The Beasts Inside Us

@ BadStreetBoys

Charlotte shifted against the bed as she felt a hand press against her. But once she heard Ivan's voice, the young woman let out a hum in response before pulling the blanket over her head. All she desired in that moment was more sleep but it seemed that she was not going to get much more of it. They had such little time left and Charlotte needed to get ready and confirm that everything she wanted was packed and would be put in the carriages.

Once she heard the door to the bathroom close, Charlotte slowly sat up in the bed. She rubbed her eyes and looked around the room before moving over to the cart and peering over the food that was available. The kitchen had sent up one of her favorites. That was nice of them considering it would be some time before she was back and able to eat the chef's food. Charlotte filled her plate and took her glass before heading over to the lounge chair, sitting down to eat. The tired woman remained quiet even when Ivan came out and was heading around the room.

After she was done with breakfast, Charlotte set the plate down and disappeared into the bathroom. Once she emerged, Charlotte was dressed and ready to travel back to his country. She already had her cloak on as well, knowing that she wouldn't have time to mess with it if she was going to her room. Charlotte looked over at the balcony where Ivan stood. "I will meet you downstairs."

@ Sweet.Persephone
Ivan heard the Princess and he looked over his shoulder at her. “I’ll see you downstairs. I’ll be just a moment.” He said and turned back to look at the land. His finger tapped on the railing of the balcony snd he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath in. He just needed to process that this was really happening. They really were married, going to his kingdom, this was all real.

After he had calmed his nerves and felt ready. Ivan headed out of the room. He passed his suitcase off to a servant to load into the carriage. The man walked through the castle, a hand on his sword at all times. He made his way downstairs, though he took his time so he could admire this castle one last time. Once he was downstairs he saw the two families talking, and Charlotte alone off to the side. He made his way to her side, making sure she stood on the opposite side of his sword. He looked down at the Princess and gave a small smile. “Hello dear.”

Ivan’s father, King Markov looked over as he saw his son approach. “Good good everyone is here.” He said snd clapped his hands. “So. We will be loading up soon. The Queen and I will share a carriage. You and your gorgeous wife shall share another. We will be separated by the security carriage. The ride is about two hours and then we will be at the kingdom.” He said and looked from Ivan to Charlotte. “Ivan why don’t you say goodbye to your in-laws with your wife while we go to our carriage.” Ivan nodded curtly. “Yes sir.” He said snd turned to look at the other king and queen.

@ BadStreetBoys

When she had left their honeymoon suit, Charlotte headed off to her room to ensure that everything was in order. And a quick sweep had assured her that the servants grabbed everything that she had requested. Though she grabbed one of her handmaidens before heading downstairs, telling the woman to get the potted plant and put it in her and Ivan's carriage. Once she was assured the task would be done, Charlotte put the necklace she had grabbed last night into her trunk before making her way downstairs.

At arrival, Charlotte moved off to the side, not wanting to talk to her father or the vampire royalty. Very little time was spent alone, however, as Ivan came down and stood besides her. She looked up at the man for a moment before looking to King Markov as he started to speak. Charlotte didn't like how he was calling her Ivan's wife. 'Your wife' he kept saying. Though the man wasn't wrong, she was his wife now... Once the king walked away, Charlotte turned to her father. The man did not take long to come up to the both of them.

"Have a safe journey, both of you." King William said to them before looking to Charlotte. "I will miss you while you are gone. Hopefully, you can come visit soon."

"Apparently not enough to not sell me off to the highest bidder." Charlotte responded curtly. She curtsied to him in a formal way. "I hope you enjoy your meals alone." And with that, she turned around and headed off towards the carriage.

The King let out a sigh as he watched his daughter walk off. "I promise she is not always so angry." William said as he looked to Ivan. "Take good care of her."

@ Sweet.Persephone
Ivan stood, his hands folded behind his back as he saw the King come over. He stood tall and proudly, keeping emotion off of his face. He swallowed slightly as his eyes shifted over the King. Ivan knew he liked to keep up a facade in front of other royalty, some soldiers, abs his people. He liked to be thought of as emotionless, cold, calculated. It helped him play a better hand even when he was down and out. He kept his chin titled slug hry lay as Charlotte spoke to her father. He could never speak to his father like that. He was surprised but didn’t let it show on his face. He wondered if the Princess had picked up on his facade. It wasn’t like he had kept it on when they were alone.

Ivan nodded as the King spoke to him. “Yes sir.” Was all he said. Ivan turned on his heel and followed after Charlotte. He caught up in a few steps. He still walked like a soldier in line during training, however, once they were out of the castle he relaxed his body a bit. As they approach the carriage, a servant opened the door for them. Ivan offered his hand to Charlotte, to help her up into the carriage.

Once Charlotte was in, Ivan climbed into the carriage behind her, pulling the door shut behind him. He sat across from Charlotte, his eyes looking her up and down for a moment. He wondered if she would sit on the same side of him as they approached the kingdom so she could see it. His eyes moved abs looked out the small window. “I’m sorry.” He said softly, his eyes staying on the trees outside as their carriage began to move.

@ BadStreetBoys

At the carriage, Charlotte waited for the door to open and, when offered, she took Ivan's hand to help her into the carriage. When she was in, she sat down and leaned back into the cushions. It was about as comfortable as carriages could be. Though she looked forward to the end of their journey. Not necessarily for the destination but at least they wouldn't be bouncing around anymore. For once, it was a good thing that the castle was actually rather close to each other. It could have been a much longer journey if their castles were in different parts of their respective countries.

Wanting to be comfortable, the young woman took a moment to move all of the fabric that was around her. Her cloak, her dress, her petticoat and underthings. Though she was soon comfortable, with all of the layers to keep her warm during their ride. So she leaned back and turned her head out of the window, watching the castle and forest begin to sink into the distance as the carriage drove away.

"What are you apologizing for?" Charlotte asked him, her voice rather quiet as she did so. In truth, Charlotte was quite upset about the change in her life. The forced husband, the new strange alliance, the having to leave home. She had been keeping her anger and irritation at the forefront, finding it easier to deal with than the sadness that had settled into her chest. It was easier to be angry with her father than cry and ask why he was doing this to her.

@ Sweet.Persephone
Ivan rested his hand on the empty velvet seat besides him, his finger tapping silently against it. He heard Charlotte’s voice, but he didn’t know what to say quite yet. Ivan set his jaw and swallowed hard, letting his breath out slowly as he watched the seventy go by. “For this situation.” He said, his eyes still not meeting hers. “You seem like a sweet girl, you don’t deserve to be thrust into a marriage then thrust into hostile territory.” He said and looked down at his pale hand against the maroon fabric beneath it. He thought it was almost ironic it was almost the color of blood.

Ivan didn’t know why he was all of a sudden feeling bad for his new wife. He had just gone from a proud, stoic man to someone who just felt bad to be in this situation with this girl. After a few moments he finally looked across at Charlotte. “You may not like me. But I am your husband and it is my duty to take care of you and protect you. I am going to take that very seriously.” He told her and took another deep breath before slowly releasing it. It was in his blood. As a member of the royal family and a solider he was bound by his duty to serve and protect.

Ivan again began to worry. He knew his people were much more hostile than the humans. It was in their DNA. They were fighters, warriors. He didn’t see anyone taking this news well. Though, it wasn’t his news to deliver. It was his father’s he just had to be the token boy who stood by and nodded proudly. Ivan ran his tongue over his lips as he thought about what his father would have him to to ease the tension and the transition for Charlotte.

@ BadStreetBoys

It took Charlotte a moment but slowly she turned her head to look over at Ivan. Though she could see that he was having a difficult time meeting his glaze as well. It was just hard to talk about what was happening, to meet it face on. This was never what Charlotte wanted. And worse, it had happened all so fast. She felt like she had no time to prepare or even get a grasp of what was happening around her. Charlotte felt like she was being pulled by someone else's will and she was just doing her best to keep up at the moment. "You're not the one who should apologize for this." Charlotte told him, her voice still quiet. "But thank you, Ivan."

Once Ivan met her eyes, Charlotte was only able to look into his for a few moments before she had to turn her head away. It was becoming too hard to keep her sadness at bay. The way that he apologized for their situation but no one else had been upsetting enough. Though as he ensured her that he would care and protect her, that just about pushed the young woman over the edge. Charlotte couldn't find the words to express what that meant to her in that moment. And even if she had tried, the princess was quite sure it would just end in tears. So, instead, she leaned over and laid a hand on top of his, showing her appreciation instead of saying so.

After giving his hand a little squeeze, Charlotte released it and slowly leaned back into her seat once again. She relaxed her head as well as she went back to looking out the window, watching all of the trees pass by. What would it be like in his country? Surrounded by a bunch of people who could consider her to be a snack, in the least, would be interesting... Hopefully, she would have some sort of protection there as Charlotte doubted they would be very friendly otherwise.

@ Sweet.Persephone
Ivan felt like he had a knot in his throat. He wanted to stay strong and positive. But it felt, even if just for a moment, that something had broken inside him when he saw how sad the Princess was. He could see the pain behind her eyes and he didn’t like it. He looked down at the Princess’ hand touching his to show her appreciation and he nodded. This was hard for both of them.

Ivan leaned back into the seat and closed his eyes. He just wanted to sleep off the rest of the ride. That had been enough emotions for him, even if they hadn’t truly shared them. Ivan didn’t sleep, but his mind began to wander in weird and crazy directions as he sat with his eyes closed for the duration of the rest of their carriage ride. His eyes flickered open after a bit and he glanced out the window, a small smile appeared on his lips as he saw they were finally back. It had only been a few days but Ivan had truly missed his kingdom, his land. He didn’t realize how much his heart yearned for it until it was gone.

Ivan felt the carriage shake and he frowned, that wasn’t normal. He instinctively moved to the other side of the carriage, putting one arm across in front of Charlotte, like a protective bar. His eyes shifted distrustingly. Again the carriage shook, this time the door opening. Ivan pushed Charlotte behind him quickly. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure she was okay before his at the nation turned back to the now open door. Ivan knew he couldn’t draw his sword in here, so he just had to protect her with his bare hands.

@ BadStreetBoys

The rest of the ride had been pretty quiet after that. It seemed that Ivan had managed to fall asleep, and Charlotte spent her time looking out the window and lost in her thoughts. She had tried her best to calm down her mind but had been unable to. There was just too much at risk now that she was going to vampire country... so many unanswered questions. All she could do at this point was keep her fingers crossed and hope that it went well.

Charlotte had completely phased out in when Ivan suddenly moved to her side of the carriage. Her head shot up, looking at the man in confusion as he pressed an arm around her chest. Though before she could say anything, Charlotte was being shoved behind him as Ivan turned into some kind of protective shield for her. "What is happ-," Before Charlotte could finish her sentence, a man suddenly appeared in the carriage, having moved too fast for Charlotte to really see. Though when she was inside, she was able to take him in.

It was a vampire, his fangs out as he was hissing loudly, a dagger in his hands. Though instead of swiping at Ivan, the man gripped onto the dagger tighter and looked up at the prince. "Move, Prince Ivan," The man hissed out. "Let us take care of this problem for you." As he said that, a loud thump came from the ceiling of the carriage, indicating that another person had landed on top of it.

@ Sweet.Persephone
Ivan saw one of his countrymen appear in front of him with a dagger, his eyes narrowing. He didn’t understand how the news had travelled so fast. He was just as unhappy about the situation he was forced into, but he would be damned if he would let them hurt another innocent person. Ivan kept one arm out, protectively in front of Charlotte. He knew the man would dare hurt him, unless he made a move first. Ivan glanced over his shoulder at Charlotte and moved his eyes down to his ankle. He had a dagger there. He hoped she would take the hint abs grab it before he had to fight off whoever was ambushing them.

Ivan’s attention was quickly drawn away as he hear another vampire land on the roof. “Get down!” He barked at Charlotte, his voice seeming to deepen 5 octaves. Ivan lunged forward at the other vampire, he grabbed the man’s wrist and twisted it until the dagger was out of his hand, Ivan kicked the dagger out of the carriage so at least one of his opponents was on equal playing field.

Ivan continued to wrestle with the other vampire. When the one on top of the roof broke open the roof snd came down, she noticed Ivan and the man fighting. Instinctively, she jumped on Ivan, who was not expecting it. He let out a deep groan as there was a loud pop and crack. Ivan’s eyes shifted abs changed to a dark red. He grabbed the male vampire he was tangled up with, tossing the man out of the door like a rag doll. His attention turned then to the woman. His left arm seemed to be hanging at a weird angle. Ivan hissed at the female vampire as the two began to fight.

@ BadStreetBoys

A squeak left Charlotte as Ivan yelled at her to get down. Though she was quick to do so, seeing the horrid situation they had suddenly found themselves in. Once she was on the floor of the carriage, Charlotte worked on grabbing whatever Ivan had indicated to her. Though with him fighting, it had been harder than she would have appreciated. But she was able to pull thr dagger that was attached to his ankle.

Looking back up at the fight, Charlotte watched as Ivan tossed the man out of the carriage. Her heart was beating incredibly fast, feeling her blood pumping and her head swirling. The two vampires were moving so fast but she had to do something. Using the dagger, Charlotte plunged it into the woman's leg, wincing uncomfortably as she did so.

The woman let out a horrid screech of pain, taking her eyes off of Ivan for a moment to hiss at Charlotte, even swatting at the girl. Charlotte was able to fall back so the woman missed but it seemed like the time to go. Charlotte had a dagger but she wasn't foolish enough to take her on.

Charlotte stayed low in the carriage, heading to the open door. She put the dagger in her mouth as she nimbly moved from inside the carriage to clinging to the outside in an attempt to get to where the driver was suppose to be. Though one quick look told her that the man had been disposed of and now the horses were just running wildly. Her eyes glanced to the side to see one more vampire running up to get to the side of the carriage. She held her breath and leaped onto the driver's seat, immediately grabbing the reigns once she did and urging the horses to run faster. Soon enough, the third vampire was being left in the dust but the ride was becoming wild and incredibly bumpy.

@ Sweet.Persephone
Ivan’s pure adrenaline had kicked in, he didn’t feel the pain in his arm. He didn’t feel any pain as he and the female vampire fought. When Charlotte distracted her he used the opportunity to pounce, pinning the woman below him as he glanced away quickly to make sure she was safe.

Ivan glared down at the woman. “Don’t swat at my fucking wife.” He hissed, Ivan grabbed the women and basically threw her out of the door. His eyes were still a dark red as he climbed out of the carriage. It wasn’t hard for him to hold on. His eyes scanned the area and he was checking to see if there was any other danger. His eyes moved again to Charlotte as she began to guide the horses, he wondered where the hell their security detail and his parents were.

Ivan looked up and saw a few more vampire coming from the forest after them. With one hand he held into the carriage, the other he drew his sword. They seemed so betrayed by Ivan actually fighting them off that the vampires went after him rather than after the Princess. He was knocked back into the carriage, dropping his sword on the floor of the carriage as he began to fight off two more vampires.

Ivan emerged victorious. Thought it was at a cost. He carefully made his way up towards the drivers seat. He got into the seat besides Charlotte, slumping over when he did. Ivan could barely keep his eyes open as he tried to see where they were and give her direction. “Large oak, left.” He got out. Ivan draped his broken arm across his chest and let out a low sound of pain as he hunched over. He hated fighting his people, and being hurt in front of his wife certainly wasn’t something he was excited about.

The knights that had been separated from Ivan and Charlotte pulled up alongside their carriage a few moments later, quickly followed by the king and queen. A knight hopped over onto their carriage, picking up Ivan and putting him back in the carriage before carefully climbing back and looking at the Princess. “I’ll take the reigns from here Princess. You should be with your husband.”

@ BadStreetBoys

As Charlotte continued to urge on the horses, she could hear a racket happening on behind her. Part of her didn't want to look at all. She wasn't used to fighting and all of the consequences that came along with that. Even so, she did so, only to see that Ivan was getting shoved into the carriage by two others. The fear in her chest grew but she tried her best not to focus on it much. The further they got away, the less enemies they would have to deal with. Hopefully Ivan could handle the rest.

The young woman jumped in her seat as she felt someone plop down next to her. Though when she turned her head, she saw that it was Ivan and not someone trying to kill her. Which was slightly consoling. Though the look of him made her sick to her stomach.

"It's going to be okay," Charlotte told him, trying to reassure both herself and him. But she noticed the dazed out look on his face and the blood that was covering her body. And she grew tenser as he howled out in pain. "We're almost there, right?"

Before she could get a response, the knights had pulled up and one of them jumped onto their carriage. She watched as he brought Ivan to the back, thankful that Ivan was going to be taken cared of. Though that quickly went away when he came back asking for the reigns and telling her to go back there with Ivan. She held onto them tighter for a moment, unsure of what she would do to help her husband/savior. Nonetheless, Charlotte handed over the reigns before making her way back into the carriage. It was covered in blood as well as her new husband. In truth, she could not tell if it was his blood or others on him.

"How about I clean you off...." Charlotte said nervously. She didn't think there were any doctor's items in their carriage so she decided to settle with what she had. Which was handkerchiefs, layers upon layers of fabric she was wearing and water. She poured water over the handkerchief and started to wipe the blood off his face.

@ Sweet.Persephone
The knight could see the panic and nervous look in Charlotte’s eyes. “We are almost there, ma’am. Our medical staff will take care of Prince Ivan once we are there. Right now he just needs you.” He reassured. The man’s voice was deep, commanding, and gentle. After she handed over the reigns, the knight was able to steady the horses and their ride, so Ivan wasn’t being jostled back in the carriage.

Ivan was half laying down on the seat, half slumped over himself. Fighting vampires was much harder than fighting humans. At least in hand to hand combat with humans he could easily win. His adrenaline was coming down, and Ivan came back from his fight or flight response. His eyes no longer red, his fangs small once again. He looked like a mess. His arm was clearly dislocated or broken, he was covered in blood. He had a fat lip, a laceration on his eyebrow, his suit was torn, ripped, and nearly shredded. The exposed skin on his body was slowly beginning to bruise.

Ivan didn’t even react when Charlotte came in, let alone when she spoke to him. His head was pounding, the blood rushing in his ears. He couldn’t hear anything. He was dazed and in pain and that was all he could focus on. Ivan’s eyes shot open when she began to touch him. He was ready to fight again. Though his body relaxed and so did his eyes when he saw Charlotte. “Don’t ruin your nice stuff.” He teased, a groan passing by his lips afterwards. In truth, Ivan just wanted to be home now. He wasn’t sure if she could do anything except console him, and at the moment that was doing nothing for him.

@ BadStreetBoys

When Ivan's eyes shot open, Charlotte was quick to lean back away from him, a little in a panic. She had noticed how hard his eyes had been, how tense the man was. Though just as quickly as it moved across his face, it was gone. She waited to go back to what she had been doing until he teased her, not wanting to anger him. Tension was still running high for the princess. After all, they had just gotten attacked by people who had intention of killing her specifically, right as they entered their lands. It wasn't a good feeling.

"One of my nice things was already ruined." Charlotte mumbled to him softly as she leaned back forward. She wondered if Ivan would realize that she was talking about him. Probably not. With the wet handkerchief, Charlotte went back to cleaning off Ivan's face, her hands shaking as she did so. There was nothing else that she could really do for him, especially without any supplies. Though even with it, the young woman did not know how to fix an injured arm.

"The knight said we will be there soon." She told him before holding onto her breath. It was hard to say if she was trying to reassure him or herself. Though she did hope he would find some solace in the fact that help would come. Ivan would be okay. It wasn't like he was on death's door, the man was just hurt. Thinking about it caused Charlotte to shift uncomfortably. Ivan had gotten hurt protecting her. He was in this position because he put her before his people.

Tears started to well up in the princess' eyes. Now that the threat was gone and she had a moment to breath, it hit her hard. What had occurred and the possible consequences of it were settling in her. And she was no longer able to hold back what she still had control of that morning. So she was quick to drop her head down, hoping Ivan wouldn't see as she moved onto cleaning the parts of his chest she could see. It felt embarrassing to be the one who was crying when Ivan literally broke his arm.

@ Sweet.Persephone
Ivan frowned softly as he noticed how.. broken the Princess seemed. She was nervous and scared and he hated that she felt this way. He knew this wasn’t going to be an easy transition, especially not after her welcoming committee tried to kill her. He wondered what she saw on his face. “Oh?” Was all he said. He wasn’t sure what she meant. She seemed fine. He’d been the one fighting multiple vampires hand to hand by himself. He wondered how much the Princess knew about vampires. Their pain tolerance, healing capabilities, what hurt abs killed them. Many people believe they didn’t have blood because they drank it. But this was not true. Their just didn’t circulate the same way humans did.

Ivan stayed still, closing his eyes as she touched at his face. “I’m gonna have some color finally, I’ll match you.” He continued to tease, referencing the already forming bruises on his cheeks. He felt so horrible that this was happening with the Princess that he wanted to do whatever he could to lighten the mood, make her smile, make her laugh.

Ivan opened his eyes as she stopped wiping his face. He saw her dabbing at his chest were his shirt had large tears. He took a deep breath and frowned. Why did he feel so bad about Charlotte feeling sad? It made no sense to him. He didn’t care about her. This wasn’t a real relationship why did he care? Ivan reached out with his good arm and took her hand in his. He pulled her hand close abs pressed a gentle kiss to her knuckles. “I told you I would take my duty as your husband seriously.” He said with a smile. “You aren’t dying in my watch.” He said softly as his smile faltered. He did worry about people once again coming at his wife.

The carriage came to a slow, finally coming to a stop. A few of the nights came around and opened the door. One knight offered his hand to the Princess to help her out. Another went in to help the prince out. Ivan shoved the man away. “I’m not a fucking cripple.” He said sternly. His mood almost immediately changing when he was around people he was in charge of. Ivan took a moment to compose himself before slowly making his way out of the carrier. His entire body burned with the pain shooting through him. But he saw his father watching and knew he had to walk inside on his own or be ridiculed. The knights quickly stepped in line with the prince and walked inside either him. Another few knights bringing the Princess inside. They all walked to a path room, clearly the room for medical staff. Ivan laid down and closed his eyes. “Is it Dr. Stowell today?” He asked, the knight reaponding affirmatively. The knights stood outside the door as Ivan waited for the doctor to come in. He opened his eyes and looked at Charlotte. He could see she had been crying. “Are you hurt? Come here come sit. Dr. Stowell can take good care of you. You first.” He said as he sat up and went to move off of the bed.

@ BadStreetBoys

"It's you," Charlotte explained softly after he said 'oh?'. She was hoping that he would not any questions past that as she did not really want to explain. Though part of her felt silly for saying it at all. Ivan was her husband, yes, but it felt weird to say that he was hers. And to say that he was always one of her nice things was a bit of a stretch at that point. But, in the last eight-ish hours, Ivan had been nice. Especially after he just saved her life. After all, Ivan could have thrown her to the vampires and his problems would have been solved.

As she felt Ivan take her hand into his, Charlotte took the moment to reach up and wipe the tears from her eyes and cheeks using her sleeves. Though as she did so, a little bit of blood was swiped against her right cheek. She was also doing her best to push the feelings back down but due to her lack of success, the princess didn't lift her head to meet his gaze. "Thank you, Ivan," Charlotte said softly as she squeezed his hand. Still, she did not understand why he was taking it so seriously but nonetheless, she was appreciative of it. Whatever the reason, she would happily take his protection in what seemed to be a hostile world.

Once the carriage started to slow down and come to a stop, Charlotte took in a deep breath and wiped her eyes once again. This time, she was able to get the crying to stop. When a knight offered his hand, she accepted it and came out of carriage before waiting for Ivan to come out as well. She was a bit surprised to see he was accepting no one's help despite his injuries. Though she bit her tongue on the issue and instead followed the men that were now escorting her in. She was barely able to look at what was meant to be her new home as they were hurried through the castle towards what seemed to be the medical room.

When inside, Charlotte looked around the room, quite unsure of what to do with herself now. Ivan did not need any of her help but the doctor's. And soon enough, it was just the two of them in the room. Her head only lifted as Ivan started to go to move off of the bed. But Charlotte stepped forward, frantically waving her arms for the man to stop. "No, no no. I am fine. I think you should have him see you first."

@ Sweet.Persephone
Ivan frowned slightly, but nodded in a he element as he carefully moved back up on the bed. “Are you sure, Princess?” He asked quietly. “Come over here.” Ivan stated more than asked. “I’m worried about you.” He held his good arm out as he waited for her to come to him.

Ivan’s friendly gesture as interrupted as a doctor came in followed by a nurse. Dr. Stowell raised his eyebrow at Ivan and shook his head. “Prince Ivan I thought you told me I wouldn’t be seeing you anymore after you stopped battling on the front lines.” Ivan laughed slightly and rolled his eyes. “Well, sir, I didn’t think that coming off the front lines meant I was fighting on my own now.” He responded. The doctor began to look over Ivan, having Him take off the ripped clothes which left Ivan in his boxers and an undershirt.

The doctor finished examine Ivan and told his nurse to grab a few things before he turned his attention back to the Prince. “This is going to hurt, but if I don’t do this now you’re arm may not heal correctly.” The doctor said before he grabbed Ivan’s arm and moved it in a quick motion. Ivan yelled out in pain, holding his arm afterwards. The doctor looked over at Charlotte as he waited for his nurse to return. “Ivan will be fine. He shoulder was dislocated, which broke his upper arm. I’ll cast him up and he’ll be fine. Some bruised ribs. Lacerations, cuts, bruises throughout his body. Possibly a concussion. Otherwise he is fine.”

Ivan rolled his eyes at the doctor. “Other than all the injuries I fine. Doc, do you understand how hard it is fighting off three vampires by hand? I think the only reason I’m alive is because if they killed me.. well you know what would happen.” He paused. “Also you can direct your diagnosis to me, and my wife, not just her.” He said and swallowed. The nurse returned and helped the doctor cast Ivan’s arm, also giving him some pain medication. When they were done Ivan got up, he was giving a sling to hold his arm up, frowning slightly. He hated looking like he needed help. Ivan walked over to Charlotte abs gave a gentle smile. “Follow me. I know all the secret pathways. We can avoid the security detail and my father.” He told her with a mischievous grin.

@ BadStreetBoys

The young woman could feel her heart stop for a moment as Ivan said that he was worried about her. It had thrown her off. Everything today was throwing her off though. Though with his outstretched hand, Charlotte started to move towards Ivan. But before she could lay her hand into his, the doctor came in. At which point, the princess was quick to move off to the side and out of the way.

Charlotte wrapped her arms around herself as she watched the doctor start to do his job. With how bad Ivan looked, and how many others he had to fight off, she was worried about his condition. In the least, he was not on death's door but that didn't mean that the next couple of days weren't going to be rough... And she could not help but wonder how bad off Ivan was after their scuffle.

So she waited and watched. Seeing him shove Ivan's arm back into place made her uneasy but immediately after the doctor was looking at her so Charlotte tried to pull herself back together. "That doesn't sound fine," Charlotte responded with a deep frown on his face after the man had gone through all of Ivan's injuries. Before she could ask what to do with Ivan after the check up, they had already moved onto casting his arm up and soon enough, Ivan was in front of her. It seemed their definition of fine were drastically different.

Looking up at Ivan, Charlotte nodded as he mentioned a secret pathway to avoid the guards and the King. "I think that sounds like a great plan." Charlotte said softly as she started to follow him. She didn't really want to deal with them either. "Where are we heading off to?"

@ Sweet.Persephone
Ivan laughed softly as she said he didn’t sound fine. He wasn’t perfectly fine. He would be sore and probably irritable. But all these injuries were easy to heal from for vampires. They healed faster than humans but it still wasn’t fun.

Ivan smiled down at the Princess. “We can go to my room.” He said and shrugged his one good arm. “Come on, Princess.” He said and touched her arm and walked towards the back of the room. He grabbed the side of a shelf with his good arm and pulled it aside revealing a pathway. “After you.” He said. Ivan followed the Princess inside and then pulled it back shut. “See, I’ve got one good arm. I’m fine.” He told the Princess with another laugh.

“We can go to my, our room actually, I’ll change into some clothes that are more appropriate and I could give you a tour. Or we could just relax in there. I’m sure you want to relax after...” he paused and gave her a weak smile.

Ivan led the Princess down the pathway, turning occasionally. Though this secret pathway was much more intricate than the path they followed. He stopped and felt along the wall for a moment, before he pushed something forward, more light beginning to flood the pathway, Ivan stepped inside and offered his hand to the Princess. After they were both in his bedroom he pushed the bookcase back into place.