Signs in the Stars

Seven

The door swung open easily and multiple clothes toppled out on top of her as the bird fluttered away out of reach. The bird let out an indignant caw and Emer let out a few coughs as she picked them up from the floor and piled the clothes onto the bed, "it's just clothes." She told the bird reassuringly, though it didn't stop him from giving a stink eye to the inanimate objects.

He fluttered back to the front of the closet before taking a few quick steps in and pecking at a couple of journals that were stuffed in the bookcase. Emer kneeled down next to the bird and pulled out one of the leather-bound journals and flipped through it, letting out a soft gasp as she realized it was a journal that Marcas kept. The bird let out another caw and pecked impatiently on a few more books. Emer quickly took them out of the bookcase and stacked them on one another. Satisfied with her haul, the bird flew into the air again, pausing at the doorway as if it was waiting for Emer. "Give me a sec!" she told it as she picked up the books to follow him.

The bird continued to lead her around the building, pecking at jars of herbs, books, and quite a bit of birdseed. When Emer had quite a considerable pile of things she needed to take back to the castle, the bird let out another caw, this one satisfied, before disappearing in a cloud of glitter, "you couldn't have stayed a little longer?" she asked the air in annoyance. But there was still a smile on her face as she packed her bags, it had been a while since she saw that bird, so she was glad to see it again.

❦❦❦

"Are you stargazing?" the young woman jumped and turned around to see the King stepping out onto the balcony with her. The air was cool since the sun went down, and a gentle breeze played with the loose fabric covering her body.

"You could say that." She responded softly. The air was so quiet, it felt wrong to speak at a normal volume.

He moved forward and rested his arms on the railing next to her, while still keeping a respectful amount of distance between the two of them, "you can't see many stars from here. There are too many lights around."

She nodded, "that is true."

The air fell silent again, the only thing breaking it was the slight rustling of trees in the distance. "Are you looking for something?" he looked at the orange-eyed girl next to him. Something about her reminded her of a long-forgotten person he met a long time ago. Someone who told him that there are signs in the stars.

She was surprised by his comment, she didn't expect him to be that invested in what seemed to be mindless stargazing, "actually, yes."

"Come." He pushed himself away from the railing and walked back into the palace through crystal clear glass doors. Perplexed, Emer followed as he led her through the interior of the castle to a set of stairs. It was definitely not meant for guests, considering how unlike the rest of the lavishly decorated castle, it was a simple set of stairs that led up.

Confidently, he ascended the stairs with a light hand on the banister next to him with hardly a glance behind him. Leaving Emer to scramble behind him as she was momentarily lost in a moment of observing her surroundings. As the two trekked higher and higher, the bright lights seemed to get farther and sparser, leaving the area dim. A doorway blocked the end of the stairs, and with a strong push, the King shoved it open, allowing a rush of cool air to blow in.

He stepped out and held the door open for Emer to exit the castle as well before he closed the door behind the two of them. Emer's jaw dropped as she rushed forward to look over the edge of the wall. When she looked down, she had to take a step back when she saw the dizzying height that was in between her and the ground, "one of the rooftops of this castle," Odran explained. Up here, the wind blew harder and there was the flapping sound of a flag being buffeted from the wind, "there should be less light up here, so hopefully you can find what you're looking for."