Her Vampire King

Chapter 2: Ultimatum

Terra felt a chill run through her as the man entered her father's throne room. He was tall, as tall as Caspian with long black hair that fell down his back. His dark eyes seemed to shimmer with evil as his dark gaze raked over Terra's lissome form. She barely suppressed a shudder as the man eyed her greedily. She wanted to wrap herself in a large blanket to avoid is hot gaze.

" Why are you here? What is it you want?"The king demanded hotly, hating the way this scoundrel dared to look at his daughter, a princess of Illyria.He insolently turned to look at Illyria's monarch gritting his teeth as he saw the resemblance between the object of his desire and the king.

" Forgive me, your highness, I am merely a man of the high seas, looking to trade..."

" You have nothing I need and I have nothing that I would trade with you."

The pirate's face hardened but his smile never faltered.

" I wasn't offering a trade, you see, my canons would reduce your wee bit of paradise here to so much rubble...I may however, have a simple solution to our little impasse."

The king's eyes narrowed to dangerous slits as he watched the man eye Terra once more.

" What do you want?"the king bellowed hotly.

" Her."

Terra squeezed her eyes tightly shut and still she felt the heat of his gaze burn through her garments leaving her naked and helpless.

" You dare to request a princess of Illyria! Why would I agree to that?"

" To spare the rest of your daughters from a w***e house and your tiny Paradise from war."

The king was beyond livid, the nerve of this filthy pirate! No one saw the gleam in the Queen's eye nor the cold smile on her ruby lips.

" You will leave here and you will not return, on pain of death."

The pirate captain grinned his evil intent a palpable thing that made Terra nauseous.

" By fair means or foul, I will have her or all of Illyria's princesses will become my slaves, so much fodder for the brothels in the East."

Terra's fists were clenched so tightly that she broke the skin without realizing.

" Leave this palace and never return!"

The pirate winked rakishly at Terra before jauntily walking to the door.

" You have ten days and then I will kill everything you hold dear and take her anyway."

Terra slumped to the floor, her knees suddenly unable to support her weight.The Queen walked towards her king , a sly smile on her face.

" Majesty, Illyria cannot win a war against experienced pirates, not when an amicable solution can be found.."

He'd heard enough. He silenced her with a look.

" Caspian, what say you?"

Caspian scratched his long beard thoughtfully.

" To win against the pirates, we need an ally that's just as powerful. "

" Is there such an ally? Wait, you don't mean.."

Caspian nodded gravely, eyeing Terra with pity.

" Klaus, the Vampire King seeks a wife.."

Terra was incredulous and angrier than she could have ever imagined. Blood thirsty pirate or blood sucking monster, these were her options?

The Queen eyed Caspian knowingly, a sly grin on her face.

" Caspian, you would give the princess to a monster? Doom her to a cold, loveless eternity with the Vampire king?"

Terra watched pain lance her father's heart. She couldn't take it anymore.

" The pirate captain seems a better solution, she would be cared for, maybe even loved..."

" Enough! I will hear no more of this tonight."

The king strode from the room as the Queen and her daughters followed.

Terra sighed as they all left the chamber.

She couldn't let her people get slaughtered by that lusting oaf but neither she see herself as his wife.

At least with the Vampire, enough provocation might lead him to eat her? Surely death by vampire was better than being that pirate's plaything. Her resolve firmly set, she knew what she had to do.