by Lisa E Parry
With one more analytical glare, she huffed and moved down the line to scrutinize the rest of us. Confusion clouded her features when she caught Warwick in the act of giving her an appreciative look. “What are you?” The sudden demand wiped the smirk off his face. “Do not lie to me.” Her arms fell to her sides and I had the sneaking suspicion she had a myriad of blades hidden within her bodice.
Warwick looked to the King for affirmation who nodded his consent. With a glance about the room, he raised his voice for all to hear. “I am a vampire from the otherworld, your Majesty.” He gave a flourish of a bow as gasps and sighs echoed around us. I bit my lip in temper at Warwick’s dramatic announcement. Such a bloody attention-seeker!
“Oh, don’t be so tiresome,” Queen Elfina snapped at the ladies fanning themselves, then looked back at Warwick. “Yes, I believe you are.” She took a step closer to him - bottle green eyes delving into vibrant emerald. “Interesting … I see a pool of compulsion behind those eyes.” She took a step back. “But no wild beast, it would appear.” Warwick swallowed.
Her gaze breezed over Dorian and Neil, acknowledging them as nothing special, and inclined her head to Cheri, but when she turned to Adhelm she broke into a smile and embraced him. My eyebrows rose.
“You have been absent too long old man, how dare you.” It was said with a warm smile.
“Time is of little matter to us, my dear, you know I will always come to see you, given the opportunity.” He gave her an indulgent smile and I wondered what the connection was.
“Aidan,” she turned to the king with a whip of red hair, “I shall speak with you after dinner and make arrangements.”
Aidan gave her a small bow. One small battle won. “As your Majesty wishes.” Taken as our dismissal, we turned to leave when the queen halted our progress.
“Stop, vampire. You’re staying.” The tone of her voice had changed into something more - dare I say seductive? A smile split Warwick’s face. He gave us a shrug, then turned and offered her his arm to escort her back to the throne. After a lingering glare at their backs, I left with the others.
I walked out of the throne room, as outwardly calm as I could be, and breathed a sigh of relief. I sucked in a huge breath and released it, “Wow, that was intense.” Neil shot me a confirming glance, Cheri a cautionary one. Aidan instructed us not to wander out of the palace. Etheldreda’s agents may have already infiltrated the city - especially this close to Anarch’s castle. He strode away muttering something about meeting a general at the barracks.
With the need for a little solitary breathing space, I separated myself from our group to collect my thoughts. What happened in there? Was I losing my mind? An echo of black danced upon the border of my vision …
“My lady,” Dorian snapped me back to reality – dark shapes dispersing. I turned a questioning look on him for his formal address. “May I escort you to your destination?”
I tucked a curl behind my ear, not having the luxury of hair straighteners to iron my wayward hair into submission, I had to let it do its thing – which was curl. Warily, I eyed courtiers and servants wandering the hallways.
“Of course,” I agreed, and he followed just behind me. Jeez, what an indignity for him. I stopped and turned on my heel so abruptly that he almost bumped into me. “I must speak with you. Walk beside me if you must accompany me.” Ha! I could do the formal thing too, and I’d be damned if I was going to let him walk behind me as though he were some kind of social inferior – it was so degrading.
Dorian gave me a dangerous, almost admonishing scowl - one that told me this wasn’t their code. He clasped his hands behind his back, ready for the silent argument he knew was coming. I just folded my arms and waited with an innocent look on my face. Those grey eyes turned to steel and I remembered a time he had told me how I infuriated him. His eyes lost that cold gleam as the memory passed between us.
Eventually, to stop drawing unwanted attention, he stepped beside me and we continued down the hallway side by side. I didn’t bother to hide the victorious smile that spread across my face. It must have irked him terribly.
We took a right and skirted a walled garden amongst stone pillars. Dappled sunshine speckled the grass as it streaked in from above, highlighting blooming flowers I had no name for. “It was a memory.” Dorian broke the silence. He took on the relaxed posture of a courtier. With his hands clasped behind his back, instead of looking alert and ready to challenge anyone, he more resembled a lord than a warrior. I brushed my hair aside and took in his appearance. Black always suited him best and the outfit made him look like royalty. His dark hair had been washed and it was lightly pushed back only to fall forwards. He’d kept a little stubble.
We stopped as a cooling breeze eddied between us and he searched my face for a reason for no response. I looked into those steel grey eyes and watched his guard drop. He saw why I had no words and couldn’t help but let a smile pull at his mouth. “Stop it,” he said half-heartedly. It didn’t stop his sinful eyes from roving over me though. I mean the dress was totally badass. He cleared his throat. “It is possible you remember her from your previous life.”
My eyes broke away from his, and I stared at a chip in the grey stone floor. I nodded soberly. Having memories from a previous life interfere and cloud my vision was something I didn’t want to even contemplate. As if my life wasn’t complicated enough, fate goes and throws me another curve ball. I didn’t want to deal with war, Anarch or any of it. I tried not to wring my hands at the oppressive thought of it all.
Time for a change of subject and to address something that mattered to me more. “Dorian, I don’t want to go away tomorrow with us like this. I don’t want you to hate me for what I did.” I inspected his black boots with gold buckles. My stomach cramped at the idea of leaving Dorian tomorrow with him thinking poorly of me. I needed him.
Dorian delicately lifted my chin and stroked underneath my bottom lip with his thumb. His harsh expression had given way to a rare honest and open look. He took a tentative step forward and his hand now reached for my hair. I held my breath - but he looked around and thought better of it. “It’s possible you signed your own death sentence last night. How can I be okay with that? You will be weak for tomorrow.” I heard the desperation he didn’t even try to hide.
“I don’t want to think about that, Dorian,” I said dismissively. “Am I forgiven? Right now, this is the most important thing to me.” My shoulders slumped, and my eyes withdrew to stare at my velvet slippers. My back found a cold stone pillar.
He pulled my chin up again. “There is nothing to forgive you for. I just wish I could take your place, Melissa.” Tears lined my eyes. “Just promise me you’ll stay alive. I couldn’t do without you.”
“I’ll try … for you,” I whispered pathetically, then his hand moved to rest on my cheek. For the first time, he ignored everyone around us and brought his lips down on mine. After my surprise I melted into it and weaved my fingers into his soft hair He reached an arm around my waist and crushed our bodies together.
Someone cleared their throat and we pulled away from each other to see Adhlem walking away, shaking his head. Whether it was in mirth or disgust, we couldn’t be sure. Dorian looked back at me, and with a conspiratorial smile he took my hand and we flew through the corridors of the palace. We stopped at every opportunity to meld ourselves together in hidden nooks and corners until we reached my room and dove into it.
I locked the door after we entered and with caution now thrown aside Dorian swept me up in his arms and dipped me so low I was sure my head would touch the floor. After a heady kiss, he drew me up. This would be our only opportunity to be together before being taken apart and in that moment, we needed each other badly.
He spun me around and before I knew it, he had my dress undone, “How did you…?” I asked in astonishment - remembering his first poor attempt with my woollen dress.
“I had an opportunity to study how it’s laced up in the throne room,” he said breath
lessly and I couldn’t help but burst out laughing. The dress dropped to the floor and I enjoyed his surprise when he his eyes caught sight of the corset. His face was a mixture of lust and a little defeat.
“It’s laced up just like the dress. Quick, get it off!” I urged, only to find he just looked and looked until my face was aflame.
He gave me a devilish grin, “Let’s just leave it on for a sec.” He pulled me down on top of him and laughed as I cursed whilst undoing every one of his damned twenty golden buttons. His clothes finally came off and I revelled in being encased in those powerful arms.
The world disintegrated, leaving just the two of us and that was how I wanted my entire life to be. I wanted to stay wrapped in Dorian’s arms with his love and solidarity cocooning and cushioning me from the rest of the world. He was all I needed and with the feeling mutual, what more should there be? What more could I want?
The afternoon slid by and it felt like we were in a utopian time-bubble. If only. The room had darkened; orange light streaked in through the windows to notify us it was time to ready ourselves for the meal with the queen. Dorian idly drew circles over my shoulder as we lay together staring at the canopied ceiling of the bed. “No,” I announced, before he told me we should get ready.
“Melissa -”
“Nope.”
A rumble of laughter escaped him. He rolled on top of me, kissed me and rolled me again -lifting me in the process into a sitting position.
I pouted. “That’s cheating and misguiding, Dorian Danes.” His response was a mischievous grin.
Dorian was quite adept at lacing up the corset and the dress. I was pleased about that. It would have been embarrassing calling for a maid to dress me again. Even so, his hands kept wandering and I would playfully bat them away, only to pull them back again.
“I can’t wait until we live together on our own island back in Stockholm.” I sighed against his chest.
His hands moved up and down my arms then his arms surrounded me, “Me too. I’ll have you all to myself.” He kissed the top of my head. Neither of us voiced our doubts that that future might never happen. It wasn’t worth saying. We had to fight for it.
“I miss chocolate,” I said grumpily and Dorian chuckled. “I miss my hair straighteners and painkillers. Actually no, I miss a proper toilet and damned toilet paper. Oh, and I miss regular knickers and bras. These undergarments are ludicrous to say the least.” I turned around, “I miss you and me, like this.” I stuck my bottom lip out.
“Don’t make me responsible for missing the queen’s dinner.” He warned suggestively, while poking my lip back in. We left my room. He walked behind me, and I let him keep up the pretence.
We joined the others waiting to go into the banqueting hall. Warwick took one look at us and turned away, but disgust did not shadow his face like the last time he’d noticed we had been together. I remembered he could detect Dorian’s scent on me.
We walked in and were each announced to the room yet again. I rolled my eyes. The queen had a whole entourage of people dining with us. Generals, Captains and other men sat with their wives next to them, discussing the coming battle. Aidan was trying to win over the queen. Back to reality. I thought miserably.
We had a five-course meal. Yet with every brutally slow minute that crawled by, my diminishing appetite allowed me to eat hardly anything. I sat with my back straight and said as little as possible. I was no strategist, so I only spoke when spoken to. The queen had a lot to say, even if her eyes kept darting to me and back again. Having been a part of so many wars in the past, she was incredibly knowledgeable on the subject. It was quite impressive, and that was the first time I had seen a strong female figure in this world. Respect for women was something this world seriously and disappointingly lacked.
A woman sat across from me. She tried to speak but her husband shushed her into silence. I gave the General a dark look, which his wife caught, so I smothered my expression into neutrality and brought a fork of unwanted pudding to my mouth. Cheri would’ve been proud. Still, my temper simmered when he did it again.
“Isoley, will you keep your mouth shut? This is men’s business, so stay out of it and know your place.” He’d whispered it so vehemently that spittle sprayed over her face, and that was it.
“You chauvinistic bastard.” I hadn’t said it loud, but for some reason it carried down the table.
“I beg your pardon?” he asked, no doubt ready to tell me my place as well.
“You bloody hypocrite,” I carried on. “You tell your wife to know her place, treating her like a second-class citizen, when your country is ruled by a woman.”
“Apart from our beloved queen, women are second-class. The queen is of noble birth. Pay your respects and don’t talk to me again.” He sniffed.I clenched my hand into a fist around my fork - imagining implanting it into his head. Is this guy for real?
I looked down the table to the queen who was smouldering at the pompous windbag, but I beat her to the reprimand. “Where I come from, nobility is not defined by bloodline, but by one’s actions, and you sir deserve no such title. Pay respect and don’t talk to you? Women in my world are equal and we fought for it and earned it. How dare you speak to me like that!” The entire table had been smothered into silence. Cheri bristled.
Even so, I barrelled on, “Everyone has a valid opinion, and everyone should be heard. While I am here, I will respect and follow your traditions and values. I expect, in return of that favour, you to do the same. Now tell me, why should I be courteous and follow your rules when you talk to me like a piece of shit on the bottom of your shoe?” It had happened. All that pent-up anger of the day had poured itself on to General Waste of Space.
There was so much outrage on that middle-aged man’s face that he turned purple and clammed up. I bit my lip and chanced a glance at the queen. I was sure she would chop my head off for this. She had covered her mouth with both hands, her shoulders shaking. She was laughing. However, my party were clearly horror-struck - apart from Warwick, who smiled his appreciation at me. Typical.
“Melissa, isn’t it?” The queen called boldly down the table. I nodded. “Swap places with Lord Ivan here.” She patted the table in front of a man beside her. The old man looked incredulously at her, but she fluttered her hand at him, “Off you go.”
I braced myself for the onlookers and rose from my seat. My slippered feet actually made a noise as I walked the long distance to Elfina and sat back down as the first on the queen’s left. She told everyone to stop gawking then turned her attention to me, “You have some confidence, girl, I like it. I don’t remember the last time General Testosterone was left speechless.”
I laughed nervously.
“I like your reasoning. So women have a voice in your world? Women who aren’t born with a metaphysical royal rod thrust up their posterior?”
I real laugh bubbled out of me. A fancy-dressed waiter poured me a glass of magenta liquid. “Yes, they do, your Majesty. We say what we feel, even if it is to put a man down.”
“Ha! A world worth fighting for, if only for that!” Her attitude surprised me. I was starting to like this woman. “I have spent a little time in your world, and I must say that your technology is remarkable, your vernacular amusing.”
I gawked at her. I couldn’t even imagine the powerful warrior queen in my world. How could people not bow down in her wake? “You’ve been to my world? How? When?” I spluttered over my wine.
Her green eyes looked through me as though remembering a time long forgotten, “A friend taught me how, a very long time ago. Your technology has probably changed since then.”
My heart began to pound, “What was her name?” I had to ask, I just had to.
The queen’s keen eyes sharpened at my question. She casually brought her glass up to her mouth before declaring, “Avellana.” Yes, that was my name. My soul recognised it and rejoiced in remembering it. “I don’t remember telling you my friend was a ‘she’.” Shit.
My t
houghts fell over each other trying to scrounge up a pathetic excuse for the slip.
“Was it the War of the Dark Elves or the War of a Hundred Years we ended between us?”
“Oh please, Elf, it was the War of the Dark Elves.” It was out before I could stop it and I clapped a hand to my mouth. I recoiled at the question. How could I possibly know that? I had also called her by a nickname that only Avellana had used to taunt her. Elfina was half elf and I used to think it ridiculous that her parents had made her lineage a part of her name.
Elfina clapped her hands and laughed out loud. She yanked me out of my chair to pull me into a bear hug, “For the sake of the goddess, you took your time reincarnating! Has Dargon found you yet? He’s been searching heaven and hell for you all these years! You seem different though – altered, yet you look remarkably the same.”
I had no words. I could only imagine my mouth was opening and closing like a goldfish. The entire table had fallen silent and even King Aidan appeared slightly derailed.
Queen Elfina looked down the length of the table, one arm draped over my shoulders as though we had known each other for years, “King Aidan, you shall have your army, but I daresay they may not have any of the fun. Avellana and I shall be done before you even arrive.” She looked at me, “Dark Elves are our speciality, are they not? We did like to play with them before killing them, remember? This is going to be just like the old days! Finally, a real battle.” She spoke with fierce enthusiasm, her eyes alight with the prospect of a good old brutal fight.
Memories belonging to Avellana came crashing through and I felt the prospect of insanity pressing heavily on my mind. Black clouds began to obscure my vision. Who am I? Am I Avellana or Melissa? I felt like two people merging into one I didn’t recognise.
Elfina seemed like an old friend now, the closest thing I had to a sister, and I actually felt a little excited at the opportunity of killing dark elves alongside her. What we did to them before killing them… It was a terrible thing, but the dark part of my mind, the part the black magic had consumed, seemed to roar into life and rejoice. Those tainted dark clouds crept further over my vision. Kill, maim, slaughter. It whispered to me, over and over.