The next three days were almost identical; sneaking in through the balcony, court, training, dinner, sneaking out through the balcony, and not sleeping in the cold. Negotiations were going well; Andromeda proved to be a very level headed, reasonable person. But everything would be put to a halt that night- because that was the night before Full Moon and when Blaze and Cimmorene were planning on getting married.

The excitement and expectation hung heavy in the air. Since Drew and Amber's wedding hadn't been much at all, Blaze and Cimmorene's wedding was going to make up for it. Calmar explained it as a way to form connections with more as nobles, but Drew just wanted to give them the celebration they deserved.

"Are you ready for tomorrow?" Drew and Blaze were hiding in a side hall during a break from court. Hiding, because they knew Calmar was trying to find them so he could suggest another political scheme.

"More than ready." Blaze bit into an apple and froze.

"What?"

"We so have to have aeblitters for the feast."

"Aeblitters?"

"A Draufenian pasty. It's got apples in it." He took another bite. "But yeah, I'm ready. Hell, I was ready a month ago." Drew chuckled. I bet he was. It was a goo thing that Drew had moved out of their shared room when he had. "Speaking of marriage," Oh, no. Here we go. "Are things any better between you and Amber?"

"If by that you mean, 'have I stopped sleeping in the hayloft', the answer is no."

"Have you two even spoken since the wedding?"

"Nope. And I'd like to keep it that way."

A look crossed Blaze's face, before being hidden behind his usual nonchalant expression. "You know, a month ago, you would've said the exact opposite."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh please," Blaze rolled his eyes. "You think I don't know about all the times you visited her? And before you start, I figured it out before Cimmer told me."

"How?" Drew was more irritated that nothing he did seemed to be secret than the actual topic at hand.

"I knew you were sneaking off to see someone, and judging the dreamy expression you wore when you returned, I was sure it was a girl." He took another bite, chewing thoughtfully. "And then of course, there was the way you reacted to seeing her in court. Clearly you'd seen her before, but you didn't know she was the princess."

"Well congratulations, you;re quite the detective." Drew folded his arms and leaned against the wall. "What about it?"

"What about it?" Blaze did that marginally disturbing thing where he opened his already large eyes even wider. "What happened? You were happy! Your wolf even more so."

Drew looked up slowly. "How do you know Wolf likes her?"

"So... it is likes and not liked then?"

"Well, yeah. I guess."

"Interesting..."

"Blaze."

"Have you considered the possibility that-"

"There you two are!" Calmar came limping along the hallway at a furious pace, irritation sharp in his eyes. "We need to start, but we can't exactly do that without the king present."

"We're coming! We're coming." Drew started after him. "We're finishing this conversation soon," he muttered to Blaze as they walked.

"As long as it's before the wedding. After that, I will have time for one person only."

"Fair enough."

Amber twisted her hands as she waited for Cimmorene. She had sent a servant for her, but had no idea if she would come or not. I wouldn't blame her for ignoring me. Pacing and pacing, Amber let herself be eat away by doubts and convinced herself that Cimmorene wouldn't come. I should just put it away. Gods, I don't know why I even bothered. She started towards the linen wrapped bundle.

Someone knocked on the door. Did she really- Amber flung the door open. Cimmorene stood outside, hand raised to knock again.

"You came."

"Um, yeah..." Cimmorene shrugged. "I needed a way to kill time till tonight, and Blaze is busy in court." She shifted about, not meeting Amber's gaze. "The servant said you wanted to talk to me?"

"Not quite. I want to give you something." That caught her interest. Cimmorene adored gifts; giving and receiving them. She was curious enough to look up fully.

"What is it?" Still unsure. I supposed I deserve that.

Amber laughed, her nerves getting the better of her. "You'll have to step inside to see." She stepped aside so Cimmorene could enter and lead her across the room. "Remember when Haedrik was so set on marrying me to that disgusting slave lord from the coast?"

"His name was Digian, or something like that, right?"

"Or something."

Cimmorene smirked. "And then we ruined the whole thing by spreading those vicious rumors about him-"

"-and they proved to be true?" Amber was grinning now too.

"What about him? Are you reconsidering the marriage offer or planning on spreading similar rumors about Drew?"

She rolled her eyes. "What I as trying to get to, was that since the wedding plans progressed so far, I had a dress made. I specifically remember you saying that it was the exact dress you would want for your own wedding. And I still have the dress."

Cimmorene's eyes flew wide. "Are you saying- I can have-"

"Well, it's not like I'm going to use it, considering I'm already married." She let a little too much bitterness creep in, but Cimmorene was too excited to call her out on it. "It might need a few adjustments, so lets see how it fits." She reached over and pulled the cloth back. Cimmorene's gasp as delight was the highlight of her month.

It took them a while to get the dress on, as intricate as all the laces and buttons were. And it did indeed need some adjustments. Cimmorene was considerably smaller around the bust and much taller as well. A seamstress was called in, and Amber wouldn't let Cimmorene look in a mirror until everything was finished.

"Can I look now?" Amber and the seamstress, an older woman named Megra, stood back and examined the dress from various angles.

"Needs a bit of color, don't you think?"

"Hmm..." Megra narrowed her eyes. "Maybe a dusky pink."

"Yes." Amber summoned another servant and after a few whispered instructions sent them running.

"What if I like it all white?" Cimmorene's desperation was wearing through more clearly every second.

"Oh no, trust us on this."

"But I want to seeeee."

"Patience is a virtue."

"Well I like vices!"

Cimmorene managed to last for another half hour, but by the end of it she was nearly buzzing with impatience. The sun was beginning to set and the ceremony would begin in a mater of minutes.

Amber grabbed the edge of the cloth she'd laid over the mirror. "Are you ready?"

"I've been ready for three hours!" She laughed, then pulled the cloth away with a flourish.

Cimmorene didn't say anything for a long moment, but Amber wasn't worried. She could see the awe and wonder in her eyes, and kept silent so she could have her moment.

"It's beautiful." The skirt flowed to the floor, golden embroidery depicting tiny vines tracing along the hem and crawling up the side. A belt of woven gold and light coral ribbon was clasped with a delicately crafted brooch in the shape of flower. The sleeves were tight along the arm, until they reached the elbow, where they cascaded down in sheer lace. They'd curled Cimmorene's hair and left it mostly down. And crowing her head was a wreath of pink flowers; chrysanthemum, sedum, camellia, roses.

"Are you ready to make Blaze's jaw drop to the floor?"

Cimmorene stepped forward, still staring in the mirror. Then she pulled Amber into a crushing hug.

"Thank you so much," she whispered.

"It's the least I could do after all these years."

"We're friends again then?"

Amber pulled back so she could see Cimmorene's face. "At this point, we're more like sisters."

Cimmorene smiled, blinking back tears. "Sisters... I like that."

"Now quite crying and go marry your mate. I have a feeling he'll hunt you down and carry you to the courtroom if he has to wait too long."

"Yeah, he would." She laughed, hiccuping slightly and wiping at her eyes. "I'll see you at the party, right?"

"Of course."

"It's gonna be wild. Apparently when Ignius gets drunk-"

"You're stalling. Go!" She pushed Cimmorene towards the door, standing in the doorway for a moment and watching as she walked away. Then she turned back to her room to get ready herself. Blaze and Cimmorene had decided to incorporate some bits of traditional Wolvish weddings, one of which was the completely private ceremony. No one would witness it but Calmar; he was the one reading the vows. The ceremony was a long and complicated one, lasting for over an hour. But after that was the party, and it would be worth the wait.

It seemed the weather knew what day it was and acted accordingly. It hadn't rained at all, and the sun brought welcome warmth for the evening. Even after it set, the autumn chill held off.

Drew stood waiting in the courtyard with a crowd of other people. Everything was set up and ready for the festivities to begin; food, drinks, tables, musicians. But not a thing would be touched until Blaze and Cimmorene arrived. The gnawing edge of restless wore off as he stood there in the dark. Wolf relaxed for once, despite the fullness of the moon. He closed his eyes, basking in the peaceful.

Then all at once it was shattered. Wolf lurched to his feet, whining and snarling and snapping. What on earth is wrong with you? In response, he slammed against Drew's control, making him stagger for a moment.

"Are you alright?"

Drew opened his eyes and found Amber standing next to him. "Uh- yeah. Just lost my balance for a moment." She gave him a strange look but didn't say anything else. They stood in silence, Drew looking at the ground and Amber staring off aimlessly and playing with her hands.

Damn it Drew! Say something or let me have control!

No way. You're acting savage.

Say something to her! He flinched at Wolf's scream of frustration. Something was most definitely wrong with him. He glanced up at Amber. She seemed less sickly than the last time he'd seen her, happier too. And the blue of her dress made her eyes seem brighter and made Wolf want to stare with a frightening intensity.

"You look nice tonight." Damn it damn it damn it. Of all the things I could've said...

"Thank you. But wait until you see Cimmorene." Did she just say 'thank you'?

"You saw Cimmorene today?"

"Yes, I helped her with her dress."

"Oh." There's some good news at least. If Amber was stable enough that Cimmorene could be around her again, that meant she was on the mend. Drew was saved from making further conversation by a piercing whistle.

"Here they come!" Ignius yelled from the front of the crowd. Everyone shifted forward as the doors swung open. As Blaze and Cimmorene stepped into the doorway, both wearing deliriously happy grins, a raucous cheer went up. When Blaze leaned over and kissed Cimmorene, for longer than was probably proper, a chorus of wolf whistles and laughter joined the cheers.

A bright flare caught Drew's eye and he turned in time to see Cole toss a cluster of little flames into the sky. They danced about in air above Blaze and Cimmorene, sparking and splitting in two and changing colors. They sailed about a moment longer as the crowd gasped and pointed before settling down and hovering in the air like tiny lanterns.

The troupe of musicians began to play and Blaze and Cimmorene descended the steps. They danced to the first song alone, but the moment it ended, Ignius snatched Cimmorene's hand and spun her away from Blaze. He stood frozen with shock and indignation for a moment before the sea serpent from Ignius's crew caught his hand. After that, more couples began to dance. The men made a game of intercepting Cimmorene after each song, but it was all done with teasing and laughter.

There was a moment of tension that few noticed when Cole took her hand. Drew saw the look of terror that crossed her face, and almost started towards them. But a few seconds later, she seemed to relax. Cole was talking to her, a slight smile on his face. Whatever he said to Cimmorene soon had her laughing and she was passed off to the next dancer without incident.

Drew laughed when a few moments later Cimmorene dragged an unhappy Angus into the dance. He tripped over himself a bit, but seemed to know the steps. And he didn't disappear the moment Cimmorene let him go, and even danced a few more times with serving girls his own age.

"Do you want to dance?" Amber had been swaying slightly and tapping her foot to the music since it had started.

"I don't know how," Drew muttered. As guilty as he felt for keeping her here to the side of the festivities, and and furious as Wolf was, he wasn't about to make a fool of himself in front of a party this large.

"Oh. Alright then."

"If you're not going to dance with her, does that mean I can?" They both jumped at Ignius's sudden appearance.

"Well, I don't mind, but-" he glanced at Amber, then back at Ignius, who was clearly drunk or nearly so.

"Why not?" Amber let Ignius take her hand. The moment they touched, Wolf lost it. Drew's vision blinked in and out of focus as Wolf clawed at his mind.

"Don't worry," Ignius called back over his shoulder. "I won't do anything to do her- unless she asks."

Stop him! Don't let him touch our mate! He slammed against his walls, again and again and again. Drew staggered back, leaning against a pillar and clutching his head.

Wolf! Wolf, stop it! Stop!

DAMN YOU! With once last blow, Wolf skulked off into the back of his mind, still growling. Drew opened his eyes, gasping. What the hell...

"So, are you gonna need me to tear out your throat in a few minutes or are you good?" Cole was leaning against the wall, drink in hand, watching Drew with a flicker of curiosity.

"No- no I'm good. It's just the Full Moon and.... everything else."

"Sure it is." He took a slow sip of his drink.

Drew straightened himself, shaking off the lingering tremors and leaning against the wall as well. Maybe if he looked relaxed he eventually would be. Cole was still watching. Wait, his eyes... They were blue now, like his brothers', but now and then they flickered gold; sometimes together, and sometimes only one. They were red the first night. I'm sure of it. But now he was staring, and Cole still held his gaze, daring him to ask about it.

"The lights were impressive." Cole blinked in surprise, and Drew could safely look away now.

"Oh, thank you. My mumna taught me how to do them." Oh gods this is so awkward. "Brave of you to let your wife go off with Ignius."

"Why do you-" Wolf surged to the forefront of his mind. "S-say that?" Calm down Wolf!

"He has a habit of convincing women to break their vows. It's a game to him."

"I don't think I need to worry about Amber breaking her vows." She was smarter than that.

"Especially considering she hasn't even filled them." What does he- crows. Drew glared at Cole. He only raised an eyebrow in response, his eyes taunting. Fight me, they said. I dare you.

At that moment, Amber returned. She was flushed and out of breath and smiling.

"If you have any love for Blaze, you'll go put a stop to Ignius." She seemed to have no fear of Cole, or perhaps she though Ignius was more of a menace.

"And now what's he doing?"

"He was rounding up some people to sing this horrible song."

Cole sighed and pushed himself off the wall. "I swear, I'm always the one who has to babysit him." He muttered a few other things as he walked off, and Drew half wanted to see what he would do. But he was distracted by Amber's rather labored breathing.

"Are you alright?"

"I think- I think I overexerted myself a bit." The flush that had been across her cheek fade away until she was too pale once more. "I need to go lay down. If you see Cimmorene at any point-"

"I can walk with you. You don't look like you'll be able to make it up the stairs."

"That's probably true." They wove their way through the crowds and the door. The dark, quiet halls were a welcome relief after the constant noise. After Amber stumbled slightly, Drew wrapped an arm around her waist in case she fainted. When they touched, Wolf jerked about, howling like mad.

"What's wrong?" Amber had grown tense.

"What- what do you mean?"

"You flinched and started growling. You're still growling."

It was hard to stop too. "Sorry. I've got the mother of all headaches." Good thing she can't smell lies.

"I have something you can take for that."

"Really?" Almost there. Almost there. Just pretend you're fine for a little longer.

"It will knock you out like a club but the head ache does go away."

"I might need to try that." Wolf struggled against him with wordless fury. Never had he been so violent, so animalistic.

Amber could hardly stand by the time they made it to her room. Spots were dancing before her eyes, and if she turned her head to fast her stomach turned unpleasantly. Drew let her down on the bed, and she leaned heavily against the headboard.

"Do you need help with-" he cut off for a second, closed his eyes, his jaw clenched. "With anything else?" He'd been acting strange all night. It wasn't a headache that was bothering him, though she could tell he was in pain. His eyes kept flickering gold, and he'd growled more than once that night.

Wary as she was, she still needed help. "I can't get the laces on my dress undone by myself."

"Alright. No- don't move. I can come around." He went around the bed and Amber felt it sink down as he knelt behind her. There was a good deal of muttering and cursing, but he managed to get them undone. He helped her out of her dress as well, leaving her in her chemise. Why are his hands shaking so bad? She couldn't see his face, but he kept making odd noises; involuntary whines of pain, growls, and snarls.

"Are you good now?" His voice was rough, and something about it made the hairs on the back of Amber's neck stand up.

"Yes, and thank you." She turned over halfway and started to pull at the covers. "You can stay in Cimmorene's old room since-" Drew collapsed.

His hands were grasping at the sheets with a death grip, muscles in twitching. He arched his back, several loud pops sounding. Is he Shifting? But it's not Full Moon yet! His head jerked to the side, teeth unusually sharp and snapping angrily. A low groan rose from his chest, morphing into a bone rattling growl.

Then he fell very still. He stayed on his hands and knees, his head hanging, and taking deep breaths.

"D-Drew?" She reached out touch him.

"No." Amber snatched her hand away. That's not Drew's voice. It was an octave lower, harsh and grating; voice that was hardly ever used. She started to scramble off the side of the bed- but he grabbed her arm.

His grip wasn't painful- just firm enough that she couldn't slip out. And the way his other hand still clenched the sheets showed he was mindfully being gentle. His thumb traced circles on her wrist before he slowly pulled her hand towards him and kissed her palm. The touch of his lips was like being burned. Then he edged closer, like a wolf stalking towards a rabbit and trying not to startle it. He leaned against her shoulder, still keeping hold of her wrist, and tilting his face towards hers.

His eyes were gold, pure gold. Brighter than she had ever seen them before.

"S-so, Dire W-wolves really- really do have two entirely s-seperate personalities." Oh, how she wished her voice wouldn't shake, but she was trembling all over. He nodded. "Do you have a name?" He shook his head. "Just wolf then?"

"It's all Drew calls me."

"Any reason you just- just... took over like that?" Wolf started growling, a snarl twisting his features. Wrong question. Having those sharp, sharp teeth bared in such a way right next to her throat... He pulled away sharply, towering over her as he knelt on the bed.

"Why do you hate us?"

"H-hate you? I- I don't hate you-"

"Then why do you act like it? What did we ever do to you?"

A flare of anger acted as a stabilizer for Amber. "What did you do? Oh, I don't know, how about overthrowing the kingdom? Stealing the crown? Murdering my father?"

"You hated him!" Amber flattening herself against the headboard. "And you saw how the kingdom was corrupted and hated that, and you knew you had no real power and you hated that too! We've given you everything!" Wolf stopped, hands shaking once more. "No, no don't do that." He crept closer, anguish in his gaze. "We didn't mean yell. Don't be scared, please." He reached out to touch her arm. "Amber, please-" Her flinch was entirely involuntary, but Wolf didn't know that. He only saw the fear, and not the real memories that caused it.

He began to crawl away, devastation caving in upon his face. "We're sorry, we're so sorry. Please don't be scared." He back away even further as he spoke. And then Amber saw the tears in his eyes, and she was snapped out of the place she'd been thrown into.

"Wolf, wait." She caught his hand. Now it his turn to tremble. Him, the nearly immortal beast who'd slain hundreds of men and faced unimaginable monsters. And he trembled as he waited for Amber's next words. "Don't go yet. Let's- let's talk through this first. You're right, you did give me what I wanted. It just didn't come how I wanted and I wasn't willing to see that. Please don't think I'm scared of you, it's just- it's not you. Not really." He looked at Amber with such intensity she wanted to crawl into a hole, but she made herself stay where she was.

"I-" he stopped short, grimacing. "No, not yet." He twitched and jerked back, snarling. "No! Damn it Drew!" He doubled over, the same convulsions sweeping across his body as before. Only this time, he didn't move afterwards.

"Wolf?" Nothing. "Drew?" She reached out and shook him, rolling him over when he didn't respond.

He was asleep.

"Really? Really? You say a bunch of things like that and then you go to sleep?" She shook him a bit more, but nothing would wake him. Even if she hadn't been so faint, she couldn't have moved him. As it was, she just struggled to get underneath the covers, cursing Drew and Wolf with every word she knew, and let the issue lie till morning.

The first thing Drew noticed when he awoke was the softness. All the aches he usually felt in the morning were gone. And he was warm. Even in the room he and Blaze shared, morning were chilly. But now he was wrapped in warmth and even held a source in his arms. Weak daylight tried to push through his eyelids and pull him fully into the waking world, but he resisted and curled in closer to the warmth. Everything smelled nice too; like books and herbs and something spicy.

A bit of hair brushed his nose as he moved. He jerked away from the unfamiliar texture, blinking slowly. What?

"Ah!" Drew surged upright, scooting away from Amber. The bed suddenly disappeared beneath his hand and he went tumbling backwards onto the floor.

Amber was startled awake as well. Crawling across the bed, she looked down at Drew, sleep still blurring her eyes.

"Oh. Glad to see it's actually you this time."

"Actually m- oh. OH." He scrambled to his feet. "I am so sorry. He never does that. I mean- almost never. I can't believe he-"

"It's fine."

"What?"

"I said it's fine. Really." She sat back, legs tucked underneath herself. "It was even- good, in some ways..." she trailed off. "Do you remember everything you did?"

"Unfortunately."

"And everything I said?"

"Yes." And every action you made. What had happened to her, that she would cower in such a way?

Amber nodded slowly, looking at her hands. "Why was Wolf so- so.... I really don't want to say passionate but I can't think of another word."

"Ah, well, about that." Drew ran a hand through his hair. "He- he thinks we're, um, mates."

Amber's eyes grew wide, but that was the only sign of shock she gave. "And... do you think that as well?"

"I mean, I don't really have a reason to disagree with him...." Drew looked at the floor and they fell into silence for a long while.

"I though it would be more like what Blaze and Cimmorene have."

"Yeah, me too. Of course, they basically fell in love the first time they met, and that's pretty unrealistic." His words ran away with him and he added, "I wonder what things would be like for us if we could start over." Damn it. I didn't mean to say that.

"Then lets do it."

"What?" Drew met Amber's gaze, finding her steady and resolute.

"Let's start over. Completely."

"And how do we do that?" Amber frowned for a moment before scooting to the edge of the bed and rising to her knees.

She stuck a hand out. "Hello, I'm Amber Hawthorne, Queen of Saevus."

Drew shook his head, a laugh rising from his throat. He took her hand an shook it. "Hi, I'm Drew Hawthorne. I'm a Dire Wolf which mean sometimes my wolf takes control and does really stupid things that can be incredibly aggressive." He smiled. "And I'm also King of Saevus- and your husband." Amber kept his hand in hers, staring at him for a long moment with thoughtful eyes, and he held her gaze.

Then she smiled back. "It's nice to meet you Drew." 

AHHH!!! THEY'RE SO CUTE!!!! And it was worth the wait, right? Now, don't go running off and crying because the story is over- there's one more update. See you soon 1.0x10-5!!!