an eye for an eye and the world goes blind
He knew that it was a copious amount of information to be taken in, but Somnus would not rush Ipomoea to cycle through it all and really understand what was happening here. It was a visceral shift in the way that Delumine would function, an alteration of power, the proverbial crowning in such a complicated way. Process was necessary, but as their stare held, Somnus could see the gears shifting in the appaloosa’s head, the dawning look of realization.
He chuckled, a soft, gentle, paternal sound. It carried on through the silent hallways, but not even the warmth could cover the underlay of sadness that flowed with it.
Why did his heart feel so full, and yet so very sad? Nothing had changed, and yet everything had. Somnus had never been one to care about self-image. There would be those who would view his rule as a failure, that he had not achieved the greatness that Delumine deserved. There would be those who believed he had done his best. His name would be written in books and then ultimately forgotten, and while it was somber and heartbreaking, the dunalino knew there was so much more at work here.
This wasn’t about him. It wasn’t even about Ipomoea. It was about Delumine. Kings and Queens would come and go, but their home, this soil, it would outlive them all. Somnus had sewn the seeds in the garden. Ipomoea would nurture them and allow them to grow, and their shared legacy would be to leave the next generation of Kings and Queens with a beautiful garden to view.
As Ipomoea reached out his muzzle, Somnus’ smile waned and he reciprocated the action. Skin against skin, the dunalino inhaled deeply, letting himself memorize this moment and drown himself in Po’s floral scent. His eyes slid shut but for a moment as he tucked away every detail; the scent, the way the sun felt upon his skin as it shone through the large window, the way his heart beat slowly in his chest, a soothing, steady staccato against the leftover dredges of anxiety and dread…
Opening his eyes and pulling back only minimally, Somnus cleared his throat. He shook his head, knocking away the long strands of ivory hair from his gaze, making a mental note to have someone assist him with a trim here shortly.
The wisdom that followed and flowed from Po’s rosy lips only solidified the fact that he had made the right choice. Oriens would be proud, or so Somnus hoped.
The quirk of his lips only grew to show a genuine smile of white teeth, his expression warped in gentle teasing. Already the tension, the stress, the insurmountable weight and burden of Kingship had slipped away from his shoulders, and while he knew this was a new life for Delumine, it was also a new life for him. Yet he would not leave and abandon Po to his new station. That would be most unbecoming, after all, and Somnus was nothing if not a gentleman.
