The Drakewood is the thirty-third episode of The Dragon Prince. It is the sixth chapter of the fourth book, "Earth".
Zym helps the friends search the forest for a missing Soren. In the Sunfire Elves' camp, Queen Janai calls a tribunal to decide the architect's fate.
Plot[]
Inside the Pit of Despair, Soren is being pushed back by the dragon he has been imprisoned with. When trying to form a friendship and extending his hand, the shine of his armor blinds the dragon, which reacts with anger in response.
When Rayla awakes at morning, she notices that Soren has not returned and assumes that he has gotten into trouble with the Drakeriders. While Callum scolds Rayla for her negligence, Ezran climbs a tree as he senses that Azymondias has followed them. After the two crash down from the tree, Callum calls out Zym's disobedience to his mother, who had forbidden him to come along, only to be tackled down affectionately. Rayla is anything but amused and suggests that Zubeia will kill them if she finds out that Zym has snuck out. When Ezran insists that Zym wants to help, Callum suggests to use the telepathic bond the two share to use Zym's eyes for the purpose of scouting for Soren.
Karim joins Janai in her tent to make her aware of the rising tension in the camp. As Janai does not seem to take him seriously, he asks her if she would have been as calm if the Soul Candle that had been snuffed out had belonged to their sister, Khessa. He emphasized how much everyone has lost, and how people may fear they will lose their way of living as well due to the presence of humans. When Karim demands that Lucia should face justice, Gren and Amaya step into the tent. Not understanding the significance of the sacred ritual of the Sunfire Elves, Amaya ridicules the need for punishment for Lucia. Fearing that the situation could be taken as a joke, Karim demands for a Tribunal of the Six Horns, which would result in death for Lucia if found to be guilty. With a heavy heart, Janai chooses to respect their people's traditions and to call for a tribunal.
Ezran follows Callum's advise and sends Zym out to scout the Drakewood through his eyes. When the dragonling finds the village of the Drakeriders and lands at the Pit of Despair, Ezran notices what appears to be pieces of Soren's armor. However, the Drakeriders are aware of the presence of a dragon in their village and prepare to hunt Zym down. Despite his best efforts to fight back, Zym is eventually knocked out of the sky and tumbles to the forest floor. While Team Zym searches for their missing friend, Callum admits that it was a stupid idea to risk Zym's life and is called out by Rayla for it, resulting in a short fight that is broken up when Ezran reminds them who they are: the first human primal mage in centuries, and the last Dragon Guard. By casting "Stratum Caligo", Callum is able to buy some time by covering the forest in thick fog. Using Rayla as a distraction, Ezran manages to drop Bait into the lap of Warlon, one of the Drakeriders, who is blinded and knocked out of his dragon by a branch. With the riders off their backs, the group makes their way to Zym, where they run into N'than, yet another Earthblood Elf. As an aspiring Drakerider, N'than insists to claim Zym as his mount, though can not bring himself to harm him. After Zym is freed from his restraints, N'than is informed that he is the Dragon Prince, causing the young elf to apologize profusely until forgiven.
As the tribunal begins, Lucia is placed before the Six Horns, the most esteemed generals of Lux Aurea. Janai steps out to deliver the accusations to the defendant, announcing that her fate would be decided by the Six Horns. Karim proceeds to serve his case against Lucia, explaining how the Soul Candle she had extinguished was part of a sacred ritual of mourning that the architect had dishonored. After he finishes speaking, Amaya prepares to deliver her defense for Lucia, though she realizes that her defendant is not innocent. Amaya apologizes for her own behavior and asks for the judgement to be compassionate. Despite this, the Six Horns sentence Lucia to death by declaring her guilty. With the decision made, Janai asks for Lucia to hold out her hands while remembering that she is an architect. While it first appears as if Janai plans to cut off Lucia's hands, she instead destroys the chains on her shackles and declares that instead of bloodshed, Lucia should build a shrine where Soul Candles can be lit safely under the guidance of their priests. Lucia promises to make it her greatest work possible.
After she watches Karim leave, Janai fetches her brother to bring him up a stairway, asking him if he knew where the Great Orb of the Sunforge had originally come from. Upstairs, Janai reveals a Sun Seed to her brother, explaining that it would grow big enough one day to replace the lost orb of the Sunforge. Karim realizes that they would not get to live to see the day when the orb would have grown large enough, as it would require centuries. Janai agrees, instead hoping for their children to appreciate the seed they had sown.
N'than wonders what Team Zym is doing in the forest, and learns that they are on the search for the lair of Rex Igneous. When Rayla tells N'than that they are missing a friend, he remembers Soren as the "gourd guy" for how he had knocked out Warlon,[1] and claims to know where he has been taken. His prison also turns out to coincidentally lead to the second entrance into Umber Tor, though when the location turns out to be the Pit of Despair, Team Zym is anything but happy. After he leads them there, they spot Soren's armor in the pit and Rayla believes that she had caused their friend to be eaten by the drake that was with him. With Callum comforting Rayla, they theorize that Soren may have taken the path into the mountain and, with N'than volunteering to be their guide, they enter the path to the lair of Rex Igneous.
As night falls, Karim meets with Miyana, a member of the Six Horns and his lover, to inform her that he believes Janai is walking a path that will be the end of Lux Aurea's history. He fears the only choice is to finish Janai's chapter and the two share an embrace.
After Soren successfully escapes, he tries to make his way back to the camp to find his friends, calling out how he has taken off his armor after realizing that its shine had scared his new drake-friend, whom he has dubbed "Squeaky". When he finds the camp abandoned, Squeaky notices a noise, alerting Soren to the presence of Claudia.
Characters and Cast[]
Spells[]
Sky Spells
Trivia[]
- The episode mentions the events of "The Queen's Soul", in which Janai and Karim lit a candle for their sister Khessa to safely pass into the afterlife.
- An animation error occurred at 6:06 when the lighting on Rayla's face notably changed. This was eventually fixed in the third week after the season's release.
Credits[]
- N'than can be seen pictured in a direct reference to the cover art of of "Uncharted 2: Among Thieves".