"That will be all, thank you." She smiled gratefully at the servants who freed her from her breath-restricting corset and helped prepare her bath.

The servants stood up and bowed before exiting her chambers, and Lady Kenna sighed contentedly as she lowered herself into the steamy waters of her bath. Minister Edina had requested candles to be lit around her room, and she was thankful for her thoughtfulness. She breathed in the exquisite lingering scent of lavender, dried rosemary and lemon peel infused within the draped rugs on her walls, leaned her head on the edge of the bath and closed her eyes.

She woke up startled, turning on her side; she was surprised that her whole body was wet. Where am I? She thought, and it dawned on her. She looked at the window and the sun was shining directly through her curtains. Had I been sleeping for that long? It would have been midday by now. She stretched her whole body in the bath and stood to fetch her towel.

Leaving a trail of water from the bath to her bedroom, she made a mental note to apologize to the servants for leaving such a mess. Making sure the curtains were shut, she opened her closet and was delighted that the servants had already unpacked her belongings. She dove through her garments, trying to pick out the perfect ensemble for tonight's feast. Her eyes settled on a lovely ivory dress, and immediately she knew it would draw a certain gentleman's attention. Willing herself not to get carried away, she put the dress aside and picked out a simple sheer dress for her visit to Mary's chambers.

She put on her undergarments and stood before her vanity, slowly applying moisturizing cream all over her body. She made sure all the crevices and bumps in her body were nurtured and attended to, that long trip had caused her body great pain, something she wasn't overly fond of, growing up in a rough household.

She could remember like it was yesterday...

She had just told her father and brothers the great news. "Father, Andrew, Broden! I have wonderful news!" She beamed with excitement - it had been years since Mary had corresponded with her, after her coronation and whatnot.

"What is it, Ken?" Her youngest brother, Broden, asked. He had just turned fifteen and was being prepared by his father to wed Duchess Sofia of Estonia, once she is of age. He had hoped that Kenna was sent a marriage proposal from an esteemed Duke, or a Crown Prince, to appease their father. As the eldest in the family, and the only female child, her father expected a lot from her.

"Queen Mary of Scotland has sent for me to live in French Court! She wants me to become one of her ladies-in-waiting!" Broden was surprised, and a little fearful for his sister's inevitable fate. This was not the news their father wants to hear.

"That's great, Ken! We're so happy for you!" Andrew cheered, nudging Broden in the side to cheer for her as well. Both brothers subtly glanced at their father, who had not said one word since Kenna's news. It was not going to go well.

Their father stood up from his seat and walked over to Kenna, rage evident in his eyes. He gave her a look of pure disgust and slapped her across the face. "You useless wench," Kenna held her face in shock, she had not prepared herself for this reaction, "whatever happened to the marriage proposal the Duke of Anjou had sent you?"

Kenna stood her ground, "I politely turned him down, and it wasn't a marriage proposal, father, it was a forced proposal, you bribed him with our wealth and land, he would never come to love me."

Her father would have none of this. He could contain his anger no longer; he raised his fist and hit his daughter wherever he could reach. It was not until her brothers intervened, "Father, stop!" that he stopped and looked at the full extent of his actions. Cries of, "Father, what in God's name are you doing?!" echoed throughout the estate.

Their father took a deep breath and turned away from the byproduct of his suppressed anger. He couldn't bear to look at his crying daughter, who he now deemed a disappointment to the family. "Pack all of your belongings," he started shakily, "I don't want to see you in my estate ever again. Go to French Court for all I care, perhaps you could find your true purpose there."

The memory was so vivid that Kenna thought it was happening again, tasting her salty tears, she realized she was crying and quickly wiped her eyes with her towel, sniffing slightly. She scolded herself for thinking about her father, but her heart wouldn't let it go, for he was still family, even if he practically disowned her. For the third time today, she was caught up in her own musings that she didn't hear her chamber doors open, a struggling Sebastian walked in, tugging a bouncing golden retriever canine behind him.

"I've got a ball of golden fur for a Lady Kenna," Sebastian managed to breath out. "He's very-" He cut himself off and looked at the sight before him.

He had only managed to glimpse at her almost naked body when he slapped his hand over his eyes and turned a very deep red. "Whoa!"

Kenna jumped and covered her exposed body with her towel. "Sebastian! What in the world are you doing here? Why didn't you knock on my doors?"

"Wh-What? Your... guard let me in, he said you were expecting Queen Mary's invitation to her chambers, and I happen to deliver your...thing." Sebastian stuttered behind his covered face. Somehow, Kenna found it adorable, almost forgetting the awkwardness which just ensued.

Kenna cleared her throat and rushed to don her garments on; in her haste, the hook of her dress got caught in her hair and she couldn't very well ask a stranger to fix it for her. Knowing she had no other choice, she walked over to him and gestured to her back. "You can take your hand off your eyes now, I'm dressed. But, um..."

"What is it?" He looked at her with those bright blue eyes, and she felt herself falling into their depths.

"Um...oh, right. Um, can you please hook my dress up? It got caught in my hair."

Sebastian visibly gulped and motioned for her to turn around. This was not a situation they both wanted to be in, Kenna deduced, but she was glad it was he and not some chauvinistic guard that happened upon her. She felt his hands take over hers and she closed her eyes, wishing that it would be over soon. She couldn't stand being in such close proximity to him, with his woodsy scent emanating from his form.

He had other thoughts, however, for he was securing her dress up ever so slowly that goose bumps erupted from all over her body. She could almost feel his breath on her back, and she wanted nothing more than to turn around and kiss him. She berated herself, where did those thoughts come from?!

"There, done." He whispered.

She stepped a great distance away from him, "Well, thank you, Sebastian. I am truly sorry for my indecency, I should have checked to make sure my doors were locked."

His eyes showed mirth, yet his voice was monotonous, "It was my fault, Lady Kenna. I should have knocked louder."

Kenna shook her head; it was not the time to be chivalrous, but she insisted, "No, please. Let me make it up to you..."

He considered her proposition for a mere second before he replied, "Why not accompany me to the feast tonight, I mean, since you so duly offered..."

Kenna smiled, "Sure, I shall see you at the courtyard tonight. Goodbye, Sebastian." She directed him to the door.

"Bash."

"I beg your pardon?" she was confused at his reply.

"Sebastian sounds too formal for a simple man like me, call me Bash...Lady Kenna." He smiled at her once more before he closed the doors to her chamber.

"Woof!" She had forgotten about her pet, Freja, a gift from Minister Edina, and a part of her childhood in Scotland that she never wanted to be unable to remember.

"How are you, girl? Did you miss me?" Freja licked her face and Kenna laughed, hugging her pet. Today wasn't what she expected her arrival would turn out, but she wouldn't have it any other way.

A/N: That was a pretty long chapter, but I'm glad at how it turned out. I included some excerpts about Kenna's life in Scotland, I thought it would help explain her character, we'll see how that goes. On the other hand, I'm surprised; I quite like the sexual tension between couples, and I hope I got the feelings across. Next chapter should be up within the next couple of days, do tell me what you think about it! Hope you enjoyed reading xx