Chapter 3: His Bargain
"Your bride?"
Helen stared at the vampire looming above her, carefully considering his words once more. The very thought that she was his bride was obscene enough to derail her sanity. "Your bride?" she repeated. "Are you shitting me? I can't be your bride. No. Not a leech like you-"
"Enough, Helen." Demestriu cut. "I will hear no more of it."
"Get off me, vampire."
Lothaire looked at the woman imprisoned in his uncle's grasp. "Uncle, why don't you just whisk her off to Castle Helvita?"
Helen turned her attention to Lothaire, recognizing him as the young boy she had spared a thousand years ago. "I should have decapitated you all those years ago. Fucking leech." She snarled.
Slowly shaking his head, Demestriu placed an index finger on her lips. "Shh. Such words are unfitting for a queen." And he deepened the pressure of his finger. "My queen, I remind you."
"I'm not your queen."
"You don't have a choice, Helen. I take what I need, with or without permission." Then he laughed. "I don't really need permission to take you, do I?"
Suddenly, her vision swirled. She gripped whatever steady figure she could, and to her dismay, there was only the vampire. Clutching the Horde King's clothes, she clung to him, until the swirling stopped. They were no longer in her room, but in a cold dark place.
Demestriu stood up. Freed of him, she rolled on her stomach, surveying her surroundings. A large window loomed not too far from her, and there was snow. Large drops of snow.
"This is?" she breathed, knowing where she was even before the Horde King could answer her.
"Welcome to your new home, bride."
"Castle… Helvita." The coldness seeped into her bones, and she crawled to a sitting position, crossing her arms, trying to provide her own body warmth. The Horde King took off his coat, bent beside her to drap the warm clothing.
"Ah, I forget how harsh our winter can be." He whispered.
"Get your hands off me." And she slapped his hands away. Not wanting to be grateful to him for the warmth of the coat. She couldn't, no, wouldn't look at him in the eyes. Not when she was at her most vulnerable. Not when she was without her blade.
Not right now.
"Leave us, nephew." She heard him order Lothaire. The young vampire merely nodded and vanished into thin air. Tracing, as what they called it. He probably traced somewhere to leave her in the clutches of the Horde King.
A few seconds passed, and she remained on the stone floor. Demestriu, still sitting beside her. Not touching nor talking to her, but she could feel his eyes on her being, and finally, she could bear no more.
"Am I truly your bride?"
"Why would I lie?" he replied.
"Of course. Pure blooded vampires cannot lie. I forget." She didn't know whether she was to be grateful to this fact. "Is this the reason why you spared me that night?"
"No," he said. "As a matter of fact, I truly meant to kill you." The words flowing from his lips with such cold brutality that Helen wondered if he had any heart at all. "You're rather infamous with the Horde. Killing you would avenge my people. All I had to do was snap your dainty neck in my hands. It was so easy, Valkyrie. But when I was about to do it, something within me compelled me not to."
Helen listened to him, horrified yet fascinated with his confession. Surely, she thought, he would kill her tonight at last. Even if she was his bride, the fact remained that he was his reviled enemy. The Horde King looked at her dispassionately, those cold blood red eyes assessing a prey as a predator would.
"I don't leave unfinished business. You were unfinished business. A trouble I had to deal with. But I couldn't ignore this instinct, whatever it was" he jabbed a finger against his chest. "I had people follow you, and you were giving me a hard time. If it wasn't for my nephew who made such a ridiculous proposition." And the Horde King chuckled. Chuckled! "Well, I don't think it is quite ridiculous now…especially when a notorious soothsayer confirmed it." He smiled at the dawning horror in Helen's eyes, taking pure delight. "Ah, I see. Would you really want to know the identity of that soothsayer? No, I don't think I have to tell you. You already know."
"Phenix… no, she couldn't-"
"Truly, that soothsayer is remarkable. Not even your queen could be so heartless as to give her sister to an enemy. That Golden-eyed Valkyrie can be quite ruthless. She and my nephew were friends, but she did something that… ah, well, I suppose there's no need for you to know. But they're not on exactly good terms-"
A crack of lightning stopped him. When Helen kept her silence, Demestriu continued with his monologue. "No need to be so sad my dear. As much as I love those silver eyes of your flashing right now, I don't believe this is the appropriate context that those beautiful eyes of yours should radiate like that."
"I could decapitate you for this, Horde King."
"You don't mean to, really. I can understand you're saying these things because you're upset. Now, why don't you have a sit?" he motioned her to sit by a chair, and when Helen refused to move, he grabbed her shoulder and traced to the furniture and motioned her to sit. Taking the opposite chair, he sat down, quite relaxed. "We'll discuss this like proper adult Loreans. Now, don't be obstinate with me, bride. You don't know what I can do. I don't really think you'd want to know."
She merely stared, wary of the words that could come from him.
"I want you." He said, but no words came from hers. "Aren't you going to say anything?" Demestriu prodded once more.
"I don't want you." She finally answered. "I don't want to do anything with you at all."
"You don't have a choice. Fate has brought us together, no matter how amusing it is." He fingers intertwined with another, his eyes locked with hers. "No matter how hateful it is."
"I hate this fate."
"Ah, I should say the same thing. But who knew what a blooding can do to change a vampire's opinion?"
"What about your opinion, Horde King? What exactly has changed?"
"I could have gone with my life and have my pick of beautiful women. The Lore has an abundance of them, and I've lived a thousand, no, more than a thousand years. I've had my taste of women."
"Good for you."
"But those women… when you're blooded, you come to realize those women aren't enough. They can never substitute the company of a vampire's bride." Then without warning, he traced in front of her, his face looming over as he pinched her chin between her fingers. "I want your love, Helen."
She tried not hard to vomit. "You just can't demand me to love you."
"It has to be earned?"
"As cliché it sounds, yes."
He scoffed. "I'm the Horde King. I don't need to earn your love."
"Well, I don't give a damn if you're the Horde King. Valkyries never gave a shit about your kind, neither do I."
"But what if I told you that if you gave me your love, I would spare your kind?"
She paused. Would he really do that?
"Ah, I see. I finally have your attention now. I have a proposition. I don't usually offer propositions. I use force. I take what I want, but I see how obstinate you can be. Just exactly as I am. If we keep this up, I will not get what I want, and you certainly will not get what you want."
"and who are you to know what I want?"
"Just the Lorean who can destroy your brethren with a simple command." He taunted. "Would you like that, Helen? Would you like me to kill your kind?"
"You wouldn't dare."
"Are you challenging me?"
Her only response was the glare at him.
"I'm not asking much from you. In exchange for the safety of your sisters, all you have to do is to stay by my side."
"and if I don't agree?"
"Surely that's not too much to ask. Your presence in exchange for their safety."
"I will not be your whore."
"You're my queen. My bride." He reminded her. "Be logical my dear. You're known to be clear headed. Think of it this way. Your sisters will know peace, even if they will hunt and kill my kind. All you simply have to do is to stay beside me.
"Will you make a vow to the Lore then?"
He didn't suppress his laughter. "Very well, I vow to the lore that the Valkyries will not be harmed by my army, as long you vow to stay beside me as my bride."
Freya, he was really doing this.
"Now, why don't you make a vow to the Lore too?"
"What? Why?"
"It's just fair. I made a vow. You should make a vow too."
Biting her lips, she drew a deep breath. "I vow to the Lore that in exchange for my sisters safety, I will remain with the Horde King…until I can."
"Until I can?"
"Until I can."
"You do realize that this arrangement will be forever?" he chuckled. "I knew you would be reasonable. Now, why don't we seal this arrangement with a kiss?" without giving her any chance to protest, he planted his lips against hers. Helen felt the softness of his lips, and the soft insistent tongue pushing in between hers. She pushed him away, heaving.
"Delicious." He grinned.
"You disgust me!"
"You won't, soon enough. Don't worry, your virginal body is safe from me. I don't bed females who aren't interested in me, and there is your love which I have to earn."
"I will never desire you."
"Never say never dear. I tend to grow on a person."
"….. I don't like this place." I don't like you.
He looked around. "I forget how harsh the climate can be. Too dreadful for your taste? You're right. It's no place to earn my bride's love. No place for courtship at all. How about I take you to somewhere romantic?"
Her vision whirled again, and this time, she found herself standing on top of a building, the glittering lights of a city against the backdrop of a starlit night.
"This is—"
"The city of love."
"Paris."
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
She was about to respond, but her vision whirled again. Damn him, couldn't he stay put? Then they were standing in the middle of an elegantly furnished room. Helen saw the same glittering lights from the window, and she guessed they were still in Paris.
"I bought this residence not too long ago. We can stay here." He said.
"Your vow." She reminded him. As long as she was here, as long as she played the sacrificial lamb, her sisters would be safe. Safe in the new world.
"As long as you keep yours."
Not listening to him, she walked around the room. "Will he have servants?"
"Behaving like a queen, I see. I could get them-."
"-no, no servants."
"If you want to change your mind, tell me."
Walking towards the window, she looked at the beautiful city lights once more. Admiring the view she would be having from this day onward. "Will you drink from me, vampire?" she finally asked. She heard his footsteps and felt his presence behind her.
A cool finger brushed a strand of hair that covered her neck. Lazily, he traced the path of her carotid artery, that sweet spot that vampires loved the most. "You have no idea how much I want to, Helen." You don't know how much self-control I'm exerting right now. I've heard the experience of drinking from one's bride, and I truly am eager to have that experience. But then, this vow… and earning this love. Ah…"
"What if that time never comes?"
"hm? Is that a challenge I hear? I love challenges."
"Never mind." She moved away from him, not quite facing him yet. "Can we have separate quarters?"
"Of course." Then he traced right in front of her, and she found herself imprisoned in his arms. "I've been quite considerate of you. Won't you even give me a kiss?" Not waiting for her response, he kissed her anyway. "One day, you will kiss me of your own volition, Helen, and I look forward when that day comes."
"Never." Was her immediate response.
He laughed, a long hard laugh. "Want to wager? Hm, let's have another kiss for that challenge." And her kissed her the third time again, earning much of her ire.
AN: Three more chapters to finish this story. I've already written the dialogues for the succeeding chapters. The only thing left it to flesh out the narrative descriptions. thank you the people who've taken an interest in this story!
