Summary: When Jade's kingdom is invaded, she is forced to escape and leave everything she's known behind. On her travels, she meets a blonde princess, who offers her another chance in life, giving her hope she thought she had lost for good.
Or, the one where they're both princesses, and Jade has a dragon and Perrie has a direwolf.
Jade isn't quite sure where to run, so she stands frozen for what seems like an eternity, staring at the scene in front of her. Dead bodies litter the ground and the screeches of all types of creatures whip through the air with lightning-like crackles.
Dragons, her dragons, full-grown beauties the sizes of castle towers, fly all around and spew fire onto the attackers. Jade's eyes dart between the attackers, noticing the different types of monsters being let loose. The beasts are things that she's never even seen before, things she's only ever heard tales about.
She hears the tiny blue dragon perched on her shoulder mewl into her ear and the sound is so heartbreaking that it snaps Jade out of her fright.
Her kingdom is being attacked and Jade has no idea whether her family is alive or not.
And so, Jade turns and – like she does with all of her problems – she runs away.
----
Jade feels dirty as she trudges through the forest, every area of the place looking the exact same as areas Jade had already been to. There's dirt and muck in places Jade's never wanted them to be in, the soles of her feet are cut up from all the walking she's done, her hair is a bird's nest, and she can't remember the last time she's properly bathed.
A couple months have passed since the attack on Jade's people and she's sure that every kingdom in the nearby vicinity has already heard about the raid. Word travels quickly nowadays. The brunette herself has learned more information about the attack, as well. One night, she picked up a local newspaper at one of the inns she spent the night at and read through the article with tears streaming down her face.
The kingdom – her kingdom – had been taken over by escaped prisoners who had set up camp in an underground base. There, they had been training monsters, which were once deemed untrainable because of their savage nature, for many years before the attack. Of course, with dragons being arguably the most powerful creature in the Realm, it's understandable why they'd attack the her kingdom first.
Now, the Thirlwall Kingdom was no more and, to everyone else's knowledge, all the Thirlwalls are dead. Except for Jade.
But no one knows that Jade is alive, and no one recognizes her, either.
She was never one for publicity.
So, she's changed her name to Amelia.
Just Amelia.
----
Jade jumps down from the branch she was perched on and lowers her dagger into the deer's neck. The animal screeches in pain before falling to the ground, dead, and Jade's dragon, Luna, flies down to land atop Jade's shoulder as she begins to skin the animal.
"You are going to eat well tonight, Luna," Jade mumbles, feeding a raw piece of meat to her companion before continuing to drag her knife through the deer's fur.
Luna and Jade had been born at the same night.
This was considered a sign of souls binding together, and it was unheard of until Jade was born. Jade had been the first Dragonborn in centuries.
But now she's considered dead to everyone in the Realm.
Jade's just glad that she still has Luna, she wouldn't know what to do without her.
For one, Jade would've definitely frozen to death a while ago if it weren't for her, and Luna keeps Jade's sanity levels just a bit more steady. The reptile has a mind of its own and Jade might sound a little pathetic if she ever admitted that Luna has made her laugh until her stomach hurt on multiple occasions.
Luna is undoubtedly Jade's best friend. Jade loves the little creature as much as the little creature loves her.
But sometimes...
"Luna! Luna! " Jade calls out, running across the forest ground, hopping over branches and twigs that stuck out, dodging and ducking.
Luna had randomly flown off. Again. And now Jade has to find her before she gets too far.
She hears a familiar screech and runs towards it, sighing in relief when she sees Luna fly down from the treetops.
"Luna! What the fuck were you thinking?" Jade cusses and internally winces because if her father heard her curse like that while she was still a princess, she'd probably get grounded for the next five months.
Luna screeches again as she lands on Jade's shoulders. Jade can sense aggressiveness in the noise.
When Jade hears multiple footsteps behind her, she jumps and spins, eyes widening at the sight in front of her.
A girl with blonde hair is clutching a dagger with white knuckles as a very, very large canine stands at her side, teeth bared. The creature growls lowly, in a low stance as if it were ready to leap and attack Jade at any moment. The girl gives Jade a onceover and narrows her eyes.
"I don't want any trouble," Jade says, holding her hands out as a gesture to show she's unarmed.
The blonde girl stays quiet, so Jade continues. "I don't want you to get hurt."
At this, Jade sees the girl smirk, as if trying to keep a laugh in. This rubs Jade the wrong way and she feels anger rile up inside of her, which isn't the best idea when there is that huge dog-thing that looks like it's going to eat Jade up in one bite.
"Luna can easily burn the both of you to ashes," Jade narrows her eyes defensively.
It's not technically a lie, but it isn't the full truth, either. Luna will eventually be able to do that, but she's still much too small to cause sufficient damage.
At the sound of her name, Luna shrieks.
It's then that the blonde actually laughs at this, and if Jade weren't so angry, she'd be a little stunned at how beautiful the sound is.
"Your little lizard would be considered a snack to Shadow," she replies, the dog-thing snapping his jaws as if to show how much damage he could inflict to both Jade and Luna.
Jade's frown increases at the demeaning comment.
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that and just be on my way," she starts to walk past the duo but quickly jumps back when Shadow snaps at her. Luna leaps from Jade's shoulder and flies towards Shadow, beating her wings against his eyes as Shadow attempts to shake his head, teeth baring. Luna flies off into the sky before Shadow can bite her.
"Call your dog off!" Jade commands snappily, sending a glare to the stranger before looking up through the treetops in hopes of finding the small dragon. She calls out her name multiple times. "Luna! Come back, Luna!"
"He's not a dog. He is a direwolf," the blonde girl corrects her, patting Shadow's head. Jade doesn't comment on that, ignoring the girl as she continues to shout out Luna's name.
"Besides, you're on my land. Who are you and what is it that you want?"
Jade stops. "Your land?" she inquires, looking at the stranger.
The blonde lifts her chin upwards, and Jade has to hold back an eye roll because it reminds her of all the snotty princes she used to have to meet.
"You are in the Edwards Kingdom. I'm princess Perrie Edwards," she says, obviously feeling a sense of pride and honor. This time, Jade does roll her eyes because she was right – she does so discreetly, though, because Perrie is still royalty after all.
"Now, what is your name and your purpose?"
The two stare at each other for quite a while before Jade decides to respond.
"My name's Amelia," Jade answers. "I'm here in search of work."
"You have a pet dragon," Perrie replies with the quirk of an eyebrow, tone confused and amused at the same time. Jade thinks her blue eyes are stunning, but would never say so out loud. "You could sell that thing for a fortune and not have to work another day in your life."
"I don't want to sell her," Jade replies as she puffs out her chest, standing tall even with the couple of inches she lacks to be at Perrie's height. "Is there any work here or shall I be on my way?"
"There is work," Perrie nods, the corner of her lips curving up. Jade can't tell if it's a genuine smile or one of amusement because she finds Jade to be pitiful. "Of course there is. It's a well-populated kingdom."
"Then I will stay for a while and work," Jade says firmly before going back to finding her dragon. As she walks away, she hears Perrie and Shadow's footsteps following her.
"What are you running away from, Amelia?" Perrie asks with piqued interest.
Jade pauses and looks at her with surprise evident on her face.
"Pardon?"
"You don't look like you are from around here," Perrie explains. "So what brings you to my kingdom?"
There's a brief silence in which Jade's jaw visibly tenses and relaxes multiple times as she falls into deep thought, trying to figure out what to say.
"My people are nomads. It's how we live."
"That doesn't explain how you got the dragon," Perrie leans on a nearby tree and taps the long side of her blade against her index finger, tilting her head. Jade really doesn't like how attractive the princess is, because it makes it hard for Jade to despise her. "Tell me, did you steal it?"
"Don't accuse me of theft, princess," Jade growls angrily, the title coming off her tongue with a hint of poison. She walks off towards the direction Luna had flown and Perrie smirks as she follows the girl. The dog-thing – direwolf, whatever – has calmed down a lot since their first encounter, no longer in a prowling stance, but his eyes are still alert and his ears are still perked.
It's not long until Luna's perched on Jade's shoulder once more.
Despite the fact that Perrie has ordered Shadow to lay off, it's clear that he still holds a grudge against the tiny dragon because he continuously growls throughout their journey back to the kingdom whenever Luna would even move an inch.
"The guards at the gate will have to check your satchel," Perrie says, pointing to the bag that knocks against Jade's upper thigh with every step she takes.
At the statement, Jade grasps onto her satchel strap protectively.
Perrie clears her throat, taking note of Jade's stiffness. "We are an open kingdom, but not to those who are dangerous."
"I'm not dangerous," Jade replies before glancing down at her bag and then back up at Perrie.
"Weren't you threatening to burn me alive with your dragon moments ago?" Perrie cocks an eyebrow.
"It was a joke," Jade says. "Luna is much too small to do any damage."
Perrie tilts her head and Jade gulps.
"Please don't let them take anything of mine."
"Well, what is it that you have in there?" Perrie questions curiously.
"A journal, some jewelry, a knife, a bottle, and some food for me and Luna," Jade answers honestly. "I believe I also have some bandages, too."
Perrie nods and hums. "They won't take anything."
----
The guards kneel to Perrie once she's in viewing distance and they stay down until Perrie orders them back up.
Jade remembers feeling uncomfortable whenever people did that to her.
"Your highness, you know it's not safe to go out all alone," one guard states. "Please take a squadron with you next time."
"I'm fine," Perrie replies. "I have Shadow."
Jade hands her bag over to one of the guards, who sifts through it thoroughly before handing it back. The guard then points to the dragon atop Jade's shoulder. "You will need a leash for that."
"I don't have one," Jade looks over towards Perrie, asking for some help.
"Do any of you have thin rope?" Perrie asks around. A few guards rush around in search for some and once found, hands it to Perrie.
The princess gives it to Jade, and she ties the rope carefully around Luna's left foot before tying the other end tightly around the strap of her satchel. The guards nod and let Jade pass.
Once the two of them make it through the main gate, Jade stops walking and turns to Perrie, who also stops.
"Thank you," Jade says. "Sleeping on the streets of a walled kingdom is much better than sleeping in the woods."
The blonde hums in acknowledgement. "Stay out of trouble, Amelia," she says, offering a small smile before departing with Shadow by her side.
Jade watches the two of them walk off, watches Perrie shoot multiple people a stunning smile, before she turns and begins to explore the large kingdom.
----
She enters a pub at some point and scrunches her nose up as some sleazy man slides up next to her as soon as she opens the front door.
"New in town, pretty girl?" he rasps with liquor-breath.
Jade slips past him and ignores his cries of reject. When she gets through the initial crowd, she spots the bartender and makes her way towards her. With the group of people surrounding the area, Jade can tell that the young woman making drinks is quite popular.
As she gets closer, Jade can see exactly why she's popular. The girl is beautiful, and not just physically, but her aura is what brightens up the atmosphere.
It makes Jade think briefly back to the blonde princess, but she shoves that thought away quickly.
One would think that Jade wouldn't be noticed until much later but almost as soon as she walks up to the bar, the bartender smiles widely at her and heads over.
"Hey, I've never seen your face around here before! How ya doing? I'm Leigh-Anne," the girl with dark hair holds out her hand after wiping it on the towel strung across her shoulder.
Jade nods curtly and grabs hold of Leigh-Anne's hand.
"Amelia."
"Well, Amelia," Leigh-Anne pulls back her hand. "Would you like a drink?"
"No, thanks," Jade shakes her head. "I would like a job, actually, if you are offering."
"Oh!" Leigh-Anne's eyes light up. "Sure thing, I'm always looking for a little help around this old place! I'll have to train you a little later but- Oh!" Leigh-Anne's attention is taken away as a large group of men walk in. "Here, just get behind the counter, I'll teach you along the way."
----
The night is the most hectic night Jade has had in a long time, and that's saying a lot, but it's been a while since Jade has been around so many people without feeling the need to run away. Leigh-Anne's open presence makes it a lot easier, too.
They're in the middle of cleaning up the pub when Leigh-Anne starts talking.
"So, Amelia, you just passing through here or are you settling down?" she asks, wiping down the bar as Jade's wiping down a table across the room.
"I'm not too sure," Jade replies, hands pausing for half a second before she continues wiping the table. "I have been on the move for..." she remembers telling the princess that she was a nomad, and thinks it's best if she keeps the story going, "...my whole life."
"Well, if you do ever decide to settle down," Leigh-Anne flashes her a smile, "the Edwards Kingdom is the best place to do it."
----
Jade sleeps down the street from the pub, hidden between the nook of an old library and the kingdom's walls. Luna sleeps curled up next to her.
It's been a couple weeks since Jade's encounter with the princess in the woods. Jade already has a routine set up.
Every morning she'd go out of the kingdom with Luna so the dragon could fly around without being leashed before they'd go back in the evening so Jade could work at the pub.
Leigh-Anne had taken it surprisingly well when Jade told her she had a dragon, and she was the one to offer having Luna inside the pub.
To say the least, Leigh-Anne's a good person and Jade's glad to have found her.
Leigh-Anne's never asked about Jade's sleeping situation, but Jade's sure she knows that something's up.
Sometimes Leigh-Anne brings in extra clothes and tells Jade to freshen up without sounding pitiful or demeaning, she just smiles her usual friendly smile and pushes Jade towards the bathroom.
When Jade walks in one day, she's surprised to see everything still cleaned up, with the chairs still atop of the tables and the glasses still on the shelves. Leigh-Anne is sitting on the counter, going through something on a piece of paper when she hears Jade walk in.
"What is it?" Jade asks.
"There's a parade today!" Leigh-Anne exclaims. "The Royal Family is holding one in honor of the King and Queen's anniversary. All anyone was talking about yesterday was this!"
Now that Jade thinks about it, yes, the conversation was really focused on the Royal Family yesterday, but she hadn't thought much about it. People always mentioned them when they came in the pub and Princess Perrie was always a topic among the crowd of drunks. Many people really seemed to adore the blonde princess.
Jade expected drunk men to do nothing but say lewd things about the princess, but Jade was nicely surprised to hear only nice things – and if they were to say something bad, they'd quickly be reprimanded by the other pub guests. Jade heard stories of Perrie saving someone's daughter from straying on the wrong path, or Perrie giving someone another chance at life by offering gold pieces.
As much as Jade wants to despise the princess, and all the smirks she had given Jade the day they met, she can't, not when Perrie Edwards is clearly an amazing human being.
"So, no work?" Jade asks, making Leigh-Anne laugh.
"No work," Leigh-Anne grins. "Are you going to the parade?"
"No," Jade shakes her head. "I'll probably be outside the kingdom."
"Alright, then," Leigh-Anne nods. "Stay safe!"
----
It's late into the night when the kingdom's festivities die down and everyone's so drunk that they're passed out. Everything is quiet for the first time all day.
Jade's sat on the empty road when she unties Luna and lets her fly around. It's been a few minutes, with Luna letting out happy mewls and Jade smiling in return, before Jade hears footsteps.
When she turns her head, she's surprised to see none other than Perrie Edwards walking down the road. She only knows it's her because there's that direwolf alongside her.
"Luna," Jade hisses quietly for the dragon to come down, which she does. Luna lands in Jade's lap softly just as Perrie nears.
Shadow is oddly calm despite Luna's presence.
"I'm sorry," Jade apologizes once Perrie's in hearing range. "She's been without the rope all day since we were outside the kingdom and it's hard for me to put it back on her-"
"It's fine," Perrie cuts her off, sitting down next to Jade. Shadow lays down at Perrie's feet and Jade's eyes widen as his tail brushes against her leg. Perrie gestures vaguely towards the sky. "You can let her fly some more."
Jade gulps before releasing Luna again. The dragon lets out a satisfied, muted shriek and Shadow's ears perk up before he plops his head back down into his paws.
Jade can't help but grin as she watches her dragon fly in circles.
"She's fascinating," Perrie mumbles, her hand petting Shadow between his ears. Jade simply hums, and the two watch Luna fly around. A couple of times, Jade has to call quickly for the dragon to come back because she would disappear behind a rooftop, and every time it makes Perrie giggle.
Jade doesn't admit that she's glad she's sitting down because the noise would make her knees buckle if she were standing.
"I heard Leigh-Anne has given you a job," Perrie states after a few minutes of just sitting there, watching Luna.
"Yes, she has," Jade nods.
"That's good. She and I have been close friends since we were kids, but lately I have been too busy to keep her company. I'm glad she has you."
Jade honestly has no idea what to say to that, so she hums and changes the topic.
"What are you doing up so late?" her eyes are trained on Luna, but she can see from her peripheral that Perrie smiles.
"I have trouble sleeping," the princess admits, bending her knees and hugging them to her chest. Shadow lifts his head at the position change. Perrie brings her hand back down to pet him. "And it is really easy to escape the castle through my bedroom."
"So you walk around the street at night, alone?" Jade says with a quirked eyebrow, turning to look at Perrie. "Isn't that dangerous?"
"I have Shadow with me. Besides, the people here are kind, Amelia," Perrie replies, and Jade tries not to feel too prideful at the fact that the princess remembers her name. "We don't hurt each other."
Jade presses her lips together in a thin line before pursing them a bit, lost in her own thoughts.
"I think the kindness of the people has a lot to do with the kindness of their leaders," she finally says.
Perrie looks at her with intrigued eyes, pupils glowing with the torches scattered throughout the streets.
"You think so?" Perrie questions softly.
"I know so," Jade replies firmly. Her lips form a small smile which Perrie returns. "You're a good person, princess."
"You barely know me," Perrie shakes her head bashfully.
Jade tilts her head. "And you didn't know me when you allowed me into your kingdom," she counters. "But you let me in, anyway. You are a good person, princess."
"Please don't call me princess," the words leave Perrie's lips before she can process them. Jade looks taken aback, eyebrows raising. Perrie averts her gaze, watching Luna let out a small spray of flame from her mouth. "You're one of the few people who don't choose to pretend to be someone they are not in order to impress me, and I would like that to stay true."
The surprise on Jade's face fades away and is replaced with genuine happiness. "It will stay true, then," she says.
Perrie looks up just in time so Jade can catch the growing smile on her face.
It's the first smile – smile, not smirk – of Perrie's, bringing out the dimple on her cheek, and it absolutely launches Jade into a whirlwind of emotions. Her stomach churns with a million fluttering butterflies, and her cheeks warm up as if Luna had burnt her.
Perrie's blue eyes are the most beautiful aspect about her smile, Jade thinks. They practically twinkle.
But Jade should not feel that way about a girl who she has just met. It isn't right.
She looks away from Perrie's smile with a shake of her head and a growing smile on her own face.
----
Meeting up with Perrie at night becomes another part of Jade's routine.
"You can pet him,"
"I can what ?"
Perrie's laugh is beautiful as she takes hold of Jade's hand and brings it towards Shadow's head.
----
"No way," the blonde girl laughs in disbelief at Jade's story. "A dragon scared of heights?"
Jade grins and shakes her head. "I'm being serious."
"So, how did you get her down from there?" Perrie's eyes, though they are full of sleepiness, are still shining brightly with an energy Jade can confidently say she's never seen in anyone else.
It makes Jade's stomach do a familiar flip and she ignores it just as she's learned to do so the past few months.
"Well, I climbed up there, of course," Jade says, and the way Perrie's eyes widened makes Jade laugh.
"Really?" Perrie's mouth opens in surprise.
Jade nods.
"Were you not scared?"
"I was more scared for Luna, to be quite honest," Jade says, smiling as Luna shrieks quietly at her name being mentioned. "My father was so mad at me for climbing up there, I created a ruckus in the kingdom because the guards could not figure out a way to get me down."
Perrie's smile softens upon the mention of Jade's father. It's already a known fact between them that Jade's relationship with her parents was a private thing, more so because it was a rocky relationship.
Then, she frowns slightly.
"What is it?" Jade asks.
"You said kingdom and guards," Perrie says, confusion in her tone. "But I thought you were a nomad?"
"It was in passing," Jade's quick to make something up. "Tents and fires don't help much in the winter, so my people found it easier to stay at inns across kingdoms when it was too cold."
Perrie seems to buy it as the wrinkles in her forehead smoothen out and she nods.
"You never did tell me where you found Luna," Perrie mentions.
"That is a story for another time, Perrie," Jade says with a wink, trying to play off her nervousness. Perrie nudges her shoulder against Jade's.
"Aww, come on," Perrie whines.
"Nope," Jade shakes her head.
Perrie backs off with a smug smile. "I'll get it out of you one day."
Jade scoffs and shakes her head.
"Speaking of Luna," Perrie mumbles. "She's getting quite big."
"I know," Jade nods, a sad undertone in her voice as she watches Luna land on top of a rooftop. "I was thinking about leaving soon, you know. Moving."
"Oh," Perrie replies, disappointment evident in her tone. Jade curses herself for ruining the good mood that they had earlier. "You can always just stay, you know?"
Jade pointed to herself. "Nomad, remember?"
"Yeah, I remember," Perrie says quietly. There's a howl in the distance and Perrie's quick to stand up. "That's my cue. I'll see you around, Amelia."
Jade nods and says her goodbyes.
----
And when Perrie stops showing up at night, Jade thinks that maybe it is time for her to move.
----
Jade stays for a month longer, just so she can make some more gold before she heads off. She tells Leigh-Anne that she's leaving soon, and the older girl gives her a tight hug and a sloppy kiss on the cheek, which makes Jade laugh. She's really going to miss Leigh-Anne.
Speaking of Leigh-Anne, she'd come down with a fever on this particular night, leaving Jade alone at the pub. This hadn't bothered the brunette too much, since it's been a slow day.
But just as Jade is about to close up, she hears the door open. Her jaw goes slack when she sees none other than Perrie walking through the door. She quickly catches herself and nods towards the blonde.
"Princess," she addresses, and she thinks she imagines the way Perrie winces at the title.
"Amelia," she responds with her own nod. "Is Leigh-Anne not in?"
"No," Jade shakes her head, wiping down the bar as Luna walks across it. "She's at home resting because of a fever."
"Oh, okay," Perrie falters. "She told me you are leaving soon."
"Did she?" Jade asks, briefly wondering why she had been a topic between the two.
"Yes, she did," Perrie says. "I guess... I just wanted to say goodbye... properly."
"Properly," Jade repeats with a bit of harshness in her voice. "Was last time not proper enough?"
There's a bite in her voice and even Luna notices, her silvery eyes looking at Jade curiously. Of course Jade's hurt at the fact that Perrie had just disappeared like that. She thought the two of them had some sort of friendship going on, or at least some sort of bond, but having Perrie just... walk away and then proceed to ignore her whenever the two crossed paths in public... it hurt Jade, even if she wouldn't admit it.
"Amelia," Perrie starts off sadly. "You're leaving."
"I know I am," Jade responds, tossing the dirty towel into the sink and heading towards the back room. The door swings shut before being opened as Perrie follows her. Jade groans when she notices the blonde girl standing between her and the doorway.
"You're leaving, and I didn't want..." Perrie trails off. Jade waits for her to finish her thought. The skin of Perrie's throat tightens as she swallows and it's hard for Jade's eyes not to travel. Perrie lets out a small sigh. "I didn't want to feel more for you than I already do, because that would only hurt more when you left."
The words don't properly register in Jade's mind until a few seconds later.
"Princess, what-"
"Do not..." Perrie takes a step closer, "...call me that."
There's little space between them now, and it makes Jade breathe in raggedly.
"I'm leaving," Jade whispers, hyper aware of the fact that Perrie's still getting closer and closer.
With every step Jade takes away, Perrie takes one forward. It's not long until Jade can feel the blonde's breath fan across her own lips.
"I know," Perrie nods and Jade's breath hitches as their noses rub against each other. A hand comes up to rest against Jade's waist just as Jade feels her back making contact with the wall behind her.
"Perrie," she breathes out, one hand coming up to rest on the taller girl's shoulder. Her eyes flutter close just as soft lips meet her own.
Jade's body moves on its own accord, the hand on Perrie's shoulder moving up to gently grab at her neck, pulling her closer. The blonde hums into the kiss, pressing every possible inch of her body against Jade's as the brunette's other hand tugs at her golden tresses. Jade feels her body heating up with each passing moment, and she thinks she might actually explode when Perrie's tongue, wet and warm, swipes at her bottom lip.
She gasps and Perrie uses the opportunity to lick into her mouth, making Jade feel like she's definitely overheating. She finds it so hot and briefly has the nerve to check if Luna is in the room, pulling a prank on them, but then Perrie nips at her lip and pulls away.
Jade almost, almost, whimpers at the loss of contact until she feels the blonde girl placing kisses on her jaw. Jade turns her neck upwards and gulps down the moan that threatens to escape as Perrie's mouth works wonders.
"Perrie," Jade is breathless and the name that escapes her name is airy.
It's been too long since Jade's been this intimate with anyone, and she's never realized how much she's been craving it until now, with white hot sensations shooting through every nerve in her body caused by the cursed lips of this beautiful princess.
"Oh god," Jade closes her eyes as Perrie begins to suck at her skin. She feels Perrie's thumbs slip under her shirt to caress her hip bones.
"Is this okay?" Perrie whispers as she soothes the bite mark she left on Jade's neck.
"Yes," Jade nods and if she were in her right mind, she'd be embarrassed at how desperate she sounds.
"You are leaving," the tone of Perrie's voice makes Jade's eyes open and her heart clench.
Jade stares into blue eyes as she regains her breath. Perrie isn't crying, but Jade can see that she's close to it.
"I am leaving," Jade says, "But, I'm here right now, so..." she grabs Perrie's wrist and moves the girl's hand towards her inner thigh.
It seems like something clicks inside of Perrie, and her bright blue eyes turn a shade darker.
It's not long until Jade's choking back Perrie's name in a silent scream of pleasure, leaving behind scratches on Perrie's back that would end up staying longer than she does.
----
"Luna, up," Jade commands the dragon she's mounted on, and she feels Luna's muscles flex as the creature prepares to jump up into the air. She holds onto the dragon a bit tighter as she ascends.
It's been nearly six months since that night with Perrie. Jade had left the next morning, without saying goodbye to Perrie or Leigh-Anne, and never looked back.
Since then, she's made quite a name for herself.
Amelia the Dragon, they called her. Jade thought it was humorous that people considered her a dragon, but she's glad that it at least makes people stay out of her way.
Luna has gotten much, much larger and at this point, people can see her and Luna coming from miles away.
She has continued to move around, going from South to North and back and forth. She never visits the same place if she can help it, and she stays clear from the Edwards Kingdom.
That is, until she hears some news at a pub she's holed up in some place in the North.
"I heard that princess Perrie is getting married," some man with a gruff voice says from across the bar. "I wondered when she'd finally get the ring."
Another man laughs. "It's to some chap with the Royal Guard in his blood. Predictable, isn't it?"
"Hey, Dragon, you hear about this?"
Upon being thrown into the conversation, Jade just lifts up her glass.
"Congratulations to them, then."
And the whole pub erupts in cheers.
----
It's in the heat of the moment that she wakes Luna from her slumber and starts them off on a journey to the South.
To Perrie.
----
By the time she reaches the kingdom's gates, there's already a large crowd waiting for her. She lowers Luna as gently as she can, but the dragon still causes the ground to rumble beneath her, and a few onlookers flinch and yelp in surprise. Jade slides off of Luna's back with practiced ease, and walks towards the front gate.
The guards are all lined up, as if anticipating any hostile movement, but then the lineup is broken by a dark-haired girl who shoves through them.
Jade recognizes that smile anywhere, and her face brightens up instantly.
"Amelia!" Leigh-Anne exclaims, rushing towards Jade and pulling the brunette into a hug.
There are mumbles and gasps from the onlookers as Jade hugs back, a laugh escaping her. Leigh-Anne hasn't changed one bit, and Jade is incredibly glad.
"We have to catch up," Leigh-Anne pulls away, holding Jade at arm's reach, hands on her shoulders. She winks at Jade. "You've made quite a name for yourself, hun."
"It is all due to Luna," Jade smiles and her smile falters as she notices familiar blonde hair appear behind Leigh-Anne. Leigh-Anne moves to the side and Jade sees, in full view, the Royal Family standing in front of her.
"Dragon," the King speaks, and if Jade thought she'd have gotten used to being called that, she was wrong.
Jade lowers her head in respect. "King."
"Is there any particular reason behind this visit?"
His tone isn't accusing, nor is it welcoming.
Jade's eyes flicker briefly to Perrie's, and she sees blue eyes widen at the contact. She looks back at the King.
"No, I was just passing by. I figured I would visit Leigh-Anne, my friend," Jade gestures towards the girl who still has her arm around her shoulder. "And to tell my congratulations to the Princess."
At that moment, there's a bustle and a few people in the crowd behind the guards start to murmur.
A voice calls out. "My Lady, what is going on-"
Then a man appears between the guards and Jade is frozen in shock at the familiar face. He steps next to Perrie, his arm wrapped around her waist but then Jade's eyes meet his, and his arm falls slack as he takes a step forward.
Everyone's quiet.
"Alex," Jade whispers, so low that only Leigh-Anne can hear her. Leigh-Anne gives her an odd look and moves away as Alex gets closer.
"Unbelievable," Alex whispers before promptly pulling Jade into a tight embrace. His mouth is next to her ear as he spoke quietly. "I thought you had died."
Jade's too shocked to respond.
When Alex pulls away, he turns to the crowd.
"You know her?" the King asks the question that's on everyone's minds.
"Yes, I do," Alex nods proudly and lifts his chin, looking towards the crowd.
His voice is loud and clear, becoming even louder with his next words. "You lot should be kneeling, for you are in the presence of Jade Thirlwall, Princess of the Thirlwall Kingdom and the first Dragonborn the world has seen in centuries."
Gasps ring out in all directions and Jade hisses at Alex to shut up, but Alex just looks at her fondly as people begin to follow what he says. Jade feels the uneasiness in her stomach build as she sees people hurrying to bow down to her.
She'd preferred when they were just scared of her.
----
"So, Royal Guard, huh?" Jade asks as Alex leads her around the castle.
She's still super uncomfortable, but at least they don't have the whole kingdom staring at them anymore.
Leigh-Anne had gotten lost in the crowd once Jade started to receive Royal treatment and Perrie had gone off to who-knows-where, so it left Jade and Alex time to catch up.
The last time Jade had seen Alex was right before she'd gone out on a walk the day of the attack. He had wanted to go with her, but he had sword training that day, so he couldn't.
The two had been close ever since they were kids considering their parents were also such close friends.
"Yeah," Alex nods. "You know it's always been my dream."
Jade gives him a small smile. "I'm proud of you."
And it's the truth, even if the nagging voice at the back of her head tells her that she should be angry and betrayed at the fact that he's going to marry Perrie soon.
The more rational side of her knows it's not his fault and that she doesn't have a reason to be angry, considering she was the one who ran away.
"Thanks, Poopey."
"Oh, no," Jade rolls her eyes at the old nickname and tries to turn away from Alex, but he just laughs loudly, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.
----
Jade isn't quite sure how she got here, stuck between Alex on her right and the Queen on her left, at a feast.
Well, Alex kind of forced her to go, quite literally dragging her to the dining hall.
But Jade does not want to be here.
Not when Alex's feeding Perrie food even though Perrie has perfectly capable hands and can do it herself.
Not when Perrie's eyes would meet hers when she is laughing and the brightness in her eyes would immediately dim upon making eye contact with Jade.
Not when the nails she's digging into her own palm still don't hurt more than the ache in her heart.
Jade tries excusing herself more than once but every time she does, Alex makes her sit down.
And when Alex starts telling everyone embarrassing stories about Jade, that when she really wants to leave.
"One time, she climbed up one of the castle towers because her dragon had gotten stuck up there!"
Laughter rings out as soon as the sentence leaves Alex's mouth and Jade scowls because it was never that funny.
This specific story brings out a bitterness deep inside her heart because it makes her remember back when she had told Perrie about the story.
"The whole kingdom was going nuts! We thought she was going to fall to her death. The King was furious, and the Queen looked like she was about to pass out."
More laughter rings out and Jade tries really hard to keep calm.
She breathes in and out and counts to ten.
"Who would have thought? A dragon being scared of heights!"
Jade stands up so fast that her chair scrapes against the floor with a high-pitched screech that causes multiple people to wince.
"I have to use the bathroom," she says in a tone so cold that it'd send shivers down Luna's spine.
She leaves the dining hall with burning eyes.
----
When the door to her room opens a few minutes later, Jade assumes it's Alex.
"Go away, Alex, I don't want to see you," she grumbles.
"I had a feeling you weren't just a nomad."
The light voice causes Jade to turn around in surprise.
"Perrie," she says in surprise.
"Princess," the blonde girl snaps back.
Jade's heart stings, and a look of hurt flashes across her face, but she quickly recovers, putting on the emotionless mask she's spent the past six months perfecting.
"You lied to me," Perrie states, sounding more angry than anything. "You lied to me, made love to me, and then left me."
"Well, it's not something I go around telling for fun," Jade retorts. "What did you expect me to say?"
Perrie stays quiet.
Jade's upset though, from being outed as a princess and thrown back into the whirlwind of Royal Treatment to being forced to go to that banquet, her blood is boiling so she keeps going. Her voice goes up a pitch as she talks. "It's not that I could've said: Hey, Perrie? My real name is Jade Thirlwall. Yes, it was my kingdom that was raided by a bunch of prisoners. They killed everyone I knew and loved! Nice to meet you! "
The vein on the side of her neck threatens to pop out as she feels the anger bubbling up inside of her.
"Oh, you don't get to be mad at me," Perrie's voice lowers itself as she steps towards Jade, eyes narrowing. "I didn't leave you."
"I was leaving, you knew that," Jade grits her teeth. "We both knew I was leaving."
"And is it my fault for believing that maybe, just maybe, you would have stayed for me?" Perrie's words are still coming out in a haste that shows she is angry, but the question is asked in a sad tone.
"Yes, actually! It is!" Jade throws up her arms in disbelief. "Per- Princess, what did you think would've happened if I stayed? We would be the ones getting married? That's not how life works, okay?!"
"We could've worked something out!"
"No, we couldn't have!" Jade yells back.
They stare at each other for a few seconds, fire in their eyes.
Jade tightens her jaw.
"It doesn't work like that, Princess. You and I both know it," her voice is raspy after all the yelling. She sounds defeated. "Besides, you're getting married to Alex now, so it doesn't matter."
"How do you know it wouldn't have worked out?" Perrie's eyes are adamant.
Jade turns away. "Nothing ever works out for me when it comes to my partners."
"What do you mean?" Perrie's voice is softer now, and Jade hates it. She wants to go back to yelling.
"Nothing. Drop it."
"I'm not a dog, don't talk to me like that," Perrie hisses, and Jade hears her come closer. It's silent before Perrie speaks again, the air full of tension.
"Jade, tell me."
It's the first time Perrie calls her by her real name, and it makes Jade look her in the eyes.
There's something in Perrie's ocean blue eyes that makes Jade drop her walls, that makes Jade able to feel so vulnerable yet so protected at the same time.
Jade hates it.
"My lovers never stay," is all Jade says.
Perrie frowns. "Is that why you always leave?"
When Jade doesn't respond, Perrie gets up to exit and as soon as the door closes, Jade drops to the ground and starts bawling her eyes out.
----
"Hey, shall I prepare my best drink?" Leigh-Anne says upon seeing Jade enter the pub.
Jade shakes her head and smiles, moving behind the counter like clockwork and starting to help Leigh-Anne make drinks.
"Is it weird that I have missed this?"
"Making alcoholic beverages for old, deadbeat men?" Leigh-Anne quirks an eyebrow, her tone sarcastic. "No, not at all. In fact, I've heard it's many people's favorite past time."
Jade laughs and playfully hits Leigh-Anne's arm as the other girl grins.
Leigh-Anne, as shocked as she was about Jade being Princess Jade, is as cool about it as she was about Luna.
"You've met up with Perrie, I assume?" Leigh-Anne asks as they're cleaning up. Jade hums.
"Yeah."
"Are you gonna tell me what happened?"
"Nothing happened."
"Oh, bullshit," Leigh-Anne says, making Jade stare at her with surprised eyes. "She was a complete mess when you left! And no one except me knew why! C'mon, humor me."
Jade's eyes narrow. "There is nothing to tell. We spoke and she's angry at me for lying about who I was- am."
"And so... you hanging around the pub every night for the past week hasn't been because you want to avoid her?"
"I'm done talking about this."
Leigh-Anne sighs. "You can't run away from everything, Jade."
"That's Princess Jade to you," Jade smirks with teasing eyes.
"Oh, shut up."
And, just like that, they're back into their usual bickering banter.
----
"I knew I would find you here."
"You caught me," Jade says without looking up.
She tosses a pebble into the street as Perrie sits down next to her.
"Where's Luna?"
Jade can't help but laugh, though it sounds hollow. "She's much too big to be flying around these streets."
"Good point," Perrie nods.
Jade looks over. "Where's Shadow?"
Perrie frowns. "He died a few months ago," she says.
"Oh, I'm sorry for your loss."
"Thank you," Perrie nods.
"Have you... ever thought about getting another one?"
"I do have one. She's only a baby, though," Perrie's voice is oddly shaky, and it makes Jade stare at her questioningly. Perrie takes in a breath. "Her name is Lia, after your- well, your fake name."
Jade is absolutely floored, and her mouth opens in shock.
"Princess..."
"I understand why you lied to me and everyone else," Perrie starts off, ignoring Jade's look of shock. "It was wrong of me to get upset at you for that. There was too much backstory for you to just... tell. I realize that now."
"I don't want to marry Alex," Perrie shakes her head. "I never did. My parents just wanted me to wed, so I chose Alex because he is safe."
"Safe?" Jade furrows her eyebrows.
Perrie smiles softly. "He's in love with the baker boy, Trent."
"Oh." Too much is happening for Jade to process. "Oh, wow, okay."
"He knows about us."
"He what?"
"I told him about Amelia, about you, and... he put the pieces together when he figured out that Amelia was- is, you."
"Okay..." Jade isn't sure what to do with this information.
"I want to start over with you," Perrie says, reaching out to grasp Jade's hand. "I'm still hurt and upset that you left me, but you're finally back."
Perrie's thumb runs over Jade's knuckles.
"And I want to know you as Jade, not as Amelia." The emotion in Perrie's voice makes it hard for Jade to breathe.
And she wants to run.
She wants to desperately run.
But she doesn't, because Perrie's holding her hand.
And in more ways than one, Perrie's her anchor.
"Okay," she breathes out. "Okay, let's start over."
Perrie's smile is breathtaking, and Jade just falls further and further in love with the blonde girl staring at her with bright blue eyes.
A/N: TBC....