𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐄, 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐑.

—— 𝚂𝙷𝙴'𝚂 𝙰𝙽 𝙰𝙽𝙶𝙴𝙻, 𝚆𝙸𝚃𝙷 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙳𝚄𝚂𝚃 𝙾𝙵 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚁𝚂 𝙸𝙽 𝙷𝙴𝚁 𝙴𝚈𝙴𝚂. 

when she says his name her voice rings like the sweetest music in his ears,   and it is a sound he wishes he could put in a box and take with him wherever he goes.        while on his travels the memory of her voice had begun to slip away,   like a flower petal in a stream or a leaf whisked away by the wind,   and kit knew in the depth of his bones that he never wanted to forget the sight of her,   the sound of her,   or the feel of her.              “     yes,   as much as you have missed me,   my queen.     ”              he teases,   a smile painted in the gold of sunlight and the most intense of happiness curling his lips upward.        kit’s mind is brimming with all he wants to tell her,   everything he’s seen on his journey and all the things he has brought her from these distant kingdoms,   but before he can gather the words to speak,   ella captures his lips in the most long awaited kiss of the century           in kit’s humble opinion,   at least.              “     it was.     ”              he says with a nod when they finally part,   his lips and cheeks flushed with a redness that wasn’t there before.        rather than walking towards their home,   kit pulls ella in for a second kiss,   lingering only a moment longer than what is deemed appropriate of a king and queen in public.        then he grasps her hand in his,   finger immediately intertwining,   and guides her along the path back to the castle,   gawking servants and footmen left in their wake.

“     it was bumpy and far too long,   but it was certainly of use.        we’ve made great progress with our allies.        only wish you could have come with.        and you ?        how have you been while i’ve been away ?        and most importantly,   have gus gus and the other mice settled in alright in their new quarters ?     ”

there is something magnetic, magical about kit whenever he is in her arm’s reach     ——    especially after they have been apart for weeks that felt more like years, it is as if ella has to map out every inch of his body with her hands again, familiarizing herself with the feel of his shoulders and the softness of his palm again, the sweet crimson tinting his cheeks such a beautiful color, drenching his eyes in the most sparkling azure that she has ever seen. he is so beautiful, so kind and handsome, and so smart and generous as well; she can hardly believe he is real & bestowing her with the gift of his LOVE. a sigh against his lips before they part, a stolen kiss pressed to the corner of his mouth, and a tug at his hand and they are on the way up to the castle.          ❛ i am glad to know that you have made progress, ❜   a squeeze of her fingers, and she cannot stop looking at him, as her feet all but dance, float across the stairs up to their home, so she can hardly contain the sweet excitement coursing through her veins. it used to be so challenging for her to vocalize how much she misses him when he is gone, to even allow herself  these feelings, but here, there waits no punishment or remorse for her longing.           ❛ but i cannot deny that this castle, it’s ... it’s not the same without you. you were dearly missed by everyone, gus gus included, who has been all but eyeing your bedside by the way ..... so maybe not as dearly missed by him, i bet he would prefer your pillow to his new quarters. ❜  

her voice is quiet, there is as much glee as there is melancholy, her admission private and for his ears only; she might be her country’s queen, but she is her own self first and foremost, and that includes not denying herself these confessions. and if anything, her prince deserves to know how much he has been missed while gone.           ❛ but i have been WELL, i promise, even if i have missed you terribly, ❜    ella grins now as they make their way towards the front of the castle, suddenly the thrill is catching hold of her wholly. still, she is mindful of their gawking servants.             ❛ but now you are back and we have so much time to make up for! and i think we should organize some late summer activities for the townsfolk .... maybe for autumn as well. what do you think? ❜

have you ever loved someone before you even knew there was such a thing between you? have you ever loved someone and only realized much later rather than sooner, that love is what sets your soul alight? ella finds herself caught by those questions at the oddest of times but they always aflame when she is around barry; they have been practically inseparable for a while since their run of romeo & julet, but now that they have their two weeks off, she finds she can hardly separate from him still. this is their first trip out of the country, the beauty of the french riviera laid out in front of them, and their first vacation ever together. she thinks they are comparably well equipped, after they have been practically living at each other’s places and she has fallen asleep on his couch ( and tentatively in his bed as well, but only for the past weeks, ever since rehearsal ) more often than she can count at this point. barry, he makes her feel safe and loved and fearless, and that is something ella cherishes incredibly.

being here, in france with him, it is a little like marrying him to the puzzle pieces of her past though, of course, the golden sunshine and the wide, turquoise ocean have nothing to do with rainy london, and only come that close to the lavish fields of her childhood home. it is enough though, with him more than enough anyway, and she notices how slipping into the language she was raised on comes easier to her around here than in new york   ——    unsurprisingly. she steals a glance at barry next to her, for once seemingly relaxed; it makes her smile and him almost vulnerable in her eyes. gently, ella reaches over to capture his fingers between hers, directing him to look at her as she presses a soft kiss to the palm of his hand. .         ❛ would you wanna go down to the beach or go back to our hotel? ❜  she asks, honestly curious. their room is not incredibly luxurious, but it has a bed fitting the both of them with fine sheets and a balcony with a view on the sea and she doesn’t need anything more than that, but she knows that barry prefers peace and quiet. this, it is for the both of them after all.

       KIT  IS  THE  KING  NOW,   and  though  he  has  prepared  for  this  his  whole  life,  as  a  monarch’s  apprentice,  it  is  still  a  strange  thought  to  grapple  with.   although  a  little  unsteady  and  unsure  at  times,  he  is  confident  that  with  time  and  his  wife’s  guidance,  he  will  become  every  bit  the  ruler  his  father  was.   were  it  up  to  him,  for  purely  selfish  reasons,  he  would  have  ella  by  his  side  on  all  his  journeys  abroad,  for  each  time  he  leaves,  the  quiet  and  subdued  look  of  terror  and  fear  on  her  face  fills  him  with  a  sense  of  guilt  that  only  grows  more  and  more  intense  for  each  time.   but  they  are  the  reigning  king  and  queen  of  a  kingdom  now,  and  with  that  comes  a  price         RESPONSIBILITIES  THAT  GO  BEYOND  THEMSELVES.   how  lucky  he  is  that  ella  is  a  strong  woman,  forged  by  kindness  and  grief,  for  he  knows  he  would  never  be  able  to  leave  if  she  asked  him  not  to.   suddenly  the  carriage  hits  a  rock  on  the  road  and  the  jolt  pulls  kit  out  of  his  head,  leaving  thoughts  of  his  travels  behind.   he  peeks  out  through  the  window,  and  it  only  takes  him  half  a  heartbeat  to  realise  they’re  heading  up  the  path  to  the  castle.   at  once  his  spirit  is  lifted,  the  exhaustion  and  strain  from  the  long  journey  gone  from  his  body,  and  instead  he  is  filled  with  a  childlike  excitement  at  the  thought  of  seeing  ella  again.

        minutes  that  feel  like  centuries pass,  and  finally  the  carriage  comes  to  a  halt  in  front  of  the  stairs  leading  up  to  the  palace.   sounds  of  servants  excitedly  speaking  amongst  themselves  fill  the  air,  but  as  kit  sets  his  feet  on  palace  ground  for  the  first  time  in  many  weeks,  none  of  this  matters.   he  bolts  up  the  stairs  with  the  longest  strides  his  leg  can  muster,  and  is  at  once  at  ella’s  side.   with  joy  rather  than  sadness  on  her  features,  she  is  a  vision  in  her  mother’s  dress.   he  wants  to  tell  her  this,  but  settles  instead  with  wrapping  his  arms  around  her.   eventually  his  hands  settle  at  her  waist  and  he  pulls  back  just  enough  to  meet  her  eyes  again,  the  brightest  smile  on  his  face.     ❛  my  ella,  ❜     he  echoes  her  words.     ❛  you  have  no  idea  how  much  i’ve  missed  you.  ❜

WATCHING HIM CLIMB THE STAIRS UP TO HER, it only forges a smile brighter than a summer’s day onto her face, the sun catching him from behind and making her beloved all but glow in a golden haze that befits the glorious heart he has, so pure and unguarded and good. it relieves ella, to see kit breathe and move and so real, but it makes her heart pound just as much. his return is like god’s greatest gift to her, every single time, and she finds it still instills the same kind of unadulterated joy in her, has the love flowing through her veins swell up and make her forget all the doubts & fears she had before. with kit around again, finally, there is no need to fear anything; he makes her strong, stronger than she would have ever thought she could be, when she misses him too much to pour into letters that will take weeks to be delivered anyway, even if the sentiment will stand unchanged and undefeated, rooted into the ground. how much she misses him     ——  it chokes her up, but at the same time it will bring laughter flowing from her lips as he all but R U N S up to her, just as eager as she is to be reunited after so many weeks apart. ella loves their kingdom, understands all the responsibilities that come with it, especially what is loaded unto kit, she truly does; it is just that she misses him more than she could ever love being queen for she is only queen because kit is her king.

          ❛ my kit! ❜  their wedding is as clear as day in her mind even after a year or so; nothing to taint that memory, written down as well in a journal that will stay hers and hers alone, safely stored in their bedroom. his arms are as wonderfully welcoming as they always are, and so familiar it aches in her chest at the thought of how long she went without him. his uniform, soft as she thought it would be, is drenched in the sun’s rays, a light blue that is reflected in those kind eyes of his. ella is barefoot and has to rise to her toes to meet his gaze but she would always do so for him. he is so handsome, like the hero straight out of a storybook, and everything inside her is warm in that moment within his embrace, her hands framing his face first before pushing a stray curl of his hair back. the smile remains as he is this near to her again, won’t ever vanish.           ❛ as much as I have missed you? ❜  she teases him lightly, already feeling more like herself again; it is his gift to her     ——     the comfort he gives her brings out her best and truest self, blooming unguarded under his care, the safety he has given her after tumultuous seas. she tip toes closer, knowing that there are servants watching, but impossible to keep away from him after such a long while without each other. her dress will wrinkle against his uniform but she doesn’t care, she CAN’T. softly, gently and slowly, she captures his lips in a sweet kiss, one, that should have happened a long time ago for too long they have been apart. this, it is truly like the palace is home again, like she can breathe again, and her arm will wrap around his broad shoulders. the kiss hardly stands because her smile threatens to break them apart but nevertheless, she remains where she is. he deserves to know how much she missed him.            ❛ i hope journey was calm? ❜