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Delicate white petals nestled neatly together, looking down towards the earth. The glass that held the flowers sparkled in the early morning light. Bright white light filtered through thin fabric, casting the room into a gentle sort of peace. The cold air of early December seeped in through windows, and into blankets, but despite that, Fuyumi smiled softly. It was her favorite kind of day, the kind where the air is crisp and the sun brings a promise of happiness in the day. Or perhaps she was projecting the promises she knew Hana would keep.
A glance at the snowdrops sitting beside her bed filled her with warmth. Snowdrops had become her favorite flower a few years ago, before that, she hadn’t really cared about the flowers in the gardens.
Fuyumi didn’t fight it as the smile stretched when she remembered that Hana would visit today. She didn’t stop the thoughts that bubbled up, Hana’s smile, her laugh, all of the things that make her Hana .
A memory formed that she found herself quickly getting lost in. A memory from a few months after her 15th birthday.
~
While her brother may think no one's watching, Fuyumi was well aware of the grins and the whispers he shared with his best friend. Some of the words they spoke made her roll her eyes, but Fuyumi was just glad that her brother had found someone that made him happy.
Keigo stood beside Touya’s chair, as expected of the Crown Prince’s guard, but the closeness only encouraged the sly flirting. Keigo had always been close with Touya. When they were small, and Keigo hadn’t yet begun training, they would sneak into the kitchen to steal pastries, and as they grew up, they would train together, sparring and wrestling until one was laying on the other and their laughter filled the courtyard.
Touya reached back now and tugged one of Keigo’s feathers, making his wings smack him lightly. A light blush tinted Keigo’s face.
The circular table was large, and Enji leaned over it, studying some reports about a band of thieves on their western border; the border they shared with the Shimuras. The eldest Shimura child, Hana, who was a few months younger than her, sat on Fuyumi’s right, and Touya on her left.
Fuyumi sighed quietly. Her father, and Shimura had been speaking together about the bandits for an hour at least, and they’d made Hana, Touya and Fuyumi join them so that they would learn about business between kingdoms. Fuyumi found it boring.
Cold fingers brushed her elbow, and she glanced over to see Hana pushing a small slip of paper towards her. She took the note gingerly. Turning it over, she saw the words, “ This meeting is the worst ” scrawled out in ink. The handwriting was clean, and Fuyumi found her eyes tracing the loops endlessly. She smiled softly at the message.
Hana rolled the pen she had used towards Fuyumi silently. She took the pen and offered a small nod.
In return, she wrote,” Yes it is, I don’t know why they made us stay here” and passed the note back.
“ At least your brother is having fun” Fuyumi had to hold back a laugh.
“ You saw that too? Try living with them, it’s insufferable” Fuyumi smiled when she heard Hana let out a quiet breath of laughter.
They passed the note between the two of them until they ran out of room, the paper filled with lettering spreading across the paper like an ink stain. Hana pulled out another paper quietly, Fuyumi spied a small pouch around Hana’s waist where the paper was.
When Hana gave her the new paper, it said, “ When this meeting is over, I’ll race you to the gardens”
Fuyumi smiled and responded. “ Loser has to sneak to the kitchen to steal cookies for the both of us”
Hana grinned at her when she read it. “ Deal”
The meeting ended shortly after that, and as soon as Enji said they could leave, both Hana and Fuyumi bolted from their seats, determined to be the first to the gardens. Fuyumi looked over her shoulder to see Enji annoyed, Shimura looking amused, and Touya leading Keigo off quietly.
After they had turned a corner, Fuyumi pulled off her shoes so that she wouldn’t slip. Hana glanced back, only a little ahead, and followed her lead, discarding her shoes half hazardously next to a vase of tall flowers.
Fuyumi’s heart pounded in her ears, and she grinned. She felt like she was flying, and a glance at Hana told her that the other felt the same, her eyes glittering like dark gems. Their laughter echoed through the halls as they ran, their hair falling loose and their feet pushing them closer to the gardens.
When they ran out into the courtyard, the sun greeted them, and the cobblestones were warm. Her mother’s garden was just around the corner, and it made Fuyumi run faster. As they skidded around the corner, Hana tripped and crashed into Fuyumi. They landed on a patch of grass, tangled together and breathless.
Fuyumi pulled herself together and stood up, offering a hand to Hana. “I think I won, seeing as you cheated and tripped me.”
Hana took her hand to stand up and grinned, her cheeks pink from the spring air. Fuyumi knew her own cheeks would be just as pink. “Nah, I don’t think that’s how it works, I landed farther into the garden, so I won.”
“You still cheated.” Fuyumi said, making Hana gasp.
“I did not!” Despite the words, they were both smiling brightly. Hana brushed off her dress and scowled at a spot where the dirt and grass stained the hem. He frowned. “Oh, mother’s going to kill me.”
Fuyumi’s smile faded. “It’s not that bad.”
Hana smiled up at her. “You’re right.” She glanced around the garden. “This is so pretty.” She kneeled next to a bed of little blue flowers.
Fuyumi came to stand next to her. “It’s my mother’s. She says that these are her favorites, and those, over there,” She pointed to a patch of delicate white flowers that drooped as if having a bad day. “Those remind her of her home, in the northern kingdom.”
Hana followed her gaze to the little white flowers. Her face brightened in a smile. “Those are snowdrops!” She said, excited. She ran to them, sitting next to them and patting the spot next to her as an invitation to Fuyumi.
Fuyumi sat as Hana picked one of the flowers and turned to her. “Snowdrops are the first flowers to bloom after winter. Some people call them winter flowers.” She glanced up at Fuyumi and then laughed.
Fuyumi looked at her, confused. “They’re- pretty.”
Hana smiled. “Yeah, they are. But that’s not why I was laughing,” She pointed to the flower, as if it would clear everything up. “Winter flower,” She pointed to Fuyumi next. “Fuyu,” and to herself. “And Hana.”
Hana giggled some more and Fuyumi couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up, turning her cheeks even more pink.
Hana’s eyes widened. “It can be our best friend thing. Snowdrops.” She said softly.
Fuyumi felt her heart stop for half a second. “Best friend thing?”
Hana stared down at the flower, suddenly shy. ‘Yeah, I don’t- I don’t have many friends. It comes with the whole Princess thing. You get it, right?” Fuyumi nodded but said nothing as an invitation for Hana to continue. “Right, so I was thinking that maybe we could be friends?”
Fuyumi smiled. “Yeah, I’d like that.”
Hana smiled again, and a thought surfaced that maybe Hana’s smile was quickly becoming something Fuyumi wanted to see more of. “Great.”
“But what about when you leave? Our fathers will come up with a plan to get rid of those thieves and your family will leave.” Fuyumi said, a sinking feeling in her chest.
“What happens when I leave?” Hana laughed. ‘I’ll just come back.”
Fuyumi laughed. “Okay. But you have to promise.” She held out her pinkie.
Amusement lit up her eyes and she giggled. “A pinkie promise? Those are for kids.”
Fuyumi scrunched her nose. “So? They work, don’t they?” Hana shrugged and wrapped her own pinkie around Fuyumi’s, the touch sending a kind of spark through Fuyumi.
“Sure. I promise I’ll come back.” And Fuyumi believed her. Even though they lived hundreds of miles apart, and in different kingdoms, Fuyumi believed that Hana would keep her promise to come back.
And she did, time after time. Only a few months had passed when Fuyumi saw her friend again. Their fathers wanted to clear up the very last of the bandit problem, and Shimura had only brought Hana.
Natsuo was sad that Tenko couldn’t come, and he’d left for his room, where he wrote a letter to his friend. Both Fuyumi and Natsuo would write to their friends often, it was a good way to talk to Hana despite the distance. They were able to talk and learn more about each other that way.
Hana raced ahead of her, she’d gotten faster in the last few months. When Fuyumi made it to her mother’s garden, Hana was just ahead of her, laughing.
“I win!” Hana laughed and fell onto the grass.
Fuyumi fell next to her. “Yeah, I guess you did. You won’t next time though.” they grinned at each other.
“You wanna bet?” Hana said.
Fuyumi stopped suddenly. “We forgot about the cookie bet last time.”
Hana laughed. “You’re right. Well, we tied last time anyway, and since you lost this time~” She sang.
Fuyumi smacked her arm lightly. “Come with me please? It’ll be better than just sitting here, waiting around for me to come back.”
Hana sighed and stood up. “Yeah, yeah, okay, coward.”
Fuyumi followed as she started towards the kitchens. “I’m not a coward.” She scowled.
Hana turned so that she was walking backwards. She pinched her fingers together so they were almost touching. “A little bit.” Fuyumi scoffed in response.
After getting chased out by the bakers, they sat together against the wall of the empty throne room, breathless and recounting the look on the bakers’ faces. Hana laughed before she opened the pouch from around her waist and pulled out two cookies. Fuyumi watched and her brows furrowed.
“When did you steal those?” Fuyumi asked, awestruck.
Hana smiled. “Don’t you know, a magician never shares her secrets.” She handed one of the cookies to Fuyumi before taking a bite of her own.
Fuyumi hummed thoughtfully and took a bite. They ate in a comfortable silence, both lost in their own thoughts. When they finished, Hana pulled Fuyumi to her feet and out to the center of the throne room.
Fuyumi smiled at her friend, confused. Hana grinned and said, “Dance with me.”
And so they danced. They spun across the empty room, their shoes clicking on the floor, and their dresses flowing around their legs. Hana’s hands were on her waist, and Fuyumi smiled, her heart swelling with warmth. She searched Hana’s face, for what, she wasn’t sure. Maybe she just wanted to memorize every detail.
Dancing with Hana was simple and easy. They moved to silent music, and it worked perfectly together. When they finally slowed to a stop, Fuyumi felt her heart catch up with her, and her cheeks flushed.
Hana smiled and her hand moved to the pouch once again. This time, she brought out a single, perfect snowdrop. She placed the flower carefully in Fuyumi’s hair. “I forgot this.”
Fuyumi blinked. “How did it not get crushed?”
Hana just smiled. “It’s like I said, a magician-”
“Never shares her secrets. Yeah, yeah. But you’re not a magician.” Fuyumi said, laughter in her words.
“But I could be, you know. I could run away from here. Far away, and I could join a circus and be a magician.” Hana said, pulling Fuyumi along again to continue their dance.
Fuyumi smiled as her friend got lost in another world. “I would wear comfortable clothes, no more dresses. And I could cut my hair however short I want. I’d put on the greatest performances. Not the normal stuff, like pulling bunnies out of hats, I’d make light shows, and learn real magic.”
Fuyumi laughed. “Real magic? But there hasn’t been a wizard in years.”
“So? I could be the first.” Hana smiled. “Oh, and you could come too, of course. I don’t know what your act would be, maybe we could just call you the prettiest girl in the world. It wouldn’t even be a lie.”
Fuyumi’s cheeks flushed bright red. “Nah. Maybe I could be your assistant?”
“Yeah, you could do that, I guess. I still think you’re more fit for prettiest girl in the world, though. Anyway, we could live together. Maybe we’d have a dog. Or a cat. Or both.” Hana kept exploring the world she was building inside her head, and Fuyumi listened.
Hana talked about a near perfect world, one where they could both be happy, and they’re siblings would join them. They’d all run away from their parents and be happy as a group. Keigo could come too, because he makes Touya happy and that’s good enough.
Fuyumi thought it sounded like a perfect story. She had an idea. “We could call it Snowdrop Circus.”
Hana’s face lit up in a way Fuyumi didn’t even know was possible. “Oh my gosh , Fuyumi you’re a genius.”
Fuyumi laughed and Hana spun her around. “You are! That’s a perfect name, it’s our best friend thing.”
Fuyumi smiled as they stopped once again. “Yeah, our best friend thing.” The thought struck sadness through her for some reason. Hana hugged her suddenly.
“Thank you.”
Fuyumi blinked, but returned the hug. “What for?”
“Being my friend.” Her voice was muffled.
Fuyumi smiled and hugged her tighter. “Of course, Hana. You promised to always come back, and I promise to always be your friend.”
Hana pulled away slightly, her arms were still around Fuyumi’s waist. “Always?’
“Of course.”
The spell was broken when they heard heavy footsteps in the hall that Fuyumi recognized as her father’s. “Come on.” She said and tugged Hana towards a door opposite to the one her father would be entering soon.
They slipped through, and just as their door shut, she heard her father’s booming voice echoing through the room. They ran through the halls, hand in hand, to Fuyumi’s room, laughing the whole way.
Shortly after, they’d been summoned for dinner, and then they went their separate ways for the night.
Hana left that morning, and they wouldn’t see each other for almost a year. When they did see each other again, it was Hana’s 16th birthday. Her parents had arranged a party, and invited the Todoroki family. Enji hadn’t wanted to come, but decided it would be good to discuss their border with the Shimuras..
The Shimura castle was smaller than the Todoroki’s, but the gardens were even more beautiful. All sorts of flowers bloomed, painting the grounds in so many different colors. Hana waited for her there, and greeted her with a rib crushing hug.
“I missed you.” She said when they pulled away with a small smile.
Fuyumi returned the smile. “I missed you too.” They hadn’t let go of each other, and when she realized it, her cheeks turned pink.
Hana let go of her suddenly, and grabbed her arm, pulling her down a path that twisted through the gardens. They reached a small, secluded corner where Fuyumi saw a small patch of snowdrops growing.
“They’re snowdrops.” Hana said, watching for Fuyumi’s reaction.
Fuyumi smiled softly and met her eyes. “You grew this?”
Hana nodded vigorously and grinned down at the small white flowers. “I thought you would like them. And it was also partly because they remind me of you, so every time I was out here, I thought of you. Although, I think our gardeners were getting annoyed that I spent so much time around here.” She giggled.
A woman’s voice sounded from farther down the pathway, “Hana? I know you’re out here. Dinner is about to be served.”
Hana rolled her eyes. “Okay, mom!”
He grabbed Fuyumi’s wrist again and pulled her towards the dining room. Fuyumi wasn’t sure that holding her wrist was necessary, but she didn’t stop Hana, as it was an excuse to touch.
Everyone was at dinner, Tenko sat next to Natsuo, and Hana sat next to Fuyumi. It wasn’t quiet, instead there were several conversations at once, Enji and the Shimura king never joining in any of them. The two of them left dinner early, leaving their wives and children to laugh and have a good time without them.
Touya hardly joined as well, instead he grumbled something under his breath occasionally.
Hana was laughing at something Fuyumi had said when Touya mumbled something again.
Hana looked at him with faked innocence. “What did you say?”
Touya glared and said, “Why does it matter? You guys aren’t going to stop being annoying anyway.”
Rei had overheard from her conversation with Nao, Hana’s mother, and scowled at Touya. “Touya, be nice. That’s your sister and her best friend, who’s family is being very kind to us.”
Touya’s scowl deepened and Fuyumi smiled at her mother. “It’s okay, he’s just grumpy because Keigo isn’t here.”
Touya scoffed and turned to her. “You’d be grumpy if Hana wasn’t here,” he said, turning Fuyumi’s cheeks pink, mostly because she knew he was right.
“Who’d be grumpy?” A voice piped up from the entrance as the door shut quietly.
Fuyumi glanced over to see Keigo himself standing there. “Touya’s grumpy because you weren’t here.”
The boy smiled and looked over at Touya. “Aw, Touya~”
Rei laughed quietly, drawing Keigo’s attention. “Mrs. Todoroki, and Mrs. Shimura, I apologize. I saw your husbands leave, and hoped it would be okay if I could come say hi.” He looked down sheepishly. He knew that soldiers, even highly ranked ones, weren’t to interrupt the dinner, as per Enji’s orders.
Rei waved her hand dismissively. “Of course, Keigo. That’s perfectly fine, in fact, why don’t you join us? There’s left over food if you’d like, and I’m sure Touya would be very happy to have your company.”
Touya sighed and poked at his food. Everyone knew that Rei was right, but Fuyumi could practically hear Touya insisting that it was embarrassing .
Keigo smiled at Rei hopefully. “If you’re sure-”
Keigo did join them in the end, without much argument. Fuyumi knew he’d been hoping to stay with Touya. They were all glad the boy stayed. It turned out that Fuyumi was right, and Touya’s mood could be blamed on Keigo’s absence.
After dinner, Hana pulled Fuyumi away quietly, and led her up an isolated staircase to the far west of the castle. The staircase led to an open tower with large, paneless windows. A breeze blew in and ruffled her hair.
The sun was set low, painting the sky in oranges, yellows and tinges of pink. Hana sat on the windowsill with her feet dangling off the side of the tower. Fuyumi walked to her cautiously, scared to look over the edge. Fuyumi glanced at her friend, worried, but something stopped her from saying anything.
Hana looked so peaceful. Her face was toward the setting sun, her eyes closed and a small smile on her face. Her skin looked golden in the dying light, and the breeze tugged at the loose strands of her hair.
Fuyumi wasn’t sure how long she watched her friend, speechless, but Hana opened her eyes slowly and turned to Fuyumi, her dark eyes practically glowing. Her smile widened, and it took a moment for Fuyumi to realise how close their faces were, their noses almost touching.
Fuyumi felt herself smile back at her friend, and warmth filled her chest, an emotion she didn’t know the name of overflowing.
“This is my favorite spot to watch the sunset,” Hana whispered, and Fuyumi could feel the ghost of her breath on her face.
Neither of their smiles had faded, as Fuyumi said, “It’s beautiful.”
She wasn’t watching the sunset. They both knew it wasn’t what she meant.
You’re beautiful.
Hana bumped their foreheads together softly. “Don’t say things you don’t mean.”
Fuyumi frowned slightly. “Who’s to say I don’t mean it?”
Hana smiled sadly but didn’t respond. They watched each other for a moment, before Hana seemed to get lost in her own thoughts. Fuyumi continued watching her, their foreheads resting against each other. She wondered what the other was thinking about. Had she said something wrong? Had she misunderstood?
Hana’s words startled her out of her thoughts, “I overheard my father talking to my mother. Father wants to betroth me to some prince of another country, to ‘strengthen the alliance’ or something.” She looked down, staring at nothing.
Fuyumi searched Hana’s face, for what, she didn’t know. “What about your mother?”
Hana shrugged and pulled away to glance at the sunset once again. “She doesn’t have much power against him. If he wants something, he’ll go after it.”
Fuyumi looked out across the land as well. She smiled and nudged Hana’s shoulder with her own. “Just tell him you want to be betrothed to Touya. Then, when you come over for the wedding, you and I can run away together. Our brothers can maybe come.”
Hana laughed, warming Fuyumi’s chest even more. “As if Tenko would let me leave him behind. Then, he’d beg me to let Natsu come, too. Where would we go?”
Fuyumi climbed up onto the ledge next to Hana. “Snowdrop Circus, remember?”
Hana smiled and let out a breath. “That’s right. You know, I snuck into town last month while everyone else was busy. While I was there, I stopped by a little flower shop run by a sweet old lady. I asked her about snowdrops.”
Fuyumi hummed. “What’d she say?”
“She smiled at me and told me that the flower had significance to me, she could tell. She was right, obviously. But, she told me that it means stuff like hope, purity, and innocence. Stuff like overcoming obstacles. Maybe it means that we can have hope that we’ll end up together, or that we’ll overcome this obstacle.” She grinned at Fuyumi, who giggled.
“That’s awfully sappy.” And yet, Fuyumi’s heart fluttered and her cheeks turned pink.
Hana’s eyes sparkled and neither of them could bring themself to look away. “So? Who says I can’t be sappy, because if I can’t be sappy, we are going to have problems.”
Fuyumi laughed. “No, I love sappy.”
“Well, that’s good, because I love you.”
Fuyumi’s heart may as well have stopped, her eyes going wide, and her entire body feeling almost weightless. She smiled, and tears threatened to spill. “I love you too.” Her own words were much quieter than Hana’s and she was afraid that the wind would steal them, but Hana heard them, evident by her smile and the way her eyes softened.
~
A knock on her door made the memories vanish, like sand between her fingers. She didn’t mind, she could always go back later and revisit them another time.
Fuyumi slid off her bed and adjusted her night gown as she walked over to the door quietly. Before she reached the door, it opened quickly, and a blur rushed into her room loudly and crashed into her.
She let out a yelp as she hit the floor, a weight on top of her.
Hana sat up quickly, sitting on Fuyumi’s stomach. “Fuyumi! Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry, I thought you’d still be in bed. I wanted to surprise you by getting here early.” She laughed and climbed off of the other to sit next to her instead.
Fuyumi smiled and sat up so that they were facing each other. “Well, you certainly surprised me.”
Hana laughed. She presented a small white box with a bow on it. “Here. Happy birthday.”
Fuyumi stared down at the little box, before taking it carefully. “Hana, you didn’t have to...” She trailed off, inspecting the box.
Hana readjusted so that she was sitting cross-legged with the skirt of her dress draped over her knees and pooling on the floor. “Of course I did, Fuyu. What kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn’t get you anything for your birthday?”
“Hana-”
“Just open it.”
Fuyumi sighed and obliged, untying the bow and lifting the lid off the box carefully. Inside, nestled on a tiny pillow, sat a silver band. She smiled and pulled it out of the box.
“Is this a proposal?” She asked in a joking tone.
Hana watched her with a small smile. “Technically, no. But, if you want it to be, and if you’ll say yes, then it is.”
Fuyumi turned her gaze up, and met soft brown eyes. She left out a quiet breath. “You’re serious?”
Hana’s expression answered her question better than words could, but she spoke anyway, “Fuyumi, I’ve known you for eight years, and I’ve loved you for the same amount of time. It’s super sappy, but when I passed you that note, in that boring meeting where your brother was flirting with Keigo, and our fathers wouldn’t shut up about bandits, there was a part of me that already knew that you’d be special. And when you laughed quietly at the note, I’m pretty sure I thought I would die on the spot.
“And everytime we raced to the kitchens together, I thought my heart would fly out of my chest at the sound of your laugh. When we danced in your father’s throne room, I couldn’t get the thought of kissing you out of my head, so I distracted myself with the circus idea. And you went along with it.” She smiled softly at the memory.
“You really are so special, Fuyumi. Do you remember that flower shop I told you about when I snuck into town?” Fuyumi nodded, listening closely. “I asked about the snowdrops, and the little old lady, she recognized immediately that snowdrops had importance to me. But not only that, she recognized that it was tied closely with someone I love. She let me tell her all about you, after letting me sit behind the table with her. I went back to her about a month ago, actually. She’s doing well, despite her old age. I really do think that woman is a sorceress. She told me not to let myself get into my own head about this.
“I’m getting a little off track, but my point is that you are so important to me, so much so that a complete stranger can recognize it even when I’m simply asking about a flower. I love you, more than I think I have words for, and I understand if you turn this down. However, I still wanted to ask; Fuyumi, will you marry me? I’ve alrea-” Fuyumi cut her off with a kiss, the ring and the box set gently to the side.
When they pulled away, they didn’t go far, resting their foreheads together. “Of course, I’ll marry you, Hana. I don’t know how you could ‘understand if I turn this down’ because even I have no idea why I’d do that.” A tear trailed down Fuyumi’s cheek and Hana wiped it away softly.
They sat back, and Fuyumi reached for the box again, taking the ring out and slipping it onto her left ring finger.
Hana smiled as she watched the other. “I’ve already asked you mother, and my mother. They were both so happy. I thought my mom would cry, and yours definitely did. They said that they’d talk to our fathers, and that if you said yes, the ceremony would be arranged with or without our father’s attendance or approval. While they don’t have as much power as the kings, they’re still the queens and they’re both happy for us.” Fuyumi nodded softly. She knew how their fathers could get. Enji had nearly fired Keigo and disowned Touya when they announced that they were officially dating. They’d been dating for years, of course, but had chosen to keep it a relative secret.
“Thank you.” Fuyumi whispered, and Hana heard the unspoken words.
Thank you for being here. For staying with me. For listening to me. For loving me. For everything you’ve ever done to lead us here. Thank you for being you.
The ring was a snowdrop. The stem, made of silver, wrapped around her finger, and the head of the flower sat where the two ends of the stem met. A tiny diamond rested in the center of the petals.
A snowdrop, the symbol of hope, innocence, and overcoming obstacles.
And for them, a symbol of how much they love the other.
A symbol of them .
Fuyu and Hana, Winter flower.