Chapter Text
Song of the chapter: Futile Devices by Sufjan Stevens
Soren scooped up an injured elf, trying not to jostle their messed-up leg while picking his way across the treacherous battlefield. He delivered them to the universal medical tents that had been hastily set up to let the healers and mages treat the wounded. The dust was still settling on the battlefield, and the magma in the cracks of the dead Sunfire Monsters skins was still glowing faintly, though dimming as it cooled with each passing minute.
He was exhausted, but there were so many injured and dying, and very few of the surviving and relatively unharmed survivors were able to lift injured people by themselves. I can’t stop yet, not until all the living are accounted for.
Soren turned back to the battlefield to find another injured person, stumbling slightly over the uneven ground and bodies strewn everywhere. He stooped to check the pulses of the more intact-looking bodies.
“Soren?”
Soren startled at the unfamiliar voice, unsheathing his sword and dropping in a battle stance. He turned to find a familiar figure standing behind him.
“Wait, aren’t you that chain man? We snuck Ezran out of Katolis when he was locked up. You’re uhh, Crow-ish? Crowvis?” Soren blinked, sword arm dropping slightly.
The man blinked and nodded slowly. “It’s Corvus. Who did you fight for?” Corvus asked.
Soren tightened his grip on his sword. “For King Ezran and his little dragon dude. I, uh, switched to the good side. You’re… against Viren?”
Corvus’s shoulders relaxed slightly, though he eyed Soren’s raised sword cautiously. Oops. I shouldn’t stab an ally. Soren sheathed his sword. “You’re on our side too, right? I mean, you aren't all… lava monster-ish, so…”
“Yes, I serve King Ezran. Are you able to help me carry her?”
Corvus gestured at a dead-looking Broken Link soldier laying near his feet. On closer inspection, she was still breathing, just unconscious.
Soren nodded and stepped forwards, scooping up the injured woman. Corvus moved closer to help take some of her weight, but Soren stepped away. “Nah, I got this. Go find another survivor, we can team up and get them off the field faster.”
Corvus looked Soren up and down, noticing how Soren’s steps were clumsy and his legs shook slightly. “How long will you be able to keep carrying fully armoured soldiers all by yourself? You look like the next one you pick up might drag you down with them.” The man moved closer and took the woman’s shoulders, easing some of the weight out of Soren’s arms. “We can accomplish more by pacing ourselves.”
Soren nodded as they made their way back to the medical tents with the unconscious soldier. “Alright. If you say so.”
They continued to comb the battlefield for injured and unconscious survivors, finding one alive for about every ten bodies they checked. They checked the Sunfire monster corpses too, having to finish off a couple of still-breathing ones. Soren had to stab an armless one that tried to bite his ankles.
“Soren, you’re physically shaking and favouring your right leg. I think it’s time that you get medical treatment too.” Corvus advised him after an hour or two. Soren shook his head. “It’s fine, I can keep going. There’s still people out there that need help.”
Corvus held up a hand to stop him before motioning towards the med tents. “Look,” he said. “The people who have rested and recieved treatment are recovering, and some have started searching the battlefield too. Let them take over. We can help out again after you stop shaking.”
“But-” Soren started.
Corvus stepped into Soren’s path, blocking him and looking him in the eyes. “You should remember that taking my advice is your best option. Don’t make things worse for yourself.”
Soren did remember. The last time he ignored this man’s advice, a whole town was attacked by a dragon, and it was all Soren’s fault for not listening.
He let Corvus lead him back to the tents. Aw man, he was right about my leg, he realized as he noticed his own uneven gait.
Sometimes his nerves didn’t tell him when he was hurt. When Claudia magicked his spine better, the dark magic made some weird side effects. It always did.
Soren sighed as one of the medics led them to a mat to sit on. Sitting down made his bones feel more tired. He glanced at Corvus.
“You alright if I check my leg? I don’t know if I’m injured or not. Funny story, it actually kind of happens because I didn’t take your advice about that dragon. Sorry about that, by the way. It… It wasn't my best decision.” Soren looked down at his hands, not wanting to make eye contact.
Corvus waited a moment before speaking. “I accept the apology. You seem to have matured somewhat since then.”
Silence filled the air between them. Soren hated that.
He started taking off the armour from his right leg and then removed his boot. There was a shallow gash across the back of his shin, jagged but not deep enough to harm the muscle. It still bled lightly.
“I’m kinda surprised you didn’t ask about why I didn’t feel my leg being halfway cut off.” Soren tried to start a conversation. Anything but this awkward silence.
Corvus watched as Soren waved a medic over to ask for a clean cloth and a bandage.
“It’s not really my place to ask about something potentially personal.” Corvus responded. He shifted to sit more comfortably on the mat, leaving a bit more room for Soren to stretch out his leg.
The medic returned with a damp, clean cloth and a small bandage. “Do either of you need help, or can I leave these with you?”
Soren took the items from them and waved them away. “I’m fine, I'll fix myself up. You go help the other survivors.”
Soren cleaned his wound, but his arms were shaky and the bandage wouldn’t stay on quite right. Fuck this, I’m too tired to do it right.
He glanced at Corvus. “Can you help me bandage my leg? I’m not doing a very good job.”
Corvus nodded and shifted to kneel beside him. He took the sloppily applied bandage off and rewound it carefully, evidently trying not to aggravate the wound.
“Are you alright? If you’re hurt anywhere, I can help you with it,” Soren offered. Corvus tied off the bandage before replying. “No, I am unharmed. If I were, I would have taken care of it already. Thank you for your concern.”
This guy is really formal. Is he trying to kill the conversation? Am I annoying him?
Soren tucked his leg closer to himself, putting his boot back on. They sat in silence for a few minutes until Soren couldn’t stand it anymore.
“So… what now? Do we sit here until the sun comes up again? Should we get back to helping out? He asked.
Corvus leveled his gaze at Soren once again. “Your wound is treated, but you are still exhausted. Sleep, and I’ll wake you if something happens.”
Soren slumped, pouting slightly. “Fine. Alright. I’ll… do that. But wake me up in an hour, I wanna help find the rest of the survivors.”
Corvus didn’t answer, but moved to the side of the mat to give Soren space to lie down.
Corvus did not, in fact, wake Soren up after an hour. The sun had set and Soren was clearly in a deep recovery sleep. He stayed awake and observed their surroundings for a while, watching medics rush by with supplies and people in hand.
One medic stopped briefly to tell him that there were guards posted to keep watch, and it was safe to sleep. Corvus took the advice.
Corvus awoke to find Soren laying next to him, one arm loosely thrown over Corvus in his sleep. He pushed the arm off gently and stood. I should find King Ezran, I don’t know if he has anyone protecting him currently.
Soren groaned and sat up. He scrubbed his hand over his eyes and squinted up at Corvus. “Is it morning already?” Soren’s voice was low and gravelly from sleep.
Corvus offered him a hand to help him up. Soren accepted it.
“Yes, it’s morning. Do you know where the king may be?” Corvus asked.
Soren grinned. “Questions before breakfast? Are you some kind of crazy morning person?”
Corvus stared at him, blank-faced. Soren wilted slightly, and Corvus didn’t like how he felt about that.
“I am simply efficient regardless of the time of day. Again, do you have any ideas on the whereabouts of King Ezran?”
Soren stretched his arms above his head, groaning, and pointed at the peak of the Storm Spire. “You’ll probably find him up there with the rest of the gang. You’ll need Callum or some magic-y mage person to do a spell on you to breathe up there, though.”
Corvus nodded slowly, thinking. “Thank you. You mentioned the ‘rest of the gang’, which includes Callum, correct? How might I get him to perform a spell on me, if he’s up there and therefore cannot know I need his help?”
Soren motioned for Corvus to follow him, and started walking towards the base of the Storm Spire staircase. “I’ll come with you, and we’ll walk you as high as possible. Once you pass out, I’ll either carry you up to Callum, or go get him and bring him to you.”
Corvus tilted his head slightly, glancing at Soren. “If I pass out, so will you. How exactly do you plan to stay conscious?”
Soren paused before the first step to stretch his legs in a few exercises, before continuing their route up the mountain. “Callum already did that spell on me, I’ll be fine.”
Corvus relaxed slightly. “I do hope you don’t drop me off the mountaintop while attempting to carry my unconscious body up the stairs. It may be safer to bring Callum to me instead.”
Soren gasped and looked scandalized, maybe even a bit hurt. “I would never drop you! You know that, right? That would be really rude. And terrible. Plus, you look light enough, I can carry you just fine.”
Corvus nearly chuckled at that. “What do you mean, light? We’re the same height and I’m in my full armour.”
Soren folded his arms. “Well, I am really strong. And I was-” Soren cut himself off and went silent, looking a bit timid all of a sudden.
Corvus thought back to Soren asking about his lack of inquiry on Soren’s unfinished story last night.
“Were you saying something important? Or is it not a story for my ears?” Corvus asked.
Soren looked away from him, gazing at the landscape that they could see growing further below them as they climbed the mountain.
He hesitated before continuing in a quiet voice, “I was there when my fa- when Viren turned the four armies into those monsters. I was going to be the first one turned, to be an example. But I was scared, and… I refused. I watched him turn Prince Kasef instead of me, and I ran away because I just… I couldn’t stay there, fighting against my friends to protect someone that sees me as something he can just... throw away at any moment.”
Corvus nodded and gestured for him to keep speaking. Soren seemed to be heavily burdened by the story, but sharing seemed to do some good for him.
Soren continued, “I didn’t get very far by the time he turned the rest of the armies. The dark magic went out in some kind of shockwave. I wasn’t hit hard, and I think… I hope he tried to exclude me from the people it turned. I mean, It didn’t turn him and Claudia, maybe he purposely didn’t turn me too. But the magic shockwave did hit me, and… I felt it pass through me, and I felt kind of tingly all over. I felt a bit stronger, and the sun didn’t feel as hot anymore. And my pants don’t reach their usual spot on my ankles anymore, so I think I might have grown a bit or something? Dark magic always has weird effects.”
Corvus stayed silent for a minute, processing Soren’s words. “You say dark magic always has weird effects, what do you mean by that?”
Soren glanced at his face briefly, as if gauging how Corvus was reacting. Corvus seemed to pass his test as Soren spoke once more.
“Well, as you know, both my father and my sister are experts in dark magic. And I was always just… there, nearby, so sometimes I would end up as a test subject for a new spell, or Claudia would prank me. And then there were times when I got hurt and they needed to heal me. Those had more side effects than the other magic they did on me.”
Soren reached up to rub at his chest as he spoke, only for his armoured breastplate to get in the way. He returned his arm to his side.
“When I was small, I had something wrong with my lungs. I forget what it’s called, but I couldn’t breathe sometimes. It was really bad. Apparently Callum’s real dad had the same thing and died from it. And my parents couldn’t find a cure anywhere. So my dad learned dark magic and… fixed my lungs. They work really well now, I have amazing stamina, by the way. But I also started being cold all the time, and I have to wear thick clothes all the time to not shiver.”
Corvus listened as Soren went on. It seemed that he’d accidentally opened the floodgates and was now going to receive Soren’s life story. At least his voice was pleasant and he didn’t seem too anxious about Corvus’s lack of verbal responses.
“-And then after I freed you that time, I shot down the dragon. But when I went to finish killing it, it threw me into a rock and uhhh… kinda broke my spine. Claudia tried to heal me with magic from some bug she carried in her bag, but it didn’t work. But it made my heartbeat irregular, according to the doctors. I was stuck in my own body because I couldn't move it or feel anything. I was… just a head.”
Corvus shot a worried glance at Soren.
“I spent a lot of time laying there with nothing to do but think. I think that's when I started doubting Viren and worrying about whether I was doing the right thing by hunting for the princes. But Claudia healed me, and now I can move and feel things again. Mostly. Sometimes the pain doesn’t… pain properly? And my back sometimes gets sore where it broke. Dark magic healing always has side effects. I think healing me that time might have hurt her too, somehow. She refused to tell me how though.”
Corvus reached out and awkwardly patted Soren’s shoulder. “You lived through a lot. I hope you enjoy the life you lead.” What do I even say to that? Is there a socially acceptable response to ‘I’ve nearly died multiple times and it was fixed but the fixing broke me a bit’? It’s a true miracle this man has survived this long.
Soren gave him a small smile. Corvus hoped he appreciated the awkward gesture he’d given Soren, because Corvus was currently lost for words.
Soren looked back at the staircase they were climbing. Corvus noticed his own breaths were getting louder and faster the higher they climbed.
“I don’t know if I can be happy going forward. I mean, my dad hates me, and my sister probably hates me, and my mum left when we were young so she’s not even in the picture. I don’t have any family left, just… a couple friends. Wait, do you think Ez and Callum think of me as a friend, even after I tried to capture them and kinda tried to kill Ezran that one time?”
Corvus turned towards Soren in alarm. “You tried to kill the King?”
Soren winced and nodded.
Corvus let out a long breath before answering Soren’s question. “I believe that they will accept that you struggled with your loyalty to your family versus your conscience and your friends. Even if they don’t forgive you or consider you a friend right away, they seem like the kind of people that will forgive you eventually. But you will need to prove your loyalty to them, and support them.”
Soren perked up at that. “You really think so?”
Corvus nodded, too out of breath to speak further. They were a bit over halfway up the mountain, and the air was thinning rapidly.
They continued climbing for another half hour until Corvus stumbled on a step, nearly falling flat on his face. Soren caught his arm and steadied him.
“Are you alright?” Soren looked at him, noticing how hard Corvus was breathing.
Corvus shook his head, sinking down to sit on the steps.
After a moment, he caught his breath enough to gasp out, “I can’t… breathe enough. Get Callum, please.”
Soren stood and thought for a moment. “I can get you to Callum quicker.”
Corvus tried to protest that he was too heavy, but Soren hoisted him into a piggyback carry and started climbing the steps again.
Corvus didn’t think he could convince Soren to put him down. As long as Soren didn’t drop him, he would have to tolerate this.
He relaxed into the hold and rested his chin on Soren’s shoulder, not wanting to fall off if he passed out.
They climbed in silence for a while, Corvus’s thoughts wandering here and there until he decided he could reasonably ask a question.
He lifted his head an inch above Soren’s shoulder to free his jaw for speech. “Why do you trust me with… all the things you’ve told me?” His voice was barely a hoarse whisper from the lack of oxygen.
He dropped his head back onto Soren’s shoulder spaulder.
Soren kept climbing without faltering. “I dunno. You seem like a guy that can keep an secret. And… I think I can trust you. Mostly.”
Corvus didn’t respond. After a few more minutes, he lost consciousness.
Corvus awoke to find he could breathe again. He was sitting propped against a rock wall, Soren kneeling beside him.
Callum turned, about to leave the room when Corvus called out to him. “Do you know where King Ezran is?”
Callum motioned to an arched doorway to another stone chamber. “He should be in there with Zym and Rayla. I gotta go check on Queen Janai and Aunt Amaya.”
Corvus thanked him and stood, walking through the archway to find a larger, more open room filled with people.
King Ezran kneeled on the edge of the chamber, playing with Bait and the Dragon Prince. Corvus silently took his place standing beside him.
Ezran looked up from their game and jumped to his feet to throw his arms around him. “You’re here!”
Soren joined them, and received a hug as well.
They stood on either side of Ezran as he returned to his game with Bait. Corvus leaned towards Soren and quietly thanked him for carrying him up to Callum.
The room rumbled and pebbles dislodged from the ceiling. Zym yelped and ran up a short staircase and into another room.
Everyone followed, pouring into an enormous room containing a large dragon.
Corvus and Soren stood side by side as the dragon stood, and spoke.