Lucian stood before the men and presented the plan. The room was silent. "I can't go back," one yelled. "Why would we risk ourselves like that?" another yelled. The room began to rumble as everyone argued. Lucian sighed. He did not know what to say. He had his doubts and did not want his daughter to go.
"Who came up with this?" one yelled over the mass.
"I did," the only female in the room yelled. Amelia stepped from her place on the wall in the back of the room. "And I am going to go as Craven's prisoner." The room was silent.
"How can you trust a vampire?" one of the men yelled. Lucian wanted to defend his daughter, but knew this was all her. He held his breath.
"We will give him a tainted drink of blood and garlic. The watered down garlic will slowly begin to burn him from the inside out. There is a small liquid that can be attained at the local apothocary that will quench the burn and act as the antidote to our poison. It is fast acting so he will have no choice but to quickly set our plan in motion and agree to our demands," Amelia explain eloquently. There was silence. They weren't sold and she knew it. She looked at her father who was thinking the same thing. Then her eyes met Raze. She smiled and nodded to her.
"Men, we are more than animals. We are people. We live, we breath...we love. We need to establish our rightful place in this world with this final battle. We have a chance to have peace with our enemies, would we not be fools to try to achieve this?" Amelia says looking around the room to each person as she paces to the front of the room, standing at the head of the table. "I have been to the vampires castle like many of you. I know what they do to innocence. Let us rid the world of what makes them evil...who is with me?"
There was silence. They knew what she had just suffered through. Some probably thought she was foolish, but others regretted their fear. If she could do it then why couldn't they.
And that was what Raze was thinking.
"I am going with you," Raze says and stands to match her stance at the opposite side of the table. "She saved my life once and I would follow plan and her into the place where I was first born into this conflict." Amelia felt her eyes swell with tears but knew she had to remain strong. Raze remained looking at her,"Now that we have the two that are going in. What say you to her plan?"
There was a brief silence before the word aye raised in agreence. Lucian smiled and rose to pat his daughter on the back. "Now that we have our plan," Lucian says calming the now excited group down,"we will need to work out the details." Amelia goes to move to the back of the room but Lucian grabs her hand,"However we have something else to plan." Lucian gestures for Raze to come up. Lucian stands between the two and continues,"This mission will be difficult for these two, but they have a mission to complete before the next one." Lucian grabbed Raze's hand. "Tommorrow night, we will all celebrate a love that has been growing in secret, but now they wish to include us all in their love." Lucian joins their hands in front of him, intertwining their fingers. "Tommorrow Raze and Amelia will mate and bind themselves together in love forever."
There was confusion, but cheers and clapping went up. Amelia and Raze were mildly embaraced, but knew that this would be nothing compared to tommorrow. "Tommorrow we will do nothing but celebrate this occasion before it is time to seriously return to our mission." Lucian looks at the two of them. "You two go while we here will make preparations for the ceremony, and make sure everyone knows about this."
The news spread quickly and it turned out this was just the light hearted news the men needed to give themselves a break from their intense preparation. It also brought out a side of the men, each had never seen. Some of the men insisted on decorating and went to the woods to find flowers. Some went to find instruments to play music at the celebration. Lucian watched as the castle filled with a new feeling of joy instead of dark apprehension. Raze was being quized by some of the men how it would feel being with Lucian's daughter and how had he proposed and won her heart. Lucian was glad no one thought about Amelia's night as a problem, nor was it even remembered. Lucian watched as Amelia and some of the men picked the appropriate spot in the castle. They were nearly as giddy as children that something joyful was happening. They had never celebrated anything but killing vampires.
Lucian locked himself away and began working a ceremony which he worked into the early sunlight. He wanted something humanly traditional, but twisted to fit them as a species. He wanted something unique, like him. Finally he looked at what he had written and he smiled satisfied.
The sun set and the castle was a joyous bustled. Nothing like this had happened before so they were all happily preparing the wedding ceremony. "Knock knock," Lucian says as he enters Amelia's chamber. She turns from her vanity as she brushes her hair.
"Hello!" Amelia says smiling brightly.
"Hello," Lucian says walking in,"Here." He moves over and begins brushing her hair, just as he used to when she was younger. Amelia relaxed noticably. "Nervous?" he asks.
"Aren't you?" Amelia asks laughing.
"I know you two are doing the right thing," Lucian says braiding different strands of hair abscently,"Forever is a long time to live, but with your mate, everyday will be a joy and a blessing." He then felt Amelia's hand touch his gently.
"I'm not going anywhere," Amelia says seriously.
"I know, but tonight you will become someone else's," Lucian says,"But I know you will always be Daddy's little girl." He finishes the braids by connecting them at the back of her head to pull all the hair away from her beautiful face.
Amelia turns around and smiles,"I love you." She stands and embraces her father.
"I love you too," Lucian and Amelia stand still in their embrace, remembering all the years that lead them to this. "Now what are you wearing," Lucian says back up and spinning her around. Amelia was wearing a light blue dress that she had wore the night Raze had confessed his love. She smiles, but it lessens as Lucian shakes his head. "That simply will not do," Lucian says and walks to the door. He pulls a box from the hall and places it in front of Amelia.
Her brow furrows and as she takes the lid off she gasps. Inside was a white lace dress. She pulled out the corsetted top with awe. It was covered in lace and when she pulled it out a loose silk liner laid under a layer of lace along with loose lace sleeves. Amelia bit her lip as she looked at the dress. Lucian sighed, he was knew woman, but knew she would love it.
"Father..." Amelia says,"Where did you get it!"
"A few years ago, when we first raided this castle, I explored and found this dress left by the then queen...or princess. We're not sure exactly what humans were here, but I knew I should keep it around," Lucian says remembering.
"But that was so many years ago," Amelia says remembering with a bit of difficulty their move into a real home,"I was so small then how would you know..."
"It seems like yesterday to me," Lucian says,"I just kept it incase this happened...little did I know that it would be with one of my dearest friends." Lucian smiles happily but notices a frown creeping on her face. "What's the matter?" Lucian asks in surprise.
"I can't wear this," Amelia says handing the dress to her father.
"Why not?"
"Do you remember the first time I woke up early and waundered into a nearby town?"
Lucian nods,"I found you in the church yard. You were watching a wedding."
"As we sat there and watched from a far, you told me that the woman wore white because she had saved herself for her husband...that is signified her love for him," Amelia says as a tear runs down her cheek,"I can't wear the white...I'm not a virgin."
Lucian sighs. He moves forward and places his hand under her chin, forcing her eyes to meet his,"You are beautiful. No matter what color you wear, Raze loves you. What happened to your body does not matter, because it is your heart Raze wants. Whatever color you wear, you will be beautiful and I will still be so proud of you." Amelia smiles. "Okay?" Lucian says. Amelia nods her head.
Lucian leaves and makes sure that everything is set up. He found Raze pacing in his room.
"How are you feeling," Lucian says.
Raze sighs then smiles,"I'm nervous...I'm not a very outgoing person and my personal business has never been so public."
"I understand, but this celebration will really give then men the break they need, I mean look at this," Lucian brings Raze to the main courtyard. "The men have been going into the storage places of the castle and looking for things to cut up to decorate the court yard. Some of the men have picked flowers and some have practiced instruments to play...this is what we would be like if there was not war," Lucian says happily. Raze nods his head. One of the men yell that they are ready and Lucian looked to Raze.
Raze sighed and nodded,"I'm ready too."