Our story begins on a cold night illuminated only by the moonlight. We catch up with our hero as he runs breathlessly through the winding paths of the old dirt road that led away from the village where he'd lived most of his life.

You see an hour ago, he packed up all the things in the world he couldn't live without into a satchel, donned his mother's favourite dress, the only thing of hers he hadn't sold off, and left home in the cover of night.

The last three years had been hard on Wulfric. His once large family had now been decimated. His father and two brothers had been killed in the ongoing war, 'the King's war' as most people called it, as its sole purpose was to keep the usurper in power despite his nephew's rightful claim to the throne.

For that reason alone, his father and two older brothers had died in this meaningless war. His mother had fallen ill and followed six months later. Wulfric of course knew the real truth, she died of heartbreak. A selfish act that left him alone in the world.

To make matters even worse, earlier that morning he'd received the news that the king was now calling for more cannon fodder. Come sunrise, he would be expected to march to his death, his apprenticeship that had kept him away from the war so far was now powerless to protect him.

Wulfric knew one thing for certain. Taking a step onto that battlefield meant his death and the end of his family tree. However unremarkable it had been so far, it deserved to survive, it deserved the chance to die for something it truly believed in. So he'd made up his mind to run.

With soldiers stationed in the village to prevent plans such as his, what choice did he have other than to turn his cursed appearance into a blessing for once?

As he walked past guard after guard in his mother's favourite blue dress, he rationalized that this was for the best. He wouldn't be of any use to the war effort. His ridiculously small frame could barely lift a sword let alone wield it effectively.

"I would be crushed from the weight of all that armor or die of dehydration long before the battle even started" he reasoned.

This was for the best.

His plan worked perfectly of course. No one would have guessed that the young, petite girl in the blue dress was anything other than she appeared to be. She was even carrying a wooden bucket so everyone must have thought she was on her way to fetch some water.

No one would have suspected, except Elowen. Elowen with her ridiculous and constant pestering was the one person he didn't want to run into outside the village when he was finally away and free.

Her shrill voice cut through the night air a moment after he walked passed her.

"Wulfric?"

His disguise would have worked perfectly when faced with any soldier or outsider but was utterly useless when dealing with the people of his village. After all, it was the same face that they'd seen nearly every day for all those years. A feminine face that did well to complement his current outfit but still just his face.

Elowen had started laughing before she realized his plot. There was no reason for her to try to stop him but still she did. Such was her nature and the reason the other villagers didn't like her or her wicked mother.

He knew his pleas would fall on deaf ears but he pleaded anyway. True to character, she reached forward and grabbed the hem of his dress holding tightly. When he turned away from her, she took hold of his satchel and pulled.

There was no reason to prevent him from running away, it didn't harm her in a way, maybe she was just jealous that he'd get to live and her only brother would die in the war but his staying wouldn't change her brother's fate so why?

He didn't bother pondering the complexities of her wicked mind, he simply swung his arm as hard as he could catching her square in the face with the wooden bucket and knocking her to the floor.

Even as she fell, her fingers remained locked in a tight grip which pulled his satchel right off his shoulders. He reached for the satchel in her hand only then realizing he hadn't succeeded in knocking her out and she wasn't giving it up without a fight.

When she began screaming for help, he'd run and continued to do so for the next 15 minutes or so even when his legs threatened to cave and his body threatened to give up. Elowen would have alerted the entire village to his actions by now. His humiliation aside, his was now a fate worse than conscription should he be caught. So he ran some more.

=^..^=

By the time Wulfric arrived at a homestead and collapsed in front of its small picket fence, his legs shook from exhaustion and his heart felt like it was ready to beat out of his chest both from fear and overuse.

Still, he'd managed to put enough distance between himself and the village that it was now time for the second stage of his plan, a stage that he couldn't begin because it consisted of a change of clothes. Clothes he no longer had because they were in the satchel.

Before any of that however, he needed to deal with his growing, unbearable thirst that was becoming impossible to ignore. He spotted a well just beside the nearby homestead. Encircling the house he spotted a wooden barrel towards the back and prayed the liquid within was clean water.

He found it to be quite a feat to scale the short fence as the tight bodice of the dress was severely restricting his range of movement and the numerous skirt layers kept getting caught by the fence pieces. Add that to the fact that he was deathly exhausted at that point.

Still, he found relief as he approached the barrel, uncovered it and found clean water within. He hurriedly scooped a generous quantity with a nearby ladle quenching his thirst and repeating the process a few times until he was satisfied.

He realized this made him a thief, one of little consequence but a thief nonetheless. He could add that to conscription dodging and assault as another one of his crimes.

Wulfric wasn't a renegade, far from it. He'd never so much as hurt a fly before today. He was a victim of circumstance. Circumstances created by the vile king that now ruled the nation. A king who wouldn't even fight his battle and left that burden to his generals and his unwilling subjects.

"Who is it?" Wulfric heard a woman's voice. He'd been so engulfed by his thoughts that he hadn't heard the door to the house open.

He thought to hide but from where his observer stood, they could see him well enough in the moonlight.

"Who are you?" the voice called out again much more sternly this time "I am armed" The woman warned.

"I mean you no trouble" Wulfric put on the best portrayal of a woman's voice he could manage in light of his clothes. "I am just passing through"

"And helping yourself to my water while you're at it" The woman took a step forward seemingly at ease at the confirmation that the intruder was a young lady.

"I'm sorry, I was just thirsty. I'll be on my way" Wulfric assured the woman.

"Come closer" she instructed.

Wulfric sheepishly obeyed. He couldn't afford another altercation and he had no buckets this time either. When he was close enough, the woman brought her candle to him illuminating his pretty face and soft locks.

He glanced down and realised the woman had been telling the truth. She was indeed armed. In her right hand was a short sword that could skewer him and at this range, there was little he could do to stop her.

"You a runaway?" She asked examining him. Without waiting for a response, she followed up, "What are you running from, girl?"

Wulfric realised he had little choice. He had to tell her something, anything that would allow him to go on his way without trouble.

"My husband" he answered.

A common enough story that wouldn't raise any suspicion. While most men were away at war, those who were deemed unfit, perhaps through injury or age, would have remained.

As much as it horrified him to think it, he knew brides his age were married away to dirty, old men as long as they were rich enough to afford it. Still, it made his story plausible.

The woman examined him some more before turning and walking back through the door.

"Follow me" she called out simply.

"I really have to be on my way, ma'am" he called out to her. He wondered whether he should make a run for it. He was tired of running, too tired to make another step that wasn't in the direction of food or rest and this woman seemed to be offering both. Invaluable since all the food he'd had was in that satchel. He cursed wicked Elowen and followed the woman.

=^..^=

The little he could see of her home in the candlelight was very comfortable. Much more than his own home. Two girls sat at the table eating dinner. Both were younger than him but the older one, not by much.

"Hello," The younger of the two girls said to him.

"Sit down, I'll bring you some food" the woman instructed.

Wulfric quietly obeyed after replying 'hello' to the young girls.

"I'm Gwyn, what's your name?" The young girl spoke again.

Wulfric froze for a moment. He hadn't thought about that. He hadn't expected anyone to ask him that. If things had gone according to plan, he would have been back in his normal clothes by now.

"Elara" he quickly recovered. It was his mother's name. Fitting since they looked so much alike.

"Pretty" Gwyn responded. "My sister is Matilda" she finished.

Matilda shot her younger sister a disapproving glance before returning her gaze to the stranger.

Every time Wulfric thought the teenager was going to say something, she kept her thoughts to herself and every time Wulfric thought to say something to her, her disapproving stare told him otherwise.

Gwyn on the other hand had no issues talking to her new friend, going as far as telling Wulfric about all the animals on their farm. Each new spilled fact of course earning her a disapproving look from her much quieter older sister.

"It's not much but you need to eat," The girls' mother said as she returned with a plate of food, "You must have been through a lot"

=^..^=

Admirably, Wulfric had managed to convey real appreciation for the food even though he hadn't really enjoyed it. The porridge was bland, the bread was stale and the cheese gave off an off-putting odor but it was enough to be filling so he was grateful.

He didn't know when his next meal would come if at all so he made sure to eat every last bite offered. In truth, he was dreading going out in the world. A girl that looked like he did at that moment travelling alone was just asking for trouble. Who knew what unsavoury characters hid around every corner? But that was a problem for tomorrow. Tonight, he had questions to answer.

"Why are you running from your husband?" The woman who revealed her name to be Maud asked.

Wulfric wasn't a thief or a violent person. His actions tonight weren't typical of him. What he was, however, was a fibber, a storyteller, a wise mouth. When you're that petite and defenceless, you pick up other ways to protect yourself.

"I was forced to marry him." He began "A wicked geezer older than my own father. He forces himself on me, kisses me with his dirty breath and takes me as he pleases"

Of course, our dear Wulfric had never experienced any of this. He'd simply listened in on people talking throughout his years and pieced together the horrors the women around him faced. Knowledge he was now exploiting.

"What is your plan? To return to your father's house?" Maud asked genuinely interested in his tale if a bit concerned that the young girl before her hadn't entirely thought things through.

"And why not?"

"Your father received a price for you. He must return you to your husband"

"Then I will slit my own throat" he responded sharply with the same extreme indignation he'd witnessed another woman have over her unfair circumstances.

"And bring shame to your family" Maud explained.

After what felt like an appropriate pause, he asked to end the night in anticipation of an early rise the next day to continue his journey.

Maud who had no interest in pressing the poor, yet misguided girl brought her bedding to make the floor that bit more comfortable and bid her goodnight.

Wulfric collected his thoughts about the day that had unfolded and the day that was yet to come. It dawned on him that he'd have to pretend to be a woman for a bit longer until he could find a place to steal some men's clothes.

He ended the night with thoughts of how one crime could easily lead to several more no matter how good one's intentions.

=^..^=

Wulfric was awoken by the thumping of heavy footsteps and the vibrations they created coursing through his very bones. The room that had only been illuminated by candlelight the night before was now lit brightly by the sun high in the sky.

The first feeling was panic. He'd planned to be on his way before first light, but he'd missed that by a very large margin.

The second feeling was evening greater panic. The footsteps were right outside the homestead. His face contorted as he frantically searched his brain for the most favorable action, a way out of this mess.

Why hadn't he woken up when he'd planned he wondered. Surely he hadn't been so tired to miss his deadline by several hours? What was he to do?

His thoughts were interrupted by rapid knocks on the wooden door followed by demands to open. His heart skipped a beat.

Were they looking for him? There had to have been hundreds of men at least. All for him?

The knocks and demands came again louder this time.

Maud hurried in from the backyard, shooed him out of sight and hurriedly opened the door.

"G'day madam" A voice came through.

"Good day, Mr...?"

"Major Donahue" the man answered "I am afraid we must trouble you this morning. We are in need of water for our horses and we must make use of your well"

Maud leaned out the door and peered wide-eyed at the large company of soldiers that rested on her property.

"All those horses" she began "They'll drink my well dry"

"His Majesty's horses, madam. Part of His Majesty's army. I'm afraid this is not a request"

"My husband serves in His Majesty's army. Surely you don't mean for one of your soldiers to return home to find his wife and children dead of thirst"

While Wulfric's focus remained locked on the ongoing discussion, he did his best to stay out of sight. His hiding spot turned out to be far less than ideal because although the Major couldn't see him from his position outside the house, if he made any attempts at entry, Wulfric's presence would surely be revealed.

His one saving grace was that the Major didn't seem to be in Maud's homestead in search of a runaway. So he simply listened and scarcely breathed.

"Captain" the Major called out "Water the horses, but do it sparingly."

"Thank you, Major" Maud replied with relief. "If that will be all..."

"I'm afraid I must trouble you some more" He interrupted "It is but a trifling matter"

Maud didn't respond but non-verbally conveyed her attention.

"We are in search of a deserter. Reports put him somewhere in this area, at least at some point" Major Donahue informed the woman. Wulfric covered his mouth with both hands to keep from making a sound. His worst fears were realized.

"The information my men and I received is that he might be disguised as a woman. Highly unusual I know" the Major confessed "Have you encountered any such characters?" He asked finally while peering past Maud into the house.

"I'm afraid I haven't" Maud replied while shifting slightly to block the Major's view.

"I hope you don't mind my taking a look inside." He spoke seriously, "He is said to be very dangerous, already attacking an innocent bystander. This is for your protection"

Wulfric knew he had to move immediately. His flimsy hiding spot wouldn't hold up against any form of inspection let alone against the trained eyes of a high-ranking officer.

He shifted to his feet. He briefly considered making his way to the backdoor but scrapped that idea when he remembered that's where the barrel of water had been. A barrel likely to draw the attention of a thirsty company of soldiers.

The room to his left was his best bet. He considered that he could hide underneath a bed however predictably. At least it would buy him some time. The problem was the entrance appeared vulnerable to the Major's line of sight even from his position outside the door.

He was trapped.

"Major, is that really necessary? I will have no men in this house except my husband especially while he is away fighting for the king"

"I am afraid I must insist, madam" He countered "It's only me and I assure you, I am an upstanding gentleman"

"Still, this is..." Maud began to argue but she was quickly cut off.

"Step aside madam" The Major briskly ushered himself passed the shocked woman and laid eyes on the apparent young girl who had nowhere to hide.

Wulfric simply stood frozen, unable to move. He must have thought his life was over, a reasonable assumption given the brutality of His Majesty's army.

"And who are you, young lady?" The major asked him. He realised the game wasn't over yet. He still had cards to play as long as he looked the part, and so did Maud who couldn't figure out why she was helping and harboring a fugitive and a liar.

"That's my eldest daughter, Elara" Maud proclaimed to the surprise of both herself and her untruthful guest.

"Well, I'd say, you have a very beautiful daughter. I assume she gets her blonde hair and grey eyes from her father" He asked with his watchful eyes inspecting the room.

His gaze lingered on the freshly used bedding on the floor but he pretended to think nothing else of it.

"How many children do you have, madam?" he asked.

"Two other girls" Maud answered.

The major grunted his acknowledgement before inspecting the house some more.

"Bring them out here" he commanded.

Maud held back her dissent when she noticed his stern expression, "Girls, come out" She called out.

A moment later, the two girls that Wulfric hadn't seen since the night before hurried out of the inner room clutching their hands together.

"You have such beautiful daughters... although I can't help but notice the striking difference between the eldest and the other two"

"She takes after her paternal grandfather..."

"Enough" The major called for a halt to the deceit and the games. Everyone had sensed its futility for some time and the Major's patience had run its course. He walked briskly and placed a firm hand on Wulfric's chest, the absence of the expected softness was telling.

In truth, it was a risky move. Had Wulfric been who Maud claimed he was and no foul play was indeed present, it would have been a sticky enough situation for the Major who prided himself an upstanding man. Instead of outrage, he was only met with the satisfaction of having been correct.

Wulfric's life flashed before his eyes as he thought of every possible way in which he could be killed. The last of his family line hung as a deserter. The best he could hope for now was obscurity after death. He hoped he wouldn't be laughed at and ridiculed for his actions for generations to come.

"I... I forced them to hide me. I threatened them" he announced. His fate was settled but he didn't want Maud to suffer for her overwhelming kindness.

"Wulfric? Is that right? We can add kidnapping to your list of charges. We apparently have a hardened criminal on our hands" Major Donahue commented.

Wulfric's heart sank. His was a grim fate. He should have just gone to fight the war and hoped for a quick death. All a village boy like him could hope for was an honorable death but he'd had the audacity to try to live.

The first tear drops rolled down his cheeks, defeated.

"Be calm," Major Donahue said to him "Yours is not a fate to envy but it is not death by my hand"

The major turned and walked towards the door, "Captain" he called out "It seems we have discovered our runaway".

An odd-looking man quickly emerged from the doorway with a look of surprise.

"The fair one." the Major pointed out "Put him in line with the troops. He will fight for his country or he will die trying."

"The girl?" the captain asked.

"Looks can be deceiving" His superior replied.

Wulfric wasn't sure whether to be relieved or not but he was terrified. Terrified of the idea of facing those men outside, hundreds of them, dressed as he was.

"May I get a change of clothes?"

"You chose those clothes over His Majesty's colors. In those clothes, you will remain"

=^..^=
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Hello again, I know I have a lot of unfinished stories but I've been having trouble writing anything lately. I'm just writing these short stories to jumpstart my brain. Hope you enjoy them nonetheless.

The afternoon sun burned as he stepped into it. He wondered how he'd managed to sleep so long and why Maud hadn't woken him up.

He thought of Maud and her kindness, and the mess he'd brought into her home. Thankfully, if the Major was to be believed, she had nothing to fear from him. That allowed him the peace of mind to contemplate his situation. In front of him were several hundred men staring at him. It was a very large party, men conscripted into the service of the king to fight. He would have been one of them had he remained in the village.

Even though the soft cotton dress covered him fully, he still felt vulnerable and exposed. He saw hunger in their eyes as they watched him move towards them accompanied by the captain. Wulfric imagined those looks would soon turn to disgust as soon as they were apprised of the real story.

The captain placed him right at the front of the procession nearest to the major's horse which allowed him to bend his head, avoid the gazes and ignore the whispers about him. At least he'd tried to.

"Who is she?", "Why is she here?". Those were the prevailing questions for understandable reasons. Wulfric wished his identity would remain a secret. Pretending to be a woman suddenly seemed the most favorable option. No such luck.

"We have here a deserter. Disguised as a woman to avoid service" Major Donahue announced upon his exit from the homestead.

Wulfric wished the ground would open and swallow him up as the mutters of disbelief began. His gaze remained locked to the grass beneath him because if he dared raise his eyes, he would be met with a sea of eyes desperately trying to get another look at him. The humiliation was almost too much to bear.

He tried desperately not to let the tears flow as crying wouldn't help the poor regard these men already held him in. So he steeled himself, forced his emotions away and held himself together until the Major arrived at the front of the pack, climbed his horse and ordered the continuation of the journey.

"Stay beside my horse at all times" The Major instructed as they began moving.

One last time, he turned back to the homestead and saw Maud and her two daughters watching his departure from the front of their home. Oh, what they must have thought of him.

=^..^=

The captains had needed to quiet the muttering troops multiple times before they'd finally stopped talking about him and allowed him some quiet.

Wulfric's newfound peace allowed him to appreciate the sights both near and far. He hadn't ever seen much of the country he called home. Two hours into the march, this was already the farthest he'd ever been from home.

Everything from the path he walked, the grasslands on either side, the hills in the distance, everything was so new and so beautiful.

While the war already had a great human cost, it didn't have much impact on the surrounding landscape since most of the battles were fought in open fields. And since both sides of the conflict called this country home, there hadn't been any looting and plundering either.

Five hours into the march, Wulfric's legs had started to buckle from exhaustion. He hadn't been the first to falter and drop. Each time one of the conscripts did, they'd been ordered to their feet with threats. Those threats kept Wulfric walking until his legs finally failed him and he dropped to his knees.

Surprisingly, no threat came in his direction. To his great relief, the major only announced a pause to their journey and an opportunity to rest.

Major Donahue descended his horse as the troops groaned in relief. Following a short conversation with his lieutenants, the major called over a tired Wulfric who was busy tending to his sore feet.

His small feet which had endured so much punishment since the night before were already back in action following Major Donahue who led him beneath a large tree, away from the sun and prying ears.

"Tell me why you did this," The Major asked.

And so Wulfric told him everything. He spoke of his family's fate and his uselessness in the field of battle.

"But why a woman?"

Wulfric paused. He'd always been vocally against the jests growing up that pointed out his unusual femininity. If you'd asked him, he'd have told you he wished puberty would finally remember him.

He considered responding to the major's question with the obvious answer that it was the easiest way to escape but he knew that when it came to it, he hadn't even considered any other escape routes. The willingness to disguise himself as a young woman came too easily to him. He looked over to the hundreds of soldiers who sat resting in the hot sun.

'Would any of them wear a woman's dress to escape?' he wondered.

"I don't know" he answered the major.

Major Donahue pondered his answer but didn't press. He simply allowed Wulfric time to rest in the shade and tend to his sore feet.

"Why am I still alive?" Wulfric asked.

He knew that there was more than enough pretext for Major Donahue to run his sword through him where he stood. In fact, it was the expected outcome, and the major's decision-making could come under scrutiny by a superior.

"You amuse me" Major Donahue answered. "Seventeen months I have been fighting, and uncovering your secret has been the most enjoyable thing so far"

"Even more than the battles?" Wulfric asked.

"Only a madman enjoys battle" He informed him.

With that, quiet filled the air once more and so they remained until it was time for the marching to restart.

As both of them rose to their feet, Wulfric had to audacity to ask in light of their newfound camaraderie, "What is your name... sir?"

Being taken aback by the question didn't stop him from answering.

"Cedric"

To Wulfric's surprise, Cedric set his mind at ease as he climbed onto his horse.

"Don't worry, we're almost there"

=^..^=

Wulfric could hear the main force before he could see them. A cacophony of hearty laughter and clashing steel. These were the men of the 5th Battalion under the purview of Colonel Harlan, one of the King's many cousins. Colonel Harlan was one of many people along the chain of command who could veto Cedric's decision and introduce Wulfric to the hangman's noose so he was rightfully nervous.

Upon entry into the massive camp, he was met with the attention of the entire battalion. For better or worse, as the other new arrivals were ferried to their new quarters for a chance to rest in preparation for basic training, Wulfric was kept away from the rest, isolated.

'This is for the best' he reasoned. No matter how many times he asked, he wasn't allowed a change of clothing.

Considering that in addition to the fact that he wasn't receiving any training, Cedric letting him live was beginning to feel less like benevolent favor and more like forcing him to meet his death on that battlefield as embarrassingly as possible.

Not that it would have helped much. The chatter going on around camp was that the opposing army was already on the march. Estimates put them less than two full days' march away. It would take a miracle for Wulfric to become competent with the sword in that amount of time.

At least he got his own tent away from the stares. He was grateful for the opportunity to be free of that dress. Without any clothes to change into, it would have to be back on eventually but some time to be rid of it was better than none.

He breathed a sigh of relief as the dress fell to the floor. Even without the female garment, his body was little better at showing any signs of maleness. Small waist, small shoulders, small arms, long legs. A form that would make any princess jealous.

Two days to the battle. If they weren't even going to bother training him, he would spend that time sleeping, dreaming of a much better world. With no further thoughts, he took to the sparse bedding on the floor of the tent and drifted off to sleep.

=^..^=

He was awoken by calls from outside the tent. It was dark outside now causing the inside of the tent to be almost impossible to see.

"Hello," the voice called out in a hushed but hurried whisper. He recognized that voice.

"I'm coming" He responded, rushing to his feet and donning the blue dress, the only article of clothing he was allowed.

"Who is it?" He asked as he tightened the dress strings around his waist.

"I have your dinner" the voice replied. It sounded so familiar. The more Wulfric lingered on it, the more he became sure of its owner.

"Thur?" Wulfric asked in disbelief as he opened the tent.

It really was him.

"Thur! How are you here?" Wulfric practically threw himself into the boy's arms and hugged him.

"I didn't want to believe it" the older boy replied "But when I heard a boy disguised as a girl had been brought in, I just had to check. Why did you do this, Wulf?" He asked as he pushed himself into the tent. The candle he was holding offered much-needed visibility.

"It was your idea, wasn't it?" Wulfric asked with a smile.

Thurstan was using his candle to get a better, more complete assessment of his friend's new appearance which caused Wulfric to blush.

"I was joking" Thur protested his friend's statement.

Both boys had had the conversation four months ago back when Thurstan had first been conscripted. Wulfric had expressed his utter displeasure at the news as well as his insistence that if it had been him, he'd have run away.

Thurstan, always the reasonable one had explained that he was unlikely to make it very far given all the patrolling soldiers.

Thurstan, always the funny one had suggested in jest that his poorly developed friend could pass himself off as a woman and no one would be the wiser. He hadn't expected Wulfric to seriously consider it.

"Can I say, you look perfect?" Thurstan asked with a smile.

"You can't" Wulfric replied retrieving the plate of food from his friend.

Although they'd grown up together, the two of them were very different. Thur who was only a year older than him had nearly a foot on him. A combination of Wulfric being small for his age and his friend being particularly large. Not to mention how large his muscles were.

Wulfric could notice them even in this dim lighting and through his uniform. He was even bigger than Wulfric remembered. A consequence of army service he wondered.

"What did you do to earn such good treatment?" Thur asked. "Your own tent, that food was straight from the officers' stores"

"They're probably fattening me up for slaughter" Wulfric replied uncovering the sweet-smelling meal. "You can join me if you wish"

"Do you even have to ask?" Thur replied with a smile.

=^..^=

"I'm scared" Wulfric admitted while they ate. It wasn't much food but it tasted well enough.

"Of what?" Thur asked.

"Battle" he answered "It's bad enough already but Major Donahue seems intent on making me fight wearing this" He gestured to the full-length dress.

When Thur didn't reply, he continued, "He can't do that, can he? There has to be rules against this"

"What I know about Major Donahue is the higher-ups let him do what he wants so if he wants this, there's not much anyone can do to stop it"

"It doesn't make any sense" Wulfric argued.

"It doesn't have to. He's much more important than his rank suggests" Thur explained.

"I can't fight wearing a dress. I need armor, and even then I stand very little chance"

"That's true" Thur nodded.

"Thanks for the confidence" Wulfric pouted "I am going to see him tomorrow to make him change his mind"

"And how are you going to do that?" Thurstan said taking one of the last bites of the meal. Wulfric had stopped eating earlier when he noticed his friend was famished.

"I don't know yet"

=^..^=

Walking through the large camp the next morning was a daunting experience for Wulfric. Mostly he received looks of confusion and disgust from the soldiers but even knowing his identity, there were still looks of thirst sprinkled in.

Most of his life, Wulfric had been unremarkable but here, dressed as he was, he had the power to turn heads and stop entire conversations or training.

Still, he had a singular goal in mind: Find Cedric's tent.

Thurstan had given him some directions last night that had turned out to be vague and unreliable. As much as he wished against it, he was going to have to ask for directions.

He stopped outside one of the tents which had three men sitting at a table playing a game with stones.

"Excuse me" Wulfric began "Might you direct me to Major Donahue's tent?"

He realised he'd been using the softer voice he'd adopted since putting on the dress. If his memory served, he'd used it as well last night with Thurstan.

At first, he got no reply from the table but when he began to repeat, one of the men quickly spat near his feet. This caused Wulfric to back away and continue in his original direction.

Another group of soldiers was his next destination. Asking the same question, he was met with a stern "Get away". It turned out he wasn't a favourite of any of His Majesty's soldiers.

Fearing he might have to give up his quest and return to his tent, a friendly soldier approached him.

"I'll take you"

"Thank you" Wulfric replied with a bright smile.

During their short walk together, the man asked him, "Are you really a man?"

"Unfortunately" Wulfric answered much to his own surprise. Not that it mattered either way, but lately he had started entertaining the possibility that his life might have been better and much less complicated if he'd been born as he currently looked.

"You don't look it" The man replied. In truth, the man could have been his age or any for that matter. War simply had a way of ageing people beyond their years.

"I know" Wulfric answered.

"Well, here we are" The kind man announced as they stopped before a large tent, several times larger than his own.

"Thank you" Wulfric offered. The man simply grunted a response and walked off.

Wulfric took a deep breath and smoothed the dress as best he could before calling out, "Major Donahue, may I come in?"

He was once again met with only silence.

"It's Wulfric" He added.

A moment later, the familiar voice ordered his entry. Not a moment too soon as he had begun to draw even more attention than usual.

The inside of the tent was spacious and organized and even allowed room to walk freely. Noticing they weren't alone, Wulfric quickly greeted both officers.

"Fascinating" The other man, a much older gentleman exclaimed. He seemed taken aback by the young boy and inspected him in wonder like a horse at the stables.

"This is the boy" Cedric informed the officer.

"I see that. If you want my advice, dispose of him and be done with it. You don't want any unsightly rumors spreading"

"We've spoken about this" Cedric replied in a hushed tone.

The other officer cleared his throat, "Yes we have. I will take my leave. Set the other plans in motion"

"Yes sir," Cedric said with a salute. As the officer made his exit, his eyes lingered on the boy. Wulfric couldn't help but feel like a circus attraction, a show animal. He breathed a sigh of relief as the older man exited the tent with no further comments.

"Why have you come?" Cedric wasted no time.

"Dispose of me?" Wulfric asked.

"You have been more trouble than you are worth" Cedric walked towards the table at the end of the tent and rolled up what looked like a map of the surrounding area.

"And what am I worth?" Wulfric asked.

"You ask a lot of questions. I hope the favorable treatment has not left you under any wrong impressions regarding your status as a prisoner"

"So why not just dispose of me and be done with it?" Wulfric asked and Cedric let out an exhausted sigh. Wulfric's day had only just begun but the major had been up for several hours handling preparations. Testing him was the wrong move.

"If you die, it will be in service of His Majesty's army" Cedric said as he took to arranging some loose papers on his desk.

"Then give me armor, and training" Wulfric let out in frustration.

"Those are privileges reserved for soldiers of the Fifth Battalion. An honor you spat on" Cedric replied quickly, almost too quickly that it may have been rehearsed.

"Look at me... sir" Wulfric said opening himself up to inspection. He had to repeat the statement to get the major to look away from his papers "Look at my arms, feel them" He walked up to Cedric.

The interaction was very atypical and unusual but Wulfric's narrow survival prospects gave him boldness he'd never had before.

He walked up to Cedric, taking his hand and placing it on his bicep, "Feel that"

"Feel what?" Cedric asked confused.

"Exactly, there's nothing there. I would be useless in the army"

"Nonsense" Cedric withdrew his hand, "I've seen the army make men of boys many times"

"Maybe over several months or years. We fight tomorrow" Wulfric protested.

"Where did you hear that..." the major paused "No matter, it is decided. You will fight"

"Then you send me to my death. Congratulations, you're about to get what you want"

"I don't want your death" Cedric said turning away.

"Then what is it you want?"

It took him a moment to reply but when he did, he said, "I want you to pay your dues"

"What does that mean?" Wulfric asked taking a step forward.

"I will make you a promise. Should you survive tomorrow's battle, you will never have to wield a sword ever again"

"I won't"

"Maybe, maybe not. But I will fight till the end of this war, tomorrow will be your last... no matter the outcome"

=^..^=

Wulfric remained in a daze the entire day. The chattering of the troops, the clashing of training swords, all the noise faded away as he disappeared into his mind thinking about the major's words.

If Cedric was to be believed, Wulfric had his way out. One fight. Sure he would be engaging in that fight wearing his mother's dress as punishment but he had a lifeline.

Could he live? That was the question that weighed on his mind all afternoon and evening. Could he endure this humiliation and survive? Could he travel far away and put all this behind him?

He remained pondering those questions until Thur returned that night with a renewed look of determination. Wulfric knew that look and it meant trouble.

"What is it?" Wulfric asked dreading the answer.

"Let's run away" Thur replied with a hushed voice. Those two words threatened to shatter what little resolve he had spent the day building up.

"Run?"

"I think we can do it. I know the guard rotations, we can make it out. I brought you some clothes, we can..."

"I can't ask you to do this, Thur. You've served. If you run now..."

"You're not asking me."

"Major Donahue said I'm done if I survive tomorrow" Wulfric said turning away. He couldn't believe he was turning down an offer to leave this mess behind.

"Done?" Thur asked.

"Free"

"You believe him?"

"I think so. He hasn't lied to me yet"

"And what if you die?"

"I won't..."

"What if you do?" Thur stressed, "What am I supposed to do then?"

"What are you saying?"

"You're... you're my best friend," Thur told him.

"You're mine too.. which is why I can't let you throw your life away"

The two of them paused, watching each other closely in the dim candlelight. Wulfric knew that if he'd asked him to, he'd have left everything to ferry him to safety and he was grateful for that but he also worried about what constantly being the one to be saved said about him.

"It's okay" he assured his friend "I'll fight tomorrow, get it over with and leave, and when you're done with your service, we can go somewhere where we never have to run again, okay?"

It took a while but Thur finally nodded his agreement.

"I'll find you at the start of the battle. I'll find you and I'll protect you" Thur informed him.

Wulfric thought to protest but decided against it already knowing its futility.

"Okay," He answered.

"I'll come" That was the last thing Thur said before stepping out of the tent and disappearing into the night.

=^..^=

Our hero stood in a daze atop a hill in the cold, early morning. The sun was still below the horizon and dew still covered the grass.

Hours before dawn, the entire Fifth Battalion had matched out of camp divided into four regiments. Wulfric could only account for two of those four regiments.

His group stood atop a hill overlooking a large valley, the other group took their place on the slope down in the valley. Both groups had been standing in their positions for at least two hours. The other two regiments were nowhere to be seen. Thur was nowhere to be seen.

Wulfric's regiment was led by Major Donahue who sat on his horse at the front of the pack with Wulfric to his side. True to his intentions, he hadn't allowed a change of clothes and the same blue dress remained.

Every other soul on that hill was clad in some form of protective armor, while he stood unprotected, cold and shivering.

Cedric paid him no mind and remained laser-focused on the horizon. His vigilance paid off as he was the first to spot the advancing enemies in the distance. Not long after that came the vibrations in the soil signifying their numbers and close approach.

Cedric began his speech and warcry but Wulfric was unable to focus on any of the actual words. He was terrified. Fast approaching were thousands of men that had travelled all this way to kill him.

'I should have run. I should have run' His mind repeated to him as his heart beat uncontrollably. He was breathing hard and fast and his fingers tingled with fear. He didn't belong here.

He looked around him and for once, he wasn't the main attraction. All the men behind him had their gazes trained on the approaching enemy. It was time to fight and for many of them, time to die.

He watched them closely, every one of them had steeled themselves for what was to come. He was nowhere near as ready. He looked around and wondered if he could make a run for it. Surely no one would pay him any mind with that large army fast approaching.

Cedric interrupted his train of thought.

"Wulfric"

He turned quickly to face the major. Cedric was handing him a sword, sheathed in a beautiful pouch. It looked expensive, enough to feed a family for a year.

"Even you should be able to wield this," Cedric said. He was right. It was light, so light he wondered whether it could do the job it was intended for.

"That sword means a lot to me" Cedric informed him "Don't lose it"

"Yes sir".

As the King's nephew's army came to a stop on the other side of the valley, Cedric continued his speech preparing his men to lay down their lives for their king. As Wulfric held on tight to the sword in his hands, he thought about how cruel it was to be forced to fight and die for some King's ambitions.

As the opposing forces began charging into the valley, he thought about how they were no different. Pawns in the game of nobility.

It caused him to let out a stifled laugh. It was a cruel world indeed.

Both sides of the conflict engaged each other at the bottom of the valley drawing the first deaths of the battle. They hacked and slashed each other menacingly. The regiment of His Majesty's army that was down in the valley was severely outnumbered by the attacking forces.

It took 8 minutes for 60% of them to be decimated. When the two missing regiments emerged from the distance to charge into the attacking troops from east and west, Wulfric realised that the first regiment was nothing but bait. Farmers and peasants whose only purpose was to die as a distraction.

Wulfric turned to the Major who was watching the battle unfold closely.

'Was it his plan?' Wulfric wondered. There was no inkling of remorse.

The other regiments joining the battle had only managed to just about level the playing field. The attacking troops were so numerous and well-trained that they had quickly recovered from the flank attempt.

"Men, on me!" Cedric called out. Turning to Wulfric, he instructed him, "Don't fall behind"

The major called for a charge and a deafening roar from the troops behind him jolted him to life. He ran mindlessly down into the belly of the valley where swords clashed.

His eyes filled with tears blurring his vision but he kept running. He slipped in the slippery grass and fell causing some of the charging men behind him to trip trying to avoid him but they recovered quickly and continued their charge.

By the time he recovered his footing and picked up the sword, the battle in the valley was now in full swing, only he stood on the outskirts. There was nothing stopping him from turning and running the other way. It was unfair to expect him to fight in that state. He tried his best to convince himself to run but he couldn't.

To his surprise, his feet carried him in the direction of battle screaming like a mad woman.

He entered the fray swinging his sword wildly, his eyes only watching for the colors of the uniforms. His uncoordinated flurry of attacks paired with his appearance was even enough to catch a few combatants off guard and land effective strikes.

His luck carried on for a few minutes until he was parried by a superior swordsman and the sword flew from his hand. His attacker paused trying to make sense of what his eyes were showing him. A young girl on the battlefield. Still, she had attacked him with blind fury and she needed to be dispatched off.

He raised his sword to strike and Wulfric accepted his fate. It had been inevitable. At least this way, he could die with some pride. One or two soldiers had met their end at his hand. He closed his eyes ready to receive a fatal blow but it never came.

When he opened his eyes, he saw Thurstan standing over his would-be killer urging him to his feet. The two of them cautiously made their way through the battle, a sea of swords clashing all around them.

They didn't make it very far before they were attacked. Thurstan expertly pushed Wulfric to the floor and out of the path of the blade before blocking the second strike attempt.

Thurstan was yelling something but it was too loud. Thurstan's sword met with their attacker's, the clash of steel loud enough to pierce through the battlefield roar and make Wulfric's ears ring. He hadn't expected war to be so loud.

The ground beneath them had turned to a muddy mess which now splashed everywhere. Thurstan was still yelling something. He read his lips.

"Run!"

Wulfric hurried to his feet quickly scanning for an open path to safety. When he found it, he ran. He turned back to see his friend who was still engaged in brutal combat with the enemy soldier.

Wulfric prayed silently for his safety. Turning back to face the path, he was met with an oncoming horse galloping his way. There was no chance to react. Collision. Darkness.

=^..^=

When he came to, the sun was in the sky shining relentlessly on his face. His vision was blurred but he could tell he was in the arms of someone. He willed his vision clear and could just roughly make out Thur's face carrying him to safety.

Following repeated blinks, he received his correction. He was in the arms of Major Donahue who gently carried him off the battlefield.

"I told you not to lose that sword," The major said to him.

"Where is Thur?" Wulfric asked weakly.

"Who?" Cedric asked.

Wulfric groaned. It hurt everywhere. It hurt to breathe.

"I survived" he whispered. "Let me go"

The major simply shushed him.

=^..^=

Graciously, Major Donahue sent his men in search of the soldier called Thur. The report returned that despite his injuries, he was alive and expected to recover following treatment.

Wulfric was overjoyed. Their plan to travel far away together after his service was possible.

"I survived the battle" Wulfric repeated "Am I free to go?" He asked.

"Free to go?" Cedric asked in return.

"You said..."

"I said you would no longer have to fight should you survive. You have proven yourself here today and earned the men's respect but it is not over yet. You still have other uses for His Majesty's army"

=^..^=

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Hi, thanks for reading as always. Would love to hear your thoughts.

Wulfric stood over Thurstan's seemingly lifeless body, the only indication to the contrary being his friend's slow but steady breathing. Despite the field medic's assurance that the bloody soldier would recover, Wulfric couldn't help but worry.

"It's not his blood," The medic said slightly annoyed. He had many more soldiers in critical condition and would rather not spend a moment more consoling the distraught boy.

Still, the boy had put on quite a show. The experienced medic had served in many battles but none nearly as memorable as this one where this young boy embodied a valkyrie of legend.

Wulfric was lost in his thoughts as he stared at his friend. The adrenaline of battle had worn off allowing him the opportunity to replay the morning's events in his head. Thur had found him and saved him, just like he'd promised.

'This isn't right' he thought to himself. If anyone should have survived unscathed, it should have been Thur.

"We're returning to camp" Cedric's voice broke his train of thought.

Wulfric hadn't allowed himself to think about Cedric's deception. He'd put all his faith into surviving the battle only to have that rug pulled from under him. He should have run when Thur offered the day before. He wouldn't have been standing there in that muddy dress, and Thur wouldn't have been lying there unmoving.

"I won't leave him" Wulfric replied.

What he had done was disobey a direct order from a superior but he didn't care anymore. He didn't care about the chain of command and he certainly didn't care about the worth of Cedric's words.

The major let out an inaudible sigh. "He will be well cared for, you have my word". Cedric knew he was being a lot more patient with the boy than he should have been. There may have been some misdirection on his part but considering his crimes of desertion, much harsher treatment was warranted.

But no matter how hard he tried, he simply couldn't converse with the effeminate boy in the manner he would the other soldiers.

Major Donahue signaled to one of his soldiers to bring his horse and a moment later, the soldier had placed the bridle of his beautiful, black destrier in his hand. Few other warhorses in the army could rival his destrier that was the envy of the other officers.

"Climb on" he half ordered and half offered Wulfric.

Wulfric gazed one final time at his friend before stepping away and towards the towering horse. It was immediately clear that that would be a problem. Wulfric's shoulder stood level with the massive horse's back and even using the stirrups to try to climb proved futile.

Acknowledging his defeat, Cedric firmly placed both hands on the boy's waist and hoisted him up, giving him enough of a boost to clear the horse's height and raise his leg up and over.

He felt embarrassed as he could still feel Cedric's strong hands at the point where they'd held onto his waist without warning. Even worse, he could feel the horse's fur on his bottom. He hadn't managed to get the dress skirts beneath him as he sat.

He thought to try and adjust but before he could make any move, Cedric had pulled himself onto the horse settling down comfortably behind a shocked Wulfric. He should have seen this coming. After all, this was the major's steed and he didn't know how to ride a horse.

"Um..." He started to speak but the feeling of Cedric's broad chest on his back kept the air out of his lungs.

"Are you secure?" Major Donahue asked nonchalantly.

"Mmh" he murmured his answer.

Cedric's arms wrapped around him to properly take hold of the other end of the reins which made him squirm. Battle hadn't been this uncomfortable.

What would Thur say if he saw him now, he wondered.

He took one final glance at his friend and the battlefield before they set off. He'd survived, but so many others hadn't. Too many soldiers had found their final resting place in the mud. He turned away and looked to the future. He knew the war was far from over.

=^..^=

The water in his small wooden bath had long since turned brown but he sat in it still. Ever so often, his mind would travel back to the fighting. His blade piercing the flesh of some unknown soldier.

Not a soldier. Probably a conscripted farmhand, or a miller that was simply doing his duty to his country. Perhaps a herdsman that would not find his way home like he'd promised.

He stared at his bony hands. They trembled in response. He had made a widow with these hands. He remained in that bath until his skin wrinkled from extended exposure and he began to shiver.

He might have thought if he bathed long enough, he might manage to wash away the events of the morning.

"New clothes" An unfamiliar voice from outside his tent rang out causing him to jump.

"Y-you can leave it on the floor just inside the tent" he called back.

He waited in silence until a hand slipped a folded set of clothes through the opening and left the fresh set as instructed. It wasn't lost on him that he was surrounded by hundreds of men in every direction.

He decided it was time to dress. He exited the bath and walked past his mother's dress on the floor, muddy and in terrible condition. That was the last thing he had of hers. The very last thing that remained from his old life. Fitting that it would left in the mud, destroyed.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he examined the clothes and found them to be a simple brown tunic and grey breeches. The boots were dirty but very much male. A typical outfit he would have worn before this whole mess.

He hurriedly tried them on. A bit big but they would certainly do. There was nothing he could do about his pretty face but his body had just gotten decidedly more masculine. A very welcome change.

He exited the tent with renewed vigor and made his way towards the medic tent. Despite this change, he remained the center of attention. Apparently, the men had gotten used to the girl amongst their ranks. In fact, it seemed just as much of an oddity to have her dressed this way. Still, just as he had done the last two days, he paid them no mind.

"How is he?" Wulfric asked aloud as soon as he walked into the large open tent drawing the attention of injured and healthy soldiers alike.

Thur still hadn't awoken although his wounds were mostly superficial. He had become a skilled enough fighter in the past few months that the enemy had only managed a few cuts and bruises. The main issue was a very nasty blow he'd taken to his head in a split second when he was distracted by Wulfric's head-on collision with a galloping steed.

Wulfric reached over and took his friend's hand in his. The two had been thick as thieves since the larger boy knocked him to the ground on accident all those years ago.

A young Wulfric had been returning from the stream with a bucket of fresh water on his head. A young Thurstan who hadn't been watching where he'd been going had run right into the smaller boy who to be fair, was very easy to miss.

"I'm sorry" Wulfric had apologised profusely, desperately trying to avoid getting yelled at.

Thurstan had laughed at his own silliness and asked why the petite boy was the one apologizing.

"Your clothes are all wet," Wulfric said apologetically.

"Yours too, you know?"

"It's okay" Wulfric's gaze remained on the floor.

Before he knew what was going on, Thurstan had picked up the bucket and was heading back in the direction of water. He'd stopped only to turn, smile, and ask, "Coming?"

Wulfric shuddered at the sight of his friend lying there. They should have run when they had the chance. He pressed his friend's hand tighter.

"Don't leave me here alone" he said quietly under his breath.

Wulfric felt a hand touch his shoulder reminding him he had once again been lost in his thoughts. He turned quickly and found the owner. Cedric.

He slowly turned his gaze back to his friend, ignoring the superior officer.

"Come with me" Cedric spoke once again ignoring the insolence. "Your fate has been decided"

This caught the boy's attention. Under his breath, he spoke one last time, "Don't leave me here alone".

The unlikely pair made their way towards the edge of camp and past it, finding their destination atop a hill near the 5th Battalion's lookouts' station.

When Cedric was sure their conversation wouldn't be intruded upon, he spoke, "The war council has just now concluded. You were a topic of conversation"

Wulfric remained quiet. He noticed Major Donahue still wore part of his battle attire. He'd replaced his gambeson and armor for a plain white shirt but his breeches and boots remained muddy from the earlier battle.

"His Majesty has selected you for special service. I hope you understand what an honor this is" Cedric continued.

Wulfric stayed silent. He had learned to approach the Major's words with caution.

"What do you know about Princess Aurelia?" Cedric asked.

Wulfric shook his head slightly. The name might have rang a bell if he thought hard enough but he wasn't in the mood to ponder.

"Prince Osmund's sister. You may know him as the false king. The very foe we fight" Cedric spoke. Wulfric got a sense that the information was important and valuable so he listened intently.

"Two years ago, Our king wed his niece, Princess Aurelia to Lord Eadric, their cousin and his loyal bannerman. Osmund objects to the unity and seeks to trade his sister for the King's only son whom he captured as a prisoner early in the war."

While Cedric spoke true, his words only scratched the surface of what transpired between the continent's most dysfunctional royal family.

The conflict began with King Aldwin, the last undisputed king. Brother to current King Sigurd and father to Prince Osmund and Princess Aurelia. Upon his death 16 years ago, 13-year-old Osmund was simply too young to rule, so naturally his uncle stepped in as Regent.

The kingdom would continue in harmony until the boy turned 18 at which point, the expected coronation ceremony for the young king was expected to be held. Four years passed and Sigurd remained in power for one reason or another. It wasn't until Osmund was locked away far from the public eye that it became clear that there was a problem.

When the boy turned 26, bannermen loyal to his father rescued the boy and spirited him away from the palace. Unfortunately, the agents sent after his sister had been caught and killed leaving her in the care of King Sigurd.

That same year, Osmund declared war on his uncle. The following year, in a rushed marriage, Sigurd had arranged the princess' marriage to his cousin. A marriage Osmund did not recognize as legitimate. Now it seems an agreement has been reached. A trade, a prince for a princess.

Cedric's serious expression hinted at the gravity of his following words. Wulfric had much he didn't understand but still, he paid full attention lingering on every word.

"Princess Aurelia will be returned to her brother, you will go with her," Cedric told him.

"I don't understand. Why?"

"You will be with the Princess in every waking moment. You will report back everything you see, every conversation, every meeting that is had in that castle."

Wulfric studied Cedric's face for any sign of jest but found none.

"A spy?" he asked in disbelief.

"An agent of the true king" he answered.

"This doesn't make any sense." Wulfric protested. "Why would I be allowed anywhere near the princess?"

His lacking station was no secret.

"You will be posing as her lady-in-waiting," Cedric answered matter-of-factly.

And there it was. The one thing he'd been dreading, a return to femininity. He hadn't even been allowed a day as his old self.

"Why me?" His voice faltered. He felt like the world was conspiring against him, constantly pushing him in the direction of skirts and dresses for one purpose or another. "You can find any woman to do this, so why me?"

Cedric saw the young man before him struggle to accept his fate which caused his expression to soften.

"I understand you would not have wished for any of this," he paused at the sight of the dejected boy. Cedric knew the worst was yet to come and contrary to what the boy might have thought of him, he wasn't a monster "but take solace in the fact that you are doing this for a good cause".

"Why me?" Wulfric repeated.

"Because I am going to give you a secret mission" Cedric answered. The confusion on Wulfric's face was expected. Cedric readied himself for the hard part. The time had come for threats.

He took a step towards Wulfric who had already retreated into himself. The timid boy from all those years ago had once again resurfaced. This time, Thurstan wasn't here to save him.

Cedric took another step closer and Wulfric felt helpless. He simply awaited the inevitable onslaught.

"What I am about to tell you must never be repeated. This secret could mean the death of many. Yourself included" Cedric began.

Wulfric stood frozen with his arms crossed. It was all he could do to remain on his feet.

"Do you understand?" The Major asked.

Wulfric nodded.

"Answer me" he commanded.

"Y-yes. I understand"

Major Donahue moved closer and spoke in nothing but a whisper, "In addition to your regular reports, you will occasionally pass letters from me to the rightful King Osmund"

=^..^=

Wulfric spent the next few hours at his friend's side. Despite everything he'd been told that threatened to overwhelm him, only one thing mattered.

Midday had arrived and passed two hours ago and Thurstan remained asleep. The field medic insisted the large boy was only resting. He believed Thurstan needed rest following the rigors of army life over the past few months but Wulfric wasn't so easily convinced.

He didn't trust the medic to know his left from his right. Several wounded soldiers who had been alive only that morning had met their end since then. The medic's assurances meant nothing.

"Wulfric" A gruff voice called to him from outside the tent. He raised his head in the direction of the voice and found its owner. A bald man who looked like he'd seen most of the war.

He carefully replaced Thurstan's hand by his side before stepping to his feet.

"Major Donahue summons you" The man informed him.

He let out a sigh of exasperation.

'What now?' He thought to himself.

=^..^=

He entered the Major's tent cautiously looking around before breathing a sigh of relief that they were alone. The Major had his many vices but at least he allowed Wulfric to act freely.

"Come, sit"

Wulfric noticed the rather generous spread of food on Cedric's table. The surviving troops had feasted earlier as well but this was on another level. Too much food for one person certainly.

Wulfric glanced across the table, everything from roast meat and poultry to bread and fruit, to a seemingly unlimited supply of ale. Wulfric's stomach grumbled reminding him that he hadn't eaten all day despite being invited to join the men as they ate.

He'd noticed that while some of the men still held him at arm's length, he was at least spared the same hostility from the day before.

"Sit" Cedric urged him.

He sheepishly obeyed.

Cedric took off one of the duck's legs and handed it to him with a smile. Wulfric took it cautiously. The conversation from earlier had left the two individuals in a very precarious and vulnerable position.

Wulfric now knew things that would make King Sigurd very angry and Cedric of course had great interest in ensuring those secrets never came to light.

Wulfric took a cautious bite of the duck. It tasted amazing. Thurstan would have loved it.

"It brings me no comfort to put you in this position," Cedric said while standing from his chair. He made his way over to a chest in the corner where he retrieved a set of clothes and shoes. He placed them on an empty section of the table and returned to his seat.

"I know you must not enjoy wearing those clothes. I know I would find it utterly reprehensible" Cedric continued. "But you are in a unique position to aid the true king so you must find it in you to do your duty"

Wulfric took another bite, satisfied that it wasn't the Major's intention to poison or silence him.

"If you refuse, you die" Cedric's words pierced Wulfric like a sharp dagger. Studying the man's face, he knew he had meant those words.

"If you run, your friend meets the same end." Cedric continued. "If you breathe a word of this to anyone-" he paused.

Wulfric understood. He realised he'd stopped chewing, the food in his mouth was now entirely tasteless.

"But if you do your duty- if you help me end this war, you will live a very comfortable life anywhere in the kingdom"

The air between them was still and silent. With that unpleasant business done, Cedric returned to his meal occasionally urging the boy in front of him to eat as much as he wanted.

"You will depart just before dawn tomorrow. Return here wearing those clothes, I will give you your first orders. Do not fail me".

Those were the last words spoken before a shaken Wulfric stepped back out into the afternoon sun.

=^..^=

Wulfric clutched the clothes tightly as he made his way back to Thurstan. He had already deduced the chosen attire to be a dress fit for a princess' lady but dared not confirm his fears.

He felt exhausted, it had been one of those days. He knew he could withstand no more punches and needed a win. That win would arrive in the form of his best friend smiling at him as he walked into the medic tent.

Thurstan was awake and walking. Although he relied on a cane to keep on his feet, the sight was enough to bring water to Wulfric's eyes.

"Thur!" he exclaimed.

"Wulf" Thurstan replied in that way that only he could.

.

Wulfric hurriedly closed the gap between them.

"You scared me"

"I'm sorry" Thurstan replied "And thank you-"

"For what?"

"You know, just staying by me"

"Where else would I be?" Wulfric blushed and turned away, "Should you be on your feet?" he quickly changed the subject.

"I'm fine" Thurstan quickly assured him, "My head hurts a bit but other than that-" He let his words trail off into a confident toothy grin.

"If you say so" Wulfric spoke softly. He knew he had much to tell his friend but couldn't bring himself to do it. "Thur, there's something I have to tell you-" he began.

"You're leaving" Thurstan interrupted him. "Wulf, that's great. You don't belong here with the rest of us idiots. I'm glad you're free".

Wulfric's head fell slightly. He was leaving, but not for the reasons his friend thought. Their plans had all gotten messed up.

"Do you know where you're going to go? I can't wait to leave here and join you." Thurstan spoke excitedly "You and me on a farm somewhere, doing whatever we want"

"Thur, I-" he paused. Wulfric wished nothing more than for their dreams of going somewhere together to be reality but that wasn't what was happening.

"Let me see about getting discharged and I'll come find you. Go get some rest, okay? I know today could not have been easy" Thurstan urged him.

Wulfric who was in no hurry to strip his friend of their happy dreams replied, "Okay".

=^..^=

Wulfric sat alone in the dark tent awaiting his friend's arrival. Minutes had turned into hours since they parted in the medic tent. The victory celebrations were now in full swing and Wulfric could hear singing and laughter coming from all around the camp.

Understandably, he was in no mood for laughter. He'd steeled himself many times to reveal the altered plans to Thurstan but had lost his resolve just as many times. He was leaving tomorrow morning. There was no time left.

Once more, he steeled himself and made his way toward his tent's exit in search of his dark-haired friend. As if in sync, Thurstan was making his entrance at the same moment causing the two to bump into each other like they had when they were children.

Thurstan let out a laugh and Wulfric managed only a chuckle.

"Sorry I'm late" Thurstan pleaded "I had errands"

"Errands? You're wounded!" Wulfric replied angrily.

"I'm fine, I promise" Thurstan assured him again while grabbing his arm, "Come on, let's join the party"

"I'm not in the mood" Wulfric protested.

"Nonsense, we have much to celebrate"

"We don't" Wulfric replied pulling his arm away.

"What do you mean?" Thurstan's smile faded just as quickly.

"I'm not leaving the army" Wulfric revealed, "Major Donahue is sending me away on a special mission"

"I don't understand"

"It's complicated"

"You said you'd be free to go"

"Yeah," Wulfric said simply before turning away and making his way back into the tent.

"What mission? What exactly did he say?" Thurstan followed.

"I- I can't say anything"

"Are you fibbing again? Because it's not funny." Thurstan spoke sternly.

"I'm not" Wulfric shook his head.

"Then tell me what's going on"

"I really can't"

"What am I supposed to do with this, Wulf?" Thurstan argued, "Tell me what's going on, I can help"

"I know you can. I know you'll try your best to help because that's just the kind of person you are, but you can't help me here"

Thurstan said nothing. He stood there bewildered and lost for words.

"I leave tomorrow"

"Wulf-"

"I just want us to hang out tonight, one last time"

"'One last time'" Thurstan repeated the words as if they were the most vile words ever uttered.

"Thur-"

"Wulf!" He interrupted with a raised voice, "You really won't tell me anything?"

"I can't"

"Then I can't be here" Thurstan announced. He turned and made his way toward the tent's only exit.

"Don't leave" Wulfric called out.

Thurstan stopped only long enough to say, "Good luck tomorrow".

=^..^=

The long, ankle-length green dress was relatively simple compared to his mother's priced possession but had some fancy embroidery around the neckline to compensate. In a similar fashion, the leather shoes that complemented the dress were plain except for the decorative buckles.

A simple cloth veil was included as a surprise addition which he adorned on his head without any complaints. The final piece was a grey cloak that offered much-needed warmth as he stepped into the cool morning air.

He was pleased to find the camp fast asleep following last night's celebrations. He quickly made his way through camp as quietly as he could manage until the Major's tent came into view.

Cedric stood beside a single horse alongside a man that Wulfric recognized. He was the same one that had shown him the way to the Major's tent a few days ago.

"There she is" Cedric called out, more than a bit pleased that Wulfric had kept to time. There were more than a few advantages to setting out before dawn.

"Elara, this is Gawen" Cedric quickly began his introductions. Wulfric hadn't had the opportunity to appraise the gentleman on their last meeting but this time, he noted the man was quite stocky. His light brown hair was kept short and so was his neat beard.

Wulfric outstretched his hand politely and Gawen met it with a limp squeeze.

"My lady" Gawen spoke respectfully almost as if he truly believed he was addressing a noble lady. "Forgive me but we must be on our way"

"Yes" Cedric agreed, "Princess Aurelia awaits"

Gawen approached him, "May I?"

Wulfric wasn't sure where the conversation was headed but cautiously nodded his approval nonetheless.

Gawen placed both hands on his waist and lifted him effortlessly until he was seated side saddle on the horse. Gawen in another quick motion mounted the horse sitting behind Wulfric. For the second time in as many days, Wulfric found himself in this same compromising position.

Cedric stepped forward toward the horse and revealed a folded piece of paper held together by a red seal, "Gawen will give this to you before you set out with the Princess. When you arrive, you must find a good moment to hand this to the King and no one else, do you understand?"

Wulfric had heard and understood the words but his gaze was locked on his friend Thurstan who he'd noticed standing just out of sight. The two friends locked eyes. Wulfric noticed the sadness in his friend's eyes that must have mirrored his own.

Cedric followed the gaze and saw Thurstan. He slowly turned his gaze back to the young girl on the horse, "Remember what we talked about. I plan to keep him very close"

With a quick nod at Gawen, Cedric sent the two of them on their way. The mission had begun. With each passing moment, the distance between Wulfric and Thurstan increased until they were out of sight.

=^..^=
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I hope you enjoyed this chapter. This entire story is completed in my head and I only need to find time to write it down, I hope you'll stick around. Please let me know what you think so far :)

Wulfric emptied his mind focusing only on the horse's trotting and the sound its hooves made when they hit the dirt. The rhythmic sounds provided much-needed solace and distraction from thoughts about the sour end to his time with Thurstan.

His friend had been there as he departed, he had seen him in all his glory. The veil he wore could have only done so much to hide the fact that he was the girl on the horse and that he was going far away with no notion of when he might return.

Instead, he turned his attention to the world around him. Some time had passed since the pair of riders departed camp and the rising sun's rays could be seen just over the horizon. The light that shone over the wet, dewy grass that enveloped both sides of the dirt path left a breathtaking view.

Wulfric turned briefly to look up at his silent riding party for any sign of a shared appreciation for the countryside's beauty but averted his gaze when their eyes met.

He thought to speak to the man but decided against it, opting to ride in silence instead. He knew the man served as his guard on the journey but also his warden.

Gawen's skills as the boy's guard would be tested a mere 7 leagues into their journey when they were set on by bandits. It was less than a quarter of the way to their destination. It wasn't unusual for banditry to become more prevalent in times of war but for them to operate so close to His Majesty's 5th Battalion was a cause for concern.

Gawen slowly brought the horse to a stop in the face of three snickering characters who seemed overjoyed at their luck. Wulfric looked to Gawen but found that his face betrayed no emotions. Gawen's eyes scanned the vicinity taking in as much information as he could in a split second.

'Just the three?' He wondered to himself.

Turning back to face the bandits, he chose to take charge of the situation by speaking first.

"We have no quarrel with you. Leave now" He spoke calmly.

"Now listen here-" One of the men replied quickly. A particularly nasty-looking fella, Wulfric squirmed when he caught a glimpse of the man's repulsive teeth. "Leave yer belongings aside, give us the young'un, and you just might live".

Gawen's fingers subtly traced his longsword which he had sheathed, wrapped with cloth, and stored away along the left flank of the horse. He wouldn't need it here.

"Can you ride a horse?" He asked the scared boy.

"N-no"

"Good" He stepped off the back of the horse and then advanced towards the three armed men. They in turn readied themselves by clutching their rusty swords in both their hands.

Gawen took one step after another seemingly unarmed, a fact that worried Wulfric who had his hands full keeping steady on the jittering horse.

"It's okay" Wulfric rubbed his hands gently along the horse's crest.

Gawen stopped just outside of striking range, his eyes daring the three to attack. One of them took the bait stepping forward and into a wild overhead slash. Gawen in an almost impossibly quick motion lunged forward catching the attacker's wrist in his left hand, his right hand uprooted a dagger from beneath his cloak and buried the short blade in the man's neck.

Wulfric gasped from his vantage point. If he'd blinked, he would have missed it.

A second attacker shook off his shock and advanced on Gawen's position with the same overhead strike having learned nothing. Gawen easily sidestepped the blade's path causing it to impact the dirt beside him. He offered the bandit no opportunity for recovery, catching him square in the side of his head with the butt of his blade.

The second attacker fell almost as quickly as the first, hitting the floor with a nasty thud.

Wulfric could see the fear and horror on the third man's face. Gawen took a step forward and the man took a step backward, then two more. His blade fell from his hand as that fear overcame him causing him to turn tail and run.

Gawen intended to give chase but thought it more important to protect the defenseless child on the horse. Instead, he made his way for the unconscious bandit that had attacked him and lost. Slowly he brought the dagger's blade to the man's throat.

"What are you doing?" Wulfric asked concerned.

"You'd better look away, my lady" Gawen replied nonchalantly.

"He's unconscious" Wulfric stated.

Without sharing any more words, Gawen pushed the blade past the skin and into the base of the skull. He used the dead man's tunic to clean the blood off the dagger before turning and replying, "These men are vermin and don't deserve to live".

Wulfric thought to argue and began to as Gawen made his way back to the horse but was distracted by a glint of steel out of the corner of his right eye.

"Watch out" he screamed.

Gawen dodged instinctively, an arrow whizzed past where his head had been just a moment ago. The arrow continued on its path, passing through the horse's line of sight causing the beast to rear backwards.

Gawen reacted quickly, catching Wulfric just before he hit the floor.

"Calm!" He commanded the panicking horse. He helped Wulfric back to his feet then angrily reached towards the horse's left flank retrieving his long sword from its confines.

With large steps, he closed the gap between himself and the spotted archer who was struggling to nock a new arrow.

The archer did manage to nock an arrow in time and sent it Gawen's way but the experienced soldier expertly deflected the blade with his sword before burying the long blade in the man's shoulder.

Wulfric covered his mouth in shock at what he'd just witnessed. As Gawen climbed the horse and restarted their journey, Wulfric watched the three men whose bodies lay lifeless in the dirt and grass.

As Gawen brought the horse to a steady trot, he muttered under his breath, "I hate archers".

=^..^=

Wulfric and Gawen rode together several miles before sighting a small pond. Gawen quickly brought the horse to a halt before announcing that they could both use a small break.

He dropped off the back of the horse before stepping to the side near Wulfric's feet. After securing the horse to a nearby tree, he outstretched his hands to help the petite boy off the animal but his offer was declined.

Wulfric had noticed dried bloodstains near Gawen's wrist and although he was grateful for the protection, he didn't want those hands anywhere near his. Gawen had been perceptive enough to not only understand and withdraw but also make his way towards the body of water.

Wulfric carefully dropped off the horse, his legs sore from lack of use. He spotted Gawen bent at the edge of the water washing the remnants of blood from his skin. It was natural that Wulfric felt ashamed afterward. He owed his life to the man that he'd just shunned.

Desperate to mend the relationship, he made his way toward his traveling companion. The wind that was carried over the water's surface was cool and refreshing.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" He asked.

"Why? Would you like to learn?" Gawen replied without turning away from the task at hand.

Wulfric nodded at first then spoke when he realised the man couldn't see him, "Yes"

"You should hope you will have no need for swords where you are going, my lady" Gawen replied.

"Why do you call me 'my lady' when you know I'm not a woman?" Wulfric asked.

Gawen chuckled but didn't respond until his hands were sufficiently clean. Then he splashed some water on his face for good measure. Wulfric had no choice but to wait patiently for an answer.

"If you are to convince anyone that you are who you say you are, you must believe it yourself. That is the way of espionage" Gawen said he walked past Wulfric and in the direction of his horse.

"Do you speak from experience?"

"Yes," Gawen replied only after a brief pause. "I was spymaster to King Aldwin for many years"

Wulfric turned and followed him towards the horse, "Then do you have more advice for me?"

"Learn to lie, and learn how to discern lies" Gawen informed him.

"I know how to do that," Wulfric said as he reached the horse.

Gawen who was busy riffling through his saddle bag chuckled to himself briefly but said nothing.

"What?" Wulfric asked. When he didn't receive an answer, he repeated his question.

At that point, Gawen had found what he'd been searching for, a wrapped piece of bread and roasted strips of meat. He turned and handed the food to the boy, "I was never spymaster. I never even met King Aldwin. Go on, eat. We have yet a long journey".

Wulfric remained in silence as Gawen led the thirsty horse to the pond.

=^..^=

It had been a long boring journey, but by evening, Wulfric had been noticing a lot more homes as well as people for the last several miles. A while ago, Gawen had instructed him to keep his face covered with the veil which he'd obeyed. He'd grown to respect the man in the limited time they'd spent together.

It took only a few more minutes for them to turn the bend and come face-to-face with their destination.

Moat Lynden, a wedding gift from King Sigurd to his cousin, Lord Eadric, and his wife, Princess Aurelia. The castle was surrounded by water in all but one direction.

Wulfric pitied her. Forced to wed a man she had no feelings for and forced to live in this stone monstrosity, cut off on all sides.

'She must be overjoyed' he thought to himself, 'Finally she'd be reunited with her brother'.

As they advanced on the castle on horseback, Wulfric was forced to confront something that had bothered him since the plan was first revealed to him.

What was Lady Aurelia's position in all this? Surely, she'd know that he wasn't one of her ladies. What's to stop her from revealing that fact to her brother?

Wulfric was forced to leave his thoughts and pay attention when they arrived at the castle and the guards demanded to know their business. Wulfric did as instructed and kept his face hidden.

"Our arrival is expected" Gawen spoke simply.

"And who might you be?" One of the two guards that blocked entry peered closer trying to get a glimpse at the lady's face.

"Gawen the Black" Gawen answered after expertly veering the horse to the right so Wulfric was away from view, "Inform of our arrival".

The guard studied the girl's form some more before signaling the other guard to do the informing.

Moments later, Gawen and Wulfric would be granted entry into the gloomy castle.

=^..^=

Navigating the corridors of Moat Lynden required a lantern even while the sun had yet to set outside. The rigid castle was originally built as a stronghold with the primary focus of withstanding repeated attacks from an invading force.

Comfort hadn't been high on the priority list. It seemed odd to Wulfric that anyone would be expected to live there, let alone a princess.

"This way" the servant that led them through the winding passages had said after a brief bow.

Wulfric looked to Gawen but he only remained focused on the path ahead.

They were led to a small room offering benches to rest their tired legs and sparse tapestries for decoration. A good selection of books and parchments atop a nearby table would have provided much-needed entertainment but Wulfric thought it better to keep the fact that he could read a secret.

It had been a useless skill Wulfric's father had forced on all his boys but might just prove useful yet.

The room was functional rather than opulent like much of the castle but Wulfric was in no position to complain given his usual accommodations.

"Wait here please" the servant instructed and so Wulfric and Gawen settled in patiently, grateful for the opportunity to rest.

After finding a comfortable position on the bench, Wulfric allowed his mind to wander back to his friend that he'd left behind. He couldn't help but wonder what Thurstan thought about him.

Here he was, farther away from home than he could have ever imagined, appearing to everyone as a young fair-haired girl and so he would remain for the foreseeable future.

Perhaps he should have been embarrassed that he'd already gotten used to the dress. Several times that day, he'd already forgotten he'd been wearing one and it felt just as natural as a tunic and breeches. Perhaps he should have been embarrassed that he'd accepted this role too easily.

Wulfric shook his head in response. Discomfort over his inherent femininity would only make his mission harder than it needed to be.

"What is it?" he heard Gawen ask.

"Do you think I can do this?" Wulfric asked him.

The man nodded, "If you're careful" Gawen told him.

To his surprise, the usually quiet man kept talking, "Don't take any risks. Don't try to go places you're not allowed or eavesdrop without proper allowances"

"Don't talk too much. You're there to get information, not give it"

"Blend in. Watch the other girls around you and act in the same manner that they do"

"Pay attention. The tiniest details could reveal a larger plot."

"And most importantly" Gawen stared deep in his eyes from across the room, "Trust no one. Your mission has already begun"

Wulfric had grown uncomfortable with the tension and joked, "Someone could be listening right now"

"Yes, exactly" Gawen was pleased as he sat back on his bench "Just like that".

The servant girl returned with the news that Princess Aurelia would only meet Wulfric after her dinner before offering to show him to his room.

He had begun his walk to the door when Gawen called out to him to return. Gawen peered over the boy's shoulder to confirm their privacy before handing him the sealed letter. Wulfric who knew the dire consequences of the revelation of that letter frantically turned to see if the servant girl had noticed the exchange. Thankfully, she seemed to be paying them no mind.

"It's okay" Gawen whispered to him, "Keep this beneath your cloak and out of sight. I don't know if I will see you before we leave so just remember everything I told you".

Wulfric wasn't ready to say goodbye. He simply wasn't ready to be on his own. He was abruptly losing the comfort that came with having a skilled protector like Gawen.

"When it comes time to give a report, I'll find my way to you" Gawen assured him in the same hushed whisper. "Do you understand?"

Wulfric nodded his response.

Gawen stepped away, an action that more than signified that our hero was now on his own, "Go on then".

=^..^=

"This is your room, my lady" the girl informed him as she pushed open a door to reveal a reasonably sized room.

The rooms of Moat Lynden we originally barracks that housed numerous soldiers in each one. At the height of its use, several hundred men lived within its walls. At the time, the castle would have been said to be extremely cramped but now that it housed only a childless family and their servants, that was no longer the case.

Like the rest of the castle, Wulfric's room was sparse, containing nothing but the essentials. In this case, two straw beds atop a wooden base as well as a desk.

"Your clothes arrived for you, my lady. You will find them in the chest in the corner" the servant girl told him.

"Thank you" Wulfric shyly replied. He thought to ask the girl's name, she looked to be around his age and they might have grown to be good friends, but she seemed disinterested in the notion of speaking any more than needed so he quietly walked into the room.

"Your food will be brought to you tonight, but Her Highness' retinue will usually eat together in the Ladies' chamber"

The young servant girl had waited for a response before speaking again, "Is there anything I can help with my lady?"

Unsure of himself, Wulfric simply shook his head.

The girl bowed once more and disappeared down the hallway. Left to his own devices, he made his way into the room and closed the door behind him.

=^..^=

In the chest, he found dresses of wool and linen alike, more petticoats, chemises, and underskirts than he thought possible to be owned by one person. There were also more cloaks for warmth and protection to add to his growing collection and also slippers made of leather and fine fabrics.

But in all the finery, he was mesmerized by two dresses, one silk and one velvet meant to be worn during court appearances. In all his years, he hadn't seen anything so fine. His mother's treasured blue dress was rags by comparison.

He brought the silk dress to his face allowing himself to get enveloped by the smooth fabric.

"This must have cost so much," he said to himself. If he could get passed the fact that they were dresses and he was meant to be a lady, he might have enjoyed being treated to such fine things that were reserved for royalty.

Still, this was no time to get distracted. He planted the letter meant for the king deep in the chest and replaced the clothes over it.

Dinner turned out to be simple and uneventful. The cooked barley and vegetable stew dish the same servant girl had brought him was very enjoyable and welcome after the long day's ride. His chance to unwind was suddenly cut short when the servant girl returned with orders from the Princess.

She was ready for him.

Wulfric struggled to calm himself as he was led up the castle stairs. Here was his first test. He was still at a loss for Princess Aurelia's role in everything. That lack of knowledge plagued him. The chance that he would say the wrong thing and put an abrupt end to the mission before it even had a chance to begin haunted him.

If he made a mistake here, what would happen to him? What would happen to Thur, his perfect friend who remained in the dark about what was going on?

He looked to the servant girl but unlike Gawen, she offered no words of encouragement.

"Your Highness, I have-" The servant girl quickly began as they reached the large, elaborate doors but she was promptly cut short.

"Enter" The woman's voice was majestic even through the wooden barriers but also ethereal, almost like it didn't belong to this world. There was something sinister about it.

The young girl opened the door and gestured Wulfric through before closing it behind him. He felt like a rat caught in a trap, a wounded animal surrounded by hyenas.

"Come" the voice called from farther inside the massive room. It was the only place in the entire castle that wasn't devoid of personality. A juxtaposition to the rest of the dreary castle, the bedchamber the Princess and her Lord Eadric shared spared nothing on decorations.

Princess Aurelia sat at a desk wearing a rather revealing nightwear, her eyes focused on a polished silver dish. As Wulfric approached, he could just make out the beautiful woman's reflection in the dish.

"Stop" The princess called out halting his advance. She hadn't even bothered to look away from her reflection. In fact, it took her nearly an entire minute to finally glance in his direction and comment, "Aren't you a bit too young to be an agent?"

Wulfric was caught off guard. He hadn't expected her to be privy to that information. As confused as he'd been about her position a moment ago, he was now even more so.

"Uh, I-"

"Underdeveloped as well. How old are you?" The princess asked. It had quickly become obvious to him that she had a penchant for interrupting people.

"Nineteen, Your Highness" he answered just loud enough for her to hear.

"Very underdeveloped" Princess Aurelia repeated, "Pretty at least, good features"

Wulfric stood unmoving as the Princess' eyes made several passes over him.

"Come here," she said.

Worried but lacking any real choice in the situation, he advanced slowly until he was close enough to identify the individual moles on her skin.

"Take this," she said as she handed him a wooden brush "Prove yourself useful," she said following a quick gesture at her long locks.

His hands shook as he obeyed and brought the brush's bristles to the Princess' hair. As best as he could, he quietly made several strokes at different sections of her hair.

Just as he thought he was starting to get a hang of it, the brush was yanked from his fingers and tossed across the desk.

"Pitiful" an irritated Princess Aurelia commented. He hadn't even known what he had done wrong.

Hoping to avoid a reprimand, he took a step back and bowed, "Forgive me".

When he raised his head, her expression had softened. The princess turned to her silver dish, the sight of her unblemished face brought a smile to her face once again.

"I have my ladies, I will not require your assistance" Princess Aurelia informed Wulfric. "You will accompany me in court and in public but nowhere else"

"Yes, Your Highness"

"Do what you came here to do and leave" she added without turning away from her reflection "You may go"

Wulfric bowed one last time before making his exit. He couldn't help but wonder where the lord of the castle was.

=^..^=

As much as he wished it, the evening's shocks hadn't been exhausted yet. Upon returning to his room, there was a naked girl who hadn't been there when he'd left. As quickly as he could, he averted his gaze from her body.

"You must be the new girl" he heard a soft, breathy voice say. "You can call me Aoife"

"Elara" Wulfric replied still looking away.

"Is there something wrong?" Aoife asked.

He shook his head all the while praying for an end to his suffering.

"There's no need to be embarrassed, Elara" the girl had said but still, she seemed to understand and covered herself by wearing her nightgown, "We will be sharing a room after all"

Wulfric breathed a sigh of relief grateful to finally be able to look her in the eye. He couldn't help but notice that she had a very beautiful body unlike him. His perceived femininity that had plagued him all his life seemed to immediately wash away standing next to her.

Wulfric sheepishly made his way to the bed he assumed was his and sat down, desperately trying to avoid the girl's gaze.

"You're very shy, aren't you?" She spoke rhetorically.

Wulfric had no response. He was trapped, forced to live this life that wasn't his and with no way out.

"Aren't you going to get changed?" Aoife asked.

"I- I will"

He scurried over to the chest and fished out a chemise and nightwear pair he'd spotted earlier. He clutched the clothes in his hands but that was as far as he could go with the girl watching.

Aoife deduced that Elara simply wasn't going to change in front of her and kindly offered an alternate solution, "Do you want me to close my eyes?"

He watched her eyes and general demeanor and decided that her generosity was genuine. He considered his options or lack thereof and gave his answer by way of a shy nod.

Aoife smiled and closed her eyes. When Wulfric was satisfied that there was no foul play involved, he turned around for good measure.

Reluctantly, he first removed the shoes with the fancy buckle and the dress followed soon after. As quickly as he could manage, he wore the chemise and then the nightgown.

As a final measure, he smoothed his hair before turning around shyly. Aoife watched him closely with those grey eyes.

'How long had her eyes been open?' he wondered.

He dreaded the words that would roll past her lips. He imagined getting drawn and quartered for his indecency. He imagined her mourning her ruined honor at his trial.

"You're pretty," She said causing him to breathe a sigh of relief "And don't worry, you'll grow"

He was safe for now, but for how much longer?

"I am tired" he announced "Good night"

"Good night" she echoed.

=^..^=

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Hiya, I hope it isn't too rushed. I'm just trying to get to the main setting where most of the story is planned so I hope you'll stick around. Thanks for reading.

The first indication that Elara had been dreaming was the fact it had been raining. In reality, it hadn't rained in nearly five fortnights. A more obvious indication should have been the fact that she was back in her childhood home. Wulfric's childhood home.
 
Everything was just as it had been several years ago. Everyone was just as she remembered them. Her father and two brothers shared a striking resemblance, sharp features paired with dirty brown hair not unlike everyone else in the region.
 
Her fair-haired mother with whom she now shared a name had just placed a cauldron of porridge on the table like she'd often done, much to the excitement of Elara's father and brother.
 
Everything was as she remembered it, everything except her. The woolen dress and apron she found herself wearing would have surely caused an uproar, but here it was treated as the most normal thing in the world. Neither parent raised any alarm as they called her to sit at the table.
 
"Wulf" she'd heard soon after she took her place at the table. The richly textured voice filled her head with bliss. It was the same voice she'd heard so many times over the years, the only voice that knew to call her that.
 
She'd turned around to see her friend standing by the doorway, entirely dry despite coming in from the rain.
 
"Thurstan" she'd tried to say but no words left her mouth.
 
"Elara" Thurstan called out once again.
 
Once again, she'd tried to speak but her voice betrayed her.
 
"My lady" the voice had morphed, once distant now sounding close to her face. Once deep and soothing now sounded feminine and cold.
 
Before she could investigate any further, her body responded to a slight tug.
 
"My lady" she heard once more just before her eyes opened. It was the servant girl from yesterday. She blinked several times taking in her surroundings before she felt comfortable enough to speak.
 
"Did I oversleep?" she asked.
 
"Her Highness is awake, you must bathe and prepare to greet her" the girl warned.
 
Elara turned slightly to view Aoife's empty bed. She hadn't awoken her.
 
She thanked the young girl weakly.
 
"I will show you to the baths"
 
"I don't need a bath" she replied a bit too quickly.
 
"Her Highness insists on regular baths"
 
"Fine" Elara acquiesced, the obvious problem was not lost on her.
 
She sat on the bed as sluggishly as she could manage, desperately searching for a way out. Regular baths were unheard of even among royalty so it was more than a bit odd for the Princess to require that of her.
 
"Are there no private baths?"
 
"They are private, my lady. Please, we must hurry" The girl said impatiently while maintaining the appearance of respect.
 
A much relieved Elara sprung to her feet urging the girl to lead the way.
=^..^=
 
As it turned out, they were private only in a manner of speaking. While, unlike the servants' communal bath, the Princess' ladies shared a chamber of their own. The chamber was unlike anything she'd ever seen. In place of the wooden tubs she'd been expecting, there were depressions in the floor filled with water, large enough for several people.
 
"Please hurry, my lady" The girl pleaded as she handed Elara a linen cloth.
 
Even after acknowledging her request, it quickly became clear that the servant girl had no intention of leaving her alone.
 
"You may go," she told sounding as commanding as she could manage.
 
The young girl looked unsure for a moment but ultimately took her leave following a short bow. Elara quickly parted with the nightgown and chemise and hurried into the water. She was grateful for the limited sunlight and the water's noticeable grey color that was enough to hide her body beneath the surface.
 
The mission had only just begun and it was already exhausting. Elara caught herself wishing that she had all the right parts if only so she'd have nothing to hide.
 
Slowly but surely, she began running the cloth across every inch of her body while enjoying the water. Having all that space made for a much more enjoyable experience. It felt very much like being at sea. If she was to survive, she would have to learn to appreciate the many perks that came with her new status.
 
"Please, my lady. You must come out at once" The girl returned shortly after to say.
 
"Okay," she answered but just like earlier, the girl had no intention of offering her any privacy. "Step outside" she ordered her once more.
 
The girl tried and failed to hide her annoyance and contempt but ultimately stepped away. Making good use of the opportunity, Elara hurriedly exited the water desperate to have her clothes back on before the girl returned.
 
She quickly realized that keeping her identity a secret would prove to be one of the hardest parts of the mission. Understandably, she cursed Cedric for forcing her into this situation.
=^..^=
 
"What's your name?" Elara asked the serving girl who had just finished leading her to yet another one of the castle's many rooms. She wouldn't have said it in as many words but she was truly grateful for the girl's help.
 
Navigating Moat Lynden without her would have been impossible. The old castle was a maze of winding dark corridors, leading to other dark corridors.
 
"Gytha" the girl answered quietly.
 
"Thank you, Gytha" Elara touched her arm briefly before walking past her and through the door to face her next challenge.
 
On the other side sat two girls sitting at a table having what looked to be a spirited conversation, a conversation that seized abruptly as soon as they noticed her presence. The generous selection of food on the table in front of Elara quickly reminded her that she'd been famished.
 
Bringing her attention back to the girls who had their eyes trained on her, she couldn't help but notice how pretty they both were. Even behind their cold stares, Elara knew immediately that they were everything she should aspire to. She recognized the importance of becoming fast friends with them.
 
"Hello," Elara said as warmly as she could.
 
No response from either girl, other than a glance between them. In that brief moment, they had confirmed that they were on the same page, Elara was an intruder.
 
Elara bowed her head slightly signaling that she meant no harm. When the girls refused to acknowledge her beyond their searching stares, Elara made her way toward one of the chairs farthest away from theirs.
 
"Who told you to sit?" A shrill voice escaped one of the girl's lips.
 
Elara had been intent on avoiding confrontation and had begun to stand, but quickly recognized what was going on. It looked to her like a show of force to assert dominance.
 
It was her turn to keep her words scarce. Staying seated, she turned her attention to the meal in front of her. As a show of her own, she made for the pudding on the table, pouring a healthy portion into her bowl.
 
With a glance in their direction, she confirmed her suspicions, both girls were furious. Every step of the way, Elara questioned her actions.
 
Would submission have been the better move, she wondered?
 
No matter, the events were already set in motion and there was no turning back now. With each spoonful of porridge that she ferried past her lips, she cemented her defiance.
 
One of the girls had had enough, she pulled herself out of her chair and to her feet. Like a stampeding bull, she made her way towards Elara. Elara of course dreaded the girl's approach but kept up her facade of indifference.
 
The girl quickly rounded the table, grabbed a handful of Elara's hair, and yanked as hard as she could which caused the spoon to fall from her hands as her neck bent violently backward.
 
Elara gasped from the pain.
 
"Are you afflicted?" The girl asked pulling wildly at her hair. Elara worried that she might pull them from their roots.
 
"Let me go!" Elaea yelled halfway between commanding and pleading.
 
"Get up" the girl commanded and without even allowing her the opportunity to obey, pulled harder forcing her to her feet.
 
Elara reached for her hand desperate to free herself from the girl's painful grip but she wouldn't relent.
 
"Do you know what family I belong to?" The girl asked angrily.
 
The pain had brought tears to Elara's eyes but also a newfound defiance.
 
"Let go of me immediately, or else-"
 
"How dare you?" the girl exclaimed. She truly believed she was untouchable which caused Elara to falter. She wondered whether she had gone about this the wrong way.
 
It turned out Elara had underestimated the girl's aggressiveness because a moment later, she raised her hand to strike her in her already vulnerable state.
 
"Alicent!" Elara heard just as she began to brace. The voice belonged to Aoife who had just walked into the room. Gytha stood shyly in the doorway behind her.
 
Slowly but surely, the pressure on Elara's head faded. She only just managed to catch herself from falling as a sudden dizzy spell enveloped her.
 
"What are you doing?" Aoife asked sternly. The girl named Alicent responded only by stepping away and back to her seat.
 
Aoife let out an exasperated sigh before turning her attention to a weakened Elara who nursed not only her injuries but also her pride. She'd been utterly helpless.
 
"Are you okay?" Aoife asked, her eyes apologizing for the recent ordeal.
 
"Mm-hmm" Elara muttered as she fell back on the chair.
 
Aoife stared daggers at Alicent which caused her to turn away. Realizing there was nothing to say on the matter, she informed the girls, "Her Highness is ready for us".
 
Before they exited the room, Aoife did her best to smooth Elara's disheveled hair. Unkempt was no way to meet a princess.
=^..^=
 
The doors of the Great Hall opened and Alicent as well as the other girl named Sybil rushed to the princess' side. Elara quickly surveyed the surroundings as she stepped through the door.
 
Princess Aurelia sat beside a middle-aged man on one side of a large table, on the other side sat two more men who eyed the group of girls as they made their entrance.
 
Other than the princess, Elara recognized no one. The man that sat beside the Princess was dressed almost as exquisitely as she was, so Elara thought it a reasonable assumption that he was Lord Eadric. An assumption that was confirmed when the Princess caressed his hand.
 
"Elara, you should return to your room" Princess Aurelia suddenly called out to her stopping her approach. "You've had a long journey"
 
Elara bowed before speaking, "I am well rested, Your Highness"
 
"Is that the girl?" Lord Eadric subtly asked the princess.
 
"Yes, this is Elara, my new lady-in-waiting" Princess Aurelia announced.
 
Elara kept the interest of all three men in the room much to her dismay.
 
Lord Eadric simply grunted his acknowledgment. Elara tried and failed to identify the reason behind the Lord's interest in her.
 
Where did he fall in the grand scheme of things? To everyone else, he was losing his wife and taking it lying down.
 
"Elara my dear" the Princess spoke again, her true intentions hidden behind a forced smile "Return to your room and I will hear no more about it. We have yet another journey to make tomorrow"
 
Both Alicent and Sybil squealed happily at the princess' proclamation. Their time at dreary Moat Lynden was nearing its end.
 
Elara could see the obvious excitement written on their faces, even the much more reserved Aoife seemed pleased. They had their sights set on Prince Olmund's castle, which was by all accounts, a castle fit for a king.
 
With no further words of complaint, Elara retired to her room on the princess' order. It wasn't lost on her that the princess was keeping her at arm's length. That same treatment would continue throughout what turned out to be a rather uneventful day, and even into the next day as they gathered on Moat Lynden's lawn making their preparations to depart.

=^..^=

Princess Aurelia held her former husband tightly as the servants and guards prepared the carriage that was meant to take her away. It was obvious to Elara and anyone else watching that she wasn't eager to part from him.

It begged the question, why had she agreed to the exchange in the first place? Did she simply miss her brother that bit more than she would miss her husband? Whatever the case, it put her in a quite pitiful position.

It was a very windy morning. Several times already, the part of Elara's hair that hadn't been secured beneath the elaborate headdress, as well as her dress skirt had been sent flying. That morning, she looked like the perfect embodiment of elegance. The corset beneath the tight-fitting bodice gave her a figure that most women would have been jealous of, and one most men would have had trouble averting their gaze from.

Aoife had also helped her prepare that morning. She'd repeatedly brushed her hair and applied just enough makeup to compliment the princess but not overshadow her.

Aoife had been shocked to learn of Elara's inexperience in the field of beautification and promised to teach her whenever the opportunity presented itself. Elara was extremely grateful for her friendship and had said just as much.

She was rescued from her thoughts when Aoife took hold of her arm, flashing her the brightest smile.

"What are you thinking of?" she asked as she dragged Elara towards the carriages.

"Nothing" Elara muttered. "I just wish you were staying with me" she pouted.

As the most senior of Her Highness' retinue, Aoife had the privilege of riding in the princess' carriage. Elara was to share the second one with Alicent and Sybil. This naturally made her very distraught.

"You'll be fine" She promised Elara. "The girls are harmless, and they wouldn't dare to disrupt her highness' journey"

The preparations were ready, the horses and riders were in position, and the ladies' trunks had been properly secured in the wagon behind the procession. All that remained was the final goodbye between the princess and lord.

Elara and Aoife glanced in the direction of the royal couple but quickly turned away when they saw the two locked in the most intimate embrace, their lips refusing to part from one another.

Elara blushed and Aoife giggled.

"I want nothing more than to be that much in love," Aoife told her new friend.

"Me too" Elara smiled. She hadn't been sure whether she had only been keeping up the ruse, or if she'd truly meant it.

"I want a big wedding" Aoife continued, "Everyone will be invited. There'll be flowers and music and dancing- oh and so much food!" she exclaimed.
Elara realized she'd never thought about marriage even before all this.

Life as a peasant was mostly about survival and so, you had very little time to dream or fantasize. The few times she'd thought about her future, she'd only dreamt of finding a nice quiet place to spend the rest of her life.

If Cedric kept his promise, she knew this mission would bring her closer to her dream.

"What about y-" Aoife had begun to ask but abruptly paused and bowed. Elara quickly turned and followed the girl's lead.

The princess stood before them, the earlier weakness on her face had vanished. Now she showed her newfound resolve in the form of a scowl.

"Get in, girls," Princess Aurelia said as she walked passed them towards her awaiting carriage.

"Yes, Your Highness" Both girls echoed.

Aoife touched Elara's hand one last time with an expression that urged her to stay strong. She appreciated the gesture.

With one last deep breath, she climbed into her carriage where Alicent and Sybil were already seated, rearing to get on the way.

As the horses slowly began their march and the wheels of the carriage turned in response, Elara said her goodbye to Moat Lynden and watched as the ugly stone castle grew smaller with each passing moment.

The two girls that sat across from her seemed more interested in the world away from the castle, their eyes glued to the trees and mountains in the distance as if they were seeing them for the first time.

'Good' Elara thought to herself. Every moment the girls spent engulfed in the scenery was time they didn't spend torturing her.

She made good use of the peace she was allowed and prepared herself for her true mission, Prince Olmund and his court.

=^..^=
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Thanks for reading, hope you're enjoying it so far.

"46,47, 48-" Elara muttered to herself.
 
"Do you think they'll actually get married?" Sybil had asked in a hushed tone sometime during the second day of travel. Despite their best efforts, Sybil and Alicent had failed to keep their conversation private.
 
"49, 50, 51, 52-" Elara remained focused on her counting.
 
"I don't know" Alicent replied "What would they talk about? They don't even speak the same language"
 
"53, 54-"
 
"I doubt they'll spend much time talking" Sybil giggled "They say Catalina is really pretty"
 
Alicent scoffed. "Maybe for a foreigner"
 
"55-" Elara paused. She wondered whether the jumble of chain mail in the mud was one body or two.
 
The Princess' travel party had come across the aftermath of a battle on their journey, and Elara had taken to counting the number of casualties.
 
In the mud lay countless soldiers belonging to each faction. Elara could tell who was sworn to which king by their colors.
 
King Sigurd's men were clad in blue and Prince Olmund's men were clad in green.
 
"56, 57, 58, 59-" Elara wanted to look away but for some reason, she kept her eyes scanning the field. The men were missing their boots and swords.
 
"The prince should just marry you" Elara heard Sybil say which caused the other girl to smile.
 
Alicent agreed, "he should right?"
 
It was all wishful thinking anyway. Prince Olmund's attachment to the foreign Princess Catalina was almost entirely political. While the two had met once in childhood, it had been many years since they last laid eyes on one another.
 
No, both parties had something the other wanted. Prince Olmund had a legitimate claim to his country's throne and King Luis, Catalina's father had many riches and soldiers.
 
"60," Elara paused to take a breath. There was no end to the dead. "61, 62 63-" She urged herself to turn and look away.
 
"Well you can have him," Sybil told her friend "I have my sights elsewhere"
 
"Who?" Alicent asked leaning in slightly.
 
"Just an old friend" Sybil blushed.
 
"Tell me" Alicent pressed.
 
"Lord Beorn" Sybil whispered.
 
Elara hadn't meant to follow their conversation but it was impossible not to in the confined space.
 
"Beorn?" Alicent echoed the name "The Grand Marshal"
 
Sybil blushed then nodded.
 
"I heard he wants nothing to do with women" Alicent turned away disappointed.
 
"Because he's waiting for me" Sybil replied.
 
"Well, if you're sure" Alicent chuckled.
 
Somewhere during the girls' conversation, Elara had lost track of the numbers and given up. It was just as well. She breathed a sigh of relief that she was finally able to turn away.
 
Instead, she pretended to be aloof while listening to the girls ramble on about some royal attachment or another. Any details she could gather about the court could prove to be important when they arrived. And without any interruptions to their journey, they had already made great progress, crossing into Olmund's territory sometime last night.
 
With the battlefield behind them, they were once again treated to untainted views of the countryside. The empty fields of grass and trees were eventually replaced with isolated farmsteads that reminded her of Maud and her daughters. It seemed so long ago now.
 
Would she ever see them again, she wondered.
 
As time passed and the horses trotted further and further, Elara came to realize that the procession was amassing an audience. An audience that grew exponentially whenever they passed through a village.
 
The peasants would leave whatever they were doing to stand and watch the carriages pass. Some people even followed, walking closely behind as they talked and cheered about the Princess' arrival.
 
At first, Elara had been worried, in her experience, common folk never took kindly to royalty. She'd heard the way people back in his village talked about King Sigurd.
 
She worried that the crowd might turn sour at any moment. But even as they amassed followers too many to count, the atmosphere remained calm and even filled with Joy.
 
They loved the Princess and cheered after her. Some threw flowers as they passed.
 
Elara watched both girls in front of her closely. Pleased would have been an understatement.
 
As the procession approached the city, Elara began to understand just how much love and adoration the people of this city had for Prince Olmund, the man they believed to be their rightful ruler.
 
No, in this city, he was King Olmund.
 
Shops in the market quickly closed as people poured into the street to get a glimpse of their princess.
 
What had she done to deserve this much love and adoration except be born, Elara wondered.
 
Alicent and Sybil received similar treatment as they had taken to waving out the carriage window.
 
'Would they still cheer if they knew just how terrible these girls were?' Elara wondered.
 
Their perfect smiles directed at the peasants made Elara wonder whether the girls were as bad as she thought them to be. After all, despite her fears, the journey had been relatively painless.
 
Moments Alicent and Sybil hadn't spent engulfed in the beautiful scenery, they'd spent engulfed in their conversation. Other than a few backhanded comments directed at her, they'd pretty much left her alone.
 
Elara thought to wave just like the girls did but was quickly reminded that she was not like them. She wasn't nobility. No, she had more in common with the people outside the carriage than in. Lies had gotten her here.
 
Elara caught her first glimpse at Olmund's castle as the carriages made the final turn onto a street lined with trees with leaves of the most beautiful yellow color. The crowd had been halted just before that point, that was as far as they were allowed.
 
Elara was caught in a haze of wonder as the party made their final approach. The white castle was unlike anything she'd ever seen before, it felt like something out of a dream.
 
Alicent and Sybil jumped ecstatically in their seats. This was a much different experience from dreary Moat Lynden.
 
The castle grounds were littered with noblemen and women dressed in beautiful silks, all of whom were gathering at the castle's main entrance to witness the Princess' arrival.
 
The messaging across all of King Sigurd's territories made it seem like Prince Olmund was hosting nothing more than a small rebellion. This was anything but.
 
The young prince had the support of his nobles as much as the love of his people.
 
The carriages came to a final halt and soon the doors to the carriages were opened allowing the women to make their much-anticipated appearance.
 
Alicent and Sybil hurried out into the sunlight desperate to be welcomed to their new home. Elara, ever more reserved took her time preparing herself.
 
"Watch closely," she whispered to herself with eyes closed "Make notes, report back"
 
She had to be careful not to get swept away by the finery. If she betrayed her mission, she couldn't bear to think of what Cedric would do to Thurstan.
 
And despite getting more comfortable being this person, her plan remained to eventually go back to being Wulfric.
 
"My lady," she heard a voice from outside the carriage "do you require assistance?"
 
She followed the voice and found its owner, a well-meaning soldier.
 
"Yes, please" she replied playing off her late exit.
 
The man graciously outstretched his hand which she took. His rigid hand enveloped hers wasting no time leading her out into the warm sunlight.
 
"Thank you, sir," she said with a smile.
 
"My pleasure, my lady" he replied after letting go of her hand. He made a quick gesture in the direction of the coachman who in turn brought the exhausted horses to action once more.
 
As quickly as he'd arrived, the good soldier was away leaving Elara in the middle of several guests who were busy paying their respects to the princess.
 
There were so many faces, all of them presumably important but Elara was at a loss of who they were.
 
She had a lot of work to do.
 
Princess Aurelia and her four girls were led into the beautiful castle and towards the throne room. The inside of Olmund's castle was even more magnificent than the outside. Precious metals and fabrics lined the white and gold walls.
 
It was hard to believe that only a few years ago, Olmund had nothing more than his uncle allowed. Some would say, he still had nothing.
 
Everything in sight, the castle, the soldiers, the support, all of it was bankrolled by a few wealthy local and international allies. All of whom would surely expect a sizable reward when he becomes king. One such ally was King Luis who among other things, expected his daughter to become Queen for his efforts.
 
The way King Sigurd saw it, the boy was auctioning off the country.
 
The doors to the throne room were opened and Princess Aurelia and her four ladies were guided through. Members of the court had taken their positions forming lines on either side of the room.
 
On the throne sat King Olmund, he looked younger than Elara had expected. Despite nearing thirty years of age, he hadn't seen much of life having been locked away in a castle or another for most of it.
 
He wore his hair long, reaching his shoulder. His beard was scanty and existed mostly as patches which resulted in an awkward appearance for someone so affluent.
 
Elara ceased her approach when the other girls did, allowing Princess Aurelia to proceed alone to the foot of the throne.
 
"Your Majesty" Aurelia spoke first after a brief silence between the two siblings.
 
Olmund stood suddenly, closed the distance, and hugged his sister. Elara couldn't have been sure, but she thought she might have seen the Princess flinch in the moments just before the hug.
 
"My dearest sister, how I have missed you so" Olmund spoke loudly enough for the court to hear.
 
"I have missed you too" She replied. She looked older than him despite being three years younger.
 
"Damn our uncle," Olmund said after separating. "He did not hurt you, did he?"
 
"N-" Aurelia had begun to speak but stopped when her brother continued.
 
"Marrying you to that oaf," Olmund stepped away almost as if he was now addressing the court. "oh how you must have suffered"
 
Once again, it looked to Elara that the Princess had tensed up at his words.
 
"Lord Eadric treated me well" Aurelia corrected.
 
Olmund scoffed, "I will have him punished for laying his filthy hands on you when I take my place"
 
Aurelia struggled to hide her embarrassment.
 
"I promise to regain your honor when I take his head on the field of battle" Olmund proclaimed. "Would this please you?"
 
"Yes, Your Majesty" Aurelia replied with her head turned away.
 
"And who are these?" Olmund quickly turned his attention to the girls who stood behind his sister.
 
Aurelia just as quickly recomposed herself and introduced her ladies.
 
"My trusted ladies-in-waiting. Aoife, Alicent, Sybil, and Elara." she answered "I could not have survived these trying years without their loyal companionship"
 
The girls bowed to the king and prayed desperately for his approval. Elara's mission quite possibly could have ended right then at his whim.
 
What would Cedric do then, she wondered? If she was relieved of her position through no fault of her own, would he still blame her?
 
"Then they are most welcome in this court. Thank you for taking such good care of my sister. Your loyalty will be rewarded" He proclaimed.
 
For a moment, Elara's eyes met Olmund's and he seemed to linger on her gaze as he spoke.

"A feast!" Olmund proclaimed to his court "Tonight we celebrate the arrival of my dear sister and her companions."

"You are very kind, Your Majesty" she bowed to her brother. Elara thought it odd how she addressed her brother as if she were just another subject. She couldn't imagine being so cold and distant with her brothers.

Once again, she thought about what they would have thought about her if they could see her now. Would they commend her for surviving and finding herself in the presence of a king, or would they condemn her for so easily throwing away the person she'd been?

"That is not all," He continued "I ask that you all join me tomorrow morning for a hunt to celebrate my sister's return"

"Unfortunately, I am exhausted from my journey. I am afraid I won't be able to join you" She spoke loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Nonsense" he quickly dismissed her "The hunt is in your honor, after all. You must participate"

"You know how I feel about your hunts" the Princess spoke privately and in a hushed voice but Elara's keen ear could just make it out. "Don't force me to do this"

"I need you by my side now more than ever. We must put up a united front" he spoke in the same hushed tone.

Without waiting for her response, he addressed the court once more, "My dear sister is fatigued. Show her to her chambers" He clapped twice to signify an end to the proceedings.

Princess Aurelia moved to say something else but decided against it. Following a small nod, she walked away from him and back towards the girls who parted to allow her a way through. She looked upset.

As the Princess, her party turned and followed closely behind. The group remained quiet even as they were shown to their new rooms.

=^..^=

"Oh Elara, isn't this beautiful?" Aoife had exclaimed upon entry into their new room. It was a magnificent space and Elara could scarcely believe that she was going to live there.

"It's beautiful" Elara replied wide-eyed. Like much of the castle, it kept its white and gold aesthetic with the most beautiful and intricate patterns along the walls. Unlike the room at Moat Lynden, this one had very large windows that allowed a lot of natural light and a view of the city.

Elara stared out the window, entirely consumed by the view. Right below her, she could see the palace gardens where numerous aristocrats walked and discussed. Unfortunately, she couldn't hear anything from so high up.

Farther still and beyond the castle grounds, stood a thousand homes and shops that belonged to the people of this city. If she focused her eyes enough, she could just make out individual figures going about their daily lives.

"Are we allowed to go down there? Into the city?" Elara turned around to ask but was met with a view of Aoife stripped down to her undergarments. Her dress and corset were already tossed haphazardly on the single but very large bed in the room. Despite already being used to the sight, Elara turned away. It still made her feel guilty.

"What?" Aoife asked.

"You're undressed already" Elara answered.

"Yes, and why aren't you?" Aoife followed up "We've been wearing those corsets for two days. Don't you feel sore?" Aoife added as she plopped onto the bed, stretching happily.

Before Elara could answer, there had been a knock on the door.

A moment later, a middle-aged woman walked through the door. To Elara, she looked wise and experienced with much to say. The woman's entrance had caused Aoife to rise once again, instantly missing the sweet embrace of the soft bed.

"Pardon me, my ladies, I have been instructed to prepare your gowns for the King's feast tonight" The woman spoke "May I take your measurements?"

"Of course" Aoife answered, "Whatever you need".

The woman unveiled a long, thin piece of fabric and made her way towards the already-undressed girl. She wrapped the fabric around Aoife and made a mark on it at the point where it had completely encircled her waist. She repeated the process for her shoulders, bust, hips, and arms before communicating that she was satisfied.

She stowed away the fabric before unveiling another. It was Elara's turn.

"Could I ask you to remove your clothes, my lady?" The woman asked politely.

Elara froze. She glanced at her friend and back to the woman.

"Can't you take the measurements as I am?" Elara asked unsure of what to do.

"Apologies, mistress" Aoife chimed in before the woman could respond. "She's very shy"

Aoife made her way towards Elara who was beginning to feel trapped and rubbed her shoulder softly.

"It's just us here" She assured her. "I promised there's nothing to be ashamed of. Go ahead" she said convincingly.

"She can retain her undergarments if she wishes" The woman added.

Feeling completely out of choices and with no way out, she began stripping reluctantly. Soon the dress and corset were off and both women could see that she was as flat as a washboard.

Aoife's face radiated nothing but compassion and once again, there was no indication that she'd uncovered Elara's secret so Elara slowly began to set her mind at ease. Finally, she removed her underskirt and when she was down to nothing but her chemise and breeches, she presented herself to the women.

All things considered, the rest went painlessly enough.

=^..^=

That evening, Elara and Aoife admired themselves in their new gowns. Many times already, Elara had caught herself giggling at something her friend had said. She was quickly finding how easy it was to lose herself in this made-up identity. It was too easy to be this person.

She could feel the excitement around the castle and it had a similar effect on her as well. There was a light rumble around the grounds as the guests arrived. From her window, she could see members of nobility dressed in their finest silks but still, dwarfed by how beautiful Aoife told her she looked. It didn't feel bad, and that scared her.

"Ready?" Aoife asked with a bright smile on her face. It was contagious.

"Yes," Elara smiled.

In a quick motion, Aoife grabbed Elara's hand and hurried her out of their room. Out in the corridor, Elara could get a better sense of just how much chatter was going on in and around the castle. They followed the path they'd been led down earlier until they reached a servant.

"The Great Hall is just that way, my ladies" They were informed.

They wasted no time. It sounded to them like the party had already begun.

Walking through the massive doors, Elara was completely in awe. Many chandeliers held oil lamps that illuminated the hall and gave it a mystical glow. The light that reflected off the polished metals and ornaments scattered around the room made everything shine and twinkle.

Elara had never seen the like.

"Elara, come" Aoife urged her forward.

It took some effort to find their table towards the front of the room, a place reserved for the guests of honor. The only higher honor was the richly adorned table where the King would sit with his sister by his side.

At their table, Elara met Alicent and Sybil for the first time since they arrived earlier in the day. They looked beautiful as well, so she said so.

"You look beautiful," she told them shyly as she took a seat beside Aoife.

Alicent didn't respond having been caught off guard by the compliment.

"You too" Sybil replied seemingly unsure about whether to be civil or not.

"You should see Her Highness" Alicent finally spoke and quickly turned away.

Elara recognized that the statement had been intended to hurt her but she felt too good to care. Earlier in the day, a servant had been sent by the Princess to retrieve Aoife and her alone.

It turned out Aoife, Alicent and Sybil had been called to attend to the Princess and Elara had been intentionally excluded once again. Of course, Elara knew why, but to the other girls, it seemed the Princess had shunned the new girl for reasons unknown, soon after her arrival. A bad place to be in for any lady-in-waiting.

"Are you okay?" Aoife whispered to her.

She smiled in response. Elara knew the truth. She wasn't here to win the Princess' approval, she was here to gather information and to that end, an opportunity would soon present itself.

=^..^=

The opportunity would come as the feast had begun winding down. As expected, the Royal siblings had arrived not long after Elara's entry kicking off the feast.

There had been music and dancing, performances by bards and jesters, there had even been a play reenacting one of their father's victories. Most importantly, there had been an impossible amount of food, remnants of which Olmund had pledged to feed to the people.

She'd had men and women take an interest in her, receiving long stares from several members of the court and even from the King himself.

Elara had had her fun, but when the King was approached by an unknown man and had something whispered in his ear, it was time to get work.

The King's expression had turned sour quickly which had captured her attention. The man had led the King out of the hall and back into the corridor.

"I need some fresh air" Elara informed the girls and quickly got to her feet.

Quickly making sure that she had no one else's attention, she casually walked down the corridor where she'd last seen the King. She followed the trailing voices until the roar of the feast faded.

At the end of one such corridor, she saw Olmund make one last turn and quickly followed. On the other side, she came face to face with a man who was directly in her face. Elara's heart skipped a beat.

"Uh-hello" She spoke nervously as they stood inches from each other and he wasn't giving her a way through.

She studied him, he was dressed too finely to be just anyone. His dark hair and beard were both kept short but Elara could admit that it suited him perfectly. Everything about him suited him perfectly.

Elara swallowed uneasily. His face was perfectly sculpted.

"Sorry-" She began to speak but he interrupted her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked taking a menacing step forward.

Elara's heart skipped another beat. She was in trouble.

=^..^=
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Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think.

"You are not supposed to be here" The man pressed on.

"Sorry, I-" Elara paused and took another step away from her inquisitor "I'm sorry, I'll go back"

"Answer me" The man spoke sternly.

"I just needed some fresh air, I thought this was the way out of the castle" Elara's words jumbled together. She felt she had to get her defense out quickly before he lost his patience. "I am very sorry, I see now that this is the wrong way. I'll return to the feast"

Without waiting for a response, she turned to leave, desperate to put some distance between herself and him.

"Wait" he ordered stopping her in her tracks.

She felt he was entering the realm of unreasonable seeing as he didn't know the reason why she was there in the first place and she'd done nothing wrong, yet.

What did they have to hide that required such vigilance, she wondered?

"Listen here," she turned to face him with a poker-faced expression, "I already apologized sir and I do not appreciate-"

"I'll show you the way" he interrupted. His expression had softened from the one he'd sported only a moment ago, "I was just going to offer to show you the way"

Elara's expression softened as well. In her mind, she rejoiced for having found her way out of what could have turned out a sticky situation.

"Very well, sir" she relented despite keeping an expression of caution, "Lead the way".

=^..^=

As the pair walked back the way she'd come, she slowly realized just how far she'd traveled in such a short time. She'd been so focused on keeping up with the trailing voices, she'd failed to pay attention to the twists and turns and quickly realized she might have had as much trouble finding her way out.

Eventually, Elara and her new companion made a reappearance in the Great Hall. As it turned out, the gardens were past the Great Hall and through another set of doors.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw the trio of ladies watching her make her appearance and subsequent exit alongside the male companion. She was going to have a lot of explaining to do later on.

Chills ran up Elara's spine immediately after she stepped into the night breeze. With her dress sleeves draped off her shoulder in addition to its very light fabric, she had very little protection from the cold.

Still, the view in front of her was well worth the discomfort. The garden was made up of perfectly manicured hedges and illuminated by lanterns, the fires of which glittered through their glass protection.

"It's very beautiful here" she commented.

"I suppose you could say that" The man replied which reminded her that she was still in the presence of her inquisitor and should remain careful of the words she uttered.

"I would like to apologize for my behavior earlier" Elara heard him say causing her to turn her attention back towards him. She couldn't make out all of his face in the night but just enough to tell that he was blessed with very good looks. A dangerous combination when you consider his elevated station.

"It's fine" she replied.

"My job causes me to see enemies everywhere, and few friends" he confessed.

"I understand" Elara blurted out without thinking.

He laughed, "What would a lady-in-waiting know of it?" he asked rather condescendingly.

"It would surprise you to learn that my world can be just as cutthroat as yours" She frowned at his statement, "What are you anyway, a soldier?"

The man looked amused if nothing else, "Yes, you could say that" he replied.

There was a brief pause between them where they both simply watched one another. From his point of view, the girl in front of him was silly, and with few redeeming qualities, but for reasons unknown, she intrigued him.

"You seem cold, you should go back inside" he commented.

"I'm fine" She replied.

He chuckled at the absurdity of her stubbornness. The night was cold and would only become even more so as time passed.

"I will now take my leave, my lady," he said finally as he turned to leave. Her health was hardly his problem.

"Wait" It was her turn to call out to him. He stopped. "What's your name?" she asked.

"My name is Beorn" he answered "But I need not ask yours, Lady Elara"

"Thank you-" she paused and turned back towards the garden "for showing me the way here"

"It was my pleasure" Elara heard him say before the receding footsteps that followed confirmed to her that he was gone.

She quickly recognized the name.

=^..^=

"Why were you walking with Lord Beorn?" Sybil asked as soon as she returned to the table.

"Who?" Elara asked while breathing hot air into her palm. She'd had enough of the chilly outdoors for quite some time but had remained in an effort to avoid this conversation. "That guy?" She continued feigning ignorance.

"Lord Beorn," Sybil asked again, "what were you doing with him?"

Elara shrugged, "He was just showing me the way to the garden"

"Oh really?" Sybil's expression showed clearly that she had been dissatisfied with the answer. "He only just arrived for the feast and you're already talking to him?"

"I don't know who he is" Elara insisted. "I got lost and he offered to show me the way, that's all"

"Where did you even go?" Alicent chimed in, "Even a dolt like you should have been able to tell that wasn't the way outside"

It was bad, the last thing Elara wanted was to get on the girls' worse side.

"She made a mistake" Aoife spoke up, "I'm sure she didn't mean any harm"

As always, Elara was thankful for Aoife's help. Their friendship was proving to be incredibly valuable.

"And yes, she could have asked us if she didn't know the way" Aoife spoke directly to her.

"I'm sorry, I really didn't mean any harm" Elara apologized. It was unclear whether Sybil who felt slighted believed her or not but she said nothing more about it.

"Sybil, I didn't know you felt so strongly about Lord Beorn" Aoife turned to the other girl, "You have heard the rumors haven't you?"

"They're not true" Sybil insisted.

"What rumors?" Elara asked.

None of the girls responded.

=^..^=

The night had ended for the Elara when the princess retired to her room with the three other girls. This had resulted in smug looks from Alicent and Sybil and a concerned one from Aoife.

At least, it allowed her to have the whole room to herself and thus, the opportunity to prepare for bed in perfect privacy.

She'd already been lying in bed wearing her nightgown when she heard Aoife return. Quickly she turned away from the door and pretended to be asleep.

She listened to the sounds as her friend fumbled with her shoes. Upon completion, Aoife took a seat by the edge of the bed exhausted.

"Are you upset?" Aoife asked, "I know you're awake. You never sleep so peacefully"

Slowly, Elara turned to look at her friend who was looking at her with eyes filled with pity.

"I'm sorry," Aoife said to her.

"For what?"

"I don't know why her Highness keeps excluding you," She answered.

"It's okay" Elara replied. What else could she say?

"Should I speak to her? She may listen to me" Aoife asked. It was clear that she wanted to help but didn't know how.

"No, it's fine. Really"

'Maybe she just needs time to warm up to you"

"Yes, maybe"

"Are you okay?" Aoife asked a final time.

While the Princess' cold shoulder might have made things more difficult, she couldn't worry about that. She just had to remain focused, she was bound to unveil something valuable to Cedric eventually.

Elara forced a smile, "I am".

"Okay," Aoife smiled as well. "Now, can you help me get this dress off? I need a good night's sleep, and so do you".

Elara crawled across the large bed after Aoife turned her back, giving her access to the hooks behind her friend's dress. One by one, she chipped away at them until Aoife could pull the dress off her shoulder and pull her arms from the sleeves.

"Thank you"

With that, Elara returned to her sleeping position and turned away once more to give her friend some privacy.

=^..^=

The next morning, Elara stood alongside members of the hunting party that were gathered behind the castle. She was dressed in similar attire to the rest of the ladies-in-waiting, a comfortable long dark-colored dress that offered a full range of motion and similarly comfortable boots.

While the king impatiently hurried along the hunt preparations, his sister focused on her task of pretending to be excited about the hunt in the first place.

If you'd asked anyone standing there at the entrance to the royal forest, they'd have said they were all there to honor Princess Aurelia's return. In truth, this was simply the King's excuse to sate his own appetite. There were those in court who knew of his morbid interest in the power to end a life.

Little Olmund's obsession had begun with insects, but as he grew, so did his hunger for bigger prey. The rats of Sigurd's castle knew no worse fate than to be captured by the young prince.

Members of Sigurd's court had thought it harmless at first, after all, he was only clearing vermin but with each passing age, his prey grew bigger still until it crescendoed with one horrific incident with a horse.

When he learned that killing for food was not as frowned upon as killing for no reason, he took to hunting to sate his obsession.

That morning, Elara exchanged more glances with the King like they had done the day before. She would turn away and when her eyes returned, he would still be looking.

Could he know that she had followed him last night? Could Beorn have said something to him?

Olmund's gaze remained on her until he noticed his sister watching the interaction at which point he quickly turned away.

"Podan!" King Olmund yelled which caused Elara to jump "Are we ready?" The king demanded an answer.

The tension that Elara felt was palpable. She too had noticed the Princess watching the exchanged looks between herself and the King.

"Yes, sire. Preparations are complete" A short, bald man proclaimed.

"Excellent" Olmund exclaimed "Let us make a game of it. Whoever shoots the most game wins"

Princess Aurelia approached the King, "I worry for the safety of my ladies. We are not hunters, Olmund. Must we participate?"

"The forest is safe, my dear sister. Deer, rabbits, small game-" Olmund couldn't hide his displeasure "It's quite pathetic really"

"But they don't even know how to wield a bow" Princess Aurelia argued "How can they be expected to-"

"But it's easy, I'll show you" Olmund began repeatedly snapping his fingers in the direction of the girls, "You, come, I will teach you"

Elara hadn't noticed it at first but the King meant her. He was ordering her approach. She looked to the princess for help but she was silent.

She took one unsteady step after another towards the King who was already retrieving his bow from the man named Podan.

King Olmund quickly handed the bow to her, "Here, don't be afraid".

Her shaky hands gripped the ornamented wooden bow. She was afraid of what he might do if she made a mistake.

Without warning, Olmund wrapped himself behind her, placing his left hand over hers on the bow's grip, and using his right hand, he showed her how to nock the arrow.

She could feel him behind her, close. Closer than necessary, close enough to feel her backside pressed against him, close enough to hear him sniff her hair.

She wanted to move away but knew she couldn't. She dared not defy the most powerful man on this side of the country. Besides, this was the mission she signed up for. Elara braced herself and didn't react even as his hand found its way to her waist.

"Find your balance" he'd said as his hand fell briefly to her hips.

Elara glanced at the Princess, she too watched them closely.

"Take aim, don't close your eyes" King Olmund instructed. She obeyed.

"Now, " he guided her right hand. "pull"

She pulled back feeling every bit of the resistance. She could have sworn that she felt him grow and become harder as she pulled at the string. All she could do was try not to think about it.

She held the bow in a full draw and awaited his command until her arms started to buckle. Eventually, the command came in the form of the tiniest whisper that only she heard.

"Release"

She felt him jerk behind her as the arrow went flying. It impacted the floor only a few feet away, an utter failure.

"Again," The king said eagerly.

"Your Majesty, if I may-" Podan called out "We are already far behind schedule, we should begin the hunt"

Elara seized the opportunity, stepped away and bowed to the King before returning the bow.

"Very well" he answered reluctantly "Let us set out"

"There is still the matter of the groups, sire" Podan called out once again.

"Yes of course. My sister and I will hunt together like in old times. The rest of you can pit yourselves together"

"I need my ladies" Princess Aurelia informed him in a hushed tone.

"I want us to have some time alone" he replied in a similar tone. Without waiting for a response, he offered a compromise, "You may bring one of them"

"Fine" the Princess agreed.

"Bring that one" Olmund added. Once again, he was looking at Elara.

"Not her. Aoife, come"

Olmund looked disappointed but said nothing else. The 17 other nobles that had arrived to take part in the celebratory hunt sorted themselves into teams and set out.

Once more, Elara found herself stuck with Alicent and Sybil.

=^..^=

For once, the three girls had one thing in common. They had no intentions of taking part in the hunt.

Alicent had even less experience than Elara did and Elara had only just had her first lesson.

Many noble houses chose to train their daughters in the ways of archery, although mostly for recreational purposes. Sybil's house was one such and so unlike the other two girls, she had received formal training with the bow since she was a young girl.

Despite that, she wasn't interested in shooting any poor animals so the girls simply walked the trails of the peaceful forest.

Alicent and Sybil walked several paces ahead engulfed in a lively conversation leaving Elara to enjoy her own company. She didn't mind however, she hardly craved the girls' attention.

Instead, she admired what was a very beautiful morning.

The sun's rays streamed through the cracks in the trees and Elara could ever hear birds singing all around her. It was almost enough to forget all that had transpired between her and the King.

Why was he paying so much attention to her and what did it mean for her mission?

Before she could contemplate any further, she felt a large, strong hand cover her mouth and pull her into the trees. She tried to scream for help but no sound escaped the grip that held her mouth closed.

She thought of Alicent and Sybil who had walked far ahead and paid no attention to her.

She wondered whether any one of her many secrets had been discovered and if this was her end.

She heard repeated shushing sounds as her assailant brought his face in view of hers.

It was Gawen.

Despite registering his face, her heart remained beating quickly and she found it hard to breathe.

"It's okay" her former protector tried and failed to calm her down.

Her breathing grew faster still. She had just realised how quickly she could be killed and how little she could do about it and it scared her to no end.

"It's me, Gawen" he tried again "You're safe".

When he noticed the tears rolling down her cheeks, he apologized profusely for scaring her. This carried on for a minute more until she began winding down. Her cheeks were wet with tears.

"I'm sorry," he said again, "I just had to stop you from screaming" he explained.

When she was calm enough, she apologized for overreacting.

"Are you okay? You're very tense" he observed.

"I'm fine. How are you here?" She asked while wiping tears away from her face. The sudden crying had caught her off guard and was something she'd have to come to terms with sooner or later.

"Never mind that. We don't have much time. Do you have anything to report yet?"

She shook her head. Nothing had happened yet, she hadn't heard anything.

"Anything at all, no matter how little. Have you observed anything?" Gawen's eyes constantly darted around the forest in search of any sign that may indicate that their position had been compromised.

"I think the King received bad news during the feast last night. He left early. I tried to follow him but-"

"No, don't follow. I told you not to take any risks" he rebuked. "Anything that is beyond your reach, you ignore"

"I won't ever learn anything if I do that" Elara argued.

"Then you don't learn anything," he said. "focus on building relationships, talk to people, make friends, and listen. Do you understand?"

She nodded.

"Good. Have you had a chance to deliver the letter?" he asked.

"No, there hasn't been a good opportunity" She lied. In reality, she'd been so overwhelmed that she'd entirely forgotten about the letter she'd hidden in her trunk.

"That's okay, just be careful" he finished "I need to leave here. It is not safe. If you learn anything important, place a lantern by your window at night, and I will find a way to get to you"

"How do you know-"

"Focus on what matters," he interrupted her "Remember what I told you."

He said his goodbye and disappeared into the trees just as quickly as he had come.

Elara took a deep breath in. She wiped the dirt off her dress and when she thought she was ready, she continued down the path. The girls had never stopped or come back for her.

=^..^=

She'd rushed forward intending to catch up with the two girls but after several minutes of walking, she instead found herself face to face with half a dozen soldiers led by the man from yesterday. Lord Beorn.

"Lady Elara" he called out to her.

"Lord Beorn" she responded. She quickly remembered that she hadn't seen him at the gathering earlier and he wasn't supposed to be part of the hunting party so what was he doing here?

"Why are you on your own, my lady?" he asked after bringing the soldiers behind him to a halt.

"My fault entirely. I got separated from the others. What are you doing here?" she asked.

He thought to keep his assignment a secret but decided it might be beneficial to ask her as well.

"There was a report of an intruder. Have you come across any suspicious individuals?"

"No," Elara said while shaking her head "What does he look like?"

"Lady Elara," Lord Beorn looked intently at her, "have you seen any men here?"

"I haven't. I could help you look" she offered "It would be the least I can do after you helped me yesterday"

"No, it's probably nothing. May I walk you back to the castle?" he asked.

"Please"

=^..^=
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Thank you for taking the time to read this. I'd love to hear your thoughts

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.

"My lords!" Podan continued his address "We must remind the people that the increased taxes are necessary to aid the war effort and their sacrifices will not be forgotten"

Elara stood beside the other ladies who in turn stood quietly behind the Princess as court was held. The nobles had gathered that morning and for quite some time already, they had been busy discussing legal and administrative matters.

Elara knew she was meant to focus, after all this was the very purpose she was sent here for but she hadn't been able to focus much on anything since last night. Olmund had completely unnerved her and continued to do so by repeatedly looking in her direction throughout the court’s proceedings. She’d narrowly escaped last night and he was making it clear that he wasn’t finished with her yet.

Aoife had noticed their repeated exchanges and tenderly held her hand. They hadn’t said much to each other last night, Elara had been in no state to talk. Her mind raced instead, time and again, she replayed the night’s events in her head. She replayed Beorn’s entrance in her head.

Very unlike the King, Lord Beorn had not once looked in her direction all morning. So much so that she thought he might have been actively ignoring her.

“Furthermore, anti-war sentiments and gatherings remain punishable under the law and every citizen is obligated to report any known perpetrators. Our established way of life as well as the legitimacy of the monarchy is being threatened by the usurper and we cannot sit quietly or ignore those who sow discord regarding the war effort” Podan’s booming voice was loud enough to be heard throughout the Great hall and perhaps beyond.

“Are you okay?” Aoife asked her. She’d grown familiar with that question and responded with the usual well-meaning nod.

“Speaking of the war,” Podan continued, “Lord Beorn”

The somber man cleared his throat before turning to face the court. Elara hung on his every word as he addressed the crowd bringing them up to speed on the latest updates from the battlefield. It turned out that while Olmund’s forces had won several skirmishes and secured some strategic locations, they had simultaneously suffered another major defeat similar to the recent one dealt to them by Colonel Harlan’s 5th Battalion.

“Now more than ever, we need King Luis’ reinforcements” Beorn finished.

“Where is the envoy?” Olmund spoke for the first time in some time.

“Awaiting your summons, sire” Podan answered.

“Bring him in” Olmund ordered.

The court was quiet as the envoy was fetched. Beorn had returned to his position with the other lords and once again stared purposefully away from her. Despite not yet having that much-needed confirmation, she felt deep down that he was avoiding her. Couldn't he see that last night was of no fault of hers? She couldn't very well ignore the King's summons.

"Your Majesty!" Elara heard a shrill voice ring out shortly after the hall door opened and closed "I am Ramiro, I come bearing gifts from the great King Luis."

"What news of our reinforcements?"

"Departed and on their way, Your Majesty. Alongside Her Highness, Princess Catalina who is eager to meet you" Ramiro announced.

"And I, her" Olmund replied "We will have a feast upon her arrival to welcome her"

Elara had considered the insensitivity of having a feast immediately after raising taxes out of necessity but she kept her thoughts to herself. If anyone else had had similar thoughts, so did they.

"I will remain here until she arrives and she is able to learn the language for herself" Ramiro added.

"Of course, you are most welcome" Olmund had agreed but there was no fooling him. It had been a sleek play with a good reason that he couldn't disagree with, but he knew the envoy meant to serve as Luis' eyes and ears in his court.

"Then I will take my leave" Ramiro replied with a bow and moments later, the great hall doors opened and closed signaling his exit.

=^..^=

Court would proceed and carry on as they further discussed other economic and foreign matters but eventually, Olmund would call the session to a close.

Like many of the lords present, Aurelia had remained in the hall to mingle. Elara knew she shouldn't have passed up that opportunity to get to know the nobles better and see what information she could pry free but she'd spotted Beorn making a quick exit from the hall and just had to talk to him. She needed to apologize.

"May I return to my room?" Elara had asked the Princess "I'm afraid I'm not feeling well"

Princess Aurelia had only nodded her approval before engaging in conversation with some fat lord, her other ladies in tow.

Elara walked as fast as she could without drawing attention to herself, quickly making her way toward the large door Beorn had just disappeared through.

At the end of the hallway, she saw him just before he made the turn. She began to call out but a servant came around the corner. Instead, she sped up to catch up to him. She turned the corner quickly and came face to face with him. He'd stopped, he'd waited for her away from prying eyes. She didn't know when a smile crept onto her face, but he wasn't smiling.

"Lady Elara," he started, "I suggest you return to the hall before you are sought after"

"I wanted to apologize - about last night. That must have been awkward for you" she replied "It was certainly awkward for me"

She didn't know why she felt like she'd betrayed him, or why she felt the need to apologize. He was just some man who had helped her a few times, a man who had only done so because he thought she was something she wasn't. Unlike him, she was under no illusions about who he was and yet, it felt wrong to disappoint him.

"You have nothing to apologize for," Beorn told her "I really must go, there are important matters of state to attend to"

Beorn had turned his back to her before she could respond and was quickly on his way.

"Okay," she muttered under her breath. That was the first time he turned his back on her.

=^..^=

The second time would arrive only a few hours later. In typical fashion, she'd found herself free of responsibilities since the Princess remained resolute in keeping her away so she'd taken to exploring the castle grounds.

Along her journey, Elara had made a surprise discovery, a man stood alone on the archery range relentlessly shooting arrows into a target at the end of the range. The man was none other than Lord Beorn and by the number of arrows on the target as well as his tunic drenched in sweat, Elara surmised that he'd been going for a while.

"Important matters of state" she scoffed.

She watched him retrieve another arrow from a nearly empty quiver, nock his bow and pull which caused his already glittering muscles to bulge. Her heart rate quickened at the sight which left her feeling confused and yet unable to look away.

It felt wrong watching him like this. It screamed taboo to admire the way his drenched tunic did little to hide his form and yet the feeling was new and exciting.

It took everything she had to will herself away, but in an attempt to turn and leave quietly, she'd tripped and fell causing a short sound to escape her lips just as Beorn fired the arrow. It flew wildly off target impacting the wall behind the target.

His eyes turned to meet Elara who had never been more embarrassed. She thought he might have made the journey to help her back to her feet but instead, Beorn simply retrieved another arrow and readied his bow.

Among her options in that moment, she could have left with her tail between her legs but that is not the option she chose. Upon reaching her feet, she made for a nearby rack and retrieved a bow of her own. She borrowed one of Beorn's arrows without so much as a word and situated herself on an empty track of the archery range.

Beorn paused his shooting to watch her, utterly confused. He watched her awkwardly nock the bow before bringing it up to her face to take aim. She pulled as hard as she could which admittedly was nowhere near full draw and fired. The arrow was sent flying but quite unremarkably landed in the sand several feet short of the target.

She let out a frustrated sigh but was undeterred as she made her way back towards Beorn's quiver and retrieved another arrow.

This time, as she prepared her bow and arrow, so did he. He hadn't said any words but he'd paused long enough between each crucial step of the process allowing her to follow along. She'd brought her bow up to her face mimicking his actions. Together, they fired at their individual targets.

His arrow maintained a steady speed and flight path before lodging itself dead center of the target while hers collapsed in the sand.

While the girl sulked at her repeated failure, Beorn noticed that while the arrow hadn't made it all the way, it had remained on a straight path, unlike her first attempt. This range was ambitious for a first-timer but still, she showed promise.

He nodded in her direction, replaced his bow on the rack, and left. It was the second time he'd turned his back on her.

=^..^=

Elara was a mess by the time she got back to her room and Aoife could easily tell. She was worried about what the young girl might have experienced with the King the night before but knew nothing of it because she just wouldn't say. Aoife knew how tactless lords could be and could only assume that Kings would be far worse. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something else was bothering her.

This time, instead of asking if the girl was okay and inevitably get the same answer, she decided to focus on cheering her up. She retrieved her makeup kit and a clean cloth and crawled over to Elara's side of the bed. Without a word, she wiped away the dust from her face and set to work.

Little by little, she set off painting the confused girl's face, shushing her whenever she thought to complain or inquire about what was going on. She used a generous amount of powders and oils as the base for her creation before applying various pigments to her eyes, cheeks, and lips. The last step was using charcoal to create a dark, dramatic layer around her eyes.

It wasn't the first time she was doing the girl's makeup but there was something different about today. She had a plan and as it materialized, a smile began creeping onto Aoife's face.

"Why are you doing my makeup?" Elara asked after Aoife stepped back to admire her work.

Barely able to contain her joy, she packed up the entire makeup kit into a bag and rushed to her feet before pulling Elara out the door.

"Where are we going?" A confused and a bit panicked Elara asked.

"You'll see"

Aoife led her down the beautifully designed hall to another door and knocked ecstatically. Sybil answered the door, took one look at Elara, and began laughing. Elara was so hurt, she started to pull her hand away from Aoife's.

"It's okay" Aoife assured her.

Alicent rushed to the door in search of the commotion and when she found it, she covered her mouth in her hand. Elara wished the ground would open.

"It's perfect" Alicent exclaimed.

"It is" Sybil replied with an expression filled with wonder.

"May I present, Lady Celia" Aoife spoke in the exaggerated voice of an announcer. Her face held a proud smile.

"They look so much alike, how did I never see it?" Alicent wondered.

"Can you do me?" Sybil asked to which Aoife answered enthusiastically.

=^..^=

"I am very confused" Elara announced as soon as all four girls were seated on the bed in the room Alicent and Sybil shared.

At that point, Aoife had already unveiled her makeup kit and was already hard at work painting Sybil's face.

"Celia was one of Her Highness' ladies" Alicent explained "I think it was a ball?" Alicent asked and Aoife nodded in response.

"Yes, so she had a nasty fall the evening before the ball, a really terrible bruise, and I promise we tried to tell her just sit it out but she wouldn't listen. She tried to cover it up with makeup and came out looking like that." Alicent pointed to Elara's face. "Caused quite a scene and ruined the entire party for Her Highness"

"Is it that bad?" Elara asked concerned.

"Yes!" Sybil answered quickly with a laugh.

"Stay still!" Aoife hissed.

"Sorry"

"It was pretty bad though" Aoife agreed, "I don't know what she was thinking"

Elara was concerned about sitting there looking so horrid, but it didn't feel like the girls were laughing at her. The more they talked about it, the more it felt like they were sharing a laugh.

"She embarrassed Her Highness on an important night so of course, she let her go"

"I wish I could see what I look like," Elara said to no one in particular.

"I think there's a fountain in the garden. We can go there so you can get a good look" Alicent told her with a smile.

"No!" Elara exclaimed causing Sybil to laugh and Aoife to once again reprimand her. Aoife's work on the girl's face was starting to take shape. She'd applied a generous quantity of charcoal to one side of her face and used different pigments to draw intricate lines. It was haunting and yet gorgeous.

"Um, Elara" Sybil called to her while doing her best to keep her head still.

"Yes?"

"What's going on with you and Lord Beorn?"

The question had caught her off-guard and with Alicent watching her closely, it took great effort to keep an expressionless face.

"Nothing" She answered. It felt truthful enough to say because the man wanted nothing to do with her. "Really, there's nothing"

"Too busy with the King?" Alicent asked.

The question brought flashes of the previous night to her mind which caused her to shrink into herself.

Aoife glared at Alicent and non-verbally scolded her for saying that.

"What?" Alicent asked with a hint of concern on her face.

The King was many things but what he wasn't, was good at hiding what girl had his attention. It turned out most of the castle already knew that Olmund had an eye for her, but what they didn't know was how she felt about it.

"I'm afraid of him," Elara said. It was the first time she'd spoken about it to anyone, even Aoife.

"Did he do something?" Alicent asked, her look of concern remained despite their history.

"Nothing yet but he keeps pushing" she answered. How could she say that all he'd done was invite her for a drink, and he'd even apologized when he became too forward? Many girls might have wanted to be in her place, but she wasn't a girl. Not really.

Might she have welcomed his attention if she had all the right parts to satisfy him?

She was shocked when Alicent reached out and touched her hand. Aoife had put down her brushes and pulled her into a hug. When Sybil had tried to join in, Aoife had hissed at her to stay away and not ruin her masterpiece which caused Elara to giggle.

"Sometimes," Alicent squeezed her hand, "I really can't stand men."

"I thought you liked the King?" Sybil asked her.

"I mean I wouldn't say that, it's just - if I absolutely have to be stuck with a man, I'd rather it be a King, you know?"

Sybil gave her friend an understanding nod just as Aoife was stepping away from Elara.

"I'm fine" Elara answered before Aoife had the chance to ask the question.

Aoife gave a small smile before returning to her brushes.

Eventually, Aoife finished her designs and Alicent and Elara gawked in wonder at how talented she was. After repeated pleas, Alicent had agreed to be the next canvas. The girls talked, laughed, and lost track of time until there was a knock on the door.

Aoife, the only one who still looked like a normal person by that point answered the door.

"Lady Aoife" a servant girl spoke, "I beg your pardon, I am looking for Lady Elara. Is she here?"

"She is"

"The King summons her"

With a bow, the servant girl had made her departure leaving Aoife with an even more worried look as she turned to face the girls. They'd heard and all had similar expressions on their faces.

Elara was petrified. Another meeting with the King's searching hands threatened to unveil her ruse. It was a reveal that certainly meant her death.

Sybil saw Elara's face turn white and compassionately rubbed her shoulders.

"I should take her back to our room and clean her up" Aoife announced.

"I had a nice time, thank you," Elara said as she stood. Why did it feel like goodbye?

=^..^=

Elara made her way through the halls of the castle towards the King's chambers, clad in a fresh pink dress and makeup to hide how much she'd been crying. Aoife might have thought it an overreaction to be that upset over a private audience with a doting King but despite that, she was sympathetic the entire way through.

Now though, she was on her own as she approached Olmund's chambers.

"Lady Elara has arrived, Your Majesty" the guard announced.

"Show her in"

Elara walked into the familiar chamber and bowed, "Your Majesty"

"You must have been shocked at the news this morning" Olmund spoke quickly as soon as she made her entrance.

"Shocked, sire?"

"About Catalina. But I assure you, it is entirely political. You need not worry about being replaced."

She was confused. Did he truly believe that she was so enraptured by his attention after one or two meetings that she would be distraught at the news of another woman?

"I am fine, Your Majesty"

He smiled, "Good, good. Come let me look at you"

Just like the night before, she approached cautiously.

"Go on, sit" Olmund gestured to the same chair from the previous night, "You look so beautiful, so pure"

She obeyed and took the empty chair across from him. Olmund quickly placed a cup in front of her and filled it to the brim with wine.

"Drink, drink" he hurried her along.

With no options, she brought the cup to her lips and drank slowly. Olmund quickly stood and approached her. She began to replace the cup on the table but he stopped her and guided it back to her lips with his hands.

Without just enough force to keep it from being obvious, he helped her drink.

"I want to show you my Kingdom tomorrow," he said as she drank "Will you come with me?"

She tried to pull the cup away but he kept at it until she couldn't drink anymore and coughed, spilling the red liquid on their hands, her dress, and the table.

"Apologies" he offered, "Women are not able to drink as much as men. I should have known that"

"It's fine, Your Majesty," she said as she looked for a clean cloth to clean the spilled wine.

'Allow me" he used a beautiful silk cloth and began wiping the wine from her hands. When he was satisfied, he brought the cloth to her lips and chin while looking deep into her eyes.

"T-Thank you" she muttered.

Slowly, but surely, Olmund brought his lips to hers and Elara had her answers. Even if she had all the right parts, she would still want nothing to do with him. Everything about the act disgusted her but more than anything else, she hated the exaggerated moans he made as he pressed his face into hers.

"Mmmh" he moaned as their lips separated. When she laid eyes on him, he was smiling the most horrible smile.

"Can I return to my chambers?" she tried.

No response except a hungry look in his eyes.

She watched his hand make for her chest and she had tried to stop it but this time, he wouldn't be deterred. He pushed her hand away and made contact with her flat chest.

The confusion on his face was immediately evident. His hand rushed quickly downwards and to her dress skirt in search of answers. It didn't take him long to feel the answer to his question. His eyes widened in horror.

=^..^=
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Hiya, thanks for reading as always. I would love to hear your thoughts on this chapter :)

If Elara listened carefully enough, she could hear her own heartbeat.

Thump. Thump.

She felt a tightness in her chest that she'd never experienced before. She finally knew what it felt like to be in mortal danger, and she didn't like the feeling.

Her mind raced, she wondered whether she could overpower him and make for the window. While it was a long way down, surely it was preferable to whatever fate Olmund had in store for her. If the princess was to be believed, he was a terrifying person even when he hadn't been lied to.

Her heart beat faster with each passing moment, almost made worse by the fact that Olmund remained unmoving. He simply stared at her with that same look of disbelief and horror.

She should have seen this coming. It was too ambitious to think she could actually live as a woman without anyone finding out the truth. She found herself wishing that she was the woman she had been pretending to be.

"I can explain" she'd began.

"Who are you?" Olmund asked. The disbelief in his eyes slowed changed to suspicion. In his mind, his enemies had succeeded in getting close to him in a manner he could never have expected.

"Your Majesty, I am-- I am an ally" Elara searched her mind for the best way to explain her position but whether as a result of fear or lack of preparation, she was having trouble conveying her thoughts properly.

She made the mistake of attempting to stand from her vulnerable, seated position. Olmund did not take that well.

He quickly made for his sword in the corner and in a quick motion, he unsheathed the blade and positioned it next to her neck.

"Please, don't" she begged mostly out of shock. Her eyes were locked on the long, steel blade that rested dangerously close to her neck. The way the polished metal reflected the lights from the candles that lit the room was both beautiful and terrifying.

"Who are you?" Olmund asked again. He pulled the sword closer to her neck until she could feel the cold steel that had been perfectly crafted with the sole purpose of cutting through flesh.

"I was sent by someone loyal to you. He sees you as the rightful King" Elara uttered as fast as she could.

Olmund scoffed and gripped the blade harder, "Speak the truth or die"

"It is the truth" Elara hurriedly assured him as she tilted her head away from the advancing blade.

"Do you think me foolish enough to believe that? If you are not willing to save yourself then I should cut you down where you stand and feed you to my pigs"

"There is a letter" Elara revealed. "It should explain everything. I am telling you the truth"

Out of the corner of her eyes, Elara saw the blade retreat but not nearly far enough to warrant relaxation.

"An ally who recognizes my right, you say?"

"Yes," Elara nodded although she remained thoroughly terrified.

"Speak his name" Olmund commanded before advancing the blade once more.

"-- Major Donahue" Elara had to force the words out of her mouth despite having little say in the matter. After all, her life still lay firmly in his hands.

"A Major? What use do I have of his support?" Despite his words, Olmund dropped his outstretched sword arm allowing Elara to breathe freely. "Where is this letter?"

"In my chambers, Your Majesty" Elara answered quickly. However, she had gotten to this point, handing Olmund that letter had always been one of her primary objectives so she had no cause to delay.

"You will bring this letter to me immediately. Guards!" he called out and moments later, the armed soldiers made their entrance eager to please the King. "Escort the lady to her room" he spoke the words as though they left a bitter taste in his mouth. "Do not let her out of your sight".

To Olmund, the deception was much worse than the girl's crime of indecency. He had suffered great deceit at the hands of his sister and uncle which left him wary of it. Such was a King's plight, to be deceived by those he holds most dear.

"No, I will accompany her" he amended his command. He was in no hurry to let her out of his sight.

"Yes, Your Majesty" The soldiers echoed.

=^..^=

Elara struggled to breathe as she walked side by side with the King. Together, they made their way through the castle halls with the two guards following in tow.

"I will retrieve the letter" Elara spoke softly and breathlessly as they approached her room door. She feared how far sound could travel in the quiet hallway.

Olmund scoffed, "Lead the way"

"Please, I share the chamber with another one of Her Highness' ladies and I beg you to reconsider intruding on her privacy" Elara pleaded, "She's innocent"

"Does she know?" Olmund paused his advance. It was unconscionable for any man, even him, to intrude on a lady's private affairs. This fact made Elara's actions even more sinister.

She glanced at the guards who stood behind the King pretending they weren't listening to the ensuing conversation.

She shook her head.

"Bring the letter" Olmund ordered. "Do not try anything"

But of course, there was nothing to try. Only one door led in or out of the chamber. All she could do was quietly retrieve the sealed letter and hand it to the King so that is what she did. She was thankful that this time, Aoife was indeed asleep or at least pretending to be.

"Sleep well, my lady," Olmund said as she placed the letter in his hands with a courteous bow "We will speak again soon".

Elara disappeared back through the door as soon as she was dismissed and listened closely as the three pairs of footsteps retreated down the hallway. She'd been running entirely on adrenaline and as she began to wind down, she began to realise just how tired she was. She felt dizzy and her body ached for sleep.

She examined her hands and fingers in the dim, lantern light and was shocked by how much they were shaking. She couldn't keep them still no matter how hard she tried. Had she been that terrified, or had she simply drunk too much too quickly?

Her bed called to her but there was one more thing to do. She moved the lantern from the tabletop and placed it on the window sill. As she took shaky steps to her side of the bed, she prayed for Gawen to answer.

=^..^=

All things considered, it turned out to be a rather uneventful day. Olmund had departed on his journey alone and Aoife spent the entire day attending to the Princess' affairs leaving Elara much to her own devices. Those had been very long hours she'd spent contemplating all the ways Olmund would punish her.

Sometime that afternoon, she'd decided a walk might do her some good and had been on her way to the archery range when she made an interesting discovery. The guards were watching her every move. The guards that patrolled the halls, the guards at the castle entrance, every single one of them kept their eyes trained on her as she passed. She had become a prisoner.

They hadn't made any attempts to stop her as long as she never made for the main gate so she tried not to think too much about it. A little surveillance she could manage.

Unfortunately, the range had been a fruitless journey as Lord Beorn was nowhere to be found. It left her wondering whether he had joined Olmund on his journey or if he was somewhere in the castle away from view. Either way, she quickly resigned to the fact that she wasn't going to see him and she had bigger problems to worry about anyway.

=^..^=

That evening, Elara received a much-awaited guest in the form of a lowly servant girl. It was the first time Elara had laid eyes on the young girl which wasn't surprising since the massive castle had many such servants that worked away from view of the royal household.

The girl performed a deep awkward bow and offered numerous apologies for the disturbance.

"Hello," Elara smiled warmly at the terrified girl. "It's okay"

"I beg your pardon miss- uh, my lady, but I was told to deliver a message"

"From who?" Elara asked curiously but the girl only shook her head in response.

"Please go to the His Majesty's forest to the same location as before" The girl was unsure of what her words meant but was careful enough to get it out exactly as ordered.

"Who gave you this message?" Elara was sure of its source but it was unlikely he'd personally conveyed the message to this castle servant.

Once again, the girl shook her head instead of answering, apologized, and ran off.

=^..^=

Elara hurriedly approached the forest but frequently turned around to ensure that she wasn't being followed. It had been entirely too easy to get lost in the glamour, but in that moment, her real task of espionage came to the forefront and her abilities of deception would be tested soon after.

"I am sorry my lady, but this area is off-limits" Elara was stopped by a Forest guard.

"Not to me surely" Elara took unshaken steps forward.

"To all, I'm afraid" he confirmed.

"I don't think you understand," Elara pressed on, "I am His Majesty's guest and companion and I only require a short walk amongst nature to clear my head"

It was a stroke of genius to take advantage of the rumors that had spread about her involvement with the King.

Though the guard appeared unsure for a moment, he remained resolute.

"My apologies, my lady-"

"The King will return soon enough and I am sure he won't be pleased to hear that I was denied the simple pleasure of a short walk" Elara attempted her most stern expression but was also beginning to accept the possibility that she may not be allowed through.

Her eyes scanned the horizon for an alternate entrance but the sturdy fence ran the entire length of the castle's grasslands towards a large pond in the distance.

"At least allow me to accompany you" The guard conceded after some thought.

Elara's eyes perked up, "Well you can't leave your post unguarded. I assure you there is no need. I won't be going far"

She felt guilty for putting the young man in such an awkward position, but everything she did served a purpose. At least that's how she rationalized it.

She gave him an approving nod as he stepped aside allowing her to walk through.

=^..^=

With how quickly she'd been walking, it didn't take her very long to arrive.

"Gawen!" She exclaimed as he unveiled himself from behind the cover of the trees. He was covered in the dust and leaves of the forest. "How long have you been waiting?"
"You have news?" He asked quickly. Just like before, his watchful eyes constantly scanned for any threats.

"Yes," Elara brought her focus to the most pressing issue, "I need to leave here, Olmund knows about me"

"What exactly?"

"He knows I'm a man"

"How did he find out?" Gawen asked stepping forward.

"He - umm," Elara's voice trailed away due to her reluctance to reveal what had transpired between them.

Thankfully, Gawen sensed her apprehension and didn't press, "What else does he know?"

"I uh, I told him I was sent by people loyal to him and I gave him the letter"

"He's read the letter?" Gawen asked breathing a sigh of relief.

"I think so," Elara paused, "He took it with him so I assume he's read it"

"Then that's good"

"What does the letter say?" Elara asked curiously.

"It's a list of names," Gawen revealed in only a whisper "Everyone in Sigurd's court that secretly supports the Prince's claim. A very sensitive document that could have been dangerous in the wrong hands"

Gawen's expression told Elara that he was deep in thought. It was the man's duty to determine if she was in any real danger and ultimately whether she should be extracted prematurely.

"-But if Olmund has it, then everything is proceeding according to plan" He reasoned. The only disturbance in Cedric's plan was that the King had discovered her identity and he had a reputation of being erratic and unpredictable.

"I don't believe Olmund will harm you" Gawen decided, "You gave him the letter, he should see that you are on his side"

"'He should'?" Elara repeated the words skeptically.

"Remain calm and remember everything I taught you. He has no reason to turn against you" Gawen said solidifying his position.

"I want to go home," Elara said to him.

She was understandably worried. She had knowledge that Gawen didn't. She knew Olmund's true nature. He was a viper, striking at all who came near and she didn't want to spend one more moment in his presence.

"Please, let me go home" she begged.

"Not yet" Gawen replied "This plan hinges on your access to the Prince. The future of our nation rests on your shoulders"

"You don't understand. You don't know what kind of person he is. We shouldn't be helping him" Elara's emotions were clearly displayed on her face as she spoke.

"Did something happen?" Gawen asked, her reactions had begun to worry him. Not just about the mission but about the child that they heartlessly sent into the lion's den.

Elara shook her head.

Once again, Gawen didn't press at her silence.

"Do you have anything to report?"

Elara quickly informed him of all the matters that were discussed at the previous day's court proceedings and the decisions that were made. She finished with the news of Olmund's bride's imminent arrival.

They spoke until there was nothing else to discuss. Gawen had made his decision. She would remain there and if her situation devolved in any way, she knew how to reach him.

In the final minutes of their meeting, he handed her a new letter, sealed just like the last one.

"Find a good moment to give this to him"

"What does this one say?" Elara asked. She had accepted her fate.

"Troop movements, supply routes, crucial information" Gawen revealed nonchalantly.

"We shouldn't be helping him" Elara repeated despite knowing it would achieve nothing. In her thoughts, she entertained the idea of keeping the letters away from him. Doing whatever she could to keep him from the throne was surely a noble effort. Cedric didn't know him as she did. He would understand if he did.

"Maybe" Gawen replied simply, "I will make sure Major Donahue receives your opinion. For now, give him the letter" Gawen instructed her sternly. "And be careful"

That was the last thing Gawen said before he disappeared into the trees.

=^..^=

Elara had stuffed the letter into her stockings underneath her dress before hurrying back towards the castle. Under her breath, she'd rehearsed what she would say to the young Forest guard but unfortunately, he was not the one waiting for her.

Just at the exit stood four guardsmen expecting her return.

"Lady Elara" One who looked to be their leader spoke as soon as she made her appearance.

"What is going on?" she asked after clearing her throat.

"The King summons you, my lady"

"Oh he's returned?" she forced a smile at the man before attempting to walk past them "I will just hurry along to my chambers to freshen up then"

The three other guardsmen subtly stepped in to block her path.

"I'm afraid he insists you come immediately" The first guard informed her, "If you'll just come with us"

Without waiting for an answer, the three guards stepped behind her which gave her no other option but to follow the leader.

=^..^=

There was that same sinking feeling as Elara was led back through the familiar path that led to the King's private chambers. The tension was made several times worse by the guards who urged her to keep moving every time her pace slowed. She felt like what she was, a prisoner.

It had been a privilege to be treated like a guest up till that point. A privilege she now felt was lost forever.

"Lady Elara here to see His Majesty" The guard leader informed the two that stood stationed outside Olmund's door.

Elara's heart skipped a bit as her arrival was announced.

"Bring her in"

Her heart beat faster as the door opened and she was ushered in. Her first thoughts were of how menacing he looked sitting in that armchair polishing his sword with a rag. His face twisted into a smile as he saw her.

She had rattled him last night when he'd discovered the truth but seeing him now, he was collected, poised, and looked very dangerous.

She jumped a little when the door closed behind her. Without losing that smile, he ordered her forward. She obeyed.

He remained polishing his sword and kept at it until it held the most beautiful sheen and reflected their surroundings.

"Elara, Elara, Elara" he sang her name as he inspected the blade, "Where have you been? I was looking for you"

She opened her mouth but had no words.

"It's okay, you don't have to answer, I already know where you were" he raised the sword and pointed it in her direction "What I really want to know is what you were doing. Meeting someone, were you?"

She almost wished he would frown or appear angry at her. That cocky smile was even more unsettling.

Olmund waited for an answer but got silence in return.

"That's okay," Olmund said sheathing the long blade, "The grounds are surrounded, we'll find them soon enough".

She did her best to avoid showing a reaction. He was trying to unnerve her, and while it was working, she didn't have to give him the satisfaction of knowing that.

"What are you planning?" Olmund asked her.

"We're not - I'm not planning anything, Your Majesty" She spoke for the first time, "I am on your side"

"Maybe you are," Olmund stood from his armchair, "-maybe you aren't. Remove your clothes"

She was stunned by the command. For the life of her, she couldn't think what might have brought that on.

"Your Majesty--"

"Now" Olmund's smile faded away for the first time that evening. She noticed his fingers clench tightly around the sheathed blade.

She quickly began fumbling with the clasps at the back of her dress. Aoife had helped her fasten the uppermost clasps and it was proving to be a challenge to get them undone.

She looked to Olmund who she expected to be upset over the time wasted but instead, he wore a soft expression once more.

"Let me" he offered. Elara remained motionless as he placed the blade gently on the table and made his way over to her.

His fingers traced the back of her neck as he positioned himself behind her. It sent chills down her spine.

Olmund moved in close and without warning, took a long, hard sniff and let out a satisfied exhale.

"You even smell like a woman" he commented.

Her eyes moved quickly to the unprotected sword on the table but she quickly dispatched the idea.

Elara stayed quiet as he undid the clasps of her dress one by one. Upon finishing, he ran his fingers along the small of her back until she audibly cleared her throat.

She was perplexed by his actions. Unlike before, he now knew she wasn't a woman so why did he still touch her in that manner? He pulled the dress off her shoulder and let it fall to the floor leaving just the chemise and underskirt. She felt so vulnerable.

Suddenly, she felt his hands trace the entire circumference of her waist from behind and then her legs. His touch caused her to squirm but the worst was yet to come. Slowly, his hand went beneath the underskirt tracing her laps. His hand rose higher and higher still until it reached the sealed letter secured by her stockings.

"What do we have here?" He asked whimsically.

Elara kicked herself. The idea of helping him tormented her and now in his hands, he held the letter that did just that.

Olmund tore open the letter ravenously and consumed its contents with a smile. It took him no more than a minute of reading before he tossed it on the table with a very satisfied look on his face.

"It would seem we indeed are allies," Olmund said as he turned his gaze back to her.

She nodded and tried not to appear so vulnerable. Despite her current appearance and status as a puppet for his ascension, she tried to hold her head up with dignity if only as a sign of rebellion.

"I am at your service, Your Majesty" she pronounced reluctantly.

"So you are" Olmund agreed. "Come, let us drink to celebrate" He walked briskly back to the table and gestured for her to take the same chair opposite him.

She knew better than to argue. Olmund didn't make requests, only commands.

She crossed the stretch of the room and sat down leaving her dress on the floor. As always, Olmund poured her a cup as if nothing between them had changed.

"We may be aligned in the moment but if you seek to betray me, I will make you beg for death," Olmund said the words with a straight face as if he spoke only about the weather.

"I won't" Elara felt obligated to assure him.

"I could just castrate you," Olmund said nonchalantly before taking a sip from his cup, "It's so small I doubt you'd miss it" he let out a small laugh.

The look on Elara's face was exactly what Olmund had been seeking. He had her exactly where he wanted her.

"Who knows how far I'd go?" he took another sip from his cup then moaned, "But then, it depends on how I'm feeling in the moment".

Their eyes met once again and remained locked to one another. Elara wished for nothing more than to be far away from this place.

=^..^=

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Hiya, sorry for the late upload. Busy week indeed. Hope you're enjoying this story. As always, thanks for reading.

Elara pulled at the bowstring and aimed at the target in front of her. She took great care to keep her arm steady before letting the arrow fly. It whistled threw the air before lodging itself at the bottom edge of the wooden target.

She turned joyfully to Beorn who stood on the adjacent track, and jumped and squealed in delight. The arrow was still a good distance away from the bullseye but it was the first time, one of her arrows hadn't simply plopped hopelessly in the dirt.

Elara wasn't sure but she thought she could see a hint of pride in his eyes, after all, he'd taught her everything she knew.

It had been several weeks since that night with the King and in that time, things had progressed between her and Beorn. The time they both spent at the archery range provided much-needed solace from the trials of both their lives.

For Elara, shooting arrows into a target was the only time she felt anything like the boy she was once. When she nocked her bow, pulled at the string, and let the arrow fly was the only time she felt like Wulfric was still alive.

For Beorn, it let him take his mind off the rigors of His Majesty's war. Elara's repeated interruptions of his private sessions had been curious at first but he'd found himself looking forward to these moments as the weeks went back.

He purposefully held back a smile as the girl jumped happily after hitting the target for the first time. He knew he shouldn't encourage her advances. She belonged to the King and was therefore she was untouchable by the likes of him although he wanted nothing more than to touch her.

He wanted to tell her she'd done a wonderful job teaching herself the way of the bow simply by watching him but instead, he turned away. Their involvement would spell nothing but trouble.

No, he would have to be content with these moments at the range. He readied his bow for another shot, adjusting his body in the way he knew her form lacked. She readied her bow and followed his every move.

Together, they pulled at their bowstrings and let their arrows fly into their respective targets.

As for Olmund, he had grown more and more dependent on her company and summoned her to his chambers more often than not. His threats had had the intended effect of scaring her into subservience and it had managed that for a few days before Elara's behaviour changed.

She was showing a dismissiveness of his authority that he hadn't experienced even from his own sibling. Only last night, he'd summoned her to his chambers and she'd greeted him without averting her gaze like she normally would.

"You asked to see me, Your Majesty" she'd spoken without waiting to be addressed.

"Yes," he'd replied clearing his throat, "have there been any more letters from my supporters?" he asked. The last one had arrived some time ago and had been thoroughly beneficial in routing Sigurd's army.

"Not yet, sire" She replied. She did her best to hide her smile from him. It was clear that the King had grown dependent on Cedric's letters and as the messenger, the letters in turn gave her a sense of safety.

"You wouldn't keep them from me, would you Elara?"

"I would never, Your Majesty" She bowed her head for the first time that evening.

Olmund's expression softened as he invited her to take her usual seat following her response.

"Please," he gestured to the cup he'd just filled with wine, "Have a drink with me"

As Elara sat and thanked him, she could immediately tell the cup of wine in his hand wasn't his first, far from it.

"You shouldn't invite me to your chambers so often," she cautioned him, "People are talking"

With how much time the two seemingly spent with one another, they had quickly become a topic of conversation throughout the castle.

"I pay them no mind, and neither should you" he brushed passed her concerns and took a sip of his wine. "I am their King and I will not be subject to their scrutiny"

"A good King cares what his people think of him" The words left her lips before she'd had the chance to stop them.

"Are you saying I'm not a good King?" Olmund asked her.

'Yes!' she screamed the words in her head.

"I'm saying, your new bride arrives soon. You should at least pretend to think of no one but her" Elara reasoned. She was thankful that Olmund wasn't reacting poorly to what she'd said.

"Tomorrow" Olmund informed her, "Princess Catalina arrives tomorrow"

The expression on his face told Elara that there was nothing but disinterest where the foreign princess was concerned. From past conversations, she knew he was more interested in the army she was bringing with her. She worried Catalina wouldn't be her salvation from the King's attention like she'd hoped.

"Does that make you jealous?" Olmund spoke in response to the worry on Elara's face.

"Of her? No. If anything I pity her" Once again, the words left her lips prematurely, and to her surprise, Olmund only laughed in response.

She forced a smile to keep the mood between them light.

"Are you excited about her arrival?" Elara asked him. She figured it couldn't hurt to gain clarity about Olmund's intentions where Catalina was concerned. If only to have something to report back the next time Gawen made his appearance.

Olmund scoffed, "I think we have enough princesses. My sister is enough of a handful already. My engagement to Catalina is simply a means to win my throne"

"Do you not get along with your sister?" Elara asked. She wasn't sure whether it was bravery or stupidity, but Olmund's recent openness with her spurred her on.

There was little more terrifying than letting your guard down. That was what Olmund thought to himself as he thought as he prepared to answer her question.

"There was a time we trusted each other entirely," He explained, "Until she betrayed me"

"What did she do?" Elara asked.

He studied Elara as she waited patiently for his answer. She'd changed so very much in the short time he'd known her. She'd grown confident and more assertive the past few weeks and perhaps he should have found this behavior dangerous, but instead, it amused him.

If only she was a real woman.

"She chose my uncle over me" Olmund answered just before bringing his cup to his lips.

There was a silence between the two as Elara took in the words. The pain in his eyes was clear as he finished the wine in his cup and poured himself another. She didn't rush him, he continued when he was ready.

"When I was rescued from my uncle, she could have come with me. We were together, but she ran," He continued, "She is my sister and I loved her but she ran back to my uncle! Alerted him to the rescue effort!" Elara grew tense as Olmund's voice began to rise.

"The man that stole MY throne, and she chose him over me!" Olmund yelled.

Elara gripped the base of her cup in fear. She quickly realized she wasn't as secure in the protection the letters offered as she thought.

"I'm sorry" Olmund apologized. It was the first time he'd ever done that.

The memory of last night caused her arms to shake causing the arrow to fly wildly off target. Her fingers shook from the stress just as they had the previous night. Beorn looked at her with worry so she flashed a small smile in his direction.

She bowed to him as she made her exit from the range and he returned the gesture in kind.

=^..^=

The entire court gathered outside the castle that afternoon to greet Catalina as her carriage approached. Unlike Elara's arrival with the Princess, Olmund was also present watching the horse-drawn golden carriages slow to a halt.

Olmund smiled brightly as Catalina was helped out of the carriage, a juxtaposition from his mood last night.

Elara was in awe of Catalina's appearance. She was so beautiful, with much darker skin than hers and long dark brown hair. The sun's rays almost glistened as they touched her skin. She had long, cat-like eyes and full lips, tall and slender. Elara felt jealous as she looked around the audience and they appeared equally in awe.

"May I present Her Royal Highness, Princess Catalina" the now familiar envoy proclaimed at the top of his lungs.

She bent her knees and lowered her body while delicately holding portions of her dress in between long fingers. It was a unique bow that struck Elara as Ethereal in nature.

Olmund bowed his head in response.

"Hello," She spoke, her words distorted by a heavy accent. Still, her voice was beautiful and soothing. The perfect woman, Elara thought.

Princess Aurelia's words came to Elara's mind, 'She's a pretty thing and Olmund breaks pretty things'.

The girl stood no chance.

"You stand in the presence of King Olmund" Podan proclaimed.

"Let us not stand on ceremony" Olmund smiled, Elara couldn't tell if it was genuine, "Today is a joyous day indeed. I am finally united with the beautiful, Catalina. You are most welcome, Princess"

He was putting on a good show, Elara thought to herself.

The entire audience waited in silence as the envoy spoke to her in that strange, foreign language. When he was finished, Catalina smiled a bright smile at Olmund and replied in that same thick accent, "Thank you, Your Majesty"

As it turned out, Catalina's need to learn the language had been greatly exaggerated as she already had good command over the grammar and vocabulary, she simply had a difficult time understanding the manner and quickness in which people of Olmund's kingdom spoke with each word melting into the next almost in a slur.

Elara had quickly picked this up as Catalina was introduced to the other members of the Royal household and when it came her turn to greet the Princess, she spoke slower and made sure to enunciate her words.

"Welcome Princess" Elara said following a standard bow. She'd had to resist the urge to bow in the stylish manner Catalina had done earlier for fear of giving her the impression of mockery.

"Thank you" Catalina matched her tone and pace, "May I know your name?"

"Elara, Your Highness"

The words had caught the Princess off-guard because she seemed to freeze for a moment.

"Are you alright?" Elara thoughtfully asked, careful not to speak too quickly.

"Yes, thank you" Catalina replied with a quick smile, "You are very beautiful" she added.

Elara blushed, "Thank you. You are too, of course"

"I hope- we are good friends" Catalina forced.

"I hope so too" Elara replied having had no trouble understanding what she had been trying to say. She found that she sympathised with the Princess who must have felt overwhelmed. Not too long ago, she too had been brought to this unfamiliar place. She at least had grown up speaking the language.

Elara had been the last one among Aurelia's ladies to be introduced to the Princess so when they were through, she was ferried to another group eager to make her acquaintance.

Upon conclusion of introductions, Olmund announced that there was to be a ball that evening to celebrate Catalina's arrival. She was allowed to get some much-needed rest from her journey, and Elara and the other girls hurried back to their rooms to prepare.

=^..^=

"How does this look?" Elara asked as she added a dye made from berries to her lips to give them a beautiful reddish color. Elara turned away from her reflection in the polished metal disc, a very expensive gift she'd received from Olmund. She turned apprehensively to face the other girls in the room.

"It's pretty" Aoife told her, "You're improving"

"Thank you" Elara smiled. She wished there was a way she could thank her roommate for diligently teaching how about the various dyes, pigments, chalks, and charcoals and how they could be used to enhance a woman's appearance.

"Yes, I'm sure Lord Beorn will be enchanted when he sees you tonight" Sybil commented.

"You shouldn't be so jealous, Sybil. It's unbecoming." Alicent added as she admired her reflection in the polished metal Elara had just handed to her.

"I am not jealous" Sybil quickly argued.

"Oh? So you're not upset he only has eyes for her?" Alicent asked with a smirk.

"He doesn't have eyes for me" Elara protested.

"Oh please, we aren't blind," Alicent said before adding a touch of pigment to her cheeks, "You have the best eligible bachelor in this court wrapped around your finger"

"That is not true!" Elara blushed, "Nothing is going on between us"

Alicent rolled her eyes and kept her focus on her beautiful reflection.

"It doesn't look like nothing when you spend hours together at the range" Sybil chimed in, "Pretending you like archery? How shameless"

Alicent sighed, "We know you wish you'd thought of it first"

Sybil pouted in response.

"I'm not pretending," Elara said simply which led to a moment's silence between the group. "When I shoot, it's the only time I feel like I have any control"

"The situation with the King hasn't improved?" Aoife asked with her usual worry, "Why does he keep summoning you?"

'I am a spy that's helping him with the war' Elara thought to herself but knew she could never actually say the words.

"I keep asking myself that" She answered. Over the past weeks, it had become easier and easier to lie.

"I don't get it" Sybil sounded frustrated, "Why does everyone keep throwing themselves at you? You're flat as a washboard. You're like a little boy!"

"Sybil!" Aoife quickly chastised her.

"It's true" Sybil added quietly.

"Don't listen to her" Aoife turned to face her roommate, "You're just a late bloomer, that's all"

"She isn't a child anymore" Alicent responded while still blending the pigment across her face, "I'm afraid that's all the growing she's going to do"

"She could try getting pregnant, that might help" Sybil chimed in.

"I'm sitting right here" Elara let the exhaustion show on her face. She'd grown closer to the other girls in the time she's been here. There's conversations had become a daily occurrence.

Still, other than Thurstan, these girls were the only friends she'd ever had. It was unfortunate that their friendship was built on several lies stacked on one another.

"How does it feel to fuck a King?" Alicent looked up from her reflection for the first time in some time.

"We don't-- fuck" Elara blushed at the vulgar word.

"I don't believe that for one second" Alicent quickly dismissed her, "It's okay, you can tell us?"

"We really don't" Elara repeated, "We haven't done anything like that"

"So what do you do every night?" Sybil asked.

"Talk mostly"

"As if you're that interesting" Sybil retorted.

"Really? Nothing at all?" Alicent asked.

"We kissed once, but that's it"

"That doesn't sound so bad" Sybil chimed in again, "You make it sound like being around him is torture"

"I'm sure it's complicated" Aoife once again came to her defense.

"Have you girls ever done it? You know--" Elara asked shyly after a pause. Her curiosity about the acts men and women performed together had gotten the best of her.

Sybil shrugged and then looked to Alicent who didn't respond.

"I haven't either" Aoife added. It was to be expected. After all, a proper noble marriage expected the woman to be unsullied. If Elara had been a noble lady, her reputation as the King's pet might have been a cause for concern.

All three girls looked to Alicent who hid behind the polished metal disc.

"Don't tell anyone" Alicent answered simply.

"You've done it?" Sybil asked incredulously.

Alicent hurriedly shushed her friend.

"With who?" Aoife asked curiously. "We won't tell anyone, right girls?"

Elara and Sybil nodded quickly.

There was a part of Alicent that wanted to say the words and speak the name, a part of her that desperately wanted to trust her friends with her secret.

"I don't want to talk about it," She said before turning back to her makeup. It was her secret and hers alone.

=^..^=

The four ladies walked closely behind Princess Aurelia as she made her entrance into the Great Hall. They were desperately trying to suppress their giggling over something Sybil had muttered about a particularly tardy guest.

"Girls, pay attention" Aurelia cautioned them as they came in full view of the other guests.

They looked at each other, smiled, and stifled their laughs. Elara had to cover her mouth with her hands to do so.

The princess engaged in greetings with the arrived guests while they followed close behind. Elara's eyes scanned the room for Beorn and found him glancing in her direction. She wanted to smile or even wave at him but thought better of it.

As she looked away, she wondered what he thought of her dress. His preferences might have come up as she chose the pink dress, not that she would ever admit as much.

"He's coming this way" Aoife whispered. The other girls had also noticed his approach and giggled.

Elara looked up panicked and found Beorn bowing to the Princess.

"Your Highness" his voice was clear even amidst the overbearing chatter.

"My lord" Princess Aurelia replied, "I trust you are enjoying yourself"

"Now that I am in your presence, I am" He replied with a charming smile. His gaze would only occassionally switch to Elara who stood shyly behind the Princess.

"You flatter me" The Princess laughed at the compliment.

They looked good together. While Olmund expected his sister to marry into a neighboring country's nobility to strengthen alliances, it wasn't unusual for such marriages to occur locally as rewards for outstanding service. In that case, Lord Beorn would have been as good a match as any.

"You have your army now. Are you going to give my brother victory?" Princess Aurelia asked him.

"We have had a series of breakthroughs recently, it's true," Beorn explained, "And with the reinforcements, a decisive victory in the near future can be expected"

"Good, good" Elara heard the Princess say, "You have served my brother exceptionally"

"I serve you as well, Your Highness" Beorn corrected, "Just as my father served yours"

"I am grateful for your service, my lord. As I'm sure, so is the King"

Lord Beorn bowed to the Princess one more time before turning to leave. It had taken a conscious effort on his part to keep his eyes away from Elara. She looked divine. Very few women had ever occupied his mind as she had, certainly none as thoroughly as her.

=^..^=

Sometime later, the King arrived with his new bride-to-be and the hall was quiet for the first time that evening.

Olmund spoke only a few words to some nobles before taking to the front of the hall.

"My lords!" He spoke loudly. The hall was so silent, Elara could hear the tiniest shuffling or throat clearing. The audience looked intently at Olmund as he continued his speech.

"Tonight, we gather to celebrate a most momentous occasion— the arrival of Princess Catalina. Her presence here signifies not merely the joining of two great houses, but the dawn of a powerful alliance between our two Kingdoms."

"She has traveled a great distance to be with us here today. Like me, she possesses a commitment to our unified strength and prosperity."

"Together, we stand as an unbreakable force against our enemies, my uncle and the traitors who stand by his side. They will learn the price of their treachery and defiance. Our victory is inevitable now and it will be absolute."

Olmund took a menacing step forward, "The time for mercy is over. The time has come for my usurping uncle to face the consequences of his actions. I promise you, my loyal subjects, that this war will be over soon".

Elara's eyes remained on Catalina who stood at the front of the room and wondered what she thought of the man that was to be her husband.

=^..^=

"Your Highness" Elara walked up to Princess Catalina when the opportunity arose. Aurelia had finally dismissed the girls allowing them to do some mingling of her own. The others had chosen to spend that time talking to whatever handsome nobles remained, Elara had chosen a different path.

"Lady Elara" Catalina smiled at her.

"You remember my name," Elara asked surprised. Catalina must have been bombarded by so many names and titles during the earlier introductions and wouldn't have been surprised if she'd forgotten.

"Of course, I remember" That same thick accent came through. It was so unique and mysterious.

"You look beautiful" Elara marveled at the dress that seemed to be made out of a thousand feathers, unlike anything she'd seen the noble ladies of her country wear.

"Thank you" She beamed "You are beautiful as well"

"Thank you"

Their conversation was simple but Elara felt it was genuine. At least, she hoped it was.

"I am here for you if you need anything" Elara spoke slowly and concisely.

Catalina looked to be wrestling with some thoughts for a moment but when she decided on a course of action, she reached forward and touched Elara's hand. "Can we speak after?" she asked.

Elara was taken aback but nodded her agreement.

"After" Catalina repeated.

"Okay," Elara said softly.

Catalina thanked her and left, leaving Elara entirely confused about what that was about. Eventually, she decided to put it out of her mind and simply enjoy the ball.

=^..^=

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Thanks for reading as always.

The real event of the evening for Elara occurred after the dancing began. The other ladies had come to find her and wouldn't take 'no' for an answer as they pulled her onto the ballroom floor.

It had begun quite simply enough. The Carole dance that began the session was a popular circle dance that was familiar even to a peasant like her. The nobles joined hands and moved in a circular pattern while they sang songs joyfully.

She was safely lodged between Aoife and Sybil in the circle allowing herself to get lost in the music and dance. It came as a bit of a surprise that all but the King and two Princesses seemed eager to participate.

After a time, the Carole morphed seamlessly into a Farandole when the circle broke into a line. Elara laughed along with glee as she followed the group and danced without a care in the world.

But almost as if the intention was to catch her off-guard, the line broke apart sending all its participants scattering away. The women gathered on one side of the hall and the men gathered on the other, each person with a partner directly opposite them.

Offering only a brief moment to catch her breath, both groups began making their approach to the center of the ballroom. The man directly opposite Elara, some lord she'd seen roaming the halls once or twice. Both groups advanced until they stood only a few feet from each other.

The women bowed and Elara followed. The men bowed and then stretched forth their left hands. The women took them. His gruff hands swallowed hers and reminded her how different she was from those men.

"Lady Elara" he spoke.

"I am afraid I do not know your name" Elara replied politely.

"Berengar, my lady"

"What an unusual name" Elara commented. It was one she hadn't heard before.

Lord Berengar chucked, "It's foreign like much of my family"

"Foreign? I wasn't aware there were any more foreign nobles in court"

"At your service" he smiled.

"Where are you from exactly?" she asked curiously. Unlike Catalina, he sounded just as native as anyone else.

"Far away" When the minstrels began playing slow music, he held out his second hand, "May I?"

Elara nodded and moved closer allowing him to place his right hand on her waist and guide her the rest of the way.

They swayed together only for a moment before Berengar's movements froze entirely. Elara stepped away and began to inquire about his pause when she noticed the terror on his face with his gaze focused somewhere behind her.

Elara traced his line of sight and it led her to Olmund. He was sitting on his throne, watching them closely.

Berengar cleared his throat loudly then apologized with a forced smile, "My lady, I'm afraid I must go"

It was her turn to be stunned. Without so much as another word, he let go of her hand and turned away. She thought to call out to him but decided against it. She just watched him make his way towards one of the servers to retrieve a cup of wine, and down it in one swig.

Elara watched speechless as Lord Berengar made for the large doors and disappeared through it. Elara couldn't believe what had just happened.

The dancing continued, leaving Elara standing in the middle without a partner and thoroughly embarrassed. She knew she needed to get off the floor but her legs wouldn't obey her. They felt weak.

She closed her eyes in shame as the members of the court danced around her.

"May I?" she heard a voice and recognized it instantly.

She opened her eyes and he had his left hand outstretched towards her. Elara turned back to Olmund and he had turned away, seemingly engaged in conversation with his future bride.

"It's okay" Beorn's steady voice came through once more. She could have heard those words a thousand times and it still wouldn't have been enough.

She placed her hand in his. She could immediately feel the grooves and ridges created by decades of wielding a sword and bow. She unconsciously rubbed her fingers across his palm surface.

Beorn stepped forward and placed his right hand on her waist in standard dancing posture but nothing felt standard about any of it. Slowly, they joined the other dancers and he led her through the different steps. She was all too happy to be led. She would follow him anywhere if this is what it felt like.

In typical fashion, they rarely spoke and only let their bodies do the talking, and their bodies were talking a lot.

The way her right hand gripped his left hand told him that she was grateful for his timely appearance. The way his right hand caressed her back told her that he would always be there for her.

In the end, the dance session didn't last nearly long enough and soon, they were stepping away from each other and bowing with the rest of the guests. She looked around and marveled at how utterly different her life had become.

Olmund took to the forefront once more to thank the guests for arriving.

"Please, eat, drink to your heart's content" he announced, "I am afraid I must retire to prepare for a very important day tomorrow. Once again, I give you my heartfelt appreciation"

The crowd bowed in reverence as Olmund made his way through towards the exit doors.

"Come with me," he said in a hushed tone as she reached and passed Elara's position.

She looked to Beorn with an apologetic expression and joined the King's exiting party. She knew she urgently had to get his attention under control.

=^..^=

As soon as she walked through the doors of Olmund's chamber and the guards closed it behind her, she confronted Olmund.

"What was that about?" She wasn't shy about letting him see how upset she was.

"What are you talking about?" he asked as he began fiddling with his robe, "Help me with this"

"Berengar. What did you say to him... or do to him?" She held her ground.

"Come help me get this off" he nodded her over.

"Don't you have servants for that?"

"I want you to do it" he spoke sternly.

She sighed before making her way over to him. She began by undoing the clasp around his neck that held his robe in place, then walked behind him to lift the robe off his shoulders.

Olmund rubbed his neck and shoulders as she placed the heavy robe atop his bed.

He turned around to face her once more, "Continue," he said with outstretched arms gesturing to the rest of his clothes.

"I can call your servants" she replied.

"Continue" he repeated.

She sighed again before reaching up and loosening the ties that held his tunic in place.

"Such delicate hands" he commented as soon as she finished her task, allowing him to raise the tunic off his body.

"It's clear you don't intend to answer my question so may I leave?" she looked away from his bare chest.

"I thought I was saving you" Olmund replied, "I wouldn't have thought you'd want to dance with a man, being a man yourself. Let alone with an oaf like Berengar"

Olmund stepped away from Elara to retrieve a tunic from a nearby chair. He quickly sniffed it before putting it over his head.

"You did seem rather happy dancing with the Grand Marshal so maybe you didn't need saving after all" he looked intently at her, "Maybe you favor the company of men despite being one yourself"

Once more, Elara looked away from his piercing gaze, "I was just grateful to him for saving me from embarrassment"

"Sometimes I wonder whether you're a man at all" Olmund confessed, "I wonder whether you played a trick on me. Witchcraft even? I should check again to be sure" Olmund stepped towards Elara causing her to step backwards.

She retreated until she was backed against the wall and only then did he stop his advance.

"Show it to me" he ordered.

The color vanished from her face as she pleaded, "No".

"Now!" he followed with a raised voice.

Her expression begged him to reconsider.

He took another threatening step forward and she quickly reconsidered.

She began raising the skirt of the pink dress she'd specially chosen until her underskirt was revealed. Slowly but surely, she began raising that too but to her surprise, as her thighs began to come into view, Olmund had a change of heart.

"Stop" he ordered and turned away.

She breathed a sigh of relief as she let the dress fall. He'd tried to hide it but she'd clearly seen the tent he'd been pitching in his breeches. It made her feel dirty.

Olmund took a seat in his usual armchair and ordered her to give him a massage. She was exhausted.

"I should return to my chambers, Your Majesty" she protested, "Princess Catalina has arrived. You shouldn't summon me anymore"

"You presume to give me orders?" he asked without turning to face her.

"No, I-- I just don't want to give people the wrong impression"

With only a finger wag, he ordered her approach, "I feel sore. Massage me"

He never listened to her. She admitted defeat, closed the gap between them, and began massaging his shoulder like she'd done several times before.

She cringed when he let out that horrible moan. To this day, it always brings back memories of that horrible day. Without any other options, she worked in silence.

Frustratingly, even after completing that task, Olmund still wasn't through with her.

"Don't go" she heard him say.

"Your Majesty, I have been here too long" she warned him, "What will people think?"

"That I bed you every night? Is that so wrong? I am the King. Every woman should be so lucky" he replied.

"What will Princess Catalina think?" Elara added.

"She can think whatever she wants" Olmund dismissed her, "Take a seat, fill our cups, drink with me"

"I am tired, I want to sleep" Elara argued.

With an outstretched arm, Olmund gestured to his bed, "Please, go ahead"

"Your Majesty, this isn't right. Please permit me to return to my chambers"

Olmund stood abruptly from the chair, "I grow weary of arguing with you. You can sleep on the bed, or would you prefer the floor?"

Elara resigned with an exasperated sigh.

She walked over to the bed and sat on it obediently.

"You shouldn't ruin your pretty dress" Olmund smiled, "Why don't you remove it?"

She obeyed quietly now clear on the futility of arguing. Equipped with nothing but her chemise and underskirt, she lay in the large, admittedly comfortable bed.

It smelled entirely like Olmund.

That night, he climbed into the bed with her, and many times throughout the night, she felt him embrace her tightly from behind. As horrible as it turned out, she was thankful that things never progressed further than that.

=^..^=

Elara had never felt as shameful as she felt walking the halls of the castle the next morning wearing last night's dress.

The servants she passed as she made her way to her chamber would bow and greet her as she approached but whisper as soon as she passed.

They all thought her despicable believing she'd thrown herself at the King even after his betrothed's arrival.

She felt so terrible, that she couldn't look the servants in the face as they passed.

Even worse, she found one of the servants standing outside her chambers, knocking on the door and calling out to her.

"Lady Elara, may I speak with you?" Elara found the young girl calling out.

"What is it?" Elara asked as she approached the door. The girl bowed quickly.

"Her Highness, Princess Catalina has asked that you join her for breakfast"

"Now?" Elara asked with an exhausted expression.

"Yes, my lady"

"Fine, where?"

"In the garden, my lady"

Elara sighed, "You may go"

The young girl bowed and hurried along. It was quite a curious thing how easily she'd taken to her new station. Oftentimes, it didn't even feel like an act anymore.

Elara hurried into her room and breathed a sigh of relief when she found that Aoife was already out attending to the Princess.

Ideally, she'd have wanted a bath before facing the foreign princess but didn't want to keep her waiting any longer so she settled for a change of clothes before making her way to the garden.

=^..^=

It was a beautiful morning, warm from the early morning sun. The grass was particularly vibrant and the clear water in the pond brilliantly reflected the sun's rays.

It didn't take Elara long to find Catalina seated in the garden, attended by two equally dark-skinned, brown-haired women. They spoke that whimsical language the envoy had spoken to Catalina the day before.

Elara noted how quickly Catalina had made herself feel at home in what must have been a strange country.

"Lady Elara," Catalina called out to her, "Please join me"

Elara approached and bowed to the Princess before taking a seat.

Catalina turned and said some strange words to the two women after which they bowed in that same strange manner and stepped away.

"You wanted to see me, Your Highness"

"Oh, call me Catalina" she smiled "We are good friends, no?"

"Thank you, but I think should address you as suits your station" Elara replied.

"I don't understand" Catalina looked confused.

"Oh, you are a princess, and Queen soon" Elara explained slowly, "I must call you, 'Your Highness'"

"Oh-- okay" Catalina agreed reluctantly.

"Why did you want to see me?" Elara asked.

Catalina looked troubled for a moment as if she was wrestling with her own thoughts.

"I heard all about you" she began, "Since I was on my journey"

"Umm--"

"You are your King's favourite"

Elara kept her expression neutral although she wasn't sure how accurately the word described her relationship with Olmund.

"I don't--"

"Please, let me finish" Catalina cut in.

"Sorry," she apologized.

"In my country, a man has one woman, and he honors that woman by looking only at her. I hope you understand"

Elara remained quiet.

"Last night, I suffered great shame. The man that is to be my husband, shared his bed with you"

Elara searched her mind for something she could say that could fix everything. How could she tell Catalina that she wasn't Olmund's woman and that in fact, she hated him?

"I don't know how the people of this country are, but I cannot live that way. For thirty years, my father shared a bed with only my mother. It is the-- foundation of my people's culture. I want the same for myself"

Elara felt horrible enough that it appeared clear as day on her face.

"Know that I don't think badly of you. I too dreamed of marrying a King since I was a girl so I understand"

Elara sat quietly and listened to the Princess' words. There was little she could say anyway.

"So I hope you understand me when I ask you to leave my husband" She finished "Stay away from him. That is what I called you here to tell you."

It had all gone wrong. Everything was one big misunderstanding. Elara understood Catalina's position but the Princess couldn't even begin to understand hers.

Her task, the very reason she was sent here by Cedric hinged entirely on her proximity to Olmund. That didn't even consider whether Olmund would so easily allow her out of his sight.

As silence persisted between the two women, Elara could just make out the rumble of Olmund's troop preparing to depart on their busy day.

The horses were being prepared and the soldiers that would accompany him were assembling. Olmund was riding out with Beorn any moment to meet the army Catalina had brought him. Tens of thousands of men were camped outside the city waiting for their orders.

Elara thought back to Beorn's words. Victory was in sight. She simply had to hold on for a little longer. Olmund had his troops, when he triumphs over his uncle, neither he nor Cedric would have any more use for her.

She simply had to hold on a bit longer.

In the end, Elara said the only words she could in response.

"I cannot"

=^..^=

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Thanks for reading. I know it's a bit short but would love to hear what you think about the story so far.

[TW]

The months that followed for Elara were worse than she could have ever imagined. She could never prove it but she believed Catalina or one of her ladies were spreading rumors about her. Rumors made all the more believable by Olmund who favored her presence more and more and disregarded that of his betrothed's.

The nightly summons continued to the point where she rarely slept in her own bed. While she was grateful that nothing more sinister ever happened, talks went rampant throughout the castle that she was trying for a baby with the King.

The ladies of the castle snickered at her passing, both noble and servants alike. Whenever she raised her concerns with the King, he dismissed her like he always did. Olmund remained innocent in all the proceedings, of course, content to play the part of the bewitched.

Princess Aurelia's coldness towards her was seen as proof of her insidious character and it wasn't long until Alicent and Sybil distanced themselves as well, preferring to feign ignorance when asked if the rumors were true.

Through no fault of her own, she had built up a terribly villainous reputation but still she managed. With each victory Olmund's troops secured month after month, she was able to steel herself in the hopes that her trials were almost over.

She simply had to hold on a bit longer.

Olmund simply had to claim victory and with each passing triumph allowing his army to advance deeper into Sigurd's territory, relief for Elara seemed within reach.

That was until Winter arrived and King Luis' soldiers who were from a much warmer climate stalled and simply refused to march any further in the snow.

The troops had settled in for the winter in some captured castle putting a dent in Elara's hopes of salvation.

The constant ridicule alongside the news of the halted battle sent her running to her room in a crying fit. She was tired. She wanted to go home. She hated everyone in that castle, except the one person that had always been on her side.

Aoife walked into the room that evening as she was crying and sat on the bed beside her.

"Enough" Aoife had said, "Elara, haven't you had enough?"

Elara turned to her with teary eyes, confused, "What do you mean?"

"The lying. We've all tried to be patient with you. I defended you even though you kept insisting you didn't like the King or want him"

"I haven't done anything wrong" The confusion on Elara's face slowly morphed into a look of disbelief.

"It's been months, Elara!" Aoife raised her voice, "You've been sleeping with him for months! Did it ever cross your mind that you're unmarried and no one will want you now?"

"I haven't--" Elara had begun to argue but knew how ridiculous she would sound. Who would believe that she'd spent countless nights in his chambers and remained a virgin? "I didn't want this. It's his fault. All of it is his fault!"

The tears she thought were dry flowed freely again. She felt trapped, cornered by all the misconceptions about her and none of it was her fault. She was doomed to this fate from the moment Olmund glanced in her direction that first day. Was there anything she could have done differently?

"It's the King's fault" Elara pleaded for Aoife to believe her. The person who had summoned her to his chambers night after night was left unscathed. Everyone in the castle took to punishing her as if she had any power where the King was concerned. The princess who knew the truth of the reason behind her proximity to him did and said nothing to help her.

"Don't play dumb" Aoife hissed at her, "Everyone knows Princess Catalina asked you to keep away from him and you refused. I know the truth now, I can't believe I ever defended you"

"What was I supposed to do? I can't tell the King 'no'"

Elara felt betrayed and hard done by. She didn't deserve any of it.

"You keep pretending to be this innocent girl and I've had enough. I should have known all along," Aoife continued, "You knew how Sybil felt about Lord Beorn and still you threw yourself at him. All those archery lessons, what a joke. Was the King not enough for you? Who else are you lusting after?"

Elara was tired of crying. She focused on stopping the tears and to do that, she knew she had to harden her heart. There was no one else on her side. She stared with a blank expression at Aoife as she clamored to her heart's content.

In her mind, she repeated the words, 'I have done nothing wrong'.

She repeated the words in her mind until Aoife finished pouring her frustration.

"How shameless" Those were the last words she heard the girl who used to be her closest friend say.

At that moment, Elara decided to accept the role everyone so easily forced on her. She would be their villain.

=^..^=

It took four more months for the winter to pass and for the Luis' soldiers to resume their conquest. Four months that were the loneliest she'd ever been. With the war halted for so long, Gawen scarcely visited leaving her with not a single friendly face.

She often thought about Thurstan and about where he might have been holed up. She tried her best to fight away the thought that he might be dead already, one of many casualties of war.

It was as plausible a scenario as any. After all, Olmund's troops had devastated much of Sigurd's army in the months leading up to winter. The thought that she might have delivered a letter to Olmund that aided in Thurstan's demise was too much to bear.

She could withstand the hostility and snide remarks from the women of the court but Thurstan's demise was something she couldn't bear to think about.

She often thought of Beorn who had set out months earlier with his troops. As much as she missed his presence in court, she found solace that he wasn't there to hear the things people said about her.

With no friendly faces left, she turned to the one person who still smiled as she approached. Olmund had isolated her until she began seeking his company. To his own surprise, he relished every last moment they spent together.

He began rushing through his daily kingly activities to hurry back to his chambers to find Elara lying on his bed reading a book or feeding the birds that perched by the window.

She was beautiful, perhaps the most beautiful woman that he'd ever seen. She was submissive yet opinionated, demure yet outspoken, all the things that made a perfect woman, and yet she wasn't one.

It was madness.

When he returned that evening and found her in his bed singing to herself while staring at the ceiling, he couldn't help but smile.

"That's a beautiful song" he commented.

She stopped immediately and sat up, allowing him a good look at her pretty lace chemise. The sight of her bare shoulders shouldn't have been so exciting.

"I wasn't singing it for you" she replied coldly.

No 'Your Majesty', no 'sire', no nothing. Nobody in the kingdom would have dared speak to him that way. It was part of her charm.

"Keep singing" he ordered.

He knew her game. She would pretend to scowl at him and show her discomfort, but she knew her place. After going through the motions of defiance, right on cue, she began singing.

As the beautiful sounds left her lips, he was reminded once again of just how much sin he wanted to commit with his hands on her body. But he never did.

He quietly took a seat on the bed as she concluded her song with an air of sorrow. He hung on her voice as it trailed away with the final note.

"My army is closing in on the capital city" Olmund began as soon as the air was quiet between them, "I leave tomorrow to join them and regain my throne"

There was a brief pause between the two before they spoke at the same moment.

"You're coming with me"

"Take me with you"

Neither one needed any convincing. Elara, least of all. There was nothing else there for her. Aurelia, Catalina, Alicent, Sybil, and Aoife. She wished to never lay eyes on any of them ever again.

=^..^=

Elara could finally breathe as she and Olmund left the city at the head of a company of around 80 soldiers. She had no regrets about how she left things with the girls that she once thought were her friends.

Judging from their sour expressions as she departed the castle that morning with the King, they didn't regard her any better than they'd done the past few months. As far as they were concerned, she still had Olmund in her clutches. Why else would he take her on his victory lap and not his future wife?

Elara was done taking their opinions into consideration. She breathed in the clean countryside air and settled for the long journey to the nation's official capital.

At first, she was greeted by the beautiful outdoors of the nation's countryside. It had brought her peace to be heading in the direction of home, but the farther the company traveled and especially as they crossed into Sigurd's territory, the more they were met with the destruction that the foreign troops had wrought.

Elara was distraught at the sight of burnt homes and hanged men. The real story hadn't reached Elara's ears in the castle. The common people of the kingdom had put up a resistance to what they perceived as an invasion from a foreign army that took from them as they pleased.

Just as Catalina had no control over the man she was to marry, Olmund had no control over the army she'd brought with her. It was turning out to be a dysfunctional misalliance but Olmund didn't care. The army had brought him everything he desired.

They had brought him to Fort Dunn, a massive stronghold seized from Sigurd's troops a few months before Winter. It was a highly strategic location that allowed Olmund's forces to limit the supplies that reached the capital city leading to a harsh winter for those that lived in it.

Olmund couldn't contain his excitement as his carriage rolled through the gates of Fort Dunn and found his soldiers well-rested and preparing to take the Capital City. His throne was within his reach.

"Lord Beorn, my good man" Olmund exited the carriage happily and greeted his Grand Marshal, "You have done well"

"At your service, my King" Elara heard Beorn reply as she too stepped out of the carriage and their eyes met for the first time in months.

He looked haggard and exhausted, not at all like a man who had rested comfortably throughout Winter.

"Are the boys ready?" Olmund forced his arm around the larger man's shoulder and patted his back.

"At your order, sire" Beorn replied, "Sigurd looks to be preparing an offensive of his own"

"A foolish endeavor" Olmund laughed, "How many men does he yet have?"

"Five to seven thousand able-bodied, but this is their home, they know they land. I expect they will plan to use that advantage"

"I'm sure there's nothing to worry about," Olmund said heartily, "How many men do we have? Thirteen thousand?"

"Eleven" Beorn corrected, "But ours are disjointed armies that are better suited to fighting separately. We intend to separate the enemies' attention by attacking on two different fronts. I have deployed scouts to identify where Sigurd plans to make his attack and plan accordingly"

"Good, good" Olmund nodded.

"There remains the wildcard of peasants joining Sigurd's effort--"

Olmund patted his back twice before stepping away, "I trust you will bring me victory. I trust you"

Beorn paused his report and bowed to the King.

"If my uncle is foolish enough to meet you on the battlefield, I want him alive" Olmund stepped back towards Beorn and warned him.

"Of course, Your Majesty"

Elara remained quiet as she watched the exchange between the two men. She also tried to ignore the stares she was receiving from the men of Fort Dunn.

"I will have him kiss my feet and beg my forgiveness before I cut off his head" The look on Olmund's face as he spoke terrified Elara but she did her best not to show it. More terrifying though was how easily his intense expression shifted to a pleasant one in the blink of an eye, "Show me to my room. Let's go, Elara" he finished.

Elara glanced in Beorn's direction one more time before quietly following the King through the fort's main doors.

=^..^=

Later that day, Elara took to exploring the fort and was exposed to the horrible treatment the servant women received. Whether they were being beaten for a trivial mistake of dropping something, or forced to shine the soldiers' armor until their fingers bled, the justification for that treatment as far as Elara gathered was that they were caught fighting for or aiding the usurper.

Those women were the wives, sisters, and daughters of the men and boys who fought for Sigurd either as part of his army or as part of smaller rebellions. Whatever their crimes, they didn't deserve that treatment.

It reached a tipping point for Elara when she passed a large dining hall and found two of Luis' soldiers taking one of the servant girls right there on the table. She looked no older than Elara did. It made her feel sick.

"Get away from her!" Elara screamed at them as she barged into the hall.

"Why? You want to replace her?" One of the soldiers sneered while examining her with a lustful expression. The same accent that had sounded elegant coming out of Catalina's mouth sounded foul coming from his, "Fancy whore, aren't you? You look good and clean too"

Elara's focus remained on the girl who lay exhausted on the dining table.

"Oi" The second shoulder nudged at his friend with a panicked expression.

"Come here, pretty girl," he said while stroking himself, "Let me please you"

The other soldier said something in their language Elara hadn't understood but she'd clearly heard Olmund's name among the jumble of words.

She witnessed the panicked expression form on his face as he hurriedly covered himself.

"I-- Sorry, my lady," He said finally before scurrying out of sight.

Elara paid him no more mind, her focus was on the young girl on the table. She hurried to the girl and touched her shoulder gently. She barely moved and she looked to be in a horrible state.

Elara felt her eyes water. Suddenly all her problems felt trivial in comparison. She'd been comfortable in Olmund's castle while people like this girl suffered out in the real world. She'd lamented over the unfair treatment she'd received from the court ladies while there were people subjected to such horrors.

Elara saw the girl's lips move and heard weak sounds escape her lips. It looked like she was trying to tell her something.

Elara brought her face closer to hear what the girl was trying to say and to her surprise, the girl spat in her face.

Elara had been shocked at first but when she saw the girl's weak smile as her head fell back down to rest on the table, she understood.

She used a portion of her long, pretty dress to clean the tears and saliva from her face.

Even here, they saw her as the devil. She was the woman who accompanied the wicked King, Olmund who had brought death and destruction upon them. They hated her, and they were right to do so.

Sigurd's army stood no chance in large part due to her involvement. The letters she'd passed on to Olmund for months had left these people defenseless. She was just as much to blame as Olmund, Sigurd, Cedric, or anyone else.

She'd tried to convince herself that she did it all for Thurstan but he'd suffered from her actions as well. He was somewhere in the ruined nation and she had no idea if he was alive or dead.

No, she was the only one left unscathed. She was the only one left dressed in pretty frills while everyone else wore rags. She was the only one with a full belly while everyone else starved.

=^..^=

"It's my fault," She said repeatedly under her breath as she stood atop a hill a few days later watching Olmund's foreign army decimate what was left of Sigurd's malnourished men.

Beorn's estimates were entirely off. There weren't even four thousand men in the end and many were in no state to fight. They appeared on that battlefield with only one goal in mind, to protect their home from invaders. They failed miserably.

Elara watched Olmund with a horrified expression as she observed the nonchalance he displayed when faced with the death of thousands of his supposed subjects.

He saw the carnage as a necessary evil. A small price to pay to reclaim his throne and with the total victory he'd just secured, there was just one last battle left to fight. He would lay siege to the capital city and whether they opened the gates willingly or whether he would have to burn the city to the ground, he was sure that he would be sitting on the throne of his father before the month was done.

=^..^=

That night, after what was left of Sigurd's forces had scurried back beyond the city walls and Olmund was drunk both from his victory and an ungodly amount of wine, he returned to the tent he shared with Elara.

She'd been by his side as he secured his latest victory and he wanted to celebrate with her and toast to many more victories with her by his side.

He found her sleeping beneath the furs of their makeshift bed in the tent. She looked so perfect lying there. He grew hard almost instantly. He no longer cared that she wasn't a woman. He was destined to be with her.

He took quiet steps forward and climbed into bed with her. She woke up immediately with a panicked expression. Olmund wondered if she'd been crying when he noticed that her eyes were red and puffy.

He crawled over to her and placed himself on top of her. She didn't say any words in response but she looked terrified. It made the whole thing that much more enticing.

He couldn't wait any longer. He pressed his lips into hers and ignored her muffled cries as she fought him. He was easily able to hold both her hands in one of his and use the other to explore her perfect body. He particularly loved her waist and thighs.

She struggled to free herself which only enticed him further. Everything she did was perfect. He kissed her to his satisfaction before covering her mouth with his free hand.

"Elara please, we're adults" he smiled at her angry expression. There was a fire in her eyes he'd never seen before, and it only served to tempt him even more "I know you want this as much as I do"

In response, she let out only a muffled sound in defiance.

"I want you, Elara. I need you" he leaned in and kissed her neck.

He must have loosened his grip covering her mouth because she was able to bite his hand. Olmund winced in pain and then slapped her hard across her face. Her world spun and her eyes rang from the incredible pain. She'd had to read his lips to decipher his words.

"No, no, no, no, no, no!" Olmund repeated, "Look what you made me do! Don't make me hurt you, Elara! I don't want to hurt you ever"

She felt dizzy and soon tears rolled down her cheeks into the fur beneath her.

"Help," she said weakly. The words were barely loud enough to leave the tent, but no one was coming. Even without the victory songs being sung and the cheers outside drowning out her voice, no one would dare interrupt the King. The tears poured. "Please"

"Shhh" Olmund brought his finger to her lips before he spun her around and raised her skirt.

"Your Majesty, please don't" she begged.

"Shhh" Olmund repeated as he raised her underskirt and moved her underwear aside.

It was the most unimaginable pain that followed and it caused her to lose track of time and fall in and out of consciousness several times. Every time she came to, it was that awful moan from Olmund that reminded her what was going on. Repeated and very loudly, Olmund pushed himself into her. She buried her head in the fur, cried, and waited for the pain to stop.

Minutes? Hours? She wasn't sure how long it was before Olmund finally collapsed in the bed beside her satisfied. Without a concern in the world, he wrapped his arm around her and kissed her neck once more.

"Marry me," he said softly. Elara tried to focus on the roar of the celebrations outside the tent. Anything to keep from listening to him. Still, his voice and the meaning of his words pierced her skull.

When he received no response, he continued, "You should be my Queen, not that woman"

No response.

"Marry me and we can rule this kingdom together..." His voice trailed off.

Elara waited but there were no more words, just the soft sounds of snoring. He had shattered her into a million pieces and now he was sleeping peacefully. It angered her to no end.

"Olmund," she said his name softly at first then again, louder.

Just snoring. He was fast asleep. The bastard was fast asleep.

She carefully lifted his hand off her and rolled out of the bed. The look of his content face as he slept sent waves of anger throughout her body.

She quietly made her way towards the table where there was freshly baked bread, a cooked pheasant, cups of wine, and a sharp silver knife.

She gripped the knife hard as her tears flowed freely. She knew he had changed her forever, turned her into this person she no longer recognized.

She closed her eyes and gripped the knife harder until her fingers hurt. By the time her eyes opened once more, there was nothing left but her resolve.

With smooth, even steps, she made her way back across the room and buried the silver knife in his neck.

=^..^=

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Thanks for reading as hard as it might have been. I'd love to hear your thoughts so far.

Olmund woke up clawing at his throat and for that brief moment after he felt the knife sticking out of his neck, his eyes widened in fear.

Elara remained kneeling over him as she watched the blood drip down his neck staining the expensive fur beneath. There was a hint of disbelief in his eyes as though he couldn't understand why she'd done it.

The fear overpowered him and he tried to scream for help but he coughed up blood instead, getting a large amount of it on Elara's face.

She couldn't move whether from the shock or something else. Something perverse.

When Olmund felt hopeless enough, he reached out to grab her causing her to step out of reach. He looked so pitiful as he clawed at the air around him. He would occasionally cough and send blood flying everywhere, over his own face and bare chest.

It was a horrible way to go.

Elara watched with disgust on her face as Olmund grew hard one last time before his arms fell to his side. His body would occasionally jerk expelling more blood through his lips. The fur on which he'd assaulted her was ruined.

Elara watched the entire scene breathlessly even as Olmund's movements came to a stop altogether and he began to cry.

The sound of roaring laughter outside the tent brought her back to reality. She knew she would suffer a worse fate than him if she remained there so she had to run.

She approached him cautiously and slowly extracted the silver knife from his neck causing blood to pour freely out of the open hole. The fear in his eyes even as he lay there unmoving scared her so she moved to close them permanently.

"Elara" she heard him mutter in garbled sounds which caused her to jump backward. He was like a cockroach still clinging to life, "Don't leave me" he said.

While holding the knife in a tight grip, she stepped away from him forever.

She quickly made her way to the back of the tent and tore a long slit with the knife, large enough to slip through.

She kept her head down as she made her way through the camp. The drunk soldiers who were deep in their celebrations were too busy to even notice her scurrying around in the dark.

She tossed the knife into a barrel of water and wiped her bloody hands and face with her dress as best as she could before navigating her way toward the camp's rear.

Along the path, she found herself at a weapons tent which to her great relief, she found unguarded. Defenses were lax throughout camp as every last soldier celebrated their victory with food and drink, dancing, and fighting.

Still, Elara had no time to waste. With one last glance to ensure she had no onlookers, she retrieved a bow and a full quiver from the storage before continuing on her journey, head down and careful not to draw any attention to herself.

She eventually reached a particularly large, jolly group of soldiers drinking and wrestling. She couldn't risk attracting their attention so she took a detour between some tents.

She had only walked a few more steps before she heard a voice cut through the noise, calling her name. She ignored it and walked faster.

"Lady Elara" The voice came again, louder this time.

She ignored it once more.

When she began hearing footsteps behind her growing louder with each passing moment, she turned quickly, raised the bow, and pointed it at her target.

It was Beorn.

'Why now? Why couldn't he just ignore her like he usually did' She thought to herself frustrated. The expression on her face conveyed her frustration at the turn of events as she drew at the bowstring with all her strength.

She'd readied the arrow just as he'd taught her. The shiny steel glistened in the moonlight, ready to fly.

Beorn raised his hand in an attempt to calm her. His expression showed his confusion and surprise as well.

He examined her. In the limited light, he could only just make out the blood on her face, as well as the blood on the right side of her dress skirt.

"Lady Elara, what happened? Are you hurt?"

"Turn around and walk away" she pleaded.

The air was silent between them as Beorn examined the manner in which she held the bow and the look in her eyes. She was ready to fire.

She didn't look injured so he quickly decided it wasn't her blood. Something was up.

"Is His Majesty hurt?"

"Just go, please. Pretend you didn't see anything" She loosened her grip due to the string cutting into her fingers.

"Elara, what's going on?" Beorn took a step towards her.

She fought through the pain and pulled hard at the bow once again ready to fire.

"Okay, okay" Beorn raised his hand once again, "Calm down. It's okay"

"I didn't want this to happen" she explained as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Everything will be okay. Just put down the bow" Beorn tried to reason with her.

She used her shoulder to clean the tears from her right eye that were clouding her vision.

"You won't shoot me" Beorn bluffed. He dropped his hand and took another step forward.

Elara let the arrow fly and it barely whizzed past his face lodging itself in a wooden post nearby.

Elara quickly removed another arrow from her quiver and readied it to fire.

"Damn it, Elara!" he cursed, "Tell me what is going on!"

"Walk away!" She threatened him. She had wasted too much time already. The king was dead in a tent and it was only a matter of time before someone checked.

"Is the King alright?" Beorn repeated. When it was clear he wasn't getting anywhere with her, he cursed one more time and ran in the direction of the King's tent.

Elara took this as her cue turned, and ran in the opposite direction.

She quickly made her way towards the camp's rear where only one soldier remained guarding. Another consequence of the celebrations occurring all around camp. She slowed to a walk before she approached the lone soldier.

"Lady Elara, good evening" He greeted her. "You're- armed. Are you alright?" he examined her disheveled appearance.

"I'm alright, just stepping out for a walk" she replied forcing a smile.

He quickly noticed the blood on her dress and stepped in front of her.

"You're hurt, my lady"

"I'm fine" It was hard to keep a convincing smile with her heart beating so terribly quickly.

"I'll get someone to escort you to the Medic"

"I said I'm fine!" she raised her voice. She was already exhausted from the night's ordeal and had no more patience to spare. "Step out of the way now!"

In that next moment, the warning bells began ringing all around the camp. The guard grew emboldened and stepped towards her.

"My lady, I'm afraid you must come with me"

She quickly nocked an arrow and pointed it at the lone guard, "Step aside" she hissed.

He froze for a moment before eyeing the sword at his hip. Elara had noticed his attention shift and his right arm advance in the direction of the sword.

She shook her head to stop him to no avail. He made a quick play to grab the sword and she let the arrow fly the short distance before piercing his left cheek. The guard fell unbelievably fast into the dirt. Elara covered her mouth in shock over what she'd just done.

She stared at his seemingly lifeless body for a moment before the approaching footsteps brought her back to reality.

She ran.

=^..^=

Through the forest, she ran, pursued by men in the distance but gaining ground with each passing moment.

Her story began by running away wearing a pretty dress and there she was once again, running away, wearing another pretty dress. Nothing had changed and yet everything had changed.

The person she'd been at the start seemed no more than a distant memory, an unrecognizable version of herself whose hands were still clean. She balled her free hand into a fist and gripped her bow tightly as she traversed the forest path. Those hands had taken many lives, directly and indirectly.

She was directly responsible for the death of the soldiers she'd met on the battlefield, the nameless soldier who lay dying in the dirt and Olmund.

She was indirectly responsible for the deaths of too many to count.

So much suffering was brought on because she was too cowardly to fight and die for her country. She had clung to life by running away in the dead of night and there she was, still running, still clinging to life.

She could hear the soldiers grow closer and wondered whether she should simply stop fighting. Allow herself to be caught and face her fate with courage like she should have done so long ago.

She turned and fired an arrow in the direction of the lanterns that relentlessly chased after her. The arrow cut through the air and found its target. One of the lanterns fell as its wielder was struck by an arrow.

Plus one to her kill count. She was still clinging to life.

=^..^=

She ran until her legs couldn't carry her any further and she stumbled and fell into the dirt. Months of living in comfort had made her weak.

She struggled to her feet and retrieved another arrow from her quiver, readying the bow. She shot it at the approaching soldiers catching another in the chest. Plus one.

The rest of the soldiers closed in on her and readied their weapons.

Elara retrieved another arrow, nocked, and fired quickly, she caught one of the soldiers in his shoulder. He yelled and cursed in pain.

She reached for another arrow but couldn't find one in time before another soldier closed the gap between them and struck her across the face with his left hand. She fell back into the dirt, reeling from the pain. He had launched her off her feet with one hit so she knew resistance was futile but she fought anyway.

What would they do when they found out she'd been lying about who she was? She'd killed the only person who knew her secret. She dreaded what would happen to her if they captured her. What would Beorn do?

She crawled backward on the ground, grabbed a handful of dirt, and threw it in the soldier's face. He cursed angrily in that unknown language.

She must have pissed him off enough because he quickly raised his sword to strike her before he was stopped by another soldier.

The man reluctantly sheathed his sword and walked up to Elara as she crawled backward. He'd only managed to grab her arm when a small dagger seemed to come through the trees and hit the side of his head.

He fell lifelessly on top of her causing her to scream in panic. It was too much chaos and loss, too much death.

The soldiers panicked as well as they looked around confused.

"Who's there?" The soldiers called out.

As if answering their questions, he emerged from the trees and placed himself between Elara and the men. Elara struggled to push the dead soldier off her before gazing up at her savior. It was Gawen.

"I'm sorry I'm late" he apologized before turning back to the remaining soldiers, "You did well," he said finally.

Elara's fingers shook from the distress, her heart beat too quickly in her chest, and everything hurt but her cheek most of all where she'd been struck twice that night. It was all too much. She didn't know when she fell unconscious.

=^..^=

By the time she awoke, sunlight was streaming through the windows into what looked to be a small room. The bed, although much smaller than what she'd been used to was comfortable at least.

Elara slowly rose from the bed to examine her surroundings having no idea where she was. The room was relatively simple with little else other than the bed, a table, and a chair.

She staggered to her feet and was hit with a wave of pain. She felt pain everywhere from her head, torso, arms, legs, and most embarrassingly her backside. The previous day's events began to replay in her head.

It felt like the old her had died with Olmund and she would have to learn to live with the person she'd become.

Slowly she made her way to the window and looked through. Outside was a large city with many people lining the streets. They all looked much worse for wear than she was. Starving, malnourished, dirty. Eventually, she concluded that she was in the capital city though she'd never been herself.

Suddenly, she heard the door handle rattle and keys fumble with the lock which caused her heart to jump. She quickly searched the room for her bow which she found in the corner but the quiver was empty. With few other choices, she hurriedly picked up the bow ready to use it as a stick at least.

She let out a sigh of relief when Gawen walked through the door carrying a filled cloth bag.

"You shouldn't be out of bed" he spoke as he saw her in her defensive stance.

"Where were you?" She asked as she let the bow fall to the floor.

"I thought you might want some food" the older man replied.

"Where were you? It's been months. I needed you." Her disappointment was clearly written on her face. Elara however didn't wait for a response, "I need new clothes" she added.

Gawen reached into the bag and unveiled a simple grey dress that looked to be about her size. Getting her a change of clothes had also been a priority. He'd had to bribe the innkeeper a substantial amount when he showed up the previous night with an unconscious noble-looking girl with blood on her clothes.

"I'm not wearing that," she said after a single glance at the dress.

"I don't understand"

"I need normal clothes," she continued, "No more dresses or skirts or anything like that"

"This is all I bought" Gawen replied.

"Then I suggest you buy something else," Elara said before turning away to look out the window.

As Gawen turned to leave, she stopped him, "Give me your dagger" she said simply.

There were no arguments from him. He figured she simply needed a way to protect herself but he knew it wasn't necessary. Only a few people in the city knew she existed let alone where she was. Still, he handed her the blade if only to grant her peace of mind and set out to fulfill her request.

=^..^=

He found her in quite a state as he returned. Naked, crying, the dress she'd been wearing ripped in a hundred different pieces, long lengths of her formerly beautiful hair scattered all over the floor. He regretted leaving her alone and dreaded leaving her alone once more.

He'd been searching for the best moment to learn what really happened but that moment was decidedly not it. He quietly placed the bag containing the new tunic and breeches on the floor beside the door and left the room to give her some privacy. There was little else he could do for her.

Elara on the other hand couldn't get the tears to stop. She needed a shower but for that, she would have to get herself together enough to move from that spot.

It had started simply enough. She'd removed the dress since it made her uncomfortable to wear something Olmund had touched but the next thing she knew, she was overcome with anger and could only sate it by destroying the dress.

Then she began blaming herself for looking the way she did which was why she did what she did to her hair. She hadn't meant to, she actually liked the hair and it wasn't as if getting rid of it made her feel any better. It made her feel worse because even dead, Olmund had still managed to take something else from her.

=^..^=

Hours later, as she lay on that cold floor curled up in a ball, surrounded by strands of hair and pieces of fabric, she began hearing voices coming from outside the door.

"Where is he?!" A voice she recognized was loud enough to hear even through the closed door. She recognized the voice because it was the same one that had dragged her into this mess in the first place. The atrocities of the past year were as much his fault as anyone's.

"Apologies sir, I cannot allow you to go in" Gawen stopped him, "She's in no condition to tell you anything right now"

"Wulf?" Elara heard another voice that immediately restarted the stream of tears that had dried up hours ago. She curled into an even tighter ball and prayed that Gawen wouldn't let him in.

"Wulf, it's me" The voice came again "Are you okay?"

The concern in his voice made everything worse. She didn't deserve his concern. She didn't deserve him.

"It's Thur, can I come in?" He asked and sent her heartbeat racing once again.

"N-no!" She yelled through her cracking voice.

"Wulfric, get out here!" Cedric shouted.

"Sir, please!" Gawen cut in.

"I'll come out" She announced, "But send Thurstan away first"

"Wulf!" Thurstan called out in disbelief.

"Just give her some time, lad" Gawen consoled him.

Elara wiped her tears as best as she could before peeling herself off the floor. She felt utterly disgusting as she wore the breeches and then pulled the tunic over her head. She hadn't even taken a bath so she could still feel Olmund all over her body. She felt damaged and undeserving.

"Is he gone?" She asked through the door. She couldn't bear Thurstan seeing her in that state.

"He's gone" Gawen confirmed.

Sheepishly, she pushed open the wooden door and made her appearance. Cedric looked furious and why wouldn't he be? She'd killed his king and if you looked close enough, you could still see specks of his blood on her cheeks.

=^..^=

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Oooh, we've come so far. Thanks for reading. As always, would love to hear your thoughts.

"What did you do?" Cedric yelled at her, "I'm getting reports that the King is dead. What in God's name happened?"

Despite being embarrassed at her appearance, she gathered herself enough to answer, "I killed him"

There was no use lying and if she was being honest with herself, it gave her a sense of pride to say the words.

As much as he'd taken from her, she'd taken from him the one thing he valued above all else, his life.

"You... killed him?" Cedric asked unsure whether he'd heard her correctly.

"He was a monster" she stood her ground, "He didn't deserve to live"

"And who are you to decide that?!" Cedric shouted. He couldn't believe his ears. "He was the rightful king of this country!"

Without warning, Cedric unsheathed his sword and placed it near her neck. Elara had grown too tired of swords and daggers. She'd seen too much to flinch at the mere threat of a blade.

"You didn't know him" She spoke angrily. "You think you know who you were supporting but he was a piece of garbage. He would have killed us all"

"You are a peasant!" Cedric screamed at her. He was so enraged that even Gawen was reluctant to step in. "You obey and you do nothing else! How dare you?!"

"How dare you?!" She retorted despite the knife at her throat. Between the time she spent as a lady of exceedingly high status and the hopelessness she felt in the hours since Olmund had his way with her, she had no more fear, "Look around you, everyone's dying and it's our fault. We did this. We helped him destroy this country and it would have only been the beginning if we let him continue"

"Do you think you're a noble now? Is that it? After pretending for so long, you've forgotten what you are?" Cedric asked in disbelief "You're a commoner. You had no right! I should take your head"

"Maybe you should," Elara glanced down at the sharp blade at her neck. It reminded her of those early days with Olmund. How innocent she used to be, "What are you waiting for? I won't apologize for killing him if that's what you want. I would do it again."

"This is regicide. He was your King!" Cedric said the words as though Olmund's status absolved him of all wrongdoing.

"He was a murderer, and a common rapist!" Like many times before, the words left her lips before she had the chance to stop them. Following those words, scenes from the previous night replayed in her head. As much as she tried to, she just couldn't forget what had happened.

Olmund on top of her, kissing her. Olmund behind her, pressing himself against her. The feel of him inside her. Tears rolled down her cheeks once more despite already being so dehydrated to the point of concern.

"He r-- he raped m--" She froze, unable to speak any further.

There was silence between the three as Elara's voice trailed off. Cedric dropped his arm and let the sword rest by his side.

He knew he'd done everything he'd done for the good of the kingdom but there was some guilt present as he heard her say the words.

The main door creaked open and revealed Thurstan on the other side. The sight of him sent Elara into a frenzy causing her to cry audibly.

Her composure from earlier in the face of Cedric had all but vanished.

To make matters worse, Thurstan stepped forward quickly into the room and made his way for her.

"Wulf, I'm so sorry," He said as he tried to envelop her in a hug the way he always did whenever things went wrong.

She recoiled backward away from him, "No, go away" she screamed.

"It's okay," he said with little success as she hurried back into the inner room and closed the door behind her.

"I told you to leave" Gawen chastised Thurstan.

"This is your fault" Elara heard Thurstan's raised voice, "Where did you send him? What did you make him do?"

"Know your place, soldier. I am still your superior." Cedric replied sternly.

"Go and get yourself something to drink, lad" Gawen advised, "There's nothing you can do here"

Elara listened through the door as she heard Thurstan's footsteps retreat until he was out of the room.

"Sir, maybe go easy on the boy" Elara heard Gawen play the role of peacekeeper.

"Which one?" Cedric asked before his loud but receding footsteps told Elara that he too had left the room.

She couldn't take it anymore. She collapsed on the floor from exhaustion and quickly fell unconscious.

=^..^=

Elara opened her eyes weakly unsure of how much time had passed. Once again, she lay on that bed, but this time Thurstan sat on the chair next to the bed fast asleep.

She arose slowly and used the opportunity to examine him. It had been so long since they were both in the same room and unfortunately, their reunion had turned sour.

The long rest had done her some good at least. She felt calmer and was thinking more logically than she had been the first time around. It also helped that she wasn't in as much pain.

Thurstan looked more grown, older. He had a new scar on his right hand that hadn't been there before and he'd also grown a beard that she thought suited him well. She couldn't help but wonder how his year had gone. Had he suffered a lot? It was her hope that he'd had as easy a time as she had but knew that was very unlikely. Unlike her, he had experienced the war and fought in it.

Thurstan's eyes opened suddenly as though he sensed he was being watched and Elara unconsciously shifted to the farther end of the bed.

"You're awake" Thurstan's face brightened. "I'll get you something to drink" he added as he hurriedly left the room and returned with a cup of water.

She reached forward with shaky hands and received the cup, "Thank you" she spoke quietly.

"I can get you something stronger. We have ale" Thurstan said as she drank the much-needed water, "It's bitter, but it does the job" he smiled.

She forced a smile as she handed him the empty cup, "I'm fine, thank you"

"I guess you're used to much finer flavors now" he laughed.

She forced another smile before looking away.

"I know-- you don't want to be around me but there's no one else," Thurstan said as he sat back in his chair, "Sir Gawen is away with Major Donahue"

"It's not about you" she replied softly, "It's just me"

"I don't understand" Thurstan rubbed his knees awkwardly. He was uncomfortable, desperately trying not to do or say the wrong thing. Before he left, Gawen had repeatedly stressed the importance of not pushing her any farther than she was willing to go.

"Nevermind" Elara retreated, "How long have I been asleep?"

"A whole day" he answered as he began to stand from the chair, "I was very worried. Wait, I'll get your food"

She wanted to say something about how diligently he was looking after her but decided against it.

Before long, Thurstan placed a platter of goat cheese, stale bread, and a refilled cup of water in front of her. It was a far cry from the food she'd been used to.

"Sorry, food is very hard to come by these days"

"This is good, thank you" She smiled before cautiously tasting the bread.

"Just try to eat as much as you can" He urged her as he returned to his chair.

"Can I-- have some space?" she asked apologetically. She hated the way he was looking at her like a broken toy. She hated being someone he pitied.

"Okay," Thurstan answered. He would be lying if he said it didn't hurt him but he did his best not to show it. "Whatever you need"

=^..^=

Days passed and their relationship didn't improve despite living in close proximity with one another. Maybe that was exactly why it didn't improve. Elara remained in that room day after day and Thurstan did the best he could by bringing her her meals. Every time he walked into the room to assist her with something or the other, she would retreat into herself, and nothing he said ever helped.

She felt dirty and used, and even after bathing that first day, she didn't feel clean enough.

Using the men's bath hadn't helped either. Even if she could get past the constant stares she received when she walked in and throughout her stay, she always felt like an imposter, like she didn't belong there anymore. She felt more out of place than she ever did around Aurelia's ladies.

She'd thought she would feel relief since she was finally able to undress and not have to worry about who might be watching but being naked around strange men had been a new kind of torture so she avoided the baths altogether.

=^..^=

Things didn't change until a week into her time in the capital when Thurstan returned with some important news.

Though the city had been preparing for siege up till that point, their preparations would prove unnecessary after all.

Princess Aurelia had taken over her brother's forces and while she fully intended to finish what he began and force her way into the city, Sigurd had ceded the throne to end the war. His proclamation that morning meant the nation was to have its first-ever Queen. Most importantly, it meant an end to the war and to the blockade.

King Luis' men would remain at Fort Dunn until his arrival for Aurelia's coronation after which they would discuss new terms and compensation for his daughter's disappointment. With the nation in no position to defend itself, it was forced to rely upon Luis' benevolence.

"Princess Aurelia is marching into the city right now to accept her uncle's surrender" Thurstan explained.

"Right now?" Elara asked sitting up from the bed. It was the first time anything had piqued her interest in the past few days.

"She was already through the gates when I last heard" Thurstan replied, "She's on her way to the palace" he added.

Princess Aurelia was here in this city of all places.

"Can you take me there?"

"Are you sure? You're still weak, barely eating. There are lots of people in the street"

"Please" she begged.

He sighed, "Okay if you insist"

=^..^=

Thurstan was right. There was a large crowd in the streets as Aurelia's forces passed with her carriage at the head. They were celebrating an end to the war and the retreat of the invaders. They were overjoyed to finally be able to return to their lives and their abandoned homes.

These people didn't care who won. When nobility battled one another, only the common folk suffered.

Elara understood that now.

She fought through the crowd with Thurstan's help as it approached the Royal Palace and rolled to a final stop. There were mixed opinions in the crowd as Princess Aurelia made her appearance out of the horse-drawn carriages.

Some people cheered her as the woman who ended the war that had gone on for too long. They were willing to put aside her status as a woman for the prospect of food in their bellies.

Others feared she was no different than her brother willing to employ a foreign army to lay waste to their country. They wondered how different two people could be if they were birthed by the same womb.

Aurelia was unphased and waved to her new subjects with a confident smile. In the end, the spy girl that she'd disregarded had handed her everything she could have ever asked for and she hadn't even had to lift a finger.

She knew she'd have to thank her if she ever laid eyes on her but no one had heard anything regarding the girl's whereabouts since she ran into the night after putting an end to her brother's wickedness.

Little did she know the girl to which she owed everything was close by, watching her prepare to climb the palace steps.

Elara hid among the crowds as the other carriage doors opened. She gasped when Aoife emerged with Alicent and Sybil. The last time she'd seen them had been that morning when she departed with Olmund. There was no telling then how things would turn out.

After everything that had happened, she realized she missed them. Elara watched the girls jealously as they giggled at one another without a care in the world.

Aoife suddenly turned in Elara's direction and scanned the crowd. Elara quickly stepped behind Thurstan and out of sight. It may have been too little too late but since news reached Aoife that Elara had murdered the King, she'd begun to consider that her friend might have been telling the truth after all. She felt terribly guilty for turning her back on her friend and saddened because she knew she'd never get the opportunity to apologize.

Aoife scanned some more before returning to laughing with the two girls who stood beside her.

"Do you know them?" Thurstan asked as Elara cowered behind him.

"They were my best friends" she answered, "Are they still looking?"

"They're gone" he informed her as the group began ascending the steps.

Elara emerged slowly to continue watching the scenes with watery eyes. The last person to exit his carriage was Lord Beorn, the nation's Grand Marshal. Upon confirming the King's death, he'd quickly pledged the army to the Princess effectively shutting out any plays for power. He was another person Aurelia owed a great debt.

Elara's world seemed to quiet around her as the numerous cheers faded away. It was just the two of them. She watched him, and he paid no mind to his surroundings briskly walking up the palace steps.

More than anything, she wanted to call out to him. She just wanted to scream that she was standing right there but she knew she couldn't. She was wanted for the crime of regicide and he was more likely to put her in chains than welcome her with open arms.

So she simply watched in silence as he ascended the steps with the Princess and disappeared through the palace doors.

"Thur?" Elara called to her friend.

"Yes?"

"Let's go far away. To a little farm like we talked about"

The proximity was torturing her. She couldn't live in this city knowing they were right there, within her reach.

"I want to" Thurstan turned to her, "But I still serve Major Donahue. I can't just leave"

"The war is over" She turned to him, "I don't care what Cedric says or what anyone else says, let's just go as soon as possible"

His hand moved to take hers but paused halfway, "I can't" he answered, "I can't be a deserter"

"Like me?"

"I didn't mean--"

"I know, I'm sorry" She interrupted, "Can we go? I'm tired"

"Okay," he sighed.

=^..^=

Gawen returned a few days later with news of Cedric's exploits. They had ridden out to intercept Princess Aurelia on her journey from Olmund's castle. After revealing that he was the mastermind behind Elara's espionage and how through him, Elara had aided Olmund, he was granted an audience.

There, he offered his services to her and even helped arrange Sigurd's surrender in the end and peaceful transition of power. Through whatever roundabout manner things had happened, he'd ultimately achieved his goal. He had a rightful monarch that was now indebted to him and his family.

And so he had no more need for two peasants. Neither one would ever see him again.

"He's tossing us aside now that he has what he wants?" Elara shook her head.

"Not empty handed" Gawen corrected and gestured to the chest full of gold that was meant for the two of them. "He didn't have to give you anything. In his own way, he cares about the two of you. And he won't say it, but he's sorry about what happened to you, Elara"

Elara turned away, upset at the revelation that she'd been used and discarded.

"Thank you, sir" Thurstan thanked the ranking officer.

Gawen nodded graciously.

"Isn't this great?" Thurstan tried to cheer up his friend, "We can go anywhere now, like we always wanted"

She hissed to show she wouldn't so easily let go of her dissatisfaction with Cedric.

Gawen walked over to her and placed his hand on her head rubbing it through her unkempt hair playfully.

"Thank you for your service," he said with warmth in his words. It was just enough to soothe her.

"Thank you for saving me" she offered in return. She dared not think what might have happened to her if Gawen hadn't shown up exactly when he did.

"Take care of her," Gawen said to Thurstan.

Thurstan nodded. That went without saying. They were never going to be apart ever again.

"And you, take care of him" He turned back to the girl, "I've seen your work with that bow. Very scary" he smiled.

She smiled in return, "I will"

"You're both very brave, you'll be alright" Gawen's gaze would occasionally switch from one to the other, "Where will you go? Back home?"

"No, we'll go somewhere far where no one knows us. We'll buy a farm, and work the land like our parents did," Thurstan answered with his attention focused entirely on Elara. "With this gold, we can do that with plenty to spare"

Elara nodded shyly.

"Maybe we could take in a bunch of kids, y'know, war orphans" he continued, "God knows there's plenty of those that need a home"

Elara nodded again. She hadn't fully healed physically or mentally, but living in the countryside with Thur, taking care of kids that had no one else, sounded nice.

Her mind shifted to Maud and her daughters. She wondered what had become of them. She considered that one day when she's up to it, she might visit them. Reward them for helping her.

"I'm proud of you both," Gawen said finally. It had come time to depart. Their fight had ended but his would continue until the new queen had her coronation, King Luis was satisfied and wartime was firmly behind them.

He said his final goodbyes and set out. Deep down, he knew they'd be alright.

=^..^=

In two days, Elara and Thurstan set out very early in the morning. She sat in the back of a wagon pulled by a horse Thurstan had bought with part of their fortune.

Along the way to the city gates, they rode past a large market that had reopened with new supplies from neighboring cities. It would be quite some time before the effects of war disappeared altogether but the people had begun to heal. At the very least, they had food to eat and clothes on their back.

One of the stalls that they passed had the most beautiful brown dress she'd ever seen. The way the skirt flowed in the morning breeze almost called to her. She was mesmerized.

"Thur, please stop the wagon" She called out, and soon after he brought the horse to a stop.

"Is something wrong?" he turned quickly to ask.

"Nothing's wrong" she assured him, "I just need a moment".

She stepped off the wagon and walked up to the stall.

"Is this dress for sale?"

"Yes dear, I made it myself" The woman replied, ecstatic to have a customer. "And if I know my work, it'll suit you perfectly"

It took her only a moment to decide to give in to what her heart truly desired. She decided at that moment, not to allow Olmund to take any more from her.

"How much?" She asked with a bright smile.

=^..^=

THE END.

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Thank you so so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. I'd love to hear what you thought about it now that it's finished.