The Key to Ruling a Broken Kingdom (Girl x Girl)

48: Persephonie

Megan was going to marry Mathias, but then she ran away from the wedding.

Song: Perfectly Wrong by Shawn Mendes

 I don't know what happened to Megan. I haven't seen her since her wedding day, when she met me in the courtyard. I had even gone to town last month, dressed as a commoner.

The town had been a sickly sight. The rabid dogs, fleas, and starving children. The gross-smelling fish markets and rotten vegetables. The way people had yelled at me to buy their things.

And the smell. Especially the smell. The stench of urine filled my lungs the moment I set foot in the town. But I walked through it. I wanted to find Megan; I needed to find Megan. She had to be somewhere in the town, right? But I never saw her anywhere, and went back to the castle, to a reprimanding from Mother for going to the town.

I had hoped to talk the gardner- Menelaus I think his name was- but I never saw him either. When I confronted Father about this, he said that the gardner had left. Dread settled in my chest as I imagined the worst for Megan. A woman could not refuse a man's hand marriage, now could she? Not after the father had agreed to it. (Unless of course, the father is mine, in which case, well, there's the whole Venus thing and whatnot).

But after that, I hadn't had any time to think about Megan. My wedding with Cedric was soon approaching, and there were many things that needed to be set up for it.

Father and Cedric decided that my wedding would take place on Cedric's sixteenth birthday. After the dress fitting, I had retired to the courtyard, and decided to finish my needlework. It was nearly complete. I just needed to finish the Spring Goddesses' flowing, dark curly hair.

The embroidery had my utmost attention when a familiar voice interrupted me. "You must have been incredibly busy to not have finished that yet."

Hoping against hope, I jerked my head to the right and found the very women I had been looking for since the past year. "Where have you been!" I demanded, excited.

Megan sat down next to me and smiled. "Around." I waited for her to elaborate. "I've just been going around Crotis. I couldn't go back home- not if I didn't want to marry Mathias- the gardner" She said, before I could ask her who Mathias was.

Megan was wearing a yellow tunic. I recognized it as one of my old ones. But she seemed to have altered it to fit her. Megan somehow seemed taller since the last time I had seen her. But she was incredibly skinny, and there were a couple scabs on her cheeks.

I took her hand in my own. It felt as though I was holding a skeleton. "What happened? You look half-dead."

Megan let out a small chortle. "I've had to get by on food I could steal from rats."

I looked down at the grass of the court yard. "This is my fault, isn't it?" I whispered. "If I had come with you, none of this would have happened."

"How's that?"

I sighed and looked back into her eyes. "You begged me to go with you that day. But I couldn't."

"You had your duties here, at the castle" Megan responded. "Duties as a princess."

"Are you... forgiving me, then?" I asked, hoping against hope.

Megan shook her head, no. The feeling of guilt inside me intensified, but I didn't let it show on my face.

"Stay the week?" I asked.

Megan smiled. "You're going to have to hide me."

"I will do anything- anything for you" I said, gazing into her eyes. "I will never again, leave you alone."

Megan placed her bony hand on my full face. "Don't make promises you can't keep, love." Megan leaned in and pecked my forehead. When she pulled back and looked at me again, she was smiling.

"What promise am I making that I can't keep?"

"You'll know, soon enough" she said. "I have to go now" she stood up. "I'll be back in a couple days."

"Wait!" I called as she began walking away. "At least take some food with you."

"Persephonie-"

"Please" I pleaded. "It's the least I can do."

For some reason, Megan looked unhappy. But she waited in the courtyard, and left as soon as I gave her some bread and meat.

I watched her until her silhouette disappeared. The guilt inside my chest expanded as I watched her go. What was happening to her? Where had she been? Why is she only coming to see me now?

I bit my bottom lip and turned away. Tears fell down my cheeks and I hastily wiped them away. She said she would come back in a couple days, didn't she? I will make it up to her. Though I know how much I love her, I didn't know if she still loved me.

How could she? After what I did, I'm surprised she even came back to see me. I wouldn't have.

Megan stayed true to her word and came back, five long days later. She looked much better. I could tell she had eaten more, and her scabs were fading. I took her to the castle's bath house, and had one of the maids bathe her, then send her to my chamber.

I picked out a blue dress, with an incredibly flowy bottom. Which meant Megan could alter it so the dress wouldn't be too short for her. The dress was a bit loose on Megan, but she seemed grateful for it, and it reminded me of the blue dress I had been wearing when I first met her. Her mousy-brown hair was still wet from the bath and stuck to her neck.

"You look beautiful" I told her and her cheeks lit up a little. Megan smiled and leaned in to kiss me. A kiss I gratefully returned. A kiss I never wanted to end. But Megan pulled away. "Megan" I started, and wasn't sure if I wanted to continue. But Megan waited for me to. "Do you- do you still... do you still love me?"

Megan seemed a little taken-back, but she smiled and said, "Of course I do. I don't think I could stop even if I tried."

I smiled and pulled her into another kiss. This time, Megan did not try to pull away. Our lips moved in sync. Megan lightly bit my lip and a moan escaped my mouth. I didn't want this to end.

"Megan?" I gasped, after we finally pulled away. "Promise me you'll always be mine."

"Of course, love" she breathed, and pushed me onto the bed. "I'll always be yours, but I know I can't ask that of you." Before I could process what she had said, her lips clashed with mine again. She ran her hands up and down my body, and I gasped.

Megan placed a passionate kiss on my now sensitive lips. "Promise me you'll never stop loving me" she whispered. I caught her lips in my teeth for a moment before replying.

"I won't stop loving you, even after I go to hell."

A/N: That is the most explicit thing I have ever written. This book will be ending in two more chapters (plus an epilogue). Thoughts?? Vote and comment!!