Santana ran with a speed and fervor she hadn't used since she had first arrived and sprinted from place to place in the hopes of never being late. There was the added danger of being caught dashing through the castle after hours, but as a royal's servant there were several excuses that could get her past most guards as long as they involved the queen.
Thankfully she didn't need any of them as she was able to avoid running into anyone and arrived at the river with such momentum she jumped clear over the embankment in one leap. Her lungs hurt from the effort, but soon she came to the clearing and was relieved to see Michael and Tina standing together, watching her with rapt attention, clearly eager to make out her identity.
Seeing them, she came to a slow trot and stopped in front of Michael, knowing she needed to catch her breath before she spoke. Seeing that she had something to say, he waited, though it was evident he was eager to move on. While she allowed the air to flow through her lungs she saw that they had packed as lightly as she had, which made sense since a portion of their plan involved moving through water.
"We thought you might be longer, but now that you're here we should leave," Tina urged, already moving towards the woods.
Santana stood clutching the pain in her side and coughed out, "I can't go."
Tina looked confused, but Michael seemed to understand immediately, "Are you sure?" he asked.
"I couldn't have you two waiting for me any longer than need be, I only came to tell you to go."
Taking a step forward, Michael was close enough for her to catch the smell of garlic and spicing salts that always seemed to cling to him, "You are aware this is likely your only and best chance? I do not want to leave you to regret your decision when the sun rises."
She shook her head, "I realized that if I leave someone I love so dearly in this place, I don't deserve love at all. If I leave her then I clearly did not understand what it even meant to begin with."
He nodded, "If you think it wise."
"I don't. I know it will not be easy and for me will most likely not end well, but at the very least it is a decision I know I can live with. For however long that may be."
Tina, clearly not understanding, stepped forward, "What are you talking about? Come with us, there is nothing worth staying for."
She mustered a smile, "For me there is."
The other woman's frustration was evident and she looked to Michael for answers, but he only returned her smile, "Then we will take our leave, but you will not be forgotten."
Santana extended her hand and Michael chuckled, brushing it away and lifting her off the ground in a tight hug, "I wish you both the best of luck," he said before setting her down again.
Tina walked up to her like she was some new sort of specimen to be approached with caution, "You and Puck are mysteries that I don't think I am capable of working out. But if to stay is what you want, then I too wish you all the joy that is to be found here," she said, clearly still miffed as she gave Santana a strong hug.
She returned it and gave the couple one final, lingering glance before she turned and raced back to her prison, back to her own personal hell that held her only salvation. Returning the way she had come, at a much more reasonable and steady pace, she made good time back to her room, and was quite set on going to Brittany's first to let her know that she hadn't left. However, before she could take a single step towards the ornate door she saw the shadow of a monstrous beast ambling up the hallway.
She froze as she tried to make out the form only to realize, as the shadow turned, that it belonged to Azimio. The man was lumbering up the hall, his large sword giving his hulking frame a frightful visage, and seeing it was only him she wanted to relax. There was no reason she couldn't go into her mistress' room, for all he knew she had been called. Furthermore, he was an understeward now and she no longer had to answer to him as a servant of the queen. Yet, as the candlelight danced and he came closer that all seemed not to matter, something inside her was warning her not to be seen. Though there was no one else with him something about his movements made her nervous, it made her feel like prey waiting to be spotted. He was out in the royal's halls alone late at night with no purpose to his stride, just slow steps that allowed her to think carefully before she made a move.
The closer he got the more alarmed she became and she decided that Azimio was not the kind of man she wanted finding her out of her quarters on a hunter's moon. The moon said to give beasts their strength and aid them on the hunt. At the moment she believed that tale applied to him as somehow his shadow made him seem like something far more sinister, and she dashed quickly and quietly into her room. Once inside she feared that she may have overreacted to his presence, her near escape earlier making her senses heightened, however, as she stood by the door she heard him approach and a wash of fear rose in her as his feet stopped just on the other side.
She had no idea what he might want, if he planned to act as past masters had and force himself on her or if he wished to merely make sure she was where she was supposed to be. Either way his presence was unusual and with his large feet blocking the small amount of light from the hall her room went completely dark as she stood with bated breath. It occurred to her to hurry into bed, but again something inside her was warning her to stay still and silent. Even her breathing felt too loud, so she slowed it until even she was unable to detect the sound.
For a long moment he stood there, equally silent, every passing moment making Santana's heart beat faster. And then, for no discernible reason, he walked on.
It was some time after he left that she allowed herself to breathe normally and sank to the floor. There had been no reason for her to fear him, yet something within her did and she had learned to trust her instincts long ago. Azimio was up to something, and she had no desire to find out what.
She wanted to see Brittany again, but after her near encounter she found it best to wait until morning.
Before the sun rose, Santana was back to her regular routine, she was up and at the river before sunlight touched the castle and afterwards she went to receive the same gruel that passed as food. It was with great pleasure that she saw Michael and Tina's places empty and she found that the thought of them living happily, away from their long time prison, cheered her almost as much as the thought of seeing Brittany again.
Puck seemed rather surprised to see her still around and sat next to her, giving a wide smile and a knowing nudge, "That must be one fine lady to keep you here," he whispered to her softly.
Santana couldn't help the smile that blossomed on her face, "She is."
Matthew appeared shortly afterwards and his eyes went to the space that, by now, usually held Michael or Tina. She had no idea if they had invited him or not, but he seemed nothing more than mildly surprised.
"They left?" he asked quietly.
Puck gave a small nod and Santana remained still as she wasn't sure how smart it was to give someone so close to Archibald that information.
Matthew looked casually disinterested as he asked, "How?"
"By sea," Puck supplied quickly.
Santana eyed Matthew suspiciously wondering what he planned to do with that knowledge, but he gave no outward sign of his intent. He only finished his food quickly and left without further comment, leaving Puck and Santana alone to do the same. Following his lead, she finished her food and eagerly returned to her queen's room. Suddenly it felt like the little time that had passed between them seeing each other was too much and she practically sprinted to her duty.
She found Brittany wrapped completely in her blankets and she wouldn't wake, not even when Santana managed to pull them back. But when she looked down on the pale face she found that she regretted their temporary separation even more. She had hidden in her covers to cry out her loss, and Santana wished she could have ended her sorrows the previous night.
Gently she shook the queen awake and when blue eyes opened she could see how red and puffy they were. Those same eyes blinked at her several times as they tried to take her in and seemed to have a hard time understanding what they saw.
"Santana?" she asked, her voice disbelieving and raw from crying.
"Yes, mi reina, it's me," Santana replied, smiling broadly, even though she knew that staying with the woman before her was a mountain of hardships that was only getting steeper.
Brittany merely stared at her in wonder for a moment as if she were doubting her own eyes, but then Santana was suddenly yanked into the most powerful hug she'd ever felt.
"You should have gone," Brittany said, holding her so tightly she could barely breathe, "You should be far from here and getting farther." She choked out and Santana hugged her back, already knowing her next words before she said them, "But I am so happy you are still here with me."
"I couldn't leave you," she said gently, smoothing her ruffled hair.
The blonde pulled her back and looked at her as if she just needed to be sure one final time that the person in front of her was real, "I cried all night, missing you and praying you make it away safely, at the same time wishing I had begged you to stay, because I wanted it so very badly," she admitted, fresh tears springing to her eyes.
Wiping them away, Santana gave her a tender kiss, "I didn't mean to leave you this way all night."
Brittany shook her head, not wanting to hear apologies or to dwell on the past any longer, she clearly only wanted to kiss her and that's what she did. She pulled Santana close and kissed her deeply; it was long and lingering, leaving the smaller woman panting when it broke, but the queen had clearly not had enough. The moment they were apart Brittany covered her jaw and neck with greedy kisses and only when she had finished that task did she take Santana's lips again. They stayed that way in each other's arms far past the time Santana knew she needed to have the queen ready to be dressed, but neither of them seemed to care. And when there was the tentative knock on the door that signaled that the other servants had arrived the queen promptly gave them the order to wait, and turned back to give Santana a kiss that made her forget everything else in the world.
But a time later there was a much heavier knock and they both knew they had put the world on hold as long as it could be. Santana opened the door to see Beiste standing there looking confused at the delay, but she did not comment. The healer and the other waiting servants filed in to tend to their duties and the ones Santana had neglected.
Standing nearby she watched them all work, but Beiste in particular, she watched the large woman check over Brittany's body and investigate the small bruises along her arms before her hand went to feel her belly and Santana had to clench her teeth. She hadn't forgotten the child, not even for an instant, it would never sit right with her and she knew the coming time would be the most difficult of her life, however, she knew when she stayed that this was her fate. It was something that she had to accept, but by no means was she in the mood to celebrate it.
The large woman asked Brittany questions and used most of the tools in her medical kit to figure out something, but Santana never found out what, because before Beiste could say a word Archibald stormed in the room.
"Where is she! Where is Tina?" he roared, and it took a long moment for Santana to realize the king was addressing her.
With a look of worry she glanced at Brittany who seemed completely lost and when she looked back she saw Matthew standing a few paces behind. She wanted to think the best of the other man, but she immediately felt betrayed by him; how else could the king have know she knew anything about his missing servant?
"I don't know, m'lord," she answered quickly.
"Sire, I doubt she has anything to do with it or she would be gone as well, don't you think?" Matthew said quietly.
The king pondered those words before he frowned deeply, "If one of you knows where she is you will be handsomely rewarded for the information," he said in a kind voice. One that had Santana suspecting that his idea of 'handsomely rewarded' was lashings for not having freely offered up the information.
When the room offered no response his angry eyes fell on Beiste, "And why are you still here? She should have been ready some time ago!" he snapped.
To her surprise Beiste opened her mouth and told a complete lie, "It's my fault, I took more time n' examining her than usual, kept anyone from workin' on her 'til now."
"Then finish your work and pay Azimio a visit!" he spat.
Santana's eyes widened in shock at his command and so did Brittany's, the large woman merely nodded and returned to her work as if he had merely asked her to fetch him water later.
Her response left the king unsatisfied in his rage so when Brittany spoke up she feared for her.
"Artie, she has to take more time, please don't punish her for doing as she is ordered."
Seeing this as the fight he had been looking for, he took a step forward, "And who ordered her to do that?"
"I did, she's making sure the baby is in good health," those words silenced the room like nothing had since Archibald's intrusion.
"You are with child?" he asked, sounding more surprised than anything else.
"I would have told you sooner, but I wanted to be as sure as I could before then. That's why Beiste took so long, please don't punish her for it."
Archibald waved his hand dismissively, "Fine, you're pardoned," he said to the bullish woman, "When can you tell me if I'm having a son?"
"That isn't to be known until the child is born, sire," Beiste said, clearly not liking having to continue to talk to him.
The king seemed to stir the idea around in his mind before sighing, "If there is no way to know then carry on, be sure it is in the best of health to ensure I do not have a boy as soft in the head as his mother." Before Santana's impulsive nature could push her to reply to that, Archibald turned to Matthew, "I want you to spread the word of my offer through the whole castle in regards to Tina. Tell them whatever you have to and get one of the simpletons to talk. Also form a search brigade, use the dogs."
Matthew bowed, "That is not a problem, sire, may I suggest you begin your search in the plains? It is the most obvious choice for one who does not know our land as we do, she probably made the mistake of traveling into that wasteland thinking there was respite nearby."
Archibald snorted, "The woman was always a bit simple; make it so." Turning back to the room in general he said, "Carry on and have her down to the dining hall as soon as you can."
He left, closing the door behind him and causing everyone inside to let out a breath of relief, the other servants returned to their usual duties of making Brittany up and combing her hair while the rest chose her clothing and prepared to put it on her.
Santana once more only watched, thinking that, though it had been quite tense and unwanted, the king's visit may have been a good thing. Maybe with his wife carrying an heir she wouldn't have to look at a child growing within Brittany as well as fresh bruises as a daily occurrence. She also felt reassured that it had been Matthew's initial goal to throw the king as far off the trail of his friends as possible. Though it had seemed unlikely mere moments before, she found she trusted Matthew quite a bit more than she ever thought she could.
The morning meal passed awkwardly with Archibald not taking to the loss of his personal play thing well. Azimio had recently brought it to his attention that Michael had escaped as well and the news that Tina had gotten away with her husband seemed to sour his mood even more.
If Santana hadn't already hated him so much she would have started with the fact that the man let the happiness of a woman he had abused sour the news of his wife carrying their first child.
Down the table she could see Matthew prattling on and she knew he was trying to distract the king, to keep him from focusing on what he didn't have. Santana didn't think there were enough words in all the world to do that, but she was grateful for his effort.
Brittany had spent the morning since their reunion in relative silence, neither attempting to touch nor look at Santana in a flirtatious way, but she had learned long ago that only happened when all of her affections were being saved for one specific moment. And her suspicions were confirmed when she found herself kissing her queen underneath their tree before she had barely laid the blanket out. Like that morning, they kissed until air was mandatory and only broke long enough to go again, though this time they were both far more bold with where their hands went. Santana found she was most content with her decision to stay when she had her fingers laced in blonde hair, kissing her queen deeply and eagerly, and she would have been content to be lost in her for as long as they were allowed.
But she couldn't be, because a shiver ran up her spine that had nothing to do with the way her lover was touching her and she knew something was wrong.
Opening her eyes she expected to see someone hovering over them, but the area was clear, yet her instincts were still telling her to stop, so despite her raging desires she did. She sat up, leaving Brittany to look at her with a forlorn and confused expression. Quickly she straightened her clothes and hair as best she could, doing the same for Brittany who seemed to sense her urgency. However, as they sat, looking more or less unruffled, nothing stirred in the cool morning air, not a sound reached their ears as they waited with bated breath.
Brittany was listening hard, her eyes focused ahead of her, but it was Santana who saw Azimio slide silently from beside the tree. It filled her with an immediate terror as the man had moved without making a sound in full armor with his sword strapped loosely to his back, his dark eyes fixed on them and narrowed before he spoke.
"De king requests an audience," he said in a voice so deep and accented Santana had to listen to every word slowly in her head before she understood.
"Why has he sent an understeward?" Brittany asked.
Knowing she wasn't one concerned with titles Santana suspected this was her way of asking why he was lurking around in the royal gardens as opposed to someone who made their presence known, like Matthew.
"He did not say, he only called for you," Azimio said, his expression never changing.
Looking at the man, Santana suddenly understood why Archibald had chosen Karofsky to guard him. Azimio looked like he would survive any fight, but he also looked like a man who would kill a comrade for sport.
"Come then, Santana," Brittany said as she rose with the smaller woman's help.
Santana moved to follow her queen when a heavy hand clapped on her shoulder and she thought she might topple from the weight of it.
"She was not called," he said slowly, his eyes narrowing at his captive as if she had presumed to follow on her own.
Brittany rounded on him and Santana was impressed by her bravado and also worried about her safety as the man seemed as likely to pull out his sword and start swinging at her as talking.
"You release her this instant!" she snapped and to Santana's surprise the meaty hand fell from her shoulder, "She is a servant brought for the specific purpose of tending to my needs, especially in regards to my pregnancy, so where I go, she goes. For someone to call me is for them to call her as well and I will not have you putting hands on her as she is not in your charge!"
He blinked at her slowly before nodding and walking away with that same silent shuffle. They both watched him go, wondering why he had been sent and knowing that the gardens were no longer safe for them.
As it so happened, what the king wanted was to bring Brittany into the council room for the first time as a display of sorts. From what she could make out through his long, rambling speech was that the elders had begun again, in earnest, to question his manhood and leadership due to his continued lack of an heir. He rambled on about his wife's inadequacies and inability to produce a child and how they had been fixed by a healer Santana had never heard of. She had to assume he had referred to someone who was male as he did not like Beiste or anyone of her gender receiving due credit for anything.
Archibald was almost ecstatic to see Santana accompany the queen as she had been a gift meant for such an occasion, and he proceeded on and on in that manner. As if the child's birth would solve all the kingdom's problems.
Santana looked around the room and noted Karofsky and Matthew waiting patiently out of sight and then all of the old men seated in a semicircle around the room, facing the one large chair that belonged to their ruler, and the lesser one that had been brought out for the queen to sit in while he rambled on. They all looked half dead, or completely so, except for Lord Jacob who was fidgeting at the far back corner. Smiling to herself, she wondered if that was the man Puck had spoken of, who kept a woman hidden nearby to make the meetings more bearable.
All the wizened faces focused on Archibald's grand speech and when he had finished no one moved except an incredibly old man in the front row who cleared his throat before speaking in a low, wispy voice.
"Archibald, disregarding how, eh, unusual it is to bring your queen, let alone her servant to this place, what have you proven?"
It pleased Santana a little to see that they had found the same flaw in his reasoning that she had.
The king glared at the old man like he planned to hit him, "What have I proven? That the kingdom's lineage is safe."
"Safe how?" the same man asked, his small voice quavering with the effort of speaking louder, "The child is not yet born and even if it survives the entire term it may be a girl and then what, my liege? Shall we wait here another decade for you to be able to produce another?"
Archibald's face went frightfully red, "You can hardly blame me for her lack of fertility!"
The old man waved his hand dismissively, "Even so, you have done nothing to quell the riots on the western border and all we receive on a daily basis is word that the north and south will follow. Your father has made great strides overseas while his son sits atop his throne to have a perfect vantage point to watch it crumble."
There must have been a serious punishment for harming a council member, because she had never see the king so angry and not physically lashing out.
"Then what would you have of me, my lords? You have asked for an heir and I have given it to you, and please recall my inaction with the border territories was by your command."
"Because instead of allowing us all to speak with the peace emissary you insulted him and stupidly declared war on your own subjects!" shouted an equally old man at the back of the room.
The king was clearly reaching the end of his temper and Santana wished Brittany was not seated so close.
"Then allow me to make good. I will show you I am the man my father thinks me. I can quell the uprising, I swear it, all I need is the council's approval to go to war and those who oppose us will be crushed so quickly they will forget there ever was a rebellion. As I have always said, this child's existence is irrelevant as I will not be killed, but I will have the son you so desire. Do not judge me any longer on failures that have not happened. Let me rule, freely, and watch our enemies fall."
The man who had first spoken looked to the queen, then to Santana before he nodded, "This we may discuss, but after you remove your queen and her aid as they do not belong here."
Like a man ordering a dog he turned to Brittany and jerked his head towards the door, "Go."
Santana moved to her side and helped her up and followed her out of the room; once they left, the large doors were closed behind them with a loud bang that made Brittany jump.
"I had never been in there before," she said quietly, "It is not something I look to repeat."
"Where shall we go, m'lady?" Santana asked, looking at the clerics who stood vigil nearby.
"I'm feeling a bit like stargazing."
At first she had thought her queen a little silly, though Santana knew little of the heavens she did know they were best viewed at night. Furthermore, on the few occasions she had been to the observatory it had been rather hot and atop an absurd number of stairs.
As it turned out things were not the same when royals were involved. There was a lift that took them to the top and opened into the small, stuffy room she remembered. It was full of many instruments and books that Santana couldn't even begin to understand; there was also a small ladder. It led to a much more secluded area, obviously meant only for the royals and their guests to come and gaze at the stars, since it had much better ventilation and comfortable pillows laid out all over. Best of all it was in fact the highest point of the castle and the only entrance was a hatch on the floor, a hatch that was easily blocked with a cushion laid out on top of it by Santana before the queen began to ravage her on it.
"Wh-Why didn't we come here sooner?" Santana stuttered, as Brittany's hands worked their way under her shirt.
"This place is rarely empty, even during the day. Someone is always observing or studying. I took a chance that we would be alone," she said before pulling Santana's shirt off altogether.
"Even up here?"
She nodded quickly before working to remove her belt, "This room is for nobles as well as royalty, many of them come to have their futures told, I think they believe their fortune will be better closer to the stars. I could commandeer the room, but Artie would have to be involved."
Santana was almost amused by her ability to speak of the mundane while undressing her so adeptly.
"Then is this even s-safe?" she yipped as Brittany pushed her chest bindings aside to kiss the exposed skin.
"It is courtesy… to knock… before entering… and we are blocking the only entrance," she said in between kisses before taking a hardened nipple in her mouth.
From that moment on Santana decided to trust her queen to know what she was doing and allowed her to do as she pleased. Emboldened by their seclusion she dared to remove Brittany's layered, lavender dress and take advantage of all the freedom it gave her. In that room she made love to her queen for the first time since she had found out about her pregnancy, and though the knowledge still stung it did nothing to stop her from loving the woman in her arms or from knowing how much her queen loved her in return.
They took pleasure and comfort from one another until the sun's rays began to shine directly at them through the opening above, a sign that it was time to leave. However, laying next to the woman, Santana realized that she had never lay with her lover in the nude anywhere but in dark, secluded rooms. She knew it, because it was a sight she would never forget, the look of sunlight on golden curls, reflecting the color to her face and lighting the curves of her body.
Gently, Santana ran her fingers through the shimmering strands of hair, over her shoulder and down her side, earning her the most loving smile from her queen.
And in that moment Santana was the happiest she could remember ever being.
She wasn't sure why - she was still a slave, the woman she loved was carrying the child of a mad tyrant and a civil war was crashing down on them. But when Brittany smiled at her like that none of it mattered, because it was just them and she did everything in her power to commit the feeling and image to memory. Santana knew she would need to be able to recall it in the future, and if Archibald's plans were anything to go by it would be the near future.
Though it would have pleased her to stay in the observatory forever there was eventually a knock, and Brittany feigned ignorance as to which cushion the door was under until they were dressed.
The men that were waiting seemed exasperated with her, but hid it with bows and pleasantries since, after all, she was their queen.
She walked Brittany to court, wanting to hold her hand, to give her small kisses along the way, to show her love beyond the confines of hidden rooms. But she knew she couldn't, and watching the tall woman walk in front of her she once again steeled herself against the truth. Once more she had to remember that Brittany could never be completely hers, she belonged to the kingdom, Archibald, and the whims of the council, she was a slave in her own way and it was a fact that would not change.
However, when she arrived at court she was informed it was now her right to join the queen due to her delicate condition. And though sitting in at court was merely listening to an endless line of nobles and free men complain about various things, she found that her position seated at the queen's feet, leaning back against her legs, was strangely exhilarating. Brittany would occasionally lean forward and tell her something of little consequence or request water frequently just so she could lean close, always pressing her lips to Santana's ear as a sly kiss as she spoke. It wasn't blatant or out of the ordinary to those who observed, but to the two of them it was something completely different.
It led Santana's thoughts away from what she didn't have of Brittany and to think fondly of all she did.
A/N: A question I wanted to address was: Why pick Matt for a main role in this fic?
Because I only create OC's if there is literally no one else who could reasonably fill the part, and since most of the best candidates have other roles to play I picked Matt because his personality on Glee is best suited for it. (read: he had no personality and could easily be whatever I wanted)
As a matter of fact when I talk to fans of Glee some people never know who I'm referring to if I bring him up. Sad part is I didn't even know he existed until season 2 when Will mentioned he had left... at which point I went back a few episodes to figure out who the hell he had been talking about...