FSE

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Here's the next chapter. I wasn't planning on ending it here, but it was coming along slowly, so I decided to put up what I had, just to let you know that I'm still working on it.

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Chapter 12

Ayala grumbled to herself as she diced the vegetables for the stew. Two days had passed, and still there was no sign of Aylmer. He couldn't possibly be that busy, could he? Setting the knife down, she shook her head. Of course he could. She knew full well how hectic life could get when you had responsibilities, but then...he didn't seem to have shouldered those responsibilities just yet.

"Heavens, Girl. If I weren't so sympathetic to ya, I'd 'ave tossed ya out by now. What do y' think yer doin', standin' 'round like that? We've got 'ungry beasts t' feed out there, an' I'd rather keep my deerflesh on my bones."

Ayala nodded and got back to work. The tavern was bustling as usual, and Matron's usual help, a rabbit by the name of Colin, had fallen ill. She had to admit that she wasn't much help, but she did what she could. Most of the time she got the feeling that she was in the way rather than being helpful. Matron had told her otherwise, but she still doubted.

Sighing, she shook her head. What was she to do? She was, for the foreseeable future, trapped in this kingdom, with no way to get home. It was possible that Aylmer would help her, but the wolf hadn't paid any attention to her since they met in the market. Ayala wondered what would happen if she told him. Would it help, or just confuse things? She wasn't sure what terms the wolf kingdom was on with her homeland, and she didn't want to put herself in a dangerous position if they were enemies.

Matron interrupted her thoughts. "Ayala, go clear off any empty tables out there, would you?"

Nodding, she put the knife down and wiped her hands off on the towel that hung at her waist. Grabbing a bin, she made her way out into the crowded room. Setting it on a table, she proceeded to clear it, stacking the plates and placing them in the bin. Halfway through, she heard her name being called. Looking up, she saw an otter standing near the door, waving at her. A wolf pup stood at his side, eyes wide as he scanned the tavern.

Ayala's mind raced as she tried to place the otter. He had obviously seen her before, but did she know him, or was he just being nice? Most furs looked the same to her, but she supposed it must work in reverse as well. The otter was beckoning to her now, so she left the half-cleared table and made her way over.

"Wow, his Lordship is going to be so relieved that you haven't disappeared!" The otter exclaimed. "He was beating himself up about leaving you like that, but the ambassador's arrival was...unexpected. They were supposed to come later. Anyway, I don't want to bore you with the dull details of court life, so I'll move on. Do you happen to have a table open? Prince Aylmer's coming, along with Lord Cedric and the rest of the guard."

Ayala was about to comment about knowing too much about court life already, but then the last sentence sorted itself through her mind, and she felt her breath grow shorter. "He's coming back?" She exclaimed, "I'd have thought that he'd be looking over the mateship contract with his fiance by now."

The otter waved a paw. "Oh, no...They haven't even looked at it yet. Things kept cropping up. First, we got back to learn that to get back at him, Lord Sibbald had assigned Becan here to garrison duty. Prince Cedric was furious, he nearly charged in there without us. He wasn't in a good mood for the rest of the night, so they pushed the contract negotiations off a bit." The otter turned and nodded to a dog who walked in behind him. "Good to see you made it, Dylan. Anyways, I think he clean forgot about it this morning, and he went to visit his cousin. They didn't come back to the rooms last night, which I'm not too happy about, but there wasn't much I or Dylan could do about it. He had assigned us to make Becan comfortable, and we weren't about to leave that post."

The pup looked down and blushed, leaning against the dog's side. Dylan looked down, grinning warmly as he ruffled the pup's ears. He continued the story for the otter. "Then one of Cedric's guard, I think his name was Amur, came and told us that the Prince was going to meet us here for lunch." He looked around the crowded room. "Is there a table for us?"

Ayala bit her bottom lip. "I think the one I was clearing should be large enough."

Leading them over to the table, she finished clearing the plates as they seated themselves. When the last plate was in the bin, she retreated to the kitchen, promising to bring them a few glasses of water to drink while they waited.

Once inside, she could only concentrate on one thing: Aylmer was coming here! Neither Dylan or the otter had said that he was coming to see her, specifically, but then they hadn't said the opposite either. Biting her lip, she quickly poured the water.

As she was setting them on a tray, Matron caught her arm. "What's goin' on?"

Ayala was about to ask what she meant, but realized that it was foolish to try to play it off. She had been sulking for the last few days, and now even she could feel the life that had come back to her. "He's coming back!" She exclaimed.

Matron put a finger to her lips, "Keep your voice down, girl. What is talked about in the kitchen should stay there."

She nodded, lowering her voice as she hurried on, no less excited. "Prince Aylmer is coming here! A couple of his guards just came in, they said he was coming from a "Lord Cedric's" house."

Matron nodded, "Well, go get ready then, girl. You'll be no use 'round here now, what with your mind fixed on that wolf."

Ayala blushed, but hurried off. Rushing into her room, she pulled out a new dress she had gotten in the market. It wasn't as fancy as the one she was wearing when Aylmer first saw her, but that one was ruined so she had gotten this one. It was a creamy brown, with long, straight sleeves that flared near the ends. Ayala wished she had some jewelry to accent it, but the few things she had on her had been sold to buy this dress. For the first time in her life, Ayala truly appreciated just how much of a difference money could make.

Slipping off the dress Matron had given her, she put the new one on, glad that the design made it easy to tie herself, instead of having to get someone else to do it. She had always hated that she needed someone to tie her dresses for her. However, if it were Aylmer doing the tying...

Her face lit up at the thought as she coughed. Couldn't she keep those thoughts out of her head for at least a few hours? She paused with the last button. If they were tormenting her this much now, what would happen when he was right in front of her? Her fingers fumbled as she tried to fasten the last button. Would they come even more often? She didn't think she'd be able to hold a conversation if the did.

Glancing at the small mirror on the wall, she smoothed out the dress one last time. Frowning, she took it off its peg, tipping it so she could actually see her dress. How she wished she were back home right now! There she had a mirror that she could actually see herself in. Satisfied, she replaced the mirror, turning towards the door. Taking a deep breath, she reached for the handle.

Aylmer frowned as he followed Cedric towards the tavern. Both his cousin's and the slave's bodies were sending him conflicting messages. It was clear that something had changed between the two of them since he had first met the yesterday, but he couldn't tell if they were closer or further apart because of it. Both of them were looking away from each other, and Cedric looked guilty. This alone was setting off the alarm bells in Aylmer's head that something was wrong between the two. His cousin was always confident. Very rarely did he admit a mistake and when he did, he didn't dwell on it. Once the admission was made, he moved on. That wasn't the case here. Cedric's tail was drooping listlessly, and his ears were flat out to the sides. He didn't look like the confident alpha he usually was.

Aden looked just as bad. The young wolf's tail kept wrapping around him, his paws grasping it for comfort. At times he would glance over at Cedric, only to look away quickly, as if afraid to be caught. Aylmer had noticed that when he asked Cedric a question, if the wolf replied, Aden would flinch. It was as if the trust that had been so visible yesterday had just vanished.

What really confused Aylmer though, was not these actions, but the others as well. Unconsciously, the two would drift closer together, and if Aden didn't glance over, they would get close enough that their tails would cross; a sign of love among canines. Of course, as soon as Aden saw how close he was to Cedric, be it by sight for touch, he would quickly slide away, only to begin moving towards the wolf as soon as he looked away. Cedric's left paw, the one closest to Aden, kept opening and closing, grasping at the air. Whenever Cedric would turn away after glancing at Aden, Aylmer could see his fangs digging into his bottom lip.

Aylmer wanted to step forward and bang their heads together, but he knew from experience how wrong that could go. Sighing, he decided to concentrate on his own romantic troubles, which were just as confusing. What was he supposed to do? Mate the girl he wanted, and potentially cause a war, or stick with the one he was supposed to mate, and forever wonder what life would be like if he had chosen Ayala?

That reminded him, he still hadn't seen the contract. He was going to look at it two nights ago, but certain actions on the part of his advisers had completely scrambled his mind. There had been no chance of being able to remain civil with them in the room. He still wasn't sure if he could, but he'd have to try this evening. It was something he needed to get done, and it could help him in his decision.

The tavern was just ahead, and even from here he could hear the sound of people enjoying themselves. Shouts rang through the air, accented heavily with boisterous laughter. There were so many voices, Aylmer found himself wondering if there would be enough room for them. As he walked through the door, he found that he didn't need to worry. He could see Rorc from across the room, waving at him from a table with a few empty chairs.

"M'lord! Over here!"

Aylmer waved to him and made his way over. Becan yipped happily as he raced away from Dylan's side to bounce around Aylmer. Aylmer chuckled and ruffled the pup's ears, guiding him to a chair. Pulling out the one next to it, he sat down, sliding his tail out the open-framed back. Sighing, he stretched his legs, placing his paws behind his head. "Did you have trouble finding a table?"

The otter shook his head. "No, Lady Ayala was just cleaning off this table when we entered. She snagged if for us before she went back to the kitchen. That was a few minutes ago, and besides for seeing her go up the stairs towards the rooms, I haven't seen her or Matron."

His words were followed by Matron kicking open the door to the kitchen, sliding out with her arms stacked with plates. Quickly making her way around the tables, she dropped each one off at it's recipient, and then ended at their table.

"Lord Cedric, how good of you to come back!" She said, eyeing him. "I hope there is some good reason you rushed off the other day. I was so disappointed you weren't able to taste the dessert I had just finished making."

"My apologies, Matron. I..." Cedric glanced at Aden, then blushed and looked down. "I had something that required my immediate attention."

Matron pursed her lips. "Did it now?" She looked over at Aden, "And who's this?"

Cedric looked at Aden again, and Aylmer was able to catch the look in his eyes. It was one of deep affection, but also one of searing pain. "This is Aden, my M..." Cedric broke off a look of pain flashing across his face before he controlled himself. "My Beta."

Aylmer barely noticed Matron's look of confusion. He was too busy staring at Cedric in shock. Beta? That was a very hefty term to assign to someone you had only known for a few days. It carried a lot of weight, if you knew the history. In the old, pre-kingdom days, the wolves were divided into clans. Each one was led by an Alpha, who was supported by a Beta. The Beta was, essentially, a second Alpha. His words were to be taken as if they were the Alpha's and only the Alpha himself could give orders to the Beta. To announce this pup as his Beta...he was essentially saying that Aden could have whatever he wanted, and do whatever he pleased, as if he were Lord Cedric. The only closer seat to the top power was the Alpha's mate. Aylmer's thoughts paused. Mate...His paws spasmed under the table, clenching his legs. Cedric had almost said something that started with an "M" before...could he really want Aden to be his Mate? Is that why they were so uncomfortable today? If Cedric had asked Aden, this soon after coming to know him...The pup must've not been ready.

He looked over at Aden. The pup was facing away from Cedric, so the wolf couldn't see it, but Aylmer could see the tears glistening in the pup's wide eyes. From they way his ears were pinned back and his body was shaking, Aylmer surmised that the pup must know what a Beta was. He couldn't imagine the turmoil the pup was feeling. It was clear that, deep down, Aden's subconscious both craved for, and was terrified of, Cedric. To refuse to be the wolf's mate, only to have him name you his beta instead...Cedric was making it clear that he wanted the pup.

"I don't understand." Matron said, looking confused. "What's a Beta?"

"He is me." Cedric said, simplifying the complex idea. "He has all of my authority." He turned to Aden. "I'll write something to solidify it when we get home."

Aden shot up from his seat. "I need some time to think."

Matron caught his arm as he made to bolt for the door. "Aden, come upstairs with me. I have an empty room you can use for as long as you like. No one will bother you there."

As Aden was led away, Cedric followed him with his eyes, stricken. "I thought he'd at least be my Beta..." He whispered, his voice choked. Aylmer reached to pat him on the shoulder, only to have his arm seized in an iron hold. "Don't." Said Cedric, pleadingly. Aylmer understood and pulled his arm away, and Cedric stared at the table, saying nothing more.

Although it felt harsh, Aylmer pushed his cousin's problems out of his mind. Cedric didn't want any help at this time, and he had his own issues to deal with.