In all the excitement, Thomas leaned down a little towards her.

"Don't forget to breathe!" he whispered with an implied smile on his lips.

She only realised at his words that she hadn't taken a breath since his offer, hastily sucked in air and promptly choked on a drop of her own saliva. Coughing, she struggled to compose herself and when she looked up the hint had become a very visible smile. Somewhat amused but above all friendly.

What the fuck am I supposed to do now?

She had left him completely out of it, not even thinking about the fact that as king he was their chairman, therefore also a member of parliament. She had discussed the day before, when they had talked about the guardian system, that not only Eva but also the king himself were among the vampires who had no wards.

Caroline had classified the siblings as beyond the system. Apparently she had been mistaken.

"Why are you doing this? What do you want from me?" whispered Caroline. She needed to buy time for an answer.

"I have learned more about the reality of newcomers during the last half hour than the last twenty-five years." He smiled at her unchanged. "To be honest, it was not that interesting for me, compared to other more pressing issues. It is time to change that."

The chaos had barely died down and it felt like if they were talking in private.

"It's rare that we take people your age for no good reason. It is easier to adapt when you are young. At the same time, little new is brought in and old ideas are not challenged, within reason of course."He spoke softly and yet she could hear him well.

He stepped a little closer. "Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I get the impression you have some things to say about our ideas and concepts, don't you?"

She did not answer immediately, but finally nodded.

"Good. Also, frankly, I am not a supporter of the death penalty." He stepped back a little and looked around for a moment. The noises continued to die down and more and more people were looking at them.

"What do you say?" There was no smile on his lips anymore. He still seemed friendly, but she was sure he needed an answer from her. Now.

There was too little time!

She didn't have time to list the pros and cons, to evaluate, to weigh, to go back and forth until she felt comfortable with the outcome. She didn't have a night to sleep on it, to take in new perspectives. What she had to do now was to make a gut decision and she deeply hated it!

Seeking help, she looked around. She saw Maurice's beaming face and Rebekka's surprised one. She couldn't place Damien's and Eva's expressions. She saw nothing that helped her!

She didn't look at the king, but at the floor at his feet.

"Okay." She almost hoped he hadn't heard the whisper.

"Does that mean you agree?" He had not raised his voice and yet it seemed to her that he was shouting. All around her it was now completely quiet.

"Yes, I do."

She forced herself to look at him, if only for a second. Her heart was pounding as if she had just finished an Olympic sprint. What the hell was she doing here?

"Ha, wonderful!" A purple swirl came at her from the right. "I'm taking the pledges!"

"The what?" Caroline raised her head, startled. Had the 'okay' not been enough?

"Relax, it's all is well my child. Just repeat after me, it'll be quick!" Maurice tried to calm her down.

It was hard to look at his face, flushed with joy, and not be infected. If the humanitarian was so enthusiastic, maybe she hadn't made the wrong decision altogether.

"We really don't need this anymore." With a jerk, he tore her bonds in two and carefully untied the remnants of rope from the blood-crusted wrists.

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"Let's keep it informal. Would you like to begin, Thomas?" He addressed the king in a relaxed manner.

Thomas nodded and waited for Caroline to return his eye contact.

"Caroline, I hereby vow to take responsibility for your life, your actions and the consequences of your decisions. I vow to protect, guide and care for you for as long as you shall live."

"Wonderful, wonderful!" fluted Maurice. "I will now recite the words and you, dear, will speak them to him." He pointed to Thomas.

"Your Majesty, I hereby place my life in your hands," he began, waiting for her to repeat the words.

"Your Majesty, I hereby place m-my life in... in your hands."

She had made her decision and yet everything inside her refused. Her voice was only little more than a whisper. Her eyes were fixed on the king's chest, she could not bring herself to look him in the eye.

"I vow to base my actions and decisions on your standard." Maurice looked at her and she repeated the words tonelessly.

"I vow to serve you, to obey you, and to keep your secrets as long as I live." Maurice lowered his voice at the end.

By the final tone Caroline knew that this was the last part. It was also the hardest. She felt the oppressive silence of the crowd. Every pair of eyes directed at her. They were well aware of the weight of the words that passed between her and the king.

"C-could I ... could I perhaps vow to really try?"

She felt childish herself. It was a last, almost joking, rebellion. A small signal to show how little she agreed with what was happening here. She paid no attention to the crowd's reactions.

"I'm afraid that's not within the realm of possibility," Maurice chortled. "Shall I say it again?" he asked in a whisper, leaning towards her.

She nodded gratefully. Her brain was not able to recall the simple wording and Maurice repeated softly.

Caroline took a deep breath and finally managed to look the king, her future guardian, in the eye.

"I vow to serve you, to obey you, and to keep your secrets as long as I live."

She was proud that her voice did not quiver and she did not have to ask again for the wording.

"Fantastic! Now the blood seal and the bond is legal!"

The what? Caroline hadn't said the words, but the startled look and the twitch of her hand towards her throat probably said everything.

"Don't worry, dear," the bearded man laughed. "It's just a drop. One for you, one for him."

She looked back at Thomas, who held out his arm. Maurice took off a brooch and briskly pricked the needle through the skin. A ruby red pearl appeared and Caroline was completely overwhelmed. Thomas took over and guided his wrist to her mouth. She opened it slightly and, because of the small amount, did not even notice that she had just tasted blood.

The king now had the brooch in his left hand and held out the other to her. He waited until she had placed her hand in his as if in a trance and repeated the procedure. The brief thrust made her flinch. He brought her hand to his mouth and she shuddered as his lips and the tip of his tongue touched her skin.

Something was suddenly different.

He griped her tight, his gaze went dark and his posture hardened. What was going on? Did he lull her into safety with his friendly behaviour? Was it his intention all along to punish her, too?

Her already wounded and sensitive wrist ached in his hard grip. A soft gasp escaped her and as quickly as the change in behaviour had arisen, it was gone. Thomas let go of her and turned his gaze.

"Damien, Rebekka! Would you please take Caroline to her new accommodation. One of the guest rooms in the west wing should suffice until everything is ready. The trial is hereby concluded and the parliamentary meeting will take place immediately afterwards ..."

Caroline was no longer concentrating on what else was on the agenda. Her mind seemed to be running ahead of her body.

Get me out of here, just get me out! Please!

Rebekka and Damien flanked her again and led her back to the wing gate. More than once Rebekka had to warn onlooking, curious or enraged vampires to clear the way. Caroline kept her eyes down. She no longer had the strength to endure foreign emotions of any kind. She wanted nothing more than to curl up in some dark corner.

The way was endless. They crossed the hall in front of the throne room, the courtyard, entered one of the buildings, which they left on the other side, passed an idyllic little pond with a vine arbour and finally arrived at the part of the castle that was apparently the west wing. None of them spoke a word. The entrance hall was deserted and a wide staircase lined with red fabric led up two sides to the next floor.

As they walked past a row of generous windows, her gaze fell out onto the calm endless ocean. It sparkled in the sun, just a little more restrained than she was used to. Offshore, some of the pillars rose out of the water, providing radiation protection. Above them, shimmering air.

Like soap bubbles.

That was it. The prison in which she would spend the rest of her life. Caroline stopped and stared at the ocean beyond the shimmering layer of air.

The trial could hardly have gone better for her. Why did it feel as if powerful iron clamps were closing and squeezing around her lungs?

All of a sudden she found it difficult to breathe. She gasped for air, pressed her hand to her chest and sank against the stone wall behind her. She felt herself begin to shake uncontrollably as she slid down.

The walls seemed to be closing in, she could no longer breathe and tears ran down her cheeks. A heavy sob broke out. This at least got some oxygen back into her lungs, but the fear of suffocating gripped her.

"Hey! Hey, little one! Breathe in slowly, breathe out slowly!"

"Panic attack?"

"Looks like it."

A hand had settled heavily on her upper back as she sank forward, sobbing.

"Caroline, listen to me! Focus on my voice, breathe out!"

She couldn't. She didn't want to! She couldn’t bear to hear any more, see any more, feel any more. It was too much!

Slowly she managed to follow Damien's voice and at least got her breath back. The trembling and sobbing continued to shake her and she kept her hands clasped tightly in her hair.

At some point she felt strong arms pick her up and carry her away.