Bedraggled and weary, with the cold breath of winter on their heels, they came to the Night Court.
Only when they reached the ruins of the Dragon Gate did Asterion’s face register anything beyond grim resignation. There he paused, wondering, but the skies were darkening and threatening snow and there was no time to spend among lengthening shadows and crumbled stone.
But perhaps his steps were lighter after that, as they descended from the pass into Denocte.
It was a different city than the last that had greeted him. Then he had been a fleeting shadow in the darkness and driving rain, with no thought but for Aislinn; he had noticed none of the markets, none of the performers, none of the things that made the capital the City of Starlight they claimed it as.
Now, with the first stars emerging through the thinning clouds and the sharp, familiar tang of the sea, he took a long look at their temporary home.
Denocte had not escaped the last months unscathed; there were still markers of the tsunami that had swept in, the storms that had raged. But there were lanterns lit all down the cobblestone path to the keep, and bonfires threw sparks and the smell of sweet woodsmoke to the sky like an offering.
Asterion closed his eyes and inhaled, quieting his grieving heart. And then with his people he went down into the city.
@Isra and any of Night Court/Dusk Court who wanna be a part of the temporary re-homing! This is set somewhere after the disasters where the Dusk Court is still flooded and muddy and in the midst of winter, so the injured of Dusk/anyone who wishes to is seeking temporary shelter in Denocte.
and hardly ever what we dream
