Illuminating the Dark Prince

Contention

Aromas of ash and woodsmoke warmed my senses as a heavy log was tossed into the crackling fire. A pyrotechnic burst of sparks flew up around the abyssal timber, swirling up into the air like fireflies dancing around an overgrown midsummer field. The bright orange flames rose with newfound fury, casting away the darkness with their ambery light. I sat on one of Valarenrik's monstrous legs, comfortably curled into his chest with my legs dangling between his thighs, laughing and telling terrible jokes with all the others.

"Alright, alright, I have another." Valarendrik joyfully said with a laugh, holding up his palm to silence all the garbled chortling going on around us. "Why don't skeletons ever get upset?"

"Because they're dead!" A man named Miguel answered with a heavy Hispanic accent. 

"No, not quite..." A big dorky grin lit up Valarendrik's face as if he literally couldn't contain his effervescent eagerness to tell the joke. "Because nothing ever gets under their skin!" An uproar of jubilant laughter immediately filled the large ruinous room. His chest happily vibrated against my cheek as we laughed together, his arm gently tightening around my waist. 

The whole caboodle of human-tenverian-whatchamacallthems had joined to watch the flames ignite and take part in the community meal. They were overjoyed by the idea of eating cooked food again. Some had danced with joy across the fractured stone floor like lost spirits twirling around long-forgotten sepulchers. Others casually chatted while feasting on the fruit and meat provided. Genuine happiness and laughter abounded all around, with mirth filling their forsaken souls just from being around light again.

"Okay, I have a joke." A sly toothy grin stretched across Jayden's face as he slightly held his plate up with one hand. "Why do the French eat snails?" A few ponderous murmurs followed, but no one attempted to guess. "Because they don't like fast food!" A bunch of laughter resounded over the crackling of flames, while Valarendrik creased in brows in confusion. 

"Well, what about french fries? They're fast food." Oliver facetiously retorted with a cheeky smirk while bouncing Rosalie on his knee, the firelight flickering over their pale faces as they sat nearby on a stone. 

"Yeah, Jayden. What about french fries?" Maribel playfully smacked his upper arm, causing him to wince away. "Your joke is trash."

"Well in my defense, French fries aren't even French." He grumbled with a smile then took another bite of his food.

I giggled at their antics, snuggling closer against Valarendrik. He wasn't really laughing at Jayden's joke. No doubt because there was simply no way he could understand it. And as lousy as all the jokes had been, I couldn't help but internally frown, knowing that he would have genuinely loved the earth-specific ones if he knew what they meant.

A silent purr vibrated in his chest while I lazily twirled a lock of his soft hair, watching how swirling shadows wisped out from the lustrous strands like a black mist. A loving smile graced my lips as I absentmindedly listened to him happily chit-chatting with the others. He was truly elated to be here. And it was strange, but I could almost feel his joy as though it were my own. He'd even disclosed to me in private how excited he was to have so many new friends, and how he never would have been able to fathom such a thing before all this.

...I suppose that's expected from someone who's been confined in a castle, then isolated in the forest all their life.

A sleepy yawn snuck up on me, catching Maribel's attention. "Tired already?" She quirked a brow. Her inquisitive crimson eyes appeared to glow as they reflected the light.

"Yeah, I suppose I am." I said with a soft giggle, tucking a golden lock of hair behind my ear. "There seems to be something about this area that's been making me drowsy."