It was another beautiful morning in the Fourth Kingdom as Roselynn made her way, as she had every morning that week, toward the garden at the middle of the hedgerow maze. "Good morning, Princess," The dulcet tone purred as she took the third turn which removed her from any prying eyes that may have tried to follow her. She merely smiled and glanced at the young man by her side.
"Good morning," She nodded.
"Where are you off to this fine summer morning?" He asked, "Off to see Grandmama?"
Roselynn rolled her eyes at the inquiry, "I don't think it would be very prudent for me to tell you where I was going, Mr. Wolf," She went along with his game.
"You seem in an awful hurry wherever you are going," He smirked as he stepped in front of her and began to walk backwards, "Surely there's nothing so important that you couldn't stop for a moment to enjoy the flowers."
"I have someone waiting for me," She shook her head.
"Hot date?" He quirked his head to the side.
"My what a big ego you have," She teased.
"All the better to impress you, my dear." He grinned picking a flower from a nearby bush and holding it out to her, "It is working?"
"My how charming you are." She smirked, taking the offered flower.
"All the better to stay in your good graces, my dear."
"My how persistent you are."
"All the better to keep you in my company for a just a bit longer." He smiled warmly as he watched his friend laugh as they made their way through the maze.
"Warren, if my mother knew what I was up to today, or any other day this week, I would be in so much trouble." She shook her head.
"But I'm worth it, am I not?" He challenged.
"Most definitely," She agreed as they made their final turn into the inner garden, "You are the best friend I've ever had."
"Glad to be of service," He bowed deeply before sprinting ahead of her and pulling out a basket and a blanket from behind the tree which he proceeded to spread out on the ground. "I figured it would be nice to sit in the sun for a bit and enjoy a little treat while we are here."
"A grand idea, if I ever heard one." She smiled up at him as she removed her cape and settled on one corner of the blanket, opening the nearby basket to find some fruit, cheese, meat, and crackers along with something fizzy in a glass bottle. "What is this?"
"It's from where my mother is from," Warren explained, settling beside her and pulling out two glasses from the basket before pouring the bubbling clear liquid into the vessels, "The call it cream soda, give it a try."
Roselynn took the offered cup from his hand and clinked it against his in salute. She took a sip, enjoying the sweet taste of the beverage and how the bubbles tickled her nose, "That's delightful!"
"I thought you might like it," Warren gave her a gentle smile over his own glass. The spent the next few hours talking about anything and everything while snacking on the treats from the basket. Before long the food and drink were gone, and they were laying back in the blanket. At some point they had kicked off their shoes to enjoy the soft feel of the grass on their feet, something they never would have been allowed to get away with in polite society, not that their friendship would have been very well accepted either.
They were laying perpendicular to each other; Roselynn's head was resting on Warren's stomach as he gently ran his fingers through her silken hair. They were enjoying the moment when Roselynn's soft voice slipped through the silence, "Do you ever wonder if you will be a hero like your parents?"
She felt his hand hesitate a moment before continuing its ministrations against her scalp, "No, not really." He admitted, "I doubt that is my destiny, not everyone is cut out to make such an impact. That's not to say I won't have some influence; my uncle has been grooming me for years to become an adviser for him, but I don't think that years from now when school children are taught about this time in our history my name will be found in any books aside from perhaps a foot note stating that I was the cub conceived at the end of the grand adventure. What about you?"
"I suppose it wouldn't be such a huge impact elsewhere," She sighed, "But in a perfect world I would become a force for change in my Kingdom, the Hood that stood up against years of injustice and bigotry. I know it can't be done by enacting laws from the throne, it is so hard to sway the minds of adults. What I really would like to be is a teacher, influencing the next generation before they ever learn to hate Wolves, perhaps one day going as far as integrating Woven children into our schools so they can have the same opportunities as non-Wolf children."
"That's a very noble dream," Warren conceded, "It would be hard to enact that level of change."
"I'm not denying that," Roselynn shook her head.
"But I think if anyone could do it, or at least set it in motion, it would be you, Lynn." Warren smiled down at her as she turned her head until her eyes met his. "Don't get me wrong, it would be difficult. Especially since you would be an outsider to the packs, and a Hood on top of that, but I have every confidence that you can achieve anything you put your mind to, even battling bigotry."
"What would my mother say?" She chuckled.
"Oh, I think your mother would have a great deal to say about it," Warren joined her laughter, "Whether that was before or after the coronary she'd be likely to have when she found out, still remains to be seen."
"True," She adjusted herself, so she was laying against his side, her head resting on his shoulder, arm draped over his strong chest, playing with the strings hung loosely from the eyelets of his dark blue shirt. "If you could do anything you wanted, would you become an adviser to your uncle?"
"I don't know," Warren admitted, "The opportunity to do such a great good is alluring, the status and all that comes with it, but at the same time, Wolven policy is in a good place here. I sometimes think that my life might be better spent working with the Wolven populations here and abroad to break their generational bonds and join the rest of society as unoppressed men and women."
"I think it's great you care so much for your community," Roselynn snuggled into his shoulder, eyes closed, enjoying the sensation of the warm sun on her face and the gentle rise and fall of his chest.
"And I think it's wonderful that we have such a great ally in the House of Red," Warren caressed her shoulder, "Even if quiet support is all you can lend to the cause."
They laid like that for the rest of the afternoon until the sky started to be painted in golds and pinks indicating they should head back in. Together, they packed up the basket and folded the blanket before Warren helped Roselynn back on with her cape and the pair headed back toward the entrance of the maze. They knew this was the last day they would have together, at least until the next summit or inter-kingdom gathering, as she and her family were leaving at first light.
"I'm going to miss our afternoon talks," Roselynn sighed, adjusting the blanket in her arms.
"Me too," Warren nodded, "But it's not like we won't see each other again. With any luck it will be less than four years between this time around, but I suppose we'll see."
"Good bye, Mr. Wolf," She smiled up at him as she handed him the blanket.
"Good night Little Red," He pulled her into his arms for a hug, "Don't forget to enjoy the flowers."
With one more look over her shoulder, Roselynn pulled her hood up over her head and exited the hedgerow, heading toward the castle, aware of him watching to ensure her safe travel across the garden. She knew whenever he was around he would always watch and protect her. Deep in her heart, in recesses she dare not touch, she wished he was anything other than what he was, because she could see herself someday falling for a man such as Warren Wolfson.
