5. Coronation

Light filled the room from the eastern windows. Ugh. I lifted my head from the dusty book I had been studying until late last night. "Honestly!" I heard behind me as my maid Kara began relighting my fire. I have been waking up to that a lot lately. She had stopped scolding me about falling asleep at my desk awhile ago. "You know you have your birthday celebration today! The least you could do is not have dark circles for me to cover up!"

Today was my 15th birthday and the day I was to be presented to the public as an adult and as their Queen. Even though I had my coronation a year ago, I was not recognized in court until I reached adulthood. I spent my free time studying holed up in my room since I could not be officially presented to the public. It was thanks to this that I finally achieved expert level in my magic studies. Having full access to the library didn't hurt either. Being Queen did have some nice perks. I even found some old books that had really good tips on advancing through my studies. They were pretty dusty so I am assuming they forgot those books existed.

I mean you did need a special key only the monarch and the head librarian had as well. Maybe they were locked up because they were a little dangerous. I shrugged my shoulders when my internal monologue came to an end. "Come on now, you must purify yourself with water before the Ceremony." I rolled my eyes as I let Kara dress me up and make me look presentable. This part of royalty is definitely not my favorite. I gritted my teeth as she changed my hair style for the fourth time. Just as my patience came to an end, "There you look like a proper adult now."

She had twisted my hair up into a half up, half down style and curled it so it looked like it cascaded down my shoulders. I was impressed. There was no way I could have made myself look like an actual Queen. She slipped a tiara and pinned it down and the image was complete. I wore a Royal Blue gown that displayed the colors of my Kingdom. There were tears in Kara's eyes as she spun around to get every angle. I knew she had been with me since I was a small girl but come on it's still me in here.

The rest of the day I spent greeting noble after noble and every important person possible in the Kingdom of Sora. Were there really this many people running the country? Finally, I was able to take my seat and watch over the rest of the party. Please let this be the last event I have to attend for a while. "Your majesty, the ambassador to the vampires is here." A rushed whisper came at my side. Vampires?

Memories of frightening stories from my childhood came to mind. My aunt had never spoken against them, and honestly they were not spoken of often. The vampires had made a pact with the humans a long time ago. Each year they would select a human at seemingly random and take them with them. Every year it was a different Kingdom and the people who left were never heard from again.

The texts left behind by previous rulers explained that vampires had a calling or itch for a specific human. Not much was said on how the human was chosen. The chosen vampire would journey to one of the Kingdoms and find the person that called them. The text further explained that it wasn't to drink their blood but something to do with magic specific to the vampire race. In the past they had let a vampire starve but the person they chose they never touched and died of thirst. It was a strange phenomenon. Of course I was super curious.

Apparently though they didn't need human blood to live on. The fact that they have preyed on humans in the past was what fueled the stories of them though. A handsome man approached my throne. He bowed his head, "Greetings, your majesty. I have come to inform you that the calling from my people will be in Sora this year. We hope you will abide by the pact laid upon by my ancestors as many of your ancestors have in the past." He bowed his head once more and then he was gone. Like he faded into nothing. I looked at my aid and he was just as shocked as I was.

Is that some kind of teleportation ability or do all vampires do that? There was so little text on their race that there was no way I could really find out without asking one directly. Would that be rude to ask? I guess it was a good thing Lana had not become Queen. She once bravely stated to my aunt how she would destroy all those vampires when she became queen. She was young so my aunt just laughed it off. Something a child would say after hearing a bad story.

When the night finally settled and all the nobles had their fill I was able to make my way back to my room. The maids got me out of the formal dress I had been wearing all night and I finally sank into a comfy chair by the fire. My hair was taken down and I was finally left in peace. I got up to sleep in my bed when an envelope on my desk with a seal I didn't recognize caught my eye. Strange? I thought I took care of everything already. I opened the letter to find an invitation.

To Her Majesty Layla de Sora,

The vampire collective cordially invites you to visit to discuss the chosen Kingdom of Sora for this year's selection.

Best regards,

Ore Landia

Elder

I looked at the date and it was tomorrow! Ugh. Seriously, can I get at least 24 hours notice? I couldn't refuse, the pact bound me to make this visit if invited. Stupid ancestors, why did you make such an ironclad agreement! I rang a bell and sent a note to Ruka, my assistant. I could see the look of disapproval on her face. Mostly because I had to make this trip alone. No guards, no protection, and I couldn't refuse. Not to mention I had no idea how long I would be staying there. Seriously in the modern day people give advance notice and they give you a schedule! I told the maid to wake me at dawn and got the little sleep I had left before the sun started rising.

I shoved necessities into the leather pack I had used in the mountains. I would be taken on a horse and dressed in clothes that wouldn't distinguish who I was from afar. It felt good to wear leather boots again. It had been over a year since I had been able to do anything without at least 6 guards and a trail of attendants behind me. Maybe this is a gift in disguise. Yes, if I thought about who I was going to meet the nervousness would just settle in. My hair was braided tightly to my head for riding and I was off.