"So, that's how Roman and I got banned from going into the kitchen for two years!" Remus said chirpily, a part of his dead soul rising when he saw the Ver King softly smirk in amusement.

"I guess," Janus said slowly. "That it is quite funny how you managed to drench your head chef in scolding butter. I'm assuming your father wasn't very happy?"

Remus shrugged. "Yeah, he shouted at us and grounded me."

The King frowned. "Why only you?"

"I dunno. My father does stuff like that," Remus said simply.

The pair were supposed to be riding towards a certain place that Remus wanted to show Janus but, honestly, they were going in circles in a quiet field a little way off the palace. Why? Because Janus didn't know that and it gave Remus all the time he wanted to just be in the King's' presence. Because King Janus was beautiful and he could stare at him all day.

And then there was Roman.

"Remus!" Yelled out his brother, completely ruining the moment. "Hey, Remus!"

"Ugh, what is it?" Groaned Remus, turning his horse around to face the fast approaching Crown Prince.

Roman smiled, obviously unaware that he had ruined Remus's' highlight of the day. "Do you want to visit Mother?" Okay, Remus's' day had a new highlight.

"Is she ready for visitors today?" He asked brightly, a smile cracking his face.

Roman nodded. "I heard so at breakfast, apparently she talked to her lady-in-waiting this morning!"

Remus began to dismount from his horse. "Sorry, King Janus, but I gotta go!"

Janus looked slightly put out, but he feigned indifference as he shrugged. "Alright." Then he reached out blindly, placing a hand on his kleindraak's' head and Krag instantly yanked on the reigns' of Janus's' horse, spinning it around and halting to let the King face the direction of the twin princes.

"Hey, take my horse too, will you?" Remus said brightly, shoving the reigns of his steed in the King's' hands.

The Ver frowned. "Don't you need it to get back? We were riding for a long time."

"Nah, we're in a field next to the palace and have been for the past hour."

"You said we-"

"I lied! See ya, King Janus!" Remus said peppily, running off after Roman who had already started making his way over to the palace.

.:*:.

Melissa sat up when she heard a knock on her door. Her heart swelled and she called out thinly, "Come in!"

Instantly the door burst open and in ran the lights of her life.

"Mummy!" Chorused her sons, flinging themselves happily to her bedside, wrapping her tightly in a hug.

The Queen beamed. "Hello, Roman, hello, Remus. What's brought you here?"

"We heard you were feeling better!" Roman said brightly. "We wanted to say hi!"

"Yeah!" Remus chirped, still refusing to let go of his mother. "We never get to see our birth-giver anymore!"

"Birth-giver?" Smiled their mother. "That's a new one."

Remus grinned. "I made it up just now!"

The princes may have grown a lot, but there was an innocence that only ever emerged around their mother. So much of their childhood with her had gone that, when they had the chance, they were no longer as old as they truly were, but fourteen again, fighting over their mother's' attention and affection, like brothers do.

Melissa wrapped her arms happily around her children, hiding her weakness behind a large smile. "I'm so happy to see you two, I've missed you a lot."

"Will you be well enough to come down to dinner?" Roman asked. "The other races will be joining us, even the Ver-"

"Yeah!" Remus grinned. "I want you to meet my future husband!"

Melissa and Roman both frowned, but it was the Crown Prince he said, "You're not engaged."

Remus locked eyes with his brother. "King Janus is gorgeous and I will marry him."

Roman rolled his eyes with a sigh and Melissa laughed. "Oh, Remus, I'm sure he won't be able to resist you soon enough. You just keep using that natural charm of yours, and-"

"Ha!" Roman barked. "Remus isn't charming! I've seen him, he just sneaks up behind King Janus and just hugs him and starts talking rapidly!"

Remus narrowed his eyes with a pout. "At least I'm admitting I like someone. Whereas you keep pretending that you don't find his butler cute."

Now it was Roman's' turn to glare. "I'm not gay."

"Yes, you are."

"Am not."

"Are to."

"Am not!"

"Are to!"

"Boys!" Melissa interrupted. "Please, enough. You don't need to fight."

The two princes bowed their heads, hiding individual smirks. "Sorry, Mummy," They chorused, shooting each other a teasing glare.

The Queen carefully began to sit higher up in the bed, slowly using her weakened, frail muscles to push herself up to the same level as the twins. "Now..." She smiled. "Let's see if there's something I can wear for dinner tonight, hmm?"

.:*:.

Virgil carefully drew the symbol from the moonbrim into the torch while blindfolded, which is harder than it sounds. Koue would growl and chirp instructions to him while perched comfortably in his tall horns. She made a small disapproving noise and Virgil frowned.

"Koue, if you're gonna be such a critic, get out of my horns and do it yourself," He told her.

Almost instantly, the kleindraak shut up and whimpered apologetically.

"That's what I thought," Smirked the Ver. The smile fell. "Why the hell do I have to do this? I know I'm technically just a butler but, seriously?" Koue grunted in agreement as Virgil continued complaining. "I mean, surely there's someone else they can get to do this job. Y'know, someone less important."

He moved over to the next torch, crushing some moonbrim over the bracket. "Seriously, I get it but this is, like, a servants' job, not the King's' butler's' job. Why isn't Bose getting its' own workers to do this? It's their palace and we're their guests and I shouldn't have to do any of this!"

Koue growled in agreement, curling her tail around one of the long legs of Virgil's' horns. She snorted slightly and Virgil nodded. "You said it, Koue. This job sucks. I mean, I'm supposed to do this blindfolded?! I know Jan is annoyed that I keep running into the prince's' and he wants me to stay away but he could have given me any job other than this." Then, he got an idea.

Virgil slowly smiled. "Okay, Koue," He said slowly, lowering the bowl of moonbrim. "Fly to each torch and crush in some moonbrim for me, I'm gonna get this over with."

He felt the kleindraak unwrap from his horns and the uncomfortable rush of blindness coming over him. Listening to Koue doing the task, he slowly moved his back against the wall, as if it would make up for his inability to see. Virgil stuck out his arm and waited, then Koue perched on it.

The hand he held out began to crackle and dance with purple lightning. Koue wrapped her tail around his arm and swung it to the left. She growled and he fired. The room was suddenly a whole lot cooler and Koue scuttled up his arm to his horns and Virgil took off his blindfold, smirking triumphantly in the light of the blue flames.

"Much better. Now, let's get outta here and find Jan. He's gotta need something," Virgil claimed, reluctantly pulling on his blindfold again and pricking his ears as Koue gave him instructions on where to go.

.:*:.

Patton smiled and ran up to Logan as he saw the Ged enter the room. "Hey, Logan," He said. "Do you want to sit by me?"

"I was under the impression we were to sit with our kingdoms," Logan frowned.

Patton shook his head. "No, we're supposed to mingle, like at the Greeting Ball. So, wanna sit with me?"

"I guess it can do no harm. I'll join you, Patton," The Ged decided after a second of thought. He followed the fae down to the centre of table. The room was filled with idle chatter and the hosting royals were yet to arrive, despite King Janus, the Ged Governors and the Fae leaders all sitting up at the head of the table.

That's when the doors opened and King Haphual entered, a pale and sickly woman who carried herself with dignity leaning on his arm. The two princes were following behind, both smiling brightly, eyes only on the woman.

Patton gasped and his eyes widened. He leaned close to Logan and whispered, "Is that the Queen?"

The room was silent now and Logan whispered back, "I believe so. I heard that she was very sick, but I didn't imagine this."

Despite Queen Melissa's' shaky frame, she dressed to her power. Her dress was heavy and a dark, crimson-blush red. It cut like a square at her bosom, frilled with gold trimming and jewels studded the large necklace on her chest. Her hair, a light brown with ashen streaks, was half loose, half wound tightly in a bun, perched on the back of her head. She didn't wear a crown, but she also didn't need to.

Leaning on her husband, she let King Haphual walk her over to a silver throne that had sat empty for many months. The twins trailed behind her, taking slightly smaller silver chairs beside hers. King Haphual sat self-righteously in a golden throne, smiling adoringly at his wife.

Chatter started slowly, before rising to the same excited buzz.

"I can't believe it," Patton squealed. "I thought we wouldn't see the Queen since she was so ill!"

"She definitely looks like her ailment has taken effect on her," Mused Logan softly. "It's a shame. She may not have long to last."

Patton spun around with a frown. "That's incredibly rude."

"I-I'm sorry," Logan blinked, taken aback. "I didn't mean offense, I was just commenting-"

"You shouldn't talk about that kind of stuff," Patton huffed, his happy mood evaporated. "It can be a sensitive subject."

Logan glanced away shamefully. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Patton replied evenly. "But there are a few subjects that can touch a bit too close to home for some people."

"...Oh."