Ivory Snow
Chapter 31

The trip back to the main camp took longer than it had taken Adam and his guards the night before. But, then again, running in wolf form versus pulling two wagons, was a bit different.

The occupants of the wagon spoke very little during that time. Kyle and Leo walked near the back, keeping an eye out. Dean and Gabe were in the front, driving their wagon.

When they got to the camp, Kyle ran forward and led Dean toward the tent. They may not have been there when it was set up, but he did know what it looked like. Dean pulled the side of the wagon up to the flap, trying to get the back end as close to the entrance of the tent as possible.

Jack got out first and disappeared. Adam followed and then held his arms out for his mate. She rolled her eyes as he carried her straight into the tent before putting her down.

“Snow! I’m so glad you made it safely.” Richard called out. He and Andrew had been standing around a square table looking at a map.

Ivory lifted her arms and walked up to each of them in turn, giving them hugs.

“I’m glad to hear that you are both safe. Your journey sounds to have been more trying than ours.”

They spoke for a few minutes as she inquired as to any wounded and such. They were prepared for her questions and gave her a full report. She was so much like her mother.

While the royals got down to the work at hand of going over and detailing the next stage in their plans, Jack chose to roam the camp. He had many friends and colleagues in their ranks and wanted to check on them.

At first, Jack was confused when soldiers kept bowing to him. It wasn’t until someone greeted him as “Your Majesty,” that he remembered.

They all thought he was the purple wolf.

Adam had told him that was the general consensus but seeing and hearing were two different things. It only took ten minutes before Jack turned and headed back for his tent to hide until it was over.

Before that, he had laughed along with the brothers at Adam’s discomfort. Jack was raised as the son of a Duke, the son of a Prince. He was accustomed to a certain amount of respect from others.

This was different. Oh boy, was this different.

Once the debriefing was over, Andrew insisted that they give them time to rest.

“When you’re ready, send for Kira. She will bring water for you to bathe in. Adam, she took your clothes to wash as well.” Only a Duke, who was used to city life, would be concerned about such things in the middle of the forest.

“Kira? Who is Kira?” Ivory asked.

“She is the female who is assigned to help you both out, in regard to the tent.” Richard explained, sounding somewhat awkward.

“Is she the female that has been hanging around?” Adam chuckled, remembering the tiny little female.

Richard nodded.

“Helping you how?” Ivory raised an eyebrow.

Adam had started to laugh then realized she was entirely serious. The two older males hightailed it out of the tent, they knew that face. They’d seen it plenty of times when she was a pup. It was also the same look her father gave when he wasn’t impressed with something.

Adam calmly explained his past interactions with Kira. He wasn’t afraid of the look on his mate’s face. Quite the opposite actually. He loved it when she was jealous and possessive.

As he explained that he stayed wolf the whole time, he slowly backed Ivory up to a sectioned off area of the tent. It was designed to give them privacy when sleeping, dressing, and other things.

After he had sufficiently soothed his mate, he sent for Kira and water for a bath. He planned to pamper Ivory today, seeing as it was her birthday.

Kira walked into the royal tent first, a team a little behind her with water for the bath. She stopped dead in the door when she saw them both. She had only seen the King in his wolf form. And like everyone else, she had assumed it was Jack.

Being as she was raised in a rogue pack, Kira had never met Jack, nor heard of him. However, she had listened into the stories told around the campfires at night. He sounded like a good male, a dependable one.

The male in front of her was not Jack. At least not the way he had been described to her. She was told he looked a lot like his father, a male she had met.

“Excuse me. I’m looking for Jack.” Why were these people here without the King?

Ivory smiled, understanding on her face. “No. You aren’t. We have let the rumors fly, for both our safety, and to confuse Ava.” Ivory stood up from the chair she was in and walked towards the young female. “My name is Princess Ivory. I believe you have met my mate before. Adam.”

Adam followed her. “Hello again, Kira. I apologize for not getting your name before. In my defense. It had been quite a day.”

Kira’s jaw dropped. The voice she recognized. The Princess’s name she recognized. She struggled to close her mouth and then mentally kicked herself before hurriedly bowing.

“No, it is me who should apologize, your highness. My mother taught me better than to believe rumors.”

“Don’t. It is what we wanted. Please, remember that you are one of the few who know my mate is alive. Please keep the secret. Although,” Adam turned his head toward Ivory. “It won’t be long now until the news is out. But still. Please.”

Kira nodded. “I, uh, have others outside, bringing the water. If you would prefer to hide behind the sleeping divider, I will tell you when we are done.”

Ivory nodded. “That would be much appreciated. Thank you.” She took Adam’s hand and they disappeared from Kira’s sight.

With them gone Kira got to work, all the while thinking about his words before. The King had mentioned being around her people. When they traveled to the large city, she had seen a group of males and one female with the Captain.

Could that have been them?

Kira tapped gently on the divider a few minutes later and told them they were leaving. She hoped it wouldn’t be long until the news was out. She was dying to talk to somebody about it.

Jack returned to his cousin’s tent, along with all the brothers, for dinner. Seeing as the couple couldn’t leave, they decided to go to them.

“This is so cool!” Fitz shouted, as he ran around exploring their tent.

Fitz tripped on a few things, his recent growth spurt and entrance into puberty having made his balance a little awkward. Not that he had been all that well coordinated to begin with.

Adam frowned at the pup while Ivory laughed. She loved his youthful exuberance and his overall innocent behavior.

Jack had spent a good portion of the day hiding in his own tent. He purposely picked a nondescript one, hoping to blend in with everyone else. That part worked out well, seeing as everyone thought he was in this one. Unfortunately, his walk over had not been pleasant. By the time he ducked inside their tent, he was as moody as Adam.

“What snake curled inside your blankets?” Charles asked with a grin.

“Huh?” Jack had no idea what that was supposed to mean.

“Why are you as cranky as Adam?” Dean translated for his twin.

“Oh. Well, after the day I’ve had, I can now understand why he is so cranky.” Jack detailed all the bows and titles.

His audience was laughing joyfully. Even Adam smirked. He usually only smiled in a response to things regarding Snow.

“See what I mean? Even a pup who was raised with a title is annoyed by it all. It just ain’t right!” Adam complained. “I will never understand why they treat us with such deference. And the way they line up to do it…” he huffed and shook his head.

“My father didn’t like it much either. He always said he’d invite people to the castle more if it weren’t for all the attention. At the party, he was happiest after the greeting line was over, and when he got to dance with mother, or just sit and visit with friends.” Ivory added, taking a bite of the potatoes that had been brought to them.

The tent fell quiet. She had only meant to let Adam know it was common to feel this way, she hadn’t meant to remind everyone what would be coming the next day.

“What’s the plan for tomorrow? I assume Snow will have to wear a dress again.” Brian winked at her scowl.

As they had been camping and traveling, she’d gotten away with wearing pants, something her Aunt had not allowed her to do in the manor.

“The plan we are hoping for is for Sawyer to welcome his guests. Snow and I will come out. She will announce Ava killed her family, and we will arrest Dale and Ava for treason. Then the real party will begin.” Adam rubbed a possessive hand on Ivory’s back. “What will actually happen is anyone’s guess. Richard is taking care of the soldiers, positioning them around the city.”

“Sawyer told us the other night that the village is filled with strangers. He says many of them do not look the part they are playing. They don’t look like farmers and tradesmen.” Jack leaned onto his knees and informed Adam.

Adam accepted this with a simple nod. “That doesn’t surprise me. I’ve expected Ava to have spies here from the moment she heard about the festival. Maybe even since they burned down the farmhouse.”

Charles jumped out of his seat, pulling everyone’s gaze. “Alright. That’s enough shop talk. I do believe today is someone’s birthday, and we will be having fun!” He walked outside of the tent and then came back carrying a guitar. “With all that time on my hands in the city, I learned a few songs. I say, we turn this into a real party!”

They spent the next few hours laughing, singing, and dancing, just like they did for every other birthday. Unfortunately, a few had been spent while traveling. The parties were smaller, but they had still tried to celebrate.

The last few months had been filled with stress and anxiety. Tonight, was about family.

Kira showed up as the evening waned down, holding a large package.

She curtsied to the couple before speaking. “This came by messenger a little bit ago. The Captain wanted to look at it first, make sure there wasn’t anything in here that could harm you.”

Eric stepped forward and took it from her with a smile. Kira blushed, making her age look even younger. Ivory had assumed she was already past shifting age, now she was rethinking that.

Kira half ran from the room filled with people and the young male that made her feel funny. Eric was grinning ear to ear when he handed the package over to Snow. He was going to have to keep track of that female.

Adam shook his head with amusement. When did this pup get old enough to notice females?

Ivory sat down in a chair, the package on her lap. She opened it carefully, revealing a folded light green material. On top was a note.

I ordered this, years ago, not long after that first pie. I knew this day would be coming.

Happy birthday, dear cousin.

Sawyer

“What is it?”

“Whose it from?”

Ivory handed the note to Adam. “Sawyer.” He told the room.

Ivory picked up the top of the material and stood up. The most beautiful dress she had ever seen unfolded. It flowed down to her ankles, just barely above the ground. As a pup, she used to complain to her mother about her dresses getting dirty all the time from being too long. She felt touched that he remembered.

“It’s the same color as your eyes.” Gabe said softly.

Jack was a little startled, having never heard the pup speak before.

“It’s perfect.” Adam said.

Ivory handed it to Adam, and he laid it over the top of the divider to their private room. With the late hour, the others kissed her cheek goodnight, even Jack, and left the tent.

The brothers had been divided up into three tents, two in each. Brian pulled Gabe in with him. The next day was going to be hard enough for the pups, he wanted to make sure the stress didn’t keep that one up all night.

It was unanimously agreed upon that anyone who could not shift would be staying in camp with those now too old to fight. The males tried to include all females in that, but Ivory had put her foot down.

“This is our kingdom as well. If they want to fight for it, then who are we to tell them they can’t? Gender does not determine one’s ability to fight for their loved ones. We’ve lost just as much as the males, if not more!”

No one had wanted to argue with the pregnant Princess, soon to be Queen.

The other females in the camp didn’t know this, because of course they didn’t know she was alive. Which made them even more surprised when Richard announced it.

More than half the females volunteered to go.

As it turned out, it was one of the best ideas. A male with a female companion was less conspicuous than a male alone. Something the Evil Queen’s males had not thought of.

Around mid-morning, Kira showed up at the tent again.

“I wondered if my Lady would allow me the honor of helping her dress this morning. I haven’t been told of the plans for the day, but I do know how to pay attention. I assume you will be there. Wearing the pretty dress that you got last night.” Kira nibbled on her lip nervously, hoping she wasn’t over stepping.

Ivory loudly sighed with relief. “Kira, you are a lifesaver! Thank you! Angelica always helped me as a pup. Since then, I have been living in a house full of males. I am at a loss of how to do more than brush and tie my hair up. And Adam prefers to undo my buttons than to actually button them up!”

Adam just shrugged with a grin and sat back.

Kira stifled the giggle and started helping Ivory.

“How come you don’t know much about the plans today? I specifically said any female capable of shifting should be allowed to come if they wished.”

“Oh, no my Lady. They did say that. Many of the females are happy to hear it. It’s just that I am not old enough to shift yet. I turned fifteen just this summer.”

“Ah. Okay. You look so much older.”

Kira blushed and bowed her head. “Thank you, your majesty. We do grow up fast in our pack, it’s part of life when you have to struggle for everyday things.”

Ivory nodded. “We know something about that. Adam raised his six brothers alone from the time he was your age. You already know what happened to me at thirteen.”

“And then she raised all of us.” Adam added from the other side of the tent.

Ivory blushed, making Kira giggle again. She hadn’t realized how young the royal couple was.

“All those males last night... they were the brothers you lived with?”

“One was my cousin, Jack. But yes, all the others are my brothers, and Adam’s too, I guess.”

Adam busted out laughing at how she pushed him aside.

“That’s a lot of males.” Kira murmured, making Ivory laugh.

“Yes, they never cleaned themselves or the house, until I got there. And they lived off oatmeal and stew.” Ivory turned her face in disgust.

She and Kira talked and laughed while Kira curled and braided her white hair. The easy flow between the two made the time go by faster. It also served to help Ivory forget the anxiety growing in her stomach. For a short time at least.

Richard and Andrew showed up at some point, speaking to Adam softly from the conference area. Jack, Brian, and the twins joined them eventually as well. The pups were keeping Gabe entertained in one of their tents.

Adam hadn’t given much thought into what Ivory should be wearing or looking like when she appeared before the people later. He would be eternally grateful to both Sawyer and Kira for stepping up and thinking about things he knew nothing about.

With someone like Ava, they would need to pull out all the stops.

Richard’s spies reported back that Ava had arrived last night, with Dale in tow. They were staying in the Inn run by Sawyer, just as before. However, the spies had found a camp filled with soldiers on the south side of the village. They remarked that their uniforms were foreign to them.

The way it sounded to them was that Ava made contacts with one of the smaller kingdoms that neighbored their own. That was concerning. They would be less likely to switch sides when they found out the truth.

There were too many unknowns out there.

Adam was relieved when his brothers walked in. That was something normal. These were people who did not expect anything special from him. Not that he ever told them that or showed it. It was just not in Adam’s nature. Which they also knew and accepted.

Kira walked out from the separate area. She stood there with her hands clasped in front of her. She waited quietly, expectantly, until they noticed her.

One by one, the males looked at her, following the gazes of the others.

“Introducing her highness. Our future Queen, Princess Ivory.” Kira announced proudly before stepping aside.

Ivory felt butterflies take off in her stomach. She had been nervous before that first dinner with her uncle, but this felt like more. She closed her eyes, counted down from ten, then stepped around the divider.

The tent was utterly silent as they took in the sight before them. The color of the dress matched Ivory’s eyes perfectly, even the tint.

She looked... indescribable. Adam was utterly speechless. Verbally and mentally.

Kira had braided Ivory’s hair in a way that turned some of it into this weave that held the long hair that normally flowed down her back. There were also small bits of hair on both sides of her face, curled, looking like the peaks of waves as they flowed down her face.

“Wow.” Charles drew out each sound of the word, the first to break the stunned silence. “It’s a good thing you always wore pants before. We never would have been able to keep you hidden.”

His comment was ridiculous enough that it burst the bubble in the room.

Adam approached and hesitated in touching her. She was like a work of art, one that you were afraid to touch because you might ruin it.

“You look gorgeous, Ivory. Absolutely stunning.” He practically croaked, not having full use of his vocal cords.

“Ava is going to lose it when she sees you, Snow. You were a threat to her status as the prettiest in the room at the age of thirteen. Now, she can’t even hold a candle to you. This will knock her off balance enough that she will make many mistakes today.” Richard said with glee and a bounce.

“Maybe this time, you won’t argue about riding in the back instead of walking.” Jack teased her. “You wouldn’t want to mess up your hair.”

“Har, har.” she told him. “You know you are still riding with Adam and myself.”

Jack’s smile melted and she laughed.

“Actually, Sawyer arranged for a carriage to be brought over. It arrived last night, with your dress. The four of us will be riding in that. Surrounded by guards of course.” Andrew clarified.

Ivory nodded, there really wasn’t much of a difference between the two but at least riding in a carriage sounded more dignifying than riding in the back of a wagon.