.

SONIC CHAOS 3: UNDERGROUND ARC - ALEENA

Boiling Point

Sleet, eyes locked on the youngest princess, clutched a glass so tightly that he was nearly breaking it. She waltzed with her Commander beneath the dazzling lights that sparkled and shone off her gown and the ornaments in her hair. Her heart-shaped pendant flashed bright, whenever it so happened to catch the light. It was a simple thing, but stunningly beautiful.

"You're running out of opportunities, Sleet," a dark voice said from behind the wolf, pulling him from his thoughts. He blinked a few times in surprise and turned quickly. He tensed up when he saw who had spoken and sneered.

"Drago," he icily greeted. He didn't care to know how his employer slash partner had obtained an invitation.

"I'm still waiting on my results," Drago said.

"Idiot!" Sleet spat sharply enough to cause his employer to jump back in surprise, eyes widening in disbelief. Sleet dropped his tone, so as not to call attention to them. "Just what do you think you're doing here?"

"I came to make sure you did your job," Drago answered coldly.

"All you're going to do is make that job more difficult. Stay out of my way or so help me. You'll get your results when you get your results," Sleet replied. He looked sharply towards Aleena, eyes narrowed. "Soon enough the princess will be yours. You can count on it." Quickly he slipped away. Drago smirked darkly after him.

SU

The bounty hunter pushed his way through the crowds, sliding in and out of them gracefully and barely causing a stir. His eyes locked on the princess and Commander dancing together with smiles on their faces. Sleet scowled darkly and picked up the pace. Reaching them undetected, he suddenly lunged, shoving Jules violently against the table. Jules cried out. Aleena screamed a little. Others who had been startled by Jules' fall screamed as well.

Gasping, Jules turned fast with eyes wide. "Sleet!" he exclaimed.

"Mind if I cut in?" Sleet sneered. He didn't wait for an answer. Instead, he spun and seized the outraged Aleena, dragging her quickly into the crowds.

"Stop!" Jules protested, standing quickly and going after them with a scowl.

"Jules?" he heard Bernie urgently call as she hurried to his side. "Jules, what happened? Why did you let him take her?!"

"I didn't! He just grabbed her," Jules replied in outrage.

"That creep!" Bernie exclaimed, eyes widening and darkening with fury. "He's going to pay for this! By the time me and my aunt and uncle are done with him, he'll wish he was never born." Jules was grim and quiet, starting to agree.

SU

"You are either the bravest or stupidest man I've ever met," Aleena furiously snapped, outraged at being once again so brazenly commandeered. "With a word I could have you put to death!"

"Who would challenge you then, your majesty?" the man, Sleet, replied darkly, spinning her. She hated that it was for that very reason she had yet to call out for her guards to step in. Or even resist of her own volition, for that matter.

"What is your name?" she demanded.

"No doubt he's already told you," Sleet replied.

"He called you Sleet," she said. "Is that your true name or a false one?"

"Figure it out!" he snapped. "So far your deductions have been par for the course."

"Bite me!" she snapped, attempting to pull away.

"Careful! I just might," he fired back, yanking her back to him.

"Aleena!" she heard Jules call out, hurrying towards them with Bernadette. As they neared, the princess shoved her partner away and went for Jules' sword. Before the Commander could even register what she was doing, she had pulled it from its scabbard and held it directly towards her partner!

Sleet, completely taken aback, put up his hands quickly and stared at her in disbelief. Disbelief, though, quickly turned to anger, a scowl doubtless blossoming across his face. Without warning he lunged, seizing her wrists and trying to wrestle the blade away. She let him have it, but as he tore it from her hand, she tore his own sword from its sheath and put space between them quickly. In the blink of an eye, they were facing one another down with blades pointed tip to tip!

"Aleena!" she heard her mother exclaim in alarm.

"Aleena!" her father echoed.

The guests scattered fearfully, making way for the guardsmen and soldiers running to the princess' defense. Aleena barely noticed. Nor did Sleet. In that moment it was as if no one existed but them. "Oh, what's the matter? Thin skin, princess?" Sleet asked. She could hear the sneer in his voice. She lunged, attacking thrice in quick succession and forcing him to block her blows while backing rapidly away.

"Your highness!" Argus exclaimed, racing towards the two with his guards.

"Aleena!" King Max exclaimed, following suite with General Armand and the Knothole and Robotropolis battalions at his back.

Not to be interrupted, Aleena rapidly forced her opponent away from them. "Seize him!" she heard her father roar in outrage.

"Well, well, well, you know swordplay! Self-taught, no doubt. How precious! Precious, but ineffective," Sleet boisterously said, amusement lacing his tone.

He lunged at her and she parried the blow, but she knew that with his every attack and action, he was mocking her. He was not wrong to claim she was self-taught. On occasion Argus or her brother Chuck had tutored her, but it had mostly been up to her. She could wield a blade in ceremony and in duels, but in a true fight she was outclassed. She felt as much in each of his pulled strikes and slow-swinging slices. She cut at him and he moved back as if he were hardly trying. Her attacks were too unpracticed to be effective. She fought anyway. Not so much out of anger anymore, but out of determination. She watched how he moved, watched how he attacked, and she attempted to mimic it as best she could while simultaneously countering his own attacks. She hated, absolutely despised in fact, how inadequate he was proving her to be. He caught a blow, locking their blades while grinning in amusement, then shoved her backwards, causing her to stagger. She brandished her blade with two hands, eyes narrowed darkly at him.

As she glared at the man, amusement radiating from him, he looked passed her. Doubtless he was eying up those who would protect her from him, all of which were quickly closing in. Chuckling coldly, he replaced his blade and met her eyes. Cautiously she relaxed her own fighting stance and lowered her weapon. Nothing she said at this point would spare him, she knew. He knew it too. In silence they stared at one another until the guards seized the young man, wrestling him to his knees. He struggled viciously against them, but they wouldn't let him go. Eventually he gave up trying and just glared up at her. She watched in utter silence. As the edge of a blade was pressed against his throat from behind, she winced ever so slightly.

Angrily her father stormed forward, eyes ablaze. "You have made your last mistake!" the enraged king bellowed. "Execute him!"

"I attacked him!" Aleena exclaimed, looking sharply at her father.

"Silence!" her father shouted at her, spinning so fast she gasped and recoiled a bit. Never in her life had she seen her father so infuriated. Quickly Bernadette came up behind her, grasping her shoulders firmly and staring fearfully at the King, keeping her little cousin close to her.

Quickly recovering her courage, Aleena straightened up once more, scowling at her father. "I attacked him," she repeated through gritted teeth. It was exceedingly rare when she would talk back to her father or show blatant defiance to him. She loved him too deeply for that. At times, though, anger overcame patience and swallowed respect, and those were the times where she reacted.

"Argus!" she king furiously barked at the Captain. Argus shifted uncomfortably but gave no order. Darkly the king scowled at him. Normally the Captain obeyed his every order without question. Whenever Aleena spoke in opposition, however, the Captain's love for her unfailingly overwhelmed the love he felt towards his King, and he always took her side. Even to his own detriment. Aleena both loved and hated him for it. Hated because it meant that he was harmed for a fault not his own.

The king growled angrily and spun on his daughter. "Leave Aleena," he darkly ordered.

"No," she replied.

"Leave!" her father ordered.

"His fate is not yours to decide," she hissed. "It is I who have been offended, not you! I will choose what befalls him."

"You will do no such thing!" he shouted.

"I welcomed his challenge!" she shouted at her father. He started. "In fact, I invited it," she continued in a hiss.

There was a long, tense silence between father and daughter. "Then today will be the day you harshly learn that your actions have consequences," the King at last answered, tone dark. Aleena's eyes widened and she caught her breath fearfully. The King turned to Argus once more. "Kill the young man!" he snapped. Argus winced but held his ground, giving no order. "Then I'll do it myself!" the king declared, drawing his sword and marching quickly towards the captive. Sleet gasped, eyes widening in alarm.

"Father, no!" Aleena exclaimed, trying to get between them. Her cousin held her back though.

Suddenly Queen Sonya raced forth, sliding in between her husband and Sleet and spreading her arms wide. King Maurice stopped with a surprised gasp. "Stop!" Sonya fired sharply, holding her hand up to her husband. "You will not scar our daughter by punishing her actions as severely as this, Maurice. If you so much as think it, you will rue the day you married me. There is a life in the balance, and that life matters just as much as anyone else's! You will not flippantly order the execution of a man barely old enough to be called such. Not as long as I live and breathe!"

"Sonya..." he began to argue.

"No!" she firmly shot. Maurice stared at her in disbelief, lips parted in shock.

"Your majesty, I fought alongside this man. Surely his service, as brief as it was, counts for something," Jules spoke up. The king looked at the Commander in disbelief, then looked back towards the captive being protected by his fiery-eyed wife.

"If Aleena is the one he has offended, let Aleena be the one to sentence him," Queen Sonya said.

"Let the one to sentence him be the one who commanded him before any other did," a new voice spoke.

SU

Everyone turned quickly with gasps. From out of the crowd strode a large figure. He came to stand at Aleena's side. The princess caught her breath when she saw him, eyes widening. She recognized this man. The rejected suitor from the night of her Debutante Ball! The one who had come thrice with empty promises, then at last left in violence. She couldn't remember his name, but this particular suitor had stood out among the rest. Not for a single reason that was good either.

As established, Sleet was not a short man. At full height, the top of her hair barely reached his shoulders. This man was taller still. At full height, the top of her hair barely reached his chest. He was twice Sleet's width, and his bulging muscles rippled with every stride. His coat remained his most distinct feature, sleek and white like snow. The most beautiful she had ever seen. It was what she remembered most about him, aside from the rage with which he had left. It alone had almost caused her to consider and accept his offer of courtship, but while he had doubtless been the sort of man who could make a great many women swoon, she had felt only unease. In part that had been because of the mask he had worn at the time. The same one he wore now. Terrifying and grotesque, indescribable in its horror. She wondered to this day where he had found such a thing. It would have been impressive if it hadn't been so horrible. It hadn't been the mask alone, though, that had urged her to caution. Everything about him had felt wholly wrong, and given the way he had stormed off after her final rejection, her instinct had been right.

"Who are you?" King Maurice demanded, clearly not recalling the man. Perhaps that was for the best.

"I'm the one responsible for this man and all his actions," the newcomer said, glaring scathingly down at Sleet. "And I'll see to it he regrets his behavior."

"That was not what I meant," the king hissed. "Who are you?"

"Hmm… A son of a forgotten nation," the stranger answered simply.

"It is me that he wronged," Aleena argued, wary of where this was going.

"His punishment, highness, will be harsh but fair. Don't worry for his life," the stranger answered. "He's of more worth to me alive." Sleet sneered up at him.

"What is your name?" Aleena warily asked.

"My name, Princess, is Drago," he answered, smirking at her darkly. Eyes narrowed, she considered calling him out; however, he could very well be the only chance Sleet had. For the time being, she stayed quiet. Drago looked to Argus. "Let him up," he commanded. Argus looked from him to the king, then to Aleena. Aleena nodded. Argus grimaced a bit but nonetheless raised his hand in silent command for Sleet to be freed. The guardsmen let him go, but Sleet stayed on his knees. "Get up," Drago ordered. Sleet rose, fixing his companion with a dark, warning glare. Drago was getting too bold, he determined. For now, he would allow it. As long as Drago remembered who was in charge, when all this was said and done, everything would be just fine. "Where's your sword?" Drago asked.

"Ask the princess," Sleet replied coldly.

Drago looked at Aleena. Aleena frowned but nonetheless handed it over. Drago took the blade and looked to Sleet again. "Whose sword do you have?" he asked. Sleet huffed and threw the blade at Jules, who caught it quickly in surprise. "Hmm… Now what to do with you?" Drago said. Sleet's jaw twitched a bit. His employer was getting stuck, he immediately realized. He willed Drago to get it together.

"Mandatory military service!" Jules exclaimed. Drago, Sleet, Aleena, and King Maurice quickly looked over at him in shock. Jules tensed up a bit, almost shrinking back, but soon recovered his confidence. "Since he has so brazenly dishonored Princess Aleena and her family, sentence him to mandatory military service in honor of King Maurice and Queen Sonya," Jules said.

"No! For honor of my daughter Aleena," Queen Sonya quickly inserted. "She is the one he has most wronged, and so she will be the one whose honor he fights for."

Sleet couldn't hide the look of horrified disgust that crossed his face. Aleena looked equally appalled. Drago, noting Sleet's horror, smirked wickedly, clearly enjoying every second of this. "Judging by the mortified expression on his face, maybe that would be the best punishment. What say you, Sleet? Do you choose execution, or do you choose to become the Princess's knight?"

"Execution!" Sleet immediately replied without thinking, earning himself a disgusted look from Aleena

"Too bad that isn't your choice to make," Drago mocked. He looked to King Maurice. "See it through," he said.

King Maurice frowned, clearly displeased by this, but relented nonetheless. "Very well then," he said, turning back to the man in question. "Speak your name."

Sleet bared his teeth. "Speak!" the king shouted.

"His name is Sleet," Jules cut in.

King Maurice huffed, nodding. "Very well then." He looked to Sleet once more. "You defiant young man. Until you've served long enough to make up for the dishonor you have shown my daughter today, and reclaim your worth as a man, you shall be conscripted into her service and fight as her knight, standing against her enemies and the enemies of the royal family." Aleena looked dissatisfied, but never spoke up to protest. If she did, she knew she would only be told this was as much her punishment as it was his, for her goading his behavior. "Make no mistake, though. This title of knighthood you are now bestowed is a mockery, not a reward, and all who hear it will know you are a false and disgraced knight."

"What else is new?" Sleet bit, glaring at the King bitterly. He gasped when suddenly the king struck him with the hilt of his sword, snapping his head to the side. Aleena caught her breath as well, eyes widening. Sleet blinked a couple of times in shock, willed down the urge to retaliate, and forced himself to turn back to the man slowly and hold his tongue. It was best he not sink himself into a deeper hole than this. His disdain and disgust for the king, though, was written all over his face. He didn't even try and hide it.

"Take off your mask," the King ordered. Sleet was utterly still. "Take it off. This time there will be no reprieve," the King repeated menacingly. Sleet's hackles started to rise. The King looked at Argus. "Remove it for him," he ordered.

"Allow me," Drago spoke up, approaching and tearing the mask from Sleet's face in one deft motion. Sleet hardly had time to process it and immediately recoiled with a snarl!

SU

Immediately the atmosphere changed! Gasps rippled through the observing crowds, murmurs quickly starting up. Sleet tensed up and looked somewhat uneasily around at the faces of those observing. He despised the looks of shock and horror, and quickly turned back to the royal family, eyes narrowed darkly. He pinned the young princess beneath his gaze. She was to blame for this, as far as he was concerned. Aleena stood stunned and speechless. Her parents, cousin, and Jules could only gape in disbelief, rendered utterly silent.

"Y-you're a wolf," Aleena at last found her voice to say, scarcely able to believe her eyes. A wolf for certain, but not like any other wolf she'd ever seen, rare as they were.

"Not so intriguing now, are we majesty?" he sneered.

"The mask you wore symbolized your species," she numbly said, half to herself and half to him.

"The mask fit my muzzle, end of story, but you go on thinking whatever you want," he sneered at her. She stared into his eyes, still trying to process it all. This was what he had meant when he told her he was the son of a forgotten nation... She started when a second realization came to her. Drago had claimed the same thing!

"My gods. A primal wolf! I never thought I would see the day," Queen Sonya said, eyes wide. In fact the woman was absolutely flabbergasted! Bitterly the soldier turned away from them, eyes glittering spitefully.

"A primal wolf?" Jules asked.

"A wolf of pure and old blood," the Queen numbly explained. "They are different from the others, their lineage older and purer, so they retain a different appearance than most wolves we know today. But-but how can this be?"

"Aunty, I thought the primal wolves were all gone," Bernie numbly said.

"No dearest, no. Just... just almost gone," the Queen said, sounding almost dazed.

"Surely there can't be so few left," Jules awkwardly said.

"What that that were the case. The last census taken showed that wolves held one of the smallest populations on record, even discounting ones of his blood," Queen Sonya solemnly replied. She turned to him. "I fear that if we cannot stop their decline, and do not learn everything we can about their culture now, then all of it may be lost forever. Perhaps sooner than we know." Sleet grimaced, closing his eyes, and looking to the side. The Queen, noticing this, winced and took a measure of pity on him. She turned to her husband. "My love, put an end to this spectacle. Please."

"He isn't the only wolf present. There are two," Aleena suddenly said. The Queen quickly looked at her, eyes wide. Aleena turned to Drago. "Take off your mask," she said.

Drago bristled a bit, giving her a slightly dark look, but then smirked and chuckled, reaching up and pulling the mask from his face. The Queen and Bernadette let out cries, covering their mouths with eyes bulging wide. The King's jaw dropped about as far as it could physically go. Jules gawked, and exclamations of alarm and shock raced through the crowd. Aleena stared at the man, pale.

"He's Primal too!" Titus exclaimed from the observing throng.

"Two in one place? It's almost unheard of!" Countess Katrina added, sounding a little nervous.

Aleena was silent, still wrapping her head around this. "You and he both spoke of a forgotten nation. Are there still so many wolves left that they can be called a nation?" she at last found the words to ask.

"No. He and I are the only two of our kind that we currently know of," Drago replied. "We met up by accident, scrapped, I came out the dominant one, and he fell in line like a good dog." She frowned a bit at the choice in term. Sleet, meanwhile, growled warningly at his employer, giving him a dark look out the corner of his eyes. "We set out to look for others of our kind, but we ultimately failed. Just never got to splitting up after. Turns out we had some use for one another." He looked at Sleet. "You were always a piece of work. I'm not surprised you got yourself in trouble," he bit. Sleet sneered at him.

"You must be close if you two are among the last of your kind," Bernadette remarked.

Drago laughed sharply. "Princess, I wouldn't have cared even if he had been executed. We're not friends. I stepped in because we're one another's means to an end."

King Maurice looked at Sleet. "Where do you live?" he asked. Sleet was silent. "Answering was not an option," he darkly said to the wolf.

"I live in a house in the city," Sleet bitterly replied.

"You will return there under guard, then, to collect your things. Afterwards you will be promptly escorted back to the palace, where you will be put up in the army barracks. I would not advise, Sir Sleet, that you further test the limits of our patience. Commander Jules has testified on your behalf and your own Commander has put his neck out to save you. This is your last chance," the King said. "The barracks will be your home now, until you have made up for your gross disrespect towards my daughter."

"Oh, but she is so very easy to offend," Sleet mocked.

Aleena started and scowled, clenching her fists. "Offend her again and you may find yourself dying in a hole!" the King snapped furiously, rising instantly to his daughter's defense. Sleet winced and shut up.

"I will be his escort home and drag him back here physically if I must," Drago said.

"Very well," the King agreed. "If neither of you return, though, make no mistake. I will send an army out to find you."

"Oh, we have every intention of returning," Drago said, giving Aleena a look, a smirk playing across his lips. Aleena bristled a little, frowning. There was something in the way he said those words that made her skin crawl. For a moment, when he had stood up for Sleet, she had reconsidered rejecting him as a potential suitor. With these words, though, she was reminded of why she had done so in the first place.

"Then quit my sight," the King commanded.

"Nothing would give me more pleasure," Sleet replied. He got to his feet, giving the guards a disgusted look, then slinked off with Drago. As agitating as this was, it would still work in his favor in the end. After all, it put him that much closer to his contract. The king might as well have handed his daughter to him on a silver platter. He smirked darkly at the thought.

SU

Aleena watched them go and let out a breath, closing her eyes and bowing her head. "Thank you, your majesty, for sparing his life," Jules said to the King.

"Is your relationship with the man so close?" the King asked.

"No," Jules answered. "But I owe him a life debt, and I would like the chance to repay it one day."

"You have repaid it in full, Commander Jules. It is only because of you and his fellow wolf that he still lives. More you than Drago, though," the King said. "Hmm... That one seemed familiar somehow." Aleena bit her tongue to keep from blurting it out.

"So, shall we try one more time to make a go of this ball?" Bernadette asked.

"Once more," Aleena replied with a rueful smile, turning and taking Jules' hands in her own. He started then grinned a bit sheepishly.

"Only for your sake, Aleena, am I allowing this to continue at all," the King said. The evening had been thoroughly spoiled for him though. Aleena looked concernedly at her father.

"Maurice, lighten up dearest. You get to dance with me now," Queen Sonya said, smiling at her husband. The tension in the King's body seemed to melt away as he looked at his wife and gently smiled.

"Of course my love," he replied. She beamed up at him.

SU

Sleet marched into the house agitatedly, Drago smirking behind him. It was a good thing the King had allowed his employer to be his escort back, because he had yet to clean up signs of their previous kidnapping. Having to explain away cuffs, bonds, and gags would have definitely been classed as one of the least fun things he'd ever have to do.

"Why so sulky, Sleet? You're right in the princess's backyard now. She's as good as ours," Drago said.

"You couldn't have lusted over a less agitating one?" Sleet bit.

"She really got to you, didn't she?" Drago said, a note of amusement in his voice.

"She's a spoiled rotten little brat," Sleet said.

"She didn't seem spoiled to me," Drago said.

"The she's a rotten little brat!" Sleet amended, going to his room and starting to stuff things into a bag. Drago laughed at him. "Shut up!" Sleet snapped. "If you wanted to be in her backyard, you should have offered to take the punishment for me and gotten yourself named her mock knight."

"You're far more suited to war than I am," Drago replied.

"In what world?" Sleet demanded, going to the door of his room after getting everything he needed. "Dingo!" he sharply called.

There was a thump from upstairs, then scrambling footsteps as the little dingo pup raced down the steps, eyes wide. "Get your toys and your things! You and I are moving."

"Leave him here, Sleet. I'll take good care of him for you," Drago said, a dark smirk spreading across his face. Dingo looked momentarily terrified.

"Not on your life," Sleet said, glaring coldly at him and folding his arms.

"They may not even allow his presence you know," Drago said. "Would you rather he be put out on the streets, or left with me?"

Sleet was silent for a long moment. "On the streets," he at last answered, his voice like ice.

"Maybe he should pick," Drago said.

"I wanna stay with Sleet," Dingo fearfully said, looking from one to the other.

"And you will, little one. Go on. Pack your toys and your things," Sleet encouraged. Uneasily Dingo nodded and retreated up the stairs. Sleet doubled checked his room, spotted the remote he used on Dingo, and grabbed it, shoving it into the bag. None of them had much, so there weren't many things to gather. The lighter you travelled the faster you moved, and the more adaptable and flexible you were. Everything he had of worth could fit into a single bag. Much the same could be said for Dingo and Drago. If he was going to be living in the barracks, that was probably for the best. Of course, this new living arrangement begged the question of what they'd do with Dingo, and that was something he dreaded having to explore. He grimaced a bit. He'd figure it out, he told himself. It wasn't as if he had a choice. Leaving the pup with Drago wasn't going to happen.

Dingo soon returned, wide-eyed and nervous. "Sleet, are we goin' now?" Dingo asked.

"Yes, Dingo. We're going," Sleet said. Drago huffed. He, of course, would hold down the base here; but first things first, bring Sleet back to the castle and maybe ensure he was free to drop by whenever he pleased to check on his 'subordinate'. Darkly he smirked. Subordinate Sleet. He liked the sound of that.

SU

Aleena danced distractedly from partner to partner, subconsciously shunning conversation. Her thoughts kept drifting to the wolf with golden eyes, and she could think of little else. Guilt pricked at her. It hadn't been her fault he had gotten himself into such trouble, she told herself. Nor had it been her fault he was sentenced the way he had been. At least it wasn't imprisonment or execution. She couldn't help but wonder, though, if sending him off to war would inadvertently send him to his death anyway. She winced a bit at the thought.

"Aleena? Something the matter?" her current partner asked. Argus again.

"No. Nothing at all Argus," she replied, spinning.

"You're distracted. You can't fool me with that," Argus said. "If I can keep up with you in a dance, your heart's not in it."

"I'm sorry Captain. I'm just tired is all. Perhaps I also feel a little guilty about what befell the young wolf," she said.

"Why? He deserved it," Argus flatly replied. "At least it wasn't..."

"Imprisonment or death. I know. I've told myself as much," she said with a sigh. "But sending him off to war... It seems almost a belated execution. Especially if he is untrained."

"I'll tell you what. I'll hone in on his training to make sure he's prepared. I'm sure Commander Jules will too, considering of course the wolf even needs it," Argus said. She looked curiously at him. "If he saved Commander Jules and a battalion by himself, clearly the man has some measure of skill already. I wouldn't worry too much about him, your highness. Now come on. Head in the game. Embarrass me with your moves." She smiled at him and picked up the pace a bit, determined to focus on the dance. He grinned at her and followed as best he could.

Soon the dance came to an end and Argus bowed low to her. She curtseyed in turn, smiling, and the two went their separate ways. Aleena drifted off to the side to look out over the crowd, a small smile on her lips. Slowly that smile fell as she watched the dancing throng. She missed being challenged, she noted to herself. She scanned the ballroom and suddenly caught her breath when she saw her father and mother standing in the entrance addressing Argus, who doubtless had gone to find them directly after their dance. Curious, she approached.

Sensing her daughter's presence, Queen Sonya turned and forced a smile onto her lips. "Hello dear," she said.

"Mother, what is it?" Aleena asked, looking at Argus. She was not about to be distracted.

"The wolves have returned," King Maurice said. "One of the guards brought back a report. It seems they brought an... unexpected guest."

"An unexpected guest?" Aleena asked, puzzled.

"A pup," Argus said, looking at Aleena.

Aleena started, eyes widening. "Sleet's?" she asked immediately.

"Not by blood for sure. The pup is a dingo," Argus said.

"His mother could have been one," Aleena pointed out.

"Both wolves have said the pup doesn't belong to either of them. Seems he's a whelp Sleet found on the streets freezing in the rain," Argus said grimly.

"Sleet? Sleet of all people took in an orphan?" Aleena asked, visibly surprised by this.

"So it would seem," the King grimly said. "Now, though, the question arises as to what to do with the child. It would seem the boy has special needs Commander Drago is not equipped to handle, and a child can hardly stay in the barracks."

"The orphanage perhaps, dear?" Queen Sonya asked.

"My men said they tried to part him from the wolf. The child wouldn't be moved," Argus said.

"He's a child! Pick him up," King Maurice insisted.

Argus grimaced. "It's... not so simple as that, sir," he finally said, looking defeatedly at the king. "Maybe we should see the boy for ourselves."

The King and Queen were silent. At last the King turned to Aleena. "Aleena, you and your cousin make excuses for your mother and I to the guests, should they ask after us. We'll be back once we've sorted this out."

"I want to come," Aleena quickly said.

"No. No, dearest. Stay," her mother said. "Don't worry. We'll handle this."

They walked away with Argus, leaving Aleena puzzled and nervous. "Aleena, what's wrong?" she heard her cousin ask from behind. She turned and saw Bernadette standing nearby, Jules at her side looking equally concerned.

"A complication is all," Aleena replied, forcing a smile. "Bernie, you and I are to make excuses to the guests, should they ask after the King and Queen. My parents will be back soon, but for now we're on our own." Bernadette, looking concerned, nodded in understanding.

"What's the matter?" Jules asked.

"I don't know," Aleena said, looking back. "Something to do with a young orphan under Sleet's care. An orphan who, of course, can hardly live in the barracks and cannot be cared for by Drago. That's all I understood about the situation."

"This gets better and better," Jules wryly said. Aleena was quiet, staring in the direction her parents had gone.

SU

"Oh my," Queen Sonya said when she saw the dingo child. King Maurice looked flabbergasted. "Is-is that yours?" the Queen at last found her voice to ask in shock.

"He, not 'that', is most certainly not mine," Sleet replied, audibly annoyed. "He was a little urchin I found on the streets. Since no one else could be bothered taking him in, I did. Like an idiot." He looked back at the boy. "Tell them your name, little one," he said.

"Dingo," the child said in a voice that was certainly not how they expected a child to sound.

"How did he get so, um... big?" the Queen at last asked, looking mildly uncomfortable.

"Don't be shy, your Grace. You mean how is he so mutated," Sleet said. "He was experimented on by human scientists but got away. Simple as that."

"Oh my!" the Queen exclaimed in horror, eyes widening. "Little one, what happened to your parents?"

The child, Dingo, shifted. "Papa was killed, and I got taken away from mama and sold," he answered.

"Good gods!" the Queen exclaimed in appall. "Maurice!"

"I-I…" the King stammered, shocked and a little flustered.

Quickly the Queen turned back to the child. "Little one, oh my. You see this is most unfortunate. You can't... That is to say, Sleet is staying somewhere where-where a child can't!"

"Why?" Dingo asked, eyes wide.

"W-well..." Sonya began

"Because I'm going off with the soldiers, Dingo," Sleet said.

"Why are ya goin' away with soldiers, Sleet?" little Dingo questioned, looking up at him with big, wide eyes.

"Oh dear," the queen fretted, wringing her hands.

"He's playing us dear. Really now," the King hissed.

"The wolf might be, but not the child," the Queen hissed back.

"For all we know, he trained him to say it!" the King protested. He was looking less and less convinced though.

Sleet rolled his eyes and looked at Dingo. "We'll talk later," he said to the pup. "It's nothing you need to worry about right now. Right now, we need to decide where you'll stay."

"But I wanna stay with you! What if it's dark? I'm scared of the dark," Dingo protested.

"Try a little thing called a nightlight," Sleet replied.

"I forgot it, Sleet," Dingo said.

Sleet scowled at him in annoyance and hopelessly rolled his eyes. "Don't worry dear. We have some very nice nightlights here. You can pick one," the Queen said, smiling at the pup. Her smile was a bit forced, but the boy probably wouldn't notice.

Dingo shifted uncomfortably. "Okay," he finally said, bowing his head a bit.

"Sonya, what are you suggesting?!" King Maurice exclaimed, eyes wide.

"Darling, we can't send him far away from his caregiver!" Sonya exclaimed.

"Yes we can!" the king protested. "The orphanage isn't far besides."

"I don't wanna go to the orphanage!" Dingo protested, rapidly becoming upset.

"You won't have to, dear! There are all sorts of rooms in the palace, and some nannies we used for my niece and daughter," the Queen said. "Rosie Woodchuck is very nice."

"Sonya!" the King protested in alarm.

"Maurice!" she testily snapped. He shut up, instantly quelled. "We could very well end up sending his caregiver away to war for goodness sakes! The least we can do is ensure the boy is looked after in his absence." King Maurice grimaced then sighed, giving in to his wife's iron will. Hopelessly he nodded. "Don't worry, my love. Things will be fine," the queen soothed more sympathetically, gently squeezing his arm. The Queen turned to Sleet. "Is there anything the nannies should know?" she asked.

"Yes. Aside from the nightlight he also likes the door open a crack," Sleet said. "He likes to be where he can hear others as well. Being alone in the dark terrifies him, for obvious reasons, so he likes to know someone is just outside the room if possible."

"What do you do to soothe him?" the Queen asked.

"I sit and talk to him, or read, until the little pest falls asleep," Sleet replied. "He only needs to know someone is there, that's all. Walk out after he's drifted off and the next day he'll be perfectly happy."

"Are there any other special instructions?" the Queen asked.

"Sonya, really!" the King protested.

"Hush," the Queen darkly warned, giving her husband 'the look', as her daughter and niece had taken to calling it. He winced and backed down, quelled again.

"You know where to find me if you have questions," Sleet said. "His bedtime is no later than eight! And no snacks after seven. If he has a nightmare and you try to soothe him, do so from afar. Don't let him get his hands on you. He can pick me up no thanks to the experiments he was put through."

"How do you soothe him from such horrors?!" the Queen exclaimed.

"Hope and pray," Sleet bluntly replied. Or turn him into an object that couldn't do harm, but they didn't need to know that part.

"Sir Sleet!" the Queen protested in dismay.

"Sir now, is it? Fine. Recite a rhyme or sing a song or something," Sleet brushed off. "Or get behind him and pin his arms so he can't grab you. If you're particularly strong, try your hand at picking him up."

"Oh dear," Queen Sonya fretted again.

"Dingo, I won't be far," Sleet said, kneeling next to him. "You'll like it in the palace. Besides, I might have some use for you here," Sleet murmured too quietly for the King and Queen to hear.

"Work Sleet?" Dingo asked.

"Yes Dingo. Not now. We'll talk later," Sleet said.

"Okay. If you won't be far," Dingo said.

Sleet nodded and rose, turning to the King and Queen. "Escort him to the barracks, Captain Argus," King Maurice said.

Argus nodded and approached, taking the wolf's arm. "Get off me!" Sleet snapped, jerking his arm away from the Captain with a scowl. "I can walk myself." Turning, he marched back towards the main doors. Argus shook his head in exasperation and followed. Clearly the canine wasn't going to be fun to get along with.

The King and Queen turned to Drago. "Commander Drago, you're free to join the festivities again if you'd like," Queen Sonya said.

"Thank you, Majesty," Drago said with a smirk, bowing. He departed their company without question.

The Queen looked at the child and gently smiled. "Come Dingo. Let's get you settled why don't we?"

"Okay," Dingo agreed. "But what about Sleet?"

"Don't worry about Sleet, little one. He'll be alright. There are just not enough beds in the barracks for you both, but there's a very nice room here. Would you like me to show you? It looks out towards the barracks and training yard, where you can always see where Sleet is. It's near my own room," the Queen said. Dingo hesitated a moment, looking after Sleet once more, then turned to her again and nodded. She smiled. "Come then. Let's go." She offered him her hand. He stared at it blankly, not sure what to make of it, but soon reached up and took it, albeit somewhat reluctantly. She just smiled again at him and led him away. King Maurice hefted a heavy sigh, shaking his head, then returned to the ballroom.

SU

Aleena, completely lost in thought as she went over all the events of the night, gasped in surprise when she felt her hand seized in the painful, vicelike grip of a new partner. Quickly she looked up at him, eyes wide, and her stomach dropped, breath catching in her throat. Her mouth went dry. It was him. The white wolf! Suddenly she felt like she'd rather be anywhere but here.

The man began to grin. That grin unsettled her, and every part of her screamed to get away. She told herself the fear was irrational, he had done nothing against her after all, but her mother had always told her to trust her gut, and right now her gut was telling her she was in more danger than she knew. She tried to remind herself not to judge him, but her self-preservation instinct was unwilling to let that happen.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the pretty young princess who couldn't be deigned to accept a suitor," her new partner said. "Now this is truly an honor."

"Thank you, my lord," she answered. She regretted her words immediately when she saw the hungry grin spreading across his lips, and his equally hungry eyes. "I-I'm afraid I've forgotten your name again," she lied, trying to distract him.

"Hmm… You'll learn it in time, my sweet," he replied, not buying it. He was clever in his own right, it seemed.

"Have you a right to call me your sweet when I've only just met you for the second time?" she asked, frowning and fixing him with a stern look.

"Apologies your highness. The pet names sometimes just spill out," he said.

"Ensure they are stopped up next time," she warned. "As compensation for your offense, I would ask you to remind me of your name."

"Offense? You wound, highness," he said. He still offered her no name, so she gave up the ruse and shifted a bit uncomfortably, looking uneasily up at him. "You seem frightened. Am I so intimidating as that?"

She let out a breath she'd barely been aware she was holding. "No. Not at all. It's just… I'm not used to all of this. The night besides has been… overwhelming."

"If you want to get away from the crowds, princess, I'm sure there are all sorts of hidden little nooks in this palace of yours where we can go," he said.

"Or just me," she replied, a chill in her voice.

He chuckled a bit. "You're a hard woman," he said.

"I'm a practical one," she replied.

"Hmm," he said. He was dancing her away from the greater part of the crowd, she noticed. She was uninclined to follow him and set to work attempting to direct his step back towards people.

"What is the nature of your relationship to Sleet?" she asked.

"Partners in crime, so to speak," he said.

She frowned a bit. Given what Sleet had claimed to be, the meaning behind those words could be darker than she knew, she wryly noted. "In crime?" she asked.

"Figure of speech," he replied.

"Is it now?" she replied, sounding unconvinced.

"Jumpy little thing, aren't you?" he asked.

"As royalty I must be," she replied.

"Well now you have Sleet as canon fodder, as well as all your guards, so I'd say you're pretty well off," Drago answered.

"I will ask no one to sacrifice their lives for me. I doubt Sleet would do so anyway," she answered.

"You're right there. The only one Sleet's ever looked out for has been himself," Drago said.

"What of the dingo pup?" she asked.

"He uses that kid like he uses everyone else. The whelp is useful," Drago said. "Sleet's never been one to waste a resource."

"How disgusting!" Aleena said in appall.

"The real world outside these palace walls, princess, says that to get ahead you step on whoever you need to. Sleet knew as much from childhood and ran with it. Adapted damn well too," Drago said. "You're hard pressed to find a man as ruthless and cunning."

Aleena was quiet, mulling the information over. It gave rise to the question of what these two were doing at this ball in the first place. If Sleet's mockeries were anything to go by, nothing good. Particularly not for her. "What is your purpose here?" Aleena asked.

"Purpose?" he asked.

"Yes. Purpose. There's no reason, it seems, that either of you should be here," she said.

"We can't just crash a party?" Drago asked, grinning. "Careful with your prying, princess. One day it may come back to bite you. Literally," he warned. Aleena shifted uncomfortably at the many potential implications of those words. "If you must know, my reasons for being here center on you and another chance at being given the opportunity to be considered a suitor. Sleet's reasons are Sleet's alone." Aleena frowned, mulling this over. "I did save his life you know," Drago said. "See? I'm not so bad. I've improved myself since last we met! A changed man. Besides, surely one good turn deserves another."

"Very well. I will humor you, but humoring is all I will do," she answered. "Do not step in the lineup, I warn you."

He grinned wolfishly. "So be it," he said. Already Aleena foresaw herself regretting this.

SU

"Attention all, may we have your attention please?" the Queen suddenly said, freshly returned from dealing with the matter of the pup. All eyes went to her and the King. Bernie approached Aleena and smiled, taking her hand and pulling her away from Drago, leading her towards the throne where she would stand with her parents. Aleena let out a shaking breath of relief, glad for the excuse to get away from the would-be suitor.

"The evening, while bumpy, has been for the most part wonderful and joyous. We thank you all, every one, for attending the annual debutante ball," the King said as Aleena and Bernadette joined he and Sonya on the platform. "To that end, we call an end to the ball. Goodnight, every one of you, and may you depart satisfied."

"Now is the time, young and hopeful suitors, to fetch your gifts and plan your vows, and line up before my daughter's throne to ask her hand in courtship," the Queen said. The crowds clapped and slowly the guests began to disperse, say for the young men who desired to stay and try their luck with the young princess.

"Princess Aleena, Princess Bernadette, it was my greatest pleasure to be in your company," Jules said, approaching the two and bowing to them. "Certainly more a pleasure for me than others," he joked, referencing Sleet. Aleena rolled her eyes at the mention of the man. Jules smiled at her and rose. "Let me guess. Don't stand in the lineup?" he asked. She smiled ruefully, nodding. "So be it," Jules said with a laugh.

Inwardly Bernadette winced, but forced away the spike of jealousy determinedly. She wished nothing but the best for her little cousin, she firmly reminded herself. Even if the best meant giving up on Jules… "Jules, I would treat you with an open invitation to the palace," Bernadette said.

"How could I ever refuse such a generous invitation?" he asked, smiling. "I'm already bound to the training yard for practice with my men, so why not?"

Bernie grinned and turned to her aunt and uncle. "Aunty, Uncle, does this please you?" she asked.

"It pleases us well, my dear," the King replied with a smile. He turned to the crowds, watching them disperse. Slowly his smile fell as his thoughts drifted back to the man Sleet. Something about this whole situation just didn't sit right with him, and he hated that he couldn't put a finger on it. With a sigh, he let it go and smiled fondly at his family. They were safe here in the palace at his side, he assured himself. Nothing within these walls would ever harm them as long as he lived and breathed...