The sounds of moving cement and stone...those were the first sounds I heard once I had come to.
That and the mumbled sounds of chattering people.
Nothing but feathery darkness encasing me as the brief flashes of electric sparks provided some lighting here and there before I had felt a small body shuffling near my chest.
Although my wings were crushed towards my body due to the weight of the rocks and dirt around me, we had survived no less, no thanks to the bird's absolutely brilliant decision-making skills but at least we were both still breathing.
However, whether or not this was the right place to crash land?
That remained to be determined.
"Storm Empress' mercy..." I groaned quietly to myself as I slowly released my grip on Fidel, causing the bird to let out a small 'pip' sound before I felt him climb his way towards my neck and then to the side of my head as he started to preen my hair.
I scoffed as I gently shooed him away from my head. "I'm fine," I grumbled. "Besides, not all the preening in the world will be able to fix that fact that my entire body hurts like hell..." I continued, receiving a light peck on the head in return before I tried to move my wings a little.
My wings encasing my entire body like a shield. Previously, I had already noticed the wings had made my entire body feel heavier.
As if a whole extra thirty pounds had been placed onto me permanently all the while they seemed to have the capability to drag behind me like a toddler’s bed sheets would when they carried it around. The wings covered me from head to toe, exactly like a feathery cocoon that was surprisingly soft on the inside compared to the sharp feathers on the outside.
Yet, as I dared to try and move my wings, however...it gave me a glance as to what I had managed to get myself into. Nothing but rocks, dirt and other types of debris. I wasn’t claustrophobic in the slightest but, as the sounds of more and more people gathering and talking away reached my ears, I couldn’t help but secretly will them to move faster as the frequent moving of rocks began to give me a sense of hope that this wouldn’t be another dying point for me!
At the very least?
I wanted them to make an opening big enough so Fidel could leave. Nonetheless though, as I lied there, Fidel’s preening finally ceasing as he went to rest near my neck, the very second, I began to feel the weight lift off my wings? I didn’t waste a moment more before I stretched my wing out, breaking through the remainder of the rock and bringing me to the light of multiple orange lanterns.
‘The hell?’ I thought with a small groan as I looked around, searching for the sun as I looked at the sky.
Nothing but storms and dark clouds...I knew it was to be expected when I was coming down but I had a mind to think that it should’ve left by now!
I had enough of darkness, I was eager to see some sunlight or anything that didn’t resemble fire of some sort.
“The Emperor has red hair...”
“The prophecies didn’t say his hair would be red! Much less his skin be as dark as dirt!”
“Such insolence...he’s the Emperor, show him some respect!”
All types of talking rang out around me as I slowly tried to get to my feet, my knees buckling underneath me a little before I finally rose to my full height, my wings moving quickly to cover my naked self.
Whether it was talking about the color of my skin, the color of my hair or the joyful observations about how I looked ’frightening’ to giggles about how I was shy, already? I wasn’t feeling too good about looking over this empire while Rudo went off to chase after a girl that he probably had no chance with to begin with. Hell, I already began to have a mind that it was just an excuse to shirk his duties off to someone who was desperate enough to accept.
What a lucky bastard he was that I was that desperate.
But...whether it was laziness or not, all I knew was that, at the very end of this six-month unpaid babysitting job?
I wanted my reward, my end of the deal.
“This is the Empire of Haloke correct? Ru-” I quickly cleared my throat. “My Empire?” I spoke, that simple question seeming to silence the crowd almost immediately.
An older man at the front was about to open his mouth to answer before my attention turned to the sound of a woman’s voice in the back.
“Move aside! Move aside! The High Priestess demands to see the Emperor!” Ordered a bunch of voices, the small shine here and there giving me the feeling that the people were wearing armor while people started to part like the Red Sea.
Fidel let out a chirp before he hopped onto one of the hooked claws located on the alula of my wing. I chuckled quietly to myself as the swallow looked around, the sight of people’s attention going towards him giving me an idea.
After all, we were both in this together and we would come out together, the very least I could do for my longtime friend was make sure people knew he was my companion.
“Meet my swallow, Fidel,” I said to the people surrounding me.
A small gasp of awe escaped them, the sight of Fidel’s chest puffing out a little and the two large feathers on top of his head standing more proudly making me roll my eyes.
“He’s my companion, respect him.” I quickly ordered before I went silent at the sight of an entourage of armed guards coming to the front.
Immediately, they knelt down at the sight of me before a woman followed right behind them, the sight of her eyes widening at the sight of me making me tilt my head a little.
Even with the distance between us, I could smell the fruit-like perfume radiating from her.
Her skin was a peachy porcelain. A large butterfly-shaped birthmark on the side of her neck it was dark reddish in color while patches of freckles dotted her cheeks. Her hair was short and the color of ebony whilst her body was petite yet tall while her eyes were the color of amber, her nose was flat and her lips were a dusty pink! However, the clothes that adorned her body? The long frilly white dress that dragged against the ground, just barely teasing the reveal of bare feet underneath every now and again while a sort of ‘crown’ was on top of her head? The thing made out of iron red and purple feathers while gems unknown to me were gathered in the center? It did nothing to ease my growing curiosity.
“My Emperor...” The woman whispered, the guards moving aside to let her come closer to me before her hand gently started to move towards my face.
I narrowed my eyes and stepped back a little.
The woman gasped a little. “M-My apologies...I shouldn’t be so quick to do things!” She said with an awkward laugh.
“But...you’re more handsome in person than the stories and legends!” She laughed.
My brow cocked.
“...Thanks...?” I said slowly.
“Though the temple never predicated that you’d look like this.”
“If my skin’s an issue then too bad.” I spat, barely doing much to hold back the threatening tone in my voice.
The woman quickly bowed her head a little. “N-No! Never! You look fine the way you are!” She apologized.
“I-It’s just...the stories said you’d have a kind look. That your eyes would sparkle with radiance and glee. Skin as flawless as snow with hair as soft as silk and wings made out of gold.”
“And what do I look like?” I asked.
“Ah...forgive me for being forward my Emperor but…”
I raised my brow.
“But?”
“Your eyes...they burn with the flames of blanketed fury.”
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