Fate’s Divergence Chapter 3
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Disclaimer: I don’t own Dragon Prince
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Callum gazed out the window anxiously, trying to pinpoint his mother and stepfather’s horses on the horizon, but all that greeted him was the dull wintery lands of Katolis. He sighed, nervously fiddling with his hands before going back to his desk where many of his drawings were, along with his sketchbook.
It was the best gift he’s ever gotten. Now he could have something to take with him everywhere and sketch whatever came to mind. He was so grateful to the king for giving it to him, for giving him and his mother a home with him, for giving him a baby brother. Callum was very lucky, he thought.
If only they would return, then he’d be even more lucky.
His tongue poked out of his mouth as he carefully sketched his mother, the king, him, and his baby brother Ezran. Callum was hoping to give it to his mother and the king when they returned, to show how much better he’s gotten at drawing. He was excited to hear his mother’s voice praising him and the king’s gentle laugh.
He missed them greatly.
The sun was well over the horizon by the time he finished, Callum giving a satisfied grin at his work. He was young, but his mother often praised him for having such talent. She joked he could maybe do portraits one day. The king said he might even hire him to do his own portrait.
“Callum!” six-year-old Claudia, Lord Viren’s daughter, burst into his room practically bouncing. “They’re back! Dad and the king and queen are back!” she announced. Callum grinned shyly, hastily getting up from his desk to join her. She grabbed his hand and they ran through the palace, giggling in happiness at the return of their families. By the time they got to the courtyard, eight-year-old Soren was already there, huffing.
“What took you so long?! They’re coming in the gate now!” Soren complained. Claudia dropped Callum’s hand and tackled Soren in a hug, making the boy go “oof!”
“Oh come on, Sor-bear! We didn’t take that long! You’re just impatient!” Claudia playfully critiqued her brother. “A future crownsguard should learn patience from time to time!”
“As a future crownsguard, I’ll outrank you so you should give me respect!” Soren stuck his tongue out at her. Claudia responded by yanking his tongue with her fingers. “Ack! Wold fwingers!” Soren cried.
“Here they are!” Callum interrupted the siblings, seeing the traveling party enter, the titan’s heart in tow. Callum saw both his mother and the king were safe, if a little worse for wear. Nonetheless, seeing them all right made him relieved.
“What’s that?” Soren questioned, and Callum directed his attention to what Soren was pointing at. He was so caught up in seeing his family safe that he didn’t notice the other person on Harrow’s horse, riding with him. His eyes widened.
“It’s an elf!” Claudia said excitedly. “Oh! They must’ve brought her home for Dad’s Dark Magic! Think of all the things he can do with elf ingredients!” Claudia was on Cloud 9 with all the possibilities.
Callum stayed silent, just watching the elf. She looked like his age. He didn’t know elves could be kids too. His green eyes traced her features, lingering on her pointed ears and horns, fascinated.
However, what unnerved him was the desolate look in her violet eyes, as if she was being led to the gallows. Callum felt his heart clench for some reason, wanting more than anything to reach out to her. The king was kind—he was sure he was treating her well, Callum reassured himself.
“Ohhhh I wonder if they really do suck blood! That’d be interesting to study.” Claudia remarked. Soren scoffed.
“God, you’re so weird Clauds. Drinking blood is disgusting!”
“Not for Elves I heard! I mean, what else do they eat?”
“How about actual food? At least… I hope so.” Soren looked like he was going to turn green. Claudia laughed, ruffling his hair.
The party stopped right near them and Claudia and Soren raced to their father. Viren got off his horse to greet his children.
“Dad! Are you going to dissect the elf?” were Claudia’s first words.
“NO!” Queen Sarai finally spoke, looking horrified at the prospect. “No, Claudia. No dissecting will be allowed.” She said a little more gentle to the younger girl, who was shocked the kind queen spoke to her in such a manner.
“She is to be treated with respect, children.” Harrow told them, dismounting his horse, turning to take the little elf in his arms. She numbly accepted his assistance, glancing around in a dull manner. It appeared she was shaking a little. Harrow rubbed her arms to try and soothe her. Callum also wanted to approach and soothe the elf girl. He felt himself take a step forward, his hand twitching, before another voice called him.
“Callum!” his mother was joyful when she saw him. Callum’s heart leapt in happiness, racing towards Sarai as she dismounted. The queen embraced her son tightly. “I’m so glad to see you!”
“Mom…?” Callum voiced, noticing the tired eyes and sad smile. “Are you okay?”
He saw his mother glance at the elf, observing her, before turning her head towards him again.
“Yes. I am fine. Never better.” Sarai promised. He couldn’t help but feel there was something she wasn’t sharing, but he didn’t want to make her sad. He hugged his mother again, trying to convey he was here for her if she needed it.
“Callum!” King Harrow called, walking towards them with the elf still in his arms. Callum saw the elf had a curious glint in her eye, despite her slumped posture. Callum surveyed her curiously as well. His hand twitched again, wanting to touch her. Everything about her was so captivating. Her skin, her hair, her eyes, her markings, her ears, her horns—he wanted nothing more than to portray her on paper. “I hope you and Ezran were good while we were away?” the king teased.
“Yes sir. Ezran missed you.” Callum straightened his posture while addressing the king. The king gave him a tender smile.
“I missed you both as well.” He then knelt down, showing him the elf. “This little one will be living with us from now on. I would like you to think of her as family, okay?”
Callum could see Lord Viren grimace at the statement, eyeing the elf with distaste in the background. As for Soren and Claudia, they were watching the interaction between Harrow and him with interest.
His eyes found the elf’s again, and they stared at each other. He could see under the dullness, she had a hint of apprehension in her eyes, as if expecting he was going to hurt her. He saw her clutching Harrow for dear life, and Callum realized she had four fingers instead of five on each hand.
“Hi…” he said quietly, as if nervous a loud noise was going to scare her. “I’m Callum. What’s your name?”
She simply blinked at him, before shaking her head in dismay.
“Manka ere' amin sinte mani lle naa sayien…” she murmured in a foreign language that Callum’s never heard before. She turned to the king, tired, but firm. “iire amin naa goien gurth-?”
“It’s all right, little one.” Harrow reassured her. “Callum, Sarai, Ezran, and I will make sure you’re happy. I promise you.”
“How long is she going to stay with us?” Callum wondered. He hoped it was for a while. He would love to draw tons of pictures of her!
“This is her home now, sweetie.” Sarai placed a hand on his shoulder, smiling softly. “She’s going to be with us for a long time.”
“Come, let’s go inside and get settled in.” Harrow beckoned everyone. He then turned to Viren. “How soon can you do the spell, my friend?”
“I can do so immediately in the morning. Tonight, I will prepare everything.” Viren replied. Harrow sighed in relief.
“Excellent. Escort the wounded to the infirmary and everyone relax for the night.” Harrow told everyone. Callum saw Aunt Amaya went with the wounded and frowned.
“Is Auntie all right?” he asked Sarai.
“Yes. She just got injured a little, but she’ll be fine.” Sarai reassured her son. “Let’s go inside now and we’ll see Ezran as well.”
Callum grinned.
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Harrow had placed the elf in a bedroom near Callum’s before they went to dinner, saying she needed rest. Callum was disappointed he wouldn’t see more of the elf, but figured she probably was tired with how exhausted she looked.
He wished he could understand what she was saying. Sarai and Harrow explained she didn’t know Common, and that made him wonder what language she was speaking.
“She was speaking Elvish, sweetie.” Sarai told him smiling. “All elves in Xadia speak Elvish. She knew some Common so it’s possible she was in the process of learning it.”
“We maybe should’ve asked Xadia to give us a translator for her then.” Callum said as he gulped down some food. “Then maybe we could know what she was saying! Maybe you guys should write a letter to Xadia asking to come help her learn Common?”
Sarai and Harrow shared a look. Ezran was giggling, playing with his food as Sarai fed him. Callum caught the look.
“What’s wrong?” Callum was confused. “Can’t Xadia help?”
“…no, sweetie. Xadia can’t help.” Sarai finally said. Callum furrowed his brow.
“Well then Xadia is mean! Did they kick her out? Is that why she’s with us?” Callum continued to ask questions, the mystery surrounding the elf driving him mad.
“She’s with us because she helped us.” Harrow finally said, him and Sarai looking uncomfortable. Callum grinned.
“Oh! She helped get the Magma Titan’s heart! Xadia probably was mad at her then!” Callum concluded. Sarai and Harrow didn’t correct him. He helped himself to some more food. “It’s okay! She’ll be happy with us! We’re going to take care of her, right?”
“Yes.” Sarai told him, smiling gently. “We’ll take care of her no matter what.”
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“I should’ve told him…” Sarai whispers when her and Harrow are alone in their room, Ezran sleeping soundly at her chest. “I should’ve told him my mistake.”
“He’s young, Sarai. I don’t think he would understand.” Harrow tried to comfort his wife. Sarai shook her head.
“The little elf understood perfectly what we’ve done!” Sarai protested. “How can we believe she’ll be happy here when she knows in the back of her mind, I was the one who took her from her home?” Tears came to her eyes. Harrow looked at her in sadness.
“Maybe so… perhaps we are foolish in thinking we can make the little one happy…” Harrow said, but then he smiled at her. “But… I will never stop being thankful for her standing up to Thunder to protect you. Perhaps she’ll be angry for a long time, but eventually, hopefully, she’ll come to know how much it means to us she did what she did, even if it didn’t turn out the way she expected.”
“So we ignore her anger?” Sarai was displeased with that option.
“No. We accept it. We take it. And we share in her suffering.” Harrow told her. “We must accept we caused her suffering but show her we hold no ill will towards her, even if she never forgives us.”
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Rayla stared out at the moon mournfully. Humans confused her. They don’t torture her or chain her up. Instead, they put her in a nice bedroom and fed her good food! She couldn’t help but constantly think she was entering a trap. Maybe they were sadistic and wanted her to be comfortable before they killed her?
Perhaps their sadistic ways are what got them banished from Xadia. They invented Dark Magic after all. It made sense.
Yet, she remembered the human male and his human woman (she figured they must be married with the affection they give each other) speaking to her softly, giving her comfort, despite neither of them understanding what she was saying and she them. She remembered the human woman who made weird gestures with her hands, giving her an easy-going smile.
She wished more than anything she knew more Common. Rayla was just beginning to learn from Runaan and Ethari what Common was. It was so much different than Elvish that’s for sure. She knew several phrases like “Don’t hurt” or “Go away” and words like “Mum” and “Dad” and “No” and “Yes” but that was about it.
She refused to beg though. Moonshadow elves do not beg for mercy. She would not plead or sob to spare her. It would be honorless.
Rayla gazed once more at the moon, brow creasing. She wondered what her parents, Runaan, and Ethari were doing right now. Did they miss her? She certainly missed them.
Tears came to her eyes, but she hurriedly wiped them away, glaring at the tears in her hand. However, her eyes continued to make more. She hiccuped.
It hit her then—how she would never see her parents or Ethari or Runaan ever again. She would never get to learn how to be a Moonshadow elf warrior or grow up with her kind. She would never get to frustrate Runaan again with her stubbornness or hear her mother’s lullabies or have her father braid her hair or have Ethari make her moonberry surprise. She would never see her king or her queen. She would never see any elf ever again.
She would never see Xadia, her home, ever again.
Sobs wracked her body violently as she curled in on herself. Tears rushed down her cheeks, and she hugged herself.
She was going to die here. Alone and away from her home, with no one to say goodbye to or mourn her. She kept telling herself she had to be brave—that she would make Xadia proud in her death.
“Amin naa ba! Amin naa ba! Amin naa ba!” Rayla told herself fiercely as she sobbed.
I am already dead.
Runaan had drilled this into her when she first began her training. Her mother and father lived by it. All Moonshadow elves lived by it. Moonshadow elves do not show fear, no matter what.
And yet, she was terrified.
Someone laid their hand on her shoulder, and Rayla jolted, rising her head up. Concerned green eyes stared back at her.
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There’s chapter 3! There will be more Callum and Rayla next chapter! Please let me know what you think so far.
Translations:
Manka ere' amin sinte mani lle naa sayien = if only I knew what you were saying
iire amin naa goien gurth- = when am I going to die?
Amin naa ba = I am dead