This Is What It's Like To Be Lovers [ON HOLD]

8: A Feeling That You Can't Fight

• God is a woman by Arianna Grande •

The Princess giggled. "Do you mind if I go in first?" She asked, the smile lingering on her lips.

Lari ran to the bath, the candle in her hand threatening to spill the melting wax onto her hand. She couldn't deny it any longer. Lari had thought it was one-way communication, but the constant, fervent tug on her left pinky proved otherwise.

She was skillfully ignoring it on their walk back from Citra's, as she did not wish to alarm Jade. And when the Queen expressed her concerns about Pearlina finding their location, Lari realized this might further her anxiety. Rushing to the bath seemed like the only logical conclusion.

She clutched her pinky to stop the quivering but to no help. "What is the urgency?" She whispered under her breath, wincing at the twitching joint.

Lari drew herself closer to the bath, filled with water, and brought the candle close to peer in.

There he was, the boy who had cast a spell on her. The boy she was so happy to see the previous evening. He was only an inconvenience now.

"Prince...ss!" He called out through the magical tie that held them together. His voice was still shaky but Larimar could tell that the magic had improved since their last meeting.

"P...rincess, where are you? We ju...st got the news that you...were abducted. By Que...en Jade? Where did she ta...ke you to? I'll go...get yo..u myself."

Larimar frowned. If it was a day ago, she would have been moved by his heartwarming bravery and chivalrous spirit. But now - now that she was free, and away from the castle that bound her like a cage - anybody suggesting to take her back there infuriated her.

"I wasn't abducted," she asserted. "I'm here at my own will."

In the light of the candle, she saw the questioning frown on Jun's face. "Why?" He asked but all Lari could hear was the music playing outside.

She tsked. "You wanted to know if I was abducted. I just told you, I wasn't. I'll go back to Eira if and when I feel like-"

"Princess?" Jade's voice knocked the breath out of Lari's lungs and she turned to the dark void between her and the bathroom door. "Is there someone in there with you?"

"She can't see me, o...r hear me." Lari heard Jun say and sighed with relief.

"Umm..." Lies never came easy to her. "No... I'm... I was just...talking to myself. I do that sometimes. Please don't be alarmed."

She bit her lip, hoping Jade wouldn't press further. "Okay then, Princess. You can simply holler if you need anything. I'm just...outside."

Lari breathed a sigh of relief and quickly bid Jun adieu.

A notorious idea took root in her brain. The plan was to only casually flirt, to watch Jade turn visibly red.

What she didn't know was that it'd be an experience that would bring the two of them even closer, something she'd remember Jade by. When a biographer would ask Lari about her friendship with the Queen, this would be something she'd never talk about. Not out of modesty, but because it was so private. The spill of the water, the froth on their skin, the dark corners of the room where their eyes found residence - it all belonged to the two of them only.

When Jade spoke about despising her hands, Lari remembered all the current affairs lessons she had been getting from Professor Carnel for the last two years. In all the literature she had read about the Battle of Nokimetsa, Queen Jade was described as either a protector or a traitor. Never a killer. Not even by the high-ranking officials of enemy realms. They always referred to her as a doll with a sword, and when Lari laid eyes on her the first time, in her Eiran bedroom, she knew they weren't lying.