Cassandra Pendragon

“Trust them, they’ll manage just fine.” I hadn’t even seen nor smelled Alassara, seething with anger as I was, until she had timidly placed her small hand on my arm. My head whipped around but she withstood my glare, smiling softly. “Allow them to solve their own disputes. In case they’re going to bite off more than they can chew we can still intervene.” With an effort I stopped myself from simply bulldozing past her and breathed in deeply. It didn’t help much, the furious flames in my veins didn’t diminish and my eyes remained locked onto the spectacle, burning with a bright, silver fire. At least I hadn’t unfurled my wings. Yet. Still, I must have looked like retribution incarnate, judging from the distance everyone was keeping and the glaringly anxious, almost frightened glances I received. If it hadn’t been obvious before, it would have been clear as day now that I was feared. It didn’t bother me anymore, though.

“Have you been watching all the time,” I hissed, my voice barely more than a whisper. I might have inadvertently used more energy than would have been advisable, otherwise. She nodded.

“Of course and I’m not the only one. Look, over there.” She gesticulated and when I followed the line of her outstretched arm I could just about make out my five guardian kitsune and my brothers, surreptitiously closing in on the group. “They’re as safe as they can be but you won’t do them any favours if you don’t allow them to fight their own battles.” I ground my teeth but her words made an uncomfortable amount of sense. Still, I wasn’t overly eager on making my sister’s life more difficult than it already was.

On the other hand… the handful of boys didn’t even know what they were getting themselves into. Reia’s magic was well developed and what Layla could do, when cornered, I had already experienced first hand. Come to think of it, I should probably have worried more about them killing the unlucky lot by accident. Served them right, though. I mean, how stupid did you have to be to pick a fight with a vixen after everything that had transpired over the last hour?

“So what,” I asked, still more aggressively than I meant to sound. “We just watch?” She nodded.

“Unless they become injured or start ripping throats out we’ll stay where we are.” She smiled sheepishly and added: “judging from Mordred’s expression Arthur is telling him pretty much the same thing. He’s grimacing just as beautifully as you. Cassy… it might seem preposterous for me to give you advice, but you’ve never been a parent, have you? And for Reia… you’re more of a mother to her than a sister, even though she’d never admit it. Raising a child is just as much about freedom and allowing them to make mistakes as it is about guidance and protection.”

“It’s not preposterous,” I admitted grudgingly. “And it also seems warranted. I just…”

“You want to keep them safe. Believe me, I understand. I’m a vampire… it’s in my blood to care for my offspring, even the ones I’ve only turned. Still, if I can manage to restrain myself, so will you. It’s most likely going to end with a couple of bleeding noses anyways.” I wasn’t so sure about that. While we had been talking Reia and Layla had shared a quick glance and a nod. When the fearless leader of the pack had stepped up, smirking like the Grinch on Christmas, my little sister had embarked on a mission to teach him the very same lesson the adults had had to suffer through by my hands. Don’t underestimate the cute vixen. With a gliding step she slipped past his outstretched arms, a flickering green light igniting around her fingertips. The fraction of a second later he was already on the ground, his eyes bulging. Reia was on him within a heartbeat, her mouth drawn into a snarl, her arm wrapped suffocatingly around his neck while her tail snaked around his right leg. I had to channel a bit of energy towards my ears to pick up her next words, but when I did, I had to smile. There was no denying we were related.

“A little more pressure here,” she tensed slightly, choking him, “and you’re going to blackout in a few seconds. A little more pressure here,” I saw her move her tail only a smidgen, but since she had wrapped it twice around his extended knee he still groaned in pain, “and you’ll never walk again. Now, are you going to apologise, pumpkin, or do we have to keep on playing?”

He was frantically looking for a way out, the realisation that he wouldn’t be able to scamper free with his own strength slowly dawning on his brutish face. When he desperately turned to his companions for help another shock awaited him. They were slowly backing away, white like sheets, while a frail slip of girl was keeping them in check with nothing more than a sweet smile. A smile that revealed long, pointy canines and might have been a bit more sinister than expected, considering her eyes were glowing with a foreboding, red fire. On second thought, it might not have been sweet at all. Rather more in line with the smile a butcher would throw at his most succulent pig while he was already sharpening his favourite knife. Damn, they really didn’t need me. If anything, I had to worry about their assailants making it out in one piece.

Alassara whistled through her teeth quietly and murmured: “they’re working together. Maybe we should… it doesn’t matter. You’re leaving soon, anyways.”

“That’s not set in stone, not anymore,” I replied without taking my eyes off of the humiliation in progress. “Didn’t you listen to me? And I had thought it would’ve been impossible to ignore me. You know, fireworks, a light show and all of that.” She chuckled quietly and finally removed her hand from my arm.

“I thought you were just stringing them along, have them cower until the worst of it would have blown over. Are you really going to stay?” I shrugged.

“Most likely. I won’t be able to be here, all the time, but you’re probably going to have to deal with a new, erratic and impulsive neighbour. Which reminds me… I’d like to purchase this patch of land. I know you haven’t payed much for it, but I’d still like to settle on a reasonable price.” Her eyes went wide and she almost spluttered.

“Don’t insult me. I always meant to hand it over to you anyways.” She thought for a moment, her expression turning into a lopsided grin. “But if you’re really going to stick around I’m not so sure anymore. It would be unbelievably charming for you to call me landlady.” I huffed indignantly.

“Don’t tempt me. Otherwise I might be forced to have you call me your Highness.”

“I wouldn’t mind,” she laughed, “but I’m pretty sure it’d drive you up the walls within a day or two. I’ve always wondered… you’re a royal, no, you’re a being above mortal titles and yet respect or admiration make you feel uncomfortable. Why?”

“They don’t, if they’re earned. I don’t mind being recognised for what I’ve done, but being swooned over for what I am or into which station I’ve been born is… unsavoury. At least to me. If you’re carrying as much baggage from the past with you as I am, being your own person becomes much more important. Just imagine how you’d feel if you were reduced to the heritage your progenitor left behind. Doesn’t seem overly appealing, does it?” By now, the big, brutish brigand was kneeling in front of Estrella, stammering through a badly worded and probably entirely insincere apology, but it was enough to assuage the two seething girls who had him and his cronies shit their pants. Metaphorically, at least, literally I wasn’t so sure but I also wasn’t overly keen on finding out.

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“No, no it doesn’t,” the vampire admitted. “One last thing before we rush over there and pretend like we don’t know what’s been going on: Layla and Reia are getting along splendidly. I don’t know why but my daughter is taking to your people like a fish to water. If you, all of you, are going to stick around I’d like them to… have a chance to become friends.” I eyed her dubiously while the two girls in question were high-fiving in the background, laughing openly after the boys, slinking away with their tails between their legs.

“Somehow I got a feeling you’re already a tiny bit late. Still, what do you have in mind?” As if she and only waited for me to ask, she immediately answered:

“They could be taught together. Not necessarily magic, since ours works entirely differently than the magic of the living, but everything else… you probably haven’t had the time, yet, to even think about tutoring the bunch of them…”

“Actually, I have,” I interrupted her. “Look, I don’t know if it’s going to work out like that but most of my friends seem convinced that I’m going to be able to form some kind of portal between the Emerald Island and this place. If that’s the case… they have a pretty amazing academy there, at least as far as I know. I’d like Reia, Archy, Estrella and the rest of the pups to enrol. Would you like to send Layla as well?” She hesitated, clearly anxious about her daughter’s nature and what it might mean if she was to live somewhere else.

“They won’t be gone for a semester or even a whole day,” I quickly amended. “I don’t plan on sending them away. Simply have them attend school in the morning and come back home in the afternoon. What do you think?” She smiled shyly.

“That would actually be pretty amazing. But I can’t imagine an eleven school would be suitable for a vampire. Our astral bodies are destroyed when we awaken. We can’t use spells or magic, powered by mana. I don’t know if Layla would be able to take much away from the lessons, never mind fit in.”

“Oh, in that regard I’m not overly worried. Your daughter is a treasure, if she’s not being overwhelmed by her instincts, that is, and I… I’ve given it a bit of thought what I’m actually going to do once I get there. Again, I’m not sure if it’s going to turn out like that, but I’ve been toying with the idea of becoming a teacher, at least for a little while. I need to learn a few things as well and, at the same time, keep an eye on Zara, the elven girl who summoned me. I’ll also have to somehow get to know the people around her. Becoming a teacher seems like an easy solution. Like I said, it might turn out entirely differently, but if it doesn’t, I could keep an eye on them and make sure Layla stays safe. I could even make sure she gets the education she needs.”

“A teacher? You,” she inquired sceptically, but, before I could even muster a reply, her expression changed from doubtful to intrigued and finally turned into understanding as she added softly: “You’d do that for her? For us?”

“Of course. You don’t even have to ask,” I reassured her with a smile, “I’m offering.” I didn’t say another word and simply hugged her before I turned around and headed for the celebrating troupe of troublemakers. They had done well, but I still wanted to know what had happened in the first place. Seriously, who could have been dense enough to pick a fight with them? My own antics aside, they still had the very same ears and tails as the soldiers, keeping the grownups in check, and the undersized brigands had decided to try and bully them? Moronic hardly began to cover it. They wouldn’t become much older, if they hadn’t learned their lesson today.

I gesticulated towards my private army, wordlessly asking them to keep an eye on the most recent winners of the Darwin awards, before I crossed the remaining distance with a few steps. By now Reia was trying to console Estrella, pretty effectively, I might add, since the girl was already smiling again, while Layla helped Archy off the ground. The flustered boy was blushing again, unable to look the vampire princess in the eye. I shook my head exasperatedly, wondering when he’d finally grow up, and hugged my sister tightly. She squealed beautifully, caught entirely off guard. She even tied to break my hold and struggle out of my grip, before she realised who I was.

“Have you been hiding close by,” she accused me, once she had regained her breath. I shrugged noncommittally.

“Not really, I haven’t been hiding, that is. But I must say, I’m pretty impressed. Not only did you stand up for your friend, you also managed to get out of it without a scratch and the ones you sent packing aren’t that much worse for wear, either. Maybe I really have to start listening to your advice. I’m not sure I’d have done have as well as you.” She laughed openly and tried to flick my ears but I was still taller and quite a bit faster than her. When I caught her wrists, she pouted:

“They wouldn’t have had the guts to act like they did, if you had been around.” Her tail drooped and she added subduedly: “I hate being a child. No one takes you seriously. Well, no one I’m not related to,” she quickly amended when I cocked an eyebrow and released her hands.

“What happened, anyways,” I asked while I allowed Estrella to get a hold of my tails, she still hadn’t tired of that particular game, and breathed a kiss against her forehead. With another hug for Layla I straightened and waited for her reply. Archy would have to be content with the smile I gave him. The poor boy would probably exploded, anyways, in case I showed the same amount of affection towards him.

“I don’t think they even realised what we were until it was too late,” Reia replied with a smug grin. “And by then, their pride wouldn’t allow them to back out. They insulted Estri. The usual stuff… nothing too bad, but when she didn’t react they pushed her…”

“That’s not quite how I remember it,” Layla chimed in, but before she could go on, my little sister glared at her rather nastily. Unfortunately, the little vampire was about as easily intimidated as her mom. “Didn’t you call them all of sorts of names before they actually pushed Estrella? Almost as if you wanted them to do something stupid?” I had to bite back my laughter. As little as I appreciated her antics, and I was decently convinced Layla was telling the truth, I would have done the exact same thing, if I had been in her shoes. Except… I probably wouldn’t have let them go without a few broken ribs or a dislodged shoulder.

Reia lowered her head defeatedly and asked subduedly: “are you mad?” I probably should have told her that provoking anyone wasn’t what she was supposed to do, considering who she was and what might be waiting for her, somewhere down the line, but I just didn’t have it in me. Instead I allowed my laughter to bubble forth freely and tousled her hair: “mad? No. But I take back everything I’ve said about listening to you. You’re just as bad as me…” I turned towards Layla and asked her pointedly, while I pinched my sister’s side: “is there anything else she’s forgot to mention? A corpse you’ve buried, for example?”

“Nothing quite as sinister,” the blonde girl chuckled merrily, while she was walking towards her mother, who had appeared behind me, arms spread wide. “But she has promised to find them again, should they ever so much as look at another kitsune the wrong way. Don’t worry, though, I would have done the same. They weren’t very nice people, were they? And her promises aren’t as binding as yours, at least I hope so.”

“I wouldn’t bet on it,” I replied gloomily. “As stubborn as she is, they might as well be. All right. Seeing as I can’t leave you alone for more than few minutes, you’ll have to come with me. It’ll probably be for the best anyways, if you’re out of sight for a while.”

“And where are we going,” my sister wanted to know.

“Oh, since you’re already well versed in protecting your people, you’ll have to get used to the more boring aspects of being a princess. We’re going to talk to people. For quite a while.”