Freyja glared at Keenan. "I've been nothing but honest. If you want to call it a traumatic event, then so be it. Even of it did happen. I don't know how to magic. I was never trained because I don't have a gift. Keenan. I told you what happened to Cassian. I told you everything." She sighed, crossing her arms. Something told her that after her commentary she wouldn't be getting anywhere with him. Of course she wouldn't.

.

Her head was ringing at this point. "Keenan. That magic isn't even possible. It's Fairy tale garbage told to keep children in bed. It just doesn't seem logical. This is like a one in a trillion chance. I don't understand why you're all so set on me admitting something that's logically impossible. If I admit, would this all just stop? And then I'd be poked and prodded to use a gift that hasn't been heard of since the Ancient Heros. I have to say, I'm rather conflicted, your highness." She scoffed. What else was she supposed to do now? So she blinked a few times, relaxing her muscles to mimic the cold face Keenan was using at the moment.

.

"Highness," She shook her head, flipping her braid off her shoulder. "Fine, I kill people. Blah ble bleh. What should I do now? Hmm? Should I take out the garden? Your staff?" She took another deep breath. "I'm not sure what else to say? I tried being honest with you, highness. I told you anything you asked me honestly. I had no reason to lie! Hell, the first thing I actually told you was that I didn't want to marry you. I was prepared to despise you for the rest of my life and yet, you were everything the stories weren't. Now I know that I should have just kept my mouth shut and stayed in my room. I shouldn't have opened up and then I should have ran away with Cass because then I know we'd be happier than whatever this is. I want to go back to my room. I want something, anything, to go right just once. Because even though I loved Cassian, I would call him out. Your kind of love makes you blind. You're going to completely change personalities within seconds because I called Aleks one name after being nice to him all this time for the sake of peace and all he's done is just been mean and awful and sour? Seriously. You're more emotional than a woman, Crown Prince. And more that that, you are irrational and you jump to conclusions because of the theories that one person told you whether that person by a spy, lover, or even your best friend. You should have investigated further and then either approach, or ya know. Ask me about it. Perhaps on one of our I hate Court walks? So yes, highness. I will judge the way that you interrogate because it is ridiculous!" She gave a breathy laugh.

.

"So, lovely chat. I am returning to my quarters in once piece. I'd hope you have enough self respect to just leave me alone. Claude, lovely seeing you. I'm sorry you had to see me behave in such a manner but I am emotionally and socially exhausted." She waved and walked her way over to the door and slammed it on her way out.

.

She knew Claude would be on Keenan's side. She should be, she was part of his inner circle. But it was just so ridiculous. Absolutely absurd. Since her room was a whopping across the hall, she slammed that door too. "Thalia, darling. You have the rest of the day off. But please call for some tea please." The blonde fae nodded and walked out, she seemed concerned, but she seemed to recognize her princess was in no mood to be questioned about the puffy eyes and red cheeks. And she really wasn't. But here in her room, she wouldn't do anything she would regret. However, calling off the wedding was sound more and more splendid.

.

After the maid brought her tea, she thanked her as sat at her little table. Taking off the ring, she played with it in her hands as she stared at the walls of the room. "Ridiculous, " She muttered to herself.

Keenan rolled his eyes at Freyja, “Just because you have not trained your magic, does not mean it is not there. I gave you a chance to explain yourself. I believed it was better people her the truth from you rather than me. Hell, they were debating if we should lock you in the dungeon as a precaution, so forgive me for giving you a chance to clear your name and defend yourself. If that is not the way you want to run things, then I will have to relay exactly what you told me. I have a duty to my people and if you threaten their safety then I have no choice but to take action,” he was barely remaining calm at this point, “So let me reiterate my main point, if any harm comes to any of my staff and I find out that you are responsible, I will kill you myself,” he took a slow breath, “I will see you at the altar tomorrow.”

Hell, he was tempted to run away. This whole thing was ridiculous and more than ever, he did not want to marry her. Claude turned to face him, Keena just shook his head, “Freyja is a child. Immortal but a child, sheltered and ignorant,” he said.

Keena stood and excused himself, far too frustrated to be making any wise decisions. He sent a servant off for some blood and then decided to go for a walk in the grounds.

The cold night air helped him clear his head. What was he thinking? This whole thing with Freyja was never going to work. There was too much of a gap between his life and her. No one trusted each other and yet she expected him to keep things from them. They weren’t that close and yet he went out on a limb for her which backfired massively. Aleks was upset, even though he would never say, he was jealous. Monty was angry and believed that Freyja was going to hurt him. Claude seemed disappointed in him.

Keenan thought he was doing the right thing. He desperately wanted to give her a chance to explain but she seemed to have no interest in such a thing. He needed to figure out what it all meant. He needed to speak to someone who knew more about the fae. He was going to have to see Faustin.

His stomach dropped as he headed towards the prince’s quarters. He was the last person he would have chosen but it seemed like his only option. He got halfway down the hall and he almost turned around. He hated asking for help and this only just made it worse. He also knew that Faustin was not going to make this easy for him. Why would he? Keenan would have made things extremely difficult for Faustin if the roles were reversed. Hell he would be lucky if Faustin would even be willing to tell him anything about Fae magic. Keenan knew how what little magic the vampires could control worked but fae magic was far more powerful and diverse. He had absolutely no idea how it works.

He knocked once, before stepping away from the door, “ Prince Faustin, It is Prince Keenan, I wish to discuss a few thing with you.”

Waiting for Faustin to answer the door was one of the most painful and terrifying things he had ever done. If the Fae ignored him completely, it would make him look foolish. More foolish than he had already made himself look today.

“I wish to learn more about your kind. I am willing to offer you something in exchange,” he said finally.

{Faust}

The last few days had been rough for the male. His best friend had disappeared without a trace and he hadn't even been permitted to investigate. The king told him it would be handled by their government. Needless to say, he'd shut himself in the room with nothing other than bottled spirits and his thoughts. Paperwork had been scattered on his desk in a messy array of chaos.

.

Nothing had made sense about his disappearance. Absolutely nothing. And his sister? He gave them a chance. He would have provided some sort of scene to make it look like they had been murdered or at least abducted. Cass would have said something to him. Something. And now some pompous blood drinking mongrel had his Gods forsaken paws all over his missing best friends things.

.

He took one last swig of whatever was in this bottle and then threw it against the wall. And he watched it shatter. Somehow, all the broken glass had just blended into the rest of his catastrophic room. Looking back at his pin boards, he'd lowered the suspects down to the Crown Prince and his little sister. Only one of those made absolutely no sense. As long as he had known, Freyja struck low and when it was least expected. And more with words than anything. His sweet little sister was meek. Meek and somehow vicious. And that's why he would never feel bad about his little pranks he played on her. Ever. That female had single handedly made nobles retire to solitude.

.

His missed the days when they were partners in crime, as Twins should be.

.

The knock at the door came sharply and Faust turned his head to glare at the wooden board. Who in their right mind? Oh. Well. Here, no on was sane. Even he had screws loose. Came with the immortality. So he stomped across his room to fling open the door to find the prince of the bloodsuckers at his very door. He had hardly heard the deal but he just gave a lazy grin towards the blonde. His soon to be brother in law that reeked of another male. That lazy grin turned into a smirk.

.

"Awe, little princey has figured out Freyja is just as venomous as her twin, has he?" He gave a wink and offered the bottle he didn't even remember picking up. There were too many lining the walls and furniture. "So, strike me a little deal, mister. I've got all day and I have nothing to hide, highness." Faust said, motioning to his room that he knew darn well smelled of every sort of Alcohol their kingdom had to offer. "I'd like to remind highness that I am not in the right state of mind. Can I have your word that none of this shall be held against me?" He asked.

.

{Freyja}

The female sat, trying to figure out what in the world had possessed Cassian to write such things about her. She couldn't have done such a thing. And now her head was banging from glaring at the walls.

.

She poked her head out of the door. "Ask Claude for a visit, please." She asked the nearest servant.

Keenan raised an eyebrow at the lazy grin he received from Faustin. The way the look on his face changed, meant only one thing. Fautin could smell Aleks, Freyja did say that the fae could smell the scent of lovers, he just prayed that Faustin would be mature enough to not do anything stupid. Although if he was anything like his sister, this conversation was really not going to go well. Faustin stank of alcohol, it was an effort to keep that cool unflinching façade.

.

Faustin offering him a drink was almost laughable yet he wasn’t in a place to refuse. Keenan took a swig from the bottle before handing it back to him and sitting down. “Venomous? I hadn’t thought of it like that. Perhaps so. After all, I am an evil creature of the night so the fae must fit in somewhere. Perhaps it is the venom spewed that has my court so concerned,” he said with an amused smirk.

.

The quarters were a mess but then who could blame him? It had been a rough few days, Keenan could empathise, he’d done some pretty questionable things in the months following his brother’s death, he could only imagine how much worse he would have been if it was someone like Monty. Then he would have truly lived up to the stereotype of the evil vampire. Considering that Faustin had refrained from killing anyone, he was handing it remarkably well.

Keenan laughed softly when Faustin said that he wasn’t in the right state of mind. “Are any of us truly sane? I feel like that is something immortality slowly robs you of. Sure, we might be able to survive more extreme trauma than a human but is that truly a blessing?” Keenan could be a cynic at times, especially when things were going wrong.

.

“I will not hold your word against you if you offer me the same courtesy,” he folded his hands in his lap and turned to Faustin, “You know that I want information and I am sure you want something. Everyone has a price princeling, what’s yours? Do you want information? A favour from the crown prince? Or do you simply want access to Cassian’s things? That one is easy to arrange. You would just have to ask. Perhaps a show of good faith after we have arranged other terms? Consider it me extending you an olive branch to attempt to form a better relationship.”

.

He was slightly concerned about what Faustin was going to ask for but at this point he was desperate. Freyja had seriously scared him and unbalanced his court. He had to figure out the truth and Faustin could be useful. He knew they were going have to relinquish their control over Cassian’s things eventually and since they had the information they wanted, it was cruel to dangle it in front of him any longer. Faustin needed closure and this may help, “I also know who murdered Cassian. An I can assure you that it wasn't me. I would have used a sword, or a dagger, or even if I had drained him, there still would have been blood stains in the room. Instead, it's empty, reeks of death with dust covering the floor," he said as gently as he could manage, which if he was being honesty, it wasn't a great attempt.

.

"Let's be honest, prince to prince, I do not have the time nor energy for petty dramas."

In all honesty, Keenan may have been going nuts. He had fallen out with Freyja who refused to give him any energy so he went to talk to her twin brother. Her twin brother who had been spending his days drinking and grieving in his room, alone. Keenan knew that feeling, one of isolation and hopelessness and he did not want to leave Faustin to deal with it himself. It wasn't healthy nor very nice to experience.

.

What was wrong with him? Sympathising with the fae prince who he despised. Perhaps his fondness for Freyja had made him too accepting. Aleks was right, Freyja had convinced him to be vulnerable, which was not a good position for a prince to be in.

.

Claude sighed as she received word from Freyja, requesting to see her. Going would be a direct defiance of Keenan’s orders. She was not allowed to be alone with her. Claude knew that Keenan was just concerned for their safety and at this point so was she. She sent the servant back to Freyja, requesting that they meet outside in the grounds so that they can be followed by a guard from a distance. Claude figured that it was a fair compromise and should please both parties.

.

She waited outside for Freyja and nodded to her personal guard who fell in step behind them, just out of earshot. Claude kept her distance from Freyja, she wanted to trust her but there was more and more evidence that cautioned her against it.

{Faust}

Faust blinked a few times. Several times. Did this guy think he was better than he was? "Eh, we don't know he's dead. No body, no proof. Who did it, hmm, prince? Who snatched up my friend?" He asked, sitting in one of the chairs and crossing his legs to where his ankle rested on his knee. There was no way he had it all figured out. Oh wait. Yes there was..the fact that his little Rats are able to go in and out of Cassian's room as if it were their's. Meanwhile, Faust had been forbidden. And as a result, he of course wrote to his brother who would show for the wedding. Hopefully. His big brother always dospised him, but doted on Freyja. He'd come down if she told him she broke a nail.

.

"And let's say Cass did die. And you know the murderer. Would the only reason you know be the fact that you all were allowed to scour his room but I was not? So this would be information I could have found myself? As if it's a fae, I should hold this against you. And if it were one of yours, I would hold it even more against you. Could have all been avoided, really." He squinted at the prince. "I mean, it's really suspicious I wasn't allowed near the area? Extremely suspicious." He muttered his last sentence to himself as he took another deep sweep of the cinnamon flavored spirit.

.

"Whatever. Ask away, Princey Poo. I've got nothing but answers and riddles for you," he said, twisting the cap on the bottle tightly and moved his black eyes towards the prince. Next to his sister they looked nothing alike. It was the deep fire in their eyes that revealed their heritage was connected. And it had been such a long time since Faust had seen his sister so angry. Such lovely days when she broke out of her little meek self and just yelled at people. Faustian scoffed to himself, shaking his head.

.

Looking at the prince, his nose wrinkled. He didn't think Freyja would ever actually solidify the marriage with him. And by the males scent clinging to Keenan, he wouldn't either. Good, he thought to himself. No need for little raging hybrids. He could pick up Freyja faintly on The Crown Prince, but... upset. Salty. Crying? Faust blinked a few times, "Highness. Where's my sweet sister at the moment?" He asked slowly, sounding much more sober than before.

.

{Freyja}

She was shocked to have received any sort of acceptance from Claude. Keenan had no doubt given the direct order to his whole posse to stay away. And she could see Claude was on the line about this now because she did agree but she was keeping her distance. Freyja resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Instead, she gave a hefty sigh. She didn't request Claude just to throw her some pompous princess attitude.

.

"Claude. I heard from the males first. You were silent. There were those who yelled and then some trying to coax an answer out of me as you stayed silent. So I'd like to ask, what do you think?" She kept her tone soft and stern. Professional. "I just want to hear it from you without someone yelling in my ear while the other tries to do a switch up on their attitude." The princess didn't look at Claude, she kept her eyes straightforward. She didn't think she wanted to look at any of the four for a very long time. But if all of this rubbish led to her losing her only female vampire she even semi trusted. She didn't know what she'd do then.

Keenan

Keenan leaned back in the chair. The game Faustin was playing was a risky one, but it was far more amusing than the irritating battle of will he had with his sister. Freyja frustrated him, her lack of willingness to cooperate coupled with him still reeling from her confession. He gave Faustin a sly lazy grin, “Actually, the murderer confessed, although the information recovered from Lord Cassian’s room reveals a pattern of behaviour. You see Faustin darling, I can be very persuasive,” he said with a wink, he took another sip out of the bottle Faustin had given him, “Searching his things was just us following the king’s orders,” Keenan produced a key from his pocket, “this will unlock the doors. Everything taken has been returned, other than a blue case your sister took and a journal that we require as evidence.”

He held out the key, “It’s yours if you want it, it holds no value to me. I will have you know that there is no blood in the room, clearly indicating that it wasn’t a vampire. The room stinks of death and magic. Vampires are only able to perform very limited amounts of magic and none that would be able to kill a fae. Our mages are purely healers, coupled with a verbal confession from this person, I can confidently tell you that the killer you are looking for is far closer to you than you would imagine. If you don’t believe me about it not being a vampire, then have a look for yourself,” he said with a shrug, “If you could provide a compelling case for another suspect, I would be willing to listen.”

Faustin calling him princey-poo was enough for him to take another sip of the spirit, “You have terrible taste,” he stated plainly, “there are far better things you could bee drinking that taste far better.”

“I would prefer no riddles but you are fae so I assume it’s part of the charm,” he said with an eye roll, “I want to know about your magic how does it work? How do you know who has what power? Is it born or learned? Is it true your sister is completely powerless?”

Keenan twisted the family ring on his finger. He had started wearing it more recently and his father had deemed it necessary for him to wear it just before the wedding. Wearing the ring himself was strange. It had once belonged to his older brother, Kee never thought he would ever get to try it on, let alone be the one who wears it full time. He missed his brother; he missed the comradery and the friendship. Was it wrong to miss a man you killed? The prince had tried to kill him first but they had never been told the reason for that. He gulped before looking back at Faustin, that was not a memory he needed to relive.

Faustin seemed significantly more sober when he mention Freyja, “She went back to her quarters after the argument, she did want to speak to Claude at some point but in all honesty, I have no idea where she is. Somewhere within the castle grounds I would assume,” he said completely emotionless.

Claude

If Keenan caught them right now, he would be very disappointed. Mostly because Claude did not pick an appropriate guard. Claude kept her head high and her eyes forward as they walked. She could not afford to show any weakness nor look too friendly with the Fae princess especially when tensions were at an all time high. This was the closest she had ever seen Keenan get to throwing everything away and attempting to disappear.

She sighed softly when Freyja asked her opinion. “The answer entirely depends on what you want to hear. Professionally? My job is to watch and listen. I do not ask the questions, I watch body language and then report what I see. I know you were lying Freyja. Personally? I was the one who suggested we give you a chance to explain yourself. You offered nothing other than calling us liars. Keenan agreed because he ahs been to hell and back over something like this and he wanted to give you the opportunity to explain so that you don’t have to suffer. You were instead immature and impulsive and I will not be going out on a limb for you again.”

{Faust}

The male had poured a bit into a glass and made it twirl within. His face was cold and hard as he listened to the other go on, scoffing as he mentioned the blue case. "The case holds their sentimentals. Such as the first flower she ever gave him. It was a weed, really. And then the darn family heirloom. She probably would have thrown a fit if it had been touched by anyone else." He sighed, leaning back. "Prince, I have excellent taste in spirits, thank you. I've just run out of the good stuff. You joined me too late."

.

Faustian's scrambled mind scrambled even more as he tried to connect the dots of this conversation. Confession. The guy knew. And Freyja is upset and the name puts him on edge. Powers. Powers. Huh. His brows furrowed as he gave it serious thought. "I wouldn't call her powerless. She did have three older brothers and grew up in trousers. The dresses became a thing after her twenties and father wanted to marry her off."

.

He took a long swig, the room spinning around the both of them but the warmth was amazing. "Well, there's several ways they can tell if a fae child has powers. Either they're revealed in the first ten to fifteen years naturally, or we can check. Magic calls to magic. It feels more like singing to us. But the person who checked Freyja didn't feel anything in her magic well. A figurative well, highness. You can't slice open a fae to find it, it's not physical. Rather mental. And then most fae are at least in tune with nature. Those that are not have the opposing effect or nothing happens. When Freyja tries to make something grow, the opposite happens. She's father's biggest disappointment because of it. Only one of us who looks more like him than mother and she hasn't got a link of him in her. Until you hit the right button and cause her to have a temper. Redheads." He said, rolling his eyes. "I suppose she told you that though already. You both seemed so close there for a minute. Funny how the tides change, no?" He asked.

.

"Now, as for the murderer of my friend... who was it?" His words had become slower and more slurred. He wouldn't remember the conversation tomorrow. His one conscious thought was that he would have a massive hangover for his sister's wedding. "And Daemon is the one to ask about Freyja. They were the ones who were close, we've only ever tormented eachother." He muttered, taking another swig. "He should be here for dinner. About time the Crown Prince met the other, hmm?"

.

{Freyja}

Freyja stiffened. "The reverse effects only work on flora. It's the reason flowers wilt in my room. And roses wilt faster than any others." She said it with the same tone as Claude had given her as she brushed off a piece of her hair from her sleeve. Yes, she would admit she was being immature today. And Claude's words hit home. She wished Keenan had just been the person of her nightmares. She wouldn't be in this position. "Fine then, Claude. I have magic. Of the reverse sort. I can't make things grow or catch flame and I can make shadows put on a show, but I can make them all stop. But I've never been able to do anything more than wilt a couple of rosebuds at a time without fainting."

.

The moment at home in the garden She'd been upset. Perhaps the first offer towards the Orc chief or something. She'd immediately felt sick afterwards and told the family that she'd only been trying to make them grow. And of course they believed her. She'd been tested by everyone and no one's felt a single thing in her. And she knew she was giftless. And she admitted to it. It was more of a curse anyways.

.

"No one would know how to train it anyways. I haven't any control over it. It only ever spikes when I have high emotions, or more extreme ones. And even then it doesn't always happen. How could I admit if I have no idea how to control whatever it is? Montague ready to have me burned alive and Aleks never liked me in the first place. And I'm tired of trying to please everybody so I did have a very much dramatic moment back there." Panicked was more like it. At least now she could breathe and the pit in her stomach. She'd only ever told Daemon and Faust. But he was drunk, so he probably didn't remember it.

Keenan

Keenan sighed softly, he was tempted to continue sipping at the drink, the Freyja thing was complicated. He wished that they would have been able to remain close but they needed to be open and honest with each other. He offered her kindness or at least attempted to. She did not want it and so, he would be the scary monster she was expecting. Kindness was far more difficult anyway, “it is very complicated. I offered her kindness but she still sees me as a monster. I’m not going to deny it, I am a murder, that’s just how it is, the hand life dealt me but I do try and offer her kindness but if she wants me to ignore her or be a monster she can hate than so be it.”

Keenan pursed his lips when Faustin said he would have to speak to Daemon. No more drinking for him then. Perhaps he should greet him before dinner and extend and offer of alliance. Pre-empt any drama that may arise over dinner. “No more drinking for me then. Remind me to invite you out to sample the finer things with unlimited access,” he pulled a sealed letter out of his jacket pocket and handed it to him, “I owe you a favour. Take this and if you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to ask me. The letter will guarantee you an audience with me. Take the key to Lord Cassian’s room and when you are sober and have questions, come find me when I return from the short post wedding tour.”

The concept of a theoretical well of power was somewhat familiar to him, “Fae have magic in their blood. You may be able to test it with magic but literally we can taste it. It’s exhilarating but extremely dangerous, intoxicating really. Never tried on a truly powerful fae but I believe it would be similar. Difficult for me to explain as you’ve never tried it but it is intimate and can be pleasurable for both parties and informative,” he said with a shrug.

Faustin was going to be too drunk to remember the conversation, hell what did he have to lose from the truth, Faustin was her twin and Cassian’s best friend, he deserved closure, “It was your sister, her power extends beyond plants and I am sorry,” Keenan tried to speak as gently as possible.

Meeting Daemon made Keenan anxious. They would have far too much to discuss and if he truly favoured Freyja, their relationship was already guaranteed to be strained. Hell, he had no idea how he would even bring it up in conversation, how do you tell a crown prince that his sister killed his future right hand. How would that effect their relationship. Keenan knew literally nothing about Fae laws. "What is Daemon like? Or am I going into this blind?"

Claude

She was surprised Freyja was being honest. That was enough for Claude to finally look at her. She respected the honesty but was it too little too late? She wasn’t sure. She was embarrassed and had compromised her position as Keenan’s advisor, “If fae are anything like vampires, you will get stronger as you age, you would also come from a very powerful bloodline as well. I know you don’t believe anyone could help you but have you asked? Many vampires dabble in magic ass they age especially those from stronger bloodlines. It’s not the same of course as we do not have the same innate ability but they may be able to help, or there are several mages who may be able to help when Keenan is king.”

Claude stopped walking and dismissed the guard. “Aleks is still very, very young. He has only been a vampire for the last 15 years and him and Keenan have been joined at the hip for the last 10. He is jealous, and immature still. He has not grasped the concept of true immortality yet. Montague is very protective, he fought alongside Keenan in the war and led the campaign to get him released after Keenan killed his brother. They are afraid of you Freyja, afraid of what you may do to hurt them, the people and Keenan. Keenan is more complicated on the other hand. He has tried his best to be kind to you, even if it hasn’t always seemed that way. However, I am worried that you may have pushed him too far. Once you lose him, it very difficult to get him to feel something towards anyone again. The king has contributed to that massively over the past few years and we had only just won him over again,” Claude said with a sigh, “Essentially, I am happy to help you with politics, tell you why people do things but I need you to be willing to take my advice and be honest in front of the inner circle otherwise Keenan will never trust you.”

{Faust}

It took a few moments for him to process everything that had just been said, so he sort of stared at the prince while his mind scrambled to figure out where each piece was meant to go. Drinks with prince at a later date... that could possibly be good. Tasting power in other beings...weird. Extremely weird. Letter to confirm meeting with prince and key to Cassians room. Both useful and therefore good. And Freyja was the murderer.

.

Hmm. That snagged his mind and made it turn a few wheels. Her consequences had moved from plants to People. Meaning that there was an absurd amount of Cassian-dust floating around. He snorted. "Dayum. I wondered when she'd snap. Really, she's done it before without recollection. And it was pushed onto her, but I was told there was a mess left behind. If she killed Cass he must have made her upset then. Prince... we do come from a powerful line. Four, actually. Me and my siblings were supposed to be the magic wielders of the millennium. Do you know how disappointed Father was in her?" Faust laughed. "Crazy. Hmm, I wonder what he did to trigger it." He shook his head, a migraine starting behind his eyes.

.

"Daemon is the golden child. His biggest dirt is that he associates himself with anyone who can talk and hasn't been committed to any one person in over a hundred years. He's rather cocky if you ask me. Overall people please. That's where Freyja learned it. Rather a people pleaser than a priest like Rion. He's the middle and he's an ass. Don't worry, he won't be here." Faust stood up and shut the blinds to the windows and sighed. "Honestly, I think the kindness is where you went wrong. We all had her prepared to be a token wife. I'm aware it sounds awful, but at least it was safe and no one would be dead, huh?" He said, picking up the bottle closest and finishing it off.

.

Some part of him wasn't shocked about Freyja. Probably the more feral part. But his drunken self was too tired to worry about it. He had his answer. Faust stumbled over to his board and circled Freyja's poorly scrawled name. "Alrighty, Princey Poo. Better for get cleaned up for dinner. And consider making up eith Freyja. If you don't though, I would love to become your drinking partner." He grinned, saluting a misplaced glass before he downed that one as well. "I need a bath myself. A cold one. And a nap."

.

{Freyja}

She scoffed, "I haven't any idea. And the only vampire I have associated myself with are you four and now the whole lot is against me. I don't know if you know, but your kind is the reason even I'm still scared of the dark." The princess shook her head and gave another nervous laugh. "Lady Claude, I'm sorry but you're the only group of vampires that even bothered to look at me as more than just a meal or another fae. His Highness was my way of branching out."

.

And was magic in vampires even possible? Even if they dabbled in it, would they know how to help her? She couldn't throw another little tantrum. She'd already been called out for childish behavior and that was a first in.... a very long time. She didn't want to make a scene in front of Claude again. Unless it was absolutely necessary.

.

She shook her head, "I haven't even secured my standing here in the royal court of Vampires. The only nobles I know are in the inner circle. I can't focus on magic that's out of control when the rest of my life is just as bad. Eventually, yes. I will have to figure this out. I can't be someone of importance if everytime someone upsets me I turn them into a stinky pile of ashes for someone to sweep away. I feel awfully conflicted right now. Claude, do you happen to dabble in magic? Assuming you're still willing to give me my lessons on a professional basis?" She asked, turning to the other.

"Only certain bloodlines are capable of magic easily. Most vampires can manifest something but it takes centuries of careful training before most can even consider it. I am still at least five decades off being able to do something significant as I am not even from a noble bloodline," she said sheepishly, "Keenan has started. His brother was talented before his death but also 300 years ahead of Keenan. Montague will be capable eventually. The Fae and vampire history is complicated and vampires don't like to acknowledge who the magical gifts came from. Our species haven't always been enemies. It was millennia ago but cross breeding has happened in the past. So much so, no pure vampires truly exist but vampire blood always breeds true and they ignore it."

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She had always wished to develop her own affinity for magic. The rumours that vampires could shape shift was true in some respect. She had witnessed Keenan learn and grow and before this wedding he was doing really well. She was slightly jealous especially as she was expected to help. Perhaps with time, all she could do was practice.

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Claude twisted the ring on her right hand, "Vampire's don't learn magic on their own. Of course Elder vampires do teach the younger generation but royalty have a different mentor. I could arrange for you to meet with Keenan's mentor? She's very old and powerful. Older than the king, perhaps once more powerful. A fae who was turned into a vampire a very very long time ago. If she likes you she will help. If not... we can figure something else out."

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A small sigh escaped his lips, "I should attempt to clean myself up and remove the scent of this drama. Thank you for your time Faustin. I do appreciate the unbiased company. I will have the healers bring you something for your inevitable hangover so that you won't look as ill at dinner. I also should intercept your brother and perhaps attempt a conversation before dinner."

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Keenan gave Faustin a nod of his head before leaving. A crown prince that like to talk, that was something Keenan could work with. The way Faustin said that he hadn't settled for a century made him want to chuckle. Crown princes were rarely faithful, especially when they had the whole world at their feet. There was a lot of fun to be had if you didn't remain faithful to one. Not that he would change his relationship with Aleks, it was just a change of pace for him.

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He carefully bathed before changing. He carefully placed the circlet atop his brow and headed outside. He had to hold himself like a true prince.

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The vampires had really made an effort to impress Daemon. Keenan offered him an easy smile, " I, Keenan de Medici the crown prince of the vampires, would like to extend my welcome to our lands and castle. We will have servants bring your things in, if you are willing to accompany me on a short tour of the castle to allow you to get your bearings."

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One thing Faustin had failed to mention that his older brother was the better looking sibling. No wonder he had no trouble finding fae to share his bed despite his status. Like the male was seriously attractive. Keenan cleared his throat and headed back towards the castle. The fae crown prince did however reek of the typical fae arrogance. Coupled with their belief of their own superiority, Keenan had no doubt that most vampires, if not all would not even look the prince's way. Disinterest can have strange effects on one's ego, Keenan wanted to know how Daemon would react.