The Monster's Stratagem (Lesbian Story)

59: Jealous Girl

"Rose!" Dawn called out as she banged her fist against the door to her friend's room that morning, hoping that she wasn't attracting the attention of the other occupants of her wing of the castle. "Open up!"

The door swung wide and an incredibly dishevelled and disgruntled redhead stood in the doorway. "That brought back memories, and not the good kind."

"Usually you would never wake up, even when I yelled in your ear."

"Well now that I don't have patrols during the night, my body clock is relatively normal." Rose tiredly waved her inside, allowing the door to shut with a slam. "Anyway, why are you waking the entire kingdom for me?"

"I need your help."

"Uh oh, that's new. What's wrong?"

Dawn did not know whether it was her pride or her fear but, for some reason, she could not get the words out. She simply stood there, dumbly opening her mouth before snapping it shut. Never before did she have such a problem with speaking.

"Please tell me this isn't one of your games, you know I'm not good at guessing." Rose was cautious, thinking Dawn was doing it on purpose. She grew increasingly worried when her friend remained silent, unable to handle it any longer. "Just spit it out!"

"I'm trying!" Dawn had to take a breath to calm herself, reminding herself that they were just words. She tried to ignore the meaning behind them. "I'm in love with Syrena."

Rose's shoulders slumped. "That's it?"

"What do you mean that's it?"

"Well, I thought you have been for a while." She flopped onto the bed, burying herself back into the blankets. "It's obvious."

Dawn sat on the edge of her bed, equal measures annoyed and amused. "Not to me."

"I know, I know, you've never loved anyone in that way before." Rose's head popped upwards, and Dawn had a sneaking suspicion that the former Watcher had picked up on her mannerisms throughout the years. "I always knew you would."

"You did? How?"

"Since I saw you with her that first night in Kings Grave."

"We were enemies then, I hated her."

"I know, and I could smell the sexual tension from a mile away." Rose made a gagging noise.

"As if you didn't drag Leixa to your bed the first night you met her. I still haven't forgiven you for that." Dawn pointed an accusatory finger, vividly remembering having to bring herself and Syrena out of the house while they were still at odds. She then sighed, eyelids fluttering closed for a brief moment. "My attraction to her is not just sexual."

"I know that too." Rose said as she moved to sit beside her, all hints of jovial amusement gone. "She understands you."

"She does."

"She can handle you."

"She can."

"She's good for you."

"Am I good for her?" Dawn's eyes searched Rose's, looking for any flicker of doubt. She did not know whether to be relieved or disappointed to find none. "There are many things wrong with me."

"Does that mean you should swear off love entirely? That you are undeserving of it?" Rose knocked her shoulder against hers. "Hell, Dawn, I think after everything you've been through, no one deserves to be loved more."

The princess did not have an answer to that, she could only stare at the bedsheets as she absentmindedly picked at them. Did she deserve to be loved?

"Anyway, that's Syrena's choice whether she thinks you're good for her or not." Rose continued, and Dawn felt as if she had heard those words before. "You suit each other."