Prince Ezran's gaze, innocent, blue, and anxious, stared up at Rayla while he walked with her, her sword at the ready to nudge him along if he faltered or tried to run. He stared at her pain, her determination, her weakness, the only reason he was still alive. Because she failed.

She swore to Runaan she wouldn't hesitate again when the opportunity came to take again. And yet she had.

As he stared, it seemed to pierce into her very mind and soul.

The frog in his arms croaked. "Where are you taking me?" he finally asked, breaking the silence.

"To my team," Rayla answered shortly. She couldn't allow herself to feel regret for what she was doing. That she was taking him to someone who could complete the mission. Who could be ready to fulfill his mission in that one moment before a kill, and actually carry it out.

"Are you going to kill me?" he asked quietly, too quietly, holding up the creature in his arms as if ready to brandish it as a weapon.

Rayla blanched, almost freezing on the spot at the mere thought. "No! No of course not, I--"

When it finally came time to do it, to take the life of her target, for Runaan, for her queen, for Xadia, she found outside of the love for her country, to protect her home, her people, she had no other reason to kill. She was an assassin, but...this child, this innocent, how could she kill him? He shouldn't have to die. His father had done wrong against all of Xadia for ordering the death of Thunder, but this boy had done nothing, absolutely nothing wrong.

Why should he be punished for his only crime being born son to King Harrow? For being born heir to the throne of a kingdom they had no clue how he'd rule in a...decade? Maybe less.

In time perhaps, he may be something dangerous. But now, all he was...was someone who was absolutely defenseless. Who had originally acted as if all the obvious differences between the two, all the danger she had posed when she first pointed that blade at his throat, could have been resolved by offering her a human baker's treat.

"I wouldn't."

"Then why are you taking me? I promise I won't tell anyone you were here," he said, and despite everything, she recalled rich skies, glimmering stars at twilight, beckoning, the moon, hard rocky cliffs, the thick brush of trees. Dragons flying ahead and above, their cries echoing across open plains. Elves, her people, children running around, shrieking, hiding among trees, running to returning family and friends, the bridges, the cobblestone, the canals running through the city. Ruunan teaching her to run, to fight, carved necklaces and a home to return to.

The home she was supposed to fight for. That she was supposed to take this child's life for.

Her heart for Xadia.

The boy looked at her, and maybe it was because of something he sensed, but he then relaxed ever so slightly. The prince shifted, lowering the frog in-between the two. "Please, I gotta go find Callum. He's probably worried about me."

Her stomach rebelled as horror came crashing back at the thought even if she'd spared her life she may be leading him to death once again, icy tendrils slicing their way to squeeze back into her. Her mouth opened silently. Closed.

The memory of her home vanished in a puff of smoke, or more accurately, a churn of the stomach. Rayla swallowed, trying desperately to drown the bile in her throat. "Who-you were calling to him, yeah? Who is he?"

The boy ran up to be beside her, as if she hadn't snatched him from his home, as if she hadn't threatened to slice open his throat moments ago, a grin on his face immediately, creature hugged to his chest as he beamed up at her. "My brother!" he glowed, before seemingly shrinking in on himself, as if remembering his predicament. "He's probably mad at me for disappearing on him. We were supposed to leave before nightfall..." he trails off, face scrunching up.

Rayla berated herself once again. They could've been in and out without anyone's knowledge. She absently wondered if many people in the castle were trying or already managed to evacuate. Humans run from any sort of danger. It didn't seem there was a huge rush to leave, but it didn't seem like there were many people remaining either. She'd only seen the guards, and the prince.

Either way, nightfall wasn't too long away. She looked down at him contemplatively, his shifting from side to side under her gaze. He had family.

Family.

Her breath caught in her throat as she realized too late once she'd done. Prince Ezran had a family. If Callum was his brother, and he was the one he had tried to call out to, then they probably already knew about the prince's disappearance. They would come after him. He was their Crown Prince, their heir. King Harrow would come searching for his son.

And she needed to escape, escape to find Runaan. He would be furious with her, but...he would know what to do. She hadn't realized she'd spoken it aloud until the boy stopped, making a wordless questioning noise.

"Is Runaan one of your friends? Is he an elf like you?"

"Yeah, yeah, he...he'll want to talk to you."

Prince Ezran lifted up the creature in his arms up to his eyes. "What do you think Bait?" he asked the...lizard? The pet grumbled, skin darkening into a rich violet. "Well, it can't be that bad!" he answered easily, smiling back up. "A stranger is just a friend you haven't met yet!" he said and nudged the creature.

The lizard lightened, grumbling once more, looking away.

"Great!" the boy smiles up at her, gesturing to the path before them. "Let's go, then!"

And Rayla continued to lead them along, as the two of them walked side by side through the forest.

Runaan would know what to do. He was willing to do whatever it took for Xadia.

She, apparently, wasn't.

They continue to walk, Prince Ezran holding his toad in a near-death grip as they continue to search, continue in silence and the prince steadily grew stiffer.

"What's your brother like like?" she asked him quietly after some time had passed, if only to break the silence and ease the tendrils of guilt wrapping their way about her heart.

"Well..." Prince Ezran began carefully, "he likes to draw. Like, he draws a lot. He's got a really good memory, so he's always drawing things he's seen, or what he remembers, and he's really good at it... but he sucks at fighting." He giggled, face radiant and gleaming, and she's struck again by how young he is.

Rayla snorted alongside him. After that he grew quiet, but thankfully still smiling, more gentle than exuberant, more comfortable.

"He's a good brother. Sometimes he gets angry and says stuff he doesn't mean, like this morning, when he said assassins were coming to kill our dad." Rayla tensed, but it went unnoticed as his grin dimmed yet brightened a moment later if possible. "But he always apologizes. And if he's really sorry, he'll do the jerk-face dance!"

"The what now?" she plays along to the boy's infectious cheer.

"The crazy jerk-face dance! It's a dance of stupitude and sorry-ness" he announces loftily in a deeper tone meant to possibly imitate his older brother, dissolving into a fit of giggles. "And-and he'll pull all-nighters to draw, he's always tripping up when he talks to Claudia, and he'll wake up in the middle of the night to draw the dream he just had before falling asleep on the desk instead of the bed and all the lines get smeared, or he'll read me and Bait stories and give all the characters different voices" he continued, slowing. Now tears were beginning to well up in his eyes.

"And when thunder's really bad, he-he lets me crawl into bed with him, and he sneaks me jelly tarts when I'm grounded, and stays with me when I'm sick, even when guards try to force him to leave and tell him he'll get sick too if he stays." He sniffed and reached up to rub his eyes. "Sometimes we fight, and he doesn't always believe me, but-but he's always there for me." His voice grew thick. "He's always trying to protect me." He frowned at the ground and hugged himself, suddenly looking vulnerable, and so, so small.

"I don't know what I'd do if I-if I didn't..."

Rayla abruptly understood. It wasn't just the fear of a child separated from an older brother, it was the fear of being separated from someone you care about, who you look up too. Separated from someone who'd taught you everything, been there for you, someone who would always have your back. It's the fear of never seeing again someone you know would die for you, who you instinctively fear will one day never return home.

She had that feeling when she was little. Runaan would be out on a mission as always, and she'd be home with Tinker waiting, waiting for him to come back. Being an assassin meant there was always the possibility you'd never return. And she would tackle him every time he walked back through the door after days or even weeks of that worry.

She leaned forward, wrapping him into a hug, trying to convey her understanding with only a touch. For a moment, everything stilled.

He smiled up at her, wiping away his tears, and she returned it, softening before her mind flashed forward to a vision of him with a bloodied neck and empty, innocent blue and wide eyes dropping lifelessly onto the ground, and her smile strained and grip tightened imperceptibly.

It would be for Xadia.

Or maybe not. The king would come to them willingly if he thought it would save his son. Maybe. Hopefully. If Runaan understood. Only one may have to die tonight.

She spared herself a moment, a mere second to contemplate. The prince had a brother. He had a father, a father who...

She ruthlessly cut off that train of thought, it didn't matter. Doesn't matter. She had a job to complete and if she couldn't do it, she'd have to leave it to those who could, no matter what the ache in her chest was telling her.

Xadia, Xadia, Xadia.

Rayla unwrapped her arms from him and scrambled to her feet, stifling a fond smile. She couldn't get attached to him, couldn't forget he was human. Except.... If only all humans were like this one, the world could be a much better place, maybe the war would never have started in the first place, maybe the Divide never may have happened to begin with.

But she had a mission.

The binding on her wrists reminded her of that, bindings that would tighten so long as the prince and his father were alive. Tighter and tighter, cutting off the blood flow. Until the hand would either fall off or need to be amputated to prevent infection.

It would be decided when she found Runaan.

☪️☪️☪️

Callisto was the one who reported Rayla missing from where Runaan had left her.

Runaan nearly cursed the air blue when he had gotten word of her defiance. Again. She was supposed to stay out of the way where their jobs wouldn't be harder after she had let the human guard go.

They had debated on whether or not to go look for her. Kouru argued against it. It was too dangerous to search for her. Especially when guards could still be patrolling the area and with nighttime only a few hoursaway, after their last close call, they couldn't risk it. Kai was reluctant to agree. However, Hyla was the one who pointed out that if Rayla were captured, the guards might be able to pinpoint their camp, or worse, they'd torture the information out from her, get her to reveal their location. Then, they would know that the moon moth from earlier had not been wrong.

Their entire mission would be severely compromised.

But Runaan was their leader. He held the last say even before any of them gave their input. He would have gone alone, even, to find her. They couldn't simply abandon Rayla to the humans for a variety of reasons. Reasons practical, ethical and personal. One thing was for certain. If they got out of this alive, it would be a long time before he considered taking her along on another mission. She needed more training, apparently. And discipline. Mentally and emotionally.

It took long enough for the council to agree. And he'd have to return to reveal he had indeed misplaced his judgement. Rayla would face punishment for her disobedience once they returned home, if not by Runaan's hands, then by the council.

Toward the castle was the only direction Runaan needed to mind. That was the only way she would have gone. She would do whatever it took to fix the shame Runaan's sister brought upon them by running from her duties with her husband once Thunder fell. He knew she was determined to fix her mishap. But she still was but a child. Children hadn't a clue of the consequences of their actions, hardly even though them through. It was why he had sat her down on that rock and ordered her to stay, ordered her to go home if they didn't return.

Through the trees, they flew, time of the essence. Sundown was not too long from now and, at some point, if they did not find Rayla then they would need to leave her. Runaan ran the option through his mind, but... he did not particularly like it. At all. What he did know was that the punishment for her disobedience, no-insubordination-was going to have to be severe. With luck, they would allow him to be the one to handle that in Xadia. As her commander and having known her the longest, it was only natural.

Then again, they could deem those many years he had looked after her a weakness. He didn't want to think of what another might do in the wake of such insolence on such an important mission.

Runaan would take the blame. It was his fault, after all, their mission was compromised by Rayla's actions. He had thought that she was ready. He had thought that her talent would carry on to her discipline. He was wrong. She displayed all the potential, more potential than most her age, and he still believed in that talent and potential, but it needed to be nurtured more. Honed. If they returned home, he told himself.

When they returned home.

And it was as that thought died that her voice pricked at his ear. He had been listening to that voice for most of her entire life and nearly half of his own. He knew what it sounded like. And he knew the voice joining hers was not her own nor was it familiar.

They moved faster, quieter.

There, in a clearing between the trees, was Rayla. Her blades were tucked away and she was talking to someone. Talking with a gentle tone Runaan hardly knew her to use. He followed her gaze to see who it was, and his eyes narrowed at what he saw.

A human.

Runaan shared a look with Callisto. Then, with the rest of his team.

When they descended from the trees, the human boy immediately clutched the glow toad tightly in his arms as if ready to brandish it as a weapon, and stepped closer to Rayla. Runaan nodded at the others to lower their weapons. Human or not, this was a mere child. Runaan did his best to avoid situations such as this like the plague. Yet they had happened more than once; a little girl or boy would be out exploring and see something they shouldn't have, see them. And more than once if there wasn't enough time to tie them up or stop them from telling anyone, then.... He would do what had to be done.

Regrettable. But it wouldn't have been the first time a mistake cost innocent lives never meant to be lost. He had a dreading feeling that it wouldn't be the last.

"R-Runaan." As Rayla said his name, her voice shook the slightest. His brows furrowed as the young boy slowly began to step forward toward them.

"Rayla, who is this?" Callisto asked. His short, white hair somehow probably made him look all the more menacing to the child. He seemed to freeze a little after he spoke, but kept moving until he was a foot or so away, looking up at Runaan with wide, blue eyes. The two just stand there, staring at each other, uncertain on how to proceed, because really, there was a literal child walking straight up to them as if though concerned, he was overall unbothered since this was the expected outcome.

The boy's gaze glanced away, darting across their faces and his eyes begin to sparkle. Before Runaan could even suspect any hint of suspicion or deceit, a trap, the boy looked back at Rayla, grinning.

"Do elves like jelly tarts too?" he gasps in wonder, completely defenseless. As if she, as if none of them, posed absolutely no danger to him, as if they weren't a threat. As if all the obvious differences between the two species and all the bitterness that could be festering between them could be resolved by the simultaneous love for a baker's treat.

Rayla put a hand up to her mouth, either to stifle a smile or a laugh. "I'm, uh, not sure on that one," she said quietly.

"Rayla, what have you done?" demanded Runaan, his gaze piercing, and she flinched under its scrutiny while he awaited an answer.

It was the boy who spoke up. "Don't get mad at her, I wanted to come." He stepped in front of her to be in his view again. "Well, at first I was scared, but then she told me she was just trying to help me."

Kouru frowned, his hair curtaining half his face. "Just run home, kid, and forget you ever saw us. This has nothing to do with you."

"It does too!" the boy exclaimed. "Everyone is talking about how you're trying to kill my dad!"

Dad?

Rayla froze.

Runaan looked up at the castle. Then, down at the boy.

They're trying to kill the king. This child would only be saying that if.... The king was this boy's father. They were searching also for a prince. A prince who would grow to take his father's place. This boy who must also be the king's son, who must also be a prince, had also been found by Rayla. In the castle. A prince they came to Katolis specifically to kill.

No, Rayla couldn't have....

She didn't.

"Hey, uh, what's your name?" Kouru asked now in a gentler tone, kneeling down to the level of the damning sight before them.

"Me?" The child looked at him questioningly, meeting his gaze but shrugged, the creature in his arms. Looking so small.

"I'm Ezran."

Runaan stared at Rayla wide-eyed as she seemed to shrink in on herself when his eyes narrowed. What had she done? "You're a fool, Rayla," he snarled.

☪️☪️☪️

Callum raced up the staircase, breathing heavily from running through the halls in search of Harrow. He hadn't bothered to stop once except to finally ask where the king was. Still puffing as he came to a standstill at the top of the stairs, he caught Viren walking out of Harrow's chambers.

The High Mage looked shock to find him there, but Callum immediately burst out what he had to say.

"I-" began Prince Callum.

Viren had not once cared about what Callum had to say and certainly wasn't starting now. "Get him out of here," he barked at the nearest Crownguard.

"No!" Callum shouted, dodging the Crownguard's hand reaching out for him. "Please...listen! The assassins, they're-they're not coming for the king!"

"What are you on about?"

"They-they took Ezran! I can't find him anywhere!"