Dear Journal,
As a silversmith, I remember Genevieve asking for a specifically designed necklace. She wanted a pearl for its pendant and the lock to be magnetized. I remember her unknowingly daring me as pearls were very expensive and as such, were hard to procure. I left the sword shop early that day and walked down to the sea side, purchased several mussels from the sailors and dug through each of them until I found a pearl. Then, I fashioned the necklace in just two days. What I am trying to posit is...that I do not like to be dared, for I too, am a maker.
- 𝓔. 𝓢𝓽𝓮𝓮𝓵𝓮
(1605)
Emma slipped away from her chambers early the next day.
Her destination was Baltazaar's cabinet as she wanted to acquire more information on all she had discovered.
A cabinet served as a private study or retreat for the prince or king, quite similar to the queen's boudoir, which is a lady's private sitting room or dressing room. The cabinet was located adjacently to Baltazaar's bed chambers and would often be used for small private meetings.
As of now, the queen was now a consort until Baltazaar and Emma married to take the throne as King and Queen. Based on what she heard from her sources, the meeting of the council yesterday discussed how they would move forward with the impending war. Baltazaar had disclosed the existence of supernatural creatures to the relative hierarchy and proposed a plan to move forward and combat enemy forces.
Word had spread throughout the kingdoms after the attack but the high ranking noble men who were unaware of the existence of these creatures were the hardest to convince. Though they did not agree with the usage of supernatural creatures to fight a war, some of them had seen the werewolf for themselves and were frightened into allegiance as they truly believed that a war without their aid was futile.
Emma was lost in thought as she made her way through the hall towards her brother's cabinet. Once she arrived, she use the key she had stolen months ago from Baltazaar to unlock the door. He had thought it to be lost so he had his ironsmiths fashion a new one for his use.
Opening the door, Emma was awestruck by the tidiness of the room. It was not exactly grand but it was well furnished and decorated, suiting Baltazaar's controlling personality and orderly style.
A polished elm table sat at the back of the room with a chair neatly tucked under it. On the wall behind the table, an uncanny self portrait of Baltazaar hung proudly. The painting's eyes seemed to watch Emma as she regarded the room.
In addition to this, red and gold tapestry hung over the small, unlit fire place located on the right wall and a shelf with a plethora of old books stood to the left.
Emma, however, was not surprised that the items adorning Baltazaar's table were made of gold. His goblet, his pitcher, his candle holder, his inkpot, all made from evenly milled, pure gold.
She shut the door behind her and quickly began her search. Skimming through each book, she was unable to discover anything note worthy. She then scanned the stack of papers on Baltazaar's desk but also found nothing.
She noticed a small chest in the corner of the room, behind his table and decided to investigate. Upon observation, she found that it was locked. She grabbed the golden candle holder on the desk and began to repeatedly bludgeon the lock, attempting to pry it open.
"What in the four great kingdoms are you doing?" She heard Baltazaar say from behind her.
Frightened by his sudden appearance, she stood up quickly, dropping the candle holder to the floor.
"Baltazaar.." she started to say but was cut off by his hands circling her neck.
"Have you lost the last minuscule portion of your vacuous mind?" he asked as he choked her, pushing her roughly into the wall.
Emma struggled for air as she clawed at his hands. It had been a while since he put his hands on her but each time was as shocking as the first.
"St-op" she tried to say as repeatedly hit his hands.
After a moment, he let her go, leaving her to crumple over on the floor as she tried to catch her breath.
"I was heading to my chambers when I heard banging in my cabinet. What are you doing in here?" He asked seriously.
Slowly, Emma began to rise as she faced him. She had a hand around her neck, rubbing the sore spot that he had latched on to.
"I was looking for something" she said, eyeing him warily.
"In my private cabinet? How did you even get in here?" He questioned but she did not answer him.
"Fine, do not answer. I've been meaning to talk to you anyways. What is your current situation with Eli now? I heard you call him Elias, though you failed to inform me of his real name. Did he tell you anything else of significance? Is he actually interested in you? Have you noticed anything strange about him?" Baltazaar bombarded her with questions as he retrieved the candle holder from the floor.
It was now dented from the repeated trauma of Emma trying to break the lock off of the chest.
"I-I don't think... I d-don't know..." Emma stammered.
"Think? Did I not tell you not to 'think' ? Just do! God, are you that stubborn or are you just stupid?" Baltazaar spat angrily as he turned around and slammed the candle holder onto the table, startling Emma.
"He is not an easy person to deal with you know! And besides, he is actually really kind... and benevolent" Emma said lowly as she recalled him protecting her from danger.
"Benevolent?" Baltazaar asked, "Emma, do you actually care for this creature?" He asked incredulously as he turned to look at her, his eyes wide with disbelief.
She was silent as she watched him fearfully.
"Whatever" he said after a moment as he shook his head. "Just as long as you get him to side with us, I could not careless if you wanted to bed him, just win him over. Give him something to fight for" Baltazaar said with conviction. "Do you understand me?"
"Yes, Baltazaar" she nodded at him.
"Good. Now get out! If I catch you digging around again, I will not be so lenient. The only reason you did not get punished for running away again was because you discovered Eli" he said firmly.
With that, Emma hurried past him to head through the door but he stopped her when he spoke again.
"Also, everything you stole from my chambers, return them. You are lucky the castle is filled with so many upperclassmen or else you would regret it. I hope you have not overshared anything with your new lover. Use your head, not your cunt and stick to the plan" he said sternly.
Nodding towards him, Emma then left the cabinet.
With tears in her eyes, she ran to her chambers, quickly closing it behind her as she placed her forehead on the wooden surface while she cried.
"What is the reason for your tears?" She heard someone say behind her.
Startled, she quickly turned around, wiping the salty fluid from her eyes and cheeks.
Elias stood up from her bed, approaching her slowly.
"Will you tell me?" He said lowly as she stared into his golden irises.
"I am just overwhelmed. My father just died after all" Emma lied, putting on her mask of valiance.
Elias was quiet as he tried to search her face for the truth. Her heartbeat accelerated as she lied, her pale neck now sporting a bruise.
He used his fingers to trace over the fresh, purple marks around her throat, watching her flinch at his touch.
"Did he do this?" he asked, ignoring her previous statement.
Emma did not answer, she just glared at him.
"He will pay dearly" Elias said as anger surged through him.
"No! Just forget it. I do not need you to protect me. I am quite fine at defending myself" Emma responded.
"Are you?" Elias squinted, unsure that she said this with candour.
"Did I stutter in my statement? I am fine. I do not need an angel of death to bare its fangs and come to my defense at every lick of trouble!" Emma said cheekily.
" Its? Angel of death?" Elias questioned, his eyebrows raised at the reviled terms.
"I understand" he nodded as he stepped away from her. "I made this for you, since I took the other back" he said after a moment.
"You never told me of your birthday so I thought it would be fitting for a gift. It is not my best work but I did the best I could in this form" Elias finished as he fetched a silver necklace from the pockets of his jacket.
It burned his palms as he held it but he ignored the pain as he attempted to build up a tolerance for it. Emma gasped as she stared at the burn marks on his hand.
"They will heal" he said, answering her unasked question. Quickly, she took it from him, not bothering to look at it while in his presence.
Without another word, he left her to her own silence.
She finally held the necklace up to her face, regarding it with keen eyes.
It was a dainty, iridescent necklet that had no pendant. The colors were luminous as it seemed to change as she twirled it in her fingers. Small jewels were encrusted in its surface as it gave off a shimmery aesthetic in the morning's light. It was beyond beautiful and she had never seen anything like it.
They had only just seen each other yesterday so it left her to believe that he had only just created it. She noticed his dislike for silver so she thought it must have been a pain to fashion. The detailing was immaculate as it depicted exactly what she considered to be her 'style'.
Heaving a deep sigh, she lamented on how poorly she had just treated him. He had spent his time as well as wounded himself to create such a marvelous piece of jewelry for her. Despite that, she had been prudish and disrespectful and still, he rewarded her.
Why was she so defensive of Baltazaar when all he did was use and abuse her. He had been doing it for years and King Evans trusted him with his life so Baltazaar had always gotten away with it. The king was just joyous to have his son return to him, he did not care what happened to her, his daughter. She felt like a fool for having defended him in the cave when Elias had told her of them sentencing him and his wife to death. They were entirely capable of it.
She sat on the stool before her dressing table watching herself in the mirror as she placed the necklace around her bruised neck. It was even more gorgeous on her.
She was confused as to why Elias would say it was not his best work. Placing her head on the table, she began to cry as sadness overcame her spirit. She did not want to deceive him as she did indeed care for him deeply.
She was addled as she knew acting on her feelings would be exactly what Baltazaar wanted and despite the graveness of the situation and the war that was coming, the only side she wanted Elias to choose was hers.
Elias's feelings were vaguely hurt by not only Emma's words, but the venom that they were spewed with. She had been this way from the very beginning but he had fooled himself into thinking they had passed that stage.
After his run in with Zelda, he had returned to the castle that night and stole a silver pitcher from the kitchen to create the necklace. He took a few of the gems from Genevieve's necklace and carefully cut and carve them using the artillery in the castle's workshop.
He was pleased, however, that despite the darkness accompanying his new life, he had still accomplished his dream of creating jewelry for royalty, even if they did not deserve it.
It was a difficult task but he got it done. He considered it to be mediocre work but his talent had aided him to pass it off as satisfactory. If anything, he was glad that he still remembered what to do.
As his wounds healed slowly, he decided to take Zelda up on her threat of entering 'her' woods. He wanted to see the werewolf they spoke of and ask him a few questions if possible.
The wind blew roughly in the morning while the birds chirped from their nests as Elias walked through the castle's woods. The sun peaked through the spaces between the leaves, annoying Elias as usual due to the uncomfortable feeling of it its rays on his skin.
It was not long before he reached the shack. There was no one standing guard and he could not smell anything strange around the vicinity. Elias found it bizzarre that he did not smell the foul, canine odor even though he was in close proximity to the shack lastnight and even more so, now.
Cautiously, Elias approached the bothy. As soon as he opened the door, the familiar malodorous smell attacked his nostrils. He quickly covered his nose as he closed the door behind him, his face twisted in disdain.
"Who the bloody hell are you?" A man's voiced sounded from behind Elias. He was kneeling on the floor with his hands chained above his head.
"The better question is...if you are the owner of this pungent stench?" Elias shot back as he looked at him.
The man who Elias assumed was Damien, had dirty blonde hair and a thick, bushy beard. He was barefoot and wearing a dirty, white linen shirt with shabby, brown trousers. His eyes were like green emeralds as he regarded Elias hesitantly.
"You do not exactly smell like a flower field either, young lad" the man retorted.
His use of the word 'young' reminded him of the nickname Odelina had given him.
"Damien, I presume" Elias said keeping his distance from the chained man as he looked around the shack.
A single window and a few openings in the shabbily built wooden shack allowed streams of light to pour into the room. There was no furniture, only the heavy metal chains around his wrists which were attached to the wall behind him. The shack must have been enchanted as everything about the interior and exterior looked flimsy. If Damien was as strong as the werewolf Elias fought, he should have been able to easily break free.
The fact that Elias could also enter without an invitation meant that the shack had no owner.
"It depends on who is asking" Damien responded.
"Eli of Grangewell is asking" Elias answered.
"Eli? Are you this vampire lad everyone has been going on about? How underwhelming" Damien provoked.
"You're quite funny for a dog in chains" Elias riposted.
Cocking his head back, Damien laughed heartily at his response.
"I like you already, Eli" he admitted.
"If that is so, then you shouldn't have a problem answering a few questions?" Elias asked, finally uncovering his nose. The smell was still putrid but he forced himself to bare it.
"Let's hear it" Damien said.
"Let's start by the reason you are chained?"
"They do not trust me. They believe I will run away. They are not necessarily wrong about that though" Damien shrugged.
"I overheard the witch and prince say they created you. How ?" Elias pressed him.
"I was a beggar in Odifell. Didn't have much to live for. The witch found me and asked if I wanted a better life and now here I am, chained in a bloody wooden shack" Damien said bitterly.
"You haven't answered the question" Elias said squinting at him.
"Oh, ugh.... They gave me something to drink. It smelled like horse shit but I drank it anyways. The witch chanted some gibberish and then I was keeled over coughing and choking after that. Then I was fine but something was different. My senses were sharper, especially my sense of smell. On the night of a full moon, all the bones in my body started to break. It was bloody painful. Next thing I know I'm a 8" foot tall werewolf, rabid and wild. The witch helped alot though. She made sure I didn't get too out of control" Damien finished.
"The witch.. what is she like?" Elias asked curiously.
"She is kind for the most part. You know they told me that I have to start mating soon? Bloody ridiculous if you asked me. I've never even touched a woman!" Damien said incredulously.
"You don't say.." Elias said lowly. "What are their plans for you?" He asked after.
"Build an army, fight a war. I don't know" Damien said disdainfully. "I just want to get out of this dreadful place and take a bath in the nearest river"
"Why are you so forthcoming with a stranger?" Elias asked curiously.
"It's lonely in the day time" he said sadly. "She's coming by the way"
"Who?" Elias asked but his question was answered by the door swinging open.
"Did I not tell you to never return? Didn't I say it clear enough?" Zelda asked as she waved her hand backwards, stepping aside from the entrance.
Elias flew backwards out of the shack, tumbling across the clearing and landing on his back.
He groaned as he quickly got up. He could practically hear Damien whincing.
"I forgot to mention that she can be a bit violent!" He shouted from inside of the shack.
"You vampires have always been stubborn" Zelda said shrewishly, stomping through the grass as she approached him.
Elias quickly sped over to her, catching her off guard as he knocked her backwards.
"It is the women who should be on their backs" he jeered her.
"You insolent blood sucker!"she shouted at him as she waved her hand again, sending him flying backwards into a tree.
Elias thought it to be unfair that she could toss him around so easily by just a flick of her wrist.
She brushed dry grass from her purple, velvet dress as she stood.
Using only her index and middle finger, she pointed them to the ground and said 'kneel' just as Odelina did. Elias dropped to his knees involuntarily, unable to stand due to her command.
Zelda could see the shock spread across his face as Elias became confused as to why she also had the ability to do this. He thought that Odelina could do it because she was his maker, not some random witch he had just met. He wondered if all witches had this ability and what he could do to combat it.
"Now that you are contained" Zelda said heaving a sigh, "Why did you come back?"
"I wanted to asked your prisoner some questions" Elias said truthfully.
"Ah! I see, and did you learn anything of value?" She queried.
"I did actually. Do you always take beggars from the streets and turn them into monsters?" Elias asked snidely.
Zelda let out a laugh, though it was obvious she did not find it funny. She retrieved a silver dagger from a garter hidden under her dress and waved it across his face.
"I wonder what would happen if I plunged this into your neck.." she said with wonder.
Elias became deathly stiff at the sight of the silver cutting tool. Just how much knowledge did she have on his kind? He thought.
"Not so funny now are you?" Zelda smiled.
"I will enjoying ravaging your body with my bare hands" Elias threatened.
"Ha!" Zelda sounded. "Stand" she commanded and Elias flew to his feet.
"Eli?" Baltazaar asked unbelievingly as he walked into the clearing, a handful of guards behind him.
As he approached the two of them, Zelda quickly sheathed her dagger.
"You too have already met I see" Baltazaar said nervously.
"So it seems" Elias answered. "Would you like to tell me why there is a werewolf being held against his will in that shack over there? or why there is a witch watching over him?" Elias asked.
"I will explain everything I promise, but first, I have a favor to ask of you...of both of you" he said looking between Elias and Zelda.
They both watched him with their eyebrows knitted together in confusion.
"Asphal is in danger. I need your help" Baltazaar said gravely.
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