Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

This...is the story of how I died. Now don't worry, this is actually a very fun story, and to tell you the truth, it isn't even mine. This is the story of a girl named Claudia. And it starts with a star...

Now, a long time ago, a single drop of a star fell from the heavens. And from this small drop of starlight grew a magic purple flower. It had the ability to heal the sick and injured. It was magic unlike the world had ever seen.

Now, centuries pass, and a hop skip and a boat ride away, there grew a kingdom. The kingdom was ruled by a beloved king and queen. But the queen was about to have a baby, when she got sick. Like, really sick. She was running out of time, and at this point, the kingdom began to look for a miracle. Or in this case, a magic purple flower.

Now, there's this old guy. He's important, remember him. He first discovered the flower. Instead of sharing the star's gift, this man, Lord Viren, (though it was only a title he gave himself, he was really no true lord) hoarded its healing power and used it to keep himself young for hundreds of years. And by pouring over magical textbooks, he learned that all he had to do was sign a special song.

"Flower gleam and glow,
Let your power shine,
Make the clock reverse,
Bring back what once was mine.
What once was mine..."

When he sang this, the flower glowed a bright purple, and just by coming in contact with it, Viren was able to regain youth. Wrinkles on his skin vanished, his graying hair turned brown again. You all get the gist: he sings to it, he turns young, creepy, right? Whenever he visited the flower, he was careful to keep it hidden from the eyes of anyone who may pass by. But on one particular day, as he had just finished the song, he heard palace guards approaching. In a panic he tried to cover up the flower and vanished into the forest. But when he was concealed in the trees, he saw a purple flowr standing out like a sore thumb in an otherwise green area. Guards were approaching it, shouting phrases like "We found it."

The dug it out of the ground, careful not to damage the roots, and took it away as fast as they could. The whole time, Viren watched vengefully from behind a tree in the woods, swearing to keep the magic no matter what the cost.

When brought back to the castle, the finest medicine makers in the kingdom were able to use the flower and all of its magic to heal the queen.

A short time after, an adorable baby girl-nay-a princess was born! With beautiful purple hair, the color of violet. Oh, and I'll give you a hint. That's Claudia.

To celebrate her birth, the king and queen launched a flying lantern into the sky. On it was a single star, to represent the miracle of heaven saving the queen's life and bringing the kingdom their princess (and, unknowingly, how it truly all came to be). It was a sight to behold. And just for that moment, everything was perfect.

And then that moment ended.

A door in the baby's room, the one that led to the balcony, creaked open. A shadow passed over the sleeping baby's crib. Then, ominously, a deep voice.

"Flower gleam and glow..." Without so much as a stir, Claudia's hair lit up, light coursing through it in a way that reminded Viren of the flower. It was easy in that moment to see that infant as nothing more than the flower he would visit freely.

All he needed was one petal.

"Let your power shine..." He took a piece of Claudia's hair in between his fingers, and immediately the wrinkles on his fingers began to vanish, and some color was restored. This was exactly what he needed. He revealed a pair of scissors from out of his pocket and prepared to take what he needed and get out of there.

"Make the clock re-" He stopped dead short with a gasp. As he cut off the lock of hair, it immediately lost its's glow and turned black. Worse, his fingers retreated to their previous, old state. He gazed at the child in horror, and saw that the spot where he'd cut her hair had also become black and lacking any power. It was only a second, but Viren made his choice on what he had to do.

Claudia began crying, which alerted her parents in the room, that had until this point been sleeping soundly. They sat up in time to see a mysterious dark figure on their balcony. Viren broke into the castle, stole the child, and just like that-gone.

The kingdom searched and searched, but they could not find the princess. For, hidden deep within the forest, Viren built a hidden tower with no doors or stairs. And at the top of that tower is where he kept Claudia, raising her as his own. Viren had found his new magic flower. But this time, he was determined to keep it hidden.

"Why can't I go outside?" Claudia asked once.

"The outside world is a dangerous place," Viren explained. "Filled with horrible, selfish people. You must stay here, where you're safe. Understood, flower?"

"Yes, dad."

But the walls of that tower couldn't hide everything. For every year on her birthday, the king and queen launched hundreds of lanterns into the sky, in hope that one day, their lost princess would be able to follow them home. And every year Claudia could look outside her window at night and watch the floating lights. She agreed they were the best present of all.

Chapter Text

A little yellow and blue toad ran across the windowsill and hid behind a potted plant. It was lucky Claudia had painted the flowers on the flower pot the same colors as Bait, otherwise he'd have a hard time blending in. He was just in the nick of time too, because once he'd regained his breath, the door to the window shot open, with a "Ha!" shouted out by the person who'd opened it. Bait smirked, confident in his hiding place, and closed his eyes so that he blended in completely.

"Well, looks like Bait's not hiding out here," Claudia sang innocently, walking away and twirling a piece of purple hair between her fingers. Bait snickered, unaware of Claudia whispering a magic spell under her breath that sent part of the end of her purple hair to wrap around Bait's tail. Before he knew what was happening, he was launched upside down into the air.

"Gotcha!" she yelled giddily, scaring the toad into making the amphibian equivalent of a scream. She giggled, then muttered a counter spell to make the hair drop the frog onto the edge of the windowsill. "Well, that's twenty-two for me. How about twenty-three out of forty-five?"

Bait gave her the most annoyed look a toad could and stuck out his tongue at her. And she knew there was no fly buzzing around.

"All right, well, what do you want to do?" Claudia asked, picking the toad up and holding him in her cupped hands. His face immediately lit up and he pointed with his tail to the outside, out of the tower.

Claudia rolled her eyes and brought the toad back into the tower. "Yeah, I don't think so," she lightly scolded. "I like it in here and so do you." Bait stuck his tongue out at her again. "Oh, come on, Bait, it's not so bad in here." Her enchanted cuckoo clock went off, signifying that it was 7:00. She grinned and set Bait down on a table and ran to get her broom.

"Seven a.m., the usual morning lineup.
Start on the chores and sweep 'till the floor's all clean
Polish and wax, do laundry, and mop and shine up
Sweep again, and by then it's like 7:15."

How she didn't run out of energy so quickly every day was a mystery. Of course, using magic to get half of this stuff done helped simplify it a little bit.

"And so I'll read a book
Or maybe two or three." 

Claudia pulled some spell books off her shelf that she had only lightly skimmed before, hoping to find on some counter spells that she'd been looking for recently.

"I'll add a few new paintings to my gallery
I'll play guitar and knit
And cook and basically
Just wonder when will my life begin?" 

Claudia was feeling inspired, so she took to a section of the wall that she'd left covered up for a special occasion. She pulled out the blues, greens, purples, and most importantly, those gorgeous yellows and golds.

"Then after lunch it's puzzles and darts and baking
Paper mache, a bit of ballet and chess
Pottery and ventriloquy, candle making
Then I'll stretch, maybe sketch, take a climb
Sew a dress!" 

You could never have too many hobbies, in Claudia's opinion. And when you have the time, why not try to learn and improve? She tried to explain this to Bait who mostly ignored her and stood still grudgingly as she fitted the green poofy dress around him.

"And I'll reread the books
If I have time to spare
I'll paint the walls some more
I'm sure there's room somewhere."

She let the first layer of her painting dry, and was adding little details to it, like the texture on the trees and the stars in the sky.

"And then I'll brush and brush
And brush and brush my hair
Stuck in the same place I've always been."

Brushing took up the most time of any of her activities. She'd recently gotten right a charm that could make several of her hairbrushes comb through her hair for her, but even still, it took time. Plus getting the knots out...Ouch.

"And I'll keep wandering and wandering
And wandering and wondering
When will my life begin?"

Claudia caught sight of her tower's main window, and walked over to it, reminiscent of all those times she would sneak to see the lights as a kid, and even now, while her father slept.

"And tomorrow night
The lights will appear
Just like they do on my birthday each year
What is it like
Out there where they glow?"

Claudia turned to face her painting she'd done today, which was of her sitting on top of the trees in the forest, her purple hair spilling onto the ground, longer than the tree itself, as she stared up at the night sky, full of stars and floating lights. It was like she was there.

"Now that I'm older
Father might just
Let me go..."

Chapter Text

On that day, in the very kingdom Claudia had been taken from, a heist was occurring. Three ninja-like figures were darting around on the roof of the castle, quiet as a mouse and quick as a whip. The two bigger male thieves found the panel in the roof they were looking for and begun prying it open, while the girl kept watch. She gazed out over the kingdom and gasped in awe. You could see the whole town, waterfront, and forest out there. And with it being so early, the sun gave the whole scene a warm glow.

"Wow," she breathed. "I could get used to a view like this."

"Rayla! Come one," Runaan called to her in a hushed tone.

"Hold on," she requested, holding up a hand and taking another second to soak in the view. "Yup, I'm used to it. Fellas, I want a castle."

Tinker sighed and walked over to Rayla. "We do this job, you can buy your own castle," he said calmly, all of a sudden grabbing her arm tightly and handing her a rope to tie around herself. She crossed it in an x over her chest, then Tinker tied it tightly in the back. He and Runaan grabbed the other end that wasn't knotted to Rayla as she clutched the satchel and prepared to swan dive into one of the most secure rooms in the castle.

"And no funny business," Runaan warned her. "Just climb in, we take the crown, and we get out. Don't make it unnecessarily complicated.”

”I get it, I get it. Just don’t drop me.”

”No promises,” Runaan joked, but there was a glint in his eyes that made Rayla nervous. She swallowed and allowed herself to fall face first through the panel. The rope caught her and the two men began to lower her down.

She gripped the satchel and focused on the pillow below her, trying to block out of her mind the nine guards in the room protecting it. Stupidly, they were all standing in front of it and facing the door, no one so much as glancing at the pillow itself. On top the pillow on the pedestal was a golden tiara with diamonds and other precious gems. This one tiara could take care of all three of them for the rest of their lives. She got close enough to grab it and made the signal for Runaan and Tinker to stop lowering her. She quietly snatched it up and placed it in her satchel.

At that exact moment, one of the guards sneezed, and Rayla smiled a wicked grin. She couldn’t help herself.

”Gesundheit,” she said.

”Thank you,” the guard replied, glancing at her. Immediately she felt herself being yanked up by the rope. Tinker and Runaan were probably pissed as hell. They wrestled her out of the panel and untied her from the rope as she heard the guard who had sneezed shout “Wait! Hey, wait!”

Stifling a laugh, Rayla leapt down to a lower part of the castle, jumped onto a lower ledge, and then finally hit the ground. She heard two thuds behind her. With the presence of her fellow thieves confirmed Rayla took off like a bullet.

She raced through the town square, which was beginning to fill with people. She jumped over carts and tumbled around people in her way.

”Show off,” Tinker grunted. Rayla just grinned and pulled her two curved swords from her back and used them to hook onto a light post above. She swung around, gaining enough momentum to launch herself several feet, all the way outside the front gate. She checked the satchel and saw the tiara safely inside.

“Let’s go,” Runaan said, he and Tinker running past her. Rayla ran to keep up with them.

”Can’t you two picture me in a castle of my own? Because I certainly can,” Rayla bragged. The other two thieves just rolled their eyes. “All the things we’ve seen today and it’s only 8 in the morning! Fellas, this is a very big day!”

Chapter Text

"This is it!" Claudia proclaimed as she packed up the last of her paints. "This is a very big day, Bait! I'm finally gonna do it! I'm gonna ask him!" Bait smiled at her encouragingly.

"Claudia!" a voice from below the tower called. "Let down your hair!"

Claudia rubbed her hands together excitedly. "It's time!" Bait sat up straight with his chest puffed out, making Claudia giggle. "I know, I know, I'll be confident. Now come on, don't let him see you." She tucked the toad behind an assortment of boxes and jars that held her paint supplies. Bait turned into the color of the wall behind him to blend in

"Claudia?" Viren called again. "I'm not getting any younger down here!"

"Coming, father!" Claudia responded eagerly, throwing her hair down and looping it over the hook at the top of the window. The violet locks spilled stories down until it hit the ground. Viren grabbed on tight and Claudia began to pull him up. She pulled it up as hard as she could, excitement coursing through her veins, until her father was sitting on the windowsill.

"Hi!" she sang, detaching her hair from the hook on which it hung. "Welcome home, father."

"Oh, Claudia," he said, pulling the hood of his cloak down. "How do you manage to do that every single day without fail? It looks exhausting, darling."

"It's nothing," Claudia said modestly, only slightly out of breath.

"Well, then I don't know why it takes so long." Claudia's face fell until her father laughed. "You know I'm just teasing." He then walked past her as if she weren't there and began to look at himself in the mirror, dusting off the sleeves of his shirt.

"All right, then," she sighed, trying to keep a positive attitude. "Father, as you know, tomorrow is a very big day, and-"

"Claudia, look in that mirror," Viren interrupted, pulling Claudia to his side. "Do you know what I see? I see a strong, confident, beautiful young mage." Claudia smiled brightly at his remark. "Oh look, you're here too," he said, proceeding to fall into laughter once more. "I'm just teasing, stop taking everything so seriously." He ignored her once more and went back to looking at himself in the mirror, eyeing some of the graying hairs on his head.

"Okay," she began, slowly. "So, as I was saying, tomorrow is-"

"Claudia," Viren interrupted once again. "Father's feeling a little run down after that trip. Would you sing for me, dear? Then we can talk."

She lit up at the promise that they'd talk and he'd listen. "Of course, father." Claudia ran throughout the room, grabbing her stool, Viren's armchair, and her hairbrush. Viren walked over too slowly, so when he got there, Claudia sat him down herself. Then she sat on the stool and began singing as fast as she could so that they'd get to talk quicker.

"Flower gleam and glow, let your powers shine, make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine!"

"Wait!" Viren shouted, trying to brush the gleaming hair, but Claudia disregarded him.

"Heal what has been hurt, change the fate's design, save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine!" The hair stopped glowing, and the only difference with Viren was that he now looked upset.

"Claudia!" he scolded. It was Claudia's turn to do the ignoring, excitedly leaning on the arm of the chair and talking as fast as she could.

"So, father, earlier I was saying that tomorrow is a pretty big day, and you didn't really respond, so I'm just gonna tell you, it's my birthday!" When it elicited no response from Viren, she added a little "Ta-da!" All her father did was shake his head and gently push her away.

"No no no, can't be," he said slowly. "I distinctly remember. Your birthday was last year." It was a little joke the two of them did every year, but right now, Claudia was too anxious and somewhat annoyed to play along.

"That's the funny thing about birthdays, they're kind of an annual thing," she pointed out, her words rushed. She took in a deep breath and regained her composure, sitting back down on the stool. "Father, I'm turning 18. And what I wanted to ask, what I really want for this birthday-" Claudia got nervous and began playing with a strand of her hair and talking in a lower and less articulate tone. "Actually, what I've wanted for quite a few birthdays..."

Viren sighed. "Claudia, please, stop with the mumbling," he instructed. "You know how I feel about the mumbling. 'Blah blah blah blah blah,'" he imitated, moving his hand in a talking motion and speaking a little higher. Claudia felt a little hurt, which must have showed, because Viren dropped the act and concluded with, "I'm just teasing, you're adorable. I love you so much, dear." Claudia opened her mouth to speak but he was already getting up and walking away to start unpacking the basket he brought home.

She heard a small croak and looked over to see Bait waving at her in encouragement. She took a deep breath and blurted out to her father, "I want to see the floating lights!"

Claudia wasn't sure if it was shock or surprise, but the look on her father's face was definitely not the reaction Claudia was hoping for. It was only there for a brief second before it was replaced with a confused smile. "What?"

"I mean..." She walked over to the wall where she'd painted the scene of her outside watching the floating lights and pulled back the curtain to reveal it. "I was really hoping you'd take me to see the floating lights."

Viren's conflicted face smoothed out into an understanding one. "Oh, you just mean the stars," he dismissed.

"That's the thing!" Claudia objected. "I've charted stars, and they're always constant." She gestured to a painting she'd done on the ceiling over the course of a month. "But these," she said, gesturing to her most recent painting. "These appear every year on my birthday, father. Only on my birthday. And I can't help but feel like...like they're meant for me. I need to see them, and not just from my window. In person. I have to know what they are." Claudia thought what she said would appeal to her father's loving nature, but he seemed unfazed.

"You want to go outside?"  Viren asked in disbelief. "Why, Claudia!"

"Look at you, as fragile as a flower
Still a little sapling, just a sprout
You know why we stay up in this tower." 

He spun Claudia around and tried to give her a hug. but she stubbornly pulled away.

Chapter Text

The three thieves were tearing through the forest with no true direction, just the intent of getting away from the kingdom and hiding.

They stopped for a breather, and as Rayla leaned against a large oak tree, her hand brushed against a piece of paper. She looked up and saw a "Wanted" poster tacked to the tree. And it had her face and name on it.

"Oh no," she whispered, tearing it off the tree. "No no no no no. This is bad, this is very bad, this is really bad!" Runaan and Tinker looked at her confused. She turned the sign to them and exclaimed, "They just won't get my ears right!" The picture on the poster had her ears a lot wider and rounder than they really look.

Runaan rolled his eyes at her childish reaction. "Who cares?" he asked.

"Well that's easy for you to say," Rayla countered, gesturing at the other two posters tacked onto the tree. One was for Runaan, the other for Tinker. The pictures looked exactly like the guys did in real life. "You guys look amazing."

Runaan opened his mouth to object but was cut off by the sound of approaching hooves. “Palace guards,” he whispered, immediately taking off in the opposite direction with Tinker by his side. Rayla realized she was still clutching her wanted poster and shoved it into her satchel as she followed them.

They ducked through trees and bushes, places the horses wouldn’t be able to follow. Eventually they were certain the horses couldn’t be behind them, but there was suddenly a bigger problem. In front of the trio was a wall with no way around it. It was just tall enough that if each of them stood on top of one another, the person at the very top might be able to climb up.

”I know what to do,” Rayla said, immediately taking charge. “Give me a boost, and I’ll help pull you both up.”

Tinker and Runaan gave each other a look before Runaan held out his hand and ordered, “Give us the satchel first.”

Rayla fiddled with the strap and gave them a faked look of betrayal. “What? But this is my lucky...I can’t believe that after all we’ve been through together, you don’t trust me?”

The two men were unfazed. Rayla sighed and rolled her eyes. “Fine.” She dropped the satchel into Runaan’s outstretched hand.

Tinker hoisted Runaan onto his soldiers, and once he was standing straight up and balanced, Rayla began climbing the both of them like a ladder. As she climbed, she performed her favorite slight of hand trick. Simple really, and they didn't even notice. Perfect.

She pulled herself completely over the wall's ledge and almost laid down to take a breather, just to spite the men below her.

"Now help us up why don't you?" Runaan demanded. Rayla peeked over the edge and grinned at them.

"Sorry, fellas. My hands are full." She teasingly showed them the satchel she had swiped on the climb up, then took off before they attempted to throw knives or something.

"Rayla!" the little thief heard both of them bellow after her. She didn't care. She had her reward.

The happiness was short lived as she once again heard the thundering of hooves approaching her. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Rayla moaned, once again trying to create a path the horses couldn't follow.

”Retrieve that satchel at any costs!” the lead guard yelled to the others. Rayla panicked and ran faster.

She cut through a bush and was able to lose a few of them, then hooked around a tree and got one of the horses confused enough to go in the opposite direction. Ahead of her was a tree with only a small opening of the branches that she could easily jump through. Rayla ran towards it at top speed and leapt through the opening, confident that she'd lose the rest of the guards.

But one wasn't giving up. As Rayla turned around to see how many of the guards and their horses were stuck, one horse sailed over the tree branches she'd just jumped through, landed on the ground and continued running, unfazed.

"We've got her now, Soren," the guard said to his horse as they began to gain on her. The horse whinnied in agreement.

In a full panic Rayla began tripping over herself to get away. Up ahead, she saw a hanging vine attached to a tree limb and developed an idea. She ran towards the vine with maximum velocity, then grabbed on to it and swung around the tree in a pirates of the caribbean manner. When she swung back around, she thrust her feet forward kicked the guard off his horse, and landed on the saddle in one fell swoop. Rayla clutched the reigns in terror, which was immediately replaced by excitement. I'm riding a horse! she thought giddily.

"Hya! Run buddy, run!" she shouted. Instead of moving forward, the horse stopped in its place. "Come on, dummy. Move it!" Soren turned around angrily, his eyes coming to rest on the satchel still in Rayla's hand. He tried to bite it until Rayla pulled it away. "No. Bad horse!" He nipped at it again, and again Rayla had to pull it away from him. "Stop it!" The horse finally had it in his jaws, and tried to run away from her, as if Rayla wasn't on his back, but she was still clutching the strap. "Give it to me! Give it-!" She gasped as the satchel sailed out of her hands and the horse's mouth, and over the cliff they'd accidentally ran to. Luckily (or unluckily) it landed on a tiny branch jutting off of the end of a tree limb growing out of the side of the cliff.

Rayla and Soren glanced at each other before immediately both running to the edge of the cliff. Rayla got there first and tried to walk across the thick branch, but Soren shoved her off. Panicking, she desperately reached out for anything to grab onto, and was able to hang on to the underside of the tree limb. The horse wouldn't give up though, and tried to stomp on her fingers with his hooves. She crawled towards the satchel, and to get away from the murderous horse, ignoring the fact that every time he stomped on the branch there was a cracking noise. Instead she focused on the fact that every stomp made the satchel begin slipping off the branch. It was almost off, and Rayla wasn't even close, so in one swift move, she pulled one of her curved blades out and used it to catch the satchel by the strap.

"Ha!" she exclaimed triumphantly, ignoring the fact that she was taunting a horse. That gloating feeling disappeared when she heard another sound. A crack. And it was a big one too. She felt the branch tilting downwards before hearing a loud snap!  The next thing Rayla knew, she was plummeting to the ground clutching a leather bag and holding onto the branch for dear life.

"I'm gonna die I'm gonna dieeee!" Rayla yelled, gripping the branch. She could hear the sound of something else shouting too, turned her head and saw Soren sitting on the other side of the limb, looking as terrified as a horse could be. Rayla looked back down and saw the branch approaching a rock jutting out of the cliff. She braced herself as the rock snapped the limb in two, Rayla and the horse falling in opposite directions.

By pure luck, the limb she was clutching to got caught in between branches on a tree, leaving her dangling mere inches from the ground. Rayla dropped down and leaned against a large rock to catch her breath. But just as she was starting to calm down, she heard the approaching sound of hooves. Panicking, Rayla ducked behind the rock and hoped the horse couldn't smell her or anything. She glanced down at the satchel, thankfully still in her hand.

A horse-shaped shadow was cast over the tree behind the rock Rayla was cowering behind. The girl held her breath as she watched it slowly pass.

"This horse is smart," she muttered to herself. "It won't be long before he finds me." She stood up and intended to lean against a wall of vines to scope out a better place to hide, but instead she fell backwards through the vines. They were more of a curtain, as if someone had purposefully hung them there. Probably the entrance of a cave or something. She backed up as she heard the hooves returning, and when another shadow was cast through the vines, Rayla turned around and began sprinting. She didn't make it more than ten steps before stopping in awe.

The view from the castle was nothing compared to this.

Canyon walls surrounded a grassy area, with a river becoming a waterfall rushing down the canyon wall, then becoming a river again on the ground level. Wildflowers grew on the grassy plain, sunlight peeked out over the canyon walls to give it an almost heavenly light, but the crown jewel, and main focus, was the tall tower with no doors or stairs, and instead a single window at the top. Well, if there was any better way to hide away without being found...

Rayla speculated it may be part of an old castle that was here long ago, and figured that it must be abandoned by now. She slung the satchel over her shoulder and across her chest, then whipped out her two blades. Time to get climbing, she thought. Wonder what-if anything-I'll find at the top.

Chapter Text

Claudia was deep in thought trying to distract herself by learning a new spell, so it was fairly easy for her to miss the sound of a human being climbing up the tower using two swords. And Bait was taking a nap, so he was excused from noticing. Of course, it's pretty had to ignore an said human being climbing into your house through the window and slamming the doors. Claudia looked up with a start, wondering if Viren had used magic instead of her hair to get up the tower this time for some reason. But instead of a man in a cloak standing there, it was a girl with pointy ears and white hair. At first Claudia froze, with no clue what to do. The girl hadn't seen her yet, so maybe she could use the element of surprise.

"Alone at last," the girl sighed, peering into her leather bag. Claudia whispered an incantation and sent it towards the intruder. Within a second, the girl fell on her face, passed out cold.

Even knocked out, Claudia was wary, approaching the girl with caution. She grabbed a spare wand and poked the girl's head with it. No reaction. Bait woke up from his nap and came to investigate, but he didn't seem super alarmed. Claudia slowly used the wand to turn the girl's head to the side, even though her long hair was still covering her face. Carefully, still using the wand, Claudia flicked the hair out of the girl's face, and when the stick was too weak to move the small, cute braid that she had covering her eyes, Claudia used her own hand to move it out of the way. For some reason, at first, the young mage didn't remove her hand from the stranger's cheek. She breathed out a small contented sigh. This girl was beautiful.

And then her eyes shot open.

In a panic, Claudia shouted the incantation again, and the girl was knocked out once more. Claudia noticed that her hand was still on the girl's face, and remembered that spells spoken while in physical contact with the person were stronger. Shouting the spell instead of whispering probably also made it more effective.

So now she had a complete stranger (who probably wanted to steal some of her precious powers) passed out on her floor, and Claudia was in the dark about when her father was going to come home. That last part freaked her out enough to make a decision of what to do with the girl. Well, hide her in the wardrobe, of course!

Claudia sat her up and wrapped her own long purple hair around the girl's torso. When it was tight enough, she dragged the her over to the wardrobe that was big enough to fit an entire person, since it was mainly just a canvas and never typically used for putting actual clothes in. After having a difficult enough time as is dragging her over (human beings were so heavy, especially unconscious) Claudia realized she had no idea how to get the body into the wardrobe.

Her first attempt was to unwrap the girl from her hair and attempt to slide her into the wardrobe by pushing her with a lot of momentum across the floor. When that didn't work, only managing to hit the girl's head against the bottom of the wardrobe, Claudia tried tying the girl up in her hair again, going up into the rafters of the ceiling and pulling the girl up over one of the beams in the ceiling, and swinging her into the closet. The act was able to get the girl inside and shut the doors in one fell swoop, but then Claudia's own hair was stuck inside the door. She had no choice but to open the doors and try a different approach. When she opened the doors the girl fell into Claudia's arms and knocked her to the ground. For whatever reason, holding the girl in her accidental embrace made Claudia blush and feel even more nervous. She tried to brush it off and attempted to put the girl in the wardrobe by simply shoving her in upright and closing the door as quickly as she could, but the weight of the girl leaning against the doors caused them to fall open and the girl to fall on top of Claudia again. She heard Bait croak and looked at him, annoyed. He retreated, pointing at her wand with his tail. Her scowl fell and she smiled. Of course, a levitation charm!

She picked up her wand, pointed it at the girl and proudly exclaimed the charm. It worked, and Claudia slowly maneuvered her into the wardrobe. Once the girl was in all the way, she slammed the doors shut and stuck a chair under the handles to keep them from falling open again.

"Okay, I have a person in my closet. I have a person in my closet..." Claudia mumbled to herself. She caught sight of herself in the mirror, pointing he wand at her wardrobe, looking like kind of a bad ass, and immediately perked up. "I've got a person in my closet!" She giggled and twirled her wand around. "Too weak to handle myself out there, father? Well, tell that to me and my magic wand." She twirled it too much and it accidentally poked her in the eye, proving her point kind of moot.

She rubbed her eye until she spotted something shiny behind her in the mirror. The bag that the girl had was on the floor, open, and whatever was inside caught the sunlight and reflected it in a beautiful way, sprinkling little rainbows on the floor. Claudia pulled it out of the bag and looked at it curiously. She'd never seen anything like it before. It was a shimmering gold circle, and on one side there were a bunch of fancy slightly see through ovals, rectangles, and circles of different colors.

"What is..." she muttered to herself. Maybe it was meant to be worn? She stuck out her arm and placed the circle on her wrist. Perhaps it was a bracelet? Bait shook his head disapprovingly, and Claudia had to agree. Way too big to be a bracelet. The biggest shapes were clear, maybe it was something you looked through, like glasses or a spyglass. But when she looked through, all she saw were multiple Bait's shaking his head once more. She turned to her mirror, then got an idea. Claudia slowly raised the object to her head, with the shapes facing forward, and rested it on top of her head. Something about doing this action felt so normal, yet so magical. Bait gaped at her for a second before shaking his head once more. All Claudia could do was stare at herself in the mirror, almost in a trance, until she heard a damning sound.

"Claudia! Let down your hair!" Claudia started, then immediately took the object off and grabbed the satchel. Not knowing really where else to hide them on such short notice, she dropped them both into a big pot she'd once made with clay father had brought for her. She ran over to the window and opened the door.

"One moment, father!" She threw her hair over the hook and let it fall to the ground.

"I have a surprise, darling!" he called, grabbing onto her hair.

"Uh...I do too!" she responded, trying to sound enthusiastic as she began pulling him up.

"I bet my surprise is bigger!"

Claudia glanced at her wardrobe. "I seriously doubt it," she whispered.

Once Viren was at the window, he showed off his basket to her. "I brought back parsnips," he announced. "I'm going to make hazelnut soup for dinner! Your favorite! Surprise!"

Claudia smiled gratefully and took in a deep breath. "Well, father, there's something I want to tell you."

"Oh Claudia, you know I hate leaving you after a fight. Especially when I've done absolutely nothing wrong." He set down his basket on a table and began unpacking the parsnips.

"I've been thinking a lot about what you said earlier," she began.

Viren paused. "I hope you're not still talking about the stars."

"Floating lights!" Claudia insisted, beginning to drift over to the wardrobe. "And, yes, I'm leading up to that."

"Because I really thought we'd dropped  the issue, sweetheart," he said in a sickly sweet tone.

"No, father, I'm just saying, you think  I'm not strong enough to handle myself out there."

"Oh darling I know  you're not strong enough to handle yourself out there."

"But if you just-"

"Claudia. We're done talking about this," Viren warned.

"Trust me," she insisted, her hand on the chair blocking the wardrobe."I know what I'm-"

"Claudia..."

"Oh come on-!"

"Enough with the lights, Claudia!" her father exploded. "You are not leaving this tower! Ever!"

Claudia's eyes grew wide with fear and hurt, as she slowly pulled her hand away from the chair.

Viren sighed. "Great. Now I'm the bad guy."

Claudia stared at the floor in confusion, her eyes feeling watery. Father had never been so upset with her over something. Could the real world really be so horrific that he forced her to stay in this tower? But in the fairy tales she read it always seemed so magical! And her father went out there every day. She glanced at her painting on the wall of her seeing the floating lights. She wanted to be there more than anything. But, truly, nothing was more important than keeping her father happy, even if it meant sacrificing something she cared so much about.

"All I was going to say, father, is that I know what I want for my birthday now," she said quietly in defeat.

"And what is that?" Viren asked, still clearly annoyed.

"New paints. The paint made from the white shells you once brought me?"

"That is a very long trip, you know, Claudia. Almost three days time," he reminded her. Three days.

"I just thought it was a better idea than the...stars." She had to play the hurt and reasonable daughter act, at least well enough so he'd believe her and relent. She gave him the puppy dog eyes, and he conceded.

"You're sure you'll be all right on your own?" He stood up and walked over to her.

"I know I'm safe as long as I'm here," she admitted, giving him a hug. He hugged her back, gently stroking her hair.

"I'll be back in three days time," he promised as he took the basket she packed with food for him. "I love you very much, dear."

"I love you more."

"I love you most."

Claudia let him down the tower with her hair and waved to him as he disappeared through the vine curtain. The second he was gone, Claudia rushed over to wardrobe and removed the chair slowly. Then she muttered a spell that opened up the wardrobe. The girl began to fall out onto the floor, but Claudia caught her at the last second so she wouldn't get hurt. Time to find out if this stranger could help her.

She placed the girl in the chair that had been stuck under the wardrobe door and tied her up in-what else-Claudia's own hair. She wrapped her up tightly, and was ready to begin questioning her. Only...

"I don't know of any counter spell to undo knocking people out," Claudia admitted to Bait. The toad gave her a judgmental look. "Well if it's so easy let's see you wake her up!" Bait straightened himself up and hopped onto the stranger's shoulder. Claudia figured an element of surprise was useful once again, so she hid in the shadows.

The first thing Bait tried was smacking the girl's cheek with his tiny toad hand. He turned the color of her shirt and froze, but she didn't awaken. Then he tried using his tail. Nothing. He smacked with his tail back and forth across her cheek but there was no reaction. Finally, he decided to try one more thing.

Chapter Text

Rayla woke up with a start, feeling something wet and gross in her ear. She turned and saw a blue and yellow amphibian sitting on her shoulder with its tongue in her own ear. "Ew!" she shouted, causing the little creature to fall off her shoulder and retract its tongue. With that out of the way, she began to take in her surroundings.

She was sitting in a chair in an unfamiliar room. She was also tied up. Wasn't be the first time, but what was weird about this was what  she was tied in.

"Is this...hair?" she asked herself, struggling to get free.

"Struggling," came a voice from in the shadows. It was female, and she sounded kind of afraid. That was a first as well. "Struggling is pointless!"

Rayla peered in the dark trying to see her captor. "I know why you're here," the voice continued. "And I'm not afraid of you!"

"What?" Rayla said, genuinely confused.

 The figure emerged from the shadows. It was a girl about Rayla's age, and she seemed to be the source of the violet locks Rayla was currently tied up in. Her face, while stern (and beautiful, if Rayla may add) did show hints of fear. She did seem confident holding the stick in front of her, though.

"Who are you? And how did you find me?" the girl asked.

Rayla may have been a little too awe-struck to respond anything more than an "Uh-huh."

"Who are you?" she repeated, pointing her stick more threateningly. "And how did you find me?"

Rayla cleared her throat. "I know not who you are, nor how I came to find you." She spoke as if addressing a fairy, because for all she knew, this chick was one. "But may I just say...Hi." She gave the girl a sly and somewhat seductive smirk. "How you doing? The name's Rayla. How's your day going?"

The girl seemed caught off guard, but regained her composure and pointed the stick closer to Rayla. "Who else knows my location, Rayla?"

"Listen, Violet-"

"Claudia." Well at least she had a name.

"Yeah, whatever, that. Here's the thing. I was in a situation. Gallivanting through the woods. You know, as you do. I came across your tower, and-" Rayla suddenly remembered what she had wanted to protect so badly in the first place that she had climbed the tower. "Oh no, oh no...where is my satchel?" she asked desperately.

Claudia's face was smug. "I've hidden it. Somewhere you'll never find it."

Rayla scoped out the room for all of 5 seconds before spotting the most obvious and amateur place to hid a bag with a crown in it. "It's in that pot, isn't it?"

Claudia had a really bad at poker face, and Rayla just smiled in triumph. Scowling, Claudia spoke some words Rayla couldn't fully make out, and next thing she knew the world went dark.

She came to when she had a vaguely familiar feeling in her same ear. Rayla glared at the toad and shook her head. "Would you stop that?"

"Now  it's hidden where you'll never find it." Claudia crossed her arms confidently and began to circle her captive. "So...what do you want with my hair? To cut it?"

Rayla was more than a little confused. "What?"

"Sell it?"

"No! Listen, the only thing I want with your hair is to get out of it! Literally!" she promised.

Claudia looked genuinely confused. "Wait-you don't  want my hair?"

This girl had to be insane. "Why on earth would I want your hair? Yeah the color is unique and all but it's just hair, isn't it?" When she didn't respond, Rayla just continued with the truth. "Look, I was being chased, I saw a tower, I climbed it. End of story."

"You're...you're telling the truth?"

"Yes!"

Apparently the toad wasn't content with that answer, because it climbed off Claudia's shoulder and all the way to the end of her stick, staring Rayla right in the eyes. It was just a toad, but Rayla kept her eyes wide and focused on the it. If it was a staring contest this thing wanted, it would get it.

Claudia rolled her eyes and pulled the toad away, turning her back to Rayla and began speaking to it. Yeah, she's definitely crazy.  Rayla tried to wiggle free of her bonds until Claudia turned around.

"Okay, Rayla, I am prepared to offer you a deal."

"Deal?"

She pulled on the hair so that the chair spun around to face a wall. She swept aside a curtain to reveal an honestly well done painting that involved bright lights in the sky and a girl happily observing. At least, Rayla assumed she was happy, she couldn't really see the girl's face.

"Do you know what these are?" Claudia asked in a loud and professional sounding tone.

"You mean the lantern thing they do for the princess?"

Claudia smiled to herself. "Lanterns...I knew they weren't stars," she muttered. Rayla cocked an eyebrow, had this girl never left her tower or something? "Well, tomorrow evening they will light the night sky with these lanterns. You will act as my guide, take me to these lanterns, and return me home safely. Then, and only  then, will I return your satchel to you. That is my deal."

100% crazy.  "No can do," she admitted, not too upset to be declining. "Unfortunately the kingdom and I aren't exactly what you'd call simpatico  at the moment, so I won't be taking you anywhere."

Claudia scowled at her again. "Something brought you here, Rayla." She began pulling on the hair to bring the chair closer to her. "Call it what you will. Fate. Destiny."

"A horse," she answered honestly, bored.

"So I have made the decision to trust you-"

"A horrible decision, really."

"-but trust me when I tell you this." She gave the hair a hard tug and the chair fell forward. Rayla braced for impact but was stopped by Claudia's hand on the edge of the chair. Rayla tried not to show that she was a little impressed by that maneuver, especially since she felt somewhat intimidated now.

"You can tear this tower apart brick by brick," she whispered menacingly. "But without my help, you will never find your precious satchel."

Rayla weighed her options. Option one, take this chick who lives in a secluded tower with a pet toad that she talks to and thinks a stick is a potential weapon, out into the world, the kingdom, where she herself is wanted for theft, and then bring the girl back to the castle all in exchange for one crown. Or...stay tied up in this chair and never get the crown back. Well, the crown did have a lot of expensive gems on it...

"Let me just get this straight. I take you to see the lanterns, bring you back here, and you'll give me back my satchel?"

"I promise."

Rayla raised an eyebrow, after all she of all people knew how easy it was to break a promise and how often it could occur.

"And when I promise something, I never ever  break that promise. Ever."

She peered at Claudia closely, trying to see if she was being truthful. Staring intently into those beautiful-uh, normal looking green eyes that reminded Rayla of emeralds, or the grass on cool fall morning that was still kissed by dew, or of a lily pad in a pond that was waiting to blossom with flowers, or-Rayla had lost track of how long she'd been staring.

"Fine! I'll take you to see the lanterns!" she blurted out.

Claudia's face immediately lit up. "Really?" she squeaked, accidentally letting go of the chair. Rayla smacked onto the floor. "Oops." Claudia helped her upright the chair and took in Rayla's bloody nose. "Don't worry, I can fix this." She pointed the stick at her, swung it around a couple times, and a glowing pink light suddenly appeared from the tip. Rayla shut her eyes as the light grew brighter, and opened them once it had faded. Her nosebleed was gone.

"How did you do that?"

Claudia flipped the stick in the air and caught it. "Magic wand."

"Cool, very cool," she admitted. "Now, will you help untie me from this chair?"

"Yes! Of course, sorry about that."

Once Rayla was unbound, the question arose. "How do we get out of the tower?"

"How did you get in?" she asked with a smirk.

"I climbed using my swords."

"Then that's the way you get down."

Rayla sighed. It had been so hard to go up the first time. "Are you sure there aren't any stairs or anything?"

"The sooner you stop complaining, the sooner we get down there and you get your satchel back," she reminded her.

"All right, all right, I'll go."

Rayla pulled out her swords, then very carefully began to climb out the window. It was a lot more difficult going down than up, and the girl must have thought the same thing, because Rayla was halfway down the tower and there was still no sign of her. "You coming or what, Violet?"

Chapter Text

"You coming or what, Violet?"

Claudia stood on the edge of her tower window, watching Rayla climb down. Admittedly, she could have let her use her hair to climb down, but she still didn't completely trust her. Especially since Rayla revealed that she was in the possession of swords. Claudia had this image of how she'd leave her tower a long time ago. She'd slide down her own hair, touch the grass, feel the breeze, the river, the world around her. All she had to do was jump. Her hair was already in the hook. So what was stopping her?

"Look at the world-so close, and I'm halfway to it.
Look at it all-so big, do I even dare?
Look at me-there at last!-I just have to do it"

Claudia glanced at her painting of herself living out her dream. It could finally happen! She was almost there. She'd been capable of leaving for years, but now, it was like she had a reason.

"Should I? No.
Here I go..."

Bait confirmed himself safe and secure on Claudia's shoulder by tying himself a belt out of Claudia's hair around his waist. She giggled and took a deep breath, preparing to change her world forever.

Claudia tossed her hair down to the ground, careful that she wouldn't hit Rayla, grabbed on and jumped off the windowsill. Her hands clung onto her makeshift rope as she sailed to the ground, the hair that wasn't being used to keep her safe billowing in the wind. She laughed, immersed in this exciting new feeling, then suddenly stopped and clutched the hair hard enough to stop moving. Claudia was mere inches from the ground. Up until now it hadn't seemed real, but now was about to be her first experience with the outside world. She cautiously placed her toes in the grass, and, when finding it safe, the rest of her foot. Then the other, and she was standing on the ground for the first time in her life. She couldn't help but giggle and lay down, rolling around in the grass.

"Just smell the grass! The dirt! Just like I dreamed they'd be!
Just feel that summer breeze, the way it's calling me!"

Claudia ran around, stepping into the little river that flowed by her tower. She couldn't help giddily picking up water in her hands and making it rain down upon her.

"For like the first time ever, I'm completely free!"

A bird flew by, bringing her attention to the vine curtain her father would always disappear behind as he left. This grotto was the only place she'd ever known, time to explore the real world. She started jogging to the vines, then as she got closer broke into a run.

"I could go running
And racing
And dancing
And chasing
And leaping
And bounding
Hair flying
Hear pounding
And splashing
And reeling
And finally feeling"

She crashed through the curtain and was greeted with a forest. It was the most beautiful forest Claudia had ever seen, she could't stop happily spinning in circles.

"Now's when my life begins!"

Claudia looked at the whole world around her. "I can't believe I did this!" she exclaimed. Then she remember her father and turned fearful. "I can't believe I did this." Then happy again, at the big new world. "I can't believe I did this!" Her father entered her mind again. "Father would be so furious." From then on, her conflicting emotion were in a constant battle.

"But that's okay, I mean, what he doesn't know won't kill him, right?"

"Oh my gosh, this would kill him!"

"This is so fun!"

"I am a horrible daughter. I'm going back."

"I am never going back!"

"I am a despicable human being."

"Woo-hoo! Best day ever!"

Finally, Rayla caught up to Claudia sitting on a rock, crying with her face in her hands.

"You know..." she started. Claudia couldn't bring herself to even look up. "I can't help but notice, you seem...a little at war with yourself, here."

Claudia sniffed and wiped at her eyes. "What?"

"I mean, I'm an outsider looking in only picking up bits and pieces here. Over-protective father, forbidden road trip, I mean this is serious stuff. But take it from someone who had to quit being a child fast." Rayla put a comforting arm around Claudia's shoulders. "This is all part of growing up. A little rebellion, a little adventure, that's good! Healthy, even."

Claudia wiped her nose on her sleeve. "You think?"

"I know! You're way over-thinking this, trust me," Rayla insisted. "Does your father deserve it? No. Will it break his heart and crush his soul? Of course! But you just have to do it."

What she was saying suddenly dawned on her. "Break his heart?"

Rayla nonchalantly picked a berry off a bush. "In half."

"Crush his soul?"

She smushed the berry between her fingers. "Like a moonberry."

"He would be heartbroken, you're right." How could she be so thoughtless and stupid?

"I am, aren't I?" Rayla said thoughtfully. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but...I'm letting you out of the deal."

Something wasn't right here. "Wait, what?"

"Yep! But don't thank me. Let's just turn around and get you home!" She picked up Claudia's wand and Bait and handed them to her, putting an arm around her and guiding her back to the direction of the vine curtain. "Here's your stick, here's your frog. I get back my satchel, you get back a father daughter relationship based on mutual trust and voila! We part ways as unlikely pals." Claudia realized what was happening and pushed away from Rayla.

"No! I am seeing those lanterns!" she insisted stubbornly.

Rayla dropped the nice act. "Oh come on! What's it gonna take for me to get my satchel back?"

Claudia narrowed her eyes and pointed the stick at Rayla's nose. "I will use this." She almost did too, had it not been for a sudden noise she heard coming from a bush. Her eyes widened and she hid behind Rayla, hugging her like a human shield. "Is it ruffians? Thugs? Have they come for me?" she squeaked.

Out of the bush hopped a small white bunny rabbit that froze when it saw the pair.

"Stay calm. It can probably smell fear," Rayla said in the most monotone voice. The bunny hopped quickly away, and Claudia removed herself from behind Rayla.

"Sorry...Guess I'm just a little bit jumpy," she apologized.

Rayla gave a little half smile. "Probably be best if we avoid ruffians and thugs, though."

Claudia knew she was just trying to humor her, but she didn't care. "Yeah, that would be best."

Suddenly raising an eyebrow, Rayla asked, "Are you hungry? I know a great place for lunch."

Her stomach did feel a little empty. "Where?"

"Oh don't worry." She grabbed Claudia's hand and started leading her further into the woods. "You'll know it when you smell it!"

Claudia allowed herself to follow, her hand clasped in Rayla's as they set off into unknown adventure.

Soren had been searching for several hours, but still couldn't find Rayla. At one point, he stumbled across a wanted poster with her face on it tacked on a tree. Soren glared at it trying to figure out what was different. The ears. They were much larger than they were in real life. Still, to feel like he accomplished something, Soren bit the poster off the tree and chewed it to pieces. Once satisfied, he prepared to move on when he heard the sound of a twig snapping. Cautious, he hid behind a bush, and when the person's footsteps grew closer, he pounced.

The old man jumped back in fright. This definitely wasn't her, and Soren sighed in defeat. The old man eyed him curiously.

"A palace horse?" Viren asked. His eyes widened. "Where's your rider?" Even though he was far from the tower, he called out Claudia's name. "Claudia? Claudia!" He took off as fast as he could back to the tower. He suddenly had a bad intuition. And his intuition had been on par for centuries. If he felt something was wrong, something was wrong.

He arrived at the base of the tower, panting. "Claudia! Let down your hair!" There was no response. No shout of affirmation, no hair being draped over the hook. "Claudia?" Nothing. He ran to the other side of the tower and began desperately digging away at moss and stones until he found the secret entrance of the tower that led to a ladder. He climbed the ladder and pushed up the tile, now in the tower's main room.

"Claudia?" he called out. The tower was small, but it felt like digging around every nook and cranny searching for her took hours. Not in the wardrobe, not in her bed, not behind any curtains. "Claudia!" It was official. His prisoner had broken out of jail.

Viren sat down to catch his breath when he noticed a glint of light coming from the other side of the room. The sunlight that was coming in through the window was reflecting off of something there. He took a deep breath and walked over to it. Something was hidden under the stair that Viren sometimes used for storage of secret potions and ingredients. Evidently, someone had discovered it and exploited it.

He cautiously pried back the top of the step and pulled out what was hidden there. A leather bag. He reached inside of it and pulled out a golden jeweled crown. Viren tossed it aside as if the mere touch burned him. A tiara. Like for a princess. Someone may have found out who Claudia was.

The only other thing in the bag was a wanted poster of a girl with a small braid in her hair and weirdly large round ears. Viren scowled. Of course. She was kidnapped by some thief. And there was only one proper way to deal with thieves.

Viren dug around in the secret compartment of one of his side tables and found his most trusty weapon. He only used it when it was absolutely necessary. And he was determined to get his youth back no matter what the cost. Viren packed the poster, tiara, and dagger in the satchel and set out on a different mission. One that didn't involve looking for white shells.

Chapter Text

"I know it's around here somewhere...ah, there it is! The Snuggly Duckling!" Rayla announced it as if it were this wonderful restaurant. Although it definitely was wonderful in her case. This would definitely be the thing that got her the satchel back a lot faster. "Don't worry, it's a very quaint place. Perfect for a newcomer like yourself. Don't want you scaring and giving up on this whole adventure now do we?"

"Well...I do like ducklings!" Who'd have thought this goth-looking chick could be so cute-immature. Child-like. Not cute. Definitely. And the only reason Rayla was still holding her hand was to keep her from getting away. Obviously.

"Yay!" Rayla said, encouraging Claudia's innocence and openness to this place. She threw open the door and shouted, "Garçon! Your finest table, please!" When she heard Claudia gasp, she knew her plan of frightening the chick was working.

Seated at tables were some of the most visually frightening men Rayla had ever met. Many of them were made of bulging muscles, facial hair, warts, and outfits that had definitely not been washed in a week minimum. Even if they weren't visually threatening, some of them were just incredibly creepy, like the guy with a small rat army or the skinny pale dude who never spoke. To top it all off the whole place smelled disgusting.

It was like Claudia didn't know where to point her wand, since she was holding it up with both hands and swinging it around every time she took a step, watching everyone with wary eyes. Rayla encouraged her to continue walking into the pub by holding onto her shoulders and somewhat forcing her inside.

"Can you smell that? Take a deep breath through the nose." Rayla inhaled deeply, being used to stuff that reeked, so she wasn't too effected. Claudia looked like she was about to pass out. "What are you getting? Because to me, it's part bad man smell, and the other part is really  bad man smell. Overall it kind of smells like the color brown. Thoughts?"

Claudia squeaked and started pulling away as one of the patrons grabbed at her hair. "That's a lot of hair," he stated dumbly. Part of Rayla wanted to tell the guy to buzz off, but hey, if it meant Claudia was more afraid, by all means.

"She's growing it out," she replied instead. "Is that blood in your mustache? Violet, look at this! Look at all the blood in his mustache! Good sir that's a lot of blood!" She knew it was unwise to provoke these kinds of people but she just couldn't help herself. And hey, maybe it'd get them kicked out so Claudia could go back home.

Claudia was pressed up against a wall holding a bundle of her hair in one hand and her wand in the other. Rayla pretended to sympathize with her. "Hey, you don't look so good, Violet. Maybe we should get you home, call it a day. Probably better off. This is a five star joint, after all!" Only because the people who gave it such ratings were terrified and threatened into giving those reviews. Rayla put her arm around the trembling girl and began to lead her back to the door. "If you can't handle this place, then maybe you should be back in your tower." Just before they made it out the door, it was slammed in their face by a large man wearing a hat with horns.

"Is this you?" he growled, pointing to the wanted poster hanging on the door with Rayla's face on it. She struggled to hold in an angry sigh; they were so close!

Her curiosity got the better of her common sense, however, and instead of denying it was her, she looked at the poster and her exaggerated pointy ears and couldn't help but mutter, "Ugh. Now they're just being mean."

Oops.

"Oh, it's her, all right." The owner of the pub, the guy who had a hook for one of his hands spoke up and grabbed Rayla by his big fist and held the hook up to her chin. "Greno! Go find some guards!" The man he addressed, Greno, obliged and ran out of the pub. "That reward is gonna buy me a new hook."

Rayla was suddenly grabbed by a guy in a knight mask. "I could use the money!" he protested. Another guy grabbed her and yelled "What about me? I'm broke." Soon everyone was fighting over Rayla, grabbing and punching one another, trying to claim Rayla as their prize.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" Claudia shouted, trying but failing to get the ruffians away from Rayla.

"We can work something out," Rayla lied. Whatever kind of deal she struck with these guys would end up in her breaking off her end, she knew it.

"Give my back my guide!" The men held Rayla by her limbs up in the air, keeping her steady as the hook-handed guard went to throw a punch. Claudia reached into the pocket of her dress and pulled out a small bag with yellow powder, and blew it on the hook-handed guy at the last second. It caused him to freeze up and fall to the floor, stiff. It only lasted for a second though, probably because he was so big and she only blew a little bit of dust, as he almost immediately jumped up.

"Put her down!" Claudia yelled. Everyone immediately turned and glared at her. "Look, I don't know where I am and I need her to take me to see the lanterns because I've been dreaming about them my entire life! Find your humanity! Haven't any of you ever had a dream?"

What has she done?

At least being respectful of Claudia's wishes, they put Rayla down...on a hook, suspended half a foot off the ground. The man who Claudia had knocked to the ground stalked over to her, his ax in his hand. Rayla bit her lip and pretended not to care, but even still tried to shout "No!" except for a thug who covered her mouth. The man with the ax held it up to Claudia's face, then deeply bellowed:

"I had a dream once."

He threw the ax at a frail guy sitting on a barrel next to a wall. The ax just missed his head, and he began to play.

Suddenly Rayla had no idea what was happening.

"I'm malicious mean and scary
My sneer could curdle dairy
And violence-wise my hands are not the cleanest"

"Oh my gosh, he's singing," she whispered.

"But despite my evil look
And my temper and my hook
I've always yearned to be a concert pianist"

He sat down at the piano and began to play. Claudia looked intrigued, and suddenly much happier, sitting down on the stool next to him. This girl could see the good in a mosquito, honestly

"Can't you see me on the stage performing Mozart?
Tickling the ivories till they gleam
Yes I'd rather be called deadly
For my killer show tune medley
Thank you!
'Cause way down deep inside I've got a dream"

The rest of the pub around Rayla was getting excited and started bopping around and singing along.

"He's got a dream!
He's got a dream!"

Did Claudia put a spell on them or something with that powder?

"See I ain't as cruel and vicious as I seem
Though I do like breaking femurs
You can count me with the dreamers
Like everybody else I've got a dream"

Rayla sighed, somewhat bored but mostly confused by the random musical number. Then all of a sudden she got a strange, unnerving feeling. Her ears twitched, and it led for her to look outside through the window. She swore she saw a cloaked figure standing there but when she rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things, the figure was gone.

Another one of the pub guys started singing, changing Rayla's direction of attention anyway.

"I've got scars and lumps and bruises
Plus something here that oozes
And let's not even mention my complexion
But despite my extra toes
And my goiter and my nose
I really wanna make a love connection"

He handed Claudia a little flower that made Rayla groan and roll her eyes. Especially since Claudia seemed so touched by it. It was just a flower. Why did Rayla even care so much?

"Can't you see me with a special little lady?
Rowing in a row boat down the stream
Though I'm one disgusting blighter
I'm a lover, not a fighter
'Cause way down deep inside I've got a dream"

"I've got a dream!
He's got a dream!
I've got a dream!
He's got a dream!
And I know one day romance will reign supreme
Though my face leaves people screaming
There's a child behind it dreaming
Like everybody else I've got a dream"

Don't get her wrong, Rayla was glad people were no longer glaring at her and trying to kill her, but something about this just kind of felt...worse. She'd handled punches just fine but never a spontaneous song and dance number. And if she wasn't on this hook she'd probably walk out right now and let one of these people be Claudia's guide.

"Thor would like to quit and be a florist
Gunther does interior design
Ulf is into mime
Attila's cupcakes are sublime
Bruiser knits, Killer sews
Fang does little puppet shows
And Vladimir collects ceramic unicorns"

"Heh. Cute," Rayla scoffed. Everyone's attention turned to her again. Dang it.

"What about you?" the hook handed guy asked.

"I'm sorry, me?"

"Yeah, what's your dream?"someone else demanded, taking her off the hook.

"Woah, slow down. Sorry boys, I don't sing." Immediately blades were pointed at her from every single angle. And Rayla was positive that wasn't even every single sword in this pub. Regardless, she relented.

"I have dreams like you
No, really!
Just much less touchy-feely
They mainly happen somewhere warm and sunny!
On an island that I own
Tanned and rested and alone
Surrounded by enormous piles of money"

The guys didn't seem too thrilled with her response, but at least they weren't threatening her anymore. Claudia stood on a table and started declaring her dream, which Rayla couldn't help but watch.

"I've got a dream!
She's got a dream!
I've got a dream!
She's got a dream!
I just want to see the floating lanterns gleam!
And with every passing hour
I'm so glad I left my tower!
Like all you lovely folks I've got a dream!"

Rayla had that same bad feeling once more, but couldn't look at the window again because there was someone in the pub blocking her view. However, had she been able to see it, she would have witnessed Lord Viren staring in shock at Claudia singing outright that she'd left her own tower to see the floating lights. He clenched his fist and glared. Oh, when he got her back home...

"She's got a dream!
He's got a dream!
They've got a dream!
We've got a dream!
So our differences ain't rally that extreme
We're one big team!"

"Call us brutal!
Sick!
Sadistic!
And grotesquely optimistic!
'Cause way down deep inside we've got a dream!"

"I've got a dream!
I've got a dream!
I've got a dream!
I've got a dream!
I've got a dream!
I've got a dream!"

Rayla couldn't help smiling. This chick certainly knew how to bring light wherever she went. It was admittedly cute.

"Yes way down deep inside I've got a dream!"

Everyone cheered and started laughing, but their joy was short-lived as Greno burst back in through the door of the pub shouting "I found the guards!"

Rayla froze for a second before grabbed Claudia's hand and pulled her behind the bar to hide.

Chapter Text

Rayla pulled Claudia behind the bar just as the door burst open. The leader of the small group of kings' men was someone she recognized immediately. General Amaya, top guard of the whole kingdom's army. Rayla had a few good run-ins with her. For someone who couldn't hear, she was wicked in combat. Scowling, Amaya began signing aggressively at the crowd of thugs.

Her fellow guard, Gren, translated. “Where’s Rayla? Where is she.” Amaya began stalking around the pub. “I know she’s in here somewhere. Find her. Turn the place upside down if you have to.” The general pounded her fist on the bar that Rayla and Claudia were hiding under. Rayla noticed Claudia was holding onto her arm in fear. The convict swallowed nervously and peeked over the top of the bar to spot the guards leading in two people in handcuffs behind them. Her eyes widened as she recognized Runaan and Tinker. She ducked back behind the bar before anyone saw her.

All of a sudden something cold and metal hit her shoulder. Rayla looked up slowly to see the hook of the hook handed man. He gave her a look that said "follow me."

He discreetly pulled a lever on the bar, and below them, a small trapdoor opened up in the floor. It led to a tunnel underground. The perfect escape route.

"Go. Live your dream," he whispered.

Rayla smiled. "I will."

He frowned. "Your dream stinks. I was talking to the other one." Rayla sighed and crawled into the passageway.

"Thanks for everything," she heard Claudia say to him before climbing into the passageway as well. Rayla had just enough time to grab a lantern from the wall in the tunnel before the doorway shut behind them.

"I don't know what you're talking about, there were no criminals here. Especially not any girls," the bartender explained to Amaya.

"But didn't you-" Greno tried to object, getting a kick in the shins by one of the customers. "Ow."

Amaya glared at the bartender and signed some more. "I know when people are lying to me. And there are consequences for that," Gren explained.

There was a horse whinny in the distance. The door burst open and standing there was a tired, annoyed, and very determined white horse.

"Soren?" Gren asked, surprised.

The stallion began sniffing around the pub like a bloodhound. He started getting excited by a spot behind the bar, stamping his hooves.

"There's nothing there," one of the guards stated plainly. Soren glared at him, grabbed one of the levers on the bar with his teeth and pulled. The floor opened up, revealing a hidden tunnel below.

"A passage," Amaya signed, smugly looking at the bartender she'd just been interrogating. "Come on men, let's go. Except for you, Conli." She addressed the guard who'd, so far, been in charge of keeping watch over the men in chains. "Stay here and make sure those two don't get away."

 The guard nodded as the trapdoor shut. He pointed his spear at the two convicts but they just rolled their eyes. Runaan headbutted the guy, causing him to fall to the floor, passed out. The rest of the men in the pub just looked the other way as if nothing was happening. Tinker picked up the spear and used it to break the chains around Runaan's wrists, to which Runaan returned the favor.

"Play it safe or go get the crown?" Tinker asked. His boyfriend gave him a knowing look. They both chuckled menacingly and went to follow the guards into the tunnel below.

All of this was visible from the window outside the pub, which Viren had returned to his position there after hiding from the guards when they arrived. Not that they'd assume he was the person who kidnapped the princess 18 years ago anyway, since he looked even younger than he did back then, but it wasn't worth the risk. Speaking of youth, he noticed some wrinkles reappearing on his hands. Viren needed to get Claudia back-fast. He thought of the crown in the satchel he currently held, and to the two men who'd just escaped into the secret passage. And idea began to form.

"I've got a dream, I've got a dream," slurred a guy walking out of the pub who was very obviously drunk. He stopped when he saw Viren. "Heya, can I *hic* help you?"

"Maybe," Viren said, then whipped out his dagger and held it to the guy's throat in one move. "Where does that tunnel let out?"

"Knife," the guy squeaked in fear.

"Well, I've gotta say, I didn't know you had it in you back there. That was pretty impressive," Rayla admitted.

"I know!" exclaimed Claudia. Rayla gave her a look that she didn't exactly know what to make of it. She looked kind of like she was somewhat contemplating something. "I know," she repeated more nonchalantly. She was really becoming intrigued by this girl, though. Claudia tucked some of her hair behind her ear out of nervous habit. "So...Rayla. Where are you from?"

"Whoa, sorry Violet, I don't do backstories," she defended. "However, I am becoming very interested in yours. Now, I know I'm not supposed to mention the hair..."

Obviously. "Nope."

"Or the father..."

Also a bad topic. "Uh-uh."

"Frankly I'm too scared to ask about the frog-"

"Toad," she reminded her gently. Bait grunted and glared at Rayla.

"Nuance. Here's my question, though. If you want to see the lanterns so badly, why haven't you gone before?"

 Claudia chuckled nervously. "Well..." She opened her mouth but was distracted by the sudden appearance of orange light in the cave, along with slight trembling of the floor they were walking on. "Uh, Rayla?" she said, tugging on the girl's sleeve. Rayla looked around nervously. The two of them spotted the men and woman in silver armor at the same time. "Rayla?" she asked again, more worry in her voice.

"Run." Rayla ordered, helping Claudia pick up all of her hair so it wouldn't drag too much behind her. "Run!"

The pair ran through the tunnels until they saw light. They made it through the exit and were greeted by a steep drop. Behind them was a tall wooden dam, that must be the power source for the wheel spinning next to them into a wooden path on stilts that had a stream of water running through it. The place must have been built in a canyon considering the deep drop in front of them, and all of the platforms and tall rocks around them.

"There!" Rayla shouted, pointing to what looked like an exit at the bottom of the canyon. Next to it was a second opening, covered with wooden slats, that broke open as two men with swords and a few scars  burst through.

"Who's that?" Claudia asked.

"They don't like me," Rayla admitted.

The people in silver armor came out of the opening behind them, causing Claudia to jump in surprise. "Who's that?"

"They don't like me either."

Now out of the tunnel came, of all things, a white horse. The horse seemed to be glaring at Rayla. "Who's that?!"

"Let's just assume for the moment that everyone here doesn't like me, all right?" Rayla shouted, dropping Claudia's hair. Of course, her hair!

"You have those swords, right?" Claudia reaffirmed.

"Yes?"

"Good. Use it," she said as she picked up the end of her hair and threw it over a solid looking wooden beam. She pulled tightly, confirming it's stability, and used it to swing over to a different rock platform.

That left Rayla on the platform with the guards-alone.

Amaya cracked her knuckles and walked towards Rayla. She signed something with her hands.

"'I've waited a long time for this,'" Gren said as Amaya drew her sword. Rayla grabbed her swords and held them in front of her protectively. Amaya swung at her right arm but Rayla blocked it with her left blade. Then she went for the leg; Rayla dodged it. Only the general was going in for attacks, leaving the thief nothing to do but defend herself.

Claudia watched the whole thing from her platform instead of finding a way down to the canyon exit, which was the point of abandoning Rayla at all. She was so concerned for her friend's-for her guide's safety, that nothing else mattered at that moment. Claudia wanted to make an attempt to assist by lassoing Rayla with her hair, but the other lady's blade was sharp and precise. If it got to close to her hair...

Eventually, Amaya did an attack that involved her turning around, which gave Rayla an opening to pin down her sword and held her other blade against the woman's throat. There was anger in those eyes, but also fear. Rayla glanced at the other guards, who were looking on nervously for the first time since the battle began. Rayla released her and backed up. She may be a dirty, lying, double-crossing thief, but she was not  a murderer. Amaya was clearly unsure of how to take this, and that was when Claudia took her window of opportunity.

"Rayla!" she shouted, tossing her hair over to her. She quickly wrapped it around a wooden limb to keep it secure. Rayla dropped one of her swords to be able to grab the hair, the other she slipped on her back. Claudia yanked the hair and sent Rayla soaring through the air, who gave a two fingered salute as she was being hoisted away.

"Look out!" Claudia called as she saw her soaring right over to the two men with swords. Claudia pulled as hard as she could in the nick of time to just keep Rayla from being chopped to bits by blades that swung at her.

"Ha!" Rayla taunted. "You should see your faces because you look-" Claudia didn't have enough time to warn her as Rayla approached a canyon wall. She smacked into it, still adding a muffled "-ridiculous," to finish her thought. In a daze, she landed on the rock below her, still holding on to Claudia's hair.

There was a loud thudding coming from the tunnel exit, and Claudia turned her head in time to see the white horse kick one of the support beams on the dam across the gap to where Claudia was standing. The spot where the beam had been secured started spurting water from the dam. The horse, focused on Claudia, began crossing the makeshift bridge towards her. Eyes wide, she turned to run, but realized she had nowhere to go.

"Come on, Claudia!" Rayla shouted to her, wrapping Claudia's hair tightly around a rock on her own platform. "Jump!"

Claudia took a deep breath, held on to her hair, and leapt away from the approaching stallion. Soren was reaching out in a last attempt to bite her hair and keep her from going anywhere, but missed by an inch as Claudia sailed down to the ground. She skidded across a small pool of water, pulled her hair down with her, and kept running.

Rayla took the opportunity to hop down by sliding through the stream flowing through the wooden path. It began to collapse, so she hoped of and threw herself into a somersault on the ground. She got up immediately and caught up to Claudia, helping her pick up some hair she was dragging behind.

"How's it going?" she asked, panting.

"Could be better. You?"

"We probably want to try and lose those guys but other than that not bad." Rayla jerked a thumb in the direction of Runaan and Tinker, who were gaining on them.

And then the dam exploded.

Water began rushing down, filling the canyon. It swept up all the guards and the horse. It swept away the two thieves with swords. And as the wave started approaching Rayla and Claudia, it knocked over a weak rock structure that began collapsing on top of them. They were so close to the exit door, so close! It was right there! The rock was still descending upon them. They made it there just in time, and just before the rock came down, Rayla spotted her other blade swept towards them by the waters. She grabbed it and pulled t into the cave before the rock crashed and sealed any way of them getting back out there.

Claudia turned around, exhausted, expecting a tunnel, but was treated to...a cave wall. What? They were in a cave? Water began seeping in from the minimal space around the collapsed rock that had chased them in there. She felt the wall and realized there were large stones that must have fallen and created a massive wall. It must have been there purposefully or for a long time, because those rocks were not moving. Claudia looked down at her feet and saw the water rising.

"Rayla..." she muttered, but didn't know what else to say. They both climbed to the highest point in the cave, but other than that there was no way to go. Bait jumped off her shoulder and tired to fit between small gaps of rocks, but nothing. Claudia tried pushing up against the rocks in case there was an opening above, but nothing moved. Rayla dove underwater to look for a way out, but came up with nothing. Claudia grabbed one of Rayla's swords and tried hitting against the rocks or prying them to move, and Rayla dove underwater again. Once more, nothing.

Frustrated, Rayla gripped a wall and tried to force a rock to move, getting a deep cut along her palm in the process. She hissed in pain and Claudia looked at her worriedly. Before she could ask f the girl was okay Rayla had already dove back under the rising water once more. Desperately, Claudia reached into her pockets for a few of the powders she had brought, but they had all gotten wet by the water by now, making them powerless.

Rayla came up for air once more, breathing shallowly. "It's no use, I can't see anything," she gasped. Determined, Claudia took in a deep breath and dove underwater, only to immediately be pulled up by the shoulders by Rayla. "Hey," she said in a softer voice. "There's no point. It's pitch black down there." She wiped away a strand of hair clinging to Claudia's face, looking at her with concern. They climbed back up to the top of the cave as Claudia felt herself on the verge of tears.

"This is all my fault," she cried dejectedly. "He was right, I never should have done this. Now we'll die here alone and it's all because of my stupid dream." She sniffled and wiped at her nose with her wet sleeve. "I'm so sorry, Rayla."

"Well," Rayla sad gently, putting a comforting arm around Claudia's shoulders. "We won't be completely alone. We have each other." Claudia gave her a half smile. "And, honestly, you're genuinely the closest thing I've ever had to a friend." She forced a small chuckle. "You, and all that hair."

Since it was their final moments and all, and they were sharing secrets, Claudia offered, "It glows when I sing."

Then the realization struck her like a ton of bricks.

"What?" Rayla asked, completely confused.

"I have...magic hair that glows when I sing!" She looked down at the quickly approaching water.

"Flower gleam and glow
Let your power shine..."

The two girls took in deep breaths and shut their eyes.

The darkness quickly vanished as Claudia opened her eyes to see her brightly glowing purple air glowing in the water. Rayla opened her eyes too and almost gasped before realizing that they were underwater and couldn't go back up for air.

The hair began to drift in a specific direction, as if pointing to a cluster of rocks at the bottom. There must be an exit there, Claudia thought, and began swimming towards it. Rayla picked up on what was happening and joined her, and the two began pulling away at rocks haphazardly.

It felt like it took hours even though it truly couldn't have been more than 20 seconds, and Claudia was about to lose all hope when suddenly, Rayla's hand broke through the wall and into free air. She pulled one more rock aside and the whole wall collapsed. They tumbled out into a flowing stream that was on the other side of that wall. She kicked upwards as fast as she could and through her body over the edge of the riverbank, gasping heavily for air. Not even a second later, Rayla was doing the same thing, as was Bait, perched on Rayla's shoulder.

"We made it," Claudia sighed happily, climbing out of the river.

"Her hair glows," Rayla gasped in utter disbelief.

"We're alive. I'm alive!"

"I did not see that coming."

"Rayla..."

"Her hair actually glows."

"Rayla."

"Why does her hair glow?" she yelled at Bait.

"Rayla!" Claudia shouted desperately.

"What?" Rayla shouted back, just as freaked out.

Claudia smiled and pulled out the rest of her hair from the river. "It doesn't just  glow."

Bait gave Rayla a small but knowing toad smirk, and Rayla's face went from shock to fear. "Why is he smiling at me?"

Stalking what he was sworn was the exit to the tunnel was Viren, dagger in hand. He heard noises and the sound of at least one man coughing from behind the trapdoor, and was prepared to take back what was rightfully his. The door swung open, and out crawled a man who was soaked head to toe, but it wasn't the man he was looking for. It was one of those men in handcuffs he'd seen at the pub. Viren hid behind a large rock, hoping he could eavesdrop on something important.

The man in the tunnel helped pull out his associate, both of them wet, coughing fits. "I'll kill her," the one with long white hair rasped. "I'll kill that Rayla!"

Viren's eyes widened with curiosity and brilliance. He'd just thought of the perfect plan.

"We can cut her off at the kingdom and get back the crown," he continued. "Come on." They began walking away, and this was the moment Viren chose to make his entrance.

"Or," he said calmly yet suddenly. "Perhaps you want to stop acting like wild dogs chasing their tails and think for a moment?" He held up the satchel in front of him teasingly. The two men drew their swords and growled at him. Viren rolled his eyes. "Oh please, there's no need for that," he admitted, simply tossing the bag to them. The white-haired one caught it and pulled out the crown, smirking greedily.

"Well, if that's all you desire, then be on your way. I was going to offer you something worth 1,000 crowns, would have made you rich beyond belief, and that wasn't even the best part."He chuckled mischievously, even though he certainly had the thieves attention. "Oh well, c'est la vie. Enjoy your crown!"

"What's the best part?" the other asked after a beat of silence.

Viren grinned and pulled out the wanted poster. "It comes with revenge on Rayla." He shook the poster ever so slightly, like a matador antagonizing a bull.

And it was definitely working.

Chapter Text

“I think our first order of business should be to make a fire.” Rayla was clearly still in awe of the hair thing, but it was good that she was able to focus on surviving the night. “It’s getting dark out, we want to stay warm and have a source of light. Also, you know, we’re soaking wet and it’d be nice to be able to dry off.”

”Got it.” Claudia immediately set out to find some firewood, doing her best to drag her wet hair behind her. She was able to find a few logs that had probably fallen off trees, plenty of little branches, before realizing she didn't know where she was. Or where her guide was. They hadn't made a decision on where to meet up with the wood.

"Rayla?" she called out. No response, only a slight murmur in the trees by a bird flying away. "Rayla!" A little louder this time. The woods did seem kind of big. "Rayla!" At this third call she heard something crash down from the trees and felt something cover her mouth and pull her close from behind.

"Are you crazy?" Rayla hissed into her ear. She sounded angry but also genuinely concerned. "There could be palace guards nearby, and I'm a wanted criminal. What good is running around calling my name going to do?"

"I was-I was looking for you," she stammered. Claudia felt a little nervous, since Rayla had pulled her right up against her body and hadn't yet let go. She decided it was because both of their clothes were still drenched, so the sensation was uncomfortable. That was obviously it. Rayla must have suddenly been aware of this too because she immediately backed up and started rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly.

"Look, let's just find a place to build the fire, all right?"

"All right."

They were able to scope out an area where people must have camped before, because there was a little circle of stones and a large log that had previously been the trunk of a tree laying on its side. Claudia sat down and put her logs into the ring as Rayla attempted to create a fire with a few twigs. The sunset was really beautiful over the trees. Oranges and yellows shining through the treetops, light piercing the leaves and branches, shining on the ground, casting shadows. It made the air feel a bit more magical.

Before she knew it the light was gone.

"Agh!" Rayla shouted, throwing down the stick and rubbing her hand. "I can't do it! Not with my hand still injured and these dumb sticks that don't even want to work!"

Claudia felt guilty, remembering Rayla's still wounded hand. She stood up and felt something move in her pocket. Of course!

She pulled her wand out of her pocket, ignored Rayla's confused look, and shouted, "Incendio!" while pointing the wand at the pile of logs. Rayla jumped back in shock as the flames ignited out of nowhere. Since they were magic, Claudia was able to utter a spell under her breath that would make it immediately dry their clothes. Rayla looked down at her shirt in surprise.

"How did you just do that?" she asked, bewildered.

She stuffed the wand back into her pocket. "Doesn't matter. Now sit on the log and hold out your hand." Wordlessly, Rayla obeyed.

"So, you're being strangely cryptic as you wrap your magical hair around my injured hand," Rayla said, partly in awe and partly in fear. She was barely talking to Claudia anyway, instead intensely watching the fire keeping them warm. Claudia was too focused that she almost didn't hear her. She did hear, however, Rayla's little wince of pain as Claudia pulled the hair tightly around her hand.

"Sorry," she genuinely apologized. "Just...promise me you won't freak out. Okay?"

Rayla was looking at her like she was nuts (and Claudia really couldn't blame her) but still muttered a small, "Okay. Promise." Claudia delicately held Rayla's wrapped hand between her two own and began to sing, light immediately emanating from her hair.

"Flower gleam and glow
Let your power shine
Make the clock reverse
Bring back what once was mine..."

Claudia had never had to think about the healing properties she was putting forth when she sang her song, but for some reason, this time, she desperately wanted it to work well.

For Rayla.

"Heal what has been hurt
Change the fate's design
Save what has been lost
Bring back what once was mine
What once was mine..."

She sighed and looked up at Rayla nervously. The girl unwrapped her hand and froze in shock. Claudia breathed a sigh of relief; it must have worked. Rayla rotated her hand 180 degrees to check if something weird was going on, and Claudia was able to see that the wound was completely healed and gone. Rayla opened her mouth as if to scream.

"Pleasedon'tfreakout!" she begged.

Rayla's lips remained opened, but no sound came out for a few good seconds. "No way, I'm not freaking out, are you freaking out? No, I'm just very interested in your hair and the magical qualities that it possesses how long has it been doing that exactly?" It took a lot of willpower not to giggle at Rayla's minor freak out. It was kind of adorable.

"Forever, I guess," she said instead in response to Rayla's question. Then her face turned somber. "Father says that when I was a baby, people tried to cut it. They wanted it for themselves." She pulled back the rest of her naturally purple locks and exposed her shame; the one short strand of black hair from before she even knew what her magic was. "But once it's cut, it turns black and loses its power." Claudia started absentmindedly pulling at a strand of purple hair. "A gift like that, it has to be protected. That's why father never let me..." No, no. This wasn't her father's fault. He only wanted what was best for her. "That's why I never left my..." But that wasn't entirely the truth either.

"You never left that tower," Rayla filled in for her. Her face was painfully serious, and it looked like she was thinking hard about something. "And...you're still going to go back?" she asked incredulously.

"No!" was her knee-jerk response, followed by a wave of shame and guilt. "I mean, yes? I mean..." She sighed and buried her head in her hands. "It's complicated."

Rayla looked at her, concerned. Claudia didn’t want to seem too weak in front of her, so she took a deep breath and pulled her hair back. “So…your life must be lonelier than mine if I’m the closest thing you’ve had to a friend,” she said, turning the conversation towards Rayla.

"Yeah, well, that's a long story, and like I said, I don't do backstories. And to be honest, it's a very uninteresting one so I can understand if you don't want to hear it." She gave Claudia a smirk, but the mage simply scooted closer on the log and looked into her bright purple eyes, intrigued. "Heh," she said softly.

"I was abandoned by my parents as a child. I grew up on my own. Had no real life. Didn't really need it, though. I learned quickly how easy it was to steal, learned about 'always look out for numero uno,' that stuff. And when I met up with Runaan and Tinker...well, they seemed like they could be my ticket out. And they were, for a while." Her satisfied face turned into one of regret. "I learned that they planned to double-cross me once we got the crown, so I figured I should double-cross them first." She sighed. "Rule number one: Never trust anyone. They'll always stab you in the back or let you down." She looked down at her hands, as if pondering something.

"Well, lucky for you I don't have a knife," Claudia said, trying to lighten the air.

"You're right, you don't." Rayla pulled out one of her blades from the sheath on her back. "But I do." She threw it into the air, letting it spin a few times, before catching it effortlessly by the handle. "But don't worry, I've got no plans to cross you any time soon."

"Well that's good to hear." The two giggled a little, and Claudia found herself looking into Rayla's eyes again. They reminded her of a shade of paint that she had in her collection, one of her favorites. Lilac, or amethyst, or orchid, or all 3. Whatever it was, it was beautiful.

Her concentration was broken when she felt something tough her fingers. It was Rayla's hand, slowly making it's way on top of Claudia's. Everything about the action made her jittery. Claudia blushed and turned away, embarrassed, then blushed even more as she realized how that probably came across.

Rayla coughed. "I should, uh...I should go get some more firewood." Claudia didn't have the heart to tell her that they wouldn't need more wood, since the fire was magic, and plus she needed a minute to get over the awkward interaction, so she just stayed silent. Rayla got up and began walking away just before Claudia spoke.

"Hey," she said softly. Rayla stopped and turned around. Claudia took a deep breath and said, "For the record, I think of you as my friend too." That wasn't exactly what she wanted to say. "And, uh, you have my word that I'll never double-cross you and stab you in the back." Nice Claudia, that ought to convey your feelings well enough.

Still, Rayla seemed touched. She looked down at her healed hand. "You'd be the first person to say that, for both of those things." The look she gave Claudia was the softest and sincere she'd been all day. "But thank you." And she was gone into the woods.

Claudia stared off at the space she'd disappeared to, feeling butterflies in her chest. They were stopped when a voice appeared out of the shadows.

"Well! I thought she'd never leave!" Claudia gasped, then turned around with widened eyes.

"Father?"

Viren smiled at her curtly and flipped down the hood of his cape. "Hello, dear."

Next to her, Bait disappeared into the log she was sitting on by curling up and turning that shade of brown.

"I-I-I...I don't...How did you find me?" she blurted out, as Viren walked over to her and gave her a hug. For once, Claudia refused to return it.

"Oh, it was easy, really. I just listened for the sound of complete and utter betrayal and followed that." Claudia couldn't help but scrunch her face up in guilt at her father's words.

"Father..."

He abruptly stopped hugging her and grabbed her arm. "We're going home, Claudia. Now."

"You don't understand," she protested. "I've been on this incredible, journey, and I've seen and learned so much!" Her cheeks became tinged with a rosy pink as she added, "I even met someone."

Viren patted her hand. "Ah, yes, the wanted thief. I'm so proud. Come on, Claudia." He glared at her disapprovingly and started to drag her away by the wrist.

"Father, wait!" she pleaded one final time. "I think...I think she likes me." It was the first official time that thought had entered her head, and once she said it it made her feel light and buzzing inside.

He released her hand and spun around, his face full of surprise. "Likes you? Please, Claudia, that's ridiculous!"

Her heart sank. "But-"

"This is why you never should have left!" Viren continued. "Darling, this whole romance that you've invented just proves  you're too naive to be here." The light buzzing feeling was officially gone, replaced by feelings of doubt. Was her father right, and Claudia was just self-projecting her own feelings and interpreting them to believe that Rayla might like her too?

"Why would she like you, come on now, really?"

Viren grabbed strands of her hair and let them fall as if he were disgusted by them.

"Look at you! You think that she's impressed?
Don't be a dummy.
Come with daddy.
Father..."

"No!" Claudia finally shouted. She rejected all of it. The idea of going home, of leaving Rayla, that Rayla didn't return her feelings, and that her father may know best, because he didn't. He doesn't.

Viren was surprised at her outburst. "No?" He raised an eyebrow. "Oh. I see how it is." What had she just triggered?

He walked around her, mocking her.

"Claudia knows best
Claudia's so mature now
Such a clever, grown-up miss"

He gave her a single pat on the head but she pulled away. He continued, unfazed.

"Claudia knows best?
Fine, if you're so sure now
Go ahead then, give her this!"

He pulled something out of his cloak; a brown leather satchel. Claudia's eyes widened in shock. "How-how did you-" she stuttered. He cut her off and pulled out the crown, tossing it to her.

"This is why she's here
Don't let her deceive you
Give it to her, watch, you'll see"

"I will!" Claudia objected confidently.

"Trust me, my dear
That's how fast she'll leave you
I won't say I told you so"

Viren slung the satchel around her shoulders fiercely. Subconsciously, Claudia clutched onto the handle.

"No, Claudia knows best
So if she's such a dreamboat
Go and put her to the test"

Claudia could see her own terrified reflection in the crown's polished gems. A tiny seed of doubt in her mind caused her to reach out and call, "Father, wait!"

"If she's lying
Don't come crying
Father knows best!"

And with that he disappeared into the fog. Claudia wasn't even sure if he had ever been there until she looked down at the crown in her hands.

"So! Can I ask you something?" Claudia panicked at the shout of Rayla's voice from nearby. She took of the satchel, stuffed the crown inside and hid it behind a rock. She intended to go back to sitting on the log, but couldn't help staring at the spot in the fog where her father vanished one last time.

"Any chance that hair magic could give me super strength? Cuz, I won't lie, that'd be great, especially right now." She dropped the firewood on the ground, and finally noticed Claudia staring into the distance. "Hey, you all right?"

Claudia turned around quickly. "Yes! Just, um, lost in thought, I guess."

Rayla seemed to buy it, putting logs into the fire. "I mean here's the thing," she said, continuing on about the super strength thing. "Can you imagine the possibilities that could be unlocked with such powers? I mean how much more would I be able to lift that I can't now?"

Claudia attempted to laugh. "Yeah, I don't know." She struggled to make eye contact and listen intently to what Rayla was saying, even though she really wanted to. All she could think about was the brown bag, and wonder if she suddenly had her own knife. And if she did, what would she use it for?

Chapter Text

Rayla didn't remember when she fell asleep, but she did remember waking up to the sound of huffing in her ear. She opened her eyes and too a gander at the ground on which she'd fallen asleep. A caterpillar crawled near her nose. She scrunched up her face and looked up towards the thing breathing into her ear. Above her stood that white horse who hated her guts, blowing into her face like a mad bull. Rayla just rolled her eyes.

"Well, I assume you're here to make amends?" she teased, closing her eyes and trying to fall back asleep. Instead of hearing any kind of whinny, as she expected, Rayla suddenly felt herself being grabbed by her boot and dragged away. "Ahh! Help!" she shouted, desperately clawing at the ground so the horse couldn't take her.

Her cry for help must have awoken Claudia, because the next thing she knew a pair of hands were grabbing on to hers. The horse continued to pull Rayla by the boot while Claudia desperately held onto Rayla's arms. Great. I'm the rope in a stupid game of tug o' war.

Eventually the horse lost, as Rayla's boot slipped out of her foot and she flew backwards, crashing into Claudia and landing on top of her. Panicking, she ran to hide behind a rock and get away from the terrifying horse. Hey, it worked last time.

When she didn't hear the sound of murderous hooves, she risked turning around and saw Claudia facing down Soren. She almost yelled for Claudia to run, but was too scared to call out.

"Whoa, easy, boy, easy." She was trying to calm down that thing? Had she lost her mind? But, like magic, the horse was less frantic, and looked at Claudia curiously. Finally, he froze completely, staring at her without movement. "That's it! Good boy," she cooed. "Now sit." Soren's trance was broken as he huffed and merely squatted. "Sit," she demanded more sternly. He plopped down onto the ground obediently.

"What?" Rayla blurted out incredulously. The horse didn't even notice her.

"Now drop the boot," Claudia continued. His ears flattened and he refused. "Drop it!" Clearly not happy about it, he obeyed her again. Claudia picked up the boot and tossed it over to Claudia, who put it on, bewildered. "Aw, you're such a good boy!" Claudia gushed to the horse, petting his nose and scratching his chin. "Yes you are!"

"What is happening?"

"Are you all tired of chasing the bad thief all over the woods?" Soren nodded in agreement.

"Excuse me?"

It was like Claudia didn't even hear her. "Nobody appreciates you do they?" He snuffled, nuzzling up to Claudia. "Isn't that right...Soren?" she said, reading the name on his saddle.

"You have got to be kidding me," Rayla complained. Soren stopped enjoying the love and attention he was getting and huffed at Rayla, who jumped back.

Claudia turned his head so that he was facing her. "Listen, today is, like, the biggest day of my life, so, I kind of need you not to get her arrested." Soren snorted and looked away.

"What, he understands English now?"

"Rayla, you're not helping," Claudia said through clenched teeth. She turned her attention back to the horse. "Just do it for, like, 24 hours, then you can chase each other to your hearts' content. Okay?"

Rayla sighed. "Fine." Soren refused to look at them.

"It's also my birthday," Claudia muttered. "Just so you know." Finally, the horse snorted and nodded in agreement. Claudia grinned and clapped her hands before spotting something through the trees.

She walked through the trees until she was out of the forest and approaching a stone bridge over water. Past the bridge was a village, and towering above everything else was a large castle. It glimmered as the sun shone on it, making it look like it was made of gold. Claudia couldn’t help smiling from ear to ear as she began all but running across the bridge.

Rayla followed behind her, keeping an eye on Soren while also tearing down more incorrectly drawn posters of herself. Soren glared at her but she just rolled her eyes and kept up with Claudia.

Claudia stood in the town square wide-eyed, taking in all the sights around her. People at vendors selling food, knick-knacks, clothes, animals. Above her hung an array of yellow banners with a purple six-pointed star in the middle. Music played faintly in the distance.

Excited, Claudia tried to run through the street only to be stopped less than two feet later by at least half a dozen people unknowingly stepping on her hair that dragged on the ground. Her head was yanked back, and she grabbed on her scalp hoping that none of the hairs would break. Rayla came up behind her and quickly helped her scoop up the hair. A look passed between them that read, "What do we do about this situation?"

Rayla glanced round and saw a group of girls, who looked to be sisters, sitting on the edge of a fountain in a line braiding each others hair. An idea popped in her head.

"Hey, red-haired lassies!" The girls at the fountain looked over and promptly gasped in delight. "Want a real  challenge?" They nodded eagerly and practically sprinted to Claudia.

The four girls sat her down on the ground where there weren't a lot of people walking and spread her hair down straight as long as it would go. They separated it into 3 main sections and began weaving the strands in and out, running around and tossing them as if using jump ropes. Claudia couldn't help but giggle but did her best to stay still. Once they finished and secured the braid, one of the girls pulled out a basket full of flowers.

"Let's decorate it!" she shouted excitedly.

"You don't have to-" Claudia started.

"We want to," the tallest one proclaimed, grabbing the first flower on top; a daisy.

They continued plucking flowers from the basket and sticking them where they thought looked good. Rayla watched the whole thing with an adoring and reminiscent look on her face. Oh, how she missed the innocence of childhood. At one point she had to duck behind a wall to avoid passing guards, but when she peeked out again, Claudia's braid was complete. It hung just below her feet, and was covered top to bottom with flowers weaved into her hair. Giddily, Claudia spun around and thanked the girls for their kindness. Rayla gave a small smile at the sight.

To her left, clearly noticing, Soren gave her a knowing look. She rolled her eyes, crossed her arms, and muttered, "It's nothing."

Claudia ran up to her and grabbed her arm. "Come on, be my guide, show me around!"

Rayla tried to ignore the blush that arose in her cheeks at Claudia's touch. "All right, fine, let's go." Claudia dragged her into the street, ready for adventure.

The first place she stopped was at a library. Of course this girl was a bookworm. She eagerly pulled Rayla inside and ran to the shelves to see books full of maps, full of history of the rest of the world. She pulled the books off the shelves and opened them all up to read about the coolest places she could find.

"Someday I'll travel across the sea," she said dreamily. "I'll go where it's really cold, or where it's really hot. I just want it so badly, you know? New experiences, new places, new people." She looked at Rayla hopefully, and in return received an understanding nod.

"Yeah. I do. But, the world isn't all that fantastic, you know? Not trying to dampen the mood, just stating facts," she added.

"I know. But my experiences will be great." She tugged on a strand of hair and notably looked down at the book. "They have been so far."

Rayla softly blushed and looked outside. "Hey, you like to paint, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I happen to know somewhere we could get some chalk, and there's this big area of clear pavement outside. You interested?"

"Am I ever!" She grabbed Rayla by the hands and ran out of the library.

 Once she got her hands on that purple chalk there was no stopping her. Her hands swept left and right all over the pavement. Colors seemed to flow directly from her fingertips. Her indulgence in her art caught the attention of some people passing by, especially the little kids, who borrowed some of the chalk she wasn't using to make their own little creations. It took a long time, but when Claudia stood up and wiped the sweat off her face with a chalk covered hand, it was a sight to behold. The swirling yellow background littered in gold flowers was overshadowed by the six pointed purple star that was on all the banners everywhere.

Speaking of the banners, Rayla went over to a guy selling them in small flag form. She pulled out a small sack of coins that she kept on her person in case of emergencies, and gave him a couple in exchange for a flag. She tapped Claudia on the shoulder and held out the flag, to which the girl eagerly grabbed it, holding it up to compare to the banners all around the square.

"It looks just like them!" she exclaimed.

"I know. And you're welcome." Rayla wasn't expecting the hug, and didn't exactly know what to do when Claudia pulled her into it. Awkwardly,she attempted to hug the pretty girl back.

She spotted a bakery with frosted cupcakes in the window, and another idea occurred to her. "Are you hungry?" she asked, retreating from the hug.

"Yeah, starving," she admitted.

"Don't worry, this won't be like the fiasco we had in the forest. This time, it's just simple cupcakes."

Claudia cocked an eyebrow. "Cup...cakes?"

Rayla gasped. "You've. Never. Had. A. Cupcake?" She shook her head. "We are buying you one right this instant. And by we I mean me, since I'm the only one with legitimate currency here." She took Claudia by the hands and led her to the bakery.

"Two cupcakes, one with lemon frosting and one with strawberry frosting, please," she ordered, placing coins on the counter. The baker nodded and pulled two out of the display window and handed it to them. "Thanks so much, really, appreciate it."

"You look kind of familiar..." the baker remarked, narrowing her eyes.

"No we don't, get that a lot, sorry to disappoint, byeeee." Rayla dragged Claudia out of the bakery and ducked around a corner to hide from some guards marching by.

"You know, up until that point I forgot you were a wanted woman," Claudia admitted.

"Yeah, well, we all have our flaws." She held up the lemon cupcake and gave Claudia the strawberry one. "You strike me as a strawberry gal. Anyway, a toast, to the lovely birthday girl!"

Claudia giggled and bit into her cupcake. Her eyes widened ecstatically as she took another bite, and then another.

"You like it?" Rayla chuckled.

"I love it!" Claudia exclaimed with her mouth full of icing and cake. "This is the best food I've ever had!"

She finished the rest of it in the time it took Rayla to eat a few sensible bites.

"You've got a little icing on your face," Rayla teased.

Claudia felt her cheek with her hand. "Where?"

Rayla reached out a hand and wiped the icing off Claudia's cheek with her finger, then popped it in her own mouth.

"Hey, that was my cupcake icing you know." She took her own finger and swiped a bit of icing directly from Rayla's own cupcake and licked it off.

"Well now you've crossed a line," Rayla teased, flicking a bit of icing onto Claudia's face.

The girl was taken aback, but laughed it off and took that icing off her face to smear it onto Rayla's cheek. "Hey, come on," she laughed, taking Claudia's hand gently off her face. She looked up and the two of them locked eyes and froze. Rayla was aware of the fact that they were basically holding hands but for some reason couldn't do anything about it. Claudia seemed mesmerized by her gaze as well, and for a few good seconds, it was just the two of them silently looking into each others' eyes, hoping that what they were thinking the other person was thinking too.

Claudia finally broke the silence. "Um, I can just..." She gently used her other hand (the one that wasn't  currently being held) to wipe the icing off Rayla's face.

"Thanks," she stuttered, releasing Claudia's hand. Suddenly cupcakes didn't seem super appealing anymore.

"We should, uh, get something else to eat," Rayla said, changing the subject. "You know, something with real sustenance."

Claudia lit up. "Okay! I've had limited options when it came to food my whole life, and as amazing as those cupcakes were, can we get something new and different? Like, something you think I should experience, on my only day out in the world?"

Rayla looked around and spotted the perfect stand. "Have you ever had fresh bread? Like, warm, soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside, just out of the oven bread?"

Claudia cocked an eyebrow. "No, can't say that I have."

"Well then come on!" It was Rayla's turn to pull Claudia around. As she approached the booth, she considered what would be the best way to snag fresh bread without the guy working there noticing. But when she turned back and looked into Claudia's expectant and wondrous eyes, her heart told her flat out that she couldn't. Rayla reached into her vest and pulled out the small sack of coins. "Here, stand with me in line, I'll get us some stuff, okay?" Claudia smiled brightly and nodded.

Claudia just couldn't help continuing to get distracted, though. Never in her life did she have so much to take in, so much to see. Her eyes wandered until she was staring at a wall with a large mural on it. It was a picture of a man and woman, in royal looking garb, with the woman holding a bundle of purple blankets. The picture did not show what was within the blankets, yet it must have been an important mural, because many people were crowded at the base of it, looking up in awe. Flowers were piled at the base, many of them various shades of purple. A little girl was holding one up and speaking to an infant that was being held by her mother.

"It's for the lost princess," the child explained, placing the violet gently at the bottom of the mural. Claudia looked up at the mural again; something about it felt so familiar.

 Her curiosity was interrupted by some joyful music playing behind her. A band of a violin, a lute, and a flute was harmoniously playing a tune. One of Claudia's favorite things in the world was music, which she so rarely got to hear, so she couldn't help but dance and twirl in the middle of the square. The band seemed to notice her, and played louder and more enthusiastically.

Rayla turned around and all of a sudden there was a small crowd dancing to the music, with Claudia in the center of it all. Spectators were clapping, people dancing were making circles, partner dancing, just spinning around and having fun. Claudia gestured for Rayla to come join her, but Rayla stayed back, putting the food in the little bag on Soren's saddle. In response, the horse kicked Rayla into the crowd of dancing people, causing her to get caught up in the circle. She glared at Soren but he and Bait just laughed.

She begrudgingly allowed herself to be swept up in all the madness around her, but after a little while, it was actually kind of fun. She was paired up with a guy dancing for a while, and during a partner trade-off, she and Claudia tried to go for each other but were swept away by other dancers. The music turned up a notch, and more jumping around, circle formations, and simultaneous dancing proceeded. Rayla tried to follow along, amazed by how well Claudia was fitting in here with the people. It was like she truly belonged.

Wish I could say the same about myself.

The music built up dramatically, and Rayla spotted Claudia twirling around on her own. She danced her own way over, and just as the music stopped, caught Claudia in a partner dancing move. She was holding Claudia's hand in hers, her arm resting on Claudia's waist while Claudia's was on her shoulder. They both breathed heavily as the audience around them cheered. She looked into Claudia's eyes and felt happy, enlightened.

In love.

Chapter Text

Rayla pushed the boat out from the dock and into the water. Claudia sat in front, on the edge of her seat. Bait sat on Rayla's shoulder, intently watching a fly in the edge. Unfortunately, Soren had to stay behind (though Rayla did feed him a few apples she bought before they left the dock).

"Where are we going?" Claudia asked as Rayla rowed the boat into the calm harbor.

"Well, it's the best day of your life. I figured you should have a decent seat."

Claudia sat on the wooden seat in the boat with her knees hugged to her chest. She sighed and reflected on everything that had happened to her in the course of two days.

She had a strange girl who actually turned out to be really nice (and kind of cute) climb into her tower and agree to take her to see the one thing she'd been dreaming about for her entire life. She escaped-no, she left  her tower where she'd stayed for the past 18 years. She got into trouble with some thugs at a bar and was able to sing her way out of the situation. She and Rayla had come close to drowning then been saved by her magic hair. She and Rayla had bonded over their tragic pasts, her own father basically threatened her and made her insecure to the core, she'd befriended a horse that was hell-bent on revenge on Rayla. She'd visited a whole town that had been so close her whole life and was able to have so many new experiences. So many new sights, new smells, new sounds, new tastes...

Her eyes found Rayla, who was focused intently on rowing the boat.

...new feelings.

Yeah, she'd been stuck in a tower her whole life with no one but her father and a yellow and blue toad to keep her company, so of course she'd try to find comfort and love within the first new person she met. But something about Rayla was different. This wasn't that self-projecting thing she did when reading books with female heroines who fall in love at the end, or paintings in which she was the main focus. For the first time, these feelings of care and love might actually be returned? Her heart fluttered at the thought.

"Today has been great." She glanced at Rayla who only gave her a nod of acknowledgement. "I mean, in the little time we've known each other, we've learned and done so much together. It's just like the books, y'know?"

"Yeah, totally." Rayla's feet shuffled and she kept her eyes lowered. A tiny voice in the back of her head voiced some suspicion. Was Rayla hiding something? Although, it's not like Claudia hadn't been hiding something since almost 24 hours ago when her father revealed a lot to her and gave her a choice. She wanted to give Rayla the satchel, truly, she did. It was just...not the right time? Claudia was still somewhat distrusting? But really, after everything they'd been through together, Claudia figured Rayla deserved it.

Just...after she saw the lights. It was part of their deal and all.

"Hey, Rayla?"

"What's up, Violet?"

At first the nickname had annoyed her, but Claudia had grown accustomed to it, even feeling kind of giddy when Rayla used it.

"Have you ever...done something like this?" Claudia wasn't sure exactly what she was asking, but she looked up at Rayla hoping she'd have an answer.

"The horse was a surprise," Rayla admitted. "Also, it's been a while since I've paid for something legally." Claudia frowned. That definitely wasn't the answer she was looking for. Though, Rayla did seem a little nervous, so she let it slide.

Claudia attempted to distract herself by dipping her fingers into the water. It was able to keep her attention for about five seconds before she sighed and pulled her hand back into the boat. Something else was desperately nagging at her, like Bait when he hadn't been fed.

"You okay?" Rayla's voice was laced with concern, and Claudia, lost in her own worry, just stared at the water.

"I'm terrified," she said softly.

"Why?"

She took a deep breath. "I've been looking out a window for 18 years, dreaming  of what it might feel like when those lights rise in the sky. What if...what if it's not everything I dreamed it would be?"

Rayla rubbed Claudia's shoulder comfortingly. "It will be."

Claudia smiled. "And if it is? What do I do then?"

She paused and thought for a second. "Well, that's the good part, I guess. You get to find a new dream." She looked back at Claudia, who could do nothing but stare back into her eyes.

Neither of them realized they had the same expression as each other every time they made eye contact.

When Claudia looked into Rayla's eyes, she saw the moon, silver and bright, as well as the majestic blue waters around their boat. Add in the glimmer of purple in the iris and in the pupil of Claudia's own reflection, and she was sure that the eyes she was staring at were the prettiest in the world.

When Rayla looked into Claudia's eyes, she saw the stars. The crocodile green eyes were both mischievous but also big and trusting. They reflected the lights emanating from the boats around them that were getting ready to release their lanterns, vaguely reminding Rayla of her surprise. But for now, she sighed contently as she looked unto the prettiest eyes in the world.

Absentmindedly, Claudia fiddled with the flowers weaved into her braid, which snapped her back into reality and gave her an idea. "Hey, you know what'd be cute?"

You, Rayla thought. "What?"

Claudia pulled a small lily out of her hair and gently placed it on the surface of the water. It wobbled a little before steadying, and floating atop the gentle waves.

"That's so cool. Can I pick one?"

Claudia nodded and Rayla eagerly (yet delicately) picked out a violet and placed it on the water. Unfortunately, it sank.

"Oops."

"That's okay, try another," Claudia encouraged. Rayla went to take a daisy, but Claudia pulled back the braid.

"What's wrong?"

"Uh, it's nothing, really. It's just...that one's kind of my favorite."

"Oh! I'm sorry-"

"It's okay! I'm just, like-"

"I didn't know that-"

"I just love the white petals and the pink center-"

"Totally my bad."

"Totally not a big deal!"

"I'll just, uh, grab another one."

"Yeah, do that."

Embarrassed, Rayla picked a small pink rose and placed it carefully on the water. It slowly drifted to meet up with the lily. They bumped into each other and began drifting apart.

"They're friends," Claudia said quietly. She took a blue flower and set it in the water. Rayla carefully took a few out and held them in her hand for Claudia to have easy access to. "Thanks."

Then she put in a yellow one, then a white one, then a pink one, then another purple, then...

A glowing one?

Claudia's eyes widened as she saw something in the reflection of the water. A glowing light. The first lantern! Her gaze shot up to the sky as she saw it. The single purple lantern, released from a castle, was drifting into the night sky. Unable to contain her excitement, she leaped up and ran to the very edge of the boat, clinging to the edge so she was as close to that light as she could be.

"All those days watching from the windows
All those years outside looking in
All that time never even knowing
Just how blind I've been"

More lights began appearing, from around the castle, from the city, even from some of the large ships out on the water. This was the moment she'd been waiting for her entire life, and it did not disappoint.

"Now I'm here blinking in the starlight
Now I'm here suddenly I see
Standing here it's all so clear
I'm where I'm meant to be"

The lights began covering the sky, her view of the castle, and the boats. They were all about her, showing off their incredible light, and Claudia had never been so in awe. It felt so right, like the lights truly were meant for her, like she was a part of something greater. Her view of the world had been consistently changing, but right now, this was all that mattered. The glowing magic surrounding her.

"And at last I see the light
And it's like the fog has lifted
And at last I see the light
And it's like the sky is new"

She sighed and smiled contently, feeling tears well up in her eyes. She was almost afraid to blink, as if she'd miss a second of beauty around her. Bait crawled over and nuzzled up against her arm happily. She giggled softly, her eyes still sweeping over the lanterns blanketing the sky. Truly the best birthday present ever.

"And it's warm and real and bright
And the world has somehow shifted
All at once everything looks different
Now that I see you"

She turned around to see Rayla still sitting in the boat, only instead of holding a pile of flowers, she was holding a glowing lantern in each hand. She smiled warmly at Claudia, who couldn't even say a word.

"For us," was all she said.

This was the kind of true love Claudia read about in her books.

A light bulb went off in her head as she sat back down. She reached behind her and grabbed something she'd kept hidden all day.

"I have something for you too," she confessed, holding up the leather satchel, her heart pounding in her chest. Rayla's eyes widened, but they immediately fell back on Claudia. "I should have given it to you before, but I was just scared. And the thing is...I'm not scared anymore." She fiddled with the strap. "Know what I mean?"

Rayla's hand reached out for the satchel...and immediately lowered it, refusing to take it. "I'm starting to," she said, holding out the purple lantern. Claudia eagerly took it, and they released the into the air together. They watched the pair float upwards, circling each other, without making actual contact. They were grand and beautiful.

And yet they were the second most beautiful thing she'd seen tonight, Rayla thought, tearing her gaze away from the lights.

"All those days chasing down a daydream
All those years living in a blur
All that time never truly seeing
Things, the way they were"

Excitedly, Claudia pointed out a lantern that was drifting close to the water and near their boat, she stretched her arm out as far as it would go, with Rayla grabbing her other arm at last minute to make sure she didn't go over, and reached the edge of it to lightly push it into the sky. Rayla removed her hand from Claudia's arm instinctively, although it made her a little sad to do so.

"Now she's here shining in the starlight
Now she's here suddenly I know
If she's here it's crystal clear
I'm where I'm meant to go"

Fuck it.

She gently took Claudia's hand in her own. The girl looked up at her excitedly, her eyes shining with happiness and the reflection of the lanterns, taking Rayla's other hand as well.

Chapter Text

Rayla cupped Claudia's cheek with her hand and leaned in as Claudia closed her eyes. Rayla began to follow suit until she spotted a light that wasn't coming from any of the lanterns around them. It was green. Her eyes widened. The shade of lime green that she, Runaan, and Tinker would use as a light signal. At the edge of the forest, she made out two figures around that light. They walked behind a rock and vanished.

Oh no.

Claudia opened her eyes and saw Rayla's worried face. "Is everything okay?" she asked, turning to see where Rayla was staring. All she saw was the edge of the water meeting the forest.

Rayla snapped out of it. "Oh! Uh, sorry!. Yes, of course. Um, everything...everything is fine." She glanced at the brown leather satchel sitting in the boat. As much as she didn't want this moment to end, she knew she had to let go of her past before she could take any steps towards a better future.

And that included Claudia.

"How about we go to shore? I'm feeling a little seasick." She rubbed her stomach unconvincingly, but Claudia didn't call her bluff. She just nodded silently. Rayla took the oars and rowed them to shore as the lanterns began rising higher into the sky, disappearing in the fog and clouds.

When they got to shore, Rayla parked the boat and looked once more into the fog. She knew they were waiting for her.

"I'm really sorry. Everything is fine," she said again. Cautiously, she picked up the satchel from the boat. Claudia's eyes followed her hand but her mouth didn't say anything. "There's just something I need to take care of."

Claudia glanced down at the ground, then back up at Rayla. I trust you. "Okay," she said with as much enthusiasm as she could muster-which was to say, very little.

Rayla nodded, taking in one last look at Claudia before disappearing into the fog.

Bait, who had climbed on Claudia's shoulder, nudged her and squeaked worriedly.  "It's all right, Bait," she affirmed him. "She'll be back." I hope.

The toad wasn't content with that, so he jumped off Claudia's shoulder and ran after Rayla. "Bait!" She didn't go after him; he'd come back if Rayla did.

When  Rayla did.

Rayla walked through the fog until she came upon Runaan, by himself, sharpening a stick with his sword.

"Well, hey! There you are! I haven't stopped looking for you since we got separated! How's it going?"

Runaan just momentarily paused his sharpening and glared at Rayla, then went back to his task.

"Awkward," she muttered. "Listen. I shouldn't have abandoned you guys." She tossed the bag onto the ground, the crown spilling out onto the pebbles. "The crown is all yours! Don't even want it! Anyway, I'd better get going. It's been great, but I think it's for the-" she turned to leave and smacked into Tinker, who had appeared behind her. "-best."

"Holding out on us again Rayla?" Runaan said, throwing his sharpened stick into the ground, where it stood up straight.

"What?" She'd given them the crown! That was the only thing they'd wanted! She wasn't keeping anything from them!

"We heard you found something," Runaan continued, walking over to Rayla. He kicked the crown nonchalantly into the water. Rayla was still blocked in by Tinker, and fear began to set in. "Something much  more valuable than the crown." She cocked an eyebrow, confused. "We want her  instead."

Rayla's eyes widened. "Claudia? No, that's not what....I'm not using her for anything! You can't..." Panicking she turned to the direction where Claudia was waiting. "Claud-!" Her voice was muffled by a hand covering her mouth. Something hard hit her head making her black out.

Claudia was fiddling with the end of the boat when she saw a shape appearing in the fog. Rayla.

"Oh thank goodness. You were taking so long, I was starting to worry that you'd ran off with the crown and left me," she admitted.

A second shape materialized in the fog, putting Claudia on high alert. Instead of Rayla, two intimidating men stepped out of the mist.

"She did," one of them said.

"What?" Claudia regarded them with caution. "No...she wouldn't." She was only half-talking to the two in front of her.

They both smirked. "See for yourself," the same guy said, gesturing towards the water. By now, the lights had floated away, making it somewhat hard to see. But, even with the fog, she saw something clear as day. A boat, sailing away from the shore. The figure steering it was holding something. The crown.

"Rayla...? Rayla!" Even though the boat was still pretty close, Rayla didn't turn acknowledge her.

Claudia clutched her chest, as if her heart broke in two.

"Trust me my dear. That's how fast she'll leave you."

Everything hit her like a ton of bricks. Rayla really was the lying thief all the posters forewarned.

"Fair trade," the man continued. "The crown for the girl with the magic hair." He caressed her braid, and for a split second Claudia was reminded of her father. That was immediately replaced by her fight or flight response kicking in as she saw the other guy pull out a burlap bag. "How much you think someone would pay to stay young and healthy forever?"

"No...please...no..." she begged, running away into the fog. They still pursued her. "No!" She ran faster, not looking back, until her braid got snagged on the branch of a log. This is it. They're going to catch me, she thought as she tugged, unable to free herself.

Two loud snaps and grunts emitted from somewhere in the fog. And then, the last voice in the entire world that Claudia expected to hear.

"Claudia!"

"Father?" she said in disbelief. She gently pulled her hair out of the branch and tracked down the source of the voice.

Her father was holding several glass jars, with two laying on the ground, opened. They were spell jars. Next to said jars, lying on the ground, were the men who tried to attack her. Those jars must have had some sort of knock out spell in them. Viren stuffed the jars back into the pockets of his robe as he looked up at Claudia.

"Oh, my precious girl," he said with the most concern she'd ever heard from him.

She ran to him gratefully. "Father!"

"Are you all right? Are you hurt?" he asked, almost forcefully hugging her and stroking her hair.

"How did you...?" Claudia began.

"Darling, I was so worried about you. So I followed you. And then I saw them attack you, and..." he seemed too choked up to finish, glancing to the ground at the unconscious bodies. He gave her one last hug before taking her hands and lead her towards the forest. "Hurry. Let's go before the spell wears off." He rushed off, but Claudia stopped and stared at the water where the boat was still sailing away. The only time she'd ever fallen in love...and she broke her heart. Left without a real good-bye. Claudia had never felt so much pain and anguish in her entire life. The world truly was as awful as Viren promised.

She turned around and saw her father holding a lantern that glowed green. Tears welled up in her eyes as she ran into his waiting arms.

"You were right, father," she sobbed. "You were right about everything."

He patted her head soothingly. "I know, sweetheart. I know." He wrapped an arm tightly around her and led her back into the forest, back to their tower, where they belonged.

Rayla awoke when she felt a strange and familiar sensation in her ear. Her eyes opened slowly, and her head felt sore.

"Claudia," she mumbled, since it was the last thing she remembered. She was saying Claudia's name for a reason...

Rayla was suddenly aware that her hands and waist were tied up in rope. Even worse, she was tied to a boat, and water was 100% NOT her thing. She'd been brave to row and steer the small boat for Claudia, even though she was terrified the entire time, but this was way out of her comfort zone. "Claudia?" Rayla said again. She looked to her left and saw the crown tied to her hand. She looked up and saw that she was in the kingdom's main harbor.

Oh fuck.

Guards came down to the boat immediately and began to untie her, snatching the crown for her grip.

No one noticed the tiny yellow and blue toad jumping off the boat and scrambling to shore.

"No no no no, wait, wait! Stop! On the other side of the water, I-" she pleaded with the palace guards, but they wouldn't listen to her, they just grabbed her and dragged her to shore.

Tears clouded her vision as she tried to wrestle out of their grip, but it was futile. She desperately called out one final time, "Claudia!"

Chapter Text

Rayla hadn't slept at all. She couldn't stop pacing in her cell, as if that would help her think of a way out. Her art of escape had always relied on not getting caught. If you know the playing field, you have the upper hand. This was completely new, and Rayla hated it.

She gripped the bars on her cell window and looked out, thinking about what to do. The sad truth was she had no plan to get out of this. She knew what punishment awaited her,it was only a matter of time before-

Keys jingled in the lock to her cell, and she turned around to see Amaya, standing there with a most serious frown. She signed seriously.

"Let's get this over with," Gren explained. He and a guard with dark black hair, Marcos, stood behind Amaya.

Rayla spaced out for a moment. "Where are we going?" she asked. Amaya signed something else, but Rayla snapped back into reality, and didn't need Gren's translation.

She brushed her hand against her neck.  "Oh," was all she could get out, as if her throat had already begun to close.

 It had taken all night, but Viren was finally able to undo the whole braid and get every last flower out.

"There. It never even happened," he said as he plucked out the last one: the white daisy with the pink center. "Wash up for dinner, all right sweetheart? I'll make hazelnut soup!"

Claudia didn't respond, she just stared at her hands, clasped together, in her lap.

Viren sighed. "I really did try, Claudia. I tried  to warn you what was out there. The outside world is a dangerous place, filled with horrible, selfish people. If it finds even the slightest ray of sunshine, it destroys it." With that, he left the room, allowing the curtain to close behind him. Claudia looked up to make sure he was gone, then finally unclasped her hands. Tucked inside them was a small piece of fabric wadded up into a ball, which she smoothed out over her dress.

Sitting in the tower for that long gave Claudia some time to think. True, she was devastated when Rayla sailed away from her. But, the world hadn't been all that bad. The song in the bar was the most exhilarating experience. Their escape, albeit dangerous, was also thrilling. She had opened up to someone for the first time ever after healing Rayla's hand. She'd befriended a horse. Her hair was braided for the first time. The cupcakes were the sweetest thing she'd ever ate. The books were incredible, much better than the ones her father brought home for her. They showed her all the places in the world she yearned to go. The chalk art was her greatest masterpiece yet, since she'd only ever used paints before. The dancing she did was so enthralling, so freeing. The boat felt so romantic, the flowers were just meaningless fun, and she'd gotten her birthday wish. She had gotten to see the lights. She was there, in the heart of it all, absorbing every second of it as if she were about to wake up from some beautiful dream. And then, she even got to release one of her own. It was incredible. Her heart may have been crushed, but Viren wasn't completely right. There were still plenty of things great about the world.

Still, though. The flag clutched in Claudia's hands was a heartbreaking reminder of the fact that she had been tossed aside, abandoned, bartered away for a stupid piece of head wear. She laid down on her bed and held the flag over her heart, staring up at the ceiling. Her eyes rested on a painting she'd done of a flock of birds. Six birds,their beaks all equal distance apart. Something about the formation seemed familiar. She held up her flag in front of her face, then looked back at the painting.

The negative space formed a six-pointed star.

Claudia sat up, appalled. She'd subconsciously drawn that shape before she'd even ever seen it? The only stars she'd seen before had five points, typically pentagrams and sigils and all of that. Her eyes fluttered over to another painting, one of purple flowers. The stems formed another negative space image: the same six-pointed star.

Her eyes widened with disbelief. Her eyes scanned back and forth across the doodles on her ceiling, each of them she had unknowingly hidden the star in. Her entire ceiling was full of those stars. How was this possible? There had to have been somewhere else she'd seen it before. Something about lying on her bed, looking up at that symbol was eerily faintly familiar.

Suddenly it was as if her brain had snapped and jogged every little bit of her memory. In her memory, though a bit blurry, she could make out a mobile with the six pointed purple star carved into it. And two people standing over her...they were the people in the mural she saw in the square.

The mural with all the flowers at its base.

"It's for the lost princess."

Something about putting on the crown felt so normal, yet so magical.

"They appear every year on my birthday, father."

"You mean the lantern thing they do for the princess?"

Claudia gasped and collapsed backwards into a table as the realization hit her like a ton of bricks.

"It's me."

Rayla was completely out of ideas to escape. She was in metal handcuffs behind her back, with Gren and Marcos holding both her arms and Amaya leading them past rows of prison cells. She was completely hopeless.

As they walked they passed a cell containing two very familiar bandits who looked almost as in a bad mood as Rayla. Anger overcame her at the very sight of them, and she had to know the truth.

She body-slammed against Marcos, knocking him down, kneed Gren in the face, then jumped over the chain of her handcuffs so her hands were in front of her. She reached through the bars and grabbed Runaan by the shirt.

"How did you know about her? Tell me! Now!" she shrieked.

Stunned and frightened, Runaan stuttered, "It-it was the old guy. He told us about her magic."

"Old guy...?" Hands tore her away from the bars as she understood. "No, wait! You don't understand! She's in trouble!" Rayla tried to plead with the Gren and Marcos, but they just tightened their grip on her.

"The only one in trouble is you," Gren warned. "One more move like that and we execute you where you stand." They pushed her out of the cell chambers and into a stone hallway.

It was completely hopeless.

Viren, hearing a loud bang coming from behind the curtain, became concerned. "Claudia? Claudia, what's going on in there?" he called as he began to climb the stairs.

Claudia appeared through the curtains, a shocked and slightly horrified expression on her face.

"Are you all right, dear?"

"I'm the lost princess," she whispered in disbelief.

Viren glared. "For the last time, Claudia, speak up! You know how I hate the mumbling."

"I am the lost princess!" she declared, straightening up, her shocked expression changing into a defiant one. "Aren't I?" she asked Viren, who could only stare in fear.

"Did I mumble that time, father?"  Her eyebrows narrowed. "Or should I even call you that?"

Viren just blinked, then tried to laugh it off. "Claudia, do you even hear yourself? Why would you ask such a ridiculous question?" He went in for a hug, but Claudia shoved him off.

"It was you!  It was all you!"  she exclaimed.

Viren's face turned dark. "Everything I did, I did to protect you."

Blinded by anger and betrayal, Claudia pushed past Viren and rushed down the stairs. "I spent my entire life hiding from people who would care about nothing but using me for my powers-"

"Claudia!" Viren barked.

"-when this whole time, I should have been hiding from you!"  Claudia angrily turned away and began heading for the tower's window.

"Where do you plan to go? She abandoned you, remember?" His pretended to be sympathetic, but Claudia saw right through his lies.

"What did you do to her?"

Viren smirked. "Me? Not a thing. But, that criminal is going to be hanged for her crimes against the crown."

Claudia clutched at her chest, feeling physical pain in her heart. "No..." she gasped. Rayla hadn't abandoned her, in fact she probably did love her back! But she'd been kidnapped and sent to her death. If Claudia thought her heart had broken before...

"Now, now, flower, it's all right. Listen to me," Viren tried to soothe. "Everything is as it's meant to be." He raised a hand to pat her on the head.

Claudia snatched his wrist in mid-air. "No!" she yelled. Viren struggled, but he couldn't get his hand free. "You lied  about the world, and you lied about me."  She started backing him up to the other side of the room, as far from the window as possible. "And I will never let you even touch  my hair again!" Viren finally wrenched his hand free, but crashed into Claudia's mirror behind him, shards of glass spreading all over the floor. Coldly, Claudia turned and made her way for the window.

Viren huffed. "You want me to be the bad guy?" Claudia didn't answer him. "Fine." His eyes turned black, his voice deepened, and a cold, swirling, purple fire engulfed his hands. He stalked towards Claudia menacingly.

"Now I'm the bad guy."

Chapter Text

Rayla's mind was a million miles away as she was being led through the stone halls. This was it. The last hurrah. At least she could say she fell in love before she died, something she anticipated never doing. But she couldn't shake the memory of how she left her. "I'll be right back,"  she'd promised, right before leaving Claudia forever.

At least walking through these halls gave her time to think about her last words. She was currently debating between "No regrets" and "Fuck you all."

Her internal debate was interrupted when one of the doors in the hallway opened up. Marcos pulled out his sword hesitantly, but immediately lowered it when a short boy with brown hair stepped out.

"Prince Callum. What an unexpected surprise," Gren said. Rayla lifted her eyebrows. The prince? Why was he here?

"Hi Gren. Hi Aunt Amaya." Amaya smiled and gave him a two finger salute. "Who's this?" he asked, in regards to Rayla.

"I'm a vampire. They caught me trying to drain the king's blood," Rayla responded nonchalantly, receiving a smack on the leg for her response.

"She's a criminal, Callum," Gren continued. "A traitor against the crown."

"That's not true," Rayla objected. "I returned the crown, didn't I?" Gren glared at her and Marcos gave her another smack.

"You're the one who took the crown made for the princess' 18th birthday? Aw man, dad was really upset over that. But, he, it's back, right? So I guess all is well, you know?"

"Your Highness," Marcos objected. "If I may ask, why are you in these tunnels right now?"

Callum snapped his fingers. "Oh yeah, Ezran was chasing an animal down here.  A blue and yellow toad, if I recall." Rayla's eyes widened.

"What did you just-ow! Would you stop hitting me?"

"Yeah, blue and yellow toad. Weird, right? He kept saying it was trying to tell her about a girl, someone in trouble or something." His eyes met Rayla's for a split second, and she recognized the look. He was trying to give her a message. "Anyway, it ran away and he followed it, asking me to help him catch it. I followed so he wouldn't get in trouble," His eyes passed Rayla again, this time giving a tiny nod. Trouble.  "He kept saying the toad needed to be rescued, or something. He's probably just unnecessarily worried that someone is going to kill  it. So I offered to help." He looked directly at Rayla. "You haven't seen the toad, have you?"

A girl, someone in trouble. Kill. Rescue. Help. The eye contact. The nodding.

Oh my gosh, he was trying to save her.

"Sorry, we haven't," Gren apologized.

"Gren, could you come with me? I'm kind of lost." He smiled and blinked his eyes pleadingly.

"Well, I'm kind of busy, Cal," he said, gesturing to Rayla.

"Come on, Gren. Don't make me order you to."

Gren glanced at Amaya, who rolled her eyes and nodded.

"All right. Let's go, Your Highness." He began to lead Callum the other way down the hall, but Callum stopped and turned to Rayla.

"It was nice to meet you," he said.

Rayla smiled. "Likewise."

"Are you doing anything later?"

"I'll probably be dead."

"Right, right. Well, bye then." And with that, he and Gren left through one of the doors.

Now Rayla only had two guards to worry about. Maybe she could knock out Marcos, take his sword and fight Amaya...

Before she could put any kind of plan into motion, the trio reached a locked door. Before Amaya could use her key, another door opened and a small boy with blue eyes stepped into the hall.

"Hi aunt Amaya!" the kid said cheerfully. "Have you seen a blue and yellow toad?" Amaya smiled and shook her head. "Oh man. I was looking for him. He ran down here. He kept telling me about this girl that was in trouble." Amaya rolled her eyes playfully and signed something to the boy. "I don't know, he wouldn't tell me her name." He looked around Amaya, saw Rayla, and smiled. "Who's this?"

"Ezran-er, Your Highness," Marcos interjected. "If you don't mind, we're a little busy..."

"Is she a prisoner?" Ezran walked right up to Rayla and held out his hand. "Hi, I'm Ezran. What crime did you commit?"

"Your Highness, don't speak to her," Marcos politely asked, at the same time Rayla said, "Arson," getting yet another smack on the leg. That's gonna be one nasty bruise.

"Aunt Amaya, can you help me look for the toad? Pretty please?" he asked, batting his eyelashes. Suddenly Rayla understood what was going on. They were getting her alone so she could escape.

Amaya smiled sadly and signed something to Ezran. He frowned and his lip started to quiver. "It's just so scary in these tunnels, and you're my aunt, I thought you could protect me..." Amaya looked guiltily between her nephew and Marcos.

"General, I could escort the prisoner there myself," Marcos suggested. Amaya considered it for a second, then nodded, handing him her ring of keys.

"Yay! Thanks Auntie!" Ezran gave her a hug and led her down the hall through another wooden door.

Rayla smirked at Marcos. "Looks like it's just you and me."

He glared at her. "Don't try anything." He pulled on her arm o he could watch her while he figured out which key to use to unlock the door.

Through a crack in the wall, hidden in the shadows, crawled a small amphibian. Rayla bit down on her lip to keep from smiling as she watched the toad swiftly climb up Marcos' armor unnoticed by him. Bait sat on the metal armor covering Marcos' shoulder, then, with what Rayla swore was a wink, stuck out his tongue and launched it into Marcos' ear.

"Ah! Ew, what the-!" he dropped the keys in surprise and frantically grabbed at his ear. This was Rayla's chance. She kicked him in the ankle, hard, tripping him to the ground. His head hit the floor and knocked him unconscious. Rayla picked up the ring of keys from the floor and unlocked her cuffs. Then, because she was petty, she smacked him in the leg four times with her boot.

"Sleep tight," she whispered.

Bait squeaked from and motioned for Rayla to come with him with his tail. Rayla sprinted away from the passed out guard and followed the toad into another hallway leading off the one they were already in. Then another, then another, until they were at an intersection where several hallways met. Rayla faintly heard footsteps coming and instinctively hid in one of the hallways that didn't have sound coming from it. Bait, however, stayed still.

"There!" she heard a child's voice shout, followed by quicker footsteps. "I told you I saw one down here!" Ezran ran out of his hallway and scooped Bait up in a hug.

"Ez!" Out of another hallway came Callum. "There you are, I was getting worried." He turned to Gren, who was almost too busy angrily signing back and forth with Amaya to hear Callum. "Thanks for helping me find him. You can go back to what you were previously doing now."

"Are you sure you'll be all right, Your Highness?"

"Yeah!" Ezran perked up. "I can help get us out, I know these tunnels like the back of my hand. Which, frankly, how often do you look at the back of your hand, you know?"

"Yeah, yeah, that's great Your Highness." He rolled his eyes at something Amaya said. "I don't care, she's a dangerous criminal. Well I happen to know how incompetent Marcos can be. He lost a horse once, you know..." Gren's voice faded as he and Amaya disappeared down a hallway.

"It's safe to come out now," Ezran said. Rayla peeked out of her hallway, then slowly made her way into the intersection. Ezran took her hand and led her to a door. "Come on, the exit is just through this hallway."

Rayla followed him into the hallway, Callum trailing behind her. "Why are you guys helping me? You do know I'm a wanted criminal, right?"

Ezran held up Bait. "This little guy told us about how your friend was in trouble and you had to save her. He also told me you're actually not that bad once i get to know you."

"My brother can talk to animals," Callum said sheepishly. "And besides, I meant what I said. You returned the crown, albeit after stealing it, so no harm no foul right?"

"Aw, thanks. Believe it or not, I've recently had my own experience that really changed me as a person and my world views."

"Well isn't that great?" Ezran said cheerily. "Look, there's the end of the tunnel! We're not really allowed to leave the castle grounds without a bodyguard of any kind, so this is kind of where we part ways. But don't worry! I told your horse to wait for us."

Rayla furrowed her brow. "My horse?"

"Yeah, the white one."

Rayla smiled. "Oh, Soren. Perfect. It'll get me to my destination quicker." Saying that made her remember why she had to escape in the first place. "I have to go," she said suddenly. "I-I'd better go. I should go."

She began running to the exit, but, feeling remorseful and sympathetic, she turned around one last time to see the princes smiling at her. She walked back and pulled them both into a hug. Ezran eagerly squeezed her back tightly, while Callum gently returned the gesture. "Thank you both so much for helping me. And, my sympathies about your lost sister." She let go and started walking to the exit again.

Ezran smiled sadly. "It's not too bad. Dad likes to tell us about her. From her big green eyes, to her laughter that sounded like bells, her long purple hair..." Rayla froze in her tracks.

Wait a fucking second.

She turned around one last time. "Well, once again, my sympathies. And, I truly hope that she comes home." That I can bring her home.

"Thank you," Callum said sincerely. "What was your name again?"

She smiled a wide smile at them. "The name's Rayla." And with that, she exited the tunnel and came face to face with Soren.

"We have to go. Now," she ordered. Soren nodded and knelt down so she could mount him. Out of the tunnel scurried Bait, who climbed aboard Rayla's shoulder.

"All right, Sor. Let's see how fast you can run." She snapped the reigns and they took off.

Chapter Text

Rayla and Soren tore through the forest as clouds began to roll in. She was able to find a familiar large rock in front of a wall of vines. She turned the horse in the direction of the vines and they burst through, approaching the base of the tower.

"Heel!" she ordered, and Soren obeyed. Rayla jumped off and ran to the part of the tower base below the window.

"Claudia!" she called. "Claudia! Let down your hair!" When there was no response, Rayla went to grab her blades from their sheaths to help her climb the tower. She almost smacked herself in the forehead when she remembered that they'd confiscated her weapons when they'd arrested her and put her in jail. Guess she'd have to climb this with her bare hands. "I can do this," she said to herself, grabbing the first stone.

Before Rayla had even put a foot up, she heard a creak come from the top of the tower. She looked up to see the wooden doors of the window open. Holding her breath, she waited for Claudia to appear at the top of the tower. Instead, a waterfall of purple hair came cascading down the tower in front of Rayla. She breathed a sigh of relief as she grabbed on and began to climb up, using the wall of the tower as support.

Out of breath, she pulled herself over the ledge and into the tower window. "Claudia, I didn't think I'd ever see you again-" she gasped. She looked up and froze in fear.

Rayla saw Claudia all right. But Claudia wasn't happily waiting for her, pulling her hair up from the window. Instead, Claudia was on the floor, wide-eyed and gagged, her hands in cuffs behind her back. She tried to speak, but her voice was muffled by the cloth.

Suddenly, there was a cold, searing pain in Rayla's stomach. She groaned in pain and looked down and saw the bloody knife being removed from her side by an wrinkled white hand. Clutching the wound, she fell to the floor, breathing heavily and trying to keep herself from screaming. Not in front of Claudia.

Claudia screamed behind her gag, and attempted desperately to get closer to Rayla, but the chains were bound by Viren with a powerful hex. They clanked as she moved, as if taunting the fact that she couldn't move.

"Now look what you've done, Claudia," Viren blamed. He kicked Rayla in her wound, causing her to yelp in pain. "Don't worry, flower. Our secret will die as she does."

Claudia's muffled protests were overpowered by the sound of Viren rattling her chains. He released the hex, and she took it as the opportunity to run towards Rayla, who'd begun to cough up blood, but Viren yanked on the chains and pulled her back. She continued to struggle, but he continued to pull her towards the open panel in that floor.

"As for you, flower,"  he snapped. "We are going where no one will ever find you again." Claudia's feet scraped against the floor as she desperately strove to run away. "Claudia, come on. Enough already!" he growled. "Stop fighting me!" He reached out to grab her shoulder, but his hand landed on the gag covering her mouth, accidentally ripping it off

"No!" Claudia objected. "I won't stop! Ever!" Viren stopped pulling, but he didn't let go of the chains. "I'll never stop," she continued. "For the rest of my life, i will fight. I'll never  stop trying to get away from you!" Angrily, Viren grabbed for her again but she dodged him. "Unless..." He froze, staring at her curiously. Claudia looked back at her wounded lover.

"Unless you let me save her."

Rayla couldn't believe what she was hearing. "No...Claudia, don't," she grunted, coughing.

Claudia was forced to ignore her, keeping her attention with Viren. "I'll never run, I'll never try to escape again. It'll just be you and me, together forever. Just like you want. Everything will be the way it was before. No tricks, I promise. I..." She closed her eyes and brought her hands together behind her back, since she couldn't bring them in front of her. "I give you my vow." Viren's eyebrows raised slightly. A mage's vow was unbreakable. Claudia would keep her end of the deal no matter what as long as Viren kept his. "Please," she begged tearfully. "Just let me heal her." He studied her for a moment before whispering a spell.

A wispy purple fog appeared and surrounded Claudia, freezing her in place. No!  she wanted to scream. She'd made a vow! Why was...

It became clear as Viren took the handcuffs off her. He walked over to Rayla, rolled her onto her back, and shackled her. He used a potion to keep the chains in place on the floor. "In case you get any ideas about following us," he snarled menacingly into her ear. He released Claudia from her binds and stood in wait by the trap door.

Claudia ran to Rayla's side. "Rayla!" she exclaimed, holding the injured, coughing girl in her arms. Gently, she moved Rayla's hand from her side wound. "i'm so sorry. It's going to be okay though, I promise." Seeing how much blood there was, she immediately took some of her hair and tried to put it on the wound, but Rayla tried to push it away.

"No, Claudia, don't," she protested. Claudia wasn't having it.

"I promise. You have to trust me. Come on, just breathe."

"No! I can't let you do this," Rayla objected weakly.

Claudia looked at her sadly. "And I can't let you die," she whispered, softly resting a hand on Rayla's cheek.

"But-if you do this, then you-you'll be the one to..." Rayla couldn't even bring herself to say the words. "Claudia, your family, and your kingdom, they need you."

Claudia swallowed the pain she felt, tilting up Rayla's head so she could look her in the eyes. "Hey," she said softly. "It's going to be all right." She closed her eyes and pressed her hair over her lover's wound.

For Rayla.

"Claudia..." Rayla whispered weakly. "Wait..." Claudia opened her eyes as Rayla brushed a strand of hair out of her face. She could almost picture the glowing purple lights again as Rayla gently pulled Claudia closer, her other hand approaching the back of Claudia's neck.

Claudia leaned forward, but instead of being met with a kiss she heard a sharp slicing sound and the feeling of fifty pounds being relieved from her head. Rayla's hand fell to ground clutching a piece of broken glass. Claudia's hand flew to her head as she realized what had happened.

Rayla had just cut off Claudia's hair.

"Rayla-what-?" she stuttered, being able to feel the short hair on her head become black.

Viren shrieked. "No!"

Claudia picked up to severed hair on the floor, watching it fade from purple to black.

Viren stuttered, grabbing at the hair that was still purple, as if he could save it. It turned jet black in his hands. "What have you done?" he howled. "What have you done?" With the magic gone, his age started to return. His hair turned pure white, his hands covered in wrinkles like a spiderweb. He tried to cover his face with his hands, stumbling around while yelling shouts of protest. He stumbled over to the window, and accidentally tripped over some of the hair on the floor, sending him tumbling backwards out of the tower, screaming.

Even though he was a crazy dark wizard, Claudia couldn't help feeling sorry for him as he fell down all 50 ft of the tower. She shut her eyes and braced herself for the sound of a loud thud as he hit the ground, but it never came. All that fell to the ground was an empty cape, as its inhibitor had aged so much that his body had turned to dust.

Claudia turned away from the window, to see Rayla on the floor, barely breathing.

"Oh no, please, no." Claudia choked back a cry, realizing that without her hair she could do nothing to save Rayla.

Without her hair she was nothing.

Rayla had saved Claudia's life by sacrificing hers, and it was all in vain now.

"No! Look at me, Rayla. I'm right here. I'm right here." She held Rayla's face in her hands, but the girl was so weak she could barely open her eyes. "Oh, come on, stay with me, Rayla! Stay with me!" Claudia picked up Rayla's hand and desperately held it to the black hair on her head, hoping there might still be some magic left. She stuttered through the words, truly only half singing them.

"Flower gleam and glow
Let your power shine
Make the clock reverse
Bring back what once was mine."

It was no use. Claudia let her hand fall but still clutched onto Rayla's desperately.

"Claudia..." she said faintly. She could barely keep her eyes open, but they stayed locked with the ones of the girl she loved. If she was to die, the last thing she'd want to see is the stars that existed there.

"What?"

She breathed heavily for a few seconds before whispering, "You were my new dream."

Claudia let out a sad chuckle. "And you were mine," she sobbed.

Rayla smiled faintly before closing her eyes for good, the silvery moon disappearing for good, before going limp in Claudia's arms.

Claudia's vision was completely blurred as she set down Rayla's hand and pressed her own lightly against Rayla's cheek. It had seemed like forever ago the first time she'd put her hand there, pushing back a white braid to reveal the prettiest girl she'd ever seen and the person who'd forever change her life. Even after death.

Thinking of nothing else she could say, she figured at least she could finish the song, in a means of paying respect.

"Heal what has been hurt.
Change the fate's design
Save what has been lost
Bring back what once was mine.
What once...was mine..."

At the last line, she couldn't help it, a tear fell from her eye and on to Rayla's cheek. She held her dead lover in her arms and continued to weep.

The crying went on for only a short while, however, because suddenly, the tear on Rayla's cheek disappeared. in its place glowed a six-pointed purple star. Claudia wiped her eyes to make sure she wasn't just seeing things. She wasn't. Where the star had suddenly bloomed, the purple color shifted down Rayla's face and disappeared under her shirt collar. Claudia couldn't help but curiously furrow her brow. Strangely, the area where Rayla had been stabbed began to glow as well. The magic shot out of her stomach, engulfing the tower room in a bright purple light. The lights were nothing compared to this. And for a split second, Claudia was pretty sure she saw the outline of a purple flower.

The light slowly began to fade, before the room darkened again. Claudia looked at the place on Rayla's stomach that had previously been dripping blood. It was completely clean. Hopefully, she turned her attention to Rayla.

An eyebrow twitched. Then an eye fluttered open. Then the other.

"Claudia..." she whispered.

Claudia gasped, not believing what she was seeing. "Rayla?"

The girl grinned. "Black's a good color for you, you know?"

This time, they were happy tears as Claudia tackled her lover to the ground in a tight hug. "Rayla!" she shouted excitedly, being hugged back just as tightly. She pulled away for a second only to bring their lips together. Rayla was taken by surprise, but she kissed her back. It wasn't as an ideal setting as the boat, but that had no matter to her anymore.

The girl she loved was alive.

Chapter Text

Claudia couldn't let go of Rayla's arm. "What if they don't want to see me?" she whispered, overlooking the view from the balcony where they stood.

Rayla chuckled softly. "Violet, they've released lanterns into the sky for eighteen years hoping you'd see them and come home. I doubt they'll cast you out."

"I guess you're right. Still. It's been 18 years. Do you think they'll recognize me?"

"Well that guard seemed to believe you. Though the guards here aren't that bright. I mean, I stole a crown in a room full of them and none of them noticed until I literally said something." Claudia smiled. Her girlfriend was great at making her feel at ease. "They're your parents. You know they are. They'll know it too."

The doors opened, and Claudia relinquished her grip on Rayla's arm to turn to the people walking through.

The woman had short black hair and wore a slim purple dress. The man wore dark red robes and had intense eyes. Claudia's heart hammered in her chest as the woman stepped forward towards her. Claudia just looked into her eyes, which reminded her so much of her own. Her mother held out a hand and placed it on Claudia's cheek, as if proving to herself that she was real.

Tears welled in Claudia's eyes as she whispered, "Hi mom."

The queen let out a laugh, her eyes tearing up as well. "Welcome home," she whispered, pulling Claudia into a tight hug, which she immediately returned. It felt so familiar, so warm, so motherly. A second pair of arms wrapped around Claudia and Sarai, as she looked up to see her father hugging the both of them.

"This way, Your Highnesses," a voice from inside the room said. Claudia turned her head and saw two boys emerge onto the balcony.

The shorter one broke out into a smile. "Rayla!" he shouted, running over to Rayla and hugging her waist. She looked startled, but hugged him back. "You brought our sister home. Thank you."

The other boy walked up to Rayla more casually and gave her a fist bump. "Thank you. I knew you weren't that bad."

Rayla rolled her eyes. "Well gee, thanks."

Claudia's father released his wife and daughter and turned to Rayla. "Ah yes. The thief who escaped our prison yesterday."

"In her defense, dad," Callum objected. "She did return the crown she stole. And she returned Claudia, whom she didn't steal. I think that deserves a pardon, don't you?"

Harrow studied Rayla, who tried to look as innocent as possible. "Yes, I suppose so."

"And, does that mean we're not grounded anymore for helping her escape?" Ezran asked, hiding behind Rayla's legs.

"Just don't do it again," Sarai said.

"Okay!" He then rushed over to Claudia and hugged her waist. She knelt down and hugged him back.

"I've always thought it'd be nice to have a little brother," she admitted. "Now I have two!"

"Nice haircut," Callum commented, joining the sibling hug.

"I'll have you know it looked a lot better when it was longer and purple."

"Purple? So the stories were true?" Ezran gasped, looking up at her wide-eyed.

"Oh, I could tell you so many stories," Claudia said, all but prying Ezran off her. She walked over to Rayla and linked arms. "But maybe I could tell those at another time."

"Yes, of course," Sarai said excitedly. "We've kept your room in good condition, for when you were to return. Might as well get it set up now!"

'Sounds great! I'd love help paint it."

"Hey, uh," Rayla spoke up. "Not to be a downer during this happy occasion, but, um. I don't really have anywhere to go, so..."

"Can Rayla live with us, dad? Can she? Can she?" Ezran asked, jumping up and down and giving puppy dog eyes.

"We have plenty of room," Callum offered.

Harrow nodded. "Of course, why not. You are a hero."

Rayla grinned from ear to ear. "Hero?"

Claudia kissed her on the cheek. "You're definitely my hero."

Sarai "awwww"ed while Callum rolled his eyes, and Ezran giggled and hid his eyes.

"Don't get stuck in that sappiness," Callum teased.

"Oh, knock it off," Claudia joked. "Brother."

Callum smiled knowingly at her. "You like saying that word, don't you?"

"Absolutely!" she said, ruffling his hair. He pushed her off, but laughed nevertheless.

Ezran tugged on the bottom of Rayla's shirt. She looked down at him curiously.

"Just so you know," he whispered to her. "I'd like it if you were a part of our family too." He glanced back and forth between her and Claudia, as if he couldn't make it more obvious, making Rayla feel butterflies she hadn't felt since it'd been her and Claudia alone on the boat. God, it felt like ages ago.

"We'll see, Your Highness," she promised, taking his hand. "We'll see."

 Well, you an imagine what happened next.

The kingdom  had a celebration that lasted for weeks. And, honestly, I can't recall most of it. It was like some distant dream.

Speaking of which, dreams began coming true left and right! The guys from The Snuggly Duckling became more integral in the kingdom. Hook-handed guy became a famous pianist, the love-struck dude eventually found true love. Cupcake guy opened a bakery, flower guy became a florist, interior design guy became known throughout the kingdom for his work, it was spectacular.

I eventually apologized to Amaya and Gren for all the trouble I caused. She accepted my apology, a little more warmly than Gren did, I noticed. Marcos I did not apologize to. We were even for the whole leg-smacking thing.

The king and queen insisted that a family portrait was to be painted and hung in the grand hall, and a new mural put up in the square of the whole family.

The princes were more or less the same, just a tad less well-behaved since they now had someone else to goof off with.

Even Bait was the most well taken care of toad in the whole kingdom.

And of course, the princess herself.

Claudia painted all the walls in her room in less than a week. She'd often join her brothers in their adventures around the castle. I tagged along more than a few times. The secret passages were some of her favorite places. Her mother helped her set up a room where she could practice magic. Claudia admitted to me that she had never been happier.

As great as she was a friend, girlfriend, sister, and daughter, she made an even better princess. Beloved by all, she helped lead her kingdom with all the grace and wisdom that her parents did before her. Her greatest accomplishments were expanding funding to the libraries and book stores, cutting down taxes forced by the more poor to bay, and relieving hanging from the kingdom's list of punishments. And all of that was done within a month.

But you don't want to hear about that, you want to hear any of that, you want to hear the end. The best end, the happy end. The answer to the big question: Did Claudia and I ever get married? Well, you'll be pleased to hear that after years of hinting, suggesting, promising, and finally asking...

...I said yes.

"Rayla..."

Oh, all right. I asked her.

"And we're living happily ever after."

Yes we are.