in daylights, in sunsets,
in midnights, in cups of coffee,
in inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife
There is not much lighting in the stand of trees, the leaf-adorned branches covering much of the sunlight. Even so, the robin’s eyes have adjusted now, every twig and shadowed piece of bark clearly visible in the dim darkness. Scythia, she has noticed, is even more silent that she had expected. Then again, what had she been expecting? It had been a well-known fact that the kingdom was floundering, though perhaps not so much as the Isles of Despair had done. The South had long been drowning in the wake of Zacharias’ death. Solaris supposes that if someone she loved was lost, she too would descend into solitary mourning. She is not sure if she could find it in her heart to continue living – even for herself.
The robin tilts her head in a similar fashion to the Scythian King, warm brown eyes merely observing for the moment. She had met him once on the battlefield in this form, albeit it had been cut short and so she is not sure how she expected him to recognize her. She contemplates turning back into her equine form, though as she cerebrates this, another stallion approaches, a recognizable man but known only by his colouring to the Red Queen. She does not chirp again, as yet another young mare weaves through the trees, placing herself close to the king. Ah, so perhaps there is life in this kingdom after all. The very thought of this brings the robin to hop lightly to a lower branch, her wings slightly spread from her body.
She laughs, a twinkling sound like the May showers that bring April flowers. She doubts the other two have noticed her, but she is sure that they will now. She means no harm, only seeks to gain knowledge about the land of Scythia. Her feathered wings rustle lightly as she tucks them back in, close to her side, and she dips her small head slightly forwards in greeting. “I believe your king was speaking to me, although there is always the possibility that another robin will catch his attention.”
“It greatly gladdens me to see this kingdom upon its feet,” she adds after a moment. “Time has passed so quickly since Scythia was born. It’s a beautiful place to live.” All idle conversation and no politics, Solaris does not even know really why she is here. Teleportation simply occurred, but she does not mind. How could she, with the opportunity to learn a thing or two, now?
in five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes
how do you measure, a year in the life? |
