What's to come?

Frex would come when summoned, dressed in a blue elegant dress that fit him nicely, making him look more than just a woman but a lady and queen. She greeted him with a slight kiss and a curtsy. "what is it you wish of me my lord?" she asked in hushed tones. The rules of the collar changed to allow her to speak so long as she spoke softly.

Rune found himself unable to breath at the sight of Erin and paused for a moment to gaze at them to drink them up and take them in. To think that this creature would have once been considered a commoner, though very few knew the truth of Erin or where they came from. Rune's lips curved to a smile and at sight of the curtsy he offered a bow to his queen taking the hand and placing his lips to it.
"My queen."
Rune offered a seat to Erin as what he would have to say might take some time and he would wish for Erin to be as comfortable as they could be in the situation.
Rune began to pace about the room and inspected everything one final time to make sure no one could overhear, that no one could spy upon them.
"There are many strange things happening in the land since the dying down of war. My brothers have vanished. I am sure that the former High Empress would wish to seek for them and might send out troops soon enough if given her way."
Rune eyes were gazing at a tapestry on the wall as he spoke and his fingers ran along the edges his nails barely scratching the back of it. On it was woven Andeloria in its former glory with three kingdoms, now the land was split into five. Rune's eyes rested even so on Lothrei.
"I am not sure if I should sen someone out myself to see if they could find my missing brothers or not. I do not wish them dead mind you, and would like to see them in safety. But if we found Rhys, what troubles might that add to those we already have growing here."
At this he turned to Erin and moved over sitting himself beside her.
"Where to start though with our troubles. The Former High Empress is advisor to the throne and I wish all the support she can give, but mother and I do not always see eye to eye on what is best for the kingdom. She would have me take in that boy and claim it as my child. This poses a threat to what I have strived so hard for. I wonder now if my secrets are even worth keeping."
At this his bare hand ran down the length of Erin's fine gown and Erin would understand which secret he spoke of in this case.

Erin smiled at her king, she noticed Rune waved a bit and in response she would flush. She had not always liked the King. In fact when she had first met the man she had wanted nothing to do with him. The collar had kept her in tow and under the Kings thumb, making her do whatever rune desired of him.

Yet somehow in that time Erin had come to know the woman underneath it all and despite the occasional spat had come to like her in a fashion.Was it love? Erin wasn’t quit sure, love was a human word and feeling and there was nothing quite like it among foxes.

‘My King’ she smiled, taking the offered seat. Sitting always such a cumbersome thing when in the company of others as she had to sit just so to hid various parts. Alone like this with him though she could sit in a more relaxed manner that didn’t involve keeping ones entire body stiff.

She watched him pace, checking the room as he always did. She knew this only meant one thing, that they would be speaking openly about things the king didn’t wish overheard. The only question being which of the many topics that might be on this day.

She would listen for now, waring for him to finish before she would say a word to him. It was best this way, so that she could be sure she understood the full scope of the news. Her eyes never left his form even as he sat next to her, asking her what he should do. It was truly surprising to Erin that she had ever ended up in a situation such as this, where she was being asked for advice from the King.

Not long ago it was considered to much for her to even ask someone for a bit of extra food or more water. Now that she had plenty of both though she would send some in secret to the Man who had originally taken her in, the collector.

Her attention snapped back to run at the mention of the boy. She had heard the rumours of the child but did not realize they were true. Now she took hr time to speak, choosing her words carefully.

“In regards to your brothers… if you don’t send someone out to look for them it will look like you do not care for them or their kingdoms. So you have little choice but to send someone out. If your intent is to save face and not actually find the men then I suggest to hire an inept tracker whom simply claims to be the best” she paused a moment thinking, her words far more clear and practiced thanks to the lessons, she could even sound female now which is why she was at last allowed to talk.

“That said though some might look at your actions as a lack of faith in the Empress to get things done or to re-locate her own sons, though I imagine she won’t want the fact hers sons are missing to be made public anyways. So my suggestion would be to hire a good tracker to locate the men in secret and then to simply follow them and spy on them once the men are found.” she told Rune, her complex thoughts showing how much she had grown in her time with him.Had Run asked her the same question before the war she wouldn’t even have a clue how to respond, she didn’t understand humans in the way she did now.

“In regards to the child I do not see why it means you have to give up what you are. I mean for all the court knows it could be my baby by right of being your wife after all. If you need to explain away the age you could easily said I had the boy in secret and had him taken care of away from home to keep him safe.” she suggested.

She understood all the work Rune put into it all and making the kingdom run, she was evidence of that.

“Still…. the child could be a spy or a fake… sent to keep an eye on us.” she sighed a bit, reaching over to take runs hand in hers.

"I doubt the child is a fake... I remember that..." Rune shook his head before peering up into the eyes of his wife and queen nodding determined.
"So be it, the child will be raised here, even if it is a foul spy. As for the boy being yours... we might be able to work that but it is a bastard none the less and therefore deserves no recognition in my kingdom. To ensure this I want a child of our own to raise."
Rune sounded as though it were all business and emotion was not part of conceiving or raising a child, but deep down underneath their cold exterior was the desire of love for Erin, for Frex, for this one that Rune saw before themselves, and they wanted, they longed to merge their bloods into one knowing the sacrifices and costs it would involve. It would mean more tricks, more lies and deceit, but that was Rune's life.

"As for my brothers I will send out a set of guards beyond the wall to see if they can find trace. Though I do wonder how welcome this search crew would be welcome in any of the outer lands." The outer lands to Rune being any that were not Rhyrid, any that now lay beyond the wall.

Erin raised a thin eyebrow as rune spoke and yet didn’t finish what he had to say. “so be it indeed, I shall have to keep a close watch over the child then” she sighed a bit, making a mental note that she would have to reargue her already busy schedule to include the child now.

Her face paled at the mention of children of their own. It wasn’t like they hadn’t talked about it before but erin still couldn’t see how it would work out. “how? how will we hid that then?” she asked. “ I know before we talked about me pretending to be you but we are not the same size, if I pretended to be you who would pretend to be me? Also I still thing that I wouldn’t make a very good you. I’m not the same temperament as you and you know it” she told him.

she left the conversation there as Rune had decided what to do now in regards to his brothers it seemed and would simply nod to show she agreed with his choice.

Rune had summoned a guard to him and soon whispered orders to him to send out a troop to sweep the lands for Rhys and Luo on the off chance that his brothers remained alive. He watched the guard walk away took another glance and look around the hallway before closing the door and turning back his love.

"True and solid points. You may not look like me, and the reverse stands to truth in that case. But looks can deceive, you have witnessed this. All we we need to do is find a way to manipulate this situation as well to hold that illusion in place. However you are right that your temperment is nothing like me own despite you being beast. You may be more human than I ever realized."
At this remark he gave Erin/Frex a smile and hoped it would be returned and she would view his comment as a mere joke and not a slander against her.
"The truth is if we found a way around the deception of looks people would raise suspicion at your actions."
He grimaced at the thought and turned his gaze back to the door.
"I wonder if mother would help."
Rune wanted a child of his own, one he could entrust his line to and to take control of the land one day. He had put so much blood and sweat into this kingdom that the very thought of anything that should tarnish it was repulsive to his core. He would do all in his power to preserve and to build his kingdom and help Rhyrid to stand out among all kingdoms as a radiant symbol.

Erin fell silent as the guard came in the room, se played with her hair a bit which was no longer a wig mixed with her own hair. It was truly hers now and quite long, making for longer fur when she shifted form.

She smiled a bit “yes I do know what can be done i mean I could always were stilts to match your hight and where padding to match your girth” she paused a bit there to reach out and pad his hand to indicated to the man that his girth wasn’t a bad thing it was simply more than hers.

“It’s more the you sliming down to look like me that I worry about. I mean you will not be able to lose weight while carrying a child and well we can’t exactly chop off your feet to make you match my hight’’ she teased a bit now.

She didn’t catch the joke in his tone when he called her human and snarled at him, baring her teeth. “If I’m human it’s only because the fox find me too strange.” she huffed a bit.

A thin brow raised. “how exactly would your mother help? does she know the magic of illusion ?” she asked curious.

“does she have some way of swapping my mind with yours so that we can continue on with the lie a bit better?” she giggled a bit at the thought of his mind in her body.

She sighed “I know this is serious love and not a joking matter but … I’m just not sure I’m up to that much in the way of deceit … the alternative though… would be to admit what you are as you mentioned before…and well…. that would mean admitting that you never had me killed and people would stop trusting you.” she frowned, not liking how complicated things were as a human.

“I suddenly wish I have never stopped being a fox.” she sighed heavily.

Rune placed his hand on her cheek and placed his head against hers "You are still that wild fox and you are still my mate." His hand stroked down her cheek and to the back of her neck where he gave a squeeze to it before letting his lips fall to hers.
After the kiss he embraced her into his hold.
"Life is complicated. Whether human, beast, or other. As for the deceit it is what my life has been built upon and you knew this when you came to me. I am not sure I like the idea of more added upon it any more than you, but it would be for a few months at most as by the time I grow it would not seem odd that the queen has become larger in size. But if we are to do this we need to hide it from everyone. Mother could help play along and disperse any doubt that may arise in that time, or we hide it from her and find our own means. I am a man of strength and secrets Frex, you know this. You know this my Erin."
He slowly untangled himself from the embrace and placed his hands on hers holding onto her still not wanting to leave her side for the moment.