𝐌𝐫𝐬. 𝐌𝐚𝐣𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐲 | Choni

Thirteen

“Hey, you.” Toni cheerfully greeted the redhead as she met her at the far end of the castle gardens as they had arranged.

“Hello, Toni. You look well rested.” Cheryl remarked as she took in the sight of the young woman walking towards her.

“Do I not usually?” Toni came to a stop next to the Princess and looked down at herself.

Cheryl shook her head with a concealed smile. “I only say because my mother spoke to me this morning about how tired I’ve been and then all but insinuated that I wasn’t conducting myself appropriately with late-night escapades.”

Toni felt her eyes grow in concern. “She hasn’t seen us has she?”

Cheryl shook her head again but more adamantly. “I don’t think so. She only noted that I’d been missing when she checked in on me.”

“Phew, okay. So we just have to be more careful about when and for how long we spend time together. Unless, of course, you’d rather end whatever this has been and I just become what your parents think I am; your Lady’s Maid.” Toni rushed the last half out as it dawned on her that Cheryl may not wish to socialise with her anymore if it risks upsetting her own mother.

Cheryl desperately clasped onto Toni’s hands as she rushed to help her explain her thoughts. The redhead stilled their movements and bought them to rest between them, linked with her own. “God no, Toni! I can’t imagine life here without you …being my friend. As you say we’ll just have to take more caution and care. You being my Lady’s Maid provides us with a perfect excuse to be seen in one another’s company anyway. So we can continue with practicing your reading if you wish?”

The brunette released a breath and brought her eyes up from their joined hands to meet the redheads and nodded eagerly. “I wish”.

The Serpent girl reluctantly slipped her hands out of the Princess’ as she crouched down quickly to pick a bright yellow flower from the flower bed next to them. The Serpent then moved to slip the flower into the Princess’ tightly secured hair do. “Why do you always have your hair so confined?”

She shrugged at the question. “It’s just what’s expected.”

Toni bit her lip before asking her next question. “Don’t you ever want to do something unexpected?”

“Like what?”

“Like kiss a Serpent girl?” As she finished her words she chanced a look at the Princess.

Cheryl’s breath caught. “I couldn’t.” The head shake was so subtle, Toni wasn’t sure if she’d imagined it.

“But do you want to?”

“They’re the same thing.” The Princess insisted.

Toni shook her head with a characteristic smirk. “I don’t think they are. I want to run through a field of wildflowers, but I couldn’t.” She pulled the first thing out of the air that she could think of as she’d thrown her hands up.

It was the redhead’s turn to bite her lip in thought. “Have you got anywhere to be?”

Toni couldn’t help but smile at the Princess. “For you? No.” The brunette shook her head once.

“Good, let’s go”. She grabbed her hand and they broke into a run down to the back wall of the garden to a small gate.

The Princess led them in a rush up a lightly trod path up to woodland. The woodland then opened up to an almost untouched field, full of wildflowers. The Serpent was speechless. Cheryl stood and watched in awe as the brunette started to run and yip, calling out in sheer delight.

Once Toni felt her lungs burning, and her cheeks were flushed, her throat sore she returned to where Cheryl was still stood and threw her arms around her. “Thank you, I never knew this was here!”

“It’s nothing.” Cheryl brushed off as she tried to stay focused at the feel of the other girl’s arms around her.

She stood back. “But now I’ve done what I said I couldn’t, how about you?”

Cheryl stalled and looked at her feet in the long grass. Toni didn’t hear a no or complete disgust and so bravely took a step forward again before tilting the Princess’ chin upward from the ground with a delicate finger. Cheryl’s hands automatically found themselves on Toni’s waist before her face tilted slightly to initiate the brush of her lips against the Serpent’s soft ones.

This was more mould-breaking than their first kiss. This was more real and she couldn’t believe it was happening. Once she pulled away, but not too far, foreheads resting together, all that could be said was, “Wow”, and by both girls. They didn’t know what to do from here but all that mattered right now was them in this field in this embrace.

“Do I have your permission to kiss you again?” Cheryl whispered to the girl mere centimetres away from her.

Toni didn’t answer and instead brought up her second hand so she was cradling Cheryl's face in her palms before claiming her pink lips with her own.

This kiss was more desperate than the one before. The Princess’s hands pulled the brunette in against her from the waist, a slight whimper escaping her lips at the contact. Toni regretted having to release the other’s lips, but the need for air became too great. “I could spend all day kissing you.”

“I think I could condone that.” Cheryl panted with a small giggle.

“I’m glad you haven’t run off like last time.” Toni admitted as she took in how the Princess was consuming all her senses at once.

“I’m done running from this, I’ve found who I am. It’s all thanks to you Toni.”