Chapter 124: 124
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"Play a game with her," my companion from the kingdom of Melsadef, Xavier, suggests hours later, sprawled out on one of my couches like he owns the place, cape splayed out behind him like some magnificent starry sky that glistens under the crackling influence of the firelight. The vampire Prince shifts to his side with a grunt to face me, resting a hand under his chin.
Xavier is a vampire Prince from one of the far regions of Faey. Although not a Prince by nature, he married the Faery Queen, Samara, several years ago and has been hopelessly in love ever since. Originally he came from Sezeria, one of the few noble vampires who didn't have a roaring taste for blood and sex, and caught the eye of the Faery Queen one evening when she had come to visit my palace on business purposes. Xavier had always remained an excellent friend to me, and a dutiful lover to the Faery Queen. His association with her hadn't always sparked the most friendly of reactions between my kind- most of which are disgusted over the prospect of marrying anyone other than a vampire. But Xavier had been my eyes and ears for many years, an unfailing spy for my court, so I have no reason to hate him.
"Play a game?" I ask, partially out of curiosity, though mostly out of the lack of brain functionality, as though the combination of insatiable hunger and dancing elegantly under the twinkling stars long into the night had suddenly sapped me of all my strength. Xavier rolls his eyes dramatically, pushing a hand back through his characteristically fluffy hair.
"Come on, Soren, you are the king of playing games, a vampire Prince for hell's sake. You can't tell me you wouldn't be at least a little bit delighted to play another one! When I was still living in your court, that was your whole thing- games of death and love, you were practically famous for it."
Nonchalantly, I twiddle a purple rose between my fingers, staring intently as though that act alone may help to solve my problems. Quite expectantly, it doesn't.
Naturally, the idea Xavier is suggesting is one of great appeal. I imagine the opportunity to carry out a devious array of games would be quite the temptation for any cold blooded vampire, yet there is a small, novel part of me that protests its refusal against such an act against my mate.
I frown deeply. That part of me surely wasn't there before.
"So what do you suggest?" I sigh languorously, running my fingers back through my hair, dipping my head back as if that might bring some sense to my already burdened mind. Ever since getting out of that forest, my mind had been muddled to the point of confusion, desperately pining to go back and dance with the angel long into twilight.
Upon hearing my interest, however half hearted it may be, Xavier grins widely, flicking her nails as he looks up at me from under his brows.
"You say she is likely here for the flame? Well convince her otherwise, seduce her, bitey boy."
"Never call me that again, ever."
"Only if you promise to not kill her."
I grit my teeth.
"I am not going to kill her, she is my mate for hell's sake. I have waited almost a thousand years for this day, I am not throwing it away by doing something so rash as killing her."
"She is also an angel," Xavier counters with an accusing wave of his finger in my direction. His black eyes pierce through me. "Last I checked you weren't too fond of them. Or more specifically, your people weren't."
"I-"
Xavier shuts me down with a swift cut of his hand through the air. Irritably, I simmer back down into silence.
"Convince her,"
"What?" I say incredulously, but once again, Xavier motions me into silence. Irritably, I bite my lip, tolerating his rule over me if only for the fact that he is my friend.
"Convince her you aren't a monster. Prove to me, to everyone, that a vampire can love an angel. Don't you see what you have here, Soren? You could change the tides of war! Do what I have strived to for hundreds of years. You could bring an end to all these centuries of nonsense and bloodshed! And all you have to do is to win her, to gain her trust."
I roll my eyes at the impossible nature of the remark.
"You say that like its the easiest thing in the world. You are aware that our kind have been at war for millennia- or have you been stuck under a rock for the past 3000 years?" I half snicker, and with a quick flick of my hand, discard the rose on the floor, quashing it under my boot. I point a clawed finger authoritatively in his direction.
"Every nerve, every fibre of her being will be screaming at her to run from me. If she is to believe the tales, which I rather hope she will, then she will know perfectly soundly that I can crush a giant's skull with a single snap of my fingers. That in the space of approximately 60 seconds I can drain the life blood of every man, woman and child in a fifty foot radius. She would be a fool- at least by her council's standards, to come remotely near me."
Then again, I think to myself with a dark chuckle, she never used to follow the council's rule anyway. My mind flashes back to the little girl, cursing every name under the sun in spite of her council. I had hated her then, but now...
Xavier deliberates on the matter for a moment, running his thumb along his bottom lip as he draws deeper and deeper into thought. A resolute look creeps upon his face, his eyes glazed while his brain ticks away at the matter silently behind his pale skin, like the mechanics of the cogs working away behind the polish face of a clock. His wings twitch. His boot taps. Then his demeanour shifts, his face slipping into a sly smile as he shifts himself upright, leaning forward on his haunches to address me with a humorous but somewhat impartial sincerity.
"Alright, we will have a bet, shall we?"
Immediately, I snarl in response.
"I am not whisking away the future of Sezeria on a bet, Xavier," I protest irritability, folding my hands over myself with a growing frustration. Xavier has always been profusely eccentric, much like Kal when he first arrived at my palace. I imagine the two of them would make good friends.
Bartering away the future of my people seems entirely like something he would do, but just because a Prince of the Faery realm decides it, that doesn't necessarily mean it's right. The suggestion is entirely ludicrous.
But despite my ardent protesting, Xavier continues on without another care. He flicks back his cape with casual ease.
"Ask her to dance with you when she arrives. She is your mate, so I doubt it would be so hard for you to do that, angel or not. If she refuses, fine, you win. You get to do what you like; no games, no convincing, you can lock her away in your prisons if that makes you happy. But,"
He says, wagging a finger at me, pausing for suspense. It occurs to me then that I have suddenly found myself leaning towards him, as though caught any every word, every sentence, waiting in anxious anticipation for the parameters of the bet to be laid out.
"If she agrees to dance, you do everything in your power to get her to change her mind. Get her to love you, prove to her you aren't the monster that all those tales make you out to be. Make her your Queen, this is your chance to change the whole of Faey, Soren! You can..."
I don't hear the rest of it. Xavier's voice fades into the low hum of the room and the persistent crackle of the glowing fire, drowned out into nothing as I stare down at my hands, curling my fingers around empty air as though to clutch the phantom warmth that still resides there. If I concentrate hard enough, I could swear I can almost hear the faint hum of her heart, still feel the flicker of warmth through her hand as it clasps in mine, my mind still hazy, swaying soundly to that sweet humming melody that had danced us through the forest.
I have never seen a girl with such a beautiful smile. It was as though the whole forest was lit ablaze with a single impassioned murmur of her voice, as if one bright flash of her smile could send even the darkest of shadows cowering for fear under the solemn stretches of gnarled oak trees. I smile dizzily to myself, feeling drunk and not entirely present. With a touch of cynicism, I wonder how long that smile will last once she finds out the true identity of the stranger that danced with her under the pale light of the melancholy moon.. But in that moment, I do not seem to care.
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"Play a game with her," my companion from the kingdom of Melsadef, Xavier, suggests hours later, sprawled out on one of my couches like he owns the place, cape splayed out behind him like some magnificent starry sky that glistens under the crackling influence of the firelight. The vampire Prince shifts to his side with a grunt to face me, resting a hand under his chin.
Xavier is a vampire Prince from one of the far regions of Faey. Although not a Prince by nature, he married the Faery Queen, Samara, several years ago and has been hopelessly in love ever since. Originally he came from Sezeria, one of the few noble vampires who didn't have a roaring taste for blood and sex, and caught the eye of the Faery Queen one evening when she had come to visit my palace on business purposes. Xavier had always remained an excellent friend to me, and a dutiful lover to the Faery Queen. His association with her hadn't always sparked the most friendly of reactions between my kind- most of which are disgusted over the prospect of marrying anyone other than a vampire. But Xavier had been my eyes and ears for many years, an unfailing spy for my court, so I have no reason to hate him.
"Play a game?" I ask, partially out of curiosity, though mostly out of the lack of brain functionality, as though the combination of insatiable hunger and dancing elegantly under the twinkling stars long into the night had suddenly sapped me of all my strength. Xavier rolls his eyes dramatically, pushing a hand back through his characteristically fluffy hair.
"Come on, Soren, you are the king of playing games, a vampire Prince for hell's sake. You can't tell me you wouldn't be at least a little bit delighted to play another one! When I was still living in your court, that was your whole thing- games of death and love, you were practically famous for it."
Nonchalantly, I twiddle a purple rose between my fingers, staring intently as though that act alone may help to solve my problems. Quite expectantly, it doesn't.
Naturally, the idea Xavier is suggesting is one of great appeal. I imagine the opportunity to carry out a devious array of games would be quite the temptation for any cold blooded vampire, yet there is a small, novel part of me that protests its refusal against such an act against my mate.
I frown deeply. That part of me surely wasn't there before.
"So what do you suggest?" I sigh languorously, running my fingers back through my hair, dipping my head back as if that might bring some sense to my already burdened mind. Ever since getting out of that forest, my mind had been muddled to the point of confusion, desperately pining to go back and dance with the angel long into twilight.
Upon hearing my interest, however half hearted it may be, Xavier grins widely, flicking her nails as he looks up at me from under his brows.
"You say she is likely here for the flame? Well convince her otherwise, seduce her, bitey boy."
"Never call me that again, ever."
"Only if you promise to not kill her."
I grit my teeth.
"I am not going to kill her, she is my mate for hell's sake. I have waited almost a thousand years for this day, I am not throwing it away by doing something so rash as killing her."
"She is also an angel," Xavier counters with an accusing wave of his finger in my direction. His black eyes pierce through me. "Last I checked you weren't too fond of them. Or more specifically, your people weren't."
"I-"
Xavier shuts me down with a swift cut of his hand through the air. Irritably, I simmer back down into silence.
"Convince her,"
"What?" I say incredulously, but once again, Xavier motions me into silence. Irritably, I bite my lip, tolerating his rule over me if only for the fact that he is my friend.
"Convince her you aren't a monster. Prove to me, to everyone, that a vampire can love an angel. Don't you see what you have here, Soren? You could change the tides of war! Do what I have strived to for hundreds of years. You could bring an end to all these centuries of nonsense and bloodshed! And all you have to do is to win her, to gain her trust."
I roll my eyes at the impossible nature of the remark.
"You say that like its the easiest thing in the world. You are aware that our kind have been at war for millennia- or have you been stuck under a rock for the past 3000 years?" I half snicker, and with a quick flick of my hand, discard the rose on the floor, quashing it under my boot. I point a clawed finger authoritatively in his direction.
"Every nerve, every fibre of her being will be screaming at her to run from me. If she is to believe the tales, which I rather hope she will, then she will know perfectly soundly that I can crush a giant's skull with a single snap of my fingers. That in the space of approximately 60 seconds I can drain the life blood of every man, woman and child in a fifty foot radius. She would be a fool- at least by her council's standards, to come remotely near me."
Then again, I think to myself with a dark chuckle, she never used to follow the council's rule anyway. My mind flashes back to the little girl, cursing every name under the sun in spite of her council. I had hated her then, but now...
Xavier deliberates on the matter for a moment, running his thumb along his bottom lip as he draws deeper and deeper into thought. A resolute look creeps upon his face, his eyes glazed while his brain ticks away at the matter silently behind his pale skin, like the mechanics of the cogs working away behind the polish face of a clock. His wings twitch. His boot taps. Then his demeanour shifts, his face slipping into a sly smile as he shifts himself upright, leaning forward on his haunches to address me with a humorous but somewhat impartial sincerity.
"Alright, we will have a bet, shall we?"
Immediately, I snarl in response.
"I am not whisking away the future of Sezeria on a bet, Xavier," I protest irritability, folding my hands over myself with a growing frustration. Xavier has always been profusely eccentric, much like Kal when he first arrived at my palace. I imagine the two of them would make good friends.
Bartering away the future of my people seems entirely like something he would do, but just because a Prince of the Faery realm decides it, that doesn't necessarily mean it's right. The suggestion is entirely ludicrous.
But despite my ardent protesting, Xavier continues on without another care. He flicks back his cape with casual ease.
"Ask her to dance with you when she arrives. She is your mate, so I doubt it would be so hard for you to do that, angel or not. If she refuses, fine, you win. You get to do what you like; no games, no convincing, you can lock her away in your prisons if that makes you happy. But,"
He says, wagging a finger at me, pausing for suspense. It occurs to me then that I have suddenly found myself leaning towards him, as though caught any every word, every sentence, waiting in anxious anticipation for the parameters of the bet to be laid out.
"If she agrees to dance, you do everything in your power to get her to change her mind. Get her to love you, prove to her you aren't the monster that all those tales make you out to be. Make her your Queen, this is your chance to change the whole of Faey, Soren! You can..."
I don't hear the rest of it. Xavier's voice fades into the low hum of the room and the persistent crackle of the glowing fire, drowned out into nothing as I stare down at my hands, curling my fingers around empty air as though to clutch the phantom warmth that still resides there. If I concentrate hard enough, I could swear I can almost hear the faint hum of her heart, still feel the flicker of warmth through her hand as it clasps in mine, my mind still hazy, swaying soundly to that sweet humming melody that had danced us through the forest.
I have never seen a girl with such a beautiful smile. It was as though the whole forest was lit ablaze with a single impassioned murmur of her voice, as if one bright flash of her smile could send even the darkest of shadows cowering for fear under the solemn stretches of gnarled oak trees. I smile dizzily to myself, feeling drunk and not entirely present. With a touch of cynicism, I wonder how long that smile will last once she finds out the true identity of the stranger that danced with her under the pale light of the melancholy moon.. But in that moment, I do not seem to care.
"Play a game with her," my companion from the kingdom of Melsadef, Xavier, suggests hours later, sprawled out on one of my couches like he owns the place, cape splayed out behind him like some magnificent starry sky that glistens under the crackling influence of the firelight. The vampire Prince shifts to his side with a grunt to face me, resting a hand under his chin.Xavier is a vampire Prince from one of the far regions of Faey. Although not a Prince by nature, he married the Faery Queen, Samara, several years ago and has been hopelessly in love ever since. Originally he came from Sezeria, one of the few noble vampires who didn't have a roaring taste for blood and sex, and caught the eye of the Faery Queen one evening when she had come to visit my palace on business purposes. Xavier had always remained an excellent friend to me, and a dutiful lover to the Faery Queen. His association with her hadn't always sparked the most friendly of reactions between my kind- most of which are disgusted over the prospect of marrying anyone other than a vampire. But Xavier had been my eyes and ears for many years, an unfailing spy for my court, so I have no reason to hate him."Play a game?" I ask, partially out of curiosity, though mostly out of the lack of brain functionality, as though the combination of insatiable hunger and dancing elegantly under the twinkling stars long into the night had suddenly sapped me of all my strength. Xavier rolls his eyes dramatically, pushing a hand back through his characteristically fluffy hair."Come on, Soren, you are the king of playing games, a vampire Prince for hell's sake. You can't tell me you wouldn't be at least a little bit delighted to play another one! When I was still living in your court, that was your whole thing- games of death and love, you were practically famous for it."Nonchalantly, I twiddle a purple rose between my fingers, staring intently as though that act alone may help to solve my problems. Quite expectantly, it doesn't.Naturally, the idea Xavier is suggesting is one of great appeal. I imagine the opportunity to carry out a devious array of games would be quite the temptation for any cold blooded vampire, yet there is a small, novel part of me that protests its refusal against such an act against my mate.I frown deeply. That part of me surely wasn't there before."So what do you suggest?" I sigh languorously, running my fingers back through my hair, dipping my head back as if that might bring some sense to my already burdened mind. Ever since getting out of that forest, my mind had been muddled to the point of confusion, desperately pining to go back and dance with the angel long into twilight.Upon hearing my interest, however half hearted it may be, Xavier grins widely, flicking her nails as he looks up at me from under his brows."You say she is likely here for the flame? Well convince her otherwise, seduce her, bitey boy.""Never call me that again, ever.""Only if you promise to not kill her."I grit my teeth."I am not going to kill her, she is my mate for hell's sake. I have waited almost a thousand years for this day, I am not throwing it away by doing something so rash as killing her.""She is also an angel," Xavier counters with an accusing wave of his finger in my direction. His black eyes pierce through me. "Last I checked you weren't too fond of them. Or more specifically, your people weren't.""I-"Xavier shuts me down with a swift cut of his hand through the air. Irritably, I simmer back down into silence."Convince her,""What?" I say incredulously, but once again, Xavier motions me into silence. Irritably, I bite my lip, tolerating his rule over me if only for the fact that he is my friend."Convince her you aren't a monster. Prove to me, to everyone, that a vampire can love an angel. Don't you see what you have here, Soren? You could change the tides of war! Do what I have strived to for hundreds of years. You could bring an end to all these centuries of nonsense and bloodshed! And all you have to do is to win her, to gain her trust."I roll my eyes at the impossible nature of the remark."You say that like its the easiest thing in the world. You are aware that our kind have been at war for millennia- or have you been stuck under a rock for the past 3000 years?" I half snicker, and with a quick flick of my hand, discard the rose on the floor, quashing it under my boot. I point a clawed finger authoritatively in his direction."Every nerve, every fibre of her being will be screaming at her to run from me. If she is to believe the tales, which I rather hope she will, then she will know perfectly soundly that I can crush a giant's skull with a single snap of my fingers. That in the space of approximately 60 seconds I can drain the life blood of every man, woman and child in a fifty foot radius. She would be a fool- at least by her council's standards, to come remotely near me."Then again, I think to myself with a dark chuckle,she never used to follow the council's rule anyway.My mind flashes back to the little girl, cursing every name under the sun in spite of her council. I had hated her then, but now...Xavier deliberates on the matter for a moment, running his thumb along his bottom lip as he draws deeper and deeper into thought. A resolute look creeps upon his face, his eyes glazed while his brain ticks away at the matter silently behind his pale skin, like the mechanics of the cogs working away behind the polish face of a clock. His wings twitch. His boot taps. Then his demeanour shifts, his face slipping into a sly smile as he shifts himself upright, leaning forward on his haunches to address me with a humorous but somewhat impartial sincerity."Alright, we will have a bet, shall we?"Immediately, I snarl in response."I am not whisking away the future of Sezeria on a bet, Xavier," I protest irritability, folding my hands over myself with a growing frustration. Xavier has always been profusely eccentric, much like Kal when he first arrived at my palace. I imagine the two of them would make good friends.Bartering away the future of my people seems entirely like something he would do, but just because a Prince of the Faery realm decides it, that doesn't necessarily mean it's right. The suggestion is entirely ludicrous.But despite my ardent protesting, Xavier continues on without another care. He flicks back his cape with casual ease."Ask her to dance with you when she arrives. She is your mate, so I doubt it would be so hard for you to do that, angel or not. If she refuses, fine, you win. You get to do what you like; no games, no convincing, you can lock her away in your prisons if that makes you happy. But,"He says, wagging a finger at me, pausing for suspense. It occurs to me then that I have suddenly found myself leaning towards him, as though caught any every word, every sentence, waiting in anxious anticipation for the parameters of the bet to be laid out."If she agrees to dance, you do everything in your power to get her to change her mind. Get her to love you, prove to her you aren't the monster that all those tales make you out to be. Make her your Queen, this is your chance to change the whole of Faey, Soren! You can..."I don't hear the rest of it. Xavier's voice fades into the low hum of the room and the persistent crackle of the glowing fire, drowned out into nothing as I stare down at my hands, curling my fingers around empty air as though to clutch the phantom warmth that still resides there. If I concentrate hard enough, I could swear I can almost hear the faint hum of her heart, still feel the flicker of warmth through her hand as it clasps in mine, my mind still hazy, swaying soundly to that sweet humming melody that had danced us through the forest.I have never seen a girl with such a beautiful smile. It was as though the whole forest was lit ablaze with a single impassioned murmur of her voice, as if one bright flash of her smile could send even the darkest of shadows cowering for fear under the solemn stretches of gnarled oak trees. I smile dizzily to myself, feeling drunk and not entirely present. With a touch of cynicism, I wonder how long that smile will last once she finds out the true identity of the stranger that danced with her under the pale light of the melancholy moon.. But in that moment, I do not seem to care.
