Chained to old wounds

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Tsuneo

I laughed at the question. “It’s not that. My other subjects were just fine. It was just poetry I could never… grasp well.”

Admittedly, it had also been my least favorite subject. I had been young and jaded, and I was almost certain that I would never find someone who would make me feel the way the great poets felt about their phoenixes. I looked at Morgan and found myself grinning at the thought.

She tilted her head. I’m surprised you had time for poetry.”

“My tutors wanted me to be… cultured. As I said, I excelled in other subjects.”

“Like?”

I blinked, hesitating and struggling with this rush of warmth that went through me. She wasn’t looking at me, but the question spoke to her wanting to know more about me. Given how we met, I never imagined that maybe one day we’d be here. She grabbed one of the fruits and started to peel it with an expert hand. It reminded me of have picnics with my parents when I was younger.

“What’s on your mind?”

I shook my head. “Nothing.”

She eyed me and kept peeling without watching her hands. It had to be a human thing. I couldn’t imagine many of the celestial realm outside of the kitchen staff doing so.

“Did you cook a lot in the human realm?”

She shook her head. “No, but I used to do this for my dad and my younger brother when we had

the time.” She looked down at the fruit and knife in her hands. “It wasn’t often but it was great

when it could happen especially in the spring, when all the flowers would start blooming. We always made a habit of watching the flowers bloom together.”

“Flowers bloom that quickly in the human realm?” I hummed. “I was under the impression that magic had dwindled quite a bit there. Though that gives me hope for what’s to come later.”

She laughed a little. “It’s not that they bloom quickly It’s just that there are certain times of year where they appear to bloom all at once. They’re the freshers and the most beautiful a certain week in the spring. Unless you count lotuses those bloom very quickly.”

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“I see. I guess I took it a bit too, literally,” I said. “I said, here, there are flowers that bloom as

if

quick as an hour. You have to be there when they bloom for the first time to pick them at their ripest time.”

“Ripest? You make it sound like you eat them.”

“You don’t have edible flowers in the human realm?”

“Well, we do, but we don’t have to be there right when they bloom to eat them.”

“The mountain flower has to be picked within an hour of blooming, or it turns poisonous.”

She wrinkled her nose. That flower had better be delicious for all that trouble. Let me guess, it grows in some highly difficult place to get to?”

“It’s only difficult if you can’t fly.”

She shook her head. “Count me out on mountain flowers.”

“They’re considered a luxury. Unusually reserved from honeymooning couples.” I smiled.” You’re not gonna have much choice when we go.”

She cocked an eyebrow at me. “Go where?”

I leaned closer, lowering my voice to a whisper.” You’ll just have to wait and see.”

She blushed and went back to peeling. When she was done, she cut it into slices on the tray. 1 waited until she was done to take a pieces.

As we ate, we let the conversation drift to lighter topics, steering clear of the looming worries of the Convening or the trouble brewing within the palace walls. For a moment, it was just us in a way that we only had in the comfort of our room or sitting in the bath together.

“You know,” I said between bites, “This might almost be better than bath time. It’s nice. Feels…

normal.”

She chuckled softly, her eyes drifting to the soft sway of the trees around us. “I’d say it’s at least on par, not better. Though, it is nice.”

She set the peel aside and started cutting it into slices.

“I missed this. I didn’t get to have a lot of rest back when I was just the heir. Just being able to sit and not think about the fate of the world, the family or beyond that, hanging in the balance is nice. It feels like I could almost believe I’m back in the human realm…”

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My stomach flipped at the longing in her voice.

“Is that something you want? To be back in the human realm?”

My chest grew tight at the thought, the weight of the dread felt like it would crush me.

“Not exactly. I just…” She paused and hummed. It did nothing for the discomfort in my chest. “Somethings were simpler then. Some weren’t. I think it’s just… wanting a bit of a break.”

“We’ll be on our honeymoon soon.”

She nodded at that. I suppose that’s an idea of a break…”

She seemed nervous. On instinct, I reached out and took her hand. I squeezed her hand gently. She looked up at me.

“Nothing has to happen,” I said, meeting her gaze. Nothing will happen that you don’t want.”

Her lips twitched and she nodded. A bit of her nerves seemed to vanish.

“We might be too busy doing other things anyway.

“Like what?”

I grinned. “Again you’ll have to just wait and see.”

I was excited just thinking about it. In my minds eye, we were already there. It was probably about as normal as I could have ever expected it to be for Prince and his Princess to go on a honeymoon. My parents had gone somewhere else in the celestial realm for their honeymoon. It was where they were headed for this trip, so I was grateful that we would be creating our own memories somewhere else.

I smiled.

“You seem like you’re up to something.”

I’m always up to something, love. Get used to it.”

She laughed, her eyes lighting up with that infectious energy that always drew me to her. “I suppose I can expect nothing less from a black dragon.”

I cocked an eyebrow at her tone. Tarofu stirred at the back of my mind, his amusement felt infections.

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I met her gaze. “Once this Convening is behind us, we’ll have time to make our own normal.”

Her expression softened as she squeezed my hand back. “I believe that.”

We sat there for a while, holding hands and enjoying the peaceful ambiance of the garden. The worries of the day and the future felt lighter in that moment, almost forgotten.

A butterfly fluttered past, catching Morgan’s eye. She watched it dance in the air, a soft smile tugging at her lips.

“Maybe we should have more lunches out here.”

“I’d like that,” I said, watching her, content just to be in her presence.

She turned her gaze back to me, her eyes twinkling. “And when things are actually calm. You should give me a tour of the realm.”

I smiled. “Up for an adventure?”

“I could pass on anything too daring,” she grinned. “I thought the goal was to relax a bit.”

“What’s life without a little excitement?”