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Lukas smiled, “it did take a while, but I have other ones besides I always have to update the ones I have, and you are taking me away from here, I feel like that is better than anything price you could put on the map” and he honestly felt that way, having a break from his parents and possible suitors would be a dream come true. And it was going to come true all thanks to Fiel.
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Fiel relaxed and beamed gratefully. "Thank-you, Lukas. I promise I'll make this trip as relaxing and enjoyable for you as I can."
On impulse, he reached out and put his hand on Lukas's shoulder, turning suddenly serious. "You deserve something better than what you have here," he said quietly. "You deserve to have people who care about you, and a home that feels like a home. I know….I know you can't stay with us forever, but…." He broke off, frustrated. "I feel we should keep thinking about it. Perhaps some kind of opportunity will arise if we watch for it."
Lukas’ face went still for a second before he hugged Fiel with a smile, and whispered, “thank you, you have no idea what it means to hear something like that”
Fiel set down the map and hugged Lukas back. "I want to do everything I can to help you. It may not be very professional of me, but I can't help it. You looked so sad and weary when we first met….I couldn't just stand by and do nothing."
Lukas just stood there hugging Fiel, “thank you for caring.”
"Of course."
Fiel held onto Lukas for a long moment. Gradually, a slight worry drifted through his mind. This would look a little strange if anyone else were to enter the room at that moment. He waited a few more minutes, then gently pulled away and smiled at Lukas to show he wasn't offended by the hug or anything. "Well…..would you like to come down to the kitchen and pick out a recipe with me? And then if you don't mind, I have a favor to ask you."
“Sure” Lukas smiled, Fiel had just made him feel wanted and cared about for the first time in a long time, and it made him so happy.
"Come on then." This time it was Fiel's turn to lead Lukas down to the kitchen—he remembered the way perfectly by now. "I want a recipe for something we can make with local ingredients, obviously, but I'm looking for a dish that we've never tried before. Your kingdom seems to use meats, grains, and vegetables much more than we do—is there any recipe you'd recommend Lukas?"
Lukas’ only thought on food was cake. “Uh….no…I mean…cake?” He asked hopefully.
Fiel laughed. "That's true, we really don't have very many cake-like foods. Do you know of any cakes with nuts or fruits in them? We love those."
Lukas nodded, “there is one, I forgot what it is called but it has a variety of both”
"Oh really? That one sounds good. Maybe the cooks can help us find it." Fiel approached the constantly-busy kitchen workers and explained what they were looking for, adding that he'd love to let them keep the recipe he'd shown them earlier in exchange for a copy of one of theirs. He'd been told by his mother that some cooks considered their recipes to be family secrets, and wouldn't easily share them with strangers without a trade-off of some kind.
The cook smiled at Fiel and told him they would gladly give him teh recipe. They went to a cabnet and picked out a small peice of paper that had the recipe to thier fruit nut mix cake.
Fiel thanked them profusely and promised his mother would love it. Then he returned to Lukas with the recipe tucked carefully in his pocket. "All right. It's time to take all this up to my room and pack it away, I'd say. And then there's that favor I need from you, if you're willing."
Lukas nodded, "I totally forgot about that" He said laughing softly, "But yeah anything you need"
"I appreciate it," Fiel replied, leading them up to his room. Once he'd set down his purchases on his bed, he revealed his wings and tail with a shake, careful not to bump into Lukas with them. "This is perhaps an odd request," he admitted, "but after we went swimming, some water got into my wings and they didn't dry properly. I need to straighten out the feathers and, well, I can't reach the ones right between my shoulders." He cast Lukas an apologetic grin. "I don't suppose you could help me for a moment? Usually a family member would lend me a hand but of course they're not here right now."
Lukas smiled and nodded, "of course I will help"
"Thank-you." Fiel turned and sat cross legged on a cushioned stool, his wings half-open in a semi-circle around him. The largest feathers were longer than he was tall, but he started methodically running his hands along them to smooth out the barbs and make sure they were layered correctly. They were only slightly damp, and the feathers seemed to be somewhat waterproof anyway, but it was enough to make them rumpled and unkempt, particularly around the joints. "Don't worry about bending or breaking my feathers, most of them are quite strong."
Lukas started to help smooth the feathers out, quietly humming to himself as he did. "your wings are really…nice" he said, not sure if calling them pretty would be offensive.
Fiel ducked his head. "Thank-you. Each member of my family has slightly different wings. I used to think mine were rather dull compared to the others, but now that I've fledged, I have these lovely white feathers here on each wingtip. Still, you should see my oldest sister—she has a patch of iridescent feathers right down her back." He knew he was rambling a bit, but it had been days since his wings had gotten their proper care and it felt very nice. Besides, no one but his family had ever complimented his wings before. "Nowadays I mostly care that they're strong enough to carry me, but as the heir to the throne, does help to keep them looking nice."
"well I think they are beautiful" He said smiling, as he smoothed out the feathers, "and I believe that everyone has their own form of beauty, after all 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder' so you may think someones is better looking than yours, but to them it could be the opposite…wait, I am sorry I have no idea what i am talking about" He laughed nervously.
Fiel glanced at him thoughtfully. "You know, you're absolutely right. I think my eldest sister is the most beautiful person in the world, but she's told me she feels uncomfortable in public and doesn't always like her reflection. Beauty truly is subjective—I think it's more about how much you love someone, and whether they are beautiful in their hearts and minds rather than their outward appearance. If someone acted in an ugly way, I think I would have a harder time considering them beautiful. Don't you agree?"
Lukas nodded a slight blush on his face, he hadn't really paid any attention to what he had said to Fiel, and was supprised when Fiel agreed with him.
Fiel paused to spread one wing all the way, examining the feathers closely. "Maybe it's just the way I was raised. My mother always says that we Tarilonans should value actions and intentions more than appearances. I know not all cultures think that way, now that I've one some traveling. There was one kingdom that didn't care whether we forged an alliance or not—they just thought we were handsome and exotic, and they wanted us to stay so they could add us to the king's royal attendants." He scowled at the memory with clear distaste. "They did not understand that we were our own people, with our own independence and autonomy. We did not linger there for long."
"Yeah, they are not a very respectful kingdom, a lot of people avoid them, except ones who agree with their values" Lukas mumbled, he had a lot of knowledge on the kingdoms around, after all he spent most of his time reading and learning about them.
Fiel glanced at Lukas over his shoulder. "I'm glad they're far from here. Hopefully they won't ever show up to cause trouble—at least not in our lifetimes. They haven't sent any suitors to see you, I hope?"
Lukas rolled his eyes, a slight blush still on his face "of course they did, almost everyone did."
Fiel pursed his lips in annoyance. "Well, your kingdom does seem large and wealthy. I imagine plenty of other kingdoms would like to be your allies because of that." He sighed. "Well, the only way to get to my kingdom is by air, luckily, so I think we'll be left in peace while we're there."
"that is good, I could use a break from being…" he stopped, not sure if saying it was a smart idea, after all being in the castle anyone could be listening.
Fiel waited, but Lukas never finished the sentence. "….Being what? Objectified? Stared at? Constantly pestered to marry?"