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The waves were calm and gentle as they lapped against the Mezalean shore with the same amount of grace the Ocean Queen herself possessed. High above the seashore stood the Mezalean Matral Palace. An impressive structure, handbuilt by the King himself. Every trapdoor, every sea lantern, every single piece of dyed terracotta and colourful concrete lovingly placed out of a desperate attempt to appear, in his words, 'big'.
Inside the main tower of the palace, was a ballroom with golden lights swinging from the high ceilings, and tremendous stained glass doors leading out to a wide balcony that ran around the entire circumference of the edifice.
The ballroom was hot and alive with chatter, music, and echoing steps across the dance floor. Outside was sparse, save for a few small groups of partygoers engaged in light chatter.
Sitting on the laboriously carved railing of the balcony, was the aforementioned Ocean Queen. The railing was thick enough so that when she stretched her legs out in front of her, the backs of her knees just reached the rim of it. Her blue scales were lit up with the greens and oranges and purples of the Mezalean stained glass.
The light shifted slightly as the door behind her opened a sliver, and a thin figure slipped onto the balcony, and softly closed the door behind him. The Elvenking approached the queen with the dignity and elegance of a white swan and sat next to her right side, all while not uttering a sound. Back as straight as a copper lightning rod, clothes immaculately pressed with not a single strand of shiny cyan hair out of place, the elf's wide eyes were the only signal that something was wrong.
The Ocean Queen's relationship with Scott Smajor, The High Elvenking himself, was... complicated. There was mutual respect between the two, for both admired the other's military prowess and the wealth both their kingdoms flaunted. That respect grew as a result of their... deal. Having the wit, dare and fearlessness to fool and trick the two most eloquent rulers of the time was no small feat. Plus, their adoration for Jimmy and their loyalty to the clumsy Codfather bonded them even closer. But there was something about the Elvenking that the Ocean Queen... distrusted.
"Ocean Queen..." he murmured, his voice fluid and dripping with an Elvish accent.
"Elvenking..." she responded, her tone rather quick and slightly panicked.
Silence fell between the two rulers as both looked out across the shore. The coral spires of the Ocean Empire were just visible across the horizon and they looked even more glamorous in the fading of the sunlight.
The Elvenking was next to speak.
"It's hard, isn't it?" I... can't see him die again. I can't-" he cut himself off to hold his palm against his mouth.
The Ocean Queen merely looked at him, before sighing and sagging, dropping all pretence of good posture and overall mental stability.
"So many years, so many people... Gone. For nothing," she whispered.
The Elvenking's chin rested against his chest.
'He looks rather like a rainbow, very iridescent,' The Ocean Queen noted inside her head. Indeed, the nine glowing crystals circling his head shined his cheeks and ears in multicoloured light, plus added on the light from the ballroom, in which no one had noticed the two emperors' absence.
"It was... hard, seeing him go. From green to yellow to red and then-" The Elvenking cut himself off once again with a choking sob. The Ocean Queen looked down at his bowed figure, so different from moments ago, and felt a flash of pity and... understanding run through her. She put an arm around the Elvenking.
"Scott-" she felt him tense upon the use of his first name. Elves were very finicky on who could know their proper names, and who could use them, but she deemed it a dire enough situation for his Elven pride to not be wounded too much. "In this life, Jimmy is alive. I know it's hard to forget. I... I think about the people I've known, people I called, people I still would call, friends,".
Scott stayed still, before slowly raising his head to look the Ocean Queen in the eye. Both rulers' pupils were enlarged with emotion and the elf's glimmered with the tiniest hint of a tear.
"I love him, I truly do. I just want- I just want to hold him and tell him I won't... I won't let anything hurt him again- I won't let anyone hurt him again. I won't... I won't hurt him again...". Scott's voice trailed off, and his eyes flickered past the Ocean Queen to glance at the silhouette of the Ocean Palace. A webbed hand gently pressed against his cool, porcelain-like cheek, and gently wiped away the tears falling on them. Scott looked down at his own hands clasped together in his lap, the carefully painted gold and white nails digging into his skin. She stayed silent, hoping to prompt him into talking more.
"I asked Pix... if he could light three candles for... everyone before," The Elvenking whispered. "It... it helps me sleep at night, at least. I-It's not much, but...".
"One thing is better than nothing," Lizzie finished. Scott smiled, a bittersweet smile, but a genuine smile nonetheless.
The two sat together for a while longer, Scott leaning into Lizzie, the tip of his ear brushing against her shoulder, with her arm around his slender shoulders, brushing his wings every so often. The air was calm and still around them, and the silence comfortable.
Things were looking up.