A/N: Hello everyone! This is just something quick I wrote for the prompt from iloveyuri4ver on tumblr. Hope you enjoy it!
Summary: In which Bianca learnt what "shipping" meant.
One True Pairing
It seemed like it wasn't too long ago when Bianca first worked for the von Eylstadt royal family.
At the time, the Archduke was healthy and Princess Finé was as energetic as ever. They would talk about politics and public affairs in their leisure walks in the palace gardens; Finé had always displayed a natural aptitude for diplomacy and governance since she was younger, and the Archduke never stopped nurturing her toward that direction.
It turned out to be the right thing to do, because he didn't live for long and the young Princess was now responsible for the government of an entire nation.
And it wasn't just any responsibility.
They were facing the worst war the country had ever seen in the last hundred years, and a merciless, bloody invasion was threatening the Principality from every corner.
The only thing that stood between them and that horrifying fate was a witch by the name of Izetta.
Because of this sudden turn of events, the Princess's coronation wasn't the only thing they needed to worry about.
They had to figure out the best way to introduce Izetta's powers to the world, and at the same time scare Germania from making any further invasion attempts and gather support from the Allies.
They had to make it..."stimulating", as Elvira would say.
Bianca thought they would have a difficult job staging it...but it turned out it went more smoothly than she expected.
She couldn't help but feel there was something...off with Elvira's "script", though.
"...and then Izetta would swoop in and hold her hand out to the Archduchess, affection and love overflowing from their eyes, then they would fly together in front of the reporters, and Izetta would bridal carry the Archduchess as she raises the sword to the sky, hailing the White Witch, the Protector of Eylstadt! Any comments?" Elvira explained, complete with exaggerated gestures and a dramatic finish.
Elvira, Izetta, Finé, Bianca, and Lotte were sitting on a table in one of the palace studies, each of them holding a copy of Elvira's proposed script. Finé and Lotte both looked very interested, while Izetta's face was as red as a tomato. Bianca felt like she had to say something.
"Um..." she piped up, "This...somehow...seems a lot like a wedding ceremony, doesn't it...?"
Hearing those words, Izetta's blush turned several shades darker, and even Finé couldn't hide her embarrassment when she exclaimed, "Wha...what are you talking about, Bian-!"
"That's precisely it...!" Elvira said triumphantly.
Finé's dropped jaw was more amusing than Bianca thought.
"We have to make the coronation and Izetta stick in people's minds. That place would be jumping, I'm sure, but it won't be enough. You need emotional connection, something deeper that would get people to care and root for Izetta. This is our attempt to do precisely that."
"I...what...I don't understand a thing you just said!" Bianca blurted out.
"You're a fan of the legend of the Weisse Hexe, aren't you, Bianca?"
"Y...yeah, what does that have anything to do with this?"
"Everything. Why do you like that legend, Bianca?"
"Why, you said...well, I think it's a nice and touching story...since the witch kept on protecting Eylstadt although her lover succumbed to his injuries and died..."
"That's the emotional connection I was talking about. That's the reason we care so deeply of the story of the Weisse Hexe. You need something that touches the masses on the primal level, and the story has all the right elements for that. A ray of hope...a heroic tale...selfless sacrifice...undying loyalty...everlasting love! We have to put those elements in our campaign, to strike the hearts of people everywhere."
For a while there was only silence, until Lotte finally spoke in a hesitant voice, "...do you mean...we are deliberately portraying Izetta-sama and Finé-sama as a couple...?"
Bianca couldn't believe Elvira's smug smile. "But...! But they are not a couple...! It's different from the Weisse Hexe!" Bianca said.
"It doesn't matter," Elvira said simply, "We're advertising Izetta as the second coming of the Weisse Hexe. People would immediately associate her with that legend, and in that story, the witch fell in love with an Eylstadt royalty. We just need to portray that and let people's imagination run wild."
"Imagination? ?"
By this point, both Finé and Izetta seemed to be too speechless to say anything.
"Yeah, you didn't know? People would root for some famous figures to get together. It's called 'shipping', and it has existed since ancient times. Fans even write stories about them. It doesn't matter whether they are a real couple or not, as long as in public they keep on having chemistry so strong that the air around them crackles with sexual tension, the public would love it."
"But...isn't that lying...?" Lotte asked.
"It's justifiable, at least until one of them ends up with somebody else. And even then some people just won't care," Elvira went on, jutting her chin, "As for Princess Finé, she has always gained the admiration of women everywhere, and I'm pretty sure not all of them are platonic. A number of them definitely have romantic interests in her, and some probably expect that she would end up with a woman. It's not too far-fetched to assume that she is infatuated with her witch, so I believe this plan would work. Are there any comments from you, Princess? Izetta?"
"...Honestly...this is the first time I heard I have female fans who think of me in that way," Finé said with a blank expression.
Meanwhile, Izetta's face was already buried so deep in her script that they could only see her bushy red hair.
Elvira clapped her hands and happily said, "Now! If there aren't any more questions, let's proceed to a little practice, shall we? And when you've got down the basics we can go to the castle and practice it all for real, complete with Izetta's magic. Carry on now...!"
After the practice was over, Bianca couldn't forget about the outrageous things that Elvira just made her think.
Rooting for two people to get together? Really?
Bianca knew it did happen with friends from time to time. But betting on the emotional connection strangers made for Izetta and Finé because they adored their relationship...?
That was insane.
"Hey, in case you think I'm crazy, I'm not the only one who shares that sentiment," Elvira said when Bianca confronted her once more, "I did my research. I interviewed people, both Eylstadtians and foreigners. A lot of them believe there is something more in Izetta and Finé-sama's relationship. Go figure."
"But aren't they just friends...?"
"Yes, but as far as I see in the palace, they are showing so many hints of their desire to touch each other's nethers that I won't bat an eye when they come out and confess. At least that's what I think. What about you?"
"What about me?"
"What do you think about them? Do you think there is something more about them behind all that?"
Bianca never really paid much attention to it before.
However, now that the true nature of their relationship was put front and center, she begun to notice the little things. The static charge in the air when they looked deeply into each other's eyes. The uneasy and nervous expression they made when their bodies touched. The way Izetta's eyes softened when she was recounting her past with Finé to Bianca in the car that night. How they were so obvious sometimes that Bianca could almost see the butterflies in their stomachs whenever they interacted with each other.
They were subtle, things that Bianca would never notice if she didn't observe closely, but when she realized it, it was as clear as day. Slowly, she began to understand what Elvira meant, and after some time, these hints jumped out at her. She didn't even need a keen eye for that. The Royal Guard Commander soon became curious of what was hiding beneath the surface, but she didn't dare to ask.
Her interest in it became exponentially bigger after the actual coronation take place.
It was so different watching it all unfold on the big stage in front of hundreds of reporters, with their cameras flashing the whole time, capturing every movement they made, every little detail in their facial expressions, every moment that Finé and Izetta shared. For a second as Izetta extended her hand to Finé, Bianca noticed the tranquil lull when they gazed into each other's eyes, as if they were the only two people in the world, an exact point in time that existed just for the two of them. For the first time ever, Bianca felt her heart race. It was exhilarating, and she could also see it from how some of the reporters started exchanging knowing glances with each other. They were aware it would be a scoop, and not just because a witch existed to defend Eylstadt against Germanian invasion, but also because they implied in a very blatant way that she and the Archduchess of Eylstadt were involved.
They probably wondered what happened between closed doors, and Bianca found herself feeling the same thing.
Not that she would ever act out on that desire and demand them to tell her or anything, but she knew she would be excited to know more about their relationship.
She never expected it to happen literally behind a closed door, though.
A few hours after the coronation, Bianca was about to report to the Archduchess about some reporters' reactions when she forgot to knock on her room and was already in the middle of opening the door instead.
That was when Bianca realized that the witch was inside with her and she stopped abruptly.
Finé and Izetta, who were sitting on the bed in their nightgowns and facing the opposite side, didn't seem to notice that Bianca just opened the door.
Her mind in complete turmoil, Bianca was fighting with herself whether she should quietly close the door and politely leave them alone like she was supposed to do, or stay there and secretly watch their conversation.
After spending less than ten seconds debating with herself, she heard Finé's voice and it changed everything. Frantically, Bianca slightly pulled the door back so only a slit remained, but it was enough for her to look at the two girls inside.
"...you didn't do yourself justice just now..." Finé's playful tone reached her ears.
"...I can't just show them everything...it would be dangerous," Izetta replied, "And we will make a demonstration of the full extent of my powers later on anyway, right...?"
"That is true... they will be absolutely mesmerized and we can stop the Kaiser from invading..." Finé leant her head against Izetta's shoulder, "...and that is all because of you, Izetta. Thank you."
"I-it's nothing, Princess!" Izetta stammered with a nervous wince, "This is all I can do for you..."
"Don't say that..." Finé regarded her eloquently, "Even if you didn't do any of those things, you are still my most important friend...The fact that you are here for me during these hard times means a lot to me..."
"I... remember when you asked me to run away at first. You were trying to protect me from danger...weren't you, Princess...?"
"...I still feel conflicted about all this."
"I told you I want to do this, didn't I...? I can't just stand around and let the invasion happen... I want to help you, Princess. Tanks and planes don't scare me-"
"And they should!"
Izetta looked stunned by the Archduchess's suddenly raised voice.
"...sometimes...I wonder if I really have done the right thing..." she admitted with a somber tone, "Like...I woke up at night and asked myself...What the hell did I just get my best friend into...?"
She let out a long sigh, staring emptily at her hands. "Can I...even become a good Archduchess...?"
"Princess..." Izetta said to her with an assuring voice, "People are celebrating. They believe you will be a great ruler. I believe you will be. Nobody else thinks of the people of this country as much as you do."
Izetta gave her a small smile. "You always give your all to your people, no matter who they are. Even if that person is a witch..." she said firmly, leaning closer to the Archduchess until their foreheads nearly touched, "...That is what I love about you."
"Izetta..." Finé whispered, almost tearfully.
From outside the room, Bianca's heart skipped a beat when she saw the smile falling from Izetta's face, replaced by a gaze of admiration as Finé held out her hand and put a strand of scarlet hair over her ear. For a while, they remained in that distance, as if there was an invisible rope tied between the witch and the Archduchess. She could feel it in her bones, a tension so thick it resembled an impenetrable brick wall. And the tiny movements of their eyes and breathing reminded her of small ripples on the surface of water, which gradually accumulated into splashing waves. Izetta's hands shook when the Archduchess drew closer, a dash of crimson eyes met purple as she tilted her head and slowly, very slowly, her lips reached forward to hers...
But just before they touched, Izetta began to panic a bit. She pulled away, frightened, putting a hand on Finé's chest.
"...Izetta...?" the Archduchess mumbled.
"I..." the witch stared at the floor, looking more breathless and confused than she had ever been in her life, "My heart...feels like it's going to explode..."
The Archduchess couldn't say anything for a while before she gave out a laugh. "Whaat? Are you telling me your heart's kaput?"
"This...this has never happened before!"
"You just need to relax."
"What...?" Izetta said, blushing furiously.
"Take this! Tickle attack...!"
"Wait...sto...Princess...! !"
As the Archduchess threw herself over Izetta, Bianca felt like she had intruded on their privacy enough and closed the door behind her. Her heart was still pounding in her ribcage. Those romantic vibes...that electricity in the air...they were so real and enthralling that they stole her breath away. Those two definitely felt something for each other...although it seemed too early for them to take it further.
And I, Bianca... she thought, pumping her fist with sparkles in her eyes, ...will make sure that they end up with each other, without fail...!
"So here you are, Bianca...!"
She turned and saw Elvira walking toward her in excitement while carrying several photos.
"The pictures of the coronation are done! I need your help to choose the best photos of those two for my article, and-"
"Let me do it!" Bianca said, surprising Elvira with her enthusiasm, "Oh, but in return, you have to give me copies of the pictures."
"Um..."
"Each and every one of them!"
"Did something just...awaken inside of you?" Elvira asked, perplexed.
"Will you give me the photos or not?"
Elvira glared at her for a few moments before deciding that she was not going to ask, "Alright. Do you want to help me with the article too?"
"Sure thing!" she said, skipping along merrily.
Bianca had decided that she would support their relationship silently from the sidelines. And she realized that sometimes... it was the tiny things that helped win the war. Like the simple love between an Archduchess and a witch.
END