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Summary: In which Callum is jealous
Disclaimer: I don’t own Dragon Prince
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Callum tells himself Rayla can take care of herself. Hell, he’s seen her skills as a warrior firsthand. She could easily take down anyone as far as he’s concerned.
Unfortunately, this knowledge didn’t do anything to lessen his foul mood as he watched a fellow elf getting close with her.
They were in Xadia, working as ambassadors on behalf of Ezran, and they were invited to a Xadian festival. Callum was excited—he was one of the few humans who got to see Elven culture up close for the first time in years. He listened to Rayla’s happy chatter as she informed him about all of the Xadian customs he would see during the festival, content to spend the celebration in her company.
He was positively ecstatic as Rayla held his hand, tugging him along as he took everything in. Zym and his mother would also be making an appearance, and Callum and Rayla were excited to see how much he’d grown under his mother’s care.
However, his elated mood didn’t last long.
He was used to being recognized as he and Rayla were quite famous now. He took the fame in stride, making sure it didn’t go to his head, but it didn’t matter anyway, as the elf approaching them seemed to be only interested in Rayla.
That didn’t bother him. Rayla deserved all the recognition she got. In his mind, she was amazing. She was talented. She was kind—Callum could spend hours talking about how great he thought Rayla was, much to the amusement of his brother Ezran.
What bothered him was that the elf was clearly interested in other ideas with the moonshadow elf.
Callum wasn’t stupid. He was a teenage boy. He knows how they think. He was sure elf and human teens have a lot in common. He could see from the way the elf slowly edged closer to her without her noticing, too busy talking animatedly about her battles while traveling with Callum. The elf then commented on his own skills, trying to wow her like she has done him. He put his arm around her, pulling her closer as he narrated a battle he was a part of, and Rayla, being oblivious, just smirked and teased.
His grip on his moonberry juice tightened considerably, his mind calculating how much magic he would need to make any damage to the elf look like an accident still.
He knew Rayla was pretty—to him, she was the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen—so he knew sooner or later admirers would come around and try their luck, but that didn’t mean he’d have to like it. He’s been lucky so far what with all the traveling they do as it didn’t leave much time for dating.
He’s sure of his feelings. He’s known about them for a while. He’s never made a move though—too scared to shift the status quo. He tells himself he wasn’t good enough for her. She deserved better—
His resolve snaps when the elf boy was moving his face closer to hers and Callum was already making his way towards them.
“Rayla!” Callum put on his biggest smile. He was even more gleeful when she gave him a bright smile, removing herself from the elf boy and approaching him.
“Callum! There you are! Have you met Arrow? He was telling me about all of his training!” Rayla told him jovially. Callum spared the elf boy, Arrow, a glance, before focusing back on his target.
“Sorry. Can’t say that I have.” He responded. He then gave her a graceful bow, holding his hand out. “Could we dance? I wanna learn some more Xadian dances besides the one we did in the forest.”
He made sure to mention that, and by the put off elf boy’s face, it worked to show Callum and Rayla were more intimate than he thought. He didn’t need to know the context, and without revealing it, was Callum’s advantage.
“Sure! Xadian dances are way more fluid than your silly waltzes!” Rayla easily took his outstretched hand. Callum smiled, straightening up and bringing her hand to his lips. Rayla’s cheeks burst into a brilliant color, and Callum couldn’t help but grin. Arrow choked on his spit behind them.
“Lead the way, Milady.” Callum whispered, his eyes shining in adoration just for her.