Chapter 26: 25 – The Queen

After we heard the castle door close, I breathed a huge sigh of relief. 

"Fuck, that was tiring acting all formal and stereotypically queen-like. Honestly, though, it was kind of fun, too. Think we pulled it off, Navi?"

The fairy flies over to be in front of me. "What're you talking about? That was so awesome! Acting all pinky out was great! Your whole, whipping off your cloak and taking the crown from storage, was amazing too! I almost squealed at the big reveal. And definitely! I don't think there is a doubt in their mind that this is our home and they have to play by our rules."

She starts flying in figure eights before continuing. "Plus, Mr. Noble has always kept up his fancy face, but did you see them when they dropped? Like 'bam!' On a knee! Hahaha! He sure knows how to act in a hierarchy. Also, you are just so cute my sweet little Lala! My little princess! We really need to dress up more often!" The fairy goes to tackle her daughter. I just ignore them and turn to Ailine.

She looks at me hesitantly before saying, "Um… Lia…Did…Did you mean that... When you introduced me?"

In the spur of the moment, I didn't want to introduce Ailine as just my lover, or as a friend. 

She means so much more to me than that, and I wanted them to recognize that, so I introduced her as the queen consort. My wife, essentially.

I walk over to her. "Ailine. I'm sorry for doing that without discussing it first, but I wanted them to know you are more than just a friend or a lover to me.

"I don't know what weddings look like here in Erald, or if they even exist, but I want to spend our lives together. I will protect you, like you protect me. I will do everything I can to support you. And will always be by your side. I love you so very much. Therefore, if you'll have me, Ailine... Would you marry me?"

Saying this last line, I of course got down on a knee. Honestly, I'm just bumbling my way through this. Marriage was never important to me. I had Ailine, and she had me. When it was just us and the fairies, it never really mattered. However, if other people are going to be around? You damn well better believe they treat her fucking right.

Similar to the fairies, I get tackled.

Ailine kisses me deeply, then hugs me tight with her head on my shoulder with some tears coming out.

"Yes, Lia. Of course I will. I love you so much. I'll always be by your side and support you. So yes! Please marry me!" she shouts.

"I love you, Ailine." We just hold each other tight, not wanting to let go and enjoying feeling so close.

"Yay! Congratulations, you two!" Navi said.

"Congratulations, Aunt Lia and Aunt Ailine!" Lala claps for us.

I reach out to the only person I can think of that might know what to do next. (Navi! Quick! Give me the fucking synopsis on weddings here! What do I need to prepare or do?)

(Hahaha! Sure, sure you blind bat. Let's see. No big ceremonies. Usually dressing up in nicer than normal clothes, getting in front of the people they care about like family and friends, and declaring their love and that they're married. Churchies have their own thing that's much more involved, but I doubt you want that,) she replies, being helpful and not snarky for once.

(Last names?)

(Keep, take, or hyphenate. The [system] auto-updates to their wishes, like when you named yourself.)

Great, now we just have to plan a wedding.

"Ailine, would you like to be Ailine Midnight whenever we get married?"

"Yes! I just looked at my status. It's already there, and what do you mean 'when'? We just got married?" Her head tilts slightly as she looks at me.

So, wait... That's it?

"Then… Are we married now?" I asked.

More confusion on her face. "Yes? Is something wrong?"

(Hahahaha! That's what marriage is here, Vampy! A lot more lax than Earth,) Navi says.

For some reason this feels… incomplete? Anticlimactic? I don't know… it's just not satisfying.

"Nothing's wrong…" I start. "It's just that back on Earth, weddings were things that people spent months or even years planning. Then the wedding would come. They would spend a lot of money on a room or church and stand up front. They would wear wedding dresses, and exchange vows of love and rings in front of all of their friends and family.

"They would have an expensive photographer take pictures of the event and some of the guests. There would be a reception afterwards, where everyone would eat food that was way too expensive for what it was. And the guests would all congratulate the couple."

Ailine stared blankly at me for a moment. "Um, Lia? Besides rings, pictures, and food… didn't we just do all that?"

Wait a minute… fancy dress? Check. Love vows? Check. Friends and family? Check. Congratulations? Check… The fuck? 

Did I just get fucking married?

"Hahahaha! That's right!" Navi cackles. "You just did all that, Lia! Here, here. Give me four of those tiny rubies off your dress and a couple of those silver vampire coins."

Still a bit stunned and unsure about a two minute wedding, I plucked off the rubies, and from the big-bag we had behind the throne with all the fancy castle items and clothes Ailine has made or altered over the years, grabbed a couple of the coins.

Giving them to Navi, she uses her magic to pluck out small bits of silver and alter it to be a needle looking point and small prongs to hold the rubies securely. Within a minute, she was done.

"Come here you two crazy kids. Maybe this'll help, Lia. Neither of you wear rings with all the fighting we do. Even that fancy signet you only take out for teleporting. Here's a gift from me and something to replace rings. Now let me stab you with these earrings!"

Flying up to Ailine first, she pokes the small earrings through her earlobes and flattens the needle part to secure them on the back. Also healing the hole instantly with magic.

"Now your turn, Vamps." She then does the same to me.

"There. Matching earrings. One more thing."— She takes out a waterskin from her storage.—"I may or may not have killed a gryphon flying around once on one of my recon trips to the mountains pretty far north of here. I was saving this for a special vampire occasion, so might as well give it to you both now! Thought you might like some diversity one of these days."

"Aww, thank you, Navi! For the earrings and the blood." Ailine takes it and takes a drink before passing it to me. 

Is this like the cutting of the cake but for vampires? I take a drink as well. It's actually pretty tasty. I might need to hunt gryphons someday.

I look at the mischievous but caring fairy. "Thanks, Navi. I really appreciate it"

"No probs! Now get over to your room and enjoy your wedding night!" she said.

(Hey, new bride,) she said telepathically to me just afterwards. (I'll also make sure nobody runs, like you asked. If they were going to, it'd probably be tonight. Then I'll go wait for whatever search party comes.)

(Thanks, Navi. You have my memories, so I know you know how little I trust people as a whole.)

(Yup! Leave it to me! Though I think Ailine would be totally fine with it too. She has a touch of yandere in her after all.)

(I'll think about it.)

Taking my hand, Ailine leads me along back to our room. I guess besides pictures, we did everything for a wedding. Time for the wedding night.

I'm married now. Holly fuck, I'm married now.

Then why the fuck were Earth weddings so damn expensive and drawn out? I mean, we were essentially married before this, doing everything together and loving each other. Plus, it's not like we have to file taxes or anything.

Was this more like a courthouse wedding then? Just making it official with witnesses? Even so, it still feels a bit hollow. I'll enjoy it, but I still want to plan something for Ailine in the future. I'll have to plan some ideas on what to do to show her my love.

After a wonderful night together in our room, we ended up laying on some furs on the roof of the rebuilt north tower. Just laying there together looking up and watching the moon and stars as a few small clouds lazily drift across the sky. 

What a beautiful way to spend an evening. Taking a step back like this is nice, every once in a while. Before the sun rose, we went down the ladder and closed the hatch, making our way back downstairs. 

Now comes a balancing act. Over the past couple nights or while I was with these people, I thought a lot about what to do with them. That's part of the reason we put on that fucking regal act earlier. It really would be nice if these people outside act as citizens. They could make excellent shields. Not in a physical sense, but as an image.

Eventually, when we fuck up the church, there will be a day when the races interact again. Although, as with any racial line, there are going to be prejudiced people, people that hate us for killing a friend or family member, people that hate other races besides theirs, and so on. People suck. It's a fact.

Reading through the few diaries and other books in the library over the past few years, I was searching for how things got as bad as they did with the old vampires. They were obviously very powerful, but they ended up with the armies of the other three at their throats. Why? How? Yes the church, but come on. Armies aren't built in a day.

The answer I found in those books started putting pieces together. Or more like what I didn't find. Not a single reference of vampires living with the other races for any meaningful amount of time. They would just pass through places since they were up at night and didn't eat food. They never made an effort to mix with the others.

Before the church, the other races seemed to intermingle some. They still had their territories, but there was trade and other exchanges. This was backed up by what the gods told me. Except, not the vampires. At least not to a meaningful extent.

Honestly, the Abyssal Dungeon drops damn near everything someone needs to live. Even shit like floor seventeen trents dropping stacks of fucking paper.

What did the vampires seem to do? Become isolationists. No meaningful interaction. They also seemed to view time differently. What's a year when you've lived multiple centuries? Being nocturnal when everyone else is diurnal certainly didn't help them either. Essentially, blocking off the world gave the bastards a chance to plant fear. People don't like mysteries. They fear the unknown. Added to that, having a boogie man can unite people.

What did the vampires do? Ignore it. Treat it like it was nothing. They're raising armies? Let them come. That non-action and seemingly arrogant response to the races was by far the worst decision King Rory made that I could find.

If they were interacting, they could show they weren't monsters. Fight propaganda with actions and deeds. Show people, not just tell them or expect the masses to think for themselves. His arrogant decision led to their downfall. Planning for the future, we'll need spokespeople. People who can interact with the world and say, 'hey, vampires are nice.'  That's exactly what I want to use these people for. 

Is it Machiavellian? To a degree, yes. We are essentially a nation, although small, going to war and assassinating the leadership of a much larger nation. For better or for worse, I'm a queen and will eventually need to interact with the other races as a nation that should be respected. If a ruler isn't respected, those more greedy and cunning will walk over them.

Once this is over, like any nation that wins a war but has no intention of ruling the other's territory, we need to replace their leadership with people favorable to us. I need people on our side amongst them that can spread, 'you may have lost loved ones, but they were tricked by those evil leaders.' to keep people off our backs.

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Is it heartless or ruthless? Possibly. But I'll do anything to protect Ailine and the fairies. If that means manipulating the world, then so be it. If I have to channel my inner 'boss ass bitch that don't need no man,' then I'll play the role. Protecting those I care for is all I care about once we achieve our goal. Nothing else matters.

The people outside all seem to respect Elden quite a lot. I mean, they essentially defected from their country and left their homes to follow him to near certain death. He's also not a dumb noble. When we first met, he quickly understood the position he was in, and acted accordingly. He always addressed me as 'Lady' recognizing I am more, at that time, than a random person, but not sure where exactly I stood. 

Likewise, I never addressed him or James as anything but their full names. Not being too familiar or too formal, but also not addressing him with a title or showing any deference. He no doubt picked up on these social cues as well. Now, in front of the others, I will show familiarity but higher authority with how I address him, and he is in no position to show anything but respect and deference.

I can also take this one step further by bestowing him a title in front of everyone, that way everyone else sees us as working together, and me being the one to give power to him. Thereby solidifying the hierarchy in front of everyone.

I fucking hate politics. These games and posturing are stupid, and doing this makes me just feel dirty. That doesn't mean I don't know how to play the game, or that I won't be as cunning as I possibly can to secure our future. With his support, I have theirs. Without it, I don't. It seems the most important thing to him right now are his people. Thus, I'll use them. I'll take care of these people. Provide them with what they need to live, and be a magnanimous ruler for them. 

To be an effective ruler, I need to keep some distance. The most well-known line in The Prince is, 'It is better to be feared than to be loved, if one cannot be both.'

I will try to be both. Some people only respect power. Some people only respect kindness. For us to be successful in this, I need to be both. However, if I can't, then there needs to be a hint of fear. Hence the show at the gate with Talon. Yes, I'm strong enough to erase the church soldiers chasing you and have a hippogryph friendly with me, but kind enough to give you supplies, heal your wounds, and provide you a home.

In life, the power of friendship doesn't make for a stable political structure. I'm misanthropic of the masses. Always have been, always will be. It takes a lot for me to trust people as a whole. This is where building the image we need continues, and will be a large step.

As the sun rises, we finish loading a big-bag with everything the new citizens would need. I had Ailine gather most of this over the last day. We also bring one of the belt pouches. It'll be a welcome gift for Elden and a small show of trust. I'm just glad that the Abyssal Dungeon essentially drops anything and everything someone of any race could need. 

Wearing our shadow cloaks over our leathers, and carrying the bags, we're almost ready to go. Before we went out, I put on my sword belt with Seren on it. Lala will also be joining us, and is in a light green sundress today. After explaining to them what I was roughly planning to say, they both agreed to follow my lead.

I look at Ailine and Lala. "You both ready to go?"

"Yes, Lia."

"Yes, Aunt Lia!"

"Thank you, Ailine, for letting me use your history like this. I'm sorry about wanting to use your experiences."

She just smiles at me. "Of course. If it means we'll have less potential issues with them, then it should be done."

Giving my new wife one final kiss, we began walking out of the castle and to the clearing we made for the people. Navi was out watching for search parties, thus,  we had 'Princess Lala' as the fairy representative.

Navi and I talked briefly about it, and decided that since we both had to keep our regal appearance as queens in front of these people, that Lala would make a great softhearted princess to balance us.

Regardless of the world, society as a whole tends to react positively to cute and kind girls. Lala's normal state matches that. Plus, with her staying here to watch over the garden and being awake all day, she'll most likely be their main point of contact for the royalty.

(Elden, has everyone gathered? Did you talk to them about our discussion yesterday?) I asked.

(Yes, Queen Midnight. I told them briefly about you and what you ask of them, and about the fairy race. Most seem content, but there are a few who may have some apprehensions.)

(That's to be expected. They have never met vampires before. We will be there shortly with all the supplies and provisions they could need.)

(We await your arrival.)

Assuming he softened the news to me since he doesn't know how I would react, most likely the majority are apprehensive or flat out scared. Well, Rome wasn't built in a day, but can hopefully be built faster with food and equipment.

Finally arriving at the clearing, just looking at the faces, I can tell I was right. Many questions and a touch of fear. Let's start the show and let the curtain rise on Magnanimous Vampire Queen.

"Hello everyone. Now that we are all here, safely, I hope that you will come to enjoy your new home as much as we do. First, let me do a couple brief introductions. As you know, I am Dalia Midnight. What you may have heard from Elden recently is also true. I am the Queen of the Vampires. 

"Let me assure you, that just like the church and Empire turned on you, they also lied about my race. Yes, we drink blood. Monster blood. We do not attack people like beasts, and besides our diet and that we live our lives at night, our race is no different than yours."

Purposefully pausing a moment to let it sink in, some faces are softening slightly. Good.

"With me today is my wife, Queen Consort Ailine Midnight, and Princess Lala Nikita of the fairy race."

With curtsies and a big smile from Lala as she floats next to Ailine, I continue.

"As you may have heard, I would like for everyone here to become my citizens, and build lives together within these walls. What I ask from you in return is merely to recognize that the church, that so many of you have put your faith in, has abandoned you.

"You, who did nothing wrong. Who merely wanted to live in peace. Were branded as heretics at the convenience of the church. Because you saw what they truly were. You peeked behind their curtains, and were hunted for it.

"Let me say one thing. My wife, Ailine, was not always a vampire. No, she was born a human, and went to church with her family. Her village was attacked by bandits hired by the church, just like you. Afterwards, when only the women were left, they were imprisoned underneath a church for years.

"My dear Ailine was tortured, raped, and starved for years as her other village women died one by one. Unimaginable things were done to her by the head priest, holy knights, and other priests. All the while as the priests brought in new women to the cellar below the church. Until the day she was finally sold to slave traders and I found her, beaten, disfigured, and on the verge of death.

"This is the true face of the church. This is what may have happened to you. When you visited the churches in the cities, there was a chance that in the cellar were those like Ailine.

"Changing into a vampire isn't as easy as that church wants you to believe. It requires both parties to want the change. Also, it can heal them. All of Ailine's injuries from torture. The broken bones. Cut ankle tendons. Mangled fingers. Cut off ear. They all healed, and allowed her to be with me today.

Another pause. Faces of disbelief, revulsion, even a few tears. Complete shock on the faces of Elden, Realyn, and James, as they saw Ailine's beautiful form last night. I'm not sure if the bandits were hired by the church, or if the people that last had her were slave traders. However, those half-truths would be more convincing for these people, and I doubt they're that far off the mark.

(I love you, Ailine. So much. Thank you for surviving all that time to make your way to me.)

(I love you too, Lia,)

Now in a lower and more somber tone, I keep going.

"I don't ask you to worship the God of Order and the Goddess of Chaos. No. All I ask is that you look at the church that created a fake god in order to control you, and ask yourself if an organization that treats its people like that is something you want to be a part of."

Quick pause, done stoking the fires.

"If you are willing to leave murderers and rapists, then you are welcome here in our home. To begin building a life here in the safety of these walls, we have brought you all of the supplies and provisions you would need. 

"Before that, there is something I would like to do. Elden Whitewater, would you kneel before me?"

"Yes, Queen Midnight."

Taken a bit by surprise, he comes over and kneels like I asked. I unsheathe Seren, who shines brilliantly in the morning sun, showing off its unique blade color and pattern along with its beautiful cross guard. 

"Elden Whitewater. Do you forsake any and all titles, rights, and land you held under the Empire? Do you forsake the church of a false god? Do you swear to show loyalty to myself and the Fairy Queen Navi Nikita? Do you swear to always stand up for, provide for, and protect the citizens within these walls? Regardless of race, status, or national origin?"

With me really giving him no choice to say anything else, he answers the only way he can.

"I swear it."

With those words, a large first step to securing our future has been taken. Gently tapping his shoulders with Seren, I continue.

"Then I, Dalia Midnight, Queen of the Vampires, hereby confer unto you the title of Marquis. May you serve the citizens under your care well. You may rise."

With a bow, he steps back, surprised a bit at the situation, and being named a much higher nobility than Baron. Even though to me the title is pointless, as he has no land and less than three hundred people here.

"Now then! With formalities out of the way, let us get to what we brought for everyone. Ailine, Lala, if you would?"

""Yes,"" they both respond.

As they begin taking out piles and piles of things from the big bag, I continue as all of the people are in shock.

"Here, we have many items you will need. Axes, shovels, saws, planes, hammers, and nails. Planks, beams, and downed trees. Stone, iron, and steel. Leather, furs, cotton, linen, needles, and thread. Rakes, hoes, vegetables, and seeds. Leather armor, metal armor, swords, shields, spears, bows, and arrows. Plates, bowls, cups, knives, forks, and spoons. Buckets, barrels, waterskins, and bandages. 

"I can go on, but I believe everyone can see for themselves. Marquis Whitewater, this is for you."

Taking and handing the belt pouch to the stunned man made me chuckle a bit. Oh no, am I starting to enjoy constantly dropping surprises on this man to see this reaction? I better control myself so I don't pick this up as a fucking hobby.

"This pouch will hold a tremendous amount. Think of what you want to take out, and it's there. Same with placing larger items inside. Take care of it and use it to help our people."

"Y-yes, Your Majesty," he said with a bow.

Time for us to back off and leave them be. 

"Now then, please excuse us. Marquis Whitewater, if you could arrange everyone so that they have what they need. Contact us if there are specific items or if anything else additional is needed."

"Understood, Your Majesty."

As the three of us turn our backs on the crowd that has now lost all apprehension towards us, and that is buzzing with new hope and possibilities, I smile slightly at the success of the play. 

With the very beginning of a town/city/country underway, our future may be just a little brighter.

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