saltโthe air is thick with salt. that is what he notices first as he crosses the threshold of her domain ; a small, cage-like stone room. the hearth barely whispers when the door is shoved open, wind rushing toward the new narrow crevice. the clank of his armor as he moved is the only sound allowed. not even the hinges groan in protest. instead, it is quiet. only labored breaths, metal squeaks, and the thin, impossible sound of ocean waves greets him.
he stands in the doorway for a long moment recalibrating.
his eyes adjust to the dimness over time. his hands, muddy and blood-soaked from use, feel around the air as if it were tangible ; a physical stream around him. he can almost taste itโa spell of sorts, a magic so potent in the air that it lays on his tongue, bittersweet. his eyes become embers in the dark, flaming orange coals that fill with golden dust, reacting to presence alone before a silhouette appears, quick and subtle, at the corner of his eye.
or the shape of her, sitting expectantly on the bedside. he can't see her face from hereโnot in the darkness, not with the fires across from them banked on ashen wood. but he can feel her, yes, a presence too big for this room. a target painted wide and bright on her breath.
he stares at her shadow with wide eyes. unexpectantly, he doesn't move from the doorway. something tells him he shouldn't. his heart, maybe, or that sunlit fire behind his eyes acknowledging that she is, indeed, similar to it, and different all the same.
โ are youโ โ he starts, voice roughened travel and sleepless nights, then pauses. reconsiders. tries again.
โ are you the lady they all seek ?? โ