You're here for a reason but you don't know why
3-1-3 OC

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Speech Emotional Actions Thoughts

Khyan had howled for Idalie the day he'd been dropped off at this castle, he'd settled down with his mother and Creole, his limbs ached still, his eyes were heavy, his cheek stung from the lacerations, his wounds had been touched by mother, treated as best as they could be. His tail flicked slowly, he hope Idalie had heard him, hoped she was safe, that this..chaos hadn't swept her away from him before the portals arrived.

Now, he sat there, staring at the castle walls curiously, he'd noticed a bit ago he didn't cast a shadow, as if the sun no longer saw him, did that mean Il mio sole no longer stood within these lands? Did she no longer desire his presence? he didn't understand why the sun no longer saw him, no longer allowed him a shadow.

Gde ty, Il mio sole.. (Where are you, My sun)

He worried for her, he wanted to make sure she was safe, that she held no wounds, at least no new ones from the last he saw her. His bright purple eyes sat weary and heavy, downturned slightly as he sighed, and settled himself into a lay, brown pelt standing out against the rough greys of the stone work.

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Khyan no longer casts a shadow, a BWP reward.

Where was he?

He couldn't be gone. Idalie couldn't bear to lose someone else, couldn't bear the thought of a world where Khyan did not exist. She had even forced herself to be brave enough to weather the breaking ice upon the ocean's surface to reach the mainland in order to try and find him when her search on the island turned up nil.

The journey was arduous and exhausting. Her body burned with fatigue and her paws cracked from the terrain, bloodied footprints staining the earth in her wake.

It would be worth it though, if only he would appear.

And then,

A howl.

Proof of life, painfully familiar. Idalie tried to return it with her own, but she wasn't sure she was loud enough. There was still quite some distance between them, but Idalie was determined.

The sight of him, even so far away, was recognizable. Idalie let out a dry sob as she sprinted the rest of the way to his side, careening without abandon into him, aiming to unify their two bodies into one.

You're here for a reason but you don't know why
3-1-3 OC

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Speech Emotional Actions Thoughts

Idalie was his treasure, his spark in this world once so cold she was the only warmth he could see, he could feel and didn't lose hope. When he went through that door, it had been to bring her the sun back, bring her that warmth, the summers here in Mythris he had yet to experience, even if it meant he died doing it, she could live somewhere that did not threaten to nip your ears off just from being so cold.

So when he saw that golden fur, off in the distance, he bounded, he bolted, his limbs stretching as far as they could to meet up with her, pull her into his fur, to tell her what he'd meant to say before he left, before he got wrapped up in all this. His cheek stung so painfully, as the air nipped at the torn skin.

Idalie! Il mio sole!

He called out, his voice strained with emotions he now knew the name of, thanks to Vasili and mother. He knew now what these feelings were this entire time, his heart thrummed in his chest like it might fly away, it hummed low in his ears as he skidded to a stop, allowing her to finish that distance and when he felt her collide, his paws came to wrap around her shoulders, his nose burying into her chest.

Mio sole.. Idalie, ti amo, ti amo, tanto.. Mi dispiace di essere andato via. (My sun..Idalie, I love you, I love you, so much..I am sorry i left.)

Something inside of her hurt at the sight of him, ached, but she knew it wasn't a bad kind of pain. It was the kind where what you feel for someone can't possibly be contained in your physical form and began spilling out, like cracks in a well-loved mug.

They connected and the puzzle pieces began to slot into place, as though they were precisely who and were they needed to be in that moment.

Khyan was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. The most wonderful thing she'd ever heard.

Her own language spilled from his lips and Idalie felt her chin wobble. The weight of the words themselves hardly registered over the affection pouring from her soul.

"Khy, ti adoro. Ti amo. Sono tuo, (I adore you. I love you. I am yours,)" she breathed into him, her face buried into his fur before she pulled back to study his face, wild-eyed. She was talking fast, she knew, but she couldn't help it - not when he'd disappeared and she'd been lost without him. "Stai bene? Sei ferito? Dove sei andato? (Are you okay? You're hurt? Where did you go?)"

You're here for a reason but you don't know why
3-1-3 OC

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Speech Emotional Actions Thoughts

Khyan pressed himself against her, as close as he could, basking in that warmth she brought to his chest, to his soul itself. Through many lives from before, this was the first he'd found love so young, and so..easily without worry of losing the loved one or someone else.

Slowly, as she spoke, he leaned back to look at her, shifting to slide his nose along her cheek softly, and then tucking close to her jaw, wanting to smother his own scent in hers, to make sure everyone knew he was hers forever.

Sto bene.. Sono solo alcuni graffi. E.. non sono sicuro di dove sia andato, ma penso.. che abbia a che fare con quell'isola (I'm fine.. It's just a few scratches. And.. I'm not sure where I went, but I think.. it has to do with that island)

He hummed softly, and slowly settled himself into a sit, his eyes instantly catching the red tints on her paws and he leaned, tongue swiping softly at the edges and instantly realized her paws were bloody.

Le tue zampe. Vieni qui, c'è dell'acqua, immergile, (Your paws. Come here, there's water, soak them,)

Despite not wanting to make her walk further, he knew she needed to soak those paws, he'd cracked his pads that badly once, and soaking them helped soothe the pain, perhaps he could ask mother if she knew something?

He knew something himself, he loved Idalie, loved her with his heart, soul and body, and he'd make sure she knew that every damn day of their life.

He got closer still and Idalie felt hot all over. Little tingles danced across her skin where he pressed into her and her heart pounded within the confines of her ribs. It felt so nice and so much all at once, and Idalie decided suddenly that she very much liked being in love.

She also decided, just as suddenly, that Khyan belonged to her and she to him. It had already felt that way, but now she couldn't imagine what she would do or how she would feel if Khyan ever parted from her.

"Qualcosa ti ha ferito," (Something hurt you,) she murmured, voice soft and quivering with the weight of emotion she felt. "Non va bene." (That's not fine.)

Breath catching in her throat as Khyan lowered his head to her paw, Idalie felt like her face was on fire. The gesture was so kind and tender, and for some reason made her feel like crying. Had her parents ever loved one another so?

Of course not. Their love had been showy and transactional, her mother a gift from a neighboring kingdom. There had been little care and even less affection.

Idalie wanted to hide her face. Wanted to run away somehow. But she also never wanted to be anywhere but right here.

"Non farlo - è sporco." (Don't - it's dirty,) Her cheeks were warm as she pulled her paw back, a bit overwhelmed by the gravity of what she was feeling, and more by the thought that Khyan was lowering himself so. Idalie hadn't washed her paws since she left the island! A royal should never prostrate himself so, not even for another royal.

So why did it make her heart flutter so rapidly?

She was very much eager to wash up, muddied and bloodied as she was. Idalie barely noticed the little stings in her paw pads as she followed him to the water, hesitating briefly by the edge.

"Pulirai anche tu?" (You'll clean up, too?) she asked him, waiting for Khyan to enter the water first.

You're here for a reason but you don't know why
3-1-3 OC

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Speech Emotional Actions Thoughts

Khyan stepped into the water first, the cold biting up his legs as he waded in until it reached just below his elbows. He didn’t flinch. Didn’t slow. He simply moved as though the water was nothing more than part of the moment, something that existed alongside her rather than between them.

When he turned back, his attention locked onto her immediately—like there was nowhere else worth looking.

Si (yes) he answered her question quietly. Anch'io. (I will too)

He shifted a little deeper, testing the footing beneath him before settling into stillness. The current moved gently around him, but he remained steady, anchored in place like he had decided this was where he belonged.

His gaze stayed on her at the edge, lingering on the way she hesitated. Something in his expression softened.

Entra (Come in,) he said gently, not teasing, just observant. È solo acqua, Idalie (It’s only water, Idalie.)

A pause.

e ci sono solo io. (And it’s only me.)

He lowered his head slightly, exhaling through his nose as if grounding himself, then looked back up at her again—fully present, unwavering.

Non hai bisogno di essere perfetto qui, (You don’t need to be perfect here,) he continued, voice quiet but sure. Non hai bisogno di stare in piedi in modo corretto, o parlare in modo corretto, o sentire qualcosa nel modo 'giusto'. (You don’t need to stand properly, or speak properly, or feel anything the ‘right’ way.)

His eyes flicked briefly to her paws again, blood-stained and tense, and his tone softened further.

E non puoi parlare di te in quel modo, (And you don’t get to talk about yourself like that,) he added, a little firmer now, but still warm at the edges. Non con me. Non quando posso vederti e sapere che non è vero. (Not with me. Not when I can see you and know it isn’t true.)

He shifted his stance, water rippling softly around his legs as he held out a paw—not reaching to pull her, not closing the space, just offering it into the gap between them.

So quello che vedo, (I know what I see,) he said more quietly. E vedo qualcuno che ha lasciato l'unico posto che conosceva, senza una direzione precisa solo per trovare ciò che le mancava.. (And I see someone who left the only place she knew, without an actual direction just to find what she missed..)

A beat passed.

e questo basta, (and that’s enough,)

Her face warmed at his words, wondering if he believed her to be afraid of the water. She wasn't, even if that was what it might've seemed in the moment. One bloodied paw drifted along the surface, watching as crimson bled into the clear stream water. It was soothing, like a balm to the abrasions on her pads.

His words settled over her like a blanket fresh out of the dryer, warmth seeping into her skin after so many months of cold. Her eyes stung, exhaustion and emotion both making tears glisten in her waterline.

How could he know what she needed to hear, as though he'd read a script written along each of her ribs - words she craved so desperately but kept so close to her chest even she could not read them?

The weight of perfection had always hung over her head, held up by threads of spider silk, seconds away from snapping. To know that, with Khyan, she was somewhere else entirely, somewhere with nothing above her but the clouds... it acted like the stream to her paws - soothing injuries buried deep rather than on the surface.

Her lower lip wobbled and, without further preamble, she surged into the water with him, body crashing into his chest and face buried into the side of his neck, as though somehow she could knit the two of them together into one.

"Sono andato alla ricerca del mio tutto," (I went in search of my everything,) she gasped, chest-to-chest - could he feel her heart beating in rhythm with his own? Pulling back just slightly, she pressed her forehead to his temple, eyes falling shut. "E gli dèi mi hanno condotto dritto a te, cuore mio." (And the gods led me straight to you, my heart.)

Her breath hitched and she held onto him tighter, as though he'd disappear if she let go. Free to behave as she wished, Idalie wanted nothing more than to cling to him and never part. "Ti prego, non lasciarmi di nuovo, Khy; non so cosa farei se..." (Please don't leave me again, Khy, I don't know what I would do if...) Her eyes burned again and her tail tucked between her legs beneath the surface of the water.

She couldn't finish her sentence. Couldn't bare the thought.

You're here for a reason but you don't know why
3-1-3 OC

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Speech Emotional Actions Thoughts

Khyan barely had time to breathe before she surged toward him.

The force of it pushed water around them in sharp ripples, cold splashing against his chest, but he didn’t stumble. Instinct took over long before thought did. He caught her immediately, forelegs wrapping around her as she buried herself against his neck, and the second he felt her cling to him something in his chest cracked wide open.

Gods.

The way she held onto him.

Like she had been drowning long before she ever stepped into the water.

His eyes shut briefly as her words hit him, each one sinking deep enough to ache.

I went searching for my everything.

And the gods led me straight to you.

Khyan exhaled shakily against her fur, lowering his head against the side of hers as though he could press himself close enough to shield her from every terrible thing that had ever touched her.

Mi hai trovato (You found me,) he murmured softly, voice rough around the edges now. Sono qui (I’m here.)

He could feel her heartbeat hammering against his chest, frantic and desperate and perfectly matched to the way his own pulse had begun to race. It made his throat tighten painfully.

When she pleaded with him not to leave again, his grip around her tightened almost immediately.

Not possessive.

Protective.

Certain.

Khyan drew back just enough to look at her, water dripping from his fur, their faces still unbearably close. Her tears looked devastating on her. He hated them instantly.

Ehi (Hey,) he whispered, forehead pressing against hers again before she could pull away into those thoughts. Non farlo a te stesso. (Don’t do that to yourself.)

One paw slid upward carefully along her shoulder, slow and grounding.

Non sto scomparendo (I’m not disappearing.)

The words came without hesitation. No fear. No uncertainty.

Just truth.

Ti giuro, Idalie, se avrò fiato nel mio corpo, non ti sveglierai mai più da sola. (I swear to you, Idalie, if I have breath in my body, you will not wake up alone again.)

Emotion burned hot beneath his ribs as he looked at her, and suddenly he understood with terrifying clarity that there was nothing he wouldn’t do for her now. Nothing.

His nose brushed gently against hers, lingering there.

Ti amo troppo per allontanarmi da te. (I love you too much to walk away from you.)

Khyan was here, solid and real against her, his heart thundering against her ribs, his fur damp against her nose. Idalie wished to merge into him, melt into each point of contact, warm in contrast to the cold stream water. Close didn't feel close enough.

His words were sweet in her own tongue, learned just for her. Idalie did not know that love like this had existed before now.

If she could live the rest of her life waking up to this, Idalie could think of nothing she wanted more.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Idalie could do nothing but nod, throat too tight to speak. They were forehead to forehead, nose to nose, and still she wanted to be closer - wanted something more. Idalie pressed a gentle kiss to his nose, his mouth, hoping to show with action what she could not say aloud.

I love you.

I want you.

I am yours.

The river's chill brought her back to reality, and Idalie realized her teeth had begun to chatter, her body had begun to tremble. She didn't want to move from the spot however, and stubbornly buried her face back into his throat, selfishly clinging.