Lailah stood as still as stone outside of her father's office. Although she was his daughter, he was also the King, and she knew that her words would only go so far. She stood there, finding comfort in the tightness of her fighting tunic that she has become so accustomed to, help out her hand and knocked.
"Enter" Her father said. Great, he already sounded annoyed. She supposed he would have to suck it up. Lailah opened the door and walked in confidently. "What do you want?" He asked her without looking up from his desk. He appeared to be working on something, Lailah noted this but didn't take much notice.
"Father" she said, crossing her arms across her chest. "We need to talk."
"So talk."
"I am worried about the growing Hybrid population. Something stirs to the East and I believe we must at least check it out." She debated telling him about her vision, but she knew that he would consider it foolish - much like anything else she would tell him that was unrelated to her armies progress. Maybe she should take a chance, given his life and many others were most likely at stake.
"I will not waste resources on a hunch that you have." Great. She knew he would be difficult.
"It isn't a hunch. I had a dream, father. That they would overthrow us. All of my dreams have come true in the past. Are you rally willing to risk this one?"
"As I already said, I am too busy to deal with a hunch"
"You never said you were too busy. You said you wouldn't waste resources." Lailah knew she was stirring him. She had trained her entire life in the army and along side warriors. Nobody could talk circles around her as well as she could them. Lailah met her father's stare. It was cold.
"Leave my office now." Was all he said.
"If this ends in another war, I will try not to say I told you so." She said as she turned on her heal and head out the door. This was going to be harder than she had anticipated.
~
Jed had heard stories of how big the Vampires palace was, but he had never believed them. He believed them now. 'Bigger than my future, that's for sure.' He thought to himself. By the time he had finally arrived to the city, it was night fall, but Jed knew nothing about how Vampire worked. Were they nocturnal or was that a myth? He had never met a Vampire, he realised. What was he walking into, god knew. As Jed walked through the streets, Vampires all around him seems to sense him, and turned to stare. It had been years since a human had stepped foot in another Sector, and he wondered if maybe this had been a suicide mission from the beginning. As he made his way to the palace, he looked up at the closest tower and saw a girl standing at the top, looking towards the East. She was with another girl, and they were conversing. Jed though to himself that his observation skills were beyond compare, as he now knew Vampires could speak. He was impressed. He finally reached the front doors. They were made of cold stone, with carving as old has the war storied he had been told as a child. He hoped they would not have to be added to. There were guards on either side, and they did not look at Jed as he approached.
"Purpose to enter the Palace?" One of them said, still looking forward.
"I wish to speak to the King or Queen about a...pressing matter." He replied.
"How pressing?"
"Well, I walked all the way here for the Human Sector, so I would say rather pressing." This caught there attentions. Apparently due to the wind direction that had not scented him yet, but they now realised who, or more so what, was standing in front of them.
"I see. And you must talk to the King or Queen about this issue, hmm?" Jed wondered if they were teasing him now. He was not having it.
"I will tell anyone who will listen." He simply replied. At that, the great stone doors opened, and as he thanked the guards, who gave him a disapproving side glance, and stepped inside. The temperature inside the palace seemed to drop immediately after he stepped inside. He walked straight forward, looking around, amazed at the art he was surrounded by as he made his way to what looked like a throne room. He stopped right in the middle. Above the Throne, or more so two Thrones, was two portraits of what he assumed was the King and Queen. From what his elders had told him when he was little, he knew that they King and Queen were Siblings, and that the rulers were always from the same bloodline one way or another. He stood in the middle of the room, noting all possible exits and escape paths if needed. As he was looking around, the King appeared in front of him.
"I have been summoned by a Human. What an interesting change to today's schedule. What can I do for you human." He said. He sounded ancient. Jed wondered how long he had ruled over this city for. It must have been a while if a Human was the most interesting thing to happen for a while.
"My name is Jedrek Candor, and I am worried about the East, sire." Jed said. He had read someone that the King liked to be referred to as that so he tried it and hoped for the best.
"Are you now."
"Yes sire. I am worried about the growing population of the Hybrids on the Cliffs sire. I worried they grow larger and stronger as time progresses and I have a terrible gut feeling something bad is about to happen."
"So you are telling me, that you walked all the way from the Human sector, to tell me about a bad guy feeling that you have?" How did he know he had walked? Did he hear him talking to the guard? Jed was starting to feel uncomfortable.
"Yes sire. I have. I would like to fight with you." There was a silence, and then the girl that had been standing in the tower entered the room. She had black hair, and unlike most Vampires that had black eyes, her's were light blue. She was stunning, that fierce warrior beauty that he had only ever read about as a child. She walked into the room with confidence, one hand hanging by her side and the other on her sword.
"You want to fight with Vampires. Against what." She said. As her eyes met his face, she got startled by something in his face and stepped back. She did a double take, and then held his stare.
"The threat in the East." Jed said again. The girl tuned to the King.
"I told you. I am not the only one growing concerned." As she finished her head snapped to Jed. "How do you know about this threat?" Jed considered telling her about his dream. No, he wanted to make a good impression, probably not smart to tell her about a dream he had.
"A gut feeling, Ma'lady." He did not know how to address her. This was embarrassing.
"Please never call me that again. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Lailah, eldest daughter to the crown and commander of the Royal Army. You can call my Lailah. A gut feeling, you say?" She didn't sound like she was condescending him.
"Yes, I have a terrible feeling. It has been quiet for too long." She raised one eyebrow at him.
"Ha. Too Long. The man talks as if he has been around a long time." The King scoffed.
"You are right, I have not. I have never been in a battle, and I have never had to fight anyone. But I lost both my parents at a young age. I don't want that to happen to any other children on this land. That is why I am here. I am here to offer you my assistance, if it would be accepted."
"And why would I want or need to assistance of someone who has never seen anothers blood on their hands." The King said. He was certainly condescending him.
"Father, with all due respect, I believe this man is willing to fight, and that is worth more to me than someone who trained their whole life for a fight they didn't believe in." Lailah cut in. Her stare could kill a man dead. "Give him a chance to prove himself. Let me train him personally and with my army, and then let us concern ourselves with the threat." The King paused and seems to consider this before speaking. Her offer was to do with battle, so his interest had peeked.
"My eldest daughter. If she wills it to be this way, then this way it shall be. Train him. Do with him what you will. But do not disturb me again. I have more pressing matters than your hunch and his gut feeling."
"Yes Sir." He replied. Shit, was he meant to say Sir instead of Sire? Again, how embarrassing. "Follow me please." Lailah said to break the silence, and Jed had to jog to catch up to her and she took off down the hall.
