AN: Thanks for clicking and reading. Please enjoy :)

- PART I -

There was nothing. Absence. Her mind, once expanded by life, felt forcefully compressed into a haunting silence. It pulled and pushed and consumed her entirely. Why did it feel so hard to breathe? Why did her chest feel so heavy? Why did the air seem thicker?

She didn't know how long she was trapped, but it was long enough to think, long enough to wonder. Was the Dragon Prince alive? Did they fail their mission? Has Xadia fallen under human rule? So many questions were stirring her mind into restlessness. One question, however, seemed to plague her mind the most. Is my daughter safe?

And while her mind had time to wander from one dreadful thought to the next, that question was ever constant. It weighed heavy on her heart. Where was Rayla?

Then the absence was broken. It stretched, tearing apart until her lungs were gasping and gulping in the air around her. Her whole entire being, feeling tightly constricted by some strange force moments before, felt suddenlyfree. Her mouth was moving on its own, abusing its reacquired privilege to turn her thoughts into words.

Or… it tried to. "Wh-wheh…er," she gasped, coughing and clumsily spluttering out the word. Her mind felt like jelly, like a goo that couldn't take shape, and words were suddenly very difficult. Easy to think. Not easy to use.

"You're safe," a low voice tells her. Or she thinks that is what it tells her because the words felt comforting and familiar. She knew she was hearing something, and she knew it was speaking, but it felt as if she hadn't used her ears for decades. She knew she heard words, but they weren't translating into meaning.

"Wh-here," she repeated hoarsely. Where is Rayla? Lain? My family…

A different voice spoke this time, softer and higher toned. "Safe" and "Xadia" were the only words she could make out.

It was then that she realized she had her eyes tightly shut. The darkness had felt so natural that she hadn't noticed before. She willed them to open and was greeted by bright shapes piercing her vision, causing tears to prick at the corners of her eyes.

She blearily made out a pale face with purple markings stretching down smooth cheeks. White hair and bright eyes. Moonshadow. Elf.

Perhaps it was because the thought of her had yet to leave her mind, but whatever the reason, without her consent, a name fell from her lips.

"Rayla,"

Then everything was gone again.

"Rayla," her mother gasped before collapsing on the ground.

Beside her, Rayla heard Callum curse under his breath. "She's weak," he said quickly, digging through his bag. "Weaker than the others I've de-coined so far."

She looked at him and nodded numbly, her mother's voice echoing in her head. Rayla… Rayla… Rayla…

"Give her this," Callum said, giving her a jar of some foul-smelling mush. "Gross, I know, but it will help her gain her strength back. The odor also helps keep them awake," he explains. "Don't give her too much, though, or she'll end up with a sour stomach—"

"—She said my name," she spoke quietly, barely holding on to the jar Callum had given her.

Callum stopped talking and turned to look at her. He didn't say anything at first, fully expecting her to say more. When she didn't, he crouched down and gently reached for her hand. "Rayla, are you okay? This is probably a lot to take in…"

And he was right. It was a lot to take in, so maybe that's why she was so focused on the absurdity that her mother had said her name. But she couldn't help herself from wondering, how had she known it was her? The last time she saw her mother, she was barely five.

In one hand, she clutched his, in her other hand, she loosely held her mother's. Her mother's hand. It was smaller than she remembered it being as a kid. Or maybe her own had just gotten bigger.

"It's been nearly fifteen years, how did she recognize me?" she asked, looking up at Callum with what she assumed was a hard-to-read expression, given that he had to peer into her eyes for a moment before responding.

"I'm sure she could never forget her daughter's face. Even after such a long time," he said, leaning towards her and kissing her forehead. "But…" he continued, "maybe she didn't recognize you."

She furrowed her brow at him. "Callum, she said my name.You were here, you heard her," she retorted, gingerly pulling from his grasp and moving her collapsed mother onto the mat they had prepared earlier.

"Well, yes, that's true," he said, helping Rayla move her mother onto the mat. "But, I don't know… I mean, if I was trapped in a coin for over a decade, I'd have a lot of time to think about things. And about the people I care about," he said. She lifted her gaze from her mother's weary frame and up to Callum's sturdy one. "Maybe she didn't recognize you. Maybe you were just the first thing on her mind." His smile turned into a grin as he shuffled towards her and kissed her cheek. "Because you are, at least in my own experience, pretty hard to forget."

She felt her face blush, despite the fact that she should be used to him saying things like that by now. She should be used to him and his words, to him and his comforting ways. But even after so long, she still couldn't stop herself from feeling flushed.

"Wha'ever," she rolled her eyes. "If I'm so hard to forget, why're you always starin' at me when you draw me, hm? Seems like you still need a reference," she bantered playfully. She could feel her smile stretch from ear to ear.

A low laugh tumbled past his lips as he reached to grab the jar and its mysterious components from her hands. "You and I both know I don't needa reference to draw you," he said, his cheeks flushing as he did so. It was true, and she knew it too. He knew her better than anyone else, having memorized her figure years ago.

"Now," he said, changing the topic, "let's get some of this into your mother's system. The sooner it settles, the sooner she can be awake long enough to talk," he said, tightening his grip on the jar and popping the cork off.

If Rayla had thought it smelt bad before he opened it, she was sorely mistaken. "Callum!" she exclaimed, pinching her nose, "There's no way tha' can be digested by a livin' being."

"I know, I know, but it really works! And it doesn't take a lot," he defended his concoction, trying his best not to breathe in the fumes.

"I should hope not!" Rayla scoffed, taking the small spoonful of it that Callum handed her and preparing herself to give it to her mother.

She knew she would have a lot to explain to her parents once they had been "de-coined," as they have come to call it. She had even begun to make a list of things to say. One, the war was over. Two, humans and Elves (attempt to) live peacefully amongst each other. Three, she married a human.

She didn't think she'd need to add accidentally poisoning her mother to that list.

Tentatively, she opened her mother's mouth, slipping the spoon past her lips and doing her best to have her swallow the contents. A silence stretched between herself and Callum as she handed back the jar and spoon.

"You didn't answer my question," Callum observed.

"Let's get my father out of the coin. If my mother's in this poor of shape, I'm sure we're going to have to feed that to him as well," she said, gesturing to the jar.

He reached to touch her shoulder, "Rayla, are you sure you're alright—?"

"Callum," she closed her eyes, her chest feeling tight with something she couldn't quite process yet. Anger? Sadness? Confusion? Probably all three, honestly. "Of course I'm not alright," she said, opening her eyes and giving him a steadied stare. "My parents have been trapped in a dark mage's magical coins for well over a decadeand I haven't seen them since I was a lil' kid. Not to mention the better half of my childhood, I thought they had betrayed my kind and failed their duty because I didn't knowthey were taken by an evil dark mage, I mean—" She sighed, "No… I'm not alright. But that's okay." She scoffed, "In fact, I think it'd be a lil' weird if I were perfectly alright with this situation."

Callum pursed his lips together tightly. The hand that had been reaching out to touch her froze mid-way and slowly retreated back to his side. "Yeah, okay. That's… that's a fair response," he said, laughing lightly. "In that case, I'm glad you're not alright?" he said questioningly, searching through a small pouch where he pulled out a second coin. Her father.

"Thank you," she said curtly, watching as he carefully set the coin on the ground. She could hear him chuckle again under his breath. She still wasn't great at the whole "big feelings" thing, but she had gotten better at communicating her confusion with the "big feelings." Callum found it strangely and humorously endearing, as he once told her before.

She felt a hand reach for her own and intertwine with her fingers. "I'm proud of you," Callum spoke at her side. She knew he wasn't referring to her voicing her thoughts, but the broader whole of this sticky situation. (i.e. Meeting her parents again after almost twenty years apart.)

She tightened her grip on his hand. "Thank you," she said earnestly, turning to meet his eyes, "For helping me find them."

"Without a second thought," he replied softly. He let go of her hand, placing them out in front of him towards the lone golden coin that laid on the floor. He spoke a chant, the room lit up, and the process started all over again.

Callum watched the two sleeping figures in front of him with tired eyes. Rayla had just stepped out to get some air and her parents continued to lay completely still on the ground. He looked between the both of them, and although the situation was far from amusing, he found himself mildly amused anyway. Both of her parents hadn't stirred an inch, hadn't moved a musclesince they laid them down. Just like how Ralya slept. Completely still.

That was one of the first things he noticed when they had met all those years ago. She was such a light sleeper and always laid completely still. Fitting, he supposed, for an assassin.

He leaned forward and heaved a sigh. He wasn't aware how long her parents had been trapped exactly, but it was definitely longer than anyone else he had freed prior. Years longer, in didn't know what the side effects of being trapped for so long would be, but they couldn't be good. They were both breathing, and they seemed to be fine, but they had been sleeping for over twelve hours now. Lain hadn't even opened his eyes when they freed him, only gasped for breath before passing out.

The elves they had freed before were all exhausted and needed their rest, but none had passed out right after being freed. He knew in his head that they would be fine because why wouldn't they be if the others they had freed were fine. If he were and outsider looking in on this situation, he would have complete confidence that they were healthy and just needed some well-deserved rest. But he wasn't an outsider looking in.

He knew first-hand what losing parents felt like, and Rayla had too. It wasn't until they stumbled across Viren's horrific collection of coins that they found hope for her. After a lot of work, Callum (with the help of Ibis) was able to free the trapped elves. And now Rayla's parents as well. Callum would give anything to bring back his mother and stepfather, so he understood how much this meant to Rayla. He really wanted this to work.

He needed this to work.

He saw one of the figures move, it was her mother. Tiadrin,Callum noted, watching as her fingers twitched into a fist. He breathed out a sigh of relief. Movement was good.

He watched with a hopeful heart as Tiadrin's eyes tightened, her brow furrowing in a way that reminded him so much of Rayla. Come on, he thought, wake up.

And perhaps she could hear his thoughts because in that moment, her eyes fluttered open. Blue eyes tiredly looked around, blinking slowly as she took in her surroundings. As her gaze landed upon her husband's limp form, she jolted awake, desperately reaching for Lain.

"L-lain, are ya alright?" she asked, her voice dry and airy. Callum would think she had a cold if he didn't know any better. He supposed being trapped in a coin for over a decade and not being able to talk would have some effect on one's voice.

He was about to speak up, knowing that Tiadrin hadn't noticed him yet, and tell her that Lain probably only needed rest and would be awake soon enough. But he didn't need to. Because as Tiadrin gently shook Lain's form, he stirred awake. His darker eyes met her lighter ones and a tight look of confusion fell upon his face.

"T-ti—" he paused to cough, "Tia?" he spoke her name as if he couldn't believe it was her. His voice was scratchy and tired as well and speaking proved to take an immense amount of effort for him.

"Lain," Tiadrin said, and Callum watched as relief seemed to weave itself into every fiber of her being.

"W-whe-ere… are we?" he asked, turning his head to look around them. His eyes past the wooden pillars of the room, the candles and fireplace that were lit, the chair and table in the corner, the river-rock walls, the closed door. Callum felt his blood run cold, knowing he'd be spotted soon enough. After all, he wasn't trying to hide. But Rayla wasn't here and he wasn't so good at first impressions and he didn't know what to say and this wasn't how it was supposed to go!

Why oh why did Rayla need to step out to get some airnow of all times?

Lain's bleary eyes found his and Callum froze.

"I don't know where we are but—…Lain?" Tiadrin asked when Lain's body stiffened and his eyes widened. Tiadrin followed his gaze and locked eyes with Callum's.

While she didn't appear to be scared, Callum had been around enough Moonshadow elves by now to know that she was terrified when she met his stare. Her blue eyes froze, her face turned overly placid, and her shoulders tightened. Her tell was that her nostrils faired ever so slightly. And the only reason Callum considered it telling at all was because Rayla did the exact same. It was strange, even in the last twelve hours with her parents (and the entirety of that time they were unconscious until now), he could see so many random similarities between Rayla and her parents.

"U-uh," he stuttered out when neither of them spoke. "She, uh, she does the same thing," he gestured to Tiadrin. "Rayla does. With her nose. Um, it's, uh… yeah…" Why was he talking about noses!? A simple, 'Hello, I'm the one who freed you from your coins,' would have sufficed!

Slowly, Tiadrin and Lain both stood to their feet, each with an uneasy gaze locked on Callum.

Callum waved his hands frantically in front of him, trying his best to explain the situation. "Oh! No, I'm not… uh, I'm not here to hurt you or anything! I, well, actually, I'm the one who got you out of the coins so uhm—"

"You said her name," Lain began, "How do ya know our daughter," he asked lowly. The way he slowly looked around the room made Callum gulp. He was either looking for an easy escape or a quick weapon. Or both, He thought,Probably, both, actually.

"That's kinda a long story?" Callum tried, sounding appoligetic. "Listen, you guys have been trapped for a really long time, if you would just relax for a moment we can explain—"

"'We?' How many others of your kind are here with you?" Tiadrin cut in, leaning over to a nearby table and grabbing a long candlestick. Callum would have laughed at the choice in make-shift weaponry, but knowing what Moonshadow elves were capable of, he was well aware that even a candlestick was lethal so long as it was in her hands.

"Oh man this is not going as planned…" he grimaced, bringing his hands down from his face. "My name is Callum, I'm not your enemy. You were trapped in magical coins by a dark mage, but you're free now," he said calmly.

Footsteps could be heard approaching the closed door. Callum's head whipped behind him, watching as the door creaked open to reveal Rayla. "Sorry I took as long as I did, I just can't stay cooped up inside here for too—" she paused mid-sentence as she took in the scene in front of her. "—long…" she finished.

Callum looked between Rayla and her parents, each staring blankly at one another. "So… uh…" he began awkwardly, successfully grabbing Rayla's attention. "They woke up," he said plainly, unsure what else to say. This has to be the absolute strangest way anyone has ever had to meet their in-laws,he thought.

Rayla's brow lifted ever so slightly, her lips pursing as she held Callum's stare. As if to say, Smooth, loud-mage… He saw her eyes soften and the tips of her ears fall in suppressed amusement, and he couldn't help but feel relieved. Awkward as this situation was, at least he could humor her.

Rayla turned to her parents, her face a broken neutral. Try as she might, the nerves peaked through her still features. Apprehension, anxiety, excitement, fear… "Um," she said, taking in a deep breath, "Welcome back, Mom and Dad."

The candlestick clattered to the floor.

They knew. The moment Rayla walked through the door and she met their eyes, they knew. Rayla could tell by the enormous Ambler in that had walked into the room. She was meeting her parents for the first time in over a dozen years. They had to have known it was her.

Moonshadow elves have markings on their face, and each marking is unique to each elf. There was no one else she could have been buttheir daughter. Rayla. Herself. So, their absolute shock, all wide eyed and frozen lipped, was to be expected. But the moment she spoke those words, the candlestick dropped. Perhaps they needed the conformation. Maybe they just needed to know that yes, this is real.

Xadia, she was having trouble believing it herself.

"It's really you," her mother spoke in disbelief. "But you're… you're all grown up," she said, her eyebrows pinching together in confusion. Or was it grief?

Rayla tried to smile, but it felt more like a grimace. "Time'll do that," she said, "It's been fifteen years since you were taken by Viren."

She saw Callum stand from the chair he had been sitting in and begin to excuse himself, "I should probably give you all some space," he said, but she stopped him.

She reached out and grabbed his hand, "No, stay," she said, looking him in the eyes. He was a part of this with her, and she wanted him to know that.

He watched her carefully before responding, as if he wanted to see if she was sure, but after a second passed he squeezed her hand and nodded. "Okay," he said, standing by her side.

She looked back to her parents and saw them watching her and Callum in confusion. If "confusion" was even the right word to use. They were confused without a doubt, but there was more to it than that. Their brows knitted together, their eyes perplexed, their mouths just barely parted. She supposed she couldn't blame them, though.

"There are probably a lot'a questions runnin' around in those heads of yours," Rayla spoke, nervously shifting on her feet. It was a vague invitation for them to ask her anything, because honestly? Rayla had no idea where to start… She felt Callum's hand squeeze her own comfortingly and she brushed the back of his palm with her thumb.

Her mother began walking towards her and she tightened her grip on Callum's hand. This moment felt so unsteady, so unpredictable, and she found herself leaning on him and the stability he offered.

As she approached, her mom reached out tentatively towards Rayla's face. Her fingers gingerly brushed her daughter's cheeks, tracing the purple markings under her eyes. "Is it truly you?" she asked in disbelief. And that voice. Soft and gentle. I remembered it.

Rayla's breath hitched, catching in her throat before she could respond. Letting go of Callum, she could only nod as she softly held her mother's hands and leaned into her touch. It had been so long since she had seen her mother, but her touch was familiarly warm.

Behind them, her father stepped forward with wide eyes. "Rayla," his voice wavered, "We are so… so sorry," he breathed guiltily. "We weren't able to fulfill our duty an' protect the Dragon Prince, to protect the world, to—" he stopped and took a shaky inhale. "We weren't able to protect you." Protect me? She thought, but before she could refute, Callum spoke up at her side.

"Actually," he said, quieter than normal, probably overtly aware of his presence in this moment. "The Dragon Prince is safe and in Xadia with his mother, The Queen. You were able to protect the egg, Xadia, and your daughter."

Both her parents turned to Callum as if they had forgotten he was there. Rayla decided she would take this moment to introduce him. She cleared her throat and stepped away from her mother's touch. "Mom, Dad," she said, reaching to grab Callum's hand. "This is Prince Callum of Katolis."

The implications were clear enough. She had grabbed his hand while introducing him. Moonshadow elves were not typically touchy-feely, at least, not with outsiders. Which left Rayla's parents to assume that, whoever this man was, he was no stranger to her. She saw them glance at their intertwined hands and then up past her face and stopping at the top of her head. She knew what they were looking at: the two silver cuffs, carefully crafted and embroidered, wrapped around her horns.

We're married. The words were stuck on her tongue. How could she tell them that they missed their daughter's wedding? That she and Callum had gotten married well before they had made any lead on a spell to free them from the coins. That she wasn't a child anymore. And probably a more pressing matter for them—she married a human.

If they had any opinions on her and Callum, they chose not to voice them. Yet, she thought. "Katolis…" her father spoke slowly, "I know that name."

Callum coughed awkwardly, "Um… my step-father, the former King Harrow, was the one who slayed Avizandum, the King of Dragons. And, uh—" he cleared his throat, "Viren, the dark mage that, uh, trapped you. He was my step-fathers high-mage." Callum sucked in a quick breath and released it, "So the name might be… familiar,to say the least."

"What?" both her parents hissed, and Rayla immediately felt defensiveness prick at her lips.

"—But Callum's different. An' so is his younger brother, King Ezran. They helped me return the dragon prince to his rightful home and end the war. And ever since then, we have been establishing peace between humans and elves." She hadn't noticed how hard she was squeezing Callum's hand until he gently squeezed hers back.

"Peace?" her father echoed, "With humans?"

She saw Callum nod out of the corner of her eye. "I know, it's hard to believe. But there are even some Elves who have come to live here in Katolis. It's not been a smooth process, and there are still a lot of issues, but it's moving. The war really brought everyone together."

Her mother's eyebrows furrowed deeper in confusion. "War?" she asked.

"Viren, the dark mage that trapped you both, he created an army of monsters an' attacked Xadia. Katolis an' its neighborin' kingdoms helped in the battle. Humans, elves and dragons were fighting side by side for a common goal. It helped bring everyone together again," Rayla explained. "That was over a decade ago."

It was silent for a moment, and Rayla couldn't blame them for not responding. It was a lot to take in. Had someone told her 15 years ago that elves and humans would be living peacefully (relatively at least) side by side, she wouldn't have believed it. A lot had changed.

"Is that how you two met?" her mother asked.

Rayla cringed. She couldn't help but be surprised by the question. While it wasn't loaded, there was a lot of meaning underneath it and it felt strangely weighted. Are you two actually engaged? That's what it sounded like she was actually asking.

"We met before the war started," she answered, "When we were bringin' the Dragon Prince back to Xadia." I was sent to assassinate his brother, she thought, but held it back. They could talk about that later.

Her father stumbled on his feet, grasping his head and groaning. Rayla stepped forward to help, but her mother had already grabbed her father's shoulders and steadied him. "Lain," she said worriedly.

Callum let go of Rayla's hand, stepping towards her parents cautiously. "May I?" he asked, reaching out towards her father. Her mother skeptically looked at Callum, but neither said anything to discourage him.

Callum hand glowed a soft yellow as he placed it on her father's chest. His eyes closed and his face twisted softly in concentration. "You're fine," he spoke, opening his eyes and looking at him. "I'm sure you're just exhausted from being in the coins. The previous elves we released needed to recuperate for a while before they began to feel like themselves again."

"In other words, you should rest," Rayla said, meeting her parents' eyes. "There are rooms prepared just down the hall if you wish to have a more comfortable place to lay down."

There was a look that passed through her mother's eyes that Rayla could have sworn she knew. It was plotting, planning… conniving, almost. She wanted to see her surroundings and learn what they were up against. It was a response founded in distrust and caution and a response Rayla knew quite well.

"It's just a dinner, Rayla. And we were invited to come," she remembered Callum telling her once while they were engaged. They had just arrived in Duren upon request of Queen Aanya.

"I just want to know what we're getting into. Humans still have a hard time trustin' elves, ya know," she had told him, peering around a corner.

Callum had sighed, grabbing her shoulders, "Just… don't look so conspicuously conniving. They'll think you're planning something."

"Okay," her mother spoke finally, breaking Rayla from her thoughts, "You're right, we should probably lay down."

Rayla smiled, but it felt unnatural. This whole situationfelt unnatural. And while she felt enormous relief that her parents were freed, alive, and seemingly well, it did nothing to cover the extreme perplexity of their current circumstance. Awkward? No, it was well beyond awkward. It was something else entirely.

Callum slipped his hand into hers and gave it an encouraging squeeze.

"We'll show you where the rooms are," she said, leading them out the door.

They hadn't seen anything suspicious on their way to the room. Rayla and the mage – Callum, he thought – had kept a few paces ahead, talking privately to one another. When they got to their room, Rayla assured them that they were free to leave the room if they wished and guaranteed their privacy while they rested.

So Lain had slumped himself on a cushy chair in the corner of their new quarters. He watched as Tiadrin walked around and examined the room curiously. She was looking at the walls, the furniture, running her hands along the dresser and bedposts, each carefully and expertly carved.

"I've never understood humans," she mumbled on her breath while analyzing the carvings. "They take what's already beautiful and manipulate it."

Lain saw the way her eyes peered downward in a mixture of confusion and frustration. And while he currently didn't have the energy to express it, he felt similarly. Their little girl, their Rayla, lived here? With humans?

"I'm havin' trouble imagining a world where humans an' elves are at peace with one another," she confessed.

He felt himself nodding, "I never thought it possible."

It was quiet for a moment, the only noise heard was the folding of the plush blankets atop the bed that Tiadrin sat down on. "He's a mage," she spoke up plainly.

Lain nodded again, "He is."

She hummed lightly and fell backwards onto the bed. Lain watched as the tension in her shoulders slowly began to relax as she rested on the mattress. "Do ya suppose he's a dark mage?"

"No," The words were out of his mouth before he had really given her question much thought. "Rayla… our little girl," he sighed, "She would never be as foolish as ta trust the dark arts."

"But dark magic can be persuasive an' we've been gone for so long-" Tiadrin sat back up, looking Lain in the eyes, "Who would've raised her to believe otherwise?" she asked, her voice steeped with confliction. Lain knew the question that was running through her mind and it had been dwelling on him as well.

Had they made the right decision to leave their daughter and their home to become a part of the Dragon Guard?

"Runaan an' Ethari, remember? They agreed to raise her, an' I don' see 'em ever being tempted by such evils," Lain said, standing up and walking to her. He grabbed her hand in his and kissed it. "We trust 'em with our lives, they're our family. I'm sure they taught her well," he reminded her tenderly.

Tiadrin looked up at her husband with weary eyes. "Then where are they now?"

He sighed, sitting down next to her, "I don' know. But I'm sure Rayla has a good head on 'er shoulders." He glanced at her and tried to smile as she laid her head on his shoulder. Perhaps humans could be mages. Perhaps elves and humans could live in peace.

He laid down and closed his eyes, feeling Tiadrin lay at his side. A cautious curiosity bloomed in his chest as he slowly fell asleep. If what they said was true, then the world had greatly changed.

The reunion fluff hasn't happened yet, which was the entire reason I wrote this dumb thing, so be assured that drama will ensue next chapter. Make sure to hit that follow icon so you can be notified when this story updates.

Until next time,

-LovelySheree

P.S. I draw fanart on my tumblr page (under the same user as I am here) so follow me there! 3