The Royal Quest

CHAPTER 20. Memories of Amaia

“Open your eyes.” Massimo whispered, looking down as he smiled at the lady who was still glued to his body.

Dahlia slowly moves her eyelids while her feet are trying to feel what’s underneath them.

However, the moment she opened her eyes, she hardly gasped while her heart pounded loudly and gripped onto Massimo's body even tighter.

“I know I’m huggable but this is too much, Your Highness.” The vampire teased her with a mocking laugh.

“Put me down this instant, you crazy blood sucker!” Dahlia angrily demanded, but still didn’t withdraw her arms around him and buried her face on his chest to avoid seeing the dangerous spot above a giant tree.

“Coward,” Massimo whispered.

“I’m not a coward!” Dahlia looked up and hissed at him, but the man just smiled at her.

“Then give it a shot, move your eyes and look around you.” He said as he started taking off her arms around him.

“What if I fall? Don’t let me go.” She begged nervously.

“I won’t.” He responded as he kept her hands in his.

Dahlia stepped backwards slowly without letting go of the vampire’s hands until her back touched the enormous trunk and she blew a heavy breath, releasing the tension she had. She closes her eyes again while trying to calm herself.

“You really are trying to kill me, aren’t you?” She asked while her eyes started to roam around the view.

“Wow.” She was amazed and that brought satisfaction to the vampire.

The brightness of the moon was scattered all over, groups of tiny stars were twinkling in the dark sky while the cold breeze touched her skin and blew her hair. She smiled.

“I feel like watching the entire world from above here. This is higher than the tower we have in the palace. This is amazing.” She commented drammatically while her smile never left her face.

Massimo felt glad that he hadn't disappointed the princess, except for the first few minutes, but everything seemed to be fine after all.

After savoring the view, Dahlia suddenly remembers the reason why she is looking for the vampire.

“Moss,” She asked for his attention while descending her body to sit down, making sure she won't fall.

The vampire didn’t speak as he waited for her next words.

“I was actually looking for you.” She confessed.

“Do you need anything? Or your curious brain starts to shake again.” He playfully answered, but Dahlia kept her serious expression.

“I was bothered about what happened earlier during our dinner when I showed you my blessed crucifix. I didn’t mean any harm, I just wanted to tease you. But it seems it didn’t affect you? Why?” She asked worriedly.

Massimo sat beside her.

“Can you show it to me again?” He asked.

The lady nodded and fumbled at her neck and pulled out the necklace, handing it forward to the vampire. Massimo smiled and looked into her eyes.

“If you thought that you could hurt a vampire just by showing it, then you’re wrong.” He confessed and moved his hand, picking up the pendant from her palm.

“But if the blessed crucifix touches a vampire’s skin.” Stretching his hand forward, showing the lady what its effect on him.

“It burns.”

Dahlia gasped, covering her mouth, seeing how his skin sizzled and gradually melted by it. She became terrified and abruptly took it from him. Breathing heavily.

“I’m sorry.” She apologized.

“It’s alright, It’ll just heal by itself later.” He said.

“Right, “ remembering his now healed burned skin on his face, and she looked down, twirling the crucifix with her fingers.

“It’s been days since I ran away from the castle to save my pride and now I don’t know if I should continue this mad adventure that I started. I can already feel my defeat, especially learning some facts about how powerful a vampire can be. If it wasn’t because of you, the kingdom might have been mourning me and my friends, and Jamie, I couldn’t forgive myself if something bad happened to them because of me.” She let out with her shaky voice.

“Then why don’t you just give up and go back to your kingdom? Traveling to the north is a very dangerous path, especially with your blood, just a tiny drop of it, then every vampire in the dark corner would go crazy just to find your location, Dahlia.”

“Wait what? What do you mean?” Dahlia asked confusingly.

Massimo sighed before he continued.

“Most people have a similar scent of blood, it smells like iron,” he explained.

“Yours is different,” he added in an almost whispering voice.

“Sweet?” Dahlia interrupted, trying to guess.

“Like apples, a whole orchard of apples. That’s how strong it is for us.”

Dahlia swallowed hard and was confused if she would believe what he is saying.

“Not just that, it gives us a weird feeling but good.” He said, smiling, reminiscing about how it feels whenever his beloved Amaia feeds him with her blood.

“I never thought that there was someone else who possessed this kind of scent. I thought it was only Amaia till I found you.”

“Amaia? Who is she? Your wife?” Dahlia asked.

“No. We’re not married. Didn’t get the chance until I lost her.” He responded and took out the golden locket from his pocket.

“That’s the locket I saw in the river.” Dahlia recognized it.

“Yes, I accidentally dropped it when I was chasing another vampire. I didn’t even realize it was in the river until I saw you pick it up.” He explained and opened the locket to see the face of his love.

"She's a human?"

"She is. I met her during my darkest hours. She was still a little girl back then and witnessed everything but still chose to stay by my side. We took care of each other like an older brother and little sister, but one day our feelings developed into something amazing.” He dramatically said, looking up to the sky with a smile on his face, remembering the past with his first love.

*****

“Amaia, are you okay? Did I hurt you?” Massimo asked worriedly after their first mating.

“You didn’t, just tired.” Amaia responded, showing her forced sweet smile even though her body almost drained as Massimo lost his control over her.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered, kissing her hand while kneeling in front of the bed where Amaia faced, lying on her stomach with her exhausted body.

“Don’t apologize unless you regret it.”

“Kind of, not because we made love but because I lost my control and almost broke your body.”

“Silly.” Amaia chuckles with closed eyes while listening to his voice.

“I’m sorry.” He apologized again.

“I love you, Massimo.” She said before she finally succumbed to her slumber.

Though Amaia didn’t mind the physical pain, Massimo kept on blaming himself. After their first night, he took care of her, making sure that she was comfortable in every way and swore to himself to never drown himself too much with the desire, but always failed until he woke up one day when a sudden loud thud noise and saw Amaia on the floor.

“Amaia! Love, what happened?” He quickly attended to help her up.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine.” She denied but when she tried to stand on her feet again, she fell. Luckily, Massimo caught her and carried her back to the bed.

He swallowed hard, clenching his jaw after noticing the bruises around her body which she quickly hid with the robe. And without uttering further words, he suddenly disappeared in front of the lady.

“Massimo!” She called to him but didn’t get any response.

Amaia deeply sighed as she knew that the vampire felt bad again.

Hours passed but still no sign of the vampire around the castle. He didn’t show up until nighttime and the lady became more worried. She starts to shed tears while waiting for the king to return to her.

Amaia couldn’t stand another day or night waiting for him and so she decided to step out of the castle to find him, carrying a silver sword for her protection.

“Massimo!” She shouted loudly, checking every shadow she passed through along the woods. However, after hours of searching, she failed to see him.

“I will not let another day pass again without you,” Amaia seriously muttered, and pulled out the silver sword. Hesitation makes her hands shiver, but she is still determined to bring Massimo back to her. And with her shaky hands, she sliced her palm.

“Come back.” She whispered as she winced in pain, letting her blood drop on the ground and continue her search again.

Amaia feels wary and decides to take a rest under a tree, not minding her still exposed blood on her palm.

“I can strongly smell it around here!” suddenly she heard someone’s voice getting closer to her spot.

Amaia immediately jumped out of the shadow and stood in the sunlight clutching her swords tightly with both hands, including the wounded one. Just a few seconds later, two vampires appeared on the spot she came from sniffing around like a hungry animal while the other licked the grass with the drop of her blood on it. She suddenly felt terrified as her feet unconsciously stepped backwards.

“So, look what we have here?” One of the vampires noticed her standing under the sun.

“Your blood smells like a feast, young lady.” he commented, looking viciously as he licked the side of his mouth.

“Don’t you dare take another step.” She bravely warned the vampire, holding her sword forward. But both of them just laughed wickedly.

“Scary,” they mocked her.

“You see that thick cloud?” the one asked, looking up in the sky, but Dahlia kept her posture as she didn't want to let her guard off.

“If I were you, human. I should start running away until I have time before it covers the sun.” He added, and suddenly a rustling sound appeared from the bushes. Amaia thought it was her king but another awful creatures.

“So it seems it wasn’t only us who was interested in the meal today.”

Slowly, Amaia’s braveness gradually faded as her hand descended.She finally looked up at the sky and confirmed the moving cloud towards the sun and it was almost there.

“Massimo, where are you?” She whispered with her shaky lips and turned as she rapidly strode away from the dangerous immortals that surrounded her.

However, it didn’t last long when the giant shadow started to scatter all over the place. Amaia heard the laugher behind her as she continued to run, but her chance to live was cut off early when she tripped on a rock and stumbled on the ground.

“No.” She muttered while her eyes started to tear up.

She tried to quickly get up from the ground, but when she turned her eyes widened when one of the vampires impatiently jumped towards her. However, before he landed on the lady, the vampire was hardly kicked by Massimo to the side, which made him roll over to the ground.

But the eager vampires didn’t stop there and attacked Massimo to claim Amaia’s blood. The lady was left frozen on the ground, feeling agitated while watching everyone trying to beat the King.

“Your Majesty,” Amaia whispered as her tears streamed heavily down her face.

“Get the lady!” one cried and suddenly a fast-moving creature tried to sneak in, but the mad Vampire King did not let a single touch reach her.

Amaia once again witnesses the image of Massimo’s dark side and the memories of her childhood flashback. Grunts and screams engulf the middle of the forest, streams of blood start to form on the ground. Another destruction for Massimo’s true being.

“Stop,” She said, but a lump in her throat blocked her voice.

“Massimo,” She once again called to him as she tried to get up, but the man was in his savage form and didn't hear her.

Slowly, she steps towards Massimo, crying. Begging for him to stop. And the battle only stops when the shadow disappears and the sunlight takes over the place again. Everyone jumps away and hides under the shadows, but some that are unable to move start steaming, burning under the sun, including Massimo, who is still standing, gasping heavily, not minding his skin that starts to create smoke. Amaia immediately ran in front of him.

“Massimo!” She again called to him, but the man was still deaf to her callings. His eyes were dark, longer and sharper fangs were visible. Anger is still in his system, hungry for more brawls.

“Please, you need to get away from here.” Amaia begged, crying hard.

But when Massimo still didn’t move from his spot, Amaia embraced him, crying hard on his chest.

“Please return to me, love.”