I do not own the Dragon prince

"So this is Del Bar?" Callum asked as he gazed out across the fog-covered sea as the Leviathan Prince sailed through the ice-filled waters at a snail's pace. In the distance, he saw the peaks of large mountains, barely visible over the fog. It had been a little over a month since they had departed Evenere and the sailing had been slow and cautious due to the icy waters that lurked between Evenere and Del Bar. Numerous other obstacles had also slowed their journey such as unfavorable winds, a storm, and generally rough oceans being a huge obstacle for a massive ship to deal with. Yet now they were finally here.

"It looks miserable," Claudia muttered as she walked up alongside him. "Everywhere else in the Pentarchy spring is subsiding and summer is coming but here it looks like it's still winter."

"Don't be so sad!" Villads called out from the ship's helm. "Spring will be starting here, with summer following, then those greys will really pop!" The man let out a hearty laugh that no one else on deck shared.

"Wonderful…" Claudia and Callum muttered simultaneously.

"So this is my mother's homeland," Soren muttered. "I was hoping for more...something."

Callum couldn't help but agree, the fog was thick and the air cold. Villads claimed that they would soon be arriving in a place called Serpents Rest, a port town where they were expected by King Florian who promised to have transportation ready for Callum and his company to go inland to the capital of Del Bar, a city called Winterhold.

"How long until we make port?" Callum asked, wanting to back onto dry land as quickly as possible. Despite being connected to the ocean through the ocean arcanum he found traveling over the ocean a less than pleasant experience due to the cramped quarters and various other unpleasant parts of sea travel.

He saw Villads peer at the fog before them, the man's one eye seemingly taking in all the details. "The ice is thick and visibility is low. I would say a few hours at least. The Leviathan Prince be strong enough to crush through the ice but I prefer to steer clear."

"Fine…" Not the answer Callum hoped for but he didn't want his new ship damaged on his first journey. "Make it so captain."

"Aye your Grace," Villads replied as he went about ordering the sailors to make ready for the port which caused the deck to erupt in organized chaos as men and women went to and fro working on getting the ship ready for port.

"You boys can hang out here if you want," Claudia muttered as she let out a deep sigh, her breath fogging up in front of her. Callum saw that she was wearing her regular witch-like black clothes but had also wrapped herself in a large black fur cloak to stave off Del bar's frigid weather. "I'm going to go drink some of my morning brown potions to warm up. Probably also pack a whole bunch of it for the trip through this frozen wasteland.."

Soren shook his head at his sister's lack of enthusiasm. "You need to embrace our Del Barian heritage Claud's. We might be from Katolis but we are also children of winter. This is our heritage, half our ancestry is here." The crown guard declared proudly.

Claudia snorted as she turned away and began to walk towards the door that would lead below deck to the cabins. "I prefer the civilized part of my heritage, the part that involves a warmer climate. Face it, Soren, Del Bar is basically a collection of howling barbarians half-buried in snow."

Callum waited for Claudia to disappear below deck before turning to his sworn shield. "I'm not sure which is more cheerful, her or this weather." he gestured towards the grey sky and fog that surrounded them

"The closer we've gotten to Del Bar the worse her attitude has gotten. I think the idea of seeing our mother is stressing her out." Soren pointed out. "Claudia used to be so close to mom, as close as she is to dad now...I dont think she's ever forgiven our mother for making us choose between her and dad…"

Callum wasn't sure how to respond to that, he didn't want to get involved in another family's personal affairs. He couldn't claim to have truly known Soren and Claudia's mom. Astrid of Del Bar rarely appeared in court even when she and Lord Viren's marriage had been somewhat happy, he remembered her long blonde hair and her green eyes. She had also been tall and strong, often sparring with his own mother in the castle courtyard.

"Well...maybe things will turn out better once we actually get to Del Bar. If anything Claudia can just choose to not see your mother." He offered weakly, not sure what else to say.

"Not really an option." Soren shook his head. "Our mother is the leader of the Einherjar."

"Einherwhat?" Callum asked, the word sounding strange and foreign on his lips. "What the heck is an Einherjermerber...whatever that word is?"

Soren shook his head in apparent exasperation. "The Einherjar is an order of warriors dedicated to protecting the royal family of Del Bar. The word Einherjar is ancient Del Barian, the old tongue before the people of Del Bar took up the common tongue back when they still wrote everything using runes." Soren explained. "It roughly translates to "army of one" because each member of the order is an army of one. They have to be the fastest, strongest, and bravest among their peers. A difficult feat considering that Del Bar is filled with some of the fiercest warriors in all the Pentarchy. My mother is the leader of the order."

Callum frowned as he realized what Soren was saying. "Which means that we will certainly see her when we visit King Florian…" He had to resist throwing something, why couldn't anything on this journey be easy? Suddenly something else occurred to Callum, making him almost forget about the potential storm of Claudia and her mother meeting. "How do you know this much about Del Barian history and language? You've failed every history class you've ever taken back in Katolis."

Soren crossed his arms. "That's because Katolian history is all about stupid stuff like lineages and dynastic battles. The only cool history is about the Orphan Queen and her knights founding Katolis, everything after that is a snoozefest. Del Barian history is all about fighting, sea serpents, and kicking a million kinds of ass."

"At least you have your priorities straight." Callum shook his head at his bodyguard's antics. "I'm going to follow Claudia's example and get ready, without Opeli here the duty of buttering up the nobility and dealing with protocol falls upon me." He never thought he would miss the High Cleric but here he was missing her. He bid goodbye to Soren and walked away from the front of the ship, dodging his way around sailors rushing to and fro as they made the ship ready for port.

Eventually, after traveling through numerous decks he finally made it to his private chambers. He felt slightly guilty having his own room when the average sailor only had a hammock in a shared berth or the room that Soren and Corvus shared but he was technically a prince and he needed the privacy for his magic. The only other person who had a private chamber was Claudia's and hers were tiny compared to his.

He opened the door to his room and found his teacher in his painted body going through numerous chests that were stacked up against the wall of the cabin. "Why are you snooping around in King Florian's gifts?"

Aaravos didn't even bother to look up as he answered. "Just seeing what you humans consider gifts in this era. If someone offered me this paltry offering I would banish them to the shadow realm for their insolence. Why are you giving him so much wine and silk?"

Callum let out a sigh as he walked up alongside his teacher who was still digging through the chests of offerings he had prepared. "Offering precious metals and crafts isn't going to score me any points in Del Bar. They are already rich in precious minerals and can craft better arms and jewelry than I could offer. But things like silks and fine wines are items they cant get easily. These chests are filled with the best fabrics, and alchohol in all the Pentarchy." He had spared no expense in buying the very best stuff in Evenere. Thankfully Evenere was one of the biggest ports in all the kingdoms so it was easy to buy plenty of trinkets, Neolandian silks, and Durenese delicacies before he departed.

Aaravos shook his head. "I swear this is equally as bad as that other pile of crap you have in this cabin, the junk the people of Evenere gifted you with." The elf gestured to the far corner of the room where there was another collection of chests and creates.

Once again Callum found himself thankful his cabin was so big, otherwise, he would be buried in all the chests and crates of stuff he had. He technically should have left it all in the hold of the ship but in truth, he hadn't had a chance to go through the stuff that the people of Evenere had gifted him with and on a voyage like this he had plenty of time to kill so he had settled for sorting through his new belongings.

"Not all of it was garbage...Pierro gifted me with that primal stone." One of the many gifts he had received from Evenere had been a sun primal stone from the court mage Pierro. The man had lost his arm in the battle near the sunken temple and had promptly retired from his position as Queen Fareeda's court mage. Callum was excited to learn how to do sun magic with his new stone, sadly a wooden ship wasn't the best place to learn fire spells so he had to wait until they were safely on land.

Aaravos scoffed. "They should have rained primal stones upon you for what you did. You should have been showered with magical artifacts and other valuables. If it had been me I would have demanded jewels as big as my head, golden oils, horn balm, and a bunch of other stuff you're too young to hear about."

"Horn balm?" Callum had never heard of such a thing. "What the heck is horn balm?"

"You rub it on your horns to make them shine and not itch," Aaravos explained. "An elf needs to take good care of their horns. As you can see from my amazing rack I took good care of my horns in life." The elf pointed at the horns that adorned his head. "The only ones who could approach horned beauty like mine are female Earthblood elves. That's how amazing my ack is."

Callum had to resist laughing. "You might want to avoid calling your horns a 'Rack' here in the Pentarchy that's slang for a woman's breasts." He had heard people in taverns use the term numerous times to describe 'gifted' women.

"You humans make no sense," Aaravos grumbled. "Calling something like a females breasts a rack, utterly ridiculous. Horns are racks and mine are the greatest of them all. See how big and wonderous they are? Both women and men alike would beg me to allow them to touch them. You know what they say about men with big horns right?"

"No." Callum had never heard anything about elven horns up until now. "What do they say about men with big horns?"

Aaravos seemed to grow uncomfortable. "I keep forgetting you're still so young...never mind what they say about horns. My original point is you should have asked for way better treasure then what the peoples gifted you with." he walked over to the gifts Callum had received and the elf picked up a piece of clothing. "How do your people wear these things?" Aaravos asked as he held up a cream doublet made out of Neolandian sandsilk. "Fashion in this era is so droll."

"Well, we cant all have cloaks and robes that sparkle like yours." Callum pointed towards the cloak that his teacher's form was always wearing both as a ghost and in his painted body. As he gazed at the piece of cloth a question suddenly popped into his mind. "How was your cloak able to sparkle like that? Did you just sprinkle glitter on it? It took me forever to recreate it with mere paint." It was one of the things that took so long whenever he painted his teacher.

"Glitter? That's a tool for children's art and cheap Xadian strippers." Aaravos replied in an offended tone. "The clothes I wear in my spirit form are merely a projection I create for the sake of decency. It's not like your soul is clothed after you die. But I did wear a cloak like this when I walked the world as a being of blood and flesh. It's simple enough to imbue cloth with primal energy, the cloak I wore in life was imbued with each primal source with the stars being the dominant one which is why it sparkles so beautifully much like myself. Each type of primal source can be used to imbue an object with power whether that object be cloth or metal."

"So I can make cool clothes that glow and do magic stuff?" Callum asked, imagining the implications of what his teacher was saying.

Aaravos nodded. "That's a bit of an oversimplification of the art but essentially yes. It would make these clothes far more tolerable." Aaravos tossed aside the sandsilk garment he had been holding and dug into another chest. "I swear you saved the city and this is the crap they gift you with? I wouldn't give my worst enemies these types of gifts."

"It's not all bad." Callum reached into one chest and pulled out a golden goblet decorated with rubies. "This is kind of cool." He held up the goblet for his teacher's inspection. " I used to dream of drinking out of a golden goblet when I was a child. Back when I lived in a crofters village all the dishware in my house was carved wood." It was nice that he no longer had to worry about getting splinters whenever he ate.

The elf let out an exasperated sigh "That thing is only useful if you wanted to be a ten-year-old pimp, you might as well get a big hat to complete the ensemble." Aaravos pointed out as he grabbed the goblet from Callums hands and tossed it aside into one of the chests.

Callum didn't understand what his teacher meant by 'pimp' it sounded like ancient elvish. "Whats a pimp? Is that some sort of elf?"

He saw his teacher seemed to grow uncomfortable. "It's a term we use in Xadia for people who-" Aaravos paused and adopted a look of genuine discomfort. "It's like a...I'll tell you when you're older…"

"You keep saying that but I'm almost eleven." Callum hated how his teacher treated him like a child when it was convenient and then went straight to having adult expectations for him. "I wish you would treat me like an adult all the time instead of when it's just convenient for you."

"That's the perk of being the teacher in a teacher/student relationship.." Aaravos pointed out smugly which only made Callum send a glare his teacher's way. "But rest assured there are perks to being the student. I have something to give you."

That made Callum perk up and cease his glaring. "You have a present for me?" His previous annoyance turning into excitement, whenever his teacher gave him anything it was always amazing.

Aaravos pointed towards a nearby wardrobe which made Callum's stomach fill with dread at the thought of more clothes. He already owned more clothes now then he had ever before and the idea of getting more made him cringe internally. But he decided to humor his teacher and walked over to the wardrobe and opened the door.

As the door opened his teacher spoke. "With your actions in Evenere and your mastering of the ocean primal, I felt it was time you began to look the part of a mage and were given tools that befit an apprentice of your skill."

Inside the wardrobe was a garment that embodied the very definition of mages robes. They were a copy of the clothes his teacher wore with only slight differences. The robes were black like his teachers but had blue highlights rather then purple. The outfit also had a midnight black cloak with gold embroidery with a star symbol on the hood.

It was a near-exact copy of his teacher's outfit with the only exception being the lack of glowing stars. The entire outfit made Callum feel uncomfortable. "Are you trying to turn me into a miniature version of yourself or something?" Callum asked as he grabbed the robes and held them in front of him. "That's kind of creepy…even for you."

Aaravos scoffed. "So ungrateful. I spent hours weaving that robe with my bare hands and spent even longer imbuing it with magic. Instead of complaining, you should be thanking me."

"Thanking you for what?" Callum asked as he held up the robes. "For trying to dress me like a mini-you? Why do mages have to dress in robes anyway? What if I have to run? I'll end up tripping all over myself."

"The only thing you could trip over is the cloak and that's only if you run like a complete ditz." Aaravos pointed out. "Also robes are a status symbol and signify power and rank. With clothes like these, all who gaze upon you will know you for what you truly are."

Callum wasn't convinced. "I never understood mage clothes. It's like some magic-user decided one day to wear pajamas to work and those pajamas became a mage uniform."

"And you say I have a negative outlook." Aaravos scolded before gesturing towards the wardrobe once more. "In Xadian culture, an apprentice is a reflection of their teacher and is expected to reflect that in their garb and equipment. Thus I made those robes for you as well as something else."

Callum watched as Aaravos walked over to a nearby closet and pulled something out of it. It was a long staff, slightly taller than Callum himself.

It was a staff which appeared to be carved from black wood. The wood had numerous runes carved into it, some he recognized but many he didn't. Most were ocean and sky spells all interwoven into a carved tapestry that stretched along the surface of the staff. The tip of the staff was topped off with what appeared to be an intricately designed spearhead made of golden metal, although upon closer examination Callum recognized it as the symbol for Star Magic.

"How did you make this?" Callum asked, not really believing what he was holding. His cabin wasn't exactly a workshop and he found it hard to believe his teacher managed to create something so beautiful without specialist equipment.

Aaravos shrugged. "I used the ironwood you bought to make the main body, I spent most of my free time carving it with a good knife. I used the sunstone you got from Evenere to melt some of the gold and Del Barian steel you had to make the tip of the staff."

Callum used his free hand to touch the tip of the staff and winced as a mere touch drew blood. He knew mages a staff generally had 'heads' where one would find a primal stone or some other magical artifact but this was the first time he had seen a staffs tip act like a spear.

"Does it have to be so sharp?" He asked as he looked at his newly pricked finger. "This thing is like a spear."

"That's the point," Aaravos responded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "A mage is generally vulnerable if an enemy gets in close, a staff that's capable of being a melee weapon is key to overcoming this weakness. Spear-staffs were once the official weapon of a group of elven battlemages who arose during the dawn of the elves. They would channel primal magic through a weapon such as this." Aaravos gestured to the staff. "That kind of power can overcome any enemy with a single strike even if they have armor protecting them. Heck with enough sun magic channeled into the tip you could vaporize people by stabbing them with the pointy end."

Callum looked at the weapon in his hands and gave it an experimental jab. The tip was sharp and looked like it could pierce armor. His mother had fought with a spear and had been the greatest warrior in all of Katolis. Yet Callum found himself hesitant to use a weapon like this, he had always failed as a warrior. Even his skills with the Evenere saber were lackluster. "I dont know about this, I'm more of a 'shoot lighting from my hands' sort of person. The whole fighting with a weapon thing is more Soren's deal…"

"Nonsense," Aaravos muttered dismissively. "Now you sound like an elf, self-defeating and all too ready to limit yourself."

"You're an elf!" Callum pointed out. "Are you some sort of self-hating elf? You always seem ready to put down your own people."

"I'm an exception to the rule." Aaravos retorted. "Elves are limiting, close-minded creatures, most are no different then those creatures you humans raise. The fluffy ones covered in that foofy fur."

Callum shook his head at his teacher's antics. "Those animals are called sheep, and that foofy fur as you call it is known as wool."

"Forget about the wool, my point is that I'm an exception to the rule. I was born a visionary far ahead of my time and far beyond the comprehension of any elf in Xadia. There was only a handful of people who saw my brilliance for what it was. I lived so many millennia in the dark until I was illuminated by a single soul who taught me to-look the point is that I'm incredible and you can be as well."

Callum knew by his teacher's tone that the elf was going to start praising himself again so he leaned against one of the walls of the cabin of the ship to make himself more comfortable. Based on past experience he knew this could take a while.

Aaravos did not disappoint. "Most elves will dedicate their lives to one profession and live out simple lives for their centuries-long lifespan. I, on the other hand, used my long life to become acquainted with everything. I was a farmer, a craftsman, an engineer, an arcanist, a musician, a doctor, heck my first job after leaving home was being apprenticed to a toymaker. I was even once a lawyer until the Xadian bar association disbarred me from practicing law in Xadia over allegations that were never proven in court. The point is that I have spent numerous millennia acquiring knowledge and skills from all walks of life and gained perspective few could ever hope to gain. I refused to limit myself, you must do the same." Aaravos finished grandly, his arms outstretched as if he were lecturing a crowd.

Callum gave him mock applause. 'Inspirational, I feel more motivated already.." He stopped his mock clapping to emphasize his next point. "Unfortunately you might have noticed that I'm not an elf. The lack of horns or pointed ears and the fact I have five fingers should have been obvious. I dont have centuries to learn a million different professions. I'm lucky if I get seven to eight decades of life even with a healthy diet and exercise, and those last few decades aren't the best for learning stuff even if I manage to avoid going senile by then." He recalled seeing people in their fifties already slipping into senility and having health problems. Especially those in small villages who couldn't afford help from a doctor.

Yet that fact didn't seem to faze his teacher. "With proper alchemy and medicine, I can lengthen a human's lifespan to up to one hundred and fifty years." Aaravos pointed out. "Heck I could probably even stretch a human's life even longer if we put ethics aside and a person is willing to accept certain...unique living conditions…"

Callum found himself both amazed and disturbed by his teacher's claims. "Wait...what the heck are you talking about? This sounds like creepy dark magic, like necromancy."

"Necromancy is a path that's open for those willing to walk it but I prefer using elixirs to rejuvenate organs and slow cell decay." Aaravos shrugged. "Look the point I was trying to make before you started throwing out words like necromancy and such is that you shouldn't limit yourself. You're my apprentice and I'm going to train you to be the best mage you can be. When you swore to obey me as your teacher you said you would be willing to rise up to any challenge I put forward. So are you going to rise up to this challenge or are you going to quit?"

Callum remembered the night he became his teacher's apprentice. He had a pretty good memory, Claudia claimed it was 'Eidetic' whatever that word meant. He recalled swearing to his teacher that he would be a good student and wouldn't quit.

Callum looked at the staff in his hands and let out a tired sigh as he reached his first real obstacle on his path towards being an archmage.

Harrow sat on his throne as he listened to Opeli's detailed explanation of her journey to Evenere. Next to him his advisor Viren stood vigil along with the rest of his councilors and the Crownguard who were always present to protect his person.

Yet the person he was most concerned about was Ezran. His son had been distraught when he learned Callum wasn't returning with Opeli. The child almost had a full meltdown until Opeli had presented the boy with all the gifts Callum had sent back to his younger brother.

Harrow had raised Ezran in an austere way, the boy wanted for nothing yet he also made sure not to spoil his son. He had traveled the Kingdoms in his youth and saw how materialistic and spoiled most nobles and royal children were and what kind of people they grew up into. Which is why he made it a point to avoid spoiling Ezran with anything too lavish.

Yet it seemed Callum was trying to undo all of that in a single stroke.

One of the first things Opeli had done when arriving was to present numerous gifts that Callum had bought in Evenere for Ezran. To say they were lavish would have been an understatement. Callum had bought his younger brother every single toy and bauble imaginable. Everything from exotic board games to small toy soldiers carved from beautiful marble. Callum had also sent numerous 'exotic' pets from Evenere such as small lizards and talking parrots. Not to mention a Neolandian sand pony that was the perfect size for Ezran to start riding.

He had been half tempted to take the toys and pets away but Ezran had already seen them and he couldn't bring himself to deprive his son of his gifts, especially when those gifts helped distract Ezran from the fact Callum wasn't coming home anytime soon.

Harrow pushed his musings from his mind, his mood was already dark enough. He refocused back on Opeli who finished giving her report on her journey to Evenere. Silence filled the great hall as Opeli stood in the center of the hall before the throne.

Viren was the first to speak up.

"So, in short, you completely failed at the one job you were given," Viren stated, his tone civil but mocking. "As we waited for you to sail home I wondered what excuses you would offer for your failure to watch over my children and King Harrows Stepson. They were more feeble then I imagined, you never cease to disappoint."

Opeli's neutral gaze turned angry as she responded. "I had more then one job, I also had to negotiate with Evenere to strengthen our ties to the kingdom, which I excelled at. As for your children they chose to follow the Prince on his journey of their own free will. Even after I ordered them to come home with me. There was nothing I could do."

Harrow saw Viren was about to make a snide remark to Opeli but stopped it by pounding his right fist down hard on the arm of his throne, the noise was deafening and silenced everyone in the throne room. "Everyone except Lord Viren and Lady Opeli is to leave immediately, that includes the Crownguard," Harrow ordered in a tone that brokered no argument as everyone in the throne room moved quickly to obey his orders. In less than thirty seconds it was just him and his two councilors in the throne room.

Harrow turned to Opeli who stood silently before the throne. "While Viren's words are harsh I cant help but agree with him." He saw Opeli wince but he continued. "I've known you since we were children and have trusted you with numerous tasks of great importance. I believed you would be capable of handling my stepson, yet it seems as if a ten-year-old boy is beyond your ability to control."

"A ten-year-old boy with his own private army." Opeli retorted. "The Prince used some of the money he earned to hire hundreds of Evenere mercenaries to crew his dreadnaught of a ship. Not to mention the fact that Queen Fareeda refused to help me since it would involve taking action against the boy who saved her city."

Harrow had to resist sighing. He had heard the stories coming from Evenere ever since the plague subsided, stories about his stepson not only making a cure for the plague and having some type of terrible ancient magical powers. Not to mention his stepson gaining a good amount of gold and influence in a short amount of time. "Tell me Opeli, are the rumors I've heard coming out of Evenere...are they true?"

"Which rumors?" Opeli asked as she shifted uncomfortably. "There are quite a few coming out of Evenere…."

"Dont play the fool Opeli." Harrow retorted. "You know the ones, I've heard the stories and read the letters that people have sent from Evenere. The rumors about Callums….shapeshifting water powers or whatever the technical term is for it." Callum's letters barely mentioned his feat of magic, only briefing mentioning that he 'used a powerful spell'. Others who were there had sent equally useless letters, Claudia who was usually a detailed oriented writer was also dodgy and vague on the events in Evenere. Her brother's accounts of Evenere weren't much better. Soren had sent a letter that was filled with spelling mistakes, bad grammar, continuous uses of the words awesome and turbo. Soren had also drawn numerous childish doodles of an Octopus in his letter as a way to describe what Callum had done.

"I wasn't there," Opeli replied unhelpfully. "All I know is that the Prince claimed it was Primal magic. The boy did buy two primal stones when we were in Evenere, and the court mage gifted him with one before the Prince left. I expect he will continue buying magical artifacts with all the wealth he is getting from his medicine."

Harrow knew that if Sarai were still alive she would have thrown him from the tallest of Katolis's two towers for allowing her son to gallivant around the Kingdoms with dangerous magical artifacts. He had utterly failed as a stepfather when it came to keeping Callum out of trouble. Yet there was one thing he truly didn't understand.

"My question is why is Callum doing this?" Harrow had known Callum since the boy was a little over four years old. While Sarai's death had made Callum grow into a bit of a reclusive loner the boy had never shown any signs of recklessness or rebellion as he had in this latest development.

"Early teenage rebellion?" Viren offered. "He is almost eleven and children mature quickly these days. I suppose we should be thankful that he is spending money on ships and magical artifacts rather then drugs and women of ill repute.."

"You're not making me feel better Viren," Harrow growled as he imagined how much trouble would be as a teenager with all the resources at his disposal. "I just dont understand why he would do this. What does he have to gain by continuing on his trip through the other kingdoms?"

"I believe it is because he is insecure," Opeli stated plainly.

"Insecure?" Harrow asked not quite understanding what he was hearing. "What does he have to be insecure about?"

"Well…" Opeli began, her tone changing to that of one she often used when lecturing others. "He is insecure about the fact that he is a commoner among the nobility who has the title of Prince. Prince Callum isn't ignorant to the way other nobles perceive him. I believe he feels the need to prove himself worthy of the title of Prince, to show people that he is more then just King Harrows Stepson and Prince Ezrans commoner half-brother. In fact, when I warned him he would be returning home to an angry King he basically replied that he would return home triumphantly and that you would be proud of what he had accomplished on his diplomatic journey."

Harrow felt guilt gnaw at his heart as he realized the truth in Opeli's words. Callum was trying to prove all those who doubted him and looked down upon him wrong. "I've heard enough, Opeli you may leave. Go and get some rest, I will summon you tomorrow." He waved her away and she left the throne room leaving only himself and Viren.

"You are far too lenient with her," Viren muttered once Opeli had left the throne room. "She allowed my children and your son to gallivant around the kingdoms with no adult supervision. Not to mention the danger she allowed them to be put in while in Evenere…"

Harrow only partially agreed with his friend's statement. "She could have handled it better but at the same time, the deck was stacked against her. You need to stop this rivalry you have with her Viren, it's unseemly for it to be on open display in court. People need to believe that their leaders are working together."

Viren scoffed. "I dont have a rivalry with her…I just find her very presence frustrating."

"I seem to remember you having a crush on her."

"Back when we were ten!" Viren answered defensively. "Then she turned into a teenager and from then on she was an unbearable know-it-all."

"Right…" Harrow replied as he turned his thoughts back to his stepson. "Tell me Viren, what do you make of all this? The claims I keep hearing about Callum's strange magical ability, his actions in Evenere, his defiance of me and desire to travel the Kingdoms. What is your perspective on it all?"

Viren seemed to pause as he contemplated his answer. "Hmmm...I cant claim to know the prince well enough to explain his actions but he is young and children do tend to rebel against their authority figures. As for the magic...Claudia claims that Callum was using primal magic after buying a primal stone, although I've never heard of a spell that allows you to summon a Kraken avatar. Its something I would need to investigate further. To be honest I'm more impressed with his elixir then his magic."

Harrow watched as Viren pulled a red vial of liquid from his pocket and handed it to him. "It's very simple yet at the same time extremely sophisticated." The mage stated as Harrow took a closer look at it. "Derived from plants and some byproducts of magical creatures. A few ships have come from Evenere selling it as a cure-all and it seems to work. People cant get enough of this stuff."

Harrow took a closer look at the vial before him. It was about six inches long and fairly thick and filled with a dark red liquid. He read the label on its side.

Callum's Curative

Guaranteed to cure chest colds, flu, upset stomach, torpid liver, brain fevers, dysentery, and magical plagues.

Directions- Take a small sip three times daily after meals for the best result. Two small sips recommended for children under the age of six.

Cruelty-Free- No magical creatures were killed in the making of this product and even if they were they probably deserved it.

Harrow saw next to the directions was a cartoon version of Callum giving a thumbs up, with a speech bubble next to him declaring 'It really works!'. Harrow opened the vial and took a sniff of the concoction and found that it smelled like cherries. "So...does it really cures all those illnesses?" While he knew Callum wouldn't sell snake oil he still found it hard to believe a single elixir could be such a cure-all.

"As far as I can tell yes," Viren answered as he took the vial from Harrow. "Its rather ingenious, rather then trying to kill the disease within your body it takes a homeopathic approach and instead unlocks the full potential of the human body's immune system. Allowing it to fight off sickness at an extraordinary rate. My contact in the College of Enchanters claims that it can cure far more then what's listed on the label, but your step-son demanded that they only print things that they definitively know the elixir can cure. Tests are still being run on it to understand the elixirs full potential."

"That boy makes it hard for me to stay angry with him. " Harrow muttered as he contemplated his next move. He was proud of what Callum had managed to do thus far but infuriated with him for going off on his own. Bodyguards or not he did not want Sarai's son wandering around the Pentarchy with no real adult supervision.

"So what's your next move?' Viren asked as he walked to Harrow's side. "I know you dont want the boy wandering around the Pentarchy but forcing him to return home seems like it could get messy. Especially with him hiring mercenaries from Evenere to crew his ship and protect him. We need to send someone he won't openly defy, someone close to him. Perhaps general Amaya might have better luck convincing the prince to come home? Even he wouldn't openly defy a family member would he?"

It was a good idea, Harrow knew that Amaya was one of two blood relatives the boy had and Amaya had always given whatever free time she had when she wasn't off soldiering to helping raise Callum and Ezran. "Let's see…" Harrow began, a plan stirring in his head. "General Amaya can be taken from her posting at the breach, the border has been quiet the last few years so having another general in charge wouldn't hurt. At the rate of Callum's journey, he has no doubt reached Del Bar by now, which means his next stop will be in Neolandia."

Viren nodded. "Indeed, although it's unknown how long the prince will stay in Del Bar. It will be spring soon so King Florian will no doubt have the Prince stay for the spring and summer celebrations. It's pretty much the only part of the year where the weather is somewhat tolerable for non-Del Barian's. So….four months maybe? Its been a long time since I've been to Del Bar."

Four months was a long time, longer then Harrow wanted. "I'll have our friends in Del Bar, keep us appraised of Callums whereabouts. For now, it's best to leave him to his own devices, we cant do anything until he leaves for Neolandia, hopefully, our closer ties with them will mean something when the time comes to bring that boy home. As it stands I just hope Callum's time in Del Bar is more relaxing then Evenere was."

The court mage chuckled. "Well, it would be hard to beat a magical plague and battling monsters outside a sunken temple." Viren put forward. "In Del Bar, your worst enemy is the elements and even those are somewhat mild this time of year."

Harrow nodded, only half-listening. Already he had plans stirring in his mind for returning Callum home, while he trusted Amaya to return Callum he couldn't help but feel uneasy about sending only her. He knew that the only way to ensure that the boy was returned home was to see to it personally.

Claudia shivered as she climbed off of the small rowboat that had ferried her from the Leviathan Prince and onto the wooden docks of the town they had made port in. Alongside her were Callum, and Soren. Behind her, on other boats, Corvus and Villads were instructing and calling out orders to the numerous guards and workers who were starting to offload supplies and luggage from the ship. They had arrived at a port town called Serpents Rest, from what she could see it was a trade port albeit a small one compared to the heart of trade that Evenere was.

The docks were crowded with all manner of sailors, fishwives, merchants, and other types of workers going about their daily business. Yet they all made a way when Callum's Evenerian mercenaries walked forward, allowing a clear path for the prince's entourage.

In the distance beyond the docks, she saw the main town of Serpents Rest. It had neatly organized cobbled streets, houses made of whitewashed stone, or sturdy-looking timber to withstand the harsh snowstorms that came through the region.

All in all, it was a pretty normal looking winter town with the exception of the smell. The air smelled like fish mixed with burning oil.

Claudia had to cover her nose as they walked past a particularly large whaling ship. It was a massive vessel that was almost as big as the Leviathan Prince, although its design and upkeep was of much lower quality with the wooden sides of the ship being faded and covered in tar and oil. "How does this place smell worse the Evenere?" She asked as she resisted gagging from the smell of the vessel. "As if the cold wasn't bad enough it also has to smell bad?"

"You're so negative." The voice of her brother chimed in as he walked up alongside her. "This is our culture Claud's. Whaling has sustained Del Barians through harsh winters since our people first came to these shores."

Claudia shook her head and resisted gagging as a strong cold breeze blew frigid air and the smell of fish and whale flesh into her nostrils. "Thank goodness it's a dying part of our culture." with peace between the five kingdoms Del Bar was relying less on whaling and fishing to survive the winter and instead traded valuable metals and gems with the other kingdoms to survive. Now that Del Bar is getting more and more civilized people's diets actually consist of numerous food groups instead of whale fillets, seaweed stew, and blubbered seal jerky.

Choosing to ignore her brother's annoying optimism she instead looked over at Callum who had been unusually quiet. In this frigid wasteland, he was the only thing that even remotely brought her joy, mainly due to the fact she couldn't help but smile every time she looked at the new garments he had chosen to wear.

As if sensing her lingering gaze Callum turned to her, a frown etched upon his face. "What are you smiling at Claudia? It's unnerving…"

She couldn't help but chuckle at Callum's statement. "I just find it funny that after a near lifetime of you claiming I dress like a witch you decide to start dressing like a warlock." She gave him an appraising look as she took in the Prince's new outfit. "You look like you're going to travel to a remote area to summon a demon familiar."

Callum snorted. "This is a classic case of the raven calling the crow black."

"I think the saying is about a pot and kettle."

"Whatever," Callum grumbled. "You're just jealous that my new clothes are infused with sun magic so I'm completely warm and toasty while you're wrapped up like a Neolandian mummy and still freezing."

Claudia had to bite her tongue to avoid cursing out her friend. She was wrapped up in numerous layers of black fur-lined clothes and the wind still cut her to the bone. Meanwhile, Callum was wearing his silk robes and cloak which seemed to keep him perfectly warm. His face was rosy-cheeked, he wasn't shivering, and even the wind didn't seem to phase him or even ruffle his hair.

"Well excuse me, my Prince." Claudia began in an exaggerated tone. "We cant all be ridiculously rich and buy primal stones to make enchanted clothes."

"Your eyes are green Claudia." was Callum's reply.

"They've always been green, and you have green eyes as well Callum!" She pointed out not understanding where he was going with this.

"I mean your eyes are green with envy," Callum replied. "Dont hate me just because I bring fashion, style, and good taste to the mage game. We both might be mages but the difference between us is that I make this look good." He gestured towards his rich garments.

Claudia couldn't help but roll her eyes at Callum's utter lack of seriousness. "As you will my Prince. Since you're such a pinnacle of charm, fashion, and magic I shall allow you to take the lead and deal with the Del Barian delegation that I see approaching us."

They had made it to the town proper and from its massive gates, a large delegation of troops came forward. They were all covered head to toe in Del Barian steel plate mail armor and wearing bearskin cloaks. All of them were armed with greatswords, double-bladed axes, and numerous other impressive weapons of the highest quality.

All the joy Claudia had felt at the idea of watching Callums tumble his way through dealing with nobility died when she realized that it was the Einherjar that had arrived, no doubt to escort Callum and the rest of the delegation to King Florian. "Crap…" Claudia muttered as she watched the column of heavily armed Del Baraians approaching. "I didn't expect this so soon…"

"What are you complaining about?" Callum grumbled as he apparently fussed with his cloak, and staff in an attempt to preen himself. "I'm the one who has to deal with nobility here. I need to make a good first impression since Opeli is back in Katolis. Do you think the King himself came? Maybe some minor nobles?"

"Worse…" Claudia muttered as she realized what was coming, she thought she would have more time. Time to prepare for this exact meeting and yet…

Claudia rushed to her brother's side to prepare herself. She had so many things she wanted to say, and she was intent on putting her foot down and speaking her mind. After so many years it was finally happening, she would confront the woman that had left her and Soren, the woman who had left her father to raise her and her brother alone in Katolis.

"Where are my babies?!" A booming voice called out from behind the ranks of soldiers.

All her speeches and preparations died as a large figure came barreling towards her and Soren and wrapped an arm around each of them and clamped them in a giant bear hug that lifted both of them several feet off the ground.

Claudia felt her spine crack and air leave her lungs as the towering figure crushed her in a hug that made her feel like she was being crushed by a boulder.

"Mom….please…" Claudia heard her brother gasp out as he struggled against her crushing hug. His Del Barian plate mail armor barely protecting him.

Claudia wasn't doing much better as she gasped as she felt her chest being crushed against her mother's armored form.

Astrid of Del Bar was a mountain of a woman. Although Claudia had never measured her mother's height she knew the woman was roughly six and a half feet tall or more. She was also muscular, broad-shouldered with arms and legs as solid as tree trunks. Despite her towering form she had a feminine face, with bright green eyes, and shoulder-length blonde hair that was tied into a ponytail.

The fact that she was armored from her neck down in strong, thick Del Barian plate mail made her look like a golem carved from iron, it also made her hug that much more painful.

"My beautiful children, look at you!" Astrid declared as she tightened her hug which made Claudia wince as she felt her spine creak against the added force. "Soren you've grown so strong and handsome and my dear Claudia! You're so beautiful, I bet all the young boys in Katolis are fighting over you."

Claudia didn't respond to her mother's words instead all she was trying to do was figure out a way to escape her mother's grasp. Her mother had been one of the strongest people she had ever know, in Katolis the only people who could match her in combat was Queen Sarai and General Amaya. It seemed like the years she had spent in her homeland had only made her stronger.

Over the pain, she heard the sound of laughter and turned to see Callum pointing and laughing at her and her brother's predicament.

It gave her an idea, an evil idea…

"Mom…" Claudia managed as she summoned up all her strength. "You're being very rude right now."

Her mother turned to ace her and loosed her grip slightly which allowed Claudia to take in a much-needed breath of fresh air. "What are you talking about my little raven?" Her mother asked, using her old pet name from when she was a child. "How is it rude to embrace my own flesh and blood after being separated for so long?"

Claudia turned to Callum who had ceased his laughing once he saw her gaze fall upon him. "You're here on behalf of King Florian to welcome Prince Callum arent you?" Her mother nodded. "Well you're being rude, you haven't even said hello to Prince Callum yet."

Astrids face lit up with realization. "Of course!" Astrid let both her and Soren go and they both collapsed onto the ground, now free of their mother's grasp and free to breathe once more. "You always were so smart my little raven. I got so excited seeing you two that I've ignored the guest of honor."

Claudia watched with barely restrained delight as her mother began approaching Callum who was becoming aware of the predicament he was in as he slowly began to back away.

"Lady Astrid..." Callum muttered in apparent fear. "Its been too long since-" Callum never got to finish his sentence as he was soon crushed in a bear hug from Astrid who scooped him up as if he were a baby.

It was Claudia's turn to laugh as she watched Callums face turn purple as he was crushed in her mother's embrace.

"Dont you, Lady Astrid, me!" Astrid declared happily in a sing-song voice as she hugged Callum tightly. "Leave that Katolian court decorum in Katolis! Your mother was like a sister to me, I consider you family. And just look at you! You're almost as tall as Soren and you're several years younger then him! If only Sarai were alive to see you. She would be so proud!"

"My spine!" Callum cried out as Astrid seemingly tightened her grasp as she got more and more emotional. It had been so long Claudia forgot how much her mother was different from her father. Always straightforward and open like a book compared to her father's reserved behavior.

Soren was the one to stop their mother as he ripped Callum from her grasp. "Leave him alone mom, I'm his sword shield! You're beating up the guy I'm supposed to protect!" Her brother complained as he set Callum down on the ground. Claudia walked over to Callum's side as he laid in the road dazed and in pain.

"My spine…" Callum complained as he turned his gaze to her and Soren. "Claudia if I die I want you to know that in my will I left you my primal stones, everything else goes to Ezran…"

"Quit being dramatic…" Claudia muttered as she helped Callum up. She looked over at her mother who had the decency to look embarrassed. "As emotional as this reunion is can we get going? I've spent the last month on a ship sailing to this frozen hell."

"Cold like your father…" Astrid muttered which made Claudia bite her tongue to avoid a retort that would most likely lead to an argument. "Arent you glad to see me? Its been years, I thought you would be happier."

Claudia was about to lose her temper at her mother's statement until she felt Soren's armored hand land on her shoulder.

"Not here, not now," Soren whispered as he gestured towards Callum and the crowds of people who were watching the interaction. Claudia nodded as her brother pushed her back and took charge of the situation. "We are happy to see you, mom." Soren put forward as he took charge. "But we are tired after spending over a month at sea. Also, this whole welcoming committee is to help Prince Callum get settled in, we can catch up later on our own time."

"I suppose you're right. Let's get you all settled in at Summerhold then we can have a proper family reunion. The journey will take several days, my men brought horses and carts to carry your belongings." Astrid gestured towards the soldiers under her command. "Bring up the wagons and get the Prince's belongings loaded up. We have a schedule to keep, King Florian, wants the Prince settled into Summerhold before the hunting season starts!"

There were many things about that statement Claudia found unpleasant. She generally hated hunting unless it was hunting for magical creatures, even then the act of hunting wasn't what she enjoyed but rather the end result of discovering reagents for amazing spells.

"You said we were going to Summerhold?" Claudia received a nod of confirmation from her mother. "I thought we were staying in Winterhold? Isn't that where King Florian holds court?" She knew that Winterhold was an ancient fortress carved into a mountain, a fortress built upon hot springs that allowed the fortress to stay warm even during the harshest winter. Taking a bath in one of those springs was one of the few things Claudia had been looking forward to.

"Winterhold is where the royal family stays during winter," Astrid replied. "But spring is here with summer soon to follow. Which means the court moves to Summerhold. It's a lovely place situated in the Howling Fjord, far more pleasant then the Borean Tundra or Boreal Valley."

Callum snorted. "So you call the winter palace Winterhold and the summer palace Summerhold?" The Prince asked as he dusted himself off.

Astrid laughed and gave Callum an affectionate smack on the back that caused the prince to fall face-first into the ground. "We Del Barians are renowned for many things, creativity and originality aren't among them."

"Let's just get this over with…" Claudia muttered as she picked up Callum and began dragging him over to the baggage train. They were only in Del Bar for a few minutes and already she was miserable. Between the terrible weather and her mother, she was already in hell.

"At least things cant get much worse then this…"

Authors Note

I'm Back!

Sorry for being away for so long but my life got major chaotic. I work retail so the holidays kicked my but, I had to help my family get situated after moving, I had to build a new computer after my old one died, and work, in general, is kicking my behind. Also, I made a super crazy good gaming computer with high-end parts I bought for a bargain on cyber-Monday, so I also played a whole bunch of video games my old rig couldn't even run.

I work at a Costco and right now with Coronavirus panic I spent most of my day scrambling around the warehouse trying to fight off the crowds of people buying up toilet paper and water. So when I get home I just want to play some video games and sleep.

Now back to the story. I know this chapter was kind of boring but we needed a transitional chapter, I promise things will go at a quicker pace from here on out.

People keep messaging me about my thoughts on season 3. My answer is….

It was okay.

The things that were good were really good, while the things that were bad were really bad. That's all your getting out of me, overall I enjoyed it though.

The fact that Aaravos interacts with Viren in a spirit form made me wonder if the creators and I share a spirit animal or something. People keep asking me if I posted this story before season 3, the answer is yes.

No idea when the next update will be posted. Life is chaotic and with the Coronavirus and me working at Costco, I dont know what will happen. I'm on the frontlines to get infected in a crowded warehouse willed with people sharing the same air as they panic.

If I dont post anything about a story on my profile for over a year assume I'm dead and feel free to adopt it or write your own version. Have at it folks.

See you all later, hopefully, the wait won't be as long for the next chapter. I make no promises.