Title: we are right
Summary: This time, our princess isn't content to wait around in towers and our prince hasn't always been the knight in shining armour, but that doesn't mean that it's any less remarkable —-James, Lily and stepping into the light —for Cass
Challenge: Big Sis/Lil' Sis Team Prompt Competition, using the prompts: 'I never loved you anyway'; phrase: too many to count; word: dusk and emotion: calm.
Notes: This is the companion piece to Cassie's (our dancing days) gorgeous fic 'we are wrong' which you can find on her profile.
"There'll be no comfort in the shade of the shadows thrown," -Mumford and Sons, Lover of the Light
James stands in a corridor of the castle where dreams have been made and dreams have been broken; in the castle where princes and princesses have fallen in love and heroes have fallen, and he wonders which scenario is going to become the tale of his life. Lily stands in front of him, and all that is on his mind is whether Lily is going to become the princess or whether they'll fall apart.
And they are stood in the corridor of their castle, and there is a war raging outside – people are dying and hearts are being broken and lives are being ruined, but for some reason, the evening sun is still shining and spilling through the castle windows, and James knows it's so wrong, so wrong, because he shouldn't be thinking about things like the gentle curve of Lily's lips or the way her hair flows down her back, he should be thinking about growing up and fighting for the right causes, but she looks so radiant and beautiful right now that he can't help himself.
There are so many reasons why he shouldn't – they're at war, he doesn't want to have his heart broken or break anyone's – but there are also many reasons why he should – in fact, there are too many to count. The main one being that he has wanted to for many years. And, so, he does.
He leans slightly towards her, because even if his behaviour in the past hasn't been completely gentleman like, he is still the prince of this tale and he still has some manners. He ducks his head slightly, and she stares into his eyes and then, miraculously, she leans in the rest of the way, and suddenly, his lips press to hers and my goodness – this is finally happen, Lily is finally kissing him and nothing has ever felt better.
He has spent the last seven years of his life chasing after this wonderful, inferno girl, and finally, she seems to have slowed down and melted back into his arms, and it's better than he has ever imagined. They are standing in the pre-dusk stone corridor, and, even though this girl isn't a damsel in distress who needs a man to break her out of her stone prison, he swears that the power of them could knock down any tower and break any barriers.
Eventually, Lily leans away and James does as well, and they smile stupidly at each other, and all they are, in that moment, are two very-nearly-in-love teenagers who are stuck in the middle of this war and want nothing more than each other's lips on their own.
It's been three months in the making – three months of stolen smiles and sleepless nights and loaded stares full of hidden meaning, and finally, it has happened.
But, as James glances up at Lily and her suddenly clenched fists, he realises that they're not quite ready to ride off into the sunset yet.
"Why did you wait?" Lily asks, her eyes blazing brightly.
James looks at Lily, at her burning eyes and flaming hair and he knows that in this tale, this princess won't be content being the one that needs saving.
"That felt so right," James breathes, his soul shining brighter than ever before. He knows it's probably the wrong thing to say, but all he can think of is the feeling of her lips on his, and the way her auburn hair tickled his cheek and the way her scent clings to his robes.
"Do you think I'm an idiot?" Lily spits, and James knows he's said the wrong thing, again.
"No!" James exclaims, desperately wishing he could read girls' minds, somehow.
"We can't do this – there's a war on and people will die, and how can we do this?" Lily frets, shaking her head at herself, her voice rising in panic.
"Yes we can," James replies, trying desperately to return to what they were just a moment ago.
He leans into her again, and presses his lips against his. This time, the kiss is gentle and loving, and it's not new or unusual and it kind of feels like home. Lily sighs a gentle sort of sigh, and James thinks for a minute that perhaps she's calmed down, but barely a second later, she pulls away, and James swears he can feel her aura crackling with anger.
"I never loved you anyway," Lily nearly shouts, her eyes raging, and he understands in this moment that she's angry at James because he could've kissed her at any point in the last three months, since they kind of became friends, but he hasn't. And, she's annoyed at herself. She thinks she's being selfish, because they're at war and it shouldn't be a time for thinking about childhood love.
But there is no bite to her words. James knows she is angry and he knows he has said the wrong thing, but he knows that she doesn't truly mean it.
"We both know that's a lie," James replies softly, and he can tell that his calm demeanour is infuriating Lily.
"Then why aren't you playing this game with me?!" Lily yells, her temper finally getting the better of her. For the second time, James knows what he is thinking is so wrong for the moment, but he can't help but notice how unbearably gorgeous she looks when she's angry.
And, James scolds himself because he realises that he has been foolish, oh so foolish. He has chased after her for god knows how many years and then, finally, at the last hurdle, he held back and didn't kiss her until the last moment, for fear of breaking both their hearts.
"Why?" James replies calmly, a fierce contradiction to Lily's molten rage.
"I don't know why," Lily shrugs, her voice lowering and her shoulders becoming less tense.
"Yes, you do," James says, because he knows just as well as she does that this is the truth.
Lily looks up at James, and her jade eyes seem to somewhat soften: the raging temptress of flames is dying down, replaced by her usual kind, beautiful gaze. Hazel eyes meet jade, and their look is loaded with meaning, and James can tell that they both understand.
"This is right - don't you see it? I want you!" he says, passionately, only wanting to convey to Lily just how much she means to him. All he wants is to take her hand right now and to walk off together and try and live out their own happily-ever-after.
Lily looks at James, and then bites her lip, looking to the stone floor. James knows that this is another one of those moments that could change everything, and he thinks for a moment that he's blown it and he curses himself.
"Then kiss me," Lily finally whispers, breaking the silence.
James swears that his heart skips a beat, and all he wants to do is to hold her close to him and kiss her softly and passionately and whisper just how much he means to her.
But, it's been so many years and he's already been let down and, above all, he wants to do this right. He wants to make sure that she truly means it, that she truly wants him as he wants her. He doesn't want to screw this up.
"Why shouldn't I?"
"Because we were always meant to be," Lily whispers, and it feels as though the clouds are dispersing and their future is finally shining through the grey.
"I've always believed in fate," James smiles, his heart leaping.
"Well you should never stop believing then," Lily whispers, and she smiles shyly.
"Are you really saying you want me?" he asks, disbelieving, and praying to every deity and god above them that she truly does.
"Are you really stopping me?" Lily laughs, stepping closer to him.
"I've lost my mind," he jokes back, and this is, he knows it is.
And then, a golden silence follows and it's the kind of crushing quiet that happens when you know that your world has changed forever and you couldn't be any happier about it.
"No," James whispers, softly.
Suddenly, a ray of pre-dusk sunlight hits the empty corridor, illuminating the ancient stone walls, and Lily turns her head to him and takes another step towards him.
"Kiss me and never look back," she whispers, and James crushes his lips to her without a moment's hesitation.
This isn't like either of their other kisses – it's not brand new nor is it gentle. Instead, this kiss is passionate and loving, and it is filled with the unrequited love and all the want and patience of the last seven years moulded into one, burning proclamation of love and care for her.
Eventually, they break apart and smile at each other, and James looks at Lily and he knows that this is it - this is the start of their future.
He holds out his hand, and she intertwines his fingers with hers and he knows that they were the boy and the girl that were always meant to be.
In this fairy-tale, it took a lot longer than most usually do, and perhaps this prince was too big-headed at times and this princess was sometimes too feisty but, at the end of the day, it doesn't mean that their love is any less epic that that of the heroes that have been before.