Disclaimer: I do not own the Fable universe. Characters you do not recognize were created by me for the purposes of this story. Thank you for reading, and for any reviews you leave. I have been striving to give Milena a...realistic personality. I have tried very, very hard to stay away from making her a mary-sue and I really hope that planning and effort paid off. I do also apologize for the sexual tension, but it is so much fun to write! I hope you all enjoy this latest chapter, as I thoroughly enjoyed writing it! All the best! - Fallon.

Chapter Eleven

"He wants me to go where?"

Karen said it again, but Milena still did not believe her.

The young guard beside Karen swallowed hard. "His majesty the king has instructed me to have you meet him in his private parlour for dinner immediately."

Karen urged the guard outside and pushed Milena behind the screen, quickly pulling her lilac dress from the wardrobe. She was still in shock as Karen stripped her from her casual dress and began tightening the laces on her corset. "Why would he want to have dinner with me?"

Karen knew she wasn't asking her specifically, but decided to answer none the less. She smiled. "Because you are his pretty little songbird, and it is your birthday."

Milena smiled.

She was his...

That only made her more nervous and uncertain, but strangely happy. As king, Logan had many beautiful and exotic things, but he only had one songbird and she was it.

With Karen's help she was dressed in no time.

Before Milena left, she brushed out her hair and laid it over one shoulder. She inhaled deeply, gathering her courage, and left her room without so much as glancing at the mirror.

Heading down the hall to meet with Logan, she was in her own world and did not see the tall man wearing a top hate approach her.

"Good evening, my dear!" A hypnotic voice greeted her.

Milena jumped and turned to face the man. Her heart sank and she frowned, it was Reaver.

"What brings you to this end of the castle?" He stepped closer to her.

Milena swallowed hard, she felt like she was being backed into a corner. Reaver was taller than Logan and, though he wore no armour, seemed much more solid. He walked with a cane, though it was obvious he didn't need it. Milena guessed he was probably the same age as Logan, maybe slightly older. But she remembered hearing that Logan`s mother fought along side him, so how was it that he appeared so youthful? It was like he had strolled throughout life, with everything ageing around him, without touching him.

"I-I came to see Logan."

Reaver arched his eye brow. "Logan? Not the king?"

Milena cursed herself for letting that slip. "The king, I am here to see the king."

Reaver purred, glancing down at her with hungry eyes. "And he'll just love to see you in that."

She squirmed and tried to look over his shoulder for a way out.

Reaver noticed and stepped even closer to her. He was not a man accustomed to being denied or rejected. "How does it feel being the king's siren?" He tilted his head. "No, a siren seduces, you are too pure. Untouched. You haven't even let him touch you, haven't you? Tease..."

Milena felt herself flush. "You are repulsive!"

He pressed himself up against her and she felt his erection press against her belly, straining against the fabric of his trousers. She felt small pressed against the wall and was utterly repulsed that he was so close to her. Though he was pretty enough, his swagger was off putting and his grin made her sick. Reaver was dirty, both physically and mentally. Milena could only guess what he was thinking, but knew whatever it was that it was disgusting.

Milena pushed against his chest and clawed at him but he leaned in to lick her ear, pushing against her arms with such ease it startled her. "Just think about the things I could teach you..."

"Leave me alone, deviant pig!" She hissed.

"...all the juicy tricks I've learned. I could show you them, you can even use them on Logan. I'm sure he would appreciate me teaching you." Reaver whispered as he leaned in, his lips far too close for comfort.

His nose brushed against hers as he closed the distance between them. Milena went rigid, his lips were cold against hers` and he tasted of brandy and smoke.

Reaver purred into the kiss and pried her lips apart with his snake like tongue. Furious, Milena seized her opportunity and bit down as hard as she could. She caught his lower lip and the tip of his tongue, making him cry out and reel back in surprise.

Milena stepped away from the wall and glared at the wounded "animal".

"Leave now!" She barked.

Reaver chuckled, apparently pleased with her aggression despite his bleeding lip. "You have no power over me, Milena. Logan may be blind to your ways, but I'm not. You play the part of the virginal songbird but you sing the king songs that loosen his lips. Who are you telling his secrets to..."

Milena`s commonsense was pushed aside by her disgust at his actions and accusations. "Leave now before I scream for the guards!"

"I suggest you listen to her, Reaver."

Milena and Reaver both turned at the same time to see Logan standing in the doorway. He was not wearing his chest plate, but to Milena, he still looked imposing.

Reaver smirked, seemingly not phased by the interruption. "Logan! Milena and I were just having a chat!"

The King glared at the cocky deviant. "I somehow doubt that, Reaver, leave now."

"Am I not invited to the party?" Reaver pouted. "Think of the fun we could have, our dear Milena here is a biter after all..." He gestured to his lip.

Logan stepped forward, placing himself between Milena and the lecherous tycoon. "Get out of my castle and away from her!"

Milena was silent.

Reaver huffed. "Well, if you feel that way..."

"I do." Logan said confidently.

Reaver brushed away a few drops of blood from his lip then slowly licked away the remnants. "It was fun while it lasted Logan." He nodded to Milena and then turned to leave. "But all things must come to an end, and they will, Logan, oh they will. Tatty-bye!"

Logan cursed and, despite his anger, gently urged Milena into the parlour as soon as the deviant rounded the corner. When the door was closed, he let go of his rage and punched the door so hard it left a fist sized impression in the wood.

Milena trembled. Logan`s display did not upset her, it was the feeling all over her body that Reaver had left that troubled her so. She felt like there was a filth on her dress and feared it would sink through the fabric and touch her skin.

Milena wiped her hands on the white sash that was tied around her waist. Then she remembered with horror that he had licked her ear and began roughly rubbing his saliva from it with the palm of her hand. From there, she began to rub her lips, hoping to remove his filth and the memory of it.

Logan was uncomfortable and unsure what he could do to ease her disgust and anger. While he was confident Reaver would not have gone much further, the man preferring to break down his conquests rather than simply taking them, he was elated none the less that he had intervened when he did.

She began to weep before him and he struggled to come up with something to do, he felt like a fool just standing there!

He felt like a boy, nervous but excited before a blushing young maiden. Just like in the stories his mother had read him and Rebecca as children. But he was not a boy, he was a man charged with ruling a country and Milena was not blushing, she was crying. And he felt as though it was his fault, he did invite her to the parlour after all.

"Milena?"

She looked up at him, her eyes misty and her cheeks red. "I am sorry, your majesty, you've kindly invited me here and now I am weeping like a damned child..." She was embarrassed and angry, both at herself and Reaver for being so damned forward and disgusting.

Logan ignored her apology to speak what was on his mind before he lost his nerve. "May I embrace you? If you feel it would bring you comfort that is..."

Milena wanted to speak, to say yes a thousand times, but found herself only able to nod.

He was unsure what to do. Opening his arms to her seemed too forward, like he was eager for her to do so, so instead he simply let his arms fall to his sides. Milena sobbed and timidly stepped forward until she lay her head and hands on his chest. Her warm tears began to soak his shirt immediately, but he did not mind in the slightest.

Once he was certain she would not pull away, he gingerly wrapped his arms around her. He wanted to pull her in, press her tightly to his chest, but he feared she would feel trapped and decided against it. Instead, he contented himself with enjoying her warmth, which he had so longed to feel, even though it had taken him a long time to admit it to himself.

Her sobs lessened and she pulled back enough to wipe her tears from her cheeks. "Thank you, Logan...for showing up when you did, and for...this." She had feared he would be angry when she began to cry, but then again, Logan was not as cold as she had once thought. He had shown her his lesser known side many times since she arrived in the castle. Sometimes she saw only a glimpse of it, and other times he completely caught her off guard with his kindness and warmth. Even though the death of the major brought out his cold, angry side, the morning spent talking in the garden had made her realize that the person who hated Logan the most, was Logan himself.

"You're welcome." He knew the butler would be at the parlour door any minute with dinner, and reluctantly released his hold on Milena. "Would you like a drink?"

Milena nodded, eager to get the taste of Reaver out of her mouth. She was still worried a small speck of his blood was present.

Logan crossed the room to a small cabinet and pulled out a bottle of whiskey from his private stash. "I am sorry, this is all I have in the room. Not the most ladylike drink..."

"That doesn't matter at the moment." She accepted the glass he offered. "It's good though, right?"

"The best, and my favourite."

Milena took a small sip of the amber liquid and cringed.

Logan laughed, openly and without fear. "I take it it is not to your liking?"

His deep laugh made her smile, even though he was laughing at her. Milena wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and passed the glass back to him. "It's not my favourite, no."

Logan sat the glass to the side and considered his next words carefully. "I am sorry that he showed up on your birthday, I was not expecting him."

"How did you know today was my birthday? I forgot it myself." She added the last part with a small chuckle.

He was too ashamed to admit he had been listening in on her conversation with her father earlier. He smiled. "A little bird told me."

Just then there was a knock at the door and Logan let the butler in. From his silver cart, the butler paced the covered dishes on a nearby prepared table. On a silver table near that, he left a bottle of wine and another of whiskey. Clearly the butler was not aware of Logan`s secret stash.

The butler continued to go about his business, preparing the table with expert speed.

Milena blushed when the butler lit the candles on the table, was the king trying to court her? It certainly seemed like it, but then Milena figured it could just be a simple birthday dinner. He was her patron after all, wasn't he supposed to treat her to gifts and fancy dinners?

But there were only two chairs at the table...

Her nerves blossomed in her chest and she began to fidget. She willed herself to forget what happened with Reaver and enjoy the moment.

"Thank you, Jackson, please make sure all problems that arise are routed to Wilhelm." Logan said sincerely.

The old butler nodded, pushing the cart to the door. "Of course, sire."

Once the butler was gone, Logan strode to the table and pulled out a chair, looking at Milena as he did so. She swallowed hard and took a seat, allowing him to push her in slightly. Neither said anything, but Milena did not feel uncomfortable. Strangely enough, she felt like it was all natural.

Logan poured her some wine and himself some whiskey before sitting down.

The meal was the best she had ever had at the castle and it took all of her will power to restrain herself and not wolf it down. She wanted to make up for breaking down earlier by being proper and ladylike, just as her mother would want her to be, but it was difficult.

When they were done, Logan had her sit on a lounge and close her eyes.

After a few minutes, she felt him sit down next to her. "Now, open your eyes." He instructed softly, a hint of excitement in his voice.

She did, and saw he had placed two rather elaborate and richly decorated gift boxes in front of her. She was not expecting more than the dinner and was beyond surprised at his generosity. "Logan, this is too much!" She exclaimed.

"No, I should think it is not enough. You are my songbird, and I have been needlessly cruel to you during your time at the castle. I have been...a very poor patron."

She reached out and touched his hand as it rested on his knee. "You stood between Reaver and I tonight..."

"I strangled you, nearly killed you..." Logan wanted to rationalize what he was doing. He had wronged her, and he was making it up to her, since she was under his patronage of course. Even as he told himself that, he had to fight the strong desire to sneak a glance at the top of her breasts. He soured, Reaver had been close to her, pressed himself against her and felt her breasts compress against him. He had even kissed her! Logan seethed with a jealous rage.

He was drunk with fantasies of her.

Milena squeezed his hand and it brought him back to reality. She gave a small smile. "But you didn't, and I am here now."

He turned to her. "Why are you here? I feared my sister would not return you..."

Milena swallowed hard, he feared loosing her? "She asked me to come back."

"And do you regret that now?"

She smiled and shook her head.

There was a moment of tension, but Logan ultimately gestured to the gift boxes he had put before her on the table. "Please, let me see you open them."

Milena picked up the small, rectangular box in her hands. It was light, and her imagination was afire with ideas of what could be inside. She pulled at the gold ribbon and it came apart easily. The paper that wrapped the box was a lovely shade of purple and it hurt her to tear it apart, though she did so with mounting excitement. The ribbon and paper aside, she was left with a humble and worn velvet box. It's corners were worn down and the velvet had lost nearly all of it's softness.

She shot Logan a curious glance and saw that he looked nervous.

Milena flipped the clasp on the side and opened the box.

Inside, on a weather-worn white silk cloth, laid a flat, round silver pendant on simple silver chain. On the face of the pendant, there was a simple carving of a rose, though Milena saw no thorns on the small bit of stem depicted in the carving. It had been cleaned and was shining, but there was definitely age to it. She could tell it was by no means expensive, but she was certain nonetheless that it held value.

"Where did you find such an interesting piece, Logan?" She asked, hopeful he would tell her of it's origins.

He shrugged slightly, brushing it off. "Just a piece I found in the treasury and thought you would like."

She was almost certain there was more to the pendant than that, but she didn't want to hit a nerve and make him angry or risk ruining the moment. "Could you help me with the clasp?"

Logan blushed slightly but then she turned her back to him and lifted her hair and he realized what she meant. He took the chain from the box and fought shaking hands to fasten the clasp so it was secure.

Milena let down her hair and touched the pendant as it rested on her chest, completely unaware the tyrant king's hands had been shaking. "Does it look alright on me?"

Logan nodded, not trusting his voice.

She smiled happily and exhaled, relieved that he thought so. "Thank you, Logan, this really is very kind of you."

"The other one now." He said abruptly.

Milena picked up the final box, wondering if the contents could top the necklace. "Is it a royal decree for a day without Reaver? That would be precious indeed, I daresay all of Albion would covet it!"

Logan smiled sadly and shook his head.

Milena`s smile fell slightly. "I hope what happened earlier will not make dealing with him harder for you..."

"It does not matter." Logan confided. "I will not have to deal with him for much longer..."

"What do you mean..." Milena murmured, stunned by his morose tone and sad expression.

Logan shook the worry away and turned his attention back to the task at hand. "Forget about it, open your gift!"

He watched her face as she finally obeyed and began pulling at the ribbon. The scar that ran from the corner of her mouth and trailed to her neck was pale, but pinched the skin near her cheek and gave her a permanent dimple. It also pulled at her lips, but not enough to diminish their appeal. Just above that, was another that began on the apple of her cheek and ran back, probably to her ear, though her hair obscured it's final destination. He noticed another smaller one near her hairline on her forehead and guessed that, despite its size, it had been particularly nasty.

She was having trouble with a knot in the ribbon, but he did not rush to assist, instead, he took the time to glance lower.

Thumb-sized scars slightly darker and thicker than her skin were speckled from her clavicle to her sternum, falling lower until they disappeared under the bodice of her dress. He guessed they were where the balverine`s claws had picked at her flesh as it scurried to get a solid grip on her...

Logan swallowed hard, pulling at his collar as he did so.

Milena finally freed the parcel from the ribbon and tossed aside the lid. Inside was a dagger and sheath, though the belts that were attached to it looked too small to fit around her waist.

"It straps to your thigh." He explained, having seen her confusion. "The more "ladylike" option of the weapon world I suppose."

The blade was small, but expertly crafted. Milena wished she had had it earlier, so she could have done to Reaver what the darker parts of her mind desired. She shivered. Those thoughts made her slightly uncomfortable, having never truly wished someone ill will in her life, but if anyone deserved it, it was Reaver. And, she reasoned, few people would think less of her for wishing harm on the sadistic deviant.

"I...thank you, Logan." Milena stammered. "But I must admit I have no experience with a blade."

He figured as much and gave her a reassuring smirk. "Did your parents not think to teach you?"

"There was no time between riding and dance lessons." She laughed.

"Well, dancing won't save you in a fight..." Logan gave an exaggerated sigh and straightened up. "Well, I suppose I could find the time in my schedule to instruct you...if you ask nicely, that is."

"Personal sparing lessons with the King of Albion? I would be hard pressed to turn that down."

Logan enjoyed her sarcasm. It had been a long time since he had a lighthearted conversation with anyone, even if it was about weapons. He felt that she was letting her guard down, trusting him perhaps, and that made him happy, if not a little nervous. "I would hardly call that asking nicely!"

Milena stopped laughing and turned to him with all seriousness. "You're right, it wasn't. Truthfully, I would love to learn how to defend myself. It was only by the grace of Avo and your intervention that Reaver gave in and left like that, and, while I know I could never best him, I want to be able to stand my ground. Be it a balverine or a pig like him, whatever I face next, I do not want to feel helpless."

Logan took in what she said and nodded, her sincerity clear to him. "Then meet me in the training rooms on the main floor tomorrow morning."

Milena`s face lit up. "Really? Thank you, Logan!"

She slid closer to him on the lounge and wrapped her arms around him. "Really, Logan, you have no idea how much this means to me!"

Logan touched her back and smiled, safe in the knowledge she could not see his expression. "Just don't be late..."