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“Apokuna?” The Princess’ voice, uncharacteristically soft and meager, instantly captures the knight’s attention. They turned their head slightly, their gaze settling on the Princess’ eye as she peeked through the bedroom door, opening just a crack.
“Can’t sleep, my lady?” Apo asked calmly. It was well into the night, the rest of Bannerfall had gone to sleep, she was sure. Princess Cherri merely shook their head.
“May I… request something of you?” She murmured, uncertain and weary, “Even if it’s a bit… unorthodox?”
“Of course, Princess.” Apo answered without hesitation.
“Can you… stay with me? Just for tonight?” The knight opened her mouth to protest such impropriety, but one look at the forlorn princess had them changing their tune. She thought of the missing prince, of burning Soluna; Her Highness had lost so much already, what more could she bear to lose?
“Allow me a moment to doff my armor, Your Highness.” The Princess nodded and retreated behind the bedroom door. A minute or two later, the door creaked as Apo made her entrance, having changed into a plain blue nightgown.
The Princess had been watching the door like a hawk, her posture only relaxing as the knight stepped inside. They pulled the cover aside, welcoming her knight into the bed. Apo felt relieved that the low light hid the fiery blush on her face at least a little.
They tried to lay on their side, facing away from their charge and keeping as much distance as they could, but the Princess was having none of that. Apo felt an arm, gentle and warm like the springtime sun, snake around her torso and pull her into the Princess’ embrace.
“M-My lady—” They stammered out in protest.
“Shh, shh,” Princess Cherri cooed softly, their grip on the knight tightening as drowsiness slurred their speech, “It’s okay. I run hot; you’re cool. Balance.” The Moon Knight sighed and relented, her iron will useless in the face of the Princess’ wants.
“Just this once.” She murmured, knowing full well it would happen again if they so asked. Sleep soon found the two, far more peacefully than it had since leaving their homeland.
Apo stirred first—as they always did—though they could scarcely believe they weren’t still dreaming. There, head on her chest, curled up against the knight’s side, was Princess Cherri, sleeping soundly. Even now, their hair fell perfectly over their left eye.
The only thing that stopped Apo from screaming, or her heart from beating out of her chest, was the serene expression on the Princess’ face. She would give anything to not disturb that soft expression. The knight let her eyes flutter closed once more, content and determined not to move until Her Highness awoke.
“Apo…?” The Princess hummed, her eye fluttering open, sleep still clingy to their voice, “When did…”
“Last night, my lady,” Apo explained gently, “You said it would help you sleep. I obliged.”
“O-Oh.” Apo caught a glimpse of red on their cheeks before they buried their face in Apo’s chest. She could still feel the warmth of the blush pressed against her as the Princess murmured, “I thought that was a dream…”
Now it was Apo’s turn to blush. They couldn’t stop themself from pulling the Princess closer, bringing her other arm around to hold them tightly. Even when the knight’s grip relaxed, the two remained in comfortable silence, content in each other’s presence.
“Apokuna,” The Princess murmured in a soft tone, one Apo almost believed held a hint of melancholy, “Do you think, one day, you’ll lay with your spouse like this?” The question made the knight’s blood run cold.
It made sense the question was on their mind, she supposed. With the fall of Soluna—and now especially after the Prince’s death—family has been on both their minds. It was only natural those thoughts would extend forward, into the future when she would marry another noble, and eventually have heirs. The thought still churned Apo’s stomach, however.
“I… don’t think I’ll ever get married.” They mused, melancholy pervading their tone, as talk of husbands and marriage always brought. The Princess noticed all the same—despite her best efforts to hide it—raising their head to give her knight a worried look.
“Don’t say that,” Her Highness pleaded, “Anyone would be lucky to have a wife as loyal as you.” If only that were as comforting as they wanted it to be.
“I am loyal to you, Your Highness.” Apo murmured, “I can’t imagine anyone would want a wife who will always put someone else first.” It was far from the only reason the knight had a hard time imagining finding a spouse for herself, but it was the easiest one to explain to someone who met Miss Apokuna and only heard about the boy who came before.
“Oh,” The Princess hummed, feigning disappointment for a moment. Then, their lips curled in a mischievous grin, “I guess you’ll just have to marry me, then.”
“M-My lady!” Apo’s cheeks matched the color of her eyes as her head turned away, “You shouldn’t say such things, even in jest.” They needed to brush off such a comment, their heart couldn’t take much more of this.
“Who said it was in jest?” The Princess’ eye gleamed as they shifted, throwing one leg over the knight’s hip and straddling her. Apo’s throat dried up as her heart raced. Their hand slid across her collarbone, fingers curling around her shoulder; the Princess’ other hand cupped her knight’s cheek, looking down on her with the softest of smiles that seized her breath in her lungs as they asked, “What if I want to marry you?”
“Your Highness, I—” Apo’s words were cut off by a finger pressed to her lips.
“My name,” The Princess insisted, leaning closer, “We’re alone, Apo. Use my name, please.”
“Cherri,” Apokuna whispered the name like a prayer, even as the words that followed were weighed down by the reality of their situation, “Y-You know why we can’t…”
“I don’t care about where you came from or who you were,” Cherri insisted, unwavering in their resolve, “What I do care about is the fact that you are not only my knight, but my friend. You’re caring and loyal and I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“You deserve—”
“I want you. I want this—us,” She leaned closer still, until their noses touched and the Princess’ hair spilled down onto the knight’s face, “I-If you don’t want this, tell me, and I’ll let it go. But, if you want this, too…”
“I-I do… stars above, I do.” Apo confessed and, a moment later, felt the warmth of Cherri’s lips pressed against hers. They melted into the kiss, one hand wrapping around her waist and the other cradling the back of Cherri’s head. It was everything Apo had dreamed of and more, an alignment of the stars that made everything that came before make sense.
“H-How was that…?” Cherri giggled nervously, their face flushed and smile wider than the sky.
“Heavenly,” Apokuna replied breathlessly, enraptured by the sight above her.
“Oh, good. I-I… haven’t done that before.”
“Neither have I!”