Trust Is Fragile | Rayla X OC!Reader | Dragon Prince Fanfiction

Chapter 28: Bad News

Stepping into the large room, we saw Queen Zubeia sleeping in a large nest. A hole in the roof provided light to shine down onto her as she slept. It made her look majestic and peaceful. Along her body were large, dark blue scales and lighter scales along her underbelly and throat. She looked to have a more slender build than that of Avizandum. She sported a white mane along her neck and back, tufts of white fur on her elbows and spiked tai. She had large brown claws of her feet, four lightly colored bumps on her nose, as well as dark blue horns and spikes on her head and back. Zubeia also had long lither streaks of blue on the membranes of her wings, as well a few holes and tears that showed her battle history. Her face came out more with a beak-shaped end, similar to a bird, unlike Zym.

Ezran took confident steps towards Zubeia. He stopped at her snout, the wind of her breath blowing through his hair. He waited and then reluctantly reached his hand out towards her muzzle, he hesitated for a moment, he leaned forward and gently placed his hand onto her scaly snout. He leaned his head forward and gently touched his head to the end of her snout and looked up at her with an almost pleading look.

"Wake up. Your baby's here. You have to wake up." After a moment of nothing happening, Ezran stepped away from the large dragon, his shoulders dropping slightly. Rayla shook her head and let out a sigh, not being able to bear the sight of Zubeia and ran off back through the tunnel. I glanced over at everyone else, before following after Rayla. I couldn't imagine how hard being here must've been for her.

I saw her sitting down on the steps, gently petting Zym as Nyx looked over at her. I took a seat down on the steps next to her.

"You okay?" I asked hesitantly.

"This is where it happened, Zaira. Where my parents ran away. I can't stop thinking about that moment." She explained, holding her hands together in her lap as she looked down. "How it led to all of this. Being here... it hurts."

I gently reached my hand over to hers, and held it in my hands. "Then I'll be here. Right by your side and make sure you don't have to face it alone." I assure, giving her a comforting smile. Rayla's eyes welled up with tears as she gave me a lopsided smile. She pulled me into a hug and muttered a soft thank you. I looked over at Nyx as she sat and looked at us, she gave me an approving nod that let me know I had done the right thing.

"Zaira! Rayla! We need your help!" Ezran called over to us. We both ran out to see Soren collapsed onto the floor between the dragons legs. Callum was standing to the side looking at him. A scowl quickly formed on my face.

"What's he doing here?" Rayla sneered at him. "Stop asking questions and help him!" Ezran ordered. "Ez, I know you're king and all, but do we really need to help him after he tried kidnapping and killing you?" I inquired looking up at him. "Yes!" He shouted down to me sternly. I sighed and drew the Ventus Spiralis rune into the air. I cast the spell and Soren started breathing again.

He stood up and looked at us all, the wind from the spell ruffling his hair and making it messy. He looked around frantically. "Is this... the afterlife?" He asked. I crossed my arms and shook my head.

"Sadly not. It would be great if it was, because that would mean you died being and idiot." I scoffed. Callum just gently waved me off and stood in front of Soren. "It's still just.. the life... still. You're alive."

"What are you doing here?" Rayla said to him, her voice laced with venom. Soren started panting and held his heart. "Hold on. Give me... Give me a second to catch my breath." He continued to pant as he attempted to steady his breathing. He let out a long breath as he finally turned to us. His smile fading quickly and his shoulders dropping.

"We're all doomed." My eyes widened, that was definitely the last thing I was expecting to come out of his mouth. Although, at this point it probably should've been the first.

We brought Soren inside, Ibis gave him some sort of beverage while we stood around a table and waited for him to explain.

"It's my dad." He started. "Lord Viren? He's here in Xadia?" Callum quickly questioned, Soren nodded.

"He's rallied the armies of four kingdoms, and it's not just that. We went to the... Sun elf place? And my dad... he stole some kind of horrible power. And he used it to transform his armies into... into something else." (getting kind of tired writing all these periods ngl) Soren explained rapidly.

"What do you mean?" Ezran asked.

"They're stronger, angrier, big... claws! He's made an army of darkness and he's leading them here... for him." Soren pointed to Zym who let out a panicked chirp. "The Dragon Prince." Soren finished and took a long and very obnoxious slurp of his beverage. He swallowed down the drink and looked at us all. "I did use the word "doomed.""

I followed Ibis out when he left, Nyx, this time, trailed next to me. "Hey, Ibis, was it?" I called out to him, successfully grabbing his attention as he turned around to look at me. "Where you heading?" His expression remained calm as he responded. "To the pinnacle. I must see how long we have before this army of darkness if upon us." He spoke turning and glaring down at the clouds below us. "I'll scout from the sky."

The curiosity got the better of me as I followed him up the stairs. "Good. However, how exactly do you plan to do that? You don't have wings." I winced slightly when Nyx lightly jabbed my leg with her claw. "Sorry, is that rude? It's just I mainly assumed you all had wings after we met another Skywing elf." Ibis let out a soft laugh. "Do not worry. My ego is unharmed."

We reached the pinnacle and Ibis started to explain. "All Skywing elves are indeed born connected to the sky. But fewer than one in ten of us are born with wings." He held out his arms to the side and turned to face me. "Of the rest of us, only a rare few can learn to do this." He inhaled deeply before holding his arms out in front of him.

"Manus." The first rune closest to his shoulder glowed softly. "Pluma." The next rune started to glow. "Volantus." The final rune glowed as well. Slowly, black feathers started to form at the base of his shoulders and slowly extended down his arms, forming large wings. He held them out proudly and declared, "Mage wings!"

I stared in awe at the wings that had just sprouted out of his arms. "That's amazing. You think you could teach me how to do that?" I stood up a little straighter. Ibis just started to laugh as if I had cracked a joke.

"Teach you?" He chuckled again, but stopped himself. "My apologies, but a human cannot--" I quickly interjected what he was about to say by casting the Fulminis spell out into the sky next to him. His eyes widened as he glanced over at where I had sent the lightning.

"I've heard is before already. "Humans can't do magic," "it isn't their destiny," yet I know the Sky Arcanum. And with the army coming here, I'm going to need to learn all the magic I can." Ibis pondered the idea for a moment.

"Hm.. to learn an Arcanum as a human. Such a thing is unheard of. But if I may offer instead some helpful advice?" His expression hardened as he looked up and met my eyes. "Leave." He quickly caught onto my confused expression and continued. "Take the Dragon Prince far away from here." He said gesturing with his wing as he turned and walked up the stairs.

"Run, hide, survive."

"But we came all this way!"

"And it will mean nothing if you throw your lives away here. Leave, while you still can." I went to stop him, but he flew up and off the mountain. I stood there, processing his words.

This took me too long to get out. And to think I planned for this chapter to come out the day after Halloween- 😅

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