Alexander nodded.

"Really, I'm okay," he said once he had enough breath to actually speak. "A little stunned, but okay." If he was alright enough to make jokes, he would be fine. Cautiously, he looked around. The view from the ledge was incredible, he'd never seen anything like it. "This is amazing..." He didn't go too close to the edge, though. He didn't want to take the chance of slipping and falling to his death.

Astrid smiled and took his hand to pull him back a little bit away from the edge. "Like i said, this is my favorite place to come to." She got to her feet and looked around. There was a nice little patch of grass and a few boulders set back along the cliff face. The air up here was clean and fresh and she took a deep breath and the air seemed revitalizing. "Sorry if the ride scared you. I guess i forget that it's not all normal for a human." She let out a small nervous laugh.

"I can see why," Alexander said as he looked out at what seemed to be the whole world. He could see so far that he wasn't even sure how much distance there was, and it was all so... perfect. "My favorite tree at the park has nothing on this." Astrid was lucky to have such an amazing place like this. He looked at her. She looked so peaceful that he wondered how he hadn't noticed before that she was constantly tense at school.

"I-I'm sorry about your tree, but I'm glad that i got to bring you here."She smiled, forgetting that she was still holding on to her hand. "Most places in your world that were like this, are now long gone. Here, we do whatever we can to keep them." Her smile grew and she took a deep breath of air. "Humor me for a moment. Close your eyes and take a deep breath... Can you taste the difference in the air?" she opened her eyes, smiling at him.

Alexander did as she asked. She was right, there was something different about the air, but he didn't know what it was. It seemed like something was missing, but at the same time, there was something that he'd never noticed there before.

"I can't quite put my finger on it," he said, "but it's different." It kind of reminded him of clean mineral water, but not quite. "It's not like the city." He knew what the city air was like, and this wasn't it.

AStrid smiled. "The air is pure, completely pure. Technology doesn't exist here, there isn't anything to contaminate the air." She looked at him, her big eyes seeming to sparkle. She led him over to the other edge nearest the waterfall still holding his hand. Standing there you could feel the cool mist. AS the water hit her face and arms, her skin broke out in goosebumps. "The water is the same way."

Logically, Alexander knew that she was talking about, but it didn't quite sink in yet. He just couldn't imagine a place that completely untouched. In the world he knew, it just didn't exist. He grew up with technology and haze and smog. He didn't know anything else.

Still, though... it was beautiful to look at. He was almost afraid to touch the water, in case he somehow contaminated it.

Astrid let a small giggle escape her. "You should taste it." She smiled at him. "I can guarantee it'll be the best thing you've ever drank." She Took a step closer to the edge and pulled him with her. Placing a hand on a rock jutting from the edge, Astrid leaned over and stuck her face into the water to get a drink. When she leaned back, her whole face was wet, but she smiled despite the wet hair clinging to her face. "Go ahead, get a drink."

Alexander was still a little hesitant, but he did as she asked. Bracing himself against one of the rocks, he leaned over as far as he dared. The rocks were a bit slippery, and he really didn't want to fall. He still managed to get close enough to get a taste of the mist from the waterfall, though.

Astrid was right. It was the best thing he'd ever tasted.

Astrid smiled and pulled him back away from the ledge, still holding his hand. She was still trying to wipe the wet strands back from her face as she grinned. "See, it's good isn't it?" She asked already knowing the answer. She then led him towards the back of the ledge where he would hopefully be a little bit more comfortable. " I wish i could show you everything here..." But she knew that if he wasn't officially, owned or otherwise taken, he'd get into lots of trouble around the kingdom.

((sorry it took so ling, i could have sworn i posted.... my bad))

"Well, why can't you?" Alexander asked. He had no idea how things worked in this world, or else he probably wouldn't have asked. He sat down on the ground, comfortably far from the edge. He didn't know what else he could possibly see that he hadn't already, but there was probably something else. He just couldn't quite grasp how amazing and perfect Astrid's home was. It would take a while for him to fully believe it all.

Astrid sat down next to him, squeezing the water from her hair. "Well...It all goes back to you being a free human." She sighed. "That's not really a good thing here." She looked at him as she tried to figure out the best way to put it.

"Dragons are the top of the food chain here. We hold all the power. Any other race or species...." She fiddled with her thumbs. "Humans, demons, fae.... To most dragons, any thing lesser is just food. To others they are slaves or toys. There have only been a few, in our long history, to ever take another species for a mate."

"Whenever a dragon 'owns' something or someone it has a special mark that tells the others to leave them alone..."

She scratched her head. "I would love to show you my kingdom. You would love it i just know it, but there are some out there that break the laws and disobey my father. That means that it is still dangerous for you even if i am with you. I can try to protect you, but since you aren't owned or claimed i really have no right to, the others could freely fight for you...." She let her voice trail off unsure of how she could take him to see the amazing things without getting him killed.

"Too bad, I guess," Alexander said. "I would have loved to see it..." He had kind of been looking forward to it. He wanted something else to draw, and he was sure that the kingdom would have been perfect. He probably could have even turned it into a series of some sort, but really, he just wanted to stay with Astrid and draw. It surprised him a little when he realized he wanted to stay with Astrid more, but he shrugged it off. He could think about that later.