by Reza Ali
“You have done it now, Princess! What is that abomination you have created behind this castle? Do you now have any sense of what you are doing to us? The Valkrays will be at our doorstep on the morrow because of your stupidity!” Lord Cunningham’s eyes bulged.
“We are feeding hungry people, providing the homeless with shelter. Such things unfamiliar to a narcissistic fool like you. This has nothing to do with the Valkrays. I do not see how you use that as your reason to disparage my efforts.” She spoke calmly, with elegant composure.
“The innkeepers tell of a convoy of royalty, including the crown prince himself, visiting your rat hole. Does he speak truly? Did the crown prince set foot in your establishment?” he raged as he stepped towards her, pointing.
“Yes, he did visit and I did show him inside.” Her voice was soft and her eyes looked away from his.
“Fool! Do you know what you have just done? The press will be here soon and your name will be printed all over their media releases. The Valkrays will send henchmen here within the hour and we will be finished.” He placed his hands on his head and crouched as he shouted at her.
“Cousin, I will ensure that nothing of the sort ever happens. Trust me; I will never place your life in jeopardy.”
Her voice was so gentle that it calmed him slightly. “Why do you do such things, Princess? Why can you not just live the way you were supposed to?”
“Those people were starving without homes, devoid of a desire to live the next hour, let alone the rest of their lives. Now they are happy, becoming healthier and stronger every day; their lives are slowly becoming purposeful. Such is their joy that it warms my heart and gives me fulfilment like I had never felt.” A tear descended from the corner of her eye as she spoke.
“Them! What about us? What about your heritage?” His voice was dismissive of all she held dear.
“Lord Cunningham, do you not have charity in your heart? A heart without compassion is a heart diseased with a terrible aliment.”
“Compassion for whom, humans? Why should I feel anything for them? They are not my people. You think you are one of them; do you forget who you really are?”
“I know exactly what I am. Do you know that we are also human? A different kind of human. Look at us; we are almost the same.”
“The difference is that we feed off them. Their blood is our sustenance. We are more animal than human. Place a drop of blood on your tongue and see what happens to you, Lady Evangeline. Take a gander at what you really are.” His tone was mocking.
“You surprise me, Lord Cunningham; what with such delicately crafted silks and boots and that overbearing perfume, I would have almost mistaken you for human.” She smiled in derision.
“I cannot abide the foolishness of your actions any longer. Your love for them will be the downfall of us all.” He turned and walked out of the room.
“You must despise the sight of him, Princess!” Lord Bradley said as he walked up to her.
“On the contrary, Uncle, I love him fiercely. William and I grew up together; he is the nearest I have to a brother. Let it be known that he has more compassion than anyone I have met. The winters of life have hardened his heart frozen. I have faith in him, though; I always did.”
“They are waiting for us. Shall we proceed?” He extended his arm.
She took it under hers and they walked out to the meeting room on the last floor.
Three men stood awaiting their arrival. The man who stood nearest to the doorway was a royal called William Harker. He was a distinguished man with auburn hair and green eyes. He wore a slashed doublet in black and silver and a black silk cloak with an embroidered crest of a lion on the breast. Standing beside him, a man named Bryden Artwell wore a silver ring mail tunic and padded armour over his legs and elbows. Bryden was William Harker’s general. At the far end of the room, Peter Cunningham stood brooding at the only window looking over the castle courtyard. He was the uncle to Lord William Cunningham and another royal in their realm.
“Princess Evangeline, rumour of your exquisite beauty spread through the realm for years, but even that does not do you justice.” He bowed his head and kissed her hand.
“Lord Harker, I am honoured to finally meet such an important royal. Your lineage traces to our very origin. That has always intrigued me immensely.” She smiled as she spoke.
“Lord Bradley, Princess, it’s so good to see you again,” Peter Cunningham said, also kissing her hand.
“Likewise, My Lord,” she replied.
“Let us get down to the business at hand, gentlemen. What news have we?” Lord Bradley intervened.
“The Valkrays have been in London hunting us Harkers. Our friends who helped keep us in the city sent ravens and riders with personal messages of their forays and questions. Four of our helpers were taken. They know not of our current position, but they know much of us all,” William Harker said, greatly disquieted by the content of his words.
“I have heard them asking questions about Princess Evangeline and my nephew, Lord William Cunningham. It seems they are doubling their efforts to hunt us,” Peter Cunningham commented.
“We must be vigilant, take no chances and secure all our weak points and eliminate all footprints,” Lord Bradley added.
“I totally agree; it has been three years since the elimination the Lestat siblings. We are all that threaten his reign now. I fear that, if one of us is located, we are all gone,” William Harker replied.
“Forgive me, My Lords, but I have been careless in my conduct recently. I will rectify that immediately and ensure that our tracks are eliminated.” The princess felt some guilt about her rendezvous with the crown prince. She knew she needed to be more careful, if not for her sake, for the other royals at risk.
Lord Peter Cunningham reassured her of his confidence. “Princess, I trust you and I shall not lose a minute of sleep fearing any action from you.”
“Lord Harker, was there any indication from the London raids that our whereabouts had been compromised?” Lord Bradley asked.
“No, word is that they have gone south of London, with no news of further raids. I think we are safe for now.”
“Good, we shall reconvene in a month. A venue will be communicated via parchment. Any developments or news must be sent via the designated rider only.” Lord Bradley closed the meeting.
As William Harker made his exit, the princess hurried behind him.
“Lord Harker, may I be permitted to have some words?”
“Most certainly, Princess.” He stopped and waited for her to catch up.
“My condolences over the loss of your beautiful wife. It is my hope that she is in a far better world than ours.”
“It is my hope as well. We are trying to be strong in this time of great difficulty. Luckily, I have a beautiful baby girl and two other children to keep me sane.” His reply was sombre.
“I have heard of your new addition. In fact, it is the reason I wish to speak to you now. I do not know how to tell you this.” She paused, searching for the words.
“My little girl, Sofia, is the light of my life. Please, Princess, do tell me what you need to.”
“I have seen your little girl in my dreams, through countless visions. It happens so often, I can tell you exactly what she looks like even though I have never seen her in reality. She has hair the colour of a strong proud flame and eyes like emeralds, as pure a green as the heathiest summer leaf. She looks at me, a look that is not possible from an infant, and I look at her. I feel this overwhelming love burning within me like wildfire when I look at her. Madame Cecelia sees something too – a vision of the Dark Prince on a dragon’s back and a lion. The only connection to the lion is your daughter. Forgive me if this all appears strange, but I wanted you to know it.” She felt relived after sharing her vision with the father of the baby she so often saw.
“There is something about my little girl; I do not know what it is, but I know how you feel. I feel that kind of love for her too. Even though she
is but a toddler, her hair is as red as blood and her face as fresh as the morning sunrise. Such visions are cryptic messages from Lord of Dark. If what you say is true, she has some connection to you and both of you are connected to the Dark Prince. That is just extraordinary, my little Sofia.” He smiled and shook his head. “Please keep me informed if there are any developments.”
“Thank you, Lord Harker, I most certainly will.” She set of to join Lord Bradley once more.
Chapter 4
The Crown of Rock
Princess Evangeline paced the space in front of the only window in her room. She had resolved that she would be more careful in her endeavours. The report of Lords Harker and Cunningham Snr. about the Valkray raid in London brought home a nasty reality; all of their lives were in grave danger. I must no longer give encouragement to the crown prince. However, there was something within her that protested silently.
She felt something when she thought of him; a slight feeling deep within her gut. She remembered his eyes; they had something to them, the way he looked at her. He seemed to lose the prince in him when he spoke to her, especially with her obstinacy. She smiled as she thought of it. A slight feeling emanated from within, as if the prospect of seeing him later that day made her excited. No, I must not feel anything. There is no prospect for him and me. He does not even know the truth about me. Today, I shall tell him that this will be our last meeting. She felt certain of her decision and purged her mind of any thought of him.
She walked the pathway between the tables in her sanctuary. People rose to their feet and bowed as she passed them; some ran to her and knelt in appreciation, but she immediately brought them to their feet and asked them never to do that again. “We are no different, equals, you and I,” she said to them.
Someone at the far end of the room caught her attention; it was Melissa, gesturing to her excitedly.
“Princess, there was a package that arrived earlier today.” Melissa led her into a little room behind the kitchen, pulled a wooden box from the shelf and handed it to her.
She tugged at a piece of string attached to the top of the box and it opened to reveal a beautiful rust-red kimono with exquisite embroidery and beadwork. It included a row of emeralds and rubies sewn beautifully into the middle. A little note carved on a small sheet of fine vellum fell to the ground. She knelt and picked it up. “I have had the finest seamstress make this especially for you. I humbly ask that you honour me by wearing it tonight.” Instinctively, she smiled, thinking that it came from the crown prince. That feeling of visceral excitement filled her once again. Then she remembered her resolution.
“It is so beautiful, Princess. You will look like a dream in it,” Melissa enthused.
“I cannot accept this, Mel; I must not encourage him.” She frowned and put down the dress.
“No, you must accept this, My Princess! Can you see the length he went to get this for you? Please, he asks that you honour him; do him that kindness. Remember the contribution he made?” Melissa picked it up and held it against her. “You look radiant, My Princess.”
* * *
The second hour of eight passed as the echo of the large bell rang through the town. The sounds of horses trotting into the yard alerted Melissa. She ran to the little room and shouted to the princess, “He is here! Come, Princess.”
Princess Evangeline stood up from the wooden crate that served as her seat. Melissa almost fell over as she took in how unbelievably beautiful Princess Evangeline looked. Her cascades of golden locks fell over the kimono magnificently. Her perfectly contoured body hugged the dress and accentuated the beadwork and embroidery.
“His eyes will be struck by a firestorm when he sees you in this.” She smiled dreamily.
“Do not let him inside; I will come by the rear door and leave quietly,” the princess whispered.
She walked out of the room and set off to the carriage awaiting her at the front gate. The carriage was large, but not as large as the wheelhouse she had seen him travel with at the town hall. She looked around and noticed the absence of the prince’s usual entourage. This pleased her considering the unwanted attention it could rouse. Prince Henry stood beside the carriage door, watching the silhouette of a woman walking toward him.
The night sky was overcast, with languid swirls hanging over them like sentinels from another world. A small break in the overhanging cloud resulted in a ray of moonshine that caught the princess as she walked to the carriage. Her blonde cascades glowed, her turquoise eyes gleamed and the stones on her dress glistened in the moonlight. His heartbeat accelerated wildly when he saw her. If he harboured any doubts before, he was now positive that this was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid his eyes upon. She lowered her knees to bow as she approached him.
“Lady Evangeline, words cannot describe how beautiful you are.” His voice was a tangle of nerves.
“You provided the canvas; it is a marvellous piece. Thank you.” She looked into his large eyes and took his hand as he helped her inside. She realised that he was quite a young man in age, but his high level of education had his mind at least twice his tender years. She felt pleased to see him once more.
Inside the carriage, he sat across her and fixed his eyes upon her glorious beauty. She liked the way he looked at her; there were many things she liked about him. She found him to be a true gentleman; his manners were impeccable and so was his command of the language. She smiled at him without saying a word. He smiled back, silent, but his gaze fixed on her like a lion on wounded prey.
After an hour and half, the carriage slowed and eventually came to a halt. The prince helped her out and her feet touched the uneven, stony surface. She looked around and saw tall hills surrounding them. In the dark, she could see only the tall silhouettes the hills cast. Some of the hills climbed so high that the last quarter appeared so bare and lifeless in the dark, appearing like giant tombstones above green basins. The men undid the wheels from the carriage and turned it into a movable palanquin. The prince helped her back inside and, once more, they were moving, this time to the top of an imposing hill.
The men laid down the palanquin and the door gently swung open. The princess crouched as she exited, then lifted herself up to find them perched atop a flat plain on the large hill. As with the other large hills, green scrub and bushes covered the lower to middle areas, whilst the tops were large heads of tangled and jagged rocks. The area upon which she stood was a flat plain encircled by something that resembled a natural rock parapet. Spread evenly between the rock parapet, four large rock spires with needle tips towered around them, chasing the night stars. The top of the hill, with the encircling rock parapet and four towering rock spires, gave the appearance of a crown made of rock.
The men had laid out a table with two chairs on either end and some food and wine. Prince Henry pulled out her chair and she sat down gently. He lifted the flagon of wine and poured some into a pewter cup that had been laid in front of her.
“You asked for privacy and I give the most private dinner you could ever imagine.” He smiled, sipping his cup of wine.
“Thank you, My Prince. You have done well.” She smiled back at him.
“I know what you are going to tell me tonight.” He leant forward and spoke firmly.
“Really, you do? Then tell me!” She raised her eyebrows, maintaining her smile.
“That you can no longer see me, because I do not understand that you are not like other women.” He lowered his eyes as he spoke.
“How did you know that?” She tilted her face and her eyes tightened.
“You forget that I am to be the king. We are taught well, studying the body movements of people to gauge their real intentions. I have been forcing myself on you; I realise that now. I cannot help it, though. I think of you all the time, Lady Evangeline. I have never met a woman like you, so perfect in so many ways.” The prince’s voice broke as he spoke.
“I am not perfect, My Prince; far from it, I shudder.” She leant back in her cha
ir and left the cup of wine on the table.
“I beg to differ, My Lady. I have feelings that I cannot stop. I know there are all these obstacles, but what I really want is you. I dream of having you as my queen. Tell me, please, if there are any feelings for me inside you. Tell me that I do not yearn alone. Please, My Lady, put me out of my suffering.” He voice was desperate, no longer authoritative and firm.
“My father always told me that the truth provides perfect clarity. Attempts to deceive, no matter how white they may appear, will always lead to complication and mistrust. When you are faced with a dire situation, always lean toward the truth. So I tell you nothing but the truth, My Prince.”
“It is all I ask for, My Lady.”
“I share your feelings; I feel it too. When I think of you, I feel a blissful flutter within, a beautiful song, so peaceful and serene. But, My Prince, there is something about me that you must know. I will no longer conceal this dark secret I harbour and, if you wish to have nothing to do with me after you hear it, I ask for you to be merciful with the information you shall have. I ask that you keep this between us and only us.” Her eyes were wide and fixed on his.
“You have my word as the crown prince.”
“My Prince, I am a creature of the dark, a vampire, as you call it, one who needs blood for sustenance. We do not kill humans; we have always got our blood from animals.” She leant forward, her eyes still fixed on his.
“What? What do you mean? Do you want to scare me away from you? That is why you are saying such absurd things.” He raised his arms in incredulity.
“No, it is nothing like that. It is the truth; I swear it to you. This is what I am, My Prince, but know that I will never hurt you.”
The look in her eyes convinced him that she was serious.
“I thought such creatures are made for tales to frighten children. The day I saw you, I promised myself that I would make you my lady, no matter what obstacle may present itself. I was single-minded in my determination for you. Do you see, My Lady, I would do anything to have you. If I have to be a creature of night, as you say, I will step up. I will abdicate my throne to have you. This, this is nothing.” He shook his head, trying to comprehend what she had said to him.
