Chapter 15: Talking About Prince Armel

"I will also run through your Cankurian suitors." That caught Bae's interest. "Of course, you've already met Prince Armel so I don't need to tell you about him." Adelaide was all business when all Bae really wanted to do was gossip like the young women they were.

"Do you think he's handsome?" Bae asked quietly.

"Who?"

"Prince Armel..."

"He's a bit too arrogant for my liking," Adelaide replied. "But I guess he's attractive if you like that sort of thing."

Bae found her sister's words ironic. Adelaide was the definition of arrogance if you asked her. "What sort of thing?" Bae stifled a laugh.

"You know the arrogant warrior type." Adelaide considered her younger sister for a moment. "You like him?"

Bae didn't want to answer the question so instead she shrugged her shoulders.

"Bae, you mustn't allow yourself to be pulled towards him before the Claiming. You might find he is not destined to be yours."

Nodding her head, Bae took her sister's warning to heart. She knew that Adelaide was right. Falling for him too soon, could have terrible consequences if it were to befall her that he was not her mate.

"Tell me about the others."

"Well, there's Prince Cayden, Armel's brother."

Bae tried her best to stop her mind drifting as her sister told her about the other Cankurian suitors. Truth be told her mind always ended up dwelling on Armel, no matter how hard she tried to keep those thoughts at bay. It didn't help that Adelaide kept using Armel as a pointer for who everyone was.

"There's also Barin, Donovan and Dustin, Armel's cousins," Adelaide was saying, "and Cadman and Cadmar."

"Armel, Cayden. Barin, Donovan, Dustin, Cadman and..." Bae struggled to remember the last name her sister had listed.

"Cadmar," Adelaide tutted. "You really must get this right, Kumari."

"Adelaide," Bae grumbled, "we've got at least two days before we get there. I have plenty of time to remember seven names."

The Chief Advisor frowned at her sister's words. "But..."

"Anyway, I'm going to have a nap. You should do the same. We've had a busy few days."

Adelaide crossed her arms and frowned at her younger sister. "I really think we should continue. You need to know all about the suitors and their families."

"And we can discuss it at lunch later," Bae smiled sweetly. "I really am very tired, Adelaide."

Conceding, Adelaide turned to look out the window. She took a deep breath. She hadn't really stopped since the death of her mother. Perhaps Bae was right and they did need to rest. She hadn't really had time to process her own feelings because she'd been so busy fulfilling her duty as Bae's Chief Advisor. She watched the trees blur as they passed them.

Turning her head, she watched her sister sleeping. She couldn't understand how Bae could be so at peace with the world when their mother had just left them. Then again Bae had always been very good at putting her own feelings aside for the sake of the realm. It was her destiny after all. It probably also helped that she had the magic of the Kitsune now within her.

Adelaide on the other hand, could not rest. She couldn't stop for risk that she would fail to fulfil her duty if she did, for she was certain that when she stopped she would break.

What Adelaide didn't realise was that Bae was not asleep. Her eyes were closed but her mind was abuzz with thoughts of what was awaiting her in Canku and all that she was leaving behind at the palace. But where before she'd been filled with dread at the prospect, now she was most definitely excited.

Her magic tingled with an urgency to find her Seven. Their magic was calling to her from their various tribe lands, her heart pulling her in multiple directions. She knew she shouldn't already have feelings for Armel. She knew that there was a chance that he wasn't hers to claim. She knew that her sister's warning was true but she was certain that the magic calling to her from Canku was his. She couldn't tell her siblings that his magic was calling to her. They'd repeat the warning and rightly so. But it didn't stop her from feeling it. Her eyes closed, she could picture him perfectly. His rugged, stubbly face, ocean blue eyes. She could feel herself in his strong arms as he carried her through the forest. Bae was convinced she could almost smell him as if he were right there next to her. She couldn't resist wondering if he was thinking about her too.

At some indeterminable point, Bae's breathing changed, her mind ran ahead of her, and she drifted off to sleep.