The night has faded and he had barely even noticed. Had failed to see the moon start to shrink in the sky as it retreated to it’s hideout. There’s a thin call from the early birds who can sense that dawn will be coming soon. A perfect time to head back to the Gates and showcase his home. He walks slowly beside her, not minding the fact that the steps they took were extremely slow. She concentrated so hard on her walking that it left no room for conversation. So he couldn’t help but watch her throughout the trip, wondering what it was like to be so physically breakable. What if she fell? What if he tried to catch her? Could his touch be worse than if she hit the ground? The anxiety bubbles in his stomach at the thought, not wanting to be the cause of any more destruction. Perhaps this had been a bad idea after all. Her being in his very proximity might be enough for fate to remind him that anything he touched didn’t turn to gold, it simply trickled liked sand through his fingertips.
He worries so much that something bad might happen, his gaze becoming scrutinizing with every step she takes, that he doesn’t realize they have arrived until she exclaims with her soft breathy “Oh”. His own gold-flecked eyes turn to the kingdom which is washed in the pale rays of dawn. Another night with no sleep and yet he doesn’t feel as exhausted as he usually does, her excitement enough energy to feed on. Coming to her side to view the kingdom in it’s glory, arching his neck as his head turns slightly to see her reaction. In the light of day and being so much closer to her now, he can really see just how delicate she is. The thin paper skin which has lost it’s silvery translucence when the moon had fled. Every detail of her insides is exposed to him, the edges of her wings looking more forlorn than before. The glass bones though, they still sparkle the same.
Her image is still jarring but he can’t help but feel some affection for her, the way her eyes light up as she takes it all in. He’s somewhat sheepish for it seems almost empty, as if this wasn’t a kingdom at all but an old folks home. It’s so still minus the songs of the birds who have fully awakened. ”I do enjoy it.” He admits as he finds solace in her wonder. ”I’m sorry it’s so quiet. It’s not as busy as the other kingdoms I suppose but I like the peace.” it’s not even like the Meadow which she is so use to at this point but maybe she would see what he saw and enjoy it just the same. He glances around, remembering something. ”Come this way…” He ambles by her side till they make it to the large tree in the heart of the kingdom. The trunk is massive and reaches high while it’s branches hang low and sweep at the ground. He’s still not quite sure what to make of it and turns to her to see what her take is. ”What do you think?”
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