Chapter 3-
I can't remember when exactly I stopped dreaming the sweet, hopeful dreams I had. Even if my dreams weren't always putting me in the best of situations, like they should have, I always used to dream of having Isabella by my side, sort of acting as my own personal shield from the chaos around us. When she was with me, I wouldn't worry or so much as care of the lives being slaughtered about me because she was all that mattered. She'd kiss me and I'd wake and for a second I could remember what her lips felt like on mine. Or maybe she'd talk of peace between us and the world as she used to. As false as the words were, I could hear her voice and feel her breath and that was enough to convince me. Sometimes, we'd just sit and she'd hold me, oblivious to the men dying around us. I had somehow found those dreams to be sweeter than anything else. I didn't care of the people dying. I had my Alpha back for a moment.
Suddenly those dreams stopped, and I was too comfortable in what came next to even notice my Alpha's absents. There was nothing. I floated around in a peaceful darkness when I slept. It was a pleasant change from the chaos of reality. I suppose that's why it didn't bother me as much as it should have. Sleeping, allowing that darkness to take me, was the only moment of my days when I wasn't angry or worried. It felt so nice to be at ease for a change.
However, since I've gotten to Bloodrose, I find that instead of floating around in my blackness, I've begun to dream again.
Not of Isabella. Of course not, the gods are much to cruel to allot me such a pleasure.
These dreams are nightmares and as much as I fuss to wake myself from them, I can't. I can feel the chill of the winter air on my skin and the dead leaves prickle the bottom of my feet just as real as I can feel the soft sheets of my bed and the pillows beneath my head.
It's not the same dream every night, but it might as well be because I always end up right where I am now. In this version, Rosalie is beside me, standing tall in her traditional black and red Bloodrose dress, that was layered thicker for the winter. Her golden hair blew all around her face and her eyes shone green as if she was ready to attack at any moment. She had a fearful face as she peered into the distance. I'm dressed like her, like I belonged to Bloodrose. The suit I wore had a deep red bottom and a black overcoat, with the Bloodrose insignia over my breast. My eyes were blue. I only looked curious as I followed Rosalie's stare.
I saw it immediately. She was staring at the same creature that hovered over Thea that night so many years ago. The sickly looking thing, it moved as if it were wounded till it was a safe distance from the gates of Bloodmoon, far enough so the guards wouldn't see it. I'm not exactly sure why it didn't sense Rosalie and I standing behind it, but I'm glad. Even in a nightmare, I'm not sure what I'd do to stop this thing should it attack.
Rosalie bared her teeth at it and took a defensive step back, whereas I only watched. I'm partly aware that my children lie beyond those gates. Whatever saved my life from this thing when I was a baby, might save theirs as well. Then again, it might not.
I don't know if it's dangerous. As a mother, my first thought is to go with yes, it is. Protect my children from the unknown. It seemed right.
The scary part starts when it dashes forward, faster than any Lycan I've ever know. Rosalie, who seemed so ready to get this thing didn't budge. Only then did it occur to me that wasn't what she was looking at.
"They'll never let us in." She growls. "Senna and Zafrina are closed off from the world. They want no visitors. Let's go back." I don't bother to acknowledge her. Even dream her seemed somewhat stupid. Didn't she just see that thing take off quick as a blink? What if it managed to hurt my children? Without thinking of Rosalie, I follow behind it. "ALICE!" She calls after me, but her voice quickly disappears in the wind as I run.
I feel weightless, as if I were almost hovering from the ground rather than running on it. The creature doesn't slow or even realize that I'm behind it. It doesn't stop once it reaches the gates of Bloodmoon, and the guards don't seem to see it coming. Even when it's right before their them, clear as day. They don't attack, nor do they seem like they're going to. They stand blank at their posts and the thing dashes through them like a ghost. To my surprise, I follow it just the same. The men never even noticed it.
Exactly beyond the walls is the Bloodmoon palace. It's darker than I would have expected from Senna and Zafrina. There are vines creeping up the side and made from black stone. The ground is laced thickly with fog and there's a strange silence in the air.
Only then does the creature stop and sit. It turns to me with the bright glowing orange-red eyes of its and stares directly at me. The palace sits there peacefully. The thing doesn't make a move to go towards it, making me wonder what my reason for flowing it was.
From the outside, I can hear the familiar giggles of Dorotheus and the cries of Mercy. My heart melts to think they are just a touch away, but as soon as I enter the giggles and the cries stop and I find the creature inside, sitting like a dog at Zafrina's feet. Mercy is still just a little baby. She's still wrapped in her blankets and she's still just so small. Dorotheus is the same as remember him, chubby pink cheeks and short, trimmed, hair. They are dead and bloody, but to the creature it is a feast being fed to him by the very people I chose to trust my children's lives with.
I don't remember what gave me the impression that Senna and Zafrina were trustworthy. Perhaps I only thought so at the time because Isabella trusted them and almost everyone who was trustworthy in her book was the same in mine as well. Even if Zafrina was more than a little sullen towards me, she still had it in her to take concern when she found that I was fighting rather than doing paper work with the council. At the time, it seemed mean. She truthfully told me, I wasn't made for fighting, though I doubt it was because she was afraid of me getting hurt. She was like Isabella in a way, too serious when it came to kingdoms. She came to Lotus, looking for an heir. The woman couldn't care less about me or my children. I could only assume that was just the same as before. It's been almost five years since I met her. She doesn't strike me as the kind of person to change. It leads me to wonder how quickly she'd give away my children should Maria show up in Bloodmoon, for any reason. Or maybe Zafrina would kill them herself. Bloodmoon is said to be a graceful clan, serene and clam, sort of like Bloodrose, but Zafrina doesn't seem to follow her kingdom's customs.
It's easy to remember why I trusted Senna though. No, it wasn't because Isabella was okay with her as well. Senna simply carried a peaceful essence with her where she went. I remember the quiet girl, with wild hair who obeyed her wife without argument. I kind of felt bad for her. She was so sweet in her silence and Zafrina was just so mean. It was obvious Zafrina didn't care for her much, but Senna never questioned the authority of her wife. Another reason it pained me to know Dorotheus and Mercy lay in their care. If Zafrina did decide to harm them, would Senna question her? Or would she just obey like she always had? Senna longed for child and Zafrina couldn't give her one. It was the whole reason behind their visit to Lotus in the first place. She took a great liking to my son in the time she spent there, but she also proved herself weak and obedient. Senna would not fight for them, not if it were against Zafrina.
These thoughts threaten to stifle me the more I think of them, but they are all I can think of.
In my visions, I can see Dorotheus, but not Mercy. I know my boy has grown and though it hurts to not be with him, it's nice to see he is strong. Much to my liking, he doesn't favor me. He looks like Isabella, only a little darker. His once pale skin his tan. It's always sunny in Bloodmoon I suppose and Dorotheus still holds his love for the out doors. His eyes even shine purple more than blue. Senna and Zafrina decided to let his hair grow back into the mess of curls they were in when he was two. Now that he's almost six, it's even worse than before. It pleases me that I can see him, but it's disturbing that Mercy is invisible.
My instincts say to check. Is my baby hurt? Is she still alive even? My hands shake to think of it. I can't even imagine what I'd do to Zafrina and Senna if they allowed her to get hurt. As a mother, I don't want to think of it.
I want to be reassured. I need to know.
One visit to Bloodmoon won't hurt anyone will it? Senna and Zafrina will keep it secret that I'm alive won't they? They've kept it silent that my children are alive...if they are...this shouldn't be so hard.
I need it quiet so Maria won't start any trouble. She needs to die and her time will come, it wouldn't be fair if she got to prepare for it. I take a deep breath and acknowledge the footsteps I hear approaching. I would think it's Rosalie, but it doesn't smell like her. Rosalie doesn't drink, nor does she bathe her self in perfumes.
"What are you thinking of?" Katrina is Rosalie's older sister. She's nothing like her. Wild, promiscuous and drunk is what Kate is. She's has no responsibility to the throne, or to anything else, and I've never seen a person take more advantage of that. She's rich and beautiful, what more could she need to get what she wants?
"Why are you in my room?" I scowl at her, sitting upright in my bed. It's already night, and I haven't moved since I woke. Strangely, I'm still tired, though I'm not in the mood to sleep.
"Wrong." She smiles, pushing my wooden leg aside so she can lay beside me. I cringe and tell myself it isn't worth it to hurt her. Rosalie would probably refuse me should I rip her sister's smile from her face. "This is my bed and my room and my home. You're just a guest in it. I can come and go as I please. Do you have a problem with that hybrid?"
She doesn't look anything like Rosalie, apart from the blonde hair and brown eyes. Kate's face is longer than Rosalie's, her chin more pointed. Her skin is smoother, and paler. Most of all Kate looks like an adult acting like a child and Rosalie looks like a child acting like an adult.
How could these two be related?
Then again, I asked myself that with Max and Isabella.
"Well, this is my room for the time being. I'd appreciate it if you weren't in it."
"Oh, blah blah blah. I came to talk." My scowl deepens, why is everyone so interested in talking with me? "Rosalie says you don't want to be bothered and strangely enough Brice agrees with her. Tanya is having a bitch fit over you and Mother is already making plans concerning you. I decided, its time I see what all the fuss is about. But look at that. You're just a tiny little woman. Not the hellish creature everyone fears you to be." I'm tempted to return her smile, but I don't. I'm not comfortable with her near me and I don't want her to think it's okay to smile with me as if I trust her because it's not. "You look frightened. You should know, Bloodrose isn't as great as it's thought to be, but then again, we aren't the evil tyrants of Lotus either. If Rosalie says you can trust us not to harm you then take her word for it. She's always been good at that kind of stuff."
"What kind of plans are your mother making?" I frown. "Why was I not made aware that I'm a subject matter?"
"I thought you knew, but then again, you don't talk to anyone so how could you? Do you like wine, Alice? Bloodrose makes fine wine. Especially now that's drawing close to winter, we have a lot of summer wine on our shelves. It's so much sweeter than the rest. Sadly, we make more than we can afford to drink. Do you care to join me for a drink?" She rises from my bed without an answer and pulls me up with her. I try to shake away from her touch, but she doesn't notice or doesn't care as she takes me by the waist and hugs me securely to her.
"I don't want wine!" I cuss, reminding my self yet again not to hit at her. She gasps and acts offended.
"That's a sin." She swears. "If you don't relax and have a drink with me then I won't tell you what mother has planned for you." I shrug.
"I could always ask Rosalie. Or Brice. Or I could go directly to Sasha herself." Her smirk returns wider than before.
"Yes, but they won't be half as fun as I. Calm down, hybrid. I'm not going to bite you. No one is going to bite you, as a matter of fact. After Demetri, I think they all fear you too much. I feel bad for whoever's in your way once you get to Lotus. Come, spending time with me is good for the soul." I scowl and let her lead me out of my room and into the quiet corridors. It's later than I thought.
The ground is cold on my bare foot. I realize this is the first time in a week I've left my room. Time flies by fast. Kate's grip on me is less than comfortable, but she doesn't loosen up. It's like she's afraid I'm going to run. Or fall. Or fall while trying to run. I try not to complain.
The wine cellar is what would have been the dungeons in Lotus. It's only lit by a few torches on the wall, giving it a creepier look than needed. I suppose Bloodrose is much too civil to have prisoners. I bet they spank the criminals and send them home with that. I laugh at the image of Brice spanking a man close to his age. Kate smirks at me and lets me go to search for the her summer wine.
"May I ask what's funny?"
"Why are there not prisoners down here?" I ask, looking around. It's a colossal room, all filled with wine. I could only imagine how nice the oldest of them must be. I bet they have enough to go back to the beginning of Bloodrose, perhaps.
"Because, in Bloodrose we don't keep prisoners in the palace. It would be dangerous to the king and queen should they escape somehow, don't you think? We keep them in a prison building, just outside the palace gates. I could take you there if you like." I shake my head at her and she huffs, shrugging her shoulders. "Suit yourself. I've been there many times. Especially as a child, I like to explore. Gods know I'd die if I were locked up in this place all my days. You seem to like that room a lot."
"I used to explore." I admit to her. "Back when I was younger. I was seventeen perhaps. Whenever I was lucky enough to escape Marie's telling me to sit up right and such. I would drag my handmaiden from one end of the palace to the other. When I got bored of being inside, I dragged her out to dance with the children. They never liked her much." I didn't think it were possible for me to get sadder than I already am. I wonder how much Azah has grown. I wonder if she's still frizzy haired and pale, freckled face.
"Sounds like innocence." Kate says. she turns around with a wine bottle in her hand, without a label. she pops the cork off it quickly and puts it to her nose. She takes a deep breath before smiling and holding it out to me. "Here we are. Taste," She commands, shoving the bottle to lips.
She was right. Bloodrose wine was much sweeter than the one the made in lotus. It was still bitter enough to numb your tongue as you swallowed, but it tasted fine and rich so I wasn't bothered by it.
"Good isn't it?" She pulls it away from my lips to take a gulp of it herself.
"You owe me an explanation." I remind her before she gets herself too drunk to tell me.
She drags me to sit with her on the floor. "Right, right. Sit." I frown and sit with her, hoping she'd cut the bullshit and just tell me.
"I took your drink. Now tell me."
"Mother thinks its a good idea for you to join Rosalie's council." She shrugs. "It's all up to you of course, but I figured you'd definitely say no if she left it to Rosalie and Brice to ask you."
"Her council?" I frown. "Why would I want to be on Rosalie's council. This is her clan, not mine. I couldn't care less of what happens to it."
"Yes, yes. That's true, but you managed to turn the whole Lotus custom upside down, for the better of course, in just a few years. Mother was hoping you'd help Rosalie do the same. I don't know if you know you noticed but we are a kingdom of pussies and weaklings."
"I didn't change lotus. That wasn't me. That was Isabella. And she's...not here anymore so- It's a foolish Idea really."
Kate's high pitched laughter rings throughout the entire cellar. I'm surprised nothing broke at the sound of it. "Isabella? Really, now? No. Alice, it was you. Isabella wouldn't have changed shit if you hadn't come along. I never got the honor of meeting her, but she sounds like she was very loyal to the traditional lotus way until you came. All Mother is asking is you teach Rosalie to rule like you do...did...will do again. Bloodrose is only beautiful on the surface. Dig a little deeper and you see all our flaws. I dodged that bullet. I couldn't deal with it."
"I'm not the same person I was when I sat on my throne. I'm sure things will never return the same. I lost my crown because I was the way I was. Is that what you want for Rosalie?"
She goes silent for a moment and stares directly at me. After a moment she shrugs. "What changed?"
"A lot. I don't want to talk about it."
"Is it your king's death?"
"I'm done talking with you." I state. I begin to stand, but Kate grabs hold of my arm tightly.
"I'm sorry. I don't know how to hold my tongue at all. It's a good idea. I promise you. Not only will you be helping Rosalie, but you'll also get to know what's going on the the other kingdoms. Since the whole Lotus thing, almost all trade has been cut. Moonstone still trades with us, just a little. It will soon stop as well since they support Maria and we don't. Lotus is threatening a war we aren't prepared for-"
"What war?" I narrow my eyes at her.
"See, that's why you should join the council. You'd know these things."
"What war?" I repeat. "She cannot throw my kingdom into a war!"
"She can and she will. She's been threatening us and Bloodmoon. They send messages every now and then asking to leave them out of anything Maria has against us, but Maria is basically her own thing right now. She thinks because she has the strongest clan, physically, she can just bully us into getting what she wants."
"Can she?"
"Sadly, yes. It's not long before she goes to Bloodmoon-"
"She's going to Bloodmoon?" I exclaim. My heart beats ten times faster in my chest. I feel all the blood leave my face. Kate gives me a strange look and nods.
"Yeah, eventually she will. She's already sending her men there, she came once, but quickly left upon Rosalie's refusal to accept anything from her. Bloodmoon has been denying her as well. Soon she will go there to try and talk them into joining her, if she hasn't already."
"She can't go there." No. No. No. Gods, no. "She can't."
Kate's suspicious frown deepens. "Okay, you look as pale as a ghost. Relax, just breathe for a second. Is there any reason you're so panicked about her going to-"
"My children are there. She's can't- I-I...I have to go there before she does." I push pass her and rush out of the cellar."
That felt right.
You know, to have them in the cellar, because Kate likes to drink so much...
Did it feel right to anyone else? Because it did to me.
I'm really pushing to have Kate active in this story, so you guys can expect to see more of her.
So is this dun dun dunnn worthy? I think it is.
DUN DUN DUNNNNN O.o
Maria is really causing some havoc here. Lets just hope she stays far away from Dorotheus and Mercy.
Anyways.
Third chapter down, many more to go. I must say, I am SO excited for the next chapters, so you guys should be to. Like REALLY excited. Super, mega, ultra excited. Lol, I can't think of anymore because it's near 4am and my brain is putty.
Reviews anyone? Yes? No? A little?
Eventually I will fix the numbers to line up with the chapters. It's really bugging me. Anyone else feel that way?
Well, till next time.
*Flies away*