| ’You are enough.’ Oh, but did his troubled heart sing at the praise. His lungs opened, and he could breathe, as though he had been drowning and she, the land that his scrabbling hooves found purchase. ’You are enough.’ Verdant eyes, soulful and raw and burning like an exposed wound, lifted to meet the earthly dark eyes of his beloved. Their gaze met, staring, and he relished within the adoration, pride, and love that he saw swimming within Eulalie’s beautiful eyes. There was pain, too, but he knew that it was pain for him, and not caused by him. They had always said that eyes were the windows to one’s soul, and there was no doubt in his mind that Eulalie’s soul was just as beautiful as the rest of her. Blessed as he was to call her his, then. Within that moment, Somnus felt his heart soar. Oh, but it was a wretched thing, still wracked in grief and guilt… But slowly it was mending, cured and cultivated from the lingering strife by the bright devotion that Eulalie gave him. Blindly, she offered it, loving him without conviction, and he felt himself breathe just a little easier in her presence, in her love, the weight becoming less and less cumbersome to bear. A breath escaped his lips, and it was as if the darkness that clawed at his being was expelled. The ichor that tainted him filtered out, and while not perfect, it was easier to breathe, to see, to be. Oriens, bless this woman. A beacon of gold as vivid as the strands of her hair, a beacon of life and light, Eulalie stood next to him. Never ahead of him, never behind him, always beside him. They were equals in this, kings and queens of their own world, worshippers of the divine where their deity was each other. Intimately, Somnus shifted his weight, letting himself lean into her touch and her love. He felt the soft curves of her body give in to his touch, warmth and reassuring and familiar. Taking a few more precious, greedy seconds to clear his head and relish in her warmth and love, the Dawn King finally found his voice. It was choked with emotion, but not of overwhelming pain. “I am trying,” he whispered, watery verdant eyes meeting deep earth, “It… Is a struggle. Insurmountable and seemingly endless, but I am trying. It is far easier now that I have you at my side. I cannot even think where I would be now, darling, if you were not here with me.” It was impossible to say. Honestly, Somnus did not want to know. Letting his shoulders roll back to try and loosen the muscles from his frame, the dunalino cleared his throat. His eyes were misty, but no tears fell. The lingering, choking emotion was beginning to fade, becoming easier to handle. Here, in this moment? Yes, he was concerned. He was worried for Regis. He was concerned that Atreus was in their court. He was worried about the world around them… But with Eulalie, Somnus knew they could face it all. She was his greatest strength. Their family that they had created together was his greatest treasure. If one would demand it so, he would throw his crown to the ground with no hesitation to keep them safe. He would challenge the mightiest of creatures to defend them. He would climb the tallest mountain, endure the worst pain. There was nothing that Somnus would not do for them. The same devotion he had once shown to his beloved King, he now showed to them. Perhaps, through that devotion, that legacy could live on. And then, in a moment of clarity, Somnus knew what he had to do. Something came over him, something almost desperate. There was no moment longer that Somnus wanted to wait. He did not want to spend another day where, in the eyes of the Gods, in the eyes of Oriens, he and Eulalie were not united. He took a single step back to see the entirety of Eulalie’s freckled face and then spoke once more, but his eyes did not move. Panic set it, but only for a moment, yet he shoved it aside. “... Eulalie, my darling. We are one. We have started a family. You have gifted me with two beautiful children, but I feel… I feel I must ask you one more thing. Would you marry me?” He had nothing to offer, save for himself and his eternal devotion. All that he had to offer was himself, and Somnus prayed that it would be enough. ’You are enough.’ He was enough. |
@Eulalie <3 IT HAPPENED
