The Vampire King's Mortal Mate

Sons of Olta

Riding in carriages had never been an activity Elias enjoyed. He preferred the freedom that came with riding on horseback, the breeze hitting his face and the endless struggle to subdue the horse's urges to strike out on it's own. That was how a real man traveled.

However, that wasn't something he could do on this occasion as he was traveling with his son and his wife. He may have done so with his son but his wife, the Lady Meryl hated horses and wouldn't be talked into riding on horseback unless it was totally unavoidable.

He looked out the window at the terrain as they traveled, amazed at just how much Malfrost had changed since the last time they were here. The prosperity that King Hogan's reign had brought had dwarfed that of any preceding regime if his memory served him right.

Olta, one of the most prosperous commercial cities in the north was among those who had found his reign amongst other things, most beneficial. Given it's proximity to Malfrost, Olta enjoyed strong political and military ties with the Malfrost court and as such, trading licenses and protection from the crown was obtained quite easily by Elias.

The other dukes envied his position at Olta and he knew this. Bribes and extravagant gifts had been given in secret to sway king Hogan to uninstall him as the duke of Olta in favor of someone else.

He remained uncertain as to what the king's position was on the issue, so when the king had approached him with the proposition of a marriage between their children, he was all too happy and eager to put the cogs in motion for the desired outcome to be achieved.

He pulled his gaze away from the window and cast it at his son. He had expected the boy to be more pro-active in wooing the princess but he had fallen quite short of expectations. This disappointed Elias greatly. To be fair to the young lad, the princess was a hard nut to crack and was the major opposition that stood in the way of the arranged union.

Elias knew how much King Hogan loved his daughter and wouldn't do much when it displeased her, so he felt that the onus was on his son to convince the princess Leah that he would be worthy of her companionship, and as far as he was concerned, the boy had failed in that regard.

He looked out the window one more time, as if to escape the disappointment that gazing at his son had brought. There were a lot more roadblocks on the King's road to Malfrost than there were several moons back. The increase in military presence serving to ensure that no unwanted elements would be present at the feast.

For many who were attending, the feast was to be an ordinary one, a celebration of another year of prosperity and good health since the bloodshed wreaked by the blood wars but for the sacred order of the brotherhood of the northern shield, it was a solemn affair.

A deep feeling of foreboding washed over him as the carriages rocked, the brotherhood was seldom summoned for affairs as inconsequential as a celebratory feast. The excitement that had accompanied the summon to the feast had promptly paled when it's sealed counterpart was delivered in discretion, a call for the assembly of the brotherhood.

He shook his head in an attempt to unburden his mind from the army of thoughts that laid siege on it.

"Father, are you alright", Rodric asked.

He had been observing his father for a while and could tell that between the constant gazing out of the carriage and the sudden shake of his head, he was deep in thought.

" If you really cared about my well being, you would have planted your seed in Leah's belly ", snapped Elias.

Rodric was taken aback by his father's angry response and looked at the floor of the carriage in shame, he had no desire to continue this conversation as he knew exactly how it was going to end.

" Elias, you must be kinder to the boy", rebuked Meryl.

Elias' wife was an easy going, cheerful woman who never took issues too seriously, an attribute that Elias didn't take too well to, as it often resulted in her pampering of their son in cases when a firmer approach was indeed required.

However Elias respected his wife very much and took her opinions seriously. This wasn't one of such occasions.

"I grow weary of your pampering of our boy, Meryl. Surely, if he had any hair on his balls, the princess Leah would have been gracing our courts, a wife and lady of Olta", retorted Elias. He spared no emotion in expressing his dissatisfaction with his son's approach to wooing the princess.

His harsh response earned a gasp from his wife. She hardened her face in anger and looked away, throwing her gaze out the opposite window determined to avoid his gaze and deny him the opportunity of engaging hers.

Rodric had been the subject of several disagreements between his parents with his mother tending to agree with his soft approach to matters of this nature. The continued insinuation by his father that this disposition of his meant a lack of manliness and responsibility wasn't all that compelling to force a change from him, he felt comfortable handling things his way.

Despite the fact that he disagreed with his father's view of things, he seldom raised a voice to vocally challenge them, as he was aware how unwise that would be. His father was a strict man, unyielding in character and never hesitant in sanctioning disobedience to his commands.

If anyone harbored any disagreement to his methods, none expressed it, in fear of his immediate sanctions. He kept his head bowed, gazing towards his floor as he felt his father's eyes roam over him critically searching for any signs of rebellion. He seemed to have found none as he looked away, finding contentment in gazing out through the window once more.

Elias was mostly pleased that the soldiers mounted on the King's road hadn't interfered with his carriage once they had been shown the pass that accompanied the discrete invitation he had received from the brotherhood. It reminded him of his importance to the capital and how valuable his alliance was to Malfrost.

His heart was gladdened by the thoughts, distracting him from the angry exchange between him and members of his family. He thought about reaching out and apologising to Meryl but decided against it. He decided that the least amount of weakness shown in the presence of his son, the better.

He was trying to get the boy to claim what was rightfully his and not bend to the whims of a woman. He knew that earning Annabelle's forgiveness much later would be a costly endeavor but decided that if his actions would spur Rodric to toughen up and do the needful for the sake of the family, it would be worth it.

The frequency at which they had been stopped by the soldiers at the roadblocks had decreased drastically since the last roadblock he had seen. It seemed they were now closer to the capital than he thought. He thought about the rich wine of the capital and other less modest guilty pleasures that Malfrost had to offer and his anticipation to arrive at the courts of Malfrost grew.

Elias felt the carriage slow and peered out the window to investigate. They had reached the gates of Malfrost and the soldiers were currently inspecting their pass before allowing them entry. The soldiers exchanged glances immediately they laid eyes on the summon from the brotherhood which was presented to them with the pass.

They hurriedly handed the documents back to the carriage driver and standing aside, they allowed the carriage to pass. Elias adjusted the curtain adequately to shield the insides of the carriage from the wandering eyes of both civilians and soldiers alike.

Their entry into the town had met the buzz and rowdiness which usually characterized Malfrost. Several scents and noises made their way into the carriage as they traveled into the city towards the palace grounds. Hogan had taken him to a brothel the last time he had come here.

A pang of guilt tugged at his heart as he remembered the beautiful girls who had come running out with firm breasts and eager eyes. He stole a look at his queen, the gravity of his thoughts weighing so much on him that he suspected someone else could see what he was thinking.

Meryl hadn't forgiven him for his outburst earlier just yet and still frowned her face in contempt of him and his unbridled tongue. It was things like this that made him wish he had come to the capital unaccompanied, but a noble like himself showing up to a feast unaccompanied by his family would set tongues wagging.

He certainly couldn't risk soiling his reputation as that was all he had for now, until Rodric found the courage to woo Leah properly of course. There was no real power in being a duke, there were too many dukes in the north and that made the title feel somewhat ordinary to him.

The carriage had slowed once more. It seemed they were entering the palace gates. They had approached the city through the west gates which had more proximity to the castle and Elias was thankful for that as he couldn't stand riding through the city of Malfrost for an hour or two depending on how busy the roads were and be assaulted by all the scents and sounds the city had to offer. He would surely end up with a headache by the time he would get to the castle.

He parted the curtains once more, confident that they were in company of more refined folk.

They had indeed reached the palace and he scanned the beautiful sight with his eyes, there was no grander structure in all of the north and across the Marug he would dare say. As he marveled once more at the magnificence of the royal buildings, he could make out a figure staring intently at him from one of the high chambers of the palace.

It was none other than queen Cilia. He immediately bowed in respect as soon as he had laid his eyes on her earning a reciprocatory nod from her as he raised his head.

He had seen enough. He pulled his gaze back into the carriage and glared at his son. He would give anything to recall the hands of time and father a son who at least had a spine, a living breathing representation of the sons of Olta.