Freyja smiled and waved to him before she opened the door. He still seemed a little stiff since Aleksander left. It was for the better of what Kee had said had been true about the King. She didn't understand it at all, really. The princess just took a deep breath and held on to the fact that the Crown Prince was soon to be her husband and therefore would be king someday, making her queen. And they could make the kingdom... safer for those like themselves.

.

Claude looked sharp. It seemed to be her trademark. She followed Claude's instruction to sit in the seat in front of the desk. She couldn't help that when the Vampire mentioned Keenan being the key to discovering the hidden places in the castle her nose wrinkled ever so slightly. She tried to hide it as best as she could, but lately it seemed everyone deemed her less capable of doing... anything. Sure, secret passages were one thing but that was just the cherry on tip. She smiled up at Claude at both the comment and offer, "No, tea is fine. Thank you," She said, looking at the map, trying to commit it to memory.

.

"I would like to start with the proper protocol for court here so I'm not tripped up or tricked. Anything that would really be necessary for me to adapt... here," She said, finding no point in being anything but honest. "What are the social standards here and what must I do to maintain them without looking like a royal pushover? So far the staff don't listen to me unless the prince is with me." Freyja said with a deep frown.

.

"One more... what's the difference between a born vampire and a bitten one?" She asked, taking the tea cup. She glad that the liquid was still hot and although bitter without sugar she was glad. It would have her focused instead of bouncing off the walls. That was the last thing she needed. Claude could make her nervous with one look.

.

Freyja bit her lip and gave a breathy laugh, "Also, does anyone know how old the King is?" And natural causes of death of a vampire. Perhaps she would be visiting the prince in he library. But once again she felt as if she'd spent all of her time with him. She wondered if his rear hurt the way she'd been wedged in it so deeply. Perhaps she'd ask a servant to get a book for her... maybe go spar with Ronwyn instead. That thought made her brow furrow. "Is it appropriate for a female to know how to wield a sword here? It's not common in Sylvia but I do know how, it's my best form of exercise. If not, when and where would be the best times to practice so that no one could see that I knew how to wield a blade?" She asked the question in a sort of rushed way, cheeks and the tip of her ears turning crimson as she asked. The females in her motherland often whispered about her calloused hands. She never had anyone try to claw at her though.

.

Freyja placed her hands in her lap and waited patiently for either answers or judgment, fearing the second one, actually. Other than the prince, Claude was her best shot and judging by her study and the way she held herself, the way no one attached her name to anyone else's, spoke measures about the female's rank and power within the kingdom. Freyja was always The princess or Freyja, daughter of the Fireborne King. Now it was Freyja, the princess engaged to Prince Keenan. The redhead inwardly sighed. How had she managed to remove herself from any other additions as Freyja found herself trapped in?

.

Maybe by scaring people. And red lipstick. A bold decision. From her experience, males don't take kindly to bold females, but that could always just be her royal court of evil and convincing little rodents. She was even blood related tomost of them. She almost grinned, having to pinch her hand ever so slightly to make sure her face remained straight in front of Claude. Rambling and Mad, Freyja, Princess of the Fae. Hmm, it didn't sound too bad.

Claude raised an eyebrow at Freyja, “An independent one, hmm…”

She was surprised by the fae girl, the girls that usually went after Kee were desperate and clingy. Much to her usual disgust, she was grateful that Keenan had a better taste in males but even that was now messy. She could understand why Aleks was upset, to him, him and Keen had been together a long time and it was all tossed aside for a girl they had never met. It didn’t help that Keenan had been so cold about the whole thing. If she was being honest, Kee had been rather distant lately, the only one he really talked to was Aleks but now that had all changed. “I understand if you don’t want to rely on Keenan for everything, but this is not my secret to share. There are hidden passages that even I don’t know about. The only people that possess maps to such passages are the royal family, currently only Keenan and his father,” Claude said gently.

Claude stood and paced while she talked, it made her look thoughtful and calculating, which was exactly the image she was trying to present to the princess. “You were raised in a court, the etiquette is not all that different. There are a few major things you must remember, the rest you will learn along the way. 1. Absolutely no silver. We do not even have silver accents on clothes here, it must clearly be grey. Silver will burn a vampire. 2. Older vampires have to be invited in. Years ago vampires could not cross the threshold into someone’s home unless invited. That was overcome centuries ago with the help from mages, but it is habitual for the older generation.”

Claude paused but the desk taking a sip of blood from her glass and setting it down, she produced a black handkerchief to wipe the blood away from her mouth. “Social standards are simple, vampires fear only a few things but they do appreciate and respect others. If the staff do not respect you, which is completely intolerable, then it is because they expect you to do something to gain their respect. You have to find your niche, some find it helping others and some like Keenan and myself have literally fought our way to the top. Carry yourself like a queen and the servants should respect you, we can work on the population later. There is one tradition you should be aware of. Usually after marriage vampires privately exchange blood. I’m sure Keenan explained that it is rather intimate. Since you are not going to be married in anything but name, he will not expect you to partake in that tradition, however you should be aware, just in case you are asked about it once married.”

Claude wasn’t surprised when she asked about a born vampire and a bitten one. It was a question Aleksander had asked her a long time ago, so it wasn’t the first time she had answered the question and likely would not be the last. “Mostly power. Some vampires are able to shapeshift. It can be taught but it is significantly easier if you are of a stronger bloodline. If the King turned a human into a vampire their power would rival my own eventually, possibly even Keenan. Being turned is a very traumatic process for most humans. Aleks refuses to even remember what his sire looks like, although I believe that Keenan has impacted his willingness to share information as he threatened to hunt down Aleks sire and stake him in the sun.”

Claude hesitated as if she said to much, “Only strong humans survive the change and those that do need help to adjust, that is why it is a crime punishable by death to abandon a fledgling you have sired.”

Claude smiled when she asked more questions, “I feel like Keenan has not told you anything, why am I unsurprised,” she said rolling her eyes, “The only person that knows how old the king is, is Keenan or the king himself.”

Claude actually laughed at her final question, “I feel as if you actually have no idea what I do. I am currently a military strategist but I was once a spy and before that a member of the kings army. Females fight alongside the males here so training with a sword is not uncommon. When the war first started, we were fighting on two fronts. A war with you and a civil war led by Keenan’s brother and mages. That was how he got the scar around his neck,” she said softly.

Her eyes widened, realising Keenan probably hadn’t told her, “Actually, I have no idea what scar I am talking about,” she chuckled nervously, “I think I was talking about the scar on Montague’s older brother,” she nodded as if trying to convince herself.

“I do have one question for you. Why me? Why would you want to ask me for help instead of your soon to be husband?”

Freyja wished she had a notepad, something to get all of this information written down for herself to store away. She was more than pleased to hear her training wouldn't have to be hidden. She did take note of methods to gain the respect of people within the palace walls. She wouldn't start off with violence, for sure, all that would get her is rumors that the fae were still hostile creatures. She did not want to have a message being sent here from her father for behavioral issues.

.

She did catch Claude's little fib though. She would let it pass because it was technically Keenan's to share, like the passageways. If it had been about something else... well, she'd the have to rely on her personal staff she brought along with her.

.

She was a caught was a bit off guard at the other's question. Freyja would have assumed that Claude would have been happy that she was going to anyone else for answers. Perhaps his inner circle was more lenient. Other than Aleksander...of course. Understandable, but still. It bruised her ego a bit. Then again she wasn't even the favorite princess back at her homeland. Her cousin Amfisa was. Lovely. Only here she wasn't as invisible but she was pretty close.

.

"I asked Keenan for someone he trusted to teach me about be a noble in this country. And I don't doubt the prince's capability, but I asked him my first night in the castle back when I thought we had several weeks before the wedding. Now we're down to six more days until I have to pretend to be married to him. I cannot rely on him to be there at every waking moment, even after we exchange vows. I need someone else to speak to. I do have my Lady in Waiting, Taeya, and her brother Ronwyn but if I only spoke to them the people would assume I'm a stuck up snob of a princess. But if the only vampire I ever associated with was Keenan and his circle, only when he's present, it makes me look like I'm attached to him," She sighed, shaking her head. "I've been here for four days and I only know Keenan, the King, Montague, Aleksander, and you. I don't exactly like the idea of having only one person having my back. And I'm sorry if I'm rambling and this is not about how the prince isn't good enough. This is about me wanting to be a separate person than he. I do not want to be attached at the hip with him, work with him: yes. Make decisions for the betterment of the country: yes."

.

She twisted that ring around her middle finger and bit her bottom lip in a frustrated concentration. She should have made more of an effort in Sylvia when it came to the court. She preferred the countryside where no one cared if she made the flowers wilt or if she was a royal or who her father one. And endless sunshine. The past. She missed it. Finally the princess sighed, wilting a bit herself. "Is it really so bad to not want to be an afterthought to a male? Seriously. So far when we've been seen it's 'Oh look, the prince and the princess!' or 'where's the fiancé?'. Trust me, I am more than grateful that me and the prince have at least worked things out so that we can be functional without being forced by out fathers. Now we know eachothers boundaries and the surface. We have not shared everything, but I think a mutual understanding is good enough for now."

.

She gave a lopsided smile, "So, if you don't mind teaching me I'd love to be your pupil. But if you'd prefer, I will go ask Keenan to teach me." Freyja took another sip of her tea, setting the cup down as gently as possible. "I guess, you're stuck with me either way. Or we're stuck with eachother, really. We might as well be acquaintances of not friends. I just don't want to have to go to Keenan for every question I have." Her cheeks flushed. "Has he not said anything about how much I question him? My goodness," She scoffed a laugh. "Trust me, it is a lot. So of course, you may ask me any question and I will try to answer it as best as I can I'm return of you helping me."

.

She brought her eyes to meet Claude's. She couldn't help but hope that she could see that she was sincere. Anything but a threat. The princess was not one to acknowledge when she was the one lacking and at the moment, she definitely was. Claude's scent had a lot more tang to it than Aleksander or Keenan. Her body automatically identifying her as a threat before Freyja had made the judgement herself.

Claude pursed her lips. Freyja seemed to be expecting judgement, but she would not give her any. “I understand not wanting to live behind a man. It took me a long time to work my way up the social ladder in this court. For years I was a nobody, Keenan’s pet project but I made myself useful, important even. I suggest you do the same. Find your niche and your people. You need to expand your reach. I will be here for you but not to Keenan’s detriment. I have sworn to stand by him, and I hope you can understand the importance of such a vow.”

Claude sighed, Freyja was just so hopeful, bordering on ignorant. “You are relatively young, yes?” she asked.

Claude sighed, “You seem to be doing what you think is best, not knowing everything about each other. Keenan has a past that may hurt you… even hurt both of you if you remain ignorant. As for you, well I do not know enough about you to make a decision yet, perhaps there is something you aren’t telling us. If there is, I will find out eventually.”

Claude stretched in an almost feline manner, “I know your brother is acting as a spy. It takes one to know one and he has not exactly been subtle. If I find you have given him any information, neither of you will be leaving this court any time soon. My job is to protect Keenan and I will, regardless of who gets hurt in the process.”

It was strange that Keenan had not mentioned how many questions Freyja had been asking. This whole marriage was strange, she wished she knew what was going through his head, all she wanted to do was help. “He had not mentioned it. He has not been himself for a while now.” And it worried her. She was worried that he was spiralling again in the same way he did after his brother was murdered.

“Since I will continue teaching you, I do have another question. I want to see how observant you are. Have you noticed the way vampires stiffen as they walk past Keenan? Have you noticed that his scent differs slightly from the others? The latter depends on how good your fae sense of smell is. I am merely curious.”

Claude hopped off the table and walked over to her book shelf. She bit her lip as she scanned the books. With a satisfied smirk she handed Freyja a book. “Read this and get back to me. This briefly introduces the different blood bonds vampires make. Focus on the important chapters surrounding the initial transformation, blood traitors and blood sharing. It also includes our laws around these topics.”

The vampire's words brought a thought to surface but it made no sense to her. She found everyone to well, be different in that area. The only ones she'd been close enough to get a real idea of were Keenan and his circle. At dinners there were always too many scents to find out where they came from. So she took the book carefully and opened to the first page and blinked quite a few times.

.

"Everyone smells different," She said, raising an eyebrow. What did she meant, he smelled different? And she was completely unaware that vampires formed bonds besides the regular relationships. And if she was being honest, she didn't really see who was near them. Plus, he's the prince. People back home stiffened around even her. Was that not normal here?

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"Should I be prepared for anything in here or are you just setting me loose?" She asked, eyes widening at the images included. "Huh. Even your own historians paint your bad side? Huh, all we here of is those who were the best of all," Freyja bit her lip in thought. "Is this all for today or is there more you have for me?" She asked, looking up. The princess shut the book, but not before untying the ribbon around her neck to mark her place in the volume. She couldn't wait for the nightmares tonight. She set a goal to have it finished by tonight... but she also wanted to finish off Aleksander's jacket. She decided black and gold for Aleksander and dark green and gray for Montague, to make his eyes pop.

.

She needed Taeya to find her some plain gray thread. Not silver. Ugh silver. What would she do with all her jewelry? True, not much of it was silver since gold accented her eyes better so it wasn't like she'd be missing them any. But it was still a shame.

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"I would like you to know, Claude, that I really do appreciate you doing this. Even if it's for your prince, I appreciate it a lot," She said, standing up and smoothing the wrinkles out of her gown. That was gray. Not silver. Although her eyes didn't leave Claude, save for the occasional blink, her hands fidgeted with the book and the ribbon inside. She felt strange reading it. After all these years of being told that these people were monsters in every aspect. They were only spoken about in hushed tones and when you were in private, with someone you trusted. And yet, here she was. Six days away from being their princess. Something she had rarely heard of outside of war related terms. And now she was expected to be intimate with them.

.

Freyja had to admit... she felt rather exposed.

.

And perhaps a bit too trusting. She really did start to lean towards them without someone having to shove her forcefully. Was this the right decision? A cloud of doubt started to rain upon her thoughts. Better than the orcs though. Anything had to be better than that... right?

Claude chuckled, “Of course everyone smells different but there is something more… maybe it is a vampire thing. I wouldn’t know, we don’t have visitors often and on the rare occasion we do, they never actually stay long enough to notice.”

Giving Freyja this book could backfire massively and if it did Keenan would be angry, more than that, she would want to disappear for a few days. Long term it was for the sake of the marriage. Their mutual agreement not to discuss their pasts would prove very messy, it was better to have everything out in the open now. If Freyja’s feelings were hurt, there was a very real possibility that she or a member of her staff may go crying to her brother who was playing spy. Then this whole marriage alliance would be for nothing. Keenan would be exiled or worse… No. She couldn’t let herself thing this way. It was not guaranteed that anything would happen, and she would be prepared if it did. It was a bridge they would cross if they ever came to it. If Freyja proved herself to be as sensible as she says then they should be fine. If anything was to happen, it needed to happen before the wedding. Some may feel like she was meddling unnecessarily but Keenan was the one who brought her into this. If it wasn’t for him, she would have kept away from Freyja.

Claude walked behind the desk and pulled something out of the drawer. She handed it to Freyja, “A copy of the royal seal, just in case the servants doubt your authority. Do not pass it on to someone else. We will have a problem if you do.”

Claude wanted to like Freyja, she really did, even if it was just for Keenan’s sake but she still wasn’t sure if they could really trust her. Afterall she was a strange princess who was suddenly willing to put aside everything she had ever heard about them. It did not add up, especially if you compared her to Faustin. Claude smiled when Freyja asked if their history books really included their losses, “Of course they do, what is the point of writing things down, if you never document when you fail? Then you can learn and the mistake will not be repeated. That book however does not document some of the worst things in vampire histories those are locked away along with recent war records. Very few people have access to those. I do not even have a key myself.”

Claude was about to dismiss her when Freyja asked if there was anything else, “Ah I forgot to mention, you are having dinner with the king tomorrow, before your relations arrive for the wedding. Oh and Freyja, if the book brings anything up that you are unsure about, talk to one of us, okay?” Claude said gently, with that she dismissed Freyja back to her quarters.

…

Keenan had spent a long day reviewing letters sent to him from the local village. Rogue vampires had been attacking at night. He was of course going to have to go and deal with them, although he wasn’t sure how Freyja would feel about that. Speaking of Freyja, he realised that he probably should go and check that Claude had not eaten her alive on their first night together. When replying to the letter, he had to be tactful. He was a prince at the end of the day, regardless of what his feelings were. It was just so hard to focus when he was preoccupied by the drama at court. He missed Aleksander and although it was for the best, it still stung that he would not be by his side on his wedding day, even if it wasn’t to who he had hoped.

He slipped the letter to a messenger before heading towards his quarters. He was starving and exhausted. He’d forgotten to stop for lunch or dinner or to feed at all. That would come back to bite him later but all he wanted right now was to sleep.

Claude stopped Keenan as he headed back to his quarters. He really didn't want to be sealing with anyone right now. He wanted to sleep more than anything. She looked concerned, "Keenan, are you okay? You don't seem yourself."

Keenan rolled his eyes, "I am just tired," he said trying to wave her off.

Claude shook her head, "It's not that. Something is bothering you. I haven't known you this long to not know when you are stressed and worried. Hell you look like death. When was the last time you fed?"

He sighed, "I am always stressed, it comes with the title. I have just been busy, that is all. Remind me to come find you tomorrow. I need both you and Montague to help me clean up a mess before the wedding."

Claude nodded knowingly, "More rogue vampires?"

A simple nod from Keenan was all the conformation she needed. They had done this before. However, the number of rogue vampires were increasing and it was making Keenan weary. He was supposed to be getting married in less than a week and he still had to do his father's dirty work. It seemed the vampires were unhappy with his fathers rule currently or perhaps it was this marriage alliance. Whatever it was, Keenan hoped that it didn't end in another civil war, the last one had been costly.

Claude sighed, "I have to return to my chambers, one does not remain this useful after three centuries without plenty of sleep. I will have servants bring blood to your chambers. You cannot forget to feed Keenan, it's not good for you."

Keenan wanted to roll his eyes but really he was grateful for Claude despite all her mothering. She was the only one who had the knowledge to help Freyja, the only one he could trust to do so as well.

He stopped out the front of Freyja's door. He was tempted to just keep walking and crash but he owed her this much. He knocked once and stepped back, wondering how long she would keep him waiting.

Freyja walked swiftly from Claude's study back to her safety zone of a bedroom. She shut and locked the door before she crawled into her bed and opened the book. Maybe she should have rang for tea. Too late now. She flipped through the beginning pages. They must have thought they ought to prepare the readers for what's in the back, because so far it wasn't too bad. Still weird in her opinion but... it was their culture.

.

She was almost done with the fifth page when she heard a knock on the door. Only one. "Coming!" She called, marking her page and shoving the volume under her pillow before kicking off her blankets and padding across the floor towards the door. On her way, she took her hair out and pushed it behind her so she could say she was settling down for a nap.

.

She heard the click of the lock as she opened the door. "Oh, Keenan! You normally knock a few times, I was a bit suspicious..." She said, getting a look at him. "You actually don't look too good, Kee. Not the normal stressed either, so don't even try that card, mister." She said, shaking her head. A bit of worry ran through her as she looked at the prince. She didn't need to read a book to know that hungry vampires are dangerous vampires. Even for other immortal beings like her. With no gift, she was relatively defenseless.

.

"Perhaps I should call for the maid? She could bring you something up right quick and I was thinking about ordering myself some tea anyways. Oh, come in and sit down. You look awful, highness," She said, rambling on again. She popped her head out into the hallway and caught a maid by chance, asking for tea and some blood for the prince. She made sure not to leave out the prince. That was the only way to get people scuttling about.

.

Although she felt bad about keeping her distance at the moment, trying to keep at least five feet in between them, she would rather be safe than live one of her nursemaid's tales in real life. Freyja wasn't so sure that they were tales anymore after the meeting with Claude. The princess had taken an assumption off of the prince. But the prince was the prince. Why wasn't she more skeptical about these people?

.

She stood awkward, fiddling with the ring on her finger. Tense and ready to bolt if need be, but she smiled anyways. "Um, tonight went well with Claude. I think. She gave me lots of useful pointers I'd need before the, um, wedding." She almost choked on the word. "A-And she said that I could fit in well here." She offered a weak grin at that. Possibly the only thing she'd been looking for when she went in there was just someone to say she'd be fine. Even if there were guidelines to her success. She'd rather have a rulebook and someone saying she could do it than having a rule book and having someone saying she'd definitely fail if she stayed here. It was a gentle push that everyone needed occasionally.

.

"I quite like Claude. She's not... as stiff as I imagined. She answered all of my questions without making me feel... belittled. Thank you for asking her to help me. I appreciate it, " She said with a small smile. Wondering where in the bloody hell was that maid with their beverages?

Freyja kept him waiting, that surprised him, although that hopefully meant that Claude had taught her a thing or two about court etiquette. She looked like she was about to sleep. He would be lying if he didn’t feel the same way. “I’m sorry if this is a bad time, I was heading back to my quarters for the evening and I thought I would come check on you,” he said with a weak smile, “I also wanted to make sure that Claude had not eaten you alive in the first session.”

He rubbed his eyes, his fangs actually ached. It had been a long time since he had gone more than a few hours without blood. Vampires technically only needed to feed once a week if it was done properly but that sort of thing was used in war times when blood supplies were scarce. Hungry vampires were grumpy and angry. It made for good soldiers as they became more blood thirsty, he would know. But it was no good when you were trying to make negotiations at court.

Freyja moved to let him in but gave him a wide berth. He raised an eyebrow at her when she said he didn’t look well, “Just tired and stressed,” he said with a shrug, “It comes with the position.”

The tang of fear was unmistakable. She was scared of him and rightly so. He was not going to attack her but that did not stop him thinking about just how alive she was. Her heartbeat echoed in his ears, he grimaced, they were supposed to wed in less than a week and he was thinking about eating her. He wasn’t going to act on the urges but the fact that he even thought of it terrified him. He had promised her safety. How much weight did those words actually carry? Was there any truth to what he said?

He wouldn’t admit it but he was grateful for the blood the princess ordered him. As soon as the maid returned with some his stomach grumbled. Grateful he poured himself a glass. “I am sorry, I did not plan on staying long, I was going to go crash in my quarters. It’s been a long day and I just haven’t stopped.”

Although he was starving, he made an effort to drink slowly. The restraint killed but he was a prince and he had standards, an image to maintain. “I was hungry, but I would not have attacked you. Vampires can go up to a week without blood, one day would not be enough for me to snap.”

Although he had wanted to. That disgusted him, but that was his burden not hers. He hadn’t hunted in a long time, perhaps he missed the thrill? They were predators after all, it was unnatural for them to just have their prey served on a silver platter.

“I am glad to here that your first session with Claude went well. Hopefully you will feel comfortable here,” he said gently.

Montague burst into the room with a letter, “Claude said I’d probably find you here… oh sorry, I didn’t realise I was interrupting something,” he said sheepishly.

Keenan rolled his eyes, “Leave the letter and I will discuss the plans for tomorrow when I wake.”

Keenan got up and picked up the letter. It had Aleksander’s seal. That in itself was strange. Aleks usually didn’t contact vampires while he was away. Keenan returned to his seat and put the glass down. Opening the letter, he cursed. “His sister is dead. They killed her,” he said angrily.

Keenan knew the rogue vampires were a problem but he didn’t think they would attack a village that close to the castle. Aleksander was injured in the fight but he was alive. They had to leave just after dawn. It was too risky to leave now with only a precious few hours left of darkness. “Claude, Montague and myself will not be in the castle tomorrow. We have to go and deal with some rogue vampires. I will try to make it back in time for dinner but I cannot make any promises. Aleksander will be returning with us as he needs access to the court healers,” He said sharply.

"With all due respect, Keenan. I'd rather be safe than sorry." She had barely gotten the phrase out when Montague burst through the door, causing the princess to jump and gasp. The latter brought on a fit of hiccups. Knocking was customary, but my goodness! The second time she'd actually seen him in more than just passing and he was scaring the beeswax out of her. But as he handed the letter to Keenan and the prince read it, explaining what was inside, the princess began to lose the color in her cheeks and had to grip onto the railing of her bed for support.

.

She couldn't help but feeling guilty that she didn't send Taeya out there. There had never been any mention of mass rogue vampires. She gulped visibly, "Well then. I suppose you'll both need lots of rest so you'll have your strength. I didn't plan a whole wedding for nothing," She said lightly, offering a smile but no color returned to her face and her stomach still hung low. She was more upset with the fact that she almost sent her best friend to the slaughter than Aleksander and his sister. But she still felt for him. "Go on, shoo now. I expect my fiancé returned in prime condition, Montague. But seriously, be safe." She said, brows furrowing. For so many reasons. So many. Like if he died, so did their alliance. If he died she wouldn't be surprised if she would too within hours. His people did not like her.

.

As she ushered them to the door, she gripped Keenan's arm. "H-How bad is Aleksander?" The princess asked, genuine worry for his lover. She knew the pain and she knew she wouldn't want to be around if things took a turn for the worst. "And, uh, Taeya is a healer as well. If you ever need someone to help... secretly... as long as her safety won't be an issue, she's at your disposal. " She gave a hefty sigh and the nervous hiccups finally left her.

.

She cleared her throat, "I just. This is all so- Is this because of the wedding?" She asked, the idea suddenly dawning on her. "Or are your rogues simply just, um, savages?" She asked, not wanting to sound cruel about it with everyone on edge. Just as she was thinking about calling Taeya, the bright sprout popped up. Of course, the females eyes immediately widened and she shrunk away from the males to quickly scurry into the room. One could faintly hear the water being drawn for a bath. The princess did not excuse the Lady's behavior because when they were on edge, and now that it was even more personal, Freyja wanted to keep her distance. "You be safe," She said, feeling like she had said that phrase more in the last few minutes than in her entire existence.

.

.

Once they left, Freyja disrobed and crawled into her bathtub, poking at the pale pink petals floating in the steaming water. "Taeya, Aleksander has been injured. His sisted- dead." She tried to ignore the sigh of relief from the blonde. "I would like to visit him tomorrow, meaning well. Please gather my embroidery things and set them on my bed. I will finish his jacket tonight and bring it to him when I go to visit him. You may come with me or you can stay. I can't guarantee Aleksander's behavior will be kind or hostile. He's a wildcard for now."

.

Taeya sighed, standing up. "Highness, if I make speak boldly," the princess nodded. "I feel as if you don't fear these creatures in the way you should. In the matter of days you've managed to grow closer to the prince than your own lovers in the homelands. You are worried about the well being of the species who nearly wiped us into extinction and our people have talked nonstop about it. They think they have brainwashed you. There's mentioning of you having already bonding through blood with that inner circle because you are so close. I warn the princess out of love and respect, and concern. Be careful, Freyja," her friend finished and exited. She could hear faint rustling but then her door was slammed.

.

Taeya wouldn't be visiting with her tomorrow then.