Thank you all for your patience and kind words since the last chapter. I'll continue my ramblings at the end.

Eleanor was biting her lip as she internally wrestled with what had been bothering her. She was pacing the floor in her mother's study but remained silent. Turning back towards her mother she took a deep breath and steadied herself.

"Mother, when are you to enact your revenge?"

Helen looked across her desk at her daughter. It had been a few months since she and Kasparov reconciled, and things had returned to a standard routine for the small family. Eleanor had started spending more of her independent studying time near her due to the complexity of the magic she was learning.

"What makes you so curious all of a sudden?"

"Well…it's just that Kas and I are of age at this point, so if he has a claim to the throne, why not take it now?"

A smirk crossed Helen's features. "Anxious now? We must not rush these things. It will be at the young prince's 16th name day celebration."

"Wait what?"

"You don't think that those two wouldn't have tried for another heir, at least once?"

"Ugh, mother I really don't want to think about that."

"It's a fact of life, no avoiding it. Eventually you will-"

"AHHH, don't want to talk about that with my mother! Can you just forget that I said anything?"

Helen could not help but chuckle at the blush that had taken over Eleanor's face. "The reason for waiting till then, is that there will be a festival that will run for a fortnight. There will be royal families and nobles from the surrounding regions in attendance. This will make it so that your and your brother's presence are not noticed."

"I'm going too? I thought I would just be helping prepare for it."

"You play a role in this just as your brother does."

"Care to tell me before going into the lions' den?"

"You will be attending as one of the heirs of a noble house."

"Won't they know though?"

"Not if it is from a small family that is newly established. You will have the job of befriending the prince's older sister. Getting in close to the royal family will allow you access to information that few will know."

"So you want me to play nice with my half-sister, is that it?" There was slight disgust in her voice at the words half-sister.

"In a manner. But if everything works out as I have planned, you will be able to plant the seeds of turmoil that will tear their family apart. Have faith in your mother for once."

"I do it's just…"

Her pause caused Helen to tilt her head to the side. The younger woman had started wringing her hands and her mother recognized the old nervous habit immediately. "What is it?"

"I don't have that faith in myself."

"Why ever not?"

"It's just…I've never done something like this before. You know, act as a spy."

"It isn't much different from when you used to try to fib to me as a child."

"The consequences were much less severe. If they find out who I am, it will be my life they take."

"Then all the more reason to not fail." Helen stood and walked next to her daughter. She placed a finger under her daughter's chin and raised it, so their eye met. "You have been training for this your whole life. It'll soon be time to prove yourself."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to be grandmother."

"I'll take that as a compliment. I had similar doubts myself when I first went to court. I was so nervous that I almost stormed the castle the day before, just to get my mind off it."

"Wait, really?"

"Mhmm. Everyone goes through it. You will be fine." She then ran her fingers through her daughter's silvery locks. "But we have some time before then to make sure you are ready. Particularly with the customs of the realm."

"Not another dance lesson."

"Knowing how to dance is only part of what you need to know. You will also need to know about the different families' feuds and alliances to be convincing. But that is a lesson that I will give you and your brother together. For now, why don't you continue your studies in the library?"

"But I always study here."

"You can't become dependent on me for everything. And while you are there, I would like you to work on disguise spells."

"Fine." Eleanor gathered the books she had been using and made her way towards the door. Before she left, Eleanor asked one more question, "When do the festivities begin? I need to know my deadline."

"You have three months."

Eleanor nodded in response and left the room.

"You know she is going to start pushing herself to her limit till that point."

Yes, but I want her prepared for anything that may come her way. She needs to be able to protect herself and her brother to ensure that everything falls into place.

"And you aren't concerned about others that she might meet while there?"

She will know to avoid those with any possible magic abilities.

Helen returned to her desk and resumed reading the book she was in early regarding treaties between Phillip's bannermen. As she continued to flip through the pages, looking back at almost one hundred years of diplomacy her mind started to wander to what her daughter said earlier.

Hmm, maybe another dance lesson wouldn't be so terrible.

"You've got it bad."

I have no idea what you are talking about.

"Don't make me have to explain it. Remember I know what you think, I feel what you feel. You can't hide your feelings for Ulrich from me."

At the mention of the knight's name, Helen's heart fluttered. The two would spare passing glances in the corridors, but she would never utter a word to him. Since their last kiss, Helen had kept her distance as she did not want to continue to come to terms that she had feelings for him. The extent of those feelings, she had yet to assess.

"You have allowed yourself to start to fall in love with him."

Say that I have, what of it? I will still be able to have everything that I want. This will not be a hindrance to me.

"We'll see about that."

Don't you have better things to do that harass me?

Lilith remained quiet afterwards, and Helen went back to reading. The thought of the night of dancing the two spent together kept playing in the back of her mind. It distracted her to a point of releasing an audible groan of frustration.

"And now I can't stop thinking about…that."

She marked her place to return to later and closed the book. Conjuring a small flame in her hand, she morphed its shape into that of a nightingale. "Ulrich, come to my study."

Taking the flame bird to the window, she watched as it flew off towards the other side of the castle until it was out of her sight. She continued to wait, thinking over what she wanted to say.

~.:.~

Ulrich was out at the stables, tending to his stead Rainsilver. The mare was a few stalls down from Siegfried, who was frequently visited by Kasparov. When he was not in lessons, Kas would spend most of his free time with his horse. Kasparov had taken Siegfried out for an afternoon ride, leaving the stables empty apart from Ulrich.

The twittering of a bird distracted him from further cleaning out Rainsilver's hooves. He looked up to see a bird consumed in blue flames perch atop the stall door. The bird opened its mouth and instead of a song, the voice of his mistress was emitted.

"Ulrich, come to my study," the bird said with a voice that was not its own. Once it had delivered its message, the flames dissipated, leaving no trace of its existence.

Ulrich looked back at his horse. "Either I've done something right or terribly wrong. Guess we'll see." He stood up at dusted off his trousers before locking the gate to the stall.

Rainsilver snorted back at him as he bolted the small gait shut. "I know you want more attention, but when her grace calls it is best not to keep her waiting." He gently pet her muzzle to calm her before leaving towards the far east tower.

As he reached her door, Ulrich knocked gently.

"Enter."

He did as instructed and knelt before her. "You summoned me, your grace."

"Yes, there are things we need to discuss." With a small flick of her fingers, she shut the door behind him. He looked up at her, noticing that she was frustrated. One arm was crossed against her chest, the other resting atop it and clutching at her forehead.

"Is this about the young prince's lessons?"

"No, not this time." She released a sigh as she looked down at him. Motioning for him to stand she continued, "This is about…us."

She broke eye contact with him, not sure as to how she wanted to start this conversation.

"Us, your grace?"

"Yes." She started rubbing her left arm methodically, the old nervous habit returning. "I have been spending some time considering our recent interactions. I cannot deny that I rather enjoyed our dancing. There were feelings that I never thought I would experience, feelings that were not there the night we…had intimate relations.

"They confuse me, and I don't know how I am to respond to them. You say that you love me, but I do not even understand romantic love myself. All I know is that there is something about you that pulls me to you that I have never felt towards anyone else."

She looked back at him, concerned to see what expression he may have. "Your grace, I have already told you my intentions. I will wait patiently for you, no matter how long my heart yearns for you."

"You idiot! Don't you understand what I am telling you? I don't know if I can return that to you the way you want me to."

"My love," The name caught her aback and caused her to stop with her protests. "I know that you have lived in a world where these sorts of feelings are not always encouraged but let me prove my feelings for you." He gently grasped her hands and held them to his chest. "It beats for you and you alone."

"Don't you know what that will entail for you?"

"If I get to spend the rest of my life with you, then I don't care. If it is just till tomorrow or fifty years from now."

Fighting back tears she whispered, "You fool. I don't deserve your love."

He placed a hand against her cheek and gently rubbed his thumb against her skin. "You deserve more than I can ever hope to give you."

Leaning forward he placed a gentle kiss on her lips. Helen took her free hand that was not still being pressed to his chest and threaded her fingers through his hair, pulling him closer to her. They separated far enough to look back into the other's eyes. Ulrich leaned in and started placing gentle kisses along her neck, which turned into small nips at her skin. The contact caused her to let out a soft gasp.

She nuzzled against his neck, taking in his scent. Ulrich took his free hand and brought her hips closer to his. Helen placed a hand on his and cooed into his ear, "If you do love me as you say you do, then let us take our time this evening. I want to ingrain every moment into my memory."

Unlike in their previous rendezvous, Helen took her time removing her garments. She removed her dress setting it aside, leaving her in only her chemise and the bindings that she used to cover her breast. The voracious lust driven being that she was when they first spent the night together was nowhere to be seen. Helen avoided eye contact and crossed her arms over her chest.

"You are just as lovely as when I first saw you, your grace."

Rubbing her arm again she stated, "You next."

Doing as was asked of him, Ulrich removed his shirt and trousers. Helen peaked back at him to see that he had become hard in his small cloth, leaving little to the imagination. She felt her cheeks flush and resumed her nervous tick.

Ulrich noticed this hesitancy from her and decided he would try to ease the tension. He stepped to her side and gently placed a finger on the flame kissed skin on her arm. She jolted, looking back at him.

"Will you tell me the story behind this scar?"

"It's my oldest one. I got it as a child." Ulrich waited patiently for her to continue. Helen took the pause as her cue to explain further. She let out a small sigh, "It was long before I ever learned magic when I worked for her excellency. I was foolish thinking that her magic wouldn't lash out at me but was given this reminder to not think so again."

She removed her hand from covering the spiraling design. "It is the only one that I have that isn't because of my title."

"I want to hear about each of them." He gently brushed his finger against her nose where the faint lines of a scar remained. "If you will allow me."

"Perhaps, in time. If you continue to stay in my favor. I can't give away all of my secrets."

"I suppose not," he said.

"So are we going to continue, or do you want to just keep telling each other stories?"

Lifting her hand to his lips he replied, "As my queen commands of me." He planted a kiss and continued up the trail that the burn left on her arm. He passed over the dragon mark on her chest that sat above the top of her wrappings. Continuing up her neck and towards her brows, he paused at each patch of scales, ensuring that they were not passed over.

"You missed," she told him. He looked at her bewildered. She pulled his lips to hers, a smile on her face as she kissed him. "So you can find your way back."

Helen turned and rested her back against his chest. Leaning her head against his cheek Helen took Ulrich's arms and wrapped them around her. Ulrich in turn pulled her closer to him and buried his nose into her hair. Helen tilted her head back to ensure that her horns did not hit him. The two stood there silently for a few minutes, taking in the other's presence.

Rotating in Ulrich's arms, Helen started to unravel the bindings around her chest. The touch of Ulrich's hand on hers caused her to stop and look back at him. "Let me your grace." He took the end of the cloth that she held in her hand and continued what she had started. Helen turned and watched his face as he continued to unravel the bindings, her arms resting across his shoulders so as not to encumber him. Once he was finished, he gently tossed the roll of linen towards Helen's discarded dress.

Ulrich locked eyes with Helen as he started to remove the chemise that was around her waist. Untying the garment from her waist, he let it fall to her feet. Helen stepped out of the discarded clothing and kicked it behind her. Ulrich started to remove his small cloth, but Helen held firmly onto his hands.

"Allow me to return the favor." Helen slowly slid the cloth down and let her fingertips trace along the sides of his thighs, following every curve over toned muscles from years of sparing and riding. "That takes care of that." Her fingers stated to glide back up, past his navel, across his chest and towards the back of his neck where they interlocked with one another.

Closing her eyes, Helen leaned forward to kiss Ulrich but jolted her eyes open when he picked her up off the ground. He kissed her passionately, to which Helen responded in turn. Helen wrapped her legs around his torso and Ulrich carried her to the edge of her desk. With a small flick of the wrist, Helen removed the books and papers on her desk. Ulrich started to trail kisses down her neck, stopping at her breast to lap at the erect teat. Helen released a soft moan at his tender touch.

"You seem to know my weak spots, even without asking. I need to return the favor."

"Another night, your grace. Tonight, let me pleasure you." He kissed her lips again and slowly leaned her back. Trailing down her body with his hands, Ulrich followed the curves and dips of her skin down to her hips and thighs. He placed a hand gently at her entrance and found that she was already wet.

Slipping one finger between her folds he took a breast in his other hand and started massaging the tissue. This caused Helen to release a moan. What caused Ulrich to pause momentarily in his ministrations was that it was his name that she moaned. Her eyes fluttered open and locked on his. He continued to pleasure her while keeping his gaze on her face.

"Ulrich," she said in a husky voice, "I want you now."

"As my queen commands."

Helen propped herself on her elbows as Ulrich slid into her warm folds. Ulrich felt her tighten around him as she let out a small whimper. The two started into a slow, rhythmic union. Helen pulled Ulrich's head back to hers and interlocked her lips with his. As their kiss ended, Helen locked eyes with him. "This is no place for us to spend our night."

In a spiral of blue smoke, Helen transported the two to her bed chambers. The soft sheets welcoming the two lovers. Continuing where they had left off, Ulrich started planting kisses on her neck while Helen nuzzled her face into the side of his neck. Her hands were resting against his back, ushering him to lean closer. In doing so Ulrich started to push himself as far into her as he could. With her stomach starting to flutter almost as fast as her heart was, Helen bit gently into Ulrich's shoulder. Ulrich released himself in her and was about to remove himself when he was stopped by a hand on the back of his thigh.

"I want to stay this way, just for a while longer."

Ulrich nodded against the side of her face, not uttering a word. The two stayed entwined in each other's arms. The sound of their heavy breathing was all that could be heard in the room. Once Helen's hand retracted from his leg, Ulrich took it as his cue to leave from her inner core as well. When they were untangled Helen turned on her side before looking back at him. He laid beside her, their faces mere centimetres away. Helen scooted closer to him, so she could be resting against his chest. Ulrich wrapped an arm around her and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

In a soft whisper Helen said, "You are mine," before closing her eyes and taking in every scent and sound of that moment.

"Your grace what does this mean for us now?"

"Don't talk about the future. I only want to focus on now. I will worry about that tomorrow."

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I wanted to spend a little more time with our protagonist as the past few chapters have been focused on the twins. I will try to do better on updating more regularly. Thank you again for your patience and any constructive feed back you have. Until next time!