The Devil You Thought You Knew

by StressBakingElf

It used to be easy to figure out who was the good guy and who was the bad guy. Now, Callum has his doubts. Aaravos visits him in his dreams, and the more he hears, the less he knows. Before Callum knows it, he's swept up with his least favorite people in the world: Viren and Claudia. Main ships: Rayllum, Viravos, Clauderry. Side ships: Sorvus, Janaya. See bio for full summary.

35. Umber Tor

A/N: I'm back! Sorry for the delay- college, life, S6, grad school apps, aaaaa.

S6 was so good, but I definitely needed time to process it. That being said, none of it has impacted the trajectory of this fic which has been planned out for well over a year now. If anything, it gave me some extra information to work in and the ending will be expanded upon with some of that S6 information, but that's a ways off.

Also, check out the Dreamer's Nightmare graphic novel, it just came out!

Thank you everyone for reading, and shout out to new readers who have started reading since S6! It's always nice to see more people hop on board and I really do appreciate it.

-BREAK-

Evenere had become like a second home. Though they'd been counting down the days to their departure, it was still surreal to be leaving. Callum got dressed early in the morning, double checking the bag he'd already packed the night before, wishing his already full backpack had room for more books. He'd crammed a few books inside his bag already with permission from Srisha. The rest were left on the desk.

He fastened his new cloak, pondering what symbol he might want on the back. An arcanum, the towers of Katolis, or something of his own?

Callum sighed. He wasn't looking forward to sleeping on the ground again. He also wasn't looking forward to seeing Rex Igneous either.

Aaravos, Viren, Sir Sparklepuff, Terry, Claudia, and Tressal were waiting outside of the steps leading up to the library. Callum yawned, surprised to see that Kpp'ar, Srisha, and Seiki were also there to see them off despite it not even being fully light out yet. Claudia and Terry were handing out small cups of hot brown morning potion, steam rising up from the cups invitingly. Callum took one gratefully, giving her a small smile and mumble of thanks before downing the shot. The bitter heat woke him up immediately with a snap of alertness.

"It's been an honor to host guests such as yourselves," said Seiki. He'd never quite gotten past being starstruck when he was within a few feet of Aaravos. "Come back anytime you like-" Beside him, Srisha folded her arms. "-not that I have the authority to offer that, but uh. yeah," he stammered.

Srisha turned her focus to Aaravos. "You're going to fix the Sunfire Forge, really? One might think that it's to your advantage that Lux Aurea is overcast with your specialty of magic."

The barely veiled suspicion bounced off of Aaravos easily. He shrugged, wrapping an arm around Viren's waist as he did so. It wasn't a shift from how they'd been before, but Callum wasn't used to seeing Aaravos in his silver horn cuffs yet. "An advantage I no longer need or wish to have. War calls for us to commit unspeakable things. If Xadia and the Human Kingdoms can have peace by my mending of a prior wound as a show of good faith, my goals are still accomplished."

She narrowed her eyes but didn't press further, seemingly satisfied.

"First, to Rex Igneous." Tressal didn't look happy, but he also seemed to never look happy anyway. "I have no interest in getting corrupted and dying in the ruins of the Sunfire kingdom."

"Yes, yes," assured Aaravos.

Terry scratched his head. "It isn't on the way though. We'd have to go past Lux Aurea."

Aaravos conjured a map of the world, gesturing as he spoke. "Evenere is down here, and our journey will take us across the world. Even flying, it's a long journey. Weeks, if some of it is on foot or by ship." Callum's feet hurt already. Would they even make it to the wedding on time? As he got ready to voice his thoughts, Aaravos clapped his hands and a large, circular lavender rune appeared underneath them all. "Of course, we aren't going to do that. I'll teleport us by the Uncharted Forest again."

"Whew," exclaimed Claudia. "We've already made this journey once. Glad the second time will be faster- we already got our bonding time in and all that, right?"

"I won't be missing that." Tressal dropped the flat tone for a moment and pondered the map. "But why outside the forest? Can't you go to Rex Igneous's mountain directly?"

"Certainly," replied Aaravos. "But teleportation is draining, and I should be at my full strength when we meet him."

Callum's stomach dropped. "Woah, no no no- we aren't going to fight him for what we need!"

Aaravos waved his hand nonchalantly. "By being at my full strength, we'll avoid a fight. A stalemate."

"How are you so sure?"

"I know him." Aaravos assured.

Viren looked at Aaravos, worry creasing his brows. "I believe you may be overestimating how reasonable Archdragons are."

"Avizandum didn't know you were a genuine threat, dear." Aaravos's smile to Viren ran a chill down Callum's spine. Whenever he wanted to let go of his misgivings and believe everything was going to be alright, Aaravos flashed his fangs. "Rex Igneous knows he's no match for me. Every creature, no matter how proud, has a survival instinct."

Kpp'ar nodded to Viren and addressed them all, stepping away from the glowing circle on the ground. "Even so, be careful. You have a chance to do some good in this world. Don't waste it."

Claudia and Terry held hands, Terry giving Claudia's hand a reassuring squeeze. Tressal squinted. "Do we have to hold hands for the spell?"

"Someone else tell him yes," said Aaravos with a smirk.

Claudia grabbed Tressal's hand with her free one. "Don't think being grouchy will work with me. All it gives me is material. Wanna see my ~Lord Viren, High Mage of Katolis impression?"

Callum didn't hold back his laugh very well, nor did he try that hard. "Oh yeah, I got one too."

"Children, please," wheezed Viren, a hint of the old exasperation returning.

Sir Sparklepuff reached up to hold Viren's hand from where he was crouched between him and Aaravos. He made an inquiring noise, glancing up at Aaravos.

"Is everyone ready?" asked Aaravos.

Before anyone could say anything, the rune under them activated. A flash of light exploded out from the center of the circle, seemingly consuming them all. Callum squeezed his eyes shut as the ground vanished under him in the glare, arms flailing out as they all experienced a split second of screaming and weightlessness.

The next thing he knew, he was lying face first on the forest floor.

Callum groaned, brushing dirt off of his hands and knees as he stood up.

Evenere had been grey and overcast in the early hours of the morning, but where they were standing under bright green foliage was warm and bright with afternoon sun. It'd been so long since they'd seen the Uncharted Forest, yet it hadn't truly been that long- just enough for nostalgia for those awkward first days to set in.

Tressal glared at Aaravos. Apparently, Callum had been the only one to fully fall over. "Why did you even bother asking if we were ready?"

Aaravos shrugged. "I knew the answer was yes." He rubbed his eyes, unsteady on his feet for a moment.

Claudia glanced between herself, Terry, and Tressal. "Hey, none of us fell except for Callum! Holding hands worked." Sir Sparklepuff let go of Viren's hand and chittered happily, immediately running up a tree trunk for fun.

Terry raised his and Claudia's hands together. "Yay!" He inhaled deeply, looking around with a smile. "Oh, finally home! Don't you all feel how much more alive the forest is here? Evenere was brimming with life, but it's different when it's magic radiating from everything."

Callum tried to focus this time, to feel what Terry was talking about. It seemed unthinkable to him that he could be standing in a concentration of magical energy and not even notice it without a connection to the Earth arcanum. He sighed, raising his eyes to the sky. "I feel exactly the same as I did in Evenere. The only thing I can really tell is that the winds are mild today, and mostly coming from the northeast. And, uhhhhhh- air pressure is normal and all that."

Always one to upstage everyone else, Aaravos closed his eyes and raised his palms. "I feel all of that and more, from the distant depths of the sea to the winds at the Storm Spire. I feel this planet's turning around the sun and the orbits of every celestial body within our part of the galaxy. Entire constellations drift through the depths of space, yet are tied together with the most delicate threads."

Claudia nudged Aaravos out of his moment. "Well I feel hungry."

"How do you do it?" asked Viren to Aaravos, digging around in his backpack for snacks. "It sounds like you'd be constantly distracted with all of your senses open to all of that."

"I'm merely exceptional in every way," Aaravos punctuated his sentence with a kiss to Viren's cheek. "I know you agree."

"I just married you, do you still need to fish for compliments?" Viren's grumbling didn't have any real annoyance behind it as he tossed Claudia a small, wrapped package of travel rations.

"Recreationally, of course," responded Aaravos, holding Viren around his waist. The flirtatious smile faded as Aaravos yawned and rested his cheek against the top of Viren's head. "We'll easily make it to Umber Tor tomorrow. I'll need to rest early tonight."

Callum had rarely seen Aaravos express fatigue. If he wasn't mistaken, even his stars seemed to not shine as brightly despite the fact that Aaravos was clearly in a good mood as he tried to get reactions out of Viren. This time around, he'd teleported them much further away and with an extra person. "We could set up camp soon. You look exhausted."

Viren turned to look at Aaravos's face. "You've been awake for forty minutes. The spell was that bad?"

Aaravos yawned again. He'd never reminded Callum so much of a cat before. "Napping in a sunny meadow does sound nice. I trust the rest of you can amuse yourselves without me."

It didn't take long for them to wander into a meadow, perhaps guided by Aaravos's acute senses and need for a nap. Aaravos gracelessly flopped down into a dense, soft cluster of tall grasses underneath a tree. Viren stood over him, running a hand down his own face. "Really?"

"I'm tired." Aaravos's voice was muffled by grass.

"I can't just leave you here for someone to trip over," muttered Viren, deciding to also lie down next to Aaravos and watch the slivers of clouds through the branches above. "You're a hazard wherever we go."

"Hmmhmm." Aaravos rolled onto his side and passed out asleep with an arm flung over Viren's waist. Callum was sure it had to be magic to let him sleep so fast. Sir Sparklepuff scampered into the tree above them in search of food, Aaravos blissfully unaware of him.

Claudia looked around, grinning. "Well, you know what we should do?"

Terry also grinned. "Frolic?"

"Yeah!" Claudia took Tressal's hand. "C'mon, I'm sure you don't frolic enough!"

Tressal pulled back his hand, stammering, "I frolic exactly the right amount, which is not at all!"

Terry took Claudia's hands in his. "Alright then- just us!" They took off, laughing and trying not to fall over while still holding hands and trying to skip through the meadow. Callum watched with a laugh, the familiar heaviness returning to him as he looked down at his feet and the laughter faded. Rayla's favorite spot in the Silvergrove was densely populated by adorraburs, but he couldn't see a single one clinging to his pant legs or anywhere around.

Tressal interrupted Callum's moping, which was for the best.

"What I don't understand," he began, "-is how you manage it all alone."

Was Callum that easy to read? Was it that obvious to Tressal, who barely knew him, how much he missed Rayla? "I-"

"I couldn't stand being the only court mage." Relief hit Callum like a lightning bolt, in some alternate universe where lightning bolts had the capacity to relax people. Tressal gestured aimlessly as he spoke. "There aren't many other mages in Neolandia, but at least it isn't all on me. You have every catastrophe on your shoulders without support."

Callum realized what an outlier he was, honestly for the first time. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh… I guess our prior High Mage wasn't exactly social either." He looked to Viren, who'd shifted to sitting against the tree next to the indent of grass Callum assumed was Aaravos, reading one of the books from Evenere. "I just got used to it. Actually, I wasn't totally alone! I had a mentor, Ibis, over in Xadia. We corresponded pretty often." Callum couldn't bring himself to say what had happened to Ibis, how the old wound sometimes still stung when he looked at Terry.

Tressal pressed, but softer than Callum would have expected. "Only one mentor, then and now? What about colleagues? Even one or two- just to have some else to rely on, bounce ideas off of."

"Are you trying to be… friends?" Callum elbowed him playfully. "Sounds like you wanna be friends!"

"Well- that's a way to put it." Tressal grimaced. "You may not approve of the rest of humanity's mages, but we should still have some network. Our countries have awkward relations at best. We don't have to be the same."

Of course, even here, he was Prince Callum, High Mage of Katolis. Why else would Tressal be trying? Callum frowned, stopping short in his thoughts. "Oh- I thought you like, wanted to be friends because you could get along with me, as a person."

"No." The sheer bluntless made Callum hack out a laugh.

Tressal blanched and waved his hands. "I- no! I mean no-, you're fine as a guy, I just- you know- as who we are-" He groaned. "Maybe it does have to be awkward."

Callum's offense faded. It was hard to be mad when Tressal's composure was so gone that he was literally flailing. It was a pretty good impression of Callum himself when he felt like dissolving into the ground under his feet. "I get it… I can't blame you." if Callum was smarter, he would have tried to form foreign connections first.

What did their future look like? Callum hadn't had a chance to conceptualize an end to the journey, a moment where things were finally resolved. Could Aaravos ever live in Katolis or Xadia, or were they going to be forever stuck wandering the world, no place to call home? Callum could always go back to Katolis, he supposed he could even decide to head out right then and there, but it wouldn't feel right. As much as he missed Rayla, Ezran, everyone else, his home- things would never be the same again.

He didn't know what would have to happen for his mission to feel complete enough to leave Aaravos's side. The thought of it made his chest ache. They'd talked about how it couldn't last forever, but the end was incomprehensible to him.

"Maybe we should keep in touch," Callum said, reasoning that whatever happened, they could both benefit from it. "I may be difficult to reach, though."

"At this rate, I'll follow the trail of international spectacles and assume you and Aaravos are within the blast radius."

"Can't argue with that."

Further away, across the little valley, Terry and Claudia discovered the dangers of too much whimsy. They ran, lopsided with clasped hands, pushing and pulling each other the same way their laughs rose and fell. Claudia didn't have long before she tripped over a clump of grass, shouting as she took Terry down with her.

Claudia hit the meadow with a loud snort, still giggling as Terry landed on top of her. He grinned, propped up on his palms on either side of her. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Claudia tilted her head, an idea forming in her mind. Still playful, she laid her hands on Terry's waist, eyebrows raised. "Yeah?"

Terry leaned down, touching his forehead to hers, barely not kissing her. "You know it."

She kissed him with a smile, staring into his eyes. Terry bumped his nose against hers. "Isn't it rude to stare?"

"Maybe I feel like being rude." Keeping a hold on his waist, she rolled them both over so Terry was under her.

He leaned his head back with a rustle of plants behind him, grinning again. "I see how it is." Terry gently brushed a hand against her hair, causing a few blades of grass to fall from her head. "You'll get hair my color if you keep this up."

"I could make it work."

Terry made the move to kiss her that time, palm resting on her cheek. He kept his eyes closed during their kiss and was unaware that Claudia had as well, each of them seeking the other purely by touch.

Claudia ended their kiss with a lingering peck on his lips. She settled down so she could lay her head on his chest, smiling as Terry held her. Settling so she was also cuddling him, she sighed happily. "You know, Xadia really is starting to feel like home. Those two years without dad were so hard… I never felt like I fit in. This was just a place to gather ingredients to bring him back. And then I met you, and everything was so much better! And now, now I think that maybe it isn't so bad here."

He rested his cheek against the top of her head. "Xadia is amazing. Even moreso with you in it."

"Heyyyyyyy." Claudia's joking mood faded. "Really though, I was wrong about this place, about elves, and when we first met? About you."

Terry was also more subdued as he absentmindedly stroked her hip. "I've been wrong about things too."

"We all are, but I'm trying to just… to say I'm sorry." Claudia propped herself up so she could lock eyes with him. "I apologize. For all of it. Look, I know you've done stuff you feel awful about, but the way I thought about you and all of Xadia- let me admit I was wrong."

A moment passed, Claudia deep in uncertainty. She knew why he couldn't just accept that she wanted to apologize, the permanent weight on his conscience, Ibis, might never go away. Terry only sat up and hugged her close. "Alright," he murmured, words coming slowly. "I forgive you… bit awkward to admit that when we'd met, I didn't know how you felt. Glad it's changed, of course."

"Yeah… I feel terrible thinking about it." She stared off into the distance. "We're an odd group, aren't we?" asked Claudia. "Us, my dad, Aaravos. All of us have the rest of our lives to deal with what we've done before, and I have no idea where we're going."

Terry squeezed her softly in his arms. "We'll help each other find the right way."

-BREAK-

The next morning came with sunshine and birds singing, a cheery mood only Aaravos reflected. Everyone was well rested from their day of leisure, but the unease was palpable in the air. Callum, Tressal, Claudia, and Terry sipped their hot brown morning potion in silence. Even Sir Sparklepuff seemed subdued as he nibbled a slice of travel bread.

Viren brushed Aaravos's hair as usual, expression unimpressed. "Do you have a particular hairstyle you want to die with? Something that really screams 'eaten by an archdragon?' 'Buried in an avalanche', perhaps?"

"How little faith you all have!" exclaimed Aaravos with mock offense. "We'll be fine."

Terry sighed. "I'd like to stay positive, but I had the weirdest stress dreams last night." He spread his arms wide as if telling a fishing story, but vertical instead. "Aaravos was a hundred feet tall!"

Aaravos chuckled. "What a wild imagination you have." He shook his head so his waves of hair flowed freely down his back. "Just leave it, today. I'll keep my signature look."

Viren's sulking only lasted until Sir Sparklepuff crawled behind him and ran his fingers clumsily through Viren's short hair, mimicking the hair brushing. He jumped at first but gradually relaxed, letting Sir Sparklepuff carry on. "So, we'll waltz in and everything will be fine?"

Callum paled. "Oh no- we have to find gifts before we go! Rex Igneous demands tribute in the form of gifts to even be allowed to meet him."

Aaravos placed a hand on his own collarbone. "I'm a gift." Callum's withering look had no effect.

Claudia laughed nervously. "Yeeaahhh, so the big bad dragon personally hates like, all of us."

"Not me," interjected Tressal. "Skill issue."

"Relax. You don't need gifts, or to worry." Aaravos stood up, completely at ease. "I know him. Besides, we've been over how powerful I am. I'd love to go over that again, in great detail, but we should get going."

This had been the plan all along, but Callum felt worse about it by the minute as they began the walk to Umber Tor. The mountain that had been a pleasant scenic feature in the background the day before seemed to loom over them. "Let me guess, you're just gonna go right to the front door? Demand to be let in? You sound like Zubeia, you know that?"

Aaravos recoiled, but he recovered with a laugh. "Ha! I'd love to see the look on her face if she heard you comparing us."

"The look on yours was worth seeing too," teased Claudia. "Come on, tell us all about the dragons! You know them, right?"

"I prefer to show rather than tell. Wait until I see Rex."

Aaravos never gave more answers than he promised, so they were forced to change the subject. Any kind of walk with Aaravos in Xadia often became a nature lesson as he pointed out plants and creatures. Callum wished it didn't come with Dark Magic recipes and discussion from the other mages, but it couldn't be helped.

"That's a sun salamander," commented Aaravos at a golden salamander sunning on a rock by the path.

"They're sort of rare, but they sure are useful," said Tressal. "Nothing like one after performing a big spell."

Callum made a face. "As a snack?"

"No, as a purifying spell." Aaravos nodded to Viren, who was currently carrying Sir Sparklepuff. "Like the Sunray Monarchs Viren previously used to tend to his corruption, but more potent."

Sir Sparklepuff stirred, making a noise at Viren.

"Used to," emphasized Viren hastily. "What do you mean by more potent? I needed to conceal my corruption and take the edge off, but that's the most they could ever do. Nothing can totally cure someone."

"True, but it can intercept a lot of corruption before it sets in," explained Tressal. "You'll still have a trace, but it's a way to reduce the harm to yourself, maybe even someone else."

Aaravos pointed ahead to a shoulder height shrub with translucent berries that caught the light like glass light prisms. "That's the Rainbow Berry bush." He popped one into his mouth as he passed by.

"What do they do?" asked Claudia, also eating one while unscrewing a jar to put a few in.

"They contain no magical properties at all."

Claudia chewed pensively. "At least it's pretty!"

Soon enough, their uphill climb went from unnoticeable to waking up certain muscle groups in their legs. The hike to the gates was higher than Callum had realized, since the last time he'd been there he'd flown in. As they made their way around meandering deer paths between boulders and ancient trees, he breathed hard. "Hey… why… don't we just fly up there?"

Aaravos glanced behind him at the rest of them, all in a single scattered line behind him. "Do you expect me to carry everyone who can't fly?"

Viren wheezed. "Yes?"

"Well, I don't like strangers sitting on me."

Everyone's eyes went to Tressal.

"Thanks Tressal," said Claudia.

"Thanks Tressal," echoed Terry.

"Thanks Tressal," Callum joined in, laughing as Tressal threw his hands up in the air.

"Am I really a stranger, really?! How am I a stranger if you know enough to not like me very much?" Tressal put his hands on his hips as he stared Aaravos down. "It's mutual, by the way."

Callum didn't know how many times he would think the thought, Aaravos needs people around him who are irreverent and backtalk or else he'll get bored, but he'd probably keep having it for the rest of his life.

"I am doing you a favor," Aaravos pointed out, mouth quirked upwards.

"Just the one, for your favor points for humanity."

Aaravos was shameless. "True enough."

"I'll fly you up there," said Callum, already holding his arms out to transform. "What else does supporting each other mean? Manus, pluma, volantus!"

As Callum transformed, Claudia also gained her wings as Aaravos changed into his bird form. Tressal moved to gawk at Aaravos's plumage. Terry, Viren, and Sir Sparklepuff climbed on, Terry holding Viren's waist. Sir Sparklepuff flapped his own wings on Viren's lap. Viren nervously held him tight enough to make sure he was secure. "Maybe someday," Viren said.

"He's a bird," said Tressal.

"Sometimes," confirmed Callum. He flapped his wings, wind making Tressal's hair puff up.

Tressal held Callum around the waist, pressed right up against his back. "I guess we are bonding."

Callum flapped his wings again. "You can't avoid it with Aaravos. He pushes you closer to other people by repelling you from himself."

Tressal chuckled into Callum's shoulder.

That chuckle turned to a screech as Callum took off and Tressal gripped his waist for dear life.

Umber Tor's gates rose up high on the side of the mountain they were embedded in. Callum noticed that the platform outside had been cleaned up since the last time he was there. The rubble from the skirmish had likely been swept away by the doormen. However, the majestic view of the mountain and the decorative red columns of crystal was somewhat dampened by Tressal's continued screaming. Callum landed as quickly as he could, patting down his ribs to figure out if anything was broken or his organs were intact.

"Sorry," muttered Tressal, immediately trying to adjust his tunic and seem aloof.

Aaravos and Claudia landed with more dignity. Aaravos turned back into his elf self the moment his passengers were on the ground. Despite the assurances that Aaravos knew what he was doing, Callum's teeth were on edge.

Nearby rumbling was the first sign that their arrival was noticed.

"Oh." The voice seemed too nervous to come from the huge rock creature that it did. He was the taller one, and though his two blue eyes were all that could show an expression on his face, the mix of worry and bafflement was easy to read. "Such a frequent number of visitors."

The other doorman lumbered into view- shorter, rounder, and gruffer. "You seem familiar."

"Nope," said Callum hastily.

The shorter creature continued, voice booming by default. "You'd better clear out. His Majesty doesn't-"

"I can let myself in, thank you." Aaravos raised his hands and his markings and eyes glowed with magic. Several heavy noises emanated from the locking mechanisms of the door. The doors slowly swung open, stilling once Aaravos lowered his hands.

The more blue doorman looked at the opened doors. "Hm. Maybe I should just retire soon."

"To do what?" snapped the other guardian. "Be a pile of rocks somewhere else?"

"Who knows. Could be a decent stack of them instead," he mused.

Ignoring the both of them, Aaravos strode forward, beckoning everyone else to follow him.

"We could still turn back," whispered Viren, urgently.

"Where's the fun in that?" asked Aaravos.

Uh oh. "Your idea of fun usually scares me," admitted Callum.

The entryway had also been cleared of debris. Callum hoped that they weren't about to bring more of the mountain down. The pillars holding up the ceiling seemed study enough as they walked through the antechamber, but he remembered how easily even a roar from the dragon could cause an earthquake. Torches lit themselves as they walked until they came to another grand, heavy set of doors, which Aaravos opened the same way without so much as a knock.

Aaravos strode in confidently while everyone else behind him tried to stay hidden behind him in an obvious group. The treasure room was as opulent and disorganized as Callum remembered it, with literal piles of gold spilling over everywhere and boxes shoved here and there. The far end of the room was home to a group of hot spring tubs, where Rex Igneous was already dozing.

Rex Igneous raised his head, eyes blinking open. "I told them, no visi-"

"Not even an old friend?"

Aaravos's voice echoed around the cavern. Before the last note could stop resonating, Rex Igneous bolted upright with a roar, tail thrashing.

"YOU!"

Aaravos bowed slightly. "Me." Callum could hear the grin in his voice. Evidently, so did their unwilling host. Rex Igneous snarled, thumping his claws against the rim of the springs, heat already building in his throat. "Now now, don't be hasty. You know how this fight would end."

Rex Igneous leered down at all of them, fangs bared. "You have guts, intruding in my home and dragging every miserable traitor to the world with you. What do you want, to gloat as you kill me? I won't make it easy."

Callum already had his hand behind his back, gripping the air staff with terror.

Aaravos laughed, as though Rex Igneous had said something genuinely funny.

"You're much grouchier than I remember, which is saying something. I intend you no harm at all."

Rex Igneous barked a laugh. "Good one, Great Betrayer! Your words are as worthless as the dirt under your feet."

Aaravos angled his head, folding his arms. "I bring not only words, but actions to speak of as well. Are you really going to turn down news and favors from your favorite elf? I'm even willing to forgive you for your betrayal of me."

"My betrayal," rumbled Rex Igneous, tone still charged with warning. "All you did was sow chaos and spread suffering for a millenia!"

"And when you heard, it didn't make sense, did it?" pressed Aaravos. "It wasn't the entire story, after all."

His hint of new information to share caught everyone's attention. Rex Igneous clearly struggled to resist it, posture still on guard. "What's the catch?"

"I'd like a couple things you don't care about from your hoard."

"How vague. Do you really think any news you could bring would interest me, now that you're three hundred years out of the loop? Why would I believe it anyway?"

Aaravos busied himself digging around in a nearby treasure chest. He pulled out an old, ornate glass bottle with a label stamped with a wax rune Callum didn't recognize. "Object number one- I believe this was too sweet for you, yes? It'd be a pity for it to go to waste." Rex Igenous rolled his eyes and gestured with a hand for Aaravos to go ahead. Aaravos magically popped the bottle open and a small wisp of steam floated out of the top, despite it looking exactly like a fancy but rather normal wine bottle. "I do have news, and you know I don't lie. You ought to stop playing so cold with me, Igneous. I was there when you hatched."

He dropped that piece of information so casually that Callum had to look for everyone else to mirror his shock to make sure he'd heard directly. Rex Igneous didn't reply at first, all eyes on Aaravos as he lounged back on a pile of gold, reclining as if he owed the place. He raised the bottle to his lips and took a generous swig directly from the glass. Rex Igneous sighed deeply. "Well then? Sit down, the rest of you. It's awkward enough without a standing audience. Be glad your lives are spared, for now."

Aaravos leaned his head back, resting the bottle on his thigh. He was resplendent against the gold, a splash of purple elegance. "They're all under my care."

"Figures," grumbled Rex Igneous.

"You haven't even congratulated me on getting married." He took another bold gulp of alcohol. "This gift is fine, but words are better, you know."

"Married?" Rex Igenous squinted at Aaravos's horn cuffs. "Salt right into my wound."

"If it's any consolation, I was always rooting for you."

Rex Igneous snorted, although he sounded a lot less on edge than before. "If that were true, knowing what I know about you now, I'd have been King of the Dragons for sure."

Aaravos held out the bottle, passing it to Viren, who initially didn't look thrilled about his methods. Viren sniffed it curiously and then took a sip, eyes going wide. The bottle got passed further down the line with similar reactions. Aaravos kept talking, ignoring the rest of them. "Well, I was more cheering than acting on the matter, if you catch my drift. You were always the more level headed archdragon."

"Oh stop it." Rex Igneous waved his hand in a nonchalant manner, also adjusting his posture so he was lying down casually, head propped up on an elbow. "What a way to say you liked me but did nothing for me."

There wasn't anywhere else to sit but somewhere on the treasure piles. Now that they didn't seem to be in immediate danger, Callum was the last to let himself settle down. He winced as his leg hit what felt like a metal bar- a ruby red staff with golden ends. "Ow," he muttered. He tried to toss the staff lightly to the side, but it instead hit the ground with a disproportionately loud clang. "Sorry, sorry!"

Claudia handed him the mysterious, apparently magical bottle of liquid. Sir Sparklepuff scampered between them, poking at the bottle. "Nope," whispered Claudia, picking up the child and holding him back from Callum. "Not kid friendly."

Aaravos had taken a few large drinks out of it and his cheekbones already seemed warmer. By contrast, everyone else had had the same effect faster with just a sip.

Callum pretended that he understood anything about wine and also took a sniff, noting how the glass was warm in his hands. He was hit with a sweet, sort of spiced scent. A taste of the wine proved itself to be even more potent than he'd imagined, with spice, citrus, and wine swirled together into a warm concoction.

"Magically preserved mulled wine," informed Viren behind him. "With some… ah… harder liquor I'm sure," he mused, rubbing his warm face.

Handing the mostly empty bottle back to Aaravos, Callum watched in astonishment as Aaravos punctuated a sentence with a swig of the wine and didn't even react to it beyond smiling a little more with a relaxed slope to his shoulders. He turned to Claudia next to him and the two had to stifle sudden giggles at the absurdity of the situation as Aaravos and Rex Igneous chatted and even laughed together like two longtime friends catching up.

Beloved by all, Zubeia had said about Aaravos.

Callum hadn't believed it before, but he could then.

"I'll give you news for one other trinket," proposed Aaravos.

"It's usually the other way around here," pointed out Rex Igneous. "But I suppose I get some benefit from what may be nothing to me."

Aaravos gestured to Tressal. "What's that thing you wanted called?"

Maybe the wine actually was having an effect.

Tressal stood up, formally addressing Rex Igneous. "It's called a Tideturner, and it was made by a Neolandian inventor many years ago."

"Oh, that." Reg Igneous pointed to a nearby pile. "If you find it in there, it's yours."

Tressal waded through gold coins and got digging, muttering something about organization.

Aaravos kept talking, idly playing with the ends of a lock of his hair as he spoke. "As for my information, I have a few things of note. First, I helped repair some of the damage done to the Uncharted Forest from landslides when you'd woken back up. Second, I've been working to reforest some of the west of the continent with their native trees which are also found here, meaning the Earth Arcanum itself may be able to make a full magical recovery and sustain more and stronger life in all of Xadia."

"Across the border?"

"Yes. In Katolis, to be exact."

Rex Igneous hmmed. "Sounds like you'd like to see a united continent again."

"The middle of Xadia would look a lot more scenic without all that lava."

"What else do you have to say?"

Aaravos grinned. "While you may have missed my admittedly humble wedding, you're in luck. The Sunfire Queen is marrying a human royal from Katolis, and the wedding is open for any resident of both sides of the continent to attend. Given your outgoing disposition and approachability, I assumed the news may not have reached you here."

"Really?" Rex Igenous's attention was caught. "When?"

"A week from now. Zubeia is going, of course."

Her name made Rex Igneous swish his tail. "And you'd admit this to me with the implication that you're going too?"

"Anyone with sense knows I wouldn't miss it. I have my ways."

There was a natural pause in conversation. Tressal held up the magical item he'd been looking for and examined the Tideturner in his hands as he sat back down. Callum felt a bit too drowsy to try and figure out how it worked, though he'd love to ask questions later.

Rex Igneous barely cared about what anyone but Aaravos was doing. He locked eyes with Aaravos. "Why'd you do it?"

"Hm?"

"You're smarter than all of the rest of us, don't make me ask a thousand questions," growled Rex Igneous.

Aaravos stared at the ceiling.

"This world didn't seem like it was worth saving, worth living in. No, not just this world, but the galaxy itself. I acted on my worst impulses, I wanted to bring it all to heel. I'd lost much and had no reason to not vie for power. There was a method to my madness. My goals and values weren't even that far from your own, though I'd have needed you to step out of the way."

"And what's so different now?" Rex Igneous scanned the group closely for the first time. "These people?"

Aaravos's answer was steady, immediate.

"Yes."

Callum's heart leapt.

Rex Igneous sighed, turning his head to the side. "I still don't know, with you. The Sunfire wedding could very well be a trap, even if it's our best shot to take you down."

"Hey!" protested Claudia. "He doesn't have any other plans. We've been helping people."

"I was imprisoned for so long," said Aaravos, frowning for the first time. "Does three centuries mean nothing to you? It's a happy ending for everyone if I come out rehabilitated."

"I doubt you did."

"How rude."

"Anyone would want revenge, but especially you. I may be civil, but I can't trust you, not again."

"I meant it when I said I don't intend to harm you- or anyone."

"Perhaps." Rex Igneous stood up. "But what happens to you isn't my decision to make."

Aaravos also stood up, but neither made a move to attack. Everyone else also slowly got to their feet. "So, what now? I'll see you at the wedding, our goodbyes already said?" He clenched his fists and Callum worried again, but Aaravos kept his magic in check, even though he was livid. "After all, I suppose you made your feelings clear when you betrayed me. All of you, heartless and cowardly to your core."

Rex Igneous stepped forward, lowering himself to speak to Aaravos directly. His breath was hot on their faces, his eyes bright and intense. Yet, his words were soft. "All this time, I wondered what I'd say to you if I ever saw you again. I could never land on just the right thing. The closest I got was this:

"I missed you, the way I would miss the Earth itself if it were to vanish into nothingness. I missed you, and wondered if you'd always hated us, if you'd ever cared during the whole lifetime I trusted you. I missed you, and I'm sorry for what we did to you- but I can't regret it."

Pure shock flashed over Aaravos's face. His mouth hung open as he completely forgot himself. Suddenly, as if hit by the delayed realization that he'd reacted at all, he spun around on his heel and strode away, dragging his forearm across his eyes.