Heart of a Diamond: A Rakta Diamond Story

Triumphal Return

Rakta rolled his eyes at the Ace walking right next to him. Seeming to sense that he was under scrutiny, Tamsus turned, still looking abnormally pale and asked, "What, Rakta?"

The question was almost lost in the roar of the crowd around them as they walked along the broad city avenue that led to the glittering white turrets of Diamond Castle. Rakta sighed, a warm sense of home settling deeply into his chest. He could already feel Avinos in his arms.

Silently, he wondered if it would be completely out of question for the future Queen and her King to disappear for a good five minutes or so during the festivities.

He jumped slightly when Tamsus elbowed him and turned to the other Ace to find himself on the receiving end of one of the Heart's infamous scowls. The expression had become a nervously whispered joke amongst the Diamond ranks, but Rakta had learned to discern between Tamsus' many scowls.

The one he wore at the moment was nothing more than mildly irritated and wishing for some entertainment. Rakta gave him an apologetic half smile and said, "Should you really be walking around like this? A week ago Dynami had skewered you."

Tamsus just threw back his head and laughed, his hair tied loosely at the nape of his neck, several strands fluttering around his face as he grinned at the Diamond Ace. "Oh, Rakta," he said with another, smaller laugh, "She didn't even hit anything important! I'm not about to be carried back after our triumphant taking of Club Castle."

A red rose was thrown towards them, sailing gracefully through the air. Tamsus reached up and snagged it, twirling the spiny stem between nimble fingers. He didn't seem to mind when the thorns drew little lines of red across his skin as he brought the bloom up to his nose. Smiling in a way that was somehow unfocused, Tamsus looked down at the flower and said, "Mavros loves these."

"Has the Queen arrived yet?" Rakta asked, frowning at the rose. Avinos preferred poppies.

Tamsus tucked the thorny flower into the lapel of his coat and shrugged. "Maybe."

Rakta gnawed gently at his lower lip, careful not to bite through the skin. A ridiculous promise on a moonlit balcony had made him very conscious of accidentally biting his lip hard enough to draw blood. He wanted to ask why the other Ace didn't know the whereabouts of his queen, but resisted.

After four weeks together with the Heart, he had learned through no uncertain terms that the relationship between Tamsus and the Heart's Queen was tricky to say the least and bloody to say the most.

In a way, Rakta thought, looking at the other Ace. That bloody rose is rather poetically symbolic.

Then Rakta snorted and rolled his eyes. He had never cared for poetry or symbolism before and he wasn't about to start now. All he knew was that what was between the Queen and her Ace was their business and he didn't much care to pry.

After that, they walked in silence, Tamsus occasionally glancing around at the fanfare that was in honor of their triumph. He looked slightly surprised, like this had never happened to him before. Rakta couldn't decide if he was enjoying the attention, or if he just wanted an escape from the overwhelming movement and noise and sound.

The chaos here was not like the chaos of a fight and even Rakta felt twitchy and uncomfortable, his senses overkill as they tried to take in each bright movement and every exuberant sound. He could only imagine that it was worse for Tamsus who seemed to have senses that were even sharper than his own.

They both sighed when the copper colored gates wrought in the shape of a diamond came into view, open and welcoming the conquering heroes.

Rakta started to smile, resisting the urge to sprint the last hundred or so yards to his princess and instead settled for a slight increase in his pace. Tamsus laughed, matching him every step and called, "I told you we'd get you back soon enough."