AN: Thank you to those who review, and those who continue to read. I'm out of the country until Tuesday, so the next update wont be until at least then, perhaps Wednesday. Enjoy.
Santana bent low in the saddle, pushing Snow forwards harder than she knew she ought to, as they flew through the forest towards the outskirts of the Kingdom. Though the horse's nostrils flared, and his sides heaved, his flanks slick with sweat, he complied, galloping even faster than the blistering pace they were already setting, as he sensed his Mistress's urgency. Santana silently thanked her old friend as he carried her forward, no doubt exhausted but still doing her bidding, determined to please her. A league or so back Puck followed the pair, his horse was unable to maintain such a high speed over a long distance, and they lagged behind.
After they had reached the stables earlier, Santana had gone about the place screaming at any one and everyone who crossed her path to ready her own and Puck's horses immediately, whilst she quickly changed into some old riding attire and a cloak she kept at the stables for emergencies, along with a sword that she strapped to her hip in case it was needed. With that, no further words were exchanged, and the Queen vaulted easily onto her white Arabian, Puck also mounting, and the pair galloped off away from the palace.
They were closing on the Baron's castle now, and Santana's body hummed with anticipation, adrenaline made her feel hyper-alert and almost sick with anxiety.
When she finally entered the clearing around the front of the castle, Santana's heart flew into her mouth at the sight she was met with. Lying in the doorway, her long blonde hair hiding her face, her clothing bloody and torn, was Brittany.
Santana pulled on Snow's reins, not bothering to wait until he had stopped, she jumped out of the saddle with her horse still at a trot, leaving him to his own devices as she landed in a run, heading straight towards the girl she loved.
"Brittany" she called out to her breathlessly as she got closer, and that voice that she heard surprised her, it was broken and high-pitched, full of panic and terror and she barely recognised it as her own.
"Brittany?" She questioned, her voice softer this time as she knelt down at the girl's side, gently brushing the hair from her face, and rolling her over until her head was in her lap, her face cradled in her arms as she felt for a pulse. Hot tears escaped the Queens eyes, as a steady push against her fingers told her that the girl she held was in fact still alive.
"Oh God, Brittany, baby, I'm so sorry...so, so sorry" Santana confessed, resting her forehead against Brittany's cool cheek as she broke down, sobbing uncontrollably, her tears saturating golden blonde tresses as they fell.
Brittany awoke to a light, warm pressure and wetness against her cheek. As she opened her eyes, her vision was partially obscured by raven locks fallen across her face, and her mind was permeated with the scent of her. Presuming she was dreaming, exhaustion turning the edges of her vision cloudy, the blonde let out a weary sigh and began to close her eyes once more, content with the visage of having Santana close to her.
At the sound of a gentle sigh, and the feel of a soft puff of breath tickling her ear, Santana lifted her head, and was amazed when her red and tear-filled eyes found unfocused and hazy blue ones. "Brittany?" She questioned hopefully, stroking the girls cheek gently as she stirred again.
"Mmm..." Brittany croaked, half delirious, "I'm sorry, Santana, I'm so sorry... I lied to save his life, and then I carried on lying to give our life together a chance...I'm so sorry" she slurred as she fought to focus on the vision of her Latina angel, whose brown eyes were staring down at her full of concern, and what she dared not hope to be love.
"Shhhh," Santana insisted, gently kissing the blonde's hairline, "It's all okay, it's okay baby" she reassured her, "I've got you, and I'm so sorry I didn't let you explain, I'll never let you go again" she promised, holding the fragile girl close and stroking her hair soothingly.
"I love you" Brittany breathed out, her eyes fluttering closed, before she wrestled them back open to continue to gaze on the Queen's face.
"I love you too, Brittany Susan Pierce, will you do me the honour of being my wife?" Santana asked, her tone proud, though her voice broke and her bottom lip trembled as tears overcame her, made up of happiness and hurt, in equal measure.
"I will, proudly so" Brittany confirmed, "Now say it again?" she whispered as her eyes began to close.
Santana couldn't help the laugh that escaped through her tears at how adorable to girl was, "I said, will you do me the honour of being my wife?" she repeated.
"Not that" Brittany croaked out, "The part where you said my name" she managed, before her head lolled back and she was once again unconscious.
Smiling through her tears Santana gently kissed Brittany's cool cheek, "I love you Brittany Susan Pierce, I will love you forever, which starts right now" she whispered tenderly even though she knew the other girl could not hear.
With that, the Queen shrugged off her cloak, carefully wrapping the blonde in it, before she scooped her up into her arms. Wincing as she noticed the torn clothing and darkening bruises and blood that marred her perfect white skin.
As she headed back to where she had left her horse, the Queen saw Puck, who had arrived a few minutes earlier, and seeing Santana was tending to Brittany had caught Snow, and had been walking the two animals up and down so that they would not stiffen after their long and arduous journey there.
As their eyes met Santana shared a sad smile with the man who had been like a brother to her, who, without needed to exchange any words, gave her a smile in return, before helping her onto Snow's back with her precious cargo, before he mounted his own horse, and they began the journey back to the palace, at a decidedly slower pace than that at which they had come.
On their arrival back at the Palace, Puck had helped Santana sneak in through a rarely used servant's entrance on the east side of the castle, making sure they bumped into no one on their way to Santana's chambers. Once inside, Santana lay Brittany carefully on her bed, before she turned to Puck, and in an uncharacteristic display of emotion between the two, pulled him into a tight embrace.
"Thank you" she whispered into his shoulder, and felt his hold on her tighter in return, those two little words saying enough.
The Latina bolted the door behind her friend as he left, eager not to be disturbed while she tended to Brittany, and in need of some time alone with her thoughts. As she walked back to the bed, her heart broke a little at the sight before her. Brittany was laid out on the silk sheets, her blonde hair, though dirty and tangled fanned out around her head like a halo.
Her face was bruised on the left side, and her dress filthy and torn. Santana had to force down the bile that automatically rose in her throat as she paired the torn dress with the rumours she had heard about the town concerning the Baron, praying that the answer she got was incorrect.
Unable to stand in one position and think such thoughts any longer, the Queen hurried to her adjoining bathing room, and began to pump up some hot water into the bath tub – the palace was conveniently situated above some hot springs, the water from which was piped through the house. With the tub full, she added some of the fine lavender soap her Mother bought for her from the Market, and tested the water temperature, before returning to the still unconscious Brittany.
Perching on the bed beside the other girl, Santana began to carefully remove the filthy bloodstained clothes from her lithe body, forcing herself not to break down, considering how different that moment should have been than what it was. When the garments were off and cast onto the floor, Santana had to squeeze her eyes shut, her fingertips pressed to her lips, as she tried to hold back her tears, her breathing ragged and her chest full of a dull ache that burned her slowly from the inside out.
Brittany's arms were covered in bruises that were clearly finger shaped. Her torso was also bruised; harsh purple and red blotches collected in patches over her pale skin. As she had been sliding off the dress, Santana had lifted the girl slightly to facilitate it's removal, and been horrified when her hand had come back covered in blood, which she had traced back to over a dozen deep gashes across Brittany's delicate shoulder blades and back – the marks of a lashing Santana realized, sickened.
Lying there, bloody, bruised and broken upon her bed, Brittany, the love of her life, somehow seemed so fragile and so broken, and Santana couldn't help but blame herself. Fragments of memories, little snippets of the past flashed through her minds eye… The day by the riverbank when Brittany told her servants deserved to be treated with respect, the afternoon in the monastery when Brittany had cried out as her back touched the wall, the pleading in her eyes at the coronation when she had tried to tell her the truth, the evil glint in the Marquis's as she rushed forward and tore Brittany's dress, whilst Santana stood there and looked on.
Shaking from all the emotions rushing through her mind, Santana took a deep breath and pushed aside all the shame and self-loathing she was feeling. She pushed away her anger, at herself and the Marquis and the wretched Baron. She pushed away everything, until when she looked back at Brittany, all that was left, was love. Letting the love that was swelling in her chest for the blonde before her be her guide, Santana gently and carefully scooped up the now naked girl, carrying her to the tub, and settling her gently in the warm water, taking care to support her neck and shoulders as her body was submerged.
An unfamiliar, but not unwelcome, warmth spread through Brittany's body, and for a moment she felt her exhausted and rigid muscles begin to relax. The relief however, was short lived as pain suddenly flared up all across her back, making her feel like someone was holding a lit torch to it and trying to burn her alive slowly. As the pain brought her back to consciousness, she thrashed and frenzied, desperately trying to escape from the hurt that was ripping through her, panic settled upon her like a plague.
As she continued to fight she become aware of a pair of strong arms holding her firmly but gently, and a voice she recognized from a distant dream speaking softly, and comfortingly to her. As she gave up her struggle, exhausted, and fell back against the side of the ivory tub, she was surprised as the pain seemed to decrease a little, and she looked up into the face of a very concerned looking Queen Santana.
"I'm so sorry, I know it stings" Santana apologized again, her eyes covered by a thin film of tears. Though she was well aware that Brittany's wounds needed to be bathed in order to avoid infection, it killed her to put the blonde through any more pain than she had already been through, even if it was with her best interests at heart. "You're okay baby, I've got you" she reassured her again, as she noticed glassy blue eyes staring up at her.
"Santana" Brittany breathed out, taking in her surroundings, which appeared to be a very grand and modern bathroom.
"I'm right here," Santana promised, still kneeling beside the tub, and holding her gently upright in the water.
Brittany relaxed a little, the screaming stinging of her back dulling to a slightly annoying ache as the warm water and lavender began to do their jobs. She was both relieved and overwhelmed, and she didn't dare to speak again for fear of shattering the dream like bubble she had currently found herself in.
Santana easily sensed this, and she leaned forward to gently kiss away a tear Brittany did not realize she had shed, before she took a washcloth, and after asking for permission with her eyes, began to gently and lovingly clean every inch of the blonde's body.
Brittany remained silent for the rest of her bath. She marveled at the softness of Santana's touch as she cleaned her wounds, and the tenderness with which the other woman ran the most amazing smelling shampoo through her hair and over her scalp made her feel like she was dreaming.
Finally satisfied her love was clean, Santana took one of her largest fluffy towels, and helped Brittany to her knees, before she reached down and lifted her clear of the water, wrapping her in the towel in the process, and carrying her back to her bed. She carefully dried every precious inch of Brittany's body, pausing occasionally to place soft kisses on pieces of her exposed skin, or whisper words of love into her ear as she worked.
As she ran the towel over the finger shaped bruises on the blonde's arms, Santana felt her chest constrict painfully, and she had to ask, "Did he…" she croaked out, unsure of how to phrase her question and terrified of the answer. Understanding what she was being asked, Brittany shook her head, her blue eyes trained on the Latina's face as she let out an audible sigh and her dark eyes filled with tears of relief.
"He tried" Brittany finally spoke up, shivering at the cool breeze that blew in from the shuttered window, causing Santana to instantly wrap her tighter in the towel, and move closer to her, using her own body as a source of heat and to shield the blonde from the cold. "I thought of you, and I grabbed his dagger, and I fought my way out" Brittany told her. Santana smiled at her, a smile full of pride and sadness, tears rolling down her cheeks, as she kissed the corner of Brittany's mouth.
"I will never let anyone hurt you again Brittany" she promised, holding the girl even closer, her brown eyes penetrating blue, displaying the truth behind her words, "I will give my life before anyone ever lays so much as a finger upon you" she stated solemnly, "And if I could I would give my life to go back, and stop myself from being such a fool, for not giving you time to explain, and for letting you end up in this state…" her voice broke as she gestured to the blonde's battered frame.
"Hush" Brittany commanded gently, bringing up her hands to cup the Queen's face, and raising her chin until they had eye contact once more. "You saved my life Santana, when I was being punished…" Santana tried to turn her head, her face contorting in pain as she shied away from merely the word. Brittany gently brought her back to look into her eyes and continued, "When I was trapped there with him… I fought, I didn't let it break me…I didn't let it kill me, and the reason I fought was for you, and because of you. I'm in love with you Santana Maria Lopez, and I will not stand by and watch you blame yourself for mistakes we made together, do you hear me?" she questioned, forcing strength into her voice, though she felt weaker with every word, her abused body still fragile from her ordeal.
"Yes your highness" Santana replied in a whisper.
"I am not a royal, I am but a servant" Brittany commented, perplexed by the use of the title, but finding comfort in finally stating her class openly.
"Perhaps" Santana replied, her lips grazing damp golden hair, "But tonight is the last night that shall be so, for in the morning, if you will let me, I wish to make you my bride, and my Queen."
"I wish for nothing else" Brittany exhaled, and their lips met in a tender kiss, as they held each other close, overwhelmed with emotion and exhaustion.
"Then sleep now" Santana whispered when they finally broke for air, and with that she leaned back onto her pillows, taking the blonde gently down with her, until they lay nestled atop the silk sheets, bodies pressed together. Brittany let out a contented sigh, and her eyes closed rapidly under the weight of her exhaustion. She fell asleep to the rhythmic beat of Santana's heart below her ear, the gentle stroke of fingers through her hair, and the soft caress of lips on her forehead. For the first time in far too long, Brittany fell asleep feeling safe.