Hanging Butterflies

It pains you to admit it: she looks beautiful, doesn't she, young King?

The way she hangs suspended in that lilac crystal, eyes never flickering away from the spot where she stood her ground. It's rather pathetic the way you saunter around it, trying to look for it. A crack. A pinprick. Some way to let her out and allow her to breathe the air again.

She's still wearing the dress you gave her. She will forever now, you know. Pieces of the rose-kissed cloth are torn, but forever taped to the everstill air.

It is sad that she went to sleep in such a desolate place. This would have once been your grave, but she broke through countless obstacles to save you. To touch your blood-stained hands and deliver hope to your people, to your Kingdom. To you.

But aren't you tired, young King? Well, "young" is not a word that should be given to you, for you have aged in the tireless crusades against the battle in your head. Love over loyalty. Liar to protect, be truthful to kill. Paths are opened up to you, but you always believed it to be easier to hide away.

You tried to hide away from her, didn't you? You were fearful this would happen. Perhaps if you were truly heartless, you would gloat over your victorious truth.

You murdered the one who placed her in this state. This unwilling suspension in time. You did not give him the dignity of seeing his opponent, but you led his body bleed dry and you were smiling.

And Yet the Akuto flows steadily into both worlds, like a music box playing it's tune into two rooms. Both shall continue to prosper and bloom, but she will forever be trapped in the place where nothing grows, and only death sweeps it clean.

You fall to your knees and tears cover her crystallized feet. She's still as beautiful as the day you lost her.

Except, young King, she was never truly yours, was she?

a/n: Kind of a sad au-ish piece if Yumemi and Munto went to restore the pillars alone, and Gntarl succeeded in crystallising her. The voice talking to Munto could be anyone or anything. I'm not sure what inspired me to write this piece, but the gist of it is: Yumemi is forever trapped, but the Akuto cycle flows on because of it.