~ALARIC'S POV
"Why do you keep calling me that?"
Her soft voice drifted toward me in a familiar way, as I stood behind her, with sunlight pressing against my skin warmly.
I had not felt warmth like that in a long time. The air carried the faint scent of water and stone after rain.
"Alaric!" She called again with a huff.
She stood several steps ahead of me, with her back turned towards me.
The white fabric of her dress fell down her frame gracefully. Her dark hair spilled over her shoulders and down her back, moving gently with the wind.
"Dove," I whispered.
She shifted slightly at the sound of the name, still keeping her back faced to me.
"That is not my name."
"It is mine for you."
A quiet exhale left her. Not laughter, but something softer.
"You say it like you own it."
"I do."
The word came easily.
The bright courtyard stretched around us endlessly. Somewhere nearby, water flowed in a steady rhythm that calmed and unsettled me at the same time.
