What if Callum accidentally (or while being controlled by Aaravos) killed Ezran?
Magic, dark or not, is risky. What if Callum learnt that the hard way?
Imagine the guilt, the horror, the shame that would haunt him for years. How could he do that? How could he take the life of someone he was ready to die for not so long ago? He would be forced to don a crown no one wants him to wear stained with his brother's blood, the same stain lingering on his hands
The disdain, the rage Zym would feel against him, especially if it was just a freak accident. Did you hate him that much, Callum? Enough to slaughter him? You could've done something to save him! Zym had felt the pain Ezran did when the blood trickled down his body and he won't forget it either
Imagine Bait grabbing a jellytart, only to put it down when he remembered there was no one to share with. He won't eat with Callum. He can't
The silence that would weigh on the kingdom, the slight sound of carving through hard rock, sculpting in Ezran's honor, and the distant hum of birds as they migrated to a different land. Animals of every kind would linger near his casket that waited to eventually be... Birds settle on Ezran's windowpanes until Callum enters the room. Shops are closed and the only thing you can catch in markets is murmuring. Everyone is considering moving out. They don't want to live under a murderous king, they're sure he's a tyrant.
Callum sitting on Ezran's bed, unable to stop looking at his hands. He tries to remember how Ezran felt when he hugged him, how he laughed, how he spoke, how he'd lean into every hug, how he'd go on and on about animals if given the chance. He reads his father's, Damian's poems he once read to Ezran. He keeps reading Ezran's favorite one until he can recite it by heart. He'd spend his days madly searching for a way to cleanse himself of this dark, evil magic if Aaravos controlled him into killing Ezran. He'd stop using magic if it was an accident. He craves holding Rayla's hand but fears inflicting the same fate on her. He's tempted to order a death sentence on himself. It's been a long time since he spoke more than a few lines.
Rayla and Stella silently roam the kingdom dressed as a human. She doesn't need to, but she prefers it; it brings back good memories. She braids and stitches shrouds and flower crowns for Ezran's casket and his future statue beside his mother's. She wishes she could help Callum. She can't forget the way he screamed and cried when he realized what he had done. Stella tries to convince whoever understands her that Callum didn't mean it, few believe her. Rayla stopped looking around after she got in a fistfight with someone who called Callum hellspawn. Opeli bailed her out. Whenever Rayla does leave she goes with Opeli. There's nothing worth fighting for between them. She likes hearing Ezran's childhood stories.
Imagine if Ezran died before Rayla came. She climbs into the king's bedroom, unsure why Callum is there, and finds out Ezran is long gone. She hates herself for leaving, for missing the wonderful person Ezran was growing up to be. She can't believe it when people tell her he was closer to her height before he passed. She wants to hug him, to tell him she's proud of him, but she can only stare at the portraits that litter the castle walls.
Soren and Corvus sit by Ezran's casket sometimes. It wasn't too long ago that Soren could hold him up with one arm. He knows Callum didn't mean it, but that doesn't mean he won't stop thinking about how cold, how limp Ezran's body felt. No child deserves that. He doesn't wish the fate of losing someone so painfully on his worst enemy. He wonders, maybe reaching out to Claudia is a good idea, maybe she could save him. There was one last haiku Soren didn't get to tell him. He doesn't force Callum to talk to him, instead just sitting beside him until he's ready. Corvus doesn't come to the throne room as often as he should. Callum can't bring himself to specially request him to come
Opeli stares at the half-finished letters Ezran wrote and stamped, she drags her fingers over the ink, careful not to smear it, and bows before his paintings and statues. Everyone picked it up from her. She doesn't like looking at Ezran's finished work, the ink seems to be fading.
If Aaravos was the one that caused King Ezran's demise he wouldn't be able to stop thinking about Leola. He wonders if he made a mistake, not he can reverse it now.
