A/N: Disclaimer in Chapter 1.

Someone asked me if I could turn it into a saga like my original set of stories…

I'd like your opinion…

Should I turn this into a saga?

Chapter 6: Coronation

The press-stud just wouldn't close, no matter how hard he pressed on it; it didn't seem to want to fit. It had been changed to an argentalium one since he'd bent and snapped plain metal ones far too often. Of course it didn't help that he couldn't get his fingers into the tight collar to deal with it that way either.

Vlad pressed his fingers to the stud and using force to try and clasp it together. He let out a sharp growl as it slid out of place.

Erin reached up and fastened Vlad's collar, seeing the way her husband was rapidly growing irritated with it. These were his official regal leathers. Across the back of the leather jacket was the crest of the Grand High Vampire, which was hidden by his cloak, on the front were small representations of the crown. He hated this set.

Vlad kissed her gently as thanks.

"If I see another feast I will maim something." Erin warned him under her breath.

Vlad shook his head, "This is only the second." He was only counting the last few days, he refused to acknowledge his birthday and his coronation.

Jonno pointed something out as he straightened his tie, he was intending to look his best for this. This was meaningful for his kind, a former slayer was about to become Queen of the vampire nation. "The third if you count the private one."

Erin flashed Vlad a triumphant smile, and he shot daggers at Jonno. Jonno just smiled at him. "Whose side are you on?" Vlad asked him.

Jonno shrugged, smiling at the young vampire.

"I'm going to water the blood down." He told her. Erin needed to drink some ceremonial breather blood. He knew she was against it so he'd planned to water it down so she wouldn't have to deal with the far more intense cravings drinking breather blood created. He'd been forced to deal with them at his own coronation, he didn't want her going through that.

"Okay." Erin whispered, reaching out and squeezing his hand.

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Vlad carefully and silently poured the blood into another bottle, taking care not to spill any. Then he reached down beside him and picked up a small jug of water, he watered the blood down before shaking it to get the two liquid to mix. Once he was happy with the way they'd combined he grabbed the bottle and disintegrated the evidence.

He closed the door to the blood cellar, locking it securely with a click of his fingers. He didn't have a wooden door like other vampires he had a metal safe door. Although this one didn't have any forms of locking it externally. Only he and Erin could open the door.

He'd just turned away from the door after checking it was definitely locked when something caught his eye. Not now, was his only thought.

"Vlad," Ingrid made a beeline for her brother.

Vlad sidestepped out of her way, slipping into another room. He shot her a scathing look that nearly made her gasp in pain.

"Vlad!" She called again, chasing after him. Vlad didn't acknowledge her at all. "Just listen to me!" She shouted at him. Vlad slowly turned around but it didn't mean he was willing to negotiate with her. "I'm not mum."

"You manipulated me using how I felt. Mum did that two weeks before. Didn't you actually think about that? Mum did it to get my power you did it for fun. It makes you worse than her." Thunder crackled and rumbled illuminating the entire corridor.

Ingrid shook her head, "That's not fair…"

Erin and Bertrand sped into the room, each speeding towards their respective partners. Erin automatically looked down at Vlad's clenched fist, watching as it slowly opened. She knew what was coming. She grasped his chin firmly and pulled it towards her to look him in the eyes.

"Ingrid leave him alone!" Bertrand shouted angrily at his partner. Ingrid turned, Bertrand rarely lost his temper. Her eyes glistened slightly as she nodded obeying him.

"Calm down." Erin told him firmly, she watched as his brow relaxed but nothing else.

Erin looked between them before grabbing Vlad's arm and physically yanking him from the room before he got worked up.

Ingrid turned to Bertrand, "You tried to get rid of her, once you realised he'd fallen for her and blamed it on me." She protested.

Bertrand immediately had the answer to that, "I didn't toy with his feelings though. I wanted to make him believe she'd left so he wouldn't question her never returning. I never did it for enjoyment, I did it to get him to focus on his destiny." Thinking back he should have known Vlad would be too stubborn to believe him. "Vlad saw through it, he knew it was me three years ago and it was dealt with."

"I didn't think, I just was so… angry at him. He was always the one Dad was proud of, the one who could fall in love, the one who got everything…"

"Is that really how you saw your brother Ingrid?" Bertrand asked her. He'd come in from the outside. He'd seen everything as it truly was. "Vlad never had anything he wanted. He was stubborn but only because he'd been forced to become that way." Bertrand had lost his temper trying to get the stubborn vampire to open the book more than once. "Vlad had to embrace his destiny, he never had a choice. Vlad was desperate for someone to trust that's why your mother managed to manipulate him, why he was so hurt when he found out Erin had betrayed him. Believe me the Count wasn't proud of him, he was disappointed that Vlad wouldn't step up to his expectations."

Ingrid was surprised to hear this speech coming from Bertrand; it was the kind of speech she'd expect from Erin. "He never let it show…"

Bertrand shook his head, it was obvious to see on Vlad. Vlad was different he knew that from the moment he met him. Vlad wanted to ignore everything vampiric about him. "Vlad was always more sensitive than you, he knew when something was wrong or how people felt. He never said anything though. You learned to cope being on your own, you built walls and tried to be the vampire you always wanted to be." Bertrand knew all about her walls it had taken him years to rip them down. "Vlad just locked himself away, he didn't even want to acknowledge that he was a vampire. Erin was the first person he truly cared for, she made him see that being a vampire didn't make him a monster. She was a breather and she didn't care what he was, she loved him anyway. So I think Vlad has a right to be upset."

"But…"

"Go get ready for the coronation."

Ingrid nodded; Bertrand didn't order her about but now he knew it was necessary. She didn't want him any angrier either.

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Vlad placed the bottle of blood on the table, ready to be used. Away from Ingrid he'd calmed down – not completely – but enough that she could talk to him.

"She's trying to apologise." Erin told him quietly, she knew his sister felt awful. It would do them both good for Vlad to hear her out.

"I don't want to hear it." Vlad muttered.

Erin knew Vlad would be ready in his own time and not before. "I know you don't." She brushed his cheek, with the pads of her fingers. "Just try and be civil."

Vlad let out a sigh, looking upwards at the cobweb that wasn't due to Renfield and the spider dangling down from it.

Erin wasn't going to let him go without an answer, her arms were folded with a raised eyebrow when he finally looked at her again. They were locked in a staring contest for a few minutes as each tried to make the other back down. "I'll try." He eventually conceded.

His wife grinned up at him, "That's all I want." She pressed a soft kiss to his cheek.

Erin reached behind him and handed him his cloak. Vlad took it from her; he controlled himself so he didn't snatch it to her amazement.

"You need to finish getting ready and calm down completely."

"I'll try." He wasn't making any promises.

"You'd better or you'll be sleeping in a different coffin later." She told him half seriously. The threat made him gulp. Erin had done it before; she'd do it again. She wouldn't admit that she'd suffered just as much as him though. "Get ready and I'll see you in the hall."

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The hall was crowded once again, everyone watched the ceremony that was about to occur. The Council watched with fear, desperately clinging onto their final few minutes in power.

Erin knelt down before Vlad, she looked up at him. Her whole body was shaking with her nerves; Vlad gently placed his hands on her shoulders calming her. Erin closed her eyes briefly relaxing.

Vlad gestured to Renfield who brought Erin's circlet to him. Vlad knew he'd have to speak formally to do this, he hated speaking formally. He held the circlet above her head. He deliberately focussed on the shine of the circlet so he didn't have to look any one else, this had never been done before so he didn't want to make a mistake that anyone could create loopholes out of.

Bertrand and he had gone over the wording for weeks to make sure nothing could be twisted.

"On this night, I take Erin Elizabeth Dracula as my Queen. To share the responsibilities as my equal in ruling over the vampire nation…"

Mikhail looked across to Baylor nodding. Baylor returned the nod before looking directly at someone else in the hall. They had a smirk on their face just before they acted.

It was finally time.

TBC

A/N: What do you think?

Should I turn this into a saga to completely round it off?

Thanks for reading.