YOU ARE A GOLDEN THING
IN A HEAVY, HEAVY WORLD
IN A HEAVY, HEAVY WORLD
Orestes does not expect her to arrive.
It does not suit a king to pine so, Ariel comments as Orestes catches sight of her, a dark silhouette nearly indistinguishable from the cliffside. He watches steadily as she nears. I cannot help it, Orestes thinks. You know that.
And Ariel, from where he lounges, rises only to recline again on his haunches. The lion possesses enough impassive majesty for the both of them, as he appraises Marisol’s gradual approach. A bleeding heart for anyone and everything.
Orestes says nothing; whatever courage he possessed drains from the expression she wears, the slight and nearly imperceptible tremble of her limbs. He would like to convince himself it is the brisk breeze that evokes such a reaction; he would like to convince himself it has nothing to do with him. But everything is in her voice when she says where have you been.
Although the golden sovereign cannot pinpoint how he knows or when it happened, Orestes is quite certain this is not the first time in his life he has disappointed someone he cares deeply for. It will not be the last.
“I have no worthy answer.”
Nothing more than a man with his feet in the sea.
It is true.
Orestes feels very small beneath the cliffs; he feels even smaller beneath her gaze.
At last he sighs and the sound is quiet, broken. “I woke up one day this winter and couldn't remember where I came from.” Orestes glances towards the sea, unable to hold her gaze. He is not the same man as when they first met. “My memories were tied to magic belonging to a different world and… they’ve been fading all along. Now? I only remember waking up on the shore. I’ve been trying… to remember… and the harder I try the more it seems to vanish...”
Orestes trails off, a dreamer’s voice—and then abruptly he is brought back to the present. When he glances at her, his expression is raw.
He has mentioned this to no one else. That vulnerability frightens him. But rather than voice the fear, he says:
“But that does not excuse my distance from you, Marisol.” He would apologise, but Orestes knows there are things that cannot be said sorry for. There are things the only answer to is ownership and so he stands, ready for a storm.
“speaking" || @
"SO EDEN SANK TO GRIEF
SO DAWN GOES DOWN TO DAY
NOTHING GOLD CAN STAY"
SO DAWN GOES DOWN TO DAY
NOTHING GOLD CAN STAY"
