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“S-Slow down!”
Luz did as she was commanded as her heels dug into the snow underneath her. She then giggled a little as she reached up with her free hand and scratched the back of her head as she turned back towards Amity. “Sorry. I just know we left the tavern a little late so I’m trying to make sure you don’t stay up too late.”
Amity pouted at the mention of her going to bed. It wasn’t like she was a child after all. Besides, she spent more than her fair share of nights staying up reading, practicing, etc. Not that Luz was ever happy about those… Her cheeks burned a little as she looked away before squeezing her bodyguard’s hand. “Yes but we don’t need to be trying to explain why I’m shivering because you accidentally threw me into the snow.”
Luz raised an eyebrow at that before coming closer to her charge. She then squeezed Amity’s hand tight as she whispered, “I thought you were the one who ordered that I had to keep ahold of you when we were in private.”
Amity’s face became flushed with heat at the reminder. It had caused issues early in their relationship of course as Luz was about half a foot taller than her and far more athletic so when she got excited, which was a pretty common occurrence, Amity had found herself being literally dragged through the streets. They had gotten better at it since then but that didn’t mean perfect. It also didn’t mean, “If I recall correctly, it’s an order that you seem to rather enjoy. Not that I, uh, know why. You must be more careful though.”
Luz pouted a little at that. After all, it was pretty easy to explain why she liked holding a pretty girl’s hand… Not that she could tell the princess that of course. That would be completely out of line for someone of her station. Still, she couldn’t help but smirk a little and step even closer as she said, “I mean, I can fix that aga-”
Amity didn’t wait for her to finish the sentence to shoot away from the arrogant human. After all, she still remembered the first time she’d complained about how keeping ahold of her could be done more gently and how she was swept off her feet, literally, for it. She wasn’t about to let that happen again, not when she could swear her heart had stopped that day. Not for any particular reason of course. Nope. Not at all.
She made a motion with her hand of watching Luz for a second before sighing with a smile. She didn’t want to go home. While it might be cold out right now, it was always colder in the castle. Colder at night. Colder when Luz wasn’t… She shook her head a little to clear it before sighing. “Come on. We should almost be home.”
Luz nodded at that before offering Amity her hand again. She then beamed at the princess when she took it before guiding her through the forest once more. At least until she came to an abrupt halt. “Wait. I hear something.”
Amity tilted her head to the side a little before catching it too. There was a voice on the wind. That wasn’t too uncommon as there were often guards on the walls of the castle that they had to sneak past, especially when they got back so late, but this voice sounded different. Stronger, more confident and far less casual than most that they commonly heard on their way back. It wasn’t that of a commander though. “What do you think it is?”
Luz frowned for a moment before scratching the side of her head. “Uh, well, you know how we headed into town to see how people were celebrating the solstice? Well, I might have forgotten about a flier in the barracks that said that they were going to hold a midnight ceremony for it. Something to boost morale and what not.”
Amity nodded slowly at that before biting her cheek. She then glanced back at the castle before asking, “How many soldiers do you think are out there then?”
Luz groaned as her shoulders slumped a bit. She hated admitting to this after all since she should have thought about it ahead of time. “Well, I could go check but more than a half dozen or so and we’d never make it up the tower to your room without being spotted, even if they’re distracted by a sermon. It just means we’re going to have to wait it out before we head back.”
There was a slight pause in Amity’s response as she yawned before she nodded. She then looked around them before saying, “We can’t go back though. The taverns will be closed by the time we get back and with the feast my parents are holding tomorrow, I can’t race back from an inn. What do you suggest we do until then?”
Luz tapped her foot against the ground a few times before slamming her fist into her open palm. “I’ve got it.” She then reached into her belt and pulled out a set of fire glyphs before throwing them at the ground and lighting the snow underneath a tree. She then held an arm out in front of Amity before saying, “Wait a few seconds and it should make sure the ground’s not even damp.”
Amity glanced at her bodyguard before raising an eyebrow and asking, “Yes, because you thought I was going to blindly step into fire?”
Luz’s face began to heat up before she scratched the back of her head with a nervous chuckle. “Um, good point. Getting ahead of myself I guess. I’m just trying to set up somewhere for you to sleep. Like,” she said as she threw an ice glyph higher up on the trunk of the tree, “this.” She then stood proud as a canopy formed over the quickly drying spot below to give anyone protection from any snow that might potentially fall from the trees above.
Luz then paused for a second before mumbling, “One second.” She then began to get to work taking off the overcoat that hung over her armor. It gave Amity a front row view to the normally covered muscles that lay below and she turned her head before she thought about what the view beneath the tunic below the formal dressings might be like. She only looked back when the energetic woman laid out the long coat over the patch of clear ground and said, “There we go. Now it’s fit for a princess.”
Amity’s face burned bright at the gesture before pausing. She then crossed her arms and scowled a little before saying, “I already think you need to come out with a coat. You’re going to catch your death if you sleep like that.”
Luz rolled her eyes at that before putting her hands on her hips. “First off, I’m not sleeping. I’ll be keeping an eye out for when the ceremony ends so that I can prepare to get you inside where it’s warm. Secondly, fools don’t catch colds so I have nothing to worry about anyways.”
Amity glanced at the layout on the ground before slowly letting herself down onto the makeshift bed. She then looked up at Luz and whispered, “I would hardly call such good work the job of a fool.”
Luz looked down upon her charge and paused. Like this, in the moonlight, laying on her garb, Amity looked so at ease. Looked like she was content, even as she joked back at her. Maybe that was a part of it though? She looked happy after all, something Luz couldn’t always say back in the castle. And when she thought about why…
Luz laid down next to Amity and began to use the princess’ robe to tuck her in as she whispered, “Trust me, I’m a fool.” Just that it’s a fool for you…
Amity shook her head though, even if she couldn’t help but think how she shouldn’t feel this safe when falling asleep in the cold. Not when the only explanations for it were the arms that were wrapped around her. She wouldn’t think about it now though. Not when she didn’t want this to go away. Not tonight.
======+++++======
“What do you mean you won’t be showing up for the feast?”
The abomination outside of Amity’s room groaned slightly before its voice was replaced by the princess’. “Last night, I sent Miss Noceda out to try and secretly get Slitherback Tail for me to cook and send to my betrothed as a gift for the solstice. I heard rumors claiming it was one of his favorite dishes after all. However, not only did she fail in the mission, she ended up getting sick. As she came back as she is supposed to to report back to me, I’ve been exposed to her flu and thus I am quarantining the both of us until she is all better. Until then, I will have meals, drinks and books all sent to my room rather than coming out to join you all. We don’t want the whole castle catching what she has after all.”
Amity decided against further debate by dismissing the abomination immediately afterwards. Besides, she almost couldn’t have asked for a better winter gift. A whole week where she could simply enjoy her books, her magic and the company of her best friend? It sounded like paradise and she’d wished she’d thought of such an excuse long before now. There was only one problem…
“I’m sorry… Prince-ce-ce-CHOO!”
Amity sighed as she crossed her arms and looked at her poor bodyguard. Instead of immediately grabbing Amity and bringing her up to her room once the service was over, Luz had instead waited for her to fall asleep, took off her tunic and gloves and promptly used them to help Amity bundle up more so she wouldn’t be cold, even if it left Luz more exposed. The explanation of ‘I know how hard it is for you to sleep most nights,’ only annoyed Amity more about the whole thing.
Amity strode over to her bed before sighing as she sat beside it. “There’s nothing to apologize for. I commonly appreciate how above and beyond the line of duty you go for me after all. This is no different. I just wish you hadn’t gotten hurt because of it.”
Luz whimpered a little under the covers. Her whole body was stiff and achey and she kept having to sniffle back a runny nose that had to make her look like a mess. Then again, just how pale she was from the virus was probably doing that. She barely thought she compared to Amity on a good day in her finest, let alone right now. Worse yet, she was going to be nothing but a burden to Amity until she was finally all better. It only made her whine more before she mumbled, “But you shouldn’t have to be trapped with me because of it. You have things to do. Fun to be had.”
Amity had to swallow down the instinct to whisper, ‘I only have fun with you,’ and instead said, “You deserve not to be alone and to be cared for. I am happy to do so and if my parents complain, I can merely tell them that it will be practice for when I must care for Hunter in sickness, since I shall not only have him in health.”
Luz giggled a little at the joke before sighing. She then looked over at Amity as the princess opened a book. She looked positively radiant with the early morning sun shining upon her. Her voice, even with how cotton eared Luz felt, was as clear and sharp and harmonic as always, at least to the sick woman. To have such a woman take care of her… “I don’t deserve to be treated by an angel.”
Amity paused as she slowly processed the statement. Luz didn’t actually say that after all, right? It would be incredibly inappropriate after all and, even worse, would mean Amity would need to actually do something about the fact that her heart almost stopped. No, she could just leave it alone. She could. She didn’t need to know if the other girl actually saw her as some heavenly being. Nope. Why would she? She would simply act like Luz said nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Yep. She just had to focus back on her boo- “I’m sorry but what did you just say?”
Luz frowned for a moment. Had she said something? She didn’t think she had. Not unless she thought out loud. The only thing she could think of having done that with wa- Luz paled as she realized that she had been thinking outloud and tried to raise herself a little as she shouted, “A-Angel! Yeah! But I, uh, didn’t mean it like that! No! I meant it like, um… How you sound. Yeah! Your voice sounds like church bells after all.” She then took a second to realize again what she just said before hastily added, “Not that I think about church bells with you of course! No! Why would I do that? I just… Just…”
She groaned as her strength gave out on her and she collapsed on the bed. She was so tired after all. Whatever she had caught was being especially cruel to her and she just wanted to sleep. To pretend whatever was happening was a bad dream. The best she could hope for was that, “Amity doesn’t notice the fool…”
Amity swallowed hard at the words. She appreciated them somewhat for the fact that they gave her something other than the compliments to focus on. After all, her heart was hammering in her chest. Did Luz really hear wedding bells everytime she spoke? Or, er, not wedding bells. Church bells. There was a difference. Totally a difference. She definitely didn’t hear them herself after all whenever Luz laughed!
She groaned at the thought before looking back at Luz. Her guard had called herself a fool the night before. There were always a lot of reasons why one might consider themselves a fool of course. There was one that stuck out in Amity’s mind though. One that would explain why Luz wouldn’t want her noticing when she acted like one. After all, it was the same reason why Amity so often felt like a fool around Luz.
And looking at that snotty face, covered in sweat and about as pale as it ever got, she felt like a fool all over again. Amity silently got up from her seat and leaned over the seat while trying to stay as quiet as she could. Luz had an arm slung over her eyes after all so she couldn’t see her moving and if her guard acted, she’d chicken out. She’d think about what she was doing. She couldn’t do that. Not now.
Not until her lips were against Luz’s. Her eyes refused to close as they barely brushed their mouths against each other. It was enough to get the guard to move her arm and look at Amity though. The two locked eyes and both froze. Amity couldn’t even breathe. She hadn’t asked to be allowed to do this after all. She’d barely asked herself if she was okay with it. Was she? She wasn’t supposed to be doing this after all. Sure, her and Hunter had their agreement but Luz wasn’t nobility, she wasn’t cultured, she wasn’t… wasn’t…
Wasn’t caring right now as the human put a hand on the back of the princess’ head and brought her in closer so the two could properly kiss. No scared pecks or accidental brushes. This time, they spent a long minute locked as one as their tongues twisted together with their partner’s. Their lover’s.
Amity felt a pair of tears come down her face as she pulled away from Luz before whispering, “I love y-”
“Achoo!”
Amity and Luz blinked a few times as they stared at each other. Amity then began to shake as she stepped back, her hands slowly coming up towards her face as her mouth opened in a silent scream. Luz managed to find some strength left, perhaps fueled by her embarrassment, and yelled, “I’m s-”
======+++++======
“-orry, sorry, sorry, sorr-”
Amity groaned from her bed before glaring at her fool of a guard before mumbling, “Stop apologizing and come over here. You aren’t going to get sick if you kiss me now after all, so you need to start actually working on that apology.”
Luz giggled at the statement before getting up from where she was prostrated on the floor, striding over, and giving Amity a peck before whispering, “I could ask for no better assignment, my prince-”
“Achoo!”
“Ack! You did that on purpose!”
Amity merely giggled in response before the next time letting Luz actually kiss her, just as she would do over and over again, both in sickness and health. After all, her bodyguard’s love was a winter gift she simply couldn’t let be taken from her. Not now that she had it. Not with how warm she would always be so long as she had it.
And so it would be simply irresponsible for her to ever let it go so why would she ever do so?