Disclaimer: I do not own the Fable universe. Characters you do not recognize were created by me for the purposes of this story. Balverine culture, beliefs and characteristics have mostly been made up by me, as there is not a lot of information out there. Most of what I describe are wolf characteristics, but not all as I have taken some creative liberties. Story contains scenes of a very mature nature, do not continue if anything of that nature could offend you (sex, violence, sub/dom, non-con).

Any and all feedback is always appreciated! Thank you for taking the time to read! All the best! - Fallon.

Chapter Fifteen

"Daddy?"

Ezra looked up from his book and into the curious eyes of his daughter, "Yes, dear?"

"Where is my mummy?" She asked as she climbed up into his lap.

Ezra held her close and ran his fingers through her hair, "Vienna had to leave, my dove."

Shiloh gripped his coat with her tiny hands, "W-Why?" Her lip trembled. She had come home from playing outside and searched the mansion, but hadn't been able to find her. No one had helped her either, they all just ignored her pleas and stared blankly at her. Shiloh felt like everyone knew except her, but she had no idea why they wouldn't just tell her.

Ezra sighed, "She hurt me, sweetheart, betrayed me...I asked her to leave because I feared she would hurt you too."

"S-She never hurt me, daddy." Tears fell down her rosy cheeks, "never..."

He sat her on his knees and made her look at him, "But she would have, Shiloh, just as she hurt me."

"I don't believe that," Shiloh muttered as her eyes turned glassy, "M-Momma..."

Her real mother had died giving birth to her, or so she was told, and Vienna had effectively taken her place. Vienna had raised her, fed and clothed her, read to her and tucked her into bed at night. She liked to think she was grown up, but the thought of not having Vienna to do those things really worried her.

"Shhh," Ezra soothed, "It will all be alright, my dove."

She clung on to his voice, "P-Promise?"

He kissed her forehead, "I promise."

She had to believe him, he loved Vienna as much as she did, right?

Shiloh kissed his cheek, "I love you."

"I love you too, dove." Ezra brushed aside her tears, "Now tell me, what did you see Uncle Von doing?"

She sniffled and accepted the tissue he offered her, "Thank you, daddy. I've been watching Uncle Von, just like you asked me! He hasn't been doing much though, except hanging around the smelly part of Bowerstone with the Princess. He looks sad a lot, and he watches the Princess a lot. I heard a loud man with yellow hair say they are going on a boat ride, to a place called Auwowa."

Aurora.

Ezra was not bothered with the news of their impending trip to Aurora. Something else Shiloh had said troubled him far more, "Watches her?"

She nodded, "Funny like."

"Hmm," he wondered, "did you manage to follow him into the tunnels you told me about last time?"

She shook her head, "I was afraid to, I saw dead things in the water and it was dark."

He rubbed her back, "You've done good, Shiloh."

Her eyes perked up, "Have I?"

"Yes," he embraced her, "in fact, I have a surprise for you."

"Really!"

Ezra nodded, a smirk plastered on his lips, "You'll have a new mother soon, my dove, a far better one."

Shiloh pouted and the tears threatened to fall again, "But I liked Vienna...a lot, daddy."

"I know," he said softly, "but this one won't hurt me..."

She thought for a moment, her tiny lips twisting, and rested her head on his shoulder, "Okay, daddy..."

Von kept his gaze down as they waited for Page and Ben to join them.

Maya was doing the same, and Walter kept looking between the two trying to figure out what was going on. He supposed it was better than having them arguing all the time, but the sudden silence between them was unnerving. Around the two of them, Walter always felt like he was missing something.

Finally, Ben strode around the corner followed closely by Page.

"About bloody time," Walter snorted, "we've put this off too long already!"

Page nodded, "Agreed, but we have to do this right, Walter."

Ben gripped his rifle, "Well, I don't know about all of you, but I'm ready to shoot something!"

Maya moved to his side, "Me too."

Von watched her from the corner of his eye.

"So," Page began with a big sigh, "Walter and I will ready the explosives to distract the guards while the Princess and Ben make for the docks. Wolf-boy here will cover you two from the roofs and meet up with you at the boat. Are we all clear?"

Von shuddered at her use of 'wolf-boy'...and at the idea of Ben Finn covering Maya, but nodded. There was no use in arguing anything.

"Right then," Walter clapped his hands together, "get to it!"

Ben sprinted off down the tunnel as the rest headed off to execute their part of the plan. Maya stopped abruptly and looked back at Von. His ever-lovely eyes reflected extreme sadness, and she felt guilty for the previous night. But what she felt...it couldn't be right. Befriending a balverine was one thing, but loving one? What would Walter think? Or greater still, what would her country think?

Von nodded to her and she offered him a pathetic smile. He was just looking at her, and yet she felt he could see right through her.

Embarrassed, she turned and hurried to catch up to Ben.

He watched her until she disappeared from sight, and then quietly left the sewers by another exit.

"Ben, get down!"

She hurled a ball of fire at the barrels and ducked as they exploded, clearing out the warehouse of guards. The resulting shock wave rocked the earth beneath them. Maya giggled as it reverberated through her body.

"I told you they were flammable!" Ben shouted as he hurried to snuff out the embers on his sleeve.

She shrugged, smiling all the while, "Yes, yes you did."

"And yet you still did that!"

She pushed past him, "Yup!"

Ben groaned and bolted after her, running up a flight of stairs and then jumping over the edge of the platform. He stumbled a bit when he hit the ground. "Damn!"

"Coming dear?" Maya teased, laughing as he ran after her. Neither had brought up the kiss they had shared and Maya was thankful for it. She hoped it would stay that way after the fighting was over, as she really didn't want to have to tell him it was nothing. Maya cursed Von for planting that doubt in her mind - why did he even care?

Even as she asked herself the question, deep down inside she knew the answer. Any doubts she had about his feelings had been cleared up in the tavern. The memory of him grabbing her arm, of his pressing his forehead to her's...it was enough to send shivers down her spine.

They sprinted around the corner, both knowing they were almost there, and were greeted by twenty rifle barrels.

"Damn..." Maya gasped under her breath.

Ben raised his hands, "Umm...I don't suppose 'sorry' is enough, boys?"

"Ben!" Maya spat, "This isn't the time nor the place to be a smart-ass!"

He offered her an apologetic shrug, but kept his hands raised.

A burly guard stepped forward and pointed a finger at them, "Any last words, rebel scum?"

Maya looked at Ben, then back to the guard, "Yeah."

"Then spit it out!"

She smiled, "Tell my brother to go kiss Skorm's -"

A sudden blast blew off the top of the warehouse next to them, sending it shooting into the sky like a bird taking flight. Dust filled the sky, obscuring the stars and filling everyone's lungs. Maya ducked and Ben dove for cover. The guards scattered like mice as chunks of debris came falling down.

She tried to find Ben, but the dust clouded her eyes.

"Ben!"

She thought she could faintly hear him calling her name, but more explosions rocked the ground and more buildings crumbled around them. She supposed this what the distraction Page had referred to and wished the rebel leader had given them a bit more warning.

Maya cussed and tried to stand, but the chaos left her spinning and she quickly fell to her knees as rubble pounded her back.

She covered her ears with her hands and prayed to Avo to make it all stop.

Mortar fire soon joined the explosions, and Maya guessed Logan's men were fighting back. More dust was thrown into the air.

A violent cough tore through her body and she slumped to the ground, too tired and disoriented to do anything more.

Von saw her through the dust and made a dash for her. He didn't know where the Captain was, but he didn't care.

He jumped over a fallen chimney and rolled onto the ground, only to return to his feet in a fluid motion. His lungs burned, but that would have to wait.

Only a few feet from her, Von heard yet another blast - only it was from a mortar. The whizzing sound ended with a bang as a building to his right imploded. Logan's men were apparently too well trained to be fooled by their distraction.

He slid, but righted himself just in time to grab her. He scooped her up into his arms and shielded her head as more debris fell from above.

She was limp, and it scared him, but he kept going.

He saw a doorway up ahead and started towards it, intent on reaching its shelter before the large chunks of stone started falling.

The falling dust grew thicker and he pushed himself to go faster. Slowing down or letting up wasn't an option.

Von heard the chunks start to hit the ground behind him and he growled as he finally reached the doorway. He pinned Maya between himself and the wooden door, hugging her close to keep the stone off of her.

Even as stone rained down on them, he couldn't help but take the opportunity to smell her hair. His arms under her own to hold her up, he slipped them around her into an embrace.

He closed his eyes as stone pounded his back but he didn't make a sound, even as the rough corners of the rubble tore into his flesh.

Maya stirred against him as the world grew mercifully quiet.

He pushed back, edging the rubble away from them after a while, and looked down at her. She was covered in dust and had more than a few scrapes, but he saw no broken, protruding bones or dislocated joints.

He glanced over his shoulder and saw the dust settling over what had once been a street.

A small hand pressed to the center of his chest and he looked back to find Maya weakly looking back at him. "Hey," he whispered hoarsely, the dust thick in his throat.

She coughed lightly and clenched his shirt into the palm of her hand, "V-Von?"

"You're alright, kid."

She closed her eyes, "G-Get me out of h-here..."

He nodded and pushed back to give himself room to get her out easily.

"Von! Maya!"

He raised his arm, grimacing as his torn flesh twisted, "Here!"

Frantic footsteps hurried in their direction and soon enough Walter was there, digging them out of the doorway.

"You two alright there?" He asked, not stopping his work. "You did good getting in there."

"I am," Von answered, "Maya was speaking, but she's quiet now. Back up, Walter."

The knight did as he was told.

Von braced his arms on either side of Maya and pushed back. His ribs snapped and his muscles twisted as he used his balverine strength to force the rubble back. He swore as his bones stretched and his ligaments snapped and then reattached themselves. His clothes stretched at the seams but managed to hold. Caught between his two forms, he didn't dare change all the way.

"Here," Walter stretched out his arms and Von passed Maya up to him.

"You're alright, dear," the old man whispered to the silent woman.

Von quickly freed himself and coughed up more dust, "S-She...alright?"

Walter pressed his ear to her lips and felt her breath on his skin, "She's breathing, let's get her on the ship and get out of here."

Von followed Walter as he carried Maya. They rounded another bend and found Ben waiting for them on a ship - the only one to survive the bombardment.

"Good to see you found a way out," Von sneered as he saw the Captain.

Ben leaned on the wheel of the ship, "Thought I'd let you play hero today, balverine."

Von snarled, baring his teeth at the smug casanova.

"Enough!" Walter demanded, "Von take her down and find her some place to rest. Ben and I will get this beast out to sea."

Ben gasped and glared at Von, "Why him?"

"Because he saved her life, that's why, so he's good in my books," Walter passed Maya off to Von and grabbed the wheel, "come on, Ben, make yourself useful."