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Reina kept as still as she could, which was very still indeed. She had plenty of practice playing dead. Her mind wandered to the many battlefields that she had seen, and how many times she or her kinshi had been shot down. Florina, dead, Leanne, dead, Clair, also dead. She had gone through many of those beautiful birds over the years. Playing dead, lying in wait then leaping out and striking the unsuspecting enemy was a recurring tactic.
At the moment, she was extremely glad that she survived. Mikoto, her queen, lay across her chest, sound asleep. It had been several hours since Reina woke up. Mikoto had a full night’s rest for the first time in many months, which was partially because they were in Reina’s cot. The lords and ladies of the court couldn’t find them here. It was unglamorous, unfit for a queen, but even so, Mikoto had chosen it. Chosen her, rather. Reina smiled and touched Mikoto’s soft, beautiful hair.
She would survive a million battles just to protect Mikoto. Reina wanted to crush Mikoto’s foes, take whoever made those faceless monsters and tear all of their limbs off. She loved the gentle flow of blood that accompanied her naginata strikes. She whispered,
“Mikoto, I will kill hundreds for you. Watch their lives slowly drift away after a fatal arrow, slice their arteries so they bleed to death, or strangle them with my bare hands.” She stroked Mikoto’s hair away from her neck.
She stirred in her sleep, then fell off the bed. Reina reached down to steady her, and watched her eyes slowly drift open.
“Good afternoon.”
“Of course, Reina! Good afternoon to you as well.” She winced, “Why am I on the floor?”
Reina helped her up, “You fell out of bed.”
Mikoto shot upright, “Oh, you said it was afternoon? I’ve been sleeping all day!”
Reina nodded, “Yes, and it was a well-deserved rest.” She leaned in, “If you guilt yourself about this, I won’t forgive you.”
Mikoto’s face went through a rapid series of changes. She cringed, then smiled, then stared into the ground, then finally laughed.
“You’re right. No use worrying about it now.”
Reina smiled, “That’s the spirit. How about I stealthily retrieve dinner for you?”
Mikoto shook her head, “I can suffer through.”
Reina sat on her cot, and hugged Mikoto tightly. While she loved Mikoto dearly, she knew that there wasn’t much she could do but take the edge off. She murmured to herself, “If only I could hold you close, safe to me, forever.”
“Oh, thank you, Reina. I wish I could do the same for you.”
“I’m your soldier, not the other way around. I would die in an instant if it meant saving your life.”
Mikoto cupped her face in her hands. It felt wonderful to be held. Her thumbs rubbed Reina’s scars, then her cheeks.
“In a way, you already have.” Mikoto smiled sadly, “I’ve seen dozens of new scars on your body, along with so many old ones. And… I’ve been so happy for your companionship this last year.”
“Thank you.” This nearly brought a tear to Reina’s eye. She loved Mikoto’s expressions of love, she always had a kind word no matter what. Reina kissed her, sweetly and softly. Mikoto giggled,
“Oh, that was so gentle! It usually feels like you’re trying to bite my face off!”
“What?! I apologize, my queen, why didn’t you bring this to my attention earlier?”
“No, don’t change a thing. You’re intense, and I like that about you.” She closed her eyes, “But we should go to court. I already spent half the day sleeping, I can’t spend the other half kissing you.”
“You can if you want to.” Reina smiled sweetly.
Mikoto let out a happy sigh. She shook her head, then lunged into Reina for another kiss.