Whispers in the Snow [closed]

[Cera Le'Orin]

Cera felt a coldness run down her spine when her stared at her like that, and her embarrassment grew tendfold. She really couldn't believe that she outright admitted to that, because she was Teronna's princess, and how could she not have seen most of her kingdom? It was by far not her fault, because her father always kept her indoors as much as he possibly could. Even still, it was sad, and it wasn't something that she wished this man and his watchful, steely gaze to know.

She had looked away briefly, wondering how she could salvage this, but that lingering gaze upon her made it all increasingly difficult. It clouded her judgement and she feared there was no way to bounce back from this. Then he was urging her to look back at him, and Cera found herself unable to deny him of it. Every confused thought lingered in those vivid blues, and a part of her wondered how much he would berate or taunt her for such a foolish thing.

"I see a freedom...that I cannot have. A beauty just outside my grasp," she answered in a whisper. The vast forests and rolling hills of green, so vibrant in the spring and summer. And if she looked passed that, it was the vicious waves of the sea. It was all beautifully captivating and she wanted to see it all up close.

Her breath was caught in her throat when he approached closer, speaking those words and sharing that smile. It wasn't the same, though- there didn't seem to be that way of insult that he always threw at her. 'Everything here is sweet. Well...almost everything. That made Cera's mouth open, whether to immediately berate or argue, she wasn't sure. Instead, she stood there with softly wide eyes, suddenly feeling like she couldn't argue it, for once.

After a moment, she actually laughed. It was quiet, but it gently shook her shoulders. She should scold him for those words...but this time, Cera simply didn't have it in her to do so. "It is my desire to one day travel. All I know are the grey stones of these walls, and what little I have seen of the outside world." When she managed to sneak out, of course. Cera had a feeling she wasn't going to be able to get away with that for much longer.

Beginning to walk again, she was still speaking so as to let him know that she expected him to follow as she was making her way inside. "I remember from when I was a little girl being at the beach. The sand beneath my toes, the coldness of the water. I...would run to collect a seashell every time the water receded..." Those blues seemed to grow distant as she recalled that day. One of the few days she had accompanied her father anywhere.

[Deleted]

Ahh, yes - the woes of privilege. To have the wealth and ability have all that you desired and yet...being bound by duty, unable to take it. A concept Gabriel himself had never known. Everything he had he had schemed and thought and clawed for. "I am sure that there are those outside these walls who would look up at your gilded windows and feel much the same." It was not cutting, no derisive, merely acknowledging. It was one thing to long to see the world and all its beauty, it was another to see, alongside the beauty, its vast capacity for cruelty. In the innocence of her words, Gabriel once again saw her naivete and felt...not disdain but almost...jealousy. Gabriel could no longer remember a time when he'd been so innocent.

For a moment, it looked like she would take offense, then a laugh shook her slim frame and Gabriel found his own shoulders shuddering with a matching chuckle. This wasn't what he was here for... Again the thought, driven by duty, pounded through him. Again, Gabriel brushed it aside. He was here to begin the start of a relationship between Teronna Arcisea that would culminate in a union. That's all he was doing, he told himself. He was getting to know the princess, to be a proxy for his king...her intended.

When she began to walk once more, Gabriel kept pace, maintaining that deferential position just the barest half step behind and to the side. His eyes, however, remained on her profile as she spoke. Yes, she was most animated when she was not looking at him and it was easy for him to see the riot of emotions the memory had drawn up. Nostalgia, longing, and conflicted affection. Perhaps the last was to do with her father, the king. Gabriel wondered what their relationship had been like, then. He wondered when and how it had changed.

Stepping around her, Gabriel reached the door first, pushing it open and standing to the side for her to pass inside first. "See? You do have something." Again, that half- 'almost' smile, the one that said he was almost laughing at her. "And I would cherish that one. The shores of my home are cold and rocky. Nary a beach in sight."

Positioned where he was, with the dim light of torches inside, Gabriel could see her clearly now. Her features were delicately lit by dim candlelight. He shuddered. It had nothing to with how the warmth of the castle drifted through the open door to touch his face while his back was still bathed in the icy chill of snowfall. Blinking, Gabriel pressed himself into the door frame as he squeezed past her through the door. When his hand brushed hers, he paused, looking down at her to apologize. Gabriel could almost still smell the snow on her cloak at this distance. "Good night, your Highness." he murmured with an inclination of his head before he whirled down the hall, retreating in to the shadows, his hand flexing. It was a long time before he could get the smell of snow and flowers out of his mind.

[Cera Le'Orin]

"I have no doubt..." she found herself saying. Cera, not once, had ever said she was unfortunate. In fact, she was very fortunate to be who she was and to live where she did. Didn't mean it wasn't a glorified cage, nonetheless. Still, perhaps she had no right to complain when there were those who had to live out on the streets, even with the frost and snow. This thought made her frown, and she felt foolish (even more so) for saying anything again, even if Lord Rohan hadn't meant his words to bite or scold. In truth, she was still surprised about that.

However, the softness of his own laughter had pulled her from these thoughts temporarily. It was strange to hear such a thing as a laugh from him, to see a gentleness in a smile that often resembled a snake, watching her and waiting to strike. For a moment, Cera wondered if she was simply walking in a dream, because this lord was far more approachable and understanding. She didn't immediately feel the need to fight back or berate. She felt almost comfortable to be in his presence.

As he opened the door for her, she murmured her gratitude before stepping inside. Yet, when he spoke again, she was turning within the doorway to face him; offering the smallest of smiles. There apparently were no beaches in Arcisea, not as soft and warm after the sand had been baking in the sun. It was riddled with cold pebbles and her smile faltered...knowing that would be all she would know for possibly the rest of her life.

It was hard to mask the sadness that painted her features then, her lips parting just slightly as though she was going to say something in response to these lingering worries. It wasn't until he moved and she felt the gentle brushing of his hand against hers when he slipped passed did her vivid gaze rise up to his face. Cera barely heard his apology, barely heard his goodbye as she felt the barest shudder rush up her spine.

The princess watched him retreat down the hall as she managed to shut the door and press her back up against it. There was confusion in her mind, a flutter in her heart, and it actually terrified her.

[ end scene]