"Princess Skye, you are hereby banned from seeing Mona!"

The little ten-year-old princess drew in a sharp breath and her eyes grew wide and luminous with tears. The love of her life sat in a chair directly across from her, so near yet so far away. Stoicism masked Mona's features, but Skye had seen the minuscule wince that showed just how deeply the announcement had hurt her.

"Papa..." her voice was whisper-soft in a vain attempt to hide the telltale waver that proved that tears were on the way. Her sapphire eyes glittered with the crystal droplets, which sparkled like precious gems. "You cannot do this, Papa! I love her!"

"Little Skye, 'tis only an infatuation you have. Mona is almost twice your age, little girl! And besides, it's inappropriate for a girl to fall in love with a woman," her father insisted. His blue eyes, so similar to her own, were hard with determination. 'Like chips of ice,' little Skye thought, anger beginning to rise up. The burning tide dried the tears clinging to her lashes and made her eyes flash silver.

"'Tis not an infatuation, Papa! 'Tis love, real and true!" Skye snapped, glaring. "She and I shall always be together. You cannot keep us apart!"

The King's eyes narrowed. "You will heed this proclamation. If you break the rules, you shall be punished!"

'We shall see,' Princess Skye retorted silently. Her narrowed gaze swept over the king and queen to land on her love. She offered a brave smile, but she did not show any sign of having seen it. As her gaze moved on, she caught a nearly imperceptible nod of her head. A slight twitch of her lips meant the smile was returned.

"You will now retire to your chambers, Skye." Shooting a glare at her father, she stood and brushed out her ivory skirts.

Poised, her regal upbringing shown clearly even at her tender age. Her little bare feet tapped against the marble flooring as she made her way toward the large double doors that dominated one of the towering walls. The hem of her dress brushed against the ground and the swish-swish sound was the only noise that filled the room.

"Mona, wait out in the corridor while your mother and I speak with the King and Queen."

With a sharp nod, beautiful Mona stood and followed her little Princess out of the room. The mingled tapping of their shoes echoed throughout the enormous room.

"Love..." Mona whispered as they exited the room. Her dark blue eyes, like the deepest parts of the Earth's oceans, were filled with love and pain. Pain from the separation forced upon them by their parents. Skye turned, tears once again glittering in her big blue eyes. Her breath caught on a sob and she threw herself into her love's arms. She buried her little face in Mona's chest and let the tears fall in a raging river of hurt. Her tiny shoulders shook with the force of her sobs, but only soft whimpers emerged from her throat. Mona gently caressed her back, smoothing her hands over the satin of Skye's dress and the silk of her skin. Her arms tightened around the child possessively, hugging her to herself. She kissed the top of Skye's head and gently rocked her back and forth, whispering soft, soothing words.

"Shush, my love, all will be well," she whispered. Skye shook her head, her yellow hair gliding over her shoulders and sliding over Mona's hands.

"No, Mona, nothing will be well. My father will never let me see you, and if I do, I shudder to think what he will do to me."

Mona kissed the little girl's head once again and then lifted her chin with one finger. Her lips descended upon hers, soft and coaxing. Her tongue gently traced Skye's lips until they opened for her and let her explore the treasure that lay there. When they parted they were breathing heavily and their hearts beat at the same erratic pace. Laying her head against Mona's chest, Skye sniffled and wiped her tears from her cheeks with the back of one small hand.

"I could never live without you."

"You will not have to, my love. We will work something out. Nothing will keep us from each other. We shall be together forever. Forever." Her voice was adamant, denying any other possibility. The harshness comforted Skye, soothing her into believing what Mona said. Their parents could not keep them apart, they were destined to be together forever despite that she was only a little girl. And no one, not even their parents, could change the direction that Fate chose. She nodded her head in agreement and snuggled closer. Her mind drifted off, trying to find an answer to their problem. Solutions came, but each was an overreaction of the situation and she discarded each as ridiculous.

"Mona?" she questioned hesitantly.

"What is it, Skye?" she asked.

"Mmm..." She nibbled on her lower lip and nervously smoothed her hands over Mona's back.

"You can tell me anything, love. You know that."

Skye nodded and then rose on her tiptoes, bracing her hands on Mona's shoulders. Her soft lips brushed against her ear and her breath fanned her neck as she whispered her thoughts to her. When she finished her explanation, Mona blinked down at her.

"Are you sure?" her voice was somewhat strangled, surprise showing clearly in her midnight blue eyes. Little Skye looked down at her feet, her cute toes fidgeting with excitement. She nodded, her lemon-yellow hair swaying against the backs of her knees.

"I am quite positive, my love."

Mona took a deep breath and released it slowly. She rubbed the back of her neck with one hand, her eyes unfocused as she fought herself in a silent battle. Did she want to do this? Well... yes... but was it the right time? Would it be regretted? Sighing, she rubbed Skye's back and gently kissed the top of her head.

"All right, my love. As soon as I can I will meet you within the garden where we met. I will send you correspondence, perhaps two days hence."

"'Tis too long, Mona." Dropping her forehead to rest against the little girl's, she let out a soft moan.

"Do not be impatient, little love. I need to sneak away from my parents and they will be keeping an eagle eye on me."

Her lower lip protruding in a pout, Skye sighed in defeat. "I suppose."

With a gentle smile, Mona took her lips in another kiss and then gently pushed her toward the curving staircase of sparkling marble. "I love you, sweetheart... I shall see you soon."

"And I love you, Mona," the little Princess replied, holding back tears once again as she watched Mona walk away from her. Her feet tapped softly against the stairs and she ran up them, fearful that she might be caught disobeying her parents.

When the child stood inside her chamber, she let the tears trickle silently down her cheeks. Then, with a feeling of resolve, she dashed them away with the back of her hand and walked over to the large four poster bed that dominated the room. Lifting the mattress, she removed a small leather-bound book and walked over to her desk. Atop sat a jar of ink and a quill. Dipping the quill into the black ink, she began to write within the book. Her movements were graceful as her flowing script trekked across the paper.

My Best Friend,
Mother and Father are heartless and cruel! They forbid me to see Mona and so I feel I must go to drastic measures to make them see how much I love her. I have a plan, but I cannot risk writing it, for fear of its discovery. Suffice to say that Mother and Father will not be happy with me. That is all I will say for now. Farewell.

Skye, signing her name with a flourish, dried the ink and then closed the book. She quickly returned it to its spot under her mattress and then lay down on top of the covers. With a yawn, she closed her sky blue eyes and let her mind drift a way to better times. Times when she was with Mona and nothing had come between them. The world of dreams swept her away in its soothing embrace and she was soon with her lover once again.

The End