“Mister Tobeyaz is bedridden now because you poisoned him,” she said, coercing Amethyst into admitting to her crime.The elf looked at the vampire with a sharp gaze. “I have never poisoned anyone.” Her tone turned icy. Why would she poison someone when she should save them from the poisoning?“Are you sure?” asked Lady Emia. “How can you explain the claim that Tobeyaz made about you? He said you placed him under a deadly spell.”Amethyst squinted. “I know nothing about poisons or spells as you claimed.” Her voice was colder than before. 'This has gotten outrageous,' she thought, slowly getting angry. Healer Elves had never associated themselves with sorcery because such things were popular among humans only.Lady Emia scoffed. “Then, you had better prepare a better answer in the prison.”“Prison?” Amethyst furrowed her brows. She was flabbergasted by the punishment that had fallen upon her out of the blue. After that, Lady Emia called out for guards.Amethyst took a few steps back a
The next day, Luveas suddenly appeared at the palace ground with Blackie, the black steed. No one knew he had returned from the border for not one guard was seen stationed at the usual guarding posts.‘Where are the guards?’ he pondered as he got down off the exhausted steed and ushered it to the stable. The stable boy, who was busy tending the other horses, was surprised to see him. “Shush, boy.” Luveas lifted his hand, stopping the young vampire from screaming. “Just tend to this tired horse and do me a favour…" he squatted before the child, "...do not tell anyone you’ve seen me or I’ll silence you forever. Your choice?”The young stable boy pursed his lips, terrified. He nodded his head vigorously. Then, Luveas left the stable and slunk to the East side garden. Along the way, he noticed the palace was oddly quiet. Not even a maid was seen tending to the gardens as usual. But, he could see decorations for the wedding were underway.Luveas felt uneasy. He rushed to the garden room, b
Meanwhile…Amethyst sat on the floor of a prison, chained to the wall that was covered in moss. Her fair forearms were bruised and full of bite marks: remnants of sharp fangs. The wounds left a burning sensation on her skin and she was gritting to hold the pain. Her beautiful face was sunken, void of colours and vibrance. She looked even wearier than her first time in Luthien.The prison smelt unpleasant; the smell of decay and sewage combined. Not a word could describe such an appetite-crumpling smell. However, despite all that, Amethyst was very famished and her stomach couldn’t stop grumbling since this morning. Her throat was parched for she was given hard bread a day without water. For some unknown reason, she wasn’t allowed to taste the luxury of water, not even a drop of it.Amidst internally fighting with hunger, the elf could sense a commotion happening outside the prison, where no other prisoners were near as she didn’t see any of them near hers. She could hear a voice talki
Amethyst woke up in a strange bed chamber. She was on a large bed with no canopy above her head; no posters. The bed chamber was spacious and larger than the garden room that she was used to. Opposite the bed and at the far end of the room, there was a fireplace that provided warmth. The temperature inside the chamber wasn’t hot or cold; it was just nice. The scent of fresh fruits lingered in the air. Near the fireplace, there were long couches and a marble table with a vase of flowers on top. At the far corner of the room; was a boudoir where high wardrobes and other necessities for a woman were prepared. On the left side of the room, there were large windows with long pic-coloured curtains hung down, and a large door that led to the balcony; one could see a little garden there. There were also chairs and a table outside and the chirping of birds could be heard clearly from inside.On the right side of the room, there was another large door with beautiful carvings of nature motives
Luveas froze. Jealous?Jealousy was a foreign feeling after he ascended the throne and it had been decades since he last heard the word again."What do you mean by that?" he asked, getting uncomfortable.Amethyst sniggered; his discomfort brought bliss into her heart. "You are oddly competitive and you seemed rather displeased when I talked about Tobeyaz."Luveas stayed quiet. He was indeed displeased that she cared about Tobeyaz, but that was because he was worried she might fall for Tobeyaz's sweet trap; Tobeyaz disliked elves as he had offered to kill her.Amethyst tilted her head to the side, grinning. "I don't know if you're aware of it, but I sense jealousy from you.""..."Then, Amethyst began again, "Although I can't see your face, I can tell you are jealous of Tobeyaz.""..."Noticing Luveas continuous silence, Amethyst said, "However, if my guess is wrong, then do you have another explanation for it?"Luveas still said nothing. He only inhaled deeply. Then, after a while of s
Three days later…Amethyst widened her eyes after she heard the story from Luveas. Lady Emia was dead? She couldn’t believe someone could die that easily in his hands. Also, the one that died was the vampire that had tormented her in the past weeks.“Are you going to kill me too?” asked Amethyst, getting worried about her future. She had no idea when her life would come to an end, and before that happened, she wanted to prepare herself to welcome it.Luveas scoffed and answered, “I am not going to kill you.”“Are you sure?”“A gentleman never breaks his promise.”Amethyst stayed silent, pondering. Then, as she was about to say something, Luveas chimed in, “Anyway, I wish to excuse myself because I have some matters to attend to.” “Oh,” the elf exclaimed, brows knitted; not expecting to hear that from him.“Do you have something to tell me?” asked Luveas after noticing her hesitancy.Amethyst pursed her lips and shook her head. Luveas nodded, acknowledging it. Then, he left the chamber
Luveas froze, astonished and dismayed. “Why?” His voice trembled. He felt so exposed and uneasy beyond words. Amethyst continued to sniffle. “I’m sorry for all the bad things that happened to you. Had I known it much earlier, I wouldn’t …”Luveas hugged her body tightly. “It was all in the past. You do not need to apologize,” he said tenderly, getting emotional. His heart ached, and it was for her. It was a strange feeling; comforting someone not to worry about his misery. In the past, anyone that showed care for him would meet their ends for they weren't honest enough to show they cared. But, with Amethyst, the feeling differed. Deep down, he wanted her to feel sorry for him.Amethyst tightened her hold on his body, sniffling. “But, you’ve been scarred so badly. Your life changed and-”“And we meet each other,” Luveas chimed in, manoeuvring the gloomy conversation towards a better direction.Amethyst lifted her face,
Amethyst shook her head. "No, this is inappropriate.""But, Tobeyaz must apologize. He failed to keep his promise to look after you.""I understand but I dislike seeking apologies from someone who is badly injured. I don't want to deprive them of their rest. Please return him to his resting chamber. I have all the time in the world to hear his apology.""But, we don't..." replied Luveas dejectedly.Amethyst exhaled a deep sigh. "Get out of this chamber now. It's inappropriate to enter while I'm dining."Luveas was dumbfounded. He glanced and noticed the hot cup and breakfast tray on the table."I beg your pardon, we'll come back again later. Please enjoy your breakfast," he said and dragged Tobeyaz to his side despite the vampire's muffled cry.Amethyst inhaled. "Please, don't bring Tobeyaz. He must rest.""He's tough. See?" Luveas hit Tobeyaz in the stomach. Poor Tobeyaz let out a muffled groan.
When the king returned from the land of no return, everyone was on edge for they didn't expect he would survive the journey. Then, rumours swirled about him being undefeatable. Some found admiration but some saw terror.In a mere two days, Luveas was back in the office, managing the kingdom's affairs. His terror remained the same because on the very first day of working, he had dismissed a few of the ministers because of one thing, their scents.Since the king's return, everyone noticed his sense of smell had become very sensitive. However, they dare not comment on it because they care about their lives above all else.Luveas, sitting on his chair, glanced to the side. No one saw him scrunching his nose behind the mask that covered his entire face. Minister Dugree, the new face in the office, eyed the king and glimpsed a pair of greyish-blue eyes hidden under the mask."Do you need something, Your Majesty?" he asked politely. Luveas glanced at him and answered, "I'd like a new decre
For the next two days, Luveas spent his day ogling at his reflection in the mirror. He was excited that his appearance varied greatly than he anticipated."Do I look like my father or my mother?" He had been asking that question for two days in a row now. Amethyst smiled and responded, "I have no answer for that but I am certain you do look like them as one."Luveas beamed. He stepped away from the mirror and sat beside her. Then, he snuggled at her."I am glad to hear that..." Ever since he transformed, he became too attached. It wasn't unpleasant because Amethyst knew he had no one else to be with whom he could confide in his happiness but her. Also, she endured the urge to smack him. "Luveas, since your treatment is now done, have you been thinking of returning to Luthien?" she asked, dropping another question at him.Luveas flinched. He went into silence."I have never thought of that..." he answered.His gaze dropped. The time he spent with her made him forget that he was a r
It was yet another night where Luveas was already in bed, sleeping soundly. He was deep into the world of unconsciousness. Nothing could wake him. Amethyst stepped into the room with a bowl of water drawn from the sacred pool. She placed it beside the bed as she took a seat beside him. There, she sat for some time. One had no idea what was in her mind. Her silent gaze ran along the bandages that covered his entire body and face. Her gaze turned tender as time went by. But, sadness was visibly permeating her eyes. A smile, remnants of her courage, appeared on her otherworldly beautiful face. She reached out and caressed his head affectionately."Your wait shall end tonight..." she whispered.Truthfully, she had wanted to prolong his treatment. She wanted to buy more time to create moments for just the two of them that she would remember forever. But, she knew he might not have much time in his account. She knew she would be gambling on her life as soon as he got what he came here
Luthien...Tobeyaz was working on papers related to problems in the territories of Luthien when Ealyas entered."A letter has arrived from Numany," he announced and placed the letter on the table. Tobeyaz, with a haggard-looking face, eyed the letter. His mood wasn't there yet."How did this letter get through the border?" he asked. His tone was sinister. He had handled numerous cases of vampires going against vampires; one blamed the other for being in cahoots with the humans by the border. Well, it was understandable that many cases of missing young vampires led to distress."It was catapulted into our forest." Ealyas' response was simple though sounded funny.Tobeyaz scoffed. "Then, throw it away. This must be one of those pesky humans' stupid games to distract our soldiers.""Are you sure of that?" asked Ealyas and scrutinized the haggard-looking Tobeyaz.Tobeyaz knitted his brows. When the knight asked such a question, it only meant something serious."The emblem on the envelo
Amethyst stayed silent. "You tell me how far you can go. I leave that choice in your hands," she said, trying to lead him. But, her mien stayed the same; no changes in her emotions. She was calm and fixated. Luveas fidgeted. "But, what if I want to take it too far? Would you allow it?"Amethyst smiled. "Of course, I would allow it," she responded. "You are the only person who gets such permission from me."Because of the spousal markings.Luveas eyed her keenly. "I might treat you as someone dear to me.""Treat me as how you like. I am yours, remember?"Luveas stayed silent. He forgot about that. After all of the fiasco during the day, he forgot about the oath.Then, he asked, "But, what if I want us to get intimate tonight? Would that become a problem for you?" He thought he ought to ask that crucial question for he had no idea what she was thinking.Amethyst smiled even more widely. "That would not become a problem. You are my traveling companion and we can get physically close..."
Luveas began, "During my childhood, my parents were killed. Humans ambushed us when we were picnicking in the palace backyard..."Melancholy danced in Luveas' weary eye when he revisited the painful memory lane. Humans appeared out of nowhere and killed his parents. Strangely, on the day of the former king and queen's assassination, not a single guard appeared on the scene. That moment was still a mystery to him until today."I was too young to understand anything and the one thing I knew was humans took me in as something they studied," he added painfully. His voice bore pure hatred when he mentioned 'studied'. Amethyst knitted her brows. "Something they studied?" She had no idea Humans would do such a thing to other races.Luveas nodded. "Humans studied the endurance of young vampires to estimate the strength of adult vampires. They wanted to find the best weapon to kill us if they could find our weaknesses,” he paused again, seemingly inhaling a deep breath although it wasn’t cert
Amethyst nodded. "Yes, and please repeat after me...""Wait, wait..." Luveas stopped her. "What Oath are we talking about now?"Amethyst eyed him piercingly. "Are you doubting me?"Luveas shook. The elf nodded. "Then, since you have nothing else to say, then follow what I say. From today onward and until death do us part, say my name, is mine and I, say your name, am hers. I shall be granted freedom to roam Ancea just as her."Luveas hesitated. "Uh, that sounds so strange for an oath...""Just do it!" snapped the elf. She was getting impatient for she wanted to end the process soon. Luveas, despite his wariness, said, "From today onward and until death do us part...""Say my name, is mine and I, say your name, am hers.""...Amethyst Elan is mine and I, Luveas Dayn, am hers. I shall be granted freedom to roam Ancea just as her."Amethyst beamed in satisfaction. Then, she glanced at his chest which was h
On the other hand, Amethyst pursed her lips and followed Luveas to the burial site. There, she saw mounds everywhere. Each mound was showered with flower petals.Again, the elf found her composure slipping away slowly. Her chest tighten as she got emotional. All of her people were lying there, resting in eternal slumber. She couldn't believe she'd be one among the elves in Ancea who mourned the loss of her entire tribe; she hoped some survived and hid in the woods...She glanced at Luveas. He was busy placing the bones in the holes that he had dug out. Her heart ached, but it wasn't because of anger. It was more like she was touched deeply by his unexpectedly humble side.Tears filled her eyes. "Thank you, Luveas..." she said faintly. 'Now, I'm glad I marked you as my husband...' she added inwardly....After burying all the bones, Luveas went into the woods. "I want to find a flower that suits your sister," he said before he went fo
Luveas nodded and stayed silent throughout the journey. Their journey took another countless hours before they arrived at a village, a deserted village. There were cottages but, the buildings collapsed to the ground. The wild grasses grew abundantly, covering nearly half of them. The walking trails were all covered by dirt, remnants of the explosion, and moss took over some of the places. The smell of decay and burnt wood lingered in the air for there were lots of dried-up skeletons covered in clothes lying around; some still held swords and arrows. Some got arrows piercing their skulls and bodies.Amethyst froze where she stood. Her chest tightened. The memories of the horrendous day flashed in her mind. She could vividly hear the screams and cries of her kin floating around as if she had stepped back to the past; to the day when humans ambushed her, once peaceful and thriving, village.The elf covered her ears when their voices only grew loude