Ray of Sunshine - Day 3, July 24th: Marlind (Knowledge/Nature)
After the malevolence dissipated, Marlind had become an entirely new city.
The skies were a marvelous, blinding shade of blue, unmarred by any dark clouds that had once enveloped the city in their darkness. The morning sun completely illuminated the town, giving it new life that it hadn't had for a long time. Not since the plague had hit. People began flooding the streets in droves. Crowds gathered everywhere. Customers returning to the marketplace. Children running around outside, playing tag or taking their animals out for walks. Couples marveling at the new flowers growing on the great tree. The aroma of fresh trees and foliage filled everyone's senses, rich in nature's blessings. Marlind, the city known for being rich in history, brimming with stories from the past, had come back to life, regaining its glory, shining with prosperous splendor.
A scholar once described Marlind like this: "The city of knowledge nestled among the holy trees. Their shining branches are as a beacon unto the fruit of knowledge and the flower of aesthetics. There walks this continent no true scholar, no true artist who did not once frolic in its sylvan depths. Marlind, the scholarly city of the great holy tree. At the treetop bloom the fruits of knowledge and art."
That scholar couldn't have described it any better, even if it was abounding in cheesy melodramatic flourish. Still, Marlind was back, no longer the desolate, dismal plague town it had been. Mikleo knew exactly who to thank for that, and said person was a ray of sunshine in and of himself.
"Hey, Mikleo! You're never gonna believe what I found!"
Sorey, green eyes radiant with excitement and delight, raced across the dirt roads, his orange feathers bouncing happily with every step. Nestled in his arms were a collection of books-four total, two of them were big, the other two were small and easy to carry around. Mikleo had been sitting under one of the roots of the great tree. Said root formed a canopy over him, protecting him from the harsh morning sunlight that nourished all of Marlind. But it couldn't possibly protect him from the sun-shiny Shepherd himself, not that he wanted it to.
Mikleo stretched his arms outward the moment Sorey stopped to catch his breath. "Well well, someone's all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning," He teased. "Then again, when aren't you bright-eyed and bushy-tailed?"
"Look! Look look look!" Sorey shouted, nearly shoving the books right into Mikleo's face. The perplexed water seraph backed away at least twelve inches.
"Jeez, Sorey! Back up a little!" He took two books out of Sorey's hands. They were relatively lightweight, bound with soft leather covers. Mikleo flipped through the bigger book, which was titled The Country Diary of an Asgardian Lady. It had very detailed pencil drawings of native flora and fauna, along with excerpts of poetry, quotes from famous people from long ago, and said Asgardian lady's writings about each and every day.
By the fifteenth page, Mikleo was hooked, unable to avert his gaze from the book in his hands. Sorey sat down next to him, flashing his radiant grin, watching as Mikleo looked at the pictures the authoress drew in her book. Blue and white vincas. Yellow daffodils. Tiny, drooping violets. Primroses. Brimstone butterflies. Demoiselle dragonflies. Tiny, bright blue water forget-me-nots. Giant purple campanulas. Green woodpeckers and starlings and yellow warblers.
"Man, you can't even take your eyes off it," Sorey laughed, rubbing Mikleo's shoulder with one hand. "Then again, I'm not surprised."
"Sorey, do you realize what you found?" Mikleo asked. "This is Susan Alcott's diary! Only three copies are known to exist in the whole world right now!" Clutching the book in his hand, Mikleo exclaimed, voice rising in pitch, "This is one of the rarest books in all of Glenwood! Where did you find it?"
Sorey pointed to the building behind him with his thumb. "It was in the Dumnonia Museum. I found it underneath a fallen statue of Queen Joan," Soon, his eyes sparkled once more. "Wow, it's really that rare, huh? Isn't there a place in Pendrago attempting to produce more copies of it right now?"
"That's what I've heard, yes," Mikleo closed the book gently. "But there's no word on whether the book will be sold publicly."
Tiny pink blossoms sprouted from one of the branches on the great tree. Sorey looked up, gazing at them with delight. "I see…" He found himself taking a trip down memory lane, picturing himself and Mikleo, as children, sitting in their house, reading all the books they could find. Good times. "Oh! That reminds me!" Sorey immediately pushed the other books onto Mikleo's lap. "Read these, too! This one's about the ancient temple in the Ymir Forest, and that one has a whole chapter dedicated to the Meteoron Ruins!"
Unable to hold back a smile, Mikleo simply chuckled as he and Sorey poured over the books together. But at this point, Mikleo was no longer pouring over Susan Alcott's supposedly long lost diary or the ruin books Sorey shoved onto his lap. There was something different. Something unseen and intangible, but the water seraph could feel it in every fiber of his being. It felt warm. Warm, kind, passionate, and sincere. There was love in his heart. Love for the excited, shiny eyed, cutely childish Shepherd, savior of Marlind, marveling over books right in front of him. His very presence was like a ray of sunshine cutting through a ferocious storm. He practically eminated it, and it radiated from somewhere within him.
Better yet, Sorey himself was a ray of sunshine. For Marlind, for all of Glenwood, and, especially, for Mikleo. His messily tousled brown hair was soft to the touch. His jade eyes sparkled at everything. His juvenile features and permanently enthusiastic grin were unmatched, only made even better by the fact that Sorey himself was pretty much a forever erupting volcano of giggles when he was especially happy. Mikleo couldn't picture his life without Sorey. Not one bit.
"Hey, Mikleo."
"Hm?"
A giggle escaped the Shepherd's lips as he grinned in the seraph's direction, both sweet and mischievous. But not before gently sliding a tiny pink flower onto Mikleo's ear. "There! Perfect! You're beautiful!" He said it without the slightest hint of hesitation or sarcasm.
Heat rose up into Mikleo's cheeks, soon extending to the rest of his body. He could feel himself melting into a puddle of goo. Every glance, every touch, every sincere and loving compliment he received from Sorey was a precious gift, far more valuable than even the most expensive of jewels and treasures. Suddenly, a warm, strong set of arms wrapped around Mikleo, pulling him close. Sorey's nose dug into the seraph's hair, tickling his nostrils. Mikleo could hardly hold back a chuckle.
"Do you have to nuzzle my hair?"
"Yes! Yes I do! Is that bad?" Sorey asked, voice muffled by Mikleo's thick fluff of pale aquamarine hair. Then again, this wasn't the first time Sorey wanted to indulge in this silly little task. More often than not, Mikleo allowed the bigger man to nuzzle his hair. It just felt nice.
Two small fingers stroke the top of Sorey's hand, the tips sliding across his skin. Gently, tenderly...the sensations were faint, but Sorey could feel the warmth, affection, and the love in those fingertips. Too bad the moment was cut short by Alisha calling for them to return to the inn. They had some planning to do. But they knew they could catch up later on.
"Sorey?"
"Yeah?"
"Have I ever told you that I want to write a book someday?"
Curiously, Sorey turned his head to face the seraph as they walked away from the tree. That was new. "Really? No, you didn't. You really want to?"
Mikleo nodded, smiling to himself. "I want to write about all of our adventures," He whispered in a wistful, dreamy voice. "All the ruins we discovered, all the places we traveled to...I want future generations to know what we've seen and been through…"
Sorey didn't question it a bit. "I know you'll be able to write that book someday. Maybe you'll show it to me when you finish it?"
The water seraph chuckled. "You bet. I'll even give you the very first copy. Signed, even," He told him. But not before thinking, 'And it'll be dedicated to you.' His heart thundered, and his body was warm. Warm from Sorey's love, warm from Marlind's gentle breezes, knowledge and nature filling the air.
No way was he going to be able to finish reading Susan Alcott's diary that day.