Kurda's mate: Her True Story
Chapter 2: Learning to Duel
I woke up feeling even more tired than I had felt before I'd gone to sleep, Kurda had kept me up all day and as such I hadn't really slept a lot. Kurda had told me that sometimes he didn't sleep at all and he wasn't kidding either, Kurda had a lot of things to do in the Princes' Dome, he was preparing for his Investiture and it involved a lot of parts, it was a very serious and auspicious occasion. As Kurda's mate I would be expected to stand by his side and watch him being invested. It would be a very special occasion for me too, I had to wear a long dark blue dress and I would be permitted to take part in the celebrations which would be held in the Princes' Dome itself after the Investiture had taken place. We still had a few months to go before the Investiture so we had time to prepare oursleves for it.
Kurda was asleep next to me, he had done his duty as my mate and now he was resting. We had been having a rather intense mateship, my powers had kicked in now and it meant that when we mated Kurda didn't have to hold back any longer. I was very much in love with him, Kurda was in love with me too and he'd promised to find somebody who'd teach me how to duel on the Bars. I was looking forward to learning how to duel, the Vampire Clan treated me with respect and it seemed like whatever I asked for I got, nothing was too much trouble.
Kurda was a great favourite with the vampires in the Clan, we'd walk down the tunnels hand in hand and every vampire we walked past would bow to us. I was getting used to hanging out in the Princes' Dome now, I had even moved into the Princes' private quarters where Kurda had been assigned his new quarters. We had a proper coffin in there, rugs on the floor, storage space, a fireplace and tapestries on the walls. On one occasion after meeting the Princes in person they had allowed me to try some of their personal blood that was reserved only for themselves. I was also permitted to eat at their High Table in the Hall of Khledon Lurt if I wished to do so, quite often though Kurda and I would eat together with our group of friends. I had made several friends since I had been at the mountain, now that I had established myself amongst them they accepted me as one of their own. I was on first name terms with a lot of vampires, the Generals liked me a lot too because I didn't shy away from my duties, I helped out and got my hands dirty just like everybody else did. It didn't matter to me that my mate was soon to become a Prince, I did what I could to be helpful and I tried to get along with everybody.
Arra and I were getting along OK too, after our first frosty meeting she'd warmed up to me a little bit. Arra was happy that I was about to start learning how to duel, secretly I think she just wanted me to learn how to duel so that she could knock me down and claim yet another victory. I wasn't looking forward to facing Arra on the Bars, however I knew I'd have to face her sooner or later so I decided to get it over and done with.
I entered the Halls of Sport and a vampire named Vanez Blaine was waiting for me, he was going to be teaching me how to duel. Vanez Blaine was the Games Master and he acted like the referee for all of the matches, Vanez only had one eye after losing one in a tustle with a lion but it hadn't really affected him in any way, he was still a formidable warrior and not somebody that you'd want to underestimate. I was pleased that Vanez had agreed to teach me the basics of duelling, the basics involved learning about offensive strikes, defensive blocks, how to fall if you got knocked off and some more advanced combination moves.
I started by learning how to defend myself, I learnt how to prevent my opponent from cracking my skull open and then I learnt how to use that attack, it was called a skull-cracker. It was a viscious and potentially lethal attack if you used that move and it actually connected with your opponent's skull. Vanez had taught me how to block it and then how to launch a counter-attacking move. I noticed that Arra would watch me training, she took an interest in me and how I was getting along. Maybe she saw potential in me or something, I often wished that Arra was my Bars tutor but Vanez did a good job. When my training was completed I took part in my very first official duel, Vanez was the referee and I had to duel against Gavner Purl. Gavner and I were good friends, it wouldn't matter who won the duel as long as it was a good duel. Arra decided to watch, she stood by the Bars and looked upwards as I began my duel against Gavner. It was a great duel, Gavner tried his best but he was a bit rusty (he hadn't duelled in fifteen years) and I was freshly trained. I defeated him by using a wicked little combination move that Vanez had taught me, it happened to be a signiture move of Arra's too. I looked down at the gathered crowd, Gavner stood up and applauded me, Arra seemed to be impressed but she didn't say anything to me straight away, Larten and Seba had also watched the match, they had cheered for Gavner and when I defeated him they were there to commiserate with him over his defeat. Kurda had also watched the match, he had been cheering for me from the beginning and Darren had also cheered for me too, Darren and I had become really good friends over the past few weeks and we got on well together.
I hopped off of the Bars and went over to where Kurda was standing, he hugged me and then he kissed me on the cheek because we were in public. Sometimes Kurda would put his arm around when we stood next to each other, however most of the time he would hold my hand and I'd rest my head on his shoulder.
"That was a good duel, I enjoyed that." I said to Gavner afterwards, to which Gavner replied,
"Yes, it was a good duel and you deserved to win. You are a far better duellist than I am Madam Smahlt."
"Please, call me Zara. Everyone else does." I stated to Gavner, then I said, "I wonder what Arra thought of my performance."
"Why don't you go ahead and ask her?" Gavner suggested to me as he took a gulp from his mug of ale.
"Alright, I will do." I said decisively, then I walked over to Arra. She was talking with Seba so I waited until they'd finished their conversation.
"Arra, what did you think of my duel? Did I do well?" I asked Arra after Seba had gone.
"You were OK, if that was your first duel then it wasn't bad at all, I liked your combination move that you used, it is a move that I favour myself actually." Arra told me, then she said, "You have got a long way to go but that was as good a start as any. I hope that me and you will duel soon, I've been looknig forward to it for a while now."
"Yes, we will duel soon Arra. I just want to get a bit more confidence first, I'd also like to have a few more victories under my belt before we meet each other on the Bars," I replied, then I added, "By the way Arra, I am looking forward to duelling against you too."
"It was a good match, you have earnt my respect." Arra remarked, then she offered me her hand which I took willingly.
"Power to you Arra, may glory shine upon your name," I said to Arra, then she replied,
"I offer the same to you, my friend." Then Arra walked away as if nothing had happened.
"Kurda, did you see that?" I asked, I was buzzing with excitement.
"Yes, I did notice. Well done my darling, you'll go far in this Clan if you have vampires like Arra on your side," Kurda replied, then he asked, "Would you like to go for a walk in the woods? There is a full moon tonight and you can see all of the stars too."
"Yes, I'd like that very much. I just want to let Larten and Seba know about me and Arra becoming friends then we can go." I remarked before I went to speak with Larten and Seba.
"Hey Larten, Arra offered her my hand and we shook. She referred to me as her friend," I said excitedly, then I added, "I feel so honoured."
"Arra is a worthy ally, you are very fortunate to have earnt her respect," Larten remarked, then he said, "Arra does not shake hands with anybody that she does not respect, for her to offer her hand first is very rare indeed."
"Then I'm very lucky, I have to go because Kurda and I are going for a walk in the woods. Please let Seba know about this too." I responded and then I left to meet up with Kurda.
Kurda met me in the tunnel outside the Halls of Sport, he took my hand and then he led me into a part of the mountain that I hadn't been to before. The tunnel led outside and then I was standing on the mountain itself. Kurda led me down a safe path as it was a very rocky area and the ground was uneven, we went through the woods and Kurda took me to this place that had a stream running by it. We stood by the stream and looked upwards towards the night sky, the moon was indeed full and the stars were shining, I could even see a couple of the planets tonight. I hadn't looked up at the sky for so long that I'd forgotten how beautiful it was.
Kurda and I were standing opposite to each other, he took my hands in his and we kissed under the stars. I thought it was so romantic, Kurda really was very sweet and he was so kind. I was lucky to have him by my side and we were in love with each other. We kissed for an eternity, Kurda's work meant that we didn't get much time together so tender moments like this were special to us. The wind was blowing Kurda's hair all over the place, it normally looked so perfect. It didn't matter that the wind had messed it up because I had been running my fingers through it anyway. I always ran my fingers through Kurda's long, blonde locks when we kissed, it just felt so natural to me.
After we had kissed for ages we stood still with our arms around each other, Kurda was a perfect gentleman too, he always treated me with utmost respect and we never argued either. I couldn't see myself being with anybody else, I hoped that Kurda would make me his Blessed Mate in the future but that wouldn't happen any time soon. Kurda kissed me again and I kissed him back, then he did something that I hadn't been expecting him to do. Kurda went down on one knee and he pulled out a ring from the inside of his robes.
"Zara, my darling, would you consent to become my pledged mate?" Kurda asked me, I was still in shock.
"Oh Kurda, I love you so much. Of course I'll become your pledged mate," I replied when I had got over the shock of what had just happened, then I asked, "What is a pledged mate?"
"A pledged mate means that we are pledged to each other, it is like being engaged and vampires do this when they want to make their mateships official or permenant, of course if we became what's known as being pledged with intent then eventually we would become Blessed Mates," Kurda explained to me as he placed the ring on my finger, after had done that he said, "I pledge myself only to you Zara, I love you."
"I pledge myself to you Kurda, I'm yours and only yours." I answered back, then we kissed each other again before we headed back inside the mountain. I was still in shock, I had not expected anything like that to happen and Kurda had made the moment so perfect, it was a moment that would stay with me for the rest of my life.
"Zara, you'll have to start wearing a dark blue dress soon. All of the Princes' mates wear a dark blue dress to signify that they are the mate of a Prince. The dark blue dress matches our robes you see, it is a very great honour to have a Prince or soon to be invested Prince as your mate, to be pledged to one is an even bigger honour," Kurda told me, then he said, "I couldn't imagine taking any other vampiress as my mate Zara."
"I have a dark blue dress, I just haven't worn it yet. I was going to wear it at your Investiture because it is my very best dress. I don't want it getting damaged," I remarked, "I'll start wearing it now if you want me to wear it."
"No, save that dress for my Investiture, I'll get you an equally nice dress that you can wear. Actually I'll get you a couple of dresses because you'll need to wear one whilst the other is being washed," Kurda replied, then he added, "I'm sure that I'll be able to find you some suitable dresses and they won't be second hand either, I assure you."
"Thank you Kurda, can I tell our group of friends that me and you are now pledged mates?" I asked.
"They'll probably already know by now, news travels fast around here. I just want you to know that whatever happens in the coming weeks and months ahead I won't let anything bad happen to you," Kurda told me, then he said, "I've been rehearsing for my Investiture, there is so much to remember and now my brain feels fried because of it all."
"Aww, poor Kurda. I almost feel sorry for you." I laughed, then I said, "Just look on the bright side darling, you'll be able to tell our friends what to do and they'll have to do it too."
"That's a good point, I'll order Gavner to wear a dress for one evening, just for a joke and he'll have to obey me," Kurda remarked, then he added, "I'll order Larten to smile once in a while too, I mean it isn't going to kill him."
When Kurda said this I burst out laughing, then Kurda laughed and we couldn't stop either, the idea of it was just too funny.
"Kurda, you are hilarious," I said when I'd stopped laughing, then I said, "I'd love to see Gavner in a dress, we'd have to call him Greta instead if he was dressed up as a woman."
"Ha ha, great idea Zara, I'll remember that one," Kurda chuckled, then he asked, "What are we like?"
"We are the only vampires who have a sense of humour by the sounds of things Kurda," I answered, then I said, "You'll have to order the Clan to laugh more after you've been invested. Everybody around here is so serious all the time, it makes the atmosphere almost dark and depressing."
"I agree, I'll try and get the Clan to have more fun if I can," Kurda agreed with me, then he said, "The Festival of the Undead is starting soon, that is usually filled with fun experiences."
"I had heard about that, I just wasn't sure when it was. The dancing will be good, the only issue is that I don't know how to dance," I said sadly, then I asked, "Could you teach me how to dance?"
"It is easy, don't worry about anything. Just go with it and let your instincts kick in," Kurda told me, then he said, "I'll show you a few basic steps when I've got a bit of free time."
"That'd be awesome, thanks Kurda. I love you, don't forget that fact either," I reiterated, then I added, "I don't deserve you, you're too good for me."
"That's sweet of you to say, I often think that you're the one who is too good for me if I'm being honest," Kurda admitted, then he remarked, "I love you too Zara." Kurda then led me into the hall where our group of friends were sitting and we joined them for a few drinks.
"There you two are, you've been gone for ages, we were going to send out a search party." Gavner joked as he handed us some mugs of ale.
"We were outside in the woods looking at the night sky, it is such a clear night tonight after all, it is normally cloudy or snowing at this time of year." I replied as I sipped my ale, it was vile. I really didn't like ale at all.
"I'd prefer a goblet of wine, ale is not to my taste Gavner if I'm being honest," I remarked, then I jokingly asked, "Who have I got to kill to get a goblet of wine around here?"
"Not me, I don't choose what comes up from the storerooms. If you want a goblet of wine then that's what you'll get, I'll send somebody to get you one." Gavner replied, then he summoned a non-ranked vampire and sent them off to fetch me some wine.
"Here you are, drink this in the meantime." Kurda said as he handed me his own drink.
"What is it?" I asked, I was curious.
"It is port, you'll like it if you like wine. This is from our personal supply too so it'll be high quality," Kurda replied, then he said, "I can't let you go thirsty after all."
"Thanks love," I replied with a smile, then I said, "You really do take very good care of me." I tasted the port, it was far better than what I normally drank. I took a couple of sips and then I took a couple more, I left a little bit in the bottom of the goblet for Kurda to finish off. The wine arrived shortly after the port was gone, I filled my goblet up to the top with wine and then I drank every last drop of it.
"Are you feeling better now?" Kurda asked me.
"Well, I'm not as thirsty as I was before," then I asked, "When do we get to eat?"
"Are you hungry again?" Kurda asked me, he sounded surprised.
"Well I have been doing a lot of exercise recently, I need to keep my strength up for when I need it most," I winked at Kurda, then I said, "I trust you understand."
"Yes, I understand perfectly darling." Kurda remarked, then the food arrived and we stuffed ourselves until we were fit to burst.
"I've eaten so much that I can barely move now," I said to Kurda, then I added, "That was a great meal, I love roasted venison."
"I agree, it is one of my favourite meals too. I'll always pick venison over anything else, it seems to fill me up nicely." Kurda nodded as he poured himself yet another goblet of wine.
"We need bigger goblets too." I replied with a smirk.
"Yes, bigger goblets would be more favourable." Kurda agreed as he downed his fifth goblet of wine, I was on my sixth and it didn't last long either.
"Steady on, you'll get drunk if you aren't careful." Gavner told me, then he said, "The mates of Princes should not get drunk, they have a standard that they have to uphold."
"Oh screw that, I'm enjoying myself Gavner," then I revealed, "I am celebrating after all."
"Celebrating what exactly?" Gavner asked me.
"My pledged mateship of course, didn't you know?" I replied before I showed off my pledge ring.
"No, I had not a clue. Congratulations to the both of you and I mean that," Gavner replied, then he announced, "I'd like to raise a toast to Kurda and Zara, they've just become pledged mates, please join me in raising your mugs in celebration of this revelation, to Kurda and Zara, our soon to be Prince and his pledged mate, cheers."
"Thanks." I replied, I was blushing because I wasn't used to people raising toasts to me.
"To Kurda and Zara, may you be happy together." Larten added, then he finished off his ale before slamming his mug down onto the table.
"To Kurda and Zara, our Vampire Prince to be and his future Blessed Mate, congratulations." Seba acknowledged.
"Thanks everybody, it means a lot to us." Kurda remarked.
"To Kurda and Zara, congratulations on your pledged mateship." Arra concluded.
I showed everybody my pledge ring, it sparkled in the torchlight. I think it had diamonds in it but I wasn't sure.
"What stones are in my pledge ring?" I asked Kurda.
"I chose a selection of stones, you've got two diamonds and a ruby, then next to the ruby is an emerald and finally you've got a sapphire. I thought that a selection of stones would make your ring more unique," Kurda told me, then he asked, "Do you like it?"
"Yes, it is a beautiful ring Kurda, I love it." I replied, then I stole a kiss from Kurda's unsuspecting lips. We didn't normally kiss in public, however it wasn't a full-on kiss it was just a little bit more than a peck. It wasn't like we were making out with tongues or anything, that we saved for the privacy of our quarters. Kurda kissed me back and he was holding my hand under the table which was sweet, Kurda was very affectionate and loving towards me.
After we had let our food digest we went into the Halls of Sport, I wanted to duel again because I loved the adrenaline rush that I got from it. Kurda and I faced each other, it wasn't an official duel but it was still fun to spar with him. Sparring matches are informal matches that are held between friends, they are basically practice matches. You could call a sparring match the rehearsal before a real duel takes place, Kurda showed me a few things, we stayed on the Bars for quite a while whilst we practised. Arra was watching us sparring, we weren't that bad either.
"Are you two going to duel each other or not? You've been sparring for ages." Arra complained to us.
"We were just practising but we're finished now Arra, you can duel somebody if you want to for there seems to be no shortage of challengers tonight." I pointed out to Arra as I hopped off of the Bars and Kurda followed suit. We watched Arra defeat challenger after challenger, she really was the undisputed, undefeated Queen of the Bars and nobody could doubt that fact.
"How many victories have you won now Arra?" I asked.
"Tonight I've won eight matches but in total I've won over two hundred, I've lost once in the last twenty years, that's pretty impressive right?" Arra asked me as she hung her personal staff back onto the rack where the staves were kept.
"Yes, that is very impressive Arra. I haven't got a hope in hell of defeating you but I'll face you all the same. I promised I would duel you after all, I never break my promises," I told Arra, then I said, "I am not afraid of losing to you, I just hope that it will be a good, clean match."
"Spoken like a true warrior, my instincts about you were spot on," Arra revealed then she said, "I'm happy to call you one of my friends, for you've earnt the right to call me your friend Zara."
"That means a lot to me, I value your friendship far more than any materialistic items I own," I admitted, then I said, "I hope that me and you will be friends for many years to come Arra."
"Just remember this one piece of advice Zara, you should be gracious in defeat and humble in victory. Remember this and you won't go far wrong," Arra told me, then she said, "If you'll excuse me, I need some more wine. The duelling has made me thirsty." Arra vanished in a blur, fully blooded vampires can move extremely fast if they choose to do so. I was only half blooded but I was still quicker and stronger than any human would be.
I loved being a vampiress, it was far better than the life I'd left behind. I was living in a one bedroom flat on my own when I met Kurda, I had been brought up in care and I had no family to speak of. The Vampire Clan was my family now, I finally felt a sense of belonging, I felt like I'd found my place and I was happy to be here in this mountain refuge. I finally had friends and somebody loved me, I'd never been loved by anybody until Kurda had come along and rescued me. I was doing my best to fit in, I helped out where I could, I was also a loving and loyal pledged mate to Kurda.
I would never dream of being unfaithful to Kurda, I only had eyes for him. Kurda only had eyes for me too, at least that's what I believed at the time. I was blinded by love and I couldn't see what was going on behind the scenes. Had I known what Kurda's plans were I'd have cut all ties with him, I mean who wants to be the pledged mate of a traitor? Of course I was just as much in the dark as the Vampire Clan were, looking back on it now I should have spotted the signs but I didn't spot anything until it was too late to do anything about it, however if not for Kurda's treachery I wouldn't be where I am now but I'll tell you about that later on, right now I need to continue with the story as it unfolded...
