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22 years after the destruction of the Vanadis Witches, Miorine Rembran, the daughter of King Delling Rembran of the Benerit Kingdom, had come of age. However, she refused any and all suitor, much to her father’s chagrin. As such, the King sent out a challenge to all the fiefdoms under his reign: He who wins his tournament of warriors shall have his daughter’s hand in marriage, despite her own wishes.
As such, the Lords of the Land sent their greatest soldiers. Of course, every small-time lord who got an invitation sent one of their own, but there were only ever three front runners. Vim Jeturk sent his strongest son, Guel, to compete with his spear. The men of Grassley, known as witch-slayers, sent the adopted Shaddiq in their stead, a master of the mace. The mysterious mages of Piel sent Elan, a warrior bred from birth to wield his cursed bow. One of these three would certainly become the next prince, and soon, Benerit’s king.
However, unknown to them all, even the king himself, a fourth warrior joined the fray, seemingly representing no lord at all. “He” never removed his helmet, “he” barely spoke, and “he” refused any retainers into “his” private quarters. “He” was simply a fighting machine, never losing a duel, quickly becoming the princess’s prospective groom.
To all around, “he” was only known as the Knight Aerial.
~-~
Taking off her helmet, Suletta sighed in her small, private room, her red, braided hair hitting the back of her neck. It was sweltering within the armor’s metal walls, so it was always a relief when she could take it off, letting her face be hit with anything cooler. Of course, the times it was safe to do that were incredibly rare, Her mother told her if anyone knew who she was, she would likely be killed in an instant. Benerit’s mages hadn’t yet detected her through her armor, though, thankfully.
Speaking of, she turned the helmet’s face back to her own, “Aerial, thank you for helping me today. I don’t think I could have beaten Shaddiq without you.”
The armor didn’t speak back, but she could feel her approval coursing through her mind, putting Suletta at ease, even with all the knicks and chips the duel put in Aerial. For now, she could just remove the rest of the suit and relax for the night.
However, right as she was removing her chainmail, she heard a knock at her door. Then another, then a few more, all in a specific pattern she recognized as the princess’s handiwork. After all, Miorine insisted upon a super secret knock for their midnight meetings, just to be safe.
“C-come in Miss Miorine!” she said in a voice loud enough to pass through the door, but still too quiet to echo through the halls. It was clearly enough, though, as she heard Miorine jiggle her personal key into the lock, carefully unlock it, and slowly open her door with a quiet creak.
Suletta was surprised at what exactly she saw when the princess walked through. Usually, the woman was either clad in the many beautiful gowns befitting of a princess or in her nightwear during the two’s increasingly common nighttime rendezvous. Now, though, she was fully clad in a thick pair of black pants and a white masculine top, her hair tied back in a practical ponytail. She held in her arm garments similar to the maid’s dress Suletta used as a disguise at night, but modified with similar pants to Miorine’s.
Miorine threw the clothes onto Suletta’s bed, leaving the red-haired knight stuttering, “W-w-w-what are you wearing?”
“What,” she said indignantly, “never seen a woman in pants?”
Suletta didn’t have a response. She had, of course. She wore them as a knight, and her mother always wore them, but she never saw Miorine wear them. And wore them she did, they stunningly framed her legs, making them seem incredibly long, even though the princess was shorter than her. Suletta could feel her face warming with a blush.
At that, a slight blush graced Miorine’s cheeks as well, darting her head away in embarrassment. “They’re riding clothes, idiot. I’ve modified your disguise so you can come with me. Put them on and meet me in the hallway. I want to show you something.” With that, Miorine quickly turned around and left the room, nearly slamming the door behind her.
All Suletta could do was nod, “O-okay.”
~-~
Miorine finally let go of Suletta’s hand after dragging her halfway through her father’s grand complex as the two approached the stables. The humble wooden construction was a sight for sore eyes in comparison to the overly lavish castle around it. Within its simple wooden poles laid a group of horses she watched grow up alongside her.
There was her favorite, fittingly named Tomato. She loved the way her auburn hair flowed through the wind as Miorine rode on her back. There was also the white-haired Pumpkin, small dark spots all over her body, the pure black Blueberry… She loved them all, cared for them as best she could. Of course, the stables felt a bit overstuffed, now that they also held the horses of many of her… suitors… but it wasn’t the horses’ fault.
“Woah,” Suletta quietly said behind her, “They’re so pretty.”
“Yeah,” Miorine whispered, unable to stop a soft smile from appearing on her face. She felt a strange warmth pool within her, one she hadn’t felt in a long time…
Steeling herself, she turned around to Suletta, “You know how to put a saddle on a horse?”
“Y-yeah?”
“Good, go put one on Pumpkin, we’re going for a ride.” With that, she turned to the saddles hanging on the side of the stables. Going on instinct that this whole fiancé mess thankfully hadn’t dulled, she pulled down the heavy leather before heading back towards Tomato, only to hear Suletta shuffle around in place.
Miorine sighed, turning around with a huff, “Spit it out.”
The red-haired warrior looked down shamefully, a look that made her seem like she’d never hurt a fly, “W-which one’s Pumpkin?”
Miorine sighed, more to herself than anything. She shouldn’t have said it like that, she was just so angry recently, with the way her father was pushing all these other guys on her. She was lucky the strongest warrior, Suletta, was actually a girl under that armor. That way, the red-haired woman could carry the engagement all the way to the end, reveal who she truly was, and ultimately invalidate this whole charade of a tournament. Maybe, even, the two could run away together laughing the king all the while. Maybe they could even-
NO! No. She shook her head, no reason to think like that, this was all just to trick her father. After everything, the two would go their separate ways, and live their lives apart and free. It wasn’t even like two women could…
She quickly set everything on the horse, made sure everything was fastened, then hopped on. She settled herself on the animal, breathing in and out, getting in sync with Tomato’s, really letting herself calm down. She turned to see Suletta getting herself settled as well, somewhat unsure of the animal, but still ready to ride.
“S-so, where are we headed?” she asked.
“Nowhere in particular,” Miorine responded, “I have a few places I think we could stop, but for now, just follow me.” With that, Tomato and her moved forward into the night.
She started slow, letting the clopping of Tomato’s hooves fill her ears and the cold night air fill her lungs. She gazed at the stars, feeling their distance from her, making her feel free, even if its only for a few moments. Looking behind her, Suletta was keeping up, staring intently at Miorine, eyes wide, yet calm.
From there, she went faster and faster, letting her hair bellow behind her. The tall, shadowy trees rushed past her vision, becoming a singular blur. Well, except for Suletta atop Pumpkin, who had moved next to Suletta, keeping up with her intense pace. Miorine grinned as she looked at the woman. She almost looked the way she did when dueling for her. In battle, the woman always held herself confidently, far more than she did in private. There’s a reason she could trick the whole royal court into thinking she was a knight. The only difference now was that she could see Suletta’s face, focused and serious. It sent a buzz through Miorine’s spine.
Looking ahead of her, she smirked, “You trying to prove you can never lose, Suletta?”
Suletta seemed to stumble back a bit, looking to Miorine, “H-huh?”
“I’ve decided we’re headed to the ocean. Now the only question is who will get there first.” Miorine, then, darted forward on the path, a single straight patch of dirt. One final race down the path, and she was in the lead. It only made sense, she’d been riding practically all her life. It was what helped her feel like more than a pawn in her father’s schemes. She was just a woman, fully in control of her fate, able to win anything.
Though that may have been shaken as Suletta and Pumpkin slowly began to pass her up, getting a head, then half a body, then a full horse ahead. Her face was determined again, though now smiling, eyes sparkling. It was only polite for Miorine to smile in response. Though, even still, she was sure she could win, she just needed to wait, and wait…
Suddenly, right before reaching the beach, Tomato and her rushed ahead, just barely passing Suletta before skidding on the sand! She turned her head to Suletta and smiled, “I win!”
Suletta, in response, simply giggled, “You did! I guess you’re your own fiancé now!”
Miorine chuckled, “Of course I am.”
~-~
Suletta watched the ocean’s calm waves move back and forth as the two girls sat next to each other on the beach. She had gone past this spot in her short time at Castle Rembran, but she never had time to visit it, given how much time she had to hide. But she could understand why Miorine chose to come here. Even in the dark of night, it was beautiful, clear and clean. The moon reflected in the waves, back into her eyes, almost hypnotizing her.
She looked to her left at Miorine, who stunningly sat towards the waves. Her ponytail flowed in the air like it was a wave itself, as if it was tugged on by the moon. Her arm was propped up on one knee, her right leg bent towards her, her other leg splayed forward. She was almost statue-esque, a painting-perfect pose set against the night sky. She was beautiful, stunning.
Suletta didn’t really know what she was feeling in response. She’d never felt the way her heart seemed to clench, her breath hitched, her cheeks warmed, whenever she saw Miorine at just the right angle. She had grown to really care for the silver-haired princess, more than she expected, but the woman made her soul rush, made her want to fight for her. At that, Miorine turned to look at Suletta, leading her to quickly try to turn back to look at the waves, blushing in embarrassment.
She asked Suletta, “Do you like it here?”
Suletta took a deep breath of the salty air, “Y-yeah. I’ve never been to a body of water this big.”
“You haven’t?”
“No,” Suletta responded, curling in on herself, “My mother and I live near farmland, so it’s all fields and crops. She said she used to live on the coast, before my father passed.”
Miorine looked surprised, turning to look to the water, “I-I’m sorry to hear that.”
“It’s fine. He was gone before I was born, so it’s just been me and my mother all my life. She taught me everything I know. How to cook, how to ride horses, how to fight.”
“She sounds really impressive.”
With that, the two sat in silence for a few moments once again, absorbing the breeze. This is the longest she’d been away from her mother, and she deeply missed her. Even still, she told her to stay calm through it all, as karmic fate was on her side. And maybe it was. She had met Miss Miorine after all, and hopefully this was a friendship she could cherish for life.
Suddenly, Miorine broke the silence, “My mother taught me a lot, too. She used to ride the horses with me before she fell ill. She taught me how she cultivated her tomatoes. She loved me so much.”
Another moment of silence.
“I really miss her.”
Suletta took a breath. Then, she turned to Miorine, smiling, “I would have loved to meet her, she sounds like a wonderful mother.”
Miorine looked down, a tear falling from her face, “Yeah. She was.”
Another moment of silence passed, only broken by the waves. With this, Suletta thought back to all the glances she took at Miorine in the middle of her duels. To all the midnight meetings the two had had recently. To all the little memories of the princess’s face. And, for all that she had, for all the people she was surrounded be, Suletta realized she always looked lonely.
Suletta took another breath, and steeled herself to move forward.
“Miss Miorine, when this is all over, no matter what happens… I want to stay close with you.”
~-~
Miorine heard what Suletta said, she really did. However, it confused her. No one had said anything like that to her directly. It could be self-serving, given she was fighting for her hand just as much as the other knights, but everyone else always went through her father if they were going to make some grand gesture like this. No one ever made that kind of request directly to her. So, she only had one response.
“What?” she said dumbly.
“I-I hope I’m not out of line, but… but I really like talking with you, being around you. S-so, I don’t want our relationship to end at the end of this thing your father set up. I don’t know how it’ll work. Maybe I’ll stay here for a while. If I go back to my mother, I’ll make sure to visit often. Maybe even I can invite you so you can meet my mother. I-I think she’d like you. I just… don’t want to lose you, Miss Miorine, okay?”
Her heart skipped a beat at the knight’s declaration. Suletta… cared about her? That much? It was impossible, but even still…
Miorine looked to Suletta one final time. Her eyes were side, slightly watery. The edges of her lips were curled upward, yet the rest remained firm and stern. Her head was framed in the moonlight, pale blue sparkling through her mane of red hair. Her mind could only come up with one word to describe the woman.
Beautiful.
Despite the cold night, Miorine felt herself warm up. She had planned to let Suletta go after everything. It wasn’t worth letting her get caught in any of the fallout of her grand scheme. However, as her mind rushed through options, through lives, through possibilities, no matter what, unlike before, they always included Suletta. And, one after the other, she felt happier and happier. She would have smiled dumbly, if it wouldn’t have embarrassed her deeply.
Her mother would tell her stories, fairy tales. Many of them described what she was feeling, though not quite in this direction. But now, sitting here, watching her knight fight for her like this, she came to one beautiful, horrifying, wonderful realization.
She was in love with Suletta Mercury.