A Warm Heart(h): Open Dragonfable Verse
This is a rough timeline of this verse as I have decided on it so far. Some elements are subject to change over time, but until then, this is how everything goes down.
Some time after the Storm War, Xan appeared in Falconreach asking if the Hero would be willing to do a favor for him: he’s entered into a depression following Warlic’s death and revival and believes that he’s lost the knack for his particular brand of horrifying villainy, so he wants the Hero to fight his magnum opus, the Magman, to see if he should keep trying or just call it quits.
Canonically, while the Hero defeats his monster, it only reignites the spark of hatred in Xan and he goes back to being a villain, keeping in with the status quo. In this universe however, it doesn’t, and Xan follows through with his word. He hangs up his tomes, gets some new hobbies—and takes a job heating up the inn.
While Serenity is admittedly very apprehensive on the topic of letting Xan into her inn considering he burned the entire city down, like, months ago, she still gives him a shot since he seems sincere in wanting to change his ways. From that point on, Xan can be found in the inn, mostly dealing with internal heating or managing the stoves, but sometimes doing odd jobs or talking with Serenity. The two eventually develop a friendship, one that Xan has somewhat of a hard time wrapping his head around because in all his centuries, no one has ever been this nice to him for no reason. No one but Jaania...
Their friendship is marked by several small, but meaningful moments.
Serenity asking Xan to teach her a very basic fire spell for various practical uses in the kitchen, leading to Xan discovering that her understanding of fire is more complete than he would have expected—as well as discovering that while she may have forgiven him for it, she still has nightmares of him burning everything down to a single board, something that Xan is surprised at how guilty he feels about.
The two of them having a very reflective conversation on the topic of names after Serenity hears Warlic refer to Xan as Alexander; Xan prefers to go by “Xan” since he feels too far removed from Alexander, and Serenity actually agrees with him. Serenity isn’t exactly her real name after all, and she’s probably not the same person she was before losing her memories either.
Serenity asking Xan to taste something that he finds to both be very good and not immediately burn in contact with his flames; Serenity had been wondering what food must taste like for him and decided, on a whim, to make food that he could enjoy just like everyone else.
Xan doing some extra work around this inn just because he had some spare time and it needed to be done, like laundry or sweeping or cleaning the tables in the tavern, and Serenity thanks him and gives him a quick peck on the cheekbone in thanks—something that leaves a lasting impression on Xan because when was the last time anyone did that?
Xan and Serenity going to a local festival together, though their fun night out receives a lot of interference from the Hero, who keeps trying to prevent Serenity from letting Xan know Warlic is at the festival too.
And more I haven’t thought up yet.
Serenity also insists on getting Xan and Warlic back on speaking terms, if not friendly ones. There’s a lot of animosity between them that has been going on for many centuries too long, and it’s time for both of them to move on with their lives so they can be happy. The process of Warlic and Xan airing out their various grievances and making peace with one another is long and painful, but the two do eventually agree to bury the hatchet. Xan even finally agrees to let Warlic work with him on his attempts at freeing their mutual love, Jaania, from the icy prison they accidentally trapped her in all those centuries ago.
During all that time meanwhile, Serenity’s friendship with Xan was slowly growing a new dimension, and Serenity eventually asks the pyromancer out on a date. She takes him out on a picnic near the bay and they talk and watch the water while munching on various homecooked goodies, eventually confessing her feelings and asking where he wanted to go from there. While Xan is admittedly still in love with Jaania, his time with Serenity had made him realize that for all he adored her, she had never made any real indication that she saw him as anything other than a good friend all those centuries ago. After much soul searching on Xan’s part and coming to terms with his feelings for Jaania in comparison to his feelings for Serenity, the two of them enter into a relationship.
Several changes to the timeline occur due to Xan being in Falconreach this whole time rather than his volcano fortress. The Great Fire War has nowhere near as many casualties, because Xan is either not there to teach Konnan fire magic, or straight up refuses to teach him what he wants to learn in order to destroy the Hero. Konnan might still become Drakonnan though, but if so he will be significantly weaker due to having incomplete training. The Hero is able to recover the Fire Orb, and leaves it in Yulgar’s care.
Additionally, because Xan and Warlic have made peace, Jaania is freed from her prison way ahead of schedule, before the Orb saga has even ended. Serenity insisted on coming to Swordhaven with them, and tempers Jaania’s first glimpse into the future by being a friendly face that she doesn’t already have a history with. Due to being released under much less stressful terms, and with both of her friends in a much better mental state, Jaania is able to begin healing from the trauma of being trapped for so long, unable to move or talk to anyone. She ends up following the trio to Falconreach and takes up residence at the inn, with Serenity convincing her that she’ll have an easier time adjusting to the future in a new environment, rather than an old one that’s so different from what she remembers that it may as well be new.
With Xan and Jaania on hand during Final 13, Warlic isn’t pressed so hard to maintain the shield on Falconreach that he overloads and splits in half, resulting in the Wargoth Saga never occurring and the Atealan’s home planet never being destroyed. The Hero is never frozen, and the elements remain in balance. Additionally, due to Jaania getting proper support and treatment for effectively spending centuries in a sensory deprivation tank, her ideas for removing magic altogether gradually turn into enforcing better regulations on magic and raising awareness for how dangerous it can truly be. The Rose, therefore, would be less a gestapo-esque organization dedicated to the subjugation of magical creatures and the end of all magic on Lore, but more like. Magic OSHA or something.
At some point during what would have been the timeskip, Serenity eventually marries Xan, and they have a son named Emmer who is gifted with his father’s magical potential and his mother’s good sense.
