Kalecgos and Wrathion have been busy as of late. Between blue dragonflight reunions and black dragonflight diplomacy, the two unlikely friends barely have any time for fun, or rest. Well, except when Kalecgos drags Wrathion to the middle of nowhere in Azure Span. On horseback.
i’ve been wanting to write a kalethion fic in this landscape for so long!! maybe you’ll recognize the place. the dragonscale expedition sometimes has a raft catalogue quest there. also apologies for mistakes lol i wrote this in under an hour. enjoy 🌟 also on ao3!
‘And remind me of why we’re here again?’
‘I told you, this is my special spot. I’ve gotta show it to you!’
Wrathion sighed at how enthusiastic Kalecgos was to show him this ‘spot’. Not that he was annoyed by him, but he was quite busy, you know. Between his new job as the black dragonflight diplomat, getting acquainted with a land he barely knew, and helping the Aspects rebuild the Dragon Isles, Wrathion was frankly pretty overwhelmed by it all. He never had any time left for rest.
Maybe getting dragged to the middle of nowhere in the Azure Span wasn’t such a bad idea after all, he thought, a soft smile drawing itself on his face.
Kalecgos subtly turned his head as best as he could while riding next to his friend, noticing his change in expression. Kalecgos was relieved to know Wrathion wasn’t really as irritated as he tried to look.
Their horses walked on the crunchy snow, the noise turning into a lullaby for Kalecgos. He stuck out his neck to feel the cold air bite on his skin. It was charged with arcane magic and its sting felt like soft electric shocks to him. He always loved spending time in the Azure Span. Or anywhere ripe with magic, really. He felt right at home.
Wrathion wasn’t feeling so peaceful, and turned to his friend, willing to say anything just to break the silence, but he caught himself upon seeing Kalec’s face. Eyes closed, head back, hair flying. All blues & glitter skin, though not any shinier than the snow itself. Just shiny enough that you could see the light get caught on that impossibly pale skin. ‘He looks like he’s never seen the sun,’ Wrathion chuckled, and so did Kalec, and he quickly blushed, realizing he spoke outloud.
‘That much is true. I’ve never been one for summer season. There’s too much heat! I prefer winter a hundred times over,’ Kalec said.
‘I can’t agree,’ Wrathion replied, brushing over the embarrassing moment that’d just ocurred. ‘I love the sun. To feel it warm up my scales, & have the wind cool it off while I fly, it’s just… so very freeing.’ Kalecgos saw him smile, and he thought Wrathion should definitely smile more. It suits him.
He paused, as if lost in thought, and Kalec picked up the conversation. ‘Well, I’m sorry, but that is simply not what you’ll be getting today,’ he said, a light tone to his words.
‘Clearly…’ Wrathion grumbled, and Kalec laughed. Another blush on Wrathion’s face…
‘S-so what is it about this snowy, cold place that you like, anyway? This better be about spotting a rare yeti…’
‘Even better…’
And a soft tingle sound filled Wrathion’s ears as they approached the spot. Bell chimes mixed with magic pitter-pattering in the air, entering his lungs as he breathed in deep. Kalecgos was right to have insisted on travelling by horse instead of flying over. He wouldn’t risk anyone else finding this place either.
Up on a mountain top, lilac and magenta flowers were littered around the cloudy waters of the lake. Crystals and gems sprouted from the lake’s shores, a sign of arcane life. There were trees that looked like pinetrees but not quite, as if transformed by the magic nearby. Wrathion couldn’t tell if the stars in the sky were a reflection of the bright, scintillating lake, or vice-versa.
‘It’s… breathtaking.’ Wrathion stared at the landscape, mouth agape. But Kalecgos stared at him, glad to see his friend appreciate a place that was so important to him.
‘How did you even find it?!’ Wrathion exclaimed loudly, his usual fiery demeanor back.
‘I was surveying the land, to see if everything was alright. I found it by coincidence, and have been coming here ever since. When I need time away from the Archives…’ He trailed off. They got off their horses, walked to the dock, and had sat down while talking.
‘I can see why you like this place, now. A little retreat opportunity from the responsibilities of being an Aspect, I suppose.’
Kalec sighed despite himself. He wasn’t one to talk about his troubles, but the lake was so relaxing to his mind, and Wrathion’s voice sounded so soft.
‘Exactly. It can get… overwhelming. I appreciate that Sindragosa is willing to help me every step of the way, of course I am— but I feel like… Sometimes, I think Sindragosa tries to remake the past, through me…’
Wrathion stared at him, patiently waiting for him to continue.
‘I know I’ve got a lot of work to do, if I want to restore our flight to its true power and history, and purpose. I just feel a bit lost, sometimes. Sindragosa knows so much, and I feel the gap between our experiences everytime we talk. It’s hard to not— to not, well…’ Kalecgos sighed. He didn’t want to say the words. He was scared that they’d be real if he did.
‘…to what?’ Wrathion prompted.
‘To feel like an impostor.’
A pause.
‘Like I have no place here. Like I’m just pretending to be what the blue dragons need. Like even if I work hard, and read every book that exists in those Archives, that I’ll still be lightyears behind Sindragosa, or Senegos. Or, well… whatever older blue dragon is still alive…’
Wrathion had the good conscience of not mentioning that, technically, Sindragosa wasn’t alive, from what he understood when Kalec told him about it.
He wanted to say so much. That he was, frankly, quite stupid for even thinking that way. That Kalec was probably the most knowledgeable wizard there ever was. That the blue dragonflight hadn’t been this united in hundreds of years. But he paused. And he looked at him. He knew Kalecgos. He knew he needed silence to gather his thoughts. Much unlike Wrathion, who preferred to say whatever thought came to him. But this wasn’t about him, so, he waited.
The sound of water hitting against rocks & crystals surrounded them. And after a few minutes, Kalec spoke up.
‘I’m sorry.’
Wrathion blinked.
‘What on earth would you be sorry for?!’ He blurted out.
‘I… know this sounds like I’m ungrateful for the fact that I became an Aspect, but I swear that’s not the case. And I know that being an Aspect is —was, —well it still is, something that’s very important to you, and I know you probably wouldn’t complain about it the way I am right now, but I swear—’
‘Kalecgos.’
He stopped, and looked over to Wrathion. Had his complaints angered him? Or had Wrathion not noticed that Kalec was acting ungrateful before he’d pointed it out, and now he was angry? What if—
‘What if you allowed yourself a moment of reprieve? You’re the first leader the blue dragonflight’s had in so, so, very long. You managed to reunite scattered blue dragons from all across Azeroth. You’ve got siblings and cousins that admire and respect you simply for who you are.’ Wrathion’s fire red eyes betrayed the soft tone of voice he adopted. He clearly felt very strongly about the words he was saying.
Kalecgos blinked, taken aback. His heart skipped a beat when Wrathion got closer to him and reached for his hand.
‘You are exactly who your people need right now.’
Kalecgos stared at him, surprised. Wrathion held his gaze.
Kalecgos chuckled, and Wrathion’s valiant demeanor broke, leaving place to confusion, and, honestly, embarrassment.
‘What, what is it? Why are you laughing?’ His cheeks were as red as his eyes now. ‘I demand to know what makes you laugh like this!’
Kalecgos was smiling from ear to ear. To think a whelp like him would be the one to give him the courage he needed to be who he wanted to be—needed to be, more so than the all-knowing simulacrum currently living at the Azure Archives… He admired Wrathion’s attitude. He always seemed so fearless, no matter the obstacle in front of him. Suddenly Kalecgos felt the crystal tingles and bell chimes deep in his belly.
‘Wrathion. I…’
Red eyes & red cheeks were staring at him. But his lips weren’t red enough to his liking. Should they? Should he?
Wrathion seemed to agree. He kissed Kalec, and pulled back, a determined look to his face, even though he seemed quite surprised with himself for doing what he did.
Wrathion always seemed to be one step ahead of him, somehow. But he was the one person he didn’t mind following.
