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Sleeping next to Maris had brought a sense of peace that Valda thought she had lost. Of course, she wanted to enjoy the intimacy of having the younger woman near her, but the fatigue in her body was stronger than her desire, and within minutes she was asleep.

The warmth of her body and the soft scent of the sea on her lover’s skin were enough to lull Valda into a deep slumber. It wasn’t until the first rays of light filtered through the cave’s opening that she woke up. She wanted to move as soon as she opened her eyes, but when she saw Maris curled up to her side with her hand on her stomach and her face on her chest, Valda stayed put.

She dreamed of opening her eyes and seeing Maris next to her for so many months. Now that she had her back, it felt like it wasn’t real. She turned and gave Maris a quick peck on the now healed cheek and slipped from her embrace to gather their belongings and get her horse ready.

As she tied her bag to the saddle, Cerberus jumped on the horse, meowing loudly in Valda’s face. With a scoff, Valda pulled a ration of meat and gave it to her cat. “I shouldn’t be feeding you. Maris gave you plenty of food last night.”

Cerberus licked her paw and rubbed it against her snout before curling up into a ball. Valda shook her head in annoyance. “Really, what do you ever do with your life other than sleep and eat?”

Cerberus rolled around until she exposed her stomach to Valda .

“Ah, right. And look cute. I swear, cats are pretty much useless creatures.”

“That’s not nice.”

Valda turned to see Maris tying her hair up in a loose ponytail and held her breath to calm her anxiousness. She gifted Maris a soft smile before saying, “Morning.”

“Morning,” Maris mumbled back. It seemed she was still tired from the day before. “Why are you being mean to Cerberus, and why didn’t you wake me up?”

Valda patted her horse’s side before looking up at Maris. “Cerberus can take it, and you needed to rest. I didn’t want to wake you up just yet.”

Maris nodded. “To be honest, I did. It has been a couple of rough days.”

“Understandable.” Valda then added, “We are heading out to Cressida, and we shall stay there for a while until things settle down.”

Maris frowned, seeming not happy with Valda’s announcement. “Cressida? I thought Isen said you were going to Titania.”

“He is. We are not,” Valda said, moving strands of hair away from her face.

“No, no! We must go to Titania! I gave Eyphah instructions that I would meet her there.”

Valda’s stomach turned on itself when Maris mentioned that woman. She had tried to ignore the heaviness in her heart, trying to forget what she had seen the night before. Seeing that woman kissing Maris made her sick. She bit the inside of her cheek and straightened her spine, looking as tall as ever. She was tired of hiding her displeasure with what had happened. It wasn’t a dream; it happened for real, and she could see all of it. Well, at least most of it.

“Eyphah?” She almost tasted bile when she said the name. “Is that why you want to go to Titania? You want to see her again?”

“Valda, don’t—”

“Something was bothering me last night. And that something was that this woman had the audacity to put her filthy hands on you when you were not in your right mind. I expected you to become closer to her. I expected you to train with her. When I asked you last night who you were training with, I knew the answer before you denied me it. I know it was Eyphah. And believe me, Maris, I am grateful she showed you how to handle yourself when it was necessary. What I am not grateful for is that she did something you did not consent to.”

Maris’s eyes widened as large as saucers. “Valda, you—”

“I was there, Maris.” Valda snapped, her face hard and unreadable under the dirt and sand. “Well, not through all of it, but I saw her. Close to you, kissing you. I thought you were calling out for me that night, and when I could finally get a hold of you, someone took my place.”

Maris took a deep breath and bit her lower lip. Ashamed, her gaze dropped to the ground.

“Were you drunk?”

“Yes.”

“Did she know you were drunk?”

“I believe so,” Maris whispered before locking her eyes back with Valda’s. “I called for you. It was you I was kissing in my deliriousness.”

Valda frowned and shook her head in disbelief. “I am not blaming you for what happened, Maris. I would never—I blame her!” A pure, liquid fire burned in her stomach. “Did she take advantage of you, Maris?”

“I pushed her off me when I knew it wasn’t you!”

Valda’s jaw tightened and then relaxed as she took a deep breath.

“Valda, you have to belie—”

“I believe you. Gods, Maris! Of course, I believe you, but I swear if that woman even comes near you—“

“She won’t,” Maris said firmly.

“She will if we go to Titania.”

“I must go to Titania because Melvian is there. She is about to give birth, Valda. I must stay by her and make sure that her babies are born safely.” Maris sighed and pressed her fingers to her temple. “She is my best friend; I can’t leave her alone now, not when she needs me more than ever.”

Valda took a deep breath, looked at her horse, Cerberus, and then back at Maris. “Fine. We are going to Titania. After Melvian gives birth, we are moving to Cressida since it is farther away from Oberon and Ophelia, is that all right with you?”

Maris exhaled in relief and nodded.

“All right. Now, let’s get going. The morning sun will be less harsh on our skin.”

Valda caught a glimpse of Maris’s smile, and just as Maris opened her mouth to say something, the swift sound of an arrow pulled a bellow from Valda. Falling to one knee, Valda placed her hand on her thigh as an arrow grazed her skin and sank to the ground .

Cerberus jumped from the horse and dashed to the cave while Valda took the reins and pulled the animal inside alongside Maris. Limping and muttering a slew of curse words, she pulled out the Heaven Sword and growled. “Vulcanians.”

“All the way out here?” Maris asked, tearing the trident from the saddle.

“They’ve been busy these past months,” Valda mumbled, before tearing a piece of her blouse and tying it over her injured leg. “They are sneaky little barbarians,” she muttered. “Stay inside the cave. Don’t you dare come out.”

Maris scoffed and placed a hand over her chest to mock offense. “Excuse me. But did you already forget that I can take care of myself?”

“I would rather have you taking care of yourself inside the fucking cave, Seashell… ” Valda gritted her teeth as she said the last part.

“I am not some dainty woman, darling .”

Valda pursed her lips, sighed, and slapped her horse’s hindquarters to coax it deeper into the cave. “Fine. Always stay close to me.”

Maris’s reply was a simple nod.

As both women left the safety of the cave, they could make out a group of fifteen Vulcanians heading their way. Valda tried to suppress her growl as her grip on the Heaven Sword tightened.

“Give me the waterskin,” Maris said while eyeing Valda. “I need the water.”

“This is New Agenor’s Lake water. Are you sure you want to use most of it to fight?”

“I will use it as I see fit,” Maris snapped, holding the trident with one hand while stretching the other towards Valda.

Pulling the waterskin from the band at her waist, Valda handed it to Maris. All the while, the group of Vulcanians continued getting closer.

Maris bit the cork of the waterskin, then spat it to the side before pouring the content into the dry sand at their feet. Valda’s disapproval was evident, but as her mate moved her hand over the water, she felt her words die in her mouth as Maris formed spikes out of the wet sand, before shaping them like small spears. Maris’s focus moved from the sand spears to the Vulcanians.

A dozen of them, all on horses, riding in flawless formation as they pointed fresh arrows at them while pulling the strings to their chest. Maris slammed the butt of the trident to the ground and clenched her open palm into a tight fist. The arrows shot their way and were welcomed by the sand spikes. The spikes pierced through the wood and into the chests of several Vulcanians, throwing them off the horses and onto the sand .

Valda huffed in surprise and smiled, her chest swelling with pride. Placing the sword back in the scabbard, Valda planted her feet on the ground, squatted, and drifted her hands, creating a whirlwind between them and the remaining Vulcanians heading their way. The whirlwind grew into a ravaging small tornado.

She noticed Maris gripping the trident, holding her ground as she watched the spectacle. The Vulcanians were in trouble. The remaining soldiers’ horses slammed against each other until all but two remained, staggering but heading their way.

Maris waved the sand away as the tornado dissipated. She pulled the trident from the ground and threw it like a spear, watching it pierce through a leather breastplate. The barbarian fell to the ground dead, the trident sticking from his thorax, while the remaining warrior pulled the string of her arrow and pointed at Valda.

Valda unsheathed her sword and moved her arms to the side, readying herself for the assault. As the Vulcanian released the string, the arrow came flying towards Valda, who simply tilted her head to the side as the arrow grazed her left cheek. Valda imitated her lover with an angered snarl and threw the Heaven Sword, hitting the Vulcanian’s horse’s neck. The animal let out a guttural wet sound before falling on its side along with the rider.

Maris was beside the woman within seconds, kicking the bow away from her reach as Valda walked towards them, wiping the streak of blood from her face. Her expression was dark enough to make the Vulcanian shudder.

“M-mercy! Mer—” A boot to the Vulcanian’s mouth shut her up.

“If your queen saw you begging for mercy, she would kill you herself. You will find I am a forgiving queen.” Valda grabbed the woman by the leather straps at her shoulders and lifted her from the ground. “I won’t kill you yet.”

The woman grabbed Valda’s hands as she clutched her clothing. Just as she was about to ask for mercy again, Valda tightened her hold enough to make her whimper.

“We are too far out in Umbriel for the likes of you to be out and about. Where are you all coming from? How are you getting here?”

The Vulcanian didn’t answer, instead, she looked at Maris as if she was going to help her get away from Valda’s grip. “Please.”

“Answer and I will let you go,” Valda bartered.

The woman shook her head. “If I tell you, they will hunt me and they will kill me!”

“You are dead either way. If you tell me, I will take you with us and make sure you survive this senseless war. No harm will come to you whatsoever. ”

A whimper was Valda’s answer.

“Where are you all coming from?!”

The woman closed her dark eyes tightly, her black hair falling on her face as she struggled with her indecision. Valda tightened her grip again and pulled her closer to her face.

“Prospero,” the Vulcanian finally whimpered.

Maris turned to Valda. “That’s to the north of Cressida.”

Valda nodded and released the Vulcanian, who fell to the ground with a gasp. “The smallest city in the kingdom.”

“Valda, they are close to our people! We must leave!”

Valda moved towards Maris and rubbed the anxiousness away from her arms. “We will get there soon. We will not stop until we get there.”

“I can’t go to Cressida. I need to go to Titania! Melvian is due any day now.”

Valda nodded, pressing her forehead to Maris, wanting to calm her. “We’ll think of something on our way to Titania.”

Suddenly, a high-pitched snarl sounded behind them, followed by a pained yell. The Vulcanian woman’s scream gargled in her throat, as a ball of black mass attacked her neck ferociously. Her blade fell to the sand as she grasped the animal attacking her.

“Cerberus!” Valda barked, just as her pet released the woman, licking the blood from her muzzle. Her pupils dilated enough to make Valda nervous, but as she got closer to the fallen woman, the cat’s eyes turned back to her beautiful yellow.

“By the gods…” Maris whispered, taking in the sight before searching for her trident and Valda’s sword.

As she left to retrieve them from the impaled Vulcanian and the horse, Valda moved her hand to Cerberus. “I take back what I said about you being useless, girl.”

Cerberus released an anxious sound before bumping her head into Valda’s hand and sitting next to her.

“I’ve heard of dogs doing that, never a cat,” Maris commented, walking back to them and placing Valda’s sword in her scabbard.

“She is our guardian,” Valda said before touching her cheek again.

“Let me look at that,” Maris mumbled before grabbing Valda’s wrist and dragging her back inside the cave while Cerberus followed like the perfect shadow that she was .

Maris sat Valda on the makeshift bed and then went to grab the bag from the horse’s saddle. She pulled out a clean cloth and salves to prevent infection. She worked quietly, cleaning the blood from Valda’s cheeks first and then applying the cream.

“Why do you think the Vulcanians are attacking everyone, regardless of if they are Sealians or your people?”

“Anyone in this kingdom is guilty of what was done to their late king.”

“Do you think they will attack Sealians?”

“Your people pledged a fake alliance to Arwin, am I correct?”

“True…” Maris stopped applying the salve and softly lifted Valda’s face. “Are the Vulcanians with Arwin? Is that how they are getting in? Prospero seems like a small city.”

“They are not. Arwin’s men have met their death fighting off the Vulcanians.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Arwin is welcoming Vulcanians with open arms, regardless of if they are here to kill every single person who resembles you. Sure, sounds about right.” Valda grunted and pulled away from Maris’s hands. Maris shrugged and added, “Don’t look at me like that. He is full of wonders.”

“Yes, yet you sound as if you were making fun of me.”

“A bit. It is hard to understand how the queen of the kingdom knows so little of what is happening around her.”

“I would know more if it wasn’t for him. You must remember, he was behind the entire kingdom when I was a child. If I had known before, I would’ve not let him do as he pleased, Maris.”

Maris’s upper lip twitched as she moved the long strands of black hair away from Valda’s face. Valda found the curve of her waist and held tightly as she looked up at her. “I will fix all of this. I will rule again. You will rule your people. We will be in power again.”

“I just find it so hard to believe. Things are… complicated.”

“They are, but at the end of it all, we are together again. With that alone, we have started to right some wrongs.”

Maris bit the inside of her cheek, her thumb brushing underneath the gash on Valda’s face. “I am sorry, but that will leave a scar.”

Valda sighed, knowing that the change of topic was just a way for Maris to protect herself. Good. She would let her do that for now.

“Another one for the collection.”

“Let me look at your thigh,” Maris ordered, avoiding Valda’s gaze as she concentrated on moving away, yet Valda held her in place. “Valda… ”

“Look at me, Maris.”

Maris’s shoulders slumped, but she did as she was told. Not even the cave’s darkness could stop Valda from admiring the flickering of love in her eyes. Maris tilted her head back, her hands moving to cup Valda’s face tenderly.

“Kiss me.” Valda’s heart slammed inside her chest and she worried Maris could hear it echoing in the dark cave. “Please, we have tortured each other enough. Do not deny me or I will truly go mad.”

“You think you are the only one that has suffered.”

“I know you have done so too.” She squeezed Maris. “I know you wish to kiss me too, Seashell.”

“I am dying to kiss you, Valda.”

“Then do—” Her words died in her mouth as Maris crashed her perfectly plump lips to hers.

Valda’s hold did not yield. It tightened as she stood and toppled over her shorter lover. She never broke contact. She never pulled away. She consumed that kiss as if it was the last drop of water she would ever drink in her life before death took her away.

And as she indulged in the paradise of Maris’s mouth, her lover clutched her hair, the sting painfully delectable. A soft whimpering noise escaped Valda’s chest as she opened her eyes and found Maris with fresh tears sliding down her cheeks.

Surprised, Valda pulled back enough to give Maris a questioning look. Before the question could leave her mouth, Maris was back on her, clutching her face, ignoring the pained grunt from accidentally touching the wound on Valda’s cheek. Still, everything around her dissolved into nothing, and all that remained was Maris’s deep blue eyes looking up at her as they kissed.

Maris was the first to pull back. A silly smile painted on her lips as she looked up at Valda. She brushed her tears away before saying, “I was staring.”

“You were,” Valda chuckled.

“I need to make sure you are real. If I close my eyes, I will think this is yet another dream.”

“It’s not,” Valda said, then pointed at Cerberus, who was sitting in a corner, her tail waving from side to side. “Cerberus is here. I could always tell when it was a dream when I wasn’t able to find her.” Valda grabbed Maris’s hand, gave it a chaste kiss over the knuckles before pressing it to her chest. “I am real. ”

Maris laughed, and Valda could only melt as the sweet sound of her lover’s laughter echoed throughout the cave. It was real, it was loud, and it was all Maris…