gaze lingered , thoughtful . apt to put to words exactly how he felt yet found himself soul searching from a place of vulnerability . which may have made his discerning seem rude , composed and  unreadable for the passing of a few seconds . 

❛  ... a long time ago . that first night at the ball . you saw me when I was someone else’s shadow . I remember because I never forgot that look . It’s seared into my memory .  ❜  

the green of her eyes like the northern forests. how they held a certain sharpness , electricity , spark when they met the devil may care dark hues of his own . an ever blue night that some remarked were like the princes own but they held a darkness ... a certain night aspect ... 

women at court always shirked away from meeting it . for fear he might bewitch them .

he saw in her courage for that small feat , even more for how of all the places she could have looked or taken to ... she found him here . in the shadows .... practically one of them . 

he was normally nigh invisible , yet seemingly ... not to her . 

he smiled ,  gently and clasped a hand of hers . 

 ❛ .. whether it’s in this life .. or the next . I know you’ll always find me .  ❜  he kissed her palm then flattened it , holding her hand to his cheek .  ❛ and see me exactly for who I am . you remind me I exist and have a heart ... a mind ... and that while others are always worthy of sacrifice I must also reserve a degree of self-love and kindness for myself  . ❜ he leaned in and pressed a kiss to her forehead . 

chuckles , gaze softening.  ❛  you do . you fix everything and make it warm and right and special . just remember to take as much as you give , love . even the most considerate people need someone to think of their feelings from time to time.   ❜  he took her hand and kissed it.