After a healthy cry, and some hopeful smiles, the two left the hall, and went back to the East Wing.
Kara, feeling now completely drained, walked slowly, keeping her head low. Verina held her hand, just as exhausted, but happy to have seen such a vulnerable part of her.
The princess stopped suddenly. They reached Verina's new bedroom.
They looked at each other, softly illuminated by the kernelights; Verina knew what she was thinking. «Kara...»
«I...» replied the other, squeezing the witch's hand «...I just want to sleep, don't worry.»
"You might want that, Kara, but I'm not sure I can contain myself, despite the lack of energy..." she thought, with a bitter smile.
«...please.»
Verina rested her free hand on the girl's cheek «You don't play fair..!» she gave a quick kiss on her forehead, and went to open the door «You have too much leverage on me...»
«I could say the same about you...» replied Kara, following her inside, rubbing her reddened eyes. «One word, and I could follow you to the end of the world...»
Verina chuckled, refraining from making the princess notice that was a desire of hers from the beginning. She went to her wardrobe, almost completely empty, and took out the nightgown she had brought back from Tardeburgo.
As she was lifting her hand to do her magic, Kara grasped it, stopping her from following through. «No! Don't use magic...»
They both blushed. The suffused light of the moon from the windows shined on them, in its splendid candor, covering the emotions written on their cheeks.
Verina carefully started undressing. She tried her best to look serene and sensual, but that was not an easy dress to handle, and the movements needed didn't seem to match the grace she wanted to achieve.
«How many... have laid their eyes on you?»
Verina smiled, now halfway done. «Two more. Both women. Before the Library...»
«Lovers?»
«...yes. Are you jealous?»
«Envious, if anything.»
The witch deposited her long dress on her new settle, turning back to look at the girl. «You are... stunning, Verina...» said Kara, making a few timid steps, until «...is that..?!»
The woman instinctively touched her left side, on her abdomen. The light of the moon had made unclear its contours: a black, twisted scar, as long as her forearm, stained the sorceress' fair skin; along the deep cut, dark veins seemed still pulsating, as if it was alive.
«...Yes. A little gift from the last Chrome Dragon... Some magical injuries never heal completely... I personally think it looks cool..!» she replied, with a bashful laugh, looking at the moon outside.
She suddenly felt Kara's hand caress her scar, admiringly «You are very cool.» Verina held back tears, overwhelmed by her love for that answer. Despite her personal feelings towards that mark, a lasting memory of her battles, she always worried about what would someone else think of it, witnessing the dragon's ancient bane still silently living on, after decades, innocuous yet unsightly...
The witch instinctively reached for the princess, forgetting the unimportant detail of her being in her undergarments, and held her tightly. She felt even more vulnerable than the sorceress, while feeling their hearts pound and the silky skin of the other, the warmth of her body...
After a few delicate moments, Verina inquired «...shouldn't you also wear a nightgown, my dear?»
Kara returned to reality, and kissed the witch's neck; the darkness absconded with ease the light tears in her eyes. «You're right. I'll be back in a moment; don't fall asleep without me!»
The woman, left alone in the room, wore her gown and laid on her new bed. Even after a year and a half in her little village, the idea of 'going to sleep' still felt alien to her: the black lines on her body weren't the only scars of the past she would never fully recover from...
«I'm back...» announced Kara, closing the door behind her. She now wore a long, silky nightgown with intricate foliage details, reminding Verina of the Nymphs of Farradi...
She followed the witch on the bed, laying down next to her; kissing each other goodnight, they fell asleep soon after, in a loose, tender embrace.
YOU ARE READING
A Curse and A Kiss - Volume 1
Lãng mạn«...who knows, the same kiss that halts the curse, may make our love bloom...» A cozy and sweet sapphic romance between a young princess and the powerful witch entrusted with curing her from a dark curse. A soft, medieval-fantasy slice-of-life... wi...
