It had been a couple days since the attack, and Zee was recovering well under Luce's care. It frustrated her beyond belief that the Klein healer would be denning down with her during her remaining treatment, but less so out of dislike for Luce and more because in the process she had sent Sirius away. It occurred to Zee that Sirius might be staying with Belle now - It was one of his few options, wasn't it? He dug his den out from the stone himself and Zee doubted he had time to dig another. Zee's old den was much to small for the titan, and Sirius didn't seem the type to willingly move in with one of the other Kleins unless it was his Empress. Trying to push the thought out of her mind - and how she would need to perform her duties with Sirius planted at her Empress' feet. How could she look at him after what he'd done to her? With a sigh, she approached the patio of her mistress. A paw lifted to knock politely upon the den's wall - she could have likely wandered in, but Zee did not want to risk any sort of wrath if Belle was not prepared for visitors. "Mistress, I'm here." She announced softly, poking her head behind the hide door. While she waited for her Empress to greet her and give her work to do, she began to work on straightening the various decorations laid out on the patio. "Speech"

He told her the night previous, what he felt for Zee. Belle had dwelled on the confession all night. Her pregnancy and the hormones it brought didn’t help her to rationalize any of her emotions, and it was just as raw as it had been when he’d whispered those god awful words to her. She hated it. Hated that she had allowed it to happen in the first place, hated that such a wedge had come between them. Hated that she couldn’t have her way.

Zee’s voice was suddenly at the entrance of the palace. Belle was tucked away in the darkness of her private room, glad she didn’t have to lay eyes on the woman. A low growl left her involuntarily as she was reminded again how out of control her emotions were. She was the Empress, and would not be trapped in her den because she didn’t want to lay eyes on the slave. She growled to herself and found her feet.

She took a deep breath as she paused at the oryx hide door, hesitating at the threshold as she struggled for control. Ivory tail whipped at her hips as she furrowed her brows and grit her teeth. She growled again, this time Zee was sure to have heard her. ”I don’t need your service today, Zeitgeist.” She said roughly, unsuccessful in keeping the hurt from her voice. Tears welled up in her eyes again as she let the emotion envelope her. She lowered herself to the floor and sobbed quietly in front of the door.

Her empress growled as she came closer, and Zeitgeist whirled in her duties as if expecting another wolf to emerge from the den's depths. Deathbelle had never growled at her before - what did she do wrong? Was she late? The royal wolf's continuing speech came across so harshly, and she used Zee's full name which Belle knew she hated. For a brief moment, Zee slumped against the reprimanding tone, ears flattening and tail tucking in anticipation. Her submissive and cowardly posture did not last long, however, as her mistress fell to the ground with heart wrenching sobs. Zee sprung into action, pushing past the door and Belle into the further depths of the den where Luce had put the herbs for Belle's pregnancy symptoms. She grabbed a mouthful, and then sprinted back to her mistress to place the bundle st her feet - her own paws tippy tapping in place with anxiety. " What is it, Belle? Please tell me the pups are okay. What do I do? I don't remember what herbs to use!" Her anxious shouting was nearly tearful, she felt like the worst failure in the world. "Speech"

Suddenly Zee was at her side, and Belle felt her lips pull up in a silent snarl as the slave went in to overdrive, ready to care for her however she saw fit. She should have reprimanded her for barging in the other night, now he thought she had free reign of her palace. Belle growled again as she shied away from the handmaid’s touch. She growled, pulled her ears to her skull and showed her teeth. Ivory tail lashed behind her as she felt herself go feral.

”You stole him.” She growled, this was too soon. She wasn't in control and her emotions were high. She wasn’t thinking through the situation clearly yet. ”You stole his heart and now mine is broken.” She felt her frustration return, it was so much easier to be mad a Zee. She wanted to scream into the sky and beat her paws against the floor in fury. Her skin was hot and her heart fluttered with great speed as she held herself back. ”Go, go before I do something I’ll regret.” She commanded as she pushed herself against the wall of the den. Her hackles raised she could almost disguise how much she had shrunk away from her kindhearted slave.

Belle's fury came to her immediately, and before Zee knew what had happened her previously sobbing mistress was snarling at her. She froze, feet lifting to very slowly move backwards away from the feral empress. Zee did not have the instincts of a warrior, and faced with Belle's teeth she only tried to submit further. "I'm sorry." She whispered, voice cracking. "I-I didn't steal anyone, I'm sorry." It would be stupid to try to play it off like she didn't know what - or whom - Belle spoke of. It was obvious she'd found out about her and Sirius. Zee's ears pinned tighter against her head, and she'd backed away until she was nearly at the door once more. "Can't... can't we talk about this?" She begged, watching her empress with desperate eyes. If Deathbelle was this furious, she'd definitely be forbidding Sirius to ever see Zee again. She couldn't possibly let that happen, no way. If banned from her friend, she'd have little choice left but to fight for her freedom as she'd spoke of once to Sirius. "If... if you feel I've done wrong, you shouldn't regret punishing me for it. Please, mistress. I'll do - and accept - anything to earn back your favor." The small slave bowed low to the ground, eyes averting to stare at her outstretched legs. "Speech"

The two women were at opposite sides of the den as Zee offered empty apologies and claims she hadn’t stolen anyone. Belle growled deeply again, ”Silence, you know what you’ve done.” Under furrowed brows her eyes flashed with rage. as Zee coward further, and tried to reason with the emotional Empress. She felt the desperation return to her as Zee presented herself on the floor, submitting herself to whatever whims her mistress deemed appropriate.

”Not even death could keep us apart..” Her voice broke despite the growls that continued to bubble up from her throat. ”Yet here you are,” Tears began to fall from her cheeks once more as she again relived the loss and the heartache he gave her. It was not really Zee she was angry with, it was herslef and Sirius. If she had never loved him to begin with, if he had only accepted her advances when they were young.. she wouldn’t be feeling this awful pain now.

She snarled again, her defenses falling as she was consumed again by the feeling of betrayal. She deflated considerably, feeling so very beaten down despite her many accomplishments. ”Leave me to my grief.” Belle commanded as she slid to the floor again and averted her gaze from the slave’s form. Her most dearly held dreams were dead and dying, and the Empress needed time to herself to deal with the fact apropriately.

The Empress couldn’t remain hung up on a wolf who was not even supposed to be worth her breath. But Seer meant the world to her, and she would have given up everything to be able to love him.

She stayed in her bow throughout Deathbelle's reprimand, flinching at the harshness in her words. Zee sniffed quietly, her own eyes becoming wet with unshed tears. "I-I" She stuttered, ears flattening harder against her skull as she was told to be silent. The verbal reprimand caused the small slave's heart to clench further with each word, and she did her best to not collapse into begging sobs at her empress' feet. Commanded for a second time to depart, Zee tentatively exited her bow, shying away from the royal wolf back further towards the den's opening so that her side brushed against the pelt-door. "Mistress, I-" She wanted so desperately to apologize again and again, to be welcomed back to the woman's side and enjoy her gentle kindness once more. Another hard sniff to hold back the tears, and Zee inhaled a shaky breath of air to try to steady herself. It would do nothing to continue to beg to remain in her service, and Zee had no desire to earn herself a severe punishment for disobedience. Her eyes shut slowly, and she gathered the will to ask a final question. "Shall I return tomorrow to my duties, mistress?" Her words were hesitant, and the small slave's heart pounded hard as she awaited the answer. Deathbelle wouldn't send her away forever, would she? Her jaw began to quiver with the thought, and she squeezed them shut hard. "Speech"

The slave all but offered her belly to her as she refused her presence again. Zee was intelligent, and made her way slowly towards the door. Belle growled again but the target of her fury offered no more excuses, another testament to her intelligence. Deathbelle returned her piercing gaze to Zee’s form as she spoke once more. This couldn’t go on forever, she was going to have to make a decision and it would be better done sooner than later. She furrowed her brows and looked down her sculpted nose towards the source of her pain.

”Yes.” She answered shortly. Sirius would be instructed to appear before her as well. Tomorrow she would give her final word, for now she would wallow in her pity before making that decision. She didn’t know what to do yet, but she would when the moment came. The Empress’s eyes wouldn’t leave Zee again until she obeyed and left her.