[private] slipped the surly bonds of earth

[Alcinder]

i have slipped the surly bonds of earth
and danced the skies on laugh-silvered wings

The moments that pass between Alcinder's question and Castile's answer are slow and straining. They tick by palpably and Alcinder, with bated breath, watches his dad expectantly. When, finally, Castile answers him with a gruff and murmured yes, the young boy breaks into a wide smile. He had never felt any sort of emptiness over the fact that his dad was a dragon, had never felt that he was missing out ─ it had all felt natural. Normal, even. It is all the young boy had known.

But this feels like an exciting change, nonetheless. He knows no concept of traditional relationships ─ instead, he has been graced with the caring, unconventional, and exciting.

As Castile apologizes, Alcinder furrows his brow and tosses his two-toned head. "It's okay, Dad," he nudges the gold band at his dad's cheek as a sigh falls from the stallion's maw. There had been a point that the young boy had tried to feel anger over the situation, but there was only sadness that gripped him on the days he remembered how much he missed his mom.

"It's not anyone's fault. And, besides, Aunt Lepis has been teaching me about politics and it... well, it sounds like these things can happen when you're related to a king." He smiles, gunmetal eyes bright in hopes that he can remove that sad glimmer from his dad's mismatched ones.

Laughter falls from the boy's lips as Castile reaches forward to tousle his forelock. Snorting with faux agitation, the painted colt sidesteps and tosses his head once more.

"How about we go on an adventure now? I've..." he pauses, grins mischievously, "Well, I've explored a little on my own, but I'm always worried that someone will notice I'm missing and then I'll get in trouble." His grin turns sheepish as he admits his escapades to his dad ─ and then hopes silently that he won't be in trouble now that he's revealed his secret.

─ @[Castile]

n | d