Kill The Prince, Steal The Crown // Private rp

Rhydar tilted his head towards Lily, showing her that he was listening as he walked. It didn't take long to reach his chambers, and he used his free hand to open the door and pull her into his bedroom, as it was late and it'd be easier for them both to fall asleep if they were already in there. Though, he knew he'd be giving her the bed for the entire night. He didn't mind.

The flooring was a deep mahogany, stretching throughout the entire bedroom and covered by the simple woven forest green rug beneath the soft green-themed canopy bed and the desk sitting next to the headboard. There were lamps sitting on multiple surfaces—shelves, the dresser, the bookshelf, the desk, anything—all burning at a low light and casting the area in a warm glow. The walls had random pencil sketches drawn all over them from a child-like boredom, but the stretches of twine decorated with false autumn leaves hanging from the ceiling drew the eye from them. There was one specific stand with a hand-carved mirror hanging above it that was covered in small boxes of jewelry and trinkets. Another chest was sitting next to that with presumably more larger trinkets. A door led to his walk-in closet, and another one—that was open—led to a seemingly empty room save for the single piano sitting grand and proud.

Rhydar followed her in, stopping and walking whenever she did so he didn't disconnect their hands. All he could do was watch her and smile as she took in his room. She was so adorable, and he couldn't help but melt even more when she turned around and offered a tiny smile. She was getting better, he noted, albeit slowly. Slowly was better than never, however, so he'd take it. When she asked about the leaves, he tipped his head up and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. I got bored one day and found some twine while looking at the autumn leaves, then asked the local artisans how to make false leaves so they didn't decay over time. Entertained me for about a week, and I haven't felt like taking them down."

((No?? This is a private and already ongoing roleplay))

Rhydar laughed softly, then gently tugged her over to his bed so they could sit down. "Well, I've been stuck here for a lot longer than you have," he commented, leaving most of the curtains around his bed drawn back so it didn't get even darker than the room already was. He pulled Lily onto the cushioned mattress covered with a thick but cool silk comforter, then let go of her hand to slide off and retrieve a light for them. He didn't get one of the lamps set out, but a decorated lantern that was hanging in his closet. He was quick to come back to Lily, the lantern already lit, and set it in front of her as he crawled back onto the bed on the other side of the light. "What is it?" he asked once settled.

Rhydar's lips parted as he listened to Lily, and by the time she stopped talking, his heart was beating a mile a minute. He looked away and ran his hand up and down his face, then dug it into his hair. "Are you sure?" he asked softy, as if afraid of what her answer would be. He had long accepted what he had lost, but now, with that possibility… He was hopeful, but scared. He wanted it to be right, to believe Lily was right and that he could get his wings back, but he was also scared that it'd all be ripped away from him again.

Rhydar's shoulders slumped and his head bowed; his eyes closed and his hand twisted to grasp Lily's. He couldn't believe it. Years have gone by, years of missing something incredibly important to him, and now he had the chance to get it back. But he also had something new that was important to him—he had Lily. He thought of himself as incredibly lucky to just have her, the idea of getting both was almost like entertaining the idea of the impossible. "Thank you," he whispered, the hand in his hair dropping to his lap and curling around his jacket. I need to change. He almost laughed at the sudden thought. He truly was going insane.

He did laugh softly this time, glancing up at Lily with a crooked smile. "Read my mind," he murmured, then squeezed her hand before slipping away off of the bed. "I'll be back to you in a bit," he whispered softly, eyes sparkling, then went over to his dresser to grab a pair of cozy fleece pants before disappearing into his closet to change. He didn't bother with picking out a shirt because he knew they'd be falling asleep soon, so there was no point in putting one on only to take it off.

As he pulled off his shirt, Rhydar thought about what just happened. Lily had a mental breakdown because of his mother. He looked into her head and found unspeakable horrors. His brother had a vision with Lily around. Not just any vision, but about his wings. His wings were in a tomb somewhere, and Lily knew where to find them. He stared at the shirt in his hands for a few seconds, dazed by recent events. His head perked up, however, when he heard humming coming from the bedroom. He smiled, then tossed his shirt off to the side and exchanged his pants for the fleece ones. Once changed, he knocked on the door to let Lily know he was done, then opened the door and slipped into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

Rhydar smiled softly and strode over to the bed. When he reached her, he stopped at the edge and reached out to hook two fingers around her wrist. "Hey." He waited for her, waited to make sure she was okay, waited to join her just in case. He'd always wait for her, no matter what it was. The fingers around her wrist started to slowly swipe back and forth over the soft skin of the inside of her wrist.

He'd never push her past her comfort zone, never force her to do something she didn't want to do. He'd always love and cherish her, always be grateful for whatever she can give him. He'd never judge her for her past, never think less of her.

His lips twitched up into a smile, and he crawled onto the bed and sat next to her, careful to not dislodge her grip on his arm. "I know," he said simply with a shrug, then looked down at one of her hands. His own reached out to lightly grasp hers, then delicately ran his fingers over her knuckles, palm, fingers, anything—just to touch her, to show her that she was okay, to be just that much closer to her. "I don't know what I want to do," he whispered, still looking down at her hand, "About my… wings. It's like I want to go get them back, but a part of me is scared. What if I can't be fixed? What if I've been without for so long that I can't have them back in the way I want them back?"

Rhydar slowly brought his gaze up to meet hers, hand twisting in her grasp to lightly and playfully brush over her chin—staying clear of her lips. "I love you, Lily darling," he murmured, eyes never leaving hers as they sparkled with an emotion that was quite clear—pride and joy. "You always know what to say, even if I never do." Right after he said that, his head perked up and an idea came into his mind. He barely gave her enough warning before he was slipping off the bed and lightly tugging on her hands to try and show that he wanted her to follow him. Shimmering emerald gleamed with the hope he had for this idea.

He grinned goofily but didn't say a word. Instead, he took her to the door that was slightly ajar. His back pushed it open even more, as he was facing Lily as he walked backwards, and brought her to the lone grand piano. Once his back hit the magnificent instrument, he let go of her hands and slid onto the bench without a word. It's been forever since he's sat here, but his thief's fingers knew exactly where to go as he laid them over the glossy keys and tested them out. All still in tune. Perfect. With one last look cast over to Lily, Rhydar sucked in a breath, closed his eyes, and began to play a simple melody from memory—the song she had been humming from earlier.

Rhydar's eyes were slow to open when he looked up at her, startled by her voice. But, startled as he was, he was slow to react, as if in a trance as he played. His fingers never faltered in their dance over the keys, even as he focused on the love of his life singing in a tongue he wasn't familiar with. Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. And her voice was equally as amazing. A smile played at his lips.

After a minute, he sunk back into the music, swaying back and forth with his eyes closed once more and his hands flying over the piano. In a burst of spontaneity, Rhydar added a little something else during the bridge of the song. It wasn't a lullaby, but it had a similar melody as Lily's, so the slightly faster tempo blended perfectly as he played both songs together, working even faster to keep up the skilled playing. His own song, composed by himself to comfort himself when he had lost his wings. It was meant to mimic the rush and thrill of the wings, but with a slight longing hidden within the notes, dampening the upbeat temp.