If life was an ocean, then the revelation of the lycan existence and Maebh's place in their world, had launched her into the depths of a trench. For the past 3 days, Saoirse O'Sullivan had embodied a bioluminescent fish; a flickering light in the vast darkness.

Ever since her Mam had informed her of her impending departure, Maebh had been trying to milk every last minute she had with her. But now the dreadful moment had arrived and she held onto her mother for dear life. She peered over her shoulder at the queen –who had given them some room to say goodbye.

"Sneak me back to Ireland with you."

"We did for 19 years and look how that turned out." Saoirse murmured back.

"You did it once, you can do it again."

Her Mam sighed. "Mo ghrá... Even if we did, no good would come of it."

After the Introduction Ball, the moments mother and daughter had spent completely alone and amongst each other were rare and few. Outside the castle grounds, they were constantly shadowed by the prince's subordinates –under the pretence of safety precautions. Maebh played along but feared they had their suspicions. When they did managed to escape them, her mother provided her with more bits of information, ones that only added to the unravelling of her world.

"You'll be alright."

Noting the doubt on her daughter's face, Saoirse sighed heavily. "You will be, I promise. Trust in what's in here." She pointed at the place Maebh's heart was located and pressed a lingering kiss to her cheek. And then, she left.

Her Mam left, and with her, the light as well.

Maebh stood staring at the winding road until the car had long disappeared from sight. Feeling a tear roll down her cheek, she quickly wiped it away and turned back to the castle.

Hèmène opened her mouth to speak and lifted her arms, presumably to offer some kind of consolation but Maebh did not feel like she could handle any form contact right then, instead she moved past her without uttering a word. Right before she re-entered, she shot a glare up to the window of the Fillin's library, where those gleaming, amber eyes were watching her from.

Maebh felt like a sad, asymmetrical pancake that had lost its fluff. Consequently, the days that followed were spent in bed; wallowing in self-pity. She was in the middle of a movie marathon when the crown prince himself barged into the tower room and came to a halt right beside her. Bewildered at his unannounced presence, she pulled the duvet up to her neck and instantly felt at a disadvantage. Whereas she had been in a state of gloom, moping about in pyjamas and refusing to tame the bird's nest one called hair –Fillin looked like the rugged protagonist of a perfume commercial.

"I heard you liked this." He announced rather grimly, retrieving a large plastic bag from behind his back and holding it up. "One of my gammas is bonded to a Japanese chef."

All at once, the smell of tempura shrimp hit her senses and willed her to snatch the bag from his grip. Lashing out into empty air, Maebh frowned at the retreating arm that now held the object in question just out of reach.

"You can't keep skipping out on your lessons with my mother." He said.

Maebh narrowed her eyes, not sure whether to feel offended or impressed. The man was bribing her with food.

"Fine. I'll go find her first thing in the morning."

With that, he wordlessly handed over the bag and caused Maebh to squeal with joy. Had she not been so absorbed by the food, she would have seen the little grin her eagerness triggered on the prince's face.

Impatiently retrieving the clear tupperware and laying them out on the mattress, she was delighted to discover a whole ensemble of personal favourites: sushi, takoyaki, tempura shrimp and vegetables, yakitori, sashimi, onigiri, gyoza, and even mochi!

"Happy?"

She bit her lip to contain just how delighted she truly was. Funny how food could have such an effect on people. Then again, she had always been an emotional eater. Unable to suppress her excitement, she broke out in a toothy smile and nodded vigorously.

"Good." He gave a diplomatic nod and made way for the door.

"Would you- would you like to join me?"

Although the thought of eating everything on her own was tempting, there was a lot of food.

"I mean there is so much and I-"

"Okay."

Too taken aback to retort, Maebh simply scootched over to make room. The prince, somewhat awkwardly, placed his large body right next to her on top of the duvet, his back leaning against the headboard.

They momentarily bumped shoulders and instantly, the now-healed bite mark started throbbing, her pulse thudding rhythmically. The atmosphere was tense, causing Maebh to clear her throat before filling the prince in on what had happened during the movie so far.

Whereas Fillin seemed to immediately be sucked into the story line. Maebh couldn't relax with such little space between them. She silently observed him from the corner of her eyes and noticed how every once in a while, she saw something trying to shimmer through. A twitch of his mouth other than the signature impassiveness, the hints of a smile when a joke was made. She wondered if it was all an act, this unaffectedness, this coolness.

Not just today, but other days as well, she had seen pieces or moments of him slipping through the cracks; when his regal cloak slipped and his hands moved without him being explicitly aware of it or his eyes sparked before he reigned back in whatever emotion was pressing against the surface.

"I'm sorry,"

Worried she had been caught in the act of gawking, a wide-eyed Maebh sharply turned to face the prince. "I-"

"For embarrassing you during the bal." his face was stoic, but something inside her told Maebh he meant it.

Caught off guard once again and not sure how to reply, she simply hummed her acceptance. She hadn't expected him to bring up the subject let alone apologise for his behaviour.

Gradually, they fell back into watching the television and at some point, they must have nodded off, because when Olive went to check in on her later that afternoon, the kind lady was surprised to see her tucked into the crown prince's side, both of them sound asleep whilst the music of the end credits permeated the tower room.

Hours later, the quiet departure of a certain someone pulled Maebh from her sleep. The spot beside her was still warm from where he had lain. In her sleepy state, she didn't think twice about calling after the prince's retreating form.

"Fillin?"

He paused. "Got to go."

"Now?"

Slanting over her with his heavy, muscular frame, Fillin picked up the edge of the duvet and pulled it up so it covered her entirely.

"Go back to sleep."

And just like that, her eyes drooped shut again.

———————————————

Getting out of the shower, Maebh caught sight of herself in the fogged mirror. She wiped the condensation with a small wash cloth and gazed upon her reflection. By then, it had become part of her morning routine to find more pearly hairs that had sprouted overnight, and yet it never refrained from startling her.

Quickly dressing into something deemed acceptable by Hèmène, she sneaked downstairs and winced when the kitchen door creaked. Luckily, the staff wouldn't start until 5am so she had the space to herself. She quietly prepared some leftover scones with cream and raspberry jam, made a cup of tea and then put everything on a tray to carry upstairs.

Arriving at Hèmène's office, she typed the numbers into the alarm system with ease. It beeped twice and the door opened, the alarm disabled. Once inside, she put the tray on the desk and went straight for the Arcadian law book. Maebh contently munched on her breakfast whilst skimming through some articles, studying the pages and did so until the queen entered hours later.

"You're up bright and early!" Hèmène wore a pleased expression, undoubtedly due to the fact Maebh had actually shown up.

"I couldn't sleep, figured I'd do something useful."

"Atta girl." She squeezed her shoulder in passing and poured herself a glass of water. With her back still towards her, she said, "So, Olive tells me you missed dinner because you were cosying up with my son?"

Cheeks blazing, Maebh started coughing profusely –having just taken a sip of her tea. "He brought sushi." She muttered pathetically, as if that would excuse anything.

Hèmène turned back around and gazed down at her pointedly.

"..on the condition that I started attending my lessons with you again and he also apologised for humiliating me in front of everyone the other night."

"Glad to hear he kept his part of the bargain." Hèmène said, her voice depicting approval.

Maebh furrowed her eyebrows. "His part? The coercion or the apology?"

The queen grinned devilishly.

"Hèmène?"

Clapping her hands together and placing the Arcadian lawbook back to where it came from, the queen smiled warmly. "What do you say we eyeball our lesson today."

She gestured towards the sitting area and as both ladies sat down, Maebh caressed the creases from her skirt, explicitly paying attention to her posture. "Sounds good."

"Perhaps I could tell you a bit more about our history?" Hèmène motioned in the direction of the bookcases full of leather-bound volumes, "About things that aren't written down."

That piqued her interest. "Such as?"

"The potency of Lycanthrope seed."

Maebh cringed. "Do you have to call it that?"

"Seed? Yes. What else would you like for me to call it? Love juice? Liquid magic? The syrup of a thousand souls?"

"Point taken," she said, pulling a face. "Please continue."

"The seed of our men is beyond potent,"

Maebh didn't miss how the queen emphasised the word our.

"...and so, to prevent Childbearers and Soulbonds from getting pregnant every time they have intercourse with their Lycans. The laws of nature have come up with a loophole. We are only fertile during a full moon."

"That's... convenient I suppose." She fumbled with her fingers.

It was uncomfortable to talk about anything sex related with someone she had started to care for like family. Call her immature. But either way, it wasn't information she would soon forget and it got her thinking.

"Can I ask you a personal question?"

"Go on." The queen agreed, surprisingly somewhat begrudgingly.

"Why did you stay with Maccon? Why did any of the previous Childbearers stay when the kings are incapable of love?"

"My darling girl," Hèmène exhaled deeply and took one of Maebh's hands in her own. "The matter is not as simple as staying or leaving; the royal bloodline of an entire species depend on us. That is a big responsibility and in the end, I opted for the greater good. When I was born, women's rights were a seed that had only just been planted. I had been raised knowing what my future would look like, and it was an honour to take up my position as Childbearer. And contrary to what you might believe, I've never been unhappy with Maccon. I simply found love elsewhere, in my children."

"Didn't you dream of love?"

"I dreamt of a stable marriage. We grew up in different times, I don't expect you to ever understand where I'm coming from but I would like you to try?"

Maebh toyed with the idea to probe a bit further but stopped herself short. "I'll try."

"More questions?"

"Well, just one..." a thought entered her head, and popped out of her mouth before her brain could catch up. "Why doesn't... Fillin like me?" As soon as the words were out, she wanted the ground to swallow her whole.

Hèmène paused momentarily, blinking dumbly whilst she processed her words. Then, she threw her head back and laughed heartily, her body shaking with mirth.

Maebh crossed her arms. "That was a legit question though."

"Charming girl, you do make me laugh. That boy is about as good at expressing his feelings as you are at masking them."

"Okay wow, obliterate my existence, why don't you."

The queen rolled her eyes. "Oh, darling, do minimize that theatrical aura of yours, we both know I'm right."

It felt as if the queen had stomped on her toes. "Theatrical? I was just-"

"That wasn't a question." Hèmène patted her cheek fondly and reached for a book with a thin spine and started browsing through the pages. "You wear your heart on your sleeve, and Fillin.. well, Fillin sometimes forgets he has one. A heart, that is. He's got plenty of sleeves and thank the Gods for it. He knows I despise seeing those tattoos of his on display."

She slammed the book on the table. "Right. Now what I want you to do is revise the royal etiquette of official receptions, banquets and soirées."

Having a slight inkling what incident might have instigated this specific topic, Maebh cleared her throat. "I'm sorry for making a fool of myself at the ball, I hope you didn't take offense."

The queen casually waved it off. "Nonsense. Lesson learned! You had too much Nectar and Fillin proved his rank over you so all is good."

"Nectar? Is that what was in the flutes?"

"It's the divine drink of the Gods." Hèmène wiggled her fingers dramatically. "Or so the Arcadians like to believe. It's essentially an overly sweet version of moonshine. Maccon loves it and you too, clearly. The rumours about the Irish tolerance for alcohol turned out to be true."

"Lucky me." Maebh said sarcastically.

"You won't be lucky forever. With the amount you were throwing back, it's a miracle you didn't drink yourself into a coma." her voiced was laced with maternal judgement. "Save for that little hiccup, you did really well, Maebh. Far better than I was expecting you to do with such little time to prepare. This bodes well for your future at court."

A silence fell upon the room. Uncertainty lay coiled like a serpent in Maebh's head. The prospect of spending the rest of her life at 'court' was daunting, to say the least.

Hèmène slid the book towards her. "Enough talking, more studying." she picked up the now empty breakfast tray. "I'll ask Olive to bring you lunch later."

———————————————

That evening, Fillin looked up at Maebh the second she entered the dining hall, his eyes taking a quick, indiscreet survey of her appearance. She felt the heat rush throughout her body, sparking in her cheeks and fingertips as she sat down in her designated seat opposite him. He looked impeccable.

As if he knew what was on her mind, he send her a a very uncharacteristic wink –causing her cheeks to flush even darker with heat. "Evening," she squawked to no one in particular and then cleared her throat to gain some composure.

Lying in bed after dinner, she couldn't stop thinking about the damned man and how they'd caught each other's eyes countless of times during the 3-course meal. And even in her dreams, he was plaguing her. Him and the babies.

Maebh was surrounded by brittle, ancient walls, each identical to the next and lacking an identifying mark of any kind. Daylight had rapidly dwindled into a gloomy twilight that granted just enough light to aid in finding a path through the passageways of the labyrinth. In the distance, the spindling branches of an old Birch tree peaked over the walls.

Mighty howling was heard from somewhere deep within the labyrinth and then, the very earth was shook by a deafening grinding noise. The walls began to move, aligning so there was only one path. The never-ending lane was presented to her with the birch tree rooted tall and proud at the end of it. Another howl rang through the darkening sky, followed by the cries of infants.

Maebh burst into a run; her feet kissing the mossy ground and the icy breeze colliding against her skin as the blonde-silver locks whipped back and forth behind her.

The silhouette of a beast appeared against the trunk of the birch but as it stepped from the shadows, it morphed into a familiar form.

Fillin cradled the two babies in the crook of his elbows, a sight Maebh had become accustomed to. The only difference being that instead of just his arms and back, every inch of the prince's skin bore intricate designs of black ink, curling around his wrists and shoulders, wrapping themselves all over his torso; depicting days of old and strange symbols she could not decipher.

He beckoned her closer with a nearly feral glint in his eyes. Unable to resist, she moved in his direction. However, upon getting within several meters, an invisible barrier like a brick wall knocked her senseless, a violet wave of electricity pulsing across it with the impact.

Maebh's body crumpled to the dirt, sharp rocks digging into her exposed skin. Defeated, she curled up like an unborn and kept her eyes trained on Fillin, who appeared unbothered by the scene.

The prince opened his mouth and shouted her name, his features robbed of emotion. She tried to answer, but couldn't –as if her tongue had been cut out.

"Maebh!"

She winced, cupping her hands over her ears. Why was he screaming?

Utterly disoriented, Maebh opened her eyes and found she was in bed, in the tower room. Her body was bathed in a cold sweat and the sheets were twisted around her limbs. The babies were nowhere to be found and a hand was shaking her shoulder.

"Maebh? Are you alright? You were thrashing around.."

Squinting against the harsh light shining in through the open doorway, she found one of Fillin's SICs examining her with a hint of concern.

"Benjamin?"

Noting that she was now in fact, fully awake, the ginger haired man began rambling franctically. "I'm sorry for waking you, I know this is very inappropriate and that it could get us both into trouble but I don't know what else to do."

"What could be so important at..." she peered at her phone. "3am? What the hell, Ben!"

"I'm so sorry, Maebh but my Zahra, she- she's in labour but something is wrong, the baby isn't moving anymore and there was blood and I can't lose her I- I can't lose either of them. Coinín told me how you helped his soulbond and I was hoping you would do the same for mine." He said nervously, searching her face for a reaction.

Declining wasn't even an option. The injustice of the situation was beyond harrowing. Maebh had learned enough about Arcadian law to know maternal help was strictly prohibited. Nonetheless, she felt it was her duty to help –even if she wasn't all that experienced. It did leave her to wonder what was up with men waking her up to assist a birth.

Within record time, Maebh had gotten dressed and the two of them were rushing through the halls of the darkened castle.

Benjamin informed her that all staff; Second In Commands and subordinates included, resided on the other side of the massive stone structure and that it would take 10 minutes to get there. They had been fast walking for a while when her least favourite person rounded a corner.

"I called it! I knew you'd go to her. You gotta learn to be less predictable, Lockhart." The man barked out, laughing manically.

Refusing to stop moving, Maebh quickened her pace, grabbing Benjamin by the arm and forcing him to do the same. "Zeff, what are you even doing here. Sod off."

In turn, Zeff was evidently irritated he had to nearly start running to deliver his scolding. "My duty! That is what I-"

"That was a rhetorical question, ye gabhdán. Mind your own business."

He ignored her, focusing on the ginger haired man. "I gotta say, Lockhart. You must have finally found your balls to be interfering