The Dragon Prince Stuffs

Moonberry Suprise pt 1

Tldr: Rayla is un-ghosted and goes home. Elves are wary of Callum but think he's pretty neat for a human. This was a request from @skylark365 and is set after the war. (Like all the way after, Aravos is gone and stuff.)

"Where in the world do I even start!? What do I say to them? What do I do?" Callum was snapped from his thoughts by a barrage of questions from Rayla. It had been this way for the past few days after a letter from the Dragon Queen informed them that Rayla had been un-ghosted for her valiant actions protecting Zim during the war.

"Just tell the truth." He stated, slowing his steady walk so that they were side by side, "The Dragon Queen said she already sent someone to tell them what really happened, so there shouldn't be a problem." 

Rayla shuffled from foot to foot, as if the soft mossy floor of the forest was made of hot iron. It was surprising to see her so nervous, even after two days of traveling and reassurance from Callum. He smiled remembering her initial reaction to being told she could go home, she had turned into a rambling mess, practically bouncing off the walls with excitement and anxiety.

He grabbed her hand and stopped walking, "You'll be fine, Rayla, I'm here for you." She smiled weakly at his encouragement. "And besides, if you can defeat the strongest dark mage in the world, I think you can handle this." She let herself laugh just a little at his antics. "It was yer sky magic that let us get him back in the mirror. So, it's not like I did it alone, ya big dumb human."

Callum put a hand on his chest in mock horror, "DUMB?! How could you insult me so?" He cried dramatically, as Rayla punched him in the shoulder, giggling like mad.

She smiled at him, "Thank you, Callum, I'm glad yer here with me."

The two continued their steady march across Xadia, stopping every so often so that Callum could admire another magical creature or plant, even with the several times they had made such a trip.

As they neared their destination, Callum could see how Rayla was struggling. 

The subtle twitch of her ears and the way she didn't hide the slight hesitation of her left leg, caused by an injury early on in the war. He winced as he remembered the whole ordeal, and more specifically the snapping sound the arrow made when it drove into her leg, just below the knee.

Don't think about that now, He thought to himself, She's here, she's alive, and she needs you to help her stay calm about all this. He sidled up to her, resting his chin on her shoulder. "Hey, when we get there you can show me that place that you said makes the best Moonberry Suprise." He let a cheeky smile creep onto his face, "What's in a Moonberry Suprise again?"

She rolled her eyes at him, "lemons." his eyes widened, "Wait, really?"

"No you dummy," She laughed, shoving him away, "lemons don't even grow in this part of Xadia." 

He gasped, "Really? I thought they grew everywhere?!"

"Maybe in the human kingdoms, but not in Xadia," She had her 'Xaidian trivia' voice on now, "Since even Xadia's soil is magical, it's hard for somethin' so mundane to grow here. It's kinda like...it's hard for a desert plant to grow in a marshland, there's just too much wa'er." She stopped walking and grimaced a little, "Oh look, we're almost there..." 

Callum looked around, surprised that he hadn't noticed their surroundings changing. Sure enough, they were just about to enter the adoraburr field, only a short walk away from the SilverGrove. He glanced at her, "It'll be ok. And even if it's not, like I said I'm here for you."

She let out a sigh and slumped her shoulders, "I'm never going ta be ready for this, am I?" Callum gave her a sympathetic grin, "Probably not." 

They continued walking towards the edge of the meadow. It was late afternoon, and the fall air was perfumed with the scent of ripe fruits and falling leaves. What amazed Callum was that in Xadia, the trees didn't just go shades of orange, yellow and brown.