To Us and Beyond the Stars

Someone They Don't See

        "If he invites us to dinner, say no." Azin grunted, jerkily and forcefully unbuttoning his shirt. A scowl screwing up his face, but other than that he didn't appear annoyed,      that much. He yanked at his hair, and kicked at his shoes, not taking them off quite yet. 

     "Your brother isn't going to invite us to dinner, Azin." I say, with a huff. Azin gave me a side eye that said plenty.  They would, or at least they would try.  His brow furrowed in deep thought, eyes narrowing into slight slits, but he said no other comments about his brothers.

   "Think they'll give up this easily?" I ask, knowing that will get his attention, after throwing a black and golden over shirt at him. His head jerked up, with an exasperated sigh, he flopped into his desk chair, tiredly looking me up and down.

  "I doubt it," he scoffed, "my  brothers are even more stubborn than I am."  His gaze found the pearly ceiling and he stared on for awhile, not noticing me shooting glares at him. Azin was always taken away to different places when his brothers were here, a defense built in from the time he was small. 

 "Something I never thought was possible," I grumble, sitting down in my usual armchair, swinging my legs onto the armrests and getting comfy. 

 "Heard that, little Kress." Azin shot back, a playful smirking hanging on his face. We sat in silence. A comfortable silence, one that engulfed in times that neither of us knew what to say, but both knew we were blessed for the company. 

                                                        ****************

   "I swear it looks like a *Screndel" Azin said, reaching an arm and tracing one of the many random patterns in the ceiling. I looked up, and shook my head.

 "It's clearly a shield." I shot back, Azin let out a bark-like laugh. 

"Not it's a Screndel!" He laughed, sitting up more to look at me and my scrunched up face. When it was just us, late at night, lost in our thoughts and in our true selves, this side of me came out.  A side of laughter and smiles that normally stayed hidden from the bright lights. Azin became rowdy and child-like, laughing up a storm and howling till the break of dawn, always trying to get me to do the same, but only every got a chuckle or a snort. 

 "It's a shield, lean back more Azin." I clearly say, waving my arm to motion him to lean back farther in the chair. He willingly does so....

CRASH!

   Azin is down with a sharp cry for help and a snort escaping me as I cover my mouth to hid my laughter. He turns to me, face red in embarrassment and fury, but his eyes soften to something else. The gentleness that others outside this room, others besides me don't see.

  How terrifying and cold the empire must view this young man. With so much power and prestige, that they don't realize he is just a prisoner with different chains. 

  "I could have you strangled for that." Azin grumbled, casting a look at the door. No one was going to come storming in to his rescue. I was in here and that was all the protection he needed. He breathed a few curse words while he rubbed the back of his head. 

 "You won't have me strangled." I countered, smirking a bit as he scowled at me. He looked at the cieling again, squinting and then not. 

    There was a knock at the door, that neither of us bothered to answer as it came again. Azin continued to stare at the ceiling like it held the answer to all his problems up there. 

  "Third Prince Azin, your eldest brother Crown Prince Yandris has invited you to dinner tonight at his chambers." A shaky voice came, with a small note pushed under the steel door. Azin made no move as I reached into my pocket for a wazh. 

  "You know, if I reallllllllly squint, it does look like a shield, from down here, Kress" He finally said, and if I still knew how to throw my head back and laugh, I would have. 

*Screndel is a common bird in Urias, about the size of a robin with long tail feathers and iridescent feathers