Chapter 3
A smile remained on Stella's face as she stepped closer to Beatrix, unable to stop herself from shivering due to the cool air. "It's cold," she sighed. "Would you like to head back to the suite? We could warm up two cups of tea and watch the romcom I brought over. It’s Christmas themed," Stella stayed with a shy smile.
The redhead rolled her eyes and let out a groan. "Why not just find something else to watch?"
Her hand lifted to run through her hair, ignoring the way that Stella's smile only seemed to grow wider at Beatrix's words. The light fairy looked over at her with a sparkle in her eyes. "Aw, admit it, Bea. You love those types of movies more than you'd care to admit."
Beatrix raised her right hand to her chest with a dramatic gasp. "Have you gone mad?" The shorter woman shook her head, fighting back her own smile. "I would never admit such a thing!"
The princess raised a brow and tilted her head with a mischievous look in her eyes. "Is that so?"
It was a simple question, one laced with a subtle hint of curiosity. Usually, Beatrix wouldn't have given it a second thought in all honesty, and she would have answered with ease. She had no reason to question Stella's intentions— that was, until, she recognised the mischievous glint in Stella's ocean blue eyes.
It was a warning, one that had Beatrix's heart racing instantly as she coughed up a hesitant laugh. A few weeks prior, there was an incident that occurred between the two of them that revealed one of her most kept secrets.
Beatrix Daniels was insanely ticklish, and Stella had taken it upon herself to ensure the information was never forgotten. Simple threats here and there, and the occasional poking at her sides, just to make Beatrix squeal every once in a while.
This time, though, Beatrix knew it wasn't just a moment of teasing.
She nearly stumbled as she took a few steps back. "Stella… come on now—" She tried to ignore the way her heart began to race as she wrapped her arms defensively around her body, a nervous smile lingering on her lips. "You wouldn't dare!"
Stella raised a taunting eyebrow, a toothy grin forming upon her face at the shorter girl's words. Without missing a beat, Stella reached out in an attempt to grab a hold of Beatrix's arm, but she managed to duck out of the way with a childish squeal.
Brown eyes locked on blue, the two standing still for a short moment watching one another. Beatrix's arms dropped to her sides as she spun around on her heels and ran, leaving Stella behind, who allowed her to get ahead before following her.
Laughter echoed throughout the forest as Beatrix weaved between the bushes and the trees. Excitement crept into her heart, making itself a temporary home whilst she fled the scene.
Wind whistled against her ears, beckoning her to slow down, but she ignored its calls and pressed forward. She ignored the way her nose and throat burned when she sharply inhaled the harsh evening air.
The rush of adrenaline was welcomed, and in fact, it was the first time in awhile she allowed such a childish feeling to take over. Her feet landed gracelessly against the ground, a breathy laugh leaving her lips as she made it a point to avoid the many tree roots that poked out from underneath the snow.
She could hear the beating of her heart in her ears, alongside Stella's taunting voice that lingered behind her. The moment of pure happiness was a freeing feeling. No longer were they forced to worry about the troubles of the school, or about Rosalind or the Blood Witches. Instead, it was just them.
Just the two of them having fun, and enjoying the snow that coated Solaria, much like the rest of the student body. Neither of them would admit that it had nothing to do with the rest of the school, but instead, enjoying the company of one other above all else.
The sound of birds calling from above caught her attention, distracting Beatrix for a moment as her gaze drifted towards the sky, just in time to see a flock of crows fly overhead.
She didn't realise she had slowed down until it was too late.
A hand grabbed a hold of hers, tugging her backwards. "No!" The shorter girl yelled out, laughing as she tried to free her hand from Stella's grasp. “You let me go!"
Stella tugged again which resulted in Beatrix's body stumbling forward and into her unwavering embrace. The light fairy wrapped her arms around the small woman's waist. "Only if you admit it!"
Beatrix shook her head, "I would never!" She exclaimed as she looked up and met Stella's gaze, only to shy away once more as hands pressed against her sides, a squeal leaving her lips. She tried to pull away, but was unsuccessful; letting out a fit of laughter when Stella began tickling at her sides.
"Okay! Okay!" Beatrix exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around her waist, tucking her head into the crook of her best friend's neck. Stella's hands stilled instantly as she let out a laugh of her own.
Beatrix let out a breathy exhale. "Okay, fine. I love them."
"You love what?" Stella teased, grinning at the shorter girl in her arms, chuckling as she felt Beatrix shake her head. "Do you want me to–"
"No!" She exclaimed, her arms tightening around the taller girl. Her head lifted instantly. Stella was able to make out the tears that threatened to fall from how hard she had been laughing, followed by a glint in Beatrix's eyes and the smile upon her lips.
"I think the movies are ridiculously cheesy, Stella." The light fairy rolled her eyes at that, though her smile never wavered. "But, I guess they are tolerable."
In reality, though, Beatrix didn't really like the movies. They were annoying and cringey, to the point it was almost unbearable. Whenever it was Stella's turn to pick a movie, she would go straight for one of the First World's many romcoms, exclaiming that they were adorable and sweet— expressing her overall enjoyment of them.
Beatrix would have told her off, and in fact, she was going to the first night it was suggested. The last thing she wanted was to watch a movie about a love story between two people that was completely unrealistic. She would have preferred a cringey horror movie over such a thing, but she faltered the moment she saw just how excited Stella was.
The way the light fairy's eyes lit up at the mere thought of watching the movie, a big smile on her face as she waited patiently for Beatrix to say yes. As embarrassing as it was, she couldn't say no to her, no matter how hard she tried. She caved and said yes— and it happened again and again, until Stella stopped asking and just brought them with her.
It was never the movies itself she enjoyed, but rather, the look upon Stella's face while watching them. It was a look of pure happiness and interest. Who was she to ruin such a thing for the princess.
Beatrix was drawn out of her thoughts by the feeling of Stella pulling away from the embrace, to which she reached down and grasped Stella's arm, keeping her in place as she enveloped herself in Stella's warm and safe embrace. She rested her head back on Stella's shoulder and let out a breathy sigh. "However, what I do love?" She trailed her hand down to grab ahold of Stella's, absentmindedly intertwining their fingers. "Seeing the way your eyes light up when one of those ridiculously cheesy scenes start playing. Or the way you smile and laugh at them. That is what I love most, Stella."
She gently brushed her thumb against the back of Stella's hand. "They make you happy, and that's all I want." Beatrix tugged her bottom lip between her teeth. "For you to be happy."
Stella gently grasped Beatrix's hand and slowly twirled her best friend just outside of their embrace. Beatrix felt disappointment, until Stella's deep ocean eyes locked with her smokey amber eyes, and brought her back into the embrace, their fronts pressed together tightly and Stella's arms wrapped gently around her back.
Never once did her gaze leave Stella's, which allowed her to witness the million different facial expressions on her face. Stella was a mixture of shocked, confused, and intrigued. Her cheeks burned at the confession as she shyly lowered her attention to the ground. The faintest smile played at the corner of her lips, and a quiet, 'oh' escaped Stella's lips.
It wasn't what she expected at all. But this was Beatrix, a girl who was full of many different surprises.
The two stood in silence for a moment, Stella's teeth worrying at her bottom lip as she tried to fight back the grin that threatened to form on her face. Her heart leaped, excitement soaring through her with ease, the possibility— maybe she still had a chance.
Her face felt like it was on fire, "And to think Beatrix Daniels doesn't care about anybody but herself." Stella teased, lifting her eyes to meet Beatrix's once more, a hand reaching to tuck a few loose strands of hair behind her left ear.
The corner of Beatrix's lips tilted upwards slightly, a hint of a smile on her face before she feigned a threatening glare, "If you tell anyone I said that—"
Stella let out an involuntary chuckle, cutting her off with the wave of her hand, "Yeah, yeah." She rolled her eyes playfully as her hand came to rest back on her side, "You care about me."
For a moment, Beatrix paused to admire the grin upon Stella's face and the sparkle in her eyes, a blissful happiness having set over the princess. Carefree and happy— something that they didn't come by often, at least, not with the events of the previous two months.
It was refreshing to see Stella so relaxed.
The shorter fairy let out an exaggerated groan, "Suns, you're not going to let that go, are you?" Beatrix heaved out a heavy sigh before leaning forward and pressing her forehead against Stella's shoulder momentarily. After a beat, she craned her neck upwars just enough to see the wide smile form upon her friend's face.
Stella held on a little tighter and mumbled a quiet, "Nope, not at all."
The sound of footsteps and voices approaching drew the two girls out of their embrace. It was then that the two fairies realised they had reached the edge of the woods near the specialist's training area. A group of students lingered within the field, a few gazes turned towards the two of them with curiosity.
Beatrix took a step away from Stella as she ran a hand through her now messy hair—a direct result from both running through the forest and Beatrix's poor attempt to escape Stella's embrace—brushing the loose strands away from her face, her cheeks hot and flushed a rosy red from the cold.
"Remind me to never—" she exaggerated— "say anything remotely nice to you again." Her tone was one of lightheartedness and teasing, a dramatic portrayal of exaggeration.
The princess laughed, "I thought it was cute!" She exclaimed as she took a few fast-paced, bouncy steps towards the gravel path leading back to the school. The sound of the gravel shifting beneath her feet colored the sparkling silence, adding to the laughter and dramatic exhausts of breath. She balled her hands into fists and tucked them into the pockets of her jacket, hiding them from the bitter, biting cold evening air.
"It was not cute!" Beatrix, still and exasperated, shook her head and quickly followed after the older woman. Before her, Stella turned on her heels to face her, now walking backwards, the gravel shifting beneath her feet, the sound of pebbles shuffling like the noise of radio static in her ears. She was going to fall, Beatrix thought, still shaking her head and sighing with each step she took. She was going to fall, clumsily walking backwards. Beatrix was sure of it.
But that smile on her face was too distracting, she couldn't find the words to tell her—
"You're right," Stella agrees, shrugging and shutting her eyes for a moment, that smile of hers disappearing as if she had gone serious, admitting defeat. The sudden change surprised Beatrix as the princess was usually never one to give up so easily. It was unlike her— "You're just adorable." Stella smirked, almost evilly, deviously.
Beatrix's eyes widened— not in surprise nor confusion, but pure terror and faux-disgust, "That is even worse!"
Beatrix's reaction left Stella thoroughly amused, the sight of the aubrunette's doe-eyed expression had the princess throwing her head back with a heartfelt, joyful laugh. She made no attempt to hide the cheerful smile on her lips, her eyes holding a certain brightness to them as they crinkled at the edges.
The euphoric feeling continued to linger in the air, despite their playful moment having come and gone. Stella's heart thundered in her chest, like horses on a race track, as she grinned at the air fairy, "But it is true!" She insisted, sticking her tongue out in a childish manner.
Beatrix opened her mouth to speak, but the words were caught in the back of her throat. Stella took two steps backwards, and her left foot slipped out from under her, sending her towards the ground.