Ten

The commander groaned. She was hoping everyone would be busy at the festival. She really wanted some alone time right now. And it ticked her off that the queen would've followed her to her room, so she just stayed on her bed. 

There was another knock on the door, more persistent than the last. Celestria sighed before getting up to open the door and tell Sigourney off. But before she could get the words out, the person at the door came into the room. 

"Are you okay? I saw you leaving the celebration but you usually never go early." 

She looked up at Anderson before shrugging and plopping herself back onto her bed. "Yeah, I'm peachy." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. She took another drink from the flask.

"Uh. Is that rum?" Anderson asked suspiciously.

"No, Anderson, it's piss." Anderson rolled his eyes.

"You don't need to be so damn sarcastic." He swipes the flask from her and takes a few large gulps. "And why are you acting so weird? I don't think I've seen you drink since we were kids and got into my dad's rum." She smiled as she took the flask back from him. They used to get into everything together when they were young. It's too bad they had to grow up. 

"I don't know man." This time when she took a drink of the rum, she could feel its effects. "This whole situation with Sigourney and the king is making me uneasy. I really don't like it." Anderson sat on the bed next to her. Celestria raised her eyebrows at him. He shrugged.

"Sigourney. That's the queens' name, correct?" The woman nodded and took another sip of her drink. Anderson ran his hand across his chin. "Hmm. I don't think I like it that much either. It all strikes me as a bit odd. You told us that she wanted resources in return for helping, but that seems like a small thing to ask for. I don't see why someone would risk their army and the lives of their soldiers for fish." Celestria laughed. The commander was definitely drunk now.  "Wow."

"What?" she asked between her laughter.

"I forgot that you knew how to laugh, it's such a rare occurrence." He grabbed the flask from her and took a swig. She punched him on the arm. "Now, that is an everyday thing. Even when we were kids, you'd beat on me." Celestria mocked a gasp.

"I did not."

"Oh yes, you did. I could make the slightest mistake, and you'd try to take my head off." 

"Ok, you're not wrong there. But you were constantly making mistakes. One can only take so much stupidity, Anderson."

For a few moments, the two continued on like this. Joking about their past together while analyzing their lives now. They mocked and teased each other for little things, occasionally taking a drink of rum.

"You want to know what I remember," Celestria says mischievously. Anderson groans. "I remember that girl you courted. Annabeth. She was...different." Celestria clutched her stomach as she laughed. Different was an understatement.

"First, her name was Anastasia." Celestria laughed even harder. "Second, I only dated her because the girl I really wanted was confusing me." 

"Oh?" Celestria says in between her laughs. "Who was the girl? Melissa from down the alley?" This time, she falls on the floor, overwhelmed with her laughter.

Anderson grabs her and lifts her up so that they are standing facing each other. The commanders' laughter dies out when she sees the look on his face.

"The girl I wanted was you, Celestria. It was always you." He leaned toward her, and she froze. She wanted to pull away, but she couldn't. Her brain was fuzzy, and she felt confused. She was never sure about how she felt about someone romantically; she doesn't understand those feelings. She definitely didn't know how she romantically felt about Anderson. He had been her best friend since childhood. She loved him; he was like her brother.

But she was drunk. And Anderson looked so attractive. Celestria closed her eyes and leaned in a bit.

"It still is you," Anderson whispers right before their lips meet.

His lips were surprisingly soft. They were warm and tasted like the rum he had been drinking. At first, the kiss was slow and sweet. They took their time and just enjoyed the feel of each other's lips. Suddenly, Celestria felt Andersons' tongue brush against her lips. She gasped, and this allowed him to insert his tongue completely into her mouth. He moaned into her mouth and wrapped his arms around her to pull her closer. She placed her hands on his chest and melted into him.

In the back of her mind, there was a voice of reason screaming at her to stop, but she couldn't. If she was being completely honest, it felt good. He was holding her so close, and the heat radiating from his body was comforting.

She broke away, gasping for breath. Celestria knew this was just the result of being drunk, but she couldn't stop, didn't want to stop. And apparently, neither did he. His mouth continued onto her jaw, soft kisses trailing down her neck. She couldn't help but moan at the feel of his lips on her warm skin. She moved her hands up to wrap her arms around his neck. His hands went to take off her tunic. 

"Celestria." He moaned her name into her neck. It felt so perfect. Her name sounded so perfect, rolling off of his lips. He moaned it a second time, and she lost all control. She brought her legs up and wrapped them around him. He let out a gasp as she used her body to flip him over so that they were laying on the bed with her on top of him. She looked down at him and smiled seductively, and he let out a low, throaty laugh. She smashed her lips back on to his. They were breathless, but they would not stop anytime soon. 

Or so they thought. There was a loud knocking on the door that startled them both to reality. They jumped apart and stared at each other in shock. Celestria couldn't believe how far she'd let this get. There was a second, more urgent knock at the door. 

Celestria cleared her throat and fixed up her clothing and hair before heading to the door. She opened it only enough for herself to be seen. Before her stood Sigourney. She was now dressed in a flowing silver gown that hugged her torso. The queen also had silver jewelry with magnificent jewels adorning her. Her hair was in a complex updo and she wasn't wearing her crown, which was unusual for her.

The commander glanced back at Anderson, running his hand through his hair. She turned back to Sigourney, unconsciously trying to smooth out her tunic. 

"Your majesty. What are you doing here?"

Sigourney had caught a glimpse of Anderson through the space between Celestria and the door. He seemed to be fixing up his mussy hair, and that's when it all clicked. The queen didn't know why, but it made her angry to think that Celestria was throwing herself at this man. She told herself it really wasn't any of her business. She couldn't convince herself to not be upset. 

She kept her expression straight, crossing her hands before herself. "I just wanted to formally apologise, in case I upset you earlier. No, not in case. I know I upset you and I sincerely apologise."

Celestria just hummed in acknowledgment. "Is that all?"

The other arched a brow. The commander didn't hide her passive aggressiveness, though Sigourney couldn't blame her. She just shook her head. But before she could speak, Anderson was in the door besides Celestria.

"You're still here? Don't you have better things to do than just pester people?" he said. His expression was more annoyed, but he looked as if he was attempting to look intimidating. It was a pathetic attempt.

"Excuse me?"