Savor

by Duncan, Megan

  “This time of night everyone is usually busy getting things done, but they are all in the assembly room waiting to meet you,” Robin said as she turned another corner. I wondered for a moment how long it would take me before I found my way around the maze of a palace.

  Chapter 4

  “They are all waiting for me? How many people is everyone?” I did my best to hide how nervous I was, but the idea of meeting everyone all at once was a little jarring. I hadn’t even decided whether or not I was going to do this and I was starting to feel the pressure to accept.

  “All of the royal family of course, but I will leave the introductions to them. Don’t worry. They are all excited to meet you. This has never happened before, at least nowhere in history that my parents or I could find and they have been around for a very long time.” Robin smiled at me reassuringly as we made our way toward a set of large double doors. I could faintly hear the chatter of many voices speaking and the louder it became the more nervous I grew.

  “What hasn’t happened in a long time?” I was starting to get annoyed. Was everyone showing up because they wanted to see the girl with the pure blood? I was starting feel like some kind of freak show.

  “A King and Queen usually reign for as long as they choose which can be hundreds or even thousands of years. The only time a King or Queen has ever ended their reign is if they died or named a successor. King Nicolae and the Queen have ruled our family for far longer than most humans realize. Their rule did not begin when they claimed rule over humans. They have ruled over this region for nearly 500 years. That’s twice as long as any other region because their rulers are usually murdered, but they are not as civilized as we are.” At the mention of rulers being murdered, I felt my heart thump in my chest. Little was known about the other vampire regions and for the first time, I found myself really wondering what they were like.

  The other vampire regions were always this entity in our world that we did not acknowledge. There would be occasional murmurings of someone fleeing a region for another, but after doing so they never spoke about where you came from. Vampire rulers were so territorial over their regions that much was known and those who did speak of their lives in another region were never heard from again or a vampire representative would be sent to silence them. Those people were treated like they carried a disease to our region. Their words of life in another region were prevented at great lengths from infecting our citizens.

  “Relax, okay?” Robin placed her colds hands gently on my shoulders when we stopped outside two massive doors. Her dark eyes stared at me from under her fiery curls and I wondered if my eyes would turn the same color. They were beautiful in a way, as if they could see into my soul.

  I took a deep breath and exhaled. I could do this. I wanted to be strong and I did my best to build up all the strength I could muster. “Okay, I’m ready.”

  Robin smiled widely at me and her fangs poked ever so slightly out from under her top lip. For a vampire she had the most angelic face I could have ever imagined and even though her embrace left me feeling frozen I was warmed by the hug she gave me.

  She effortlessly pushed the doors open and my breath almost escaped me as we walked into the room. For once it wasn’t the beauty of the palace that shocked me, this time my reaction was more normal. Being in the presence of so many vampires not only amazed me, but it terrified me as well.

  The air in the room seemed to vibrate, making the hair on my neck stand on end and my skin prickle with goose bumps. We all seemed to be frozen as we stared at each other for a moment. My eyes slowly scanned the room as I glanced at all their frightingly beautiful faces. I recognized King Nicolae immediately and he nodded at me. A small smile softened his face. By his side, stood a tall porcelain-skinned vampire. Her hair was jet black and fell to her hips in a giant shimmering braid. I locked eyes with her for a moment and for an instant I thought I caught a glimpse of excitement on her face, but it was quickly masked with the usual vampire stone-faced expression.

  I wondered if she really was happy to see me or perhaps I was not what she had expected. As I continued to look at the rest of the vampires, they all nodded at me in turn, offering silent greetings. When I saw the three younger vampires I felt a trickle of relief wash through me, but then I remembered how I sensed that they didn’t get along with Robin. Even though we had just met, I felt a growing kinship with her. Their expressions didn’t reveal a single emotion and I wasn’t sure how they felt about my being here.

  “Welcome, Claire.” The King’s voice boomed throughout the room. “I am eager to introduce you to the royal family. Please come.” He walked toward me and offered his hand. I took it without hesitation and let him guide me toward the center of the room. His hand was not as cold as it had been before and I suspected that the huge fire they had lit in the room had something to do with it.

  The assembly room looked like a giant conference room. There were two large wooden desks piled with books and maps and various other items whose nature I could not determine. Straight across from the entrance was a massive fireplace that stood nearly four feet tall. As the monstrous fire billowed inside the black alcove I wondered how the room was not sweltering, but I quickly felt a breeze and glanced toward an open window.

  “I thought you would appreciate some warmth.” The King whispered to me as we made our way across the room. The vampire royal family was lined up near the fire waiting for us to make our way to them. Robin rushed past me and into the arms of her parents. They quickly embraced her before releasing her to join them in the line and wiping their faces of expression once again. The brief expression of love and adoration they showed toward Robin made me feel relieved, leaving only a small bit of nervousness.

  Nicolae encouraged me to move the last few feet before we stood directly in front of who I guessed was the Queen. She looked down at me, a small smile lifting up the corners of her lips. She wore a long black gown that hugged her slender figure and an elaborate ruby pendant hung from a heavy gold chain around her neck.

  “Claire, I present to you, Queen Evilyn.”

  The Queen bowed her head slightly to me and I made a small curtsey not sure what I was supposed to do. She lifted her head and smiled widely at me, her long ivory fangs stood out between her ruby lips. She reached out and lifted my chin, gazing deeply into my eyes. I held her gaze and stared into the dark pools that held my reflection under her thick lashes.

  “It is an honor to meet you child. I hope that you find your stay here enjoyable.” She dropped her hand and I watched her quickly reach for the King’s hand. Their fingers locked tightly in a silent expression of their love.

  “It is an honor to meet you as well.” I repeated. She blinked at me and I thought for a moment that she might have been holding back tears.

  Nicolae then continued the introductions. I met Robin’s parents next and they were as open with their emotions as Robin was. The Willow family smiled broadly at me. Robin’s dad Edgar and her mom Mara both extended their hands in greeting. Her Dad shook my hand so excitedly that he jiggled my whole arm, until his wife playfully scolded him. Robin and I both had to fight the urge to laugh at him.

  “I’m sorry child.” He patted my hand gently and nodded at the King. As Robin had already explained the King repeated her parent’s roles in the family. They cataloged all the historical information of every major event, human or vampire. Following Nicolae’s description of their duties, they invited me to visit their library during my stay and I promised them I would. I had never been interested in history or books for that matter, but like Robin, her parents were so friendly, it was hard to say no to them. If I chose to be turned and live here the rest of my long life I might as well try to get along with everyone.

  The next family members were the Ravens. They were in charge of the security of the royal family as well as planning any and all strategic decisions regarding other warring regions or anti-vampire activists.

  “May I present to you Lilith and Samael Raven
and their daughter Ana.” The King said as he introduced them.

  They each bowed their head as he spoke their name, but did not display the same excitement of meeting me as Robin and her family did. I had thought to ask about their duties as I felt a little concerned when Nicolae mentioned other warring regions, but their stern faces made me swallow my question and I decided to ask Robin about it later.

  I held out my hand in greeting, but none of them took it, choosing to simply bow their heads at me. I returned the gesture, not sure if I should be offended. I looked to the youngest of the Raven family hoping for some sign that she might be friendlier than her parents seemed, but she stuck her nose up in the air and looked down at me. An unintelligible mumble slithered through her lips that caused all the vampires eyes to snap toward her direction. Even though I couldn’t understand, I was certain she didn’t have anything nice to say.

  The Raven family stood out amongst the others. Their bright blonde hair held beautiful hues of gold and seemed to reflect the orange glow of the fire behind them. Dressed in all black, they truly looked the part of the frightful vampires of history. They would sooner latch onto a human’s throat than shake their hand. Tall, thin, pale beings that were as powerfully terrifying to behold as they were flawlessly beautiful.

  Not wanting to stare at them any longer than I should, I followed the King onward toward the next members of the royal family. He introduced the Orlov family. They specialized in the politics of our society and dealt directly with the high council. I had always thought that the high council worked primarily with the King, but it appeared that the Orlov’s were some sort of intermediaries between the two. I didn’t really understand it, but I figured that the King was probably too busy to handle everything on his own. Hence the need to assign each family group an area for them to command.

  “This is the Orlov family. They facilitate all communications regarding the high council and the human society as well as ensure that all our laws are followed. You could say they are the mouthpiece of myself and the Queen. This is Julius and Katrina and their sons Dmitry and Luka,” the King said.

  “We are honored to meet the future daughter of our King and Queen,” Julius said in a thick accent that I did not recognize.

  Like the Raven family, they too did not shake my hand but they each greeted me with a deep nod. Julius was a large muscular man whose jaw was covered in a thick but well-trimmed dark beard. His dark eyes watched me like a hawk from under his bushy black eyebrows. Katrina’s features were softer than her husband’s. She was nearly my height, the shortest of all the female vampires, and had short dark hair that seemed to accentuate her high cheek bones. Their two sons were both attractive and I found myself fighting the urge to blush in their presence. There was something about seeing a male vampire my age that made my whole body tremble as I looked at them.

  Dmitry seemed to be the friendliest of the four and returned my smile ever so slightly as I bowed my head at him. He wasn’t very muscular, but his slender physique made his features stand out giving him an otherworldly beauty. His hair was a mess of dirty blonde atop his head and I wondered for a moment what color his eyes had been before he had changed. I guessed blue.

  I turned to face Luka and his reaction to me was much the same as Ana’s, which instantly made me find him much less attractive than I initially had. He was still handsome I had to admit, but arrogance emanated from him as he stuck his nose up in the air at me.

  I tried not to let it bother me and stepped away from the vampire royal family as all our introductions had been made. I looked to the King hoping that this would be the end of it and he would send everyone away to do as they wished. I was eager to retreat back to my bedroom.

  Instead Nicolae spoke quietly to the Queen before he nodded to the rest of the room and they all silently exited. I noticed Ana glaring at me as she walked past and I fought the urge to glare back at her. I wasn’t sure what I had done to receive that reaction from her. Perhaps it was because I was human?

  “Claire, come and sit with us a moment.” The King ushered me toward him and the Queen.

  I stole a glance at the large double doors as Robin exited them and smiled when I saw her look back at me. I was sure she would be waiting for me when I was done. Taking a deep breath I walked toward him and settled uncomfortably at the far end of an antique sofa that the Queen sat upon. I did my best to maintain my posture even though I was not sure why I cared to do so.

  “I hope that you enjoyed meeting everyone?” The King asked.

  “Yes, I did.” I wanted to tell him that I wasn’t sure everyone enjoyed meeting me, but I bit my tongue.

  “I know some of the family may seem hesitant, but they are not always as comfortable with change. You see Claire; we have all lived for a very long time. Always living the same way. Your arrival has brought about some changes, but in time they will learn to accept it and accept you.”

  I wasn’t sure what he was getting at. “I don’t understand.”

  “Before we decided to choose a child, the Ravens were our choice for the throne. But with you as our daughter, they no longer have claim, as you can see they are still very bitter. It was many years ago that we decided to find a child and when we never brought one back to the palace they must have believed we had changed our minds. We are sad to see they could not swallow their pride and show you the respect you deserve,” The Queen said her voice hinted with anger.

  “What have I done to deserve their respect? I am only a human girl I haven’t even made a decision yet.”

  “Yes, Nicolae has explained that to me. That you are not certain you wish to join our family?” The Queen placed her hand on me her expression filled with sadness. It was hard for me to fathom that I was sitting in the palace looking at the Queen, let alone deciding whether or not I wanted to be turned into a vampire.

  “It’s not that I don’t like you… I just don’t understand why you want to choose me. Just because of my blood? You can pick any girl in the world and you pick me. I’ll never get to see my mom or my best friend ever again and, and… I’m scared.” I fought the burning tears that I hadn’t expected to appear as I verbally vomited my thoughts onto the Queen. I probably looked like a typical whinny teenager, but this was all becoming more than I could handle. Just a few days ago I was planning my birthday and now I was planning my eternal life.

  “Relax child.” The Queen cooed at me as she wiped away a tear with her icy finger. “We would not have chosen you if we did not think that you could handle it. We looked not only into your blood, but into your heart as well. As my husband has told you, we wish for you to continue our legacy. If others were to reign over this region we would surely revert back to the dark times.” The Queen squeezed her eyes shut at the mention of it.

  It was obvious how much she feared such a time returning. I tried to think back to what I had learned in history class, but I was certain what was in my school books was nothing compared to what it must have really been like. I remembered the paintings on the walls of the palace, the murals of grotesque battle scenes and wondered if those were of the dark times she spoke of.

  “Why don’t you just remain as King and Queen forever?” I asked.

  The King smiled at me before responding. “We have reigned over this region for a very long time, Claire. It is our wish to see our child continue on in our stead. We wish to see you continue on. You are pure of heart and blood. You are the only one we have found… will you join our family?”

  The urgency in his voice surprised me. It was almost as if they were begging me. I felt a small desire building inside of me that wanted to appease them, to make them happy. Thoughts rambled through my head as the King and Queen sat patiently waiting for my answer. What was I holding onto? I had always wanted to do something important with my life and now that I was being offered the chance, I was too scared to take it.

  The Queen had moved to sit next to her husband, the King, and they clasped their hands tightly as they watched me
struggle with my decision. I stared at their expectant faces and I knew what I had to do. I closed my eyes trying to steady my nerves before telling them my choice. I knew this would be the most important moment of my life vampire or human.

  I opened my eyes and without blinking, I looked to the King and Queen. “I accept.” Their bodies sighed in relief and large smiles spread across their faces, which made me confident that I had made the right decision. They were genuinely happy to have me join their family. I realized how much I was growing to like them in that moment. They were so much like the parents I had always imagined for myself as I was growing up. In the short time I had spent at the palace I had never felt so important in my whole life.

  “Thank you, Claire. We are honored you have accepted us and I know you will help us continue to make this world a peaceful one. You will make our family complete,” The King said as he rose from his seat. He walked toward a nearby table and poured three glasses before carrying them delicately back to the Queen and I, the glass lightly clinking as he did so.

  “Let us toast.” He announced as he raised his glass.

  I looked into my glass at the dark red liquid that swirled inside and found myself hesitant to take a sip. Yes I had chosen to become a vampire, but was I really ready to drink blood.

  The Queen smiled amusedly at me as she stood to raise her glass. “It is only wine Claire.” She winked at me and I rose from my seat to raise my glass with them.

  “To our new family, our new daughter, Princess of the vampire royal family and to the continuation of peace in our region.” The King cheered as we toasted our glasses and then sipped the wine.

  “My daughter,” The Queen looked at me, her fangs revealed as she smiled. “You will do great things.”

  It was an indescribable feeling to have a vampire Queen telling me how great I was, and I could feel my confidence building as she fawned over me. Her embrace was full of love and I found myself returning the hug as I was wrapped in her strong arms. The soft velvet of her dress rubbed against my cheek and I realized I was hugging my new mom.