The first time it happened, Rayla was confused. She knew about Callum's talent for drawing, but she has never expected to be the subject of one of his sketches. And when she looked at the detailed sketch, she instantly remembered when Callum has drawn her. They were camping in one of the myriads of rocky, shallow caves that dotted Xadia, and she was looking at the sky, keeping an eye on the dragon circling on the horizon.

She thought that Callum was drawing it, not her.

Well, there was a dragon, but clearly the small doodle wasn't what Callum focused on. As she looked at her figure in the picture, her hand automatically moved to her hair. Did she really look like that from the side? And then she realised that until now, she didn't bother keeping her hair that tidy.

Her mind was torn with conflicting emotions. She wanted to see if Callum has made more sketches of her, and was about to flip the page, but as soon as she heard his footsteps, the rational part of her brain started working again and forced her to put his sketchbook exactly where she found it, and pretend that nothing has happened.

- Do you like it?

Blood froze in her veins when a moment later Callum asked her off-handedly, after picking his notebook.

- Callum, I know I shouldn't have...

She turned around, expecting to see anger on his face, but instead, she found a faint smile, though the moment their eyes met, he shied away.

- I shouldn't have either. I mean, it's rude to just sketch someone without telling them that, right?
- You haven't asked that dragon either. - Rayla crossed her arms sitting on the opposite side of the rocky cave, regaining some confidence she lost when Callum's question threw her off.
- Well, it would be awkward if I shouted at him, "Hello, mister dragon, could you hover in place for like half an hour, so I can draw you? By the way, you've got some tasty human meat here!".
- Fair point. - Rayla chuckled.
- So...

Callum's slightly quivering voice interrupted Rayla, bringing back the same, awkward silence she had to live through a moment ago.

- Er, would you like me to you know, draw you properly?

Rayla blinked. She gathered her thoughts, fought with the storm of them raging in her head, and replied with as much confidence she could muster.

- Uh, sure. Do-Do you want me to sit in a different way, or...
- No, that's gonna be fine.

Callum replied and drew the first line of Rayla's portrait. In the distance, a dragon flew over the mountains, but neither of them cared.

When it happened a second time, Rayla was torn with anger.

To see her own face, staring at her from the wanted poster, just a mile away from her home town, was not something she would expect.

- "Wanted for treason and helping humans"? - she read in disbelief, forgetting she should be keeping quiet. - "The Moonshadow elf is wanted, dead or alive, for betraying her own kind, breaking oaths, as well as smuggling human party into the land of-" What party?
- I think they mean me. - Callum scratched his head. - And that means we should probably move away from the main road...
- No way, I'm not gonna let some snooty idiots put a prize on our head-

But words got stuck in her throat when an arrow pierced through the air, narrowly missing her forehead.

- Down! - she cried, though Callum was already ahead of her, ducking behind the tree's stump.

Two more arrows shot from the distance, trailing Rayla as she slid to Callum's hiding place.

- They can't be city archers, otherwise we would be dead already - Rayla gasped, thinking quickly.
- Mercenaries? Do you have them in Xadia? - Callum asked, keeping arm around Zym.
- We have money, so we have mercs.

A sudden smile appeared on her face, as she took a glance at the arrow.

- But I think we're much luckier.

A moment of eerie silence later, two forces struck the elf messengers down: one from high above, when Rayla jumped over them, and the other from below, when a blast of air from Callum's hands knocked them down for good, though Rayla bashed their heads against each other for good measure.

- And let's burn these. - Rayla pointed to the sack full of wanted posters.
- Good call - Callum replied, tearing one down from a nearby tree. - I mean, they're not even very good, your ears are too small on these. And your face looks so evil, it makes you-

He looked up, and flinched when his vision was obscured with Rayla's face, inches from his.

- Are you telling me I've got big ears?!
- Huh, maybe they did capture that evil look...

When it happened the third time, she wasn't even aware what was going on.

But Callum was.

It was the most detailed and accurate portrait of her he's seen, and as a result, the worst one. As he held the small coin in his hand, tears trickled from his eyes, wondering if Rayla could even hear, or see him. But he knew he'll find a way to bring her soul back, even if it was to cost him his.

The fourth time it happened, it's boring.

As a trained assassin, she should have been used to standing still, to guard or wait for her target. And yet, an hour felt like ten, when she had to do it in front of the royal painter, creating the first ever official painting of a Moonshadow elf in Katolis.

The only reason she hasn't gone mad yet was that Callum, standing right beside her, had to endure the same torture, and his remarks brightened her day.

- You know, Renet, I-I have actually drawn Rayla before, so I could give you a pointer or two...
- Silence, boy! - the elderly man shouted, before realising whom he was addressing - I, I mean to say, my prince. A-And I didn't mean to say "silence".
- That's okay. - Callum replied politely - But if you draw her horns or marks incorrectly, you'll be explaining yourself to her. Have you captured the sharpness of her swords yet?

Rayla chuckled, exchanging knowing looks with her boyfriend, as they watched the terrified face of the artist in front of them. Two years ago she wouldn't have imagined, in her wildest dreams, or worst nightmares, that she would be standing in the hall of the castle of the largest human kingdom, with her human boyfriend by her side, as the first Moonshadow elf in decades to do so.

Well, except...

- Can I, er, ask for a bit more smile, my lady?

The artist's much humbler request brought Rayla back to her senses, but also alerted Callum.

- Rayla? Is something wrong?
- No. - she replied quickly, putting on the smile that was requested - It's just I remembered my friends that were in this palace, and...
- Oh.

Callum couldn't quite meet her eyes, especially at the reminder of atrocities that occurred on the night they escaped, as well as the ones that happened to Runaan when Viren took him as a prisoner.

- Rayla, I... I don't know what to say to-
- Nothing. - Rayla replied sharply - I think your father would have preferred if we didn't dig up the past, especially if it's so painful.
- But he'd still like we learned from it. - Callum spoke in slightly lower voice, mimicking his step-father's tone.

Their eyes met, and at the same time, they cupped each other's cheeks before their lips met in a kiss, which brought back the smile on their faces.

- Er, can we, can we continue, your highness?

A quivering voice of the painter disrupted their brief moment of bliss, and the two shuffled into their positions at once. However, Renet couldn't quite resume his work, because the very next minute, the side door leading to the chambered opened, and a bit smaller figure walked in, forcing him to take a deep bow.

- Your majesty!
- Oh, you're taking their portrait now, too! - Ezran cheered, and eagerly walked to the canvas. - Can I see it?
- O-Of course! - he stepped aside, still bowing.
- He never asked me if he can shuffle through my pages... - Callum whispered, getting another chuckle from Rayla.

Ezran looked back and forth from the canvas to Callum and Rayla, then tilted his head a few times, scratched his chin, and finally asked Bait for an opinion.

- Oh, you're right, Bait! Renet, Moonshadow elves have four fingers, not five.

When it happened the fifth time, she was annoyed.

And not just because she had to wear a dress, though that definitely didn't help. She never felt like she could pull off "being classy", unlike other women, but then again, she never had to. But now she was supposed to look elegant and presentable, and since every other person in Katolis was addressing her "my lady", she finally had to give in to the pressure.

But no, the fact that she was wearing a dress wasn't the worst. It was that other women at the party wore them, and they have caught Callum's eye.

And there he was, the supposed other host of the ambassador party, welcoming the guests from the whole continent to help rebuild their broken world. And what was he doing? He was doodling the two women from Duren, chatting at the other end of the ballroom.

Rayla grabbed the nearest goblet, drank the wine in one go, and slammed it on the table.

- Bait says that if you keep doing it, everyone will know you're jealous - she suddenly heard a familiar voice behind her back - When I was spending too much time with Zym, he used get all purple. Just like you now!
- I'm not jealous! - Rayla barked back at her younger friend.
- Hm, you're right, you're more cranberry. - Ezran corrected himself - And besides, Bait learned that you can't force someone into disliking someone else by jumping on a head and pretending to make a nest of that person's hair.
- Oh, yeah?

And before Ezran could ask her if she was going to jump on his brother's head, she was already gone, walking towards him, as steadily as her high heels allowed to. She stood in front of him, put on a smile, and grunted.

- Callum?
- Oh, hey. - her boyfriend looked from his sketchbook - Am I needed somewhere?
- Well, yes and no.

Dropping the pretence, she grabbed his hand, dragged him to the empty adjacent room, closed the door, and pushed him against the wall. She opened her mouth and was about to speak her mind, when she reminded herself of Ezran's words. And she realised that in this moment she was a huge glow toad fighting over Callum's attention, and a very familiar feeling of guilt swept over her.

She sighed, looked down, cursed the fact that Ezran somehow always manages to bring back the best in people he meets, and she stared back at her boyfriend, still wearing a confused look on his face.

- I'm sorry.
- Uh, sorry for what? - Callum raised his eyebrow - I mean, aside from pushing me against the wall, which is slightly uncomfortable, I guess.

Rayla let out another deep sigh.

- No, it's me. - she let go of him and walked to the elongated couch - I... I was gonna say something stupid.
- Does this have to do with me drawing Lady Camilia and her sister? - Callum asked shyly, sitting on the opposite side of the tea table.
- Maybe. - Rayla grumbled.
- Listen, Rayla, I know these past few weeks we... I couldn't give you that much attention, as I wanted but...
- I know, I know.

Rayla uncrossed her arms, interrupting him.

- I know you worked hard for the whole ball to work out.
- We worked hard. - Callum corrected her - I wouldn't be able to do anything without your help. You've managed to convince other elves to come.
- Well, if you say so... - Rayla sent him a sly smile.
- Well, it's true. We have this one occasion to unite our people, human and elves, and think how are we going to make our world work, and...

He pushed his chair closer to the table, and took her hands.

- After this whole thing is over, I promise you, we're going to spend some time together.

Callum reached to cup her face, but Rayla was faster. She dragged him closer to her, pressed her lips to his, and locked the two in long kiss. The murmur of the crowd outside the door died out, as the two listened to their shared breathing and the tiniest of moans that escaped their lips into each other's mouth.

Finally, after a solid minute, Rayla let go of the flabbergasted adult prince, letting him fall into his seat, taking one desperate breathe after another.

- But... I'm still kinda angry that you didn't draw me first. - Rayla spoke, just as Callum was about to stand up.
- Well, okay, fair point, I've drawn a sketch of pretty much every ambassador except you.

He took his sketchbook, turned the page, sat comfortably, and looked up from it, trying to think what pose he could capture Rayla in.

But it turns out that she has already chose one. One that made Callum look nervously at the half-closed door, and then forced him to rotate the page 90 degrees. Feeling waves of hot and cold on his neck, he undid a button on his regal apparel, and Rayla smiled, wishing she could still do that to hers.

Whether it was Moonshadow elf magic, or just his inability to focus under the storm of emotions that raged in his mind, Callum didn't know, but the result was the same. Her silky, smooth dress was on the floor, and she was lying on her side, wearing a wicked, inviting smile, and nothing else.

- Draw me like one of your Durenian girls...