I can't see! I couldn't see! Why couldn't I see it? Why am I so blind to everything you have done to me? Why can't I make you all see? What you are doing will destroy this kingdom and it will destroy this family. If you do this, the Dulavelle's will all be as blind as I have been!

~Ravings of the Mad Queen. Spoken just before her arrest as she addressed the Council. Evidence piece 7B in her Trial.

Juliet is nervous as she comes into my room.

"Good morning Princess," she says as she hangs the dress I am to wear on my wardrobe door. I sit up in my bed as she hurries around my room. Picking up some of my clothes and neatening everything up. The way she works is quick, rushed and I can see her hands shake slightly.

"Juliet, what's the matter?" I ask. She looks up at me with a confused frown.

"Don't you remember? Today is the day the Lupine come," she tells me.  I jump out of bed quickly. 

"Why didn't you tell me as soon as you walked in?" I chuckle as I race to begin getting ready.

"Slow down Princess, you have a couple of hours yet," she tells me. I smile at her.  She hands me a silky white robe and we leave my room.

I hear all the maids and servants whispering as we walk along the corridors to the bathing rooms.

"I can't believe the King is allowing those savages to even step into the capital, let alone the Castle. Is he trying to kill his daughters?"

"I heard that the Savages will eat anything they can find. Even rats. Disgusting."

"I heard that they cut themselves to mark every kill they make. I've also been told that they look disfigured and hideous.  It's like the magic they have with the Kintara wolves has bounced some of their features onto them. Making them look like beasts," a maid chuckles.

"Don't listen to their gossip," Juliet tells me. I nod my head, though I can't help but feel nervous. There have been so many stories about the Lupine, also known as the Savages here in the Capital.  Especially since the Lupine have been more active recently. They have attacked so many towns and villages. Stealing and destroying everything in their paths. They are killers and they are dangerous.

"Did you know they don't have a King. Their leader is a Solavar or Lunavar. Where they come up with such titles..." the conversation fades away as we pass.

"Juliet," I ask. "Is it true that in order to rule the Lupine, you have to kill the current ruler?" I ask.

"I believe so," she replies as we enter the bathing hall. I frown. "It doesn't matter if it is male or female," she continues. "Both can rule at the same time though. Whoever marries the ruler automatically gains the title specific to the gender and the two rule as equals," she tells me. I frown.

"Really? Even if they didn't have anything to do with killing the previous Solavar or Lulavar?" I ask.

"Yes. The Lupine trust that their leader will pick the right person to rule by their side. If they don't, they follow a new Lupine to dispatch them," she shrugs. I smile.

"How unusual," I reply. My father didn't like us learning about the Lupine. He said our minds shouldn't be corrupted by their savagery.

I return to my room after bathing. Juliet had been pretty thorough in my washing. Apparently, my father has given her strict orders. She rubbed all sorts of scents and gels into my hair and skin. Leaving it soft and smooth. Now I sit at my dressing table, still in my white robe. A maid had bought some food to my room to eat. I enjoy the fruits as Juliet plays and styles my hair.

"Why does my father want me to be so..." I struggle to find the word.

"Your father ordered me to make you as 'beautiful' as I could," she shrugs. "Why? I do not know." I sigh and let her continue her work. After she's finished with my hair, she moves onto my make up. Nothing fancy. Finally, she leads me over to the dress she brought in. I open the bag it was carried in and run my hands along the black lacy material.

"Black?" I ask. Juliet nods. I don't question anymore as she dresses me. Finally, I am able to look in the mirror. I look nice. The dress is beautiful. It clings tightly to my torso before slightly flowing away at the skirt. There are a few layers of black material. The top layer being intricate black lace which leaves behind a train. The neckline is sweetheart which show off a slight cleavage. The straps are off the shoulder. With my face, Juliet has not done much. She has framed my eyes with precise black liquid on the eyelid. To add some colour, she has painted my lips a deep shade of rose red. My hair has been left mostly down. The black, glossy locks falling in waves down my back. The front has been pulled away loosely and tied into an intricate braid. Only a few strands remain which fall around my face.

"Thank you, Juliet," I smile.

"I'm not quite done yet. Your father gave me this," she says and I frown when I see what's in her hand. I let her put it on me then look back in the mirror.

"Why?" I ask as I look at the new accessory. A beautiful silver headdress sits across my forehead and around the rest of my head. Chains of silver falling down with my wavy hair. It is decorated in diamonds and rubies, the silver of the band wrapping intricately around the gems. Attached to it, is a small, black mesh veil. The material falls over my eyes to midway down my nose.

"Why is he dressing me as though I am going to a funeral?" I ask. Juliet shrugs.

"It is almost time. You had best get to the throne room," she tells me. Just on time, there is a knock on my door.

"Come," I say. Sir Jago enters.

"Princess. I have come to escort you to the throne room," he tells me.

"Why do I need an escort?" I ask, frustrated.

"With the Lupine in the city, we are all on high alert." So they have arrived then. Well, they are in the city. I walk over to my window which overlooks the city. Seeing if I can catch any sort of glimpse of them. Before I have a chance to look, Sir Jago comes up to me.

"Princess. Your father has ordered your presence immediately," he tells me. I close my eyes and let out a long sigh.

"Fine," I moan. Juliet bows and leaves us. "Let's go," I say.

We leave my room and begin to walk down the corridors. The atmosphere is tense. The staff have all stopped talking about the Lupine and they rush around quickly as they prepare for the arrival of the Savages.

"Do you know why my father has dressed me like this?" I ask. Sir Jago doesn't ask for a few moments.

"I think it is his plan to insult them," he finally says. I let out a long sigh.

"That's pathetic," I mutter. Sir Jago shrugs. "Do you think they'll be offended?" I ask.

"Probably not. The Lupine have bigger issues than the royal princesses dressing like they are going to a funeral for their arrival."

"Why?" I ask. "Why try and cause upset? The Lupine are here to talk about peace. If my father does this correctly, he'll be remembered as the King who stopped the Lupine. So why try anything that could bring them offence and risk ruining everything?" I ask, exasperated.

"You will have to ask your father," he tells me. We stay quiet as we enter the great hall. My sisters are already standing next to the great golden tree that is the throne. They wear very similar outfits as mine. They even wear red lipstick and veils. I make my way up to the heir's throne. As it is an important event and I am the firstborn daughter, I am allowed to sit there.

"Illyana," my father grins. "Nice of you to join us," he tells me. I ignore him. "Now girls," he addresses us all. "When the Lupine arrive, I want you all to look at the floor?"

"Why?" I ask. He glares at me.

"I want to save your eyes from their savage appearance," he replies. I roll my eyes. That isn't the case at all. He wants to piss them off. To make it seem like we are above them.

"Illyana, Fallon," he begins. "You two are my only daughters who are women..." he begins. "Therefore you are most likely to capture the attention of the Lupine. You are also very beautiful. There is no doubt those savages will think of all sorts of ways they could hurt you for their own pleasure. I also expect that they aren't used to beauty like yours. Considering what their own women look like..." he chuckles. I gulp nervously. "Cordelia, Rayana, Shaelyn. You three may not be women yet, but you certainly have young womanly bodies. You may also be a target to the Savages." I look over to see Rayana's eyes widen in fear. Shaelyn's hands shake slightly. Father chuckles. "Girls, calm down. We won't let those savages anywhere near you. We just want them to see you. One of you is their future Queen Victorious after all," he chuckles. I roll my eyes again. So that's what it's really about.

He dresses us up to look as beautiful just so he can show us off. Here are my daughters. Aren't they stunning? You can't have them. They won't even look upon you. They are too good for you.

I ignore what he says after that. I just look around the room. The room is full of various nobles and lords. They stand on either side of an aisle from the door to a large open section beneath the Throne. In front of them is a line of soldiers who carry spears, shields and swords. The Red Guard are all hidden within the crowds. They wear clothes to blend in, but I know that they have many hidden weapons beneath their finery. The High Council stand on the same balcony as my sisters. The throne room is quiet with the odd whisper here and there. People are nervous. I lean back in the throne, bored.

"Illyana," Rayana asks, looking back at me from where she stands. I sit forward again.

"Yes?" I ask.

"Is it true that the Lupine let their wolves eat human flesh?" she asks. Before I can answer, my father buts in.

"They are savages. Of course they do," he spits. "Girls, do you need to be reminded of the people we are about to deal with?" he asks. "They are ruthless and merciless. They brutally kill anyone in their way and mark the kills on their body through burning their skin. Their faces are disfigured and monstrous and their wolves vicious. They will tear you apart in seconds. You don't even want to know what the Lupine and the wolves do to your body after the kill. Or if they aren't feeling as kind, they'll do it before..." Shaelyn pales and Rayana starts to shake. Fallon rolls her eyes and I lean back in the throne again. Father has a twisted grin on his face.

"The Lupine have arrived!" a voice shouts. The room breaks out into nervous whispers and all the guards stand straighter.

"Look down girls," father orders. I let out an annoyed sigh but do what he says. I sit up in my seat and the hall goes into an awkward silence. The doors open, the creaking filling the silent room.

The next sound to fill the hall are the heavy thuds of footfalls on the marble floors. All in unison. They get louder and louder as they get closer. Finally, they stop. Silence. My father doesn't say anything for a few minutes. I bite my lip nervously as the tense silence continues.

"Welcome," my father finally speaks. Silence. I resist the urge to roll my eyes as I continue to look at the ground.

"You are in the presence of the King of Vivelle. You are to show your respect," Councilman Drake says. This time I do roll my eyes. There is a deep chuckle before a low, heavily accented voice speaks.

"Thousands of years ago, our people made an oath to Visara Dulavelle and all her direct descendants. Tell me, King Chosen, what was your surname before you married in the Dulavelle family?" the voice continues. I smirk and let out a little snort of laughter before covering a cough. I don't have to be looking at my father to know that the comment pissed him off.

"The previous Dulavelle King decided that King Matthias was to be his successor. If you insist you are loyal to the Dulavelle's then why are you going against their wishes?" Councilman Drake asks. The question is answered by low chuckles.

"So, you are the...Solavar?" my father asks. They laugh again.

"If you had bothered to educate on yourself on our customs instead of spreading disgusting lies about us, then you would know that I am not the Solavar," the voice says patronisingly.

"Then who is your leader?"

"Our leader will show himself when he is ready. We do not trust you not to try something." There are mutters all around the room and my father silences them.

"We have promised not to hurt you whilst you are here in the Capital. We will keep that promise," he tells them.

"I'm sorry King Matthias, but we find it hard to believe when the royal family have been after our people for the last hundred years," the voice continues. "Even now, your daughters do not dare look upon us. How can we trust those who don't look us in the eye?" I let out a low chuckle and again cover it with a cough. Fathers plan is backfiring. He clears his throat.

"You must apologise for my daughter's behaviour. They were so scared by all the stories that they dare not look upon you," he taunts. I roll my eyes for what feels like the millionth time today.

"Liar," I mutter lowly under my breath.

"May I introduce them to you," father says as he stands. He walks slowly to Shaelyn.

"This is my youngest at fifteen. Princess Shaelyn," he says. She does a small curtsy but does not look up. I can see her shaking. The poor girl is terrified. Father moves on. "This is my fourth-born and sixteen years of age. Princess Rayana." She does the same as Shaelyn. I can almost see the conflict in her head. To look up and see if everything she has heard about their savage, grotesque appearance is true. Or obey our father and paint herself as a pathetic princess. Because that's how we look to them. I can only imagine what must be running through their heads as they look upon us. Our heads pointed to the ground at our refusal to look upon our guests. To them, it must seem as though we think ourselves above them. Why must our father paint us this way?

"Princess Cordelia. My third-born. She is seventeen years of age," he continues. "My second born, Princess Fallon who is eighteen," he says. I look over at Fallon. She looks up to face the crowd. Father, facing away from everyone, snarls at her. She glares right back at him, challenging him. "I'll deal with you later," he whispers so low I can only just hear it. She raises her eyebrows in a challenge. "And Finally," father says, coming over to me and touching my shoulder. "My firstborn daughter, Princess Illyana who is nineteen years of age." I nod my head slightly, not daring to look up as my fathers hand clenches my shoulder tightly. I can feel his fingers digging into my skin. I grit my teeth as he squeezes a little tighter before walking back to the throne.

"We would bow to the Dulavelle heirs, but what is the point if they won't see it," the voice taunts again. There is another silence. Finally, my father speaks.

"Now that introductions are done and out of the way, would your leader like to reveal himself? Then we can get on with finding peace," he smiles.

"Do you really have an interest in peace, King Matthias?" 

"Of course," he snarls back in reply. The two continue to bicker back and forth. I keep staring at the ground, zoning out of the conversation. I have an internal battle with myself. I so want to look up and see what is going on. I want to see the Lupine and see for myself if all the stories I've heard are true. But, I don't know what my father will do if I disobey him.

A little hissing sound distracts me. I look over to the source. It's Fallon. She looks at me and with her eyes gestures to the crowd. I widen my eyes and hope that she understands the "are you serious" look I'm trying to give her. She rolls her eyes and then raises an eyebrow. Her way of saying "don't be pathetic." I narrow my eyes at her and frown, hoping she understands the message of "fuck off." She gives me a bored, are you serious look and I close my eyes and sigh.

Fuck it.

Opening my eyes, I slowly lift my head and look at the room from behind the veil. My eyes immediately fall on the Lupine who all now stare at me, their conversation stopping.

"Illyana," my father growls from behind me. I ignore him and continue to stare at the Lupine. It takes a few moments for me to take in what I am seeing. They are all huge, mountains of muscle. Even the women. Their skin tones range from light olive tones to warm bronzes. Over their chests, they wear brown leather vest tops. Each one is different and they all look like they've been put together with whatever random scraps they could find. On their bottom halves, they wear brown leather trousers. Again with random patches and materials. The women all look incredible and fierce. Their arms are thick with muscle and are decorated in various tattoos and leather bands. Their hair is mostly shades of browns. All of them have their hair long but tightly styled into intricate, weaving braids which fall down their backs. The men are just as impressive. The skin on display is just as tattooed in various styles. Some men have their hair long, others don't. I look into the eyes of every single one. They are incredible and unlike shades, I have ever seen. They are colours of golden browns, yellows, greys and greens. Their eyes along with the sharp features and beautiful skin tones make them look fiercely beautiful. Nothing like the grotesque monsters that I have been told about.

Their eyes are all on me as I look at each and every one of them. Then, I stop on one. I have never seen a man like him. He isn't as tall as some of the others though he will tower above most humans. He is also toned and muscular like the rest. His skin is an olive tone. A thin, neat line of hair follows his angular jaw and around his full lips. His hair is dark brown is loosely tied into a bun on the back of his head. Though what really draws me to him are his eyes. A shade that is a mix of light green and gold. Like they can't quite decide on which colour to be. It is an eye colour you would see on an animal. It is a shade I've never seen before and they are beautiful and bright against his warm skin. We stare at each other for a few moments. His eyes burning into mine. My throat dries slightly. A confident smile plays on his lips as my heart races in my chest. He is beautiful. I lean back in my throne, still not taking my eyes off him. I smile, still looking into his eyes.

"Solavar," I say, finally. His smile widens as he steps forward. The others part for him. The room silences as they watch our exchange in shock.

"Princess," he grins and my heart races even more as the smile lights up his face.

"Welcome to the Capital," I reply. "I would like to apologise on behalf of myself and my sisters. It was rude of us not to look upon you. But, before you judge us any more than you already have, please not that us looking at the ground was an order from the King," I tell them. His eyes narrow and I can feel my father staring at me. "You must forgive my father. You see with the stories we have heard, he was just trying to keep us protected. Like any father would do," I tell them.

"Let's just call it a miscommunication and leave it at that, shall we?" he asks, his accent thick yet oddly musical as he speaks. 

"That would be perfect," I reply before looking at my sisters. "It's okay girls, you can look now," I tell them. The other three immediately raise their heads with sighs of relief. "Now that the secrets from both sides are out in the open, shall we get down to business?" I say, standing up from the throne. I walk slowly down the stairs, feeling the eyes of everyone on. Especially my father. He must be burning with rage right now and he can't do anything about it. He will not risk further embarrassment in front of the Lupine.

I reach the bottom of the staircase and come to a stop in front of the Solavar. He is still smiling warmly at me, his eyes locked onto mine. My heart still races in my chest but I do not falter in my confidence. The room is mine now.

"It is nice to meet you, Solavar," I say and I give a slight curtsy. His eyes dart over me quickly before he grins again. 

"It is nice to meet you too, firstborn Princess," he says before bowing. The rest of the Lupine follow. After a few seconds, he returns to his normal stance.

"What unique eyes you have," he says to me.

"So I've been told," I reply with a chuckle. He narrows his eyes and lets out a short whistle.

"I would like you to meet some close friends of mine," he says to me as he turns to the opening doors. Two wolves rush in. The humans in the room all gasp as they take a step back from the creatures. I see the guards automatically start coming to me but I hold up my hand. The two wolves sit happily down next to the Solavar. I look at the creatures in awe. They can't be that old. Even so, they come up to the height of my hips. One pup, a beautiful sandy coloured one, looks up at the Solavar. I notice that her green-gold eyes are the same colour as his. The other pup looks at me. My eyes narrow. The pup is beautiful with silky grey and black fur. Then I see his eyes. The right eye is dark brown. The left, a bright sky blue. Exactly like mine.

The pup tilts his head and stands up. "These are my pups. They are less than a year old and will continue to grow for the next three years. The female is Nishka," he says as he strokes the fur of the sandy pup. "The Male is called Razan," he tells me and the grey pup just stares at me, ears pinned back. I crouch down to look at the little wolf closer. He stares into my eyes and begins to growl, his teeth pulling away from his mouth. Entranced, I continue to stare at him as he hunches low and readies to attack. Everyone around me seems to fade and it is just me and this pup. It is like he is challenging me. Telling me to look away first. I don't. Instead, I extend my hand. He launches toward me. I don't react as the wolf clamps his mouth around my hand. It hurts, of course, but it is nothing. I hear the rush of people around me and the shocked screams but I am still enchanted by this wolf. He bites tighter and I raise my eyebrow as a little growl escapes his mouth.

"Are you done yet, little Razan?" I ask like I am scolding a child. The wolf bites a little deeper before letting go and sitting down in front of me with his tongue hanging out.

"Princess!" I hear people shouting as I turn to see the Red Guard bursting out of the crowd.

"I'm fine," I say as I look down at my hand. It is bleeding, but the bite is not deep enough to do any real damage. It is after all, still a pup. I can hear my father shouting all sorts of nonsense like an assassination attempt and double-cross. The Lupine have all formed a protective circle around myself and the Solavar. The room has come to a standstill. They don't want to attack the Lupine because they have me in their grasp. But they also want to kill those who attempt to "assassinate me."

The Solavar holds out his hand. I put my injured hand in his slowly. Feeling his skin has me shivering slightly. He looks into my eyes and smirks, moving his hand slightly, his fingers tickling my palms.

"May I?" he asks. I nod my head slowly, not sure if I can say any words, and he lowers my hand back down to the pup. "Razan," he says. The pup sniffs my bloody hand and begins to lick the wound. It tickles and feels a little odd. However, the wound begins to stop bleeding. "The saliva of Kintara wolves has healing properties," he whispers into my ear and I shiver. "It can also help stop an infection," he tells me. I look up at him as he helps me stand again. He takes a white cloth from one of his pockets. Gently, his fingers slide over the skin of my hand as he wraps up the wound. Once it is finished, he lets go of my hand. It immediately feels cold.

"Thank you," I say softly.

"You're very welcome," he replies. The two of us stand alone in this protective circle whilst the rest of the room is in chaos. I doubt they can even see what has really gone down.

"I'm fine!" I shout and the room quietens. "The pup just wanted to play," I tell everyone.

"I want those wild animals out of my castle!" my father shouts from the throne.

"Do not worry, your majesty. It will not happen again," the Solavar says.

"He is just a baby father. He can't do any real damage. Let's stop this nonsense now and get back to friendlier terms. I believe you had a banquette made for our guests," I say. My father glares at me but the room has quieted down and the Lupine have moved from their protective circle. "Come, let's go and eat. I suspect you are hungry after your long journey," I say.

"Please, lead the way, princess," the Solavar says and I turn to leave the room followed by the Lupine and all the others dining with us.