Chapter 4: His golden hair shone in the candlelight as he shifted uneasily in the seat. He shut his eyes as if to admonish perilous evils which were ticking at the door. He was tired and his eyes cried out to be shut and for him to go to sleep. If he had his way, he would be fast asleep after that ball. There were two other people in the room with him. A golden haired beauty lying on the bed, who liked quite a lot like him and an older woman, her raven black hair flecked with gray strands.
"The reyna has offered her protection. Our race has been declining steadily over time. Yes there will be another time when we are strong, but as of now there are barely any of us left," the old woman said. "Listen my children." She gestured to her daughter and son, in a kindly manner, but her firmly angry set of expression sinabi otherwise. "We must allow ourselves to triumph in such a way."
"The Queen?" scoffed the younger girl, throwing herself upward from the pillow. She exchanged a knowing expression with her brother, before speaking again. "Everyone knows that Henry's interest in Catherine is waning. Knowing that complete bastard, he will throw her off the throne, once he finds a younger, prettier queen." The Lady Danbury frowned, remembering how a century ago, her husband was killed and how she and her three children had been turned. Turned into vampires.
"That is against the nature and law of the church!" exclaimed Lady Danbury. Niall exhaled loudly,
"Doubt it will stop the king," Niall said. "Mother, there is so little we can do. We will have to withdraw from the court, if that's what we have to do. If people find out about us...we'll have a stake through us in no time."
"True," his sister chimed in. "But the tanong is whether anyone except Catherine has even heard or known that the vampire race does indeed exist." Lady Danbury nodded and Niall considered this.
"I suppose, Elin," he mumbled. Lady Danbury took a sweep of her dress as she stood up.
"Which is why you should marry, Niall. We really can't have suspicion rising. You are of a marriageable age," she announced. Elin muffled her laughter while Niall nodded wearily.
"All those ladies-in-waiting are dumpy and fat. Leave out the Boleyn sisters, and the two new ones, Katherine and Adelaide Pierce."
"Oh, I saw Katherine," Lady Danbury started. "She's quite lovely and wouldn't be a bad choice."
"Really?" Niall muttered. "I find her ridiculously flirtatious and certainly one of those types who just sleep around. A whore in simpler terms."
"Well, the Boleyn girls are completely out of the question!"
"I despise them as well. Adelaide Pierce, on the other hand..." his voice trailed slightly as lovely Adelaide filled a vision in his mind. Elin eyes him with interest.
"She's rather quiet and reserved. I'm surprised you got a chance to meet her," she smirked.
"Which she is, but it is not like she ignores a person if they address her."
"Adelaide Pierce?" Lady Danbury asked. "Well it wouldn't harm to enchant her."
"Looks like Niall's already enchanted, but is she?" Elin added. Niall glared at his sister, trying to wrestle his feeling for Adelaide. He barely even knew her, but there was something about her that had him mesmerized. He breathed slowly in, already wishing he hadn't brought up Adelaide. She wasn't a pawn for protection and if he ever came to the point where he would ask her to marry him it would be because he was in love.
"Well it doesn't matter...as long as the girl is of approval, then whenever you are ready you must ask her to marry you," Lady Danbury's voice roused Niall from his thoughts. Elin twitched her hand, smiling triumphantly at Niall. "Elin?" her mother added.
"Yes?"
"Don't play the fool here. This isn't a joking matter and I don't want any trouble being caused...Understood?"
"Yes...Louise," Elin grinned as she spoke her mother's Christian name. Lady Danbury muttered something about uncontrollable children before taking her leave. Niall, to, left abruptly from his sister's rooms. Elin was indeed a lady-in-waiting to the Queen, but she was often excused of her duties much to the annoyance of the others. And once Anne had stepped up the courage to tanong the reyna about that. But Catherine only dismissed her saying everything had their reasons and to mind to herself only. Of course, being a vampire was a legitimate excuse...
....Elsewhere...
Adelaide felt someone flop on her foot as she crunched the covers of her kama up to her neck. She moaned slightly before opening her eyes and found Katherine's face inches from her own.
"Wake up, Addie. God, you are a sleepy one," the older Pierce sister said, throwing a dress at her younger sister. "Maybe it was last night. In any event, you are going to have to learn how to handle waking up early as well as going to sleep late. I, personally, am quite an expert."
"Lovely, Kat, lovely," Adelaide mumbled sarcastically as she swung out of her bed, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She realized that Katherine was all washed and dressed. "When do our duties start?"
"Not until an oras or so. But still, sa pamamagitan ng the time you wash and dress and breakfast it will be time to go. Now hurry!" Katherine announced as she rushed her sister into the wash room. Adelaide came out a few minutos later and Katherine decided there was no need for a maid so she tied up Adelaide's corsets for her with an expertise Adelaide never knew her sister had. The two girls had a quick breakfast of buttered tinapay and fresh fruit. sa pamamagitan ng the time they were ready to go, it was time. Adelaide still felt exhausted, but kept it in and walked with Katherine towards the room where they had to report. When they walked in, everyone was gathering in as well. The reyna was absent, but one of her personal ladies announced what each girl would do. Katherine and Anne were assigned a job with the dresses of Catherine. Katherine noticed her friend's exhaustion, so she inquired after her,
"Anne, you seem slightly...out of place..." Anne turned to Katherine with a severity in her eyes.
"You'd think my sister...well...her affair with the King could have ended quite soon. He has a roving eye, you know. It's different with other girls I suppose." Katherine swallowed slightly, understanding what was being sinabi to her. So Henry had as bad of a reputation as he seemed to deserve. Well so the servants had said. If he had an affair with Mary Boleyn some time nakaraan and now... it struck her life a burning fire.
"You're telling me your sister and the king...and now you and the king..." Katherine stopped when Anne nodded. Katherine's eyebrows raised.
"I suspect Henry knows that Catherine will not borne a son for him. Just that one child, Mary Tudor. But he needs a son."
"How long as your affair been going on?"
"Some time...before you arrived here obviously. Henry wants to rid Catherine from being his wife. He will wed me instead."
"The church won't allow it. He'll get into trouble with that," Katherine said, contemplating the matter which was already making her feel dizzy.
"He's King of England. He has his ways," Anne sinabi in a majestic tone of voice. She could easily be a reyna from what Katherine could see. Neither of the girls sinabi another word to each other. Bu both of them had the exact same thought in mind...
"The reyna has offered her protection. Our race has been declining steadily over time. Yes there will be another time when we are strong, but as of now there are barely any of us left," the old woman said. "Listen my children." She gestured to her daughter and son, in a kindly manner, but her firmly angry set of expression sinabi otherwise. "We must allow ourselves to triumph in such a way."
"The Queen?" scoffed the younger girl, throwing herself upward from the pillow. She exchanged a knowing expression with her brother, before speaking again. "Everyone knows that Henry's interest in Catherine is waning. Knowing that complete bastard, he will throw her off the throne, once he finds a younger, prettier queen." The Lady Danbury frowned, remembering how a century ago, her husband was killed and how she and her three children had been turned. Turned into vampires.
"That is against the nature and law of the church!" exclaimed Lady Danbury. Niall exhaled loudly,
"Doubt it will stop the king," Niall said. "Mother, there is so little we can do. We will have to withdraw from the court, if that's what we have to do. If people find out about us...we'll have a stake through us in no time."
"True," his sister chimed in. "But the tanong is whether anyone except Catherine has even heard or known that the vampire race does indeed exist." Lady Danbury nodded and Niall considered this.
"I suppose, Elin," he mumbled. Lady Danbury took a sweep of her dress as she stood up.
"Which is why you should marry, Niall. We really can't have suspicion rising. You are of a marriageable age," she announced. Elin muffled her laughter while Niall nodded wearily.
"All those ladies-in-waiting are dumpy and fat. Leave out the Boleyn sisters, and the two new ones, Katherine and Adelaide Pierce."
"Oh, I saw Katherine," Lady Danbury started. "She's quite lovely and wouldn't be a bad choice."
"Really?" Niall muttered. "I find her ridiculously flirtatious and certainly one of those types who just sleep around. A whore in simpler terms."
"Well, the Boleyn girls are completely out of the question!"
"I despise them as well. Adelaide Pierce, on the other hand..." his voice trailed slightly as lovely Adelaide filled a vision in his mind. Elin eyes him with interest.
"She's rather quiet and reserved. I'm surprised you got a chance to meet her," she smirked.
"Which she is, but it is not like she ignores a person if they address her."
"Adelaide Pierce?" Lady Danbury asked. "Well it wouldn't harm to enchant her."
"Looks like Niall's already enchanted, but is she?" Elin added. Niall glared at his sister, trying to wrestle his feeling for Adelaide. He barely even knew her, but there was something about her that had him mesmerized. He breathed slowly in, already wishing he hadn't brought up Adelaide. She wasn't a pawn for protection and if he ever came to the point where he would ask her to marry him it would be because he was in love.
"Well it doesn't matter...as long as the girl is of approval, then whenever you are ready you must ask her to marry you," Lady Danbury's voice roused Niall from his thoughts. Elin twitched her hand, smiling triumphantly at Niall. "Elin?" her mother added.
"Yes?"
"Don't play the fool here. This isn't a joking matter and I don't want any trouble being caused...Understood?"
"Yes...Louise," Elin grinned as she spoke her mother's Christian name. Lady Danbury muttered something about uncontrollable children before taking her leave. Niall, to, left abruptly from his sister's rooms. Elin was indeed a lady-in-waiting to the Queen, but she was often excused of her duties much to the annoyance of the others. And once Anne had stepped up the courage to tanong the reyna about that. But Catherine only dismissed her saying everything had their reasons and to mind to herself only. Of course, being a vampire was a legitimate excuse...
....Elsewhere...
Adelaide felt someone flop on her foot as she crunched the covers of her kama up to her neck. She moaned slightly before opening her eyes and found Katherine's face inches from her own.
"Wake up, Addie. God, you are a sleepy one," the older Pierce sister said, throwing a dress at her younger sister. "Maybe it was last night. In any event, you are going to have to learn how to handle waking up early as well as going to sleep late. I, personally, am quite an expert."
"Lovely, Kat, lovely," Adelaide mumbled sarcastically as she swung out of her bed, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She realized that Katherine was all washed and dressed. "When do our duties start?"
"Not until an oras or so. But still, sa pamamagitan ng the time you wash and dress and breakfast it will be time to go. Now hurry!" Katherine announced as she rushed her sister into the wash room. Adelaide came out a few minutos later and Katherine decided there was no need for a maid so she tied up Adelaide's corsets for her with an expertise Adelaide never knew her sister had. The two girls had a quick breakfast of buttered tinapay and fresh fruit. sa pamamagitan ng the time they were ready to go, it was time. Adelaide still felt exhausted, but kept it in and walked with Katherine towards the room where they had to report. When they walked in, everyone was gathering in as well. The reyna was absent, but one of her personal ladies announced what each girl would do. Katherine and Anne were assigned a job with the dresses of Catherine. Katherine noticed her friend's exhaustion, so she inquired after her,
"Anne, you seem slightly...out of place..." Anne turned to Katherine with a severity in her eyes.
"You'd think my sister...well...her affair with the King could have ended quite soon. He has a roving eye, you know. It's different with other girls I suppose." Katherine swallowed slightly, understanding what was being sinabi to her. So Henry had as bad of a reputation as he seemed to deserve. Well so the servants had said. If he had an affair with Mary Boleyn some time nakaraan and now... it struck her life a burning fire.
"You're telling me your sister and the king...and now you and the king..." Katherine stopped when Anne nodded. Katherine's eyebrows raised.
"I suspect Henry knows that Catherine will not borne a son for him. Just that one child, Mary Tudor. But he needs a son."
"How long as your affair been going on?"
"Some time...before you arrived here obviously. Henry wants to rid Catherine from being his wife. He will wed me instead."
"The church won't allow it. He'll get into trouble with that," Katherine said, contemplating the matter which was already making her feel dizzy.
"He's King of England. He has his ways," Anne sinabi in a majestic tone of voice. She could easily be a reyna from what Katherine could see. Neither of the girls sinabi another word to each other. Bu both of them had the exact same thought in mind...
