Okay another TDP thought because I just finished my third rewatch:
AANYA AND THE “BROKEN LINK”!!!! I screamed so fucking hard when she shot Prince Kasef in the hand and then the face and the heart and I was like “YAAAAAYYYYYY AANYA TO THE RESCUE” and when I saw Gren, Markos (is that how you write his name), Opeli, Corvus, the baker and the Kingdom of Duren’s army, I was just screaming like a huge fangirl because THAT’S A BIG to Viren boom in your face sucker!!!
What also made me tear up was everyone’s “FOR KING EZRAN” scream after the Broken Links and Aanya arrive. HOLY SHIT THIS WAS BEAUTIFUL.
Also. Ezran, probably 8 to 10 years old, who left home to try to bring a baby dragon to his mother on the other side of the border, who left his brother and his best friend because he had to go back home to take his royal responsibility now that his dad died, DECIDED TO BE WILLINGLY IMPRISONED SO THAT HIS PEOPLE WOULDN’T SUFFER AND SO THAT THOSE WHO WERE NOT WILLING TO FIGHT ANYMORE COULD LEAVE THE ARMY AND NOT GO TO WAR AGAINST XADIA.
This kid. I wish we had more adults irl like this kid.
Nyx said that the obelisks create a magical barrier around the oasis. Then “anyway, here’s the Wonderwall”. DID THEY JUST MAKE HER MAKE AN OASIS PUN?????
The final gift for the TDP Exchange @tdpholidayexchange! It was Soren’s birthday yesterday and @gwenuine requested Soren x Happiness and honestly that’s all I want is for everyone to remember Soren’s birthday and give him ALL of the pancakes.
You mentioned you liked a cute idea of everyone liking Callum’s scarf and getting their own, so I drew it for you! Hope you like it, and happy-late-holidays!
@seaglass-sunsets - Merry Belated Christmas and Happy Belated New Year, friend! I filled in for your Secret Santa and wrote you a little special something~! As it turns out, I, too, quite enjoy the found family trope so I kinda hope to play into that a bit. Hope it’s to your liking!! ^u^
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Sitting up against the wall, lilac orbs admiring the moving bodies in front of her, Rayla frowned softly.
With the fighting over, their main enemy killed, and the sudden awakening of Queen Zubeia, they were thriving in a time of peace. It was meant to be a joyous occasion, a moment of calm after all that they endured. Everyone (on their side, at least) was safe. They were together. Elves andhumans. The more she looked at it all, sat within it and absorbed it, the more surreal it all felt. Looking at Callum now, laughing and playing with both Ezran and Zym, it was hard for her to believe that just days ago, they were falling from the Storm Spire. One of them already content with the thought of dying, accepting the death that would come for her, while the other defied it. Fell with her and saved her.
He sprouted wings, and looked so happy about it too.
The thought pulled a small laugh from her, a finger gliding across the stone floor in awkward circles. She dropped her eyes to her feet, pulling her knees closer against her chest.
They were safe here and yet…something felt wrong. Like she was dressed in someone else’s skin or wearing someone else’s boots. Did she really belong here? With them? With Callum?
“Hey.”
She looks up at the voice, unfamiliar to her ears for the briefest of moments, but as soon as her eyes fall upon the blonde man in front of her, she sighs with recognition. She rolls her eyes and turns her gaze back to the boys several feet in front of her.
“Yeah,what?”
Soren had done his fair share of aiding the Xadians, despite the distrust Rayla still felt for him. Who knew when he might turn on them. Maybe this was all some ruse. Some sick, twisted plan to ease into their trust before ripping it out from under them.
Leave it behind you, Rayla.
Right. This wasdifferent.He was different. Despite their ‘history,’ he’d proven himself a worthy ally. Proven that he could be trusted.
“Sorry,” she murmurs. “Didn’t mean ta snap at ya.”
The blonde returns the words with a soft, wholesome laugh. He takes a step toward her and crosses his arms over his chest, shoulders rising and falling in a nonchalant shrug.
“Nah, man– er…uhm…well, just, don’t worry about it. I get it.”
She raises a single brow, shifting her gaze over to him.
“…Ya do?”
He keeps his eyes on the young princes, shifting onto his heels.
“I mean, yeah. I’m tired too. Beating up baddies and partying with elves and dragons is alot of work.”
She snorts with laughter, following his gaze and watching the way Callum lights up whenever Ezran calls out to him. The soft cries of joy springing from Zym fill the room, small zaps of excited electricity dancing along his tail. She supposed it was a lot of work; meeting and introducing yourself to everyone, celebrating in their newfound peace.
“You should join ‘em, y’know?”
Soren’s speaking again but this time, she keeps her gaze focused. Eyes unwavering in their current position.
“I mean, Callum would probably melt into a puddle of gushy, oozy embarrassment, but it’d be so worth it.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but the boys were moving toward them now - both pairs of eyes locked on her. A giggle came from Ezran, a sound so remarkably soft and warm that she couldn’t help smiling. Couldn’t help the calm that came over her, reassured her that things were okay.
But when Callum looked at her, with eyes so loving, shining with both ease and comfort, Rayla felt safe. She felt welcomed and serene; like returning home for the first time in ages. It was a feeling she only ever found in him. The boy that was brave enough to fight for what he believed in and kind enough to accept for all that she was, and all she had ever been.
“Hey guys. We’re going to get some food. Maybe you want to come with us?”
Ezran is the first to talk, Zym cradled against his chest. They’re both looking from their elf friend, to the guard standing beside her; both of which are giving the young prince an awkward stare. It seemed Rayla wasn’t the only one struggling to decide whether or not she belonged. Thoughts asking, ‘Should I?’ were a bit too loud in each of their heads; their hesitation recognized by those staring back at them.
“C’mon, Rayla. You haven’t eaten anything since like…what? Last night?”
She blushes at the blunt comment, shooting an immediate glare over to herprince.
“No,I had…berriesfor breakfast.”
Now it was Callum’s turn to react; a brow raised as he stares her down. She was always so unbelievably stubborn. Eager to hide her own pain or needs in an effort to appear strong. Appear brave and infallible. It never worked. Not on him.
“So like,what? Six berries?”
“Eight,actually.”
“Oh, wow. Nearly a handful.”
The response is layered in sarcasm, both of the lovers staring each head-on and attempting to break the other. Truth be told, Callum was just as stubborn as the Moonshadow. As infuriating as she was to him at times, he had the same effect. More so when he was putting his life in danger for something stupid.
“Awe, c’mon. Food is great!”
It was Soren’s turn to speak up now, shifting away from the wall and focusing his attention on the elf. He gives her a soft smile, nudging his chin toward the boys.
“And they really want you to go. Go have a good time.”
“You too, Soren,” Ezran pipes in almost immediately, earning everyone’s gaze. “We’re all going to eat now. Because…we’re a family.”
A silence lulls over them, everyone’s eyes pulling away from the young prince as they absorb the phrase. Run it through their head repeatedly and allow it to sink it. Find a place within their heart and mind and call it a home. Settle in comfortably as a reminder that things were different now, but they didn’t have to be feared.
“Yeah…” Soren is the first to speak, stretching a hand out toward Rayla. She looks to him, eyes wide and heart skipping a beat. It’s a remarkably kind gesture and she hears the words even before he finishes with:
“We’re a totally cool, totally hungryfamily.”
Callum stretches out his own hand, eyes softening ever-so-slightly, just for Rayla. For the love of his dreams and the reason his smile shines just a bit brighter these days.
“All of us.”
Ezran nods proudly, Zym yipping with glee.
She feels the sudden warmth of tears behind her eyes, but swallows down the emotions that swell in her chest. Ignores the beating in her chest and the relief that pumps through her veins.
She takes both hands, pulling herself up and stepping beside all of them; carrying herself beside them. Withthem.
Her hand slips into Callum’s, the boy giving it a tight squeeze as he offers her a gentle smile. She leans against him, finding an extra bout of strength in his warmth. In the way he leans back against her. She feels the vibrations of his laugh as Soren rattles off a joke, Ezran adding on to it and eliciting laughs from all four of them.
This was where they belonged. Right here. Right now.
To@honeylemon2346from@skyfireflight! They write: “ Hi! I hope you had a happy holiday season! You requested Gren with sweets as a motif, so I wrote a little story about Gren and Ezran bonding over jelly tarts. I hope you enjoy it!”
Takes place about 3 years before season 1
Gren didn’t visit the castle often. He and General Amaya were usually stationed at the Breach. It was a constant, 24/7 job for the most part, keeping the border safe from potential invaders. Being Amaya’s voice as she relayed orders to her soldiers, or spoke to anyone else, really.
But times like these were nice. A reprieve from the thick clouds of smoke that blocked out the sun, and the constant heat that rose up from the river of lava below (and always being in armor certainly didn’t help).
What did help was knowing that he was doing an important job – for his kingdom, Katolis, but also… for Amaya. Amaya’s presence, getting to help her and interact with her every day, made being at the border much more bearable, even enjoyable. And even though he’d only been her voice for a year, and she was the general…he could say that Amaya was becoming a friend.
Still, it was nice to have some time off, away from the border.
The eldest prince’s 12th birthday had been yesterday, and Amaya had taken leave to celebrate. Gren had been by her side most of the time at the castle, tagging along with her at Prince Callum’s birthday party, interpreting for Amaya when she spoke to attendees – councilmembers, townspeople, even some ambassadors from other kingdoms coming to wish Callum well – and stuffing his face with strawberries, shortcake, and jelly tarts between conversations.
The party was over now, but Amaya wanted be with her brother-in-law and nephews a little while longer, so she and Gren were to stay a couple more days before returning to the Breach.
Today, Amaya was in the castle with Callum; Gren would have followed, but Amaya had waved him away with a fond smile and told him to relax and have some time to himself.
Now Gren found himself in the castle garden. He stood near one of the trees there, enjoying the sight of the greenery. The summer breeze felt cool against his skin, and he basked in the feeling. Though the weather was still warm, the heat was nothing compared to that of the border. And he was without his armor for once.
A creeaak came from somewhere beside him, and Gren turned to the source of the sound. A square grate that he hadn’t noticed before was lying face down on the ground. There was a stuttered scraping sound, and right after it, a tray piled high with jelly tarts slid from a hole in the wall and clattered on the ground, some of the jelly tarts toppling from the heap. Fluffy brown hair and its owner tumbled out, followed by a grumpy groan and a large, glowing frog.
The owner of the fluffy brown hair was a little boy. Gren took a second to recognize who it was. He remembered the child flitting around the grand hall yesterday at the party, plate piled high with sweets, and small hands coming up from under tables to swipe from trays. And honestly, it was adorable – though he had worried the little boy would get a sugar rush and would be too hyper to go to sleep that night.
The royal colors on his clothes and his resemblance to King Harrow made no question of who it was.
The little boy was Prince Ezran.
Gren watched as Ezran fitted the grate back into the hole in the wall, taking a few tries and grunts of effort before he succeeded. The prince then picked up the tray and stood, several more jelly tarts dropping to the ground with soft patters.
He turned, and caught Gren watching him.
The boy froze, eyes going wide like a deer caught in the light of a night traveler’s lantern. Below him, the large glowing frog gulped down jelly tarts from the ground with a swipe of its tongue. Gren raised his eyebrows.
Ezran blinked once. “Uh….” He braced the tray against his chest with one hand, and held a tart out to Gren with the other. “Jelly tart?”
Gren was pretty sure that the boy wasn’t supposed to have all those jelly tarts. Especially if how he was sneaking around and his reaction to being seen was any indication. And Ezran’s sheepish tone and smile further confirmed his suspicions.
Still, none of those jelly tarts were making their way back to the baker’s, or wherever they came from, any time soon. They probably wouldn’t want them back anyway, having been taken through air ducts.
Well, it wouldn’t hurt.
“Thank you. I would love a jelly tart.” Gren gave the youngest prince a small bow before taking the offered dessert. Ezran giggled.
“I don’t think I’ve seen you around before,” Ezran said. He placed the tray on a nearby bench, even more jelly tarts falling off, and plopped down next to it. The glowing frog – glow toad, Gren’s mind finally supplied – hopped over and began eating jelly tarts off the ground. Ezran took a tart from the pile and started munching on it, his legs swings back and forth in the air.
Gren went over and sat down beside him. “I’m Commander Gren. I work for your aunt Amaya; I’m her sign language interpreter.” He took a bite of the jelly tart.
Mmmmm. An apple jelly tart. It was delicious.
“Oh, yeah!” Ezran’s eyes lit up. “I remember you! You were at the party yesterday!”
“Mmhmm,” Gren replied through a mouthful of jelly tart. He finished and swallowed. “That’s right. And I seem to remember you swiping a lot of sweets from the tables.”
Ezran giggled around his next bite.
“These jelly tarts are really good,” Gren said.
“Yeah, they’re the best!”
“Now,” Gren decided to solidify his suspicions, “I must know. Where did you get all these delicious jelly tarts?”
“From the baker’s.” Ezran’s tone was light and betrayed nothing as he took another tart from the stack.
“Did the baker give you all these jelly tarts? He’s pretty generous.”
Ezran paused mid-chew. “Well….” He looked down at his swinging feet, not meeting Gren’s eyes. “He didn’t exactly give them to me.”
Gren just furrowed his brow and tilted his head in a show of confusion, encouraging Ezran to continue.
“We sorta…well, Bait and I, we…,” his shoulders hunched sheepishly as he met Gren’s eyes, and he stopped swinging his feet, crossing his ankles and curling his legs inward, “kinda…just…took them…without permission?” He looked away, back down at his feet. “We stole them.”
Yep, suspicions confirmed.
“I’m sure the baker wasn’t very happy.”
Ezran shook his head, sighing and sounding a bit ashamed of himself. “No, he wasn’t.”
“Tell you what,” Gren said, taking another of the sweet contraband. “Why don’t we make it up to him?”
Ezran’s gaze drifted back to Gren. “How?”
Gren looked around at the trees in the garden, many of them heavy with ripe apples. “Are we allowed to pick the apples?”
“Uh-huh!”
“We can take some apples to the baker and help him make more jelly tarts. I’m sure he’d like that. What do you say?”
“Yeah!” Ezran nodded eagerly. “I can get some baskets from the gardener.” The little boy hopped off the bench and ran out of the garden. Gren smiled and took a big bite of jelly tart.
A few minutes later, Ezran returned with two big baskets. Gren stifled a chuckle; the baskets were almost as big as he was, too large for his small arms, and he leaned backwards as he struggled to carry them.
“Here, let me help.” Gren got up from the bench and took one of the baskets. He made a show of hoisting it up and making it look heavier than it was. Ezran giggled.
“Let’s get apple picking!” he cheered.
The two got to work.
Despite Ezran’s strains and grunts of effort, the 7-year-old couldn’t reach the apples dangling from the tree branches. Gren smiled and lifted Ezran up onto his shoulders.
With a “whoa!” and giggle from Ezran, then they really got to work.
Gren carried Ezran on his shoulders as they went from tree to tree, one hand on the boy’s leg to keep him steady, and the other hand keeping the basket braced against his torso. Ezran did most of the picking, and Gren was able to shift his grip on the basket to reach a few of them.
In the end, they had 1 and ½ baskets full of ripe red apples.
They made their way to the bakery – through the streets this time, not the air ducts – Gren carrying the full basket and Ezran tottering with the half-full basket hugged to his chest.
The baker was delighted.
Barius, as Gren learned his name was, let the two of them mix the dough as he prepared the apples, Ezran sneaking in bites of dough, and both he and Bait swiping apple pieces. The baker didn’t scold, though the way Ezran paused right after he snatched an apple slice said the little boy was expecting him to; Barius simply smiled at him fondly and said, “Just make sure there’s enough to make the jelly tarts with.” And Gren himself snuck in a few bites, too.
That was part of the fun, after all.
By the time they were done, Gren and Ezran were covered in flour, bits of dough, apple jelly, and powdered sugar. With a laugh from both of them, Gren ruffled Ezran’s hair to get some of the powdered sugar out of it. Luckily, Barius had given them both aprons – though Ezran’s dwarfed him – and washing up in the sink was easy.
And there were plenty of jelly tarts. More than plenty. Enough to make up many times over for the ones had Ezran stolen.
Barius insisted they take home half.
They carried back three baskets full – three baskets lined with white cloth and filled to the brim with the sweet apple jelly tarts. Ezran carried one, and Gren carried the other two, one in each arm.
Gren also carried the gardener’s baskets – stacked together, upside down, on his head like a floppy winter hat made of woven pieces of wood. Some townspeople gave them a few looks. He gave the townspeople cheery greetings and warm smiles.
When they got back, they seated themselves on the bench in the castle garden. A basket lay beside each of them, the third basket at their feet. Bait sat in between them.
(The tray that Ezran had stolen was empty, and now lay beneath the bench; apparently Bait had cleared it while the two of them were picking apples. Gren made a mental note to make sure the tray got back to the baker.)
Ezran was munching away, his legs swinging happily. “These are the best jelly tarts ever!” he said through a mouthful of jelly tart, his voice muffled.
Gren chuckled and grinned. “They are the best jelly tarts ever,” he agreed. He wasn’t sure what they were going to do with all of these pastries, though. The two of them – well, three of them – couldn’t eat them all at once. He figured the kitchen staff would know what to do with them.
“We should do this…,” Ezran said with his voice still muffled, then he swallowed, “more often.”
The castle garden was peaceful, with the cool, fresh air, the greenery and colorful plants bathed in the late afternoon light, and the silence except for the prince munching, birds chirping, and the leaves rustling in the wind.
The silence was interrupted when Amaya and Prince Callum entered the garden, with a “Are you sharing?” from Callum, and a fond smile and a signed “Enjoying yourself, I see,” from Amaya as she surveyed the scene in front of her.
Gren nodded with a smile of his own.
He basked in the peacefulness of his surroundings, the taste of sweet not-contraband on his tongue, and thought that this was a nice way for him to spend his leave.
And yes, Gren thought, he would have to visit the castle more often.
We are extremely excited to announce that pre-orders for the Aspiro Zine are now open from April 5thto May 5th!
The zine is packed with up to 60 artworks and 11 stories all about the magical world that we get to experience in the Netflix series The Dragon Prince.
Aspirois a charity Zine, and after production and shipping costs our profits will go to Akanksha, a charity that works to provide low-income children in India with the best education possible through their own school systems.
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Our Stretch Goals:* The Sky (25 orders) - One map print of The Dragon Prince world and a stickersheet added The Stars (50 orders) - One extra charm and print added The Ocean (75 orders) - One 1.25″ Runaan coin added The Earth (100 orders) - One silver foil postcard and a doublesided print added The Sun (125 orders) - One 1″ Bait pin added The Moon (150 orders) - All digital exclusive content added to the printed zine upgrading the current 90+ pages to 140+ pages!
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