seven - where soul meets body

Shaeny stared down at possibly the most beautiful face she'd ever seen in her long, long life. From her vantage point she couldn't tell how tall he was, but she knew he was at least as tall as her mother, if not taller. He had long, long black hair, that was a dark stain against the white marble floor, spilling around his broad shoulders. He had dark pink lips, a chiseled jaw, and a perfectly straight nose. His cheekbones were high, and his eyes were the clearest blue she'd ever seen. As she stared at his face she was struck stupid, her mouth falling open as she stared at him.

"I apologize, Princess." He said, and his deep voice gave her shivers of the good kind. He picked her up gently, standing up himself, and set her back on her feet, brushing the feathers she was still covered in off of her skirts. He gave her a low bow, and she was struck by the fact that his wings were the exact same color of his eyes. "I did not mean to knock you down." He said, his eyes never meeting hers. Something struck her about his actions, but she couldn't put a finger on it. Something in the way he acted reminded her of how Zion had acted when she'd first met him.

"It's alright. I wasn't paying attention. I knocked you down, which I didn't mean to do. I hope I didn't mess up your clothes or anything." Shaeny said, feeling an utter fool when he shrugged.

"My clothes are of no worth to me, Princess. What matters about them is your approval of them." Shaeny raised an eyebrow and stared behind her at her mother, who was standing in the door. Her mother shrugged her shoulders then walked to Shaeny's side.

"Since you are here Markus, why don't we walk together to the gardens?" Anakta suggested, placing a hand on Markus' shoulder. Markus gave another low bow and swept his arm out.

"I shall follow you ladies wherever you lead." He replied simply, his eyes trained on the floor. Shaeny gave him another raised eyebrow, but shrugged and headed towards her gardens. Halfway down the hall she paused, causing Markus to run into her back.

"I apologize, Princess Shaeny. I did not mean to muss your clothing." Shaeny turned to face him, her eyebrows raised so high they disappeared in her hair.

"It's fine, you can stop apologizing." She turned to face her mother. "Mother, where is Nikolas? I meant to speak with him." Anakta gave her a soft smile.

"I imagine he is waiting for us in the gardens, as that is where the assembly has been called." She replied softly, patting her daughter's shoulder gently. Shaeny gave an uncomfortable sort of laugh that caused Markus to look at her finally. Her color-changing eyes were a strange orange color, and her wings were shimmering with the same sort of hue.

"Do your wings change color with your eyes?" Markus asked, the question out before her could catch it. That was the second time in one day he'd slipped up and he wondered how much more they would tolerate him speaking out of turn.

"You have a lovely voice Markus." Shaeny replied, her eyes swirling and changing to a shimmering silver color, her wings following suit. "And the answer to your question is yes. My hair does it too, but only when I want it to." As soon as she was finished speaking her hair changed from a dark brown the color of her mothers to a silver the same color as her eyes. "It's sort of fun to change my appearance all the time. And at others, it can be annoying. It's not good to show up at a ball with orange hair and a purple dress." She teased, a gentle smile crossing her face. He watched, fascinated, as her hair changed to a pale blond color and her eyes swirled to a dark green.

"I apologize for speaking out of turn." Markus replied, softly, still staring at her eyes. His own eyes wandered across her face, her pink lips, her soft features. She seemed so small compared to him, barely reaching his shoulder. She smiled at him - an actual smile for him - and her eyes changed to a blue the same as his.

"It's okay. There's no out of turn or in turn here. There's Shaeny and Markus. And anyone who doesn't like it, can shove it." She said, her voice final. Her remark elicited a laugh from Markus and Shaeny smiled broader. "And you have a beautiful laugh. I can't wait to hear it again." Markus suddenly felt very out of place next to the beautiful, strange princess, and he shook his head. He could never belong next to the Princess Shaeny. He was not born to be her equal, and it was silly to think he could ever be otherwise.

Shaeny frowned at Markus' behavior, but knew that there would be ample time to discuss it with him later. Instead, in the moment, she placed her arm through his, making him walk beside her. For a few short seconds he seemed stunned, and walked stiffly beside her. Once he'd settled into the rhythm, he relaxed and escorted her through the long white halls, taking the gentle nudges she gave him when it was time to turn.

Markus, for his part, watched everything, memorizing his way through the halls so that he would not need an escort when he wanted to return to his room for the night. He was fascinated by the paintings that hung on the wall and the intricate carvings that were etched into the marble walls.

"Your home is beautiful." Markus said, his voice soft. Shaeny gave him a small smile and nodded her head.

"Yes it is. I love living here. But you haven't seen the best part yet." She said, her voice edged with excitement. Markus simply raised an eyebrow and refrained from asking the questions that burned on his tongue. "You know the garden you walked through to get here?" Shaeny asked, the excitement in her voice growing. Markus nodded his head in response, but still said nothing. Shaeny threw her arm out in front of her in a wide arc and Markus followed the slender appendage with his eyes. What he saw literally made his jaw drop.

"It's . . . beautiful." He whispered, his eyes scanning across the wide expanse in front of him. There were trees of every shape and size and color scattered everywhere. Flowers of every kind and color - even some he'd heard come from the Human world - were sprouting up through the green, green grass. He noted that willow trees were everywhere, and seemed to recall - from some unheard lesson - that they had been the late High King's favorite kind of tree, and the people of the Earth Illoheim had lovingly planted them in his memory. Shaeny giggled beside him and he looked at her, his jaw still hanging open. A pink-eyed, pink-haired, pink-winged Shaeny gave him a wide smile and darted off, running through the flowers and trees.

"Come Markus! Run with me!" She yelled behind her, laughter coloring her tone. He watched her twirl in some pink flowers that were almost the same hue as her hair and a smile broke across his face. The High Queen chuckled behind him and gave him a gentle shove.

"Go, laugh. Run. Be young. It's been so long since she'd run through the gardens, and far longer since she laughed. Go laugh with her." The High Queen said, her voice gentle and her eyes the same. Markus gave her a brief nod before following the pink-haired Illoheim through the twists and turns in the garden. Shaeny dashed behind trees and through flower beds, twirling in the grass and jumping over bushes. Markus followed her with a laugh of his own, always just a few steps behind. When she finally stopped running, Markus nearly ran her over. He stopped just short of doing so, and ended up holding her close to him. Shaeny stood very still, staring at a spot in front of her, and Markus followed her gaze.

"This is where my father is buried." Shaeny said, softly, after a quiet moment. Markus' eyes followed up the length of the huge tree trunk in front of them, recognizing it as another willow.

"I didn't know that these trees could get so big." Markus commented, noting that they'd run through the leaves just before Shaeny had stopped abruptly.

"Normally they don't until they're very, very old." She replied, walking closer to the tree. She placed a hand lightly on the trunk of the tree before turning to face Markus, her eyes a glowing silver. "This tree is very, very special." She added, sitting down at the base of it. Markus stood there frozen, unsure of how to act. His instincts told him to comfort her somehow, and his protocol told him to stand until she called for him.

"Who planted it?" He asked, walking a bit closer but still staying out of her comfort zone. Shaeny gave him a sad smile.

"Zion did this for my father." She replied simply, crossing her arms over her chest as she dragged her knees up to her chin. At the mention of his name, Markus straightened.

"Zion?" He asked, fear seeping into his heart. Perhaps he'd been right all along, and Zion was another suitor. Shaeny gave him another sad smile and motioned for him to sit with her. He did so, keeping a small distance between them, and she sighed.

"Zion is . . . Zion. I have no way to explain him. I suppose you'll have to meet him to know. But for now I can say that Zion is a very old, very close, very good friend of my family. And in the most recent years, a good friend to me as well." She replied, her voice somehow sad and wistful. Markus held his breath as he placed a gentle arm around Shaeny's shoulders, giving her a brief embrace before standing and brushing his pants off.

"Perhaps we should present ourselves to the assembly?" Markus said, his voice faraway. Shaeny gave him a strange look then stood as well, wiping her dress off.

"Yeah, alright. This way." She said, leading Markus around the tree and through the branches. They walked in silence for a few uncomfortable minutes and Shaeny stopped, grabbing Markus' arm to stop him as well.

"I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable Markus. I'm sorry if I don't do this the way other Princesses might. I'm not like the other ones. I hope you give me a chance to prove that to you." She said, her now blue eyes pleading. Markus gave her a quick smile and shrugged.

"I'm at your beck and call. If you'd like a chance, you've got it." He replied simply, but something dark touched his eyes and Shaeny sighed. She'd just have to break into his heart another way; with time.