East Kingdom
— It's okay… you can do this, you know how to do this. — Freya whispered.
She stood in front of the strategy room, trying to drill into her head the idea that she was capable of doing what she was about to do. It had been so long since Freya had done anything like this, so long since she'd kept herself locked away in her personal bubble, far from everything, and especially, everyone. For a few seconds, Freya let herself think, think about whether she was really ready to take such a big step like this, she knew that for other people maybe her hesitation was an exaggeration, especially considering how much Camilly had already done for her, but it wasn't like the queen was like other people, and it wasn't like other people had been through everything she had been through in her life. Considering how disastrous and traumatizing her last romantic experience was, it was acceptable that Freya was so cautious and hesitant with Camilly and their relationship now.
— Enough. — the queen said in a determined tone, she could do this, she was ready for this.
It was with that thought that Freya entered the strategy room. As soon as her presence filled the place, the two young people who had been talking intimately fell silent.
— Hum… — Freya cleared her throat, preparing for what she was about to say. She had rehearsed this dozens of times in her head before entering the room but, at that moment, what she was about to say sounded pathetic to her — Well, you must be curious about why I called you here, right? — she looked at them with an unreadable expression.
As soon as he heard the queen's words, Madson swallowed hard in a nervous gesture. She had been a bundle of nerves since she entered that room, had no idea what Freya wanted with her and Sam, but given their past interactions, Madson expected nothing good coming from her.
— We are, your majesty. — Sam answered, his voice steady. Deep down, he was just as fearful as his girlfriend, but he had to stay strong, for Madson, after all, it wouldn't be useful if they both got as nervous as the blonde was.
— Very well. — Freya smirked while shifting her attention from Sam to Madson — Calm down, girl, you look like you're about to have a seizure. — she said, ironic.
She didn't like Madson very much, the intimacy she had with Camilly filled her with jealousy, as much as she'd never admit it.
— Sorry, your majesty. — she tried not to show her nervousness — I just… I'm curious about the reason we were summoned. — Madson said, trying not to show that all this anxiety was to find out if Freya would say something about her relationship with Sam.
— Don't worry, I didn't come here to talk about you two's relationship. — Freya said bluntly, making the couple's eyes go wide.
— We, um… what is it about then? — Sam asked, nervous.
He hadn't expected the queen to talk so directly about their relationship, not after what happened behind the castle a while ago. But, apparently, Freya really didn't mince words.
— I came to talk about Camilly. — she said, simply.
The two's expressions went from surprised to confused.
— Did she do something wrong? — Madson asked, now more confident.
When it came to her best friend or Sam, she became braver and firmer. Freya shifted her attention to the young woman, her eyebrows raised at Madson's firm posture, especially considering that just a few minutes ago, she looked like she was about to faint from fear in front of her.
— No. — she answered — Camilly never does anything wrong. — Freya felt like smiling when she remembered her little lioness and how precious she was — I called you here because, as you probably know, Camilly and I are in a kind of… relationship. — she measured her own words, didn't want to show too much sentimentality, at least not to those two.
— Yeah, we know. — Sam said bluntly, only to immediately receive a hard slap from Madson — Ow, why'd you do that? — he complained, massaging the back of his head where the slap landed.
— So you start thinking before you speak. — Madson retorted, reproachful.
— But we do know. — Sam said, confused. He got another slap, even harder and in the same spot — Hey, stop that, Mads. — he said, wincing.
Freya watched the scene in silence, while the two got into an argument about how it wasn't nice to hit your partner, the queen let herself smile, amused. She had to admit, those two looked good together, at that moment, she thanked Camilly for stopping her from killing them. When she realized she was wasting time with that, Freya cleared her throat, getting the attention of the two who had until then forgotten her presence in the room. Automatically, the couple fell silent, desperately hoping they hadn't pissed off the queen.
— Sorry to interrupt you two's important discussion. — she began, sarcastic — But I can't waste any more time, Camilly will be back from her patrol around the kingdom in less than two hours. — Freya said.
— Your majesty still hasn't told us why you summoned us. — Madson reminded her, a bit hesitant.
— Oh, right. — the queen straightened up, her imposing pose didn't match at all what she was about to ask — I… — she pressed her lips together, reluctant, only the gods knew how hard this was for her — I need your help. — Freya said all at once, stumbling over her words.
Sam and Madson raised their eyebrows, surprised, both were gaping as they stared at Freya, neither of them could believe what they had just heard. Freya, the feared queen of the East, the ice lady, had just asked them for help with something? Oh yes, that was definitely something to be shocked about.
— And… — Sam cleared his throat, trying to recover from the momentary shock — What does your majesty need our help with? — he asked, still surprised to be saying those words.
Freya sighed heavily, now came the hardest part of her plan, having to share it with someone other than herself.
— I want to do something — she searched for the right word — special, for Camilly. — Freya said, trying not to sound too romantic or sentimental.
— You want to do a romantic surprise for her? — Madson said, without realizing. That had definitely surprised her more than the request for help.
— Call it what you want. — Freya deflected — The point is… — the queen looked away to some random spot, feeling embarrassed for the first time in a long time — it's been a long time since I've done something like this and I have no idea what to do. — she admitted all at once, deciding to stop stalling — That's why I called you two, since you're both so… — she searched for a word that wouldn't sound too offensive coming from her mouth — sentimental?
Madson and Sam exchanged confused looks, was that a compliment or an insult? It was hard to tell from the queen's tone, everything always sounded sarcastic or ironic coming from her mouth, only Camilly could decipher her, and sometimes, even she couldn't.
— That's fine. — Madson tried to understand what was happening, it was a lot of news at once — I think we can help you with that. — she said, kindly.
— You must help, I am your queen. — Freya blurted out without realizing, but she quickly corrected herself — I mean, thank you. — she said, with great effort.
That wasn't something you'd expect from her, if this were a few years ago, she wouldn't even be here in this room, but that was before. Before Camilly.
— You don't need to thank us. — Madson noticed how much Freya was struggling with this — Anything that makes Camilly happy, makes me happy too. — she said, sincere.
Freya found herself surprised by the younger girl's words, a strange feeling of empathy filled her, Madson loved Camilly, she was a good friend and cared about the happiness of her little lioness. That made her feel strangely… happy.
— Well… — Freya composed herself and stared at them with her well-known neutral expression — What do you suggest?
Madson and Sam looked at each other, excited, they seemed to communicate through glances, yes, they had both had the same idea.
— A dinner. — Sam said, who, like Madson, wore a smile on his face — But it has to be in a special place, one that means something to you two. — he suggested, thoughtful.
— I know! — Madson exclaimed, excited, then immediately composed herself — How about on the castle tower balcony? — she suggested, proud of her own idea — Camilly always tells me how magical that place is, plus, she says you look beautiful watching the sunset up there.
Freya felt a youthful euphoria consume her when she heard Madson's words, so Camilly had said she looked beautiful under the sunset? That made her heart race annoyingly.
— And besides — Madson began, timidly — That's where Camilly realized she was completely in love with you, right after almost kissing you for the first time. — she said.
The queen frowned, confused about how Madson could know all those things. But, she soon remembered that she and Camilly were close confidants.
— Alright, a dinner on the castle balcony. — Freya thought to herself, it wasn't a bad idea after all — I guess it could work. — she said, making the two smile.
— You can leave it to us, your majesty, if it depends on us, everything will be perfect. — Sam said, confident. He was a lover of romance.
— Sam's right. — Madson agreed with her partner — Oh my, Camilly is going to fall over backwards when she sees what we did. — Madson spoke, even more excited.
— You two will have to control yourselves. — Freya warned — No one besides us three and Camilly can know about this, understand? — she asked, deadly serious.
— Yes, your majesty. — the two agreed promptly.
— I have to handle something right now, can I leave the preparations with you two? — Freya asked, cautious about leaving most things in their hands.
— You can count on us, my queen. — Madson said.
Freya took a deep breath and decided to trust the couple's word, she went over a few more details with them, like the food that would be served at dinner, the queen opted for a meal with plenty of cheese, accompanied by a delicious wine, and for dessert, something simple but no less wonderful, strawberries with cream. Freya had chosen this menu for a particular reason, she and Camilly had eaten this on their picnic atop the mountain during a beautiful sunset, the only difference was that now it wasn't the little lioness in charge of the surprise. When everything was settled, Freya left the room, leaving behind the two, who launched into an animated conversation about how the surprise would be.
The queen walked through the castle hallways calmly, she felt a bit anxious for that night, it was a new and strange feeling, but Freya couldn't deny she liked it. She liked all the feelings Camilly made her feel, even if they confused her most of the time. Her moment of wandering thoughts was interrupted when she came across a familiar figure coming her way, Megan.
— Your majesty. — the woman uttered in a desperate tone —, I was looking for you. — Megan said, with a smile that was almost psychotic.
Freya observed the woman in front of her carefully, Megan moved her body frantically, her eyes were somewhat wide, on her lips was a wide, forced smile, and her breathing was irregular. Certainly, that woman didn't seem to be having a good day, the queen thought.
— And what would be the reason? — Freya asked, cautious.
Megan said nothing, just took a few steps towards the queen in an attempt to kiss her. Freya quickly dodged the other woman's touch and pushed her, causing her to fall sitting on the floor.
— Have you lost your mind? — Freya asked, her voice raised.
Megan must have finally gone mad, there was no other explanation. The former general of the East Kingdom dragged herself until she was at the queen's feet, she grabbed Freya's dress and started crying compulsively.
— Please, come back to me, you know I'm the only one who really understands you! — Megan said, amidst tears.
Freya was stunned by Megan's sudden outburst, she tried to make the other woman let go of her dress, but it was hard, the general was holding it with great force.
— Megan, stop this. — Freya spoke, trying to be less explosive than she used to be, after the incident with King Stefan, she was trying to control her darkness as much as she could.
— You know that girl isn't for you! — she shouted — She'll leave you sooner or later, but I would never leave you, my queen. — Megan said, still kneeling on the floor.
She spoke everything rapidly, stumbling over her words. At that moment, the general was truly out of control.
— Enough! — Freya shouted, pushing her hard back to the floor, making Megan release her dress — I will never sleep with you again, Megan. — she began, her voice laced with coldness — You never even meant anything to me, stop acting like we ever lived a fairy tale romance, what we had was nothing but sex. — she looked at her with contempt — You're nobody to say whether Camilly is for me or not, I said it once and I'll say it again. Here, you are nothing.
Megan remained on the floor, stunned, staring at the woman in front of her, the hatred she felt for Camilly only grew in that moment. It was all her fault, her life had been ruined since that girl arrived in the kingdom, she had destroyed her life.
Freya looked confusedly at Megan, who remained on the floor staring blankly at some spot in complete silence, the queen shook her head and decided not to waste more time with that pathetic being the general had become. Besides, she needed to do something very important that would be part of her surprise for Camilly. The Queen smoothed out her dress and stared at Megan one last time before leaving through the hallway and leaving the other woman behind. After Freya disappeared through the corridors, Megan got up from the floor clumsily, she practically forced her body to walk to a specific room in the castle. Upon arriving at the place she wanted, Megan entered the room without even knocking.
Ravenna, who was looking at herself in the room's large mirror, didn't even flinch at the other woman's intrusion.
— So? How did it go? — the sorceress asked, even though she already knew the answer. She could see it from Megan's expression. Just as she had intended.
— Everything happened just like you said it would. — Megan spoke, her voice heavy with tears and anger — She humiliated me and defended that damn brat! — she cursed.
— Oh, my sweet Megan. — Ravenna turned to the other woman and walked towards her — I told you, Freya is obsessed with that girl. — she said, caressing Megan's face, her voice carrying a false tone of affection.
— This won't end like this, I won't allow it! — Megan said, possessed by rage.
— I know you won't. — the sorceress smiled wickedly — I can help you with that, get Freya back, but you have to accept my help. — Ravenna said, perfectly measuring each word.
— I accept, whatever you're planning, I accept. — Megan said without even thinking straight, hatred was blinding her.
Ravenna opened a perverse smile upon hearing Megan's words, at that moment, everything was going according to her plan. Soon she would have everything she desired, it was just a matter of time, all Ravenna had to do was follow line by line what was predicted.
_
Camilly entered the great ice castle with short, dragging steps, the young woman felt her body exhausted, it had been quite a patrol around the kingdom, a group of, maybe looters, ambushed them at the end of the patrol. She and the other 3 soldiers managed to defeat them, but of course that required a lot of strength and effort from both, all Camilly wanted now was to rest alongside the woman who made her heart beat faster, certainly, Freya was a cure for all her pains, even when she was the cause of them. Camilly touched the considerably painful cut on the right side of her face, one of the remnants of the battle she faced a few hours ago, she bit her lower lip, bothered by the slight pain she felt when touching the wound.
It didn't take long for the same thought that had invaded her mind a few hours ago to return. Why would looters engage in a direct confrontation with the queen's soldiers? That didn't make sense, the attack seemed planned.
— But by whom? — Camilly asked herself.
A heavy sigh escaped the young woman's lips, she would have to leave thinking about these things for later, now she felt exhausted and incapable of doing anything that wasn't being with her incredibly beautiful girlfriend. Camilly headed to Freya's room, which was the place she thought the queen would be, she opened the bedroom door without even knocking, that was already normal for her, she practically slept there every day, and Freya knew she was the only person who would have the audacity to enter her room without knocking. At first, the queen didn't like it when Camilly did that, but over time she got used to it, and even if she didn't admit it, at the end of each day, she actually looked forward to the moment Camilly would enter her room and throw her own clothes carelessly on the floor.
— Freya? — she called while scanning her eyes across the entire room.
She wasn't there? That's weird, Camilly thought.
The young woman took off her brown leather jacket and placed it on the huge queen-sized bed in the room, she walked to the bathroom hoping to find Freya, but again found nothing. Camilly frowned, it was already late, and she knew her queen very well to know that by this hour she was usually in her room taking a long bath. So why wasn't she today?
Already somewhat worried, Camilly decided to leave the room and go look for the older woman, she put on her inseparable brown leather jacket again and left the room. She walked through the castle corridors while thinking of a place where Freya might possibly be, until, to her relief, she spotted Madson right ahead, Camilly hurried over to her.
— Mads? — she called, as soon as she approached the other — Have you seen the queen? I can't find her anywhere. — Camilly asked, her eyebrows furrowed in a confused expression.
— Oh. — Madson gave a forced smile, mentally wondering if she could already tell the queen's whereabouts — I don't…
She was about to give a lame excuse to Camilly when her boyfriend interrupted the conversation and hugged her by the shoulders.
— We saw her heading to the castle balcony a few minutes ago, shorty. — Sam said, receiving a confused look from Madson.
The boy gave a discreet wink to his girlfriend, as if assuring her that everything was ready, thus calming her down.
— Thanks, Samy. — Camilly said, giving the two a tender smile.
She passed by them and headed towards the castle balcony. When Camilly was considerably far, Madson turned around in Sam's arms, facing him, she stared at him with an excited smile.
— So?
— Everything went well. — Sam answered, a proud smile on his face, which was soon met with a kiss from his girlfriend.
— That's incredible. — Madson exclaimed, excited — They deserve to be happy. — she said.
— We all deserve it. — Sam said, tucking one of the strands of Madson's hair behind her ear.
— Yes… — she smiled, lovingly — We all deserve it. — Madson repeated, before kissing Sam tenderly.
Both smiled amidst the kiss, they truly believed that someday, even if distant, everyone would be happy.
When Camilly arrived in front of the tower balcony, she looked confusedly at the closed doors in front of her, the balcony was always open, who had closed the doors? She wondered.
Camilly opened the doors and entered the large castle tower balcony, the young woman walked slowly to the middle of the place while looking confusedly at the perfectly placed and organized candlelit table there, what was that?
Before she could say anything, Camilly felt a pair of hands rest on her shoulders and begin to remove the jacket she was wearing, she didn't even need to turn around to know who those hands belonged to. Her body and her subconscious already knew perfectly well who they were.
— You took your time. — Freya whispered behind her, while finishing taking off her jacket and tying it around her waist. Giving the impression she was hugging Camilly from behind.
Camilly smiled upon feeling the queen's body behind her, now she was starting to understand what was happening.
— I was looking for you, Queen. — she said, eyes closed.
She felt Freya drag her hands along the entire length of her newly exposed arms until resting them on her shoulders again. Freya smirked upon feeling the young woman's skin prickle at her touch, she held Camilly by the shoulders and turned her so she was facing her. Her smile faded when she came across the cut on the right side of Camilly's face.
— What happened to your face? — Freya asked, examining the cut.
Noticing the change in the other woman's tone, Camilly opened her eyes, coming face to face with a pair of blue orbs staring at her with concern.
— We were ambushed during the patrol, but everything ended fine, you don't need to worry. — Camilly said, offering a slight smile, she didn't want to worry Freya.
— An ambush? — the queen asked, her voice heavier — Tell me who was responsible, because I'll destroy them right now. — Freya demanded, angry.
How dare they try to hurt her little lioness?
Camilly looked at her, debating whether or not to share her doubts about the ambush's purpose, she ended up deciding to keep them to herself, no matter how strange it had been. The men who had ambushed them simply disintegrated in front of her when struck by her sword, like glass.
— It's okay. — the young woman touched the queen's face — I already handled everything, they were just some stupid looters. — Camilly said, trying to convince both Freya and herself.
The queen stared at Camilly, analyzing her expressions, despite seeing a small trace of doubt on her face, Freya could see she was telling the truth about thinking she had handled everything.
— Right. — Freya gave her a closed-lipped smile — Let me heal that cut.
The queen used her powers to create a bit of her shining snow. Freya leaned her torso slightly, to be at the younger girl's height, Camilly was a few centimeters shorter than her. The queen scooped up some snow with her index finger and began to lightly pass it over Camilly's wound. While Freya spread the magical snow on her injury, Camilly observed every detail of her face, which wore a concentrated expression, she had a discreet smile on her lips and her eyes seemed to shine as they stared at Freya.
— What is it? — Freya asked, in a light and playful tone, when she noticed, after finishing healing the wound, that the young girl was staring fixedly at her.
— I just like looking at you, Queen. — Camilly said, a tender smile on her face.
Freya caressed her right cheek, which now bore no cut, and brought her face close to hers, taking Camilly's lips in a soft and tender kiss, which wasn't typical of her. However, she had decided, at least on that day, she wouldn't be the typical Freya.
— I think we should have dinner, or the food will get cold. — Freya said, pulling away slightly, without removing her hand from her face.
— Dinner?
Camilly was still a bit dazed from the kiss she had just received.
— Dinner. — Freya repeated.
She guided the younger one to the table and made Camilly sit, then took the seat right across from the young woman.
— I hope it's to your liking. — Freya spoke, placing the napkin on her own lap.
Camilly looked at the plate in front of her, on it was a good amount of pasta with white sauce and cheese, then her gaze fell on the wine glass and the bowl with strawberries and cream, that seemed familiar to her. An inevitable smile spread across her face.
— You made dinner for me? — Camilly asked, staring at the woman across the table.
— Well. — Freya began, somewhat shy —, I wanted to do something to thank you for all the effort you've put in over the last few months. — she said sincerely.
Camilly felt her heart warm, it really was Freya who had planned everything, that brought her such great happiness that it was impossible not to smile.
— Are you into giving thanks now? — Camilly joked.
— If you knew how many thank-yous I said today, you'd be surprised. — Freya returned the joke.
Camilly let out such a genuine laugh that it even made her eyes close for seconds, that made the queen smile openly, which happened rarely, and coincidentally or not, it was always because of Camilly.
— I thank you, Queen. — she said, now only a slight smile on her face — Thank you.
Freya just nodded while smiling faintly. The two began their dinner, both exchanged a few words and glances while eating, the dinner stretched on for over half an hour, when they finished the savory part of the meal, dessert soon came.
— You know… — Camilly began, after eating a strawberry with cream — This dinner really reminded me of the things we ate on the day I took you to see the sunset. — she opened a suggestive smile.
— Is that so? — Freya feigned ignorance.
She might have been more transparent that day, but she still wouldn't give in, letting Camilly know she had chosen this menu precisely for that reason.
— Yes. — Camilly stared at her with a smirk and a playful expression.
— Must have been your friends' doing. — Freya said, shrugging.
Camilly dropped the playful expression and replaced it with a surprised one. Her heart lurched in her chest and a rosy hue tinged her cheeks.
— You're talking about Madson and Sam? — she asked — They helped you with the dinner? — Camilly asked, surprised.
— Like I said. — the queen shrugged, unconcerned — I had to say a lot of thank-yous today. — Freya murmured. She calmly ate one of the strawberries.
Camilly opened a wide smile while staring at her, without a doubt, she was even happier now.
— I'm proud of you.
Camilly couldn't help but say it. She knew how hard it was for Freya to show what she felt or thought, and seeing everything she had done, filled her with pride. Freya stared intensely at her, then, a simple smile adorned her lips. She felt at peace there, staring into those brown eyes that brought her so many sensations.
— Um… — Freya broke the intense eye contact that had formed — I have something for you. — The queen got up from her seat and walked until she was behind Camilly's chair — Can you stand up, please? — she asked.
Camilly stood up from the chair and then pushed it back towards the table, Freya moved even closer to her and brushed her brown hair to the side. Camilly felt her breath catch in her throat when the queen gave a quick kiss on the back of her neck.
— I hope you like it, I made it myself. — Freya said, before placing a beautiful ice necklace, with a sun pendant, around her neck.
Camilly held the pendant in the palm of her hand and admired it, completely in love upon noticing how detailed it was. She turned to Freya, still not taking her eyes off the little sun.
— It's beautiful. — she whispered, enchanted. She lifted her gaze and stared at Freya — You have one too. — Camilly commented, touching the moon pendant necklace around the queen's neck.
— I do. — Freya took her own pendant and Camilly's in her hands — I am the moon and you are the sun, you illuminate me and keep the darkness of the night from consuming me entirely. — the queen shifted her gaze to Camilly, one lost in the other's look, a one-way trip, which only they knew — You are my sun, little lioness. — Freya said, with an honesty she had never used before.
Camilly stared at her while feeling butterflies dance in her stomach, for seconds, she almost let those 3 feared words escape her mouth. But, instead, she just smiled lovingly, bringing her face close to Freya's and kissing her. Kissing her with all the love she felt. At that instant, anyone passing by and seeing them could say, with absolute certainty.
Camilly's heart beat for that woman, beat for Freya.