The Tale of a Vampiress
Chapter 20:
I found Seba in one of the storerooms, he was after all the Quartermaster. Part of Seba's duties involved providing clothing and supplies to those who were in residence at the mountain.
"Good evening Seba, I believe that I have duties to complete and as I understand it I'll be helping you out tonight." Seba was going through a chest when I managed to locate him.
"Yes, I need you to assist me Anna. I must get this storeroom cleaned out and organised, a lot of things should not have been stored in here and now they need to be returned to where they actually belong." he yanked the chest out of the storeroom. It was filled with clothing and spare bedding.
"I do not mind helping you out Seba, tell me what needs doing and I'll do it." I was always willing to lend a hand whenever I was needed.
"First of all we need to completely empty this storeroom and go through exactly what is in here," his instructions sounded simple enough, "I believe that some of these things belonged to Arra, however I do not know if Larten wishes to keep them or not."
"I think we should start off by putting Arra's belongings into one pile and then we'll be able to sort out everything else," my suggestion was a good one, "I also think that Larten should be here to help us Seba, it'd make things easier."
"I agree," he replied, "I will search for Larten using my mental waves, he will probably join us in a few minutes. Whenever I locate Larten using his mental signal he tends to seek me out if we are in the same vacinity as each other. I believe that we can do this job faster with three of us working together instead of just yourself and I."
"You are right Seba," I nodded, "I wonder why Larten hasn't arrived yet, it isn't like him to make you wait."
"Perhaps you should go and speak to him directly Anna," he suggested, "it may be better that way because mental waves are not always received clearly."
"Alright, I'll go and speak with Larten, I think he is in our quarters." that was the last place I'd seen him, whether he was still there or not was another matter.
"Do not take too long Anna," he remarked sternly, "I really need both of you to assist me with clearing out this storeroom." I quickly turned around and walked down the tunnel I was in, I made my way to the quarters that I shared with Larten and luckily for me they weren't that far away from the storeroom. When I arrived at our quarters I opened the door and walked inside, Larten was sitting on a chair and he looked like he was deep in thought.
"Larten, Seba and I need you to help us clear out one of the storerooms, Seba says that there are some of Arra's belongings in there and he is unsure as to whether you want to keep them or not." I hoped that Larten would be happy to help us out.
"I will help you to go through the items in question Anna, however we need to discuss something first," I had no idea what he wished to speak to me about, "have you noticed anything different about one of your wolves recently?"
"Yes, I have Larten. I think that Sasha may be pregnant, if she is pregnant then she will give birth any time now. It wasn't intended, but nature has to take its course." my reply didn't seem to bother him at all, it was as if he already knew the answer, but he just wanted confirmation of his suspicions.
"Yes, nature does play a role in matters such as these. When your wolf is ready to give birth I will be on hand to assist her, I might need your help also," he stated, "I do have some knowledge of labour because I was on hand to assist two women when they gave birth, it was a nasty business that took place a long time ago. Women died in childbirth frequently when I was a young man, the two women I helped survived and so did their babies as far as I know, others were not so lucky."
"Maybe you can tell me about it sometime Larten, Sasha looks ready to pop. I think that she will give birth within a night or two at the most." Sasha was significantly bigger than what she had been when I'd met her and her stomach was prominent, also she was eating far more than usual which was a classic sign of pregnancy.
"I think so too Anna, I shall keep watch over her and when she goes into labour I will tell you." I wasn't sure if Larten was excited about it or not.
"Alright, all I want is for her to give birth to healthy pups. Sasha is young and strong, she should be fine," my voice was confident, but I was still a bit apprehensive about the whole thing and I wasn't even the one who was about to give birth, "please don't let anything bad happen to them Larten."
"I will not let any harm come to Sasha or her litter," he said reassuringly, "I promise."
"We need to move out of here if this is going to become a wolf den," I said, "Seba can assign new quarters for us to stay in, however I would rather be sleeping on my own until the ceremony, I want to save myself until after the ceremony has taken place."
"You cannot save what you have already lost," he claimed, "you have been well and truly broken in."
"We are not supposed to see each other before the ceremony Larten, it is bad luck." I was trying to do things traditionally. It had nothing to do with not sleeping together, although that was a small part of it.
"That only applies to the night that comes before the ceremony itself," he revealed, "however if you want separate quarters then that is your choice, I cannot force you to share quarters with me."
"I think that Seba will arrange something for us Larten," I added, "I'm sure he realises the importance of doing things the traditional way."
"Yes, Seba is the Quartermaster so it is his job to accommodate us. I do not like the idea of not having you in my quarters, however if you are trying to do things the traditional way then that is fair enough. It has been a long time since I have done the whole chivalrous act Anna, I am a bit rusty." at least Larten was not completely clueless.
"Do not feel pressured into doing anything if it makes you feel uncomfortable Larten, I have always dreampt about my wedding day. Like most women I have it all planned out in my head, I understand that this Blessed Mateship Ceremony will be nothing like a human wedding, however I would like to have some human elements if that is possible." I was hoping for a dress at the very least.
"Human elements?" Larten's eyebrows were raised at the prospect.
"I don't know exactly," I admitted, "maybe a party of some description to celebrate our upcoming ceremony. Call it an engagement party if you like."
"That has already been taken care of," he snapped, "what else do you want?"
"Are we going to have a honeymoon?" we had to have somewhere to go after the ceremony, otherwise how could we consummate it?
"No, that is too human for my liking." his stern reply had upset me a little bit, but he had a point.
"That means we have to stay here inside the mountain and go back to our quarters when the time comes, it isn't very exciting Larten," I complained, "personally I would rather be whisked off somewhere, I think the Clan would prefer it this way too because we will be very active if you know what I mean."
"I guess when you put it like that it would make sense for us to be away from the main part of the mountain," he responded, his tone was softer now, "I think I have a solution and I will discuss it with Seba at a later date."
"You told me that I would have the very best of everything Larten." I never forgot anything that he said to me, especially if it was important.
"I did promise that you would want for nothing and that I would always take good care of you. Let me see what I can arrange Anna, all I need is time and for you to be patient whilst I sort everything out." I hoped that he wasn't regretting his decision to go ahead with a second Blessed Mateship Ceremony.
"Thank you for being so understanding Larten." I was always thankful and grateful for everything that I got.
"That is alright, the next thing is to sort out what we are going to wear." I was surprised to hear him talking about what we would be wearing, he didn't strike me as somebody who would be interested in this sort of thing.
"I would like a dress that makes me look like a bride and preferably not a bride of Dracula either." my request was simple enough.
"If that is your desire then I will make sure that you have a dress to wear," he declared, "one of the Generals used to be a tailor so I am sure that he can make dresses for yourself and your bridesmaids."
"What are you going to be wearing?" I was curious as to how a vampire would dress for a Blessed Mateship Ceremony, it was a very special occasion.
"I am having a brand new suit made, however I cannot decide whether I should wear a top hat or not." I never thought I'd hear Larten talking about such small details, he'd look so dashing in a top hat and tails, but I kept that thought to myself.
"If I am wearing a proper veil and a tiara then a top hat would be appropriate, I want everything to be perfect down to the smallest detail." I was determined to have my way on certain things.
"I think that this time I will pull out all of the stops, no expense will be spared and that includes wearing a top hat, I did not wear one before. I will have one custom made for the occasion, however that is no problem." at least Larten was genuinely interested in our ceremony.
"I agree, what about the rings Larten? You'll need to have some made for us, that is a key part of the ceremony after all." I couldn't wait to wear his rings, I saw it as an honour.
"The rings have already been taken care of, I think that you need something to go around your neck so I have taken the liberty in having this made for you to wear at the ceremony." Larten handed me a wooden box, I opened it up and I peered inside. I saw a Victorian style choker necklace that sparkled like the stars, it matched my tiara and hair pieces perfectly.
"Oh my word, I can't quite believe what I'm seeing. There must be a hundred diamonds set into this at least." I was almost speechless, I didn't quite know how to react to seeing Larten's latest gift.
"Actually there are over five carots of diamonds in this piece of jewellery, I hand selected every single stone myself and they are set into pure platinum. I told you that you would get nothing but the very best, perhaps this gift will serve as a reminder of exactly what you mean to me Anna." he certainly knew how to spoil me rotten.
"Larten, I don't need gifts like this from you. I only want your love, but I am as ever very grateful to receive your bounty, thank you for being so generous. I won't even dare to ask how much this necklace has cost you to design and make, however I can imagine that we are talking in the region of a few thousand pounds at least." I was still stunned by the sheer sight of the jewellery that I had just received, I felt like the luckiest vampiress in the entire mountain.
"A few thousand pounds is not even close to how much I paid for this piece of jewellery, to me it matters not how much it cost, but rather how much it means to you Anna." Larten had never spoken more accurate words.
"I hope that you didn't spend an obscene amount of money on it, I am not materialistic and nor am I a gold digger." I felt bad because I had nothing to give to Larten in exchange that would be equivalent in value, I could only give him my love and loyalty.
"It cost nearly sixty thousand pounds, however you are worth every penny of it," Larten admitted, "by the way this is the largest sum of money I have ever spent in one go so I hope you like your gift."
"I am in awe right now, I mean seriously Larten I really was not expecting to receive anything like this, I hope that you have a safe place to keep it." I had no idea how much money Larten actually possessed, I'd never asked him about his personal finances.
"I have a safe deposit box where I keep my most valuable items," he revealed, "I would advise you not to wear this necklace unless I am with you for security reasons."
"I understand, if anything were to happen to it I'd be devistated." I wouldn't expect Larten to replace a piece of jewellery such as this if it got stolen or damaged, it would cost too much money.
"You may wear it tonight if you wish to show it off to your friends," he stated, "I know that Seba would like to see it because he helped to source the diamonds for it."
"I am still in shock, I feel as though this isn't real and I'm inside a dream," I claimed, "can you help me to put it on so I can see what it looks like?"
"This is no dream, this is our reality Anna." he put the necklace around my neck and locked the clasp so that it would stay in place.
"I must see it in the mirror," I replied, "it feels rather heavy to wear, but that is to be expected."
"Take a look at how the stones sparkle in the light." Larten held up the mirror in the torchlight so that I could see it for myself.
"Wow, it sparkles so much that the Clan will need to look at it through sunglasses." I admired the necklace for a fair amount of time, it was an incredible piece of jewellery.
"It does catch the light rather well Anna, it suits you very nicely in my opinion." I couldn't stop smiling, I loved being spoilt rotten by Larten.
"I agree, all I have to do now is let the Clan see it for themselves Larten. They will be as speechless as me when they first see it," I concluded, "I reckon that the other vampiresses are going to be extremely jealous and I don't blame them either."
"I am sure that all eyes will be on you when we enter the hall where most of the Clan are currently gathered Anna." the thought of this worried me a little, however I knew that he wouldn't let anything bad happen to me.
"I never in my wildest dreams imagined that I would ever receive a gift of this magnitude." I really couldn't believe it.
"I told you once before that I know how to take care of my mates, I also said that you would want for nothing Anna. Please remember that if you ever need anything all you have to do is ask me for it." I would be sure to remember this information.
"I understand, thank you for being so kind to me Larten, I really appreciate everything you've given to me and done for me." I had to let him know how much I appreciated his gift.
"We need to go and assist Seba now, he is waiting for us and we have been in here for a while already." I'd quite forgotten about helping Seba out.
"Yes, I promised Seba that I wouldn't be long and I've been in here for ages," I admitted, "I hope he won't be too angry with us."
"I will explain the situation to him Anna, do not worry." we left our quarters and headed to the storeroom where Seba was, unusually for Larten he took my hand in his as we walked, I didn't mind at all, I thought it was a nice gesture.
"There you are, what took you so long?" Seba asked when we caught up with him.
"I'm sorry, I was discussing the fact that my wolf is pregnant and she is due to give birth any time now," I answered honestly, "Larten and I also have some news to tell you, but we can discuss it later after we have finished clearing out this storeroom."
"If that is the case then I will have to assign new quarters for you both, it would not be wise for you to sleep in what is going to become a wolf birthing den. As for your news I will look forward to hearing all about it after we have finished working Anna." Larten helped Seba to move a couple of big chests out of the storeroom, these ones were much bigger than the one that I'd helped to move. Once the big chests had been moved out there was more space inside the storeroom, this meant that I could go in there and start taking some of the smaller items out that had been stuck behind the big chests.
I saw a suit hanging up and a dress that had been badly slashed open in places. I wasn't quite sure why anybody would wish to slash a dress open, it had a broken strap and the ribbons at the back had also been shredded. It was also stained with what I could only describe as blood.
"What do I do with this suit?" I wasn't sure who it belonged to.
"Burn it, I do not want it, I wore this suit at my first Blessed Mateship Ceremony," Larten remarked, "it is a period in my life that I want to forget."
"What about the dress?" I queried. "Shall I burn it too?"
"This dress was worn by Arra at one of the Festivals of the Undead, a couple of Generals were fighting and during their fight a mugful of blood got knocked off the table and it went all over the dress," Larten revealed, "as you can imagine Arra was furious, in her anger she took the dress off and she slashed it into pieces. There is no point in keeping a torn up, bloodstained dress so it too can be disposed of."
"What about this?" Seba queried as he picked up a small box and passed it to Larten.
"I have not seen this box in years, I wondered where it had gone. This box should contain some jewels that I bought for Arra," Larten claimed, "I would like to give them to one of her former assistants." he opened the box and sure enough it was full of different pieces of jewellery, at the bottom of it was a tiara but it looked nothing like mine.
"I'm sure that one of Arra's former assistants would like to have these pieces of jewellery to remember her by. I have a little brooch that my great grandmother left to me in her will, I still have it too. It is the one that I showed you." I responded in agreement.
"Maybe I will give these pieces of jewellery out evenly to all of the vampiresses who were the assistants of Arra, it is fairer that way. If every vampiress gets something instead of one former assistant in particular getting everything then there will be no arguements." Larten had a point and I wasn't going to disagree with him.
"I was about to suggest that myself, but you have beaten me to it," Seba remarked, "they often say that great minds think alike."
"Let's move on now that we've decided what to do with the jewellery, the next item I've just come across is this bloodstained short sword. Is this short sword going to be kept, given away or disposed of Seba?" it looked like it was a viable weapon still.
"I would like to keep that short sword, it is the weapon that Arra was using when she was killed. It is stained with the blood of those she slaughtered before Glalda attacked her." Larten revealed, it seemed like a very painful memory for him and I didn't ask him anything further on the subject.
"I understand, I'll put it in the pile of things that you're keeping," I replied, "I hope that you aren't hurting too badly Larten."
"Seeing this sword again brings back memories of that dreadful battle, but I would like to keep it just the same." he answered with a sigh.
"I understand Larten, you don't have to justify your decisions to me or anybody else." I was trying to make him feel better.
"What is next? We need to go through these chests as well." Seba commented, he was a very organised individual and he liked to do everything in order.
"The chests will be gone through in a minute," I answered as though I were taking charge of the situation, "I just want to finish sorting these items out first. There isn't much left in here, most of this storeroom is empty now that you've pulled out the furniture which belongs to you. I can however see something at the back, but I'm not sure what it is." I went a bit further into the storeroom to investigate this item, it appeared to be a dress on closer inspection. I grabbed hold of the dress and I pulled it off the beam that it was hanging on.
"It is a dress, a very fine looking one too. It actually looks like something you'd get married in." I called back to Seba.
"Let me see it Anna." I walked back to the entrance of the storeroom and held up the dress so that both Larten and Seba could see it. I held the dress up to the light because I too wanted a better look at it, it looked so beautiful.
"That was what my former Blessed Mate wore when we had our Blessed Mateship Ceremony," Larten claimed, "I remember having it custom made for her and it cost me quite a bit of money too."
"I don't doubt that this dress cost you a small fortune, what should we do with it Larten?" I asked.
"If it were up to me I would pass it on to a less fortunate vampiress, I have no desire to burn it because it is still perfectly wearable," he answered, "I would hate to see it going to waste because it would be like throwing money away."
"Maybe I'll ask your former Blessed Mate what she wants to do with it," I suggested, "it is her dress after all."
"Put it in the pile of things to keep for now Anna, we still have a few items to get through." Seba remarked, he was a good decision maker.
"Larten, I think you can start going through one of the big chests now because the storeroom is almost empty. There are only a couple of items left in here. There is a china vase and a long, wooden staff." I removed the china vase and the staff from the storeroom.
"The china vase is mine Anna. I was given it by one of my former mates as a present before she was killed in a battle." Seba stated.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to drag up the past," I apologised, "I'll put it over here with the things that are being kept."
"It is alright Anna, it happened centuries ago and I have grieved for her long enough, besides I have a new mate now." he replied reassuringly.
"What about this long, wooden staff?" I queried. "Does it mean anything to either of you?"
"I gave Arra this staff after one of hers got snapped during a duel, she demanded a new staff and I gave her what she wanted," Larten clarified, "I believe that there is an inscription on it. In my opinion it should be hung up over the Bars or added to the decorative weapon collection, I would not want to see it being used and then damaged as a result of said usage."
"Very well Larten," I began, "I will give it to Vanez and he can hang it up as a decoration in an appropriate place. The storeroom is now empty and all we have left to go through are the chests."
"The chests will not take long to go through, they contain spare clothing and shoes which I hand out to those who may be in need of them. I just need to fold the clothing up and check for clothing moths, the last thing I want to do is hand out clothing with holes in it." Seba then began to empty out the biggest chest and went he through its contents at lightning speed. When he was done sorting out the contents of the biggest chest there were a couple of items left out, but everything else was folded up and packed away. Larten and Seba then placed the chest back inside the storeroom and they packed the furniture away too, that just left the small chest which contained shoes and a couple of spare daggers, these daggers looked to be very ornate and well made.
"I have not seen these daggers in over a century, I thought that I had lost them a long time ago. I am glad to see them because I was going to buy another pair, daggers are my weapon of choice. I can throw one and fight with the other one at close range. Either that or I have one and my mate has the other one, it has always been that way." Larten revealed as he handed me one of the daggers.
"I have a dagger and a short sword, however they aren't that great," I replied, "this dagger looks to be much better quality than the one I've got, even after a century is it still a viable weapon Larten?"
"It has been locked away in a chest which has kept it dry and free from dust, it should still be sharp. If the blade is a little blunt then I can sharpen it for you, however there should not be any need for you to use it whilst you are here." I wasn't a fan of carrying weapons, however sometimes I had no choice.
"I'll keep it concealed inside my clothing just in case I run into trouble outside," I replied, "you never know what wild creatures you could run into on a remote mountain like this one."
"Is that everything?" Larten asked Seba.
"I believe that everything has been gone through. We have finished here now, Anna you can go as your duties are complete." Seba remarked.
"That's good," I answered, "Larten are you coming with me back to the halls?"
"Of course Anna, I will join you later on Seba." we said goodbye to Seba and headed back to the main halls. When the vampires who were in the corridors saw my necklace dazzling in the torchlight I overheard their comments.
"There she is, that's Madam Crepsley. I told you that Larten spoils her, look at those gemstones. Even I do not buy gifts for my mate like that, if she is lucky then I take time off from my duties and take her out hunting but that's it." one General said to another General.
"It is little wonder why your mateship agreements do not last very long, if you treat your mate with as much disdain as you have for her when you talk about her then I would not blame her for ending the agreement early." Larten said to the General who had made the comment.
"I don't have the money to treat my mate as if she were a Queen, nor can I afford to drop everything just for her. I will never become a Vampire Prince unless I show the Clan that I'm a hard working General and a warrior." the General remarked.
"Here, take this and buy your mate something half decent for a change. I am sure that she will thank you for it, go and ask Seba to arrange something for you, tell him that I sent you." Larten said as he handed the rather embarrased General a big handful of cash.
"I can't accept this Larten, I don't want to be in debt to you." the General said politely.
"It is alright, I have plenty of money so do not worry about it. Call it a gift." he stated.
"Thanks a lot, I owe you a barrel or two of ale for this gesture of kindness." the General remarked.
"I am in a generous mood, it is about time that I handed out some of my fortune to those who need it." Larten whispered in my ear.
"I agree, there are lots of new vampires here who could do with a helping hand Larten. I have seen them wearing really worn clothing, I think that they are too embarrased to ask for new attire." I knew all about wearing old clothing, I'd never had much of it as a child, nor as an adult actually.
"Vampires must fend for themselves, however there is no law against sharing supplies and handing out money to those who could do with it." he answered.
"Normally vampires have no need of money because we can get everything we need to survive from the natural environment, however it is nice to see a vampiress smile when her mate treats her to an occasional gift or two." I remarked.
"I agree," he nodded, "go to the Halls of Sport. I need to sort something out, however all will become clear soon enough."
"Very well, what should I do about my necklace Larten?" I couldn't wear it in the Halls of Sport in case it got broken or stolen.
"I shall put it somewhere safe for you Anna," Larten clicked his fingers and my necklace was gone from around my neck. "I will see you later on, go and watch the matches that are taking place."
"OK, I'll see you later," I remarked, "I love you Larten."
"I know that you love me," he commented, "I do not say this often but I love you too." I wasn't used to hearing Larten declaring his feelings for me, but it was nice to hear all the same. We parted company and I headed for the Halls of Sport. I was sitting by myself in one of the Halls of Sport, I had been watching a wrestling match between Gavner and a General that I didn't know. I was naturally rooting for Gavner and when he won the match I cheered loudly. I was just about to watch another match when Vanez Blaine stopped all of the sports, he then announced that the vampires in the Halls of Sport had been requested to go to the Hall of Khledon Lurt for an announcement. I knew what was about to happen, but I couldn't let on, so far everything had been kept hidden from the general population, only myself, Mr Tall, Seba, Larten, Gavner, the head chef, the General who was making my dress and the Princes knew about what was going to be taking place. None of the other vampires had a clue about the Blessed Mateship Ceremony, they only knew that we were mates.
When I walked into the hall I saw that the tables and benches had been replaced, we had long wooden tables now and proper chairs rather than animal bones and planks of wood that had been nailed together. The Princes wanted to make the hall look good for the upcoming feast that would follow the Blessed Mateship Ceremony itself. Upon entering the hall the Clan members looked around and I heard them saying things about our new tables. One of the vampiresses made a comment to me about how the room now looked like a proper banqueting hall and that she approved of the new tables. I chose a place to sit and the new chairs were rather comfortable. I was trying hard not to shake too much because of my nerves, I knew that this was it, Larten was about to publicly propose to me and I had the easy job of saying yes to his proposal.
Seba sat next to me, he gave me a knowing look and that told me everything that I needed to know. I quickly took the ring off of my left hand ring finger and I put it onto my right hand, after that I just sat and waited to see what would happen next. I wasn't wearing anything that looked nice, I was wearing a shirt with a jacket over the top of it, boots and trousers. In other words I was dressed casually, a lot of the vampires around me were wearing capes, cloaks or robes. I had one of Larten's cloaks draped around me because I was cold. It wasn't uncommon for me to wear them around the halls, this one was so big that it swamped me and it dragged along the ground. It did however keep me warmer than regular clothing did which was good. Larten's cloaks got washed frequently, he owned several of them and they all looked identical to one another.
Larten entered the hall but none of the other vampires paid much attention to his entrance, they were still holding discussions about the new tables and chairs and whether they liked them or not. When all of the Princes walked into the hall there was silence, not one vampire spoke because they knew that something was about to happen.
"Vampires of the Clan, welcome back to the mountain. None of you know why you have been summoned here because you have not been told. All will become clear in a few minutes time, for now though I ask you to remain silent. I will now hand over to Larten and he will explain everything to you all." Prince Arrow announced to the gathered vampires.
"My fellow Clan members the moment has come for me to publicly declare that I Larten Crepsley am intending to make Anna my Blessed Mate. Anna would you come over here?" I walked over to where he was standing and I didn't exactly know what to expect. I was feeling very nervous and a little bit embarrased too. All of the gathered vampires were staring at me, I had roughly two hundred eyes looking in my direction. Larten knelt down on the slightly raised platform that we were on and he took my hands in his.
"I have never been very good at public speaking so I will make this brief, Anna will you do me the very great honour of accepting me as your Blessed Mate?" at that moment the hall erupted in cheers.
"Larten, there is no-one in this life that means more to me than you do," I admitted, "I'd be honoured to accept your proposal and become your Blessed Mate." the Clan members were cheering even louder now and it was almost deafening.
"I give you this ring as proof of my feelings," he declared, "please accept it and wear it as a symbol of our connection to one another." he then placed a ring on my finger, it looked like it matched the set that I had already received. I held my hand up to the light that was being given off by a flaming torch, my ring flashed and sparkled more than anything I'd ever seen.
"Is that it? Can I sit down now Larten?" I asked quietly.
"Not quite Anna," he answered, "there is one more thing that we must do first."
"Now what?" I was feeling embarrased enough already.
"I have to announce the date that our ceremony will take place on," he replied, "the Clan need to begin preparing and the date of our ceremony is their deadline."
"Oh right, that makes sense," I said, "the Clan cannot attend if they do not know when and where the ceremony is taking place."
"Order, order, we shall have some order in here," Prince Arrow declared in an official tone of voice, "Larten has one more announcement to make."
"I would like to announce that following the acceptance of my proposal our Blessed Mateship Ceremony will be held in the newly named Hall of Ceremonies," he stated, "the ceremony itself will take place three hours after the sunset a week or so after all of our invited guests have arrived here, there will be a feast in this hall and further festivities. All of you are permitted to attend, please dress in your finest attire for this is a very special occasion."
The Clan hadn't had anything to celebrate in a long time and now they were going wild, we got bundled by half of the vampires in the hall, I wasn't expecting them to get so emotional, then again I didn't know much about vampires.
"I think that the Clan are happy for us Larten," I was speaking louder than usual because of all the noise.
"It would seem to be that way Anna, I had not anticipated such a reaction to my proposal." he remarked.
"At least now we can make some firm plans and start decision making," I added, "I am very good at planning events." Eventually the Princes managed to calm everybody down and order was restored, however by this point a fair few barrels of ale had already been consumed.
"I never knew that the Clan would be so excited by our news." I said to Seba when we were sitting at one of the tables.
"The Clan need a reason to be happy, all they have known recently is loss and the horrors of battle. Your news has given the Clan a reason to smile for the first time in a long time." Seba's reply made perfect sense, the Clan had endured a few rough years and now things were starting to look up for a change.
"I can understand that," I answered, "I guess that this gathering is like an unofficial engagement party of some description."
"I think that is an accurate description of what is going on here this evening, all we need now is some food and a few more barrels of ale." Gavner concurred.
"Gavner Purl you have already had more than enough ale this evening." Seba interjected, he sounded like he meant it too.
"You can never drink enough ale, bring up some more barrels from the storeroom." Gavner said to a non ranked vampire in his most commanding tone of voice.
"I will pass on the ale, but food would be great right about now." at that moment a couple of the kitchen workers appeared infront of us with a large stag, they put the stag in its entirety on the table that we were sitting at, we took one whiff of the fresh meat and got stuck in to it. It didn't go very far, luckily the kitchen staff brought out more food and put it on the other tables. I figured out that this was a pre-planned meal, it couldn't have been pulled off at short notice.
"This meat tastes good, who came up with the idea of providing a meal for everybody?" I asked between mouthfuls of venison.
"I did, I thought that it would be a good idea to provide a decent meal considering how much alcohol is being consumed. I did not wish to deal with hungover vampires so I organised this banquet. If you think this is impressive Anna just wait until you see what we have planned for your actual Blessed Mateship Ceremony celebrations." Seba stated as he loaded up his plate with meat and wild berries. Hearing that Seba had already begun preparing for my Blessed Mateship celebrations was news to me.
"I hope you haven't gone through too much trouble Seba," I responded, "you have enough work to do as it is."
"Anna we have pulled out all the stops and so far no expense has been spared." he replied.
"Larten I don't know what to say," I declared, "this whole scenario seems like a dream. I'm overwhelmed at how much effort you have put in to this whole thing."
"Nothing is too much trouble if it is planned carefully and organised in plenty of time, you have no idea what I have got in store for our Blessed Mateship Ceremony. Our first rehearsal is tomorrow, I recommend that we do not stay up too long because we have a packed schedule ahead of us." as usual Larten was right and I was pretty tired.
"Before we turn in for the day Larten would it be alright if we shared a public kiss just to cement our union?" I wasn't quite sure how else to put it.
"I do not like to participate in public displays of affection," he answered, " however after we have exchanged rings I may consider it."
"If you think we should save it for the ceremony then we will," I concluded, "I do not mind either way. Most of the other vampires are not paying attention to us anyway, even if we did kiss hardly any of them would notice us doing it. The vampires in this hall are too busy stuffing themselves with food and drinking barrels of ale to care about what we are doing."
"I can see your point Anna." Larten's reply was confusing and I wasn't sure if he was going to kiss me or not.
"I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable Larten," I acknowledged, "I'm sorry if I've crossed the line."
"You do not need to apologise, you have done nothing wrong Anna." he concluded.
"That's a relief," I said, "sometimes it is hard for me because I must always conduct myself in a certain way, I do not want to give you a reason to be disappointed in me Larten." he didn't answer me, instead he kissed me with some degree of passion and it took me by surprise. It was controlled but playful. I shut my eyes and went with it, I don't know how long the kiss lasted, but it felt like we were kissing for quite a while.
"Ahem." I heard a loud cough which broke my concentration and ended the kiss. I looked up to see Prince Arrow standing over us.
"That's enough you two, save it for your quarters." Prince Arrow said sternly.
"I'm sorry about that Sire, we got a bit carried away." I remarked by way of an apology.
"I understand Anna, just keep your public displays to a minimum." the Vampire Prince reiterated.
"If that is your command Sire then I shall obey it." I concluded, I was more worried as to what Larten would say, however he remained silent.
"Oh let them be Arrow, they're in love for crying out loud," Prince Mika interrupted, "it is their engagement banquet after all." Prince Arrow walked off, he looked annoyed.
"Thank you for stepping in there Sire," I stated, "I am grateful to you."
"Prince Arrow needs to lighten up a bit, I think that if you two wish to show your love for one another then you should be able to do so. There is a line between what is acceptable in public and what should be kept private, however you are smart enough to work those things out for yourselves." the Vampire Prince replied casually.
"We will never go beyond kissing if we're in public Sire," I promised, "even then we don't let that go too far."
"I know, you're both vampires of high standing so you understand what is expected of you. You are also aware of how to act appropriately in public places," Prince Mika confirmed, "I have nothing to worry about in relation to your conduct, if only others could be more like you it would make my job much easier." the Vampire Prince called for some more wine and then he went back to his seat, there were only three of us left sitting at the table, most of the vampires who had been sitting with us had moved seats in order to join their other friends.
"Shall we retire to our quarters now Larten? I need to sleep before our rehearsal tomorrow." I didn't want to mess up the rehearsal by being too tired to concentrate.
"I think that is a wise choice Anna." we both stood up and left the hall, many of the other vampires were still eating and drinking so we left them to it. I had to check on the wolves so that is where I went first. When I walked into the quarters where Sasha was I saw that she was in labour.
"Larten, the time has come for you to assist Sasha with her labour," I said, "I didn't think she'd give birth so soon."
"So it would seem, grab some clean towels and do exactly what I tell you to do Anna. Things will work out fine if you follow my instructions." I went to fetch the towels as he knelt down and assessed the situation.
"Here are the towels Larten." I handed them over, they were not towels as such but more like strips of cloth.
"I will hand you the pups as they are born, you must dry them off and stimulate them until they start breathing. Rub them, but not too hard and keep them warm. I will do the rest." he instructed.
"I have seen this technique done on television Larten," I answered, "I know what to do." he handed me the first wolf pup. I rubbed it and dried it off until it started squeaking, I placed the pup by Sasha's swollen nipples and helped it to feed.
"Here is the next pup Anna, do exactly what you have just done." he remarked as he handed me a second, tiny wolf pup.
"How many are there going to be Larten?" I needed to know how much extra meat to provide.
"I am not certain, maybe six or seven." his reply came as a surprise, what would I do with seven wolf pups? I started to rub the next pup until it squeaked, we worked well as a team and eventually Sasha gave birth to eight healthy pups.
"Aww, they're so sweet. Well done Sasha, you have a family now." I felt happy to know that all had gone well and that there hadn't been any complications.
"We had better get Sasha a meal," Larten suggested, "she will need to eat a lot of meat if she is going to feed eight hungry pups."
"I agree with you Larten, we should find a large stag or something that will keep them going for a little while." I ran down to the kitchens to find a carcass that Sasha could have. The kitchens had nothing to spare so that meant I'd have to go and hunt for a meal instead. I took Shadow outside to hunt and together we brought down a big stag, it had nine points on its antlers. Larten helped me carry it back up to where Sasha was and then I left my wolves alone to eat the stag that I'd provided for them.
Later on in the evening I went to check on Sasha and I could see that she was doing well, she was feeding the pups. There was no trace left of the stag either, Sasha and Shadow must have eaten the whole carcass between them bones and all. I left my wolves to rest whilst I went to where Larten had set up some temporary accommodation for us, it wasn't as nice as the quarters we'd had previously slept in but they'd do for now.
"Thank you for helping out earlier," I said, "if Sasha could speak then she'd say thank you as well."
"I told you that I would help out when the time came and I did exactly that, but what are we going to do with eight wolf pups when they have grown up?" Larten's question was a fair one, it made me think for quite a while.
"The other Clan members might want a wolf pup to keep them company, the Princes were discussing having wolves in the Hall of Princes to act as additional security. Maybe we can assist them with that." my suggestion was taken onboard by Larten, he seemed to approve of it.
"That is possible," he answered, "the wolves have to grow up first, they cannot leave their mother until they are twelve weeks old at least."
"I am aware of that, it is the same with dogs." I knew my stuff, I had spent years watching animal documentaries on the television and now it was paying off.
"Did you like my proposal?" I was taken aback by Larten's change of subject, I wasn't expecting it.
"As far as announcements and public proposals go that went well," my acknowledgment was an honest one, "you did well Larten and the engagement party was also well thought out, I enjoyed myself."
"I tried to keep it brief," he stated, "long drawn out proposals are not really my style. I prefer to keep things short and to the point."
"It was perfect, I couldn't have asked for a better public proposal, however I wasn't expecting to be bundled by half the Clan." that part of the proposal hadn't been expected by either of us. I looked down and examined my ring, I really did love how it sparkled so brightly.
"Do you like the ring? I had it designed for you. Look on the inside of it." I did as Larten had requested and I removed my new ring, the stone in it was much larger than I'd expected it to be. I looked on the inside of the ring, there was an engraving on it which said:
"United as one, always in my heart."
"Aww, that is so sweet Larten, I love it." I didn't really know what else to say, but I knew that Larten's feelings for me were genuine ones.
"I had Prince Darren write the words out for me on a piece of paper," he admitted, "as you know I cannot read or write."
"Would you like to learn?" I hoped that my offer would be accepted.
"Are you offering to teach me?" he asked. "Our roles would be reversed, you would become the teacher and I would become the student."
"If that is what you want Larten then I can certainly help you to learn." I thought about it carefully, I didn't think that it would be too difficult because Larten was very intelligent, his lack of education wasn't his fault and as his fiancée I wanted the best for him.
"Vampires have no need of such skills," he answered, "I have managed this long have I not?"
"Yes you have managed," I admitted, "but if you should change your mind then just ask me and I'll do my best to help you."
"Did you enjoy the meal that Seba organised?" he had once again done his trick of changing the subject, however I didn't mind at all.
"It was very nice, I ate until I felt like bursting and I don't normally do that. I do miss certain human food though, I'd give anything for a piece of chocolate fudge cake right about now." my answer was honest, however I wasn't sure if Larten even knew what chocolate fudge cake was.
"Chocolate fudge cake?" he queried. "What is that?"
"Well it is a cake that is covered in chocolate, filled with warm fudge icing and served with cream. It is very sweet and rich but it tastes divine." I imagined the taste of it in my mind, I hadn't eaten it in years.
"It is not something that I have ever eaten, I prefer meat and fish to anything else. I have not consumed human food in a very long time except for when we were in the hotel." Larten's answer came as no surprise, I didn't even know if he liked cake or not.
"Are we going to have a Mateship cake?" I hoped that the answer would be yes.
"A mateship cake?" he scoffed. "You will be wanting to hear wedding bells ringing next no doubt."
"You said that you want to do things traditionally," I sighed, "it doesn't matter."
"I meant that we are going to be doing things traditionally for vampires not humans, we are not getting married in the human sense of the word." his answer was cold and emotionless.
"Oh, never mind then." I was disappointed to say the least.
"Would you like to have a cake Anna?" his sudden question surprised me a little.
"If it is not too much trouble for you to organise Larten I'd like one very much." cake was after all one of my favourite things to eat.
"I will add to the list of things that still need to be done." he sighed, he really was trying his best to make me happy.
"Thank you Larten, I appreciate it." my answer was one of gratitude.
"You are welcome, sometimes I forget how much the little details mean," he admitted, "the smallest detail means the most to some individuals."
"Yes, that is true. Are we classed as engaged now or do vampires not become engaged?" now it was my turn to change the subject, I did this by asking a question that had nothing to do with the conversation we'd just been having.
"We are officially pledged to one another with intent." Larten's reply confused me a little bit.
"Pledged with intent?" I queried. "It sounds serious Larten, what does it mean?"
"It means that we are pledged to one another with the intention of becoming Blessed Mates." he explained.
"Oh, now I understand Larten, thanks for explaining it to me."
"That is alright Anna," he acknowledged, "it is my job as your mentor to teach you things that you do not know about."
"How do I refer to you Larten?" I asked. "Are you my fiancé or is there another way of describing you?"
"You can refer to me as that if you wish to Anna, however in vampire terms we will become known as pledged mates with intent." he answered. In my view being known as pledged mates with intent was quite a long title to get my head around.
"Larten, if I am chatting to somebody then I will refer to you as my pledged mate," I confirmed, before asking, "do I have to use the full title?"
"You should say that I am your pledged mate with intent Anna, but if you were to say that I am your pledged mate then the Clan will still understand what you mean." he responded calmly.
"OK Larten," I said, "I'll refer to you as my pledged mate if any of the Clan asks me about us. It is not very likely though because the majority of the Clan witnessed your public proposal."
"Yes they did witness it, I spent a while practising and working out exactly what to say because I wanted it to be perfect." he admitted.
"It was perfect," I smiled, "I didn't expect anything less from you Larten."
"It was not my first proposal," he concluded, "I have proposed to a few ladies in my lifetime, however none of these engagements ever came to anything except for my former Blessed Mateship."
"You lived through a different time Larten, back when you were my age it was customary for a couple to be married before engaging in sexual activities," I stated, "it was also customary for ladies to be pure until they married. I can understand why you proposed to these ladies because it was the right thing to do, however in the modern age things are very different."
"I am officially pledged to you with intent, as a result I will not mate with any other Clan member," he reiterated, "I would not ever betray you like that Anna."
"I appreciate that Larten, loyalty means a lot to me and so too does trust." at that moment I kissed him gently and he kissed me back.
"I know that Anna, I will never give you a reason to lose your trust in me. I will treat you in the way that a lady should be treated and I will endeavour to make you happy," he promised, "I will give you gifts that are fit for royalty, nothing is too good for you and you deserve the very best of everything."
"I do not need gifts from you Larten although I appreciate them greatly, I only need your love," I told him, "I also hope that you will continue to provide me with food, protection and shelter. I am not using you for money or high standing, I would never use you either because I am genuinely in love with you."
"I do not doubt these facts Anna," he said, "if I had any doubt then I would not have proposed to you. I do not think that you would have pledged yourself to me otherwise, it takes a lot of courage to pledge yourself to somebody."
"Seeing as we are now officially pledged to each other with intent Larten maybe we should..." I stopped speaking and yawned.
"Have sex?" he asked, "Is that what you were going to suggest?"
"Yes, however it is not really my place to make such decisions Larten. In matters such as these I do as I'm told, my body is yours to do with as you see fit." I wasn't really sure how Larten would respond to this latest statement.
"Anna you are not a slave, you have the right to say no and I would never force you to have sex against your will. I am many things, however a rapist is not one of them and I mean that." his words reassured me, I knew that he wouldn't hurt me and that I was safe with him.
"I trust you Larten," I remarked, "I know you love me too much to hurt me."
"That is true," he answered slowly, "you are safe with me and I will not let anything happen to you."
"I know that Larten." I leaned in for a kiss, after we had kissed for what seemed like an age we had sex, there was no holding back or taking it slow this time. Larten was staking his claim (excuse the pun) to me and to my body. If I hadn't been Larten's mate before then I most definitely was his pledged mate with intent without any doubt now. We stayed connected for as long as we could, it was something to do with improving the bond that we had with each other.
"How was that for you?" Larten asked when we were resting, both of us were exhausted and for vampires that is unusual.
"It was really good Larten, I can't describe to you the emotions I felt or the sensations I had, both of these things were too powerful for words," my admission came as no surprise to Larten, "if I wasn't yours before, I most certainly am yours now."
"That was one of my best performances Anna," he boasted, "I told you that I would make you cry out for more and I was not wrong to say so." Larten seemed to be pleased with himself and I didn't blame him for feeling that way either.
"I think that half of the mountain heard us Larten," then I asked, "was that your intention?"
"I think that every vampire within a five mile radius heard us whether they meant to or not Anna. We had better get some sleep, otherwise we will never be able to wake up in time for our Blessed Mateship rehearsal." I was feeling very tired. I yawned, turned around and made myself comfortable. I pulled Larten's cloak over me as if it were a blanket, our temporary quarters were cold to say the least, finally Larten gently pulled me close to him and wrapped his arms around me, pretty soon afterwards I drifted off into a deep sleep...