As at last peace had seemed within touching distance, more than the ephemeral whisper of some oceanic siren intent upon luring them into a false hope for the future, adventure beckoned once more. The open road was lit with the sunny rays of joy, a thread that could not be ignored as it pulled them forth from the languid depths of Edana. Jahra and Aehra had left first, the delight of exploration too sweet a nectar to be ignored and with their departure, so too had a piece of Aelin’s heart wandered with them. Lumaris could not deny his lover’s happiness and when the day came that they, too, were to leave Edana, he went upon willing hooves with gladness in his heart.
It had taken some time to come to terms with the birth of Aehra, an undertaking that he’d allowed himself only to do in privacy. It had not been anger that his soul wrestled with- the stallion could not imagine ever being angry with Aelin. No; it had been hurt at first that she had not consulted him, if only to alert him to her intentions. Call it old fashioned and male of him, but he’d wanted to be the first to bless her with children. And granted Aehra had not been the product of an ordinary birth, but rather a strong friendship that culminated in Aelin’s mystical wish to see her friend happy, it had still taken time for the stag to wrap his head around it. But he had come to realise that Aelin’s desire to help her friends, her kindness and selflessness were so great that she had used her power to create life. And were those not the qualities he so admired in her? In truth he was blessed to have a mate so benevolent that she used her magic to create a daughter for her friend. And when that realisation had graced his understanding, the steed had come to terms with it.
All Lumaris wanted for his selfless mate, who had given so much of herself to help others, to save others, was for her to find home and happiness. He’d hoped Sovereign would be their home, its Kingdoms living peaceably with one another beneath Aelin and the other Fates’ watchful gaze. But the Darkness had crept forth, an all-consuming, insurmountable force that threatened the lives of every citizen. Aelin had given herself then, stared into the open jaws of death with the defiance of a goddess and sacrificed her life for them all. Borne upon tempestuous waters and sentenced to amnesia and the vile cunning of a shaman man, Aelin had been returned to him. For some time, Edana had become their hope, and yet as the denizens departed from the threat of Laela it become the ghost of a home, haunted only by those few whose happiness was enough to abate the ever looming shadow.
Yet there was something finite about this road as the pair wandered side by side, following the invisible map of their hearts. As though whatever land lay at the finish might at last be their final destination. Their home. Though in his soul, Lumaris knew his home was wherever Aelin went and though she had seemed apologetic for drawing him into another adventure he was all too willing to follow her.
The last rays of sun haloed Aelin, culminating in an enchanting array of blues and yellows as they met the cerulean membranes of her feathered wings. Not for the first time that day, Lumaris found himself watching her, the fire and ice of his gaze softened in a way that it only did for her.
“I’d rather you’d have asked me that somewhere where there was no one to hear us for miles,” he growled softly, the look in his eyes speaking his intentions far more clearly than his tongue. For indeed, as they delved deeper into the sunlit meadow the stallion had become aware of the scents of other horses, both fresh and stale. He nudged her playfully, a devilish smirk upon his dark lips. Piece by piece, Aelin had melted the ice around his soul and day by day Lumaris found himself learning what it was like to be young and in love. Even if he was only one of those things. “But here is fine.”
@Aelin <3
