Realizations

Five hours pass as Isolde feeds on the death marked prisoners brought to her quarters. The first one was brought to her by the graces of her friend Maleth. She demanded the following two. Muffled yelps and gagging gurgles echoed throughout the hall that held her room. Anyone within earshot, mainly the patrolling guards, knew well enough not to interrupt her or listen in.

Isolde, looking down at her latest victim’s lifeless body, reaches for linen wrappings and begins to wrap the body. The death marked prison was a female half elf. She didn’t know why this woman was sentence to death but based on the scaring on her face and arms; it gave her the impression that she was a hunter of a sort, or potentially one of the many thieves in the city's underbelly.

As her wrapping reaches up to the woman’s chest, Isolde couldn’t help but feel a tinge of shame, or maybe regret. The hunger that Isolde had researched and investigated about couldn’t touch the actual experience she had felt. Only after she had drained the third prisoner did she feel satisfied, and the hunger recede. Such a primal feeling, and to be blinded by it, was not how she normally functions. She was cool, calculated, and if needed deadly. But feral; that was something she was unfamiliar with, and it was something that she finally realized was dangerous.

After wrapping the last bit of the linen around the woman’s head, she gets up and turns her attention back to the box of four vials the queen had sent to her room. “So, the queen wants a bit of my blood for science. I wonder what for.”

Pulling, then lifting the empty vial closer to her gaze, she tilts her head and ponders what the queen’s scientists could possibly find that she hadn’t found out already. It then dawns on her that perhaps this is yet another test for her. One way or another, she was loyal to her queen, and she had no plans on disproving that idea.

Biting down onto her wrist, she brings the first vial and fills it up. After securing the cork to the opening of the vial, she looks over to her wrist and watches her wound heal over – stopping the flow of blood.

“Well, this is going to be annoying to do.”

The next few minutes pass by as she grabs a new vial, re-bites her wrist, and fills up the vial. Once she filled up each vial, she turned her attention to cleaning herself up and put on her evening attire for her dinner with the queen.

. . . . .

Dressed in a simple, white dress gown that barely dragged on the ground, Isolde opens the door to the dining hall and enters the room. At first glance, she didn’t see anyone in the room. The table, however, was cleaned of exotic foods she saw earlier and was simply set for two individuals – one set on the end of the table, another just on the left side of it. In between both prepared sets on the table was a vase filled with marigold flowers – her personal favorite.

As she sits down at her place beside the head of the table, the Queen enters from the doors opposite of where she came from. The Queen, wearing a similar, royal blue with golden trimmings gown, puts on a smile upon seeing Isolde seated at the table.

“Ah, Isolde. I hope you have not been waiting long.”

Smiling back at her, “No my Queen. I have only just arrived.” She then pulls out the box the queen gave her and places it on the table. “I have also brought your request with me.”

“Good.” She takes her seat at the head of the table and slides the box to her. “I am certain you are curious about this request I gave you.”

“I am, but only if I am worthy of knowing.”

“My dear Isolde, you are very worthy. I do apologize if my deception caused you any distress. While I do admit I was angry when Maleth brought news to me of what you were doing, your time away allowed me to have a certain… clarity of the situation.”

“Did Maleth know of this deception?”

“No. Maleth, while having your back, is very much uncomfortable with this whole thing. He fears what you are.”

A sly smile grows on Isolde’s face – partially showing her fangs. “Interesting.” She then looks to the Queen. “Do you fear what I am?”

The Queen just matches Isolde’s smile. “Perhaps a little, but for the most part, I see the potential of what you are. Once more, after seeing your innate abilities earlier today, it is something I want.”

The smile that Isolde had fades from her expression. “My Queen, vampirism… is not something to take lightly. There are sacrifices that must be made. There is also the potential of dying in the process of turning.”

“I… understand.” Silence falls between them as she takes a moment to mull over the risks. She then pulls a single marigold from the vase to inhale its fragrance. “This war… it has gone too long. Too many have died and there is no sight of one side bettering the other. Vampirism, may be the very thing we need to turn the tide.”

“If you truly wish it, my Queen, I will turn you, but what of the others? Will they not suspect that I enchanted you or forced this on you?”

“Maybe, but no one will question it after I address it. I do not plan on this to be permanent, however. That is what these vials are for. I want my scientists to research a way to cure vampirism.”

“And if there is no way?”

“Then I will be cursed to damnation until I die.” The Queen said without hesitating.

Isolde nods, then pulls a flower out as well and smells its scent. “This will make us sisters then, based on the vampire’s beliefs.”

“I like that belief.” The Queen said as she gets up from the table. “I have already made it aware to my advisors that I will be indisposed these next few days so I can recover. Also, because I may die, I will write a letter exonerating you from any direct involvement in this matter. You should not have to suffer any consequences from all of this.”

Isolde nods once again and gets up from her chair. “Shall we retire to someplace more comfortable then?”