A/N- There is no ryhme or reason to which stories I update and with what frequency, it's just wherever the inspiration flows I'm afraid.

Katherine watched breathlessly as the flaming arrow shot through the air and landed perfectly in the centre of King Mikael's boat- which had been doused liberally in peppermint oil just in case. The flames caught immediately and the small wooden boat crept along the waves only a few times more before it was lost beneath the ocean.

Beside her, Elijah exhales softly and she reaches over to take his hand again, but he turns to her with the tiniest smile,

"I was worried we'd missed the tide and that the coffin would sink too close to shore," he confesses,

"The last thing we'd need would be my father's corpse washing up on the rocks tomorrow morning."

She shudders at the imagery, "I'm sure there's some protocol for that."

She glances behind them, the entire procession is gathered down on the pebbled beach and now that the body is gone and the ceremony is over, they're starting to check their watches and look longingly at Ensamhet Castle where light refreshments would be served in the gardens before they began the long drive back to Hjart.

The sun was beginning to set and the day had turned freezing, but the procession had been delayed several hours because people along the roads had wanted to touch the late King's hearse and place flowers or mementos upon it. It had taken seven hours to make a three-hour drive from Hjart to the coast and, thankfully, their driver had thought to pack water for the King, which she and Elijah had been forced to sip when they thought nobody was looking, but the nobility who hadn't thought to stock their cars were now weak with hunger and dehydration.

The press beyond the cordons were probably the only thing keeping them upright.

She hears the faintest click and sees Caroline's hand sneaking out of her purse and surreptitiously reaching forward to Klaus who took the tiny white object from her and handed it to Henrik.

"Your heirs are being kept conscious with tic-tacs right now." She points out, biting her tongue to keep herself from smiling at the absurdity of the situation and Elijah rubs his forehead,

"Then perhaps we should eat before the lords and ladies of the realm are forced to fish for their supper."

He offers her his arm and she accepts, tightening her hold on him as they made their way up the pebbled shore, thankful for the ceremony of the occasion that meant that she had to walk sedately, giving her time to test her footing in her heels.

Everyone falls in behind them and she sees Nadia smothering a yawn as she holds onto her grandfather's hand, her tiny little shoes kicking at the stones underneath her feet.

She'd handled the day well.

The garden of Ensamhet castle was accessible through an entrance via the beach, allowing the inhabitants to come and go freely without having to make the trek around. And Katherine is grateful that she won't have to walk through the castle where Queen Esther had spent her last days.

Where Katherine had watched her slowly succumb to death.

The garden is lined with tables, but the food is still being brought out, and there were no lights as the event had been planned for mid-afternoon, not early evening.

However, Katherine enjoys the atmosphere of the gathering, the way the nobles almost forget themselves as they fall on the freshly cooked seafood, or the champagne, how quickly people settle into chairs and around tables as they begin rescheduling their evening. It almost feels relaxed.

Of course, every last person present had just had cameras of all kinds trained on them for the last ten hours, they were probably dizzy with relief that part was finally done.

She bites into a crab cake and nearly moans with delight while the various attendants of the royals quickly loaded up the plates as properly as they were able to within the confines of etiquette and saw to the preservation of the family.

Aiden was almost swaying on his feet as he brought Elijah his food and Ansel appeared a moment later,

"With your permission, Your Majesty," he began quietly, "I'm going to order the attendants to the kitchens for a security debrief."

Katherine smirked around the caviar blini she had just popped into her mouth and Elijah sipped carefully on his champagne, "Tell them that I'm grateful for their service today but they aren't to break into the alcohol until they've eaten."

He turns to her and steps closer, bending to whisper in her ear,

"They probably contemplated violent revolution after their fourth hour without access to Facebook."

She places the back of her hand over her mouth to cover her laughter and turns her face away, seeing Giuseppe and Nadia approach,

"With your permission, Your Majesty," Giuseppe bows stiffly, "We shall retire."

Nadia is looking down at the ground is obvious concentration, about to curtsy but Elijah hands his plate to Katherine and quickly scoops the little girl up, holding her on his hip as she squeals with delight, "Hello sweetheart," he kissed her cheek, "Thank-you for coming today."

Nadia placed her hands on his shoulders, "Thank-you for having me," she responds politely,

"I'm sorry your dad died."

Katherine blinks and turns away from the touching scene, gazing about at the courtiers who were gobbling their food as gracefully as possible, she sees Caroline standing with her sister, Stefan and Klaus, her hands gesticulating as she talks in a lively manner that was considered gauche at Court.

As so many things were.

Without even realising, she's approaching the castle and glances up at the window of the bedroom where she had slept for so many nights.

Something flickers in the corner of her eye and she turns to the right to see someone lifting back the curtains to the royal bedroom.

Someone with greying blonde hair and grief-stricken eyes.

Katherine is frozen to the spot in terror, unable to look away as her gaze becomes locked with hers and a scream is rising up within her before she finds herself forcibly spun around to the side,

"Look at me." a voice orders and she tries to focus on him.

"Do you see her?" she asks Ansel, clutching his arm in fright and he looks up to the window,

"Every day," he confesses heavily, "But don't be frightened, she means you no harm."

"How can you say that?" she demands in a shaky voice, "If she's here…"

Ansel curses under his breath and links his arm through hers, about to walk her up the stairs into the palace proper when she shrieks through her closed lips and he drags her into the boatshed underneath the stairs. He pushes her into the small, mess laden, mould wrecked wooden area, where rats and spiders had ruled unchallenged for the better part of a decade and catches her before she trips on rotting rope.

"Katerina Petrova," he grips her upper arms so hard that he hurts her, his eyes bore into hers and his face is set with determination,

"I am only going to say this once more. You did not kill the Queen. You did not kill Esther."

Katherine choked on her sobs and laughed in disbelief,

"Not in a way that can be proven in a court of law you mean,"

She sniffs and blinks rapidly to stop the tears coming to her eyes from overflowing down her cheeks and ruining her make-up. She can't be weak.

She can never be weak.

"I broke her heart Ansel," she gasps, "I…"

He clearly wants to slap her, but like her, he's all too aware of the eyes of the world beyond this room, he settles for stomping quickly on her foot, shocking her out of her before drawing her in for a rib cracking embrace, resting his head atop hers,

"Esther's heart was broken long before you ever set foot in the Palace, Katerina. It was broken and beaten and bruised until the only thing she knew was how to do her duty," He kisses her hair,

"You were her last great act of rebellion, her defiance against everything that had tried to destroy her."

She manages one dry chuckle before pulling back and propping her chin against his chest, looking up at him,

"And you were her first," she murmurs gently, "Aren't we a pair?"

He gives her a tight smile and squeezes her arms before stepping back and taking a miniature flashlight from his keychain, holding it up as she draws out a pocket mirror and checks her make-up.

Aside from her red eyes, she looked perfect.

Good.

Valhalla would have frowned in disapproval and the Court would have tittered delightfully with gossip if her mascara had run.

Elijah couldn't help but smile at Nadia's giggles as he held her in his arms, tickling her and making her squeal with delight as they chattered.

"Would you like to be a Duchess?" he asked her as he snuck her a sip of champagne and she stuck her tongue out at the taste.

"No," she declared, "I want to be a mermaid."

He chucked her under the chin, "Well, you shall have to learn how to swim in the sea and eat lots of sushi." He joked as she nodded eagerly, reminding him so much of her mother and aunt.

She had the determination of a Petrova.

And the instincts of one too.

She looked over his shoulder and frowned, "Who is that?" she asked and he followed her gaze to see Rose approaching him, trying to be both subtle but quick as she moved around the courtiers.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty," she curtsied as she approached him, "May I speak with you privately?"

With a reluctant sigh, he deposits Nadia on the ground and kneels to kiss her hand,

"Farewell my favourite subject," he murmurs, "Hopefully I'll see you again soon."

"I thought Aunty Katty was your favourite subject?" she asks suspiciously, her Petrova mind picking up on the small details.

"No," he grins, winking, "She's my queen."

Nadia skips back to her grandfather, slipping her tiny hand into his big one and those who don't know Giuseppe Salvatore and his reputation, roll their eyes or mutter under their breath about children attending the event.

Elijah is almost certain that these people will find themselves on many a list barring them from the most exclusive clubs in Hjart, not to mention restaurants or any places Giuseppe liked to frequent.

He turns to Rose, "What is it?" he asks with concern and she steps back, "If you would follow me, Your Majesty." She prompts and he frowns as she leads him into the castle and away from the public area to the servants' quarters.

"The kitchen has the best Wi-Fi," she explains as she leads him down the stairs, into the art deco, picturesque area where it seemed that half of his staff and the entirety of the Communications team were on their phones or ipads, some with fingers flying, others eyeing the king nervously.

"What is going on?" he asks uneasily, "Has there been an attack? Has someone died?"

Lexi Branson cleared her throat and came around the tile island, offering him her ipad,

"I'm afraid there has been some rumours spread about the funeral today," she begins cautiously,

"So far, it's only been covered by two trashy tabloids but they're being quite nasty about the issue."

'Royal family rupture at King Mikael's funeral.'

Chaos as Princess Rebekah refuses to sit with King Elijah's fiancée.

'Not my Queen.'

Is the Princess Rebekah making a political statement about the future Queen?

Elijah reads the article titles and hands the ipad back to Lexi,

"Dare I ask for a summary?"

She swallows nervously, "They're saying that the Princess is outraged that the Honourable Lady Petrova is your fiancée and that the disagreement between the two of you is not only damaging the family, but the Court and the State. They say that the Honourable Lady Petrova is the one leading you in your political decisions and that her…Roma ethnicity is an issue in the matter."

Elijah runs his tongue over his teeth, "So all my progressive achievements are being discredited as the workings of a man following his cock and my sister is being accused of being a white supremacist?"

"We can spin this," she argues, "Say that Rebekah wanted to sit with her half-siblings and wasn't thinking about protocol…or that she has issues with Lady Petrova for other reasons so she's not a white supremacist."

"Technically," a voice contradicts from behind him, "She's only being accused of Antiziganism."

Katerina enters the kitchen with her father in tow, coming to stand beside him and slip her arm through his,

"Papa has already been called by the ERRC wanting to know what happened."

Elijah pinched the bridge of his nose, "The state funeral of the late King, my father and now it's been reduced to tabloid trash."

He sighs in exhaustion and irritation, before looking to Lexi, "Alright, you shall handle this in such a way so that my foolish sister is not declared a racist in the eyes of the world, we're not the British monarchy after all, nor shall my fiancée in anyway be besmirched by the idiocy that took place today. Meanwhile, I shall generate some positive press."

Aiden's head shoots up, "Uh…" he flounders as he clearly wracks his brain trying to figure out a way to politely remind the King that he had scheduled a week break following the funeral to be spent with his siblings in privacy, "If I might ask how, Your Majesty?"

Momentarily flummoxed, Elijah tried to think of how he could generate good publicity without clearly being seen to do so when Baron Petrova delicately cleared his throat,

"If I might be so bold, Your Majesty," the man shrugged, "It has been an awfully long time since you visited Rose Seng."

A smile came to Elijah's face.

Rose Seng.

The closest he'd ever come to tranquillity.

"I would love to come stay," he told him honestly, "Is tomorrow too soon?"

Petrova shakes his head, "We're always happy to have you."

Rose Seng had been given its name in the seventeenth century, when a Prince had planted thousands of roses in the valley for his mistress, they'd grown out of control and been pruned back repeatedly until the family line had died out and in 1955- when Piotr Petrova had been granted the manor, he'd had the idea to farm the roses.

The village of Rose Seng had originally been outraged that the manor house, which had so long been the family seat of nobility had been snatched up by new blood- and Roma blood at that- they had scoffed at his nouveau riche ideas, right up until they started making money.

By farming the roses to be made into toiletries, foodstuffs, decorations or even sold to the city, the Petrova's had not only reinvigorated the village, provided a means of tourism and found a way to make a profit off the land.

Which, in an era where fellow nobles were struggling to keep their homes heated and lit, going deeper and deeper into debt- was admirable.

Elijah could already taste the rose petal jam as his bags were loaded into his car, the same convertible that he always drove to Rose Seng, regardless of the weather.

The sun had even come out, albeit weakly, for the day, he's standing in the garage of Kattegat Palace while Lou checks over his car, not that any vehicle in Lou's garage was ever allowed to be anything less than perfect, but Ansel had made it protocol that they had to be checked before any member of the royal family drove them.

Closing his eyes, he leans against the stone walls, partially in the weak sunlight which barely warms his face and wishes that he was already in Katerina's village, where the scent of roses always lingered in the air, in the manor home where the guest bedroom would already be set up for him and there would be so much peace and quiet.

He hears the click-clack of high heels and senses a woman approaching. Cracking open one eye, he spots his sister stepping down into the garage and looking about the chaos and the muck with obvious distaste and he wants to turn his back and ignore her.

While every news outlet had run the state funeral on the first page, Rebekah's actions had either been mentioned in the first article or given entire pages to be described in alarmingly accurate detail. All across the country, people were speculating about the Princess' motives for snubbing Katerina and himself, with the suggestions ranging from almost correct to wildly defamatory and offensive.

One of the main theories trending was that there was animosity between Rebekah and his fiancée, which was true but amidst all the rumours, nobody seemed to be remembering why the animosity was there in the first place.

Elijah knew that his sister wasn't racist, she didn't hate the Petrova's because they were Roma, she hated them because she loved Kol and blamed Katerina for having broken his heart when her affair with Elijah came to light all those years ago.

No matter how many times Elijah had tried to defend his Katerina to Rebekah, to point out that Kol was his brother and he'd made the active choice to betray him, she simply would not believe him to be the one at fault.

Rebekah spots him and stomps over, her short black dress flouncing around her thighs, the numerous pieces of royal jewellery flashing from her ears, neck, wrists and fingers and Elijah is certain that he spots a pin in her hair that is meant to belong to the Queen's collection.

"Little sister," he sighs as she gets within ear shot of a whisper, "I really do not wish to discuss anything with you at this present time."

Rebekah glares furiously at him, "Do you have any idea what everyone is calling me? They're saying that I'm a racist! Just because I refused to sit next to her, who was breaking protocol by sitting in the royal pew anyway."

Elijah had closed his eyes after speaking and tried to continue enjoying the weak sunlight until that moment, he forces them open now and lowers his head,

"Katerina was sitting next to me because I wished to have her there, she would have gladly sat with her family had I not asked her to stay with me. Yes, I broke protocol but I still maintained respect for the occasion. I know you are upset that our father died, but he wasn't just Mikael, he was King Mikael X of House Lothbrok and we weren't just his children but his heirs, the future King, the Crown Prince and the Children of Valhalla. It was the state funeral of a king, the eyes of the world were upon us and your actions turned it into a ridiculous spectacle reminiscent of an American soap opera. It was undignified and unworthy of your position…"

He looks over and sees that his car is ready and straightens up, checking his cuffs and slipping on his driving gloves,

"Now, I am going to spend the week with my fiancée and her family at Rose Seng, you have the run of the Palace but I do not think that it is too much to ask that you don't make a fool of yourself during this time; you'll also need to work with Lexi Branson to find a way to rehabilitate your image, preferably before the opening of the Winter Court."

With that, Elijah kicks back from the wall and strides across the garage where Lou and Ansel are standing to attention,

"Gentlemen," he smiles, "I'll see you both at the end of the week."

He takes his keys and turns to Ansel, "I'd tell you to take it easy this week but I wouldn't want to have to put you in the unfortunate situation of having to disobey me."

Ansel gives him a wry grin, "Your security detail has already checked over Rose Seng manor, I'll check in with you once a day."

Elijah nods and claps the man on the shoulder before lowering himself into the driver's seat and letting the car roar to life. Taking his sunglasses from the glove box, he checks that Rebekah isn't still in his way before peeling out of the garage and shooting down the private road between the palaces, turning right onto a gravel path that lead him along the tree lined avenue of the gardens to an almost secret gate, which would give him access to one of the main thoroughfares out of Hjart.

His fingers unclench from the wheel when he manages to pull into the road with ease, the commuter behind him clearly not recognising his future King or questioning the gate now closing behind him. He smiles slightly to himself as he turns on the sound system in his car and focuses on the road around him, the upcoming red light, the man next to him clearly not paying attention, the asshole tailgating him…

Driving relaxed Elijah, especially when he got out to the country and could just drive to the very edge of Valhalla and park on a cliff and stare out at the ocean or race the setting sun as he shot along the cliff side roads.

He'd done a lot of driving after Katerina had left, at first his security detail would follow but after his attempts to lose them grew more and more reckless, Ansel had settled for knowing exactly when the Prince was going driving and expecting notification when he returned.

When he drove all that mattered was him and the road before him.

During their years apart, Elijah had promised himself that if Katerina had ever contacted him, had ever invited him to America to see her, that they would drive across the states together, down route sixty-six and hire a red Chevrolet before driving into Las Vegas together.

Although without the obscene amounts of drugs, alcohol and ether in the trunk.

Perhaps they could do that for their honeymoon?

Rose Seng was only an hour and a half from the capital city and when he got within the town limits he slowed right down to the mandated speed and looked about curiously for any changes to the surrounds.

A new house had been built and a new hotel for the tourists who came for the annual flower show, but neither were overly modern, there were strict building regulations within Rose Seng, to keep the character of the town and for that he was grateful. There was something relaxing about coming to a place where time seemed to stop when it came to architecture and design, where the same families had lived for generations and the same customs were still upheld.

He skirts the main part of town and goes along the backroads, having to drive slowly and frequently stop for jaywalkers but not minding, until he sees the old signs for Rose Seng manor and turns off.

There is a wrought-iron gate at the beginning of the manor road, yet it was rarely closed and never manned. He drives down the short path to the manor house and pulls into the space that has been designated for him since the third time he'd visited.

Rose Seng manor had been burnt down by one the Mad Baron in the late eighteenth century and rebuilt in the classical design, with white stone and large windows, it was only two floors and thirty rooms but the gardens were beautiful and there was such beauty in the place.

And in its owners.

Baroness Petrova trips down the stairs to meet him, her arms open and he returns her embrace as she kisses him lightly on the cheek,

"Hello Elijah," she says warmly, "Are you hungry or thirsty? Or tired? Was the drive alright?"

He smiles through her attempt to be maternal and assures her that he is fine.

Most mothers in his world seemed to exist purely to throw their daughters in his path, and although Miranda Petrova had clearly considered slitting his throat when she'd discovered that he'd been sleeping with Katerina, once they'd become engaged she'd become the epitome of a loving mother-in-law, or tried to at least.

Elijah could never look past the calculation and ambition that seemed to be tattooed onto her eyes.

He looks over his shoulder and his heart sinks when he doesn't see Katerina, followed by momentary panic that she was more offended than he realised over Rebekah's actions or emotionally exhausted from returning to Ensamhet yesterday.

Miranda reads his facial expressions, "Last I saw Katerina, she was up in her room," she tells him lightly although he expects she's rather annoyed with her daughter for not greeting the king with her, "You know where it is of course."

Elijah blinks in surprise but keeps his smile on his face, "Of course."

Had that been a subtle insult?

He takes his bags out of the car and carries them inside, into the wooden panelled entry hall and up the marble stairs to the first guest bedroom on the second floor, letting himself in and dropping everything onto the floor with a satisfied sigh.

The room hadn't changed at all since he'd last left it six months ago.

Every room in the house had been redecorated by Miranda when she'd moved in and roses were everywhere, either in the wallpaper, the glass of the chandelier, the bedding.

In this room she had managed to source a carpet and bed sheets that both displayed roses but had picked heavy red curtains and wooden furniture that was more masculine and yet worked with the floral design.

He sits down on the bed and notes the modern mattress and the thick duvet. The room was small and thus, for him, always a bit too warm which was why he tended to sleep only in boxers when he stayed there.

It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Katerina's bedroom was across the hall.

Curious as to her absence, Elijah stands up and makes his way over to her door, knocking quietly and waiting for a response. When he hears none, he presses his ear to the door and then lets himself in.

Katerina's room was entirely pink, and she had been refused permission to change the design every year since she'd turned twelve. She had a niche in the wall where her bed was and curtains that could be drawn down across it.

She hadn't bothered this time and so he sees her instantly, laying on the duvet, still wearing her high heels, jeans and purple ribbed tank top, one arm thrown over her head, the other on her stomach, her lips slightly parted.

Elijah found himself caught between marvelling at how innocent she looked and how her low cut top showed off her breasts.

He remembered all too well the first time he'd snuck into her room, it had been a warm summer day and he'd dropped by the manor unexpectedly, claiming a headache had rendered him unable to drive back to Hjart and asked to stay the night. Around midnight, when he was sure the house was asleep, he'd slipped from his bed and across the hall to her room, lifting his hand to knock when she'd opened the door. She had been coming to see him but was still breathless with surprise when he'd slipped inside and closed the door behind him. He gathered her in his arms and kissed her passionately, standing there in the middle of the room, with his bare feet on her plush carpet, he'd refused to release her until they were both nearly faint from the lack of air.
Katerina had been wearing a white silk pyjama set and had bitten her lip as she shyly unbuttoned her shirt, allowing him to push it down her arms and see her breasts.
When he'd snuck back to his room an hour later, his erection had been almost painful and her breasts red from where his mouth and fingers had been.

He swallows and tries to distract himself with thoughts of the upcoming appointment of ministers, before Katerina wakes up to find him before her erect like some horny barbarian.

Cautiously, he sits down on the bed beside her and frowns when something crinkles underneath him, reaching down he sees a notebook and, once he's sure it isn't a diary, picks it up.

Leaning against the wall at the head of the bed, he reads the list, seeing names of courtiers followed 'y' or an 'n'.

Ah. Katerina's inventory of those to be issued invitations to Court.

He glances down cautiously as she begins stirring, standing up quickly and moving into view so that she doesn't panic at finding someone in her room.

"'Lijah?" she yawns and stretches her legs, "You shouldn't be here,"

His heart drops and his smile falters before she sits up, looking around blearily,

"You'll get caught." She continues, running a hand through her hair and cursing before pulling it back and looking at her engagement ring.

"Oh," she drawls as realisation dawns on her, "Right, you're allowed to be in here now."

He chuckles and sits down on one of her armchairs, "Recalling a time when I used to have to lie through my teeth to stay here?"

She smirks and leans back on her arms, "I was more focused on the times you were in my room, wearing a lot less than you are now."

She stands up and sashays over to him, straddling his legs before sitting down astride him, his mouth is dry as she reaches down and pulls off her top, showing the black lace bra underneath.

"Come to think of it, I never wore much either." She whispered before slipping her arms around his neck and leaning forward to kiss him. The kiss is slow and searching and Elijah waits until she is shifting even closer to him, her legs clenching around his thighs before he puts his hands on her hips. He bites her lip gently as he pulls away and teases her with a shadow kiss before turning his attention to her neck, pressing his lips just above the chain of her necklace before running his tongue over her and she whimpers,

"More," she pants in his ear and he lifts his hands to her waist and her bare flesh, stroking it with him thumbs, "More, Elijah."

He licks his lips and leans back to gaze into her eyes as he runs his hands around her to her back, pushing her forward until her crotch is pressed against his erection and she presses down and nods.

Gently, he runs his hands up to the clasp of her bra, slipping the hooks free and she slides it off her arms and throws it across the room before diving in for another kiss, this one passionate, as she slips her fingers into the collar of his shirt until she finds the button.

Her breasts press against his chest and he bites down gently on her neck, soothing with his tongue as one hand cups her arse through her jeans. He holds her in place as she unbuttons his shirt and tries to work it off him. When the chair gets in the way, he puts his other hand underneath her and stands up, causing her to gasp in surprise and wrap both her arms and legs tighter around him.

He divests himself of the shirt and is about to kiss her again when she lowers her head and reaches for the pendant around his neck,

"You still wear it." She whispers awestruck, holding the love rune between her fingers,

"Of course," he assures her, "I'll be wearing it when I'm crowned and when they push me out to sea and set me alight."

She blinks quickly and then presses her lips to his chest tenderly once, before her fingers come up and pinch his nipple, making him groan with delight.

"Bed?" he asks cautiously, kissing her earlobe and she bites her lip, looking over her shoulder before nodding, "Bed." She confirms.

He's just laying her down on the sheets when they hear the rapid approach of footsteps,

"Aunty Katty!…Aunty Katty!"

Elijah had forgotten to lock the bedroom door.

Thankfully all of those times they'd nearly been caught had left them with the ability to disguise a situation in seconds. So Elijah propels himself off Katerina, who immediately dives beneath the covers of her bed while he grabs his shirt from the chair and stands in front of the window, his back to the room as he hastily buttons it up, only making it halfway before little Nadia bursts into the room.

"Aunty Katty!" she calls searchingly before seeing him, "Hi King 'Lijah!"

Finishing the buttons and running a hand through his hair, Elijah turns to Nadia with a smile,

"Hello precious," he murmurs, "You'll have to be quiet I'm afraid, your poor aunt has a headache."

Nadia frowns in consternation and looks to the bed where Katerina's eyes are now half-closed and her hand is massaging her temples,

"Your head's sore, aunty?"

Katerina struggles to sit up, keeping her duvet firmly pressed to her chest,

"A little baby, I'll be fine."

Nadia pads heavy-footed across the room, "I'll kiss it better," she announces, jumping up onto the bed and clambering onto Katerina, probably causing more harm than good but she reaches up and presses a sloppy kiss to her forehead, "Better?" she asks, sitting back on her heels expectantly.

Katerina's beaming smile is so heartfelt that Elijah can't help but mirror it, "Amazing, I'm all healed."

Nadia cheers and jumps up and down on the bed, disrupting the covers and Elijah swoops in, grabbing her around the waist before she can wonder why her aunt isn't wearing a shirt.

"Where's my kiss?" he demands playfully as he tickles her, "My heart is broken!"

Nadia shrieks with delight as he carries her from the bedroom, into the hall just as Stefan comes up the stairs,

"There you are," he chastises, reaching for his daughter, "Sweetie, what have I told you about running in the halls?"

Elijah sets the squirming Nadia down and she faces her father, "I didn't run," she argues, "I raced and you lost and I'm a good girl because Aunty was sick in bed but I kissed her and now she's all better!"

Stefan raises his eyebrows before taking in Elijah's less than perfect appearance and closing his eyes in mortification,

"That's wonderful," he says, "Let's go see your Grandpa about becoming a doctor."

Nadia takes off thundering down the hall while her patient father mutters a quick apology and heads off after her, clearly embarrassed.

Katerina is bent over when he re-enters her room and he takes a moment to appreciate the view while trying to calm himself down as she picks up her bra and gets dressed,

"You'll be pleased to know," he jests as he goes to her mirror and begins setting himself right, "That Nadia is going to be the world's first mermaid medic."

She laughs lightly, "You're good with her," She compliments as she slips her top and jacket back on,

"Not many men are good with kids that aren't their own."

"Of course I'm good with her," he argues, slightly offended at being generalised,

"Several younger siblings and she's related to the woman I love."

Katerina came to lean against the wall next to him, crossing her arms and looking down at her heels and he watches her through the mirror,

"Elijah," she swallows nervously, "I don't want to talk about this but…are you clean? Have you been tested since you started seeing Gina?"

"Gia," he corrected automatically before reaching down to play with an old perfume bottle, running his finger over the diamond shaped top,

"And…no…I didn't, I didn't want to face your father in that respect but she assured me that she was free from any diseases."

Katerina makes a small sound of disapproval, "She could have something and not even know, you don't have to go to my father but…please get checked, if she has something that could make us both infertile…"

"I will," he promises, interrupting her as his cheeks flare with humiliation,

"And you?" he challenges, "Are you clean?"

She bites her lip, understanding the dig but nods, "I had myself checked every six months, the last time was only a week before I came back and we always used condoms."

He releases the breath he was holding with a sigh, "Wonderful, shall we discuss something else now? Or go walk the grounds perhaps?"

Katerina twirls a strand of her hair around her finger, "Or…it has been five years since I ate at the Rose Staff pub and…I'm kind of missing the food right now."

He chuckles, knowing that she's not referring to the secret menu for the locals but the tourist menu, "Well, you're in luck," he tells her as he guides her from the room, his hand on her lower back,

"Last time I was here they had goat's brie with rose jelly for appetizers, onion and rose milk soup for entrée, a lovely pork pie for main with rose water in both the pastry and in the filling and rose cupcakes, sorbet or mousse for dessert."

Katerina makes a disgusted face and he kisses her cheek, "You did say you were missing the food."

"Not the calorie content though."

Caroline glared at her laptop screen and sighed, promising that she would only answer another five emails and then totally be done and free to explore Katherine's hometown.

Which looked so awesome. She couldn't wait to do the perfume tour and the dessert making class and the…

Her phone buzzes and she glances it quickly before looking back with a smile.

The name Klaus flashed across the screen and she grabs it, unlocking it and reading the message,

Klaus- 'How are you enjoying Rose Seng so far?'

Caroline- 'So far…working, but tomorrow I'm going to see everything they have to offer."

Klaus- 'Are you going to the Glass Lake?'

Caroline frowns momentarily, deep in thought as she tries to recall having heard about it on the tourism sites. Oh yeah, it was a three-hour hike through the nearby national forest to a lake,

Caroline- 'I was planning on it, hopefully I can take a Petrova along as a tour guide.'

A few minutes later and her phone buzzed again,

Klaus- 'The Petrova's have seen it four times a year for decades, they won't want to go, but I haven't been to the lake yet and I'd love to see it before it gets too cold. Are you free tomorrow morning?'

She takes a moment to think. Katherine hadn't really given her any details for the week, just told her to relax or run wild as she preferred.

Caroline- 'Free all day, see you at eight?'

Klaus- 'See you then.'

Caroline smiles and bounces off the bed, heading from the second guest bedroom down the stairs to the hall where she sees Katherine's father walking past,

"Hi Mr Petrova," she calls as she steps onto the carpet, "Can I ask you a favour?"

Katherine's dad looks up with a smile, "Of course dear, how can I help?"

She grabs her phone out, "I was hoping you could tell me where the nearest sports store is? I'm going hiking tomorrow and will need proper boots."

He shakes his head, "There's one in town but first you should check with my wife and daughters, see if they have a pair that will fit you."

He jerks his head, indicating for her to follow him to one of the sitting rooms where Miranda is in conversation with a chef, they wait patiently for her to finish,

"Where are you going?" he asks curiously and she finds herself smiling idiotically again,

"Oh…the Glass Lake, K- Prince Klaus offered to take me."

It's on the tip of Alexander's tongue to mention how much he adored the Glass Lake and the hike through the forest to reach it. How he could stare at the water for hours and never once be bored.

Then he realises, with the wisdom of one no longer on the dating scene that if Caroline found out how much the Petrova's loved going to the lake, she might feel bad for going with the prince instead of them and invite them to come along.

So with a wistful grin, he stays silent.

A/N- Ha.