These Threads That Soothe

Cheers erupted at every turn as the Royal carriage wound through the heavily populated streets of the Blaze's city. Guards stood to attention at every possible corner, dressed in finery, as the Queen and her new husband travelled through the city on a celebratory tour.

"You're a natural at this," Blaze commented as Silver waved breezily to the families around them. There was a tightness to his smile, but the cat couldn't quite place its cause.

"I guess it's just my people person coming out," he said with a lofty smile, tipping his head at a child who waved frantically at him from the edge of the crowd.

"Hmm," she responded, not quite agreeing or disagreeing. If anyone was to ask her, she would say it was less a people person thing and more a Silver thing. This boy could charm his way into anyone's heart. The people's, his friends, and most surprisingly, hers.

She continued to watch him as they travelled the city. She tried to do it as secretly as she could, although with thousands of eyes on her at all times, she wasn't convinced she was being discreet in the slightest.

No one would blame her. She'd just married the man of her dreams, of course she was allowed to drink in how wonderful he looked. If not today, then when? The rest of your life.

The realisation shocked her a little, mostly because it was true.

She would have the rest of her life with this man. There was no more Iblis, no more broken futures, no more fighting. And if they did their job right, there never would be again. Sol would exist in an eternal state of peace, and the two of them would spend every second of it together.

And although his looks were a good enough reason to be watching him, it wasn't quite her own reasoning. No. Something seemed off about him but the more she stared at him, the less she understood what it could be that was bothering him.

Giving in for the moment, the cat's gaze flitted to the crowd. She waved politely at a small porcupine sat on her father's shoulders with an awe filled smile on her little face. The little girl looked away shyly, as if she couldn't quite believe the Queen had paid attention to her, leaning into her father's quills.

A blink and a rattle of the wheels and the pair were out of sight. Blaze resisted the urge to turn around to search them out, instead focusing her gaze ahead. The day felt so endlessly long, she couldn't even remember what she'd had for breakfast that morning. Did she even have breakfast?

Blaze only remembered being wholly nervous before her secret nuptials, so perhaps she had skipped on it entirely – something she now saw as a mistake as her stomach growled hungrily.

Thankfully, the thundering of the crowds and the noise of the carriage and horses was enough to drown the sound out.

No matter how hungry she was, one thing was for certain – Blaze was anything but tired. Which was great since they still had the celebratory ball at the palace to get through on their return.

She turned back to Silver, a frown pulling at her brows as she caught the shift in his demeanour. It was barely perceptible, and had she not spent the past hour stealing glances at him, she might not have noticed it at all. It took her a moment, but she finally managed to place what was wrong with him.

Slowly, so as to not attract too much attention from the onlookers, Blaze reached over and placed a gloved hand over his, the golden band glinting with sunlight at the movement. He turned to look at her, eyes a little hazy and not quite seeing her despite the hoots from the crowd.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly. The cat wasn't sure how she had missed it before, but now she could see the tell-tale pressure of expectation pushing down on him – in his smile, his stance and his eyes. Blaze knew all too well how daunting the roles of a Royal were, and for Silver to have them suddenly thrust upon him could not be easy.

Her voice seemed to pierce through his thoughts, and he twisted his hand around beneath hers. Their fingers intertwined in a light squeeze as he lifted his eyes to hers.

"Why wouldn't I be?" He said brightly. Her face must have looked unconvinced though because he added, "It's all a little unnerving isn't it," he added, a forced chuckle in his voice that squeezed her heart tight.

"You're doing perfect," she assured him, letting a smile she usually only reserved for when they were alone slip onto her face. "You'll be an incredible King to the people."

His eyes brightened instantly. "Thank you. I only hope I can live up to your high expectations."

"You already have," she assured him. "You never actually answered my question though. Are you okay?" she asked, unable to hide the concern in her tone. The last thing she wanted was for him to be uncomfortable in his new position.

Silver nodded, his quills bouncing at the motion. "I'm okay Blaze. I think I'll get the hang of this soon enough," he said, glancing back out at the crowd as the carriage slowly began to take them back home.

"That's good," she said, for lack of a better response. There was so much she wanted to say, but out here, surrounded by so many people, the most she could do was squeeze his hand in hers.

Silver turned to her abruptly. "Are you?" he asked intently. "Okay, I mean."

The cat bit her bottom lip in consideration, resisting the urge to drown in the amber pools of his eyes. She was married to Silver. She was happy. Her kingdom was thriving.

She nodded.

"Yes. Better than okay, actually."