Falling in Love

After the royal disaster of a visit, Danny seemed to have fallen into a deep depression no one seemed to be able to bring him out of. He slept hours longer than usual, ate very little, and sat around his quarters listlessly. No amount of encouragement or coaxing from Dora, Fright, or even Pariah Dark could get him to brighten up.

Pariah Dark had even gone so far as to invite some of Danny's friends in the Ghost Zone to visit, but the only one who made even a modicum of progress was Wulf, who had been found by Skulker and urged to visit. Wulf sat down like a loyal dog next to the Grecian chair Danny was lying on and waited patiently for hours before Danny finally began petting his head and talking aimlessly, until he finally fell asleep again.

With Wulf around, Danny did indeed seem to get better. With the urgings of the werewolf, Danny left the rooms a little more, and spent more time outside, whether it was to sit in the courtyard or to go walking through the villa. And Wulf would stay by Danny's side the whole time, keeping passersby at bay with a quick glare and a baring of teeth.

It was a definate improvement, but Pariah Dark was still incredibly concerned about his fiance's depression. Although he felt grateful to Wulf for urging Danny to get up and do something other than sleep all day, he still wanted Danny to cheer up and smile again.

One day, he got a flash of inspiration, and before most of the servents were even up, he dressed casually and walked to Danny's room, opening the door quietly. Danny was still sleeping, with Wulf curled up protectively at the end of the bed. When Pariah Dark walked in, Wulf raised his head and looked inquisitively at the King.

"I'm taking Daniel out for the day," Pariah Dark said softly. Wulf glanced at Danny.

(1)"Fari mi veki li?" he inquired. Pariah Dark blinked and replied,

(2)"Ne. Mi poto veki li." He stepped forward quietly and gently shook Danny. "Daniel."

Danny shifted around a little before opening his eyes tiredly. "...Hmm...Pariah?" He sat up a little, rubbing his eyes. "What's going on...?"

"I need you to get dressed," Pariah Dark said. "We're going on a short trip." Danny sat up, looking a little more awake.

"A trip? To where?" He stepped out of bed, stretching. Pariah Dark ushered his young fiance to the bathroom.

"It's a surprise," he replied shortly. "Now wash and dress. We leave in thirty minutes." He left Danny to his privacy and turned to Wulf. (3)"Mi koni vi deziri al veni, sed me devi iri sola, Wulf."

Wulf made an unhappy whining sound, but nodded. (4)"Mi kompreni." He gave Pariah Dark a stern stare. "Preni zorgo de li."

Pariah Dark nodded, and sat in a chair to wait for Danny.

Twenty minutes later, Danny came out, dressed in casual all-black attire and running a towel through his damp hair. "Um...I'm ready?" he said, understandably confused that he'd been woken up so early, and personally by Pariah Dark. The Ghost King nodded and stood, opening the door for Danny.

"Then let us be going," he said. Danny looked back at Wulf, who hadnt gotten up from his spot on the bed.

"...Wulf isnt coming?" he asked. Wulf shook his head, and Pariah Dark did the same.

"We will be making this trip alone, Daniel," he said, putting a hand on Danny's back to lead him along. "I have made all the arrangements." They walked in silence out of the castle and down to the villa. Outside, Danny could see that it was twilight before dawn, and there were still 'stars' in the sky atmosphere. That point reminded him of his tiredness, but he continued walking until he and Pariah Dark came to the edge of the villa, where Night Mare was waiting with a few larger packs harnessed to her.

"...Is this a day trip or an odessey we're going on?" Danny asked. Pariah Dark made a short sound of amusement and helped Danny up on the saddle before hoisting himself up behind him.

"Just a day trip, Daniel," he replied, reaching around Danny to grab the reigns. "The actual trip there will take awhile. You may go back to sleep, if you wish."

Danny blushed hard. "That's okay," he replied quickly. Pariah Dark gave his fiance a smile and snapped the reigns, leading Night Mare on her way. They barely rode off for ten minutes before Danny had drifted back off to sleep.

The first thing Danny had sense of was a gentle breeze, accompanied by the sweet scent of...sea air? He shifted around, noticing that he was sitting up and leaning against something.

"You're awake," came the baritone voice of his fiance above him. Danny blinked his eyes open and saw that he had been sleeping up against Pariah Dark. Brilliant. "It is good timing, too. We're here."

"Where IS here, exact..." Danny trailed off, his eyes widening, when he saw exactly where 'here' was.

It wasnt the Ghost Zone he was used to, not by a long shot. The sky atmosphere was the clearest of blue, and even had a few milky white clouds. Night Mare was standing on a grassy cliff, nibbling on the grass happily. At the bottom of the cliff was white sand, and just beyond the sand was an ocean. A real ocean. Danny would have thought they had left the Ghost Zone altogether, had the water not been a crystalline blue the Earth had never seen.

"What...what IS this place?" he stammered, gazing in awe at the spectacular scene. Pariah Dark swung off of Night Mare and helped Danny down, picking the packs up from the Mare's flanks.

"An ancient part of the Ghost Realm," Pariah Dark replied. "Older even than I am." He put one hand on Danny's back and lead him to a pathway toward the beach. "An area most of our kind seem to have forgotten existed."

"Who could forget THIS?" Danny demanded. "It's...amazing!" Pariah Dark remained quiet the walk down. When they were on the sand, Pariah Dark set the pack down and opened it, taking out a large, thick rug-like cloth and spreading it down while Danny still stared off into the ocean's skyline.

Pariah Dark let his fiance enjoy the view for a few minutes before speaking up. "It was forgotten because I was forgotten."

Danny turned around, confusion etched to his face. "...What?" Pariah Dark sighed and gestured to the vacant area of the cloth next to him. As soon as Danny sat down, he explained,

"This is an area of our world that has been forgotten, because it existed because of me." Pariah Dark leaned back a little, staring off at the ocean. "Eons ago, even before my first reign, this world was similar to the living world. There were forests and lakes and oceans and skies. The dead willed a world of their own into existance; a place to enjoy before they crossed over to wherever they were meant to go.

"But as time passed, feuds began over land as the dead brought their habits of the living with them to this world. Wars were fought, ghosts were destroyed, and the land fell apart piece by piece until it became the shattered abyss you are familiar with, with ghosts finding a broken plot of land to call home, rather than piecing them together to make a new world.

"This is technically part of my Realm; one of the Old Lands that still remains today, its beauty untainted by outside influence. It remains as it was created by the ancient ghosts of long ago."

Danny felt both amazement and great sadness as Pariah Dark spoke; it broke his heart to hear that this world was once a united world full of beauty and peace for the dead, and became a broken abyss. "...But what has that got to do with you?" he asked.

Pariah Dark sighed. "The Ghost World cannot be without a King to guide them," he said gravely. "Every eon or so, a ghost is brought here, significantly more powerful than the others, to replace the King that had crossed over. The King's job is to bring order to the anarchy, and try to piece the world back together. In my last reign, I tried to use fear to get the ghosts to cooperate...to no avail." He gestured to the ocean. "This ocean was nearly gone before I brought it back. My castle was nearly in ruins before I created it anew. I recreated my courtyards and my villa. I wish to recreate it all, little by little, until the Ghost World is as it should be - a WORLD."

Danny found himself nodding, feeling too much emotion to speak properly. As Pariah Dark spoke, he could also hear a subtext within the Ghost King's words; Pariah Dark needed help. He couldnt do it alone, and Danny was being given the high honor of making the Ghost Zone into a Ghost World again.

Without really realizing it, Danny leaned his head against Pariah Dark's shoulder as he looked over the ocean, marveling at its natural beauty and creating new ideas in his head about how he could make his World better, too.

Very few words were spoken that day; both Pariah Dark and Danny were content with watching the rare vision of the ghostly ocean's waves move in and out with the tide. It wasnt until stars began to become visible that Danny realized how long they had been out so long. He turned to Pariah Dark to inquire about when they were returning home, but saw the Ghost King pull out oblong-shaped pillows from the packs.

"...We're camping out?" he asked. Pariah Dark nodded.

"The night sky is breathtaking here," he replied. "Clearer than even I remember it being, when I was alive." He handed Danny one of the pillows, then leaned back on his own and stared up at the sky. Danny found it confusing and astounded that the Ghost King would do something so plebian as stargaze, but followed suit and made himself comfortable with the pillow and shifting around to conform the sand to his body shape.

It was like watching something angelically spectacular be created in slow-motion. Slowly, but steadily, more and more stars appeared, and even visible constellations and galaxies; things that he had only seen in pictures (or Nocturne's body form), and it seemed endless. And by lying back and staring up with nothing to block his vision, it was like he was floating in the endless eternity of deep space.

He could have looked for an afterlife and would never be able to comprehend everything he saw. It looked so close he felt he could reach up and touch it; it almost felt like his dream of being in space was being realized right now.

"It must really fascinate you," he heard Pariah Dark murmur, and he turned his head to see the Ghost King staring at him. Danny blushed slightly.

"What gave it away?" he asked.

"Your eyes," Pariah Dark replied. "They were glowing with starlight."

Danny blushed harder. "...I just...really like space," he said, turning his gaze back to the stars above. "The endless universe, the countless numbers of stars...the idea of somewhere out there, there's another planet with life...feeling that someone on that planet is looking up at the stars and thinking the same thing...it's...it's mind-blowing..." He trailed off, clearing his throat embarrassedly. "...Sorry, I just...REALLY like space..."

"I know," Pariah Dark replied, making Danny look at him again. "You told me you loved the night sky. That is why I brought you here. To show you."

"I..." Danny began, speechless, then lamely followed with, "...then why the beach, and so early?"

Pariah Dark shrugged. "An added bonus. And time to spend with you."

Danny felt a swelling in his chest; a feeling similar to what he felt when he was about to cry. But deeper. It strung harder chords within him, knowing that Pariah Dark had given him this gift, just out of the kindness of his heart and wanting to see him happy.

Determinedly telling himself that he wouldnt cry, he turned back to the stars and let himself be pulled up into their vastness until he drifted off to sleep, only to dream about more stars.

This time, when Danny awoke, it was to the ocean wind's gentle caresses. He blinked awake and sat up, looking over to see Pariah Dark packing up what Danny wasnt currently using to sleep on. The Ghost King heard Danny rustling and turned around. "It's time we returned home," he said, offering his hand to Danny. Danny took it and let Pariah Dark hoist him up, and together they packed the rug and pillow, and walked back to Night Mare, who was standing patiently and waiting for them.

Danny remained awake as they rode home, and saw that while he had been asleep last time, they had passed into a forest of sorts. It was the kind of forest Danny could only compare to seeing in movies, or reading in fantasy novels. The foliage was thick and the trees were tall. Ghostly sunlight filtered in through the thick canopies, creating an almost archadic air about the place.

Night Mare walked briskly along an existing path, looking quite at home in this forested fairytale, making Danny wonder if this really had been her home at some point. Past the forest was scarce plantation, and then it tapered off into the broken abyss that was the Ghost Zone Danny remembered.

The rest of the way back to the Dark Castle was short, and Danny felt himself missing the Old Land terribly. But when they reached the border of Pariah Dark's designated land, the feeling was numbed slightly with familiarity.

Just past the villa, Pariah Dark pulled Night Mare into a halt and slipped off, helping Danny off as well, and stepped back as a servant took the Mare to unload her burden and give her back to Fright. Danny and Pariah Dark walked the rest of the way to the Dark Castle. In the courtyard, Danny suddenly stopped and turned to Pariah Dark.

"Thank you," he said, his voice brimming with emotion. "Thank you SO much for that...I mean...it was...too awesome for words...!" He was silenced when Pariah Dark raised a hand.

"No need to thank me," the Ghost King replied firmly. "It was a gift; one I will be happy to give again as many times as you wish of me. That is all." Danny felt his eyes water slightly, and reached up to wipe at them, only to have Pariah Dark reach out and wipe them instead. His hands stilled on Danny's face. "...Daniel..." Pariah Dark began slowly, as though almost -afraid?- of what to say next. "...May I kiss you?"

Danny froze slightly; his immediate reaction was fear, naturally. But then his secondary reaction was that Pariah Dark had asked for permission, for his sake.

Part of him wanted to refuse Pariah Dark of his request. The other part reminded Danny that to make this relationship work, there had to be trust and physical comfort around each other. And afterall...Pariah Dark had given Danny a priceless experience in the Old Land, and all he wanted in return was a kiss.

His mind made up, Danny swallowed a little and said, "Yes."

Looking a little surprised that Danny had agreed, Pariah Dark leaned forward and tipped Danny's face up slightly before kissing him.

Unlike the first and second time Pariah Dark had kissed him, which had been a nasty shock and a surprise, respectively, this kiss was...warm. That was pretty much the only way Danny could describe it. It was warm. The kind of warm that made you think of curling up with a good book and hot chocolate on a winter day. The GOOD kind of warm.

The kind of warm that was missed when Pariah Dark pulled away and looked over Danny's expression, ready to apologize for any panic or discomfort he'd inadvertantly caused. To asuge his fears, Danny gave him a small smile.

"That was...nice," he said, blushing hard. Pariah Dark gave him a hint of a smile back and pulled his hands from Danny's face.

"Then I am glad," he said, leading Danny into the castle and up to the boy's rooms, keeping his hand on Danny's back a few seconds longer than neccessary before leaving and heading to his own rooms. He met with Fright just around the corner of his door.

"I take it the trip was successful, My Liege?" Fright inquired. Pariah Dark nodded and opened his doors, beckoning Fright in with him.

"It was, Fright," he said. "Daniel was absolutely delighted with the Old Land. I believe he would live there, if given the chance." Fright smiled, happy for his King.

"Do you think you healed his depression?" he asked, reaching for the meade bottle and tumbler to pour his King a drink.

"...I think so," Pariah Dark said slowly. Fright noted a tone in his King's voice that he'd never heard before. A tenderness softer than a feather. Accompanying the tone was the ever-so-slightest tinge of color around the King's face. "...My Liege?" he asked, frowning. "...Are you alright?"

Pariah Dark looked into his fire with a pensieve but tender expression on his face. "...Fright," he said softly, "...I think I'm falling in love."

Fright dropped both the bottle and tumbler to the floor.

Back in Danny's rooms, Dora was tidying up around the room and trying to ignore the 250-pound werewolf lying curled-up on Danny's bed, and turned when she heard the door open, seeing Danny being ushered in by the King. She smiled when she saw a smile on Danny's face, and walked over to him. "How was your trip, Sir Danny?" she asked.

Danny leaned against the closed doors, a far-off expression on his face. "It was...amazing," he said. "...The Old Land...it's...it's breathtaking, Dora! And the stars in the night sky...!"

"You seem to have stars in your own eyes, Sir Danny," Dora giggled, seeing a deep blush come over Danny's face. "Am I to understand you are...feeling better than before?"

Danny nodded, closing his eyes as though remembering a dream he didnt want to forget. "...Yeah," he said. "...I'm feeling...feeling..." He broke off, his eyes clenching slightly. Dora stepped forward, putting a hand on Danny's shoulder.

"Sir Danny...?"

Danny opened his eyes, staring up at the ceiling, his face fading of color and his eyes looking both fearful and star-like. "...Dora...I think I'm falling in love with him...!"

This was by far my favorite chapter to write! I hope you enjoyed it, because the wedding is NEXT!

This is Pariah Dark and Wulf's conversations in Esperanto:

1. Shall I wake him?

2. No, I will wake him.

3. I know you want to come, but we must go alone, Wulf.

4. I understand. Take care of him.

(Pariah Dark speaks Esperanto. Who knew?)