Chapter 68
They spent the rest of the day in bed except for dinner and washing up for bed. Daphne fell asleep beside him, exhausted and satisfied, but Arthur lay awake turning over the issue in his mind.
Did Nicole want war? Why was she so adamant about bringing Daphne back to the queen’s castle? Would she be forced to take on the same problems that he had taken on upon taking the throne? He shook his head. Nicole didn’t seem at all like Tom or any of the other alphas. There didn’t seem to be anything weak about her, and she’d been serious about waging war on the werewolf kingdom.
It had been a few days since they’d met. He was running out of time. He huffed and got out of bed at first light, tucking the blankets around Daphne. He dressed quickly and quietly before escaping the room.
“Your Majesty,” Blade called from down the hallway. He looked at Blade. “Good Morning.”
“Blade…” He said, slowly.
Blade sighed, “The alphas have convened in the hall to speak about what will be done about General Steward’s threat.”
“And what are your thoughts on it?” Blade shook his head. “What would you do?”
Blade met Arthur’s gaze and thought of Mamie, of being parted from her willingly, and shook his head.
“I wouldn’t be here.” Blade said, “I would have packed us up and disappeared in the night.”
Arthur gasped as Blade gave him a small smile, “Mamie would be furious with me, but I would spend the rest of my life earning her forgiveness… I suppose you still being here makes you a great man.”
Arthur huffed, “I should have done it your way instead of warning her.”
Blade laughed, “That was your first mistake.”
Arthur grumbled and shook himself, “Fine. Let’s go. Maybe I can talk some sense into them.”
“As a matter of curiosity,” Blade said. “Have you told her about… everything?”
“No.”
Blade nodded, “I thought not.”
“You think I should?” Arthur asked.
“I don’t know.” Blade said, “I can understand why you didn’t. Knowing Daphne, she would have likely agreed to go to avoid more bloodshed, and… that wouldn’t be easy to hear.”
Arthur blew out a breath, a bit of relief filling him. At least, someone else understood how complicated the situation was for him. He was grateful.
“If I make a run for it, I promise you, Mamie, and the little one can come with us.”
Blade laughed, “I’ll keep it in mind.”
They walked into the hall together and Arthur rounded the table. His gaze swept over the group as he sat on his throne and regarded them.
“Well, what is it?”
Daphne turned over and reached out. The spot beside her was cool, but not cold. She guessed Arthur had been out of bed for maybe half an hour before she woke up. A knock sounded on the door as she sat up.
“Come in.”
The door opened and Mamie came in with her eyes covered. She laughed.
“Mamie… it’s just me.”
Mamie peeked through her fingers with a grin, “I brought breakfast, Your Majesty, if you’re interested.”
Daphne sighed and pulled her knees to her chest. She hadn’t had much of an appetite lately. It was probably just the stress.
“Maybe a bit… I think I’ll spend some time in the library.”
“The library?”
She nodded, “I wanted to know why… vampires and werewolves hate each other so much.”
Maybe if she resolved some of that tension, there could be peace. Her going with the vampire general might stop future attacks, but that wasn’t the same as peace. It was only a temporary solution.
Mamie hummed, “It’s a pretty large part of our history. I’m sure you’ll find something.”
Daphne hoped so. She got dressed, managed to eat a bit of breakfast, and went to the library. It was a large sprawling room lined with books from floor to ceiling. She looked over the shelves wondered if they were filed in any specific way. She had never been in a real library.
She came to a stop and looked up at the large tapestry hanging at the back of the library. As far as she could tell it was supposed to tell the story of how the moon goddess and the sun god created everything. The figures wrapped in silver and gold hovered over an ornate-looking building with columns. To one side were golden wolves running across the sunny side. On the other side were human figures with golden eyes like hers. She stepped closer, frowning at the tapestry. Below them seemed to be normal humans and animals.
She wondered where the building the two deities were hovering over was on the continent. She walked to the shelf beneath the tapestry and skimmed the titles. Most of them seemed to be religious books about the deities and creation, but there was one titled The Great Conflict. She pulled it from the shelf and opened it to the first page.
It seemed to be a history of the first fight between the werewolves and vampires over a place called the Temple. She glanced up at the tapestry. The Temple had to be the building on the tapestry. According to the book, the Temple was desecrated and each side blamed the other for it though they were both punished: vampires were bound in the darkness, and werewolves were forced into human form.
It didn’t say if there was a way to earn forgiveness or repair the place, and Daphne couldn’t make out whether it was just a part of the creation myth or not, but she bet there was some truth to it.
She scoffed for a moment and turned away from the tapestry. Why should she care about ensuring peace for people who wanted her dead? All the time she spent in Sharp Armor living with them had been forgotten at the revelation of her lineage.
Didn’t she have the right to cut all ties?
Her eyes burned at the thought and she sniffled. She’d spent so many years alone in the forest. She had been so happy to be among the werewolves with Arthur just to have a sense of a community.
She didn’t want to go back to being alone, but was this community?
“Daphne?” Mamie’s voice rang out. She turned and slid the book back onto the shelf.
“I’m here.”
Mamie looked nervous but approached her and took her hand, “Come with me. They’re having a meeting in the hall right now about the vampires.”
Why would Arthur be having this meeting without her?
“I understand why he doesn’t want you there, but I don’t think you should remain in the dark about what’s going on.”
Daphne nodded and smiled at her.
“Thank you, Mamie.”
She nodded and led Daphne out of the room, down the corridor, and through the servant passages towards the corridor that led to the hall they used for meetings.
“Time is running out! When are we going to take her there?” An alpha asked.
“There isn’t another option,” another alpha said. “Please, Your Majesty, for the sake of us all.”
“How is training coming along?” Arthur asked, ignoring their cries. “Have your men improved at all?”
“It’s going as well as can be expected…”
Arthur huffed, “That sounded like not well at all.”
“If we just turn the girl over, then it won’t be a problem.”
“You think getting rid of Daphne will solve the problem that no wolf alive right now is proficient enough at fighting vampires?” Arthur asked. “What if they decide it isn’t enough? Maybe after realizing how weak we are they decide to start up the war again. Then, what?”
“That’s not—”
“You don’t get to decide what’s best,” Arthur said, stiffly. “You had twenty years to come up with a plan to defend the werewolf kingdom and you wasted it. You’re focusing on the wrong thing.”
“And what should we be focusing on?” Someone snapped.
“Preparing for war,” Arthur said. “Gathering information about how large their forces are. Training so the next time they attack a village it won’t end up like Sharp Armor!”
Someone sighed and Rex spoke, “Be that as it may… No one in the kingdom wants a vampire luna.”
Arthur looked at Rex who looked haunted and angry, looking into his ale cup.
“No one can trust her after the attack on Sharp Armor.”
“That isn’t their decision to make.”
“Between this and the rogue attacks, it’s hard not to believe that at the least she’s bad luck,” Rex said, rubbing between his eyes and sighing.
“How can you say the people don’t have a say?” Another alpha asked. “Everyone else here was chosen by their packs.”
“Liar,” Arthur sneered, “Aren’t the two of them descendants of the first alphas? That line hasn’t been broken since the establishment of the kingdom.”
“Well, that’s just them—“
“And they’ve had their time to pick someone who would lead them and leave me and Daphne out of this mess,” Arthur growled. “The Royal family could have stayed dead.”
“Your Majesty, what about Owen?” Tom asked. “If you hadn’t defeated him, then what?”
“Doesn’t seem like a choice then, does it?”
Daphne smiled as the alpha sputtered in shock. He wasn’t wrong and she was so proud of him for speaking his mind and calling them out so calmly. She almost wished she had more points to give him.
“… fine,” Arthur said after a while. “Let them have a say. If Daphne cannot be their luna—”
“Your Majesty--”
“Then I cannot be their king,” Arthur hissed and stood. “They and their opinions can prepare you because Daphne and I won’t be here long enough for you to take her from me.”
Daphne gasped, walking out of the corridor, “What are you talking about, Arthur?”
Tom stood up, “Spying, Your Majesty! What do you have to say about her now?”
