"Dammit!" Hades slammed his fists against the doors of his wooden armoire.
"Stupid elf prince! How could he be so careless and idiotic and make himself bleed in the presence of a vampire?!" Hades questioned in his mind.
The royal vampire had been disturbed about his encounter with Artemis all night and even the day. It was at least ten in the morning and he still hadn't managed to sleep a single time. He was questioning his stability and Artemis's naïve nature.
Hades walked to the black out curtains of his balcony and slightly opened one. When he did, the thin ray of light instantly blinded his left eye and seared his skin. He staggered back, wincing in pain. A thin reddish line immediately formed on his face, and Hades sighed.
Something wasn't right. Why was he thinking about this so much? And why did it matter whether Artemis was being purposely careless or not? He shouldn't be shaken by either one. He is Hades Crow, the biggest, most ruthless heartbreaker Lamia has ever know. But perhaps he'd run out of luck the second he crossed the line of his territory to Sapphire. Vampires and elves were completely different species, that was a fact.
It was becoming too dangerous to see Artemis. The temptation to go further from what they did last night was increasing, and Hades' mental turmoil too. As of late, he just couldn't shake the prince off his mind. His beautiful eyes, his body form, and even his company. He wanted to know him better, share the night with him. But why?
If he ceased contact with Artemis, he would think his behavior affected him. In reality it did, but Hades' pride would never let him admit to that. Thus, Hades decided he would return to Sapphire tonight and continue to mess with the prince. After all, Prince Artemis was a fun game to cure his boredom.
****
Artemis was kneeling on a cushion, as the highest sign of respect, before the altar in the castle's chapel in honor of Luna. Her image was painted in oil and was framed in pure gold. His palms were neatly rested on his thighs and his back was straight.
Artemis moved a lit incense stick around in the shape of a crescent moon and bowed his head. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.
"Luna, please I need your guidance." Artemis prayed. "I don't know what to think of Hades. Is he friend or foe? I don't understand any of the things he does or says. About last night, please don't doom me for committing such an atrocity. I know that was contact that was not blessed by you, thus it is a sin. Please forgive me, mighty Luna."
Artemis opened his eyes halfway, staring down at the frozen sphere containing a black rose. He placed it back on its stand on the altar, and in that instant he heard a polite knock on the door.
Dia swung the door ajar and kneeled immediately as she spoke:
"Your majesty, the carriage is ready."
She closed the door and Artemis looked up at his guide one last time before picking up the incense and making a full moon, signaling the end of his prayer. He stood up and walked backwards towards the door. Once he opened it and stepped out, he turned around and exhaled.
Artemis squared his shoulders and lifted his chin up, collecting himself. His guards and Dia bowed and they followed him to the outside of the palace towards the carriage.
The prince was dressed today in a black and gold outfit. His pants were all black and loose, with golden borders at his ankles. Tiny beads of diamonds and onyx stones hung from the thin golden chain belt he wore at his hips. His top was a sleeve less one with a tall neck and matching color patterns.
Artemis's white hair was made into a bun held together by a golden comb with a large diamond in the center. The last accessories included a pair of golden dangling earrings, and a face mask. The face mask was only tied at the height of his nose behind his head with a golden string and the free fabric was a semi-transparent black silk.
Artemis and Dia boarded the chariot and the two guards urged the white horses pulling it. Two more guards rode on separate horses besides the carriage.
Today, Artemis had been summoned to the nearby lands of a small clan. This was a dwarf clan called Schild. The leader of the dwarves had specifically requested for Artemis to go in person to hear a plea. The ride wasn't a long one, after an hour's passing the carriage came to a halt.
A guard opened the door and helped Dia descend from the carriage. Next, Artemis held the hand of a guard to support himself and step out of the transport. His guards stood readily at attention, spears in hand.
In the grassland, few trees were scattered in the distance and the weather was slightly warmer than in Sapphire.
Artemis looked down to see various tents about half his height accumulated in an area.
"Prince Artemis!" A white bearded dwarf waddled towards Artemis holding on to his cane.
"Lord Marcus, I presume?" Artemis smiled.
"You are even prettier in person, your majesty. Welcome to Schild clan. I am Marcus, leader of my noble dwarf people."
"Very pleased to meet you, my lord." Artemis bowed his head respectfully and the dwarf did so as well.
They took a short tour of the village and stopped at the heart where several wells sat. Lord Marcus turned around sadly towards Artemis and sighed:
"I do apologize for having made you come all this way, your highness. I would have gone myself in person to speak to you, but the situation is just too grave."
"What has happened?" Artemis asked concerned.
"There is a stream that runs through our land, Prince Artemis, but as you can see, it has gone dry. We haven't enough water for our crops, our horses, or ourselves. Hence why I couldn't travel to your kingdom."
Artemis looked around to see the other dwarves looking hopefully at him.
"The stream is part of a larger river that runs a few miles away from here. We went to see if it had a problem and indeed there was." Marcus continued. "The river has also dried."
Artemis furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Marcus was talking about the Flumen Aeterman. The Latin name for "the eternal river". The river had been running for generations and has never dried. This was a major concern because not only was this clan being affected, but the western part of Sapphire depended on the river running too.
"We don't know what's causing the problem or where the water has gone to." Marcus shook his head. "We were hoping you could help us your highness. Please find out what is happening and restore our water supply."
Lord Marcus kneeled and the onlooking dwarves did the same. Artemis looked kindly upon the dwarves and smiled.
"You have my word, lord Marcus. I shall find out what is occurring and restore your water." Artemis promised. "In the meantime, I will send aid to your village with reserves of water stored in my kingdom. When I have news I will send a messenger."
"Bless your soul Prince Artemis! You are the most benevolent sovereign of Sapphire we have ever seen. Thank you, from the deepest part of our hearts." Lord Marcus gleamed.
Artemis returned to his carriage and course was set for his kingdom. He didn't think so much time had passed, but it was even sunset now. As they rode back, Artemis was looking out the window at the changing scenery.
"If it isn't too much intrusion your highness," Dia broke the silence and Artemis's thoughts. "I can't help but notice you look pensive. Is something wrong?"
Artemis smiled but opened his mouth. He didn't know if he should say what was on his mind, but he had stretched out the silence for too long. If he said it was nothing, she was sure to suspect him.
"Apologies Dia, I simply have a question. Do you know if a Sapphire prince has ever had contact with a vampire?" Artemis asked in the least subtle way.
"Way to act casual Artemis." Artemis scolded himself.
"Hm, I don't think--" Dia tapped her chin as she thought. "Well, actually, perhaps there was one."
"Really?"
"Well, it was never confirmed but there were rumors in the city when I was a young girl. The rumors said that the third prince of Sapphire had been having secret meetings with a vampire."
"If no one knew for sure, how did they come to the conclusion it was a vampire?" Artemis wondered.
"It was because of the timing that people knew. The prince stopped being available in the daytime and was seen to be very active at night." Dia replied. "Citizens also said they would see an oddly dressed woman walk around the palace in the middle of the night, clearly not elven. Some people actually went as far as saying the prince had been bitten by a pureblood and was now a vampire himself. When the elders got word of this they neither confirmed nor denied. Although they pretty much confirmed when the prince was dethroned and later hanged."
Artemis gulped at the mention of death for contact with a vampire. If that was the price for speaking to Hades he was not willing to pay it.
"Why the question your highness?" Dia tilted her head in curiosity.
"I'm still in the process of learning history, and I just got curious." Artemis laughed.
"Oh that makes sense, your highness."
Dia chuckled but Artemis felt intense dread rise in him. He needed to stop talking to Hades. Not only had he had contact with him, but he literally had him in his bed the previous night doing inappropriate things. A night of meaningless touching was not worth his life or his reputation.