Daybreak

Fin

Thalias hit the ground long before Noah could reach him, the elf making no attempt to save himself from the fall, instead falling prey to the bite of the concrete far below.

Sylvian was understandably distraught, hiding the long stretches of staring in space with the excuse of the excitement of returning home.

Because now-

He didn't have any reason to hold himself here.

He didn't look excited though.

Instead, he looked tired.

And defeated.

But he still smiled and laughed and talked as if nothing had happened, hiding under the mask he had thrown over himself in an attempt to make it look as if everything was fine when it wasn't.

I could tell how hard he tried hiding his grief from me, occasionally finding him in the middle of the night just staring out the window, seated on the floor with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders, staring out at the blinking lights and strings of cars driving in the distance. I never mentioned it to him in the morning but it made my heart ache at the sight of just how much he was going through.

And all the while I was fighting my own battle with myself. My gut twisted with the thoughts of joining him in the elven realm, bending to both acceptance and uncertainty at the choice I made. Sylvian had explained through occasional bouts of speech that wasn't laden with exhaustion that his world laid hidden deep in the Rocky Mountains, only accessible through magic entrances placed around the world. And though I was relieved to know we wouldn't be making any distanced treks through the mountains I could help but feel a petal of panic at the mention of one so close-

The nearest to us was hidden in Central Park, which obviously didn't offer any time I could take to make up my mind for certain before we were already taking a taxi down to the massive green space-

I didn't know what to do.

I had come to realize what place Sylvian held to me, he had a heart of gold and a need to protect that none of the men in my past could ever match-

Brent now was a distant memory to me, yes I would still think of him time  to time when I was alone, but Sylvian was able to coax out a piece of me that I was sure I had lost forever to my ex-

I didn't want to leave him- I wouldn't leave him, not now, not after all he's been through in the past few days. I might have been uncertain about my place in his life but I couldn't just walk out on someone who had suffered through so much-

But also- I didn't want to be cast into this strange world either, forced to live alongside an elf whose feelings for I was only just beginning to develop. It was still as delicate to falling apart as it was to growing stronger, and though I was sure we were only still friends in my eyes, I could see we had the chance to make it more than that.

But despite my strong decision to stay by his side, I was still hesitant about stepping so far from my friends and family, even with his repeated reassurance that I could see them any time I wished.

I thought back fondly to the return to the shambled, old apartment a few days ago, the door fixed and the place looking as ordinary as ever. Amelia and Trish were just about as confused as I felt when I explained I would be going away for a while.

I lied, saying Noah was going to take me on a road trip, traveling the states in his moving gallery business for a couple of months and see the sights I had only dreamed of setting eyes on for myself-

Of course that couldn't be farther from the truth, but I felt the need to keep our secret just between us for now, Sylvian had a right to hide from the human world, heck, he had been hiding when we first met, and I wasn't going to be the one to spew secrets that were his to keep.

"Hold on," Sylvian suddenly spoke, jerking me out of my thoughts, grabbing both my shoulders, and angling my head ahead of us towards a patch of brush and trees, looking out over the path we were walking on, Dandelions dotting the grass, and long, thin strands of grass waving lazily in the sun that filtered through the branches above-

"Do you see it?"

It took a moment of squinting at the scene in front of me but I could see something amiss with the sight, some faint shimmer over the trees that looked almost as if a square of fabric covered the scene, just as fluid, but still more solid than the air surrounding it. "I do," I whispered, in awe, Sylvian grabbing my hand and leading me forward, stepping over branches and brush we were just shy of passing through-

"Wait." I suddenly stopped, grabbing his hand, the shimmering wave of magic in front of us beckoning closer and I could feel its magic calling-

"What if you didn't go back?"

His mouth fell open and closed in confusion, green eyes only able to blink as he struggled to find the words as he met my face, "I-"

"Look, I know you couldn't go back until- Thalias-" he visibly winced and I rushed on, "and you found me, but do you really think you're ready to rule a kingdom now? Not to mention I-

"I don't want to just be a prize to you." That last bit was definitely how I had been feeling about the whole 'prophecy get a girlfriend' thing, I still felt like I was getting strung along with this despite my willingness to come. I wanted to help him in any way I could, sure, but becoming some trophy prize seemed like a pretty low deal to make-

"But- you're not a prize," he blinked, confusion etching over his face, a hand reaching up to stop just shy of brushing against my jaw. "Not to me."

I grabbed his fingers, locking them with mine, and I was surprised to see his glamour melt away from his skin once again in the safety of the forest, thin ears catching the light through the trees and emerald eyes sparking-

"I don't know, Sylvian-" my heart gave a painful thump to the memory of Brent before all of this, how kind he was before turning around and dashing it all to pieces- "a relationship in the past- well it has me scared to love again and- maybe I should get to know you more before we make this decision we may never get to redo."

Eyes frowning, he let me pull him a step away from the portal, looking back over his shoulder one last time before turning his back and looking at me in confusion, "But are you sure? Bree, I haven't been home in years, I thought you wanted-"

I nodded, his words dying in his throat, "And I do, I swear to you I do, but maybe-" I looked behind him towards the pocket of glittering mystery, a gesture to another world just out of my reach, "maybe we hold on just a little longer. Maybe we tour the city, go to a movie, eat at a café, maybe even travel the states like I told my friends we were doing. Everything couples do before agreeing to a relationship like this."

I could see the amount of eagerness in his eyes to leave at that moment, looking into my eyes, the urge to return to the home he had grown up in and left in order to find me, and the responsibilities he would be stepping in to to fulfill with his return-

He looked back behind him with a mix of emotions playing over his face that if I ever tried to sort out on my own I would know the length of the battle he fought in his own head.

But, it was also his undivided attention that locked to me after a moment's pause some sort of calm overcoming his features with a deep sigh and, his finger went up to trace my cheek instead.

With the ghost of the smile, he finally nodded, "Okay-"

"What did you have in mind?"