every king had a story, of ancient glory,sweetly told

It was this idea of flats and lakes that saw Dorian glance upward and away from his paper map to inquire after just what such a place was that had once encouraged his lovers attention. The idea of one driving upon a lake that had been reduced to nothing but salt in some effort to obtain obscene speeds was distinctly curious to the man- if only for how obscure such an idea was to his mind to begin with. Why anyone would seek to do such a thing he hardly knew. Dorian often inclined to the belief these cars went far too swiftly as it was. The Fae King holding truly little interest in cars or trucks or motorbikes or any of those other engineering feats that other men seemed to marvel. He appreciated that technology surely. Dorian forever marvelling at the ease of travel a car so provided when compared to the horses of his own time and yet beyond that appreciation the man held little interest in how they worked or why. The sheer size of this salt lake, however, saw both eyes rise if only slightly. That perhaps the most impressive part of such a tale, Dorian nodding his understanding before returning with diligence to that map in some effort to direct his lover to just where he intended to go. It was that unusual circular picture that saw his own features frown, attempting to describe it to Sebastian before so declaring they need go along one of the many lines that seemed to by spouting from it. The vampires assurance a moment later that it was called a 'round about' momentarily seeing the Monarch look up with a wholly quizzical expression. Such a name clearly unsatisfactory to him in some fashion and yet for now he hardly argued, the other man's query as to which line they needed taking up near all of his attention.

"I am not assured. There are too many- I believe it is this one- no, no- that one."

Dorian's hand lifted to point once more, the Fae still wholly oblivious to the notion that pointing was rarely helpful to a driver without those spoken instructions. The irritable beeping of those others cars so resulted in a small huff of indignation from the man himself before he settled back within his seat. Dorian assured that Sebastian too was surely irritated with those other drivers rather than his own poor directional skills. That wide open highway so provided the pair with an almost glorious view of the city as they made their way into the countryside and towards those smaller, lesser cities. How much he desired to see! Dorian assured that in time he surely would and yet his excitement over the entire affair was surely clear to see- that near beaming grin dancing upon his features. Sebastian's own truly good mood only seeming to delight the man further as he offered some explanation of how this road had changed from the last time he had ridden upon it. The vampire, ever the patient listener, so subject to those tales of ages past. Dorian so rarely engaging to readily in any mention of the world as it had once been with any true depth.

It was but a short time later that they so arrived at just that place Dorian desired to see this evening. The Monarch requesting Sebastian command that car to halt before he stepped from within it, oblivious in that moment to his lovers amusement with his words, asking instead whether or not the vampire had been here before. That soft nod he was so awarded with saw that warm simper return to his lips, Dorian's silver gaze drifting to just that Opera House his lover mentioned. The glorious building standing where that church had once been. It was a curious thing, truly, to so have a churched demolished to make way for a theatre and yet Dorian was wholly assured Italy had far too many churches as it was. Besides, Leonardo, whom he had surely come to see tonight would much rather that Opera House- of that he was assured. That man he had once known so well had always been ill-given to religion and the notions of a belief in what one could not see.

"I shall have to see inside it for myself one day."

He commented idly, gesturing to that Opera House, the man once more struck by the very notion that even so recently as ten years ago he and Sebastian had been so very close to one another without truly knowing. How curious a thing fate was. It was that statue however that so claimed his attention then. Dorian striding forward to stand at the base of it, his silver gaze cast upwards to meet those carved, stone eyes of that man he had once so adored and yet how aged he had become! The Leonardo that stood before him in stone hardly the face Dorian remembered. The boy had had known had borne no beared nor the robes of a Scholar then. It was surely logical, that the man would age and yet there was a certain amount of shock to such a thing still. It was foolish, surely, to ask such a question and yet the words tumbled free off his lips all the same as he queried that age. Sebastian so assuring him that Leonardo, to his own knowledge, had always looked as such. Images from his youth so having apparently failed to survive, at least, not beyond those few drawings and sketches Dorian himself had made of the man in their childhood. For several long moments still the Fae King was merely inclined to stare in wordless consideration, that touch of unexpected emotion so stirring within him still and after all these years.

"I do miss him, sometimes. I wish it did not end between us the way it did and yet while I surely loved him, I did not love him in the way I love you or he loved me. It would not have been right to go with him when he asked it off me all those years ago. Perhaps it would have ended the same regardless. He would have grown old still. He would have died still. I have never truly considered these things till now. I wonder though, if I had gone with him, how they world might have changed. I would never have been caught within my Palace and yet perhaps he would never have become as famous as you said he became."

Such words were softly spoken, musings perhaps and yet uttered all the same before Sebastian gestured to those young men at the foot of the statue, each of their names carved beneath their likeness. Dorian proceeding to circle the entirety of the monument now as if to judge each and every one of those young boys. Two of them, he supposed, were of pleasing enough appearance- the other two far less so and readily earning a scowl from the man as his attention returned to Sebastian.

"You told me once that it is suspected Leonardo may have found love with one of his students. Do you know which one? I should hope it was neither him nor him. Leo could have done better, at least, in his youth. He is perhaps less pretty in his age then he was when I recalled him. I should not like you to ever grow a beard, Bastian. I am not fond it that look. "

A simper almost teasing so danced upon the Monarch's lips then. Dorian, for now at least, so seeming to have made his peace with this notion of his past lover even if he remained undecided upon those students. His gaze drifted readily then to those surrounding trees so aglow with lights before resting upon but one building within that square that was equally lit up, its gates and doors open as he reached for the vampires hand, letting his fingers entwine with the cool of Sebastian's own.

"Let us see what that is."

It was, perhaps, the ever-curious nature of the Fae that seemed to ensnare the man now, Dorian making his way across that square and towards the building. Those old stone steps were easily ascended, Dorian stepping into that well-lit foyer of what was clearly a gallery of sorts, one featuring the art of Milan almost exclusively. A handful of people moved about within, the woman at the desk smiling warmly at them, offering those pamphlets of information before abruptly seeming to halt, her features shifting into some look of curious awe as she glanced from Sebastian to Dorian and back again. Focusing at last upon the vampire. I'm sorry but are you not the Lord Ellington? His Majesties Consort? Dorian himself, it seemed, was something of a curiosity to the woman whom had taken to staring at him intently now. Those glasses and hat apparently enough to at least see the woman question her correctness in this as Dorian reached for those brochures. Several other people having paused to turn and look at them now. Dorian speaking hurriedly, attempting to appear the casual commoner.

"You know he gets asked that a lot? I've told him he could make a whole career out of playing the part though. Come on....Felix, let us go and look around."

He moved then to usher Sebastian and himself away from that still staring woman, Dorian conscious of those eyes upon them as he simply moved into the nearest gallery and out of sight. This room entirely empty save for the art upon the walls, the windows of the gallery in turn providing a view over the city that was entirely breathtaking. It was only once Dorian was assured they were alone and no others were so about to interrupt them that he turned to his companion once more, gesturing to those oil paintings upon the walls.

"Which one of these do you like the most, Bastian?"

Why the Fae was asking so remained to be seen, Dorian waiting only so long as it took the vampire to choose one, his own silver gaze glancing upon it now before nodding as if in approval. The Monarch gesturing to that part of the picture that portrayed a field of native Italian wild flowers of all different kinds. The beginning of that ever-dangerous impish grin so touching his features.

"Of these flowers, which do you like the most?"

dorian aragona