"Friendship is not enough," said the fairy queen, indolent and cruel and so, so beautiful, Z could hardly stand it. Charlotte's face turned white when she heard that, white beneath the dark hair that was falling in her eyes, and Z thought, she doesn't know. How can she not know?
Slowly, carefully, she knelt down and held her hand out to Charlotte, and she said, clearly and carefully, falling into the older form of address effortlessly, "But I am asking out of love, your majesty. I am asking out of a love that will not leave me alone, that will not dissipate for all the hurts that she has caused me." She could hear Charlotte's breathing speed up.
"You cannot live without her, is that so?" the queen said, mouth twisting.
Z shook her head, still on her knees.
"Then hold on," said the queen, and Z grabbed for Charlotte, who was changing in her arms: bird turning to snake turning to lion and rat and spider, and Z clutched and held and dug her fingers into fur and feather and wing, biting her lip against the sting of claws and beaks.
And then, then there was a girl in her arms, naked and crying, chains falling off like water, melting back into the earth. Z was crying too, holding still tighter. They heard the fairy queen laughing as she left, saying something about foolish mortals and the love they didn't understand, and Z knew she'd have to watch for signs for the rest of their life: the fae are not gracious in their losing.
But it didn't matter. She slid off her cardigan and her scarf and bundled Charlotte into them, the scarf a makeshift skirt around her waist.
Charlotte laughed at her, wiping at her eyes, and inspected her new outfit in the water of the lake. "Lovely," she said, but she was looking at Z now, not at herself.
"Let's go home," Z said, instead of Never leave me again or I thought I'd lost you or any of those other awful cliches that came to mind.
Charlotte nodded, at any rate, and held out her hand. Z wasn't sure why holding hands felt like a much bigger step than naked hugging, but it definitely did, and she had to take a deep breath before she managed it. Charlotte laughed at her again, but there was nothing mocking in her laughter, and she gripped Z's hand so tight it hurt. Z didn't say anything about it, holding on right back.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2010-05-02 10:17 am (UTC)Slowly, carefully, she knelt down and held her hand out to Charlotte, and she said, clearly and carefully, falling into the older form of address effortlessly, "But I am asking out of love, your majesty. I am asking out of a love that will not leave me alone, that will not dissipate for all the hurts that she has caused me." She could hear Charlotte's breathing speed up.
"You cannot live without her, is that so?" the queen said, mouth twisting.
Z shook her head, still on her knees.
"Then hold on," said the queen, and Z grabbed for Charlotte, who was changing in her arms: bird turning to snake turning to lion and rat and spider, and Z clutched and held and dug her fingers into fur and feather and wing, biting her lip against the sting of claws and beaks.
And then, then there was a girl in her arms, naked and crying, chains falling off like water, melting back into the earth. Z was crying too, holding still tighter. They heard the fairy queen laughing as she left, saying something about foolish mortals and the love they didn't understand, and Z knew she'd have to watch for signs for the rest of their life: the fae are not gracious in their losing.
But it didn't matter. She slid off her cardigan and her scarf and bundled Charlotte into them, the scarf a makeshift skirt around her waist.
Charlotte laughed at her, wiping at her eyes, and inspected her new outfit in the water of the lake. "Lovely," she said, but she was looking at Z now, not at herself.
"Let's go home," Z said, instead of Never leave me again or I thought I'd lost you or any of those other awful cliches that came to mind.
Charlotte nodded, at any rate, and held out her hand. Z wasn't sure why holding hands felt like a much bigger step than naked hugging, but it definitely did, and she had to take a deep breath before she managed it. Charlotte laughed at her again, but there was nothing mocking in her laughter, and she gripped Z's hand so tight it hurt. Z didn't say anything about it, holding on right back.