rest of Xadia? Probably, she mused, judging by his reaction when he first entered the magical land. But what if he wants to live in Katolis? Would I want to live there? Or do I want to live somewhere else… Her thoughts returned to her home, and she remembered she was banished. A pained expression crossed her face.

Callum noticed immediately. "Rayla, what's wrong?"

Ralya sighed. "Just thinkin' about… you know, goin' home, or whether that's possible."

His face fell. "Oh. I see."

Silence. Callum wanted to say: Well, you can live at my place! He really did, but that would sound stupid, wouldn't it? Besides, he thought, maybe she wants to live in Xadia. Pfft, probably. She's from here after all. "Hey, are there other Moonshadow Elf villages?"

Rayla was slightly surprised by the question out of nowhere. "Eh, yeah, of course!"

"Well, would they be able to see you?"

Rayla thought for a moment. "Probably. I think so, yeah."

"So, why don't you go live there?" Callum said, smiling brightly like what he suggested was the best idea ever.

"Oh, well, I … guess I could…?" She ventured carefully. What, doesn't he want me around now that we're done with the mission? She was confused.

Callum saw that he didn't get the reaction he was hoping for. He opened his mouth to clarify, but was interrupted by the heavy boots of his aunt, Amaya.

-It's time. The other leaders are gathering in front of the dragon queen,- she signed to him.

"Oh! Already?" Callum exclaimed.

Rayla looked at them, wondering what it was about while Callum answered both in speech and in silence.

"Should I get Ezran?"

-I think Opeli already did that. You should hurry. You are after all the prince of Katolis.-

"Oh, right." Callum hadn't felt like a prince in weeks. He turned to Rayla. "Uhm, apparently there is a meeting? We should probably go right now."

"Oh! Right!" Rayla put down her food and began to rise, just as Ayama held out a hand and signed to her.

-I'm sorry. You are not allowed to attend. Nor am I. Leaders only.- Rayla didn't understand general Amaya's sign language, but Callum translated for her.

After his translation, Callum blinked. "Huh, but if it's leaders only, then why do I… oh, right, the prince thing." He laughed sheepishly.

Rayla cocked her head. Something about Callum's reaction was off. At first, she thought he was just playing dumb, but she had gotten to know Callum quite well. This wasn't him acting weird. He was nervous.

"Callum, just go without me. You'll do fine."

Callum turned to her with panic written on his face. "What do you mean, I'll do fine? I've never been a prince before! In court I mean! I was always the second option! I never had to do anything special!" He gestured wildly, comically even, as he was saying these things loudly.

Various elves looked up from their food and looked in their direction. Rayla shushed him. "Callum… Yes, I understand, this is a new kind of scary, but you'll do fine. Besides, you won't be alone. Ezran and Zym will be there, won't they?" she said as she placed her hands on his shoulders.

Callum took a deep breath. Rayla felt him relax somewhat. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks for being there for me," he said as he smiled at her.

She felt a blush creep onto her face. "After everythin' we've done? Of course, I'll be there for you." She closed the distance between them and put a chaste kiss upon his lips. Gasps could be heard across the room, coming from a couple of elves and humans who noticed. Rayla and Callum winced.

"Oh, yeah, so there's that…"

-/-/-/-

Callum was the last to enter the great hall. He was scared. The now not-so-sleepy gargantuan dragon was looming before him. She looked at Callum patiently.

"Welcome." Her voice was soft but deafening all the same, coming from such a huge creature.

Callum looked to see who else was there. Zym was happily hopping around and playing with Ezran, with Opeli keeping a watchful eye. Queen Aanya was speaking softly to Janai. When Aanya saw him come in, she waved. Callum gave a small wave back. It was intimidating to be given attention by a beautiful girl who was also the queen of Duren, but the fact that she was a fair bit younger and slightly smaller than him did help him calm his nerves.

"Your majesty," he greeted her. He turned to Janai. "Erh… Hello?" he said, unsure how to greet an elf properly. He figured his Earthblood Elf routine wouldn't quite cut it in this circumstance.

The sunfire elf smiled and bowed, crossing her hands in front of her with her fingers outstretched. " 'Hello', Prince Callum of Katolis," she replied gracefully.

"Then it seems we have all gathered here," Queen Zubeia said to those assembled below. She lowered her head and let it rest upon her paws, as to be closer to the party.

Callum still felt unease, knowing that if she would smell dark magic, it would be him. Apparently, I am…corrupted? The thought disturbed him.

"I want to again express my gratitude. I am grateful for what you have done for me and my son. My boy, Azymondias, has been returned to me, and with him; hope." Her eyes turned sad. "Therefore, I must also grovel before you and beg your forgiveness." Her eyes turned to Callum and Ezran, who both looked back at her with uncertainty. "King Ezran, Prince Callum, it was I who ordered you and your fathers' assassination."

She paused a bit, waiting for a reply. When none came, she continued. "With the death of my husband, and the… perceived destruction of my egg, I was distraught. I tried to contain my suffering, but in the end, I wanted nothing more than for you to suffer with it. However, when news reached me that King Harrow had been killed, I felt no victory. I only felt… empty. For a small while, I held on to my anger that you had escaped, but I realised that I could not bring back my loved ones by killing others." She now looked at Zym. The group saw giant tears swelling in the dragon queen's eyes. "Never would I have guessed that the sons of the man who killed my husband would return my own son to me. My gratitude is without bounds. Please forgive me for what I have done to you." The last part was nearly a whisper.

Silence descended on the cavern, as everyone waited for Ezran and Callum to make a move. Callum had already made up his mind. He knew that they had to break the cycle, and that her feelings were earnest. That alone was enough to forgive her. But it was not just up to him. To him, Harrow had been like a father, but also a step-father. There had been more distance between them. It was Ezran who had suffered the greatest loss, or who was at the very least most afflicted by it. Everyone watched the small boy as he stepped forward. His voice cracked when he spoke. "I don't" - he sniffed - "know why people think that you can solve a problem or feelings by killing someone. It never works. I know my father did something terrible, and now... I really, really understand how you feel." The group watched Ezran and the dragon queen, face to face, tears in both of their eyes. "I will gladly forgive you. I will always miss him, but I think he, more than anyone, would understand that we need to have peace."

The dragon queen gave an audible sigh at that, which actually rustled Ezran's hair. He giggled a little. "Thank you, little one. Though you are small, you are already a good king, but above all, a great human being." She raised her head, adopting a more regal pose. "Now, let us look to the future. I speak for the whole of Xadia in that we want nothing more than peace with the humans."

"We, the people of Katolis, also want nothing more than to have peace with the elves and dragons of Xadia," Ezran said resolutely.

Opeli simply nodded. He is already a great ruler, she thought, and smiled to herself. If he keeps that up, I'll be out of a job soon!

Queen Aanya stepped forward. "I, Aanya of Duren, speak for my people and agree. Now is the time for peace."

Janai stepped forward and bowed in her people's manner. "I speak for the Sunfire Elves until a new ruler is crowned. In their name, I too would accept peace."

The dragon queen nodded. "It is good that we all desire peace. However, not all the elves are represented here. And, I believe, this is also true for the humans?"

Queen Aanya nodded. "The kingdoms of Neolandia, Del Bar and Evenere are not represented here. As I understand it, their leaders were killed or wounded by Moonshadow Elf assassins, and their replacements died in battle yesterday."

"That is unfortunate, but Moonshadow Elf assassins?" The dragon queen replied confused. "Who would have sent them to those kingdoms..."

"It wasn't you?" Callum said, for the first time really speaking to the dragon.

"I had no quarrel with them, I had no… direct reason to."

"Strange…" Callum replied, more to himself than anyone else.

"Well, at the very least, we can let it be known that we all want peace, and that, should others want to continue the war, we won't support them," Opeli said with confidence.

"That could perhaps work for the humans, but the elves stand as one. We all must agree on such a decision," Janai said. "Though, I think that if this is what our queen wants, none will dare say otherwise."

"Thank you, Janai of the Sunfire Elves." The dragon queen replied. "Well, this is a wonderful start. Let us then discuss terms."

Callum let out a sigh of relief. There will be peace! He thought. No more hiding, no more danger of being burned, or stabbed, or zapped… It's all over! I can finally relax. It was at this moment that Ibis came running into the chamber.

"Your majesty!"

"Ibis!" The dragon queen was surprised. "You're intruding in our talks."

"I'm sorry, your majesty, but dragons are approaching!"

"More dragons? Are they led by one of the Primes?"

Callum didn't understand that, but he had no time to ask. He looked at the faces of the others. They also looked disturbed by the sudden news.

"Your majesty, it looks like all the Primes are there!"

Queen Zubeia's eyes opened wide. "What!?"

-/-/-/-

The sky outside of the Storm Spire was total pandemonium. Dragons were everywhere. Rayla was hiding near the entrance. She had already counted at least fifty. She knew dragons were her allies, but even she felt afraid. Callum appeared next to her.

"What's going on?" he hissed.

"I don't know! It was a beautiful mornin' with the sun risin' and all that, but all of a sudden this lot appeared!"

There was rumbling behind them. The dragon queen herself had appeared on the plateau near the peak of the Storm Spire. "Primes! I welcome thee, but what is the meaning of this visit?" Her voice roared through the sky.

Callum gasped. Now, outside of the cave, standing upright with her wings outstretched, he could fully appreciate how big the dragon actually was. The dragons that were flying around the spire were, though huge, still much smaller than her. Then the clouds parted, and six shapes descended from them. Six gargantuan dragons came out of the clouds and flew slowly in a large circle around the spire. Callum recognized one as a Sun Dragon, its head crest having a similar shape to the one Sol Regem had. He also recognized a storm dragon, though this one was small compared to the other Primes. The Ocean dragon was easy to spot, being deep blue and not having spikes as much as having fins decorating its crown and back. The other three he wasn't so sure about, being very different entirely.

"Who are they?" Callum whispered. Well, he tried to, but he ended up shouting a bit as the wind picked up.

"I think they are the Primes. You know, the leader of each different kind of dragon." Rayla replied.

Callum nodded that he understood. "You mean like, sun dragons are one kind, storm dragons are another, and so on?"

"Yeah."

Part of him wanted to go back to get his sketchbook, but then he felt fingers intertwining with his and clenching his hand rather tight. He looked at Rayla, who looked positively afraid.

"Stay close, Callum," she said.

Callum swallowed. "I will, Rayla."

She smiled weakly and grabbed her sword. Then, the sky trembled as six different voices spoke.

"WE ARE HERE TO BRING NEWS!"

"NEWS FOR ALL TO HEAR!"

"THE DRAGONMOOT HAS ENDED!"

"WE HAVE DECIDED."

"WE HAVE CHOSEN."

"BEHOLD!"

Another shape descended from the clouds. Its form was massive, at least as big as the dragon queen herself, probably bigger. Its form was white with a dark blue underbelly. Its wings were similar, white with dark blue membrane stretched between. Its head was of an ivory colour with dark lines drawing patterns on its face. Two clear blue eyes shone from its sockets. Its head was crowned by four large, dark-blue, curvy horns. Callum and Rayla looked at each other.

"A moon dragon..." Rayla said in wonder.

Callum was looking intently at Rayla's own horns, seeing a resemblance in their curvature. "Yeah, you're right."

The dragon descended on the spire. The plateau trembled as he landed in front of the queen.

"BEHOLD AND TREMBLE!" The Primes spoke. "BEFORE YOU STANDS AUREUM UMBRA, THE NEW DRAGON KING!"