Written by The Wandering Fox
The Dragon Prince has ended with Season 7. Whether it gets to continue will be up to Netflix. But you know me by now, I was not happy with the show for Through the Moon and Mystery of Aaravos. If you ask me, Through the Moon was pointless as to me it was resolved with very little thought to the book, Callum and Rayla hardly talk about it, we don’t know what Rayla did in the time skip other than visiting Scumport and adopting Stella, they just buried it under the rug. Through the Moon also began the annoying idea of “Hey, let’s try and do spin offs to our tv series and have lots of lore reveals in them”, as in the restoration of the Moon Nexus and Rayla meeting the spirits of her colleagues. This led on with The Bloodmoon Huntress, in which we meet Kim’dael the Bloodmoon Elf who is the reason why Moonshadow elves are thought to be blood suckers and is the reason why Rayla is scared of the water. Then they did the short stories on the website such as Ezran’s hatred for Runaan, Soren and Viren’s interaction in season 4. Man, if only these stories were better done and were done in the series?
Mystery of Aaravos had lots of problems, such as characters being written badly, terrible humour, conveniences happening in favour for the characters, a side plot which, though tied in with Aaravos, was badly done, and a final season which had been rushed out desperately while leaving a sequel hook with an idea they hadn’t explored since the second season.
And let’s be real: Aaron lied. He promised Mystery of Aaravos would be as dark as the latter Harry Potter books. We had been hoping it’d be mature, the innocence of the younger ages would be gone with the humour toned down. Instead the most dark we got is just bloody violence and some emotional scenes, but that was it. Ezran didn’t change until season six, Soren got dumber with him flossing, wearing pink pyjamas, a good episode resolved with “Hey, you don’t have to be like him, be good”, character stories bulldozed and the big baddie is honestly a joke upon fighting him.
As the series went on I thought “Maybe I could rewrite this”. I had a much different story in mind until human Aaravos appeared. Him alone was enough to have me think of how things could’ve gone.
I’m the Wandering Fox and I’m here to give you guys my own idea of how this could have continued.
What To Scrap
Through the Moon. That’s gone. Just like it’s effect on the story, it’s nothing now. There’s no “Rayla runs away to hunt the guy who not only kicked her arse but her mum and dad’s arses as well”.
The time skip, well going by two years. I’m cutting it back to at least a few months.
The fart jokes.
The Sunfire elf plot.
Karim.
Kim’dael.
Sir Sparklepuff. He’s gone cos all he was there for was to resurrect Viren and just manages to distract Aaravos. Instead the cocoon Aaravos’s creature made had been fine to not only revive Viren but fed off him to create a human body for Aaravos to have to walk in. The body fades upon it finding the prison and freeing Aaravos.
Harrow is Pip. I cut that out cos it was just a bloody cheek on the writers. This was hardly seen to since the second season and it’s a sequel hook, while also damaging the second and fifth seasons of the entire cartoon.
Finnegrin.
Terry is rewritten. He doesn’t just come out of nowhere and is Claudia’s boyfriend, no. He’s introduced later as somebody who feels sorry for Claudia and wants to help her better herself.
Rex Igneous.
Domina Profoundus.
Ibis dying.
Aaravos’s death. Or how it’s done here, it’s different.
Claudia escapes.
The prison Aaravos is in is not located in the bones of Leola, instead it’s at the Starscraper.
Claudia losing a leg.
The whole “Startouch elves can’t die” is cut cos I think that was a cop out on the writers who want to continue the series.
Those are what I’m cutting out.
Why Human Aaravos?
With Aaravos disguising himself as a human the writers had a lot of untapped story potential there. Aaravos has a human disguise, briefly tries tricking Callum, then he just keeps it around only he’s walking around in Xadia with nobody else looking at him. You know what they could’ve done? Had Aaravos manipulate other humans to go against Ezran, as in the kingdom of Neolandia. He could have had King Ahling be Ezran and Anaya’s enemy. Could’ve had the Dark Mages come together under him and Claudia.
The human Aaravos would have also helped with Viren’s desire to go back and face up to what he did, the more he sees Aaravos manipulate Claudia the more he realises he has done a horrible thing in helping Aaravos. This has Claudia grow more closer to Aaravos. This will also let us have Aaravos talk with Callum a lot.
Aaravos as well is not going to be nerfed like he was in the series. He toys with Callum in their first fight, but he shows his full power upon getting his body back, turning off the sun. The way he’s defeated is much different. There we go then. Done.
That and I think having the time skip go forward to November and December makes it for a much creepy story with the undead and the spirits involved. With Aaravos disguised, it will have you feeling nervous.
Exactly what are the stories of the other characters?
There was a criticism of how the Mystery of Aaravos did oh so little with Callum as a human mage, hence that will be a key factor in his growth this version of the story. That and Callum’s development here is about his desire for only peace and how he just wants others to be happy. Hence he works hard to keep Ezran but Aanya as well supported with him as the voice for humanity for Zubeia while also making sure Rayla gets to go home. Callum’s other character arc is responsibility thanks to him having the power of magic he is gonna be pressured and tempted by others around him to do things with his power he doesn’t want. There’s humans who want him to tell them of his power, they desire him to kill the dragons, then there’s the elves who think Callum is a Blood Mage, then there’s Aaravos and Claudia, who tempt him in helping them to get to speak to his dead family again. With Callum, he takes it upon himself the biggest burdens of the series, be it him fighting Aaravos, resurrecting Runaan, protecting Ezran from King Ahling, even elven who he will save from Claudia. Upon the end of the series, Callum is seen as far greater than Ezran or any dragon, many looking to him as their hero and hope. We have him also proving himself to others while not wanting to be guided by hate or greed, instead he takes the bigotry on the chin and bluntly goes about proving others wrong. However, he does have his heart tested with Claudia as he almost kills her, he wishes to see his mum and dads again, but he can’t. He does research on other magic in his sparkly, as well as other forbidden magic like Blood Magic as he wants to understand what else there is to not do. Oh and cos Rayla didn’t leave, he and her are fine, they’re lovestruck as always. He does have his dark side tempt him in the last half of the final season, urging him to kill Aaravos with Dark Magic, how everybody will adore him, be powerful. Yet as we know he walks away, as he’s a good guy and will do things his own way. It’s his own destiny.
Ezran’s story has him throwing himself in to his role as king, with him bitterly coming away from his childhood innocence and focussing on making peace with not only the Sunfire elves but with the other Human Kingdoms. With this, Ezran has others by his side that being who do their utter hardest to guide him, all the while still going through the pains of growing up. He has the most morally challenging moments in the series with the exception of Callum, with him struggling to forgive Zubeia while also dealing with angry kings and queens for the events of the final battle, as well as thinking if Claudia can be redeemed. Claudia does become a foil to Ezran in some way as he honestly feels betrayed by her, and the more deaths which come about thanks to him giving her a chance does have him think if he’s truly right to be king. But he also ends up being everything she wished she could. He still has his family, he has his home and tries not to let his hatred do anything to him.
Rayla’s story is much different here, with her not running away she’s instead focussed on trying to reconnect with Ethari and investigate what happened to her mum, dad and Runaan. With her having helped in the final battle, Zubeia manages to get Rayla a chance to explain herself to the Keeper. Callum goes with her to back her up on Tiadrin and Lain, which has Rayla reunite with Ethari but is hurt by not only the other elves attitude to her but to Callum. Though Rayla gets unghosted and she and Ethari notice the lotus hasn’t completely sunk, Rayla is weary of the place now thanks to the utter racism Callum suffers and has her realise her own views of the world were influenced by them until she left. Rayla leaves with her wanting to find out what happened to Runaan with Ethari going with her. Rayla’s story has her coming to realise she isn’t the same girl she was before leaving the Silvergrove which Ethari notices, her more considerate and understanding of humanity’s struggles as well as seeing the pain Callum and Ezran are going through in this era has her realise her home is neither the Silvergrove or the Storm Spire, it’s the people in her life. Ethari does come to understand the way he was raised was wrong and how he had made Rayla suffer has him grow more proud of his daughter. Rayla does have a few scraps with Claudia thanks to her killing Viren and Claudia having the souls of her family. Rayla has become a more talkative person than going for her blades as such she proves upon being captured by King Ahling’s guards, instead trying to talk him out of his grief. Rayla’s fears of Dark Magic are elaborated with her fearful of what it could do to Callum while guilty he did it for her. Rayla becomes his tether to hope after he ends up losing to Aaravos with her helping him find the light in him again. By the end of the series Rayla and Callum get married and have a lot of children with each other.
Claudia’s story is of revenge, she wants revenge on Rayla for killing Viren, wants revenge on Ezran and Soren for “betraying” her, revenge on Callum for choosing the elves, blaming all of her loses on the elves and dragons with her wanting to kill them all. Claudia does meet Terry in season four and we see her beliefs tested upon meeting him, with Terry serving as her guide to help her, Viren and Aaravos’s cocoon through the forest, Terry taking sympathy on them as he thinks they’re just human beggars who lost their home in the fight, Claudia learning from Terry how he himself is tired of the fighting and wants both humans and elves to get along. Claudia does end up thinking if she’s got it wrong thanks to this, though after Terry realises he was tricked he just bitterly remarks she is a cruel woman for lying and treating him like an idiot. Claudia does doubt herself even more upon realising how different Viren is, questioning if this is the right way, but her hatred come back upon meeting Rayla, calling her a parasite who devoured everything, killed her father. Claudia does end up becoming more closer to Aaravos as she thinks Viren came back wrong thanks to him being more doubtful of everything she’s doing. Claudia does know Aaravos wants to freeze the planet but is happy to help as he will let her rule over some humans and teach them Dark Magic. Upon Viren’s death it has Claudia think the heroes killed him hence she wants to kill them before he can, with her calling Callum out for not being the hero humanity wanted. It’s only Callum scaring her with his powers that Claudia finally sees exactly what she’s becoming and she bitterly surrenders, knowing well she has to live with the fact she was the enemy in this whole thing.
Janai and Amaya have smaller roles here though we do see them developing feelings for each other as Amaya helps the Sunfire elves relocate to another city. Amaya introduces a few things to Janai and her people which ends up having her in awe. Ezran ends up talking with Janai on how to have a peaceful existence with Amaya helping him, Janai seeing just how much Amaya loves her nephew. Janai confronts her prejudices against humans with seeing how much they suffered while curious about Callum, to which Amaya has a heart to heart with her about Damian and how he and Sarai didn’t have any elven heritage.
Runaan, Tiadrin and Lain I’m going to bring them back differently. They will come back as part of Aaravos’s undead legion, but they are saved by Ethari and Rayla. This does leave Runaan choosing to face what he did, bowing before Ezran and offers himself to him. Ezran explains he can’t forgive him yet, but he can’t strip him of his family. He, Tiadrin and Lain end up finding out what happened to Rayla and Tiadrin and Lain confess they found things different after leaving, hence they choose to live a new life in this world that their child has helped.
Zym’s role is learning from his mum, learning of the good and bad of what his dad did and how to do right by all, not just elves and dragons but humans. He doesn’t talk, but he does get to learn how to draw words as well as study the history of Xadia, through Zym we learn of how the other Arch Dragons live in Xadia. He does even manage to question why others doubt Callum’s goodness as he explains, in his own words, how Callum saved him by giving up his only tie to magic, and has only used magic to help. Zym even gets emotional of how Callum and Ezran don’t hate him even though his dad killed their mum. Zym helps in the finale by helping create light lanterns for everybody after the sun has been turned off and he is seen as a hero by everybody.
I think the last characters to speak of is Astrid and Kosmo. Though Astrid still leaves the Starscraper, her, Kosmo and the Celestial Elves are the guards of Aaravos’s prison, choosing to simply be the tethers to the Cosmic Order, having them keep watch of Aaravos in the prison while also keeping themselves devoted to the Cosmic Order in hopes of Ascending, but Aaravos’s arrival including Callum’s battle with him forces Astrid to make her choice, and it’s to help others than Ascend, with her helping Callum in explaining Aaravos’s history as well as how to stop him. Kosmo though sticks with the Celestial Elves ends up becoming enslaved to Aaravos upon the sun being turned off, being blinded by Aaravos’s light it causes him to become crazed until he’s saved upon the death of his captor.
I think that’s it for the characters.
The End Goal
We thought we had been getting to see the Startouch Council confronted by Aaravos and at least see Leola again, but we didn’t. The end goal here is Aaravos is going to tear down the Startouch Elves to Xadia after he enslaved the Celestial Elves, he is then going to trap Xadia in a dark winter which is to kill all life, then he will start life again in his image, the Key of Aaravos being the key to him restarting life on Xadia. The Startouch Elves will their own powers and immortality after Aaravos injures them with a corrupted Novablade, he wants to keep them alive so they can watch him undo Xadia.
Leola’s backstory is different. Instead of her being killed for teaching magic to humans, her “guilt” is her trying to cover a kid who killed a unicorn by accident, the Cosmic Order think she’s betrayed them for covering up the death and has her killed. I’m doing this because if the Cosmic Order were that angry Leola taught humans how to do it, then why haven’t they come down to come after a certain guy who unlocked his own connection?
With all this done, I think we can go to the seasons.
Season 4: Earth
Set a few months after the final battle, winter is coming in and the Sunfire Elves are facing a population problem which Callum and Ezran are trying to resolve. The warriors are trying to find Claudia who has revived Viren. Zubeia has got an appointment for Rayla to see the Keeper and Ethari. Zubeia has Callum go, though while he’s gone she talks with Ibis, asking if he’s truly human. Ibis has collected samples amd can’t find any elven ancestry in him, thus Zubeia thinks of what he is to do, if he will get revenge or if he truly is there to only do kindness. Callum goes with her while Ezran goes to meet with Janai. Claudia explains to Viren they have to get to Lux Aurea to free Aaravos from the cocoon. Ezran mentions Katolis has a few forts to spare as homes for half of the Sunfire Elves, who split the other half to stay in the community homes in the other city and go to Katolis. Rayla is reunited with Ethari and is unghosted, though Callum gets along with the children he’s met with bigotry by a lot of the Moonshadow Elves, who recite culture beliefs Rayla had believed in but the racism towards him has her quit the village. While here they find Runaan’s lotus hasn’t sunk, hence Callum takes it with Ethari coming with him. Claudia and Viren meet Terry along the way and he helps them get through the forest, explaining himself to want only harmony among others and wants humans and elves to get along. The finale to this season has Callum, Ethari, Rayla, Corvus, Ezran and Soren confronting Claudia as the heroes meet up at Lux Aurea to go back to Katolis together. Terry is hurt for being tricked and flees while Claudia controls the corrupted Sunfire elves to go after the heroes, Viren and Soren have a hard moment, Callum battles Claudia while the cocoon crawls up to the corrupt Sunforge, which opens the cocoon and creates a whirlwind. The heroes flee. Aaravos stands up in his human form, smirking as he looks to Claudia and bows to her.
Season 5: Ocean
Though with a human body, Aaravos’s powers are limited, he can’t control the corrupt sunforge, but thanks to the cocoon drawing upon natural matter he has tapped into the memories of Xadia, he knows now he’s in the Starscraper, but finding it is hard. Though weary, Viren mentions Neolandia has a border with Xadia and has housed some secrets of it in King Ahling’s castle. Aaravos goes there with them. The heroes talk of Claudia, with them passing word out of her trip to Lux Aurea while Viren’s return does give them a chance to explain things to the other kingdoms. While here, Ezran hears of the pain Ethari is on over Runaan. Ezran has a chat with Callum and though he can’t forgive Runaan, he agrees with him that Rayla has suffered enough. Ezran tells them Gren was arrested and stayed in the prison with Runaan. Since he’s here they can ask him what happened. Gren explains how Viren went into Runaan’s cell and how upon leaving Viren left nobody in the room but was talking to a coin. Rayla recalls Viren saying he’d add her to his Moonshadow elves. Meanwhile, Claudia, Viren and Aaravos sneak across to Neolandia on a food barge in which Aaravos explains to Viren of Leola, Claudia already knew it. Aaravos tells Viren how they are alike, they’ve been betrayed by their people and must have them suffer, though Viren is doubtful, as Claudia wants to kill them all as well as Soren. They are however seen by a Duren guard. Ezran has this and tells them Claudia was spotted going to Neolandia, hence we have Callum, Rayla, Ethari, Corvus infiltrate Neolandia, with Ezran having Soren stay behind as he doesn’t want him to be forced to face such hurt. In Neolandia, Ethari crafts disguises for them all. They find out hatred for Xadia has only gotten worse and hatred for Katolis and Duren as well as we see Neolandia;s soldiers from the final battle, though back to normal, are still in job, though we see the good sides of it. Aaravos has King Ahling talk to him, explaining he’s a mere mage of Dark Magic and asks him about Callum, how Ahling fears him, he’s the reason Ahling hasn’t gone after Ezran out of fear Callum will kill him. Aaravos explains Callum is just a youngster, he’s inexperienced and he’s in Neolandia to kill King Ahling. Ahling has Callum arrested while Rayla and Ethari confront Claudia and Viren in the castle. Aaravos has a moment alone with Callum, asking him how he hasn’t taken the throne for himself, how he hasn’t shared his gift to others, to which Callum says he doesn’t think others can be trusted with his power. Callum is thrown into an arena which has flooding. Callum holds off the other fighters enough before he’s rescued by Corvus and the others who fly in on Zym and Zubeia. Callum confronts Ahiling and Aaravos, telling them both if he truly wanted to kill Ahling he would’ve done it ages ago. He tells Ahling to not listen to some guy he just met then flies out, finding Viren is with them having given up. Aaravos leaves and meets with Claudia, who desires her dad but Aaravos tells her he has to wait. For now they must go to the Starscraper.
Season 6: Star
With Viren back in custody, he confesses he doesn’t know how to reverse the coins but he knows Aaravos is going to the Starscraper. He fills everybody in on what he knows of him, of Leola, how he helped him kill the king of Del-Bar and the Queen of Evenere. Ethari thinks Lujanne could help in freeing the family, hence it’s agreed Callum will go to the Starscraper with Ibis, Zubeia and Zym while the moonfam go to the Moon Nexus. Ezran, Janai and Amaya get ready to talk to King Ahling with Aanya coming to help while Viren and Soren’s story goes just as much the same as it did in the original season. Zubeia confirms to Callum of Leola, how she was horrified the Startouch elves punished her and hated Sol Regem for doing this. It has Callum think of there being a way to convince Aaravos to stop. Callum meets Kosmo and Astrid with Zubeia requesting they take the prison of Aaravos, though Aaravos and Claudia appear and fight them all, with Claudia killing Ibis. Callum battles Aaravos, who toys with him until he frees himself from his prison. Aaravos snatches Callum and tells him he wants him to join him. He can live in a world free of racism, hatred, murder and nobody will be an orphan again. Though tired and scared, he refuses to help him, finally saying Leola would be so disappointed in him. Aaravos smirks and throws Callum away though Zubeia saves him. Though Rayla and Ethari are about to bring their family back, Aaravos appears at the Moon Nexus and break the veil, forcing them to fight Runaan, Tiadrin and Lain until they escape with Lujanne and Alan. The season ends with an undead Avizandium destroying the Pentarchy with Viren sacrificing himself then Aaravos turns off the sun, the Key of Aaravos in his hand upon succeeding.
Season 7: Dark
This has Astrid nurse Callum back to health with the Sunfire elves light offering up some light in the dark. The kings and queens are united with Ezran after Viren’s confession. Reuniting with the others, Callum has an emotional kiss with Rayla and cries, feeling he’s failed. Astrid though explains the Novablade can stop him, with it created from the bones of a Star Devourer dragon, killing him will collapsing him in a black hole. Callum is reluctant as he feels it’s wrong and he’d only be continuing the Cycle of Violence. Claudia helps find the Novablade for Aaravos and gives it to him. Aaravos greets the Cosmic Order as they come to Xadia and slashes them with the Novablade, corrupting it with blood which severs their connection to their Arcanum. With them and the Celestial Elves in his grip, Aaravos ties them up as he wants them to watch him undo their planet. Claudia is hurt by the death of her father but takes it out on the heroes, saying if Aaravos is gonna restart the planet then she’ll kill them before he does. She taunts Callum about how his power has led him to failure, if he embraced it then he would’ve kept all safe. Callum has enough and fights back with fury, almost killing Claudia until he’s scared her enough for her to see why he only uses his powers for other means. Frightened, Claudia surrenders. There’s a final battle in which Callum battles Aaravos, the heroes battle the undead army with Rayla and Ethari restoring their family, Zubeia saves Avizandium, Callum begs Aaravos to stop. In the fight Callum notices Aaravos has still got the Novablade corrupted. They end up going in space with Callum forming a bubble of air around him. In space, he asks him if Leola wanted this. Aaravos tells him she wouldn’t, but Leola is gone. Once all is dead, life will begin again, then all be happy as Leola’s own life would have been. He wrestled the Novablade out of him and Callum stabs Aaravos in his chest. Aaravos loses his power then he and Callum plummets to the Earth below but is saved by Zym. Aaravos is impressed Callum was clever enough to have the corruption help him, though he tells him to kill him. Callum though refuses and promises to prove to Aaravos the world can be what Leola wanted it to be without anymore death.
The Cosmic Order are stunned by what they have seen and realise they were wrong. The sun restored, Callum is met with happiness by the others. We get a epilogue in which Runaan is spared by Ezran, Tiadrin and Lain live out of their home, Janai and Amaya kiss, Zym is seen as a hero by everybody thanks to him creating light lamps. For Aaravos he’s imprisoned like any human thoigh he is allowed to see the progress of humans, elves and dragons coming together, leaving him to finally realise all he had to do was guide everybody with compassion than hatred, leaving him in tears. Claudia is visited by Lissa and Terry, Evyrkind has been built, and Callum and Rayla have had a few children, who hug their mum and dad as they gaze up together. Then later, Callum walks Rayla out on the bridge and kissed her.
Conclusion
The end. There’s no sequel hook to the end, it’s just done, we have the characters happily living, Claudia does got some finality with her finally arrested and could be redeemed, the human kingdoms have come to unite with Ezran, Aanya and the Sunfire elves. Yes, not all the racial issues have been resolved, but they know in time they will find hope and kindness. Kim’dael and Finnegrin could be out there, maybe running in with our heroes, who knows?
I don’t think it’s perfect, but I’d rather have something much different than what we got in between season three’s finale and the kiss between Rayla and Callum.
I hope I did please a lot of you with this rewrite. If I didn’t, well, I respect that. Though still, my journey with The Dragon Prince is done. I will not return for it if it gets another season, I’ve seen enough of it now and I’m getting off the bus, though I will do fan art here and there, but again with my journey done I can now truly focus on other things.
I’m the Wandering Fox and I’ll catch you later.
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