Lies and Lies

"Evening Maester. My wife and I need a place for rest, I hear you offer the best services in this town." Clingy negotiated with the tavern man.

Alorea looked around cautiously, even with their disguises, she could still feel the stinging glares of eyes staring at them from all directions. They should have just found a place to sleep outside like they always did, this was probably the last night they would spend on the streets of the Giant kingdom. By tomorrow, they would be in the palace, with the claws of power as their strength to defeat Daemon's pride.

She checked the claws again, there were still there beneath her dress. She could feel them. This tavern offered privacy for their last night, but if anything went wrong, they could lose both the claws and their chances at survival. Yet for some reason Clingy had insisted that they come here to spend the last night.

"That will be it for both of you," the tavern man was telling Clingy. "Your room is just by that side. If there is anything you or your wife need, there is a bell by your bell. All you have to do is ring it."

"Thank you, Maester..." They nodded to the man. "But for now, we need a meal." Clingy added.

"You can sit right there." The man pointed to a table among the other visitors who were feasting on their meals. "Your food shall soon be with you."

As they walked towards the tables, Alorea wondered where Clingy had gotten so much money. By the time they left the mysterious hill where Siarra tried to kill her, they had nothing left in their purse. How was he quickly able to afford perfect disguises and this new luxury.

The giant men at the table were staring at them as they approached. Clingy grabbed Alorea by the waist, suprising her with a wink and walking towards the table.

"What... Are... You doing...?" She stuttered...

"You are my wife tonight, remember? They have to believe it." He explained, wearing a mischievous smile. "Do not worry, it is just for tonight."

As the two sat down to dine, a young giant came to their table. "Would you like some hard wine?"

"No..."

"Yes!" Clingy's voice overshadowed her voice.

The alcohol was brought in the twinkle of an eye, right before Alorea's eyes. The last time she had alcohol was... She could not even remember. The last three years was about her in a different reality, and through those three years, all she witnessed was pain and torture in the hands of her mate. Perhaps the last time she tasted wine was on their wedding day.

"Drink up." Clingy quickly poured himself a cup and poured one for her. He was being so hyper today, and Alorea could not understand why.

She decided not to taste the seductive wine, she would rather focus on her meal. Then someone spoke from behind.

"I heard the princess of the night wolves was captured by the foxes, but they lose her again somehow."

The men at the table behind her were discussing, and they were talking about her.

"Silly workers, those foxes. How would they lose a princess as weak as her, I hear rumours that she may no longer be able to summon her wolf."

"Yes. On the night of her eighteenth birth day, everyone waited to see her transform. But it did not happen". Another confirmed.

"Such a disgrace that one. And she has the guts to try and bring war to our people. King Daemon is just so gracious to even allow sleep in his palace, what a person he is..."

Alorea's rage was boiling. And even was starting to notice the move in her eyes. She was going to do something terrible if they kept spewing all those lies about her.

In a fit of rage, she turned around.

"What do you know about the princess of the night wolves??" She yelled at them a question which hit their faces with shock.

"What...?"

"I said what do you know about Alorea? And why do you think she is the evil one? The one who wants war?"

One of the men turned to Clingy. "Control your woman, please. She might be drunk..."

"Answer her questions." Clingy snapped back, not willing to hold Alorea back from her outburst. "Or you have no answers to the question?"

"Of course we know how evil she is!!" The men started, infuriated. "She came all the way from her land to ours just to announce war to the eyes of our king. Alpha Daemon mad all her people stay in his palace like royalties, he clothed her in the finest jewelries of our land but because she wants to get revenge for the former alpha who was her grandfather, all these could not appease her."

"Lies and lies and lies!!" Alorea snapped again. "I know very well that the princess came to this place only to negotiate peace and stop the coming war between her people and the giants. Instead of listening to her pleas for peace, your alpha gave her an imposible test. And while she was gone on that test, he spread vile rumours about her..."

"You!!" The men grew angry at once. "How dare you say lies about our alpha like that?!"

They sprang on their feet, aiming to attack the woman. But Clingy was quick to intervene.

"You strong men of the giant order. Would it not be weak and distasteful to waste your powers on a drunk woman?"

They stared in pause, anger still budding within. In the end, they returned to their seats, trying to calm down. "Hold your woman's tongue!" They said.

Alorea was indeed not drunk. But now in the depths of her annoyance, she turned to the wine which was placed before her, devouring it in a gulp.

"Give me more!!"

Before Clingy would process the words, Alorea snapped the large gourd of wine and served herself. Again. Again. Again. And again.

"You are... Getting drunk..." Clingy kept his lips apart as she was about to say something again, turning to the men behind her who were starting to forget about their earlier conversation. He held his hand across her mouth, she might say something to blow their identity covers.

"Let us go to our room..."

She did not want to leave yet. She still needed to teach those men some lessons. But before she could do that, Clingy's hands had crept beneath her feet, raising her from the ground. He carried her away from that place and into the room which had been prepared for them to spend the night.

"You... You dare carry a princess like that..." She was speaking words without thinking about them now. "You are so strong... How come you are a servant... You should be my alpha... I should... serve you...."

"You are drunk already, Alorea. You did not even drink that much and you are this drunk." He placed her on the bed and sat by her side.

"I should tell you the truth, Clingy. If not for Baldwin and the others, I do not want to give Daemon those claws any longer. We have seen the power of the claws. Look at what you did to Siarra... Now imagine that kind of power with someone as vile as Daemon..."

He was silent not returning a word to her. But she knew he was thinking the same thing. Daemon should not be allowed to receive the claws of power. If he did, it would mean nothing but doom.

"Tell me about yourself...." Alorea muttered, slowly fading. "You said the other day that you had another name. The name Siarra wanted to call you, can you tell me? You know almost everything about me, I need to know some things about you too..."

Clingy was silent for a while. It was as if he was thinking about her proposal. As if he was in doubts whether or not he should talk about his past. But in the end, he decided to tell it to her, the story of his journey.

"My name..." He began.