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The next time Throldrom hears the ocean is when Ilias holds the necklace up to the moonlight. It is a silver chain with a crescent moon pendant outlined with white jewels. Within the pendant, silver diamonds are aligned and, in between them, is a small, soft blue orb. Clear jewels dangle from the pendant and Throldrom idly notes that it looks as if the moon is crying.
His gaze follows from the necklace to Ilias and, for a moment, he distantly hears waves crashing against each other. He reminisces of his time with Ilias in the ocean. He has seen him under moonlight several times before, but watching him in the ocean was an entirely different sight. The moon was full and its light was at its brightest as it glistened against the waters. He remembers Ilias standing under the moon after having submerged himself under its calm waves and the way that the water sparkled against his skin was nothing short of resplendent. Droplets twinkled like starlight and, for a second, the ocean and the night sky blended together. He looked at Ilias under the moon and he could no longer tell where one began and the other ended.
Ilias and the moon were one that night.
A wistful sigh brings him back to the present. Ilias places the necklace back on its stand and walks off, waiting for Throldrom to catch up. Throldrom lingers at the jewelry stall, looking at nothing in particular. When he notices that Ilias has moved on to other stalls, his eyes zero in on the necklace and he makes arrangements with the seller.
After a few minutes of negotiation and becoming five gold less rich, he meets with Ilias at the end of the market. He is a bit distracted as he approaches Ilias, debating and doubting himself of the impulsive financial decision he just made. But then, Ilias flashes his patented coy smile at him and he hears it again.
A wave bleeds out of his heart.
----
The next week, they are far from the ocean and yet, he can hear it closer than before.
Ilias dances in the meadow of flowers after they made crowns out of them. The one Throldrom made sits perfectly atop Ilias's pearl white hair, the flowers swaying in beat with Ilias's movements.
Throldrom is captivated. Even as he continues picking flowers on his own, his eyes always gravitated to Ilias twirling in the field.
"I can hear their melody!" Ilias laughs delightedly.
Throldrom smiles. He continues to gaze at Ilias dancing, determined to savor the moment. He stretches his ears out slightly, wanting to take in the song that the flowers were singing when he hears it again. Waves crashing. He is a bit startled at how close he can hear it, his left ear twitching behind him as if to warn him that the waves were going to crash into him.
It is much closer than last time, he nearly fears that he would get swept up in its tides. He cannot help but glance behind, his gaze finally breaking away from Ilias. He sighs to himself as he, of course, just sees more grassy fields, chastising himself for foolishly thinking that the ocean was behind him.
He still hears it, however. It is a lot more distracting than last time, more harsh, as if the waves were fighting each other. Throldrom caresses the flowers beside him, attempting to bring his attention away from it all, but the loud, cacophonous tides are deafening.
Then, he hears something else. A laugh breaks through the tsunami forming in his chest and he looks up.
Ilias stretches his arms out and lifts a single leg in perfect balance. The petals of his crown seem to glitter brighter, and the shine from the flowers and Ilias work in tandem to illuminate all the other flowers in the field.
The flowers' melody. The tsunami in his heart quells and splashes out, creating fickle, rippling streams.
----
The tides are stronger tonight.
Throldrom holds Ilias in place against their rough flow. They have to talk a bit louder lest their voices get drowned out by the rushing waves.
There is a beat of silence between them and Throldrom raises his head, his eyes leaving Ilias and looking towards the ocean beyond them. He recalls Ilias's face when he approached him, surprised to see him arrive early. Upon getting a closer look, his appearance immediately instilled concern as the small smile that typically rests relaxed on Ilias has now been replaced by a stone-faced, neutral expression.
"I feel like hearing the ocean." Ilias speaks distantly into the air, his words feeling so light that the slightest breeze can whisk them away before anyone can hear it.
The ocean... Throldrom has already been hearing its waves, uncertain of what to make of it. It bothers him. The noisy tides have only left him confused and questioning.
He studies Ilias's face once more. The slight frown should not belong there and, yet, it makes home like an old friend.
The weak streams bleeding from his heart surges and, for once, he decides to listen.
"Well, it is as you said, the ocean is the ultimate duty." He replies, not necessarily believing what he said. But, the familiar, pleased smile that flashes briefly on Ilias's face inclines him to place his faith on it.
A particularly strong swell of water brings him out of his recollection. He shifts his feet slightly to steady both himself and Ilias. As he does so, he looks back at Ilias and is shocked to see a single tear run down his face. It is not as if Ilias crying is a new sight, but rather he is taken aback at the sheer intensity a single tear can hold. Ilias's face had barely moved at all, staying at a neutral, worried expression the entire time they were talking. Even his eyes were fixed on the ocean when they normally shift and wander, wanting to take in every little detail his surroundings had to offer.
His tear sparkles, reminding him of the moon necklace that sits in the pockets of his pants back on the shore, and he ponders of the sad beauty of a crying moon.
Although unaware, Throldrom empathizes. Knowing what he knows now of the cruel nature of the Underdark and the heartbreaking details of Ilias's life there, he understands the necessity of maintaining composure in order to defend one's self from ridicule and punishment.
He examines Ilias's back. It is a distressing display. His skin is colored with scars overlapping each other as if someone was determined to paint their brutality with Ilias as their canvas. He is aware of how much this is for Ilias as he is also a bit overwhelmed at having a full view of it all.
Do you trust me? As he watches the tear travel down Ilias's cheek, he listens to his heart. The sound of the currents colliding against each other bleed into the sound of his own heart bursting.
He wants to cry.
For who? For Ilias? For himself? For the things and the people they lost along the way? He does not know and yet, feeling the splash of water against his hips, he knows he found something. Ironic that he told Ilias that for one to find an answer, he needs to know the question first, and here he stands, not knowing either as well. Language has gotten complicated and he cannot figure out how to translate it.
Throldrom feels movement under his hands as Ilias turns to look at him for the first time since they had met up today. His eyes stare into his, unmoving yet he can hear the dissonant melodies behind their stillness.
"I trust you." Ilias finally answers.
There it is. An answer for multiple questions he did not know he had. He knows his heart is an irreparable open wound, but the bursting quiets into a flow. One that reminds him of the rivers Ilias and him often find themselves in, and something settles in him.
He gazes into Ilias's eyes and sees the turbulent ocean within them. It is messy, but when he looks beyond the rough waves, he finally spots the horizon.
A thought crosses his mind, one that, as soon as it is crossed, is carried out by the ocean breeze and dissolved into its waters to dissipate and turn into sea foam for passersby to wade in.
How can love be a cage with a horizon this endless?
Throldrom smiles, finding an answer himself.
"I trust you too."