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Vee and Neese were companions --friends, even -- despite being complete opposites. It was difficult to understand how they got along as well as they did, but the intricacies of their friendship were mostly unspoken. Although it very well could be because of the isolation of living in the tower, it was nicer to think otherwise. Together, the two of them had tried every method of escape but it lead nowhere. They could never get past the barrier, no matter how much Vee attempted to outsmart the magic and no matter how much Neese just full-body slammed against it. Following these failures was always one of two reactions from the princesses: hopeless agony and self-isolation or, strangely enough, a fit of inconsolable laughter. Vee learned the second possibility from Neese. At first it confused her, almost to the point of frustration, but Neese's loud and high-pitched giggling was undoubtedly infectious because in seconds Vee would be hiding her own chuckling behind her hands. Hearing the sound of their joined laughter rekindled something deep within Vee; It wasn't happiness but it was so close to it, perhaps even something past that.
The only development after months of their little routine was that now Vee had long moved on from plotting, thus giving her time to think about other things. Too much time to think, in her opinion. Many of these thoughts would never reach conclusions because Vee would always become too afraid of what they might breach on. One of the most common ones was that maybe, just maybe, she was starting to think of this tower as home. Although she tried to distance herself from that realisation, it would always loop back around. Of course it's not that she didn't miss home home, she rationalised, it's just that Hagatha seemed to have grossly overestimated how much of a princesses duty is simply to sit there and look pretty and this tower felt almost like a vacation in comparison to her endless diplomatic studies back in her kingdom. Plus, it was nice to have a friend there with her. She could envision always having Neese there beside her, playing her lute in that gentle little tune before she inevitably got carried away and began playing a 2 minute long improvisation. She thought fondly of how she could hear Neese's voice, chipper muttering, while she painted and how she would consequently scold her for getting bright yellow all over the floors. It was so easy to let her mind drift to how it could be with the two of them, without needing to overcomplicate things.
Graham showed up out of the blue, supposedly for a rescue mission. A 'rescue mission' with no plan attached, no research done and not even some adventuring rope hidden in that godforsaken cape of his. Nevertheless, he would now be a part of their little group of princesses. At least this might be an interesting addition.
After a proper introduction Vee learned that Graham was actually Graham The Wise, King of Daventry. She had never heard of him but she wasn't going to dispute his title, especially since it had been years since she had a political update and old King Edward of Daventry could only stay old for so long. Point being --She decided to turn over a new leaf, even after the disastrous proposal(s). She couldn't deny that his title as 'The Wise' intrigued her.
Surprisingly, they got along pretty well. As it turns out, Graham 'The Wise' seemed to share many qualities with Vee. Their views were mostly aligned and they had engaging conversations. He was everything Vee had wanted in potential suitor. She tried to picture their possible future; their two kingdoms would be thriving in fruitful alliance and they'd have children on the way. Although she didn't feel much in the way of butterflies when she spoke to Graham, she figured there was something more to him that she just hadn't gotten to yet. When Neese talks to her from behind the wall that night she mentions Graham, but the inquiries bring a strange bitterness to the forefront of Vee's heart. She frowned, becoming acutely aware that this was a jealousy of a romantic notion, similar to the feelings described in sappy melancholic poetry.
Pleasantries lasted for as long as they could before they had to return to their obligations. Hagatha was apparently working on an important potion, which meant the princesses got to go outside and breathe fresh air for a few hours, granted they retrieved the necessary component. Graham and Neese were dropped off in some forest of sorts and Vee was left to her own devices until further notice. Unfortunate for her, it meant she was left alone with her own thoughts once again. She sat at the table, staring at a book she already read a million times until the words blurred together. She thought about Graham again. She felt that familiar bitterness arise when she thought of him out there with Neese. Would he even get along with Neese anyway ? Of course he would; it seemed nearly impossible he could walk out of that situation without becoming enamoured with her. Her stomach twisted itself in knots at that.
At noon of the next day she was called down to go out and fetch a magical hourglass in Tanalore accompanied by Graham. They stumble across an old couple that Graham seemed to be close with and they make friendly conversation, even despite the pair's odd nature. There seemed to be endless adventure, riddled with puzzles and rock goblins and quick sand, that they breezed right through. Their time was spent well while on the mission; they could joke around while still being productive and Vee thought they made a good team. This is what she needs. They work together to get the hourglass out of the puzzle while the sun sets behind them and Vee pictures her future with Graham again. Kingdoms joined in marriage, working together smoothly, a kiss in the morning and a kiss at night. It all worked out better than she could ever hope for, she decided, as Graham leans forward and their lips meet.
When they return to the tower, they hold hands. Vee and Graham walk toward the barrier, arms linked. A deep breath in before they both take a step forward, into their future together. A sudden exhale, almost coughed out, after they are pushed back out by the spell. Vee turns on her heel, tears threatening to spill over, and makes a run for her room. She shuts the door so Graham won't follow. An involuntary sob pushes through her lungs and she sits there and cries. She cries about not being able to leave the tower, something she had not done since she learned to laugh along with Neese. She hits her head against the door when she replays the memory of her and Graham kissing. Had that not been love ? What was love if not that moment ?
Vee heard a knock far too melodic to be Graham, followed by an uncertain and gentle voice "Uhh.. Vee? Are you alright in there?"
"Oh, Neese," Vee sniffles, "I'm... fine."
There's a few seconds of silence before a response comes, a silence that Vee knows is Neese on the other side opening and closing her mouth repeatedly while fidgeting with the stitching of her skirt to avoid gesturing with her hands. "You don't exactly sound fine."
"Perhaps 'fine' was an overstatement." Vee laughed a cold, dry laugh, "Allow me to rephrase-- I'll deal."
"You don't have to 'deal' alone, Vee." Neese's voice was always so kind, it felt difficult to keep sulking alone whenever she started talking.
"Well..." There was still an inexplicable hesitation, something telling her that she can't go towards comfort because it's choosing the easy way out, but when the other side of the door smells of fresh carnation blossoms and speaks in a sing-songy tone it makes Vee forget her own pride, banishing it to lick it's wounds in a far corner of her mind.
When she cracks open the door she immediately feels a hand poking through the gap in the door and fishing out her own hand. She smiles at the gesture. Neese doesn't pull her out, despite her impatience regarding holding her hand, and Vee understands it as a silent acknowledgement of the difficulty Vee has with being seen in moments like these. She opens the door a little further and steps out, allowing curious eyes to scan her even in her dishevelled state, with tears staining her splotchy red cheeks and a slight bruise on her forehead from how she had hit her head against the door. She couldn't quite make eye contact but she heard Neese hum very faintly. She felt a squeeze at her hand. With Graham it could never be like this.
That thought made her step back, shaking Neese's hand off. She wiped at her eyes with both hands, pressing the heel of her palm against them until there were black spots clouding her vision. She heard Neese shuffle her feet where she stood, not wanting to invade her space but still concerned. "Vee? What's wrong?" Vee could hear the frown on Neese's face and it stung. Faintly, she asks herself if she would feel this guilty if it were Graham. Vee pulls her hands away from her face and fixes her hair quickly with a sharp inhale. With a trembling breath out, she tries to come up with something to say. Just as she opens her mouth, they both hear a loud glass breaking sound from below them, followed by a powdery explosion. The ground beneath them starts shaking and Vee shifts her stance to stop herself from stumbling.
Not long passes before the tremors become more frequent and stronger, at this point they could feel parts of the tower's structure collapsing under and over them. Vee and Neese were slamming against the barrier, hitting it with the sides of their fists until they bruised. They both knew they weren't going to get out like this, but the desperation clouded their minds. Vee couldn't bring herself to glance at Neese but she could hear her voice breaking on her pleas for help from beside her and it made everything so much more painful. Neese couldn't die here, not like this; Vee couldn't bear the thought. Even as they saw Graham on the other side of the barrier holding out a hand while dangling from a rope, it did little to console them. For Vee, it only served to remind her even through the panic that she was so deeply and hopelessly loveless no matter how hard she had tried to love Graham. No matter how hard her palms pressed against the barrier, it didn't let up. She saw from the corner of her eye Neese take the first step away from the barrier, turning to face the spikes of ice forming behind them, and she did the same. She felt Neese's gaze draw back to her, warm and unwavering despite the harsh cold wind cutting into their skin. Vee allowed herself to look at Neese in the eyes in a moment of raw sincerity, knowing this may be the last thing she sees, and felt the world halt to a stop. She couldn't understand how Neese was still here. Neese wasn't merely loved, she was love itself. She was every overwhelming sensation that came with love. It didn't make sense that she could stand beside unlovable and unloving Vee, looking at her like... like she had been ready for this all along. Like this is how she'd like to spend her last moments. Simply looking at each other. Looking at each other like they would die here, like this.
"Vee- Look out!" She could barely register anything, from the panicked voice to the movements around her, before she felt herself being pushed. Her back hit the ground past the golden translucent border. Past the border ?
"It worked?" Vee looked behind her to Graham, then back at the border before her, "It worked!"
She looked past the border to see Neese struggling to pry her arm from under a heavy rock of ice and felt her heart ache in a way it never had before. Vee reached for Neese's free hand and held onto her wrist with a firm grip. When she looked up and their eyes met, she gave her a pained look that soon transformed into understanding, etched deep into her features. Her expression had so much written on it but the most hurtful was 'Leave me', unspoken yet lingering. Neese let go of Vee and Vee felt herself still trying to follow her hand, just barely out of reach. Vee lost her balance and narrowly dodged parts of the wooden, frozen structure falling from above her. She steadied herself and stood back up. The thought of Neese returned to her and in that moment Vee felt something stronger than herself take over, something unafraid of being exposed and vulnerable. She knew she couldn't let this end here and she knew beyond this point there was no logic guiding her, simply grabbing the first heavy thing she saw and bashing the rock of ice until it all cracked and broke away from Neese's hand. They both got past the barrier now, with their hands interlocked in an unbreakable hold. Slowly, the rope descended them to the very base on the tower. They were free. It worked.
When they finally felt stable on the ground beneath them, Vee pulled Neese to face her. Admittedly, she hadn't known what she was even doing or why she did that, but she simply let her emotions guide her. Vee sadly broke their hands apart only to pull the other into a hug. Vee's hands met at Neese's waist, holding one in the other. Neese's arms were around Vee's shoulders, cold fingertips grazing the nape of her neck. Their foreheads were touching and their breaths were heavy and uneven. All the adrenaline had died down, leaving the soreness in its wake. She heard Neese's voice, weak and fragile, following a quiet sigh, "I hope he takes care of you."
She couldn't respond, all she could do was look up to meet her eyes in disbelief. Neese was smiling at her. It was bright. It was all-encompassing. It was warm, like spring. The longer she stared wordlessly, the longer the thawing cold nipped at her skin. The corners of Neese's mouth twitched. Vee only noticed now how much the other was shaking. She also felt now that Neese herself was the one omitting the cold gusts of wind fanning over their faces. Slowly but surely everything warm about Neese was being covered in a layer of harsh, numbing cold. Her smile turned defeated and her posture became more slumped inward. Vee felt her voice before she even heard the words forming in her brain "Neese, please don't..."
"Don't what, Vee?"
"I don't want him to take care of me." Vee let out a shaky exhale, "You know that..."
Neese ducked her head down and let out a small laugh, one that was unmistakably fake, "Right... independent."
"I didn't mean it like that." She brought their faces closer together, closer than they had ever been, "Neese, he's not what got me out of the tower."
"It doesn't have to mean anything."
Vee thought, for a moment, of maybe just letting it go, but found herself unable to just leave all that occurred unresolved. She refused to cower away from her emotions this time. "I love you Neese."
She saw her eyes snap up at the confession. The hands on her shoulders pushed back slightly and instinctively, Vee loosened her hold on her own hands that were circled around Neese's waist. Neese brought their lips to an almost kiss, unsure and afraid, before drawing back at the lack of immediate response. Vee didn't allow what would surely be some form of apology to slip out between them, instead closing the rest of the distance and planting a barely there kiss on the other's lips. Neese was the one to go for one final kiss, this one a bit more confident, but still gentle, with one hand reaching to cradle Vee's cheek.
"Please say it back..." Vee mumbled awkwardly. At that Neese's let out a genuine laugh, so warm and bright that it melted away any bitter winter frost from the atmosphere. The sky donned beautiful pink and orange hues behind them.