Diplomacy: a Princess's Guide

Disclaimer: All characters, that engage in sexual activities are older than 21!

*****

Hi there!

I know it's been some time, but life is a wild ride sometimes! This one doesn't have a lot of spice, but I will make it up with the next chapter, I promise and the best news, it's already finished, so it will be published in due time :)

Until then, I still hope you enjoy this one and please let me know what you think in the comments.

xoxo Jackie

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Enya's POV

The next morning we had breakfast first before we packed up the tents and saddled the horses to be on the way.

When Asher told Kassandra that she had to ride with him today, she made quite the fuss.

"I will not have your attitude today, Kass! When you're fully healed again, then you can ride on your own. But until then, I will keep a close eye on you, whether you like it or not!" He snapped and Kass rolled her eyes in response.

Eventually she walked over to him and accepted the outstretched hand to help her get on the horse.

Aedan looked at her, then at me, a look of pure confusion on his face.

"He... She... Did she just...?" Aedan asked unbelieving, pointing at Kassandra who was just mounting Asher's horse and settled in front of him. Her back leaned against his chest and her fingers interlaced with Asher's, who had an arm around her waist to stabilize her.

"Listen to what Asher told her? Yes, she did," I answered, not quite believing it myself. Kassandra rarely listened to anybody apart from Aedan maybe. But maybe I read too much into that.

I made my way over to Asher and held the reigns of his horse so it wouldn't move away so I could talk to him.

"Aedan will take the lead, you'll follow after him," I told him while looking up at him and he nodded. Then my focused minded to Kassandra.

"If we move like this you can tell Aedan or Asher when you need a break."

Kassandra opened her mouth undoubtedly to argue but I put a hand on her thigh.

"Please don't overdo it, Kassandra. We'd rather make a few breaks than risk your condition getting worse. You're too important to all of us," I explained softly and she signed, but nodded, before she let her head rest against Asher's broad chest.

I noticed Asher mouthing a quick "thank you" then I let go of his horse, smiling at him as I did.

Since the day passed by rather uneventful except for a few breaks, we had made good progress by sunset.

As we hoped to reach Moira before sunset, we left early the next morning. While everyone was talking in hushed voices I was lost in thoughts, wondering how we should approach this, how I could even explain all of this?

What could we do?

How should I even bring all of this up?

How would I explain me staying in Asteria?

How would I explain everything with Mary and the other intruders?

Did my father know about the dam?

What would happen if the water was poisoned, even if it was contained?

Was all of this the work of a man, woman, or something else?

These questions all still burned inside my mind when we arrived at Moira and I saw the familiar gates. This was the town, my home I grew up in y but right now it seemed so foreign.

Aedan moved Leona closer and looked at me with worry in his gaze.

"You're quiet today, princess. Is everything alright?" he asked. I looked over at him and faked a smile though it probably wasn't really convincing because I saw his brows furrow.

"I'm okay, it's just... There's so much to think about," I explained and he nodded, knowing what I was talking about.

"We'll figure it out, love," he said, taking my hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze, "you are not alone in this."

I smiled up at him, "I know, thank you!" He nodded and looked forward, then stopped his horse when the soldiers that where riding in front of us informed the guards of our arrival.

They bowed deeply when they saw me.

"You're Highness, you've returned!" One of them exclaimed excitedly and I smiled at the young man. Then his gaze swept over to Asher and he instantly saluted.

"Captain Asher!"

"Steven, it's good to see you," he replied and nodded at the other guards who was starting at our party, flabbergasted. Then their gate swept over Kassandra and the others.

"Captain, who are these people?" Steven asked, obviously intimidated as he saw the golden ring around the irises of Aedan, Kassandra and Carr.

"They're friends and we will help them with a big problem," Asher explained and the guard nodded, his silver helmet reflecting the sun shining.

"Welcome to Moira."

As we entered the town, people kept starting at us and chatted excitedly but I quickly noticed the apprehension when they saw the Wolfborn. It would take a lot of time convincing the people that we didn't have to be enemies.

Asher was leading our party, talking to the guards while he did.

"Uhh, big, bold, authoritarian Captain," I heard Kassandra whisper to Asher, who chuckled, before he winked at her. He actually winked at her!

"What did you expect from the Captain of the Royal guard?" Aedan asked and grinned at Kassandra, who glared at him.

"You are not helping," she hissed and Aedan laughed.

"You're Highness, how can we help you?" One of the guards asked when we were in front of the palace gates. I'm front of my home that didn't feel like home right now.

"We are here to speak with my father," I explained and the guard nodded.

"Yes, your Highness, I will inform him of your arrival right away."

I got down from my horse and looked around the courtyard.

***

Aedan's POV

I had never been to Moira and other than the fact that it was significantly colder, we were on a mountain after all, it had its own beauty.

It was a wide space made from large, flat stones that had obviously been placed to form a level surface on the mountain. The stones of the palace had once been polished, they were still faintly cleaning in the sunlight that came through the mountain peaks.

In the courtyard was a huge garden with lush green grass and a few bushes and flowerbeds, creating a little oasis in the otherwise rather colorless environment.

Around the courtyard were stove benches for people to relax and look at the water fountain that was in the middle of the courtyard. At each corner of the hexagon shaped courtyard were towing sculptures from the same white stone that had been used for the palace of people I didn't know.

I heard water cascading down from a waterfall on of the mountains nearby, stone bridges had been built before them to be able to enjoy this beautiful scenery.

The palace itself was nothing like the castle I lived in at home. It looked like it had been carved directly into the mountain as it was made from the same white stone that surrounded us everywhere. Large windows let in the sunlight. The only thing that want made from the white stone were the large castle doors, they were made from stainless steel. The doors had intricate patterns that showed mountains ranges, waterfalls, so pretty much the surrounding of the palace.

"Impressed?" I heard Enya's soft voice and looked down as she came closer and put her small hand on my thigh, while I was still mounted on the horse.

"Yeah. This is something else I've never seen anything like it," I answered and watched her eyes shine, reflecting the sunlight, "it's breathtaking." As was she when she was so proud. My mate. I had been to Moira once before, but I hadn't really time to appreciate the beauty of it all. I had only seen the library to look for the book that she had given to Asher in the meantime...

She nodded, then looked back at the palace, sighing.

"The people of Moira are very proud of their home and its history," she said, as if she had to justify her affection for this place.

I dismounted slowly and pressed a soft kiss to her temple, which made her blush. A familiar voice approached us, her feet quickly running towards us.

"Enya!", Mary yelled and nearly ran her over, when she hugged her tight. At first I wasn't quite sure if Enya would allow the contact because she felt so deceived by her best friend but apparently she's didn't mind, as she hugged her back.

"Mary, how are you?" Enya asked and Mary stepped back, smiling at her, looking her over. She lingered a bit longer on her eyes that were now swirling with silver and I couldn't blame her.

"I'm great, really! Gosh, it's so good to see you again I've missed you! How are you?!"

"I'm fine, it's been... a lot has happened, let's put it this way," Enya said and I saw tears filling her eyes. Not sad tears I hoped, but she didn't smell sad. More overwhelmed and happy.

Mary obviously had to smell the marrying bond but didn't mention it.

"I am so sorry, Enya, I didn't...," she looked over at Asher and froze.

"Captain Asher...,"she breathed and paled.

"Lady Saffron," he greeted her in turn, his voice cold as he bowed quickly, "you are well?"

"Yes, I am, thank you," she replied, but the look in her eyes was full of fear and she stepped behind Enya, who looked at Asher.

"Let's talk about what happened later," I said and put myself between Enya and Asher. If I had been on the receiving end of Asher's state right now I would have probably not liked it either, but though I couldn't blame her I didn't like the fact that Mary used my mate as a shield. I got to know where a bit better the last few weeks and while he could be fun to be around he was still the Captain of the Royal guard. And anyone who was brave enough to put up with Kass was wicked...

"No need to worry I'm not here to cause trouble," Asher said and took a step back, arms raised.

"We should go inside and talk to your father, he will be over the moon to see you!" Mary told us and grabbed Enya's hand to pull her inside the palace.

***

Enya's POV

The guards led us into the throne room, where my father was standing in front of his throne, obviously waiting for us. He had a worried look on his face that vanished as soon as he saw me. He hurried over and pulled me into his arms.

"I was so worried, Enya", he said softly and put me at arms length to examine me as if he feared I had been hurt.

"I am very well, father," I said, smiling, "I didn't want to worry you." I somehow felt bad for needing so much time to come back here but there had been no other opportunity to do so before we knew what was going on. And before Asher was alright.

"What happened to your eyes?" he asked, shocked, when he stared at them. The silver wasn't something he would have missed. I took a deep breath, then let it out with a sigh.

"That is a very long story, father."

His gaze swept over to where Aedan and Asher were standing. The rest were waiting outside as we didn't want to overload him with more wolfborn in the beginning and risk escalating the situation.

"Why are you bringing Wolfborn in here, Enya? What are Wolfborn doing in my city? In my palace?! Captain Asher?" he asked with his face hardening and his voice cold.

I reached for his hand and squeezed, trying to reassure him that everything would be alright.

"Let me explain this, father. It's important. I have a lot to tell you and explain why they need our help."

"Help?!" he asked with a raised voice and Asher took a step forward.

"Your Majesty, you should probably sit down for this," Asher advised and nodded to the small table and four chairs that there standing in the corner. My father usually ate his meals there, when he was alone. "There is a lot to tell you and some of it will probably not be easy to hear."

To my surprise my father nodded and gestured the guards and servants to leave. They all bowed before they followed his command.

He walked over to the corner and looked at the bar, then back at us.

"Can I offer you a drink? It's been a long journey, I guess?" my father asked, but we all shook our heads.

My father sat in the chair, motioning Aedan and me to sit. Asher stood behind me. Even if we weren't together anymore he was still incredibly protective of me, probably just because I was the Princess of Moira.

"Father, let me introduce you to Prince Alexander Athanasios of Asteria."

My father raised an eyebrow at Aedan, who nodded politely, "your Majesty, it is a pleasure to meet you."

"Thank you, Prince, the pleasure is mine, I suppose," my father said and sighed, "so, why are you here? With my daughter?"

"Please, let me explain everything from the beginning," I proposed and shot a pleading look towards my father. this could go bad in so many different ways, so we needed a very good explanation for all of this.

"I can do that, too," Aedan offered, before he turned to my father, "please, listen to me first, before you start asking questions."

My father looked at us, before he nodded, "go ahead."

Aedan explained everything, starting with my kidnapping, Ester, my meeting with the goddess Selena, the dam, the Lucanae.

In the meantime my father stood and filled a glass with an amber liquid, whiskey perhaps, before he sat down again. I couldn't blame him, it was a lot to take in and Aedan hadn't even started with the mating bond.

"I should execute you, for kidnapping my daughter," my father finally said, after Aedan had finished.

"Father, please, listen to me," I said, while I grabbed his hand and squeezed, "they were desperate!"

"Still, he took you, the princess of Moira! I can't let that pass!" My father was furious.

"He is my mate," I blurted out and he looked at me, as if I had slapped him, then to Aedan.

Aedan had remained calm all throughout, never showing his nerves, never panicking. It was probably the complete opposite to how I was acting now, tense, nervous, on edge. When Aedan smiled and put a hand on my lower back, reassuring, steadying, I thought my heart would explode.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" my father asked in a lethally quiet tone.

"My mate," I repeated and grabbed Aedans hand, squeezing it, while I looked into his eyes, "Aedan is my mate. I love him, father."

He stared at me in shock and shook his head, before he turned to Aedan.

"She is a human," my father started, while he looked at Aedan, "I have never heard that you would be able to mate with a human."

"I never heard either, but here I am, mated to a human," Aedan answered and shrugged as this was a Sunday afternoon conversation and we hadn't just told my father that we would probably spend our lives together. "It's not like we have a say in who we mate," Aedan added and my father sighed.

"That's true, I guess," he said, while he turned back to me, "so, you are mates? I always thought you and Asher were...," my father said and I felt Asher stiffen behind me and he cleared his throat.

"I would rather not talk about that, your Majesty," Asher said and looked away, while I noticed him blush. Asher never blushed!

I, however, blushed deeply as well. Never had I thought, that my father had suspicions about Asher and I.

"Very well... So this sounds all very... unbelievable," my father said as he leaned back in his chair. He sighed deeply and it almost sounded as if the burden of the whole world was on his shoulders alone. His gaze drifted to the window and I followed his gaze, watching two birds that were playing on the branch of a tree.

"Your Majesty, I have seen it with my own eyes and everything Prince Alexander said is true. There is a huge dam which blocks the water route for several villages of the wolfborn," Asher insisted. His large hand came down on my shoulder and sqeeuzed softly, if to reassure me or himself, I didn't know.

"What does that have to do with us humans?" my father asked, while he crossed his arms over his chest and furrowed his brow. I hadn't expected for this part of the plan to work this easy. I just knew he was too stubborn to see what could be done about that.

"We can't just ignore it, father!" I argued, "surely we can come to an agreement with the wolfborn, but we cannot just leave it like this, knowing that they will starve! If magic has anything to do with that, I highly doubt that that magic has good intentions."

"I agree with her, your Majesty," Asher said and my father massaged the bridge of his nose.

"Okay, let's drop the formalities for a second, you two," he pointed at Asher and me, "you leave this village and come back completely brainwashed, telling me something about helping the wolfborn, after they had attacked us. It was a miracle that they didn't kill any of you! Why should we trust them now?" He had already started raising his voice and I understood, how impossible it must sound to him. After all that happened and the way we came back.

He hated the wolfborn. We all knew that. However he had to understand why we wanted to do something about it.

"The wolfborn didn't kill our people, your Majesty, they took the carriage, that is true, but they never harmed anyone," Asher said and his fingers dug into my shoulder. He was angry, but tried not to let it show in front of his King. I reached up and put my hand on his and his grip eased instantly.

"And on top of that they had taken the carriage, because they were starving! Because of the stupid dam!" I burst out, my voice higher than I had porbably ever raised it in front of my father.

"Enya...," my father warned but I stood up, so that I could face him properly,to prevent him from looking down at me. Aedan was on his feet just as fast, making sure he'd stand behind me, in front of me protectively if needed.

"You know we can't ignore them, father! You have to see that we need an agreement with them as much as they need an agreement with us!"

"But they kidnapped you!" I knew he didn't understand, he didn't even try at this point. The prejudices had been tought to us for so many years that we didn't question them, that made my father no not even think about a compromise we all so desperately needed.

"But they never hurt me!"

"You are blinded by love or lust!"

"And you are blinded by hatred!" I snapped back and Aedan took a deep breath. I was angry, beyond angry. Aedan was smelling it, of course but it could also clearly been seen and heard. I was trembling with the overboiling emotions.

"Believe me father, I had made up my mind long before I knew that Aedan was my mate!" I crossed my arms to prevent me from balling my fists so badly, I would surely draw blood.

"This is crazy, Enya!" my father shouted. "This is not normal, we can't trust the wolfborn, they are dangerous!"

Asher took another deep breath behind me, probably calming his own emotions, before stepped closer and out his hand back on my shoulder. I slightly flinched at the contact, as I had been so focused on my father that I hadn't noticed it. The adrenaline in my body wanted to fight now and that contact wanted me to draw my weapon until I remembered who stood behind me.

"We should at least try to see this from their point of view, father," I tried, but he turned around.

"That's enough, Enya!" he warned and Asher tightened his grip on my shoulder, again.

"Your majesty, Princess Enya is right. We have common enemies and should work together to defeat them whoever they might be. As the goddess Selena said to Enya, the two kingdoms have to be united," he tried to reason and that seemed to do the trick.

My father sighed and sat down again, while he rubbed his face and shook his head.

"This is madness. Absolute madness. The wolfborns kidnap my only daughter, the crown princess and she comes back with a wolfborn, declaring that she loves him, the prince of Asteria, no less."

I sat down beside him, I was really trying to understand him, though my blood was still boiling.

"What would we have to do to help them?" he asked. "What can I even do? I am the King of Moira, and my people are happy. They don't need a war, especially not against a force we don't know anything of yet. You are their princess, do you want to send your people into a war, they have nothing to do with?"