Chapter Text
-Heart-
*My dearest friends (or new friends), welcome back! I haven’t written in a hot minute and I had to fix that. Surprise though, I have crossed fandoms and written my FIRST Dragon Prince Rayllum fic!!! SHOCKER. Please enjoy below my angsty, emotional mess of work and let me know what you guys think!
To others, Rayla should have probably stopped and thought through her decision to act in the moment a bit further; her impulse to protect and defend sometimes drove her to reckless actions. This wasn’t new to her nor was it unknown. She was very well aware of this and unfortunately as much as she may want to correct it in theory, when it came down to the moment she would always choose to act; it was in her blood and DNA to do so as well. Being a Moonshadow Elf made her fit to be a warrior. Being the child of two Dragon Guards, made her destined to protect. She could not just simply ignore those things that ultimately made up who she was and she did not want to. Even if the outcome could be less than desirable, Rayla had a heart that could never just run when she could take a stand.
That is what she was doing in this very moment. Rayla was being the courageous being she was. It wasn’t that she didn’t fear, because as the bandit’s blade cut through the air she felt the slight rush of fear, but that she was willing to push through fear for those she loved. If she didn’t, Callum would be harmed.
As her eyes scanned behind her briefly, she saw Callum still lying there in the mouth of the cavern shivering. A large usage of magic recently had unexpected consequences and Callum was sick and unable to travel. Rayla had been truly scared when he fell and even more so as he remained unconscious. The last time she had seen him in a similar state was when he used Dark Magic. And while this time he hadn’t, he had still used a large amount of energy with a small amount of rest on his shoulders. He selflessly gave of himself too much to help others. It’s something she loved about him…
If he could give of himself to help others, then so would she. She was doing this for Callum.
The bandit had snuck up on them as they rested in the cavern. To his credit, he was extremely skillful to have done so with Rayla’s senses and Callum’s magic and yet now he was here and threatening their safety.
“Hand over any valuables Moonshadow Elf and no one gets hurt.” The man sneered at her, bandana covering his face. The only part of him that could be seen were his eyes, a deep and muddy yellow color.
Rayla stood her ground, “We haven’t got any valuables. Leave now.”
He snickered, “Those blades look mighty valuable to me.” He said nodding in the direction of Rayla’s twin blades.
Her eyes narrowed. This man was seriously underestimating her if he thought she would hand over her blades just because he was pointing his. With a flick of her wrists, both hands were armed and poised to attack.
“You must be stupid if you think I’ll give ya these. Now I’ll only say this once more: leave.” She said, standing tall.
The man didn’t laugh this time and instead his eyes squinted with anger. In a blink, he was on the move. Flashes of black and silver were seen as the two squared off. The bandit clearly was older, but that didn’t mean Rayla wasn’t a match for him. With a kick to his chest, she sent the man flying backwards out of the cavern. Rayla paused for a second to examine Callum.
“Come on Callum, please get up. I need ya here.” She pleaded with him, not knowing if he could actually hear her.
“How unexpected. A human and an elf huh? You betray your own blood. If I killed you, no one would grieve you. If I killed him, then that’s one less human in the world.” The man said walking slowly back through the opening; his voice echoed in the cave around them.
Rayla stood over Callum’s body in defense. “Like hell I’d let you touch him.”
“I don’t think you’ll have a choice elf.” He said and sprung at her again.
Their blades crashed together as Rayla struggled to keep the bandit as far from Callum as she could. She threw him back again and the two continued their battle further away from the unconscious boy.
“How can you defend him? Humans are animals. They are vermin in this world. And yet you would protect this one. Tell me elf, are you his slave? Or maybe you just wiggled your way into his bed.” He said taunting her.
Rayla let out a loud cry of anger/indignation and her blade successfully nicked the man’s shoulder. He groaned out loud and held onto the wound.
“I hit a sore spot didn’t I?” He said, continuing to taunt her even while injured.
“How dare you… You don’t know anything about us thief!” She said, breathing heavy.
“I know all I need to know. You both will die and I’ll be taking your blades and anything else you have!” He yelled and changed directions… toward Callum.
Fear and dread filled her veins as she saw him make toward the boy that held her heart.
“CALLUM!” She yelled as she ran to intercept the man.
Seconds moved in slow motion as both individuals made their way to the same target. Every step, Rayla willed herself to move faster. Faster than the bandit was all she had to be.
With a few steps and her blades up, the bandit closed in on them. The last thought to cross her mind as she and the bandit locked eyes was green eyes and a goofy smile.
-
Silence. Silence was all Callum could hear around him as he stirred. The ground beneath him was softened by a blanket of some sort, it’s texture familiar to his fingertips as he moved. His eyes slowly pried open to the dim light. He could make out a rocky ceiling and cool feeling all around. The more his eyes opened, the more he could make out however. He was confused and still a bit dazed as to why he was laying on the floor and where he was. The last thing he remembered was drawing a new rune shape and casting a spell. He could recall Rayla’s worried face and words of concern as he let the words leave his mouth. After that, his world went black.
If she was there when that happened, then where was Rayla now?
He shot up suddenly at the realization. His eyes scanned around him frantically for a sign of the white-haired elf he loved dearly. When he finally did get a glimpse of her, he felt as if his soul had left his body. Rayla stood a few feet in front of him frozen in a battle stance, eyes wide, and with a long blade running through her left side still connected to a man in black.
How Callum was able to cast “aspiro” was a complete wonder in that moment. The mystery man in black was thrown so far into the woods that it was unknown where he ended up. It had to be the strongest version of that spell that had he had channeled in his life and he had done it in the state he was currently in. All he knew was that he had never experienced such a mixture of anger and fear in his whole entire life’s existence.
The thud of Rayla’s knees hitting the floor awakened him out of the murderous state of mind he was in and into the horrific reality before him.
“RAYLA!” He screamed from a place deep inside him, moving so quickly he didn’t even notice the steps he took to arrive to her.
She kneeled in the same spot; eyes still wide in shock and mouth agape. From her side, a dark patch of purple began to grow and spread through her clothing and drip to the floor beneath. All Rayla could do was gasp; her breaths catching in short bursts as the severity of the situation really hit her. She had been stabbed, in a less than ideal spot, and was miles from the nearest town. She turned her head slowly to watch Callum racing toward her.
“Callum…” She whispered.
Callum’s arms were around her in seconds.
He was shaking and his eyes were all over her frantically. They landed on the dark patch at her side and the shiny glint on the blade still embedded within her.
“Oh God… Oh God Rayla… W-We are going to figure this out okay? You’re going to be okay!” He said in desperation.
Her lavender eyes were moving more rapidly, examining him. He was okay. He was healthy again somehow. He was okay and he was here. He hadn’t been harmed in anyway. Her human was safe.
“C-Callum…” She said, reaching a shaky hand to touch his face.
Pools and rivers of tears spilled from Callum’s eyes. His usually bright green eyes were a dark and deep emerald shade. She briefly thought that even this way they still looked beautiful.
-
Callum had carefully as possible assessed the situation with Rayla. Her wound was bleeding pretty badly and there was still the blade to deal with… She was surprisingly not in pain, but by the way she seemed out of it, he figured she was in shock. He had to make a decision and soon. Try and move her to find help or treat her here?
His hands could not stop shaking as his fingers trailed the sides of the entrance of the wound. It wasn’t a large wound in size, but he had no way of knowing what it had damaged inside. Moving away he looked at his fingertips where spots of purple tainted his skin. He felt horribly sick. Rayla’s blood was on him, in more ways than one.
“Rayla…why?” He said, even though he knew the answer. Because it was the very same thing that he would have done for her. He wouldn’t have had a second thought to protect her either.
She stared at him, eyes dazed. “I love you.” She said.
-
Callum had not slept all night. Rayla’s form lay on a bed beside him. Her light lavender-tinted skin was now ashy in color. Her pure hair was sprawled about around her. Her facial markings under her sealed eyes stood out much too darkly. Her chest moved up and down slower than he was used to seeing it do. Her abdomen wrapped tightly in bandages with a tinge of purple seen through them.
She was somehow alive. The doctors had noted that Rayla was a fighter, not just in occupation but in spirit as well, refusing to give in during any of the attempts to stabilize her. At one point she had nearly been lost only to surprise the doctors by opening her eyes and fighting them to see Callum.
The nurses rushed to retrieve Callum. He couldn’t erase the scene of her thrashing against the doctors screaming out his name. She was desperate to see him; to know he was okay.
“CALLUM! CALLUM!” Her screams could be heard for miles, ripping from her throat until her voice grew hoarse.
He had ran to her, holding her down carefully with the doctors.
“Rayla! Rayla please you need to calm down! Rayla, I’m right here! I’m okay!” He kept repeating over and over until her panicked state calmed. She laid on the bed, breathing heavily.
“You’re okay.” She said, finally realizing he was indeed in front of her, and her eyes rolled back.
-
The entire day’s ordeal had left Callum heavily traumatized. Soren sat by his side, attempting to help the prince cope. Through jokes and lighthearted comments, Callum was incredibly grateful to have someone by his side. King Ezran himself was arriving soon and Callum would have a full support network to be with him as he waited for Rayla to wake.
Watching her in her slumber, Callum could not help but reflect on their journey. From their beginnings to now, fate had somehow willed for these two souls to join up. Two very different souls, from two very different backgrounds. And yet somehow these two souls had not only joined together, but fallen in love. Their differences blended and complimented the other. Where one was weak, the other strong. They grew together and their hearts meshed together along the way, deeper if possible.
She was everything. She was Rayla. Every word spoken and action she took, pointed to who she was and the heart she had. The same heart that had led her to where she was now.
Breathing deeply, Callum stood up. The temptation to wallow in the guilt of her actions was incredibly strong, but after two panic attacks earlier Callum knew that he had to be strong. Rayla had made her choice to protect him out of pure and undeniable love for him. He could never ever repay that, but he could be here for her now and remain while she wakes up.
-
Opening her eyes to the world again, Rayla was very aware of her circumstances. Her side throbbed as if confirming her actions earlier. Callum. She had risked her life to protect him. Why? She loved him. It was as simple as that in her mind and in her heart. And as relieved, emotional green eyes came into her view and she registered the weight of a hand in her own, she had all the reaffirmation she needed to know that she had made the right choice. Five digits mixed within her four were all she needed right now as proof. Her heart would always act and take a stand to protect the most precious thing in her life.
“Callum.”