Chapter Text
Bean was closer to her cousin than the rest of her family. So, when the letter, sealed with the familiar purple wax, appeared on her desk asking her to go to her cousin's birthday party the following week, she jumped at the chance to go. Her cousin, Princess Stefa Haava of Snowtenga, always went all out for her birthday. She was four years older than Bean and the light of her aunt's life. But what was really special was that Stefa always treated her as just another person, not a pawn in some stupid political game. That was what made Bean love her cousin the most. They may not have had a lot in common otherwise, but this? This was all Bean needed.
Zog looked at his daughter as she asked to go to Stefa's birthday. A week long party, to be sure, combined with the long ride it was to get to Snowtenga-- it was north of Dreamland, mind you-- meant he didn't have to deal with his daughter's antics for almost a full month. He scratched his chin and looked at her. "Well, yer not gon'a cause problems fer yer aunt, are ya?" he asked, his voice gruff.
"Course not! I love Aunt Aldona!" Bean huffed.
"Sire," Odval chimed in. "Are you sure sending the princess off on her own is a good idea?" Odval, as much as Bean got on his nerves, loved the princess as if she was his own. He wished the best for her, even if he didn't know how to give it to her. Especially given who her real father was. This was not to say, of course, that Zog didn't love his daughter. On the contrary, he loved her to death. He just, like most kings, didn't know how to properly show his love. That was why Odval tended to do it himself.
Zog looked at Odval before sighing. "Send Pendergast in 'ere." he ordered. "Odval's right. Yer not gon'a go galivantin' around in Snowtenga without someone there ta keep ya in check." This was at the very least calming Odval's nerves. Pendergast was the best knight in Dreamland and the best to protect Bean if something were to happen. Which it wouldn't, given the better military of Snowtenga.
Then, that perfect little knight walked in, armor and all. "Sir." he greeted the king.
"Gast, yer gon'a accompany my daughta ta 'er cousin's birthday in Snowtenga. Make sure she's safe. And no funny business!"
Pendergast looked at the king and then to Bean. Now the thing about Pendergast is that he had a small crush on the princess. How did he deal with this, one may ask? By avoiding her as much as possible. But this trip meant at least 3 weeks, if not a month, of being with her. However, he needed to do his duty as the Captain of the Knights of the Zog Table. He turned his attention back to the king. "Yes, sir."
Pendergast had never been to Snowtenga, having been from the Summerlands and Dreamland was the most north he ever had been. But the week long trip, in the middle of winter no less, was interesting. The snow was different from his home but it was welcomed. It would snow in Dreamland but it wasn't as much as the more northern kingdoms. Thankfully, he hadn't needed to do anything to protect the princess as they made their way to the kingdom. Everything was quiet.
As they got closer to the capital, the large castle loomed over them. It was dark, gothic. Which made sense with what little he knew about the kingdom. The city, even in winter, was bustling. Though, he assumed part of it was due to the royal carriage coming through. The other part? The giant party that was about to happen. Stefa seemed to be a lot different than Bean, but they both seemingly loved to party.
Stefa was waiting outside when they pulled up. Before he even had a chance to dismount his horse, Spoon, Bean had left the carriage and was running to meet her cousin. "Stefa!" Bean yelled in glee, wrapping her arms around the other princess.
Stefa was a beautiful young woman, black hair hanging in ringlets around her pale face. Ice blue eyes fell onto her younger cousin as her own arms wrapped around Bean. "Bean!" she laughed out, just as excited to see her as Bean was.
Once they two cousins parted, Stefa turned to Pendergast, who tensed under her gaze. There were rumors that Stefa was a witch, though no one had proof of it. Maybe it was started by a scorned ex? He wasn't sure but he wasn't going to test that theory. "You must be Sir Pendergast." she said with a light hum. Seeing them together, it was hard to think they were related.
Pendergast cleared his throat and nodded. "Yes, Your Highness."
Stefa laughed softly. "You don't need to call me that. While you are here, you're my guest. You needn't worry about protecting my dear cousin."
Pendergast stopped for a moment. "With all due respect, Your Highness, I was sent her with a job. Not to party."
"And I am giving you a new job. To enjoy yourself. Now, let me show you two to your rooms." She clapped her hands together before leading them into the dark castle.
"Sorry, she's really into everyone having fun when they're here." Bean said with a shrug.
"You two must be related then." That earned him a gentle nudge from Bean, who was outwardly happy. It had been a while since he last seen her look like that.
The walk through the castle to their quarters was mostly quiet, save for the sound of heels hitting the stone floor and the casual conversation between cousins. Even with them having been apart for so long, they talked as if they hadn't missed a thing. But then they stopped in front of a room. "This is your room, Sir Pendergast. I do hope it's to your liking. At the very least, it should be better than sleeping in the barracks this time of year." Stefa laughed.
"Thank you, Yo-- Ma'am." he cleared his throat, his face flushing. He wasn't used to addressing royalty with such... casualness. Bean was different. At the very least, he usually got away with calling her "princess". Either way, he walked into the room and looked around. She was right, it was better than the barracks. It was a decent size-- easily double of his room in Dreamland-- with a bed, desk and a fireplace as well as extra seating. There was also a bookshelf filled to the brim with different titles. He was definitely going to rummage through that later.
"I'll let you get settled. You must be exhausted. Besides, you must be fully rested for the party tomorrow." Stefa hummed. "If you need anything, ring the bell," she said as she pointed to the bell on the wall. "A servant will come see what you need."
"Thank you very much, ma'am." Then Bean and Stefa were gone, leaving Pendergast to his thoughts. His belongings had already been brought up. It was odd, he thought, to be treated like a guest instead of a knight that was sent here on a mission. The princess was nice, he supposed. He wondered where those rumors had started from. She was a bit excitable, sure. But a witch? He doubted it.
Meanwhile, the two cousins were walking down that same hall until they got to Bean's room. "Tada!" she hummed as she opened the door, letting her walk in first. The room was similar to Pendergast's, just a different color scheme. Where his was black and red, Bean's was teal and brown.
Bean smiled and flopped down on her bed, groaning softly. "I hate long carriage rides. Truly the bane of my existence." she huffed as Stefa sat down on the loveseat, resting her head in her hand.
"True. But that knight of yours must have made it oh so nice." she teased.
Bean's face turned red as she looked at her. "Penny? I mean, he's dick sometimes but I guess he can make long rides bearable. Better than Odval at least. Ugh, or my dad."
Stefa's gaze softened. She often felt the need to guide her cousin, given she was older than her. "Odval means well, I'm sure. But what can an advisor do, really? And uncle, he..." she shook her head. "I know he loves you but he has a funny way of showing it."
Bean sighed and fell back onto her bed, looking at the ceiling. "I know. But sometimes it feels like I'm being smothered. Or they're trying to fix me, or something. I'm not broken! ...Am I?"
"What? Of course not! If you're broken, that means I am too." she sighed and stood up, walking over and sitting next to her on the bed, running her fingers through Bean's hair. "Men don't always know what's best for us, especially our fathers. Papa has had his moments too. But he loves me more than anything. Uncle Zog is... a brute, to say the least. But that doesn't mean he loves you any less." she sighed softly. "It's hard for men to think that we can survive without them. They need to be needed. It's just how they are. But they love us nonetheless, beloved." She leaned down and kissed Bean's forehead. "Now, get some rest. We can talk more tomorrow." she whispered before getting up and leaving Bean to her thoughts. However, that didn't last long before she was fast asleep. It had been a long week...