Trigger Warnings: Violence..

Victoria wanders the garden hedges, the sun high in the sky and soaking into white skin. Blue eyes note the armed human guard stationed in front of a concrete mausoleum as she hugs the brown backed book closer to her chest. It seems vampires aren't the only ones the Queen has serving in her army. She glances at her book and makes her way over to the grand apple tree. She'd finished reading it about half an hour ago and just found herself wandering the palace grounds trying to digest the information. She thought dating a vampire would be normal, like buying the woman flowers and chocolates, going on dates, all the things shes used too but of course, its never that simple when it comes to these people. The book detailed the connection life mates have, it says that there's a process, one that if enacted, bonds two vampires for all eternity. It details their connection wont just be emotional but physical, in short, if one dies, the other will fall so deeply into despair, they'll follow its mate into the afterlife without a second thought. It mentions a state of vitality for the two but she questions it, shes not technically a full blooded vampire so her lifespan isn't as long as the Queens. She wont doom the woman to that kind of commitment if in the end its only going to kill the Queen.

Victoria huffs, stroking her thumb across the golden scripture. She has a few questions that need answering, but for some bizarre reason she feels embarrassed to confront the Queen. She understands why the woman gave her the book and told her to take her time, the whole process of a life mate is daunting.

"What the hell have I gotten myself into." She lays down on the marble wall under the towering branches of the apple tree, delectable red fruit dangling above and sun breaching the green net of leaves spanning above..

Victoria's boots thud against marble, her pace idle down the pristine halls and the brown backed book still clutched in her hand. The sun set ten minutes ago and she was ushered back inside while the elite did their regular security sweep of the gardens. Her mind still tries to absorb the information from the Queens sudden commitment. If the Queen wants her to accept, then that means the woman has deep feelings for her that she never knew existed..Why? Why has the vampire Queen chosen her of all people? The woman says its because shes different but there has to be more.

Victoria rounds the corner deep in thought and stops abruptly, nearly crashing into a seething Emma.

"Watch where your going pure blood!"

"You know you could just call me Victoria.." The blond growls and Victoria raises her hands peacefully.."Okay okay sorry, it was just a suggestion."

Rounding the blond, Victoria refocuses on her original path when the book is suddenly ripped from her hand. She whirls, watching anxiously as Emma studies the scripture.

"Why the hell do you have this?"

"None of your business! Give it back!" She moves to snatch it away when a hand shoves her back roughly.

"Watch yourself lesser!"

"Then give it back!" Victoria moves to take it again when a fist suddenly barrels into her face sending her off balance. She grabs her aching cheekbone, gritting her teeth and eyes flickering from red to blue.

"Try to touch me again and I'll break your wrist!" Green eyes study the book, Victoria straightening herself with a deathly glare before the tome is tossed back at her and it drops to the floor.."You shouldn't read things that don't concern you. Your here to do a job, that's it, so you better not let us down or the Queen, you hear?!"

When Victoria remains silent another fist is launched at her nose and an audible crack is heard followed by a painful shriek. She cups the crimson pool streaming down pink lips, her eyes watering and spilling a lone tear down her cheek.

"I said did you hear me?!"

"Yes.." The anger inside Victoria screams to break free but she desperately pushes it back, she cant lose control, this is a vital test she has to pass.

Emma glares before whirling and storming out of sight. With a bloody hand, Victoria scoops up her book from the floor and quickly heads back to her room. Perhaps she can avoid getting the Queen involved, something else is going on with the blond, she could sense rage rolling into her and it wasn't due to their confrontation.

She notes the single elite guard standing vigilant outside her quarters and shy's her bloodied face, quickly slipping inside and closing the door. With a sigh, Victoria heads over to the vanity and throws the blood smeared book on the wood. Purple and Orange eyes watch her slump into her chair and the cautious slaves slowly move to kneel at her sides. Victoria stares at her broke nose in the mirror and frowns.

"Its gonna be hard not showing her that.."

She moves to get up and startles finding purple eyes peering up at her. Bloodied lips smile as she slides around Amelia, sitting on the edge of her bed and grabbing a handful of tissues from the bedside table. The slaves quietly shuffle across the marble and kneel in front of her again. She frowns.

"What's wrong?"

Victoria studies the timid pair as Amelia shuffles closer, brittle fingers fidgeting in the girls lap. Victoria's brow cocks questionably, the pain of her broken nose sending her a little dizzy until a gentle hand cautiously plucks a tissue from the table and shakily holds it up to her. With a weak smile, she takes it and leans back against the headboard.

"Thanks."

Blue eyes slide shut, the pulsing throb on her swelled cheekbone makes her press a cool hand to the heated skin. There's a dip on the bed and blue eyes flutter open. Amelia freezes half knelt on the bed, focus darting to the sheets and Victoria can see the need for approval.

"Its okay if you want to come up, I don't mind."

Purple eyes slide over to her and she watches the timid girl slide alongside and lay a gentle head on her thigh. A brittle hand smooths up and down her calve in a calming motion and she quickly understands. Amelia wishes to offer comfort but obviously doesn't want to step out of line. Another dip and Victoria finds Ryan mimicking Amelia's movements. Wiping bloody hands on her bloodied shirt, Victoria gently laces fingers through the couples dark hair and lays against the pillows behind. Blue eyes slide shut, the days events being locked behind another iron cast door in her mind as she relaxes into the soft sheets.

Seconds turn into minutes, time becoming absent and the pain swelling her face rejected. Gentle breaths ghost against her jean clad thighs, her hands still flexing in soft hair as she finds herself daydreaming about her old life.

"What is this?!"

Victoria's yelp echos around the room, the trio on the bed startling with Amelia slipping off the edge and crashing to the marble floor. Ryan scrambles to the other side of the sheets and quickly jumps to the floor, pressing his forehead to the ground. Wide blue eyes lock onto the furious Queen glaring at her from the bottom of the bed.

"What?"

The royal storms over, pushing Amelia away with her foot and grabs Victoria's chin.."What happened?!"

"Nothing, I just fell.." Victoria pulls away from the vice grip with a wince but startles when dark brown eyes flash a ghostly white.

"LIAR!"

Victoria jumps, shuffling away from the angry waves beating into her.

"You will tell me what happened now!"

"It doesn't matter, I'm fine."

"If you will not tell me, then I will find out for myself!"

Before Victoria can protest, the Queens firm hand clamps onto her skull and shes sucked into her memories..She wanders through the palace hallways..She almost bumps into Emma.."Watch yourself lesser!"..The vampire snatches the brown backed book..She tries to get it back but a fist connects with her cheek and another to her nose..After a fierce glare, Emma storms off and shes left to pace back to her quarters..The pressure of forced entry into her mind recedes as the hand gripping her skull retracts. Victoria pulls back, groaning at the sudden migraine until a savage hiss is heard and blue eyes dart up. Unnerved she studies the Queens white eyes and elongated fangs.

"Come!" The Queen briskly heads for the chamber doors and Victoria quickly gets to her feet.

"Your majesty wait.."

"I SAID NOW!"

Victoria jumps, the slaves shrinking further into the floor but after a pause, Victoria begrudgingly follows the furious Queen with her focus lingering on the marble floor.

She keeps up with the seething royals black train, her stomach rolling with anxiety and a hand resting over her bruising cheekbone. She thinks she should have visited the infirmary, gotten some of the Queens blood to regenerate so she could have avoided this mess, but now is way too late for hindsight. They storm into the training chamber, Emma fighting a practice dummy and the recruits sparing with one another in the large empty space.

"VON!"

The soldiers quickly snap to attention and scurry towards the exit. Emma moves to follow, green eyes lingering on Victoria's battered face but in a flash, the blonds send sailing into the metal cage, her back bouncing off steel and Victoria cringes.

"You dare dievča!"

"My Queen.."

"You dare attack one of your own with no provocation!"

Emma pulls herself onto her hands and knees, scowling at a reserved Victoria.."That thing is not my family!"

The Queen hisses viciously, quickly wrenching Emma from the ground and slamming her repeatedly into the metal bars. Blue eyes stare unsettled as Victoria takes a hesitant step towards the livid Queen.

"Whether you like it or not she is a part of this coven, my coven! Something you can easily be no part of if I so wish it! Your anger is clouding your mind and I will not have it endanger my kin!"

"Shes the one that's the danger! She never should have been brought here! Everything was fine before you decided to keep her as your pet!"

The Queen shrieks aggrieved and a vicious claw rips into the blonds chest. Emma cries out, her body roughly tossed to the marble and blood leaking from the deep wound.

"You forget yourself!"

"No its you that forgets! I gave you everything, my loyalty, my pledge, my submission but now that this..this thing is here, you forget about everyone else!"

"And you forget what I have given you sirota! I gave you life, I gave you a family! You should have been burnt in the new flame after birth! You were a disgrace to your mother but it was I that kept you and your insipid father alive! You have everything because of my actions and all I ask in return is loyalty!"

Victoria watches from afar, the tears leaking down Emma's angry cheeks, the ridged and savage looking Queen looming over the bleeding blond and she cant help her heart go out to the vampire. It sounds as if Emma was considered an outcast, an abomination at birth. Probably something to do with Snows status as council woman, and now she cant help her piqued interest into the vampires past. Maybe she could ask Snow more about it, but right now she feels the need to calm the situation before there's more bloodshed. She takes another step towards the pair, anxious at how the Queens skin grows paler and claws sharper.

"Loyalty?! I gave you everything beyond loyalty and as soon as this thing gets here you forget about us, about the war that's killing everyone just so you can flirt with your latest toy!"

The Queen screeches aggrieved and both women watch alarmed as the royals features shift, bones cracking out of place until the monarch is in her true form. Emma scurries backwards, fear shining in green eyes until Victoria is suddenly standing over her and blocking her view of the horrifying sovereign.

"Your majesty please.."

"MOVE NOW!"

Six inch fangs lean down, spider like bones from the royals spine crunching into marble around the pair as the Queen looms overhead. Snarling breath inches closer to Victoria's face and thinking quickly, she drops to one knee and lowers her head.

"My Queen please don't do this. Something else is causing Emma's distress and your the only one that can help."

"She attacked you and disrespected me! She must be punished!"

"But not this way. You said before you wanted to learn from your ancestors mistakes, well this is a start. Yes she'll be punished but she doesn't need to be beaten in order to get it. I'm sure there's some other way."

Furious white eyes glare at Victoria's crown before sliding to the reserved blond behind her. With a primal growl, a large leg is pushing Victoria out of the way and Emma screams when bone pierces both her shoulders and lifts her within inches of the Queens gauntly face.

"You dictate consistently about Vairocana forgetting her place, but it seems you are the one constantly forgetting yours! You know our laws, know what is demanded of you but you skulk around like a hatchling after attention! You wish to be coddled?! Seek your mothers breast because you will get no sympathy from me! Victoria is not the problem here, you are, and when you have accepted that you may seek me out and we will discuss your recent behavior! In the meantime I suggest you stay as far away from me and my business as is able, or you may find me changing my mind about your punishment!"

The bones sticking through Emma's shoulders rip back out with a shallow cry and the blond is dropped to the ground with a thump.

"Now get out of my sight!"

Emma scrambles to her feet, bowing weakly and dashes out of the chamber. Blue eyes linger at the absent exit, Victoria slowly picking herself up from the marble floor and she sighs weakly. The flood of tears rolling from the blonds broken eyes is despairing. Obviously something else had driven Emma's anger and shes getting that maybe the vampire is jealous..Of her maybe? Shes not sure, but shes pretty sure it has something to do with the Queens affections.

A spike made of bone crunches down from above making Victoria jump. She whirls, wide blue eyes locking onto the snarling vampire Queen looming over her and she cant help backing away on shaky legs.

"Putting yourself in harms way is foolish and weak! What were you hoping to gain?!"

The Queen matches Victoria's pace backwards, spider like legs crunching after her and she swallows harshly.."I was just trying to help.."

"That is not what you were doing by impeding my judgment!"

"I just don't believe a beating is any kind of punishment.."

"Because you had plenty of them?!"

Victoria frowns and plants her feet, allowing serrated teeth to hover over her bludgeoned face.."Because its barbaric! Its sick to beat someone when you don't like whats been said!"

"Be careful Vairocana!"

"Oh I am, but it seems I'm not the only one with a temper she cant control!" The royal hisses, speckles of spit dabbing Victoria's forehead as she glares into white eyes.

"Kneel!"

"What?!"

"Your Queen commands you kneel now! I will not have disobedience from you!"

Blue eyes flicker red and the Queen shrieks, throwing a claw at Victoria but she side steps, rolling under the royal and quickly pulls her demon forward. A moment later, a bellowing roar echos around the chamber, Victoria's lumbering frame covering at least half of the space and the Queen screeches.

"You dare challenge me?!"

"No, I just thought if your going to beat me then at least do it when I'm not so weak!"

"You will pay for your insolence!"

Victoria remains still, the anger rolling into her from the seething Queen surpasses her own greatly. She can sense the lack of control and knows the feeling well. It reminds her of her first time training, of when she'd get so angry the demon took over.

Suddenly a claw rips into her chest and she cries out as a series of slashes and tares break open the rough skin on her neck and underbelly. Her wings quickly shield her body but serrated teeth rip membrane open and she roars painfully, trying to scramble away from the lightening fast Queen. The woman's spider legs puncture her tough scales, carving their way through until finally a mound is ripped free. Blind rage fuels the sovereign as she forces one of her legs deeply into Victoria's side and a howl of agony ripples around the chamber.

Victoria stumbles, her anger peaking but she wont attack the woman, she cant find it in her so she simply collapses to the marble, curled up in a tight ball and allows the onslaught of attacks to continue.

Five minutes pass before the exhausted Queen looms over the Archdemon's groaning head. The pungent smell of blood fills the air, the Queens snarls and heavy breathing bouncing off the chamber walls as white eyes glare down at the demons bloodied skull.

Victoria wheezes, the attack on her underbelly and ribs making it hard to take in air. Shes pretty sure one of her lungs has been punctured but she continues to lay unmoving, praying the attack is over. There's a series of cracks and pops but red eyes remain sealed until a gentle hand lands on her snout. She flinches, releasing a small grunt.

"You should go to the infirmary.."

Victoria huffs weakly, her energy diminishing at the pain. Glassy brown eyes continue to stare, slender fingers smoothing across bloodied scales.

"You shouldn't have pulled your demon.."

"It was the only way..for you..to vent."

The Queen stares guiltily.."Throwing yourself in front of Emma was foolish mláďa, she is not your responsibility and she would not have done the same for you."

"I didn't do it..for her." A groan rumbles in Victoria's chest, her lungs on fire and the familiar tang of blood seeping from between serrated teeth and onto the marble floor. There's a crack as the royal watches Victoria mutate back to pale skin and torn white flesh. Deep scrapes and claw marks are gouged into her sides and stomach, a large puncture mark leaks a steady flow of blood down her naked side and she rests a shaky palm over it.

The Queen gently kneels, ghosting a hand over the girls battered face before gently sliding her palm across a bloody cheek.."I don't understand your intentions. Why did you instigate an intentional attack and claim it was for my benefit?"

"Because..I know how it feels..to have anger take over..and attack the ones..you care about.."

Victoria's mind flashes back to her old life, the times she would take her frustrations out her father for her mothers death, the guilt and burden she had to live with. The Queen feels deeply for Emma whether the woman admits it or not and she couldn't watch the royal fall into the same pattern of hate and anger she did.

"We will discuss your actions later, for now you must receive treatment." The Queen tries to pull Victoria up but with a scream, the girls gently lowered back to the floor.

"GUARD!"

Immediately two elite storm the floor and bow.

"Take her to the infirmary, have Snow tend to her wounds and make sure she replenishes."

The soldiers bow again before quickly hauling Victoria up with a painful screech and carrying her from the room..