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Elena didn't wake up until two nights after she had faced Arra on the bars. She found herself in her hammock with Arra asleep in a chair next to her. Elena winced as she tried to sit up, a pain flaring across her ribcage. She gasped at the sudden sweep of pain.
Arra woke with a start at the sound of her gasp. She smiled, and then winced herself upon seeing her daughter struggle to sit up normally. "How are you feeling?" She asked, assisting Elena in her quest to at least lean back against the wall of her chamber.
"I've been better." She grumbled back.
Arra looked at her guiltily. "I should have taken it easier on you, you are still only half-vampire."
Elena shook her head in protest, "If you take it easy on me all the time, how am I supposed to hold my own in a real fight?"
"I suppose that's a good enough point." Arra mused. She laughed, "You fight really well in any case."
"I assume that is how you justify rendering her unconscious for two nights." An amused voice said from the doorway.
Both vampiress' turned to face the speaker. "Hi dad." Elena said softly.
Larten walked over to Elena, gently placing a hand on her throbbing head causing her to wince. He smiled lightly and then his face turned serious. He avoided Elena's gaze, staring intently at Arra, "I've been summoned." He said weakly.
Elena's eyes grew wide and she stared at Larten who still refused to look at her. Arra's expression was unreadable as she rose from her chair to stand by him. Gently she placed a hand on his cheek stroking it carefully.
"I'm sure everything will work out Larten." She said although she didn't look convinced at all.
"Do we have to go too?" Elena asked.
"I believe that would be best." Larten sighed. "And please remember to be respectful." He added.
"I will." Elena promised.
"Good." He said. "Where is your brother?"
"He's probably in his room." Arra said, "I'll get him." She left the cavern leaving her ex-mate and daughter by themselves.
"Are you going to be okay?" Elena asked looking up at Mr. Crepsley with her large doe eyes.
"I will be fine," He replied. "I am more worried about you." He played with a lock of her orange hair affectionately, his long, white fingers brushing it out.
Elena put all her weight on his chest, cuddling into him. Arra entered the room again, this time leading Darren who trailed in behind her. His mother had obviously already told him what was going on as he sat next to Mr. Crepsley straight away, putting his head on his shoulder for comfort.
Arra smiled sadly, she hoped that the Princes would excuse this case just this one time. Her expression hardened once more and she cleared her throat. Everyone turned to look at her. "We should go."
Larten stood up, taking his children with him-Elena wincing as she stood, and nodded to her to lead the way. Arra led them down a series of twisting turns, they were all silent. Picturing in their heads the outcome of the trial.
Before long, they all stood in front of two heavy oaken doors, guarded by two bulky vampires. Larten smiled sadly, reminded of another vampire who guarded the very same halls.
"Arra, Larten." One of the bulky guards nodded to each of them in turn.
Arra and Larten both nodded back at him in greeting. "You can go ahead." The other guard said gruffly. "And may the luck of the vampire gods be with you Larten." He added seriously.
Larten smiled weakly in thanks, pulling Darren away with a firm hand on his shoulder before he could pelt the guard with questions.
He guided Darren ahead of him until the doors that the guards stood watch over were out of sight. He released his shoulder and strode ahead, leaving Darren to jog to keep up and Arra shooting a disapproving look at his back.
The tunnel they were being led through was the brightest tunnel they had seen so far. Nearly the entire walls running down the hall were covered in lichen, casting a ghostly green glow over all of them. Occasionally they had to shield their eyes from the light where it became blinding. The tunnel stretched on all the way to a heavy door, though of course for a vampire it would be fairly easy to open.
To Darren's surprise when he pushed against the door-even with all of his strength-it didn't budge. Mr. Crepsley held back a chuckle as Darren continually threw himself at the door in an attempt to get it to move.
He grabbed his shoulder just as he prepped himself to tackle the door again. "It will not move no matter how many times you do that." Mr. Crepsley said.
"What?" Darren gasped, "But it's only made of wood!"
"It is made so that only a Prince can open it." Larten explained.
"How?" Darren asked, "Is it magic?"
Larten chuckled, "No one knows. This hall was built long before any of the current Princes were even born."
Darren's jaw dropped, "It's that old?"
Larten nodded, "Put your hand on the wall next to the door." He suggested.
This wall was the only one that was bare.
"It moves!" Darren exclaimed!
"It was given to us by Mr. Tiny long ago, along with the actual hall of Princes." Arra said. "Along with the stone of blood."
"The stone of what?" Elena asked.
Before either of her parents could answer her the heavy door swung open. "Enter!" A deep voice called out.
Without answering Elena's question, Arra and Larten pushed their children through the door into the dome. Long benches, circling around the dome, all filled with scarred, muscular vampires, greeted them. Arra took her place amongst them. Seated next to Gavner and Vanez, the former who waved cheerfully at them. Elena figured that all the vampires on the benches must be generals.
She recognized a few on them, some she knew the names of, others were just vampires she had seen around the mountain. Some of them she hadn't seen yet. Elena felt slightly overwhelmed by the sheer number of vampires that would decide her family's fate, and she imagined that there were more who were not present.
She looked up to the center of the room where the Princes sat. From right to left sat Mika Ver Leth, a dark-haired vampire, looking as though he desperately needed a hug or at least something to stop him from frowning. He had also been Arra's mentor, Darren and Elena both hoped that maybe he'd take pity on them because of this.
Next to Mika and in the middle was Paris Skyle. Paris was an elderly vampire, the oldest in the mountain at eight hundred and something years old. He was the most respected vampire in the mountain because of all the great things he had done in his younger years.
The last prince seated was Arrow, the largest of the three, arrows tattooed down his arms and one on the top of his baldhead. He was the more muscular prince but Mika far outweighed him on the issue of who was the scariest. He had lost his wife to the vampaneze and had devoted the rest of his life to being a General and eventually, a Prince.
"Hello Larten." Paris greeted.
"Sire." Mr. Crepsley replied bowing his head to the elderly Prince.
"I must admit I did not think I would ever see you again." He replied. His eyes flicked from Larten to Darren and Elena who stood slightly behind their father.
"And this no doubt-must be your assistants. Darren and Elena."
"They will be fine vampires one night." Mr. Crepsley praised.
"I believe it." Paris said. "Gavner Purl has spoken about them, and a tale about a certain fight on the bars has been floating around." His eyes now flicked over to Arra while Elena turned a shade as vibrant as her hair.
"Still," Mika snorted, "They are but children. I knew you were always mad Larten but to blood a child is absolutely-"
"Mika!" Paris reprimanded as though breaking a fight up between two sons. "We all know Larten is a respectable vampire, I am sure he was not without reason."
"Well what was it?" Mika's question was directed at Larten. "Did you kill their parents perhaps and felt obligated to care for them?"
Larten chuckled. "That would prove to be an awkward situation sire."
Paris leaned forward interestedly, "And why, pray tell is that?"
"Because the old legend has proved to be true."
Hushed murmuring followed Larten's statement between the majority of the Generals. The three Princes looked momentarily stunned, and there was a dark look in Mika's eyes that neither Darren nor Elena could quite place.
"I presume then that you are their sire." Paris said eyes twinkling, glancing between Larten and Arra.
"That is correct." Larten agreed.
"And their mother?" Arrow asked though he too, looked between Larten and Arra already knowing the answer to his question.
Arra stood. "I'm their mother." Her confession was met with a series of catcalls and dog whistles from the rest of the clan.
"Step forward Arra." Mika commanded, his expression unreadable to the twins, but every other vampire in the hall knew the cause.
She stepped up by Larten, now facing a certain degree of judgment herself.
"Why is this the first time we've heard of this?" Mika interrogated.
Arra stood tall, looking her former mentor and Prince in the eye. "Because if I had told anyone Elena and I would face the same treatment as Evanna had received when you found out she could bear a vampires' child."
"You do not know that for sure." Mika said.
"I could make an educated guess." Arra replied. Daring Mika to challenge her further.
"Very well." Paris said before Mika could retort. "I think we can all understand why you hid them and why you blooded them so young. However-" Paris held a hand up before Larten could stutter his thanks to him.
"It is still goes against our laws to blood ones so young. Given the circumstances and your positions, neither of you will be sentenced to death. Instead I propose a test for them both."
"What kind of test?" Kurda asked, his eyes narrowing at the Princes.
"A test so that they can prove they are worthy vampires." Paris said.
"A quest?" Larten suggested.
"A quest would take too long." Arrow said.
"Perhaps the Trials?" Mika mused.
Paris sighed, knowing that the Trials would be hard for two half bloods. Not to mention what would happen to Arra and Larten if they failed. He didn't wish for two such worthy vampires to go mad. But he saw no other alternative.
"Do all of the Princes agree with the Trials?" Paris asked.
He already knew Mika's opinion so when Arrow nodded his head in confirmation he turned to the Generals. "What do the Generals think?"
Nobody said a word. Arrow swept his gaze around the room until it landed on Arra. "Arra, you usually have an opinion. What do you think of Darren and Elena taking the Trials?"
"I believe Sire, that I am too involved with this to look at it unaffected."
"If they weren't your children, and Larten had brought two half-bloods here, then what would you say?" Arrow asked.
Arra looked anywhere but at her twins. "I would say- I would say that I believe Gavner and Larten, that they will one day become worthy vampires, but I would also agree with Paris-that they also need to prove themselves."
"Would you agree to them taking the Trials?" Mika asked.
"I would agree to it. And I would have confidence that they would pull through. To deny them the right of taking the Trials would only cause them shame." Arra said.
"Darren. Elena." Paris said, "Will you take the Trials to prove yourselves to us?"
"I will." Darren said, his parents smiling proudly at him.
"I won't take them to prove to you I am worthy." Elena said her parents, and the Princes gaping at her. "But I will take them to prove to myself that I'm worthy."
Her parents proud smiles had returned, the Princes also smiling.
"Then you will both return tomorrow and pick your first Trial." Paris said.
Once this was said, everyone exited the Hall, Larten and Arra staying behind to speak to the Princes, telling Darren and Elena to go with Gavner and Kurda.
"So how hard are the trials?" Elena asked.
"Tough." Gavner said. "But you'll do fine I'm sure."
"What happens if we fail?" Darren asked.
"You'll be dropped on a pit of stakes until death." Kurda said grimly.
They walked the rest of the way in silence. Nobody bothering to try to consol the two siblings.