Fear Nothing, But In Everything, By Prayer And Supplication And With Thanksgiving, Let Your Requests Be Made Known.

The time had come for Seras to go to the King and plead for the lives of her people, but she decided to say one final prayer before preparing herself for the King. "My Lord, our King, You alone are God. I am alone in this place and have none other to help me, save You. Help me, please. Protect me, for I am in great danger. You know what happens to those who enter the throne room unbidden, who force an audience with this king. Lord, I don't want to die. Please, save me and spare my life, just as You spared it twice before. And give me the words to speak, give me Your wisdom. Help me to find favor in the eyes of this king, and use me as an instrument to save Your people.

"Save us from the evil, murderous people who have gathered together against us. They want to destroy Your people, oh God, those saved and called by Your name. They want to do away with what You promised. They want people to stop praising You, to extinguish the light of Your fire and drown the whole world in utter darkness.

"Lord, don't surrender Your scepter to the rulers of this world. Don't let them destroy those called by Your name. Instead, turn their own plan against them, and make an example out of the one who started all this. Remember us, Lord, and show us mercy. Make Your presence known to us during this time of suffering. Give me courage, oh King of kings and Lord of lords. Help me to say the right words when I stand before King Vlad Dracula. Soften his heart and change his mind so that he will hate the one who's trying to destroy us and will put an end to him and all those who stand with him. Use Your power to save us and help me. I am alone and have no one to help me but You, oh Lord.

"Lord, You know everything. You know that I have never sought my own honor. You know that I despise being a vampire, that I never wanted to be a queen, that I never wanted any of this. You know that my only desire... well, my greatest desire anyway, has always been to serve You and protect others. Yet, you saw fit to raise me to this station. You allowed that king to save me by turning me into a vampire. You brought me to the palace and arranged for me to become his queen. My mother says that You did this all so that I could speak for my people - Your people - when this moment came. If that is the case, then help me now, oh Lord. Help me to find favor in the King Dracula's eyes, and give me the words that will turn his heart and save our people. Stand with me, Lord, for You are me shield, my tower of refuge and strength, and all my trust is in You... just as my life is in Your hands. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen."

Having finished her prayer, Seras put off the plain clothes that she had worn the last three days. She bathed, washed her hair, and donned her queenly garments once more. She placed the crown of her station upon her head and then left her chamber and headed towards the King's throne room.

On the way, Seras felt herself growing weaker. She had underestimated how dependent her body had become on the small amount of blood she consumed each night. And the exertion of preparing herself, coupled with the long walk to the throne room, was draining what little strength she had left. Halfway to her destination, Seras reflected that perhaps the fast had not been such a great idea. She had intended it to show her humility before the Lord and the humility of the rest of His people. But she had not expected it to leave her so weakened. She remembered the deal she'd made with Vlad, that he would let her come and go as she pleased, so long as she drank the blood prepared for her. And Seras realized that not only was she now in breach of that deal, but that that breach must be quite obvious. She was so tired, so weak.

She thought about turning back, about going back to her chamber and waiting one more day before approaching the King. She could partake of the blood prepared for her, and regain some measure of her strength. But no, in the end she decided against that. Everyone had been praying for her, for this meeting. Everyone, not just her had been fasting, and making supplication before God. If she turned back now, that would all be wasted. Besides, she wasn't sure she could muster up the courage to come this far again. She feared that if she turned back now, she would never fulfill the purpose God had ordained for her life. She was compelled forward. And so she prayed; she begged the Lord for strength and continued on.

She was at the doors to the throne room now, and her hand shook, from a mixture of fear and weakness, as she reached out to open one of the two double doors. It creaked slightly as it moved, a subtle noise, but in Seras's ears it sounded like the roar of a lion. Still she pressed on, slipping in through the crack between the parted doors and into the presence of the King.

He didn't seem to notice her at first. He was preoccupied with battle plans and his attention was turned away from the door and fixated on his generals, advisors, and the maps which rested on the long table before him.

Seras gulped. Then she opened her mouth and a whisper escape her. "My king?" Still the King failed to take notice. She closed her eyes for a second then repeated more loudly, "My king."

Finally, Vlad's attention turned. "What is it?" he bellowed, as he turned, an aura of fierceness surrounding his body. Seras, already weakened and terrified, withered under the fire in his eyes and collapsed.

Then the King saw her: the one he'd considered interesting enough to save in the Cathedral; the one who'd chosen to place the needs and protection of others before her own when she was given the freedom to do whatever she wanted; the only one of his 'brides' he'd never bedded, yet the one he chose among them to be his queen; the Queen who'd been so confident, so graceful, so happy, before he'd lost his temper and chided her at the ball four weeks ago. And now she laid, decked out in her robes and crown, on the cold, hard floor of his throne room - the innocent, pure, kind virgin thrown to the fires on the anger of a pagan monster. The change was immediate.

There was a war to be won, one people to be protected and another crushed. In the last month nothing the King had not permitted anything to interfere with his duty, his glory... or his quest to restore his wounded pride. The war was his... and more important than anything. Yet now, he forgot it all. His battle plans, generals, and advisors were all pushed aside, and he rushed to his Queen.

"Foolish, stupid girl," the King commented as he cradled her head in his arms, the words lacking any of trace of the venom Seras would have expected for breaking her deal with him. He turned from Seras and called for a basin of blood. Then he looked back down at her, visible concern plain on his face. She was just one girl in a kingdom of many, one bride in a palace filled with them. Yet, somehow - despite his best efforts to the contrary - she had become so much more to him. "I told you to drink the blood prepared for you. Look what you've done to yourself."

"You look... kind," Seras commented distantly as she opened her eyes to stare up at the man holding her. She'd never seen him like this before, and the change was quite striking. "I-I'm sorry, my king. I had to speak with you, and I was afraid. You haven't called for me in so long... and I know the penalty for approaching you without permission. I haven't eaten or slept these past three days," Seras answered and then slipped from consciousness once more.

"Foolish girl," the King repeated then bit his tongue until blood began to flow from it. He bent his head low and grazed his lips against those of the girl lying in his arms. He shared his blood with her and gently eased his wounded tongue through the opening between her lips, and her starved body welcomed him and the nourishment he was providing.

It was only the second time their lips had met and this second meeting in many ways mirrored the first. Once again, Seras was weak, borderline unconscious, and very much in need of rescue. And once again, the King was there to strengthen her, to help her, to protect her. But this time, it was his own blood - not hers - that he was sharing with her, and his actions were more gentle, more kind. Last time they were brutish as he fought to save her life, now they were tender as he labored to preserve what he'd saved.

"You worry too much," the King replied, in a soothing tone, after his tongue healed and the kiss ended. "I could never..." he began then stopped. The King turned from his queen once more, this time towards the stenographer in the corner, and his voice regained it's authoritative edge. "The Queen is like me, this palace is her home..." he began awkwardly, then stopped. This had to sound official if it was to be recorded in the book of the law. "Seras Victoria is my Queen, and everything I have is hers, just as it's mine. The Queen may go anywhere she wishes, talk to anyone she desires without fear of penalty. She is above guests and ambassadors. She is even above my most trusted advisors. She is a part of me, and I a part of her. And she alone can approach me any hour of any day and speak her mind, for nothing is to come between us." Vlad noticed that the stenographer had ceased his typing and was just staring at him, dumb expression on the man's face. "Type it up!" the king shouted, and the low rhythmic sound of typing could be heard once more.

One of the room's guards returned with the basin of blood the King had called for, and Vlad held it to Seras's mouth. She sipped it slowly. And the King smiled done at her as a small amount of color reentered her cheeks. "Now, Queen Victoria, what would you request of your King? Tell me what you want, and it's yours... even to the half of my kingdom."

Seras opened her mouth to answer, but to her confusion the words failed to form. She tried once more, but she was still unable to plead for the life of her people. She pondered this anomaly for a few seconds, and a single word suddenly entered her mind. 'Wait.' Seras's face scrunched up, she could not understand why she should postpone her plea. But she believed that it was the Lord who was suddenly calling her to wait. So she followed His instruction.

And to Seras's further confusion, very different words began to form within her mouth. "My King, the new sun will be rising soon. And this is a special day for me. Please, if I have found favor in your eyes, come with your Grand Vizier to a dinner I shall prepare in your honor after the sun sets. And there I shall make my request."

The King eyed the girl strangely, wondering why she was postponing her request. But he decided that - whatever her motivation - he would indulge her. "As you wish," the King replied softly.

Edward stepped out from the palace just as the sun began to crest to sky, the few stray rays that landed upon him, causing shimmering sparkles, an outward display that very much matched his internal mood. He was thrilled by the distinction he'd just been given. The King had just raised the Queen to a position that rivaled his own, and yet her first request was for a private banquet with just the three of them.

Surely that had to be a sign that she favored him as much as the King did. And that was very, very good. It meant that he'd firmly cemented himself in with the royal family. He had the King's ear, and now he had the ear of the only other person in the kingdom who's authority equaled his own, the governor of all domestic issues whenever the King left for war. And with things heating up along the border of the lands of the Chinese and those of the Czars, Edward suspected that the King would be going off to war quite a bit in the near future.

Everything was going splendidly, and the Grand Vizier felt rather like leaping for joy... not that his dignity would allow him to do so, of course. And then, he caught sight of Integra still sitting in the King's courtyard, and bitterness filled his soul. She was still alive, mocking his station with her failure to capitulate to his demands and honor him as she should. It meant nothing. He had wealth. He had influence. Even still, what did any of it mean if he could not wield it to compel one, single, peasant girl to bow down to him? And so, it was with a heavy heart, rather than a joyful one, that the Grand Vizier returned home.

His wife seemed to notice her husband's melancholy mood almost instantly. "And what's got you so troubled? Aren't you to attend a very exclusive banquet tonight? You should be ecstatic."

"I saw her again," Edward replied simply, knowing that his wife would get his meaning... and that it was pointless to try to conceal anything from her after the number of years they'd been together.

Rosalie sighed heavily. "I will never understand your obsession with this peasant girl."

"She... vexes me. I can have no happiness, no joy, as long as I know she still lives and her disgrace goes unpunished."

"She'll be dead in a week and a half. Isn't that enough?"

"And yet, in the meantime, every breath she takes lends credence to her insult."

"Then why didn't you set the date of the execution to immediately follow the proclamation. She'd already be dead."

Edward huffed. "Because the King thinks this is all being done to put down a potential uprising. When it is done, it must be done swiftly, and the common men - on who's shoulders this bloody task will fall - will need time to organize and plan. Don't you see, I set it as close as I could... and yet reasonably expect the plan to go off without a hitch. But that means that that woman is left alive to continue in her pompous, arrogant insult. Do you know that she hasn't even mentioned the edict to me? She hasn't made the slightest effort to apologize or seek my forgiveness or anything. She acts as if it doesn't even exist, as if nothing can touch her or her people!" Edward slammed his fist into a nearby pillar, driving his hand through the polished marble and leaving a deep impression. "It's just insulting."

"So, kill her first," Rosalie replied simply.

"I intend to," Edward responded a slight tinge of confusion in his tone.

"No, I mean before the Edict takes effect. Go to the King and ask special dispensation to execute one of their leaders first. Tell him that she's trying to hasten the uprising and begin the rebellion before the edict goes into effect and that, if her voice isn't silenced now, she might succeed."

And suddenly a cat-like grin began to pull at the edges of Edward's lips. "I love you, honey, do you know that?"

Rosalie chuckled slightly. "Yes, I believe you've said so a couple times before," she replied coyly. She rose from her seat and glided over to her husband. "Of course, there's a very wise sang. Talk is cheap." She paused for a moment as her fingers danced upon her husband's features. "I'd rather have you show me," she finally continued, batting her eyes seductively to insure there was no chance of miscommunication.

And Edward's grin widened. He kissed his wife's neck and nibbled on her flesh for a moment, then pulled back. "Let me talk to the King. Let me kill that peasant girl today, and rid her from my mind. And then... when I return to you, I'll ravage you properly," he responded with a wink.

Rosalie pressed her body to her husband's. "Why wait?" She moaned hungrily.

"Business before pleasure, My Sweet," Edward replied, placing his index finger on his wife's lips.

She parted them and sucked on it for a second, her face titling upwards to lock ravenous eyes with her husband. "Hmmmm, hurry back. And while you're asking the King for her life, ask him for her blood too. Then bring her with you. We'll slay her together and paint each other's bodies red with her essence. And then, slowly, lick it all up." Rosalie grinned, and wet her lips at the thought of using the life blood of this woman - who'd so captured her husband's attention... even if it was negatively - to further their marital pleasures.

Edward seemed rather taken with the idea as well. "I love you," he responded, some small measure of awe plain in his tone.

Well, I'm afraid that took a little longer than expected. Sorry, but I guess we're going to have to wait one more chapter for that funny little bit of irony with Integra and Edward. :/ So, hopefully, that plus Seras's request next chapter. Anyway, I hope you're not too disappointed by the delay and still enjoyed this chapter. ;)

To Larisa: Glad to hear you enjoyed the last chapter... and came away with that justly deserved hated of Mr. Sparkles. ;) I hope you had as much fun with this one. I know I wasn't able to get to everything I'd promised, but I was able to insert a little bit more AxS fluff, which hopefully fit the context of this fic. And I do think this did a decent job of furthering the plot. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. And thanks for all your reviews and for remaining so loyal to this fic (which has expanded far beyond my original intensions for it). :D

Have a good day, and God bless.

Metropolis Kid.

PS. Special thanks to Lila (Lion in the Land) for suggesting some areas where I could expand the scene where Alucard first sees that Seras has collapsed in the throne room and rushes to her. ;D