It’s been two years since she visited Minji’s palace, and the only thing that strikes her as different is the furniture. The guards at the gate let her pass, a small boy scrambling to alert the royal chamber that she’s arrived.

Minji and her queen, Siyeon, welcome her warmly. They’ve known each other nearly sixteen, seventeen years, from the time when Minji was wondering how to woo the younger girl to now. Minji doesn’t question why she visited, nor if she’ll stay for any period, just if she needs anything.

“A horse, perhaps, and an extra pair of hands could be useful.”

“Take Bora,” Siyeon says quickly and Handong tilts her head at the unfamiliar name. Minji hesitates but does call the knight out of the line.

She’s short, Handong thinks, but she feels a different apprehension when, after kneeling, the knight removes her helmet. Sharp features, dark eyes, and confidence set her in expression.

Before she departs, as Bora prepares their horses and a small bag, Handong gives Siyeon a look.

“I presume you picked Bora to ensure I’ll be suitably entertained during the journey?”

“No idea what you mean,” Siyeon mumbles, and Minji squeezes her hand, a playful scold.

“Return her in one piece, if you would. And perhaps keep her away from any…high-energy situations,” Minji advises. “Bora has the energy of two or three men, it seems.”

“Speaking from personal experience?”

Siyeon glares as they laugh but bids Handong a kind farewell. Bora hands her the reins of her horse, posture relaxing as they put the castle behind them. Her bag knocks into Handong’s ankle, probably full of…whatever materials human knights needed. A bedroll and food, probably.

“So…where are we going? Why do you need help if you’re, you know, a goddess?”

A little incredulous, Handong just shakes her head.

“Goodness, they gave me a talkative one.”

“Hey! Uh, ma’am, Lady Handong,” she fumbles, and Handong only holds back smug laughter at the woman’s fear due to years of experience.

“I suggest you focus on where your horse is pointed instead of questions,” she says. Bora stays silent, likely stewing, for the rest of their ride.

——

The rain doesn’t bother her much, even though it’s entirely the purpose for her visit to this village.

It’s not Minji’s fault, nor the previous ruler, but they’re directly downhill from some unstable sections of a far riverbank. Handong, though usually content to let nature run it’s course-hah-found the village completely unaware of this impeding situation and decided to intervene. Doing so from across the country would’ve been exhausting, hence her stop at Minji’s.

They arrive a little late, though Handong truly thought she left early, hence her lack of explanations to the knight.

“Just help them evacuate,” she repeats, and Bora looks frustrated as she sends the horses off with a smack. The townspeople are leaving already, one or two trying to stop her slow walk forwards until one of them realizes.

“Are-are you-the g-goddess-her-“

She waves the woman back and settles in front of a tree near the north edge of the village, frowning. The water’s approaching quickly.

Dogs bark and the people clamor in the background, but soon Handong can only hear the creaks of the wood and subtle thrum of the earth moving for the water. More trees in the way, their root systems…she stretches them far, uses their thirst to absorb. It works and some of the earth cracks from the dehydration, slowing but not lessening the water. Her plan remains the same, if a little more severe-she formed the cracks in the valley to redirect the water back to the lake it spills into but the water crashes violently against the new path, more overflow-

“OI! YOU! I SAID GET OFF OF THE HORSE, THE WATER’S COMING!”

The lung capacity of a whale, Handong thinks. It takes her a moment to sink back into the sensations, some sections already becoming marsh-there, a pair of willows, roots darting out and earth straining to stretch upwards. It catches most of the runoff and Handong feels the press of bark at her hand as she returns, entire body flexing before she relaxes. The tree had held up well, and as a small stream of water begins to trickle down the hill, she ensures its roots have spread enough to collect. The townspeople didn’t water it as they should-she could change-

“Whoa!”

She whips around, still regaining her senses after the use of such power, to find Bora squinting up the hill. Her lower half is caked in mud, helmet off, and she smells…worse.

“That was impressive! Uh, Lady Handong,” Bora hastens, but then her smile comes back. “You should go talk to the village leaders now, though, they’re still sort of panicking.”

“Of course they are, I’ll sort it. Never easy enough to just solve the disaster, is it?”

“Well…could be why they sent me with you,” and she winks. For the first time in…a few decades, two at least, Handong’s temporarily speechless. The last person who openly, seriously flirted with her was a drunken demigoddess, an arguably better fit for her, but this-

That’s why Siyeon picked her. A flirt, Handong sighs.

“Yes, they did, so perhaps you’d be useful and go help that couple free their oxen from the mud?”

Bora whips around and jogs off to just that-though not before saluting her, for the gods’ sake.

——

“Huh.”

Handong looks over to the knight, who’s still got patches of grime from yesterday’s work along her jaw.

The disaster was semi-averted, which was as good as she could have done. The people of the village recognized just how much floodwater she diverted with the plants, a few falling to their knees as if she weren’t wearing a mud-speckled dress and flanked by a short, boisterous knight. It was nice, sometimes, to receive the worship of the people, and it could be a healthy cycle when done right.

Her “reward” or small price so that they forgot to feel indebted, was some tea and a good view the reconstruction happening to the town central.

“Yes?”

“You understand that?”

Some of the workers happened to be from another continent, their tongue sharper and different and more familiar than the language of this kingdom.

“Yes.”

“Wow…goddess powers sure are something. Like, every word? Slang, even?”

And, alright, she doesn’t expect Bora to be educated on history, aka mythology, but maybe putting her in her place would be a little fun.

“I invented that language, Bora, so yes, I understand it.”

That does something to the knight, causes a flush for reasons she won’t dig into. Yet.

Handong sips on her tea, pleased as the knight searches for some response. She’d bounce back, and Handong’s admittedly anticipating it; this knight is a little new, different than her last human…fling?

But does Siyeon have a deal with this woman to try and woo me? She isn’t…well, isn’t doing much, I suppose, though she isn’t subtle either.

“How did you create it? Why?”

Again, Handong’s surprised by the knight’s…something. Courage, perhaps, to question the why of a goddess.

“I felt it necessary. The region was experiencing issues brought on by constant misinterpretation, as the introduction of a writing system between this region and their eastern neighbors had caused issues in integration-“

“Oh gods, please, I’m-I’m so sorry for asking, Lady Handong, I, um,” Bora mumbles, and Handong manages to keep up a displeased expression long enough to get some silence from the knight.

——

“You can head back in the morning, Bora. With both horses.”

She looks up, confused.

“What?”

“My work in this town is done. I think I’ll roam for a while, just to wander. The landscape has changed.”

“Ah. And you won’t…need an ? Protection?”

She realizes what she said as Handong raises an eyebrow, ducking her head in embarrassment.

“Right.”

Some hair falls in front of her face as she scrubs her sword, and Handong finds that a pity. They have a night…

And this inn has baths.

-

“Do you…need to bathe?”

“Do you, if you really think about it? Some things we do out of wants, don’t we?”

The implications do register with Bora, though Handong keeps an eye on her clear hesitation as well.

Mixed signals are no good for either of you, Handong had once scolded Minji.

They had shed their outer robes already, the innkeeper personally assuring them the water would be hot and satisfying and “dusted with petals” for an optimal experience. They’d both stopped short of complete , for some reason. A reason that has to mean something, as strong as it is.

“Would you…help me undo the back of my robe?”

Can’t your goddess powers do that? Is at the very edge of Bora’s tongue before she swallows it down, approaching slowly. Her fingers stick at the tie, a simple knot at the lady’s back, before her nails catch it and the fabric loosens. She undoes the knot fully, waiting, and then…Handong tilts her head slightly, still unable to catch Bora’s eyes. The knight is entranced, it seems, hovering along that line of reverence many humans carried, or discovered, once faced with their existence up close. Even Minji and Siyeon had…shown signs of sway, though Handong felt assured Bora’s responses to her were only amplified by this force, not caused by it.

Bora has the audacity, the brazenness, to do what others could get evaporated for. The hands at her shoulders were already pushing it, yet somehow, Handong doesn’t feel annoyance as the knight presses a kiss to the base of her neck.

It’s soft, rough with the feel of lips rarely cared for, but it’s comforting. Bora steps back to undo the rest of her robes and Handong pictures the blush on her cheeks.

It’s likely a darker hue than her own.

The water is warm on the edge of hot and Handong groans just a little loudly, tipping her head back. She knows Bora watches, sees, and it is nice attention.

Then the brat kicks some water up as she enters the bath and Handong briefly, briefly reconsiders.

-

“You didn’t need an extra pair of hands, did you, for the…mission,” Bora whispers, and Handong chuckles. The bed’s small, though they get separate pillows and numerous blankets.

“How perceptive.”

“I’m sharper than I look.”

“I still find that difficult to believe,” and this time she turns to look at the knight. Her gaze is intense, less playful than the usual smirk and arrogance Handong has associated with her.

“Allow me to prove it. To make my case.”

Handong bursts into laughter, leaning away from the outburst of irritation from the younger. The far, far younger woman.

“I’ve been alive quite a while, darling, and whatever experience you have…mm. I can assure you, I’ve felt it before.”

Bora grumbles, cheeks pink and already turning to plant her face back into her pillow.

“Well I-that’s-“

“You can still try, Bora,” and this time it’s Bora who’s caught off guard by the flirtation. It doesn’t last long, though, because that’s the one field the knight might exceed her in-sheer hubris.

Still, though, for all the barking, Handong wonders how much bite she has behind the words, the glances, the brash actions.

The bed shifts quickly and Bora crouches on top of her, grinning. One hand approaches, cautiously tracing the edge of Handong’s jaw. She lets the human look, resting her hands on the bare knees that bracket her hips.

“If her divine self asks for it, how can I say no? How can I give anything less than my best, greatest effort?”

“Greatest, well…I’m curious to see what that amounts to. Perhaps it won’t be solely your efforts,” and Bora’s eyes light up with the idea of not only reciprocation but challenge.

That, she can do, and do well.

-

She heads off in the morning, alone, still smiling as she remembers the knight’s efforts.

——

Fate doesn’t let them stay apart too long.

It’s been three, perhaps closer to four weeks since she’s seen the knight, and though goddess duties are quite consuming, she does wonder sometimes. Being able to scry and determine her location is boring, honestly, an unfair trick. She would prefer this, whatever their relationship morphs into, to be organic. Natural.

Her reaction to the shriek in the forest-high, childish-is natural. She stops and waits, turning towards the direction it came from. Silence is worse than a repeated cry, so after ten seconds she rushes into the underbrush, darting forwards in sections until-

“Oh.”

Bora jerks up from where she’s lying on the ground, dusty and grimacing and sword stuck into a nearby stump.

“That...bastard horse...ing threw me,” she wheezes. Handong pulls her up and they stagger to a nearby rock, the helmet and sword and bag migrating over as Bora smacks at her hair to knock the dirt out. Handong quickly rights her armor, knowing twisted chain metal and sticky plates could cause more damage as Bora’s breathing evens out.

“How are you, Handong? Have a nice, uh, roaming time?”

It’s not a smirk this time, but a smile, though it’s still a little irritating. Then she winces, face twisting and Handong edges closer, running a hand along her plate.

“Quiet. What type of pain is it?”
“Uhh…throbbing. Dull when I’m still, sharp…when I move,” and Handong tilts her head at the tone.

“Shouldn’t you be a bit more concerned, then, darling? You lack a horse to take you back to the castle or nearby town.”

“I was…stuck,” and her tone is rather soft given what she was accustomed to before. “There is, after all, a very attractive goddess kneeling by my feet.”

Handong tries to force a sigh through her chuckle but it just-the mirth, the audacity of this knight to flirt now, as she stains the edge of her robes once again-

“You’re entirely insufferable, darling, but you’re lucky. I don’t enjoy the idea of abandoning helpless, injured women in the forest,” and Bora’s smirk vanishes as Handong lifts her. An undignified squeak is all she manages before curling an arm around a waiting waist, holding on tight.

“I-I swear…don’t drop me, Handong.”

“The insolence,” she mutters, but regardless, she doesn’t drop the whining knight on their journey back to the castle. It wouldn’t do to rob Minji and Siyeon of such a fiery, hard-working, energetic woman.