"Really?" Adrian asked her.
Victoria nodded. "Whenever Albert visited for the summer, it was only him. I've managed to see his sister a few times over the years, but mostly she stays in Padora."
"For important lady training, whatever that is," Albert added.
Victoria shook her head. "Poor Katarina."
"Poor Katarina, indeed."
Two days later, the lord and lady of the Vasile Ward had arrived with their youngest child in tow. Katarina Vasile looked like the female version of Albert, except with two blue eyes, and wearing a frown the moment they arrived in their pretty blue carriage. She looked like a little doll dressed up to be shown around. Her auburn hair was pinned up in an elaborate up-do and her gown was of a deep midnight blue. Victoria had been dressed up to greet them, but not nearly in a way that was so… advertising. Lady Vasile whacked her daughter on the elbow and the girl plastered on a fake smile. It was clear what her mother wanted her to be: a picture of feminine submissiveness. Victoria nearly gnashed her teeth at the display.
That picture was something that it appeared the Lady Vasile had mastered. Victoria wondered if there had once been a bright fire burning in the painted woman, as her children were fighters, and she had never seen Lord Vasile with even the slightest bit of tenacity. Lady Vasile kept her head down in the presence of her husband. Her mother had almost been in the spot where the lady now stood.
Many decades ago, when Alina Speranta was a brutal warrior and revered for her savageness and beauty, Lord Vasile had once asked her to marry him claiming that they would create strong heirs and a stronger Sangera. Victoria's mother had only laughed in his face and told him where he could stick his marriage proposal. Not long after, the lord was engaged to the current lady of Padora, who had come from a strong noble family.
Victoria realized she was sort of in the same boat, as she was betrothed to Albert. The selling and trading of wives was common among noble families. Victoria was just grateful that Albert was nothing like his father. Looking at how subservient he and Katarina were forced to be around their father showed Victoria that he would never treat their future children like that.
Victoria shoved the thought down and greeted her guests along with her mother and Peter. She, Albert, and Alex were back at Castle Speranta during break. Victoria was glad to be back home, and having Albert and Alex there made the whole experience much better. When everything had been settled, the Vasiles were shown to their rooms and Victoria showed Alex to his.
They made their way to one of the back towers of the castle which belonged to Victoria. Her room and Alex's room would be right next to each other as he was her bodyguard. To get to her tower, they walked across a bridge with roses growing on either side of it.
Alex whistled. "Wow, an entire tower to yourself." He looked out at the mountains on one side of the bridge, and the city of Batara on the other. "What a view."
Victoria chuckled. "Mine and yours now."
He turned to her. "Mine?"
"You know… during school breaks this will be where you stay. You do have to be my bodyguard for two years, not two years minus two summers."
"I guess I forgot about that. I'm not complaining, though. Not one bit."
"Good. I'm glad."
She led him into his room where all of his belongings had already been dropped off. To describe it as luxurious would be an understatement. The floors were made of terracotta tile and various plants grew just about everywhere. The four poster bed was a classic Sangera red, along with all of the other beds in Castle Speranta. Around the room, various shells and tropical decorations were strewn about. On the other side of the room, colorful rugs led up to a bath tub hanging half-inside and half-outside of the tower and into the mountain air.
"Stars," Alex said in awe. "I thought Viata Castle was fancy. This place makes me feel like a grubby outsider."
"You are a grubby outsider," Victoria teased. "My last bodyguard was also a paralian gargoyle. When she moved here from her village in Piatra, she said she wanted to decorate it like her home. I know it's probably nothing like where you're from, but I figured I'd keep it this way. You can change it if you want to. It is your room, after all."
Victoria was surprised to see emotion in his eyes. "No, it's perfect. Thank you. Your last bodyguard really knew what they were doing. It somehow even smells like sea salt in here."
"That was my doing," she piped up. "Before we got here, I had the servants put in some minerals and a bunch of other stuff." Victoria began to look at her long nails, suddenly embarrassed about admitting how much effort she put into the bedroom.
He smiled at her. "Not many people have ever put much thought into something for me."
"Well, I can't help it if you've had such subpar friends until you met me."
"Victoria, you make everyone who stands around you seem sub par."
She blushed. "I'm going to remember you said that and throw it in your face the next time we fight."
He shook his head as she left his room cackling.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
This is Why We Can't Have Nice Things
The royal family was to be hosting a party. Victoria's jaw dropped when her mother told her. They hadn't held a party in Castle Speranta in years. The entire city was abuzz as prominent families wondered if they would receive an invitation or not. In addition to those prominent families, Victoria had been given a few invitations for her friends. One for Raduta and one for Adrian.
Within the next few nights, they arrived. The two vampires were to stay in the same tower with Alex and Victoria, and both Albert and Katarina managed to sneak away from their parents to join them.
Victoria hardly even recognized Katarina when she saw her again. No longer did she look like her mother's pretty doll. Now, she had the look of a fierce female. Those blue eyes of hers glowed like stardust and she was now dressed casually with a bare face. Despite her plain attire, the girl was stunning. Her long, auburn hair fell in soft curls around her face, and there was something bold and daring about the way she carried herself.
She smiled a wide perfect smile when she met them. "Hello, I'm so glad to be around normal people." She embraced Victoria in a bone crushing hug.
"Oh, hello," she replied happily, if a little surprised.
"If it isn't the gargoyle that beat my brother," she said as she took in Alex. He looked at her a little awkwardly until she said, "Good. Though it's not all that surprising that he didn't get top of the class. It's a hard feat for anyone who likes to skip class regularly. What do you even do when you don't go to class, Albert?" She elbowed him in the ribs.
"That's for me to know, and you to remain forever curious about," he replied.
Victoria couldn't remember a time when she was as happy as she was on those nights leading up to Lacrima. Unfortunately, it was in the law of nature that it's only a matter of time before all good things come to an end.
Ω
"Well, well, well," Victoria laughed. "Didn't I hear you say that you would never willingly dress up for a Sangeran holiday. I can't imagine Charlize or Dmitri holding a knife to your throat for this. Despite your protests, you clean up pretty nicely."
"I'm not sure if I should take that as an insult or a compliment."
"It was a compliment, you grouch."
And she meant it. Alex had dressed himself in an outfit that could only be described as the Lacrima version of Piatra clothing. His usual golden armored top was replaced by a shirt of midnight blue, and those billowy pants that gargoyles always seemed to wear were now a black along with the sash that was tied around his waist. The golden Piatra armor boots were replaced with a titanium version.
"Are you ready to celebrate like a monarch again?" Alex asked her holding out his arm. Without hesitation, she looped her pale arm around his tan one and took a deep breath.
"Probably not, but I suppose we have to start again somewhere."
The ballroom was a vision. It had been transformed into a world
of shadows and stardust. Blue and white balls of light that reminded Victoria of willow-the-wisps floated through the air lighting the hall. Everyone there was dressed in whites and blues and blacks giving the impression of a sea of starlight. If Victoria could only use one word to describe it all, it would be breathtaking.
"A people among the stars," Alex said.
"We are."
"And the princess of the stars," he said gesturing to Victoria. Her dress was as black as the night with diamonds sown into the bodice. Her cheeks had a light dusting of silver glitter and atop her head was a princess tiara. It was a series of titanium loops that fit on her head like a headband with silver rods protruding from the band like rays of light. Between those silver loops were stars. With sapphire eyes, Victoria looked like she had been born from the very stars themselves.
"You do realize that means you have to do my bidding, right?" she teased.
Alex rolled his eyes with a smile. "Here, we go. Let's go find the others before you start making me feed you grapes on your royal futon."
Before the two could even begin to enjoy the party, their path was stopped. "Princess Victoria," a guard came up interrupting them with a bow. "The queen requests your presence in her study."
"Ugh, I should go and meet her in her office then. It's likely going to be a scolding for something I didn't even realize that I'd done. Let's go, Alex."
The hallways became increasing emptier as they walked to her mother's study. At that point, everyone was already gathered in the ballroom for the Lacrima festivities to begin. How typical that she should be parted from it by her mother. When they reached those foreboding onyx doors, they turned when they heard someone call Alex's name.
They were both surprised to see who it was. "Dmitri, I didn't realize you'd be here," Alex said.
He nodded. "The king and queen enlisted the help of the Guard members who are training at Viata Academy for the party. Can I talk to you for a second?"
Alex looked back to Victoria with a pained expression, but she just nodded. "That's fine. I'll be inside talking to my mother anyways."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, go talk to Dmitri."
The two gargoyles walked a little ways down the hall, and Victoria steeled herself before walking through her office doors for whatever it was she wanted to say.
Victoria had never really taken a good look of her mother's office before. When she walked in, her mother had been gone, so she figured she'd wait for her. While she waited, Victoria figured she would have a proper look around. Yet another battle-axe from her warrior days seemed to draw the most attention, but now Victoria saw that the office held a lot more moments from the queen's life as a mother rather than as a warrior or a ruler. Small trinkets and decorations were scattered around the room. Above her, the ceiling twinkled as though it were made of stardust. A brief look at the bookshelf revealed a lot of books on war tactics, history, and fire-breather magic. That certainly made sense. On one of the shelves, there was a small fishing pole resting in a glass case. Victoria hadn't realized that her mother had saved Antonius's fishing pole, let alone encased it where his memory may remain forever. Victoria smiled and continued to look around.
Her mother's desk was dusty and nearly bare, as if her mother hadn't been there in some time. There was a photo of her mother and father on their wedding day, as well as a photo of her, Antonius, and Albert from when they were younger. Victoria opened one of the drawers and found another photo that had been overturned. With curiosity moving her fingers, Victoria picked up the photo.
And almost dropped it right on the floor.
The photo was from many years ago, Victoria knew, probably twenty to thirty years ago. The picture showed a group of people sitting around a table. Victoria easily recognized the people, none of them having aged a day since the photo was taken. On the left side, there was her parents and next to them was Artur and Anastasia Dalca, king and queen of Piatra. It was the last two people Victoria was shocked by. Next to the queen of Piatra sat a stunning woman with golden skin and curly brown hair. Her bat-like wings rose above her shoulders. She was a gargoyle. Victoria would not have recognized the man who had his arms around her if his face hadn't been plastered all over the news lately. Nicolae Blake was sitting there, smiling at the camera as if he had just been in the middle of a family dinner.
This was what her mother hadn't wanted her to know. She had once told Victoria that it was because her father had helped capture Nicolae that the criminal was now coming after her. She neglected to include the detail where they had all been good friends, once.
The door opened and her mother stepped into the room, stopping dead in her tracks when she saw Victoria looking at that decades old photo.
A confused look crossed her mother's face. "What are you doing here?" But Victoria was too focused on the photo to be curious about it.
"What is this?" she asked her mother holding out the picture for the queen to see.
"Now, Victoria, don't get mad—"
"Don't get mad? Are you kidding me? You've given me so many non-answers as to why Nicolae Blake might be coming after me, when you've known why all along!"
"I couldn't just explain it to you all at once. There's so much history there. I would have to explain almost one hundred years worth of history to you."
"I would have sat down and listened if you had told me. Maybe then I would have been more prepared. I wouldn't have been nearly killed just because you've been trying to keep secrets."
"You need to understand that everything I have ever done was only to protect you."
"Well, how has that turned out?"
"Given the circumstances…" her mother paused. "I see you alive and standing here and I'm glad for it, because things could have gone a lot worse."
"How so?"
Her mother shut her mouth and turned away from her. There was more, it seemed. A secret that she was willing to take to her grave if she had to.
Victoria sighed in frustration. "Still keeping secrets? That's fine. We never were good at playing mother and daughter anyway."
Victoria stomped out of the room with the picture still in her hand. She heard her mother calling after her but ignored it. This was information that she knew Alex would be glad to know.
She ran into him down the hall from her mother's office still talking to Dmitri. It was a heated argument by the looks of it, but once he saw her, he was immediately by her side.
"What's up?" he asked her. She handed him the picture and he gasped. "Is this some kind of joke?"
"One would think so, but apparently it's my mother's best attempt at protecting me."
"How is keeping such a massive secret from you supposed to protect you?"
"That's what I asked, but all she gave me were a bunch of excuses before I stormed out."
"Your parents were good friends with Nicolae Blake." Alex shook his head. "I gotta say, I didn't see that coming." He stopped in the middle of the empty hall. "Wait, your mother asked you to her office to show you this, and then refused to tell you anything more?"
Victoria shook her head. "No, I—" she stopped short as she thought about it. "She actually asked me why I was there in the first place. She hadn't been looking for me, but whoever told that guard that she was looking for me wanted me to be here tonight."
She gave Alex a panicked look. "We need to get back to the party," he said. "Now."
The sound of metal against Alex's skull stunned Victoria into place. She felt like her body had turned to lead as she watched his body crumple next to her. The smell of his blood wafted through the air, but then it was a different scent suffocating her. It was both sickly sweet and bitter as a hand placed a cloth around her mouth and nose from behind her and she fell unconscious.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The Making of a Monster
Victoria's head was heavy and her limbs stiff. She awoke to the smell of mildew and rotting flesh and the sounds of rattling chains. Victoria noticed that she was
no longer in her Lacrima gown, and instead in dirty, ripped prison rags. She cringed at the idea of her captors changing her in her sleep. She tried to move, but her arms and legs were connected to the wall behind, and she realized where the sounds of rattling chains had been coming from. They burned unlike anything Victoria had ever felt before and she knew what it was they were made from: silver. She tried to pull away, but the chains only burned deeper welts into her wrists and ankles.
"That won't do any good," a voice called from across the room. "They've thought of everything we can do. Every contingency is covered."
Victoria looked up and saw that there was a large fish tank in the cell opposite hers. The water was murky and dirty and inside a mermaid swished around. No, not a mermaid, a siren. The queen of Mancator was half in the water and half out. While she was maintaining her siren form because of this, her skin had become cracked and dried and was bleeding in multiple places.
"Queen Sirena," Victoria breathed in surprise. To be perfectly honest, she had begun to think that the queen was dead.
"Please," she scoffed. "We're both imprisoned here until who knows when and likely to be killed at any minute. Let's bypass the formalities and just call each other by our names, Victoria." Victoria nodded, not realizing that the queen, Ceto, even knew who she was. "Are they still looking for me?" she asked.
Victoria nodded. "Night and day. Your general, Kai Kealoha, more than anyone else." Ceto smiled, and Victoria knew that there had been something more going on between them. Kai had given the impression that their relationship was professional, but she'd wondered if he wished it wasn't.
"If you're down here now, I wonder what it is he's planning."
"Who?"
Ceto opened her mouth to speak, but just then a door at the end of the hallway of prison cells squeaked open and the sounds of heavy footsteps came their way. Victoria blanched at the sight of Ceto looking so afraid of whoever this person was.
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