༄ؘ 𝑨𝑹𝑪𝑨𝑵𝑬, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦

༄ؘ ✧ 𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑷𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝑻𝑯𝑹𝑬𝑬

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ ༄ؘ 𝑻𝑯𝑹𝑬𝑬 ༄ؘ ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

𝑴𝑨𝑹𝑰𝑵 𝑯𝑨𝑫 𝑯𝑬𝑨𝑹𝑫 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑺𝑻𝑶𝑹𝒀 𝑶𝑭 𝑯𝑶𝑾 𝑯𝑰𝑮𝑯 𝑴𝑨𝑮𝑬 𝑽𝑰𝑹𝑬𝑵 𝑨𝑵𝑫 𝑯𝑬𝑹 𝑫𝑨𝑫 𝑯𝑨𝑫 slain the Dragon King and his unhatched egg last Winter's Turn. She'd had no doubt in her mind that the egg had really been destroyed, no matter how much she despised the thought of Xadian creatures being slaughtered. But seeing the egg in front of her now, glowing brightly in hues of blue with spots of all sorts of colors dotting the shell, Marin felt a small inkling of hope build in her heart. If the Xadians knew that the Dragon Prince lived, the war could be stopped. She just knew it.

The elf that had been chasing them, whose name Marin had yet to learn, lowered her swords. "This changes everything."

"So this is it?" Callum leaned closer to the egg. "The egg of the Dragon Prince?"

"I can't believe it," the elf breathed.

"If the egg lives..." Marin continued. "Maybe it could stop the war."

Kneeling down before the egg, the elf gazed into the brightness of the glow emanating from its shell with a conflicted look in her eyes. Marin could see how much confusion the elf was feeling. She, along with all of Xadia, had probably built a lot of hatred for Katolis and for humans in general after what had happened to the Dragon King. Now she just discovered that part of what they thought happened was a lie, and it left her at a loss.

Ezran gently put his hands on the egg and smiled. "He's okay in there. I can feel it."

To Marin's surprise, the elf looked directly at Ezran and smiled at him. A small one, but a smile nonetheless. Marin thought the look suited her better than the scowl she'd been sporting since she had first cornered her and Callum.

"But how?" Callum stammered. "Why wasn't it destroyed?"

A voice sounded behind the four of them and the elf was immediately on guard with her swords out once more, but this time protectively in front of the egg and the three siblings. "Because my father saved it!"

"Claudia!" Callum sounded shocked. Marin, however, wasn't surprised in the least. Of course she would take her father's side. They were all about everything dark magic related. Marin knew that Viren was selfish, but enough to take the egg of the Dragon Prince to use for whatever scheme he had up his sleeve next? Draining the life of Xadian creatures was bad enough, but the Dragon Prince himself was going too far. Marin couldn't allow anything to happen to the egg now that she knew it was alive.

"Callum, Ezran, Marin, get behind me," Claudia glared at the elf, clutching her Primal Stone tightly in her hand. "I can protect you from the elf."

"Not a chance, Claudia," Marin sneered. "Viren didn't save the egg, he stole it."

"That's a lie!"

"Then, Claudia, why is it here?" Callum stepped toward her as he gestured toward the egg, which Ezran now held in his hands.

"My father took it to protect us, Callum, so the elves and the dragons couldn't use it."

"What are you talking about? How can we use it?" the elf demanded.

"Don't play dumb! You know it's a powerful weapon." Claudia growled.

"It's not a weapon, Claudia, it's a living creature! If anything it's you and Viren who would be using it! Draining its life so you can do your nasty, so-called magic! It's murder!" Marin shouted.