Chapter 2 - A Light to Call Home

When the light peered through the window and turned their drapes from black to grey she woke up to find herself in their bed. Evidently, she’d fallen asleep on the floor and had to be carried into their chambers. The stuffed rabbit was still in her hand, but she noticed the sleeves of her dress had disappeared, changed into blue pajamas with silly cat faces. She flipped around, expecting to see him looking at her playfully only to see an empty pillow.

“Konnie?” She said softly, a touch nervous at the sight of his absence when suddenly her waist was ambushed and dragged under the blanket.

His limbs coiled around her like a snake, knees pushing her into a fetal position and arms securely wrapped around her chest, flipping her over him and rocking her slowly from behind.

“I caught a slumbering bunny~” he teased as he started nibbling on her ear. It was more than warm under the blanket. Combined with the darkness, they saw nothing but the steam of their breaths. She was about to yelp when his hand moved lightly over her mouth. Then he sat up with her as the blanket fell around them.

“Good morning my beloved~”

Startled, confused, and all shades of embarrassed she muttered, “What are you doing??”

“Hopefully you later, but for now~ breakfast is calling” He kissed her cheek and opened the bed drapes, waiting for the soft rays of sun to wash away her sleepiness. After a minute she was still rubbing her eyes, but her hand stretched out to cling onto his sleeve. He smiled, and went closer to comb the unkempt strands of her hair before setting off.

“I’ll make some shrimp and pasta while you prepare for the day~ is there anything you’d like?” he asked while tying a dainty blue apron around his back.

“Could you add meatballs too please?”

“Yes yes~ a little protein before your training”

“Training? What are we training today!”

He smiled kiddishly and twisted the knob to the wardrobe, taking out a long, silvery blade. His knee bent to land gently on the carpet, head lowered with the sword outstretched from both arms like a pedestal. “From this day onwards, princess Myne may become a knight.”

…

She waited in the courtyard. A dazzling light armor protected her body and the strands of her hair flew wildly in a ponytail, bewitched by the corona of the sun. In a flash, his sword met hers and twisted onto the flat of his blade, leading her parry into an arc. She took two steps back and quickly swung her sword around her body, striking in an ascending spiral. Shifting his weight onto the balls of his feet, he lunged upward to meet the collision of her hit, sending it off course. He quickly spun around in anticipation of her next attack, trailing the full length of her weapon to meet her neck.

She stumbled and fell on her butt, landing in the soft area of grass they’d chosen to spar. Her sword sprawled to a stop in front. He reached out his hand, his shadow blocking out the golden light. She’d seen this scene dozens of times over the last couple days. He sent her back after breakfast, and stole her again by dusk. As much of a troublemaker he was, she grew safe spending the nights with him, where she never had to sleep alone. She returned home a little later these days, for after breakfast he took care to train her.

“One more time, your highness. You did well.”

She was about to refuse when he lifted her up, fixing the crooked armor plates and placing the fallen sword back into her hand.

“I don’t think I’m any closer to beating you.” She studied the sword in her hand, dismay written on her face.

“Would you like to take a break?” The grip on his hilt softened as he looked at her worriedly.

“No.” She clasped both hands around her sword, her brows forming into a slight scowl. “If I can’t do this…I’ll never grow stronger.”

With a light thud he let his blade fall, taking steps closer until he tucked his arms around her.

“Good~ those who don’t break in the battles they can’t win, those who raise their swords to the impossible and fight their despair, only they… are worthy of being called knights.”

…

They sat atop a large rock, his fingers washing out the sweat drenching her hair. Her armor was resting at the edge of the sparkling lake, and the sounds of hummingbirds and the gentle waterfall played for them. He was singing a made up song to “accompany the crickets”, but she knew it was to soothe her fatigue. It was one of their special spots, reserved for none but themselves, aside from the elven friends whose children occasionally came to play with them. “The raven and his white dove~” the girls would tease before throwing rose petals into the lake and running off giggling. She had a habit of playing with her hair when embarrassed, and he made that his cue to whisper playful taunts in her ear until she hid her face.

When he finished washing her hair she turned to hold his back, feeling the shape of each muscle tensing.

“Are you not afraid I’ll drag you under the water?” She asked seductively.

He met her gaze with a spark of interest, "are you a siren?”

“I’m a kelpie~” she whispered, leaning up to kiss him.

He almost tossed the both of them underwater right then and there, but ultimately decided to take her into a treehouse, something the elves had built for their private sessions as a thank you for keeping their kids occupied during the day. He set her on the bed of soft leaves and chuckled sweetly, closing the door behind them.

….

In the morning her face was flushed pink and she was trapped in his embrace, still fully bare and definitely needing to bathe in the lake again.

“Good morning my princess~ was last night's endurance test helpful for your knight training~?”

She attacked him with a pillow.

After another bath they walked through the path in the forest where the animals played with them. The deer nudged his hands while some offered her berries. They were dressed in their casual outfits now, her with the comedically large gold crown and him with his small black one, a tiny sapphire in each of the peaks.

When they reached the city he set her down at the pool of water near its heart. By magic, she always ended up riding him into the walls. The stone walkways did have an effect at tiring one’s feet, something he said never bothered him. At the center of the waters was a large lilypad to which he brought them upon, followed by the rumbling of the ground and a rainbow torrent bursting from beneath their feet, jetting the lily pad platform into the air. He held her hand as it was her first time, assuming that the pool suddenly transforming into a fountain would scare her, but to his surprise, she actually seemed excited.

As buildings and streets slowly manifested in front of her, and colorful lights began to fill their sights like ink dripped into water, she realized what she’d been witnessing. “There’s multiple floors in this city??” She yelled excitedly over the forming clamors of trains and calls of giant phoenixes.

A storm of black feathers circled his body as his white suit morphed into an elegant dark robe. With a reach of his hand and a show of fireworks he introduced to her once again, “Welcome to Averia, the city of magic~”

They hopped across invisible platforms in the air, their bodies surprisingly light. To their left, a giant stable housed blue and purplish mounts that looked like mutated yaks.

“Are those for sale? Do they come in ribs!” her eyes twinkled as she exclaimed, reaching for her small pouch of gems and tossing tiny emeralds into their food.

He softly bonked the top of her head and nudged against her cheek. “They are for sale, but eating them is a little cruel~ would you like one to warm up your winter nights?”

She thought to herself and shook her head, pointing at the sky. “That one. I want that Dragon’s tail.” He shivered.

“Look at those bunnies!” He jumped onto a cloud while bringing her by the sleeve, squatting near the fluffy cotton balls huddled up over a massive carrot.

She melted onto the floor and brushed one of their backs. “They’re so small…awee.”

“Would you like to take them home? Our bed has a lot of space~” he said, fidgeting with her hair while she was distracted.

“That’s okay! I think they like it here, I wouldn’t want to take them from their home.”

He smiled at her, already knowing it’d be her response. “Whenever you miss them, let’s come back to visit. We can bring small gifts for the each of them next time, like carrot cakes~”

“They’re like our little children, hehe”

“And next, we should get you a local outfit. We’ll be visiting this place in the future too~”

He kicked up a stream of wind and took her to a blacksmith instead of a tailor shop. He rang the bell thrice before the door opened up, and a short cat walking on its hind legs greeted them as the owner. “Arst yuu seeking for…an attire to thou madam?”

“Indeed, and if milady would list her preferences~” He looked towards her, still holding her hand.

“I’d like something different! But maybe a surprise since I already chose the other dresses before. Do you have anything in your mind?” She met his eyes like a doe and hid behind his back, taking this chance to find cover.

“In that case~ I’ll have one made ready for our next visit. Are there any accessories that catch your fancy~?” Her eyes scrolled through the walls of decor, but landed on the staff of an archwizard.

“That.”

They went on a flying express to tour the skies and floating islands, tiny suitcases filled with peculiar loot(mostly rocks) in one and an amalgamation of food in the other. They sipped fruit juices served by bunny girls while reclining with sunglasses, and jump scared a group of tiny patrolling slimes from a bush. He took her to a shooting game where he missed all but one of the targets and had her demolish the rest, and sang to her in a private theatre with just the two of them. Originally they went on a swan boat, but decided flamingo floaties were funner since you could see the sky otters up close.

As the sun began to set and magic shows filled the sky, a corny firework persisted, displaying “Konseiza 4ever!!” She glared at him with a hamster’s expression and bumped his shoulder, to which he walked faster from embarrassment. Through a tunnel in the clouds, they landed upon white snow, their arrival like deities of light descending on the world. The grand candy-like pavilion opened its doors for them. Stepping inside, a small girl ran her head into Kon’s chest and turned around to take the hands of Myne.

“Hi Kasumi!!” The two girls started jumping and catching up while he made his way over to the one cooking the food and began helping.

He started brewing some oolong tea and reached towards the flour for a giant cookie but hesitated, instead beginning to season slices of steak. “Your hands don’t look as rough anymore, Vesta.”

Vesta was wearing a red scarf and putting different soups into bread bowls. A long scar etched over his cheek, but his expression was the kindest. “Lately I’ve swung dough more than I have the sword,” he smiled without the need for eye contact. “Meanwhile yours…they seem a little more serene than before, gentle.”

He was flipping through the cabinets for fettuccine while waiting for the tea to brew, a pink apron tied around his waist, “I have someone who I find irreplaceable now. Her hands are soft, and they feel like home.”

“What are you two talking about!” A small Myne perked up from beside him with sour gummy worms hanging from her mouth like a mini Cthulhu. He bent down and stole one from her mouth, leaving her to process the event while a gummy falls out.

There were many other chefs, but he liked cooking. When she recovered she started on a pear pie, listening to him rant about how to cook tomatoes and eggs together and the mystery of purple carrots. She secretly recorded the lecture, hoping to add another video to the Kon cookbook.

He was sweet almost to a fault. Shrimp alfredo, calzones, meatballs with pasta, steak with potatoes, steamed buns, lobster rolls, muscles, clams…the plates she particularly liked all happened to be near her seat. He never tried to take credit for these things, probably out of his embarrassment but, he never expected praise or acts in return. She grinned watching him first, his hands claiming the pie she’d baked like it was a treasure chest of gold. Seeing him eat was like a different person, without a sliver of princely demeanor…but he looked really happy, and she liked that more.

“Squirrel.” she thought in her head.

A scarred hand brought a bottle of red wine over to Kon’s cup. “A toast to the third year of your engagement~” said Vesta while clinking glasses before turning to meet Myne and cheering to her apple juice. Meanwhile beside them Kon reached for the bottle and emptied it in one sip, having the instincts of a teenager. He then slumped his face near the meats, and a few minutes later began to mumble nicknames. “Stekku-Sama…Lambie Choppu…”

They watched him collectively for a while, Kasumi taking pictures and Vesta taking the initiative to draw cat whiskers on his reddened cheeks, when suddenly Kon wrapped his arms around Myne. “I’m sorry I forgot the chicken wings…they flew off from the boiler…” *choke* “And the dragon fruit…they’re not even spicyyyy!! Like what kind of bananas even do that…”

Her face grew hotter as she closed her eyes, embarrassed but also finding the situation…quite cute. He was like a defenseless kid crying after a nightmare. She wanted to console him for the imaginary chicken wing incident. The circular redness unique to a drunkard settled on his face, and she pinched his ear for that, lightly.

Kasumi giggled, and tugged on Vesta’s sleeve to borrow his ear. A few moments later he chuckled and nodded his head, excusing himself from the room. After watching him depart, Kasumi glanced at Myne and winked playfully, disappearing into a brief white fog. The two were left alone in the large room. Steam floated from off the many dishes, filling their hearts with a sense of warmth. She looked around twice, then began to stroke his head.

“You’re always doing the funniest things~” she couldn’t help but play with his hair, wondering how it’d look if it was a bit longer. Maybe then I’ll give you braids, she plotted deviously.

His ranting stopped, soothed into her lap with tiny snoring sounds. He looks so safe… “I didn’t think he’d fall asleep so fast after drinking…” she mumbled her thoughts out loud and felt a tiny twitch.

“I know you’re pretending~” she tested, but wasn’t met with a response. Even after a few minutes his snoring remained the same.

thump, thump

She couldn’t help but be led on by her curiosity. Her thumb slid down his cheek and parted his lips, exploring its softness. The others had obviously left to give them some alone time, so they probably were encouraging this too…

Subconsciously, she’d begun holding her breath and checking if his eyes were closed. Her thoughts churned, wondering how much she could get away with. But after a few moments of consideration, she let out a sigh from her smile, not wanting to take advantage of him. Eventually the other two came back, exchanging looks. After their inspection, Vesta slipped a pouch of gold coins into Kasumi’s pocket with a look of defeat.

When the meal was over the two bade them farewell, and Kasumi gave Myne a parting hug. She started wrapping some of the food for later, when the princeling woke up. All the dramas she’d seen had made spoon feeding look so easy, but reality brought the truth to light that people need to be awake to chew.

The best wife I could’ve asked for

-Konstellashen ~ End of Chapter 2-` ♡´-