Characters:
Emma Kingston - 17 years old, she is the only daughter of the Prince and Ambassador of Belleterra. She and her parents live at the Court of Mesana, called Trenala. She has lived there since she was 3, only visiting her "home" on special occassions. She is smart, but modest and quite shy, only showing her wit and sarcasm with those she's comfortable with.

Elijah Hunter - Vampire Prince living at Trenala, serving as ambassador for his kind. He's quite civilized, but most are afraid of him, except the other paranormal creatures at Court. Despite this, Emma is rather fond of him. He appears to be about 20-21, but is really several centuries old.

Emma Kingston, the only daughter of Prince Ambassador Kingsotn, was sitting at the long dining room table in one of the numerous halls in the Court of Mesana. She was pretending to be amused by the anectdotes of some ancient Earl or Duke, and it was all she could do to keep her eyes from glazing over, and felt rather overtaxed by the necessity of responding appropriately with smiles and gentle laughter. It was a good thing the gentleman was almost blind, so that Emma did not even need to be surreptitious about her frequent glances towards the clock. In exactly 3 minutes, she was expecting to be rescued.

Her rescuer was not so much a knight in shining armor as a Vampire in black leather. Elijah Hunter was the Vampire ambassador at Mesana's Court, Trenala. Most of Trenala's residents were quite wary of the Vampire Prince, but over the years, a certain affection and friendship had developed between Emma and Elijah. This was due in no small part to Elijah's close associations with her father. During her childhood and adolescence, Elijaah was present in her family's apartments quite as often as herself! He had treated the young girl with affection and care characteristic of an attentive elder brother. Recently, however, he had acknowledged that Emma was almost grown up, and had begun to include her in his more mischevious exploits. His eternally youthful appearance (he looked perhaps 20 or 21) made him predisposed to such incidences of mild delinquency. Emma, though only 17, was quite keen to be included in his fun, not because she had any sort of romantic attachment to Elijah, but because her life at Court had taken on a dull, repetitious quality that was hardly to be endured.

The night's adventure began as planned, when Elijah made a discreet and polite entrance into the Dining Hall. After the proper murmured apologies for the intrusion, he came to stand behind Emma's chair before bending down to whisper loudly enough for her neighbors to eavesdrop, that one of the children was ill and calling for her. It was well known that the children at Court had a great affinity for Emma, so the excuse was plausible. Begging for her father's leave, she kissed him quickly and was escorted out of the hall by Elijah.
"That was hardly a challenge, perhaps next time I ought to kidnap you out of the hall and cause some real mayhem." Elijah said once they were outside.
"You most certainly should not! You'd never be invited 'round for dinner again after Papa found out it was you." Emma retorted.
Elijah just gave her a wicked grin in response. To hold back whatever remark he was about to make, Emma said,"Besides, this is risky enough. WHat if one of the guests later inquires after the sick child and my visit?"
"It's perfectly within my power to make the children and their nurses give favourable responses."
"You shouldn't control their minds that way." Emma admonished.
"You are perfectly angelic." He replied, taking her hand. "I shall consider it my mission to corrupt you." He kissed it.
It was pointless to argue with him, so instead she inquired as to their eventual destination.
"Have you ever gone sailing by moonlight, Emma?"
"No."
"Well after tonight you'll no longer be able to say that."

He continued to lead her down towards the river, to the boathouse. It was unlocked, but Emma knew that it probably had been before Elijah approached.
"I'm not exactly dressed for the occassion." Emma said, indicating her cocktail dress.
"There are clothes in the boathouse, you can change while I rig this up" he said, indicating the sailboat he evidently intended to commandeer.
"Alright..but no looking."
Elijah was instantly serious.
"Emma, you know I would never take advantage of you that way."
Emma's head was spinning a bit at the abrubt end to the playfullness. She hadn't thought it too unfounded a worry; Elijah could have watched her without even peeking in the window.
"Well, I guess...but I also know to be careful with you."
"I care for you too deeply to ever use my abilities on you, or even force you through more mundane means. Trust that."
"You know I trust you, 'Lijah." she said, using her affectionate version of his name. No one else would have dared to give the Vampire Prince a nickname, but Emma had never been concerned with titles.

Elijah smiled, satisfied with her answer.
"Go, get yourself changed."

Emma went into the boathouse, and came out some minutes later clad in some long white bermuda shorts and her navy blue bikini top. She didn't bother to ask how he had gotten her clothes. He wasn't above breaking and entering, even if he was welcome in her home.

"Are we ready?" Elijah asked, looking up from fastening the outhaul. When he caught sight of Emma walking down the dock, he was struck, as he was occassionally, by how well she had grown up, as he had known she would.
Now would be the perfect age to turn her.. he thought with a sigh.

Emma reached the sailboat's dock slip, and noticed Elijah's perusal of her form from the boat and blushed. A human couldn't have known that, dark as it was, but Elijah could hear her heartbeat race and sense her face heating up. Emma was aware of that, but it only caused her to blush more. This was a cycle she was frequently entrapped in around him.

Still, she hopped on board their chosen vessel, the Leda.
"We are in such trouble if we're caught; this is Count Loflin's boat."
"Not at all, the dear Count owes me a favor or five."
"We'll have to hope that his debt to you is more powerful than his dislike of my father..."
"I have no doubt that it is."
Emma was intensely curious as to the nature of the debt, but Elijah was always an enigma, and she was unlikely to get a straight answer.

"What's our course, Captain?" Emma asked, with only a touch of sarcasm.
"Up the river a-ways, then to a secret spot."
"How am I supposed to navigate then?"
"You can't. You can, however, just relax."

Pouting a bit, Emma did as she was told, and crossed the length of the yacht to lie down on the bow. The stars were beautiful, and soon the sailboat was clipping along well enough to produce a gentle rocking, like a cradle. Eventually, Emma was completely oblivious to everything except that rocking, and the warm breeze that tickled her bare stomach and legs. She didn't realize that Elijah was taking advantage of her half-slumber to gaze at her at his leisure, thinking to himself how very lucky he was...