Brotherhood

Chapter 5

There were two things that bothered Geric about earlier—the fact that Tonraq had all but told Amy that this would happen and the fact that he hadn't recognized the wolf that attacked her at all. That was something new, no one had been turned, as far as he knew, in more than five years. So who had attacked the princess?

Prowling in the shadows of the castle wall, Geric paused to listen to the noises of the night, his ears swiveling this way and that, trying to pick up anything out of the ordinary. But there was nothing. Still, he had instinctively positioned himself outside the castle where he would have a good view of the princess's chambers just in case.

He was still a little shocked that she had recognized him—to most humans one wolf looked much the same as the next. But she had known him, and the shock on her face that he had saved her life troubled him. No matter how long he had been one of them, he never stopped disliking the fear he saw in others' eyes when they saw him. He had been able to smell the fear on the princess, although it seemed now as though it had been directed at the unknown wolf rather than at him.

Still unsure what it was that drew him to her, he stared up at the warm glow of her window, watching as a lithe, slim silhouette passed in front of the glass. Sighing, he settled back on his haunches, preparing himself for a night of guard duty that he hoped the princess would never find out about. She likely thought the worst of him as it was, no point in making it worse.

After a few minutes, the light inside the chamber was extinguished. But to his surprise, a moment later the window creaked open and the princess slithered down the vines next to the balcony before dropping to the earth with silent feet. In his human form, her unexpected appearance would've put a smile on his lips, but in this form all he could do was watch her with interest as she crept forward before disappearing from his view. His surprise was compounded by the fact that she wore mens' trousers and a tunic that couldn't quite disguise her feminine curves. And, unless he was very much mistaken, she would be climbing over the wall almost exactly at the spot where he sat.

Quickly slipping into the forest, he watched her climb over the embattlements before dropping down to the other side and rolling onto one shoulder before standing up. It appeared to be a well practiced maneuver and he wondered briefly how often she snuck out of the castle. His curiosity made him want to follow her as she disappeared into the trees a few yards away from where he stood.

His big paws made barely a whisper as he moved across the forest floor, every sense on high alert for anyone who would want to attack her. The princess stopped and checked behind her, pausing for a moment to listen before continuing on her way. Geric relaxed slightly as he followed her again. He didn't think that she knew he was there, rather he thought that she was looking for palace guards.

"Are you going to follow me all night or are you going to come out?" she finally said in exasperation, pausing on the bank of a large, perfectly round pond.

Geric grimaced. So she had known he was there.

He trotted reluctantly forward, wondering if the princess was afraid to be out here in the open with him with no one around to protect her. Her eyes found his in the darkness and she stared at him for a moment with raised eyebrows.

"Well? I'd like to talk to you in human form," she said, her tone not exactly demanding, but he could tell she was used to her commands being obeyed.

He looked away for a moment, embarrassed. It wasn't as though the clothes he wore went with him when he transformed. If he changed back to his human form now, the princess would get a lot more than she had bargained for.

Finally, he made his way into the dense bushes, trying to hold back a laugh as he heard her call, "Where are you going?"

She stepped toward his hiding place, but when he spoke again, she stopped short. "I wouldn't do that, Princess. Not unless you want to get a view of all of me—and I do mean all of me."

Amy looked confused for a moment, taking another step before his words sank in and she covered her face in embarrassment. Even in the moonlight he could see a blush heating her entire face, right down to the roots of her hair.

"You...uh... You don't have any clothes on?" she squeaked after a moment, causing the laugh Geric had been fighting to hold in to explode out of him. It was fun making her feel awkward, he was rather enjoying himself.

"No," he grinned. "What did you think happened when we transformed?"

The princess blushed again, looking anywhere but at the bushes where he had concealed himself. "I never gave it much thought, actually."

They were silent for a moment or two before Geric asked, "So was there anything in particular you wanted to talk about? These bushes aren't exactly comfortable."

"Yes," Amy said slowly. "I wanted to thank you for earlier, you saved my life."

Geric shrugged although she couldn't see him. "Think nothing of it, I was happy to help."

The princess took another hesitating step closer to him and said, "Can I ask why you did it? I thought the wolves hated the humans."

"Most do," Geric replied as a branch jabbed him in the back. "But I've never been one of them."

The princess nodded, seemingly at a loss for words. Geric watched her intently through the leaves, studying her graceful outline silhouetted against the moonlit pond. "Can I ask you something, m'lady?"

"I told you, you can call me Amy," she said quietly. "But yes, I suppose you can."

Geric adjusted his position so that he could see her a little better and asked, "Why did you run away from the palace tonight?"

"I just got tired," she replied, scuffing one of her well worn boots in the dirt. "Tired of being the princess, tired of the expectations that I marry nobility, tired of being me."

There was a brief pause as she looked in his general direction. "I'm sure you have some idea what that's like."

"I do," he replied, thinking of their dance and the moment where he had allowed himself to imagine that he could be one of her suitors. If things had been different, if he wasn't what he was... "More than you know."

"Will I see you again?" she asked with interest, her eyes scanning the dense undergrowth before she turned and looked out at the water. "Tomorrow night?"

"If you want to," Geric replied. He had been planning on standing watch tomorrow night anyway, and every night until the danger had passed. "Although I thought you were afraid of me."

He saw her bite her lip as she looked down again, confirming his words. She was afraid of him, but she also seemed a little intrigued by him.

"I'll be in the same place tomorrow night," he promised before he had thought it all the way through. "But promise me you'll be careful, someone out there wants you dead."

Amy shivered, rubbing her arms as though that could chase away the chill of his words.

"Alright," she whispered. She didn't say if she would be there again and he didn't ask. If she came, she came. If she didn't—well he was used to it.

Shifting back into his wolf form, he padded out of the bushes and came to stand next to her in the darkness. Hesitantly, she reached out a hand toward him but just as quickly withdrew it, uncertainty reflecting in her bright eyes. The bells in the castle tower tolled the hour, making them both jump.

"I should probably go," she murmured, taking a step toward the castle before stopping and turning back. "Oh, and Geric? Bring clothes tomorrow."

He didn't miss the note of humor in her voice, the way her eyes twinkled with amusement in the darkness. His heart lifted slightly at her words as he watched her walk back to the castle. Stretching his legs, he took off over the fields toward home where he collapsed on his bed. Even if she didn't come tomorrow, he'd always be glad he saved her life.