Her Dark Demons

Chapter One: Anchor.

CHAPTER ONE

It's been three months since the wedding and in those three months, Erebus and I hadn't spoken a single word aside from simple formalities. I keep telling myself that it's better this way. That stringing him along would be a much worse thing to do.

But something in me feels restless. Like the silence between Erebus and I is unbearable. I pin the restless feeling as the buried feelings of Eryn but the thought that the feelings I feel for Erebus comes from when my soul was once Eryn's brings me to the thought that my feelings for Frost must have come from when my soul was once Maria's.

That's not true. The feelings are completely and utterly mine.

As soon as the thought resonates within my head, part of me decides to believe it. There was no doubt I felt a sort of indescribable electric connection with Frost the first time we met but I felt the exact same way when I met Erebus.

I shake my thoughts away. No. This isn't good. No.

"My lady?" I'm pulled back into reality. Blinking back my daydreams, I focus onto the chubby male elf standing in front of me.

"Y-Yes?"

"What do you plan on doing about the matter at hand?"

I curse inwards. I hadn't been paying attention at all. Lowering the hand that held my head to the side, I shift around the soft seating of the throne I was sitting on. "I'm sorry, I lost track of time, what about the matter at hand?"

The elf sighs, frustrated. "There's a troll living under a small bridge leading to the forest on the west side of the kingdom. I gather water from a well a few minutes' walk away from said bridge and I cannot get to it. The troll refuses to let anyone pass unless someone can answer his stupid riddle, which I honestly think is pretty cliché seeing as that's what most trolls are said to do in the fairy tales I read to my children."

Curious, I ask. "Don't you have running water? Everyone in the kingdom does."

"My home is isolated from everyone. I like it that way, it keeps my children safe from some of the vicious rejected vampires that roam the streets at night."

I turn to my left to see Theo, the leader of the guards and knights. "I thought you told Frost that problem was taken care of?"

Theo bows his head, "I did, my lady, and I'm doing my best but for the past few days, a lot of rejected vampires have been appearing and terrorizing the people. The werewolves are of no help, some refuse to fight with the guards due to fear. I've sent my best men to investigate the situation and find out where they're coming from."

I nod in understanding. I then turn to the elf standing before me. "I'll send some guards over to the south side to catch the troll. Maybe a few days in the cellar would teach him a lesson."

The elf bows, grateful. "Thank you, my lady."

As soon as the elf leaves, I turn to Theo. "Is that the last of them? Please tell me that was the last of them."

Theo smiles, clearly he finds my pain amusing. "It is, my lady. That was good for your first day on the job."

"I think otherwise." I say, remembering what had happened earlier. A human had been one of the first people coming to the castle to talk. It was a young boy, sent by his mother, probably to win the favor of Frost.

Boy was he surprised when he discovered I was on duty. The chicken flew out of his arms to attack me as soon as I reached out to pet it. I thought chickens were funny till that incident. It pecked at my skin, on my arm and bit my cheek. Of course it hurt but the wounds healed. Just not as quickly as I had wished.