Rising from his chair, the king decided it was time to stretch his legs. The topics of the meeting still lingered in his mind, but thankfully it was over.

Ezran scooped up Bait and headed towards the door with Zym trotting closely behind. Ezran stepped out of the lodge with his two animal friends, venturing into the fresh air for a much-needed walk.

He found himself sitting on a small stone bridge he remembered from his childhood. It seemed so much smaller now- had it always been this tiny?

"Hey, Ezran!"

Ezran recognized the familiar voice instantly. He turned to see his brother walking towards him.

"Any luck with the well?" he asked.

"Fixed it," Callum replied. "Or, at least, I think I fixed it. I'm gonna have another look later."

"Great," Ezran said, though the word fell flat, devoid of any enthusiasm.

Callum glanced at his brother, concern flickering across his face as he sat down beside his brother."Are you alright?" Callum asked gently.

Ezran hesitated, then sighed deeply. "I don't know," Ezran admitted. "There are just so many decisions to be made. I've tried to listen to everyone, but isn't it up to me in the end?"

Callum put an arm around Ezran's shoulder, offering a quiet reassurance. Ezran leaned into him, grateful for the support.

"Do you remember the last time we sat on this bridge?" Callum asked after a moment.

"You were feeding the ducks bread," Ezran recalled, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "But they said they preferred berries."

"And I didn't believe you then," Callum added with a chuckle. "Because I didn't know just how amazing my little brother was yet. You have everyone's support. I know you can do more than you realize."

Ezran paused, tilting his head as Zym chirped beside him. A small smile crept on his face. "Zym agrees with you," Ezran told Callum.

"See!" Callum encouraged him. "Rayla and I are gonna stay here and help you for as long as you need."

Ezran chuckled lightly. "It's funny how you say that, like you guys have somewhere else to go. Isn't this your home too?"

"It is," Callum said. "I guess it's just that I'm not sure Rayla wants to live among humans for the rest of her life."

"I see," Ezran replied. After a brief moment, he added,"You guys are really back together, aren't you? Like forever together?"

"I guess so," Callum said.

He knew it was irrational. Callum hadn't done anything wrong, and he'd always thought of Rayla as almost a sister. But now, with the two of them so bonded, Ezran couldn't help but shake the feeling that he had somehow slipped to second place in his brother's life. It was a strange and odd sensation; he'd never felt that way before. Growing up, he and Callum had always been so close. Yet now, Ezran couldn't help, but wonder: if Callum had to choose, would he pick Rayla?

Ezran didn't like that thought, but there wasn't anything he could do about it.

Ezran turned to look at Callum. His brother was smiling - a genuine, carefree smile that Ezran couldn't remember seeing in a long time. Why was he worrying about "what ifs?" He'd always known Rayla still loved Callum even when Callum hadn't realized it himself. He'd expected them to get back together. This was a good thing, wasn't it?

"I'm happy for you," Ezran said, and this time, he truly meant it. The last thing Ezran wanted was for his brother to be miserable.

"Thanks," Callum replied, his cheeks tinged with a faint blush.

"Am I interrupting?"

Ezran turned to see Queen Aanya approaching.

"Not at all," Callum said. "I was just trying to cheer up mister sulky pants here." As he spoke, Callum reached out and pulled Ezran into a brotherly hug.

Despite himself, Ezran couldn't help but feel his mood lighten Callum smiled and ruffled up Ezran's hair.

"Stop it Callum," He said, trying to sound stern, but the giggles betrayed him. Before long, both of them were laughing.

"I was hoping to speak with you for a moment," Queen Aayna said, her voice calm but serious, cutting through their shared laughter.

"I should get started on that irrigation system anyway," Callum said. He gave a quick wave goodbye and walked off, leaving Ezran and Aayna alone.

Aayna lowered herself onto the seat next to Ezran. Bait let out a loud grumble, his glow dimming slightly. Zym, on the other hand, stayed quiet.

"What was that about?" Aayna asked, clearly curious about Bait's grumble.

Ezran chuckled. "He wants his belly rubbed."

"Easily accomplished," Aayna replied, reaching out to rub the glow toad's tummy. He let out a satisfied croak, his earlier annoyance forgotten.

"He likes you," Ezran told her, interpreting as usual for his animal companions..

"I like him too," Aayna replied kindly.

There was a brief pause asBait enjoyed his belly rub. When Aayna spoke again, her tone turned serious, hinting at the real reason she had come. "There is something I want to show you, Ezran. A secret place in Duren."

Ezran tilted his head, curious."Alright," he said simply.

"We still have the mounts we flew home on from your aunt's wedding," Aanya continued. "I thought we could take Soren and Corvus along for security."

"Oh, you mean like now?" Ezran said, standing up abruptly.

She laughed. "Yes, I mean now," she confirmed with a nod.

The news excited Zym and Bait, who immediately made it clear they wanted to come along. They seemed more interested in staying close to Ezran than actually seeing this secret place, but that was fine by him. Zym stretched his wings, ready to fly alongside him, while Bait wanted a lift.

"Well, of course, buddy," Ezran said with a chuckle as he addressed Bait. "You can't fly. You can sit on my lap, okay?"

The glow toad replied with a happy, rumbling croak, clearly satisfied with the arrangement.

Before long, they were in the air, soaring towards their destination. During the ride, Aayna began to tell him the story of the Mage Wars, a tale his tutors had fudged rather drastically.

"After the Mage Wars, what little magic remained on the human side was hidden," Aayna explained. "What I'm about to show you is a secret Duren has kept hidden for centuries."

They eventually landed near the mouth of a cave. Aayna stopped and pulled out her bow and arrow. She showed Ezran the fire ruby embedded in the arrow head. With a demonstration she showed them that the glittering gemstone exploded on impact.

When they entered the cave, Ezran's eyes widened at the sight. Fire rubies - more than he could count - shimmered in the dim light, their crystalline forms reaching up to the very ceiling of the cavern.

"With these, we can build weapons to protect ourselves," Aayna said. "Even from dragons,"

Ezran glanced at Zym, who shifted uneasily at her words. He could hear Zym's take on this. He could sense his dragon friend's nervousness, and it gave him pause. Perhaps Callum's point had been valid. If Zym was nervous, any dragon might feel the same way.

"Thank you, Aayna, for sharing this," Ezran said at last. "I am sure these will be helpful."

Aayna nodded, her expression earnest."Duren is prepared to fully repay the kindness we received in my parents' time," she said. "You may take as many as you need."

Ezran agreed to bring a few fire rubies back with them today, and with that, they left the cave and began their trip back to the Banther Lodge.

For a few days, Ezran pushed the fire rubies out of his mind. A decision that big shouldn't be rushed, and there were plenty of other problems demanding his attention. Callum had managed to fix the well, solving their water shortage, but their food situation remained complicated.

Soren and Rayla had become their best hunters, and Ezran was pretty sure they'd turned it into a friendly competition. going. Meat wasn't the problem; it was everything else. Attempts to plant crops near the lodge weren't going well, and most of his council suggested returning to the fertile fields in Katolis and restoring them rather than trying to cultivate new soil.

"We have to decide where we are going to rebuild," Opeli said during the next council meeting. "If we make this our base, or do we return to the ruins of Katolis to rebuild?"

"It would be easier to get the old irrigation system working again," Callum pointed out. "Then recreating one from scratch."

"And the old fields are already cleared of trees," added the baker. "Less work than clearing farmland."

"I know it was devastating to see your home in ruins," Rayla said, "but some of the walls were still standing. It could make rebuilding quicker."

Ezran nodded as he listened to the arguments. He didn't have any reason to doubt them. Returning to Katolis felt strange to him, like admitting defeat but in every practical sense, it was the logical choice. Trusting his advisers, over his own feelings, he made the call.

"Alright," Ezran said at last. "I think that's the plan then. But before we go, we'll need to send scouts to make sure it's safe to do so. After that, we can send a small crew to start."

"A wise beginning," Opeli agreed.

When the meeting ended,Ezran decided he needed some time to himself. Of course, alone time never extended to his animal friends. Zym followed him everywhere these days, and Bait always tagged along, even if occasionally out of jealousy.

"You know you don't have to worry, Bait," Ezran said, responding to the glow toad's thoughts. "There's plenty of room in my heart for both you and Zym."

Bait grumbled something about how he'd been Ezran's friend first and things were better when Zym was still home with his mother. The comment made Ezran laugh. He knew Bait didn't truly mean it, after all, everyone let the green-eyed monster in sometimes.

Leaning down, Ezran scooped up his little toad companion, pulling him into a huge hug, and adding belly rubs for good measure.

"If I had a jelly tart, I'd give it to you, buddy," Ezran said with a wishful sigh. Unfortunately, there wasn't any flour for jelly tarts right now, and he couldn't help but miss his favourite treat.

"Excuse me, King Ezran," Opeli said. "There is someone here to see you. An Earthblood elf."

Ezran looked up from the documents that had survived the destruction of Katolis, which he'd been poring over for the past hour.

"I'm not sure I heard you right," Ezran said, his brow furrowing. "Did you say an elf is here to see me? An elf that isn't Rayla?"

"Yes," Opeli confirmed. "He's an Earthblood elf. He's at the door. There are two guards with him."

Intrigued, Ezran stood and followed her. When they reached the door he saw the elf. The elf had green hair and long horns that laid flat against his head, giving the illusion of being smaller than Rayla's. All his clothing was a collection of earthy tones- greens, browns and beiges. His ears were pointed; he was indeed an Earthblood elf.

As soon as Zym laid eyes on the elf, he growled. Ezran could tell that Zym wasn't a fan of this particular elf, but the dragon wasn't offering any specific details on why.

"King Ezran," the elf said, bowing deeply. "Hello um…" He hesitated, reaching into his pockets. "I practiced this with glasses so I hope you don't mind if I-" After fumbling for a moment,he pulled out a pair of glasses and put them on. "Much better. As I was saying, hello."

"Hello," Ezran replied, confused as he tried to make sense of what this elf was doing here.

"Well, I know you see me as the enemy," the elf began, "but I've realized I was wrong, and I've come here-"

"Um- sorry, I don't know you," Ezran interrupted. He could still sense Zym's distrust for the elf, but his dragon friend seemed too wrapped up with his own feelings to offer any clarity on the matter.

"Oh! I'm Terry. Terrestrius. For short. I mean for long, I guess. You know what, I'm going to switch to glasses off."

The strange elf took his glasses off and resumed his rambling monologue.

"Here's the thing: love. It's good but sometimes-"

"Not to rush things, Terry," Opeli interrupted him, her tone brisk. "But we have a busy schedule to keep here."

"Oh, Of course! So about me," Terry said, his voice coming faster now. "Okay, so about me: I was Claudia's boyfriend, so I kinda… you know, helped her and her dad fight against you and your team. But not anymore! So… trees to meet you."

As he finished, Terry stepped forward with his hand extended as if to shake hands. The two guards at his sides moved quickly, holding him back before he could get too close to Ezran.

Ezran had a feeling this was going to be a long conversation. "Why don't you come in," he said, gesturing toward the door. "We can talk in the conference room. Opeli will show you the way."

Terry nodded eagerly, seeming to understand, and followed Opeli as she led him inside.

If Claudia was involved, Ezran knew someone needed to be informed at once. He had a strong suspicion he'd find Soren where he'd find Rayla, and wherever Rayla was, Callum wasn't far behind.

Sure enough, when he found Soren, he was in the middle of a heated debate with Rayla about how to grade their hunting skills.

"Oh, yes, excellent, Ezran's here now," Rayla said as Ezran approached. "He'll agree with me."

"He most definitely won't," Ezran replied with a laugh. "It's a tie, and besides, there are more important things going on right now. We have a visitor."

"Who is it?" Soren asked.

"An Earthblood elf who claims he used to be Claudia's boyfriend," Ezran explained. "Do you know him?"

Soren's face lit up with recognition."I met Claudia's Earthblood elf boyfriend when I was her prisoner. I called him Salad Guy because he kept stuffing my mouth with leaves. To be honest, though, his presence was a little overshadowed by finding out that my dad came back to life. Oh, and there was also this little winged screechy creature with them that I never figured out."

"In that case, I need you in this meeting," Ezran said. "I think he's here to give us information, but that doesn't mean we can trust him."

"Can do," Soren said. "I'll be there."

Ezran didn't move, waiting for Soren to move. The silence stretched on until Soren finally realized what Ezran meant.

"Oh, you mean now. The meeting is now," Soren said. "Right." He set down the rabbits he'd caught, heading towards the lodge.

Ezran turned to Rayla."Can you come too?"

"Of course," Rayla said. "If you want me there."

"I think it's a good idea," Ezran replied. "I know you guys are different kinds of elves, but it might help. Do you know where Callum is?"

"If I had to guess, I'd say he has his nose in a book," Rayla chuckled. "I'll go fetch him for you, and we'll both meet you at the meeting."

"Great thanks," Ezran said, giving her a wave before following Soren toward the lodge.

When Ezran re-entered the conference room - he was beginning to feel like he spent half his time in there - Soren was already deep in conversation with the Earthblood elf. Or rather, in what looked like to be a one-sided interrogation.

Soren was right up in the Earthblood elf's face, practically looming over him. "So you figured out you were on the wrong side," Soren said bluntly, clearly summing up their conversation until now. Soren leaned back slightly and crossed his arms. "Took you long enough."

"Yes, yes it did," Terry agreed.

"And then you just abandoned Claudia! The nerve," Soren snapped, leaning in closer again. His voice carried a mix of frustration and hurt as if Soren wasn't sure which emotion to settle on.

Terry pulled away, looking confused. "I'm sorry… I'm not sure how you want me to respond."

"Yeah, well, I'm confused too" Soren shot back, practically nose-to-nose with Terry now.

Ezran sighed, deciding it was time to get back to the topic at hand. He moved to the far end of the table, and sat down.

"Terry, you know Claudia's plans," Ezran said. "What is she going to do?"

Soren stopped his interrogation and took his seat at the conference table.

"Before I tell you, you have to make me a promise," Terry said. "No matter what, no harm will come to Claudia."

"I'm sorry, but that's not possible," Soren said sadly, his gaze dropping to his hands.

"Well, that's the only way I'm going to tell you what Claudia and Aaravos are planning," Terry said, his voice firm..

Ezran's heart skipped a beat, and he stood up abruptly, his body on edge. "Wait, Aaravos?"

"Oh right," Terry said, as if it were the most casual thing. "You didn't know that, did you? So yeah, Aaravos is free."

A heavy silence pressed over the room. Ezran couldn't process the words, his mind spinning in disbelief. This was far worse than anything he could have imagined.

The silence was broken when Callum and Rayla entered the room, hand in hand.

"Isn't a conference room for talking?" Rayla asked, glancing at the group.

"It's almost like they were all talking about us before we arrived," Callum laughed. "This isn't another surprise party thing, is it?"

Ezran didn't have the attention to respond to his brother's teasing. He was focused entirely on Terry as he spoke. "But that's impossible. The pearl is safe in the north."

"I don't know anything about the north," Terry replied, casually. "I just saw Claudia do a spell and free Aaravos from a round white- oh, okay, now that I think about it, that could have been a pearl."

"Where?" Ezran said, his eyes widening in alarm. "Where did you see this?"

"The ruins of Claudia's home," Terry explained, clearly unaware of the gravity of the situation. "Why is that important?"

All at once, Ezran realized what must have happened. The attack on Katolis, the timing, and the devastating consequences- everything pointed to one crucial mistake. The pearls hadn't been switched. Callum and Rayla had unknowingly taken the candy fake north, leaving the real pearl behind in Katolis. Aaravos must have orchestrated the attack on Katolis, ensuring that Claudia had everything she needed to free him.

Ezran sank back into his chair, heading spinning. This was a disaster. Just when he thought his biggest challenge was rebuilding his kingdom, he was now facing the realization that the entire world was in jeopardy once again.

"Wait," Callum's voice broke through the heavy silence, trembling in fear. "Are you all talking about what I think you're talking about?" His voice came out faster now, hollow and filled with dread. "The real pearl was in Katolis all along… but that means I didn't switch the decoy for the real thing. All of this, all of it- it's my fault!"

"Callum, this isn't on you," Rayla said immediately, stepping closer, and placing a hand on his shoulder. "The only explanation is that you were somehow controlled by Aaravos."

"You think that makes me feel better!" Callum exclaimed, pulling away from her touch. "That makes me feel worse!"

Without another word, he turned and ran from the room.

Rayla reached out in his direction, her hand faltering in mid-air as she hesitated. Obviously unsure whether she should follow or not.

"Let me," Ezran said, stepping forward to reassure her. "If I can't cheer him up, then it's your turn." He smiled at her.

Rayla smiled back, though it didn't reach her eyes. Ezran could see the pain in her expression- a pain that wasn't her own. He knew that Rayla could feel Callum's anguish as if it were her own. Sometimes, Ezran wondered what it must feel like to be so deeply attuned to another person's feelings. The closet comparison he had was the way he communicated with animals, but that wasn't even close to the same thing.

With Zym trailing behind him, Ezran stepped into the hallway. He couldn't see or hear anything which made him wonder what the high mage was doing to escape.

"No flying!" Ezran called out to the empty hallway, his voice echoing faintly. "Or Zym and I will just follow you. I want to talk."

Zym strongly disagreed with his statement, though Callum didn't know that. Ezran suspected it would take a major crisis for Zym to let Ezran ride him.

When he finally caught up with Callum, his brother was standing alone outside, staring out at the horizon. Ezran could tell by his posture that he was thinking about flying away.

"I said no flying," Ezran remarked as he approached. "And, I am your king, you know."

Callum didn't turn and look when he replied."I like to think of you as more of a brother," Callum said. His words were casual, but the weight in his tone betrayed him.

A tense silence followed before Callum finally spoke again. "I'm the reason he's free. The reason he escaped right under our noses when all of us thought this was finally over."

"You are giving yourself way too much credit," Ezran argued.

"If I had just switched the pearls, none of this would be happening!" Callum shot back.

"We don't know that," Ezran countered. "We're dealing with a Startouch elf here, one older than an archdragon, who's had millenia to sit and plan his escape. For all we know, he would have found a way to destroy the celestial elves to get to the pearl. We still don't know how he motivated Sol Regem. Maybe you were right all along, and Aaravos's return was inevitable."

Callum shook his head, his voice rising in frustration."That's just it, I wasn't right! There's no way to kill a Startouch elf, but it's worse than that. Don't you see? It's my fault Katolis was destroyed."

"No, it's Aaravos's fault," Ezran stated firmly. "He's probably the one who killed Sol Regem as well after using him to take down Katolis. Everything comes back to Aaravos and if we are going to even have a chance at putting Aaravos back into his box, I know we're going to need your help to do it."

Callum didn't respond immediately. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small object.

Ezran squinted, unsure what he was looking at. "It's a coin," he said.

"It's a cursed coin," Callum corrected.

"Okay, a cursed coin," Ezran echoed, his brow furrowed in confusion. He had no idea what this had to do with their current situation. "Where did you get it?"

"Viren had it," Callum answered. "But that's not the point. This coin is capable of trapping a soul for all eternity. Not really dead, but not really alive. It's the perfect prison."

"That's great!" Ezran exclaimed, his spirits lifting. "So you already have a plan, then?"

"Not exactly," Callum sighed. "That's a catch. For one, I'd need Aaravos's staff-"

"That doesn't sound so hard," Ezran interrupted.

"And for another. The only way to trap a soul in the coin is with dark magic. The moment I use dark magic again, I'll be susceptible to Aaravos controlling me."

"But I don't understand," Ezran said. "You've used dark magic before, right? You told me about it. After the primal stone got smashed, you saved Rayla by turning the chains into snakes."

Callum sighed. "And then I used it again when we were all about to get killed on that boat, But later, when Rayla and I were in the Starscraper, I did a thing. I never wanted Aaravos to be able to control me again, so I did a ritual thing. They said I'd be cleansed of dark magic forever."

"Ah," Ezran said, connecting the dots. "So I'm guessing doing it again won't go well."

"I think it would kill me," Callum said. "And if it didn't, someone else would have to kill me before Aaravos could possess me."

"Okay, well, that's a bad plan," Ezran stated firmly. "We'll call that Plan N, for never gonna happen. Got any other ideas?"

"Nope," Callum sighed. "But those weapons you were talking about developing? I think we are gonna need them after all, and not for dragons."

"For Aaravos," Ezran agreed.

"And we need all the information we can get," Callum added. "We need the Earthblood elf to tell us everything he knows."

Ezran sighed. "He won't unless we promise no harm will come to Claudia. It's a big ask, but I'm thinking it will be worth it. Who knows what else he's seen that could help us." Callum nodded slowly, his expression thoughtful. "First, we have to know for sure if we can trust him," Ezran added.

"I take it you have a plan for that," Callum said, reading between the lines.

Ezran noticed a slight change in Callum's demeanor. His brother wasn't exactly cheerful, but there was a faint lightness in his posture that hadn't been there before. It wasn't much, butEzran felt certain his words had reached Callum or at the very least he was focused on the problem now and not the guilt.

Everything Ezran had said was true, but he knew Callum's words were just as valid. There was no point dwelling on endless "what ifs." Callum hadn't wanted to be controlled by Aaravos and without his help, they were doomed to fail. Magic was their best defense against magic; without it they were completely outmatched. Even Aanya's arrows were a form of magic, just imbued within an object.

Thinking like a king meant sometimes viewing your brother as a military asset instead of family. That was just the way it was. Ezran hadn't asked for this responsibility, but in the memory of his father, he would do everything in his power to be a good king.

You may notice the lack of Astrid in this story. Since the mage and the warrior aka Callum and Rayla were with Ezran at the time there really wasn't a need for the new information to come from two sources. I figured since the celestial elves can see the future, her brother will have been able to tell her that she wasn't needed to warm them. He would have been able to see that they were going to get a warning from another source.

Anyway that's my explanation for why she doesn't show up. I thought about working her in with having Terry show up and then her show up a while later just felt repetitive.

I made Callum's reaction to finding out he didn't switch the pearls smaller here because he hadn't just been eating dessert while the world was ending this time and he has his brother's support as well. Also I thought the coin was something he would never have told Rayla but he might have actually been able to tell Ezran.