The Winter Moon (Where Human Meets Wolf)

Chapter 5 - Spectacular Rooms, and Awkward Conversations.

Eleanor had no words to describe her given room arrangements. Well, she supposed she had many but none seemed extravagant enough to do the room justice. 

Both Eleanor and Jessica had been shown their rooms a mere half an hour ago. After Eleanor and Rose finished their discussion on timetables and meetings, Rose had bid goodbye and left them to explore their rooms. 

Explore they did indeed. 

Both rooms were a brilliant elegant shade of beige and white, with pretty grooves and designs truly fit for royalty. They both had a balcony overlooking a gorgeous forest pipped with white snow, the rooms had their own bathrooms which were immense and pristine, filled with a gorgeous bathtub and glass shower. Eleanor could imagine taking a wonderful bath with bubbles and a good book, practically sighing at the thought. The rooms were connected with a big living area with a minibar, couches, chairs, and tables, all made with expensive taste. Eleanor almost didn't want to touch anything. Jessica thought differently, plopping down on the queen bed as soon as she saw it, making Ellie laugh. 

Eleanor retreated to her own room, unpacking and putting things away in the wonderfully made wardrobe. 

When finished she used the desk in her room to set up a workspace for her own personal drafts and notes, then set up a worktable on one of the tables in the living area, setting notebooks and event magazines they use for inspiration onto it for somewhere they would work together. 

 "You really do hit the ground running, don't you?" Jessica told Eleanor, making her jump slightly not realizing she had come out of her room.  

Eleanor shook her head replying with a light laugh, "I suppose that's why we work so well together Jess, you bring the crazy creative styling, and I bring the organized realistic version." 

Jessica laughed, "I only trust you to real in my crazy El, only ever you." 

Eleanor shook her head once again, a light smile over her face. 

A knock interrupted them, and Jessica went and opened it to reveal a young woman who looked to be in her late teens. 

"Hello there! I'm Delilah Clarke, Elliot's sister. I'm here to introduce myself to the gracious angels handling the crazy winter party, and to give you both a tour so neither of you gets lost in this big place." 

She was quite cheery, and Eleanor imagined she was probably bored being in the immense palace with not much to do besides the events that happened here that she'd heard about from her mother. 

"That's perfect. I was just going to suggest to El we do a bit of exploring, so thank goodness you showed up. I'm Jessica Myers, and that beauty is Eleanor Parker. Thanks for calling us angels by the way, what a wonderful compliment." Jessica returned the introduction. 

Eleanor blushed, and waved off the compliment, then set her binder on the table and followed Jess and the newly acquainted Deliliah out into the hall. 

They then started the long adventures of rooms and hallways, trying to keep mental maps of where to go for different rooms. There were 4 different elevators, 5 levels, and too many rooms to count. Floor 2 held the grand ballroom, and offices for the royals, floors 3 and 4 were mainly guest rooms, level 5 was where Elliot, Delilah, and their mother stayed, leaving the first floor to the entry hall, kitchen, dining hall, a living area with a grand piano and wonderful fireplace, and lastly to Eleanor's delight a mass library. Every room was filled with amazing architecture and designs that Eleanor felt privileged just by looking at them. 

This tour took up a lot of time that when they reached the library it was only an hour until dinner was to be served. Delilah informed them that her mother would most likely eat in her office while attending to her many duties, so there was no force for them to eat with her and Elliot in the dining hall, they could simply eat in their rooms if they wished.  

Still thinking it would be rude to miss dinner with both of them, and Delilah's nod to how awfully 'dull' it would be without the newbies at the table, they agreed to attend dinner together. 

With nothing left to see they then decided to head to the dining hall early and just talk and get more acquainted, Eleanor also wanted to ask for Delilah's ideas for what she wanted the ball to look like since it was important to Ellie to get every person's input that revolved around the event. 

Looking around her once more Eleanor let out a sigh, whether she was happy or stressed she didn't know, but she did know she was on the ride of her life and she had no control of the brakes. 

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To keep his mind off of a certain someone he put his head into his work. He needed to make an official contract outline for his mother to approve, this only led him to think about her again. 

'Stop it' he told himself. He was technically an engaged man.  While he didn't want to be he had to remind himself; Wedding = Help, Help = Saftey for his people. Saftey for his people was a necessity. He shouldn't, couldn't think about anything, or anyone else, no matter how perfect they were. 

Checking his watch he knew dinner would be served by now so he needed to head down, and leave his thoughts in his office. 

Entering the hall his eyes once again trained on her. She was sat talking to his sister, paying attention to every word she would say, laughing sometimes, which at the sight of made him crack an unintentional smile, he thought then that he enjoyed her laugh quite a lot. Once he caught what he was doing he nipped it out of his mind and went and sat beside his sister as the workers brought of the dinner. 

The cook Marie was excellent at anything she cooked, so when Pene and marinara sauce with herbs mixed with herb-crusted chicken and vegetables was placed in front of everyone he knew it would be delicious. 

"Took you long enough to come down here Eli. I almost thought you were ditching us. You wouldn't want our guests to think your rude do you?" Delilah chastised him in a teasing manner.

"Well, I hope you didn't talk their ears off. You might scare them away with your chatterbox." Elliot returned the teasing. 

Delilah let out a fake gasp and nudged him gently, causing Eleanor and Jessica to laugh. 

His attention was then set upon Eleanor again, to which her eyes met his. Her brown eyes pooled into dark mystery making him want to know everything about her. 

He was grateful when she took her eyes off him and tuned back into Jessica's and Delilah's conversation because he could have looked at her forever.  He cursed himself again. He had to stop. 

Elliot spent the rest of dinner trying to avoid thinking about the brunette across from him, mainly conversing into Delilah's long spanned stories when needed. 

After their plates were cleared everyone parted ways, Elliot bidding goodnight and returning to his office.  

In his mist of paperwork and pack arrangements, he sparked an idea. His mind had traveled back to his sealed fate, and then to his parents. They had been in an arranged marriage as well which made him think about the many other royals who had their fates sealed like him, which made him think, maybe there was a case of someone getting out of it. 

He popped out of his chair and rushed off the library in hopes there was a document of a loophole or something. 

As he entered he was solely focused on getting to the records that he didn't notice the brunette that seemed to be stuck in his mind standing in front of a bookcase he intended to pass. 

Brushing past her caused his shoulder to bump into her alerting him of her presence. 

"Oh, Eleanor I'm terribly sorry. I wasn't looking." Elliot thought this was awfully similar to their first encounter, just without coffee, and without him brushing her off. 

Eleanor waved him off awkwardly, "Your, fine. It was an accident, just like the first time, though that was my fault. Though I have been meaning to talk with you. You could have taken time to mention you were part of the Royal Werewolf family, not a just normal royal."