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