The rustling of the wild underbrush was the only sign that anyone was moving in this dark, endless wilderness. This blissful silence was disturbed only by the sounds of fauna living in the shadows—of animals captured in the constant game of prey and predator. The air was humid but quite warm. Conditions were favorable for travelers, considering that truly wild areas were still ahead. The sparsely overgrown road allowed the moonlight to peek through.
"Tell me about your king, please."
Freya could no longer bear the prolonged, uncomfortable silence. They had been traveling for several hours now and so far neither of the men had spoken. Well, maybe except for the moment when she really had to relieve herself and almost fell off the horse wriggling unhappily on the saddle. Fortunately, Prince Leander noticed her uneasiness and suggested a quick break. Freya's reprieve was so huge that she almost took the fall from her horse because of her eagerness. She was still trying to avoid his gaze, intimidated by their earlier interaction at the lake, but secretly she thanked him profusely.
However, at this point she was so weary from the journey that she had buried her pride deep within herself and decided to start some casual conversation.
"You should start addressing him as your king as well. Not that anything will change for you from now on in this regard," Qadir snarled.
That prick. Well, forget about casual.
"Right... My request is still valid though," she rolled her eyes at his grumpiness. She was aware of her hopeless future, but if their journey together was going to run in such an atmosphere, the gods could end her suffering here and now.
"He's someone you shouldn't make an enemy out of," he replied as if that answer should explain everything. Well, it explained one thing for sure. That Qadir was not to become her favorite person.
Freya scoffed, earning a disdained glance from her king's adviser. "Surely, for someone having such an important position as yourself, your conversation skills could definitely use some upgrade," she couldn't keep the sarcasm out of her voice. But seriously, nobody ever managed to piss her off as quickly as this man.
In the corner of her eye, she noticed the Prince's amused expression. Qadir seemed to notice it as well but decided to dismiss it. Freya was curious if his silence was associated with their relationship dynamics or if it was a random thing. He sent Freya a freezing gaze though.
"Let me give you one piece of advice... Better for you to drop this type of attitude. The King won't be delighted that after so many years of waiting all he gets is a vixen woman."
Freya gasped, not entirely sure at what—surprise or anger... "I'm not too thrilled about this situation either, but here we are. A bastard daughter forced to travel in the middle of the night in the company of creatures she had no idea existed."
"Don't tell me later I didn't warn you,"—was all Qadir decided to say.
Freya ignored him. With each passing moment, Qadir was getting on her nerves more and more. Perhaps the Prince's silence was irritating in the long run, but at least once he spoke, she didn't feel like he was spitting venom along with his words.
She sighed. The overnight journey was already taking its toll on her. She wondered if her companions had planned a rest stop at all. Did they even need it? Gods... She knew absolutely nothing about them! How could she become their queen?
"When do you plan a break?" She looked at the men with hope.
The Prince's gaze rested on her for the first time in a long time. His face showed absolutely no emotion, the earlier smirk was gone. It was the face of a trained soldier, she thought. Freya couldn't compete with that. Her face probably betrayed more than she had wanted.
"We should reach a small tavern soon. There, we will rest until sunset," he said without a glance.
"Why can't we travel during the day? Will you go up in flames or something?" She was curious about that from the moment she got to know that all their travel would take place under the stars. Maybe the question wasn't very sensitive, but she had to get to know more before they reached their final destination. She couldn't be as uninformed as she was at that very moment.
Prince Leander chuckled, while Qadir rolled his eyes and focused on the road moving slightly forward. He probably decided that Freya's question didn't deserve his attention and answer.
"No. ...We don't go up in flames," The Prince replied with an undeniable amusement. "But it's highly uncomfortable for us if you must know."
"How so?" Freya matched Frida's gait with the Prince's horse so not a word would escape her from this conversation. Qadir rode ahead, apparently taking over as navigator.
"I guess you could compare it to people walking during the night, only in our case it's a little worse," he looked at her fleetingly, then returned to his previous position with his attention directed forward. "Bright days are difficult because we see the worst. The image is blurred and eyes water. The skin exposed to the sunrays begins to itch unpleasantly. On cloudy days it is more tolerable, but still, night activity is far more enjoyable."
"You have night vision then?"
"They don't call us creatures of the night for no reason." He smirked.
"Right..." Her head was full of potential questions. She couldn't decide which one to ask next. "What other special abilities except that speed of yours do you have?"
The Prince's laughter was some sweet melody for her ears, especially after hours so scrimpy with any of his expressions. Somehow, his serious face was gone and was replaced with a more soft expression. Was her curiosity making him this way? Was she making a fool of herself for him to be this amused?
"You really don't know much, do you Princess?"
She blushed, feeling she had been caught in some severe ignorance. "That's not common knowledge from where I come from."
"I see... Well, maybe it's for the better. We're not the easiest creatures to coexist."
"Also..." Freya added, "I'm not a Princess."
Leander cocked an eyebrow and the motion was so sharp, that she could spot it even in the darkness. "And why is that?"
"Don't know if you caught this clearly, but I'm a bastard child. My mother is unknown," Freya stated.
"And why does that fact make you think you're not a Princess?" He asked and Freya had to tell herself that she didn't grasp a change in his tone, which seemed... Gentlier?
"This is how our court works. This is how I was raised. Is it different from where you come from?" She couldn't stop herself from asking.
Leander paused for a moment, but when he replied, Freya was sure his tone was gentle and somehow caring, "Every single child is precious, dear Princess. You shouldn't think any less of yourself only because you don't know who your mother is."
Freya frowned at first hearing him once again call her 'princess', but then she reconsidered their entire exchange. He didn't need to repeat himself, she comprehended then that he was being genuine. Besides all the physical differences between their courts, this one surely was the first thing that made them so glaringly different in terms of their morals. He called her a Princess. And he genuinely meant it. He was the first one ever to call her that. Several times now.
A warm feeling spread over her body like a balm.
This whole 'vampire thing' situation was like a splinter in her eye and surely that wasn't going to change quickly, but for the first time a thought lighted her mind, and it told her that this truly confusing man could have ended up much, much worse.
Taking advantage of the opportunity to ask questions, she decided to move on to the next issue that interested her.
"How do you feed?" She didn't ask about what they ate. That much was explained by her father. She had to know how they managed to fulfill their needs without wiping humans and other creatures from existence.
The man held his horse still. The movement was so sudden and surprising that it took seconds for her mind to gather what was happening. Freya eventually followed. In the meantime, he got so close that she could smell his scent. Leather and pine. She inhaled deeply without hesitation, feeling shivers all over her body. That seemed to catch his attention because he leaned slightly toward her, mesmerizing her with every movement.
"Would you like to learn in practice, my lady?" His gaze fell on her lips, then slowly on her bare neck and cleavage. Freya wore a white linen shirt, boned with a wide corset-type belt in her middle, although right now she felt like he could penetrate through it all.
She felt hot and she felt like breathing was the hardest task she could do at the moment.
"Is it the next part of your abilities that I want to say 'yes'?" Freya tried to remain clear-headed but with every passing second it was getting harder. For a moment she felt like at the lake, being in his arms and watching every little movement on his face. Wishing... Oh, gods... Wishing for him to lean in and claim her lips with his own.
He must have been doing it on purpose! There was no way these thoughts were her natural feelings! Besides the evident arousal, Freya had started to get angry. What was she? A tool to be used for his own amusement?
The Prince's eyes once again focused on her lips. Then, he met her furious gaze. She could tell he was thinking about something. His little frown indicated such, but whatever he had figured out, his response wasn't probably as eloquent as his thoughts.
"Perhaps," he simply muttered, making some much-needed distance between them, although his gaze seemed to bore through her without pause. Freya didn't leave eyes from his silhouette, checking him out without remorse now. Something about his enigmatical response was off, and she was dying to know why.
The strangeness of this twinkling was interrupted by an angered voice coming from afar.
"You better move those bloody asses, or you can arrange your roomsby yourselves," Qadir spat from the distance. "I'm fucking donewaiting..."