Valentine

Chapter Seventeen - Elizabeth

Orion wasted no time getting me to the ceremony hall where I would be turned into a vampire. An urgent message was sent out across the coven that it was now or never and that if they wanted to attend, what Orion called, the birthing of a new queen, then they must be in the hall within the hour.

I watched from high above as they piled into the auditorium, one by one forcing themselves like sardines, waiting to watch the ceremony. I was afraid, discomfort rattled me to the core and for a moment I was blinded by what I agreed to; blinded by what I would become and the implications and impact that this would have on my life. A small passage that led from the palace to the auditorium is where we stood, myself and Orion, a shimmering glint in his eye that showed he was excited. There was no hesitation in him, none at all, which worried me. I was his first choice, from what I could make out of the situation and if this was so, then what if his judge of character was incorrect? What if, in his childish daydream of making his mother proud, he rushed to find a replacement that was no better than those who could have ruled.

I was young, young to the ways of men and even younger to the ways of the world. I had nothing in the way of truly ruling and there was nothing that would stand in my way of becoming vile and becoming a bane to these people, had I not kept myself pure. Purity, as I understood it, was never a strong point in the lines of vampires. Fiction, of course, was where I found my vast sources of information, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Vlad the Impaler and all his inspirations, hell, even in the Twilight series it seemed that they weren’t afraid to bare their fangs and slaughter whatever got in their way. I like to think that in this next life I would hold strong, noble and pure, but with a taste of power, I believed that I wouldn’t have the resolve to do so.

These thoughts rushed through my mind as I watched from on high, as those who would call me queen filled the room. This was a one in a lifetime spectacle after all, but then again, was it really? Without the fear and threat of death unless stupidity clouded their judgement, Vampires had no reason to fear not seeing the birthing of another queen. In the more vulnerable human state there was a persistence and hesitation that came with knowing you’d never see another king or queen take the throne, so flocking to the show would be something grand, but in an eternal life, there was ample chance to watch the next until it became boring and redundant. The threat of death did not loom over a vampire’s head the way it did mankind, not unless they were struck with the disease of their queen.

I wondered if it was contagious. If I too, would fall ill in a few hundred years, to a virus that I didn’t understand. Not that I was too worried. No matter what happened, I supposed I’d live a hundred years longer than I was meant to anyway, which was fine; giving me a prolonged life that gave me away out of the loop and insanity that mortality brought, but not so long that existence would become painful.

Leading me back through the tunnel system that brought us from the palace to the high up observatory, down towards the ceremonial stage, Orion began explaining, “The stage plays a significant role in our society. It’s where the major turning’s happen, those of notable worth that is. The queen or royal council give their addresses and decrees here too. You’ll learn to love the position, Elizabeth, I do assure you. You are judge, jury and executioner when you stand in front of these people.”

Orion truly believed that I was the one for this position. That I was deemed worthy of being queen and that I would succeed in my role as such, but with every step we took, I grew more nervous. I considered what I was leaving behind, a family that I grew to hate, but one that had always been there for me, a life outside, one that was filled with sunlight and smiles, joy and carefree attitudes; all things that I would not have down here. It would be ritual and ceremony, not breaking from order and continuing down a path of darkness. I was excited, but I was nervous. Trembling with every step, which only grew more and more dire as we reached the entrance to the stage.

When we came to the end of the tunnel, Orion stopped, turned to face me and even in the dark I could make out his beautiful eyes glimmering from whatever remnants of light showed, “You’ve got nothing to worry about, Elizabeth. There should be no problems and you’ll soon be our official queen.”

And I believed those words. There was nothing to worry about, not with him around. He was the prince among vampires, no matter what the society wanted him to be. He was the best man to stand in this position, giving me aid in my time of need, but still, I couldn’t help but think this was a mistake. A pit began growing in my stomach, a bile filled mass that wanted to heave its way to the surface. I swallowed it down.

And then I saw it, in the last moments that we would stand together with myself as human and Orion as my mentor, a twinkle of defiance burning in his beautiful eyes. One that showed he knew this was the right decision for the coven, but it was not the right one for himself. This all, was only enhanced by a hand that wrapped its way around my waist, pulling me closer. Our lips connected and for a moment, everything in the world stopped. My thoughts, the rushing endless droning making me believe that this was all a mistake, erased, the gnawing that I would someday turn cruel, gone, everything was bright and serendipitous. He broke the kiss, holding me close with defiant hands that would not release.

“I don’t think I’ll be getting another chance to do that once you’re queen, and I don’t think I would be able to go an eternity without wondering what a kiss from you felt like,” Orion whispered the words into my ear, the delicate emittance against the lobe making me shudder.

“Well, there’s no objections from me,” I replied and instantly regretted the decision. I could have said anything instead coming up with a line that meant nothing special. Hopefully somewhere in it, Orion found the humor.

“I apologize if I offended you,” Orion said, pulling away, knowing I gave no indication of offence. He took my hand in his one last time before releasing and facing the door that led into the ceremonial hall. It was now or never and we both knew it. Orion swung open the door, finding myself heaving steady breaths before I followed him through, onto a platform that hid behind grand curtains of red and gold, keeping us hidden from those that filled the auditorium.

Making our way down from the platform, the fears and doubts that plagued me slowly came back. Each one more gripping and fearsome than the last. My family, my friends, a life that I once knew was being thrown away for a grand escape that showed no true opportunity. I was alone now, even with Orion standing at my side, there was nothing that could console these thoughts. Not that there was any chance of turning back and running. That dream was gone the moment I agreed to being queen. Knowing that much frightened me, destroying all aspirations of hope that could have grown from deep within. I was alone in this journey.

Walking off the final step of the platform that led onto the stage felt like the hardest step I would ever take. My feet were glued to it, knowing that if I turned and ran now, I could make it. I could have my life, the way it was, without any interruption. I wouldn’t have made it out of the cave alive, let alone back home, but that wasn’t the point to it. It was spiritual, metaphysical and intangible. It was a beautiful daydream that brought solace as I stood there, looking down, knowing that once this last leap of faith was taken, I’d be sworn into the queenship for good.

Ever-swirling thoughts of friends, family and a life lost constantly rummaged to the surface, with Orion only gesturing that I move on. How could he know what I was going through? He was born and raised in this coven, he had no chance of knowing the ins and outs of life as we did. I took the final stride with great confidence, trying to show that there was nothing to fear, that Orion placed faith in the right girl and that I would do the position great, but deep in my mind, a niggling burrowed forward; self-doubt and cowardice were the true feelings that fluttered through me.

“That’s Meredith. She seldom ventures out of her own dwelling, but she’s one of the original founders of our coven. She’s going to be the one to turn you.” Orion stated, gesturing with a hand down the edge of the curtain to a young girl standing ready on the stage.

“Got it.” Admittedly, it was disappointing that Orion wouldn’t be the one to turn me. We shared a kiss, which was great, but to have him do the most intimate act a vampire could lay on a human would have been marvellous, maybe even giving me the strength to carry on down this road with my chin held high.

Walking further down the stage towards the edge of the curtain, Orion gestured that I continue on my own. The thick red curtain kept us both hidden from any and all that were behind, apart from Meredith, who waited patiently. I tried again at a kiss, or at the very least a kiss of good luck but with Meredith facing us, Orion pushed me away.

A world shattering realization that I was in this alone was all his turning away did. I felt the tears well in my eyes, a few slipping by as I took each step. Every time my foot raised and struck the floor I remembered the good times I spent with my family, my mother and father who gave me the best life within their means. How I once ran on the beach, running after my father towards the freezing cold ocean, chasing my mother through the forest while we played tag, and even Uncle Phil, tucking me in and giving me a kiss goodnight before the tumor took his life.

Today we are honoured with a new queen.” Meredith said over the crowd, “Elizabeth the First,” Meredith looked over to me. She couldn’t have been older than fifteen, well when she was turned anyway. Her young face, the soft features and kind eyes. Long blonde locks cascading down her shoulder and the small form. It was a peculiar thought, thinking that she was probably one of the most powerful vampires in here, if she was the one doing the transformation.

The soft echo of the old wood floor beneath my feet only enhancing the sombre atmosphere I felt, the raucous cheering from below didn’t even lighten the tension. I wanted to be numb, the way I could go when fighting with mom and dad, shouting and screaming obscenities and hurtful remarks would have stung them for days to come. That was where I should have been, but fate has a strange way of bringing up the darkness in your time of need. The thoughts of joy replaced with sorrow, their fears in losing their daughter, me never being able to see them again as they frantically search for their baby girl. Memories flooded my mind, each one more bitter than the last as I remembered every act of guilt free defiance I plagued them with until the last, my leaving home, running away with a vampire and never giving them an explanation. Were they worried? I’d run away before and they got used to the disappearing acts for days on end. Would they only realize I was truly gone after it was too late?

I almost hoped they would come to save me, but this too was an impossible dream.

Arriving at Meredith’s side felt like an eternity. Trapped in an endless cycle of negativity and doubt, but the young girls face showed nothing but support. It was odd, but a welcomed feeling in this situation. I looked over the crowd that was cheering not seconds ago, but had now fallen silent, dumbstruck and in awe to she who would be the new queen. Looking through the crowd, high above in a section all to herself, the queen of the vampires lay on what looked like an old hospital bed. She was there purely for ceremony, even from down here, I could see that there was nothing that she could do, to benefit this situation.

“With the queen’s ill tidings, it falls to me now that I bring the new ruler into the world of vampires,” Meredith began explaining, “The process is quite simple. I’m going to bite you, which will inject the serum that’s going to turn you, into your veins. You’re not going to feel any pain after the bite, your body will go into shock and it will all be over soon. Don’t fight it, however, if you do your last living moments will be absolutely excruciating and I believe we’d all prefer not to see that. There are children present, after all. Rather let the serum lull you to sleep, drift off to death and awake as though nothing happened, at which time you’ll be our new queen.”

Knowing that there was no going back was a hard reality to deal with. I wiped the tears from my eyes, standing tall, “I understand.”

At my acknowledgement of the terms, a young man ran out from behind the curtains with a chair in his hands, placed it beside Meredith and ran back behind the curtain. I didn’t know things would move this fast, not after I made mention that I was ready now. I thought I’d at least have another day or two, and now, not two hours later I was going to be turned. I understood the haste but it didn’t make any of this easier. I was nervous, I knew that Orion was too. If this didn’t go well, and from my understanding there must have been some chance that it wouldn’t necessarily go the way we planned, then it was back to the drawing board.

It was this that brought another realization. I’d been so focused, so worried about my mother and father, that I didn’t even get to think about myself. I was alone in a world I did not understand, giving up on everything I once knew, my mortality and my humanity and there was nothing I could do to walk away from it now. This thought brought on the numbness, the feeling I so desperately needed while I made my way out; a hollow emptiness that gave no meaning to life, love or hope.

My imagination began spiralling out of control. What if Orion was using me? What if he only tried to charm me into this position and then he was done with me?

The embrace we shared, only a moment of sympathy on his part, one to calm my nerves and solidify my position as the queen? I’ve never felt a rush so strong, but from everything I’d ever learned about vampires, they were never labelled as the kind to be honest, straightforward and sympathetic.

I hoped that it wasn’t so, that Orion wasn’t using me. But the seed of doubt had been spreading across my mind as I took the seat in front of the crowded auditorium. Soon I would be a vampire queen. Not that the title would benefit the thoughts, no doubt only enhancing them, I let the numb insecurities wash over me, waiting for Meredith to do what she was going to do.