Elowen stood in the middle of the training yard, her pale complexion a sharp contrast to the dust and dirt that had gathered on her skin and clothes. Behind her, the sun was just starting to rise, but the day had started hours ago for most.
In her hand she held her most prized possession, her bow. Her thumb ran back and forth over the abused wood.
Eyes all around her followed her movements. They didn't bother her, they never had and she was sure they never would. She knew her worth and if the whispers grew too loud she had no problem silencing them.
With practiced ease that only years of training could achieve, she drew her bowstring back. The muscles of her arms and back tightened as her arm went as far as the string allowed. Her eyes narrowed and she saw nothing but the target a few yards away from her position. She took a deep breath and released the arrow.
The training yard fell silent as the arrow whistled through the air until it reached its target. Bullseye.
She turned back to the men who stood behind her and with a simple incline of her head they moved into their respective positions, ready to start their training.
Elowen quickly looked up at the terrace and her eyes briefly skimmed through the faces of the nobles who looked down at her. With a shake of her head she turned back to her men.
"Remember," her voice rang out, "Speed is no good if you can't aim properly. You are no good to me if you lose all your arrows to the ground and not to the enemy." She looked her men in the eye before continuing, "Perfect your aim and then, and only then do you need to focus on your speed."
Up on the terrace the voices grew louder, though not loud enough for the king to hear.
Said man stood with his back straight, his hands clasped behind his back, and his eyes trained on Elowen, watching her every movement.
He proudly watched as Marcus and Elowen collected their swords and moved to a less crowded spot to train.
Next to the king stood Lady Helena. A woman a few years younger than Elowen and one of her most trusted allies. "She moves like the wind," she murmured. Her eyes followed Elowen's movements as she and Marcus picked up their swords and moved to a quieter place in the training yard.
Next to her Lady Seraphina shook her head, her eyes narrowing in disapproval as she too watched the way Elowen moved.
"She moves like a man," her voice dripped with disdain and grew louder when some of the nobles around her laughed and shared amused glances, clearly agreeing with her.
"Her place is not down there. That is a place for men, not ladies of her social standing."
"She's not much of a lady," a voice muttered, still loud enough for most to hear.
And most, this time meant Aldric too, who swiftly turned to the gathering nobles.
"You are not required to be here. If you wish, you are always welcome to leave."
A quiet settled all over, so quiet in fact that even Elowen and Marcus stopped and looked up.
Aldric held Seraphina's eyes, an unspoken challenge.
Down in the training yard Elowen and Marcus exchanged uneasy glances, both sheathing their swords.
Marcus gently touched Elowen's arm, slightly turning her away from the prying eyes of court and the tension between their king and one of their nobles.
"Maybe you should go," he whispered.
She shook her head, her jaw and hands clenching, "If she has a problem she can say it to my face, not whisper it and hope that it reaches my ears." She took a step towards the stairs that would lead her to the balcony, but Marcus pulled her back.
He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, an unspoken challenge. She stared right back at him, anger simmering just under her skin.
"Let me pass," she muttered through clenched teeth.
"No." It was simple, only one word but it seemed to break her resolve.
"If she wants to... if they want to..." her voice faltered then and she looked between the nobles in a standoff with the king and then looked at her best friend who was stopping her from doing something undoubtedly stupid.
He nodded and when he realized he was still holding her hand, he stepped back.
"You're better than them," he said with that little smug smirk that made her want to slap him.
This time though she grinned back, "Let's keep going?" she asked.
"Of course, wouldn't want our lovely crowd to get bored," they grinned at each other, both finally relaxing enough to see the humor in the situation.
Without another word they moved back to their positions, both sure the King would resolve the situation in his own way, but both also knowing that it would somehow all come blowing in Elowen's face sooner or later.
Later, after countless hours of training, Elowen found herself making her way towards the sizable manor her brother and his two young children lived in.
"Elowen!" a voice called out just as she was about to knock on the large oak door.
She spun around and a smile graced her lips when she saw a bundle of dirty blonde curls running towards her. Her four-year-old niece, who had undoubtedly sneaked away from the house when no one was watching, crashed into her and hugged her with the strength that only a child seemed to possess when greeting someone they loved.
She picked up the small bundle of blonde curls who looked like her exact copy and hugged the tiny girl close to her chest.
"I missed you Elowen," Maeve said, clinging to her aunt's body with all the strength her small body had.
"I missed you too Maeve," Elowen rubbed her nose against the little girl's, making the young child break into a fit of giggles. The door behind them opened and Elowen turned around with Maeve in her arms, smiling when she saw her brother and nephew looking curiously at the two of them.
"Well, hello there," Finn, Elowen's older brother said, slightly surprised to see his sister at his doorstep, but even more to see her with his daughter in her arms when he was sure that the small child had been in her nursery only a few minutes ago.
"Finnian," she greeted with a slight smirk, which only deepened when Finnian scowled at her.
She bent down with the young blonde still clinging to her and smiled at her nephew, "Hello, Renn."
The boy of no more than six beamed up at her, his hand catching one of the many layers of her skirt and twisting it around his fingers.
"Hi, Elo," he said. His fingers made their way into his mouth.
Elowen chuckled at the young boy's antics before holding out her hand to her brother. Finn huffed but helped her back up to her feet. He didn't waste a second before pulling her into a bone crushing hug.
"You are absolutely crazy, I hope you know that."
She smirked and narrowed her eyes at him, "And you say that like you are not."
He smirked right back, "Yes, but no one but you dares say so to my face."
They looked at each other for a few seconds before both turning to head to the lush gardens. Renn trailing behind them and Maeve still secure in Elowen's arms.
Once they were outside Elowen took in the scene. From the delicate rose bushes that lined a good portion of the property to the daisies and the marble fountain that stood perfectly in the center of the lush garden.
A small, tender smile lifted the corners of her mouth as she watched a little dragonfly fly close to them before flying away.
"Absolute heaven," she murmured more to herself than anyone else.
Finn still heard and smiled at his younger sister. "You haven't been here in a while," his tone was kind but she still felt the need to explain herself.
"I'm sorry, but the King, the soldiers, I couldn't focus on everything." She looked into her brother's blue eyes and offered him a small, apologetic smile, "I'm sorry the thing I chose to pay less attention to was my family."
Maeve started to squirm in her arms so Elowen put the girl down. The young blonde had barely put her feet on the ground before she was chasing after her brother, who in turn chased after a colorful butterfly.
The two older siblings stood side by side watching the two young children run through the lush grass for a few minutes. Eventually Finn bumped his shoulder against his sister's.
"You don't have to apologize," he glanced back at his children, "Those two are so proud of their aunt Elowen."
"They need better role models then."
Her tone caught him off guard and he snapped his head to look at her, "Aren't you just a ray of sunshine today," he deadpanned. He laced his arm through hers and guided her to a stone bench not far from where his children were happily playing.
"What's got you so gloomy Elo?"
She rolled her eyes at the nickname, one she only allowed her family to use without immediate threat to their descendants.
"Life in the castle has gotten rather," she paused in search of words that seemed to elude her, "It's gotten complicated, or more than it already was."
He nodded. He had after all lived in the castle for a while before realizing it wasn't the kind of place he wanted his children to grow up in. Truth be told he also didn't want his sister there, but she was stubborn as hell and he was sure she would only leave when kicked out or when she was nestled inside a damn casket.
"You know you'll always have a home here with me and the kids, right?"
She offered him a small smile and a nod, "I know, but my duty is in the castle," when he rolled his eyes she smacked his arm.
"Now, don't you go being an ass to your sweet younger sister."
He rolled his eyes yet again and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, forcing her down onto the bench. She huffed and placed her head in his lap while her feet dangled from the side of the bench.
"I'll give you sweet," he muttered.
She sighed and let herself relax as she watched her niece and nephew play around.
"I've missed you Finn," she finally admitted.
The hand he had been running through her hair stopped for a few seconds before he resumed his ministrations, "I'm here, always was and always will be," he said.
She nodded against his legs and sniffled, "I'm so confused Finn," Elowen finally admitted.
"Well, you never were the brightest," he teased much to her annoyance. She hit him hard on the leg and he grunted.
"Now watch it, Finnian!" she looked up at him with an astronomical scowl.
He couldn't help but smirk in response. His eyes quickly scanned the garden around them and when he saw that both of his children were safe and at a considerable distance, he turned back to his sister and pinched her side.
"Need I remind you of that time when you decided that if you and your pony jumped high enough you could reach the stars, or that time when you wanted to jump from Papa's study window and see if you flailed your arms enough you'd reach the sky?"
She narrowed her eyes up at him while rubbing the spot where he had none too kindly pinched her, "And, am I supposed to pretend that I was trying half of those things for you because you were too much of a sissy to try them yourself?"
He narrowed his eyes right back at her but before he could answer, Maeve came running back to them, Renn right behind her.
"Aunt Elowen?" Maeve asked in her high-pitched tone.
Elowen sat up and moved away from her brother so she could pay full attention to the two children, "Aunt Elowen, is it true that you are the king's friend?" Maeve asked, jumping up and down with excitement.
Elowen's eyes widened in surprise and she looked between the two children and her brother. Maeve was positively jumping up and down as she looked at her aunt like she held the answers to the universe. Renn was looking between his sister and his aunt like they were about to say the most ridiculous thing in the world. And Finn was barely hiding the smirk that had broken over his lips.
Elowen turned to look at her niece and nephew, her whole attention on them now, "Well, I do work for the king, I am one of his warriors, but I don't think you can consider us friends," she tried to answer as diplomatically as possible.
Maeve's smile fell and Renn looked smugly at his younger sister. Next to Elowen, Finn snorted and she none too gently stepped on his foot before throwing him a dark glare.
"See, I told you, the King doesn't have friends," Renn declared before running back to the spot he had been previously playing in.
Maeve's lips trembled as she looked up at her aunt with tear-filled eyes, "But, aunt Elo-" she broke off as a sob escaped her lips.
Elowen's heart broke for the little girl and she carefully enveloped her in her arms.
Maeve's little head came to rest against Elowen's chest as she started sobbing.
"Oh, my sweet girl," Elowen murmured against the mass of blonde curls, "I'm so sorry, maybe I should explain myself better." Bright blue eyes looked up at Elowen and waited patiently.
"While we may not be considered friends, the King and I do spend a lot of time together. Besides being one of his warriors, I am also one of his advisors."
Still sniffling a little, Maeve hugged her aunt a little closer, "Can I meet the king one day?"
Elowen looked at her brother for help, but he only shrugged. She rolled her eyes before focusing her attention back on her niece, "Perhaps one day, but now, I think you are in need of a nap, wouldn't you agree?"
Maeve looked at her aunt uncertainly.
"How about I promise I'll wait until you wake up before leaving?" Elowen asked. That seemed to do the trick and Maeve nodded, letting herself be carried inside and upstairs by her aunt.
Later that evening after having dinner with her brother and his children, Elowen finally arrived at the castle. She was already making her way to her chambers when she was summoned to the King's study.
She frowned but silently followed the young errand boy through the long cold walls of the castle.
When they finally reached the King's study, the young boy nervously knocked on the door and announced her presence before opening the door and letting her in, closing it once she was inside.
"My Lord," she said with a slight bow once she realized more people were inside the room. Her eyes scanned the room, taking everything in. From the maps spread over the large wooden table, to the candles that were well on their way to being half burned, to the lack of any other women in the room besides herself.
Aldric looked up from the papers that were on top of his desk and slightly smiled at her.
"Lady Elowen," he said with a nod of his head. He paused to look at the gathered nobles and Generals around the room before saying, "You can all leave now, I wish to speak with her alone."
More than a few eyebrows were raised, but everyone left nonetheless.
Once everyone was gone, Aldric rose from his chair and moved to stand in front of Elowen.
"How was your day after what happened?" he asked.
"Quite good actually, I got to spend the day with my brother and his children, something I haven't been able to do in quite some time." she replied with a shrug of her shoulders.
A small smirk graced her lips and her bright blue eyes locked onto his green ones, "You may or may not have a new fan now."
Leaning against his desk, he grinned at her, "I do now?" he asked. He widened the stance of his legs and pulled her closer to him, his hands wrapping around her waist.
"Hmmm," she nodded, "My niece may or may not have asked when she could expect to meet you."
He chuckled at that, pulling her closer to him and kissing the spot where her shoulder and neck met, "She did now, did she?"
She hummed and nodded, her eyes slipping closed as he continued his ministrations across her collarbones before trailing up her neck and towards her jaw. "She was quite disappointed when I told her that I wasn't the King's friend."
He chuckled against her skin and gently nipped at her jaw, "No, you are most definitely not the King's friend," he paused to place a soft kiss on a terribly ticklish spot she had on her neck before adding, "Unless that is what they are calling it now."
He sounded so genuinely confused that she couldn't suppress the snort that came out of her. She blushed bright red and to her great embarrassment he started chuckling.
"I hate you," she muttered.
"Do you now?" he whispered into her ear. His hands that had previously been resting on her waist started making their way down her hips and towards her backside. He gave it a squeeze and she stumbled forward, deeper into his embrace.
Still undeterred, she nodded, "Hmmm," she hummed, "You are all talk and no action. Oh, what would the people say if they knew-" her sentence was cut short as he hooked his hands under her thighs and picked her up off the floor.
He spun them around and her back collided with the cold, stone wall of his study. "No action, you say?"
Dazed from the sudden movements, it took her a few seconds to follow his train of thought. "No action at all," she agreed with a cheeky smile.
Aldric moved his face closer to hers, so close that she could feel his breath on her lips. "I could change that if you'd like."
She pretended to think it over, her face forming a frown as she looked into his eyes, "Are you sure? Yesterday you did put me to sleep."
With a low growl he latched his lips onto her neck and thrust his hips into hers. He trailed kisses down her neck and chest.
"Aldric," she eventually murmured.
He looked up at her with a raised eyebrow, his lips still attached to her skin. "Hmmm?" He hummed. He thanked whomever had designed her dress, more specifically, the square neckline, as he planted soft, almost feather-light kisses over her skin, making her squirm underneath him.
Aldric heard her murmur something, but he was so focused on the feel of her skin under his lips that he couldn't make out a word that she had said.
With a huff, Elowen rolled her eyes and tugged on a few strands of his hair. When he didn't let up, she tugged harder. This time he looked up at her, his face contorting into a scowl. "I'm sorry, are my actions bothering you?" he asked her.
She narrowed her eyes at him and looked pointedly at the impressive bruise which was already blooming on her chest. "Oh, no, I'm quite impressed, and so will be everyone else that sees me during the next week."
Aldric let go of her legs, letting them slide down his waist until her feet hit the floor. "Well that's going to leave a mark," he said after careful examination of the bruise in question.
The blonde glared up at him, her arms crossing in front of her chest much to his amusement and her displeasure when she noticed her chest was far more prominent than before. "How- how, am I supposed-" she spluttered while looking indignantly up at him.
He moved closer to her, his hands coming to rest on her waist once he was sure she wasn't going to slap him due to the rather colorful bruise he had bestowed upon her milky white complexion. "No one will notice, you'll see that it will be gone come morning."
She raised an eyebrow, though this time the lift of the corner of her mouth betrayed how amused she was actually feeling. "Have you suddenly become delusional, my king?" she asked, rather amused by the way he had of turning all of their predicaments into something so light and fun.
He rolled his eyes at her and pulled her into a hug, "Not at all, it's just that being in your presence does make it hard to think," he said and they both chuckled.
Silence settled around them then. Elowen softly ran her fingers through his hair and placed a feather-light kiss on his cheek. "Was there a reason why you sent for me, or did you just miss me?"
Aldric breathed her in and squeezed her tighter. "There was," he took a deep breath and tried to gather his thoughts before continuing, "I want to discuss logistics with you. With our departure so close, I find it hard to trust anyone. The court looks like a game of chess and the dowager keeps pushing for me to find a woman worth marrying so I can have an heir and make sure the throne is secure."
She pulled away from him then and wrapped her arms around herself. "Do you need help finding her?" her voice had come far louder and colder than she wished, but she refused to look away from him.
"No, I wish for you to be her," he admitted.
Her breath caught in her throat and she looked sharply at him. She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times before simply shaking her head, "We have a few long months ahead of ourselves. If you'll excuse me, your majesty, I think I need to lie down for a while."
She looked one last time at him before leaving his study. Her heart heavy and tears threatening to spill from her eyes.
Once she arrived at her bedchambers she collapsed against the door, finally allowing the first tears to spill from her eyes.
How could he? How could he say something like that when she knew it was something that could never happen as much as she begged and prayed for it?
It almost felt like a cruel joke from him.