- Song of The Page -
WAR MACHINE: AC/DC
The massive structure of the castle stood in the midst of the white and grey landscape. The tall spires reached for the sky and the strong walls kept the strong winds and the enemies out.
The cold flakes danced through the chilly air making their way to the ground. The grey clouds seemed somber yet the echoing laughter of the young ones seemed to fill the place with life and exuberance. The snow had gathered on the ground making layers over layers that cushioned the steps of the children whom King Vance held dear to his heart.
This particular memory was vivid in his mind because after quite a lot of time he had found himself really watching his children having fun with each other. Playing in snow and making snowmen and challenging each other. Him being busy with the state matters always kept him away from his children but he never missed the chance to show them that he loved them.
For him his children were the reason which made the smile grow on his face. But just as every happy moment ends at a certain point, this one did too, by the disappearance of one child.
How many times had he relived this memory? He didn't remember but he knew far well what happened next.
The darkness slowly started creeping from the edges towards his happy children, none of them noticing as they started running away chasing each other. Their farther running made King Vance's heart squeeze in his chest and he tried to go after them.
"Derrick!" He shouted, but they could not hear him.
"Rogan!" The raven haired boy didn't hear either.
"Viona! No! Where-" He huffed. He felt his legs growing weak, it was impossible to move his muscles as if they were frozen, "-are you?"
He tried to move his legs but they won't budge.
Another child vanished. He screamed in pure desperation, calling out for his precious children, "Norman! Erin! No! Gregory, don't go!"
He felt his heart freezing when he saw only three of his children standing before him unaware of what was happening. They smiled at him and the youngest of them ran ahead into the darkness, "Jared!"
Followed by the younger the other dashed too. "Stance!"
Just one of his sons now stood there watching his father with blank eyes.
The cascades of tears would have made their way down his face but those tears had dried centuries ago. The ambitiously driven fervour of ruling the great nation and expanding territories had made him commit numerous unforgivable sins. Sins that he could never purge whatever he did. The pain had turned his heart into a stone and now it felt like it didn't beat. It just stayed in his rib cage like an empty throne.
Hearing the footsteps King Vance looked up hoping to see his children but his hopes were crushed as he saw her. That cursed woman with long black hair and glowing blue eyes was approaching him, her figured blocked the view of his last remaining son. He, who never was fazed by any terror now felt the cold sweat layering his skin.
The smile on the woman's face was sinister and her words more terrifying, "Vance, i has't toldeth thee bef're. A beldams shalt cometh and destroyeth ev'rything yond thee has't hath built. Nay vampire shalt stayeth alive. And, thee shalt loseth all of thy children." (Vance, I have told you before. A witch shall come and destroy everything that you have built. No vampire shall stay alive. And, you shall lose all of your children)
With that his last son disappeared and the woman let out a villainous laugh.
"Will... No!"
King Vance woke up gasping for breath, his chest rising and falling rapidly and body covered in sweat. It took him a moment to realise that he was in his chambers on his bed. The coals in the hearth had already gone cold and the room was colder, His Majesty shivered once as the cold air touched his sweaty body.
"What's wrong?" A melodious voice asked from beside him.
He tilted his head and met with the beautiful sky blue eyes of his queen, her golden hair lay strewn on the grey pillow. She slowly rose to sit as she faced Vance. The abominable woman's cold eyes flashed before Vance's mind and he gulped shaking his head.
"N-nothing."
"You saw that nightmare again, didn't you?"
He clenched his teeth and said, "You don't get it Olivia. Dell-"
"Hush..." Queen Olivia put her long slender finger on his lips, stopping him from voicing the forbidden name. He nodded.
"Her prophecy, it must be true. That's why I have lost Derrick." Vance's voice seemed so strained that it made the worry lines form on Queen Olivia's face.
"No. She was just an ordinary witch. She didn't have any power. Nothing would happen, " She reassured.
That was what King Vance had believed until his sixth son Derrick had disappeared. Nobody knew where he went. Not even his whereabouts were discovered. It had been years and that void never filled however, fear nested in him and wrapped him more. He had taken actions so that his rest of the children wouldn't disappear.
He took a few deep breaths to calm his nerves, "I don't know. But-" he looked at his queen and his grey eyes almost pleaded her blue ones to say the prophecy was a lie, "-Dellisia was anything but an ordinary witch."
Queen Olivia sucked a breathe, even she knew the truth. They both were afraid. Afraid of future. Afraid of everything. Afraid but not ashamed of what they had done.
King Vance made sure his sons were surrounded by trusted knights and he also had trained his sons for worst, not to mention he had restricted his only daughter from stepping out of the castle without any escorts. If the prophecy of that dark witch had to come true at least his children would defend themselves or their strong protectors would.
The nightmare had blown his sleep so he couldn't go back to rest. King Vance sighed as he removed the sheets from his feet and turned to his wife, "I must get back to work." He murmured pressing his lips on her temple.
"But you have only slept for two hours," Her Majesty complained, pouting her lips.
"It's no time for sleep."
*****
King Vance sat on his golden throne with his head held high while his knights, sons and some of the nobles attended the meeting on the upcoming issues. However, there were certain matters that had appeared recently, were unprecedented and needed utmost attention.
He tilted his head slightly to have a look at his sons- Norman and Erin. Norman was the first born and the crown prince of Ostrock, who sat beside him. On his other side sat Erin who was the second prince, both Norman and Erin were the gems which he treasured. Them being around made his chest swell with pride. However, the one who made him feel invincible was his ninth son, Rogan. King Vance saw his youth in Rogan, the same fervour, the same ambitious nature and the indomitable will.
While everyone was in the meeting, conversing on their supplements, King Vance's mind seemed to be busy in the thoughts of the dark witch. Somehow that nightmare had rattled his calm mind and he kept feeling that it was a premonition of some kind. His worry made his mind to drift away from the conversation.
"- many complaints, I'm afraid. But they have another strategy," someone said.
"Then what are we waiting for? We must do it while we can."
"But, currently we don't have many humans."
Everyone nodded while Vance straightened his back still unable to think what were they talking when Erin began, "Do, as we know the current rising problem is regarding the lack of blood supply. And breeding takes time.. The firms are providing us with the supplements but that's not enough. I'm receiving so many complaints of low stock on human blood." His eyes fall on a man whose bald head stood out from strands of grey hairs, "Beaman Weiss should continue further."
Weiss began, "The human population is already depleting drastically. We cannot take more than five to six litres from a human in a year. If we don't find a solution, the situation will grow worse."
Another voice boomed through the hall instantly capturing the attention, "If you make them your pet, torture them and not give them enough nutrients then how do you think they can give you blood?'
Everyone looked at the bronze skinned man with black hair, his presence was like a breathing mountain standing in the court. He was Arturo Luthor, another one of the breeders of Ostrock. His Majesty had heard he was very gentle with humans and most of them liked him and were cooperative toward him. He was also a human physician for two centuries.
"Sure. Make them your wife or better, sons then?" Stance, his eighth son said and everyone burst out laughing at his statement.
Norman coughed and the members stopped at once and he began, "Arturo, your firm apparently, had given us low supply on blood yet, your firm has more humans than others."
"Because, I don't take unlimited blood from them and over few decades, it seems they have managed to survive in good numbers." He answered and Norman nodded.
"I would like to hear, what is your suggestion on behalf of this?" Norman asked.
"Well, I do have a solution for that. Regarding the fact," Arturo looked at other breeders with a look of displeasure, "there are so many firms where humans are raised to give us blood. But recently, after taking their blood a lot of them died. So, I found out that if we take only five to six litres of blood in a year, they can give us healthy blood the next year, it depends on the physical health of the human as well. If they are not well nourished then that much amount could be dangerous. If we put these things into consideration, they can survive," he put extra pressure on his last words and again looked at other breeders, "The mothers cannot give blood when they're conceiving or are going through menstruation and during that period, their men can provide us blood. Younger ones cannot give us blood until they reach a certain age."
"Their men?" Stance asked, raising a brow, "are you perhaps, trying to make home for them rather than breeding units."
"They should have a home," Arturo's eyes never wavered from Stance's as he continued, "I am certain during the last Witch War, you must have learned your lessons."
Arturo was surely brave enough to stand against Stance, as the eighth prince despised humans and occasionally, he made his slaves go through his tortures sessions that no slave survived for more than two months. And Arturo despised that.
Vance would take action against Arturo but, he knew, Arturo was powerful and killing him would be cutting his own legs. Arturo Luthor was a true blood vampire and was living in Ostrock for more than one thousand years. He was as ancient as Vance. The more ancient the vampire was, the more powerful they became over the time. Not to forget, Arturo's farms. Those were like big townships itself and more than half of the humans lived there. Happily, if Highness could add. The humans and vampires in the Arturo's farmlands, worshipped him like their Godfather. It was weird but the humans and his pupils were extremely loyal to him. Not one word came out of his firms. Norman had tried several times by using his spy network but it was futile.
"That way, we'll run out of our remaining stocks," Erin stated grimly.
"I know, that's why I suggest to abolish the slaves and put them in breeding program."
Stance scoffed, "That's ridiculous!"
A few of them nodded and regarded it was ridiculous as they all had their personal human slaves. A few centuries back, His Majesty had one but, he didn't need it after he met Queen Olivia. So, he had no objections to abolish it. However, his sons would not prefer the same. The slave merchants were giving Ostrock a good fortune however.
"I don't think, that should concern us since we only need blood for feeding the population of Ostrock." Arturo said, "but the decreasing numbers of humans should concern us. As in future, there won't be any humans left to give us blood, thus the inevitable outcome would be that we all will be perished too."
King Vance looked at him with his brows tied into a tight knot. All vampires shall die. He remembered the words and a shiver ran down his spine.
While he was engulfed in the thoughts of the prophecy a Herald came and spoke in Norman's ear and his face became pale. He instantly turned to his father.
"Father."
Everyone looked at him
"Rog-" He cleared his throat and straightened his back, "Prince Rogan had been abducted by a Slithrot warrior."
Colour drained from King Vance's face and he found it hard to breath.
No!
No words came out from his mouth.
"It's been confirmed that a Slithrot warrior had taken him as their hostage."
He growled and the rest of them cowered in fear.
"And, the Slithrot warrior is apparently a woman. Err... It has been assumed that, " He wiped his sweat from his forehead, "she's a witch."
King Vance felt the ground slipping from under his feet and he could not say a word. His heart started to hammer against his chest and his legs suddenly could not hold him anymore. Were Dellisia's words coming true?
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[Edited by Sam8136, Date: 21st March, 20; Third draft: 4th Sep, 2020]
(2306 words)
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©Haruka Tachibana