She was waking; the fluttering of her eyelids alerted him to the presence of her being returning to the more physical plane outside of dreams, the boy who had silently stood over the slumbering mare attempting to shake the weariness from his features and being, skin rippling in a terse shake that sent his less than tidy mane sprawling through the air and across the muscles of his neck. He hadn't thought to adjust his proximity to her, however, his head so clouded by a lack of sleep and physical weariness that it had become a challenge to remain outside of the comforting darkness behind his eyelids; when her eyes fluttered open, Dragomir was much nearer than could be considered polite, and the momentary start of panic that spread through the newly roused overo spread across the slim gap in their bodies to the boy, who shuffled backwards quickly and without much grace, his tail snaring his hind legs and causing him to stumble slightly as he attempted to give her more room.

It would seem that the panic was short lived, much to his appreciation; he didn't expect anything for his actions, but certainly, it would have dampened the sense of honor that now filled him, this purpose that, as a young man, his soul understood far more than his mind could comprehend. Her smile drew his own awkward and youthful grin to the surface, a goofy expression that hovered on the serious lines of his features as if sloppily glued on.

Why did she make him feel as if his heart was going to beat straight out of his chest?

Her struggle to rise sent the boy's nose gently towards her shoulder, a hovering support should she need it; still uncomfortable with crossing physical boundaries, however, his chivalrous nature was not extended to actually helping her to her feet, though he hoped within himself that she would not fall or come to further harm. An inaudible sigh left his lips as she found her footing, her brilliant smile finding him once more as her voice, sweet and gentle, met his ears. Feeling moderately breathless, his chest on fire with tingling emotions that he had never felt before, and still stuck in the stupor of the sleepless, he nodded in response slowly, perhaps even a bit stupidly considering the broad and foolish grin he sported in response to her own. "It was my honor," he said, the grand wall standing in the corner of his sleep-heavy eye affirming the truth of his statement. It was a grand thing indeed to have been able to provide such a talented and useful creature his services, even if they had only been to assure his own unfounded worries that some harm may befall the sleeping woman. Mirage had condoned it, and so he was relatively sure in either way that it had been necessary, even though the only creatures to have disturbed them during Kahlua's slumbering respite had been birds and the distant noises of patrols.

Her smile faded; the self conscious man withdrew into himself, pondering how he might have offended her as the sweet gaze slipped away into her thoughts, the distant blue sky that spilled over the jagged edge of the cliffs. He didn't follow her eyes, merely stood quietly pondering her strange change from smiling to seemingly sorrowful while observing her quiet grace, captivated by her beauty as he had been on their first meeting those many weeks ago at the herbalist's meeting. Had he ever seen such a splendorous being? Even his mother could not boast such fine build and blood, the lines of the Glazier in perfect proportion to each other, her face hand crafted, as far as Dragomir was concerned, by Nieque himself; the bride of Gods, she was, so flawlessly pieced together, so perfect an example of the equine's earth-bound grace.

And so her eyes startled him when they returned to his face, the sadness she felt within radiating to her outward appearance and drawing a discomfort to the forefront of the young man's thoughts; her smile was hollowed by her thoughts, the bright bells of her voice wrapped in cloth that muted it's vibrance. Her words soothed his worries of his own failures, pieced together the mystery of her miserly reaction to first sharing words with him, and yet, they made him feel incredibly sad for the girl. He, himself, knew where his family was; and if he had known that the brother in question had been her twin, the sorrow would have deepened. His own brothers, while not holding separate bodies, were very much of different minds - he knew how deeply their bond rested with one another, having shared every moment of their lives together, including the most precious days of golden youth.

He was unsure how to comfort her, standing and looking at her sorrowful smile and working at this tongue with his teeth. Perhaps he should comfort her, console her aching heart with thoughts of her brother alive and well some where far away from here, but Dragomir was not one to ruminate upon possibilities, and he had no idea where this Fuhrer was, alive or dead. "Was he a good man, your brother?" he decided upon, the question sounding cold and foolish now that it lay out on the summer air, but it was too late to revoke it and he was honestly curious about her past; he wasn't sure where he was even going with the question, only that it was something to say, to keep her nearby and sharing her presence with him.


@[Kahlua]
Continuation from wall building thread ~