Here it is, folks; Chapter 2 is here! Yay, hooray *pops the party poppers and sound the party horns*!
Before we begin, I would like to thank Blue Wolf Blade 16, Roserozu and WyldClaw for the wonderful comments and also, Dasgun; while I'm happy that you're following the story but how can I know what your thoughts about it if all you're going to say is nothing?
This is it, folks! The moment that we have all been waiting... The fateful meeting of Rayllum, hooray! *Feels goosebumps on arms* Look at these goosebumps!
After almost being found by Soren and the Crownguard, Raylan has no other choice to change his game plan whereas Calla struggles in breaking the news to Ezran. Meanwhile, Viren and Harrow argued about what course of action to take, Claude introduces magic to Calla and Soren is off somewhere preparing for tonight's mission.
Tensions soon begins to rise as the clocks ticks away and the wheels of fate begins to turn!
Remember, this story is similar to the canon but with a few twists and turns, suspenseful cliffhangers and a little bit of Genderswap madness! Like before, I would like to give a big shout-out to Zubeia on the The Dragon Prince fandom wiki for providing the episode transcripts, 'cause without them, this wouldn't be made possible!
But before I go, here are some pointers that will appear in the story:
- "'[]'" for Thought
- "[]" for Whispering
- Bold italic/Italic are for the introduction cards, ASL speaking and singing respectively.
- (*) are noting the important aspects that will appear at the end of the chapter (i.e.; the footnotes).
Don't forget to like, comment and fave! Remember, I do not own anything related to the show, the work belongs to Aaron Ehasz, Justin Richmond and Wonderstorm! But the Characters (ergo, the OCs) that will show up in the later chapters are mine, so please; do not use them without permission!
Now sit back and watch the drama unfold!
- Yuuguregurl21.
*Previously on Caelesti Lunaris...
"An Assassin... A scout on patrol had discovered the intruder just before dawn."
"We believe that it's a Moonshadow Elf."
"Four full moons past, on the eve of Winter's Turn, the Humans crossed into Xadia and murdered the King of the Dragons... Then they've destroyed his only egg, the Dragon Prince but tonight, I bind my life to Justice.
"My father's life is at stake here. I'm not gonna hesitate."
"You're not ready to do whatever it takes."
"I am the Princess of Katolis, and I am willing to do whatever it takes to––!?"
"And if we're not back with the Elf's head on a pike, you and Ezran are to leave for the Banther Lodge as ordered."
"Well, so much for Plan A… What's Plan B?"
"Yeah, that's what I thought..."
*~Seeing people change isn't what hurts. What hurts the most is remembering whom they used to be.~
~(Later on, over at Raylan's campsite...)~
After successfully misleading the Crownguard and accidentally jeopardizing his mission even further, Raylan climbs up the tallest tree overlooking the Katolian forest as he keeps a stern gaze upon the human capital in the distance, carefully surveying the castle's walls and sees that the enemy has begun doubling its' defenses by stationing more soldiers to the battlements throughout the castle.
"Great, now what?"
Raylan said, annoyed at the fact that his mistake in sparing Marcos had cost him the element of surprise and ponders on what course of action to take before he glances down at the camp where Corran, having reverted back to his original form which was about the size of a decent tomcat, was busy grooming himself after chasing the moon moth in a game of tag.
Envying how his Primal Fury companion can stay relaxed in a pinch, Raylan smiled softly at Corran's antics before he looks back at the castle again, becoming lost in his thoughts until his eyes lit up with an idea; something that will help him out of the predicament that he inadvertently created… The only downside is that Corran isn't going to like it one bit.
"It's a long shot but it's better than nothing. It's like the old Human saying, *'Opportunity knocks on your door'."
Raylan said, understanding that the only way to accomplish his goal without endangering himself was to strike immediately as he recites an old metaphor incorrectly before he jumps down from the tree, landing safely upon the ground as he approach the napping Corran and rouses the sleeping feline out of his slumber-induced state while Raylan beckons the Moonlight Fury to follow him much to Corran's confusion but obeyed his command nonetheless and lets out a small yawn and stretched his body languidly, releasing any tension within his body as he walks after the retreating teenage Elf, who continues to lead Corran further into the forest and away from the camp before he stops himself in his tracks midway, turning on his heel and sees Corran catching up to him.
"Corran, I need you to listen to me very closely. I have to sneak inside and carry out the order now, so it's important that you stay here where it's safe."
Raylan musters up the courage to drop the news to Corran and orders him to stay in the forest while he goes off into the castle without back-off much to Corran's shock and quite naturally, the overprotective magical feline growled in protest.
"Bud, listen to me; it's not safe for you to be in the camp anymore. You need to stay here where the Humans can't find you. If it weren't for my screw-up earlier, we wouldn't be in danger right now; which is why I have to go and make right… Somehow."
Raylan stresses the importance of keeping Corran safe and out of sight now that their location is compromised and how he needs to salvage it while he still can, much to Corran's grumpy disapproval.
"Well, unless you've got another suggestion, Mr. Johnny-Complaints, you're staying put and that's final."
"… … …"
Raylan said sarcastically, asking that unless Corran proposes an alternative solution and finalized his order as Corran huffed grumpily and sits down near a rock, prompting Raylan to relax his stature and looks up at Castle Katolis with a determined look.
"I can still fix this."
Raylan said as he dashes off and jumps over a few stones with relative ease and disappears deep into the forest, heading towards the castle while Corran lies down on the ground and rests his head on his paws with a worried look.
~(Meanwhile, over at Castle Katolis...)~
After silently letting it out, Calla dried her tears and gets up from her bed and walks over to Ezran's door, mustering up the courage to tell the young boy the real reason why their father wants them to go to the Lodge.
"*sigh* [Here goes…] Uh, Ez?"
Sighing, Calla whispered lightly as she knocks on the door, hoping to grab Ezran's attention from whatever game he was playing along with Bait.
"Ezran, about what happened earlier with me and Uncle Caleb… About what's going to happen to the King, there might be a possibility that… But I'm pretty sure that everything's going to be okay."
Calla said, explaining that the conversation between her and Caleb wasn't what he thought it was, about what was going to happen to their father before she stops herself midway and hear Ezran's response, only to be answered with silence till Calla reassures the young prince that everything will be all right.
"C'mon, later; you can call me a jerkface and I'll do the crazy *jerkface dance for you. You know, it's the dance of stupidtude and sorry-ness that you love so much."
Suspecting that Ezran isn't talking due to her lies, Calla proposes in letting Ezran calling her a 'jerkface' and show her willingness to performed the famous 'Jerkface Dance', something that she created whenever she does anything that's deemed 'unsisterly' as she gestures in a silly fashion while she grins widely, knowing how it never fails to put a smile on his face; only to get the same result.
"Okay, well, I'm going to go grab some books for our trip. We don't have much time, so I'll be back to help you in a few. Hibari, can you keep an eye on them until I get back, please?"
Saddened that her attempt didn't work, Calla slumps over her shoulders in defeat before she calls out to him again, intending to walk towards the castle's library and pack some books for them to read for their trip to the Lodge as she steps away from the door and checks it one more time before turning away from it, grabbing her pack from the edge of the bed and placing Hibari in charge till she returns as the Mérchâtte mews in confirmation.
Calla then fixes the bag over her left shoulder and leaves the room as she makes her way down the stairs and into the corridor leading to the library until she bumps into Riasal, who has the same destination in mind.
"Oh, Professor Riasal; good afternoon."
"And a good afternoon to you too, Princess. What brings you to the library?"
"Well, I kind of figured that with what's going on, I might borrow a few books or so for the trip; something that will help keep me and Ez preoccupied during our stay."
"If that's the case, might I recommend a few books of my own for you to read? It just so happens that I have the perfect book in mind."
"I would love to."
Calla greets her tutor politely as he returns the gesture while the latter inquires what had prompted his pupil in visiting the library whereas she states her intentions due to the current situation, prompting Riasal to offer the princess his help and recommends a certain book that will guarantee her interest much to Calla's delight.
The pair entered the library as they walked pass two statues before Riasal breaks away from Calla and sets out to find the book whereas Calla begins her own search by approaching a bookshelf, browsing a little before she pulls out a red book titled 'Lost Secrets of Xadia' which she places it onto the floor and begins reading it a little with a small smile on her face when suddenly..
Swish...
"Huh? *gasp*"
A page slowly turns automatically before they all begin to turn on their own as if someone was flipping over the pages in haste, shocking Calla as she gasps in shock and stumble backwards in fright.
"H-how in the..."
"*snicker*"
Startled, Calla wonders aloud before she hears someone softly snickering, looking over to another bookshelf and sees the culprit revealing himself to be none other than Claude as he comes out of his hiding place with a dark blue *Primal Stone in hand.
"Aspiro."
Wham…! Thud!
Wanting to show off a little more, Claude draws a light-blue rune in the air and whispers the incantation for the wind breath spell, one of the many spells for Sky Magic as he summons a gust of wind and directs it to the book, moving it slightly before he slams it against the other bookshelf while Claude continues snickering in amusement as he approached Calla, who quickly gets up from the floor and back up on her feet.
"For a moment, I thought the book was haunted or something."
"You should've seen the look on your face, it was completely adorable."
"Ridiculous, right? Uh, did you just say 'adorable'?"
"Did I?"
Calla said, expressing her belief that the book was haunted by some form of entity while Claude playfully teases the young girl, relishing at his childhood friend's reaction before Calla talks about how ridiculous she looked at the same time, causing her to pause mid-sentence and curiously wondered if she heard Claude correctly, in which the Dark Mage apprentice replied coyly as his smile had send Calla into a blushing silence.
"It's so amazing that you can do cool things like that."
"Nah, it's just a simple wind breath rune, watch. Aspiro."
Regaining her bearings, Calla clears her throat and praises Claude's ability in pulling off magic while the latter explains that it's just a regular spell as he lifts up his Primal Stone and draws the rune again but on a much smaller scale, speaks the incantation and blows a small gust of wind into Calla's face as the girl closes her eyes in reflex until it was over.
"Can you smell the peanut butter?"
"Oh, yeah, is that also part of the spell?"
"Nope, it's just what I had for lunch."
Claude asks curiously, wondering if Calla can smell the peanut butter as Calla gave her confirmation after sniffing the air scented with the said spread for a moment, inquiring if it being a side-effect to the spell before Claude debunked her theory and revealed that he had ate a peanut butter sandwich beforehand.
"See this? It's called a Primal Stone, it uses magical energy from one of the Six Primal Sources; look."
The two friends laughed happily before Claude lifts up his Primal Stone and explains how it contains the magical energy from the legendary sources of magic as he hands it over to Calla for her to see the source that powers the stone.
"Wow, what's inside?"
"A storm. Like, an actual storm, captured from the top of Mount Kalik."
Calla asks as she takes up the stone and examines it in awe, wondering what was trapped inside the glass sphere and sees the roiling storm clouds as flashes of lightning began to flicker like a candle as Claude reveals that the source powering the stone is a real-life thunderstorm captured from the very summit of Mount Kalik, the tallest mountain in the Kingdom of Katolis itself.
"Wow, that's incredible. You're so lucky that you get to learn magic."
"Well, you get to learn cool things like sword-fighting, which is impressive."
Calla said as she hands the stone back to Claude, praising how fortunate the apprentice is by able to learn magic despite her feeling envious herself since it was secretly her dream to learn magic ever since she was a little girl after hearing the stories about Xadia as Claude points out how Calla is lucky to learn sword-fighting even if it's just for self-defense regardless of her gender is an impressive feat.
"Thanks, but honestly; I'd switch places in a second."
"*gasp* Oh ho ho ho…!"
"Whoa…!"
Calla voiced her desire to switch places with him in a heartbeat, causing Claude to gasp in shock as his eyes lit up with an idea in mind and taps his nose thrice, wagging his finger at Calla, chuckling in delight before he runs off without a word; leaving the princess by herself and turns left around the bookshelves before a beat later, he corrects himself and dashes to the right instead; almost colliding with Riasal, of whom was returning to Calla after finding a certain book as the tutor braced himself against the bookshelf to avoid the speeding young man.
"Wonder what got him all worked up? He looked as if he was having a race with a flock of *bumble-scorps."
"I have no idea but one thing's for certain… I do not understand boys."
Riasal asks, wondering what has gotten Claude all worked up and compared him to having a competition with bumble-scorps before he looked over his shoulder as Calla voices her uncertainty till she mimics the older boy's antics, tapping her nose the same way Claude did, looking happy till she slumps over her shoulders in confusion, stating her lack of understanding men much to Riasal's mild confusion before the scene changes over to Harrow, who gazes out the window overlooking the forest with a forlorn expression, the sun slowly passes the high noon mark, beginning the countdown to his inevitable demise as he becomes lost in his thoughts that he ignored the sound of the door opening, revealing the visitor to be Viren.
"My King, we haven't been able to find the Elf."
Seeing his old friend by the window, Viren closes the doors behind him and approached the *Servant King with the intent to deliver the recent news concerning the search for the Assassin.
"Sundown is only an hour away; Soren and the others have returned to bolster your defenses."
"It won't be enough. I've accepted that tonight, I may pay for the price of our mistakes."
Viren continued and expressed that his son and the other Crownguard have returned from the search in favor of doubling the castle's defenses before Harrow tells the High Mage that even with the additions to the defenses, it still wouldn't be enough and has long accepted the consequences of his actions.
"Harrow, don't give up just yet; Claude and I are still searching for a creative solution."
Knowing what Harrow was talking about, Viren placed a hand on Harrow's shoulder and expressed that he and Claude are doing everything they can to find a creative solution to the problem as Harrow closed his eyes in exhaustion, having heard the same tune over and over again.
"Just call it what it is… Dark Magic."
"Yes."
"I've spent years going along with these 'creative solutions' of yours and look where it's gotten me?"
"I don't understand."
"I know you don't… Leave me."
Harrow said in a serious tone, his voice tinted with seething anger as his expression no longer holds any admiration for the dark practice much to Viren's shock as he pulls back his hand and backs away before the latter vents out how he went along with the High Mage's 'creative solutions' over the years and angrily retorts how 'helpful' it was to him much to Viren's confusion as Harrow points out the latter's failure to understand before he orders him to leave, in which Viren complies silently and leaves the room.
"*sigh*"
Just after Viren closes the doors behind him, Claude suddenly rushes towards him, exclaiming in excitement while tapping his nose repeatedly, pointing his finger back and forth between himself and his father much to Viren's irate confusion.
"Okay, what is that, with the nose and the finger? Not everybody speaks 'Claude' Claude."
"It means… I've got something."
"… … …"
Viren asks exasperatedly, not feeling the mood to humor Claude's usual antics as he tells his younger son that not everyone, including him, can speak the same language before Claude explains that he, along with the princess's unintentional help, found a possible solution to their problem much to Viren's surprise.
Around the same time, Calla returns to her room where she sees Hibari snoozing on the edge of her bed before she sees that Ezran's door was still closed much to her slight chagrin as she walks over to it and tries again.
"Ezran, we need to get going. It's almost sundown."
"… … …"
Calla said as she knocks on the door, expressing that it's almost time for their departure for the Banther Lodge and waits to hears her little brother's response… Only to be met with silence like before.
"Uh, Ez? Ezran… *gasp*"
Calla asks questionably before her eyebrow furrows in worry, causing her to place her bag on the floor and kneels down as she opens Bait's pet door to check on Ezran, only to find the room completely empty much to her shock.
"Oh, no…!"
"Princess Calla."
Bonk!
"Ow! Uh…"
Calla whispered worryingly as panic begins to take hold of her, unaware that a guard named *Malcolm had entered the chambers and announced his presence to the preteen, causing her to hit her head the small door's beam and rousing Hibari from her nap.
"Heh heh, O-of course, we're both here. Why wouldn't we be?"
Calla crawls out of the small doorway and sits up straight while holding her head as she chuckles breathlessly, covering for Ezran while trying her best not to look unnatural as she hides the fact that the Crown Prince is currently missing much to Malcolm's mild confusion.
"Right. Well, the king wishes to speak with you alone, Princess."
"Oh…! Uh, perfect."
Unsure what Calla is nervous about, Malcolm shakes it off and relays that Harrow wishes to speak with the girl alone much to her surprise as she gets up from the floor and brushes herself off while motioning Hibari to come along; causing the Mérchâtte to stretch languidly and jumps off the bed.
"But he could've seen the both of us if he wanted to."
"*sigh* Girls."
Calla said nervously as she picks up her bag up and makes her way for the throne room, leaving Malcolm behind as he rolls his eyes at the girl's antics in exasperation before he leaves the bedchamber and returns to his duties.
"… … …"
But unbeknownst to the guard, Calla and Hibari had hid behind a corner before Calla peeked over the wall and saw him disappear behind the corridor, giving her the chance to talk to Hibari as she kneels down and holds her in her arms.
"Hibari, there's something that I need you to do for me. I need you search the castle and find Ez and Bait. Once you do, come and find me, okay?"
"*meow*"
Calla said as she politely asks for Hibari's help in finding Ezran and Bait, causing the Mérchâtte mewl in confirmation as she jumps from Calla's arms and trots down the hallway to look for the wayward Ezran and the grumpy Bait while Calla makes her way to the throne room.
~(Meanwhile over in the Forest of Katolis...)~
Around the same time, Raylan jumps through the treetops with relative ease, leaping from one branch to another before he stops on one branch and found two Katolian guards in a clearing, conversing with each other.
"Yesterday, I had two eggs and I was starving…! But today, I had four eggs and now I'm stuffed! So, tomorrow––"
"Three eggs, I get it. We don't need to talk, *Bryan."
Bryan recounts what he ate and how starved he was at the end of his shift to his partner, *Ursula while Bryan expressed child-like delight and pats his belly in satisfaction as he tries to announce his next meal for tomorrow before Ursula curtly cuts him off and looks the other way, unaware that Raylan was listening in on their one-sided conversation.
"I was about to say three eggs and sausage…"
"Uh-huh, sure you were."
Bryan said weakly, disappointed that Ursula shot down his claim as they both resume their duties while Raylan narrowed his eyes and continued to make his way through the treetops before landing on ground as he hides behind a tree while two more guards who were patrolling nearby pass, conversing indistinctly with each other; something that Raylan couldn't care less as he moved around the tree slowly as to not alert them. Once they were out of sight, Raylan resumes his trek across the path until he reaches the riverbed surrounding the capital as the river rages over the rocks like a roaring tsunami upon a stormy night, his eyes grew wide like saucers from the amount of water.
"*gasp*"
For a mere moment, Raylan felt a tinge of fear as he takes a step back; his hand clutching his heart as the water caused him to remember a *certain incident from when he was a small elfling before he shuts his eyes tight and inhales sharply as he musters up the courage to try his luck in climbing the wall up to the castle.
"Okay, okay; here we go, here we go… Whoa!"
Raylan whispered as he gives himself a confidence boost and takes out his twin blades, swiftly switching the mechanisms to hooks and jumps over the rocks one by one before he makes a big jump and slams his blades onto the rocky surface of the wall but due to the gravity of his body weight, it caused him to slide down the slope much to his shock as he continues to slide down until the tip of his blade successfully caught the rocky ledge of the cliff, halting his descent.
"*pant, pant* That was cutting close for my taste… Alright, let's try this again."
Surprised that he nearly had a brush with Death, Raylan regained his bearings and brought forth his other blade onto the ledge, pulling himself upward. Using a different method, Raylan dug both his blades into the slope one at a time and begun to rock-climb his way up to the castle.
The mid-spring breeze suddenly began to pick up speed as it rustles the trees, causing several branches to dance in concerto until the leaves detached themselves from them as they got caught by the tailwind and soared across the air like snowflakes carried by the wintry winds while the silence was broken by the distant sound of tinkling bells until the scene switches over to Calla who had finally reached the throne room as she opens the door and peeks inside.
"Uh, you wanted to see me, sir?"
Calla asks politely as Harrow turns around to face her, causing Calla to close the door and walk up to her stepfather as she places her bag down on the ground while a sad expression graced her features.
"Princess Calla."
"My King."
"No, I… Please."
"Oh, okay."
Harrow said as he addresses Calla before the girl bows and greets him formally much to Harrow's discomfort, stepping closer and gestures Calla to raise her head; not wanting to spend the last moment with her as the King but as a parent while Calla complies and raises her head.
"Calla, I know that I'm not your birth father, but I want you to know that… *sigh* This isn't exactly easy, but the most important things, I've written down."
Harrow said solemnly, expressing his sentiments about being Calla's stepfather before he stops himself midway as he sighs briefly and commented how breaking the news to her isn't as easy as he originally thought before he pulls out a sealed letter and gives it to Calla.
"A letter?"
"You'll understand in time. I want you to break the seal when… *sigh* Well, you know when."
"When you've been killed?"
Calla asks uncertainly as she takes it and examined its' wax seal, seeing the Royal Crest of Katolis so clear like the night sky after a ravenous storm before she looks up worryingly while Harrow instructs her to open the letter when the time comes much to Calla's dismay.
"War is filled with uncertainties, Calla."
"Then why can't you do something about it? Can't you just make peace with them?"
Harrow said grimly as he puts his hands on Calla's shoulders, expressing how unclear the outcome is during war while Calla desperately tried to reason with Harrow, wondering why he couldn't just end the war by striving for peace and making amends with Xadia instead.
"It's not that simple, Calla."
"Well, it seems pretty simple to me!"
Harrow said, knowing full well how ending the war isn't as simple as she believes it to be before Calla pushes him away and expressed how simple achieving peace is.
"You don't want to die, and I'm pretty sure the Elves and Dragons don't want to die either so naturally everyone agrees."
"Calla, there are centuries of history. Generations of wrongs and crimes, and on both sides. I am responsible for some of those wrongs..."
Calla said, emphasizing that neither Harrow, the Elves and Dragons don't want to die and how both sides share the same sentiment before Harrow explains to Calla that due to the mutual animosity, war has caused both sides to commit countless atrocities over the centuries and expressed that he unknowingly continued the cycle like so many before him.
"I've done terrible things. Things that, as King, I thought were necessary but now, I don't know."
Harrow said, explaining how he committed crimes against Xadia over the years and how he thought his actions were necessary; things which resulted the death of a loved one before he expressed his uncertainty to Calla as he closed his eyes in resignation.
"But I do know that I will pay the price for the choices that I've made."
Harrow said solemnly, understanding that his impending death is the result of his comeuppance and how he is ready to pay the price for his actions against Xadia.
"There has to be another way to make things right."
"It's too late."
Calla said, remaining hopeful that there is another way to resolve the situation without bloodshed but Harrow has long accepted that there is no other way as he turns away from her and looks afar.
"What is done cannot be undone."
"But you're the king! You can do anything!"
Harrow said, firmly accepting his fate before Calla desperately protested as she points out that as the King of Katolis, he has the power to change things much to Harrow's amusement as he chuckles at her praise.
"*sigh* The greatest illusion of childhood is that the adults have all the power and the freedom in the world but the truth is the exact opposite..."
Harrow said tiredly, recounting how children have a childish belief that the adults are these powerful figures who have the freedom to do whatever they wished before he points out the opposite much to Calla's slight confusion.
"...A child is more freer than a king."
"I'm going to give this back to you this weekend, okay? I-I'm not going to have to open this."
Harrow said, forlornly expressing his envy that compared to a king, a child has more freedom as Calla looks down at the letter and tightly clenches it in her fist before she looks up at him again, her eyes beaming with determination and vowed to return it by the end of the week as she conveys her intent to not read it.
"Take care of your brother."
Harrow said softly as he leaves Ezran in her care before he turns his back to her, causing Calla to relent and walks away from him as she grabs her bag from the floor and puts the letter inside when Harrow approaches her once more.
"… … …"
When Calla turns around, they share a moment of silence before she drops her bag and hugs her father like a lifeline as he returns it in kind. They hold each other for a while as tears starts to fill the corner of their eyes respectively, knowing that this will be the first and final time they'll ever see each other again.
"… … …"
Harrow silently shed his tears and smiled in content, knowing that Calla and Ezran will be safe whereas Calla sobbed quietly into his chest and let her sadness flow like a river as they share the last goodbye.
~(In the meantime, over at the battlements….)~
The late afternoon sun begins to dye the sky in its' pale orange hue when a small interior-blue jay bird made its' way towards one of the battlements and perched itself upon the *embrasure. It rested for a few minutes until the sound of metal and heavy grunting was heard as the blue jay flutters away from the approaching Raylan who had finally reached the top of the cliff in recorded time.
"*huff, huff* Whew, finally made it…! Ugh, whoa!"
Thud! Clatter…!
"Oof…!"
Raylan said tiredly, panted heavily from the endeavor as he slumps over the embrasure in exhaustion before he pulls himself over the wall and lands onto the platform with a grunt; his blades made contact with the stone surface of the battlement as his whole body begins to ache from the intense climb.
"*Huff-huff, huff-huff* Oh, holy Garleth; I don't want to do that ever again…!"
Raylan said as he gasped for air, expressing his wish not to repeat his stunt for a second time before he regains his bearings and pushes himself up from the stone floor as he turns his gaze over to the forest with a determined look on his face.
"This is it, Raylan; no turning back."
Raylan said to himself as he puts his blades away and pulls up his hood before he turns away from the scene and makes his way into the castle, hell-bent on finding King Harrow and carry out Xadia's vengeance.
"Yeesh, and I thought he never leave. Hmm, this will certainly serve Lord Viren's purposes well indeed."
But unbeknownst to the young Elf, a mysterious figure was waiting from inside the entrance on the other side of the battlement as he crept out of his hiding place and walked over to the spot where he sees Raylan's dagger lying on the ground after it unknowingly fell out of his coat pocket after he landed as he picks up the dagger and hides it in his cloak, revealing the insignia of the *Dark Mage unit before he walks back to the other side and makes his way back into the castle, intending to find the High Mage of Katolis with a devious plan in mind.
Meanwhile, after saying goodbye to her stepfather, a relatively-depressed Calla makes her way back to her bedchambers; wanting to gather up her belongings along with Ezran's so that they can leave for the Banther Lodge as previously ordered by Harrow.
"*sigh* Huh…?"
Calla sighed as she walks down the hallway as she passes by an empty corridor when suddenly, she notices a brief show of movement from the corner of her eye; unaware that Raylan had already made his way deep into the castle.
"Ez, is that you?"
Calla asks curiously, wondering if it was Ezran as she turns briefly and enters the hallway where she saw the movement.
"Uh, hello?"
Wondering if it was her younger brother or anyone else hiding, Calla called out cautiously as she continues down the corridor as Raylan hides behind a wall while Calla walks past a suit of knight's armor before Raylan emerges from behind and silently trails after her with his blades at the ready as he inches closer to the unsuspecting Katolian princess.
"Heh heh, you know you can't sneak up on me–– Oh!"
Hearing a slight change in movement, Calla said, smiling to herself as she turns around to catch her not-so-sneaky little brother in the act; thinking that he's trying to scare her but quickly changed her tune when she saw a hooded Raylan instead.
"Uh, uh, you're not who I thought… You're the guy, t-the guy with the pointy…."
Raylan takes down his hood and with a determined look, he steps closer to Calla, causing the scared girl to take a couple of steps back, putting a considerable distance between her and the Elven intruder as she stammers lightly and points at him in fear.
"Oh, you don't like my ears?"
"No. I-I mean yeah; I do, I guess? I mean… I meant the sharp, pointy––!"
Shing!
"Swords."
Raylan asks teasingly, somewhat relishing in making Calla squirm in fright as she confirms her answer before she stammered again, fumbling with her choice of words before Raylan pulled out his blades as it instantly shuts her up.
"Yeah, that's far enough. I'm looking for someone, so if you want to keep that pretty little head of yours, tell me what I need to know."
"'[He's must be talking about King Harrow… I gotta stall him somehow.]'"
Raylan said as he falls into battle stance and points his blade at the terrified Human standing before him, readied himself to kill once he has the information he wants, giving Calla an idea of what the assassin is talking about as she thinks of a plan to stall him.
"Well, I'm waiting?"
"Oh! Uh, did you check back there?"
Raylan said impatiently, snapping Calla out of her thoughts and drawls a little while subtly looks for something to distract him before her eyes land on a tapestry hanging on the wall, playing it cool as she points towards the side; causing Raylan to look away from her temporarily and look at what she was pointing at before Calla takes the opportunity to grab the tapestry and pulls it on top of Raylan.
"Ah…!"
Raylan yelped in surprise as the weight of the tapestry brought him down to the ground, giving Calla the chance to run away from the downed Elf before she lightly trips over her feet and stumbles along the way.
"Ugh, for the love of––!"
Struggling to get the tapestry off of him, Raylan cried in frustration as he stabs the cloth with his blade and with a twirl, he rips it apart like parchment before he chases after the retreating girl, not wanting her to sound the alarm.
"Holy Garleth, she's fast for a Human!"
Raylan said, feeling somewhat impressed by Calla's speed as she sped down the corridor, panting heavily, trying her best to block Raylan's path by taking down a suit of armor to the floor, hoping that it'll slow him down but to no avail as Raylan jumped against the wall and continued his chase.
Calla rushes up the stairs leading to the battlements while Raylan threatens to catch up to her, causing her to run faster as she makes her way outside and onto the walkway where she runs past two soldiers stationed there.
"He's right behind me!"
Calla exclaimed as she points back down the walkway, confusing the guards as they see Raylan emerged from the entryway; prompting the two guards to brandish their swords. Seeing this, Raylan takes his twin butterfly knives and switched their mechanism from blades to hooks as he surged forth, dodging the guards' attacks as he leaps over the dumbfounded soldiers and lands gracefully behind them, knocking both of them to the ground while he smirks in accomplishment.
"Hey, you've swept the leg!"
"What?"
"Oh, uh, nothing."
Raylan smiled proudly as Calla called out to him, feeling really happy at the fact that the Elf has unknowingly proved Soren wrong by making the 'sweeping the leg' tactic into an attack move in sword-fighting while snapping Raylan of his reverie as he looks back at the girl in confusion before Calla snaps out of her reverie, causing her to stutter lightly as she awkwardly steps to the side and continues running, Raylan resumes his chase as they both run up the spiral staircase leading to Viren's study.
"Lord Viren, Claude; anybody?! Ugh!"
Calla cried out in a panic as she pushes the doors open, looking around the study for any signs of Viren or Claude before Raylan finally catches up to her and harshly pushed her out of the doorway, causing her to stumble inside the study and crash into a nearby table. The impact had caused Calla to fall to the floor, causing her to drop her bag and lose her stepfather's letter as it rolls underneath the table.
"Ah… *gasp*"
Calla hissed in pain as she holds her head for a moment before she looks up and sees Raylan steps in the study after her, with a serious look gracing his features.
"You know, you don't have to die. There are only two targets tonight."
"Wait, two? What do you mean?""
Raylan said ominously as he approaches the downed Calla, expressing that so long as Calla tells him what he needs to know, he'll let her live and expressed that only two people will die come nightfall much to Calla's confusion, prompting her to look up at the Elf with a befuddled expression and wonders who is the second target.
"I'm here for the King and I'm also here for his son, Prince Ezran."
Raylan said grimly as he reveals that the Queen of the Dragons has ordered for the assassination of both King Harrow and Prince Ezran as a justification for the inhumane deaths of her mate and unhatched egg much to Calla's surprise as she widens her eyes in shock.
"But you can't, that's not fair! Why would you hurt someone who hasn't done anything wrong?"
"Humans had cut down the King of the Dragons, *killed two of my kinsmen and destroyed his only egg, the Dragon Prince!"
Calla asks fearfully, shocked at the fact the Queen of the Dragons would place a hit on her younger brother before Raylan argued that the Humans had not only slain the King of the Dragons and caused the deaths of his kinsmen but also destroyed his unhatched egg as he points his blade at Calla's throat, anger becoming more evident in his eyes.
"Justice will not be denied!"
"I see. Well then, I guess you've found me… I am Prince Ezran."
"… … …"
Raylan said, declaring his hardened resolve to the saddened Calla as she looks down at the floor before she raised her head up high and faces him with a serious expression, volunteering to sacrifice herself to save her little brother by claiming that she is the Crown Prince of Katolis.
"… … …"
But unbeknownst to the pair, they were being watched by a concerned Riasal, of whom was helping Amelia in finding the former's wayward niece and nephew but instead found Calla in a precarious situation when she encountered the Moonshadow Elf, discreetly following them to the study.
Riasal looks back to the two before he makes a tough yet reluctant decision, carefully backing away from the study as to not alert the young Elf and pressed his hand against a loose brick, revealing a secret door, one of the many secret passageways hidden within Castle Katolis. With quicken haste, Riasal swiftly entered the hidden passageway and made his way through the tunnels, unaware that a certain Crown Prince was making his way towards the study with his grumpy glowing companion in tow.
Having discovered the castle's layout when he started out as the Royal Tutor, Riasal made it his top priority in memorizing the way from any random part of the castle to his private chambers in light of an emergency, and after enduring many hiccups along the way; he eventually succeeded as he approaches the hidden door leading to his room.
"I have to hurry before that poor lad does something he'll seriously will regret."
Contrast to commoner's belief about royal tutors living luxuriously, Riasal's room is relatively simple – It wasn't as ridiculously grand like Viren's study but it was rather spacious, it had two large bookshelves holding a multitude of books ranging from literature to military strategy seated a few paces' from his desk followed by a bookcase filled with art supplies and material used in specialized workshops.
"Just what in Garleth's name were they thinking, sending a child here to execute both Harrow and Prince Ezran?!"
Riasal said in incredulity as he prepares himself to stop Raylan from doing something regretful and chastising the Moonshadow Elves for sending a child to do the impossible before he hears the wind chimes ringing from his window, indicating that something was wrong.
"*gasp* Oh, no…."
Knowing the answer, Riasal speeds up the pace and walks over to his wardrobe, opening the doors and reveals a hidden compartment from the back, revealing three items: a tawny-colored pouch accented with symbols of the Six Primal Sources, a outfit that is oddly similar to Raylan's and a sliver-tinted bow.
"Moonlight above, please let me make it there in time!"
Riasal took them all out and prepared himself for quite possibly the fight of his life before he disappears into the secret passageway, praying to the Moon that he isn't too late to prevent any bloodshed.
Around the same time, King Harrow is currently being equipped with armor for the upcoming fight by his guards along with Caleb until the door opens as they all paused momentarily and saw Viren walking in the throne room, carrying a mysterious yellow basket.
"Not a great day for a picnic, Viren."
"Not to mention that you're not a big fan of cooking either…"
Harrow said, dully pointing out that now isn't the time to have a lovely picnic as Caleb sarcastically comments that Viren isn't what anyone likes to call a master at cooking much to Viren's visible annoyance.
"On that, we agree."
Unlike his sons, Viren was never one for theatrics or comedies before he shakes off Caleb's sarcastic remark and agrees with the pair as he walks towards with the basket in tow.
"Moonshadow Elves are dangerous, elite fighters. Under a full moon, they become nearly invisible and they can penetrate any defense. Nothing in the five kingdoms can stop them."
Viren said as he reminds Harrow and Caleb about how the Moonshadow Elves made a name for themselves as Assassins, how they are at their utmost strongest during nights of a full moon and can get past through any defense regardless what the Pentarchy can do to stand against them.
"I know this, Viren."
"We all know this. Why do you think we had tripled the castle's defenses beforehand?"
Harrow said calmly as Caleb reminds the High Mage about how they stationed every single guard around the castle, boosting its' defenses by three-fold after the search party returned from failing to find the Elf, unaware that the castle has already been breached.
"They will find you, and they will kill you."
"Not helping, Viren."
Viren said grimly, emphasizing how the assassin will stop at nothing to get what *they want much to Harrow's annoyance as the King points out how unhelpful the High Mage is being by telling him what he doesn't already know.
"But…! It doesn't have to be you."
"Oh really? And what makes you say that, Viren?"
Viren said cryptically as his choice of words leaves both Harrow and Caleb befuddled before the Vice-Captain shakes it off and inquires what the High Mage has in mind despite his skepticism.
"Consider it as a…. Incredible solution, Caleb. In the black sands of the *Midnight Desert dwells a mysterious snake called a *Soulfang Serpent."
Viren said, proposing Claude's idea as the solution to the current problem at hand before he holds the basket forward to them when all of a sudden, soft hissing can be heard from within the weaved container; prompting the High Mage to identify it as a Soulfang Serpent – A serpentine-like creature with black scales and an orange stripe running down from their head and neck, along with a row of short spines on the top of their body followed by sharp and long fangs and forked tongues.
"The Soulfang has an unusual diet. Its bite drains and consumes the spirit of its' prey, turning them in mindless, soulless husks… *A shadow of their former selves."
"And this serpent's capabilities of devouring another living being's soul is an 'incredible solution' how?"
"On our last journey to Xadia, I acquired a rather unique specimen."
Viren said as he explains the Soulfang's feeding habits and its' soul-devouring ability to Harrow and Caleb, prompting the King to question the animal's dangerous capabilities to be a solution before Viren sets the basket down on the floor as he opens the lid and lifts up the animal in question with his staff, revealing just how 'unique' the said specimen is much to everyone's shock as they all look upon the two-headed Soulfang Serpent.
"Two heads, two bites; two souls held at once and through magic, I can switch your spirit with another's… The Moonshadow Elf will find the King's body but your spirit will survive."
"… … …"
Viren said as he proposed to use the Serpent's abilities to switch Harrow's soul with another person's soul in order to save his life much to Caleb's shock as he realizes the High Mage's plan before Viren concludes that the method will trick the Moonshadow Assassin by killing the *'decoy' instead while Harrow looks at him with a serious expression.
Unaware of what happening inside the throne room, Raylan steps closer to the frightened Calla as she backs away from the menacing Moonshadow Elf until her back bumps into the wall.
"I have to do this. I'm sorry, I really don't want to, but I have to."
"But why? You know that this is wrong."
"An assassin doesn't decide what's right or what's wrong. Only life and death."
Raylan said apologetically, readying himself to make his kill regardless his reluctance till Calla argues that deep down, he knows how wrong this is before Raylan reiterates that assassins do not question the morality of the situation, only to act as judge, jury and executioner.
"That's a very clever notion, but come on; really? How will this solve anything?"
"Hey, this is Justice! The Humans attacked us unprovoked."
Calla said questionably as she wonders how the deaths of her stepfather and younger brother will resolve anything before Raylan angrily retorts how the Humans had launched an unprovoked attack against Xadia and its inhabitants, unaware that a certain someone was listening in to the debate from behind a painting.
"So, it's okay for you guys to do the same thing?"
"Well, no. It's not really the same thing, 'cause we're attacking you… Provoked!"
Calla asked him curiously, wondering if what the *Xadians are willing to do what the Humans have done to them over the centuries is worth waging war as her words caused Raylan to retract his blade for a moment and concludes the difference between the two is that Xadia now fighting back as he pointed his blade at her again, emphasizing his point.
"Then, it's a cycle. You kill me, someone else will get revenge on the Elves; it won't ever end!"
"Calla."
Calla said, pointing out that vengeance is a cycle as she recalls how Harrow and Viren retaliated against the Dragon King after he killed her mother nine years ago, stating that if Raylan kills her; someone else will take vengeance against them and unless both sides make peace, the cycle will remain unbroken when all of a sudden, a small voice quietly calls out to her much to her confusion as both Raylan and Calla turn their heads over to the left side in hopes of locating the source which turned out to be portrait of a woman holding a big woolly sheep in her arms hanging on the wall.
"Psst, Calla!"
"Shh, go away!"
The mysterious voice tries again, only a little louder for both teens to hear before Calla, knowing exactly who it is behind the portrait, pressed her finger to her lips and hushed the small voice as she tries to send it on its' merry way, not wanting her deception to be revealed to Raylan much to the latter's confusion.
"But I found something."
The mysterious voice said as he tries to tell Calla about what he discovered during his little 'expedition' within the Castle itself, unaware that his sister is about to be killed by Raylan.
"Are you talkin' to that paintin'?"
"What? Uh, no! I mean, why would I do that 'cause it's not a good time now!"
Still holding his blade at Calla, Raylan questioned the latter with a narrowed expression, wondering who she was talking to on the other side of the portrait before Calla looks up at him with an alarmed expression as she tries to play dumb, chuckling nervously before she readdress to the 'talking painting' in a more serious tone.
"You mean, because you're with a boy? Uh… Jelly Tart?"
The mysterious voice inquired curiously, wondering if his sister wants a moment's peace with a local boy before Raylan narrowed his eyes at Calla as he took a step towards the painting and opened it wide open, revealing the 'mysterious voice' to be Ezran accompanied by Bait and a perplexed Hibari before he offers Raylan a jelly tart; which was undoubtedly the last of his heist.
"Kid, get out of here now!"
"Calla, what's going on?"
Fearing that the Elf will realize that she tricked him, Calla sprang up to her feet and ordered Ezran to leave the study but alas, the girl's uncharacteristic change of demeanor only confused the poor boy and unintentionally unveiled her deception to Raylan.
"'Calla'? I thought you were Prince Ezran? '[Better yet, isn't 'Calla' a girl's name; so why would this little kid called the Crown Prince….?]'"
Raylan butts in as he cuts the younger boy off, wondering why would this boy address the Crown Prince as 'Calla' before he stops himself midway and gets a really good look at the Human standing before him, taking in her choice of apparel to her feminine features…. Or more specifically, the preteen's growing curves and the slight swelling around the chest area.
"Why, you–– You lied to me! '[I can't believe I fell for that pretty Human's––?! Wait, did I just say 'pretty'? No, stop it, Raylan; focus!]'"
Raylan said angrily as he realizes that Calla not only lied to him about being the target but also made a fool out of him while he unknowingly notes how pretty she looked much to his surprise before he rebukes himself for having such thoughts as he fights off the rising blush to his cheeks.
"Okay, seriously! How is that any worse than trying to kill someone?"
"Have you met Bait?"
Calla asks incredulously as she places her hands on her hips, wondering how lying is any worse than trying to kill someone nearly three seconds ago while Raylan looks over to Ezran, who chomps down his last jelly tart and swallows it in one gulp till he holds Bait up to Raylan and introduces the glow toad to him much to Raylan's confusion.
"Say hello to my little friend."
Ezran said slyly as he closes his eyes tight, causing Calla to realize what his plan was before Bait emits a blinding glow, causing her to shield her eyes from the unsuspecting flash of light while Raylan was forced to endure the burnt of Bait's attack head-on.
"Ah!"
"Calla, follow me; I have to show you something."
Raylan yelped in pain as he drops his weapons and pressed his hands to his eyes, rubbing them in order to get rid of the blindness while Ezran beckons Calla to follow him so that he can show what he found, prompting Calla to pick up her bag and steps inside the passage as Ezran places his hand on the door and closes the opening but unbeknownst to the young prince, he accidentally leaves behind a jelly-stained hand-print on the wooden frame.
"Damn, that hurt like a–– Huh? Dammit, where'd they go?"
Raylan groaned in pain, his eyes squinting in order readjust to the light before he looks around the study to find that the siblings are gone.
"*gasp* Wait a minute…."
Annoyed that he was outsmarted, Raylan was about to leave the room before he recalls how Ezran appeared, causing him to inspect the portrait closely before he spots the hand-print; touching it as his fingers are coated with bits of jelly on his fingertips much to his surprise.
"What the….? Wow, it's amazing how he can eat something so tart."
Raylan whispered curiously as he sniffed the substance for anything out of the ordinary until he tastes it, only to find himself regretting it as he grimaces from the tartness and compliments Ezran's palette before he opens the door, unveiling the secret passageway in the process. Now that he has an idea where the two royals are going, Raylan walked down the stairs and disappears into the darkened corridor and sets off to hunt the pair down.
Concurrently, a lone soldier is patrolling the courtyard diligently before the scene refocuses itself back to the castle tower and into the throne room; oblivious to tensed meeting between the King and the High Mage.
"No. I won't hide in the body of another while someone else dies paying the price for my decisions."
Harrow said sternly as he declines Viren's offer and expressed his refusal of letting another person get killed in his place, unaware that the enemy has bypassed the castle's defenses and is somewhere loose inside the castle.
"Two hundred men and women are ready to lay down their lives for you tonight, yet you won't let a single soldier sacrifice their life for you?"
"Viren, you're missing the point! Simply having a volunteer sacrifice themselves for the king just because you ordered them to isn't the same as them making the choice willingly!"
Viren said as he reminds the King about how the soldiers are ready to fight and die for the latter's sake come nightfall, shocked at the fact that his old friend is refusing to be saved before Caleb argues that forcing someone to make the sacrifice isn't the same as them making the choice from their own volition while Harrow turns away from the two men.
"Caleb's right, it's not the same. I would rather die as a king, than to live on as a coward."
"Ah. So, that's what this is really about."
"What are you talking about?"
Harrow said, agreeing with Caleb's word as he looks upon his throne with absolution, determined to die as who he is rather than to keep on living in another's body like a coward much to Viren's visible annoyance; misreading the real reason behind Harrow's decision, prompting both the King and the Vice-captain to look back at the High Mage with a quisling brow.
"Pride. That's what the problem here!"
"'[Are you kidding me right now…?!]' Viren––?!"
"No, I already told you what the problem is…."
Viren said, concluding that Harrow's pride is preventing the latter from seeing reason much to Caleb's annoyance but before he can make his opinion known, Harrow beats him to the punch as he reminds Viren what the 'problem' really is before he turns around and faces the High Mage with an visibly, irritable expression.
"It's Dark Magic!"
"Yes, it is. It's clever. It's brilliant. It's practical. It will save your life and many, many others."
"I fail to see how hunting magical creatures for ingredients just to ensure Humanity's survival is practical, Viren."
Harrow said, sounding increasingly irritable by Viren's blindness to the truth before the latter defends the importance of the practice to the stubborn Katolian King as Caleb retorts that due to excessive poaching of magical creatures for their aid in the spells caused by Dark Magic, he deems the practice is anything but 'practical' in its' effort to ensure Humanity's survival.
"It's a shortcut! We may not pay now, but we will pay the blood price eventually."
"What do you think got us here in the first place, Viren? Dark magic!"
Harrow said, understanding that the practice acts too much of a shortcut as he stresses to Viren how the blood price will rise up in time and how many innocent lives will be lost if it's left unchecked as Caleb points out that it was because of Dark Magic that what prompted the Xadians to exile all of Humanity to the western side of the continent centuries ago.
"I expect this from the *Caelestian whelp here but you, Harrow? *sigh* You're acting stubborn and ungrateful."
"Should I be grateful that you destroyed that dragon's egg?"
Viren said as he noted how much Caleb disapproves of Dark Magic, his distaste for the Caelestian man becoming evidently clear and accuses Harrow for his alleged ungratefulness and stubbornness much to Harrow's growing anger as he questioned the High Mage's actions for destroying Thunder's egg after he slain the King of the Dragons four months ago.
"Thank you for starting this unwinnable war? Thank you for angering the Elves and the Dragons so much that tonight they're here for my life?!"
Harrow sarcastically asked if he should thank Viren for starting the inevitable war between the Pentarchy and Xadia along with angering the Xadians up to the point that the Queen of the Dragons has dispatched assassins to kill him and Ezran as an act of avenging the deaths of her mate and her unborn offspring, his growing anger graced his voice with every note.
"Destroying that egg saved our kingdom, maybe all of humanity."
"IT WAS AN EGG!"
"AND *IT WOULD'VE BEEN THE MOST POWERFUL CREATURE IN THE WORLD!"
Viren said, defending his action in destroying the egg of the Dragon Prince was necessary in saving the Pentarchy from the vengeful wrath of Thunder's successor before Harrow angrily engaged Viren in a shouting match while Viren points out that if left alive, the offspring would've grown to become even more powerful than its' father as Harrow turns away wordlessly and walks to a nearby chest, on which he sits down and brings his hand to his face and exhales in frustration.
"What is done cannot be undone, I am offering you a path forward."
Viren said after calming down and expresses how nothing they all say or do will ever change what he believed to be done as he offers Harrow a chance to escape his fate but to no avail, Harrow denies him a response.
"Your discomfort is understandable. You don't feel right trading your life for another's, but know this: Every one of these men and women would gladly trade their life to save yours."
Viren said as he seemingly understands Harrow's reluctance in sacrificing another person's life just to save his own before Viren gestures over to the guards nearby and voiced the guards' sense of honor and loyalty to the crown, not seeing them exchange concerned looks with each other before Harrow drops his hand as his eyes lit up with a thought.
"Would you, Viren?"
"I, wha, Mm."
"Get out."
"*sigh* Well, that could've gone way worse now that's out of our system…."
Harrow asks curiously, wondering if Viren has the same honor and loyalty as the soldiers as Viren stammers a little before sighing, unaware that he practically confirmed the King's suspicions as Harrow sternly ordered Viren to leave in which the High Mage complied silently as he takes his basket, bowing curtly before the king until he spun on his heel and leaves the throne room as the moment the High Mage leaves, Caleb comments how bad the outcome would've been if it had escalated further but is met with silence.
"Okay, I'm going to check on the kids to see if they're ready, so please, excuse me."
"Wait a minute."
Caleb said as he intends to check up on Calla's and Ezran's progress for their trip to the Banther Lodge but before he makes like tree and leaves the throne room, Harrow stops him in his tracks.
"Before you go, there's something that I've been meaning to ask you. Something that I've been meaning to talk to you four months ago."
"And what would that be, sir?"
Harrow said as he wants to asks Caleb something that's been gnawing at his mind for four whole months, prompting Caleb to turn around and face the King head-on as he wonders what the King's question could it be.
"Do you now resent me? For the decisions that I've made in the past and for what happen months ago?"
Harrow asks curiously, wondering if Caleb still resents him for his decisions in the past and for what happen afterwards much to Caleb's mild shock.
"If I'm being honest, my liege: A part of me still resents you for paying heed to Viren's words about avenging Sarai but…. Another part of me reasons that if the same thing had happened to Calla, Amelia or my husband, then I would've done way worse."
To say that Caleb isn't one to question someone of Harrow's decisions as King would be an understatement but to be questioned if he resented him for listening to Viren's advice in the first place is another, prompting Caleb to gather his thoughts before he closed his eyes briefly and exhaled lightly and makes his sentiments known to Harrow but reasons that if their roles were reversed, then Caleb would've made the same choice should anything bad happen to Calla, Amelia and his beloved husband, *Adam much to Harrow's understanding.
"Thank you for your answer. Oh, and Caleb….? *sigh* Please take care of my children."
"As you wish, my liege."
Harrow said as he thanks the Vice-captain for his honest answer before another thought grace his mind, causing Caleb to wonder what it is and after a moment's silence, Harrow smiled softly as he entrusts the safety of his children's well-being to the Vice-captain. Initially shocked at the amount of trust that Harrow has in him, Caleb returns the gesture; placing his hand over his heart and bows to Harrow as he gives his word as he turns on his heel and exits the throne room. Just as Caleb closed the doors, Amelia suddenly exits from the other hallway and rushes towards him, squeaking in fear as she furiously weaved hand signals in the air so fast that Caleb couldn't quite translate due to the erratic speed.
"Whoa, whoa; Amelia, calm down! *Remember the exercises that Avery taught us: Breath and count to five. Breath in…. And breath out."
Startled by Amelia's reaction, Caleb tried to calm his fearful sister down as he reminds her about the breathing exercises that their late older brother taught them back when they were children, causing Amelia to tone down the speechless hysterics and followed her older brother's lead as they breathed in and count to five slowly, causing the exhalation to become more stable and calming Amelia down a notch as she regains her bearings, soothing away the hysterics as color returns to her face much to Caleb's relief.
"Okay, now what's so important that gotten into you that you would risk another asthma attack?"
"Okay, so here's the sitch: The kids are gone."
Caleb asks curiously, wondering what was so important that she would risk another asthma attack as Amelia calmly tells him that they have a situation on their hands before she hits him in the head with the hatchet and informed him that both Calla and Ezran are nowhere to be seen much to his shock.
"What?! Have you checked everywhere?!"
"I checked the bedchambers, the courtyard and even the library but I couldn't find them anywhere!"
Caleb questions Amelia if she checked the wayward half-siblings' usual hangouts, which she answered that she combed through the kids' bedchambers, the courtyard and the library but to no avail, she is unable to find a single trace of them much to her worry.
"Dammit, we need to find them before something bad happens––?! Ah! Yes, what is it?"
"Calliope and the others have finished packing the essentials need for the children's trip to the Banther Lodge, sir."
"Ah, yes; very good. I'll have Amelia to join the party soon enough."
"Yes, I'll be accompanying the children to the Lodge. Let me go up to my chambers and gather my things first."
"Right away, ma'am."
Caleb said, stressing that they need to find Calla and Ezran before something terrible happens until a guard approaches the two siblings much to their mild shock as Caleb strains to remain calm; hoping that the guard has got wind of their conversation till he guard relay the message that the Queensguard has finished their in preparing the essentials needed for the children's arrival to the Banther Lodge much to Caleb's relief as he volunteers Amelia to join the party; prompting the Lady-in-Waiting to realize what the older man has in mind as she politely ropes the guard's assistance into helping her pack while Caleb takes his leave with the intent to find his missing niece and nephew.
Meanwhile, Calla and Ezran continue to run away from Raylan as they rush through the dungeon corridors in a panic while panting heavily from the intense fleeing along with Hibari carrying Bait in tow.
"You know, you're only making this worse!"
"Worse how?"
"This way!"
Raylan calls out to the quartet from down the corridor as Calla answers incredulously and continues running while seemingly on the verge of having a panic attack till Ezran runs to the left and motions Calla to follow. Following Ezran's lead, both Hibari and Calla lightly skid to a halt and followed him, only to stop to see that they've run into a dead end.
"We're trapped. What do we do now?"
"Time for a puzzle. Hm, Rock, rock, stone, rock, stone, stone; rock, stone, rock, stone, stone…"
Calla said as she looked down at Ezran, wondering if he has a plan in mind before he approaches the wall and turns to Calla with a smile, feeling unexpectedly confident as he turns back and began pressing the hidden buttons against the stone wall in order while Calla watches him observably until a thought suddenly dawns on her.
"Wait, what's the difference between the rocks and the stones?"
"Ugh, Sis; I need to concentrate! You made me do 'stone' instead of 'rock'. Rock, rock, stone, rock, stone, stone, rock, stone, rock."
Calla asks as she wonders how Ezran can tell the difference between the rocks and the stones before the latter clenches fist in frustration and turns around, causing him to lose his concentration due to the older girl's question until he returns to pressing the stones again while Calla clenches her teeth in panic and grows fidgety as she looks back at the corridor, just in time for Ezran to finish the combination by pressing the last rock; causing him to smile proudly and turns to look at the floor behind them as the mechanism unveils a hidden spiral staircase leading to a secret chamber from under their feet.
"Wow… '[Note to self: Have a talk with Ezran later.]'"
Knowing that the situation isn't the best time to find out, Calla proposed to have a talk with Ezran on a later date as the quartet makes their way down the stairs and into the hidden chamber where Ezran pulls a lever to close the passage behind them.
"Yes!"
"You're sure that he won't be able to follow us down here?"
"No way. It took me a month to figure out that combination."
They watch the stairs retract themselves while they bring some distance between themselves and the entrance as Ezran gestures victoriously before Calla asked him if the Elf will be unable to find them while Ezran reassures his fidgety sister, confident to doubt the Elf's ability to discover the said combination before the door rumbles and reopens itself, startling the trio as they see the staircase spiral down to the ground and watch Raylan descends into the room at top of the stairway.
"Huh? But wait, how did you—?"
"I just press all the stones with the jelly hand-prints."
Astounded, Ezran wonders how Raylan was able to figure out it so quickly whereas Raylan smirked smugly as he waves his hands, pointing out that he used Ezran's jelly tart obsession to his advantage much to Ezran's dismay as he facepalmed in defeat, leaving behind a jelly-stained hand-print on his forehead. Raylan soon made their way into the hidden chambers and looked around, his eyes began to wander about in the room as he discover the preserved bodies of small animals stuffed inside strange jars and skulls of magical creatures much to his disgust.
"What the hell is this place? Runaan was right…. There's nothing in humans worth sparing. Time's up. The Humans destroyed the egg of the Dragon Prince, there must be justice."
"You'll have to get pass me first!"
"Oh, really?"
"Wait! You need to see something!"
Raylan asks as he points his blade at the siblings causing them to back away in fear, readied himself to avenge the Dragon Prince by ending Ezran's life, causing Calla to grab a broom nearby as she wields it like a staff and stands in front of Ezran protectively much to Raylan's amusement despite feeling impressed that the girl is willing to fight him off as he brandished his weapon, swinging it to the side as he begin to move in on the siblings before Ezran stops him in his tracks, nudging his head to the corner.
"I'm not falllin' for that flashin' frog trick again!"
"He's a Glow Toad, but there's no trick this time. Please, look."
Raylan said as he points his blade at Ezran, not wanting to fall for the same trick twice as Bait growled at him and turned red in annoyance for being called a 'flashing frog', causing Ezran to correct him before he pleads with Raylan and points towards the covered object.
"All right, fine. You uncover it, slowly."
"I can hear something, something alive."
After hesitating for a moment, Raylan acquiesce to Ezran's request before the younger boy gestures in defense as he pulls down the sheet of the object, revealing the shimmering egg of the Dragon Prince. Seeing the egg had stunned everyone inside the hidden chamber, any feeling of animosity had vanished that the cause behind the inevitable war was standing before them, alive and intact.
"*gasp* It... It can't be."
"The egg...it wasn't destroyed."
Raylan can only breathe out a few words, too shocked to say anything while Calla answers for him as she remains shocked at the fact that the egg of the Dragon Prince wasn't destroyed as the group gaze upon the egg altogether.
To be continued...
And that's a wrap, folks. Both Raylan, Calla, Ezran and Bait have found something that the whole world thought to have been destroyed when the King of Dragons was slain... The egg of the Dragon Prince!
Now, before we move on to the next chapter, I want to ask you all about how I should go about the next chapter when it comes down to the third act and reaches its climax.
Should I:
A.) Let Calla go into the castle to tell the king and encounter Viren like the canon but have Raylan encounter Riasal on his way to rescue the Katolian Princess from Viren's grasp and have Riasal send the blood ribbon message to the Dragon Queen, thus sparing Raylan from being 'ghosted' by the Moonshadow Elves?
OR
B.) Let Calla and Raylan go into the castle to tell the king and encounter Viren instead but have Caleb and Riasal swoop in and rescue the teens from Viren's grasp and have Riasal send the blood ribbon message to the Dragon Queen, thus sparing Raylan from being 'ghosted' by the Moonshadow Elves?
If you all have an idea about what I should do, please don't hesitate to comment in the review box or send me through the PM. Also, I will give kudos to anyone who can guess Riasal's true identity and create an OC for you in the story!
Anywhos, here are the footnotes for this week's chapter, enjoy!
(*) This is the recap sequence of the previous chapter and will appear later on.
(*) The intro card foreshadows Claude's and Viren's growing corruption by Dark Magic, Soren's defection and the events near the end of S3E7: 'Hearts of Cinder'.
(*) Due to living in Xadia for the majority of his life, Raylan is unfamiliar of the Humans' metaphorical quotes recorded in the Pentarchy. This is from the phrase 'Opportunity knocks' in real-life.
(*) Whenever Calla does anything that a big sister shouldn't do, she willingly performs the 'Jerkface Dance'; something that she invented for Ezran. This is from a page from Callum's Spellbook.
(*) Primal Stones are ancient magical artifacts that can harnessed the powers of the Six Primal Sources. They act as conduits for both Elven and Human mages, even when the source itself is not immediately available.
(*) Bumble-scorps are a type of insects crossed between a wasp and a scorpion. They pay an homage to the crossbreed-hybrid animals of the ALTA fandom.
(*) The title, 'Servant King' is Harrow's nickname when he first ascended the throne 9 years ago.
(*) In the canon, Callum expressed to Claudia that he would trade places in a heartbeat; thus, giving her the idea to propose the switching spell albeit unintentionally.
(*) I decided to give the unnamed guards the names 'Malcolm', 'Ursula' and 'Bryan' respectively.
(*) In the canon, Rayla suffers from not just seasickness but also hydrophobia (the fear of water) due to her encounter with the Bloodmoon Huntress back when she was a child. For Raylan, he is afflicted with a mild case of PTSD (Post-Tramatic Stress Disorder) involving water.
(*) Embrasure is the gap area of a battlement, also known as crenels or crenelles.
(*) I saw a little blog on Tumblr featuring Runaan and a question about Rayla and Callum being a couple. His thoughts being 'Oh Garleth, this cannot be happening'. I know that it's fanmade but I figured it can serve as a expression for the Elves. It serves as a real-life equivalent to the 'Oh, my god' or 'Holy cow' expressions.
(*) The Dark Mage unit is an subdivision to the Crownguard. It was founded by Lord Viren following the death of Queen Sarai and the abrupt retirement of the Queensguard 9 nine years ago.
(*) And what could he mean by that? Hmmm? All will be revealed in due time... (By 'time', I mean the next chapter after this).
(*) The Midnight Desert is a vast desert region located in the middle of Xadia. It is home to a species called 'Soulfang Serpents' (see below) and zombie-like husks.
(*) Soulfang Serpents are a species of snake-like reptilian creatures that dwell in the black sands of the Midnight Desert (see above). Their bite allows them to consume the spirit of their prey, as well as turning it into an empty husk. They're a cross between rattlesnakes and cobras in real-life.
(*) This phrase alludes to both Viren's and Claude's heavy usage of Dark Magic, their growing corruption and their eventual falling out with the protagonists later on.
(*) A political decoy is a person employed to impersonate either a politician or a royal figure to draw attention away from the real person or to take risks on that person's behalf.
(*) Now what does Raylan mean by 'two of his kinsmen'? Stick around and find out in the next chapter.
(*) Like I did with the 'Pentarchy', I'm using the term 'Xadians' from this point onward 'cause it acts as a stark contrast to how Viren and Claude view them as 'Elves and Dragons', thus emphasizing the Dark Mages' deep-seated hatred for the magical creatures due to how they treated Humanity with great distrust and disdain in the past.
(*) The relationship between Viren and Caleb is antagonistic due to the animosity between the Caelestians and the Dark Mages in the past.
(*) Because of his paranoia, Viren foolishly believes that killing the Dragon Prince before he hatched had safeguarded the survival of Humanity from Xadia's wrath.
(*) In case you guys have forgot, Adam is Caleb's husband.
(*) I got the inspiration from the TV series, 'The Owl House' where Willow teaches Gus the breathing exercises whenever his powers get out of control.
(*) This is a callback to the 2002 TV series 'Kim Possible' and is one of the many catchphrases of the protagonist (I couldn't help myself but I just had to).
Welp, that's for Ch. 2... Hope you all enjoyed it and don't forget to like, comment, follow and fave!
So... Byeee!
P.S., I do not own anything related to the show, the work belongs to Aaron Ehasz, Justin Richmond and Wonderstorm!