1. Seraphic

𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒆. black and white

s e r a p h i n a

☽ ☾

When Seraphina and her family had reached the parlour with the General's family, she had looked at the father of four—the two children of which were sitting on the fur carpet between the two opposite sofas and playing mindlessly—and assumed he was General Salvatore.

It made sense—he was old enough to have all of that experience she had heard of, and had the years on him to build up the intimidation and the reputation that he had.

But as she sat down on one of the sofas, Adalricus had gestured to their eldest son, and said, "This is General Salvatore."

Her mouth fell open before she could stop herself; she quickly closed it, eyes slightly wide.

That General was a boy. He looked around her age, star's sake!

Perhaps she had misheard.

But then he spoke.

"It is nice to finally meet you all," he said, his voice deep and collected, his face as unreadable as his tone was. Neither would give anything away about him, like he kept all of his secrets closely guarded to himself, and considered everything a secret.

Seraphina met his gaze then, and she felt her breath hitch in the back of her throat.

His gaze, dark as night, was so intense and heated that she felt it looked right into her soul, as if the light in her had reached out towards him and the darkness around him and touched him, and the slight spark she noticed in his eyes almost had her questioning if it had truly done so.

"I am sure the children do not need to be present for this," Regina said.

"Of course not," his father responded, sat opposite her. "Our little ones are easily lost in their own world—they are not listening, do not worry," he assured them. "It is the older ones we must worry about," he teased. He looked towards them.

"Oh, I am perfectly okay with that," their daughter Morana said, smiling a little too happily as she raised. "Your Majesties." And then she was gone.

"That will all be dealt with," Regina said.

Seraphina shifted awkwardly in her seat then raised, feeling out of place all of the sudden, as if she wasn't supposed to be there. The parlour was suddenly the last place she was meant to be.

"Seraphina, dear, go show the General around, would you?" she asked with a smile.

"Of course, Mother." She returned her smile then looked towards the man who was far too young for someone with his reputation, only to find him already looking. "Would you like to come with me?"

He eyed her. "I suppose there is no harm in it. Show me the way."

She led him out of the parlour, leading him down the hallways in a silence that weighed heavily over her. She decided not to fill it with small talk, and instead get straight to the point.

"You are Orphim."

"And you are Seraphim. What is your point? That you are alone with your worst enemy?"

"I do not want part in the war between our kind. At the end of the day, irregardless of any kind of behaviour, we are still one."

"I am not so sure many others share the same sentiment as you, Angel; you had better be careful about where you go sharing those words. Not many will take kindly to them."