The giant ivory dragon regarded the dragon queen and those gathered at the plateau. All the other dragons were still swirling around the Storm Spire. Then he spoke with a thundering voice. "Well met, Queen Zubeia. I am pleased to see you have recovered."
The dragon queen stepped forward. "You bring me honours gathering here at my spire. But tell me," she said as her voice turned into a growl, "have you come here to challenge my reign?"
Aureum Umbra gave a snort. "Challenge? No. In your absence in illness, the dragonmoot decided to appoint me king. I am pleasantly surprised that you still live. But you tell me" -the great white dragon growled and lowered his head as he looked in Callum's direction- "why is your spire infested with humans? Do you need help to burn them out?"
"No!" the dragon queen said as she spread her wings defensively. "These humans came here as friends, as heroes!" Then, overcome with emotion, she quietly added, "They rescued my son!"
"What? Impossible! The egg was destroyed."
"Come inside, Aureum Umbra, and see for yourself."
-/-/-/-
With both dragons in the great hall, the Storm Spire looked a lot more crowded. No one dared venture in the great hall, but most of the crowd was waiting at the entrance, curious as to what would transpire. The white dragon named Aureum Umbra hovered his head above Zym, who was both curious and frightened. Queen Zubeia had her tail curled around Zym protectively.
"This is a miracle, Queen Zubeia!" The dragon said at last in wonder. "Who do we owe our thanks to?"
Queen Zubeia looked proud when she said: "A couple of humans and an elf managed to secure the egg. As I understand, it hatched along the way. They were followed by a dark mage and his army, but they kept protecting my boy with their life."
Callum listened to this from the entrance. He thought this was a very short version of their story, and it didn't do justice to all the people who had helped them along the way.
The white dragon raised his head in the direction of the entrance. "Well then, heroes who saved Azymondias, present thyself!"
Callum paled. Ezran muttered, "Do you think it's safe?" but Rayla, after taking a deep breath, grabbed both humans by their hands and stepped forwards. Together, they walked into the great hall and presented themselves before the two great dragons. They bowed. The great white dragon lowered his head and regarded them with piercing eyes. The trio felt like they were judged. The silence dragged on for maybe another minute before the dragon raised its head again in a regal pose.
"Well, Aureum Umbra? Shouldn't we give thanks to these humans and the elf?" the female dragon said, slight irritation in her voice as the white dragon had made no comment to them.
The white dragon focussed fully on the queen as he spoke. "Queen Zubeia. Since you fell ill and did not wake up, many things have happened. An army of humans entered Xadia, and Lux Aurea has been devastated by the corruption brought upon them by the dark mage. You were not there to stop them." The white dragon said with judgement in his voice. The dragon queen hissed but looked sad. It was true, after all. "A dragonmoot was called. I was chosen to stand where you could not. I am now King Aureum Umbra, king of the whole of Xadia. And I will protect it from the humans with all my might." He now sounded menacing. Callum expected Ezran to be afraid at that exclamation, but was surprised, and impressed, as Ezran stood firm and watched the white dragon carefully.
"So," the dragon continued, "I was surprised to find humans at the Storm Spire. But now I know why." He lowered his head again towards the trio, who gasped at the sudden shift in attention. "Know that you have my thanks. Storm dragons only lay one egg every thousand years. Saving Prince Azymondias has earned you the respect and thanks of all of dragonkind!"
Callum swelled with pride and Ezran smiled openly at the dragon. Rayla was just relieved her friends weren't going to get eaten after all.
"But," The dragon said, hesitantly. "That makes things complicated. At the dragonmoot, it was decided we must rally all of Xadia and storm the human lands. The humans are to be exterminated to the last."
The crowd at the entrance gasped. Callum was shaking now. Rayla stepped forward. "No! No, you can't do this! Not after all they've done!"
The dragon's head now came dangerously close to Rayla. "I can… and I will, little elf girl. Everything for Xadia." Rayla was struck by what he said. She remembered binding herself under similar words not too long ago.
"Aureum… King Aureum Umbra. Please stop this!" The dragon queen said. "Not moments before you arrived, we were discussing peace between our races!"
"What you have discussed is no longer valid. I am king, by the dragonmoot's decision." He roared, raising himself above her. It was a fearsome spectacle.
Rayla whispered something, but Callum wasn't paying attention and just missed it. "What did you say?"
"I said, when I give the signal, run!" she hissed back at him, reaching for her swords at her back. The great white dragon slammed its paw into the ground. He seemed frustrated. "But Azymondias is alive, and that changes things too. The dragonmoot's decision was based on the assumption that he had long since passed. Very well." He turned his mighty head in the direction of the crowd. Various humans cowered at the sight, and even elves were dropping to their knees left and right. "Hear this, humans, elves and dragons. I am king of Xadia, but only until Azymondias is fit to take the throne! Because of the act of saving the dragon Prince Azymondias, Xadia will not invade the human lands…yet." He turned back to Queen Zubeia. "Can I assume this satisfies you?"
"Yes, a very wise decision, King Aureum Umbra," she said, bowing her head.
The new dragon king snorted. "I expect these humans have rulers?" The queen nodded. "Gather them before me. We will discuss the terms of peace."
The rest of the crowd dispersed from the entrance. Queen Aanya moved forward again, together with Opeli and Janai. Rayla looked at Callum, trepidation in her eyes. Callum had no words for her. They were not out of the woods yet. He opted to hug her instead. They stayed like this until it was clear the rest was waiting for them. "I should go now. Be safe, Callum," Rayla whispered in his ear as she pulled away.
Callum gave a wry grin. "I'll try." She returned a worried smile, and then walked out of the great hall.
After Rayla left, it was Queen Aanya who spoke first. "We from the human lands want peace." She spoke with determination. "What terms do you have in mind?"
King Aureum Umbra was silent for a while. "What lands have aided the dragon queen and her prince in their plight?" He asked.
Queen Aanya answered: "The lands of Katolis and Duren."
"Katolis… I was informed that the dark mage's army was from Katolis."
Callum now spoke up. "That is true, but the dark mage, he's called Viren by the way, anyway, he's not really the ruler of Katolis. He just, sort of, took over when they killed my father."
"I see, so who now rules Katolis?"
Ezran stepped forward. "I, King Ezran, speak for the people of Katolis."
The dragon lowered his head again, focussing on Ezran. Callum wished he stopped doing that. This dragon seems to enjoy being intimidating with that big scary head of his! The dragon looked down upon the small child, now a king.
"King Ezran, do you command the respect of your people?"
"He does," Opeli answered for him as she laid a hand on Ezran's shoulder. "I am the adviser of the king and I can say in truth that when King Ezran returns, all will rejoice and follow his example. In the few days he sat upon the throne he showed more grace and wisdom than many that came before." Opeli looked at him with a sad smile. "Including his father." Ezran looked back up at her. He was confused. He understood it was a compliment, but didn't really know what she meant, exactly.
"Very well." The mighty dragon raised his head. "Listen carefully, king and queen of the human lands. With you, I will have peace. But the other human lands must still suffer for what they have done. Their use of dark magic has brought nothing but suffering to Xadia. This must end, once and for all."
"But you can't just punish thousands of innocents for what a few people do!" Callum exclaimed.
"Neither can I put the millions of creatures of Xadia at risk, young prince," the dragon replied sharply.
Queen Aanya cleared her throat, trying to get everyone's attention. "I agree that dark magic is a problem. It's a dangerous thing, and many have suffered through it." The dragon king nodded in agreement. "But isn't the use of dark magic just a symptom of a bigger problem? The lands we live in don't always provide what we need. Thousands would have starved more than a decade ago if we did not reshape the land with dark magic."
Both dragons were now growling at the new direction of the conversation. Callum gave her a warning look, but she ignored it. "I'm not saying that we should return to the ways of dark magic out of necessity, but we must have an alternative, or the people will go back to it. If children starve, a parent will do anything it can to prevent it, even using dark magic."
Callum held his breath. What she was saying was a reasonable explanation of why people used its power. He knew he used it because he had no other options. And yet, it still felt wrong. He had used it out of necessity once. It felt wrong then, and its smell apparently still followed him around.
"Then what do you suggest, young queen?" The dragon responded at length.
Queen Aanya continued. "We must establish trade relations with Xadia. When hard times come, we will need your help. We would also need some of your mages at our courts to prevent the dark mage from gaining power in Katolis again." Opeli gave her a warning look. She did not like the thought of an elven mage in the capital. But she remained silent. Queen Aanya was right, after all.
King Aureum Umbra narrowed his eyes at her. "A point well made. And yet, I decline." Callum saw that Queen Aanya was taken aback by that. "Your survival is your own concern. We of Xadia are not responsible for it. Nor will I suffer our mages in the hands of the humans. I will not enforce this upon the elves of Xadia," he said with a finality that left no room for argument.
"However," he continued, "you are free to try and establish those trade relations with the various cities and villages. I will allow a checkpoint to be opened at the border, so that small human bands may travel through Xadia unmolested to trade. But" -he growled warningly- "one small misstep and I will strike you down." His giant face turned to Callum and Ezran. "You have earned my respect for saving young Azymondias. And Katolis and Duren have earned my mercy for standing with the dragon queen in her hour of need." Queen Zubeia looked grateful. "For that, I will allow a chance for peace. Nothing more. As for the other human kingdoms. If their use of dark magic threatens Xadia ever again, I WILL DESTROY THEM!" he roared.
The humans looked very concerned. Queen Aanya looked to the ground, Opeli gritted her teeth, and Ezran looked like he was finding all this very unfair. Callum watched Janai for some reaction, but she was pretty stoic under the news.
"Firm but fair, King Aureum Umbra," Queen Zubeia replied. To the group, she said, "Go now, young rulers. Prepare for your departure. We must all play our part to ensure that peace will flower between the nations."
All present bowed and took their leave. Ezran took one last look behind him. Zym was looking right back at him. He felt that Zym was worried about the same thing as he was; that they might not see each other in a long time. Ezran really hoped they could say goodbye before they left.
-/-/-/-
It was early afternoon as Rayla and Callum exited the caverns and halls of the Storm Spire. The arrival of the dragons and both meetings had taken up a fair bit of time and mentally Callum was already exhausted. He wanted to do nothing more than to clear his head. He decided to go to the peak of the Spire, while Ezran opted to remain in the hall and get some more food.
"Do you want to come?" he asked Rayla. She nodded as she fell in step behind him.
The peak wasn't as peaceful and quiet as Callum had hoped. Several dragons were resting there, two clinging to the side of the mountain and one resting on the plateau. They all looked at the pair. It was clear that they viewed them as intruders.
"Ugh… I don't think they like us." Callum eyed the dragons just as distrustingly. He knew a couple of dragons had fought with them yesterday, but these three probably hadn't.
"They're probably not used to your human charm," Rayla ventured carefully. "What did you want to do anyway?"
Callum felt a blush creeping up his face. "Uuhhh, nothing! Nothing very important. Nope, just enjoying the…sunset! That's it!"
"The sunset?" Rayla blinked. "But that's half a day away."
"Right, ehm…" Callum stammered. He made an exasperated motion with his arms, then stepped closer to her. "I just wanted some alone time with you," he said very quietly.
Rayla saw the look on his face. Yesterday they faced death and were very forthcoming about how they felt. Today though was just another day and though they both knew they loved each other, this didn't prevent them from being shy in situations like these.
"Ah, right! You dumb prince, why didn't you say so?" she smiled mischievously, teasing her favourite human boy.
"I…just did." Callum deadpanned back, trying to avoid further embarrassment.
She looked at the dragons who seemed to be sunbathing on top of the spire. "Well, we won't get it over here." She thought for a moment. Then her face lit up and her mischievous smile returned. "Ach, it's no use, Callum!" she said dramatically. "We can't be together if we can't have any privacy, now can we?" Her exclamations were answered with a weird look on Callum's face.
What on earth is she saying? Callum could make neither heads nor tails of her statement.
She turned around and gestured wildly, keeping up the act. "Oh, how I long for some time with my prince! If only there were a prince strong enough to sweep me off my feet and fly me far away from here…" She crossed her arms and gave Callum a look.
It took Callum a few seconds to connect the dots. He certainly wasn't as dense as Soren could be, but women were still a mystery to him. Then his face lit up as it finally clicked. "Oh, I get it! You just gave me a hint!"
Rayla feared that slapping him would spoil the mood, so she just slapped her own face.
Callum grinned. "Well, you could have just asked. Manus Pluma Volantis!" His outstretched arms turned into giant wings. One of the dragons who kept an eye on them let out a surprised yelp. Callum noticed the other dragons craning their long necks to see what was going on. He turned his back to Rayla. "I figure this'll be easier for you. Hop on!"
Rayla smiled as she pressed her body against his, putting one arm over his shoulder and the other underneath his other one, testing to see what grip would sit best.
Callum turned his head and gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. I've already caught you once."
Rayla felt her heart jump a little. She quickly pecked him on the cheek. "Just go, you dumb human. Let's get out of here before I get all mushy."
Callum smiled at her and with a powerful thrust of his wings, he jumped.
They fell along the side of the Storm Spire. Onlookers, mostly elves, gasped as Callum spread his wings and flew up, carrying Rayla on his back. Callum turned to circle the Storm Spire while Rayla was laughing on his back.
"This is fantastic!" she yelled. Her stomach was full of butterflies. She didn't know if it was the thrill of the excitement or the fact that she had an excuse to press herself as close to Callum as she wanted to. At this moment though, she didn't care.
A few dragons parted from the spire and flew in their direction. Callum continued his slow circle, keeping an eye out for the dragons. They were probably just curious, he thought. When he was behind the spire he broke away and descended into the clouds. Rayla felt the moisture in her face so she closed her eyes and pressed her face against his back. She smelled his familiar scent. She was also reminded of their little stunt with Sol Regem. It had indeed been a while since either of them bathed. This gave her an idea.
"Callum!" she yelled, her voice barely audible through the rush of the wind.
"Yeah?"
"See if you can find a spot that has some water nearby!"
Callum responded with a wink and made his way out of the clouds. Up ahead the clouds had parted and Callum could now see most of the lands behind the Storm Spire. It took a while, but eventually, he found what seemed to be a meadow with a small lake next to it. When he got closer, he saw that it was connected by several smaller streams, running down from the hills into the lake before exiting the lake further down and making their way through the woods.
Callum dived towards the meadow, before righting himself and stalling their momentum. Rayla found herself pressed tightly to his back. Then there was a jolt as Callum touched the ground and she felt the soft grass beneath her feet. She let herself fall into the grass and was laughing openly. "That was amazin'!"
Callum smiled at her. "Glad you like it." He stood back, folded his wings and closed his eyes. After a moment of concentration, the feathers of his wings began to fall off rapidly and faded as his arms returned. Callum rubbed his arms, watching the new markings on them. They still looked like he had just applied them. "I guess they are permanent now."
Rayla eyed him from below. "I like them." Her smile gave him goosebumps and made his stomach do weird flips and turns.
Callum laid down next to her in the field. He felt their fingers intertwine. The one missing finger didn't bother him, but her hands felt smaller than his, even though she was technically the bigger of the two (but only by a horns length, he would argue).
Rayla propped up an elbow and looked down at him."Hello, stinky."
His eyebrows shot up. "Well, that's offensive. And" -he countered as he sat up himself- "right back at you." He looked back towards the lake which was close by. "Right, so you want to go for a swim."
Rayla paled a bit. "Eh, maybe not so much a swim as just, you know, get the sweet smell of travel out of our clothes and enjoy a bit of sunbathin'." She got up. Callum followed her.
"The water thing?" he inquired.
She nodded. "The water thing."
"But, you do bathe, right?"
Now Rayla turned around, hands on her hips. "What do you take me for? Some stinky filthy human?"
She was teasing him, he knew that. The remark still stung a little, but Callum decided not to make a point about it. He held up his hands in surrender. "Hey, all I know is that you didn't enjoy your time in the water. "
Rayla snorted. "Ha! I wonder why that was? Maybe because I was nearly eaten by a giant fish? Or was it because you nearly electrocuted me and Bait?"
They both laughed and exchanged banter as they made their way to the shore of the lake.
When they got there, Callum got really self-conscious. In his mind, as a prince, bathing was something you did in private. You never disrobed in front of someone else. So he was stunned to find that Rayla was already undoing the clasp of her belt and taking off her vest and armour.
She tossed her vest and supple armour on a pile and bent down to undo her boots when she noticed she was being stared at. "Callum? What's wrong?"
Callum's head was red as a beet. He stared at the white silk-like wrappings along her chest, hiding her- NO! No, not going to think about that now, nope! He looked up and around, trying to find something to focus on. He was obviously failing, because what could be more interesting than the elf girl undressing in front of him.
Rayla thought his reaction was cute, but also weird. Though she wasn't fond of swimming, she did join the other elves in the Silvergrove when they went to a lake. She mostly spent her time on the edge or in the shallow parts of the water. Elves had no problems showing each other their bodies. It was nothing to be ashamed of. Sure, they would keep their wraps and undies on, but she found it impossible to comprehend why Callum was making such a fuss about it. He hadn't undressed at all.
"Is this… a human thing?" she asked carefully.
"Eh… could be?" He was watching a tree now. What a tree! What a beautiful tree! Yup, nothing more interesting to see than that tree! But in a moment of weakness, he glanced at Rayla and then wished he hadn't. She had finished disrobing and now stood before him only wearing a white undercloth and those silk-like wrappings around her chest. He felt his body responding and panicked.
"Why don't you go ahead? I'll be… over there! Using… a chamber pot!" He strolled away, trying to look confident, failing horribly.
Rayla stared after him with a confused look on her face. She shrugged. "Boys…" She gathered her clothing and made her way to the lake to start washing her clothes.
It took Callum a full fifteen minutes to calm down, and another fifteen to gather the courage to disrobe down to his undies. This is normal. You've been on the road a while. It's totally normal to take a bath in the lake. With Rayla. Who's not wearing a lot right now. Totally normal. He looked down at his body. He was dirty from the travels, and smelly too. It saved them when they tried to get past Sol Regem, but Callum conceded he really needed a bath. And even though the cold water wasn't ideal to wash his clothing, every little bit would help at this point.
He took several deep breaths, steeling himself, and made his way to the edge of the lake. Rayla sat in the shallow water, scrubbing something over her vest. She looked at him as he approached. "You took your time! I was about to look for ya."
Callum stopped at the water's edge, having some internal debate, then sat down next to her, but not too close. Not knowing what to do, he unceremoniously dropped his stuff into the water.
The splashes hit Rayla. She yelped. "Callum! Careful of your boots!"
"Oh right!" He tossed his boots on the edge, spraying both of them with water.
"Ah, dummy! Watch out!" She splashed water back at him.
He laughed and swiped some water on her with his foot. Soon, the both of them were laughing, trying to get each other wet.
The sun beamed down upon them, and it would prove to be a warm day. In his absence, Rayla had found a few plants and flowers that could be used for soap or to make the clothing smell better. It wasn't a lot, but they shared what they had. Rayla had to show Callum how to thoroughly wash his clothes though, as he had never done it before in his life. Rayla found that thought ridiculous.
"Really, not once?"
"Nope."
"How about cleanin' your room?"
"Well yeah, if we used toys we had to put them away-"
"Nonono, I mean like, dust off the shelves, sweep the floor, make your bed…"
"Ah, that! No, sorry."
She looked at him in an entirely new light. "Huh. Well, you did well on our journey here, then!"
He rubbed the back of his head and tried to laugh it off. "Well, you know, our dad used to take us on trips. Aunt Amaya also had a hand in making sure we could survive in the wilderness, so we were not completely helpless."
"Right." Rayla gave him a look that told him she was unconvinced.
"No, really! I can take care of myself!"
"Well, you can now!"
He laughed and let her have that one.
Their clothes were drying on the shore as they lay on the soft sand at the edge of the lake. It was peaceful here. The sun wasn't strong enough to burn them, but it felt soothing. Eventually, Callum broke the silence.
"You know that it's only been a month since we met?"
Rayla opened her eyes, having nearly dozed off. "Just a month?" She thought about that. "It feels like it's been… years."
Callum agreed. "Yeah, it does, doesn't it?"
They lapsed into silence again for a bit, but then Callum got up.
"I'm going to take a swim."
"Alright," Rayla said, her eyes closed again.
Callum waited around, his hesitance gone unnoticed by Ralya. "Do… you want to come?"
"Water bad. So no thank you," was the short response he got.
Callum saw her lying on the grass, serene and relaxed, and contemplated how lucky he was to have fallen in love with such a beautiful and lovely person.
Rayla noticed he still hadn't moved and cracked one eye open. When she saw him looking down at her she said, "Enjoyin' the view?"
"Eh, right!" Blushing furiously, he quickly took a few large steps and soon was splashing into the water. It wasn't all that deep at the edge, reaching maybe to his chest, but he noticed it would drop down steeply if he got close to the middle. He let himself float in the water and took a few broad strokes. I wonder if I'll ever be able to connect to the ocean arcanum... He stayed in the water for a while. Once he got tired, he made his way to shore.
Rayla was standing at the edge, waiting for him. "Did you enjoy your time in that horrendous liquid?" Her arms were crossed, her head cocked to the side. She couldn't fathom why anyone would love to spend time in the water.
"Hey, wasn't this your idea?"
"My idea was to get cleaned up, which I have."
"Hmmm, still, I really think you should get a taste. The water feels wonderful!"
Rayla recognized that grin. She had worn such an evil grin herself at times. "Callum," she warned. "I don't know what you're thinkin', but- aaaigh!" She screamed as a dripping wet Callum quickly hugged her, pressing his wet body to hers. He laughed while she weakly punched him in the ribs, not really wanting to hurt him.
"Callum, you idiot!" she said, barely containing her own laugh.
He smiled at her, still holding her tight. "There, doesn't that feel nice?"
She thought about it. It did feel nice, but her thoughts weren't about the water. Suddenly, she was very conscious that her half-naked body was pressed tightly to his. She wriggled to get free. Being by far the stronger and most dexterous of the two, she easily succeeded.
"Ahem, yeah. Right. We really need to…!"
Callum saw her blushing. He still felt the touch of her body lingering and felt his own embarrassment grow. He quickly tried to change the subject. "Oh, yeah. Well, I'll give you a swimming lesson another time, then."
Rayla laughed. "Hahaha! Not in your lifetime, human."
"Really? Well, maybe next time I'll just pick you up to give you a hand," he said with a mischievous smile.
Rayla returned the same kind of smile. She wiggled her finger at him. "My dear, sweet prince, you couldn't if you tried." She gestured to the clothes. "Our clothes are still a wee bit damp, but I had this idea." She looked at him expectantly. "Do you think your aspiro could dry them off?"
Callum thought about that. "Well, I suppose. I mean, they'd probably blow away, but they'd be dry."
Rayla shook her head. "That's why I'll hold them for you, silly prince."
They put their plan into action. Rayla would grab an article of clothing and hold it out while Callum did his aspiro spell. Soon, all of their clothes were dry. As for his boots: they were cleaner, but still soggy. They gave the lake one last look, then Callum incanted his magewing spell.
Rayla put her arms around his neck. She enjoyed how fresh they both smelled after their little excursion. Before they took off, Rayla whispered into his ear. "Callum?"
"Yeah?"
"I liked this. Thanks." She smiled and kissed him on his cheek.
He smiled back at her. "You're welcome."
And then they were off.
-/-/-/-
It was nearly dusk when they returned to the Storm Spire. They were immediately greeted by Ezran and Opeli.
"Where have you been? We're having our last meeting in less than an hour!" Opeli said with worry.
Ezran piped up. "Were you making sandwiches again?"
"Sandwiches?" Rayla gave Ezran a weird look.
Callum felt his head become beet-red again. This seemed to happen a lot since he was with Rayla, much to his chagrin. "N-Nothing like that!" he stammered. "But, what is the meeting about? I thought everything had been decided?"
Opeli shook her head. "This is just to finalise the last few details in our agreement. It mostly concerns our roles within the peace treaty."
"Roles?"
"Yes. Who will be the ambassador, and under what terms can they cross the border. What you will do as a prince, etcetera. That kind of stuff."
"Oh." Callum was reminded of his earlier contemplations about the future. "So… can I choose a role?"
Opeli looked uncertainly at King Ezran. "Well, you could suggest one. King Ezran would have to agree."
Ezran looked at his big step-brother curiously. "What do you think your role should be, Callum?"
Callum thought about it. There were various things besides the mission that had kept him going the previous month. One of them was Rayla, of course, but the other two were sketching and learning about the sky arcanum. "I think I should learn the sky arcanum, so I can teach it to other humans. I mean, if they can use magic without using dark magic, everyone is happy, right?"
Opeli looked at him thoughtfully. "You really think you can do that?"
Callum shrugged. "Only one way to find out, isn't there? And the best mages are in Xadia, so that would mean lots of dangerous travelling for which I would require protection." He turned to Rayla. "I know only one elf who was able to keep me alive so far."
Rayla smiled back at him and cocked an eyebrow. "Well, if it wasn't for your habit of tryin' to get us all into trouble, it would all be a fair bit easier." She stepped towards her boyfriend. "Of course I'll protect you," she said as she kissed him. "Besides, who could be a better guide to Xadia than me, right?" she exclaimed.
They didn't notice Opeli looking at them with a look of surprise. "My king, is this legal?" she whispered, referring to their kiss. King Ezran merely shrugged.
A large crowd had gathered in the great hall where the royal dragons were. Zym was trying to fly circles around his mother until he spotted Ezran. The young king waved cheerfully at his friend. "Come here, Zym." If anyone noticed, they could see King Aureum Umbra looking disapprovingly at the contact between the two, but he remained silent. It was clear that Queen Zubeia did approve.
The crowd included most of the higher-ups from the various sides. Rayla also spotted two smaller dragons up on the ceiling. She wasn't sure what their purpose was. Perhaps important dragon officials? Is there even such a thing? But the mood in the chamber was alright, and people were readily shaking hands. The war was past them, they just had to finalise the last few things.
"Welcome, all who have gathered before us," Queen Zubeia started. "We are here to discuss the last few items before you all depart to your respective homes."
Rayla felt a pit in her stomach suddenly opening, but she quickly reassured herself. I'll just stay with Callum for now. I can worry about those things later. Though maybe I can ask the queen for help once this is all finished? She eyed the dragon with uncertainty. She trusted the queen well enough, but the king hadn't left her side and seemed to be intent on ruling as long as Zym was still a child.
King Aureum Umbra spoke. "First of all, a checkpoint at the border must be opened. Of the humans, who will take responsibility?"
General Amaya looked at Ezran, who nodded. She had given him a heads-up about her wishes. "General Amaya of Katolis will control the human side of the checkpoint."
"Very well." The dragon scanned the crowd. "It is only fitting I should choose an equal counterpart. General Janai, you will guard our side of the border. Guard it well. Let only those with the royal seal of the kingdom of Katolis and Duren pass." The dragon eyed King Ezran and Queen Aanya intently. "I trust this seal will not be given lightly." Both Ezran and Aanya nodded. When no one was looking, Amaya and Janai gave each other a wink, being particularly pleased with the arrangement.
Opeli stepped forward. "King Aureum Umbra, shall we appoint ambassadors of the human kingdoms to stay near the Storm Spire?"
The dragon king grumbled. "I will not allow humans in this household. But I will allow those with the royal seal to seek an audience. That should suffice."
Opeli nodded and retreated a step. It was disappointing, as it would slow down talks considerably. Perhaps with time, she thought. She just hoped the peace would last long enough for such improvements to be made.
The dragon king rose. "I believe that is all. Any other matters may be delegated to Queen Zubeia for another time. I trust her wisdom to choose the correct path for Xadia." This statement left no room for misunderstanding; King Aureum Umbra put the needs of Xadia first and wanted everyone in the great hall to know this. "All that has been decided, the peace, and the checkpoints, must be made known. And we must undo what was previously decreed: the attack on the human lands. Therefore, I will call a new dragonmoot."
There was rumbling from above, as the two smaller dragons shifted and clawed their way downwards, moving out of the great hall. People had to jump aside to let them pass. Rayla watched them leave with interest. Messengers, then?
"However, before I leave, there is one other thing." He scanned the crowd. "Rayla, protector of the egg and saviour of Azymondias, step forward."
Rayla's eyes widened when the dragon king spoke her name. What does he want with me? Her instinct told her to reach for her blades. She felt safe with those in her hands. But she couldn't very well draw her blades in the presence of the king and queen, especially when all eyes were upon her. Still, without her blades in her hand, she felt naked and insecure. Then, she felt a hand take hers. She looked to her left as Callum gave her a reassuring nod.
"You'll be fine," he said with a grin, referring to what she said to him earlier today.
She smiled back to him and let go of his hand as she stepped forward, still trembling inside. She stood before the dragon and bowed.
"Rise, Rayla. You have done well. You braved the human lands and its perils, and brought Azymondias safely home. You have fought valiantly against any who would threaten our kind, and were ready to give your life for Xadia. Let it be known that there is no one bolder, more courageous or more valiant than Rayla of Xadia."
Rayla watched with her mouth agape as the crowd cheered. To be given this much praise by the highest ruler of Xadia was a reward in and of itself. She bowed deeply. "My heart for Xadia," she replied, feeling much better about that statement now.
"Rayla of Xadia, I appoint you captain of the Dragonguard. May you serve with honour!"
The crowd kept cheering. All, but Callum, who now looked at her with an alarmed expression. This means that she'll have to stay here… forever! This thought sent him into a panic, but he tried to hide it and clapped along, trying to be happy for her..
Meanwhile, Rayla tried to collect her own thoughts. Me, a Dragonguard! Sure, Janai had called her that, and she did see it as a chance to prove herself, but now it was official. But what did it mean for her future? She looked for Callum in the crowd and saw his panic-stricken face. Oh, Callum… she thought. What do we do now?
-/-/-/-
It was dark and damp in the cave. It was out of necessity that he stayed here, but he didn't have to like it. He worried constantly. He worried about the future, and he worried about the creature in the corner. But most of all, he worried about his daughter. To be resurrected! What a feat! But he recalled how she looked when he had woken up. My dear daughter… What did it cost you?
It was a few hours before Claudia returned. She had a bag with her, filled with various vegetables. Viren looked at her questionably. "Do you know which ones are edible?"
Claudia shrugged. "I used some magic to make sure." She tossed him a purple, round fruit and sat down. Viren almost bit into one, but hesitated. She isn't eating?
"Aren't you hungry?" he asked.
Claudia shrugged. "Not hungry," was her only response.
Viren at last took a bite. It was a rather spicy fruit, but it went down well. Soon, he felt much-needed strength returning to his battered and broken body.
Claudia spoke first. "So, what do we do now?"
Viren thought about the question. What now, indeed? He sighed and spoke his thoughts out loud. "We can't go back to Katolis. We have zero credibility left there. But we can't stay here either. Where are we anyway?"
Claudia shrugged. "Somewhere hidden," was all she would say. She glanced at the glowing shell in the corner. It radiated a sickly purple colour that pulsed like a heartbeat. Its pace is quickening, she thought.
Viren threw the remaining fruit in a corner, clearly frustrated. "I almost had it, Claudia. I almost had the power to end this conflict! And now…" He sighed and looked at his daughter, who now had her full attention on the purple cocoon. "Claudia, are you even listening!?"
She turned around. "Shhh! I think it's going to hatch."
"So what!?" Viren shouted. "We have nowhere to go! Even if that… that thing could somehow give us the power to defeat our enemies… Do you realise who our enemies are now? WE ARE! We are the enemies of Katolis!" he screamed, then clutched his chest and gasped for breath. Claudia rushed towards him.
"Hey, you must take it easy, dad. You've only been alive for a few hours!" Viren looked at her, but was still coughing. Claudia tried to smile. "Like, a baby, you know? No? Not the time for a joke?"
Viren let himself sink to the floor. "Claudia, what are we going to do?" he gasped. "The only people who would still support us are those of the other kingdoms. Neolandia, Del Bar and Evenere."
"Then let's go there!" Claudia said cheerfully.
"Well, we can't! Even if we travel miles through Xadia, dodging fire breathing dragons and murderous sun elves, we can't cross the border!" Viren was swhispering as his voice cracked. Claudia said by his side, trying to comfort him. Neither noticed the soft cracks that came from the cocoon. "And even if we did cross. If we somehow… grew wings or… could turn lava into water… Even if we got across, then we still had to travel through Katolis and Duren!" He slammed his fist against the wall with a loud smack.. He grabbed Claudia's hand. "Daughter, I have no way to get us back safely…"
A sickly, slimy sound was heard, coming from behind them. They turned just in time to see it emerge from the cocoon: A bug as large as a horse with large wings and six long, thin legs. It regarded them with two large, black orbs as eyes. In the very familiar voice of Aavaros it spoke, something that Claudia heard for the very first time.
"I can help with that."
Author's note:
I'm still struggling with the formatting options of Fanfiction-net . I think it took me about 5 or 6 tries to get this to be readable on the website. A lot of breaks were simply removed, and since FF automatically puts a space between each line, spaces between scenes aren't visible enough to be used as a break between them. I hope it is readable now. I'm open to any suggestions if you have any.
Review responses:
Gabischeu12.05: Thanks!
Oragonking: Thank you for the reviews! Queen Zubeia will have a role to play, both in my story and in the next season I think. Her personality suggests that she is open to the idea of peace, whereas King Avizandum (Thunder) was quite clear in his beliefs to not give the humans an inch. I introduced King Aureum Umbra as a realistic counterpart to her optimistic attitude. I agree with what you said about dark magic and the conflict, but keep in mind that not everyone views it that way, certainly not the inhabitants of Lux Aurea who just got a first-hand taste of the corruption of dark magic.
Zorg771: Thank you very much for your feedback on the formatting! Though I can consider myself a veteran reader, I've never really consciously looked at ways to improve the format of my writing. I just thought it looked nice. Thank you very much! This will certainly help me to improve my writing skills!
ChunkyFunkyMunky: Yeah, I now remember that archdragons were a thing in the show! Thanks for reminding me. However, Primes are seen as the leaders of a specific type of dragon. You can have more archdragons per species, but only one prime. As for the latin; I only have one friend who speaks latin and its name is google. The names are mostly chosen for how well they sound, though I do try to make them meaningful. The only titbits I do know I try to apply. As far as I know, Aureum is neuter, whereas Aurea is indeed feminine. As to the reason a white dragon is called the "golden shadow", well, you'll just have to continue reading ;)
Scribney: Thanks! I'm sure they'll play their part. I like to write about Viren's motivations. He failed, he has just died, and is now seeing the corruption grow in his daughter. What does that do to a man?