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The sounds of steel against steel rang throughout the forest.
Jade and Graydon were training a couple meters from camp and so far, Graydon was not showing any signs of improvement.
At first, Kit was watching in amusement, poorly hiding her chuckles every time Jade bested him or knocked him to the ground. While she hated the prospect of marrying the man just a few weeks ago, she has grown to appreciate him as a friend. Which means she spends a lot of her time, in moments like this, finding humor in the way his weak arms can barely lift the heavy sword enough to defend himself from Jade’s attacks.
But her attention quickly shifted to focus on Jade as she moved and danced around Graydon, sword singing through the air with each thrust.
Typically, Kit was on the receiving end of Jade’s blade, or in the few times since they began this journey to save Airk, she was a little too busy fighting for their lives to pay attention to how Jade was moving. But now, now she could watch openly.
Her eyes followed her childhood friend as she yet again got the better of Graydon.
“Sword up!” Jade’s confident voice cut through the silence. And lord, did Kit find that so attractive. “You mustn’t give your opponent an opening.”
“I’m trying! This thing is heavy,” Graydon whined as he tried to lift the sword again.
“It is not, you’re just weak,” Jade said as she moved back into position. Kit watched with a smirk forming on her lips.
She watched as Jade moved about. All of her movements seemed so planned and precise, as if she’s done this dance a million times before. Though, in a way she has, in all of their own sparring sessions. Only, Kit hoped she was a better opponent than Graydon, even with the truth of Jade holding back with her.
Jade has always captivated her, even before she understood the feelings she was harboring. She didn’t have a word for it until recently, but it was something fierce that at times would scare her. Before she would have written what they had off as a deep, close friendship; her admiration for Jade stemmed from her desire to be a knight like her father rather than the princess her mother wanted her to be.
She would push away thoughts of how beautiful Jade was. How she wanted to run her hands through her red curls. How her finger tips ached to trace over the freckles that scattered across her skin. How ever since the first time their lips touched, she has wanted to taste nothing else in this world than Jade Claymore.
Only now, she had a word for it, a word Jade had used under the effects of the truth plums. A word Kit repeated back some time later when she was able to accept that is what she has been feeling all these years.
Kit loved Jade.
And now, she was watching as Jade moved around Graydon, swinging her sword through the air, and Kit wasn’t ashamed of the way her eyes tracked her knight's body.
That is until a voice cut through her thoughts.
“You look like you’re two seconds away from devouring her,” Boorman spoke from above Kit, snapping her out of her trance.
“Screw you, Boorman,” Kit scoffed.
“Me? No, but her…” his words trailed off but Kit knew exactly what he was implying.
Kit groaned, getting up from where she had been sitting on the forest floor. “Ugh, you’re disgusting,” she said, pushing past him as if his insinuation was the furthest thing from the truth.
While she didn’t want to give Boorman the satisfaction of being right, Kit couldn’t help herself from walking right over to where Jade and Graydon were training.
“Mind if I cut in?” Kit spoke out as she approached the pair.
“Oh thank god,” Graydon sighed, letting the tip of his sword drop to the ground with a thunk.
“Oi, keep that blade up. We don’t want it getting dull because you can’t keep it lifted for a couple minutes,” Jade said before turning to face Kit, sheathing her own sword at her waist. Graydon mumbled something about heading back to camp, but the two girls only had eyes for each other when they were in each other’s orbits. “Yes, my princess?” Jade asked with a whisper of a smile on her lips, one she seemed to be trying, and failing, to hide.
The name causes a smile of her own to form on Kit’s lips.
She used to hate the title. She resented being a princess, resented the obligation and duty that came with being born into her position. She never asked for it and yet it was thrust upon her.
But with Jade, she never made her feel the way her parents did with the title. Jade made her feel special, loved.
Kit was her princess and Jade was her knight.
“I fancied a stroll and was wondering if a big strong knight could protect me,” Kit said with a shit eating grin on her lips.
“Oh, so you admit that you need my protection now?” Jade teased, looking down at her with a mischievous look.
“I- that’s not what I said.”
“Kind of sounded like it.”
“Shut up,” Kit said, already feeling the heat of blush creeping up the back of her neck. “Will you come with me or not?”
Jade’s smile turned soft, easily giving in to Kit’s request. “Yes, I suppose.”
The two girls started walking away from camp. While Kit had initiated this, now that they were alone, she was at a loss for words as silence spread around them. The only sound was of their footsteps against the forest floor. Kit’s mind was too focused on the way their hands kept just barely brushing against each other as they walked side by side. Jade never pulled away, but she also didn’t increase the contact like Kit desperately wished she would.
Finally, Kit finds her voice, speaking the first thought that came to her head. “Graydon is pretty shit, huh?” she said with a laugh.
“You were pretty shit too, once upon a time,” Jade said, looking over at her with a smirk.
“Shut up, I was never that bad,” Kit rolled her eyes at the notion.
“Mm perhaps not.” They fall quiet for a moment before it is Jade’s turn to break the silence. “Did you ask me to go for a walk just to talk about Graydon’s lack of skill with a sword?”
“As much as I’d love to spend the evening making fun of Graydon, no that’s not why I asked you out here.”
Jade looked over at her with a raised eyebrow but stayed quiet, as if she was waiting for Kit to continue.
Taking a deep breath and silently telling herself to be brave, Kit reached out and took Jade’s hand, stopping in her place and pulling Jade to a stop.
Rather than use her words, Kit lets her instincts take over. Her free hand goes up to cup Jade’s cheek, pulling her closer. Her eyes scan the other’s face for any sign of resistance or discomfort, but she is met with excited anticipation and a very faint nod of her head before Kit closes the distance between them.
They have kissed before. A goodbye kiss when Kit was going to run away. An almost kiss when Jade confessed her feelings. A passionate kiss when Kit finally returned those feelings.
But this kiss, this was just a kiss because Kit wanted to kiss her, wanted for just a moment, to enjoy herself.
She feels Jade let go of her hand, instead opting to take hold of Kit’s hips, pulling her closer. Kit brings her free hand up to cup Jade’s other cheek, cradling her face as they kiss.
She ran her tongue over Jade’s bottom lip experimentally, wishing to deepen the kiss and Jade obliged, parting her lips with a sigh. Kit’s tongue licking into Jade’s mouth, wanting to taste more of her. One of her hands slipping from her cheek, moving to tangle in the curls at the nape of Jade’s neck. Jade’s hands tightened at Kit’s waist, pulling the fabric of her shirt into her fists.
Kit had never thought much of what she wanted out of life, always having other people’s wishes and desires pushed upon her. But now she knew what she wanted, she wanted Jade and she wanted to be able to do this whenever she pleased.
If she could spend all eternity doing just this, Kit would die happy.
They kissed each other until they were out of breath, chests heaving for air as Kit pressed their foreheads together. Their hands relaxed some but their grips were still strong and possessive of each other.
They stay like that for a while, bodies still pressed together, holding each other in their embrace while they catch their breath.
“Well if that was your reason for interpreting us, I think you should do that more often,” Jade says, opening her eyes to look into Kit’s.
“Oh yeah? That doesn’t sound very responsible of you,” Kit teased. “How will Graydon ever learn to defend himself then?”
“Boorman can show him,” Jade mumbled before leaning forward to capture Kit’s lips in another kiss. This one was shorter but still sent sparks throughout her body. “But we should probably head back before one of them comes looking for us.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Kit groaned as she finally let go of Jade and took a step apart before she got caught up in the moment and tried to steal another kiss. The last thing she needed was another reason for Boorman to tease the two of them.
They walked back to camp, hand in hand with dopey, love sick smiles on their faces.