The Moon, having become full on Ariel's birthday, had begun to wane.
It had been only a day, and yet disaster of dire magnitude had befallen the old Royal Family of Argent.
Lucas gazed at the Moon. The power of the Full Moon lasted three days, but the imposed transformation and subsequent augmentation of the werewolves only occurred on the actual night.
The last two nights, though not bearing as much power, enabled the werewolves to voluntarily shift into their wolf forms, and so posed a threat to the vampires.
It did not help that they were allied to the witches, with whom the prince wished to wage war.
A chilly wind blew gently, casting dust into Lucas' eyes.
He had taken position on the balcony of the Manor overlooking the West Quarter, where his enemies reigned supreme.
Wistfully, he recalled a time when they all knelt before him and his brothers. Those times were gone, but he would bring them back.
He rubbed his hands together, then his eyes fell on the ring on his left hand.
Alexandra had come back to return it after their separation at the Old Battlefield.
Lucas pondered, 'Should I strike them now, or shall I wait?'
Now that he had been sobered by Claire's death, his ability to think in the absence of emotional influence had returned.
Two options existed.
He could wait and dismantle the Coven, even win some of them over to his side and use them in his war to reclaim the city...
Or he could slaughter them all and eradicate one of the enemy factions in one fell swoop.
He sighed. Perhaps a walk would do the trick and help him organize his thoughts.
His figure vanished.
...
"Have the roads always been this bumpy? I can hardly take any more of this," Ariel, first King Asgeirsson, muttered, shifting uncomfortably as the car shook and jerked due to the state of the road.
Alexandra raised an eyebrow. "When last did you leave Caldera, lord?"
"The morning of February 23rd, 1916," Ariel replied. "And while I certainly enjoy the abundance of respect, girl, I am a prince no longer. Address me as Ariel."
She said, "You always call me 'girl', 'child', or 'infant', yet I have a name as well."
Ariel smiled softly. "Well, I hope you don't expect me to ask you to tell me. Do you?"
Alexandra's eye twitched in annoyance, and she took a deep breath before replying.
"My name is Alexandra Andrea Rivergate."
Ariel nodded. "I suppose we shall all introduce ourselves formally. I am Ariel Erik Asgeirsson, and my sleeping brother," he paused, pointing at Mikael, who was convincingly pretending to be asleep, "is Mikael Marcellus."
He paused, wondering why he had even indulged the child after his repeated efforts to signal his desire to stay clear of her.
The car jerked again, and Ariel's head hit the front passenger seat.
"Minimize the discomfort, will you?!" He said to the driver, who said, "I am doing my best, sir, but the roads are horrible."
Ariel sat back and muttered, "When we reigned, this level of neglect was practically non existent. Trust the Republic to undo the progress of our kingdom."
Mikael stirred and sat upright, then asked, "How much longer till we reach New Ashton, kind sir?"
The driver replied, "About half an hour, sir, provided we reach the proper part of the road before the engine hops out of the car."
Mikael made himself as comfortable as possible, then asked his brother, "We remain in hostile territory. What do you suggest we do upon entering the city?"
Ariel thought for a moment. "I have an old acquaintance who lives there, a friend really. I suppose I could ask her to accommodate us while we gather supplies and prepare to leave. Or do you have other intentions?"
The older brother replied, "Yes, I do. Our task is to find Nik, and I doubt we will do much good together. We can cover more ground if we divide and maintain contact. You and I both have the ability to compel fellow vampires and as such can create an extensive information network, allowing us to lessen the strain of seeking him alone."
Ariel agreed. "You were always the wise counsel of the Court," he said, smiling.
Alexandra sighed in dejection.
"What is the matter, Alexandra?" Mikael asked.
"I can't help but feel useless and unimportant whenever you two are together,"she complained ruefully. " What makes it worse is I can't join your conversations because I know practically nothing about your world."
Ariel looked out and watched the trees move past. "You most certainly are of minor use, but don't beat yourself up over it. We're two hundred years old, and the knowledge acquired over that time is not something you can match in a day."
Mikael interjected, "Not that it would make a difference, though."
Alexandra gasped and stared at him, aghast, whereas Ariel burst into laughter.
"Another thing you should know about us, love," he said, finally calming down, "is that we all possess a tongue to cut through steel."
Mikael did not stop laughing.
...
Lucas walked along the bank of the river, occasionally glancing at the reflection of the moon over the water.
He had decided to leave the witches in peace- for a time, at least.
He stopped and turned to face the water, then sat down close enough to touch it. He recalled a time when he and his siblings had made it a point to visit the river every two nights for a swim, provided it was not the Full Moon.
The first time was a hundred and fifty nine years ago...
...
May 7th, 1764
Four young men stood on the riverbank, staring down at the water. Winter had just begun, and the wind carried a threatening chill, but the four were unfazed.
"I wager my horse that the cold won't stop any of us from jumping into that river," Mikael said, smiling warily at the water.
"The wind is already bad enough. The water will be much worse! Surely you can wait till spring for this, brethren? Why seek to swim in winter?" Ariel asked his brothers, who seemed ready to jump in.
Especially Nik, who answered, "What do we care about the temperature? We don't fall ill, we cannot die, and the most we'll get is a shiver or two. There is nothing to fear!"
Lucas gripped Ariel's shoulder and said, "It would be horribly unfair if we enjoyed this alone while you sit by the bank and spectate. We are immortals, let us enjoy our endless life!"
Ariel seemed to think about it for a while, but shook his head afterwards.
"No," he said. "If I do, Mikael keeps his horse, and I happen to want it. So I will gladly decline."
But of course, rarely do things go according to the plan, most especially with siblings like the Asgeirssons, for in the very next moment, Nik and Lucas were on either side of him, holding him tight.
Mikael gave the youngest brother an apologetic smile as he readied to throw him into the water.
Ariel was indignant. "No! You made the wager, you cannot renege!"
Mikael replied, "Indeed I cannot, but I don't think our brothers are similarly bound."
With that, the older siblings threw Ariel into the air, and Mikael's figure blurred, reappearing in the air as he tackled Ariel into the river.
There was a tremendous splash, and as the water settled, neither of the younger two surfaced. Mikael's head popped up a few moments after, and he exploded in laughter, joined by Nik and Lucas.
Ariel's figure burst out of the water and onto the riverbank, but before he could take a single breath, Nik pushed him back in.
The youngest brother swam to the middle of the river and from there let loose a barrage of curses.
"Looks like France never really got out of you, eh brother?" Nik laughed before diving in himself, and so did Lucas.
They swam towards Mikael and from there watched Ariel as he came to join them.
"The three of you are hellspawn, ejected from.."
"Don't you feel much more comfortable in the water now, Ariel?" Nik inquired, and it was then that Ariel's anger subsided, realizing that the water was not as cold as he had thought.
Mikael smiled. "And before you scream at me, I didn't throw you, I just directed you into the river, so I didn't violate anything."
Ariel acquiesced, and moments later, all four of them were lost in their own world.
...
Come to think of it, Ariel lost that wager nevertheless, and Lucas had a suspicion that it was why the younger two were always goading each other.
Lucas smiled in remembrance of that night, and so his mood was not at all pleasant when he sensed the presence of another being behind him.
"If you have come in any capacity other than a passerby, I suggest you get on with your journey and leave me be."
He got no response, and so he stood up and turned around.
A man stood there, staring at him, saying nothing.
Lucas said, "I said, leave."
The man only stared.
Lucas blurred and suddenly stood in front of the man, a tinge of green shimmering in his blue eyes.
The man finally spoke, "Vampire...it is you who must leave. Return to the death from where you were born. You don't belong here."
Lucas' eyes turned fully green, and they glowed, the light reflecting in the irises of the man, who shivered slightly but stood his ground. Barely.
"Do you know how many of your kind I have killed? Some for nothing more than looking at me the wrong way? I will tell you once again and no more, leave."
The man smiled and stepped back, then said, "Originally the plan was to frighten you and send you running. That way we'd have a great joke to share with the others. But you just had to mention the murders against our kind, and that will be your undoing."
His eyes turned yellow, and Lucas watched, with increasing alarm that bordered on fear, as twenty more men stepped out from the trees, eyes glowing a similar yellow.
Lucas backed away towards the river as the werewolves shifted into their wolf forms.
He would have run, if he knew how many more lay hidden, if his senses weren't in disarray, and if his pride as a vampire six to eight times older than they were allowed it.
He bared his fangs in response to their growl, then got into a fighting stance, yelling, "Bring it on, mongrels! I'll send you to meet your maker."
The first wolf jumped on him, maw wide open and aimed for his neck.
Lucas ducked and caught it by the rear legs, then slammed it onto the ground, disorienting the wolf's senses. With another quick movement, he had torn its head off.
He turned to face the other wolves and raised the head.
The response was a resounding howl as wolf after wolf came at him.
The glow of Lucas' green eyes intensified, and he let out a yell of his own as he advanced to meet them.
....
New Ashton
Ariel saw the driver off with a hundred dollars, then turned to his companions.
"Her house is right across the street from the cathedral over there," he said, gesturing for them to follow him.
As they walked, Alexandra asked, "So, this friend... she is like us?"
"Absolutely not," Ariel answered, shaking his head. "She is but a human. I met her a decade ago when she became part of the Royal Government."
Mikael seemed to be holding back his laughter, prompting Ariel to ask, "What have you found hilarious this time, brother?"
He replied, "I'm noticing how you went beyond the question and added irrelevant information. If I didn't know any better..."
Ariel interrupted him. "I might not be able to kill you, but the agony you will suffer with a wooden stake in your chest will satisfy me just as much."
Mikael smiled but did not continue.
Alexandra looked at the both of them, puzzled.
Within minutes, they had reached the residence, which was a rather large mansion, echoing modern design, as compared to the imposing, noble architecture of Asgeirsson Manor.
Ariel suddenly said, "You can become useful now, Alexandra. Knock on the door."
Alexandra stared at him, but he didn't so much as flinch. In the end, she did it, and a man opened the door.
He looked down at them with an air of superiority, then his eyes fell on Ariel.
Instantly his eyes widened, and so did Ariel's smile.
"Gordon! How pleasant to see you again! Swing the doors wide open, will you?"
"Yes, yes, Lord Prince," the butler nodded, hurriedly doing as told.
As the trio stepped inside, Alexandra stopped at the door.
Mikael said to Gordon, staring into his eyes and thus compelling him, "Invite her in."
Gordon said to her, "Come in, please," and at last Alexandra's foot could go through the door.
Ariel whispered in her ear, "Now, you will be safe from the sunlight in here, since you lack a ring."
He walked away, leaving her staring at him.
They sat down in the lounge and waited for the lady of the house to receive them. Meanwhile, the brothers took it upon themselves to make Gordon miserable.
"So, Gordon, how has it been here?" Ariel inquired.
"Everything is well, lord."
"Of course it is. You have been doing a spectacular job of managing the house for as long as I've known you," Ariel affirmed. "But I refer to your own wellbeing, old friend. Are you well?"
Gordon raised a questioning eyebrow, not understanding the sudden concern Ariel showed him.
He replied in an unsure time, "Fate has been kind to me, thank you."
"I couldn't happen but notice that a certain person is missing... what was her name..."
"Louisa," Mikael said helpfully, a smile forming on his face.
Ariel snapped his fingers. "Precisely! Louisa! Where is she?"
Gordon's gaze went to the floor, and his voice became subdued. "She...was dismissed from the household, my lord."
"Ah, that is tragic," Mikael commented. "You fancied her, I recall. I particularly remember an instance when I witnessed..."
Gordon coughed to silence him.
"Gordon, old mate, you alright?" Ariel asked in a concerned tone, not at all matching with the smile on his face.
"I am alright, I'm alright," he replied, his breathing becoming more regular.
"That was a rather nasty cough there, mate," Mikael said. "Does it happen often?"
Gordon shook his head.
Alexandra had a hand over her mouth, suppressing a laugh. She was more than amused.
The Asgeirssons were a rather interesting bunch, it seemed.