starlight | forever young

Maryrose's Beach

Kreacher's ears flapped with excitement when Maryrose knelt beside him to whisper in his ear. 

They were standing on the deck of the yacht, tucked out of sight by the lifeboat once again. Regulus overheard some of the people asking if any of them had seen where the crown Prince and his Duchess had scurried away to, heard them discussing whether any of them knew where Dubrovnik was located. Regulus smirked over his shoulder in the direction of the people whispering loudly about them and he thought what a lark it had been, pretending to be royalty with Maryrose Jenkins.

It was the sort of story that he hoped he'd one day get to tell Sirius all about. 

If Sirius would ever take the time to listen to him.

Kreacher looked up at Regulus when Maryrose had finished whispering to him and he said, "Kreacher can only make the trip to where Master's Maryrose has said to go if Master commands Kreacher to be taking them there."

Regulus nodded, "We go wherever it is Maryrose has asked to gone, Kreacher."

"Yes Master Regulus," Kreacher said with a bit of a tremble of excitement. He took hold of the girl's hand. "Kreacher will be right back for Master!" 

Regulus waited the seconds it took for Kreacher to disapparate and return, and when he returned, Kreacher took Regulus's hand and stared up at him with an awe-filled expression. "What is it, Kreacher?" Regulus asked at the way the elf was looking at him.

"Kreacher is just thinking how much he is appreciating his Master Regulus, for all the things that Master has done to prove that Master is caring about his Kreacher," Kreacher explained. "Even Master's new friend is very caring about Master's Kreacher and Kreacher is being very grateful, Master Regulus. Of all the Masters that Kreacher might have had, it is very lucky for Kreacher to have gotten the Master which is the most kindest to House Elves, sir."

Regulus flushed and knelt, just as Maryrose had done and he held out his arms and the elf stepped into them and wrapped his arms around Regulus's torso. He didn't know what to say, nothing sounded quite appropriate, or even right, so Regulus simply hugged the old elf and whispered, "Have a Happy Christmas, Kreacher."

Kreacher's ears flapped happily.

"That's an order," Regulus added with a smile.

"Yes Master Regulus, sir," the elf said, smiling back.

With a crack, they'd disapparated away from the yacht and Regulus found himself suddenly on dark beach, a bit off balance thanks to the sand. Kreacher stayed only long enough to grip Regulus's arm and keep him from keeling over and then he was off.

The beach stretched off in both directions to the left and right. Behind him was a jagged shadowy line where the dunes covered up the world beyond like a wall, making it seem as though everything was contained to that one little gash of sand that lined the shore. His eyes scanned that line, the water filling the horizon line so far and wide he felt like he could nearly see the curve of the earth looking at it as it receded away, the water a slightly darker inky black against the blue-black of the sky, which was dotted with about a trillion dots of stars that had been impossible to see back in the city. Both left and right were bordered by jetties of rock that went off into the dark water, like a bold parenthesis on either end of the pale sand.

Maryrose was about halfway across the sand, spreading out a blanket. Regulus smiled, watching her a moment, and she looked up and waved at him, laughing, beckoning him.

He walked across the sand, his feet dipping with the give of the sand, and he was laughing, too, by the time he got to her. She'd already thrown herself onto the blanket and there were other blankets, too, a whole lot of them so that there were multiple layers on the sand and layers to pull over themselves and she'd even managed at magicking pillows and Regulus pulled off his shoes so he stepped onto the blankets in stocking feet and no sand got onto them. She'd magicked warmth into the blankets, too, so they weren't cold when he sat beside her. She pulled him close and snuggled up to his side so they sat, arms around one another, his head leaned against hers, and he kissed her forehead as she snuggled against his shoulder and made a humming sound that was a bit like a purr and Regulus smiled. Maryrose pulled a blanket over them so that it shrouded their shoulders and over their heads, cocooning them from the cold at their backs. The sea spread before them, silent, reflecting the stars in the night sky above.