The elephant

A wolf. It talked. And it didn’t just talk. It was a sassy wolf, who was very well aware of being the elephant in the room. And apparently, it belonged to Elayne. Which was a weird thought, as Elayne belonged to her. Making it… The brunette sighed, pulling her hand through her hair as she walked through the hallways. She hadn’t seen the wolf nor Elayne since the party, but it had only been a day so that was no surprise. The castle was big and it was easy to completely miss each other in it, especially if you weren’t purposefully looking. The woman had been busy, as always, so she had decided to give the girl some time to settle in.

For a moment, she had decided to catch some fresh air, leaving through the back of the castle, into the big garden. In her arms, she held the book of recipes. A newer looking one, as it was her own. Over the years, the woman had written some recipes for simple potions and she had altered some older ones, replacing ingredients that were either unobtainable, or simply because she knew of ones that would work better. The Duchess closed her eyes, enjoying the breeze of wind that was so needed in the current heat.

That had to be it. She was going crazy. Wolves didn’t talk and even if they did, these talking wolves would probably be hiding somewhere in the mountains of Falkreath. Not in her castle in Brightwater Keep. Wolves didn’t live in castles. And they didn’t talk. The brunette pulled her hand through her hair as she tried to tell herself that it was all okay, but it wasn’t. For the wolf was truly here, even after having pinched herself in the arm. And he had truly asked her about the weather. So, for a minute or two, she just stared at him. Surprise in her eyes, mixed with fear. Not because she was scared of the wolf per se, but more because she was scared of going insane. “How did you…” For a second she had to think of how she would finish the sentence. How did he talk? Or… “Why are you still with Elayne?” Not addressing the elephant in the room. Or, the garden, in this case.