{Keenan}

"The kitchens would still be open if you wanted to send a servant off for something," he said with a shrug. The Daemon thing was amusing as much as it was confusing. He knew that Daemon was bad news but did that ever stop him? That usually only made him want it more. Of course he would always regret it after but such was life. You made a decision (and his case, usually a stupid one) and you lived with the consequences, regardless of what they are. She was right though, he did need to deal with it and move on, it was just a strange feeling he couldn't shake. "Remind me never to get too drunk around Faustin," he knew his instincts were right about Faustin. Hell. He now owed the male a favour. That was a mistake but also what was necessary to get the information he wanted.

"I am far better at the blood magic of mages than this fae magic stuff. I learned from mages, not fae most of the time, hence the ability to only do enough to impress vampires. Also could you imagine how my father would react. I would have to find religion and pray that some ancient god would rescue me," he said with a laugh, "although I was a studious child. In different circumstances I probably would have continued," he sighed, "which reminds me, I have to visit lady Elena before we leave. I swore I would return when I shifted next. She's probably going to gloat as she bet I couldn't hide it forever and I was convinced I could."

"Four months is long enough for me to pull whatever strings I need to be able to leave for a full month. We just have to avoid any major conflicts so I would not be required at the front lines. it will require significant diplomacy on our part, I don't know if you have noticed, but most species are not a fan of vampires. We have a slight superiority complex as a species," he said sheepishly.

He smiled when he saw her looking out the window at the garden, "I tell you what. I will make you a deal, you refrain from killing off my rose garden, I will give you a key to my private training room to allow you unrestricted access when ever you wish. You may just have to ignore the odd scorch mark, I accidentally started a fire when I was younger and first learning about different types of magic. I was a very keen youngster and then I grew up and unfortunately thing change. The more I shift, the stronger I become, it's like a muscle, it i also one I have avoided using for at least the past decade."

Keenan sighed when the discussion swung back to his father, "I'm not going to lie and say he would never find out. He knows that I don't plan on having children any time soon, if ever and we have had many arguments about it. However, for your sake I'll just continue on the same path and not let him know that you share my views, then you will be left alone. You aren't a prisoner, you are allowed to leave the castle when you wish, you would just be expected to have myself or some form of guard with you for safety purposes. As for how old he is," Kee rubbed the back of his neck, "I can tell you that he is very very old. I am not sure if I am allowed to tell you his actual age, it is a very closely guarded secret as when a vampire reaches a certain age they are expected to step down from the throne. He originally got away with it because I was considered incompetent because of Maksim's murder."

He let out a breathy laugh, shaking his head, "If you want a dog, of course you can have one. We can arrange it when we return from the tour if you like? Can we pick a puppy though? I need the cuteness," Keenan gave her puppy dog eyes, "please."

He sighed he when she mentioned the inner circle. "I need to talk to them all actually. I need to talk to them about this whole thing," he gestured to himself, "also the whole blood vow thing. I asked her and Montague to swear blood vows when I am crowned. She freaked and I do understand it. It is traditional here and I was following orders. My fault, I know. And I don't think me and Alex are going to last. I don't know how he will get past this whole halfling thing. it'll hurt Monty too and I have absolutely no idea how to bring it up in a conversation."

{Keenan}

Keenan paled, suddenly wishing that he was still in his vampire form, as at least then it would be less obvious. There was something about being more alive that made it so much harder to control his emotions and how they were displayed, something he would have to work on if he was actually planning on spending more time in this form. As a vampire he had mastered the art of control, something time had afforded him. As a fae it seemed far more difficult to control anything, no wonder Freyja struggled. He did wonder why but he was not going to make himself sound foolish by asking Freyja. He assumeed it has something to do with the increased magic. "You have done very little to comfort me. How far is the range of his power? If my mind is that easy for him, I would like to at least know when I am in and out of range," he shuddered at the thought of Faustin trawling through his memories, it was almost enough to make him vomit. He could see why the vampires regarded the fae with a health amount of fear. It really did not help his situation, if they knew what Faustin could do... it would only make things so much worse when the public inevitably found out the truth.

"Lady Elena tried to help me but I was a stubborn child and even worse as a young man. My father wanted me to train, and I of course defied him in every small way possible so I avoided it as much as possible. In hindsight, it would have probably served me well now. Elena would help you, even if I had to make some sort of a bargain with her, I would make it happen, I can promise you that much," he blurted, maybe he had drunk too much wine. He didn't feel drunk but would he feel it differently as a fae? Hell he didn't know how far he could push this form at all, it was terrifying to be so out of control.

He stretched, the pain killer was wearing off, pain flooding pack into his muscles. He sighed, bringing his knees back up to his chest. He wished things were simpler, "Remind me to practice this shifting thing. I can't afford to be relying on varying medications every time I shift," it was embarassing really but avoiding it for so long had only made things worse. "As for the other vampire thing, even I tend to steer clear of many, plus the added bonus of older vampires being scary as hell," he said with a small laugh.

Drama just seemed to go hand in hand with immortals. Gossip and rumours were rife in the court and they would eat up any rumour about Keenan being Fae. Gods, the extremists would probably claim that Freyja had corrupted him. "I would quite enjoy that, although I doubt it will be much of a secret for much longer. Hiding it is exhausting plus, the more I indulge myself in it, the more likely it is that a vampire will realise that the scent of fae is different to your own especially after your brothers leave and I spend no time around any male fae." Despite how much that scared him, the idea of just being able to walk around freely in this form ecited him. So much so that he almost didn't care if the fae knew... almost and that was dangerous. He would just have to hope that no one recognised him from the mass slaughters but as far as he could remember he was careful, leaving no survivors or witnesses. What would happen if he was recognised? That was a rabbit hole he did not want to go down, at least right now.

He sighed, she was right, the king was lucky he still had him, although the man certainly did not see it that way. Hell, what would his father have done if he just disappeared and left him without an heir? Probably hunt him down and kill him, if he was being honest. Then kill everyone he cared about. It was so much easier to not care about anyone else, then the King had nothing to use against him. Now the King had Freyja to use as additional leverage, although if he tried, he may not like Freyja's response. Actually, Keenan would quite like to see that. A showdown between the king and determined Freyja. His money was on Freyja. The king was old and it was starting to show, whereas Freyja was determined and full of life. Fae having low fertility rates, that was a new concept to him. Vampires could not breed as readily as humans but they certainly didn't struggle. He wondered how it would impact him if he ever wanted children (not that he did of course), how did being a halfling change things? Smiling when she mentioned the pot pie, he said, "Why don't you surprise me? I probably shouldn't just eat pure sugar for my first time shifting in years."

Sighing when she mentioned the inner circle, he rubbed his eyes. It dammpened his mood, it should not but for some strange reason it did. The blood vow was a tricky set of circumstances and his father was waiting for him to do it, the added pressure was stressing him out, "It is traditional to do so before you are crowned. The idea being that they are loyal to you as the heir, thus you as a person and they are not just loyal because of your newly elevated status. There has been pressure on me to get it done for years and with the state of the King, that pressure has more than doubled recently. I am running out of ways to refuse. I am very good at diplomacy but my hand has been forced. Besides, I would not make them swear a vow that is air tight, I know I am seen as callous and cruel but they are my friends. I have sworn many blood vows in my lifetime. It is most unpleasant being forced to do things against your will," it was excruciating actually but he was going to spare Freyja from that detail, he did however, subconsciously shudder from the memory.

When she said dark side Keenan he raised an eyebrow, "What do you define as dark side Keenan? Is it when I act like the prince I am supposed to be? It has a time and a place and many uses. Being the cruel prince who likes to sleep around makes diplomacy much easier. It is far easier to get what you want when your opposition is afraid. In the case of the blood vow, I did not wish to scare them, I was just doing my duty to the crown. It's one I have avoided for years, now I cannot avoid it," he rubbed the back of his neck, "Besides, could you imagine me having a conversation with Daemon like this?" Daemon... ridiculously attractive Daemon. No, stop it. Freyja would kill him, if she knew what he was thinking, "I need to be able to out maneuver others. If I had tried to negotiate with your older brother like this, I would have likely lost. Faustin is different, I just had to offer him something to make it worth his time, whereas I have something Daemon wants and I am undecided if I want to give it to him or simply burn it."

They had one day before they were scheduled to leave and the list of things he had to do was only getting longer. He needed to talk to Claude, he needed to talk to the whole inner circle. For Aleks' sake he needed to do it sooner rather than later to try and explain what was going on. His connection to Freyja was not romantic, he of course loved her but like one loved a close friend. At the end of the day she was his wife. He would tell the others about this halfling thing, he didn't want it to escape and them hear about it through petty palace gossip. The real question was how. Perhaps he should just summon them all into his office and be sat there waiting, already shifted. Hmm... he liked that idea. Very dramatic and it got it over and done with quickly, also it was cold hard proof that they couldn't attempt to deny.

{Keenan}

The male shook his head, pulling hair in front of his ears so he could twirl a strand around his fingers, "No, don't bother him with my questions," he cringed, "I'm trying to get over my bias. I can't expect my people to accept a half blood king, if I am sat here terrified of Faustin because I don't understand how his magic works," he squeezed his fingers in his lap, "If you say it's fine, then it is. I trust you and Faustin hasn't done anything that would cause me not to trust him either. I can't just assume the worst of him because he is fae," It was clear that Keenan was struggling but he had to try. How would he ever travel to Sylvia if he was terrified of Faustin who was intoxicated 90 percent of the time and could have harmed him already if he wished?

He could see Freyja upset about Cassian, he reached out to touch her shoulder. She had never really processed the whole thing, afterall he did literally accuse her of being a crazed murderer. She was a murderer but then again so was he. No one was truly innocent in this world. "Hey, I know everything has happened so quickly so if you want time to just process things I can delay the tour. It wasn't your fault but I know it doesn't make it any easier," he said gently. He had been where she was, terrified, out of control and just killed someone that they loved. Hell he even killed his own brother. he knew that soul crushing guilt, "just promise me you will talk to someone, even if it's not me. Don't keep it yourself, it never helps."

A small smile crept across his face when she said he would win bonus points with her father. He almost laughed when she said her brothers would freak, "In all honesty so will Aleks and Monty so, I wouldn't be surprised at all if they were shocked. At least they wouldn't try and execute me straight away is Sylvia," he said with a hint of sadness. He blinked away the hint of tears. This was exactly why he shouldn't drink. He lifted his chin, too proud to break, especially as Freyja was ordering something from the maid.

"The worst thing about this whole shifting thing is I have no idea of my limits in this form. I spent so long creating the image of a cold unfeeling vampire. Reactions are so much harder to control when you are actually alive," he said growing increasingly frustrated.

Heat filled his cheeks and Keenan rubbed the back of his neck, "I had no idea it frightened you so much," he knew it scared people and that was the whole idea but for some reason he felt bad when he hurt Freyja. This whole caring about people thing was rather problematic. "Vampires respond well to fear, it makes them easier to control. I am sorry about that though and you are right, I really gave it to Monty afterwards. In my defence he wanted to make you into a weapon," he cracked a small smile, barely there but it was an improvement on his sombre mood, "it seems to come with the territory of being royalty. Killing people causes them to fear you, both useful but also proves you can rarely ever trust anyone."

As for Daemon, very attractive Daemon... What was it that made the male so enticing? Was it just that Keenan wanted what he couldn't have or something more? What was he going to say? "Oh the journal," he said snapping out of his thoughts, maybe it was a good thing Faustin had no interest in looking at his thoughts, "Daemon really wanted them. Told me to name my price. I wanted to see what he was willing to give but neither of us were willing to show our hand so I still have them. Safely locked away where no one can find them for now," he was surprised when she mentioned wanting to read them, but then she was close to the male, "of course you can read them. I was merely suggesting burning them so people like my father would never get their hands on them. His attitude would be similar to Daemon's and if I am forced to swear another blood vow, I do not want to risk handing them over unwillingly." That was what scared him the most about shifting again. If he was forced to swear a blood vow and do something that would hurt Freyja, or his inner circle... he didn't know how he would cope.

{Keenan}

He let out a soft laughed, far more controlled and regal than his earlier actions. "It is most awkward when you arrive at dinner wearing the same outfit as Aleks, speaking from experience here. I thought my father might keel over and die. We both had to go change as we could not agree who wore it best. It was most inconvenient as I had to redo my makeup, oh and we, more specifically me, delayed dinner by an hour while I redid everything. There is nothing like being fashionably late right?" gods he was vain, it was all he had going for him at this point and beauty did have it's bonuses, so it was worth all the effort.

He poured himself another glass of wine, significantly fuller than the last. He took a deep a swig as she talked about Cassian, "I do think I need to reread the journals, as I feel like I have missed something," he sighed when she mentioned that she had already had the recommended processing time, "here we are expected to be in mourning for at least a week, if not more. Even if it is what is recommended, you are allowed to need more time," he said gently, "after all, it's the first time you have killed someone that you remember. The first time is always the worst and the one that sticks with you. It's only been made worse as you actually knew him." Keenan had to stop himself shuddering at the thought of his first kill. He had only been a boy, around 12 years old and he lost control, that was when his father first realised that this whole magic thing would be dangerous and it could be used as a weapon. He shook himself slightly taking another sip from the glass in front of him, focusing on the sweet taste of the wine. he couldn't afford to get lost in his thoughts like that.

"You are going to have to get in line if you want to be the one that kills me, that or you have a lot of competition," he said with a laugh, he was feeling all warm and fuzzy inside as he tipped his head back and closed his eyes. He could relax and not have to worry around Freyja, she would protect him. That was a nice change. He did feel bad about the way Aleks and Monty had treated her, Aleks was acting like a jealous child and he had no idea what was going on with Monty. The male had been acting strange since she arrived.

Keenan rolled his eyes when Freyja said alive beings were prone to feelings, "but why? Feelings are dumb," he said pounting and resting his chin on his knee, "being a cold unfeeling vampire makes life so much easier. Far less complicated as well," he dramatically gasped clutching his chest, "not attracted to me? Impossible," he said bursting out into a fit of giggles before composing himself. Maybe he had drunk too much? Nah. He raised an eyebrow when she mentioned blushing when Monty asked her to dance, "He can be charming when he's not acting like a stuck up bastard. I am just shocked that you two managed to touch each other without trying to kill each other." He grinned, flashing his significantly shorter fangs. "If I am cursed and have to have feelings, I might die if I have to spend time with Daemon. Mostly of embarassment," he said sheepishly.

Keenan jumped when there was a knock on the door. Food. Despite everything he was starving. He looked up to see the maid and they made eye contact. His stomach plummeted, but surely it was so brief that she wouldn't have noticed anything. The smell of the pie was enough to distract him. He took a bit and groaned. "This tastes so much better than I remember."