Hey, sorry for the long wait. This chapter was planned to come out a mouth after the last, but things got…complicated fast.
Basically, the way I write is that I finish the chapter after the the next before I post it. Basically ensuring I have 2 chapters done at all times. And well, if it's any consolation, next chapter was total bitch. Seriously, I have never wanted to stop a story just out of sheer frustration before in my life and that's saying something.
Anyway, hopefully things will be back on schedule. Until then, here's the next chapter of as above, as below. Enjoy.
Callum lay in his bed, staring up at the ceiling as his mind was pledged by thoughts of the Elf, Rayla. The boy fraught with worry as the sun rose over the gloomy, clouded horizon, casting a dim light into his room.
Was she okay? Had she been harmed? Had she finally gotten comfortable? That last one was likely not possible given the circumstances. After all, if he was captured and made to fight for his life, he doubted anything could really make him comfortable. After all, how could anyone relax with the possibility of death looming over them?
Turning over on his side, Callum looked to his desk in the far corner of the room, his eyes fixed on a first aid kit as well as several other medical supplies sitting on it. Leftovers from when several nurses had fussed over him yesterday, repeatedly checking him over for any hidden injuries.
He wondered if Rayla had been treated properly. He knew he had treated her back in the forest and she had received medical attention upon arrival at the castle. But both were subpar, the first being done by his amateur hands and the other just making sure she wouldn't die from her wounds before she had gotten judgment.
Surely she had. After all, it was the will of the council to exploit her during the tournament. Surely they'd want her in tiptop physical condition, right?
The creak of a door broke Callum out of his thoughts. Looking up, he was met with a fully dressed Ezran standing at the washroom door, bait sitting on the boy's fluffy hair, grumpily staring at the step-prince.
"Hey, you okay?" The young boy asked. "It's not like you to still be in bed this late into the day. Are you sick or something?"
Sighing at the question, Callum slowly sat up, sitting on his bed as he turned to his brother, shoulders still slightly sagged as he replied.
"No. I'm fine." He said dejectedly. "I just..I was thinking about yesterday and everything that happened. It was…a lot to take in."
Slumping more over, Callum almost didn't hear his younger brother approach, climbing onto the bed so he could sit next to him.
"Yeah, I see what you mean." The boy said once he had pulled himself up onto the covers. "But don't worry! Dad and Uncle Viren will find the guys responsible, I'm sure of it! And besides, in a few days, you're gonna get a bodyguard which, while I know you're not really fond of, will be there to help fight with you if something like this happens aga-."
"That's not it." Callum interrupted more harshly then he intended, the young Sorcerer quickly lowering his voice to a gentler tone. "It's the Drow who saved me last night. I just can't help but feel responsible for her situation. I mean, if it wasn't for me…"
Breaking off here, Callum slumped over again, unsure of really what to say. Growing up, even before moving to the royal palace, he had been taught that Drow were monsters, unfeeling and evil to their core. More than willing to gut you for a laugh, while they devoured children. The truest form of evil in all of Xadia, worse even than the Mind Flyers or Hags that could sometimes be found along their shores.
But the Drow, Rayla, hadn't seemed like that at all. She was snarky and sarcastic with a good sense of humor on top of being brave and courageous. A true hero who had risked her life for a complete stranger and was now imprisoned as a result.
Did she hate him? She had every right to. After all, if it wasn't for him, she would have never been caught. She hadn't seemed upset when he had spoken to her yesterday, but he couldn't help but feel she might hold some deep seeded resentment towards him. It was partially his fault she now had to win her life back in a tournament set up in his honor. He should have tried harder to get her off without needing to prove herself to people who shunned her for no reason than her race.
Frowning, Callum's head once again slumped to the ground, the young Sorcerer running his fingers through his hair, his thoughts obviously consumed by the Elf, his worry painted clearly on his face.
Seeing his concern, Ezran exchanged a look with Bait, the two immediately knowing what was eating away him. Smart as he was, Callum had a tendency to overthink things and would oftentimes spend more time thinking about a problem than fixing it. Something that was happening right now it seemed.
"Well, if you're so worried about her, why not just go visit her?"
Jumping in his seat, Callum fell off his bed as his face turned a deep shade of red as he scrambled into a sitting position using his arms behind him as support.
"Visit her?!" Callum spluttered, tripping over his words in his haste to get them out. "Why-?! What-?! Are you crazy?!"
"Why not?" Ez asked innocently. "She's clearly worrying you. Maybe if you go see her and recognize she's fine, it'll help elevate some of that guilt."
Blinking in surprise at the simplicity of the suggestion, Callum felt his heart pick up as a happy fluttery feeling took root in his stomach, making him swallow hard in an attempt to suppress it.
Much as he wanted to visit Rayla, he wasn't sure if she'd appreciate his presence. He was the one who had gotten her into this situation. He wouldn't be surprised if she was mad at him. She hadn't seemed that way last night, but now that it was morning and she had time to rest, the adrenaline rush would have calmed down and who knows what she was feeling upon waking in a room not her own. It didn't take much of a leap to imagination her raging like a wild BugBear. She was a Drow after all.
And besides that…
"The king would never allow it." He said turning away, trying to pretend it was his little brother he was trying to convince. "He ordered she was to be confined to that room, no questions asked. And while I'm sure you know a secret passageway that leads to her room, I don't think it's a good idea to let her find out about it. You know, just in case Harrow's right."
Raising his eyebrow at this, Ezran exchanged another look with Bait before turning his attention back to Callum, confusion in his eyes.
"Weren't you the one defending her like your life depended on it?" He asked innocently. "You were the one who came up with all those arguments on the fly and even managed to convince Uncle Viren to give her a chance. Why are you questioning her loyalty now?"
"I-! Well-. Umm." Unable to answer his question, Callum looked away, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. Honestly, it wasn't that he didn't trust her, he was just scared to go see her in case she was angry at him. Justified or not, hurtful words still cut deeper than the prince cared to admit. Especially coming from someone who had saved his life.
However, Ezran wasn't waiting for his brother to answer, pushing on in a matter of fact voice that would make you think he was the older sibling. "And secondly, Dad's order was that she wasn't to leave. He never said anything about someone visiting her. So as long as she stays in her room, everything should be fine! Like you did yesterday."
Jumping at this, Callum whipped his head around to face Ez. His face now red all the way to his ears.
"I-! How do you know about that?!" He spluttered. "I was-! That wasn't-! It was past your bedtime! You shouldn't have been up! Don't tell me you were sneaking around the castle walls again! I told you not to do that!"
"I wasn't!" Ezran protested, folding his arms and pouting. "I heard it from the rats. You know we have an infection, right? I was feeding them this morning when they were talking about what happened in the throne room last night. I asked and one of them who was there told me everything. From how Rayla acted to the deal you managed to get her. You know, everything!"
Groaning, Callum flopped back onto the floor, hand pressed over his eyes. He really needed to have a talk with his brother about personal space issues. This wasn't the first time the boy had overhead something he wasn't supposed to thanks to his ability to speak with, and understand every animal without the need for spells, incantations, or potion. Luckily last time, while it had been definitely not meant for his young ears, he had misunderstood what was being said and just assumed Soren and Callum were talking about games being played in bed as something more along the lines of board games rather than…other things. (It was a drunk Soren who started the conversation against the prince's will!)
However, before he could figure out a way to broach the topic, Ezran hopped down from the bed and began making his way back towards his room.
"Well, you do what you want. I wanna go see this Drow. You know, thank her personally for saving my brother's life." He said, making his older brother jump to his feet.
"No Ez!" He cried, rushing after his brother. "I mean, we don't know if she's dangerous! And you're the future king and my baby brother! You can't just go putting yourself in potential danger! You need your escort. Let me call C-!
"I need to see her." Ezran said, coming to a stop. "As future king, it's my job to not only learn about the threats we face, but see my people through them. And as this Rayla already had an audience with dad, I think she should get the thanks she deserved from the future ruler of Katolis. It's only right if you ask me."
Turning his head, Callum saw a mischievous grin on his brother's face, the young boy's eyes glinting.
"And besides, I don't need my escort if I have a powerful Sorcerer by my side."
Oh, Ezran was a cheeky little thing.
The two princes ascend the steps that led to the Eastern tower, the younger of the two holding a huge platter of Jelly Tarts he had gotten to share with the Elf as they made their way past the first set of guard before reaching the top where they were greeted by the next set posted right outside the locked door. The two guards saluted them as they approached.
"Your highnesses." One of the guards said, his voice somewhat surprised by still holding the same amount of respect it always did. "All quiet on this front. The Drow was just brought food. She showed no signs of hostility to the servant who brought it. Nothing more to report."
"Great!" Ezran said chipperly. "Can we go in? I wanted to show her these." Gesturing to the sweets, the young prince was met with a confused look.
"You want to go in, your majesty?" One of the guards said, exchanging a look with the other. "With all due respect, the Drow is dangerous. It's not safe for you in there without protection!"
Turning his head to the side, Ezran looked at them thinking for a second, then straightened up smiling.
"Sooo, if you were to come in with me, I'd be okay?" He asked innocently. "If so, I'd appreciate it. I'd like to speak with her as an official ambassador of Katolis."
Exchanging looks once again, none of them choose to comment on the misuse of the term as they instead turned to Callum for advice, the young man shrugging at their unspoken question.
"I don't see why not." He said as nonchalantly as he could. "I mean, it's not like she has a weapon."
Exchanging one last glance, the guards finally relented, one of them turning to the door and unlocking it, pushing it opened as the four of them entered, Callum eyes immediately fell on Rayla, who was seated at the table halfway through eating some fruits from a bowl, the young woman looking up in surprise as they entered her room.
"Drow, you have visitors." The guard grunted. "Put your hands behind your back now. Resist, and we will use lethal force." Holding up a set of manacles, he jerked his head at the Elf, instructing her to stand.
Letting out a sigh, Rayla gave one last wistful look at her food before standing up, turning her back to the door and holding her hands behind her back, offering no resistance whatsoever to her captor's orders.
However, as the guard approached, he was stopped by Ezran as the young prince spoke up.
"Oh, you don't need to do that." He said, making both the guard and Rayla look back at him in surprise. "We were just here to visit, we didn't mean to interrupt your breakfast. Please, continue!"
With that, much to the shock and surprise of everyone in the room, the young prince walked straight up to the table, setting his tray of jelly tarts on the table before grabbing the opposite seat and began struggling his way into it.
"Your highness!" The guard protested, reaching out to the prince to pull him away. But stopped short as Ezran raised his hand.
"It's okay." He said, then turned back to the flabbergasted Drow and gestured to the seat across from him. "Is it okay if I join you? I wanted to thank you personally for helping my brother and you seem really cool. Do you mind if I eat with you?"
Still somewhat taken aback by the sudden introduction, Rayla looked up at Callum, almost asking his consent to answer, to which he just shrugged.
"I-. Umm. Okay?" She said finally, staring at the boy as he swung his feet around casually under the table, the girl taking her seat to pick up where she had left off with her breakfast while keeping a caucus, almost distrusting eye on the young prince.
Ezran however, didn't notice any of that, happily watching Rayla eat as he started eating his own jelly tart, the young boy's excitement shining in his eyes as he watched the Drow. And soon he found himself unable to control his curiosity.
"You like fruit?" He asked, stopping her midway through biting into an apple, blinking at him in surprise.
"I…guess?" She said with a shrug. "I mean, it's very sweet. Like a pie. When I asked, the slave who brought it to me said they grow on trees up here, but I'm pretty sure she was just pulling my leg." Blushing slightly at this, Rayla awkwardly rubbed the back of her head, her demeanor more relaxed before suddenly jerking back to a more rigid posture as she addressed Ezran in a very formal tone. "I mean-! I'm sure she had no malicious intentions. I suppose just some kind of Overworld prank to pull on outsiders or something. Not that I'm assuming to know more about the Overworld than you! I'm not implying-!"
"Wait, you guys don't have apple trees in the Underdark?!" Ezran cried, his eyes going wide as he cut her off, not paying attention to anything that she had just said. "But how do you make apple pies? Tarts? Or Cakes? You need apples for all of those. What about other fruit trees? Surely you have them! "
Blinking at the sudden outburst by the prince, Rayla ignored Callum informing Ezran apples weren't an ingredient, the elf now leaning in with genuine interest.
"Wait, are you saying the slave wasn't joking? These things actually grow on trees? How?!" Rayla asked, her voice carrying a tone of awe. "I mean, most of the things that grow on trees back home are either uneatable, poisonous, or uneatable and poisonous! How could something so sweet grow naturally? Surely you guys breed them, right?"
"Nope. All natural." Callum said unsurely, walking over to stand by Ezran's side. "There are all kinds of fruits grow from trees. Apple, oranges, pineapple, the list goes on. But they're all naturally occurring. We didn't breed any of them."
"Get out!" Rayla laughed, her eyes shining. "Back in the Underdark, anything this sweet is Elf or Dwarf made. How have your kind not gone fully sugar rush breakdown from this stuff? It's delicious!"
"It's…honestly pretty standard." Callum replied, somewhat taken aback by Rayla's reaction. "Most people here have accepted them pretty readily. They're actually quite cheap. Most people in the kingdom eat them daily. Isn't it like that in the Underdark?"
"No!" Rayla replied immediately. "There's so little light down there the ability to farm or grow crops is not an option for us. Most of us eat mushrooms, otherwise they'd need to go hunting. The closest thing we have to this kind of fruit are Moon Berries. A rare plant that grows only in certain areas where the light of the moon can reach. Aside from that, the only time I've had something this sweet was stuff like sugar or chocolate, both of which are extremely expensive and I've only ever had a couple of times in my life. Aside from that, a Servus Akhrua like me could never afford something like this."
Grinning at them, Rayla went right back to eating the fruit, keeping her attention on the princes and letting the two boys exchange a look, a giddy grin spreading across Ezran's face.
"Hey, Rayla." The small prince called, making said girl look up. "You want to try a Jelly tart?" Holding up the dessert to the Drow, the two princes watched the girl pick it up wearily and sniff it for good measure.
"This looks like one of the pastries from Donderesta." She commented, carefully picking up the treat. "Never had one, but they always looked so good. Smells good too. Don't mind if I do." Popping the tart into her mouth, Rayla's eyes immediately lit up when the sweet hit her tongue, the girl looking like she had been caught off guard by the taste.
"It's…so sweet!" She said as she finished, licking her lips instinctively, her eyes alight with delight. "What was in that thing? I've never had anything like it! It was…so good."
Laughing at her reaction, Ezran offered her another as they slipped into easy conversation, the three talking about the finer points of cuisine before eventually shifting into what kinds of plants grew in their native regions.
"No way!" Callum laughed. "I refuse to believe there's a plant that smells like farts in the Underdark! That's just ridiculous!"
"Believe what you want." Rayla said with a shrug. "Everyone assumes that the Underdark is just this big, scary place where everything tries to kill you, but sometimes you'll just be walking along when a fart flower decides to stink up your day. And believe me, you can tell when someone wondered into them!"
Pinching her nose, Rayla fanned her hand in front of her face, making a disgusted face causing Ezran to burst into a fit of laughter.
"Eww! Gross!" He said delightedly, laughing as he gave Bait another tart, Rayla joining him as she watched the toad's mouth puff up as he tried to eat the whole thing at once.
Once they had finished breakfast, Rayla, after whipping her mouth, turned to Callum, her gaze teasing as she sent him a smile, the girl rising to her feet before taking a couple steps away from the table.
"So, what do ya think?" She asked innocently. "Does my humor befit the bodyguard of a royal prince?" Giving him a slight bow, Callum quickly raised his hands, waving them in front of his face as he blushed slightly at the gesture.
"Please, no need for that." He said quickly. "I told you last night, you don't need to act that way around me. I know I owe you my life, literally! You don't need to lower yourself to me."
Straightening up, Rayla shot him one more playful look before her face became slightly more serious, her eyes shifting away from his as a hint of fear crept in behind them.
"So, speak'n of which. I do have a question for ya." She said, leaning back in her seat, tucking her hands behind her head as she tried to play it off cool despite the speck of fear laced in her voice. "I was told to win my freedom, I'd have to compete and win a tournament in your honor. I was kinda wondering when that was…ya know, when's it gonna happen?"
"Next week." Callum said quickly, straightening up as he began giving her all the details he could think of. "You'll be faced with three different trials, each one designed to test your skill. The first two you will test various skills needed by a bodyguard, with the last being a trial by combat between those who have performed the best out of the other two, and the winner of that will be crowned as my personal knight."
"I see." Turning away, Rayla's expression became somber, her brow furrowed in worry. Her hand instantly moving up letting her bite her nail, the girl so distant in thought, Callum wouldn't be surprised if she was practically asleep.
Honestly, he didn't blame her. If he was about to enter a life or death battle, he would probably be lost in his own head too.
A few minutes passed as they remained in silence. Ezran, while not understanding fully what was going on, was still smart enough to respect Rayla's silence, letting her contemplate her whole situation.
"Will the other competitors have be trained for each event?" She asked finally, her gaze lifting up towards Callum, her face becoming stiff as the prince guiltily nodded yes. "I see." She breathed out, a slight shake in her words. "In that case, while I know the answer is probably no, could I go out and at least see the tournament arena?"
"Of course!" The words couldn't tumble out of Callum's mouth fast enough, the prince so eager to make amends to his savior he hadn't even stopped to consider what she was asking. "We'll take you down to the arena now if you want! You'll have to have us escort you, obviously. But we can definitely show you the tournament grounds!"
"Prince Callum! Please tell me you are not serious!" The head guard protested, taking a step towards the table from the corner he had been lurking. "This thing is a danger to us, a danger to you! What if she attacks you or prince Ezran? What if she tried to escape! She cannot leave this room or who knows what kind of chaos she'll bring!"
"She's not bringing any chaos." Callum replied with a roll of his eyes. "Look, she's one little Elf in the middle of the palace of the most secured kingdom on the continent. No way is she going to harm me or Ez or try to escape. Besides, if she had wanted to do either of those things, she'd have done them by now. I mean, it's not like she's short of options to try either."
Frowning at the step-prince, the guard looked away from Callum to Ezran, his eyebrows raised questioningly, asking for the younger boy's opinion before he took any action.
"Well, I don't see the harm." Ez replied with a shrug. "I mean, if she wanted to hurt Callum she wouldn't have saved him. And her request is pretty reasonable. I don't see why she can't see the tournament grounds to at least give her an idea of what's coming. And if you guys come with us, you'll technically still be keeping her a prisoner."
Hesitation flickering in his eyes, the guard, clearly not getting the response he was expecting or wanting folded his arms, frowning at the two princes as he held his ground, fighting harder to find a reason to deny them their request.
"King's orders where she was not to leave this room." He said firmly. "I am not to let her leave under any circumstances. If I let her go to the castle grounds and something were to happen, I would be responsible for-."
"Put me in shackles then."
Breaking off from their conversation, both princes and the guard turned towards the Drow who was now standing, holding her arms up, wrists pressed together.
"If you can't trust me, put me in shackles." She repeated, walking up to the guard in a submissive stance. "Please. I'm not trying to cause any trouble. I just want to see the place where my fate will be decided, that's all."
Staring able to look into Rayla's earnest eyes, the guard found it harder and harder to deny the girl's request, both her simple request and the pleases of the princes making it very difficult to see what harm could be done by fulfilling such a simple request.
And so, after turning back to both Callum and Ezran and seeing their pleading faces, the guard let out a sigh and, after signaling to one of his subordinates to fetch a set of shackles, he agreed to their request.
Stepping out into the courtyard of the castle, Callum, Rayla, (with her hands bound behind her back.) and Ezran, followed by the four guards, made their way towards a large, jousting arena, the former pulling the flaps aside letting the other two enter, showing them empty stadiums devoted of people or props.
"This is where the tournament will be held." Callum said as Ezran stretched his arms out, letting Rayla come to a stop next to him. "Here's where you'll fight your way to the top of a bracket in a single combat fight, with the winner being made my bodyguard. Though I suppose that's not really that important to you."
"Yeah, you could say that." She replied, kicking at the dirt with her foot, eyes fixed on the ground. "No offense, but I'm kinda more interested in my own survival. That, and with all due respect, last time I helped ya, I almost lost my head."
Reaching up and rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, Callum looked away as he felt his inside squirm. "Yeah, sorry again." He said uncertainty, the greeting of silence only making him more uncomfortable. "Sooo, what was it you wanted to check out? I mean, you said you wanted to see the arena, but I mean, it's just like any other. Not really special if you ask me."
"Not really special?" Rayla asked, her voice carrying a tone of disbelief. "Callum, everything about an arena is special! From the dirt used to the space available, how can you hope to fight when you don't know the layout of the space?"
Awkwardly shifting his weight from foot to foot, Callum blushed as he felt his own inexperience being called out, his nerves' getting tingling for some reason.
"I-. Umm…I didn't know." He said lamely, making a point of turning his head away from the Elf. "I've…only been in a fight a few times outside of training and haven't really thought that far ahead. When we met, that was actually my second fight…ever."
Flushing furiously, Callum swallowed hard as he snuck a glance at Rayla out of the corner of his eye, expecting her to laugh at him for his inexperience, or make fun of him for being a library sorcerer, which in fairness, he kinda was. But that fact didn't make him feel any better about it. Nor the fact that she had not only grown up in the Underdark, but also managed to escape it meant she was probably so used to fighting and killing that, despite them (assumedly.) being around the same age, must make him look pathetic.
However, much to his surprise, when he looked up at Rayla, she was staring at him, mouth agape, one of her cuffed hands trying to cover it as she stared at him.
"Oh. I'm so sorry!" Rayla said immediately, bowing her head apologetically, catching the prince off guard. "I didn't-! I should have-! What I mean is-! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend you! I just-. You seem like such a powerful wizard, I assumed you were used to seeing combat on the regular! I didn't mean to imply anything. My sincerest apologies!"
Taken aback by this sudden display, Callum immediately raised his hands, waving them around frantically as he spoke in a hurry. "No, no! No need to apologize!" He said. "I mean, you're not wrong! Most people who cast battle spells are learned and done by experienced wizards, just not me. I was born with my magic, I didn't learn it the traditional way."
"The…traditional way?" Looking up, Rayla stared at Callum with a curious look, her head tilted to one side. "What do you mean, the traditional way? Are you saying there's more than one way to learn magic?"
Callum, somewhat surprised the Elf didn't know, quickly reached down, picking up a stick and drawing in the dirt.
"See, all magic comes from what are known as Primal sources, basically natural energies that are generated and we can tap into. Like a storm for example. It generates magic energy that a skilled mage can use." Drawing several different symbols in a circle on the ground, each one indicating an element, Callum drew a circle around each one, Rayla walking over and peering down at it. "Originally, it was believed one could only tap into Magic during high concentration of natural energy, but at some point, they discovered a way to draw in magic regardless of their surroundings as it connects to every point in the world, the Weave. And with its discovery, everything changed."
Drawing lines in the center of the circle, Callum created an intricate web connecting not only the elements, but extending past the circle around the elements, creating an even larger circle outside the elements, actually forcing Rayla to take a few steps back, letting Callum finish his drawing.
"See, while at present we don't really understand everything about it, we do know it holds near limitless power. And by using it, we can not only connect to any element, we can also use it as a type of energy source, letting us cast spells by harnessing its power. And over the years many different people learned how to harness its power in different ways."
Taking a step back, Callum waved Rayla behind him before taking a step back, raising his stick up in his hands as if it were a sacred object, hands reaching towards the sky as if to pull it down towards him.
"Most have to spend years studying it. Learning how to draw on its power, from there, an incarnation is needed to turn the magic into reality. And while incantations are most the same, some of us are born with a natural…affinity for certain types of magic. And the ability to draw on that facet of power."
Drawing a symbol in the sky, Callum took a deep breath, then slammed his hand into the rune.
"Intonuit Fluctus!"
No sooner than the words left his mouth, a deafening boom echoed out, the roar of thunder racing across the sky causing some of the flags to billow out, caught in the breeze of his powerful spell.
"Those of us who are born with magic in our veins are called sorcerers. We have powers gifted from a dragonic ancestry, or by some magical phenomenon that happened around our birth, whatever the reason, we have a special connection to the Weave, able to graft pockets onto our bodies or into an object, letting us perform magical feats beyond most average wizards as we're able to twist spells into more complex shapes, for lack of better word."
Pausing here, Callum rubbed his head as he turned back to Rayla, an awkward smile on his face. "I don't really know how to describe it. Uncle Viren calls it Metamagic, but unlike me, he had to learn his magic, he wasn't born with it. I also think he kinda thinks I cheated to get my magic, and I guess he's not entirely wrong. But for me, it's just…kinda always been my thing, you know? Sorry, that sounds weird doesn't it?"
Half expecting her to say she didn't or mock him for his poor explanation, Callum got a pleasant surprise once again as Rayla just shook her head, smiling earnestly at him. "No, I get it." She said sincerely. "Sometimes, even if ya don't fit in, when you find the thing you want to do, ya just have to do it. Regardless of what others think."
Returning her smile, Callum felt a sense of ease wash over him, allowing him to let out a breath of relief at not having to feel judgment on him whenever he talked about magic. Even among his peers, he could feel the envious stares of the other wizards whenever they found him studying magic. Their barely hidden whispers about how he hadn't earned his powers and how he had cheated his way into the royal family hurt him more than he would ever admit. Ostricing him even more than his meaningless title already had.
Hell, even Claudia thought he was "cheated" to use his magic. Only she viewed it as an absolute win as, in her eyes, cheating was totally allowed as long as no malicious intent was involved. Which, conveniently enough, was also her justification for her continuing experiments with magic, eventually finding a way to extract magic power from the weird mirror Viren kept locked up in his tower, granting her similar abilities on the magic front.
Having someone, even if it was a Drow, not judge him on something he had no control over was a breath of fresh air he didn't know he needed.
"Hey Rayla!" Snapping out of their conversation, both looked up to see Ezran running over, his bright and cheerful smile still plastered on his face. "Want to know where sorcerers' got their name? It's because of their connection to the Primal forces, meaning they're SOURceres!"
Upon hearing this joke for the first/umpteenth time, Rayla and Callum immediately burst out laughing/face palming respectively, one delighting in the horrible pun, the other wanting to swallow his own face and die of embarrassment.
"Ez, seriously?" Callum asked. "We're entrancing a guest. Are you trying to make a bad impression with a pun that horrible?"
"Oh, I don't know. I kinda like 'em." Rayla said in a mischievous tone. "Maybe you should check the Sources on joke edict, Mr. SOURceres."
"She's right, your highness." One of the guards chimed in, a small smirk on his face. "I don't think there is a law to PUNish those skilled in word play." His words were immediately met with childish giggling from Ez and Rayla, rubbing their victory in the step-prince's face.
Groaning in despair, Callum buried his face in his hands, his face red with embarrassment at the antics around him.
"You know puns are the lowest form of comedy, right?" He said dryly. "Not exactly befitting of the next king or a ferocious Drow warrior. You guys really want your reputations to plummet from making base level jokes?"
"Well, better to have a reputation and lose it rather than not have one to begin with. Eh, Mr. Cheat prince?"
Looking up, the group was greeted by two people approaching from the direction of the castle. One was a tall, lanky man with greasy black hair. His bangs were swept over his eyes and he was adorned in light armor consisting of a metal chest plate and gauntlets. His dark purple eyes were fixed on sorcerer and his unfriendly sneer made Callum feel ill, the young prince swallowing the urge to throw up as he turned to face the man.
"Why hello Lord Danear. What a pleasant surprise to see you this morning." Callum said sarcastically, opening his arms in a friendly gesture as he walked over to the young lord. "Tell me, what brings you to the tournament grounds? I would have thought a busy man, such as yourself, would be to…, how did you put it? Good? To waste time on low level tournaments like this. You even brought out lady Camilla with you. Surely the both of you have better things to do then come to a jousting arena you've seen hundreds of times."
Nodding towards the young woman who accompanied the young lord, her long, dark hair that was swept forward in deep bangs that obscured her violet eyes in shadow, with the rest of her pale face, a stark contrast to the blood red lipstick she wore, on full display looking white in the strong sunlight. Though Callum didn't look at her for very long, quickly turned his attention and ire back at Danear who smuggly looked down at him.
Noticing the aggressive way Callum spoke to the young lord, Rayla, somewhat confused by the interaction, bent down and whispered into Ezran's ear.
"Umm. Am I sensing some history between these two?" She asked. "Things seem a little…tense between them."
Nodding at her question, Ezran leaned up, whispering back as the guards closed rank around the young prince, paying no mind to the Drow as they kept their eyes glued on the man.
"That's Lord Elfric Danear. A high ranking noble among our knights." He replied, cupping his mouth with one hand, squeezing Bait to his chest with the other. "He's really mean and always picks on Callum for as long as they've known each other. He thinks people of lesser birth shouldn't be allowed in the palace and is angry because Callum's dad's son. But seeing as he can't do anything, he takes it by belittling Callum every chance he gets."
Turning her attention back to the approaching man, Rayla felt her eyes narrow as her hands tightened into fist, a sudden, unexpected anger boiling in the pit of her stomach.
Bullying someone because of things they couldn't control? Lolth, she hated people like that. What did they know about having a rough life? They weren't the ones being punished for the actions of others. Actions they couldn't control! How was it his fault he had been born to the wrong people? They couldn't choose that! It wasn't fair to hold her accountable for something she didn't do!
Scowling deepening, Rayla didn't even realize she was taking an aggressive step forward until she was suddenly jerked back, two of the guards noticing her sudden aggression and sizing both of her arms, pulling her away from the young prince.
Despite the obvious hints of his presence not being wanted, Danear paid it no mind, casually flipping his bangs as he stuck up his nose, fixing Callum with a look of arrogant superiority as he looked down at him.
"Oh? Has the helpless little mage learned how to fight like a real man now? Last time I saw you hold a weapon, he was balling like a baby after little Soren beat you up during training. Have you finally grown a spine now, peasant prince?" Smirking as he watched Callum growl, Danear calmly took a step forward, striding with complete confidence as he continued to look down at the shorter prince.
"I guess not if what I heard is true." He said with a careless shrug as he came to a stop right in front of the prince. "After all, you got your but kicked by another whinny little spell caster just last night. Just goes to show you're a hack even when it comes to magic! A talent you were born with, I might add." Flipping his hair in a confident way, Danear shut his eyes as he gave Callum a patronizing wave of his hand. "Still, you have my greatest sympathies. After all, I can't imagine how frustrating it must feel to know the one thing you have in your corner doesn't even stack up in the real world. A pain I NEVER could comprehend."
Scowling at this, the young prince balled his hands into fists, glaring up at the taller man as he did his best to stop his hands from shaking, his anger becoming visible on his face as he fought to keep himself in check.
"I've told you, magic isn't like that." He hissed angrily. "Just because I was born with a connection to the Sky, doesn't mean I'm atomically a genius or have access to stronger spells. I need to learn them and deepen my understanding of the arcane arts before I can hope to fight on the same level as a knight. Someone who has that kind of knowledge and experience will always trump a novice who was just born with-."
"Yes, yes, I think you explained all this before." Danear said, waving his hand dismissively at the mage. "But I'm gonna be honest, all that sissy stuff about the Weave or the Primal elements bores me to tears. It's like when my sister made me play with her dumb dolls back when we were kids. I mean, we can't we leave all that soft stuff to the girls and let us real men be men. Fighting with swords or spears and the like. You know, the things men are actually supposed to be good at."
"Hey!" Ezran snapped, having seen more than enough of his brother getting bullied, pushing past the guards and storming over to the lord. "Watch your tone! Like it or not, Callum is my brother! And I won't have you disrespecting him like that. Apologize right now."
Eyes flicking to the heir to the throne, Danear's face flashed with a look of annoyance before he turned and gave the young boy a deep bow.
"Of course your highness." He said in a not quite condescending way. "I promise you, no offense was meant. Callum and I were just having a bit of joking fun like men do. Weren't we, Callum?"
Nails digging into his palms, Callum shot a quick glance over to Ezran, his breath hot and fast as he resisted the urge to snap at the arrogant lord, the boy swallowing hard to keep down whatever he was about to say as he forced himself to smile.
"Yeah, we're just messing around." Callum said, trying not to throw up at the words leaving his mouth. "Don't worry too much about it, Ez. You'll get it when you're older."
Frowning at his reply, Ezran folded his arms and huffed up his shoulders, fixing the lord with an angry glare. The young prince not buying his brother lies for even a second.
"Look here, Lord Danear." He hissed. "I don't know why my brother doesn't tell you to just go away, but know that I will not tolerate that kind of treatment in my presence. Game or not, you are to treat him with respect or there will be consequences, understand?"
"Of course!" Danear said with mock hurt. "I'll make sure to keep our friendly banter down while around your sensitive ears. After all, it would be such a bad look for your older brother to not be man enough to fight his own battles and have to hide behind his little brother's skirt. Why, the humiliation of knowing just how much of a failure you are for being that pathetic would leave most with a sense of dignity too embarrassed to show their face, wouldn't you agree, Callum?"
Stomping his foot angrily, Bait turned a bright red collar as the glow toad glared at the lord, his grumpy demeanor now completely directed at the pompous man as below him, the Katolis heir rolled his eyes as he older brother swallowed again before agreeing.
"Whatever." He huffed angrily. "If you two are done with your 'banter'. You may go, Lord Danear. I find your presence distasteful. So please, leave me and my brother to entertain our guest while you-."
"Oh! You misunderstand, my lord." Danear interrupted. "See, I have better things to do than waste my time in the presence of those too weak to fight their own battles. I recently heard about an interesting guest staying in our castle and wanted to see them with my own eyes, and low and behold here they are."
Shoving Callum out of his way, Danear strode over to the guards who surrounded Rayla, pushing past them to when the two at the front tried to stop him, coming to a stop right before the bound Drow and calmly, without so much as a care in the world, pulled her hood back, revealing the pale skin and silver hair that hid beneath.
"Well, well. So the rumors are true." He murmured, eyes fixing on the Drow's fierce purple ones. "So, there really is a monster with the beauty of a Siren. What a pretty little thing you are." Reaching down, he stroked Rayla's hair, causing her to try and jerk away, unable to escape due to the guards holding her.
"Hey! Knock it off! Keep your hands to yourself, creep!" Rayla snapped, pulling her head as far away as she could from the man, only to accidentally give him more access to her body, letting him run his fingers down her cheek, eventually coming to a stop there where he took her braid into his hand and began playing with it.
"You know, for a heartless monster, you really are something. Shame I'm gonna have to kill you. I would have loved to play with that beautiful body of yours. Made you cry out in pain and pleasure as you eventually learned to enjoy yourself. Making you dance under my fingers while twisted up in the bedsheets. I've never bedded with a soulless monster before. I wonder what kind of lovely sounds I could draw from your throat." Leaning in, he let out a soft purr into the Elf's ear, making her bare her teeth angrily at the unwanted touch.
"Okay, that's enough." The head guard barked, immediately walking over and grabbing Danear by the shoulder, making the young lord glance lazily over his shoulder. "She's a prisoner of Katolis and his highness has ordered no harm is to come to her. An I'm well aware of what sexual harassment looks like. So stop this nonsense at once or-."
"Aevac Eanamuh Senrac!"
Suddenly, a rush of air shot past Callum, the prince's eyes widening as he saw four steamers of pink light lash out, hitting not just the head guard, but his entire entourage, the soldiers reacting too late to stop the spell from striking them.
However, rather than doing any noticeable damage, instead their bodies began to let out a faint pink glow as their muscles became rigid as they froze in place, their wide eyes becoming glazed over as their awareness faded. The men still awake but completely unaware of their surroundings.
Spinning around, Callum was just in time to see Camilla lower her hand, the Cleric bodyguard of the lord Danear curtsying to the princes, a smirk on her face as she predicted their next words.
"Forgive me, my princes." She said in a complete unapologetic tone, her eyes flicking upwards toward Ezran, a glint of gleeful malice flashing in her dark eyes. "I hope you'll forgive my actions. But it looked to me like my ward was in danger, so I acted accordingly. Besides, I'm certain the king will understand why his order was violated given that the prisoner in question is a being of…sub-human intelligence."
"Hey!" Ezran snapped angrily, making his way towards the woman. "Rayla doesn't have sub-human intelligence! She's smart and nice! Something you aren't! I order you to-!"
Suddenly, the young boy broke off when he found his older brother's arm blocking his path, the younger sibling looking to Callum's face in confusion, seeing his frustrated, but powerless expression as he glared at the dark haired woman. The young man clearly afraid.
"Ez, don't." He warned, a slight shake in his voice. "Just…not right now. Not under these circumstances. Let me handle this."
Uncertain of what his brother meant, but noting the fear in his voice, Ezran reluctantly backed down. Watching as Callum backed both of them up, putting a good bit of distance between them and the dark haired woman who's eyes flicked from the older brother to the younger, a hungry look flashing across her face as she gazed at the young boy.
As this happened, Danear, smirking at his bodyguard as she bullied the princes, turned his attention back to Rayla, the man bringing a lock of her hair to his face and sniffing it before letting an evil grin spread across his face.
"Who knows, maybe I can work something out on your behalf." He whispered into her ear. "Make you my personal pet in exchange for your life. Doesn't that sound like a good deal, my little Drow sl-?"
"Hey! Knock it off!"
Looking up, Elfric's eyes widened as he spotted Callum angrily making his way over after having secured Ezran beside the exit, his eyes burning with fury approached.
"She said to stop it, so cut it out." Callum threatened, the wind picking up blowing against the lord, making his cape billow out away from the prince. "This Drow is under my protection as well. And for the duration of her stay she is to be treated as a royal guest. So, if you keep touching her like that, you will be arrested!"
Head snapping up at this, Danear released Rayla instantly, turning to face Callum, a smug, condescending look on his face as he approached, leaving her trapped in the frozen grip of the guards, unable to move as their rigid hand remained tightly sealed around her arms.
"Oh? What's this?" He asked mockingly, turning his nose up to look down on the shorter young man. "Someone's getting defensive. What? Got a claim on this whore? Guess I should have seen that coming. After all, no lady would ever want to soil themselves with someone like you."
Bristling at the response, Callum swallowed hard before pressing on, not taking the lord's obvious bait.
"We're entertaining a guest. Leave now." He ordered, taking a step forward, placing himself within striking distance of Danear rapier. "Do that, and we'll overlook the fact your bodyguard attacked members of the king's royal guard and threatened a member of the royal family. But if you continue to linger where you're not wanted, know that I will have you punished for your insubordination."
Coming to a stop a few feet away from the young lord, Callum glared up into his eyes, meeting his cold, sneering stare with a harsh, angry one of his own, the wind around him seeming to grow colder as it blew out around him, a small vortex pattern appearing at his feet.
Breathing heavily, Callum steadied himself as he fought to keep any signs of fear from his face, putting on a brave front even as behind him, he could feel Camilla raising her hand, ready to cast a spell on him should he prove a threat to the creepy woman's charge.
But even knowing she was far more powerful than him, Callum stood his ground glaring up at Danear, not backing down even when every instinct in his body screamed at him too. The prince willing himself to stay strong. It was his fault Rayla was in this mess to begin with, and he refused to let anything else happen to her while she was in his care. And so, he stood firm and glared up at the man, not flinching or breaking away even when his hand twitched towards his sword. Staying strong for her sake until…
"If that's what you desire, highness." Danear finally said, turning away and shrugging his shoulders as he looked away, taking a few steps back. "I'm just messing around, no need to get all serious. That's the problem with you commoners, you have no sense of humor."
Walking around Callum, Danear drew his cloak around him, throwing out the end with a swoosh as she made his way past Camilla and back towards the castle.
"Come, Camilla. We're leaving." He barked. "We need not waste our time on these spoiled sports. I hear one of the hunters in the village caught a live Kobalt. Let's go see the disgusting creature while it's in its cage. The animals on this side of the bars are starting to annoy me."
Striding out of the arena, Danear quickly made his way back towards the castle. However, right as Callum let out a breath of relief, a voice suddenly called out to the lord, causing the prince to nearly choke on air.
"Hey, hold up a second." Ezran yelled, the young boy coming out from his hiding spot and making several quick strides after the lord. "I'm not done with you! I have a few questions."
Looking over his shoulder at the prince's call, Danear came to a stop looking down at the young boy, not responding but giving the little boy his full attention. Something which worked just fine for Ezran.
"Who told you about Rayla?" The young prince asked, making his brother start. "She only arrived at the castle yesterday and nobody outside of the council and their elite guards should have that kind of information. How did you come by it?"
Raised by the good point his brother made, Callum looked over at the lord as he turned to face the brothers, his gaze flicking over to Callum, taking note of his sudden interest, something that made Danear smirked before he gave them a sweeping bow.
"Why, it's merely a rumor floating around among the servants." He said in a tone that dripped in dishonesty. "I merely overheard a couple girls gossiping about it and came to see if it was true. And low and behold it was. As for how it started, well, I'm afraid I can't actually help you with that."
Straightening up once again, Danear shot a smug look over at Callum, his face filled with mocking glee over knowing he had information the young prince wanted. Delighting in keeping it from him out of sheer pettiness and spite. Something that, despite Callum knowing full well what he was doing, still felt it get under his skin.
Anger growing in his stomach, Callum Immediately made his way towards the lord, reaching out and grabbing him by his collar and trying to pull him. Camilla immediately raising her hand only to stop when Danear raised his.
"Stop playing games and answer the question." Callum snarled. "Who told you about Rayla? I know you didn't hear about it from one of the servants because you treated them like crap when you haven't found some desperate girl who you take to your bed under the promise of extra money in exchange for her body. Who told you?"
His voice was quiet, yet forceful, the sorcerer gathering every inch of magic he could to make himself seem threatening, his eyes dancing with lightning as he glared up at the taller man, his hand tightening on the fabric refusing to let go.
But Danear showed no signs of fear at all. In fact, his delight seemed to grow as he saw the frustration in the prince's eyes.
"I assure you, I have NO idea what you're talking about." He said with mock cluelessness, pressing one hand to his forehead and he pretended to faint backwards, the other quickly reaching up and pulling Callum's hand off his collar, letting him look down at the prince from even greater height. "I merely heard a rumor and decided to see if it was true. Just because you can't talk to people doesn't mean I can't. And this little temper tantrum of yours doesn't change that fact. Why don't you ask the servants and staff about it? I'm sure one of them will have heard by now about how you were so effortlessly beaten and needed saving from a girl who you don't even-."
"Which of the council told you?"
Immediately the conversation ceased as all eyes turned to Rayla, her words and demeanor calm as she took a step towards the lord, her gaze alight with fire as she looked him straight in the eyes, turning the young man into a spluttering mess.
"I-! What are you talking about?!" He demanded, his cool facade fading and revealing panic behind his mask. "I told you I heard about it from a servant! Why would you think a council member have told me something that I'm sure everyone's talking about l?!"
"Well, given the fact that the only people who are supposed to know me are the council, I deduced one of them must have told. And going off your reaction just now, I'd say I'm right." Rayla said triumphantly, her face smug as she stared at him straight in the eyes. "Secondly, even if rumors had gotten out, I highly doubt you'd spend your time chasing down gossip when you could be putting more oil in your hair or hitting up some poor sucker. The fact you not only went through the effort to track me down, that seems like you had a little more than idol gossip to go on."
Scowling at being called out so easily, Danear pushed his hair back, trying to grain some of his composure as he put on a cocky smirk. Striding over and pushing past Ezran coming to a stop next to Rayla where, without a moment's hesitation, draw his sword and placed it at the Elf's neck!
"Hey! What are you doing?! Get away from her now!" Callum and Ezran yelled, both immediately moving in only to be stopped by as Camilla stepped in front of them, blocking their path as light glowed from her hands, a clear warning preventing them from getting any closer.
Meanwhile, not even noticing that the princes blocked, Danear glared down at Rayla with smug superiority. His eyes wild as he let out a soft hiss.
"Well, aren't you clever, little Elf?" He said, digging the point of his blade into her neck, drawing blood. "Well, we'll see how clever you are in the tournament, won't we? Just remember this moment when I have you lying on the ground, beaten and bleeding out. After all, it's this moment you'll have to apologize for. Begging for your life as you lick my boots. And maybe, just maybe, if you are groveling enough, I just might spare your life and only take a few of your limbs as punishment. And maybe then, you'll think better than talking back to your betters!"
His eyes held a crazy flare in them, one devoid of empathy or compassion, his tiny ego damaged from such a simple exchange already demanding her prove himself over the girl, the tip of his blade deliberately digging into her throat as he held her head up, trying his best to scare her into submission.
Unfortunately, it didn't work.
Holding his gaze with fire in her eyes, Rayla, despite being bound and unarmed, looked back at the man without a shred of fear, her voice righteous fury as she spoke.
"Looking forward to it then." She snarled, leaning into the blade. "I can't wait to beat every last inch of that ego out of your body. And when it's gone and you're lying at my feet, my blade hanging above your head, I want you to apologize to Callum and never approach him again, understand? Do that, and I might consider letting ya walk away with ya jewels intact. Though, let's be honest, I bet you're disappointed in that regard too. And I'm talking about both size and stamina. Ain't that right, little man?."
Face going red with rage, Danear opened his mouth to let out an enraged roar when suddenly he stopped dead, his eyes going wide as he looked at something behind Rayla, and immediately drawing the attention of everyone else to the object of his interest. Or more accurately, the person.
"What is going on?" Harrow asked, his voice soft yet demanding, his eyes narrowed as he fixed his sons with a glare. "Lord Danear, why is your sword drawn in the presence of my sons? I expect a good reason for you to be putting their lives in harm's way."
Swallowing hard, Danear quickly put his sword away, scrambling back as he bowed before his king, drawing said man's attention letting Camilla quickly lower her hands, snuffing her magic out.
"A million apologies, my lord!" Danear said, voice shaking with terror. "I stumbled upon them with this Drow and wanted to make sure she knew any harm that came to them would be punished severely! I didn't mean to endanger your family, sire!"
"That's not what happened!" Callum cried, bristling at Danear's audacity. "I was showing Rayla the place where the tournament was being held when Lord Denear came in and interrupted by touching her unwontedly and making suggested comments! He was-!"
Callum broke off as Harrow raised his hand, silencing the boy as he looked down at the kneeling lord, his eyes narrowed with repressed contempt.
"Get out of my sight." He ordered. "You draw your sword around my sons without reason again, I'll have you beheaded. Such foolishness will not be tolerated, understand? Normally I wouldn't even allow this once, but seeing as I have more important things that need my immediate attention, consider this your lucky day. Now go."
Offering yet another apology, Danear quickly scurried off, the young man practically tripping over himself in his heater to get away from his king. Somehow managed to get his foot caught on his cape causing him to trip right as he reached the flap of the arena, causing him to fall through it like an actor who had been booed off stage. Something that made Ez and Rayla giggle slightly at.
However, when Camilla made to follow, the sharp voice of the king called out, making her stop in her tracks and turn to look over her shoulder.
"Lady Dustin." Harrow said in a threatening tone. "Mind yourself. I don't care how much the Danear's try to protect you, or that you came from the slums of the Doraondar. (A city near the border to the Underdark.) If I catch you aiming magic at my sons again, you'll be executed before the day is done. Do you understand?"
Harrow's voice was, as always, low and firm. But the hints of danger and tight fisted strength rang out with every word, his dark glare set on the woman carrying the weight of the crown, a glare that would make others crumble in mere moments.
Lady Camilla however, remained steadfast, turning to the king and giving him a sweeping curtsy. "Oh course, you're majesty." She said, her tone indicating not a hint of fear or uncertainty, her eyes closed in a sigh of submission but a dainty smile on her curved, painted lips. Her red lipstick highlighted her dark eyes when she opened them, looking up at the king with an almost challenging gaze.
And while normally, Harrow might have punished this, today, he simply waved the woman off, dismissing her with a wave of his hand. An action that, after one last hungry glance towards Ezran, she obeyed, slinking out of the arena after her master.
And with the arena now cleared and the potential peanut gallery gone, Callum didn't wait a second before rounding on his father, his uncontrollable rage boiling over.
"What are you doing?!" He yelled, angrily walking towards his step-father, throwing his hands in the direction of the retreating lord as behind him, a groan came out of one of the guards, Camilla's spell finally starting to come undone. "Why did you let them go?! Do you have any idea what they were doing?! They threatened me and Ez! She attacked your royal guard! He wanted to rape Rayla! Why aren't you punishing them?!"
Turning to the young sorcerer, Harrow fixed Callum's angry gaze with a calm and collected one.
"My duty is to protect my people from harm, both physically and politically." He explained. "Lord Danear is doing invaluable research on the nine hells back in Doraondar as well as having pioneered many of the different magic techniques we use today. On top of that, his son has slain many monsters and demons that threatened our provinces and outer territories. Punishing him for…as you put it playing around, isn't something I can do. Unless of course, you're willing to testify against him."
Biting his lip as he shrunk back, Callum felt a frustrated snarl build in his stomach. The young man hating how the king had not only turned his own accusations against him but also made a point included something that, despite Callum knowing he was right, still didn't want to do.
Taking note of his son's silence, Harrow pressed on, his eyes flicking over to Rayla where a look of contempt briefly crossed his face.
"Furthermore, that Drow is not one of my people." He said with a sharpness that snapped the young prince out of his ashamed silence. "Nor is she an important figure worth protecting. As such, her wellbeing is not part of my responsibilities. Her only real purpose is to teach us the secrets of her kind so we may kill them more effectively. Once done, she shall meet the same fate."
Scowling at this, Callum opened his mouth to protest only for the king strode past him, coming to a stop in front of the head guard as he shook off his daze only to find Harrow, glaring down at him.
"And speaking of protection, I believe my orders were to confine her to the Eastern tower and not let her leave." He said firmly, making the guard swallow as he looked down at him with narrowed eyes. "So, either I'm losing my memory or you disobeyed a direct order from your king. Care to shed some light on what happened, Captain?"
Immediately the guard dropped to one knee, bowing to his king as low as he could go.
"I apologize, my king." He replied. "Prince Ezran asked for an audience with the Drow and after I granted it, he then requested we go and examine the tournament field so as to put the Drow on equal footing as the other competitors. At the time, I didn't see any harm in it."
Looking down at the guard for a couple more seconds, Harrow then turned to his son, looking down at the small boy with an air of annoyance.
"Is that true?" He asked in a tone less like a king and more like a parent, one about to scold their child for disobeying them. "You, the Crown Prince of Katolis, sought an audience with a Drow, one of the most evil, vile creatures on the planet, without an escort or telling me? Do you have any idea of the consequences if that thing had done something to you? Do you?"
"I'm sorry." Ezran said, his gaze falling to the floor under his father's forceful words. "I just wanted to thank her for saving Callum. I didn't mean to cause you or anyone trouble."
Crocking on top of his head, Bait to gave an apologetic look at the king, his grumpy frog face becoming somber as his skin turned blue, his head t drooping.
Looking down at his son for a couple more seconds, Harrow finally let out a sigh, his face softening as he reached up and rubbed his temples.
"I suppose no harm was done by this little outing." He said in a tired tone. "Lucky as it was, I do understand the feeling of wanting to thank the one who saved a family member. Just remember next time to let me know so I can make arrangements for your protection. We're lucky that this thing didn't hurt you or try to escape and I don't want to push that luck any further, understand?"
Looking down at Ezran, Harrow ignored Rayla's offended, "I'm standing right here." comment, kneeling down to his son's level and placing his hand on his shoulder.
"From now on, how about we stay away from scary monsters, okay?" He asked gently. "Thanks can be expressed in many ways without the need to put yourself in danger. You didn't need to put yourself in harm's way just to thank a soulless fiend for ruining a trick that-."
"But Rayla's not soulless."
Looking up at his father, eyes wide with innocence, Ezran's words seemed to catch the king off guard, the man staring at his son with wide eyes.
"I know what I did was wrong, and that I put myself at risk by being in a room with a stranger. But how come you want me to stay away from Rayla now?" He asked. "She's nothing like the Drow in storybooks. She's funny and nice and really really cool. Why don't you want me around her?"
Ezran's question was met with a few seconds of silence. Then, sighing, Harrow, instead of answering, turned back to the guards, facing them instead.
"Take her back to the tower. And this time, she is not to leave no matter who asks." He said calmly, but firmly. "Given the circumstances, I'll overlook this misunderstanding. But it is not to happen again. Unless Viren or myself says so, she is not to leave that tower, understand?"
"Yes sir!" The guards said, then the two holding Rayla began marching her back towards the castle, ignoring the youngest prince calling out to them.
"Hey! Wait!" Ezran cried, taking a few steps after her before Harrow's hand came down on his shoulder, gently stopping him, making him look up at his father.
"Ez, why don't you return to your room?" Harrow said in a fatherly tone. "You have studies today. You need to get ready and your teacher isn't happy about the last time you ditched him. So let's hurry along and not keep him waiting."
"But-!" The boy began, but seeing his father's smiling face, thought better of it, deflating with a sigh as his head turned to the ground. "Okay. Let's go Bait" He said, slowly making his way towards the castle, Callum quickly following.
That was until he heard the king's voice calling out to him.
"Callum." Harrow said, stopping the young prince in his tracks. "A word. Now."
At first, the young mage was tempted to blow his father off again. But the sternness in that final word made it abundantly clear, this conversation was nonnegotiable. Harrow had something he wanted to say and he wasn't going to take no for an answer.
Turning, Callum took a deep breath as he swept into a low, long bow, the prince taking as much time as possible.
"Yes, your majesty? What can I do for you?" He said, voice dripping with as much sarcasm he could put in. The boy not needing to look up to know Harrow's eyebrow was twitching in response.
But despite his displeasure, Harrow kept his voice level. His calm and unfazed demeanor not shaken for a second despite the sarcasm.
"Callum, I wanted to talk with you about last night. And your attacker." Looking up at this, Callum was so surprised he forgot he was supposed to be angry. He wanted to talk about last night? Why? He had already given a report. What more did he have to say?
His questions were answered as Harrow, after a few seconds of fiddling with his beard, looked away, unable to address the young prince directly.
"When you were attacked by that Dragonborn, I was wondering, did he say anything unusual to you? Anything at all that might reveal his motives? Or who had hired him? Anything at all?"
Raising his eyebrow at the question, Callum straightened up looking his step-father right in the eyes.
"I mean, I think it'd be stranger for you to assume I'd be able to remember anything like that when I was fighting for my life. Or, you know, tell the guy you're trying to kill why you're going to do it." He replied with a shrug. "But unfortunately, no. He only said he was hired to do it and he would come back to finish the job. If he said anything else, I must have forgotten it in the chaos of the situation."
Seeing Harrow eyebrows frown at this news, Callum decided to take the offense, causally taking a step forward shoving his hands in his pockets.
"Why?" He asked in an innocent tone. "Surely there wasn't a development this fast. I mean, it happened last night. Surely you haven't found a suspect yet, have you"
Shaking his head, Harrow looked at Callum apprehensively, then turning away, the king slowly walked towards the center of the arena, hand folded behind his back.
"No, not exactly." He replied nervously. "There's just…been a few rumors floating around the Underdark. Rumors of strange tides and a gathering darkness."
"A gathering darkness?" Callum echoed back, concern coming over his face as the king sighed again, this time turned to face the prince.
"For a few years now, our intelligence suggests a large group of our enemies have been gathering. Plotting to destroy Katolis and escape to the Overworld. I believe this may be the first move in a much larger game. One we will be drawn into whether we want to or not." The king explained, sending a cold shiver down Callum's spine.
Enemies coming together and plotting the downfall of Katolis? That couldn't be good. If true, that would mean they were standing at the edge of a potential full scale war. And while he had no doubt his father and the kingdom could take on any one threat from that hellish place, if they came together and began unifying their forces, they would be a force no single kingdom could stop!
Swallowing hard, Callum tried to steady his nerves, the young prince reminding himself that, even if their enemies came together, they had allies too. With the entirety of the Pentarchy fearing the emergence of Drow, Duergar, and illithids, they too would surely band together in an attempt to stop them from escaping. With Katolis being the only place with an entrance large enough for an army to march through, they would march in forced to seal it shut, right?
The concern must have shown on his face as suddenly, he felt Harrow's hand come down onto his head, patting it awkwardly but reassuringly drawing his attention back up.
"I know things are scary right now, but rest a bit easy with this." Harrow said. "Once this tournament is done and the Elf is dealt with, I promise to look to ensure that your guard, whoever they are, will protect you and treat you with the respect you deserve. I promise that."
Eyes shooting open, Callum immediately felt his breath hitch as a shock of realization hit him like a ton of bricks, nearly knocking him off his feet as he was struck by this revelation.
"It was you. " He breathed, jerking haway from Harrow and as he spun glaring at the man. "You were the one who started the rumor. You were the one who told Danear! You wanted all the competitors to have an edge over Rayla and to make sure she'll lose, you leaked everything about her to everyone!"
Betrayal and frustration stabbed at Callum's chest. He should have known Harrow wouldn't give Rayla an equal playing field! He had been against even giving her a chance and he was making sure her opponents would have time to prepare.
Seeing the rage in his step-son's eyes, Harrow let out an exhausted sigh, taking a step towards the prince, hands raised.
"Callum, you need to understand the situation." He said calmly, as if he wasn't sentencing someone to death. "At the tournament, there will be lots of important, noble guests, each one looking at our knights to see what kind of potential they have. They needed to know a Drow had infiltrated otherwise we risk panic. We already don't know what that fiend is plotting and I needed the other lords to be on the alert. I can't risk-."
"The Hells you can't!"
Callum, finally having enough of his step-father's interference, threw his hand out to the side in frustration, creating a gust of wind that began swirling around him, creating a barrier between the two, letting him get out his grievances.
"Would you stop playing around and acting like you care? Like you actually give a damn?!" Callum bellowed, no longer caring if he came off as disrespectful. "The protection of the kingdom? Keeping me safe? Hah! Stop using those continent excuses and just fucking say it! You're still just upset that you lost mom!"
Immediately, Harrow's eyes went wide, the king caught staring like a child with his hand in the cookie jar, his mouth agape as he stared at Callum, to stunned to even reply, all kingly manners dropped for a second, allowing the him to just be a man, one clearly hurt by the words of the prince.
But this did little to curb Callum's anger.
"Protect your own? Where was that mindset when you and mom rode off to save another kingdom from starvation? Why didn't you focus on her instead of trying to save them?!" Fighting back tears, Callum took an aggressive step, all his past feelings and frustrations boiling to the surface, the prince unable to stop them if he tried. His voice shook with rage as he berated his step-father. "No, you didn't take on that mindset because you never had it! It was just an excuse to not punish lord dick breath for harassing Rayla. Just like how you forbid Auntie Amaya from marrying Ms. Janai, because you're upset they didn't give you the resources you needed when you went on the stupid quest, which you went on anyway! And while you might be able to fool Ezran with all your political BS, you can't fool me because I know the truth."
Pausing here, Callum, for a split second, thought about stopping. That he was going to push too far, push too hard, break something he'd regret later. But as his eyes once again drifted to the stump of an arm Harrow had, any semblance of rational thought left his body, leaving him with a burning, deep seeded hate that pushed him to keep going.
"It's all because of mom!" He screamed. "You blame them, The Drow, Lux Aurea for what happened to her, because it's easy. Because you don't want to face the one truly responsible for her murder. Because at the end of the day, we both know it was YOU!"
Panting, Callum found himself breathless after he finished pouring out his heart, his rapidly rising and falling chest suddenly feeling lighter as he glared into Harrow's eyes, a twinge of justice birthed in his breast as he saw the hurt and guilt in the king's eyes, making the beast that slept inside him roar with pleasure at finally, finally being able to return a small fragment of the pain this man had put him through. A small win, but a win nonetheless.
Not wanting his victory soiled, Callum quickly spun on his heel, not giving Harrow a chance to recover and retaliate before he began storming back up towards the castle, the winds behind him picking up on his mood, creating strong gusts in his wake to slow the king should he follow. And drowning his words he called after him.
And it was there, amidst the gale of rage and fury, Callum made a pledge. He would ensure Rayla won that tournament. Not just to make amends to her, but to spite Harrow for rigging everything against her, for pushing Danear as his bodyguard, and for everything else he had done! He would make sure of it!
Because at the end of the day, that was what the man deserved for failing to protect his mother.
So, I'd like to take a minute to explain magic in this version of the world and how it works.
For those who don't know, in dnd, magic requires magic components which break after use. Basically making it the equivalent of dark magic in dp. So, to counter this and make things makes sense I've blended the two together and made a new magic system. Just don't poke to deep into it, because like most magic systems, once you do, everything falls apart.
Basically, the Weave is like a spider web that connects the primal sources. Mages can draw on the weave and pull a bit of those primal sources to them letting them cast spells. And while not all spells are elemental, this holds true for all spells.
Normally, there are 3 ways to use magic. Learn it, like Viren. Be born with it, like Callum. Or barrow it from a god, demon, Fay, etc, like Camila. And while there a limit to how much of the weave any one person can take, (aka spell slots.) their is a 4th kind of magic you can use without needing to draw on the weave. Sucking it out of a magic item or animal.
Now, this is call ritual magic. And unlike the game or show, basically to cast a ritual spell you need both a magic component, a magic circle drawn on a wall or floor and a certain amount of time to cast the spell. And the greater the power, the more time and components you need.
This kind of casting, while not useable in battle, is helpful as it allows you to cast spells stronger than you'd normally be able to cast. (Aka, high level spells than what a character should be able to cast.) or even apocalyptic levels spell that would destroy your body if tried to cast traditionally. For example rewriting the earth to make it bare food. But again, the stronger the spell, the greater the material needed to cast it. The lone exception to this rule is Ezran, who can passively talk to animals for unknown reasons. (I don't think it ever was explained in the show.) but aside from that, all other magic users have to follow those rules.
Now, I'm sure some people can poke a million holes in this system, but for the sake of this story, that's how it works. You want to try and break the system, go right ahead. I'm sure you're DM's must love you in their games when you repeatedly abandon 40 hours of well planned out adventures to try and seduce the 3000 year old queen, start a war with your npc allies, then proceed to kill the bbeg by dropping a hornets nest made of your underwater on them or something equally stupid. Either way, unlike your dm, i am under no obligation to uphold your nonsensical antics and will continue the story the way i see fit. And yes, before anyone says, you are right, I do not have the patience to be a DM.
Anyway, hope you enjoyed and to see you next chapter. Bye!