"I'd hate for you to miss the ceremony," Daelia said, emerging from one of the flower bushes. In his elegant white gown, Dolis was rendered speechless. Not that Daelia wasn't breathtaking before, but in his council garb, Dolis wondered if Vitol's flowers had been crafted with Daelia as his muse. If the god of love had been a flower, Dolis was sure he'd be the most prized and beautiful in all of Estruela. Daelia cleared his throat. "When I asked if you were attending, I hadn't meant hiding away in Vitol's garden. It'll be starting soon."
Dolis nodded slowly, his eyes falling to the garden's stone path beneath them. "I'll be there in a moment. I wish to admire Vitol's garden for a little longer."
Dolis didn't know when or if there would be a next time to be invited to the council again, but he wasn't about to tell Daelia that.
"Daelia," a voice called from the archways. As an attendant's footsteps neared, Dolis retreated, taking a step back with his head bowed. The god didn't say anything if he had noticed Dolis, instead ushering Daelia inside. "The council requests your presence."
"I'll be there in just a moment," he responded kindly. The attendant bowed and returned, leaving the two of them alone again. Daelia flashed a genuine smile to Dolis. "I'm sure admiring the garden can wait. Join us inside when you are ready."
Dolis nodded, the fluttering in his stomach returning. He watched the god follow the attendant past the archways before disappearing into the room full of gods. He steadied his breath, placing a hand against his stomach as if to quell the butterflies before turning to the flowers beside him.
It was the same white velvety flowers Daelia had caressed the first time he had caught Dolis in the garden, one that smelled as divine and illuminated a space as the god of love himself.
He knew better, but he reached out a hand, gently gazing his calloused fingers against the petals.
It felt millions of times softer than what he had expected it to, worlds different from what the dying mare's coat felt like under his grasp.
And to his surprise, the flower did not wilt, did not brown or crumple under his hand.
At that moment, Dolis wondered what else he had held back from before. How many things had he deprived himself of based on what the others had told him about his powers or destructive forces? Had he not tried to touch the flower, would he ever know what it felt like?
His eyes trailed to the room across the garden; celebrations sounded more like a beacon than a warning sign now. If he stood amongst them now, would they look at him differently? See that he was more than just a cowering fool of a god, afraid of his own power. Would they see that he, too, was someone of worth and praise as Daelia had told him?
Would he be accepted and loved?
How could he know if he didn't try?
He traced his finger over the delicate flowers once more, giving the garden a once over before deciding to return to the ceremony.
Daelia had already started their speech when Dolis returned.
"As you all have noticed, the contest for my hand and earning a place amongst the council has concluded. It would be a lie if I said I wasn't flattered by all of the participants, but I cannot announce the winner until I address the important matter at hand."
There were a lot of confused looks in the crowd as they gossiped with each other. Xiros approached Dolis, who slipped past a few groups of lesser goddesses, making a beeline to the corner of the room they agreed to stay in.
"The gardens again?" Xiros said. "I feared you left me on my own here."
"I wouldn't have done that to you," Dolis corrected. "And, yes. I wanted to admire the gardens again."
Xiros tilted his head in the direction of the dais. "I feared you'd miss the important bit."
"I'm here now," Dolis told him, eyes traveling to the dais, finding Daelia at the stand. They looked impossibly beautiful, but Dolis couldn't help but find the gentle moonlight and glow of Estruela's precious flowers suited Daelia more.
"The winner," Daelia announced, instantly quieting the crowd. "Who has provided me more than just a beautiful leaf and proved to me that they'd be a perfect addition to the council and as a partner...."
There was a long pause as Daelia gestured their hands to the crowd with a smirk on their face.
It was apparent that Daelia wished to make this a spectacle, one that the god of love had learned from the goddesses of theatrics or the gods of humor. The crowd was less pleased as Daelia dragged out the winner's identity.
"The winner," Daelia said, "happens to hold one of the most beautiful hearts I have ever seen, one that cannot fathom the thought of earning such a reward like this. And yet deserves it the most."
Dolis, like the other gods in the room, looked around, wondering if Daelia's eyes would give the answer away. Yet they remained forward, distant in a way that Daelia could have easily been staring at the wall behind Dolis, or a goddess near the front of the dais.
"Their humility, discipline, and strength are just a few aspects that have set them apart from the rest," Daelia continued. "And for that, I wish they accept the honor of a dance to commemorate our union. I think it's only fair that I leave you all in just a little bit of suspense as I ask them for their hand in our first dance."
A collective sound of annoyance spread through the room, eager to hear who would be Daelia's courtship, but the curious minds turned to follow Daelia's every move.
Daelia stepped down from the dais, the crowd parting ways for the god of love. The look of disappointment on the other gods' faces emerged as they walked past them, his eyes still pinned straight toward the back of the room. It wasn't until Daelia had walked halfway across the room that Dolis wondered who could've possibly been Daelia's winner. Surely, they would have been closer to the dais if they had already known.
As Daelia neared Dolis and Xiros at the end of the room, Dolis was at a loss for words. Who would've been standing at the far end of the dais if they had captured Daelia's heart, especially if they had provided the most beautiful leaf? The lucky god or goddess wouldn't have hidden in the back.
Daelia first bowed their head toward Xiros, a sign of respect that Xiros reciprocated. Dolis watched the exchange in confusion as Daelia then turned to Dolis.
"Dolis," Daelia's voice was soothing, as gentle as the way Daelia would hold one of Vitol's creations in the garden. Dolis bowed, mimicking his father's actions, until Daelia raised their hand toward Dolis. It was a gut reaction, pulling away from the god of love, but there was little space to distance themselves when Dolis had his back on the wall. He looked up to see a gentle smile on Dolis' face. "Will you accept a dance?"
The gods nearest to them gasped, staring in shock or disgust; Dolis wasn't sure—all he could do was stare into Daelia's enchanting eyes in bewilderment. Had he heard them, right?
"Will you accept?" Daelia repeated.
Dolis instinctively shook his head. Daelia raised a brow, bringing their hand closer to Dolis.
"Yes," Dolis finally said just above a whisper. "But how?"
Daelia smiled, leaning in so only Dolis could hear. "I've determined you the winner. Your strength, resilience, and compassion for not just Terah's tree but the people of Estruela weren't the only things that I have grown to appreciate. I've seen how much you deserved this, Dolis."
"This?"
Daelia placed their other hand against Dolis' chest. "You told me you didn't think yourself worthy. And I see otherwise."
There were a few claps of joy from the crowd behind Daelia while others talked amongst themselves. Had it been before, Dolis would've listened and worried about the negative side comments they'd throw his way, but with Daelia this close to him, everything else felt irrelevant.
"Shall we?" Daelia tilted their head to the crowd.
Dolis had never learned to dance, only watching mortals dance before when he had visited the mortal planes. Even the dead didn't dance in Xiros' realm, but he couldn't turn Daelia down now. Not when he had accepted the offer in front of all the Estruelan gods.
Daelia guided him to the center of the room in front of the dais. While a few of the gods, including a couple on the council's dais, didn't look thrilled, most of the gods were enthralled in their exchange, watching as Daelia helped the clumsy Dolis learn the basics of the dance.
"This doesn't feel real," Dolis whispered, wondering how he had ended up in the presence of Daelia up close. Even holding their hand in front of all the gods, let alone the council and primordials felt like a crime in itself. How a god of destruction—a god cursed with Dulo's blood—could be the god of love's match was unthinkable. "Like I'll wake up, and everything will be as it was before—maybe wake to realize I had only just recovered from the war and that everything had just been some crazy dream."
Daelia squeezed his hand. "It's not a dream, Dolis. I can promise you that."
"Won't they think you insane? For choosing me?"
Daelia rested their head against his. "Who would argue with either of us?"
Dolis' lips threatened to raise in a laugh but stifled it as Daelia guided him back to their dance.
"I'd like for us to dance in the garden amongst the flowers you love so dearly," Daelia said. "Although between you and me, I find us more beautiful than anything Vitol could have created."
Dolis' cheeks raised, a rare smile appearing on his face. "I was just thinking that you outshine all the flowers in this gown."
"As I was thinking that the attendant shouldn't have interrupted us at all and left us to stay out here from the beginning."
Dolis' smile couldn't be fazed at the sight of Daelia. He was quite used to the fluttering feeling in his stomach. Daelia took his hand and guided them through the archways, brushing past the array of flowers and plants to the spot they had unofficially called theirs.
They danced for hours, letting the subtly sweet aroma of the flowers waft through the air. It was just the two of them, surrounded by the beautiful vegetation and the Estruelan stars that illuminated the courtyard.
Dolis could never tire of seeing this sight, with the two of them alone in Vitol's garden. It wasn't long ago that this felt like a crime, that a god of love and a god of destruction was not meant to be.
But he couldn't think of anything more perfect.
"You were my destruction's end," Dolis found himself saying, reaching a hand out to the gorgeous flowers he had braved to touch. He plucked it carefully, gently inspecting the petals and uniqueness it carried as Daelia had with the leaf. With an unwavering smile, he lifted it up to rest it against Daelia's ear.
"And?"
"And," Dolis drawled, bringing Daelia's hand against his chest. "You became my beginning."
☙❦❧
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