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dragon-fics · 3 years

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HA: Ch. 16 The Apprentice and Her Master

Chapter summary: Left in the void alone, Heather must confront the mysterious person who is supposedly waiting for her

Prologue, Pt. 1, Pt. 2, Pt. 3 , Pt. 4, Pt. 5, Pt. 6 , Pt. 7, Pt. 8, Pt. 9, Pt. 10, Pt. 11, Pt. 12, Pt. 13, Pt. 14, Pt. 15

The figures faded away, and Heather stood in silence. Her muscles relaxed; she wasn’t even aware she was so tense. Heather glanced around the dark abyss, trembling slightly as it all hit her. She had passed their test… the test she wasn’t even sure she had even the slightest chance of passing. Heather drew in a long breath and hugged herself.

“Can—,” her voice was small and shaken, “can I talk to Aaravos now?”

The abyss stayed silent and dark; there was no sign of this person. Heather sighed and walked forward, head low and arms close to her stomach. She wished she could wake up already. Tonight had been exciting enough.

Then a whoosh and a bright light came from behind her. Heather turned around, looking at the pale portal in front of her. “Hello?”

Out of the portal came a dark figure, nowhere near as tall as the most talkative member of the council., but still taller than Heather, by about a foot. Long white locks billowed behind them as they walked forward, eyes and chest glowing.

Heather squinted. “Aaravos?”

The glowing portal faded away, allowing her to get a better look at the figure heading towards her.

He smiled. “You did excellent, Heather.”

She grinned. “Heh, it’s all your training, Sparkles.” She drifted towards him. “So… are you the one they were talking about?” She reached for his hand to ensure he was actually there. To her relief, she could hold it.

He gently wrapped his cool fingers around her and, ensuring her further, a small smile slipping onto his face. Aaravos shook his head, his smile fading away. “I don’t think so.”

Heather frowned and looked around at the abyss. Who else could want to see her?

Another orb of light appeared close by and slowly lowered itself to the ‘ground’. Its light faded away to reveal another elf… but this one was very much unlike the others. They didn’t have skin that reminded Heather of the heavens. Instead, their skin was almond brown with patches of grey and stars scattered around their body. They had short, undercut, bob cut silver hair and deer-like antlers on their head. They were lean built with pointed features, looking both but neither masculine nor feminine.

Heather peered at them and unconsciously reached for her facial markings. Theirs were very similar to hers. “Who… are you?”

They chuckled and looked at Aaravos. “Care to tell her, Master?”

Heather looked back at him, still holding his hand. She frowned. In none of his memoirs, had she found any mention of an apprentice.

Aaravos stare silently at the young elf. For the first time, Heather saw him stunned.

They came closer, a smile on their face. “It’s good to see you too, Father.”

Heather’s frown deepened. This was getting more convoluted by the second. This elf was revealing so much so quickly.

Aaravos released her hand and placed his hand on the mystery elf’s cheek, smiling down at them. “I thought I lost you, Elluin.”

They smiled, a tear rolling down their face. “You could never lose me.” Elluin looked at Heather. “not while she’s around.” They wiped away their tears and moved over to stand in front of Heather.

She glanced from them to Aaravos and wiped away his own stray tear. “So… who are you?”

They chuckled. “I am Elluin. And I was you in your past life. I am also the one who deliver you your prophecy.” They rolled their eyes.

Heather barked a laugh. “Exactly.”

Elluin smiled. “Shall we get started? And I’ll explain everything.”

*~*~*~*

Heather sat up groggily, morning sunshine blinding her as it poured into her eyes like burning lava. She groaned, glancing around the sun washed teal room. The night hadn’t seemed real, yet she could remember everything but her prophecy. She sighed, getting off out of the shallow pool of water, her gold and black outfit bone dry. She hummed and stepped out onto the steps, her bare feet warmed by the sun-touched tiles.

She opened the door of the room and walked down the long corridor. For a long moment, she was mesmerized, caught up in a web of her own thoughts. She had been destined to meet Aaravos? Heather found it hard to believe. She wound her way through his vast home, making her way down to the small kitchen and living area of his gigantic house.

He had mentioned that the tiny room was the heart of the house, where Aaravos had some of his greatest moments. At the time, Heather thought he meant achievements, but now she knew it had something to do with Elluin.

Heather entered the small kitchen, looking out at the large glass window that overlooked the Midnight Desert and Lux Aurea in the distance. She hopped up onto the violet stool by the obsidian counter, attempting to grasp what had happened last night. She stared at the black counter top as she thought, not noticing Aaravos walking in after her.

He rested a hand on her shoulder. “Good morning, Heather.”

“Morning,” she mumbled, coming out of her thoughts.

He smirked, tracing his hand over part of her she didn’t quite recognise.

Heather’s heart leapt, and she spun off the stool. Aaravos barely moved out of the way in time, and she spun around. On her back were a set of large wings, with the same ombre of indigo to yellow as her arms. She stretched them out, getting a long look at their glittering beauty. But they weren’t just glittering in the sun… they were twinkling with stars. Heather froze, her silver eyes narrowing. She looked at her hands. Stars were scattered across her skin. She took a quick peek down at her top. A small, white symbol of the star arcanum was embedded in her skin, high on her chest.

A muffled squeal escaped Heather as he spun around to face Aaravos. She chuckled madly and hopped on the spot. She dove into a hug, wrapping her arms around Aaravos. “Thank you,” Heather whispered.

Aaravos looked down at her, a soft smile on his face. He placed the bundle of clothing on the counter. “No, thank you, Heather.” He gently hugged her back. They stood there for a while, in each other’s embrace.

She slowly released him, stepping away with a broad smile. Her gaze drifted over to the bundle of clothing. She stepped forward, eyeing it curiously. “These are the garments you’ve been working on at night.” She observed.

Aaravos frowned. “Yes, they are.” He placed a silvery hand on top of the pile. “They’re for you.”

Heather glanced from him to the garments. “For me?”

He inclined his head. “I made them for when you passed your test, so you’d have clothes that suited you.”

Heat rushed to her cheeks. “Thanks, Sparkles.” She picked up the clothes. “Lets try them on, I guess.” She scuttled away with the bundle, leaving Aaravos standing in the room on his own. He reached for his sewing things, finishing a piece of embroidery.

When Heather returned, a figure-hugging black and purple tunic-length vest hung on her body. A small window was cut out for her star to shine through, and its core held an overlapping pointed design. Her leggings ended at her foot, allowing her feet to touch the ground. She presumed it was for her mimicking.

Heather spun around. “I love it!” she hissed. She then reached for the last piece of clothing. A cloak. It was the same black design as Aaravos’ with a silver accent to match her eyes. On the pointed hood were the symbols of the sun and sky arcana. She threw it on, liking that it ended above the knee for swift movement. She squealed again. “we’ll be a matching master and apprentice duo.” She grinned.

Aaravos chuckled, turning around. “That we can. But I have one more thing for you, Heather.” He drew a rune, something long and silver appearing in his hands. As he turned around, Heather got a better look at the long object. It was a slender pole with a large silver ring at one end. Between the ring and the tip of the pole, a large stone was embedded. In the ring were five other stones. Each one shone a different colour; one yellow, one teal, another deep blue, one emerald green, another pale blue, and the centre one was a shimmering lilac.

“I present to you the Apprentice Archmage’s staff.” He held it out to her. “For my apprentice.”

Heather smiled, taking the staff from him gently, getting used to its feel. “Thank you, Master.”

~The End~

There was supposed to be an epilogue, but it had no real purpose in the story and unfortunately I’m rather stuck for time. Thank you for sticking around and seeing the end of the book. If you would like to see the continuation, its first chapter is up, titled His Home. it won’t revolve very much about any of the canon Dragon Prince characters, it’s just set in the Dragon Prince universe. Thank you all so much for getting me 2,000 reads on this story. I will edit it sometime later this year or mid next year, depending on how life goes for me. Thanks again!

EmmaPRIME

#his apprentice #aaravos #the dragon prince

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patricksteelebodger · 4 years

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The Dragon Prince Instagram Q&A

As we wait for 4th Season of the official Dragon Prince Saga to arrive, the creators of the show had done an Instagram Q&A to celebrate the release of their graphic novel, “Through the Moon”, while what the creators revealed wasn’t enough to become a spoiler to us, here are some of a few highlights on the answers and teases they gave out that will give us much excitement for what's to come from the Dragon Prince and the world of Xadia:

TTM will not have a sequel but is canon and will herald S4's plot

Moonshadow Elves partially slip into a dimension of the Moon granting them a full stealth mode

There will be outfit changes in S4 for the main characters

Callum will not be limited to Sky and seems to be closer to unlocking the Moon Arcanum

They WANT him to become the first Human Archmage (kind of a troll but still implied to be possible in the future)

More Sarai coming

They refuse to say what the Key of Aaravos unlocks

The Sun AND Ocean Arcanum are both capable of healing as well as a few other Arcanums

GN characters could get into the main series

You should get TTM before S4 for the best experience

Zym will grow up and experience more character development. He's a puppy!

More Gren content!

Ellis will probably return but not 100%

They cannot say what Aaravos told Khessa.

The Orphan Queen will be referenced a lot more and they still want her movie to happen.

There is potential for Moonshadow Elves to manifest other abilities based on the Arcanums. This is possible for other types of Elves as well. It mostly comes from training.

There will be MORE Dark Mages.

Aaravos possibly had a role in the mastery and discovery of Dark Magic

More Dragons and Archdragons are coming.

Avizandum CAN MAYBE be unstoned.

Elves are indeed capable of Dark Magic.

There's a lot of easter eggy stuff on the map.

They said: What has Claudia done that deserves a redemption arc?

They wanna explore how Runaan and Ethari met.

They might tell the story of Callum's birth Dad. Probably mostly his impact on Sarai's life.

Zubeia will be more involved in Season 4.

More Crow Master to come.

Most Elves have 4 fingers and 4 toes. We know Tidebound Elves have 2 toes.

The divide of the continent is still a big deal.

Soulfang Serpents are part of the Moon Arcanum.

Bait's Glowtoad tribal name is just some funny grunt.

We will see the reactions of Human and Elf relationships as seen by other characters.

It took 9 months to a year in order to fully develop Through The Moon.

Through The Moon happens a couple of weeks after Season 3.

They still won't say what the time gap between TTM and S4.

There is a bigger world out there other than Xadia but Xadia and the Human Kingdoms are the focus of the show.

Some Elven cultures use temporary tattoos and make up while others use permanent ones.

There will be more Queen Aanya.

Aanya and Ezran friendship could happen.

So far Amaya is the best fighter in the show

That’s all for now, but thanks to the QnA, we’ve got a lot more on what we’ll be excited for for the next season and beyond!

#the dragon prince #tdp s4 #tdp season 4 #through the moon #qna #qna time #the dragon prince saga

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blackdragon-selfships · 3 years

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3, 5, 8, 10 - media game!

Thanks, Alma! 💖

3. Tell us a favorite quote from your f/o!

It’s hard to choose just one! XD He has so many good ones... I’ll go with this, cause I like it but it isn’t as overused as one of his other ones:

“Viren! I’m nothing if not elegant and efficient!”

It kind of teases at his ego a bit, but not in a way it’s overbearing and annoying. lol Mostly because I think it was meant as a tease on his part, even if it was believed to be true by him as well.

Another is a more serious line, which I have gone over and over in my head because it’s some kind of clue...but the one I shared was more favorable. lol

5. Give us a song you associate with your f/o / your ship!

Oof another difficult one. XD I again have several. But I think...as of now I will still say this one fits Megavos nicely:

https://youtu.be/GDTD24KsdGc

youtube

Edit: Actually the one above just fits Aary in general too...doesn’t have to be Megavos. It could be anyone he formed a genuine connection with.

And one that fits Aaravos himself...

Either this one: https://youtu.be/fT2LBOUIdv8

youtube

Which would be when he woke up to the fact he can and will live his life how he wants...or something like that. Mostly this goes with my Headcanons for his past (childhood and up) before Xadia.

Or this one: https://youtu.be/DwTogmKwYWo

youtube

Which I think (ignoring the song’s original context) would fit so well with when he was imprisoned. They tried to keep him quiet when he was exposing the truth about the imbalance in power in the world (this is a theory I have, of course. Not confirmed canon) and he refused to be broken even after they tried to silence him. He’s still fighting back even if he looks like the bad guy for doing it.

8. Describe your f/o with only the pictures you have on hand!

10. Gush pass! Feel free to talk about whatever regarding your f/o!

I’m not that great at gush posts... lol But I’ll talk about some of my favorite physical things about him:

1.) Eyes: I love eyes regardless, but he just would not be the same without the eyes he has. I catch myself looking at them above any part of him. Even the pretty stars all over his skin. Those eyes are just...they’re perfect. I love his eyes, and that is something he took a long time to fully believe and accept.

2.) Ears: Before TDP I did not like elf characters much. This has nothing to do with this part of the gushing really, but ears were really all that told elves apart from humans in other media I watched or read. Now there are horns and four fingers as well, sure, but again not the point. The point...it must be because of how I feel about him, but his ears are...really cute?

I look at them a lot too and I think they’re cute. The way they poke out from behind his hair (that bullet point is coming soon) so casually and move some to show mood or let you know he’s tuned in when he hears you. They’re just cute and I enjoy drawing them. (As well as messing with them when he lets me. lol)

3.) Hands: The hands in general. I look at this picture of him:

And at his hand further from the viewer especially and think about how I would want to hold it... Not uncommon when it comes to f/os I’ve found, but it’s such an innocent thought, right? I also imagine examining one in detail as we’re just casually sitting or laying together. Maybe counting the individual stars or comparing its size and shape compared to mine. Also that the fact there isn’t a pinkie and just exploring the hand innocently enough.

4.) Hair: Yeah, this was coming. Again, his hair is fun to draw once I’ve gotten the hang of it. lol It also looks so soft and the way it looks kind of shiny in certain light too... Also how it glows when he uses powerful magic. Mostly I think about running my fingers through it (again, not an uncommon thought with couples) and playing with it casually. Not exactly styling or fixing it up. It just seems like a stimming activity if he didn’t mind.

5.) Horns: Again...fun to draw. I don’t know how they did it, but the TDP team made such a fun character to draw. Once you get the hang of all the details, the shapes are so fun. I don’t know how to describe it.

Anyway, I really like his horns for more than the shape or color or anything. I’ve mentioned this before to a friend (won’t share names in case you’d rather stay anonymous) about one day it really hitting me that those horns are an extension of him. They actually are attached to his skull under all that hair. I don’t know why that fascinated me so much, but in context of being there with him, it’s a soft moment to think about. I might share the story in detail someday.

6.) Skin: It was coming eventually. lol Yeah, that starry night sky skin gets a mention. It’s sparkly, it glows, and it looks damn good on the shades of blue the rest of his skin is. But I also love how animated they are too. They don’t just sit on him like normal freckles or markings. They actually twinkle and seem to ‘breathe’ in how they sparkle, some even fading out completely before being replaced by one further down.

I also headcanon he can control not only the intensity but also make them fade out completely at will. As well as less controlled moments where they change based on extreme emotion, energy drain (magical) or...in death they become dull and probably fade completely eventually.

7.) Sense of humor: Finishing on a positive, his sense of humor is delightful. lol He’s teasing, silly, and so unapologetic about it...but usually not cruel in the process. He can be, if you cross him or he’s annoyed at you/is trying to annoy you, but otherwise not really. He’s the kind of guy that has seen so much of life he knows when to be silly and when to be serious, and he utilizes this skill well.

And there you have it. An attempt at a gush session, but an organized one. XD As an artist and a visual learner, I find it easier to talk about the visual over anything else. So, yeah. Thanks again for the Ask!

Media Ask Game!

#me/g answers #(on the first picture I’m mostly referencing him not being able to get out of mirror jail #and implications of warning not to let him out)#ask game: media asks #about my danger star ✨#pictures of my danger star ✨#my danger star ✨ (aaravos)#no d4y but tod4y

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beautifulterriblequeen · 4 years

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When Aaravos casts spells (through Viren) at the end of Season 2, does it look a lot like he's performing some sort of martial arts? Do you think fighting mages *could* be martial artists too?

Are you talking about Aaravos or Viren, anon? I’m guessing you mean Aaravos, and that you’re looking at his rune drawing as the performance of martial art moves. I can see it!

I love seeing martial arts and magic get mixed. It’s two of my favorite things married together. Ugh, so much fun. And one of my favorite bits about Aaravos’s spellcasting is that it’s simultaneously two-handed. He’s just swiping spell lines out there willy nilly like it ain’t no thang. He ain’t got time for that whole drawing from one end to the other thing, like Claudia does. Nope. We two-hand this spell and we move on to the next one, chop chop.

And his moves are very martial-art-like.

His Sun spell begins with nice prep pose, loading up a bilateral power swing. Finger control is on point. Arms parallel. Large and small muscle groups are highly trained. He’s even dropped into a nice stable stance to cast–all the better to keep his balance as he flings magic in all directions.

Behind this half-drawn spell you can see that he’s drawn his arms in and crossed his wrists. He’s loading up to reach back out with the second part of this spell.

Here, the Sun spell is complete, but you can see that he’s already moving into the next spell–which oddly we don’t seem to get to see, unless this is just an intermediate position for another Sun spell, since Viren does fling more fireballs from his staff. But again, it uses crossed arms as a load-up. He’s casting fast, and he needs the momentum.

The first part of Fulminis. Arms crossed once again, powering up for those fast moves. Fingers extended to draw.

This is one of my favorite poses from Aaravos’s spellcasting. It takes me back to all the martial arts movies I watched when I was younger. Very “bring it,” very actiony.

This one looks like the punch part of a block-punch combo. I can still see my favorite sensei doing this–he really liked it, and he was 5′4″ so his punches were always below everyone else’s eyeline and they never saw it coming. Being 6′6″, Aaravos probably has the opposite effect with the same result.

Double shuto, anyone? Judo chop! Also, my oldest pointed out to me that Zuko does this exact move in ATLA. It’s very pretty. Although this spell move is meant to encircle the rest of the rune, I can see Aaravos slamming into someone/a different rune with a differently directed move of this sort. Simultaneous physical and magical attacks? That feels like the next step with this, doesn’t it?

Between his stable leg position and his bilateral loading and unloading of arm moves, it seems clear that Aaravos’s spellcasting is based on martial arts, though it’s harder to tell from this brief glimpse if there’s much delineation in style among various primal sources, as ATLA had (at least to me, I’m not super skilled in identifying exact styles based on just a few moves).

So I’d say absolutely, anon, there could be battle mages. I think Aaravos could be one, if he were fighting in person. Considering how oddly attached he is to physical things (bug stuff, okay, it’s weird) for an elf whose power lies with the metaphysical and psychic, it’s very possible he specifically trained for physical battle as part of his spellcasting.

Judging by the amount of effort it takes to become truly skilled at martial exploits–judging by Runaan and Rayla–and at magic–looking at Lujanne–it seems that anyone studying both would need many many years to gain true mastery, and they may not have time for much else in their lives. I don’t want to point a finger at the Air Nomads, but… *points a finger at the Air Nomads* A dedicated culture of magical martial arts is probably the best way to get TDP fighting mages. It could be a very small group, or a whole culture. I’d like to see it be the Earthblood elves, or at least those living at the Earth Nexus.

But Aaravos has clearly had long enough to master both magic and martial arts, at least to the extent that he uses them to speed and guide his casting. Even if he got his bending taken away arcana stripped out, he would still be a formidable fighter against any nonmagical opponents–and probably some magical ones, too.

#asks #aaravos #tdp magic #martial arts #magic martial arts #my jam this is hrrm #tdp #tdp analysis

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moonshadow-memes · 5 years

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The Dragon Prince questions

you can ask your followers to pick certain ones or let it rip and answer them all:

how did you find the show?

first impression of the world and characters

favorite character

least favorite character

favorite trope/running joke

have you convinced anyone to watch the show or were you the one who was convinced by friends to do it?

scene that made you choke up or cry

scene that angered you a lot

a moment where you went “god i wish that were me”

what primal magic did you like, and what primal magic did you get on the official quiz? are they different?

who do you think is the Big Bad of the show?

unpopular opinion?

trope or cliche that you absolutely love

what do you think of the arc for the child characters? (ezran, aanya, rayla etc)

what do you think of the arc for the adult characters? (viren, amaya, aaravos, etc)

scene that makes you cringe every time

scene that makes you laugh every time

scene that you wished was done better

what you’re looking forward to see more of in the next seasons

character you started off hating and eventually learned to like

character you still hate

character you would kill everyone in the room and then yourself for

what representation would you like to see on the show in the future? (lgbt, disabilities, race, spiritual beliefs, veganism, etc)

link to an art/ cosplay / fanfic that you absolutely love

who has the best voice?

who has the best fashion sense?

who has the best hair?

who has the worst attitude?

who has the fanciest facial hair?

what is your favorite screenshot of the show? why do you like it so much?

do you believe in locks?

if you could have elf horns, what shape do you want them to have?

of the child characters, who would you get along with the most?

of the adult characters, who would you get along with the most?

of the non-human characters, who would you get along with the most?

what do you think the primal magic cube opens?

song that gives you TDP feels

is there a character or concept from another show that fits well in the dragon prince universe?

do you think elves can play musical instruments with only 4 fingers?

anything you want to say to the fandom or creators? get on your soapbox!

#tdp #the dragon prince #ask meme #ask me meme #anniversary

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skyfireflight · 4 years

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Midnight’s Dawn, Chapter 7

Child!Elarion, Pre-series/Pre-canon (AU): The story of Xadia’s history before and leading up to the continent’s split, and how Elarion met Aaravos.

Story Summary: Dragons were not kind to humans. Nor were most elves. But Elarion was willing to take that risk. She had to, to save everyone she loved.

Chapter Summary: Aaravos has only had this child for two seconds, but if anything happened to her, he would kill everyone in the vicinity and then himself. Also, Elarion’s body can finally rest, but her mind does not.

Content Warning for a nightmare sequence that has graphic/gruesome depictions of burns.

AO3 link

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6

______________________________________

Part 2: Stars

Chapter 7

The child was shivering by the time he got back to his home. A good sign. She was no longer in danger, and humans needed to warm up slowly. Still holding her secure, he lit a fire in the spare bedroom’s fireplace with a wave of his hand, and turned down the bed’s blankets with another wave. Then he sat her on the bed, one arm cradling her back and head.

He looked her over for a moment. Her clothes were torn, much of it seeming to come from deliberate claw slashes, and streaked with dirt. Repairing them would be easy; but for now, they were clothes for travelling, not for resting.

Bruises, bad scrapes, minor burns, shallow scratches, and deep cuts littered the child’s form. He could heal her instantly with magic, but her severe magical burns would only be aggravated by any direct spells.

He took off her boots and set them aside, and gently laid her down on the bed.

He would have to do this the old-fashioned way.

______________

Warm.

That was what Elarion first registered. Other things came little by little.

Fire was crackling quietly nearby.

She was lying on a soft surface, something softer and slightly higher underneath her head.

A warm, comforting weight lay on top of her.

Her heavy eyelids blinked weakly, taking several tries before they stayed open, and a few moments before her blurry vision focused, allowing Elarion to see.

It was dark. But not completely dark. Dim light came from the fire, and her eyes adjusted to it.

Someone was there. Her mind was too tired to question who it was or where she was. But she remembered being afraid. Being cold.

Being rescued.

She would have jolted awake if she’d had the energy, her subconscious telling her that she needed to move, to hide, to watch for the dragon, to reach somewhere urgently – even if she couldn’t consciously think those thoughts right now.

But she had made it, her memory vaguely supplied. She didn’t have to worry about that anymore.

Blinking was still a herculean effort. Elarion closed her eyes.

An arm slid under her neck and shoulders, gently lifting her upper body from the soft surface she was laying on. Something nudged against her lips, and a cool liquid poured slowly into her mouth. She drank, weakly swallowing. Elarion vaguely realized she hadn’t noticed just how sore her throat was until now, until this drink now soothed it and she could tell the difference.

Then the drink was pulled away, and Elarion was laid back down again.

Exhaustion pulled her back to sleep.

____________

Someone was screaming.

No, not someone.

Many, many people.

People screamed and cried out in terror, in pain – running from and being burned by the blazing fire around them.

The heat was suffocating and the flames were all around her – bright and red and towering and violent – leaping and roaring, almost as loud as the wails. She could not make out any features; the people were dark shadows, wailing silhouettes darting frantically to and fro behind the curtain of angry red flames that surrounded her.

The fire’s roar grew angrier –

No, that wasn’t the fire –

Elarion looked up, coughing, trying to breathe against the heat that made the air thick.

A dragon – red and angry and monstrous – loomed above, its roaring shaking the ground, making the flames leap higher and higher as if strengthened by its call to attack, to destroy. More fire streamed from its mouth, to engulf the screaming people – and their screams grew hoarser and more desperate – people who she knew were her friends and neighbors and relatives.

Relatives.

Fear coursed through her, launching her from where she had been rooted to the spot in the other form of terror. Elarion raced through the flames and broke out from the circle, crying out and yet uncaring at the searing pain from being burned, uncaring of her clothes – the hem and sleeves and skirt of her dress – catching fire, smaller flames latching onto them. She sped past half-destroyed houses and half-swallowed buildings, looking for one, one particular home –

There –

Elarion burst into the house. Her mother was there, and her aunt –

“Mom! Aunt Sabra! We need to go –!”

Her mom’s voice was cold, interrupting Elarion and stopping her in her tracks.

“This is your fault.”

As her mother and aunt stood in front of her, burns began to appear on their skin – horrible, red, painful-looking burns.

“You did this.”

Elarion shook her head frantically. “No, I –.”

Another voice she recognized. “All your fault.”

Elarion whirled around. Her cousin stood behind her. The burns on his skin grew with each passing moment, spreading until every inch of him was a mix of red and black, charred.

She stepped back, eyes wide. She looked back to her aunt and her mother, their skin just as charred, then back to her cousin.

Their skin began to bubble, like something thick boiling –

“Your fault!” All three of them snarled at her in unison.

Elarion stumbled back in horror, tripping over her own feet and landing the wooden floor with a hard thump. She still scrambled backwards. Tears pricked her eyes, then fell down her cheeks.

“No, no! No, please! I was only trying to help! I only wanted to –!”

Boiling – and then their skin began to melt, the charred and the red dripping and sliding off their bodies like wax of a candle set fully aflame.

“This is all your fault!”

She helplessly reached out her hand toward her mother, who was dying before her eyes.

No, no, this couldn’t be happening, this couldn’t be happening!

Elarion screamed, voice caught on a heaving sob.

“NO! NO!”

______________

“No! No, please! Please!”

She woke with a cry. She didn’t have the strength to thrash, but her muscles trembled as if she were still shivering from the harsh cold, despite the warmth draped over her, and her heart was pounding.

Mom! Eli!

“Shhhh. Shhhh….” A voice – the same voice as before, she vaguely remembered – hushed her. Deep, soft, and soothing. Warm arms enveloped her, lifting Elarion slightly off the bed and cradling close her against something even warmer.

“Mom –.” Her voice came out a choked, weak sob. Her face was wet. Tears ran down her cheeks, and she sobbed, though they sounded more like whimpers.

“Shhhh…. You are safe,” the voice said, reassuring. “You are safe.”

Safe.

Elarion’s heart calmed slowly. The voice began humming, a soft, slow, soothing melody. Like a lullaby. Tears still dripped from her eyes, remnants of the flood of fear, grief, and desperation from her nightmare. A few more sobs escaped her before her breathing calmed and evened out.

She blinked droplets from her eyes. Fingers brushed gently against her cheek, wiping away her tears. Anchored back more-or-less in the waking world, the events of the nightmare faded from her tired mind.

“It’s alright, now,” he hushed.

Now that she was calmer, Elarion could feel a slight burning ache in her muscles, but it was numbed, barely there. Nothing like it had been before. She blinked again, slowly, her eyes slightly heavy. She was sleepy now. But her vision cleared, and she looked around to take in her surroundings.

The light was still dim, and somewhat blocked by the figure holding her. Her gaze drifted to her side. She couldn’t see his face very well in the dark, barely making out the shape of his chin, the lower ends of what seemed to be bright diamonds on his cheeks. Small lights blinked along the figure’s arm, and Elarion found herself staring at it, both a little mesmerized and content to just let her eyes linger.

It was warm.

Safe.

Elarion reached out her hand – perhaps for comfort, for contact, to thank him. Star-speckled indigo met warm brown. Shifted slightly, to hold her tighter, the voice still humming that soft, gentle tune. Elarion relaxed more fully into the arms that held her, listening to it. Fingers brushed against her forehead and cheek as her eyes grew heavier, then over her hair, and she slipped into sleep.

_____________

Bathing her and tending to her wounds was a simple, efficient affair. Though he used no sleep spell, the child did not wake at all, or even stir, as he washed off the dirt and blood with warm water in the large bathtub, or as he scooped her up and dried her off, bundled in a large, soft towel, then bandaged her burns, gashes, and scrapes after applying salve and medicine to sooth them and prevent infection.

He had no clothing her size, but it was easy enough to make them; a spell to resize one of his simple white sleeping shirts, and he could do the same with a few other of his robes, along with a shift in the folding of their cloth to mimic the style of human dresses, should the child have need of them once she recovered. But, now was not the time for that.

Thankfully, the gashes on her back were not critically deep. The dragon that had caused them – he had seen plenty enough marks of dragon claws to recognize them for what they were – had been toying with her. His eyes narrowed, and he let out a “tsk.”

That dragon was lucky that it was not within his sensory range.

Finished with what he could to for now, he laid the child down on the bed, carefully arranging her so that she did not put pressure on the wounds on her back, and then gently spreading white sheet and soft, thin, blue blanket over her sleeping form up to her shoulders.

The child awoke twice in the night. The first time, she was barely awake, but enough that he could give her water mixed with medicine.

The second time she awoke, it was from the throes of a night terror, her shout rough and shrill, crying and pleading. He was quick to rush to her side, and sat on the bed scooped her up in his arms, blankets, sheets, and all, reassuring her that she was safe, wiping the tears from her cheeks, and humming a lullaby he once heard. She calmed down after that. She reached out and placed a bandaged hand on his right arm, before falling asleep once more.

He waited for a few minutes, cradling her and humming, brushing her now-clean hair away from her face. Then he laid her back down, and went back to his chair a small distance from the bed.

_____________

Of course she had a fever.

Not from her wounds; he’d tended to them and kept an eye on them well enough that they didn’t gain any infection.

No. This was from magical shock, most likely – he felt a flare of irritation, towards the elves who had done this to her, at the thought. And exhaustion, too, likely played a factor. Her scraped hands, and the recentness of the wounds when he had found her, told him that she had been climbing up the mountain’s cliffs not long before – an arduous feat, especially for a child. Especially with being attacked by dragon.

Her magical burns had not yet healed – and they would have to do so mostly on their own, within a few days, with some medicine to ease the process along – so applying a cooling spell to her skin was out of the question. A hand gently placed on her forehead, he let out a short, irritated sigh. The fever had set on quickly, and her temperature was nearly dangerously high.

He gently ran a soft, cool, damp cloth along her face, and placed one on her forehead and another underneath her neck, to try and lower her temperature. The child didn’t stir, just let out a small, barely-audible whimper at being moved when he lifted her head to place the cloth. Another round of medicine was in order – for the burns, and the pain they were causing her. And to lower her temperature.

Lifting up her head again to cradle it in the crook of his elbow, the child letting out a louder, more pained whine, her brow knit in discomfort, he hushed her softly and coaxed her into drinking some more medicine, mixed with another blend of herbs to lower the fever. The child’s agonized sounds and expression eased, and he lowered her head back onto the pillow.

A short time later, he changed the cloths on her forehead and under her neck. This time, there were no sounds of pain. He cradled the child’s cheek in his palm as settled her head down again, gently rubbing the heated skin.

Her temperature was still too high. If her fever didn’t go down soon, he would have to give her another bath.

He would not let her die in his care.

#tdp #the dragon prince #tdp fanfiction #midnight's dawn #tdp elarion #tdp aaravos

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theavengerfairy · 4 years

Text

One Step Closer - Chapter 4

Previously known as “Gravity”

Aaravos adored games, especially when those games involved real risks and consequences. Every sparkling fiber of his being would vibrate with excitement as he carefully ushered each pawn into place to create a grand masterpiece that he alone could see unfolding. At times, one of those pawns might start to shift out of alignment, operating of its own accord instead of by the will of its master, but it never took more than a few polished half-truths to lure the insurgent back into place. Patience was the key to success, and if being imprisoned for longer than he cared to calculate had taught him anything, it was patience.

Things may have seemed placid in Viren's cell, but as his grub-like vassal clung to the shell of the mage's ear, Aaravos sensed that the castle was still abuzz even at this late hour. He could feel the reverberations of marching feet through the stone floor and walls, and he could faintly hear the whispering of a gentle wind overtop of Viren's muffled snores. Most importantly, however, he could sense the baleful nip tainting the air as something wicked steadily closed in on the dungeon where it sensed its master's presence.

"It would seem that your phantoms have returned." he crooned smoothly, fully aware that Viren could not hear him from the realm of dreams. "Do not fret. I will take care of everything."

Peeling itself off of Viren's ear, the little caterpillar inched its way across the mage's cot and then up the cell wall until he reached the grate in the ceiling. After wiggling through with ease, it only had to wait a moment or so in the deserted courtyard above before being blanketed in shadow as four pairs of blank, glowing, purple-tinged eyes peered down at it from within towers of churning smoke that vaguely resembled the shape of elves. To anyone else, these creatures of shadow would've been terrifying, but the little caterpillar raised itself up and stared right back at them with an air of haughtiness.

"Your master is resting, but it is not yet time for you to do the same. You still have work to do." Aaravos crooned without a hint of hesitance even though the phantoms could easily trample the caterpillar beneath their heels if they wished too. Why? Even though they could, he knew that they wouldn't, for just like the mage who had summoned them, they were also drawn to the power emanating off of him.

"Your master's possessions have been scattered across the land in an attempt to control him, and one of these relics could be your and his undoing. Bring back the coin in which your leader is imprisoned, the leader who in his pride led you all to your deaths, and you will soon have your rest."

Though their faces showed no expression as the shadows continued to listlessly sway back and forth in the wind, Aaravos could sense their reluctance. It seemed even as phantoms, traces of past loyalties and autonomous thought still lived on inside them; this, however, was not a major problem for him.

"Why do you hesitate? Does it not anger you that the one responsible for your demise now has a chance to return home to the open arms of his family while yours grieve your loss? He made the call to move forward with your mission knowing full well that your chances of survival were slim, and now he simply gets to walk away from that while your blood, the blood of those who trusted him, stains the floors of this palace? Should he not suffer a fate worse than death?"

One by one, a change swept over each ghost, their eyes glowing brighter as their previous uncertainty was burned up by the flames of bitterness; it was a light and a heat that Aaravos never grew tired off as he drank it in again and again.

"Go. Find your leader's coin and its brothers. Justice will not be denied."

-----------------------

"Can I skewer him?"

"No."

"What about mildly maim him?"

"No."

"...Can I at least give him a bad enough gash that he'll need stitches?"

"No! The last thing we need to do is draw attention to ourselves by being petty and starting a fight."

"He kidnapped Callum and Maddie!"

"And we are going to discreetly get them back. We fight only as a last resort."

"Ugh, fine!"

It wasn't that Anora couldn't understand Rayla's desire for payback, but retribution never just ended once the scores were even. Having to worry about a vengeful party pursuing them would only further complicate their already complex quest, so for now retaliation, though tempting, was not an option.

It hadn't exactly taken the two elves long to realize that something was wrong, but true to the stories Madeleine had told Anora about Midan, the blacksmith's son indeed proved to be a slippery serpent to catch. Despite managing to procure adequate disguises and sneak into town fairly quickly, Midan was already gone by the time they found the shop and discovered the note that Madeleine had managed to tuck amongst the tools in the back room without getting caught. The fact that they had to ask around about the location of the artisans' fair before finding someone that actually knew only added further to Midan's head start, and while Anora and Rayla probably could have caught up with him if they were on their own, Zym's restlessness meant making occasional stops during their journey, thus allowing the scoundrel to remain one step ahead of them.

By the time they arrived at the fairgrounds, the festivities were already in full swing with more humans crowding around exhibits and mingling between stalls than either elf had seen in her whole life. From this resulted their current situation of hiding in a dense thicket of shrubs not too far off from the line of tents, Rayla keeping watch while Anora attempted to coax Zym into a basket that the younger elf had "borrowed" from the back of an unwatched cart.

"It's only for a little bit, cutie, I promise. Come on! You want another treat?" Grabbing one of the fresh figs from the rations in her bag, Anora placed it inside the basket. "There, now you've got a fig, an apple, some berries, and some milkfruit, a feast fit for a prince. What do ya say, Zym?"

After a moment of thinking as critically as a baby dragon could, Zym tentatively sniffed the mouth of the basket before apparently being won over as he hoped inside with a happy trill. Once she had secured the lid of the basket in place and carefully shrugged the case onto her back, Anora fixed her hood and cloak and stuffed her hands into her gloves, Rayla following suit.

"I still don't see why we can't just split up and meet back here. We'll cover more ground that way." Rayla grumbled as she fiddled with the pink finger of her gloves that had been stuffed with leaves and a twig to mimic a fifth finger. A surprised sputter sprayed from her lips when Anora suddenly appeared in front of her and began smudging dirt over her markings to complete her disguise.

"Midan is smart. If he notices the same two hooded figures frequenting his booth, he might become suspicious, and the longer we're here, the higher our chances of getting caught become. We need to find them, come up with a plan, execute it, and then leave as quickly and quietly as possible." With her and Rayla's tattoos concealed beneath a layer of grime, Anora briskly exited the safety of the shrubs and beckoned Rayla to follow her with a small jerk of her head. "Come on!"

Zym thankfully stayed contently quiet in the basket as the girls crept past the outermost tents and into the fray, heads down and senses alert. After passing several stalls from all of which the heavenly smell of baked goods wafted, it dawned on them that the booths were probably arranged according to trade, meaning they would not have to scour the entire grounds so long as they found the designated area for the blacksmiths. The density of the crowds and the scarcity of maps or directional signs to promote more sales as s wandered aimlessly about ensured that their task remained somewhat difficult, but the smell of burning timber and the ringing of many mallets hammering away at different metals eventually drew them to the right place. As the fourth stall on their left came into view, Rayla was the first to catch a glimpse of those familiar green eyes beneath that mop of fluffy, brown hair, and it didn't take long for them to lock back onto her.

Callum pretended not to notice the two elves until they had crossed over to the stall, and he bit down hard on the inside of his cheek to keep himself from smiling as he made his way over to the booth's counter as casually as he could. Casting an apprehensive glance back at Midan, who was busy chatting with two reasonably attractive dames at the other end of the stand, he made sure to grab a few odd bits and baubles as he went.

"Hi ladies! What can I help you with?!" he announced quite loudly, depositing the knickknacks onto the counter with a harsh clamor, and to his relief, Midan didn't even spare him a look of disdain. Picking up one of the miscellaneous trinkets scattered in front of him, he held it out as if showing it to the two elves, his voice dropped to a whisper as he leaned over the countertop. "I can't talk long without Midan becoming suspicious. Where's Zym?"

Rayla jerked her head toward the basket while Anora took the trinket from Callum and turned it over in her palm. "Are you alright? Where's Maddie?"

"She's in the back and we're both fine other than being a little tired. In fact, she's been tinkering with something since our arrival last night that she believes will distract Midan long enough for us to slip away."

Pride dressed Anora's lips with a lustrous shimmer like the most beautiful of rouges. "Why am I not surprised? Is there anything that we can do to help?"

"There's one more thing that we need but haven't been able to get since we're constantly being watched."

"What do you need?"

"Wildflowers. Lots of 'em."

Rayla's nose wrinkled at the absurd request. "Flowers? What are flowers going to do?"

"He's allergic." Anora muttered, nodding at Midan as theories about Maddie's plan began to take form in her mind. "He obviously can't see us giving them to you."

"Bring them to the back of the tent and toss a rock through the back entrance to let Maddie know that you've made the dropoff. She'll tell you the rest of the plan, and I'll do what I can to keep Midan busy in the meantime."

Rayla groaned under her breath. "Don't do anything stupid."

"Why do you always assume that I'm going to do something stupid?"

"Because you usually do something stupid!"

"You two are cute, but let's save the flirting for a less precarious time, yeah?" Out of the corner of her eye, Anora noticed the two maidens who had been preoccupying Midan's attention were departing, meaning that the louse would be on them in moments if she and Rayla stuck around for too much longer. Setting the trinket that she was still holding back down on the counter, she extended her hand to Callum, who shook it as soon as he realized what she was doing.

"Don't push yourself too hard. You'll need whatever energy you have left for hightailing out of here."

Callum's eyes remained locked with Rayla's until she and Anora were swallowed up by the throng of festival patrons. Gathering up the samples that he had brought out, he spun on his heels and beelined for the curtains separating the front of the tent from the workspace in back. However, just before he could cross the threshold and disappear, he was yanked to a stop by Midan's hand firmly clamping down on his shoulder.

"Don't tell me you spent all that time talking to those two clients and didn't sell anything?"

Callum swallowed thickly to push down the anxious butterflies fluttering in the back of his throat. "They...They said that they had some other errands to run first and would come back if they had the money."

"Let me handle the transaction when they return. I want to make sure that the payment is...authentic given their haggard appearance. Business is going to slow down as the crowds congregate at the indoor attractions to escape the heat of the day, so go wash off and polish those samples. I trust the cleanliness of those bums as much as their money."

--------------------

The sun hung just above the tops of the tents on the far west side of the festival grounds, painting everything with a golden glow.

"Blasted sun. No matter where I stand, it's shining in my eyes." Midan grumbled sourly, shielding his face with his hand as he stumbled about half-blind. "Clem!"

"Um, it's Callum."

"Whatever. Go scrounge around in the back and see if you can find anything to block out that darn sun!"

"Uh, you got it!"

As Callum slipped through the curtains in the back room, Madeleine raised her head from the two small metal tubes sitting in her lap and locked eyes with him. At his nod, she rose, handing him one of the cylinders and held the other to her chest as she left her comrade to gather both their things.

"Midan?" She winced as she poked her head through the doorway right into a particularly bright ray of sunlight.

"Why aren't you working?"

"I'm waiting for the last order to cool down enough so I can polish it." Raising one hand to shield her face while blinking rapidly to quell the tears that welled to defend her eyes from the bright assault, Maddie just barely made out the Midan's silhouette and strode over to him. "I just wanted to talk to you about an idea I had for a new product."

"You're being unusually considerate. You heatsick or something?"

"No. You and I may not like each other, but your dad is still my business partner. He's going to need all the extra cash that he can get for his medical expenses, right?"

"Touché. Tell me what you've got."

"I can do better than that. I built a prototype during my lunch break!" Tucking the braided cord attached to the bottom of the tube beneath her thumb to hide it from sight, Maddie held out the gadget for Midan to see. "I haven't decided on an official name yet, but for now I'm calling them celebration starters!"

Midan squinted at the cylinder. "...It's an embellished pipe."

"Wrong! It's much more than that!"

"Is that so? How does it work then, little genius?"

"Like this!"

Without missing a beat, Madeleine pulled the string attached to the celebration starter as far as it would go and then released it, aiming the barrel directly at Midan's face. Wildflowers of all colors shot into the air with a pop, and the noise was soon followed by three others just like it as more flowers filled the air. The festival-goers all gasped in delight as the fragrant petals rained down on them, but Midan's reddening eyes had bugged out in horror.

"You little-" His exclamation was cut off by a thunderous sneeze, Madeleine springing just beyond the reach of his fingers when he made a mad grab from her.

As much as she would've liked to stick around and relish over her fine work, Maddie speedily vaulted herself over the counter and sprinted into the crowd. Catching a flicker of Callum's scarlet scarf in the evening light somewhere off to her right, she veered off in that direction, focusing all of her strength into her legs until she had caught up with him, and together they ran towards the chosen meeting place: the eastern entrance of the grounds. Their feet had already begun to burn like they were running over a bed of hot coals by the time the pillars decorated with many colorful banners and other ornaments rose into few, and just as they flung themselves down at the base of the one columns in order to catch their breath, Anora and Rayla burst forth from the sea of people, panting heavily as they refused to slow even slightly.

"Get up! We gotta go!" the latter shouted, eyes wide and frantic.

Before Callum could ask what was wrong, the crowd parted for a portly man with a crimson face marred by an angry scowl as he charged after the two elves with his son and daughter flanking him.

"Thieves! Thieves!" he bellowed.

Anora grabbed Callum and Maddie by their arms and more or less dragged them to their feet while Rayla continued to run, her fist pressed against her chest as something glittered inside. The prince's mouth hung agape, his eyes darting from his friends to their pursuers.

"What did you guys do?!"

----------------------------

Moments earlier...

It was a beautiful sight that Anora would've liked to enjoy, the flower petals dancing through the air like snow after being launched from Madeleine's invention, but she and Rayla dutifully slipped the now empty gadgets into their belts and ducked behind a wall of stalls. Keeping their heads down and bodies low to the ground, they zipped along their predetermined course completely unnoticed aside from catching the attention of the occasional small child who was quickly shushed by a preoccupied parent, and the steady sinking of the sun created many long shadows that stretched out to offer them additional cover. However, it soon became apparent that they had forgotten to consider one particular detail when it came to their seemingly seamless plan: Zym.

Having been startled out of a deep nap by the loud pops of the celebration starters, Zym clawed quite furiously at the lid of the basket, and with a few good swipes, he managed to tear a hole just large enough for him to wiggle out of. His little feet scarcely touched Anora's back before he unfurled his wings and sprang into the air, giving neither elf much time to react as he glided through the air and scampered through the back entryway of a large, deep indigo tent as soon as he touched the ground.

When their minds finally processed what had just happened, Rayla and Anora dug their heels into the dirt and swerved in the direction of the tent, halting just a few inches shy of the opening in the wall of cloth.

"Zym! Come back here! You can't be in there!" Rayla called as she peered into the darkness, searching for any sign of white down or icy blue scales that should've stuck out like a sore thumb against the shadows of the tent. All she was met with was a soft, anxious whine from the dragonling, the origin of which she couldn't quite pinpoint.

"I don't think he's coming out on his own," Anora muttered, sliding the basket off of her back. Taking the lavender scarf that hung around her waist and laying it out flat on the ground, she placed the busted lid on top of it and wrapped it in the soft but fairly sturdy material, tightly tying the ends to ensure that it didn't come loose. Tucking the lid under her arm, she handed the barrel of the basket to Rayla. "I'll try herding him back towards you, but you'll need to be completely silent if we don't want him to bolt. Think you can do that, Moondrop?"

"...You're kidding, right?"

"I know, I know. I'm just trying to lighten the mood."

Hearts hammering against their ribs, they slunk into the belly of the pavilion, their soft, careful footsteps sounding more like the stomping of elephants to their own ears. When their eyes adjusted to the dimness, they found that the inside was mostly filled with an array of colorful tapestries decorated with what had to be the most degrading depictions of different kinds of elves that either girl had ever seen. Towards the center of the room stood three ornately carved, wooden pedestals topped with soft pillows, and above each one hung a series of banners that could just barely be read from where they stood if they squinted.

"...Haunted Coins from Xadia?" Rayla scoffed with blatant disgust, "Are you serious?! We don't even have haunted coins! Who would actually believe this nonsense?!"

"You'd be surprised," Anora remarked absent-mindedly, having already dismissed the laughable exhibit and resumed her scouring for the baby dragon. As soon as she noticed a pale shape crouching behind the base of pillar closest to them, she pointed it out to Rayla followed by drawing two arcs in the air that eventually met at a point in front of her. Rayla immediately understood and began to close in on the pillar from the left while Anora took to the right.

"Zym," she called when she was close enough to see the tip of the dragonling's nose poking out from behind the pillar. "I know you're a bit spooked right now, but we have to go before we get caught. There will be no more loud, scary noises, I promise."

Zym's answer was a shrill, suspicious yip, nostrils flaring slightly when Anora entered his line of sight. Slowly dropping down into a crouch, the elf held her hand out to him as she inched closer, not daring to glance at Rayla to ensure she was ready and risk Zym realizing what they were up to. Fortunately, Zym's attention remained fixated on Anora as he shuffled his feet uncertainly while Rayla tiptoed up behind him, basket held out in front of her. They had him cornered, and when Anora lunged forward, Zym spun on his heels and fled straight towards the mouth of the basket. At the last moment, however, he spread his wings and splayed out his little limbs, his front claws grabbing onto the rim, and using the edge as a foothold, he propelled himself upward at a slight angle. Anora leaped into the air before he could get very high, wrapping her arms around the prince's middle and pulling him to her chest. Unfortunately, she hadn't paid much thought to her trajectory in her haste, and thus she came crashing down on top of the pedestal, which proved to be much flimsier than it looked as it crumbled beneath her weight.

"Yep, that's definitely going to leave a mark." she groaned, rolling onto her side and then up into a sitting position all while Zym flailed in her arms. Rayla was by her side in the blink of an eye where she held the basket steady so Anora could place Zym inside.

"He's a little fighter; I suppose that's a good thing though." the Oceancry elf remarked as she secured the lid once more and slipped her arm through one of the vessel's straps, hoisting it up onto her back again. Shifting onto her knees so she could stand back up, she jerked to a stop when something resting on the bed of splinters beneath her snagged her eye.

"Rayla...you said Xadia doesn't have any haunted coins, right? Then why does that one have a moving face on it?"

"You mean your reflection? Besides, that isn't even a Xadian coin..."

"Rayla?"

The color drained from Rayla's already pale face and her eyes widened to the size of two full moons as she stooped down, unable to believe what she saw. Staring back at her was a face she knew all too well despite being clouded with a fear that she had never seen adorning those features before, and as she gently scooped the coin into her trembling hand, she watched the terror melt away and sheer relief rise up in its place.

"Runaan..." she whimpered, hand clamped over her mouth as she fought back the urge to break into tears. Suddenly, it felt very hard to breathe, as if the weight of the entire world was pressing down on her lungs. "...how did you...what...who did this to you?"

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

Anora's head snapped up to behold a middle-aged man and four children of varying maturities looming in the main entrance of the tent. The man, obviously the owner of the tent, glared at them with two small, beady eyes that peered out from behind bushy brown brows and bulging cheeks, grinding his feet into the dirt as he prepared to charge. Snatching up the pillow from the remains of the pedestal, she hurled it at the man, nailing him in the face.

"Rayla, run!"

With their father momentarily disoriented, the two eldest children, a boy and a girl, rushed at them. Glancing upwards, Anora noticed how the weight of the numerous tapestries was causing the roof of the tent to sag, so she grabbed the closest one and yanked it as hard as she could. This proved to be just enough strain as the center of the tent caved inward, cutting them off from their assailants. Brought back to her wits by Anora's shout, the commotion, or a combination of the two, Rayla closed her fist tightly around the coin and barreled back out into the open with Anora close behind her.

#tdp #THE DRAGON PRINCE #tdp oc #tdp fanfic #tdp fanfiction #tdp runaan #runaan #runaan x oc #tdp callum #tdp rayla #tdp zym #tdp aaravos #Runaan

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