The Dragon Prince: Breath of Hope

Chapter 23- Home

For Ezran, things were going from bad to worse. First, Kasef wanted to attack Xadia...and then he threatened to attack Katolis if he didn't join the fight. So many people would be killed in a pointless war, and he wanted to stop the fighting. He'd thought about it for hours, trying to find a way to stop the bloodshed.

And his only option, to spare them, was to give up his crown.

After making sure Bait would be well taken care of, he'd given the order that anyone who didn't want to fight was allowed to go home without any consequences.

Then, he'd been escorted to the very cell Viren had been held in, and their bonds were exchanged. He could still remember the look on the mage's face.

"I'm so sorry it's come to this," he'd said, almost sincere.

"No, you're not."

He'd given him a small smirk. "No, I'm not."

"But don't worry Viren," Ezran called back, "You will be. My brother will see to it."

Viren had sneered at him, but said nothing, leaving the cell. He'd been left alone in the chamber ever since, but then, he heard a croak from the grate above. Looking up, he noticed a familiar face. "Hey!" he called up to Bait's grumpy face. "I was hoping you'd be my first visitor. I wish I could come up there with you, but..." He held up his chained hands.

Bait croaked before disappearing from view, and suddenly, it began to rain jelly tarts through the hole in the ceiling. The glow toad himself pushed through and flopped down into the cell. With food and a friend, Ezran smiled, settling back against the wall. "See? This isn't so bad." His smile soon faded to a frown, and he looked down at his wrist. "I'm sorry Callum...I tried."

Bait croaked sympathetically, then gently licked the band. They munched their way through the tarts, watching the sun rise above the grate. He hoped Callum and Rayla were safe and far enough ahead to stop the battle.

With only a few tarts left, Bait burped, bringing him out of his moping. Ez gave the toad's belly a good rub and laughed, but he soon heard someone approaching. "Someone's coming," he realised, turning to the toad. "You need to hide. No glowing," he told him, hiding the creature behind his back.

The cell door opened and a familiar face stepped in, looking slightly distressed. "Hey Ez."

"Soren? What are you doing here?"

"Getting you out of here," he explained, pulling a key from his pocket. "Dad's been crowned king, and I know him...he's going to... tie off loose ends. So you need to get out of Katolis."

"How?"

"I have a plan," he said, peeking out around the cell to make sure no one was near. "You need to get back to Scales and warn him."

The boy nodded in agreement as they walked out and made their way through the secret tunnels below the palace. "Thank you Soren."

"Ezran, I know I did some bad things...but you and Callum gave me a chance. I should be thanking you for that." They walked in silence for a bit before the guard sighed. "Your dad was a good king. As a Crown Guard, it was my job to make sure that nothing happened to him, no matter what. So, when the Moonshadow elves came, I did everything I could to protect him...but it wasn't enough. I just don't want to fail you too."

With a smile, the young boy nodded. "We will make everything right again, promise."

"Well... the first thing we need to do is get you out of here. Come on, follow me."

After walking down the tunnels for a while, the pair came to an opening that led up to the well. They climbed out, and Soren quickly smuggled the former king into a hay bale to cross the main bridge. The guard failed at acting inconspicuous, shouting loudly about hungry horses as he went. There was a close call when a soldier spotted Bait's glow, but Soren managed to bluff it off.