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It is always darkest before the dawn.
A line that Ezran recalled from stories his mother would read to him — stories that depicted harsh and brutal battles where victory seemed a distant dream but soon became a reality. The heroes, battered and bruised from their journey, emerged victorious in the end but humbled by the times they endured. Although he cheered for the heroes in the very end and chastised the villains for their villany, Queen Sarai never let him become blinded to the moral.
There were always two sides to the story — one person’s hero would be another’s villain, and to judge only one side is to doom them all. Though the battle was hard fought and the war had yet to be won, it would always be darkest before the dawn —
“Make no mistake,” the late Queen said, her voice a warm whisper on the wind as she pressed a kiss to the dozing boy’s forehead. “Dawn will always come.”
Opening his eyes now, Ezran gazed upon the the skyline as the rising sun chased after the falling moon. A vast blue sky littered with glittering stars and wispy clouds stretched on for miles made him feel so small. How long had it been since he dozed off?
His mother’s whispering kiss felt recent and he could still recall her soft lips against his skin, her hand in his grasp, even when she began to slip away. Curling his fingers in reflex, Ezran brought his hands to his mouth and breathed on them to chase away the morning chill. His chest ached for her — for his father — for their home.
Even though he and Callum lost her, they managed to stay together and become closer through the years. They had their fights and Callum doubted him more than once but Ezran had little doubt that his brother loved him. Or their father. Or Bait. Or Rayla. Or the whole kingdom of Katolis.
Callum had his own faults and Ezran teased him for those as well. But he loved his brother. His artistic, quick-witted, loyal older brother. The one who stuck with him through thick and thin. Listened to him despite his doubts. Encouraged him when he felt low.
And after leaving their father behind, braving the world on their own with one of their “sworn” enemies who had her own misgivings about humanity. They faced down many obstacles, and in the end — they managed to witness the birth of a creature long-believed to be dead. A creature that quickly became one of their family.
His mother was right, Ezran thought as he watched the sun rise.
The dawn did come.