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The forest looked different from how she remembered it.
It was strange. Considering how often Pearl would come out here, whether it was to collect flowers or herbs for her shop, or to pass through on her way to the next village over, or simply to find somewhere quiet to relax and clear her head, one would think that she knew the forest fairly well, able to discern each individual tree and bush and know exactly where each winding path would lead. Pearl thought that, anyway, not even once considering that one day she may become lost - though quite evidently, she’d been wrong.
This part of the forest, at least, was unfamiliar. She hadn’t noticed it at first, aside from a vague, twisted feeling in her stomach, trying to tell her something was wrong, but it had been unfamiliar for a while, she was pretty sure. She’d taken her usual path between the birch trees, down towards the central lake, making sure she passed by each marked boulder and patches of flowers she’d usually collect from - the lavenders, the lilies, that one patch of assorted wildflowers, the roses, and then it should’ve been the marigolds, except… well, she vaguely recalled spotting some pansies, except that shouldn’t have been until after she’d passed the lake, which she’d yet to spot, and definitely not until after the tulips, where the birch slowly began to transition into oak. Maybe she’d just taken a wrong turn somewhere along the line and there was some other, secret patch of pansies she hadn’t known about, but…
Well, something still felt strange. Something that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. The birdsong drifting through the air seemed slightly off tune, somewhat menacing rather than the peaceful, pretty atmosphere it usually provided. The canopy of leaves above her head seemed just that little bit thicker, only allowing the tiniest slices of sunlight to stream through and illuminate the forest floor, leaving her in relative darkness, especially as it grew closer and closer to sunset. Which, now that Pearl was thinking about it, shouldn’t have been for at least another few hours, as she’d left her village with more than enough time to make it to the next village over far before even the beginnings of sunset, so why-
A twig snapped behind her.
Her heart seized in her throat, that weird feeling cranking up to straight up terrified.
Logically speaking, it was probably just some animal wandering around the forest, a squirrel or rabbit or deer off in the distance, but she still couldn’t help but feel like something felt off. Like someone was watching her. Following her.
She’d never seen anyone else in this forest. All the other villagers seemed terrified of this place, to the point where they’d told her time and time again to steer clear. Always telling horror stories about people going missing, or children wandering in and then coming back wrong, or strange visitors from within the forest coming to the village, seeming not quite human.
Oftentimes, the villagers would steer clear of Pearl herself, shoot her concerned glances whenever she returned from the forest. Never really spoke to her beyond what was necessary, only really kept her around for her remedies - if it wasn’t for her shop keeping most of the elderly population alive, she imagined she’d no longer be considered welcome back there.
Part of Pearl had always feared that the village she visited on the other side would think the same of her, except none of them seemed nearly as afraid of the forest, more just… content to stay where they were. If anything, they almost admired her.
She’d never really been sure what to think.
Though she certainly hadn’t thought that the forest would in any way endanger her, ever. Until that very moment, as a second twig snapped behind her, and a shiver ran down her spine.
Steeling herself, she slowly spun on her heel to face the source of the sound, finding…
Absolutely nothing.
No people, not even a trace of some animal that’d run off.
But there had definitely been something. That weird feeling still wouldn’t go, and the forest still looked so different, even from five minutes ago, and for the first time in her life, Pearl just wanted to go home.
She took a step forward back in the direction from which she’d come, deciding that it simply wasn’t worth it - maybe the villagers back home were right, maybe she really shouldn’t be coming in here all the time - but just as she began to walk, she caught something out of the corner of her eye.
A flash of green and gold.
A spark of silver, glittering in the orange sunlight just barely peeking through the leaves.
A clash of metal in the air, ringing through the trees, and then an arrow zipping past her, barely brushing past her hair.
Immediately, Pearl yelped, ducking down to the ground and covering her head with her hands, her basket full of flowers falling to the ground and its contents spilling out across the floor. Of course she’d managed to wander right into an ambush. Of course she had. She hadn’t thought this forest was the kind of place for such things to occur, especially as there weren’t often travellers heading down its various winding paths, but- well, she’d heard of gangs of thieves and other delinquents jumping out on people down the highways that lead out of her village, over towards the central city of this kingdom, so who was to say the same couldn’t happen here? Not that Pearl necessarily had anything worth stealing, unless these guys were really into flowers for some reason…
Not the time to be thinking about that. Pearl needed to- She-
Gosh. What was she even supposed to do in this sort of situation? She’d never exactly had to fight before - although, she could certainly throw a good punch if need be, and as a kid she’d always be running around her village using some stick as a makeshift sword, always able to beat the boys in combat should they choose to challenge her, so she liked to think she could probably defend herself, if the situation called for it.
Though in that moment? She really wasn’t liking her chances. Weaponless, alone in the forest, lost in the forest in fact, with very little idea as to where home actually was considering the forest had somehow changed, and now there were people emerging from the trees around her, swords continuing to clash in the sky, more arrows zipping past her body, one lodging itself in her back and Pearl crying out at that sudden pain, making herself known to those surrounding her, and-
“Hey,” a soft voice said, the world seeming to slow around them, “you’re a human, yes?”
Pearl blinked, just about managing to lift her head and peak at the person in front of her.
Or… not a person, not quite.
A goddess, more like. Some ethereal being, an strong aura of power surrounding her, her pale skin and emerald green eyes seeming to glow in the growing darkness, a pure being of immaculate beauty.
And gosh, was she beautiful. Pearl could hardly believe what she was looking at, immediately enamoured. Freckles dotted across her soft skin like stars shining through the slowly disappearing sunlight in an autumn’s evening, ringlets of auburn hair falling over her shoulders like a warm, inviting fire crackling away into a winter’s night, slender fingers gently touching Pearl’s arm in a comforting manner, like a summer breeze brushing against her and offering a tiny respite against the harsh heat. She wore a long, green dress, covered in all sorts of flora in millions of colours and decorated with pretty patterns stitched along the seams in a brilliantly golden thread, and held a silver sword at her side, glowing green jewels attached around the helm, razor sharp and clearly dangerous but stunning nonetheless.
Pearl couldn’t quite find the words to respond, simply staring at the wonderful woman before her.
“I asked a question,” the beautiful lady said, after a few moments of silence. “Answer.”
Pearl spluttered, a blush forming across her cheeks, though still cleared her throat and did her best to respond. “I, uh- Y-Yeah. Yes. Very, um- Very human, indeed.” She swallowed, internally cringing.
And yet, the woman did not seem to take offence, or otherwise find herself annoyed. Instead, she looked Pearl up and down with a calculating gaze, gave her a soft, reassuring smile, then took her hand. “Come with me.”
Pearl got up to her feet, following without question. Another arrow zipped past her, and then a sword just barely grazed past her skin as she moved, but she noticed they were slower, as if moving through honey, and any attacks that should have gotten her seemed to bounce right away, some invisible barrier protecting her.
She looked back at the woman, a fierce, protective look in her eyes, and couldn’t help but smile.
“Here,” the woman said, stopping by a bush not too far away from the main path. “Stay put whilst I deal with this, okay?”
Pearl nodded, again without question, and allowed her legs to lower her to the ground, sitting just within the confines of the bush. More sprouts emerged from the ground, concealing her even more as the beautiful lady moved away, back out towards the path.
And Pearl watched. With wide, curious eyes, and the biggest grin she’d ever worn, she watched as the woman drew her sword and fought, slicing through each and every enemy with ease and grace, oncoming attackers dissolving into dust the moment the woman laid eyes on them. It was enchanting, the way that the fight seemed to turn into a sort of dance, flowers blooming at her feet as she leapt into the air or spun on her heel, ready to face her next opponent. Not once did the woman falter, not once did she lose her footing or her focus. Even as bodies fell and blood pooled onto the forest floor around her, Pearl simply couldn’t tear her eyes away, nor did she think she would ever want to.
It was as if she had found the entire world, the entire universe. Like it had wrapped its arms around her and promised to keep her safe, that no harm would ever befall her again. Pearl never wanted to let it go.
Eventually, the final enemy emerged, the final enemy fell, and the woman let out a sigh of relief, her sword falling to her side. Blood continued to drip onto the floor, and it was beautiful still, like roses in the snow.
After taking a few moments to recover, the woman turned back to Pearl, giving her a bright smile. Pearl smiled back, about to get up and join her, though the woman raised a hand, gesturing for Pearl to stay put.
She did.
Soon enough, the beautiful lady was crouched by her side, looking over Pearl with concern. “Are you hurt?”
“That was wonderful,” Pearl said, completely ignoring her question. “You were- I- I’ve never seen anything like it. The way you just-”
The woman giggled, sweet tone echoing through the trees just like birdsong. “Yes, I am very cool and talented, I know. Now, are you hurt?”
Pearl blinked. “Oh. Um…” She frowned. Was she? She was pretty sure she had… oh! “Yeah, um- there’s a, uh-” She tried to gesture behind her, and the woman soon seemed to get the idea.
“Oh, gosh, yeah. That must hurt.” She winced, taking in the full sight of the arrow sticking out of Pearl’s back. For a few moments longer, she hummed in consideration, before wrapping around the base of the arrow, where the tip had entered Pearl’s skin. “This, uh- may just pinch a little, but I promise the pain won’t last long, okay?”
Slowly, Pearl nodded. “Oka-” She screeched as the arrow exited her skin, blood dripping out with it, pain shooting down her back and up her neck. “Ow. You could’ve given me some warning there, gods almighty, I- agh!” The women pressed a hand down on the wound, another spike of pain bursting through Pearl’s body for another second longer - until it all faded.
Completely faded.
Pearl could almost feel the wound close up on her back, blood dry on her skin and dissipate into the air around her. “How did you…?”
The woman waved her off. “Don’t worry about that. It’s the least I could do, after you got caught up in all this mess. Couldn’t let an innocent human like yourself get caught in the crossfire, and certainly couldn’t leave you to bleed out here all alone.”
Huh. It was sweet, Pearl thought. Extremely sweet, that this complete stranger would help her. “Who-” The words caught in her throat, as if something was trying to stop her, but she pushed through. “Who are you?”
“Oh! Gosh, how rude of me?” She laughed, and the sounds reverberated against Pearl’s skin, like the pitter patter of rain in a spring afternoon. “My name is Gem, if you wish to have something to call me by. May I have yours?”
“Pearl,” she responded, holding out a hand.
Something seemed to shift in the air around them as Gem took her hand. “Pearl,” she repeated, long and drawn out, as if tasting how it felt on her tongue. Swallowing it down, consuming it. Allowing it to attack onto her soul, become part of her. Trading a tiny bit of herself to Pearl in return. “That’s a very pretty name. I like it. Thank you.”
“Um… You’re welcome?” Pearl frowned, a strange feeling beginning to swirl around her stomach, not anything like she’d felt before. But weirdly, she found she didn’t mind it. It felt warm, like an embrace during a thunderstorm, a cup of pleasantly hot cocoa placed into her hands and lifted to her lips.
The weird feeling from before had completely disappeared, replaced solely by this one.
Pearl decided she quite liked it.
Humming, Gem twisted her fingers around to hook them beneath Pearl’s, fingernails digging into her palms, though not at all in a painful manner. She then lifted her hand, planting a small kiss to her knuckles. Pearl was fairly certain that her face had never been this red.
“It’s lovely to meet you, Pearl,” Gem said, raising to her full height and dragging Pearl up with her. “It’s not often that a human like yourself passes through this part of the woods, though I… must say I’m extremely pleased that you did.”
Pearl huffed in a half-laugh. “I, uh… Honestly, I’ve gotta say I’m glad that I, uh, took a wrong turn somewhere, as well. Kind of terrifying, don’t get me wrong, but if it lead me to you, then completely worth it. You’re stunning.”
Surprisingly, that was enough to make Gem blush, and for a moment she seemed unsure as to how to respond. “Oh,” she said, with a shaky breath. “You think so?”
“I know so,” Pearl said, with absolute certainty. “You are gorgeous, Gem. Never seen anyone or anything quite as beautiful as you.”
“Huh.” Gem smiled, her gaze softening. “I, um… I’m honoured that you’d think so.”
Pearl raised an eyebrow. “Honoured?”
“Of course,” Gem said, interlocking her fingers with Pearl’s and beginning to lead her back out towards the path. Once again, Pearl followed without question. “I mean, surely you must know of your own beauty, do you not? You must’ve gazed into a lake for an hour or two on at least one occasion - gosh, I don’t think I’d ever be able to bring myself to stop with a face as pretty as your own.”
Pearl hadn’t thought it was possible to blush more than she already was, but somehow, she still felt her cheeks grow warmer. Her heart fluttered in her chest, like a beautiful butterfly landing on the prettiest petal. “Can I kiss you?” she blurted out, before even really thinking about it - but strangely, she found that she didn’t cringe, or come to regret it. Especially as Gem began to laugh. A kind laugh, a happy laugh, a laugh that only made that fluttering feeling grow more and more and more intense.
“That’s very forward of you,” Gem commented, once she’d managed to calm her laughter down.
Still, Pearl didn’t feel even an ounce of embarrassment. She’d never met another person she felt so… comfortable around. Like she could just be herself. “Can you blame me?” she said, glancing up at Gem as they continued to head through the forest, Pearl’s feet replicating Gem’s every step. “Like I said, you’re gorgeous. Absolutely beautiful. And you seem so sweet and amazing, and- and, I mean, you just saved my life, so… you understand, right?”
Gem smirked. “I understand, don’t you worry,” she reassured Pearl. She stopped in her path, and Pearl followed suit, turning to face her. As her fingers brushed against her check, palm cupping her jaw and tilting her head to the side, Pearl’s breath hitched in her throat. “Besides, it’s… not like I don’t want to, either. Like I said before - I’m honoured that such a cute human as yourself would think of me in that way.” She smirked, as Pearl writhed under her touch, melted under her gaze. “Shall we?”
Pearl nodded, unable to do much more than simply stare into those shining eyes, her lips parted, waiting.
Soon enough, Gem captured those lips in her own, and just like that everything seemed to fit into place. Pearl closed her eyes, letting out a pleased hum as Gem’s soft lips began to move against hers, her heart almost beating out of her chest, that butterfly growing and growing until it was all that Pearl could feel, until it was all that Pearl was. All Pearl needed was Gem, that wonderful woman occupying every corner of her mind, the entire world, the entire universe laid out before her, and Pearl figured there wasn’t a single thing she wouldn’t do for her, not a single request she wouldn’t follow, not a single step she wouldn’t take in turn.
Subconsciously, Pearl moved closer to Gem, until their chests were almost touching. Her hands wandered down to Gem’s waist, one slowly beginning to reach around her back, whilst Gem’s spare hand entangled itself in Pearl’s hair, pulling her in closer still. Pearl kissed her like no one she’d ever kissed before, with so much more passion and hunger, needing to be close to her, needing more and more. She tasted so, so sweet, like a basket full of fruit in a lazy early autumn afternoon - the ripest plum bursting with juice, a perfectly shaped strawberry sprinkled with sugar, a grape exploding against her tongue like wine. Pearl was fairly certain she would never get enough.
They stayed like that for a while, Gem only briefly pulling away a few times for air, the rest of the world fading away around them - until eventually, Gem pulled away, and didn’t immediately go back in. Pearl pouted, chasing her lips, desperate for more, but Gem just giggled and dropped a hand back down, lacing her fingers between Pearl’s and gently tugging them away from her waist.
“C’mon,” she said, “we should get moving. Wouldn’t want another ambush to arrive, do we?”
“But- Please, I-”
“There’ll be plenty of time for more kisses later, when we’re safe,” Gem promised, and Pearl believed her. Once again, she began to follow her through the forest, without question. “Let’s go home, shall we?”
Pearl blinked. “Do you… know the way to my home?” She was fairly certain they were heading in the wrong direction, though… though for some reason, it still felt right, going this way. She still felt like she was going home.
Gem nodded. “Of course I do,” she confirmed, and Pearl believed her. “I’ve lived there all my life, after all.”
Part of Pearl felt like she should be concerned, afraid. Like she should turn and run.
And yet, the fear wasn’t there. Only contentment, happiness. Butterfly wings continuing to grow, fluttering faster and faster, trying to burst from her back.
“I can live there as well?” she said, turning to look at Gem.
Gem smiled, ever so brightly. “Of course. I’ll keep you safe there, yeah?”
Pearl smiled in return. “I’d like that.”
The forest was still different, so, so different, but now it seemed… brighter. With Gem’s presence beside her, pulsing light into the air around them, flowers growing at her feet and birds flying overhead, singing the prettiest tune Pearl had ever heard.
It felt like home.
“Can you teach me to fight like that?” Pearl asked, after a few moments of silence.
Gem blinked, shooting her an intrigued glance. “You want to fight?”
Pearl shrugged. “Just… It was cool. I want- I could protect you, as well. Keep you safe.”
Gem laughed. “I think I can handle myself just fine.”
“I want to, though,” Pearl said, though she couldn’t quite pinpoint why. How, in such a short period of time, Gem had become her everything. “It’s the least I can do, after you saved me.”
Gem hummed in thought, taking far too long of a moment to consider it, though eventually giggled again. “Alright,” she said. “I can give you a few pointers, for sure. Probably for the best, if you’re going to be staying here - unfortunately, attacks like that are far from uncommon these days.”
Pearl beamed. “Thank you! I won’t let you down!”
“Of course you won’t. You could never let me down, Pearl.” The name sounded powerful, coming out of her mouth. Pearl decided she liked the sound of it. “But first, we should rest, yes? I’m sure today has been very stressful for you.”
A small cottage seemed to materialise in front of Pearl’s very eyes. Cute, cosy, surrounded by a beautiful garden of millions of flowers, all different shapes and colours and sizes, and Pearl immediately felt like she belonged.
She nodded, following Gem inside. “Yes. Rest would be lovely, I think.”
Finally, Pearl was home.