Ok it is not letting me post chapter 4 in the notes section so I will just drop it here!! ...if you have no clue what this is please see the notes section above! HoD : Everliving Kings chapter 4 4 The risen only had to wait an hour or so before the castle staff had made good on the sheriff’s promise for better accommodations. To her surprise her only escorts to her new quarters were a trembling hand maiden, who no doubt had drawn the shortest straw, and the shriveled old house matron. For her obviously advanced age the woman was quite mobile and Anya had to pace herself to keep up with her. “So I see the Sheriff can be a man of his word when he so chooses.” The vampire said as they entered yet another wide stone hallway. If her conversation was intended to rattle the old house mother it didn’t work, as the old woman only raised an eyebrow and ignored the undead until the trio reached the tower guest suite. “These are your accommodations my Lady, Macy will be here to clean your rooms and help you dress as needed, if you require anything else…” Anya stepped in front of the woman and said. “Actually, yes, I require information.” Jingrid raised her eyebrows saying, “We are here to clean up your rooms only, not to tell you how to defeat our laird.” Anya smiled at the courage of the woman; she could smell only contempt and annoyance with no trace of fear from her at all. “Actually I don’t need any help in that area; I just want to know how close the sheriff is to achieving his goal of taking over the country. How many men does he have that are loyal to him, and will aid him in this coup?” As Anya spoke she relaxed her body and voice using a tonal chanting technique to layer her own voice. The house matron blinked before answering in a flat tone as if she were asleep, “He has made a deal with a French Knight for fifty thousand knights and archers to land on the south of England when he gives the word. He still owes the mercenary five thousand gold florins, but with the new taxes he should soon be able to call them to England.” Anya smiled at the woman, “Thank you Jingrid, you have been most helpful; I imagine you will let me know when dinner is ready?” The house mother curtsied before answering, “Yes mi lady.” Anya felt a twinge of magic as she crossed the threshold of the room and had to smile knowing the good Friar must have blessed the rooms. Relaxing her eyes she looked around and could make out the faint afterglow of Brother James’s prayers of protection. “No doubt intended to keep the evil vampire girl in check.” She snickered to herself. As she turned back towards the door a heat shimmer drifted into view and knocked on the still open door. “My lady Anya, I would like to formally intro-duce myself at last.” The young man said. The risen did not need an introduction to know who the young sir Robert was. For the many weeks of their travel from the holy lands Anya listened and felt and smelled all of those who got close enough. She counted their footfalls measuring their height and their weight; she counted their breaths and studied the sounds of their voices. As they thought she was asleep and unaware she listened and waited. “Sir Robert, have you come to scold me once more or do you intend to welcome me to your lands?” The lord blinked in confusion before answering “Huh? No my lady…I…I just wanted to speak with you.” Anya rolled her eyes before sweeping a hand past her hip, “Please Sir Robert, do come in. I know it is just another prison box, but at least this one has chairs in it.” When the boy paled and hesitated and she could hear his pulse quicken, the risen giggled at him. “Oh don’t worry Sir Robert, I won’t kill you, we haven’t even had a good chat yet.” Robert gave a slight bow before taking a few cautious steps into the tower apartment. “I spoke with Brother James at some length about you my lady.” He began. “You mean fat friar Tuck?” the vampire said with a smirk as she glided away to sit. “Hmm, yes he told me you called him that, it is not very nice you know.” Anya let her eyebrows go up in surprise, “Oh, no, I had no idea! Perhaps I should try to keep my insults more kindly in the future. Why do I get the feeling that you and Jimmy Tuck think you can help me in some way?” “Oh yes my lady! That is what I wanted to talk to you about; Brother James said you seem to still have a Christian soul.” Anya closed her eyes and laughed at him. “I think I know what you mean to say, but please keep in mind I was born many years before your prophet and many before the Muslim prophet as well. My soul is mine, not your churches or your god’s. I do appreciate your desire to help me though, it has been many years since any one has thought of my best interest first, so please forgive me if I am somewhat suspicious of your motives. I will request however that you leave the castle before my father returns. I am sure he will be ready for a fight and I mean to give him one. Anyone in the way when it happens will most likely die.” Robert shook his head, “But it doesn’t have to be that way my lady. Don’t you see, your father, Brother James and I we all want to help you! The friar told me you seemed quite capable of controlling yourself if you were of a mind to, perhaps all you need is a reason.” Anya smiled at him again, “You are a dreamer Sir Robert, a noble soul in an age of darkness and your convictions are as admirable as they are power-ful. But you are mistaken; I have a reason to exist Sir Robert…it’s called revenge. I was locked away, starved, chanted to, prayed at tortured, raped, beaten and burned just for being what I am. The worst part is all of it came on the orders of my dear father to try and cure me. Oh yes it taught me control all of my abilities and then some and the need for violence. For example if you ever run across a gang of men intent on raping you and killing anyone with you, it is amazing how fast you can kill the mood just by ripping one heart out of a chest. I have been subjected to many methods to re-move the devil from within and yet we both still thrive.” Robert was horrified at the thought that a beautiful girl not much older than himself had seen such abuse. “Oh no my lady! Brother James would never try to harm you! That would go against his beliefs of peace and love.” Anya just shook her head convinced the young man was as resolute in his faith as the good friar. “Sir Robert, would you not agree that violence is sometimes necessary to achieve the cause of peace or perhaps to protect the innocent or weak from those who would do them harm?” “Well I suppose but what about forgive and forget then?” “Nothing is forgotten, nothing is ever forgotten.” “Well what about the crusade? Is that not nec-essary and ordained by God?” The risen smiled wide showing her fangs. “Ah yes, heaven sanctioned murder, there you see you do know the concept.” The noble frowned, “But you make it sound so wrong!” he protested. “Isn’t it? You have seen the battle fields in the holy land haven’t you? It is quite hard to tell the holy and just ones from the unholy ones. The blood and death look and smell the same. You seem to me to be a person with a well-defined sense of right and wrong, but you must be careful not to jump to conclusions as good and evil use the same methods to achieve their goals.” Robert frowned and leaned forward now so in-tent on the conversation he forgot he was speaking to an age old risen. “But if true then what is the difference? How can one tell what side to choose?” Anya smiled impressed the young man was willing to even listen to her side, let alone ponder the wisdom of her words. “The difference my lord is in the reasons behind the actions, it is the intentions that really matter most. Before you say it I am well aware that my father’s intentions have been to cure me but that is misguided. I do not need a cure, I needed acceptance for what I have become. I am not so different from him since the plague changed me. Oh I know the madness had me for several years, but there are some who never gain control of the hunger. Now I am the same as any Elder, in need of blood to survive, it is the thought that we are unclean that bothers him. His attempts to cure me are all self-motivated out of shame and guilt not love. He has done it all for him not for me, that is the intent I mean.” Sir Robert let his surprise show on his face “So your father is truly like you then? A risen vampire?” “No, he was born an Elder, one of the great undying kings, not human better than that. The Greeks called them the Hemosapiens of Olympus the gods who drank blood. But the plague born like me, we were hunted as being monsters of the underworld, minions of Hades or Hades children they called us. Humans are the real monsters Robert, willing to murder and rape with the thinnest of excuses. Think about it Sir Robert and then decide what side you wish to serve.” Robert rose from his seat and bowed to his host, “My lady I thank you, you have given me much to think about, I look forward to seeing you at dinner.” Anya thought about a snide remark as he made his way out but held back instead.
Posted on: Wed, 02 Oct 2013 21:48:29 +0000
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