lux_oriens: If this were a fairy tale...the prince would have his princess
"Prince, the books you requested have arrived."
Looking over from his spot next to the window, Wesley nodded at the young man standing at the entrance to his rooms and indicated to the wooden table already laden down with other books and scrolls. "Just put them there, please. Thank you for bringing them up, Braeden."
"You're welcome." Braeden smiled and set the books in the sole empty space he could find, then turned to head back out the door before stopping. "Is there anything I could get for you? Food? Drink? You haven't eaten since early this morning."
Wesley hadn't even noticed though the main sun had gone down at least an hour before and the secondary sun was heading for the horizon. He found he wasn't hungry, however, and shook his head. "No, thank you."
"Don't hesitate to call for me if you change your mind."
"Thank you, Braeden."
Once the younger man had left the room, shutting the door behind him, Wesley glanced over at books then back out the window. In the distance, the brightly dressed Lux people were going about their evening business, closing up shop for the night, heading to their homes, getting ready for dinner. From somewhere below, the strains of a lute floated up on the breeze. There was something rather calming about this place, and after a year, he would have thought he'd be used to it, but there were times when he couldn't help but look out and still feel disconnected from it all.
Perhaps it was because he was a prince here without his princess. And there was only one woman in the...worlds that he wanted to be that, and she - and their child - were dead. Along with his best friend.
A year ago, he had everything he could have wanted - a woman he loved, an infant son, friends, a place to call his own. Then he and Angel had been out tracking some demons when they had been ambushed. The fight had been fierce, and he'd been wounded, so badly he'd been certain he would die there in the sewers.
Then he had woken up here in this place, surrounded by people dressed in every color of the rainbow and who called themselves the Lux. They told him they had found a demon carrying him through the forest not far from their city of Luxparsa, and knowing the demon was a minion of those they fought against - the Nox, those who embraced the darkness and its bringers, they had slain the demon and brought him here to nurse his wounds. While he had been recovering, he had found a book in the rooms they had given him and started reading it and translating the text within.
When Braeden had found out, he had told the others, and before Wesley had known what was happening, he had found himself in the middle of a coronation - the Lux's Scholar Prince. Now he understood a bit how Cordelia must have felt though he didn't want to stay. Not with Fred and their son back home.
He had been told that they had been awaiting his arrival as foretold in Oriens prophecy, one that would soon be followed by the mother and the good demon with the soul. Wesley had realized that had to mean Fred and Angel and had agreed to stay if they could be convinced to join them. The Lux refused to let him go, however, worried they would lose them, so they had sent a herald to find them.
Only to have him return with the news of the explosion and fire that engulfed the Hyperion. Everything Wesley held dear was gone. Fred. Sam. Angel.
So with nothing to go back for, he had stayed. He busied his days with reading and researching, learning more about the fight between the Lux and the Nox, learning more about the world that was now his home.
But every so often, he would feel he was still a stranger here in this land and remember what he was lost. Especially when he heard the women in the castle whispering that he should find a wife and husband.
But if he couldn't have Fred and their son, he didn't want any others. He would remain the prince without his princess, no matter what the Lux thought was proper.
And he knew as a result that he'd probably never feel at home here. He just didn't want to go back to that same reminder of his loss either.
Looking over from his spot next to the window, Wesley nodded at the young man standing at the entrance to his rooms and indicated to the wooden table already laden down with other books and scrolls. "Just put them there, please. Thank you for bringing them up, Braeden."
"You're welcome." Braeden smiled and set the books in the sole empty space he could find, then turned to head back out the door before stopping. "Is there anything I could get for you? Food? Drink? You haven't eaten since early this morning."
Wesley hadn't even noticed though the main sun had gone down at least an hour before and the secondary sun was heading for the horizon. He found he wasn't hungry, however, and shook his head. "No, thank you."
"Don't hesitate to call for me if you change your mind."
"Thank you, Braeden."
Once the younger man had left the room, shutting the door behind him, Wesley glanced over at books then back out the window. In the distance, the brightly dressed Lux people were going about their evening business, closing up shop for the night, heading to their homes, getting ready for dinner. From somewhere below, the strains of a lute floated up on the breeze. There was something rather calming about this place, and after a year, he would have thought he'd be used to it, but there were times when he couldn't help but look out and still feel disconnected from it all.
Perhaps it was because he was a prince here without his princess. And there was only one woman in the...worlds that he wanted to be that, and she - and their child - were dead. Along with his best friend.
A year ago, he had everything he could have wanted - a woman he loved, an infant son, friends, a place to call his own. Then he and Angel had been out tracking some demons when they had been ambushed. The fight had been fierce, and he'd been wounded, so badly he'd been certain he would die there in the sewers.
Then he had woken up here in this place, surrounded by people dressed in every color of the rainbow and who called themselves the Lux. They told him they had found a demon carrying him through the forest not far from their city of Luxparsa, and knowing the demon was a minion of those they fought against - the Nox, those who embraced the darkness and its bringers, they had slain the demon and brought him here to nurse his wounds. While he had been recovering, he had found a book in the rooms they had given him and started reading it and translating the text within.
When Braeden had found out, he had told the others, and before Wesley had known what was happening, he had found himself in the middle of a coronation - the Lux's Scholar Prince. Now he understood a bit how Cordelia must have felt though he didn't want to stay. Not with Fred and their son back home.
He had been told that they had been awaiting his arrival as foretold in Oriens prophecy, one that would soon be followed by the mother and the good demon with the soul. Wesley had realized that had to mean Fred and Angel and had agreed to stay if they could be convinced to join them. The Lux refused to let him go, however, worried they would lose them, so they had sent a herald to find them.
Only to have him return with the news of the explosion and fire that engulfed the Hyperion. Everything Wesley held dear was gone. Fred. Sam. Angel.
So with nothing to go back for, he had stayed. He busied his days with reading and researching, learning more about the fight between the Lux and the Nox, learning more about the world that was now his home.
But every so often, he would feel he was still a stranger here in this land and remember what he was lost. Especially when he heard the women in the castle whispering that he should find a wife and husband.
But if he couldn't have Fred and their son, he didn't want any others. He would remain the prince without his princess, no matter what the Lux thought was proper.
And he knew as a result that he'd probably never feel at home here. He just didn't want to go back to that same reminder of his loss either.