"The Grand Duke has arrived. Everyone make haste."

People rushed around the castle, preparing for their beloved master, the Grand Duke of Ashmonie, to come home after a trip around the world.

The front doors to the castle banged open and in strutted the Grand Duke of Ashmonie. He's wealthy, handsome, and not betrothed. Why does he have such a hard time finding a suitor? Or, I guess the better question is: why is he so picky? Corderoy Holt thought to himself.

The Duke was nearing his early twenties and still had not picked out a suitor. His parents had died around his early pubescent years due to a tragic fire and only had Mr. Holt, his teacher, mentor, and family friend. John Kadmere of Ashmonie was left the title of Grand Duke at age 14.

"You are home early, Master Kadmere. Run into some trouble? Again?"

"Holt!" John exclaimed as he brought his old friend into an embrace and laughed. "Ye of little faith!"

John's infectious smile brightened up the room. Slightly shorter than shoulder length, his light brown hair barely fell into his deep blue eyes. He was slightly taller than the average man, and he had a strong body due to years of work. Overall, he was quite attractive.

"So you did, Master Kadmere? Who was it this time? The Natives, the neighbors, or the rest of the town?"

"The Parshons, actually. But that doesn't matter! You should have seen it, Holt! The waterfall was beautiful! So was Naxaca. The culture, the people. It was amazing! Look! Look! I got you a souvenir."

John swung his backpack around and pulled out something small and round. It was a rock. Dated and had the name of the place on it, he handed it to Holt.

"I shall put it next to my other ones, Master Kadmere. Thank you for thinking of me."

"So. What happened while I was gone?"

"Natalie came by and asked where you were. I told her you were out."

"Oh, thank heavens!"

"I do not understand why Natalie is such a bother to you. You are both young, rich, and neither of you are seeing anyone. She's interested in you. It is only a matter of time before someone like Malcolm picks her."

"She's annoying, clingy, loud, and does not chew with her mouth closed. You want to know why? Because she never stops talking!"

"Yes, Master Kadmere. Anyway, two maids, four stable boys, three chefs, and one gardener have all decided they should leave. Some of them had family issues, others… well, they did not like you, sir."

"I suppose we should hire some more?"

"Good thinking, sir!"

"Alright, Holt, let us go. I am famished and tired. I could really use some of Lonnie's cooking right about now. Has she found a suitor yet? You know, just out of curiosity?"

"No, sir."

"Fantastic! I mean-I-I'm sorry for her. That's terrible."

Off they went to Lonnie's kitchen. Lonnie was just a handful of years older than John and they have been best friends since... forever. Lonnie's mom had been the gardener and best friend to Amalie Kadmere, John's mom. Lonnie's dad died shortly after she was born. When they had nowhere else to go, Amalie told them to come stay here.

"It's not like we don't have the room," she had said.

"I wouldn't feel comfortable doing this, Amalie," Maud, Lonnie's mom, had said.

"Oh, I know!" Amalie had exclaimed. "How about you become our gardener. I know you definitely have a green thumb, we need a gardener, and you can stay here! And look! John and Lonnie are already friends! This will be like the time when you slept over. Oh, this will be so much fun!"

Amalie was always kind and welcoming. She was warm and thoughtful and always put other people's needs before her own. That's what John loved most about her. But he also hated it, too. It was what had gotten her killed.

There was a terrible heat storm late one evening. Maud, determined to do her best work, was outside with two other gardeners. They scarcely noticed when the air got thick with lightning. It did not rain. It had not rained for two months. Everything was dry. When one of the shrubberies caught fire, the three gardeners made a run for it. Maud's foot got caught between a rock and a root. Amalie, who had witnessed the entire thing from her window, ran outside to save her friend. James Kadmere, John's father, ran after her. He didn't want her near the raging fire that was getting closer. Amalie made it out to Maud and pulled on her leg. James came up beside her and helped as well. When they finally got Maud's foot free, it was too late. Maud made it out, barely, with terrible burns on her legs.

Now, Ashmonie's most eligible bachelor is traveling the world. What a wonderful way to tell all the lovely women that he has no interest in them.

John and Holt made their way to the kitchen.

"John!" Lonnie ran out of the kitchen, obviously excited to see her best friend. John picked her up and spun her around. The chemistry between the two was undeniable. Even though they denied it.

"How was Naxaca?" Lonnie asked once John set her on her feet.

"Oh, Lonnie! It was beautiful! They had markets everywhere! The jewelry, the places, the people. It was all so different than what we have here."

"My best friend, John Kadmere, Grand Duke of Ashmonie, left the country! He went to Naxaca! You have to tell me all about it, but first… I made your favorite! Roast Beef and lettuce salad! With vinaigrette sauce!"

"Lonnie, you are amazing!"

"I know," she said with a shrug. They made eye contact and her face heated, turning a light shade of red. She quickly turned and busted through the kitchen doors. She came out with two other people from the kitchen staff. They were all carrying big plates filled with food. They served him at the banquet table.

Hours later, John felt it best to take his leave to bed early. All night, John couldn't sleep, he tossed and turned. He kept having this recurring dream of him answering the door and this little baby would be on his doorstep. Exasperated and sleep-deprived, he got up. He went to the door, just to be sure.

Funnily enough, there was a basket on the doorstep. He picked it up. Something cooed. He flipped the blanket off the top of the basket. Sure enough, inside was a small baby. She had big blue eyes and a tuft of fawn hair on her mostly bald, baby head. She was incredibly cute for a baby. And inquisitive. She looked at everything with curiosity. Especially him. And then she reached for him, smiling. He picked her up. She was light as a feather and dangerously delicate. She touched his face with her tiny hands and it stirred something in him. A paternal instinct, perhaps?

Whatever the feeling was, he knew that this little baby was here to stay and she was going to play a big part in his life. A note swiftly fluttered to the ground. It was written neatly and in black ink. It read:

Robin, we're sorry. Hopefully, one day when you're older, you'll understand. We are truly sorry. We have left you a large inheritance and a token to remember us by. We pray you find a good family. We hope you will find someone to love. We want you to remember to be honest, kind, and outgoing. You need to be graceful and brave. You were born on February 13th. The day before St. Valentine's Day. Your father and I had to give you away, but know this: we love each other and we love you. We are terribly and inexplicably sorry. We hope that one day you are going to find us and we will all be reunited. You were born to rule. And when you do, you will be amazing. We love you.

Yours, Mum and Dad

"Huh. Strange," the Grand Duke muttered to himself.

And then, John noticed the necklace in the basket. He picked it up, examining it. It was a simple silver locket with an engraving of a robin on the left side and the words, "Be You" on the right side. He went to his chambers and set the baby and the basket down beside the bed. He then went into a peaceful sleep. Finally, he thought before nodding off.

When he awoke, he saw Lonnie cradling the baby. In his room.

"Are you mad?!" he half shouted. "You just scared me out of my mind, Lonnie. What are you doing here?" John subconsciously pulled the sheets over his bare chest.

"Well, I came in to give you breakfast in bed, but then I saw this little one. Wide awake, she was. Big, blue eyes looking everywhere. She was so cute I had to pick her up. Which brings me to my question: why do you have a baby in your room?"

"I found her last night. On our doorstep," he said while swinging his legs over the bed. "I couldn't sleep and had this dream that there was a baby on our doorstep, so I got up and checked it out. She was in that basket with a note."

John got up and walked over to them. Lonnie, realizing he was in his loose breeches and nothing more, looked everywhere but at him. John chuckled as he saw Lonnie's face turn pink when he got out of bed. He picked up the blanket and shook it out. The note fell swiftly to the ground. He handed it to Lonnie.

"Well, you're gonna have to take care of her," she said when she was done reading.

"What? Are you serious?"

"Obviously, the mum left her here on purpose, this child comes from a wealthy family, and she needs a home. Are you just going to turn her away?"

"I'm not turning her away. I can't raise a kid. I'm not parent material."

"John, trust me, okay? It was terrible growing up without my dad. It was terrible and it was hard. This little girl is going to grow up without both her parents. Are you going to refuse a person in need? Did your mother refuse mine?"

"No," John said reluctantly. "But I can't raise a kid."

"You can't," Lonnie said. "But WE can."

"What do you mean?" John asked, feeling his ears burn.

"I mean, what if we all raise her. You and the staff. You and us. You and me…"

"I shall think about it," John said.

Lonnie smiled and came up to him. She used her free arm to hug him. Her touch felt like pinpricks on his skin. They lingered before she finally spoke.

"Breakfast is there," she pointed to the shelf where she set the tray of food. "Thank you, John. This means a lot to me."

"I know," he said. He ate quickly and got dressed. When he came down the stairs, he saw that Lonnie was showing off Robin to all the staff. His staff came up to him and some congratulated him and others told him how he was such a wonderful person.

"What did you do?" he asked accusingly at Lonnie.

"I merely told them what happened. How you took in an orphaned baby from the damp, dark night. All alone, she was. Sittin' in her basket with a note."

John rolled his eyes.

"What?" Lonnie said.

"You're so dramatic," he said.

"That's why you love me," she said.

"I suppose so," he grumbled. "Hand me the baby. I'm sure you have work to do."

Lonnie turned away from him so he couldn't take Robin out of her arms.

"No," she said curtly.

Smiling, John tried again.

"Lonnie, hand me the baby." John took a step toward her. She took a step back. This continued for five more steps before Lonnie finally took off running. John, laughing, ran after her. She had always been faster than him, but right now she had a baby in her arms. Fortunately, the baby seemed to be having a great time. She laughed and cooed ridiculously. John actually felt it pull at his heartstrings. Lonnie turned a corner and John slowed, realizing that it was a dead end. When he rounded the corner, he saw Lonnie, frozen against the wall.

"Damn," she cursed softly. John stalked toward her, pride with every step, his lips in a smirk.

"No," Lonnie laughed. "You can't have her!"

"Lonnie, give her to me," John said, barely being able to hold his own laughter back. "You have work to do."

Sighing, she faced her body towards the young duke.

"Alright. Here," she gently put the baby in his arms, but came nose to nose with him. She faltered, lips twitching before she drew back, clearing her throat. She watched as John rocked the child back and forth in his arms, looking at her blue eyes the size of marbles. Robin cooed at him. He made incoherent baby noises back and she reached up her tiny hand and touched his face. He brought his own up and held her hand. When he looked back at Lonnie, she was smiling. But it wasn't an I told you so smile. It was one he had never seen before.

"What?" he asked, wondering what this new smile meant.

"Nothing," she said.

She walked around him and went back to work.

The rest of the day went by pretty quickly. And, before John and Lonnie knew what was happening, days turned into weeks; weeks turned into months. Robin was almost a year old when John's 23 birthday started coming up. They started sending out invitations for December 2. It was the start of November, so that gave them an entire month to prepare. Lonnie was terribly busy trying to find him a present. He had souvenirs from all over. It was going to be next to impossible trying to find him something he doesn't already have. And then, she had the perfect idea. Fortunately, she wouldn't need to leave right away to have it in time.

:|:

Meanwhile, an abnormally large, black wolf padded through the woods surrounding the castle. Drawn by the scent of horses, she silently crept close to the stables. She nimbly jumped over the gate, despite her swollen belly, and walked around the sleeping horses. She looked for weaknesses.

Eventually, she chose the oldest one. The closest one to death. She was starving and was forced to eat this horse due to lack of food. She would not - could not - eat her brethren. They had allowed her into their territory but on the promise that she wouldn't eat the sheep or the wild boar. She agreed. And it's not like one sheep or boar would satisfy her.

She was a werewolf. Not a regular wolf. Twice the size of an average timber wolf with two times better senses, she needed to eat twice the amount as well. Well, three times, now. She was carrying offspring. This was the second time she had visited the stables. The first, there was a young man there. A "stable boy" he had called himself. Apparently, that meant care-taker of horses. He wasn't here now. She had come looking for food, but instead had found a partner.

He obviously did not want the burden of a child. A child of a werewolf, nonetheless. Although, he did not know that. She had been human when he had found her. In her human form she was very "seductive". Or so the human called her. Black hair, brown eyes, strong build like her father before that. She did not plan to keep the child. She, Alpine, was born of a pure family. If her father found out she had a bastard child, she and this pup would be in grave danger. Her father was the alpha. He was notorious for being the most ruthless and cutthroat.

Even though they had played when she was much younger, she was quite sure he would kill her pup if he ever found out she had it with a mixed wolf.

In human years, she would be approximately 26. She would need to be able to find a suitable mate before she returned. None were here, though. A while ago, she had seen the alpha of this house take in an abandoned child. It was not a wolf. But the child would grow up with hers, if the family decided to keep it.

She suddenly felt that the pup would be coming tonight. She needed to eat or she would not survive the birth. Soundlessly, she killed the old steed. She ate quickly, consuming most of the organs and meat, but left the carcass, drawing other predators close. She growled a warning. They fled. She closed the door to the stables, now in human form.

After many laborious hours, the baby finally came. She cleaned him up and talked to him soothingly. She had found a spare shirt in the stables and had wrapped him in it. He had a head full of black hair and caramel brown eyes flaked with gold. She shifted back to her preferred form: wolf. Werewolves were able to talk any language they could speak and understand fluently while their lips and mouths did not actually move. It would be like talking as a human, only it would be softer. Not loud unless she purposefully wanted it to be.

She picked the cloth up in her teeth and carried him to the doorstep of the castle. She set him down and looked him in the eyes.

"Oh, little Heardwulf. Hopefully you will grow into your name. It means strong and brave. I know that is exactly what you will be. I hope we never meet again. Farewell."

She licked his face and he cooed. She felt a twinge of guilt, but she knew it had to be done. She turned around only to find herself staring at a young woman. She had vegetables in her arms, but she was otherwise completely frozen. Alpine took off running into the woods. Only once did she look back before disappearing into the thick forest. What she saw when she looked back were two other women coming up the hill. The first woman ran to them and obviously explained using a loud voice and crazy hand gestures. By the looks of it, the alpha female picked up the baby and looked in Alpine's general direction. That's when Alpine swiftly took her leave and never looked back.