He kissed me! I can't believe he actually kissed me. Not only that, but he did it in front of everyone! I have no idea what it is like outside of the kingdom, but in Criba, such an act is taboo. In fact the last part of our dance was a bit illicit. Oh, but I never felt so much passion. In all the books I've read, all of the things I've learned about, or hobbies I did, nothing has made me feel what I just felt dancing and being kissed by Stetson. And I literally just found out this morning I was a witch. But both of those feelings were separate. Finding out I was a witch was and still is exciting and electrifying, but it's also terrifying. Being with Stetson is warm and adventurous.
Stetson stood me back up from the dip, and the crowd was silent. Unsure of what they just witnessed. Unsure whether they should clap and cheer or not. As they were still trying to figure out what to do, Stetson escorted me to my throne next to my father. We bowed to him, and I sat.
"That was quite the show you two just put on. Where did you learn that dance, Mr. Scott?" my father asked him.
"I learned it while traveling for business in Vules, your Majesty. I was told it was an ancient courting dance. I figured it would be appropriate given the circumstances of our engagement," I said while eying my beloved. I hope he believed my lie. Things were going so well, and if I were to be discovered now, I would be killed on the spot.
"Yes, it's the courting dance of the vampires," he added. He was testing me, and I had to think fast.
"You are correct, your majesty. Do you know it?" I questioned, trying to deflect the conversion from myself and onto him.
"Yes, I witnessed it many times here in this very ballroom when my queen was still alive."
"May she rest in peace," the princess and I said in unison.
"Was it ever successful, father?" Estelle joined the conversation.
"Less often than you would think. Vampires would still marry the woman they courted whether they were their true beloved or not, which led to the chances of others finding their true beloved to be slim," he answered her. "And what was the result of your dance?" he eyed me suspiciously. "Did you share the sparks of true beloveds?"
"Respectfully, how should I know your Majesty? I am a human. The sparks are only shared if at least one of them is a supernatural being, correct?" I lied. Estelle's eyes were full of confusion, but she caught on, and suddenly made a face of disappointment.
"Well that's not fair, how should humans know if they found their soulmate, father? I didn't feel any sparks, but I wish I could. It sounds so dreamy," she complained while pouting at her father. Her acting was superb.
"It's ok, my darling. It's very rare to find your true beloved anymore. I'm sure Mr. Stetson here will treat you as if you were his," he said sternly while glaring at me.
"I will, your highness, I promise," I said indifferently to her father, gazing into her eyes. They were a sea of gold. A room full of treasure could never compare to the beauty her eyes held. "You will be my one and only beloved, for the rest of eternity."
"Don't forget your promise to me too, Mr. Scott."
"Don't worry, your Majesty. I won't," I responded, never breaking eye contact with Estelle."Would you like something to drink, my darling?"
"Yes, please. I am very parched from our dance. Just some water will be fine."
"Water? That's all? It's your birthday, don't you wish for something a little more…celebratory?"
She giggled, "No, water is okay. I can drink any of that whenever. Besides, that stuff would mess with my senses too much, and I don't want to make a fool of myself."
"As you wish, my dear amethyst." I turned to leave and find a servant to ask for a cup of water.
It didn't take long, and I was back with my beloved in no time. I noticed James standing off to the side. I nodded, and he respectfully nodded back. He was already taking his position very seriously. I begin to wonder if he will insist on traveling with us, when I take the princess out of the kingdom. Who am I kidding, of course he will. He will be a challenge. Unless…
I step aside next to the man himself. "Excuse me, James, or should I call you Sir Canter?" I said with a smile. He only nodded. "Anyways, when you swore your allegiance to the future queen, did that include her secrets as well? Even if they may go against laws or societal norms?"
"Yes, Mr. Scott. It did. If the princess is imprisoned, then either so am I or I am finding a way to free her. Her life and well being are my number one priority."
"Good. That is what I wanted to hear, Sir Canter. I am glad my future bride will always have you keep her safe if I am unable to do so," I said to cover my true intentions with this conversation. I'm sure it won't be long before he finds out both of our true natures.
After a few more tame dances with Estelle, I bid her goodnight. It was time for everyone to make their way to their rooms. I was given a smaller room since the others were already taken by guests that stayed here this past week, and I only arrived a few hours ago. It was fine. I wasn't expecting anything lavish, anyways. I laid down and rested until the morning.
I couldn't wait to see her again. All I could imagine was her sweet innocent face. I could feel the raw magical power she held every time I touched her bare skin. I thought about what I would tell her tomorrow. About who I really am. Will she still want me? Even when I take this disguise off? I hope so. I can only pray to the gods that she will.
***
-Estelle POV-
The night had flown by. I couldn't believe how much fun I had. I couldn't wait to see Sabina and Dee tomorrow and see how theirs went. Last I saw, Sabina was dancing with Mr. Arbour, and Dee had been off eating some tarts avoiding being asked to dance.
I couldn't wait to tell them all about Stetson. Just thinking about him made my heart begin to race and my stomach perform somersaults. I couldn't wait to see him in the morning.
Just then, I realized he had yet to tell me what he was hiding. I hope it isn't anything too bad. I'm sure whatever it is, it can't be worse than me being a witch and the future queen of a kingdom that bans magic and supernatural beings. In fact, I bet he is a supernatural being. But what kind though? He couldn't be a werewolf, he's too thin. He's too tall to be a fae or dwarf. That would leave an orc, vampire, or elf, and he's obviously not an orc. So he's either a vampire or an elf. Either can disguise themselves. But can elves hide their ears? Stetson's ears looked normal. And then there was the courting dance. What kind of supernatural beings did it belong to? Ugh, I wish I had paid more attention, but noooo, I just had to ogle at him. Either way, he has to be one of them. Why else would he lie to my father about not feeling the sparks? There's no way he knows that I'm a witch. No one has seen my hands, and no one else but Bina and Dee saw my glowing hands. Except…no, he can't be that mysterious figure in the window. There's no way a man like him could climb like that. Unless he's a vampire…
The next morning I awoke and began to pace my room. He promised he would be here around this time. Where is he? What is taking him so long? I could barely sleep last night. I just know his secret is that he's a vampire. He has to be. It would explain everything. His eyes, the courting dance, how fast he retrieved his horse. And if he was a vampire, he had to be the figure I saw in through the library windows. If not, I have to tell him about it. Him and James. So they can keep an eye out, and watch my back when I cannot.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door, startling me.
"Come in!" I shouted as I turned towards the door. As it opened I could see it was him. My beloved. I ran towards him as he closed the door and turned to face me. He caught me in his arms and wrapped me in a tight hug.
"I see that someone missed me," he said with a cheeky grin.
"That, I did," I claimed with a smile to rival his.
"And I also believe I promised you some answers."
"Yes, and I think I have already answered them myself," I claimed matter-of-factly.
"Oh, is that so? Then do tell me princess. What am I hiding?" he asked with a huge grin as if I couldn't possibly know.
"You're a vampire."
Hello all!
The truth is out! What do you think?
Enjoy reading!
His eyes widened and smile fell. I knew it! I was right, but I continued. "Simple as that. The only thing I haven't been able to figure out is why you are here. Unless it's because fate brought you here because you are my true beloved."
"How…" he started, but I cut him off.
"The moment I accepted your proposal and everyone left, your eyes swirled with flecks of something. At first I thought maybe I was seeing things. Then I saw it again during the VAMPIRE courting dance. You also lied to him about not feeling the sparks, because you didn't want him to discover you were a supernatural being, otherwise you would be put to death on the spot. Even being my true beloved, you didn't want to risk it."
He was speechless. He opened and closed his mouth repeatedly like a fish, until he just grinned a devilish smile at me. "My, my, princess. How could I have underestimated you? You are a lot smarter than I anticipated. I must say, you surprised me. However, do you know my true identity? You know I am a vampire, but which one am I?"
"I…I…I don't know." Now it was my turn to gape. "How should I know? Is your name not Stetson Scott?"
His grin was back. "Ah, smart enough to ask all of the right questions, but not smart enough to have all of the answers now are we."
Did he just…oh no! "You're just upset that I found you out!"
"Ah but are you sure I didn't let you find me out?" he quipped.
Now I was doubting myself. Urgh! He was so frustrating! "Well now, that's not fair!" I pouted.
"Who said it had to be, princess? Tell me, do you always pout when you don't get your way? Remember what I said about if you keep sticking that lip out?"
I instantly stopped as soon as he said it.
He chuckled and continued. "Besides, is there something you would like to share with me? I know you are also hiding who, or should I say what, you really are."
My eyes widened at the realization. He knows. "You were the figure in the library window." His smile confirmed my accusation. "Did you give me the ring too?" I asked while grabbing it off my night stand and holding it out to him.
"Do you not like it?" A flash of concern crossed his face. "It came from a merchant here in the capital. According to them it was actually made for your mother, hence the embossed letter L. They've secretly held onto it for all of these years. I'm not sure what the sigil is for though, and the merchant didn't seem like they even knew it was there."
"Ah no, I love it. Even more so knowing that it was supposed to be my mother's. But how could they not see the sigil?"
"My guess is that your mother created it on the stone, enchanted it to be hidden from human eyes, and gave the stone to the merchant to be made into a ring."
I nodded, it did make sense. "So, are you going to tell me your real name now? I'm finding it hard to believe that you would come here with your real name. And your true self. Not your disguise."
"You are a stubborn one aren't you. Here I thought I might get away with you calling me Stetson. I do quite like it actually."
"Well I could always still call you that if you wish, but I want to know your real name. The one your mother gave you."
"Ha, you wouldn't be able to pronounce my birth name. It's vampirish, and you need fangs to pronounce it. But, my common tongue name is Heath Draven."
"Heath? That's a really old name isn't it?"
"Ouch," he feigned hurt. "It may be old to you humans, but I'm still fairly young to be a vampire."
"That leads to my next question. How old are you, exactly?"
He smiled with amusement. "I want you to guess first."
"Ugh, why can't things ever be easy with you. I don't know, 150?" I guessed, much to my chagrin.
"150? You think I'm practically a child? Gods no."
"Well you sure seem to act like one!" I interjected. "You're the one who made me guess."
"For your information, I'm 473. I am well into my adult years. About the human equivalent to about, say, 25."
I felt as if my eyes would pop right out of my head. "473!?!" I shouted in disbelief.
"Mhmm," he confirmed and then turned away from me and moved around a bit, only to turn back around looking like a completely different person. An actual vampire.
Spots clouded my vision, my body began to feel heavy, and the floor swayed under my feet. The last thing I remember were crimson eyes staring at me with worry.
***
-Stetson/Heath POV-
Shit. She fainted as soon as I turned around. I knew my theatrics would get me in trouble at some point. I should have let her prepare herself before undoing my disguise.
It's a good thing I caught her before she hit the floor. I didn't want her to have to explain any injuries. I carried her across the room and laid her on the bed. She was a lot lighter than I expected. After laying her down I moved some hair off of her beautiful face. I gently caressed her cheek and calmly called her name trying to wake her.
After a moment, she started to stir. I stepped back so I wouldn't be the first thing she sees and passes out again. Her eyes fluttered open, and widened upon noticing me. I looked away so I wouldn't seem so intimidating.
"Sorry," she squeaked. "I just haven't seen a vampire since I was ten. Much less one this close. As a child, everyone kept their distance out of respect for my father, and they never fully looked me in the eyes," she admitted meekly.
"It's ok, I'm sorry for startling you so much. I expected a reaction, but not one where you fainted," I responded with a slight chuckle, still not looking her in the eyes.
"Can you come here?'' she asked while sitting up and patting the bed at her feet. I obliged. "I'm ok now. You can look at me. In the eyes if you wish," she said gently, her voice just above a whisper.
As my eyes met hers, my breath caught in my throat, hers came out as a small gasp. If her eyes were golden last night, I wouldn't know what to call them now. It was as if they were glowing.
"Your eyes," she broke the silence, "they're glowing a deep crimson."
"My eyes? You should see yours! They're glowing gold!" I countered.
"Is this a thing that happens to true beloveds?" she questioned.
"Honestly, I have no idea, princess. It's been so long since a pair of true beloveds have existed. At least any that have been recorded in history for all to know. I could ask the head meister when we get to Vules."
"What do you mean when we get to Vules!?!" she asked in shock.
"Well, my little amethyst, your father has agreed to let you travel outside the kingdom with me," I said with a grin. "Or should I say, with Stetson?" I said, re-disguising myself.
The excitement was written all over her face, but it was short lived. "That reminds me, are you actually a banker's son?"
"That," I answered with a devilish grin, "can be answered when we get to Vules."
I then left the room before she could question me any further.
As I exited her room, I came face to face with her guard.
"Sir Canter, make sure the princess is prepared to travel outside the kingdom. I am going to send word to Vules to send a carriage for her. Everything should be ready to leave by tomorrow morning."
He gave me a questioning look in response.
"Oh, where are my manners? Pretty please, Sir Canter, can you do this for me?"
That time I received an unsettled expression, but it included a nod.
"Thank you, Sir Canter."
Only a bit longer, then I can let go of this ridiculous charade of having a status equal to or below everyone. I can't wait to be back in Vules where everyone does as I command with no questions. If Rikard saw me, he would surely comment on how soft it seems I've gotten. Only he would dare say such a thing though.
I walked the halls, until I found myself outside at the stables. I quickly found Nero and attached a letter to him. I flagged down a stable boy and asked him to take Nero to the border, and let him go. He will deliver the letter to Rikard, and from there he will bring back a carriage and guards to accompany it.
Hello all!
I hope you like the story so far!
Enjoy reading!
Das könnte Ihnen auch gefallen
Kommentar absatzweise anzeigen
Die Absatzkommentarfunktion ist jetzt im Web! Bewegen Sie den Mauszeiger über einen beliebigen Absatz und klicken Sie auf das Symbol, um Ihren Kommentar hinzuzufügen.
Außerdem können Sie es jederzeit in den Einstellungen aus- und einschalten.
ICH HAB ES