Failed You - Mystery of Aaravos/The Dragon Prince Fanfiction

Stormy Sea

When Rayla first opened her eyes, she winced at her pounding headache. She felt a bump on the back of her head from where she got hit by Deadwood. She could feel her pulse through her head. 

Rayla blinked and looked around. She was back in her cell. Perfect. A sea shanty was going on on deck. Something different than before. It was dark and cold. Rayla could see the metal bars in front of her and could hear the waves hitting the ship. A strong clap of thunder sounded outside. She assumed it was raining based on the pattering of water on the ship that she had at first assumed was footsteps.

"You awake?" Soren asked quietly from his cell. 

"Yeah," Rayla said with a sigh. She put both arms above her head and stretched. She noticed that chains were once again on her wrists. Then the events of when she was last awake crashed down on her. "How is Callum?" She asked frantically. 

Soren stayed silent.

"Soren!" Rayla snapped. "What happened when I was unconscious?!"

"Shhhh!" Soren hushed. "Ezran just managed to fall asleep a little bit ago."

Only then could Rayla hear the soft snores of the king. 

"Oh," Rayla simply said. "Sorry."

"I'm in the same cell as him," Soren said. "The guards were too lazy to open another cell for me, so they just threw me in with him." He sighed. "I'm glad they did...Ez has been going through a lot."

"What happened?" Rayla asked, this time more gently. "Is he hurt?"

"Physically? No," Soren said gratefully. "But emotionally on the other hand, I don't think so." Soren drew a breath before continuing. "When Deadwood hit you on the head and sent you unconscious, Finnegrin finally released the spell on Callum. Even in the state he was in, bloodied, bruised, cold, and hurt, he still couldn't see you get hurt so he kinda...flipped out."

Rayla raised an eyebrow, even if Soren couldn't see her.

Soren chuckled lightly. "Callum gave Finnegrin a taste of his own medicine and cast Fulminis on him. Everything was sent into chaos after that. The crew started to panic. Two of them held me and Ezran back from fighting off Deadwood when he..." Soren went into silence again. Ezran muttered something in his sleep that Rayla couldn't make out.

"Deadwood did what?" Rayla asked, her voice quiet as she tried to coax Soren into talking.

"...When Deadwood...started beating Callum," Soren said quietly.

Rayla felt her blood run cold.

"Callum lost concentration on the Fulminis spell and Finnegrin was released from it. And he was angry," Soren said. "That's when he ordered us to be taken back to our cells and he took Callum back to his office." 

"Oh Callum..." Rayla muttered. 

"That's not exactly...all," Soren said uncertainly. He didn't wait for Rayla to continue. "Ezran was already so worried for Callum. We all were. Villads, Ezran, and I. But both of us weren't as worried as Ezran. I tried to comfort him as best I could and told him to go to sleep but of course that's when the screaming started again."

"Callum was screaming!?" Rayla shouted.

Soren shushed her again forcefully and Ezran let out another mutter in his sleep. 

"Yes. He was," Soren said even quieter than before. "But this time, it lasted a lot longer and it seemed that it was more...pain, I guess. I'm surprised that you didn't wake up from it."

"How long have I been asleep?" Rayla asked with her blood boiling. 

"At least five hours," Soren said after some thought.