Rewrite the stars- Rayllum AU (book 1)

Ch.1 the rich and the poor

Callum:

Callum sat in a cold dark room, staring outside.

He was watching his little brother Ezran come home from berry picking.

He watched the twelve-year-old fix his dark fluffy hair, struggling to run a hand through its crazy mess of curls.

He stumbled a bit before opening the wooden door, causing light to stream in, startling Callum.

Their living circumstances were far from convenient.

A small room stood before Ezran, in a small stone house.

In this room, there was a small couch with a fireplace, the fire being long put out from last night.

A pot for making food was stuffed into a corner and there was a hallway leading to the rooms.

Callum, a 16-year-old boy, met his brother with a slow nod.

He had fluffy windswept brown hair and emerald eyes. Emerald like the forest, deep, rich, mysterious.  Those same eyes were scanning his brother's with very little hope, he didn't dare hope.

"Hey, did you find anything?" Callum asked, his voice cracking.

Ezran sighed and stepped forward, placing a small basket on the wood counter. "Most of the berries were already picked, but I got a little bit." Callum let out a long tired sigh and held his head in his hands. He stared at his ripped black pants, strings barely holding the sides together from the years of wear. His knees were covered in a nice layer of dirt and grime, the fabric around it dyed red from when he tripped and fell.

Which was more often than he liked to admit.

He looked up at Ezran, who was waiting patiently for a reply.

Callum forced a smile. "It's ok Ez, we'll be fine." He said, the lie feeling foul on his tongue.

Ez went to go sit in the seat that Callum was sitting in. Callum reached out and wrapped his arms around his brother, resting his head on top of his.

Ezran wiped his sweaty face with his filthy sleeve before slowly closing his eyes, fully leaning into Callum. His brother's arms were thin, but there was a trace of muscle, of what it could become with just more food.

"Dad will be home soon, ok?" Callum whispered.

Their dad, well Callum's stepdad and Ezran's real dad, worked as a blacksmith in town, barely making enough money to last them three days.

They barely ate, didn't sleep, and didn't go to school.

Callum had to take care of his brother, family always sticks together is their motto.

"Will it ever get better?" Ezran croaked, tears springing into his brown eyes. Callum avoided his eyes and looked outside. There was nothing, just poor people surrounding them.

"I don't know." Was all that he can reply to.

Rayla:

"Daaaaad!" Rayla exclaimed, running into the throne room.

Her dads Ethari and Runnan sat up in confusion, looking at her up and down.

Rayla looked at them in confusion and looked down. "Oh!" She said subconsciously, smoothing down her dragon pajamas. She patted down her shoulder-length white hair in panic, getting rid of all the frizz that gracefully appears every time she goes to sleep.

"Rayla, is there somethin wrong?" Ethari asked, used to his adoptive daughter's behavior by name.

"Yeah, I have nothin to wear!" She exclaimed, fiddling with the end of her pajamas.

Ethari sat up, amused. "I can see that Ray."

"Y'know Rayla, there are some people in the town who wear the same thin every day." Runaan pointed out.

Rayla groaned. "You guys said I had to dress up every Monday I go into town. So here I am!"

She lifted her arms for dramatics, making the guards stifle a laugh.

"You have closets filled with clothes, now go get dresses for a day out in the town," Ethari said.

Rayla groaned again but ran out, stopping just before closing the doors to blow them a kiss.

She walked the empty halls of the stone castle while mumbling something about the town being too depressing to go to. The guards all smiled at her complaining while she walked passed them, used to her usual antics.

"Ugh!" She said, barging into her room and flopping on her bed. The soft plush sheets not helping her mood at all. If anything it made her feel worse about going to town. The truth is that it makes her feel terrible about being a princess, she isn't even supposed to be the next ruler of this town. It was only when her parents died that was she adopted by Runaan and Ethari. Even though they were elves they were not in line for a throne.

A whimper caused her to look up and her eyes met her dragon Zym's. He blinked at her and licked her face, causing her to let out a small giggle.

"Every time I go to that town, I feel so bad Zym! What do I do?" Rayla said, sitting up and picking up her dragon. He whimpered in response and she put him down with a long sigh.

"Y'know, I'm now at marryin age, so ma dads will eventually pair me up with someone." She complained, running a hand over her face. Zym stuck his tongue on his nose in response. She groaned. "Forget it." She mumbled, walking away and into her closet. Her dragon wasn't exactly the best guidance, but her servant was out today.

She put on a sleeved green silk dress, which was the most luxurious fabric in the kingdom. She sighed when she looked at herself in the mirror, tugging on her dress lightly.

She tied her hair up in a braided messy bun and she placed a gold and green leaf piece in it. She took another long sigh before turning back to Zym with a forced smile on her face.

"Zym, time to go to town!" She said, throwing open her curtains.