Rebirth (Trinity Blood Fanfic)

Chapter 2: Treaty

Esther stood before him anxiously. Had he found another? Another more suited to his race? Her heart dropped when a beautiful young female vampire stepped out from the shadows of a pillar. Esther looked at Abel but his eyes were fixated on something else in the darkness. Her moment of slight despair was replaced by fear when 4 male vampires appeared before her, all dressed in black. Although they were familiar faces, her blood ran so cold that she felt she might shudder in Abel's arms. It was the leading coven of the vampire race, known simply as the High Coven. The young female smirked as what seemed to be the eldest of theme stepped forward. He gestured for his companions to bow before the Empress and they obeyed silently, however the female's eyes remained locked on Esther's.

"Saville, avert your eyes. We do not want to disrespect Her Royal Majesty," the elder said as he examined Esther from head to toe. Abel stared at the ancient man, violently growling at him until Esther silenced him. She pulled herself away to take her seat at the throne again. Saville, the female vampire, had hung her head in obedience, but the Empress could still see, even in the dark, that her smirk had not disappeared.

"It has been far too long since we last saw each other my dear," the elder addressed Esther as he bowed in front of her. His voice had a heavy Italian accent but his tone was laced with bitterness and spite.

"Well Alfredo, unfortunately not long enough," Abel retorted as he eyed the Elder's companions, who had arranged themselves around their leader to create a V-shaped between the 5 of them. A man with dark curly hair, who served as one of the tips of the V, shot Abel a disproving look.

"Begging your pardon Nightroad but it is my understanding that we were invited here. As a matter of fact, it was you who had offered the invitation if I remember correctly. Now, I believe that makes us guests here. I'm sure the Empress herself would agree with me if I said that a host should never be rude to his guests," the vampire said obnoxiously. His name was Marcus Lapel and he was Alfredo's second in command, a vampire who was incredibly intelligent but also incredibly proud. The vampires laughed quietly amongst themselves like school children until Esther silenced them.

"Enough. Whatever business we must attend to, let us attend to it hastily. Let us not waste any time," Esther said impatiently.

Alfredo laughed. "Ah, I have always admired that about you Your Majesty. You very rarely are a waste of anyone's time. Always worried about the matter at hand," Alfredo said as he bowed once again while his disciples followed.

This was odd. Never before had any vampire shown so much respect towards a human, Empress or not. Although Esther was suspicious, she was careful not to judge too quickly. She attempted to keep her face as composed, as neutral as possible. However, it seemed that Alfredo had seen right through her.

"Fear not Your Majesty, my comrades and I are not here to cause trouble. If anything, we are here to resolve it. The grudge between our race and yours is what we wish to diminish here tonight," Marcus had stepped forward to stand directly beside Alfredo. The others followed suit, creating a row of vampires in front of the Empress.

"What is your proposal?" Esther asked curiously. Ever since the dawn of man, no vampire had ever agreed to a truce with the humans, let alone having been the one to make the offer. This was unheard of.

Alfredo looked to his right side, where two young male vampires were standing. They were Edward and Philip Markovic, brothers who were very loyal palace guards serving under the Empress until they were converted. Although Esther hated the fact that they were now fighting on different sides, it was nice to see that they had carried their loyalty with them, even into the afterlife.

Philip, the eldest of the two, pulled out what seemed to be a scroll from his robe. His face seemed like it had been plastered eternally into an angry frown but Esther did not take much notice of this. Even when he was in her service he rarely smiled.

Philip stepped forward and handed her the scroll while his brother, Edward, pulled out a wooden box, which was also concealed within his robe. He unlatched the golden clasp and opened it, revealing a beautiful blood diamond hanging from a gold chain laid out on a velvet lining.

"The Altheian diamond has always been a symbol of pride and honor in our lands. It is our gift to you, Your Majesty, as an offering of thanks for you and your people's enduring efforts. We are indebted to you all for helping defeat Cain, the one vampire that has truly been a thorn in our backsides since the beginning of his existence," Abel turned his head in dismay at the mention of his brother. "Although I understand that your concerns were more for the humans than they were for us, there is no doubting that you have saved us in the process. I know a diamond is not enough to repay the kindness you have shown us so, with my 4 comrades here as my witness, I have willingly created and signed a treaty, a vow of peace on behalf of my race unto yours." The Empress observed Alfredo as he made his speech. If there was one thing he was known for, it was keeping his word. All that he said would always come to pass. Esther found herself believing him for the bitterness that was once there was no longer present. It were as if his intentions now were pure.

She looked at Abel and he too, seemed convinced by the ancient vampire however, Esther knew it would be foolish for her to decide on the fate of the human race on her own.

Just as she was about to speak, Alfredo continued. "However, we do ask for something else. The vampire hunters working under you have been a great deal of help to us indeed and our thanks are unto them also. But to ensure that your side of the bargain will be kept, all we ask is that you disband all hunters from their posts. That is all. I request that the border between our land and yours are respected. No more patrols, no more hunting. That is all."

Esther pondered this. It seemed too simple a request, even if it was fair. There must have been a catch, some sort of fine print to this treaty. So to be sure, she perused the scroll in her hand. Everything seemed clear and there seemed to be no underlying meaning to any of it. She handed the scroll to Abel, who also read through the treaty arduously. He handed it back to the Empress with a nod when he was done, however Esther still wanted to be completely sure.

While the vampires stood in silent respect before the Empress, she called for Seth and the head of her council, Gregory Von Cordeaux. Although Gregory was young, he too was very intelligent, much like Marcus if not, more.

When the two entered, they were given the treaty and also perused it carefully, asking questions of confirmation to the vampires whenever they were unsure of something.

When they had both finished, Gregory was the first to speak. "Basically, you mean to say that your race will no longer hunt humans for their blood, or kill any human for any purpose at all if the humans do the same. Then what shall you eat?,"

"Yes, that is the long and short of it. The blood of the animal is just the same," the woman vampire, Saville, spoke. It was the first time she'd spoken that night so the sound of her sweet French voice was almost a shock to them all. She was mesmerizing enough with her beauty but her voice almost seemed entrancing.

Gregory nodded to her. "Yes, or so face their death. Is that all?"

"Let's not forget the disbandment of all vampire hunters," Marcus cut in.

"Yes well, there would be no use for them with these laws in place now would there?" Seth said as she read through the treaty one last time.

"Really, all we ask for is peace dear Dutchess Seth. If you and your brother are so able to stand within these lands, why are we forbidden? Isn't this what you all fight so hard for? Peace between our races?" Alfredo said. It almost sounded as though he was pleading, begging. Seth stared at him intently. Alfredo was truly, genuinely, being honest. He was making a promise that he intended to keep.

Seth eventually handed the scroll back to the Empress and nodded. Esther took one last look at Abel and Gregory, who both nodded their approval. Then with a smile, Esther ordered for her quill and inkpot to be sent to her.

As soon as both utensils were in front of her and with the vampires and her friends standing as witness, she signed.