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Whenever you heard the tale of a princess being locked away in a tower, you expected to hear the happy ending. That a brave and clever knight came to her aid, swept her off her feet and they lived happily ever after. Aziraphale had been hopeful this would be her case too. And slowly, with every knight's attempt and failure, she started to believe that her fate was to die alone in that tower. And what infuriated her to no end was that she knew why she was there. She was a pawn in a greater scheme.

Her father, King Gabriel Fell, had always been a selfish man. He wasn't the best with money. And that was a problem, considering the kingdom's debts. He was simply a lord back in his youth, but he married princess Uriel Jasal after winning a tournament for her hand, then became king. By all accounts, there was no real love or interest in the marriage from either party. Especially since the only child they had, looked nothing like her supposed parents. This lead to rumors of her being a bastard, not the daughter of the king, but instead, of one of the royal cooks.

The king was very tall, thin and pale skinned. He had sharp facial features, straight black hair and eyes so purple they almost looked like a starry night's sky. Meanwhile, her mother was a dark skinned woman. She was a bit shorter than Gabriel but certainly just as thin. She had fairly sharp facial features (though not as defined as her husband's), with curly brown hair and brown eyes. 

Aziraphale, though, was pale. She had wavy blonde, nearly white, hair. She was much shorter and chubbier than both of them, with a round face, blue eyes and a button nose. Anyone could have picked a random peasant up from the street who had more physical similarities with the king and queen. In reality, the princess looked like a female version of a gentle but rough looking man, named Francis. The rumors only grew after the cook disappeared some time after the princess's 6th birthday. Deep down, the 15 year old princess believed being the product of an affair was one of the main reasons she was stuck in this godforsaken castle in the middle of nowhere.

But the biggest one was, of course, the deal her father had cut with King Sandalphon. The deal which only happened after her mother passed away, under mysterious circumstances. The other king had a son named Michael, you see. He wanted the boy to be perceived as an overachiever by the time he took his rightful place on the throne. Somehow, they agreed on locking Aziraphale away, as a prize he would win at the end of his very public rise to "legendary" status. And to add some more mystique to the whole thing, why not have him vanquish a dragon to save the damsel in distress? No, it wasn't contrived at all. Aziraphale didn't need to be in the room to know the two men had been drinking when they put their plan together.

The main reason why this ridiculous plan had (unfortunately) worked up to this point, was because Sandalphon had a fascination with the dark arts. Apparently, he had grown up around them and knew all kinds of spells he could use to his advantage. What made it worse was that he was good at it. Naturally, this was fairly concerning. After all, a man who can control a witch and a dragon to do his biding was quite terrifying. Not that the poor princess knew any of this beforehand.

Aziraphale recalled being summoned into the throne room by her father the day she was taken. Before he even breathed a word to her, a group of men stormed the room, held a knife to Gabriel's throat, and dragged her away. She was thrown into a carriage, and she assumed she had been hexed, as that was all she remembered before everything went dark. When she awoke, she found herself in a bedroom she did not recognize. She stumbled out of bed, to the nearest window. The princess felt her heart sink into her stomach as she noticed the surrounding vegetation which was slowly swallowing the structure she was in. Judging by the other towers, she gathered this was an ancient castle from one of the many stories she had read as a child. Nevertheless, she knew this wasn't her home, and she needed to get out fast.

She tried opening the door, but it was locked. A good 10 minutes were spent on searching for the key. When she finally found it, she heard the faint sound of a galloping horse. Back to the window she went, desperate to see who was on their way. Soon she saw a knight, riding towards the castle. A soft gasp left her lips as she noticed the banner the soldier was flying. It had her family crest. Her father had sent a knight to rescue her!

She looked around the room, trying to find something to get his attention. Seeing nothing better, she ripped off a piece of fabric from the bed's canopy and started waving it out the window. Eventually, the knight noticed it and began riding her way. Now that he knew where she was, or hopefully had an idea of where to start looking, she assumed meeting him halfway might help them get out quicker. As she turned the key to open that door, she heard the man calling for her. She followed his voice down the stairs of the tower.

"Princess Aziraphale! Where are you?" Echoed the voice throughout the castle. 

Unfortunately, it wasn't the only sound reverberating through the abandoned-looking halls of the palace. An unholy growl sounded from what would have been the throne room of the castle. Aziraphale's knees shook as a chill went up her spine. She fell to the floor and crawled behind a column. Whatever had done that growl sounded massive, and she certainly didn't want to encounter it. So, the throne room was off limits. Her fear was yelling at her, telling her to hide. And she did. 

Much to her dismay, she took too long in coming back out, because the knight walked into the throne room. Instead of a growl, there was a deafening roar which practically shook the whole castle. She could hear the knight's horse galloping away afterwards. Then, the knight screamed and grunted harshly. Aziraphale had no clue what was going on, and she truly wished she hadn't listened to her curious nature. When she looked towards the throne room, she saw how the knight was set on fire. She watched in horror as he screamed in agony, his armor melting onto him as he was essentially cooked alive. 

That sight, smell and sounds would haunt her dreams for the rest of her life. Assuming she'd live for much longer. She was in tears, terrified as anything, but she had to try to escape. She ran towards the main doors and tried getting them open. They wouldn't budge in any direction. She cursed herself, saying she should've known he came in another way. In this frustrated, self-scolding moment, she hadn't noticed the beast that had walked up behind her. She only did once the creature breathed and the hot air from its nostrils blew at her skirt and her hair. 

Aziraphale's heart was hammering in her chest. She wanted to run. Escape. But her body seized up and wouldn't let her do so. All she could manage was turning around to see what exactly would be her cause of death. 

The dragon was massive, it barely fit in the room they were in. And, strangely enough, it wore a thick black collar with an orange gem in the middle. Black scales, with a bright red underbelly. It walked on four legs, had two huge wings sprouting from its shoulder blades and a thick tail which it dragged behind it. But the most terrifying aspects of the animal were those sharp teeth and forked tongue she could see as it growled at her now. And the big, slitted, yellow eyes which were staring into the princess' soul. It was too much for her to handle. She crumbled into a crying heap, covering her face, unable to stare death in the face and accept her fate in a brave manner. Oh, how she hated that her last thoughts before dying were related to disappointing her father yet again. 

Except, she wasn't dead yet. When she opened her eyes again, the dragon hissed at her and used one of its front legs to shove her back up the staircase to the tower she had awoken in. Though there was a part of her that was confused, she chose not to tempt fate and she ran back to the room. Locking the door, she started crying again. She wasn't sure if it was because of residue fear, because she wasn't able to escape, because she saw a man burn to death, or all of the above. Whatever the case, it was too much to bear and she threw herself onto the bed to continue crying. 

It was hours later that she met Anathema Device, the king's witch. She had entered the locked room via the window, scaring the princess in the process. Mainly due to the surprise, because she certainly wasn't intimidating. Anathema Device was a tall and beautiful woman. She had tan skin, big brown eyes and dark hair which was tied into a long braid, going all the way down to the small of her back. She wore a long gray dress and Aziraphale assumed she wore boots, thanks to the sound her feet made against the stone floor. On her wrists, she wore metallic cuffs. They almost looked like shackles, minus the chain that would have linked them together. 

Once the formalities were out of the way, the sorceress told her the truth. Her father hadn't sent that knight to save her, but to be the first victim. She went into detail about the plan the two kings had hatched. This mortified Aziraphale. Not only was she being used as an object, but others had to die for no good reason. 

The princess became weary after hearing all this information. After all, the witch had admitted to working for King Sandalphon. Though, Anathema explained she didn't like doing this. That she was forced to do so through magic, just like the dragon downstairs. Their orders were to keep Aziraphale in the castle until Prince Michael showed up. And that was a long ways away. 

Considering they were both being used, and because it looked as though she wouldn't have contact with anyone else for the time being, Aziraphale decided to trust Anathema. Mainly because she was there to take care of her and if she treated her poorly, the witch might do something unsavory to her food or living arrangements. Obviously, she couldn't kill Aziraphale, but still. And the fact that the witch appeared to be just as unhappy as she was, only made it easier for Aziraphale to accept her help. Maybe confide in her. Be friends, even. With time, anyway. 

-10 Years Later-

Several things had changed in the decade that passed, but the most important ones, had not. Aziraphale was now 25 years old and still locked away in the castle. Anathema and the dragon were still under the King's control. And his son was nowhere near the castle to put an end to this ridiculous plan. No, the only things that had changed were: Aziraphale and Anathema's relationship, which had turned into a true friendship. The number of books and stories Aziraphale read, thanks to Anathema being able to come and go as she pleased. And Aziraphale's anger towards the dragon had only grown with every kill.

These days, whenever the witch heard that there was another knight coming to try and save the maiden, she made sure to be in the castle beforehand, so Aziraphale wouldn't be alone. The princess wished she could grow to be callous, to feel nothing when yet another knight rode into his doom. But she couldn't, so having a friend to help her through that sorrow was better than nothing. Sometimes she would have Anathema put a sleeping spell on her, so she didn't have to hear the horrible screams coming from below. She tried not to get used to that option, though, because she saw it as selfish. After all, Anathema couldn't hex herself as well to ensure neither of them saw or heard the tragedy. 

And even when there weren't any knights supposed to be coming to the rescue, Anathema would pop by on a daily basis. So it was only natural that Aziraphale grew worried after not seeing her for two days straight. And even weirder, was the fact that her meals were being left outside her bedroom door, just as always, and her wash room was ready to use as soon as she felt like bathing. It was eerie, as if Anathema had something or someone keeping an eye on her. She looked out the window every few hours, hoping that she'd see the witch coming towards the castle, but she never did. 

By the third day, she'd had enough and decided to leave her tower, to see if she could find any clues related to Anathema's whereabouts. The thought alone terrified her. Sure, she knew the dragon couldn't do anything to her, but she only remembered the fear she felt the first time she saw it. Dread took over as she went down the stairs and she heard a door slam on the other end of the castle. She froze to listen for the beast's footsteps. Not hearing anything, she sprinted down the rest of the steps. 

The princess sighed in relief, not seeing the dragon in the throne room. She moved towards the main entrance and pushed the doors open. It was nice to feel the sun and wind against her face after being cooped up in there for so long. Perhaps she should do this more often. Though, she quickly thought otherwise once she reached the bridge which lead up to the abandoned castle. Only when she was this close could she sense the magical barrier which surrounded her prison. 

She knew what would happen if she touched it, Anathema had told her. But she had to try. She stuck her hand out towards the nearly invisible force field. Her fingertips felt warm before the barrier crackled and zapped her. Aziraphale yelped and winced at the pain. Yup, exactly the same result the witch had warned her about. At least she saw it for herself.

Disappointed, she started walking along the outside, looking for her friend. There was nothing to give her a clue. So, she went around, to the garden. To her surprise, that area of the grounds didn't look abandoned at all! It was as though someone had just watered all the plants moments ago. Really, it must have been that, since it hadn't rained and only the tended-to plants were wet. 

It was certainly strange, but she simply had to appreciate the beauty of the garden. There were dozens of red and white rose bushes which enclosed the area. As Aziraphale walked along the edges, she noticed the random assortment of flowers. Lilies, daisies and many other ones she had never seen, decorated the place. At the very center of the garden was a very large weeping willow tree. It was all very nice, no doubt, but there was still no sign of Anathema.

She made her way over to a nearby lake. The water was so clear, she could see straight down to the depths. She saw no living creatures swimming along, only some aquatic plant-life, swaying along the rocky bottom. The whole thing looked quite refreshing. If it weren't for the close proximity of the force field, she would've certainly dipped her toes in the water and taken in the scenery. 

Disappointed yet again, she made her way back to the castle. As she entered, she heard humming coming from the old dinning hall. She knew the witch wandered around the whole fortress on most days she visited before going upstairs to the princess. Perhaps she had just arrived and was doing the rounds. And if it wasn't her, who else was allowed here without immediately getting killed by the dragon?

She was cautious as she pressed on. Aziraphale peeked around the corner. To her utter confusion, there was no one in the room. For a moment, she felt as though she was starting to lose her mind. She knew there was someone else here. 

She was growing frustrated now, and was on the verge of letting out a scream, as she turned around and bumped into something. Or rather, someone. 

Aziraphale couldn't believe her eyes. There, standing in front of her was a beautiful woman she had never seen before. This was the only other person she had seen in the castle in years! Other than Anathema, of course. This mystery woman was taller than her had red, shoulder-length hair, with a crown of lilies. She wore a long, black dress with red detailing along the edges, a black necklace with a green stone hanging from it. Before she could ask anything, though, she noticed the woman's eyes. Completely yellow, with slit pupils. The same as the dragon's.

The princess gasped and tripped over her own feet as she tried to run away. Aziraphale looked up as the woman placed a hand on her hip and let out an amused chuckle. The necklace's stone went from green to lavender. 

"You- You're-! But how?!" Aziraphale managed to say as she crawled away from her.

The redhead smirked. "I bet you were expecting an old hag, weren't you?" She asked, holding out her hand to help her. "Come on, up ya go. I was going to send your food up anyway. You might as well take it with you." She said casually, as if they had spoken a million times before this.

The young prisoner refused to take her hand, feeling her anger rising, surprising even herself. "How dare you?!" She yelled.

The redhead's necklace stone then turned a soft pink as she raised an eyebrow. "Hmm?" 

Aziraphale managed to stand up on her own and started walking away, still yelling. "How dare you?! You're the one who's been keeping me here for years and, suddenly, you're acting as though you're my friend?!" 

"Look, Princess, I-" She had followed her up the stairs.

Aziraphale wasn't having any of it. "Leave me alone!" 

"I-"

"Leave!" She said, shoving her out of her room and slamming the door. She also locked the door for good measure. 

Not that it mattered, since she turned around to find the woman sitting on her bed and yelped at the surprise. 

"But- how did you-?"

The redhead crossed her arms, grinning. "I'm a shapeshifter, sweetheart. Crawled right under the door as a bug." 

"I wish I would have seen you. Maybe I could have squashed you and be done with it." Said Aziraphale with a bit of attitude, but still rooted at the door, not daring to move towards her.

"Easy now, princess. I'm just doing my job. I have nothing against you. If it were possible, I'd kick you right out that barrier. You're the one who's been invading my home this whole time!" She said angrily, the necklace's stone turning red in the process.

Though she was scared, she softened a bit. "Your home...?"

"I've lived here for decades. Then about 20 years ago, your witch friend showed up, put me to sleep and I woke up with this bloody necklace on!" She said, pointing to the piece of jewelry. She then touched it, it shocked her and she screamed. Just like the barrier outside had shocked Aziraphale. 

The blonde winced at her pain. "So that's how the king controls you..." She had never asked Anathema the specifics of the spells the king used on them.

"Bastard used blood magic on mine. Impossible to take off unless he actively removes the spell himself. Or I can somehow manage to change my own blood... I bloody hate him." She scoffed.

Aziraphale wondered if the metallic cuffs Anathema had around her wrists functioned with blood magic too. Or, if it was some other kind of spell, since she was free to come and go. Well, certainly not free. She still had her orders from the king. She shook away the thought and kept talking.

"Well, that's something we have in common, then..." She said, still uneasy. 

The woman nodded. "Naturally... You went outside the walls today. Was this your first time?" 

"Yes." 

The stone turned soft pink again. "Did you see the garden?" 

The blonde nodded. "Yes. It's very nice." 

At that reply, it turned green. "Next time a knight comes, you should go out there. At least you can't feel or hear me rip him apart from there. Better than nothing, since Anathema won't be back for a long time. I'm your babysitter until she returns." 

"Where is she?" This was the only time Aziraphale stepped forward. 

"King Sandalphon needed her for an important task, apparently. He's a right prick, but he uses his slaves in a fairly smart manner." The gem went blue with the reply.

Aziraphale flinched at the word 'slave'. She knew it was accurate, but it still felt wrong. "...But she will come back, yes?" 

A grin appeared on her face again as the stone turned lavender once more. "Still scared of being alone with me, are ya?"

Aziraphale felt her stomach drop before she nodded. 

The grin disappeared, necklace gem settling for a swirl of blue and orange. "Don't worry. I'll get out of your hair. Want me to bring up your food?" 

She nodded again as the woman walked towards her. She made sure she didn't touch Aziraphale. Only the key, so she could leave her be. Once alone, the princess exhaled so hard she fell to her knees. She was shaking. She knew the dragon could not harm her due to the king's orders, but even so. Knowing how many men she had killed, how much blood was on her hands, it terrified the princess to her very core. 

The woman came back within minutes, but only left the food at the door, just as she had for the past few days. It was now that she realized the dragon had been the one doing this since Anathema had disappeared. Aziraphale saw her climbing down the stairs as she picked up her meal.

"May I ask what your name is?" She forced herself to ask, voice almost trembling as she did so. 

The woman looked over her shoulder, a gentle smile on her lips. "Crowley." 

~~~~~

It took her several days to be comfortable with the idea of looking for the shapeshifter in the castle. And it took her a whole other day to actually do it. She was petrified, but forced herself down the stairs, after a week of trying and bailing out halfway down the steps. As soon as she reached the bottom, she heard soft growling coming from the throne room. With gentle steps, she made her way over to the room, to see what Crowley was doing. 

Once she walked through the door, she realized the dragon was sleeping and that the growling was actually her snoring! Not wanting to wake her up, she turned right around to leave. Unfortunately, retreating quietly didn't work out. She tripped on a snagged piece of the carpet and fell with a grunt. The growling stopped and she heard an exhale from behind her. The princess turned to see Crowley waking up. 

"What's wrong, princess?" She asked. Her voice sounded strange to Aziraphale. Most likely because she had never heard her speak in this form. It was always roars and growls. 

"N-nothing, nothing at all. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. I'll leave-"

Somehow, Crowley's tail had reached behind Aziraphale to block the exit. 

"You came down. You never leave your tower. Clearly, you need something. What is it?" She asked, pushing the princess closer to her. 

Aziraphale felt her heart hammering in her chest as she got closer to the dragon's face. She hadn't noticed when she started shaking, but the shapeshifter certainly did.

Crowley then stopped pushing the princess towards her, stepped back and shifted into her human form. "Sorry about that. I forget you hate me." She said, gem turning fuchsia.

Aziraphale said nothing. Sure, Crowley wasn't wrong, but she was still too scared to say those words herself. Or rather, she didn't have the adrenaline she had experienced a few days ago when she yelled at her and was brave enough to kick her out of her room. In the end, she might've left of her own accord, but at least Aziraphale had tried to put her foot down. At this moment however, she was rooted in place. 

Crowley sighed, falling to her knees and putting her head down. "Is the lack of eye contact going to help you speak, or am I just wasting my time by trying?"

To her surprise, it did help a small bit. Most likely because those eyes had haunted many of her nightmares for the last decade. "I, um, I was wondering if you had heard anything else from Anathema." 

"Nothing yet." 

"Do you know how long her task was supposed to take?"

"It could be months. She gave me a letter explaining why she had to go, before she rushed out the doors. I can show you, if you want." Offered the redhead. 

"Please." 

Crowley gave a nod, turned into a bat and flew to the top of the room, where she had hidden it. Before long, she came back down, with the rolled up letter in hand. Or paw? Claw maybe? Aziraphale wasn't sure. She shifted back into human form before handing it over. 

Aziraphale opened it, recognizing Anathema's handwriting immediately. 

I wish this wasn't so sudden, Crowley, but I'm afraid the king is in one of his moods. He's adamant that I spy on Lord Hastur. He believes he's up to no good and is sending me as a 'gift', to keep an eye on him. If that horrible man lays a finger on me, I will kill him. Or try to, anyway. As usual, the king said 'no magic' unless my cover is about to be blown. (Which in that circumstance, I can understand. I may be posing as a whore, but certainly won't be indulging him like one.) But you've seen how Lord Hastur interacts with people, he's as slimy as the toads on his family crest. Are you sure he isn't a shapeshifter? I feel like he's in between frog and human form half of the time. 

Anyway, Sandalphon is getting paranoid, which means I'll likely be playing spy for a long time. I know you wish we could swap places right now, since you'd see this as more fun. But I need you to take care of Aziraphale. Food, drink, water for her baths, all the things I do for her. You have to do while I'm gone. If she weren't terrified of going down into the castle, I'm sure she would do it herself, but here we are. 

As far as I heard, no knight was supposed to be coming your way for about another month, so you'll enjoy some peace and quiet until then, at least... 

I do wish you'd try talking to her. I believe you could be friends, eventually. She's just as lonely and as hurt as you are, don't forget that. 

I will try to figure out all of Lord Hastur's secrets as soon as possible so I can return quickly. 

Aziraphale sighed. There were several things the princess wondered about after reading that. And of course, she couldn't really ask anything now. She gave the letter back and went to leave. Only to be halted by Crowley's voice. 

"Anathema has shown you the rest of the castle, right?"

The blonde stopped and turned towards her. "Why would she? I never leave my tower." 

"Not even when Anathema is here and I'm asleep?"

"No." 

Crowley blinked at that, trying to wrap her brain around that fact. "Never? Not once in a whole decade?" 

Aziraphale shook her head. 

"Look, I know you hate being reminded of being imprisoned, but surely, it must feel better to be trapped in a big area. Better than just one room, at any rate..." The gem on her necklace was now blue.

"I suppose... May I leave now?"

"You don't need to ask, y'know. I make sure others can't leave this place alive. I have to ensure you do, someday... If you change your mind, I can give you a tour." She said before shifting into a bat and flying to the ceiling, to hang from the chandelier. 

Breathing a sigh of relief, Aziraphale went back to her tower.

Deep down, Crowley knew Anathema was right. And she hated it. In her eyes, it was bad enough she had softened on the witch in the first place. Though, she supposed this sort of thing happened when you were forced into situations together. You feel strangely bonded. By now, Crowley genuinely cared about Anathema and she dreaded that the same thing would happen with Aziraphale. And really, the two of them would end the same way: dead and gone, a long time before it was Crowley's time to go. Assuming the king kept his part of the deal.

Sandalphon had said that whenever Michael came to rescue Aziraphale, the prince would simply make it look like he killed the dragon, to have his squires witness the event and spread the word. Obviously, a shapeshifter can be a very handy thing to have, especially for someone who enjoys the dark arts as much as the king. So it made perfect sense that he would want to keep Crowley around. Even so, the dragon was wary of this plan and would try to kill Michael at the first chance she thought her life was in any real danger. She hated to think of the possibility. Surviving for centuries, almost a whole millennium, to be killed by some spoiled brat with no real skill? Embarrassing, really. Hence why she couldn't let that happen.

Trying to ignore all those thoughts, she decided it would be best to sleep it off. Though, her bat form and napping from the chandelier didn't really fit her mood at the moment. So, she decided to fly to the other end of the castle, to the most intricate door she could find. The royal bedroom was old and dusty, but the mattress was better than the usual stone floor she usually slept on, so cleaning it wasn't too much of a bother. Since Anathema had mentioned it would be a while before the next knight came, there was no need for her to stay in the throne room and be the final hurdle before getting to the princess. She could be more at peace back here, hopefully forget about her work for a few hours.

~~~~~

The following day, Crowley had planned on tending to the garden early in the morning, but her plans were foiled by the horrible weather. It had been raining since dawn and it showed no signs of clearing up any time soon. If it weren't for the fact that Aziraphale needed to eat every day, she would've stayed in the bed until the next evening. To her surprise, the princess' door was open when she went up the stairs to her tower. She never did that, not even when Anathema was around.

A quiet Aziraphale was looking out the window. Crowley made sure to knock on the doorframe, to not spook her by suddenly barging in. The princess turned. 

"Figured you were up. I assumed you'd want your breakfast early."

The blonde took a moment to reply, trying to keep her fear at bay. "I was starting to feel a bit peckish, thank you." 

The yellow-eyed being nodded. "I'll just leave it here for you." She said, placing it atop the vanity. "If you need anything else, just yell."

Before she could leave, she heard the blonde's voice. "May I ask you something?" 

"Depends what it is." Said Crowley.

"...Why does your necklace change colors?"

She shrugged, as the stone changed from yellow to red. "The king thought it would be smart to always know my mood. It changes according to how I feel. Meaning: I can't lie to him."

"I hate saying so, but that was smart..." 

"Yup. Until I can figure a way out of this blasted piece of jewelry, I belong to that pudgy, little cretin." Replied Crowley, obviously getting angrier.

"I've upset you. I'm sorry for asking." 

"Don't be. S'not your fault... Anything else?"

"I think I have all I need, for now." 

"Right. If that changes, come find me." 

The princess nodded as the shapeshifter closed the bedroom door. Alone again, she ate in silence afterwards.

~~~~~

Hours after breakfast, Aziraphale felt incredibly bored. She had already read all the books Anathema had brought her on her last visit, and she wasn't in the mood to re-read them, or any of the other ones she had. Really, she wished her friend was here, not on some mission for that awful king. So, she decided the only other option to distract her from this boredom was to go outside to take a stroll. After all, the day had brightened up quite nicely. And hopefully, the fresh air would help her think of something else she could do.

She went down the stairs, out the back doors and was immediately bathed in sunlight. It was a bit jarring, at first. She hadn't realized how much she missed that feeling until now. The other day, when she was looking for Anathema, it had been cloudier. So, it took her a moment to bask in the warmth. Eventually, she made her way over to the garden. 

It was a very peaceful spot. She regretted not coming to see it sooner. It almost reminded her of home. She used to spend time with the gardener when she wasn't studying or reading. Though, she could've sworn there had been many more roses the last time she was here.

As she took a closer look, she noticed there were stems which had been cut. She found this very odd. At first, she was simply going to ignore it, but not too long after noticing the missing flowers, she heard a fair bit of splashing coming from the lake. 

The princess furrowed her brow. "I don't recall seeing any fish..." She said to herself before walking towards the water. As she got closer, she saw several colored specks floating along the surface. It turned out to be dozens of rose petals, the same type as the ones from the bushes. 

Just as she kneeled to pick up one of the petals, she saw two yellow eyes staring back at her from just below the water's surface. She gasped and fell back as a huge, black snake emerged from the depths. Before she was able to get up and run away, she saw the creature begin to shift into human form. This must have been the first time she was actually relieved to see Crowley. 

"Do you need something, princess?" She asked while stretching a bit. It was then that Aziraphale realized she was naked, only wearing the magical necklace. The stone was a soft pink. 

Her cheeks immediately turned red. "No, no. I was, um, simply taking a stroll." 

Crowley raised a brow, propelling her body out of the water to sit on her knees at the lake's edge. "Why do you look flustered and jumpy then?"

"You're naked!" Exclaimed the princess, backing away from the splash-zone.

The shapeshifter shrugged, squeezing the excess water from her hair. "Nothing you haven't seen before, being a woman and all." 

Aziraphale cleared her throat, looking away. "I suppose..." 

"So, out with it. You're out here for something." She said, throwing her hair back and focusing on Aziraphale.

The princess was fumbling with her fingers, still not looking at her. "I have nothing else to do in my room..." She mumbled. Usually when she tired of reading, she'd speak with Anathema to pass the time.

Crowley's eyes went wide and she leaned closer without even thinking. "Wait, you're telling me you've already gone through that bookshelf you have next to your vanity mirror?" 

"Yes..." 

"All of them?"

She finally looked back at her. "Yes, why do you seem so surprised?"

"Never been much of a reader, me. Can't comprehend why someone would do it for fun." She replied with a head tilt.

"It helps distract me from reality. It's much nicer to pretend you're in an enchanted forest, surrounded by fairies and unicorns, instead of being imprisoned in an abandoned castle." Said the blonde curtly.

The stone turned indigo. "...I'm sorry." Said Crowley, sounding genuine. 

Aziraphale knew what she meant. "No, no. You're just as much a prisoner as I am... I should be the one apologizing, for how I behaved towards you several days ago."

"It's alright. You're scared. I've been your monster for ten years. You have every reason to be upset with me." 

There was a pregnant pause. "May I be honest with you?" 

"Sure." Said the redhead.

"I don't want to be afraid of you. I wish I could see you as a friend. Like Anathema is to me. But you're right. For so long, I've only seen you as the foul beast that's kept me trapped here-"

"-Hey now, you'd better mean 'foul looking', because as you can see, I bathe." Said the redhead cheekily as her necklace turned gray.

Aziraphale let out a tiny chuckle. It was soft and brief, but Crowley heard it and her necklace immediately turned purple because of it. She hoped she could hear that sound more often. 

"I did. You do, in fact, smell lovely right now..." Said the princess, blushing all over again and trying to regain herself. She cleared her throat again and continued. "I have only seen you as the villain. I blamed you for it, when I shouldn't have... I'm very sorry, Crowley." 

"Don't worry about it, angel."

Aziraphale blinked and tilted her head at that. "...'Angel'?" 

Crowley shrugged. "You just look like one. Fair hair, chubby, rosy cheeks and everything..." 

"Hmm. No one has ever called me that before... I suppose I like it more than 'princess'..." 

"Good, good..." She cleared her throat, stone still purple. "Y'know, I've got an idea for your boredom situation." 

"Really?"

"Yeah, follow me." Said the yellow-eyed being, standing up and walking away from the water's edge. 

Aziraphale stood to follow her, pausing for a moment. "Aren't you going to get dressed first?" 

Crowley turned to face her again. "I walked out of the throne room naked, angel. I've been as bare as a babe's bum from the moment I stepped out." 

"Won't you get cold?" Asked the princess, concerned.

"Not if we get inside quickly before the wind picks up again, hurry up!" She said before she started running towards the castle.

~~~~~

Once dried and dressed, Crowley lead Aziraphale to an entirely different part of the castle she had never been to. Then again, that could be said for a great majority of the abandoned palace. The structure was very intricate and beautiful, even from the inside and with the decay. Aziraphale would have loved to see this place in its heyday. She snapped out of her thoughtful gaze when Crowley opened a very large door at the end of a hallway. It creaked and groaned, the dust that fell from it showed how long it had been since someone last opened it. 

The tiny particles made the shapeshifter sneeze several times as she walked into the room. 

"Bless you, dear girl." Said Aziraphale as she trailed behind her. The blonde squinted at the dim lighting in the room. The curtains kept most of the sunlight out, but even so, the princess could see the thick layer of dust on the fabric. She refrained from opening them to avoid giving Crowley another sneezing fit. 

"What is this place?" 

"I think it was a study of some kind. But the part I wanted to show you is over here." Said the redhead going through another door. 

The princess followed her and squinted, having a hard time focusing on what was in the room. She heard Crowley messing about with something off in a corner somewhere. Immediately afterwards, the redhead tore down a nearby curtain, which flooded the room in sunlight. Now able to see, Aziraphale gasped. The room seemed to coil upwards and it was entirely lined with full bookshelves. She imagined it had that shape because it was a tower, but she wasn't about to go outside and check. All she knew was that she had never seen anything like this and was completely in awe with it. Sure, it was equally as dusty as the previous room, but even so, she found it breathtaking. She only stopped gawking at it when Crowley spoke up again.

"I think the last person who lived here was a collector. Lots of stories. I've never had any use for them, but I think you would. It's stuffy as anything in here, so you can grab as many as you want and take them to your room. Can even help carry some if you need it... If you like, that is."

Aziraphale scoffed. "Ha! 'If I like' how would I not love this?!" She exclaimed, sprinting to the center of the room where the shelf started. She immediately started reading the titles on every spine she could see. Considering the amount of dust, she couldn't see many. She started wiping off the dirt from many of them, then immediately being disgusted by the amount of grime on her fingers. Lord knows she wanted to wipe them on her dress, but then that would also upset her greatly, so she was at a standstill with herself. 

Crowley looked at her fondly, trying to suppress a chuckle. "I don't think you'll accomplish much that way, princess."

"Do you have a better idea?" She asked in a bratty voice, still very much bothered by the stains on her hands. 

The shapeshifter's necklace turned black. "Not right now, no." She said, grinning at the blonde's uncomfortable face. This made the princess pout and Crowley's stone turned purple. 

The magical being sighed dramatically with an eye roll. "Alright, let's just pick out the ones you've already wiped, before you ruin your pretty, little white dress. And once you're done with those, you come prepared with some rags to clean the next ones you want to read."

The blond simply nodded, positively radiating joy. This was easily the most excited and happy Crowley had ever seen the princess. It was a sickeningly sweet sight, really. And she wanted it to last as much as possible. So she helped her carry about a dozen books up to her tower. 

Aziraphale spent many hours reading, not realizing how much time had passed until Crowley came upstairs with her dinner. Not that she noticed when the shapeshifter came in. No, she was far too immersed for that. It was the laugh that Crowley let out upon seeing that which caught her attention. 

"What's so funny?" 

"We did a shit job at 'cleaning' the books. Look at the state of your skirts."  

The blond gasped once she removed the book from her lap. The white fabric was filthy! Even worse than her hands had been earlier. She looked in a nearby mirror. She even had some smudges on her dress' bodice and on her face.

"I look like a child who was let loose in the garden!" 

"You do. I'll prepare your bath water." 

Aziraphale was clearly embarrassed, wishing she could hide her face in her hands. She also looked annoyed with herself as she approached her drawers. "Before you do that, could you find something clean for me to wear? I'd hate to ruin another dress."

Crowley nodded, doing as requested. To Aziraphale's surprise, Crowley picked the pale blue one. "Nice color, suits you." Was her reasoning. Then she was off to prepare the bath and whatever food they'd need for breakfast on the following day. After that, the princess felt like it was a fairly uneventful evening. That night, she decide to start reading one of her new books. She read the title and was immediately intrigued.

"Hmm... 'Half My Heart, To Make You Whole'. Why only half?" She wondered as she began to read. It had been awfully fascinating. She couldn't put it down. She needed to find out what happened to the shapeshifter after he broke his own heart in order to save his wife. She barely slept. As soon as dawn would break, she'd go hunting for the sequel book.

The following day, when Aziraphale went to find said book from the private library, she was incredibly shocked. There was no dust whatsoever. Everything was spotless! Crowley had gone and cleaned the whole place while she sat and read all night long. When asked why she did it on her own, the shapeshifter simply replied: 'Figured it would make you happy. That and you looked like you were going to faint if your clothes kept getting stained.' Aziraphale felt strangely warm and fuzzy with that answer.

~~~~~

It had to happen at some point. After all, Anathema mentioned it in her letter before leaving. A knight came to the castle, hoping to rescue Aziraphale. The princess was reading when she heard a horse galloping up to the structure. She heard a rumbling and growling from downstairs before she could look out the window. Instinctively, she curled into a ball, covering her eyes and ears until the rumbling stopped. Her chest tightened, tears fell and she shook violently. This would usually happen, even if Anathema was there with her. But now knowing her friend wasn't there, it made her feel more helpless than usual. 

Once the noise died down, she expected it to stay quiet for the rest of the day. Therefore, she was shocked to hear footsteps climbing up the stairs to her tower. There was a slight knock at the door, first. Followed by a pause, before it budged open. It was Crowley, looking quite sad. 

The shifter didn't dare step into the room, but she managed to ask. "Are you alright?" Her necklace's stone was fuchsia. 

Aziraphale looked unsure of what to say. Of course she wasn't alright. Someone had just been murdered downstairs! Then again, she was better off than the individual who lost his life. So, perhaps she was alright, in the grand scheme of things. 

Seeing her confusion, the redhead whispered "I'm sorry...". The gem turned blue. Before the princess could say anything, the magical being was disappearing down the stairs. 

Hours passed and Aziraphale finally worked up enough courage to go looking for her. As upset as she was, she wanted to speak with Crowley. Other than 'having to do her obligation', they had never discussed this. And since they had gotten to know each other a bit since Anathema's absence, Aziraphale gathered there was no better time for it. Because of how she had walked away earlier, the princess assumed the dragon was upset as well. 

Though just how upset shocked her. When Aziraphale went looking for her, she found her slumped over the seat of the throne, crying.

"What's it like?" 

Crowley gasped and turned towards Aziraphale. "What?" 

"Does your spell make you go into a trance to kill them?" 

"I wish it did. Maybe I wouldn't feel so awful... I'm in control the whole time. I have to choose how they die, when they die and how to get rid of the body afterwards. If I don't and the king's henchmen see anyone ride back the way they came, they'll rat me out. If they rat me out..." She trailed off, tears still running down her face and she tried her best that they didn't touch her necklace. The stone had been blue since she ran away from Aziraphale's room.

"The king will punish you..." Finished the princess.

Crowley nodded. "He wanted a monster like him, he got one..." 

"You're nothing like him, Crowley. You're kind." 

"You don't know that. Weren't you terrified of me for a decade?" 

"Yes, and I'll admit part of me still is, but I know you're kind because of how you speak to me. If you weren't, you wouldn't have bothered showing me the secret library. You wouldn't have shown me Anathema's letter. You wouldn't even be speaking to me... I think you're a good person. Even if you're being forced to do bad things..." 

The shapeshifter's said nothing as she spilled more tears. Her necklace changed to grey before she shifted into a bat, flying up to the ceiling to hide in the chandelier.  

Aziraphale was slightly saddened by this but assumed Crowley didn't want to keep talking about it and flew away to not lash out. 

"I still think you're nicer than you give yourself credit for... I hope to see you tomorrow." Said the princess as she walked out of the throne room. 

~~~~~

The two didn't interact until noon the following day. She found Crowley in the garden, under the willow tree, throwing petals up in the air, letting them fall over her face. 

"Why are you doing that?" 

"You wouldn't get it. It's a shapeshifter thing." 

"I would like to try understanding it." 

"Why?" 

"Because that's what friends do."

Crowley stopped throwing petals as her necklace's stone turned soft pink. "We're friends now? Thought you only opened up because you had no other option." 

"I hope we can be. At some point... From what I've gathered, Anathema was the only friend we've had since being trapped here... Her being gone makes this whole situation more... lonely."

"It's actually for that. Loneliness, I mean. My kind have stronger senses than humans. Sometimes we use that for comfort. Find something that smells nice, try drowning in it to feel some sort of relief... It's, uh, supposed to feel like when you humans hug each other." Explained the redhead in a soft voice.

Aziraphale blinked at her. "Why not just hug each other?"

"Trust issues. Ever wonder why my eyes stay the same, no matter what form I take?" 

The princess nodded. "I have, but I wanted to wait a few more days before asking..." 

"I was born with this issue. Normal shapeshifters change forms wholly. Every detail about them morphs to make them look like the real animal they're pretending to be. No matter how much I try, I can never change my eyes. I've never been able to pass as a human because of it." 

"Oh... Is that why you live here? Away from villages and people? So they couldn't hurt you?" 

Crowley nodded. 

"I'm sorry." Said the blonde honestly.

"Don't worry about it. You had nothing to do with it." 

"Still... Is there anything I could do? To comfort you, that is." 

"Shouldn't it be me asking you that same question, princess?" Asked Crowley, emphasizing just how silly this sounded to her.

Aziraphale let out a chuckle. "I suppose we both could... Would you be alright with talking more?" 

"I don't see why not." Replied the being with a shrug.

"What about you? What do you like to do?"

"Come swim with me." 

Recalling the other day, Aziraphale immediately started blushing. "Oh! Um. Well-"

Crowley grinned, trying to not be too mean about it. "Ah, right. Not a fan of the nakedness, you. I can find something to throw over ourselves. You'll drown if you try swimming in your usual attire-"

"No, no, please be a naked as you like! I mean-! Not that I want to see you naked- or that it bothers me! I don't want you being uncomfortable just to please me. Is- is what I meant. Ugh." After all that stammering, Aziraphale simply covered her face in her hands and hoped the blush she felt wasn't currently visible on her ears. 

It was, and Crowley found it simply adorable. The necklace turned purple as she grinned some more. Eventually, Aziraphale looked up at her again. 

"You wanna try that again?" Asked the magical being, hoping to get a real answer this time.

Finally, the princess confessed. "I don't know how to swim! I never learned!" 

"Would you want to? Love swimming, me. Bet I could teach you how in just one afternoon." 

Again, Aziraphale recalled that day she saw Crowley in the lake. "...It looked very deep. And close to the barrier. I'd rather not drown or get shocked..."

"Y'know you can touch it and not get hurt, right?"

"What?"

Crowley decided to make a note of that to scold Anathema about it whenever she returned. "That answers my question. Anyway, if you touch it but don't have the intention of escaping, it can't hurt you. No pain or discomfort. Just a see-through wall." 

Curious, Aziraphale walked towards the barrier. Even from through the weeping willow's leaf-curtains, Crowley could see her outstretched hand shaking as she reached for the magical wall. Several seconds passed before the blonde did anything. From afar, the taller woman could've sworn she saw Aziraphale kick herself before finally placing her hand on the barrier. Crowley let out a small laugh just as she saw the princess jumping and screaming with joy. The shapeshifter laughed harder and started clapping, to which Aziraphale bowed in an exaggerated manner.

Barrier curiosities aside, now came the issue of swimming. Agreeing that it was too deep for her to learn without panicking, Crowley decided to fill up the larger washroom tub from the royal bedroom. This was how Aziraphale found out the shapeshifter had learned a few spells from Anathema. She could solve or create minor inconveniences. Such as magically moving furniture to block an entrance, so someone else can't enter. Or like now, filling an entire space with water. It was certainly better than going back and forth a million times from the lake to fill it up by bucket. Even if she felt very drained afterwards.

Thanks to her lowered energy level, she started off with very basic instructions. She sat at the steps to enter the tub, telling Aziraphale to do the same.

"Right, first thing I need you to do is splash around with your feet. Then we'll work up to the rest of your legs. That sound good?"

"I think so. Like this?" She asked as she moved stiffly. 

"Relax your legs. Don't keep them so rigid."

"How so?"

Crowley inched deeper into the water. "Watch me." She said as she gripped the edge of the steps and began moving her legs. At this point, Aziraphale was relieved they were both clothed with simple garments, since she'd essentially be looking at her backside the whole time and would certainly die from severe blushing and embarrassment. 

"The trick is to move smoothly. Think gracefully tip-toeing like a fairy, except you're not touching the ground, you're... floating, I guess we can say."

Aziraphale nodded, visualizing her words. She pointed her toes, stretched out the rest of her legs and went to work. Crowley noted the improvement but went over to her legs, gently grabbing her ankle and calf. She tensed up again.

"Relax. Let me move your leg." Said the redhead gently, easing her movements. Eventually, the princess started getting the hang of it. Once she stopped blushing like mad, anyway.

After a few minutes, Aziraphale was copying Crowley's movements perfectly. Thanks to this, she decided the princess was ready for the next part of her lesson. She left for a moment and came back with some pieces of tree bark and vines. 

"What on Earth are you planning?" Asked Aziraphale, eyebrow raised.

Crowley smirked. "This is to tie up your legs."

The princess blinked at her, jumping out of the water. "Do you want me to drown?"

The shapeshifter's stone turned green as she let out a bark of a laugh. "Calm down, I won't let you die. This is so your legs stay afloat while we focus on your arm strokes. If something happens and part of you is hurt, you can use whatever isn't hurt to try swimming to safety. In our case, the edges of the lake."

"Is that right?"

"I promise. Now hand over those cherubic calves of yours." She said, necklace turning lavender. 

Turns out, trying to focus on her arms was more blush inducing than working on her legs. For both of them. Any time Aziraphale started to panic and her torso began to sink, Crowley would hold up her hips or place a flat palm on her stomach. Other than that, the lesson went well. They agreed to keep doing it every day for the next week, until Aziraphale finally felt comfortable enough to swim in the lake. It became a very common thing for them, which they both enjoyed. In fact, both women looked forward to it. 

-6 Months Later-

When Anathema finally returned, she was delighted to find out that Aziraphale and Crowley had actually reached common ground. More than that, really. They seemed to be actual friends! She had been dreading the fact that she left so suddenly, feeling like she had abandoned poor Aziraphale. And yet, here she was, happier than she'd been in a decade. The same could be said for Crowley, who had just stepped out to bathe. 

 As Anathema and Aziraphale caught up, the princess asked something she had been wondering for the longest time. 

"Do you know the meaning behind every color that Crowley's necklace turns into?"

The witch nodded. "I do. I assume this means you've been trying to learn them all?"

"You assume correct. Part of me wants to ask whenever I see a particularly rare color, but I don't want her to think I'm overstepping. You know, invading her privacy in any way... Though, that hasn't kept me from making a cheat-sheet for myself..." Said the blonde, blushing. 

Anathema smirked. "Of course you would. Show me, let's see how many you got right."

The blonde went to one of her drawers and dug up the folded up note. 

Green = Happy

Blue = Sad

Lavender = Flirty? (or just playful, not certain)

Soft Pink = Curious

Red = Angry

Orange = Annoyed

Yellow = Nervous 

White = Scared

Black = Lying 

When Anathema read the second half, a confused expression took over her face. Aziraphale noticed. "Did I get them all wrong?"

The sorceress shook her head. "No, no. They're right... It's just that I don't recognize the last seven on your list! And I suppose the ones with the question marks are really rare."

Purple = ??? 

Grey = Insecure 

Chartreuse = ???

Turquoise = ???

Fuchsia = Regret

Indigo = Guilt

Baby blue = ??? 

"Yes. Those, I believe I only saw once."

Anathema hummed, already hatching a plan. "Well, I'm sure I can figure out the rest on my own... Tell me more about the library she showed you."

~~~~~

The shapeshifter had finished bathing and was curled up in the former ruler's bed when Anathema walked into the room. The redhead smiled, already half-asleep. 

"Hello, witchy! How happy are you to not be in that froggy bastard's palace?"

"Incredibly happy! Do you know many times I fantasized about killing that man?"

"Too many, I'm sure."

"Mhmm... I have to ask: how did Aziraphale handle the last few knight killings?" She knew there had been at least three of them sent to their doom.

Crowley's necklace turned blue. "We've gotten better at it..."

"We?"

"...I couldn't stand the way she'd look at me afterwards. Scared to death, as if I was still the dragon and about to kill her. Even after we became friends... So, I changed my approach."

"How?"

"They'll see me in dragon form outside, then I'll hide inside. Once the knight steps inside the castle walls, I sneak up behind them in my normal form and snap their necks... It's quiet..." From the usual blue, the stone turned indigo. 

That caught Anathema's eye. That was on Aziraphale's list. She watched her friend closer and waved a hand. A light yellow glow covered her fingers and she reached for Crowley's necklace. Since the redhead knew that little trick would keep the spell from hurting her, she did not flinch. Within moments, Anathema knew what all the missing colors on Aziraphale's list meant. But that wasn't important at this second. No, right now, her friend needed comfort. 

Anathema let go of the cursed piece of jewelry and engulfed her friend in a tight hug. 

"Oh honey, I'm so sorry... I wish I could help you feel less guilty about this." 

"Unless you cast a spell on me to have no feelings, I'm not sure you can accomplish that..." 

"We both know you don't mean that. You've felt some new emotions since meeting Aziraphale. I'll assume you don't want to get rid of all those feelings."

Crowley pulled away, her eyes went wide, her cheeks blushed and her necklace turned baby blue. "Bloody witch! Haven't been back a whole day and you're snitching on me!"

Anathema laughed softly. "I'm not snitching! I simply wanted to know what that new blue hue was. I've never seen indigo on you, never knew you felt guilty about anything until now!" 

Crowley said nothing, pouting. Anathema hugged her again. "This is a good thing. You might not think it now, but you'll see it soon."

The shapeshifter sighed. "I hope you're right..."

~~~~~

As the days passed, the witch tried her best to not be a third wheel. Even if the other two didn't understand why, at first. Anathema intended on being more direct with them. Sadly, she had to leave for a few days on assignment, but not before updating Aziraphale's list of Crowley's emotions. 

Emerald Green: Happy

Blue: Sad

Lavender: Flirty

Soft Pink: Curious

Red: Angry

Orange: Annoyed

Yellow: Nervous 

White: Scared

Black: Lying

Purple: Affectionate 

Grey: Insecure 

Chartreuse: Jealous 

Turquoise: Pining

Fuchsia: Regret

Indigo: Guilt

Baby blue: Flustered 

Peach: Hopeful

She hoped this would, at least, get them talking. And to make sure there was a bigger chance of it happening, the witch made sure to leave it out where Crowley would see it. When she finally did, she laughed, disheartened. This made Aziraphale turn around to see the list in her hand.

The stone on her necklace turned grey. "And she said she wouldn't rat me out..."

"She didn't. Not really. I started the list." Admitted the princess.

Crowley raised a brow, stone now soft pink.

"I want to understand you better. But many times, I only make you upset with my questions. I thought, if I could memorize what every color meant, I could grow closer to you without hurting you again." 

The redhead didn't know what to say to that. Or how to react to that in general. She suddenly felt very overwhelmed, like she needed to process what she had just heard on her own. Unfortunately, rather than voicing that, Crowley just ran out of Aziraphale's room with the princess following her, attempting to apologize. 

The shapeshifter immediately regretted that because Aziraphale tripped halfway down the stairs of her tower and hurt her hip. She screamed in pain and Crowley's stomach sank before going into a panic. 

"Fuck- Aziraphale! I-, I'm so sorry! Let me-, fucking hell, why am I so stupid?! I-!"

"Crowley!" 

The fear she felt hadn't let her notice that Aziraphale had been trying to get her attention  while she stammering away. The blonde was able to reach and grab her arm to steady her. Crowley had been shaking like a leaf in the wind. 

"We both apologize, now can you please help me up?" 

Crowley nodded frantically and gently picked her up, carrying her back up to her room. She placed her on her bed and ran down to the garden. She came back with serval plants and bowls. The shapeshifter said nothing as she prepared a concoction of some kind, her stone was as white as snow, tears in her eyes. Aziraphale couldn't bare it. 

"It's wasn't your fault, you know. I don't blame you." She said softly. 

The redhead shook her head, not looking up from the bowl where she mixed everything. 

"Crowley, this could have happened to me whether I was following you or not." 

Aziraphale heard a sniffle half a second before she saw Crowley fall to her knees. "Please... I'm sorry..." She sobbed. The poor thing was terrified! That's when it hit her. She wasn't scared of the actual injury, but of the possible consequences. 

"My dear..." Started the princess as she slowly made her way down from the bed, hissing in pain, to the floor in front of Crowley. "I won't tell the king that you hurt me. That man has ruined our lives, the last thing I want is for him to hurt you any more... Please don't be scared. You're safe with me, I promise."

The shapeshifter continued to sob but her necklace had turned fuchsia, which told Aziraphale she wasn't as scared anymore, but she still regretted this whole thing happened. The blonde hated seeing her like this. She reached for her hands, removing the bowl with the now pasty looking mixture. The princess grabbed both her hands. This made Crowley look up.

Aziraphale didn't know what else to say in order to calm her down, so she said nothing. They simply looked into each other's eyes. Though she was still crying, Aziraphale could feel a shift in her breathing. Her necklace turned peach, a color Aziraphale hadn't personally seen, but knew it was part of the updated list Anathema had left. She ignored that fact and simply caressed the back of Crowley's hands. Eventually, they were both calm enough to get on with Crowley's plan.

Said plan was to ensure Aziraphale's hip didn't bruise too much. That's what the plant mixture was for, to work as a balm. In addition to that, Crowley prepared her a bath, hoping a dip in warm water could help relax the princess after the ordeal she had put her through. Aziraphale insulted her for blaming herself yet again, but indulged her in taking the bath. Only on the condition that she join her in the tub. 

Crowley's necklace went baby blue at the suggestion. "You turn into a tomato when you see me naked in the lake. I'm not sure that'll help you relax."

"I can deal with the blushing. I just want you to be alright. Would you be alright with this?" 

The redhead nodded, a bit too eagerly, she quickly realized. Aziraphale smiled sweetly at this, finding it adorable. To spare the princess some embarrassment, Crowley left her alone so she could undress and get in the tub in private. Once she was mostly submerged, the redhead came back into the room in snake form, slithered into the tub and shifted back into her normal form. 

"You're sure you're okay with this?" She asked, noticing the way Aziraphale's cheeks were flushed. 

Bubbles and flower petals blanketed the surface of the water, which helped a bit. She was trying to comfort Crowley, the last thing she needed was to get distracted. 

The blonde nodded. "Dear girl, I wouldn't have suggested it otherwise... I was serious, you know. I'm sorry for everything that man's done to you and you're safe with me." She insisted.

Tears started to form in Crowley's eyes. The stone was purple. "Thank you, angel. Y'know, you're really living up to that nickname." 

The blonde moved closer. "Is that right?"

Although Crowley tended to stick to her full name or just calling her 'princess', she'd occasionally let 'angel' slip past her lips. Aziraphale never minded. She actually quite liked it when those little slip ups happened.

Crowley wiped away her tears, nodding. "Like I said ages ago, you even look like one. Have you noticed the stained glass in the throne room? You're the spitting image of one of the cherubs." She said, blushing and giggling. "I'm a fuck up and here you are, swooping in to make me feel better."

Aziraphale moved closer and grabbed her hands again. "You're not a fuck up. I need you to understand that." 

"Why are you so nice to me?" Whispered the shapeshifter, eyes watering again. 

The way she said it broke Aziraphale's heart. As if she didn't deserve to be treated well. The blonde wouldn't stand for it. "Dear, would you let me hug you?" 

Crowley blinked, tears fell and she nodded before being engulfed into the sweetest hug she'd had in centuries. 

~~~~~

Weeks passed before Anathema returned and when she did, to her utter delight, she found the pair napping together beneath the willow tree in the garden. Crowley had laid her head on Aziraphale's chest and the princess had fallen asleep while caressing the redhead's hair. They looked adorable. The witch snuck a peek at Crowley's necklace, just to see what color it was. To her surprise, it was two colors, not just one like usual. Swirled, but not completely mixed. Emerald green and purple. This may have been the happiest the shapeshifter had ever been. And, judging by the gentle smile on Aziraphale's sleeping face, Anathema was certain the princess was equally content. She wished they didn't have to leave this state of joy.

-Two Months Later-

Aziraphale was feeling nervous. Crowley had immediately noticed. But when she asked her what was wrong, she had insisted everything was alright. When Crowley glared at her, she admitted something was wrong, but she couldn't tell her. She had to tell Anathema. 

Crowley knew that, realistically, Aziraphale trusted Anathema more than she trusted her. It made sense. They had known each other and bonded over this situation for 10 bloody years. She had only recently started sharing and trusting her a few months ago. And yet, as evidenced by the stone turning blue as she walked away, it clearly struck a cord. 

Aziraphale felt terrible, but she couldn't tell Crowley what her problem was. Her problem was Crowley! Well, 'problem' certainly wasn't the word Aziraphale would use. Everyone involved in her imprisonment might consider it a problem. But certainly not Aziraphale. When she finally told Anathema, she agreed that it was not a problem. Simply a reality. 

Aziraphale had fallen in love with Crowley. Properly in love. Not simple physical attraction. The princess had quietly hoped that was the case. After all, she turned into a blushing mess every time she saw the shapeshifter taking a naked dip in the lake!

But no. As time had gone on, the two of them had grown quite close. Not only fond of each other but protective and loving. Many caresses and chaste hand and cheek kisses were exchanged. Many times, like neither of them realized it. They sometimes did it as naturally as breathing. 

And yesterday had been the moment of realization that made Aziraphale start to panic. 

They had been under the shade of the weeping willow tree. Crowley had looked nervous for several minutes. Eventually she worked up the courage to give Aziraphale a gift. It was a beaded necklace, with earrings to match. The small orbs were jade colored and both the necklace and the earrings had tiny gold charms at the end which looked like water lilies. They were Aziraphale's favorite flower. Crowley knew this and would constantly place one in Aziraphale's hair when they would swim together in the lake. 

The gift was delightfully sweet. Aziraphale adored it. But something about it felt... important. She hadn't put the jewelry on herself. She had asked Crowley to do it. It was a small action, over in seconds. And yet, Aziraphale couldn't help but feel as though something big had just happened. 

Anathema confirmed said feelings. Her powers allowed her to see people's auras. Unlike the mood stone around Crowley's neck, auras didn't focus on emotions alone. They could also show Anathema a lot of that person's health and general personality. For example, upon meeting Aziraphale, Anathema could immediately tell she was a very sweet individual, but was shy and terrified of her new environment. The more they got to know each other, the easier it got for her to read Aziraphale's aura.

The same logic applied to Crowley. The witch met a guarded and insecure shapeshifter. She was immediately aware of her quiet rage and mistrust. Anathema knew the full name of that mistrust, but it wasn't her story to tell. She assured Aziraphale that Crowley would go into details soon. When the princess asked the witch how she knew this, she revealed that Crowley's aura looked equally as in love as Aziraphale's was. And with that, Aziraphale's nervousness evaporated into thin air. 

Crowley meanwhile, had been wondering what she had done to upset Aziraphale. She kept replaying the last few days in her head, trying to pinpoint the exact moment when she had screwed up. The shapeshifter was beginning to worry she'd have to start avoiding her, to not make things any worse. It was a good thing that Aziraphale found her sulking in the lake and explained herself. And an even better sign was when Aziraphale knelt down at the lake's edge, gently grabbed at Crowley's face and pulled her up for a kiss. 

Sparks flew between them, there was no doubt about that. When Aziraphale let go of the redhead she noted the stone's color. Flustered baby blue quickly turned into a swirling mix of affectionate purple and flirtatious lavender. Aziraphale was relieved to see said colors. And then she saw those beautiful yellow eyes with slit pupils go round. With a grin, the redhead tugged at Aziraphale's bodice, yanking the princess into the lake.

Aziraphale let out a yelp before she dove into the water. When she resurfaced, she quickly scolded the skinnier woman. Crowley let out a bark of a laugh and Aziraphale playfully splashed at her. Crowley then got closer to her and initiated a kiss of her own. This one quickly grew more heated than their first. 

So heated, in fact, that the two women were very glad Anathema had left the castle for the day and would be returning by morning. And the witch had been right. Aziraphale almost found the accuracy scary. After being intimate and properly confessing their feelings for one another, Crowley told Aziraphale many things. Her insecurities, her fears, and most telling, she also told her about her former lover's betrayal.

Many years ago, Crowley had fallen in love with another shapeshifter. Her name was Luxia. When they had first gotten together, they had lived in a decently sized village. There hadn't been too many problems. Until the local king decided he wanted every magical being in his kingdom to be killed or a turned into his slave. Unlike most shapeshifters, Crowley couldn't change her eyes in order to blend in. Meaning they constantly had to move from village to village, because no matter how hard she tried to hide them, Crowley's eyes always lead to them getting caught. 

It had gotten to the point where the king had placed a bounty on her head. Being targeted as a species was one thing. But being specifically hunted as an individual? That did a number on Crowley's psyche. She couldn't sleep and barely ate thanks to the whole ordeal.

Eventually, her and Luxia found this castle. No one had lived there or in the surrounding woods for centuries. It was the perfect hiding place. It became home. Crowley finally felt safe.

Until Luxia decided she'd had enough of living that hidden life, in the middle of nowhere. Crowley would have understood Luxia leaving her because she felt trapped. She would have. Instead, Luxia went to the king. She told them everything about Crowley, conveniently leaving out the part about her being a shapeshifter too. 

Hearing her story, now it all made sense for the princess. Why Crowley was as guarded as she was. Why she was so afraid to get close to anyone. Even though it had been decades, the wound still felt fresh. Perhaps, for immortal beings like herself, decades felt like shorter amounts of time. Aziraphale wasn't sure. But she could hear the tremble in Crowley's voice, as if she might break.

"500 pieces of gold... I loved her, angel. I gave myself to her. I almost gave her my heart, once... And she sold me, to this bloody tyrant, for 500 pieces of gold..." She sobbed softly into Aziraphale's chest.

Aziraphale engulfed her in a warm hug. Crowley clung to her, as if she might fall, otherwise. Silently, Aziraphale vowed she'd never cause Crowley pain like this. Not intentionally. But in the back of her mind, she dreaded the day when the false hero of a prince would come to take her away. Away from her true love.

But that was a problem for the future. For now, she focused on Crowley. She would focus on Crowley every second of every day. She'd ensure she never felt lonely or unloved ever again. So long as she breathed and was in this castle with her, Crowley would feel cared for and loved.

-5 Years Later-

Aziraphale hadn't expected to be stuck in that tower and castle for the rest of her life. She also hadn't expected to die at 30 years old in said tower and castle, but here she was. Hatchet cleaving through her sternum, blood dripping onto the stone floor. The shock of it all kept her from reacting to the pain. Her breathing became erratic as her vision started to blur. 

She could see and feel flames all around her. She could hear and feel Crowley roaring. It reverberated throughout the whole castle. Everything was chaotic and overwhelming. Then, it all suddenly stopped. 

The last thing she saw was Crowley's distraught face coming into view. She sounded so far away. She could feel Crowley's shaky hands on her face. By this point, she wasn't sure what she was saying. Eventually, it all went dark.

~~~~~

When she woke, the princess was confused. Was this the afterlife? If so, why did it look exactly like her bed's canopy in the tower? When she went to sit up, she felt a sharp pain across her entire chest. She hissed and screamed in pain. 

One of her hands shot up towards her chest. This was when she realized she was topless underneath the bedsheets. Her finger's softly touched the are where the hatchet had struck her. There was a very large scar in that specific spot. It even felt scorched.

Before Aziraphale was able to do anything else, Anathema and Crowley barged through the bedroom door, nearly knocking it off its hinges. 

"Aziraphale!" 

"Angel!" 

They both exclaimed, overjoyed. 

They practically threw themselves to the side of the bed to see how she was doing. Between the trauma and blood loss, Aziraphale was having trouble remembering what had gone on before the fatal wound. Because, yes, it had been fatal. 

Anathema began to explain. Slowly, the story started jogging her memory. 

~~~~~

King Sandalphon had been disappointed by his son's lack of improvement over the past 15 years. His original plan had called for Aziraphale only being locked in the tower for 7 years. But Michael truly was abysmal at combat. He, at least, needed to be a competent warrior in order to survive a confrontation with Crowley. No matter how staged it was. 

Needless to say, the king grew old and tired of waiting for his son to improve. He had sent him on smaller, less grandiose missions in hopes that something would finally awaken within the boy. He had briefly considered using the dark arts on him too. Amazingly, he loved the boy too much to do that. He knew the negative effects that had. After all, his own using of them had been causing him to age much faster than he would have otherwise. And he wasn't about to gamble with the life of his sole heir to the throne. 

With no better idea, he decided it was finally time to rescue the princess. He and a dozen other knights would go with Micheal on the mission. He figured he could use the knights as fodder for the dragon while they grabbed the princess and escaped. Anathema was ordered to be there, to make sure Aziraphale didn't get hurt. With Crowley under the king's control, the plan would have worked just fine. The problem arose when Michael didn't stick to the plan. 

Knowing he was a disappointment to his father, the lad tried to take on the dragon himself.  The king immediately sent the knights after him. He forgot all about Aziraphale. His main concern was keeping Michael alive. And himself, of course. 

Thanks to the number of attackers, Crowley fought fiercer than usual. Whenever she felt too overwhelmed, she breathed fire at them. This caused the entire area to be engulfed in flames and smoke. It was almost impossible for the men to see. Though, that didn't stop them from injuring Crowley too. 

Anathema and Aziraphale had never heard her roar in this particular manner. Usually, it would sound like a warning. Something to scare off the smarter knights. These roars sounded strained. Like a whine or grunt one does to keep from screaming. And then they heard a screech which scared them both to death. 

The women slowly climbed down the steps to see what was going on. Thanks to the smoke, their vision was greatly impaired. Though they couldn't see, they could hear nothing but chaos. All they knew for certain was that Crowley needed them. Soon, they were in the middle of it all.

They should have been more careful. A single bloodcurdling scream was all it took for everything to go quiet. The entire room stilled. Anathema used her magic. Within seconds, she opened all the windows and commanded the smoke out of the castle. 

Aziraphale was on the floor, quietly whimpering. Her hands were shaking, inches away from the hatchet currently buried in her chest. She was frightened. Utterly terrified. Her eyes went from the weapon, to Anathema, then to Crowley. 

Something snapped inside of Crowley. The rage she felt overrode her pain. She forgot all about her injuries. She ignored the pain from Sandalphon's current spells as he cowered in fear. Michael was frozen in fear. 

They made for easy targets. This surprised Crowley. After she killed all the men, she came back to her senses. She remembered Aziraphale. She shifted back to her human form in front of Aziraphale. Crying and begging for Aziraphale to stay awake. But she couldn't. 

~~~~~

"I thought there were spells that kept you from hurting the king or the prince. How were you able to kill them?" Asked the princess.

Anathema brought her some water. "We think there was a loophole in the spell. Crowley is, well, was allowed to harm or kill anyone who came into the castle to rescue you. Had they not stepped into the castle themselves, and only sent in the knights after Aziraphale, I think they would have succeeded." She explained.

Aziraphale blinked, processing what she heard. "You said 'was'. Why...?" She asked, looking at them, focusing more. 

She noticed several small scratches on Crowley's face and neck. Likely how the battle scars had healed and manifested in her human form. She dreaded to think what they must have looked like when they were still fresh. After all, they told Aziraphale she had been unconscious for weeks. This only confused her more. 

Crowley held a cup up to her lips. Aziraphale drank slowly. It made her chest hurt. But she kept going. She hadn't realized how parched she was until now. 

"I don't understand... I should be dead. How am I still here?" 

Anathema and Crowley shared a look. Crowley then pulled at the neckline of her dress. This revealed a scar on her own chest, very similar to Aziraphale's. 

"I gave you my heart."

Aziraphale's eyes went wide. That explained the burn. Crowley breathed fire on her chest and her own to cauterize the wound! She had only ever heard of shapeshifters splitting their heart in stories. And it was something rarely done. It was usually a last resort for extreme situations. In said stories, it would only be used in order to save the life of the giver's soulmate.

"You gave me your heart?" Said Aziraphale, barely audible. 

"Well. Half. If there was a way for me to survive without it, trust me, I would have given you the entire thing." Said Crowley nervously, trying to lighten the mood.

Aziraphale teared up. Her first instinct was to lunge forward and kiss Crowley, but the sharp pain from the scar immediately made her hiss in pain and recoil. And strangely enough, Crowley reacted in the exact same way.  

"Slight downside, you'll now feel each other's pain thanks to the connection." Said Anathema, looking for a balm or anything to help with the pain. 

Aziraphale's tears fell. Crowley wiped them away and came closer in a careful manner, making sure neither of them were hurt. They kissed softly. When Aziraphale's hands landed on Crowley's neck, she noticed what had looked off about Crowley since she had woken up. The necklace was gone! 

She looked at Crowley in disbelief. In awe, really. Then, to Anathema. She no longer had the metallic cuffs on her wrists. Neither of them had an enchanted binding on them.

"You're free... You're both free!" She exclaimed happily. 

"We all are..." Said Anathema, gesturing out the window. 

Aziraphale craned her neck to look in that direction. The barrier which had kept Aziraphale and Crowley from leaving this place, was gone. The death of the king had broken the spell on Anathema. And, when Crowley split her heart with Aziraphale, it changed their blood. This broke the containment spells for them both. They were all properly free.

The only reason they hadn't left the castle the second they realized the barrier was gone, was because they didn't dare to move Aziraphale until they knew if she was alright. They only knew she was alive. Her breath matched Crowley's, as did their heartbeats. Crowley could feel Aziraphale's weakness. Thanks to that, they had hoped once Crowley started to heal from the battle wounds, her half of the heart would help Aziraphale's condition improve. They had been right.

They waited a few more weeks. Once it looked like Aziraphale had gained her strengths again, they finally left the castle. Crowley had expected it to be harder. After all, it had been her home for so long. But considering all the horrid things she had experienced there as well? Luxia's betrayal, her imprisonment, her pain, nearly losing Aziraphale. Well, now? Now, she couldn't wait to leave. Wherever the three of them ended up, that would be her new home.

~~~~~

Considering Crowley had no family and Aziraphale certainly never ever wanted to see her father again, they opted to join Anathema in going back home, so she could reunite with her family. The original plan, for Crowley and Aziraphale, had been to make sure she got to there safely, then be on their way. Figure out their own lives. But Anathema and her family had other ideas. They had insisted Crowley and Aziraphale stay with them. After all, they always needed some extra hands to help in the family farm and they were grateful for bringing back their beloved girl. Giving them a home was the least they could do.

In the beginning, Crowley had insisted it would only be for a short time. That she and Aziraphale would 'move on soon'. But many things started falling into place. The Device family were all witches and warlocks, so they immediately accepted that Crowley was not human and didn't treat her as anything less than a person. They treated her with just as much respect and kindness as they gave Aziraphale, a literal princess. She felt loved by them, unlike her own family when she'd had them. 

Aziraphale, on the other hand, had felt love from her mother and many of her servants in her younger years. And yet, she still couldn't compare it to the warmth and love that the Device family had shown her. And in such a short amount of time, too. At times, it felt a bit overwhelming. For both of them.

Eventually, they realized they weren't going anywhere. The guest cottage was quickly turned into their new home. Initially they hadn't wanted to accept it. But Anathema's aunt, Agnes, had insisted upon it. Especially after Aziraphale and Crowley had gotten married. They deserved to have some privacy of their own, after all. 'Especially as newlyweds', Agnes had told them. 

In truth, the wives definitely appreciated being given their own space. Not just for intimacy reasons, but to have calm moments to themselves. Away from the chaos. They loved them dearly, but the Device family, their neighbors and a great majority of the village (most of which were also witches, warlocks and other magical creatures) were incredibly sociable and chatty. Perhaps their collective overwhelmed sensation had been due to them being locked away in that castle for so long.

This idea got Aziraphale thinking one night as she laid next to her wife. More accurately, Aziraphale was using Crowley's hip as a pillow. The redhead was absentmindedly petting Aziraphale's hair when she shared her theory with Crowley. Crowley agreed that the captivity could be a reason for it. Unless them now sharing a heart also made them share literal feelings and opinions. 

Aziraphale, ever the dreamer and bookworm, started imagining what it would be like if any of Crowley's shapeshifting abilities transferred into her body too. Crowley had laughed at the visual in her mind. Aziraphale trying and failing to shift into a specific animal and getting the proportions wrong. Or being stuck as a very fluffy and angry looking bunny. They laughed and continued to imagine what probably wouldn't happen.

Here's all Crowley knew for sure: They would, quite literally, live out the rest of their days together. With Crowley being a shapeshifter, and her blood mixing with Aziraphale's thanks to their shared heart, they would both live and love together for centuries. And if that was what their eternity would look like? Aziraphale had to admit: getting locked in that tower was the best thing that ever happened to her.