Rhun wasn't a hundred percent sure about this plan of his, but it was the best he could come up with about now. Seeing the moon take its place in the sky like a silver medallion shining through the dark clouds filling the sky, he pulled up his hood as the tips of his hair lightened to white and the color gradually spread upward to the roots. Tomorrow night, the moon would be full, and everything would take a turn for the worse, and Rhun didn't have one clue if his involvement would make anything better. But there wasn't any harm in trying.

Otherwise, what was the point?

At least with his hair covered, he would seem relatively more trustworthy than he would without. He raced through the forest back to the village and burst through the door to his house to grab his satchel and stuff it with a few things. On his way out, he bumped into his stepmother Rosella, and was met by a raised eyebrow as she rested her hands on her hips.

"Hey..." Rhun greeted weakly, waving his hand.

"Nice try, but it's past curfew. What are you up to tonight?" she demanded, staring him down with her inquisitive stare that seemed to peer into his very soul.

"To be honest, I thought you weren't home yet."

"Oh, well, you thought wrong. Closed up early, now answer the question." When he made no movement to do so, she narrowed her eyes. "I might not be your mother, but while she's away at the Breach, it's my job to look after you. I promised her such the day we married." Her fiery red hair was still pinned up in a braided crown around her head, which after Rhun having seen her do it in the morning, looked painful. Then again, that may have been why she could seem in a constant state of irritation. "I'm not getting any younger."

With a heavy sigh, Rhun shouldered his bag and shook his head. "It's just...there's something important I need to do."

"If this is you sneaking around with that gypsy girl again--"

Despite himself, Rhun felt his cheeks warm. Still, he cut her off and corrected, "Tzipora prefers to be called Romani. And besides, she's my girlfriend, and has been for the past two years. I don't see the point sneaking around anymore since you and Mom found out."

"Not in a way I prefer, by the way, considering we had to catch you first," reminded Rosella. "Now then why exactly are you planning to run around at this hour?"

"Rose, come on, I turn twenty in a few months," Rhun scoffed with a shrug. "I can take care of myself, and as for this... This is just something I have to do."

"And what is that that's so important?"

"I don't have much time." Rhun made for the door as he pulled up his hood again. "I'll tell you tomorrow."

"Rhun." He stopped at her tone. It was the same tone she used whenever he was keeping something from her or when he'd done something wrong. When he looked at her over his shoulder, her penetrating stare demanded an answer. "Does this have anything to do with your father?"

He thought over that a moment. "Yes, and no. It's complicated." He opened the door, making sure to tuck back a few strands of hair.

"Well, that's different. I won't try to stop you if that's what you're doing as long as you keep safe, mostly because I could chain you to the fireplace and you'd still find a way," she sighed, shaking her head with a one corner of her lips lifting upward in a slight form of a fond smile. "Always trying to help someone, even if you don't know how. How is it Tzipora calls you, because I'm starting to think it might not be too far off?"

"A sweet fool."

"Sounds about right."

Despite himself, Rhun felt a small smile creep up on him. "I'll be back by morning."

"You better be. Be sure you're not doing anything crazy."

At that, he said nothing, closing the door behind him. "Everything's going to be fine. With the way things going, it's not like they can get any worse," he mumbled to himself. As a response, a booming clap of thunder rang in the air before the sky was alight with lightning, and seconds later, it was pouring, drenching him in seconds. He looked up at the sky in irritation. "Oh, come on! Now you're just rubbing it in my face!"

On the bright side, it made traveling through the village less of a hassle. Most of the villagers had dashed home to avoid getting wet. If there was anyone out, he didn't have to do much. He mostly kept to the shadows, waving to those he knew, and making sure nobody got too close to him to see anything off about him. It was a routine he'd grown used to over the years.

True, he had made a few friends through Tzipora's help, but he still mainly kept to himself, fearful of the consequences and reaction should anything slip. It didn't help much considering people still looked at him out the corner of their eye like they had for his whole life. Like they'd be scolded if anyone caught them staring.

When he was younger, he could even remember a few children his age who had known he was different, could feel it even if they couldn't see it. And they didn't like it. The memory of what they did to him was at the front of his mind whenever he had to be especially careful, his wrist still clicked funny whenever he twisted it.

When he made it to the castle, he stared at the guards ahead and kept a safe distance from them. After announcing himself to them, he shouted, "I have urgent news for King Harrow!"

"What kind of news?" one asked, not seeming inclined to let him in. Rhun couldn't blame him, in fact, he'd be more alarmed if he was; all soldiers of the King took their job with utter seriousness. Except maybe Soren, the youngest Crownguard to date, from Rhun saw of him once or twice when he came to him to repair a sword, but that was a different tale.

"Assassination." One word and one word only as his answer. One word that easily got their attention.

Within minutes, he being led to the throne room by the King's high mage, Lord Viren. Some halls Rhun recognized from the few times his mother had brought him along with her to the castle for meetings. Once they reached the throne room, Lord Viren opened the door, and strode in, a few steps ahead.

The doors slammed shut behind them, the sound reverberating through the room, and Rhun couldn't help flinching. Following Lord Viren's long strides, Rhun approached the throne at the end of the room. One was occupied by King Harrow, who sat dead still, his face stern but not unkind, while the other was empty, having once been occupied by the late Queen Sarai. Rhun remembered her, though had scarcely known her, having been thirteen when she passed. He did, however, remember her to be a kind woman, and a good and courageous queen. The first time he had met her, she had stared at his ears, for a moment, then smiled at him and went on as if she hadn't seen anything strange about him at all. It was something Rhun had never truly forgotten for some reason.

As per custom, he and Lord Viren stopped a few feet from the throne. Viren bowed and Rhun dropped to one knee, his head bowed.

"You may rise," King Harrow said in a low, rumbling voice. Too nervous to do much else, Rhun fiddled with his fingers as he stood perfectly still. He held his breath, waiting for someone to break the silence. Perhaps the King had noticed this, and that was why his voice had softened slightly as he spoke. "You are Captain Amadahy's son, aren't you? What was your name again?"

"Rhun, My King," he answered, lifting his face enough for him to see, but then he made a quick sweep over his wet hair and face to make sure nothing was peaking out his hood. "I've heard of an attempt on your life that will take place tomorrow night. And..." He hesitated, taking a deep breath, his fingers tapping against each other to calm his rapidly beating heart. "And they are coming after your son, as well, Prince Ezran."

Harrow's brows furrowed, and something flashed across his face. "How do you know this?"

Rhun's eyes glanced to Viren, his fidgeting worsening. It was no secret of his hatred for elves, not unlike most humans, but it was also no secret of his affinity for dark magic. Whether or not they believed his mother chose to have him and was not, as they probably believed, taken advantage of by his father, would not matter to most, but if what Amadahy had said about King Harrow was true, he could take a chance. Not with Viren, though, that one his mother had expressed her distrust openly. Once even in the mage's presence. "I can't say, but I do know you and your son are in danger," he answered, taking his eyes away.

His actions clearly had gone unnoticed yet again by the King. Harrow turned his gaze briefly to Viren. "Viren, you may leave."

"But-"

"There are guards outside the door, it is safe."

"Harrow, this boy can't be trusted if he speaks of an assassination attempt but won't tell of his source! Who's to say he isn't helping them?"

"If your presence makes him uncomfortable, that may be the reason he isn't telling us everything."

"What if--"

The King's face darkened. "Oh, I'm sorry, you must have thought it was a suggestion. Perhaps I should make myself more clear; it wasn't. It was an order. You will leave."

Lord Viren cast Rhun a distasteful look, before narrowing his eyes as he bowed to King Harrow. "As you wish, my King."

Rhun watched him go until the doors slammed shut once again. He took a moment to breathe, hoping for the best, before pulling down his hood. Tangled locks of silver-white hair spilled out from where his bun had come loose after the night's events, some plastered to his forehead as he still had yet to dry. If that wasn't enough of an answer, Rhun could feel the points of his ears sticking out from the mess when he swept the hair from his eyes. "You asked how I know of plans to assassinate you. This--" he pointed to himself--"is how I know. They are not regular assassins; the Moonshadow elves are coming for vengeance for the Dragon King's death. And they will have it." For a moment, everything was frozen. "I'm not in on it, but the person who told me of this plan is, I swear it."

Rhun watched the king's brief wide-eyed gaze to his face. Then it faded as the realization seemed to set in. "So...the rumors are true, then?" he finally asked, albeit sounding less like the regal king Rhun had always imagined him to be, more like the awkward man Amadahy had used to laughed about, and he wondered now if it was that old friendship that made the king feel obligated to listen.

"So they do talk about me, then?" Rhun shot back with a small smile. He bowed once again as if introducing himself for the second time, and in a way he was. In the sense, he was introducing the true him. "And those rumors are true. But I don't side with them. I cannot say I side with you, either, but Prince Ezran is innocent. He shouldn't die because of something you have done." Despite his words, his tone held no animosity, only facts.

King Harrow was known to be a good man, but a king must also make tough decisions to do what's best for his kingdom, even if Rhun didn't agree with them, and he's sure the king had a good reason in his own mind for killing Thunder, if that was indeed his intention to kill at all. Still, the king had made his bed, and now it was time to lie in it.

"Who, then, told you?" the king asked, his voice also void of animosity, but inquisitive. After all, there wasn't much reason not to trust Rhun. His mother was a loyal, respected and trusted soldier of Katolis, captain of the Standing Battalion and one of many protecting their side of the Breach. And although Rhun wasn't quite as outspoken or confident as his mother was, everyone in the village had grown up knowing him to be quiet, polite, and one who spoke not a bad word to anyone, even if they deserved it.

"My father is among them." This was the only answer needed if the responsive silence was anything to go by. "They're after you, and that I can't help with. Maybe once they get their revenge, they'll leave things alone. It's unlikely, but it's all we can hope for, and I think I can help the princes escape unscathed."

King Harrow looked deep in thought before Rhun had spoken again, and he nodded. He had to admire the king at times. He had just told the man he was going to die by the next night, and he hadn't looked afraid for a moment until Rhun mentioned Prince Ezran was on their path as well. It showed how much he cared for his sons, and in that realization, he wondered how elves and humans thought themselves so different, when really, they were the same in all but appearance. "What do you propose?"

"Let me guard them on their way to whichever location you choose for them to keep safe. My father won't attack them if they're with me, mission or not. And I will protect them with my life like my mother would, and it might not be much but I know some magic," Rhun said, his eyes desperate. He understood there wasn't much he could do, but he had to do something. All life was important, and he was not going to let an innocent one be taken for what his predecessors did. It wasn't fair. It wasn't right.

But assassins didn't care about right or wrong, only life and death.

Good thing Rhun wasn't, nor could ever be one.

(Author's Note: Personally, I don't like this chapter, or the way I wrote it, but I tried my best, and I still enjoyed writing it, although while examining some of the character's bios on Dragon Prince Wiki, I did find out Corvus is apparently about Rhun's age, and I'm shocked, because, Corvus is only twenty. That is so young, and so much younger than I thought he was, I mean, I thought he was at least in his mid to late twenties, but he's only a bit older than Soren. That just kind of blows my mind, because I mean-- have you seen him in the show, I never would have thought he was that young with the way he acts. Gren, I can believe, actually, but Corvus? Also, I found out that both Sarai and Amaya are Asian, and Gren's official age is 24. Anyway, I'm not sure about this chapter, but I tried and I'll try to do the next one better, so here :))