Your Princess is in Another Castle
Chapter Six: Things Take a Turn for the More Complex
A/N: Decided that every third chapter will be from Victoria's pov.
Matters were getting out of hand.
And Victoria felt helpless to control them.
The biggest issue was the blood. It was always the damned blood. Isabella's blood had an unnatural hold over the vampryess and it had lead to her almost slipping up and not draining the princess of blood...but to nearly be intimate with her. And that frightened Victoria more than if she had wanted to kill the princess did.
It was inconceivable for her to desire the human in such a way. Vampryes did not and could not mate with humans. Such a pairing would kill the weaker species. Yet, Victoria's body seemed to think she was in the wrong and that she most certainly felt something warm towards the human. Something viable.
Victoria would shake her head and try to push her thoughts far from Isabella, but her body craved the human. And it was not the blood. While it was sweet and heady and drew Victoria under it's spell, she wanted something more substantial from the princess. Her flesh.
She had never felt such an infatuation like this before and it terrified her. Her cold, dead heart, beating for some lowly human. Victoria desperately wanted to ask someone about this, but who? James, her only friend and confidant, was long gone and she did not dare expose her weakness to the vampryes in this village. They would gossip about her.
Her only hope was the books in the library that James had cataloged and collected about vampryes all over the world. But those too proved to not provide answers of sound mind.
The closest thing that Victoria could find was the soulmate bond and even that was vague, for not many experienced it. What it entailed was that two vampryes would fall deeply and madly in love with each other, to the point that their souls almost became one. And they would be able to feel the other's emotions. Yet, if one died than the other would soon follow because they could not live without each other.
Victoria highly doubted this was what applied to her, but nothing else came close to describing this myriad of emotions she felt deep within herself. Still, she would keep looking for what ailed her and find a solution to it.
In the meantime, she would stay far from the princess so she would not be tempted again. That proved a harder ordeal to keep up for the princess had access to her inner most sanctum- the garden. And her scent permeated the air, taunting Victoria with it's delicious nature.
Unfavorably, the princess had a knack for getting into trouble. This time, the trouble was more grave than usual. She had gone off and almost drowned herself in the river once the ice had collapsed under her.
Had it not been for a mysterious and almost prophetic bubbling sense of panic in Victoria's chest that prompted her to a quick search of where Isabella's scent lead, the princess would have met her doom. And even now her fate was not certain, for she shivered with fever.
"This is what being stupid rewards you," Victoria hissed none too kindly as she felt up the princess's steaming forehead. She was curled up under her covers, her hair a matted mess as she coughed weakly. She did not even have a snappy response to Victoria as she normally did. It worried Victoria. She knew how deadly fevers were to humans because of how weak and frail they were. She would need to seek out for a doctor to help her.
"I hope this has taught you a lesson about foolishness," she added before she left the room and went to seek out one of the vamprye staff working here. They kept out of the way of the princess on James's instructions. He did not want to expose Isabella to too many vampryes so as not to hurt her mental state. But Victoria knew there was few that could truly keep the insufferable and stubborn human down. With the exception of this fever that Victoria needed cured or else their one advantage in the war would be destroyed.
"Clarence, go fetch the human doctor down in the village and tell him to make haste when bringing all his best supplies. Princess Isabella has been wrought by fever and she needs medical attention." She handed him a stack of gold coins into his tiny child hands.
"Will do mistress Victoria. I shall send him up as soon as I have word with him." And then using his vamprye speed, rushed off. The rest of the children that cleaned the castle, stood in a circle looking worriedly. Despite not knowing the princess or talking to her, they found her delightful and soothing to have around for they had never been so close to a human before. Thus, they were worried for her.
"Will she be alright?" asked one boy who had grime on his tiny face from cleaning out the fireplaces.
"Does she need something warm to eat? Or something cool to drink?" asked a girl with big frightened eyes.
"Do not concern yourself with her, children. I will take care of her and make sure she recovers." And Victoria swiveled on her heel to check up on the human once more. She found the human still shivering away pitifully under her sweaty blankets.
"How are you faring?" Victoria asked in a soft voice, feeling something like fear claw at her chest. Fear, she reasoned that was only because she did not want to lose an important asset to James and not because she cared for this human at all.
"Terribly," Isabella admitted.
"I have sent for a doctor. He shall be up shortly to help you."
The princess nodded her head and coughed. "Can-can you tell me a story? To keep my mind off my illness?"
"What are you? A child that you require tales of fantasy?" Victoria sneered lightly.
"Tis boring to lay here all day wracked with fever."
"And whose fault is that? Yours," Victoria said but obliged and sat on the edge of Isabella's bed. What story could she even tell the princess? She knew none, only those of her life.
Maybe she could tell the princess a story of vampryes, of the struggles they went through. She would make sure to change some names around so it wouldn't be obvious.
"A long time ago, there was a young girl. A girl born into poverty. Tis was nothing new, for many are born with poverty lining their bones and few are born to riches. And just like most poor children, her life was wrought with troubles. Never having enough to eat, never being warm enough, never being rested and well cared for. Still, this girl had dreams of becoming rich. Of living in comfort where the roof did not leak, where the wind did not howl through the cracked windows and where disease and dirt did not wait around every corner.
"But to change her station of life was not an easy feat. Once she became old enough, she used her pretty assets to trade money for pleasures of the bed," Victoria stopped here, glancing at Isabella superstitiously from the corner of her eye to make sure there was no judgment upon her face. There was none, shockingly.
"And what happened next?" the princess prompted.
"She made more money this way, but she also contracted some illness that was slowly killing her. She didn't want to die, not before she saw her dream come true. She begged to God above to spare her, to let her live a little more. And he did, but in a twisted manner. One night, as she lay wracked with pain, a beast visited her at night." Here Victoria's voice became flatter, in a manner she could not remedy.
"He saw her in pain and decided to help her. He had been one of her prior customers and had fallen in love with her looks and he couldn't bare to have her die. So he gave her the gift of immortality. It was not a gift without barbs.
"She no longer was dying for she was dead. The man informed her that she was gifted with senses as sharp as an animals but that she would need to sustain herself on blood to survive. Yet, so crazed she was by this transformation that she ended up killing her own savior. And then her family afterward, draining them of their own blood.
"For many years she was not aware of her own crimes because her mind needed time to clear. And she needed guidance but no one could offer her any, so when she regained her sensibilities she was horrified by what she had done.
"She tried to take her own life but knew not how. So, left bitter and angry at the world and herself, she traveled, seeking who knows what. Along the way she met many vampyres, some whose loss of life prompted her into rage and vengeance," Victoria stopped here to draw a breath.
"And did you find what it was you were looking for?" Isabella asked.
Victoria frowned. "Who mentioned this was about me?"
The princess saw right through it. "You think you must be clever, but I know this story was about you and your past."
It was on the tip of Victoria's tongue to deny it but the princess beat her to it, covering the back of Victoria's hand with her feverish one. "I do not mind hearing about your past. I enjoy learning more about you."
Victoria shook her head, flabbergasted. Why would the princess care for her? "You are delusional with fever. If you heard this story when of sound mind, it would not tug against your heart strings for I know you despise me for keeping you here."
The princess softly shook her head. "Not true. Yes, I despise my current situation but I do not...dislike you as ardently as before."
"Why?" was all Victoria could get out as her heart tugged hopefully. Hopefully for what? She did not know, except that her feelings were becoming even more foolish and were slowly overwhelming her. She needed to put a stop to this, needed to distance herself from the human but all her other previous methods had not panned out viably and had only lead to a lack of supervision on Isabella that had almost lead to her drowning.
"You have grown on me. And I do understand your species plight. I just wish I did not have to be caught in the middle of it. I just want to live my happy life with my husband."
"With your husband who is a killer?" Victoria could not help the bitterness seeping into her voice. How could the princess still wish to see him, could still carry love for him if he was leaving her to rot in this castle? Human bonds astounded and confused Victoria.
The princess did not say anything here for once and shifted her eyes away in shame. Victoria felt bad for making the princess feel terribly but she would not apologize for it. The sooner the princess came to terms about her husband's legacy, the better it would for her to leave him.
He did not deserve her. She should be married to someone kinder. Someone who would drop everything to come to her rescue. Yet, he was not doing that, so clearly he did not care for her the way he should.
A timid knock came at the door which meant it must be the doctor. Victoria rose and let him enter. He was a man of small and rotund stature. "Tell me, what occurred? How long has she been ill for?" he asked as he entered the room.
Victoria filled him on the details before she left the room to give him some privacy, standing outside to make sure no foul play was committed, that the princess would not get the foolish idea to beg the doctor to take her out of the castle.
Half an hour later he came out, bringing with him the smell of freshly spilled blood. He must have bled her to try and get the illness out. "Keep her hydrated and warm and if her fever gets worse call me once more."
"Will do," Victoria nodded her head stiffly and swallowed thickly. The princess's blood was calling to her again and she had to shake her head to clear it. She let the doctor out of the castle and once he had departed, she made sure to go on a run in the woods behind her castle. She had to free her nose of the princess's blood smell but no matter how far she ran or how much cold air she inhaled, the scent lingered in her nose and only roused warm feelings in her lower abdomen.
This would not do. Instead of her feelings towards the princess fading they were getting stronger and Victoria began to feel helpless on the matter. She wanted to cave and ask someone on what to do with this but she didn't, because she didn't know who to trust with this information. She couldn't tell James because she didn't want to interfere with their plans.
So, she grit her fangs and decided to bear it as best she could.
Thankfully, the princess's fever broke after three days time and she was able to get out of the bed and eat more solid foods. Her limbs were shaky and her pallor pale and for some reason Victoria strangely felt like coddling her. It was an insane reasoning- not reasoning at all, in actuality, but pure madness.
She had been cooped up too long with the princess and it was beginning to affect her, to make her act favorably towards her out of loneliness and lack of anything else to pursue. But whereas the princess could not leave, Victoria could and so instructing the children on the staff to keep a hidden eye and ear on the princess at all times to guard against her escaping or lapsing into illness once more, Victoria went on a trek to some mountains not too far from the castle.
Solitude would do her good. It would cleanse her mind and her soul.
Because the cold did not bother her, she was able to traverse the snowy peaks with only her trousers and billowy shirt on. She relished in the harsh winds, strong enough to knock a mortal off of their feet. Relished in the cool streams she waded through, in the sharp scent of cold, and in the hunt as she took to seeking out small prey to suck the life force from. She meditated a lot, trying to make her mind blank, to dispose of the ache in her chest.
But she found that the week away from the castle did nothing to her except exacerbate the longing she felt for Isabella. She missed her. Her scent, her smile, her annoying and stubborn behavior. And so when the week was up, she traveled back to the castle, dragging her feet and upset at her failures to achieve peace from this princess born madness. It seemed in an ironic twist of fate, when the princess had been kidnapped, Victoria had been kidnapped as well.
"Mistress Victoria, you are back!" exclaimed the vamprye child with a gap tooth. "How fared your travels?"
"Any news on the princess," she plowed right through the substance that weighed most heavily on her mind.
"She is well, but a bit subdued, almost sad. She will be delighted to know you are back."
How striking. "Did she make an attempt of egress?"
"She did not."
That was even more striking. Why had the princess not taken the chance to escape when she could? It perplexed and boggled Victoria's mind.
Following the scent trail, it lead to Victoria's garden. The human had annoyingly inserted her unwelcome presence into Victoria's sanctum and there was nothing the vampryess could do about it now except weather the human's pestering whims.
The princess did not seem to notice that the vampryess had arrived, humming softly to herself as she watered the flowers. Victoria stood silently, watching the gentle curve of Isabella's neck, of the long strands of hair as they fell, and those shapely and pristine nails clutching the pot of water.
She felt herself mesmerized by the sight of her at the same time she was mellowed by it. She was so deeply entranced by the princess's visage, drinking it in like she was starved for blood, her very soul aching for it, that she did not notice her turn around until a loud startled gasp left the princess's pink lips and the pot slipped from her hand.
Snapping to quickly, Victoria used her speed to catch the pot an inch off of the ground where it would have shattered. She stood up, the object in her hand and with this new height, she was nearly level with the princess's face.
"You startled me," Isabella said, hand over her racing heart.
"I did not mean to do so." She handed the pot over to Isabella, some of the water having spilled in it's sojourn down. The princess took the pot and their fingers brushed on it, making Victoria intake a sharp breath as if she had been stung by the kiss of silver. They stood standing there until Victoria had the presence of mind to break the heated eye lock. "You are taking care of my garden."
"Yes," Isabella nodded her head and turned back to watering the plants. "You were gone for long and it would not be becoming to let such beauty rot."
This would have been the perfect opportunity to ask why she had not escaped but the questions could not pass Victoria's stiff lips.
Instead, she silently watched as the brunette finished watering. "Surely I am not as capable as you are, but I tried my best."
"You've done suitable work. Thank you for taking care of my garden. It is special to me." She brushed a thumb over a fuzzy leaf.
"Can I ask why?"
The question wasn't shy. It was a demand. Victoria spared the princess an odd look. "I said previously I wouldn't mind learning more about you."
"And why would you care? I am after all the monster who is holding you against your will."
The princess shrugged; an unladylike thing to do. "I expressed that I am merely curious. And since we have nothing more pressing to attend to, why not get to know each other better. Surely there is no harm in that."
Victoria shook her head. "Perhaps I will impart that information to you another time."
A quick flash of disappointment crossed the brunette's features. It made Victoria's heart twinge for some strange reason. She busied herself with rooting around in the dirt, pulling out some weeds the princess had missed. Silence prevailed. Still, Victoria could feel the princess burning up with questions.
"What do I smell like?"
Victoria was not expecting this question. She paused in her rooting to give Isabella a wide eyed look. "Pardon?"
"You are highly attracted to my blood; you admitted as much. So, in conclusion, what do I smell like that it draws you to me so desperately."
"Why all these inquiry's?"
"I mentioned I wanted to get to know you better and do you not think I should be entitled to knowing what I smell like as I could be in danger to you eating me?"
Victoria sighed. She did owe the princess that much. She may be a beast but she wasn't without manners. "You should not worry. I will not eat you," Victoria said softly, because it wasn't a hunger for blood her body craved but another matter entirely.
"Still, I wish to know," she pressed.
Victoria sighed heavily and plucked a rose from its stem. It was a deep red color, almost like the color of the life source that sustained Victoria. She inhaled the scent but even though it was this close to her nose, Isabella's scent was still more overpowering, crowding her nose almost painfully. She had missed it, even as it irritated her that she liked it so much. It's appeal to her had only strengthened with time.
"Your scent is powerful and more intriguing and beguiling than a garden of flowers. And it is sweeter than even the sweetest of roses," she admitted and getting up, handed the rose to Isabella whose cheeks flushed at the gesture, at the open honesty from Victoria. Victoria was laying herself bare with this admission but she found perhaps she didn't mind it as much as she thought she would.
The princess wordlessly took the flower and cradled it carefully in her hand, alternating her glance from between the flower to Victoria's face and they stood in that manner for a while, soft glances and warm tentative smiles.
Another two weeks passed in this manner. Something had changed between them. It almost seemed like the princess had contented herself on being here (though the princess had played at this before only to lull Victoria into false security before escaping and time would declare if this would be yet another of those situations) and there started an easy exchange of information between them on small things, almost irrelevant things. Such as what their favored color was, what was the funniest thing that had ever occurred to them, what were their pet peeves.
It was something pleasant and Victoria found herself looking forward to these exchanges each day. What she did not like was the unwelcome addition to her territory.
Victoria knew the damned wolves were circulating the castle. She had no clue why they were doing this when the rules of the pact clearly delineated that vampryes and wolves kept to their own lands in order to avoid conflict. She needed to have a strong word with them, especially with one wolf in particular who seemed to sit by the princess's window and stare at her from there. It infuriated her to no extent. What was the mutt planning?
She moved from the space of the window and zoomed over to him. He rose to his paws, sharp eyes on her, nose wrinkled up in disgust. In a blink of an eye he had transformed into his human state, hands in front of his crotch to show some decency to a lady and skin steaming hot in the cold air.
"You are holding a human hostage against her will." He did not start with pleasantries simply got to the main point.
"And that is none of your concern, wolf. This is vamprye business so stay out of it," she bared her teeth at him. "And stay off our property. If I catch you here, I might not send you away so nicely next time."
He gave her a dark look but knew enough to leave her be. He turned back into his wolf and trotted off. Given the stubborn look on his face she knew that he would not give up this easily. If things got bad she would speak to his pack leader. For now she hoped that he would stay away long enough.
But she should have never hoped, never trusted that mangy wolf because one day she came up to Isabella's room and smelt wolf everywhere. There was no sign of the princess.
"Sarde!" Victoria cursed. She should have foreseen this happening. The wolves had taken Isabella and it was time to get her back. In her anger she punched the wall, loosening several bricks. It took the edge off but only a little.
Squaring her shoulders, Victoria rushed to ready plans for a possible invasion of the wolf camp. And knowing she would need all the help she could get, she set about recruiting the vampryes of her town to her aid.
She wouldn't let the wolves thwart James' plans and she most certainly wouldn't let the princess get away that easily. They had been through too much for her to suddenly depart like this.
It was not the fact that the wolves had taken her that so thoroughly vexed Victoria but the fact that the princess had left after such a long period of her not attempting anything. After a period of calm in which Victoria foolishly had believed they were getting along. But it had all been a ploy.
It almost felt like betrayal and Victoria suffered that feeling down because there was no reason her frozen heart should be aching like this, like a stake had gone through it.
Steeling her nerves, she left the castle in search of Isabella, nose picking up on her floral scent right away. She only hoped she wasn't too late. There was no telling what the wolves could do to the princess. They were beasts of an even worse nature than vampryes. Despite all their efforts to be more human, they could not hide their true disposition for long.
A/N: Next chapter is practically done already so it should be uploaded fairly quickly. It's the longest one to date as well and sees Victoria's and Bella's relationship progress more. Right now, I would call them tentative friends.