Forgotten Memories ||The Dragon Prince||

Chapter 15: Reunion

[Adalena]

Adalena couldn't believe her eyes, standing in front of her was her brother. She tried unsuccessfully to stifle a sob, but after centuries of waiting for this moment, it seemed only fair that she was a little emotional.

Aaravos turned to her. "Ah, my dear Adalena, come here." He opened his arms and Adalena ran into his embrace.

"Vosey, I'm so happy to have you back." Adalena could feel the rise and fall of his chest and the beating of his heart, another confirmation that he was here. She pulled back and smiled. "We did it!"

"We did it," Aaravos repeated.

Adalena let out a watery laugh, they had done it! All the sacrifices she had made over the centuries where worth it for this moment. Her baby brother was finally back and they could be a family again. She wasn't alone anymore. But she was drawn from her happiness by the sounds of less joyful sobs.

"Rayla," Callum sobbed, still trying to break the mirror. "I'll get you out... I promise."

Adalena felt her heartbreak for him. She had once been in his position, except it had been Aaravos trapped behind the cursed glass.

She vividly remembered that day, it had been horrible. It hadn't been too long after Orion had died, and Vosey had been convicted of unspeakable crimes involving dark magic. But Adalena knew her brother and knew that he would never commit such dark deeds. So when the Dragon King and the other archmages showed up to imprison him, she had fought alongside her brother. They had fought valiantly but were eventually overpowered. Adalena had been forced to watch as Aaravos, the only person that still loved her, was trapped in a supposedly unescaped prison. She too had tried to break the glass, yelling vain promises of freedom and claiming she would fix their mistakes.

Adalena sighed, she couldn't do much but she could try to comfort Callum. She walked around Aaravos and placed a hand on Callum's shoulder. "I know how you're feeling, I've been there. You're probably feeling like a failure, but that is drowned by your feelings of sadness and guilt. But...there's nothing you can do, sweetheart. I'm so sorry, but it'll all be okay in the end." Callum paused and stopped hitting the mirror. "Why don't you come back to the main cave, and I'll get you something to eat."

"You want me to get something to eat?" Callum muttered, disgust heavy in his voice.

"Well, it's been a long day for you, and you must be tired." Adalena squeezed his shoulder. "I'll help you-"

"I don't want your help!" Callum bellowed, wrenching himself from her grip. "This is all your fault!"

"Callum, calm down-"

"Volminus!" Callum cried, directing the shot directly at Adalena. She screamed and raised her arms, covering her face. But Aaravos stepped in between her and Callum, summoning a shield.

"That's no way to treat Adalena." Aaravos used another spell to summon strands of shifting magic. Callum tried to run but there was nowhere to go. Soon the strands solidified in a cage around him. "She's treating you with kindness."

"Kindness?" Callum laughed, a cold, heartless laugh. "She just trapped the love of my life in a mirror."

"I did it to save my brother!" Adalena stepped forward. "You said that you'd do anything to help your brother, no matter the cost. That's all I did, I helped my brother, and the cost just happened to be Rayla taking his place."

Callum gripped the bars of his cage. "Okay but, Adalena, your brother is evil."

"No, he's not."

"Yes he is, there's a reason he was trapped in that mirror."

"Enough," Aaravos spoke with such force that even Adalena felt a shiver of fear. He glared fiercely at Callum. "Stop being so dramatic, you played right into our hands. If it's anyone's fault it's yours. "