The Mansion

Aceline stood still as the guards held her wrists tight. She looked around carefully with disgust. She knew every inch of this place. And she hated it. She hated each monster which lurked through the mansion and called itself a member of Crimson Fang. And the worst part was that she was ready to give her life for the one she hated most.
Aceline looked at the man who dismissed the guards. It was Anubis, the general of this dying clan. But by the way the two lowered ranked men bowed she could assume he is now more than general. An ironic smile appeared on her face as her ees pierced the boy. "Look who's here, the queen's little puppy." her voice was sarcastic but her eyes were full of hatred. "Throw me then, what are u waiting for?" she asked as she took step forward. Did he really thought he can simply scare her with his words?! "I came not because of you nor your queen with low intellectual capacity. I came to take three simple things which will keep him alive and away from this nest full of snakes." she hissed as she looked straight into his eyes.
"Tell me Anubis, how do you feel now after finally taking over the throne? How do you feel after you betrayed your own king? Oh wait, I already know the answer. You're proud but most of all delighted. Am I not right? You finally have what you wanted - Eliza. But let me tell you something Anubis. She will never love you the way you do. No matter what you do or say. It will never change. It will be your curse to be close to her but never enough to have her. You will watch her children grow and each time you look at them you'll see Casper. They will remind you of the sin you did." her voice was cold and her words - bitter. But you know what they say - truth hurts most when it's said out loud.
Soon enough the little monster arrived too. Ace laughed at her words. She sighed and smiled as she took a step back and suddenly began walking around the room. "Do you really think I am afraid of two traitors? Lock me, kill me if you want but I will never let you hurt Casper. I will turn off my feelings and will even break our bond but believe me Eliza I will never let you hurt him." Aceline was not afraid to die. She had never liked this life. She was forced to live it. And it was all their fault. Besides she knew that if Eliza dared to take her life away she will only make her brother hate her more and maybe not only her but even the child she had in her. She was doing mistake after mistake but she was too blind to realize it.

Eliza smiled brightly, showing her fangs with pure malice. Why, she asked herself, did Aceline see her brother as a holy angel in this mess? He had ruined everything, he had refused to feed off her, then fed off Aceline. He turned off his feelings for Eliza. He had given her a child then essentially left her. She got down on one knee to be at eye level with Aceline. "How in Primus's name am I the traitor dear girl? Don't you realize, I was in equal rank to Casper. I was his equal. Sure, maybe I didn't always act it, but I was. But why do you think he is such a damn holy angel?" She yelled the last part, hissing. "It really annoys me, Aceline girl, that you don't see the wrongs he did. He refused to feed off me, running to you instead. He picked you over me after HE PROMISED TO NEVER DO IT AGAIN. HE PROMISED ME HED ALWAYS LOVE ME AND CARE FOR ME AND PROTECT ME AND WHAT DID HE DO ACELINE GIRL? He ran to you. He ran to you over me, over his clan, and over the child. He turned off his feelings for me FIRST. He REFUSED ME TIME AFTER TIME AFTER TIME. I simply decided it was time he felt my pain. HE SLOWLY KILLED ME BY CARING FOR YOU. And now I'm going to slowly kill him. I LOVED HIM AT ONE TIME. And now it is gone. Like a crack in ice, he destroyed EVERYTHING I had worked for. I will find him. I WILL FIND HIM. And when I do, I'll make him kill you himself." She hissed, slowly standing up from her kneeled position.

She looked down at the girl, hissing under her breath. She could make Casper kill Aceline. Just bleed him out until he's in almost rage mode, and put them in a room together. Make sure theyre both locked up so no feeding before hand happens, release him when he's in rage mode, and he'll surely kill her. A raging vampires only instinct is to kill and feed. And Eliza was going to watch the whole thing. And when Casper came to his senses, seeing the girl dead in his arms, Eliza lock him up again, to spend some time slowly dying over his actions. Oh and she'd torment him. Her tormenting would never end. Then, when he was as broken as her, she would make him suffer by freezing to death. A smile crept over her face as she thought of her plan. It was perfect. She just had to make sure nothing got in her way.

Eliza kept smiling, and Lucius cawed again with hateful beady eyes watching Ace. Eliza licked her lips, fangs peeking out from her lips, as her eyes again turned red. "But first my dear, I'm hungry. Sure the human in the basement would be delectable, but I'd prefer the meal sitting right here. Don't squirm, or I'll make sure both you and Casper suffer in ways I bet you've never dreamed of. Wouldn't want that for your poor dear maker now would you child?" She purred, leaning down and grabbing a few fist fulls of Acelines hair. The smile grew as she began lifting the girl up.
(I'll leave off her so you guys can react, sorry, I'm really impatient when it comes to posting)

Aceline looked at the girl. Her eyes were narrowed as she listened to her arguments. Then again a smile appeared on her face. "Yes you both are equally stupid. You don't care for the clan, you think only about yourselves and how to make eachother suffer. You don't care for the poor child in your womb nor about the members of this 'oh so mighty' clan. You're destroying everything with your stupid actions. A saint? No, he is a monster just like you." she explained with blunt voice.
"Wrong? You think that refusing to feed from you is wrong? You really are a dumb girl, Eliza. I thought you're atleast a little bit smart, yet you prove me wrong. Do you know how much blood he consumed when I let him feed? No, you don't, why should you, after all it's not your business at all. He refused because he was afraid for the child. Do you really think you can stop a vampire on bloodlust? If you answer me positively then you're the most stupid vampire I've ever seen in the world. He chose to hurt me instead you or the child! He loved you, he adored you, but it was never enough for you. Your paranoic thoughts that I am his only love made you so blind that thanks to you now he is in this condition. You're one greedy and selfish person, but he is not good either. You're both scums who refuse to see what you're causing to everyone and everything." Ace yelled as her fingers clenched into fists.
"Make him kill me! Do it, I don't care! It will be the best present I will get from you both!" she hissed. The moment Eliza announced she is planning to feed from her and grabbed her by the hair, Ace wrapped her fingers around her wrist and curved her hand. The sound of cracking bones spread around the room as she pushed the white haired girl away from her. "Don't you even dare! Take a step forward and I will take what you value most of all - your so precious chlid." she hissed as she took Casper's sword in her hand and twisted it once. She knew very good that Eliza was a weak girl and she trusted only her ice power. She couldn't fight with bare hands, so Ace knew what exactly will follow now. However, she was not afraid from the little girl.

OOC: I AM SO SORRRRRRY T^T I think this event will humanize Anubis a bit. And is the swearing too much??? I'm not sure of the boundaries, I've heard poo and dang so far. *~*

Watching the girl spit on his name, made him burn inside, but the revelation of a child still rang in his mind like a record. He blinked slowly, absorbing her words with blank eyes. The conversations had all left him tired and deprived. Aceline seemed truly angry at him. He didn't exactly feel the joy of being King. That was never his goal, but being General had gotten him closer to Eliza. He had just taken too long, biding his time with the war. He wanted to say, to scream he knew, but Aceline was much too bitter to have cared. He felt a presence behind him and looked away with a clenched jaw. A child. He kept trying to think of something else, but he was so lost. So he acted ignorant instead. "Hurt him?" His tongue brushed past his fangs, and tutted. "You misunderstand, he won't feel a thing." The side of his lips tugged upwards. Eliza continued to speak, and spat at the girl about her so called 'unrequited' love. She suddenly surged forward and grasped onto the girls long black hair. 'Black and White...How ironic.' Casper had refused to take Eliza's blood, which lead to her bitterness. 'Karma's a bitch, Casper.' but he was still slightly skeptical. 'Women.' He thought with distaste. Eliza threatened to use Casper to kill her. How, he wouldn't know, but he was tired enough as it was. They still needed to speak to Raizil about the terms of the war, but the child was still on his mind. With a slight twinge of impatience, he spoke up. But Ace was faster and took hold of the vampire's arm with a sharp crack in the air. Some frenzied excitement from back at the manor told him the guards might be coming back. He wasn't about to stop them at this point now, but rather spiked a wall of ice between them. It closed around Aceline's hand. "Don't hurt the queen, I would think your destiny was condemned enough. I thought wrong." He crossed his arms, "You can continue what conversation you want with a wall of bars between you" The loud shuffling of footsteps signaled the guards. He sighed narrowing his yes ready for some kind of retaliation. In a way he hoped for one.

Aceline narrowed her eyes at the kingwho finally decided to speak. Ace looked away for a moment. He was right. They could torture her and yet Casper wouldn't feel a thing. Turning off his feelings was maybe the best thing he ever made. Too bad she never really dared to do it herself. No matter how much she hated them for what they did to her, she just couldn't delete it from her mind.
The grip around the swords slowly loosened as the weapon finally fell on the ground. She looked at the thick ice wall infront of her and just for a moment closed her eyes. This was the begining of her end. She knew it, she felt it. It was her punishment for being such a stupid girl, for letting herself fall in love with a monster.
She heard the steps of the guards and slowly turned around, ready to take her place behind the iron bars of the mansion dungeons. But the moment they took her by the hands, the door opened. Aceline's eyes widened the moment she saw Casper at the entrance. 'No... NO!' she thought horrified. With a single move she managed to escape the guards and run to the dark haired man.
"You fool!" she hissed as she hit his chest. "Why? Why did you come? Don't you understand they are going to kill you?!" she yelled as she once again hit his chest. Suddenly she felt his hands on hers and his lips on her forehead. Tears ran down her cheeks as he let go and went forward.

Casper arrived pretty quickly thanks to his loyal friend Mortimer. He unmounted the horse and left it a few metres away from the mansion. He patted it's head and smiled before leaving him behind. With slow steps he enetered the front part of the mansion where a group of guards were waiting for him. A dark smile appeared on the man's face as he stood there and observed them carefully. Suddenly all of them kneeled and let him pass by them. It wasn't because they wanted it, of course. His physical condition was not the best right now, but his mental one was perfect. And he was planning to use it before the sunrise.
The doors opened as the dark haired man entered the mansion. He observed the place carefully, spotting his sister, Anubis and Aceline pretty quickly. The guards, who were trying to capture Ace immediately let her go and the dark haired girl rushed into his arms. She was angry, but it was useless. He placed his arms on hers and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead. This was a simple sign that she could do nothing more now.
He let go of her and took a few steps forward, making sure they will both be face to face with him. He raised his head high showing no respect to the traitors. "Here I am, Eliza! Wasn't that what you wanted so desperately?" he said ironicly. He tilted his head slowly narrowing his eyes at Anubis. "Is that the new king? Why am I not surprised..?" he shook his head slowly before looking at his sister once again. "Once in your life be a smart girl and let Aceline go. You don't need her since I am here." the youth demanded with indifferent tone.

Eliza had taken a few steps back, eyes narrowing and her other hand rubbing her wrist. She was angry, yet a smile was on her face. She looked as the very man she hated, she wanted to kill, waltzed into the throne room. He kissed Aceline on the forehead, and she laughed. She just laughed for a moment, before again lowering her eyes to look at the pair, Casper again walking close. She listened to him, what else was she to do? Her hand went to her hip, the other laying by her side. She ignored the pain scorching through her wrist, arm, and mind. And heart. With the unhurt hand she flipped her hair. She slowly walked a bit closer to Casper.

"Well helloooo Casper. How kind of you to join the party. Quite a fun party this is. Quite fun indeed. Dear, I do wonder, why did you come? You know what is in store for you here. Ha, Christopher might have seen you alive if you hadn't been so cruel to mommy. Or, it's name may be Meenah, just like mother dearest. Christopher was such a good long before he died, wasn't he Casper? Father did rule well. Too bad you were such a disappointmrent. Abandoning your child, your queen. I know I haven't been a good girl either but I'll make up for it when all this drama is over and done with. Such a mess you caused... *tut tut tut* Just imagine the scolding mother would give you right about now, just like she did when we faught as kids. Sure, she'd probably kill me if she saw me, but I always knew I was going to be tortured by Primus when I died. Surely father is too, for his crimes. And I'm sure you will be too, oh well. Runs in the family. Oh, and Aceline? That little child isn't going anywhere. I have plans Casper you see, and they involve both of you. Thank you for showing up at just the right time. Oh, play anymore if your mind tricks, I'll make sure some ice shards go pop in Acey's brain. Wouldn't want that dearie. Oh, and go ahead and try them on me. Ever since we were kids I've been teaching myself how to fight your mind games. Well, come along you two. Can't keep those metal bar waiting forever." She purred, signaling guards to grab both Casper and Aceline. "Oh and my guards, try to help Casper if you dare. That little ice pop is quick, easy, and isn't reserved for the Aceline girl." She warned in a bitter sweet voice before walking towards the dungeon with slow, evil steps. Lucius flew above her head, almost like Devils hands waiting to snatch up his prey.

Casper shook his head as he barely held himself from laughing. That little girl really though she could control him or make him suffer. Oh, how wrong she was. But he prefered to let her play her little role and think she can hold everything in her hands.
"Really, Eliza? Do you think I care what out parents would have thought of me if they were alive?" he asked ironicly as he took astep forward. He was now standing face to face with the petite monster. Casper's eyes narrowed as he spoke through his clenched teeth.
"My whole life is a torture. Since the day you were born I lost every hope to get away from here. You think I wanted to be king and marry a girl who threw a tantrum each time she didn't get what she wanted? I've been trying to get away since I remember myself but each time our so 'precious' parents found a way to stop me. You think I spent so much time with our father because I wanted it? No, my dear, he was playing the role of a guard watching careful over his son, because they knew that if I had left they would never find me. The reason I stayed back then was not because of you nor Tempest. It was because they threatened my life and for a fifteen years old boy I valued the only thing I had. But now it means nothing. I don't care if you're planning to kill me. It will be at least less painfull than all your contemptible games you tried on me." the man said bluntly before taking a step back.
"I don't need my power, Eliza. I can crush you with my own hands before you could even wink. But I'm not here to kill you. I am here to finally face my faith and put an end to this miserable disaster of mine." he explained with a calm, yet cold voice. Something his sister was used to since she was a little child.
Casper looked at the guards who approached him and Aceline. No matter how loyal they were to her, the vampires did not dare to touch him nor the dark haired girl. Casper wrapped his arm around Aceline and before they went after the white haired woman he whispered something in her ear. Then with slow steps both the girl and the man headed to the dungeons followed by three guards of Crimson Fang.

Eliza ignored her brother. But her hands clenched slightly in anger. There. There was her answer. "Thank you Casper for finally admitting to everyone that YOU ARE A TRAITOR. And no I don't throw a tantrum every time I don't get my way. I threw a tantrum when you starting loving Aceline dear. Trust me, mother made sure I knew what it is to lose." She laughed, looking over her shoulder at him briefly. Fangs, sharp and evil, peeked out in the malicious snarl of a grin. He had just said that he had always wanted to leave, right there he said it. And she always knew that. He never loved her. Their relationship had always been a lie. An evil, dirty lie. She hated him now with a burning passion, ready to tear him to shreds, metaphorically of course. She was going to take the last thing he had. Or more like he was going to. "Hate you too, brother dearest. And don't think you're so strong dear, after all, you almost died to one of those mutts from Moonclan. I'd have killed that thing in a few seconds. Oh Anubis dear, please come with me." She added before heading down the dungeon steps. Lucius quickly landed on her shoulder once again, cawing at the two people who walked behind her. She led the pair down the stairs and to the main area. Her black, short dress hugged her tightly, reaching near her knees. She adjusted her bracelets in the darkness, admiring them momentarily. Then her hand reached up and pet Lucius, a smirk on her face. Her ears remained perked up and at attention, as she listened for any move made by the two behind her.

~Dungeon

Eliza walked back up the stairs and out of the dungeon. She had a tiny, very tiny smile on her face. She was still starving though, and one eye glowed red and the other glowed gold. The white haired girl gently and silently walked to her throne, blinking as though she had just woken up. She sat down on her throne, sighed gently, and waited for Angel and Solomon to follow.

Angel gently stumbled up the stairs after the white haired queen, her hand staying on Solomon's as she fought just to remained balanced. Her vision was slightly blurry, and Solomon wasn't there she might have just fallen right back down the stairs. The black haired girl kept walking, or stumbling, until she was in front of the throne, and in front of Eliza.

(Sorry for the short posts)

Solomons face was blank and emotionless but as he glanced at Angel his eyes held worry. He prayed that she didnt collapse or that Eliza didnt feed from her, for that would surely kill her. He kneeled before Eliza and he bowed his head in submission. "Lady Eliza, i am most certainly grateful for the release of the dungeon. "

Eliza looked down at the vampire, her mouth forming a tiny smile, enough that the tips of her fangs showed through. She giggled a little at Solomon's show of submission. The white haired vampiress didn't really feel so oppressed anymore. She felt freeish. She didn't feel like she had to show someone how strong she was. Her clan must already know that she was strong. Casper was always so cold and cruel with everyone. Enough of the cruel and heartless rulers. Eliza wasn't like that at heart. Deep down, she was kind, just as she was as a child. She had loved to play, and laugh, and run, and be happy. Casper's ever watchful gaze had slowly put her in place, had made her grow colder and more emotionless. She had mad it her sole purpose to impress and act like her brother. No more. Sure, she acted like a child sometimes, throwing fits and that sort, but she could be mature!

Eliza stepped of her throne delicately, and walked over to Solomon. She gently touched her hand to his hand, laughing ever so quietly. "Come on Solomon, stand up. Enough of that. We are going to be different from now on." She told him before stepping back a little. She looked at Angel with an equally gentle look. It softened, and she viewed the black haired girl as a child. "Now, I do realize that the child can not go home. I'm sorry Angel. But we can't take that risk." She said with a truly apologetic tone. Her head turned to Solomon. "But she doesn't need to be turned unless she wants to. Solomon, seeing as how close you two have become, I'd like you to take care of her. And charges against you shall be lifted. But, I will make a new law about humans. Anyone found feeding from a human will become their guardian, and the human will be forced to stay among us. If you really, really want to take a human under your wing and make sure the humans don't freak out about them going missing and force them to stay here, go ahead and feed from one. If the human under your care is mistreated, you will be punished. If someone turns the human, you will have to take care of them until they become a proper part of the clan. Don't think that because I'm being kind about this law that breaking others will be ok. I'll still hurt and punish and law breakers. That is all. Now Solomon, why don't you take yourself and Angel to get cleaned up." She said. She turned and sat back down on her throne, eyes blinking lazily as still she smiled.

Angel listened to Eliza speak, her smile slowly getting bigger and wider. Sure she was little hurt that she wouldn't be about to go home, but oh well. She had honestly never liked it. She liked Solomon though. She gently clung to Solomon's shirt, burying her face in it, smiling still.

Laura came back into the mansion after a while of hanging out in the front yard and thinking. She repeatedly and rapidly tapped on the metal snath of her scythe as she walked in and around. To her everything seemed fine, until she noticed that the human and solomom was free. Then she was beyond bewildered. She didn't say anything to them though since Eliza seemed to be with them. But she also scented another odd thing going on. Since when did Caspar come back? And who is the other girl with him? Laura shrugged the thoughts off though and headed up the stairs toward her bedroom, that she hadn't been in for a while since she had mostly been hanging out in that one tree.

The young princess was walking slowly through the hall on the second floor of the mansion. She was dressed in a light coloured dress and her hair was lifted up in a ponytail. She had just finished another lesson with her mother and felt quite tired. Elaine has been sick for a few days and today didn't feel well at all, however she had to attend the lesson.
Now, when she was finally done, she was lurking through the hall, looking like a ghost. Her head hurt and her vision seemed blurry, however she had enough strength to reach her room or at least that was what she thought. The girl suddenly stopped and leaned against the wall, placing her hands on her head. She shut her eyes and frowned a bit, feeling the pain pulsating in her skull. She stayed put for a few minutes until it passed away and once again started walking.
Suddenly she stopped infront of a door that seemed unknown for her. Elaine streched out her hand and placed it over the door handle, before pushing slightly. Unexpectedly, the door opened, giving chance to the girl to enter the room. With careful steps she approached the place and closed the door after herself. It was dark and cold inside, but soon enough, the young princess found the window and quickly pulled away the curtains. The white light of the full moon enlightened the place revealing the child everything.
The room seemed the same as her mother's private one, but on one of its walls there was a portrait of a young man. He was tall, with dark brown hair, pale skin and blue eyes just like Elaine's ones. On the table under the portrait a sword was placed and next to it a golden brooch with the form of a horse. Elaine approached the portrait with curiousity. She observed it carefully before noticing the name Casper and the title King in the left bottom of the painting. The girl's eyes widened as she quickly went to the door and opened it, before running out of the room, leaving the door wide open.
Elaine ran to the library as fast as she could. Reaching the place, she entered and locked herself in, making sure no one will bother her. She looked around carefully before approaching one of the shelves filled with books. She had to find out who this man was.

Laura had just waken up from a nap due to a faint yelling coming from downstairs and the sound of Elaine's shoes pattering around the mansion. She huffed as she walked out of her room, her hair slightly messy and clothes messed up. As she walked down the hall she saw one of the secret doors open and gasped. Laura scented Elaine had been in here. "Damn it Elaine." She mumbled to herself as she closed the hidden door. Laura ventured around the halls, looking for either Eliza, Elaine or Anubis. She soon headed downstairs to the kitchen to see if any of them were down there and also to make a cup of tea to waken her a bit. As she walked down the stairs the yelling could be heard from the throne room and Laura furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. She smelled Kari's scent in the throne room and just hit her head on the wall in frustration. "Oh my god."She muttered under her breath.

Elaine slowly walked around the shelves filled with different books. The Mansion's library was large. It had a lot of books each of them with different plot and genre. She had read almost every literature related to fantasy and adventure. Not long ago she started reading historian books and also books about music, more specific - about the piano. She really was keen on this instrument and enjoyed playing to her clan mates, especially when Mr Baron was around.

Baron was the healer of the clan. He was a young, good-looking man with blonde hair and royal blue eyes, which were almost the same as hers but not exactly. He was the only one who treated her more special than the others. Since she was a little girl, he had tried different medicines on her, searching for the best one to cure her diseases. However, after one allergic reaction her mother forbid him to try anything on her. Putting that aside, Baron enjoyed music as much as she did, which made him a good companion in the little girl's eyes. Having a friend like him was something really special for the young princess.

Yet, right now Elaine had much more important stuff to do than thinking about the young man. She was wandering around the shelves, taking every single historian book on which her eyes laid. Leaving them on the big wooden table, the little girl sat on one of the chairs and began running through the pages, searching information about king Casper. Finally she found one little old and dilapidated book with yellow pages. It looked like diary which made her curiousity grow even more. Elaine quickly opened it and began reading.

"Even though three months passed, I still remember the fight like it was yesterday. I am afraid I would never be abled to forget the face of our king nor his actions...
The arena was filled with creatures. Most of them were my clan mates but the queen had also invited some members with high ranks in Moon Clan too. It somehow symbolised the end of the war and the new begining between the clans. The crowd seemed rather enthusiasted, especially those who were with Eliza. The others kept quiet or did not come at all. Finally the gates opened and suddenly everything became deadly quiet. From one of the gates came out Casper, our ex-king and ex-lover of Eliza. The moment I looked at him I felt terrified as never before. His eyes were bright red, his veins were bulging, his claws were long and black as coal-tar, his fangs were out ready to bite on some fresh body and drink it's blood till it dries out. From the other gate came out Aceline - the human girl who he had turned into vampire a year or two ago. They were supposed to fight each other for their lives. Everyone knew that Ace had no chance against a vampire in bloodlust, but we also knew that this was Eliza's plot - to make Casper get rid off of Ace, to make him suffer for all the love crimes he did against her.
A few minutes after Eliza gave a signal and the battle began....

Suddenly a loud shout echoed through the whole place, causing pain to almost every single one of the audiance. Pain, anger and sorrow filled the king's heart as he saw his beautiful girl lying dead on the ground. Her blood was spilled over his hands, as her empty eyes gazed into his deep blue ones. He took her in his hands and hugged her tight, crying over her chest, begging her to come back. But it was too late.
Dear diary, I had never seen someone of our kind to suffer like that before. It was like his heart and soul died together with her. But that was not enought for the queen. She wanted to torture him more, that's why she decided to lock him back in the dungeons and let the ex-king rot down there.

That day, Casper lost everything - his child, his love, his hope... His life. Even though Eliza is expecting children from him, I doubt that they will turn into a reason for him to live. I doubt that he will want to have something in common with them too..."

Suddenly the little book fell down on the ground. Elaine stood there frozen. Her eyes were filled with tears and fear as the words echoed through her mind. Was it true? Did Eliza really do all those thing to Casper? Was he her father? So many questions popped out in her head, which answers she unfortunately could guess.
A sudden knock on the door made the princess pierce the door with her deep blue eyes. It was Baron's voice which called her, however she did not answer. The little girl slowly stood up on her legs, lifting the book up and placing it over the wooden table. With slow steps she approached the door and unlocked the door. Elaine gently pressed the handle and opened the door carefully. She stood infront of the healer with lowered head, so he couldn't see her face.

Eliza, the queen. The most important figure in the clan. the white haired monster, the golden eyed charmer. She had many names, many given by her own clanmates, some given by outsiders. But the most popular was simply Eliza. The woman was now in her late twenties, but still looked the same as she had when she had had her children ten years ago. But she was unable to have anymore, as Elaine had caused irreparable damage. No matter, not like she wanted to have more children. She already had Trevor, the ghost who threw fits worse than hers, and Elaine, the sickly, friendly child. She could hardly keep up with both clan matters and raising her kids. And Anubis. She never understood him, and she still felt like she was a million miles away from him. It hurt her heart, but she ignored it, just like the pain that constantly flowed through her veins. Pain left by Casper. She refused to think of the man in her dungeons anymore, she never wanted to see him again. She knew one day she'd have to do something with him, but he wasn't going anywhere, and that was just more stress on her plate. She decided to put off dealing with him, and what a mistake that was.

The young queen sat on her throne, almost asleep as life went on as normal for her. Her head suddenly perked up though as she listened intently to what seemed to be a fight going on downstairs. Instantly she told someone to go investigate, but then Anubis offered, to her surprise. After a few seconds of shock she waved for him to go. Eliza quickly became worried about her children, and got up, and ran upstairs to find out where her son and daughter were. Her golden eyes traveled from each room until she found her healer standing outside of the open library doors. She peeked to the side and ever so slightly saw her daughter Elaine. She couldn't see the child's face, and it worried her greatly. Quickly she regained her composure and walked over, her eyes trembling ever so slightly with worry. She stood silently nearby, knowing her daughter and the healer were close. She stood back from the pair, her heart pounding as she wished to know the cause of her daughter seeming so... distraught.

Tempest out of the ten years had changed the most. She hardly ever went outside of the mansion. Everything out there just reminded her of her dead mate Dylan. She didnt really speak with anyone other than her family and she would often just go visit Casper. Its like the life just left right out of her.

Elaine was a gullible person. She trusted her mother anclanmates andnever ever questioned their words or decisions. She knew that Eliza and Anubis knew what is best for the clan better than anyone else. She enjoyed watching them together, despite the fact the king wasn't her real father. He helped her and sometimes discussed some random topics but nothing more. The princessdid not expect anything else either.

Her mother used to tell her stories about her father but she never mentioned his name infront of her, nor Trevor. The only thing she knew was that he had deep blue eyes like hers and that Trevor took after him, except the eye colour. And that was always enough information for her. Unlike her brother, Elaine didn't bother herself to search for more information. She knew that her mother had told her everything she had to know. But those illusions she believed in broke down on million pieces a few minutes ago.

She trusted them. She believed every word they said. But now... The princess felt left out. She felt deceived, used, null... The tears in her eyes, which she desperately tried to hold, ran down her pinkish cheeks. Her fingers slowly curled into fist as she raised her head up a little bit. Her beautiful blue eyes were filled with pain and disappontment. The girl's heart beat fastened and her breathing gradually accelerated. She looked at Baron then her eyes trailed to her mother who was watching her with worry.

The words of the healer just passed her by , however Elaine swiftly used them as an opportunity to speak out loud. "Why did you lie to me?" her voice was tembling. Unlike her twin brother, the young girl did not throw tantrums nor used her powers, having in mind how weak she was. "You said our father left. Yet he never did. He had been locked down in the dungeons..." Her eyes pierced her mother's ones as she slowly raised her voice. "Is it true that you made him murder Aceline? Is it true that you tortured him? Why? Why did you lie to me, mother?" she cried out before suddenly elapsing between them and running down the hall.

All those emotions which swirled her heart made her feel even weaker. Approaching the stairs which led to the first floor, Elaine felt a sharp pain in her chest. She stopped and tried to reach the railing with her hand but couldn't. Suddenly the girl's body collapsed a metre away from the stairs. Her vision got blurry and her hearing faded before she passed out.

Eliza watched her child with great worry. What ever could be wrong? She was just in the library... Maybe she had read a book that made her upset? But what could she have read that would have made her cry? She was normally a happy child... Eliza was completely confused, glancing at the healer for a second. Eliza watched as her child started to cry, and Eliza became horrified. She was about to walk up to Elaine when she began speaking.

"Why did you lie to me?"  "You said our father left. Yet he never did. He had been locked down in the dungeons..."  "Is it true that you made him murder Aceline? Is it true that you tortured him? Why? Why did you lie to me, mother?" Eliza was horrified even more. Had had her sweet baby found out about this information? She was scared for her weak, sickly little girl, what if she... Eliza was too stunned to grab Elaine as she ran by her, but the second she fell to the ground, Eliza ran to her side. Quickly she scooped the child up in her arms and ran to her own bedroom, tears starting to stream down her face. "Healer! Come with me!" She called, running through the doors.

Eliza placed Elaine gently on the bed, crying a bit more. The woman brushed hair out of the kids face, and kneeled by her bed side. "Elaine baby... please... please wake up... I'm sorry... Honey please... Elaine..." She cried, grabbing the childs hand with her own, and staring at her pale face.

Laura had just started drinking her tea and she started to notice a lot of action going on. Anubis went to the dungeons, Elaine was talking with her mom and Baron, and Tempest really wasn't doing anything. Laura had started to feel bad for her, she knew how it felt since she lost all her family and friends in a raid when she was only about 13-14. She skipped over to Tempest, greeting her politely and smiling. "Do you want some tea? I have extra." Laura smiled warmly and widely.

Tempest gave Laura a small smile. " sure tea sounds lovely." Tempest knew that a lot of her clanmates kinda tiptoed around her due to her not only losing her mate but she no longer held the power she once did. Yes she was still the princess but only because she was the queens sister, now that Eliza had produced heirs she no longer had any claim to the throne.