Court of Feathers

Eighteen

Word Count: 2,089

"So, I see Lance has gotten you two acquainted with the town." Their footsteps seemed to echo off the buildings around them as they made their way to the castle down the quiet street.

"Well," Shiro scratched the back of his neck uncertainly with his free hand, balancing the bakery box on the other, trying his darndest to not make it look like he was avoiding eye contact with her, "this city has a lot to offer, I'm not sure I'm gonna be able to keep all of this straight without getting lost."

It wasn't unheard of for Shiro to get lost from time to time. He didn't bother to venture further into the Garrison beyond the typical places he needed to be in, mostly because Shiro was sure he'd get lost trying to find his way back out again, and most people he knew knew by now not to send him off to deliver something to a part of the Garrison he'd never step foot in before. And now with the new avian castle he and Keith were now staying in, Shiro was more than a little wary to make sure he didn't get lost.

He chuckled at his own memory, or, better yet, the lack of one. Shiro admits he isn't the best when it comes to remembering directions and most of the time, he congratulated himself for just making it to the bathroom on his own without getting lost in the castle, or anywhere else for that matter. "I might lock myself in a room by accident until I finally figure out how to get around without getting myself lost," he said, sentence ending in a breathy chuckle.

For the first time since Shiro and Keith arrived, the princess gave a light laugh, making Shiro heart swell at the noise. It sounded like bells in Shiro's ears; he'd be lying if he said he didn't want to hear more of it.

"I'm sure you'll get the hang of it eventually." She said, her smile quickly fading.

"Yeah, I hope so; I don't want to get stuck with an escort for the rest of my time here all because I can't find my way around." He smiled, hoping to get her to laugh again and praying his attempt wasn't too obvious to her.

She chuckled instead, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear as she did so, looking at the street stretched out in front of them; she let out a tired sigh as silence enveloped them once again, the only sound was their footsteps on the cobblestone street. Occasionally, the sound of wings on the air above them sounded as an avian flew overhead, but that sound grew rarer and rarer as the sun went down. The closer they got to the castle, the fewer and fewer amount of people he saw, enforcing the obvious hunch that everyone had already made their way home for the night.

The sun was already almost completely hidden beneath the horizon by now, and Shiro was glad for the lessening heat, he was beginning to grow hot and sweaty when he and Keith had been following Lance around earlier in the day and Shiro was thankful for the cool breeze now blowing lightly through his hair.

He looked up to see the beginning specks of stars dotting the sky and the looming castle grew into a dark silhouette, stars outlining its looming magnificence as small lights began alighting the windows and Shiro sucked in a breath, admiring the view. Even during the night, the avian castle still took his breath away without even really trying.

"So, what do you like most about Oriande?" The princess questioned, and Shiro's eyebrows temporarily rose for a fraction before settling back down again. He didn't see Allura as the type for small talk, but he could tell that they both seemed to be doing their best to not make the walk too uncomfortable, he watched her white wings twitch for a second as she spoke the question.

"If I'm being honest, I really don't know," he said, his uncomfortable laugh hidden by a breathy sigh, "there's so much here, I'm surprised I haven't been overwhelmed by it all so far."