Fragile Glass | Morpheus

Chapter 7

Time froze as the feather floated to the ground. Astraea's eyes watched it as it fell, a single pearly feather carried to the floor by the slight breeze in the park. As it hit the grass, she could feel the world shake beneath her. Whether that was the actual Earth shaking, or her body shaking in fear, she didn't know.

Her wings ruffled automatically in the cold air dislodging more feathers. It was like a waterfall of feathers as they slowly cascaded to the ground, one by one.

Fear enveloped her as she saw them fall.

She had never felt fear as pungent as this. The prospect of never being able to fly again, of never being able to return to Heaven. It shattered her. It shattered her body. Her mind. Her very soul. She could feel it tearing into her, it was as if she was splitting right down the middle. Being torn apart by some darker forces as her entire world fell apart around her.

Morpheus rushed towards her, catching her just before she hit the ground along with her feathers. He had been so enamoured with their beauty that he had failed to register as the first feathers dropped and Astraea's face fell to one of pure panic. She collapsed into his arms. Her eyes rolled into her head and she was taken in by fitful dreams as he held her.

He glanced around the park quickly, making sure that no one was watching. He couldn't afford for humans to be made aware of the existence of Angels. It seemed deserted and as his focus was brought back to the cherubim held in his embrace, he quietly glad that she had not been alone when she revealed her wings for the first time and that he had been the one there with her.

He checked around the park one last time before transporting both himself and her corporeal body into the dreaming and leaving a deserted park behind, the feathers littering the ground transporting with them.

If only he had looked behind him, he would have noticed a pair of amber eyes staring at the two supernatural beings - almost like sunlight.

Morpheus and Astraea appeared in the dreaming not half a second after leaving the waking world. They appeared in Morpheus' chambers, lying her down on the obsolete bed, Morpheus turned to fetch a glass of water for when she entered back into consciousness. She was not dreaming, her mind blank as it processed her emotions.

He sat on a chair next to the bed, staring out of the window and out onto the expanse of his kingdom. He often did this. Watching his kingdom pass through time and seeing people come and go as they fell asleep and awoke. The dreaming was ever changing, with new people entering each day and old people leaving for the last time. He didn't communicate with many of the dreamers, knowing that eventually they would awaken and never fall asleep again.

A groan from the bed brought his attention back to the angel currently in his care.

Astraea rolled over, he wings flapping as she moved, dislodging even more feathers. He had thought that most of the loose ones had dropped by now - he had been wrong.

"How are you feeling?" His voice was raspy, he must have been looking outside for longer than he had thought.

"Like shit." He chuckled at that, he had learnt quite early into their friendship that Astraea wasn't afraid to swear when she thought the occasion called for it. This occasion clearly called for it. And he must agree, she looked like shit.

"Yes, I suppose you would." She slowly sat up, coughing as she did so. Her very being ached. It was as if the ache in her bones ran deeper than her physical form, infecting her soul and corrupting her aura.

She had some bare parts on her wings now, where he could see the bone and flesh beneath. He held his breath as she looked over her shoulder at where her extravagant wings should have been. She couldn't stop the sob that wracked through her. Her entire body jerked forward and she collided into Morpheus' chest. His hand cupped her head into him, stroking her hair as she cried. She could feel his fingers running through her hair and his heartbeat beneath his clothes. It was calming. A single point of quiet in the storm that was raging in her. She needed to get a hold of her emotions before the spilled out of her in a more dangerous way than crying.

She sniffled before pulling away from him, "I still have loose feathers. I have to remove them by hand." He grasped one of her hands in his and wiped away her tears with the other, cupping her face in his hand. She leaned into his touch, savouring the peace.

"How can I help?" His voice was quiet, almost hesitant. He was afraid of upsetting or startling her.

"You can't really. Just sit and keep me company." Her answer was just as quiet, if not more so. She was so afraid and drained emotionally. She was still trying to process her imprisonment now that she was free, now she had to deal with her wings as well.

"Could I not help to remove some of the feathers that you cannot reach?" Her reaction had been almost immediate, panic striking her face like a bolt of lightning.

"NO!" He raised an eyebrow at her, a frown settling on his face, confused by her reaction, "I mean, you can't. It... It's complicated. Wings are... delicate and... sacred. Only... only family and... lovers can touch them. It... it would be inappropriate."