Something Greater

As dawn broke over Isla Kela, a strong wind blew up from the coast, bringing with it the salty scent of the sea. Cassia breathed it in deep; it was something that he could never smell in Atlantis, even after the water started pouring in.

“I suspect this isn’t your first time on the surface, Cassia.”

Cassia didn’t hide his grin as he led Mikhail across the windy moor. “Not everyone wanted to drown with a bunch of crumbly old buildings.”

Mikhail scoffed. “Old buildings with history.”

Though Cassia rolled his eyes, he wasn’t particularly offended. This was the usual for him and Mikhail. “Loosen up, Mikmik! Why don’t you try enjoying something fresh and exciting for once?”

“I am, idiot. Or were you lying when you said you had something interesting to show me?”

Cassia only laughed and ran ahead of him. He heard Mikhail shouting indignantly behind him as the other iguanodon sprinted to catch up. It was rare for them to have time alone so easily. Atlantis was always crowded and noisy. As fun as it was to tease Mikhail where everyone could see how adorable he was when he was flustered… Cassia’s favorite moments were the ones that they were able to spend away from prying eyes, when Mikhail let his haughty walls down a bit, when he caught looks in Mikhail’s eyes that made him dare to hope that Mikhail loved Cassia as much as Cassia loved him…

His thoughts came skidding to a halt just as his feet did. Mikhail caught up with him, panting.

“What do you think, Mikmik?”

Instead of listening to Mikhail complain, which he was certainly about to do, Cassia looked out towards the ocean. They were on a cliff, several meters above the water. The sun was just emerging from the water’s surface, turning the churning seafoam peach-pink. Gulls soared above them, squawking to each other, as the sea roared, crashing against the rocks below. The wind ruffled his crest; the air here was far richer than the stagnant Atlantis.

Really, Cassia wasn’t sure if Mikhail was capable of appreciating it. He was an Atlantian courtier through and through, taking great pride in his good breeding and prestige. But that was all the more reason for Cassia to bring him here. Mikhail’s beloved bureaucracy was crumbling by the day, pulled out by the roots as the court made its exodus from Atlantis. Cassia didn’t want Mikhail to crumble, too.

Speaking of Mikhail… he was being surprisingly quiet. Cassia turned his head, expecting to see a look of disdain or boredom and a cutting remark to match. (And he hoped to see joy and awe dancing in his eyes.) Instead, Mikhail’s face was drawn into a look of perfect, quiet, horror.

“Mikmik?”

“It’s so much bigger than Atlantis,” he said, quieter than Cassia had ever heard him. “The world, I mean. Do you think anyone out here even cares about Atlantis? About the court?”

It wasn’t like him to sound so disheartened and somber. Cassia worried the dirt with his feet, trying to direct his unease away from his voice. “Some tried to fix our dome.”

“And we still all left.” He laid down, stiffly, like he’d lost control of his limbs. “It’s like none of it really matters. Queen Rhys, or Blackmist, or… or me.”

Cassia had seen Mikhail upset, even goaded him into it, but he was usually so loud and bombastic when something offended him. Now he looked so… small. As lost as a hatchling away from its mother for the first time.

What an idiot Cassia was. He wanted to lift his spirits, and all he’d done was make everything worse. Just like he always did.

“Mikhail,” he said softly, taking a few steps closer to him. “Just because you aren’t a ruler here doesn’t mean you don’t matter.”

“What would you know?” Mikhail snapped, his usual edge returning. “You don’t have any bloodline to speak of!”

“Do you think I’ve never regretted that? Every day, I had to watch stuck-up iguanodons like you prance around and not even care that I existed.”

That wasn’t entirely fair. Mikhail wasn’t like them… not anymore. Now they just insulted each other based on personality, rather than status. Oh, Cassia loved him for it. He’d grown so much.

Regret flashed across Mikhail’s face. “Cassia…”

“And do you know what that taught me?” He leaned down, so that their noses nearly touched. The red of Mikhail’s eyes perfectly matched the rising sun, his dark crest feathers perfectly groomed, even against the wind’s assault. “None of the fancy titles matter at all. What matters is the heart behind it. And yours is beautiful, Mikhail. You really matter to me.” Seeing Mikhail’s eyes widen, he quickly stepped back and added, in his usual playful tone, “I’m sure that’s nothing compared to your adoring fans in the court, but-”

“Stop it!” Mikhail jumped to his feet, his tail flared out in embarrassment. “You’re not allowed to mock me just to turn around and say something so… so…” He threw his head back and groaned.

“I can always go back to just mocking you, if that’s what you want.” If that was what was safe.

“You are infuriating, Cassia!”

A flustered and grouchy Mikhail was better than a Mikhail in the midst of an existential crisis, so he counted it as a win.

Even if he wished for something greater.