The Dark Queen -- Chapter 27

Chapter 27

With the death of the American King came unopposed rule for my sister in the Americas.  The Brotherhood everywhere was broken, and many fled.  The ones who stayed followed the strict laws of equality and justice set forth by my sister, Queen Debra.  We took up residency in New Orleans, for my sister had gained a certain fondness for the city.  People will say it his her that gives the place it's dark edge, and they are one quarter right.  We entertain, and even have hosted the Vampire King of England twice.  The invention of airplanes made the trip much easier, and he is planning to come again within the year.  He just can't get enough.

Our nights remind me of the years spent in Holland, but without the abuse and obvious separation of classes.  It is how vampires are supposed to live...having fun where everyone is accepted and no one is denied anything.  Many humans flock to my sister's palace.  It sits in the Algiers.  Residents say it is best party in town, and it only ends when the sun comes up.  People often marvel at the realness of the vampire head on display in the grand foyer.  My sister likes to tell her guests he was once a King, and warn her vampire subjects they could suffer the same fate if they ever broke her laws.  No one even dares to try, for my sister remains to this day the oldest living vampire in North America.  I am second.

So if you ever find yourself in the city of New Orleans, and want to have a night no one will ever believe, ask a local where to find the Queen of New Orleans.  They will point in you the direction of a palace in Algiers.  As a warning, you may want to refer to her as Mistress when you meet her.  Although the residence is commonly called the Romanian House, you can just as easily find yourself alone with a Puerto Rican beauty or a captivating Dutch vampiress.  We have something for everyone at the Romanian House.  Just expect to lose a little blood.  Believe me, you will not mind, and you will never forget.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSD4vsh1zDA

The Dark Queen -- Chapter 26

Chapter 26

The meeting took place at a neutral hotel.  It was awkward at first, for the King instantly recognized Debra.  He was obviously uneasy until my sister thanked him for giving her eternal life.  She ran her hand down the front of his pants, and the growth underneath was obvious.  They struck a deal fairly quickly after that.  The terms were the ones the King had suggested, but Nevada and California were included in the territories given to my sister.  Debra suggested they finalize the deal in private, and the King eagerly rented a room.

The hotel manager was quite disturbed by the sounds emanating from the hotel room.  This amused the King's escorts until Angie started rubbing her hands on her own breasts.  Suddenly, they could care less about the noises.  Yvonne paid to the hotel manager to step away for twenty minutes while I slid my hand down Angie's thigh.  The man hastily agreed, and went down the street for a drink...or maybe three.  When we were alone, Yvonne took the one escort behind the manager's desk.  Angie stripped right in the middle of the floor, and I ran my tongue down her back.  The two escorts dropped their trousers and moved towards us.  We made sure they were too distracted to hear what was going on upstairs.

Queen Debra wasted no time with foreplay.  She was more than excited already, and the flowing dew between her thighs proved that.  She stripped down the King and pushed him on to the bed.  He was not used to an aggressive woman, but he was certainly aroused.  Debra stroked his manhood several times before removing her own clothes.  He was engorged to his full extent.  She climbed on top, straddling the King, and dug her nails into his chest.  The King winced at first, but the movements of Debra's hips made him forget the pain.  The King went to grab the Queen's breasts, but she caught his wrists, and pinned them behind his head.  

Debra bent down and kissed the King's lips.  She slid her mouth down his chin, ran her tongue along his jawline, and bit into his neck.  The King tried to push her away, but Debra resisted.  "I want to taste you, my love," she scorned, as his blood rolled off of her lips.  He relaxed as the Mistress brought her hips into his with more force.  Debra bit his neck again and he squirmed.  When she had drank enough, when she knew he couldn't handle it any longer, she whispered in his ear, "I'm gonna cum."  Queen Debra brought herself back up to her knees.  His blood ran down her front.  She started to tense, and Debra grabbed hold of the wooden bed post.  The King felt weak, but so intoxicated by the passion of the woman he had turned.  He grabbed Debra by the hips as she yanked out a spindle from the bedpost.  Mistress Debra looked the King in the eyes, and when he returned her gaze, he was scared.  Queen Debra thrust the wooden spindle into the King's heart, and then came harder than she ever had before.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJL5SE1i0u4

The Dark Queen -- Chapter 25

Chapter 25

For six nights the Brotherhood waged war against Queen Debra.  For six nights she, Yvonne, Angie, and myself beat them back.  The attacks were random, and often involved many more vampires then ourselves, but the Brotherhood was young.  Their eldest was not quite a century old.  We defeated them easily and made them pay for their acts with their lives.  On the seventh day, the remaining members went into hiding and we sought them out.

With fang and claw and wooden spike, each member of the Brotherhood was eliminated.  Some bent the knee to Queen Debra, and she exiled them instead.  The women who served the Brotherhood were also condemned to death.  My sister had no desire to repeat her folly in Holland.  In three weeks from the start of the war, New Orleans was ours.  This was only the beginning.

The Count, as many referred to the King, was not pleased with Debra's actions, nor did he like anyone who challenged his rule.  He left his inland home of Baton Rouge and traveled to the city of New Orleans.  He took up residence in his Algiers palace.  Guards protected the compound constantly as large search parties were sent out to find the Mistress and her disciples.  That's how the King referred to us.  When his minions dwindled, vanishing night after night, the King finally decided to sue for peace.

The lone messenger found the four of us in the Lower Ninth Ward on a Thursday evening.  As instructed by the King, he knelt before my sister Debra and handed her a note.  It was a peace offering from the King.  He was granting all of the lands of Texas, which included New Mexico and Oklahoma, to Queen Debra in exchange for her leaving Louisiana and causing no further problems for the King.  My sister refused.  What the King did not realize it was he she was after.  Debra sent the messenger back to the King with her reply.  She would require a face to face meeting to discuss her terms.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnfgSw4ZTCw

The Dark Queen -- Chapter 24

Chapter 24

New Orleans was a city plagued with vices and corruption, and the underworld controlled most operations.  The network of vampires was expanse, leaving little room for an outsider to gain footing.  The only option for most was to start at the bottom and work their way up.  My sister had no intention of following protocol.  Our reunion with Angie was cut short on the docks only two minutes after we stepped foot onto American soil.  The man, a vampire of American-Slovak decent, ordered us to register our names in the official log of New Orleans vampires.  When my sister refused, two more vampires joined him.  They would back down that evening, but our descriptions were circulated among the Brotherhood.

The Brotherhood was a society of male dominant vampires that worked more like a modern day crime ring.  Angie was fully aware of the organization, and gave us every detail about their operations.  Women, no matter who they were, were expected to take their place as servants and submissives.  Angie had avoided such a fate only because she belonged to the more tolerant Miami district of vampires.  That said, she was allowed very little freedom in the city of New Orleans, or in the state of Louisiana itself.

Harassment became the standard as we spent our nights getting oriented with the city.  Violent threats were common, and so were the promises of rape and abuse.  As quick to anger as my sister could be, she remained patient.  Debra's plan was was to make the King of the Americas come to her.  She took great steps towards achieving this goal the night she wore her crown publicly.  She also referred to herself as Mistress as well as Queen.  The Brotherhood was predictably outraged.  They sent numbers to subjugate my sister or worse.  Although there were twenty of them, the Brotherhood never took into account one simple fact.  They were dealing with four vampires who's combined age was over fifteen hundred years.  You could say the Brotherhood was greatly weakened that night.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGZ3MBYOmUs

The Dark Queen -- Chapter 23

Chapter 23

1891 was the year.  I will never forget it.  Queen Victoria still ruled, but she was old, and more of a symbolic figure in England.  My sister grew increasingly bitter and began talking about death.  She was tired of living.  She cursed the day she was changed to an immortal.  She would have rather suffered one lifetime of cruelty by her Romanian husband King and died than live out an eternity of meaningless nights.  I was scared, and rarely left Debra's side.  The only time I let her out of my sight was when the King was with her.

Everything changed the day a letter arrived from the States.  Angie would often write, but this time it was different.  This letter contained a picture.  It was amazing how humans learned to capture a person's actual likeness on a card.  My sister Debra stared at it for a long time as I read the letter out loud to her.  The picture was of a man...a vampire, who resided in the port city of New Orleans.  His face, Debra had not seen for over four hundred years.  He was said to be of noble Romanian birth, and the self appointed Vampire King of the United States.

For a very long time Debra did not speak.  She must have channeled her anger towards the one man who was the cause of her life...the very man who stared up at her from that picture.  He was the one who took her dignity and forced her to be a slave to the darkness.  Angie, Yvonne, and myself had done it willingly, but not Debra.  She was never given a choice.  Late that very evening, Mistress Debra approached the Vampire King of England and asked to be released.  When he asked why, she explained with such emotion, the King could not say no.  Nor would he have.  The English King gave hope that not all men were evil.  He respected Debra, and he helped make the preparations for her departure.  

The night before we set sail...yes, Yvonne and I would join her, the King hosted a celebration in my sister's honor.  Everyone made a toast, and we all danced into the early morning.  Often, vampires would encourage, "Kick that American King's arse."  Others would say, "Tell them the English sent you."  Although two centuries we spent in England, my sister never considered herself one of them.  She was an indentured guest, but she enjoyed the encouragement anyways.  

As the party was winding down, the King gathered everyone around.  He wanted to present his former Mistress with a gift.  He spoke passionately about the fiery woman who came to him in desperation and demise.  He lectured proudly how every great ruler must learn humility, learn from their mistakes, and he was no different when he was younger.  He talked emphatically about how my sister had grown, and how terribly much he would miss her.  The King opened a box he had placed upon the table.  He reached his hands inside and then lifted my sister's crown above his head.  He exclaimed that if an American King of Romanian birth was to be overthrown, then let it be by a Romanian Queen.  He placed my sister's crown upon her her head, and everyone, except for the King himself, knelt down before the once again crowned Queen Debra.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaEmQJG2HHU

The Dark Queen -- Chapter 22

Chapter 22

The times were changing rapidly.  The age of human royalty was coming to an end.  The American colonies, aided by England's bitter rival France, fought for independence and won.  Even vampires have strong national allegiance, and they cursed the ungrateful colonists.  Amused, yet horrified, the English would sit by and watch as the French King suffered his very own revolution a short time later.  He would lose his head.  In England, things were different.  The royal family was revered, honored, but increasingly real power shifted to Parliament.  Vampires wanted no part of breaking tradition and held firm on their beliefs of complete royal rule.  My sister, although no longer a Queen, was one of the strongest advocates of that ideology I knew.

In 1837, an eighteen year old woman became Queen and ruler of England.  She was officially coronated in 1838.  My sister followed her reign with keen interest.  Although there were scandals, Queen Victoria fought for many of the same things Debra had when she wore the crown.  The young Queen brought about great social reforms and was the embodiment of morality.  During her reign, there was a cultural, colonial, and industrial explosion.  Many vampires would argue Queen Victoria had little to do with those things, but my sister, as stubborn as she can be at times, stood firm that it was the Queen's guidance that led to such great fortune.  It was obvious to me, if not to everyone, that Debra was now living vicariously through Queen Victoria.

In celebration of the matriarchal reign of Victoria, Mistress Debra began hosting galas, concerts, and tea parties.  She would insist on attendees adhering to the strict dress code that was inspired by the Queen herself.  Yvonne was always present, and so were the many suitors that followed her.  After over century she still never bored of the game, and still never settled for one person in particular.  "Variety, Emilie," she would often chuckle, "that is the spice of life."  As for myself, I had romances.  Some lasted longer than others, but none ever more than a decade.  Ten years was my limit to decide if eternity should be spent on one heart.

I can not say my sister Debra was happy again during the years of Victoria's rule, but I would say she was complacent.  She was a wife to the Vampire King of England in everything but title and name.  He treated her well, and allowed my sister freedom to do as she pleased.  He particularly liked Debra's new found social agenda.  The King was very fond of a good party and interesting company.  If everything seemed merry at all times, I knew one thing at least was missing to Debra.  No matter what the count of guests attending an event was, my sister always planned for one more.  That plate, she made sure, was never touched.  Although everyone assumed my sister's prudence always planned for the unexpected guest, I knew the placement was always set for Angie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uY58uPtAM68

The Dark Queen -- Chapter 21

Chapter 21

The Vampire King of England was a fair man.  He never ordered my sister to do any more than she had agreed upon.  She shared his bed, of course, and accompanied him to public functions.  She was charming and silent just like she was supposed to be.  I knew it ate her alive even though she would never admit anything was wrong.  A few times I caught her weeping in the gardens, but she would quickly dry her eyes and talk about the beauty of the flowers.  Occasionally the King would ask Debra's advice on matters.  That's the only time she appeared to be truly happy.  I think my sister just needed to be wanted.

Angie was not allowed to attend events in court.  She was of lower birth, and to be clear, of colonial birth.  This made her a second class citizen in England, even among vampires.  Out of respect for my sister, by order of the King himself, Angie was never mistreated.  She was just not permitted to partake in royal functions.  Or, if she did, it was as my Lady in Waiting.  You see, I was never asked to renounce my noble birth.  The fact I now held a station above my sister Debra was one thing we never dared talk about.  I should have, I suppose, given up my title, but it did make life easier for all of us...especially Yvonne.  She became the sweetheart of the noble class.

It is true Yvonne was not born into royalty, but she was of European birth.  Her sire, Jochem, was well known and mostly hated outside of Holland.  Her story of revenge upon the man who had enslaved her pleased the elite.  They welcomed her with open arms and gifts.  She was constantly courted by men and women alike.  Parties were dedicated to her.  My sister would always smile at the fortune of the one she had saved...the one who had whispered, "Night Mother."  Debra always said Yvonne was the reason fate had brought her to Holland.

Life was hard for my sister Debra in England, and we lived there longer than any other place in our past.  She was not mistreated or mocked, but she was not bowed to or followed either.  She just simply was.  She lived to serve the King, but she was no longer a Queen herself.  It was the sacrifice she had made to protect Angie, Yvonne, and myself.  It was her own sentence for creating anarchy in Holland.  The hardest decision came the night when Angie asked Mistress Debra to release her.  Angie was unhappy in England.  She would no longer be treated like a second rate vampire, even though her sire was a Queen at the time.  Angie wished to make a new life for herself in the colonies and start over.  

With a tear in her eye, Debra kissed Angie on the cheek and bid her goodbye.  My sister stated her door was always open for her to return, and Angie replied so was her's if Debra ever decided to leave England.  My sister would have liked nothing more, but she was bound by her oath.  Instead, Debra fell deeper into depression and the decades rolled on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OfyTFfOOz0

The Dark Queen -- Chapter 20

Chapter 20

The years after the rebellion were frightening.  My sister's new subjects could not be ruled.  They had spent too many years being mistreated, tortured, and underfed.  The vampires Queen Debra had nourished back to health could only think of revenge and a life without restrictions.  They had ignored the Queen's order to let the former privileged stand trial.  They had slaughtered every one.  The new subjects tore down the palace.  We were forced to move to the guests' building.  Their brutality spread to neighboring towns, and my sister could not stop them.  Debra sat upon the throne of Holland, but she was Queen of nothing.

After a decade of trying to control the chaos she created, Debra decided to do the unthinkable.  She summoned me to her room.  My sister asked me to take Yvonne and Angie and find a new life in England.  I protested.  I would not leave Holland without her.  Then...she ordered me as her Queen, and I wept.  She would no longer risk our lives because of her errors.  Debra instructed me to gather all of our wealth, and divide it into two equal portions.  The first we would keep, and it was more than we would ever need.  The second was to be given to the Vampire King of England along with a note.  The contents of that paper I would not discover until the King opened it himself.

My sister realized her only course of action was to undue the nightmare she had created.  She asked the Vampire King of England to send forces to Holland and eliminate the mob that were her subjects.  Besides the money, Debra would turn over the lands of Holland to the King's rule.  She would also formally renounce her title as Queen, and offer herself to become the King's mistress.  Although some might scoff at the proposition, for my sister did overthrow the last royalty who welcomed her, the English King did not.  He had no Queen, and my sister was still an amazing beauty.  It took the King four very long months to come to a decision.

It was June when the ships set sail for Holland.  It would take six months for the forces to restore order to the once grand kingdom.  I waited every night during that time at the docks for my sister to arrive.  She finally did on the night before the winter solstice.  Debra remained dignified, but I could see the sadness in her eyes.  She handed over her crown to the King of England, and took her place as his Mistress.  Over the years, she would often whisper to me, "This is where vampires come to die."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBYhQnjyrWo

The Dark Queen -- Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Debra and Jochem became the talk of the royal palace.  The Queen of Holland herself stated she had never witnessed a greater love.  Events were held in their honor, and even Yvonne was suddenly accepted into the privileged society.  Although many vampires were hesitant to share an evening with the once chained beast, she was allowed to participate in the evening activities.  All discrimination ended when the Queen herself invited Yvonne to share her bed.  

The conversations of the palace largely focused on Debra's spectacle to come, and everyone waited with dying anticipation.  My sister made sure to make a public display of her efforts.  Requiring many bodies, she would often buy up the entire lot of vampires being auctioned off at the end of the night.  Queen Debra also required many more humans to feed them...and for experiments of course.  Eventually, she needed tailors and seamstresses as well.  The palace was amazed with the efforts she was going through, and Jochem was considered the luckiest vampire in Holland.

Many nights Debra spent in the catacombs away in secrecy.  When demands would require her to be in the palace, she would send Angie or I.  After a while, it became necessary for Angie and I to declare our love for each other.  It was the easiest way to slip away without anyone noticing.  People just assumed we were in our bedroom, and we would be sure to boast about it afterwards.  Everyone was happy in Holland during those times.

After a year long wait, the night finally arrived for Debra's "magnificent spectacle like no vampire had ever seen."  That's how she referred to it in court.  The throne room was filled to capacity, and everyone who was anyone attended.  The evening began with music...to build the drama, as Debra would say .  Many noticed Yvonne and Jochem were not present, but Debra assured everyone they would be.  What Debra really wanted to say was only Yvonne would arrive.  As the music played, Yvonne had Jochem escort her back to where my sister had once found her chained.  She stated the Romanian Queen needed one piece of his equipment for the show.  Jochem was more than happy to oblige, and never suspected a thing.  He thought it was joke when Yvonne placed a chained collar around his neck.  He had laughed.  His mood changed when Yvonne began unlocking his prisoners.  When everyone was released, Yvonne took a barbed pincers to the face of the man.  The other enslaved men and women grabbed their own favorite devices.  Yvonne could still hear Jochem screaming as she skipped back to the palace.

The music had stopped, and everyone sat upright.  The grand doors opened, and Angie and I led a procession into the throne room.  Many more vampires followed us then were privileged in court.  The King commented on how refined and nourished the prisoners looked, but Queen Debra just raised her finger to her lips to silence him.  One of the many guests noticed that none of Debra's prisoners were chained, but my sister assured her there was no need.  The Queen of Holland got nervous and inquired about Jochem again.  Debra just smiled and turned her attention to the door.  Yvonne had arrived, and she bolted it shut.  Then the festivities began.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0imdMMIBToQ

The Dark Queen -- Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Yvonne became the joke of the Dutch palace.  She was not allowed to sit at the table with the privileged, and was forced to take her meals on the floor like an animal.  There were some who would openly tell Debra to take her beast and return to Spain, but Jochem would not hear of it.  He laughed with every joke, but did not tolerate any offenses to his dearest Debra.  The privileged soon backed off, but the whispers continued.  Even Angie and myself began to be shunned by the court.

Queen Debra took great care of Yvonne.  She saw to it the girl was fed and given a proper bed to sleep on near her own.  Debra would talk to Yvonne throughout the early hours and listen to her sorrows whenever possible.  My sister often shed tears with the girl, and held her til she fell asleep.  There were many nights Jochem was demanding of my sister's time, and the girl had to go without, but Yvonne was no pet Debra, even though Jochem treated her as such.  He insisted on depravity, but my sister always found a way to nurture the vampire in her care.  With the passing nights, Yvonne's strength increased, and her youthful beauty returned.  

It was an evening in the palace when Debra took everyone by surprise.  She had dressed Yvonne like a lady of the court and presented her to everyone as her child.  The attendees were shocked, as was Jochem.  Queen Debra was not finished.  She declared with flowing grace her love for Jochem, and soon Yvonne was forgotten about completely.  The ladies sat with anticipation on every word, and the men slapped Jochem on the back.  When my sister was finished, she addressed the King and the Queen directly.  Debra began with a curtsy, and then stated she was planning the most grand spectacle for the palace.  It would be a dedication to her beloved, and constructed in a manner consistent with his own displays of art.  She would need time, and a place of strict secrecy to carry out her practices.  Jochem beamed with pride, and offered a place he had reserved for his own future use.  My sister Debra approved, and everyone applauded.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YymoGxTP9kk

The Dark Queen -- Chapter 17

Chapter 17

It was as if someone had found Debra's lost heart and placed it back into her chest.  She hurt.  Her eyes were open, but the sights she saw only made her want her to close them again.  My sister wanted to forget everything she spent her life trying to forget, but the voice in the darkess haunted her.  Debra was no longer the Queen who ruled, but some instincts are not easily tossed aside.  How could she deny a direct plea for help when they spoke her name?  My sister struggled for many long nights with her soul.

Jochem became concerned about the mental health of his beloved.  She barely participated in the night time activities of the palace, or when she did, she suddenly found no joy.  He would often ask me if I knew what was wrong with her, but how do you tell a man she found everything wrong with his very existence?  I would just shake my head no and promise to talk to her.  The King and Queen were less concerned, but they did begin to lose their taste for the Romanian guest.  She was obviously not the woman they believed her to be.

Yvonne, who Debra would come to learn was the name of the girl in the darkness, was a vampire of over fifty years since death.   The girl had only seen my sister once.  When she was freshly made, she had heard tales of a Queen in Spain who showed compassion to the abused.  She had asked her sire Jochem to take her there...to meet the one the rumors spoke of.  Yvonne never got close enough to speak to Queen Debra, but she never forgot the face, or the words victims would cry out in the night.

One night, when Jochem came to me to ask what was wrong with my sister, I finally had a reply.  To his astonishment, I spoke of the girl in the darkness.  Although he tried to understand, he could not.  His heart was barren of sympathy for his test subjects.  Finally, after much consideration, he decided to give a gift to his Romanian Queen.  He unchained Yvonne and presented her to Debra.  He said he had many vampires to work on, but never did he own a pet.  Yvonne could be their's.  Although my sister wanted to say many things, she simply responded, "Thank you."  Jochem was delighted to see her smile once again, but the smile was superficial.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WwRb6flzHI

The Dark Queen -- Chapter 16

Chapter 16

There was a man in Holland who caught my sister's eye.  To say he was cruel means nothing.  We were all cruel.  His name was Jochem, and he considered each act of brutality a masterpiece.  He had many lifetimes to practice and perfect and outdo each wondrous infliction of pain and humiliation.  Jochem was displeased with death, considering it a meaningless escape.  He would spend many long nights experimenting on those he had sired, for humans were too fragile.  The King and Queen always looked forward his public exhibitions.  

Debra became the object of Jochem's affections, and he of her's.  The man was sophisticated and magnificently charming.  Very few could match his intellect.  Where Debra would walk, he would follow.  He showered her with praise, and even extended courtesies to Angie and myself to gain approval.  Although relationships were frowned upon in the Dutch palace, they were not forbidden.  The couple were still expected to share, but they were also granted some privacy as well.  Debra and Jochem started to be referred to as "they," and would always speak as "we."

After three years of courting, which is but a drop in a river for a vampire, Jochem decided to show Debra his "special place."  She was taken below the palace and into an endless series of tunnels.  The navigation, my sister recalled, was difficult, but Jochem knew his way.  In the lightless recesses of the under-Earth, Queen Debra was brought to a room of questionable shape.  There were too many alcoves to guage the actual size.  She remembered being impressed but slightly unnerved by the tools and instruments Jochem showed her.  He even used a few on the chained captives so she could see for herself the effects they had.  Debra had to cup her ears a couple of times because of the noise.

It was in this darkened catacomb Queen Debra became a Queen once again.  Through all of the horrors she had witnessed, nothing had brought her compassion back.  That changed with two simple words she had not heard for a very long time.  From a corner, a hand was raised.  The nails were cracked.  Blood was dried many times over.  The voice was broken, choked on tears, but still it managed to plead "Night Mother."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HZMzutDIXM

The Dark Queen -- Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Holland was a land of excesses for those fortunate enough to enjoy it.  Every night was a feast, and there was always more if you desired.  How the blood came to your table was never questioned, although many times it came fresh and frightened.  After a while, the conscious becomes numb to what was happening around you.  You wouldn't want it to spoil the revelries.  

There were games in the evening, mostly sporting.  Freshly made vampires would battle to the death over a single dog to feed their burning hunger.  Money was always wagered, but the amount was meaningless.  Amsterdam had instituted a stock exchange...the first the world had ever seen.  Many vampires knew how to work it to their advantage, and the coffers overflowed.  Being a Queen, my sister Debra was included in those secrets, and thus, I was as well.  Sometimes the sport was a fresh hunt.  Humans were released in a garden with no escape.  Everyone would place bets on how long each individual would survive.  The top winners from the previous event would do the hunting.  My sister and I had our turn more than once.  

Every night ended in a similar fashion, and that was with lustful debauchery.  The privileged would gather in the throne room and the King would proclaim the evening concluded.  Vampires would choose partners, or multiple partners, or sometimes everyone chose each other on the floor of the throne room itself.  Humans and lowlife vampires were routinely auctioned of, and sometimes used as toys in front of everyone just for entertainment.  Many considered the act living art.  Each night was a mystery, and you never knew where or who you would wake with.  It was not uncommon for my sister, Angie, or I to find ourselves in the bed of the royal couple themselves.  Sometimes we were all there.  There was no morality in Holland.

Queen Debra was not the same person as she was in Spain, or Venice, or even Romania.  None of us were.  Years of rule had weakened my sister's resolve, and now she was unburdened from that responsibility.  We were intoxicated on pleasure, lust, greed, and living with never dying.  The party was endless, and we were esteemed guests.  Holland was our home and our Gomorrah.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6O0-okZlj0

The Dark Queen -- Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Holland was a land like my sister and I have never seen.  Among the vampires, there was a strict division of class and wealth.  The less privileged were game for the wanton abuses and sadistic palates of the elite.  The elite gorged themselves on delusional madness and carnal desires.  The palace itself, for there was a King and Queen, echoed the horrors of oppressed.  Crucified night children, hunger starved beasts, self mutilating vampires covered the corners and recesses of their domain.  Eventually, they would all find fates crueler than the last they had suffered.  But my sister and I were royalty, and quite wealthy by now.  We were welcomed with open arms into the inner circle of Dutch vampire society.

The Queen of Holland was not what you would call beautiful, but she radiated an air of sexuality that was undeniable.  The King was crude, but possessed a certain humor with his words.  He was also direct, kind to those he considered friends, and vengeful to those he didn't.  His wife created most of the activities that entertained the upper echelon, and the King made sure they were executed exactly as instructed.  You would think the royal couple would be threatened by another of royal blood entering their domain, but they were not.  Debra was not the only Queen housed under the roof of the Dutch majesty.  Queen Debra's history amused them, for they were well aware of her past and mine, for it was the same.

The King took an immediate liking to Angie, but the Queen favored Debra instead.  She had heard rumors.  There were no sexual boundaries in the Dutch kingdom.  Fornication was not something to be hidden, but to be displayed openly.  Freedom is the word the King used, and everyone clapped.  Seven humans were thrown down in front of us for a meal like a farmer throwing hay to his mule.  Freshly made vampires were brought in to be beaten just for our amusement.  Occasionally the King would comment about the Spanish and look over at Debra, for the Dutch people had recently overthrown Spanish rule in Holland.  Of course he knew she was Romanian by birth, but the game was amusing to him.  At the end of the night, he brought in twenty male vampires and twelve female ones.  He told us each to choose at least one to warm our beds.  He would kill the rest.  That was our first night in Holland.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPglCfEioxg

The Dark Queen -- Chapter 13

Chapter 13

My heart felt like it was torn out and bleeding beneath me on the floor.  The hand who tore it out had walked away.  Debra held me, but I could not stop screaming.  The arrangements were already made to leave for Holland, but I could not pack.  I no longer cared if Spanish power was on the decline.  My sister said the money now flowed through Amsterdam, but it did not matter to me.  I only wanted my Rafael, but he did not want me.  

For over a century Rafael had shared my thoughts, my hopes, my bed, but it was always with a manipulative heart.  He had always loved another.  When Debra announced we were leaving Spain, he realized he would never have her, and saw no more reason to keep up the facade.  He used simple language without a hint of an apology to me.  When summoned before the Queen, he confessed his love for her, and swore to never love another.  I listened with new found emptiness from the doorway as he used words he once used with me.  

When Rafael had finished speaking, Debra ordered he should be punished.  She asked him to willingly enter a coffin for thirty nights.  This was retribution for the pain he had caused her sister.  Although the suffering would be great, and the lack of blood would cause certain madness, he agreed.  Debra said this would also give her time to consider his words, and he replied he would do anything to prove his love.

For twenty nine days Rafael lied in a coffin bound shut by heavy, nearly unbreakable chains.   In the predawn hours before thirtieth day, Angie helped me pull the coffin into an open field.  My sister handed me an ax.  I chopped three slits into the topside of the coffin, which were sufficient to let in a decent amount of sunlight.  As the three of us walked away, I heard for the last time Rafael's voice as he begged for forgiveness.  Less than a month later we left Spain for a new life in Holland.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-Xz_ykhyjw

The Dark Queen -- Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The weeks passed and Angelique extracted her revenge.  Her sea captain, with his man parts freshly removed, was confined in her chamber.  She made him beg for death, but she bled him slowly and tortured him.  Angie would make the captain swallow a gold coin before inserting various objects inside of him.  She usually tried to muffle his screams just as she had muffled her own, but not always.  His voice would sometimes echo down the passageways and Queen Debra would say it was deserved.  When the captain finally succumbed to death, Angie noted that his intestines were worth a small fortune.  There was still one person left who Angie did not dare to touch.  

Cira had acted exactly as she had promised.  She took to the streets, to the parlors, to the homes, poisoning every mind she could against the Queen.  Debra did nothing, or so we all assumed.  It was the night went Cira was holding a grand meeting to overthrow the Queen.  Most of the vampires in Seville had joined her.  There were some that remained loyal, and we all stood watching the Queen as she sat in silence for many hours.  When she finally rose from her throne, she commanded us to grab kindling, torches, pitch, and many sharp wooden stakes and hammers.  She led us through Seville to the very house where the vampires had gathered.  She lit the first torch and placed it against the newly blackened walls.  Flames and smoke rose up into the night air, and the rest of us lit our torches.  Soon, the entire house was ablaze.

The vampires who tried to escape, were grabbed and held to the ground.  We all took turns driving the stakes through their flaming hearts.  Many did not make it out, but Cira did.  Debra instructed me to throw water on her so the flames would be extinguished.  Cira could hardly stand as I did as my sister told me to do.  Then Debra asked for a stake.  Cira, through charred voice and burnt lips, pleaded for her life, but Debra was now deaf to her.  She gave Angie the satisfaction of holding her as my sister hammered the stake through the betrayer's heart.  That was the last time anyone ever opposed my sister's rule in Spain, and she would sit upon the throne for many more years.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oqZcyGXK-c

The Dark Queen -- Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Cira had the look of hate as she gazed upon me.  I said nothing, but my Queen commanded her to step aside.  Cira did so reluctantly, and I presented the girl.  I knew my sister was not pleased with my actions, but she would never say it out loud.  She never needed to.  Instead, she looked upon the girl with sympathy.  "I will take your life," Debra consoled, but Angelique did not want relief.  She asked for a second life instead.  Cira interjected.  When Debra refused to heed her lover's council, Cira turned to strike me for my insolent decision.  My sister grabbed her arm and warned her to never lift a hand against her sister again.  Cira stepped away.

My Queen turned back to the foreign beauty.  Angelique was on her knees, and lifted her clasped hands above her head.  "Please, Night Mother, I want to be what you are."  Debra took a moment to stare at me.  I lowered my eyes to the floor.  The Queen returned her hazel gaze to the girl.  "I am no mother and will not take you as a child."  Angelique looked around the room.  "But you are a Queen...I could be one of your subjects.  I promise to..."  Cira broke out in anger and demanded Debra kill the girl or she would do it herself.  Debra ignored her.  She asked the most important question instead.  "Why do you wish to live?"

"Revenge," was word that escaped the lips of Angelique, "to the people who have wronged me."  Cira pointed to me exclaiming I should be the first victim, since I did not allow her to have a peaceful death.  Although I never wanted to hurt my sister, I answered, "I am not the one who paid to have her removed from her lover's arms and thrown into degradation and suffering."  Cira cursed at me when Debra asked if it was true.  My sister's exotic lover swore she would never betray Debra in that way, and insisted I was the liar.  Debra did not believe her.  Cira warned that if the Queen embraced Angelique into the night, she would leave her.  Debra said nothing.  Cira then threatened she would raise Seville against Debra, but no one threatens my Queen.  The look I last saw over a century before on that throne in Bucharest returned.  Queen Debra exposed her fangs and plunged them into the kneeling girl, welcoming her into eternal darkness.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txBfhpm1jI0

The Dark Queen -- Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"That woman is not right for Queen Debra," Rafael would often comment to me.  He almost seemed enraged at times.  I knew my sister too well.  She was no longer the helpless girl locked inside of a Romanian tower.  She was a Queen who had sent an entire wedding into eternal slumber because it was just and deserved.  Rafael had warned me that Cira was older and that meant stronger, but I would always counter with the fact my sister had Queen's blood in her veins.  He would back down and brood when he knew he could push me no farther.  Besides, my sister was in love, and nothing could please my heart more.  I refused to interfere or entertain any notions thereof. 

The nights of Seville were warm when Rafael and I began taking to the streets together.  Debra refrained from violence just as her lover had asked, but I knew my Queen's heart.  That is why Rafael and I continued her work.  Brothel by brothel, slave owner and slave trader, disappeared under the stars of Seville.  There were times when the bodies seemed to numerous to dispose of.  Rafael, my sweet, would always see to them never being found.  His dedication to me and my Queen endeared me ever so more to him.  During the quiet times I thought of little else than him.

The winds began to change, and the nights grew less warm when we entered a brothel on the south side of town.  Rafael disposed of the owners and guards as I went room to room punishing the clients with fangs and nails.  With every whisper of "Night Mother" I would lean down and reply, "I am her servant," before taking the abused' life.  It was in this brothel I came across the now wealthy sea captain's ex-bride to be.  She was dirty and beaten, but not broken like the rest.  There were two men in her room, and I killed the one holding her down first.  The second one removed himself from her opening and tried to run, but the woman named Angelique wrapped her legs around him tightly.  Instead of the usual plea of "Night Mother," the girl whispered, "Kill him," as he struggled to get loose.  I bit into his shoulder and forced my hand into his throat.  Rafael entered to see the final moments.

Angelique did not try to conceal herself, but my love turned away as any true gentleman would.  She reached out, but again did not ask for death.  Her body had been disgraced and starved, but her spirit was still strong.  She asked me for something else.  "Night Mother," her voice was hoarse, "take me with you."  I told her I could not and would not, but Rafael disagreed.  I told her I was not the Night Mother, but only her servant.  Angelique then pleaded to see the Night Mother herself.  Rafael insisted Queen Debra should make this decision and not I.  Even though I knew my Queen's desire, I succumbed to the wishes of my beloved, Rafael.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjxyZ6loIU0

The Dark Queen -- Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Spring was a time for renewed hope among the living, but for us, it meant shorter nights.  The warmer weather also brought a surge of ships into the harbor, and with it, slaves from the new world.  The streets of Seville became crowded with the wanton and lustful.  Women were traded like property to be used and disposed of when broken.  My Queen could not sit idle any longer and began frequenting the the town at night.  Brothels were mysteriously abandoned.  Clients and owners disappeared.  The women were given a merciful death.  My sister had no intention of condemning them to a lifetime of haunted memories.  She knew too well how relentless the torment was.  In time, the slaves and the abandoned would pray during the infrequent moments between visitors for the Night Mother to come.  But no matter how hard the Queen worked, the brothels appeared faster than she could remove them.

Cira was protective of my sister, and rarely left her side.  At times, I could even feel her stare on me as I visited.  Rafael was always reassuring, and took my worries away, but they always returned with every visit...and he encouraged them often.  I started to feel lost, but my Queen always remained composed.  She would take me with her some nights, and the atrocities I witnessed reminded me of echos I heard through the walls in Bucharest.  My hands were stained red those nights, blood crusted under my nails, life dripping from my lips.  Debra took no pleasure in these acts, and Cira did not partake at all.  I, however, had pledged undying devotion and carried out my Queen's will without question.  

It was near dawn one morning when I spotted her.  A lovely maiden from the new world, a prize for an ambitious sea captain.  The girl glowed when she smiled.  She walked as if there was nothing under her feet but air.  There was a fire in her dark eyes that hinted of danger.  Yes, there was an unmistakable resemblance to Cira, and Cira noticed it too.  When Debra commented, I saw the signs of smoldering jealousy inside of Cira.  My sister's lover turned away, and remained away for several days.  Debra withdrew from the streets in an attempt to pacify Cira.  When the woman finally returned to my Queen's arms, she had seemed to forget that anything had ever happened.  But I had heard news of a captain who was offered a large sum of money to sell his bride to be into a brothel.  The payer was said to be an exotic woman of mystery. The girl was a native from the new world named Angelique.  The captain had chosen the money.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGZBc2sRqKY

The Dark Queen -- Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Cira was a woman nearly three hundred years old.  She was born in Cadiz, but lived in Seville for nearly half of her existence.  The rumors were she was dangerous, exiled from her home, but I could not find any truths to the rumors.  What I did know was my sister was taken with her.  Cira's tan skin and dark hair gave her an unmistakable exotic beauty that neither sex could resist.  But in Catholic Spain, such love between women was strictly forbidden...unless you were a Queen.

There were whispers throughout the vampire community about the new couple, and unrest grew with every declamation from my Queen about poverty and the misuse of slaves.  Some vampires chose to leave Seville, not wishing to be part of her kingdom.  Some acquiesced to the wishes of Debra.  Some plotted in the shadows, waiting for a chance to dispose of their Romanian Queen.  Debra ignored all of them.  Her attention turned more and more towards Cira, and further from the teachings of the bible Spanish vampires often quoted.

Debra was always silent about her past.  The horrors she had lived left scars that time could not heal.  Had she have been forthcoming, I doubt anyone would have pointed at her or cursed her for not being able to love a man.  Even a Queen deserves love, and somewhere in the darkness of Seville she found it.  Cira returned that love, and I saw the spark return to my sister's eyes.  She was happy for the first time since her youth.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efEY7Pb3Ax8

The Dark Queen -- Chapter 7

Chapter 7

I remember the first time I met Rafael.  He was suave, but genuine.  He had a sincerity in his brown eyes that almost distracted you from the devil in his smile.  When he spoke, I wanted to listen, but his words were always intended for Queen Debra.  She had many suitors, but only paid attention to him.  Rafael was born of a lower nobility in his human life, but my sister did not seem to care.  She would often be dismissive of him, but he knew it was just a game.  Rafael always played along.

The nights passed, and my cousin and I would often find ourselves strolling along the streets of Seville.  Rafael accompanied us more often than not.  He was always gentlemanly, showing me the proper respect a lady deserves, and showering my Queen with attentive kindnesses.  I loved when he would tell us about the city, pointing out landmarks with rich histories.  Rafael came alive when he talked about Spain, and I began to feel like I had found a home.  I also cherished I could be a lady to the Queen and everyone treated her as such.  It was a privilege I was denied in Romania.

The city itself was changing.  New wealth brought new opportunities to the ambitious.  The Church had begun a process they called an Inquisition.  Foreigners flooded into the cities, and many not by choice.  Ships would bring back natives from the new world to serve as slaves, or to be sold to brothels.  My cousin would often comment how the Church should turn their attention to the streets instead of worrying about the hearts of the already devoted.  Rafael agreed, but many did not.  They saw the spread of brutality as an opportunity for those who lived in darkness.  A higher death rate meant the less noticeable we became.  None of the vampires dared speak those words in front of the Queen.  Instead, they brought lavish gifts to Debra to buy her favor.  In time, Queen Debra began to become a woman of great monetary worth.

It was a night in early autumn when Rafael offered my sister the greatest gift of all...one she could name herself.  She took him by the hand, and then placed it on mine.  Debra spoke, "Emilie is to me as a sister.  You will find enduring devotion and kindness in her heart.  Treat her as you have treated me."  I wept, for Debra knew what my heart wouldn't allow me to speak.  Rafael was a man of his word, and turned his affections towards me.  What he did not understand was Debra could no longer find comfort in the arms of a man, but she did have eyes for another.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVx3fVd1GA8

The Dark Queen -- Chapter 6

Chapter 6

As the years passed, I began to forget what the sun looks like.  Sometimes I would gaze upon a painting and try to remember, but that memory became harder to recall.  The night was my day, the moon was my sun, and my cousin was my world.  We arrived in Venice only a few years after Debra embraced me into darkness.  Romania, she said, was no place for former Queens.  She chose Venice, in her words, because it was the link between Asia and Europe.  It was the center of trade and wealth, and that's where we belonged.  I never dared to mention the coincidence that it was a Venetian Princess who married her former King, but the word revenge never escaped Queen Debra's lips.

The city was full of life, busy with commerce, and filled with gentlemen of many cultures.  There were always ships in port, and many traders who looked to the streets of Venice to supply nightly distractions and entertainment.  It was so common for sailors to disappear that nobody questioned it.  The general assumption was they chose to remain in the watery city, were too incapable of finding their way back to the docks, or met some untimely demise.  My cousin and I were part of that demise.  We needed to live, so we needed to feed.  The horrors I felt at the beginning faded in time.  Eventually it was no different than slaughtering the cow to put beef upon the table.

The men visiting Venice had certain charms.  What my Queen did with her nightly companions I never asked, but I knew her standards were above the low born of seafaring vessels.  To tempt them to a room was easy.  To subdue them was easier.  Even the strongest of the male race seemed like babes in comparison to the strength my cousin and I had obtained.  It was in our rooms we would feed.  The bodies found their way into the ocean, and the coins on the corpses maintained our rooms and supplied fresh wardrobes.  I remember one particular night a traveler from Romania arrived in the city.  I asked, as I always asked, for news of my former husband.  The man said he had lived well, remarried, and bore seven children.  He had died that summer past.  That's when I began wearing black like every widow should.  It was a month later I allowed myself to enjoy the pleasures of the flesh with another man.  My Queen had always reminded me, we have all of eternity to repent for our sins.

My sister Debra and I, as we began referring to ourselves as, lived for more than five of our human lifetimes in Venice.  One night, Queen Debra informed me she wished to leave the city.  News of a new world was spreading across Europe, and gold was pouring into Spain.  Tales of Conquistadors sparked the imagination, and Debra saw hope for a new life.  It took us two months traveling by night, taking time to feed, but we finally arrived in our new home...Seville.  To my surprise, we were not the only vampires to inhabit the city.  They all bowed to one with royal blood, and they called my cousin Queen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IveYh6vdKE

The Dark Queen -- Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Bring forth the girl," were the first words I heard my cousin speak.  The King refused, and ordered his guards to seize her.  He kept screaming how impossible it was she was there.  He called her a devil and names much worse.  No one, even though they were commanded by the King himself, would approach the Romanian Queen.  Some attendees tried to flee, but the doors had locked on their own.  Everyone tried to back away, except for me.  I pushed my way to the front to see my cousin.

The bride's brother finally drew his sword and entered the room.  He approached the steps where the Queen was sitting.  She reached out and grabbed his throat.  She lifted the brother off of the ground and commanded once again, "Bring forth the girl."  This time, the Venetian Princess complied.  She walked to the front of the grand room.  The King lurked several steps behind her.  Queen Debra dropped the man, but his neck had already been broken.  She gazed down at the young girl.  When the Venetian princess spoke, my cousin became enraged.  "How dare you sit a foreigner upon the throne of Romania," she admonished.  My cousin decided to take  pity on the girl, and saved her from the cruel fate that awaited her.  She killed her quickly.

The ladies in attendance screamed as the Princess' body fell to the floor.  My cousin the Queen looked at the King, her mouth dripping red.  He called upon the Bishop, who held up a cross, and Debra backed away.  Her eyes turned crimson red and the holy man called upon Jesus to save them.  Even God himself turned his back on the King, because the prayers did not stop her.  Debra began with the soldiers and anyone else who held a sword.  The women were next as well as the feeble men.  She saved the King for last, but allowed the Bishop to leave.  That's when I knew God had sent Debra to punish evil.  I closed my eyes in silent justice until I heard the King screaming no more.

My cousin stood before me in the grand room she once ruled.  I fell to my knees and wept at her feet.  Debra told me to rise, but I refused.  She told me to take my husband and return home.  She asked me to name my first born daughter after her.  I shook my head no.  I refused to leave her side.  Debra explained she was a monster now, and no part of her belonged among the living.  I swore I would rather die than believe she was anything but my cousin.  I vowed death before I would leave her again.  As the tears rolled down Debra's face, she reached out her hand and caressed my cheek.  She pulled me close to her, and the rest was darkness.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqybNm1Gun8