CAPTIVE by the Prince

Chapter Ten

When dusk had arrived and the tower was enveloped with total darkness, the high ceiling suddenly glowed and emitted golden light that illuminated the entire chamber—the same sun-bright light that Ana had previously seen inside the throne room. Erien came and explained that most ceilings in an elven home would automatically light themselves, most especially the rooms where the royalties stay. She further explained that it was a precautionary move the elves had since the day the vampires made themselves the elves' enemies.

"Do you mean this light is like from the sun and it could kill any vampire?" Ana had asked.

"No, Princess Ana," Erien answered, shaking her head. "You see, most vampires like to lurk in the shadows and catch unsuspecting—uh—victims by surprise and we elves wanted to keep our people safe from them. And we believe that the vampires hated anything that resembled the sun. That was why most of the colors you would see inside the castle is golden yellow. The elves and the vampires had forever been in constant war. It started several millennia ago, so far back that we could not even remember how the war had started."

Ana crossed her arms and sat on the bed. "Well, if they are at war then why would they even consider getting me married to that arrogant prince?"

Erien made a small giggle. Ana was getting used to Erien's constant giggling. "My mother had told me that five hundred years ago, the previous elf king, His Majesty King Ehrindil, was so weary over the war and several losses of good elves that he agreed with the previous vampire king to put an end to the war. Only, when both kings had mysteriously died a year after the betrothal was made, everyone thought the marriage would not be possible since it was also a known fact that a female born into the royal family, the Valentin, was so rare."

"Really? How come? I mean, so most of my relatives are men?"

"I don't know anything about that. We—we rarely discuss anything about vampires," Erien answered, the term vampire causing her to look a bit anxious.

So, Ana decided to drop the topic. Instead, she asked, "How am I going to sleep tonight if my room is this bright?"

The elf made another giggle. "Oh! Do not worry about that. Leave it to me. We elves can command to extinguish the light through our minds. It's a little trick that our parents had taught us."

"You mean you know how to use magic and stuff like that?"

Erien vigorously shook her head. "Oh, not like the magic that you are thinking of! We know magic, but that of the old kind. Mostly it's earth magic and healing magic. Our magic differs from the wizarding faction. Then there's the witch and warlock magic. Then there's the sorcery—we do not like sorcery. Evil stuff, you know?"

Elves. Vampires. Magic. Ana suddenly had the urge to grab a strong, fast-acting Tylenol then consult a shrink. Did they have any psychologists around here?

Later that evening, Ana was having her dinner of green and leafy food when the door swung open and revealed two females gliding inside her room. Erien suddenly stood beside her, as if the elf was seeking her protection.

The newcomers' faces were pale white, accented by severely red lips and rouge tints on their cheeks. They were both dressed in long black dresses, the hems sweeping the floor, and their hair was styled in a french twist. Their stiff posture, with their matching expressionless faces, gave them an eerie and intimidating aura.

To Ana's surprise, both females made a curtsy. The older of the two females, a brown-haired beautiful lady who looked to be around her late twenties, spoke in a deadpanned tone. "Your Royal Highness, we apologize for the sudden intrusion. My name is Lady Isobel Orlov. I have been sent by Her Majesty, the queen, to serve as your tutor."