and, when the friendly sunshine smil'd,
and she would mark the opening skies,
i saw no Heaven—but in her eyes
Eulalie was enchanted by the Night Markets. It was the first she'd ever seen them, and they are all torch fire and shadows and intrigue. Each stall boasts a unique ware, jewelry that sparkled in the firelight, spices that left a warm fragrance in the air, and all manner of other things. The golden haired woman paused at a few to admire the craftsmanship she sees, and wishes it were possible to bring home a little bit of it all with her to Delumine.
"It's all so beautiful," she said to Somnus, who was with her as they walked side by side beneath the stars. Regis had begged to come along, though he was off someplace in the hands of Ipomoea. No doubt the two boys were well enjoying themselves. Tonight it was only about the pair of them, the first true night they'd had alone in a long while. Eulalie turned to the gilded, green eyed man at her side and brushed her muzzle against his cheek, walking close enough that her side brushed against his wing.
Then her gaze alighted on something just past him, and a curious, mischievous glimmer lit her deep brown eyes. The tent was shrouded in shadows, breathing them, even, despite the bonfires on either side. From this distance Eulalie could barely make out the shine of something woven into the fabric. Immediately she turned toward the tent, "Let's go this way," Eulalie said, beckoning Somnus after her as she went.
The flickering light of the flames turned her ivory skin to gold as she drew closer. It was difficult to see beyond the dark opening of the tent, and the mystery only made her curiosity climb. Tugging gently on a bit of Somnus' mane with a bubbling laugh, Eulalie pushed her way past the flaps separating them from the inside.
And inside, inside was a woman who looked like she was made of the night sky with eyes as silver as stars. There were pillows of ruby red and in the woman's possession is a deck of cards. "Sit," she summons them, and Eulalie looks toward Somnus with wide, bright eyes. She wondered what he thought of this, wondered what she could possibly ask. What was it that she desired to know?
She thought of Regis, her beloved son, who often seemed to be doing so well but then his health might take 3 steps backward. She thought of Somnus, her love, and the shock he'd experienced at seeing his brother alive, the tension, the history, the anger there. In the end she had one question, and if any could tell her what she sought maybe this woman could. Eulalie waited for Somnus to inevitably join her before she spoke, "How can we remain strong in the face of our challenges?"
While Somnus had been to Denocte before in search for rare ingredients that couldn’t be found within Delumine’s borders, he had never been within the capitol proper. To be meandering through the renowned Night Markets that he had heard so much about with Eulalie at his side was a treat, but he found that his eyes hardly wandered to the displays. Instead of taking in the very sights around him, the dunalino’s verdant eyes were rooted upon Eulalie to catch her every reaction. Where the world around them was cloaked with darkness from the late hour, the markets themselves were lit up beautifully with bonfires and little lanterns. The beauty of it all paled when compared to the sheer beauty and light radiating off of his beloved, however.
Nothing could compare to the way that Eulalie’s face lit up, the fire in her eyes bright and captivating every time she saw something intriguing or particularly beautiful, the curl of her lips as a smile overtook her face or the way her breath caught in surprise at the grandeur around them. It made a searing warmth pool in his gut, his heart growing warm with adoration and fondness. This was the woman who took his wretched soul from the brink of despair and, while difficult, repaired him. It was by her will, gentle, loving, steadfast, that Somnus became so much more than he thought possible.
’It’s all so beautiful.’ Eulalie’s words, melodic and wonderful, echoed in his ears but still he did not look away. A smile lit up the Dawn King’s features and he breathed in deep, savoring the scent of the perfumed night air. “Indeed,” he agreed upon a worshippers whisper, verdant eyes shining in wonder and love, “It truly is.”
Together they walked the streets of the markets, never straying far from one another. Every step they took, Somnus took great care to keep the down of his wing pressed against the pale warrior, letting her know that all was well and that he was there. The touch of her skin against him was reassuring as well. Eulalie was here, and she was safe. As they explored, Somnus let her lead, following along and nodding his head, just as captivated as she was with the sights and smells around them.
A gentle touch was shared between them, tender and loving, and Somnus relished in her caress. As they pulled apart and Eulalie’s rich brown eyes spotted something curious behind him, the gilded stallion turned his head to follow her gaze. The tent he spotted was darkly colored and swallowed by shadows despite the bonfires flickering merrily upon either side of it. The flaps into the tent were open, but darkness permeated inside, hiding the interior from prying eyes. Interesting…
Feeling the tug upon his mane, Somnus grinned at the teasing, mischievous look in Eulalie’s beautiful brown eyes and chuckled. His heart sped up, feeling oh so young again at her playful behavior. “My darling Eulalie,” he chided on a heartfelt chuckle, turning about to quickly follow her pale, slender form as she disappeared between the flaps of the tent.
Verdant eyes peered through the darkness as he followed, narrowing slightly as his gaze adjusted to the shift in light. The form that presented themselves wasn’t one he was expecting; as though created from the nebula themselves, glittering eyes like stars. One word was all she offered, the command to ’sit’. Turning his head, Somnus regarded Eulalie with a questioning look and an arched brow, but as her pale form slowly shifted to rest upon the comfortable velveteen pillows, the Dawn King did the same.
Silence spread stagnant throughout the tent, so very palpable you could almost cut it. The chatter and general festivities from outside seemed not to permeate within these cloth walls, and unbidden, as though drawn by mysterious forces, Somnus turned to regard the starry-eyed woman once more and the deck of cards in her midst. He held his tongue, allowing for Eulalie to speak, and the inquiry that finally left her pale lips caused him to nod. Indeed… It was a good inquiry, an honest, from the heart desire to know, to prepare.
“Our hearts are true and steadfast,” Somnus supplied, casting an earnest look towards his beloved, “But life is mysterious in its devices. Indeed, o’ fate-touched… How shall we prepare for the unknown?”
At first there is only silence to welcome the king and his lady into the tent. The mare saying nothing more than the first words she says every time the flaps of her tent shift with more than just the wind. Only the whisper of satin and skin breaks up the heavy space between the reader and her guests.
But the moment they speak her eyes dance cleverly and her teeth flash a little like scales in the dark shadow of her lips. At her back a single candle flickers when she suddenly shifts her body across her own pile of blood-red and steel pillows. The table between them almost seems small when she arches her neck across it like a trellis across an altar. “Ah,” The word is soft enough to be nothing more than a stream of air in her old, weak lungs. But it's not, it's not.
“Being strong and being prepared are often not the same thing, no matter how steady the heart wants to be.” She says and the cards start to shift across the table in long loops of paper and paint that look like snakes in the strange-light of her tent. “But I will see what the cards and fates care to share with you.” It's almost easy to see why she's the only shed-star reading the cards tonight (even though for tonight she almost choose to read her bones and entrails instead).
Out of the looping card-snakes three cards turn over. They are stark and bright against the dark backsides of the other cards. The first has the word justice scrawled across it. The second has a mother swan perched on a chalice. The last card is painted with three sticks tied in a triangle with a sunrise between them.
“Karma and fate are hovering over you, heavy and waiting. They could smother you or pull back like the night to reveal the sun. You are not the only ones to have decision is make in the upcoming challenges not is it only your choices that will effect you. It would be wise to remember free-will is a dangerous blessing.” The mare closes her eyes for a moment. The fates and the cards are loud tonight, loud enough to rattle her old bones.
“Do not forget how you love each other. Be there for each other and think perhaps of swans and how they protect their mates and their chicks.” For the first time since they entered her tent the shed-star smiles. “I have never met a swan who was not peaceful at heart but as fierce as a sword when pushed. Go.” She says and her eyes close and her chin drops to the table. “Karma will not smother you this summer.”
