Lumaris could remember, not all that long ago, the way his soul had been burdened by pain, beholden to the misfortunes of his extensive life. The world had been but leeched colours, a visage of lifelessness that spoke to the grey in his heart. Ensconced in his pain, his eyes had been the only windows into the hurt he felt every day. For frozen was his heart, wrapped in a layer of ice so thick and cold he had become little more than an emotionless weapon in his grandfather’s terrifying arsenal. He had been a whisper of the passionate wildfire that had once bloomed within, a creature rendered blank by the winter of his despairs.
And though the stallion could tell you exactly what had coaxed him forth from his frozen cage, he could not put a hoof on the exact moment it had all stopped hurt. Yet somehow his soul felt like one of the cyan feathers adorning Aelin’s form- light and ever glistening come day or night. It had been gradual a first- a smile here, a laugh there. And then it had been sudden, as though something had been switched off. One moment the worst moments of his long life felt as though they had occurred but yesterday and then the next they felt like distant memories lost in depthless pools of lilac and honey.
Sovereign, however, was not a distant memory and Lumaris could recall too easily the utter agony of Aelin’s death and how his world had once more been plunged into greyscale. Aelin was not fragile, she had proven that on many occasions and he would not treat her as such. Yet the Prince couldn’t help but worry that by drawing her into his life he was bringing her that bit closer to danger. There was nothing he would not give to see her safe. His life, his soul- he would become a monster to save her. Whether she’d hate him for it or not, at least she’d be alive and that was the most important thing to him.
But such thoughts sullied the serenity of the evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon and lovingly wrapped Aelin in shades of yellow and red. There were many moments Lumaris simply found himself staring at her. At the pale silver of her coat, the way it gleamed in beneath the sun and glowed beneath the moon. At the iridescent blue of her wings and the soft tickle of them across his coat. At the warmth and kindness in her eyes, a light that he would make sure never died. She truly was beautiful, an angel caged within the skin of a mortal. Yet it was always her kindness that drew him in, the melodic way she laughed, the selflessness with which she cared for those around her. He felt like the dim to her light, the demon to her innocence and whatever he’d done to deserve her love he did not know, but he would never take it for granted. They had borne their souls to one another once upon time, rent open the darkest pits of their hearts. Aelin’s iniquities had paled in comparison to the pain and suffering Lumaris had once caused. The cities he had burned down, the armies he had torn to pieces. The innocents who’d died as a result of his actions- whether direct or indirect. Yet she insisted there was more to him, sought the light in his darkness. That hope, that refusal to believe he was as lost to the shadows of his past as he believed.
“If the world does not grant us those promises Aelin, I will. Whatever happens, I will make sure you find peace and safety and happiness.” Gently he lips at the path the tear had taken down her silvery face feeling that divinely familiar spark where her skin met his lips. “And I want them all for you. For us.” He felt those words within the weight of his art, the adamant behind each one. “We have suffered enough, we deserve a quiet life, my love.” And he hoped against hope that this time it would be true, that this time the universe would find it in her omnipotent heart to give them this soft epilogue, to let their lives be mundane and happy.
I am yours. As you are mine. The words were like little flames in his heart, kindling the fires of his soul. Their unspoken devotion was insurmountable, immeasurable yet light all at the same time. His soul had come to know hers with such intimacy it left him breathless. It felt as though he’d known her presence all her life, even if the time they’d spent together was but a fraction of his immortal existence. And though their powers had dimmed, their lifelong souls rendered mortal by the powers of each and every land they passed through, Lumaris felt immortal in her eyes, ageless in her embrace.
“Forever and always,” he whispered back, his voice brimming with that same certainty, “no matter what awaits us, we will always be together.”
@Aelin <3
