Awaken

Queen Mother

"What do you mean?" Javen cocked an eyebrow. 

"Oh, yes, of course, I forgot, you all only know of two of the keys," he grinned devilishly. "I know of the other two, as well. One of them being me, and the other, Bastet's halfling mate."

Igneous coughed from the shock, "Did you say halfling?" He was sputtering now, "A halfling cannot be the mate to my daughter, or one of the keys to waking up the Queen."

"But it is the truth," Nemesio smiled cruelly, "And you all will treat them both like regular Nobles, because she is not falling from her station, especially since the child is a bastard of one of your all's families." There was an overwhelming silence at the table, "The mating of a vampire and human isn't forbidden, and neither is the offspring, however, most know that it is preferable for the vampire to change the human, especially as one who is a part of the Noble bloodline. Seeing as one of your descendants decided not to, there will be a small punishment in order, and that will be delivered when my mother wakes up. Until then, I want to talk to you all about where I will be taking the other three keys, who will be in charge in my absence, and what I expect."

All eyes watched him carefully, while he folded his hands and ordered one of the throlls over and took the wrist, biting into it, and drinking, making sure nothing was wasted. He sent her away and turned toward the statue, "You all know my father handles all of the functions in the city, ensuring our coven has an easy lifestyle. He demands peace and perfection, and none of you have ever seen him. My father was quite distraught when he found out it was time for my mother to slumber, lest she end up a pile of ash.

"He has continued this way for quite some time, and much to your dismay, Council, he is still fully functioning and not blood starved," the statue of Nyx began to move and twist up, scraping the ground at first, "He will be in charge while I take my leave, and will listen to your troubles and ideals, however, ultimately, with my mother awakening, the Council will soon be dissolved. The Royals will be taking back their power, as is expected during this time, if you all want to survive."

Xerxes' brow furrowed and he looked at Rosa and Tatiana, who seemed equally displeased with this news, "My Prince," he grit his teeth, "With all due respect, I would like to propose keeping the Council. Advisors are quite important during this time and the Council has always stood to serve humbly. 

"If it is dissolved, many of the Noble families may think you all dictators taking away their rights. It would not look good for your image,"Xerxes' eyes were angry and he was rigid.

Instead of letting Nemesio answer I shot back, "The coven has long awaited the return of the Royal family and knows they would not take away their rights. It's blasphemous to even say such a thing, Xerxes."

"Perhaps you would feel differently if you weren't currently allied to the Prince," Tatiana glared. "You can not think on this matter clearly because you are mated to him, and therefore should not have any say."

Igneous stood up in outrage, "Hold your tongue and know your place Benellia! You are one of the last to be chosen and do not forget that." He sat back down softly, "Should you have remembered that, then maybe you should not have just suggested the removal of the last Dragona from this Council."

"A Council that is soon to be disolved, Igneous," Rosa snapped, "It does not matter who is on it anymore, there is an even higher imbalance of power now. The Dragona family should have been dismissed long ago when only two of them remained."

Tsunami immediately whipped around and fixed her eyes on Rosa, "Do not forget what that family has sacrificed for us all. One of the very reasons we have flourished is because of their loyalty to the Royals. They are the ones who went and found those worthy of our gift, do not forget we all owe allegiance to them as well."

"And what of my family?" Nocturna's eyes scanned the table, "Has my family not also sacrificed much? My family is almost as small as the Dragona family. We are, but five with myself included."

Bella just chuckled, "Your family has also caused many problems, or do you not remember the first of your line, where your family name hails from?"

Meridia just watched silently like Nemesio did, because the statue was almost done moving.

"I remember-" Black smoke filled the room and started to form a figure, and everyone quieted down. Nemesio stood up and walked over as the figure started to solidify. 

"Father, I'm so glad you could make it," and the two embraced. Once they separated, I saw the face of the King. He shared the same hair and nose with Nemesio, but his face was more angular and his eyes were more cat-like. He wore a cloak and looked like one would expect the King to look: tall, dangerous, and predatory.

"Everyone is gathered," he looked over the whole room and stopped at me. He was curious about me, that much I could tell, but there was something else in his gaze. "Except the other two keys," he noticed.

"They are waiting outside the door, actually," Nemesio replied slyly, and walked over to the door to open it, "You may come in."

Bastet stepped inside with her mate, the halfling from the Dracula family. Both had their heads held high and wore casual clothes. The halfling had wild curly blonde hair and the same elfish features that ran in the Dracula family. She was tall and had a bold stare for someone who was not excepted into vampire society all the way.  She seemed to have been carved from marble and looked otherworldly, even by vampire standards. 

"Bastet and Crescent, are the two other keys," Nemesio grinned, "And as you can tell, the halfling is from the Dracula family."

Nemesio's father spoke after him, "I'm so glad the two of you could make it," I stood up and walked over to Bastet and embraced her tightly. Nemesio walked over to us, and the king pointed to us all, "These are the four keys for awakening the Queen, my mate, and they are to be treated like Royals until she says. I am your King, and you will do as I say or you will learn why the others have come to fear me. Address me as King Damion, Your Highness, or Majesty. Things are about to change and I expect full compliance."

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I hope this chapter was interesting enough, I know the last one was just a lot of information about the Noble families, but I promise it's important and necessary for the plot to make sense. Thank you all for your patience as I edit and change everything. Please remember to rate, like, and comment!

-EmpressVampira