The talking never seemed to end. I wasn't against socializing as a rule, but I was starting to feel deeply weary.
"And, allow me to introduce you to Vincent, our delegate to the High Vampiric Council."
Vincent smelled like a desiccated corpse. Not so much bad as stuffy and dusty, kind of like a museum, but with the strangest hint of tomato. "It's a pleasure to meet you," I said, trying not to breathe through my nose while I ignored the prickles of unease running down my back.
"The pleasure is all mine, Lady Anne."
As unnerving as his presence was, if I looked at him in a purely analytical way, he was not unpleasant in appearance. Vincent was quite pale, which was only emphasized by the blackness of his hair and the dark red of his eyes. He was lean, but clearly had hard muscles under his clothing, not that I was interested in the slightest.
He smiled with an easy politeness. "I was most pleased to hear that His Majesty found his mate. If anyone deserves the support, it is he." I suddenly understood why Arthur had thought I might like this vampire. When my mate stepped slightly away from me to speak to another guest, I did not protest.
"Do you two know each other well then?"
"Indeed. I've been the council delegate since before Arthur was born. It keeps me busy, when my attention is not on my other concerns."
"What are your other concerns?" I asked. I was a bit curious and when he was talking I wouldn't have to figure out what I was supposed to say.
Vincent smiled. "I'm the owner and founder of Nightshade Farms. We supply sixty-six percent of vampiric sustenance on the continent."
<He grows tomatoes? That explains the smell clinging to him,> my wolf commented.
"That's amazing," I agreed, although in truth it was mildly interesting at best. Undoubtedly it was quite important to vampires that they not starve, though, so I thought listening would at least be polite and quite possibly diplomatic. Maybe I was going to be able to manage this whole princess thing.
"My research and development team has been working to genetically modify other fruits besides tomatoes," he said with an enthusiasm that showed my attention was effective. "We go with fruits with red juices typically, since focus groups show vampires are more inclined to enjoy drinking red beverages, although the addition of food colouring seems to help solve that issue for many other choices. One of our biggest competitors is putting out an apple based beverage, but with the addition of colouring they cannot claim to be one hundred percent natural, as Nightshade Farms can."
"I truly had no idea how complex the topic of vampire sustenance had become."
"Indeed. Countless hours of research and testing went into the development, but now that we've managed to develop fruits that can sustain us, the hardest part is marketing. We've got five strains of tomatoes so far and we named them after former human blood types, but there's no real correlation. AB- is our best seller, but the real joke is that back when there were still humans to consume, vampires couldn't tell the difference between blood types in double blind experiments, even though they thought they have preferences."
"Really? But I thought it was rare?" I asked.
"It was, but rarity doesn't necessarily equal quality when it comes to such things. Still, if you slap a AB- label on a bag of blood—or a bottle of tomato blood substitute—vampires tend to like it better. Marketing." He looked amused, and I could see why Arthur had told me that I would like him.
"Sounds a lot like the way they're trying to craft my princess image," I said.
He nodded. "Very much so. Half of reality is perception, and the other half is largely ignored."
Perhaps he was right. I wonder if that was the basis for positive thinking. Maybe it you believed something strongly enough and you acted like it happened, it was more likely to become that way in truth. It was an odd thought process for a naturally cautious pessimist like myself.
"So, was it hard for vampires when humans were bred out of existence?"
Vincent nodded. "Well, some people argue about whether or not there might still be a handful of pure humans out there somewhere, maybe living in the rainforest or near the arctic, but for all intents and purposes pure humans are extinct. Even if they are still alive, they're no doubt mated to a werewolf and their human purity will be bred out in another generation or two at most. No point fighting the inevitable. Some of us even hope for it. But, to answer your question, it was not easy, although some of us had seen it coming a long way off and had been in a race to find a substitute. Thus, GM tomatoes."
"Do you miss blood?" I asked, then wondered if I had stepped out of line. I opened my mouth to tell him that I was sorry.
<Never apologize, human. Straighten your back.> My wolf perked up.
"Perhaps, in a certain nostalgic mood, but how could I complain? Tomatoes are much more sustainable and arguably more ethical than luring humans, and plants complain a lot less. It's easier all around, although many of my fellow vampires don't feel that way. They're nostalgic for the good old carnivorous days, and it makes them cranky."
"It must be a huge adjustment."
"It was, but most of us are getting used to the lack of ready humans."
I was about to say something else, when Kayla's voice caught my attention, much more rapid than normal. I turned to find her wringing her hands while Rory stared straight at Lord Frye challengingly. Apparently I wasn't the only one who found the unicorn annoying.
"It was only a compliment," Lord Frye said in his ingratiating way.
Rory looked even more annoyed. "She isn't interested in compliments from you."
"Perhaps we should ask the lady what she wants."
Kayla bristled, "I'm not interested in anyone besides Rory, like I said, Lord Frye."
"That wasn't what I was seeing," he said.
Rory looked like he was going to explode, a shocking sight I had never seen before. I suppose there hadn't been much to aggravate his wolf in our small town. Arthur walked up to my friend, speaking lowly, as I rushed up to Kayla. <Are you okay?> I asked.
<Yeah, it's not as bad as it looks. He was just getting a bit too familiar, you know? And Rory could tell I was uncomfortable, and he stepped in.>
<Yeah, the unicorn was all slimy with me earlier, too. He didn't use his miasma on you, did he?>
She looked a bit confused by my question. <I don't think so?>
I glanced over to see that Arthur was walking away with Lord Frye, and Rory came over to us.
"Are you okay?" he asked her.
"Of course," she said, looking at him with adoring starry eyes. "Thanks for rescuing me, Rory, although I am glad you didn't actually fight with him." She latched herself onto Rory's arm in one of those uncomfortable displays of mated behaviour we used to cringe at when it was our parents, and I decided that she was probably okay without me, now that Rory was with her.
I looked around, and could not see Vincent anywhere. Before I could question where he went, Arthur returned and placed his hand on my arm. <Lord Frye had a bit too much to drink tonight, and he's decided to head off to get some rest before his journey tomorrow.>
<He's not offended?> I imagined it wasn't good policy to get on bad terms with important people from other kingdoms.
Arthur shook his head. <No, it'll be fine. He probably won't remember anything that happened tonight tomorrow anyway.> Arthur added out loud, "Would you like to go and dance?"
My head was beginning to hurt, and I wanted nothing more than to get away from the light and the noise. "I'd rather go outside for a bit, if you don't mind."
"Of course not, I would follow you anywhere," he said, placing my hand on the crook of his arm. <Are you getting too overwhelmed?>
<I do need a break, but I'm managing fine,> I said, and the warm smile he gave me made me was like ibuprofen for the pain in my head.
Arthur skilfully worked our way through the crowd, graciously slipping in and out of conversations as easily as he moved around people. It was another aspect of him I couldn't help but marvel at, he was so very, very capable.
We made it outside to the gardens, and Arthur led me away from the crowds, until we reached a sheltered part where hedges concealed us from view. There was a small trickling fountain beside us, with a statue of a wolf in the centre howling up towards the waning moon that lit the area almost as light as day. "Here, we've got some privacy for a few minutes."
"Thank you," I said, wrapping my arms around his neck and leaning in for a kiss. He obliged, and we spent long minutes just wrapped in each other.
I could have spent the entire night there alone with him, but we still had a couple more hours of celebration to get through before we could escape back to our rooms.
But, at least I was getting acquainted with the people I would need to know. I hoped they would learn to accept me, and this party was the first step.
"Well, we should probably—" he began, before cutting off as something fell to the ground. I could see the object clearly by the moonlight, and it was instantly identifiable for what it was.
A ring box.
Arthur scrambled to pick it up and shoved it back in his pocket, but it was far too slow if he was trying to keep it a secret.
"Could you...forget you saw that?" he asked, more flustered than I had ever seen him. I had seen him in many states, but this less than perfectly composed mere mortal Arthur was completely endearing. His reaction only confirmed what I expected the little box was.
"Honestly? Probably not," I said, with a half smile.
He heaved a deep sigh and in a swift movement he landed on one knee in front of me. He held the ring box forward like a supplication. "Anne Marie Roberts, would you do me the honour of agreeing to marry me?"