John was pacing back and forth. He was, well he didn't know how he was feeling. He knew Tristen should have been up by now, unless he had a very good sleep, and the only time he slept this late was when he had someone on top of him. He was outside Lo's room with Drez nearby, who was in a much calmer mood.

"You know the lass wouldn't sleep with farmboy, she detests the lad and kicked him in the balls for gods sake."

"You know Tristen never sleeps in this long normally, even by his standards this is late."

"Your just jealous of him."

"No I am not."

"Then why was it when you saw them kissing you stormed off."

"I, I needed to go to the healers tent, because..."

"Because you had your heart crushed."

"I am not in love with her, I just like her."

"No, how me and her are is liking each other, you love her."

"It's not important, where the hell is Tristen?"

"Trying to change the subject."

"I am not in love with her."

"When you first saw her what did you think?"

"Nothing, my mind went blank."

"And then you couldn't look away, right."

"Maybe."

"Your farther should have already told you about this stuff. I just hope I don't have to explain where the moles and the mice come from."

"Moles and mice?"

"When a mummy and a daddy love each other very much."

"Yes, I know that, but the metaphor above ground is the birds and the bees."

"But don't they both come out of eggs?'

"Yes. What's your point?"

"Sorry, just I haven't seen any human eggs yet."

Lo stretched her arms before opening her eyes. Fengir was still on top of the boy she had fooled last night, that made her happy. Step two of her plan was about to be put into motion, when she said she was going to test John she hadn't lied, she wanted to know if he would trust her. She pulled herself up slowly before walking to the dresser she had in a corner and pulled out a small, unopened box. Inside was a thick sheet of wood with large circular pieces carved out and filled with coloured powders and pastes. Anise had given her the make-up kit the day she left Nordberg, saying that the southern ladies supposedly wore the stuff. Lo hadn't opened the box till today, she hasn't really wanted to wear the stuff but she finally had a use for it.

She ran a single finger through a slightly red paste before grabbing Tristen's discarded tunic and applying a slightly lip shaped mark to the collar. The next part would be slightly more disgusting. She looked on her pillow and found a single red strand of hair. With a slight hiss and trying to avoid looking, she pulled his waistband and slipped the hair in slightly above his crotch so that it was clearly visible.

Lo lifted the boys head before pulling her hand back and slapping him. Tristen eye's went wide as a slight red mark started to appear on his cheek. She grabbed his ear pulling him sharply before walking towards the door.

"Can you make me some breakfast?" Tristen murmed, still half asleep.

"How dare you ask for that! " Lo yelled as she opened the door, "oh, hello John, Drez are you still up for going to the dwarven district, I need a new bow."

"Sure lass."

"Oh, and take your shirt with you." She threw his top at him before slamming the door shut. She pressed an ear against the door. From the voices coming from the other side, her plan was working better than she thought.

"So humans don't come out of eggs?" Drez asked, the whole metaphor was incredibly confusing.

"No, they're born just like dwarves are."

"Then why the birds and the bees?"

"I suppose it's picturesque."

John looked to the door as Lo threw Tristen out, shouting about him asking for something but John didn't pay attention. Even when she's just woken up she's amazing.

John shook his head as Lo slammed the door shut, then threw Tristen's tunic out, and then slammed the door again.

Tristen glanced to the prince, then Drez, then back to John, then back to the dwarf again. "This isn't what it looks like."

Drez gave a chuckle. "What did you ask for?"

"Er, breakfast."

John raised an eyebrow. "And she kicked you out for that? It seems rather unlikely."

"I have no idea why, that girl is insane."

"What exactly happened last night?"

"Nothing. She had her wolf jump on me."

"You would never sleep on the floor, we both know that."

"Okay, I may have been topless and on her bed."

Drez gave a laugh. "That sounds more like you farm boy."

"And how did you get there?" John asked, he was beginning to like this situation less and less, the person that he lo... liked a lot, might have slept with someone else. At times he didn't trust his friend, he had lied to him before about something like this. When they had found out about the marriage, John had gone into a bit of a slump. He liked Lady Elise's daughter, a girl of his age named Alex with a smile that would have melted the ice in Nordberg. Tristen had considered her fair game.

"She cooked some food, she flirted with me, I thought I might have won her over with my brilliant charm and dashing good looks, then when the time for, well you know, she has her wolf jump on me."

"Er, Farmboy," Drez began, " why is one of her hairs sticking out of your trousers above your groin?" The dwarf had discovered that his height was very unfortunate when dealing with tall humans.

"I have no idea."

Drez laughed. "Why would s girl's head be near that area?"

"And why would you have lip colouring on your collar?"

"I seriously, do not know how any of that happened."

"Tristen, I am going to ask you a very simple question. Did you sleep with Lo?"

"What? No. She convinced me she wanted to and then cut me off."

"Okay I believe you, now please put your shirt back on."

Tristen did as he was asked before walking off, mentioning something about finding breakfast before Drez moved to his side. "Do you really trust him?"

"Only about as far as I can throw him. I need to speak with Lo, she'll tell the truth."

"There's a reason mine and her kind don't trust each other, I think she's different but I can't be too sure."

Lo had mixed feelings, so far everything was going to plan, but the dwarf's last comment had set her off guard, perhaps they weren't as close as she thought. Anyway, she'd have to wait for the rest of the plan to take effect, and, after sleeping next to Tristen she really needed a bath.

Lilith couldn't help but smile as she watched from the balcony of the room opposite to Lo's. The guards and butcher's boy were so polite to let her pass without girl did well to plan something so quickly, and to set it up so well. But she was stupid, so many ways for someone to interpret her motives. All it would take was some subtle manipulation and she could have anything done to the girl. She couldn't help but tut at her, she had talent, it just needed refining, or pushing in the write direction.

She couldn't be killed, that would ruin the plan, maybe prison, although there would be no way to talk to her easily. Well, there was one punishment that would suit their purpose ideally, the king would just need a slight push in the right direction, maybe the prince as well and the butcher's boy could serve a role as well, scapegoats were incredibly valuable.

John knocked on the door to Lo's room, it had been an hour since Tristen had left Lo's room and he had judged it to be a suitable amount of time before confronting her. Since there was no reply he knocked again. This time the heavy door swung open, revealing Lo standing there in her normal blue dress.

"Ah John, what do you want?"

"I just came to see how you were doing, after your night with Tristen."

"Fine."

"Sorry, just you seem chirpier than usual, any reason for that?"

"Not really, I just had a very good night's rest."

"Any reason that you slept so well?"

"I think I might be finally getting used to the south."

"What about it? Food, climate, people?"

"I'm thinking all three."

"Any person in particular?"

"Are you insinuating something John? It seems more like an interrogation then a conversation between friends."

"Did you sleep with Tristan?"

"I slept next to him, but nothing else."

"Then why did you kiss him yesterday?"

"He kissed me if you hadn't noticed."

"But you didn't push away.

"I wanted to teach him a lesson."

John felt something inside him snap, something he didn't even know he had. "What, that if they try hard enough you'll screw anybody."

"Where did that come from?"

"I don't know, maybe the mark on his collar, the hair sticking out from the top of his trousers, you tell me where they came from. Do you know what, I'll go to Tristen, I'll make him tell me the truth."

"But nothing happened." Lo started to yell as John walked out of the door. She wanted to teach him a lesson but this was spiralling out of control, she hadn't expected such a dire reaction from him. Little did she know, that he was no longer in control.

John cursed under his breath, he'd never been so angry before, and he didn't know why. Tristen was going to pay, he had to pay. Lo deserved someone better than that whore-mongering, self serving, arrogant bastard. He knew Tristen would be training, he always trained in the morning, making sure it was outside Emily's room. While it should have annoyed John more that Tristen aimed for his sister, he always knew his sister was a nasty piece of work. She'd grown up for six years thinking she would be on the throne, and despised him for taking that away from her.

But that didn't matter now he had business to take care off.

Lo heard a knock at the door before it was smashed open, the king walking in with Tristen at his side, covered in bruises and a range of small cuts.

"What happened?" She asked moving closer to Tristen, her hands glowing a pale blue as she placed them on his arm and his skin started to bind together.

"My son, happened. What you do with Tristen?"

Lo gave an innocent smile. "Nothing."

"Then why is my son unconscious after attacking him."

"That was not me."

Baleon gave a sigh. "Take the shirt off boy."

"What?"

"The only way we can prove this to him is to have someone else tell him. And the only way I'll tell him is if I know. So take the bloody shirt off!"

"But, in front of her?"

"If you're anything like your father I'd be surprised if you went with her wearing breaches."

Tristen hesitantly removed his shirt. Still afraid of me, that's good.Baleon looked at the red mark before moving it next to Lo's lips. He threw it to the side, a look of contempt across his face. "Get out boy."

Tristen tried to grab his shirt from the Baleon's iron grip but gave up after a few tugs. Baleon brought his hand back and tried to slap Lo, but his blow bounced off the air around her, a slight smile started to appear on her face. "You think this is funny girl? You think playing with people's feelings and having them fighting each other is a game? Answer me now!"

Lo felt scared, for the first time in her life without there actually being a chance of physical harm. She could snap her fingers and the man would be torn apart, but something told her it wouldn't work. She gave a slight gulp. "No."

"Then why?"

"I, I don't know."

"Yes, you do. Know, tell me!"

"I, I was tired of constantly being tested I though ..."

"No you weren't."

"I thought ..."

"No you didn't, you didn't think, you thought it would be fun. I fought long and hard to make sure my people were safe from monsters, and I will not have my son ensure the torture of being married to you, I want you out."

"I'm sorry, I'll explain to John, please, I didn't want to hurt anyone, I'm sorry, give me a week, if not I'll go back to Nordberg."

"I don't mean out of my house, I mean out of my kingdom."

"But, there's only one known place that you don't rule, please don't send me there."

"I don't care for your opinion girl, the wasteland is better than you deserve. If the boy didn't still have feelings for you I would have made a proper example of you."

"John has feelings for me?"

"How could you not have known."

"How should I have known, I've been trying to avoid people falling in love with me." It was true, when she'd been at the college she'd avoided boys, but it was difficult, apparently her looks hadn't gone unnoticed and many considered her exotic because she was an elf.

"I don't care. My men will escort you till you arrive at the edge, then the paladins will give you some supplies, when you're in there though your on your own."

A/N This story's going to be on a short break while I write a few other fics, should be roughly one week.