Bleh. Sorry this is so late, I haven't been having fun in real life... sigh. Vote and comment if you like it!
Also, I've been working on sentence structure so tell me how everything reads, if its smooth, if the long sappy sentences work, etc. :) Thanks, I'm trying to get better at writing because let's just say it's not my strongest suit haha!
----------------------------------------
Chapter 6
"Oh, uh, Your Majesty, I was just leaving," a nervous servant girl said as Emma walked into her and David's bedroom. She had needed a break in the midst of all the dimplomatic nonsense that was surrounding the Vampire monarchs, so she had quietly dismissed herself from the lunch banquet early.
"No, no, stay," Emma smiled wanly at the girl, who seemed to be about the same age as her. "I need someone normal in the room for once."
She flopped down on a couch, closing her eyes. After a moment of silence, the sounds of rustling sheets started from the direction of her bed. The girl must have stayed after all. A small smile graced Emma's lips. She never had any friends among the servants; most servants were either timid or vindictive, focusing solely on climbing the social ladder.
Emma sat up, feeling slightly refreshed. "What's your name?" she asked. The servant girl turned around quickly to face Emma.
"Lara, Majesty," she stuttered. She reminded Emma so much of herself.
"Call me Emma," she murmured. "After all, I was a servant a few weeks ago too."
For the first time, Emma wondered what her life would be like at that moment if she hasn't met David. Probably miserable,just like it had been before. To support her invalid mother, Emma had to work herself to the bone, taking extra shifts, spending little to no money in herself, and quietly taking everything that was thrown her way.
Lara turned and gave Emma a small smile. "You're so lucky," she gushed. "You're the king's mate now; you don't have to work anymore."
"Yeah..." Emma said uncertainly. "I wish it was like that."
"Emma, Que--" David walked briskly into the room and abruptly stopped when he saw his queen and a servant talking to each other. "What's going on here? Was this servant bothering you, mate?"
He glared at Lara, who cowered under his gaze. "N-no, not at all, David," Emma tried her best to reassure her mate, but she wasn't sure it worked. "We were just talking."
"Leave," he ordered, making Lara scurry out, cleaning tools in hand. "You shouldn't associate with servants."
Anger rose in Emma. Lately she had been so angry and bold, like never before. "Why? Because I'm so much better than them?" she challenged, staring her mate down. "If you remember, I was just like her a few weeks ago! I'm supposed to be different?"
"Yes!" David snapped, letting his anger get the best of him as well. But of course, that was expected; David's temper often raged out of control. "You're the queen now!"
"Well, maybe I don't want to be one," Emma said, her voice rising.
David stared at his angry mate. She was so infuriating, yet sensitive. Her hair hung in wisps around her face, having come undone in her rage, her dress was wrinkled, her face was red, her eyes were narrowed unattractively, her stance was that of a fighter, yet she was still soft and fragile in his eyes -- she was still beautiful. He calmed down a bit, taking a deep breath. "You don't want to be queen? You don't want to be my mate?" he questioned. "I see now."
"No! That's not what I meant," Emma's eyes widened; she was scared David would leave her and she would have to go back to her miserable, mate-less life. Except now it would be worse -- she now knew the warmth and safety that having a mate brought, the rejection of a mate would kill her. "I-- I never asked for this."
"Well, it's what you got," David grumbled, then left. Emma sighed and sat heavily on the couch behind her, her dress probably becoming wrinkled beyond repair. She used to despise the noblewomen that had no regard for the work the servants had to do. Those women threw their clothes around on the floor and left disgusting things they didn't want to be seen in the corners for the servants to clean later.
"Gods," Emma groaned, putting her head in her hands. "I'm becoming one of them."
She needed to ground herself again. Emma had been in the clouds with her mate and new rulership, yet had failed to remain the down-to-earth person she had prided herself on being, no matter how miserable her existence. But she was so, so mad at David. How dare he leave, how dare he not understand? All she wanted was a mate, and she got David. Handsome, charismatic, misunderstood David. She thought she could change him, but was that possible? He was so stubborn.
But her very being pulled her to stay, try again. And again and again until he finally caved. He was her mate; sure there will be struggles along the way, but what is love without conflict?
A whole bunch of conflict, Emma scoffed. All they were doing to each other so far was hurt, hurt, hurt. And when they weren't hurting each other, they were tiptoeing around, trying with all their might not to ignite the spark that led to things like this. Was it worth it? Emma knew she needed to find the answer to that damned question.
If she gave up and left, both she and David would become shells of themselves, mere shadows where great potential once lay. With the upcoming invasion and all the tribulations with the vampire monarchs, Emma knew that David could afford no weakness.
But if she persevered and stayed, she would be a wreck. So would David. They were only held together by the mate attraction. There was no real love beyond maybe lust. And that lust hadn't even been enough to mate them physically -- they had never completed the mating ritual. Emma had never been coronated, she had never been properly introduced to anyone. She was a stranger, a mere shadow that simply followed David and tried to fill the shoes of a true queen. But her feet were too small.
With a heavy heart, Emma came to a decision.
She walked to the balcony and flew away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 7
Emma flew for hours, not especially caring where she went. She purposefully avoided her mother's house, not wanting to be in the awkward position of having to tell her mother how she ran away from her mate, her one true love...
Tired and weary, she started to descend, trying to find a place to sleep. Looking around, she knew she was in a relatively safe location near the border between the shifter kingdom and the Fae kingdom. Choosing a thick oak tree which would provide plenty of overhead shelter, Emma folded her russet wings into her sides, shuffling on her talons as she settled. Perhaps, given her less than comfortable situation, it would be better to remain a hawk.
Just as Emma was about to close her eyes, she heard leaves rustling nearby and muttered curses. No shifter or Fae moved with that much sound in a forest; the more noice you make, the more attention you draw to yourself.
"God, this mission sucks," two men emerged from a thorn bush to stand under the tree Emma was in. "We get stuck in the middle of nowhere, off the grid, and those fat pigs in communications get all the ladies and all the food. I hate this."
"Whatever, it's your fault for failing that test. And shut up. You never know when one of those freaks is going to show up," the other whispered, glancing around nervously. The other man laughed and slapped his companion's shoulder roughly, making him stumble forward.
Emma was inwardly freaking out, hoping that none of them would look up. Even though she was in an unassuming hawk form, who knew what these humans were doing to all of the animals in case they were shifters. Best case scenario, Emma got roughed up, but worst case scenario, she got killed -- painfully.
"Ha, you're scared of those things?" the brash man snorted. "Don't worry, we've got our guns."
The nervous one was unconvinced as the man patted the nozzle of his metal weapon. "Whatever," he muttered. "Let's just finish this and get back to the army base."
"Right," the other man replied. "The sooner we get this done, the sooner we kill those suckers, and the sooner we get home..."
The voices trailed off as the men disappeared into the brush. Emma debated her next course of action. It seemed that their mission was pretty important, but she also needed to find their army base soon. She couldn't do both. Adrenaline raced through her veins as she grew panicked.
No, now is not the time for the spineless person you are, she chided herself. She looked at where the men had disappeared. Considering they were tryin to get through thick brambles and thorns, they would not finish their mission soon. She had to find the headquarters.
With a powerful pump of her wings, Emma was aloft. She changed form in midair, becoming a small but fast and unassuming swallow. Her aerodynamic wigs pumped harder than ever before and her eyes darted to take in her surroundings, looking for any sign of humans.
There. A flash of unnatural shine in the forest below. Emma circled downwards, going below the canopy of leaves created by the trees. The tents nestled below large trees and the camp hummed with activity. There were so many. Dread filled Emma's stomach as she strained to see where the camp ended, but saw no end to the tents.
"General Rosati!" a young man ran towards a man decorated with medals. He must be the one in charge of the army.
"Yes?" the general turned.
"The cannons are ready for use and orders from the Capitol are that we attack by the end of the month, Sir," the young messenger relayed. "Also, Commander Peterson requests your counsel in the war tent."
"Good, good," the general mused. Emma saw his lips move but nothing processed as what she had just heard sunk in. The humans would attack by the end of the month. That was in less than two weeks.
I have to warn everyone, Emma thought. But one thing held her back. Going back meant facing David. By now he probably knew of her disappearance. He would be so angry. Emma winced. She would possibly be saving lives by returning, so that was what she would do. Resolved, she flew up into the sky and back west, towards the castle.
----------------------------------------
Sorry it's kinda short, but I hope it's worth a vote, yes? Emma's growing a spine