Lost Child is a side story published through the official website of The Dragon Prince. It revolves around Claudia as she reflects on her past and braces for the future. It is part of a short story series called "Reflections".[1]
Summary[]
Following their escape from Umber Tor, Claudia tries to wake her father Viren up, but he does not respond and continue to sleep with an uneasy fever. Despite the calmness of the forest around them, Claudia is unable to find peace, especially since her enemies, Team Zym, are not far away from Umber Tor as well. Terry tells Claudia that she should fetch some water from a nearby pond for Viren, but she does not wish to leave her father for one moment. This opts Terry to stay behind with Viren and sing his favorite song, which encourages the reluctant Claudia to fetch water.
Claudia eventually reaches the pond after pushing through the thick vegetation. She splashes some water to refresh and cool off from the chaos she survived in Umber Tor. As the ripples of the pond give way to her reflection, Claudia notices how the white portion of her hair makes her look older. She denies the idea that her aging is a result of her continuous practice of dark magic and splashes her reflection away when the Being approaches her.
The Being starts to mimic Claudia's movements before she asks it to sit with her. When Claudia asks the Being for ideas, it begins to use its finger to rake the damp ground. Claudia yells in frustration that the Being will not listen to her commands and that it is simply following her despite its role as the messenger of Aaravos. The mention of the Startouch Elf causes Claudia to remember how Aaravos abandoned her shortly after she gathered the ingredients required to resurrect her father. Claudia grimaces when the Being inadvertently flings mud at her clothes after she requested for an audience with Aaravos.
Annoyed by the Being's lack of cooperation, Claudia assures herself that her father will be okay until she remembered how she found his broken body at the base of the Storm Spire. She also recalled how Aaravos encouraged her to accept his help and she possesses the power to fix anything. Claudia then turns and rant to the Being with the belief that everyone she knew had abandoned her: Aaravos, Viren, her brother Soren, and her mother Lissa. The mere mention of Lissa brings back the trauma she endured during her childhood. Although Lissa had returned to Del Bar following her separation with Viren, Claudia can still feel her mother's presence lingering around her, particularly the smell of her violet perfume.
Despite the sad memories, Claudia is grateful for having the Being as company as it reveals a pair of iridescent snails in its muddy palm. This gives Claudia an idea to use one of the snails in a dark magic spell that somewhat rejuvenates her appearance. With her newfound confidence, Claudia believes that she can fix anything and decides to return to Viren and Terry with the Being by her side.
Trivia[]
- The story plays after the events of "Escape from Umber Tor".
References[]
| Reflections | ||||||||||||
| Volume 1 | Patience • The Queen's Soul • Inheritance • The Royal Council • Crackledrake • Dear Callum • Changing of the Guard • Rise Again | |||||||||||
| Volume 2 | Ripples • Lost Child • All Storms End • The Queen's Mercy • Strangers • After Darkness • Deep Below • Chasing Shadows - Part One • Chasing Shadows - Part Two • Chasing Shadows - Part Three | |||||||||||