Royally Screwed

Kellin wasn't expecting to come down to the Red Room that Sunday morning with little piglet in his grasp. He hadn't decided on a name for her yet, at the moment too enamored by how small she was and how cute the way her snout scrunched up and her eyes small and dark shined. Nor was he expecting that when he opened the door, Sierra was holding a small record and placing it onto the phonograph.

"Sierra?" Kellin asked and Sierra turned, giving him a small smile and ushering for him to close the door and Kellin kicked it closed gently with his foot, little piglet warm in his grasp and he approached the girl, "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at La Trinidad with Vic and the other consorts?"

"I was. On Saturday with Taylor. I spoke with His Highness first and then left. Only reason why I am not there today is because the Duke requested that Jaime spends the day with His Highness," Sierra said and then gave a sigh, "Plus. . .my father wanted me to sit with you and like, give another etiquette lesson."

"That's very kind-"

"It wasn't," Sierra replied and Kellin raised an eyebrow as she gave a sarcastic smirk, "Dude, he wants me to spy on you, try to dig up information about you. . .you know my father and Jaime's father see you as a huge threat."

"Really?" Kellin asked astonished and Sierra nodded, crossing her arms and giving a sigh.

"If anything, I think they might actually work together if it means that the bigger threat, you, is out of the running for a consort."

"But I'm not a consort, why are they threatened by me?" Kellin asked, rather confused and Sierra gave a gentle smile.

"Because they notice how Prince Vic acts towards you. . .notice how affectionate he is to you. A lot more than to me or Jaime," Sierra replied and Kellin looked down at the small pig in his arms, feeling his face flush at the thought of the young prince.

"He. . .there isn't anything, honestly. H-He doesn't like me like that a-and I don't like him like that, I'm a brother to him. Or a really close friend. . ." his words just faded off, now looking down at the floor and holding the small piglet close to his chest as he heard her give little snorts. Sierra approached, letting her hand gently rub atop her head and smiled, "Very cute, reminds me of when me and Beau used to try and wrestle pigs in a farm when we were little" Sierra commented and Kellin laughed.

"Wrestling pigs? Is that even allowed?"

Sierra chuckled, "Uh, no. We were just dumb kids looking for something physically straining to do in a farm." Kellin gave a small smile. Sierra loved her brother so much, it must have been unbearable for her to hear about his death. And it must be even more unbearable to carry on like this, having to not act like herself, having to not act like what her brother who she loved and missed very much raised her as.

"What's her name?" Sierra asked, eyes sparking in interest.

"I haven't decided a name for her yet. I'm thinking I'll wait til Vic comes back to the palace so he can see her and help me think on a name for her," Kellin replied and kissed the top of his little pig's head. Then he glanced up at Sierra, seeing that the girl was smiling that gentle and knowing smile and blushed, "I. . .w-well-"

"Let's get started with our lesson. Do you think she'll sit still without you having to hold her?" Sierra asked and Kellin nodded his head, walking over to one of the open soft cushion chairs to settle the small piglet down. She stood on her hooves, spinning and feeling the plush cushion underneath her before settling down again, not having anywhere else to really go and Kellin patted her head. He moved away, walking back over to Sierra and the girl clasped her hands, "Okay then, I figured that I should teach you proper ballroom dancing. Never know if there is going to be a ball you have to attend."

Kellin smiled at that, a ball. Like the ones he wished he knew about, knew what they were like. Those were one of those fairy tale only things, ones he never thought he could ever see with his own eyes but only tried to imagine. Imagine him dancing with a handsome prince and spinning around to the beautiful music, like he imagined dancing with the prince back home in America.

Before he met Vic, that is.

Kellin almost blushed once more as Sierra turned on the music and walked over to rest a hand on Kellin's shoulder and take Kellin's other hand in his grasp, "Okay, you're going to lead since I'm. . .well, a girl. So put your other hand on my waist."

"Sierra-"

"I know, I know. But it's all to teach you, okay? So go on," Sierra replied and Kellin bit his lip as he gently rested his hand on Sierra waist. The fabric of Sierra's dress was soft, flowing and gentle. He never danced before, never with a girl or with a boy. He was always that shy boy at the dances at school, he never went out to the dance floor and just took someone to dance. He stood against the wall and watched awkwardly with a snack in his hand as everyone else had fun on the dance floor with each other.

"Now, I want you to feel the beat of the music. Listen and move with it. And when you're ready, step with your left foot but do it gracefully. I'll follow," Sierra said with a smile and Kellin nodded his head, taking a hesitant and shy foot forward as Sierra stepped back, "Okay, now step with your right foot forward and bring it to the right, like you're tracing an 'L'," Sierra said and Kellin nodded, trying to do as the girl said but as he brought his right foot down, it caught Sierra's toes on accident and Sierra cringed.

"I-I'm sorry!"

"It's okay, move slow if you have to. Let's try this again, step forward with your left and then step forward and right with your right foot," Sierra instructed and Kellin shook his head, trying to do the steps just as Sierra did but ended up stepping wrong and getting their legs tangled. Kellin groaned and Sierra gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder, "It's alright, really."

"I'm not the best dancer."

"That's why I'm teaching you. How about I count? That should make it easier," Sierra replied and Kellin just gave a nod, up for trying anything, "Okay, so one," Sierra stepped back and Kellin stepped forward with his right foot, "Two," Sierra stepped back and to her left and Kellin followed as he stepped forward and to his right, "Three," Sierra brought her other foot together and Kellin did the same. The girl smiled, "Now you do it. But this time lead me."

Kellin sheepishly smiled, looking down at his feet with tongue poked out of the corner of his lips and eyes deep in concentration.

"One," Kellin stepped forward, "Two," Kellin stepped forward and to the right, "Three," Kellin brought his feet together and Sierra smiled.

"Good! Now just do the exact same thing except this time you start with your right foot and you're stepping back and to the left," Sierra replied and Kellin did, mirroring as he stepped backwards and then stepped gracefully to the left and Sierra followed, "Keep going! Go with the music!" Sierra said with an even bigger smile and Kellin did, repeating the steps and soon the two of them were twirling around the room in a medium paced waltz. Sometimes Kellin slipped up on the footing, going left when he should have gone right but was able to pick back up and keep the dance going. They twirled past the little pig, the pet watching and snout scrunching back at forth and Kellin laughed and smiled along with Sierra as they spun and counted.

"One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, thre-" Kellin bumped into something as he turned, feeling himself actually being pulled away from Sierra and saw that the girl's expression was shocked and Kellin spun into a warm grasp that continued to twirl him around and continue to waltz. He looked up, seeing it was Vic, the prince smiling down at him as he tried to lead Kellin in the dance and Kellin only tripped over his own feet in surprise. It was more than Vic being here that surprised Kellin, it was also that Vic's face had horrid blotches and rashes along his skin, looking almost as worse as he did when he got hives. Vic sighed, pulling away and crossing his arms, "Well what happened? You were dancing fine," he replied with a pout before his hand went up to scratch at his face.

Kellin quickly grabbed onto Vic's wrists, "Don't do that! You'll make it worse!"

"So?"

"So? Vic, what happened to you?" Kellin said and Vic gave a sigh.

"Jaime wanted to take me out hiking in the woods close by La Trinidad to be 'fun' and be a prince and manly or something and protect me, I don't know, he's such an idiot anyways," Vic said with a roll of the eyes and Sierra was by Kellin's side in an instant with intrigued expression.

"Really?"

"Yeah. But he can't hike at all. He kept on taking the way more difficult trails than the normal paths and thought a bear was going to come out and maul us and tried to protect me when it was just a little rabbit or something tiny like that. I really did try to lose him but he wouldn't let go of my hand the entire time and he just dragged me around over the hills and the rocks without any idea where we were supposed to be going."

"Well how did this happen?" Kellin asked, gesturing to Vic's face and the prince gave a sigh.

"I asked him if we could play a game before we continued on any further and he agreed if I gave him a kiss afterwards so as soon as he let go of my hand, I made a run for it. I think he thought I was trying to play tag cause when I thought I lost him and was resting by a tree, he came out of nowhere and shoved me and shouted 'Tag! I win!'," Vic responded and Sierra looked at Vic's face and the rash and blistering skin more closely with furrowed brows.

". . .He pushed you right into some poison ivy, didn't he?"

"Yep. But there's more. He didn't even know he pushed me into a bush of poison ivy so he dove in after me to get his, uh, kiss and we ended up getting tangled in the bushes. Then a couple minutes later when his skin broke out and he realized just what we were in, that was when he started screaming for help and thankfully a couple of La Trinidad groundskeepers were close by to cut us free. I decided to come home and sent Jaime home so he can get treated."

"Did you kiss him?" Kellin asked and Vic gave a shrug.

"On the cheek. Cause it was hilarious how he was screaming like a little girl so the date wasn't a total failure, I was entertained," Vic said and Kellin frowned.

"Not very charming of you to be happy over someone's misery."

"But it was funny. You'd laugh too if you were there," Vic said with a pout and Sierra crossed his arms, shaking his head and sighing.

"I can't believe that idiot. Pretty freaking sure he'd walk right into quicksand if there wasn't a sign to warn him," the girl muttered but Kellin could hear a slight humor in Sierra voice. Vic scratched at his cheek and Kellin swatted his hand away, "I told you not to do that."

"It itches."

"Then go to the doctor."

"I wanted to see you first," Vic murmured and Kellin blushed, averting his eyes as Vic continued to scratch at his cheek.

"He's right, Your Highness. You might make the rashes begin to scar if you keep doing that. Believe me, one time me and--"Sierra started but then her eyes went wide when she realized what she was about to say and she closed her mouth and stopped talking, and Vic pouted.

"But-"

"Go to the doctor please. Then once you got some medication to help you, we'll talk in my room, okay?" Kellin suggested and Vic pouted before giving a huff.

"Okay, Mothers," Vic said and Kellin gave Vic a hit on the back.

"Don't be cheeky," Kellin said and Vic looked over his shoulder with a smile before exiting the Red Room. Kellin sighed, turning to see Sierra was still smiling at Kellin, "He wanted to see you first," Sierra said, tone teasing and Kellin looked down at the floor.

"Nothing though. Nothing really."

"Do you believe so?"

"He's just. . .I don't know what to explain. . .Vic never ever came across as. . .well. . ."

"It's just that you two are so close. So comfortable and everyone really believes you two are a couple from just the way that you look and smile at each other. . .something is there, I just know it," Sierra murmured and Kellin said nothing, walking over to pick up the tiny pig into her arms and rub her head. Her eyes closed and she nuzzled and squirmed in Kellin's grasp, "Kellin, I'm not trying to confuse you or anything. I just. . .want the both of you to be happy."

"And you think we'll be happy together?"

"Yes."

"Well we can't be together. I'm not a prince, I'm not a blue blood. No matter if you think we should, we're not," Kellin replied strongly, turning and walking to the door.

"A lot of those girls in those fairy tales that you love weren't princesses to begin with. And yet they still wound up with their prince charming in the end," Sierra said and Kellin paused in his steps, his hand on the door handle before opening and quietly closing the door behind him.

----------------

Vic's skin was covered in some ointment trying to help heal the rash, the prince sitting patiently on Kellin's bed watching how Kellin was looking at the little piglet trotting across the room.

"I can't believe he let you get a pig. Hmph, the moment I leave, Rian decides to be fun," Vic said with a pout and Kellin sighed.

"Not like he let me do everything. On our way back, he made sure to explain to me the rules about having her and I had to promise that I'd do it all. But isn't she cute?"

"Very. What are you going to name her?" Vic asked and Kellin shrugged. The two boys were silent before Vic crawled to the edge of the bed, "Can I hold her?"

"Of course," Kellin replied, beckoning the little piglet over to him and it took her a while to respond and trot over to Kellin for him to pick up and hand to Vic. The prince smiled at the little pig, cooing at her and kissing her snout before tucking her under his chin to nuzzle and close his eyes at the feel of her. He hummed, like he was singing a little tune to the piglet, she not stirring at all in Vic's hands until he opened his eyes.

"Yuma?"

"Yuma?" Kellin asked and Vic shrugged.

"It's pretty, isn't it? I read it in a book once, sounds kind of dreamy," Vic replied and Kellin smiled, looking at the little pig.

"Yuma. . .yeah, that might work."

Vic smiled, looking down at the little piglet, "You like that, Yuma?"

She squealed, little snorts and her eyes twinkled as Vic smiled more, nuzzling his chin into the top of her head, "Yeah, Yuma. That's your name. . .course, shouldn't let Tino see her otherwise her new name will become probably be 'Dinner'."

"He wouldn't dare," Kellin said firmly and Vic shrugged.

"I feel like Tino doesn't like me so you know, maybe," Vic replied and handed Yuma back to Kellin's awaiting hands to stroke and pet her. They sat in silence once more, not even a word coming from Vic about anything else that happened at La Trinidad. He didn't mention Taylor, he didn't mention his sitting with Sierra. He just sat there on Kellin's bed and played with the fabric of the bedsheets. Was the tension obvious between them two or was Kellin making this out to be bigger than it really was?

"Um. . .Vic?"

"Yes?"

". . .I uh. . .um. . .so yeah, the waltzing in the Red Room," Kellin changed the subject, his heart quivering and Vic paused before giving a small nod.

"Right right, you were doing so well. I would like to show you how to waltz too. Maybe some other kind of dances too so you can learn and be even more of a well-respected gentleman. Besides, I'd rather dance with you than with Jaime," and Vic gave an exaggerated shudder Kellin couldn't help but shake his head at. "Honestly, I don't understand it about that guy. He tries way too hard."

"Just doesn't know what knocks you off your feet."

"Well getting knocked into poison ivy isn't going to make me fall in love with him," Vic replied and huffed, "I just wanted someone with characteristics like I said. And I'm going to keep on wishing for that," Vic replied and then paused, looking over at Kellin, "Do you wish for the same thing?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you wish. . .that you'd find love too?" Vic asked softly and Kellin looked down.

"Well. . .when I was really little I wished for a prince charming. But that was when my father and my mother was still alive. Then my father got sick and I started wishing for him to get better. And every wish since then has been for me to just keep up and not crumble from the McDougalls. . .it's been a very long time since I've even thought about wishing for a prince charming," Kellin replied and Vic rubbed Yuma's head.

"Why'd you stop wishing for that to happen?"

"Just cause I thought it would be impossible for me to ever find him. So many things happened, I just gave up on wishing kind of. . .I wished for a lot of things and they just weren't coming true. I gave up and I guess I figured that if I just grow up, maybe things will start going my way."

". . .I don't want you to grow up. Ever," Vic replied and Kellin looked over at the prince confused, "If you grew up right then and there, then I would have never known what kind of person you are. Who you really are, a gentle and kind person with such a big heart and that bit of innocence. Why would you want to grow up when that has to be the most unique thing about you? Your innocence, your hope, it's just so. . .beautiful."

"Vic. . ."

"I wouldn't want you to grow up. I want you to stay the way that you are, innocent and sweet."

"But-"

"I order it by my prince power!" Vic shouted, pointing a finger at Kellin with a silly tense expression that Kellin shook his head at and laughed.

"Okay, okay. . ."

". . .You are beautiful the way you are, Kellin," Vic said softly and Kellin looked at the prince with wide eyes as Vic got up from the bed and stretched his arms, "Well, I'm going to bed. Or maybe Rian will make me take a hot bath before getting some more ointment for me, I don't know. If he even lets me out of bed tomorrow, I'll see you in the dining hall for some breakfast?"

"Sure."

"Great! Sweet dreams, Kellin. And night, Yuma," Vic said to the little pig as he passed by, crouching down to rub and pat the little pink pig's head. He got back onto his feet, walking over to the bedroom door and stepping out before closing it back shut. Kellin held onto Yuma tight, his heart thudding and his breath short. Vic. . .said he was beautiful. Kellin shook his head, no, no they can't. He just can't. Vic doesn't like him like that. Princes would make it very obvious that they were in love with the princesses. They'd bring them flowers, they'd serenade them, they'd do everything for their affections and Vic was just being a good friend. Vic was a prince, princes just don't marry normal boys like him. He wouldn't, he absolutely wouldn't.

And Kellin missed breakfast the next morning, sleeping in from account of trying to make up for the lack of sleep he had last night.

----------------

A week passed, two weeks and Yuma was being more and more accepted into the Royal Family as her role of Royal Pet, even though the pet didn't belong to either the prince or the princess. Prince Mike would often be the one to take care of Yuma while Kellin had to be away at tutoring or at an etiquette lesson Lord Kusterbeck wanted Sierra to give. Course, during those times Kellin and Sierra just talked to each other, talked about the things that they liked and the things that they didn't like. Their favorite foods, music, movies, things like that. Kellin has seen Sierra frequently, Kellin barely saw Jaime at the palace anymore. Perhaps because of the Duke wanting Vic to not become distracted by Kellin, maybe that was why he was requesting at least the whole day of Sunday to Jaime and Vic.

Not that Vic particularly cared that Jaime wasn't going to be showing up at the palace during the week.

On a Thursday, another etiquette lesson with Vic attending occurred and Sierra still trying to teach Kellin how to properly do a waltz. Kellin was honestly getting better at it, but he could never get to the same kind of speed and sharpness like Sierra did. He was sloppier, he was clumsier and he still felt horribly shy. And that shyness only increased when Vic asked if he could watch, the prince sitting in the chair and looking at Kellin's stiff body closely. Sierra leaned forward, up to Kellin's ear, "Relax," she whispered and Kellin nodded his head, taking stiff legs forwards and to the right. Sierra looked upon Kellin worried, "I know you're shy about him being here. Do you want me to ask if he could leave?" Sierra gently asked and Kellin shook his head.

"I'm fine, really."

"Okay, just remember. One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three," Sierra counted, taking Kellin and guiding him through the steps with Kellin taking them more slower than Sierra was counting. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Vic was smiling at him and Kellin felt his face was heating. He wasn't sure if he could handle any more of this-

The door opened, in walking Rian with a brown package tucked under his arm and Sierra paused in dancing with Kellin as the advisor approached the boy and handed Kellin the package.

"For you. From your guardian," Rian replied and Kellin looked at the box with confusion and slight worry. Did the letter Tony sent work? Or was this something bad? Maybe a letter in a big box saying how his stepdad was going to fly all the way over to Miridia to make sure that Kellin comes back home. Now Kellin's heart was thudding more fast than before and he gulped, looking over to Sierra and looking over her shoulder at Vic. The prince got up, walking over and taking the package gently out of Kellin's hands to examine it.

"I think it's a bomb," Vic said and Rian rolled his eyes. Then Vic tossed the package at Rian and the advisor quickly lunged forward to catch it and Vic crossed his arms, "Guess it's not."

"Please enough with this silly imagination of yours. It isn't a bomb, it's a package for Kellin. Now, Your Highness you are due-"

"Open it! Open it!" Vic chanted, taking the package from Rian and already beginning to open it himself and Rian stared at the prince with tired eyes before rubbing his forehead.

"It's Kellin's package."

"Fine then, open it Kellin," Vic said with a huff, handing the package halfway opened to the boy who took it with the shake of the head and walked over to the table to sit down and continue opening it. The flaps opened up, a letter sitting on top of something wrapped in paper and Kellin took the letter first with caution. He opened it, taking the sleek parchment paper Kellin recognized coming from a personal stationary set for his stepdad's work and his eyes scanned over the words that were written.

Found this and figured to be nice to send it to you.

It'll be the only nice thing you get.

Serves you right for running away when

we were so caring to let you stay with us when your

mother died instead of giving you to an orphanage

A spoiled prince deserves a spoiled brat.

Kellin clutched onto the letter so tight, his teeth gritting hard and Vic looked over at Kellin concerned, "What does it say?"

"Nothing, nothing," Kellin muttered, balling the note up and placing it onto the table before looking into the box. What could it be that his stepdad sent him? Something nice? Probably a dustpan. Or a duster. Or something to clean or to cook with, what nice thing could his stepdad had sent him? Kellin removed the paper and his eyebrows furrowed as he saw what looked like a photo album. It was dusty, black cover with no words printed on it and he took it out of the box with care. It was heavy, must have been a lot of photos and he settled it on his lap.

"Aw, it's just pictures," Vic said disappointed and Kellin opened the cover, his eyes widening at the first image. These weren't just pictures.

These were picture of his parents.

They were young, it must have been when they first met each other. His dad was young and healthy, his mother beautiful and smiling bright at the camera. There were so many pictures of them, dancing, having dinner out with friends, on little vacations and kissing each other, so much in love. Then there were wedding photos that Kellin flipped through. There were people he never seen before, must have been family friends that lost touch. He saw his late grandmother in there, he never knew his grandfather since his father had left home early and the relationship became estranged. He wondered what kind of man he was like, would he have wanted to see his son marry someone like his mother. She looked so beautiful in her wedding dress, she looked like a princess about to marry.

Kellin's hands were beginning to shake as he flipped the next couple of pages, now the pictures telling the story of his mother's pregnancy and Kellin's birth. So many baby pictures of him, his mother holding him in her grasp as he squirmed and cried. Him in the bubble bath and dark hair all wet and curled. His smiles, some with no teeth and some with only one budding tooth visible. He felt Vic's hands at his shoulders, the prince looking over the pictures but not saying a word but surely could feel that Kellin was beginning to shake at all of this. All of these recollections, all of these memories that he thought were lost. Kellin was growing older through the pictures, growing bigger and it was so clear when Kellin began to be enamored with fairy tales as Halloween pictures were of Kellin dressed as a prince, as a dragon, as a knight.

There were pictures of Christmas time and Kellin ripping open the brightly colored boxes in his footed pajamas and smiling eagerly over his shoulder at his father taking the picture. Pictures of Kellin at his birthday blowing out the candles and his father and mother right behind him to blow out any candles he missed; he remembered this birthday. It was his sixth birthday, he remembered his father telling him on the drive home that next birthday will be even better than this one, the biggest smile on his face.

Kellin spent his seventh birthday with his father in the hospital, his father losing that ability to make those big charming smiles of his.

But Kellin couldn't think about having his birthday anyway else without someone he cared so much.

There was a certain gap, sad as the next page showed only Kellin and his mother alone, the picture dated three months after his father's death. His face was so blank, his mother's hands on his shoulders trying to make him smile as they were at the carnival. He remembered his mother trying to make him happy again, try and make him smile with all the bright lights and noises and treats and toys. But Kellin just couldn't, he couldn't smile without seeing his father's big smile and feeling those large arms wrap around him to scoop him up in a hug. He just couldn't.

The pictures shifted to that of Jenna and his stepdad, the two of them in those pleasant months. Jenna still looked like a spoiled brat, her hair curled and ten year old nose scrunched in distaste at having to take a picture with the nine year old boy next to her while Kellin tried to hold onto Jenna's hand and smile for his mother. Kellin was sure this was the only picture of him and the McDougalls, Jenna avoided the camera unless it was solely for her and for her only. Didn't matter, was better if she wasn't there anyways. The pictures were dwindling, pictures of Kellin getting a medal for improving in academics in the seventh grade and then getting an honor roll award for eighth grade.

Then there was just one more picture of his mother, the woman looking thin and tired but trying to smile as Kellin took the picture. He remembered this, remembered her saying that she was going to be okay. And as soon as she gets better, she and him and Jenna and his stepdad were going to go on a nice little vacation. Kellin bit his lip, he was absolutely trembling and he glanced down to see that there were some words scrawled into the corner in such neat and cursive handwriting.

I love you, Kellin. It's time for you to start your own fairy tale.

And that was when Kellin choked out a sob and held the book close to his chest. Vic's arms wrapped around him in an instant.

"It's okay, it's okay," Vic said softly in his ear and Kellin shook his head.

"I can't believe he kept this from me. He kept this from me and I thought we lost our pictures. H-He knew how much I missed them, he knew how bad I wanted to see pictures of them a-and I couldn't find them no matter where I l-looked. I-I'm not writing to him anymore, I never w-want to hear from him again!" Kellin cried and Vic moved so he was hugging Kellin from the front. His eyes were scrunched so tight with tears, his jaw trembled and his nose sniffled, how could he have done this? Vic rubbed his back, his arms warm and soothing as Kellin's cries turned into small hiccups and sniffles. The scent on Vic's skin was comforting, the sound of Vic softly saying 'It's okay, it's okay' loving and kind. Calming Kellin, the boy relaxed in the prince's arms and Vic pulled Kellin up to his feet with the photo album against Kellin's chest in his arms.

The two stood there, not even Sierra or Rian pulling them, though Kellin didn't even feel they were there anymore as Vic began to rock Kellin from side to side and hum a soft little melody that Kellin knew. Soft and gentle, a lullaby. Kellin's cheek rubbed into his chest, hearing the thudding of Vic's heart in his ear, a warm thump!thump!thump!thump! It soothed Kellin, his shaking stopped and he closed his eyes as he felt Vic's hand go up into his hair and gently thread through the dark strands.

"Rian. . .tomorrow I'm taking Kellin out. We'll be leaving in the afternoon, make no other arrangements for us," Vic said strongly, his hand still gently running through Kellin's locks.

". . .Yes, Your Highness. Come along, Ms. Kusterbeck," Kellin heard Rian say, assuming that the advisor ushered Sierra out and the door closed gently shut.

"Where are we going?" Kellin asked into Vic's chest, slightly damp from his tears and Vic squeezed him tight.

"A very special place."