“I function fine when I’m tired.” She said, wrinkling her nose as she complained. Secretly, she was scared that the nightmares would still be there to greet her. That even with Elijah finally there they wouldn’t leave her alone. “What if, instead of sleep, I sneak into the library? I’m still banned but there’s this passage behind a bookshelf in the back…”
"Ali," he pressed, reaching over to lightly poke her side—not the burned side. He gave her a look. He didn't know about her fear, but he was still worried about her. Not being able to sleep wasn't a good thing, especially if it's a recurring thing. He wasn't going to let her get off the hook that easily. "At least half an hour," he said, "and then you can go to the library."
She squirmed away from his finger, pulling a face again as she stifled the small laughing noise that threatened to slip out. "But I want to go to the library now. I don't want to sleep." Reaching up, she pushed her hair back out of her face, shaking her head and just causing it to fall again. "Reading is more fun."
"But sleep is more necessary," Elijah insisted, then tipped his head to the side with a vague expression on his face that was like amusement and joy. "Don't make me carry you." He had used to carry her around to make her do what she had to do but didn't want to—like sleep. He remembered picking her up and depositing her into a cliff with soft moss so she couldn't get down to not sleep, then resting his head on the same cliff as he rested against the side of the cave and let her use his head as something to sleep against.
"You wouldn't." Ali challenged, placing her hands on either side of his head to prop herself up some. "You've got a human body now, remember? It doesn't work the same." It seemed she'd forgotten, at least momentarily, that she was small enough near anyone could pick her up. And that humans could still carry things and people.
He tipped his head back some more to meet her challenging gaze with one of his own. "Try me," he said slowly, eyes alight with an icy spark as he reached up to lightly put his hands on her waist, getting ready to lift her up. Even as a human, Elijah was still bigger than her, and could easily pick her up and carry her around, especially with how he was used to carrying around his armor.
“You’re so much smaller now. Bet.” He’s also still over twice your size. She ignored the definitely right voice in the back of her head, almost wanting him to pick her up. She had missed that. Everything about him, but certain things were missed so much more.
He didn't say anything, just lifted her up as he stood up. Once he got to his feet, he lifted Ali up into his arms, bridal style, and stared down at her with a slightly arched brow, as if to say 'you were saying?' to her. She almost as light as a feather to him, barely weighing anything as he held her. "Bet taken."
"Dammit." She huffed, a small frown/pout drawing her eyebrows together and lips down in a slightly adorable and slightly funny expression. She crossed her arms over her chest, leaning into him as she looked up at him. "I could have you excommunicated from the guard for this." They both knew she wasn't serious. She had finally gotten him back, after plenty of work and sacrifice from him, and sleepless trapped in a tower on her part. Letting him go now was something she'd never do, even if it cost her her life.
Elijah looked down at her with a knowing expression, though the emotion was minimal—as was usual for him. "Do it," he dared softly with a twinkle in his eyes. He didn't bother to wait for a response from her as he looked around and said, "Room?" He might need a less conspicuous route to her chambers, due to her being in his arms and getting carried. He might not know everything he needed to know about knights, but he figured it would be slightly frowned upon.
Ali didn't respond to the dare, just let out a 'harrumph' at him as she uncrossed and crossed her arms again dramatically. "Take the back halls. Down that way, and to the right. There'll be a tapestry of a really big worm, and behind that, is a passageway." She said, snuggling into him despite her faux-grumpy expression.
He glanced down at her as she snuggled against him, then diverted his attention to where he was going as he followed her instructions. His stride was swift but steady, his footsteps echoing through the halls as he walked with a constant rhythm. "Should I ask about the worm?" he murmured, looking back down at her with a raised brow.
"I found the tapestry down in the catacombs while exploring, and thought it was hilarious." She stated, as though that was a very valid reason to hang up a tapestry of a giant worm. "It's this knight fighting a worm, right? And in the background there's a woman just…cradling a small horse-thing like a baby. It's great. You'll see what I mean in a minute."
"Hm," he hummed, adjusting his grip on her so she was slightly closer to his chest. However, he didn't hold her too close because of his armor. He didn't want to make her too uncomfortable, and metal and leather wasn't exactly the most comfortable thing in the world to be leaning against. He reached the tapestry they were talking about and halted with a blink. "Huh," was all he could say.
"See! It's incredible! Look at all the torches!" She said happily, motioning to the tapestry, which was just one big mess of….mess, honestly. "And the frog in the bottom! I love frogs. They're so tiny and jump. Not as great as dragons though. Or, one dragon. You're the second dragon I've known, and definitely the best."
He arched a brow but said nothing as he shook his head in amusement, pushing through the passageway so he could get them to Ali's room. He still felt slightly strange—perhaps an innate human thought?—but he knew he would have to if he wanted to get her to sleep for once. He knew the effect he had on her sleep, knew that she slept the best with his cool temperature next to her warmth.
"Your armor's clunky, but you're still comfy." She muttered, more to herself than to him as she tapped the metal of her armor a couple times. Lack of sleep may have been catching up to her. "Rhyme is my side hobby. Hey, Ellie?" Now, she was speaking to him, gold eyes blinking up at his face.
"Hm?" he hummed, looking down at her. He didn't falter in his stride as he walked down the passage. He used the echoes of his footsteps to follow the layout of the passage, that way his focus was solely on Ali instead of his surroundings. Her mutterings were kinda cute, though he had a feeling they were the product of her body telling her that she needed sleep.
"I'm glad you're here. But how'd you get to be human? And are you really sure you want to be stuck here?" She asked, frowning slightly with what looked like worry. Worry that being here would be bad for him. That he needed freedom, and she knew all too well the palace didn't offer much of that. While she wanted him here, she didn't want him suffering the way she had.
He opened his mouth to answer, then hesitated and closed it again with a soft sigh through his nose. "How about we talk about this when we're in your chambers," he murmured, glancing over at the walls next to him before diverting his attention back down to Ali. It was a slightly complicated thing, and it would be easier to explain when they were both comfortable.
“You’re going to hate it here.” She continued, still looking incredibly worried. “There’s so many rules that don’t make sense. And too many skirts. You’ll have to dress up all fancy for events. The guards and knights have dress armor that looks even more uncomfortable than the dresses I have to wear. I’m sorry.”
He reached her room and opened the door with minimal struggle, keeping the princess in his arms as he did so. He turned around and used his back to close it, then strode over to her bed and gently set her down. His hands slipped away and began working on undoing his armor, fingers nimbly dancing over the straps and buttons keeping the leather and metal in place. "I didn't come here thinking there wouldn't be sacrifice," he said softly, smiling sadly at her, "but I told myself—and still do—that it's worth it, that it's minimal compared to never seeing you again, never trying to get you out."
“I love that you’re here, and I missed you more than words can ever communicate.” Ali said, tucking her legs underneath her as her unscarred hand traced the scars on her other arm. “But I don’t want you to suffer while here. I’m-again, I'm sorry for how miserable you might find it here.” She met his gaze, gold eyes showing guilt and apology swimming in them.
Elijah shrugged off his armor, setting it all off to the side against the wall in an out-of-the-way corner. He was now only clothed in a simple tunic and pants, and barefoot—he had discarded his boots before taking his armor off. He kind of wanted to take off the tunic altogether, as it was hotter than he was used to. Strange, how he could barely stand a tunic without complaint but he was comfortable next to Ali. He came back over to her and braced his hands on either side of her, hunching over her with his diamond-colored eyes on hers. "It's not your fault for the failings of this place. It's my choice to be here, like this. You have nothing to feel guilty for."
Ali followed him as he stepped towards her, tilting her head back to keep her eyes on his. His words helped a bit, but it was obvious they couldn’t fully rid her of the guilt. “You could still be free.” She whispered, hands finding his larger ones and settling on top of them. Missing piece of her heart or otherwise, he could have stayed free. “But you came back. For me.”
"I did," he murmured, "And I'm not leaving unless I have you with me," he added. And he wouldn't—he would stay as her knight for as long as it took to get her to come back to him—forever, without the castle interfering again. He didn't spend nearly a year learning how to adjust to this body for him to turn around and leave Ali behind because he couldn't handle the life of a knight.
She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and nodding. He really was set on this. While she still felt bad, she also felt comforted by that fact, by the knowing. “We should. Runaway, I mean, together. When the opportunity shows, we should leave. We can…travel, see a million new places and pick which one we want to stay in.”
He lowered his eyes so they were half hodded by his lids, leaning forward to touch his forehead against hers. "I still have my dragon," he whispered, the words barely a breath of air for fear of someone hearing, even if they were in private. "I'm not completely lost." He would explain the process he went through to gain the second body, the lessons he had to endure to be able to switch between the two flawlessly and keep them separate, the practice and patience it took to relearn how to even breathe because of the different body. It was like being born anew, only he had skipped the hatchling stage.
“That means you can still fly.” She breathed, nudging his head slightly with her own. “You love flying.” That, for whatever reason, made her incredibly happy. Knowing he could still do something he loved so much.
"Mmhm," he hummed, eyes crinkling with happiness. Ali remembering that made him unreasonably happy, but he was glad that she did remember these things, remembered the little things about him. "And I can still take you flying," he added softly, opening his eyes fully to look at her.