Hola! I was so angry when Kinzie died in The Blood of Olympus, I thought of this drabble nearly ASAP. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing and nobody.
13. I'm in Love with You: "i know im supposed to be your best man/maid of honor, but maybe i should mention now that i'm in love with you"
"Milady," Kinzie said, knocking on Hylla's door and pushing through it at the same time. "T-5 hours."
"Excellent," Hylla said getting up from her desk in a hurry. "Thank you Kinzie."
Kinzie came in, holding the dress bag over her shoulder. She'd been inside Hylla's chambers on multiple occasions but there was something about it now that made it awkward. Perhaps it was simply knowing that things would change and that somebody else would walk in as openly as she did in… Well, in five hours.
"Here is the traditional gown," Kinzie said unzipping the bag. The dress was old; and by "old", Kinzie meant Bronze Age old. It was the original dress worn by Othrera during her wedding to Ares. The train was as dramatic as the skirt was flowy, and the straps and plunging neckline left little to the imagination. Not that… Not that Kinzie ever used her imagination. Not like that, no.
"Great queens have gotten married in this," Hylla said numbly, her fingers stroking the flowing white fabric.
"One day they'll add your name to that legacy," Kinzie added.
"Thank you," Hylla smiled softly. "Can you help me put it on?"
Kinzie wasn't sure if she could handle that: Hylla looked stunning even without the dress on. Her hair was pinned up in twists and curls and her eyes, lined with kohl, looked even more fierce than usual. She'd been barefoot and wrapped in her bathrobe, but Kinzie knew that she'd been working just before she'd barged in. There was yellow highlighter on her fingertips.
"Of course, Milady," Kinzie said.
"Kinzie," Hylla said. "I'm asking you as a friend. Not as your queen."
Kinzie blushed.
Still, she did as Hylla wanted her to, needed her to. She washed the highlighter stains off of her hands. She touched up her eyes. She wrapped her arms around Hylla's waist to buckle up the Amazon belt around her and she arranged the Amazon wedding diadem on top of Hylla's head.
"You look…"
Kinzie's chest was so tight.
Hylla looked amazing. Truly spectacular. Astounding, terrific, gorgeous. She'd always felt right as a queen to Kinzie, but Hylla truly looked regal in that moment, everything from the stunning train to the wonders that the dress did for her bust. She looked like she'd stepped off of Olympus: fearless and timeless, powerful and pristine.
"Beautiful," Kinzie said. "Like any bride. But unhappy, unlike them."
"Yes," Hylla said. "Well, I suppose I'll have to smile for the ceremony. Here, let me practise."
Kinzie still made a sour expression.
"It's because you know me too well," Hylla said defensively.
"Yes, your groom will be fooled," Kinzie said. She hadn't meant it as a reproach, but it was a sharp comment.
"The doors of death are unstable," Hylla said. "The kingdom needs to be stronger than ever. I won't let a single stone go unturned to make it so. If marrying the king of the Kouretes is the key, then so be it."
"You out of all people don't deserve to be so cheaply sold in affairs of the heart," Kinzie snapped.
Hylla looked at her and suddenly Kinzie knew she'd blown her cover, after all these years of lies and averted glances and strict manners and pretexts of shyness.
"You're not wearing your dress," Hylla said. "Isn't there a specific dress for the maid of honour as well?"
This was a statement, not a question based on the way Hylla said it. Still, Kinzie knew that it was a deeper question still. Hylla's language was cryptic, but it was Kinzie's language too.
"I think I'd look better in the second wedding dress," Kinzie said softly. The one that the brides of Amazon Queens wore when marrying into the royalty...
"I think it would suit you like a glove," Hylla said just as softly.
Kinzie didn't know why but she'd started crying just then. It was possible a build up from all those years of creating and maintaining that damned aforementioned cover. It may have been a flood of selfishly jealous tears, to know that Hylla wouldn't be walking towards her in that spectacular dress. Possibly longing for that second dress. All of the above, perhaps?
"Please don't," Hylla said taking Kinzie's hands. "This is politics, not a demonstration of love. I think it's safe to say that the cat's out of the bag. All of my love goes to you."
Kinzie blinked away her tears. "It's not fair to you. That you have to do this. Marry a man you don't love… This entire kingdom is built on the willpower and strength of our women, and here you are trapped..."
"I'm the queen," Hylla said. "I have to do what's best for the kingdom. This fierce, unruly, passionate kingdom."
They were both quiet for a minute, Kinzie's tears drying up and Hylla's grip on her hands intensifying. Hylla's head was tilted, and that could only mean one thing. The Queen was thinking, and she was about to make a decision.
"Such as leading by example," Hylla said. She cupped Kinzie's chin in her hand and kissed her softly.