East Kingdom
— I'm not happy about this and you know it. — Freya stared at me seriously, both arms crossed.
I breathed deep, holding myself back from snapping back at her. As long as the other soldiers were nearby, I'd have to control my reckless tongue. I made sure to finish adjusting the saddle on the big horse in front of me, and when it was properly set, I turned toward Freya, returning her serious gaze.
— And I, your majesty — I emphasized the formal title — already told you this is the only way. — I paused a few seconds, going over our options in my head — But if it really bothers your highness to try this peace treaty with the North Kingdom, I can reposition some of our troops and try to strengthen our attack plan. — different scenarios started forming in my head. I was already drifting — I can pull three soldiers from the front line and place them around you so your safety isn't compromised. Then I could replace them and take command of the army at the front. — I smiled, confident in my own plan — Oh yes, that could work.
I was pulled from my daydreaming by the sound of the horse neighing, I looked confused at the woman who had mounted the animal with impressive speed.
— Let's just get this over with. — Freya said, reluctantly.
— I thought you didn't like the idea of trying an alliance with another kingdom. — I dared to tease a little.
— I don't. — Freya stared me down with an intimidating look — But I liked your second option even less.
I smiled, knowing she had hated the idea of me being on the front line of the army, Freya might not be direct about things like that, but I knew the ice lady worried about my safety. Sure, it wasn't always that I had this much confidence in the feelings Freya supposedly carried and hid in her heart, but I firmly believed in the old saying. Hope is the last to die.
— Whatever you say, my queen. — I teased, mounting another horse.
Freya didn't answer me, just rolled her eyes and started riding her horse. I looked at the two soldiers behind us and signaled for them to follow. Leonel and Finn were frontline soldiers, they'd already faced three wars in the East's name, they share the same room in the castle, they're calm and even fun guys, a good choice for our peace journey. I rode side by side with the queen while they followed silently behind us, Freya's presence intimidated them, which didn't surprise me at all, she can be punishing and intimidating when she wants. I turned my gaze back to the woman beside me.
I knew Freya didn't like the idea of having to ally with another kingdom, especially one ruled by an unpleasant man like Stefan, but this was unavoidable. After spending weeks studying Snow White's kingdom, I realized our army's number of soldiers was worryingly smaller than theirs, which would obviously put us at a disadvantage. So I decided that an alliance, even if temporary, with another kingdom would take away some of that disadvantage. It wasn't easy convincing the ice queen of this, but she had to accept it, after all, we were all trapped in a huge bind and, even though I didn't want to put this weight on Freya, Ravenna was the main one to blame for all of it.
We hadn't even been riding for half an hour when Freya pulled her horse's reins, making it neigh and stop abruptly. We were forced to stop right behind her, I stared at her surprised and somewhat confused.
— I hate riding horses. — she got off the animal and came to my side. I didn't understand her attitude, until she suddenly pulled me off my horse, I let out a surprised scream, thinking my face was about to become part of the ground, but Freya held me firmly before that could happen — I'll transport us halfway there. And you two... — she turned her attention to Leonel and Finn — make sure you catch up and don't forget to bring our horses. — she ordered.
— Fre... majesty. — I got her attention — Are you sure this is necessary? There's no reason to do this. — I said, frowning.
— Of course there is. – Freya smiled, sarcastic — It's because I want to.
I sighed, knowing it was useless to try changing her mind, her persistence was almost as strong as mine. Freya approached and placed her left hand on my shoulder, her hand fit perfectly into the mark she had made on me when I arrived at her kingdom, that made a shiver run down my spine. The sensation of almost dying that she had made me feel was still very vivid in my mind and body.
Freya seemed to notice my reaction, she took her hand off my shoulder and looked at the mark there, I think it had been so long since Freya made that mark on me that she had even forgotten about it. I had other scars too, which made her mark seem like just another part of my collection of war scars, it went almost unnoticed compared to the others. I could perfectly see her reactions, first was surprise, she really had forgotten about it, or maybe she had just gotten so used to seeing it that she ended up forgetting its meaning. Over time, scars just become marks on the skin, whoever looks at them sees nothing but unpleasant spots and bumps on the surface, the truth is, the only person who doesn't forget the meaning of a scar is the one who carries it on their skin. In the current state of my relationship with Freya, no one would ever imagine that when we first met, we nearly killed each other. Her other reaction was what surprised me, a sad look took over her beautiful blue eyes and then I knew how to read her, Freya felt guilty about that. That saddened me too, I knew Freya wasn't the same person she was four years ago, but unfortunately, she still thought she was.
— It's okay. — I held her hand and placed it back on my shoulder, exactly over the mark — We're not the same people we were before. — I stated, offering a small smile.
Freya smiled, a simple curve of her lips, and her look became tender as she stared at me. I felt my heart race having that kind of gaze on me, that's when I realized, along with the fire burning in my chest, the sensation of almost dying was no longer as vivid as that look.
— We're already leaving. — I shifted my gaze from Freya to the soldiers — You heard the queen, catch up to us and don't forget the horses. — I said firmly.
— Yes, miss. — Leonel responded while Finn gave a quick salute.
I smiled politely at them, I could command the army but that didn't mean I couldn't be kind. Besides, the two weren't bad guys, maybe a little immature, after all they were only a few years older than me. I turned my gaze back to Freya and breathed deep, I didn't like magic, I'd had too many bad experiences because of it, things involving it only brought destruction and death, the living proof of that was Ravenna. And also, I had never teleported before.
— Calm down, little lioness. — she seemed annoyingly amused — It's not as bad as you think. — Freya said calmly.
— Sure. — I muttered, suspicious — Just... be quick, please. — I asked nervously.
Freya smiled and shook her head, not believing how scared I was being at that moment. I held onto her left arm to make sure she wouldn't let go of me and I'd end up lost in parallel universes or something. Okay, that might be a bit exaggerated, but maybe it could happen, right?
Freya raised her left hand and made a gesture with it as if she were wrapping something with her hand, thousands of snowflakes enveloped us at incredible speed, I closed my eyes and for a second, just a second, I felt the ground beneath my feet disappear. Soon I felt it return, I lost my balance a little from the sudden sensation and hugged Freya's body, when I opened my eyes, I noticed the snow was no longer around us, we were now somewhere else, in the middle of a vast, warm forest, very different from the East.
— Wasn't so bad, was it? — Freya asked, staring at me. I was still hugging her body, like a scared child.
I slowly let go of her body and scratched the back of my head embarrassedly, feeling my cheeks warm up. I smiled, awkward.
— Yeah, it wasn't so bad. — I admitted, not looking directly into her eyes.
— You know — Freya approached slowly, she ran her hand along the bottom of my back, wrapping one arm around my waist — I didn't teleport us here just because I don't like riding horses. — her blue eyes seemed to flood me.
I smiled weakly seeing her pupils dilate and the blue of her eyes grow darker. I hugged Freya around the neck and brought my face close to hers.
— What would the other reason be? — I asked, feeling Freya's breath against mine. I closed my eyes.
I could feel Freya getting closer, ready to kiss me, when the sound of a branch snapping in the forest put me on alert. Within seconds, I abruptly pulled Freya's body against mine and drew my sword, pointing it in the direction the sound came from, I opened my eyes, already knowing, from how heightened my senses were, that they had turned red. My entire body was on alert, any strange sound or movement that might indicate danger to Freya's safety or mine would be easily noticed by me and then destroyed.
Carefully, I moved Freya behind me, held my sword more firmly and prepared for whatever was coming. That's when another sound in the forest caught my attention, in a quick movement, something leaped from the bushes toward us, I was ready to strike the element with my sword when I noticed that, contrary to what I thought, it wasn't a wild animal indicating danger, but a small, and very cute, white rabbit.
— Truly, he's terrifying. — Freya mocked, positioning herself beside me and staring at the little furball in front of us.
— I couldn't take any chances. — I rolled my eyes.
I put my sword back in the compartment on my back and crouched down in front of the little rabbit. I cautiously brought my hand toward it so it wouldn't get scared, the little creature didn't back away or run when I petted it, I smiled widely feeling its white, soft fur against my hands. It was so adorable.
— I didn't know you liked animals. — Freya commented, leaning beside me to observe the rabbit.
— I love animals. — I kept petting the little rabbit — They're so pure, they say they're the creatures that love most in this world. — I said, smiling as I felt the little bunny lick my hand.
— All I see is a furball. — Freya had her brow furrowed in a funny expression.
— Oh, come on, Queen. — I picked up the rabbit and stood, lifting it toward Freya — Pet it, you'll see how adorable it is.
— I don't think that's a good idea. — she hesitated — He might pull back, you know very well my skin is much colder than yours. — Freya said. She seemed very shy and embarrassed.
I felt my heart squeeze seeing how insecure Freya still was about the temperature of her skin, I still remember a few years ago when she asked me if I didn't feel the coldness of her skin and that's why I didn't pull away from her touch. I knew the ice lady very well, and I knew that, despite all her armor of authority and coldness, she carried a lot of fear and insecurity.
— That's not true. — I gently held her hand and brought it to the rabbit — See — I smiled while staring at her —, this is why I love animals, he doesn't care if your skin is warm or cold, or if you're a commoner or a queen, he only cares about what you really are. — I sighed, her beautiful blue eyes sparkled while they paid attention to the small animal in my arms — Just like me. — the words escaped me.
Freya shifted her attention from the animal to me, I felt my cheeks blush under her gaze. To my surprise, a small smile appeared on her lips, she brought one of her hands to the side of my face. Freya moved closer.
— I think I like animals much more now. — Freya said, smiling openly.
The queen moved even closer and sealed her lips to mine, I closed my eyes feeling the familiar electric waves course through my entire body and the butterflies dance in my stomach. It was always like this, no matter how many times I kissed her, or how many years from now I did it, it would always be as intense and magical as if it were the first time, if it was with her. If it was with Freya.
— Shouldn't we find a place to set up camp? — I questioned, watching her attentively.
— Something else has my attention at the moment. — her lips curved, Freya was seducing me again.
I felt the rabbit hop from my lap to the ground and didn't even care, I took advantage of my now free arms and hugged Freya's neck.
— A queen shouldn't lose focus so easily, don't you think? — I teased while dragging my lips along her jaw.
— That'll be our little secret then. — Freya returned, slipping her hand into my shirt.
I could feel Freya's icy hand against my abdomen, feeling the coldness of her skin against mine, which at that moment seemed to be on fire, a pleasant shiver ran through my body. The queen dragged her index fingernail from the top of my belly to the belt of my pants, which she held and used to pull me closer.
— Oh goodness...
— Who's losing focus now? — Freya whispered against my ear.
— That can be our little secret. — I returned the same answer she had given me seconds ago.
Her eyes fixed on mine.
— You are my little secret.
I didn't wait a single second to hold the face of the woman in front of me between my hands and pull her into an urgent kiss. I slid my tongue between Freya's lips and made it come into contact with hers, when our tongues met that familiar slow dance began, they entwined and brushed against each other slowly, sending millions of sensations through my body. I would never get tired of this.
As the need to breathe became present, we stopped the kiss, when we fully separated, I let my arms fall and wrap around Freya's torso. I pulled her closer and hugged her body, rested my head on her chest and closed my eyes while smelling her perfume invade my nostrils, giving me a pleasant sensation I hadn't felt in a long time. The feeling of being home.
— I missed this. — I confessed, still hugged to her body.
— It's been a while, hasn't it? — Freya said with a serene voice, seeming focused on stroking my hair.
— Too long. — I grumbled.
Since we had accepted the war against Snow White, Freya and I barely had time to see each other, I spent almost the entire day locked in the strategy room reading and studying about our enemy kingdom, making attack plans and studying every possible possibility to win that war. Freya was, like me, busy with war preparations, and also attending to her sister's requests. So, we barely talked during the last few weeks, the most we did was sleep in the same bed, exhausted after a long and tiring day.
— You've been pushing yourself too hard these past weeks. — Freya held my face and lifted it, making me look at her — You look tired and have dark circles. — she said, stroking my face with her fingers. Her expression showed a mix of dissatisfaction and concern.
— I'm fine.
I tried to sound confident, which didn't help much. A yawn escaped my mouth before I could hold it back.
— No, you're not. — she frowned, upset — I want you to start taking better care of yourself. — Freya said seriously, still holding my face between her hands.
— Hey. — I placed my hands over hers and made her let go of my face — I'm fine, really. — I repeated, trying to make Freya not worry about me.
— I know you're not. — she insisted — Listen, little lioness, I know you like to protect people, I know that's part of you, of who you are, and I know I'm the person you risk yourself most for. But I want you to start taking better care of yourself, just like you take care of the people you love. — she caressed my face — You have a big and beautiful heart, it's almost unfair not to use it for yourself too, so take a little of the love you usually give to others and use it on yourself. — Freya asked me gently.
— I don't know if I can. — I confessed.
I only noticed the tears wetting my eyes when one of them ran down my face, sliding across my skin like the cold, sharp tip of a knife. Freya had touched on a subject I always avoided, I didn't even usually think about that, after all, how could I do that? How could I love someone who was so useless they couldn't even protect their own family? someone who killed dozens of men and women on battlefields and doesn't even have the courage to admit it?
How could I love myself after everything?
— It's okay. — Freya's voice pulled me from my thoughts — You don't have to manage it, not today, just try little lioness, promise me you'll try. — she asked, looking deep into my eyes.
— I promise. — I said, offering a small smile toward her.
— Good. — her lips curved briefly — Now, young lady, you're going to sleep. — Freya was back to being authoritative.
— What? I'm not going to leave you alone, the soldiers will still take a few hours to get here. — I argued, not wanting to give in to her idea.
— I am the queen of the East, Camilly. — Freya smiled, conceited — Believe me, I can take care of myself.
I grumbled, knowing she wouldn't change her mind. After much insistence from Freya, I gave in, made her promise that if anything happened she would wake me up. I lay down near a tree that was there, took off my jacket and used it as a pillow, I only realized how tired I was when I closed my eyes and fell asleep within minutes.
It didn't take long for my nightmares to start, soon there I was, lost in an endless darkness while hearing the agony screams of people I didn't even know who they were. The only thing I could see were the red, flaming eyes in the middle of the darkness, that never stopped watching me.
Not even in my dreams did the darkness stop surrounding me.
_
— Little lioness.
I felt someone gently shake my body, waking me from my sleep. I opened my eyes slowly, noticing the sky was already getting dark, automatically, I raised my body in a quick and abrupt motion from the shock.
Heavens, how many hours did I sleep?
— But what... — before I could finish my sentence, someone covered my mouth with their hand, making my eyes widen.
— Shh. — Freya signaled for me to be quiet. She brought her mouth to my ear — You wouldn't want to wake those two, would you? — she asked, pointing toward Leonel and Finn, who slept sitting on the ground.
I frowned in confusion, realizing I had slept so long that the soldiers had already caught up to us.
— Come with me. — Freya whispered.
She pulled me by the hand, forcing me to stand, Freya started dragging me through the forest. It didn't take long for us to reach a campfire a bit away from the main camp, I stared at Freya without understanding.
— I thought it would be better if we stayed a little away from them. Alone. — Freya explained, casually — Come, sit here.
She sat on a fallen tree trunk on the ground and pulled me to sit right after. Freya picked up a bag that was beside her on the ground and took out a flask, she took a metal cup from inside the bag and filled it with the liquid from the flask. Freya handed me the cup, which I brought close to my nose to smell the drink.
— You brought hot chocolate? — I asked, letting out a disbelieving laugh.
— I did. — Freya said, not making a big deal of it — I knew you'd miss it during the trip, since every day before sleeping, you have a cup of hot chocolate. — she said.
— You noticed that? — I asked, surprised, already feeling a smile forming on my face.
— Of course. — I stared at her — I mean, I think so. — Freya deflected.
I let out a short laugh and shook my head, I leaned closer to Freya and left a kiss on her cheek.
— Thank you, Queen.
The corner of Freya's lips lifted briefly, but she remained silent. We stayed sitting for a few minutes, just watching the campfire flames burn the wood that kept it alive, it wasn't awkward or uncomfortable, Freya and I already had enough intimacy to know how to appreciate each other's presence even if neither of us said a single word.
— You know, I've been thinking. — Freya broke the silence, making me look at her — When this war ends, we could start our journey through the world.
— When you say that, you're already assuming we're going to win. — I joked while letting out a nasal laugh.
— We will. — Freya said, with conviction.
I turned on the log, sitting facing Freya. I raised an eyebrow while observing her calm expression, she kept staring at the campfire.
— And why are you so sure of that?
— Because I have something they don't. — she turned her attention to me — You.
— Just because I'm strong? — I teased playfully, paying attention to her eyes which were now lighter, indicating she was calm and peaceful.
— No. — I stared at her without understanding — It's because you make me stronger. — Freya said this so sincerely that I felt the air leave my lungs in a deep and passionate sigh.
I appreciated every feature of the incomparable beauty of the woman in front of me, Freya possessed an unmatched and hypnotizing beauty, like a rose, beautiful and with thorns. The ice queen also had her thorns, but like the flower, they didn't make her any less stunning.
— What is it? — Freya asked, hearing me let out a low laugh.
— Nothing. Just remembered something silly I used to do during my childhood.
— And what did little Camilly like to get up to? — Freya asked, making me smile.
— I liked comparing people to flowers, imagining what kind of flowers they would be. — I spoke timidly, it was a bit silly, but I was just a child and I liked using my imagination.
— And what flower do you think I would be? — Freya asked, seeming very interested in my answer.
I paused for a few seconds and thought.
— You would be a lily flower. — I answered with conviction, Freya looked at me not quite understanding — Do you know what lilies mean? — I asked, bringing my face close to hers.
— What? — Freya retorted, also bringing her face close. Our noses brushed against each other.
I smiled softly, feeling her breath hit my face. I stared into her beautiful blue eyes and then whispered against her lips:
— "I dare you to love me."