Work Text:
Aaravos was not a stranger to the world caving in around him, to all that he knew simply… ceasing to exist.
It was the nature of a star, after all, to outlive everything around it.
And despite what many wanted to believe, in his experience things would change, with or without permission. In many ironic ways, that was the great Cosmic Balance: the impermanence of even the mightiest things, the ever-shifting way of nature.
But Stars, like anything else, were not without their flaws. And being so… long-lasting, the thought of change of things they had known for longer than even their centuries-stretching memory could recall was… frightening.
Perhaps it was because he had spent so much time with mortals, so much time on Xadia, that these thoughts occurred to him.
Perhaps it was how long he, like other Star-touched beings, had settled into his ways, dug his heels in and refused to change.
After Leola, after that loss…
He had seen no point to the world at all. Not a world without her light…
And that grief…
It had been so, so easy to let it tip into rage, to bring mortals and the world to its knees the same way he had been.
To pull strings of those with blind eyes, to seek what he called vengeance on those that had brought about his pain.
And those that, over time back in the stars, he could admit had… not.
Regret wasn’t exactly what he’d call his feelings towards the realization. More along the lines of… grim acceptance.
Innocents were often lost in war, and more than one war had been fought over a lacking cause.
Leola was not a lacking cause, though perhaps she would have been saddened to learn of those he harmed.
The world… always changed.
All people, elf or human, could do was change with it.
Aaravos was no exception.
“I am ready, to let go of my anger. But you see, another force… calls me to Xadia: Love.”
The feeling of descending from the Stars was one that Aaravos had not missed.
It wasn’t necessarily painful, but there was a certain discomfort in feeling the world shift and bend, his form condensed from pure, unfettered stardust to something that was… not quite mortal, but very much solid and physical.
And yet… while it seemed to stretch, he was aware it took no more than a few moments for his physical body to form, for his eyes to blink open and take in the wilds of Xadia once more.
The location he’d selected to return to, beneath the blaze of his aligned stars, wasn’t far from the Sea of the Castout. It felt a little… ironic, to begin anew there once more.
But it was one of the few truly remote places on Xadia he knew, a place where few passed and it was unlikely someone would take notice of his position, at least for a time. If someone did notice his return, it was unlikely they’d be able to investigate soon enough to follow him.
Which meant it was easy to slip away from a notable form, taking on the far less notable appearance of a wingless Skywing Elf, not an uncommon sight across any part of Xadia, and start out.
Last he’d seen, Claudia had gone north, towards the Star Scraper, so he would follow in that direction. And if that failed to provide results, well…
He wasn’t a master of all six Primal Sources for no reason, he’d find her one way or another.
After that…
They’d figure out next steps together.
When he arrived at the Star Scraper, it was to snow still stained pink and red in some places, to freshly dug graves and survivors staked out in a small encampment outside the damaged building.
A building he had little doubt was far redder than the snow, though not even he could say why Claudia had struck here.
Perhaps for their ability to see the future? For the worry that whatever plan she’d been concocting while he was away would be foiled?
The thought made his stomach twist. She was very much her father’s daughter, and even more frighteningly… so similar to him, in some ways.
Angry and wild, lashing out at the world and blind to it the same way he had been.
And he had seen, firsthand twice over, where such a path led.
This battlefield was only the latest representation of it.
He swallowed and pushed down the thought of his own fates. Claudia was very much alive, and still free most likely…
There was still time to steer her down a better path, to walk it with her.
To… watch his second daughter thrive the way Leola had been robbed of the chance to.
He just had to find her.
“Halt! Who goes there!?”
Aaravos jolted at the call, head snapping around. “I’m so sorry!” he replied to the woman storming up to him, ducking his head. He vaguely recognized her, though her name escaped him… And besides, a stranger wouldn’t know her name anyway. “I was traveling north to meet up with my daughter and got caught in a blizzard, I’m afraid I’m terribly turned around.”
He made a show of looking around, eyes wide. “I apologize for my intrusion, especially at…” He waved his arms to gesture to their surroundings, the Celestial Elf staring at him skeptically for several long moments before her eyes softened and she nodded.
“I’m afraid we don’t have much to offer you, as you can see we… are in the middle of recovering,” she admitted, frowning. “But I can at least help you find your way back towards civilization, if you’d like?”
“That would be much appreciated.” He glanced around again. “Forgive me for being insensitive, but I’d assume someone living out here wouldn’t have much conflict… What happened?”
Her features hardened into a scowl. “We were attacked, by a Dark Mage. We aren’t quite certain why, though… my brother and I have our suspicions.”
“I’m sorry for your losses.”
“As am I.” She blew out a breath. “But we survived, and those of us that did will continue on. It won’t be easy, but we will manage.” She smiled a little. “Let me get you a map and get you on your way, I’m sure your daughter will be missing you.”
“I’m sure.”
It took him less time than he’d honestly expected to catch up with Claudia.
Catching sight of her… It soothed something in his chest, let his shoulders relax.
She was safe, a staff in hand as she whipped around when he made the brush rustle.
“Who-” She broke off, staff lowering as her gaze traced over his face, taking in the little tells that others had overlooked when he encountered them. Hopeful eyes met his, and Aaravos smiled.
“I’ve missed you.”
“Aaravos!” She grinned, staff dropping as she darted forward, and he caught her with a laugh.
“I am here, just as I promised.”
It was hours later that they finally circled around to one of the important matters at hand.
What came next.
“Now that you’re back, we can finally complete our plans! I mean, there’s no archdragons to stop us anymore, and I think the elves might be a little preoccupied anyway if rumors are true, so-”
“Claudia.” His voice was soft as he interrupted her planning, tilting his head to catch her eye.
“Yeah?”
“What do you want?”
“Huh?” She tilted her head in confusion.
Aaravos swallowed, gaze flicking to their fire. “It’s been seven years since we last… attempted to enact my revenge. And I spent hundreds of years before that chasing it.” He offered her a weak smile. “In the end, all I have to show for it is the blood on my hands.”
“The blood of those that hurt your family,” Claudia hissed.
“Yes, but not just their blood. Sol Regem was the dragon that caused Leola’s death, and it was my fellow Stars that performed the act. But I have killed or caused the death of many others, most of whom weren’t even born when Leola was alive, who have no knowledge of her as anything but the faintest legend and the name of a constellation.” He shook his head. “I did not care, and I cannot claim guilt or remorse for my actions… But I must ask now, was it worth it? What did I even achieve, in the end?”
Claudia frowned, fingers tugging at the edge of her cloak, brows furrowed. “What are you saying?”
“I am saying that… I am ready, to let go of my anger. After so many centuries, I have finally found something worth far more to me than revenge.”
She stared, confusion flickering across her face. “After everything, you’re just… giving up?”
“No, I am moving on. I am choosing to find another path forward.”
She frowned. “My dad said that’s what he was doing too,” she huffed. “Right before he left.”
He reached out, resting a hand over hers. “I’m not leaving, Claudia,” he promised. “Not until all the stars in the sky die. I will follow you, stand by you, but after everything that we’ve been through, that you have been through… I want you to consider what you wish to do, who you wish to make yourself.
“If that means chasing revenge, striking down Azymondias and those who ally with him or plunging the world into Eternal Night, then we shall. But no one knows where we are, and there are always places that will not know who we are… We could disappear, start anew for ourselves. I just want you to think on it, to be certain of the path you walk rather than following blindly in my footsteps.” He chuckled. “You will not be alone regardless, but I will admit that walking a path of revenge and grief… It is a lonely one.”
She stared at him for a moment, before her gaze fell, flicking towards the fire. “I’ll… think about it.”
“That is all I can ask.”
In the end, Claudia decided they’d disappear.
“I… I don’t understand why my dad left, or why Soren ran away from us… I’m not even sure I understand why you’re letting go of your goals, but… I do know… There was a time it wasn’t… it wasn’t like this, where I didn’t worry about someone recognizing me, or feel so angry with people I care about, or…” She had laughed, faint and brittle. “Or kill without a thought. And- I don’t know, if all of those changes are bad, or what’s going to happen next…
“But… If Soren left, and my dad wanted to pick another way, and you’ve decided that revenge isn’t worth it… Maybe it’s time I try something different, too.” She smiled then, mischief flashing in her eyes. “I’m keeping the staff and mask though.”
“Of course, I’d never ask you to give up such things.” Aaravos smiled. “Any thoughts on where we should go?”
“I dunno… Maybe… maybe we can just travel, for a bit? Sightsee?”
“As you wish.”
As Claudia slept that night, his gaze trailed skywards, finding the familiar pattern of stars named for his lost daughter.
He didn’t know, as much as he was loathe to admit it, what Leola would think of him, but… He’d like to think she’d be happy he’d found peace at last, that she’d be glad that despite it all he and Claudia were no longer alone.
A new chapter was beginning, the caved in world starting to have its rubble cleared away at last, and all he could do was see where he was led.
Those first couple of years, they wandered. Aimless, almost, just two more travelers passing through small towns.
Nameless, unremarkable despite their oddities. Perhaps, occasionally, they’d be customers the innkeep told their spouse about, or a helping hand for a few coins to help them get by, but in the end… They were forgettable.
Ghosts, to all but each other.
That was, in a way, how they liked it. For those like them, those with blood on their hands and enemies who may come to call should they make a stir, anonymity and being forgettable were synonymous with safety.
And it wasn’t like they were just drifting.
No, they visited landmarks that Aaravos had heard of and places that had been left unnoticed. They wandered, and explored, from the far stretches of Xadia to even parts of the Human Kingdoms.
He told her stories of centuries gone by, tales that had become legends and legends that had become myth. In turn, she told him her own stories, those of her life before him and those of her people.
The good, the bad… The crystalline pictures and the bloody knuckles…
It was laid bare between them.
And when words and stories were not what they desired, he taught her magic. Not Dark Magic, as she’d become so proficient at under Viren, but Moon magic.
Illusions, from the simple shift of light to the more complex ones… She drank in every lesson he offered her, eyes glinting with wonder.
Quietly, he resolved to see if he couldn’t stumble across other Primal Stones on their journeys, though that never came to fruition.
It was as they were passing through a small village that, by his account, technically belonged to Katolis that she brought up… settling.
Slowing down, building a life properly.
He had his hesitations with the location, all too close to the Breach and Evrkynd and those that would do Claudia harm for his comfort, should they ever pass through the sleepy town.
But… Claudia was content, and he was easily swayed.
So they settled, aliases they’d given more than a few times becoming like new names for them in the eyes of those around him.
Aethos and his daughter, Cura, went easily unconnected to Aaravos and Claudia, despite their oddities. Cura wore a mask to cover a scar from childhood, her hair bleached from years of stress in their homeland. The odd scars or birthmarks under Aethos’ eyes, likewise, were remnants of a past better left behind.
Few questioned their limited story, and even fewer bothered to try and ask their questions or investigate.
In time, Aaravos let go of his reservations, as the once-empty house on the edge of the village filled with Claudia’s knicknacks and the few herbs he took to tending. He took to watching after the village children for their parents, and more often than not Claudia joined him, the young mage thrilling them with her carefully-spun illusions and glimmering creations while he earned his own share of awe for ancient stories, some censored for young ears and others tales he’d once told Leola.
It was not an extravagant life, not necessarily even one of abundance, though they weren’t in any danger of going hungry. And even if their loose jobs didn’t provide the coin for food and necessities, his own magic was more than capable of quietly filling gaps, though that was a fortunate rarity.
So it was a simple, humble existence, but it was… warm, and full of laughter, and companionship, and he couldn’t have asked for more.
He barely even noticed as a year turned to two, and then three. It was only Claudia’s celebration of five years of them being reunited, five years of their ‘new start’, that really brought it to his attention.
But as with so many good things in their life… Disruption was inevitable, the world quaking and threatening to cave in once more.
The day was cool, snow frosted across the ground as the holidays approached, Claudia breaking off from him for last minute shopping while he gathered the final ingredients for their own holiday meal.
He’d celebrated so few traditions and holidays over the course of his long life, and human ones even less than elf ones, but… Well, there was a simple joy in celebrating with Claudia, in enjoying the atmosphere it brought to their village as a whole.
“Alright, Sarai, let’s see if we can’t find something for Uncle Ez, okay?”
“Yeah!”
“Just don’t go too far, got it?”
“I promise, Momma!”
It took Aaravos another moment to realize why the name was familiar, and where he’d heard the mother’s voice before.
Queen Sarai, the wife of King Harrow and the mother of King Ezran and his mage of a brother…
And that voice-
“My heart… for Xadia.”
He could practically feel his blood run cold as he whirled, starting to weave his way towards where he’d seen Claudia go, towards the voices, as he ducked around neighbors and others passing through on their way to visit friends or family for the holidays.
Damn it! Of all the people to pass through here, why did it have to be the elf and her mage?!
They might not recognize him, he was willing to admit, not in his human guise, but Claudia? Even if she’d changed in the last decade, he doubted it would be enough, not to mention her mask would be a dead giveaway even if she’d long-since pulled her Moon Primal Stone from her staff to carry around the village easier.
“Oh, hey there, kiddo! You trying to get a look at this? Here.”
Of course. Of course, the kid ran into Claudia. Just their damn luck.
He ducked around another traveler and finally caught sight of his daughter, holding out what seemed to be a small wooden carving of some creature or another to a young girl. Five or so, if he had to guess, six at most.
Small horns poked through her snowy hair, even as five fingers reached out to take the offered carving.
“Thank you!” she chirped, voice bright and oh-so innocent.
“Of course! Is your-”
“Sarai! I thought I said not to-” Rayla’s voice cut off as she broke her own way through the crowd, no doubt in search of her wayward daughter who’d wandered a bit too far, only to freeze as she caught sight of Claudia.
Aaravos tensed, feeling his breathing still as he saw Claudia straighten in a jolt, posture shifting as she immediately moved away from the girl, wide eyes snapping to Rayla as she no doubt put it together in an instant.
“Go to your mother,” Claudia murmured.
Sarai tilted her head for a moment, hugging the carving closer to her chest before darting back to Rayla’s side with a smile.
Rayla softened for a moment, smiling even as she herded her child behind her, sharp eyes flicking back to Claudia. “What are you doin’ here?” she demanded, voice dipping lower.
Sarai’s eyes widened, expression growing more serious with her mother’s shift, and Aaravos frowned once more, keeping to the shadows even as his mind whirled.
Logically, he could handle the situation easily. Rayla didn’t know he was here, and Callum was nowhere to be seen for the moment…
The Startouch Elf could handle the elf and her daughter in an instant, could theoretically level the entire village to ensure Claudia’s escape if he had to, but…
Sarai had been born to a world that was flawed, and he and Claudia had heard rumors during their travels of strife, but she had not known war the way her parents had. The way he and Claudia had.
And she should never have to, should continue growing up with two loving parents in a world that was good. In a world that was broken but healing.
He would attack if he had to, for his daughter, but…
“I live here,” Claudia retorted, voice sharper than he’d heard it in years. “Is that going to be a problem?”
Rayla glared for a long moment, hand twitching towards what Aaravos knew would be a blade hung at her hip, folded away and unlikely to be noticed. She glanced at Sarai again.
“I wouldn’t hurt a child,” Claudia hissed.
There was a long, long moment of painful silence.
“Rayla?! Sarai?! Where did you two go?”
Claudia’s eyes widened, nervousness flashing across her for the first time.
“Momma?” Sarai whispered.
Rayla swallowed. “Promise me,” she ordered.
“Promise what?” Claudia shot back, defensive.
“Promise me I won’t regret lettin’ you go.”
Claudia softened. “You won’t. I left… all of it behind years ago. There’s no point going back now.”
Rayla studied her another moment, then finally nodded, softening as she turned to her daughter even as she kept Claudia in her peripheral vision. “C’mon, Little Bird, let’s go find Daddy.”
“Yeah!” Sarai cheered.
The world steadied, Aaravos slipping up to Claudia’s side. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah.” Claudia smiled. “Yeah, I am. Tomei,” she turned to the middle-aged woman who ran the wood carving stall that Sarai’s new toy, or perhaps her gift, was from, “how much do I owe you for the banther?”
Perhaps things weren’t what they’d expected, but they’d make the best of them anyway.