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Remember when I wrote Rulers and said I definitely wasn't writing more Fable fic?

I lied. This idea crept up on me at 5am one morning and screamed in my ear til I wrote it. It can be seen as a sequel to Rulers, though it obviously assumes that Logan survived the morning after.

Full of incest, smut and angst.

-F3-

"If a few had to suffer, it was to build an army. If a few had to die, it was to save a country."

Those were Logan's excuses, and one year later Louisa still thought they proved Logan wasn't fit to rule Albion. Then again, he thought the exact same. His trial was on her mind again as she left the throne room, knowing he'd be waiting. After his trial, it was agreed he be restricted to the castle. Louisa had him moved to the 'Queen's chambers' - not such a fitting name when she was on the throne, but it was the slightly smaller set of rooms connected to hers, intended for the husband or wife of the reigning monarch when they had reasons not to share her bed. Her public reasons were that marriage was not on her mind, and it meant she could keep an eye on him.

Her private reasons were ones she shared only with herself, though Logan undoubtedly knew.

"Let me stand by your side now, and all my soldiers will be yours to command. Let us face the coming darkness. Together."

The darkness crept ever closer. Theresa had told her they had a year. That year elapsed the following day.

"The castle is yours, and so is the throne. I'm glad to be rid of them."

Ruling wasn't really her favourite pasttime either, but then, it had never been about what she wanted, but what was needed. For Albion. For the people. For the blood that ran through her veins. Blood she shared with the man currently stood looking out of the window in her room, no candles to cast dancing shadows for the moment.

"All of you should leave. Tomorrow will be the longest day of all our lives, and you should all get some rest. Say goodbye to your families, or make your way to a safe zone. Tell the others."

Louisa dismissed the guards at her door, and aside from requesting dinner and a drink for both she and Logan, she'd dismissed most of the staff of the castle, freeing what might be their final evening. Though their preparations were as good as they could possibly be, none of them had any guarantees of seeing another sunrise. She locked the door behind her, to ensure they had warning before anybody came in.

Logan turned from the window, face half-lit by the dying sun, to watch her remove her crown, her coat and her gauntlets.

"You look irritated."

"Oh, I just had to listen to Hobson talk my ear off about how good it is I filled the treasury so much, only for him to complain that it's to be spent on an army. I did ask if he wanted to forego the army and face the Crawler himself. He did not want to."

"Hm. Strange, that."

The two shared a small chuckle, but there was no denying the weight of the morning. Even more so than their first night together a year ago, when Logan faced a trial that could have led to his execution. Ultimately, it was Louisa's choice, but she'd sworn to listen to the allies who got her on the throne to begin with, and some were baying for Logan's blood. After much deliberation and refusal to let her own feelings for him colour her decision, she'd decided revenge wouldn't help save Albion. Logan's military expertise and the fact he was one of only a handful who'd ever seen and faced the Crawler and his Shadows were more useful to their kingdom than a brief moment of bloody revenge.

After a year of regular meals, sleep and intense physical training, Logan no longer looked so breakable compared to her. The shape of his broad muscles strained against the thin, comfortable jumper he had on. Good. She wasn't in the mood to spar that evening, and he always wore more sturdy clothes if they were going to be practicing.

With Walter busy finding and training the army she'd worked to fund, Louisa had still needed to keep her own skills sharp in between dull royal duties and fighting to keep her word to the allies who stood by her when the revolution was nothing more than a promise. And Logan was the closest to an even partner she had, since he shared the Hero blood even if it didn't bring him powers.

"You have done what I never could."

Logan finally spoke again as she sat down on the edge of her bed.

"I might have done nothing but waste a year that would have been better spent getting everyone out of Albion."

"You kept your word to the Aurorans, and you made peace with the Dwellers who had good reason to distrust the crown. And you still managed to raise an army. And moving everyone out of Albion would only have delayed the inevitable."

Louisa let out a short laugh, shaking her head as she reached down to take off her boots.

"I have been covered in the guts of more Balverines than I can count, fought off so many Shadows and Sentinels it's ridiculous, and spent so long in the depths of the Auroran desert I think that I'll be finding sand in my clothes forever."

Logan resumed looking out of the window, while Louisa slipped her Fire gauntlet back on and used it to light the candles. The flickering shadows could be unsettling, but they weren't about to eat in the dark because of it. They kept a respectable distance - and amount of clothing - to answer the door, and Louisa commented that talking tactics over dinner was crude but necessary that evening as way of explanation, though Logan had been seen in her room most evenings with the same excuse.

"You're excused. Go get some rest, or find a safe place."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The server said, almost squeaking before he turned and left. Logan made himself comfortable and sipped at his glass of wine; despite being dethroned, he still had access to many of the creature comforts afforded to royalty when he was kept prisoner in the castle. Louisa wasn't especially hungry, but knew she needed to 'keep her strength up', and so she picked at her food until her plate was mostly cleared. Logan finished his too, and once they'd put their plates aside, he began to extinguish the candles again.

They sat on the bed together, light all but gone save for the moonlight that came in through her windows. She moved to finish undressing, and Logan took off his jumper before they sat back against the headboard.

"Are you afraid?"

Logan asked softly, and Louisa turned to look at him. Even in the limited light, she felt the familiar simmering of heat low in her belly. It had been a whole year they'd been continuing their ill-advised illicit affair, and still he brought a fire to her blood that no other had.

"Of course. But there's nothing to be done but go forward. It's not as though I can ask the Crawler for a few more days."

Logan shuddered, glancing around the room before he settled. Louisa could sympathise; one never truly forgot an experience like that. She reached out and brushed his hand with her own, and her brother turned toward her, eyes wide and dark. Nodding to the question in his face, she felt the bed sink under them as he moved before his body was up against hers, fingers sliding into her hair as he kissed her.

She pulled him closer, enjoying the solid shape of him. Gone was the curious, clumsy way they came together, long nights spent wrapped up in each other meaning they were well practiced, knew each other's bodies and the way the other moved. Logan bit teasingly at her lower lip, smirking when she let out a small sound. The familiarity of his kiss, his scent, his touch... it felt as though that was all that anchored her to reality that night, keeping her from spiralling into a panic over the next day. He wasn't close enough, she decided, tugging until he laid on top of her. His weight on top of her simultaneously calmed and thrilled her, arousal climbing when she felt Logan swelling.

He panted hotly against her lips when they parted to draw breath, before moving away enough to remove her underwear. The material was quickly discarded, and Logan growled low in his throat as he smelled the scent of her arousal, crawling closer and teasing his tongue along her inner thigh, the damp warmth making her squirm. The urgency of the night meant he didn't tease her as long as he often would, mouth finding her wet and his tongue dragging down the length of her. Logan knew how to make her moan and buck and curse, hands clamping down on her hips. He'd never be physically stronger than her, but Louisa had plenty of practice managing her strength with him by then, and could just about let him hold her down.

Moonlight caught his eyes as he looked up from between her thighs, highlighting his hungry gaze as he licked and tasted her over and over, letting out a brief chuckle when she ground herself down against his face, whining with need. Even now, she was annoyed he could arouse her so, but she'd long given in to the temptation of her brother. He seemed equally unable to resist the pull to her, greedily devouring her until her thighs tightened around his head, back arching and body spasming with each flat stroke of his tongue over her clitoris. When his lips sealed around the sensitive tip of it and sucked, Louisa broke, throwing a hand over her mouth so as not to alarm anyone nearby with her cries of ecstacy.

Logan finally pried her legs apart enough to free himself, rubbing at the side of his jaw.

"Did I hurt you?"

Louisa managed to ask, though it almost came out jumbled as she fought to catch her breath. Logan looked far too smug about that.

"A little, but I know the risks of bedding a Hero. However did you bed average folk and not break them?"

"Carefully."

Louisa quipped back, pushing herself upright enough to reach for the jug of water on her bedside. Gulping some water down happily, she watched Logan lick at his own lips before he wiped his mouth on his forearm.

"Turn over."

He breathed, removing his bottoms and exposing his cock. Louisa clenched, feeling empty at the sight of him, thick and hard and ready for her. Turning her back on anyone still gave her pause, but she complied. Logan nudged her legs apart with his knees, leaning over her before Louisa felt his cock brush against her. Wet and wanting, she rocked backwards to encourage him. He inched inside her steadily, the heat of his chest against her back mixed with the fullness enough to make her dizzy. Logan's breath was hot against her shoulder as he started to thrust, her fingers curling into the sheets beneath them.

Deep, purposeful movements knocked the air out of her each time he bottomed out, sending acute darts of pleasure through her body and leaving Louisa to muffle her moans against the mattress, Logan quieting himself by pressing his mouth against her back. Though it had been his idea, Logan tired of the position before she did and pulled out, urging her to turn over again. They held each other's gaze in the limited light of the moon as Logan slipped back inside her, sharing a groan before he began to move again. His fingers occasionally traced a tattoo, shapes he could probably trace with his eyes closed by then with how many times his hands had mapped her body.

There was something primal and beautiful about Logan lost in the throes of passion, jaw slack with pleasure, eyes greedily roaming her body before they fell closed. Even his scars only enhanced how handsome Louisa found him. Both looked down to watch his cock slide in and out of her, equally aroused by the terribly sinful image of their bodies joining in a way siblings never should.

Louisa succumbed to bliss before Logan, curling up into him and digging her nails into his back. He grunted at the feel of her tightening around his cock, the feel of the skin on his back breaking under her grip. Louisa was quite sure he had several small, fresh scars from her on his body, since he didn't heal like a Hero. Logan pulled out and gripped his erection, stroking himself until he climaxed. He liked the sight of her covered in his come, Louisa knew, and she was not opposed to it herself. Warmth splashed against her belly and breasts, the last few drops he squeezed out puddling on her hip.

Once was rarely enough for either of them, and after Logan had the time to recover his erection - he wasn't a young man, but he was in pretty good health and Louisa certainly didn't mind waiting when he was distracting her with kisses and teasing strokes of his hands on her skin. Logan urged her up on top of him, his hands resting on her lower back as his hips flexed up in shallow thrusts, drawing the second round out and savouring each other. Though she still had to be careful, Louisa no longer needed to restrict her hands to the bedframe, caressing his chest, smoothing her hands over the strong muscles there and occasionally tugging playfully at his nipple to hear Logan grunt.

Logan came buried deep inside her, letting out beautiful little sounds Louisa loved to hear. He tightened his grip around her back so he could tumble her down to the bed, and they laid side by side, loosely embraced, to come down from round two. Two was usually their limit - though Louisa was used to long, sleepless nights, she did still need some rest. Especially since they had to rise early enough to ensure Logan was never found in her bed, on the nights they fell asleep before he could slip back to his own room before they slept in separate beds.

There was something all too... final in the way he kissed her goodnight, mouth desperate against hers and his hands holding the length of her body to his. Louisa supposed there was a good chance they'd both die tomorrow, and if she was honest, she needed the kiss just as much as he did and returned it with equal fervour.

After the two of them cleaned themselves up properly, they retired to bed for the night. Logan always fell asleep first, usually toying with her hair or drawing lazy shapes on her stomach as he drifted off. Louisa was about to settle down herself when it happened, the strange shuddering of reality around her before everything froze, save for herself and the great silvery glow that appeared.

Held in time, unable to see the huge Seal hovering in the air to beckon her, Logan stayed frozen in slumber as Louisa slipped from the bed, pulling on her clothes. Trying to hide anything from Theresa was likely pointless, but that didn't make the prospect of entering the Road stark naked and flaunting what she'd been doing any more appealing. She stepped through the portal, world spinning around her before reforming into the mystical place where her powers had been kept waiting.

"Can't a Hero get some sleep?"

Theresa's eyes were gone, but she saw far more than any other. She'd guided their father through his journey as a Hero, and tale was she was the sister of another great Hero many years ago, which made her sort of a member of their bloodline. Nobody knew how old she truly was though, and it could simply have been a tall tale.

"I will call on you again in the morning, as I have one final gift for the battle, but there are things you should have more time to think about."

Why was it so hard to get a straight answer from her?

"Why not give me the gift now?"

"Because you are not ready."

"How much more ready can I be?"

Theresa simply spread her hands, almost shrugging the question off.

"The Spire has shown me many futures. I showed your father one of them, as a reward for his sacrifice. And now, I must speak of these futures to you."

"What about them? I thought the future was uncertain."

"Yes, and no. There are many possible outcomes of the battle you face, but some things are certain. If you lose, then Albion is lost, and I see no future but darkness. And if you win, your brother will leave, but your child will survive."

"C-child?"

Yes, she'd been careless more times than she should have with Logan, and had the remedy from Industrial picked up twice after her moonsblood had failed to appear. But she wasn't...

"Yes. You are with child. His child. And Logan must never know this."

"What? Why?"

"Because if he knows, the world will find out. You cannot stop it. It is foreseen. Your child will only be able to live free of the actions of her parents if one is absent. Let me show you."

Theresa held out her hand, and Louisa wanted to bat it away but couldn't help herself needing to see it. So she reached out and grasped the Seer, and let the images be shown to her. There was light in the sky at last, and she could feel the warmth and comfort of friends and allies all around her. Logan stood alongside them, and he was speaking.

"You have done what I thought impossible. You are the ruler I could never be. But you don't need me any more, and Albion will heal easier without me."

The future faded before she could see more, and Louisa felt a dull ache in her chest. Mixed with pain was anger - how dare he leave her after the year they'd shared!

"Albion may forgive their benevolent Hero ruler an indiscretion, but there are some things they will not forgive. And so Logan must leave, so that Aurora may thrive."

"Aurora?"

"Your daughter."

Louisa was still reeling - not only was she pregnant, but Theresa seemed entirely certain she'd be staying that way. And she was more or less saying she knew the child was Logan's, and that Albion would forgive her an out of wedlock birth, but not falling pregnant by her brother. Theresa waited silently, until Louisa looked back up at the blind Seer with a request.

"Show me her. Show me what I'm fighting for."

"Very well. One brief look. Too much foresight can be dangerous."

Theresa held her hand out again, and Louisa grasped it. The touch was brief, her glimpse of the future short, but she saw herself aged, standing next to a tall, strong woman. Louisa could see Logan in her features, but that could be passed off as family resemblance... and her daughter, Aurora, was wearing some very familiar gauntlets. Theresa dropped her hand and the glimpse was gone, but the image itself would live on much longer in Louisa's mind.

"She's a Hero?"

"She is."

"And if we win, and Logan leaves, she grows up safe?"

"She does."

Louisa let out a breath, slumping against the stone gateway to the Road's castle fascimile. It was no choice, but it was also a terrible choice. How was Logan to never know?

"How will Logan never find out?"

"He will leave Albion. News of your child will not reach him."

"He's not... he doesn't just die, does he?"

Seeming to be losing patience, Theresa tsked but indulged Louisa with an answer.

"No, he does not. Now go. This is your final night with him, whatever happens tomorrow. I will call on you in the morning."

And with that, Theresa faded away, leaving Louisa with more questions than answers, and a lot of information to process all at the same time. She placed a hand over her stomach, as though expecting the previously taut muscles had suddenly swelled with pregnancy. There was no sign, but Theresa had shown her... not that she entirely trusted Theresa, but it was definitely possible, and Louisa dared not tempt the fate of the future of their bloodline because Theresa liked to play games sometimes.

The portal to take her home was waiting, and Louisa stepped through it into her darkened bedroom. The sound of Logan's breathing told her she was 'back', and she sank into a chair to watch him sleep for a few minutes. They both needed their rest for the coming battle.

Louisa undressed again and slid under the covers next to him, mind still whirling. Walter... Walter knew about them. He never came out and said it, but Louisa knew he knew. Walter would know who the father was...

But that was a concern for later. Between the looming battle and the subsequent loss she faced, Louisa felt justified in focusing on Logan for just a little longer. It was their last night together, after all.

-F3-

Ok, now I've hopefully expelled all the Fable 3 ideas. BEGONE BUNNY.