The Vampire Princess

by P. Mattern

  The maidservant curtsied and followed me as I left, making sure that I did not turn my head to the left and catch Oliver’s eye even for one second. My cheeks were flaming but from anger rather than illness as I tried to contain the torrent of emotions running through me.

  At that moment I hated Oliver.

  Love and hate are not opposites at all, they are like two entwined snakes facing each other and staring into each other’s eyes. The space between them is where lovers meet, and once they have formed a connection, whichever one is predominant, the other lies just beneath, waiting to strike.

  When I first encountered the Prince I hated him, but learned to love him.

  When I met Oliver, I loved him almost instantly, but now I hated him with a greater fervor than I had ever felt toward the Prince.

  I knew part of it was being blindsided by the announcement of his betrothal. Even though we had been avoiding each other as much as possible for the past few days, I could think of at least half a dozen opportunities he could have taken to forewarn me of his engagement.

  I decided that it was the ultimate cruelty that he had not.

  I felt real pain in my chest when I thought of the intimacies he and Deborah had shared. Did he enjoy kissing her? Had he lain with her in the same way we had lain together?

  The thought that he had pressed that most significant part of his own body into hers was unbearable.

  I felt numb as the maidservant assisted me in dressing for bed. She rubbed a lotion smelling of chamomile and eucalyptus over my temples and throat and bosom, and I did feel calmer somehow, but I had so much pent up energy from being upset that I knew I wouldn’t be able to rest. She insisted that I take a few sips of the herbal tea she had made also.

  The tea must have been laced with a sedative, because I was wrong—I did fall asleep for a time. I half awakened to hear the Prince and the Maidservant whispering above my head.

  “Ah she sleeps,” he said, ”You gave her the draught then.”

  “Yes Sire,” the servant answered, ”She fell fast to sleep. Did you want the Physician to look at her?”

  “That may wait till the morn,” he said thoughtfully,” Let the Princess sleep Candice.”

  After that I drifted off again, softly drifting into a rosy netherworld where there were no betrayals and no broken hearts.

  PLAYING WITH FIRE

  I awakened at 3am. Candace had pulled an overstuffed wing chair up to the side of my bed. And had fallen asleep with her chin on her chest. She was snoring softly.

  I felt wide awake and the pain in the area of my heart had come back with a painful vengeance. Ever so quietly I slid across the expanse of my bed to the other side, finding my slippers and taking my dressing gown from the tall bedpost where I had left it, tying it at the waist.

  Before I even stood up I knew not only why I was awake, but also where I was going.

  I lucked out. The Guard that the Prince had left outside my door was Theda’s husband’s second in command and he was passed out on wine and snoring gently. I knew the Prince would have his head if he’d had any idea that the soldier appointed to guard his beloved Vampire Princess was dreaming away.

  On one hand it was incomprehensible that two out of two of the underlings appointed to watch over me had failed their duty miserably, but it didn’t surprise me. I had a sense of destiny as I tiptoed down the corridor, staying in the deep shadows created by the torch light in case someone should be patrolling or taking a stroll to cure their insomnia.

  The stone halls were silent but my greatest challenge was still in front of me.

  The guard posted outside the Prince’s chamber was fully alert, but of course he did not question me as I barely nodded and eased the massive door to the Prince’s chamber open, praying that he would be sound asleep. I had a ready excuse if he awakened, I was going to tell him that I couldn’t get warm and that I needed to sleep in the comfort of his arms.

  That wasn’t necessary. Although my view was partially obscured by the open doors of the Prince’s massive wardrobe, I heard noises coming from the far side of the room, strange noises…a series of gasps and groans and moans, heavy breathing, panting.

  As I made my way through the shadows on the far side of the chamber to the relative shelter of the wardrobe, I tilted my head just enough to see who was in the Prince’s bed. I wasn’t shocked any more at Prima Nocte. I knew that routinely the Prince would be deflowering the brides to be of his soldiers and henchmen.

  But I WAS surprised to see who had joined the Prince in his bed. Her back was to me, but I immediately recognized her waist length flowing blonde hair, and her heart shaped ass as he sat astride my Prince’s hips, his fingers digging into her buttocks.

  It was Deborah, Oliver’s bride to be.

  I quickly put my own hand over my mouth so as not to make a sound. I listened as she rode him, her head thrown back slightly, while he told her how much he was enjoying her pussy in low guttural tones.

  As I slipped through the door into the citadel, I wasn’t even careful. Between them they were making enough noise that I knew I wouldn’t be heard.

  Once beyond the door I became momentarily confused. One of the torches had gone out and the shadows were longer. I kept to the left side in the dimness, trying to remember how far down the passageway Oliver’s bedroom door was located.

  At last I found it, having nearly passed it. It was hidden in its alcove in the semidarkness, and too late I remembered that Oliver had opened it with a key.

  I had no key. But I reached down and turned the doorknob slowly so that it wouldn’t make a grating sound. I was only partially successful. Abruptly the door was pulled inward and me with it.

  The knife was only at my throat for a few seconds before I heard Oliver sigh. Releasing me from where he’d spun me around so that he could secure my arms at my sides while he could slit my throat, he turned me once again so that we were facing each other.

  His face was ashen.

  “I nearly killed you Tristina!” he hissed in a sleep roughened voice, ”The Citadel is NOT the castle proper! We have orders to kill any intruder and ask questions later!”

  “Oh? And how is that working for you?” I sneered, attempting to recover from my own fright.

  A dawn of recognition crossed his face and he narrowed his eyes.

  “How did you even GET here? You would have had to go through the Prince’s chambers and tonight is the night we agreed upon for the Prima Nocte!”

  This time it was MY eyes that narrowed.

  “So you KNEW—you KNEW that he was going to …going to…” I stuttered, not comfortable with how to relate what I had seen on my way to the Citadel.

  “Yes Tristina, I knew that the Prince was going to fuck my future wife. Is that what you are having trouble saying? My GOD girl you have been here long enough so this should no longer be front page news!

  “It’s what we do!”

  “But you are BEST FRIENDS,” I retorted,” Is that how besties treat each other? Really? No exceptions? Don’t you even care Oliver? Does it mean nothing to you that he is taking your wife’s virginity?”

  Oliver placed his dirk back on his dresser and sat on his narrow bed looking at me speculatively .

  “Oh I doubt my bride to be was a virgin,” he said, a smile playing at the corners of his lips ”Pretty sure NOT, actually. The point is I don’t care and it’s just the way things are done here at the Svalbard Silo. The rules are the same for everyone. Rather democratic, don’t you think?”

  “Not quite,” I shoot back, “What’s yours is HIS—but what is HIS is not YOURS!”

  He stood up again, facing me as his hands went to my breasts, grasping them firmly and possessively and causing me to catch my breath.

  “Are you SURE about that, Tristina? Why are you here anyway? I just realized that you never explained yourself!”

  He didn’t wait for me to answer. Scooping me up into his arms he lay me face down across the bed, which was so narrow
that my head was hanging over the far side. I felt him pulling my gown up and the next thing I felt was the weight of him on my back as he shoved his engorged cock into me.

  That was what I had come for. I moaned as he continued, my body eager for each thrust. This time was different—he was as rough as the north wind as he fucked me—harsh and unrelenting. He raked his nails over my shoulders, bit my back , and even pulled my hair.

  “THIS! This is what you came for, isn’t it you little Earth Belly tramp!” he repeated over and over. Even though I knew it wasn’t really a question, I repeated my answer also.

  “YES…YES….YES!”

  When at last we were both too exhausted to move, I lay in his arms as he gazed down at me. I played with his hair as the silvery blonde streaks shone in the dim light of his lamp.

  “I love you,” I said, knowing that it was true, ”I was so hurt when the Prince announced your coming nuptials…

  “It made me insanely jealous, though I’ve no right to be whatsoever,” I confessed, searching his eyes, ”I didn’t know that I could feel like that Oliver!”

  He was playing with my hair also, and cupped my cheek with his open hand.

  “There is a lot you don’t know Tristina,” he said softly, ”But I see that you are growing a woman’s heart and I am sure that it will be a painful process.”

  It wasn’t as difficult to go back to my room as I thought, and I was in such a fearless and defiant mood when I left Oliver’s room that even Hell itself couldn’t have intimidated me.

  When I stepped out of the wardrobe the room was silent except for soft snores issuing from the direction of the Prince’s bed. I didn’t even bother to turn my head to see if Deborah was still in it because I knew from Theda that no Prima Nocte was allowed to spend the night in the Prince’s chambers.

  Inwardly my wounded heart was soaring again. I knew that Oliver, as put out with me as he had been, really loved me in the same way that I loved him.

  Ours wasn’t a love that could ever be announced. We would both officially have other partners. But ours was a lifetime commitment nevertheless. We would always be there for each other no matter what.

  I felt at peace finally, knowing that I was loved in return, that Oliver would never forget about me. And although I had needed to be physically close to him to reassure myself that he felt as I did, the sex we had had was not the issue. I knew neither of us would risk another tryst for a very long time but it didn’t matter anymore.

  What we had shared that night was enough to cement our feelings for each other and we could make it last for eternity.

  I slept like the dead, awakening the next morning to Candice’s soft voice at my ear.

  “Do you feel better Princess?” she asked me, “I hope you are feeling well enough to bathe and dress in a clean gown. The Prince is coming mid morning with the Royal Physician.”

  I had slept wonderfully, but the minute I attempted to sit up my head started to spin and I felt nauseous.

  I barely made it to the bathroom before I vomited twice, bile rising in my throat. I had always gotten car sick as a kid and seasick even in a small boat. It was that kind of feeling.

  Candice opened the windows to bring fresh air into the room, and I relaxed in a steamy hot bath with rose petals floating on the surface for as long as I dared. It felt wonderful to be floating and drifting. For once my head was devoid of frenetic thought and I felt relaxed.

  As the water cooled I at last stood and Candice toweled me off. There was a chill in the chamber from the windows being open, and I shivered until I had several comfortable layers of clothing around me: a camisole and pantalettes, an underskirt of silk and a velveteen gown of a golden color trimmed with tiny pink rosettes around the bodice.

  My hair was wild from the night before, but with the help of some styling products we got it calmed down. Candice started braids at each of my temples and joined them in the back, which gave the rest of my wavy hair a neater appearance.

  I drank my tea and waited for the Prince to show up. I wanted to do more exploring of the Silo, take a toboggan ride with Theda and then come back and have a monstrous lunch.

  Just when the hands of the antique clock on the mantelpiece over the fireplace announced that it was 11 am the Prince entered, followed by the Royal Physician. I vaguely remembered him being with me the previous night. I wanted to endure a cursory exam and then be done with both of them.

  The Prince was wearing a brown leather mask, trimmed in tiny gold studs around the edges. He also had on a tunic of brown velvet with breeches that matched and tall boots of brown suede.

  “Tristina!” he said, smiling delightedly, ”How lovely you look. Doesn’t she look resplendent, Doctor Rinauld?”

  “Certainly Your Highness,” the doctor replied. I wondered if the doctor was a vampire. He seemed to be although he looked to be in his forties rather than frozen at 30 like most of the vampires I had seen in the Silo.

  There was something that had always creeped me out about Herr doctor. I was never able to put my finger on it but I had always felt that he was hiding something.

  “Tristina just relax,” the Prince told me,” Dr. Rinauld is here at my request just to make sure that you are well. I must apologize to you my dear. You are usually the picture of health and so I have been remiss in making sure that you receive regular checkups.”

  A maid servant loosened the laces on my bodice and, reaching unobtrusively under one side of the gown I was wearing pulled down one side of my panties to my knees, and then walking around to the opposite side pulled the other side down before reaching up my skirt to slide them off. She was determined to preserve my modesty, even from the doctor who was about to give me a thorough physical examination, and I was grateful for that.

  Nevertheless, I happened to glance up at the doctor as my panties were removed and it seemed to me he was staring, his eyes narrowed and a sheen of perspiration on his top lip.

  I kept perfectly still as the doctor checked my pulse and heartbeat, and looked down my throat and into my ears. All that was fine, but when he reached down to examine my breasts, he did it in such a way that I felt my cheeks growing flushed. He placed his meaty hand on first one breast and then the other, circling them with his fingers, squeezing, and then rolling each of my nipples in turn between his fingers, taking his time. I was staring at him the whole time but he refused to meet my gaze.

  “OW,” I said when he finally withdrew his hand from the front of my gown. He had finished with a particularly hard squeeze to my right breast.

  “Sensitive,” he remarked, ”Well if I am correct in my assumption of what caused your stomach distress this morning, ”It might well be expected.”

  The part I was dreading the most had arrived. My maidservant Candice rolled my skirt up to the top of my bent knees and guided my legs apart so that the doctor could examine me. When she finished she took a position on one side of me, taking my hand in hers, as the doctor, eyes glistening, took a position at the end of the bed, pulling up the upholstered bench so that he might get a better view.

  At least with his head between my legs he was out of sight. I couldn’t bear to look at him. I looked up at the ceiling as he took his sweet time getting an eyeful before he inserted something inside of me that felt metallic.

  “Are you okay Tristina?” I heard the Prince ask. But I was too preoccupied and humiliated to answer. It was a terrible feeling having a stranger messing with me in my most private areas. I had never even been to a gynecologist before I left home because I wasn’t sexually active and my periods were regular.

  The doctor removed the clamp and inserted his bare fingers inside of me, making me wonder why he wasn’t wearing gloves. He also took his other hand, and pressed on my lower tummy at the same time. I was starting to get furious and determined that I would give the Prince an earful about the lack of sterile medical procedures in his majorly backwards arctic kingdom. It seemed as if they were operating in the 1500’s!

 
Before I could react, Candice helped smooth my skirt and helped me sit back up. I was flustered and in a foul mood, but before I could vocalize my displeasure I was interrupted by the doctor turning to the Prince and shaking the Prince’s hand vigorously as he announced, ”Congratulations your Majesty! The Princess is indeed with child—just as you suspected!”

  I felt as if all the air had gone out of the room. The next thing I knew the Prince reached down and hoisted me up into his arms, kissing me even as he twirled me around my huge bed chamber.

  “My love, my love,” he shouted, ”How happy you have made me! I am thrilled Tristina! We will make a feast tonight in honor of your Royal Pregnancy! Everyone will rejoice! The King and Queen and all the people have been awaiting this announcement for a long time!”

  I was dizzy from having been spun around, but I returned his kisses fervently. My heart grew tender at his obvious joy. His happiness was more evidence to me that he really did love me as I had always hoped to be loved.

  But in the next few moments my heart sank again, as I remembered that my feeling of doubt and neglect had caused me to find solace in another man’s arms.

  ‘Oh Oliver,’ I thought, ’What if this is the child of our secret affair?’

  My thoughts were wiped away as the Prince kissed me once more soundly and gave the maid servants explicit instructions that I was to rest before the feast. He hurried from the room, followed by the doctor and joined by his entourage at the door. I turned my head and looked longingly out the window, feeling all kinds of conflicting emotions: joy, guilt, confusion and yearning among them. I had no idea whose baby I was carrying. I knew Oliver’s first thought when he heard that I was pregnant would be to think that I was carrying his child.

  I wondered what his reaction would be. I knew that he had a deep and abiding love for the Prince, one that matched my own.

  I reached down under the coverlet to rest my fingers lightly on my belly. Somewhere, deep inside in my secret places, a tiny being with a heartbeat floated, unaware that he—or she—would be heir to a throne.