The Beasts Inside Us

  • Sweet.Persephone

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    With Ivan leading the way, Charlotte followed him towards the back of the room, not thinking much of it. Though as he pulled the shelf to reveal a hidden pathway in the castle, her eyes widen and her face showed some amusement in it. "That's interesting," She said to him, already thinking about the different ways to use the pathway. She couldn't help but wonder how many there were and all the places that they could go. Maybe it would be a good way to move around the castle when she wanted to be left alone or kept hidden.

    "Sure but you should have two good arms," The Princess pointed out to him, her nose wrinkling a bit at the thought. It really bothered her that Ivan had gotten hurt so much having to protect her. Of course, she was thankful for it. Charlotte certainly would have died if he didn't intervene but... She took a deep breath and tried her best not to think about her situation too much. Though she couldn't help but note that this place might be the living embodiment of Hell for her.

    "I just want to relax." Charlotte told him. "Maybe you can show me around later?" There was no doubt that she just wanted to go lay down. As much as the tour around the castle was a good idea, and she did want to see more of the secret pathways, she wasn't up for it at the moment. First, she wanted to rest. Then maybe try to piece together what she should do. New husband, new home and a country that didn't seem to like her very much. She needed to think of a plan but who knew if she would be ready to do that in the next 24 hours.

    Laying her hand down on top of Ivan's, Charlotte stepped out of the pathway and into his bedroom. Once she felt his hand leave hers to push the bookcase back into place, she glanced around his room slowly, trying her best to take it in, to get a feel for who Ivan was, if she could from it at all. This was where she was going to be staying for... well, who knew how long. A while, at least. Now that they were in 'their' bedroom, the princess pulled off her traveling cloak, which was now soaked in blood at the bottom and had splatters along it from the fitting and the blood that ended up all over the carriage.
    November 17th, 2020 at 02:54pm
  • BadStreetBoys

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    Ivan nodded and grinned at her. “The pathways were built in here during a much older war. The King then worried about the castle being seized and the royal family being captured. So he built this in in case that ever happened. So they could escape. Luckily it was never needed. But I now use it when I want to avoid the knights or my father.” He said and laughed to himself. “Yes I should. But I’m okay. My people wouldn’t kill me. But when a vampire gets in the fight or flight mode they just fight.” He said.

    Ivan nodded. “I think relaxing would be good for the both of us.” He looked around the bedroom “Welcome to your new bedroom.” He said with an awkward smile. Ivan was glad he didn’t have to keep up his cold charade with Charlotte. He needed to with his father, the help, other royalty, and some of his military. His specific battalion he was able to loosen up and joke with. But most of the time he had to hold the personality of a cold, cunning prince and it did get tiring. He didn’t know what he would do if he had to keep that charade up for her.

    “Your stuff should be here already. Let’s get you changed out of those bloody clothes.” Ivan told her with a frown as he looked her up and down. “I’m sorry about that.” He said and sighed. Ivan looked around the room. “Here, Princess.” He said and motioned to a large dresser. “Your stuff is in here. I’m going to change in the bathroom.” He told her. Ivan went to a different dresser and grabbed some clothes. He moved to the bathroom and changed. When he came out he was wearing around suit, though this one was much more comfortable and moveable in.

    Ivan heard a knock on the door and frowned. He moved over and opened it, seeing his father before him. Ivan straightened up the best he could with his arm and his face devoid of emotions. “Yes, sir?” He asked. His father looked him up and down. “Do you know who attacked you?” Ivan shook his head no. “Okay. We are going to try and find out. If we do find them I want to make an example of them.” Ivan nodded, he may have disagreed with his fathers ways but he didn’t have a choice but to agree in this moment.
    November 17th, 2020 at 04:27pm
  • Sweet.Persephone

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    Charlotte made a slight face when Ivan mentioned that his people who never kill him. Well, she wished that extended to Ivan's wife as well. Though, Charlotte supposed that such a long war could not be resolved by a marriage. If only their fathers had been able to figure that out as well. "So they were just trying to incapacitate you then," Charlotte said after a moment. That made the risks for Ivan much lower when deciding to protect her. Which was probably a good thing as Charlotte was going to need it.

    Looking around the room, all Charlotte really noticed was how dark it was. She didn't hate it by any means but it was certainly so much more different than what she was used to. And she wondered if all of the rooms were like this or was it just Ivan's? Surely she would find out once they had the tour but that wouldn't be until later. Her eyes slowly lifted up to Ivan. "Thank you?" The woman said, a little unsure if she should be thanking Ivan for showing her the room. Which in a way was and was not her room... Well, at the moment, it was really just Ivan's room that she was also now sleeping in. But that feeling would probably go away after she had used it for some time as well.

    The princess looked down at herself as Ivan mentioned the bloody clothes. With everything that had been going on, she didn't really take a moment to look over herself. Hell, she hadn't even thanked the prince yet for saving her. Everything had just happened so quickly...

    She watched as he headed off to the bathroom and once the door was closed, Charlotte went over to the dresser and pulled out her own things to get changed. Charlotte just picked one of her everyday dress. It seemed fitting as the dress was black. As for the bloody clothes, Charlotte left it all where it looked like Ivan left his clothes to be picked up to be cleaned.

    When Ivan came out, Charlotte was looking at herself in the mirror, trying to wipe off the smudge of blood on her face. She opened her lips, wanting to say something to him but was stopped by a knock on the door. She went back to caring for her face, trying to get the blood off and doing her best to calm her puffy eyes. Though she was listening closely to the conversation Ivan and the King were having.
    November 17th, 2020 at 06:10pm
  • BadStreetBoys

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    Ivan was not a fan of his fathers authoritarian style of ruling. His father was controlling, evil, and manipulative. It irked Ivan and he swore to never be a man like him. It was Ivan’s reason for being so cold and devoid of emotions when interacting with most people. He stood straight like a soldier as he looked up at his father while he spoke. Ivan paused for a moment, thinking. “We don’t need public executions this soon after the end of the war, sir.” He told his father, hoping not to be berated. “It is going to take some time adjusting, for everyone. I think if we take a more diplomatic approach it will help. If we just execute someone that will enrage them more. Dying because of a human, we don’t want riots.” Ivan explained.

    King Markov listened to his son, crossing his arms over his chest. “Fin, Ivan.” He said and looked over at the Princess. Then back to Ivan. “Why didn’t you kill them? As a soldier you aim to kill. Not to let the enemy survive.” Ivan looked down and frowned but then looked back up at his father with no emotion. “Our people are not the enemy, sir. I didn’t need to kill them to make a point. I fought off three strong vampires with my bare hands, father, do not say I am not a soldier because I didn’t kill them.” He said as his eyes seemed to pierce his fathers. “Sir, my wife and I would like to relax after this afternoon’s events. Please.” He said softening.

    King Markov flared at his son then nodded. “I need you both at dinner tonight. We will be doing an announcement tonight.” He told Ivan. “Yes sir.” Ivan said and shut the door as his father walked away. Ivan turned and leaned back up against the door, wiping his hand down his face and sighing. His cold and stoic facade quickly coming down once they were alone.
    November 17th, 2020 at 07:28pm
  • Sweet.Persephone

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    The princess could not help but glance over as the King started to berate his son for having not killed the attackers. The whole conversation sounded so odd to her. Charlotte never spoke to her father like that, so straightfaced and flat. Like the King was Ivan's leading commander in the army... which he a way he was but Markov was his father first and foremost. It seemed that the vampire king had high expectations and Ivan was ready to meet them. Though how he was able to turn it on and off so fast was almost impressive to Charlotte... [if it wasn't so strange.

    Charlotte looked away once the King mentioned that they would be doing an announcement that tonight. Now that sounded like it was going to be absolutely terrible. After what had just happened, the princess had no interest in participating in any kind of announcement to the vampire kingdom or any of its inhabitants. Though she would bite her tongue. King Markov was not her father. Technically, although she had moved in and was Ivan's wife, she was more of a guest than anything else. It was best not to step on another king's toes.

    Once the door to the room was closed, stepped away from the mirror and headed over to the lounge chair. "That was intense," Charlotte mentioned to him nonchalantly, not wanting to turn it into something that the man felt like he had to comment on. After all, what business did she have to dig her nose in Ivan's relationship with his father. She was quiet for a moment before lifting her eyes up slowly to look at him, her gaze softening significantly as she did so. "I just wanted to thank you for saving me, Ivan," Charlotte whispered softly. "I would be dead right now if you didn't intervene... And I really appreciate it."

    The woman glanced off to the side awkwardly for a moment. "If we were home, I would force father to give you a knightship... Or gold or something. Though I suppose you don't really have a use for any of that and besides, I don't have any of that here with me."
    November 18th, 2020 at 12:24am
  • BadStreetBoys

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    Ivan looked over at Charlotte and gave and awkward smile, just nodding in agreement as he processed the situation. “My father is an intense man.” He told her after a moment. Ivan rubbed his face again and let out a quiet groan. Dealing with his father was draining. The Prince made his was across the room and sat on the edge of the bed.

    Ivan looked up as Charlotte began to speak, offering a gentle smile when he saw her features and voice soften. His face shifted as she spoke. He got up and walked over to the Princess. Ivan reached out abs gently touched her forearm. “You are my wife, even if it wasn’t my choice. You’re my wife, my partner. I would never let you get hurt in my presence. I told you before it is my duty to protect you and take care of you, I am going to do that.” His eyes were gentle. He didn’t want the Princess to fear him. Ivan knew she would need a lot more protection than the knights could give her. He knew even some of them would be bitter. He wanted to give her a welcoming and soft presence in a world that would be hard on her.

    Ivan had come to accept the fact that they were married and they were stuck together. He didn’t see any reason to piss her off, annoy her, or hurt her. She was the one who left her kingdom, he felt bad about it, and wanted to do what he could to make this transition easier. “Well I have plenty of accolades for other things.” He said and laughed, smiling at the Princess. “Relax, Charlotte. This dinner and announcement is going to be long and annoying.” He said and moved away. This time Ivan lay in the bad, his injured arm laying on his chest. “He going to make me wear my military dress again. And get rid of the sling holding my arm. He won’t want us looking weak in front of the crowd. Will you stand on my bad side so that we can hide it?” He asked as Ivan grabbed a pillow and pulled it over his face.
    November 18th, 2020 at 01:16am
  • Sweet.Persephone

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    Charlotte met Ivan's eyes as he assured her that he would continue to protect her as it was his duty. With her free hand, she reached out and lightly laid her hand on top of the one that now rested against her forearm. It seemed that Ivan was not going to be as bad as she first had feared. The first day had seemed to be difficult but the prince had really taken a 180 in her eyes. Perhaps the stress from the surprise engagement had gotten him at the time but she definitely liked this prince better than the one she was introduced to.

    "Thank you, Prince Ivan." She responded warmly. "That really does make me feel a little better about everything." At least she had someone in the country that had her back. And now Charlotte knew that Ivan really meant the words that he had said to her. He seemed to be the type that would keep the promises he made and right now, that was all she could really hold onto. So it was a relief to know that it was sturdy.

    Once he headed back to the bed, Charlotte slowly sank until she was laying on the lounge chair. Her head rested against a pillow as she looked up at the ceiling of the room. It was nice to finally be able to relax and take a long breath. And it sounded like she needed it by how he described the upcoming announcement dinner. Though her breath caught in her throat for a moment as Ivan mentioned taking off his sling. The military uniform still annoyed her but there was nothing she could do about it. "That sounds like a terrible idea, Ivan."
    November 18th, 2020 at 02:34am
  • BadStreetBoys

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    Ivan spoke from underneath the pillow on his face, it was muffled, but he spoke louder so she could hear her. “Why don’t you try telling my father that?” He said and laughed. “I don’t like it either. I hate seeming weak but I’ll wear the stupid thing until my arm is fine. Can’t fight for the army without a good arm. But my father would never let our royal family seem weak. So I don’t really have a choice in the matter. I’m going to do what he says.” He told her.

    Ivan took the pillow off his face and a stared at the ceiling. He wasn’t sure what to do. This whole situation was a mess. He had a wife he didn’t ask for. He’d just gotten injured protecting her. His father was being an asshole, as usual. He had to parade around and pretend just like always. Ivan felt the frustration build up inside of him as he thought about everything. He grabbed the pillow and tossed it to the side in frustration. “Fuck.” He mumbled and ran a hand down his face.

    Ivan sat up and looked over at Charlotte. He stared at her for a moment before speaking. “What do you know about vampires?” He asked. He wanted to genuinely know what she thought she knew about them. He didn’t want to fight or anything. He was just curious. He could correct her misinformation. Of course he understood why they thought he and his kind were monsters, they did drink human blood. But what did she truly know?
    November 18th, 2020 at 02:48am
  • Sweet.Persephone

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    Charlotte let out a sigh as Ivan started to insist that it was something that he had to do. It sounded stupid to her. Taking off one's sling to appear strong during some ridiculous royal announcement. A injured arm gotten from combat wasn't weak. Any injuries a solider might received just showed that they were strong enough to survive what others couldn't. "It's ridiculous but if you need my assistance in hiding your arm, I will do it. I suppose I will just try to stay close, which shouldn't be difficult."

    Her head lifted up as a pillow suddenly went flying along the bedroom. Her eyebrows furrowed together as she sat up to look at the man. And as she looked at him, it was clear that Ivan was having a difficult time. Which was understandable. She was as well. Though before she could start to reassure him, Ivan was sitting up and staring at her. So Charlotte kept her lips closed, staring at him back as she waited for whatever was going to happen to occur. Though she certainly was not expecting what he asked.

    The pit of her stomach started to tighten up at Ivan's question. And she was only able to continue to meet his glaze for a moment before she looked away and laid back down on the lounge chair, turning her head away. Charlotte could not say that she was all that interested in sharing what she knew, or what she thought she knew. Charlotte knew that some of it were just rumors and wives tales. Though there was plenty of information that she believed to be true that frightened her. "Surely you rather rest than quiz me on my knowledge of your kind." Charlotte said, trying to pass it off as simply being too tired or uninterested in the conversation. "In the least, it sounds tiring to me."
    November 18th, 2020 at 03:09am
  • BadStreetBoys

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    Ivan laughed slightly. He could tell by Charlotte’s voice she was unimpressed by the charades his father played. “You speak as if I have a choice, Princess.” He told her with a raised eyebrow. “I wasn’t even allowed to marry the woman I wanted. You think I’m allowed to present myself in any way he deems unacceptable while representing the royal family?” He said snd laughed dryly. Ivan knew just how shitty the situation was. But it was best not to argue with the King. Appearances meant everything to him.

    Ivan raised an eyebrow as the Princess’ mood shifted as soon as he asked the question. “Surely, Princess, you realize I’m not dumb.” He said and leaned back against the headboard on the bed. “It doesn’t take vampire skill to tell when your mood and attitude change suddenly.” He told her. Ivan tapped his chin as he thought, he was trying to figure out why she was so against telling him what they knew in her kingdom. “Tiring?” He said and laughed again. “I’m genuinely curious as to what you know.” He told her.

    Ivan sighed slightly. “You think we’re monsters, you think were evil, you think were scum.” He said, trying to keep his voice from sounding accusatory. “You act as if we have a choice in the matter of how we’re born. You think were merciless killers who just go around draining people of blood. That’s not true.” Ivan said and laughed rolling his eyes. “Given the choice we would much rather not completely drain someone. Because then it’s a one time meal.” He told her and his watched Charlotte carefully for her reaction. “Bites for feeding actually do not hurt, our fangs release an endorphin to the person we’re feeding from which creates a sort of high for them, it’s painless. Sort of like when a mosquito releases the stuff that makes you itchy when they suck your blood.” Ivan began to use hand gestures as he spoke. “Most of our feedings come from farms of people. People who willingly want to be fed on. We take good care of them. House, feed, clothe, etc. they can do whatever they want snd are held to a high prestige here. They get what they want when they want because we are so grateful to them and their services. Your people, your soldiers, your vampire hunters think it hurts because when we fight, it does. We fight to kill and that’s the same as any other species. Don’t go thinking you have the moral high ground because your people kill other species to live, is that not killing too?” He asked and Ivan took a deep breath. He frowned as he realized he had gone on a rant and looked down at his hands in his lap.
    November 18th, 2020 at 01:36pm
  • Sweet.Persephone

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    Charlotte's chest started to tighten as Ivan begun his little rant. This really wasn't what she wanted to do right now. Or, really do ever... But after everything that had happened in the last 48 hours, the engagement, the threats, the marriage, the games with Ivan, sneaking around the castle, last minute plans, moving and getting attacked. And just finally when Charlotte thought she would be able to lay down and relax for a little while, Ivan wanted to have some deep conversation about Charlotte's thoughts on vampires where he would surely try to pressure her into thinking that she shouldn't have an issue with getting drank from.

    She held onto the pillow she had harder, unsure of how to respond to his words. It was clear what he wanted her to say but the issue would be that Ivan wouldn't want her to say it unless it was the truth, and he would know she was lying this time around. And if she said what she really thought, he would surely still be upset with her. Who knew if it would just be a discussion or a fight but either way, it wasn't what she wanted.

    Feeling the pressure of the situation combined with the weight of everything that had happened was causing her throat to tighten, making it hard for her to breathe. The tears in her eyes welled up again and she was quick to bury her face into the pillow before they started to stream down her cheeks. God, why was this all so hard? Charlotte saw herself as a fighter but this situation was just piling and piling up on her. Most of it was just things that were happening to her, things that Charlotte had no say in or couldn't stop. She was beginning to feel lost, and a little helpless.

    "Can you stop now?" Charlotte finally responded with a shaky breath. "I don't have the moral high ground, okay? But I don't go off having conversations with cows telling them they shouldn't mind being eaten either. Now stop putting words in my mouth. I don't want to talk about this." Charlotte wasn't able to stop the little sob that left her at the end and before she knew it, big chunky tears were streaming down her cheeks.
    November 19th, 2020 at 12:41am
  • BadStreetBoys

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    Ivan looked over at the Princess as he stop speaking and sighed. He was his father’s son and he took on traits even if he didn’t like them. He was feeling so much pressure from everyone around him, and then they stuck him in a room with someone who thought he was a monster. The build up of the pressure made him so tense and it finally had come out.

    Ivan frowned at the Princess’ words and looked down at his hands. He took a deep breath and sighed again. He hadn’t meant to go off on the Princess like this. He hadn’t meant to take his frustrations out on her. “I’m sorry, Princess.” He said quietly.

    Ivan got up and grabbed a robe from his closet, he pulled it on before he looked back at the Princess. “I’ll be back to pick you up for dinner in about an hour and a half.” Ivan told her before he walked out of the room, shutting the large doors behind him. The man needed to get out of here, he needed fresh air and to calm down.

    Ivan made his way outside. They had plenty of forest and walkway paths that he could explore for a bit while he cleared his head.
    November 19th, 2020 at 11:58am
  • Sweet.Persephone

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    It had taken Charlotte a while to get herself to stop crying and to finally calm down. Though as much as she hated to admit it, the princess felt a little better after having done so. Like all she had needed was the time to be truly upset with everything that had happened. Still, she was not ready to plan out what to do next. Perhaps that would be for tomorrow but for now it felt a lot easier to just exist.

    The only unfortunate part about it was that she now needed to get ready for a dinner and an announcement where she certainly didn't want to look like a mess. So the young woman pushed herself up onto her feet and headed into thr bathroom to get ready.

    Soon enough, she had showered, did her makeup and hair as well as picked out one of her nicer dresses, knowing that a lot of eyes were going to be on her. All she was waiting for was Ivan to come get her. Though she was a little worried about it now. She didn't mean to break down in front of him. So she was ready to try and remove any tension she had... well both of them had caused from their last conversation.

    And Charlotte thought she knew where to start. Her eyes were glanced down at the white rose in her hand, one of the flowers from the rose bush she had taken with her.
    November 19th, 2020 at 12:35pm
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    Ivan made his way around the forest, it was calming to be amongst the large pine trees. They towered over him and seemed so wise and old. He also loved the scent. Ivan almost got lost in the moment but realized he had to head back and get ready. His mind was clear now and he felt calmer. He still felt bad for the outburst he had on the Princess.

    Ivan walked in and immediately went to his large closet, he found his second military dress uniform and moved into the bathroom to change. He came out dressed well, his broken arm limp at his side. He went back to his closet and grabbed a sword to have in his sheath. He moved in front of the mirror and looked himself over, nodding slightly.

    “Dinner is going to be the royal family, the council, and some of our lords and ladies.” He told her, not looking away from the mirror. “Then we will be going out to the square and father will make his announcement. I’m sure at dinner or before he will tell me what he wants from us and I’ll pass along the message.” Ivan said and finally turned away from the mirror and looked at the Princess. “You look nice.” He commented.

    Ivan walked over to the Princess and offered his good arm to the Princess. “Let’s go.”
    November 19th, 2020 at 04:36pm
  • Sweet.Persephone

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    Hearing the sound of the door open, Charlotte lifted her head up and looked to Ivan. She was about to say something but Ivan immediately disappeared into the closet. So Charlotte decided to wait, going back to looking at the rose she was spinning in between her fingers. There was something that she wanted to say. Though since Charlotte thought it was important, she wanted to wait until she had his attention.

    Once again, her head lifted up as he came out of the closet and started to speak. She listened intently, especially as it was about tonight's dinner. And it was about what she had expected. More people than Charlotte really wanted to deal with but... well she didn't really have a say in this matter. The king knew who he wanted to make the announcement to and that would be that. Though as Ivan finally turned to look at her, she smiled lightly. "Thank you,"

    As Ivan walked over to her, Charlotte moved onto her feet. But as he offered her his arm, the woman shook her head a little at him. Now growing a bit nervous about what she was going to say. After all, Charlotte didn't know how Ivan was going to react but she hoped he would at least understand what she was trying to do. "Actually, there was something I wanted to say before we left."

    She lifted up her head to meet his eyes with hers. "I am sorry if I upset you. Honestly the last two days have been very overwhelming and I don't think I have been handling it very well. So the last thing I had wanted to do was have another difficult conversation with the one person I felt like I could kind of lean on here. But I should have explained that to you instead of trying to trick you into not having it... If you really do want my honest opinion on vampires, then we can talk about it after the dinner. But even if you don't anymore, I just want to say that I don't see you as a monster, Ivan."

    Charlotte lifted the white rose up, offering it to him. "It's from the rose bush that I took from home. I don't know if you're allowed to... I know your father has strict rules but I thought maybe you would like to wear it to dinner? Or just have it? I understand if you're not all that interested in flowers but I thought... well I thought maybe it would be nice."
    November 19th, 2020 at 11:14pm
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    Ivan raised an eyebrow as the Princess began to speak. He had been intent on keeping a straight, emotionless face, but her words cause him to smile. He looked down at his feet for a moment as he listened. Ivan was smiling as she continued to speak. It felt so nice to hear this coming from her, but he wasn’t sure how to react. Ivan blushed slightly as his eyes drifted back up to hers.

    “Thank you.” He murmured and took the rose from her hands, he twisted it in his hand and smiled. “Who cares what father says. It’s a gift from my wife so he can get over it.” He said and laughed. Ivan looked down as he attached the rose to his lapel, above his honor badges. He offered his arm to Charlotte again. “We should get going though.

    Ivan led Charlotte out of his room and through the castle. He arrived into the dining hall. At the head of the table were the King and Queen. Besides them were Ivan’s two younger brothers. Surrounding the rest of the table were numerous people. Ivan led Charlotte to the two empty seats right near the head of the table. He nodded politely at his father.
    November 19th, 2020 at 11:25pm
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    The smile on Charlotte's face immediately brightened up as Ivan took the white rose. She had been worried that he would still be upset or wouldn't take what she had said well. Though it seemed quite the opposite had happened and Charlotte was thankful for it. Ivan wasn't someone who she would have picked to be in her face but she really was growing more and more grateful to having him around. Luckily, he was already making living here easier.

    "Okay," Charlotte said as she slid her arm into his and followed him through the castle. By the time they had gotten to the dining room, the smile on her face had disappeared and was replaced with something more neutral. In truth, she was nervous about how this was going to go. Especially with what had occurred on their way there. But she felt better knowing that Ivan would be on her side and that the King wanted her alive.

    She followed Ivan to where they needed to sit and sat down at the spot that seemed to be for her. Once settled in the chair, Charlotte looked to her husband for a moment before shifting her attention to the two men that were nearest them. Charlotte had no idea who they were but they looked similar to the King, Queen and Ivan. She could only assume they were related somehow.
    November 19th, 2020 at 11:40pm
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    Ivan’s father nodded to acknowledge his son, before he waived at some of the Servants to begin serving the dinner. Ivan took the opportunity while everyone was distracted by the food to “introduce” Charlotte to who people were. “My brothers Andrei and Vladimir.” He told her and pointed subtly. “Lord and Lady Ovechkin. Lord and Lady Romanov. Royal council members.” He motioned. “Don’t really need to know names.” He told her with a smile. Ivan looked up and nodded a thank you to the servant who presented both Ivan and Charlotte with their meal. They placed a glass of red wine in front of Ivan and white in front of Charlotte. “Never drink the red wine here.” He whispered to her

    Ivan’s father waited for everyone’s food to be in front of them before he grabbed his glass of wine and stood. “A toast to my son, Prince Ivan’s marriage. Here’s to hoping this marriage is long snd prosperous. One that brings our kinds together and one day leads one nation, one kingdom, rather than two separate ones.” He said. “Here’s to Princess Charlotte for her journey here. Here’s to their safety, health, and happiness.” The King said. In turn, those around the table lifted their glasses snd clinked them among one another and then took a sip. Ivan put his glass down and looked over at Charlotte before his attention was drawn back to the king. “I know we have a dissenting member of the council, however we must teams in United. As one powerful royal family and council.” The king said as his eyes hardened. “After dinner we have called for the kingdom to listen to the announcement. I will have knights everywhere to ensure it goes smoothly.” With that the King sat and allowed everyone to eat.

    Their dinner was a classic beef and potato dinner. The royal family had made sure it would be something Charlotte would enjoy since they did not cook real food very often. Ivan’s beef certainly much rarer than Charlotte’s. Ivan looked around the table as people began to speak to one another. Ivan looked down at his plate and continued to eat, until his attention was drawn away him by his brother. “Ivan, so now that your married does that mean you’re leaving the army?” The younger of the brothers asked. “Yea, and does that mean I get to go to all the balls and flirt with all the women?” The other brother asked. Ivan’s brow furrowed and he frowned slightly. “I will always be a soldier, Andrei.” He said curtly before looking at his other brother. “That is not appropriate for this dinner.” He said avoiding answering anything.
    November 19th, 2020 at 11:59pm
  • Sweet.Persephone

    Sweet.Persephone (100)

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    @ BadStreetBoys

    Turning her attention back to Ivan, she listened closely as he started to point out who some of the people at the table were. As she suspected, the two men that looked like the rest of the royal family were related to them, they were his brothers. She hadn't know that Ivan had brothers, though she supposed that there was a lot about Ivan that she didn't know. Her eyes then continued to shift down the table as he pointed out four lords and ladies. She wanted to ask why they had high importance in the court, at least enough so that they were at this dinner. But it would be rude to ask when they were close by.

    "I am sure that I will learn their names soon enough." She whispered back to him, smiling softly. As she then glanced at the white wine, for a moment she thought of asking why she shouldn't drink the red wine there... Though it came to her that it probably was either all blood or the thing was included.... disguising. It was something she would have to get used to but that was truly gross to her.

    Once the King stood up with his glass, she picked up her own and looked up at the man as he gave his speech. It was nice, she supposed. And when they all clicked their glasses together, she did the same before taking a small sip and then setting it down. She was less excited about the announcement they were having later. Charlotte did not want to make a personal record of getting attacked twice in one day. Though she couldn't say she would be surprised if that happened...

    When it was time to turn to the dinner, Charlotte was glad. In truth she was hungry and the meal looked good. Though she was surprised that everyone was actually eating a human dinner. She was pretty sure it wasn't something that vampires actually had to do. But to say she was certain would be a lie. So she started to eat. Though she stopped when Ivan's brothers started to speak and she couldn't help but laugh lightly as one of the brothers asked if he could go to balls and flirt with women now. "Is it not appropriate?" Charlotte joked as she looked to Ivan. "Well, I would like to know. Can he take your place in that regard then?"
    November 20th, 2020 at 12:46am
  • BadStreetBoys

    BadStreetBoys (100)

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    Ivan had always been the responsible brother, the serious one. He figured it was because his father knew that he would be king one day and was so controlling over his life. While he allowed the brothers to do as they pleased. Ivan had joined the army to escape his father’s wrath and control. Just to go beneath someone else’s control until he worked his way up and became a commanding officer.

    Ivan glanced at his brothers and threw back at Charlotte. He frowned slightly as she played into his brothers comments. She was encouraging them. “He’s not attractive enough to take my place.” He fired back, directing the insult at Vladimir. “But, yes, I am a faithful husband and I will not be going to the balls looking for a wife because I have one.” He said and Pat Charlotte’s hand with his own.

    Ivan looked over at his father before quickly looking down at his food, swallowing hard. He continued to eat silently. Just listening to the conversations around the table. It was mostly political things and the bugs the King wanted to talk about. Ivan had gotten good at eavesdropping and listening. He never had a chance to speak when he was younger. So he didn’t speak much now. His brothers continued to taunt him here and there, acting as if they were twins with how in sync they were. However, when Vladimir made a comment about Charlotte, Ivan rebought his hand down hard against the table, looking across at his brother with red eyes. “Do NOT speak of my wife that way.” He said with a growl drawing the attention of everyone at the table. Vladimir held his hands up defensively. “Woah man take a joke.”
    November 20th, 2020 at 12:56am