East Kingdom
— You know, I've been thinking about something.
I started talking and the woman next to me let out an exasperated sigh. I rolled my eyes at her grumpy attitude, right now Freya and I were lying under her huge bed, naked and covered only by her thin silk sheet. We'd been lying here in complete silence for over 30 minutes, after hours of incredible sex, it was usually like this, whenever we finished, Freya would completely shut down, she'd simply act like I wasn't even there. I could just let it go and do the same, but, unluckily for the East queen, I was an annoyingly persistent person.
— No talking right now. — Freya muttered, grumpy.
— As I was saying — I continued, not caring about the murderous look she shot my way —, I was thinking that we never talk about mundane things. It's always about wars, our almost complicated relationship, magic, trauma and stuff like that. — I shared my sudden thought.
— We don't talk about mundane things because that's exactly what they are, mundane. — Freya retorted, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. And honestly, it was.
I let out a frustrated huff and sat up on the bed, facing her, holding the sheet against my chest to cover my nakedness. Sure, it wasn't like the woman in front of me hadn't seen me naked before, but I guess wrapping myself in the sheet instead of being completely naked in front of her would always be one of my habits.
— Come on, Queen, I want to know mundane things about you. — I asked, trying to convince her to come out of her post-sex isolation moment.
Freya rolled her eyes and sat up on the bed, she grabbed my t-shirt that was hanging on a coat rack and put it on. A smile spread across my face for three reasons. First, because she had agreed to have a mundane conversation with me. Second, she looked gorgeous wearing just my t-shirt. And third, I was completely in love with that woman, so anything involving her was reason enough to make me smile.
— Fine, ask me whatever you want to know. — Freya gave in, reluctant.
I smiled even wider and quickly looked for some mundane, silly question to ask the ice lady. I made a list of silly things I'd like to know about her in my head.
— What's your favorite food?
— I don't have one. — she answered, dryly.
— Alright. — I thought for a bit — What's your favorite color?
— None.
— Ok. — I rolled my eyes — What do you, or did you, like to do in your free time? — I asked, already knowing what her answer would be.
— Sex. — Freya stared at me with a mischievous look, making me sigh in irritation.
— You're not even trying. — I scolded, annoyed by her lack of effort — Come on Freya. — I whined — Just try, please. Tell me something you like to do in your free time. — she opened her mouth to say something, most likely inappropriate, when I was quicker and cut her off — Nothing with any sexual or erotic content. — I said.
— Fine, fine. — she gave in, making me smile — There is something, but I haven't done it in years. — Freya said, sounding nostalgic.
— That's okay. What is it? — I asked.
— When I was younger, before I discovered my powers, I used to love ice skating. That was my favorite thing since I was 11, which was when I learned to skate. — I looked at her serene expression with admiration, heavens, everything about her left me in awe — I remember feeling the ice beneath me being cut by the skate blades, I remember the sensation of gliding smoothly across the frozen lake, the cold wind hitting my face, I remember every feeling. I remember I felt like I was flying and how free I felt doing it. — Freya said, her voice wistful.
— I guess, somehow, you were always the beautiful ice lady, weren't you? — I teased.
— Yeah, I guess so. — her voice was soft, like she was still lost somewhere inside her own memories.
I stared at her with a huge urge to hug her, Freya definitely missed her life before that thing that took her into darkness happened. I understood her, I understood what it was like to miss a life you loved but that no longer belonged to you, I understood what it was like to lose everything that was important to you, and most of all, I understood the feeling of knowing that the person you used to be no longer exists.
— I have an idea!
— Oh no. — Freya grumbled.
I ignored her super encouraging reaction and held her right hand. That was another habit I'd picked up, holding one of her hands between mine and drawing imaginary circles on her palm with my fingertips. At first, I remember Freya would pull her hands away from mine and do everything to avoid my touch, but after a while, she started allowing it more. She still doesn't feel completely comfortable with my displays of affection, but she's being more flexible and even getting used to them. These little changes made me happy, they showed that Freya was evolving in this aspect, even if it was slowly.
— How about we go skating? Like, right now. — I suggested, a little nervous. I bit my lower lip while anxiously waiting for her response.
— What? — Freya asked.
— How about we go skating now? — I repeated the question — We're free for the rest of the afternoon, almost all the soldiers, including Megan, are outside the kingdom getting the mirror. None of them will interrupt us, come on, say yes. — I tried to use all my persuasive power.
— I don't have skates. — Freya argued, a bit tempted.
— I can arrange that.
— A frozen lake, smooth and without cracks? — she questioned, raising an eyebrow as if challenging me to find a solution for that.
— You're the ice queen, I'm sure you can arrange that. — I said, smiling in amusement at her reluctant expression.
When Freya didn't retort, I knew I'd already won that argument. She would never admit it, but the fact she didn't counter my answer showed she wasn't going to fight it anymore. The ice lady and I were going skating.
— I'll get the skates. — I was already completely excited.
I grabbed my underwear that was thrown on the floor beside the bed and put it on, got up, looking for my pants around the bedroom floor.
— When did you learn to be so persuasive? — Freya asked, still sitting on her bed.
— I always was. — I smiled while putting on my pants — But spending so much time with you really helped my evolution.
— You're too conceited, little lioness. — Freya's voice was relaxed.
She might not smile openly like I do, but her eyes sparkled with amusement while she teased me. That showed her good mood.
— Realistic. — I defended myself while looking all over the floor for my t-shirt — Where is...
I stopped my own sentence when I remembered where my t-shirt was, I turned my gaze to Freya, who was now sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at me with amusement.
— I'm sorry, Queen, but I'm going to need my t-shirt now. — I said.
— Alright.
Freya got up from the bed and walked toward me until we were face to face. The queen grabbed the hem of the t-shirt with both hands and took it off in a slow, torturous way, my mouth fell open automatically, my gaze fixed on her as if I was hypnotized by every detail of her. And I was, completely.
I didn't even notice when Freya lifted my arms and put the t-shirt on me, she adjusted the clothing on my body and then fixed some strands of my hair that were messy. She held my face between her hands and gave me a lingering peck. It was no surprise when a sigh escaped through my lips as I felt her pull away. Freya didn't even notice actions like this, she did things that proved that, even deep down inside her core, she had some feelings for me. Gestures like the one she just did unconsciously might go unnoticed by her, but not by me, it was these little gestures that fed my hope and made me want, every day, to fight harder for her soul and her heart.
— I'm going to shower while you go on your adventure hunting for skates. — The corner of her lips curved into a smile as she looked at me — You have a little over an hour to find the skates, little lioness. Otherwise, we'll play on the ice another way. — Freya said, uninhibited.
I swallowed hard feeling my body heat up just from her words, it was a true temptation to accept that indecent proposal, but I wanted our relationship to be based on something beyond sex. I also wanted Freya to feel a small part of who she used to be, to come back to life inside herself, even if just for a few minutes. Thinking about that, I stayed firm and opened a confident smile.
— You can control your unbridled libido, Queen. — I let out a short laugh at her reluctant expression — I'll come back with the skates, no buts. — I said, confident.
Freya just rolled her eyes and turned her back to me, walking to her vanity, I smiled to myself, thinking about how good the atmosphere between us was. I loved Freya unconditionally, that wasn't news, but just because I love her doesn't mean everything is butterflies and flowers in our coexistence. The ice queen was a complex person, many wouldn't stay by her side as long as I have, she has good days every once in a while, but most days aren't so good, her stubbornness in believing she has no salvation is always a barrier between us. She has many bad thoughts and attitudes, Freya threw herself headfirst into the darkness and that's very noticeable, but still, it doesn't make me love her less. I believe it's very easy to love someone who's open to everything, who doesn't have deep scars inside them or who radiates humility and kindness, but loving someone who carries a pain that's almost always misunderstood, who's lost in the middle of darkness and who has a long list of sins on their back, is very difficult. Loving someone unconditionally isn't idiocy like many think, love has nothing to do with bad attitudes like supporting someone even when that person is wrong. Love has to do with loving the person regardless of their mistakes, but still helping them see them and fix them, in my view, that's love, loving someone beyond the barriers, the trauma, the past and the future. Just love.
For me, love was Freya.
_
When the time Freya gave me was almost up, I finally found the damn skates. I was heading to her room when I ended up running into Madson on the way, I smiled excitedly and walked over to my best friend.
— Since when do you skate? — she asked, curious and amused.
— Oh, no. — I laughed and shook my head — It's just that Freya told me she used to like skating when she was younger, so I decided to do something nice and take her skating. — I said, my excitement almost palpable.
— And how do you plan to convince the ice lady to accept your proposal? — Madson asked, smiling. My enthusiasm seemed to have infected her too.
Let's just say being in a good mood was as frequent for me as it was rare for Freya.
— She already agreed.
— Wow. — her jaw dropped a few centimeters in surprise — You really are quite convincing, aren't you? — Madson said.
— She's in a good mood today. — I explained, simply.
— Oh, now it makes sense. — Madson teased.
— Girls!
Our conversation was interrupted by a very well-known voice, we turned toward it and soon saw the green-eyed boy coming our way. Sam seemed energetic, his skin shining from the extra layer of sweat, some strands of his short blonde hair stuck to his forehead.
— Why are you so flustered? — I asked.
— I was training, came straight here. Actually, I was heading to my quarters, but I saw you two and decided to come say hi. — Sam smiled sympathetically at us.
— He almost never stops training, he's always researching kingdom subjects and stuff like that. Almost like he's going to become King someday. — Madson said. There was a hint of a smile on her lips as she looked at him.
— Someday, who knows. — Sam answered, staring back at her and smiling.
The moment their eyes met, I noticed the love that existed there, they loved each other and didn't try to hide it, at least, not in front of me. At first, when I found out, I was upset because Madson hadn't told me, but mostly, I was worried about what could happen to them, which almost did happen, actually. But now looking at the two of them together, I see they make each other happy, and mostly, I see how much they love each other. That makes me happy.
— Since when do you skate? — Sam asked with a furrowed brow, staring at the skates in my hand.
— I'm taking Freya skating, she used to like doing it and I decided to do something nice. — I said, shrugging.
— You managed to convince the queen to skate with you? Wow. — Sam seemed just as surprised as Madson.
I guess good and non-cruel things coming from Freya only surprised people other than me.
— It's not that impressive.
— Oh, it is, believe me. — Madson said, crossing her arms and discreetly leaning against Sam.
— Very impressive. — Sam agreed with her — Looks like you know how to convince your girlfriend to do things.
— What? — I almost choked when I heard him refer to Freya as my girlfriend.
"My girlfriend. My girlfriend. My girlfriend!", my mind felt like it was about to explode.
— Your girlfriend. — he repeated, simply — You two are girlfriends now, aren't you? — Sam's thick blonde eyebrow raised, inquisitive.
— Yes. I mean, no. Well, I don't know. — I rambled, confused thinking about it.
I'd only had one girlfriend in my life, her name was Ruby, she was part of my friend group, in my old kingdom, but we were more friends than anything else. So I don't know if we could consider that a relationship, maybe friends with benefits? I don't know. We were very young, the most we did was kiss now and then, so my relationship experience could be considered almost nonexistent. Freya and I had never openly talked about our relationship, we never said anything about how we should consider each other, I don't think about it much, but Sam's question brought me back to this issue. After all, were we girlfriends?
— We haven't talked about it, it's complicated. — my voice was barely a whisper.
— Oh... — Madson seemed embarrassed.
— Labels don't matter. — Sam said, drawing our attention — We know you love her, and she probably loves you too. That's what matters, don't worry so much, shorty. — he ruffled my hair.
— Thank you.
I smiled at him. Sam is a good friend and a good man, I'm glad he's the person Madson chose.
— Now I think you better run, your woman doesn't like to wait. — Madson teased.
— I think you two better stop referring to her in ways like that, you know how she is. — I rolled my eyes and stared at them — I'm going now, so make sure everything stays in order here while we're out, ok? — I asked, already preparing to leave.
They both nodded, I thanked them and hurried out of there, I'd definitely already passed the time Freya had given me. But I went to her room anyway, knocked 3 times on the door before entering. As soon as I entered the room, I felt someone hug me from behind and kiss the side of my neck, my whole body relaxed knowing who it was, I could even feel her mischievous smile against my skin.
— You're late. — Freya whispered, starting to distribute kisses on my neck.
I sighed, almost giving in to her charms right there. I fought against my impulses and managed to compose myself, with great effort on my part, I freed myself from her embrace.
— But I brought the skates. — I lifted the object in my hands and showed her — Let's go skating, Queen, you'll have to control your libido for a few hours. — I said, smiling.
— You're so annoying.
— I know. — I shrugged casually — So, shall we? — I asked, swinging the skates in my hand and raising my eyebrows suggestively.
Freya rolled her eyes, but took one of the pairs from my hand, I smiled at her and I could almost see her holding back a smile in return. This was going to be fun.
_
— Wow. — I exclaimed in surprise as soon as Freya finished using her powers to make the skating rink — I thought you'd freeze some random lake or conjure a smooth layer of ice somewhere, but this is new. — my eyes admired her beautiful work of art.
Contrary to what I imagined, Freya made a beautiful, detailed skating rink even with surrounding protection, she looked at her work seeming very proud.
— It's like I always say, if you're going to do something, give it your best. — Freya recited, turning to me — Time to skate. — she said, putting on her skates and stepping onto the ice rink.
I felt nervousness hit me, I put on my skates and stepped onto the rink, staying right at the edge, holding onto the ice barrier. My legs were trembling and couldn't steady themselves on the skates.
— Um, it would be funny if I said I don't know how to skate, wouldn't it? — I said to Freya. I opened an embarrassed smile.
— You don't know how to skate? — Freya asked, seeming indignant — You wanted to come skating, without knowing how to skate? — she questioned again, putting her hands on her hips and staring at me with a raised eyebrow.
— Um, yes?
Freya sighed and skated over to where I was, the way she did it, it seemed so easy, she seemed to glide over the ice effortlessly.
— Alright, I'll teach you. — she said, serious — Let go of the barrier and support yourself on my shoulders, like you're hugging me. — Freya said, standing in front of me.
I swallowed hard at the thought of letting go of the barrier, I'd definitely fall face-first on that hard ice, but I had no other choice. I let go of the barrier and quickly supported myself on Freya's shoulders, hugging her, when I balanced myself on the skates again, I took a deep breath.
— I won't let you fall, don't worry. — she said, making me look at her — I'll skate backwards while you follow me skating normally, it's like a dance. — Freya said, hugging my waist.
I nodded and looked at my feet, when Freya started guiding us, I followed her, or tried to. At first it was hard, I couldn't balance, but after a while, it kept getting easier. Without me noticing, I was already skating on my own.
— You're doing well. — Freya said, with a small smile on her face.
I got distracted by her small, beautiful smile, and ended up losing my balance again, almost falling on that hard ice, but thanks to Freya, that didn't happen. I hugged her body to keep from falling, she held me by the waist.
— I guess I'm not cut out for this. — I said, laughing at my near fall.
I stopped laughing when I realized Freya remained silent, I stared at her face and noticed she was looking at me intensely, at that moment, I got lost in the beautiful blue of her eyes, which were now in a lighter shade. I felt hypnotized again, it was moments like that that made me believe that, deep down, Freya loved me too, but hadn't given herself the freedom to discover that yet.
— I think I'll never understand why life gave me you, you know? — Freya said, still staring at me.
— And why not? — I asked, my voice low.
— Good things don't happen to bad people. — she said. Her voice was empty, devoid of any feeling.
I was silent for a few seconds. Had she really just admitted that I was a good thing in her life? I opened a lovestruck smile toward her.
— Then I guess that's a sign about what kind of person you are, Freya. — I said affectionately before bringing my face close to hers and placing a lingering kiss on her lips — I guess I'll have to lean on you to skate now. — I commented.
I knew the best thing now was to change the subject, Freya was indeed doing very well in her evolution, but I knew showing emotions was still complicated for her and I didn't want to push her limits too much. Even though, deep down, I was screaming and begging for her love.
— Alright. — Freya agreed, calmly.
I knew she must be thanking me mentally for changing the subject. I smiled affectionately at her and hugged her neck properly, Freya started gliding backwards while I followed her body, our gazes never strayed from each other. Everything that went through my mind at that moment was that I could stay here forever, in the arms of the woman I loved.
_
A few hours later, Freya and I were walking back to the castle, side by side, the silence between us wasn't awkward. We'd spent incredible hours together, but unfortunately, now it was time to go back to reality.
— He killed my daughter.
Freya's voice broke the silence, cold, almost cutting. My heart skipped a beat.
— What?
— A few years ago, you asked me why I killed your sword's former owner and my former lover. — her blue eyes finally fixed on me — He killed my newborn daughter, that's why I killed him.
I stopped walking as soon as she finished her sentence, I was in shock, my mind working overtime to digest all that information. My stomach twisted into a knot, like I'd just been punched.
— But, wasn't he the child's father? — my voice sounded as horrified as I imagined it would.
— He was. — she stopped in front of me — That's why he killed her. — Freya said.
I could feel the pain in her voice, that story still hurt her, and rightfully so. It was terrifying.
— I can't understand... — shock and terror must have been stamped on my expression.
— Every story has a beginning. — Freya sighed heavily — We were two young heirs from different kingdoms who were in love, or that's what I thought at the time. — her expression was cold as she told it, that hard and impenetrable mask I knew so well — Our forbidden romance resulted in a child, a beautiful little girl who won my whole heart as soon as she came into this world. — then pain took over her face, shattering the coldness mask into pieces — Everything seemed perfect, until he was betrothed to a princess from his neighboring kingdom. We were desperate with the news and, like the foolish young people we were back then, we planned to run away with our daughter. — a bitter laugh escaped her mouth — One night we arranged to meet at our usual place, to then go get our daughter and leave that place, I waited for him there for hours, but he never showed up. — her expression changed again, she now carried rage, lots of rage — That's when I saw the smoke coming out of the tower where my daughter's room was, I ran without thinking twice, when I got there, the first thing I saw when I entered the room was the burned crib.... - at that moment her rage was so great that a mist surrounded her body. I could see the smoke and ice sparks emanating from her skin, she was much colder than normal — And the second was the man who claimed to love me, held by soldiers while holding a torch in his hands, it was at that moment that I met my true darkness. — Freya then looked at me, the darkness inside her could be seen through her eyes, they were a dull, lifeless blue — The world is a cruel place. So why should I spare people from my cruelty? - Freya asked, with contempt.
I didn't wait another second to walk toward her, I hugged Freya's body tightly and hid my face in the curve of her neck. My theory about her body temperature was right, I could feel my skin burning when it came into contact with hers, but that wasn't enough to make me let her go. Nothing would be.
— I'm so sorry. — I whispered against her ear — I'm sorry about your former love, I'm sorry about your pain and I'm sorry about your daughter. — I squeezed her body even tighter — I'm so sorry for you, Freya. I'm here now, you're not alone anymore. — I said with all the honesty I could muster.
Freya seemed to calm down, her temperature returned to normal and her skin no longer burned me. She hugged my body back and started caressing my hair.
— Thank you. — Freya whispered.
I smiled, feeling the honesty that single word carried, unlike how it had been at the lake, now it seemed like Freya was leaning on me. That simple idea was enough to warm my foolish heart. A few minutes passed with us two hugging in silence, until I decided to speak.
— Can I ask you something? — I asked, breaking the hug but staying close to her.
— Of course. — Freya answered, looking at me attentively.
— You know — I felt my face blush —, are we two... girlfriends? — I asked, embarrassed.
— Where did that come from? — Freya asked, seeming amused by my embarrassment.
— Oh, it's just — I looked away from her, feeling the shame consume me. Oh heavens — we never talked about it, so I don't know if... you know. — I sighed nervously.
— We can be whatever you want us to be. — Freya said, drawing my attention — Do you want us to be girlfriends? — she asked. I nodded, still a bit hesitant — Then that's what we'll be, little lioness.
Freya sealed that decision, pulling me close and kissing me intensely. Again, my heart skipped its beats, but for a different reason, for a different person. For Freya.
Heavens, how much more could I possibly love this woman?
_
— My Queen!
As soon as we stepped inside the castle, Megan came running toward us, flustered. I rolled my eyes, frustrated at how quickly our peace had ended.
— Good thing you're back, Your Majesty, we brought your mirror. — Megan said, proud as always.
As soon as I heard her sentence, I felt a bad feeling hit me, nothing could get it out of my head that that mirror wouldn't bring anything good.
— Where is it? — Freya asked, anxious.
When Megan informed that the mirror was in the main hall and that the entire army was gathered waiting for her, Freya almost ran toward the hall. I didn't waste time and quickly followed her. When we arrived at the hall, I found Madson and Sam, they were at the throne altar along with 3 other soldiers, taking care of the mirror. As soon as I saw that object emanating a strong evil energy, my bad feeling multiplied. I walked over to my friends, receiving my red sword that I'd left with Madson.
— This is nothing good. — Madson whispered to me, while I adjusted the sword on my back.
— You don't say. — I murmured bitterly. She rolled her eyes.
My attention was completely taken from Madson when Freya stood face to face with the mirror. My heart raced.
— Mirror, mirror on the wall, is there anyone more powerful than me?
Freya recited as if she were casting a very powerful spell, and perhaps she really was. As soon as those words were spoken by Freya, the mirror reacted, part of it began to melt and run down the altar floor, when the melted gold started to become a human silhouette, I reacted. In a matter of seconds, I placed myself in front of the queen and put the blade of my sword against the neck of the silhouette that had now become a beautiful blonde woman, who wore a crown on her head.
— Who are you? — I asked in a firm, icy tone.
— Aren't you going to control your pet, Freya? — the woman asked, smiling maliciously.
My head spun, turning my thoughts into a huge mess.
— Who are you to call the queen by her first name? — I said, irritated, never removing the blade from her neck.
— She's my sister.
Freya, who until that moment remained silent behind me, whispered, stunned. Everything at that moment seemed to disappear around me, Freya's sentence made the ground disappear from under my feet, the blonde woman in front of me stared at me and smiled in an evil way.
— Ravenna. — I whispered, completely in shock. Ravenna smiled even wider.
So it was true. After calm times, came the storms.