Crimson and Gold

Saria returned to the Palace in the late evening and right out of the gate headed towards the Princess’ pavilion.

“You’re back. How did it go?” Lysandra smiled and gestured for her to join her on the sofa.

“I found the healer for Heron’s family and told Drusus to start looking into the prophecy,” Saria answered and sat next to Lysandra.

There was a small crease between her brows that deepened under the watchful golden gaze.

Lysandra leaned against the backrest and prepped her chin on her hand. “How is he?”

“He seems fine. Very eager to get back to work,” Saria said, avoiding Lysandra’s eyes. “Mira must be taking very good care of him.”

The Princess hummed in response, and for a moment, the bedroom was completely silent.

“What about you?” she asked eventually. “How are you?”

Saria cast her gaze down to her hands, trembling ever so slightly. She tightened and relaxed her fists a few times, but it did nothing to stop it.

Finally, she took a deep breath and slowly started talking about everything she saw in her memories.

“…In the last vision, I was signing a letter to you. I used a pseudonym,” Saria hanged her voice as she gathered the courage to say the final words, “Icarus.”

Once the truth was out, neither of them said anything.

For Saria, the silence was suffocating. The time seemed to stretch, keeping her imprisoned in this moment of uncertainty.

It was torture.

She wished Lysandra would say something, anything. She wanted to know her feelings, but lacked the courage to look at her.

She feared seeing the disappointment in her eyes.

And so, the only thing she could do was to wait.

“It was you this whole time,” Lysandra said after what felt like an eternity.

Her voice was laced with so much affection that Saria was forced to finally look at her. “You aren’t disappointed?”

Lysandra moved closer, her hands cupping Saria’s face as she gazed deep in her eyes. “Why would I be?” she asked.

“Because the person who meant so much to you turned out to be—”

“Turned out to be even more outstanding than I thought?” Lysandra cut in.

Her fingers caressed Saria’s cheek with tenderness reserved for someone special, someone closer than anyone.

Her eyes swept around the face of the one she cherished so much, and her heart ached.

She never would have thought that Saria would feel this way. That she would doubt herself to the point of seeing herself as someone less than she was.

So many times would she put on a brave face and act as if nothing could hurt her. She was strong and capable. She made it easy to forget that underneath all of that facade was still a living, beating heart that felt pain and had its weaknesses just like everyone else.

“The person I respected so much turned out to be someone I can’t imagine my life without.” Lysandra’s thumb traced the seam of Saria’s lips. As she leaned closer, their breaths intertwined.

The thundering in Saria’s chest sounded like a violent storm, mirroring the turbulence of emotions deep inside her.

Hearing everything that the Princess told her, she found herself at a loss for words. She had no choice but to helplessly gaze into the eyes of the woman who stole her heart.

Just then, Lysandra delivered the final blow that sealed Saria’s fate.

“Someone I fell in love with,” she whispered against Saria’s quivering lips, before embracing them with hers.

If there was any ounce of resistance left in Saria’s heart, the kiss erased it completely.

There was no turning back from this.

Saria responded in kind, allowing her lips and her tongue to deliver a confession of her own.

In the back of her clouded mind, she could hear the faint words Drusus told her before she left.

‘Not every story has a happy ending.’

Maybe it was true. Maybe it was a mistake that she would have to pay the price for in the future.

Whatever it was, in that moment, it didn’t matter.

Nothing mattered except for Lysandra in her arms, her touch, and their hearts following the same rhythm.

Even she was surprised by the intensity of her feelings.

After all the time she spent trying to push them away, refusing to acknowledge what they were, Lysandra’s confession broke through the walls she had built like they were nothing.

Unexpectedly, Saria didn’t dislike being carried by that flood. There was something liberating in admitting and accepting everything she felt.

“I love you,” Saria whispered between the kisses. She repeated the same words every time their lips parted.

Now that she was free from the shackles she put around her feelings, she couldn’t get enough of confessing them.

And every time, the Princess would kiss her even more fiercely, even more passionately.

Because, while Saria couldn’t get enough of saying it, Lysandra couldn’t get enough of hearing it.

Finally, there was nothing left unsaid between them. From that point onwards, no matter what would come their way, they would face it together.

Together, there was nothing that they couldn’t overcome. Lysandra was certain of it.

Because Saria was the answer to every prayer, every dream she ever had.

She was no longer alone.

“Thank you for always being there for me,” Lysandra said, as she rested her head on Saria’s shoulder.

In response, she felt a gentle kiss on her forehead. “Thank you for finding me.”

The Princess tilted her head to look at her lover. “Wouldn’t it be more correct to say that you were the one who found me? After all, you sneaked into my bedroom when I was sleeping.”

That suddenly reminded Saria about something. “What was in that letter that I stole that night?”

“You never read it?”

“No. Back then, I was trying to just follow Father’s orders,” Saria said, recalling the way her life was before she met Lysandra.

Obedience was everything. Following Father’s orders without questioning was a virtue for Sekaris.

Living like this wasn’t without its perks. It was easy. Following orders was easy.

Or that was what she was told.

In reality, Saria was never good with it. No matter how hard she tried to rid herself of the ever-present doubt in her heart, it was all for naught.

Still, she tried.

Kill those that had to be killed. Steal what needed to be stolen. Be the weapon in someone else’s hands.

She tried.

But it was only after she met Lysandra that she finally broke the leash Sekaris put on her when she was too young to fight back.

In that moment, Saria couldn’t help but wonder what her life could have been, if she had met Lysandra earlier.

Maybe she would leave Sekaris earlier, becoming the Princess’ guard or one of her spies. Or perhaps, the history would repeat itself, and they would still start their relationship as a mistress and a slave.

“It was sent by the Prince of Faolán.” Lysandra’s response pulled Saria out of her musings. “He contacted me about the potential coup in the capital. He was worried someone was trying to…” Lysandra’s voice trailed as the puzzle pieces fell into place. “…steal the Amulet of Sionnach.”

She pondered her words for a moment, then looked worried at Saria. “Do you think Loukios was the one behind it?”

Saria shook her head. “No. It couldn’t have been him. The first time he contacted Sekaris was after his failed attempt at your life. It must have been someone else.”

“But who?”

“I don’t know, but I have a feeling the next visit to the Temple could give us the answers. That’s why I believe you should come with me.”

It was something Saria thought about for quite some time.

At first, she was grateful that Lysandra couldn’t see her memories and everything she went through before they met. But the longer she thought about it, the more unfair it felt.

Her past and Lysandra’s were clearly connected. Everything that happened could be relevant to the Princess, even the things Saria didn’t want her to see.

Now that they confessed their feelings for one another, this conviction got even stronger.

She even confirmed with Asteria beforehand if it was possible.

Saria didn’t have to wait long for an answer.

Lysandra raised her hand to her lips and left a warm kiss on it. “Once it’s time, I’ll come with you,” she said, softly. “I’ll always be with you.”