#small town with drag queens would be fine. the drag scene is necessary To me

[the-algebra-thing]

I could never live in a small town. what if there's no drag queens. what if there's only two

[house-of-galathynius]

Only You ~ Rowaelin

A Rowaelin fanfic, set if Aelin’s parents had lived and she had met Rowan under normal circumstances, if Erawan and Maeve weren’t threats. Hope you enjoy!

@jesstargaryenqueen @sailorsassley @sjmships @tomtenadia @endlessdaydream @aflickeringsoul @tillyrubes10 @fredweasleyhasadhd @rowaelin-cressworth @cookiemonsterwholovesbooks @rowaelinismyotp @rosegoldannie @maryberry @viajandosinalas @becarefuloflove @allthebooksunderthemoon @sheharahu @swankii-art-teacher @superspiritfestival

Chapter Thirteen ~ Burning 

Chapter Twelve ~ Chapter Fourteen 

“We need to make sure invitations are sent to all royal families across the continent. If we send them now we should receive answers in enough time.” 

Aelin had been sat at the table with her mother, Lysandra and Elide for over four hours. Her mother had requested she join her for tea in the morning room, Aelin had happily agreed, hoping that maybe they could talk over everything; but when she had entered the room she immediately wanted to leave again. Strewn over chairs, tables and any workable surface were swathes of fabrics, utensils, flowers and cakes— you name it and it was probably there. She had known this would be something that had to be done… but Gods above. She had been too slow to march out of the room again; her mother had spotted her too quickly and a smile had lit up her face as she gazed upon Aelin. She had ushered Aelin into a seat and declared that now was the perfect time to organise everything. Lysandra and Elide had joined an hour later, managing to escape the worst of her mothers excitement. 

“Perhaps we should send invitations to the Southern Continent too? They are never too bothered with the goings on here, but it would be polite.” Her mother was scrambling for the ink and paper, adding to the ever-growing list of people she wished to invite. 

“Mamma, is this really necessary?” Aelin picked at the lavender fabric that had been placed on her lap, waiting for her to inspect it and share her opinion. 

“I know you would rather go down to the priest in your fighting gear and be done with this all, but you are required to have a wedding fit for a queen, so we shall give you one.” Her mother lent over to Elide who was studying a selection of flowers. 

Aelin brushed the fabrics from her lap and stood, pouring another cup of herbal tea. “I’m just saying that we don’t need to invite everyone for both a mating ceremony and a wedding. Rowan and I would much rather have a mating ceremony just the two of us.” She assumed anyway. The two of them hadn’t discussed any of it in great detail. 

The three women looked up at her. 

“I just—“ she picked up then dropped a rose. “It’s all a bit much, no?”

“I think it’s exciting. We haven’t had a mating ceremony in years.” Elide was clasping a bunch of the flowers in her hands as she spoke. 

Lysandra said nothing and instead went to sit in one of the armchairs, her hands playing with the ends of her sleeves, being unusually silent.

Aelin tore her eyes from Lysandra and back to her mother and Elide. 

“I’m not sure Rowan is one for big displays of… well anything.” 

“I’m sure he’ll do whatever needs to be done, Aelin. Now sit, I want to see which colours are best.” 

Aelin was saved when someone cleared their throat at the door. She could’ve sighed in relief as she eyed Rowan. 

“Sorry to interrupt; but I was hoping to steal Aelin away.” 

Aelin took three steps when her mother stopped her. “We will be finishing this later. Don’t think you can get out of it.” 

She grinned at her mother and hastily exited the room, joining her hand with Rowan’s and heading into the crisp winter air. 

“Thank you for saving me. I was about to go crazy in there.” 

“Don’t thank me quite yet. I told your father and Orlon we were going to pick a place for the ceremony.” 

She groaned. “Why would you say that? I was hoping you were going to steal me away so we could hide in my rooms until dinner.” 

He nudged her side. “I needed an excuse to leave and I don’t think they would appreciate me telling them I was going to spend the rest of the day in your rooms with you.” 

Aelin blushed at that. 

“I also thought that we should get outside whilst we could. I was warned of the winters here, and if the storm last night is anything to go by...” 

She hummed in agreement. The two of them walking in comfortable silence. 

It wasn’t long before Aelin began to speak again. “I don’t see why we need two big celebrations.” She groaned. “A mating ceremony, to me, is meant to be private.” 

He squeezed her hand. “When I was younger—maybe two hundred years ago— mating ceremonies were one of the biggest celebrations. Whole towns would congregate, light huge bonfires, have feasts and dance until dawn, just to celebrate a couples mating.” They continued walking into the forest, “my mother used to tell me stories of her and my fathers. My mother came from a small village outside of Doranelle, when she mated with my father they had a party lasting four days.” 

“Four days?” 

He smiled. “The village was so small that it was rare for the people there to find a mate. Rarer than it is normally, at least.” 

They stopped to sit on a fallen tree overlooking part of the river.

“How did your mother and father meet?” 

“My father lived in Doranelle with the other Whitethorns, he was in charge of Doranelle’s army at the time. He had been sent on a mission to recruit more Fae soldiers. He found his way to my mothers village and knew right away that she was his mate.” 

Rowan’s face fell as he talked about his parents. She did not know where they were or what had happened to them, but seeing the anguish on his face made her heart break. 

“You don’t have to tell me.” 

He shook his head. “It’s fine. I just haven’t told the story in a long time.” Rowan shifted to face Aelin, her body twisting to face him as well. 

“My father stayed in the village, meeting my mothers family, managing to recruit a couple of Fae to join Doranelle’s army— training them whilst he was there. They were mated there and then moved to Doranelle shortly after.” 

“How long after mating did they have you?” 

“It was well over two hundred years. Full-blooded Fae find it difficult to have children. My parents tried for a long time. By the time they had me…” 

She kissed his hand. “I’m sorry.” 

“We got to be a family for fifty years.” His voice cracked. “My father faded first. My mother— she couldn’t cope with the pain of losing her mate, so she faded a year or so after.” 

Aelin felt a tear fall. Seeing him so vulnerable— it broke something inside of her. She didn’t know what to say, she hadn’t realised they had faded so soon. 

“It was a long time ago.” He wiped the tear that was rolling down her cheek. 

“I didn’t know you had such little time with them.” 

“I had enough. And the time we did have together was happy, so I cannot complain.” 

Rowan stood, extending his hand to her. She took it and they continued on their way. The forest had changed dramatically in such a short time, autumn had come and gone in a blink of an eye, the leaves now frozen and crunching beneath their feet. The trees bear as winter embraced the land. They zig-zagged through the forest path, turning down small tracks that had been forgotten for years, enjoying the peace that nature brought. 

The two of them walked in silence, Aelin thinking about Rowan’s family as they went. Rowan deep in his own thoughts. 

They followed a tall hedge that lined the side of the path, the branches thick. As they strode further along Aelin noticed an opening, big enough for someone to fit through. 

It was then that she remembered she had been here once before. She beckoned for Rowan to follow as she once again slipped through the gap. She had been here when she was fifteen. She had stumbled across the clearing by accident; she had been walking along the trail in the forest when she spotted an opening in the bushes. She had slipped through the gap and found herself in awe at the scene before her. 

The clearing had been small, but it had held such beauty that she could do nothing but take it in. Surrounding the clearing had been bushes displaying little white flowers, the floor made up of colourful wildflowers that swayed softly in the balmy summer breeze. To the right was a pool of shimmering water, stones lined the edges— like they had been carefully placed there by someone. The whole area had been bathed in streams of sunlight that filtered through the canopy of trees above; birds flittered from branch to branch, singing their melody as they did. Aelin had never seen anything like it. 

And even now, in the dead of winter; when the flowers were withered and the leafy canopy above gone, only the skeletons of the trees to be seen, she could still see that beauty. The winter sun still bathing the clearing in light, the water crystal clear and sparkling like a thousand little diamonds. 

“How did you find this?” Rowan asked. 

She shrugged. “I accidentally came across it a few summers ago. It became a sort of sanctuary then, somewhere to go when I wanted to be alone. I’d forgotten about it actually. I only remembered it when I saw the opening in the bush.”

She watched as he surveyed the space around them. 

“And you wanted to share it with me? Even though it had been somewhere secret?” He looked to her, eyes shining. 

“Of course.” She smiled. 

Rowan bent down to kiss her, her toes curling at the contact, her body warming. “Thank you.” 

She kissed him again in reply. 

They stood there for a moment longer, both enjoying the warmth of the winter sun on their faces. Aelin slipped her hand from his and walked towards the pool— which she had realised was magical after getting in and all her injuries had healed. She dipped her fingers in, dragging them in the water. 

She turned to Rowan. “Would you like to go in?”

“It has to be freezing in there Aelin. I might have ice as a power, but I’m not so keen on bathing in it.” 

She chuckled as she summoned her flame. “It’s a good thing your mate has fire powers so she can keep it warm.” 

“I like it when you say you’re my mate.” 

He came towards her, the bond tugging between them. 

“I’ll go in with you if you do something for me.” 

“Anything.” 

“Promise me you’ll stop trying to get me into your bed.” 

Aelin stepped out of his embrace and let out a laugh. “That’s your condition?” She laughed again. “I’ve done it once.” 

“You’ve done it more than that, Aelin.” He laughed along with her, stepping toward her and taking her in his arms. “I want to.” He placed a kiss on the top of her head. “I really want to. But I want to wait. I want to be able to enjoy you, to take our time. I want to be somewhere where we don’t have to hide or be quiet.”

She couldn’t help the heat that spread through her. “If you keep talking like that Rowan, I will have no choice but to start something right here.” 

“Don’t even think about it. Otherwise I will change into my hawk and fly away.” 

Aelin pinched his side then swatted his head, laughing as she did. 

“So going for a swim is off the cards?” 

“Maybe when it’s not the middle of winter… and when you can control yourself.” He winked. 

She stepped back into his embrace, her arms going around his middle as she laid her head against his chest; listening to the steady beat of his heart. The two of them enjoying the warmth of each other, listening to the quiet singing of the birds. 

“I understand why my mother couldn’t stand to be here without my father.” He murmured, resting his chin on the top of her head. “I try to imagine a world without you and it terrifies me. I try to think about what I would do, how I would begin to live without you here…” He pulled away to look at her. “I would walk through the burning heart of hell itself to find you.” 

She shuddered at his words, she wanted to reply— to say something— but all she could do was reach up on her toes and kiss him. Their lips melting together, their tongues finding each other and she moaned at his taste— better than anything she could ever imagine. The kiss full of love and of promises— of things to come. 

He would walk through the burning heart of hell itself, and she would do the same. Wherever he was, she would go, she would find him— in this world and the next. 

[snowfall-fanfictions]

Beware the Frozen Heart Ch. 6- The Tailor Shop

Ao3 link

FF.net link

It’s time we got this romance thing rolling. Enjoy!

minor blood tw

“How… the HELL… can one woman run… THAT FAST?!”

 Eryn gasped for air as he clutched the doorframe to the tailor shop. For the past five minutes, he had been chasing the princess as she dragged the queen through the entire town. The scene had caught the attention of the masses around the city, which Eryn despised. Now people knew the royals were out and about, which means that other potential assassins would be moving to strike against the queen. Eryn was somewhat glad they managed to get away from the public eye when they entered the tailor shop. It was a fairly large store, with mannequins dressed in various attire lined up around the brightly lit  room. The air was thick with the smell of perfume and violet, which made Eryn gag slightly. The queen and princess were currently sitting a few feet away with an elderly woman near the counter discussing… something or other, Eryn was too exhausted to pay attention.

It may have been the exasperation that resonated in Eryn’s body, but some things weren’t adding up in his mind. The man who hired him described the queen as “a witch” and “a monster.” Eryn had a hard time seeing how exactly this woman was capable of such evil to be labeled as such. Everyone they passed through the town either ignored her or gave a pleasant hello. And for that matter, he wasn’t sure how someone (or anyone, for that matter) like her could have such magical prowess to encase the kingdom in an eternal winter. He hadn’t even seen her use her magic! Eryn started to think that those stories about the queen’s magic were nothing more than flights of fancy from fools who thought they were in some fairy tale. Or drunkards. Or both, for that matter. Eryn decided to seek some “expert advice” on the matter.

Oi, you can sense magic in others right? Eryn thought, projecting his thoughts to the dagger at his side.

Of course I can, boy… the dagger responded, slightly annoyed, What do you take me for?

Does the queen really possess magic then?

The dagger took a moment to respond. Yes. Most definitely. By the Old Ones, her power is quite impressive! I’m not even sure if she knows how much power she possesses. 

Is that good or bad?

Mmmm… Hard to say. This will require much more attention, though it does make our job slightly harder.

Eryn fixated his eyes on the queen. No one has ever gotten that kind of reaction from the blade. It both fascinated and deeply terrified him.

“Now then,” the old hag said in a raspy yet upbeat voice, “if you can follow me, your highness, we can start with the measurements.”

The princess was radiating excitement through the entire room. It was as if she forgot that just a few days ago someone tried to kill her and the queen. The elderly woman slowly got up from her chair (Eryn was certain he heard something in the broad’s body squeak) and the princess followed suit.

“Should I go back with you?” The queen asked.

“That isn’t necessary, your majesty,” the old woman answered, “we won’t be long.”

“A-alright. I’ll be out here once your done.”

The old woman gave the queen a grin. “Why don’t you look around while we’re gone. I’m sure you will be in my store one of these days getting fitted for your wedding dress.”

The queen’s face turned bright pink at the old woman’s suggestion, who let out a small chuckle. The princess gave the queen a quick embrace before bolting away with the elderly woman behind a dark blue curtain. It was at that point Eryn perked up and felt his exhaustion dissipate as he came up with a daring yet stupid plan.

Don’t. You. Dare. The dagger scolded, reading his thoughts

C’mon, they’ll be in there for who knows how long, Eryn reassured, All I have to do is kill her and we’re off! Easy.

Since when has that ever worked? Do you remember London?

That whore knew more than she let on. Besides, there are no witnesses here. With a bit of magic we can make this as quick and painless as possible.

The dagger let out a defeated sigh. I have only a little bit left. Once I use it, you won’t have any more until she’s dead.

That shouldn’t take long, then. Let’s get moving.

Don’t blame me when you’re trapped in an ice block.

Eryn felt a surge of energy course through his body as he casually raised his hand towards where the princess and the tailor shop owner were. Small darts of darkness flew from his fingertips to the curtain they were behind. Should keep them from hearing any screams he thought. He then delicately shut the door as he unsheathed the blade from its holster, ready for the kill.

XXXXXX Elsa sighed at the events that had transpired. She was getting incredibly tired of the constant reminders of her marriage status. It was one thing to be asked by her advisors, but it was another thing to be asked by the common folk. Even if she wanted to seek a future husband, her duties as queen, along with the recent attempt on her life, had pushed that notion to the back of her mind. It felt like she had a thousand pound weight hanging on her shoulders

At least Anna was happy through all of this. Elsa remembered how estatic her sister was a few months ago when Kristoff proposed, how she teared up when he slipped the ring onto Anna’s finger. She was glad Anna was getting the happily ever after she always wanted. It also helped that she had some piece of mind with Derrik around. While not by any means a permanent solution, the extra security made Elsa feel better, if only by a little bit.

The queen rose from her chair and began perusing the store, noting the various fabrics and bolts of cloth. She could easily have the royal tailors fashion Anna’s dress, but the redhead insisted that it be done by Mrs. Rusgard, as she “put love in every stitch,” as Anna put it. Besides, Elsa liked getting out of the castle every now and then to visit the smaller shops and such. It made her feel like a part of Arendelle, rather than just the queen. Elsa picked up a spool of red yarn, twisting it around in her hand. She never tried knitting, but thought it wouldn’t hurt to try.

Before she had time to think about what to knit, however, she found herself forced onto the ground.

XXXXXX

Eryn wasn’t sure what just happened. He was silently striding towards the queen, dagger in hand and ready to strike, when he lost his footing and fell face forward into her. The two of them slammed onto the floor with a loud THUD. Eryn groaned in pain as he propped himself up onto his arms. Reorienting himself, he looked down and saw the queen looking up to him completely shocked, her blue eyes the size of dinner plates. Her hair was slightly messed up as well, with random strands falling out of place. Eryn felt his heart race as he stammered, “Um, so-sorry ma’am, must’ve uh- tripped on something.”

“O-Oh no it’s fine,” the queen responded as her face grew pink, “I’ve done that a couple of times.” Eryn quickly jumped to his feet as he helped the queen off the floor. As she put her hand in his, Eryn couldn’t help but notice how soft they were. As the queen fixed her hair, running her hand through her platinum locks, Eryn felt a surge of warmth across his face and his heartbeat grow rapidly. The assassin wasn’t sure what was going on. He didn’t have much time to ponder, as the princess and the old woman came out from the curtain.

“Okay, Elsa, we- oh!” the princess exclaimed as the old woman lightly chuckled.

“Well, well, well,” the woman chortled, “I see the queen of Arendelle has finally found a man.”

Eryn looked down and realized he still had the queen’s hand in his. He quickly snapped his hand back, clasping it behind his back, and directed his attention to the floor. Both his and the queen’s faces were bright red from embarrassment.

“O-oh no,” the queen sputtered awkwardly, “Derrik is just our bodyguard, he tripped and landed on me and-”

“Yes, yes,” Eryn chimed in, “I- uh, lost my balance on… something or other.” He quickly turned around and saw a basket of small spools spilt on the floor. “Ah! Here’s the culprit,” he announced, picking up the basket and replacing its contents.

“Ummmm, Elsa?” the princess said, “You might want to turn around.”

With that, both Eryn and the queen shifted their gaze to the direction the princess was referring to. He saw that one of the mannequins was completely coated with a sheet of jagged ice, the clothing it was wearing ripped to shreds. He heard the queen let out a horrified gasp.

“Oh my God!” she exclaimed, turning to the old woman, “I’m so sorry, I’ll happily pay for-”

The old woman raised her hand. “That won’t be necessary. Between you and me, that old thing was attracting more moths than customers.” The princess slightly giggled at the old woman’s joke as the queen snapped her fingers. The ice covering the mannequin slowly evaporated before Eryn’s eyes. Half of him was impressed at the queen’s abilities. The other half, however, was deeply disturbed at the scale of the woman’s power.

“I’m really sorry again, Mrs. Rusgard,” her majesty murmured sheepishly.

“Not to worry, dear,” the elderly woman reassured, “It was due to be replaced anyway.”

Eryn dropped his gaze to where he and the queen had fallen. There he saw the dagger resting a few inches away, the runes no longer glowing. Damn! He thought, I’m not going to hear the end of this…

“Alright, where to next?” The queen asked the princess.

“Follow me!” The princess grabbed the queen’s arm and bolted out of the store. Eryn quickly dashed over to grab his dagger.

“God damn it!” Eryn groaned, bolting after them with increased speed.

Later that night…

Eryn flopped onto his bed with a drawn out groan. He had been playing a game of keep-up with the royals for the past two hours as they traversed the city. His legs felt like jelly as his lungs cried out in pain. He was certain that the princess had some form of speed magic to not only be able to make such a mad dash around the city, but also while carrying another person in tow. Whatever it was, Eryn held a newfound respect for the young princess.

Despite his fatigue, Eryn began to mentally kick himself for what happened today. Never in the past twelve years has he fucked up as royally as he did in the tailor shop. He was supposed to be a master assassin, not some clumsy fool. This was even worse than the time in London, though luckily no one saw how awful he had messed up.

Eryn’s thoughts soon settled on the events after he stumbled into the queen, how his heart began beating loudly in his chest, how the image of her disheveled hair made his face turn bright red. He dashed these thoughts from his mind. It’s probably something I ate, he thought to himself. Imagine if the dagger read his thoughts at that minut-

SHIT, THE DAGGER!

Eryn shot up in his bed. He unsheathed the dagger and inspected it. As he suspected, the runes etched into the blade were no longer glowing. He mentally tried to grab the dagger’s attention, only to be met with silence. Eryn let out a frustrated sigh. He knew what had to be done if he wanted the dagger’s assistance.

Without thinking twice, Eryn held his right hand open and placed the blade in the middle of his palm. Pressing the blade into his skin, he dragged the dagger across his hand, slightly wincing at the pain. Blood began leaking from his palm, dripping onto the sheets of his bed. He quickly placed the top side of the dagger underneath his fresh wound, allowing the blood to drip onto the runes. As soon as blood met steel, the carvings began glowing bright crimson. The dagger’s voice soon followed, groaning as if awoken from a nap.

About time, Odrikson! I was wondering what took so long with- wait… This isn’t the blood of the queen! I thought you said killing her was ‘easy '.

A slight miscalculation on my part, luckily she still doesn’t suspect anything. Eryn reached over to his nightstand and pulled out a strand of cloth and wrapped it around his wound.

You need to exercise caution, boy. The goal is to kill the queen, not yourself.

Tell me something I don’t know. You were right about her having more power than she knows what to do with.

Is that the only thing I was right about?

Go fuck yourself… 

Regardless, we should still plan out our next attack. Stumbling our way through this is damn near suicide.

Agreed. What do you propose?

We bide our time, use our position to uncover the weaknesses in the queen. Maybe through the princess or the snowman we can find some information that will be instrumental in her demise.

I’m vetoing the snowman. Stupid pile of piss would probably get lost in an empty room, not very reliable for information.

Very well… we shall pry at the princess then.

As long as I don’t have to chase after her, that’ll be fine.

With that, Eryn stabbed the dagger into the nightstand and flopped back onto his bed as he let his eyelids grow heavy with sleep.

[creator-zee]

59

“We both know I don’t really need a bodyguard.” The princess said dully as I accompanied her on what she wanted to be a walk alone.

“You may be an exceptional fighter, Princess, but you aren’t as good as me.” I stated plainly. “Besides, it is improper for a Princess to be without a body guard.”

She sighed, looking back at me apologetically. “I know, I know, and it’s not your fault, sorry for being grumpy. I just sometimes want to be alone, like really alone.”

“Don’t apologize Princess. Everyone wants to be alone sometimes.” I stated, looking at her kindly, although she couldn’t see my expression underneath my helmet.

She sighed sitting down on a bench in the garden, I came to a halt standing next to the bench, arms at my side, ever the perfect picture of an apathetic guard. “You don’t always have to be so formal, Liz. You’ve been my guard for years.”

I smiled, softly. “I know, Princess, but there’s other guards in the garden. If your Mom caught wind of me being, er, unprofessional she would have my hide. You’re supposed to be chasing after suitors, not your personal guard.”

She blushed, although she tried to play coy, raising an eyebrow at me. “Who says I’m chasing after you. You’re the one who follows me everywhere.”

“‘Liz, take off your armor.’ ‘Liz, loosen up, we’re in my room.’ “Liz, let’s spar so we can end up inches away from each other in a very compromising position and then kiss.’” I mocked.

Her blush grew. “Hey! I didn’t say that. At least not the last one, not exactly.”

“Whatever you say Princess.” I said noncommittally. 

She stood brushing off her dress. “Well, guard. Why don’t you escort me back to my room, so that I can change and then we can go for a ride?””

“As you wish Princess.” I said, copying her teasing formalities.

She groaned as we walked back to the arching stone of the castle. “How come when you say ‘Princess’ it sounds more like a nickname than a title but I can’t do the same? It’s not fair. Liz.” She complained.

I laughed, the sound echoing strangely in the metal of my helmet. “I guess you just aren’t as flirtatious as me, Princess.” I teased.

She shoved me playfully, barely changing my step. “Knock it off you big tease.”

I laughed again at her antics. “Besides, guard isn’t a very endearing nickname... Princess.”

She shrugged, as I held open the wooden door for her. “I suppose your right, Princess.”

“Seriously? I think you missed the memo Princess, you’re the princess here, not me.”

She sighed again. “I guess, I'll just have to think of something else.”

“Like my name.” I offered.

“Lizard?” She asked, eyebrow raised.

Heat rose to my cheeks. “You know that’s not my name. It’s just Liz.” I huffed, annoyed and embarrassed at the longstanding joke.

She laughed. “I know, I know, but you get so flustered when I call you that... Lizard.”

I came very close to hitting her then, but I restrained myself as we had reached her room. A large bedroom with a bed and bath and couches, and shining lights, and a large window that looked over the woods that surrounded the castle, and the town was just visible in the distance.

She looked longingly. “I wish I could go into town, but Mother will only let me go with a small arm of guards, which ruins all the fun.”

I closed the door to her room behind me. I grinned wickedly behind my metal face plate. “I may have a solution for that, but not a word to anyone.”

She perked up, glancing over to me. “Really?” “Yes.” I sighed, now get some civilian clothes for yourself and me.

“And you?” She asked.

“Disguising you is kinda defeated if you’re walking around with a royal guard on your tail.” I explained. “I’ll have to change in the woods, so that your mother doesn’t skin me alive, but minor details.”

She began digging through a large dresser in her room pulling out a simple tunic, pants, and boots. “How are you going to disguise me? I don’t think clothes will cut it.”

“Magic.” I stated.

“Oh, right, I always forget that you're also a mage.” She said, and began slipping out of her dress.

I turned away quickly. “No decency Princess, just going to strip right in front of me?”

“Meh.” She said, shrugging it off. “Not like you haven't seen in my undergarments before.”

“Just hurry up.” I said. “We don’t want to get back after dark.”

“All done.” She said, and I turned around. Even in plain clothes she was still beautiful. Her long brown hair was pulled back instead of down and flowing over her shoulders, but I didn’t care.

She tossed a satchel at me. “To put your clothes in. If your done gawking that is?”

I blushed, although she wouldn;t have the satisfaction of seeing. “Your mother will get suspicious if I stop at the barracks.”

“Aren’t you wearing something underneath all that armor?” She asked gesturing at me.

“Yes, but it’s not exactly appropriate for a common civilian. An aketon can still function as armor by itself. I would still scream knight.” I explained.

“And under that?” She pressed, although she was pulling out clothes.

“Uh, under that is a thin white undershirt that is not appropriate for wearing in public.” I continued.

“Okay, fine, you win. Now let’s go.” She rushed out the door, and I followed after stuffing the clothes in the satchel and hooking it on my shoulder. She practically sprinted to the stables, and by the time we arrived she was panting.

I set the satchel on the ground, going to the tack room. “Come on Princess, I’m not saddling your horse for you.”

“Wouldn’t want you to.” She shot back.

We saddled the horses quickly, they had already been brushed by the grooms, and didn’t need a second brushing. I mounted first, leading my piebald gelding, Cloud, out of his stall and swinging on, heading towards the trail.

“Follow me Princess.”

She followed suite on her bay mare, Plum. Her saddle, was a simple one, without any saddlebags. My saddle had not only saddlebags but also, two spare quivers, my bow, and a couple daggers strapped on. Even though we were just going for a quick ride in the woods to the town before stopping and adopting our disguises, I wouldn’t dare leave without extra protection in addition to the swords strapped to my back and the daggers hidden everywhere on me. 

“Is that all necessary?” She asked.

“If you would prefer for me not to incur the wrath of your parents then I would say yes.” I stated.

“But we are going to just leave it all in the woods, aren’t we?” She pressed.

I sighed. “Yes, but it will be hidden. I know a spot. I found it while riding one day.”

“A spot?”

“You’ll see.”

I turned Cloud off the main trail, on a small one, that could barely be considered a trail. The Princess, Rose, followed me and I could sense a question on her tongue although she didn’t ask. The small trail led to a small cave in a small hill. I dismounted Cloud and led him into the cave, pushing past the branches of the bushes that disguised the entrance. Rose did the same with Plum and once inside, she turned to me.

“Neat cave. Now hurry up and change.”

“Yes, yes, Princess.” 

I pulled the satchel out of Cloud’s saddle bag, and walked to the far end of the cave, and began taking off my armor staring with my helmet. The helmet revealed my short blonde hair, and as the rest came off, including the aketon I was left in white undershorts under undershirt, which revealed my toned figure and some of the scars that peaked out from the edges of the clothing. I could feel Rose’s gaze on my back, but I tried to ignore it, as I traded the shirt for a tunic and the shorts for pants. I slipped socks on and slid the simple hide boots on. I turned around, and sure enough Rose was staring.

“You should really let me see you out of armor more.” She said, dreamily. “You look amazing. I never even get to see your face, much less your body. Both are absolutely beautiful by the way.”

Another blush rose to my face as I stuffed my clothes in the satchel leaving the armor on the ground, a safe distance from any stray hooves.

“Ahhh, you’re blushing.” She teased. “I love being able to see your face.”

“Shut up.” I murmured. “Come here, so I can disguise our faces. Luckily, our frame is pretty average an we can blend in easily, though people may wonder why two strong women are in town.”

“Two?” She asked.

I nodded. “You do train as well, can;t do that without building muscle. Now hold still and be quiet.” I waved my hand over her face, changing the features slightly. Red hair instead of brown, and green eyes, instead of blue. I changed her face shape slightly, as well. I copied the motion over my face, changing my hair to brown, and my eyes to blue, changing my face shape slightly as well.

“There. Now, no one should recognize you.” I smile. “Now we can go. It’s only a little way left to town, we can go on foot.”

She nodded. “I wish you didn’t change your face, I do like seeing it.”

I glanced away before she could see I was embarrassed again. “Same, Princess. I feel the same, but come on. If you don’t hurry, we won’t be able to have any fun.”

Later... at a tavern...

I glanced over from where I was leaning against the table in the corner, slowly sipping on a mug full of mead. I was only on my first, but Rose, who was going by Rory forsafety, had had several and was currently drunkley arguing with a farmer on how to take care of sheep. I laughed to myself. As long as she didn’t get herself in trouble, we were fine. I was going to get my ass kicked by the Queen and King later for having the Princess out after dark, but she was having so much fun I couldn’t drag her back. Literally, she made a huge scene and a bunch of guys came to her defense. I sighed and took another sip from my mug.

A woman sat down next to me, leaning back. “What’s a pretty face like you doing sighing in a corner?”

I glanced over, and only years of practice of maintaining an apathetic face stopped me from spitting my drink out. The woman who had just sat next to me was my ex, Jen.

“Watching over a friend.” I answered monotonously.

I felt her piercing gaze on the side of my face as I didn’t face her, eyes trained on Rose. She leaned in close, and I could feel her breath on my ear. I resisted the urge to flinch away as she spoke.

“A simple illusion can’t fool me Liz.” She turned and stood in front of me. “So why are you hiding, Liz?”

Jen’s movements had attracted the attention of Rose who had stopped her drunken rant and had come closer, for what purpose I wasn’t sure.

“Did you finally get around to fucking your precious Princess and the Queen has had you thrown out?” Jen mused. “Trying to hide away, huh, that’s why you hid your face. Should’ve run farther than just to town.”

I had set down my mug and stood up to match Jen, ignoring her brazen comments, but she pushed me back up against the table, her body pressing against mine as her hands found my wrists and held them to the table. I saw Rose over her shoulder and gave a small shake of my head. I hope she understood. She didn’t need to get involved.

“Well, it doesn’t matter because I finally found you again. You didn’t even try to hide the illusion very well.” Her face was right next to mine and I struggled to keep my breathing level. “Come on, Liz. What do you say? Come back to my place, like old times?”

“You don’t have a place.” I whispered, knowing the sound would travel to her ear that was inches away.

“Come now, LIz.” She teased. “I got my life together. Got a job hunting for the blacksmith.”

I didn’t respond, letting my expression of skepticism speak for me.

“You said you’d date me if I pulled myself together.” She added, and was that pleading in her tone.

“No, I said I wouldn’t date you because of your reckless lifestyle, doing anything for money.” I corrected.

“Well, I’ve changed. Come on Liz, give me a second chance.” When I didn’t respond she pushed. “You know you have no chance with the princess. She’s destined to be married off into a loveless relationship for political reasons, and then where will you be?”

“Not with you Jen. I told you I’m done with you.” I reasserted.

“Then why aren’t you struggling. We both know you’re much stronger than me.” She pushed.

I looked away, turning my head to the side. “Don’t know what your talking about. You kinda have me trapped.”

She laughed, and I felt it against my jaw. “Don’t forget, we have fought together Liz. I know you could easily toss me against the room and have a dagger to my throat. You may have ditched your other weapons, for some reason, but I know you have at least 10 daggers hidden on you.” She muttered. “I bet I could only find them if I took your clothes off.”

One of her hands wandered from my wrist to the hem of my shirt at my waist, and I turned back to her, growling. “Try to take any of my clothes off and the dagger ends up at your throat.” I threatened.

The hand returned to my wrist. “Ooh, still fietsy. So.... why haven't you kicked my halfway to the castle?”

“I don’t know.” I muttered truthfully.

“Miss me?” She teased. Did I miss the woman who had gorgone our relationship in favor of going down a path of darkness? Unfortunately, yes. I hadn’t dated since, being busy with guard duty. And, pining after the Princess doesn’t really count. Jen was right it could never happen.

“Maybe.” I confessed. “But, I am not dating you again. I will not let myself be dragged along again as you drag me along, not taking me seriously.”

She sighed, one of her thumbs began rubbing patterns into my wrist, and I resisted flinching away from the touch. “Liz, please. Just one date. I’ve changed, I want to try again. I miss you. I will respect you this time. I will make you a priority. I promise.”

“I don’t trust your promises.” I returned flatly.

She sighed, backing up. “Fine, Liz. It was nice seeing you.” She poked my nose. “Even if it wasn’t your real face. Send me a note if you need a friend. I have changed.”

I sat back down on the bench, grabbing my mug again. I stared into it. I hadn’t counted on her showing up, or stirring up feelings I thought I had buried. Rose sat next to me.

“Who was that L-, her Beth?” I had told her to call me by Beth instead of Liz to hide my name.

“No one important.” I dodged the question. 

“Really?” She drawled. “Why did she mention you, uh, ‘finally fucking me?’”

I turned away, heat rising to my cheeks. “It was just a jest. She didn’t mean anything by it.”

“Right... just like she didn’t mean anything by saying that we could never work.” She continued.

“Right. Look Ro- Rory. Just drop it. You won’t even remember anything by the time I manage to drag you back to the castle. Your parents are going to kill me by the way.”

She just shrugged, leaning up against me. “Noooo, they won’t.” She giggled. “They wouldn;t kill my favorite guard. I would be heartbroken.”

She suddenly grabbed my face and planted a sloppy kiss on my lips. She tasted like the mead she had been drinking. 

I hurriedly pushed her off me. “Knock it off Rory. I’m taking you home. You’ve had one too many and have obviously lost all common sense.”

“Come on, Beth.” She groaned, pushing futilely against my grip. “You like me I like you, what’s the problem?”

“The problem-” I hissed, as I dragged her out of the tavern after tossing the barkeep some gold pieces. “Is that you are a Princess, and you will marry some noble for political purposes. You don’t have the luxury of kissing people you like.”

She grumbled some response, but I ignored it as I fragged her drunk self back to the horses, then changed then led her mare through the trail as she could barely keep herself in the saddle much less ride. By the time we returned she had passed out, and I carried her silently past the other guards to her room. When she woke up, she was going to regret ever drinking. As I returned to the barracks my hand wandered to my lips. I can’t believe she actually kissed me. Flirting was one thing, but actually kissing me was another. That crossed so many lines and probably broke a million laws. But, despite that I wished I hadn’t pushed her away. I wished I had kissed her back. I wished I could date her, nut reject her out of duty, but flirting was one thing, actually kissing was another. Non-drunken Rose knew that, and I’m sure if she remembered she would understand it was impossible and not hold it against me.