Chapter 1 - Prologue
Princess Lena shot out of bed. Excited and rested, she pulled on her yellow sunflower dress and litterally bounced out the door, completely forgetting to brush teeth or hair. She made her way across the hall to her brothers room, only knocking once before entering.
"Good morning," she said as she made her way to where he still slept, his silver hair visible from under the covers.
Lena's eyebrows creased, she couldn't understand how he was still asleep knowing today they are going on a trip with their dad to one of the human settlements on official Royal business.
"Lucas! Get up! We need to get ready for our trip." She said, leaning down to make sure he hears her.
"Hmmmm," he groaned. "Just a little while longer."
"No, come on!" She insisted, pulling the covers off. "You know father won't like us being late."
"Alright, alright...You convinced me. I will be down in a moment." he said as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
Lena stared down at him with a wide grin on her face. Fully satisfied with his answer, she turned to make her way to the door, still ajar. With a soft click she closed it and made her way down to the kitchen for a snack and much needed coffee. As she rounded the corner, she collided with something hard.
"Ouch!" She yelped, hand instictively reaching for her bruised nose. What in the name of goddess?
"Princess! Are you okay?" Cassian exclaims, his hand grabbing her shoulder to steady her and his gaze sweeping over her.
"Has anyone ever told you that you are made of steel? Good news is my nose isn't broken..." she says as she rubs her nose.
"I am so sorry, Princess. I was on my way to wake you for the trip." He says, his voice laced with concern.
She looks at him for half a second, surprised at his revelation. She tried not to notice his dark eyes looking at her like she might break. "Thank you for the thoughtfulness."
Just then, Lucas came around the hall, dressed in jeans and a black button shirt, sleeves rolled up passed his elbows. "Hey Cas."
"Good morning. You both ready?" Cassian asked as he turned to the kitchen following Lena.
"As we'll ever be." Lucas said, grabbing a mug for coffee.
"I'll be back, make me a cup too. I forgot to brush my hair." Lena admits, her face turning a rosy red from embarrasment. I never forget...
Lena returned a few minutes later but didn't have much time before they had to leave, Cassian following quietly behind her into the carriage that awaited them, Lena's father already inside paging through his scrolls.
"Good morning Father," she and Lucas both greet, her teeth grinding out of pure nervousness and excitement. Lucas sat beside her munching on an apple.
"Here, sis." he says holding out her apple infront of her. She smiled at him, he was the world's best brother ever.
Making sure everyone was safely inside, Cassian hopped on next to the coach and they were off.
The ride was quiet, Lena stared out into the forest, her thoughts racing. The first time visiting a human village, what will they be like? Without realizing it, her thoughts went to Cassian, her protector for the last 2 years. He was a mystery to her, but that somehow made him more interesting.
There were still things she wanted to know about him but was too scared to ask, but she chalked it up to the fact that she might not like the answers.
It took them about an hour to get to the human village, the carriage eventually came to a stop at a double story building, the Governors house.
"Good morning, Governor," King Sylvaris greeted, shaking the man's hand, his grip strong and confidant.
"Good morning, King Sylvaris. My lady. My lord." Governors Black greeted with a curt bow in respect of the Royals.
Lena and Lucas trailed along behind their father and the Governor, Lena noticed that the village was small and not intimidating. They live so plainly, like nothing threatens their existence.
They made their way into the lounge, soft plush couches arranged in a neat circle, deep velvet red. The curtains, a cream colour with a delicate pattern on the hem.
She sat down just as a servant brought in a tray with tea and biscuits. Her stomach was growling, her apple lay forgotten in the carriage.
"So Governor, how are things in the village? No trouble?" the king asked while sipping his tea.
"We do have an isolated outbreak of typhoid in the area. The families are struggling to keep their children healthy. We have treated the water source and are currently testing it to make sure treatment has been affective."
"That's reassuring. How many were affected?" the vampire King asked, genuine concern in his voice.
"Luckily not many, two families and about 5 individuals. We caught it in time." the Governor said with a serious expression.
"Good. Good." King Sylvaris said as he placed the cup down again, he preferred his tea with a hint of blood but didn't want to disrespect the humans on his visit.
