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[pain. paaaaaain.]
Oct. 18th, 2016 12:02 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eternalshieldThings were settling back down into the rhythm Zeno recognized. Thank the heavens, but he was finished with the scrutiny, the protests, the "don't-do-that-again" and the tears.
Most especially, the tears.
The Princess, with the soul of the crimson dragon god, became stronger every day. While a softer part of Zeno's heart knew a melancholy regret for the girl who fussed about the current king and what he thought of her hair, the man who waited two thousand years for her rejoiced. Any lingering second thoughts about devoting himself to her cause dissipated almost before he knew they were gone. It was just and noble, even if it wasn't the grand, luxurious palace life Hiryuu and Ouryuu drafted him for.
She weathered this debacle much more calmly than the kid or the other three dragons. Maybe Zeno forced her to, maybe collapsing into her arms and forcing her to confront the thing didn't really give her time to sort her feelings out, but that was-- she'd run to him, and there she was, his lady and mistress, rightful queen by virtue of her noble blood and by the mandate of the heavens, and more than that, the cutest little girl who ever cut her own hair and butchered her own meat and fought her own battles with bow and sword. He was unable to help himself. She was kind and warm and soft and the entire purpose of his prolonged life.
She had a long reign ahead of her. Zeno would be present for every day of it.
It was best, really, that he was so much at peace just by being near her, same as with Hiryuu, and that she wasn't reacting so to the nature of Zeno's power. This never-ending life was hers, and hers alone, and if that... that was a daunting prospect, given that she'd already used up nearly a quarter of her own terribly short life, then that was the case.
He settled back against the cave wall, eyes closed, listening to the children play outside. Well, they were teenagers and twenty-somethings, but they played at fighting and the princesses talked as regular girls. It was much the same, and they'd all left him behind for a little while.
Just for a little while.
Most especially, the tears.
The Princess, with the soul of the crimson dragon god, became stronger every day. While a softer part of Zeno's heart knew a melancholy regret for the girl who fussed about the current king and what he thought of her hair, the man who waited two thousand years for her rejoiced. Any lingering second thoughts about devoting himself to her cause dissipated almost before he knew they were gone. It was just and noble, even if it wasn't the grand, luxurious palace life Hiryuu and Ouryuu drafted him for.
She weathered this debacle much more calmly than the kid or the other three dragons. Maybe Zeno forced her to, maybe collapsing into her arms and forcing her to confront the thing didn't really give her time to sort her feelings out, but that was-- she'd run to him, and there she was, his lady and mistress, rightful queen by virtue of her noble blood and by the mandate of the heavens, and more than that, the cutest little girl who ever cut her own hair and butchered her own meat and fought her own battles with bow and sword. He was unable to help himself. She was kind and warm and soft and the entire purpose of his prolonged life.
She had a long reign ahead of her. Zeno would be present for every day of it.
It was best, really, that he was so much at peace just by being near her, same as with Hiryuu, and that she wasn't reacting so to the nature of Zeno's power. This never-ending life was hers, and hers alone, and if that... that was a daunting prospect, given that she'd already used up nearly a quarter of her own terribly short life, then that was the case.
He settled back against the cave wall, eyes closed, listening to the children play outside. Well, they were teenagers and twenty-somethings, but they played at fighting and the princesses talked as regular girls. It was much the same, and they'd all left him behind for a little while.
Just for a little while.
