A/N: I'll try to update this before a zine (I'm contributing as an artist) consumes my free time.

"I don't think I will be able to repay you both after all the things that you have done to my son," said Queen Zubeia as Callum and Rayla mounted Rubdilium's back. The queen of the dragons rarely left her lair ever since she woke up from her deep slumber, so seeing her outside the Spire was a surprise to everyone.

"It was a pleasure to serve you, Your Highness." Rayla took a bow, while Callum gave her a forced grin as he struggled to remove Zym from latching on his thigh.

"I'm sorry, Zym. You can't come with us, you know that right?" the young mage apologized with exasperation, nudging the baby dragon away as he whimpered in protest. "As much as we would like to, but you're too young to leave your Mom's side. Besides, Ez is probably busy and has no time to play with you - ACK!"

Callum yelped and almost lost his balance when Zym suddenly yanked his scarf, startling him when the dragon pressed his forehead to his.

"What the - !" he gasped when familiar images began to flash before his eyes, telling him that these were the things that Ezran saw before the attack. All of them rendered him speechless, but the last image that burned in his mind made him collapse to the ground in tears.

"Callum?" Rayla's overprotective instinct kicked in as soon as she saw his paled expression. She immediately knelt beside him, eyeing Zym with apprehension as the dragon prince bounced away happily.

"Rayla?" the mage prince reached out for her hand, squeezing it for assurance. "Ray, it's okay."

"You don't look okay to me."

Callum couldn't help himself but find it ironic how defensive his girlfriend could be in regards to his well being. It's like the pot calling the kettle black.

"I'm fine. Zym did not do anything wrong." He chuckled as he wiped his tears hastily with his sleeve, and when her stiff expression slackened a bit, he went on, "He just showed me an update about Ez. He's alive, Ray. He a - oof!"

Callum was taken aback when she suddenly tackled him for a hug. "Oh Gods, thank Heavens! Now we have one less thing to worry about!"

"Yeah!"

Zym flew above them, chirping with glee.

The two separated when Ibis cleared his throat. "Now that everything is in order," the Skywing mage uttered in his usual stoic voice. "Rubdilium will now fly you both to Katolis and arrive there around noon regardless of the weather condition. I also sent a message to the castle on your behalf so they can prepare for your arrival."

"Thank you, Ibis."

"And before I forget," Queen Zubeia interjected as Zym settled on her side. "Rayla, Callum...I'm not sure if this would be our last time to see each other again, but I would like to let you both know that the Storm Spire will always be your second home."

The two looked at each other with misty eyes then stood up, giving the queen a bow with fists on their chests.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

"And Rayla?"

The Moonshadow elf immediately stood ramrod straight. "Y - Yes, Your Highness?"

"Consider this as your final task as one of my Dragonguards. Or shall we say, my favorite Dragonguard." Queen Zubeia extended one of her claws and tapped the insignia that was affixed on Rayla's uniform. "I command you to protect King Ezran of Katolis with your life, just like how you protected my son, Prince Azymondias. You have to make sure that the king is safe and away from any harm."

"You have my word, Your Highness." Rayla beamed proudly. "I will guard King Ezran with my life."

.

.

.

Ezran stirred, squinting his sky blue eyes when he felt the warmth of sunlight hitting his left cheek, and heard the sound of the birds chirping outside his window. They were chattering about something, but his bed was a bit far from the window to comprehend the topic of their discussion.

The white walls of his assigned medical room were less distracting compared to last night, now that his throbbing headache was gone as well as the stinging sensation from his shoulder down to his lower back. His bed was slightly elevated to accommodate his left leg that was still hanging to the ceiling. He noticed that his bandages were quite new, probably the nurse did it while he was asleep, as he could smell a faint minty odor of salve that was freshly applied to his skin.

He couldn't see the front of the grandfather's clock from his position, even if he squinted his eyes and angled his head to his side. He presumed it was an early sunrise, and based on the growling sound of his stomach, it was time for his breakfast.

He wished they could spare him some jelly tarts as dessert.

As if on cue, the nurse entered his room with a tray full of food.

"Good morning, Your Majesty." she greeted, closing the door shut with her heel. "I'm glad you're now awake."

He scowled indignantly when she unfolded his breakfast tray and placed his meals - a plate of mushroom omelette with beans and toasts, a bowl of Xadian redberries in fresh yogurt, a steaming mug of hot cocoa, and a glass of water.

"Hey, where's my jelly tart?" he asked.

"I was instructed to give you your usual dessert once you've taken your medicines. And that's after you finished your breakfast." the nurse answered him with a bright smile. "You might be my king, but you're also an injured young boy who needs medical attention. No one can overrule doctor's commands, especially if they're right."

Ezran groaned in defeat as he stabbed his omelette with a fork and chewed it with annoyance.

He was able to clear all of his plate - including the beans that he despised so much but had to eat it after the nurse flashed him a beady glare - and swallowed his bitter medicine like an obedient kid. And true to her words, he got his tray of freshly-baked jelly tarts, and to his surprise, delivered by his confidant Corvus.

"Corvus!" the young king propped up from his bed while being mindful of his leg contraptions. "You're here!"

"I'm not sure if you're excited to see me or the jelly tarts, Your Majesty." his bodyguard snickered as he placed the tray beside Ezran, who quickly grabbed two pastries and stuffed it in his mouth with bliss.

"Can't I choose both?" he muttered between bites.

"It's a great honor that King Ezran considered me as important as his jelly tarts."

The nurse shook her head and muttered something about growth spurts and nutritional diets before she excused herself and left the two alone in privacy.

"So, any developments so far?" Ezran asked while wiping the crumbs off from his face and hands.

Corvus slumped on the visitor's chair with a sigh. "Zero, Your Majesty. My team did all of our best to find even a small trace or evidence of infiltration but found none. Whoever attacked you, they really did a good job of cleaning their trails."

"I see." He pushed the pastry tray away from his side, his gut feeling made him lose his appetite. "Do you think it's an inside job?"

"That's the best plausible answer. And I hate to admit it that it might be true."

"These people...they've been serving the royal house even before my father was born," Ezran muttered despondently. "And it pains me to think that one of these staff whom I considered a family would desire to end my life."

"Lord Viren was your father's best friend, yet look at what happened. I'm sorry - " Corvus' face went ashen as he fumbled his words in panic. "A - Apologies for my blunt words, Your Majesty! I was - I was not thinking straight! It was a long night, a - and my brain is not functioning well that -"

"Psh, you don't need to apologize, Corvus," Ezran snorted, waving his hand casually to stop his blabbers. "But you actually made a great point. Even your closest friends can betray you."

The tracker averted his gaze to the floor in silence.

Three loud raps broke the tension in the room.

"Come in!" Ezran announced, grinning widely when a familiar mop of blond popped in. "Soren!"

"You look so much better now than last night, Ez." the young Crownguard smirked as he approached the king's bed. Soren was the only person in the castle who never addressed Ezran by his title despite knowing how the Council and some royal staff called out his casualness as disrespectful and insulting to the crown. He never called him with his Prince's title even before he assumed the throne. Besides, Ezran told him to treat him like he used to before, so who was he to deny his request?

"Hey, Corvus." the tracker looked up when Soren called his attention. "You looked like you just swallowed a bunch of sour grapes. Are you alright there, buddy?"

"Corvus and I are talking about something in the past," Ezran explained briefly. "But it's not important now."

"Oh, I see."

"So, what brings you here?"

"Ah yeah, right." Soren pulled a rolled scroll out from his sleeve and passed it to the young king's hand. "A shadowhawk from the Storm Spire delivered that letter this morning saying that your brother and Rayla will arrive in Katolis today. With a dragon."

"With a dragon?" Corvus raised brows incredulously. "How are we going to manage that? I mean, a regular dragon is like, huge."

Soren pointed his index towards his way. "I know right? That's why everyone is cramming to clear the courtyard - "

"The courtyard is fine," Ezran interjected, placing the unopened letter on his bedside table. "Zym showed me how big Rubdilium is."

"Rubdilium?"

"That's the name of the dragon. She's a Storm dragon, by the way, and a sweetheart. Plus, she can conceal herself in case some people find her intimidating."

Corvus hummed with contemplation. "Well that sounds...reassuring I guess."

The blond slapped his forehead with a groan. "Damn, I forgot that you can talk with that baby dragon telepathically. Oh well, at least my second surprise has not been foiled yet."

"Second surprise?" the young king tilted his head in question. "What do you mean by a second surprise?"

"One sec." Soren raised a finger then rushed towards the door. He was gesturing for someone to come inside, which made Corvus and Ezran stare at each other in confusion. "Oh Ez, you'll never believe this."

Ezran gasped when Barius entered the room cradling a grumpy toad wrapped in bandages.

"Bait!"

Bait immediately perked up when a familiar voice called his name, then glowed excitedly when he saw Ezran facing him with his arms wide open.

"Bait, you're alive!" Tears streamed on the young king's face as the glow toad leaped towards him, welcoming his embrace. He clutched his pet with fervor, thanking the Heavens silently for the miracle while being mindful of the injuries.

While Bait enjoyed being coddled, his attention was quickly drawn towards Ezran's hand. He sniffed the familiar orange smear on his finger, licked it, and when he saw the tray of jelly tarts left abandoned on his side, he immediately swiped the pastries with his elongated tongue and swallowed everything in one gulp.

His action earned a chuckle from everyone in the room.

"The animal doctor who took care of Bait said that it's a miracle he survived." Barius wiped his tears with the back of his hand as he began to narrate how the royal guards found Bait lying in a pool of blood and how he managed to survive his major operation "He was so lucky that the blade did not slice any of his organs."

Ez pressed his wet cheek against his pet's uninjured skin. "Oh Bait, thank you for saving my life."

The toad let out a low grumble as a reply.

.

.

.

Ever since he mastered his mage wings, Callum has never relied on any flying transport even if he was accompanying Rayla. He was so accustomed to it that feeling the gust of the wind on his face without casting the spell felt weird.

"Can't sleep?" Rayla's voice snapped him from his thoughts.

She decided to change her Dragonguard's uniform to her usual Moonshadow assassin suit after they took off, telling him that while the uniform was made to protect the wearer from fatal spells like fire and lightning, its fabric was quite thick and inflexible that it prevented her to execute her swift attacks. Not to mention that it was summer in Katolis and her Dragonguard's uniform that was made for cold climates would bake her alive.

He shook his head, focusing his gaze towards the horizon. "It's been a while since I enjoyed the scenery up here as a passenger. Not that I never appreciated these while I'm the one flying."

"Ah, I think I know what you mean," she replied, crawling towards him in all fours then nestled her chin on the crook of his shoulder. "It feels odd to be up in the sky with you beside me. Not that I don't enjoy riding you."

"Ah yes, you can ride me anytime you want."

Callum guffawed when she slapped his arm at his innuendo. "You perverted prince!"

"I surrender - ouch! I surrender! I surrender!" he raised his arms for a truce, then stole a quick kiss on her pouty lips.

"Callum!"

"You gave me an opportunity!" he laughed much to her chagrin. "Of course I will grab it!"

"You're so lucky you're cute." she crossed her arms, feigning an annoyance. "Or I would throw you out here and leave your sorry ass to Xadia."

Rayla giggled when her boyfriend pressed a kiss on her nose, letting herself to be pulled closer when Callum snaked his arms around her torso, her back against his chest while his head settled on her shoulder. She wasn't a giggling type or someone with no shame in displaying affection. She was born and raised to be sensible and reserved even in dire situations, but after she met Callum, everything was blown out of proportions.

The couple turned their attention back to the horizon where the sun began to rise.

"I can't believe Ezran is now eleven, turning twelve next year" Callum murmured, his gaze was focused on the yellow-orange hues against the indigo sky. "It feels like yesterday we just delivered Zym to his mother and had a celebration in the Storm Spire."

"Yeah. How time flies."

He closed his eyes, humming as her four fingers massaged the scalp of his head "Ooh, this feels nice. You really want to make me sleep, huh?"

"Well, I'm a woman with a mission." Rayla bemused as she continued her ministrations. "I can still hear your thoughts, sad prince. You're worrying for nothing. Didn't Zym show you that Ez is alive?"

"Alive but not alright."

He whined when she stopped.

"Callum." Rayla shifted her position so she could face him properly. She cupped his face tenderly, her thumbs brushing the dark circles underneath his eyes. It hurts her to see the vulnerability in his emerald eyes. Eyes that can either turn her into a messy goo or a deadly lava that would protect him from any harm. "I know what it feels to have your family put in danger. And while Ez is not my brother, he's my best friend. And as his best friend, I have to believe in him. He's the King of Katolis, remember?"

"But history repeats itself, Ray. What if...What if Ez ended up like Dad?"

So this must be the reason why he's still anxious, she thought glumly, though a bit relieved that he wasn't on the verge of a meltdown. He was more like, unsure of the events that were happening around his brother.

She shook her head briskly. "That's gonna be impossible, Cal. And you know why?"

"Why?" he parroted.

"Because this time," she flashed him a toothy grin, with fiery eyes looming with menace. "We're going back to the castle to save the king."