The Windflower Chronicles is being written as part of Elenaomi Week! This story, and all the other stories featured in this work, are part of an anthology. While some can be considered in the same continuity, they're not strictly connected or even sequential.
This particular story features slightly more mature subject matter than the other stories in the anthology, so reader discretion is advised.
O-O-O
Day 5 – Lover's Quarrel - "Harboring Resentment"
O-O-O
Elena sat on her throne in the royal palace of Avalor, in the midst of another busy day of her duties as queen. At the moment, she was conversing with her royal wizard Mateo, and though her meeting with him was technically official business, getting a chance to talk to one of her close friends was always the highlight of her day, and the conversation between them had drifted from professional to personal.
"So... Carla's really coming along with her magic, and I wanted to get her something to congratulate her for making so much progress," said Mateo. "I'm not sure whether I should get her a new set of robes or a nice pendant."
"Why not both?" asked Elena. She smiled and leaned in, clearly able to see the blush forming on her friend's face as he continued to talk about the former rival who was now becoming his close friend. "I think she'd appreciate either one, but if you presented them both as a set, I think it'd really impress her."
"Who said anything about trying to impress her?" Mateo replied nervously. "It's supposed to be an official award from the royal wizard, not some kind of present...!"
"Come on, Mateo, everyone can see it..." said Elena, leaning in even closer.
"See what? Wait a minute, Elena, are you saying that Carla and I are... are..."
"I didn't say anything."
"Yes you did!"
As Elena began to laugh, the door to the throne room opened, and in stepped Gabe, general of the royal guard. He had a somewhat stern look on his face, not the usual look of satisfaction that he normally had after completing a mission. He and the guard had been sent to conduct a raid on an establishment called the Pink Jaquin... nominally a private club down at the port, though most in Avalor City knew it as the city's most famous brothel, where sailors, tourists, and anyone who wanted to could 'have a good time'... and by good time, one wasn't referring to a festival.
"General Gabe," said Elena, rising from her throne. "Anything to report on the Pink Jaquin operation?"
"Yeah," replied Gabe, with frustration in his voice. "It was a total bust. When we got there, the place was totally empty."
"That's impossible," said Elena. "Even at this time of day, there's usually dozens of people there... workers and patrons alike."
"Exactly," replied Gabe. "Which means..."
"Someone tipped them off," said Elena. By now, Mateo could tell that Elena was going to be busy with this one for a while, and decided to dismiss himself, exiting the throne room. He'd decide for himself what present to give Carla, while Elena and her general had much bigger concerns. "But who could've done such a thing? The only people who knew about this operation were in the Royal Guard."
"I've already checked for leaks, and there's no way any of my guards could have done it. Most of them only found out about this operation right before it was to go down, and there wasn't enough time for any of them to have contacted any of the people at the club."
Elena put her hand to her chin, thinking hard for a few moments. She didn't have a clue who might've possibly leaked information about the Pink Jaquin raid, or who would even have the motivation to do so. Then she remembered something, and almost dismissed it out of hand before realizing that it was still worth looking into.
"There was one other person besides the Royal Guard and myself who knew about the raid," said Elena. "Naomi knew... but she couldn't possibly... she'd never go behind my back on something like this, would she?"
"Naomi? No way, she's the most honest person I know," said Gabe, expressing surprised that Elena would even slightly suspect her best friend.
"And she's the only one who could've leaked it... plus, she's been at the harbor all day doing interviews for business permits... I mean, I don't want to believe it's Naomi, but who else could it be?"
"I'll talk to some of my guards again, ask if any of them might've had the chance to pass the information along, or even just mentioned it in passing. I'm telling you, it can't be Naomi."
"In the meantime, I'll go down to the harbor and pay her a visit... surely it's not Naomi,, but..."
Elena's voice trailed off, as she tried to fight off the thoughts that Naomi might've done something to undermine her. They'd had disagreements, sure, plenty of them, but they always talked about these things openly, always worked it out, came to some kind of compromise or convinced the other to see their point of view. They'd never lied to each other, not since Elena became queen and Naomi became chancellor. As Elena exited the throne room and prepared to head down to the harbor, she continued to reassure herself that Naomi couldn't have tipped off the people at the Pink Jaquin to the raid... but also asked herself over and over again...
What if she did?
O-O-O
Down at the harbor, things had calmed down since the failed raid on the Pink Jaquin, and a few short blocks from the building, Naomi was meeting with one of her oldest friends since arriving in Avalor. She was meeting with a young woman named Anabel, who Naomi had known even longer than she'd known Elena. Though the two weren't as close as Naomi and Elena were, they'd kept in touch since Naomi had joined the Grand Council, and Naomi made a point to check in on her often... which was especially important considering the nature of Anabel's job.
"I can't thank you enough for what you did today, Naomi," said Anabel, tightly hugging her friend. "We had no idea it was coming... why's the queen cracking down on prostitution all of a sudden?"
"She wants to clean up Avalor and lower crime... we spent so much time going after the Delgados that a lot of petty crimes went by the wayside, and once she took the throne and noticed how many problems there were down here, she wanted to make sure things improved."
"But we're not common streetwalkers, you know that," said Anabel, looking more sad than insulted.
"I know, and I'll try to convince Elena that she needs to go easy on places like yours, but in the meantime..."
Naomi placed her hand on Anabel's shoulder. Anabel sighed, and Naomi gave her a reassuring look.
"You and the other girls should just lay low for a while," said Naomi. "Do you all have places to go?"
"Madame Valdez is making sure all of us have plenty of food and a safe place to stay," said Anabel. "We'll get by, don't worry..."
"That's good to hear," said Naomi. "If any of you need anything, just let me know."
"Naomi... you don't have to do this," replied Anabel. "I know you've already gone way out on a limb for us, if Elena finds out you tipped us off-"
"I'll be fine," said Naomi. She hugged Anabel again, and as she was doing so, Elena appeared around a corner and began to walk over. Naomi saw her, but knew that Elena didn't know Anabel, so she had no problem parting from the hug casually and waving goodbye to her friend as the queen approached. "Elena, what brings you down to the harbor?"
"We need to talk," said Elena. Naomi knew that 'we need to talk' was the universal language for some kind of relationship problem, and began to look slightly nervous, thinking that Elena may have just figured out what she'd been up to. "Remember when I told you about today's Royal Guard operation, and said that you needed to stay clear of the Pink Jaquin for a little while?"
She knows, thought Naomi, who wasn't even going to bother trying to keep up the lie. Guess she'd have figured it out sooner or later.
Naomi looked around and saw that there were numerous people walking around, and didn't want to have any arguments out in the open in front of everyone.
"Can we talk somewhere private?" she asked, her eyes darting slowly back and forth. From the nervous tone in Naomi's voice, and her eagerness to take their discussion somewhere else, Elena already realized that her fears about her best friend and chancellor were correct, and her expression became a mix of disappointment and anger.
"Like where, exactly?" asked Elena. Naomi looked and saw that the Pink Jaquin building no longer had a guard posted nearby, so she gestured to her friend to follow her there. "In there?"
"We both know it's empty," said Naomi.
Elena sighed and began to follow Naomi to the vacant brothel, getting more and more upset with her friend with every step she took.
My chancellor... my girlfriend... went behind my back! And not just over something little, she tipped off criminals to a Royal Guard operation! If it was anyone else, that would be worthy of a long stay in the palace dungeons! Why would Naomi do such a thing? She's never lied to me since becoming chancellor, why would she start now?
The two entered the building, and Naomi closed the door behind them. Inside, the entrance was a sort of cross between a bar and a large hotel lobby, with tables, a stage at the back, and stairs leading up to a second floor, along with a pair of hallways leading to more rooms on the ground floor. As far as brothels went, the Pink Jaquin was one of the classiest, and one of the biggest, in all of Avalor. Though it had the appearance of a reputable social club, it was clearly something seedier behind the scenes, and though the main entrance smelled of pleasant perfumes, Elena still wrinkled her nose in disgust at the thought of what went on in those back rooms.
"Naomi, I already know the answer, but I want you to tell me right now: did you tip off the people here about the raid today?"
"Yes," said Naomi, without a hint of hesitation. "And I have a good explanation."
"You'd better!" shouted Elena, her voice rising sharply. "Do you have any idea what you've done? You interfered with an official Royal Guard police operation! You committed obstruction of justice in service of a crime!"
"Are you going to listen to me?" asked Naomi, her voice rising as well, though not as much as Elena's. Elena crossed her arms in front of her chest, leaning against the bar and glaring harshly at her friend. "Let me explain why I tipped off the people here, and then you can decide whether you want to punish me or not."
"I don't want to punish you at all," said Elena. "The problem is that I have to. But explain yourself, and then I'll figure out if the punishment should be small or severe."
"...okay," said Naomi, sitting down on one of the tables and letting out a long sigh. "I guess I should start from the beginning. One of the girls here, Anabel, is a really close friend of mine. We've known each other since I first got here from Norberg... since before you and I met."
"So you did all this to protect your friend?" asked Elena. "What about our friendship?"
"Are you gonna shut the hell up so I can explain this to you?!" shouted Naomi. Elena gasped slightly, looking quite offended that Naomi had snapped at her so harshly and in such a disrespectful way, but Naomi, unfazed by Elena's reaction, continued to speak. "When I met Anabel, she... wasn't doing too great. Her dad had died a while back and her mom was real sick... they were trying to get by, but then her mom died and she was left alone. My dad and I tried to help her, but... she ended up on the streets, and you know what usually happens to girls on the streets."
"Not in Avalor," said Elena.
"Uh, yes, in Avalor, especially before you got out of the amulet. You think Shuriki gave a damn what happened to hookers down at the port? And even after you came back, we were so busy going on adventures and you were so busy learning how to rule that there wasn't nearly enough time to clean things up in parts of the city. Just because we've mostly seen the pleasant things doesn't mean that there aren't unpleasant things out there... they don't call it the Everrealm's oldest profession for nothing."
"So... your friend became a prostitute," said Elena, her tone softening slightly. She felt genuinely bad for Anabel... she knew it wasn't the girls' fault that they ended up having to perform such dangerous and degrading work, and part of the reason for the crackdown was to make sure they had somewhere safe to go... but it was still a crime, and the punishment was still a stay in the dungeons. "What happened to her?"
"A better question would be, what didn't happen to her?"
"Naomi, I'm sorry about what happened to Anabel... but that doesn't change the fact that this place has no right to exist."
"This place saved her life, Elena! It's saved a lot of girls' lives... back when she walked the streets, she had no protection, if someone wanted to hurt her, she had to fight them off herself... and she was constantly being called terrible things by people out there, things like 'gutter trash', or even 'harbor slut'..." Naomi shuddered at the last one, barely able to repeat it herself... Anabel wasn't the only one who'd been called that, Naomi had as well one night when she'd gone out walking with Anabel to keep her safe. She hadn't participated in anything sexual, obviously, she'd just gone with her that night to escort her through some of the most dangerous parts of the city, but even a simple walk had subjected her to terrible verbal abuse. "But then she was able to start working here, and Madame Valdez took care of her."
"Madame Valdez?" asked Elena, raising her eyebrow.
"The proprietor," said Naomi.
"You mean pimp," Elena spat, her disgusted tone returning.
"Madame Valdez isn't like that... believe me, if she was, she'd be locked up in the royal dungeons right now. She takes care of all the girls... no one's forced to work here, and she makes sure they're safe. When guys come in here, she vets them, all of them. The girls are all paid fairly, enough to get them back on their feet, so they don't have to work here very long if they don't want to."
Naomi pointed behind the bar. Elena turned and could see a tamborita sitting there, which had belonged to Madame Valdez but had gotten left behind in the workers' haste to leave after Naomi's tip.
"You see that tamborita?"
"Was Valdez going to use it to try and fight off my guards?"
"No," said Naomi. "Every john that comes in here has a spell cast on them that checks them for diseases, and every worker has that same spell cast on them before they start work. If they've got... you know, syphilis, or even just a cold, they glow a certain color, and Madame Valdez knows to send them away... if it's one of the girls, she pays to have them sent to a medical clinic."
"I can't... I can't believe what I'm hearing, Naomi!" shouted Elena, walking over to her. "You're defending a brothel, you're defending a person who takes in girls-"
"Women, actually," said Naomi. "That's another thing, all the women who work here are adults, she makes sure of that too."
"I don't care if they're a bunch of old ladies, prostitution is a crime and this place needs to be shut down! And we were on the verge of doing that before you screwed it all up by leaking state secret information-"
"State secret?" shouted Naomi, rising to her feet. "You act like I betrayed the kingdom to Shuriki or something! All I did was help some young women with nowhere else to go stay out of the royal dungeons! Now they're out on the street, and if they can't work here, they're going to have to stay on the street, and they'll be back to where they were before, in danger of being killed by their clients or whatever else can go wrong out there!"
"It sounds to me like they'd be better off in the dungeons than on the streets!"
"They don't belong in the dungeons!"
"Prostitution is a crime!" shouted Elena.
"You act like I don't know that!"
"No, you do know that, Naomi, and that's even worse! You knew there were crimes going on here, and you compromised an operation to stop those crimes from happening, which makes you just as guilty!"
"And I'd do it again!" Naomi screamed, turning away from Elena and walking toward the back of the room.
"Don't walk away from me!" Elena screamed back at her. She started to walk toward Naomi, only to nearly trip on the table Naomi had been sitting on. In frustration, Elena let out a loud scream and threw the table aside, making a loud crash as it flipped over, and startling Naomi, who turned to face her with a hint of fear in her eyes. "Naomi, you're welcome to disagree with me, but I never thought... I never imagined that you'd go behind my back like this! If you didn't agree with the operation, you could've just told me, and we could have talked about this together!"
"I didn't want to talk about it with you because I knew you'd be like this," said Naomi softly.
"Be like what?"
"Ever since you took the throne, you've been determined to 'clean up Avalor', cracking down on everything... especially this. Some of Anabel's friends who were still out on the streets ended up in the royal dungeons, I didn't want her to end up in there too."
"Naomi, the punishment for prostitution is a week in the dungeon, your friend would've been in there a few days, tops. You could have gone to visit her... you could've asked me to give her a royal pardon and I would have."
"This isn't about my friend, Elena, this is about every young woman in Avalor who's forced into this life. Do you think I like prostitution? You think I agree with what Anabel's doing, or Madame Valdez, or anyone? Of course not! I've told her a bunch of times that she needs to find something else to do, but for some people in this city, there's not. You've got people like Dona Paloma with tons of money, and then people like Anabel with practically nothing. The fact of the matter is that there's always going to be this kind of thing in Avalor. This isn't some fairytale story for little kids, Elena, this is the real world, and as long as there are lonely sailors on shore leave and as long as Avalor City is one of the busiest ports in the Everrealm, there will always be prostitution here. I just want it to be safe, you want to force these girls out onto the streets."
Elena didn't want to force anyone out onto the streets, and Naomi's implication that she did caused a new wave of anger to rise up within her. Clearly, her girlfriend didn't trust her to do the right thing, and because of Naomi's actions, she wasn't sure whether she could ever trust her again... something that hurt her even more than any of Naomi's angry words had.
"I can't believe you'd think that of me," said Elena. When Naomi tried to reach out to her, Elena turned away. "And I especially can't believe you'd undermine my authority. I made you chancellor because you have the best instincts in the kingdom, and I trust you completely... but only if you're honest with me, which you weren't today. I have never been more upset with you than I am right now..."
"I didn't want to go behind your back-"
"Then why did you?" snapped Elena.
"Because it was the right thing to do," replied Naomi.
"And that's another thing... not only did you go behind my back, but you're not even apologizing! You keep insisting that it was the right thing to do, but did you ever stop to consider that you're the only one who thinks that way?"
"I think the girls here would agree with me!" shouted Naomi.
"Of course they would, they're criminals, and you helped them! And now I don't know what I'm going to do with you!"
"I don't care," said Naomi, turning away from Elena. "You can do whatever you want."
Elena started to say something else, but as she felt even more anger rising in her, she felt herself getting choked up as well. She didn't want to say something she might regret... and she was upset that she was so mad at Naomi that she would even think of saying such things. All she knew was that all of this was Naomi's fault, and if she didn't get away from her, she'd probably say something even more hurtful, and she needed to have her mind clear to decide what she was going to do.
If I can't trust Naomi, maybe she shouldn't be my chancellor anymore.
And if Naomi shouldn't be her chancellor anymore, maybe there was something else she shouldn't be anymore either.
...if I can't trust Naomi, can I really be in a relationship with her?
Elena felt an even bigger lump forming in her throat, but she couldn't cry, not now, not in front of Naomi, who she was still furious with. She looked at Naomi again, and could see her girlfriend's shoulders shaking slightly.
"Naomi-"
"Just don't talk to me right now, Elena!" Naomi suddenly shouted, not even turning to face her.
"...fine," said Elena bitterly, trying to hide the sadness in her voice. "...but we are going to talk about this later."
Elena walked out of the room, leaving her girlfriend alone. When Naomi finally turned back around, Elena had already left, and she was by herself in the big, empty room. She looked all around, at the gaudy decorations, and the beautiful stairs lined with pink carpeting, and thought to herself for a few moments, wondering if protecting all of this was worth it.
Was this worth my relationship with Elena? I've never seen her that upset with me before, even when I came back and let that creature get away and got her arm broken... I beat myself up after that for so long, but she forgave me so quickly... even if I didn't think I deserved it.
In her heart, Naomi still believed she'd done the right thing. She hadn't imagined Elena would get this upset with her... but understood why she would, even if she didn't agree with it.
I hated lying to her... I know that's why she's mad, not because she hates these girls. But... what can I do? I have to make sure they're safe... but I don't want to lose Elena... I love her more than anything in the world...
As Naomi felt the first tears coming to her eye, the door opened again. Thinking it might be Elena, Naomi wiped her tear away quickly, not wanting to show any signs of being upset in front of her friend, and preparing to continue arguing her piece. Only... it wasn't Elena who entered the room, but Anabel.
"Anabel," said Naomi, walking over to her nervously. "You're supposed to be laying low with the other girls, if any of the Royal Guard comes back and sees you here-"
"I heard everything," Anabel replied. "I saw you and the queen come in here and I got worried, so I stayed outside and listened..."
"Oh," said Naomi, her shoulders slumping. "You heard all that, huh?"
"Naomi, I can't believe you'd fight so hard against your girlfriend for us... for me. I know how close you two are... I'm sorry you had to do all that..."
"Yeah, well... it was the right thing to do," said Naomi as she and Anabel walked over to the table Elena had flipped. Working together, the two picked it up from the floor and set it back down in place, even making sure the arrangement of the chairs were the same as before. "I can't let them shut this place down and put you guys back out on the streets... not after everything that happened to you before."
"...thank you, Naomi," said Anabel, reaching across the table and taking her friend's hands. "But... I think you should go back to the palace and apologize to Elena."
Naomi sighed. She wanted to go back and apologize to Elena... she desperately wanted the two of them to mend their relationship, back to the trust and happiness they had before. But going back and apologizing potentially meant giving up on her mission of protecting the prostitutes of Avalor City, and she couldn't do that, not after everything her friend Anabel had been through.
"But Anabel, this place, it means everything to you and the other girls. If I let Elena and the guard shut it down-"
"We'll be okay, I told you."
"You'll be back on the street," said Naomi.
"I'm never going back on the street. If this place shuts down, I'll get by. I'll find work, I've got enough saved up to live on my own for at least a few months."
"...I could help you," said Naomi.
"There'd be other girls who'd need it more. Naomi... you've done so much for me since my mom died, and I can't thank you enough, but I've seen you and Elena together. She... she loves you, and I know you love her."
"More than anything," said Naomi, smiling for a moment and clutching her hands to her chest. "...and I hated going behind her back, even if it was the right thing to do. I've never lied to her like that before... I can't imagine she thinks very highly of me now."
"She thinks the world of you," said Anabel. "I've seen the two of you together... everyone in Avalor knows you're going to be married someday."
Naomi blushed fiercely, trying not to think too hard about Elena, especially when she was still mad at her. Naomi dreamed about being together with Elena forever, but now thinking about her just made Naomi sad... and she desperately hoped she hadn't ruined their chances at being a couple.
"I disagree with what Elena's trying to do to this place, but she's a great queen, and a great person... you both are, that's why you're so good for each other. Please... patch things up with her, even if it means the end of this place. You've done so much for me already... I'd hate to be the reason my best friend loses her dream."
Naomi felt another tear coming to her eye, and this time, Anabel was the one to reach up and wipe it away.
"And from now on, be honest with her," said Anabel. "That's one of the things I've always liked about you, is that you're so honest... don't lie to her for me, or anyone else. She deserves the truth, no matter what."
Naomi sniffled and nodded her head, and leaned into Anabel's hand tenderly, closing her eyes as her friend continued to comfort her and wipe her tears away. As much as she loved Elena, Naomi also cared deeply for Anabel, and hoped that her friend would soon be able to leave this vocation entirely, even if she was safer with Madame Valdez than she ever would've been on the streets. Anabel always had a way of making her feel better, just like Elena did, and she'd never been more grateful to her friend than she was right now. She stood up from the table, and when Anabel did so as well, she wrapped up her friend in the tightest hug she'd ever given her.
"Thanks for that, I needed it so bad," said Naomi, sniffling again.
"Any time," said Anabel. "And don't worry so much about me..."
"I can't help it," replied Naomi. "I want to protect all my friends, you and Elena."
"She's the luckiest woman in the world," said Anabel.
Naomi would've disagreed, but she'd already had one disagreement with a good friend today and wasn't in the mood to have another. She and Anabel walked out of the Pink Jaquin together, and as Anabel went back to her safehouse, Naomi made her way back to the palace, hoping she and Elena could patch things up, even if she was still determined to make sure her other friend was safe.
O-O-O
Elena had already returned to her throne room, and was in somewhat of a foul mood as she sat in her throne. She'd calmed down somewhat from before, but her conversation with Naomi had weighed heavily on her mind, and she didn't have any idea what to do. She hadn't spoken with anyone about what had happened... Mateo, Gabe, her grandparents, especially not Isabel, though she imagined her sister would be the first one she'd speak to as she tried to figure out what to do with Naomi... or even if there was anything to do.
She certainly didn't want to rush to judgment, but she was so hurt and upset that her friend had gone behind her back... it had damaged the trust she had in Naomi, the one person she could trust more than just about anyone else in the world... the girl she loved and wanted to spend the rest of her life with.
And as Elena tried to reconcile her love for Naomi with her frustration and anger at Naomi's actions, the door to the throne room opened, and the exact person that Elena had been thinking about walked into the room.
"Elena?" said Naomi, slowly and humbly approaching the throne.
"Naomi," Elena said softly, her expression and tone as stoic as it could be. The two looked at each other, standing about half the length of the throne room apart as Naomi worked up the courage to speak.
"I'm... I'm sorry that I went behind your back. I betrayed your trust, and your confidence, and I should have talked with you about the operation instead of sabotaging it in the way that I did. You trusted me, and I... I... I'll never betray you like that again."
Naomi had begun hesitating, as she struggled not to get choked up during her apology. Elena started to reply, but Naomi had something else to say, as she clenched her fist and stepped forward, her eyes becoming more resolute and determined as her voice grew stronger as well.
"But I'm not sorry for helping the women at the Pink Jaquin," said Naomi. "I'm not going to apologize for doing the right thing. I'm sorry for the way in which I had to do it, but I'm glad I did it and I would do it again, and whatever action you take in response, I'm prepared to accept."
Elena rose from her throne, the stoic expression still on her face as she walked toward Naomi. Naomi grew slightly nervous, but didn't show it as Elena began walking toward her. When the two were just a few feet apart, Elena took a deep breath, then exhaled, and her expression softened as well. She looked into Naomi's eyes, and started to speak.
"I'm... sorry too," said Elena. "I'm sorry for getting so upset."
"Why? I deserved it, I betrayed your trust and went behind your back."
"You did what you thought was right, and honestly, it probably was," said Elena. "And it wouldn't be the first time someone in this kingdom's done something to undermine authority. I mean, I used to go behind the Grand Council's back when I disagreed with one of their decisions."
"I know, I helped you some of those times," said Naomi, smiling slightly as she remembered some of her earlier adventures with Elena.
"So I understand why you did what you did."
"But it doesn't make it right. You trusted me, that's why you made me your chancellor. We decide on things together, we don't go behind each other's backs... not just when it comes to Avalor, but... in our relationship too. You're my girlfriend now, and I did something to damage your trust... which I know will take a long time to rebuild. I promise, Elena, I'll never do something like that again."
Elena could see the intense regret on Naomi's face, and she immediately closed the gap between them, taking her friend's hands and lifting them up.
"It's okay, Naomi. You haven't damaged anything. You still have my complete trust."
"Elena..." said Naomi, her eyes starting to water now. She already trusts me again? After all that from before?
"I love you, and love is about being able to trust the ones you love. You made a mistake, but you owned up to it. I made a mistake too... and I'm hoping you'll forgive me."
"Elena, there's nothing to forgive..."
A tear slid down Naomi's face, and Elena immediately pulled her into a tight hug... followed by a quick peck on the lips, a sign that the love between them was still completely intact. They parted from the kiss, and walked back to the throne together.
"So... we still have to settle this Pink Jaquin situation," said Elena. "Obviously, I'm not going to be on board with legalizing prostitution in Avalor."
"I'm not asking you to legalize it, I'm asking you to tolerate it," replied Naomi. "Work with a few select brothel owners, make sure they understand that prostitution is illegal and that their establishments can be raided at any time unless they follow a strict set of rules. Focus on arresting johns, go after the demand rather than the supply."
"You've thought a lot about this, Naomi," said Elena, sounding somewhat impressed. "Just how long have you been looking out for your friends at the Pink Jaquin?"
"For at least a year," said Naomi. "Most of the johns Gabe's been arresting? Those are guys who got a little too... aggressive with the girls over there. Madame Valdez passed their names along to me, and I made sure they got pulled off the streets."
Elena couldn't help but smile. On the one hand, it was definitely an abuse of Naomi's power, albeit a slight one. On the other hand, she had no problem conceding that every single guy that ended up in Avalor's dungeons for soliciting prostitution over the last year definitely deserved it.
"I hope you didn't tell him to rough them up, because the Royal Guard doesn't do that to prisoners," said Elena.
"Well... there were a couple guys that treated the girls at the Jaquin really badly, and I... may have asked to go on a walk-along with Gabe for those, and there might have been some accidental low blows after the suspect started 'resisting'..."
"Naomi!" scolded Elena sharply.
"I know, I know, I know... everything above book from now on."
"I'm not making any promises about how we're going to handle things regarding these brothels," said Elena. "I'll need to have the Royal Guard inspect each and every single one, and even then, I have to make sure the city is safe. If these brothels start bringing in more crime, and people start getting hurt, they're gone, and I'll need your cooperation."
"And you'll have it, I promise," said Naomi.
"Next time there's a raid on an establishment like that, I'll let you decide how things are handled with the workers. The recommended punishment for prostitution is a week in the dungeons, but it's only a recommendation, not a hard and fast law, and I'll let you decide what the punishment is for anyone we arrest in those raids."
"We'll both decide," said Naomi.
Elena smiled and nodded, and as the two stood in front of the throne together, they looked into each other's eyes warmly, so relieved that their argument had been resolved so quickly. Elena continued to hold Naomi's hands, looking into her eyes with admiration.
"Naomi, you've always been someone who stands behind her convictions and who does what she thinks is right. I know why you've been protecting those girls... I know why you do everything you do, and it's one of the things I love most about you. You've never been afraid to do the right thing, no matter what the consequences."
"I know, but I risked our relationship to protect that brothel," said Naomi, still feeling some regrets.
"Our relationship was never at risk," replied Elena, just now realizing what she should have known all along. "I was mad, I was really upset, and I acted terribly back there... but I never stopped loving you, not even a tiny bit. We're going to disagree on things... lots of things, and I was upset that you went behind my back, but I know you'd never betray my trust about anything truly important."
"Important or not, I can't go behind your back like that. Not again."
"I know," said Elena, gently stroking a few strands of Naomi's hair aside and looking into her beautiful blue eyes. "And I know I can trust you with anything... because I love you, Naomi."
"I love you too, Elena..." Naomi replied. She leaned up and kissed Elena passionately, tears streaking down her face as she did so. Elena reached up and wiped them all away, and held Naomi close until she stopped crying, kissing her until all her sadness and regret faded into memory.
It took a little while for Naomi to stop crying... she didn't stop crying until she stopped thinking that she didn't deserve Elena. Finally, she realized that it didn't matter what she deserved, and that Elena would love her always.
And Naomi felt Elena's lips part from hers at last, though the embrace continued, and one thought entered Naomi's mind as she and Elena held each other.
I'm the luckiest woman in the world.