Eileen walked briskly towards her shared room, both the cold of the season and the pace of her heart pushing her on, glad she did not have far to traverse before walking into her warm haven. Thankful that the fire had been kept burning, she sat in a chair near the berth and propped her damp and freezing feet on a stool to warm them.

"Eileen?" Eileen gave a startled squeal and slightly jumped in her seat. She turned to find the source that called her name and saw her sister and roommate, Margaret, poking her head from behind their dressing curtain.

"Margaret!" She exasperated, now holding her paw to her racing heart and breathing heavily.

"You gave me a fright!"

"Oh, so sorry, but what in the name of the warren are you doing running about half dressed with a dirty guards' cloak on?" Margaret had pulled her head back behind the curtain and continued to get dressed.

"Oh! I just came from the baths." Margaret quickly interrupted before she could say more.

"Oh, yes, I heard they saved you from that scoundrel hare that drug you off to the hay shed."

"Scoundrel?!"

Not really paying attention to her sisters tone, Margaret continued.

"Mmhmm, lucky Samuel found you so quickly."

Eileen was dumb struck. She knew rumors spread fast in the palace but this was ridiculous and couldn't be further from the truth.

"Heard he gave the dirty hare a good thrashing to. I do hope the mongrel didn't hurt you." Margaret finished with concern in her voice. At that Eileen simply let her jaw fall open in shock.

It only lasted a moment as her anger quickly took over. Behind the curtain, Margaret continued to get dressed. Until she heard the most terrifying bunny growl she'd ever heard followed by muttering and fabric being ripped. She eased around the curtain to see what was happening. To her surprised, she saw Eileen tearing the stuffing out of a pillow and tossing it about with her teeth bared and muttering enough curses to cause Margaret to blush.
She eased her head back behind the curtain and quickly finished dressing.

When she couldn't hear anything more, she stepped out from behind the curtain and gawked at what she saw. Sitting in the same chair as before, Eileen seemed to calmly examine her little claws while stuffing and fabric from what had previously been a pillow were strewn all around her.

"Uhm, are you alright?" Margaret meekly looked back at her with the most innocent smile she'd ever seen.

"Oh, I'm fine. Are you finished?" She asked pointed towards the curtain. When Margaret nodded and stepped away, Eileen rose from her seat and fetched a change of clothes before disappearing behind the curtain. After several seconds Margaret decided it would be worth chancing a few questions.

"So, um, I don't suppose you'd be willing to tell me what happened?"

"Oh there's not much to tell really. Samuel was stalking me at the party last night, as usual. So I used Lucas, that's the hare's name by the way, to keep him away from me. After he left I dragged Lucas out into the rain where he gave me his cloak and I led him to the hay barn. Then this morning Nathan and his friends attacked us while we were sleeping, very cowardly of them if you ask me, all while Samuel held me back and threatened me. We were then rescued by the foxes and father made Lucas a gentlemammal under Earl Wilde. Only for it to turn out that the Earl all but adopted him into the family. So now we'll be having dinner with the Earl, mother and father and Judy along with her husband to discuss his formal status. If all goes well, and I truly hope it does, Lucas will ask father's permission to court me."

As Eileen finished her tale she stepped out from behind the curtain wearing a clean purple dress that matched her eyes. Looking at her sister, she joyfully took in the shocked expression of the brown doe before her. Margaret's own fur being the same color as their father's. It didn't take very long for the initial shock to wear off and Margaret to start asking questions.

"So, you actually want a hare to court you?"

"Lucas, I want Lucas to court me." Eileen replied strongly.

"Who is a hare!" She replied. "Eileen, it's bad enough he's not of noble blood!"

"What's that supposed to mean?!" She nearly shouted.

"It's a scandal! That's what it means!"

"What are you talking about?" Eileen was now staring daggers at her sister.

"Think about it. With your unique fur you are the most sought after of all the Hopps daughters. Yet you have turned away every suitor who comes your way. Now everyone knows you've run off with a common hare and soon he'll be courting you. Every buck who has ever eyed you will take it as an insult. The rumor mill is already spreading that Nathan and Samuel found you two together. After word of your courtship gets out, everyone will assume that he has already deflowered you."

"And what if he has?" She said with a pointed look. "He's the one I want to be with, the rest of those bungling idiots can go hang themselves for all I care." Crossing her arms and turning away from her sister, Eileen's mind was made up. She could see there was more to Lucas than being a hare or a commoner. And she didn't care if she was the only one that saw it.

"And what about Lucas?"

"What do you mean?" Eileen asked as she walked towards her side of the room and sat on her bed.

"What do you think will happen to him? All those high borne bucks he's ousted for your hand will take it as an insult. You said so yourself, Nathan and Samuel already attacked him once. What's to stop them from doing it again?"

Eileen didn't respond. The blank expression and the way her eyes looked at something hundreds of miles away were the only indication that she was thinking of the possibilities. When she didn't respond Margaret continued.

"If you accept his offer, you place a target on his back and when word gets out, the archers will start to draw their strings."

With Margaret's words the image of the scar on Lucas's back came to Eileen's mind. Only the armor he wore that day had saved his life. Here in the palace, he would have no such luxury.
But he would have the Earl. Surely no buck would be foolish enough to attack him if the Earl truly adopted him. That would bring the ire of the Red Devil down upon them. Wouldn't it?

Eileen's mind raced with the possibility of what could happen, all the different ways someone would think to attack Lucas. Names of those most likely to be bold enough to attempt an attack came to mind as well. It took only half a second to think of six names.

"Eileen?" Hearing her name, and a firm paw grasping her shoulder, Eileen blinked a few times before noticing Margaret standing next to her. Surprised by her sudden proximity, she could only manage a weak response.

"Wh-what?" She barely whispered.

"Are you alright? You looked like you were in another place?" Margaret asked.

"S-sorry, I was just, thinking is all."

"Well you certainly have a lot to think about, I'd say." Margaret then stepped past her sister and retrieved her coat hanging from the wall. "Let me know how everything turns out." And with that her sister was gone, leaving Eileen to contemplate more on what her sister had said.

She didn't take long to think things over, she didn't have time. She needed to make sure one of the dining rooms appropriate for their group was reserved and that all guest were able to attend. She instinctively reached for the cloak she'd obtained from Lucas and was about to put it on when Margaret's words crossed her mind. The thought of others targeting Lucas because of her placed a heavy weight upon her heart.

Deciding to wait as long as possible before advertising their relationship, she placed the cloak at the foot of her bed, making a mental note to have it cleaned. She then grabbed her own coat and headed to the dining wing of the palace. There she was able to reserve a room large enough for the eight attendees and schedule a meal. On the way out she bumped into a familiar hare.

"Oh! Lucas!" The urge to run up and hold his paw was nearly overpowering. But she managed to constrain herself, if barely. She couldn't help the smile that threatened to overwhelm her features.

"Eileen, what are you doing here?" He asked in surprise. After Eileen had left the baths, Lucas left soon afterward. Making his way back to his room and packed his belongings. Now the two were standing together again.

"I was reserving a room, for the dinner." She explained. "I hope that wasn't too presumptuous of me." In all her excitement, Eileen had forgotten how her own culture worked. The male was the head of the household and would handle domestic affairs, including arrangements between meeting parties. Remembering that now caused her to slip her ears behind her back submissively and her smile to fall into a worried frown.

Observing how her demeanor changed when she realized she may have overstepped her bounds, Lucas' heart felt a sharp pain pierce through it.

"Why would it be?" he quickly asked. Her recovery was nearly instant. Her ears coming back above her head and her eyes widening. She wasn't smiling yet but at least the frown had turned into a more neutral expression. At first Eileen thought Lucas may be ignorant to how noble society functioned. She had no idea of the commoners held the same strict restrictions on females or not. It was one of the many things she realized they would need to discuss. She was mentally preparing to explain why to him when he took a step closer to her.

"I know that typically the male is the head of the household in our society." Another step closer. "However, I've spent a far amount of time among the foxes since they've arrived." Another stop closer. His eyes locked onto her own. "They seem to have a more equal relationship, and since I'll be serving under the Earl, I think ours should be a similar one." With a final step his body was mere inches away from her own. Her head craned up to look in his face. Her gaze lost in a sea of blue and green.

"Besides," his face took on a horrified expression, "I have no idea where they put the Earl or your sister."

That broke the trance Eileen had been in. A small snort escaped as she tried to stop herself from laughing at his stilly expression. "This way." She said with a giggle.

As they walked they discussed the dinner to come. Only having to turn around once to change the meal order after Lucas made a suggestion from what he had observed the foxes eating in their camp. Then back on their way to the different rooms. Their first stop was her parents where they found Bonnie and she guaranteed her father would be able to attend. Then the Earl's, where Gideon was not present, and it took several minutes to try and convey the invitation.

Eventually, Lucas was able to deliver the message through a series of hand gestures. Eileen watched on in fascination as the two continued to communicate silently, eventually parting with a paw shake.

"What was all that?" She asked.

"Pure dumb luck." He replied. She continued to watch him as she expected more of an explanation than that. "It's a series of signs that soldiers use to convey messages silently. It's just luck that they use a system similar to our own." Eileen listened on in fascination. She had no idea such a system existed. Although, considering a bunnies hearing, it did make sense to have one.

They continued to chat on the subject as they approached Judy and Nick's room, Eileen making Lucas promise he would teach her how to use the code. Knocking on Nick and Judy's door, the two patiently waited for an answer. When none came they knocked again, slightly harder, and waited. As the silence dragged on, they both began to lean towards the door with an ear focused on anything they could hear from the other side. As they listened they could make out two voices. The first, obviously Judy, saying something about letting her go while the second, presumably Nicholas, mumbled something they couldn't understand. The two leaned back away from the door and looked at each other curiously before looking back at the door. A couple of moments later the door opened and a sleepy Judy appeared.

"Oh! Hey guys!" Her expression brightened upon seeing who was at her door. "What are you doing here?"

The two explained how Lucas had been made a Gentlemammal and sponsored by the Earl. Inviting her and Nick to join their parents for dinner to go over the finer points of the arrangement. She excitedly agreed and promised they would be there. Bidding Judy farewell, they walked in silence till they reached the end of the hall where it split in two directions. They stopped at the junction, both looking in opposite directions before turning to face each other.

"Perhaps we could…"

"Maybe we should…"

They both spoke at the same time. Lucas smiled at the slightly awkward moment while Eileen looked away with a slight blush.

"Please." He said with a gesture towards her, letting her know he'd like to hear from her first. Eileen hesitated for a moment as she thought about what she wanted to say. Instead she said what she thought she needed to.

"Maybe we should," she started before stopping again, "should go get ready. I-I'll need to pick out something appropriate to wear and I'm sure you need to think about your conversation you'll be having with Earl Wilde.

If he were honest with himself, Lucas would have realized that something had changed in her since the baths. Instead, he dismissed the feeling, reasoning that she was still young and unsure of the world.

"I think you're right." He lied. "I, uh, I think I'll just go back to my room and think things over. I'll see you at the dinner." He then turned and walked down the hall away from her.

Eileen watched as he retreated, keeping an eye on him till he was out of her sight. She released a disappointed sigh once he was gone. Disappointed in herself for letting her own fears influence her choices. At not coming forward and telling him she was worried about what Margaret had said. Maybe it was all fruitless anyway. They could be mistaken about the Earl's intentions after all. Perhaps it was best to wait and see exactly where they stood before jumping to conclusions. With that final thought, an idea came to her. She quickly turned down the opposite hall and began to briskly walk to the library. Determined to find a way to keep him safe from cowards such as Samuel.

"No one will take him away from me, no one!"

A/N:

I think Eileen might be a little obsessed. And what could she possibly hope to find in the library to help protect Lucas? What do you think?