Kurda's Mate: Her True Story
Chapter 11 The End of my Mateship Agreement
I managed to locate Larten in the Hall of Khledon Lurt, he was dressed to go hunting because he was wearing dark coloured clothing. Dark clothing would blend in perfectly with the woodland that surrounded the mountain. I had also changed into my dark clothing, I didn't want my best clothes to get covered in blood for obvious reasons, I had been given a set of hunting clothes which would keep me both warm and camouflaged. I had a grey long sleeved top, a black pullover, black trousers, boots that came almost up to my knees, I also had my hunting knife in a sheathe that was attached to my waist. I had some leather body armour that I was wearing under my pullover, it was supposed to prevent me from being gored by antlers, horns or tusks, after all being gored wasn't on the agenda.
Larten never bothered with armour unless he was actually going into battle, in fact most vampires thought that it made them look weak or afraid to face their enemies if they wore armour. In reality the sensible vampires wore armour underneath their clothing, that way it was hidden from their enemies and from their fellow Clan members.
The Vampaneze never wore armour, they thought of it as shameful to guard themselves against their enemies, they believed that their strength alone was enough to see them through, Vampaneze can also withstand pain far beyond what any human could without their bodies going into shock, even if they're bleeding out or dying they'll still attempt to fight because that is who they are, the Vampaneze would never surrender even if their situation was hopeless and they were surrounded by vampires.
I hadn't been hunting for a while. I had been in the Medical Wing for a long time, however I was feeling much better and I had regained my strength. My chest was back to normal and that was due in part to the fresh air that I'd been breathing in. I wasn't coughing nowhere near as much as I had been either, the medicine that I'd taken had worked wonders and I still had some of it left incase I needed it again in the future.
"Are you ready to go?" Larten asked, he seemed keen to leave as soon as possible.
"Yes, I'm ready. I doubt that we'll catch much before the dawn though, most animals are active at dusk and dawn after all," I commented.
"Yes, that is usually the case. There are only a couple of hours of darkness left before the sun rises, if we are lucky we should be able to catch a stag when it comes out to feed in the early morning light. The sun will not be strong enough at that time to do us any damage, we will be back inside the mountain before the sunlight becomes too strong," Larten began, then he stated, "I have been hunting this way for a long time, you need to have a little bit more faith in me. I have enough knowledge to know when it is safe to go hunting, trust me when I say that if it were not a safe exercise then I would not have suggested it in the first instance."
"I do trust you Larten, I was just curious about your choice of timing," I remarked quickly.
"I always hunt at dusk and dawn, that is if I am not otherwise engaged with alternative activities." Larten replied, his eyebrows were raised.
"Fair enough." I answered, then I followed Larten out of the mountain and into the woods. I could hear wolves howling as I walked, the woodland was home to many wolves and bears as well as other wild creatures. I wasn't scared at all, I was looking forward to taking part in a hunt and sharing a kill with Larten, if our hunt turned out to be a successful one then I'd get at least one good meal from it; the Clan would also benefit from our exploits.
"What are we hunting for exactly? Do we want a deer or a wild boar?" I asked in a whisper, I was looking on the ground for deer tracks or other evidence of animal activity.
"If we are lucky then we will be able to take down a stag, however I am not holding out much hope of locating one. I do not think that you could handle a wild boar on your own, for they are much stronger and heavier than they first appear. You are better off hunting for rabbits, hares, gamebirds and other things of that nature," Larten remarked, then he stopped dead in his tracks and I stood behind him wondering what the issue was.
"What is it?" I whispered nervously.
"A body." Larten replied simply.
"A dead body?" I asked, "Vampaneze or vampire?"
"Vampaneze by the looks of him, he has been dead for a while." Larten answered as he bent down to examine the body.
"Then what is the issue?" I countered, "A dead Vampaneze is no threat to us is it?"
"Not exactly, however if certain animals brought the corpse here and ate it or ate parts of it then the blood would make them go mad. The last thing we need are wild, rabid preditors living within the confines of the woodland which surrounds our mountain," Larten replied as he stood up again, he had been kneeling over the body.
"That makes sense, do you see any evidence that the body has been eaten at all?" I queried hoping that the answer would be no.
"Well the body is badly decomposed so it is hard to tell, I would not like to say one way or the other, however the Princes should be made aware of the potential danger as soon as possible." Larten declared, then he stepped over the body and motioned for me to follow him which I did. I looked down at the remains as I stepped over them, there wasn't much to see other than ragged clothing, exposed bones and some remnants of flesh. If not for the distinctive smell that was given off by the corpse it would have been hard to tell whether the body was that of a Vampaneze or not.
Larten continued to lead me through the woodland, he seemed to know exactly where he was going even though I was unsure of our final location. I followed a couple of paces behind Larten, if the path had been wider I would have walked by his side but that wasn't possible. I had my knife drawn just incase, every so often I'd stop walking and listen, then I'd turn around to see if anything was behind me. I had been taught to be cautious and to listen out for any potential dangers such as bears. I would often be able to hear a bear coming even before I actually saw it, this is because I could hear the twigs snapping under its paws when it stepped on them, I also heard the leaves rustling as it moved through the trees, even if there wasn't any wind.
Sometimes I would spot trees that had bear fur caught in their trunks, this is because the bears would use the trunks as a scratching post, they'd lose some fur in the process of rubbing themselves against the trunk. I had been taught to look out for signs like this, signs such as fur on a tree trunk could tell me how long it had been since a bear had last been in the area.
I could also look out for other traces such as the remains of velvet which stags rub off their antlers, that not only told me what time of year it was but it also told me when stags were due to rut. The rut brought lots of stags into the vacinity, it also encouraged the does who were in season to visit the area and therefore the deer population would increase. The increasing deer population would ensure that the Clan had plenty of food even when other supplies were running low.
"How much longer will it be before we can start to hunt? I'm getting hungry and the sky is not as dark as it was when we left," I remarked, hoping that we'd come across some kind of edible animal soon.
"It will not be much longer, I am taking you to a patch of ground where the deer herd gathers, we will have to make sure that the wind is not blowing our scent towards them, if the deer smell us then they will run and that is not what we want," Larten explained, then he said reassuringly, "We have to get as close as we can to them before we strike. I know what I am doing."
"I agree, I'll let you lead the way because you know what you're doing, I'm new to this because I normally go after rabbits or gamebirds, not deer," I added, "Deer are far too big for me to take down on my own."
"Yes, that is why I am here to help you learn how to hunt. Nothing bad will happen to you, I promise." Larten remarked in a hushed tone, then he made the sign for me to be quiet because we had reached the patch of ground where the deer were feeding. Larten led me to an ideal location where we could watch the deer, we were hidden behind a tree that had a massive trunk, it acted like a wind break. I watched as one of the deer came closer, its head was down because it was nibbling on what little grass it could find. I stood back, the deer looked up for a moment and then it carried on eating.
Larten made his move as soon as the deer was no longer facing the tree that we were behind, he was so quick that one moment he was beside me and the next he was kneeling on the ground gutting the deer that he'd just killed.
"Wow Larten, you were so fast. I've never seen anybody move that quickly before," I remarked, I could see the other deer fleeing but they weren't quick enough. I chased one down until it was exhausted, it was a doe and I managed to catch it, I wrestled it to the ground with Larten's help and then I slit its throat before it knew what it was happening.
"That was not easy." I commented as Larten gutted the deer that I'd just caught.
"No, it is not easy, however we all must eat to survive. You did remarkably well Zara, I am impressed," Larten replied, then he added, "Now we have to carry these carcasses back to the mountain where they will be cooked and served up to the Clan."
"I agree, I might not be able to carry the carcass because it is an awkward shape, however I'll give it a go." I stated, I picked up the carcass of the doe, slung it over my shoulder and I started walking. I found it difficult at first because I hadn't carried a deer over my shoulder before, however I watched how Larten did it and then I copied him. The deer wasn't as heavy as I'd first thought, however I had to carry it quite a distance, by the time I reached the kitchens my shoulders were dead and they hurt a lot. It was a relief to put the deer carcass down and rest for a while. I sat on a chair and I didn't move for ages, I was letting my body recover because carrying the deer had used a lot of energy. Larten was used to carrying heavy carcasses, after all he was much stronger than I was and he also had much broader shoulders than I had too.
I sat by the fire in the hall because I was cold and the heat was good for my sore muscles. A lot of the vampires were asleep because it was light outside, I was awake but that was because I had only recently got back from my hunting trip, Larten had retired to his quarters already and I was alone in the hall. I had the option of going to Larten's quarters and disturbing him which he wouldn't have appreciated at all, I decided to go to the Hall of Princes where Prince Mika would be, after all I didn't want to wake Larten up and annoy him even though I missed sleeping in his arms. I went to the Hall of Princes, most of the Clan were asleep, however the Guards were still on duty outside the entrance to the Hall of Princes, they searched me first as it was customary for security reasons and then I was admitted into the Princes' Dome itself, I flashed my talisman at the Guards for good measure as the doors were opened to admit me. When I entered the Hall of Princes I saw that Prince Mika was having a heated discussion with Prince Arrow, it wasn't unusual for Princes to argue but I hadn't witnessed it before in person.
"Have I come at a bad time Sire?" I asked as I bowed to Prince Arrow and Prince Mika in turn.
"No, we were just discussing the right way to prepare meat. I think that it should be roasted and basted during the roasting process, however Prince Arrow thinks that it should be actually cooked in a sauce rather than just being basted," Prince Mika explained, then he asked me, "What do you think?"
"When it comes to cooking meat I think that both of these ways are perfectly acceptable, if you cook meat slowly and baste it then you'll get a rich, roasted flavour. If however you choose to cook your meat in a sauce then the sauce will soak into the meat, this will add extra flavour as well as making it tender," I responded, then I concluded the conversation by saying, "Personally I have no objections to eating meat that has been cooked in either of these two ways."
"I don't even know why we're discussing such trivial matters, as Princes we have far more important things to organise than how to cook meat, cooking isn't even on our duty list." Prince Arrow stated plainly.
"I have no idea either, too much ale is the likely cause as to why we had this conversation, after all we have consumed rather a lot of it recently," Prince Mika remarked, then he stood up and stretched, "I'm going to my quarters now, I have a lot of work to do and I need my sleep."
"I think I'll turn in for the day too, after all the the work of a Prince is never done." Prince Arrow concluded, then he yawned and headed off to his private quarters. Prince Mika took me by the hand and he led me to his own quarters, I was shattered so all I wanted to do was curl up and go to sleep.
I got undressed and I lay down in Prince Mika's coffin, I turned on my side and I adjusted myself until I was comfortable. I pulled Prince Mika's blue robe over me in place of a blanket, then Prince Mika fetched some fur covers and he draped those over both of us, I folded the blue robe up and placed it on Prince Mika's side of the coffin. I adjusted the fur covers until I was snuggled underneath them, Prince Mika put his arms around me and I rested my head upon his muscular chest, I sighed and ran my fingers along the outline of his abdominal muscles, they were warm and his skin was soft, it was also very pale but that didn't bother me at all. Some of Prince Mika's hair was on his chest so I played with it, he leant in and kissed me and as he kissed me I placed my left hand on his neck. I was too exhausted to mate, however when it came to sharing a kiss I had no objection to it whatsoever. I enjoyed kissing Prince Mika, he made me feel all gooey inside as if I were a dessert of some kind and my whole body came alive.
"I love you Mika, I really do and I mean that," I stated plainly.
"I know you love me, I love you too but this whole situation needs to be fixed because we cannot keep living like this, it isn't fair on Larten, it isn't fair on me and it makes life difficult for you as well," Prince Mika replied, "I just want you to be happy, that's all I've ever wanted for you because you had a rubbish start in life."
"I had a terrible life before Kurda came along, if I'm being honest he saved me, however he betrayed us and I'll never, ever forgive him for that. I sometimes wish that he hadn't been so stupid, if only he hadn't gone ahead with his plan then he'd still be alive, Arra would be alive and we wouldn't have the issues with the Vampaneze that we've got now, I'd still be his mate and I wouldn't find myself struggling to choose between yourself and Larten," I remarked, "I am always asking myself why Kurda did what he did, I just don't get why he'd throw his life away, cause an unecessary battle and as for murdering Gavner Purl that was just cruel and completely unjustifiable."
"I cannot for the life of me understand it either, however the past is the past. We can only look forward to the future because the past cannot be changed, nor should we waste time dwelling upon it." Prince Mika reminded me, he sounded official now.
"I guess you're right Mika, we cannot change the events which have already taken place, the only thing to do is honour our fallen comrades and make sure that their good standing remains in place." I concluded, then I settled down into Prince Mika's arms, I pulled the fur covers over me and I drifted off into an uneasy sleep, I still had nightmares because of my past and they were awful. I often tossed and turned around when I was asleep due to my nightmares, sometimes I'd wake up shaking and sweating, other times I'd mumble things in my sleep. I knew that these things were true because Larten had told me about them and he'd moaned at me for disturbing his sleep, it wasn't my fault but he'd found it annoying nevertheless.
When I woke up next to Prince Mika I felt warm and contented, I wasn't sure what the time was (vampire mountain doesn't have any clocks) but I figured that I'd been asleep for hours, it certainly felt that way and my shoulders weren't hurting as much as they had been either. I looked up, then I realised that the coffin lid was closed so I opened it up. Prince Mika's quarters had a small hole in the roof that was used to let the smoke out when he had his fire lit. If I looked up at it I could see the sky through the hole, the colour of the sky would tell me if it was nighttime or not. I stared at the hole in the ceiling, I saw the light of a star shining through it so I knew that it was time to get up. I slowly untangled myself because Prince Mika had his arm around me and I didn't want to disturb him. I stood up quietly and got myself dressed, I had stored some of my clothing in Prince Mika's quarters because he had a chest. I searched through the chest until I found a suitable dress, I didn't want to wear anything too fancy because it wasn't a special occasion, however as Prince Mika's mate I had to look a certain way. I put my customary dark blue dress on, I fixed my hair and I made sure that Prince Mika's talisman was on prominent display.
When I was dressed I went and had something to eat, I was starving. I ate at the table in the Hall of Princes, I couldn't be bothered to walk all the way down the tunnel to where the food was normally served. After I'd eaten I went back to Prince Mika's quarters, he was still asleep and I knew that he had business to attend to so I woke him up. Prince Mika wasn't best pleased with me, however when he realised how late it was he understood why I'd disturbed him. Prince Mika got himself dressed and then he went to catch up on his business, I was left to fend for myself because he had a lot of work to do.
I went to the Halls of Sport, I watched a couple of wrestling matches but there wasn't much going on, now that the council was over there weren't that many vampires in the mountain either. Whilst I was in the Halls of Sport I heard familar voices behind me, I turned around and there was Seba Nile chatting away to Vanez Blaine. At least I wasn't alone in here now, the vampires who had wrestled each other had gone to the Medical Wing to get patched up so there weren't any games taking place at all. I was bored out of my brains, I didn't know how to entertain myself whilst Prince Mika was attending to his work.
I must have been standing in the Halls of Sport for about fifteen or twenty minutes when an idea came into my mind, I would go and find Larten because he'd know how to keep my occupied for a while. I left the Halls of Sport and went to the Hall of Khledon Lurt in the hope that Larten would be in there, he wasn't. I searched the Hall of Osca Velm next and the Hall of Perta Vin-Grahl but Larten was nowhere to be seen. I figured that he must have gone hunting again, he liked to hunt frequently, also one of his duties was to provide food for the Princes by hunting so that they always had lots of culinery options to choose from.
I went back to the Hall of Baker Wrent, this was the proper name for one of the Halls of Sport, the others were called the Hall of Oceen Pird and the Hall of Rush Flon'x. One of the Halls of Sport was used more for training rather than actual games or matches, after all newly blooded vampires needed a space to train where they wouldn't get in the way of actual tournaments or competitions.
I must have been hanging around the Halls of Sport for ages, I was bored because there was nothing happening match wise, I heard Vanez telling his assistant to fix some of the equipment because Vanez was blind, instead of sight he used his senses of hearing, smell and touch to navigate the tunnels and he did pretty well at it too. Vanez also refused to use any form of cane even though it had been suggested to him several times. I stayed in the Halls of Sport and I helped Vanez's assistant to fix a few things, we also had to rearrange some of the weapon racks because they'd been put in the wrong places. We (Vanez's assistant and I) had to drag the weapon racks across the floor, there were wheels on the bottom of each rack which made moving them easier, however they were very heavy and it took us quite a while to put them back into their correct positions. When had finished helping to move the weapon racks I sat down on a chair and rested, after all I had helped to move a lot of heavy objects around, it had taken us a couple of hours to complete the task and by the time we'd finished I was thirsty and tired.
I went to the Hall of Khledon Lurt and grabbed myself a mugful of cold milk, I downed it and had another one pretty soon after I'd finished the first. I hadn't been in the Hall of Khledon Lurt for very long when I finally saw Larten, when he spotted me he came over to where I was sitting and he sat down, he'd got himself a bowl of bat broth (which I couldn't stomach) and a tankard of ale.
"I am glad that you are here," Larten stated before drinking some of the ale, "I have been busy so I was unable to speak to you earlier. I do hope that you were not too lonely whilst I was gone,"
"No, actually I was helping Vanez out in the Halls of Sport. Some idiot put the weapon racks away in the wrong places, as a result of this Vanez's assistant and myself had to help him move them back to where they belong," I answered as I helped myself to yet more cold milk.
"At least you have been making yourself useful, that is a good thing. I cannot stand it is idle or lazy behaviour," Larten remarked, "You may technically be the mate of Prince Mika, however that does not excuse you from pulling your weight."
"I understand that Larten, that is why I've just spent the better part of two hours assisting Vanez by rearranging the weapon racks," I countered, then I added, "I may be Prince Mika's mate, however I am not lazy and if somebody needs my help then I'll help them."
"That is good to know, at least you understand how our Clan heirachy works and how we run things." Larten said with an approving nod in my direction.
"I'd never do anything to make you look bad Larten, I know important it is to have good standing within the Clan," I commented, "I know my place, don't worry."
"Zara, your place is with your mate, I have been doing a lot of thinking and I have come to the conclusion that you are better off with Prince Mika as your mate. As much as I love you and although the bond we share is very strong I cannot help but notice how you look at him, he also showers you with far more public affection than I do and it is clear to me that your bond with him is a close one. For these reasons I have decided to terminate our mateship agreement, if you wish to mate with me again in the future then I will accept you, however as things stand I cannot be your mate. I hope you can understand my reasons for doing this and I hope that you are not too upset by my decision." Larten explained, I didn't quite know how to respond so I sat quietly for a few minutes and thought about things. Deep down I knew that Larten had done the right thing, he'd saved me from having to make an almost impossible decision between himself and Prince Mika, however it still hurt. The thought of not being with Larten killed me inside, but I knew that I was in love with Prince Mika. I also understood that it wasn't fair on Prince Mika to have Larten as my mate at the same time as him, despite how strongly I felt about him.
"Larten, I understand completely where you are coming from and I respect your wishes. If you no longer want to be my mate then I shall return your rings and we will be only close friends to one another," I said in response, then a couple of tears ran down my cheeks because I was very emotional. I removed the rings that Larten had given to me and I gave them back to him, after all I had no need to wear Larten's rings when I wasn't going to become pledged to him with intent.
"You are very mature for such a young woman," Larten remarked, then he added, "I have no desire to take your rings from you, after all I gave them to you as a gift."
"Very well, I shall keep them on a chain around my neck. I think that Prince Mika will want to give me a ring soon. I cannot possibly wear your rings and his ring at the same time," I replied, "It wouldn't be appropriate for me to do that."
"No, it would not." Larten agreed. I sat at the table with Larten for quite a while, it was hard for me to be close to him now. I tried to control my emotions, I wanted so much just to hold Larten's hand under the table but I knew that wouldn't be suitable behaviour.
"I'm hurting," I said calmly, "I have got very strong feelings for you after all."
"I can understand that, it will take a while for you to heal emotionally but you will be alright, I am sure that Prince Mika will be there for you when you need him." Larten replied with almost no emotion in his voice at all.
"How can you sit there and be so emotionless?" I asked, I wanted to know.
"Emotions are something which I have learnt to control over a long period of time, it takes practice. I am not emotionless, I can after all feel emotions but I simply choose not to display them as much as you do." Larten responded, he could clearly see how much I was struggling with this whole situation but he didn't do anything about it.
"I can't stay here any longer, just looking at you is too much for me to bare because of how I feel about you," I admitted, I stood up and started walking away. I turned and looked at him, our eyes met for a moment and then I left the Hall of Khledon Lurt, my heart was broken and I felt like a big part of me was missing.
I went to see Prince Mika pretty soon after I'd walked out of the Hall of Khledon Lurt, I knew that by now he would have completed his business and that he'd be free. I walked down the tunnel that led to the Hall of Princes, Prince Mika's talisman was flashing in the light from the torches that were lit so it could be seen clearly. The Guards stopped me and searched me as per usual, I was used to it by now.
"State your business." one of the Guards said after he'd finished searching me.
"I'd like to see my mate Prince Mika, I'm Madam Ver Leth." I replied casually, "Here is my talisman as proof that I am the true mate of Prince Mika."
"Very well, you may pass." the Guard said after he'd examined my talisman to make sure that it was the genuine article. I walked down the tunnel confidently, when I reached the doors I saw that they were closed. I didn't wait for long, Prince Arrow exited the Hall of Princes so I walked in as he was leaving. I saw that Prince Mika was sitting on his throne, he looked relaxed and he was drinking from a tankard when I saw him.
"There you are Zara, I've missed you. I was about to come and find you actually," Prince Mika said, before asking, "Are you OK? You seem upset."
"It is hard for me to explain," I began, "I'm hurting because Larten has terminated his mateship agreement with me, although I am actually your mate I still have strong feelings for Larten."
"I see," Prince Mika remarked, "I hope that I'll be able to make you feel better because you are my mate and I love you, I hate seeing you cry because I only want you to be truly happy, whether you find that happiness with me or Larten is up to you, I cannot tell you how to feel after all."
"I'm in love with both of you," I admitted honestly, "When I'm with you I miss Larten and when I'm with him I can't stop thinking about you."
"I don't know what to suggest Zara, I was actually thinking about asking you to become my pledged mate with intent because I love you that much," Prince Mika revealed, then he asked, "How do you feel about that?"
"I was supposed to be pledged to Larten with intent, however he has ended our mateship agreement. I honestly can't see any reason why we cannot become pledged to each other if that's that what you want." I answered, I felt happier now.
"I understand, I'll make the necessary arrangements. We can't become Blessed Mates until after the war is over, however I can at least make you my pledged mate." Prince Mika agreed, then he kissed me and I kissed him back. We kissed for a while, there was nobody in the Hall of Princes except for us so it didn't matter that we were kissing. As we kissed I wondered how and when Prince Mika was going to propose to me, as he was a Vampire Prince I was sure that he'd make it a proposal to remember. I decided that I would accept the proposal, however in the depths of my heart I loved Larten and I knew that he loved me as well.
We left the Hall of Princes because Prince Mika was hungry, he'd been working hard for a while on tactics and other war related business, we walked to the Hall of Khledon Lurt because the main meal of the evening was being served. I'd eaten recently but Prince Mika hadn't, however I was happy to spend some quality time with him. I noticed that Larten was still in the Hall of Khledon Lurt when we arrived, I sat at the Princes' High Table with Prince Mika and then the evening meal was served not long afterwards. Prince Arrow was also sitting with us, he tucked into a piece of beef that had been slow cooked in wine and it smelt really appetising. Prince Mika had a whole duck to himself, I poured some wine from a jug into a goblet and I drunk it because I wasn't really that hungry.
"Can I get you anything to eat?" one of the vampires who was serving the food asked me.
"I ate not long ago actually, I'm alright. I would however like some more wine please," I replied politely, the wine was rather good tasting but I didn't drink too much of it because it was strong.
"As you wish, will that be all?" the unknown vampire asked me.
"Yes, that's all for now thanks." I answered plainly just before the vampire disappeared.
"It is good to have so many Clan members who are willing to assist us, I like being waited upon," I stated to Prince Mika who was wiping his hands on a handkerchief, he'd eaten the duck without any cutlery.
"I'm sure you do, it never used to be like this though. There was a time when the Princes had to serve themselves, they got to pick whatever they liked but nobody brought it to them," Prince Arrow remarked as Prince Mika drank ale from his tankard.
"Every Prince for themselves?" I queried, I was curious to learn more about our Clan's history.
"Pretty much, now it is done differently because we have enough assistants, in the past our Clan was smaller and vampires didn't live that long, the Vampaneze hadn't broken away from us at the time but they were on the brink of doing so, every vampire had to go to battle and hardly any came back. The Princes were so pre-occupied with the battle strategy that they barely left the Hall of Princes, the only time they left was to go and fight or to use the WC. As a result of this the Princes started having blood and meals delievered to the Hall of Princes so that they could work and eat at the same time, that is when the dynamic changed and the Princes began to recruit vampire assistants to serve them their meals and it stuck." Prince Mika answered, then he called for some more ale just as the vampire who'd gone to fetch my wine turned up.
"Do you want an ale?" Prince Mika asked Prince Arrow.
"I never say no to an ale, you know that Mika." Prince Arrow replied.
"Zara, ale?" Prince Arrow offered.
"Not for me thanks, I have wine. Wine and ale don't mix." I replied as I poured myself some of the wine that had just been brought to me.
"Is there any venison available?" Prince Mika asked.
"Larten and I hunted yesterday, we brought back two deer but whether the kitchen staff have roasted them or not is another matter, was the duck not enough for you?" I asked.
"That was like a starter, venison is the main course. One duck couldn't possibly fill me up, there's hardly any meat on them," Prince Mika answered, "I do enjoy a bit of rabbit but rabbits are scarce at this time of year, gamebirds and wild ducks are however in plentiful supply. We also have lamb, beef and wild boar available."
"No fish?" I queried.
"Not unless we go fishing, we don't have a pond or we'd breed them for the table too." Prince Arrow interjected.
"I understand, I'm happy to eat whatever I can get. I'm not fussy when it comes to meat, if it is hot and fresh I'll eat it," I stated, "I am a proper carnivore, I haven't eaten a vegetable since before I was blooded, I do eat wild mountain berries but only when they're available."
"You're a true vampiress, that much is obvious." Prince Mika said, praising me.
"I've got a very good mentor, what can I say?" I acknowledged, "Seba has taught me so much and he's never turned his back on me once."
"Seba is a very good mentor, he is both wise and fair minded," Prince Mika told me, "This Clan would be nothing without our Quartermaster."
"I couldn't agree with you more, he should be invested as a Vampire Prince, if anybody deserves that honour then he does," I added, I hoped that the other two Princes would agree with me.
"I agree, however Seba Nile has no desire to become a Vampire Prince or he'd already be one," Prince Arrow reiterated, "We have after all spoken to him many times about this subject."
"Seba told me the same thing when I asked him if he'd ever considered it, I think he thinks that nobody else can do his job up to his precise standards, being a Quartermaster isn't an easy task." I concluded, I knew that the other Princes would agree with me.
"No, it isn't an easy job. We're very grateful to Seba for everything that he does for us," Prince Mika acknowledged, "Without Seba our storerooms would be in a complete and utter mess and we'd no clue where to find anything either."
"That's true, vampires aren't the tidiest of creatures, I mean most of us are bachelors and you know how bachelors tend to live. I dread to think what would happen if we did routine inspections of the occupied Quarters," Prince Arrow chuckled, "There'd be a few shocks in store, that much is for certain."
"That's putting it mildly Arrow," Prince Mika snorted, "Could you imagine what we'd find?"
"I don't want to imagine it," I said quickly, "The Quarters are kept private for a reason."
"At least I keep my Quarters in a reasonable state, my assistants keep them in order for me and they wash my robes regularly too," Prince Arrow countered, "Not all of the vampires have Quarters that are as clean as mine, in fact most of them are probably filthy."
"I also keep my Quarters clean, Zara will testify to that fact," Prince Mika added, "Personally I like everything to be neat and tidy, I hate mess."
"Yes, your Quarters are very clean. I wouldn't sleep in them otherwise." I replied.
"Well that isn't strictly true is it? Don't pretend that you're in there sleeping because I've heard you, I know what you do and sleeping isn't a part of it," Prince Arrow scoffed, "I'm not stupid, nor am I deaf and my Quarters are next to yours."
"I'll admit that sleeping isn't our only activity, however what else do you expect? We are mates after all," I remarked, I was slightly embarrased by Prince Arrow's comment.
"I'd prefer it if you weren't so vocal, you don't hear my mate and I when we're together do you?" Prince Arrow asked, I wasn't sure if he was being serious or sarcastic.
"I hear some things but I don't intentionally listen to it, however I'm happy that you have a mate," I admitted, "I can understand your point though and I'll try to control myself in future." Prince Arrow nodded in reply to my last comment, then he finished off his ale and left the Princes' High Table.
I decided to leave the Hall of Khledon Lurt because I had to walk Diesel, I wanted to walk him before the weather changed again and he probably needed to have a pee. He was asleep by my feet, however as soon as I stood up he woke up and started yapping at me.
"Alright, alright I'll take you outside, come on then, let's go." I said to Diesel as I put my cloak on, it was freezing outside after all. Diesel headed straight for the exit, he knew where he was going and he sat down at the end of the tunnel until I arrived. I needed to get a collar and a lead for him but I wasn't sure if the mountain had such things. I decided to ask Seba if he had anything that I could make one from, I was sure that he'd have some spare material knocking around somewhere that I could use.