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."
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