the baffled king composing hallelujah
Night had fallen, the skies going dark on another day, and yet Somnus could not sleep. It was late; perhaps past midnight, but when one was as troubled as he and lost in the maze of their own mind, time held little meaning. Eulalie had already retired for the evening in their bed and the children were sleeping peacefully in theirs, and he had lingered enough to press a kiss to each of their brows before heading for his study.
There was so much to be done and his mind simply could not rest.
With the departure of Pavetta and Ipomoea, the Dawn King felt troubled and exposed. Without an Emissary and a Regent at his side during such dangerous times, Delumine faced a tumultuous road ahead. He would need to remain vigilant and steadfast, and perhaps linger as close to home as possible in order to see this land protected. Kasil had entrusted it to him, and Oriens had placed his faith upon the golden man’s shoulders. He could not, would not let them down.
Between the usurper to the east, the unrest in the south, and the unaccounted murderer within their very own sector, danger lurked within every shadow. The information that he had on all fronts was rather abysmal, much to his humiliation and eternal regret. Even his visit to Terrastella and his council with Asterion earlier in the season had revealed very little, for the Dusk King himself seemed to share Somnus’ sentiments. It was better to avoid the heart of this boiling altercation, this whisper of war that loomed on the horizon, when the sources at their disposal were so very thin.
He let out a sigh. The parchments scattered upon his desk did not soothe him, nor did the books placed in precarious stacks on one corner of the tabletop bring him any sort of solace. Nothing held the answer, and Somnus was frightened that he would never find it. Yet he had to admit that it was difficult to find the answer to a question he did not even know, and so in the end, the golden stallion simply stood at his desk and lost himself to thought. It was not the first time he had simply mingled, ruminating on the developments of the land both old and new.
It was, however, the first time that his ruminating had been interrupted by the sudden squeal of his study window being thrust open, the sound snapping him from his thoughts. The Dawn King whirled about, his hip bumping into his desk and nearly sending the stack of books scattering to the floor. They swayed dangerously before growing still, but Somnus’ wide, verdant eyes were not on them. No, they were locked upon the crooked shape crawling in through the window, its wings bent at odd, sharp angles to pull it’s rather large body through.
His heart raced as he watched the large avian, -a vulture?- finish forcing its way into his study, and then he was face to face with it. It straightened but did not yet land, its beady crimson eyes staring at him as though staring through him, and he could not help but shudder, feeling oddly exposed beneath its predatory, hungry gaze. Perhaps it was the open window letting in the cold winter air, perhaps it was the very ambiance of this unsettling beast itself, but the air suddenly felt as though he were breathing ice, an unnatural sort of chill filling the space of the room.
Alba abandoned her perch in the corner of the room, letting out a shrill scream as she immediately dived down to Somnus’ side. The barn owl, so small in comparison to this, appeared both fierce and terrified. She popped her beak towards the strange creature, black eyes narrowed in as furious and threatening expression as she could manage.
A letter fluttered to the floor, released from the vulture’s sharp talons. Somnus had not noticed it before, not until it hit the ground, but even then he hardly gave it a glance. It was as though he couldn’t look away from her ruby red irises, emerald meeting crimson in a challenge that he had no hope of winning. It was only when she moved, her mouth parting to reveal rows of sharp teeth, that he seemed to be able to control himself once more. She spoke, a discordant, eerie sort of voice echoing through the hollow room of his study, and Somnus felt another shiver course down his spine.
’Are you the kingy-wingy?’
He paused. What? Lips parting, the dunalino struggled to find the words. It was as though every single word he knew had escaped his mind with this sudden and unsettling arrival.
Alba clacked her beak towards the creature once more, screeching loudly as she flapped her wings in blatant displeasure. Jumping from her place upon the desk to his group, the barn owl let out a deep, huffing breath that could have passed for a growl. ’Don’t trust her, Somnus.’
Her? His frown deepened and his expression grew dark, but he decided to take a risk.
But the maybe-vulture had brought him a letter, and despite what he often thought, Somnus was not a fool. Foolish at times, yes, but he was not a fool.
Verdant eyes glanced towards the letter. He took a step forward, nodding his head towards it.
