Her Majesty The Prince

"Stay here, I'll get you something to drink."

Lou looked up at the underside of the canopy that loomed over the Prince's bed. She had seen the outside of it many times over the years, but never from this angle. She hadn't imagined she ever would.

Well... no. That wasn't entirely true. There was that one idle daydream all those years ago. But in that one, she certainly wasn't wearing a maid uniform.

"Did you get a new one?" she asked, pointing up to the canopy, her eyes drawn to the corners where the curtains were still tightly wrapped, the dull golden fabric almost shining in the evening light.

"No, I've had this for years," the Prince said, bringing two mismatched cups filled with water. He sat down at the edge of the bed, handing her the metal one.

Lou sat up. Her breathing had returned to a semblance of normalcy, along with her heartbeat. So much had changed in a single day. She looked down into the cup; into the eyes of her reflection in the liquid. Just like it had almost a year ago, though in very different ways. The life she had known up to that point had ended then and there. But, through a lot of work, she had found a new normal. And now something told her she'd have to give that up, too.

"Drink," the Prince said, tapping his cup to hers. "You need some of that water back."

"Your body cries a lot," Lou said with a hint of irritation as she drank.

"About that." The Prince hopped over to sit in front of her, crossing his legs. "About what you said earlier. You know it's yours now, right?"

"What?"

He leaned over and gently took her free hand into his, waiting until he had her full attention. "Loulou," he said, "this is your body now. There's nothing for you to 'take advantage' of."

She looked at him for a while, gears turning, until a growing look of concern spread across her face. "Wait, what? No, what if we switch back? You're the one who knows about magic stuff, haven't you been looking into that?"

He blinked. "Loulou, what exactly do you remember about that day? When the Witch-Fiend attacked during the coronation—the first one, the one we didn't get to finish."

"I... I dunno, it's kind of a blur at this point. Everything was fine, people were saying stuff, the perimeter was safe, and then this lady-person-thing appears out of nowhere. She points at you, starts saying words that don't exist, throws out this big rope of light, so," she made a chopping motion with her hand, "so I ran in there and... uh..."

Lou stopped mid-motion. She put her free hand back around her cup of water, looking to the side. "And then, I dunno. I remember being wrapped up in a cloak or something, Frederic talking all serious and carrying me into some back streets... it was night by then, though."

The Prince took a deep breath and straightened his back. "I see," he said, putting his cup down next to him, eyes scanning the room as he visibly pondered his next words.

"I messed up, right?"

He quirked an eyebrow. "What?"

"You don't have to sugarcoat it," Lou said, her attention once again focused on the remaining water in her cup. "If I'd done my job, she wouldn't have gotten so close. If I'd been faster, none of this would've happened. I messed up."

"What? No, Loulou, you reacted long before any of us did. By the time I noticed she was there, you were on her with your sword drawn. I've never even seen you move so fast, not in all our years together. I can't imagine anyone—yourself included—could have been more expedient." The Prince patted her on the arm. "You didn't mess up."

"If I didn't mess up, then how come all this happened?" She gestured with her free hand. "She did her curse thing, right? You convinced everyone something went wrong with her magic, that you and me fused into one person or whatever, so the whole city thinks this is actually a good thing that happened. But we both know the curse worked."

Lou drank the rest of her water. She'd been repeating these words in her head for months now, in anticipation of this discussion. She was handling it better than she'd expected, all things considered. She wasn't crying, which was a surprise; maybe because of just how emotional the previous hour or so had been. Lou counted that as a personal victory. She had never liked to show too much emotion, and this body made that extremely difficult.

"Loulou, you stopped her. You stopped the spell."

"What?" She shook her head. "No I didn't. Look at me. Look at you!"

"You interrupted it before it took effect. You diverted it. And you stopped her."

"...I did? She didn't get away?"

"No," the Prince said, chuckling in disbelief, "she very much did not."

"Well then why didn't you reverse it? Why didn't you have your... magic friends fix this?"

The Prince steepled his fingers. "Loulou, you need to understand," he said, speaking softly and methodically, "you killed that witch really hard. Even the nice witches, the ones who don't want to steal my body, are really scared now. I don't think any of them will ever come near us again."

"But... so you just need to convince one to fix this, right? Can't you talk to them? You're good at words!"

"I did manage to talk to one, thanks to a tremendous bit of diplomacy. We spoke just long enough to find out what happened. As it turns out, there's no 'swap two people's bodies' spell. That's not a thing."

"What?!" Lou stood up on her knees, maintaining her balance as best she could on the stacked covers and duvet. "Sure it is!"

The Prince raised a hand. "But there is a body theft curse. Now that... that's a thing that exists."

Lou sat back down, slowly, wordlessly.

"That's what the Witch-Fiend tried to use on me. She wanted to steal my body. And she almost did; she got really, really close. From what we were able to piece together, she picked her moment so she'd be the one to be crowned. She'd show up, there would be a momentary interruption, but then the ceremony would proceed as normal."

"I... what? What's so important about a piece of metal? Couldn't she just wait until you were alone?"

"The coronation's not about the crown itself, Loulou, we barely even wear that thing anymore. No, it's a ritual; a really big one. It confers a lot more than just authority and a bunch of paperwork."

Lou tilted her head. "Really? First time I've heard of it."

The Prince shrugged. "It's not common knowledge, and to be honest, it doesn't really come up that much. It's a relic from older times. But, well... if anyone knows ancient relics, it's witches."

"Still, what kind of plan was that?" Lou crossed her arms. "I would've known it wasn't you as soon as she opened her mouth. And you, in the witch-person's body, you would've said something, too! We would've straightened things out."

"I think she was planning on you not giving me the chance."

A chill went down Lou's spine, one she couldn't quite explain. The Prince's words were prodding somewhere deep, in a place she didn't like to visit; a place she'd done her best to avoid for a very long time. It made her tense up reflexively. "What do you mean?"

The Prince's expression became somber. "I went over this with Frederic and everyone else who was up there with us when it happened. They all confirmed it. The Witch-Fiend saw you coming for her. She didn't flinch, she didn't try to avoid your attack. She wasn't restrained by the spell she was casting either, according to the witch I consulted. She was free to move away... but she didn't. She wanted everything to happen the way it did. She was counting on you being there."

Lou's breathing became faster all of a sudden. "What do you mean?"

"She wanted you to strike her down, Loulou. Just as the spell was complete; just as she switched places with me. She wanted you to kill m—"

Lou let out a plaintive, painful scream. Before she could bring her hands up to her face she was already sobbing, her body trembling. She'd tried to stop it. She'd done everything in her power to stop this from happening, she'd planned for every possible danger, every potential avenue of attack, just to avoid this from ever taking place, because she knew there was no hope past that point. There was no way back once she went down that road, no matter how much she tried to plan or predict or prepare. She could see it happening in her head; she could see every horrific detail, down to the expression on everyone's face. It was terrifyingly vivid in a way she wanted to look away from, but she couldn't. She wasn't seeing it with eyes that could close, but it felt just as real. Just as heart-wrenching. She knew.

She knew she would never forgive herself.

She would never forgive herself, for as long as she lived.

Lou didn't know how long she stayed there, prey to memories that hadn't yet happened, but felt close enough to touch. Time lost its meaning in the sea of tears and whimpers and ragged breaths, but eventually the storm passed; eventually, there was a calm, aided by the Prince's closeness and comforting words.

"It's okay, Loulou," he repeated in a soothing voice, gently stroking her back. "It's okay. You stopped her, you did your job. You saved me. It's okay."

She looked up from where she sat, curled up on the bed, as the Prince held her close. She was suddenly aware of how small she felt in his arms.

"I'm sorry," the Prince said quietly. "I didn't realize it would hit you so severely."

Lou took many long, deep breaths, wiping her eyes with the side of her apron. "I tried. I tried really hard."

"It showed," he said, giving her a light squeeze before granting her some space. "I didn't realize you could move that fast. I don't think she did, either."

"Yeah, you're s'posed to always hold back," Lou said, carefully stretching her joints, relaxing muscles that had been kept taut. "Unless it's life or death. That way the really dangerous ones don't know what you're capable of."

The Prince looked at her, genuinely impressed. "Look at you," he said, lightly tapping her on the shoulder with his first, "planning a hundred moves in advance."

Lou smiled weakly. "You think that's what did it?"

"I know it did," he said, leaning back. "I saw it on her face, right up till the end. Maybe the spell knocked you out, but I saw everything. I felt it when it pulled me from my body. I saw everything whizzing past as she reached out to take my place—but then you leapt out between us." He smiled. "You caught me, right at the perfect moment."

The Prince's smile turned to slight discomfort as he looked over to the swords leaning against the wall. "She, on the other hand, was very surprised when you, uh... you know. Did your thing." He shook his head, staring off into space for a moment. "Yeah. We had to clean up very quickly."

Lou turned to follow his gaze. "I thought... I just thought you threw me out because I'd messed up."

"No, absolutely not!" The Prince grasped her shoulders, face to face. "I wanted you to be free from all this. I wanted you to be able to go wherever you wanted to go, do whatever you wanted to do. It was my way to make it up to you."

She tilted her head. "Make up for what?"

He furrowed his brow. "Well... you know." He motioned to himself, from his head down. "Because I got the better body in exchange."

Lou just stared at him, for a long moment. "What? No it's not."

"Now you're the one sugarcoating it. Of course it's the better body, you don't have to deny it. I was envious of you from the moment we met! I thought it was pretty clear, from the way I looked at you. I know for a fact you noticed."

The Prince rolled off the bed and onto his feet. He began lighting candles as the sun finally went down, staving off darkness just a little bit longer. Lou could only keep staring, trying to process what he was saying.

"Ever since the dust cleared that day," the Prince said, "it's been a world of difference. Everything feels right. Sharper, in focus. I can control my emotions better. I'm way too confident for my own good now, too; I think it's starting to get to Frederic. Look," he continued, moving over to a pile of discarded clothes, "even the world looks different!" He picked up a dull golden cape, same shade as the curtains, and put them alongside each other. "Can you believe I used to think these went together?"

Lou scrunched up her face and shrugged. "I... I s'pose so."

The Prince sat back down at the edge of the bed, throwing the cape onto a nearby chair. "You gave me a priceless gift, Loulou. You not only saved my life; you made it better. You deserve whatever life you want in return." His expression turned a bit sour. "It's only fair, considering you have to deal with my body. I'm truly sorry about that."

"...Deal with? What are you saying?!" Lou stood up shakily on the bed, holding onto the underside of the canopy for stability, her face burning with righteous outrage. "Your body is a TREASURE!"

The Prince stepped back in shock. "I mean, it's—"

"It's warm! It's soft! And it... it actually feels things! Every sense is just full of emotions! Don't you know how precious that is? Sure, it's a handful, but... It's actually nice to look at in the mirror! And it's so pretty! You see that, right?"

"I mean, of course, but—"

"And I've been trying! I've been trying really hard to take care of it. Because I know how priceless it is. And I knew from the start that when we switched back, you'd want it in... in the best..."

Lou stood there, out of breath, as she heard what she was saying; as she processed their entire conversation. The twists and turns it had taken had made her forget the very topic that had started it all. She let herself fall down on the edge of the bed in a sitting position. "But we're not going to switch back, are we."

The Prince sat down next to her. "I've looked into it since then. The chances of repeating this exact scenario are pretty slim. And no witch would commit that much of herself, much less risk her life, just to try." He sighed. "And, well, they also all kind of hate us."

"So, it's..." she began to say, then trailed off. She looked at her hands; turned them over to look at her palms. Stretched out her legs off the side of the bed. "It's mine."

He put his arm around her shoulders. "It's yours, Loulou. You get to do anything you want with it. So long as you're okay with me keeping this one. I'll be honest, I've grown very attached to it."

She leaned her head on his shoulder. There was a tightening in her chest, a feeling that she was letting go of something she wasn't ready to give up. But she couldn't imagine a better time for it. No wasting time thinking when you can act. "I guess I'm okay with it. It's a gift from me, right? It'd be rude to take it back. 'Specially if you like it."

The Prince smiled. "I love it, thank you. You must like this one too, right? You made a pretty good case for it." He lightly tapped the side of her leg with his. "Besides, I remember the way you used to look at me."

"That's not... Ugh!" Lou turned to him. "Look, it wasn't that way for me, I'm not like you! I liked that body, but I loved the person inside that body."

The Prince just blinked.

Silence.

Lou quickly turned back to look straight ahead, blood rushing to her face. Oh no. Oh no. She was just trying to prove a point! She didn't expect to just... blurt that out. Her eyes grew wider as her cheeks burned hotter.

The Prince broke out into the widest grin. "What was that?"

She could hear her heart pounding in her head. She tried opening her mouth, but no sound came. She was bad at this. She was so bad at this. Every fiber of her being screamed at her. But... she was right, wasn't she? She was right! So why shouldn't she just say it?

The Prince leaned in close to her, savoring the moment. "What did you say?"

Lou took a shaky breath, then looked him straight in the eyes. "I lo—"

In one lightning-fast motion he clasped his hand over her mouth. "Loulou," he said, completely stunned, the color leaving his face only to return with renewed intensity. "You can't... you can't just..."

He slowly lowered his hand. Lou remained quiet, but in her eyes burned that same determined glare that had shone earlier that evening.

The Prince sat back up, looking her up and down, looking well and truly shocked. "Loulou, you're serious."

She nodded, gripping her knees through her apron so hard that her knuckles went white.

"You don't understand," he said, overcome with concern. "The next weeks, months... years, maybe, are going to be so difficult. There's so much work to be done, so many really, truly challenging hurdles on the road I'm on. The road that... all this made possible, in fact. I can't subject you to that. I don't want to subject you to that. The future's so uncertain."

He went to take her hands, but she slipped out of the motion and clasped his hands instead.

"I'm here now."

The Prince sighed with a smile, shaking his head. "Gods, you can be so stubborn." He lowered his head and gently kissed the back of her hand. Then, he stood up. "Listen. I'll..." He took a deep breath. "Actually, it's late. I'll fetch Frederic, have him put you up in the guest chamber and smooth things over with your sup—"

He tried to move away, but Lou was still holding his hands.

"Tomorrow."

The Prince turned to her. "What's that?"

"Tomorrow," she said, looking up at him with a level of self-assuredness she hadn't felt in over a year. "You can fetch him tomorrow."

He chuckled. "Loulou, what are you—"

"Please," she said, her voice shaking but loud and clear, her hands trembling yet holding strong, her resolve at once fragile and unbreakable. Her face so very, very red. "Please don't make me say it another time."

The Prince kneeled down, his eyes level with her chin. He smiled in spite of himself. "You never were big on words."

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