My eyebrows creased as I loked down at Naerys who was shifting incesssantly in my arms, beads of sweat trailed down his forehead as he clung tightly to my dress. I frowned and shook him gently
"Naerys, naerys wake up". He groaned and turned again his eyes firmly closed.
Is he having a nightmare?
I got up and turned to him shaking him harder " Naerys... Naerys!"
His eyes snapped open as he reached out drawing a harsh breath. He turned to me his eyes wide with panic and fear and immediately buried himself in my neck, his arms wound tightly around me.
"It's all right " I whispered stroking his hair softly "I'm here Naerys, I'm here". I waited quietly for Naerys to calm down, his ragged breath slowly evening out.
Once he was sufficiently calm, Naerys slowly retracted himself from Amaryllis; he was relieved she was here beside him, safe and unharmed.
"Amaryllis" he said breathlessly clasping her hands with his, "please don't leave your palace tomorrow"
Before she could reapond, Naerys held onto her tighter letting his desperation leak into his voice
"please amar... what i just saw- I- I can't" his voice cracked as he struggled to continue.
"What's wrong Naerys? What do you mean?"
"I-I-you..."
Seeing that Naerys was becoming worked up again, Amaryllis pulled his face into her hands and stared into his eyes “Calm down Naerys….. what did you see?”. He exhaled shallowly before starting to speak:
“You were in a carriage with your sisters going somewhere when you were suddenly attacked. Something happened – I don’t know- but somehow you were lured into the forest and surrounded. I tried to reach out for you, to help but I was in some sort of ghostly state so I couldn’t .”
Amaryllis frowned, her mother had already tightened security for the procession tomorrow and they were still anxious about the expected ambush and now Naerys had had this dream that seemed way too coincidental.
Well let’s calm him down first
“It’s okay Naerys... It was just an awful dream, I’m right here aren’t I? and I can’t possibly sit out the visit tomorrow, it will be one of my many duties when I eventually become the supreme queen and-“
“Then I’d like to come with you” He said quietly
“What? , Naerys I’m not sure that’s possible”
“Please Amar... I can’t fully describe it but I’m almost certain that that wasn’t just a dream. I stood there watching you fight for your life and I was unable to help you” Tears were shining in his eyes but he ignored them and instead stared into her eyes determinedly, lifting a hand to clutch at her wrist “I couldn’t bear it if something happened to you so please amar... take me with you”
Amaryllis was stumped, she truly didn’t know if her mother would approve of this but she couldn’t very well say that to Naerys in his current state. And so she ended up stroking his hair, quietly murmuring that she’d do her best. After a few minutes when Naerys’ breath had evened out and she had been able to detangle herself from him, Amaryllis made her way to the terrace.
The cool night breeze did wonders for her troubled mind as she ran over multiple scenarios for tomorrow:
We can’t take too many guards as that might be seen as an act of disrespect against the supreme queen.
That leaves us with a dozen at most, and a dozen for the other queens that are going with us,
If the demons plan to attack with their full army then.....
Suddenly, her head snapped up and amaryllis teleported to her mother’s castle.
“Dear?” Her mum asked with furrowed eyebrows, disregarding the stacks of papers on her desk. Seeing as she was still in her study and not asleep beside her father, Amaryllis assumed her mother was quite worried about tomorrow.
“Mother, I have...I have an idea” Amaryllis stated hesitantly. She wasn’t sure how well this would work out “ I understand we along with the other queens and their retinue will head to the supreme queen’s palace together?”
She sighed before nodding “that was what we’d already agreed on, and despite our suspicions there hasn’t been any legitimate reasons to change it.”
I nodded “If we do end up being right, going by the same plan would be a big mistake. We would all be passing through a narrow road which would line us up like pigs for slaughter, the forest around would be the perfect place for an ambush, could we- maybe- do this instead?”
Queen Sylvester’s eyes narrowed as she listened to her daughter’s plan, it was risky. If the demons caught wind of it, they would essentially be dooming the other queens to serious injuries and possibly death.
She sighed “Amaryllis... this might not be much better than the alternative, should the demons attack in the day at least we’d have the guards.... if they’re somehow able to catch wind of this......”
She let her unspoken words hang in the air and amaryllis nodded, she understood the risks as well but still....
“Mother, I understand..... but this might be our only chance. They could have some select guards and I could.. I could try to hide them under the cover of night that.. might make it easier”
Mother shut her eyes and remained quiet for a few more minutes.
“Very well” She said opening her eyes and shuffling through her drawer for her mirror “I honestly have no idea if the other queens will agree to this, but I’ll try my best” we waited for a few more minutes to give the queens adequate time to rise and hopefully meet us.
“let’s head to the guest house then, we only have a few hours of darkness left”
Mother waved away her personal guards as we left her castle instructing them to stay 6 feet behind us at all times. After a few minutes, we arrived at the separate building that housed our guests. It was a large building that reminded me somewhat of hotels from the modern time.
The queens were waiting in the parlor gathered around the main table. Despite the time and their states of undress they oozed regality; Power and dominance dripping from their very beings.
“Vivian” a cool voice started “is something wrong?, why have you gathered us here at this time of the night?” The woman who spoke had gleaming silver hair in a pixie cut with cold amethyst eyes. I assumed she was the dragon queen by the pair of curved gleaming horns that branched out from out from the top of her head.
My mother sent a smile before speaking “Sorry girls, I’m still really worried about the potential ambush tomorrow, Amaryllis” she gestured to me “has come up with a way to lower the risk and so I’d like you all to listen to her”
A queen gently shook her head, the tendrils of her caramel curly hair swaying with her movements “does this bother you that much?”
Mom nodded silently.
“Fine” the queen sighed softly “we’ll humor you”.
Five pairs of powerful eyes turned to me and my heart skipped a beat, Calm down vic, it’s just like giving a presentation in front of the board
I cleared my throat and gave a deep bow before speaking “ Your majesties, I understand you’re still doubtful but please go along with this. Mother and I have a terrible feeling about tomorrow and so I thought of something just to calm my mind. You’d have to leave soon...... It might be dangerous..... if possible no one other than those seated in this room should know about it, just to be safe”
“Our children?” Tyrion’s mother asked crossing her legs and leaning backwards
Mother responded this time “The princesses and I will remain here and make our way there tomorrow. The princes will be dispatched with several guards to their specific kingdoms so you can rest assured of their safety”
Silence
“How soon can you get the carriage ready?” The woman speaking was bronze- skinned with silver hair just a tad darker than mine. I swallowed a gasp as I focused on her eyes, they matched the furry ears atop her head, the color of molten gold.
I looked back at mother, unsure
“twenty minutes at most”
“It’s settled then. If Vivian is this worried, the least we can do is go along with her and if nothing happens then we won’t have lost anything” Darius’s mother spoke, her shimmering green hair in a high ponytail “We’ll meet you at the castle gates in that time. Right everyone?”
Unanimous nods showed the queen’s agreement. I swallowed thickly, if this went awry I would singlehandedly cause the destruction of the vampire kingdom. Mother stood up and wrapped her shawl tighter nodding at the other queens before turning around. I quickly bowed before going after her. We walked in silence to the stables where all of mother’s carriages were kept, she chose the most inconspicuous one and strapped in the horses making sure the carriage was firmly secured. I watched her in surprise, mother had been born a princess and was now the current queen, how had she ever learnt to do this?
She left the stable, I assume to gather the guards leaving me to enshroud the carriage. I took a deep breath before placing both hands on the vehicle. I envisioned dark tendrils sweeping across the carriage, coating it’s metallic sides with swaths of purple and causing the carriage to blend in with its surroundings, if one wasn’t there they wouldn’t even know there was a carriage there to begin with.
I exhaled softly as I stepped back from the now camouflaged carriage just as mother and her procession arrived. The queens stepped inside one at a time, luckily mother’s carriages could comfortably fit six people at least. Two guards were on horses on either side of the carriage and the last one of them climbed into the driver’s seat.
“Be safe, hopefully this feeling is just that. A feeling”
Mother stepped back as the carriage began to move. Within a few minutes, they had left the castle and blended in with the night. Mother and I headed back to our palaces to try and get some sleep. I closed the door gently to avoid waking Naerys who was sleeping soundly, I sighed as I approached him reaching down to stroke his forehead.
I can’t let Naerys come with me tomorrow
If there’s any chance of his dream coming true, doing so would put him in danger and I can’t allow that.
I sighed again as I made my decision, now I only had to tell him. I laid down and wrapped my hands around him slowly drifting off to sleep.