Queen's Punishment

Once the Queen was gone, Vivian noticed the sunlight peeking through the windows. She took careful steps towards it and noticed the sunlight reflect off of her pale porcelain skin and hit the wall. While the ray of light might not have been as bright as a reflection from a mirror, it was appreciable under the eyes of a Vampire. Vampires eyes and all other senses are heightened from the time they were human, and therefore Vivian could swear she felt the light touching her skin.

While Vampires didn't need sleep per say, they did need to take some of their time off to rejuvenate themselves in their respective coffins. They had a schedule that covered most of the day. While there was a time sunlight reacted in the wrong way with the Vampire skin, it was never severe enough to entirely burn them. On the contrary, over time the sun became an irrelevant factor to them.

Then how come they still went into coffins at daytime? It was a mere act of habit perpetuated throughout history. A Vampire can very easily go without a rest in the coffin for months, but as soon as it crosses the mark of one year, the process of desiccation sets in. The best results can be achieved by coffin time of a couple of hours daily.

Not to spend a long time under the sunlight, as it promoted desiccation, however delayed it might be, she closed the blinds, achieving a near pitch dark environment. She very well knew that at this very moment Queen Guinevere must be inside her coffin, and since Vivian couldn't bring hers, she would need to get it either delivered, or get herself a new Coffin.

In the Place where this castle was situated, the entire city was made of mostly Vampires. Sure the humans knew about their existence, and thereby stayed away from this particular town. Amongst the living there was a popular lore, 'One goes to the kingdom of Veroloth to have a final exploration in their life, following which they must become food of the locals.' So it was given that if there was anything a Vampire needed in here, it must be available in the market.

The problem was, while due to her stay in Veroloth Vivian had explored the city, she was yet to explore the Castle fully, so she decided to take care of that first. "My Queen." It was Carson who found her. "How may I help you?"

"I would like a coffin for myself." Vivian informed him.

"Do you have any type of wood in preference"? Carson asked.

"Whichever is available is fine with me." Vivian shrugged.

"How about sandalwood?" Carson suggested, causing Vivian to pause.

"Aren't they expensive"? Vivian was shaken.

"Yes, my lady. But we have resources." Carson nodded. "Queen Guinevere has one. I think it will be an excellent match with yours." He nodded.

"Alright then. Whatever seems worthy." Vivian nodded. "May I ask you something? I couldn't help but notice your flushed cheeks and pulsating neck. I can also hear your heart pounding like any regular human being. I am not wrong to consider you as alive?"

"No you are not, Your majesty." Carson nodded.

"The Queen let you live?" Vivian questioned.

"She needed someone whom she can influence (torture) to mold into her own needs. A Vampire would be more resilient to the task." Carspon informed her.

"I see." Vivian frowned. "And your limp? Is that the Queen's doing"?

"She did nothing that I didn't deserve," Carson said, while keeping his head low.

"And what made you deserving of it?" Vivian asked.

"I accidentally burned the queen's favorite satin gown." Carson informed Vivian, still keeping his head low.

"I.." am sorry. That's what Vivian wanted to utter, but she knew very well that showing compassion of any kind would be the reason she would be thrown out of this castle. Not to mention, she might be killed as well. Knowing the Queen, the latter seemed more accurate.

"If there is anything else, feel free to ask me." Carson offered.

"Not at the moment. You can go and get me my coffin, I will go around the castle and get myself familiar with it." Vivian said.

Carson nodded and was about to leave when he recalled. "The third room on the uppermost floor is off limits. While it's locked away securely, the Queen prohibits even going near it. I am not certain of the limitations she might have with you, but I suggest you inform Queen Guinevere in case you plan to visit that room."

Hearing about that made Vivian curious as she had an urge to go check out what Queen Guinevere might be hiding, but this might not be the correct time. First she needed to familiarize herself with the castle.

In the next few hours, Vivian strolled around the castle getting fascinated by the beauty of the walls and how hauntingly exhilarating the paintings were. Some of the paintings were so ancient that people called it a timeless masterpiece. There was even a portrait of a naked human being, surrounded by a bunch of Vampires as they sucked him dry from various possible spots. Somehow, it was Vivian's favorite painting.

The picture represented an old tradition where at the end of every year, or even at celebrations of Royal Vampire Union they would celebrate by sharing a human, thus marking a bond. In fact, the spouses would drain a single human being together, something that is yet to be done in case of Vivian and Queen Guinevere. It was due, despite the obsolete nature of the tradition, and somehow Vivian looked forward to it.

Vivian was almost at the end of her tour, when a soft humming noise reached her eyes. The undertone was sweet, yet melancholic. It had a melody that could break the audience's heart. Feeling drawn by the hymn, Vivian traced the noise. She ended up in front of a door from where splashes of water could be heard. With much courage, Vivian opened the door, leaving a very small window, but big enough to peek.

Vivian noticed a giant tub, filled with lather, at the end of which laid Queen Guinevere peacefully. While most of her body was hidden, everything above her shoulders was visible and somehow, the sight seemed even further ecstatic.