Snow White strode forward, ignoring the voices behind her, demanding she stops. They were nobles ashamed of their actions; they were worried guards; they were her dear friends wanting to make sure she was okay, but there was no time. She had to see Grimilde, she had to be sure she was okay. Only her eyes would convince her of that.
"Princess!" A young knight stepped forward and, after a brief reverential bow, escorted the princess to the chamber where the queen was receiving first aid. Along the way, he answered the princess's questions, reporting that the marquis had left and that the royal guards had already begun their investigation to determine whether the nobleman from the Terran province was involved in the treason.
"I want to see him as soon as possible. For now, please ensure that none of those present today leave the area."
"It shall be done, Your Highness." The young man stopped in front of a door and made room for the princess to enter. Snow White saw the doctor first, followed by two women. He was moving his instruments and placing the blood-stained cloths and bandages in a sack. The room smelled of iron and medicine, a mixture that sent shivers down the ebony-haired girl's spine.
"May I come in?" the princess asked hesitantly, looking for Grimilde, but curtains covered the bed, and only the shadow of her figure lying on the mattress could be seen.
"Yes, come in, Your Highness. The queen will need to rest, but she should be fine." The doctor immediately set about reassuring the princess. He was a man with a thick gray beard and a kind expression. He wore glasses perched on the tip of his nose, and he didn't seem inclined to adjust them.
"Thank you for your help." Snow White looked at the doctor but also at the two women, who had likely been present from start to help him with the treatment. One of them blushed and gave a small bow, so did the other: "It is an honor for us to serve the crown, Your Highness."
Snow White waited for everyone to leave, then approached the bed, walking slowly, holding her breath. With every step she took, she felt her heart beating faster, then when she found herself in front of the curtains, she stopped. Her eyes reddened, and Snow White knew she wouldn't be able to hold back the tears, so she let them fall freely. She tried to hide her sobs, to silence herself by covering her lips with a hand, but it was useless. The pain shook her entire body, pounding in her bones, reminding her of what could have happened that day if Astrael hadn't arrived to save them.
She wasn't strong enough, she hadn't been able to protect her queen... a demon had taken care of her, an enemy of their kind.
"Darling? Is that you?"
The princess didn't expect the queen to be awake, so she quickly opened the curtains. She saw her pale, tired, but serene. Her eyes were slightly red and her lips were dry. The princess wasted no time, grabbing a glass from the nightstand next to the bed, filling it with water, and helping her queen take a sip. "How are you feeling?"
"Have you been crying?" Grimilde moved the glass away to caress the princess's face with the hand of her unbandaged arm.
"Don't worry about me. I'm fine. It's you who's hurt..." She smiled bitterly, and Grimilde tried to reassure her, but how could she do so in the face of such obvious pain? She wanted to get up, seize the culprits, and put them on trial; instead, she was forced to remain immobile in a bed in an unfamiliar, hostile house.
"Drink a little, it will do you good."
The queen sipped the water, then raised her eyes to her princess and sighed: "I have many things to talk to you about... but first, come here." Grimilde slowly moved, leaving room on one side of the bed so the princess could lie down with her. "I don't want to hurt you."
"You won't. Come here."
Snow White bit her lip, looking at the white sheet that wrapped around the queen's sensual body and her long, wheat-colored hair, framing her perfect face. Grimilde truly had an unparalleled beauty, even in the most difficult moments of her life. In that calm yet knowing expression, years of obstacles and her stubbornness were evident.
She stretched out along the side of the mattress provided by the queen, and as soon as she rested her head on the pillow, an arm wrapped around her waist. Grimilde brought their faces closer together and when they were comfortable, she spoke: "The sect has summoned a demon to hunt us. His name was Morpheus, a creature from the North who tears the souls of the living beings he encounters and takes them to his shadowy kingdom. Astrael stopped him, he won't hurt us again. I suspect it was him, right from the start, who was hunting us... Edgar, the forest, Aron, that creature chasing you... there are too many coincidences."
Snow White listened carefully, sorting her memories and making sense of everything that had happened in the previous months. Still, many doubts remained, there were many unanswered questions.
"I don't know if Morpheus had a purpose in looking for us... he was probably taking advantage of the sect to capture human souls. Now we have to find the escaped assassins. The guards are already searching the forest. They're wounded and slow, we can find them."
The young woman nodded and brought a hand to the queen's face, caressing her cheek as her eyes lingered on her delicate, feminine features.
"I have something else to tell you..." the queen's voice changed tone and her eyes avoided the princess's.
"What is it?"
"The arrow that hit me was poisoned, and I should have... died in the woods."
The princess froze, not understanding what the queen meant. Die in the woods? But she was clearly alive and right in front of her... "How..."
"I'm immune to some poisons, apparently."
"It's not possible—" Snow White's eyes widened, wondering if she had gone mad. How could someone become immune to poisons?
"Before you think it's madness, Astrael confirmed it."
"Perhaps it's because of the pact you made?"
"No..." Grimilde closed her eyes and She took a deep breath. She moved even closer to the princess, remaining only a few inches away. She began to speak in a whisper, so as not to frighten the girl: "For generations, my family has administered poison to newborns, in small doses, to gradually make them immune. As a child, I often felt weak and was forced to stay in bed, locked in a room while my brothers played outside... I never thought it was for this reason." Her voice trembled, but she didn't cry, she didn't show sadness, only resentment.
"It's a tradition my family carries on even without its children knowing."
Grimilde didn't mention her suspicions about Morpheus and his connection to the north of the continent; there was time for that, besides, they had suffered too many blows that day, and further shocking revelations could wait.
"How about you rest with me for a while?"
"No, I should deal with the culprits..."
"Darling... we'll do it together. Let the guards handle this now. It's their job." Grimilde grabbed her hand, bringing it to her lips to kiss her cold skin. The queen admitted, at least to herself, that she wanted to hold her longer, even if it was selfish to do so.
"Okay... but then I'll go check."
"Okay." The blonde smiled sweetly and pulled the woman to her, holding her in a warm, comforting embrace. The princess rubbed her cheek against the woman's good shoulder and continued to fight back tears for a few minutes, before feeling better thanks to the queen's constant caresses. Wasn't it the princess who was supposed to comfort her?
"How do you feel?"
"I'm sore, but alive."
The young woman's hands traced the blonde's exposed skin, caressing it delicately, then it was her lips' turn. A sweet torture began, at least for Grimilde, who longed to warm the girl's body with her own, but the pain wouldn't allow it. The queen's blue eyes were pools of water, that threatend to engulf Snow White in a whirlwind of love and passion. At that moment, the princess couldn't, and didn't want to hold back, so with infinite delicacy she cupped Grimilde's face in her hands and brought their lips together in a soft, light kiss. It felt like the touch of a butterfly, something fragile and magical.
The queen sighed contentedly and deepened their kiss, sucking and nibbling Snow White's red lips. The princess held back a small gasp and, without realizing it, had shifted on the mattress, her body colliding with Grimilde's. Snow White was no longer afraid of arousal and sexual desire, perhaps because she wanted to stop fearing the future. She could sense the blonde's hunger; they were in tune, just like their bodies craving warmth.
"Darling?" Grimilde whispered, breathless. The princess looked into her eyes, reading something surprising in her gaze. "If we're careful... we could..."
Grimilde blushed, trying to make herself understood in a few words. "W-what?"