i'll tell you my sins, you can sharpen your knife

"Acere" she greeted him as he swept up to her. she leaned into his nuzzle, breathing in his scent before pulling away. Heloise gave a nod, her eyes sweeping across the raised platform to view the pines beyond them. "yes" she added with a little smile. she had been thinking too. just enough to keep herself from getting bored with waiting, even if she knew she'd see his proud form eventually. "the ship needs to be cleaned. it is rather stifling in there." the woman chuckled fondly.

among other random items there was a lot of dust. she worried for the breathing of their children, yet they so far hadn't caught any colds or even sneezed idly. her gaze returned to Acere's. "I thought we could discuss a few things, though" with no one else around, she felt more open with her feelings. with the Hjarrandi having slipped Winterfell a rope around the neck, she felt a foreboding sense of dread. but she shook such things away. her mate did not want to think about that, surely.

she recalled the disappointment in his eyes over her standing with the rest of the knights instead of him. though she did not press for a date to their wedding, the concept of her being with him hadn't stopped. but would it make the others of Winterfell pause? they had children now, and the pack was a traditional one. she was his mate in name only. "Acere... I wish to challenge you for a higher rank" she told him boldly, her shoulders square and head proud. "I wish to be your queen - both in rank and in heart. I have one of those things, I know. yet I also know Winterfell is a traditional pack. I would not be your queen to the rest of them."

she faced him confidently, no sense of dread or mistake in her eyes now. Heloise knew that Acere would not see this as a power move. she only wanted to be closer to him, and a higher rank would allow her to work with him over against him. they would finally be partners if he accepted her challenge. Winterfell would potentially grow stronger from this. "I am willing to wait until I have recovered from the birth to fight for it though" she added in with a raised brow. she had only ever gotten stronger for herself, but now she had Winterfell. she had Acere and the children. she had everything she could ever want. even if she did not win the challenge; she had made a point.

he was important to her. too important to lose.