Moir sat at the breakfast table, dressed in a blue floral sundress paired with rose pink heels, her blonde hair curled and bouncy. She scrolled through her Pinterest feed as she waited for Mason.

Mason slowly trudged into the kitchen in grey sweatpants. He pulled down his tee shirt when he spotted Moir. "Oh hey. I didn't think you'd be here so early."

She laughed, setting her phone down. "Yeah, they told me to get up pretty early. I guess Illéans run on different times than Scots!"

"Well if I had known I wouldn't have worn sweatpants," he said, awkwardly gesturing to his pants.

"Nah. They're cool. If I'd known that no one would be here, I would have worn the same. But around here, it's a crime for a girl to wear pants," Moir rolled her eyes teasingly.

"I love sweatpants. They're really comfortable. Have you eaten yet?" he asked curiously, taking a seat beside her.

"No, actually, I haven't. Got any suggestions?" she asked, smiling softly, a small hint of sleepiness in her voice.

"I can't really cook, but I can always try. How do you feel about pancakes?" Mason asked her sweetly.

Sure! I'm okay at cooking. I know enough to cook ramen noodles," Moir snickered. "Let's see. From scratch or pancake mix?" She asked as she got up and looked around in the cabinets.

"My mom taught me from scratch. Sit down I can do them," he said as he ushered her into a seat. "My mom always told me to be a gentlemen."

Moir smiled. "That you are. And, I don't mind helping, you know," she said as she sat at the island counter.

I wouldn't want to ruin your dress- which you look amazing in by the way- because you wanted to help me. I can do this," Mason replied, grabbing all of the ingredients and dumping them into a bowl.

She blushed softly. "Thank you. I never knew someone could look so cool in sweatpants," Moir snickered.

Mason smirked. "I like proving people wrong." He turned and mixed the ingredients together to form the batter, then dumped them into the pan. "How many would you like?"

"One is enough for me," she smiled, playing with the end of one of her curls.

One pancake coming right up," he smiled, using a spatula to put the perfectly golden pancake on her plate. "Here you go. Enjoy. Courtesy of the chef."

"Give the chef my praise!" Moir grinned, pecking his cheek.

"He says you are welcome," Mason chuckled. "Go eat. I'll be there in a minute I just have to make mine."

She snickered as she took her plate with her to the table, taking a seat. Moir grabbed some silverware and napkins, along with syrup, whipped cream, fruit, and butter.

Soon after, Mason slid into the seat across from her and added some maple syrup on top of his pancakes. "Can you pass the butter please?"

"Sure," she said as she did so. "The pancakes are great, by the way. Your mother taught you well. Was she a chef?"

"No, just a very devoted mother," he said sadly. "What's your mother like?"

Moir noticed the sadness in his voice, and chose not to say anything about it. "Mine is very..how do I say it? Distant, I guess. She and I never really have been very close. She's either trying to set me up with someone, or ordering me to be more ladylike. My dad and I are kinda close. I've always kinda been to myself, never really told anyone about my feelings or anything. Well, unless the forest counts as someone."

He nodded. "I can relate. It's best not to get into family matters when today is supposed to be a good day. Do you want to take a walk in the forest?" Mason asked, trying to lighten the mood.

She nodded. "Sure. I guess you're right." Moir smiled at the sun peeking in through the window. "Looks like it's going to be a nice day."

"I think it's all rained out. There isn't a cloud in the sky," he said, peering through the window.

"Not a cloud. Perfect day for the forest." Moir got up and cleaned her spot on the table. She walked to the sink and cleaned off her plate and silverware. Once she was finished, she walked back to the table. "Any chance I could get your empty plate out of your way? You made the food, I'll clean up."

Mason frowned. "I'm perfectly capable of cleaning up after myself. Thank you though," he said as he stood up and rinsed off his plate.

Moir smirked. "I didn't say you weren't. I just wanted to help out," she shrugged as she took off her heels.

Mason put away his plate. "Should I go change or just wear this?"

"You can wear that. I'm pretty sure no one will see us," she replied as she tied her hair into a ponytail.

"Alright. After you m'lady," he said, bowing playfully.

Moir curtsied and smiled as she walked outside. "Thank you, kind sir." She took a whiff of fresh air, the air only slightly humid. Her toes touched the cobblestones of the small pathway that led to the forest.

Mason ran up to her and entwined his fingers with hers. "Wouldn't want you to get lost."

"Wouldn't that be a shame?" she giggled. "If we did get lost, I wouldn't mind getting lost with you." Moir loved the feeling of his fingers in between hers.

"You're right. Because I am a manly man and I could protect you," he replied, smirking down at her.

"Oh yeah, like from bears and stuff. Imagine that." Moir smirked back up at him. "Us fighting a bear. We'd win."

"No doubt about it. The poor thing wouldn't have a chance," Mason chuckled.

"Not a chance. With your manly manliness and my lipstick tube, we could take down the entire forest!" she laughed.

"You bet your butt we would!" Mason replied, grinning. "Then we could be the king and queen of the forest and no one would mess with us."

"King and queen. I like it!" Moir shared his bright grin as they walked deeper into the forest. "Every animal would be our servants and subjects, and the trees would bow to our command!"

"And our castle could be a amongst the trees where no one could touch us," he explained.

Moir nodded. "Perfect. We would watch the stars from the treetops every night."

"That would be nice. Sunsets are one of my favourite things," Mason said thoughtfully.

"Really? Me too. Sunsets on beaches are one of my favorite things to watch. So serene," she said as she remembered a time when she had gone to the coast of Clermont (Florida) and watched the sun set with her brother and his wife.

"I've never been to a beach," he admitted sheepishly.

"Seriously? Okay, we need to fix that. I'm going to have to let King Grayton give me permission to take you to the one nearby. You'd love it!" Moir smiled up at him. "King Grayton and Queen Beatrice got married on a beach, you know!"

Mason raised his eyebrows. "Really? That sounds lovely."

She nodded. "It was beautiful."

He paused. "See through those trees?"

She followed his gaze. "Yes, what is it?"

Mason frowned. "Oh no! It's...its..."

Moir looked up at him. "What? What is it?" she asked, not sure if she should be worried or if he was kidding.

Mason grinned and picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder. "It's a lake!"

She let out a peal of laughter as he threw her over his shoulder . "I knew it!" Her eyes widened. "Don't you dare throw me in, Mason Bennett!"

He laughed wickedly as he marched closer to the lake. "I make no promises."

Moir rolled her eyes and laughed. "Of course you don't. While I'm up here, I have a pretty nice view of the castle behind you. I've never been up in that tower there," she said, smiling.

Mason spun around. "You're right, it's really nice." He turned back around and stood on the bank of the lake. Sighing, he said, "Maybe this is too mean..." before he tossed her into the lake.

She laughed as she hit the water, getting soaked to the skin. "Mason Bennett, you realize that if I go down, you're coming with me!" Moir pulled him in with her, grinning.

Mason resurfaced and laughed. He shakes his head spraying water everywhere. "Look at what you've done," he teased.

"What I've done? How does this go back to moi?" she tilted her head to the side playfully, smiling.

"It could have just been you getting wet and I, being the gallant man I man, would have carried the damsel in distress home, but you just had to pull me in too. Naughty Moir," Mason teased, grinning.

"Well, I guess the damsel pulled the 'knight' into her own distress, yes?" Moir snickered. "And yes, very naughty of me. I'm just a bad wolf." She used her nickname, eager to see his reaction.

"How is the knight supposed to save the damsel when he's the problem?" Mason joked playfully.

"True, but how could anyone save a bad wolf?" she teased.

"By being a wolf tamer," he said simply. He sent a giant wave at her to distract her while he swam away speedily.

She closed her eyes as the water hit her, her eye makeup running everywhere. Moir laughed and swam after him, her dress slowing her down a bit. "Not so fast, wolf tamer!" she called after him.

Mason looked over his shoulder. When he saw her catching up to him, he dove under the water and held his breath for as long as he can.

She dived down with him and swam up behind him, putting her arms around his neck. They resurfaced, Moir smirking. "Gotcha, wolf tamer."

"Darn it," he muttered. "I was hoping I could escape."

"Good luck with that," she laughed. "The wolf caught the wolf tamer. That doesn't happen everyday!"

Mason brushed his lips against hers. "It should happen more often."

Moir kissed him softly before pulling away. "It really should," she whispered, smiling.

"It's a shame that they don't get to more often. The wolf tamer can't always win," he said, grinning down at her.

"No, I don't suppose they can. Well then, wolf tamer, I think you may have met your match," Moir grinned up at him, her eyes sparkling against the black mascara and eyeliner creating mime-like black streams down her face.

"Lucky me," Mason smiled before kissing her. He pulled back and used his thumb to wipe away all of her messy makeup.

Moir blushed. "Sorry about my makeup," she said as she put a hand to her cheek, embarrassed. "And yes, you have the luck of the Scottish with you!"

"It's okay. When you woke up this morning I doubt your first thought was: 'I wonder how much makeup I should wear in case Mason decides to throw me in a river'. Well, I'm one lucky guy," he chuckled.

She giggled. "It certainly wasn't the first thought on my mind. Though, I'll take that into consideration next time!" Moir wrapped her arms loosely around his neck. "Yes, you are one extremely lucky guy," she whispered, her Scottish accent trilling over the 'r' in 'extremely'.

"Maybe you should get a book," he joked playfully. Mason wrapped his arms around her waist and carried her into shallower waters. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a rope dangling from a tree. "A rope to swing into the water! That's so cool!"

"Really? And yes, I'll check on a book, wolf tamer. I'll see if they have anything in the library!" Moir laughed. "Woah. Cool swing!"

"You should invest in one. Very useful," he snickered. "Do you want to go on it?"

"Will do. And yes, it looks like a load of fun!" Moir grinned up at him. "Allons-y!"

"On y va," Mason replied happily. He put her down so she could go to the swing. "Ladies first."

Moir looked around. "I don't see any. Only a bad wolf and a wolf tamer," she grinned. "And I'm not extremely fluent in French." Moir laughed. "The Doctor taught me that one!"

"I can speak French. I taught myself," Mason smiled.

"Ah. ¡Tú eres muy bien hablar frances!" Moir smiled, her Scottish accent turning into a Spanish accent. "I learned a lot of French on a trip to Paris, and I've taken around five years of French, ten in Spanish."

"Wow. Tu es tres belle comme les étoiles," his smile widened as he replied in a French accent he had accumulated from speaking French. "Makes sense. Spanish is similar to French."

Moir blinked as his sweet words made her heart beam. "Tu es beau que le ciel nocturne," she whispered.

"Merci beaucoup, ma petite cherie. Je t'aime," Mason whispered, kissing her cheek.

"Je t'aime aussi, mon beau prince," Moir's eyes sparkled in the sunlight. "Mon cœur chante toi, doux prince."

"Your French is impeccable. If I didn't know better I'd say you knew it better than I do," he grinned.

"Really? ¡Gracias, Señor Mason!" Moir grinned back.

"De nada," Mason replied, holding Moir close.

"Te amo, mi amour," Moir looked into Mason's eyes and kissed him softly on the lips.

"Mon amour," Mason replied, kissing her back gently.

She closed her eyes and smiled as the kiss lingered, her whole face aglow. Mason smiled against her lips. "So, Big Bad Wolf, have you fallen for the wolf tamer yet?"

"I do believe the Big Bad Wolf is falling for her tamer," Moir replied breathlessly, grinning against his lips.

"I believe that too. It doesn't take a wolf tamer to realize that." He smiled,  pressing a kiss at the corner of her mouth.

She melted into the kiss, her entire body feeling as if she was in the clouds. "Oh, my wolf trainer, the Big Bad Wolf is being tamed. It hurts a little, but feels oh so right."

"My job is done," he said, scooping her up in his arms.

Moir smiled in Mason's arms. "You're not leaving the Big Bad Wolf, are you, wolf tamer?" she asked softly.

"Wouldn't dream of it," he whispered, kissing her forehead gently.

She traced the outline of his jaw with her hand as he pulled away. "I dreamed about you last night, Mace."

"Did you? What happened?" Mason asked her softly.

"You and I lived on a castle by the sea. Have you by any chance read Edgar Allen Poe's 'Annabel Lee'?" Moir asked, looking to his eyes.

"One of my favourite poems," he answered, smiling down at her.

"Mine too. It was like that, in way, only, no one died," she smiled back up at him. "I seriously love Edgar Allen Poe. 'Annabel Lee' and 'The Bells' are my favorites of his."

"I like a 'Tell-Tale Heart' for the mystery of it and 'The Raven'," Mason nodded, his smile soft as his gaze rested on her little face.

"Oh, yes. 'The Raven' is great. I love its eerie theme," Moir whispered as she remembered a few of the lines from the poem.

"'The Raven' is one of my favourites. I don't normally like poetry, but Edgar Allen Poe is phenomenal," he said, thinking of the few poems he had read.

"Oh, I agree. He just adds so much to literature as a whole," she grinned. Out of the corner of Moir's eye, a frog hopped on the bank. She held onto Mason, her eyes wide.

Mason followed her gaze. "Come on, how about we get out of the water?" he asked her gently.

Moir blushed. "Probably a good idea. Thank you," she smiled softly.

Mason wrapped her legs around his waist and held her close. Carefully, he stepped out of the river and onto the side. "See, that wasn't so bad."

"Not with a manly man and a tube of lipstick it wasn't!" Moir chuckled softly.

"I think the lipstick really sold it," he joked, setting her down gently. "Would you like to finish our walk?"

She laughed. "Sure." Moir shot Mason a grin as she ran into the wind, her wet dress clinging to her skin. "Allons-y!"

"Allons-y," Mason repeated and chased after her.

The wind whipped Moir's hair behind her as she ran to a rock that jutted out from the bank and hopped from rock to rock in the river. "Catch me if you can, wolf tamer!" she crowed as stepped lightly on each stone, daring to fall back into the water.

Mason followed close behind and stepped on each step, nearly toppling over but catching himself at the last minute. "I'm catching up big bad wolf!" he taunted.

"Uh oh!" Moir laughed as she made it across and ran over a beach of pebbles. She stopped and picked out a flat rock to skip stones with. It flew through the air as she tossed it, and kissed the water five times before sinking. Moir grinned as the water raced onto the rocky shore, puddling around her ankles.

Mason wrapped his arms around her waist and twirled her around. "I got you, wolf. Why did you stop?"

"Because, even the Big Bad Wolf likes to stop and smell the roses once in a while, wolf tamer," she smiled as he twirled her around. Moir pecked his cheek and grinned at Mason. "This whole Selection deal is going better than I thought it would."

Mason grinned, "I second that. It's turning out better than I thought it would."

She cocked her head to the side playfully. "How so, wolf tamer?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," he teased, snickering.

Moir bit her lip and grinned. "I would, actually. You know that we have a 'Welcoming Ball' tomorrow night, right?"

"I know that now. It might be fun. Save the first and last dance for me," Mason replied, grinning.

"Will do. I have dress fittings today. Any suggestions as to what color I should wear?" she asked, her eyes teasing.

"Gold would go well with your brown eyes. You'll stand out either way," he smiled down at her, brushing a lock of her wet blond mane behind her ear.

Moir smiled. "I'll stand out with my manly wolf tamer, though!"

"That is true," Mason agreed. "Everyone will notice us. Are you excited for tomorrow?"

"Yes, I guess. I'm kinda nervous, though. Just being in front of the king and queen of Illéa is frightening as it is!" she shrugged. 

"If you feel anxious just hold my hand," he soothed her. "Nothing bad will happen to you."

Moir smiled and held his hand. "Thank you. It means a lot to know someone's out there to hold my hand. I've never really known someone who would do that."

"Anything for you," Mason replied gently, kissing her forehead.

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I'm on a roll, you guys. Loads of chapters are coming your way! Allons-y!