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"You sure you've got it?"
"Don't worry about it, Darling! My mom says it's a superpower."
"But you've never used it before, how do you know you really have it?"
"Because I'm gonna be Goldilocks, and she always has this power." The lock clicks open, and Blondie smiles over her shoulder. "Told you! This is going to be your best birthday ever."
Darling pulled the armory doors open, since Blondie is just too little to do so, revealing walls full of silver and gold-plated armor. Blondie smiles at the look on Darling's face, like a normal child their age in a candy shop, and runs to the nearest set of armor.
It was too big for her. Everything was too big for her, the smallest objects being made for teenage-and-older hands. The other objects being made for fully grown princes and kings, never intended for a small princess' touch. Aside from polishing and good luck kisses, of course.
But Darling didn't hesitate to pull a helm over her hair, not caring about the complaints it will inevitably garner from her mother when they return to the party.
("I did your hair all pretty like mommy's for your special day! What have you done?")
She tries to wield a sword that is almost as tall as she is, ripping her birthday dress in the process.
("Darling, I had that dress sewn specially for you! How could you? You'll have to apologize to the tailor later.")
She lifts it above her armored head, quickly being sent stumbling backward at the weight.
Daring came rushing into the armory just a few seconds later, his crown on his golden hair, his newest wooden sword in hand. "Who goes there?" He gasps, watching Blondie put her hands up in surrender and Darling lift her visitor.
"Help."
Daring rushes to his sister's aid, pulling her out of a pile of pointy gold things. Right in time for their mother to come in, gasping and immediately scolding Blondie and Daring for pulling Darling into this mess and ruining her look.
Darling huffs, only six and yet with an internal need to take responsibility for her actions, only to be shut down every time she tries to get a word in. Until Blondie and Daring, both protesting, are dragged out of the armory for a time-out, Darling following with a deep frown.
"It's going to be better than last time, I promise."
"Are you sure? I don't want your mom to yell at me again."
"I'm sure, babe. My mom won't know a thing, we just have to be quiet once they're in there."
"If you say so." Blondie sighs and pulls a bobby pin out of her hair, barely sliding it into the lock before it snaps open, the door creaking open as well.
Darling whistles, a smile on her face. "You're getting better at that."
"I hope so. I need to be at unlocking with a single touch before I graduate."
"Which means...?"
Blondie sighs. "Unlocking more things for you as practice."
"Don't act like you're not happy to break into things, teddy bear."
"Oh, no, I am. I just prefer not to run the risk of angering Queen Charming again. I'll probably be her daughter-in-law one day, I can't just anger her like that."
Darling softens. "You plan on marrying me?"
"Not the point."
"Right, anyways," Darling slides into the armory with Blondie following suit, once again going straight for the helmets.
This time, the helm fits her head near-perfectly and doesn't pose too much of a threat to her hair. Her mother stopped trying to push ridiculous styles on her when Darling threatened to chop all of her hair off a few months ago. An empty threat, but her mom fell for the taunt, trading exorbitant hairstyles for the length of her hair. She'll cut it off one day, that day just hasn't come yet.
She picks up a sword. A newer addition to the armory, one made for Dexter's sixteenth birthday. It's only seen use from the other birthday twin, so she knows the balance well enough. She test-swings it in front of her, smiling under the silver helmet. "There's nothing more powerful than holding a sword, especially now that she can handle the weight of them. That she has properly founded confidence in her movements of it, instead of the converted excitement she had when she was young. Younger.
Blondie sits on a pile of empty sheathes, watching her girlfriend practice her swings. Watching the heavy armory doors, just hoping no one walks by. And, luckily, the only person who does is Dexter. He just ducks his head in and smiles, watching for a few seconds before shaking his head. "Wrap it up, Darl. Mom's sent the maids to vacuum, they'll work their way upstairs in a few minutes."
Darling pries her helmet off, shooting her twin a thankful smile. "Gotcha. Blondie, you can go ahead to my room. I'll put everything away."
Blondie nods, understanding what she actually means: that Blondie should go set up her room so it looks like they've been studying for the last several minutes, so there'll be physical evidence for their alibi when the maids get to the princess' chambers. A duty Blondie takes seriously, hurrying off and trusting that Darling will follow as soon as she can.
Blondie's fingers barely glide along the lock this time, crumbling to the floor. "I might be too good at this. We'll have to up the lock budget."
"Take that up with Dexter." Their new royal treasurer. Daring gave him the job after he inherited the crown from their father, knowing it would be the best route for him. The alternative was sending him off to be a typical Charming prince, after all. Ever After doesn't exactly boast a robust job market.
Blondie settled into being a locksmith for a few years, before accepting Darling's hand in marriage. And now she lives in the Charming castle with the head knightess, ready and willing to offer up her powers when Darling loses her key to the armory.
Darling glides into her armory, picking up her custom-made helm and sword, along with the rest of her gear. She pulls her chest plate on and then her helm, lifting the visor so Blondie will be able to hear her clearly. "Gonna come watch my practice?"
"Of course. It's my favorite part of the day."
Darling smiles and pulls her visor down, shifting all of her gear into one hand so she can offer the other to Blondie. She takes it, leaning up to kiss the cheek of Darling's helmet before leading her out of the once-locked door to the practice arena.