Dakasi Winters: The Vampire Queen

Chapter 18: Where We Go From Here

"This again..." Dakasi murmured in her dreams. She stood in a blizzard with crossed arms and a tight frown. She closed her eyes, and tensed as the blizzard faded. It nearly seemed colder without the storm.
     "Daughter." Alucard greeted.
     Dakasi didn't respond.
     "Dakasi." Alucard called in a firmer tone.
     "Hmm?" Dakasi asked, turning to face the King. She kept her eyes close as she did, much to his disliking. "Oh, we're you speaking to me? I'm sorry. I thought you were speaking to your daughter. Whoever that is." She taunted.

     "I beg your pardon?" Alucard prompted in a cold tone.
     "Well, there's no need to beg, your majesty. I'll happily provide you my pardon." Dakasi mused.
     "I see. So Callant was right, then. You've been corrupted by your brother's cowardice." Alucard hissed.
     "No." Dakasi said simply. She shrugged, still keeping her eyes closed. "Technically speaking, you're the only coward here. Killing your own wife and betraying your people, submitting to the very Empire that your own Kingdom has been fighting to protect itself from. All for what? Power? What use is power to you? Sure. You have more power in terms of your Kingdom than you used to, but you're nothing more than an ant to the Empress now that you have sacrificed the only advantages you had over her. Advantages such as freedom, joy, love. You know. Wanting to live?" Dakasi argued.

     Then, after a long silence, she began to continue her speech.
     "But, hey. Who am I to judge? I've been doing the exact same thing for as long as I can remember. Submitting to you and gaining more power. However, the difference here is that I actually have something to use said power for. What the hell were you thinking? What do you have to gain from all this? Even if you squash the resistance, you've lost everything. You've lost your wife, your children, guards that were willing to give their life to protect your Kingdom and alleged beliefs, the ability to walk in daylight and eat food and produce your own blood. For what? What do you gain here?" Dakasi ranted.

     The King listened to her words, and sighed as he crossed his arms.
     "Do you really want the reason... Daughter?" Alucard asked, his voice... Soft. With the sound of tears being held back from leaving his eyes, the sound of emotion being swallowed back into his throat. Caged in his chest.
     Dakasi hesitated. She hadn't expected the change of tone. She tried to stay alert, for there was a chance he was manipulating her. Still... It wasn't like Alucard to feign weakness... He detested it as far as she knew.

     "I do." Dakasi decided.

     Alucard took a deep breath. Dakasi could feel the shift in energy. When he walked towards her, she took a step back. When he walked circles around her, she kept her forearms firm in front of her chest and face. She turned to keep facing him, but didn't open her eyes. Alucard smirked, and tilted his head as he watched the cautious actions his daughter took.
     "Very well." He conceded.

     Two chairs and a table appeared in the dream scape. Alucard sat in one of these chairs. Dakasi stayed standing.
     "I'm aware it's a tad cliche..." Dakasi's father began. "However the truth of the matter is that a prophet foretold my future. They informed me that my fate would be chosen for me, despite my struggles to prevent it, the Vampiric Empire would bring the end of not only myself, but my entire monarchy. The throne would be taken, my bloodline would end, and the Kingdom as we know it would be gone forever." Alucard explained.

     As he spoke, Dakasi moved to sit in the other chair. She had to fumble around for a bit first, since she refused to open her eyes. Thankfully she found the chair without making herself appear clumsy, and lowered herself to sit within it.