Chapter 5(Meet the Valerians)

"I heard she is beautiful" Corianne Valerian turned to her brother saying. Heath Valerian chuckled glancing at his younger sister.

"Well, I heard she is wild and utterly stubborn," he told her.

"A handful for our brother then," Leonard Valerian said in an irritated tone. He glanced at his golden pocket watch for the fifth time since they arrived at the docks. Behind them were several guards monitoring the premises. They also kept the crowd of vampires who had all come to meet the new Queen at bay. The crowd was separated into two groups, the elites of the higher social class and the commoners of the lower class. One could see the clear distinction on both sides of the docks. One side was colourful with expensive hats, suits, and gowns. The other side was filled with dull colours and cheap clothing.

"A handful or not, the whole of Valeria has come to welcome her. Looking at your watch will not make the time go any faster, Leo" Miles Valerian told his brother, leaning his posh cane and puffing his pipe.

"I have work to do, someone reminds me what I am doing here again?" Leonard threw a pointed look in Thorne's way.

Thorne Valerian turned to his brother with a smile.

"Here to welcome the Queen of Valeria of course" Although he didn't like the idea either he had to be here. Since his brother was god knows where.

Welcoming the bride was the groom's job but so far, he'd done so well ignoring everything about this marriage. He sent a proxy for the ceremony and neglected most of the marriage arrangements.

As if that wasn't enough, he dispatched five hundred soldiers and five spies to his new in-laws, all in the name of honouring the alliance between the imperium and the witches. Anyone a mile away could see through this, a slow ploy to take over the witch borders. He was becoming more erratic by the day.

The witches were prideful folk. An improper welcome to the new Queen would be an insult to her and her people. And if she was anything like what he'd heard she wasn't going to let it slide.

"Why do we have to? Why is he not here?" an unnerved Leonard asked.

"We are here to give the Queen a proper welcome, that is the most important thing now. You can ask brother about why he failed to show up later" Thorne said with his eyes trained on the Whiten Eden as it docked.

"It is about time" Leonard muttered watching as the royal sailors stepped out of the ship. Along came the witch ambassador, Gordon Hansen, and a few soldiers. He glanced at the large crowd of curious eyes all waiting on the Queen.

"Sir Hansen, I hope you had a good trip" Thorne shook his hand with a smile.

"Not as pleasant as we hoped. We hit a bad storm last night. The Princess… The Queen has been miserable with seasickness" Sir Hansen told him.

"She is old. What do you expect?" Sir Hansen turned to Leonard with a raised expression. "I beg your pardon," Sir Hansen said with a raised brow.

"Ignore my brother, he is irritable in the morning. Welcome to Valeria" Miles said with a smile shaking Sir Hansen's hand. "Thank you, my Lord," Sir Hansen replied.

"Maybe the Queen needs a hand up there?" Heath gestured towards the entrance. Like the large crowd behind him, he wondered what was keeping her.

"Perhaps, I should go see…. Oh, there she is" Sir Hansen glanced at the entrance with a smile. All eyes at the docks suddenly turned to the entrance as well.

Eloise walked to a stop at the crowd gapping at her. It was as if all life had frozen. All eyes at the dock were focused on her. She grabbed the side of her gown nervously. All these people had come to see her? she thought. She stood in a beautiful emerald gown with matching gloves. On her head was a large white bergère hat with a green ribbon. It had a small veil that covered her face as well.

"My Lady?" Lucy, her maiden whispered with her hand at her small back, motioning her to move forward.

"My Lady" Captain Ford offered her a hand as they descended the stairs.

Eloise exhaled deeply as she stepped on the pavement.

Finally, land, she thought. For a moment there, she thought she'd die at sea. The past two days were the worst days of her life.

Where was travel by flight when you needed it?

Her eyes fell on the group of tawny blond heads staring at her. Four handsome men and a beautiful lady in a wheelchair. Her eyes moved to the large crowd behind them. Everyone craned for a view of her.

Eloise focused on the man next to Sir Hansen. He was dressed in an elegant grey man's suit. His blond hair was gelled back showing his handsome face. High cheekbones, thin lips, and teal eyes.

It must be him, she thought. Eloise let out a sigh she didn't know she was holding.

"Welcome to Valeria, my Lady" Thorne stepped forward with a bow, kissing Eloise's knuckles.

Eloise curtsied, something she was taught a day ago by Lucy. The only maiden she was given as she took off. She was talkative but very informative. She knew everything about everyone. Thanks to her, Eloise knew more about herself and her new family.

Eloise slowly raised her veil and there was a loud gasp from the crowd. Eloise glanced at Thorne with a confused look. He had the same surprised look everyone else had.

"Pardon me. Is there something wrong, my Lord?" Eloise whispered to Thorne. Thorne smiled. "Not at all my Lady," he told her.

"Old and ugly, huh" Miles muttered to Leonard who stood stunned like everyone else.

"My apologies, I heard the sea was unkind to you. How are you doing now?" Thorne asked with a smile flashing her his perfect white teeth. Eloise returned his smile with a small one. He was nicer than she'd heard. He wasn't like anything Lucy described. Maybe, Lucy wasn't as informative as she thought.

"I'm well, my Lord. Thanks for asking" she replied. He smiled with a nod.

"Pardon my rudeness, my lady, I am Thorne Valerian. These are my siblings, Miles, Leonard, Heath and our beautiful Corianne" Thorne introduced his siblings.

The siblings bowed except Leonard, who was still gaping at her.

"Her head is going to burst if you stare too much, Leo," Corianne said with her siblings chuckling.

"My…My apologies. I am just…You… You are not ugly as I heard" Leonard said bluntly.

"Is that so? How ugly did you hear I was?" Eloise asked, her face lightening up with a smile.

Leonard pushed his glasses nervously with a sheepish look. His olive eyes searched her face awkwardly.

"Well… I heard you were old, wrinkly, with a croaked nose and an utterly hideous face" he told her. Eloise suddenly burst into laughter, surprising the rest. Not the most normal reaction they expected to Leonard's rather blunt words.

Somehow, the siblings found themselves laughing too, even Leonard who rarely did so. How could you not? Her laughter was infectious and pleasing to the ear.

"You make me sound like an ugly witch from a fairytale," Eloise said with a giggle. Leonard shrugged sheepishly.

"Well, I am sorry to disappoint you then, Lord Leonard," she told him with a smile.

"Not at all. You are…are beautiful. Please call me, Leo" Leonard said with a small bow, ignoring the stares he received from his siblings.

"Brother, she rides with me" Corianne held Eloise's hand with a smile. Eloise glanced at the golden-eyed blonde woman.

She had the kindest eyes and a beautiful smile. These people weren't half as bad as she thought.

"If that is what the Lady wishes…."

"I would love to," Eloise said, Corianne's eyes lightened up instantly.

"Alright then, this way my lady" Thorne gave her a hand. She intertwined her hand with his arm as he led her toward her carriage. Next to them was Corianne. Behind them followed Lucy and Sir Hansen.

"Everyone came to welcome you as well," Thorne said to her. He waved to the large crowd to receive waves and cheers.

Eloise waved at the crowd to receive louder cheers and waves.

"You are beautiful" Heath mimicked Leo, as they watched Eloise enter her carriage.

"Shut your bloody mouth, brother," Leonard said abruptly, his eyes still on Eloise as she entered her carriage.

"Ah, one lucky man our brother is. Is he not?" Miles muttered.

"He is. Yet he does not even bother to show" Leonard said.

"Look at that, minutes ago you would not stop whining about what a waste of time this was" Heath laughed.

Leonard ignored him turning away and heading towards his carriage. Heath followed after him teasing him.

Miles smiled as he watched them head off. At the corner of his eye, he caught a black figure watching intently. It was a black wolf with golden eyes.

"Tsk, watching from the shadows as always, aye," Miles said quietly.

"Brother, you can run home, if you do not mind. Time is of the essence here" Leonard yelled from the carriage.

"Calm down, brother. She is not going anywhere" Miles laughed his way toward the carriage.

"Welcome to the Valerian manor, Eloise" Thorne gave her a hand as she stepped out of the carriage. Eloise glanced at the magnificent palace before her. Royalty, indeed, she thought.

"Beautiful, is not she?" Corianne asked her. Eloise nodded with a smile.

The ride from the docks to the manor was a long but delightful one. Corianne and Thorne indulged her, asking her about herself, her likes and dislikes. She asked them questions too. What life in Valeria was like and about themselves. It was through the conversation she found out Thorne wasn't her husband after all.

"My apologies, Eloise, but I am not. I only came on behalf of my brother" Thorne said earlier.

"Oh" Eloise muttered not hiding her disappointment.

"But trust me I was" Thorne laughed noticing her disappointment. Eloise only smiled, wondering what her husband was like. Probably nothing like his delightful and thoughtful brother.

She went on to ask what he was like. Thorne said a few words, but Corianne went on about how incredible her eldest brother was.

Wrath Valerian, the man himself. She wondered where he was. What was more important than welcoming your bride? A good start this was.

Lined up at the entrance of the manor were all the servants in the household. Men, women, and a few youngsters. All of them were vampires.

“Welcome to the Valerian manor, Lady Valerian. I hope you enjoyed the ride here" A woman in her late sixties asked her. Her dark brown hair was tied in a French chignon, and she was in a simple black dress.

"I did. Thank you" Eloise said with a smile. Behind her, the servants bowed to her with full smiles.

“My name is Elric. I am the grand butler of this household. If you would follow me, please” The woman said politely.

Eloise entered the manor looking around in amazement. Not only did the exterior look amazing but the interior did too. It was large and beautiful with a homely atmosphere. Some good taste the decorator had.

"I hope it Is to your taste. I took the liberty of redecorating it" Miles stepped in next to her saying.

"I have to admit, you have great tastes, Miles," she told him, receiving a proud smile from the curly blond.

"Let me show you around" Miles offered.

They stopped at the large portrait in the hallway. "You like art?" Heath asked her.

"I do" She had one just like this at her apartment back in New York.

"Brother has a rather uncanny skill when it comes to painting. Let me show his other works" Heath told her.

"I will show you around the garden afterwards," he told her.

"Let us see the lake first. Do you like swans?" Corianne asked as they headed away from the foyer.

Eloise turned back to find Thorne and Leonard behind. "Aren't you two coming?" she asked them.

"I would leave you to my siblings, Eloise. I have some work I have to attend to at the Imperium. I will see you in the evening" Thorne told her.

"Alright. Leonard, what about you?" She asked him.

"Brother has some work he also has to attend to. Do you not brother?" Heath said in a tone of mockery.

"I…I… do but I do not mind sparing a few minutes. If you wish, my Lady?" Leonard said clearing his throat.

"I'd love that, Leo and please call me, Eloise," Eloise told him as he walked over.

The hallway was full of portraits. Some were random portraits; others were single portraits of people Eloise didn't know.

They both stopped at a large portrait of a woman in a chair.

She had beautiful olive eyes and chestnut hair. She wore a blue gown with a scarf around her. She wore an exquisite rose diamond necklace around her neck.

“Evangeline Valerian. 1455.” Eloise read the bottom of the portrait. "Who is she?' She asked.

"Our mother," Miles said quietly with an affectionate look.

"She was always the most beautiful one in the room," Heath said. Leonard quietly stood behind them.

“What happened to her?” Eloise asked. The siblings suddenly turned quiet.

“She was burnt at a stake by a group of humans in Velmont in 1502,” Leonard said quietly from behind.

Eloise gasped softly. "I'm sorry" she apologized.

"It is all in the past now. It is forgotten… I will leave now. It was a pleasure meeting you, Eloise" Leonard abruptly turned away to leave.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to open up old wounds" Eloise turned to the others saying.

"There is no need to. You did not know" Miles told her.

"Leo has hated humans ever since then," Corianne said glancing at her mother's portrait. Eloise glanced at Corianne and then back to the portrait. She would hate them too if she were in his shoes.

“Pardon my intrusion, my Lady. My Lord Miles, Madame Monique is here as you requested. Lady Anne, Doctor Morden is here to see you" Elric told them.

"I will take, Annie. Welcome home, Eloise" Heath said to Eloise before heading off.

"See you at the ball, Eloise" Corianne told her. Eloise smiled in return, with no idea what ball she spoke of.

"There's going to be a ball? She turned to Miles.

"Yes, to celebrate your arrival. I will take my leave too. Elric, please take good care of her. See you later, Eloise" Miles placed a kiss on Eloise's cheek before heading off.

"Please follow me, my Lady," Elric told Eloise. Eloise picked up the sides of her gown and followed after her. They climbed a flight of stairs leading them to the first floor.

"These are the Lord's chambers, which will be yours now" Elric gestured towards the six rooms on the floor. She showed her the Lord's private library. Next, they headed for the drawing room which had a Victorian décor and a piano at the centre.

"This is the Lord's quiet room. It's off limits to everyone in the household, my Lady" They stopped at the room at the far end of the hallway.

"What's in there?" A curious Eloise asked.

"I have no idea, my Lady," Elric said with a sigh. She'd been serving the Valerians for centuries, yet she had no idea what was in that room.

They walked to a stop across the hallway to a large double door. Eric flung the doors to reveal a huge bedroom. Several servants striding around preparing the room stopped and bowed their heads in greeting.

Eloise looked around the room with a smile. There was a large canopy bed in the centre of the room. It was laid neatly with heavy mahogany sheets. There was a fireplace at the right wing. There was a large balcony overlooking the lake by the manor. The balcony had the most beautiful view from where she stood.

“My lady, is it to your liking? If it is not I can…”

“I love it. Thank you.” Eloise said with a sigh.

"Very well then. Please rest a while. The royal stylist will be here to help you dress up for the ball tonight, after your nap. Eva and Sally are here to assist Lucy with whatever you need" The two vampire girls next to her bowed their heads.

"Please do not hesitate to call me if you need anything" Eloise nodded, slowly sitting down on the bed letting out a sigh.

"I will take my leave now if there is nothing else, my Lady" Elric bowed lowly taking her to leave afterwards.

"You two, go get rosemary and rose incense for the lady's bath. Rosemary herbs, smooth, no thorns. I do not want my Lady's skin ridden with pores. Now get going" Lucy barked the orders once Elric was away. She went on to kneel at Eloise's feet taking off Eloise's shoes. Being closely responsible for the Queen was Lucy's job. She was chosen amongst five maidens by Serafine to serve the Queen. Although she was going to miss home, serving the Suprema came with great honour. But that didn't matter, she adored Eloise, and serving her was something she did wholeheartedly.

The girls turned to each other, exchanging looks. Lucy turned to them with raised brows.

"And what are you still doing here?" She asked.

"Madam Lucy… there is no…"

"Old Buckle does not allow anyone into the garden let alone us…Madam Lucy" Sally said earning a frown from Lucy.

"And who is bloody Old Buckle" Lucy snapped.

"Lucy, be nice," Eloise told her, slowly pulling off her gloves.

Lucy frowned. "So, what now, you are going to bathe with that bland water? You know how sensitive your skin is?"

Eloise raised her brows at her tone. Lucy was very helpful, but she was one to speak out of turn if she had the chance. Give her an inch and she'd go a mile; she remembered Catherine telling her the night before she left home. From time to time, she had to be put in her place.

"I'm tired, Lucy, so I will let that tone slide, but I won't be so forgiving next time. Go with them and bark at Old Buckle yourself, will you?" Eloise snuggled close to the pillows with a sigh.

"Yes, my Lady. And I apologize for my tone, but I am not wrong" Lucy told her.

"Are you sure you will be alright alone here?" Lucy asked to receive no answer from Eloise.

Lucy walked to the side of the bed to find Eloise fast asleep.

"Well, that was fast" She muttered as she gently pulled the huge mahogany covers over her.

"Come along now, let us go say hello to Old Buckle" She headed out of the room with girls behind her.

Eloise slowly rose from the bed once Lucy was away. She stepped into the balcony barefooted with the cool wind blowing wisps of her hair into her face. She backed away from the balustrade not daring to step any closer.

The image of Cole's face suddenly flashed to memory. She clutched her dress to her chest, taking in a deep breath and exhaling.

She'd finally arrived in Valeria. What was her life at this time going to be like? She thought to herself. Her eyes fell on a huge black wolf walking along the bank of the lake. As if sensing her glance, it looked in her direction and their eyes met.

Its golden eyes remained on hers for a minute before it pranced away into the forest.

Those eyes seemed so familiar. But where had she seen them, she thought to herself.