“Wow, Mistress, these rings are all so beautiful,” Lily gaped. They walked around the display case, marvelling at each ring. Some had intricate designs to where the gemstones were placed, some had the metal shaped into leaves, and some were even delicately engraved with text. Lily even thought they saw lyrics on one of them. Every time one caught their eye, they were entranced by another. “These people are really good!” they breathed. “I can’t believe these are all custom made!”

“Happy you like them,” the shopkeeper smiled warmly at Lily’s fascination. “As you said, each design is custom made for an individual or individuals. The displays you see here are replicas made with permission.”

“Yes, yes, your custom rings are quite charming,” Magnolia grinned, putting a hand on Lily to calm down their excitement. “But let’s get to the heart of things, shall we?”

“Of course,” the shopkeeper gave a gracious nod, returning her grin with a smile. “What did you two lovers have in mind for your rings?”

What?

Lily’s jaw dropped, and their head whipped to face their Mistress. 

“W-What? We’re… getting some? But… why?”

Magnolia chuckled. “Plaything, do you remember what I said when I gave you your collar?”

Their eyes widened, and they practically started vibrating as they realized what she meant. “R-Really, Mistress?”

Magnolia chuckled again, ruffling their hair. “Yes, plaything, of course we are. I’ve already told the gentleman here what I’d like while you were fawning over the display pieces. So, what would you like?”

“Oh, gosh, um…” Lily flushed. They didn’t even know! They spent so much time obsessing about other people’s designs that it was hard to think of something for them. They tried to center their head and give a proper answer. “Um… I guess something with lilies on it. Maybe like… purple and yellow lilies?”

“Sounds phenomenal,” the salesman responded. He never once broke his genuine smile. “Any requests for gemstones?”

“Um… I like just, um, regular diamonds?” They blinked. There were other kinds of gemstones? Of course there were. But they only knew the ones from video games they’d played. Sapphire, ruby, emerald… What else was there? “S-so, um, I guess that works. Is… is this really okay, Mistress?”

“Of course. That sounds like the perfect ring for you. Even I don’t have any criticism.”

The shopkeeper finished taking notes, then nodded to Magnolia and went into the back. Lily clung onto Magnolia, the only way they could think to thank her in the moment, before Magnolia had to frantically tap their arm to stop them from suffocating her. As they reoriented themself, they began to wonder. Why the heck did Mistress bring me here, anyways? I mean, I’m not complaining, but…

The shopkeeper came back out, and handed a sheet of paper to Magnolia. “Here are the prices.” Magnolia didn’t even glance at the sheet before taking out her credit card. The shopkeeper chuckled lightly. “Well, if you insist.”

He smiled warmly. “Oh, and congratulations on your marriage, you two.”

Wait. Their marriage? What?

“Wh—”

Before Lily could respond, Magnolia reached out her finger and tapped it to their mouth. Suddenly, Lily found themself rendered unable to speak. W-wait! No, not now… I have so many questions! They frantically tried to beg Magnolia for any sort of clarification or explanation, but their mouth just refused to speak. Magnolia smiled innocently at the shopkeeper, silently encouraging him to ignore Lily’s panicked glances. “Yes, thank you. I’m quite excited. I’m looking forward to seeing the rings done and finished.”

“They will be quite lovely. Can I help you with anything else?”

Yeah, can you, uh, explain to me what’s going on? I’m getting married? T-to – to Mistress? Lily pleaded for their mouth to open, but their mind wouldn’t cooperate. It had to have been something Magnolia put in them during a session.

“Nothing that I can think of. We’ll be off, then.” Magnolia grabbed Lily’s arm, ignoring their wide eyes. “Don’t mind them. They’re just… overwhelmed,” she chuckled as they left. She dragged them into the limousine, keeping them silent, and only took off the suggestion when they got home and Lily had slumped against the couch.

Lily wasted no time.

“W-what in the world?!” they demanded, their face pale and sweating. Magnolia smirked at them – if anything, she was reveling in their confusion. “W-we’re getting married? Since when? Did you propose to me while I was in trance? Or – did you just… not tell me?”

She chuckled. “What’s going on, plaything? I figured you’d be more excited to get married to your Mistress… to your Owner.”

“I… I mean, I am, but… I guess I’m just…” they looked down, blushing. “Surprised. I mean… What if I’m not ready? I’ve only been to one wedding, and I barely remember it. I don’t know how they work! Besides, am I good wife material? Or… uh, ‘spouse’ material?”

Magnolia’s eyes narrowed. It was in the way Lily hated, where they couldn’t tell if she was playing or if she was actually offended. “You look more bewildered than excited, plaything. Do you or do you not want to get married?”

“I – I do!” They had never thought that giving the answer to that question would carry so much panic and confusion. “I just – I mean, um, Mistress, I… I would have liked some, well…” their voice became hushed. “Some… notice. Y’know, like… a proposal.”

Magnolia raised an eyebrow. “I did propose to you, just now.”

“N-no, I mean like – Mistress, I’d like a real proposal.” Lily twiddled their thumbs nervously. “Like, I dunno. I never really thought I’d get proposed to. Until you, I didn’t really think I was worth it. So I was hoping it’d be like… a special experience. Something I can look back on, y’know?”

“Well,” Magnolia sighed, sitting down beside them. “What proposal would you like?”

“I dunno,” Lily looked down. “Truth be told, I never really thought I’d ever get married in my life. I just… didn’t think anyone would want to?” They looked away, scared to meet Magnolia’s likely hurt eyes. “That’s probably my family’s fault, to be honest. But even then, I always fantasized about like… elaborate, personal proposals. Maybe I’m just… not being grateful?” They bowed their head apologetically. “I’m sorry, Mistress. I do want to get married to you. I am excited.”

Magnolia looked at her distressed, confused sub with a scowl that slowly faded into an affectionate smile. She sighed warmly. “Perhaps you have a point. Maybe I was thinking about it from the perspective of the more… practical of us. I assumed you’d like being surprised. Which… Well, I know you do, but this is a different circumstance. I assure you, I’ll think of something. And I think you’ll enjoy whatever I do think of.”

Lily looked back up with a nervous smile. “T-thank you, Mistress.”

“But,” Magnolia tilted Lily’s face to meet hers. “Weddings are a lot of preparation. So, I expect you to still be okay with what I’ve done so far. Is that acceptable?”

Lily nodded. “Y-yes, Mistress. If that would help.”

“Good,” Magnolia smirked. “But let’s take a break, shall we? I have something else I want you to do for me.” Before Lily was able to ask, Magnolia took out her pocket watch from her pocket, and her voice slipped into that dreamy, rhythmic drone. “All you have to do is look into the pocket watch…”

~~

“So, um, in weddings, one partner wears a suit, and the other wears a dress?” Lily looked through the wedding outfit catalogue Magnolia got for them, eyeing the fancy attire and fascinating distractions. They could block out their heart’s violent beating now, and maintain their excitement at a reasonable level. Once that had happened, Magnolia had to put them into trance multiple times to stop their, as she put it, ‘adorably excited babbling.’ Lily had to be honest, though – they didn’t feel like the reality had finally set in yet. “How would that… work for us?”

Magnolia looked through her own catalogue, fixing her glasses. “Well, that’s how heterosexual people typically do it, yes. But I’m a trans lesbian, and you’re non-binary, so we don’t need to follow those expectations.” Magnolia put down the catalogue and eyed Lily. “What do you want to wear?”

“I… I dunno,” Lily sighed, putting down their catalogue as well. “I dunno if I wanna wear a dress, honestly. Maybe like… half suit half dress? Would that even work?”

Magnolia chuckled. “Well, you probably wouldn’t be featured in this catalogue for ‘typical’ marriages, starring a cast of only heterosexual cisgender people, I can say that for sure. But I think it would be charming.”

They furrowed their eyebrows. “But… wait… you’re not supposed to see me before the… thing, right?”

“Correct. So maybe it would be better if we each saw different professionals, and surprised each other.”

Lily’s head spun. This was enough surprises to last them the rest of their life. “I… who would I even go to, Mistress?”

“I have an idea for who,” Magnolia smirked, then frowned. “Though she is… conventional, if you know what I mean.”

“What does that – oh,” Lily sighed. Whenever Magnolia mentioned someone being ‘conventional,’ it was code for ‘never met a non-binary person in their life.’ “Well… I’ll give her a try, I guess.”

“And if you don’t like her, we’ll find someone else,” Magnolia reassured them. “You will look perfect, I promise you. And you wouldn’t want to embarrass me, now would you?”

Lily shook their head, their face paling at the possibility. “Not at all, Mistress.”

“Good. Let’s take a break from that, then. We have to think about invitations.” Magnolia grabbed her magazine and Lily’s, moving them off to the side. “I have a handful of people I’d like to invite. All of them are aware and nonjudgmental of our arrangement. Do you have people you’d like to invite?”

“Uhh…” Lily blinked. Times like this, it dawned on them how lonely they felt outside of Magnolia. “I guess… Jenn and Pierre, and some other people from that group. Bobbi, Esper, and the rest, maybe? Oh, and Rye, he’s been… more cool about… everything.”

“Well, if you don’t think he’d cause problems, then I have no complaints. As long as he doesn’t blackmail you again.”

Lily shook their head. That was old news, but Magnolia still brought it up every now and then. Lily couldn’t blame her. They still got pissed about it from time to time – and it wasn’t easy to make them angry. “Oh, um… this is probably a stupid question but… is it okay if I don’t invite my… family?”

Magnolia chuckled. “I was asking who you want to invite. Of course we don’t have to. I sure won’t be inviting mine.” Her eyes softened, gaining a depressed, far-off look. “Though, intent-to-marry notices are public. I wouldn’t be shocked if they found out and attempted to invite themselves.”

“Well,” Lily laughed awkwardly. “Let’s… hope not.”

~~

Lily was soon to be proven wrong.

A few days later, in the evening, just as Mistress got home, they got a call. It was rare that someone called them, especially numbers they didn’t know. Magnolia was always keen on teaching them how to avoid spam calls, so usually it was a wrong number, or if one of their friends got a new phone. But they didn’t recognize this number. Or… no.

The darkness retreated, uncovering a memory.

They did.

A spike of fear and worry shot through them. How did their mom get their number? Let alone for the phone Magnolia gave them. They stared at the screen numbly. What in the world were they supposed to do? They hadn’t spoken to their mom since running away, and certainly not since selling themself to the auction. They couldn’t decide to pick up the phone, decline, or leave it ringing until the end of time.

“Plaything, who is that?” Magnolia asked, walking behind them. She put one hand around their waist, dragging them into her, and another hand around the hand that was holding the phone.

Lily fell silent.

“It’d do you well to answer your Owner – and your fiancée – when she asks you a question,” Magnolia threatened.

“It’s… my mom,” Lily frowned. Shockingly, the years of pent up anger and pain were absent from their voice.

“Hm.” Magnolia raised an eyebrow. “Will you answer it and put it on speaker, plaything?”

“Um… sure…” Lily obeyed. They took the phone back, answered it before it went to voicemail, and put it on speaker. “Hello? Who… is this?” they asked, trying to feign innocence.

“It’s your mom, Delta.” They tensed up at hearing their mom’s voice. It sounded almost unrecognizable – though they could still make out the annoyance and impatience. That hadn’t changed. “I heard you’re getting married.”

“Um, well… I s’pose I am,” Lily murmured. Magnolia put a reassuring hand on their shoulder, which gave them the strength to continue. “Um, how did you get my number?”

“Just found it somewhere. Though I was surprised you changed your name again. Wasn’t the whole point to get, like, a less female name?”

“It’s… complicated,” Lily seethed. “Why are you calling me?”

“Well, I was just wondering if invitations had gone out,” she answered, and Lily could practically hear her shrug. “We hadn’t gotten any yet.”

“That’s, um… they haven’t, but…” they looked to Magnolia’s face for comfort, reassurance, anything. She shook her head, looking at them meaningfully. Lily knew exactly what they needed to say – as much as they didn’t want to. “We’re not… inviting you. I’m sorry, mom.”

“Huh?” Within one word, their mom’s voice rose from impatience to a furious yell. “What do you mean, you’re not inviting me? I’m your mother! The least you could do after you abandoned us is invite us to your wedding? Who are you even getting married to, anyways?!”

“Sounds like your mom is being quite the Bridezilla,” Magnolia whispered sarcastically. Lily had to hold back a chuckle.

“That’s… none of your business, mom. I ran away for a reason,” Lily explained, the resolve in their voice becoming increasingly more clear. “Please, uh, please don’t contact me ag—”

Lily heard something crash from the other line. They flinched. Their mom always threw things at walls when she didn’t get her way. In a strangely bitter way, it was comforting to know that she hadn’t changed at all. “After everything we’ve done for you, you are still nothing but an ungrateful, awful little girl.” Lily bristled at the last word, as did Magnolia, who held them protectively. “You will invite your family to your wedding! That’s the least you can do after all the trouble you put us through! Not after getting a restraining order against your own damn step-brother, for god knows why!”

“N-no,” Lily repeated. They tensed up at the reminder of him, and Magnolia’s eyes flared from protectiveness into rage. “I’m not. Sorry mom.”

Their mom scoffed. “I’m surprised anyone would want to marry you anyways. I thought I was going crazy when I came across the announcement.”

Lily felt a pang in their heart. Why was Magnolia marrying them, anyways? After all, it was so sudden. And it wasn’t like their arrangement or the way they met was anyway conventional. Maybe their mom was… right…

“Let me handle this,” Magnolia interrupted, seeing the pain on Lily’s face. “Hello, is this Whitney Hawkins? Lily’s mother?”

“Huh? Yeah? Who’re you?”

“My name is Em Anderson. I’m Lily’s fiancée. I’ll have you know, I have quite a lot of influence. I’m not sure if someone as uninformed as you has heard of the company ‘Duality’ – but I’m the CEO.”

The line went silent. She hadn’t hung up – Lily was certain her jaw had dropped in shock.

“You’re kidding.”

“I am not. In fact, go ahead and look at the website. You’ll find interviews with me, my name, my photo. Things of that nature. There are even a few pictures with them in the background.”

More silence. Magnolia continued.

“You know, someone tried to hurt Lily before. You know what I did? I looked into all of their banks and their mortgage, and all but permanently ruined their credit score. They lost their house, their credit cards, and all their belongings. Then, I contacted their job, and they lost that as well. If Lily had permitted me to take them to court, it’d have been quite unlikely that they would have gotten a lawyer who’s better than mine, and they would likely have faced a maximum sentence. And this wasn’t someone of little means – I could much, much more easily do it to you. Do you understand now, Mrs. Hawkins?” Magnolia’s voice remained calm, but somehow still seethed with more and more frigid anger by the word. “And that’s not even the first time I’ve done that to someone, either. When you have as much power as I do, it’s much easier to protect myself and the people I love. If you even try to hurt my Lily – and that includes inviting your grimy family to my wedding, misgendering my partner, and having the nerve to raise your voice at my love – then I will do everything in my power to ruin your life. The second you contact one of us again is the second I start the process of retribution. Are we clear, Mrs. Hawkins?”

Lily’s mom didn’t reply for a long time. Lily waited with bated breath for her to respond. And then, she hung up without another word.

“I suppose we are,” Magnolia murmured, turning her attention back to the teary-eyed Lily. “Good on you, Lily, for saying no to your mom.”

“Thanks, Mistress,” they whispered.

Magnolia wrapped her arms around the spacy, crying Lily and petting their head. “Oh, plaything. I know it’s hard.”

Lily didn’t respond immediately, and when they did, their voice was racked with sobs. “I just wish they could… be happy for me. But no… they’d… they’d never be. A part of me thought when she called me, that… maybe she changed. Maybe she came around. It’s just…” They used the sleeve of their hoodie to wipe their eyes. “It’s sad to know she hasn’t changed. That I’ll never have a real… a real family.”

Magnolia sighed. “I know the feeling too well, Lily.” Lily’s family was one of the few topics Magnolia would completely drop the cruelty for. After all, it wasn’t like she didn’t understand. “She won’t bother us again. Though you have a real family. You have the rest of your life to build a new life – with me. Isn’t that what we’ve been doing the last few years?” she chuckled.

Lily laughed softly. “I guess it is.”

“Good plaything,” Magnolia cooed, rubbing Lily’s face with one thumb. “Now, we have better things to do. Get yourself presentable, we have to go do cake tasting, and then—”

“Cake tasting?!” Lily exclaimed, suddenly alert. “That’s a thing?!”

Magnolia smirked and sat down to fix her button up. “I knew that would perk you up. Of course, you dumb ditz. We have to make sure the cake is perfect.”

Lily gasped deeply. They tried to compose themself, and failed. “P-permission to make out with you, Mistress?”

She rolled her eyes. “Permission granted.”

~~

Lily awkwardly stood in the stylist’s dressing room, bare in their lingerie, being measured at every possible angle on every part of their body. The stylist their Mistress recommended was stern, to say the least. Lily had to wonder how their Mistress knew so many stern ladies in suits. Was there a club? Did they have meetings? 

They tried to keep still, not used to being seen like this by anyone other than Mistress – not in a context outside sex, at least. To break that tension, they tried to make polite conversation with the stylist.

“S-so, uh,” Lily stammered as she finished measuring. “W-what do you recommend?”

“Hmm…” the stylist looked them up and down. “I can see you with something like this.” She motioned Lily over to one of the dresses – one with a long skirt, a sleeveless top, and a veil around it. Lily eyed it carefully, trying to figure out what they liked about it. They liked the length of the skirt and the veil, but the sleeveless top… not so much.

“Can I see some… other options?”

“Absolutely. Come with me.” The stylist walked into an expansive closet, taking off incredible dresses from the rack to show Lily. It was hard to believe that this one woman made all of these. They were so stunning, it had to have been an entire team, right? There wasn’t a fabric or thread out of place on any of them. All of them looked gorgeous – but none of them felt quite right. Lily frowned. Was there going to be one that worked for them?

“Listen, uh…” Lily scratched the back of their head, trying to figure out what to say without sounding offended. “These are all really, um, gorgeous and beautiful, and you’re… talented. But, uh, I dunno if Mi—I mean, Ma—erm, if Em told you – but I… don’t usually wear dresses. Do you have anything that’s… well, part dress, part… something else?”

The stylist raised an eyebrow, looking at Lily as if they were crazy. Then, it seemed to dawn on her, and she nodded slowly. She took out a sketchpad, drawing something Lily couldn’t see with eyes flashing. “I think I understand. Now go, please. I have designs to work on.”

~~

It was Magnolia’s turn to be proven wrong.

Lily was cooking, making dinner for them both while Magnolia finished the rest of her work. They were more than happy with that. There was something really hot about being a housekeeper and servant for their future spouse. It wasn’t exactly where they once had envisioned themself being, but they wouldn’t have it any other way. Magnolia finally closed her laptop, and walked over to the stand above the piano – another thing Lily had learned since they moved in together was that she used to play quite well, and still kept the grand instrument in her house in case she ever decided to go back to it. She pulled off a photo, and began to talk lightly to it. Lily cocked their head, curious what she was saying, and who the photo was of.

They were both interrupted by the doorbell. Magnolia furrowed her eyebrows and pulled out her phone, then sighed deeply.

“M-Mistress? What’s wrong?” Lily asked, concerned by the weary, annoyed look on her face.

“Seems we both get an unwelcome visit,” she grumbled. Magnolia put the photo down and walked over to the front door, and Lily couldn’t help but follow her. Magnolia swung the door open. There were two unfamiliar old people… who Lily could only assume, from the context, were Magnolia’s birth parents.

“Let me guess,” Magnolia sighed, fixing her glasses in exasperation. “You want my money.”

The older man choked, as if he hadn’t fully expected Magnolia to not give them a proper greeting. “‘Hello, good to see you again’ would be a better way to greet your parents, dear.”

Lily just cowered behind Magnolia. Fortunately, she let them. “Let’s make this quick,” she snapped. “I’m not giving you any money.”

“You know,” the woman spoke, holding the man’s arm gently. He looked like he was about to pop a vein. “We’re in pretty deep debt, um, dear.” Somehow, it seemed like they were purposefully avoiding using her actual name – which, sadly, made sense to Lily. “It would be great if you could give us some help so we can get back on our feet.”

“No,” Magnolia answered without hesitation. “Leave now before I call my lawyers.”

Silence filled the air. Her mom started tearing up, and even someone as airheaded as Lily could tell she was completely faking it.

“A-and what about your wedding?” the mom choked out. “You weren’t even going to invite us? To your own wedding?”

Magnolia just laughed. “Of course not. Why would I invite people who’ve been nothing but hateful towards me to my wedding? You two kicked me out when I wasn’t even an adult. I had to scrape and claw my way through life to get to where I am now. I’m half inclined to thank you for giving me the learning experience. Weddings are supposed to be happy events, if I recall correctly. I won’t have my own be sullied by people who can’t even use my name, let alone acknowledge me for who I am. You probably couldn’t even afford a good enough outfit for it, since you’re so deep in debt,” she mocked.

“I… we only wanted what was best for you,” her dad started with a scowl on his face. He was about to end the sentence with another word – a name – but Magnolia apparently saw what was coming.

“Well, I guess you gave me what was best for me. Your absence. Don’t test your luck,” she threatened. “Leave. Now.”

“You’re an ungrateful brat!” her dad shouted. Magnolia just smirked. She was clearly taking pride in the anger her parents were feeling – and the way she could just say no.

Her dad shoved Magnolia back, surprising her enough to make even her falter.

“I’ll allow you that one,” she said evenly, though there was an edge to her voice. “You need to leave. Now.”

“Oh yeah? You want more?” He shoved her again.

Lily stopped hiding. Their mind cleared. They would protect her.

Their fist slammed into her dad’s face, giving him a clear black eye.

Lily wasn’t weak, at least not physically. Magnolia frequently praised their toned muscles and physical ability – when she wasn’t calling them a meatheaded thembo. Everyone stared for just a minute in either shock, horror, or anger. The dad stumbled, trying to get back on his feet. Luckily for him, Lily composed themself, and looked towards Magnolia in panic.

“I-I’m so sorry!” they squeaked. “I – I didn’t—”

“Go behind me,” she said calmly. Lily obeyed, not wanting to get in any more trouble than they already were. They teared up a little, thinking of all the ways Magnolia was going to punish them, or – or leave them. Surely she wouldn’t, right? Magnolia eyed Lily, and for a moment, her gaze was warm, assuaging their worries. Or was she messing with them again?

“Y-you!” Her dad screamed at Lily. “How dare you do something like that?! We’re going to sue your fucking asses off and land you in jail!”

Magnolia couldn’t help it. She started cackling, and her parents both took a step back instinctively. “Sue? Sue my partner? With what lawyer? If anything, I should be suing your asses right now – stalking me, attempting to enter my home without permission, and then assaulting me twice? The only reason I’m not calling them right now is, well… what would my lawyers even take from you?” A hint of sadistic glee tinged her rage, but it quickly faded away as she continued. “You have nothing. You are nothing. You kicked your own child out, and are facing the consequences for it. Take responsibility for that. And if you don’t want me to make your lives even more sad and pathetic, you will leave my premises now, never contact me again, and never threaten my partner ever again.”

Her parents faltered for a minute. Her dad was still seething, but evidently his terror of his daughter and her fiancèe was stronger. Eventually, her mom whispered something in her dad’s ear, and he scowled darkly at Magnolia. She returned a smug, triumphant smirk. Her mom led her husband away, back into their car, and drove off without another look at Magnolia.

“Well, maybe they got the hint this time,” Magnolia sighed, turning back around to face her sub’s tear-streaked face. “Lily? What’s wrong?”

“I… I hurt your parents,” they murmured out. “I… I caused you more trouble! What if they actually sue? What if – what if they put me in jail? What if they put you in jail?” Panic edged into their voice, and they put their hands over their head. “What if I ruined everything? What if – what if…” they whispered, unable to even meet their Mistress’s eyes. “What if you don’t want to get married anymore?”

Magnolia pulled Lily’s hands off their head, then grabbed their chin to meet them in the eyes. They could barely meet hers, but tried anyway.

“First of all, if anything, I want to get married to you sooner,” Magnolia chuckled, releasing them. “Punching my transphobic dad in the face was just about the most romantic thing you could have done. I wish I got it on camera. You deserve a reward, if anything.”

Lily chuckled, wiping their eyes.

“Second of all, there is no way in hell either of us are going to jail. I’d hire any amount of lawyers needed to ensure that, though I doubt I’d need to. This isn’t the first time I’ve filed a warning against them. Besides, the police and courts would sooner believe the CEO who runs a massive corporation and creates plenty of jobs over two bitter parents who trespassed on my property and assaulted me first. If anything, if they sued, they’d be the ones going to jail.”

“You… you really think so?”

“Of course.”

Lily looked down. “What… about the, um… how we, y’know, met?”

Magnolia chuckled. “That? Come on, do you really think anyone would believe them? And I doubt they even know. How would they even find out? What would they investigate? All evidence, if any, has very likely been lost to time. After all, I never bought a Lily Hawkins, did I?”

“I…” Lily shook their head, smiling faintly. “I guess you’re right.”

“See?” Magnolia tenderly wiped Lily’s tears away. “Nothing to worry about. Stop crying, now. You did everything I wanted you to – and more. And I love you so, so much.”

She kissed Lily’s forehead, bringing them closer into her. Then she let go with a warm smile. “Now, let’s be off. We need some retail therapy – both of us. Get ready, plaything.”

Lily nodded, smiling gently. “Yes, Mistress.”

~~

The wedding invitations came in one afternoon, and Lily could not believe how utterly gorgeous they were. They knew Magnolia had good taste, of course, but each one was custom-drawn with a different floral illustration, both their names written in gorgeous cursive. The card was finished with what looked like real gemstones. Was that even allowed? The envelopes that came with them were pre-printed with the addresses of their invitees. In fact, it was easy enough to stamp them and throw them in the mail – though Lily had asked to hand-deliver some of them.

Lily recognized only a handful of Magnolia’s guests – some of them they’d met… though none they’d ‘met’ at one of the business parties. They could understand how Magnolia would feel weird about something like that.

They arranged ‘plans’ with Jenn that day, and rushed over to the meeting point. It was a bit further out since Lily had moved a few years ago, but thankfully, they had their own personal driver these days. He picked them up and swiftly drove them over to the lakeside.

Jenn initially was confused when they saw Lily hadn’t brought anything with them. Then, Lily pulled out one of the invitations with a wide grin, and Jenn’s confusion turned to interest. Jenn opened it, and they gasped.

“What?!” they exclaimed. “Really?! Wow, that’s… that’s so exciting for you!”

“Yeah,” Lily giggled, holding their hands together and blushing. “I’m, uh, pretty excited, too.”

“You sure look it,” Jenn teased. “I’ve never seen you blush quite this much. ‘Cept that one time.” Lily’s flush deepened. “So… any plans for a bachelorette party?”

“Uh…” Lily blinked, rubbing their eyes. “N-no, I didn’t… I didn’t actually think of any. Or even having one. What – what would I even do?”

Jenn tapped a finger to their chin and began to think. “Well, I dunno, to be honest. If you could have any sort of party, what would you have? I assume cost isn’t an issue for you.”

“Well…” Lily crossed their arms and considered. With all the options at their fingers, the decision was overwhelming, so they went with their gut. “I suppose I’d just have a chill game night with my friends.”

Jenn blinked. “Really? That’s it? No… elaborate trips or jacuzzis or anything? I’m eternally surprised you two somehow managed to make it work. Doesn’t seem like she’s, well… getting to you.”

“Yeah,” Lily shrugged. “I mean, I didn’t even know I was getting married until last week. This is all happening pretty fast.”

Jenn sighed, shrugging their arms and throwing a hand around Lily’s shoulder. “Well, if that’s what you really want to do, I’m sure I can make arrangements. It’s okay if I bring alcohol, right?”

Lily smiled. “More than okay, yeah.”

~~

A while later, Magnolia woke Lily up at three in the morning, urging them to get up and get dressed. Lily sat up and blearily looked around the room. The sun wasn’t even out yet. Why would even Magnolia want to get up so early? She woke up around five, much earlier than Lily, but even this was absurd for her. If the power dynamic they had didn’t exist, Lily would absolutely throw the covers over themself and go back to sleep. But as it was, they wouldn’t dare disobey.

Lily got out of bed, throwing a t-shirt and shorts over themself, and making some coffee for themself and Magnolia. Interestingly, their Mistress hadn’t pulled out her computer, and she didn’t seem to be getting her work done on her phone. She just watched, silently, as the coffee heated up. They sat down, arms crossed, trying their hardest not to show any hint of annoyance. “So, why have we woken up at the crack of dawn, Mistress?”

“I took a day off today to spend with you,” Magnolia said slyly. Lily blinked. “I have something… special, planned for us,” she stated, trying to hide the growing blush on her face.

“Huh? What… what kinda thing do you have planned?”

Magnolia smirked, narrowing her eyes. “You should know better than to expect me to spoil the surprise, don’t you?”

“Uh…” Lily froze in their tracks. “I-I guess so…”

Magnolia nodded as if she were saying ‘I thought so’. “Then get yourself ready. You’ll need good shoes for this. I won’t have this ruined because my plaything neglected to dress properly.”

Lily began slowly putting the puzzle pieces together. It was quite rare Magnolia took them for hikes – Lily was by far the more athletic, outdoorsy type of the two of them. And it couldn’t be dancing, because she’d have specified more than just shoes. Magnolia was one to usually opt for indoor dining and fancy shows. It wasn’t like she wasn’t fit or in shape – it was just hard to seem athletic compared to Lily.

But both of them liked it that way.

Lily got their belongings together, packing enough water for both of them, some emergency preparedness belongings – some cash in case, energy bars, a backup cell phone, just in case things went very wrong – and anything else they may have needed. They walked back to Magnolia, now similarly dressed in appropriate gear, with a wide grin on their face. “Okay! I’m ready, Mistress!”

“Good plaything,” she ruffled their hair affectionately. “I trust you won’t slow either of us down.”

Lily wanted to snarkily wish the same for Magnolia – but they knew better. They didn’t want any sort of punishment that day. It seemed like this was something special… but they couldn’t really think of anything in particular as to what it would be. They were going to be secluded, and there were a lot of things they could do with that, but… They got in the cab, and drove off to a place a bit far out of the way. It was deserted, even for as early as it was. The sun was beginning to crack on the horizon, and Lily and Magnolia began walking up the grassy hill. There were all kinds of flowers and wildlife around, and Lily learned, from an offhand mention, that Magnolia’s mentor used to be an avid birdwatcher.

As they walked up, Lily got curious.

“Y’know, Mistress, if it’s okay to ask,” they began, pausing so they – and Magnolia – could catch their breath. “I hear you mentioning your mentor a lot, but… I don’t know anything about her. Or – or them? Or him?” They tilted their head.

Magnolia looked at them cryptically. She seemed annoyed, maybe, but it was hard to tell. “You know I don’t like talking about my past, plaything. Are you trying to make me angry, and on a day like this?”

“I-I know that! And I’m not!” they said defensively. “Y-you don’t have to. I was just… curious.”

Magnolia continued staring at them, as if she were scolding them with just a stern look. Lily paled, wondering if they were actually in trouble – if they shouldn’t have said anything.

“Very well,” she relented. “We need a break, anyways. And I guess I should be sharing more things with my spouse,” she smiled gently. There was a hint of… sadness, to it. Why? Lily’s heart fell as they sat down on a nearby rock. Magnolia had brought a towel for herself to sit on, of course – she wasn’t too keen on getting her clothes dirty.

“Let’s see… I first met her in college. My undergraduate had some kind of career development event for women in business. One of the panelists happened to be a trans woman, who wanted to mentor people, well… like me,” she sighed. “So after the event, I walked up to her, and talked to her – very awkwardly,” she added with a chuckle. “You’d be shocked at how timid I was. Barely would recognize me. She gave me her email, then, and we began chatting, about… well, everything. Business, coming out, college, finances… she taught me most of what I needed to know.”

Lily smiled. “She sounds like a lovely lady.”

“Oh, she was wonderful. After a few weeks, we started getting coffee every Sunday, and she’d walk me through paperwork, though my own personal issues, through preparing for marketing events… or just chatting, if there wasn’t anything to bring up. When I first had the idea for my business, she helped me get it set up, helped me with filing for an LLC… She was so kind and patient with me. When I ran into trouble with my endocrinologist, she referred me to hers, who got me back on track. Even helped me when I was short on money for it.

“She… was very compassionate. She took a chance on me, even before I was who I am today.”

Lily smiled gently, and then pursed their lips as they registered that Magnolia had been speaking in the past tense. “So… what happened?” Lily cocked their head.

Magnolia shrugged. “Nothing, to be honest. She got married and moved away. Her business boomed, as did mine. We simply didn’t have time to meet anymore. We agreed it was best to go our separate ways, at least for now. Every now and then I send her an email, but I almost seldom hear back. I sent her an invite to our wedding, but…” she sighed, looking away from Lily. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she can’t come. I wouldn’t even be surprised if she doesn’t respond.”

“That’s…” Lily frowned, clenching their hands around their hiking pants. “That’s so sad, Mistress. I’m so sorry.”

“It is,” Magnolia sighed, standing up and folding the towel back into her bag. “But life goes on. I’m still quite grateful for all her help. She certainly didn’t have to go to those lengths just for a young trans woman with nothing to her name. And yet, I can’t live my entire life waiting for anyone.” She paused, blushing slightly as she helped Lily up. “Well… with an exception, of course.”

“An exception?” Lily tilted her head, shocked by the sudden vulnerability. “W-who’s that?”

Magnolia chuckled. “I’ll let you figure that one out, plaything.”

Lily flushed as they realized what she meant. Then, she got up, so they did the same, continuing the hike. As time went on, their Mistress seemed more and more out of breath, but Lily just seemed unfazed. They still were unclear on why Magnolia wanted to hike so suddenly, though. In the distance, they could see the sun glowing the orange of dawn. They seemed to be near the top of the cliff, anyways. Did Magnolia actually just want to take them to watch the sunrise? That was something Lily always wanted to do, but it seemed out of character, especially for her.

Soon enough, they got to the top of the trail. It ended by a giant waterfall, the water sparkling and gleaming a brilliant blue in the dawnlight. It flowed down the cliff, hurtling over rocks and crashing down to a river beneath. Lily looked closely enough to see fish swimming through it. But then they turned away to face the sunrise.

“Woah,” they inhaled sharply. “Mistress, you have to see this!” They turned around excitedly to their Domme, their Mistress, their Owner – and their fiancée. She seemed to still be catching her breath, which Lily couldn’t help but chuckle about. They were exact opposites, and… that made them perfect for each other, didn’t it? As Magnolia caught up with them, they motioned to the sunrise, and the way the dawn lit up the waterfall Lily hadn’t ever seen such a gorgeous sight before.

“Wow, this is…” Even Magnolia seemed to be lost for words. “It’s beautiful. I can see why you enjoy hiking so much, plaything.”

Lily giggled and grasped onto Magnolia’s arm. “We should do it more often.”

“Good job following orders,” Magnolia purred, kissing their forehead. “Of course, that’s how I trained you to be, but I can’t imagine getting up at three in the morning was easy.”

The two just watched the sunset, basking in each other’s presence. Lily idly tugged at their eternity collar, finding it was still there. That was a constant. There wasn’t even a second they thought of taking it off, except to clean it every couple of months. Sometimes they’d just pull on it for a moment of comfort. While they were lost in their thoughts, Magnolia turned to them. There was a soft yet stern look on her face. Lily momentarily wondered if they did something wrong.

“Do you know why I brought you up here?” Magnolia asked softly.

“Um…” Lily blinked. “You wanted to get some exercise in?”

Magnolia chuckled. “Of course you don’t know. You stupid idiot.” Somehow, the insult was soft, affectionate, not at all like the admittedly hot torrent of degradation she usually gave them. “Though, I wouldn’t have you any other way. You’re an idiot, of course, but you’re my idiot. You’re loyal and stupid and adorable and ditzy…” Lily blushed harder with every new word. “And creative and… so, so naïve. But more importantly than all of that, you’re mine.”

Lily looked down, giddy and blushing, unsure what to say. Magnolia put her finger under their chin and forced them to look her in the eye. “You know better than to avoid eye contact with me, plaything. Especially when I’m getting vulnerable with you.”

“S-sorry, Mistress,” Lily murmured, the change in tone taking them by surprise. Their eyes were shaky and watery. “I just… I love you so much. I love being yours.”

“I love you too, plaything. And I want to own you. Every part of you.”

“But…” Lily looked away momentarily, and then looked back, confused. “I-Isn’t that the case right now? Don’t you… own me?”

“Well, in most senses of the word, yes.”

Magnolia took something out of her pocket – a small, black velvet box – and Lily put everything together.

“But I want to own you in every way.” She opened the box, and there displayed an intricate, beautiful ring – the exact kind Lily had described they wanted to the shopkeeper. “Now, I will admit a moment of… stupidity, on my end. I should have realized someone as small and sentimental as you might want a real proposal.”

Lily smiled widely, and she continued. “When I first saw you, I have to admit, I didn’t think I would quite fall for you like this. I assumed our relationship would be transactional, at most. You know, for my saving you from whatever hell you would have been in. We would be close to some degree, but you would just be a toy. But then you just kept… being silly, and stupid, and just being someone who was a delight to be around. You became someone I wanted to build a life with, as opposed to someone I wanted to build a life for. You never became spoiled or ungrateful despite all I’ve given you, and at first, that was frustrating, but now it’s just so… endearing. At first I thought I’d only get to know every inch of you physically, but I’m grateful I got to know more than that. I couldn’t care less what anyone else thinks of our arrangement. I just…” She got oddly quiet. “Want to be with you. You are mine, obviously, but in a strange way… I am also yours. So, here it is. I want you to be mine, but in this case, I will have to ask for your permission, rather than take it. Lily, my beloved plaything and property… will you marry me?”

Lily smiled and grabbed the hem of their shirt nervously. It took everything in their willpower not to break eye contact. “No isn’t an answer, right?”

Magnolia smirked. “Unfortunately, plaything, in this situation, I cannot force you to marry me. Nor would I want to. But I don’t think I have to.”

Lily giggled. “You’re right.”

“Of course I am. I always am.”

“Mistress Magnolia,” Lily said, taking a deep breath. “I will marry you.”

“Wonderful,” she purred. Magnolia took the ring out of its case and slid it over Lily’s ring finger, then kissed it. “I’ve never quite trusted someone with this much emotional power over me. You know how little I enjoy vulnerability. But… I think I can trust you with it.”

“I think you can, too.” Lily clutched onto her hand with the one she’d kissed.

“If I were the one getting proposed to, it would look vastly different from this. You liked this, though, didn’t you?”

Lily blinked slowly, a smile slowly splitting their face. “It was perfect.”

They shared a long, loving kiss. It was much less possessive than her usual kisses at first, but slowly and surely, she got more and more into it. She demanded every part of them – even more so than she had when they first met, and even more than when she first collared Lily. This precious, submissive flower was hers. And Lily was so, so grateful to be owned by her. They would happily give any part of themself that Magnolia wanted.

“Um, Mistress,” Lily pulled back once Magnolia silently gave them the okay. “If it’s alright to ask a question…”

“What’s the question?” Magnolia narrowed her eyes, and still looked happy regardless.

“Why… Why now? Like, what made you decide to, well, marry me now?” they innocently asked, trying not to sound rude or ungrateful.

Magnolia smirked. “Normally I would give an answer such as, ‘it’d mean I’d have to pay less in taxes,’ but sadly the opposite is true. I now will have to pay more in taxes. Though not substantially.”

Lily snorted. That was such a her answer.

“In all honesty, one day I woke up next to you, and just realized it felt right,” she said bluntly. “I said I value my independence, and well, I do. But I also value you. I value my property, my plaything, my…” she looked away, blushing. “Partner.”

Lily giggled. “I love you too, Mistress.” They looked back to the sun. It was high in the sky, the colors of dawn long gone. Then, they looked down the hill where they came from. “We should, uh, probably go back now, huh?”

“Ah, yes,” Magnolia said, fixing her glasses. “All this talk has put me in a certain… mood. I’d like to get my hands back on you in a different way, if you know what I mean.” She smirked down at Lily. Just that one look was enough to send them into subspace. In that wonderful haze, they rushed back down the mountain, into the car, and drove off.