It had happened with the wave of a gypsy woman's arm. She'd stopped to stare at Alita and Falis as they watered their horses at a stream, on their way back to the palace after dealing with some ruffians causing trouble in an outer village.
Then she'd raised her hand and uttered a single word, "Return!" and Alita and Falis were suddenly back in their original bodies, staring at each other's shocked faces.
"Hey, wait!" Falis cried, running after the gypsy woman as she unconcernedly continued on her way. "How did you do that? We've been trying for months to find a way—"
The gypsy woman stopped. "It's much easier to put something back where it's meant to go than it is to take it out in the first place." She glanced from Falis to Alita and back again. "You preferred your previous situation? Because if so…"
"No," said Falis hurriedly. She stared at her hand, clenching and unclenching it repeatedly. "This is good. This is very good. Thank you."
"Yes thank you," Alita echoed, though truthfully, her own feelings about the matter were more complex. "You must allow us to repay you…"
With a laugh, the gypsy woman shook her head. "Never mind that, dears, I rather like the idea of the Princess of Forland owing me a favour. Be on your way, now. Perhaps one afternoon I'll stop by for tea."
As Alita and Falis continued their journey towards the palace, Alita stared down at her own hands, holding her horse's reins lightly. These hands were quite different from the last time they'd been in her possession. Then, her hands had been smooth and white and beautifully manicured, the hands of a sheltered princess.
Since Falis had taken over her body, Alita's hands had known all kinds of work she'd never dreamed her body would be capable of before. Wielding a sword. Fighting with her fists. Her hands had become strong and calloused, sunburned and scarred. Her body was muscled in a way that she would have found horrifying before, though she didn't feel like that now, and her lungs could breathe easily, drawing in as much air as she desired.
It hadn't taken Falis long at all to discard the corsets Alita tried to make her wear, saying there was no way she could fight like that.
Falis must have sensed something of Alita's unease. "You okay?" she asked, glancing back as their horses picked their way single file along a narrow part of the forested path.
"Are you going to leave now, Falis?" Alita found herself asking. The prospect was upsetting in a way she couldn't really put into words.
Falis narrowed her eyes and turned around. Her back was rigid when she answered. "I guess you don't have a use for me anymore."
"That's not what I meant."
"Then what did you mean?" said Falis, turning to look at her again.
Alita wondered, not sure herself. She knew that Falis could sense her confusion, but she also knew better than to openly admit it. "I want you to stay," she said. "Teach me how to fight in this body. Teach me how you fought when you were me."
After a long moment, Falis nodded, eyes inscrutable. "All right," she agreed.
Falis was a gruelling master, but Alita knew she had it easy, comparatively speaking. Her body was already in peak physical condition thanks to Falis's tireless training during the time when the body had been hers.
And Falis was pushing herself extra hard, as well as Alita; she too had to re-learn how to fight in her old body, though she was much more adept at it than Alita was.
At least she complimented Alita on the condition in which her body had been returned.
One day, not long after the incident with Teoria, Alita had woken to find Falis burning all of her maid's outfits on a bonfire in the garden. With a horrified cry she'd rushed out, trying to save the burning clothes, but it was no good. They were nothing but ash.
Afterwards, she'd been sobbing and furious. "Don't you understand anything?" she'd yelled savagely. "These belonged to Milano!"
Falis had been unrepentant. "You can't keep hiding behind a dead woman, Alita. Besides, I hate seeing myself dressed like that every day." She brushed her hand over Alita's cheek, eyes sharp and demanding. "That's my body that you're in, and when I get it back, I expect it to be as fit and strong as the day I left. You can't fight if you're wearing that maid's outfit."
And from then on, Falis had made Alita start training with her. She'd ordered new clothes for Alita that were all less tattered versions of the bounty hunter gear Falis used to wear. She'd taught Alita how to move, how to wield a sword, a dagger, a bow and arrow. How to fight with nothing but her bare hands. How to track, how to hide, how to survive in the wilderness.
Alita had discovered a whole new world of freedom in Falis's body, and she began to wish she could stay like this forever, that she'd never have to go back to being Princess Alita, the helpless girl who couldn't do anything for herself.
But now, she was back. She was Princess Alita again, and the best she could do was become a better self than the one she'd been before.
With that conviction in her heart, she gritted her teeth, picked up her sword and got to her feet after Falis had thrashed her for the fifth time that day.
Panting and dripping with sweat, she prepared her stance, trying to remember everything Falis had taught her. "Come at me," she said.
Falis smiled, and raised her sword.
Several weeks passed. Alita found she didn't like being back on the throne. She was uncertain, she gave unclear answers, she didn't fight back when anyone disrespected her. She was trying to be different, but being back in her old body…It was like she was slipping back into her old personality as well.
The court began to whisper. What was wrong with the princess? After the attempted coup, she'd come back to them acting like a man, she'd convinced them she was strong enough to be the leader of Forland, but now…
Alita knew it wasn't that Falis had acted like a man in her body. That was just how the court rationalised it. The difference was that Falis had acted like someone worthy of respect, someone worthy of leading the kingdom, and she hadn't hesitated to use her skills to put anyone in their place who needed it. It was just that women weren't taught to act like that, they weren't allowed to, so the only way the court could explain it to themselves was to say she was a man.
An afternoon came when Alita felt like she was going to lose her mind if she didn't get out of the palace for a while. She abandoned the huge pile of paperwork on her desk and went to the window, calling out to Falis training in the garden, "I can't take this anymore, Falis. Let's go riding."
"Finally something interesting." Falis gave her a grin. "You had me worried. I thought you were going to go all prim and proper again."
"Princess Alita." Alita looked down to find Jodo giving her a disapproving stare. "I really must counsel against this course of action."
"I'm sorry Jodo, we'll be back later."
Alita tossed the apology over her shoulder, already running out the door so she could go and get changed into her riding gear.
Jodo's sigh followed her.
Alita felt her disposition much improved that evening, after galloping wildly over the hills with Falis and coming home to hot baths and a huge dinner, of which both of them partook with great gusto.
Jodo's eyes got wider in disbelief the more Alita ate, but at least he didn't say anything. It was odd. He'd never objected to Falis's appetite when she'd been in Alita's body, but it was like he expected that Alita would immediately go back to her dainty habits as soon as her body was her own again.
After they'd finally finished their meal, Alita rose from the table. "Falis, would you come to my chamber tonight?"
Poor Jodo went as red as a beet. "Princess Alita!"
"Ah, don't worry, Jodo," said Falis, patting the old retainer on the head as she passed. "The princess doesn't mean it like that."
Alita paused in her stride. She wasn't sure that she didn't not mean it like that, if she was to be honest. She met Falis's eyes for a moment, and saw the surprise that flickered through them.
The two didn't speak again until they reached the privacy of Alita's chamber.
"Not there," said Alita, as Falis sprawled herself in an elegant sofa. "I'm exhausted. I want to lay down somewhere comfortable."
Without hesitating she continued on to her huge bed, ignoring how hard her heart was pounding. She claimed half the mattress, fluffing the pillows under her head, and looked towards Falis enquiringly.
Falis reached the edge of the bed and looked down at her with a strange expression Alita had never seen before.
"Well?" Alita raised an eyebrow, knowing she was giving Falis a challenge, and also knowing that Falis hated to turn any challenge down.
She wondered if she only imagined the faint pink flush that crept into Falis's cheeks as she flopped down beside her, all apparent nonchalance.
"Have it your way, Alita. What did you want to talk about?"
"The kingdom," said Alita. "I need to know how you did it. When you were pretending to be me, everyone respected you. They looked up to you. They believed in you. I don't know how to do that. You've seen what I've been like these last few weeks. At this rate, the kingdom will—"
Falis silenced Alita's fears with a finger to her lips "Hush. There's no point getting yourself worked up like this." She moved her hand to brush her fingers through Alita's hair, the gesture intimate and tender. "You need to learn to trust yourself more. No one will believe in you if you don't believe in yourself first." Her mouth curved into a lop-sided smile. "You're at a disadvantage there, compared to me. You were never taught to be anything but your brother's shadow. I had to fight and forge my own path to become who I am. If you really want to rule this kingdom, you have to develop your own strength, and you have to learn to believe in it."
"I am trying," said Alita in frustration. "You're teaching me how to fight, I've been making Jodo teach me about political negotiations and the economy, I've been travelling all over the kingdom with you to learn about the different lives people lead, the different terrains and how defensible or otherwise they are…But I still…I wonder if a person can really change that much. How can I ever make up for being the coward who ran away and left Milano to die? You'd never do that to me, would you?"
Alita gritted her teeth, both surprised and annoyed at the stray tears she could feel leaking from her eyes.
"You weren't the only one who did that to Milano. It was everyone in the court who went along with it, who thought it was okay. But it wasn't okay. So much bloodshed could have been avoided that night, if you'd been taught how to be the heir to the throne instead of a pretty ornament for people to look at. You're not at fault for how you were raised. Besides, you were never a coward. The first time I met you, you bargained your own life away to me for the sake of the kingdom. And what about when we were on the run from Kaito and Cecilia? You tricked Kaito into following you to keep me safe. You were ready to sacrifice your life for me that night."
It was rare for Falis to give so many words of praise all at once. Usually the best Alita might expect were a few terse words of encouragement at the end of a training session, and even that was a rarity, an indication she'd done exceptionally well that day.
Falis's voice was different too, gentler than normal, and she allowed her hand to drift over Alita's cheek in a comforting gesture, eyes warm.
"You need to realise, Alita, that you've never been weak. You've always had the makings of a great leader at your core. You just have to stop being afraid."
Alita sighed and leaned into the caress. "You're right. I know you're right. Just like you were right when you said I had to stop hiding behind Milano's memory. Even if I try to take her place, it can never bring her back." She chewed her lip. "And I couldn't keep pretending to be Falis, the great bounty hunter either. I guess I'm just stuck being Alita."
Falis huffed in amusement. "I'm sorry, you weren't fooling anyone, even when you looked like me and dressed in nicer versions of my old clothes." It was said too playfully to sting, but Alita knew Falis was right about that too. She still had a long way to go if she ever hoped to match Falis's skills.
"You should—" Falis paused, her hand still lingering on Alita's cheek. "You should trust yourself, Alita. This kingdom need a princess like you. Someone who won't run away, no matter how great the challenge."
"Thank you," whispered Alita. She covered Falis's hand with her own, more comforted than she dare let on by the confidence Falis apparently had in her. Drawing in a breath, she released Falis's hand and slid her hold down to Falis's waist. When Falis didn't object, she curled her fingers and left her hand there.
"Have you thought about what you want to do now, Falis? I know I asked you to train me, but…I don't want to feel I'm holding you back. Your life is your again own now." She gave Falis a smile, grateful but a little sad. "You did everything I asked of you, and now thanks to that gypsy woman you've finally been paid the bounty owed."
Alita thought Falis might take offense at the question, as she had in the forest, but she didn't. Instead, as if giving herself time to think, Falis rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling, one arm thrown above her head.
Alita's palm now rested over Falis's abdomen; she could feel her muscles expand and contract as she breathed.
"I can't go back to being a bounty hunter," Falis whispered, her voice curiously raw. "It would hurt too much without Dominikov and Pete." She turned her head to meet Alita's eyes. "But I think you already know that."
"I suspected," admitted Alita. "You know…You're welcome to stay here with me. I'd be glad to have your help."
Falis gave her an irreverent grin. "I just might be tempted, but not if you want me to be your maid."
Alita sniffed in amusement. "Agreed. What about an official advisor? Or the new leader of the Knights? We lost a lot of good soldiers in the coup."
Imperceptibly, Falis shook her head. She rolled onto her side again and gave Alita a searching look. Her eyes sharpened, fire sparking in their depths, and in a sudden movement she flipped them so that Alita was on her back with Falis's weight pressing down on her.
"What if I said," Falis asked, her lips almost brushing against Alita's, "that I wanted to be the Princess's Consort?"
This was bold, even for Falis. Though in some half-unacknowledged part of her mind Alita might have invited Falis to her chamber hoping for exactly this outcome, she hadn't expected things to move this quickly. But then, Falis was clever. She could hardly have failed to pick up on the cues Alita was giving her.
Very deliberately, Alita ran her hand down Falis's arm in a long caress and meshed their fingers together. She licked her suddenly dry lips, wondering whether that was her own heart or Falis's she could feel pounding. "You can be that," she said, "if you want."
She felt Falis freeze above her, her eyes going wide in shock. "Don't joke, Alita."
"You think I'm joking right now?"
Alita raised her free hand and unlaced her shirt, letting the garment fall open to expose a good portion of her chest and shoulders. She hadn't once worn a dress since she was back in her own body.
"I'm not joking."
Falis's breaths were loud in the silence. She dropped her eyes from Alita's unflinching gaze, but only as far as the skin that was bared to her. With one of her hands, she pushed Alita's shirt aside further, and ran the edge of her thumb over part of the scar Alita now carried on her chest.
"I'm sorry about that," she said regretfully, glancing up into Alita's eyes again.
Alita nodded. "I know, Falis. You've told me before. It doesn't matter. My brother injured you when you were fighting him in my body. It couldn't be helped. Anyway…" She traced a line over Falis's clothes, following the position of a long, thin scar she knew to be on her back. "You have some scars too. I saw them, when I was in your body."
"But I'm a common bounty hunter. I'm not a princess."
"You're hardly common," Alita pointed out with a smile. "Besides, I really don't think I'd care for someone who wouldn't want me because of a scar."
While she would have died before admitting it, Alita had cause to know quite a lot about Falis's body besides what scars she had – She knew what she liked, what felt good, and she suspected it was probable Falis knew the same about her. Being trapped in another's body for months could do that.
It made her blood quicken, it made her wet between her legs, to think they both might have reason to put that knowledge to use tonight. She reached up to Falis and pulled her down, kissing her with all the passion a princess most certainly should show to the lover she'd invited into her bed.
Falis was still for a moment; then gave a quiet moan and melted into Alita's arms, kissing her back hungrily.
When they parted to draw breath, Alita grinned up at her, relishing the impatient desire she saw in Falis's eyes. "We'll discuss your other duties tomorrow," she said.