An impossible existence.

She is leading him through through the city. Since they started walking, she has not said a word; all he can do is match his footsteps to hers, as they wind their way through the back alleys and empty streets. They pass under a low archway, and suddenly, he is in a part of town he is not familiar with.

She slows her pace.

She cuts a diminutive figure in the dim light of the street lamps as she moves on ahead of him. Her strides are slow, but purposeful. She is an enigma to him, though he prides himself on the ability to read people that he has cultivated over the years.

His mind is filled with questions. There will be time for that, she had assured him.

Can he trust her?

But he no longer has any other choice. The vow of a prince cannot be so easily broken.

He finds himself momentarily blinded by a sudden brightness. Belatedly, he notices that they have come to a stop.

As his eyes adjust to the glare, he finds he is standing in a tiny garden. The low walls are lined with lanterns, lit by flames that do not flicker.

Realization dawns.

'Human,' he mutters, studying the the unflinching glow of the nearest lantern, 'magic, is this not?'

Slowly, she turns to face him. The night wind has dislodged her hood enough so that wisps of her hair have crept out to frame her small face. The tendrils are a striking blue color, echoing the color of her eyes. As she steps towards him, he thinks to himself, that something has changed in those eyes, something is different from what he remembers.

The lantern illuminates her visage, and he realizes that he is staring back into a gaze that is now luminous, glittering. Sky blue and rose pink swirl together in the depths of her irises. Those eyes, they recall the hues of a pastel sunrise.

He has never seen eyes like that on a human.

'Those eyes...' he murmurs, trailing off.

Those are the eyes of his people. But she is not one of them.

'You are human, are you not?'

She nods, her mouth curling up into a wry smile.

The next question is already forming in his mind, but he finds himself unable to continue. But the words he cannot give voice to, she already knows.

'Your wife, she is a half-blood. I am not.'

This girl, she is is all human then.  A human, with features that a human could not possibly have. A human who is able to use magic. She should be an impossible existence, but she is here, standing before him.

He understands now, the bitterness that tinged her smile.

'Nobody can know.' There is such loneliness written on that young face. The nature of her own existence is a great burden, and it has taken a toll on her.

He dips his head in acquiescence. He will keep her secret.

Suddenly, he is at a loss for words.

She extends a hand towards him.

'Come.'

His arm is moving of it's own accord.

And as her small fingers wrap around his, he finds himself surprised by how warm they are.

...