The days began to pass slower than usual, they seemed to drag like the first days of the princess being gone. Once Elric and Sottises had gotten into a routine without the Princess it became easier, but it was easy to see that both he and Sottises struggled in her absence.

16 days later Elric had still not received word on the return of the princess however preparations were made for a party for her. Nobles and rich families from everywhere were coming to the palace, their carriages were parked and filling up the courtyard space where they sat, the horses were dutifully taken care of in the stables by the stable hands and Elric watched herds of people walk back and forth around the palace grounds.

His father hadn’t visited him, no mail came for him like it did every few weeks from the princess, he even saw less and less of the young maids who typically hung around him during the day and brought him treats during the evening. He presumed they had been taken for jobs of taking care of the visitors of the palace while they stayed. The abundance of people around the palace seems to make him feel even lonelier than usual. Even Sottises would sadly watch people pass by, he seemed hopeful that one would be familiar, but none of them ever were and he would drop his head into the dirt and his silvery eyes would follow people as they walked back and forth. Beautiful noble women would stop and coo at him in awe of his beautiful colours then carry on with their day, only giving Elric a sweet smile and wave before continuing on.

The Queen had begun having lavish parties the last few days as more and more guests arrived while awaiting for the princess to return. Every night the palace seemed to come alive with dancing and music that he could hear from his loft.

Tonight he sat on a bale of hay facing the palace, a needle and thread in hand as he worked carefully on fixing his own shirt which Sottises had ripped during training. Sottises sat half in and half out of one of the doors of the stable, his head resting on a hay bale beside him. Sottises let of a soft mewl as he shifted his head off of the hay bale and looked up to Elric.

“Don’t whine Sottises…” He responded quietly as he tied a knot and nipped the thread with his teeth. He stood and stretched with a yawn. “It's not becoming…” Elric gave one more sad look back at the palace before he kicked the hay bale from the way of the door before waving Sottises inside. The tarragon sadly backed himself into the stable and curled in his spot by the painting on the wall, letting out his usual sad noises before he tucked his face below his wing.

Sabina gave an irritated groan before turning her body the other way to face the wall opposite him. She buried her head beneath a pile of hay and settled into her hay bedding with a loud and content sigh.

Elric listened to Sottises and Sabina both snore loudly as they fell into sleep, he sat at the table below his loft area, lighting the lantern beside him. He continued carefully stitching the tears in his shirt with the needle and thread. At some point he found himself absently staring at his hands without moving them, and lost track of how long he had been sitting there. He heard thunder crack overhead, causing Sottises to stir only slightly before shifting back into sleep. The only good thing about the dragons sleeping patterns is typically loud noises did not cause him to stir, with thunderstorms being common during the late summer and fall he learned to sleep well through them.

Elric leaned his head onto his hand and stared into the dark stable shifting his eyes between Sabina, with her head buried in the hay, and Sottises with his head hidden below his wing. The rain poured onto the roof, causing a relaxing noise that lulled him into sleep. His eyes slowly closed and soon he was nodding off at the table.

A knock sounded at the door of the stable and woke him from his daze.

“Come in.” He called softly as he stirred, but the door did not open, “Come in!” he called a bit louder, trying to be careful not to wake the sleeping dragons. The door still remained closed and he cursed, angry that he had been disturbed. He stood and tip toed carefully between the two dragons. He looked back at them and shook his head before pulling the door open.

A brisk wind pushed through the open door but he was surprised to not see his father standing before him. When he looked down he saw a young face, covered by a men's wool cap. The dim light caused the face to be unrecognizable in the night.

“Good Evening… May I help you?” He asked softly to the dark figure.

The giggle that escaped the figure sent a warm tingle down his spine. “Do you really not remember me?” She asked in a gentle tone.

“Mae?” He asked in a quiet voice as a smile widened across his face. She only giggled back to him. He felt an urge rush over him and quickly wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly to his bare chest. He felt her arms wrap around his waist and she pressed her cheek to his chest, they both sighed contentedly as the warmth of one another shifted between them.

“I’ve missed you…” She whispered into his chest, squeezing her arms tightly around him.

“I… I missed you too, Your Grace…” He said softly, leaning his chin on her head. Her warm breath floated gently across his chest as she gave out a sigh. Then he pulled back from her, clearing his throat and stepping back. “Why don’t you come inside, Your Grace? It's freezing out…”

“You know I hate when you call me that…” She teased as she pulled the wool cap from her head. Her long auburn hair unfurled from the hat, falling messily around her head as she shook it out. He couldn’t help but grin at her in the low light as she shifted her head back and forth. When she stopped she peered up brown eyes to him, eyes he felt it had been an eternity since he had seen last. He felt his hands reaching out to her without thinking.

He cupped his hands around her cheeks and leaned down to her, pausing just short of her lips before a gentle knock came to the door of the stable. He paused and pressed his forehead to hers and held it there for a moment before pulling away and stepping back from her.

“Come in…” He called. When he looked down to her she gave him a disappointed look, she sighed as the door opened and he could see her drop from her toes to her feet as if she had been reaching to meet with him the entire time.

“Princess Maëlle…” a voice called, they watched Carter stick his head into the stable. Elric's eyes turned dark and hateful. “There you are Princess… the entire palace is waiting for you…”

“They can wait… I am visiting my friend…”

Carter shook his head, “The Queen is waiting. You wouldn’t leave your mother to wait would you?” He asked. Mae sighed softly and shook her head.

“I will visit in the morning, Elric…” She said. She cast a sad eye at the still sleeping Sottises, “It’s late, I don’t want to wake Sottises…”

“I will see you in the morning, Your Grace. I will have Sottises up.”

She smiled at him and nodded her head. She twisted her hair once more and replaced the wool cap over her head. “I will see you in the morning.”

“See you…”

Mae felt a flutter in her heart as she followed Carter from the stable, leaving Elric behind in the dimly lit building. She had prayed so strongly that Carter hadn’t knocked when he had. Her heart burned as she imagined the feeling of his hands on her cheeks and recalled him slowly bringing his face close to hers. She had missed him terribly, and although she knew it was rash to be so forward, she wanted nothing more than to kiss him the moment she saw him.

He had matured since she last saw him three years ago. She noticed it in his letters to her over the years, but it was hard to imagine how he had grown since then. When the door of the stable opened she was relieved to find such a familiar face staring back at her and saddened when he hardly recognized her. She wondered had she changed that much? Had three years truly changed her to the point where he couldn’t remember her?

It broke her heart for a moment before he wrapped his arms around her, and a sudden flood of happiness enveloped her as she hugged him back. He was just as handsome as he had been the night she left, he was tall, and had kind eyes that brought her a peace she had been missing for three years.

When Carter threw the door open however, she noticed the darkness that settled into his blue eyes and a sudden rigidness took over as if a cold wind had chilled his bones. She wished to stay there rather than make her grand appearance at the party her mother had thrown for her. From what rumor had been spread her mother had been throwing lavish parties for days before she even arrived home. Having had many noblemen in and out of her room throughout those nights. She felt the parties were more for her mother to quell her own loneliness than to welcome her back home from three years of study.

Had she been able to slip away without anyone taking notice she’d have curled up with Sottises in the stable and made her appearance in the morning. She was expecting his keeper to be asleep like he would have been before she left. She’d sneak in, steal a blanket from the pile and use Sottises as a pillow while she rested from her long journey. However as soon as the carriage pulled up to the palace and the footmen began unloading her items she snuck off to the stable and Carter quickly noticed her leaving and followed her.

She sighed as she followed Carter through the rain back to the palace where she was led into a room where maids quickly dressed her in a dry dress and nice shoes, pinned her jeweled tiara to her hair and tossed her beloved cap to the side without any care. Then they ushered her out into the ballroom where a mass of people erupted into cheers of delighted screams and hollers of her arrival. She smiled warmly and gave a gentle wave to the crowd as she was led to her mother who mingled with a group of nobles from the kingdom over. There she would be expected to spend the night talking, laughing, and dancing with the guests her mother had brought.

“My dear you look ravishing!” The queen slurred happily, she weaved her arm into Mae's and pulled her to her side, “Doesn’t my sweet daughter look positively radiant Lord Brimming!?”

The lord smiled and rose a glass to her, filled with dark wine. “Simply stunning.” He hissed through his drunk lips. Lord Brimming stumbled forward “Such a treat you’ve joined us.”

“Thank you Lord Brimming…” she answered tentatively. “So glad you could visit the palace for my return.”

“Yes, how was your studies?” Another visitor interjected with purse lips. She smiled as she raised her glass to her.

“They were wonderful, such an enlightening experience. Doctor Christofer is such a talented and smart scholar. I am truly blessed to have gotten to study beneath him…” Maëlle said with a smile. “But I must admit, I am so glad to be home.”

“Did you meet a charming boy from Callen?” The woman asked, “Surly three years and a beauty such as yourself you had to have found some handsome man to spend time with?”

She shook her head “I’m afraid a partner was not the top of my list, I focused on my schooling so I could come home as soon as possible.”

“How could you be in a country as beautiful as Callen and not be swept away by some beautiful man there?” The woman chuckled to the others.

“I just didn’t have an interest.” She shrugged.

“Nonsense!” Lord Brimming gasped, “You must have some sweet suitor in Callen awaiting your return! You turn 20 in 10 months, surely you’ll return to Callen!”

Maëlle shook her head and let off a genuine smile, “I have a man that I wish to be my suitor, however he resides here in Canaille. Once I come of age I plan to set my sites on him should he choose to court me.”

They all laughed and asked her who the potential suitor was, they gave names of noble mens sons, the Baron's Son, perhaps the son of the Priest. But she shook her head and avoided their questions and prying taunts. She was careful to stray rumors and guesses, not once did they pick the one she meant however…

Need help With easy pronunciation, Lost on who is who? Wondering what a word is meant to mean? (No unusual names have been introduced in this chapter, however, if you are lost on the “Who is Who”  of TQLTK Please read on.)

Lord Brimming- An old friend of the Queen of Canaille, Lord Brimmings story has not been unveiled yet, however, we may see more of him later into the story.

It is customary for royals and nobles to throw parties for their children to celebrate the end of their schooling, Queen Elizabeth is well known for her lavish parties where she invites hundreds of people from around the kingdom. These parties can last days or weeks at a time and the palace is almost always hosting guests of the queen at any given time.