By the time, Rhun had caught up to Ezran he was still talking away with a story about his tenth birthday and all his adventures since, his absence clearly gone unnoticed. Rhun let out a quiet breath of relief. So Ezran hadn't heard of the attempt to be made on his father's life.
That didn't mean Rhun could avoid that topic, but it did mean he could put it off for another time.
As they approached the room Ezran shared with his older brother, Rhun went ahead to scan the area for someone or something lurking in the shadows. Laughing, Ezran came bursting in with Bait tucked under his arm, but Rhun's eyes continued to search the room for the slightest thing out of place or unusual even once he decided the coast was clear. Casually, he kept one hand near his weapons hidden in his vest before helping Ezran get ready. Excitedly, the young boy began to tear through his room, pulling clothes and toys from dressers and drawers then leaving them discarded on the floor without another thought.
Giving a soft chuckle of his own at the prince's antics, Rhun picked up some of the clothes and folded nearly, placing them in a small backpack on Ezran's bed. "You're supposed to be packing, not making a mess," he reminded him in a light tone.
"Sorry." In an instant, he took the bag from him and began stuffing it with some treats that looked suspiciously like jelly tarts. Then he held one up. "Want some?"
"No thanks," he said, looking down as Ezran's large blue eyes were still alight with excitement when they met. He paused for a moment and turned his head to the side.
"What are those on your face?" Ezran asked, pointing to his own face in the spots of Rhun's marks. "Are they tattoos?"
"Oh...those." Rhun self-consciously touched his face. Taking a moment to think of an answer, he finally decided there was no harm in the truth. Or at least parts of it. "No, they're not tattoos. They're birthmarks."
"Hmm. Well, they look cool."
That he didn't know how to respond to. "...Thanks? You'd be one of the first to say so. Most people think it looks weird. That I look weird. But, you know, there's nothing wrong with that. Everyone's a little weird."
"You don't look that weird. What's that?" Ezran asked, pointing to Rhun's neck where a small moonstone hung from a leather cord.
Rhun thought a moment before crouching down on his knees to be eye level with the prince, and leaned forward, loudly whispering, "Can you keep a secret?"
"Uh, not really. Could you tell me anyway? Please, please, please! I promise I'll try not to tell anyone, really!"
"Okay, okay, but only because you're the future king," Rhun chuckled. He took a deep breath and lifted the stone, fingers touching the smooth, cool surface. "This is a moon pendant. Do you know what those are?" At Ezran's shake of the head, he elaborated. "Well, among the primal sources, the moon is one of them. Moon magic draws on the the spiritual energy of the moon to create illusions and connect with spirits. Sometimes, those spells can be placed into certain items so they are at your disposal should you need them. This is one of those." Of course, he didn't tell Ezran the reason he needed it or why he wouldn't take it off.
"Are you a mage, then?"
"No, no, I wouldn't say I'm a mage. My dad's wife is, though, so I learned a few spells from her, and I learned how to use them."
"Is that why Dad wants you to protect us? Because you know magic?" Ezran asked, unusually perceptive for someone so young.
"It's a bit more complicated than that, but that's part of it."
"There's something more, though, isn't there?"
"Tell you what," Rhun said, clapping his hands as he stood back up. "I can't tell you. But...why don't we make it a game? If you can figure it out, I'll tell you." He gave another rare smile, flashing bright teeth and slightly sharper canines than your average human. "You can ask questions, you can make guesses, and I'll let you know if you're getting warmer or colder."
"That does sound like fun...okay! We can do it on our way to the Banther Lodge, too!" Ezran smiled widely, eyes twinkling, and there was a surge of guilt lying to him. But it wasn't lying if Ezran hadn't asked any direct questions, no, he was just...keeping what he knew to himself. That wasn't lying, right?
"That's right! And we're going to have a fun time there, I promise? Besides this one, we can play plenty of games over there; we don't need the snow to have fun. "O
"Great! Can we play one right now? Have you played hide and seek? "
Rhun, in fact, had not. Well, he had, but there weren't that many fond memories of it. Whenever anyone had played with him, they'd have him hide and then go off to play on their own while he waited for them to find him well after dark. He knew how the rules worked, though. "I don't think that's a good idea, Prince Ezran," he sighed, running a hand through his hair, still in its plait from Tzipora's grooming. "We really do have to go. Before the sun sets should be nice."
"Why?"
"It's easier to see the trail. As soon as Callum gets here and grabs his things, we should head out right away."
"Just one game, please! We can take turns," pleaded Ezran. "Bait will take his first, you'll get yours next, and then I'll have a turn. Then when Callum comes back, we can leave for the trip."
Letting out a long sigh, Rhun relented. "Alright. One game. But first, let's set some ground rules," he ordered. "You are only allowed to hide in this room, nowhere else. Got it?"
"Deal. Bait and I will go hide first."
Right as Rhun opened his mouth to protest, Ezran and Bait were already scurrying off to a hiding place. Glancing anxiously out the window to see the sun beginning its descent toward the horizon, Rhun found himself chewing on his thumbnail. A nervous tick he thought he'd outgrown by now. Even if they made it out the castle before sunset, they still needed to get through the woods and to the Banther Lodge before nightfall. Hide-and-seek thankfully passed by quickly. Rhun found Ezran easily but had declined his own turn to get the game over with and finish packing. Bait was a trickier one, but he eventually began to glow underneath a nearby blanket.
"Oh, Bait, you're terrible at hide and seek," Ezran giggled as held his pet. Yet the instant the game was done, Rhun started to usher Ezran back to his room.
"Well, that was fun, now let's go, go, go," he urged almost frantically, glancing back at the window then back to him. "Hurry up and finish packing. We've got to go now. If your brother's not here in five minutes, I guess I'll just have to pack for him, but we have got to leave!"
"What's with the—"
The door burst open and Rhun automatically tensed, positioning himself to shield Ezran from view but let out a breath of relief when he found only Callum. "What are you doing?" he demanded.
"Just get ready. We're leaving now, so just grab whatever you need, some clothes, or whatever, but we have to go," Rhun ordered sternly.
"Callum, do you want a—"
"No, I do not want a stupid jelly tart!" Callum exploded, whirling around to glare daggers at them. "Have you just been playing this whole time?"
"Well, where exactly were you this whole time?" Rhun questioned in a hard tone, folding his arms over his chest as he regarded the step-prince with narrowed eyes. "There isn't time to waste having a tantrum. You want to get angry, be angry when we're outside, away, safe." He added this in a hiss to keep Ezran from picking it up. "So relax, you can pack together."
"Tantrum?! I am trying to get ready, not having a tantrum!" Callum shouts as he shoved clothes into a bag, crying out and yanking his hand back in disgust when his hand came back with jelly tart jam all over it. "Ezran!"
"You should have seen the look on your face right now!" his younger brother laughed.
"You don't get it, do you?! Why do you think they're sending us away?"
"Callum, I think you need to calm down. Don't say something you'll regret."
"Calm down? How am I supposed to calm down?" Callum continued despite Rhun's warning. "They're sending us away because they are coming to kill him! And our new 'bodyguard' is here to keep us from dying, too!"
"Callum!"
But the damage was already done. Ezran stared at Callum with wide, frightened eyes before turning to Rhun as if begging him to say it wasn't true. But there was nothing in that moment Rhun could say or do to turn any of it on its head or make it better. Tears building in his eyes, Ezran seemed to take his silence for conformation, and ran into his room, slamming the door behind him. Bait hopped through the froggy-door to follow him, not before stopping to shoot Callum a glare. Or maybe he just always looked like that.
With Ezran and Bait now locked in their room, Rhun's regretful expression became furious as he turned on Callum, knowing the step-prince had not only upset his brother but had made his own job harder. "What," he growled, doing his very best to keep his temper in check, "possessed you to think it was a good idea to yell at a ten-year-old that his father is going to be killed? I get that this is a stressful time for everyone, but taking it out on your brother does not solve anything."
"I—I'm sorry I wasn't thinking," Callum stammered out, wincing under Rhun's glower.
"Apologize to him, not to me. We need to go, but first, you need to apologize." He pointed to the doors, pausing to take a deep breath to collect himself.
"Alright, alright." Callum made his way to Ezran's door and knocked gently. Mumbling incoherently about teenagers, Rhun left the room to give the boys their space.
A few minutes later, Callum came walking out only to be intercepted. "Now where are you going?" he demanded in exasperation. God, he sounded like Rosella, he realized in frustration.
"I'm just heading to the library to grab some books."
"Callum."
"I know there's not much time, but it'll only take a few minutes, and then I'll be back," he insisted before running off.
Rhun groaned softly. Still, he went back inside the room and knocked on Ezran's shut door. "I apologize Prince Ezran, but can we talk?" He wasn't sure what he could say. There was no way to make him feel better, but it might help for him to know he wasn't completely alone on this front; he too feared his father's fate of tonight, but he had to hope for the best.
With a sigh, Rhun opened the door slowly because while he had to be gentle, there wasn't much time to waste. The more time they spent, the more they were at risk. Yet once the door was fully open and Rhun's eyes searched the room, then they widened in alarm.
Ezran was gone.
"Damn," he mumbled, looking around frantically. How far could a ten-year-old go? Especially since there really weren't any other exits beside the door...and the window. As soon as the thought entered his mind, Rhun checked the window, breathing a sigh of relief there wasn't any evidence the boy had climbed out, nor should he from this height. A moment passed while he tried to slow his breathing and stop his erratic mind from racing.
A level, clear head helps best in a stressful situation, his father once said.
So Rhun breathed, relaxing a bit with each inhale and exhale until after one last exhale, he opened his eyes and searched the room again. Ezran had to be somewhere. There was no other way out beside the door and window, and Ezran didn't really seem the type to climb up walls. Unless... Well, a child Ezran's age would get bored easily whenever his brother was having lessons, and whenever children were left alone, they were bound to get curious. Even over things they were too young to know to be cautious about.
And maybe there was more to the castle than one might think... Weren't there passages in the walls of a castle, especially one as big as this? There had to be; it was sensible. In case of invasion, servants and such needing to get around without disturbing the royal family or guests, a shortcut to getting around such a large place, or when someone building it had needed a secret place only they knew of.
Maybe they branched out around here, too. Instantly, Rhun began to scour the walls for anything out of place when something caught his eye. An orange mark in the shape of a small handprint on one of the many stones in the wall. Gently prodding at the substance, Rhun put his finger in his mouth and tasted persimmon. "Jelly tarts," he chuckled to himself. And where there were jelly tarts, there was Prince Ezran.
Pressing down in the stone, he found it sink down slightly into the stone before the wall rumbled and opened to reveal a hallway dimly lit with the occasional glow along the walls. Cautiously, Rhun took a step forward into the hallway, then another, and another, feeling with one hand along the walls as he went on into the darkness.
It occurred to him when he heard the entrance close behind him that Ezran probably knew these passages better than he did.
Oh, well. All he had to look for was a glow-in-the-dark toad the prince never went anywhere without.
(Author's Note: Is it bad that after reading a comment on a Dragon Prince Wiki page on its magic that I now kind of want to see someone in the next season, or maybe a whole group, who prefer to use science rather than magic, and it's actually a good defense against it than everyone else thinks. What would be even cooler would be if it was a group of outcast elves and humans who were rejected from their own factions for their radical thinking who join forces with the main characters to help stop both powers from fighting a meaningless "Magic War," and— my gosh, I'm rambling, so I'm going to stop myself now. Until next time! 😊)