((Ah.....that explains why some of them are so reluctant to come out to be tor- I mean.....play! Yes that was waht I meant -nods sagely-))

The threat of the Ice Lord meant little to Kieran. He did not allow this to be known though. He manipulated his features, allowing a slight hint of fear to pass over his face before hastily covering it, as if ashamed of such a weakness. "I mean your heir no harm, My Lord," he murmured although he was not entirely sure of the other heard or even registered that he had replied. It made no matter. He had been granted his request. Really the warning was unnecessary. After all what kind of amateur would allow themselves to be seen in the presense of their target? It was a pitiful thought and Kieran barely managed to keep the scorn off his face before bowing and exiting the gathering hall. He could still feel the stares of the revelers on his back but he paid them no mind, walking with his back straight and motions flowing like silk, his tails swishing through the air gracefully. As he exited he caught Cercei looking at him but her face remained neutral as ever. A strand of hair had fallen accross her cheek and at this angle, because of the deep red colour of her hair, ears and tails, it almost looked like she had a deep cut going from ear to mouth. She was not a full blooded shadow kitsune, of that he was sure. No shadow kitsune had amber eyes. That was a trait of their cousins but it really made no difference to Kieran. She was dangerous but she could also be a useful aly and that was all he needed to know about Cercei Fireflare.

A servant, possibly the same one from earlier, was scuttling by when he exited the gathering chamber and he quickly called to her, asking her to take her to Prince Acelin's room. She loked at him strangely at the request but never the less did as she was bid and soon he was passing through unfamiliar halls. He once again began to map out the castle, measuring the distance between his own quarters and Ace's in case it proved useful later. You never did know exactly what information it paid to know so it was better to just observe everything and then discard it only after it aws proved useless.

The journey to Ace's quarters was a relatively short one and the maid bowed to him, murmuring some formality under her breath which he did not aknowledge before she scuttled down the hallway once again. He knew his way back to his own chamber having mapped it out in his mind so he was not worried about finding his way back later. He debated knocking, announcing his presense but decided against it for the moment. After all if he was Ace's betrothed he had a certain liberty about the castle and he intended to use that. He closed his eyes and focused on his ears, willing them to hear as much as possible. He could not make out any movement but there was a faint, rapid beating....Ace's heartbeat. He smirked. So the other was awake was he? Good.

Kieran pushed open the door to Ace's room and stepped inside, shutting the door behind him so as to give them both some semblance of privacy. He looked at the other in the bed, seemingly asleep but kieran noticed the strategically placed hands and knew that the other was clutching at least one weapon. "You know..." he purred, taking a few steps closer to Ace, his hands outstretched and away from any of his concealed weapons. "It is not considdered the best of manners to leave a celebration early, especially when the celebration is in your honour." He stepped a few paces away from the bed and allowed his eyes to drift around the room, taking in the lit fire, clearly freshly stoked. So teh prince had been out of bed already. Good. That meant that whatever had been done to Ace while he was out of siight was superficial.

(( *cough* totally. They love coming out to be tortured... I totally meant roleplaying! Totally! *nods* o-o" They are kept in the closet with all of their friends *and enemies* ))


His grip on the knife tightened as he heard the door open and then close again. It could be anyone and he was not about to let them take him by surprise. It would be a difficult fight from this position, but it could be done if his life depended on it. He would just have to pray that he was faster than the other person in drawing his dagger. He was at a disadvantage and would have to work with it. For now he just hoped that he could catch them off guard since they would hopefully believe he was sleeping.

Then came the familiar voice and Ace relaxed his body and opened his eyes, a small smirk crossed his features. He slowly sat up in the bed and pulled the long dagger out and placed it on his lap. He leaned against the backboard. Ace played with the knife, running his fingers over the blade and slowly tracing abstract patterns in the metal.

“I could say the same thing to you. Do you not know how to knock? What if I had been in the middle of a complicated ritual and you interrupted it? I tend to do such things you know. Or worse I could have killed you. I thought you were an assassin. I’ve had to deal with them before and this would have left me open to attack. Here, let me get you some tea.”

Ace put the knife down on the bed and stood up, using the post to help him up. The world still did not want to stay still, and dizziness overtook him, he sat down for a second before standing up again and going to his desk. He got out green tea leaves, knowing the other would prefer something that tasted better than medical tea. He poured a cup for him and shoved it into his hands. He would make sure the Prince drank it after everything he did to make it for him.

“There.” On the way back to the bed he grabbed the salve and rubbed some on his the right side just under his hair line. He could already feel the bruising coming on. Ace would have to do something about that soon.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. He then grabbed the cup of dandelion tea and sips at it to settle his stomach.

“Wow, I should pass out at gatherings more often, it gets me out of there pretty quickly. I’ll have one of the maids send my father a message that I will be fine and do not need to see the doctor in the morning. It is just a waste of time and I am too tired to make up an excuse for my stupidity.”

Kieran smirked as the prince showed him the long blade he'd been gripping. It was clearly finely made and had a razor edge. He was quite sure that it could cut through teh toughest wyvern pelt with barely any resistance but that was just a guess. It certainly looked the part and he had no doubt that, in this case, appearances were not deceiving. The other was certainly well prepared and on guard, even after suffering a blow to the head, something which normally addled the mind for quite a while after the initial blow had been struck.

"As your betrothed I was obligated to ensure you were well," Kieran stated firmly. He internally grimaced at the mention of assassins. Well if nothing it added to the challenge. He was aware of the danger and he was prepared to defend himself. That was good. Although...could he really be raised in the court? Normally heirs weren't this well trained. They were arrogant idiots that knew the bare minimum and were only chosen because they were either first born or because there was no other option. It was the clever ones you had to watch out for, the ones that came to power because something had happened to teh other or because they had clawed their way up to the top ruthlessly. Something was.....different here though.

"And as for an assassin, who would be so ignorant taht they would attack you now of all times? Their presense would be easily missed, narrowing down the possibilities of who comitted the crime. Not to mention that there would be hardly any challenge, especially since the rest of the hall saw you faint. Really, where would the fun in that course of action be? He smiled sharply at the other, his slightly elongated canines flashing in the firelight as he stared at teh ice prince.

Once the tea was passed to him Kieran sniffed it quickly, subtly of course, and determined taht there was no foreign agents that could do him any harm, no poison or drug which would affect his senses so he took a small slip, savouring the taste as it ran through him. He much preferred the warm to the cold and being here was not doing anything good for his body. It was making his muscles feel uncomfortably slow and, though he knew he would get used to it over time, it was not a pleasing experience to feel you were not at the top of your game, to feel taht you could be doing a lot better than you were. It couldn't be helped though so he put it to the back of his mind and refocused on teh ice heir while taking a second sip of the tea.

"Besides, I hardly think it would be apropriate if a prince began stumbling into every celebration in his honour. The rumors it would spread.....then again it would stir up some excitement, something which is always lacking on these occasions. Goddess forbid something as unseemly as a death spoil the occasion!"

---------- Post added 07-17-2012 at 07:53 PM ----------

((Sorry it's taken me so long to reply. RL's been being a bit ...well...let's just say that I'll be glad when August comes along and I can finalise plans after I get my grades from teh last year.))

“Yeah, take care of me, sure. Would you please stop being so damned formal. It gets on my nerves and makes me feel like I’m in the court. You’re a person, not just a prince. You are not expected to be perfect at all times. I am far from a prince, that’s just a character I play for the courts.”

He stretched and closed his eyes for a second. He needed to keep in his senses. Ace was having a bit of trouble with the dizziness and would have to ask the book keeper in his father’s library to find a herb for that. Right now he could not deal with talking to those useless people.

Ace gave a snort and let out a small bark of laughter, “Who would take the risk of taking this opening? You want me to list how many I know personally that would do it for a bottle of good alcohol, or even just ‘cause they hate me? I know a lot of people and there are many that would happily take such an opening.”

“It’s also a simple task to get yourself a hired killer. Pay them, get them in as a servant of the delegate or even a carriage driver. Make sure to get word to them, and they will come in for the kill, no one would ever notice them and they would be back to their position within minutes,” He smirked remembering that he would be one of those people that would have been paid off for a kill, “Hell, you met me a while back you could have paid me with a rare object or even just straight out money I would have done it. It isn’t that risky and fun doesn’t matter as long as you get paid, although I would prefer something much more fun. Most people that are paying for a hit just require that you do not link it back to them, so that gives you a long leash to pull at.” Ace poured himself some more tea and hoped that he got what he paid for with these herbs, it was hard to get fresh herbs when you were in the middle of the tundra.

He watched as the Shadow Prince sniffed the tea. That would be very helpful, those extra senses, while the Ice clan had more spiritual powers than anything Ace found useful. He had a strong hate of the spirits and so on. They were just cheaters pawns to gain an advantage in a battle as he saw it. Then again, Ace was not the one to talk on honor. He had done a lot to cheat in fights before, because you had to remember, it was the survivor that told the story, not the one whose body was left bleeding in an alleyway.

“Really? I thought a death just brought out the better side of people. I think it makes it all the more cheery. I know of this bar in the west of the Ice Clan territory. They had one of their regulars die and kept on buying him drinks. Took ‘em three full days to realize the poor bastard had died! Can you believe that?” Ace laughed, sure he had ‘heard’ of it. It was more of he had been there on that third day, “Well, this kid, he kept stealing the drinks from the dead man and yelled at ‘em that he was dead. So you know what they did? They gave the dead guy one more round and threw the body into the back alley. After that they drank in his honor! Ain’t that the perfect reason to drink more? I believe it is. When I die, there are some bastards that better drink in my honor and if they spill any of the good stuff for me I will haunt them for wasting drink!” Ace gave a lazy smile in remembering his friends. They would never waste anything, instead would just tell him to screw himself. Then again, he would do the same thing to them.

As the months had passed he grew more and more to miss his home, but it was vital for him to remain here in as the Ice Prince. In the end it would pay off in his favor. Sure he had not planned to become engaged to the Shadow Prince, but he would have to find a way to work that into something. He was tired of being a puppet to the Ice Lord and hoped that his hurt dignity would be a low price for everything over all.

“You could probably tell, I’m not from here and I’m growing to hate this place more and more. Father thought it would be better if I was raised away from the castle, that way it would be safer, since it is easiest to get rid of a heir when they are too young to take care of themselves.” He looked at the Shadow Prince. Ace was back to his half-truths and full lies, well, half-truth could not be fully revealed, at least not yet.

(( *nods* totally fine! RL loves just coming up and pouncing on people, it had done the same to me. ))

Kieran, caught off guard, allowed his face to show surprise before hastily covering it. The prince had lived outside the palace and had, by his own admission, been little more than a merc? This was interesting, very interesting. He began toshift his plans around in his mind, rearranging strategies and safe guards. This might present a problem later on but for the moment it would add to the excitement. They were more similar than he had first thought but there were key differences. While the ice prince had been raised outside the palace and trained by who knows who Kieran had been raised inside and forced to undergo training that would have made a lesser creature break. Some did, becoming lifeless drones whose soul purpose was to obeyorders. They could not think beyond their mission. Kieran had survived though. He had survived the trials and tortures of the training and although he knew it was not yet complete he felt sure that he could continue, that he would remain himself and would not become a lifeless drone like some of the others. He knew it could be done, the evidence was in the palace right now, playing the charming foreign ambasador. if she could do it so could he.

"I supose I could drop the formalities....." he hummed, tilting his head to look at the pce prince through his lashes. "But really...what fun would that be?" He took another sip of his drink and allowed it to warm him. The heat spread out from his stomach and he briefly relaxed his posture a little. He hated the cold more than almost anything. Really that was probably one of the reasons he had been the one chosen. Along with his abilities he was hated by his other siblings and it would be the perfect way to hurt him and punsih him. By sending him to this barren, frozen place he was being punshed by his siblings. He would not sucumb to it though.

"It si true that young ones are easier to kill," Kieran allowed. "But younger minds are far more...adaptable. They are able to think in ways fully grown individuals are not. They are not so set in their ways that they allow themselves to become constrained. They also say that a cornered beast is the most vecious, especially if it iswounded." He smiled slightly at the ice prince, allowing a slight hint of one sharp canine to be seen before it was once again covered.

There were more people beginning to walk past the room. Their footsteps were soft but Kieran was able to hear them thanks to his sensetive ears. He wondered what time it was. Surely the veent had not finished already or had the king called a hault to it because of he adn Ace dissappearing? He would not want to make the annoucement tonight, not without the two parties in question being absent. No, the smart thing to do would be to wait for tomorrow when he could present them together in the light of day.

“Hmm, what would the fun be? After all, I could never think about taking away your fun.” Ace rolled his eyes sarcastically and smirked, “The fun would be finally talking to someone who does not sound like they are in front of the Ice Lord at all times. I severely doubt that he is all knowing, thus there is no reason to not talk informally while not in his presence. Although if he is, please, do tell me. Then it would be a good idea to just off myself without his help. There is far too much he must not know I have done. In fact, anyone should know.”

Ace runs a hand through his white hair and gives a mock frown. Right now the least of his worries was things done in the past. In fact, some of them would actually be a nice refresher to things here.

It was all the sharp lines and perfect people that were getting to him. He had no clue how he would survive until the death of the Ice Lord. That was the moment he was waiting for and he would have to admit it sounded harsh, but it was necessary.

No matter what, the Ice Lord was still extremely attentive and clever. He was the kind or person that had a checkmate by the point you had barely touched your first pawn.

Ace was taking on his biggest challenge to date with even having the thought cross his consciousness. The consequences he did not know, although something was telling him it was better to not know. It would be a big step up, or a huge mistake.

Politics have killed more than bandits, practically a proven fact. Publicity was sharper than a warrior’s blade. It was faster than the best trained assassin, yet just as potent. This high up in the game, blades were a big cry to the public on what had happened, anything that died, had to be covered up, otherwise the talking would start and the gossip would never cease.

“Anyone is adaptable if placed in the right situation, if they are not full of themselves or hard headed. Young minds are just as easy to corrupt as an elder’s, it all depends on how you coax those changes.” He put down the cup of tea and muttered under his breath and ended with a snort, “Of which I am one of, hard headed and with the stubborn ideals of a westerner.”

“I would have to disagree. A cornered animal is not the one you should be looking at, it is the one that is coming up behind you to stab you with a dagger while you are distracted. It would be either that or a scorned woman. I have had experiences with both of those, and would say you have a better chance to escape with your life if you face the first one.” As always his seriousness was hidden behind humor. Someone like him smiled for a living, and he expected to continue on.

Once you found your own way of making life livable, you find out that you can do nothing but that. Such a drastic change to the castles seemed crazy, yet here he was still alive.

To go one day from killing for a meal, and then the next people killing each other just to get a look at you, that had to be true insanity. Life was still livable, but not comfortable at all.

He smirked at Kieran and slightly tilted his head, “How did you grow up, Shadow Prince? I mean, you lived in the castles and all. What was it like? I know it sounds a bit stupid,” Ace instantly wishes he chose his words better. He was never good at talking, all of his still was in thinking. He often offended people with his straight to the point approach.

“You had ‘em private tutors to teach you to read or write? I bet one for history, even, and whatever other skills you would need when you grew up? Maybe even a weapon’s master to teach you. I mean I doubt you just went out to the nearest tavern and started a bar fight to learn or anything. That would be amusing to see though, if you do not mind me saying.”

More and more he wonders if his mind goes out of its way to come up with the oddest sounding things to say. That was one thing he hated about the castles, he never knew if what he was speaking was out of line.

The questions about how he grew up caught Kieran off guard but he did his best not to show it. He tlted his head curiously, ears twitching as he looked at the ice prince. A thousand different options and possibilities ran through his mind and were whipped away again like a piece of sail cloth in the wind.

"Tell you what," Kieran said, a smirk crossing his face and a bright light entering his bright eyes. "I will stop being so formal if..." he paused for a moment, allowing the ice prince to think on what he could possibly ask for before replying. "You agree to conduct your blood divination while I watch." He wanted to see exactly how the prosess worked. When he was younger he was not able to view everything and his curiosity was reering it's ugly little head. He was a kitsune and by nature they were curious and once something caught his attention he would not relinquish ti until he got what he wanted and in this case he wanted to see exactly how a blood divination worked.

"I supose I'll need to take your word for some of that although i do agree about watching out behind you..." he trailed off, thinking back to his training and how many times he'd been sure of his vitory, sure that he'd taken care of every possible enemy only to have someone come up behind him on silent paws and get him from behind. He had learned his lesson now but, it seemed, not well enough since the ice prince had corrected him.

What could he possibly tell the other about his past though? "Oh, my childhood was wonderful! From teh age of ten I've been trained to be an assassin and my current target is you?" Or possibly. "I've been trained since near birth and my lessons nearly killed me more times than I care to count?" or even better "My lessons covered everything from every single way to cause pain on the body to how effective different poisons are on different species and I know how to use them effeciently?" No, somehow he didn't think that would be a good idea. He didn't have to be a genius to figure that out.

"My childhood was...a little more interesting than my siblings," he began, choosing hsi worsd carefully. "I am the youngest out of my siblings and as such I am not, technically an heir. According to kitsune customs a king is only allowed to have three claims to the throne, three heirs. I believe the word my father used to describe me was..."unexpected"...I carry the title of prince but it is just for show. I will not inherit my father's kingdom. Perhaps taht was why I was chosen. I have nothing to inherit and so I bring nothing. A good political move on my father's part I supose since hardly any other clan has this tradition." He smiled self depricatingly at the ice prince. "But I made teh best of what I was given and dealt with it. It could have been worse." Not by much, it ahd to be said, but it could have been a lot worse. If he wasn't shipped off here to this arranged marriage it would have been worse but his training had eased up over the last few months so taht he barely had any injuries and the ones he did get were healed within a few hours thanks to his kitsune natural healing abilities.

Interesting, a word that was never good when one was describing one’s childhood, usually meant something they did not want to say. He had to give the Shadow Prince credit though with his creativity. Ace had realized he had found a kink in the Prince’s armor. He would have loved to poke at it a bit more, but decided that would only make Kieran close off to him more if anymore prodding was done in that particular spot.

“You want to see my blood divination? That is fine. I’ve never performed for an audience before, although my tutor might kill me for this.” Ace stood up and went over to the desk, he started pulling out several items and came back on the side of the bed, then started setting things up on the floor.

“Well, you see. I’m a bit new at the divinations, but I did not like the way that he was trying to show me, so I found something much more effective in theory. I tried to explain what I had come up with, but sadly, I was scolded and told that it was dangerous. Like any normal person, I am going to ignore that bastard completely and do what I want.” He nodded and spoke as he continued to set them up.

When Ace was done he looked over his small alter. It was set up upon red cloth, gold design running along the edgings. On that was a mirror and a rock, and several small gold coins placed on certain places along the cloth. On the left hand side of the cloth there was a silver dagger. The last piece missing was the blood from his victim, in a small vile that he kept on him.

There was something worrying him. Ace attributed it to his paranoia. The Ice Prince stood up and went to the door, he opened it and whistled. His Hellhound came bounding at the shrill noise and ran into the room. He gave a slight growl at the Kitsune. In turn, Ace gave the dog a small growl shutting him up.

Ace was truly worried about his vulnerability during the ceremony. Out of body divination like he was about to do left him at his weakest, barely able to sense the physical realm. Now that he had his dog, if any move was made to harm him, that beast would gladly attack and aim to kill, if not maim for fun at first, in its own way of avenging for its master.

He did not like the idea of leaving himself so open. This was one of the reasons that you were to never give a divination unless you were protected or with someone you fully trusted. On this one it was the first.

The dog sat behind him as Ace sat down on the floor. Ace glanced at Kieran before averting his eyes to his alter.

“The hellhound is necessary. He will attack and does not hesitate. I do not recommend sudden movements while he is around, may mistakes you for the foxes I take him hunting for, one of his favorites.” The threat was obvious to anyone who could hear. He found that he was growing a bit fond of the prince and would like to keep him alive if the circumstances allowed it. Although that would not happen if a strike at his life was taken.

There were not more words that were necessary by this point. Ace took the dagger and made a cut on his right hand and press down on it with his finger to draw out the blood. Once his fingertip was coated he pressed it to each of the gold coins and then went back to draw a bit more. This time he drew a symbol for spirit on the rock. Ace tied a rag over his hand and then went to grab the vile. He had no time for any healing at this moment, it was about the ritual, once started it had to be completed.

Once the vile was open he drew the symbol for death on the mirror. Everything was improvised to his own ideas from what had been read to him, and from what he had learned from before his time at the castles. He had learned it, but never found the opportunity to use it until now.

Ace took the mirror gingerly in both hands and brought it up to his face. He could see himself and anything behind him through the glass of the mirror. Next he leaned close to the hand mirror and softly set his lips to the cold, before bringing his face only a few centimeters away and he blew softly over the glass, while he kept his eyes closed. Air quietly blew past bloodstained lips and it frosted the mirror, the crack of ice sounded through the room.

When he opened his eyes the glass was completely frosted over and no longer reflected this world or any. He grabbed the rock tightly in his left hand and slammed it into the glass. The first blow did absolutely nothing, yet after two more times the mirror had cracked, and a jagged piece had fallen off, but that was more than enough.

This was the risk, it led a path into the spirit world, far beyond them. A thing such as this led an opening to it and when done like this was almost impossible to close off. He had a plan, but was not sure if it would work…

Ace held the mirror at eye level and gazed into it. Once reflective glass was spider webbed with cracks. Yet there was something beyond that. A fog rolled past the glass and he stared into it.

He put down the mirror and looked around the room. There was no alter, no Prince across from him. Everything was dim and gray. The window was broken and the tundra wind had carried the frost into the room.

Everything sat perfectly into its place, although anything that had lived was dead and taken by the ice. It was beautiful to say the least. The cold had preserved everything so perfectly. Maybe this was that perfection that he was supposed to achieve.

Ace stood up in the empty room. He winced in pain and felt different. His clothing was in rags and chains ran over his chest and shoulders. It wound tightly around his neck and his skin was pierced in places by the chains. Fate displayed itself in many ways, but he doubted that this would mean anything good. Still he persisted forward. He walked over to the window and looked out over the empty land.

The silence was deafening. Ace wanted to scream just to break it, but he found himself afraid of what might be attracted to his voice.

He kept the mirror in hand, making sure to keep a tight grip on it. That was his only way back and he had heard stories of people who had been lost because their doorway disappeared on them.

“Ice Prince.” Ace stun around, free hand going instinctively to his blades that were not there.
There was a young male there. White robes reaching to the ground and long white hair half pulled up by golden hair ornaments. His eyes were the palest of blues and had a hardened look to them.

“You know you should not be here. It’s not safe at all. I know why you are here, though. You want to know of what will become of the future. There are no needs for pleasantries and I go by no name, there is no time for questions.”

The spirit stepped forward and placed two fingers against Ace’s forehead.

Ace tried to scream as pain filled his body, images ran through his mind. So still, some just fragments of a bigger picture.

Blood. It was there again, lots of it, over his hands, his blades. There was a field, bodies strewn about it. The tundra lined with soldiers. So many images of war. Kieran screaming. There were people. Much bad was going to come to them. Kieran held close to him. And even the image of someone he had not expected to see again…

Throughout this experience his body was still, just staring the mirror. His pale green eyes dilated as he stared into the mirror. He spoke, going through what was happening. He had explained the room, the spirit.

His body had had shook in a spasm of pain before his breathing quickened and his heartbeat pounded even faster. His voice was quick and a small whisper as he described the images given to him.

Ace closed his eyes to blink and when he opened them. The room was there, warm, and so was Kieran. He had no idea how long he had been gone. It could have been seconds, minutes, or even years and he would not have noticed.

He looked at the mirror and felt a soft cold breath over his neck, and the voice.

“You will be betrayed from the person you least expect it from, and I still suggest running as an option. I would prefer you disappear and never be found.”

Again he cut his own hand with the knife and took his finger over the point where the glass was missing, and traced over the lines, hopefully sealing off the doorway he had created.

“Is that what you were wanting when you said that you wanted a divination? If that did not meet to your standards, I am pretty sure nothing will. Now, I believe there is something you want to tell me, hopefully.” It was more of a grab at straws, after all, everyone had secrets, but he hoped that maybe this that would trick the Prince into telling him something that he might have believed Ace to have already seen.

Kieran watched as if in a trance. He could not take his eyes away from the ice prince. The hellhound was nearby and he had heard the threat loud and clear in the other's voice but he had no intention of moving, not now, and maybe not ever. His mind seemed to have ground to a complete hault as he watched the prince use his blood to begin the ridual. He unconsciously licked his lips as he watched the prince use his blood, tracing a symbol on the mirror and earlier the rock. He unconsciously thought of sealing the wounds when the prince was finished but that thought was uqickly fergotten as the prince began to speak.

It was like he was there but yet not there, his body was still present in the room but his mind and soul seemed to have gone elsewhere with his mouth as the conduit that linked the two. He watched the pale lips move and unconsciously he mouthed along with the words, amathyst eyes gazing at the other intently. As the words painted a picture in Kieran's mind he felt a chill settle over his body despite the warmth of the room with it's blazing fire. The cold seemed to settle deep into his bones and it had no intention of leaving. It was spreading out, seeping from his bones to his very core, settling within him and making a permenant home within.

When the prince came back to himself Kieran also seemed to snap out of his trance. He shook his head, trying to dislodge the images that had been painted into his mind but they were still there, lingering in the background, fuzzy and incomplete as if seen from a great distance but still...Ace had seen these images clearly? Had felt that soul deep cold? If it was this intense from just watching how must it have felt to experience it first hand? A great strength was clearly required for such a task.

"It was...impressive," Kieran admitted. He eased himself forward slowly, making no sudden movements as was instructed earlier. He made no move to glance at the dog for fear it would take the look as a challenge from a fellow canine based creature and so kept his attention focused completely on the ice prince. Soon he was at the other's side and kneeling by him. His eyes met the others but he was unsure of whether the other had seen his intentions. It was a game the other was playing he was almost sure but not revealing information now may not help his situation later. It was a dangerous game and he knew it would be the second he had asked the other to show him a divination. It had been a calculated risk and whether it paid off or not remained to be seen.

"You are very powerful..." he murmured, his voice low, almost a whisper as he stared at the other. Power was atractive to Kieran, intoxicating in fact. Ace was drawing him in like a moth to a flame. Words formed in his mind and he spoke without really thinking. "What would you have me say? There is no single answer to your question and I cannot give you an answer unless I know what it is you seek to know."

Almost of their own accord his hands reached out and gently grasped the ice prince's hand. He unwound the cloth that covered the newly made wounds before lifting the hand to his mouth and gently pressing his lips against the bloody flesh. The blood was hot and sweet against his tongue as he softly lapped at the skin, sealing the wound and once more enjoying the subtle flavours of the ice heir's blood.