To Capture A Heart (girlxgirl)

Part Twenty-One

The clock soon struck midnight, which meant that we had officially entered the Moon season, otherwise known as the coldest season of the year. Nevertheless, I didn't feel cold in the slightest. I almost felt too warm. My hands felt a little clammy and my heart was racing and my stomach was jumping about like an overactive grasshopper. 

"Are you alright, your highness?" Avery teased, as we sat in my room, upon my bed, of all places. 

"Huh? Me? Yeah. I'm fine," I said. 

"You know, Haven, you're a strong person. I suppose that's why the two of us are such good friends," she said, then. 

"And you're...unpredictable but there when you need to be. You clearly care about Wingacre which is more than I have ever seen from the soldiers before," I said. 

"Well, the soldiers are clearly not in your league, pumpkin," she replied. 

In truth, there was so much more that I valued about Avery. She was strong-willed and extraordinarily honest. She wasn't afraid to argue with someone when she thought their opinion was faulty. She was frustratingly but adorably flirtatious and she had somehow defied all of my expectations for her within several months. 

"Am I in yours?" I found myself asking, then. 

I immediately blushed as I asked it because I thought that it sounded ridiculous. 

However, Avery didn't seem to think so. She was just staring back at me with interest in her eyes. 

"You certainly are, Haven," she replied. 

As though it couldn't help it, my heart began to race away in my chest again, then. 

"The two of us should go to town one day, Haven. Just you and I," she said. 

"Yeah?" I asked her. 

"Yes! It would be fun. Besides, it has been far too long since I have been shopping. That just so happened to be my favourite past time when I had been back at the Sparrow Empire," she told me. 

I could believe as much. 

After all, just by looking at Avery's dress I could tell she knew how to appear well-dressed. 

Avery stretched her arms out wide and fluttered her eyelashes a little, as though she was sleepy. 

"I've always loved fashion, actually. That's another one of the reasons why I ran away. I don't want to be a stupid empress. It's so much hassle. Do you know what I truly want to do, Haven?" she asked me, then. 

I gave a little shake of my head. 

"I want to be a fashion designer," she said, "Is that so crazy to admit?" 

I admired her for having told me that. 

"I've never told anyone that before," she added. 

"It's not crazy. It's amazing!" I said. 

Avery grinned back at me expressively, as though pleased to hear that someone supported her dreams. 

I hadn't realised before how much I wanted to be that person for her, until now. 

We locked eyes for a short while after that. 

This time around, though, I didn't feel nervous. The quiet was almost comforting, strangely enough. 

"I suppose I'm just stubborn and strong-willed. I want to make my own path in life, Haven. I've never been interested in this conventional timeline set out for me. I don't want to marry a man, for one thing. I suppose I've always known that. My parents don't, though. I suppose my greatest fear is them ever finding them out," Avery said and her expression became a little crestfallen, then. 

"Hey, you don't need to feel bad for being who you are. I like women, too, okay?" I said to her, then. 

Avery's eyes simply widened a little. 

"So, you get it," I said. 

"I'm assuming this is new to you?" she asked me. 

I nodded. 

Avery smiled back at me. 

"Well, at least now I know we really are close," she said. 

I gave her an expression of curiosity at her words. 

"'Cause you told me that!" she explained. 

I supposed that she had a good point, there. The two of us were both practically rebels as far as the conventions of the Wingacre land were concerned. 

"Following the rules is overrated," I said. 

The corner of Avery's mouth twitched up a little. 

"You're right, pumpkin. You're absolutely right," she said. 

Now that we knew how each other felt, I just had to wonder what we were going to do about that. 

"One day, I want to move away," Avery admitted, "I want to find a large house somewhere in the grasslands and just live there with a pretty woman and some chickens, if I can get any. We'll raise a little farm and I'll make my clothes and sell them for a high price. We'll be rich, anyway, but anything extra is always appreciated." 

I chuckled. 

"I like your plan," I replied. 

Avery grinned at that. 

"So, Haven, when are we moving?" she asked suggestively. 

"I don't know," I said, feeling a little breathless as I spoke in a higher pitch. 

Avery scooted a little closer to me on the bed. 

"Are you nervous around me?" she asked, then. 

"No. I'm a bad-ass, sword-wielding lesbian," I said. 

I had never said the word out loud before, but it felt comfortably right, as though it had just been a part of me all along. 

"Oh, pumpkin, I think you're describing me here," Avery replied. 

I just released a gentle laugh as I shoved her gently. 

Avery shoved me back softly, too, before gently tracing her collarbone with her slender fingers.

As I watched her, I almost absent-mindedly twirled some of my hair around my finger. 

Honestly, what was happening to me? 

How had it been the enemy's daughter, of all people, to have done this to me? 

Avery leaned a little closer to me, then, until she had rested her head upon my shoulder. 

My heart was still racing away undeniably but I felt comfortable, too. Safe. For the first time in a long time, I felt safe. 

I bit my lip as my eyes looked towards Avery's, though then almost all too quickly, she stood up from the bed. 

"Do you want to stay here tonight? You could start staying in my room," I offered. 

I didn't think that she would take me up on my suggestion. However, Avery beamed back at me. 

"Awesome! I'll go and get my things," she said and hurriedly made her way out of my room. 

I rested in my bed, as I awaited her return, but soon found myself drifting to sleep.