Gulda frantically pawed at her face trying to get the mess of yellow tangles out of her vision. In this state she could barely make out the sight of the Queen pulling her by her arm.
She only just managed to hook a finger under the mess of hair and pull it from her eyes in time to look directly into Queen Tulie's ashen eyes as she pushed Gulda back against a tree's trunk, hard.
"Ouch!" she squeaked as the other woman's hands ran frantically over her arms and torso, squeezing roughly.
"Are you hurt?" Tulie asked, continuing to check Gulda over for injuries.
"No" she answered simply.
Tulie's hands lifted to cup Gulda's cheeks. Gulda stared back at Tulie's round face, her round eyes, round nose and those soft round lips that she hadn't seen since the most recent time she'd kissed them and was turned away. The mere memory made Gulda's tired shoulders slump in shame.
"Why did you rescue me..?" she asked softly, dropping her eyes from her Queen's face, deeming herself unworthy of gazing upon it. "Why you personally?"
Tulie's fingers, still hot from the excitement of battle, swept underneath Gulda's chin and lifted her head. The Queen stared directly into her, hesitation twisting in her brow.
"So I could claim my prize of war in person?" she answered, jaw clenched in confidence. Even though her face quickly stained red.
"Pardon?" Gulda parted her lips to speak and just as she did they were caught by Tulie's. The Queen's tender kiss caressed Gulda's lips and her strong arms wrapped around Gulda's entire torso, arms and all, as possessively as one would clutch their coinpurse in the presence of thieves.
The kiss was gentle, but desperate, and Gulda stood there as a helpless victim of it. Her immobilized arms pinned to her side as her fingers twitched and her muffled voice squeaked.