"Now presenting Queen Laura and King Charles Karnstein of Silas!"
Carmilla and Laura walked into the ballroom with their arms looped together. Laura had her hand rested on her Kings forearm as her other hand waved to her people. She couldn't help but notice Carmilla's stiffness though, so she leaned over and kissed her cheek to loosen her up. The not-so-King-but-more-like-second-Queen looked down at her wife and smiled, the kiss effectively loosening her up.
They were led to two plush red chairs that sat at the top of the stairs, over looking the ballroom. Carmilla couldn't help but think to herself that a lot of the celebrations they held were fundamentally the same as far as atmosphere went. The only thing that really changed was the occasion and the second chair placed next to Laura's. Laura sat first, getting herself comfortable but when she noticed Carmilla hesitating to sit she pulled her down into the chair next to hers.
She leaned over to Carmilla and whispered in her ear, "What's wrong?" The vampire furrowed her brow in thought then leaned over to Laura and responded with, "I'm not used to being treated like royalty." Laura giggled at that, "Well you are royalty now. Loosen up a bit! Here let's get you some wine." She looked to her side where Kirsch had taken up his post next to her. "Kirsch would you be so kind and fetch my husband here a glass of wine." She said with a sweet smile. "Of course m'lady." He said before he scurried off to get the glass of wine.
Beside her Laura heard a small growl. She looked over at Carmilla to see her elbow on the armrest of her chair, propping her head up. "Did you just growl?" Laura asked in disbelief. Carmilla made a mhm noise in the back of her throat then glanced in the Queen's direction. "Only I'm allowed to call you that."
"What, m'lday?"
"Yes."
"Don't be childish Charles." Laura said in a warning tone. Suddenly Carmilla had a smile on her face. "That's the most motherly thing you have ever said." She thought out loud, while looking at Laura and giving her a smile. Subtlety Laura placed her hand over her stomach, a grin making its way onto her face as well.
Kirsch handed Carmilla her wine and the new King took it gratefully and downed it in one gulp. "I'd like to dance with my wife now." She said as she rose from her chair and grabbed Laura's hand. The royal announcer made the crowed aware that the King and Queen were making their way towards the dance floor, and just like the time before people parted like the Red Sea for them. Carmilla placed her hand on Laura's waist and grabbed her other hand, then waited for Laura to assume position.
Once she had, Carmilla started their first dance as a married couple. Laura looked up at her with adoring eyes and Carmilla smiled down at her, happy to finally be able to hold Laura in her arms and not be ashamed of it. Much like last time when they had danced Carmilla turned her hearing into the crowd.
"What a fine couple they make!"
"Agreed! Think of the fine babies they will make."
"Oh yes, that Charles is a handsome devil."
Carmilla couldn't help the smirk that crept onto her features. "What?" Laura asked with an inquisitive look. "You better hold onto me Mrs. Karnstein, there are some fine older women that think I am, and I quote - a handsome devil." Laura's face scrunched up and she looked over Carmilla's shoulder to see two elderly women speaking in hushed tones while giggling and gawking at the dancing couple. "Well you're mine." She said with finality. Carmilla threw her head back and barked out a laugh. "That I am cupcake, that I am." Laura leaned her head onto Carmilla's shoulder and they swayed together for what seemed like hours, but was only a few minutes.
Suddenly the door burst open and in came a puff of smoke. Immediately Carmilla had her sword drawn and Laura behind her back, holding her there. Heavy footsteps could be heard, with the distinct sound of armor clanking, entering the ballroom. Gasps filled the room as a hooded figure walked in, laughing menacingly. "Well, well, well. What do we have here?"
"Who are you?" Carmilla demanded in a deep authoritative tone. "Aw, I'm hurt that you don't recognize me Sugar Puss." Carmilla furrowed her brow. "We've met?" She says to the mysterious figure. A light hmph came from the stranger's lips, then he snapped his fingers and everyone that was in the room vanished. Laura shrieked at the disappearances. The only people left in the room was Laura, Carmilla and Kirsch.
"Kirsch, get Laura out of here!" Carmilla shouted at the knight, who was immediately in motion to grab Laura. "nuh, uh, uh." The hooded stranger said and with a flick of his wrist Kirsch went flying across the room. "Son of a-" Carmilla was cut off when she too was flown across the room, her sword landing with a clink about 15 paces away from her. The man began walking towards Laura, who had backed herself up against the stone wall, next to a window. Carmilla went to get up but noticed that she was unable to move anything but her head and neck. She looked over at Kirsch, as best she could, and saw that he too was struggling.
The stranger was a few paces away from Laura when Carmilla yelled, "You stay the hell away from her!" The man laughed, "And why would I do that Carmilla?" He said her name with confidence. Carmilla was at first taken back by the fact that this man knew her name. No one knew her real name but her mother, Laura and LaFontaine. "Who's Carmilla?" Came Kirsh's voice. "Silence boy." The man commanded and Kirsch found that he could no longer speak.
"Don't you touch a hair on her head, if you do I swear to the gods I will kill." The man laughed and stopped in front of Laura, who was shivering and staring at him with wide eyes. "What do you want?" She asked in a shaky tone. "I want you dead." He spoke matter-of-factly.
Carmilla thrashed as hard as she could against her invisible restraints. "Get away from her!" She snarled out.
She could feel it, deep beneath her skin. Her cat was clawing it's way to the surface, begging to be let free to protect it's mate. "You know Carmilla, she's not really yours." He said in a casual tone as he placed a finger under Laura's quivering chin. "She's not an object to be had, but she is my wife and I will kill you if you do not remove your hand from her face." Carmilla said in a calm, even voice. Her cat was just beneath the surface and ready to pounce. She was always her calmest just before her cat took over. It was an odd power-trip that she got, the sensation completely mellowing her out.
The man grabbed Laura's chin and pulled her face just inches from his. Laura couldn't make out the man's face, his hood covered most of it, with the exception of his mouth and chin. By the way that Laura was staying relatively quiet and motionless Carmilla could tell she was being held against the wall by the same force of magic that was keeping her on the ground.
"Let." Carmilla huffed, her eyes turning black. "Her." The cracking of bones could be heard. "GO!" She roared and suddenly her clothes ripped to shreds and where once a motionless Carmilla had been, a very large and very angry black cat stood snarling.
The stranger looked over at her under his hood and took a step back from Laura, drawing his sword. "You weren't supposed to be able to move!" He declared. Carmilla stalked forward, her shoulder blades coming up with every step she took towards him. He pointed his sword at her and kept it in front of his person as she backed him up a good 10 paces from Laura. "Now Carmilla, we can talk about this! I was sent by your mother! She made me do it!" That stopped the cat in it's tracks. Something about that statement sounded familiar. Then it hit her.
William, she thought to herself, but how? She snarled and leapt at him, taking him by surprise, and clamping her huge jaw around his throat. She held him there, listening to him as he screamed under the light pressure of her long fangs. "Carmilla!" Came Laura's voice. Carmilla turned her head, dragging William's body with it, to look at Laura. She was on the floor kneeling and clutching at her stomach. A flutter of panic rose into the cat's belly and in an instant Carmilla dropped William and was at Laura's side, using her nose to push the Queen's hands away from her stomach. Laura obliged and instead rested her hands on top of the cats enormous head. Carmilla lowered her head and rested an ear against Laura's stomach to listen for a heartbeat.
What she heard was strange. There was definitely a heartbeat, a very strong one at that, but also something else. Something that sounded like.. snarling? Carmilla thought to herself. She picked up her head and looked into Laura's eyes, seeing both pain and fear. Just then Kirsch was up and over to them in an instant, "I got her." He said as he lifted Laura up. Carmilla didn't have time to think about whether or not she trusted Kirsch with her pregnant wife, because he was off and out of the room in an instant. That left one more thing to take care of, William. She turned towards him but saw him standing, seemingly fine. "One thing you should know is that I am just like you now Carmilla. I am a vampire, and while I may not have unlocked my other form, I am still just as dangerous as you. You see, I have be given the advantage of having magic and once I unlock my other form, I will be stronger than you. Once that happens, I will kill you, but before I do I will rip your precious Laura to shreds right in front of you. You won't be able to help her because I have a trick up my sleeve." He paused from his long winded speech for dramatic effect. "I don't have a heart, thanks to you."
The panther barred her teeth, showing that she was not afraid of his threats. Again she lunged at him but this time he brought his sword up just in time to slice a good portion of her fur on her right shoulder blade off, taking a chunk of skin with it. "Don't test me kitty, it won't end well for you. I noticed a little something with Laura though. Two heartbeats was it?" Carmilla disregarded the excruciating pain she was in, in favor of lunging at him and catching his leg in between her jaws. She bit down as hard as she could then flung her neck to the side, causing William to fall to the ground with a heavy thud. While he was immobilized she towered above him, snarling in his face.
While you may have advantages, you are still a young foolish boy.
She thought to herself almost willing him to hear her. "Foolish?" He practically yelled up at her. "I am anything but that!" She was stunned for a moment. He heard me? She again thought to herself, but not as aggressively as before. He didn't react to that so she decided to try something else.
You are foolish if you believe that coming to the same place you were put to death at was a good idea. Ghosts haunt the living, not the other way around. Tell Mother to send a challenge next time.
She leaned down in his face and snapped her jaw just above his nose for good measure. He stifled a scream and brought his legs up, effectively kicking Carmilla off of him and sending her just a few feet back. Her cat form was too much for his magic to control and he was very weak compared to her, he quickly realized. Carmilla landed on her feet and barred her teeth at him again.
Leave now.
"Mother, as you call her, sent me here to kill Laura. To take away your happiness, on what was supposed to be your happiest day. Though I think she would just love to know that she's to be a grandmother." He said with a smirk.
You leave my family alone!
She snarled at him, foam forming in her mouth. "You know, I have yet to kill a single person. Laura was going to be my first. She's been my first in so many ways, and I hers." He said with a sickening smirk, trying to provoke the cat. Carmilla opened her jaw and as it grew wider a louder and louder roar came out.
Deep within the castle Laura heard the mighty roar and knew it was Carmilla. There was a part of her that worried for Carmilla, the man down there clearly possessed magical powers. The other part of her was in terrible agony. She lay on top of her maroon bed sheets clutching at her stomach and praying that what happened the last time she was pregnant and under stress didn't happen again. Maybe I am not fit to carry a child, she thought to herself. Instantly the pain subsided and she took in a large gulp of air. Kirsch, who had been beside her the entire time and holding her hand, looked up from the spot on the floor he had been staring at for a while. "Queen Laura? Are you alright?" He asked timidly. Laura nodded her head and took a few more deep breaths. "It's gone, the pain is gone." She said weakly. "Please, go help Carmilla." Was what she said before she passed out, probably from the exhaustion that the pain had given her.
Kirsch was very confused by this whole 'Carmilla' thing, but it was safe to assume that Carmilla was 'Charles'. That confused him very much but nonetheless he got up from his seat, covered the Queen and ran out of the room. He made his way towards the ballroom and once he stepped in he stood in shock at what he saw. A huge black cat and a man were in a battle to the death it seemed. The swordsmen was landing blow after blow to the animal, while the cat was tearing into him with it's claws. The man's chestplate had a huge claw mark running diagonally from the left shoulder to his right side. When the swordsmen caught the cat in the neck with his sword, looking as though he was going to nearly take it off, Kirsch stepped in.
"Hey!" He yelled. The cat paid him no mind but the stranger lost focus and looked up to him, giving the cat an advantage. The feline knocked him in the head with it's heavy paw and the man was sent flying across the room and crashing through the window.
Upon hitting the dirt William had had enough of all this. He snapped his fingers and was back in the small cottage, facing the witch who was brewing something up in her caldron. "Well? Why don't you have Laura Hollis's head?" She spoke to him in an annoyed tone. "Because I have something better." He said. The witch turned around and took notice to his clawed-up appearance. "I see you had a run in with Carmilla." She smirked. William huffed then began to strip off his torn armor and clothes. "Laura is pregnant." He stated in a bored tone. The witch instantly perked up, "Pregnant?" She all but shouted. "Yes, apparently Carmilla's seed is strong."
An evil smile appeared on the witch's face. "Well my handsome son, this changes everything."
"Yeah?"
"Yes. I think it's time I pay my daughter a visit."
A/n: So I hope you guys were understanding what has happening here!
A/n2: So. I wrote this piece way back at the beginning of October. I had every intention to keep every promise I made to you guys. Then I met a very, very special girl. She changed my whole life and took a very broken person and made them almost whole again. I have found time to write this message here for you guys though. I will be finishing this story, without a doubt. That's a promise I can keep. When will it be done? I cannot tell you. I've had this chapter wrote since October. I have most of the next chapter wrote as well, so I will be posting the next one probably Wednesday. Thank you so much to the readers who have stuck around. This story will come to an epic close and I'm excited to share it will y'all.