Give Me An Heir

It was close to evening when Ivar and Rathgar eventually left the study, walking to the dining hall together where they found Serena already seated and waiting. She could immediately sense that something was wrong, just by the way Ivar's shoulders tensed and his jaw tightened as he walked to his chair. Rathgar didn't seem any better, though it was harder to tell, as his face never held any expression in any circumstance.

Once dinner had been served, Ivar dismissed all the servants except for Victor, who remained standing just behind him, as lifeless as any of the statues that decorated the palace.

"How are you faring with your preparations for your coronation Your Majesty?", Rathgar asked politely, as he skillfully sliced his food.

"Everything is going well, much better than I expected and Lady Lucinda has been very helpful", Serena replied, taking a sip of her wine.

"She's been a blessing, I'm sure", Ivar agreed.

"I don't doubt it", Rathgar responded.

They continued eating while talking of the coronation but Serena was uneasy and unable to shake the feeling that the two vampires were keeping something from her. She waited until they had finished and the servants had cleared the table before she broached the subject.

"Is there anything the matter, Your Majesty?"

"Why would you ask my sweet Queen?", Ivar replied with a question.

"Only that you seem....unlike yourself"

"The Councilors have summoned us"

"When?"

"Three days hence"

"Why?"

"They wish to know when we will be providing them with an heir", he smirked, gazing at her with amusement.

"I will not be providing them with an heir", she said firmly, lowering her eyes as she felt warmth rising to her cheeks.

"Is that so?",Ivar questioned, his mouth curving up at the corners.

"I wish only to provide His Majesty with an heir", she affirmed, looking up to meet his gaze.

"And I fully intend to assist you in doing so", Ivar responded smugly.

Serena's blush deepened, as she glanced surreptitiously at Rathgar, before looking down at the table. Rathgar's face remained impassive, giving nothing away, as he turned to speak to Ivar.

"I will leave now before the hour grows late", he bowed respectfully to Serena before walking to the door.

"Rathgar", the silver-haired vampire paused at the door and waited for Ivar to speak, "You will report to me immediately upon your return"

Following Rathgar's departure, Serena and Ivar also left the dining hall and retired to their chambers. Serena sat at her dressing table, brushing her hair while Ivar watched her from where he lay on the bed. She could feel his eyes on her and sense his desire, but she was not quite satisfied with his answer to her question in the dining hall.

"Ivar, are you sure that there is nothing wrong?"

"You are too intuitive, Serena, but I assure you that it is nothing for you to worry about"

"Then you should be able to tell me"

"Rathgar has found out who is responsible for the Lycan attack on our journey here", Ivar sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"Who is it?", she gasped, turning to face him.

"There is a traitor in our midst but I need to be careful with this information, in order to keep you safe"

"Me? Why me?"

"Because it is you that they are after"

Serena froze in shock, her eyes searching his face for a sign that he was teasing her again, but finding none. He was serious, deathly so, and she couldn't help the feeling of apprehension that was slowly creeping its way into the pit of her stomach. Seeing the emotion in her face, Ivar stood up and walked over to her, resting his hands on her shoulders.

"It is alright Serena, you have nothing to fear"

"But.....why would anyone want to kill me?", she couldn't keep the fear from her voice.

"Serena....what do you know about your mother's family?", he asked, coming to sit beside her.

"What do you mean? What does that have to do with this?", she was confused by his sudden change in subject.

"I'm not entirely sure but I must consider every possibility"

"My mother is Eire Hallowtide, second daughter, of Lord and Lady Hallowtide"

"Who is the first daughter?"

"Lady Orla, but she passed before I was born, I never knew her"

Ivar seemed to consider this for a moment, as he stared into the flames burning in the fireplace. Serena grew anxious, waiting for him to speak, but as the seconds turned into minutes, she began to wonder if she had said something wrong.

"Have I said something out of turn?", she softly inquired.

Ivar blinked, as if waking from a dream, looking at her as though he had forgotten that she was there.

"Nothing at all", he murmured, stroking her face with his cool fingers.

"Ivar....please tell me what this is about", she covered his hand with hers and pressed her face into his palm.

"If someone is trying to hurt you, I will do everything in my power to hurt them ten times worse. That, my sweet Serena, is all you need to know because it is real and true", he pulled her onto his lap and kissed her forehead.

She leaned into him, feeling safe in his arms and wanting nothing more than for him to hold her like this. She believed him, with all her heart, and there was no one else she trusted to keep her safe. He was stroking her hair, running his fingers through the black, silken strands and watching them fall back into place. Her body was warm and soft, and he found himself craving her warmth and her sweet, intoxicating blood.

He swiftly gathered her into his arms and moved to the couch, where he placed her legs around his waist so she straddled him. He slid his hands up her thighs and under her nightgown and feeling nothing but her bare skin, he chuckled softly.

"You learn fast, my Queen"

"I'm sure that the Royal dressmaker will soon tire of making undergarments for me", she returned, wriggling in his lap as she pressed her moist sex against the hard bulge in his trousers.

Ivar chuckled louder as he kissed her neck, licking the skin over her carotid artery, so it stood out invitingly. Serena tilted her head and pushed her hair behind her shoulder, giving him better access to her neck. She had already pulled his erection free and she fondled him with both her hands, slowly working his foreskin up and down.

"You promised me an heir", his voice was husky with his growing arousal.

"Yes", she breathed, as she felt his mouth on her breasts, sucking her taut nipples.

"Then you better keep your promise", he grunted as he pulled her onto his swollen member and thrust up inside her.

******************************

Far away from the city, in a small village west of Garenthal, a silver-haired vampire with blood-red eyes, strode down the main street, his eyes searching for something or someone. Upon seeing the stranger, the village people quickly retreated indoors, and peeked at him from behind the curtains.

The village of Podracon, was small by anyone's standards and consisted of only one main street, where all the village's shops and market could be found. The houses were scattered around the main street, some flung far out towards the edge of the surrounding forest. In the village center, stood the church and this is where Rathgar was headed.

A thick layer of snow covered the ground and Rathgar's boots made a loud crunching sound as he walked. The church loomed before him, the cross on the roof, seeming to frown disapprovingly down at him, as he approached the entrance.

Climbing the steps leading to the front door, Rathgar paused, waiting, and then he heard it. The sound of a crowd coming towards him, their voices raised in anger and fear, it was the all too familiar sight of a lynch mob.

"Stop right there stranger!", shouted a big, burly man with a pitchfork and red hair.

"Me?", Rathgar pointed at himself innocently.

"Yeah you! Your kind ain't welcome 'round these here parts", the man who was the village spokesperson pointed his pitchfork at him.

"My kind? What exactly is my kind?", Rathgar inquired as he slowly descended the church steps.

The crowd had quieted down and now, they all glanced uneasily at each other, waiting for someone to speak.

"We know what you are! We ain't stupid!", the spokesperson answered aggressively.

"Oh I don't think you do.....infact I'm almost certain that you've never seen anything like me", Rathgar stood at the bottom of the church steps as he surveyed the crowd, his eyes glittering dangerously.

"We ain't scared of you", village spokesperson retorted loudly, sounding like he was trying to convince himself more than anyone else.

"No? Well you should be"

The village spokesperson never saw him move, didn't see him at all infact, but he felt Rathgar's fangs, as they sank into his neck, tearing the flesh and piercing his carotid artery. He felt his life slowly seeping out of his body, as Rathgar drank him dry, and as the last essence of his life left his body, he thought that Rathgar was right, he had never seen anything like the silver-haired vampire.

Rathgar threw the desiccated corpse towards the crowd and wiped the blood from his mouth with his hand. He stared at the blood on his fingers, as though he'd never seen it before, before he rubbed his fingers together and looked out at the crowd.

"That wasn't very filling"