Notes: Listen….. you don't know How Long I've wanted to write a fic for literally Any fandom with King and Lionheart and Mountain Sound as inspiration. Like….. basically for as long as that album has been out. Anyways, there was a collection of prompts I received that definitely didn't fit in canon, and didn't fit in my other two au verses I do prompts for, so guess who created a new one LOL. All chapter titles will be from an Of Monsters and Men song.

Anonymous asked: 41. Forbidden Kiss

Brittany knows she's not supposed to fall for her, she knows that, but it's like— It's like trying not to breathe; no matter how long she tries to hold her breath she eventually has to give in.

It's not something she could have ever controlled; in fact, it's something she wouldn't mind erasing because it would be so much easier to just quietly pine after Lady Santana from afar rather than working as her personal guard and vassal—which is both the best thing to ever happen to her and the worst kind of torture.

Lord Julio figured that a female guard would be far more subtle and attract less attention than some hulking knight following Lady Santana around, and having a female guard also meant that there would be no rumours of inappropriateness circulating among the gossiping staff.

Which would all be fine assuming that Brittany didn't, you know, go and fall in love with the woman she was charged with protecting.

And it's not like she's just pining after some beautiful noble lady, because she knows Lady Santana, has since they were kids; and they've only gotten closer since Brittany was named her personal guard. Lord Julio had insisted that Brittany always be in the same room—or at least, in an adjacent room—as his daughter, which means that Brittany has a small bed in a partially sectioned off corner of Lady Santana's room. Brittany would consider them close friends if it weren't for the fact that she's technically a servant to Lady Santana and her family.

And that's the problem right there. Brittany knows Lady Santana because they kind of grew up together, what with the fact that Brittany's uncle is the Captain of the Lopez family guard. Her and Santana used to terrorize the castle together when they were kids and too young to realize how different their titles were, always getting into trouble and out of it with two innocent smiles. Until Brittany's uncle, with no children of his own, decided that his niece would be the one to uphold the family legacy as vassals of the Lopezes and he sent her off to start battle training while Santana started training to take over for her father, meaning that they didn't see each other for years. When Brittany finally came back, it was to a young woman who was the same girl she grew up with in private but the new aloof and distant Lady Santana in public.

So Brittany knows she's not supposed to fall in love with her.

And in line with that idea, she's also pretty sure she isn't supposed to be kissing Lady Santana, but like, Santana's lips are so soft and sweet from the apples that Brittany can barely remember her own name, let alone force herself to stop for something as trivial as social hierarchy.

Lady Santana felt like going apple picking so the cook could make some pie—which sent a tiny thrill through Brittany because Lady Santana doesn't even like pie, but apple pie just so happens to be Brittany's favourite—so they're completely alone again, which means that Lady Santana is back to being just her Santana.

Her Santana is snarky and teasing and affectionate where Lady Santana is proper and austere and just a little bit mean; her Santana isn't afraid to get her breeches dirty in the spring mud or tickle Brittany until she can't breathe or nap in a patch of sunlight on the cool grass.

The groove is still technically on the castle grounds, which means they still have to be careful, although no one but them ever go out here anyways, and the tree trunks and surrounding bush grow so closely together that it's impossible to even really see the small apple groove, let alone spot two girls inside.

"The best apples grow at the top," Santana says as she eyes the abundance of fruit far away from the picked over lower branches.

"Oh no," Brittany says instantly, "No way. Your father will straight up kill me if I let you climb an apple tree."

"He'll never know," Santana protests.

"He will when you come back covered in leaves," Brittany corrects, reaching over to pluck a small collection of them from Santana's dark hair, "Or when you come back with a broken arm."

"But the best apples," Santana pouts.

Brittany sighs dramatically and lets her head loll back, squinting up at the sun and wondering why she even bothers pretending that she won't do anything for Santana. She reluctantly reaches for her belt and unbuckles it, handing her sheathed sword and the leather belt to Santana, who takes it with a knowing grin. Brittany crosses to the tree that looks the easiest to climb, only to be stopped by Santana bouncing up on her tiptoes to kiss Brittany's cheek in thanks, her breath smelling of the sweet apples they've been sharing all afternoon.

She blushes the entire time she climbs the tree, and she blushes all the way through her fall when a branch snaps and she tumbles out of the tree in a rain of leaves and apples.

"Brittany!"

Brittany blinks in a daze, seeing about three Santana's swimming above her. She groans as the Santana's converge back into a single one, her dark eyes wide and her brows drawn together in panic, long waves of hair blocking out the sun around them. "You're cute when you're worried," Brittany mumbles.

Cool fingers flutter across her still flushed cheek, dancing around to the back of her head to check for blood before cupping Brittany's jaw when she finds none. "You're insane," Santana says fondly, "Why would you climb so high?"

"You said the best apples were at the top," Brittany explains simply, "So I wanted to get the best apples for you."

Santana's eyes soften and melt, and Brittany only manages a small smile before Santana is kissing her, soft and sweet and yearning. Brittany gasps into her mouth because she's still a little dizzy from her fall and not altogether convinced that she didn't just knock herself out and is dreaming this now. But Santana's lips are firm and insistent against hers, and while she knows that there's a list a league long about how inappropriate this is—starting with the fact that Santana is a Lady and she's the daughter of a widowed and then remarried launderer—she can't come up with any reason to protest.

Santana is smiling when she pulls away, the sun unable to shine through the thick curtain of Santana's dark hair around them, cocooning them in their own little world. "You're cute when you've been kissed senseless," Santana whispers, and Brittany can't do anything but catch Santana's lips with her own and try and make herself look even cuter.