The Vampire King Wants Me

10: Morning Ride

Danika stood where she was even though she wanted to do nothing but to barge into the door and show him how angry she was. She knew it, he wouldn’t have gotten married to her if he didn't need a human bride for himself. There were vampire princesses around the world with whom he would’ve led a happy life if he got married to them, but he wanted her. But what had gotten to him? If he had wanted a human bride to tame his bloodthirsty down, he of all people should know that she would never give him what he wanted. Riah would’ve been giddy to even sacrifice her life for him. Why her?

Lisa leaned toward her, “Your Highness, Eunuch Abel said that if you’d like to wait, we can wait for His Majesty at the waiting room until he's done his discussion with the Chief Priest.” Danika turned to look at her court lady and for the first time, she saw the pangs adorning her mouth, she nearly wailed her agony. She didn’t want to be seeing things humans weren’t meant to, she wanted to be human for the rest of her life. 

She pressed her lips into a thin line and managed to smile, “There’s no need for that, Lisa. I've heard what’s like a marital gift to me. Let’s just...” She wondered where she would go to cool herself down. Because if not because Lisa had told her it was only the tradition of the palace for her to greet him at his chamber the next morning of their marriage, she wouldn’t have even come. But now, she had heard what she wanted to. The reason he got married to her even though it made her even more curious. 

“We have to meet him, Your Highness. It’s tradition for you to have breakfast with His Majesty.” Lisa bowed her head down and was silently begging Danika not to make her work harder than it was. Because of the hours, the duo had spent as husband and wife, Lisa had known what was going on between them and how either of them could find it so easy to point a gun at the other’s throat.

“I think I've paid my respect to the tradition but His Majesty turns out not to be available at the moment, Lisa?” Lisa opened her mouth, it was to argue but Danika wasn’t going to hear a word of it. “No more argument. Take me to the stable.” She had remembered Zetta and she could remember Ezra saying he had him taken to the palace. 

They walked in utter silence as she thought about what she heard and how it clearly explained what happened between the two of them yesterday at night. For she knew, if he had wanted, nothing could’ve stopped Ezra from forcing himself on her, and certainly, she would have fought him until she couldn’t do that anymore. But he didn’t, because he knew it would only worsen his animality when he forced himself on her. She had to be willing, and for that, Danika knew he would never be free of his menace.

A small smile graced her lips when for once, she knew what belonged to her that the King desperately wanted and would never have. She would have to be willing and responsive and Danika knew even in her next life, she’d find herself hating on The King. The stable came into view before them and she wondered what it would be like inside when the outside was as heavenly beautiful and aristocratic as though they had kept humans in there, not horses. 

She watched as one of the guards of it asked Lisa was the visit was about and she patiently answered his questions until in the blink of an eye, Danika watched them all going on their knees to say their greetings to the Queen. She only nodded her head as a way to respond to their greetings before she walked into the stable, her eyes roaming and hopeful that she found Zetta. 

And she did, at the last place as he had his head popped up. Maybe he had sensed her presence and she felt exhilarated at the sight of him, it was so natural that she would’ve run toward him if she were alone in the stable. But The Queen couldn’t have made a fool of herself. She waited until they stood in front of Zetta and she smiled when he brought his head down to her and she fondled him. 

“Zetta, I've missed you.” She didn’t know why she had the feeling of homecoming when she saw him. It felt as if she had known the horse for a life she didn’t know she lived and somewhere in her heart, there was longing for this lovely buck. 

She turned to one of the guards, “Bring him out, I'd have a ride.” There was a vast field surrounding the stable which she balanced once in a while the bucks in it would be set free to ride themselves and they would be brought back in. She’d want to ride Zetta, she wanted to do that from the deepest core of her heart. 

The guard bowed his head down, “I’m sorry, Your Highness, but it was His Majesty’s order not to let anyone close to this buck.” She felt her heart tightening at the avalanche of anger she felt for the unfortunate man that called himself a King.

“Untie Zetta for me, I want to ride.” She said firmly, leaving no room for further argument. She turned to Lisa, “You send a word to His Majesty.” They all bowed their heads at her orders and Zetta was brought out to the huge field and she smiled before one of her guards helped her onto the saddle as he handed her the helmet afterwards. 

At first, she argued. “I need no helmet while riding on Zetta,” she said. Wondering where she had known this horse to have so much confidence in him as though she had known him for the whole of her life.

He bowed his head while still handing the helmet to her, “I beg of your pardon, Your highness. But if something was to happen to you, His Majesty will hold us accountable.” As if he’d care, she mused to herself and have her feet firmly held into the safety stirrups as she put the helmet over her perfectly made hair. 

She brought the bridle forward and with one single sound, Zetta was running across the field and Danika felt as though something had changed in her. As though her soul had been waiting for this day, to set a knot in her free. She wondered at how she perfectly rode on Zetta, she had never ridden on a horse before not had she even been so close to one to know how they were created. But this felt natural, as though she had been doing it her entire life.

•

The moment his eunuch had told him what Danika’s court lady said, Ezra made sure he rounded up the meeting leaving no room for any prolongation as he stood to leave the Throne Hall, the rule made and sealed and the people of Dewhurst, whether they liked it or not, would have to follow it unless they wanted to receive severe punishment from The King himself. He turned to Eunuch Abel after they began to walk in the long corridor, “Let’s walk to the stable.”

He knew she was there because of Zetta, but he would certainly see to it that she would never find out about her past life. He enjoyed it better now that she didn't know who she was and it was even better than it was only him and the Chief Priest that could tell of her identity as the Queen of the Trinnuiven dynasty. But something deep within him was telling him that having constantly been in the company of Zetta, something might happen that would resurface her past life memories and he knew Queen Dru would never accept being married to him. And there would be a war, which he knew would be more devastating than that of the 500 years old even though she had no army at hand. But she would create one, she would the unbeatable Queen after all. 

His horse; Ozul was brought out for him even before he arrived at the stable and over yonder, he could see how expertly was riding Zetta. Something struck into him and he hopped onto Ozul without sparing a look at the helmet Abel was handing to him and with one sound of command, Ozul was running at his fastest pace to meet up with Zetta. He rode for some minutes before he found her, she had slowed down, maybe it was because she knew she was finally away from the eyes of the guards, her maids, and everyone that was related to the palace. 

He didn’t slow down until he was riding beside her in the pace before he cleared his throat and she turned to him with a disgusted look in her eyes. “You don’t have to make that sound for me to acknowledge your presence, Your...” She turned around to see if he was alone or not because if he wasn’t, there was no way Danika would have the chance to say whatever she wanted, to The King. “Ezra.” She whispered his name, even though she knew it was well heard by the King and the discombobulated look he had on his face would make one think the name she called wasn’t him.

She threw her head back and laughed, her face that was firmly held by the helmet looked so round and good that he wondered if someday he would see her as beautiful as the whole world had proclaimed Queen Dru to be. But for now, she was just...normal to him. “What? You seen surprised.” There was still the remains of her laughter in her voice as they rode deeper into the field, “You don’t expect me to always be referring to you as Your Majesty, right?” She turned back a little, “Especially when we’re alone. For I perceive nothing majestic about you, Ezra.”

She saw the way his expression had changed. From how flushed he looked from riding in such a fast pace to the anger that was slowly taking up his face and she noticed how he had clutched tighter to his bridle but instead of a frown on his face, he smirked at her. “I wouldn’t have expected a different approach from you, Dru.” Before, she was the one that deeply hated it whenever he called her Dru because he made it known to her that he saw no Queen in his eyes. She was a female and she was bound to be weak so she wasn’t fit to rule the dynasty she ruled, and she proved him wrong, in all ways possible. That thought alone made him was to kill Danika right at this moment. He wondered how their names were similar but not the same. 

Her eyes turned to a slit at the name he called her, “I abhor you for referring to your Queen as Dru, Your Majesty.” She said with mocking respect attached. “I know you’re used to making rules around here, but I'd like to defy you today and make one as well...” Her words trailed off, not been oblivion to the fact that she, was yet again sounding as though there was another human being living in her body. A soul that was similar to hers yet stronger in many ways. “Never in your life dream of calling me Dru, Ezra. My name is Danika Graygrove Covenbleeder. The Queen of Phaya Empire, I'd love it if you have a bit of respect for the name you address me with.” 

She grinned at the stunned expression on his face, he would probably be taken aback by how she had already attached his surname to hers and was acting as though it had been her name ever since she was born. And the charisma that surrounded her, the aura that exuded from her body and how her voice sounded, laid with a commanding tone no one would’ve dared to say no to. Not even him, The Vampire King.