will you be my legacy? - linhiana (the legacies series 2)

9

this time, there was a crowd, packed tightly into a field before the stage.

it was clear what each side stood for. on the right, elves danced & laughed, swaddled in soft fabric that blushed all seven colors of the rainbow. on the left, elves stood stiff & straight, stern & stubborn as all hell.

there was also a middle, where the indifferent elves went. or the elves who didn't want to admit which side they wanted to choose.

biana's father & brother were staring at her with horror, disbelief. from the left side, of course. at least, it was the left side to biana. to them, facing her, they were on the right. it was fitting, actually. they were so sure they were right.

but to biana & linh, facing the crowd in the middle of a circle of councillors, the happy, joyous, carefree elves would always be in the right.

behind alden & fitz stood some of biana's other relatives, all glaring at her with distaste. they'd swept into the grand field before nearly anyone else, standing tall & self-righteous, hating biana for putting them in the wrong kind of spotlight.

but she didn't care, because della was standing away from them, in the right side. twirling a rainbow flag. chatting happily with juline & kesler as the triplets ran in circles around them. biana's mother didn't give a shit what the rest of her family thought. & if della could do that? biana could, too.

linh squeezed her hand, & suddenly, nothing else mattered. it was just two elves with dresses made of water & shadows holding hands on a stage in front of the world.

all of a sudden, the black-haired councillor, the vociferator, screamed, & the field fell relatively silent. emery stood. he was directly in the center, facing the crowd. biana vacker & linh song, state your case.

biana focused on the point of contact, linh brushing her hand. she could see a wedding cake. three tiers, dripping mallowmelt. instead of blue sugar frosting flowers, there would be lushberry custard bursts the elves had baked together. on the top, figurines of the two. black-haired & brunette. silver-tipped & stunning. they would not be plastic. they would be water, conjured there by linh to stay forever.

for the rest of her indefinite elvin lifespan, biana would wonder if the cake was just her imagination, or if linh had built it there, in that moment. water & love & memories & maybe a little sugar.

it was time for biana to speak. so she opened her mouth, & dived deep into the memories.

i'm biana vacker, & i love girls. weeks spent practicing into the mirror, linh watching & pointing out places where she could polish & perfect it. i always have, & i always will. drafting the speech, her hand cramping, her mother reading over it & making changes with pencil. but in the future the lost cities has decided for me, i will never marry. reciting the whole thing to keefe & tam, watching their expressions as the words soaked over them. or i will marry a man. avoiding fitz, avoiding alden. maybe he will be doting. never forgetting the little looks they shot her, like they didn't know who she was. maybe he will love me. linh, holding her hand, kissing her, telling her it would be okay. but it's still wrong. organizing & petitioning & advertising until everyone knew. & it's never going to happen.

the right crowd cheered.

the matchmaking system should be changed, linh said, continuing from where her girlfriend had left off. it's intolerant & outdated. forbidding some people from who they love isn't going to help anyone. & allowing us to marry elves you don't think we should marry isn't going to hurt you.

we can't help who we love, biana said easily, words sliding into place. we can't help who we think is beautiful. & we're not going to infect anyone. we just want to be able to marry without prejudice. is that really so much to ask?

do you have any questions? linh asked, speaking to the councillors.

alina stood up. she was facing biana exactly, & her sharp, reproachful gaze made biana want to hide.

or to slap her.

why should we believe you? she asked, & her words were biting.

biana & linh exchanged glances, & then they turned back to the brown-haired elf & said in unison: why shouldn't you?

alina looked surprised, like she couldn't imagine why they would say such a thing. she glanced out to the audience, as if for help.

& help delivered.

the shrill, cutting voice of luzia vacker broke through the crowd. how dare you, you insolent girl? are you trying to ruin the vacker legacy?

oh, fuck that! biana retorted. this goddawful legacy you're blathering on about? the one where i marry someone i'll never love? i don't want anything to do with that. i can build my own legacy.

she turned to linh, whose eyes were shining bright with pride & exhilaration. loud enough for everyone to hear, she asked, linh song, will you be my legacy?

fuck yes, linh said, & then she pulled biana closer & pressed their lips together.

linh's lips were soft, & they tasted like salt. biana wanted to melt into her soft embrace forever.

who cared about the indignant, disgusted crowd of ignorant elves? that was only half. the other half was cheering.

who cared that biana's father & brother thought she was a freak of nature? her mother was whooping & she could almost hear her congratulations.

she could build her own life right here, with her girlfriend by her side. if people thought there was something wrong with her & the people she loved, that was their problem, not hers.

elves from all over the lost cities were watching this, biana realized. they were watching her & linh stand up for what someone should have stood up for centuries ago. they were watching them slowly cause the foundations of the elves' ignorance to crumble. they were watching them kiss.

without realizing it, biana had wrapped her arms around linh's waist. now, she pulled the arm closer to the crowd away. she broke from the kiss for a moment, & looked linh in the silvery blue eye. i love you, linh song, she said, & she had not a doubt in her mind that it was true.

then she leaned back in & raised her middle finger to face the crowd.

& two girls kissed to change the world.

a/n: well that was cute. & badass. which basically just defines biana. so, this is almost over, which sucks. but, whatever. don't forget to vote & comment! stay safe & healthy & have a great day xx