{Freyja}

She was more than happy to leave the crowd for a few moments and took his arm without a second thought, looking up at him like he was the most interesting person on the face of the planet. "I would like the sleepover to be tonight," she said once they were alone. Only a few moments and then it would be back to the whole charade. "Fair warning, I'm a sad drunk so I will definitely cry at some point. But nice job on the blush, very convincing. You'll have to teach me how to do that," she said, giving him a nudge with her elbow as she grinned.

.

She tilted her head as he apologized, "Keenan, need I remind you that I returned the favor? I was just as nasty to you and Aleks. Oh, Gods. He definitely hates me now. I have such a great relationship with your friends, dear friend. I mean, ya kill a guy so someone isn't killed by their father and all of a sudden you're trying to kill that person!" she laughed it off at the moment, but a slight shadow crossed her face. It still hurt her down deep.

.

But it was time to return to the chaos of the royal life. The royal married life. She took Keenan's arm and let him lead her back to the people waiting to see their future monarchs. "I will accept your apology, I already forgave you. But I have a feeling I'm not the only one you need to apologize to and someone to explain to about how in the world the ceremony was so convincing. If I do, I might get my head bit off," she said with a nervous laugh.

.

She was back to beaming as soon as the doors opened. The people parted for them and Keenan lead her right through the crowd. Kee leaned in to ask her if she was ready and something about that made her grin, "If it will get the food to us sooner, than yes. Are you ready for this?" the room was a bit too quiet for her liking so she brushed it off with a breathy laugh. "Keenan, I do believe this is where you ask if you may have this dance."

.

And every eye was on them, but it was closer than the ceremony. Through that, everything was a blur. Here, she could see their faces and they were all expecting a doe eyed female fawning over her pretty new husband, They had agreed they'd keep up the act. But the act was a bit too convincing. She took a deep breath. She could do this. If she could turn a male to ashes for Keenan, she should at least be able to dance with him. "Fair warning, I have two left feet."

.

{Faust}

He was a bit worried for his drinking buddy. He had went with the crowd to the ballroom, if he wasn't missing the ceremony there was no way he was missing the first dance. But Aleks had given him such a pained look. Faust didn't know who's side to be on at this moment. His new bud, or his sister who entered his bud's life looking like she was going to snatch his boyfriend. Hell, Faust hadn't wanted them married.

.

Perhaps there could have been hope. He had all faith in the act being an act until the prince blushed and he heard her laugh as they left the scene. How could they be that convincing?

.

So Faust just sighed and took a swig of his glass, wandering around the ballroom until the couple entered. Shamelessly still looking around for Aleks. Although... would he really want to see more of them together? His guess was most likely not. So the goal for now was look for Aleks and avoid Daemon at all costs.

{Freyja}

She smiled as they danced, trying to keep her wheezing to a minimum. Her practices would have to pick up as soon as the tour was over or else she'd wither away. Can't even do a single dance. When it was over with, she curtsied. She was a tad bit shocked that the gown had that much to give. She was going to head towards the servant walking around with a tray of snacks but Keenan gave her a quick peck on the cheek and she'd be lying if she said that a bit of heat flushed up her neck. "I will, make sure Aleks isn't too upset about the whole ordeal. Husband of mine, you're very convincing," She said with a grin.

.

As he moved away, she started to move for the snacks, Monty appeared. She'd be lying if she said her stomach sank a bit. She'd been having such a wonderful time and now she had to look at him. Her face fell slightly and she tilted her head at his request, "No gloves, Lord Montague." She said, wiggling her fingers. She curtsied without returning the smile to her normal bright one. The one she gave him was simply polite. For Keenan's sake. "But of course, how could I refuse?" She asked, wrinkling her nose as she grinned.

.

No one made her behave in such a way. She hadn't even been this petty with her brothers! It was as if she had been possessed. Freyja decided to focus on what normal females would think of while dancing with the Crown prince's best friend. Like how he was a talented Dancer or how attractive he was when he smiled. But she didn't want to think like that. Possibly because he wasn't as dressed up as half the people here and yet he somehow surpassed them all in that department. That simple thought disgusted her.

.

"Lovely ceremony, wasn't it?" She said calmly, trying harder than before to keep her breath even. She wouldn't be able to stand herself if she wheezed in front of Montague but it was an awkward air and so that led to small talk.

.

{Faust}

He offered Aleks a tight lipped smile. "Sorries arent necessary in this situation. If you want to leave for the pub, anytime. I'm ready to go," the thin lipped smile spread into a grin as he nudged Aleks with his elbow, holding up his wine goblet that had already been refilled thrice in the past twenty minutes. No need for sipping here.

.

Faust smacked his lips and wrinkled his nose, "They gave me a different one this time around. It's a bit sweet. I like my wine on the bitter and sour side. Daemon drinks the sweet drinks," he said, taking another long swig. It didn't really bother him. It just wasn't a preference.

.

"How much trouble would I be in if I asked someone to dance simply to start tripping people. I can't trip my sister because that's just not even at my level, I might fill her goblet with blood but not on her wedding. But next runner up?" He said, surveying the crowd. A few of the dancers looked like they permanently had a stench stuck in their nose. He definitely wanted to trip the blonde who was laughing too loud. Her poor partner must be deaf by now.

.

"I say I take out the blonde fae. Thin little wisp dancing with the dark male. Might save us all some trouble. She's already giving me a headache," he groaned the last sentence, finishing off his glass... again.

{Monty}

The urge to roll his eyes was high, yet by some grace of got he resisted. “I am well aware; however, I am assuming that you have decided to play nice and not start another war,” he said, only loud enough for her to hear.

Once she took his hand, he led her out onto the dance floor. Taking the lead, he moved through the complicated steps in time to the music. He was not as good as Keenan, but that male danced like he was bred for it, with an elegance that no vampire could emulate. Observing the dance floor, showed the only ones that moved similarly were the fae males. Strange, but then again didn’t Keenan have a fae tutor at some point? Something about developing a well-rounded education. That would explain it.

The dance was awkward but he answered her question willingly, “It was, I am most certainly looking forward to the dinner,” he said with a soft laugh, “I can dance but I am certainly not as good as your husband,” he admitted.

“Tell me Freyja, how does it feel to be the future queen of the vampire court? Also, what is going on between you and Keenan? You both said there was nothing between you, it doesn’t look like nothing to me and Aleks certainly didn’t think so. You would save everyone a lot of pain if you both admit it.”

As the music stopped, Monty stepped back and bowed. Grateful that the king was starting to move the guests towards dining hall.

{Aleks}

Aleks laughed, “The way this is going, I might have to take you up on that offer.”

He liked Faustin, the male was friendly enough although sometimes had questionable motives but then again he literally had to feed on the blood of other creatures to stay alive so who was he to judge. He waved over a servant to refill his glass. He wondered at what point he should stop, especially as he was beginning to lose count.

He laughed as he suggested tripping over the blonde fae, “I mean by all means go for it. Just claim that it was an accident. It’s not your fault if your partner can’t dance.

By the time the king was ushering guests into the dining hall, he may have a little bit too much to drink, although he was feeling much better about this whole Keenan and Freyja thing. It could all fall apart tonight anyway, Keenan was incredibly nervous about sharing blood. For all of his exploits that had always been his one boundary. There are many that would kill for that opportunity but as far as Aleks was aware, he was the only living vampire that had shared blood with Keenan. It was different than doing it with a human, more vulnerable.

{Keenan}

Keenan had managed to find several partners to whirl around the dance floor, although he was distracted. He would have much preferred to be dancing with Aleks and if the male had not been so angry, he would have offered. They would have to discuss it at some point, perhaps the following day before they were packing to go on tour.

He started to look for Freyja as his father began ushering everyone into the dining hall. “I vote we go eat, I’m starving,” he said with a laugh, “We will be able to leave early. I vote we get out of there before the drunk dancing begins,” he grinned at Freyja, “There are many who have had way too much to drink already.” Keenan had avoided anything alcoholic, wanting to stay sober until they had completed the sharing blood ritual.

Oops

{Freyja}

She snorted as he admitted his talent was capped. But she wouldn't verbally agree. His next question shocked her a bit. "It feels... like no different than before. Well, I feel like there's certain people who had a target on me. But I feel like they've zoned in even more now," She said, looking over his shoulders so she just didn't have to look at him. She could have been fine without the also.

.

As he pulled away, she stood there, confused for a minute before she made a face, opening her mouth to say something but she just sighed and laughed instead. "Montague, I love Keenan. But not in that way. I almost gagged at the altar earlier, so it would be greatly appreciated if you would stop pointing fingers at me any chance you get." After she said her piece, she started looking for Keenan. Her now father-in-law was ushering everyone to dinner. She found Keenan and linked their arms.

.

She smiled as he spoke of the meal, the female was nearly drooling at the thought. "I agree, one hundred percent. And then we steal a bunch of wine and champagne and a bit of blood for you... and Sweets. Lots of Sweets. And then we prepare for a night of tears. Sleepover at it's finest," She grinned. The one thing she wasn't ready to talk about was the blood sharing. It was just something different for her and after Claude's words. She wondered if her blood would force a shift onto Keenan.

.

"Um, but I do think we need to show the inner circle just how platonic our marriage is on our tour," She said, standing on her tip toes to whisper in his ear. To passing people it would look like sweet nothings. But she was genuinely concerned about this one. "We've put on too well of a show. Montague told me to 'save everyone the pain and just confess'," She sighed, unlinking their arms. "I told him to stop pointing fingers at me whenever he could. I swear, he can make me mad just by entering the room."

.

Freyja took her normal seat, and it took all of her effort not to immediately dig in. The female was practically drooling. Or maybe she just wanted a bit of a distraction instead. Something other than Keenan and the moody posse to focus on. Like how she hadn't seen Claude since the ceremony. Or how Taeya had been gone for days. The days when Keenan and her had been arguing. She would have someone look into it. Freyja didn't want to cancel the tour, but she really hoped that the siblings simply ran home.

.

{Faust}

As the King started ushering guests, Faust sighed and snapped his fingers. "Oh, looks like I missed my chance. I hope she's seated at a different table than us. I can't deal with that snort and chortle any longer," he sighed. The only thing he stopped for on his way to the dining room was to refill his glass.

.

"Aleks, I vote we trip the drunk dancers. That seems a bit more satisfying thag tripping sober dancers. However, at this rate I might just trip myself," he laughed, raising his glass. The prince decided he was growing rapidly fond of Aleks. Partially because he felt any jokes he chose to pull Aleks would either laugh or turn the other way. His kind of partner in crime. "Come along, the cooks were supposed to make chicken. It's Freyja's favorite. Other than rabbit, but I told them chicken because I hate the smell of cooking rabbits. It's worse than anything," he rambled as he walked in a semi straight line to the dining room.

{Keenan}

“mmm, and chocolate, actually maybe I should just have servants send some up to the rooms so we don’t miss out,” he said waving a servant over. He rattled out the order, making sure to include some sweeter wines, he didn’t see the point in drinking if the taste was horrendous, how could people drink the heavier more sour wines? Disgusting and they do that for fun. Some people were just so strange. If he was being honest, he was looking forward to it, he and Freyja needed to spend some time together that was no pressure and she was right, they both needed a good cry. “Is it wrong for me to be looking forward to it?” he said.

Other than that stupid blood sharing ritual, ugh. It made him uncomfortable, especially with what was happening with all the fae around at the moment. The room full of magical beings was making it harder to control. He rolled his shoulders and prepared to head into the hall once again. Only an hour or so left, he could do it, although at this point his feet were killing him.

“I do agree. I tried to talk to Aleks but he doesn’t want to hear it. I will try again tomorrow at some point after giving him a chance to cool down, although I don’t think he will be any better then. Just grumpier with a massive hangover with the way I saw him and Faustin getting through the wine,” he said shaking his head, “At least my father seems pleased so we are much safer in that respect. He no longer believes I will run away with Aleks, so that gets him off my back for that. There is just one more thing I have to sort now… but that is talk for another time, I am beyond starving.”

Keenan sat next to the king, who was sat at the head of the table, Freyja was seated to his right. It seemed as if Aleks had pulled some strings as he and Faustin were not sat at their table. As for Daemon, Keenan hadn’t seen him all night, which was both a blessing and a curse. A curse just because he was pretty to look at and despite it all Keenan did enjoy the flirting, perhaps too much but princes were just used to things like that working for them. A blessing because with how unstable his control felt, he didn’t need to be dealing with Daemon as well. Even if he wasn’t the most powerful fae, there was something going on there. Something that caused the fae part of Keenan to want to bail. Even around more powerful fae he hadn’t felt so ill, although he had been drinking so that probably didn’t help.

A servant offered him a glass of wine which he refused. The king stared at him, as if trying to figure out what was going on. It was unlike Keenan not to get absolutely wasted at a wedding. He thought back to his conversation with his father earlier. He wasn’t drinking because he was worried about his ability to control it, but he refused to let the king see that. He ordered a glass of blood instead. He wasn’t drinking wine because he was hungry, surely that was convincing enough.

{Aleks}

Aleks had done some talking to have them moved off of Keenan’s table but he did not want to be subjected to the whole hopelessly in love thing. If it was as fake as Keenan said (which he did not believe for a second), then it still made him want to vomit. Like they had both had separate flings before but that was different, that was immortals passing time. This seemed like love which was completely different to a casual fling or flirting with Daemon.

Aleks took his seat next to Faustin, “So you guys actually enjoy eating rabbit? Ew, far too many bones, well prepared turkey is far better.” Mmm, on that train of thought, he actually missed food, real food and the ability to enjoy a meal like a human. Blood was great and all and he had adapted so did enjoy it but it still wasn’t the same. Even though he could still eat human foods, his taste buds had changed, nothing was as good as it once was, which was seriously disappointing.

“I hope you don’t mind that I had us moved to a different table, I couldn’t sit through round two of hopelessly in love. As for tripping drunk dancers, that is something that would be far easier," he gave Faustin a mischievious grin.

{Freyja}

She grinned, "Of course it's not wrong! Right?" In a sense, it was normal. To want to be with friends. And in the kingdom's eyes they were married so it was nearly expected. But perhaps they didn't think the Prince would be excited over the chocolate and wine. She finished the thought as they sat at the table. Her new thoughts were a tad bit more mellow, not exactly something to be jumping around about for. Aleks thought it was too convincing. She could tell that much. Both he and her brother were seated away from her and Keenan. And Daemon was missing. Wonderful.

.

She sat through dinner and actually ate some of the food provided. Hopefully this time it would stay down. The princess was mainly concerned for the cake, only eating the smallest bites so she would have room for it. That was a challenge in itself. She could have eaten three more pieces of this chicken all on her own.

.

The Princess glanced at Keenan and took note of his body language. He had turned down the wine for some blood, that part wasn't unusual, most of the vampires had done that. But something was off, he looked a bit stiff. Freyja nudged him with her elbow and nodded to a distant table where someone sat taking a snooze, chin tucked in like a bird. "That's Raymond. He's older than my father. I've seen him take naps literally everywhere. Rion thinks his fading will happen soon but I don't know. One time he fell asleep and fell into the bowl of gelatin. It went everywhere! Ruined mother's favorite dress, oh she was so mad." She laughed, trying to keep her voice low so not the entire world heard her story.

.

She decided that she was excited about the sleepover too. They needed time where they could be themselves. Away from Aleks and Montague, perhaps even Claude. Her mentor had given her a list to do for tonight and of course Freyja would follow through, but that didn't mean she didn't want to have a bit of fun first.

.

{Faust}

He nodded as he followed Aleks to their new seats and gave a snort of laughter. "No, I'd also rather not watch my sister flirt. It's like watching Daemon. Kind of makes me want gag... a lot." And that was the truth because both of them tended to have more luck in the lovers department but they both seemed to be completely different people when they were in that mindset. It was kind of scary that a female could flirt her way through an issue just as well as she could use her weapons. So no. That was not appealing and quite often gave him nightmares.

.

"As for tripping drunks, does that come before or after cake?" He asked with a devious grin. "And no, I don't like rabbit. Freyja does." Faust wrinkled his nose at the thought. "And turkey is too dry for my tastes. I prefer fruit if I'm being honest. Livers and salad is military rations. I like those, " he said as he sat, finishing off another glass of bitter wine before he even started eating.

{Keenan}

If he wasn’t careful, the king would find something wrong with his behaviour and find an excuse to have something over him… well an additional thing. He couldn’t go through a round two of what happened after Maksim’s death, this time he may break. No, he was stronger than that. He would endure as he always did, just changed, Monty was right, the fae had made him nicer but was it truly a bad thing?

Freyja interrupted his internal battle of wills with small talk, he cracked a small smiled, “I can only imagine the outrage if your mother’s taste is as good as yours,” he only half listened to her story, it wasn’t her fault and he felt bad. The wedding was a good sign, it just complicated things. He missed the days when Aleks would be sat beside him at the dinner table, not pulling strings with other lords to be seated far, far away. That one hurt, it was a blow that he deserved but that didn’t make it any better.

He had barely finished one goblet of blood before the cake was wheeled out. He had absolutely no interest in eating any, but he had no choice as he was handed a slice. He picked his way through it, he couldn’t help but think that it would taste far better if he shifted, human foods always did. Vampires did not have the palette for enjoying such things, much to his dismay, but to the room full of drunk vampires, he doubted it really made much difference.

The king handed him a glass of wine and people began moving about and socialising, Keenan doubted it would be long until the drunk dancing began. His father gave him a sideways glance until Keenan took a very small sip from the glass. That seemed to satisfy him for now. Kee leaned down to Freyja, “I’m going to get some air and avoid awkward conversations with certain drunk members of the party, come join me when you’re ready,” he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and ventured out onto the lawn.

Truth be told, he was mostly hoping to avoid Aleks. Although it was quieter outside, the doors had been opened and some of the party was being pushed outside. The large crowd of people gave Keenan the perfect cover to dump the glass of wine in a garden bed.

The cool crisp air bit at the small amount of skin he had exposed and even though vampires weren't supposed to feel it, the wind still had some bite, no one could deny that. It ws however good for grounding. So much had happen in such a short space of time. It felt like only a few hours ago he and Aleks would take long walks in the rose gardens, talking about petty palace gossip, He had been relieved from the front line indefinitely and was finally able to live his life. Of course none of that panned out in the way he expected. There was so much unsaid between him and Aleks, so many secrets he was keeping from those who meant the world to him. They may hurt him but he couldn't drag the rest of them into it.

The only one who truly understood was Freyja. But even she didn't know everything. Afterall, how would he even tell her something like that, 'Oh by the way, I'm half fae and that's how the vampires were able to kill so many of your people. You never saw it coming, it looked like a fae traitor... oh and if you tell anyone, I could be tried for treason by either species.'

Like that was not a normal conversation people had, but then again, they were not normal people. Freyja could literally kill a man just by touching him and that was without any real training, they all knew she had done far worse but so had he, so he couldn't really judge.

That was why the blood sharing was so terrifying. She may not have been able to tell he was fae from tasting his blood like a vampire, but she would sure as hell notice if he shifted because of the sudden rush of magic. That would be difficult to hide. Perhaps this time he wouldn't shift? If her magic was just that one party trick, he may be able to control it... maybe? Should he just tell her? No what if they were overheard? His father would have them both killed. It wasn't her fault.

{Aleks}

“You are a very strange man Faust, the only prince I have ever met that so readily rebukes his access to finery. You do not enjoy the sweet wines nor the fancy palace meals. I truly think you have spent far too much time suffering, you certainly drink like it,” he said with a hiccup.

The wine and blood did not stop coming until Aleks was sure he was well and truly drunk. They were near the end of the line for cake and thankfully they missed round two of the hopeless romantics. This time he may have actually thrown up. He offered Faustin a crooked smile, “I don’t know about tripping drunks, I may trip my self… I am a teensy bit drunk,” he laughed and called over a servant to refill his wine glass, “It is a good thing that 90% of the other people in this room are as well.”

{Freyja}

She could tell he was only half listening, and she could see why. His lover had chosen to sit far away from him. No doubt Aleks had to pull some strings for him to get a different set of seats for both Aleks and Faust who was supposed to be near her as her brother. She sort of reverted into herself until they wheeled the cake out, she didn't know what else to say. What was there to say? Sorry, we're married and Aleks is mad at the both of us?

.

She smiled as he excused himself from dinner. If the princess had to admit, she would never get used to him giving any sort of affection. It was strange but she nodded anyways. "I'll be a moment so you can really breathe for a bit," She winked with a grin before going to town on her cake. Normally, the princess loved Sweets but this time she couldn't bring herself to eat more than a few bites of the cake before she found out she couldn't take anymore.

.

A vampire, a lord or something, grinned. "Nervous, highness? I can assure you it's nothing too painful. You'll do just fine," he said, his milky pale eyes fixing on her in a dead stare.

.

Freyja smiled and cleared her throat, standing. "I'm just a bit anxious is all," She confessed. "Excuse me," the princess said, making her way out the way she'd seen Keenan go. The male had given her the heebie jeebies so she scurried out if there as quickly as she could.

.

It took a moment for her to find him, but she did, making sure to put on her pretty pretty princess face before she walked past the crowd so much smiling today. Her jaw ached. But when she did find him, she teetered on her bare feet. "I do believe this is where I say found you, you're it. And then I get to hide. But I supposed both of us hiding with chocolates is a bit better for the mental state of platonic newlyweds," She said, stepping a bit closer so she could lower her voice for the last few words.

.

She could hear a few giggles followed by shushing from nearby. The princess was so ready to get out of the public eye. A sigh escaped and she rubbed her arms. "How about we meet in my room? We have to change and wash off our makeup anyways, careful, dear. There's squealing fingers nearby," She grinned, patting his back before she turned and took the back way inside so she could go up to her room. She hadn't really waited for an answer from him.

.

Once in the safety of her room, the princess slipped out of her dress and took a quick bath and scrubbed the war paint off of her face. When it was all off, she dried herself and put on an opaque nightgown. She really needed some pajama trousers. All that was left to do now was wait for Prince Charming and resist the urge to drink all of the wine herself.

.

{Faust}

Faust shook his head and snorted, "My good sir, that's because I'm spoiled in every other department. I'd love to show you my closet back home. Or really my whole room. I'm worse than Daemon when it comes to soft pillows." The male said, downing yet another glass. He looked at the empty glass and raised an eyebrow. "Aleks, I'm beginning to think I may have a drinking problem."

.

He pursed his lips as they brought out the cake. Personally, it was too sweet for his tastes but he ate a few bites anyways. "I am drunk, Lord Aleks. That means I might end up tripping someone. Even if I don't mean to," he grinned, not registering that he would have one killer hangover in the morning. One would think he would learn from his mistakes. "Worst case scenario, we're carried to our bedrooms and noted as the crazy drunks. Everyone knows that they're the life of the party!"

.

Faust took a look around the room and found blondie, snorting up a storm with yet another male. Faust wrinkled his nose and snorted. "Perhaps I should retire early to my chambers. How long are you staying up, Aleksander?" He asked the Vampire, turning his full attention to him. Out of the corner of his eye he watched Keenan walk out and then Freyja follow after a few minutes. The prince was being odd today. He was already strange as it was, but today it was extremely noticeable.