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dargonwriter · 5 years

Text

A Winter’s Ball

Read on Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16614212

Rating:

Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning

Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Category:

F/M

Fandom:

The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)

Relationship:

Harrow/Sarai (The Dragon Prince)

Characters:

Harrow (The Dragon Prince)

Sarai (The Dragon Prince)

Amaya (The Dragon Prince)

Viren (The Dragon Prince)

Language:English

Summary:

The winters ball was a well known event all throughout the human kingdoms. The start of winter often brought much gloom but the winter's ball, held on the first night od winter, was often something to look forward to. If one got a hold of an invitation, they had a chance of meeting the royal family themselves, along with other members of the royal court. Sarai had never gone, and Amaya had been invited as a plus one one year but Sarai had always wanted to go, even if it was in rags.

Grounded??? In all the seventeen and a half years in his life, he had gotten grounded a lot. But this time felt personal. The Winters Ball was tonight and Harrow always attended. It was a thing for him to hit on any girl that would let him, if he didn't do it, then did he really exist?

Or:

How king Harrow and Queen Sarai met.

Sarai watched each day for the weeks leading up to the winter's ball for some messenger to stop by. Of course, no one ever stopped unless it was from their grandmother or one of the letters the instructor at the academy sent Amaya about her being a soldier despite her deafness. Nothing to Sarai.

The ball was in two days, but of course nothing of invitations for commoners reached her ears. Of course. Commoners never had a reason to visit the castle.

With a loud sigh, Sarai looked past the road, up to the not-so distant castle on the horizon. "I'm going to that party, even if the elves themselves try to stop me." She said with a determined nod.

"Come on, Viren!" Harrow shouted, looking over the balcony with a bright smile. Next to him rested a bowl of punch, on his shoulder sat his young bird pip, and behind him stood his oldest friend who looked deathly afraid of something. Probably Harrow's father.

"We're going to get in trouble." The nineteen-year-old mage apprentice responded, crossing his arms and looking at the door to the balcony with a fearful scowl.

Harrow only shrugged. "So? What's my father going to do? Send us to the scaffold? Death by firing squad? Or he'll send us to the border and have the elves do it for him." He snorted when Viren's already pale skin went even paler. "Stop worrying, Viren. You're practically invincible when you're with me."

He heard Viren sigh and come closer to the ledge, until he looked at the ground below. His brown hair almost looked blond in the light of the sun. "You're very confident of this, but just remember the word practically. It's the same as if. which means that if your father decided he has had enough of me being involved in your antics in some way, he very well can do whatever the hell wants. And while he may not kill either of us, I do plan to go to the winter's ball for once in my life!"

"Once again, Viren, stop worrying." Harrow repeated in a sing sing voice. Viren drew in a breath, like he was going to respond, but then their target came into view. The high mage himself, Lord Arion. Harrow smirked and got ready to push, but Viren stopped him quickly with a panicked wave.

"No, no way! When you said we'd be pouring juice on someone important, I didn't think-"

"Chill out, Vir. It isn't like he's your actual dad or anything." Harrow chuckled, keeping an eye on the high mage as he got closer to the drop point, followed by two guards. This would be good.

"He's like my father! He'll skin me alive if he finds out I was involved." Harrow was only half listening because Viren's master was only a few steps away...

Harrow laughed as soon as the mage was in place, then shouted "Then I guess you better not be seen!" Before dropping the bowl on top of the three men below.

Except, at the last moment, Viren shouted "Wait!" and tried to reach down and grab the already falling bowl. In his panic, he slipped and fell over the very short stone railing of the balcony.

"VIREN!" Harrow shouted. Pip jumped off his shoulder and tried to dive for Viren but of course Pip could do nothing even if he was full grown. It all seemed to slow down as Viren screamed and fell to the concrete. He stopped midair, though, and Harrow gasped. Viren's screaming halted once he realized that he was no longer falling. Harrow looked past Viren at the men now covered in fruit punch, but specifically at the Lord Arion, who was chanting something with a snarl on his almost gray face, eyes black as night. He gripped something in his hand but Harrow had no clue what it could be. When he stopped chanting, Viren fell safely into a guards arms.

Harrow released a breath he didn't know he had been holding and just took a moment to try to calm his beating heart, but it stopped once again when his eyes locked onto the pitch black ones of the high mage. He was in so much trouble.

Sarai stormed into the room with a loud shout, then walked to her bed and sat down with a pout.

'What happened?' Amaya signed, pausing from the sword she was polishing in an entirely non-threatening way.

'Mom's a fucking asshole.' Sarai huffed, signing back.

Amaya gave her a questioning look before asking 'You got the invitation but mother said no?'

'WE NEVER GOT THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE!'

Amaya gave her a quizzical look before asking 'How is that mom's fault?'

"It just is." Sarai muttered allowed, crossing her arms. Amaya gave a smile, then shook her head. It was obvious, she was ticked off because once again she couldn't go. And she worked so hard to surpass even Amaya in their swordplay class so she could get noticed...

The ball was tonight...

'How is it you're almost eighteen yet your maturity level is akin to a 10 year old?'

Sarai rolled her eyes and gave her sister the middle finger as her response. She began laughing, though, when Amaya gave a dramatic horrified look, then reached for the sword and held it up at Sarai threateningly.

Sarai smiled, but the glint of the sword gave her an idea. She smirked. 'What if we didn't need an invitation?' She asked, already devising a plan.

"Grounded????" Harrow asked. In all the seventeen and a half years in his life, he had gotten grounded a lot. But this time felt personal. The Winters Ball was tonight and Harrow always attended. It was a thing for him to hit on any girl that would let him, if he didn't do it, then did he really exist?

"I warned you," Viren sighed, throwing a ball at the wall and catching it as it bounced back. While Harrow sat in the chair in front of his bed, looking depressed, Viren laid on Harrow's bed, playing around with some magic goo or something on a ball and throwing it while Pip tried to chase it. If Harrow weren't so mad, he would probably want to play with it too because it did seem pretty cool. "You're lucky your father is still allowing us to hang out in here tonight, instead of telling us to separate and 'think about what we've done.' like he used to say when we were younger."

Harrow rolled his eyes and got up, then walked out to the balcony. Viren shouted behind him because, yeah, it was freezing outside, but Harrow ignored him. He looked out at the bridge connecting the cliffs. Already the torches leading from the village closest to the castle were lit, and already people were beginning to climb the mountain in their carrages and on their horses. Harrow groaned and sat on the edge of the balcony, the same spot Viren had fallen from but been stopped by magic.

Magic...

"Hey, Viren, what was that spell the high mage did?" He asked, trying to sound curious.

Viren finally sighed and came outside to answer. "It's a simple levitation spell. You need the feather of a Xadian macaw to do it and you have to know the words, but that's it."

"Isn't Pip a Xadian macaw?"

Viren slowly nodded, clearly beoming suspicious. "... Yes..."

"You know how to do it?" Harrow asked. It was becoming difficult to hide the smile forming because Viren would never agree to do this unless he was already doing it in the first place, but this was his one way ticket to going to the ball.

"As I said, it's relatively simple." Viren shrugged.

Harrow smiled and walked over to where Pip landed, on the perch next to his cage. He smiled and took one of the fallen feathers Pip sometimes dropped, then handed it to Viren, who just stared. "Let's try it."

"What? No!" Viren's attitude changed immediately to a snarl and he shook his head. "No way! Lord Arion grounded me from doing magic!"

"Then what's with the ball?" He took the heavy, stone ball and bounced it, looking at viren pointedly.

"That's... different. Not the same magic."

Harrow sighed, then caught the ball. After a minute, he smirked and accidentally bounced it off the roof and onto the stone walkway below. "Whoops."

"HARROW!" viren shouted. "That was, like, my only thing I could do!"

"Just do the thing with the feather to put me down there and I'll toss the ball back up to you, deal?" Harrow offered his hand to shake with a smirk.

Viren huffed, then looked away, then at the balcony, then at Harrow's outstretched hand. He did this every time he was making a decision. Which meant, Harrow may be in luck. finally, Viren's shoulder's dropped and he sighed. "Okay, but I was not involved in whatever you're planning to do. You climbed off yourself using your own bedsheets and I couldn't stop you." He shook Harrow's hand, meeting the younger man's eyes.

"You got it. now do the thing." Harrow said, climbing onto the edge of the balcony.

Viren sighed, then snapped and lit a fire on his fingers. He set the feather on fire and closed his fist around it, then began chanting quietly. "hsa srehtaef a sa eltneg. won llaf... Jump, Harrow."

And, though Harrow was nervous, Harrow trusted Viren and fell backwards. He felt the wind rush onto his back and blow his dreaded hair as he fell but he was caught only moments after being in the air. It felt like he had hit a tree or something, like an invisible, hard stone slab caught him, and it lowered him to the ground. He touched the ground with his feet first once he was close enough, then stood and smiled up at Viren.

"The ball?" Viren called, holding out a hand. Harrow rolled his eyes, then searched for the ball and bounced it up to the other. Viren looked like he struggled to catch it but did catch it. "I was never involved." Viren reminded before disappearing from Harrow's sight.

Harrow smirked and ran off, not even caring if he was in his normal clothes. He looked good enough.

'this is one of your worst idea.' Amaya signed, gesturing to the blue, kind-of-poofy-but-not-really dress she wore underneath the guard armor she stole from dad.

Sarai smiled and asked 'Worse than pranking Sir Stevenson?'

'Sarai, he was already getting receiving orders from the general.' Amaya pointed out, giving her a look.

'Then why was he still there?' Sarai narrowed her eyes and smiled playfully, challenging Amaya to the same argument they had each time this was brought up.

Amaya didn't take the bait, though, and just stood from where they watched outside the gates where guards were checking for invitations 'My point is, I don't know if this plan will work.'

'of course this plan will work!' Sarai said, sure that it will. She adjusted the helmet of their mother's armor, it was a little too but but it was that or dad's and, well, even Amaya was struggling to keep the overly large armor on, even with their dressed underneath. 'I'll go first, you follow.' She reminded before standing up and turning the corner.

"Hunt!" She shouted to the two guards at the gate, startling them. She had heard the other one say the name so it could make her look friendlier if she sad it too. She jogged up, despite the difficulty because the leggings of the armor over the skirt of the slim dress she chose was constricting.

"My... name isn't Hunt..." One said, looking at an invitation before nodding and letting the carriage pass. "But it is Hunter."

"Whatever. They, they need both of you to help out with, um..." Fuck, she just thought of it. It was at the tip of her tongue... "What was it..." She snapped when she came up with it again. "Right, checking the carriages. Making sure no one brought any weapons. We were sent to take over for you until you got back."

"Really?" The other one asked suspiciously, then looked at Amaya, who smiled and nodded, holding her hands behind her back. "Where's the paper asking for us? With the captain's signature." He asked, holding out a hand.

But Sarai, at least, had planned for this part and she scowled, putting on an annoyed act. "Are you really asking for a paper so your sorry asses can obey an order? Do you know how expensive paper is getting these days?" She crossed her arms. "The captain isn't going to waste a slip just because you two are needed. Now go!" She walked forward and pushed them out of position, towards the way in which she and Amaya just came from.

It seemed her tone had sparked something because both grumbled but left, muttering "Weird recruits..."

"See? Easy." She smiled at Amaya, who rolled her eyes and walked ahead of Sarai.

'Let's just go before they realize the trick.'

Both girls ran into the hall that would lead to the ballroom and courtyard, Amaya leading the way.

Harrow snuck into the ball room, spotting his dad and Lord Arion immediately and decided, also immediately, to avoid them both. If he was caught, he would be in so much trouble. But while one side of his brain figured Hey, I should go back to my room and stay out of trouble the other screamed was YOU AINT IN TROUBLE N'LESS YOU GET CAUGHT and it was obvious which side he listened to the most.

So Harrow stayed on the other side of the ballroom. The music was lovely, dad had selected a new band this year who had an amazing violin player, the drinks amazing, and the ladies were beautiful in their dresses and skirts. Pinks, blues, greens. He only saw a few red dresses scattered through the crowd, though not really any other colors. No one was ever original. All the noblewomen acted polite and often way too modest for Harrow's liking, but it was fun to joke with them and watch them squirm when he mentioned a controversial topic, instead of just complementing them or talking about the weather.

He had been in an interesting conversation with a bright young women who was a little more than drunk though. Maybe fifteen? Apparently she had one too many drinks but she was definitely brighter than the other ladies, even of she was stumbling with each step and slurring every other word.

Because of his fascination with this bright young lady, he didn't keep an eye on his father so imagine his panic when he realized neither the high mage, nor the king were in the same spot as before. He stared wide eyes, then began searching around desperately for either.

"Ssssmethin wrng?" The girl asked, lifting her head because he had been in the middle of dipping her.

"I... gotta go." He said, bringing her to her feet and running.

'Amaya, no.' Sarai laughed, barely being able to sign correctly. Amaya was far too focused more on the man in front of her anyway. Sarai had tried to cool her sister's anger, but Amaya was dead set on showing this guy up. Well, it did serve him right, for saying women should just be respectable and quiet. Specifically in response to Sarai getting in a debate with another man about the best way to kill an elf. Not that either had actually done it. But Sarai won the conversation. Definitely.

Amaya signed to Sarai, expecting the sister to translate. As always "Don't doubt what a lady can do." Sarai said aloud, adding as much of a snarl in her voice as Amaya had currently. It was actually kinda hard considering the circumstances because while she agreed wholeheartedly with her sister, Amaya starting a fight at a royal ball they weren't even supposed to be at was just so Amaya.

"Can she not speak for herself?" One man demanded, but Amaya signed and Sarai just shrugged,

"Her sword can speak for her."

After that, one man challenged Amaya and then a fight started. And for a girl who had never even worn a dress since she was like seven, Amaya did surprisingly well fighting in one. Someone gave them each a sword, actual swords, and she and the first guy went to down. Amaya didn't make the first move, her opponent did, but she met it and dispelled it, then moved out of the way and took a shot at him, which he barely blocked. Then he stepped back and she shot forward, going in for another attack with the ferocity of a Sunfire elf and the speed of a Moonshadow elf.

The fight ended abruptly though when a line was cut from one side of the ballroom to their position and the king and the high mage themselves were approaching. "Enough." The king said in a commanding tone. Amaya, of course, didn't hear him but when she saw her opponent stand down immediately and look behind her with a surprised expression n his face, she turned quickly and she, too, set down her sword.

When Harrow caught sight of his father, he gave a sigh of relief and tired to mosy on past but curse his curiosity, he glanced past his dad to see what te commotion was about but what he saw instead was a beautiful girl with dark, medium length hair and beautiful brown eyes. She was smiling, though she was clearly trying to hide it and it was amazing. She wore an amazing black dress, fitting her form tightly.

Harrow kept walking as he passed the opening. Then her eyes met his and locked and he almost froze. Until he fell over nothing. literally. he had reached the stairs leading down and out of the ballroom. He tumbled over the steps with a shout, rolling until he stopped halfway down.

Sarai stared at the stairs where this absolute idiot fell, surprised. She looked at the king, who had come closer and was speaking to Amaya and the 'gentleman' she had fought with, then with a smirk waved goodbye to her sister and slipped out between the onlookers. She rushed to the stairs and upon locating him came down and asked "Are you okay?" She offered him her hand, and the look he gave her was pure awe and she loved it.

"If say no, will you stay?" He asked slowly, breaking his stunned silence. Sarai couldn't help but giggle a little in response, because he was kinda cute. Something about him, maybe the light stubble on his chin? He grabbed her hand and she smiled.

"C'mon, get up." She said, then pulled him up.

"THAT'S HER!" Someone shouted on the steps below. Sarai followed the sound with wide eyes, freezing when she saw the hunter guy from earlier. "SHE TRICKED US!"

FUCK. "Welp, gotta go!" She said to him, but he didn't let her go, even when she tugged.

"Oh no, this is not a Cinderella story." He said, then got up as guards began climbing the stairs quickly. "Follow me."

Then he dragged her back up the stairs and through the ballroom. from there she lost track but they went through like three corridors before they finally lost the guards.

Harrow was going to be in so much trouble!

He didn't know why he was leading this random girl through the castle and helping her escape when the guards wanted her but he was doing it. And it was working.

After the final clinks of metal armor faded into the distance, Harrow smiled and led her into the courtyard, then to the main gate and let her go. "There you go. You should probably leave before they come back."

"What about you?" She looked confused.

"Can't," Harrow shrugged.

She gave him this look, like she was annoyed but also like over it emotionally an it made Harrow's heart melt. "And why not? Whatever, come on." Now she was the one who took his hand and led him out of the gates and Harrow probably should'v stayed but hey, when a pretty girl takes your hand and says 'Come on' you'd better listen. It's like following a rainbow to reach a pot of gold.

The next morning, Harrow returned to the castle reluctantly when he finally told the mystery girl, named Sarai, who he was ad she told him she would never speak to him again if . He found Viren standing at the gate looking less than amused. "The delinquent prince returns." Viren mumbled, looking way too tired of this crap. He probably was.

"Morning Viren." Harrow greeted brightly, but Viren just rolled his eyes.

"You are in so much trouble. Was it worth it?" He asked

"I don't regret a thing."

"And that's why everyone's invited to the winter's ball each year." King harrow told young Callum and even younger Ezran with a hum. Sarai watched with a smile from the other side of the room, reading her book.

"You left out the part of what happened when we got to my place." She told him, laughing when Callum shouted "MOM!"

"Calm down," Harrow chuckled "She showed me her book collection and I ended up passing out on her bed."

"So when do I come into the picture?" Callum asked, but Sarai cleared her throat and stood up.

"That's a long story, and one for another time."

#tdp harrow #tdp sarai #harrai #harrow x sarai #mod madi writes #the dragon prince

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