'Bored, bored, bored! Well...isn't this fun.' Apparently bored was all she was going to be at the moment. For such a large place it felt like there was nothing to do. Her...mates? Yeah, she wasn't going to call them that. She was still human and besides, this wasn't the motherfucking animal kingdom-She'd just use their names. Anyway, they had been called back to another last minute trial which she was kind of grateful for to be honest. She never knew that vampires would be so fascinated with something as simple as her eating; disturbingly they'd sat and watched her through her whole meal.
They hadn't really had much time together in the end but the short time spent together had been quite relaxing and actually nice. She'd mainly asked questions about the castle and the guard, which they answered happily. There was no denying it had been pretty awkward, but there wasn't really anything she could do to rid herself of that until she felt more comfortable around them. Given her past experiences with men that might take a while.
Eventually they had reluctantly left, with lingering looks from Marcus and a hug that had been much too long from Caius-she couldn't say she hadn't enjoyed it though. Oddly enough Aro had refrained from touching her in the slightest the entire time. She'd have to question him about that later.
So here she was. Back in the large elegant room that she was beginning to get fucking sick of. At first glance it would appear that there was a lot to do in the room but there really wasn't. There were three large bookshelves filled to the brim with every type and style of novel but she had been hard pressed to actually find something to capture her short span of attention.
If you liked to spend your free time watching the world pass you by then there was the option of staring out the large windows; personally she preferred more modern activities like listening to music or watching whatever crap was on Tv. Devastatingly everything in the room was painfully old fashioned, she doubted she'd see a Tv or any form of technology in her stay. Honestly? She felt like a bubble rattling around restlessly in a tin can-a very beautiful can though.
A knock roused her from her thoughts. She was given no time to respond before the door creaked open, the petite frame of Jane standing ominously in the doorway. The small girl was looking at her with a hard set frown, though she could do nothing to hide the faint amusement shown in her red eyes.
Her night-black cloak swept along the floor as she took an unsure step into the large space. Nora only just noticed the shiny cream box in her dainty hands. "What are you doing, my Queen?"
Nora's head flopped back against the floor. Tiredly she resumed her staring at the ceiling. After finding nothing to do earlier she had decided to pass the time by laying on the floor with her legs and arms spread so she resembled a starfish. While it was true there were a number of couches in the room, she couldn't be bothered to drag herself onto one of them.
Her only option in the end had been to just stare at the intricate paintings and carvings that decorated the ceiling-clearly inspired by Michelangelo's work on the Sistine chapel.
Waiting a beat she waved the small girl further into the room and struggled to sit up-joints cracking in protest. Jane approached cautiously and set the box down onto the unmade bed.
Coming to stand next to the cold and distant girl she still gave her a cautiously friendly smile. "You'd be surprised what the mind comes up with when you're intolerably bored, Jane. Though I suppose you'd know a lot about it. Life must get pretty mundane after a few decades of being a vampire." She shrugged before plopping onto the bed, picking the box up and staring at Jane curiously.
The normally stoic girl was shocked that she had bothered to inquire about her life-the Master's old wives had never been so kind. They only ever used to view the guards as pawns to play with and order around, they didn't care about any of their lives. They deserved to be where they had ended up. Huh, good riddance. It was a pleasant surprise to her that the King's mate genuinely cared...maybe she wasn't so bad afterall.
Clearing her throat after realizing she'd just stood silently, Jane straightened her back and regained her composure. "Becoming a vampire was the greatest gift that could ever have been given to me and my brother. I will never grow tired of this lifestyle. I'd rather be a monster that never ages than live the life we had originally." Nora became even more intrigued at the somber tone of Jane's voice.
Setting the box back down gently she scooted closer to the end of the bed where Jane stood, unable to reign in her curious nature. "Did something...bad happen?" Admittedly she was nervous to ask. Though appearing to be a little girl Jane had clearly lived a long time. It was hard to remember that all of the people here apart from her were vampires.
Any vulnerability Jane was showing was suddenly gone, her morose expression wiped away by a nasty scowl. Nora had definitely pushed a button. "Nothing that you would understand. You probably know nothing of pain and misery having lived your perfect little life!" The insult was hissed viciously through her teeth, eyes fiery and burning in her rage.
It was hard for Nora to pretend the comment hadn't stung. She knew more than some about pain, about feeling hopeless. She wouldn't blame the girl for her hatred of her but she wouldn't tolerate anyone assuming things about her when they knew nothing of her life and the things she'd suffered.
The silence in the room was so palpable you could cut the tension with a knife. Jane seemed to realise her mistake by the way her eyes widened with fear. She'd just snapped at the king's mate. Top ranking guard or not, surely she'd be killed now for her insolence. Her wide eyes searched her queen's face for any sign of anger but there was none, she only looked sad.
Nora's grey eyes stared at the floor, swimming with memories she'd done her best to push aside and bury deep. A heavy exhale brought her shoulders down, hand clasping together on her lap. "You're right, Jane. I know nothing of your pain or your life." Jane was surprised, some of her fear ebbing away. She was sure she was done for, that the kings would be summoned and she'd be ended right there. It seemed the queen was full of surprises.
"However, you know nothing of mine either. You can't live your life so blinded by your own demons that you forget that others may suffer the same fate. You may be a vampire who has lived a long time but that doesn't make you wise; get to know someone before assuming you know everything about them. We are all haunted by things from the past, no matter how...unwillingly they came to be."
For the first time in centuries she felt somewhat ashamed for her actions. She wasn't as heartless as she liked to pretend, it was just easier to be that way; she hated being vulnerable but something about the kings' mate made her drop the act." I apologise for my harsh words. Please forgive me, my Queen." All animosity between the two was gone as quickly it had appeared. Nora knew Jane truly felt sorry, her remorse was plain to see. Looking at her now she looked like the little girl she really was, trapped beneath years of darkness and suffering.
She nodded and the tension between them evaporated. Jane still held some reservations about the queen but she could slowly feel herself warming up to her. The same could be said for Nora, underneath Jane's tough bravado she could see a girl begging for help, for a friend. It didn't matter how long it took, she would help her. Perhaps the little spat had been good; It showed them things about each other, giving them a better understanding.
Hoping to get rid of the tentative feeling between them both Nora smiled like nothing had happened, looking down at the box next to her. "Now, I'm assuming you came here for a reason?"
Meeting her expectant stare Jane nodded stiffly, back to the act of being her guard. "The Masters told me to inform you that they would like to have dinner with you tonight." Nora's eyebrows creased together. 'Well, that's a surprise. I wasn't expecting to see them until tomorrow.'
"It's their way of apologising for leaving you earlier. There is one more trial scheduled and then dinner will take place after that." Nora was worried now. Looking out the window she was even more stressed to see that the sky was darkening, the evening sun just setting. 'Shit! I barely have time to get ready.' Nerves ate away at her as she panicked about what she was going to wear-she wanted to look somewhat decent but they hadn't given her a large amount of time to do that.
Rolling her eyes at her queens unnecessary worrying she coughed to draw her attention, nodding to the box that lay next to her. "You needn't worry, the Masters are always prepared. Look in the box." Tilting her head Nora picked it up, her hands gliding along the smooth material. 'Huh, fancy.'
She wasted no time tearing into it, the contents inside making her gasp in awe. Lay there was the most beautiful soft pink dress she'd ever seen, made of the finest materials. It was a color she never normally favored but it was utterly beautiful. Carefully she lifted it from the box, the flowy skirt falling to brush against the floor.
She handled it like it was a delicate jewel that could easily be broken-which it was. The bodice was sturdy and adorned with many silver jewels that formed a beautiful pattern, travelling down the dresses entire length-the shape of the jewels almost resembled fairy wings. It dipped into an elegant scoop neckline with the short sleeves covered by a thin pretty layer of tulle that draped down, the floor length skirt made of the same delicate fabric. From the feeling of it against her fingertips she knew it was expensive, it almost felt wrong for her to be touching it. Even looking at it like this she could see it would be fitted at the waist, leaving no room for the imagination. It was gorgeous.
She turned to gape at Jane who also was gawking at the dress's beauty. Embarrassed at being caught she coughed, her face stoic once more. "You have around an hour to get ready. I'll be back to collect you when it's time." Bending her body in a half bow she turned and within a second was gone.
"Bye then." Nora muttered sarcastically, unperturbed by talking to thin air. Huffing at Jane's fluctuating moods she sat and thought about how she was going to make herself look good enough that she didn't ruin the dress's beauty.
She was also extremely nervous about the dinner in general. She'd never even been on a date with a boy let alone some extravagant dinner with three very old and very experienced vampires. Clutching the dress to her chest she groaned, massaging her aching forehead.
'Ugh, why is everything always so complicated?'
Her nerves were getting so bad she was contemplating pretending to be sick, but she knew that would be childish. She promised to try and that's what she'd do. No more procrastinating.
Taking a deep breath she nodded to herself, trying to find some motivation. "Okay, I've got this." Getting up she headed to get ready, anxiety gripping her heart in a vice-like hold and making her feel sick.
'Okay, Maybe I haven't got this.'