My father took over from him and explained the need for an alliance with the Brockbanks, he expressed his trust in our soldiers and in the ability of the men to triumph at battle with the Leprechauns who were equally great fighters but their realm also consisted of Goblins who were exceptional armoury crafters and the fairies who had magical abilities. He further explained that while our realm consisted of powerful vampires and Banshees, they had an unfair advantage against us given their numbers and their access to the finances and resources at their fingertips. He talked about the possibility of the Werewolves and Druids who could join forces with them if we indulged in their quest for bloodshed. I listened to the debriefing with rapt attention, I knew I was going to be involved in these sort of minutes sooner than later but I had hoped my father would keep me away from his work much longer. I wasn’t certain of my role in this matter and this unnerved me. I felt my
I spent the early hours of the next day locked up in my room. Aisling and the other servants stood sentry outside the room as they tried to persuade me to open up the door but I sat by the small round table in my room ignoring their pleas to be let in and continued studying the map of the Brockbank realm that I had taken from my father’s library when I left the dining hall.When I exited the hall the previous night, I had fled the room, intending to go to my bedroom to get away from the noise and sulk about my fate but as I walked down the hallway, I caught a glimpse of the library door, slightly open, and snuck in. The room was dimly lit and I walked through the rows of shelves slowly, studying each book before moving to the next.This large chamber was my family’s library. While change is said to be a constant phenomenon, I liked to make jokes about this room being the only thing I knew that wasn't subject to modification. It held information about the realms, historical pieces,
Being a highborn in the realm of Leprechauns, Goblins and Fairies was an added advantage but being in vampire with no other vampire in sight besides the soldiers that stood sentry at my door and the personal guards that followed at a respectable distance when I took walks in Sweeney’s garden, I felt truly alone.The realm seemed a lot warmer than home. Aisling seemed to settle in quickly, being around other fairies. She would tell me about the capital city and how the streets flowed with beings going about their business as time rolled by. While I enjoyed her tales, I was envious of her taste of freedom. She could dance in the streets if that's what she wants to do but I could merely dream. This is the life I lead now, one where walking in the streets needed extra arrangements. To protect myself, I had to make my presence less noticeable by the second. I'm not cut out for that kind of life. Living within the confines of the Brockbank house felt like I was a bird locked
I know, I'm just trying to think.” Sweeney shoved his hand into his pockets and stared into the distance. “I never thought this would happen, they had no reason to attack us.”“You’re not making any sense, Sweeny, what's going on?” I asked, concern etched across my face. “The sea raiders, we received information that they had been the ones causing all this trouble. I owe your house, a great deal. But I've got a bigger problem on my hands,” He answered and started pacing.“So… what you're saying is that your men just realized that my clann wasn't the ones attacking you,” I say quietly as my face contorted into a puzzled expression. The pieces was coming together in my head as I tried to make sense of the situation. “I can go home?”I took a few steps backwards and placed my hand on my chest, trying to steady my breathes. He nodded slowly but still had a distant look in his eyes, I chuckled loudly and walked to the bed. “You’re right Sweeney. You and your kinsmen owe us your lives.” “
MAEVEI opened my eyes and looked around in confusion, my head throbbed terribly and my wrists started aching. I tried to move them but they had been tied firmly behind my back. I blinked and groaned in annoyance as my eyes rested on Aisling who lay on the what seemed to be a wooden floor. She was curled up, a few feet away from me. Her dress had been shredded, leaving little to imagination. “Who did this to you? I'll kill those bastards! I'll kill them all!” I yelled and started to transform into vampire form.I noticed that the change took longer than usual and a sharp pain shot through my body. I winced in pain as tears formed at the corners of my eyes and rolled down my face. My forehead throbbed terribly and I slowly changed back to human form. “What’s happening to me?” I asked weakly. “Garlic milady,” Aisling answered and sighed. “The garlic weakened you and the sea raiders bound us and threw us onto the ships.”“Why didn't they kill me instead?” I retorted and stared daggers a
MAEVE Waves of nostalgia hit me as I stood by the window; I shook my head slowly and moved away from it. The room felt warm which unnerved me. The Brockbank realm had a balanced climate so it was easy to deal with the weather. Here, it was different. It was warm and sticky, and not in a great way. I sighed and looked into the distance as I studied the landscape. One thing my forced adventure has opened my eyes to is the glaring difference in our cultures. In the Blackwell realm, we tried to learn as much as we could about the others we shared a world with. But, given that everyone knew that hostile undertones lurked amongst the houses, we focused on defense. We were more concerned with know our opponent’s military strength than their culture. Now, I had all the time in the world to get an education. At least up until Mannus asks me to marry him and I decline.Then I could lose my head or die trying to escape from this wretched place. I walked across the room slowly and stood i
MAEVE You could almost taste the tension in the atmosphere the next few days after the party. When I stepped into the room with Aisling, everyone watched keenly till we found seats away from everyone else. Then they promptly turned their attention to the food in front of them and the glasses of wine in their hands and continued their celebration like I was insignificant. I was grateful for it. While I sat alone at the table, I thought about all the numerous things I could be doing if I were home. I’d probably be frolicking with Rory and Aisling in the palace grounds while trying to hide our tryst in plain sight.“Or not, Rory doesn’t even have the balls to be a proper bastard.” I muttered to myself as Aisling poured some wine into the cup she had positioned on the table.“He probably didn’t have any choice in the matter, Milady. I can see how he couldn’t alter anything.” She said without shifting her gaze from the jar in her hand.I looked up at her and chuckled. “You say t
MAEVE Breathing without inhaling the cursed garlic cloves felt like a flash of paradise. One that I didn’t realized I longed for till it happened. My body had become used to being weak and constantly aching, the hours between the bath time I had and walking towards Eachran’s office seemed like a breath of fresh air. I could feel my body slowly returning to normal. That meant a lot of things for Aisling and I; while she handled the potion brewing, I could regain my strength and locate the map. If the need arose, I was ready to fight to get out of here. The thought of being able to leave this realm filled me with renewed hope. I wasn’t sure how we would get back to the Blackwell house but I knew getting out of here was a step in the right direction. Life might have seemed bleak when I moved to House Brockbank but I knew I would be miserable if I stayed with Eachran.I was also done with being a pawn in everyone’s game. Perhaps it was time to make some moves of my own. I