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ㅤ it seems awfully quiet around, but perhaps that is not always a bad thing. ㅤ

ㅤ the night is quieter than expected .. it's not as nice as i would have hoped. how are you, my lady? ㅤ

ㅤ good evening, princess. ㅤ

silver.⠀ 🤍

ㅤ — confined to a life in the dirt until it enters its chyrsallis .. if i could only help you see, helaena — ' the use of her given name slips out for the first time. ' — if i could tell you .. ' ㅤ

ㅤ the truth of his own life dangled at the tip of his tongue, and it took every effort to wrench himself away from spilling it. ' it is not impossible to become something other than what you are, ' he murmurs. ' the caterpillar is—ㅤ

ㅤ — to not be beholden to anyone .. ' he slides the cup back into nastya's hand, brushing their fingers together. ' .. and an interesting conversation with a beautiful princess. these are all things more desirous than power, i think. ' ㅤ

ㅤ he takes a long sip from the cup before answering, resisting the urge to place his mouth where hers had been. the goblet is warm from her touch. ' hm, let's see. to wake and see a beautiful day and have the freedom to enjoy it, — ㅤ

ㅤ — the queen's face. ' it is not impossible, to change one's fate, queen helaena. ' ㅤ

ㅤ — not. not one person in my family fought for her. but she survived. and last i saw her in lys, she practically ruled the entire island in all but name. ' his hand comes up, slowly, slowly, and brushes an errant lock away from — ㅤ

ㅤ he nodded, gently tracing a pattern on the bench between them. ' she was kidnapped by lyseni pirates and sold as a pillowslave .. another girl ' — darron's birth mother — ' was captured at the time as well. ' his face tilted to look — ㅤ

ㅤ — arranged presently .. ' he gently brushes the side of her hand with his own, wanting to impart comfort the best way he knew how. ' do you perhaps know of my m— aunt? joanna swann? ' he tipped his head, curious. ㅤ

ㅤ he knows all about the sale and purchase of women. such was the education of a boy growing up in a brothel, born to a woman who was not only sold, but enslaved. darron nods, pondering her words. ' indeed, that is how things are — ㅤ

ㅤ very well, princess. i did not expect to see you. i confess, it has made the morning all the more pleasant. ㅤ

ㅤ a double standard that is .. puzzling, to say the least. ㅤ

ㅤ — and was not elsewise spotted. more likely, she was looking for her son's remains, your grace. ' ㅤ

ㅤ — not much of a concern ; that was one crime he was not guilty of, at least. ' my brother byron claimed to have spotted some activity overhead, but if — ' he was careful with his words — ' it was the pretender, she did not land — ㅤ

ㅤ to have received ( short ) notice of the prince's arrival was jarring enough, but he supposed it was not entirely unexpected. after all, he had been present to witness the first the first flickers to the war that would eventually — ㅤ