*AUTHORS NOTE* So this here is my new short/one shot/whatever you want to call it! I've been dealing with heartache of my own and frankly, dealing with characters who have also probably been hurt in the past makes me feel better and offers me a way of channeling my emotions. Also, this is a stepping stone for me. I recently discovered the magical world of Pinterest and I realized, that it would be hella fun to plan weddings for my stories using Pinterst and then sharing the board with my readers! SO that is what I will be doing! The board isn't complete JUST yet, but it will be soon, as will this story! I hope you enjoy the first part and stay tuned for the rest within the next few days along with the release of the pinterst board! And my next Puck in Love chapter will be out shortly! I'm just having trouble with trying to censor myself with the lemony bits! Please leave reviews!

Part 1

I'm tired.

I thought this to myself as I sat on my bed in the solitude of my own room.

My head was in my hands as I looked at the floor. I was starting to feel the weight of everything that had happened in the last few decades bear down on me.

It never stopped. And I couldn't stop. Even after her death, I was expected to continue my responsibilities as the next in line for the throne. I was given no time to mourn or show how truly sad I was that my beautiful wife of a year had passed away.

I opened my nightstand drawer and pulled out her rings.

Cheyenne was a beauty like no other.

She was the daughter of a Lord out in the southern part of the kingdom. I had met her while on a hunt with Rowan. We had rode out that day on our steeds, looking for anything to hunt. It was a time of relative peace between our court and the Seelie court so we could afford the time to do so.

We arrived at Lord Dunnick's home late that night. It was getting to be too dangerous to be out hunting, even though we are Unseelie who don't fear, that doesn't mean we are stupid. We didn't want to risk death.

Lord Dunnick was a gracious host, even though it was mainly all for show so that he would not irritate us and we would not go back to our mother and complain.

It was right before supper that I saw her.

Rowan and I were sitting in the parlor with Lord Dunnick, drinking quality brandy that had been imported from the mortal world. While mortals were mainly weak and useless, they did have good taste in liquor that couldn't be produced as well here in the NeverNever.

Rowan and I were laughing as the Lord told an old hunting story where he and the infamous little shit Puck got into an argument about who a hart belonged to and how it escalated to the point where many nymphs from the trees emerged just to tell them to shut up.

It was an amazing story, especially since I despised Puck. Ash, who was just starting to mature, had begun to hang out with the Seelie Jester and it was very worrisome for us all.

The smells of a delicious meal being prepared started to come into the room and about five minutes later, the door opened and a beautiful creature entered.

She was tall and willowy, walked very gracefully, even more gracefully than the average fey. Her black hair was pulled back to frame her face and it reached her mid back. She was wearing a long, light blue dress that was plain in nature, but looked extravagant on her.

Her face was delicate, her nose small, her lips full, her eyes were almond shaped and a very light, crystal blue. Her ears pointed out from the curtain of black hair.

I appraised her, and a sense of wonderment filled me. Even though I hid my emotions well, Lord Dunnick must have noticed something.

"Ah yes, my daughter!" he bellowed with a hearty laugh, "Cheyenne, I want you to meet the princes. There is prince Rowan and here is Prince Sage. Gentlemen, this is my lovely daughter Cheyenne. You will meet my other daughters Olivia and Ava momentarily, but this here is my oldest."

It was then that I turned on the charm before my brother could. Quickly but gracefully, I stood and took Cheyenne's hand in my own, and bowed, giving her knuckles a gentle kiss.

"It is an honor to meet such a fair maiden as yourself, Lady Cheyenne," I said, looking up at her from my bowed position.

Her face became flushed, but she didn't change her expression, it stayed to that of seriousness.

"It is a truly an honor to have two princes in my household, Prince Sage. I came to inform you that dinner is being served and that mother will be joining us this evening." she replied stoically.

"Excellent!" Lord Dunnick beamed as I let go of Cheyenne's hand and righted myself.

Lord Dunnick put a strong hand on my back and then his other hand on Rowan's back.

"My wife is expecting again, she is due any day now and has been put on bed rest for the past two weeks in preparation for the child being born at any time now! My daughter Cheyenne has taken on her household responsibilities. I'm so proud of her honestly."

I smiled at his pride. It was unusual to see an Unseelie fey gloat about the accomplishments of a child, unless he was doing it for his own personal gain, which at this point I could see. I had obviously shown interest in his daughter, a marriage between the two of us would be spectacular for him and his interests.

We walked to the dining room and we were greeted by two girls who looked similar so Cheyenne only younger, and a woman who was very heavy with child, who looked a bit like Cheyenne, but not like an older version. I deducted her to be the mother.

"Oh good, they are here! Now I can sit!" she said and with that statement, she plopped herself down onto a chair and rubbed her stomach.

"I swear, being up for even a little bit is so hard on my feet! I wish he would hurry up and come!"

Rowan smiled at her as he pulled out two seats, one for each other the younger girls, "How do you know that it is a boy Lady Dunnick?"

"I just know!" she replied with a serious smirk on her face.

I chuckled as I located Cheyenne and approached her, pulling out her chair for her.

"My Lady," I said as she sat in it and smiled up at me.

I took the seat next to her as Rowan took the seat across from me. Lord Dunnick sat at the head of the table, commanding the room since it was his house. Usually, either myself or Rowan would have claim to that seat since we both out ranked him, but I had other motives in mind that didn't involve injuring egos for funsies.

The staff for the Dunnick's brought out plates of food, including a roasted pig that was complete with the apple in the mouth. The spread was incredible, and I was greatly impressed that someone Cheyenne's age could come up with it in such a short amount of time.

I looked over at her and nodded at her, "Excellent spread. I am impressed."

She smiled at me, "Thank you your Highness."

The meal was absolutely delicious. I remained quiet while Rowan dominated the conversation with loud jokes and what not.

I would steal glances over at Cheyenne occasionally and sometimes I would catch her glancing at me. When our eyes would meet, we would both blush then look away quickly and pretend that nothing happened.

After our meal, the two youngest daughters helped their mother back up the stairs so she could get back into bed.

Lord Derrick decided that he would show Rowan his room and put Cheyenne in charge of showing me my room for the night.

As my brother followed Derrick closely after the meal, he turned his head back to me and shot me a suggestive look. I prevented myself from flipping him off.

I turned to find Cheyenne standing close to me.

Though she was tall, I still stood a good 5 inches taller than her. I smiled at her.

"Lead the way m'lady," I said.

She nodded and turned to lead me to the other end of the house up a flight of stairs to a quaint room that had rich brown walls and a comfortable looking sleigh bed.

I turned to thank my hostess who was staring at the ground.

"Let me know if you need anything else my lord." she said, her eyes pointed at the ground.

I made a decision right then, a quick, spur of the moment decision that would convey emotion which was exceedingly rare and highly frowned upon.

Gently, I placed my hand under Cheyenne's chin and tilted it up to look at me.

"Frankly my dear, the room is quiet perfect. There is nothing wrong with it. Although, I would like to see the grounds a bit. Would you be the best person to show me around or should I consult one of your sisters?"

She smiled at me, "My lord, I think that i would be best suited for the task. My sisters don't know the grounds as well as I do. Is there anything in particular that you would like to see."

I thought about it, my hand still under her chin.

Moving my hand from under her chin, I cupped her cheek. She sighed and leaned into my hand, looking at me with those crystal eyes, "Why don't you take me to your favorite place?"

She grinned, "I would, but it is dangerous to go there at night."

I chuckled and leaned close to her ear, "If anything comes for you, then I as the Unseelie Prince, will defeat it. That is the purpose of a sword."

I felt her cheek get red under my skin.

"Okay my lord. Let me just get my cloak and then we can go," she said, turning to leave.

I quickly wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her into me.

"No need for that my lady. You may borrow mine." I said as I took off my cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders, pulling the hood up over her head.

She turned even more red as my grip around her waist loosened and she was able to leave the door, with me following her closely.

We left the house and were outside within a matter of minutes. Cheyenne started to hum to herself as she walked through the snow gracefully. I stayed close enough that I could reach out and touch her if I wanted to. I had to restrain myself.

We walked into the forest and Cheyenne started to follow some path that was only known to her. I got even closer to her and started walking right next to her instead of behind her.

I stopped restraining myself and placed my hand on her lower back. It was to help calm me, but it wound up making her relax.

I smiled to myself.

After about ten minutes of walking together silently, we emerged into a large clearing in the forest that had a fairly decent sized pond in the middle of it that was frozen solid.

"This is my favorite place. The pond is always frozen so I can skate whenever I want and it offers me a quiet get away when my parents are freaking out about the fact that I am still unmarried." she whispered, looking at the place with a special gleam in her eyes.

My hand was still on her lower back, so I used that advantage to make her turn and face me.

"Well thank you for showing me," I whispered, moving my face close to hers to that my forehead was resting against hers.

She smiled up at me, like a genuine smile that showed teeth.

I placed my lips against her forehead, kissing it then I pulled back.

"So you said that you ice skate here?" I asked, my hand still on her lower back.

Cheyenne nodded, her entire face red from the fact that I had kissed her forehead.

"Yeah, usually I come down here to skate. Sometimes I just sit and think. But you can do whatever you want to do." she quickly said, trying to regain her composure.

I chuckled, "Cheyenne, my lovely dear, I suggest that you don't give me the freedom to do as I wish, I don't know if you would like what I want to do."

She looked up at me, stood on her toes, and placed her lips against my cheek. Pulling back, she whispered in my ear, "I think I'll take my chances."

It began to snow then. Not my doing, just the weather's doing. It was a steady snow, not like a blizzard but not like a flurry. Just snowing.

I looked up at the sky and chuckled, then looked down at the beautiful creature before me.

"So you said that you weren't married correct?" I asked.

She nodded.

"So you aren't betrothed either?"

She shook her head, "Nope, I didn't like any of the men offered to me as suitors. They only seemed to care about my status and spent absolutely no time trying to get to know me. So I turned them all down."

I smiled at that, "Well that is there loss that they didn't want to get to know you."

Cheyenne blushed again. I was starting to find that she blushed a lot.

"Come on," I said, grabbing her hand and leading her to the pond, "Let's slide around on our shoes."

She nodded and followed me out onto the pond. We fake=skated for a bit, then decided to play a game of chase where I got to chase her around on the pond, trying to catch her. When I did, she broke free and started to chase me around the pond.

In the spirit of the game, I didn't allow myself to be easily caught.

Cheyenne was closing in close on me, I was skating backwards making faces at her as she chased me. The hood to the cloak had fallen and Cheyenne's hair was blowing behind her.

I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and I hit the edge of the pond and lost my balance. Then Cheyenne flew into me and knocked me down onto the snow drift.

We were both laughing and it was only after we calmed down that I realized that Cheyenne was laying ontop of me, her hands on my chest, her face only mere inches from mine.

I stopped laughing and brought my hand up to her face, brushing a lock of hair out of her eyes.

My heart quickened as I wrapped my hand around the back of her neck, pulling her face closer to mine.

Our lips were only about an inch apart, and I felt her sweet breath tickle my lips. Her crystal blue eyes gazed into mine, a flash of uncertainty went through them, then they became eyes that were determined.

I was about to close the gap when Cheyenne beat me to it and pressed her lips against mine. My eyes flickered closed as my free arm snaked its way around her waist and pulled her close.

Kissing Cheyenne was amazing. It was fantastic. She tasted of peppermint and even though she was a winter fey, she was surprisingly warm.

Our kiss lasted for about a minute until I pulled back and laid my head on the snow beaming. Cheyenne blushed, but didn't make a move to get up, not that she could since my grip on her was firm.

"Hi," I whispered, raising my head so that i could put my forehead against hers.

"Hi," she whispered back giggling.

Quickly, while she was still smiling, I pressed my lips against her again. She squealed a bit, but started to kiss me back.

Finally we pulled away.

I smiled up at her, "Cheyenne, you truly are possibly the most gorgeous creature that I have ever seen. If I could, then I would freeze this moment in time so that we could just be here together, forever, kissing."

"Prince Sage!" she exclaimed, her cheeks turning red again, "I don't know what to say!"

I chuckled, "Then don't say anything just kiss me."

And so she did.

We kissed many times that night, even when we finally stood up, we still kissed. And on our way back to her estate, we held hands.

I walked her to her bedroom and kissed her cheek, whispering nothings into her ear, making her turn scarlet red again.

She slipped into her room and I started to head to mine. As I turned the corner, I found my beloved brother waiting for me.

"Hello Sage," he chirped.

"Hello Rowan. May I help you?" I replied with a roll of my eyes.

"Nope, I just wanted to pester you about the lovely Cheyenne. You don't show interest in the opposite sex so I was starting to get worried that you might not be attracted to women. But I was just proven wrong. So what are you plans big brother?"

I rolled my eyes again and continued walking with Rowan trailing me, "Nothing so far is you must know. I will probably invite her to my birthday next week. But nothing as of yet."

"Ooooh, Sage is in love!" Rowan snickered, "Hey, can I be the best man in your wedding."

I chuckled, "Nope, I think I'll make Robin Goodfellow my best man before I make you my best man."

"Hey! That isn't fair! He's a little shit!"

"And you aren't?"

"Touche big brother."

I had reached my door by then, I opened it then turned to face him, "Goodnight Rowan. We leave early in the morning."

"Goodnight big brother! I'll keep mum on this development, but you will have to tell the Queen that you want Cheyenne there, and you will have to tell her why most likely."

Rolling my eyes, I slipped into my room and closed the door in Rowan's face. I heard a deep chuckle from the other side of the door right before I heard the sound of his footsteps fading away.

The next morning I saw Cheyenne at breakfast. She blushed as she at her scrambled eggs.

Lord Dunnick requested that he come hunting with us and we granted his request.

I thanked Cheyenne for being a gracious host to us for that evening and told her to pass on my thanks to her mother as well.

I kissed her knuckles before I walked out the door.

The three of us mounted our steads and headed into the forest, entering at a different place than where I was the night before with Cheyenne.

After traveling for about fifteen minutes, Lord Dunnick spoke up.

"Prince Sage, I have noticed that you have taken a liking to my eldest daughter, Cheyenne. I completely approve of the match, and if you want to court her, then go right ahead." he said to me.

Rowan let out a bark of laughter, "It's too late for permission!"

I rolled my eyes, "Ignore him sir. He's an ass."

Lord Dunnick chuckled, "So I have noticed."

Rowan shut up right then.

We continued through the woods looking for anything at all that was worth hunting but found nothing.

A few hours later we decided to start heading back.

"Well gentlemen, I am sorry that there was nothing here, usually there is at least something." Lord Dunnick said to us.

"It is alright, maybe next time," I replied.

We started heading back and when we were about an hour away if we continued at an easy pace, we heard a heavily breathing horse approach us.

Cheyenne came into our sight from around a corner. She was on a white steed that was huffing from it's ride. She pulled him into a stop and the horse bucked but she managed to stay on it.

Her hair was wild around her head, her dress had a rip down the side so that she could ride like a man, not like a lady.

"Father!" she panted, "Mother is in labor right now. We must hurry. The doctor said that she is close to giving birth."

Lord Dunnick looked at us, "I am sorry to leave abruptly. You may join us in waiting if you like. Um, toodles."

Then he and Cheyenne took off back down the path towards the house at a hard run.

Rowan looked at me, "Want to wear out our horses?"

I shrugged, "Sure. I do like babies."

Rowan chuckled and then cracked his reins, making his horse take off. I did the same.

At the pace that we were at, we reached the house about twenty minutes later, just behind Dunnick and Cheyenne. In their haste, then had left their horses standing, still saddled, right in front of their house.

I dismounted and walked over to their horses, "Rowan, help me get these guys into the stable so the stable boy can take care of them."

Rowan nodded and took Lord Dunnick's horse's reins while I took Cheyenne's and my own and we led the horses over to the stable, leaving them all in the hands of the stable boy who helped them cool down.

Approaching the house, we heard the scream of a woman in labor. That scream was familiar to me since my mother had gone through it twice before the birth of Cheyenne's sibling, and once after the birth of her sibling. Usually I was in the room with her since I was very mature for anyone my age.

We entered the house and found Olivia and Ava in the parlor pacing.

They quickly stood and curtsied.

"It is alright girls. How is your mother doing?" I asked.

Olivia answered, "She is doing well enough. Father, Cheyenne and the doctor plus a midwife are upstairs with her right now. They don't want us in the room since it is already crowded."

Another scream came then. Then there was quiet, then a few yelps of happiness.

Lord Dunnick came downstairs with a smile plastered across his face, "It's a boy! Come up and see him!"

He then ran back upstairs with his daughters close on his heels.

I looked at Rowan, shrugged and then followed the girls up the stairs with my brother close behind me.

I saw the doctor in the hallway talking to the midwife right outside the door. They snapped to attention when they noticed me.

"Good afternoon your royal highnesses," they said in unison.

I nodded at them, "Good afternoon. Everything look okay with Lady Dunnick?"

They nodded.

"Yes, everything went wonderful." the midwife told me with a smile on her face, "Lady Dunnick will make a full recovery. It truly must be an honor for her to have you staying at her house, especially during the birth of her son."

I nodded and smiled, "Would it be alright if I went in?"

The midwife nodded, "If you wish you."

Rowan and I entered the room and found everyone circled around Lady Dunnick and her new son.

Lady Dunnick looked up at us and beamed, "Welcome your highnesses, if you would care to, come meet my new son. He is to be named Christopher."

I smiled and approached them and looked at the little inhuman looking thing laying on her chest. It wasn't the cutest thing in the world since it wasn't cleaned up, but it would be fine.

Lord Dunnick picked the baby up and cradled it in his arms. There was a large smile on his face.

We stayed for a few more hours. Cheyenne took control of the house again and made us a quick supper of sandwhiches so that we could be off back to the palace since the Queen was expecting us tonight.

She had given the staff the rest of the day off in celebration of her brother being born.

Rowan was in the parlour with Olivia and Ava at the time, Cheyenne was in the kitchen.

Silently, I slipped into the kitchen and found Cheyenne standing over a pot of soup humming to herself.

I crept up behind her and slipped my arms around her waist and kissed her neck.

"I'm leaving soon," I whispered into her ear.

"I know," she whispered back, leaning her head against my shoulder.

"I would like for you to come to my birthday party next week. You're father gave me permission to court you, in fact, he insisted that I court you, so with your permission, may I?"

She blushed and then turned to face me. Wrapping her arms around my neck, she gave me a peck on the lips and then whispered, "Yes. Now get going! The stable boy has your horses ready."

I pulled her closer to me and gave her a deep kiss.

"Fine, but I do hope that you come to my party next week. It is in the court so it will be formal. If you need anything let me know."

She nodded and gave me a final kiss.

"Okay, now go get your brother and go! I will tell my parents that you didn't want to disturb them in their happiness."

I chuckled, planted a kiss on her cheek then went and got Rowan.

We headed out.

"Well little brother," I said after about an hour of riding, "I am officially courting Cheyenne."

"Thank god! The Queen is going to be so happy to find out that you aren't gay!"

I groaned but I still smiled because Cheyenne was amazing and I found myself caring for her deeply.

Stay tuned for the next installment! Please review!