Plotting/Wither/General AU

general au idea

## Dragonslayer AU

### Rebellion Leader Ivy

* Daffodil, Violet, Foxglove, and Squirrel get banished after they head to the ruins of Valor, and it ends up driving Ivy to demand information about the plot of sorts against Heath from Brook (i believe it was kind of implied that Brook was involved in some way but either way. Brook is one of the main heads leading it here)
* Long story short Ivy ends up getting heavily involved with it and ends up roping more people into it including others who aren’t Wingwatchers, like Daffodil’s older sister Daisy (and I kind of would be interested in Lark possibly getting involved but at the same time?? not sure she might find out but doesn’t want to get involved).
* she turns into a sort of leader for some of the “rebellion” since she’s the one who convinced more people to join (to name a few there’s Daisy, Chipmunk, and Moth - Daisy mainly because Daffodil got banished and Chipmunk and Moth because Squirrel is their older brother and. Chipmunk is also kind of doing it because Daisy convinced him to)
* during this Ivy is just. hurt and betrayed by Heath at this point and does not want anything else to do with him and at some point refuses to call him her dad, at least not in her head.
* she also misses her friends a lot and blames herself for them getting banished, and the moment she does vent about this to Brook Ivy accidentally just got a new mom (okay but please hear me out Brook would absolutely treat all of the younger Wingwatchers like her own kids and Ivy is no exception)
* Ivy ends up becoming close friends with Moth and Forest, who are also both heavily involved with the rebellion at this point (Forest less so at Brook’s insistence because like. come on she was stated to try and keep him “conspiracy-free” his whole life. also he just doesn’t want to risk getting banished lmao)
* Ivy also discreetly gets help to head to the old ruins - only rarely, however. she meets up with Daffodil, Violet, Foxglove, and the others every so often. they reassure her that it isn’t her fault (except for Azalea for obvious reasons), and try to come up with a plan to continue working on dethroning Heath. these meetings are short-lived as Ivy can’t risk staying very long
* She eventually takes it upon herself to try and gather more information on who her father might be suspecting, though she doesn’t particularly enjoy it. Ivy constantly fears that she might be found out, and worries about what he might do to her friends this time, and what he might do to her if he figures out that she’s part of the ones leading the rebellion against him (and Lark for that matter)

### Villain Leaf

* while training with Rowan one day, Leaf argues with her over being a dragonmancer apprentice. long story short Rowan reveals the truth to Leaf, which he’s still angry about like in canon
* at some point before the copy of the map is made, Leaf eventually “gives in” to his inner Wren’s suggestion to leave Talisman and become a dragonslayer, fueled mainly by anger and vengeance
* he attempts to leave in the middle of the night, but! Tadpole (fellow dragonmancer apprentice) catches him in the act and tries to talk him out of it. they bicker for a bit before Leaf eventually just allows Tadpole to come with him, since he doesn’t want to be caught by anyone else
* from that point on the two travel together. the two head for the Indestructible City, at Leaf’s insistence. they both grow closer to each other and develop a close friendship along the way there.
* once they reach it, they’re surprised by the long line to get into the city. Tadpole asks Leaf if he really wants to go through with his plan - Leaf is set on meeting the Invincible Lord at this point, after making the trip
* i imagine that this happens during a similar time when Wren is there and when General Sandstorm arrives at the city so?? that happens while Leaf and Tadpole are waiting in the line. Leaf and Wren briefly meet for a moment but don’t have time to talk - both are helping the kids get to safety during this
* After Sandstorm leaves, he pulls Tadpole aside, telling him that this was his perfect chance to become a dragonslayer. Tadpole asks if that was the smartest idea, to which Leaf argues that the smartest idea was to eliminate the threat of dragons to humans everywhere. Tadpole just leaves the argument be since Leaf is. uncompromisable when it comes to that
* (on a semi-related note, Leaf does wonder if that was Wren he saw there. he doubts it, as he still strongly believes she’s dead and there was no point in trying to raise his hopes up)
* Tadpole then asks how Leaf was going to find Sandstorm again - Leaf says that since he was a desert dragon and the Dragonslayer had supposedly killed one, the Dragonslayer would know where to find them. he also adds that he wants to learn how to slay a dragon properly, as he “couldn’t trust a liar’s advice” (yes he’s still angry at Rowan)
* Tadpole is frustrated with Leaf at this point and doubts it but again, doesn’t bother arguing because this is Leaf
* they end up heading to Valor, getting some instructions to get there from a few others waiting in the line first. Leaf is overly excited and Tadpole is just trying to hide his annoyance as discreetly as possible (but remains supportive of Leaf’s plan to the best of his ability)

### Joint AU

* similar events to Leaf and Ivy’s meeting in part three happen, though it’s a bit earlier when it happens. It’s just Ivy and Forest doing skygazing, and the two help Leaf and Tadpole out.
* once they get underground, Forest catches his breath and welcomes them to Valor, joking around while doing so. Tadpole laughs awkwardly, while Leaf flat out ignores it. Leaf keeps his introduction brief and asks to see the Dragonslayer. Ivy is surprised, but does so anyways
* on the way there, Moth passes by them and joins upon being told what’s happening (mainly because he thinks it’d be “more entertaining to watch instead of another banishment,” as a few more of those have happened since)
* after some back and forth talk about the banishments and Ivy and Tadpole keeping Leaf from starting a fight with Forest and Moth, they reach the Dragonslayer’s cave. a few elements play out similarly to canon when Leaf meets Heath - Heath tells him that he missed the last assembly and that he’ll just have to wait for the next one
* instead however, Leaf insists he wants to become a dragonslayer and was hoping that Heath would teach him how. Heath turns to Tadpole, to which Tadpole confirms, adding that Leaf’s looked up to Heath his whole life.
* Heath is quiet for a moment before telling Leaf to come back later, wanting to talk with him. Leaf is surprised and vaguely excited, and Tadpole is mildly relieved that Leaf didn’t start a fight with Heath. Ivy tries to keep calm during the whole conversation, but is inwardly freaking out the entire time
* after Heath shuts the door, Leaf thanks Ivy, and Ivy accepts this, though she’s terrified of what her dad wants with Leaf. Leaf asks where he and Tadpole can stay for the time being - Moth reluctantly offers that they can stay with him and Chipmunk for the time being (as they both lived with Squirrel prior to his banishment as their parents have passed/or were one of the recently banished. either way works)
* Chipmunk isn’t particularly happy with the arrangement, but doesn’t complain. the four talk for a bit before Chipmunk heads out, saying he needs to be at one of the exits in a bit. Moth offers Squirrel’s room to Leaf and Tadpole, saying that it hasn’t been touched in a while, so it shouldn’t be too messy. Leaf and Tadpole head to the room and talk for a bit in private
* Leaf thanks Tadpole for sticking with him, calling him a great friend. Tadpole is flustered, returning the compliment. Leaf goes on to say that he believes they’ll do great things together - it turns into a back and forth of sappy comments to one another, before Leaf decides to take a nap. Tadpole promises to wake him up when he needs to go see Heath.
* as Tadpole leaves he overhears Moth talking with Ivy at the door about Heath, and her concerns in hushed voices - he doesn’t say anything and is nervous about it, and decides not to tell Leaf for the time being as he doesn’t want to bring down Leaf’s mood or wake him up early. Tadpole just jumps into their conversation, trying to look like he wasn’t eavesdropping. Moth doesn’t really notice, but Ivy does.
* Ivy has already given her notes to one of the older Wingwatchers overseeing her and Forest, and heads with Forest to talk to Brook about Leaf and Tadpole. Brook doesn’t have much advice, just saying to keep a low profile around them
* Ivy is trying to convince herself that she shouldn’t stress so much over it, and that it was good of her to bring Leaf and Tadpole into Valor. she’s (mostly) failing, but tries to look on the positive side of things. she ends up heading back to her home and her nerves are still high
* one of Heath’s guards comes to get Leaf later in the day. Leaf and Heath talk for awhile in his office, and Leaf ends up working for Heath to root out the people who oppose the Dragonslayer. it is important to note that he is being manipulated by Heath as well and Heath mentions he should be the most suspicious of the Wingwatchers, telling Leaf how many he’s banished for opposing him
* Leaf heads back to Tadpole after this, telling him everything. Tadpole is somewhat happy for Leaf, asking why there would be people against Heath. Leaf guesses that someone as famous as the Dragonslayer would have some people after him.
* Tadpole debates telling Leaf about what he heard earlier, but decides to just let Leaf know that he is a little suspicious of Moth and Ivy. Leaf is surprised and doubts that they’re against Heath, but keeps it in mind for Tadpole’s sake
* note - Moth is not overhearing anything because he’s simply not at home and is finishing up what he was doing earlier - Chipmunk is back by this time, but isn’t particularly interested in their business and doesn’t even know why the two are there
* from that point Leaf, Tadpole, Moth, Forest, and Ivy develop something of a friendship - Leaf and Ivy seem to get on very well, despite their suspicions of each other and opposing views on dragons (this is solely platonic). though Leaf genuinely enjoys their company, he is still gathering information on who might be against Heath through them, as they are Wingwatchers.
* eventually Leaf figures out a few people who are a part of the rebellion - he reports them to Heath, though Heath doesn’t do anything right away. instead he demands for Leaf to find out who are the ones leading it. Leaf goes ahead with it, not really thinking on it much.
* Ivy has seen Leaf going into her father’s office more and as of late and decides to listen into one of their conversations - she quickly figures out what Leaf’s been doing since becoming friends with her, Moth, and Forest, and is ashamed of herself for not realising sooner and for letting herself get close to him
* she doesn’t really get a chance to let any of the Wingwatchers know right away, since Leaf leaves the office while she’s still outside the door. they have a tense conversation that ends in Ivy excusing herself by saying she was just checking on Leaf, and had to go do skygazing soon. Leaf accepts this, but is highly suspicious of her after it
* Ivy and Forest do their skygazing for the day, and Ivy confides her worries to him. they agree to warn Moth, Chipmunk, and Brook. however, before their time skygazing would normally be up, one of the older Wingwatchers in the rebellion tells them they need to get out of the tree and head to the ruins. (for simplicity’s sake in this au they are Holly and are Foxglove’s slightly older twin)
* as it turns out, Leaf ends up figuring out that Ivy is one of the main people behind the rebellion - he’s conflicted, but is angry and hurt that another person chose to lie to him again. he reports it to Heath and thus the arrests begin. (and like in canon, Stone ends up escaping via his escape tunnel jsyk)
* Ivy asks about the dreamvisitor, and Holly replies they’ll try to get it to them as soon as she can. Holly just tells them to run for the ruins and don’t look back. Ivy and Forest head for the ruins and meet up with the other banished Wingwatchers for the time being. they also meet up with Stone, who also fled Valor
* Once Holly reaches cave they and Foxglove share, they end up getting arrested as soon as they grab the dreamvisitor. Leaf ends up finding it after the commotion dies down, saving it for the time being to ask Heath about it.
* Leaf asks, and Heath immediately backs away from the gem, demanding that Leaf get rid off it and dump it far away from Valor. Leaf wonders what could’ve caused that reaction, but decides to hide the dreamvisitor somewhere in the woods nearby the ruins with Tadpole.
* Meanwhile - Ivy, Forest, Daffodil, Violet, Foxglove, Squirrel, Pine, Azalea, and Stone are all struggling to come up with a plan to get back into Valor without getting arrested. While keeping watch in the trees with Daffodil and Violet, Ivy spots Leaf and Tadpole - they catch the two and retrieve the dreamvisitor.
* Answers are demanded of them, but Leaf refuses to answer, giving snarky replies to their questions - Tadpole is just too nervous to respond. Ivy is especially angry with Leaf, and his comments do not help at all. it gets to the point where Foxglove probably has to restrain Ivy from physically harming him
* Ivy eventually just asks why Leaf joined forces with Heath. Leaf defends Heath, entirely oblivious to the truth. Ivy attempts to correct him, but to no avail. it leads to Stone confirming it, which shocks Leaf. at this point Leaf is unsure of what to believe any more after having it revealed to him
* events similar to canon happen for a while (Sunny meeting Ivy and Leaf, them heading to the SandWing stronghold). except Ivy and Leaf are more irritable around each other and are trying their best to not kill each other the whole time
* while they’re away, Heath’s guards manage to catch Violet, Foxglove, and Squirrel off-guard and arrest them. Daffodil is terrified and upset over it, and when Ivy finds out she comforts Daffodil, promising to save Violet (and the others). Leaf begins to feel somewhat guilty over reporting the leaders of the rebellion to Heath, now seeing what effects it’s had on other people. he tries to ignore it but is failing miserably
* when Leaf finds out Wren is alive and Ivy and Leaf still have that talk before he goes to Cereus. Ivy tries to be as genuine as she can about it (considering both of them dislike each other greatly), and promptly leaves before Leaf can say anything to her. Leaf actually feels a bit guilty over it before shrugging it off and heading off to find Wren
* Leaf and Wren reunite like in canon. however, they both recognise passing each other in the Indestructible City as well. Wren is happy to see Leaf at first but is shocked when Leaf reveals what he’s done since then. she’s angry, and asks him what part of him thought it was okay. Leaf doesn’t show remorse for his actions, but rather that he believed so strongly in Heath. he asks for Wren to at least help him take out the Dragonslayer (as he wants revenge), and Wren (and Sky) reluctantly agree to do so. canon events occur
* Wren and Sky meet Daffodil, Ivy, Stone, Pine, Azalea, and Tadpole. Wren seems to hit it off with Daffodil and Ivy, getting along pretty well. Azalea and Pine are keeping their distance, and Tadpole sticks by Leaf the whole time. they discuss the plan to dethrone Heath, and decide to scare him into admitting the truth (Leaf is still conflicted over this, as he doesn’t want to believe another person lied to him)
* canon events happen, except Heath is either 1) thrown in prison or 2) banished from Valor. either works (i mean sentencing him to death also works but i don’t think Ivy has the heart to do that, even if she hates him in this au). Leaf watches the whole scene and is disgusted, and yells at Heath before storming away. the imprisoned are freed, Brook is appointed the new lord and Ivy, Wren, and Sky leave Valor.
* Pine, Azalea, and Stone stay in Valor, while Ivy, Daffodil, and Violet travel with Wren and Sky. they remove the dragonmancers from their position of power while doing so. Leaf and Tadpole promptly “disappear” after the events that happened in Valor, which apparently took place around the same time as one of Heath’s hired guards (long story short - they and the guard are headed to the Indestructible City). Wren and Ivy are worried about what Leaf is planning on doing and where he went, but it isn’t their main concern