Flowers that bloom at NIGHT

as the light wind blew, each grain of sand shift ever so slightly out of place. their hearts drummed quietly against each other. his breath grazing against the coolness of her skin.

she had wrapped her arms around his own. her mind slowly drifting in and out of a light slumber. his arm snakes around her waist. his lips pressed against her neck, sending a tingling spark down her spine.

he calls out for her in title. his voice melts in her ears. she tenses, bringing her knees up. her feet tangle up in the blanket beneath them. a soft moan leaves her.

his whispers reach her again and she stirs. the heaviness of her lids flutter, fighting sleep. the darkness of night still hung over them like a gilded shroud. she leans back into him, relishing in the warmth he provided. it was a welcome contrast to the chill that bit at her skin. "not yet," she sighs. "it's cold."

he wedges himself closer and it was no doubt warmer. yet she wasn't satisfied. half tempted to turn around, she lets out a sharp breath as his hold tightens. he wasn't going to let her sleep. she lets out a soft whine in protest.

diana turns her head to him, her ruby spheres peeking through snow kissed lashes. why would he ask such a thing? if she were to answer, she wouldn’t have much of one. flattery wasn’t a card she held in her hand.

her eyes close and her lips form the smallest of smiles. to be queen of the world. once she would have laughed at the notion. but her belief in his ambition made it seem so realistic. it was terrifying as much as it was enticing.

she wrapped her fingers around his arm, giving it a light squeeze. “i don’t care for glory, my love,” she murmurs, her voice like the slow melody of wind chimes. “being beside you is enough.”

a subtle smirk spreads across her lips. "and what does such a diamond hold over the rest?" treasure tends to lose it's appeal over time. such as a dragon shifts his hoard to make room for anew. she couldn't help but wonder what he will do when it does. but she wasn't looking for an answer. it didn't quite matter.

many people believed they deserve the world. diana was never one of those people. she had even rejected the mantle she was given as a child.

to have a hold over each sliver of land the sun touches was a wonder no one had yet to behold. to believe she deserved such a thing was difficult to imagine. "you must put a lot of value in me to think i deserve such things."

her laughter was soft and genuine. "is that so?" diana wasn't sure what it meant in terms of her worth. but if she had to guess based off of how she felt about him. she must be just as priceless. it was difficult to put a value on something you love. if not impossible. she knew she couldn't trade him for anything or anyone else.

she intertwines her fingers with his own, bringing his hand to her face to plant a kiss on his palm. her chest rises and falls with the deepness of her breath. she looks up towards the sky. through the sheerness of the canopy, the brilliant pearls of nighttime sparkled back at her. even the fullness of the moon's light filtered a soft glow against them.

her head rests back down on the pillow. she keeps his hand close to her face. lips grazing his knuckles. "were you not able to sleep?" she asks. there must have been a reason he wished for her to wake. perhaps it was a bad dream or just restlessness.

diana rolls her eyes, a smirk playing on her lips. she elbows him lightly for his teasing. though he had woken her up, she did not mind.

to know he dreampt of her was a soothing thought. she couldn't say she had many dreams but the warmth of his voice was something she didn't mind waking up to.

though brief, his kisses always seemed to linger on her skin. leaving behind a longing that only grew more intense. each one seeming calculated, as if he knew how he made her feel. it was crueler than the tease of his words.

she shifts, turning herself around to face him. her leg wrapping lazily over his side. she turns him onto his back, letting herself lay on top of him.

the length of her hair obscured their faces like a white curtain. she leans in close, the tips of their noses barely touching. her slender hands cup his face. flawed garnets reflect upon the brilliant amethysts that stare back. she closes her eyes as she presses her forehead against his own. a soft sigh leaves her lips.

for her people, love was not said. instead it was shown through the soul and reflected through their actions. it was something to be tended to with tenderness and patience. so it could grow within the heart in hopes it would not wilt.

her lips graze against his own. snow tipped lashes brushing against olive skin. she slips her hands back, entangling her fingers through his dark hair. "show me how much," she whispers, gracing his lips with a soft kiss of her own.


she sits up, loosely wrapping the dark silken fabric around the bareness of her body. it felt cool against her flushed skin. a satisfied breath leaves her and she peers down at him with a softened gaze. her fingertips gliding idly across the smoothness of his chest. everything seemed clearer. as if she had been cleansed.

"are you tired?" she inquires, curiosity playing on her features. despite their fun, she was wide awake. an urge to walk stirred her nerves. even the wind was beckoning her out into the dunes.

it was as if he had read her mind. though, she didn't doubt he felt the same pull from the world as she did. their fates were connected.

her eyes sparkled as she looked at him. his eagerness to venture out made her even more so. "i'd like that," she says, crawling her way to the corner of the tent. diana grabs what she could find of her clothes through the mess they had created.

she slips a simple dress over her head. it was short; about knee length, made of a semi-sheer white fabric that hung comfortably over her slender frame. she runs her fingers through her hair, combing through the tangles.

at a quick glance, he had seemed ready to go. her feet carried her over to him. she grabs a hold of his hand, guiding him out of their sanctuary. "come on," she beckons, sending him a gentle smile.

each step she took sank slight imprints into the dune. the sand was soft and warm against her skin. in a way, she felt connected to this place. it was much like the scrubs of her homeland.

her gaze met the sky and a soft gasp leaves her lips. stars moving like a dash of glitter through the velvet sky. the heavens had never been more enchanting. their light glistens in the reflection of her eyes.

she gives his hand a light squeeze. a subtle smile gracing her delicate features. "it's beautiful," she muses.

such wonders only seemed to happen in his presence. since the day she had witnessed him wake from his long slumber. it was then she knew he was unordinary. lately she was starting to realize he was meant to be so much more.

his arms encapsulate her. his embrace was warm. soft, yet strong. the world around her seemed brighter as she leaned back into him. the object in his hand pressed against her core. curiously, her fingers run over the silken fabric.

her head rests back against his shoulder. she looks up at him, her vision tracing his features. she grew brighter in his presence like the moon against night's darkened veil, like they belonged together. yet as the sun rises, they would part and the ache to be in his arms would cycle back anew.

she reaches up, grazing her fingers along the edge of his jaw. "what would you ask of me?" there was not much he could ask for that she would not give. she couldn't help but wonder what the cause was for his heart to race.

her words left her as she stared up into those amethyst eyes of his. the world seemed to stop and grow evermore silent, save for the steady thrum of his voice. he asks her questions that cause her mind to draw blanks.

the warmth of his tears soaked against her skin. it stings her heart. she would not see him shed tears for her. delicate fingers run through his dark hair. the other hand over his own. she could feel the smile that formed upon his lips as he asked for her hand.

did he even know what he was asking of her? what it would mean? she is torn between the burdens of her duty and her love for him. how could she share those with him while his own ambitions were so great? she bites her lip, breathing deep to take in his scent.

it was cruel of him to ask her this.

"jahan- i..." she shudders, unable to find the right words. yet as she opens her mouth, her heart speaks for her. the usual melody of her voice was pained. "as much as i would, i can not accept. this isn't proper- the gods would not accept such a vow like this. i will not curse us for my own selfishness." while they were in witness of the moon, there was no blade to draw their blood to unify them.

her breath caught in her throat as the scent of iron entered her lungs. "jahan," she breathes. lashes fluttering like butterflies, dropping tepid diamonds from the corners of her eyes. she turns to face him, breaking away from his grasp. her eyes lock with his.

tip, tap.

sanguine beads dropped steadily from his palm soaking into the parched sands below. she closes her fingers around the hilt of the stained dagger, taking it from his hand. "jahan," she repeats, her voice breaking.

he had remembered. when had she even told him about this tradition? not even she could recall the moment. even so, it made her heart swell.

she takes the blade in her hand. the strength of her resolve pooling in her eyes. she drags it across her palm, cutting deep into her flesh. her hand finds his and she encloses them together. their blood mixing in their union. through it all, her stare remained unwavering.

"lions do not make a show of their wounds. to others, this may be a battle scar. what they see is merely the mark of this blade. but know it is my heart that bleeds. like a prayer, the mention of your name shall be my worship. with this dagger, i am wed to you."

she breaks the seal between their hands, taking her thumb up to his forehead. her fingers pinch together to make a crescent with her blood on his skin. she lowers her hand to his face, placing it upon his cheek. "to me, you are the moon bathed in color. i would will the night to go on for eternity and gaze upon you forever."

diana draws closer to press her lips gently against his own. as she pulls away, from the sky falls a small spirit. a winged being, shrouded in black. it enters the dagger and a magic circle etches itself into the blade. she feels a shift in the air as it lightens around them.