Selina's shadow stretches against the dirt as she carefully picks her way through town, head covered beneath a black veil. The commoners move out of her way, keeping their own eyes lowered as they lumber towards whatever their destinations may be. She grips the heavy skirt of her dark dress as she walks, palms sweating despite the cold.
The bookshop at the edge of town only has a couple of customers wandering about. They pay her no attention as she enters, just continue to read in their darkened spots. One, an older man with graying hair, draped in a black cloak. The other, a younger man, possibly her age, flipping through the pages of a paperback. Her heart lurches hopefully, and she takes a step forward. But the man lifts his head, and her stomach plummets. No, it's not him. It's not Ash.
Selina sighs beneath the veil, disappointing reigning in. She clenches her jaw, urging the water welling up behind her eyes to stay, and not leak down her face. Of course he's not here, why would he be?
What was she thinking, anyway? Even if she did find Ash, how willing would he be to shadow-travel her away, to take her somewhere full of color and life? Being the heir to the throne of Shadow Realm, she had high hopes for seeing outside of her home before her father passed away and the throne became hers. But leaving Shadow Realm has always been just a fantasy. Her father always taught her not to get too caught up in her dream-world - it would interfere with her studies.
Shoulders drooping, she swings back around and exists the little shop. An itch catches in her throat, but she does nothing to clear it, afraid it will unleash the tears she's fighting to keep at bay.
A figure moves past, dark and broody like the rest of Shadow's citizens. Selina hardly regards him, but something about him, about his appearance, causes her to still.
The way his black hair falls into his face, nearly obscuring his eyes. The way he trudges along solemnly, as if the entire weight of the world is resting on his shoulders. The way he keeps his hands dug deep into his pockets.
Her spirits lift immensely, a tiny gasp escaping. "Ash." She breathes, startled to hear her own, timid voice.
He pauses, glancing at her. His brows furrow together in confusion, and she remembers the veil. Quickly, she tosses it back, letting her features come into what little light is offered in this dark realm.
Recognition flashes across his face. "Princess." He states formally, dipping into a hurried bow. "I thought you weren't coming out of the castle again."
"I wasn't." She regards him closely, her earlier fears returning in full force. Now is her chance to ask him - but what if he refuses? What if he tells his dad, and Kassim tells hers? "I..." She exhales, gathering her courage back. "I was hoping you could do me a favor."
Ash quirks a brow, but nods. "Okay."
No going back now. She lifts her head, a faint light catching on her veil and shimmering. "The last time we met, you told me you've seen the world outside of Shadow Realm. You've seen the Realms that aren't submerged in darkness." Her pulse quickens, adrenaline and anxiety pulsing though her veins. "I'd like you to take me there."
Whatever Ash was expecting, it certainly wasn't this. He opens his mouth, but doesn't reply right away, and glances at the lingering civilians milling around. No one pays them any attention. "You want me to take you out of Shadow Realm?" If possible, the shadows around his eyes seem to grow darker. "I don't think the king would appreciate that."
Selina chews on her bottom lip; he's going to say no. "I just want to see the world. I want to see what else Raylonia has to offer." She had feared her voice would sound too pleading, but instead, there is a hint of longing. "I promise, it won't be more than a few minutes. Then, I'll never ask anything of you again. You'll never have to see me again."
Ash stares at her closely, no doubt debating whether or not to help her. He digs his hands deeper into his pockets, blowing the loose bangs from his eyes. They only fall back into place. "Where do you want to go?" He asks eventually, his tone lead heavy. Clearly, he's not into the idea. But he hasn't said no yet, so that should count for something, right?
"Anywhere?" She responds quietly. tempted to cover up behind the veil again. "Just... Somewhere with color. With life."
Another few tedious seconds tick by, Ash's expression horribly unreadable. Sweat trickles down Selina's neck as anxiety over his answer takes over -
"Okay."
She blinks, startled. "What?"
"I think I know a place." The left side of his lips arch up into the tiniest hint of a smile, and he extends a hand. Shyly, she places her palm on his. "Close your eyes." He whispers softly, and she obeys, feeling him move behind her. His free arm encircles around her waist.
There's wind, and cold, all wrapping around them, the blackest black she's ever known enveloping them both, even with her eyes squeezed tight.
Shadow-traveling; it's nothing like she expected it to be, but not in a bad way. Despite it all, the darkness... is her friend. She was born of the dark. They both were. And then–
There's a change in the wind. A soft, gentle breeze, brushing her veil against her cheek. An unknown yet not unpleasant aroma invades her senses, daring to open her eyes. She fights against the struggle, keeping them firmly shut, as Ash ordered. His grip around her tightens, and it's then she feels as if the ground they are standing on is unstable, like it could give out any moment. Her left heel dangles over a ledge, and her stomach plummets, but Ash has a firm grip around her waist. His second hand slips out of hers, and she can catch faint sounds of him latching onto something above him, a rustling sound normally heard from trees.
"Okay." He whispers, his breath tickling her cheek. "Open your eyes."
She does - and a startled gasp catches in her throat.
They are perched on a tree jutting out from a cliffside, the branches just thick enough to support both their weight. But it's what they're facing that steals her breath away.
Eyes welling up once more, Selina gazes across the largest body of water she's ever laid eyes on. It stretches on left and right, a straight line colliding with the sky.
And it's so blue! Not like the blue-gray of Shadow Realm. No, this is a pure, vibrant blue, and there's so many shades of it! But it's not just the expanding ocean that stuns her.
It's the fiery sphere setting on the horizon.
The sun casts rays of light into the fading sky, a mixture of reds, yellows, oranges, and purples mingling together in a magnificent sunset. Multitudes of color reflect off the ocean's wavy surface, rippling and converging with the layers of blue surrounding it.
Selina has never seen anything like it. So bright, so fantastically illuminated... A joyous laugh bubbles out, her delight overwhelming as she takes the scenery in. "Isn't it gorgeous?" She sighs wistfully, wishing with all her might she could see this every day.
Ash speaks so softly, so passionately... So unexpectedly. "Beautiful."
Ruefully shifting her gaze away from the ocean, she twists her head to glance back at him, to witness his expression in the midst of this beauty.
But it's not the ocean he's looking at.
It's her.
A gentle breeze whistles past them, whipping the black hair from his piercing gray eyes. Selina stares, transfixed, tilting her head up ever so slightly. His gaze never lingers from hers, a kind of dimmed light beginning to brighten his eyes, as his face inches closer and closer to hers.
Then their lips brush softly, and a flurry of fireworks ignites inside her. Her eyes flutter closed, as she presses her back into him. He deepens the kiss, the desire radiating from his touch erasing all the fears and doubts that her clogged her mind just minutes before. She releases her hand from around his still circling her waist, and gently lays her fingers across his cheek.
The kiss never breaks, and the enchantment begins. The very beginning of Raylonia's next fairytale.
