notes: oohhh you have no idea who these two are and that's fun
Despite everything she’d been through, and the whole new life she had to make for herself under the pressure of the prophecy, this was something else. Life after the war had become full of policies and advisors and staff that Nina hated interacting with, and a newfound fear of saying anything that could be perceived as ‘wrong’ at any moment. Physically, she felt different.
Hopefully things could slow down after today, the ceremonies could stop, the advisors could go away. And hopefully, she could get some alone time with Lios, and see Salis and Zephyr more frequently. When the four of them had officially been crowned as rulers, surely they’d gain back a little control of their own free time?
The dress Nina had been packed into was nothing she’d choose. She snorted at her reflection in a blunt laugh at the thought. Not in a ‘I’m not like most girls’ way, but the velvet sleeves irritated her arms, and the very shape of it morphed her into a stranger. Besides, she still couldn’t let go of the predictability of the realms against their powers; she’d have picked any colour besides red, if only to distance herself from expectations a little. She’d had more palace staff do her hair and makeup, another layer to the mask that convinced her the public really expected the four of them to be inhuman and flawless at all times. If that was to be part of her daily routine, it was to be a job she’d quit. With enough negotiating, she’d managed to barter a few minutes to herself when they’d finished, but those minutes were quickly running out and she’d be expected downstairs soon. The moment she stood, Nina pushed her skirt over her shoes, a pair of horrid slip on pointy heels that, unsurprisingly, she’d have never chosen for herself. With a sigh, she pushed the door open, and walked out across the short balcony and down the stairs.
She hadn’t expected to see Lios in the next room, but was flooded with relief when she did. He seemed like the only bit of familiarity there was at the moment, and she was going to hold onto it. The moment he noticed her, his warm brown eyes smiling at hers, she could relax a little more.
“You look beautiful,” Lios said immediately, approaching her for some kind of physical contact. In that moment it was clear to Nina that he felt the exact same way, suffocated in his amalgamated suit-robe combination, and the formality it represented. However she couldn’t disagree with the overarching choices made. He’s make a great king.
“You look nothing like yourself,” Nina blurted out, in attempted validation and communication of her own feelings. Lios just smiled.
“Well, yes I suppose that’s true for both of us,” he said, taking her hands in his. It opened the way for her to spill all her thoughts.
“Is this it now? Is this the rest of our lives?”
“There’s nothing I know now that you don’t,” he told her, and given everything prior that he’d had to keep for one reason or another, it provided reassurance. No prophecies, nothing foretold. “I doubt things will stay this stagnant for long. While everyone celebrates, maybe but… there’ll always be something.”
“I don’t know if I can do this,” Nina openly admitted while she was in front of only him. He reached one hand behind her neck, guiding her forehead to rest against his.
“With all due respect, your highness,” Lios said, testing the title prematurely by about a ten minutes or so, “that was one of the first things you ever said to me. And every time since, you’ve been wrong.”
There was only so much room inside the hall for onlookers, mostly officials and royal staff of which Nina vaguely recognised the odd face in the crowd from earlier that morning. For a brief moment, she imagined Leilani at the end of the hall, in the place of the man who would be crowning them. Glancing to each side of her, she wondered if Lios, Salis, and Zephyr had considered the same at any point. There were still palace tailors fussing around the four of them, smoothing out jackets, pulling out creases in trouser legs, and repositioning Nina’s hair to cascade down her back and frame her face from where she’d pushed it out of her peripheral vision. Lios watched, her discomfort visible, and the moment the member of staff moved out of the way, he tucked her hair behind her ear again with a cheeky smile. At that she let out the breath held in her lungs, her shoulders losing their tension. If this was the rest of her life, maybe it would be okay.
