As Elara and the Grand Marshal made their way back towards the castle in silence, she played with her bow's string in an effort to get her mind off everything. The king, Gawen's daring visit, her mission, and of course the man walking beside her.

"Do you know how to use that thing?" she heard Beorn ask.

"What thing?" she had asked quickly and without thinking, "Oh um, no" she added a moment later.

Her family hadn't been hunters. The meat they consumed, they'd bought from the butcher or traded with neighbors.

"What were you planning to do if you found game?"

She shrugged, "I wasn't planning on doing anything"

"It's just as well. I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself" Beorn told her.

She turned briefly to see that the soldiers still followed just out of earshot.

"With this?" she brought it closer to her eye as if aiming somewhere in the forest ahead of her. She wasn't at all taking him seriously.

"I have seen it happen"

"Surely not" She turned her aim to Lord Beorn. He was thankful that all her arrows remained in her quiver.

"It's true. The soldier lost an eye due to a snapped string" Beorn explained.

Elara was unsure whether he was telling the truth or not but decided to be safe and settle the bow, replacing it by her side causing him to chuckle.

"I could teach you how to shoot properly, should you wish it" Beorn kept his eyes focused on the path ahead as he spoke, daring not to look at the girl he'd just shocked with his words.

He set his mind at ease when she replied enthusiastically.

Elara had told herself that she was just diligently following Gawen's orders, but there was a part of her that knew that she might enjoy Beorn's lesson. Besides, amid all the femininity, archery was something Wulfric might have loved and appreciated.

"Thank you for walking with me," She said to Lord Beorn as they approached the end of their journey.

"It was my pleasure," he replied "Although, I am reluctant to leave you here on your own"

It hadn't taken them long to return to the muster ground. The area was still empty except for the guards who were stationed to guard the entrance to the King's forest.

Elara hadn't the slightest idea how long a hunt usually took and how long she could expect to wait for the others to return but she also knew that retiring to her chambers without the King's permission might be frowned upon.

"I will be fine" she replied.

"I would keep you company but alas, I need to ensure that the castle grounds are secure" Beorn explained

"I understand, you have to get back to work"

Lord Beorn nodded his response. For a moment, the two stood with not so much as a word between them. Either one could have said their goodbyes but neither one did.

"I take it you are in charge of the castle?" Elara asked.

"Something like that" he'd replied with a smile.

As Grand Marshall, Lord Beorn had many duties. For one, he was in charge of Olmund's entire war effort and he also made sure the troops had adequate supplies. Overseeing the castle guard was perhaps his least impressive responsibility.

"Well don't let me stop you" She gave him a small nod, "Thank you again for your assistance earlier"

Lord Beorn bowed, "Always a pleasure. I trust I will see you again soon."

"I hope so"

=^..^=

The King and his sister were among the last to return. He had a hearty countenance about him which was almost the exact opposite from hers. The crowd of nobles applauded as he unveiled his bountiful haul. Elara quickly noticed that his quiver was nearly exhausted.

'Girls, come" Princess Aurelia called out as soon as she arrived. Seeking no part of Olmund's self-gratifying speech, she made her way through the crowd and towards the castle. Elara and the other girl followed closely.

As soon as they were indoors and away from the sun, Aurelia stopped and let out a gut-wrenching scream that caused the girls to take a step back in fear. Elara wondered who else had heard, the princess obviously didn't care. That morning, Princess Aurelia had been disinterested at most so what could have happened since then?

"Girls, prepare my meal" The Princess ordered.

"Yes, Your Highness" they all responded.

"Elara, come with me" she added before walking off.

Elara looked to Aoife for help but her friend offered none. She was as much in the dark regarding the Princess' intentions.

They walked in silence until they arrived in Aurelia's chambers. It was the first time Elara had been invited in. Despite being smaller than the one at Moat Lynden, this one was superior in every other way. The epitome of luxury.

"Sit," Princess Aurelia told her.

It was a day of many firsts. This was also the first time the Princess had offered her a seat. She trembled in anticipation of what the Princess might say. The Princess took a seat at a table and Elara followed sheepishly. Aurelia poured herself a generous cup of Claret before turning her attention to the uncomfortable girl before her.

Elara sat quietly and demurely avoiding the Princess' piercing gaze.

'My brother seems to have taken an interest in you" Aurelia began.

Elara remained quiet desperate to avoid saying the wrong thing.

"You must think this means you're special"

"I don't think that, Your Highness"

"You may even have dreams that he will fall in love with you. He's not the most handsome sure, but he is a King after all and that is very attractive, isn't it?"

Elara had the sense Aurelia hadn't intended that as a question but answered anyway, "I am not interested in his affections"

"So you would deny him when he makes his advances?"

"Yes," Elara answered confidently. She had no ambitions where the King was concerned.

"Then you are a fool. You have no idea just how much danger you're in" Princess Aurelia looked disappointed. "You're a pretty little thing, and my brother breaks pretty little things. Something as trivial as permission holds no sway with him."

Elara didn't understand why the Princess was telling her this now, they hadn't had so much as a conversation together since arriving at her brother's court.

Aurelia took a sip from her cup before letting out a long sigh, "he's the very last person that should be King"

"Is that why you agreed to this? You support your uncle's claim?" Elara figured that if the Princess was opening up to her, she could be frank as well.

Princess Aurelia chuckled in response.

"My uncle would have us believe that he only fights in service of the Kingdom but I know he too only serves his own ambitions" She replied, "But it is true he is the lesser evil"

She finished the rest of her wine in one swig and poured herself another cup.

"A slithering viper would be the lesser evil compared to Olmund".

It had become clear that Cedric was misguided in his goal to aid Olmund but what could Elara do? She was only a servant in the grand scheme of things and all she cared about was going far away with Thurstan.

Going against Cedric's orders to aid Olmund would be working against her interests. At least understanding Aurelia's position gave her an advantage she hadn't had before.

"So help me" Elara urged the Princess "Together, we can keep him away from the throne"

Aurelia showed her disagreement with a shake of her head, "It won't work. He's smarter than you think. Eventually, he will find out and when that happens-"

The Princess hadn't finished her sentence and made no attempts to do so. It sounded to Elara as if she had been speaking from experience but the specifics of what had truly transpired was anyone's guess.

The two of them remained in silence as the Princess stared into the distance. Elara thought to ask what she'd been thinking about but decided against it.

"I brought you here to tell you to be careful" Aurelia spoke when she found her way back to the present "Olmund's pets never fare very well and it seems to me that you are the latest one."

"I will be careful, Your Highness" she replied. What else could she say?

=^..^=

Princess Aurelia had been certain of her brother's interest in her young lady-in-waiting, she hadn't had to wait long to be proven correct because just that night, Olmund summoned Elara to his chambers.

The Princess' words had done a lot to unnerve her which left her worried as one of the castle servants led her to the King's chambers.

"Lady Elara here to see the King" the servant informed the guards that stood stationed outside the ornate door. Elara could do nothing else but prepare herself as she waited to be let in.

This was the goal. The closer she was to him, the better her chances of completing her mission. She'd wanted to bring Cedric's letter with her when she'd learned of her private audience but had decided against it. Maybe she'd been stalling but in the end, she'd decided to come empty-handed, content to allow Olmund to make the first move.

As the doors swung open and she was guided through, she steeled herself.

She was immediately drawn in by the magnificence of the room. Its high ceilings were accented with intricate moldings. A sparkling chandelier cast a warm glow over the plush furnishings which included several overstuffed armchairs.

An ornately framed painting of Osmund hung above the fireplace, reflecting the flickering flames from the candles that dangled from the chandelier overhead.

Also, Osmund was naked. He had his back away from her but still, he was naked. He hadn't been caught off guard either, she'd heard him give the order for her to be allowed in so why was he naked?

"You wanted to see me, Your Majesty" Elara bowed as the naked king made a show of donning a robe.

"Come" he waved her over with a flick of his wrist.

She obeyed by taking reluctant steps forward.

"You need not be afraid. I only seek the pleasure of your company" he informed her. "Please, take a seat" he gestured to one of the armchairs.

"Thank you" The chair enveloped her with its softness. It was one of those things that commoners couldn't quite fathom about the lives of nobility.

Osmund placed a cup on the stool before her and even went as far as to fill it for her. His actions were unheard of but she dared not question him.

"You looked very fetching this morning but even more so now" he spoke before taking a sip from his cup.

She began to thank him but was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Olmund held up his finger stopping her in her tracks before ordering the door open.

Elara's gaze turned to meet the visitor but found Lord Beorn making his entrance. She gasped as their eyes met. Neither one said a word but their eyes remained locked together as he stood by the room's entrance and she remained seated opposite the King.

"Beorn, good. Come in" King Olmund spoke first.

"You asked to see me, Your Majesty" Beorn turned his attention to the King.

"Indeed I did, I wanted a report about the latest skirmishes but unfortunately, I have company," Olmund said.

"I planned to share my report with the council in the morning" Elara noticed that Lord Beorn's gaze would occasionally shift to her as he spoke.

"Good" Olmund replied "I suppose it can wait till then"

Beorn acknowledged the King's words with a bow.

"Have you met the Lady Elara?" Olmund asked changing the subject.

"I have, Your Majesty" Beorn replied, his gaze once again shifted to her. "If that will be all, I must get back to work, sire"

"Of course" Olmund replied, "We will talk more tomorrow"

Lord Beorn bowed once more before promptly making his exit. Elara's eyes lingered on the door even as it closed.

"You've barely drank anything," Olmund said to her.

She collected herself before taking a sip of the sweet wine and returning to her silence. That silence typified much of their night together. Olmund would stare at her and occasionally pay her a compliment, she would thank him before returning to her drink and thoughts about Lord Beorn.

A break in the monotony would arrive when Olmund groaned while rubbing his neck and shoulders.

"I feel sore from a long day of ruling. Come massage me" he'd invited her.

She'd been unsure about proceeding but with very few options, she'd reluctantly obeyed. She'd stood up from the comfortable chair and crossed the gap to get behind him.

She had very little experience herself and simply mimicked what she'd seen her mother do. She'd rubbed his shoulders, adjusting the pressure based on his reactive groans until he informed her that it was just right. When his pained groans started morphing into soft moans of pleasure, it began to feel wrong.

When she pulled her hands away, he ordered her to continue and so she carried on. Olmund seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the way her hands massaged his shoulders.

"My hands grow tired" she informed him after a while hoping for an end to the exercise.

"My apologies" he offered but instead of letting her return, he took her hands in his instead. "The delicate hands of a woman can be so fragile" he rubbed her hands in his which caused her to squirm.

He took to massaging her fingers, "Does that feel good?"

Elara cleared her throat and nodded.

Olmund stood from his armchair and pulled her close with a satisfied smile on his face.

"Did you enjoy the wine? It was very expensive, very old"

Elara nodded, her mind searched for a way out of the situation. Despite having never experienced it herself, she knew what a man might expect from a woman. What a king might expect from one of his loyal subjects.

"It was very lovely" she replied awkwardly as he brought one of his hands to her cheek.

Using her hand that he still clung to, he pulled her closer to him.

"Your Majesty" she protested.

"What is it?" Olmund asked as he brought his face near her neck and sniffed.

"Please stop"

"If you are worried about my sister, you need not pay her any mind. In fact, you do not have to serve her anymore. You may serve me and no one else."

"I- don't want to do this" she managed as he kissed her neck.

He laughed, "Nonsense"

She felt his hands find their way to her waist and recognized that things were quickly getting out of hand.

She had only just managed to intercept his searching hand as it made its way to her chest. She pulled his hand away and prayed that he wouldn't react poorly.

Thankfully, Olmund was caught up in his lust as he brought his lips from her neck to her cheek.

"Please, Your Majesty" she begged "Stop"

He kissed her cheek and without warning, made an attempt at her lips. She'd turned away just in time and forced herself out of his grasp.

She stood just out of arm's reach terrified of what he might do. For a moment, she thought the worst as his face contorted with disbelief.

She watched his expression turn from disbelief and start to morph into anger, but as if in the blink of an eye, it was replaced with a warm smile.

"My lady, I don't know what came over me" he took a confused step backward in search of his cup of wine. When he found it, he emptied the cup with two large swings before continuing, "I must ask for your forgiveness"

Elara was still tense and afraid to breathe but the King had offered her a lifeline and she was determined to take it.

"It was my fault, Your Majesty. There is nothing to forgive"

She searched his face and there was no hint of the anger she was sure she had seen.

"Good. Please sit, have another cup with me" Olmund reached for her cup that remained on the table.

"I must retire to my chambers" she replied declining the cup.

Olmund returned his hand to his side. He was shocked at having been rejected so many times but even more than that, he was shocked by his reaction to it.

Once again, he smiled.

"Then I bid you goodnight," he said finally.

=^..^=

Elara could barely stand as she approached her and Aoife's room door. The lantern she carried to light the way felt much heavier than it should have been. Her breathing was heavy and her hand shook as she reached to push the door open.

With unsteady steps, she made her entrance to find Aoife sitting at the edge of the bed presumably waiting for her.

Aoife stood as she made an entrance and waited for her to say something, anything that explained why the Princess and King had both summoned her on the same day.

Elara said nothing, instead she just let herself cry. The reason for the tears might have been any number of things. Escaping the King's wrath? The feeling of his hands? The situation in which Lord Beorn had found her not so long ago? The secrets and lying?

Aoife didn't ask for the reason, she simply closed the gap and hugged the crying girl.

"It's okay," she said holding Elara close.

Elara in turn held her tightly. She buried her face in her friend's shoulder and let herself cry.

=^..^=

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Hi again. What do you think so far? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Cheers.