"Ouch! Would you stop poking me with those things?!" I snapped at the tailor Irene had brough me to.

At the moment I was standing on some sort of stool in nothing except my underwear with my arms lifted straight out. Safe to say my arms ached, my pride was severely hurt, and I was pretty sure my face and neck were a brilliant shade of red. I was really missing all of the stores and fashion warehouses back in Seoul in the modern era at the moment. First the tailor measured virtually every lenth and bend of my body, now he was throwing pieces of fabric over me and sticking them together with tailor pins. This was completely ridiculous.

"With all due respect, Young Prince, you are the one who is squirming around like he has a thorn in his side," the young brown haired tailor said to me. I just growled. "Is this really your first time having clothes tailored?"

"Yes, so I would really appreciated it if you watch where you're sticking those pins of yours," I said to him.

"And I would appreciate it if you would stay still," he cocked back, sticking another pin in the cloth that whe was wrapping around me.

"Ow! That one was on purpose, wasn't it!?"

The tailor sighed and just continued to pin the pieces of fabric together.

Irene giggled from her chair off to the side. "Kalin sure is a fiesty one, isn't he Erik?"

"You're telling me. It seems I've met my match."

"In attitude or tailoring skills?" I mumbled, only to get stuck with another pin.

"There! Alas, I have finished one!" Erik stepped back to admire his work.

Of course, he meant he was finished with a design, not the entire outfit. Judging from all of the pieces he had pinned together, the outfit was going to be a classic British outfit from this time period only more sophisticated and royal with the Nightingale colors. There was a stark white dress shirt with a golden-tan vest with silver buttons and royal blue trimming, a navy blue jacket with gold trimming, buttons, snaps, and the Nightingale Crest as cuff-links on the wrists. The pants were a soft, yet slick material that was stretchy and easy to move around in. They were golden-tan with royal blue and silver trimming to match the vest. And the boots; I was loving the boots. I wasn't wearing them, but they were shiny and made of black leather with silver buckles around the shins. The trimming around the bottom was gold. They had a small heel, but not high enough so it would make them difficult to walk in. As accessories, Erik had set aside a white and navy blue trimmed neck scarf (like the old British ones that were kind of bushy) and a silver and gold pocket watch.

"It is perfect! You look like a true prince now!" Erik clapped his hands proudly.

"Well don't you look handsome!" Irene gushed. "What do you think, Kalin?"

I gave myself a careful one over in the mirror in front of me. "I think I can get used to this."

"Wonderful!" Erik said. "Now, this particular outfit is for your politcal trips like peacekeeping and such. Strictly business only. Also I'll make a few other outfits of the same style, and a couple different styles as well, for your trips. On top of that, I'll style up other outfits for other occasions." Erik got this mischievous and ambitious look in his eyes. "Prince Kalin Nightingale, by the time I'm done with you, you'll be the most best dressed prince in the entire palace!"

"Uh…y-you don't have to go through all that, now," I suddenly felt self-conscious.

"Nonsense!" he said, walking up to me and easing me out of the clothing pieces so the pins wouldn't come out. "You are the Great Rulers of London's lost prince! All the attention is on you. And if all the attention is on you, you want to look your best. And, as such, it is my responsibility to dress you as brilliantly endowed as possible without seeming like you are completely full of yourself. You must look just as noble and sophisticated as all of the other princes and princesses that have spent all their born days in that palace. Princess Irene brought you here to me for that reason and that is what I shall accomplish today. No exceptions!"

I sighed in defeat. "Thank you, sir."

"That's Sir Erik Redwood. Sir Erik, preferrably. However, for a prince such as yourself and as Princess Irene's cousin, you shall simply address me as Erik."

"Right. Thank you, Erik."

"The honour is all mine," Erik smiled at me genuinely as he went off into the back of his enormous studio. "Irene, darling, you are free to browse around my collection for other endowments that might interest you and Prince Kalin."

"Have anything new?" Irene called back as she stood up to stroll over to an area behind a curtain that was decorated much like an old fashion house (actually, to me, it was an old fashion house).

"Of course. Help yourself."

"And what do I do?" I asked, seemingly to the walls around me, still standing on the stool in my underwear.

"You are to stay put. I'm not finished with you yet," Erik called back.

"Great…" I muttered and grumbled under my breath. "More pins."

After being stuck a plethora of times by tailor pins and covered in elegant drapes of twelth or thirteenth century fabrics, I was finaly free to step down off the stool and get dressed, to my extreme gratitude. Erik was back in his workshop working his tailor's magic on all dozens of outfits he had pinned together (both on and off of me). While Erik was busy sewing and seaming, Irene and I were searching his collection of professionally tailored fashions that I found out he was willing to sell…for a price.

"What about this one Kalin?" Irene asked, holding up a casual red jacket with silver buttons and cuff-links.

"It's nice. I like the color," I said simply and she threw it over onto a chair that was already filled with items that she had picked out for me. "Irene, don't you think this is enough?"

"Not nearly! We still have to pick you out some sleepwear!"

I had to keep myself from asking her if I could just sleep in a t-shirt and shorts. She probably would have looked at me like I had gone mental. "Fine, but that's it. I already have no idea what I'm going to do with all of this plus what all Erik is makig for me. And I want to pick them out myself."

"Alright then," she sighed, probably bummed out that her shopping spree was coming to an end.

We came across the area where the sleepwear was kept and I made it quick and picked out a few tops and bottoms that were cut off below the knee. Irene didn't look too happy but dealt with my choices anyway.

Erik must have been a magic worker because it was only two hours later when he came out with all of my tailored suits and outfits draping over his arms and shoulders. He set them down over a couch and a few chairs and went back into his workshop for the accessories and footwear. The moment I glanced at everything he had made for me I instantly was thankful that I was royalty, because otherwise I would not have been able to pay for all of this.

"Well," Erik sighed as he stood with his arms folded, gazing at all of his work. "That was a bit of a challenge, but nothing I couldn't handle."

"A challenge? You finished all of that in two hours and that was a challenge?" I was completely baffled and in awe. "Who are you?"

Erik smirked at me. "Why, I'm the Nightingale Clan's royal tailor of course. Knighted by Queen Alice herself three centuries ago. Of course, they let me keep my shop here in town so all of London could enjoy my work, not just them. I make a trip into the palace once a month to take and fill orders for the clan and all of their advisors and friends who live there. I make quite a living, if I do say so myself."

"Ah," I said simply. It all made sense now. Of course someone as skilled as Erik would be sought out and knighted by London's ruling vampire clan. "So if you did all of this in two hours, how long does it take to tailor the entire palace?"

"A week, give or take," he said. However, he didn't give me time to be surprised because he picked up an outfit and walked over to me. "Alright now, time to test out your new wardrobe. Come on now. Hurry up!"

And so, once again, I was forced out of my clothes. It took at least half an hour for me to try on everything he had tailor made for me and for him and Irene to "ooh" and "aah" at how I looked in everything. Of course, I loved everything he made for me, but I was just simply tired of dressing and undressing. But, unfortunately, after I tried on the clothes Erik had made for me, he wanted me to try on everything Irene and I had found in his collection so he could give us "his professional advice and approval".

I swear, I've never seen someone so full of themselves before. What I found even more surprising was that he wasn't rude or snobby about it. He was just simply proud of himself. I couldn't deny that I admired that about him. Maybe I should have taken a lesson from his pride. I felt that I should be proud of who I was just like he was proud of who he was. And so I resolved to be more proud of myself and where I came from. I decided that that would be what my parents and everyone in the palace would want and expect from me.

After I tried on everything and Irene and Erik gave me their yay or nay, Erik instructed me on which occasion each set of outfits were tailored for. I commited that to memory as I looked over all of my elaborate and exquisite new clothes. Irene paid Erik and he carefully folded the clothes and placed them in giant woven bags that were more like baskets to me.

"Now then, Prince Kalin, I think you are officially ready to look like a Nightingale Prince. So go out and look like one. And if you ever need something tailored you just come and see me, yes?"

"Yes. Thank you again, Erik," I smiled at him.

He smiled back, his bluish-green eyes sparkling. "You are most very welcome, Prince Kalin. Irene darling, you make sure you and the rest of the Clan take good care of this boy. He's a gem."

"Of course, Erik. We shall see you again sometime," Irene agreed, picking up all the bags stuffed with my clothes and shoving me out of Erik's shop.

"Look your best!" Erik called out as we left the store.

I was definitely going to fit in here in ancient London. Especially with people like Erik Redwood's help.

After Erik's tailoring shop, Irene dragged me all around London in one of the Clan's personal carriages as we hit numerous shops, picking out unique items for my room that reflected my personal taste. By the time we were finished and resting at an expensive eatery, we had picked out some light blue drapes for my balcony windows, dark gray curtains for my four post bed, and a couple of golden tapestries that had the Nightingale Crest handsewn into them. But the decorations didn't end there. There were ceramic oil lamps, golden-yellow and blue throw rugs with intricate designs, sweet and flowery smelling toiletries for the bathroom, cushions for the couches and pillows for my bed, an oak chest for me to fill with whatever I pleased, and several other trinkets and collectables that I had picked out. After that was a bookstore where I picked out anything that even remotely interested me, just like I would back in the modern era. Overall, it had been a very exhausting shopping trip.

"Wow…" I sighed as plates and saucers filled with food were placed before Irene and I. "This is all just…I don't know what to say."

"A simple 'thank you, Irene' will suffice," she smiled at me as she sipped her glass of wine.

"Thank you, Irene. Really. It is all too great," I smiled back at her.

"Anything for my dear cousin and the son of Alistair." At the metion of my father's name I frowned down at my plate of food fit for a king. "He will be back soon, Kalin. You just have to be patient."

I gave her a sad smile. "I know. But that doesn't make it any easier."

Irene nodded in understanding. "You'll feel better when he's back here to guide you. I heard that you were being raised in Korea by a couple who opposed the conflict between us and the ShangYi. And that someone had sealed your powers as well." So that was the story that was formulated. "It must have been hard, living your life there as a normal boy when you should have been growing up here as a vampire with your family, your true family. I can't imagine what you must be going through; what the change must have felt like, what it still feels like. But I assure you, once Alistair is back, you will feel much more complete and at home."

"Thank you," I said softly, picking at my food. "I just need to get my mind off of my situation for a while, until he does come home. Then I'll worry about everything else." I said that most to myself, since Irene would know nothing of the truth and the prophecy.

"That's the spirit. So after we eat to our content here, you should busy yourself with your decorations and your new wardrobe."

"Right," I chuckled, facinated that she could go straight from being solemnly serious to brightly optimistic.

And that's exactly what I did. After our meal, Irene and I were driven back to the palace in the horse drawn carriage and she helped me carry all of my things up to my room. After that, she left me to myself to do what I pleased with my new belongings. As I placed things here and there, wherever seemed right, I got a new sense of home and belonging, since I had basically came here with nothing but the clothes on my back. I had to leave all of my books and possessions. Now, I had new possessions and new books to obsess over. When I was done, I sat down exhaustedly on my bed and gazed around my newly decorated room with a sense of pride and contentment.

Once I was happy with the way I had arranged things, I headed out and towards the common room in search of my siblings and cousins, deciding that I had made them (especially Fiona, Nathaniel, and Remy) wait long enough to spend time with me. For the rest of the evening until we all had to turn in for the night, I busied myself with entertaining the three young ones and conversing with the elder children. Fiona had ended up falling asleep in my arms and Remy and Nathaniel on the couch behind me. I handed Fiona over to Tristan and quietly slipped out and back to my room. I dressed into my nightclothes, closed the balcony curtains, snuffed out the oil lamps, and slipped into the comforting comfines of my bed. I drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep, happy and content with the way my new life as a vampire prince was turning out.