#Him choosing to use dark magic to save Rayla?? To be brave and do what he could??? | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

thethiefandtheairbender · 8 days

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hi!! i’ve been reading your atla metas and i know there’s been some conspiracy theories about aaron ehasz in the writer’s room, but i think you would be very happy to know that he recently liked a tweet acknowledging how azula and katara are narrative foils in zuko’s life! your meta on that was excellent btw

I think that might've been my tweet tbh! He and I are actually mutuals on twitter cause I mostly post about his show The Dragon Prince (TDP) (which imo makes the preferences pretty clear as a result, but I'll get more to that in a minute) and one of my friends has interviewed him a few times for it

I bring this up because years ago (well before I was on twitter) he expressed interest in reading a meta I wrote regarding Katara/Aang's romantic development with the main ship of TDP, Callum/Rayla. This was noteworthy because at the time, Callum and Rayla were heavily implied but not actually canon.

The reason I say it makes the preference(s), if they are some, clear is because Callum and Rayla, although not initially planned, have parallels to both Katara and Aang as well as Mai and Zuko:

They are literally Moon, Ocean, and Sky per the show's magic system. Rayla is a Moonshadow elf, linked to life and death, and Callum becomes a Sky and Ocean mage

There are parallels between bloodbending and dark magic (including evil puppetmasters) in which, like how Katara breaks and learns bloodbending to save Aang's life in S3, Callum likewise uses dark magic to save Rayla even after claiming he'd never use it

Rayla and Zuko both leave their partners apologies and goodbye letters before they go on quests they don't want to drag the other person into

"No, I think it's great! You're like a secret hero!" / "It's because Rayla is a hero."

Rayla being a little older and bit of a magical instructor for Callum in a similar manner to how Katara teaches Aang waterbending

[in defense of "you ran away"] "Aang is the bravest person I know. He's done nothing but help people and save lives since I met him!" / [in defense of "you ran away"] "Rayla's brave. She saves people [...] Rayla, you're the most amazing person I've ever met."

Callum and Aang asking Rayla and Katara, respectively, to trust enemies who could be allies (Claudia, Zuko) due to their past history, and the girls reluctantly going along with it

There's also this post again from pre-Callum and Rayla going canon in S3:

Although there's some overlap perhaps with how Zuko helps Katara in show re: her mother's death, as Callum will be helping Rayla get her parents' back and give closure that way, but it's framed very differently. Whereas Zuko is surprised by how Katara responds to Yon Rha and Aang is ultimately portrayed as the one who knows her better ("You were right about what Katara needed"), the closure Callum offers is more in line with how Aang reaffirms Katara's ability to choose, as Rayla was going to stay behind and die for her parents' perceived failure and has to reevaluate upon finding out the truth:

Katara: But now that I know he's out there, I feel like I don't have a choice. Aang: Katara, you do have a choice.

Rayla: What does this mean? What should I do? Callum: I don't know. But it's your choice. No one else's. Rayla: We should decide together.

There are more parallels, and nothing in TDP is a 1:1 by any means - every character / couple / aspect of the show is its own unique thing - but like... you can see where they're pulling more inspiration from, I think, and I expect there'll be more parallels going into S6-S7 for TDP.

#anyway as always if you like atla i think giving tdp a shot is worth it tbh #might not click with you the way it's clicked with me of course (it beat out atla for the top spot after like. 11 years)#but it's a really great show and these two are just one of the many reasons why #pro kataang #aaron ehasz #but yeah i don't think he tends to Ship things (per his own assessment) but to act like #he wasn't nudging kataang along when he wrote some of their most important eps is like #he was also doing his job. was once considered the big kataang shipper on the team #oh how times change #thanks for asking #anonymous

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beautifulterriblequeen · 3 years

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The Thief and the Tinker, Part 3: I See Fire

part 2

Part 3

Viren: Well how do you suggest we get him out?

Claudia: *grins, brandishes marshmallow on toasting fork* Unharmed is just another kind of harmed

Viren: Claudia no

Claudia: Claudia YES

I See Fire

Angst rating: 9/10

Viren is clever enough not to take the Silvergrove on alone, no matter how badly he wants Ethari to make him a magic key. Aaravos could be cooking in that pod for a while longer, but Viren still has a trustworthy and badass ally at his side.

Oh yeah, it's Claudia Time again!

Claudia is a powerful and imaginative dark mage, and she has the tainted Sun staff. So, you're the magefam, and you've made it to Xadia, to the edges of the Moonshadow Forest. And all you need to do to get the power of your dreams is to threaten one soft craftsman. But how do you find one specific Moonshadow elf in a hidden Moonshadow village somewhere in the middle of a giant spooky magical forest?

You burn him out.

Credit once again to@random-fandom-ramble for reminding me of this forest fire headcanon, because it fits so well. and so I don't get all the blame for this one, lol

Because see, that's not ordinary fire. Oh, no. That's dark magic fire. We've seen that before. It leaves permanent scars. Remember Sol Regem's eyes?

That's going to be the landscape when Claudia's fire gets through with the Moonshadow elves' home. Where I live on the US West Coast, they name forest fires, and if they combine, they get called complexes. So maybe we can name this fire the Dark Tragedy Complex? Because I do have to wonder... you could start a dark magic forest fire easily with a tainted Sun staff, but how do you put it out?

Two things are going to happen if these events should unfold. One is angsty. The other is also angsty but then amazing.

Firstly, Viren is going to get what he wants. He'll find Ethari, whose tree burned down :(. He'll show him the coins, and he'll offer a trade. Build what he wants and make it work, and Ethari can have his family back, uncoined and free.

And Ethari will say yes.

He'll say yes no matter what anyone else tries to persuade him to do, and I hope they do try, because see: Ethari has to make it look good. He has to make it look like he's all in on Viren's plan, to Viren. Even if that means turning his back on his people in their time of greatest need.

Secondly, the Moonshadow elves are going to be collectively homeless and bereft, hungry, injured, terrified, angry. They will have nowhere to go. They will be a people without a home. And no one else in Xadia will help them. Maybe they're too terrified to hide Ethari's people in case doing so brings Viren down on them, too. We've seen how ordinary elves flee in terror from dark magic. Maybe they're all fighting other issues, too. Viren knows all about stretching resources too far during times of crisis. Whatever the case, there will be no welcome anywhere in Xadia for the Moonshadow elves of the Moonshadow Forest.

But here's where it gets amazing. Because one hand will reach out. One small hand, from across the border. Good King Ezran will stand up on the seat of his throne and say, "You can stay here. I have forests. You're tired, you're hungry. You need medicine. Let me help."

And I'm gonna cry like a little baby.

How many cycles does this break, how many circles does it complete? Moonshadow elves used to live in Katolis before the border was created. When humans were under threat of total annihilation, the Moonshadow leader's daughter spoke up and asked for mercy. That mercy came in the form of land reassignment, and the Moonshadow elves had to give up their ancestral home, their Nexus, and travel east across the new Border. But that mercy got paired with justice, and the life-loving Moon Druids probably had to swear some kind of blood promise to keep an eye on the humans forevermore, and to kill any individuals who got out of hand, as if their sins were the Moonshadows' responsibility now.

That's got to breed a little resentment, a little superiority. "Look what we sacrificed for you, and this is how you act. Ungrateful." And maybe that was partially Luna Tenebris's goal: to hold to her vision of justice, she had to make the elves who shared her arcanum feel a little resentment. Moonshadows love life, but we can't have them being too soft to keep Xadia safe from dark mages, now, can we? I will never stop cackling over dragon politics okay, never

But the Moonshadow elves never figured on King Ezran. A soft boy who refused to let his father's assassination harden his heart, because every life is genuinely important to him. I've seen headcanons for Ezran getting the Sun, Earth, Ocean, and Stars arcanum. How about Moon, too? Because this is very Ethari of him, and if these stories of Viren's plan and the Moonshadow elves' displacement were actually to happen in tandem, the contrast between Ezran's soft choice and Ethari's hard one would be mindblowing.

Ezran completes the circle by inviting the Moonshadow elves to return to Katolis, to their ancestral home. They left long ago, paying the price for an act of mercy, but they were welcomed back by the mercy of humans, repaid after a thousand years, repaid in the face of tragedy. Tragedy on all sides. Tragedy Ezran wants to stop from happening, by being brave and caring and soft, and by being the first to break this thousand-year cycle between Katolis and the Moonshadow elves.

Rayla is his friend. And these are her people. It won't matter what they've done, only that they need help in a time of great desperation. And of course he'll help them. He's Ezran, and he's Katolis's greatest treasure.

Oh, what's that you say? Inviting the Moonshadow elves to settle in Katolis again would make it easier for Rayla to live with Callum in the future? Oh gosh, how about that? What a deal. *smug matchmaker noises*

And once the Moonshadow elves understand that they're safe and begin to trust Ezran--which could happen very quickly, because saving a Moonshadow elf's life when you didn't need to is a really fast way to prove you're trustworthy--maybe Ezran will be encouraged to take the next step toward peace, and eventually other elves and dragons will come to meet together to talk it over. And Ez will offer them jelly tarts, which they will love.

Back to Ethari, because we're not done with him yet. Ethari is soft, but he isn't weak. He won't be a willing pawn for Viren. He loves Runaan to the point of invention, and his devotion is more constant than the moon itself. He'll agree to do what Viren says, and he'll be Very Sad. But his spirit is in no way broken. Viren bribing him with the coins containing his family will only have the opposite effect. It'll give Ethari something to fight for.

We could get Focused Chaos Ethari. We could get Angery Trickster Ethari. We could get Rules, What Rules? Ethari. Let him try to steal the coins, try to break them, try to kill Viren, and be stymied at every turn, until he settles and seems cowed. And then all he does is craft his way out of the problem. What if we are gifted with Iron Man Ethari, who pretends to build a fake Key for Viren, but meanwhile he's really building a coinbuster with whatever he can get his hands on - primal stones, magically imbued gemstones, stolen artifacts, his own arcanum, his own reputation as the Master Craftsman of the Silvergrove. He'll use almost- almost - anything, to stop Viren and free his family.

Ethari may have to choose between those two things, though. And he's a hero, deep down, just like his family, just like his daughter. If he has to choose, he'll choose to stop Viren and save Xadia. He'll pay the same price as his family has if he must.

He'd let Viren think he was motivated purely by wanting his family back, but Ethari is far too steeped in the illusion and sacrifice for that to be all there is to his motives. It's a so-close-and-yet-so-far thing, how he and Viren almost embody the same ideals. Almost. Ethari would take one look at Viren, who just burnt down his whole Forest, he'd see the biggest threat in Xadia, and he'd say anything to get a chance to stop this juggernaut of destruction from getting his hands on whatever that ultimate power really is, locked behind that missing key. If he has to abandon his people and bawl his eyes out to convince Viren he's in, then he will.

And Viren wouldn't make it easy for him. He knows clever when he sees it. He went through all this trouble to persuade Ethari to work with him. He would need to keep Ethari as off-balance as possible to ensure that he keeps working as he should.

Angsty jewelry, anyone: Viren giving Ethari his husband in pendant form to remind him what he's working for, when Viren and Ethari both know full well that only dark magic can open the hellcoins. Ethari wearing another pendant of his love, except it's not a metaphor this time. It's literally his love, in a coin around his neck.

Viren would know that Ethari would have to stay close to Viren of his own free will if he ever hoped to free Runaan. And making people bind themselves to you is a big power flex. Remember that TDP stream future-season teaser note about Bait being in a creepy restraint in a future season?

This card is written on in all-caps, so that really could be "Bait" or "bait," or--knowing this show--both. Viren's been using Runaan as bait for Ethari all along. Putting his coin in a dark magic pendant casing for Ethari to wear would be a great parallel for that. Oh god. Oh man.

Maybe he'll stab the coin's scary casing right through that circle on Ethari's chest, right over his heart, make that Iron Man reference really obvious. Ethari also losing his shirt at some point, for angsty Viren-related reasons? It's more likely than you think. I mean... Ethari is literally involved in both forms of forging at this point. Shirt's gotta come off for uhhhh work reasons. And because he's hot. Because of all the forging. I mean how else are we finally going to discover what his markings look like

I mentioned that I liked god-tier villains, right? Yeah, this is amazing. I haven't wanted to die and ascend over an idea for quite a while, but Ethari vs Viren in a drawn-out battle of wills would kill me in the best way. Especially since, while it looks like they're essentially fighting for who gets Runaan, they're truly fighting a much larger battle with much higher stakes. They're fighting for the future itself. It's an epic struggle between the Narrative of Strength and the Narrative of Love. And we've seen what happens, over and over, when the Narrative of Strength gets to call the shots.

On a meta note: If Runaan and Ethari's story arc isn't a love letter from one trauma survivor to another, and on a broader scope to all survivors who see it, I don't know what is. Sometimes life just chews us up and spits us out and we can't stop it and it breaks us. But sometimes we can reach out and grasp the chance to help each other, even after that, even when it hurts a lot, because we know what it means to be loved, and to love, and to want a safer future for each other and for people we'll never meet. The future is worth standing together for, helping each other back up for, fighting side by side for, even if you can't see how it'll end, or even how to begin. We are stronger together, and sometimes we need to fight for our "together" before we can fight for anything else. And that's worth it, every time.

This is glorious, it's beautiful, it's tragic, it's amazing, it makes me want to dance, it makes me want to scream into the void, it makes me want to slap someone with a semi truck. No, someone specific, don't worry, and he super deserves it.

Because Ethari is going to win. He was always going to win. He's soft, and he's clever, and he hasn't forgotten what love means. It's what he's fighting for. Not power, not control. Love. He doesn't want to dictate Runaan's future, or anyone else's. He just wants his husband--and everyone else--to have one at all.

So he's going to win.

What beating Viren looks like, I can't guess yet. TDP is no stranger to angst, so there will probably be a high cost involved in thwarting the dark mage. Maybe not everyone can be rescued from the coins. Maybe Ethari will lose his life, or his soul, or his vision, or something else really angsty. Viren could even kill him and resurrect him as a smoky craftsman, or a zombie craftsman, or something equally biddable but horrible. The only thing I'm sure of is that Ethari would never willingly make a working Key of Aaravos Ethari as long as there's a chance Viren could possess it. But I do believe that if he gets the right opportunity while he's busy saving the world from Viren's dark intentions, he'll break his husband's hellcoin open somehow and set him free, even if he has to smile at the devil to do it.

part 4

#tdp #tdp theory #tdp speculation #tdp parallels #viren #ethari #laindrin #runaan #moonshadow elves #moonshadow assassins #hopepunk #tdp angst #heavy angst #tw trauma

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theredhairedmonkey · 4 years

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Why does Callum end up using Dark Magic? Was it to save the dragon or save Rayla?

He does Dark Magic to save both the dragon and Rayla in equal measure, with the added bonus that he also does it to shore up his own insecurities.

I’m a sucker for plotlines where a morally upright character does something ethically wrong, and as you can imagine, I think there’s a lot to unpack in this one decision. So, let’s dive into each of these reasons.

1. For the dragon

Once Rayla connects saving the dragon to the “cycle of violence” speech he gave her in S1, Callum agrees with her.

Callum: “You’re right. If we’re really going to change things, we can’t just watch while humans and Xadia keep hurting each other.”

Rayla tells him that, to break the cycle someone has to take a stand. Once he sees the connection between what he told her and what she’s telling him now, he agrees that leaving the dragon behind is wrong.

Callum has always been the kind of character who prioritizes doing the right thing. Rayla noticed that right away:

Rayla: “When we met, he could have had me captured or killed. But he didn’t, because without knowing me or anything about me, he saw past human hatred and did what he knew was right.”

Even before meeting Rayla in 1x02, Callum argues with his stepfather about the coming assassins.

When Harrow describes how there have been wrongs and crimes done on both sides, and that Harrow is responsible for terrible things, Callum doesn’t try to disagree. He doesn’t attempt to justify his stepfather’s actions or try to remain loyal to his side of the conflict. Instead, he says:

This scene helps highlight Callum’s naivete (“You’re the king, you can do anything”) but also his good-naturedness. He’s not taking sides in the conflict or dismisses the hurt that his own kingdom (heck, his own family) had caused Xadia. He understands that some of the people in his life, the ones he cares about the most, have wronged the side sending assassins to kill Harrow. A wrong had been committed, and Callum wants to set it right.

Indeed, after discovering the egg, Callum let what he hoped was the right thing guide his actions. He chained up Claudia to prevent her from attacking Rayla. Callum then confronted Runaan, letting him train an arrow at his head as he had Ez show him the egg.

He then confronted and even threatened Viren, putting himself in the crosshairs of yet another powerful figure (someone Amaya believes “may be the most dangerous human in the world”) while trying set things right.

He risks great personal injury (and perhaps worse!) in doing the right thing.

When all else fails, he’s the one who proposes the group take the egg to Xadia themselves, leaving behind their homes, family, and friends to set things right themselves.

Callum: “It’s up to us now. We have to return this egg. We have to keep it safe and carry it to Xadia.”

And when he needs to, he sacrifices his newfound power to save the Dragon Prince.

All of this helps lay out how Callum prioritizes doing the right thing over almost everything, even what was, at the time, his only source of self-worth. As Rayla says:

“He sacrificed everything so Azymondias could be born.”

When Rayla helps him realize why saving the dragon was the right thing to do, it frustrated him to no end that he felt he couldn’t help, even before knowing Rayla was going down there regardless.

But once he realizes that there is a way he can help.

He immediately bolts for the dragon. After taking Claudia’s spellbook, he looks through it to find the spell that would set dragon free, and then does it.

Callum does the right thing…despite knowing that the way he did it was wrong. And it’s precisely this motivation that Dark!Callum exploits to tempt him to continue using Dark Magic:

Dark!Callum: “You can have unlimited power, and you can choose what to do with that power. You can make a real difference in the world. All you need to do now is accept it.”

And it’s not until Dark!Callum says this that Callum is even remotely tempted.

And once he is tempted, it takes quite an epiphany for him to shake that temptation.

2. For Rayla

@raayllum lays out here how much concern Callum has about Rayla in this scene. But, it can be summed up with this line:

Rayla: “If I don’t come back, you and Ezran can get Zym to Xadia. I believe in you”

In general, Callum will go to extreme lengths to protect those he cares about. He wants to join the expedition against the incredibly dangerous assassins to protect his stepfather. Callum wants to dive after Ezran in freezing cold water, or will pretend to be him to throw an assassin off his trail. He’ll leap off a cliff and master a rare ability on the way down to save the love of his life.

In 2x07, when Callum hears Rayla say, “If I don’t come back,” he’s sent into a panic. He’s lost almost everyone he cares about in his life, and Callum is faced with the very real possibility that he’ll lose her too.

For this and other reasons (more on that below), we see him drawing Rayla. To give himself comfort that she will come back, but also upset that she may not.

So, it’s no wonder, knowing what we know about Callum, that he’s willing to take extreme measures to protect/save her too.

But that still leaves one final reason why he casts that Dark Magic spell…

3. For himself

Callum is his own harshest critic—while he has a good grasp on what the right thing to do is, he regularly questions his ability to do anything at all.

And these doubts are severe, enough to paralyze him or send him off the rails several times.

When he’s prevented from joining Soren’s mission to protect Harrow, Callum blows up at Ezran.

When he drives Rayla away and feels he is unable to save her from her own guilt, he gets angry at himself.

And here too, while Rayla goes off to save the dragon and Callum has been benched, he’s left fuming until breaking his charcoal pen sets him off.

Callum is not the kind of person who gets easily angered, but when he does, it’s almost always because he thinks he’s too helpless to change anything.

His drawings of Rayla help highlight something else besides how much he’s grown to care about her—he has her posing heroically as she leaps into danger because, deep down, Callum wishes he could be that heroic too.

It’s for this reason that he’s so hard on himself. Callum is a capable guy; his artistic talents and photographic memory are amazing. He’s able to improvise and plan rather well, is a good listener, and has an emotional maturity that surpasses many adults.

But in Callum’s mind, none of these things really matter because it wouldn’t help him, in his words:

“Be the heroes who stop all the fighting and save the day.”

As a result, he has a very skewed perception of himself—someone who is utterly useless, who isn’t brave or strong enough to make a difference.

In many ways, this reason is an extension of the first one—Callum is insecure because he knows what the right thing to do is, he just feels he’s too inadequate to do that.

And that pushed him to try Dark Magic. Without a Primal Stone or an Arcanum, Dark Magic was the easy way around all these roadblocks—it lets him do something he was great at (magic) without having to work at (and potentially failing toward) connecting to the Sky Primal.

Dark Magic makes him feel powerful. It makes him feel useful. It makes him feel like he can be a hero.

But it also feels wrong.

So, all three of these motivations are at play here—Callum’s desire to do the right thing, his desire to save Rayla, and his desire to be useful (which in a way is an extension of the first desire).

If you wanted to pick out one of these motivations as the primary reason, it would have to be Callum’s desire to do the right thing (i.e. “to make a real difference in the world.”). Callum is a good-natured kid; he really wants to make things right, and the gap between what he wants to do and what he thinks he can do is where his insecurities come from.

Callum is not tempted to try Dark Magic before because he understands, at least in theory, that it’s wrong. But the above reasons create a moment of weakness where he gives in and decides to use it.

But thankfully, there’s hope that the same thing that turned Callum to use Dark Magic is the same thing that would push him away from it. According to an interview here, Aaron Ehasz says the following about this moment:

“I think that, sometimes, the hero goes into the abyss before they can come out of it. I think he explored something dark, explored something that maybe he wouldn’t feel good about, but he may understand more clearly what he does now and what he’s accomplished having experienced the depths of a different kind of choice. So, I think it’s more about his character and the range of understanding he has. I do think you can’t mess with something like that and not have it stick with you. There’s something about it that will stay with him.”

My takeaway from these lines is that Callum, having tried Dark Magic once, realizes now better than most people why it’s so wrong. Much like how in other great stories (think Luke Skywalker using the Dark Side against Vader), Callum succumbs to his worst impulses and makes a devastating, almost fatal, decision.

But in crossing the line, he comes out the other side knowing just what his worst impulses are. He learns from his mistake, accepts that what he did was wrong, and grows beyond it. He now knows full well where he stands and knowing where he’ll go from here.

Callum: “Destiny is a book you write yourself!”

#callum #rayla #dark magic #pyrrah #ezran #harrow #viren #runaan #soren #claudia #zym #tdp #the dragon prince #rayllum

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trashyvirster · 5 years

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I admit that s3 was tough to watch as a Viren fan; not because his character “died”, but because it felt like his CHARACTER ARC died. To a lot of fans, he seemed to be a cardboard cut out villain and not the complicated villain we loved in S2.

But looking back on it, that's the whole point. His narrative shows his slow descent into evil and his fervent fall resulting in his own death. You gotta wonder what it all means.

I think Viren’s death symbolizes the END of his arc as a villain.

Here’s my timeline of Viren’s fall, death and ressurection.

The Man Harrow Believes In

Uncorrupted Viren

Viren is a genuinely good person at the start of this timeline, the day of the King’s Portrait. He’s such a good person Harrow himself insists he stand in the King’s portrait with him.

Viren is uncorrupted. He smiles! Acts a bit nerdy/goofy. He conveys love and adoration for Harrow with just his eyes. And he shows kindness for Sarai and her kids.

Titan Heart

Uncorrupted Viren

The next stop on our timeline is the Titan’s Heart flashback. As far as we can see, Viren is still uncorrupted. We see just how complex he is as a person. Pragmatic. Argumentive. Supportive. Stubborn. Caring. Resourceful. Brave.

1. Viren genuinely wants to support Harrow because he loves him. As his best friend, as his King. “FOR HUMANITY” is NOT his goal. Serving Harrow is his goal, its what he lives and breathes.

2. Despite his pragmatic arguments, Viren risked his own life to try to save two individuals. In other words, the sacrifice of the individual for the greater good is NOT something he’s happy to sit with.

3. He is BLUNT and honest. Uncorrupted Viren does NOT manipulate. He doesn’t say white lies either. On the contrary, he says exactly what he’s thinking and feeling. And sometimes that makes him a bit of an asshole. At least he’s an honest asshole!

4. He’s not vengeful or hateful. Sarai’s death greatly impacted him, but Uncorrupted Viren only shows grief and guilt.

This is his true self. This is Viren.

Thunder Slayer

Corrupted Viren

The first time we see Corrupted Viren is in the Virrow flashback of S3 when he and Harrow slay Thunder. Okay, this flashback is full of monstrous plot holes, but I’m gonna include it.

1. His personality is colder.

2. He doesn’t even acknowledge Ez’s presence in the room, compared to the King’s Portrait scene. Worrisome.

3. Where once was grief and guilt, now there’s only hatred for Xadia.

4. Where once he just wanted to support Harrow; he arguably has changed his goal. You’ve guessed it. FOR HUMANITY!! An amazing goal sure; but it’s impersonal…..And cold.

5. He didn’t exactly lie to Harrow. He told him he wanted to destroy the egg and why……...But he now keeps secrets from his King, his best friend.

6. He steals zym’s egg as a tool to use, justifying it because dragons are deadly and dangerous to humans anyways. Slippery slope.

7. He coins Rayla’s parents, for no real reason?? At least its not murder. Lol

8. His form is corrupted, symbolizing he’s no longer his true self. And he hasn’t been his true self IN YEARS.

Corrupted Viren is of gray morality; he’s NOT evil. He justifies his actions towards Xadia with his mindset “FOR HUMANITY” in a time of war.

Though he steals Zym’s egg as a tool….he never actually uses it. If anything, this shows that while Viren has an addiction to collecting Xadians as tools to use……..He can’t actually bring himself to use them unless it serves some sort of purpose for Katolis or Harrow.

The Man Harrow Lost Faith In

Corrupted Viren

We’re finally at the start of the show. Yes, the soft Viren that took shippers by the heart when he woke up Harrow is - corrupted. He’s been corrupted for years. But even as corrupted, Viren tries his best to be a good man, to be the man Harrow believed in.

1. Insisting one soldier give his life to Harrow was pragmatic. But Viren choosing to give his own life for Harrow….that was personal. This wasn’t a “for humanity!” moment. He wanted to give us life to Harrow, because he loves him.

2. Yes, he is short with Soren. But he tries to treat of his children equally; bringing them into the office for the debrief, together.

3. He (eventually) shows softness to both of his children and a great sadness at the thought of leaving them. LET ME EMPHASIZE. HE SHOWS SADNESS AT THE THOUGHT OF LEAVING SOREN. The scene is when he pleads with Soren “I hope you’ll understand! I’ll do anything, anything!”

While this Viren is capable of such cruelty towards Xadians, he shows true devotion and love for his kingdom and family. He’s gray, he’s corrupted, but he still has a heart. And yes, he shows love for Soren.

Villain

Dark Viren

But sadly, when Viren said “Goodbye Claudia” he meant it. Because when he walked out of Harrow’s room on that fateful day, he was no longer the same man. SOMETHING happened to him in that room. But what?

Dark Viren covers the remainder of S1 and most of S2. To summarize the startling differences:

1. Claudia is now the only living person he shows any amount of love to. But even his relationship to Claudia is not the same. Before he was vulnerable and honest. Now he lies and manipulates; even to Claudia.

2. Blunt honesty is out the window. Why bother reasoning with people when they’re all absolute idiots? If Viren can’t make them understand, then he will simply manipulate them. Especially Soren.

3. Virens love for his son has died. He is a tool to cultivate and use.

4. Viren intentionally divides his children; treating them differently.

5. While before, Viren’s “FOR HUMANITY” pragmatism was much more gray- here it morphs into something much more evil. A complete lack of care of what or who is sacrified, even if it’s his own son.

6. Giving Soren the mission to kill the princes is evil. His first true evil action on this descent.

But Dark Viren is still a very complicated man, far from a cookie cutter villain.

1. He shows a reluctance to actually murder with his own hands. He could have murdered Runaan, he didn’t. He could have murdered Gren, Opeli, the council, ect. He doesn’t. Which makes the mission he gave to Soren all the more cruel; he’s hoping Soren will do what he has yet to; spill blood.

2. He’s still very cautious with every step, especially with Aaravos.

3. He genuinely believes Xadia poses a threat. BECAUSE AMAYA SAID SO.

4. While he got pissed off at the pentarchy, taking vengeance was NOT his original response. When he returned to Katolis after the failed meeting, Opeli bitched at him, but Viren is so defeated he doesn’t even bother to bitch back, he just answers “for nothing….”

Dark Viren would finally give into Aaravos, admitting he desires for some important men and women to listen to him. Somehow Aaravos heard “so...murder? lollol”

Murderer

Evil Viren

With Aaravos guiding him, Viren became a murderer. It happened at the end of S2 with the Shadow Assassin spell; making him fall deep into the path of evil. Whereas Dark Viren could be redeemed, Evil Viren walked an unredeemable path ensuring his destruction and death.

When Aaravos told Viren to stop when the soldiers were trying to arrest him, Viren argues “But I have all the power I need to destroy them!” Sounds like a cookie cutter villain right? Because he became one. All of this was back in S2.

We can talk at length at how cookie cutter Viren felt in S3, at how horrible and cruel he was to Soren. But Viren being a cookie cutter villain isn’t a mistake. IT’S THE WHOLE DAMN POINT.

The point is Aaravos is evil and utilized Viren’s corruption. And by the end of S3, he’s practically posessed by Aaravos.

It was Aaravos who took Viren’s desire to have the pentarchy listen to him and transform that into murder. It was Aaravos who whispered in Viren’s ear to LIE to Claudia, resulting in gaslighting Soren. It was Aaravos who schemed for Viren to have an army - to conquer Xadia. It was Aaravos who schemed for Viren’s army to be gifted/turned into “monsters”. It was Aaravos who told Viren to take Zym’s energy. Did you notice where it was going??............Aaravos’ staff.

True, Evil Viren still had some nuance. Calling Claudia his daughter, saying he wants humanity to flourish, lacking a plan for what comes after attacking xadia lol. But he is a hollow shell compared to the Man Harrow Believed In of S1. And he lacks the rationality and caution of Dark Viren of S2.

The end result of Viren’s absolute descent into evil; attempting Zym’s murder - was his own death.

Dead Viren

Viren died at the height of his evil villainy. And he really died. He’s like dead, dead, super dead guys.

But you know what else I think died? His narrative as a villain. Why? Because he already did that. He had everything he asked for. He had an army of four kingdoms. He had magic. He had power. He had “control”. He gave it all, and he lost it all.

He didn’t just lose his life. He lost everything. Everything but Claudia. But actually you can argue...that he’s lost her too.

Why would he want to go through that again?

Resurrected Viren

But Viren was ressurected. The question is, what is his narrative now? Ah, a speculative meta for another day!

So have hope mage fam, because we have four more seasons to go and Viren’s ain't going anywhere. …….Redemption, and possibly saving Claudia from Aaravos, is still on the table.

PS. In my last meta, I said the ritual was one of healing. Well bitches, I wasn’t wrong! (wink)

#lordviren meta #viren #tdpspoilers #tdps3spoilers #meta

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porscheczar110 · 5 years

Text

Best Friends Chapter 10

Title: Challenges

Summary: Rayla and Callum are nearing the end of their journey. With their new found love for one another, they tackle some questions that will follow them wherever they go.

Read on Ao3 here.

---

When Callum woke the next morning, he almost thought the day before had been but a pleasant dream. There was no way that Rayla could love him. Actually love him in the way that he loved her. But when he looked down to find her snuggled against him, hand on his chest and softly snoring, he knew it was true. This girl, this elf, had sacrificed everything to keep him safe and fight for a chance of peace. But she still fell for him, and him for her.

It was a star-crossed match, he knew. Every playwright and romance author would say what they had was destined to fail tragically. But, the words of his father lived on, “your destiny is not yet written, Callum, you alone can choose”. And Callum knew. He knew that he would choose Rayla. Every. Single. Time.

He began pulling his fingers through her silvery white hair, entranced by its softness. With each stroke, he moved closer to the base of her horns until he was gently rubbing them. They were just as he remembered them, impossibly smooth to the touch with intricate patterns that he could make out with his thumb. Before meeting Rayla, Callum had thought horns were strange. Of course, he’d never even seen an elf before her, but his human history teachers had always said that horns were a demonizing feature that made elves the bloodthirsty monsters that they were.

Callum knew this was wrong now. Rayla’s horns were one of the things he found most attractive about her. It was something about how they were so separate, yet so part of her all at the same time.

He brought his free hand from her waist up to the base of her other horn and began rubbing there as well. A soft sigh escaped Rayla’s lips as she nuzzled closer into his chest. Finally, one of her eyes slowly cracked open, revealing the brilliant violet underneath.

“What’cha doin’ dummy?” Rayla’s accent was particularly thick in the mornings. Callum discovered long ago that, while she usually woke up before him, she was decidedly NOT a morning person.

“Oh, I’m just rubbing your horns…I hope that’s…ok?” Callum was a little nervous. They still had not discussed elven dating customs, so he could have been breaking a million rules in this moment.

“Mmmmm, its mor’ than ok. You jus’ keep doin’ that.” She pushed her head a little more deeply into his rubbing. It was obvious that she was enjoying this.

“So this feels good for you, then?” Callum smiled playfully. He was happy that he could make her feel good. Rayla wasn’t the most communicative person when it came to how she felt.

“Aye. It does. It’s something that elven mates do for each other. It’s an extremely intimate gesture. The only people that ever touch an elf's horn is yourself, your parents, and your mate. It’s seen as extremely rude to touch another’s horns, otherwise.” Rayla was more awake now. She was ready to share her culture and worries with Callum.

Callum’s face turned a bright pink as he stopped rubbing her horns.

“Oh, uh, I’m sorry. I rubbed and kissed your horns before we had the conversation from last night, didn’t I? I hope I didn’t offend you.”

Rayla closed her eyes and let out a little laugh. She took one of her hands from her lap and reached to her horns. She grabbed Callum’s hand and urged him to start rubbing again. Tentatively, he did.

“It’s not like you knew, Callum. I haven’t been particularly good about telling you how this all works for us. Plus, I’ve loved you for awhile. I just didn’t realize it until yesterday. I’m really sorry about that, by the way, you seem like you’ve been sure for awhile now?”

Callum had resumed the rubbing motion on the base of Rayla’s horns while he pondered the question. Meanwhile, Rayla’s eyes had shut again as she began to hum softly. She could have stayed like this the whole day if they didn’t have a mission they needed to finish.

“I am not sure I consciously realized it until after the village. But, yeah, looking back, it has probably been since the incident with the Dragon. I was so worried you wouldn’t come back that I went after you, against my better judgement. I had never done that for anyone but Ez before.”

Rayla smiled, opening her eyes again. It was a complicated memory, for sure. She still wasn’t pleased that he had used dark magic. But at the same time, she knew she would not have done any better in the same circumstances. She would have done anything to save him.

Rayla sat up and stretched her arms. Then, she took Callum’s hands in hers, “I think we fell for each other at the exact same time. After you wouldn’t wake up from your illness, I thought that I had lost you. I couldn’t stand to think of a world without you.”

“I love you Rayla.” Callum spoke softly.

Rayla’s insides felt like they were melting from the warmth that was building in the pit of her stomach. She hoped the feeling would never go away.

“I love you too, Callum.” She paused a little before continuing, “now, we should probably get going, we still have to return Zym, after all!”

——

They walked that afternoon in mostly silence. Both trying to determine how to bring up the more delicate topics that they wanted to discuss.

It was Rayla who finally broke the silence.

“Callum, how do you think humans and elves will…react to us? I can’t imagine that it will be positive…”

“Probably not. Humans are still bitter, a thousand years later about being kicked out of Xadia. They especially won’t like the thought of one of their princes being with a Moonshadow elf.” It came out a little more matter-of-fact than Callum had intended. But he had determined as soon as he professed his love that he wouldn’t sugar coat the struggles their relationship would endure.

Rayla’s face sagged a little as she replied, “I suppose that makes sense. It won’t be much better on the Xadian side, either. Elves have rather low opinions on the human race in general. You probably noticed that even Lujanne didn’t think that it was possible for you to be anything more than ‘just a human’.” Rayla was a little angry now and her ears were starting to flush.

“It’s so dumb! Of course our people hate each other. The only interaction any of them have ever had with the other has been in the context of war. Look at us, we fell in love in TWO months. Which is crazy considering I was on my way to murder your family in cold blood. UGH, everything we have been taught about each other is just so wrong.”

Callum could tell she was getting worked up now. It didn’t happen often, but angry Rayla was definitely not someone to be trifled with. He reached out and lightly grabbed her shoulder, turning her to face him. She tensed at the contact at first, but immediately relaxed into his touch. Rather than just staring at him, she drew him into a hug.

“I’m sorry Callum, it’s just a lot. I’m just...afraid that people will try and drive us apart any chance that they get,” she whimpered out.

“They will, Rayla. At every chance they get. But listen to me, we will be stronger than them, ok? When they come at us with hate, we will come at them ten times stronger with love. That’s the only way we can change the world, right? With love.”

Callum felt a slight jab in his right side and then a voice in his ear. “Callum, you are such a sappy prince.”

“But I’m your sappy prince.” Callum smiled as Rayla released him.

“That you are, dummy.” She grabbed his hand so they could continue walking. “So, we will fight for each other, no matter what?”

“Yes, no matter what. Just like we’ve done from the very beginning.” It was Callum’s turn to be brave. He gently pulled Rayla in for a drawn out kiss. She always tasted of moon berries.

—-

The rest of the day was filled with talk about potential futures and discussions centered around their families and dating customs.

Callum learned that moon shadow elves were a lot more conservative when it came to dating than humans were. Apparently, once a moon elf fell in love, it was almost impossible for them to stop loving that individual, even in the rare case of a divorce. It made sense then, why Rayla was so cautious about being in love. She would never be able to stop. That warmed Callum’s heart almost to the point of tears. He promised himself that he too, would never stop loving her.

Then, Rayla had discussed all the rituals and customs that elves went through to become “united”. She assured Callum that none of them mattered because he was a human. But he had protested, saying that he would go through each and every one of them. That warmed Rayla’s heart because he cared so much about respecting her culture.

It was Rayla’s turn to learn next. Callum told her about “normal” human customs and “royal” customs in regards to dating. When he told her about how humans arranged marriages to consolidate power, she almost lost it. How could they believe that would ever lead to happiness?! Before she could, Callum had rested his hand on her cheek and told her she didn’t have to worry. He would always be hers and hers alone.

By nightfall, both of their worries had melted off them as if they had never existed in the first place. They were laughing and giggling in each other’s arms and oh so in love. So, it made sense that they didn’t notice that they were no longer alone until Zym squawked in alarm. Callum felt a small prick in his side. When he looked down, there was a small glowing bug flying away into the night sky. Moments later, the world went dark.

Rayla, on the other hand, managed to dodge whatever creature that had knocked Callum out. She glanced at her human, lying limp on the ground before her. The warmth in her heart was instantly placed by a red-hot anger. Whoever had done this would pay.

“Show yourself!” Rayla shouted, her eyes stinging with rage.

A sky wing elf flew down and began to speak, “Rayla of the moon shadow, I am….”. Rayla didn’t let him finish. Just as soon as his feet had hit the ground, Rayla had drawn her swords, sprinted over to his landing position, and placed the swords to his neck. The sky elf shuddered.

“What did you do to my Callum? Is he dead? He better not be dead…” Her voice was seething with rage. She had just found Callum. She had just found the person that she wanted to love for the rest of her days. And now, now he could be dead.

“Oh, no no no. He’s not dead. We are not killers like you lot. He is simply asleep, just like you will be in a few moments.” The sky elf was obviously uncomfortable with the swords pressed against his throat. But, Rayla had not noticed the magical bug come back and land on her neck before it was too late. She felt a soft pinch, and before she knew it, the world went black.

#rayllum #callum x rayla #tdp #tdp rayla #rayla #tdp callum #the dragon prince #callum #rayla x callum

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beautifulterriblequeen · 4 years

Note

Right back at ya, same-ask-buddy!! *does a pew pew pew sound* If Runaan escaped and made it back to the Silvergrove first, how would Callum and Rayla’s trio have gone down?

Hmmmm, a good question! I’d always pictured Runaan heading straight for Rayla. But what if he didn’t? Maybe… maybe Gren busts him out and he does go galloping after Rayla–on Gren’s horse, hair flying, in a shirt borrowed from Gren-- “no you keep it, I insist!”, but he loses her at the docks, stows away on another ship, and ends up arriving in Xadia ahead of her.

Okay this got ridiculously long and entertaining, so thank you very much!

Runaan’s lotus would never have sunk, and Ethari would have been overjoyed to see him return, even in his injured and bedraggled state. And they’d both be frantic over Rayla.

I have a headcanon that the six lotuses make that pinging noise not only to indicate life, but so the elves who were bespelled can actually locate each other, exactly like Rayla did on the castle battlements. She ran out there, paused, there was a ping, and then she said, “You’re here, I know you are.” and there was another ping when Runaan yelled from inside the coin but let’s not think about how he was trying to reach out to Rayla nope

So I’d imagine that Runaan would pack his and Ethari’s mounts with gear and go back for Rayla and Callum (and, he assumes, Ezran). Maybe time for a fresh shirt, absolutely time for a couple new swords from his hubby’s wall, but no time for hair brushing, that mane’s gonna be wild and messy this whole ride. He’d find her back across the Moonstone Path.after Callum connected to the Sky arcanum, after he used dark magic. Both of those things would land hard on Runaan. And so would seeing baby Zym!

Rayla would absolutely stand between Callum and Runaan with her swords out. “I can do this all day,” she’d sass him. “But I’ve got a mission. I’ll ask you one last time, Runaan. Please, help me. But if you won’t, then please stay out of my way.”

And Runaan gets softly distracted by the way Zym is clinging to Callum in worry. Runaan the assassin is scaring the Dragon Prince. So he puts his swords down. “Very well, Rayla. I’ll escort you to the Queen of the Dragons.” A longsuffering sigh. “And the human. And then he’s going back across the border.”

Rayla’s feeling protective, though. “Let’s let Zubeia decide that.”

Another sigh. “That’s fair. Now come. We have a long journey ahead.”

Rayla sees he still has one binding on, and she asks Zym if he can help Runaan the way he helped her. Runaan is shocked when Rayla holds the Dragon Prince up to the white binding, and the little dragon pulls it free with his baby teeth. “There is more than one way to release, Runaan,” she says kindly.

And Runaan takes a moment to be totally thrown off his game. This is not the hard, cold world he’s used to. But he buries his confusion and thanks Zym for his help. I bet he smiles, too, and bows, and Zym licks his nose, startling him and making Rayla laugh.

So Runaan rides his Moonstrider–perfectly and with exquisite control–while Callum sits behind Rayla–way behind Rayla, trying not to touch her at all–on the Shadowpaw. Zym perches anywhere he can on the Shadowpaw or its riders. He doesn’t ride behind Runaan.

Callum’s got to be struggling with the dichotomy of who Runaan is. He knows Runaan killed Harrow. But here he is being softer, off his mission.

The border is another unpleasant surprise: Callum’s use of dark magic means that Sol Regem won’t let him pass. Runaan’s willing to let Callum live and return home, but Rayla insists that the quest will mean so much more if Callum’s a part of it when they reach Zubeia. Runaan quietly disagrees, but Rayla says she’s not leaving him, so Runaan can once again get out of her way or help.

Runaan’s not used to this kind of leadership-level defiance from her. But her plan is sound, so he offers to help, to make sure it goes smoothly. Naturally, he ends up dancing across Sol Regem’s crown to throw off the sunbirds and their alarm cries, and distract the dragon at some critical point. Once they’re safe on the other side, though, he insists on bath time for the stinky human. Sits on a rock overlooking the little pool where Callum’s washing off. Doesn’t make the slightest attempt at conversation.Does manage to chuckle wryly at Callum’s suggestion that Runaan should go guard Rayla at her own pool, as if she needed Runaan’s help to stay safe.

Back at the Silvergrove, Runaan and Rayla dance to open the village illusion, while Callum has to stay to the side with Zym and watch. It took Rayla a whole day to convince Runaan to let Callum into the Silvergrove at all, and Callum tipped the argument by offering to go blindfolded the rest of the way. Runaan tied his scarf over his eyes and let Rayla make sure he didn’t fall off the Shadowpaw and die or anything.

The Silvergrove is still in a bit of uproar over the assassins’ deaths, and seeing a human in the village doesn’t calm things down. Runaan is put in the position of having to glare them into silence, defending Callum, and that makes him grumpier. But Rayla’s so happy! She’s home, and she gets to show it to Callum.

They all get Moonberry Surprise, and Ethari gets to explain what he knows about the Dragon Queen dying, and to take care of his family and see to their needs. He can’t stop touching Runaan, to prove to himself that he’s okay, back home safe. And he keeps hugging Rayla. Runaan won’t thank Callum for saving Rayla with dark magic. But Ethari does thank him for looking out for her the whole way here.

There is no “two blankets or just one” here. Runaan balks at the idea of letting Callum inside at all but Ethari tsks at him and says he’ll take care of it. He makes Callum a nice toasty hammock that hangs near the forge and keeps him toasty warm.

Runaan is in a much better mood the next morning. Ethari put in a lot of effort to relax and encourage him, because he knew what Runaan was going to do next: take Rayla and Callum and Zym to the Storm Spire. And he does. He seems a little baffled that he cares this much, but he’s doing it for Rayla, and Ethari insists it’s the right thing to do, and that he’s the perfect elf to make sure they get there safely.

All packed up, they head out the next morning. Runaan’s his usual stoic self, leading the way. And Ethari has given him his own pendant to wear. Callum is bursting with questions as he rides behind Rayla, and she answers him with her usual teasing sass. Hearing her voice, how easily she converses with the human, both soothes and worries Runaan. Knowing he’s got his arm back thanks to Zym is giving him a lot to think about, too. He’s basically using this part of the trip to process his feels, just like Rayla did in canon.

Ethari still shoots his lighthawk arrow, and Nyx intercepts it. But Ethari, tricky elf, doesn’t mention Runaan in his note, so Nyx doesn’t expect an assassin to be guarding the kids she’s come to mislead and rob. She smartens up at the tip of his blade, while Rayla elbows Callum and winks as if to say “Watch this.”

Negotiations ensue and an accord is swiftly reached, in which Nyx will lead them across the Midnight Desert, and if she doesn’t try anything clever, she’ll be rewarded on the far side. She agrees readily, and they set out. Runaan stays up all night at the oasis, so Nyx never tries to steal Zym.

Rayla and Callum still have a midnight chat, but it doesn’t start with her tears. She has both her dads and she was never ghosted. What’s weighing on her heart is whether she can live up to Runaan’s expectations now that she’s let him down once. She’s afraid he’s going to disown her or something. That he thinks she needs shepherding across Xadia like she can’t get there herself. She feels like he’s treating her like a child.

Callum sees something else. But he’s not comfortable talking about it because it paints Runaan in a much kinder light than he’s used to. He sees a stabby dad trying to make up for dragging Rayla onto a terrible mission, by helping her with her own, by trying to ensure that it goes well. He sees Runaan being protective and very very lowkey apologetic. But he’s not ready to allow Runaan to have that side yet. He ends up talking about Harrow for a couple of hours, and Rayla listens.

Runaan has to choose between keeping an eye on Nyx and keeping an eye on Rayla. He chooses Nyx. So he misses the part where Rayla kisses Callum and then glances over worriedly to see if Runaan was watching.

Runaan’s pretty exhausted the next sunrise as the ambler carries them across the desert, and the moment he’s out, Rayla and Callum grin and look at each other like they’re about to kiss again. And Nyx takes Zym and makes a beeline for the far side of the desert. Callum and Rayla yell after her. Runaan wakes and grabs his bow. His arrow finds Nyx’s wing before Zym can zap her. She still tumbles into the sand, and Runaan’s not interested in picking her up again. He’s woken up very grumpy. But while Zym returns to Callum, Rayla goes after Nyx and rescues her. Runaan isn’t really on board with her plan, but he does pot shot soulfang serpents from the ambler’s saddle to give Rayla enough room to reach Nyx safely and bring her back. Callum’s too worried about Rayla to really think about how easily Runaan can kill stuff.

Callum totally does his “Because she’s Rayla” speech right in front of Runaan. He’s just as flabbergasted as she is, because he knows just as well as Rayla what open feelings mean among Moonshadows. He doesn’t expect Callum to know that, but he knows Rayla knows. And she’s letting Callum keep talking.

“Rayla.” They both jump when he calls her name. But he just wants to talk. So, like the Moonshadow warriors they are, they climb way up the ambler’s neck, leaving Callum behind, and talk. Rayla shows Runaan how she sees Callum: brave, warm, a team player, skilled with primal magic, willing to do foolhardy things for the right reasons. And then she spins that, not onto herself, but onto Ethari and Runaan both. It’s her “I like him because he’s like you” speech. Runaan doesn’t see a single iota of Callum in himself. But he does see some of Ethari. And that gives him a lot of pause. He needs some time to think, so he tries to buy it by saying, “Don’t trust him yet.”

Rayla just sasses back, “Oh, it’s way too late for that, Runaan. He’s saved my life four times already.”

They cross the desert and Nyx cheekily demands her reward. Runaan gives her a raised eyebrow of judgment. “You said if I led you across the desert and didn’t try anything clever,” she says, “I’d be rewarded. And,” she adds, holding out her hand for payment, “I think we can all agree that I wasn’t very clever just then.” She tosses a sassy wink in with her grin.

Runaan just stares at her. Then he pulls one of his arrows from its quiver, snaps it in half, and hands it to her. “No one will buy that from you, so don’t try.”

“What’s it good for, then? A busted arrow.”

“A broken Moonshadow assassin arrow means your justice will come later. Try to live long enough to appreciate it.”

The group travels to the Storm Spire, and Ezran and Phoe-Phoe find them there. Runaan hangs back from Ezran, but he’s very distracted by Phoe-Phoe’s tranformation and her feather. He wants to ask Rayla about the Moon Nexus, but now isn’t the time. And this all happens in Avizandum’s shadow, making everyone feel very uncomfortable. Callum says his speech about how the statue makes him feel, and he says it loudly enough for Runaan to hear on purpose. Rayla holds his hand and stands with him. Runaan eyes Avizandum, then he looks back at the kids. He never intended to get this soft, but it’s Callum who’s letting him. It’s getting harder not to respect the young prince, because he does have so many traits that Runaan admires about his husband. But there’s a heavy shadow that lies between them, and it can’t ever be lifted.

Runaan takes the mounts up the Spire behind the kids. Ezran and Callum revive them with Ventus Spiralis. Runaan looks at Callum speculatively–he could’ve just let him suffocate. Callum just says, “We’ll need everyone together on this.” Because yes, it’s one thing to return to the Dragon Queen with an elf and a human bearing Zym safely. It’s another to return in the company of the assassin sent out to take Harrow.

But Zubeia isn’t awake, and soon Ibis sees the human army is coming. He flies off for help, and Runaan and Rayla find themselves where Lain and Tiadrin were, in the egg chamber. And then Runaan tells her what he saw in Viren’s coins. “Lain and Tiadrin didn’t run, Rayla. Viren took them, and he still has them. We were wrong.”

Callum defends the base of the Spire, and Runaan, surprisingly, joins him, leaving Rayla to stand where her parents stood. He just offers Callum a tolerant look when he steps out beside him, arrow nocked on his bowstring.

“Fighting to protect who you love?” Callum asks quietly.

Runaan pauses. “Always.”

Callum sketches a Fulminis rune. “Same here.”

And they fight side by side. Runaan keeps Callum safe. Callum keeps Runaan safe. It doesn’t resolve much. But it’s a start in the direction of forgiveness and trust.

And then after the battle, Ezran tells them that Viren’s sneaked up top after Zym. Runaan and Callum dash up the stairs, with Runaan pulling Callum by his coat half the way.

They reach the top in time to see Viren toss Rayla back, her swords flying. Runaan pushes Callum toward Rayla. “Stop her. He’s mine.”

Callum gasps as he sees Rayla gathering herself for a run at Viren. He leaps after her, spurred by desperate love, and tackles her into his arms on the steps of the Pinnacle. “Rayla,stop, you’ll die, you can’t! Don’t leave me. I need you.”

The words tumble out, but a shadow flickers past them, and they both look up in time to see Runaan tackle Viren off the cliff.

“No!” Rayla and Callum both yell. They scramble up, pick up a frightened and hurt Zym, and stare down into the clouds.

“I can save him, I can save him,” Callum’s mumbling. “I can do the wing spell, I know I can.”

“Look!” Rayla points down into the clouds. Something’s circling. Then a dark red shape bursts up into the setting sunlight, spirals, and lands back on the Pinnacle beside them. Runaan lets the shadowhawk spell dissipate and holds up the pendant chain, now empty of its moon opal.

“Love really does give you wings,” he says. He rests a hand on each of their shoulders, sees Viren’s fallen relic staff. “You��re the mage, Callum. You should look after that staff. Perhaps we can find a good use for it.”

And with one hand, he holds up a little pouch that he pickpocketed from Viren on the way down and jingles it. “Right, Rayla?”

#asks #theredhairedmonkey #rayla #callum #runaan #ethari #zym #zubeia #ibis #nyx #viren #runaan escapes au #tdp #tdp au

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