#we'll dive deeper into taivan and jackieshauna next chapter!

[themarshmallownerd]

New Chapter: The End and the Beginning

Link: Chapter 2

Previous: Chapter 1

First: Chapter 1 (AO3)

A/N: I'll be honest, I rushed through editing on this one because I was absolutely determined to get it out before I leave for vacation with my friends. So, please, bear with me on it!

That being said, just one more chapter after this! I'm excited to bring the rest of the girls in! I'm hoping I can give them all their due justice ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Preview: "The scar was faded and white from over a decade’s time to heal, but it was there nonetheless, like the ghost of a third eye on her face. Evidence of that frightening night from her childhood.

Another source of darkness in the Princess of Light.

Natalie tried not to take nostalgic comfort in such things anymore. These days, she was trying to dwell on the present more than the past. Especially since she had found an actual sense of belonging in the present, during these expeditions through the woods with Lottie.

Hoping to return this particular outing to the more lighthearted tone of before, she smirked playfully at her friend. “You know me as ‘Nat’ now? I thought I told you I had that name reserved.”

Any concern that Lottie had forgotten about the first conversation they’d ever had, all the way back at the festival from months ago, was quickly dashed. The princess’s face flushed with pink and she averted Natalie’s gaze with a bashful turn of her head.

“I—well, I…” she sputtered for a moment, and Natalie couldn’t help but taste the slightest bit of self-satisfaction to know she was the only one who got to see the kingdom’s poised and proper princess so flustered. “Well, I know I can’t speak for you. But I know I certainly consider you dear to me.”

Natalie’s pride was swift to leave her as heat blossomed in her own face at that.

“I’m not sure if the principle remains the same that way,” Lottie went on, seeming to regain more of her self-composure just as more of Natalie’s seeped out of her. “So, you’ll have to forgive my slip of tongue just this once if it doesn’t mean anything.”

Natalie’s face only burned hotter at the improper thoughts that crossed her mind at the mention of Lottie’s tongue.

Wow. Kevyn was right. She was pining.

“No,” she said once she had managed to reign in her unseemly mind. “No forgiveness needed. I’d say you already earned the privilege to that name.”

“I have?”

In spite of her efforts to maintain a mask of impassive composure, Natalie couldn’t help but grin in amusement at the sight of the princess, so endearing in her childlike excitement to potentially mean as much to Natalie as the barmaid meant to her.

“Well, now you’ve seen where I spend the other half of my days,” Natalie reminded. “Between a sea of lonely, drunk sailors in a dusty old building, and just one lonely, well-mannered princess out here in the open air, I would say you’re definitely the preferable company. Not to mention, a preferable view, as well.”

Lottie gasped in feigned scandal. “Is that all you take me for? A pretty face? Why, Ms. Taylor, you shameless miscreant.”

Natalie breathed a soft laugh (and ignored the slight twist in her stomach at hearing Lottie address her by a false name). “Oh? You’re calling me a miscreant? That’s rich, you little coquette, considering you indulge my attention anyways.”

Natalie waded closer in the water, until she was practically pressing into Lottie’s side. Giving the princess no room to hide as Natalie teasingly asked her, “Tell me, does it fill your blue blood with thrill to capture the interest of a lowly serviceman?”

As intended, the tight proximity on its own was enough to flood Lottie’s face with a bashful rosy color again. “No…” she murmured quietly, and for a moment, Natalie thought she had the victory in this playful battle of charms.

But then, before Natalie could realize where her friend’s hand was, she felt a shove against her back, sending her forward in the water. The creek was shallow enough that she was able to right herself easily, though it was at the cost of splashing even more water up along her clothing, soaking various patches along her legs with cool water. In the process—and to her slight embarrassment—a tiny squeak of surprise escaped her.

“But that—that did give a thrill,” Lottie declared around a devilish grin.

“Mucky pup,” Natalie growled, though there wasn’t any heat behind it. She crouched down to dip her hands into the water, slinging a handful at the princess.

To her credit, Lottie barely flinched at the chilling touch of the water. In fact, she promptly retaliated by swatting the surface of the creek as well, lightly splashing back at Natalie. It prompted a hearty back-and-forth between them, sending little waves of water flying at each other.

Natalie yelped every time she was struck by even a touch of cold liquid, curling in on herself to avoid it as best she could. Yet, there was little time to actually feel its chill when Lottie suddenly gave chase and she tried to flee in turn.

It was a slow-paced chase, given they had to calculate each step to avoid slipping on the uneven, moss-covered stones that composed the creek floor. Even then, Natalie wound up losing her footing anyways when she tried to gamble with a particularly slick, flat-faced rock.

Fortunately, Lottie was close enough to dart forward and grab her arm before she could completely topple onto the stones below. The princess was quick to pull the barmaid’s body backwards, onto a more secure boulder with her, and wrapped her arms around Natalie from behind to keep her secured there.

“Whoa! Steady there,” Lottie urged as Natalie regained her footing. “Are you alright, dearest?”

In spite of their jesting exchange mere moments ago, the earnest use of the term of endearment nearly made Nat’s legs buckle completely below her. She could only hope that Lottie couldn’t feel the sudden spike in her heart rate, despite the fact that the princess’s hands were locked directly over her sternum. They were pressing down slightly, applying a comforting pressure right by her heart, which was now pounding in shameless abashment.

“Yes,” Natalie managed to answer. “I’m alright.”