Something Extraordinary

Chapter Thirty-Four - Our Story

"And the Queen adored spending time with the princess who stole her heart, loving her smile, her affection, and her pureness." Renée spoke aloud as she wrote on the page.

The two were sat on the floor of a little reading nook that Azalea had put together in the library. The younger girl was painting a picture of their picnic next to where the Queen was writing, but stopped when she heard her words. "Princess?" She uttered curiously.

Renée nearly felt her heart stop. She had been speaking without thinking. "Yes, because you are my princess, darling." She heard herself utter before she could really think about it. Luckily, Azalea seemed satisfied with this answer and merely blushed in response.

Renée reached for the girl's hand and held it gently. The pair had been spending a lot of time together, but not to train. She had been working on their book and invited Renée to join her.

Their book.

Renée liked the sound of that. Their very own narrative. The girl hasn't allowed Renée to see much of the pages that she herself had written yet, citing that she wanted it to be a surprise. However, of the pages that she did see, her heart melted, reading about herself from the narrative of her lover.

~.~
She perched on her throne with the perfect posture, fitting of a Queen. Her eyes glimmered with an intensity that Azalea could only watch in awe. Her Majesty had no idea that she was being watched by the girl, secretly admiring, wishing to come closer.
~.~

"Is that true? Do you watch me?" Renée teased with a slight hint of a smirk grazing her lips.

Azalea blushed and looked at the Queen. "I do."

Renée's eyes softened in adoration and she reached over to gently stroke the girl's cheek. "I watch you too."

Azalea's heart skipped several beats at Renée's words. She glanced back down at the book on the table, stroking her fingers across the barely dried page.

"Azalea was fearful to approach her majesty, yet the temptations increased with days passed. The undeniable magnetic attraction bound the two in an inexplicable manner." Azalea recited the next page softly to Renée, smiling at her sweetly.

She remembered every page that she had written by heart. She initially had meant for this to be a surprise for Renée once it was complete, but the Queen had insisted it be a shared project. Azalea hadn't seen all the pages yet either, having promised Renée that the full work remain a surprise until it was completed and they could both read it together.

Azalea had initially taken on this project so she could write their story and give Renée a pleasant surprise, but she found that it had also become her favourite bonding time with Renée.

As she flipped through the pages, a memory hit her. She was back in her dorm room, flipping through the original storybook of the history of Afronave. A slight sadness overcame her. It had been awhile since she wondered about her parallel life, or so she called it. It had been nearly two decades of her life, yet the more she considered it, the more it felt like a mere fantasy, or at the very most, a past memory. Although she was happy in Afronave, she wasn't able to be at peace without any answers.

Despite not wanting to ruin the serene moment here with the Queen, Azalea decided to enquire with her anyway. "Have you found any leads in how the diary may have gotten here?"

Renée appeared to be startled for a moment before quickly composing herself. "I have my theories..." She replied in a soft voice. Azalea waited for her to elaborate. "There is a legend that long before Afronave was split, William presented his beloved wife, Astoria, with an amulet. It was conjured with elements of the land they had been destined to rule over together. That amulet was later passed on to their daughter, Navia. When the four kingdoms split, Navia split the amulet in four. The pieces were then fashioned into objects that each founder could carry on them. Normally, travel between the realms require magically binding agreements or magic from the current ruler themselves. The exception was if the traveler was carrying a piece of the original amulet. This was originally designed to allow one to cross the lands in case of an emergency." Renée explained.