Work Text:
There is a gentle knocking coming from the balcony.
Momo is still in the midst of writing a letter, one she intends to send to her father, who is on a business trip in another kingdom. There are many things to update him on, after all—like how their kingdom's harvest festival was a delightful and lively event with the townsfolk, or how the castle's servants are doing, and most importantly…
She sets her quill down, heading over to the balcony. However, Momo already has a sneaking suspicion on who it might be. As the princess of this kingdom, her chambers are located at the edge of the castle, providing a lovely view of the royal gardens. There are not many people capable of scaling the tower and arriving at her balcony undetected.
When Momo pushes the burgundy curtains aside, she comes face to face with a mischievous smile and wild, windswept hair.
"I knew it," she sighs, unlocking the balcony doors so that her visitor may enter. "You always arrive at such ghastly timings."
"What can I say?" Shinsou replies, hopping in. They kindly remove their dirty boots before stepping onto Momo's fluffy white carpets. "I'm a night owl. And I know the princess likes to stay up late too, despite her prim and proper schedule."
"It is not 'prim and proper' to get nine well-rested hours of sleep every night," Momo argues.
"Ah, forgive me." Shinsou spins on their heel to face her with a grin. There's a little bit of dirt on their face. Just what were they doing before this?
Momo is… not exactly sure how to define Shinsou as a person. In this castle, everyone has their roles, and everyone plays their part like it's a well-rehearsed script. The royals attend their classes, the servants keep the castle running, the knights protect them when things go south, and so on.
Shinsou is none of that. They weren't born or raised in the castle like Momo was, and their first meeting was completely by chance.
Momo was thirteen-years-old and on a rather embarrassing rebellious streak. She was frustrated at not being allowed to practice archery, for her father insisted that it was a knight's duty, and that Momo was not meant to fight. A princess should never be on the battlegrounds, after all.
But Momo was stubborn, so she stole a horse and rode deep into the forest with just a bow and a few arrows on hand. She had found a clearing and was practicing shooting at the apples growing on the trees when Shinsou discovered her. Even back then, they had recognised her from her face alone and asked what she was doing out of her royal dresses and castle.
If anyone knew Momo was doing this, she'd be in big trouble. So she made Shinsou swear to keep her secret, but in return, Shinsou asked for one thing: To be her friend.
Until now, Momo still doesn't know what Shinsou's original intentions were. They're not from town, nor do they have any royal background, and when Momo asks, they just shrug the questions off vaguely. If anything, they might even be a rogue! After all, what kind of normal person is capable of jumping the garden gates and scaling a stone wall entirely by themselves, if they didn't have some criminal background?!
"I see you've been writing again," Shinsou says, gesturing to her desk, where her materials lie. "Seriously, isn't it easier to just get someone else to do it for you?"
"I like handwriting my own letters," Momo disagrees. She heads over, closing her ink bottle and setting the letter aside for now. Though it's not exactly private, it's still better kept away from prying eyes. Then again, Shinsou isn't exactly a stranger… "It adds more of a personal touch, don't you think?"
"I guess." Shinsou folds their arms across their chest, leaning against the wall. When Momo looks up at them again, the corner of their lips tick upwards. "When will I get a personal, handwritten letter from the Princess Momo herself?"
She huffs, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "I would send you some if you told me where you lived, you know."
Shinsou just laughs and taps a finger to their lips. "I can't share all my secrets. That would ruin my mystique."
Just then, the curtains billow outwards, a strong gust of wind sending the heavy drapes swaying and inviting in a shock of cold. Momo shivers, realising that she forgot to close the doors earlier. But instead of doing that, Shinsou jerks their head and asks, "Do you want to catch a breather?"
Momo considers it for a few seconds. "Sure. I could use some fresh air."
They step out onto the balcony together once Momo grabs herself a shawl to keep herself warm with and some slippers. When they're out, she rests her elbows on the marble railings, glancing down at the garden.
"It gets so dark here at night," she murmurs, eyes trailing over the little shadows dancing beneath them. Logically, she knows where everything is—has spent enough time admiring the vibrant red roses or the neatly-trimmed hedges to know exactly where they are, but still, she can't actually see them. Maybe she should request for some oil lanterns to be hung by the fences.
Shinsou hums. They lean back on the railings instead of facing forward like her, propping their elbows up on the edge. It's easier to see them like this, with the light of Momo's chambers reflecting off their face. "Are you scared?"
"Of the dark? Hardly." Momo can think of many things she's afraid of, though they're much more intangible and difficult to describe. "I find the night to be quite comforting, actually."
It's a time of quiet and peace, a total dichotomy with the daytime, when everything is hustling and bustling. Momo spends a lot of her days with a heavy weight of responsibility over her shoulders, and she knows it's only going to grow heavier the older she grows, but when night falls, no matter what, she can be relieved.
"Of course, there's a lot of uncertainties and danger lurking in the shadows," Momo muses. She glances down, where the darkness gives off the illusion that there's an endless pit waiting to swallow her up, should she jump. "But I don't find them to be so prevalent. There's an odd sense of security in being completely blindsided."
Shinsou snorts. "Like ignorance?"
"Maybe," she giggles back. "It's definitely a risk, but it's a worthy one. A fair trade-off, I'd say."
"Always so poetic with your thoughts, Your Highness."
"Oh, don't get sarcastic with me."
They roll their eyes good-naturedly, tilting their head towards Momo. For just a moment, Momo loses her focus, instead getting lost in the depth of Shinsou's eyes, as if there was an abyss kept locked behind those irises.
She supposes that Shinsou is quite similar to the night. They hold secrets that Momo might not ever discover, and it's risky to let them so close when they could have uglier intentions hidden beneath their surface. Nonetheless, when Shinsou is around, Momo doesn't feel like she has to be a proper princess. She can just be herself.
Plus, Shinsou only refers to her as such in a teasing way. Momo finds that she enjoys their banter, just a little bit.
"I'm not being sarcastic," Shinsou says. When Momo narrows her eyes in suspicion, they lift their hands, as if surrendering. "Honest. I really like hearing your thoughts."
"Is that so?" Momo's heart gives a light flutter. "There's not a lot of people willing to listen to a princess blabber nonsensically."
"Well, I don't think it's nonsense."
The flutter grows stronger. Momo sets the thought aside for another time.
They continue talking in hushed voices, letting the breeze carry their conversation away. It's not the first time they've shared a moment like this, with just the two of them and no one else to listen in, but Momo hopes that there'll be many more in the future. Maybe Shinsou will finally tell her what they do for a living, and it will be Momo sneaking out of the castle to go visit them instead.
"I should go," Shinsou says when Momo yawns for the third time in a row, struggling to get through a coherent sentence uninterrupted. "I know you need your beauty sleep."
"Hush," Momo laughs, rubbing at her eyes. "...You should sleep more, too. It's important for your health."
"I sleep plenty."
"The bags under your eyes suggest otherwise." Momo bites her lips to hide her smile at Shinsou's offended gasp. "I swear that I'm coming from a place of concern!"
"Of course." Shinsou turns to her, and after a moment's hesitation, takes one of her hands. Their palms slide together, and Momo's breath hitches at the contact—Shinsou is warmer than she thought.
They bow until their lips are brushing against the back of her hand. When they straighten back up, Momo thinks she sees their cheeks dusted with pink. Or it might just be the shadows playing tricks on her.
She can't deny that she's feeling that same flush crawling up her own neck, though.
"Get home safe, Shinsou," she wishes, a little reluctant to let go.
"I will," they promise. "Goodnight, Princess."
Shinsou's leaving is haste—once they hop over the railings and off the balcony, they've practically disappeared into the darkness, blending in like they were a shadow themself. Still, Momo stands there and waits as if she was watching them go, a bit of yearning tugging at her heartstrings.
She hopes to see them again soon.