They were close enough that Eira heard most of the conversation, especially the part where Bennington mentioned his romantic aspirations for Eira.  He had made no secret of his intentions, though she had gently tried to dissuade him from his pursuits.  He was the sort of man many women desired but there had never been any such spark for Eira.  It also did not help that he was an unrepentant flirt, though it seemed he tried to curb that impulse around her.  Still, it was easy for Eira to picture a future with such a man.  He would have his conquests and she would have her misery.  He would have the ability to make claims on her father's kingdom, now under the unlawful rule of one of her father's Dukes.  That was the real reason Bennington wanted her.<br/><br/>"I heard..." She said simply when Ylrid returned to her.  As he came close, she took his arm and led him out of the hall altogether.  Now that Bennington was satisfied that her friend was just a friend, he might leave them alone.  Eira led the two of them slowly out of the castle and into the gardens.  Winter had made its turn into spring, the air was warm but crisp still.  Once she was certain Bennington had sent no chaperones, she leaned her head on Ylrid's shoulder and her body released some of the tension it had been holding.<br/><br/>"My father is dead.  A man who opposed me inheriting the rule over Norlund on my own now sits on his throne, but the realm itself is in chaos.  Bennington assures me he has the money and men to retake Norlund, but..."  It was complicated.  The Duke, Lord Daniel Brendan, was now claiming that his own son was the correct heir to the throne.  A bastard heir, conceived by Brendan's wife and the king after Eira's mother passed, who Brendan chose to raise as his own.   Eira was nearly certain the entire plot was a farce, but in her mind, it did not matter.  This son was younger than her and her father had always said her gender did not matter.  She would be the one to take his place.<br/><br/>"I assume this new form is not actually new at all?  Did my father ask you to keep this gift from me?"  She lifted her head then and released his arm, turning so her eyes could meet his.