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He has Veyle, now, of course. Then and now, she is precious to him, has always been precious to him, and though the faces of their more unfortunate kin are naught but a faint blur in his mind, his heart deeply laments that he could not have done more; that they could not join in their brotherly camaraderie today. Blood is what bound them at first; then, their anxieties. And now, their love for the world and a determination to protect it.
But when he visits his mother’s memorial, tucked away at the peaks of Lythos, Veyle does not go. Say what reassurances he will, her eyes lose their shine, her gaze lowers, and her fingers tremble. He does not force her. Clanne and Framme still weep openly, hot tears spilling down their faces. Alear does not. He slings an arm over each of their shoulders, and with a smile on his face, recounts the minutiae of his week, his troubles and his happy moments alike. He speaks fondly of Veyle, of course, and knows his mother would have loved a girl like her. He just hopes one day that Veyle will know this, too.
When he returns to the Somniel, Veyle is waiting for him fretfully by the cafe terrace. “Welcome back,” she says with hesitation, as if waiting for a cue. Alear grins and opens his arms wide. Her face lights up, and she leaps into his embrace. This is what home feels like, doesn’t it?
The Somniel carries such fond memories for him. It was a grand and tangible labour of love from his mother, perhaps the greatest proof to him of her enduring belief in his goodness, in their reunion. It was where he woke up, where he lived and broke bread with so many new friends. How much longer will it take for him to get used to how quiet it is now? Almost everyone has gone their own ways now. Three months since that fateful battle and the emblems’ grand farewell, and still he has not fully trained his eyes to not drift to the empty spot where Marth once liked to linger.
Now that world is no longer in imminent danger and everyone has scattered to resume their own journeys, only a few still remain indefinitely. The twins have followed Alear to his new station in Lythos, and even the shopkeepers have settled comfortably in their new lives in Lythos. The ones left behind are its long-time keeper Vander, perhaps the only one who loved the Somniel more than Alear did; Sommie, who has never known any other home; Mauvier, a lost soul who still rarely trailed far away from his lady; and finally, Veyle, who loved her brother greatly, yet could never bring herself to acclimate to the hallowed halls of the castle. Of course, Alear and a select few other of their old companions still visit frequently. But practicality and decorum demands that he now rests in the castle, far away from his nostalgic bed on the Somniel.
“Veyle,” he laughs. “You hug me so forcefully every time, like I’ve been gone for another thousand years.”
She pouts at this. “I’m just making up for all the time we already lost!” Then, she lets him go and looks sheepish. “Ahh, I know you’re really busy these days…do you have time for tea? Or a stroll around the orchard?”
Alear’s eyes crinkle in fondness. “I have to go to Brodia for a big official thing come noon. But hey, I’d always make time for you, you know that.”
Her eyes light up. “Great! Celine gifted me a few Firenese plant clippings. I can’t wait to show you how well they’ve been growing!”
The two of them set off and chat up a storm as they make their rounds around the Somniel. They catch sight of Vander and Sommie dozing off by the poolside, and laugh at what a merry sight they make. Celine’s taste for aesthetics is impeccable as usual, and though the blooms are still small, there’s one that’s a stunning shade of purple that matches the glimmer in Veyle’s eyes. It’s a lovely hue. Alear points it out.
“It’s really lovely isn’t it?” Veyle beams. “I wonder if there’s any flowers out there that match your eyes, though.”
“Red and blue aren’t really that uncommon though, right?”
“Of course, but I meant together at the same time! Like if the petals alternated colours.”
Alear scratches his head. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen something like that. Maybe the Firenese would know a lot about unique flowers though.” A lock of blue hair falls in front of his eyes. “Do you reckon there’s a natural way to add a blue pigment to a red flower?”
Veyle smiles. “Maybe Mauvier might know! He knows a lot about flowers, too. He could name every one I gave him. We could ask him before you go.”
“We could, yeah.”
They settle into an easy silence, both crouched in the shade of the leafy overhang as Veyle beams at the fruits of her hard work and love. Alear, his heart feeling happy and full, lets his thoughts drift off, wondering when his duties will next bring him back to Firene.
Veyle’s voice breaks him out of his daydream. “Are you visiting Diamant?”
“Sort of,” he responds. “I’ve been asked to preside over and officiate a trade agreement between Brodia and Solm. Did you want to come too? You can meet with him. I think Timerra might be there too, if the queen doesn’t go herself.”
She doesn’t answer immediately, her gaze still fixed on the flowers. “Oh… I miss them a little bit, but…”
“But…?” Now, she seems to be hesitating. Alear frowns.
“Um, actually, I…” Veyle fidgets, and intertwines a lock of her hair in her fingers. She doesn’t meet his gaze.
“Is anything worrying you? Did something happen, and you’re worried about seeing them again? I promise, you can tell me anything. We’re family, right?”
She ducks her head, hiding her face with her arms. “I-I do want to see them! But not right now. I just wanted to know if you could drop me and Mauvier off at Gradlon first! I know you haven’t set up a leyline there yet, but we can leave from Lythos on our own. It’ll be a few days, of course, but—”
Alear’s jaw drops. “Gradlon? There’s still a ton of corrupted there, it’s not entirely safe, you know?”
“I know!” she insists, her ears flushing. “I just… want to see it again.”
“Um, of course! But please, I’ll go with you. I’m worried…”
Veyle squeaks. “No, it’s really fine! I was actually thinking I would rather go without you.”
This makes his heart stop for a moment. Without him? “W-without me?” Is she angry at him? What...?
“It’s not like that, whatever you’re thinking! Brother, I know you really don’t like it there,” she hurriedly cuts in. “I know you don’t really have any good memories of Gradlon. Or the corrupted. I don’t want to see you uncomfortable there. But a long time ago, it was my home, and it was buried away for a thousand years. I was thinking, I just wanted to visit…”
Her voice trails off, but Alear thinks he can fill in the blanks. Of course, he shouldn’t be the only one allowed to pay respects to his mother. But it stings a little that she didn’t want him along. He feels a little uncomfortable thinking too long about this, and sighs. “I get it. You’re right, I don’t even remember the faces of my other siblings. My birth mother. I don’t think I deserve to be able to face them with dignity at this point.”
The memories never do come back in full. Sometimes, he catches fleeting glimpses of the long gone past in his dreams, but a good majority of them are fragments of nightmares that leave him started and gasping for air as he wakes, too afraid to examine if they were fevered exaggerations of his unhappy existence, or if the reality of it had truly been as grotesquely sorrowful.
Veyle frowns. “I mean, even I don’t remember them that well. They all died in papa’s war before I could really get to know them. Even you became hazy in my memories after a thousand years, too, you know. I had nothing but your dragonstone to remember you by. I didn’t know your voice, your face…”
“I guess you’re right. Even Zephia didn’t remember me.” Or she willfully chose not to, he corrects himself, remembering her dying words.
Veyle looks sad, hearing Zephia’s name. “I can’t help but wish things ended up differently. Maybe she could have told us more about them. About all our siblings.”
“Yeah,” and that’s all he has to say. He wish he had more, but the past Alear’s life still felt like someone else’s own to him. He has no good recollections of Zephia. But Veyle, otherwise alone for hundreds of years, likely still has not fully unwoven the complicated feelings in her heart.
Maybe Veyle wanted to visit Zephia and Griss, too. Twisted as they were, they once were the closest things she had to friends up to a while ago, after all. Alear recalls that he heard from Mauvier that he had gone back alone after the final battle to give the two a proper burial. The knight looked gloomier than usual on his return, but contemplative. “They looked at peace,” he had murmured.
This time, the silence between them feels uncomfortable. Veyle eyes him nervously, but with a determined glint in her gaze. Alear feels his expression soften. He might have been the older between them, but after his thousand-year nap and the loss of his memories, Veyle is the one with more time and experience alive between them, isn’t she? He could do well to trust her a little more.
He gently reaches for her hand and coaxes it open, before pressing something into her palm. “Take my Emblem ring, alright? You’re lucky Clanne hasn’t managed to convince me to make it a national museum display yet,” Alear smiles.
Veyle’s eyes widen. “Wait, something this important? But—”
“Did you forget? You can’t get back on the Somniel without a divine dragon’s power to activate the portal. I won’t be able to pick you up if you get into any emergencies.”
Her eyes water slightly, but the tears never come, as resolve hardens her expression. “I won’t lose it, I promise. Thank you so much, Brother! I’ve actually wanted to ask you for so long but I never got the courage to until today and though I spoke to Mauvier about it and he said you might not agree but he’ll do whatever he can. I’m so glad you did though! I’m going to call over Mauvier now!” She says, quickly and more impressively, all in one breath, before dashing off to the direction of the main plaza and leaving Alear in the dust.
Alear is left still crouching in the dirt, dazed by the scene that just transpired.
With the breaking of his dragonstone, Alear could not transform and fly like his mother could; transportation between nations originally proved to be difficult and tedious. Yet his unique status as an Emblem has allowed for a certain unique solution: with the establishment of fixed leylines, under the permission of the royalty from each country, Alear now has a one directional warp from the Somniel linked to each of these waypoints, totalling five for each nation. Others couldn’t come back onto the Somniel without his power, but for security concerns, they agreed on a killswitch for the warp if his powers were compromised and ever called for it. Hopefully, they all agreed, it never comes to that.
Brodia’s waypoint is in the former room where Emblem Roy was kept not long ago, a rather stuffy and high security location within Brodia castle. From there, the stationed guards lead him up a long and winding staircase to his expected station.
It is indeed Timerra who shows up as Solm’s representative. On the balcony of Brodia castle, she leans slightly over the railing and laughs, making Alear nervous and wondering if there won’t be a chance she might slip over the edge. She won’t, he knows, having seen her dexterity first-hand, but it is a blood-pumping thought nonetheless. She is dressed as flashy as always today, but with a distinct likeness to the that of the dress of the Solmic merchants.
Timerra smiles and waves at the crowd below, undeterred by the stiff expressions of the Brodian populace. “Welcome everyone and it’s great to see you all here! Here I am, the crown princess of the Queen of Solm, Timerra! Each and every one of you down there, remember my name since I’ll be great friends with you someday!”
There is a murmur through the crowds, with some cheers and applause, though Alear suspects many of the Brodian nobles are put off by her disarming and casual demeanour. He catches sight of some of the Solmic merchants and knights that accompanied her here, whooping and hollering for their princess.
King Diamant, freshly coronated not long after Alear’s own, is dressed in regal reds and glimmering gold. He stands tall and firm and proud. His voice carries through the air with incredible power and commanding presence.
“For generations, our alliances have been tenuous and self-serving. Solm is a nation many leagues of ocean away from us, and it is easy to forget that they, too, are our brothers who have saved our holy land. Look upon their faces now- these are the faces who have fought beside you, broke bread beside you, and now seek to share their boons with ours. Will we not honorably meet their goodwill with equal candor?”
A loud cheer from the crowds below. There is some leers and disruption, but Alear sees the silhouettes of what he thinks are Jade and Amber weaving through the crowds, settling people’s nerves.
Alear feels awkward, standing there silently, watching Timerra and Diamant alternate reading off the lines of the proposal, their wonderful voices carrying far in the wind. He wishes he had that kind of charisma, truthfully, but it seems everyone has been patient with him regarding that matter. At long last though, it is finally his turn to act.
“May the Divine Dragon Monarch serve as our witness,” Diamant shouts, before he turns and shoots Alear a sly and encouraging grin, one that was meant for him alone before bowing.
“May the Divine Dragon Monarch serve as our witness!” Timerra echoes, before she also turns and makes a swooping bow.
He’s never been schooled on being a monarch, like they have. He woke up maybe a few months ago at most, and before that he was just a glorified assassin, wasn’t he? He gulps, and steels himself.
“The Divine Dragon Alear bears witness to this treaty between Brodia and Solm. Today, history has been made. May this be the first step towards our shared and continuous prosperity.”
They both each take one of his hands and kiss the back of it, and though he knows it’s part of Brodian custom he can’t help but will himself to stymie the flush creeping across his cheeks. It’s embarrassing, being revered like this. The raucous cheers from below make his ears ring.
When the official hustle and bustle is over, Diamant knowingly escorts Alear into his office away from the crowds and the nosy nobles and tells him to stay there while he attends to something else. Alear slumps down in his seat, embarrassed that he’s being taken care of to this level, but grateful nonetheless. Not long after, The door bursts open, and both Diamant and Timerra make their way inside, laughing over some kind of joke between them, before abruptly stopping upon seeing Alear.
She gives a low whistle upon seeing him. “Divine One, you look like shit.”
He puts his head in his hands. “I’m sorry if I bungled your big day. I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to standing up there. I don’t like this kind of attention.”
Timerra laughs. “You did fine! Don’t worry, I think way more of them took issue with me than they possible could with you. Hey, wise King Diamant, your folks have got to loosen up a little, you know?”
Diamant is a little more delicate with his words and looks at him with something bordering concern. “Was something bothering you? While I’m sure that was a lot of pressure, I feel like it wasn’t just stage nerves bothering you at the time.”
His heart sinks. Is he that easy to read? Alear sighs. “Well, yes. Before I came here actually, I asked if Veyle wanted to come…”
Diamant and Timerra listen with rapt attention to his story.
“I didn’t mean to put my personal troubles in front of something as important like this, but now guess I’m hoping for advice from one of you guys. Have you guys ever felt like you were drifting apart with your sibling? Maybe it’s normal, but… honestly, I’m pretty new to this. Having a sibling and everything. I might be a thousand years old but considering I was both asleep and amnesiac you guys have had siblings longer than I have, really.”
Timerra strokes her chin sagely. “You know, that part where she said she didn’t want you to go with her. Is that what upsets you?” When Alear nods, she makes a face and continues. “I get that! My baby brother is always doing things behind my back, thinking he’s helping me. He pretends he’s goofing off but he’s always thinking to himself, ‘the next queen should blah blah blah’ and assumes that what he’s doing will lead to less trouble for me. I don’t care about that though. I want to spend time with him! I’d honestly be less mad if he was just being selfish, but when removes himself from the picture like that, it’s super annoying, you know?”
Alear fidgets in his seat. “I don’t think Veyle is being annoying…!” he protests. “I wonder if she knows how much I care about her. I would be okay with her visiting my mother with me as well, but she’s always too scared to. Does she think mom wouldn’t like to have her there? I don’t think Lumera would hold it against her, you know? I think she’d even be happy to meet her more.”
Diamant, who previously looked lost in thought, also chimes in. “I think my brother and I have a good relationship. We love each other, and we speak to each other often. But I’m sure the two of you know how Alcryst is- it’s perplexed me all this time how he’s always missing his good points, and while our family has always valued high standards, I wish he’d be easier on himself. All of us have spoken with Veyle and I’m certain by now she has come to terms with what the other Veyle has done and how we don’t blame her for it. But— hearing you are loved, and knowing you are loved, I wonder if that’s not enough for some people.”
Alear raises an eyebrow. “Then what is?” He knows his friends, his people love him, despite his origins. That carries him through his more difficult days. Would it not be the same for Veyle?
Diamant’s eyes crinkle into a warm but sad smile. “Our head knows, but our heart sometimes does not. Perhaps it is still different from truly understanding and internalising that love. Lady Veyle is similar to him at times, I believe. She is still seeking atonement, not from us, but from herself. I have tried many times to coax my brother into viewing himself differently, to varying degrees of success, but I wonder if I have just been further putting him on the spot. Perhaps it’s a wound only time and patience could heal.”
Timerra makes a face. “Hmm, in my case waiting wasn’t ever gonna do anything. I cornered my brother about it, crafty and all, until he couldn’t make an excuse out of avoiding telling me how he really felt. But that’s how we do things in Solm! No idea if it’ll help with your cute lil’ sis, but it’s well worth a shot, right?”
Alear’s heart still feels a little unsettled, but at least his nerves are no longer exacerbating it. He smiles at his two friends and staunch allies, before standing up and wrapping them both in a hug. Diamant makes what sounds dangerously close to a yelp in his surprise, but Timerra throws her head back and laughs. Alear smiles. “Thank you. I’ll think really hard about what both of you said.”
Once Diamant has collected himself, he tells Alear: “You might be able to get one more piece of valuable input before you go. We actually have an unexpected visitor here, who heard you were coming and wanted to watch. She came in disguise, though and Amber immediately blew her cover and brought the matter to me. She did insist that I don’t inform you of her presence but— you might be able to catch her before she catches a ship back to Elusia.”
Alear’s eyes widen. “Wait— Ivy? Are you sure you should be telling me this? Won’t this sour the already fragile Brodia and Elusia diplomatic relations?”
Diamant laughs heartily. “I heard our good queen regent played a couple little practical jokes on my brother, back on the Somniel. This is how I show my love for him; I will return his embarrassment fivefold. Diplomatic relations be damned.”
Timerra is beside herself, thoroughly impressed by his expanding sense of humour, and slaps him on the back just a little too hard, causing the noble and proud King of Brodia, famed for its military might, to double over in pain.
Ivy is very poorly disguised. Though she has forgone the most eye-catching parts of her usual outfit, Elusian fabrics still stand out in blatant saturation compared to the rich but darker tones of Brodian wear. It does not take long for Alear to find her on the castle drawbridge, away from the crowds, and he himself wishes he was more inconspicuous as he sidles up to her as she seems lost in thought. This is where they first fought Hortensia, and he wonders if Ivy knows of this.
“Ivy,” he begins, and the shriek she lets out would have drawn the gaze of bystanders had there been any.
“G-GHOST? Wait, D-d-divine—”
“Please, calm down. It’s just me, I just wanted to say hello.”
She does manage to take a deep breath, and miraculously managed to compose herself, though her voice is still shaking. Her face is flushed a deep red. “I’m really sorry you bore witness to that. I… I don’t think I’m supposed to be here, you weren’t supposed to see me here, I—”
Alear pats her on the back. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think you’d react like that. It was my fault. I just happened to see you from the balcony and wondered if I could catch you.”
She looks at him ruefully. “You could? From the balcony?”
He nods solemnly. “You look really… Elusian.”
Ivy shuffles her feet uncomfortably. “I was hoping I didn’t. My journey here went rather unimpeded, but I suppose the new king has already done a great deal of work regarding how Elusians are viewed here that I wasn’t chased off the pier immediately by the soldiers.”
“Impressive, isn’t he?” Alear agrees. “I didn’t see any of it go down myself, but Alcryst writes me reports on how staunchly his brother pushed for aid to help Elusia rebuild, citing you and all the other Elusian help we got during our fight against the Fell Dragon. Well… that wasn’t really successful entirely, and he couldn’t convince the nobles to dip into their own pockets but… at least the Brodian people are coming around to the fact that you guys aren’t the bad guys here.”
Ivy sighs, and looks out into the distance. “He never promised me anything on that front, always warning everyone else about how the needs of his people come first to him, but he’s trying so hard to break down those old habits, isn’t he? He’s a good man.”
“He is, isn’t he. Prince Alcryst is really proud of him, and was dripping with praise. I would be too, if I had a brother like him,” Alear muses.
She quirks an eyebrow. “If I may interject, Divine One, but Veyle has a brother like you.”
Alear’s breath catches in his throat. “Huh?”
Ivy turns away, this time, clearly embarrassed. “Lady Veyle thinks of you the way the prince thinks of the King Diamant. Isn’t that natural?”
Now Alear feels himself start to flush. “Um… thank you, but I feel like I hardly compare to—”
“Isn’t it natural to see your older sibling in a glowing light?” Ivy hurriedly adds. “I hardly find myself deserving of the praise Hortensia gives me, but I accept it with pride regardless. I think you should hold your head high up and do that as well.”
Alear is quiet for a moment, letting her words sink in. “Ivy. I really trust your opinion on the matter, so can I confide in you about something?”
Ivy is clearly taken aback. “I-it would be an honour. If I could help you with whatever is ailing you. I will do my best to live up to your expectations.”
He smiles warmly, and does his best to recount the day’s events. Not sure if Timerra and Diamant’s own words are for him to freely share, he simply redacts the meat of their discussion and leaves only their final advice. When he finishes, Ivy looks deep in thought. A minute passes with only the sound of rustling leaves and the faraway bustle of the citizens to accompany them.
Ivy, perhaps, grants him the most enlightening perspective. “This may be presumptuous, Divine One, but as you recall, the Elusian royalty is of the habit of taking consorts. Hortensia and I are of different mothers. It does shame me to admit this, but I used to be… a little jealous, even, watching them back then.”
Alear’s eyes widen in surprise. “Jealous? I never would have guessed. You two get along so well, though.”
“We do,” Ivy nods. “I have no quarrel with Hortensia herself, especially now. Just frustration at the time, that her mother loved her so wholeheartedly and unconditionally.” She frowns, deeper than her usual gloomy glower. “I felt suffocated by my own. She was a haughty woman who bullied the other consorts. But Hortensia’s mother, despite this, was kind to even me. I knew she was an exemplary person to the bone, and did you know how that made me feel?”
Alear’s breath catches in his throat. He knows this feeling. A thousand years ago, the faintest recollection bubbling to the surface like bile. When he was on that snowy mountaintop, all alone and forsaken, watching someone with a face just like his own, flanked with his loved ones at his side.
Ivy’s knuckles are white as she clings to herself. Her pained gaze is unwavering, though, owning up to her shameful secret. “I wanted to crawl out of my own skin. I felt disgusting. I wanted to be a good person and a selfless queen more than anything, and my runaway emotions kept betraying me. I would have liked a mother like her, more than anything else in the world, but that very feeling meant I could never, ever, in good faith feel like I deserved it.”
“Ivy, you’re not—”
“Spare me the reassurances,” she interjects. “I don’t think my pride could take it. Please, just treat this as… a confession, to my deity. I don’t seek absolution from anyone but myself, do you understand?”
Alear automatically nods, taken aback by her fervor. Perhaps he should fix this habit someday. Maybe he’ll be dragged into things less often.
Then, her expression softens. “I saw myself in Lady Veyle, at times. She is a kinder person than I am, so I imagine she has been hurting more than I could ever imagine. It is not on you, nor Hortensia, nor Queen Lumera, to unload the burden on our hearts.”
“I… I think I understand. I knew she felt guilty over the whole—” It’s still too hard to say it out loud, Alear thinks, as his mouth goes dry. “...the other Veyle’s actions. I thought she was only avoiding my mother because of that.” Dejection spreads across his face. “I’ve been awfully inconsiderate to her… I know she loved her own mother, too. How could I have been so stupid…”
The sight of a loving parent, and two rosy-cheeked children in their embrace. Eve, Morion, Seforia, cradling their children in their arms. He had not realised it at the time, but he had been staring, each instance his eyes lingering too long on the children: embarrassed, relieved, jovial, a multitude of emotions they shared generously with each other. He now realised he had been greedy.
He had lost Lumera, but gained Veyle. That dream had never fully been within reach, but he’d dared to hope still. Some part of him thought, I loved my mother, and I loved Veyle. They had both been forgiving and generous enough to love someone like the past me, weak-willed and shameful and defective. Surely they would have learned to love each other as well. But Veyle already had a mother. A kind, just, and resilient dragon. Much like Lumera, but at the same time, not so. Veyle calling Lumera her mother would not make their family whole. He had been searching Veyle too hard for a concession that was not his to expect.
Seeing him go quiet for so long, Ivy rubs his back in concern. “My sincerest apologies. I did not mean to dredge up uncomfortable thoughts in you. But perhaps we have to look with resolve at our own ugly emotions to overcome them first.”
Alear shakes his head. “You’ve really been a great help, I promise.”
Ivy gives him a rare smile, laced with her unique blend of exacting kindness. He will treasure it. “I’m afraid I have to go soon. I’ve dallied too long here, and Hortensia worked so hard to convince me to come here, and I know there’s a lot of work she’s taken on behind my back.”
“Do you have a ship waiting for you?”
Ivy shakes her head. “I came here clandestinely on a merchant ship, with only my two retainers. We are expected to board before they leave for Elusia again.”
“Wait,” Alear says. “You three can come back with me on the Somniel. I’ll take you there. It’ll be much faster than by sea.”
She suddenly looks nervous. “I really shouldn’t, it was one thing to use it as a base of operations while there was a world-ending war going on, but using something as sacrosanct as the Somniel as a personal transport ship?! I really can’t—”
Alear tugs her by her wrist and starts heading off. “Don’t be shy, Sommie misses you all! You’re going to let Sommie cry? Come on, let’s go find them. Do you know where they might be right now?”
“W-WAIT!!!”
When the merry Elusian trio take their leave of the Somniel, Alear’s heart feels a little fuller inside, having met with so many friends he has missed sorely today. Will sorely miss, he thinks, as silence settles over the Somniel once again. Sommie bounces beside him questioningly, as if asking when everyone will be back again. Alear gives it a rueful smile and shrugs. “Guess it’s just us again, buddy.”
The spirit whimpers a little and bunts his shin, prompting Alear to kneel down to pet it. “Veyle and Mauvier aren’t here either… I wonder when they’ll be back. Do you think I should go find them?”
Sommie rolls over on its back, demanding more belly rubs. The struggles of man are of no consequence when there is a tummy that needs scritching. Alear complies. “Should I go back to Lythos, then? I might worry myself sick if I stay here.”
Sommie once again does not answer. Instead, it closes its eyes and lets out a content purr. Not long after, its breathing settles into steady rhythm, clearly close to dozing off. Alear shakes his head at the sight and tries to coax it back up.. “Come on, lazybones. I can’t stay here petting you forever, okay?”
At this, Sommie hops up indignantly, makes a yip that sounds suspiciously close to a huff, and trots off toward the cafe, surely to go beg for attention from Vander instead. Goodness, Alear thinks fondly. He used to be Sommie’s favourite, but with all the time he spends away from the Somniel these days, the creature has been quite petulant and rebellious, electing instead to follow the effusive and diligent ex-steward around. They look wonderful together, he concedes, and though Vander is not one to show it, he’s also quite attached to Lumera’s old friend as well. Maybe they reminisce about her together by the fireside these days.
Now that Alear is truly left alone with his thoughts, he wanders the Somniel aimlessly, enjoying the crisp evening breeze. Though he realises the responsible decision is to return home to Lythos, get a good night’s sleep, and simply trust in Veyle and Mauvier’s safety, his thoughts keep wandering to the conversations he had today, and in his mind he engineers several hypothetical conversations he’d like to have with Veyle. This only worsens his nerves, so he shakes himself out of that line of thinking.
Maybe it would be nice to get a little more input on this. He did meet three highly esteemed and wise leaders and stalwart friends today, but there are four countries that have sworn their love and loyalty to Lythos. And there is someone from the final nation, of which was perhaps the presence most sorely missed by him of all.
Brodia, which valued practicality and security, saw no issue with tucking its leyline securely away in its well-guarded castle with little pomp or circumstance. The Firenese royalty on the other hand, famed for their piety and aesthetic sense, saw fit to integrate the waypoint inside their royal gardens, complete with vibrant blooms and polished marble columns and lush trellises. When he steps out of the altar, he scares the previously half-asleep guard on duty half to death.
“A-ahem! What brings you here today, Divine One? Erm, no disrespect meant but I do not believe the Queen informed me that she was expecting you…”
Alear coughs sheepishly. “It’s nothing arranged nor urgent, I assure you. I had some rare free time off and thought I’d like to come visit. I’ll get out of your hair now.”
The panicked guard’s expression peters out into a calmer, but still pensive frown. “Please wait, Divine One, at least let me escort you! I shan’t renege on my duty on my honour as one of Firene’s royal guard.”
“It’s really fine, um, Sir…?”
Before the awkward situation could develop any further, another voice suddenly joins the fray.
“What’s with the racket here, Emmanuel? Wait— holy smokes, is that the Divine One!?” Another knight by the looks of it gasps, definitely taken aback at the sight of the dragon monarch standing around awkwardly in the royal gardens.
“Here for leisure,” Alear quickly interjects, getting increasingly distressed by the attention. Maybe it’s too much of an inconvenience to just visit places for fun, these days.
“Leisure!? Why, we’d be typically honoured to host you, but currently I’m under orders from the princess to find the crown prince.”
The first knight now looks panicked again. “The crown prince!?”
Alear joins in his concern. “Prince Alfred?” he chokes out. “Did something happen to him?”
“Erm, I don’t know the full details, your Holiness, but—”
“Hail,” a familiar voice calls out from behind them. “I heard you are looking for me! Here I am,” the missing prince in question shouts, his expression almost comically stern from how out of place it looks on him.
Alear internally lets out a sigh of relief, and raises a hand in greeting. “Alfred!”
Both soldiers hastily stand up straighter. The second knight clasps his hands together with a pleading expression on his face. “Your highness! The princess is demanding—er, asking that you come back to the castle at this moment!”
Alfred’s gaze sweeps over the three of them before him, seemingly trying to make sense of what was going on before him. When his eyes lock onto Alear’s, they visibly light up. “Hold on,” he tells the knight. “Divine One! What brings you here today, my friend? No trouble, I hope?”
For the third time that night, Alear explains himself, rubbing the back of his neck in stress. “No trouble at all. I was hoping to catch up with some of my old friends today by coming here, but I feel like I’ve caused trouble for you guys instead.”
The first knight’s jaw drops. “O-oh, you could never!”
Alfred nods and adds fervently, “Of course you aren’t. As long as Firene is my home, you will always be welcome here, at any time and at any hour.”
“Your highness,” the other knight urgently interjects. “Princess Céline really wishes to see you at the moment. May I suggest the both of you return with me to see her?”
Well, Alear did want to speak to Alfred alone, but if now was a bad time for it, so be it. He wasn’t in any particular hurry and would love to see Céline as well.
To his surprise, Alfred does not make to leave. He looks uncharacteristically serious, even. “Please tell my sister I am grateful for her concern, but that I am perfectly fine and will return when I feel like it.”
“But—”
“Matthias, right?”
The knight blinks. “Yes, that is my name.”
Alfred sounds much warmer now. He gives the knight a reassuring grin. “I knew it! I see you in the training hall sometimes with Boucheron and the rest of the lads. Just think of this as, say, a boy’s night out. I have something I want to speak with the Divine One about for a while. Alone and all. You can let Céline know I’m safe.”
The two knights look at each other, unsure and confused. “So should one of us escort you…?”
Alfred bursts out laughing. “Really, guys, when the man who took down the Fell Dragon is standing before you? I’m no pushover too, I’ll have you know! Okay, you two don’t quite look convinced. Come on, is there anything heavy here I can lift to put you at ease?” He sounds quite serious, even muttering something about scanning the surrounding area for boulders.
Alear decides to interject before things get further derailed. He clears his throat and tries to think of the most confident people he knows. Goldmary? Amber? No, no, that won’t work. Maybe channeling his best Sigurd impression will do. He places a hand on his chest and lowers his head slightly. “Please, I’m asking that you trust the two of us. I swear on my title as the Divine Dragon Monarch that I will keep your prince safe.”
Alear hopes his cheeks don’t look as red as they feel, but at least it works. The knights also both fluster at that display and quickly excuse themselves, and the two of them scamper off towards the castle, probably gossiping about what they just saw. Alear tries not to think about what they might say after this but instead breathes a sigh of relief. Peace and quiet, finally!
“That was… so cool!” Alfred has his hands clasped in front of his mouth, grinning madly. Alear thinks he can practically see stars in the other man’s eyes.
He sheepishly turns his head and rubs his nose awkwardly in an effort to conceal his growing blush. “Really? It felt super cheesy.”
“You were oozing charisma, like, like, an incredibly well-built and big and powerful hero stepped in front of— Oh, of course, by that I don’t mean you weren’t already a powerful—”
Steam is coming out of Alear’s ears at this point, so he decides he must quickly put a stop to whatever strange image Alfred is about to put into his mind. “Alfred! Um, you said you wanted to speak with me alone? What was that about?
Alfred knits his brows together. “Oh, about that… I made something up,” he admits. “But come, let’s go for a walk around the gardens, while we speak.” He enthusiastically places his hand on Alear’s back and ushers him forward.
Alear smiles, but lets himself fall into pace with the other’s stride. “A walk, only? You forced me into so many jogs I didn’t even agree to go on while we were on the Somniel. Has peacetime tamed you?”
The prince barks out a laugh. “Of course not! I strive to maintain my diligence especially in peace, for we must seek to maintain it.” Then, his expression shifts into something less jovial. “I did want to talk to you, and properly show you around my home now that we have time and don’t have a big evil dragon breathing down our necks. Really! But I didn’t have anything specific in mind when I said that. I hadn’t seen you in a long time, and I guess I just blurted it out before I had a chance to think. Funny, right?”
Alear feels his chest hurt a little. “How long has it been since we spoke like this, I wonder.” He had been deluged with duties post-coronation. The divine dragon was needed everywhere, it seems. Of course, Alfred himself had no shortage of responsibilities either. A previous time Alear had come to Firene castle for logistical matters only to learn from the queen that both her children and their finest knights were out on a joint mission taking out the stray Corrupted still left behind. Alear had wanted to join them, but Eve had insisted that he accompany her for tea instead.
“Three days and a fortnight,” Alfred answers, a little too quickly.
“You counted?”
“Of course. I treated it like a challenge. How long could I go without seeing you without going mad and running on foot to Lythos to come visit you? I think I have remarkable self-control to have lasted that long.”
Alear grimaces. “Please, don’t ever do that.” A pause, as he contemplated his next words carefully. “I’m sorry I didn’t come visit more. I missed you a lot, too.”
Alfred stops in his tracks, prompting Alear to lurch to a halt as well. He gives Alear what feels like an incredibly knowing smile, catching him further off guard. “Do not apologise, my friend. I know how kind you are, and what a big burden lies on your shoulders. I know you spent every hour with your people and their needs in your thoughts. I do count myself as one of them too, so I am still quite happy.”
Alear feels his eyes start to sting a little. The weight of all the emotions he’s gone through today didn’t particularly sink in, until now. His worries over Veyle, the exhaustion of being the center of attention, the fun he had with old friends; everything seemed to collapse on him right at the moment. “I really, really missed you. I’ve just been so busy, that I didn’t let myself think about it. I…”
Now, Alfred’s expression shifts into that of concern. “Did you want to go for a jog, just like old times?” Alear is unresponsive, instead staring hard at the ground, willing his tears back. Seeing this, Alfred takes one of Alear’s hands in his own. “Don’t look so down. You know it hurts me so to not be able to do anything for you,” he says, running his thumb over Alear’s knuckles experimentally.
“I’m fine,” Alear finally manages to say, once he collects himself. He even squeezes Alfred’s hand in his own, in what he hopes is a reassuring gesture. “I just had a long day. Before I came here, I spoke with a couple of our friends in Brodia.”
“Brodia,” Alfred repeats thoughtfully, as he starts moving again with Alear’s hand still in his own. The pace is quite a bit brisker than earlier, and Alear stumbles a couple times while trying to keep up. “I heard something about something Prince—I mean, our boy’s king now, Diamant working to improve relations with Solm.”
Alear nods as they continue to walk along. The rose hedges they walk through are quite beautiful, even in the dim evening light. “I had to officiate the trade agreement. I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to standing in front of so many people. It’s one thing being the leader of twenty-odd people, but once you start adding more zeroes to the end I can’t help but think maybe I’m not cut out for this.”
“I think you’re just thinking too much,” Alfred automatically says, as if it was the simplest conclusion in the world.
Alear doesn’t know quite what to say to that, but once they reach a clearing, Alfred pulls Alear into a gazebo, where they both collapse onto the same bench. Alfred lets go of him, and only now does Alear realise how clammy his own hands felt. He resists the urge to wipe his palms on his slacks.
“You know, I admired your optimism,” Alear finally says searchingly, still feeling a little winded from the power walk they just did. “I liked that you always seemed to power through any and all doubts. It was infectious, even. But I don’t know if I can do that alone.”
Alfred, still slightly breathless as well, replies with an encouraging grin. “As long as I’m here, you won’t be alone.”
“Then, can I ask for advice for something?”
“Are you kidding me? I’d always lend you an ear.”
Where to even start? Alear feels like he’s gone through a million and one thoughts today, each burden weighing him down with unease with every decision he made. Sifting through the mess in his head might take a while and a lot of mental energy. But sitting here, with just the two of them in the cool evening light, made it seem like it was all so easy to forget.
“To be honest, I felt really bad. I came selfishly and on short notice here thinking you’d be able to say something to make me feel better. I just really felt like I needed your perspective.” Alear closes his eyes and smiles. “But, I’m not here to put you on the spot or anything. I already feel so much lighter just having said some of those things out loud, so… thank you. Just for being here.”
“You came here just for me,” Alfred surmises, his voice trembling with awe and higher than usual.
“Is that a bad thing?”
“Heavens, that’s not it! I’m so happy,” Alfred grins, his energy practically bursting at the seams. “Overjoyed, even! Being able to be of service to you, a reliable companion, a broad shoulder to lean on: that’s the happiest you could ever make me. But what trouble of yours requires my expertise? Perhaps your training regimen isn’t fulfilling enough?”
Alear chuckles. “No, sorry to disappoint. It doesn’t have to do with training.”
“Then tell me, my good friend. What ails you so?”
“It’s about Veyle,” he finally admits.
Alfred’s smile drops. “Lady Veyle? Is she alright? Has something happened to her?”
“Nothing so serious, she’s perfectly healthy,” Alear quickly replies. He frowns, his anxiety crawling back up to the surface. “I hope, at least. She and Mauvier have gone to old Gradlon. For what, I’m not really sure. She wouldn’t tell me, nor would she let me come along.”
“Gradlon,” Alfred wonders. “There’s not much besides Corrupted and fire and ash and more Corrupted, isn’t there?”
“I don’t hold any love for it myself,” Alear sighs. Nothing but more bloodshed and farewells. “But to Veyle, a long time ago it was home once. To me, who only has bits and pieces of memory from that time intact, and all of them quite miserable ones at that, it’s like crawling back into a den of vipers. She told me that I wouldn’t want to be there, and she’s right, but…”
“...You hated feeling left behind,” Alfred finishes for him, with dawning clarity.
Alear looks at his hands miserably. “I lost my mother two days after I woke up. It keeps making me think it’ll happen again. When I see the distance between us widen, I worry endlessly— will it ever close again?”
“Lady Veyle isn’t the kind of person to drift away like that,” Alfred insists, and firmly places a hand on Alear’s shoulder to calm him down. “Everyone in the whole kingdom can tell how much she cares about you. She’s awfully strong, too, even if you feel like you have to protect her.”
“I know. She’s always surprising me. But I know deep down she has a hard time forgiving herself for a lot of things the other Veyle did. I love her a lot, just as I loved my mother. At times, I feel like I’m doing something horrible to her, when I try to reconcile my love for them both. Like it’s a bitter reminder of something she still blames herself for.”
“Just like how she shouldn’t blame herself, you shouldn’t blame yourself either,” Alfred points out. “You and her— to me, you’re both the same. I think it’s swell how much you’re both doing your best to care for each other.”
It’s easy to see the hypocrisy in his own words, but another thing entirely to change how he felt about it all. “I just worry I’m not a good brother to her.”
Alfred looks very gravely at him. “What makes you think you aren’t?”
“Isn’t it my lack of experience?” Alear had so desperately wanted to learn, to love and be loved, what being in a “real” family felt like. Twice now, his time with Lumera had been tragically cut short. “Being a good son, or a brother… wouldn’t it come so much easier to someone who’s had a family his whole life? How do I know what I’m doing the right thing, if I have nothing to reference it by?”
“But,” Alfred interjects softly. “Lady Veyle held onto your dragonstone all this time. Isn’t that proof enough?”
Alear looks at him blearily. “I don’t follow…?”
Alfred leans back. He places his hand over his heart, his tone radiating patience and understanding. Alear can’t help but fold a little under his warmth. “I should ask you this first. What is family to you?”
Alear has a hard time answering this question from scratch. But, he has a good idea of what family isn’t, no thanks to Sombron. “It’s more than just sharing blood. It’s… someone who you know unfailingly loves you, despite your worth. Even at your worst.”
He’s never been more than anything more than a useful tool or a defective disgrace to that man.
Alfred nods. “If you asked me? It’d be someone who would always be by your side, even when they’re gone.”
Unfailingly, he thinks of Lumera, whose love for him endured eons. Even after her untimely death, the bond between them was undeniable. “That makes sense, too.”
“Then, isn’t it clear? Isn’t that what you are to Veyle?”
Alfred beams, as it becomes apparent that he has stunned the other into silent understanding. Lumera had first pitied him, of course. She believed in his ability to change, to become a better person— she only had to show him there was another way to live. That was something Alear already understood: that Lumera loved him, because she saw that innate goodness in him. He was infinitely grateful that she even gave him that chance.
What didn’t truly sink in until now though, was this: even the wretched and lonely Alear from a thousand years ago who coldly slaughtered countless people in the Fell Dragon’s name, before he found the courage to stand up to Sombron, before he realised the world was precious enough to try saving— he, too, had someone who dearly loved him.
He looks down at his lap, hiding his face in his hand. “For someone like the me from back then, pathetic and weak-willed in every way… she waited all this time to see me again,” Alear muses incredulously.
“It’s not a one way thing,” Alfred chimes in. “You saved her, too. I can’t even imagine enduring all those years alone. But you stayed by her side. Er, in rock form, perhaps, but still. Isn’t that super important to dragons? You left something so precious with her, so she must have been precious to you, too.”
“She was precious to me too…” Alear wonders, if the Alear in the past ever spoke fondly to Lumera about her. He thinks, if he was really the same person back then as he is now, he would never willingly leave Veyle behind. His chest tightens. If his memories don’t come back he might not ever know.
“And isn’t that wonderful? I’ve been with Céline since she was born, and we’ve been through thick and thin together. But that doesn’t make you and Veyle siblings any less than we are. Time and distance… neither of those stand a chance against the unbreakable bond between you.”
Alear peeks out from between his fingers. Alfred is grinning from ear to ear. He feels a little shaken. “Am I being too clingy?” he ruefully asks. “With Veyle, and even with you. For all the time I spend together with the people I like, each day away I feel like my world is falling apart.”
Alfred, suddenly, looks very caught off guard. “Wait. With me?”
“You were my first friend. The first one to tell me so.”
Alfred’s face falls. “I’m flattered, honestly. But did I really earn that myself? That was just the time and place, wasn’t it? Heavens, you’re the divine dragon; anyone would have loved to be your friend. It could have been anyone else in my place had they been there by chance…”
“No, I just know—it had to be you. Your openness, your compassion; the way you reached your hand out to anyone and always sought to be the best version of yourself. I could tell that all your people loved you as you loved them. I’ve always wanted to be more like you.”
It was a small thing to Alfred, perhaps, who grew up loved and loving, who showered upon everyone his dazzling affability. To the Alear back at the ruins of the castle, consumed with grief with Lumera’s passing still a fresh wound on his psyche, who woke up with nothing, feeling like no part of his life was his own: it was a significant lifeline. his first friend, that he made himself.
Just like the Alear a thousand years ago, afraid of his own obsolescence and death, lying wounded in the snow. A desperate soul that latched onto Lumera’s proffered hand that day, the first act of kindness from a stranger he’d received in his life. This memory was one of the few he recalled from his dreams in clarity, the very night after the emblems had departed. No doubt Marth, who had once witnessed this scene himself had left the treasured memory to his partner as one last parting gift.
So much happiness, followed by so much loss. So much happiness that sprung up from loss, like the first blooms breaking through the snow after a harsh and forgiving winter. It made him treasure that all the more.
And yet, Alfred’s silence this time is worrying. He’s usually quite an easy person to read, and while it’s obvious that a turbulence of emotions have overtaken him at the moment, Alear has a hard time making any sense of it all. It’s unnerving. Alear wonders if he’s made a mistake.”Alfred? Did I say something wrong?”
Alfred closes his eyes in what seems to be consternation. “On the contrary. I have been dishonest, you see. And now I must quickly figure out how to rectify it.”
“Dishonest…?” Alear blinks. That is one of the last word’s he’d attribute to him. Alfred, who is quick to speak his mind, and even quicker to act without thinking it through?
“It was a very cruel deception towards you,” he responds gravely. “You see, I am not entirely the wonderful man you seem to have mistaken me for. Before you arrived, I was wandering the gardens precisely because I had just fought with my sister. To think I still had the gall to speak to you on yours…” He hangs his head in shame.
Alear searches for what to say. Rather than feel any bit betrayed, he feels worried for their sake. Sure, the two Firenese siblings had some glaring differences in personality and values, but for the ever-positive Alfred to frame any altercation between them as a fight? There’s no telling how serious the matter at hand is.
“I’m sure there was just some sort of misunderstanding between you two.” Alear settles for a half baked comfort. He’s honestly no good at this, but he has to at least make an effort, or what kind of a friend would he be? “Please don’t be hard on yourself. It doesn’t change how much your words have helped me. You can tell me what’s on your mind. I want to be able to help you too, Alfred.”
“Then,” Alfred murmurs. “Do you remember what you said? What family is to you? A person that will love you, even after seeing you at your worst?”
Alear nods, not quite following his reasoning. “Céline will always love you, won’t she?”
“She does,” Alfred acknowledges. He smiles a little sadly. “She has, of course, seen me at my worst. There have been times I’ve been an undue burden on others and utterly dejected. She loves me all the same, without pitying me, because we are family.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
“It is, of course. I’m honoured to be her brother! There’s no denying that she fills in wonderfully in so many areas in which I lack, and I have leaned on her all my life. But loving me, despite my flaws— it comes naturally to her. She does not see that I can’t expect the same from others.” Alfred clenches his fist. “How would my comrades feel, if I was a useless burden on the battlefield? Firene loves peace. But we are not weak. How would my people feel, if I was a feeble prince who backed down from every fight?”
“You’re not weak, though—”
“But if I was, would you like me the same?”
“Of course I would!” Alear snaps automatically, before immediately regretting it. He wilts in his spot. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have yelled like that. It just reminded me of the time you thought you weren’t good enough to be my friend, and I…”
Alfred looks apologetic. “No! I shouldn’t have asked. I know you would, because you’re so kind. You forgave me for all my missteps when I was still trying to get to know you better. But honestly? I’m not so different from Lady Veyle myself.”
Still embarrassed by his outburst, Alear meekly questions his point. “Like Veyle?”
“Before you woke up, you know how us royal children used to come visit you on the Somniel?” Alfred reminisces on it wistfully. “They let me talk to you, even when you were asleep. I… didn’t always used to have so many friends, actually. I really did think of you as a close friend back then. I’m eternally thankful for that. You didn’t even know me back then, but kept me company just the same.”
Alear never really knew how to feel about the whole people watching him sleep thing. It was strange to know he was on the receiving end of such, and there was probably countless generations of visitors he’d never get to meet. It makes him a little sad. “I’m… just glad I could be of help, even back then. Really.”
“It wasn’t only that,” Alfred adds. “I prayed to you, too. And you know what? Some of them even came true. I got stronger. I got more friends. You did all this for me, and even though I told you all of this, there you were, still sleeping as peacefully as ever. And then, I started praying for a new wish. Can you guess what it was? Just like Veyle, I always dreamed that I’d get to meet you. I just… believed, that you’d wake up sometime in my lifetime. I had so many things I wanted to tell you and show you.”
“I did wake up, didn’t I?”
Alfred chuckles lightly. “That you did! I was so unprepared to see you at the time. I’d always imagined our first meeting would be… grander. Happier. I’d put my best foot forward for the person who changed my life so much.”
“But Alfred, I didn’t change your life before I woke up. I didn’t do anything. It was all a result of your own hard work,” Alear replies softly.
“You were my core motivation,” Alfred says without missing a beat. “Do you remember what I said to you? About wanting to be your flower, your sword, your shield? I had that line in my head for so long… I wanted to show you a sight that would dazzle you so much if we ever met. Like the most vivid springtime blooms of Firene, with reds and violets and golds that capture your heart with just one look. I wanted to be like that, a vibrant and warm-hearted flower that you wouldn’t ever forget.”
Alear feels his cheeks heating up rapidly. “I… that’s…”
“When it comes to you, I don’t want to settle for half-heartedness,” he continues, further exacerbating Alear’s mortification. “I didn’t want to show you a single bad side of me. It’s why I was so crushed when I started doing things that actually were bothering you. It’s… it’s why I don’t want to hear things like, you’d still like me if I was weak. I wanted to be strong and beautiful, so I never stopped training to be someone you could be proud of.”
Alfred shakes his head, burying it in his hands. “It’s why I was being selfish in front of Céline. I know she’s just worried about me. I know she’d rather have me safe and healthy, so she hates it when I train too hard. The final straw today was she wanted me to tell you my secret. But I really didn’t want to. I still don’t want to! I’d rather be dishonest than live my life unhappily.”
By piecing together everything Alfred had hinted toward so far, Alear actually has a good inkling as to what the secret in question is. It greatly unnerved him if he thought about the implications. Still, though, despite what it entailed, after hearing that heartfelt plea from Alfred, he could not bring himself to ask.
“I get it, I really do. I’m scared of disappointing everyone. I know there’s things you feel like you have to keep to yourself no matter what,” Alear sighs. “But to me it’s not a matter of you being strong, or weak, or anything like that. I just want to do something for you, the way you’ve always been there for me.”
Alfred bites his lip, but does not answer.
“You can tell me when you’re ready, Alfred. If that’s never, then so be it. That just means I didn’t earn the right to have you rely on me. But if you ever change your mind, and just know that I would be elated if I could be the second shoulder you lean on. Then, I would really feel special to you, too. Is that okay? Can I trust you to do that?”
“You’re special to me regardless,” Alfred automatically responds. And yet, he still seems to hesitate.
The two of them continue sitting side by side in awkward silence for a short while.
“The more I think on it,” Alear finally says, “the more I know I’m right. I felt it when we first met. It had to have been you, Alfred.”
Alfred glances at him. Alear’s gaze does not flinch, and his eyes dart back to his lap. He keeps his voice level. “Divine One, I hope you know those are some awfully dangerous words you’re speaking there.” Is that a hint of reluctance he hears in Alfred’s voice? Or hope?
“You said wanted to show me something beautiful I’d never forget. You really did.” Alear fondly brushes a stray petal off of Alfred’s hair. “It was you.”
Alfred shoots up from his seat immediately. “Pardon me! I am exercising every muscle of self control I have right now,” he grits out.
Alear frowns. “Why? I want you to feel proud of yourself! I’m telling you how much I like you.”
“Because I don’t know if am putting the cart ahead of the horse!” he cries out, as he starts pacing the gazebo. “I like you too—but what if your ‘like’ and my ‘like’ are different? I wouldn’t know what to do with myself.”
Alear is taken aback. “Why would you think that? Our bond is undeniably special. You’re irreplaceable to me, and I’ve felt this way from the start. And it’s not the same as how I feel towards Veyle, or mother. We don’t see each other as siblings. You don’t like me the way you like Céline, do you?”
“I most definitely don’t! Rather, I—” Alfred finally stops his restless meander. He turns to Alear, his expression the very picture of seriousness. It’s still an odd look on his face, which Alear thinks a smile suits much better. “When you said I was special to you. That it couldn’t have been anybody else. That really made me almost the happiest man in the world. Please believe me.”
“Only almost?”
Alfred clears his throat. “I intend on changing that soon, of course. Because words aren’t enough to convey it, I have a strong feeling you don’t understand the depth of what I feel for you yet. Worry not though, I have brought it upon myself to show you with my actions.”
Alear looks at him with confusion. “Wait, you really don’t need to do anything grand—”
“It’s nothing like that,” Alfred insists, though Alear is still not completely convinced. Before he can retort though, Alfred is pulling him up from the bench, and he stumbles forward while Alfred moves to steady him. When the two of them lock gazes, Alear feels overwhelmed by the intensity with which Alfred looks at him. But, it’s not altogether a bad feeling to lose himself to the vivid green before him.
"So here's my plan. I'll speak to Céline. You speak to Veyle. Don't come back to see me until you tell her how you feel and clear up the air between you guys, got that? We both have to do the things we don't want to do. It's our job as their big brothers to not only explain ourselves, but also listen to what they have to say. If we both do that, then we'll be the best versions of ourselves. And then after that..."
Alear listens to Alfred's every word with rapt attention. "And after that?" He holds his breath.
Alfred picks off a nearby honeysuckle from a hanging vine, tucking it into Alear's hair and behind his ear.
“I swear on this flower. When you see it, please think of me! I’ve already decided, and I won’t let myself back down from this."
"I will." Alear's throat goes dry. It's a pretty golden flower; the same hue as the prince's hair.
Alfred gives him the most radiant smile he's ever seen.
"The next time I see you, I will have something even more beautiful to give you. And I’ll tell you everything. Everything I couldn't tell you today, Alear.”
The first blossoms of a Firenese spring are a wonderful thing to behold. These pioneers seem like beautiful and fragile things; it would be easy to pick the handful of them all at once, and to lock them away for display indoors, away from the sweltering heat and the pests that await them outside. When the rest come, though, they come in full force. Vibrant colours sweep across the landscape unchecked. Everywhere you look, they cling to life with overwhelming tenacity. They bloom in gardens, they bloom on stone walls; they bloom in every nook and cranny of your heart, as if crying out, “Please look at me! Look at how wonderfully I’m living!” The day when you watch the last petal fall will inevitably come, someday, but the joy and wonder they once brought you will stay with you for life.
Ephemeral as they are, Alear likes them.