Home Again

It had been so long. 

The trees, they were taller, thicker... The flowers were ever so abundant, and the hint of a small puddle had bloomed into a beautiful oasis kept safe by towering willows and a set of rocky pillars surrounding it, slowly overtaken by moss and vines.

The water was nearly perfectly still, and the occasional flower petal floated serenely on the surface...

The grass was soft, and cool, and the water a pleasant temperature, my walking in it leaving trails of tiny ripples, as I moved within the small crowd of fireflies that hovered over the pond, their light reflecting off it's cold, dark surface, the moon far above and its stars painting it purple like the sky, their silver radiance shimmering in the water. 

I was... Home. 

And home had grown just as I had, my hair grown long like the leafy tendrils that dipped into the water. 

My wings, no longer small nor weak, but long, large and filled with power. 

And as for myself, I had matured. The desert and the many kingdoms had changed me, forever and ever, faint lines traced into my skin where threat had come close time and time again. Skin that had grown dark with the sunlight, not quite darker than my hair's ends, which had lightened considerably, when compared to the new hair I had, making things longer. 

All of it was so... Different. 

Time had changed me and my home to a point so close to unrecognizability, and yet it was almost like I had never left. 

My eyes slipped closed as I stood there, warm summer breezes slipping through the trees and slipping through my hair, tickling my wings and my skin, the silken cloth of my dress floating in the air, almost like smoke.

Fingers touching my own woke me from my daydreams, my eyes settling on an ever so familiar face- a face I would know well, even if I were blind. 

"So you've found my place in the forest..."

I whispered, turning and gazing into his bright eyes and smile, his fingers tracing over the delicate ridges of my scales, my eyes fluttering closed as I breathed out, relaxing at such a gentle touch, his fingers slipping down to my jaw, then to my chin, lifting my face to match his...

Leaving the graceful touch of his lips lingering on mine, tingling like static.

Staying so close, my fingers resting against him, something here... In the air, in the sky...

Closing the gap once again, I let time slow and the moment extend, leaning against him as calm kisses soothed any and all nerves, our lives so irrevocably intertwined now, no matter what.

When he pulled away to place his lips against my forehead, I sighed softly, his fingers woven in my hair at the back of my head, his other arm wrapped tightly around my waist.

"Vikaria... It's been a long trip and all, do you want to visit your parents..? Or should we wait until the morning..?"

I hummed a soft note, deep in thought, wrapping my arms around his neck and cozying in close, my answer coming softly. 

"Tomorrow morning... They're probably asleep by now... As should we be..."

We moved slowly back to the grass, falling in it like it was a swath of down, cushioned and so... So...

Nice. 

His soft kisses delivered tranquility, and as I closed my eyes once more, he spoke quietly, his hand on my shoulder. 

"Vikaria..."

My mind melted, darkness overtaking it as wind tousled my hair, the air growing cooler, and his voice one of the few things I heard anymore... The water silent, the trees no longer creaking...

"Vikaria... We're almost to your home..."

Blinking blearily, the hand on my shoulder feeling so warm, I opened my eyes and saw the skies above, sunset not far from starting, a face in my vision. 

Casian. 

...had it all been just... Just a dream..?

I admired him hazily for a moment, before realizing perhaps that wasn't the best idea, being on Merc and all, and... Well. 

Maelo was right there. 

"Are we already..?"