Finally! Here is my final Owl House fanfiction! I meant to post this a few days ago, but Morningmark's fan comics are entertaining and distracting.

Now, this story is a lot like my Horizon's Light series for Tangled. Basically, I took a bunch of AUs and threw them all into one story, and this is the end result.

As far as appearances go in this chapter, for the first part, Eda and Raine look as they did in the flashbacks from "Eda's Requiem" and "Knock, Knock, Knockin' on Hooty's Door." In the second part, Eda has her "Echoes of the Past" flashback look. Raine has a more medium-length hairstyle and wears unisex teal, white, and gray clothing.

If anyone has questions about this AU, you can ask in the comment section, and I'll answer as best I can without spoilers.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to The Owl House. I only own this story idea. I make some references to Morningmark's fan comics, so credit goes to them for those.

When they heard the screech, Raine raced back up the hill where they left Eda.

Raine had just made the hardest decision of their life: breaking up with Eda. They loved Eda but couldn't handle the wall she was putting up anymore. It felt like they weren't getting anywhere, and Raine needed to make decisions about their own life, too. Even so, they still cared about Eda. So, if her curse was acting up, they would help her in any way they could.

"Eda!" Raine called as they reached the hill crest, gasping in shock when they found she had transformed into… something they had never seen before. This was Raine's first time seeing the Owl Beast. Eda had opened up about it once, but seeing it was a different story. "Eda?" Raine called tentatively, hoping she was still in there.

The beast whirled on them, snarling before it reared up with a roar. Raine barely dodged in time, diving to the ground to avoid her sharp claws. "Okay," Raine panted as they got back up. "I know break-ups aren't fun, but was that necessary?"

The Owl Beast growled at them as it stalked closer. "Right, not a good time," They muttered, backing up a little as they tried to think of a plan. Eda never talked much about her curse, but they did remember that she said she would change back on her own at some point. In the meantime, Raine needed to keep her calm and in one place until the curse wore off.

Getting an idea, Raine started running down the hill towards the woods nearby. Glancing over their shoulder, they saw the Owl Beast chasing after them, which was precisely what they wanted. They needed to lead Eda somewhere she'd be out of sight while in her cursed form.

Raine watched their pace once they entered the treeline. They needed to stay in sight of the Owl Beast but keep enough distance between them to avoid getting hurt. Once they saw a clearing, they made a sharp turn, ducking behind a tree and out of sight of the beast.

Raine held their breath, trying to remain calm as the Owl Beast appeared shortly after them. It slowed down and sniffed around, trying to find its quarry. As it stalked past their hiding place, Raine crept around behind the beast, needing to take it by surprise. Once they were in the right spot, they drew a magic circle with their finger, summoning their trusty violin. Eda had told Raine a few stories about her visits to the Human Realm. She had heard a phrase once called "music soothes the savage beast," and it gave Raine an idea. If he played some music, the Owl Beast might calm down and change back into Eda. It was worth a try. And they knew just the song to use…

Bringing their violin into position, Raine began to play 'Raine's Rhapsody.' It was a song Eda had made up for whenever they were together. It was their song, and Raine hoped it would help Eda like it always helped them.

The Owl Beast turned back the bard when it heard the noise. Growling, it started stalking toward them but then stopped. The witch was acting differently from before. Instead of running away, they just stood there, creating a strange noise from the rock and stick in their hands. The beast was drawn to the sound, taking a few steps closer as it watched them curiously.

Raine kept an eye on the Owl Beast as they played. To their relief, it wasn't attacking them. Taking a chance, they took a step closer to the Owl Beast. The beast didn't appear to notice that, just watching Raine as they took a few steps closer every few minutes. Soon, Raine was standing barely three feet away from the Owl Beast.

"Eda…" They spoke, knowing they needed to try talking things out with her. "I'm sorry about before. I just… I just got frustrated. I knew you were struggling with the curse, and I wanted to help you… but you would always laugh it off and push me away." Raine watched as the beast continued to stare at them. It then curled up on the ground like it was planning to sleep.

Meanwhile, Eda was dealing with the Owl Beast as she always did at this point: Running blindly through the void while it chased her. However, the beast stopped chasing her this time as Raine's Rhapsody filled the void. Eda slowed to a stop, wondering what was happening as the Owl Beast curled up to rest.

"What the…?" Eda questioned before hearing Raine's voice.

"What I'm trying to say is… Eda, I love you."

"Raine…" She whispered.

"And when the person I love is hurting, I want to help them." Eda looked down as her lower lip trembled, trying desperately to hold it together. "Even if there's nothing I can do, let me at least help carry the burden. Whatever you need, I'll give it. Just please… don't shut me out." Hearing their earnest words, Eda gave up the fight, falling to her knees as she started sobbing.

Raine wasn't sure how long they played for in the real world. They knew they repeated the song at least once but were more focused on the Owl Beast in case it started getting violent. Suddenly, the beast began to glow, giving off a bright flash of light that caused Raine to flinch. When the light stopped, they turned back and saw their Eda slumped on the ground, seemingly unconscious but otherwise uninjured.

Raine's violin disappeared as they hurried to Eda's side. "Eda! Eda, can you hear me?!"

Eda responded to their voice, slowly pushing herself to her knees with a groan. As she sat up, Raine saw the tear tracks on her face, causing them to gasp silently. Before they could say anything, Eda launched herself into their arms, bawling again.

Raine was taken by surprise as they slowly wrapped their arms around her. They never saw Eda look this fragile. She had always been so tough, strong, and proud. Seeing her this broken up hurt Raine's heart.

"Please… Please don't go…" she managed to say between sobs.

Raine hushed her softly like a parent would a distraught child. They stayed like that for some time as the bard let the Owl Lady release all her repressed anguish.

Soon, the sun went down, and the two adults knew they needed to head home. Not wanting to leave Eda alone after today, Raine walked her back to the house where she had been staying since leaving home. They held hands as they walked, not in a lovers' way but in a comforting way that said, 'I'm here for you.'

"So, that's why you've been distant…" Raine said after Eda had told them what had been happening.

"I already ruined my dad's life," She murmured, emotionally drained from the day. "I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I took away your future."

"Eda…" Raine stopped, forcing Eda to look at them. "I don't care what the future holds. I just want you to be part of it, no matter what it is."

Eda smiled back at them before looking down at their joined hands. "So… what are we now? Are we back together or…?"

Raine thought about it before saying, "Let's say… we're starting over. Our old relationship is over, and we're starting a new one. We'll go as slow or fast as you want. I just want you to be comfortable."

Eda mulled it over before nodding in agreement. "I can work with that. Just promise me one thing…."

"Anything."

"That you'll be patient with me."

"I promise. We should also work on communicating what we need from each other more, even if we don't tell each other everything."

"Yeah." Eda nodded before they started walking again. "It's getting late. Do you want to stay at the Owl House tonight?"

"The Owl House?"

"That's what I'm calling the place I'm staying at. Owl Beast, Owl Lady, Owl House." They linked their fingers together as they headed to the Owl House, eager for this new beginning.

(Timeskip)

It had been a few years since that day when Raine decided to stay. As they promised each other, they'd worked on the flaws in their relationship by communicating and opening up. It wasn't perfect, but they still had each other.

At some point, Raine moved into the Owl House with Eda when they both felt ready. Raine had changed his mind about joining the Bard Coven and took a teaching job at Hexside, the school the two of them attended when they were teens. Meanwhile, Eda ran a few small businesses, selling potions and elixirs during the week while using the portal to collect human items on the weekends. She had also become the most wanted criminal on the Boiling Isles.

It had been them, their palismen, Owlbert and Salem, and the house demon, Hooty… until the day their lives took on a new dynamic.

Raine was by themselves at the Owl House that day. Eda was out getting soothsayer mushrooms for an order, so the bard enjoyed the quiet by writing some music. They played the chords they wrote, producing a soothing melody that created an aquatic-like illusion around them.

"Hmm," They hummed as they stopped playing, the effects fading. "Not bad. Definitely something to show the students later."

Suddenly, the door slammed open as Hooty entered. "Hoot-hoot! Raine, we have guests!" He brought in two witches and a demon wrapped in his body before dropping them on the floor.

Raine's eyes widened when he recognized one of the witches. "Darius?!"

Darius was a schoolmate back at Hexside when he and Eda were students. He was on the abomination track, and last they heard, he had recently been named the new Head
Witch of the Abomination Coven.

"Hello, Raine," Darius greeted them as the trio stood up, the abomination witch being careful of a bundle in his arms.

"Hooty!" Hooty cheered, popping up behind them.

"Hooty, not now," Raine said.

"Okay!" The house demon closed the door, leaving the bard to speak with their unforeseen guests.

Looking at the others with Darius, Raine recognized the demon was Eberwolf, the new Head Witch of the Beast-Keeping Coven. When Raine turned to the last member, a male witch with pale blond hair and a scar over his left eye, they almost stopped breathing when they recognized the uniform of the Golden Guard, Emperor Belos's right-hand man.

Reacting instinctively, Raine brought their violin to position, prepared for a confrontation.

"Wait, please!" Darius held up a hand. "We're not here for trouble!"

"You brought the Golden Guard to my house." They replied bluntly.

The pale blond glanced away, an unspoken emotion crossing his face. "I'm not the Golden Guard anymore…"

Darius looked at him sympathetically before stepping closer to him. "William has… left the Emperor's Coven."

Raine blinked, easing up slightly but not letting their guard down. "You're… awfully young to be retiring."

William scoffed with a laugh. "It's not that kind of leaving."

Oh.

Raine fully relaxed when they realized what he meant. "Okay… Let's start over. What are you doing here, Darius?"

The abomination witch glanced down, unable to meet the other's eyes. "We need your help."

"My help?"

Before Darius could explain further, the bundle in his arms started moving around, catching their attention. "Well, look who woke up?" Will smiled, looking at them. "Guess he wants attention now."

"Demanding little prince, isn't he?" Darius joked fondly as Eberwolf climbed on his shoulder to get a closer look.

Eyes widening as their violin turned back into their palisman, Raine stepped closer and realized Darius was holding a baby boy wrapped in a yellow blanket. They saw his pink eyes and pale blond hair tuft, glancing at the former Coven Scout as theories formed in their mind.

"Alright, Little Prince, alright," Darius cooed as the tiny blond settled down. He then turned to the bard, feeling hesitant again. "It's a long story, and we don't have much time to explain, but… he's not safe at the castle."

"… Are you asking me to…?" Raine questioned slowly, unsure what to make of this sudden situation.

"I know this is a lot to ask so suddenly, especially since we were never anything more than classmates, but there was no way I was taking him to Alador and Odalia," He explained. "That would be just as bad or worse than it would've been at the castle. Besides… I haven't spoken to either of them since their engagement was announced."

Raine glanced away, feeling sympathetic for the other witch. Darius had been close to Alador and Odalia when they were younger. It was rumored that the boys were even together for a time. Then, the Blights arranged for Alador to marry Odalia, and Darius didn't want to play the third wheel.

"I know, Darius, I know," William wrapped an arm around his shoulders comfortingly before addressing Raine. "As you can guess, we don't have anyone else to look to. Even if we did, they would be the first people the Emperor would think to search."

"Why is the Emperor looking for you?"

The blond sighed as he searched for his words. Suddenly, a red bird with a scarred-over eye chirped as he popped out of his hood, flying around his head insistently. "Okay, okay, geez," He gave the bird a look when it landed on his shoulder before continuing. "Recently… I learned something at the Emperor's Coven that I… wasn't supposed to know. Now, my–" He stopped himself before correcting his words. "The Emperor wants me found and brought back to the castle. I can read between the lines…" William looked away, a sense of foreboding left from his words.

"Does this have something to do with the palisman on your shoulder?" Raine couldn't help but ask.

"No, this is something else, but since hiding a palisman is treason, the Emperor would've had me killed on this alone," The blond said, pointing at the cardinal.

"Please don't say that in front of the baby," Darius side-eyed him as Eberwolf entertained the infant with endearing looks.

"Where does the baby come into this?" The bard asked.

"Hunter," Darius said suddenly. "His… name is Hunter."

Raine blinked. "Okay… Where does Hunter come into this?"

"Belos was going to raise him to be my replacement," William explained. "But we didn't want that life for him. Being the Emperor's right-hand man isn't all it's cracked up to be." He lightly touched his scar in confession.

Raine watched them for a minute, not quite sure what to do. "… You know we kinda live outside the coven system, right?" They finally questioned. "He's not exactly going to have a normal life with us."

"We know, which means you guys will be the last place Belos will come to look for him," William explained. "Besides…" He looked at the baby again. "I want him to have what I didn't: control over my own future."

Raine was silent for a minute. This was a big decision; they knew they should talk to Eda before answering. It's not as if they hadn't talked about the idea of kids, but Eda was hesitant since she was worried she'd pass on her curse to them. Even so, it sounded like the trio had no other options. Why else would they come to a virtual stranger/acquaintance at best for something this important.

Raine looked at the baby, who had finally noticed the bard and started reaching for them in wonder before deciding they were not going to turn their back on them. "Eda's not going to be happy with this, but…" They sighed before nodding. "Alright."

William smiled in relief. "Thank you, Raine."

"Just tell Eda it'll tick off the Emperor, and she'll be fine with it," Darius quipped, though he was relieved to hear Raine agree.

Raine chuckled, "You're not entirely wrong."

They held out their arms to take the baby. Realizing it was time, Darius looked at Hunter one last time, the infant dozing off again. He held him close to hug him, knowing this may be the last time. "May you have a carefree life, Little Prince."

Eberwolf nuzzled Hunter with a soft whimper before William stepped closer, kneeling down to press his forehead against Hunter's. "The cycle ends here…" He murmured before getting up. The blond nodded to Darius, who held the baby to the bard witch, who gently took the child into their arms. Hunter fussed for a minute, sensing a change, but quieted down shortly after when he didn't feel threatened.

"We gotta go," Will looked at the others, who nodded in agreement.

"So long, friends," Hooty said as he opened the door.

Eberwolf was the first out the door, Darius following him before looking back at Raine and Hunter. "Thank you, Raine…" He said gratefully.

The bard nodded before the abomination walked away, tears falling once he turned around. William was about to follow when he looked back at Raine. "Give him the life I didn't have," He requested.

Raine nodded again. "I will."

William nodded back before disappearing after the others. Hooty shut the door, becoming concerned when he saw Raine look at the sleeping baby with sorrowful eyes. "Everything okay, Raine?"

"Hooty, could you go find Eda and tell her what's going on?" They asked, turning away.

"Sure," Hooty nodded. He stretched himself out the window and plunged into the ground, burrowing to the Owl Lady's location.

Now alone, Raine went and sat on the couch, Salem hopping up beside them to look at what her witch was holding. She sniffed him before looking at Raine curiously, causing Raine to sigh heavily. "I don't know, Salem. I just don't know."

(A short time later)

Eda was racing through the woods to return to the Owl House, a thousand thoughts running through her head. She had just finished gathering the soothsayer mushrooms she needed when Hooty popped out of the ground and dropped the news on her. Three Coven Heads coming to their house was startling enough, but the fact they dropped off a baby in their care really threw her for a loop.

She landed in the front yard and headed for the door, Hooty having returned a few minutes before her. She walked inside and looked around the living room, eyes widening at what she saw. Raine was asleep on the couch with Hunter in their arms, Salem curled up beside them.

"Raine?" She called softly, walking over to them. "Raine?" She shook their shoulder gently, waking them up.

Raine groaned as they opened their eyes. "Eda?" They questioned, adjusting their glasses.

"Hey," She smiled. "Hooty told me what happened."

"I'm sorry," They apologized as they sat up. "I know this was something I should've asked you about, but everything happened so suddenly and–"

"It's okay, Raine. I trust your judgment," Eda assured them, sitting on their other side once Salem moved aside. "It's not like kids wasn't something we talked about before."

"Thanks, Eda," Raine smiled before she kissed them on the forehead.

"So… we're parents now."

"Yeah, I guess we are."

The couple looked at the new addition to their lives before Eda frowned thoughtfully. "Should we tell him?"

"Hm?" Raine looked at her.

"When he's older? Should we tell him what happened?"

Raine looked at Hunter as he slept peacefully before smiling sadly. "Let's talk about that more when he's older, but let's also remember to be open with him if he asks on his own."

"Sounds good."

The couple sat together for a while before Eda decided to get up. "Well," She grunted as she stood. "I've been digging in the dirt all day, and I need a shower."

"If you'd be willing to watch him once you're done cleaning up, I can go into town and pick up some things for Hunter."

"It's a plan, Rainestorm," Eda agreed before heading upstairs.

Raine smiled as she left before looking back at Hunter, unsurprised to see him starting to wake up. The little blond started looking around curiously, causing Salem to come up and look at the boy. Hunter cooed curiously, reaching for the palisman in wonder, making Raine chuckle slightly. There was no denying things were going to be different from now on, but Raine was personally looking forward to it.

And with that, the prologue's done.

I'm going to post the next chapter before I move on and then do a little more work on these stories before moving on to a different fandom.

See you all soon!