Zawyne thought she had been getting somewhere with him. That their talk would amount to something more than a brush off, than a chance meeting with a mere acquaintance. She had been open with him, beating her heart and her aura to him so as to push on him her emotions with each single word so he could truly understand her. She had never felt so vulnerable, so uncomfortable, so thrilled… But then again, she never spoken so candidly, nor so forcefully. But then he spoke, breaking the silence, and it nearly tore her soul in twine. ‘No.’ Her sorbet painted tips wilted like dead flowers against her skull, and she backed up away from him a step, and then another one. A whine almost fell from her lips, but she caught it and bit her lip, hard enough to draw blood from her lip and a single drop trickled down her midline from the point of her chin and down her throat. Harsh, judgemental thoughts flew through her mind - had she just opened herself up to a complete stranger? Did he think her silly for her notions, for her thoughts? If he so vehemently was against what she was saying, why had he remained silent the whole time instead of listening quietly? Why had he let her make such a big fool of herself?

Her multihued pools of color shifted from side to side, looking for the quickest place to disappear into… But they were in the middle of a field and he could no doubt catch her if he wanted to before she would ever reach the woods. And there was nothing of extreme interest anywhere where she could excuse herself to go look at... and if she were to say that she had to go do something he would no doubt see through it. She was stuck floundering and drowning out in the open, heat rushing up to her face in shame, her eyes beginning to sting from the waters threatening to spill over. ‘I… I…’ But then he continued, and Zawyne realized that she had misunderstood him, misunderstood exactly what he was disagreeing with. In fact… Archangel wanted to know more about her.

‘No......You are more than just a princess, more than your name or your species nor your duties. Who are you, inside? What is it that pulls at your heartstrings, gives you drive? Do you like birds? To run or dance or sing, explore? What makes you you besides what others have bestowed upon you?’

The roles had been reversed, and now Archangel was the one making Zawyne question herself. She had never asked to be born into royalty, and although she loved her sister and her family, had not she always wished to be anything but a princess? Hadn’t she wished to be free from the confines that her role and her genetic material had allotted to her? To not have the weight not the power and responsibility set upon her from such an early age? With all of that had come to pass… what was the point of it all any way - what was the point of keeping up with airs? She had no land, no castle, no kingdom, no crown. She was just a normal wolf now… And he was asking her who she was, what she liked, what made her smile in all essence. But his next words very nearly made her cry… and then did make her cry. As he spoke, she could feel the heavy droplets building within her lids, until they became too much to bear and finally spilled over and rushed on her cheeks and down her throat like her single drop of blood had.

‘As for the rest... No, I am not glad to be feeling I am confused, lost. For without these things you speak of yes, we are simple flesh and fur. But we are also unstoppable for we have nothing to lose, nothing to fear. We are free of chains to hold us back or slow us down. We are liberated from weakness and sorrow, pain. I do not like the idea of questioning everything. I do not understand the idea of feeling alive for am I not already alive? Have I not always been alive? To feel alive is to not be dead isn't it? ....The only thing missing are the ones who have perished. And, I do not understand the idea of happiness, nor do I know what joy means. I know that to love, is to destroy and to be loved is to be destroyed. Those are the words I live by and they have never been proven wrong...’

Everything he said essentially went against that Zawyne and the other Arcus Irae believed in. Everything that Archangel believed in was the antithesis for her creation. His beliefs so closely mirror that of the first Tempests that it nearly broke the princess’ heart, and she felt closer to him more now than ever… he was like Tempests in many ways - a warrior who was tied to the rainbows... although unlike the Tempests, Archangel has chosen his bond voluntarily. She realized at least for now, her purpose was to sooth his battered soul and bring him peace. And though it was a purpose of her choosing, it would inevitably tie her to him by opening her heart up the notion of falling in love with him. But let’s not rush ahead. In this moment, she was pained by his words, so choked up that she could very nearly not speak, and so she stumbled over her words, stopped every few moments by sobs.

“By your words, though, who I am is the antithesis of everything you believe in. You wish to know what it is that pulls at my heart strings, yet you say you do not believe in love, or perhaps you believe it is exists but that it is evil. But I believe that nothing cannot be conquered by love. Nothing pleases me more than to ease the suffering of another, to give my all and be rewarded by a life that is made happier, a life that is able to be well spent because of something that I did in aid.” She paused and managed a smile. “Otherwise, I suppose I like birds. I am jealous of their wings that allowed them to fly free wherever they wish to go. My favorite food is river trout, because it is the only thing that I was allowed to catch for myself back home since it had no chance of injuring me, and I appreciated the independence of it. Dandelions are my favorite flower… But I think you are wrong. I think you are so wrong.”

Now she was rambling, her thoughts all over the place, her stream of consciousness jumping from one subject to the next and then back again. “If you have no emotions you feel nothing, perhaps you are strong sturdy warrior. True, you have nothing to lose, except for your life. And those with loved ones have everything to lose… But they also have everything to gain. And what have you to gain if you don’t have someone to go home to, someone to spend your life with, someone who worries about you and can’t wait for you to return? Isn’t that worth the risk?” Her voice broke with emotion and she shook her head, saltine drops escaping from her lids and flying off from one side to the other. But then her gaze snapped up to meet his, glaring, passionate.

“How can you say you do not understand happiness? Happiness is the warmth that spreads up from your heart into your cheeks, into your legs. It is the feeling of contentment, in knowing that in that moment, there is no where you’d rather be or no one you would rather be with. And joy is that, only 10 times stronger. And love… Love is the most terrifying of them all because with love you know that you would do anything for that other someone. Be it your sister, your mother… Or even your lover…” Zawyne blushed furiously and then hurried on.”...or friend. Love is the purpose of all that we all should strive to achieve. If you can’t understand that…” She turned away from him, yearning running to hide her face in the thick pelt of his shoulder and cry and exude all of her emotions … But she knew that he would not simply change his believes because of what images she could push into his mind.

“If you can’t understand what happiness, or joy, or love is… I will just have to teach you. But for now I fear I may have to leave… To leave your company. I am too sad to even begin to show you how I feel appropriately.” She bit her lip again, this time a whine successfully falling from her lips as her teeth contacted the already torn, swollen tissue. Had she said too much? Would he catch on to the meaning of her words, would he deduce her crush on him? It was a terrifying thrilling thought… But she feared the consequences. For right now, he was her only friend who wasn’t her sister, and she could not bear to lose him.

⁂Here^I_{am a}Commoner⁂Teen⁂