Torturous sparks rippled through Lor’s skull like electrifying volts. It was enough to pull her out of sleep. With eyes clamped, she smothered her face in her palms waiting for the pain to pass. That’s when she realized a bandage had been wrapped around her head. Moisture soaked through it, meeting her fingertips as she cautiously smeared them across its fibery texture. She quickly brought them down to her widened orbs. Blood? They were stained its scarlet hue.

“What happened to me?” she asked herself. “Why does my head feel like it’s been hit with a bat?”

Furthering Lor’s confusion, her eyes teetered from one area to another, unable to make out the dark environment. Where am I? A wall candle lit only the doorway, casting a yellowish film along its length. After fluttering eyelids and squinting at the different silhouettes of furniture, her vision finally adjusted to the low light. She leaned forward for a better view. My room? How did I get here? How long have I been out of it? Just as the questions streamed in, the door flew open.

Fiora rushed inside, far more polished than Lor last remembered. She wore a form fitting gown with the collar flipped up at ear level. It had a nightly color, blending into the darkness of the room. Her hair had been pressed earlier, a middle part at the center. The queen’s locks poured down her back. As she neared, the only source of light bounced off the walls and into her glaring eyes. They were set on a piece of paper in her hand.

What’s she doing here? Lor felt flustered now, with the queen of Ustoria flashing across the carpet. Towards me! All Lor could do in this moment, submerge her breaths and remain still as a statue. Facing Fiora happened to be something she wanted to push off for as long as eternity, considering when they’d first met, those grueling eyes that stared a tale of evil. She hasn’t noticed me…. yet! Maybe I could……pretend I’m still sleeping. Behind her, a fluffy pillow caved to her shoulders that slowly sunk into its softness. Lor lowered her neck, curving it to prop her head down while shallow breaths left her lips. She didn’t even get a chance to close her eyes.

“You’re up!” said Fiora with astonishment sending her well arched eyebrows into her widows peak hairline, like she’d seen a ghost. “I thought you’d be out for the night.”

“Hello, Queen Fiora,” said Lor’s strained voice. “I didn’t even realize you were here.” Lor gulped dryly when the queen’s stare turned icy, the coldness rising shivers from the princess’s parted lips. She knew Lor had just lied.

Like she had split personalities, Fiora reverted back to the original expression of surprise. “I hope you’re feeling better,” she said with a stern rumble.

“My head hurts and my body feels awful. What happened to me?”

A husky scoff left Fiora’s snarled mouth, exposing a pair fangs. “Child, you can’t remember? How hard did you hit your head?” Lor knew she did not expect an answer from neither question and yet the queen waited in pause, the weight of judgment heavy in her eyes.

Is she really upset at me? I really can’t recall. If I’d known that forgetting things were a crime, getting harmed even, I should have kept my lack of recollection to myself.

“I don’t remember hitting my head. I guess it must have been pretty hard, considering.” Lor circled the sorest area, where an open wound, shielded by gauze, met her fingertips. How did this happen? A flood images of how the day started and what went on after rushed in like a tide. She nearly suffocated, trying to place the order of events, until things clicked, meeting the maids and eating breakfast, being propped on the horse with Nel’s dominating strength. Butterflies fluttered warm tickles within her stomach due to his touch. She remembered that exact reaction as it filled her now. Then a muffled growl vibrated her throat, one she hoped Fiora hadn’t noticed, but a necessary response to HIM that triggered her body in ways of shame. She pushed passed the buckling pull of giving in, the vulnerable sweeps shooting up her thighs, the notions he brought whenever he was too near, even far.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

The recapture faded to the moment their horses strolled into the field of blood roses. We were talking and I was upset at him, told him to leave. He did. I tried to get off my horse, but fell. I—uh hit my head on a tree. How did I manage to get back here?

With ear ringing volume, Fiora stole Lor’s attention. “You could have died. Maybe, next time, listen to my son when he tells you it’s not safe for you to be alone.”

“He told you I—”

“My son doesn’t have to tell me anything! I have eyes and ears everywhere, especially with you here! Still, my son is equally accountable because he should have never left you. This could have ended badly.”

She was spying on us? But what should I expect when she obviously despises me and doesn’t trust me either? I wonder….did her little spy intervene and save me, tell her how clumsy I am too?

Regardless, Lor knew any response would break the uncomfortable silence in the room, the ongoing ridicule that paired with it. “I just wanted some time alone. The prince left because I told him to.” But I’m sure you already know that.

“You do not have the privilege of being alone.”

Lor was never known to back down to anyone, not king or queen. She snapped her bruised torso forward and scolded the vampire who threatened her god-given-right of privacy. “It’s not a privilege. It’s my right.”

An amused cackle leaped from Fiora’s mouth. Not a second later, every facial feature tensed, a deathly stare, her rebuttal with barred fangs, revealing a predator. That played as a reminder to the princess to never speak against Fiora again. “You have no power here. If you had any at all, you wouldn’t even be marrying my son. Now, I agreed on this union with the understanding that you would not be a burden and I do not do well with burdens in my court. Was that a lie?”

Trembles surged the surface of Lor’s limbs, sighting the threats that could maul a human to their death. She decided to choose her words wisely. “No…..it wasn’t,” she said at the tune of defeat.

“Good! You will learn that your place here is to make sure your father doesn’t fuck us over while we support him with this war. If he does, well, you’re a smart girl.” Fiora’s eyes dropped to Lor’s neck like it was a piece of meat to devour. They pinched upward, meeting her gaze again. She did not have to do much to plant fear into the princess’s heart. With sudden motion, she rushed to the vanity table beside the bed and carelessly tossed the item in her hand on top of a jewelry box. It was a letter with a broken seal, confirmation it had been read already. Without any notice, the queen stormed into the hall, closing the door behind her.

Her sudden exit was Lor’s permission to finally breathe again. The princess gasped for air, holding her throat for dear life. It could have been mauled seconds ago. She was grateful to still be alive. Still, she could not fight back the tears. They poured down her cheeks while she quietly sulked. She’d just been threatened by a vampire who had real power, not only over a nation, but her life.

How could father do this to me? Put my life at risk just to gain an ally? One small slip up, I’m dead. And I can’t even be myself here? I’ll never forgive him. Ever!

One thing stood true, she’d have to bend to order fast, to stay in the queen’s good graces, even if that meant sacrificing privacy and a voice. That meant never speaking out or traveling alone. No secrets. Some life. She could learn to withstand it, learn to be alone in this new world, in her own way, fade into this marriage provided. Maybe then, the queen would overlook her existence, Nel and his arrogance could find some other girl to toy with, and she could eventually cope with this new life.

Time lost its essence while she sat in the misery of her fortune. Then, she remembered how much she wasted when there clearly sat a letter in arms reach, patiently waiting for her to read its contents. Since Fiora hadn’t mentioned it, she nearly forgotten its existence. Lor reached for the folded paper, swiping the item in hand. The temperature in her blood rose to a boil, seeing that the queen had the audacity to open and read it. No privacy whatsoever. A range of emotions, first anger, then sadness, juggled between each other, until a tear made its choice. It glided down the curve of her cheek. She opened the royal message, stamped with Leonebus’s seal, a blue full moon with engraved detail, and released a sigh.

To my beautiful daughter,

By the time this letter reaches you, I will be already headed off to Zarut Mountain. You may question my reasons for sending you away. I did it for your safety. The Valmorin have taken our lands by storm, as I already predicted they would. Naomi should be arriving with an important message soon. She will remain with you in court as your loyal subject. She will be our solution. I can’t say much, but expect her.

I do love you. Never question that.

Leonebus