• Love you for a long time by Maggie Rogers •

Lari. Lah-ri. Lawri. Laari. Lary.
Laa-ree-maar.

Jade turned her head to her side to look at her sleeping companion and turned away immediately. Lifting her quilt, she covered her face in embarrassment. Her cheeks were red like cherries and hot against the cold wind that invaded the house through a narrow slit under the front door.

How could she? How could she take Lari's name? Call her anything but Princess?

She kept mouthing the name under the guise of the sheets, wondering how her life had come to this. For twelve years, Jade had wished to make more than an acquaintance of the Princess, to know her better than the books. And now - she removed the quilt - there she was, sleeping peacefully beside her, a breathing beauty, her friend, her compatriot. The Moon to her Sun.

Jade shuddered at the thought. She had not parted with the knowledge of the prophecy and had forbidden Citra to tell Lari about it either.

She didn't believe it herself. When she decided to go against Laz, she had decided to do it alone. She indeed received counsel from Sillia and other members of her court, but she never fully revealed her plan to anybody. She was willing to take the Emperor down or out by herself.

And even if she did need a partner, it couldn't possibly be the Princess. Jade could never ask Lari to take part in her father's demise.

A moan escaped Lari's lips, as she adjusted her posture and was now laying on her stomach. Jade looked on, as if in awe of her presence, and a smile crept upon her lips without her knowledge.

It was the day of her departure. In less than twenty-four hours, she would be one forest apart from Lari, with no real promise of return. Jade sighed. The last few days were so perfect, she didn't wish to malign them with anxiety.

She wondered if tonight would be one of those colder nights when the Princess would have inched closer to her through the night in search of her warmth. She knew she'd miss being so close to Lari, that night and the nights in the future after they'd be gone their separate ways.

On mornings when she was up before Lari and had quite some time to herself, Jade was often lost in thoughts of the future. They had become so close, so soon that the thought of days without her seemed dull.

She couldn't think of mornings not making breakfast for Lari, afternoons without their flirtatious banter, evenings without their mandatory combat lessons, or nights not watching Lari immersed in her lunar ritual.

Some night, she'd fail. The Moon would not respond, and Lari would simply sulk about it and go to sleep. Jade had noticed that only on those following mornings did she wake up looking well-rested.

This morning was one such morning. When Jade's eyes wandered back to Lari's face, she was already awake and looking back.

"What are you worried about this early in the morning, my Queen?" Lari asked, sheepishly, her voice still hoarse from sleep, and rubbed the corners of her eyes.

She rolled onto her back and stretched her arms. Her sleeves fell back, her joints popped soundly, and she laughed out, making Jade chuckle too.

"So," Lari turned, starting again. "What were you thinking about?"

"You." This would be one of the few times when Jade initiated the flirting. She succeeded in making Lari look away to hide her blush.

"No, seriously," the Princess continued when she faced her friend again. "What was causing you such anxiety? Your face was all crunched and everything. Tell me, and I'll do away with it."

Jade smiled, her chest heating up. "The thought of leaving you alone here," she said, hesitant of whether it'd be taken as another jest of flirtation.

The Princess sighed and nodded. "I am anxious about you going to Jahima too," she said, pulling her quilt tighter around her. "Which is why I'll be eagerly looking forward to your return. I'll be very cross with you if you send someone else to fetch me, mind that Jade."

The Ironwood Warrior laughed when her blue-eyed friend pouted and feigned annoyance. "The forest in between won't separate us, Princess, I promise," she assured her. "It'll lead you to me if you choose to let it."

They stayed still for a while, looking into each other's eyes, the words heavy and precipitating slowly around them. "Will you read my cards?" Jade changed the topic, relieving the other.

Lari sat up hurriedly, fully awake now. "You want me to read your cards for you?" She asked. "You? What happened to 'I don't believe three cards can-"

"You'll read for me or not, Princess?"

"Of course, I will. Let me fetch my cards."

They had put up several shelves on the naked walls, giving the previous skeleton of a house a more human, domestic musculature. Some shelves were reserved for Lari, where she had put her tarot deck, her divination candles, crystals, and incense sticks, and a little fur cat doll that she had made from the hair that Miss Mewton Pie had shed.

On the ones belonging to Jade were a couple of books, charcoal, blades to sharpen the writing material, and the kalimba that Citra claimed to sound a lot better in her hands than it ever did in her partner's.

"Do you have a question?" The Princess asked, gathering the quilt over her shoulders.

Jade watched as Lari masterfully shuffled the deck, the cards slipping from one grasp, and gathering into the other. "Will the reading be different if I have a question?"

"Yes. If you have a very specific question, you must draw only the top card. On the contrary, if you want to get a general idea about things that you may expect, you draw three cards. Or, more. And depending on the kind of questions, they'll be placed in certain arrangements, or what we call spreads. You know, to get clearer answers."

"Okay, I do have a question." The Queen saw the cards stop in Lari's right palm. "I wanted to know if my trip to Jahima would be fruitful."

The Princess hummed. "Can you be more specific? You say fruitful, but is there something that you'll be looking for in particular?"

Jade hesitated. "Umm..."

"If you don't have a clear question, you won't get clear answers, my Queen."

"I...wanted to know where to take you from here."

Jade looked up and Lari was pushing the deck towards her. "One card," the Princess said, although she looked like she wanted to answer the question herself.

Jade flipped the card on top.

Five of Wands.

"Oh!" Lari exclaimed, and the undertone of animosity didn't go unnoticed.

"You don't like it?" Jade asked with a scoff.

"Nothing like that." She got a curt reply after a few moments' pause. Both of them looked on at the snake on the card; extending from its folds were five wooden wands.

Lari continued. "This card... It stands for conflict and rows. It can be between you and other people, or it can also be a general sense of dilemma. This can also be seen as an opportunity to shine among competitors, but let's ignore that since you wouldn't be participating against any. Now it can be a problem if the argument is with a kindred. Remember to stand your ground, stick to your morals if you see a rival, and cooperate and compromise if a fight ensues between you and a friend, or family member. Did... Did it answer your question?"

"Yeah, yeah, it did. Thank you, Princess." Jade smiled.

It didn't.

"Princess," she called out as Lari shifted to leave. "Where do you want to go from here?"

"Definitely not back to Eira."

The evening came quickly, and the full Moon was not met with much joy for the misery of partition was overwhelming. The dinner was soundless and at Citra's house. The harvest had been packed and stocked on the cart during the hours of the Sun, and all that was left to do was bid the Princess adieu and set off for the realm on the other side.

As Citra took the kids inside to get them ready, Lari sought refuge in the kitchen. And Jade followed her. Like a puppy.

She halted at the unmarked border between the living area and the kitchen and just watched. For someone who had no experience with a chopping knife or cooking fire only days ago, Larimar was now humming as she prepared a snack for three.

Something urged Jade to sneak up behind the Princess and engulf her in an embrace, but she couldn't find the courage to do it, or the incivility to do so without consent.

Over the past several days, Jade had learned more and more about Lari's need for physical affection. At first, it was confined to holding arms, requesting a back rub, or just laying her head on Jade's shoulder.

But as the walls between them eroded, Lari started to ask if they could sleep closer. "I just get really cold at night," she had reasoned.

Jade often found their hands intertwined, legs over each other's as they chatted about their favorite books, and most days, they took their baths together. She wasn't complaining; it was just an observation.

She took a place beside Lari and cleared her throat. And in search of a matter for conversation, reached into the pockets of her pants. Pulling a small pouch out, she published her palm near a tall candle's light and urged Lari to examine it.

"I'm supposed to keep this in my pocket? All the time?" She asked, rubbing it between two fingers, feeling the texture of the resins.

"Yes," Lari answered. "Here." She handed over a jute bag and three fat leather pouches.

"What's in here?" Jade asked, pulling herself a little closer.

"Sandwiches. For the trip. Do eat, my Queen. The Sun will be up long before you reach Jahima and I know you won't let Citra take over the pedals. These two are water, and this one's milk for Jada."

"Kiitos," Jade replied. Thank you.

"Princess," Jade called from outside as she placed the food in the cart. "Are you keeping your bundle close?"  She, who had started her stay with the Princess with an aversion to all concepts she regarded superstitious, was now starting to believe in all the magic. Or, at least the magic that Lari practiced.

The reply came after a moment. "Of... Of course." It sounded like a lie.

Jade sighed. "Princess! Did you forget it at our place?"

She came back inside to find Lari standing in the middle of the room, fumbling with the sleeve of her cardigan. "Yes, I must have. I'll fetch it in the morning."

"You're supposed to keep it on you, Princess, at all times. Right? Especially now that you'll be alone here. I'll run and get it for you."

Jade proceeded away from her, but Lari's words halted her. "No need, Jade. You have to pedal all the way. Don't tire your legs unnecessarily."

"Princess, it's not unnecessary if it's for you." The words just tumbled out of her.

She walked out but Lari followed her, quickly grabbing her arm. Jade could tell that the daily training had strengthened Lari's muscles. Now she had enough brawn to at least hold the born warrior.

"I lied," Lari confessed.

Jade looked at her face, quizzically, as if the impossible had been conjured. Lari resorted her hand to herself and spoke from a distance.

"You lied?" The Queen asked, still confounded.

"Yes," Lari replied.

Under the Moon's pale yet clear light, Jade could see she was biting her lip.

"I lost it. In the woods probably, during training. I didn't want you to worry. I'll... I'll have Missy. Don't worry about me."

"Don't worry about you? I thought you wanted to be friends." Jade conjectured, taking Lari's hand and placing the pouch in it. "Here, you keep this."

"Oh no, no. You should keep it. You'll be traveling through the woods at night. You need it more than I do." Lari handed it back.

"I don't. I have my sword with me. And my arms. And...don't mind me saying this, but you still have lots of ways to go before you can fight someone off the way I can."

"Wow." Lari rolled her eyes. "What if it's something spiritual? I have my crystals and my cat. You have a mother with two kids. Don't you think you're more vulnerable to predators like that?"

"Evil has to think twice before crossing my path, now that I'm all determined and shit."

Lari sighed. "Determination may not be -"

"Princess!"

They heard Citra's squeaky voice approaching them and Lari turned. Seeing this as an opportunity, Jade closed in on her and slipped the pouch into her skirt's pocket.

"Jade!" Lari rebuked before accepting defeat with a sigh. "What is it, Citra?"

"You forgot your scarf inside."

It was finally time to part and Jade felt like she was leaving a part of her behind.

"Now don't go off to the Moon while I'm away, okay Princess? You don't get enough sleep when you do that," she advised, adjusting Lari's scarf around her ears. "Stay inside as long as the Moon's up, okay? And lock the doors carefully."

Mewton rubbed her little head against Jade's leg, requesting pats. She and her bonded human were very much alike in that regard.

"Don't worry, Your Highness," Citra came forward, with a wide awake and curious Jada in her arms. The child was covered so diligently that only her eyes were visible.

"Vel-veli." The baby produced her hand towards the cart, pointing at her brother.

"The wine is just above the cabinet," the blonde woman said and winked. "If you feel unusually cold, just have a sip, Princess."

"Oh no, no no," Jade took Lari's face in her hands. "Don't get drunk while you're alone. Just stay indoors and wear warm clothes. Princess, take care of yourself, okay? I'll be back soon and we'll figure out where to go from here."

"Yes, yes," Lari nodded a final nod and agreed to a piece of final advice.

Jafe mounted the bicycle and Citra adjusted herself and her children on the cart. With one last look at the Princess, she set off. The cart jolted a little on the bridge that led them into the woods but the ride was smooth as soon as they found themselves amid the trees.

The Moonlight glittered the path before her and Jade knew she'd be in her hometown soon.

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