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It must be past midnight, Claudia thinks as she makes her way through the dark corridors of the castle. It’s a good thing she grew up here, because the torches meant to light the way are few and far between, and any outsider would definitely get lost. Well, except for Rayla, Claudia thinks. It would make sense for Moonshadow Elves to have better vision in the dark, with or without moonlight to guide them.
Claudia turns a corner and smiles at the guard that’s posted outside the princes’ rooms. “Is Callum still up?” she asks him.
“I think so,” the guard says, and judging from the light that spills into the hallway through the crack under the door, he’s right.
“Ah,” Claudia hums. “Please tell him to go to bed. He’s probably forgotten all about the time again.” The guard smiles and nods, and with that Claudia is on her way again. A left, a right, another right, then up the stairs to the last door in the hallway. Softly, in order not to wake anyone in this wing of the castle, Claudia opens the door.
Rayla is right where she left her. The full moon shines down through the open window on where she’s sitting on the bed, her hair seemingly shining even brighter than in the sunlight and, contrastingly, the skin of her bare arms even darker. At the same time, Claudia notices a faint glow of something that has to be pure moon magic around the girl, and once again she’s reminded of Rayla’s connection to the Moon Primal.
“You really are magic, huh?” she softly says as she puts down the bowl with purple berries on the edge of the bed. Rayla turns around, looking surprised but not startled, and Claudia notices her normally purple eyes having just a hint of white in them.
“What do you mean?” Rayla asks.
“Don’t take this the wrong way,” Claudia starts, as she sits down next to her, their shoulders touching. “But you’re magical creature. Like Bait, or emberback spiders. And sometimes I just forget.”
“You mean you think of me as a human?” Rayla wonders, a grin already starting to spread over her face.
“Yeah,” Claudia says. “Or—no, I just think of you as you, you know?” Rayla snorts.
“And then you forget I’m magic?” Claudia feels her cheeks heat up, suddenly embarrassed. This had made much more sense in her head. She eats a couple of purple berries and nods. “It’s okay, Clauds,” Rayla says with a chuckle. “I get what you mean. Spending so much time among humans I sometimes forget, too. Except for in moments like these…” She holds up her hand in the moonlight and both of them silently regard the glow that dances around Rayla’s fingers. “I can really feel it, you know?” Claudia remembers the feel of the primal stone in her hand, somehow both heavy and featherlight at the same time, or the power that used to course through her veins when she crushed gryphon feathers in her hand. She shudders slightly at the memory of dark magic.
“I do,” she mutters. Rayla’s eyes, that seem almost white in the moonlight, soften and she lays a comforting arm around Claudia’s shoulders, pulling her against her side.
They both say nothing for a while, Rayla’s eyes on the moon and Claudia enjoying the simple warmth of being close to her, both nibbling on the berries Claudia had snuck out of the kitchen.
“You could learn magic too,” Rayla suddenly says. Claudia’s eyes widen and she knows what Rayla is talking about. “Callum managed it. I’m sure you can, as well.” A scornful laugh escapes Claudia’s lips.
“I don’t know if that would be such a good idea,” she says, eyes on the thin, white scars that litter her hands, a constant reminder of her mistakes. Her ignorance, when it comes to magic. Rayla covers them with her own and Claudia can’t help but notice the stark contrast it makes; her pale, scarred hands and Rayla’s dark, glow-y ones.
“Don’t worry,” Rayla says. “I’d be there to prevent you from doing anything bad. And to help, of course.” Her hand squeezes Claudia’s softly, and she can’t help but smile at the kind words.
“Thank you,” Claudia mutters as she lets her head fall on Rayla’s shoulder. The moon is high in the sky and it’s late—she knows they should go to bed, but she doesn’t want to move yet. Rayla presses a soft kiss to her hair, then another one to her forehead. Claudia closes her eyes and thinks that her kisses must be magic too, with the way they make her feel warm from the inside out, and how they instantly dissipate the thoughts and worries swirling around in her head. Or maybe it’s just Rayla.