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They were at Mosaic, tucked into a partially-obscured corner booth, when something caught Sphene’s attention. She stared, a coffee cup just an ilm from her lips, as an Eldite woman picked up two drinks from the counter, an “I’ll see you soon, sweetheart,” purred into her linkpearl.
Warmth bloomed in Sphene’s chest, as it often did whenever she saw her people happy. Then an idea flickered in her mind, crackling like a sparkler.
“What do you think of pet names?”
Her paladin looked up from her pastry, one cheek overflowing with strawberry cream, crumbs falling onto her gorget. “What about them?” she asked around a mouthful.
Sphene burst into a giggle, fingers pressed to her lips. When her paladin tilted her head, she shook her head fondly before leaning over to wipe away the stray crumbs. Her paladin leaned into the touch, eyes fluttering shut, and Sphene’s heart skipped a beat. When she pulled back, the other woman chased the contact, nuzzling Sphene's palm with a horn.
The Queen sat back down, taking a sip of her coffee to hide her shy, pleased smile. “What I meant to ask was, are you comfortable with pet names?”
Her paladin finally cleared her throat, the familiar veneer of stoicism settling back on her face. “I’m not opposed to them,” she said.
“But are you comfortable with them?” Sphene stressed. Though their courtship was still in its early, blossoming stages, they’d been friends long enough for Sphene to know the paladin prioritized her loved ones’ needs over her own comfort. A trait Sphene both admired and disliked at times.
Her paladin shrugged and sipped her juice, eyes lost in thought. “I’m not uncomfortable. If anything, I’m accustomed to people calling me many things.”
Sphene blinked. “Such as?”
“Warrior of Light, obviously. Champion, hero, Khagan for now, stealer of pants, savage—”
Sphene started, doe eyes wide. “What was that last one?”
“Stealer of pants.”
Sphene’s expression hardened slightly. “Not that one.”
Her paladin coughed, tanned cheeks flushing. “Another story, another time.” She waved away the Queen’s pout before holding her chin in consideration. “Some of my friends have even referred to me as Meteor.” At Sphene’s questioning look, she tapped her temple. “A common nickname for the survivors of Carteneau. Think of it as a symbol of hope.”
Sphene’s bright green eyes warmed to an olive shade. “That sounds lovely.”
Her paladin nodded before chuckling. “If anything, many people call me everything but my name.”
Sphene frowned, chest twisting. She clutched her cup tighter, the cloud of disappointment blanketing her excitement in gray. Really, why had she even asked this ridiculous question? She knew her warrior enough to know she did not use nicknames or anything of the sort. She preferred to call Lamat’yi by her full name. She never dropped the prefix for Y’shtola and G’raha—a sign of closeness, Alisaie had explained—though her love for both was plain to see in the way she protected them. But still, if she refused to use terms of endearment for those two, who was Sphene to believe she would change her ways for their fragile, budding courtship?
“Sphene?”
Sphene jerked, her paladin staring intently at her, the slightest furrow creasing her brow and her jaw tensing subtly. She drew her shoulders up to her ears, her eyes wide and timid beneath her long eyelashes. “Would you prefer I just use your name?” she mumbled.
Red-brown eyes narrowed imperceptibly. Her paladin looked around the café, scrutinizing the area, every muscle in her body tightening like a drawn bowstring with each passing second. “I think we should go somewhere more private,” she muttered, voice low and rough.
Sphene’s stomach twisted with worry. She nodded mutely, and the two gathered their drinks and belongings before leaving the café. All the way, her pulse began to race, anxiety buzzing under skin, drowning out the comforting sound of her paladin’s bootsteps. All too soon, they stopped at a bench tucked alongside one of the residential buildings, far away from prying eyes.
Sphene gripped the knees of her tights, knuckles turning white. “Forgive me, I did not mean to upset you.”
“I’m not upset.”
Sphene bit her lip, fighting the stinging sensation at the back of her eyes. “Your reaction to my question implies otherwise.”
Her paladin sighed and crossed her arms, the tip of her tail twitching. “Let me rephrase. I'm not upset about that.” She fixed Sphene with a hard gaze. "I'm upset because you were.”
Sphene winced, nails digging into her palms, but before she could respond—
“Others were beginning to stare.” Her red-brown eyes softened, as tender and warm as a bygone summer day. “I know you don’t like your citizens seeing you upset.”
An ember of hope flickered in Sphene’s chest. She swallowed thickly before trying again. “Then, would you…” She hesitated, looking up with wide, pleading eyes.
Her paladin coughed, her tail lashing behind her. “To answer your earlier question, I love the way you say my name, but—” she rubbed the bridge of her nose, red tinting the crevices of her scales, “—I also love it when you call me your paladin. Or your champion or—”
“My hero?” Sphene teased shakily.
Her paladin blushed harder, sending Sphene’s heart fluttering. She ducked her head, almost hiding behind her horns. “Whatever pet name strikes your fancy,” she mumbled.
That should have been enough. Her quiet, gentle—almost shy—admission should have eased the tightness in Sphene’s chest. Instead, her vision blurred.
Sphene glanced away, eyes downcast. She squirmed, words spilling from her lips. “I know it seems like a ridiculous notion, but other couples do it. Since we are courting, it felt…appropriate. Romantic...” She wrapped her arms around herself, a lump catching in her throat. “When I ascended the throne—”
A hand touched her knee. “Sphene—”
“—there was no time for such things.” She inhaled sharply, tears threatening to spill. “I thought—”
Fingers grasped her chin, stilling her. Gently, her paladin tilted her head, just enough for Sphene to meet her gaze. Her red-brown eyes glistened, mirroring the pain in Sphene’s heart. Understanding softened her intense stare as she brushed her thumb along the corner of Sphene’s lips. “You thought you’d never get the chance. Not in war,” her paladin whispered.
She touched their foreheads together, eyelashes wet, her voice almost silent, “Or ever.”
The words cut straight to Sphene’s heart, revealing the foolish fancy she once believed beyond her as Queen: a sweet, serene courtship where she could bask in her intended’s warm embrace, link their arms as they walked, and fall asleep to the comfort of her heartbeat.
And now it was within reach.
Sphene shut her eyes for a moment, hiccuping. Then, she opened them and stammered, “It’s ridiculous, but I don't even know where to start.”
Her paladin hummed in thought. “Well, why don’t you just try the first name that comes to mind?” she murmured.
Sphene’s lips quivered. “You are truly willing to indulge me in this absurd fancy?”
A ghost of a smile curled on her paladin’s lips, a spark in her eyes that reminded Sphene of faraway stars and candlelit nights. She closed the last ilm and brushed her lips against Sphene’s, tender and fleeting. “I want you to be happy,” she whispered.
Simple and earnest, nothing more, nothing less.
Sphene’s tears fell as she caught her champion’s face, heart full enough to burst. She pulled her in closer, whispering against her lips, “I adore you. So, so much.”
Their kiss was slow and sweet at first, just a caress and exchange of breaths. Then, Sphene felt her paladin smile against her, a hand slipping behind her neck to entangle in her hair, fingertips grazing the sensitive spot behind her left ear. She moaned, eyes fluttering shut, and parted her lips.
Her paladin sighed and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her flush against her. “There’s my Queen,” she rumbled, the sound vibrating against Sphene’s lips, before she deepened their kiss.
Sphene shuddered as a long tongue intertwined with hers, the lingering taste of strawberry cream on her paladin—tart and sweet. She dragged her nails down her neck, coaxing a hiss of pleasure from her and a greedy nip in return. Sphene laughed breathlessly against her mouth and obliged her, swinging her legs across her paladin’s lap.
She took the hint, sliding her hands down Sphene’s back—leaving heat and goosebumps—to cup her backside. Without breaking their kiss, she lifted Sphene as if she weighed nothing, settling her securely atop her.
Heavens, how such gentle strength set her heart aflutter. Sphene melted into her paladin, wrapping her arms around her neck and whispering sweet nothings against her lips.
With every brush of their lips, every sigh, and breath, the world fell away. They stayed like that for some time, luxuriating in slow, tender kisses, barely breaking apart for air.
At last, her paladin withdrew, brushing the corner of Sphene’s lips in a final kiss. She leaned back against the bench and smiled up at Sphene, eyes creased and twinkling from the force of it. “Did you decide on anything?” she asked.
Sphene chuckled softly and shook her head. “As if I could think of anything with your lips on mine,” she said, only half-joking.
Her paladin’s smile sharpened into a smirk. “Sorry,” she said, but the happy twitch in her tail told Sphene she was not. Especially when she nuzzled her nose against Sphene’s, purring, “I’ll behave now.”
Sphene giggled, tingling from the sensation of scales on her skin and the thrum in her paladin’s words. “See that you do,” she teased, green eyes crinkling.
Then she tapped her chin, humming in thought. She wanted an endearment that was personal, but would not embarrass her champion. Though she had told Sphene she could use any name she wished to, the Queen doubted she would approve of things such as “sweetie pie,” or—as she had overheard in the Arcadion once—”hot stuff.”
Far too informal, she estimated. A light bulb went off in her head, and she beamed down at her. “What about dear?”
Her champion raised an eyebrow. “Dear?”
Sphene’s brow furrowed. She drew her shoulders up to her ears, olive eyes flickering with worry. “Do you dislike it?” she mumbled.
“No!” Her paladin shook her head rapidly, and she gave her waist a comforting squeeze. She reached up and brushed a green-tipped lock behind Sphene’s ear, smiling gently. “It sounds beautiful coming from you, really it does.”
Sphene’s heart fluttered, and she squirmed shyly. “Then, why the surprise?” she prodded.
Her paladin’s smile turned sheepish. “It’s just a touch archaic, but I shouldn't have been surprised. Technically, you are over four hundred—”
Sphene pressed a finger to her lips, pouting with flushed cheeks. “If you wish to sleep in our bed tonight, you will not finish that sentence.”
Her paladin clamped her mouth shut, red-brown eyes huge and horrified. Immediately, her tail curled around Sphene’s back, trembling as if she would leave right that moment.
Sphene softened, and she leaned down to kiss her paladin’s nose. “I jest, I jest,” she murmured. She traced a finger along her scaled jawline, green eyes tender, “I would hate not to feel you beside me.”
A sigh of relief. Her paladin leaned into Sphene's touch, prompting the Queen to caress her cheek. “Good, I was worried I had truly upset you,” she said, a crack in her normally composed voice.
Sphene shook her head firmly, pale green eyes flashing like the facets of her namesake. “You could never, darling.”
Her paladin’s face lit up, a shy smile and a warm glow spreading across her cheeks. “I like that one too,” she murmured, the tip of her tail thumping softly on Sphene’s thigh.
Sphene’s heart skipped, a tingle traveling from the top of her head down to her toes. Her ears turned pink, and this time, her blush mirrored her champion’s; pretty pink and bashful. With a giggle, she rested her forehead against her darling’s and said, "We’ve scarcely started, and already I have two names of which to call you.”
The resulting thrum that started in her paladin’s chest tickled Sphene’s ears. “If it makes you happy, I would go by a thousand names,” she said, eyes creasing.
Sphene bit her lip, squirming blissfully in her lap. “Truly?”
Her darling’s smile melted, eyes softening in that kind, tender look Sphene was seeing more and more each day. “On my oath,” she whispered.
Sphene’s heart skipped again. She couldn't help but nuzzle their noses once more, giggling again when her darling tilted her head halfway through to rub her horn against the Queen’s cheek. Sphene sighed happily and leaned into the touch, eyes fluttering shut.
The first time it happened, the rough texture of her horns had startled Sphene. When her paladin had explained—bashful and staring down at her boots—that it was the Auri version of a kiss, Sphene had felt a rush of affection. What a blessing it was, she had thought, to be loved in more than one way.
And good heavens, how her paladin loved her. Sphene could feel it in every part of her. In her tail, curled tightly around her waist, a heavy and comforting weight. In her hands, as they dipped beneath her jacket, tracing patterns along her back. And, above all, in the way she gazed up at Sphene, all her stoicism melting away to unveil pure, unreserved love—the red rings of her irises like stars on a lonesome night.
Her dear paladin, her darling champion, nestled her face into Sphene’s chest, a sigh escaping her lips. “On all that I am, I would do anything to make you happy,” she whispered.
Sphene’s lips quivered, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. Her chest swelled with absolute adoration, flooding her lungs until even the act of breathing hurt. She sniffed and buried her nose in dark hair, breathing in the scent of roses. Tightening her arms around her neck, her voice trembled as she whispered, “And you do. You make me so happy, my dear… my darling.”
And then, from the depths of her heart, unbidden and unfurling like a golden flower, she breathed, “My love.”
Her paladin stilled.
The world paused, her own words echoing in Sphene’s mind. She tensed, waiting with bated breath.
For a brief—terrifying—heartbeat, she did not answer. Her breath ghosted over Sphene’s chest, soft and thunderous in the silence.
Sphene began to tremble in her embrace, a few teardrops sliding down her cheeks, salty and stinging. She dared not pull back to look her paladin in the eye. And then—
“...again?”
Quiet, hesitant, another crack in her voice; all her stoicism gone.
Sphene blinked and tried to pull back, to gaze down at her paladin, but her arms tightened around her, armor digging into her back.
Her paladin exhaled shakily. Face still buried in Sphene’s chest, she whimpered, “Say it again, please.”
Sphene felt a lump rise in her throat. She sank her nails into the scales of her champion’s neck. “You do not mind how simple it is?” she asked, her voice raw and shaking as the rest of her tears began to fall.
Her champion shook her head, the tips of her horns lightly scraping Sphene’s chest, a minor sting in exchange for the warmth spreading through her.
“No,” she murmured, “not when it falls from your lips.”
At last, she looked up, the corners of her ringed auburn irises red. She stared up at Sphene with a desperate intensity, eyes glistening in the daylight.
“I would hear it every day,” she breathed, “no other name would mean more to me.”
Oh.
Oh.
Here was her dream, love and all its fanciful delights, made manifest in her paladin’s embrace.
In her beloved’s teary eyes.
Sphene’s lips curled into a dazzling smile, celadon eyes softening with the joy bubbling in her chest. With a watery laugh, she leaned down and kissed her, fierce with want.
“And you shall,” she promised, “from now unto eternity, you shall hear it.”
Her paladin let out a soft, strangled noise before returning her kiss, rough lips intoxicating and sweet. “I love you,” she gasped.
Sphene pressed flush against her, eyes fluttering shut, rediscovering every ilm of her paladin’s lips. “And I you, my love,” she murmured, scarcely a breath away.
Her voice trembling with tears, she whispered, “My beloved.”