[private] the way you kiss me will work each time // Valdis

[Rhaegor]

and I could easily lose my mind; the way you kiss me will work each time
calling me to come back to bed, singing Georgia on my mind

Although there might be something akin to truth in Valdis' musings of her and her twin's displacement in the hierarchy of the family, its truth crumbles when applied to her siblings. As the mare studies the naked branches which crown their encounter, Rhaegor in turn studies her, watching the way the light reflects off of her bright blue eyes - the same blue as that which lines his haunches. Mother's blue - a connecting fragment between them that neither are wont to forget.

When her eyes return to his, the stallion has nothing of worth to offer except a weighted stare and a strained but genuine smile. The nuances of their relationship are plentiful, but best left unspoken.

Of course, his sister has other ideas that are equally taboo, but by bringing them up, she makes Rhae laugh. "Nothing, when in opposition to anyone with anything akin to magic. But you could warm the cold, and I could close small wounds. The world has enough chaos without the two of us adding to it." He wants to reach out and nudge her, but remembers himself before showing any sign of this desire; instead, he gently shakes his head, a small cloud of steam rising from his nostrils as he slowly exhales.

In this way, with his head partially lowered and eyes unfocused, he tips his ears to listen to her answer. She speaks of opportunities, forcing him to meet her gaze for a moment before again looking away. Castile went to the northern lands; Nerine, Rhaegor thinks. Not so far from home that it would hurt to lose her to it. Then again, he's gone to Tephra - closer now than it was before the shift, but still the furthest of the kingdoms to The Sanctuary.

The prince raises his head and inhales to speak, but is cut off by Valdis' interjection: a statement of fact disguised as a question. In unison, their wings flutter, anxiety rife in the very sinews of their beings whether they like it or not. His ears tip back lamely as she justifies her position, not in anger but in fear and quiet despair. It's just a cough, he's been telling himself; it's nothing, nothing at all.

His eyes are glued to the ground until she speaks again.
I won't abandon you.
Four words, and yet they bring tears to his eyes; and a single one falls before he looks to her again, a chagrin smile twisting his lips.

"Thank you."

For a while, silence becomes the third member of their party; the wind blows solemnly through the trees as the siblings stand, regarding the naked trees and thinking of non-consequential things. Parents and opportunities, kingdoms and loyalties, the nature of things and of course, the sickness. His wings twitch every so often, a testament to whatever one might desire: fear, the need to act, unrest, or perhaps simply an itch. As they stand, Rhae realizes that of all the people he could have by his side in these moments of thought and decision, she is his first choice.

He looks to her again, the tightness of his smile not gone, but still lessened. "I hope you find the place you belong, Valdis, and soon - before the sickness finds you, too." A particularly sharp wind buffets the pair, and the boy's wings fluff up in response. "If all of us can make it through this, then things will be okay." He nods firmly, thinking upon the us, of their half or step brother Abysm, of Kavi and Castile and Solace and Kagerus and of course their twins; he tries another smile, finding Val's gaze and speaking again, voice full of conviction.

"Things are going to be okay."

Rhaegor

@[Valdis] if this is a good place to end let me know!