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Princess Caitlyn Kiramman of Piltover. A noble title befitting a noble family. Her mother told her she’d grow into it as time went on. She never did. It was the pressure, the weight of the title, but also what it implied. Caitlyn hated it.
The date was June 15th, one week before her wedding. Something she didn’t have a choice in. For the good of the kingdom, she needed to marry Jayce Talis. It’s not that she didn’t love Jayce, but he was more like a brother to her. However, the culture demanded their union. Princess Caitlyn Kiramman-Talis. That thought sent shivers down her spine.
Everything about her life felt wrong, like she was living as someone else, forced to pretend to be part of a world that didn’t fit her — who she actually was. So Caitlyn went out, to the one place she could be herself, with the one person who she could be herself with.
Caitlyn arrived at the stable and saw her, Vi, brushing her horse. Vi was a knight, had been trained to be one since she was a kid, to protect Caitlyn at all costs. The two were inseparably close. “Hey,” Caitlyn said as she approached the girl with pink hair.
“Morning, Princess,” Vi said, without turning around. Caitlyn walked closer to Vi and leaned against a wooden wall, her gaze distant, thoughtful. Vi glanced at her and raised an eyebrow. “Everything okay?” she asked.
Caitlyn sighed. “It’s the wedding.” Vi nodded. “I feel like…” She inhales deeply, searching for words. “I feel like I’m drowning.” Vi looks at her up and down and exhales. “Wanna go for a ride?”
Caitlyn smiles out of one corner of her mouth. “Yeah.”
Daisy was an older horse. Vi’s father taught her how to take care of Daisy ever since she was a kid. Daisy had only ever liked two people in the world, Vi and Vander. It drove Powder, Vi’s sister, crazy. Vi just had a way with animals. She was soft and nurturing. Caitlyn loved that about her.
They rode Daisy through the familiar fields that surrounded the castle Caitlyn had grown up in. The wind in her hair, hugging Vi from behind, head pressed into Vi’s back. It was always what made Caitlyn feel the most free. Vi knew her so well, how to cheer her up. Her future was still overwhelming and scary, but Vi comforting her felt nice, if not bittersweet.
They settled down underneath a tree right next to the river, a spot Caitlyn had always loved. She could see the world beyond what life had planned for her. Vi and Caitlyn often came here. It started out as a place for them to train. Cassandra always wanted Caitlyn to know how to fight, how to protect herself. It was one of the few things about her childhood that brought her comfort. Training with Vi, away from everything, from all the weight of expectation. As they grew up, and their childhood energy disappeared, they often went to that spot just to relax, get away from the world. It was the spot where they grew close. It was comfort.
They sat down underneath the tree, looking ahead, comforted by each other’s presence.
“I never liked being called ‘Princess’,” Caitlyn said, breaking the silence.
“Hm?” Vi asks.
Caitlyn shrugs. “I don’t know. It’s just not who I am. I mean, it is, by definition, who I am. But it’s not me.”
Vi narrowed her eyes, looking at Caitlyn’s distant gaze. “So who are you?”
Caitlyn should’ve expected that question but she had no answer. She’d spent so much time thinking about who she wasn’t that she never stopped to think about who she was.
“I’m…” she sighed. “I don’t know. I’m not a future queen. I don’t want to rule the kingdom, I shouldn’t… just because of my blood. This system makes no sense. The people didn’t choose me, I’m no better than anyone else.”
Vi picked up a small pebble and threw it in the river in front of them. “You keep saying what you’re not. Tell me what you are.” Caitlyn groans in frustration. Vi continues, “You say you don’t like this system. Do you want to change it? You may not want to be a queen but are you a leader?” Caitlyn looks at Vi’s face, searching for something to say. Vi shrugs and says “When the kingdom is yours, you can do whatever you want. You can make things better.”
Caitlyn scoffs. “That’s the thing, I can’t. I’ll just be a face for the kingdom, but my husband will be calling the shots. I can’t do anything.”
Vi sighs and looks ahead, at the distant horizon. “There’s plenty you can do, Princess. It just won’t be easy.”
“What are you saying, Violet?”
Vi sits up straight and looks to her left, straight in Caitlyn’s eyes. “You think your life is chosen for you, but you can take control of it. Put your foot down, stand up to your mom.”
Caitlyn can’t believe what she’s hearing. “Stand up to my mom? Are you crazy?!”
“She’s not the devil you think she is. She’d listen to you.” Vi says, looking away from Caitlyn’s gaze.
“She’s never listened to me before,” Caitlyn scoffs.
“Because you don’t let her see you, Cait. Who are you? You need to show her that. Need to show yourself who you are and what you want.”
Caitlyn stands up quickly, frustrated. Vi stands up too, slower, hand out trying to calm the situation. “What I want… You want to know what I want, Vi?”
“I do, Princess,” Vi says, nervous, trying to diffuse the situation.
“For one, I’d like you to stop calling me ‘Princess’. It’s… wrong. I don’t like it,” Caitlyn says, clearly agitated as she gestures wildly.
“What should I call you, then?” Vi asks softly.
Caitlyn inhales and looks up, searching her mind for the answer. As she opens her mouth to speak, she looks away from Vi, a little embarrassed of her answer. “P–prince… I want you to call me Prince.”
Vi looks at Caitlyn and raises an eyebrow. “Okay, my Prince,” Vi says with a smirk.
Caitlyn blushes as her eyes look everywhere but Vi’s face. “Good,” Caitlyn says. “Secondly, I want… I want to be free, I want to travel, I want to see the world. I want… I want the feeling I get when I’m with you.” Caitlyn finally looks back at Vi, who’s smiling. “I want you, Violet.”
Maybe say something like: She freezes, the smile that graces her face quickly turning into the shape of an 'O'. Caitlyn steps closer towards Vi and continues, “I want a life with you, Violet. I want to see the world with you. I want to never leave your side. I want us to go on adventures and get in trouble. I want to be with you more than anything.”
Vi averts her gaze, scratching the back of her neck. “W–what are you saying, Prince– Uh, Prince?” she stumbles over her words.
“Violet,” Caitlyn says and reaches a hand to cup Vi’s cheek, turning Vi’s head so she’s looking at Caitlyn’s eyes. “I love you.”
Vi’s eyes dart from one of Caitlyn’s eyes to the other. “You– You love me?” A slight smile appears on Vi’s mouth as she asks.
“More than anything, Violet.” Caitlyn says, rubbing one finger over Vi’s cheek. “And, as Prince Kiramman… I’d love to make you my princess.”
Vi chuckles, big smile on her face, looking hypnotized by Caitlyn’s words. “I’d like that too,” Vi says. Caitlyn smiles, then looks down at Vi’s mouth. She leans in, slowly, asking for permission. “It’s about time you started taking what you want, Prince.”
“Shut up, Violet,” Caitlyn says as she closes the distance and kisses Vi.
Their lips move together like they were never meant to be apart. Caitlyn’s worries and anxieties fade into the kiss, thinking that, maybe, she could have what she wanted. Years of having to hide how she felt, hide what she wanted… Vi finally made her feel like she could be happy, she could be herself. Caitlyn took what she wanted and would take more and there was no force in the world who could stop her anymore. She wanted Vi and she wanted a life beyond the walls of her kingdom. And she’d be damned if anything stood in her way of that anymore.