Crown Princess Leonore, heir to the queendom of Dranath, likes women, obviously. The Queen Mother Carmilla marries her off to Sir Gabriel, obviously.
So when she finds out Sir Gabriel is a woman...
Dranath; queendom of mystique, bordered by jealous...
The next days were boring and Leonore was going mad, but intrigue rode up to their front door one afternoon, seeking an audience with the 'influentials' that moved in.
The contingent was composed of four commoners, three men and a woman. Her quiet strength rippled beneath her skin. She was a woman Leonore would have bought a drink, if she met her a few weeks ago.
They were from the nearby town, they explained. The head of the group, the man taller than everyone else, said, "Routinely, cattle and other livestock animals go missing in between the moon's waxing and waning."
"What," said Leonore. "Do you have a werewolf problem?"
She and Gabriel shared a brief moment where they chuckled together. The commoners were not amused.
The woman said, "We came to warn you. Don't go around alone."
Leonore was a gracious host and wanted everyone to know, so they invited the commoners to a meal before they set out again. She and Gabriel sat with them at the table.
"If I may ask, lord and lady, what are your stations? The estate has been overrun for years."
"I am a knight," said Gabriel. "Looking to retire."
That was news to Leonore, but everyone was looking at her now. She said, "I am a knight's wife."
When the commoners finally left, she turned to Gabriel and said, "I hope you don't use this moonlight bandit as an excuse to keep me here."
He frowned. "I have no desire to keep you here."
"Then let me go to the town."
"I haven't had the chance to investigate the place. And the moon is nearing fullness, Lenore—"
"It's Leonore, asshole. You don't even know my name."
"Leonore," he said, rolling his tongue over the syllables. It was the first time he said her name; all this time he had been calling her princess and my lady and your highness. "I promise you can go. Give it time."
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Late one evening, the men returned with ashen faces and an obviously injured, bloodied Gabriel pushed past her. Leonore grabbed a particularly catatonic footsoldier by the arm and shook him.
"What happened out there?" It took her several repeats to get him to speak.
"I was with Sir Gabriel on the rounds, mam," he said, lips still grey. "Out the blue he pushed me so hard I thought he was going to kill me. I fell down and I turned around to fight him, mam, I wasn't going to be killed behind my back, but he wasn't looking at me."
"And?" His mouth stuttered, and Leonore had to tap him across the face. "Stay with me."
"It was a beast! Black in the moonlight. Hit 'em like the devil. Nearly got me, but Sir Gabriel took it head on. It got him bad."
