The Beasts Inside Us

@ BadStreetBoys

A gentle smile came over Charlotte's face as Ivan mentioned not wanting to leave her in the castle alone for too long. It was definitely something that she appreciated at this point. While she didn't exactly need Ivan hanging around her all the time, she couldn't help but feel wary of being by herself. Sure, the King had a vested interest in her but who said the others did? And, after yesterday's attack, Charlotte knew there were those who didn't want her around. At all. So to say that she was a bit afraid to be alone without Ivan was an understatement... But who knew how much he could really protect her now that his arm was wrecked.

Charlotte had found herself zoning out on the way to the dining room. So when Ivan showed it to her, she was already a bit lost on how they got there in the first place. The castle was large so if she really wanted to know how to get around, the woman knew she was going to need to start paying attention. "Interesting that it was the first room built," Charlotte murmured as she glanced at it before following Ivan's lead to the other rooms. "Your father must throw a lot of gatherings and parties then?" She asked. How many events would take place and how many would she be expected to attend? It was a curious thought... how did the King care to show her off, if at all?

Her eyes slowly glanced around, taking it all in. "They are certainly lovely rooms."

@ Sweet.Persephone
“He does. Appearances are everything.” Ivan told her. As they walked through the rooms occasionally a staff member of the castle would be seen bustling around and getting work done, or a guard would be seen at a post. Ivan had reattained his stoic personality. The bland, calm, cold Ivan who Charlotte had met the very first time. He held himself rigid around anyone else, only slightly relaxing if they ended up alone for a moment. But he was able to bring back the rigid structure in a moments notice. “I’m sure my father will love to hear that.” He said. Ivan led Charlotte out and outside to the garden. “This is the royal garden, my mother oversees it.” He told her. The garden was all roses, mostly white with small patches of different colors reds and oranges and yellows. Ivan motioned up to a balcony. “That’s the balcony of my parents room.” He motioned to the balcony on the opposite side of the garden. “That is out balcony my dear. My brothers bedrooms are on the opposite side of the castle.”

@ BadStreetBoys

Noticing that the way Ivan was holding himself changed, Charlotte looked up at the man. He was back to being his rigid self, and she didn't quite understand why. The things that Ivan did were strange to her. Though she was sure that she was strange to him as well. Gently, Charlotte squeezed his hand, hoping to calm the prince down a little.

Her eyes shifted though once they made it out to the garden, causing Charlotte to smile a bit. It was quite different from the one at home since it was only roses. But, it was still as beautiful. And, at least, she was going to have a place to be able to walk around outside. Which was important as she didn't think she would be able to really leave the castle anytime soon. "The garden is gorgeous." She told him. "Does your mother spend a lot of time out here?" Charlotte knew she hadn't really gotten a chance to talk to the Queen. Perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad idea to get acquainted.

@ Sweet.Persephone
Ivan wondered just how much Charlotte noticed of his facade compared to his real self. Hell Ivan didn’t even know where the line started and stopped between the two personas. He had to present as the perfect heir to the throne or face consequences, frankly, he didn’t want to. He already knew Charlotte was a bit of a stubborn one, so he just hoped that he could pull her into this double life of sorts.

Ivan smiled slightly as her eyes seemed to light up as they were in the garden. Ivan was glad to have found something that Charlotte would enjoy and could relax with. He hoped he could get his mother and her to bind over this. If anyone could teach Charlotte how to blend into a royal family it was the queen. She had just been a commoner when his father met her and that decision had been met by a lot of backlash. “Sometimes.” He said and shrugged slightly. “I’m not out here a lot. But when my mother has alone time away from the King I think she’s typically here. This would be a lovely way for you two to bond.” He offered snd smiled.

@ BadStreetBoys

Charlotte's eyes lifted up towards Ivan as he mentioned trying to bond with his mother. The idea had not crossed her mind to attempt to really bond with anyone there. And especially not any of Ivan's family members. She was still hoping, perhaps a bit foolishly, that she could get out of this situation quickly. Just disappearing into the night would not resolve that issue however. What she needed was a plan to ensure that she would both get out of there safely and not get dragged back. Those requirements made it a bit harder.

"I'll have to keep that in mind then," She told him, a little smile on her face before she glanced back at the flowers. At the moment, Ivan was the only one that Charlotte was making a connection with. It was better that way. Perhaps... Perhaps Ivan would not call others to her disappearance so quickly if he didn't hate her. But it was certainly more to it than that. She was actually finding him rather nice. At least, Charlotte enjoyed her time with him more than she thought she would have at the beginning.

"And how about bonding with your brothers?" Charlotte asked him. Still, although she did not think forming a connection with Ivan's family was necessarily a good idea for her escape plan, it didn't hurt to know more about them. Though she did wonder if Ivan would want her by his brothers at all after what had happened at dinner the night before.

@ Sweet.Persephone
Ivan wasn’t sure what Charlotte was thinking and it concerned him. He liked to be on top of things and this unknown with her put him on edge occasionally. Sure he was able to relax into his more real persona around her, but that was simply because she had no expectations of him. But other than that he knew subconsciously he was on edge. Ivan didn’t know if she was going to try and kill him or escape or what her plans were.

Ivan nodded and stood back, allowing her to take in the garden and do what she pleased. He didn’t want to make Charlotte feel like a caged animal. He looked around as well for a moment before he heard her voice again, instinctively turning to face her. Ivan’s eyebrows furrowed together for a moment at her words before he was able to neutralize his facial expression. “No need for that.” He said keeping it simple. He didn’t offer any explanation and didn’t want to.

Ivan allowed Charlotte to embrace the area for a few more moments before he moved back to her side and offered his arm. “Come on much more to see.” He said and led Charlotte back inside through the opposite door. The back door led them to a darker part of the castle. “These are the living quarters of the servants and others who work in the castle.” He explained. “At the end of the hall they have a common area, a kitchen, and whatever else. I don’t spend much time around here.” Ivan led Charlotte to the stairs and began to ascend them. “Here we have the kitchen and pantry, we don’t have a lot of food for obvious reasons but my father will be stocking up on things for you so feel free to help yourself to anything and if you see anyone working in the kitchen you can request something be made for you.”

@ BadStreetBoys

A little hum left Charlotte as Ivan revealed that there was no need to bond with his mothers. Though that was all she was going to give in regards to her thoughts on the subject. The young woman could not say that she was all that surprised with what had happened the night before. They had been rude to her, to the point where it had set Ivan off. Curiosity was ringing in her mind though. Why did Ivan want her to keep her distance and why was he not so keen on them in the first place?

Was any of this information going to safely get her out of here? Doubtful. But there was no harm in finding answers to some useless things, even if all it did was quench her mind. Though she would certainly be happy to leave without ever finding out the answer.

Once Ivan motioned for her to come back to him, Charlotte did so. Her arm slid back into the one that he offered before he followed his lead back into the catle. Though this time heading through a different set of doors than the ones they had used originally. As he showed her the servants quarters, she nodded. Though, when brought to the kitchen, she stood up a little straighter. "I am certainly grateful for that." Charlotte told him before as she glanced over the counters. She wondered just what sort of food the vampire king would bring in for her. "I think I will be able to manage by myself for most days." The woman said with a little smile, unsure if anyone on the staff really knew how to make normal human food. "Lets move onto the next section of the tour."

@ Sweet.Persephone
-A Few Hours Later-

Ivan had finished giving Charlotte the tour and headed back to their bedroom. He wanted to relax before going out to the tavern. He also knew Charlotte was still probably recovering from the whole situation and he didn’t want to overstimulate her too much. About an hour before he was set to leave the man disappeared into the bathroom. He washed himself, his face, scrubbing himself down. Ivan finished his bath and began to dry off, styling his hair in a way that wearing his cap wouldn’t ruin it. Ivan put on one of his military uniforms. He stood in the mirror and straightened everything out, making sure everything was precise and in perfect condition before he went back into the bedroom.

Ivan moved to the closet and grabbed a sword, sliding it into the sheath. Once he was finished he moved back into the main part of the bedroom and looked across at Charlotte. “I won’t be gone very long. Just going for a few drinks with my men.” He told her as one hand rested on the handle of the sword the other limp at his side. “If you want to wander the castle or go eat that’s fine. Just be careful.” He told her. He didn’t want to see anything happen to Charlotte under his care.

With that Ivan gave a nod and headed out. The man left their bedroom and went to the front of the castle where he has a carriage waiting. The man slid easily into the carriage. He was used to this. Being alone, going places alone, existing alone. He was enjoying Charlotte’s company but he was glad to have somewhat of his old routine back. When they arrived at the tavern, Ivan gave his driver a time before he headed inside. The man saw his usual table, with his men surrounding it, and an empty chair for him. He strode across the room before taking his seat.

@ BadStreetBoys

Before Ivan had entered the tavern, the table had been rowdy with debate. It had been getting rather intense as well before the Prince entered in, causing the soldiers to stop their arguing immediately. Some of the men lifted up their cups to drink, others still murmuring to themselves and the others watching Ivan entered. Though once he was in front of the table, all of them turned their attention to their commander and prince.

They formally greeted him as customary. Even in a more relaxed environment as this, it was right to. Plus, the men had a lot of respect for Ivan as their commanding officer and the prince of the nation they all head in such high regard. Though the mood had shifted slightly tonight. Some of the men seemed irritated. "Evening, Prince Ivan," One man said, the others falling behind with a greeting. A hand was raised and waved to the barmaid, who came over to set a drink down in front of the prince, doing so with a curtsey before going about the rest of her work.

"How is it up in your ivory castle, my lord." One of the man joked with a troublesome grin on his face.

"I am sure you are glad to not have to sleep on the cold hard ground anymore!" Another man said, with was followed by some 'here heres' by the group. Now that was something that the soldiers could agree on, being glad to be back in their beds than sleeping in bunks.

@ Sweet.Persephone
Ivan couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face as he saw his men. They were the closet thing he had to friends. Though he typically kept his professional and calm demeanor around them because he was their commanding officer, he was also able to let loose and have fun. Well what little fun he could have. He was known as a sort of buzz kill at times, keeping the men in line when they got too rambunctious. But he was just doing his job.

The Prince eagerly took the drink, holding his mug up with the others before taking a sip from the cup. He placed the cup down as he looked around at them, the grin fading from his face snd his face moving back to its usual emotionless expression. Ivan rolled his eyes slightly at the man, the grin returned. “Oh you know how it is. Being up on the hill is not always all it’s cracked up to be. Ask the knights.” He joked back.

Ivan nodded and held his mug up to the second proclamation. “As much as I love fighting besides each and every one of you, and defending our homeland. Sleeping on bunks on the ground in the forest is probably the least fun part of it all.” He said and sipped from the drink. “I’m glad it’s over, ast least for now.” Ivan said. He set his mug down again, one hand resting on the table as his finger tapped the hard wood, the other rested on the sheath of his sword instinctively. “How have you all been since returning home? Your wives and children Must be relieved.” He commented, then looked to the youngest three of his platoon. “And for you, your parents must be happy youre all back.” Ivan grinned slightly. His unit was one of three which returned with no casualties. This deployment he had not had to deliver the news of a fallen soldier snd he was grateful for that. It was the hardest part of his job.

@ BadStreetBoys

"You know how the knights are! Their egos are so big that they would never admit to any problems on the hill." One of the soldiers joked, causing the rest of them to laugh.

"Or, if they admit to any problems at all, they act as if they are so large that peabrains like us couldn't understand it!" Another said, most laughter filling up the bar. Although they liked th joke about the knights, it was true that they valued all the fighting members in the army. Even if they were difficult to deal with at times...

The mood among the men seemed to change as Ivan mentioned returning home and being with one's wives and children. Some of them seemed overly pleased that they made it safely back and could return to normal life. Others, however, seemed irritated.

"There is no doubt that all of our friends and family are happy that we have returned home," One of the irritated ones, Laurens said. "But some of us do not understand the events that caused us to be able to."

"It is not that we do not understand the events!" One man, Killenger, retorted with anger in his voice. "What we do not understand is how you had the gall to do it. How could you have married that thing,"

Peters slammed his drink down on the table, turning to Killenger. "Must we continue to argue about this. We should all just be happy that we have returned home at all. And now that we can live our lives with peace in this country. Prince Ivan's choices are none of our business and I am glad that we made it home -"

"Who cares if we made it home if not all of us made it home with some fucking dignity!" Laurens interrupted. "This reflects poorly on all of us! Us and the country! He's the goddamn prince, our future fucking King! And -"

Before Laurens could continue on, Roger was on his feet, growling at all Killenger and Laurens. "Disagree all you want but show some fucking respect to the prince. Otherwise, I'll take both of you out back and beat it back into you."

@ Sweet.Persephone
Ivan hadn’t meant to start a war between the unit with his words. He was merely here to celebrate the return home with his men. As his eyes darted between the different men who were speaking, in an almost analytical way, he gripped his mug. He didn’t want to lash out like the others were but with how stressful the past few days had been, the Prince was quick to anger. He wasn’t angry with his soldiers. Just the situation and how they saw it. The last thing he wanted was to be seen as a traitor or someone without pride or dignity. His pride was important to him.

“Now now.” The prince said, putting a hand on Roger’s shoulder, gently pressing the other man back into his seat. “We are still a unit, we still all work together and will continue to work together even if that’s not on the battlefield. No need to fight one another.” He said wanting to calm the tensions, for his men but also for himself.

Ivan’s eyes moved to those who clearly disapproved of his marriage. He forces his expression to remain neutral and to stay calm. The man knew he couldn’t just pin this on his father. He wished he could say how he had no choice in the matter and his father was all to blame. But he had too much pride for that. “I did what was best for my country and my people. Continuous bloodshed was not the right thing.” He said snd took a sip of his drink. “We are all soldiers and we all know how difficult decisions can be in war. I know for a fact we’ve all done things we will never forget.” The Prince said, his eyes giving a steely look at the other men. “However, sacrifices must be made and difficult decisions are also to be made. My decision was the one I believed would benefit our country the most. With the least bloodshed and violence. I was sick and tired of seeing my men die.”

The prince paused for a moment snd his eyes almost glossed over as he continued talking, seemingly back in the moment he was referring to. “I’ve been a soldier for as long as I could be, and worked my way up the ladder. I’ve been on the battlefield and frontlines more than any one of you. I have been on my knees on the ground holding my closest battle buddy in my arms as I watched him die because of this war. And I didn’t want my men to have to go through that anymore.” Ivan snapped out of his little trance as he looked at the group again. “I’m your commanding officer and your god damn prince, do not speak down to me.”

@ BadStreetBoys

The moment that Ivan pressed Roger back into his seat was the moment at all eyes were on the prince and silence fell over the group. They were waiting to see what their commanding officer and prince would say about all of it. Did he have some explanation? Did he agree with the men who were upset about the marriage or was he with those that were actually backing the decision.

Though all of his words, the men started to shift in their seat uncomfortably. And, as Ivan finished speaking, there was a silence that fell through their section of the tavern. They knew that the situation had gotten out of hand. It was one thing to disagree with the prince, but something else entirely to disrespect him. After a moment, 'sorrys' and little apologies came from around the table towards Ivan, even from the men who had not said a word.

"We meant no disrespect," Laurens said, looking to the prince. "I think some of us are just... upset that you had to take on such a large sacrifice. It seems wrong. But I am sorry for getting out of hand." Some of the men nodded in agreement with Laurens.

Rogers leaned in forward on the table. "Tensions ran high. Lets just celebrate being home with our loved ones." He reached over and patted the man next to him on the shoulder. "I'll get the next round for everyone and celebrate the man who got us all home with our lives."

"He really had to work to keep Thomas' head on him." One of the men joked, smacking Thomas on the back as the others laughed. "Kid had no clue what he was doing till the end and even then running around the field like it was some kind of game."

@ Sweet.Persephone
Ivan could tell for a moment he may have gotten a little dark and was about to apologize when his men began to apologize themselves. He was glad to hear it and know he wouldn’t need to knock some of their heads around to give him the respect he felt he deserved. A grin spread across his face as they began to speak, though in the back of his mind he wondered if they were right.

Ivan laughed heartily. “We are just lucky I was able to teach Thomas how to unsheathe his sword.” He teased with a grin as they looked at their youngest member. “The kid would not have survived a day on his own. Say, Thomas, how did you graduate boot camp not even being able to lace up your boots?” The Prince teased with a grin.

Ivan finished off his mug just as the waitress was bringing over the round bought by Rogers. Ivan sipped from that mug for a moment as he watched the mood return almost to normal. “Cheers my boys. We all promised each other no man would be left behind, at the beginning of this journey together we made that promise. Carved it into the oak by the old church just before heading into our very first battle together. And here we are five years later and we are all home!” He said and lifted his mug, a little too powerful as some of the alcoholic liquid spilled onto his hand and the table below.

@ BadStreetBoys

The men seemed to calm down significantly once the argument was over. So when it came to putting their drinks up into a cheers, they slammed their cups together happily and then continued onto drinking. Though, despite what Ivan had said to end the discourse, some of them still had an uneasy feeling about the Prince's new wife. But it seemed that was going to be kept to themselves, at least for now. But it was something that they could put aside as the had all grown extremely close and most of them did, truly just want to have a good night out.

"It is truly a miracle that we all were able to make it back alive. Though I am looking forward to seeing everyone's family. Especially you, Peters, with how you always talk about your wife and daughters. I can't help but wonder if they such perfect people, as you describe them, could really exist." Evens joked, nudging the man as he did so. "You basically make it sound like they came from the heavens."

Evans offered a slightly embarrassed grin. "Hey I know I talked about them a lot but I think you'll see that they are just as I described."

"Well, I want to see the woods that Roger's is always talking about. You know, the ones with 'the faceless monsters' in it. Who gonna come with me to see if Roger is filled of shit or not?" Killenger said, causing some of them men to agree quickly.

@ Sweet.Persephone
Ivan was glad to be able to forget the tension and the stress for the moment being. For now he would celebrate with his men and have a good time. Something he hadn’t been able to do in very long. With the war and his duties as a soldier, as well as his duties as the Prince, Ivan rarely had time to himself.

Ivan laughed heartily alongside his men. He loved how close they were and that the jokes flowed easily like a River. “We should have a dinner sometime at the castle, with all our families.” Ivan offered. “And you can all boss the knights around for a day.” He said with a chuckle.

Ivan turned his attention to Rogers and they all were in agreement that the other man was definitely full of it. “Killenger, we know the answer to that.” Ivan laughed. “But I’ll bring my sword.” He teased as his eyes moved back to Rogers.

Ivan continued to drink with his men, enjoying the moments and the laugher and the alcohol. Though he stopped himself after a couple drinks. Not wanting to return home drunk to his wife. His eyes moved to the clock on the wall and he knew he would have to head back soon. But the weight of the world felt as though it had been lifted after spending such a time with his men.

@ BadStreetBoys

The men happily agreed with Ivan when he mentioned having dinner at the castle. It was not something that often was offered to non-nobles so it was an honor indeed that Ivan was even considering it. And, besides, the men were curious about the castle. They wanted to see it, taste the dinner that would offered. Plus, with the additional of bossing around the nights, it was just too good to pass up.

"Hey, you all think they don't exist but do not come crying to me when they meet you in those woods!" Roger said, a bit of a smirk on his face. "But by all means, come over and have a look for yourself."

Once the night was slowly coming to an end, many of the men were drunk. Others, however, had paced themselves and were still good enough to get both themselves and the horribly drunk men home.

@ Sweet.Persephone
The Prince enjoyed his night with his men, besides the small argument they had had at the beginning. He had made a mental note to ask his father for the favor of inviting his platoon over and he planned to stand by that. As they began to close out their tabs Ivan looked around at his men. Though they were drunk he still wanted to say a proper goodbye. “Well gentleman it looks like we shall be heading home. I will keep in touch about the dinner as well as our next assignment in a time of peace. Goodnight gentleman.” He said as he waved before heading out.

Just as Ivan headed outside he carriage was arriving, perfectly on time. The Prince slid into the back and relaxed during the ride back up the hill. He could feel the booze sinking in, he was drunk but he was teetering on that line. He hadn’t had alcohol in forever in that amount. Though he wasn’t that old, he knew he wasn’t a kid anymore who could drink beyond comprehension.

When Ivan arrived back at the castle he hurried back to his bedroom, hoping to avoid difficult conversations while he was inebriated. He headed into the room. “Good evening, Princess.” He called as he headed into the bathroom to change into pajamas.

@ BadStreetBoys

As the door to the bedroom opened up, Charlotte was quick to close her book and sit up on the couch. Her eyes shifted over, only relaxing again when it was Ivan who walked through the door. "Good evening, Prince Ivan." Charlotte said smoothly as she leaned back into the couch and reopened the book. Although she wasn't actually reading the words on the page at this point.

"How was it? Your night out?" She asked him. Although she had no issue with Ivan going out and doing what he wanted, she still had a curiosity in it. Perhaps it was just because she wanted to know the man she was sleeping next to better... Perhaps it was just that Charlotte was a bit nosy. It was hard to pin point the exact reason why but nonetheless, she interested in finding out what they had gotten up to.

Charlotte reached up, lightly rubbing her forehead before closing the book again. Although she would not admit it, Charlotte was glad that Ivan was back. At this point, it was very late for her. She had found it impossible to fall asleep with Ivan so far away from the castle. The thought of something happening while she was sleeping, someone sneaking up on her in the middle of the night because they didn't like her... Well it was enough to force the princess out of bed and read to keep herself awake.

@ Sweet.Persephone
Ivan changed into pajamas similar to the ones he had worn the previous night, but just in a different color. He ran some water and splashed it on his face hoping to sober up just a bit before he went to bed with Charlotte. When the Prince felt ready enough to emerge he did, his eyes looking at the Princess and giving her a slight nod of acknowledgment.

“It was very nice to see my men in an informal setting, having fun and drinking.” He told her. “Some tension but all’s well.” He said as he moved to the bed, sitting up against the headboard. “I’m proud to say I’m the only commanding officer to get all my immediate subordinates home. And one of three platoons to get everyone home. Those men are a second family to me no matter what happens.” Ivan didn’t want to tell her about those who didn’t like her. He was sure she knew. The man had had his fill of negativity for the day and right now he wanted some rest to heal his arm.

“We’re you okay while I was out? I hope no one bothered you, Princess.” He said as he looked over at her. “I’m sure my father will give us a list of chores to do tomorrow. But for now, my dear, relax. It’s been a tough week for us both. And that’s coming from a soldier who slept on the ground being attacked all the time.” He said and laughed. His words slipping out easily, somewhat due to the alcohol in his system.