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iwillhaveamoonbase · 4 years

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The Long Game ch. 3

“You called, Dad?” Claudia announced her presence. Viren turned to her, sighing as he faced away from the mirror he had gotten back in Xadia. He still hadn’t figured out it’s secrets, but he had seen a cloaked figure appear every once in a while.

“Yes, Claudia. We need to talk about relationships.”

“Oh.” Claudia blushed, putting a few strands of her dark hair behind her ear. “Did you hear about the girl at the bakery? I know it’s unorthodox, but-”

“You don’t have time to be worrying about bakery girls, Claudia.” Viren sat in his chair, gesturing for Claudia to sit beside him. “Ever since Rayla got here, Prince Callum’s attention has drifted from you to her.”

“I know.”

“That’s not acceptable.”

Claudia looked down at her hands. “He’s my friend and I didn’t want to embarrass him, but I never liked him, Dad. I like girls.”

“I know. But we’re a different cut above people who work in bakeries.”

“That’s not what Harrow says.”

“Claudia, please. In order for our families to be closer together, in order for us to keep living a life you’re accustomed to, I need you to make an effort to get Prince Callum’s attention again.”

“Dad…I don’t want to. If he wants to be with Rayla-”

“Soren wants to be with Rayla. You’ve seen how he makes a fool of himself around this castle when she’s in the room. Don’t you want your brother to be happy? It frees Rayla up if Callum’s taken.”

“How would I even do it?” Claudia put her arms around herself. Viren got up, wrapping an arm around his daughter.

“Callum wants to learn magic. Though both he and Harrow are deeply opposed to dark magic, start teaching him how to use the primal stone. Private lessons. Do whatever you can.”

“I don’t know….”

“Claudia, look at me.” She finally did, confusion in her green eyes. Viren shook his head. He hated that he was asking his own daughter to sacrifice her happiness, but he had plans. Harrow was growing more and more distant from him. Killing Thunder and taking the egg hadn’t done their friendship any favors. If anything, it had deteriorated it. They argued constantly and Harrow had threatened to send him out of the castle. Viren couldn’t let that happen. Harrow was becoming too against dark magic and was starting to doubt everything they had built towards. What if Xadia attacked and Katolis was defenseless? Or worse, Harrow tried to make peace and Xadia used it as an excuse to invade the entirety of the Pentarchy? Viren couldn’t let that happen. “Please. It’s important that you do this.”

“OK, Dad. I’ll try my best.”

“Good girl.”

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Rayla watched from the window as the royalty from the other kingdoms came to the castle. They were coming to celebrate Ezran’s eleventh birthday. “They’re here,” she whispered to Callum and Ezran. They both looked over at her, interest on their faces. “Have you really never met any of them?”

“I met the former Queens of Duren when I was four,” Callum started, “but, besides, that, no. This party for Ez is pretty unorthodox.”

“Why? Seems counter-intuitive. You get a stronger alliance when you all know each other, right?” Rayla glared at herself in the mirror. Was that too obvious? Callum and Ezran were really trusting individuals, but she really could be slipping as she grew comfortable here.

“There’s a concern about influencing the other kingdoms. There’s a desire to be friendly, but to also be separate and to respect differences. Duren and Katolis have usually had a reasonably close relationship compared to the others. But when you have a country like Evenere, which is far out compared to everyone else, it can lead to concern about plotting and alliances.”

“Fair, I suppose.”

“We’re going to get ready for the party. You coming?” Rayla nodded, keeping her eyes on the window for a moment longer. This was the other reason she was here; information. As she followed the princes to their rooms, she noticed just how rushed everyone was. They were moving about and it felt like the whole castle was being remodeled. “Good thing I moved out months ago,” Callum said to Ezran.

Rayla raised a brow. “‘Moved out?’”

“Oh. You didn’t know?” Rayla shot him a look of confusion. “Ezran and I used to share a room. The day I turned 15, which was right before you got here, I finally got my own room. It’s next to Ezran’s, but I needed space.”

“Why did you two share a room for so long?”

Callum shrugged. “Maybe because of our mom’s death. I know I had nightmares and didn’t like being alone and when Ezran needed a room because he outgrew the crib, I offered mine. I only moved because the king suggested it.”

Ezran sighed. “Call him ‘Dad,’ Callum. He liked it when you did that one time.”

“It felt weird,” Callum whispered.

“Because you made it weird. You apologized right after and everyone could tell that you were thinking about it for a long time. He liked it. For all the Big Feelings Times we have, the two of you are so hesitant to be open about this.”

Rayla was quiet as they argued about whether or not Callum should call Harrow ‘dad’. What was she going to do while the royal families were here? If she mingled too much, it would be obvious that she was trying to get information. Viren was already suspicious of her. But if she stuck with Callum and Ezran she would be missing out on an important opportunity. When they approached their rooms, they saw Soren and Claudia arguing in the hall. “Can we help you?” Rayla called.

The two turned, smiling at the trio. Soren cleared his throat. “Rayla, I was wondering if you would like me to accompany you tonight? Usually, for these things, people take dates and-”

“Callum already asked and I said ‘yes.’” Rayla’s eyes widened a bit. It was the perfect chance. If Callum was her date, then she could meet the royals and have an excuse to not be too conspicuous. But, that hadn’t been why she had said that. She didn’t want to go with Soren. She looked over at a sputtering Callum. “Right?”

“Yeah,” he muttered. “I asked a little bit ago. Sorry, Soren.”

“Oh,” Claudia interrupted. Rayla’s eyes narrowed. “That’s a shame, I was hoping you and I could go together, Callum.”

“Really?” Callum raised a brow. Rayla looked at her door. She didn’t want to hear this. “Why?”

“Well, you and I have known each other for a long time, so…maybe the two of us could start thinking about dating.”

“But…Claudia I saw you in the bakery last week. You and the helper were very clearly flirting and making-out.” Claudia flinched. “I don’t know what’s going on here, but I’m sorry, I’m not interested in you like that anymore.”

Claudia’s jaw dropped for a moment, biting her lip when the shock probably wore off. “OK. That’s fair. Ezran, will you be my date?”

Ezran looked down at Bait. “Can Bait come?”

“Of course,” Claudia smiled.

“Sure!” Claudia, Soren and Ezran moved on, heading to their rooms to get ready. Callum hung back, still looking at her.

“Rayla?”

“Hmm?”

“I never asked you.”

“I know.” She said it so matter of factly it probably shocked him if his continued stare was any indication. “I didn’t want to go with Soren. I’m sorry I put you on the spot like that, but I didn’t see any other choice.”

“Is that the only reason?”

‘No’ almost escaped her lips. He needed to stop looking at her like that, like she was something to be admired and adored. “I trust you. Is that not enough?” Callum held her gaze for a moment longer, finally nodding. They stood in the hall a bit longer, static crackling in the air between them. “Besides, you need a good guard. Who better than me?”

Callum chuckled. “True. You can take anyone in the crown guard.”

“Yes, I can. And don’t you forget it.” Rayla turned away, entering her room. She leaned against the door for a few moments, pressing her clenched fist to her heart. Her heart was beating too fast. It always did that when he looked at her too long. ‘Does he see? Can he see through the illusion?’ She couldn’t tell. Ever since that first night on the balcony when he said something about her appearance was off, he sometimes looked at her like he could see through to her true form. He never said anything, so Rayla had no way of knowing if she was being paranoid or if he was quietly observing.

That wasn’t it, though. They talked on their balconies almost every night. Their winter at the Banther Lodge had been cozy and intimate and she had gotten to know him, Ezran and Harrow more. She liked what she saw. Liked it too much. Also….Ezran. Oh, gods, Ezran. Was she really here to kill Ezran? The more time she spent with him, the more she realized he was just a child and how wrong all of this was. The Dragon Prince hadn’t deserved to die, but, would justice be achieved by killing another innocent?

‘Stop it, Rayla! You’ve been having too many Big Feelings Times with them. You are here for a job. It’s not your responsibility to judge what is justice and what isn’t.’ It wasn’t her job at all. Rayla pushed away from the door and made her way to the bed. There was a blue gown on the bed. The gold embroidery on the skirt was obviously meant to be reminiscent of the uneven towers of Katolis. She ran a hand down the expensive silk. ‘Too much…’ Rayla pulled her clothes off and dressed in the gown. When she looked in the mirror to make sure it sat correctly, she was startled by her reflection. Human…she looked human. Would she ever get used to seeing blue eyes, rounded ears and blonde hair staring back at her?

Rayla stepped forward for a moment, hand touching the reflection and the other touching the necklace. What she wouldn’t give to pull it off and see herself looking back at her. Lujanne’s warning screamed loud in the back of her mind. ‘If you take that necklace off, the illusion will break. If you put it back on, you will not look exactly the same. There is no way of knowing if that difference could be explained away or not. You can never take it off as long as you are on this side of the border.’

Rayla quickly put the necklace under her dress. She didn’t need people asking questions. She did her hair in a loose bun, several chunks framing her face, and her small braid used to wind it all together. She had never thought about her looks before coming here. It was a distraction. There were most important things to do than having perfect hair. There were a few tubes and jars of, what she assumed, was make-up. “No way.” Rayla was not going to paint her face with human cosmetics if she wasn’t allowed to wear the dye of her people.

She put on the low heels Opeli had most likely picked out for her. The dress covered the heels. What was the point of wearing them if no one would even see them? She shook her head; just thankful she hadn’t been given anything with a corset or laces. She had seen that fashion here in Katolis and it didn’t interest her at all.

She looked in the mirror one more time and walked out the door to the hall. Callum was waiting for her. Her eyes widened as she took him. He was in a red jacket and a fancier version of his black pants. There was clear padding on his shoulders as well as the same embroidery of the uneven towers. His eyes scanned her form, slowly taking in every detail. She both wanted to hide and stand firm in his attention. “You clean up pretty good,” she finally said.

“You look beautiful.” That wasn’t fair…he couldn’t say things like that. Not when she was fighting her heart against him. Her heart was so desperate for her to run into his arms, tell him the truth, and maybe, just maybe, it would all work out. That wasn’t how things worked, though, was it?

“Thank you. I’m just hoping I don’t trip on this dress.” She lifted the skirt a bit to show the shoes. “I’m not used to heels, either.”

“You’re a pretty good dancer, though.” Rayla smiled. Callum had been tasked with teaching her how to dance since he wasn’t terrible at it. Rayla had taken to it quickly. It may not have been the same steps she knew, but Silvergrove was full of dancing. It was in their keys, their celebrations, their harvest, everything.

“You need to stop complimenting. You’re going to make me think you mean it.”

“I do. You’re amazing, Rayla.” Callum cleared his throat. “Shall we go?” He held his arm out, giving her the crook of his elbow. “I can’t wait to for you to show me off.”

“I’m showing you off?” Rayla chuckled.

“Of course. I’m the step-prince of Katolis. I need to be shown for the whole world to see. Oh…is the whole world going to see?”

Rayla looped her arm through his. “No. Just the important people.”

“Same thing.” Rayla laughed as he stuck his tongue out at her. They waited for Ezran and walked with him to get Claudia and Soren. The group of five exchanged pleasantries, Soren stumbling on his words as he complimented Rayla.

“The dress really suits you, Rayla.” Soren bowed a bit. “You sure you don’t want me to escort you?”

“I’m sure.” They walked behind Ezran and Claudia, who looked back at them every once in a while. Rayla didn’t know what game Claudia was playing, but she didn’t like it. It wasn’t acceptable to play with Callum’s heart like she was. “You got a problem with this?”

“No,” Claudia said too quickly. “Just wasn’t expecting it.”

“After seeing you give lingering looks to half the girls in the castle, I wasn’t expecting what you asked either.”

Claudia was quiet. Rayla wasn’t sure if she was simply refusing to answer or if she had offended her. Either way, Rayla couldn’t find it in her heart to care. They arrived at the hall, waiting for Ezran and Claudia to be announced. “This is so much,” she whispered.

“I know,” came Callum’s soft reply. “You can stay by my side all night if you want.”

“Thank you.” They walked forward when Opeli gestured.

“Introducing Prince Callum and King Harrow’s ward, Ms. Rayla.” Rayla took in the room. She saw a lot of figures she had seen from the window. She could hear whispers flitting to her ears.

‘She’s stunning. Look at that face!’

‘I heard a rumor she was gifted with weapons, but she looks so slim.’

‘They look uneven, don’t they? A rare jewel like that next to the step-prince?’ Rayla’s eyes flitted around the room, trying to find that particular voice. She saw a young man with a crown on his head dressed in golds and creams.

“Who is that?” she gestured with her chin when she got Callum’s attention.

He looked over and was quiet as he thought. “I think Prince Kasef of Neolandia.”

“So no avoiding him?”

“No. Why?”

Rayla looked back at Kasef. He was staring at her with heat in his eyes. She had heard rumors that Kasef acted like a child when he didn’t get a toy he wanted. “I don’t trust the way he’s looking at me.”

“How’s he looking at you?”

“Like he wants to eat me. I couldn’t be less interested.”

“Really? A lot of girls think he’s attractive from what I’ve heard.”

“I’m not into selfish children disguised as men. I’d rather kiss Soren, and I’m not into himbos, either.”

“‘Himbos?’” Rayla winced. Right, that was a Xadian term. Hopefully she could play this off.

“Not very bright, but muscular and kind. Well, he’s kind with Ezran. I don’t like how he treats you.”

“He’s not so bad,” Callum looked down at his feet. “He can be a pretty good friend when he wants to be.”

“He calls you the ‘step-prince’. I’ll believe you when he apologizes for that.” Callum didn’t push it. They finally made their way to stand by Harrow and Viren, standing off to the side. Rayla tuned out Harrow’s speech about friendship and forging connections to be a united Pentarachy. She’d heard Harrow practice it a million times. Watching everyone’s reactions to it was far more telling. There seemed to be a good-natured attitude in the air. Kasef, though, rolled his eyes every so often. Rayla looked at a young girl with blonde hair in a crown. She stared at Harrow with an intense gaze, but moved her eyes down the line. When she made it to Rayla, they held eye contact for a few moments. In those moments, Rayla saw a world of strength and pain. Someone who wasn’t willing to back down and didn’t trust because they were betrayed every time. “Queen Aanya,” she breathed.

Callum looked where she was, nodding slightly in ascent. “Yeah.”

Aanya held the gaze. What did she see? Finally, Aanya broke away first, but Rayla felt like she had given Aanya far more than she had learned herself. “She’s Ezran’s age.”

“She is.”

Harrow’s booming voice broke through Rayla’s concern. “Please, enjoy the night. And, again, thank you for coming to celebrate Ezran’s birthday.” Rayla stood to Callum’s side as the royals came up and introduced themselves. She curtseyed and kept her head down as much as good as she listened to everything around her.

When Kasef got to her, he picked up her hand and placed a kiss on it, a smirk that he probably thought was charming on his face. “May I have the first dance?”

“Already promised it to Callum.”

“Second?”

“Ezran.”

“Third?” Kasef’s voice was straining, squeezing her hand.

“Harrow.” It bothered Rayla how quickly lies left her lips lately, but she felt no guilt for this.

“Fourth?”

“Callum again.”

Callum coughed a bit. “Look, she clearly isn’t interested-”

“Was I talking to you, step-prince?” Kasef hissed. Callum looked down at his feet. “Thought so.”

Rayla glared at Kasef, snatching her hand away. “He’s right, I’m not interested. Pick someone else to annoy.”

“Rayla, right?”

“You’re bothering me and you’re asking to make sure you got my name right?”

“I just want to be sure I know the name of the woman I plan on pleasuring tonight.”

“Then you’re talking to the wrong girl. Not happening tonight, tomorrow, or ever.”

King Ahling sighed. “Kasef, leave the girl alone.”

Kasef cocked his jaw, but moved on. Rayla didn’t stare after him, looking straight ahead lest he turn back and think she was encouraging his behavior. Aanya was next. They stared at each other for a few moments. How did this tiny human queen make her feel so small? Aanya nodded. “I’m Aanya, Queen of Duren.”

“Rayla, a simple farm girl.”

“Not what I hear. How does a farm girl get so good with a sword she beats a member of the crown guard or so good with a spear she trains a prince?”

“We watch the military and play a lot. I’ve got good reflexes, I guess.”

“I see.” Aanya stared at her for a few more moments. “Has anyone ever told you that there’s something not quite right? It’s like something is pulling at the edge of my mind when I look at you.”

Rayla nodded. “Callum said that.”

Soren piped up from behind them. “It’s because she’s so pretty. You know how beautiful women make you stop in place. Same thing.”

Aanya was quiet, staring long and hard at Rayla. Finally, she turned away. “I see.” She turned back and nodded her head. “It was a pleasure to meet you.”

Rayla grabbed her hand, shocking them both. Aanya raised a brow but did nothing else. “What do you see?”

“I see someone who was deeply hurt by someone they love but hides it because it’s easier than thinking about it. I see confusion and anger and hurt. I also see a heart that’s too good for the world we live in, one always concerned with war breaking out. Perhaps, if you let go of that hurt and forgave, you could be happier.” Aanya walked away before Rayla could say anything.

“How did she do that?”

“She’s good at reading people,” Callum whispered.

“That’s an understatement.”

“You have to be if you live the way she does. Sycophants, assassination attempts, regents pretending to love her like their own child, whispering in her ears. It caused a stir when she took the throne last year. Everyone said she was too young, but she couldn’t trust the regents anymore. She’s either going to be one of the greatest rulers the Pentarchy has ever seen or she’ll be so clouded by distrust she’ll be a tyrant.”

“What do you think?”

Callum mulled it over. “She’ll be a good queen, I think. Maybe she won’t always make the popular choice, but she’s well-known for loving her people. She views them as her family because she lost her parents when she was a baby.”

The night dragged on. Rayla meant dignitaries and nobility who stared at her like she was a piece of cattle on display. Her face hurt from smiling and her feet hurt from the heels. The biggest reprieve had been dancing with Callum. A simple waltz had left her imagining they were the only two in the room. He had that effect on her, like the rest of the world just melted away and there was no one left but them. She had clenched her fists in Ezran’s clothes when he danced with Claudia while she and Ez danced.

“Rayla?” Ezran whispered. She looked down. “Callum doesn’t like her anymore. I don’t know what Claudia’s doing it, but anyone with eyes can tell her heart isn’t in it.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Rayla whispered.

“Then why are you so upset?” Rayla didn’t say anything. She danced with Harrow in silence, smiling at his jokes, but unable to get rid of the cloud hanging over her head now.

When she came back to the dais, Kasef was waiting for her. “May I have a dance?” he asked. Rayla couldn’t put her finger on it, but she had a feeling he expected her to say ‘yes.’

“Don’t you give up?” Rayla shook her head. “Will you leave me alone if I do?”

Kasef smiled down at her. “I can promise you you’ll never want me to.”

Rayla snorted. “Sure, but promise you’ll leave me alone.”

“If you truly wish it, if you let me have this dance, I will leave you alone for the rest of the night.”

“I’ll hold you to it.” Kasef took her hand and pulled her way too close when they got to the dance floor. Rayla pushed herself a more than appropriate amount away. “You’re pushy.”

“How old are you?” Kasef asked.

“16.”

“Marriageable age in Neolandia.”

“Cool,” Rayla huffed under her breath.

“You’re quite stunning. Why would you choose to be the step-prince’s date?”

“He’s nice and I like him.”

Kasef pulled her closer again. “I have experience with women.”

“How nice for you.” Rayla was going to slap him if he didn’t stop.

“A beautiful woman like you should be draped in silks and dripping in diamonds.”

“Not interested.”

“Come on. I’m offering you a chance no other farm girl would ever get.” Kasef spun her, and brought her back far too close. “If you keep my bed warm every night, I’ll give you all the pretty things you never dreamed of.” His hand snuck down her back and he groped her ass.

Rayla couldn’t hold back. She slapped him so hard his head swung to the side. “DO. NOT. TOUCH. ME.” Rayla held firm as he turned his head to look back at her. “Learn to take a ‘no’ every once in a while, and stop acting like a child. Actually, that’s not fair. Children know that ‘no’ means ‘no’. You’re spoiled and you need to grow-up.” Rayla walked away before he could say anything back. The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

“Well,” Aanya’s voice carried throughout the room, “I don’t know about all of you, but I think this party should move on. I’m tired of dancing. King Harrow, I heard that Katolis has a beautiful garden.”

Harrow nodded. “It does indeed. Let me show you all.” Rayla stayed back as everyone went to the gardens.

“You OK?” She was startled back into reality as Callum took her hand.

“I’m fine. Just grossed out.”

“Not even the jerkface dance could make that better.”

“No, it couldn’t.”

“What do you need?”

“Can we just go to bed? Or would that be rude?”

“Given the circumstances, I think it would be OK.”

“Did I really just slap the crown prince of Neolandia?”

“You did and it was awesome.” Callum chuckled with her, gently putting a hand on her upper back. “Let’s get you to bed.”

“Thank you.”

“Anytime.” He looked up into her eyes and she almost fell into them. His lips her so close and they were alone. He moved away before she could let her heart make the decision for her.

‘It’s for the best, Rayla. Your heart is a fool.’

#rayllum #rayllum fanfic #tdp #the dragon prince #the long game #au #moonbase fanfics

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hotbrownmourningpotion · 4 years

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The Dragon Prince and History

There’s not a lot of historical references in The Dragon Prince, but I am stuck at home and bored so I may as well put my history degree to good use. I studied European history, and my specialty is the Wars of the Roses, so mostly this is from around that era. Some of these are stretches, really big ones; but if nothing else I hope that this encourages you to read more about these fascinating men and women throughout history. And if anyone has other ideas about historical references in this show please let me know, I would love to open a discussion and hear your thoughts.

Harrow - Edward the Fourth

Edward the fourth was King of England from 1461 to 1470 and then again from 1471 to 1483, until his death. Edward’s father was leader of the York faction of the War of The Roses, who tried to depose Henry the Sixth. But his father was killed in battle and Edward took the throne. Now is when the parallels start to come in. Edward enjoyed military success against the Lancasters during the War of the Roses, a feat we see in Harrow as he did take down a dragon and a magma titan. Like Harrow, Edward’s wife had been married before. However when Edward decided to marry the young widow instead of the woman he’d been betrothed to, his allies turned against him. They deposed Edward and Henry the Sixth was briefly returned to the throne until Edward returned with an army and took back his throne. The remainder of his reign was said to be peaceful, but when Edward died a new conflict arose. Edward’s son was twelve years old when he was set to take the throne but the child king was never crowned because of Edward’s brother, Richard the Third.

Harrow could also be based on King Henry the Fifth for his military prowess and untimely death.

Viren - Richard the Third

Richard the Third was king of England from 1483 to 1485. After the death of his older brother, his twelve year old nephew was set to take the throne. Richard, however, deposed his nephew on the grounds of illegitimacy, as Edward had been betrothed to another young woman before he married the widowed Elizabeth. Richard locked his two young nephews in the Tower of London and neither were ever seen again. It is said that Richard killed them but the bodies were never found. While on the throne, Richard personally drowned his older brother and married the widow of Henry the Sixth’s only son (who he killed.) Like Richard, we see Lord Viren as manipulative and conniving, he is smart and knows how to take advantage of a situation so that things go in his favor. Similar to Richard, Viren locks up the heir to the throne in order to take his crown. Of course he didn’t murder anyone to get to his position (that we know of) except for the creatures he’s used for dark magic, but he is a power-hungry narcissist who did conspire to have his son kill both heirs to the throne. Richard is often regarded as one of the most evil Kings in English history, he was defeated by Henry the Seventh, who then married Edward the fourth’s daughter, Elizabeth of York, and the two of them joined the York and Lancaster houses to end the war of the roses and began the reign of the Tudors.

Callum - Henry Tudor

Okay so this is actually for Callum and kinda Rayla. Don’t worry, I have some for Rayla separately but there are a few parallels in their relationship that I can’t ignore. Symbolically, Rayla and Callum remind me of King Henry the Seventh and Elizabeth of York. The War of the Roses had been going on for generations between the Lancasters and the Yorks, and these two joined the houses of Lancaster and York together with their marriage and ended the War of the Roses. After the defeat of Richard the Third, Henry became the first Tudor King and Elizabeth became his consort. But being consort, she didn’t have the same power as her husband, which is where our second couple comes in.

King William the Third and Queen Mary the Second.

I’m gonna leave the War of the Roses behind now and talk about the couple who co-ruled England. Mary was the older daughter of King James the Second and she insisted that her husband rule alongside her, not as her consort but as her equal. I mention this only because even though I don’t think Callum will ever become King, I think that if he hypothetically ever did he would want Rayla to rule alongside him. Just hopefully no one dies of smallpox this time.

Rayla - Æthelflæd

Before anyone asks no, I am not sure how to pronounce that, so for simplicity sake we’re gonna call her Ethel. A lot of different historical figures come to mind as potential influences for Rayla, Joan of Arc being a pretty obvious one but I feel everyone knows her story so I am going to tell you about an Anglo-Saxon queen who killed a bunch of Vikings. Ethel was born to Alfred the Great, who was known for being great, around the year 870. Usually women were not allowed political roles but Ethel said fuck that and learned how to fight, which was a good thing because her land was being invaded by the Vikings. She fought against the Viking invasion and won because she was strong and intelligent, avenged a bunch of deaths, and was just an all around awesome badass queen. Her crown was passed down to her daughter, who was later overthrown by some particularly awful male relatives. I feel Rayla embodies the spirit of a woman who could outsmart and kill a bunch of Vikings, as we’ve already seen just how smart and badass she is. However as I've said before, a lot of historical figures could also easily fit into Rayla’s character; some of the others include Grace O’Malley, Black Agnes, and some pretty fierce Scottish queens.

Claudia - Lady Jane Grey

The nine days queen was named heir to the throne by her cousin, Edward the Sixth. Edward was the son of the famous Henry the Eighth and his third wife, Jane Seymour, and he feared that his older sister, Mary, would return the country to Catholicism if she took the throne so a plan was drawn up to skip both Mary and Elizabeth and place Jane on the throne. The fifteen year old Jane fainted upon hearing that she’d be queen. This plan was doomed however, as Mary was popular with the people and was already raising an army. After nine days on the throne, Jane was arrested by her own father and Mary beheaded her cousin. Now you might be wondering what this has to do with Claudia. Well like Claudia, Jane had a father who cared more for what his children could give him than he did for their wellbeing. Claudia is also just a teenage girl who wants to make her father proud and doesn’t realize she’s his pawn. That’s not to say she’s naive, she’s smart but she’s scared and will do anything to ensure her family doesn’t fall apart again. In the end, like young Jane, she is fiercely loyal to her father and wants to do right by him. Do I think this means Viren will abandon his daughter the way Jane’s father abandoned her’s? I actually don’t know. I think Viren loves his daughter very much, but he is taking advantage of her love and her loyalty. I also don’t think that Claudia will ever be beheaded (it is a kids show after all) and I don't think she will be queen but there is another parallel as she was heir to a throne for a very short time when Viren crowned himself King.

Amaya - Marguerite de Bressieux

(and Christina of Sweden, pictured below)

Wanna hear about the awesome lady knight who killed rapists during the Hundred Years War? Of course you do, so allow me to introduce one of the coolest women of the 15th century. Marguerite was a Lady whose castle was captured by the Prince of Orange (not to be confused with the prince of banana) who assaulted her and other ladies of the castle. So she donned knight’s armour, rode into battle and killed her assailants, making sure to remove her helmet as they were dying so they’d know exactly who’d killed them. It was a proud moment but she unfortunately did not survive the battle. Amaya will never die in battle (we will rise up and kill the writers if that happens) but the rest of her story fits pretty well as it is about a woman overcoming hardships and wanting justice. Amaya is just as badass and awesome as a lady knight who leads armies and such. Of course, this isn’t the only historical parallel with Amaya’s character but it is the most badass. Another historical badass woman she could embody is Christina of Sweden, who lived how she wanted, dressing as a man, loving women, and smashing the patriarchy.

Ezran - Queen Elizabeth the First

Okay so obviously Ezran isn’t a girl but just stick with me for a second here. Elizabeth grew up in a time of great political turmoil and wasn’t seen much as a princess as she was seen as a pawn. She was locked in the Tower of London by her sister Mary, who was a devoted Catholic who earned her nickname “Bloody Mary” by burning an estimated 300 Protestants. When Elizabeth came to power she promoted religious tolerance, and today we remember her as one of the greatest monarchs in history. Ezran has the potential to be a great monarch, one that Katolis will remember. By working alongside Elves and Dragons in Xadia, he is promoting a message of equality that the human kingdoms have yet to see.

As for the rest, I’m not really sure. I mean, lots of really awesome assassins have existed that could be Runaan but none of them really feel right. And Janai, I’m not too sure who her historical counterpart could be, possibly Arawelo (another awesome queen who said fuck the patriarchy) but that might embody her sister more. Sarai could be Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, who was granted a divorce from her less than favourable first husband and became Queen consort of England but she could also embody aspects of Isabella of France and Cecily Neville. Soren I actually don’t have any ideas. I mean, he could be Richard the Lionheart but I’m not too sure. Ultimately I’m stumped on Soren and Janai.

So there it is, my personal analysis of The Dragon Prince characters and their potential historical counterparts. If anyone has any other theories please share them, I would love to hear other opinions.

I hope that everyone is having a good day. Stay safe out there friends.

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im-the-king-of-the-ocean · 4 years

Note

Potential AU: Either RWBY characters in the world of the Dragon Prince, or Carmen Sandiego characters in the world of Remnant (or you could do both au's but no pressure)

RWBY in The Dragon Prince

The Human Kingdom of Katolis was ruled over by Queen Summer Rose, who was known as a kind and just monarch, right up to her death. When her daughter and only heir, Ruby, was but a child, the Dark Mage, Salem, sent Tyrian Callows, a Faunus assassin to murder the queen.

Humanity has little knowledge of Salem, as she communicates with her minions through an enchanted mirror she’s trapped in. Instead, they blamed the Faunus, who live across the Breach dividing their world, in the magical land of Xadia, for their queen’s death (because Tyrian was Faunus, they must’ve sent him, is the widespread assumption).

Summer Rose’s Prince-Consort and Ruby’s father, Taiyang Xiao Long, takes on the burden of being Regent until Ruby comes of age. His older daughter from a previous relationship, Yang, becomes a Step-Princess, officially recognized as a member of the royal family, but not generally respected as such by the nobility.

The ensuing years are very tense. Many think war will be declared.

Taiyang refuses to invade Xadia. His argument is that he does not want his daughter to inherit a war she did not start when she comes of age.

Unbeknownst to Taiyang, the High General of Katolis, Ironwood, sends a pre-emptive strike into Xadia anyway. Ironwood believes he, and only he, knows what is right (and that they must stamp out the Xadian threat before it destroys them). The attack is successful in sacking the peaceful Xadian City of Vale, and the Archmage of the Sky, Ozpin, is allegedly killed.

Subsequently, the High Leader of the Faunus, Sienna Khan, decides the attack cannot go unanswered. She orders assassins to kill Katolis’s Regent, who she believes ordered the attack (as his general would not act without direct orders, is her assumption) and the Crown Princess.

The assassins in question are Adam Taurus and Blake Belladonna.

Blake hesitates instead of killing a guard, Weiss, who discovers them. Weiss successfully warns the castle.

Adam is enraged. He blames Blake for ruining everything and orders her to stay behind while he does what must be done.

To prove herself, Blake goes to the castle on her own, after Adam leaves, anyway. She comes across Yang, who unsuccessfully tries to convince her that she’s Princess Ruby (because Ruby herself shows up at exactly the wrong moment).

Blake chases Yang and Ruby until they reach Ironwood’s chambers, where, in a secret room, they find a boy named Oscar (who claims to be the murdered Archmage Ozpin’s reincarnation).

Oscar tells Yang, Ruby, and Blake that there’s more going on than they realize. Everything, all the chaos that’s divided them, is because of a Dark Mage pulling the strings from the shadows. They need to unite against her, not fight each other like this.

The three listen to Oscar. They free him and then go together to take control of the situation.

However, Adam successfully grievously injured Taiyang (he’s been placed into a magical coma to heal).

Ironwood declares martial law and takes command. Since he’s the one that took Oscar prisoner in the first place, he doesn’t believe him. Ironwood orders his men to lock up Oscar, the other Faunus assassin (Blake), and the princesses, who are clearly overcome by their grief and not thinking straight.

Suspicious that things aren’t as they seem, Weiss (the guard from earlier) sneaks in to see Ruby and Yang, who convince her that they need her help. Weiss frees them, Oscar, and then Blake (it takes some convincing on this last one).

The group escapes the castle together. They decide they have to find Ruby and Yang’s Uncle Qrow, who is the only one capable of talking sense into Ironwood and helping them make everyone realize Salem is the true enemy.

#rwby #ruby rose #weiss schnee #yang xiao long #blake belladonna #oscar pine #fusion au #team rwby #that wound up a lot more complex than i thought it was going to be #it just sort of kept going #yellowmagicalgirl

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theredhairedmonkey · 4 years

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So, I don't want to say anything rude, but why does Ez up and decide to burn a bunch of soldiers alive when he made such a big deal about making peace just a few episodes ago? Isn't that a little hypocritical?

No, I wouldn’t call that hypocritical at all, because (1) Ez’s devotion to peace remains unchanged throughout the story (yes, even in the Battle of the Storm Spire), and (2) I think what you said encapsulates a major lesson that Ezran learns during s3.

To the first point, Ezran returns to Katolis with a firm conviction to break the cycle and achieve peace with Xadia.

Ezran: “My father made choices to keep fighting battles that started hundreds of years before he was born. To punish enemies for crimes their parents committed. I don’t want to be that kind of king.”

He takes a very forceful and deliberate stance against the ordinary course of business for Katolis. He makes it clear that his journey to return Zym home had changed him. He values peace above war, and whether he’s on the throne or at the Storm Spire, he never falters from this attitude.

It’s true that he flies on the back of a dragon and leads an entire flock of them to incinerate Viren’s army. But what was that army doing there in the first place?

That’s right, attempting to capture and/or kill Zym and his mother. So, using violence in that circumstance seems justified as an act of self-defense, no?

A big (and in my opinion, absurd) assumption about peace-loving people is that they must oppose violence in every circumstance. That’s patently false.

Ez would do everything he can to prevent violence (even letting himself be arrested to avoid letting his soldiers die). But when there are no other options, he’ll stand his ground, much in the same way as how Rayla, Callum, Amaya, Corvus, and many others did as well.

The entire point of the Battle of the Storm Spire was that sometimes battles have to be fought in the name of peace…which leads to my second point—Ezran’s major lesson this season was learning how sometimes one must take up arms in order to lay them down for good.

Ezran was very averse to sending his army to fight Kasef and his forces, even if it could prevent a larger war in Xadia.

Ezran: “Each one of these pieces is 500 people. Five hundred men and women. Some are moms and dads, and have kids waiting for them at home. All of these are sons and daughters. Sisters, brothers, friends. They’re real people, Bait. And after the battle…how can I let this happen?”

Ez is a very empathic person, and thus wants to avoid bloodshed at all costs. Which is why he was eager to take up Saleer’s proposed solution, and switch places with Viren.

Yet all it did was let Viren get stronger, obtaining a kingdom and four armies at his back with which to invade Xadia.

But in 3x08, Ezran learns a valuable lesson from, of all people, Soren.

Soren: “My dad is a villain. And he’s only gonna get more powerful, and the more powerful he gets, the more people will listen to him, and believe him, and follow him. So, maybe we could run, and we’d be safe for a while, but he’s not gonna give up. It may seem hopeless, but our only chance is to fight him here. While we’re together. The only way to stop this is to look evil in the face and say, ‘No more.’”

So, in the end, Ezran still has the same resolve for peace that he did at the beginning. But now he’s going to fight for that peace. He’s not going to duck his head and get out of the way just to avoid violence, especially when violence happens anyway. He won’t give an inch, let alone a mile, to a bully like Viren just because it seems peaceful in the short term.

So no, what he does is not hypocritical. Ez realizes that, in the long run, if he wants peace, he’ll have to fight for it. He’ll have to take a stand to break the cycle.

This closely mirrors an ancient Roman saying that goes “si vis pacem, para bellum.”

Which roughly translates to “If you want peace,

prepare for war.”

#ezran #viren #kasef #saleer #zym #callum #rayla #amaya #tdp #the dragon prince #soren #thanks for asking

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kuno-chan · 4 years

Text

Sides of the Moon - Ch.22, Persistance

Summary: Runaan and his team of assassins discovers that Rayla has defied him. Again. But when they find her, she’s bleeding out in the woods with precious cargo under her arm and face to face with the princes of Katolis running away from their own castle. They find that, upon this meeting, the die has already been cast.

Rating: T

Please consider reviewing on AO3

Callum could no longer leave without someone accompanying him. Someone who wasn’t just Rayla.

Runaan didn’t want Callum out of their sight. They didn’t have time for another near-death experience with the human prince, as it was so elegantly put. Callum felt a little bad about it; the trouble it caused, anyway, but it was worth it. Callisto seemed to be much better within the past day than he had since his injury.

He didn’t mind Andromeda and Callisto as company. Out of everyone, they were the easiest to get along with.

“Do we need any more than this?” he asked, looking in their bag. Herna had been kind enough to give them a little money to buy supplies.

“We don’t want to make our packs too heavy. We need to stay light on our feet. This is enough.” Callisto said.

“Besides, we can’t keep stealing,” Andromeda said. “It will bring too much attention to us. Especially when we need to leave quietly.”

Callum could agree with that. They passed the town square, a neat cobblestone plaza powdered with snow. They peered at a newly formed crowd, with the ruckus growing louder as Callum ventured closer. He knew he creeped too close when he felt Callisto’s firm grip on his shoulder.

“Look. Listen,” he said to Callum.

“... vile creatures from Xadia! They are here! They are here to invade your homes and take what is yours. And there’s a group of them. Right here. In this very town!” The spindly man’s face was good-natured in a way that Callum realized wasn’t his natural disposition. “ Who do you think killed the poor old man who lives in the mountain? We have to defend ourselves, our loved ones, our children! ”

Concern did not look good on Morgan when you knew what he was actually like. He’d dressed himself perfectly: a drab set of clothes that were neither too fancy nor too old. His hair was tousled just right. An everyday man. A concerned citizen of the town. His eyes were lit with kindness that Callum knew was fake even from here, but Callum had also seen Morgan in his real skin. Something closer to a monster than a human.

“We must hunt them down!” He raised his fist, his voice stirring with some emotion not becoming of him. “ We must make sure no one will ever again fall prey to these monsters in our town. Who’s with me?”

The crowd agreed.They bellowed their opinions and reached out to him, shaking his hand and giving him room to step down into the crowd. They helped him down.

They supported him.

A few good words, rousing the hearts of people who probably were less like Lady Eveline and more like people who would be angry on her behalf. People who did not know the pain Lady Eveline suffered from. Most people would never see an elf and, yet, they agreed to wipe them from existence. Or, at least from their little town.

He wondered if elves felt the same.

“We need to go,” he heard Andromeda hiss and felt Callisto pull him away from the crowd. Away from the square. Away from the anger that Morgan had so easily aroused in them. Callum still spied him from a distance. Morgan hadn’t seen them.

He walked like an average, concerned citizen. His hair was perfect. And if Callum had not seen the beast underneath, he might have believed him, too.

If only a little.

-:-:-:-

Andromeda gave them the news as soon as they got back, and everyone started packing in haste. Thankfully, there was not much. They gave their supplies priority over everything else, and they made quick work of getting their things together.

“Not a trace,” as Runaan ordered.

They would leave quickly and quietly, not saying anything to the innkeeper.

But it seemed like they didn’t have to.

Herna came into the room as Callisto, Skor and Ram were packing a small bag.

“Here,” she said urgently. “It’s not much, but it will last you from here to the east.”

They just stared at her. Callum would intervene if they pulled out any weapons, he decided, but they just watched her. She didn’t pay them any mind. “I don’t know exactly how far it is, but hopefully this will last you. If anybody comes asking about the lot of you, I will tell them you left and headed to the towns in the south. Make haste and you’ll have time before anyone is the wiser.”

Callisto and Ram exchanged looks.

Skor asked, “What are you doing?”

Herna didn’t pause in helping them pack the food. She didn’t speak for a moment. Skor continued to stare.

She took a deep breath. “It isn’t safe here for you anymore.”

Callisto frowned. “How did you know?”

“I’m a human, but I’m also old. I know when something doesn’t feel the same,” she said, smiling. “Your accents aren’t the easiest to hide, I presume.”

Quietly, Callisto took the bread she handed him and nodded. “Your kindness will always be appreciated.”

Herna smiled as they left the room, their packs on their backs. Runaan was at the door, watching, but said nothing. Skor stopped beside Herna and put a hand on her shoulder. “Be safe.”

Herna placed her hand over his. “And you. If we never meet again, I hope you find your peace. And your justice. Now, go.”

Skor squeezed her shoulder and left. Callum didn’t move right away, watching Herna for a moment.

“Callum.” He twisted to Runaan’s voice. “We’re leaving.”

Callum spared Herna a glance, then followed Runaan.

-:-:-:-

The streets were teeming with humans gossiping and searching for the elves invading their town right under their very noses. They weren’t as lethal as a trained group of assassins. Not on their own.

But Runaan wasn’t foolish enough to take the chance. He also wasn’t rash enough to think they could take on an entire town of humans, lethal or not.

He was more on edge about Anarr and Morgan than he liked. But Rayla had been too close to being on the other end of Anarr’s blade. Unnecessarily. It should not have happened.

Callum came to mind.

He was distinctly aware of the human prince trailing with Rayla near the back of their party.

It made him uneasy.

-:-:-:-

Callum tried not to look around too much. The first time he did, Rayla scolded him.

“We don’t know if Morgan and Anarr are watching us. We know Morgan was here, but we don’t know if he’s seen us,” she said. “Let’s not make it so obvious we’re trying to leave.”

… I can’t believe it was so easy.”

“For us?”

“No, for him. All he did was change his appearance, and attitude. He acted like he cared. And they believed him.”

“He’s done it before, probably,” she said, then paused. “What’s bothering you?”

Callum hunched his shoulders. “It’s just that... Lord Viren used to be someone I trusted. And everything’s different now.”

A frown tugged on her lips. “I’m sorry.”

He looked at her for a long moment. “I am, too.”

When her hand brushed against him, he returned the gesture.

Nobody noticed them leaving. With their packs full and new coats on, they trudged over a hill hardened with snow. Callum glanced back at it, but returned his attention toward their path. The rest of the team was farther up the slope than he and Rayla.

Rayla continued to watch the town.

He stopped for her. “You coming?” She didn’t answer him. “Rayla.”

“Wait,” she hushed him. “Do you hear that?”

He listened to whatever she was hearing. Nothing--

Wait.

The faintest high-pitched screams. He looked back at the town and saw a plume of smoke rising into the air. His heart dropped.

“Oh no,” she looked back at him.

“Do you think…?”

“It’s Morgan and Anarr. I know it’s them. It has to be them. Something’s wrong.”

Callum’s stomach clenched. “You don’t know that. Maybe something else happened. Rayla, you don’t need to--”

“Go ahead of me. I’ll catch up with you.”

“You can’t go by yourself. What if it is them? We just faced them yesterday, and they almost killed us. At least let me go with you.”

Rayla shook her head and unsheathed her swords. “We don’t have time and I can’t just leave while they’re wreaking havoc because of us. The egg is dying. Tell Runaan and the others I’ll catch up with you. I promise I’ll be careful. I just want to get their attention and then lose them. They’re looking for us, after all, now go--”

“Rayla.”

She didn’t stop to let him finish, turning back and running down the hill at a speed he knew he couldn’t match. Even so, he nearly went after her. After all, she would have done the same for him. She already had.

He would do that and more, but one thing he learned from their predicament yesterday was to stop doing things alone.

Callum ran up the hill, towards the group, his lungs burning by the time he reached them.

“Wait!” He panted, holding his chest. When they turned, Runaan was already searching for wherever Rayla had gone. He saw the plume of smoke. “It’s Morgan and Anarr. They’re attacking the town--”

Runaan sped past him, down the hill.

“I’m going with him.”

Callisto grabbed his shoulder. “No. This is between them. Our job is to get you two and the egg out of the human lands. We keep moving. They’ll catch up.”

Ezran shook his head. “We can’t just leave. They’re attacking the town. They’re hurting people...”

“And more people will get hurt if they see that Rayla went down to save a town of humans.” Callisto squeezed Callum’s shoulder. “They’ll be alright. Runaan will bring her back.”

Callum looked at the town again. His chest constricted as he turned back to their trail.

Ezran frowned, but did the same when Andromeda held out a hand to him. Bait turned green with nervousness. Callum agreed.

-:-:-:-

Rayla raced into town.

Screaming. Running. Scrambling.

People threatened to knock her over as she waded into the fray. She heard the beasts before she saw them and prayed nobody had touched them.

One of those blood monsters missed her at a crossroads as it crashed into a shop. A family ran out and Rayla watched as the creature fled and found another establishment to crash into.

It moved around the people in its way and chose a tavern to destroy.

She realized it wasn’t hurting anybody. The blood beast was just breaking things and causing a general panic.

Was it searching for something?

People were quickly vacating this part of town where the beast was rampant and Rayla knew before she even heard her voice.

“You took my invitation.”

Rayla twisted on her heel and tightened her grip on her swords.

“You can’t do this to a town of people, Anarr.”

Anarr didn’t smile this time. “I can. I will. And, for the record, Runaan will be a bit too busy to save you this time.”

“Leave him alone. It’s me you want, right?’

Anarr snorted. “Don’t worry, my sun and stars, I won’t kill him. I can’t. This entire thing is naught if I do that.”

Rayla shook her head this time. “Don’t you ever give up?”

This time, Anarr smiled. She hadn’t drawn her weapon or moved. The surrounding roads were vacant now, but the distant screaming and chaos echoed in the distance. “I was his best, you know. Runaan’s, I mean. I was his second. You know that, of course. Our relationship wasn’t like yours, but I think once upon a time he might have thought of me as a sister. No, Runaan’s relationship with you is much deeper. If he happens to get past my blood beasts on his own--” Rayla’s heart dropped into her stomach. “He might take my head on sight. For you, naturally, my sun and stars. Always for you.”

“And why do you always call me that?”

Anarr’s green eyes were piercing. “Because you are. Not mine, of course. Runaan’s. You are his sun and stars. The only living reminder he has of your parents. The only child he’ll likely ever raise with Ethari.”

Rayla said nothing. She didn’t know what to say.

Her blades twisted in her hands. Her side hurt.

“You look better. But if we fight now,” Anarr said. “You will lose. And you know it. Runaan would go home and never be the same.”

“You would let him live?”

“For a time. I want him to live with Ethari’s grief for a while before I deal with him.”

“... Runaan never meant to hurt you.”

Anarr lowered into a stance. “I don’t care.”

She was lightning as their blades clashed and sparked in the bitter cold.

-:-:-:-

The blood creatures attacked him all at once.

Thankfully, Runaan knew exactly what he was running into when he went after Rayla. He saw her, but lost her in the people running to and fro. Then, Anarr’s creatures descended on him.

He dodged and moved. They were vicious, but not unpredictable. The size of their “bodies” forced them to make fast, sweeping movements that required some anticipation before their attacks.

He’d managed to slice one of them similar to the way Callum had back on the icy lake. Now, there were two.

Two that weren’t exactly taking turns going after him. He used the corners to evade them at first, using their size against them as they swung around the corner.

He had a feeling they were here just for him. Rayla’s trap was obvious, but she’d gone anyway. For these humans. For people who would just as soon execute her.

Perhaps Ethari was right.

She’d proven herself. He trusted Rayla, but a part of him didn’t. That part of him came from a deeper place he tried to put aside during missions.

But he would be damned if he let Anarr kill her just to get to him.

Runaan climbed the roofs and watched as those things searched for him. So, they couldn’t sense him. He left them to their destruction.

-:-:-:-

Rayla couldn’t keep this up. She was tiring too fast and her side was getting agitated.

Anarr didn’t have to try as hard, but she was definitely aggressive. She shoved Rayla into a wall and the only thing that saved her from a blade to the head was to push Anarr away. They were still in the street, with the snow crunching under their feet.

Their blades clashed; their hearts pounded. Anarr was calculated and wild at the same time. Her swings were personal, her intentions fueled by fire.

Anarr played the long game, and she played it wildly.

“You were really going to jump, weren’t you?” Anarr asked, panting. They circled each other. “With that human? You trust him that much?”

“With my life.”

“A mistake. Mark my words, Rayla. One day, he will break your heart.”

Rayla rolled her eyes. “Right. I’ll be sure to take your advice.”

They met again in the middle, their swords sparking. This time, Rayla buckled, and Anarr punched her in the face.

“You’re mine.”

“Anarr.”

Runaan was already aiming at her. Rayla knew before she even looked up.

Anarr turned and smiled. “Go ahead. Shoot me. You can try, anyway. I’d love for you to miss and hit poor Rayla.”

Runaan kept the arrow on her, but he didn’t dare release it. Not when Anarr could just move and Rayla might just get an arrow in the chest.

“Runaan, I love how you just keep walking into my messes. But I suppose you have no choice if your protégé here keeps running into them.”

“Stop talking as if you’re not getting tired. I know having three of those things is too much for you.”

“Does it matter?”

“What’s the point of all this? You make traps and don’t come through with them when I know you can. You’ve had every chance. You never used to enjoy playing with your food before you ate it.”

“That was before. This is now.”

“I know what I did, but you hanging onto the past is your own fault.”

She growled. “What do you know? You’ve been living with the love of your life! You married him! You raised her with him. But you definitely made certain that I paid for my mistake.”

“Rayla has nothing to do with this.”

“She will have everything to do with this when I make you clean up her blood!”

Rayla lunged at her. “You talk too much!”

The two of them wrestled on the ground and Rayla picked up one of her swords, swiping at Anarr. She could see Runaan coming to her out of the corner of her eye, but Anarr kicked Rayla off and right into Runaan.

“You know what I think, my sun and stars?” Anarr panted, raising something in her hand. “I think I’ll leave you to deal with these humans.”

Humans.

With the blood beasts gone, people were starting to come back to the streets.

And Rayla’s amulet was in Anarr’s hand.

Rayla touched her neck, her chest. Gone. She looked up and Anarr was already leaving, disappearing as the humans began to shout.

“It’s an elf!”

“They must both be elves!”

“They brought those evil things here!”

Rayla shook her head. “No, it’s not like that! Another elf was trying to hurt you and--”

Runaan grabbed her and ran down an alleyway. He didn’t listen to her protests as they went through twists and turns, the humans right behind them. They found a ladder, and he urged her up, watching as the humans went looking for them.

“Runaan, I’m sorry, but I couldn’t leave them like that.”

“You were reckless. You would have died.”

“I had it under control.”

“You walked right into a trap, and what’s worse is that you knew you did. You are not these humans’ hero. They have no love for you.”

“I know that. But they just don’t understand. Runaan, Anarr was destroying their town.” Rayla put her swords away as they stood. “I’m not trying to be their hero, but--”

He cut her off. “They are a mob. And you cannot reason with a mob. Nothing you said would have made a difference. Anarr did her job. Now, every human town from here on out will be looking for us. Any group of obvious strangers will become immediately suspicious.”

Rayla paused. She… hadn’t thought of that.

Of course, she hadn’t.

She rubbed her arm and said nothing. There was nothing to say and sorry wouldn’t fix how she made their mission more difficult, yet again.

There was a silence between them. Runaan let it linger.

Finally, he stood up and walked to the edge of the rooftop.

“Let’s go. We need to leave.”

She followed with nothing left to say.

Whew! Sorry this chapter took so long! I'm sick and in the last weeks of this quarter for school on top of the Rayllum zine and other obligations to projects! You'll want to keep an ear out for the Rayllum zine on Twitter and Tumblr! It'll have some stuff pertaining to this fic! And if you're a fan, trust me on this, you'll want to tune in on the info!

But enough of that tease, I know this is shorter and another transition, but the next arc is going to be a big deal so I wanted to ease us into it. As always, I love the reviews you guys leave. They truly keep me motivated and keep me writing. Thank you for reading! Tune in for next chapter!

Please consider reviewing on AO3

#the dragon prince #tdp #rayllum #rayla #callum #my fics

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ask-runaan-anything · 4 years

Note

You assassinated a king, thereby making Viren and other human leaders anxious. Humans starting a war that you triggered was very predictable. So, how do you feel having triggered a war? More conflict will only ensue from here. Ethari and Rayla could get killed in a conflict you and the one who hired you started. Do you regret choosing perceived justice over countless innocent lives? Would you kill Harrow again, if you could restart? - Call Out Anon

Is this the history that you learn of Xadia? That this war is mere weeks old? That I started it? It’s hard to feel called out when you’ve missed the mark so widely, little shadow.

*tired sigh* By my count, the war began nine years ago when King Harrow of Katolis, Queen Sarai, and the Queens of Duren invaded Xadia, killed an innocent citizen and ripped his heart out of his chest. Avizandum was fully justified in defending his borders from this invasion. Would your country allow its neighbor’s ruler to cross the border and personally murder and butcher one of your citizens? Certainly not.

Harrow couldn’t let his failure go, couldn’t accept his own guilt for the death of his warrior queen. Avizandum and Zubeia knew his heart, and they took steps to prevent tragedy. One of those steps included Lain and Tiadrin joining the Dragonguard. But even that wasn’t enough. When Harrow found an opportunity to use dark magic to take his revenge, he gave into his darker urges and invaded Xadia a second time, intent purely on vengeance, and the King of the Dragons perished in agony at his hand. Further, he sanctioned the murder of a dragonling prince still in the egg. One who could hear his mother’s voice and knew his own name.

The man didn’t learn his lesson the first time, and his second trip only emboldened him further. So I was sent to make sure he couldn’t possibly invade Xadia a third time. He escalated from targeting a Magma Titan to murdering the King of the Dragons in cold blood. If he’d returned once again, Moon only knows what damage and chaos he’d drag in his wake.

I deal in death. I don’t deny that, and I never will. But I don’t start wars. If you want a term for my vibe, it’s tactical de-escalation. Swift removal of dangerous threats when there is a clear and present danger is the safer option for the most citizens--on both sides. You know what a hell the Mage Wars were. Well... perhaps you don’t. Nonetheless, the Moonshadow elves won’t let anything like that happen again. I didn’t get to this point in my life--and the Moonshadows didn’t get to this point in our history--without learning some harsh lessons. We know what can happen if we let evil fester too long. I’ve peeked at your history books. You know, too.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that I exist in a death bubble, bobbing about and killing whom I choose on a series of whims that have no situational or historical tether. I am never the instigator. I am the response to the instigations of others.

If you don’t care for the military in general, whether overt or shadow ops, that’s your opinion to carry and you’re entitled to it. I’ll defend you either way. But please don’t needle me with your trigger words. I’m a tired elf. We’re all tired, little shadow, and I’m not sure how much of this discussion is good for anyone anymore.

#ask runaan #runaan answers #if you want to get rid of assassins #then find another way to get rid of those we take #i'm sure i can find a nice hobby during all the peacetime you'll create #scrimshaw perhaps #or knitting #even juggling #dare i dream of #a highwire act #in a spangly teal outfit #just don't make me wave to the crowd #i need to focus

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joemerl · 5 years

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How Season 3 of “The Dragon Prince” Completely Failed With Ezran’s Character Arc

At the end of season two, Ezran gives his reasons for deciding to return to Katolis (edited slightly for when Callum interrupts him):

"When you told me assassins were coming for Dad, I ran away and hid in the walls. And when I found out Dad was gone forever, I ran away again. I’ve been running away from things my whole life. But I can’t run away from growing up. When you grow up, you have to face things you’re not ready for. I’m not going with you to Xadia. I have to face my responsibility. Now that I’m king, I have to go home. Maybe I can help the world better from a throne. I can do whatever I can to stop the war.”

So that’s Ezran’s arc for season three. He is going to stop running away from his problems, take on adult responsibilities and use his position as king to help bring peace to the world. It’s laid out so clearly that it arguably violates Show, Don’t Tell.

It’s fascinating, then, that in season three he fails in literally all of these things.

Ezran abdicates the throne. The details of this are frustratingly vague, but apparently he and Saleer cut a deal where Ezran steps down and lets Viren take his place. (I guess---Opeli acts like this wasn’t part of the deal, but why else would Viren be let out of prison?) He abdicates because he doesn’t want Katolis to go to war, except that he knows that it’s going to happen anyway. This is clear because his one condition is that soldiers be allowed to stay home if they want to.

Ezran was in a difficult bind, as seemingly no decision could prevent conflict. But him abdicating didn’t fix that, nor did he seem to expect it to. I think that the crew wants us to believe that this was a sacrifice to let Marcos and the others go, but I can’t think of a single reason why King Viren can order that but King Ezran couldn’t. As far as I can tell, the only reason that he abdicated was so that he wouldn’t be the one leading the country into war. Rather than staying on to try and mitigate the problem, he runs away and lets the main villain make everything worse.

Heck, even if Ezran wanted to take on a less direct leadership role, Opeli gave him a different way out---pick a regent. Any regent except for Viren or Saleer. (I suggest Corvus.) That’s not so much abandoning your responsibilities as sharing them with someone wiser than you. This option isn’t even mentioned, possibly because doing so would concede that Ezran giving up power doesn’t make anything better.

What’s even more frustrating is that the show doesn’t even acknowledge the failure of Ezran's self-appointed character arc. Look at what he says when he reunites with the others:

Think of the implications of that---it honestly borders on being a retcon. Personal growth? Bringing world peace? Nah---apparently Ezran just thought that kingship would be more fun! He’s not embarrassed that he ran away again, nor is he sad to have failed in his mission.

Aaron Ehasz admits that Ezran returning to Katolis was not part of the crew’s original plan; he was going to go with the others to Xadia, but they figured that after learning about Harrow’s death he would feel obligated to help his kingdom. After throwing that in, I suspect that they just wanted to get their original idea back on track as soon as possible. In the process, however, they completely forgot about the new character arc that they had set up, and that means that Ezran forgets it too. He doesn’t even mention that Viren and Kasef are invading Xadia, probably because the writers forgot that he knew.

I actually waited until I finished the season before writing this, hoping that the show would do something to redeem this storyline. Instead it made things worse by trying to pull a bunch of “true King Ezran” crap in the last episode. Reminder, Viren didn’t overthrow him---Ezran gave the crown to him. He doesn’t get to give up, let Viren screw up the world for a while and then come back into power, lauded by everyone as if nothing ever happened. Except, apparently, that he does.

There are so many ways that this could have been written better. Here are a few that I can think of:

Viren overthrows Ezran. Ezran has failed in his mission to stop the war, but when he rejoins the others they can at least remind him that he did all that he could. (The only true failure is giving up and all that.) Also, he can still claim the throne again when Viren is defeated, without seeming like a massive hypocrite.

Ezran sees no other choice but to help the invasion of Xadia. However, he stays on as king and does everything possible to mitigate the situation, such as suing for peace over Kasef’s objections. Viren gets out of prison some other way, such as by tricking Ezran or getting help from his various allies.

That, but with the aforementioned regent thing thrown in.

Ezran abandons the crown like in the show, but this is acknowledged as a personal failing. His quest for allies is given more focus and treated as a redemption arc, with him taking responsibility like he should have been before. Aanya would make a good foil here, giving him advice and/or comfort about the hardships of ruling.

I want to end with another speech by Ezran, said during “The Crown” when he very temporarily fulfills his kingly duties:

“So I’ve decided...that I don’t have to be the king my father was. My father made choices to keep fighting battles that started hundreds of years before he was born. To punish enemies for crimes their parents committed. I don’t want to be that kind of king.”

Well, Ez, Harrow usually did that stuff because he listened to Viren, but at least he didn’t go so far as to let Viren rule in his place. So in the end, you caused all the same problems that he did, but worse.

#The Dragon Prince #Ezran #Viren #Aanya #Aaron Ehasz #Long post #TDPspoilers #Saleer

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beautifulterriblequeen · 3 years

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The Thief and the Tinker, Part 2: Out-crafting the Craftsman

Part 1

Part 2

Aaravos: Oh, Viren, I'm terribly sorry, but here our ways must p-

Viren: Thanks for the lift into Xadia, O Great One, but I gotta go. Late for a date. *saunters off*

Aaravos: *furious sparkly elf noises* HOW DARE YOU BREAK UP WITH ME WHEN I'M BREAKING UP WITH YOU

Out-crafting the Craftsman

Angst rating: 6/10

So, Viren has met the perfect craftsman, but the perfect craftsman doesn't want the job of crafting a fake Key. Viren needs the power locked away in that vault, though. What's a clever dark mage to do?

Research, of course.

Even if Viren and Ethari met alone in some distant town, Ethari could have been wearing enough clues - his horn cuffs, his necklace - for Viren to piece together the best way to motivate him. Moonshadow elves don't need to say anything out loud if you can read their silent messages, and Viren is good at research. He'd learn as much as he could about Moonshadow elves before meeting Ethari in the first place.

Turning the leader of the Moonshadow assassins into bait is no mean feat, but Viren was up for the task. All he needed was to be patient, and to keep his eyes open. Learning about Runaan would've told Viren that he had married best friends who had a daughter. He might just have asked around in some place like Hollow Wood, where humans were tolerated as long as they behaved and everyone could pretend they weren't there. With careful moves and the right opportunities, and maybe an enterprising ally or two, Viren could learn Runaan's markings, his legends, his exploits.

His weak spots.

Once he knows Runaan's reputation, he'll be able to deduce that destroying Laindrin's reputation would drive Runaan to act, if Viren could manage some heinous crime at the same time. But, how to commit a terrible sin and lure your real target's husband out of the Silvergrove without actually becoming said assassin's victim?

Sarai's last breath. Viren's pragmatism, coming in clutch.

But he doesn't have what he needs to finish the spell that would give them even a chance at killing Thunder, or he'd likely have finished it long ago, for some other purpose. Nine years is a long time to hold off vengeance if you could do it anytime you wanted. He needs a Unicorn's horn, and he doesn't have what it takes to get it.

But Claudia does. Is the fact that she could collect it while Viren couldn't really some kind of virginity thing, or is it more of an innocence thing? Because innocence makes more sense in the context of the TDP world. Claudia had maybe never killed anything before, so her soul was innocent in that way, and the Unicorn would approach her. And Viren patiently taught her how to kill it when it did.

On the other hand, there is the whole creepy purity ring thing and daddy-daughter dances and "save your purity for your father until you can give it to your husband" schtick, and if TDP took that unholy toxicity and added "...unless your dad weaponizes it at a Unicorn first" then who am I to complain, that's brilliant.

Don't worry. We'll get back to Claudia, too.

Now, Viren has what he needs to motivate Harrow to invade Xadia, and he works his emotions relentlessly until Harrow gives in to his hatred. Their two-man ride to the Spire gets Viren right there in the room with Lain and Tiadrin - his next big step. Overhead, Thunder is circling, working up a storm to hatch his son. Did Viren already know about the egg, about this day, or not? I'm guessing yes. Viren wouldn't leave it to chance to go up against one adult dragon instead of two. And destroying the egg keeps him safe. Him, Harrow, Katolis, and all his plans there. Taking Zym was never the goal, and everything that's happened with the egg, the mirror, and Aaravos in the first three seasons may be nothing more than Viren getting slightly sidetracked! Ahgod, that's hilarious, I love it.

Viren gets a very good look at Tiadrin when he captures her in ice, and he's ridiculously smug. Everything's going according to plan.

He's quick to decide to coin Lain and Tiadrin, too. That could have been a spur of the moment decision, because Viren is clever like that. But two things come to mind:

he could've killed them instead of using ice. He could've killed them after he trapped them in ice. He could even have waited another minute for Lain to suffocate to death. He did none of those, though. He trapped them whole, and he acted to save Lain's life when doing nothing would've earned him one less enemy.

casting the coin spell requires a black candle, and that's probably less likely to be among his supplies when he travels than all his various animal pieces - unless he brought one on purpose, because coining Laindrin was his secret plan in going to the Storm Spire all along.

Coins safely in his pouch, Viren fakes the egg's death and retreats to Katolis to await Runaan's vengeful arrival. How do you fake a dead egg anyway? Well, the ashy powder of destroyed Moonshadow bodies is probably indistinguishable from the ashy powder of a destroyed dragon egg. Viren just has to get the volume right and cart the rest away. Wonder what he did with it....

Anyhoo, now Viren has time to try to hatch the real egg in the oven in his dungeon, to no avail. He sends guards into the woods every month on the nights before a full moon, expecting one or more of them to fail to report in come morning, telling him that Moonshadow assassins are going to strike.

He acquired that two-headed soulfang on the way back from the Storm Spire. Did he get it from Nyx? Very possibly! But how convenient it is that he acquired a snake that could save Harrow's life in a way that specifically thwarts Moonshadow assassins, just a day or two after making a move that he knew would endanger it with Moonshadow assassins. Does that mean he made his move to capture Laindrin before it really sank in that his friend Harrow might actually die? Maybe. Between Harrow and power, Viren is hard pressed to choose a favorite. Or maybe he just placed an order with Nyx on the way past the Midnight Desert and picked up his delivery from her on the way back out of Xadia, giving her a few days to find his unusual request in the desert. But Claudia thought of the soul switching spell, not Viren. Right?

Maybe. That's what we saw. Viren seems likelier to have had the idea all along, and he knew Harrow would say no to it, so he didn't mention it. Viren doesn't mention everything to Harrow, and vice versa. He could have planned to bring it up at a critical point and try to emotionally wrestle Harrow into agreeing to it, like he did with killing Thunder. That tactic does seem to work. But when Claudia thought of it too, of course Viren had to say it was a good idea. He'd already had it himself. He took the idea to Harrow, perhaps before he'd found that critical moment, and tried to lean on their emotional bond as he always did. But Harrow wasn't in the right frame of mind, and it blew up in Viren's face.

Whatever happened in that moment, behind closed doors, Viren finally had to choose between friendship and power. From the novelization, it seems clear he chose power. And with friendship out of the way, Viren was more able to focus on his old long-term goal, and its very next step: make sure Runaan survives the battle that he's traveled all this way to fight.

The assassins came, right on schedule. And there was a battle, chaotic and bloody. And Runaan was the only elven survivor. Viren winning again. Claudia helped Viren spare Runaan by stopping Soren on the balcony, and I wonder just how much she knew about her dad's full plan. Wow, for the first time, I can see a way that Claudia's "more practical uses" doesn't actually mean "spell components."

Claudia stopping Soren by saying, "Brother, can you spare a dime?" is the worst pun I've made in a long time. I do apologize. Mostly to Runaan. Yes, I know, there's a hellcoin reserved just for me at this point. I accept my fate.

The mirror seemed like the point of Viren's interrogations in the dungeon, but it was probably just an opportunistic moment for Viren. He'd had a rough time, having to turn on Harrow, not getting crowned Lord Protector, and learning that the princes were still alive out there to ruin his plans. If people started looking at the events in the Storm Spire, learning why the egg suddenly returned home after apparently being destroyed, they might start questioning Laindrin's betrayal, and Runaan's mission, and that kind of talk would reach Ethari really quick. And then he wouldn't listen when Viren finally popped the question.

Viren needs Ethari as off-balance and vulnerable as possible. Not one shred of hope to distract him or give him the strength to refuse Viren's demand. Viren needs Ethari to stare at his pouch of coined Moonshadow elves as if it contains his entire world, to say yes without thinking, and to remain entirely motivated to do everything Viren tells him to, until Viren gets his hands on What's Behind That Magic Lock.

So: the princes have to die. Xadia cannot know the truth, or Viren may lose the ability to control Ethari before he can get to him. (Just... bless Rayla, so so much. She's already foiled Viren's plans once, and her visiting Ethari at least once before Viren can get to him has saved Ethari's sanity, and maybe his life and his soul and all of Xadia, too. That's my girl.)

All this is on Viren's mind as he tries to bandy words with Runaan. It's no wonder, really, that he just threw his hands in the air and gave up on the stubborn bastard. Runaan was always destined for a hellcoin anyway. Might as well just get to it. (Ouch, so sorry Runaan! You're Legit That Hot but you're just a tool in Viren's hands, huh. Don't worry, you're important to Ethari and to us though!)

Viren's got everyone Ethari loves now... except for Rayla. But let's think about this for a second. If Viren's done enough research to learn how Moonshadow assassin society works, he might have expected Rayla to go on the mission too. He might have planned to coin her alongside Runaan, to show her to Ethari too. And the only thing that saved her was her own soft heart, and then Runaan's soft heart. Rayla is the one who got away. Rayla is the Elf Who Lived. And she's about to make it Viren's problem. God, I love her. Gettim, girl.

Viren collects lots of spell components, just in case he ever needs them. Sure, Aaravos pointed out that he could use the assassins' cremains to scare the other kings and queens into war. But getting the crown somehow was already Viren's plan, because he needed the authority to march an army into Xadia - so he could safely find and threaten Ethari.

What better excuse for war than Vengeance For Harrow? Yes, Vengeance for Various Rulers works, too, okay. But Vengeance For Harrow was Plan A. Marching an army into Xadia, seeking the Silvergrove, striking down the horrible assassins who attacked Viren's best friend, who was just avenging his wife, wouldn't you do the same? Good Guy Viren. Protector of Humanity.

Yet here Viren is, falling to his death off the Storm Spire. Why is he so off course? Well, power is very tasty! And Aaravos Drinks and Knows Things. Viren's not really that off course. He's mining Aaravos for power tips and sources as much as Aaravos is mining Viren for uhhh physical matter to grow a body with?? and personal vengeance maybe??? worm food?????? i mean he did die so

Anyway. Viren isn't entirely the pawn he seems to be. And now that he's lost his staff and his hot elven sorcerer playmate, he's probably going to be even more focused on getting to Ethari, in whatever way is fastest and safest for him. He has less power than he's used to, and he won't feel very safe in Xadia. But there's one thing he's had with him all along, because it's got very good plot armor: his bag of Moonshadow coins. It survived Lux Aurea and a wardrobe change and a fall from the Storm Spire, because Viren made sure that it did.

So here's a guess for S4: Viren's going to head straight for Ethari, in the last place he knew him to be: the Silvergrove. And that's where things go very dark, and very smoky.

Part 3

#tdp #tdp theory #tdp speculation #tdp parallels #viren ethari #laindrin #runaan #aaravos #rayla #harrow #moonshadow elves #moonshadow assassins #moonfam #tdp angst #heavy angst

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captain-azoren · 4 years

Text

Chapter 17 Preview: Ember Island Invasion

Chapter 17

“I hope everyone’s ready for the invasion,” The actor dressed as Sokka said. “Slop-a-pow!” The real Sokka burst out laughing with the rest of the audience, slapping his knee and wiping a tear from his eye as Suki just gave him a wry smile. They and the rest of the Avatar’s friends had decided to watch a stage play about their own exploits, as performed by the Ember Island Players. It had been quite an exaggerated retelling, to say the least.

The scene changed once more to the Fire Nation throne room. The actors playing Aang, Sokka, Katara, and Toph ran onto the stage and looked around.

“We finally made it to the royal palace, but no one’s home.” The woman playing Aang said.

“Actually, I’m home!” The spotlight shined on…the throne in the background…as the actress playing Azula stepped out from behind it, smirking smugly with her hands on her hips. “And I’ve come to stop you!” The Aang, Sokka, Katara, and Toph actors entered their stances to prepare for battle.

“Give up Azula!” Actress Katara shouted. “You’re outnumbered!”

“And you’ve got no bending, making you totally powerless,” Actor Toph bellowed. “Just like Sokka!”

“Hey, I resent that remark!” Actor Sokka protested. Up in the balcony, the real Toph let out a snort, earning a glare from Sokka. On stage, actress Azula thrust her palm forward in a firebending move, but all that came out with a little puff of smoke from a device in her sleeve.

“Oh no, the eclipse has taken my firebending!” Actress Azula wailed. “I’m helpless! Who will save me?”

“I’ll save you, fair maiden!” A voice from above shouted.

“Oh no…” Sokka and Zuko both grumbled.

“What is it?” Katara asked. Just then, a large blue ball with a storm cloud painted on it was lowered from above. Standing atop it were two new characters; one a tall man dressed in metal armor, a billowing cape, and a bright yellow pompadour wig. He wielded a sword as tall as he was and held a blue rose in his teeth as he grinned.

The other was a tall woman dressed in a black robe with a big, feather collar. She had long dark hair that fell to her knees and wore black lipstick, and slung around her shoulders was a satchel that seemed to be filled with snakes and spiders and other creepy crawlies.

“Who are you?” Actor Sokka exclaimed as the man in the armor clumsily hopped down from the blue globe.

“I am the mighty Soren,” Actor Soren proclaimed. “Mine witchy sister Claudia and I cometh from a distant world knownst as Katolis, and we art here to help the Fire Nation stop the likes of thee, foul villains!”

“I don’t remember these guys,” Katara said as she squinted at the two new characters. “Were they at the invasion?”

“Yeah, and at the Boiling Rock,” Sokka replied.

“Have at thee!” Actor Soren shouted as he tossed the blue rose to actress Azula. He began to swing his oversized sword in slow, wide arcs at the other actors. Actress Azula caught the blue rose and fainted against the throne while actress Claudia began to throw toy snakes and spiders at the invaders.

“Fly my pretties!” The fake witch cackled. One toy spider hit actress Katara in the face by accident. Actor Toph spun and fell to the ground as a sword swipe missed him.

“They’re too strong!” Actor Toph lamented. “We don’t stand a chance!”

“That’s not what happened!” The real Toph shouted angrily before Suki held her down. Actor Soren, having vanquished his foes, leapt up the stairs to actress Azula, putting his arms around her tenderly as he gazed into her eyes.

“Princess Azula, thou art more radiant than the sun on a summer’s day,” Actor Soren said. “T’would be mine greatest honor if thou wouldst taketh me as thine one true love, for all eternity.”

“Oh yes, Soren,” Actress Azula said. The two actors leaned in for the big kiss, and the audience below applauded with cheers. Meanwhile, the gang in the balcony could not help but cringe uncomfortably.

#Soren #Azula #Claudia #Zuko #tdp soren #tdp claudia #avatar #avatar the last airbender #the dragon prince #atla #tdp #fanfic #white knight red queen #katara #top #atla sokka

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tdpholidayexchange · 4 years

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Sweet Contraband

To @honeylemon2346 from @skyfireflight! They write: “ Hi! I hope you had a happy holiday season! You requested Gren with sweets as a motif, so I wrote a little story about Gren and Ezran bonding over jelly tarts. I hope you enjoy it!”

Takes place about 3 years before season 1

Gren didn’t visit the castle often. He and General Amaya were usually stationed at the Breach. It was a constant, 24/7 job for the most part, keeping the border safe from potential invaders. Being Amaya’s voice as she relayed orders to her soldiers, or spoke to anyone else, really.

But times like these were nice. A reprieve from the thick clouds of smoke that blocked out the sun, and the constant heat that rose up from the river of lava below (and always being in armor certainly didn’t help).

What did help was knowing that he was doing an important job – for his kingdom, Katolis, but also... for Amaya. Amaya’s presence, getting to help her and interact with her every day, made being at the border much more bearable, even enjoyable. And even though he’d only been her voice for a year, and she was the general...he could say that Amaya was becoming a friend.

Still, it was nice to have some time off, away from the border.

The eldest prince’s 12th birthday had been yesterday, and Amaya had taken leave to celebrate. Gren had been by her side most of the time at the castle, tagging along with her at Prince Callum’s birthday party, interpreting for Amaya when she spoke to attendees – councilmembers, townspeople, even some ambassadors from other kingdoms coming to wish Callum well – and stuffing his face with strawberries, shortcake, and jelly tarts between conversations.

The party was over now, but Amaya wanted be with her brother-in-law and nephews a little while longer, so she and Gren were to stay a couple more days before returning to the Breach.

Today, Amaya was in the castle with Callum; Gren would have followed, but Amaya had waved him away with a fond smile and told him to relax and have some time to himself.

Now Gren found himself in the castle garden. He stood near one of the trees there, enjoying the sight of the greenery. The summer breeze felt cool against his skin, and he basked in the feeling. Though the weather was still warm, the heat was nothing compared to that of the border. And he was without his armor for once.

A creeaak came from somewhere beside him, and Gren turned to the source of the sound. A square grate that he hadn’t noticed before was lying face down on the ground. There was a stuttered scraping sound, and right after it, a tray piled high with jelly tarts slid from a hole in the wall and clattered on the ground, some of the jelly tarts toppling from the heap. Fluffy brown hair and its owner tumbled out, followed by a grumpy groan and a large, glowing frog.

The owner of the fluffy brown hair was a little boy. Gren took a second to recognize who it was. He remembered the child flitting around the grand hall yesterday at the party, plate piled high with sweets, and small hands coming up from under tables to swipe from trays. And honestly, it was adorable – though he had worried the little boy would get a sugar rush and would be too hyper to go to sleep that night.

The royal colors on his clothes and his resemblance to King Harrow made no question of who it was.

The little boy was Prince Ezran.

Gren watched as Ezran fitted the grate back into the hole in the wall, taking a few tries and grunts of effort before he succeeded. The prince then picked up the tray and stood, several more jelly tarts dropping to the ground with soft patters.

He turned, and caught Gren watching him.

The boy froze, eyes going wide like a deer caught in the light of a night traveler’s lantern. Below him, the large glowing frog gulped down jelly tarts from the ground with a swipe of its tongue. Gren raised his eyebrows.

Ezran blinked once. “Uh….” He braced the tray against his chest with one hand, and held a tart out to Gren with the other. “Jelly tart?”

Gren was pretty sure that the boy wasn’t supposed to have all those jelly tarts. Especially if how he was sneaking around and his reaction to being seen was any indication. And Ezran’s sheepish tone and smile further confirmed his suspicions.

Still, none of those jelly tarts were making their way back to the baker’s, or wherever they came from, any time soon. They probably wouldn’t want them back anyway, having been taken through air ducts.

Well, it wouldn’t hurt.

“Thank you. I would love a jelly tart.” Gren gave the youngest prince a small bow before taking the offered dessert. Ezran giggled.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you around before,” Ezran said. He placed the tray on a nearby bench, even more jelly tarts falling off, and plopped down next to it. The glowing frog – glow toad, Gren’s mind finally supplied – hopped over and began eating jelly tarts off the ground. Ezran took a tart from the pile and started munching on it, his legs swings back and forth in the air.

Gren went over and sat down beside him. “I’m Commander Gren. I work for your aunt Amaya; I’m her sign language interpreter.” He took a bite of the jelly tart.

Mmmmm. An apple jelly tart. It was delicious.

“Oh, yeah!” Ezran’s eyes lit up. “I remember you! You were at the party yesterday!”

“Mmhmm,” Gren replied through a mouthful of jelly tart. He finished and swallowed. “That’s right. And I seem to remember you swiping a lot of sweets from the tables.”

Ezran giggled around his next bite.

“These jelly tarts are really good,” Gren said.

“Yeah, they’re the best!”

“Now,” Gren decided to solidify his suspicions, “I must know. Where did you get all these delicious jelly tarts?”

“From the baker’s.” Ezran’s tone was light and betrayed nothing as he took another tart from the stack.

“Did the baker give you all these jelly tarts? He’s pretty generous.”

Ezran paused mid-chew. “Well….” He looked down at his swinging feet, not meeting Gren’s eyes. “He didn’t exactly give them to me.”

Gren just furrowed his brow and tilted his head in a show of confusion, encouraging Ezran to continue.

“We sorta…well, Bait and I, we…,” his shoulders hunched sheepishly as he met Gren’s eyes, and he stopped swinging his feet, crossing his ankles and curling his legs inward, “kinda…just…took them…without permission?” He looked away, back down at his feet. “We stole them.”

Yep, suspicions confirmed.

“I’m sure the baker wasn’t very happy.”

Ezran shook his head, sighing and sounding a bit ashamed of himself. “No, he wasn’t.”

“Tell you what,” Gren said, taking another of the sweet contraband. “Why don’t we make it up to him?”

Ezran’s gaze drifted back to Gren. “How?”

Gren looked around at the trees in the garden, many of them heavy with ripe apples. “Are we allowed to pick the apples?”

“Uh-huh!”

“We can take some apples to the baker and help him make more jelly tarts. I’m sure he’d like that. What do you say?”

“Yeah!” Ezran nodded eagerly. “I can get some baskets from the gardener.” The little boy hopped off the bench and ran out of the garden. Gren smiled and took a big bite of jelly tart.

A few minutes later, Ezran returned with two big baskets. Gren stifled a chuckle; the baskets were almost as big as he was, too large for his small arms, and he leaned backwards as he struggled to carry them.

“Here, let me help.” Gren got up from the bench and took one of the baskets. He made a show of hoisting it up and making it look heavier than it was. Ezran giggled.

“Let’s get apple picking!” he cheered.

The two got to work.

Despite Ezran’s strains and grunts of effort, the 7-year-old couldn’t reach the apples dangling from the tree branches. Gren smiled and lifted Ezran up onto his shoulders.

With a “whoa!” and giggle from Ezran, then they really got to work.

Gren carried Ezran on his shoulders as they went from tree to tree, one hand on the boy’s leg to keep him steady, and the other hand keeping the basket braced against his torso. Ezran did most of the picking, and Gren was able to shift his grip on the basket to reach a few of them.

In the end, they had 1 and ½ baskets full of ripe red apples.

They made their way to the bakery – through the streets this time, not the air ducts – Gren carrying the full basket and Ezran tottering with the half-full basket hugged to his chest.

The baker was delighted.

Barius, as Gren learned his name was, let the two of them mix the dough as he prepared the apples, Ezran sneaking in bites of dough, and both he and Bait swiping apple pieces. The baker didn’t scold, though the way Ezran paused right after he snatched an apple slice said the little boy was expecting him to; Barius simply smiled at him fondly and said, “Just make sure there’s enough to make the jelly tarts with.” And Gren himself snuck in a few bites, too.

That was part of the fun, after all.

By the time they were done, Gren and Ezran were covered in flour, bits of dough, apple jelly, and powdered sugar. With a laugh from both of them, Gren ruffled Ezran’s hair to get some of the powdered sugar out of it. Luckily, Barius had given them both aprons – though Ezran’s dwarfed him – and washing up in the sink was easy.

And there were plenty of jelly tarts. More than plenty. Enough to make up many times over for the ones had Ezran stolen.

Barius insisted they take home half.

They carried back three baskets full – three baskets lined with white cloth and filled to the brim with the sweet apple jelly tarts. Ezran carried one, and Gren carried the other two, one in each arm.

Gren also carried the gardener’s baskets – stacked together, upside down, on his head like a floppy winter hat made of woven pieces of wood. Some townspeople gave them a few looks. He gave the townspeople cheery greetings and warm smiles.

When they got back, they seated themselves on the bench in the castle garden. A basket lay beside each of them, the third basket at their feet. Bait sat in between them.

(The tray that Ezran had stolen was empty, and now lay beneath the bench; apparently Bait had cleared it while the two of them were picking apples. Gren made a mental note to make sure the tray got back to the baker.)

Ezran was munching away, his legs swinging happily. “These are the best jelly tarts ever!” he said through a mouthful of jelly tart, his voice muffled.

Gren chuckled and grinned. “They are the best jelly tarts ever,” he agreed. He wasn’t sure what they were going to do with all of these pastries, though. The two of them – well, three of them – couldn’t eat them all at once. He figured the kitchen staff would know what to do with them.

“We should do this…,” Ezran said with his voice still muffled, then he swallowed, “more often.”

The castle garden was peaceful, with the cool, fresh air, the greenery and colorful plants bathed in the late afternoon light, and the silence except for the prince munching, birds chirping, and the leaves rustling in the wind.

The silence was interrupted when Amaya and Prince Callum entered the garden, with a “Are you sharing?” from Callum, and a fond smile and a signed “Enjoying yourself, I see,” from Amaya as she surveyed the scene in front of her.

Gren nodded with a smile of his own.

He basked in the peacefulness of his surroundings, the taste of sweet not-contraband on his tongue, and thought that this was a nice way for him to spend his leave.

And yes, Gren thought, he would have to visit the castle more often.

#the dragon prince #tdp exchange #tdp gren #tdp ezran

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