Whispers In The Dark: My Life As A Vampire Guard

Duties of a Somatophylake

Flashback Continued

The next morning, the castle was more alive than I have ever seen before. Servants and soldiers running everywhere, preparing for the announcement of the King's daughter, and the party afterwards. I remained with the princess at all times, of course; the king had left to attend to the details of the announcement/party. The queen also remained with her daughter, both out of maternal instinct, and doctor's orders. The king had sent a tailor to his chambers and had me measured for a new suit, letting me continue my duty of watching over his daughter. I always hated doing anything that required me to remove myself from my duties, and Alexander acknowledged this. Ever since the first incident I made about leaving my duties, he always had a tailor sent to me to fit me for anything and everything. The tailor would always be the same man, and he would always be checked for weapons or other threats. The tailor returned in a couple hours with my new suit and left it hanging up in it's bag. I stepped behind a changing curtain that allowed me to still see while I changed into my suit.

Ah yes, brand new clothes; while most of the time I couldn't care less about clothing and just wear what I can find, I must admit putting on and wearing clothes that were quite literally made for me feels nice on my skin. My suit was sharp, slim-fitting, yet completely breathable and flexible; excellent for my to do my job. All my suits are tailored this way so I have no wardrobe trouble during missions, one of the perks of having your own tailor. Calvin Klein does great work, but I am partial, and somewhat biased, to prefer Armani; I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Giorgio Armani once, and I must say, the man is a genius in his profession, way ahead of his time. I can see his suits will be in such high demand and he will be able to put whatever price he wants on them. My new Armani suit is a subtle grey is the color of my coat, shirt, and pants; while my shoes and tie are black, and I am dressed for the announcement of Alexandria and her first party; formal enough for events like these, yet subtle enough to go unnoticed if needed. Not even a full day old, and she already has a party. What a life this little girl is gonna have.

All royalty of the area, and even from distant lands were present at the announcement, and the whole kingdom waited outside the doors of the castle. Why shouldn't they? This little girl is the news of the millennium, possibly of all time. My earpiece buzzed as another Guard member, Hephaestion, spoke into his.

"Area is secure, Lord Dacre."

I took my usual deep breath, preparing for my assignment before I escorted Alexander, Livia, and little Alexandria into the Hall, onto the raised stage in the front. The crowd grew into a collective cheer as we entered and the king and queen waved as I remained focused on my duty, to escort the king, queen, and princess to their seats. Waiting for us at the seats was Hephaestion, standing at my old position, next to the King's throne. I finished my escort and took post in my new position: next to the queen and newborn princess. I looked at him and gave him a quick nod, and he nodded back before we took a single step back and clasped our hands behind our backs, letting all eyes and attention fall on the royalty. The Hall was full, but it was ordered, thanks to the Guards and our system of personnel and guest placement and management. Crowd control became a very simple and logical process for me, and got easier every time as I learned of guests and their behaviors and patterns, and what my personnel are capable of. The cheering continued on even after Livia sat down with Alexandria in her arms, leaving Alexander standing alone. Alexander slowly raised his hand, quieting the crowd below him; his political smile was shown to the mass of nobles. The nobles sat at their assign spots and I buzzed my earpiece.

"Perimeter check."

I looked around the Great Hall and saw every Guard member give their visual cue of all clear. I looked at all the faces of the present nobles and saw no sign of threats; part of me was glad none of them are stupid enough to try to make a move, but another part of me wanted someone to try something, to cause me to take action. What the hell is wrong with me? Did I really just think that? Since when did I seek out conflict? Alexander spoke in a loud, powerful voice for all to hear him; such was the way of a king to speak.