Hello! I liked a post that you made a while back about writing a tdp fanfiction concerning Finnegrins wake and Soren asking Ezran not to intercede on his behalf when dealing with Deadwood and BROTHER I have scoured the internet for this fic I WOULD LIKE TO READ IT PLS! Do you post your works publicly?? I love your ideas!!
hi there! thank you so much for your kind words they mean loads!!
i post on ao3 (not all are public tho) but that specific snippet is acc part of a much longer fic i have in the works
i have a different tdp fic that I'm posting at the minute (not regularly dkjfdk life is busy and i am only one small person) so I won't be posting the ezran one until i've finished that BUT
x. x. x. x. x. are all snippets from the same fic - its very ezran centric and especially his relationship with corvus and soren. it may also be one of the longest things i've ever written but i'm already so so proud of it
i don't imagine i'll be posting it any time soon BUT here's another snippet from that section because i really appreciate your words!
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Then, not even three weeks later, Finnegrin happens.
Earlier, in what feels like aeons ago, while they were hunting for a ship and captain to take them to the Sea of the Castout, Rayla had confessed some of her experience in Scumport. Not in its entirety, he knows, - because Soren is used to half-truths - but he also knows Rayla well, and knows the young woman wouldn’t tell him everything. Despite this, it’s evident that this Tidebound elf is nothing but bad news. Soren doesn’t regret what they’ve done to save innocent animals and he’d hazard a guess that neither does Ezran but guilt swirls painfully within the young king like a storm.
But those baby glow toads - the affectionately dubbed Baitlings - are not his charge. Ezran is.
So with moments before Finnegrin boards The Ruthless, Soren, with his heart thumping painfully in his chest, turns to King Ezran and kneels before him. He gently puts a hand on Ezran’s shoulder but his gaze is intense and expression serious, a far cry from the normal brightness in his eyes.
When he speaks, his voice is low and firm, almost unfamiliar - even to himself.
“Ezran, I need you to promise me that you won’t do anything. Nothing, not a single thing, you hear me?”
“W-what? Soren-”
“Just listen. Don’t talk to him, do not draw attention to yourself, don’t try to be diplomatic - there are no laws to protect us in Xadian waters. No trading nor bartering, no compromises, no heroics, no nothing.”
Something flickers across Ezran’s face at ‘heroics’ to which he opens his mouth but Soren shakes his head and shushes him.
“Ezran, my king, please.” Soren pleads as Finnegrin's heavy footfalls draw closer like a funeral toll, “Promise me this.”
Ezran’s jaw snaps shut and with wide eyes, he searches Soren’s own. Whatever he finds - Justice knows what he sees - the boy nods stiffly and Soren feels something in his insides loosen.
“Okay, Soren” he whispers and Soren can hear the hidden ‘I trust you’
Then, Soren notices a muscle working in his jaw and takes in the boy’s wide blue eyes and the way Ezran clings onto Bait tightly and it’s this observation that makes Soren soften.
Ezran is scared.
“It’ll be okay.” Soren promises, despite knowing you should never make promises like this.
He squeezes Ezran’s little hands in his own, wondering how they are still so small but also so much bigger than two years ago. Ezran gives a wobbly smile in return which quickly dissipates as one of Finnegrin’s crew rips Soren away roughly. His king cries out and Soren’s heart feels like it’s going to bruise within his chest.
Soren is sent sprawling to the ground, and despite the way he can already feel the bruise on his shoulder, gives Ezran a little look, reminding the boy of what he promised. Ezran snaps his jaw shut and furiously blinks away some tears. The King and his knight, alongside their group, are forced to their knees and bound, shoulder to shoulder.
As the pirates do this, they rip Bait from Ezran’s arms and Soren can see the panicked horror on his king’s face and feels a stab of guilt in his heart. This is necessary to protect Ezran, he has to remind himself or else he knows he’ll go insane. He presses his foot against Ezran’s in an attempt to comfort him and Ezran glances up at him for a brief moment with tears filling his eyes.
Soren has to ignore another wave of guilt at this sight, especially when Bait is thrown into a cage and Ezran tenses, visibly swallowing. That’s not even mentioning the terrified glances Ezran is giving Zym who has a chain bounding his wings, and the young dragon has equally wide, scared eyes.
Nyx gives some half-hearted apology to Villads about his ship but Soren isn’t listening to her, too busy scanning the ship with narrowed eyes. He runs the numbers - fifteen on the deck, four of which are behind him, considering a ship this size, more would be below in the brig. In his peripheral vision, he can see King Ezran looking around with a furrowed brow under his crown. His heart clenches at the sight and he toughens his resolve.
It would be okay - it would have to be okay - as long as they were all together, and as long as a plan came to mind quicker.
Then, there are heavy steps, growing louder. Closer.
Ezran tenses by his side and again, he tries to press his foot towards his king, to offer comfort. The boy takes a deep inhale, steadies himself and smiles gratefully back at Soren. The smile doesn’t wobble as much and a smile from his twelve year old king shouldn’t make him feel that much better but it does.
Though, as Finnegrin appears, any relief dissipates.
Soren has never met a Tidebound Elf before. Broad shoulders, grey-blue skin, Finnegrin instantly stood out among his crew, but equally, blended in with the stormy skies and ocean. Fin ears, coral-esque horns and gills on his neck were the most notable of his oceanic features while his long dark coat, tunic and boats made him instantly recognisable as a pirate. Or a pirate, unofficial-king, as Rayla said.
Although, one of the first things Soren noticed was that he carried no sword.
Swords had honour. Not all blades do.
But instead, Finnegrin flips a coin as he steps before their group, barely giving them all a glance. Despite this, Soren just knows that although this situation was bad enough, the Tidebound pirate captain was hardly going to make it any better. He could dream though.
“Take ‘em to the bridge.”
Shit. Soren thinks briefly before everything gets far worse with four more words.
“Keep this one separate.” Finnegrin’s rough voice commands as he stands before Callum.
Double shit.
Both Ezran and Rayla look instantly panicked as an Earthblood elf pulls at Callum, dragging him roughly away from the group. Then, as Ezran reaches out to his brother, one of the pirates yanks him back down, nails digging into his shoulder to chain him up and Callum looks faintly murderous at the sight.
The mage puts up a struggle as his brother and friends are chained but Soren manages to catch his eyes long enough to give him a firm nod. Soren’s message is clear.
I’ll protect them.
For a moment, Callum’s face cracks open - utterly terrified - but the mask is back on and he returns the gesture with a stiff nod of his own. The motion is stilted and barely disguises an ugly rage that Soren recognises in more ways than one.
Then, that’s it. The pirates separate the group; an Earth titan takes Callum to the captain’s quarters, the rest of them to the brig.
King Ezran is true to his word - as is expected - but it still fills Soren with rage at the way the pirates roughly shove Ezran into the brig, how the chains are too big around his wrists but not big enough.
But still, despite it all, Ezran says nothing, only looking ahead with his jaw clenched and frame tight. Soren tries to not let his eyes leave Ezran’s form except from cataloguing each possible escape, possible weapon, every avenue of freedom. But once the trapdoor to the brig is closed with a telltale lock, he knows this pursuit is meaningless.
