The night was young, and the drinks flowed freely. Azrael cannot help by be struck by the similarities to another party, another summer night, which seemed a lifetime ago now. On that night, the bonfires has burned brightly and the stars had shone even brighter. It was a night filled with hope and longing, a night which would begin a fateful path that not even his stargazing could have predicted. For how could he have known that the girl with eyes as blue as the sea, wide and bright in the moonlight as they watched him with absolute trust and comfort, would have danced with another that night. Wantonly. Lustfully. And as much as Azrael had forgiven the past, he cannot help but feel the pang of jealousy once more as he wondered how their fates might have been different, if he had found her first and asked her to dance beneath the pale moonlight.
He nurses a drink, the alcohol strong but not unpleasant as it cooled his thirst, and he watched pensively as the bonfires licked at the midnight sky. As strangers passed, Azrael nodded in greeting, murmuring small talk as was expected of him, though his heart wasn’t really in it. He sighs, absentmindedly stroking the owl who rested on his shoulder, leaning closer so she could pick at his mane with a quiet and comforting coo. It didn’t do to dwell of might-have-beens, he knew, and yet Azrael cannot help but be struck by the similarities.
Swallowing his pride, he tries to shake away the memories and focus on the party, a warm buzz fading over him as he closed his eyes and swayed with the music. Strangers press closer to him, and he is assaulted by their warmth, but does not move away. Instead he lets the pass by, dancing casually with a few before finding himself once more on the outskirts of their movement, looking in.
He does not stay alone for long though, turning toward approaching footsteps and smiling gratefully as he recognizes their bearer. Morrighan walked more easily now, and his gaze flickers quickly to her leg, then back again. “It seems to be healing well…” He shifts over to allow her room beside him, and the two quietly watch their kingdom for a moment. Not for the first time, Azrael is struck by the beauty of it, with the towering citadel just visible from the shore, haloed in the light of a full silver moon.
"I met your daughter earlier, Maeve, right?” Though Morrighan hadn’t shared the girl’s name, he’d heard it whispered several times since returning from the island. “She takes after you.” Both in looks and adventurous spirit, it seemed. “I’m glad to see you were able to bring her home safely.”
Much had changed since he’d last found time alone with the now-sovereign, but the Court had seemed to ride the change well. In fact, Denocte seemed livelier now than he’d seen it in some time, and he had no doubt the change in regime was good for them. “How are you finding your first weeks as queen?”
@Morrighan
