“You won’t, if I can help it.” Ali murmured, just loud enough for him to catch as she nodded. She took a step back, something unmistakeably happy flickering across her face for just a moment, before she glanced to her father. At a nod from him, she headed back to the throne, waiting impatiently for him to wrap up before she slipped out of the throne room, heading for a more secluded hall. Elijah would find her. And she wanted to talk, privately.
Elijah waited to be dismissed, standing straight and proud despite how much he wanted to slip away and find Ali. Finally, the king let him go, and Elijah bowed in farewell before turning on his heel and heading down a different hall than the one Ali had gone through. Her scent still lingered in the air, but even that wasn't what he followed. He could always find her, like a sixth sense he had. Soon enough, he made a turn and spotted her, though he said nothing as he approached.
Ali was sitting on the floor, back against the wall just under a windowsill. The fading golden light lit up her hair, turning the normally pale blonde strands a gold just a few shades lighter than her eyes. She glanced up as Elijah turned down the hall, her ears having been listening for his footsteps. His were unfamiliar in the palace, so it was an easy thing. “Hey.” She whispered, not out of choice, but more her voice giving out for a moment.
He stopped in front of her and crouched down, a ghost of a smile on his lips as he examined her face. He hadn't allowed himself to do this when he was being sworn in as her knight. But now they were alone and he was free to soak in her face, the face that had been taken away from him nearly a year ago and he had nearly forgotten. "Hey," he whispered as well, his lips twitching towards a hint of a smirk. "Looks like one of us changed the most."
"I think you mighta won that one." She said, her voice still quiet as a small smile flickered onto her face. And then, without much warning, her face split into a brilliant smile that he didn't get much chance to see, before she was practically launching herself at him for a hug. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she knocked him back onto the ground, a laugh slipping from her lips. "Oh my gods! You're here! You're really here!"
Elijah's eyes widened right before he was knocked to the ground with Ali on top of him, her arms wrapped around his neck, her melodious laugh in his ear, and her undeniable smile radiant. He laughed softly and wrapped his arms around her, that warmth of hers seeping into his skin and his cold settling into hers, balancing out the two extremes that were their body heats. "Yes, I'm here. It took some time, but I'm here."
Gods, she finally felt normal again. Not a million degrees too warm, but normal, and not so alone anymore. Her dragon was here, and he'd come for her. "I missed you." Ali said, pressing her face into the crook of his neck for a moment before lifting her head to look down at him, that smile still on her face. Her hair fell into her face, strands coming loose from the updo, but her eyes sparkled, and she didn't seem to notice the hair.
His eyes squinted in his usual eyes-only smile, the edges of his lips only curving up a tiny bit. He leaned his head back until it hit the floor with a soft bump, but he didn't seem to mind as he reached up and brushed back the strands of hair so he could get a clearer view of her sparkling eyes. "I missed you too," he murmured, holding her gaze. "Took me some time, but I made it."
Her left eye squinted slightly in response to his smile, a widening of her own. It was slightly funny, that only one eye squinted, the corner wrinkling with the movement, but it was slightly adorable too. "You showed up just in time." She said, voice still soft and warm. "I was close to giving up. I tried to leave, a few times, but they always found me."
Elijah almost actually smiled when he saw that adorable smile of hers, with the way her eye squinted. "As you can see," he said with an arched brow as he gestured to himself, "I had to do a few things before coming here. But I'm here now," he added softly, wrapping his arms around her once again, "and I'm not going away any time soon. I swore I'd protect you, then and now. That hasn't changed."
"You're here now." Ali repeated happily, burying her face in his neck again as he held her. It was different, from the scales and wings and claws, but he was still larger than her, and no matter what form he was in, she was just happy to have her dragon back. She had made him promise, back then, that if she was ever found, he would get away. Without a doubt, they would have killed him. And that would have been so much worse than the year she'd spent without him, or even the rest of her life without him. "Just don't be stupid about it, okay? That's my job."
He wound some of his fingers around the loose strands of her hair, leaning his cheek against her head when she settled herself in the crook of his neck. It felt strange, being her size and holding her like this. He wasn't used to this, but he could get used to it. "I know," he murmured, eyelids lowering as he focused on the feel of her in his arms instead of the world around them. He still kept an ear out for anyone that might come near, but that was the extent of his acknowledgment of the outside world. It was just Elijah and Ali, two lost souls that had finally reconnected after an eternity apart, bound together through interwoven threads of fate and memories and promises.
"Hey, Ellie?" She whispered, voice muffled by his skin, but knowing he could hear her. A nap would be so great right now, if only they weren't in the middle of a hallway, and likely to be walked in on. Maybe…maybe she could convince him to sleep in her room tonight. If they pulled it off right. Sleep had always evaded her, but when she was with him, she managed to actually rest. He was the only one who managed to calm that uncomfortable fire and soothe her mind so she could sleep. "I…I keep having this dream. And it's about that night. The one where they showed up."
He smiled faintly at her use of his nickname, at least the one she used for him. No one else was to call him that, it was their own special thing. He tightened his grip on her when she whispered those words, shifting his head so he could press his cheek more against her head as if letting her know that he was there, that he wasn't going to disappear. His smile fell and he frowned, eyes slipping closed. "You can't sleep because of it," he guessed with a whisper, turning so that he was speaking against her hair.
It was comforting, the way he held her tighter. A promise. It felt like promising he wasn't going to leave, like nothing was going to pull them apart again. "I can never sleep." She said quietly, nodding once, gentle to keep from upsetting his head. "But it…makes it harder. Sleeping in the bathtub helped for a little while, but it stopped working. It reminded me of you a little bit."
"Cold," he deduced with a hint of sadness. She had suffered while he was gone, unable to sleep and dreaming of nightmares. He took in a deep breath, inadvertently sampling her unique scent, and tipped his head back some more to look back at the wall behind them, his lips parted ever so slightly. "You need sleep, Ali," he murmured, resenting this castle and everything she had to endure because of it.
She shrugged a shoulder slightly, snuggling into him just a bit more. "Yeah, cold. Everything's always too warm. Everything but you. And I'm fine. I've learned that sleep is hard to come by, and how to manage without it." Not a great thing to say, but she didn't care. She was just happy. In fact, just the high from reuniting with Elijah probably wouldn't fade for a day or two.
"As your knight," Elijah said with a hint of humor, "I'm advising you go take a nap. At least half an hour. For me." She was clearly tired as she laid on him, snuggling close and using him as a pillow. It wasn't anything he wasn't used to—it was more like old times than anything—and he wanted to make sure she was feeling alright under his watch. If that meant dragging her into bed, then so be it.
“But if I take a nap, I don’t get to see you.” She complained, huffing quietly against his neck. “I just got you back. I want to stay here.” To prove that she wasn’t planning on going anywhere, she wrapped her arms tighter around his shoulders. “And there’s nothing you can do about it.”
"You can see me in your dreams, my flame," he murmured, dragging his knuckles down the curve of her shoulder. It was different to be able to interact with her like this, to have a light trough instead of one with claws and great strength. He did it again, but reverse. "I'll be right there with you. I'm not going anywhere."
She shuddered slightly, the feeling strange but not unwelcome. If the words ‘my flame’ had come from anyone else, she would have issues with them. But from Elijah, the had always sounded sweet. “You promise? If I go take a nap, will you come with me?”
"I'll be in the room, yes," Elijah said with a nod, glancing over at the side of her head as he ceased in his movements after feeling her shudder. Though a dragon at heart, he wasn't about to jump into the bed with her at the first hint of suggestion. He would have her make that decision.
“No, I mean-next to me.” She said quietly, barely audible. “In bed. You’re-it won’t be exactly the same as it was, but…sleeping next to you was always what made it easier.” She admitted, keeping her head tucked in the crook of his neck to hide the light flush on her cheeks.
He pursed his lips as he looked back up at the wall, thinking. "Very well," he murmured, knowing that she wouldn't sleep if he didn't agree to it. It would be slightly strange, but he figured he could get used to the feeling. "You'd just have to wait for me to change out of my armor. Not exactly the most comfortable clothing to lay in," he added with a hint of humor, curling his fingers against the nape of her neck, not actually grabbing her.
She snorted, warm breath puffing against his neck, before she lifted her head again. "Yeah, you probably aren't very comfortable right now, either, huh? Gods, these dresses are horrible too, if it makes you feel better." She offered, smiling softly down at him as she leaned slightly against his fist.
He offered a hint of a smile, dropping his hand so they both folded around her upper arms, his elbows hitting the floor as he did so. "Not exactly, but who am I to ruin your happiness?" The corner of his lips twitched up in amusement as she commented on her dress. "I can only imagine, but you don't seem too fond of them, so I'll say they aren't worth the fuss."
"You would look stunning in a dress." She teased, brightening even more at the sight of his tiny smile. "Far better looking than I could ever hope to be. You have the height for them. I'm too small to pull of the elegance my father wishes I could. And if you aren't comfortable, you should say something. I can let you up, you know."
"You have your own form of elegance, Ali," he said, eyes sparkling at seeing how bright she was, "I, however, do not, and will not ever put on one of these things." He playfully pinched at the cloth over her shoulder, letting it go after a second. "And yes, I know. But I'm fine. Comfort isn't exactly a luxury that a dragon typically has to trifle with."
She made a face at him, the expression not lasting long before she was smiling again. “My elegance is more tripping over my own feet. And are you sure I can’t convince you to wear a dress?” It was obvious she was kidding, messing with him instead of actually wanting to put him in a dress. “Yeah, yeah. I can stand if you aren’t comfortable. I don’t mind.”
"How about," he said pointedly, shifting just a bit as he rose his brows up at Ali, "you get up so you can take a nap. I don't want to be looking after a clutz of a woman that is perfectly capable on her own because she's tired." He avoided the subject of the dress altogether, knowing she was joking about it.