#taivan week

Taissa was sharp, always at attention during strategist meetings with her father, the King, and their allies. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t find it in her to care when discussions turned to her potential suitors.

She’d built quite the reputation of being difficult to please, and to her dismay, the princes took this as a challenge rather than a repellent. She was showered with attention and gifts that surely any princess would swoon over, but for some reason, Taissa was rather repulsed. She felt it made sense for her to remain unmarried, rather than be tethered to a man with a temper and his own kingdom to run. It was easier that way, that’s what she told herself, no other reason.

So, her eyes often scanned the room as words about the necessity of marriage went ignored. That’s how she discovered Van. Female knights weren’t all that common, and with her fiery red hair, she was bound to be noticed. Once Taissa had spotted her, she became more distracted during meetings, always searching for the knight whenever she spoke, as if she were seeking approval.

This went on for a while, the two pairs of eyes constantly finding each other as they passed in the halls, though they never spoke. Taissa was wary of talking to her, she had no excuse to do so and wouldn’t have a clue what to say if she did. She didn’t even know why she longed to speak to her, and God knows what people think about it.

But no matter how much she tried to ignore the fluttering in her stomach, she couldn’t deny the pull that Van had, and she soon began to find her as she trained, watching in the shadows. Van was truly hypnotising, and she admired her strength. The way her eyebrows crossed in focus as she moved, how she would let out little grunts of frustration, Taissa could only hope she wasn’t seen by the young knight, as it felt her eyes were glued to her.

One morning, Van had been sent to fetch Taissa and take her to meet with a particularly gruelling prince, but she found the woman curled up in a corner of her room, struggling to make eye contact as she refused.

Few words were spoken as Van cautiously moved closer,

“You must go, Princess.”

“I will not... I cannot do it.”

Taissa choked on her words as the redhead crouched next to her. It was the closest they’d ever been, and she was quick to notice the countless freckles in stark contrast to the rough scars on her face.

The eyes that had seemed dark and almost lifeless from far away were actually light blue and impossible to look at in her vulnerable state. She was beautiful, in a boyish sort of way, more handsome than any prince she’d met.

The thought of the princes made her chest tighten, and the knight only noticed the tears rolling down Taissa’s face seconds before the girl leaned forward, sobbing uncontrollably into her shoulder.

After a moment of Van awkwardly adjusting to the weight of the woman, they sat like that until Taissa’s tears had drained into her shirt, and she was no longer weeping.

Once the princess had calmed, she jumped up, seemingly coming to her senses as she apologised for her inappropriate behaviour, promptly rushing off.

They didn’t speak for a while after that, the glances became shorter, and Taissa avoided the knight as much as possible. She didn’t understand why she felt the way she did. Why the feelings of repulsion towards the princes melted into something warm and fuzzy when she thought back to the knight. She ignored how nightmares of loveless marriages with controlling dukes were replaced by dreams of freedom with the knight by her side. It was best not to think about it.

Van didn’t push, allowing the woman to keep her distance. She didn’t want to overstep, she was just a knight, after all. She tried not to stare at her for too long, pushed down the memory of her perfume and soft hair, and buried herself in her training to dismiss every thought of the woman.

Although she couldn’t stop herself from watching Taissa the night of a royal banquet, keeping a close eye on the woman as she paraded with her friends and spoke with noblemen, looking rather disinterested.

She found Taissa at the night’s end as she was escaping from the crowd,

“Princess, wait.”

Her voice caught in her throat as the woman turned to face her. She looked beautiful. Beautiful and shocked, as her eyes widened and she turned to run.

“Princess Taissa! Please,” grabbing her hand to stop her, “I just wanted to make sure you were alright.”

With a deep breath, Taissa faced the knight. Truthfully, she had hoped that morning was long forgotten. The candlelit hallway was silent as the pair studied each other, both fighting back words.

“I’m fine… please forget about it, I’m sorry.”

With a nod of her head, the knight spoke firmly, “It’s forgotten.”

Taissa’s cheeks flushed at the promise, feeling the redhead’s grip on her wrist grow tighter. The woman opened her mouth to speak, only to shut it, embarrassed as she realised she didn’t even know the knight’s name.

“Van.” Seemingly understanding, Van lifted the princess’s hand in introduction, “Princ-“

“Please, just call me Taissa.”

Van sighed in resignation, gently kissing her hand without breaking eye contact, “Taissa…”

But it was her turn to run. Hearing oncoming footsteps, the redhead slipped away as quickly as she came, barely giving Taissa the chance to react to the soft kiss on her skin.

Since then, the knight plagued Taissa’s mind, even more so than before. Every knight who wasn’t her was a disappointment. And she flinched at every prince she met, they were all cold and boring, unlike the warmth of Van’s presence.

The pair soon found each other again in the castle’s halls. Van had always had problems with sleeping, constantly haunted by nightmares of past battles. So occasionally, she found herself on the night lookout shift.

And when the noise of soft footsteps was followed by the princess’s candlelit figure, she perked up.

“Taissa… what are you doing up so late?”

If any knight were to have found her, she was glad it was Van. “I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to go on a walk.”

With a subtle flick of her head, Taissa beckoned the knight to join her, and the two began to walk in comfortable silence. With every graze of Van’s hand by her own, Taissa felt the nervous, warm feelings she had desperately pushed away sneak back into her chest.

“If I may ask, Princess, why do you watch me as I train?” The girl froze in shock, she hadn’t realised she’d been caught, and she didn’t exactly have an answer, not one she was willing to share.

“I.. um-”

“Wouldn’t you rather spend your days out of the castle? Or with a prince, perhaps?” No, she certainly would not rather that, that much was clear to Van, as her face had twisted into disgust at the thought.

After a beat, Taissa’s face reset as she realised she was yet to answer.

“I suppose I just find you intriguing.”

Van’s eyebrow quirked at the admission, eyes dropping to Taissa’s lips for only a second. She’d kissed women before, always knew she preferred them to men. But she didn’t allow herself to imagine kissing the princess. Even if the woman clearly seemed uninterested in the princes, it felt disrespectful, so she buried the thought.

“Well, you seem to be the only one who thinks so, but I’m flattered.” The redhead stumbled over her words as Taissa brought a hand to her face, cautiously tracing her scars. Van couldn’t help herself, and a second flick of her eyes down to Taissa’s mouth caught the princess’s attention.

As a child, Taissa thought that when she met a handsome man, there would be a voice in her head telling her to kiss him. Yet as she grew into a young woman and met countless “perfect suitors”, the voice never appeared. But as she stood close to the knight, the voice was loud and yelling, not in suggestion, but need.

So she gave in, hesitantly cupping Van’s jaw as she leaned in, hovering close until she felt the redhead’s lips push against her own.

It was almost awkward at first, then warm and steady as Van felt the princess melt into her arms, her hands resting carefully on her waist, rubbing against the soft fabric of her nightgown. Finally separating, Van looked up at the woman. She was truly breathtaking, something to worship. She was afraid to let go, fearing that if she did, Taissa would disappear.

Taissa almost wanted to disappear, run, and pretend it never happened. Because it shouldn’t have happened. It shouldn’t have felt so perfect.

But it did, and she found the urge to push her lips back up against the knight’s a much harder one to resist.