Special Thanks to Xaiyoum SapphireRoseE, and mystified84 for the great reviews and to all the other readers, I hope to future chapters will encourage you to review soon.
Happy Late Fourth!
I spent mine trying to figure out Chapter 16. Chapter 7 is my longest chapter so far. It actually brings up more questions than answers, sort of reminds me of Trinity Blood that way I guess. Anyway, here for you reading pleasure, chapter 7!
Oh Yeah! I Disclaimer applies. I don't own Trinity Blood, but my birthday is in two months. Birthday present anyone?
Chapter Seven.
Everyone was hushed at the table. It was a little after ten and Cardinal Caterina and her AX members were waiting patently for Esther. Seth leaned back in her chair and yawned.
"What is taking her so long?" Father Leon spoke. "I've never known Red to be so late."
"It was Reaper's night to scout the Empire." Seth spoke. "She probably stayed out late." Abel nodded. He didn't want to let it out that he had spent the night with the red-haired beauty. Let alone raise suspicion with his colleagues of his affection for her. Though he had hunch that most of them knew.
"Empress, I will ask that you call Queen Esther by her title."
"I call Esther whatever she wishes me to." Seth spat back. "She is after all my dearest friend."
"But a Queen none the less. It is a disrespect for her to be serving under you."
"And what makes you think that I care about a stupid title?" Esther said while walking in the room. Abel gazed down on her beauty. She wore a slim light green dress that tied around her neck. Her was pulled back into a French braid. "I serve no one. I just call Seth 'your majesty' so people believe that I am merely a servant."
"You're late." Seth spoke softly.
"I'm never late." Esther smiled while sitting down between Seth and Ion. "Everyone else is just early." Seth laughed.
"Those two years you were Queen must have gone to your head. When a meeting starts at ten it means you need to be here on time."
"Sorry." She smirked. "I was hungry. Didn't get to eat much last night. So I stopped at a shop this morning."
"I hope it wasn't that..." Esther held up a large bag of sweets. "I thought I told you that you were banned from the Candy shop."
"You tell me a lot of things." Esther leaned back in her chair. She took out a piece of candy, un-wrapped it and placed it in her mouth. She pulled out another and offered it to the Empress. "Want one?" Seth shook her head. "Your loss." She turned and tossed it to Abel. "At least I'll know you'll enjoy it." Abel smiled and thanked her.
"So may we start?" Caterina butted in. "I want to know what happen two and half years ago." Abel looked at Esther.
"Why? So you could tell my subjects that their precious little queen is now a vampire."
"I want to know how?"
"No." Esther growled. "Not if you're going to take this back to Albion. I cannot risk a war.."
"Esther." Abel butted in. "We want to help you, but to do that, we need to know." He could see the fear in her eyes. "Whatever it is I'll help you through it."
"Do you want me to tell them?" Seth asked. Esther shook her head. "I know how painful it is for you?"
"I'll be fine." Esther spoke softly, before turning to her old friends. "I don't know where to start."
"Like always." Father Leon stated. "At the beginning." Esther lowered her head again and closed her eyes.
"It had been a really busy day. I was getting ready to retire for the night..."
Flash Back
"Is there anything else you need my lady." Julia said.
"No thank you." Esther smiled. "Goodnight."
"Sleep well your majesty." Julia turned to leave. Esther closed her bedroom door and locked it.
"What? Are you afraid of what goes bump in the night?" She gasped at the voice that came out of nowhere. It was far too familiar; it hunted her dreams about the fateful day.
"Cain." She turned and faced the man. He was leaning against her armoire. "What are you doing here? Get out!" She glared.
"Now, now that's no way to treat a guest. Even the brother of a man you seem to cherish. A man who abandons everything to find me."
"Do not speak of him like that. Father Nightroad is a good man."
"Really?" he walked over to her. "If he's such a good man, why is he not here to protect you? After all it's not very hard to know of his affection for you." Esther tried to turn and grab the knob. Cain suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist. His grip tightens, making her cry out in pain.
"What do you want?" She cried with pain.
"You my dear." He cupped his hand under her chin and raised her eyes to meet his. "You are, after all, the key to Abel's undoing." Esther tried to hit him with her free arm. Cain quickly grasped her other arm and twisted her around. She was now pinned against him. Her effortless attempts to get away from him were useless. "If you keep fighting me. I may just break your legs. I only need you alive. Hmm, I may still." Esther's eyes went wide. "Then you can watch me destroy your beautiful home."
"No please." She looked up at him. "Don't hurt anyone."
"No wonder why he likes you. You are too caring. Oblivious to your own needs." He grinned. "Oh yes I think you and I will get along just fine."
"What?"
"You, my pet, will be my greatest accomplishment." He pulled a small device out of his pocket and held it up to Esther's face. "Sweet dreams." He pressed a small button and released a small dosage of sleeping gas. The Queen's eyes slowly closed and she finally went limp in his arms. "Soon my dear..." he picked her up. "Soon."
Flash Back End
"And you didn't scream for help or anything." Ion questioned.
"Every time I tried, his grip would tighten. That and I feared for everyone else in the castle. I didn't want their blood on my hand."
"What did he mean about Abel undoing?" Caterina spoke.
"I don't know." Esther shrugged. "He never said. Seth and I thought he meant to use me as a hostage against Abel, but Cain kept me under lock and key in some lab."
"Near Albion?" Leon spoke. Esther nodded.
"You were in the explosion?" Abel asked.
"We're getting to head of ourselves." The Cardinal added. "Esther, continue with you story."
"Well...I don't remember anything else from the palace. After he hit me with the sleeping gas. I awoke in the lab and met the Doctor..."
Flash Back
Her eyes felt heavy, Esther tried to move, but found that her body was strapped down. Opening her eyes she took in her surroundings. She was strapped to a cold metal table.
"Ah!" She heard a man's voice. "It's about time you awoke. I was starting to worry that Lord Cain had given you too much sleeping gas." The voice came near. Esther looked to her right and finally caught a glimpse of the man. "Forgive me for not introducing myself. I am Liam Von Helter of the Rosenkruez order, but you may also call me the 'Doctor'."
"Where am I?" she nervously asked.
"The last place anyone would ever look for you." He smiled while opening a drawer on his left. Esther watched as he pulled out a pair of latex gloves.
"What are you doing?" she was on the brink of tears.
"Standard procedures, my dear." Esther heard a door open. "Lord Cain."
"Well, well." He walked over to Esther's side. "How is my little pet doing today?" Cain pulled up a chair and sat next to the Queen. Esther struggled with her straps.
"When the Vatican finds out that you kidnapped me, they'll..."
"They'll what? Send that pathetic brother of mine? Sorry to burst your bubble my queen, but no one will be coming to save you. Abel thinks I'm hiding somewhere south of the Empire." Cain looked over at the doctor. "You may proceed."
"What are you doing?" she muttered, afraid of what the answer may be. Cain's lips curled into a devious grin.
Flash Back End
"That's it?" Lady Caterina finally spoke.
"That's it." Esther nodded. "That's all."
"How did you get out?" Abel asked.
"It blew up. It's wasn't that hard" Esther popped another piece of Candy into her mouth. "
"Have you been examined by a doctor?" Father Leon spoke.
"The best ones in the Empire." Seth butted in.
"So you're telling us you don't know how you became a Methuselah?" Lady Caterina asked rudely.
"No." Esther said. "You are on a need to know bases. There are things you wouldn't understand."
"Understand? I know more than I let on about. We came here out of concern. Your kingdom is in an uproar over you disappearance. They think you've died." The Cardinal voice was very stern. Esther turned and looked back at Seth.
"See, I told you the Vatican would be no help. They're more worried about Albion than me."
"What?" Lady Caterina growled. "Not help? We've been searching for you for nearly three years. We want to assist, but we can't help unless you..."
"It's all your getting out of me!" Esther shouted back, standing up and leaning forward. "Don't tell me that you're helping! I didn't want the Vatican's help in the first place!"
"Esther!" Abel gasped. "Did you forget who you're speaking to?"
"No." She sat back down. "Though it appears, the Duchess of Milan has." Caterina did her best to maintain her composer "I'm not a queen anymore, nor a nun, let alone a human for god's sake. I am what you called me last night." Esther stood up to leave. "A vampire." She then walked to the door. The room remained silence.
"So what do you want to do now?" Abel asked.
"We're leaving." Caterina spoke softly. "Gunslinger, Dandelion, Sword Dancer and myself."
"And me?" the priest questioned.
"You are staying here to look after Esther."
"What?"
"Yea!" Seth cheered. Abel glared at his sister.
"Do you think it's necessary?" Abel questioned.
"Due to the fact you are the only person that she seemed to open up to. Gunslinger informed me this morning that you went with her last night." Abel's cheeks flushed bright pink "We're hoping that she'll tell you what's going on." The Cardinal walked over to her old friend. "That and everyone here knows how you feel about her."
"You think so?"
"Think so?" Leon butted in. "The professor, Sister Kate and I have been making bets on when you were going to kiss her."
"What?" Abel's face turned as red as a tomato.
"Face it brother, you do tend to be a little more dramatic when Esther is around. Ion once told me of time you to tried to catch her attention by pretending to drown in a fountain."
"Hey! I really thought I was in trouble." He retorted. Everyone laughed.
"Who are you trying to fool Abel?" Caterina spoke. "We all know the truth. Your the only here that doesn't believe it." Abel lowered his head. "Why do I keep trying to fool myself? Why can't I tell them the truth? Maybe because I don't know the truth."
"Very well. I will stay behind." He acknowledged. He looked out of the corner of his eye to see Seth jump up and down.
"And you while your here you will not be a priest. I want you undercover, another servant of the Empress's perhaps." Seth started to jump faster.
"Are you sure that would be a wise idea?" Abel smiled. "I don't want anything to go to Seth's already big head."
"Hey!" She yelled. "My heads not big!"
"Whatever." Lady Caterina waved her hands. "You two figure something out. I expect a report from you in one week and good luck. It looks like you'll have your hands full with the Queen." The Cardinal turned and headed out the door.
"Now don't have too much fun with red you hear?" Father Leon added with a grin. "Later Father four-eyes." Abel sat back down in seat and laid his head on the cold table. "What the hell did I get myself into? Surely Seth is going to..."
"What are you thinking about Abel?" Seth asked from her chair.
"Breakfast." He lied.
Hmmm? Why is Esther Abel's undoing? What is up with Cain? He is so crazy, like psycho crazy. He freaks me out a little, I guess that's why I love writing about him. Anyway you know the drill...please review! Let me know what you think! Chapter Eight is ready to go! But until then here's a little taste of what lies ahead.
"I hope you don't intend to go around the Empire like that?"
"No actually, I was hoping I could fine something decent in my room."
"Come on." Seth rolled her eyes. "Lets get you all speck and span for your date."
"Date?" Abel jumped.
