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Caelan forced his tears to stop as he listened. He lifted his head and watched her. He wiped away her tear, his hand lingering on her face. "It's alright, Adele" He murmured softly. He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her gently--loose enough for her to get out of them if she wanted. He rubbed her back gently, holding her close and humming an old song he knew from his childhood |
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Adele let Caelan hold her, suddenly too tired to do anything except cry. Soon, the sound of Caelan's humming calmed her, and she stopped crying. She looked up into Caelan's face, eyes still red with tears. "Why?" She asked hoarsely. "Why are you being so nice to me?" |
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"Because I have no reason to be rude. You're also a fellow royal who has been kicked around more times than I could count, I'm sure." He said softly, looking in her gorgeous eyes. "Do you...not want me to be nice to you? I'm just trying to help..." He said, now second-guessing what she wanted. Of course she wanted me to turn around and go away when I saw her riding, why wouldn't she? I'm a freak and a horrible person. Never fit to be king. "If you want to go home, I can escort you there...If you wanted, of course, I'm not trying to force myself into your presence, I just really really wanted to have someone around I could talk to and- Never mind" He said, shutting up before he said too much |
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"No, I don't want to go home. At least, not yet. It's just-- You're not acting like I'd expect a prince to act. Especially one from the Night Kingdom. No offense, but in my kingdom they all think you're evil spellcasters and witches who don't care about anything but themselves. They say you ride dragons and have wings-- Oh, no!" Adele exclaimed, glancing at the prince's wings and realizing what she'd said. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I just meant-- Everyone thinks your people are evil. And they clearly aren't. Well, maybe they are. But you're not." Adele pulled away from the prince, and looked into his dark eyes. Yes, they looked like evil eyes, but they didn't match his personality one bit. |
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"We do have dragons for the royals. I could show you mine sometime if you'd like?" He offered, confirming that. "And most of our citizens are quite sweet if you hear them out. They mostly have abusive chidhoods and scars, giving them the steryotype." He explained softly, letting her go when she moved. "Sorry" He muttered, dropping his arms and keeping them to himself. He smiled softly at her, eyes alight with curiousity and adoration. "Thank you for not just assuming I'm horrible and actually listening to me" He murmured softly |
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"Uh, maybe not?" Adele said, refering to what Caelan had said about dragons. Then, after he thanked her, she said, "Of course." Adele smiled warmly. "That's what royals do. Give everyone a chance. Or, that's what they're supposed to do." Adele looked back out over the horizon. The clouds were wispy and long, hinting at an an oncoming storm. But for now, it was calm and warm. Finally, Adele spoke. "So, about lunch... I never really ate breakfast and I'm getting slightly hungry," she said, a playful smile on her lips. |
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"I packed something for us." He said, walking to his horse and pulling out a small lunch for the two of them. "Here" He said, sitting beside her and placing the food down. He wasn't very hungry, but nibbled on the food anyways |
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Adele followed Caelan a little farther away from the edge of the cliff and sat down on the cool grass. She made sure Calvin was still okay. He was happily muching the grass next to Caelan's mare. Satisfied that he was happy, Adele started eating too. It wasn't as glamorous the food at the castle, but it was still good. Soon the silence was deafening and awkward, so Adele spoke up. "What's your horse's name?" She asked Caelan, looking towards the blood bay mare. |
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"Aurora" He said softly, smiling toward his horse. "Tell me about your childhood. The good and the bad alike" He said softly. "If you're alright with that?" |
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Adele followed his gaze to the mare. "It suits her." Adele considered his question. She would have to avoid everything that had anything to do with her power... But that wouldn't be too hard, would it? "Okay, I'll try." Adele smiled nervously as she thought back to the years when she was young, innocent, and playful. "Where to start... Let's see... My earliest memories are of playing in the castle garden, hiding in the flowers and getting thorns from the rose bushes. The gardener then, Mrs. Phillips, always warned me not to trample the plants, but I did anyway. It wasn't that I didn't like the flowers, I did, it was that I was too clumsy to put my feet in the right place. Sometimes I'd even get lost in the sunflower stalks and wander around in there for hours until I found a way out." Adele stopped there, laughing at the memory. "I'll say more after you tell me about you." |
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Overcast and Calm
