Callum's legs burned.

They'd been travelling to return Zym for over a month, having crossed into Xadia a couple of weeks previously. He'd thought his legs had adapted to constant days of walking and, sure, it had become easier. But then they'd reached the Xadian mountains and, oh boy, Callum's body was not prepared - the inclined walking, along with the increase in temperature, had him out of breath most days.

It was made all the more noticeable with the way Rayla was acting. Ever since they'd made it past Sol Regem, something had been off about the way she was interacting with him. The encounter with the Archdragon had shaken Callum... the way his raspy, ancient tones raked through his head - Callum had never felt anything like it. But Rayla seemed to have had an entire conversation with Sol Regem that he'd had no part of. As they travelled through Katolis to reach the border, he and Rayla had grown closer, and they'd started opening up to each other.

At least, that's what Callum had thought. But then, ever since they'd crossed the border, Rayla had been stoney-faced and constantly distracted. Conversation between the two of them had become minimal and was always initiated by Callum. Sometimes it took multiple calls of her name to get her attention.

Callum had known things would change in Xadia, especially with Ezran returning to Katolis, leaving him and Rayla travelling on their own together. But not like this. The euphoria of successfully crossing the Moonstone path had evaporated instantly and Rayla's shift in demeanour, coinciding with Ezran's departure, had left Callum feeling so very alone.

It wasn't a feeling he was unfamiliar with; having been heavily acknowledged as a step-prince at home, he'd never quite felt at home. But this felt worse and he couldn't place why. He'd grown used to Rayla's casual… intimacy, for lack of a better word. She always seemed to know what kind of comfort or support he needed. Whether that was a casual hand on the shoulder, a hug, some teasing, or some genuine advice, she just seemed to know.

And so to have that completely removed, in an entirely foreign environment, whilst his brother (who he'd never been apart from) was returning to their homeland to become king at the age of ten... Callum was on very tentative footing. He suddenly felt he had no idea about who he was travelling with, even though they had felt so close in the Pentarchy.

Callum was so lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice Rayla observing him out of the corner of her eyes as they made their way up the steady incline, with her walking on his right hand side, the tall trees either side of the path they were taking offering some shade from the blaring sun. Callum's thoughts were distracting him from fully acknowledging how heavily he was breathing. Even though he had taken off his blue jacket and was left in his sleeveless maroon top underneath, the jacket tied around his waist, he was still remarkably affected by the temperature.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by a weight landing on his right shoulder. He spared the baby Storm Dragon a cursory glance, a half smile, and a light pat on his head, before he returned his gaze forward. They appeared to be reaching the top of the incline and the trees were beginning to disperse as the hill plateaued. The sunlight blazed through the opening, temporarily blinding Callum as he walked through, covering his eyes with his left arm.

"Wow," he gasped, when he was fully able to take in the view in front of him.

They'd arrived at a wide expansive clearing and the terrain under their feet was slowly shifting into sand. In front of Callum was the clearest expanse of water he'd ever seen. They were several feet away from it but he was still able to see the very bottom of the… lake? Callum couldn't tell; it seemed to go on for miles, so far that Callum couldn't see the other side. Yet, it couldn't be the sea - they'd come uphill to reach it.

"It's incredible, isn't it?"

Rayla's voice shocked him out of his daze. He glanced to his right to see her looking at him with the softest expression he'd seen on her face for a while. He smiled softly at her.

"It's stunning, Rayla," Callum breathed lightly, still taken aback.

Rayla turned her gaze out to the lake. "I wanted to make sure you saw this," she admitted, lightly rubbing her upper right arm with her left hand. "We stopped here on our way to Katolis and, even though I didn't want to go anywhere near it, I still admired its beauty."

Callum frowned slightly. He appreciated the gesture, but considering how Rayla had been acting toward him recently, he was also confused by it.

"I know I've been a bit distant since we crossed over," Rayla confessed, turning back to face him with a solemn expression, "Sol Regem told me some… uncomfortable things…" She paused for a long time, just looking at Callum, before smiling softly at him. "But I figured we're making good progress and it might be nice to stop in a pleasant location for a while," she continued, gesturing toward the sand that surrounded the lake. "We're well away from any towns, so you'll be safe to freely enjoy the water," she added, with a tint in her voice that Callum didn't miss - nor did he miss how she'd shifted the conversation away from Sol Regem.

But this was the most open and welcoming she'd been since they had entered Xadia. He was going to grab it with both hands.

And literally he did. He grabbed both of Rayla's hands in his own and pulled her toward the water. Zym leapt off his shoulder and flew toward the water's edge, observing his reflection, tilting his head, squeaking at the water.

Rayla, meanwhile, let out a spluttered gasp.

"Callum, what are you-?"

"C'mon Rayla, no better way to tackle that fear of water than here!" he exclaimed, offering her a bright smile over his shoulder. As they reached the water, Callum let go of Rayla's hands to pull off his shoes and roll up his trousers, tugging them up to his knees.

Rayla took the opportunity to back away from the water, shaking her hands in front of her.

"No, no, no, absolutely no!" she said, fixing Callum with a stern glare.

Callum smirked up at her from where he was bent over. "Rayla, it's the clearest, calmest water I've ever seen!" he said joyfully. "I don't know how this fear of yours started and I'm not going to press for an answer." He straightened up and smiled comfortingly at her. "But I understand what an irrational fear is like and what it can do. Know that I'm here to get you through it." He reached out his right hand toward her and brightened his smile. "Baby steps."

Rayla's eyes flicked between his face and his hand multiple times and, although Callum fully expected her to turn him down, he didn't let his smile falter or his hand drop. He wanted to show her that, although he wasn't the strongest or the smartest, he was at least here to support her.

Rayla's face softened at the look on his She shuffled forward and placed her hand in his, marvelling at how wellthey fit together. Callum silently acknowledged the exact same thing and his smile widened. Rayla's eyes met his and she matched his smile, his confidence flowed through her, and, suddenly, Sol Regem's warnings didn't matter. The Archdragon's warnings to distance herself from the human flew out the window. She found herself being struck with all those feelings she'd been fighting ever since they'd crossed the border.

Rayla wanted to get closer to Callum again.

Screw Sol Regem, and his warnings, Rayla thought, as she and Callum stood side-by-side at the water's edge.

Rayla turned and met his sideways gaze, and matched the smile he was offering her.

And, with two words from Rayla, all the tension that had hung over the pair for the past week or so dissipated.

"Baby steps."