Deep Below

**Deep Below** is a side story published through the official website of *The Dragon Prince*. It revolves around Ezran, Soren, Corvus, Bait, Azymondias, and Pyrrah exploring the Arcus Vault to uncover a magical artifact that can summon Domina Profundis. It is part of a short story series called "Reflections".

## Summary

Ezran, Soren, Corvus, Bait, and Zym are surprised to discover that the pedestal inside the Storm Spire opens the entrance to the Arcus Vault when pushed down. Zubeia informs the group that she and Avizandum had been protecting the treasures inside the Arcus Vault for a long time since some of them have been considered as dangerous. The Dragon Queen also advises them to stay close to Pyrrah since she knows where the Siren Stone is being kept. Ezran knows that without the map to the prison of Aaravos, they need to gain a possible new lead from Domina Profundis, the Archdragon of the Ocean, and the Siren Stone is the key to an ancient rune-beacon on the eastern coast of Xadia that can be used to summon her. As the group climbs down the spiraling stairs of the Arcus Vault, Ezran asks Zubeia if she joining them. Zubeia reveals that the vault is a painful place for her since it is filled with treasures of both marvel and complicated history. This reminds Ezran to the time when his father Harrow explained to him on how the paintings inside Katolis's castle are also filled with complicated history. Ezran encourages Zubeia that it is better to see the past for what it was than to hide it, only for the Dragon Queen to respond by gently nudging the young king towards Pyrrah before she tells him that he will understand her pain someday.

As Ezran and his group enter the Arcus Vault, they start to search for the Siren Stone among the great treasure hoards that include elven armor, magical staffs, dusty tomes, and Xadian weapons that remind them of Rayla's blades. Soren decides to goof around by donning one of the elven helmets as Pyrrah continues to lead them to the Siren Stone. Pyrrah's tail then causes a stack of tomes to topple to the floor, which then reveals a black Shadowhawk to the group. Ezran assures the terrified Zym that it is just an arrow until he sees a blood ribbon strapped around it. When Soren and Corvus examine the arrow, Ezran explains that he had seen a similar binding on Rayla, although hers was white and supposed to fall off if she succeeded in killing him. Soren and Corvus deduce that the red coloration of the blood ribbon meant that its original owner succeeded in killing his target, which causes a horrified Ezran to realize that the Shadowhawk belonged to Runaan, the Moonshadow Elf who killed Harrow.

Pyrrah manages to locate the Siren Stone inside an ornate chest and the group is mesmerized by its beauty. When Ezran asks why the Siren Stone was locked away in the Arcus Vault, Pyrrah replies that the gem possesses a complicated history like Ezran's crown that was once the blade of his father's sword. The Fire Dragon then reveals that Domina Profundis was Zubeia's greatest friend who used to call herself a protector of all of Xadia and helped the other Archdragons in maintaining peace. While Domina watched over the rain, the lakes, and the rivers of the surface, her friend, a leviathan called the Empress of the Deep, protected the vast oceans in her stead. Several humans and elves became curious and greedy about the potential treasures that the Empress hid beneath the waves, which motivated them to hunt and kill the Empress with a hundred ships. By the time Domina Profundis arrived to help, she was too late as the Empress was already dead. Grief and fury drove the Archdragon of the Ocean to drown the ships in a terrible storm, but it did not sate both her anger and guilt. Despite Zubeia's pleas, Domina declared that the would never leave the depths of the sea again and left the Siren Stone to the Dragon Queen as the only means of contact.

Despite Ezran telling Pyrrah that they are using the Siren Stone for something good, the Fire Dragon simply says that wounds fester and do not leave pretty scars. The disheartened Ezran closes the chest before Soren and Corvus start to lift it out from the Arcus Vault. Ezran then returns to the Shadowhawk that carried the message of his father's assassination and stomps it angrily with his boot.

## Trivia

* The story plays after the events of "Escape from Umber Tor".
* The origin of Ezran's new crown is a reference to the side story "The Royal Council".

## References

1. ↑ The Dragon Prince Official Twitter - Deep Below