ligeraaaa - Tumblr blog

ligeraaaa · 2 years

Text

summary: a lazy day at the royal palace because the prince said so.

settings: established relationship + leona is 16 years old here + female reader because sunset :) savanna :) women :) hot :) + pre-night raven college, during his gap year before enrollment + the reader has an older brother (hakim) who is referenced frequently + the reader grows up near the royal family.

it has meant to be a reprieve from the constant training you’ve been getting lately. even when leona has the time to take his own break, you cannot afford the same luxury. it does not matter that you both outpace your peers, not when the cost of recognition comes with grit and integrity. and if there ought to be anyone who understands that well, then it would be leona. that knowledge alone surprises you immensely when it is he who comes to drag you away for a break.

‘you’ve been training too much,’ he grumbles, ‘even your own family says they haven’t seen you much these days.’

his hand squeezes yours while the two of you traverse down the paths of the royal palace. leona weaves around the corners with practised efficiency, too familiar with the layout of the labyrinth his home poses to be. in the time you’ve spent at the royal palace, leona has led you to many places you don’t even know that exist here. yet, somehow, there’s always more to find every time he’s in the mood for an adventure.

not today, however. today, the two of you go down to a place dear to your heart. the closed wing at the far west of the palace.

once upon a time, you have to maintain a layer of secrecy just to simply sneak there during school hours. now, it is only a matter of when and want. no one is going to stop the younger prince from doing what he wants, not when incurring his ire often provides more trouble than necessary.

in times such as these, you develop an appreciation for his intimidating stature and menacing reputation. simply by the virtue of his unique magic existing, he has garnered more than a few fearsome rumours about his personality. be as it may, he inspires no fear in you. maybe awe and discomfiture because of his title and aloof attitude, once upon the time. but you were ten then and he was new.

nowadays, leona is a bit less than a nagging older brother and dearer than a simple friend. ‘i came home every evening,’ you drawl, leaving out the late hours of which you returned, ‘it is father’s fault for always being caught up in his business dinners.’

you leave out the part where it’s falena’s own doing for keeping him there. ‘and mother is always out with her friends, you know how the court ladies love to gossip whenever possible.’

the two of you don’t mention your brother, for there is a mutual acknowledgement on both sides. hakim has accepted the invitation to enrol in night raven college this year, leaving leona who finds the curriculum underwhelming behind. your regular trio is short of one man, and with your increased schedule, neither of you has the necessary time to acknowledge his absence.

‘you should take after her more,’ he sends an impish grin back at you, ‘it has been months since i last saw you in a dress.’

you slap at his shoulder for the tease, and your steps continue to match his in rhythm. ‘don’t lie, you see me wearing one every week to attend the court gatherings.’

‘what’s the point? you always wear tights under. might as well be wearing pants.’

‘leona!’

his laughter echoes down the halls of the abandoned wing. the two of you hasten your pace out of habit instead of a hurry, and his hand squeezes yours tightly. this is building up to be a good day, you feel.

the two of you take up places in your usual dwelling on the terrace. at the corner where there are shades and a pleasant day wind blowing by, leona drags you down to the piles of blankets and pillows the three of you have accumulated over the year. even without your brother here, the area feels cosy and warm. your second home away from home, the one you share with leona and your brother when he is here. under the pull of his weight, you collapse easily down into his arms.

learned experience makes your fall graceful, you round your arm around his waist and snuggle close to him. he emits a pleased purr from his throat when you hook your leg around him. ‘isn’t this nice? better than burying your body under countless hours of training.’

‘you are no better,’ you grumble into his shoulder, ‘you’ve been camping at your study for hours since hakim left, and if not there, then you’re out to meet foreign dignitaries.’

you lean up to kiss leona on his chin, but he stops you from pulling back by lifting your chin up. the gentle caress of his lips on yours does nothing to pacify your ire. ‘i should be the one complaining,’ you mumble between kisses, ‘you spent more time studying than paying attention to me, i’ve talked to hakim more times in the past two weeks than to you.’

your hand reaches up to untangle the knots in his hair, leona soothes you by deepening the kiss. ‘i’m here now, aren’t i?’ he murmurs. ‘and if you have any more to complain about, you can always accompany me the next time i’m away.’

‘or,’ you grip his hair, not tight enough to hurt, but enough to demonstrate your point, ‘you can always join me during training next time.’

he grunts in displeasure, ‘i would if there is anything to train,’ he says, ‘i don’t understand how you continue to practice with them even when you’ve exceeded them in both strength and skill.’

‘a good leader needs to understand their people, leona,’ you argue, ‘not everyone can spend their time watching from afar.’

‘hmph,’ his disagreement with your method rings loud, but his respect for your stance remains, ‘i’ll have to see it to believe it.’

you pull him down for another kiss, a strange smile graces your lips, ‘guess you’ll have to join me the next time i have to train then.’

he rumbles with another low purr, a sort of quiet acceptance that lulls the two of you into more pleasant topics. the two of you have had a lot to catch up on over the past few weeks of infrequent communications. leona’s tail begins to sway lazily the more comfortable he gets. eventually, his eyes droop. from circles forming underneath, you expect he has been more tired than he lets on but stays awake only to spend time with you.

a soft kind of peace returns to him once he can no longer fight the grip his fatigue on him. you ease him down to sleep on his back, not yet wanting to fall into slumber with him. under the gentle sway of the shadows formed by the tree branches, leona paints the image of a masterpiece coming to life. in contrast to his rough appearance, his long lashes put him in a softer countenance when he is asleep. the absence of a scowl does that to him.

you can only wish the people of the court can see this moment and treat him with more kindness once they see there is another person underneath their scrutiny. not the villain they make him be since the days he is strong enough to demonstrate his strength to their eyes. with a sigh, you put away that thought and turn to seek entertainment while leona regains his sleep.

one of the books hakim left askew lies within your reach and you decide it would be your companion for the day.

most of the materials are dry, detailing the treaties between the sunset savanna and other kingdoms. some of them date back to the days of the great seven when the nations are ruled by the magnificent. unfortunately, for someone leaning more towards the side of warfare, this interests you little. you’ve made the unfortunate estimation of your brother’s selection, the hope to get anything fun out of his pile diminishes by the seconds. books which belong to leona are no better. he keeps a few of them here, but they vary between political studies and magical innovations.

your eyes begin to cross after trying for too to comprehend one of the advanced magical theories. you put the thick tome on your building pile of unfinished books with a disappointed sigh. the temptation to nap with leona grows stronger by the minute.

however, your saviour stands out among the remaining pile in the form of a book with thick blue covers. the title does not inspire confidence in you, but the thought that it is fiction alone energizes you more than it should. you snatch the book from where it lies, rousing leona awake a little in your haste.

his half-awake grunt keeps you immobilized for the moment, not daring to awaken him further. another minute passes, leona settles down and his breath grows soft again. his asleep face is adorable to the point where you are tempted to kiss him again, but you resist. you snuggle up to his side with your shoulders pressing against each other.

the book occupies much of your time, turning out to be more fascinating than what the cover shows. it talks of the love story between princess kiara, later queen, and her romance with her eventual husband, king-consort kovu. the narrator has achieved the great accomplishment of weaving intrigues and mysteries into the original story. while the outcome is predictable, you get to experience the wondrous journey before it. by the time you’ve passed the mark of the first hundred pages, leona stirs.

for a moment, you think he has awakened. but he continues to keep at his slumber, only turning to throw an arm over your waist.

his action ends there, but not yours. you catch the sight of a stray eyelash fluttering down on his cheek. it is a little thing, almost missable. you decide to help him get rid of it, finger brushing the contour of his cheek.

your tiny action does not go unnoticed, however. upon your contact with his cheek, leona cracks an eye open. he, tiredly, lazily, glances up at you. the confusion in his eye puts a smile on your lips, ‘eyelash.’

he frowns, but his eyes close once more, leaving you to your own whims. you lift the eyelash from his cheek, but before you can throw it away, his hand wraps around your wrist. ‘…?’

leona lifts his head. you watch him in anticipation, but when he speaks again, you nearly topple over in cackling. ‘meat,’ he blows on the eyelash thoughtlessly, then drops back down not even bothering to watch it disappear into the passing wind.

you comb absentmindedly through his hair when leona goes back to squeeze your hip close to him. he has closed his eyes once more but you doubt he’d fall back to sleep as easily after that. ‘seriously, meat?’

‘hm.’ he grunts. ‘why ask for anything else?’

‘are you hungry?’ amusement overtakes your exasperation. you brush a few strands away from his face, then turn to massage his scalp.

‘are you going to feed me?’ he asks. a sudden interest ignites.

you smile easily. ‘no.’

‘then why did you ask?’ he grumbles in mourning for the pointless extension of his energy. at your delighted laugh, he growls and turns his back to you, effectively shutting down the conversation. ‘just let me sleep then.’

you cannot help but feel amused by his suddenly childish side. one can attribute much of his grumpiness to his sleep deprivation, but you cannot help taking an advantage of the situation. ‘you’re such a child, leona,’ you tease in good nature, but he doesn’t take it the same way.

he grumbles but what comes out is an annoyed purr. ‘and you’re a bother, not stop annoying me or.’

‘or…?’

you await a threat or a warning, anything, but it never comes. what you get instead after prolonged suspense is leona wearing a devious grin when he flips back. that should’ve been a sign for you to scramble away, but he lunges before you get the chance.

‘ah, leona!’

within seconds, you're encaged in his arms again, a helpless victim to his petulant whims. leona rolls you down to the pile of blankets and pillows. he uses his weight to keep you down with his leg locked around yours, leaving no room for escape.

‘leona!’ you push at his chest but he wouldn't budge. ‘this isn’t funny, i have to train soon. i’m not going to nap with you.’

he snorts, ‘should’ve thought better than to trifle with me before that,’ he says, ‘when having that ever turned out well for you?’

‘ugh, i didn’t even do anything…’ you shove at his chest again, but the limited space and his tightening hold hamper your progress. ‘leona…!’

‘careful, whine like that again and i’m even less inclined to let you go,’ he warns with an insufferable smirk on his lips, ‘or had that been your plan all along? hassling me with the motivation to rile me up enough to act…?’ he curls a lock of your hair around his finger, twirling it absent-mindedly, ‘i’ll have to say i didn’t expect this level of deviance from you.’

‘because there isn’t any!’ you continue to struggle, but more and more, it looks like a futile battle. ‘you’re impossible, do you know that?!’

‘hmph, that will teach you a lesson to not mess with me,’ he breaks into another yawn, ‘now settle down, the later i get to sleep again, the later you get to leave.’

the finality in his words has you resigned to your loss. soon as you slacken, leona nuzzles into your hair with a satisfied purr and realigns into a more comfortable position. you, too, begin to cuddle into his chest and loop your leg around to set on his.

however, you wouldn’t go down quietly. soon as your arm winds up around leona, you smack his back and make his eyes snap open once more. ‘bastard,’ you snarl with a vicious grin.

he growls, ‘now you’re just asking for it.’

‘wait, no—‘ your eyes widen at the severe mistake you’ve committed ‘—leona!’

in the end, leona gets what he wants and you’re left missing the training hours altogether. at least, much to your condolences, he does keep to his promise to accompany you at training when you have to catch up later in the evening, just without everyone else around.

make you wonder if this has been his plans all along.

352 notes · View notes