When The Gold Is Gone ✔ ~ trixya

Chapter 34: The Promises Made

"She has been found! The Princess has been found in Varov!" A young man announced as he rode inside the gates of the Resvyan Castle. He was quickly brought to the King to deliver his message, and moments later they sent for Princess Beatrice and the Queen. 

Trixie rushed through the halls, holding up the sides of her gown as she ran towards the King's office. Her hair came partly undone, but she did not pay it any mind, her head consumed by thoughts of the possibility of Katya finally returning home. She burst the doors open, not even giving the guards a chance to announce her arrival. 

"Is it true, has she truly been found?" Trixie asked, nearly completely out of breath. 

"It is. She is on her way from Varov now, but-" The King said, but Trixie soon interrupted him, overjoyed by the news.

"Oh thank the heavens, she will finally be home."

"Beatrice, listen."

"I am so thankful she is safe." Trixie continued, her smile wide as she joyously babbled on.

"Beatrice-"

"All will be well now."

"She is ill." The King said finally, stopping the girl's rambling. Trixie turned towards him as her smile dropped. 

"It cannot be true." She said as she sat down slowly, only now noticing the anxious expression of the Queen who was sat in the chair next to her.

"I am sorry, but it is. She and some of the other soldiers have caught something, a mysterious disease, some soldiers passed away from the illness. They say Yekaterina was in a coma for days, only now having woken up again." The King explained.

"Then surely that is a good sign?" Trixie said.

"They believe so, yes. But she is weak, has a high fever, and at times struggles to breathe properly. She will be brought home today, but she will need to be transported again soon. She needs clean, cold mountain air so she may recover." 

"You're sending her away? She is not yet even here and you are already planning her departure?" Trixie said, tears threatening to spill.

"We know it is difficult to accept, but this is how we can give her the best possible chance of recovery. The treatment facility is very good, she shall be safe there, and hopefully she will recover fully soon." The Queen said in a comforting tone.

"How can you be certain that this is the right course of action if you do not even know what ails her?" The Princess questioned.

"It is what the military doctors have recommended, we can only take their word for it and act upon that." The King replied.

"Well then I shall go with her. If you are sending her away then I will also go." Trixie stated.  

"Beatrice, you cannot. The doctors believe this illness to be contagious, no one will be able to go near her. Yekaterina will have to be kept isolated and then be moved as soon as possible." The Queen told the Princess. 

"It is not your decision to make, it is mine and I dare you to try to stop me." 

"Beatrice-"

Just then a knock on the door interrupted their conversation.

"Enter." The King ordered. A guard opened the door a moment later, revealing one of the maids.

"Your Majesty, the Princess has arrived and they are awaiting your instructions on where she can stay." The woman spoke.

Trixie did not wait to hear the rest of the discussion, instead running out the door as fast as her legs would carry her. Through cold stone hallways and down carpeted staircases she ran until she finally reached the courtyard. 

"Katya." She whispered before sprinting towards the carriage.

"You cannot enter, Your Royal Highness." A man told her. He appeared to be a doctor based on his clothing and the bag he held in his hand, and although she knew it wise to listen to him, she would not accept having to stay away from Katya any longer. 

"I will enter, and you will let me. I will go with her, no matter what." Trixie said stubbornly before walking past him and pulling the door open. 

There she was, the woman Trixie loved more than life itself; her Katya. But the Katya she saw was not like the girl she remembered, she was frail and thin, her cheeks void of color, her skin bruised, her lips dry. It pained Trixie greatly to see how the war and the illness had affected her, but the joy of seeing her again soon made all such thoughts disappear once more.

"Trixie?" Katya whispered, almost as if she couldn't believe her own eyes. 

"It is me, my love. I am here. All shall be well now, I promise." Trixie said, sitting down next to the makeshift bed that Katya was laid on.

"Trixie, you... you cannot be in here. P-please, you must go before this illness takes hold of you too."

"No, I will not leave you. I refuse to stay away from you now when I have only just gotten you back." Trixie replied, taking the girls hands in hers and kissing the pale skin.

"My angel, you must let g-go of me now.... before it is too late. The d-doctor has said I am a danger to others.... I... I cannot risk anything happening to you. I c-could not bare it if anything did." Katya told her, her voice horse and cracking now and then.

"I said I would be there in the difficult times that we could not see ahead. I swore that I would be there, by your side. That is the promise I made, and it is one I intend to keep. Do you remember what I told you when I first learned of your secret? I told you we could handle any difficulties, and work through all the pain as long as we're together. So let me be there by your side now, please." 

"But this... this is putting your life on the line, T-Trixie. If you stay with me, there is n-no telling what will happen." Katya argued.

"I know, but we are meant to be together, Katya. And I firmly believe that we will make it through this. I cannot send you away in the hopes that you shall some day return, I won't. If I let you go now then I deny what I feel in my heart, I betray my own wedding vows, deny the wishes of my soul. My heart and soul is bound to you, so where you go I shall follow, no matter where it leads me." Trixie told her firmly. 

And with that Katya could no longer hold herself back, she reached out and pulled her wife in for a passionate kiss, willing herself to have the strength to do so. Trixie melted into the kiss, taking hold of Katya's cheek, caressing it softly. This was where she belonged, she thought, for this was home. 

It was far from perfect.
But they were finally together once more.
And that was all that mattered.