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Playing with the roses in the flower pot, staring out the window of her room once more, Navia wondered what would become of her.
Most of the day she was bored sitting in her room not allowed to do anything, and when she wasn’t she was busy attending meetings and giving speeches to stuck up rich people who joked about how they mistreated their servants. Whenever they started this she politely excused herself, pushing herself past Silver and Melus who tried to stop her- and went back up to her room, usually following this exit with a snarky comment which her father would tell her is rude after the meeting ended.
—
“Exciting meeting again, Miss Navia?” She heard the sarcastic question coming from the deep voice of the guard standing by her door.
“You know it” she answered, giving a bonafide smile as she passed, going into her room.
She adored Knight Clorinde. Of course she appreciated Silver and Melus, but while all the other guards around the castle treated her like some prissy princess, never cracking a smile at her jokes, Clorinde treated her almost like a normal human being.
So here she sat, staring out her window waiting for something to happen.
—
If only Miss Navia knew how she really felt. Looking longingly at the closed door which she was asked to guard, she wondered if Miss Navia would ever feel the same way. It was frowned upon for royalty to mingle with the lower class, but surely she was something more to her than just a guard?
—
She remembers clearly the first time she met Clorinde. She was a mere tween with less than eloquent manners. The last three guards which she had had ended up quitting due to her constant tantrums and yelling at her father that she wanted someone fun to be with. Being one to not deny his daughter's request, he searched the kingdom for someone who was Navia’s age.
The head of the knights said that he had a daughter who was not even a year older than Navia. She was as well trained in combat as the other guards; and he said that she needed a friend of her own.
At first Clorinde was less than thrilled having to spend her day guarding a princess, ‘Just think of her as a friend to play with’ her father constantly told her, yeah but you don’t have to be ordered around by your friends most of the time.
But once she stepped in the room and saw Navia, all of her feelings changed. She expected some annoying princess, but she was met with a girl who was only slightly shorter than her and had crystal-like eyes, with her hair done in beautiful curls, her face dressed with the sweetest smile Clorinde had ever seen. Her eyes were red as if she had just been crying when she looked up at Clorinde.
Her face lit up as she clumsily scrambled out of her bed. She ran towards Clorinde and grasped her hand in both her own, whilst jumping up and down.
“Hi hi hi!!!! I’m Princess Navia but you can just call me Navia. I’m sooo happy I finally have a friend to play with, let’s be best friends okay? What’s your name? Do you have a sword- oh can I play with it, pretty please?”
Clorinde never knew that someone could say so much in one breath. But hearing the other talk she felt her heart skip a beat.
“M-my name is Clorinde,” she felt her face flush at the hand contact, hearing a faint ‘Let’s leave them be’ as their fathers shut the door.
“Oh wait, I almost forgot,” Navia let go of her hand and rushed to the other side of her room.
Out of the vase next to the window sill she plucked a rose, and raced back to Clorinde- brushing her hair to the side she tucked the rose behind her ear, “Don’t worry, there’s no thorns, Father doesn’t let anything even remotely dangerous near me, it gets kind of boring sometimes.” She stepped back to look if the rose was straight, “Anyways, that looks really good on you.”
“Oh let me show you my room!”, She clasped Clorinde’s hand once again and dragged her through her room, showing her where she went when she was sad, all of her toys, and even the secret places behind paintings. She was so grateful to finally have someone whom she could show all this stuff to.
That moment changed her life forever, as she sometimes wondered where she would be without the other.
—
Navia remembered how long it took to convince Clorinde to stop calling her “Princess Navia”, refusing to call her by her name until they both settled on “Miss Navia”.
She smiled to herself for reminiscing these memories before hearing the faint click of her door handle.
“Navia, may I come in?” She heard her father’s voice whispering in through the door.
“You may,” she sat up on her bed as her father stepped in, he looked rather solemn.
“Father are you alright?” Concern was deep in her voice as her expression changed to something more serious.
“I am quite alright, a- however I am afraid I do have some news which you will be less than happy to hear.” He went to sit on the bed next to her.
“Tomorrow a few… people will come over, and you will decide who will be your… suitor.” Navia felt her heart sink in her chest.
“What? But I-I-I’m not ready, I don’t even want a suitor.”
“Darling I know this is a shock but please it will be good for the kingdom-“
“But what about what’s good for me?” She tried to hold back as she felt tears starting to well up in her eyes “Don’t you care about what’s good for me?”
“Of course I do,” his voice got softer as he felt the emotion when she spoke, moving closer and bringing her into an embrace, “I understand that you don’t want to, and I am so sorry that I have to tell you to do this, everyone thinks that you will be a stronger and more reliable ruler with a king by your side.”
She said nothing.
“I’ll let you think it over. I love you Navia, good night.” He left her room, giving a polite nod to Clorinde on his way out.
—
She heard muffled sobbing through the closed door. “Miss Navia… may I come in?” She got no response.
Wrapping her hands around the door handle a click was made as it turned. Stepping into the room she saw Navia laying there with her face buried in a pillow. Her once cute features turned into a thing of overwhelming beauty.
Her hair softly covered her, reaching her lower back. Clorinde felt her eyes move down to her body. She was wearing a faint pink nightgown which draped down her body like a waterfall down her delicate curves. A strong flush appeared on her face as she caught herself.
Moving closer she knelt down beside the bed and placed an unsteady hand on her back, moving it in circles to comfort her.
“What’s wrong Miss?” Her voice was gentle and comforting. She felt Navia shift below her.
“I don’t want to talk about it”, she could barely understand what was being said with the pillow covering her mouth.
“Come one, you can tell me, I’m here to help you, remember?” She didn’t move, “And I don’t want to see your pretty face stained with tears.” She muttered this just loud enough for Navia to hear, telling by a faint chuckle.
Turning her head to the side, away from the pillow she looked up at the knight with her watery eyes and now a faint smile, “My, quite forward aren’t we?” She sat up, looking Clorinde in her eyes and she swore she would melt.
“W-w-well I was just saying how you shouldn’t be sad you know, I-I mean you are very beautiful and everything but I was just saying-” with each word her blush grew stronger and her words less steady until she was nothing more than a stuttering mess.
“Shh~ I know what you meant Clorinde,” she put a finger up to her lips, feeling how soft they were, and Clorinde seriously thought she was going to faint.
“It’s just that, tomorrow I have to decide who I will marry. But I don’t want to be with any of those stuck up pigs, I want someone who knows me, someone who can comfort me when I need to.” She held Clorinde’s hand tighter as she spoke, maintaining eye contact all the while.
“Well I hope that you can find someone like that,” her voice wavered as she spoke, looking away as her face felt hot with shame for thinking that she of all people would be the one to be with Navia.
“Oh Archon’s you’re so oblivious.” Navia pulled her hand closer, placing her lips on Clorindes.
Her eyes shot open in shock before closing to relish the kiss. It was long and sweet and she thought for a second that this must be a dream. Her lips were softer than rose petals and tasted like the sweetest madeleines. She felt Navia‘s tongue enter her mouth, feeling the warmth envelope her, trying to keep up with the other’s pace.
It was all Clorinde ever wanted. To spend her life with the person who meant the most to her in the entirety of Teyvat.
She imagined this moment for a long time. How soft her lips would feel, how she would taste. How perfect it would be.
She wanted this moment to go on forever.
The pace increased and Navia giggled at her desperation, sending vibrations to Clorinde’s lips before pulling away, Clorinde nearly falling over trying to chase her.
Taking Clorinde’s hands into her own she looked deep into her eyes.
“Listen, Navia, there’s something that I wanted to tell you for a while.” Her eyes shifted for the side, being brought back when Navia spoke.
“Go on, I’m listening.” She started making circles with her fingers on the back of Clorinde’s hands.
“Ever since I first saw you… I felt something different,” she took a deep breath and closed her hands around Navia’s, “Something I never felt with anyone before we met. Taking care of you- being your friend- it made me feel like nothing in the world mattered more than protecting you- and as I-,” she paused “-as we grew up, I was sure that there was something more than friendship. I know that you might not feel the same way, but I have never been more sure about these feelings before-.”
She was about to go on when Navia drew closer.
“Clorinde, the moments which I spent with you make me feel the happiest I have ever been.” Her voice was like the sweetest marmalade.
“What are you going to do about the other suitors?” Her voice lined with a thick coat of worry and a layer of not-so-well hidden jealousy.
“My, there’s no reason to get all worked up, let me take care of that, you have nothing to worry about.” She gave her a small kiss on the cheek, adoring how the other blushed as bright as a rose.
Of course she wasn’t too sure how that would work, but her empty headed determination was something she considered one of her prime traits.
—
Leaving her newfound love behind she stepped out of her room to face her father. She straightened up her posture and knocked on the office door.
“Come in,” she heard her father’s low voice escape under the door. She took a deep breath and turned the handle.
“Oh Navia, what a lovely surprise, I do hope you are feeling better and… I’m sorry to ask this but have you thought about who will court you?” He sounded very hesitant.
“About that,” she took a few steps closer and sat across from him, “I have decided that I do not want to marry any of the suitors which you have chosen.”
She could tell that he was about to speak, “-However, I would like your blessing to marry Knight Clorinde. I know that it is not necessarily… encouraged for us to marry those not in royalty, however I feel that this is right for me. I love Clorinde and I want to spend the rest of my life with her, and even if you do not approve- I will continue to see her, because if I have to marry a selfish prince I will never be happy.”
A moment of silence followed her outburst.
“My dear, all I would want is someone who could keep you safe, someone to make you happy. If Knight Clorinde does do that for you I would be more than willing to support you two.”
She felt so good to finally get everything off her chest. This was something Navia only ever dreamed of happening, she couldn’t wait to tell Clorinde.
—
With the excitement and energy she last had as a child, she ran out of her father’s office and up to her room where Clorinde was waiting.
She jumped on the bed next to her and told her the good news.
She was ecstatic. This was the best thing that ever happened to her and she swore she thought she was dreaming.
Navia swung her arms around Clorinde and laid her head on her chest.
“I’m so lucky to have you”, she snuggled deeper into Clorinde’s arms and she swore that her heart would beat out of her chest.
She heard her breathing get more quiet until Clorinde could only feel the steady rise and fall of her chest.
She looked over at the vase of roses, still fresh and blooming- she thought of Navia, now curled up in her arm, breathing slowly. She bent her head down and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, seeing the corners of the other’s mouth curl up in a smile.
Yes, she really was the luckiest Knight in the castle wasn’t she.