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TDP One-Shot: Of Jackets and Cold Nights

1,073 words, Rayllum, Romance, Funny, Slice of Life, Book Three Spoilers

It was over. The battle was won, there was peace between Xadia and the human kingdoms, and as far as anyone knew, Viren was defeated. When they stopped to sleep en route back to Katolis, Callum had every reason to rest well.

Just one problem: He was cold.

—

Callum awoke to find himself lying down on soft Xadian grass. He opened his eyes, looking up to the full moon that hung high in the night sky. It was still night, maybe 2 or 3 in the morning, he guessed. The dying embers of the nearby campfire illuminated some of his surroundings, but not quite as much as the moon.

Through the light of the moon, Callum could make out the sleeping figure of Ezran, new king of Katolis and his little half-brother. Bait, Ezran’s pet glow toad, was curled up at Ezran’s feet. Callum smiled at seeing his brother sleep so peacefully. As he looked around, he also noticed the rest of his group asleep, including his aunt Amaya, Gren, Opeli, and Corvus. Soren was gone, having taken the night watch.

Nearest to Callum was his girlfriend, Rayla. She was asleep on her side, and Callum could see her silver hair reflect the light of the moon. As Callum looked at her, he couldn’t help but feel a great warmth inside. Callum and Rayla had gone through so much together over the past month since they first met, but they had stuck by each other through it all. He was so glad to know her.

Reassured knowing that everything was safe and sound, Callum rested his head back on the grass and closed his eyes, falling back asleep.

Or at least he tried to.

Something felt off. He sat back up. “Hmmm?” he murmured quietly. What was it that felt so… wrong?

Callum had every reason to rest well that night. It was over. Not only was the battle won, but there was finally peace between Xadia and the human kingdoms, after years of constant warring between them. As far as everyone knew, Viren was gone. Callum had slept outside before, and he was exhausted from the battle, too, so it wasn’t that he didn’t want to sleep. 

So why couldn’t he?

A brisk, gentle breeze blew through the air, rattling the leaves of the nearby trees and causing Callum to shiver. He clutched at his own arms, and it was at this moment that he realized what was bothering him so much: He was cold.

The one thing that made this night different from others was the fact that he was without his usual blue jacket, which had been lost in the battle from the day before. That made all the difference on a cold spring night like this one, where all he had on for warmth was his red tank top and scarf. Having not thought to ask for a blanket before everyone fell asleep, he was now facing a dilemma.

Maybe if I…? The young mage took off his scarf and tried wrapping it around himself. Unfortunately, it was not big enough and didn’t do much against the chill of the night.

“No, that’s not it…” He looked at the fire, which had all but died out. “Ugh!” He really, really regretted not learning a tad of Sun Magic.

“Callum?”

He let out a soft yelp at the sound of another voice. Turning to his side, he saw that Rayla was now sitting up, rubbing her eyes. Her ears were drooping down from grogginess. “What’s going on?”

“Oh. Hey, Rayla.” Callum kept his voice down, so not to wake the others. He rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry I woke you. I’m just… um… a little cold.” As if on cue, another breeze blew through the area and he had another round of shivers, his teeth chattering with the cold.

As tired as she was, Rayla couldn’t help but find the display amusing. “So wait… you’re this amazin’ human mage who can cast lightning spells an’ grow wings, and you helped take down an entire army, but you’re vexed by a littl’ cold?” she asked with a smirk.

“Hey, it’s pretty chilly out here, you know,” he protested, covering his bare arms.

“Well, why don’t you put on your jacket?” Rayla then wondered. “Hey, where is your jacket, anyway? I ’aven’t seen it since the battle.”

“Oh, right, you didn’t see that. Well, remember that time when you were falling and I grew wings? Yeahhhh, it kind of shredded my jacket to pieces.”

“Oh.”

“Yep. No more jacket, which means chilly Callum. ‘Chillum,’ if you will.”

Rayla’s gaze followed Callum’s arms. Her ears perked up as she allowed a small smile. “I think the sleeveless look suits you, myself. You look good.”

Callum’s blush was barely visible in the moonlight. “Okay, compliment well-received, but looking good isn’t really going to help me out here. What do I do?”

Rayla scooted closer to him. “Well, I’d offer you my vest, but something tells me it won’t be a lot of help.”

“Yeah, no, unless you have something with sleeves. And aren’t you cold?”

“Eh, you get used to Xadia’s chilly nights.” Rayla then decided it might be fun to tease Callum for a bit. “Maybe you should’ve taken off your jacket before you jumped for me.”

“Well, it was either saving you or the jacket, so…”

Rayla raised an eyebrow. “I see. You’re starting to think you made the wrong choice, eh?”

Callum’s eyes grew wide and he held out his hands. “No! No, no, don’t get the wrong idea, I—”

“Relax, Callum! I’m jokin’!” Rayla punched his arm lightly. “Here, ya dumb human.”

She grabbed Callum and pulled him into a hug. Needless to say, he was surprised by the gesture. “Rayla…? What are you doing?”

“We’ll share our body heat, keep each other warmer this way.”

“Huh…” Callum laid down with Rayla, wrapping his own arms around her. He immediately felt himself warming up. “You’re right, this feels… nice.”

Rayla smiled. “I told ya it would.” She cuddled closer to him.

Callum looked into her eyes, smiling himself. “Thank you.”

“Oh, it’s nothin’—”

“No, not just this. I mean, thank you for always being here for me, for sharing in my struggles, my laughter, being my friend, my girlfriend… and now… this.”

Rayla giggled. “You’re welcome, Callum. And hey, when we get back to Katolis, maybe I’ll buy you a new jacket or something.”

They laughed, then moved their faces closer to each other and shared a kiss for a few seconds.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

They kissed each other once more before drifting off to sleep together, warm in each others arms.

—

So I watched Book Three of The Dragon Prince when it dropped on Friday, and I have feelings. I’ll be posting my full thoughts on the season soon, but I was mainly impressed with the character development on the parts of Soren, Rayla, and Callum (especially with the latter two becoming a thing). Feeling inspired, I decided to write this fic as sort of a sequel to the events of Book Three. Hope you all like it!

AO3