[i]”Do you want to try being the hero this time?”

Bella pauses. The tiara glitters on her head, framing her ears perfectly. She doesn’t look away from the mirror; she is calm, composed, everything that her sweaty, overtuned princess isn’t. It’s just that the thought hasn’t left Dany alone since she had it earlier, and it’s been rattling around inside her chest looking for a way out. Maybe it would be nice to be saved by Princess Stellabrande for once. She could even pretend to be tied up and everything. She’d do such a good job at it, and doesn’t it feel nice to be the hero? And Bella’s such a good girl, and it would probably make her feel big and strong and not scared of anything.

It’s just that. This has to be wrong, somehow. Because if it wasn’t wrong, why would she be so nervous? She feels like she’s sitting and waiting to hear how she did on an exam, when the tension is unbearable, her stomach folding in on itself as seconds stretch out into eternity. But if Bella likes it maybe it will be okay. And they can try it. And maybe it will be fun.

Maybe it will even be better than the other way around.

“If you want me to,” Bella says, and her voice is bright but Dany can tell that she’s hesitating, and her eyes slide down from the mirror and rest on the floor, meekly, and then it comes out from between her lips anyway and it’s terrible even though it sounds so casual, it drops on Dany’s head like a lead tablet. “…have I made the game too boring? You’ve never asked me this before.”

“What? No! That’s— why would I get bored of that?” Panic. See? This is why this was a bad idea, Dany! Did you hear that? She’s [b]hurt.[/b] You asked it even knowing that it was wrong and bad and this is what your stomach was trying to warn you about. “I just thought— no, it’s a stupid idea.” Bella blinks at her reflection and her lips part for a moment, then close again. “You’ll [b]always[/b] be my Stellabrande,” Dany continues, agh, was that too much? Redana and Stellabrande was starting to get awkward now that Stellabrande was… curvier, and now that Redana knew that sleeping together didn’t mean just a nap.

“Always,” Bella says, perfect as a princess, serene and flawless and beautiful, her hand trembling in her lap.[/i]

[hr]

[i]”What’s this?” Stellabrande hooks one finger under Reshella’s collar, slowly but firmly pulling her closer. Her gaze is hungry, like that of a warrior-princess of Salib. “What’s your name, pretty little thing?”

Reshella flushes, blood pounding in her ears, and says nothing. She can’t. She would sound ridiculous if she tried. Her eyes dart around, trying to find some safe place to rest that isn’t the beautiful, commanding princess in front of her.

Stellabrande slips one thumb underneath Reshella’s mirrored veil, and Reshella stiffens, but keeps her hands obediently by her sides. She can’t stop herself from squeezing her eyes shut when that thumb reaches the gag, though. She’s only so strong. The thumb stops, then slowly, ever-so-softly, presses more firmly.

“Hmmm~” Stellabrande’s voice is intoxicating, a private vintage poured out for the two of them, inaudible to anyone else over the pounding of the drums. “Cat got your tongue, [s]Beautiful[/s] pretty little thing?” Reshella doesn’t dare open her eyes. She can feel Stellabrande leaning in closer, her hot breath on her mirrored veil, the tang of re-appropriated Saliban wine. “Don’t worry,” Stellabrande teases. “I’ll keep you safe from those nasty wolves, [s]Redana[/s] Reshella.”

And then Stellabrande tugs on the collar, and Reshella is forced to prance forward into her embrace. Those hands— those claws that could tear through a Plover— are gentle on Reshella’s bare skin, tracing sigils from languages that Reshella isn’t expected to try to learn on her back, because Stellabrande is clever and refined and powerful and [b]safe,[/b] gods above, she’s safe, she’s safe, she’ll protect Reshella from everyone except herself, because Reshella [b]wants[/b] her to take liberties, wants to be touched, wants to be wanted, wants to be pressed against that lovely chest and shaken so that her bangles jingle and her veil smells like Stellabrande, and she wants to be kidnapped and put into peril but Stellabrande will come to save her at the eleventh hour and she’ll be straining against her bonds and uselessly trying to warn Stellabrande against threats and maybe her frantic grunts will really warn Stellabrande and she’ll be untied from the slowly-lowering crane before she ends up outside the hangar, where the Nethermost Eels writhe and gnash their teeth, waiting for the sacrifice of a maiden to sate their appetites, and maybe Stellabrande will knock the villain out of the hangar instead, and she’ll scoop Reshella up and say something clever or flirtatious that makes her blush and whine, and then she’ll ungag her, tilt Reshella’s head up, and they’ll kiss, and, and, and…[/i]

[hr]

…and it’s stupid, because Bella likes Beautiful. [i]Like[/i] likes. Dany’s just trouble, all the time. She dragged Bella out here in the first place, she left Bella behind again and again, she kissed her and Bella hated it and now she’s playing at being a spy instead of…

But it’s not her fault! It’s… Epistia thought it was a good idea! And Princess Redana is, she listens to people, and if it means they’ll find Mynx, then it was worth it and it’ll be okay for Dany to fondly remember the way Bella moved, that [i]perfect[/i] sway, and the tail carelessly dragging against her skin and Dany didn’t touch, she didn’t dare touch, it’s not Reshella’s place to be grasping at guests’ tails, but her heart is thundering in her chest, and when did Bella end up like this? So, so powerful, so commanding, so—

So [i]flustering.[/i]

Mission, Dany. Focus on the mission. You can’t be selfish and Bella isn’t yours to be selfish over. You want her to be happy. Even if that’s with Beautiful, you want her to be happy. And if Mynx ends up hurt because you’re busy having selfish possessive thoughts about Bella tossing you over her shoulder and thanking Epistia and the other girl for the party gift and then taking you to her quarters and tying your wrists above your head so she can take her sweet time unwrapping you bit by bit but she’ll leave your mouth for last and—

Deep breaths.

Reshella prances out from behind Bella. Her lashes flutter, and she dramatically winks at Bella, twice. Do you see it, mila— ma’am? The Auspex? That’s her plan. She’s using her charms to be invisible. She crooks one finger at Bella, a [s]seductive, please let it be seductive[/s] come-hither, then sways, sashays, does what she just saw Bella do as hard as she can, leading her to the side of the party she [i]hasn’t[/i] covered. 

Come on, Bella. Follow Reshella. Be ready to use your strength to save Mynx. And if it helps Reshella blend in, if it keeps you following her, then maybe it’s all right for her to linger in delicate poses, or to swish her rump from side to side, or to toss her hair and for a moment glance back at you with her green eye. Maybe it’s all right for her to be your Stellabrande today.

And if Mynx lashes out, if there’s a fight, then it’ll be Reshella who’s in peril. Not you. Not anyone else here. It’s Reshella’s job to be the one grabbed, threatened, dangled, because she couldn’t possibly risk you if the tables were turned, but… but you can risk her, right, Bella? What you did on Salib for Skotia was for someone that you didn’t think was…

You can save Mynx. Redana couldn’t. That’s why you deserve to be the hero, and Reshella is pretty and putting herself at risk and ready to step away when the adventure is over and let you be with [i]Her.[/i] So keep staring, Bella. Keep staring, because Beautiful said to Redana that it was awful for you when you don’t. And please don’t mind if Reshella occasionally, as often as she can without breaking her cover, stares back at you and…

and wishes things were different.

and yearns.

and appreciates the story while she gets to be in it.