Get a grip, woman. She thought to herself, He is just the same as any other child.

But she knew deep down that Seth had made her a little more compassionate, a little more human, as he had done with Hans, too, she could tell - even the Prince seemed to have a small soft-spot for the little boy that was his son. And the strange fact was, that though she told herself that giving in to love would make her weaker, she could feel the magic coursing through her veins; she could feel how much stronger it had grown as of recent.

And she could feel how much more dangerous she was, too.

Ayala could feel her magic pumping in her veins, an overwhelming tidal wave of power as she practiced, training herself in endurance so that using complicated magic would not be so tiring. She could feel the sweat on her brow as she focused on the demanding task at hand; 'jumping' from place to place, as she liked to call it; in other words disappearing from one place, to reappear in another. Moving things through nothingness to get somewhere else was not an easy feat, and when done more than three times without a break, she was left gasping from exhaustion, her knees wobbling, incredibly weak. She'd been trying to aim to get into a differently shaped hoop each time, to work on her accuracy too, but it was easier said than done, and she often ended up on top of the large wardrobe of her room, remaining there until she was strong enough to 'jump' back to the ground.

After another half an hour or so of fruitless practice, Ayla finally gave in, deciding she had more important things to do right now than work on her magical endurance, which she could easily train in again some other day. Breathing heavily as she made her way down to one of many living rooms in the castle - the smallest one, which people tended to avoid in preference of the larger, more luxurious ones - she flopped down on the sofa tiredly, and flexed her fingers a few times, before creating a puff of magic, which she directed towards the stables, where she knew Hans could be found, and instructed to tell him where to find her. It was a new trick she'd accidentally discovered she had the ability of recently, and what better excuse to use it than after working so hard already? She deserved to be lazy for a few minutes.

Hans showed up not too long after Ayla had sent her message, looking thoroughly frustrated, and it wasn't hard to see why; after vanquishing the little puff - a fitting name, she thought - which had been clearly pestering the Prince by bouncing off his head to get him to move, she gestured for him to sit down across from her, and she smiled sweetly.

Hans slouched slightly as he leaned back in the sofa, waiting for his now-consort to speak. He hadn't wanted to have to marry her, but it had been a beneficial move; in joining with her, his people saw him as truly being reformed, no longer the monster he once was. Even his brothers, the very same people who had once teased and bullied him, now looked to him as the one in charge - his Father was certainly not getting any younger, that much was for sure, and someone had to be leader, after all. After his efforts to avenge the death of his older brother Bjørn, and his further attempts to restore the kingdom to it's former glory - even if he had not succeeded in doing so yet - his brothers had gained a new respect for him, although he still had suspicions that Ayla's magic may have partially influenced their decision to follow him.

It was a nice thought, that after all he'd been through, things had actually turned out well for him; he'd gained the respect of his siblings, regained the respect of his people, and was well on his way to being leader. The law stated that the eldest surviving son would be the one to take the throne on the death of the King, but that rule didn't count anymore; all it would take would be a wave of Ayla's hand, and voila - the law would be re-written, and everyone would just accept that he should be Monarch, and no one would raise a fuss.

And he even had a wife and heir. Perhaps he'd rather not have to get married, but his joining with Ayla had raised the people's opinion of him, and their 'adoption' of Seth meant that he could inherit the throne when Hans passed, making him immortal, in a sense. That was one thing the sorceress' magic couldn't do - keep one alive indefinitely, although she could heal injuries and cure maladies, meaning she could at least make people live longer - but it could, again, change the law to allow adopted children to be proper heirs.

No, things hadn't turned out so badly for him. Ayla's beginning to speak broke him out of his musings, and he listened carefully as she laid out her plan, which she'd spent a few days thinking about, trying to perfect.

"Here's the idea," she began, as she reached over for a chocolate, which was currently sitting in a small, flat dish, surrounded by other confectionaries much too expensive for normal people to afford. She had done well for herself, too, Hans thought as he waited for her to continue. "Well, personally, I think we need to appear weak, at least to the other kingdoms. If they don't see us as a threat, then they'll be relaxed about us, and that'll leave us in a good position. They'll be weak, and we can hit them with a surprise attack later on."

Hans nodded understandingly. "That's a good point." He agreed, "That way, they wouldn't have any need to build up large armies to withstand our own, which they will believe to be weak and small - whereas exactly the opposite is true." He frowned slightly at his own words, but shrugged off his doubts. "Personally, I'd prefer to just go all out, but that's just my style, and your tactics are probably better, though it pains me to admit it."

Ayla smiled slightly, her lips curved at the edges in knowing amusement.

"Trust you to want to show off," She murmured, rolling her eyes, "But bragging is the way to get yourself killed, and I should know. My Mother and Brother were killed by Queen Elsa - crushed, even - after they made a point about their powers, and about how they killed her parents, and her Aunt and Uncle, too - the King and Queen of Corona - for their scheme. Certainly made her much angrier- anyway, be careful; don't boast of your power and strength, or you'll only be over-powered in the long run."

Hans sighed. "You're bloody annoying, you know?" He commented, before pausing, and frowning, his green eyes turning to the front of the room, by the door. Ayla's bright blue eyes also followed his gaze, and she instantly noticed what it was that had caught the Prince's attention. Clearing her throat, she watched with partially scathing eyes as a small boy came into view.

"Seth..." She said warningly, "I've told you before about listening in on conversations. It is rude, you know." Her son whimpered slightly, and hung his head, murmuring 'I'm sorry...' a few times, until Hans rose. The poor boy let out a squeak of fear as he shrunk back even more, terrified at his Father's glare. The two reluctant parents secretly held a special place in their cold, impenetrable hearts for their child, but neither would tolerate him going against the rules, and one of the biggest was not to snoop around, and listen in to others' conversations. After all, if he heard vital information, he was only young; it wouldn't take much for him to talk to an enemy, and he wouldn't even know what he was doing wrong.

However, as Hans began to move around the sofa to scold the boy - at which Ayla had instinctively begun to rise herself, to protect her son, though she knew she shouldn't get so attached- something completely unexpected came about. As Seth's eyes widened, shining in fear, there was a brief spark of rebellion, even power, in them, before the child appeared to just... Vanish.

Ayla frowned and squinted in the direction her son had been as she let out a little gasp, and then cautiously made her way over. Focusing, she placed her hand out and eventually touched something warm and alive; smiling, she beamed at her son, forgetting her anger and instead feeling both excited and... Proud?

"Camoflauge," She muttered quietly as Hans also came over, and she looked up to him excitedly. "Don't you see- this could work to our benefit! He can act as a spy, for Lord knows I can't. I'm too busy for a start, nor could I keep up such magic for a long period of time! I am all rounded in magic, but if he specialises in camouflage, the he'll be good at it. Strong, even!"

Hans frowned, beginning to question if his consort had told him the truth before, although he couldn't deny the advantageous ness of the situation either way. "You said before, that the offspring of one who can harness magic will not be able to do so themselves; that they will just have the blood in their veins to pass onto their own heirs. Thus, how does this work?" He spoke under his breath so that Seth couldn't hear, and Ayla shrugged.

"I don't know- maybe because I wasn't born magic? But that doesn't matter; this development is brilliant!" She then turned to her confused son, who was now visible again, and ruffled his hair. "Good boy; go to your room, and I'll get the chefs to make you a cake."

Seth's mouth fell at his Mother's kindness, and the offer of cake almost made him feel dizzy with glee. He rarely ever got cake, except for his birthday and at Christmas, so he knew he'd done brilliantly, for whatever reason. He liked this new fondness Ayla held for him, and he only wished Hans would be a little less stern, but he'd take what he could get.

After all, this was possibly the nicest they'd ever been to him, at least when together.

First, to WildVirus - sure, feel free to draw the kids - I can't wait to see it!

And second, to everyone else, I got a comment on the last chapter suggesting I should update just once a week - what do you guys think? Every three/four days (at least I try, anyway) or every week, maybe on Sunday night? Vote in a review - guest and member views will both be taken into account!

Please leave a review with your vote, because you know how much they mean to me! I love you all!

(*Picks up a knife* Now... Who isn't going to review? *Insert evil laugh here*)

-SG