Roslyn

Rozlyn’s heart beat rapidly in his chest as the Guardian watched the object of his affection open the letter he placed outside of their lair. He watched as a sharp claw broke the sloppily placed seal, he watched as crimson eyes read the chicken scratch of handwriting. Aradia’s eyes widened slightly, an incredulous look on her face as they got to the place in the letter that Rozlyn can assume was his messy confession.

In a clan full of vicious and fight-hungry dragons, being romantic was more about bringing the one you’re courting a hunk of bloody meat ripped off of whatever beast you decided to fight, and less about writing letters conveying your deepest emotions.

Rozlyn watched as Aradia got to the end of the letter, the Imperial flipping the page to the backside to see if anything else was written. There wasn’t, Rozlyn ending the letter cryptically so he didn’t give himself away. He went through great lengths to make sure his scent wasn’t detectable and sang praises to the Plaguebringer that Aradia hadn't seen how truly his handwriting could be. Especially when his nerves were all jittery and frayed trying to put his feelings into words. Taking a deep breath, the Guardian quietly walked up to the Imperial, the other dragon too engrossed in staring at the parchment to even notice him.

“What’s that you got there, Aradia?”

The Imperial yelped and swiped at him, Rozlyn nearly getting clawed in the face if it weren’t for his quick reflexes.

“Rozlyn?! Don’t do that, you could’ve lost an eye!” Aradia let out a shaky breath. “I thought you were my father for a second.”

The Imperial took another look at the letter in their claws before shredding the paper into tiny, unreadable pieces, Rozlyn’s heart dropping at the sight.

“I pity the fool who sent me that, I wish I could appreciate it more than destroying it. But the thought of a suitor that Father didn’t approve of himself is something I rather not deal with. He’s already made it clear of his feelings towards me…”

Rozlyn let out a strained hum, trying not to appear to be affected by his crush’s decision with his letter, an ache settling in his heart. With a mighty flap of their wings, Aradia sent the pieces flying in the still air of Plague Lands.

“Why do you look so glum? It’s not like you wrote it.” Aradia huffed at their companion as they settled back on the ground. “Speak of this to no one, please. I don’t need more of my Father’s ire.”

Rozlyn swallowed his hurt and gave Aradia a wordless nod, the Imperial smiling at him and brushing his wings with theirs. The Guardian watched as Aradia made their way to their clan’s mess hall, probably to challenge someone into fighting them, unable to move. He had a feeling his confession would be fruitless, Aradia was royalty and he was just a lord, he was beneath them whether he liked it or not.

“Oi!” Aradia’s inpatient voice snapped him out of his trance. “Are you coming or not? Food isn’t ready, that means hangry warriors itching for a fight, let’s go!”

Rozlyn bounded after the Imperial, a fondness for Aradia’s cravings for violence soothing his heart a bit. He wasn’t going to give up, no, he’ll just have to try harder.

Lore by Stardusted Ink