The Reunion of a lifetime

Chapter 1

It's been six years, six years since the day Viren attacked the storm spire, four years since he and Claudia attacked again with the help of a Startouched elf. The day Viren attacked the spire he had told Rayla of a collection showing a small pouch, the next time he attacked she asked where it was, telling her in his last breath that they will suffer forever. Rayla searched. She had parties sent out for days to search near the spire but to no avail, she had given up, maybe it was a lie to scare her, she wondered but had to move on. Years passed and she forgot about the pouch. Now that pouch will bring back something she thought to never see again...

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Present-day...

Hidden in the dirt near where Viren had fallen, missed by search parties, covered in leaves and left forgotten lies a small pouch. The small pouch began to vibrate as though it pulsed like a heart slowly the vibrations and pulses became a more distinct one, two, no three distinct heartbeats could be heard from the pouch before it was shredded to reveal four coins, three of which were pulsing with dark magic before exploding with a force of what seemed like hundreds of powder kegs, of dark energy. Several nearby Dragonguard who were on patrol hear this explosion fearing they were under attack, they draw their weapons and rush to the source to find three elves struggling to stand. The Dragonguard already confused yelled out to them asking who they are, coughing one responded "what... where are we", The guard pressed on "Speak, what is your name!" One of the other elves, coughing, responds "I.. am Taidrin of the Dragonguard." The Dragonguards all look at each other for a moment before one tells the others to help them to the spire. One elf though, in particular, was confused by the name he heard "Taidrin?" he said questioningly as he managed to stand to look to her and look around to see Lain also there. Taidrin recognising the voice turns to see Runaan standing there "RUNAAN?!" She yells out and rushes to him "How are you here!" She started shaking him as he tried to respond "ugh some dark mage....", Lain recognising what he meant "Say no more how he got you I don't want to know, for now, let's just follow the Dragonguards to the queen..." Runaan, reluctant to see the Queen of the Dragons, agrees to follow up the mountain with the guards.

As they walk up the stairs to the queen's lair, Lain looks back at Runaan seeing how bad of condition he's in, "Lord Runaan what happened to you? Why do you have a binding on your arm?! What happened to your horn!" Runaan realizing the binding was still on him and hasn't cut off his arm yet responds "I was on a mission.... To kill the King of Katolis and his son." Taidrin, hearing Runaan already knowing why he was on a mission like that, "The egg.... So we failed to save it ..." Runaan not wanting her to feel bad tries to correct her. "No, you saved it.... I just wonder what happened after..." They continued to walk in silence for a bit and reach the top of the mountain and the entrance of the lair. A guard walked to the Queen and spoke to her telling her the names of those who had been found, even outside the lair a great roar could be heard from the lair as if surprise and joy overtook the dragon inside, Lain and Taidrin looked at each other confused as to what had just been heard, "why would she be happy? we failed ..."

The three of them stood there waiting until they saw a guard rushing back to them, "Queen Zubiea wishes to speak with you three", "Very well..." Said Lain seeming accustomed to that behaviour. It didn't take long for them to get to the entrance of the lair but once they got to the entrance Runaan was tackled to the ground from behind "AGH", "Azimondias get off him!" the Queen spoke in a kind but commanding voice that shook the mountain and the lair residing within. Lain and Taidrin meanwhile were looking awestruck at what was before them, the dragon prince, they immediately bowed to both the Queen and her son. Taidrin was the first to speak up as the young prince got off Runaan, "My Queen what has transpired in the time we have been gone... we thought the prince was attacked when we blacked out..."

The queen stood for a moment seemingly looking for the words to say until she spoke with a low rumble of the ground "My guards, you two have been thought dead for nearly six years now..." Lain and Taidrin stood there gobsmacked by what they had heard, six years.... Six years we've been missing they thought to themselves as they looked at one another, then they turned to Runaan who seemed just as amazed by the statement made by the Queen and Lain asked him "Is this true have we been gone for six years!?" Runaan looked dazed at first before responding "well for me you've been gone a few months so I guess it is true'', "How have we been gone so long where have we been...." The queen waited a moment to let them process what she just said before continuing, "In the time you were gone my son has been returned to me, the mage that had taken him has been killed by human hands and peace has come, to be exact your daughter, Rayla brought my son back to me, she's a good girl, well, was a girl now she's a strong woman," Lain, Tiadrin and Runaan all looked at each other all of them were happy at what they heard but also coming to realize that they missed so much. How could they miss such an important thing as this, they wondered. Taidrin and Lain then turned to the queen, "Wheres Rayla!?, How is she!?" said Lain dropping the formalities, the Queen, however, laughed a little, shaking the lair as she did "you wouldn't believe me if I said it, but last time I spoke with her she was going to Katolis with a surprise for someone there," she said with what they could only assume to be a dragon's smile. "Why would she go to Katolis?!" Lain responded in a panic "We have to go after her!", the Queen, however, laughed again "oh you have no idea all the things that you three have missed.... She became my guard captain after returning my son to me and I gave her leave until her surprise was old enough," Lain and Taidrin looked at each other processing what she said "Until her surprise was... old enough..." they said to each other realizing what she meant "RAYLA HAS A CHILD!" they exclaimed at the top of their lungs, "I hope you like the boy as much as I do, he's a good man... Now I think you three should rest here for a day or two then go to her. Runaan, on the other hand, should go back to the Silvergrove. I'm sure your flower has risen again..." the Queen said to the three before her. "Ah yes Runaan was it? Step forward." Zubeia knew that his binding was no longer needed but was impressed at how it hadn't removed his arm yet, Runaan nervously walked forward "My queen what is it?", "Runaan calm down. I'm only going to remove your binding" and as she said that she brought her claw to his arm and pulled the binding off with ease. Runaan staggered for a second feeling blood rush back into his arm again, he had forgotten that it was even going to be lost to the binding.

They stood there for a moment before a guard came in and showed them to an empty room for them to rest in and talk. The room was decorated in traditional Moonshadow decor most likely to put them at ease. Lain and Taidrin sat down while Runaan paced in the room, unable to calm down, then Lain spoke up "Runnan, what happened after we went missing?"
Runaan startled to reality again by the question grimaced at the months that transpired after the egg was presumed destroyed. "Well...Everyone assumed the Dragonguard to have fled, they were all labelled traitors, both of you are ghosts to the Silvergrove....", "That... makes sense we failed our duty anyway...." said Lain not happy at his own statement but Runaan continued, "Rayla... didn't take it well to say the least, she grew to hate you two... later when I was sent on a mission to kill the king of Katolis and his son as revenge for their actions she begged for me to take her...", " but then she ruined the mission she let a human go everyone was killed and I was taken prisoner but Rayla and the princes of Katolis found the egg I guess she managed to get it here..." Lain and Taidrin sat there processing everything, what hell has Rayla gone through to keep the egg safe? Is she alright now? Does she still hate us? Questions ran through their minds until Lain spoke, "We need rest let's just rest and then head out to find Rayla...", "What about Ethari'' asked Taidrin "He probably thought you were dead too! We should send word to him and have him come here. We need someone who knows this new world we are in..." Runaan didn't like the idea but also missed Ethari so he relented and agreed to send a shadowhawk letter to tell him where they were. They sent the letter then went to sleep each of them wanting to know more of what has happened but still overwhelmed by what they know already.