Meal

"Follow me" Said the Vampire from the torture cell or whatever it should be called. He had brown hair and his eyes back to normal were a hazel color, a little taller than her and slim. He didn't seem very happy to escort her but she couldn't care less.

The night before, as soon as she had been freed, she fainted due to the loss of blood and extreme state of starvation and exhaustion she was in. When she woke up this morning, she had a new white dress and her wounds were bandaged. She still felt a little weak due to the fact she was starving, but she held her head high. She was still a Princess.

They both left the room, and she was walking behind him, yet he kept throwing glances at her and his back was incredibly stiff. She looked at him puzzled.

The hall was huge and the ceiling twenty feet above her head. It was decorated rather lavishly with red and gold, a few portraits of people she would surely never meet and a few other stuffs she doubted their utility. It made her wonder if they were in a castle.

They took the stairs, ascending to another level. The man was still looking over his shoulder as if she would attack him at any moment. Of course she could, but she wouldn't.

They made a couple of steps before stopping in front of a large double door. He opened the door for her and she threw a last glance at his features. Pure hatred shone in his eyes. She smiled at him, before entering, having him shut the for brutally behind her.

She didn't know why he hated her but she had to leave this place as soon as possible. Hatred was a dangerous weapon in the hands of a powerful person. And vampires were powerful. Her kingdom had suffered the consequences of underestimating them.

The room was decorated in red and gold, with a little bit of black, making it elegant and mysterious all at the same time. Every single thing in this room was useful, with nothing used as a decoration. From the looks of it, she was in an apartment. A royal apartment.

She walked towards the window at the end of the room, wondering if she could jump from there and still leave unscathed. She looked through it and shook her head.

More than twenty five feet from the ground, conclusion, instant death.

"I wouldn't jump if I were you" Said a deep voice behind her, startling her and she turned to see Him. With the abundance of light, she could see him very clearly. Her had silky raven black hair tied in a low ponytail, a few wet strands escaping to fall on his face. Looking at him, she almost gaped.

He was too perfect. Devilishly perfect.

His deep grey emotionless eyes studied her for a few seconds before chuckling.

"Who had the idea of clothing you in white?" He asked and she arched a brow, despite being intimidated. He closed the distance between them looking at her eyes.

"And why shouldn't I be dressed in white?" She asked glaring back at him. White was the color worn by virgin princesses in Luxia. He chuckled and turned around. A clear indication to follow him.

"Maybe because it makes you look like a pure person" He pushed open a double door and walked in. There was a sumptuous dining room filled with all kinds of delicacies, and her mouth watered.

'D*mn, I'm so hungry'

He pulled a seat close to the edge of the table and she sat at it without much thought. He pulled the chair at the end and sat gracefully on it.

"You may eat" He said, waving his hand towards the table and she narrowed her eyes on him. He was offering her a meal, for no reason? She doubted it.

"Where is the catch?" She asked and he chuckled.

"There is no catch, we are just having a discussion around a sumptuous meal" He said and placed a steak on his plate. She glared at him.

"And where is the discussion?" She asked, still not making any move to serve herself. He sighed and started placing food on her plate.

"You know, very few have the opportunity to eat at my table" He informed and she chuckled sarcastically. She didn't know when she had become so brazen but he didn't seem to mind.

"Oh, I am so honored" He paused and then smiled at her.

"I figured proposing to be my slave was kind of disgraceful for you so I came up with an alternative you can't decline" He said and she chuckled.

"Do tell me please, I am intrigued." She said, sniffing the water and once she was sure it was safe, she took a gulp.

"Be my slave in appearance. You'll be relatively free and will answer to no one but to me. You might as well set up boundaries" He said and she choked.

"What?!" She asked totally shocked. She had expected anything but this. He thought she would change her mind because he altered a few words?

He studied her expression. The light in her eyes had dimmed and at this point he had two choices. The first one was to make her trust him which he doubted would work but still tried nonetheless.

"I hate to admit it, but my brothers joined to take me down and many of them acquired a great number of witches which they use awfully well and I am facing a few difficulties" He said sourly.

The difference between Luxia and Aragorn was that in Luxia, the future heir to the throne was chosen by a goddess, revealed in a vision to the priests of the country, while in Aragorn, only the strongest ascends to the throne. One that is able to erase all the threats to the throne, that is, your siblings. There was no gender restriction as long as you were capable.

She heard about the power struggle and it was only recently that she heard six of the Princes allied against one. At first she was shocked and mocked the stupid vampires who allied when they would kill each other the next day, but later on understood why.

The Third prince of Aragorn, who was sitting beside her was the most dangerous, powerful, malicious and cunning being alive and was known under different names both on the battlefield and inside. Many did not know what he looked like and at the moment made everyone paranoid.

Shadow dancer, Battle wolf, and many other similar names, but the one that marked most was 'Devil's blade'. His story was conserved in the palace and never left.

"From the look on your face, you seem to know who I am, that would spare an unnecessary ranting" He said and she eyed briefly the knife next to him, covering her apprehension with a smirk. She was going to kill someone for the first time in her life.

"So you need my help ?" She said and he chuckled briefly.

"Not really. I could just kill all of them though it would take time, but your precious little population would die as well and there would be no hope to rebuild your country" She gnashed her teeth. He knew how to hit a painful spot.

'Do not let him get to you!' she ordered herself taking a deep breath to calm herself down. Of course she wanted to rebuild her country. To give a home to all the witches which were enslaved, but again she was scared.

"You know, I understand how you feel. You want to make a change, but can't. Because you are scared. You thought you were a free person, but you had always been a slave, a slave not only to the outside but to your emotions. I am giving you the chance to be free of those shackles. I am giving you a chance to learn how to get rid of things that will stop you from accomplishing your goals" He whispered in her ear, trying to convince her, but in the blink of an eye, she had picked the knife and was going for his throat.