4With how dawn approached Radiant Garden, one would think that the world never knew devastation. The dawn greeted the world as if it was an old friend rushing to see the old fountains, the flowers in the garden, the market, and the decrepit, yet grandiose, castle that towered above them all. Not many in the town below were awake yet; only the ones with the bleary eyes were, stumbling around for coffee, tea, or whatever was able to stimulate the brain this early. There wasn't a soul on the streets. No, it was too early for the shops to open.
The castle used to be empty. After Maleficent left the castle, no one occupied it. The townsfolk didn't dare to go near it, afraid of the shadows that were in every hallway, every room, and sometimes had yellow eyes and claws. Those rumors started to fade when people returned to the castle, old occupants that were perhaps better known as Ansem's apprentices. They returned to the castle almost as if they had never left, picking up the pieces they left behind. Lea found them in Ansem's study cleaning up the mess it had turned into while they were gone. Well, he found two of them: the castle guard, and the prodigy. They had managed civil conversation then, but he didn't like the way that either of them were looking at him. The guard wanted him out of the castle just as he always had, and the prodigy… he likely wanted quite a bit more than that.
"You couldn't sleep again, could you?"
Ienzo had always been capable of such looks. He could communicate well with his eyes, the same blue ones that gazed down at the town from the castle balcony. The sun wasn't quite touching him yet, but it was slowly touching the edges of the balcony. It was still early. He was used to waking up at these hours, back when he didn't have a sun that rose over the castle, and back when he was still young and studying at this one. He had also grown accustomed to staying up through the night, deciding it was easier to watch the sun rise than search for the elusive concept known as sleep. Even if he found sleep, he knew he was losing the battle with what drove the sleep away. The nightmares- they were the reason behind the dark circles around his eyes, and the way he leaned against the nearest wall for support.
It had been years since he stood on this same balcony and overlooked the town at this hour. He was quite a bit shorter the last time he stood here in pajamas that were at least one or two sizes too big for him—they never were able to find anything in his size. The last time he stood on this balcony, though, the town was different. In the morning, the sun would hit the water from the fountains just right, and make every drop of water glisten. The flowers were next, and the sun's light would nudge them awake into full beauty. The stained glass windows of the castle would capture the light and turn it into all sorts of colors. Light would creep up onto the balcony and warm the child's cheeks, driving the nightmares away.
The prodigy couldn't quite describe it, but there was a certain comfort to watching Radiant Garden wake up. Comfort was the last thing he felt now. The fountains weren't functional, and the gardens had no flowers. It wasn't the season for flowers anyhow, the air too cold for that. And the castle, the building had little glory left to its name. Broken stained glass windows and dusty rooms and hallways were hardly made beautiful by the sun's rays. Frowning, Ienzo continued to lean on the nearest wall, arms folded over his chest in a sorry attempt to keep warm. He knew it wasn't going to be the same, even if he was using his original name again and he had his heart. The sun wasn't warming him like it used to. The air was still. It was quiet.
There wasn't a man wrapping a coat around his shoulders either.
"They're coming back stronger, aren't they? And you don't know why."
Even always knew.
"Neither do you."