Elves were openly congratulating Rayla. They laughed and clapped her on the shoulder, or saluted in honour of her new position. Rayla found it difficult to accept the praise gracefully. She wanted nothing more than to run to Callum, but she couldn't see him anymore through the crowd.
King Aureum Umbra spoke, but she could barely hear him. She looked up to see him speaking softly to Queen Zubeia. Then, the dragon carefully made his way through to the exit, with Elves and the occasional human getting out of the way lest they get squashed.
Callum couldn't see Rayla anymore either, but he had a good idea where she was as the elves had swarmed around her to congratulate her. He found it hard to be happy for her. We were going to travel through Xadia together! he thought. Now, what do we do? He tried to calm himself. He quickly figured that as long as he was in Xadia, he could at least visit regularly. His mage wings would surely speed up his travels as well. He still needed permission to learn magic though. He eyed the cave entrance the king had just left through. I don't think he is the one to grant any favours, he thought bitterly. But the queen is much nicer. She might.
He stepped towards the dragon queen and noticed that Ezran walked beside him. His little brother looked sad. "What's the matter, Ezran?"
Ezran looked at him. It was clear he was trying to hold back tears. "This is it, isn't it?"
"This is what?"
Ezran looked back to Zym, who was hopping up and down without a care in the world next to his mother. "This is the part where we say goodbye."
Callum realised his little brothers' problem. Even though he, as a prince, still had some freedom, Ezran was the king. He belonged to the throne. It could be years before he would go back to the spire. All of a sudden, his own concerns seemed trivial. He tried to comfort him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. I'm sure that there will be many diplomatic reasons to visit him."
Ezran eyed him sceptically. "You really think so?"
"Sure!" He replied cheerfully. "Think of a jelly-tart shortage, or the peanut butter exchange trade, or what about the elf-kissing pandemic?"
Ezran was giggling but pulled a disgusted face at that last one. Callum laughed at his reaction.
They walked up to the stone plateau and stood before the mighty dragon queen, who quickly noticed them.
"King Ezran, Prince Callum, was there something else?"
Ezran fiddled with his hands. He no longer looked like a king, more like a shy ten-year-old boy. "Uhm, I just wanted to say goodbye to Zym, if that's alright." He muttered.
"Oh, little one… it is easy to forget how young you are," Queen Zubeia said with sympathy in her eyes. She nudged Zym towards Ezran. Zym flew into the boy's arms, who landed straight on his back, laughing as Zym gave him the zappy treatment. Callum was glad for their moment. He enjoyed seeing his little brother happy.
"Erhm, Queen Zubeia?" he started, craning his neck to look up to the giant dragon.
"Yes, Prince Callum? What is it?"
He sighed. He was all kinds of scared talking to the huge creature, but if he wanted to have any way of staying close to Rayla, he needed to do this. "So, I can do magic, I mean, I'm connected to the sky arcanum. And, well, normally, humans can't do that, but I can."
The queen didn't respond, but waited patiently for him to make his point.
"Well, the thing is, dark magic is easy, but wrong! It's very, very wrong, but easy. People will choose the easy way out if they don't have a good alternative." He took a deep breath. He was rambling and he knew it. "The point is, if I get to learn about the arcanum kind of magic, I might be able to teach other humans that! So, then they don't have to use Dark Magic anymore and poof! Problem solved!"
It was only now that Callum noticed the quiet in the great hall. He didn't dare turn around, figuring probably most anyone present was watching him.
"So, can I have your permission to find a magic teacher in Xadia, please?"
Queen Zubeia was silent for what seemed like a long time. Callum dared not look at her, or turn around, so he opted to inspect his boots. They were still soggy. He looked up when he at last heard the rumbling, soft tones of the dragon's voice, but when he heard her message, his heart dropped.
"Prince Callum, I know you mean well, but I don't think it is a good idea to allow you to travel through Xadia right now," she said. Her voice was heavy with regret and resignation.
"What!?" Callum's eyes widened. He looked the dragon in the eyes. "But why?" He asked softly.
"We have peace, but our peace is fragile, and King Aureum Umbra was very specific about the terms. Humans have to go through a checkpoint, which has not been established yet, so that we can control who enters our lands. And you need a royal seal for that. Right now, Xadia is not even aware of the new arrangement. How do you think elves would react when a human suddenly walks in their midst?"
Callum, in a burst of young wisdom, decided that now was probably not the time for his earthblood elf impression.
"Also," the dragon continued in a much more sombre tone, "I smell the stench of dark magic on you. I know you helped defend the Storm Spire, and I am grateful for that. But even so, every dragon will know what you have done. You must be prepared to accept that you may never enter Xadia again."
Callum was now absolutely panicking. Tears flowed freely over his cheeks. He wanted to scream that that wasn't fair, not after all he'd done. But nothing in this war had been fair. He struggled to contain his emotions and balled his hands into fists. Then, he felt a familiar hand on his shoulder.
"But that's not fair!" the strong, sweet female voice sounded on his right. "I know Callum messed up once to use Dark Magic, but he did so only once, and it was for a good cause! He tried to save another dragon!"
The dragon queen looked at Rayla, but her tone of voice remained unchanged. "Even so, what right did he have to use such magic? What right did he have to exchange one life for another?"
Rayla knew this, but she had to defend Callum. Rayla rallied, trying to shift their perspective. "He didn't, and he paid for it afterwards. He got very sick and nearly died. He learned from that and has never used dark magic since. He even connected to the sky arcanum! Look," She let go of Callum's shoulder and gestured with both hands to make her point feel stronger. "I'm not sayin' he was right to use dark magic. He wasn't. But his intent was. Even better, he now knows better than anyone why it is the wrong path to take! If anyone can teach that lesson to the other humans, it is him!" She stood there, one hand on her heart, the other outstretched to Callum. She had made her case as best as she could.
"Intent doesn't matter. The humans started using Dark Magic with the best of their intentions: to feed their children. But the corruption spread from there." The dragon queen shifted, the cave rumbling beneath her. She was uncomfortable with the situation and tried to find a solution in earnest. "However, I can see your point. I do not think that King Aureum Umbra would see it that way. He would fear that Callum would use dark magic again, and would need more to be convinced of his abstinence, but he is gone now." The dragon queen snorted, still not comfortable with the new arrangement of sharing power.
Callum had moved beside Rayla. He looked at her.
Rayla saw a mix of emotions in his eyes; fear, resignation, sadness. Rayla wondered if he saw the same in hers. But she would not give up hope. Not when they just got together. She steeled herself, grabbing Callum's hand and looked upwards to the dragon queen. "There must be something Callum can do to convince him!" Rayla said loudly. "We can't just keep being afraid of what the other might or might not do!"
"It is more the point of what he has done in the past, Rayla." The dragon queen rumbled. "But very well. I will offer this: Prince Callum is free to return to Xadia once he has brought proof to King Aureum Umbra that the dark mage's influence has been completely destroyed in Katolis. If he does this, we will be convinced of his intent to put dark magic behind him and reconsider his request."
Callum breathed in sharply. Okay, he thought, that's … doable. I'm not sure how yet, but okay. He looked at Rayla. I just hope it won't take too long.
The dragon queen regarded the pair with sadness in her eyes. In very soft tones, she rumbled "I'm sorry, little ones. If times were different, I could be more lenient. But this peace is fragile as a flower in winters' spring. We must tread carefully for now."
Rayla nodded, acknowledging the statement, and bowed. Callum followed suit, and together, they left the great hall.
Ezran looked his dragon-friend in the eye. "Well, so long buddy. I'll see you again, I'm sure of it." Zym pressed himself against Ezran, and he returned the hug. Then, the two separated. Ezran tried to not look back over his shoulder. He heard Zym yelping after him. Resolutely, he walked out of the great hall, tears streaming down his face.
-/-/-/-
The sun was setting as a small crowd had gathered at the entrance to the halls of the Storm Spire. King Ezran and Queen Aanya said their goodbyes to the various elves they had met. Soren checked their bags to see if everything was set for the long journey, impatient to get out of here. Dragons flew around the spire, with four dragons standing at the ready to fly the travellers down and give them a head start.
Callum stood away from the group, a sobbing Rayla in his arms. "It's not fair," she whispered between her sobs. "Just when A've finally found a friend, A must say goodbye again!"
Callum looked into her tearful eyes. He tried to keep it together." Don't worry, Rayla." A tremor could be heard in his voice. "We'll see each other again soon enough. I just have to destroy Viren's old room. It'll be fun to trash it," he said with a wink. Despite the tears, Rayla giggled.
"Callum, come on! We are leaving!" Soren shouted from atop his dragon. Strangely enough, he had grown to bond with Pyrrah. There was now a mutual sense of respect.
Callum rolled his eyes. "Just a minute!"
"Have you given her a sandwich yet?" Ezran shouted. Several people (mostly humans) looked at them strangely. Rayla didn't know what Ezran meant, but she saw Callum twitch at his mention.
"Ezran, why don't you just go ahead? I'll fly right behind you on my own." Callum replied with a strained voice.
Ezran didn't catch up on his tone. He merely shrugged and asked his dragon to leave. Soon, the entire delegation flew off into the sunset. The elves gave them a cheerful farewell.
Meanwhile, Rayla and Callum were still holding on to each other. "This is it, huh?" Rayla whispered into his ear. She was hugging him with all her might, nearly crushing the air out of him.
Callum didn't mind. "For now," he replied. He gathered his courage and broke off the hug. They looked into each other's watery eyes, both hoping to stretch this moment for eternity, both knowing they couldn't.
"I love you, Callum," Rayla whispered with a tiny voice.
"I love you, Rayla," he replied as he closed the distance. Elves around them gasped as they kissed openly. It lasted only a few seconds, but it was all they had and they made the most of it. Eventually, they broke their kiss, still staring into each other's eyes. Callum saw her fear and uncertainty, and made up his mind. He stepped back, took off the belt with his sketchbook and handed it to her. Rayla's eyes went wide and looked at him questionably.
"I know you'll take care of it. This way, you can see me when you want to."
"But, what about you?"
Callum smiled weakly. "I can always make more sketches. Take care, Rayla."
Rayla quickly stepped forwards and pressed her lips against his, then let go. Words could not convey her gratitude. She hoped that this might.
Callum stepped a few feet backwards. He still felt the tingle of Rayla's lips on his. He looked at the elf he loved as he stretched out his arms.
"Manus. Pluma. Volantis!" Magic transformed his arms into mighty wings. With one last look at Rayla, he brought his wings down and shot upwards, veering away from the spire. Rayla looked on with tearful eyes as the boy she loved flew into the sunset, disappearing in the distance.
-/-/-/-
The flight was long and landing was rough. Their ride skidded to a stop and Viren, still weak from his recent voyage into the afterlife, was flung from the large butterfly monstrosity.
"Ah, my apologies, Lord Viren." Aaravos' voice came from the mouth of the creature, though how the insectoid jaws could speak was anyone's guess.
Claudia let herself slide from the creature and stroked its wings, admiring the mesmerising patterns of blue and purple. "Thank you, Aaravos! You know, you're quite pretty!"
The creature regarded the black-and-white haired girl with curiosity. "That is remarkably nice of you to say. Unfortunately, not all would agree with your… analysis."
Viren watched the exchange with uneasiness. He felt that he had lost control of the situation. "So, Aaravos, why have you brought us here? I know that this is the wrong direction for the border. We've gone too far north!"
The creature turned its large pupil-less eyes towards him. "Very perceptive. The Kingdom of Neolandia is directly west of here, separated by the great sea and Duren behind that."
"So why are we here?" Viren pressed. He looked around himself. The landscape was barren. They were in some kind of mountainous region.
"We are where we want to be. Beyond that ridge" -the creature extended an appendage, "-lies the true seat of power in Xadia. The stones and stars tell me there will be an important meeting here soon. We want to be here to find out what has been discussed."
Claudia moved towards the ridge and gasped. "Dad! You must come and see this!"
Viren moved cautiously towards the ridge, keeping one eye on the creature at all times. It watched him impassively. When Viren peeked over the ridge, he could understand Claudia's amazement. Before him was a huge crater. It went on for miles, and while the slope wasn't too steep, it was quite deep. But in the middle, it came up again. A giant rock rested in the middle.
"It is called 'Garlath's Justice'," the creature supplied. "Supposedly, in ancient times, the deity Garlath threw this stone down at his enemies. Judging by the crater, the impact must have been felt for miles and miles."
Claudia whistled. "Whew, he sure didn't mess around! Talk about overkill!"
Viren eyed the stone, then turned towards the creature. "So what will happen here?"
"A dragonmoot," it said ominously.
-/-/-/-
The moon was full tonight. Rayla didn't have to stand outside to feel it. But she wasn't outside. She was on a bed in a room in the Storm Spire, clutching Callum's sketchbook to her chest. She had been crying most of the afternoon. She was reminded of when Callum had been comatose because of his use of dark magic. The pain in her chest was similar. The feeling of loss. The fear of never seeing her friend again. It was devastating.
A knock came on her door. Rayla quickly swallowed her grief, wiped her face, put the sketchbook beneath her pillow and opened it. Ibis stood on the other side.
"So, do you like the room?"
She gave him a weak smile. "I mean, as far as one can like a room, sure!" She looked back at her new home-away-from-home. It was cosy. The room was maybe five by ten feet. It had two enclosed beds hewn into the smooth stone wall left and right, and most of the wall had been decorated with basic patterns. Opposite the door was a small shrine where a luneflame was burning. Rayla thought it was a nice touch. The ever-burning candle was bright enough to flood the room in a soft, blue light. It was an item made by a moon arcanum mage, which made her feel more at home.
She looked back at Ibis and studied his face for a bit. He had a certain smile on his face and she guessed his intent. "This was where my parents lived, wasn't it?"
Ibis smiled broadly at her. "Very astute, Rayla of Xadia!"
She made a face. "Do you have to say 'Xadia' behind my name every time? We all know I'm from Xadia, you know!"
"Oh, but I insist!" Ibis made a slight bow. "The dragon king himself proclaimed it so. You are an official hero of Xadia, thus, you carry the title! It would do you no justice to hide the fact."
Rayla breathed sharply through her nose. More changes. She still wasn't sure this was the path she wanted. Maybe she just had to get used to it? "Well, anyway, you didn't come here to socialise with me, I reckon. How can I help ya?" She plastered a smile on her face, trying to bottle up any uncertainty deep within her.
"Well, actually, the queen has asked for you. I believe it has to do with the dragonmoot."
"Oh!"
-/-/-/-
For the umpteenth time, Rayla entered the great hall. Queen Zubeia was resting her head in the grass. Little Zym was nowhere to be seen but his snores could be heard coming from the top of the nest. The dragon queen opened her eyes but didn't raise her head, just regarding Rayla silently.
Rayla stood before her and bowed. "You sent for me, my queen?"
"Yes, I did." The queen was silent for a moment before continuing. "How are you, Rayla?"
Rayla was taken aback by the question. "Oh, um, fine, your majesty. How 'bout yourself?" She mentally slapped herself for sounding so informal with the dragon queen. But the queen didn't seem to mind.
"Tired. Very happy, but very tired. When I went to sleep all those weeks ago, my heart was nearly empty. And now, everything has changed! There is hope again!" Then, the giant dragon's eyes turned sad. "But… I do miss Avizandum. I miss him so much."
Rayla stood in shock as the dragon queen confessed her feelings. She felt tears well up inside of her, but she dared not show them, not even now that the dragon queen was showing her own.
"I'm telling you this because I feel terrible for something else. I saw how you looked at the human, at… Prince Callum."
Rayla felt the blood rush to her cheeks. She couldn't deny it; too many had seen them kiss. She was certainly not ashamed of it. "Uhm… yes?" she ventured uncertainly.
"I just wanted to know if there was anything I could do to make your stay here more bearable, now that…" the queen was silent for a while, trying to find a diplomatic way to finish the sentence.
Rayla had already done so in her head. Now that fate has backhanded me yet again? Or that you've so suddenly separated us? She respected the queen, but she was angry as well.
"...Now that you'll come to live with me and little Azymondias. I believe you call him Zym?"
Rayla grinned, feeling shy at the comment and sudden change of topic. "Yeah… Azymondias is a real mouthful. Ez- King Ezran decided on the nickname, and it kind of stuck."
The dragon queen made no comment, but let out a grunt of approval.
Rayla rubbed her arms, feeling uncertain. "As for stayin' here… I don't know. Do I have to stay here forever?"
The dragon looked a bit shocked at the question and contemplated on how to answer. "Well, you are captain of the Dragonguard. And currently, the only Dragonguard we have. Would you prefer not to be, then?"
"Uhm… can I be honest?"
"Please."
Rayla let out a deep breath. There was still an internal debate going on about how much she could tell the dragon queen. Sure, she was her queen, and Rayla was her willing subject, but that didn't mean they had to get to know each other on a personal level. Then again, they did have a lot in common. They both had lost people they loved during the war and while love did blossom in the form of a boyfriend or a thought-to-be-lost son, the scars of that loss were still present. Rayla at least could dream and hope that she would be reunited with Callum someday. Queen Zubeia would have no such hopes… Rayla made up her mind and decided to take a leap of faith.
"It is a great honour to be chosen for the Dragonguard, and in all honesty? I think I'm better suited for it than I was for being an assassin." She said the last part with a wry grin, then she continued. "But bein' cooped up here for the rest of my life? I don't know. I had never thought about it, and now that I'm here, I feel…" She looked at the dragon. Be honest, Rayla, she thought to herself. "I feel trapped. I like bein' here, and I like that I now get to watch Zym every day, but bein' here forever?" She put her arms around her chest, feeling cold all of a sudden. "Bein' away from Callum forever?" she added much quieter. "I don't know."
The dragon regarded her for a while. "I understand. Thank you for your honesty."
Rayla looked at the dragon. "Since we're bein' honest, how does this sit with you?"
"What does?"
"That I love Callum." Rayla pressed. She groaned inwardly. It sounded so awkward!
"Why would my opinion matter?"
"Well… " She paused. She had no answer to that. Or actually, she had. Deep down, she wanted to feel approval. She wanted the feeling that what she was doing was right, that what she was feeling was right. She looked to the ground and hugged her chest tightly.
"I'm not opposed to it, Rayla," the dragon queen rumbled. "In fact, your love may be a driving force to bring Xadia and the human kingdoms together. Do you know how rare it is for an elf and a human to fall in love? What you have is truly special!" The queen was trying to cheer her up.
"But how can I do that, when he's over there and I'm stuck here?" She looked up. The dragon appeared blurry in her eyes. No, please, not now. Not in front of the queen!
"Well, then maybe we can help each other out. In fact, I called you here because we need more Dragonguards. There were eight, originally."
Rayla nodded and wiped her tears. She knew because of her parents.
"If you can find and train seven other Dragonguard, then perhaps we could set up a system where there is room for one of them to leave the Storm Spire for a while."
Rayla mulled it over. The queen was giving her the tiniest bit of hope that things could still turn out for the best. But the queen handed her a lot of responsibility in that regard. "You want me to find other elves?" Rayla asked in a surprised voice.
"Of course. You are the captain of the Dragonguard. This responsibility rests upon you. But Ibis will help you get started."
"Alright. Uhm… I suppose I should get started then, huh?"
The dragon yawned and nodded. Rayla turned to leave, but stopped at the entrance.
"Oh, Ibis said something about the dragonmoot?"
"Ah… good of you. I almost forgot. The dragonmoot will be in two weeks. Myself and Azymondias must make an appearance, so you will have to travel with us. You have until then to find others for the guard."
Rayla paled a bit. "Oh-kay. No problem!" She stammered. She bowed awkwardly and stumbled out of the great hall. Right, she thought to herself. I just need to find the finest warriors in the land. But no pressure! Oh, by the way, we're also goin' to a super important meeting, so you have to get it done in like, two weeks! She groaned out loud as she made her way back to her chamber.
She walked out of the halls and upwards to the plateau at the peak of the Storm Spire. She was angry. Even though the queen had been sympathetic and even had given her hope that she would see Callum again, she still was angry because of the situation she was in. What did I do to deserve this!? she thought. She didn't have an answer and so decided to vent her anger by doing some training under the full moon.
It was a clear sky, with the light of the full moon radiating down upon her. As she stood at the peak, she felt a surge of power and emotions coarse through her. She grabbed her swords, flicked them open and held them outstretched. She looked towards the moon. She felt its power, and let it overwhelm her. Her body transformed. Her form became dark and translucent. Dark shadowy wisps flowed over her form. Her eyes turned black, except for her violet pupils. She trembled. The last time she felt this power, she had fought Runaan. She felt the stab in her chest as she thought of him. He had always been like a father to her, even though he was strict and demanding. Knowing that he passed that night, that the last interaction she had with him was fighting…
She closed her eyes and struck with her sword. She stabbed and swung upward. In her mind, unseen enemies fell before her. She twirled and slashed around the plateau. Her thoughts flowed freely. She thought of the moments she shared with Callum, about how she almost lost him to dark magic. About how they travelled through the midnight desert.
Her movements became more intense but also had more grace as her emotions became more positive. She thought of the embarrassment of her first kiss with him. That embarrassment fled away quickly as the next night Callum showed her he felt the same way. Her heart fluttered as they had travelled all the way to the spire, hand in hand, feeling completely comfortable with each other. Then, the pain returned as she thought of the final battle. Of her inability to come even close to Viren. In the end, she was prepared to make the final sacrifice. It was something that she was secretly very proud of. That she wouldn't run away, that she would go on and fight until the end.
But Callum had saved her. As she twirled around at the centre of the plateau, her arms outstretched and her blades slicing through the air, her thoughts returned to how he had jumped after her, not knowing for certain if his spell would work. Yet it did and he had plucked her out of the air. Slowly, her spinning came to a stop. She was out of breath. Her arms dropped to her side. She stared at the moon and felt the wetness on her cheeks.
She loved him. Of course, she was in love with him, but she instinctively felt that their connection ran deeper than that.
And now he was gone. She didn't know when she would see him again. Secretly, she wondered and feared whether she would see him at all.
She sank to her knees and cried. And this time, there was no sweet human prince nearby to comfort her.
Author's note:
Alright, so far so good as far as the schedule is concerned. These next few weeks will be very busy on my end, but on the bright side, I've already written quite a lot for the next chapters. With luck, I'll be able to finish the entire story next week. It that does happen, I'll increase the update schedule to Fridays and Sundays.
As always, if you like the story, please let me know! Motivation is key, and I'd love to hear from you, so please leave a review!
Review responses:
Oragonking: Good to hear from you again! I hope that Ezran will have the time to visit the Dragon Queen and Zym more often, and vica versa, but he is also the king of Katolis. He has responsibilities. As for Callum; thats true, I know. Did I get it wrong somewhere in the story though, since you comment on it? If so, let me know!
Archangel12575: Hehehe, that made me laugh! Been awhile since I've watched The Phantom Menace. I'm not sure were going to make a sith lord out of poor litl' Ezran, but who knows? :P
Gustrubio: Oh wow, how did I ever not notice that?! I keep saying it wrong in my head as well! Thanks a lot for spotting that one, I'll rectify that immediately!