"A Princess to your kingdom before A Principal to your stage."
Mai, Princess Royal and first of twelve daughters has only two priorities.
Her family and her dance - and sadly her dance can never come before her family.
Because of this, despite her...
She had expected them to go to her room but they didn't – which was just as well because she wasn't sure she could bear to see the stage at the moment.
They walked through the void into his apartments and Griffin only put her down once they reached his bedroom.
Like she was made of glass, he settled her on the bed then dropped to one knee in front of her, pushing her skirts out of the way and lifting her foot, slipping her shoes off and resting his fingers against the ankle.
"How does it feel?" he asked softly, carefully feeling the bones and joints, everything in place and as it should be.
"It's fine," Mai muttered through a tight throat.
"I'm sorry," Griffin said.
"Why? You didn't do anything."
"Exactly, I didn't stop him."
Mai looked at the top of his head for a moment, the black waves moving as he pulled her skirts back into place and moved her shoes aside.
"Well, that's alright, I rather you didn't."
He looked up at her in surprise.
She gave him a smile that squeezed the last few tears from her eyes. "I took the fight to him, I won the last round; he won this one... that's all it is."
"Mai," Griffin started, taking her hands.
"No lasting effects, nothing to worry about," she said, looking down at their hands.
They were quiet for a moment, then a single tear dropped onto their entwined fingers and Griffin looked up to see her tears had started again.
She pulled her hands free and pressed them to her face.
"Mai," he said softly.
"Do you think he meant it?" she sobbed, her voice muffled through her hands, "Do you think he somehow gave me my talents?"
Griffin titled his head in surprise. "What?"
"What if it's true? It's as if I didn't earn anything I've achieved. How can you compete against someone who has gifts from gods?"
"Oh Mai," he sighed, reaching up and wrapping his arms around her, "Take anything he says with a grain of salt, you know that. I doubt he was even aware of you when you started dancing. It was just to hurt you, to take away your achievements. You got your gifts from your mother, no one else; you earned everything you ever did. Don't let him make you think otherwise. Your talents are your own."
He pulled her hands away from her face and looked up at her, her eyes red, skin pale and nose running.
He chuckled. "Now how do you still look so pretty when bawling your eyes out?" he asked, flicking a hand through the air, a damp towel appearing in his head.
Mai stared at him, her tears drying up in an instant, before she started laughing.
He grinned as he wiped her face and pushed her hair back behind her shoulders, blindly threading a few loose layers of a plait into it to keep it back.
Once done, he dropped the towel and settled his hands on her face, looking up at her.
She smiled slightly, leaning down to rest her forehead against his, closing her eyes.
"Thank you" she whispered.
He looked up at her for a moment, then let out a small breath, giving her close eyes a small, sad smile. "Anything for My Lady," he said, tilting his head back, slipping one hand into her hair and pressing his lips to hers.
Mai's eyes flew open and he pulled back as her hand flew to her mouth.
He looked at her for a moment, trying to read what she considered the correct next move from him but she just stared at him, mouth covered.
So he just shrugged with a grin.
"Sorry, My Lady, seemed like a good way to distract you," he said, quickly, rising to his feet, about to turn away until Mai caught his sleeve and dragged him back, almost knocking him off balance, his hands flattening to the bed on either side of her as she slid her arms around his neck.
"It's a good distraction," she whispered against his mouth before she kissed him.
He stared at her in shock for a moment, then grinned into the kiss, parting her lips with his tongue as he climbed onto the bed, easing her to the mattress as he shrugged his jacket off, dropping it to the floor and pulling her against him.
~~~~
A knock on the main door to the apartments woke Mai with a groan.
She creaked her eyes open and sat up, knowing without a mirror that her hair resembled the nest of a neurotic bird.
She looked around, squinting in the bright light.
She was in her room.
She didn't remember moving to her rooms.
The distant knock sounded again and she crawled out of bed, glancing down at her flowing nightdress – which was remarkably sheer and not one she remembered owning before that moment.
The knock sounded again.
"Alright!" she moaned, pushing out of her bedroom and crossing to the main doors, dragging one open and drooping out, glaring sleepily at her morning nuisance.
She blinked.
Kazimir stood on the other side of the door, looking at her, his black hair pinned up in a high ponytail, his violet eyes raising a brow
He examined her for a moment, looking her up and down, then folded one arm across his waist and pointed at her.
"God lord, Mai, I hope you didn't do anything 'Particular' with that rotten rabbit," he said.
~~~~
Next Up: Thursday
Atr By: https://noukette.deviantart.com/
ok! new fanart, which I love.
anartistintraining (aka @danycatlover to you and I) painted this wonderful piece of Kaz for MerMay. Love it!
For those of you on Instagram, go to Dany's page and like, like, like! Community support, people!
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