“No” He continued. “I am not speaking of the lusty blood thirsty fictitious creatures of legend-” The tall pale Sarrilian elf was cut off by a squat looking man with an overgrown grey beard.
“Do you deny they drink the blood of their victims? Do you deny they live outside human laws and conventions?” The man shouted.
“I am not here to discuss their rumoured nutritional needs I-” Again the elf was cut off.
“Nutritional needs! They drink blood! A Fact!” The squat man, with the sharp Devonian accent shouted back, opening his arms to the crowd for support. “They want to drink our blood!”
“You can’t go around making accusations based on superstition and rumour-” The tall pale elf tried in vain to talk over the rumblings of the crowd.
“If the vampires need help so desperately, why are they not here making an appeal to the medical community directly?” A sly looking Devonian, with a bad comb-over remarked.
“If we held conventions after the sun went down, I have no doubt they would attend. But as it is, it is physically impossible for a vampire to attend a daylight lecture. That is why I-” The Sarrilian reminded.
Snow’s eyes got larger and she bit her lip, wondering why these Devonian’s were so intent on discrediting vampires, and this Sarrilian healer. They just might incite a riot if they kept this up.
“Perhaps the vampires do not really desire a vaccination against sunlight; perhaps they view it as easier to...satisfy their needs under cover of darkness.” The same sly Devonian smugly replied; the crowd began to roar again. “Perhaps that is why they self-govern in their own hidden and secret covens.”
“There has not been a documented case of a vampire slaying in over fifty years. Of course they live outside our laws, they keep separate, and they have to! Do I need to remind you what we have done to them?” The exasperated elf shot back as loudly as he could.
He, of course was referring to “The Burning Times”, a terrible chapter of human history where vampire covens were hunted and either burned outright, or left open for the sun to destroy the helpless vampires as they lay paralyzed. Whole communities of the beautiful creatures executed ruthlessly while they slept. Well, they slept until the sun’s rays hit them that was, then they writhed and screamed in agony as they burned from the inside out. As a result, vampires had become even more reclusive, and very territorial; they guarded their safe places with a fierce determination. They lived outside human society, governing themselves, painted as devils and villains by unsubstantiated rumour.
Snow considered Manuel, the only vampire she had ever met. Was he scary? Absolutely. Was he irritating, condescending and arrogant? No doubt about it. But she had never actually witnessed him do anything in the least bit violent. Was he capable of violence? Undeniably, but he did seem to adhere to some sort of moral code; maybe not her moral code exactly, but he definitely wasn’t lawless. Was he a devil or a villain? No, no that he wasn’t.
“What I’m trying to say, is that if perhaps it was possible for them to be more fully a part of society, if they weren’t in constant danger, I believe the majority of the vampires would-” Again a roar rose from the back.
“Bring killers in to our schools? Entertain savages in our homes? Never!” One irate and red faced woman shouted. Several people began to nod encouragingly. Suddenly it was very, very loud in the auditorium.
“Please!” The elf tried to speak over the uproar. “Please, I have made a discovery that could change everything!”
“Keep the monsters in the bushes!” A tall, thin Devonian started and several others took up the chant. Everywhere she looked Snow saw the ugly faces of bigotry. The riot had begun.
“Humans.” The elf lamented sadly. “Always so ready to hate that which you don’t understand.”
With his elegant head hung low, the Sarrilian elf healer collected his papers and left the podium. It was over before it even began.
Snow snuck a look over at Leo, who met her eyes and sadly shook his head.
~~*~~
“Thank you Swardish¸ but I truly do not believe I will ever have the opportunity to test the serum. I have yet to discover a suicidal vampire.” Uncle Doc said as he accepted several red star shaped vials from the Sarrilian healer. Both healers laughed a little at the idea. “Tell me how you conducted your tests again?”
The elf, seated comfortably in an arm chair by the fire in Uncle Doc’s room, took a deep breath, crossed his long legs and began. “Well Cornelius, there are many Vampire Covens in Sarrilia that aided my research in donating vials of their blood. You see, that is why I believe there should be, and can be an end to this...this ‘segregation’ for lack of a better word. Without their approval and support I could never have discovered this breakthrough. Rumour and superstition have painted these beings as monsters and ‘Devils of the Night’, I suppose out of fear they have not openly discouraged it; but they are anything but. It was through these samples, from various Sarrilian Covens that I created my serum, and the samples provided my means of testing its potency as well.”
“Fascinating.” Uncle Doc commented.
“We know that the blood burns first, so I hypothesised that were I to create a serum to stop the blood from burning, to isolate the flammable component, the vampire might be saved as well.” Swardish continued. “I started with comparing vampire blood to human blood, a daunting task, but finally I made a breakthrough. My first samples burned immediately upon first rays of the sun, but eventually they began burning slower and slower until finally I isolated the problem. My findings might solve their...nutritional needs as well, but I have much more research to do in that regard before I announce anything. Although I do think it all comes down to the blood. The newest batch of clinical tests on vampire blood soaked objects, has proven highly successful. But, as you can understand I have yet to convince a living vampire to take part in these tests.” He sighed.
Uncle Doc lit a pipe. “That will prove problematic my friend.”
“Yes.” Agreed the elf. ”But we are men of science, we have to try; we could do nothing less.”
Uncle Doc chuckled at his new friend’s frank wisdom and poured them both a glass of wine.
~~*~~
Dinner with Prince Charming. No, Snow corrected herself, it was dinner with “Leo”, hard working med student. Apparently someone forgot to tell the wait staff at the restaurant that, because those ladies were tripping over themselves in their efforts to ensure he didn’t have to ask for a thing. You would think seeing as he resided in Crystallise that this would be a common place event; obviously not.
Cindy and Snow ate in relative silence, sneaking peaks at the gorgeous prince and listening in to the conversation Leo and Uncle Doc were having about infectious outbreaks. Needless to say they didn’t feel the need to add anything to that particular topic. Watching the two men converse, the girls almost forgot that one of them was the Crown Prince of the Kingdom, even if the wait staff didn’t. Eventually they topic changed to the aborted vampire lecture that afternoon. Now that Snow was very curious about.
“Tell me why the Devonians hate the Sarrilians so much. I feel like the riot this afternoon was racially targeted, not only against vampires, but against Sarrilians as well. I have never heard of any war, I don’t understand the hostility. Is there something I don’t know?” Snow asked.
“That is a rather mysterious story, some would call it a legend. Wouldn’t you agree Leo?” Uncle Doc asked.
“Oh yes. One of my favourites actually.” Leo replied with a small smile.
“Why don’t you tell it then, I would be interested in hearing a new version.” Uncle Doc asked.
“I would love to.”
“It was in the time of my great grandfather,” Leo began reflectively. “The Sarrilian Kingdom was in a state of celebration as King Stefan had announced the impending marriage of his only daughter Aurora, to the Devonian Prince Phillip. It was, as I recall hearing, her sixteenth birthday.” He stopped for a moment
. “But people married much younger then of course.”
“Of course.” Uncle Doc agreed.
“The invitations were sent out to all kingdoms to come and share in the festivities. My great grandfather, who was at that time still a young man, prepared for the trip to Sarrilia bringing with him his new queen, Queen Nadia, my great grandmother. So excited were they to join in the celebration having recently been married themselves. And it was said that the young Princess Aurora was thrice blessed having had the blessing of three fairies, each vowing godmother oaths. And, as you know fairies rarely pledge themselves godmother to humans.” He continued.
Cindy smiled. “I know.” She said quietly, thinking about Lailie, her very own pale blue fairy godmother.
“The journey was pleasant and uneventful, they said, until they neared the good King Stefan’s Castle that is; for then a great storm appeared. Swirling, dark ominous clouds surrounded them, lightning struck trees in their path and torrential rain pelted them mercilessly, the closer traveled towards the castle, the more violent it became. They took shelter for the night, and when they awoke a strange mist had filled the valley. Now, My great grandmother swore she heard malicious laughter in the air throughout the strange storm, but she always had a flair for the dramatics. Perhaps that is where my brother Nickoli gets it.” Leo laughed at the thought.
Snow smiled, she too had a close someone with a certain dramatic flair. She looked over at Cindy, who was gazing at Leo with rapt attention; this story was new for both girls.
“Fighting through the mists, a great weariness set upon them, but still the marched on attempting to make their way to the castle. Try as they may, they could never find it. They searched for King Stefan’s Castle for two days, before giving up and returning home. All the while fighting the strange sleepiness that filled their every minute.”
“What happened to it? To the castle I mean.” Snow had to know; castles just didn’t disappear. There had to be a logical explanation for it.
“It has never been found. King Stefan, his lovely wife the Queen Inga, Aurora and Phillip have never been seen again. And what’s more, the wedding guests that arrived before my great grandfather have never been seen either. Historians have searched for the lost castle, but never has anyone come close to finding it. It remains one of the great mysteries of this world.” Leo explained with a shake of his head.
“What do the Sarrilians say about it?” Snow asked.
Uncle Doc answered. “For years rumours of a malevolent rogue fairy have circulated, and they lay the blame on her malevolent feet. But for a fairy to wreak that kind of havoc is unprecedented, perhaps even impossible. I mean we are talking about the total destruction and disappearance of an entire castle full of people. And not only the castle, the entire courtly village. It seems improbable. The magic needed to achieve this would be...unimaginable.”
“You’re right of course.” The Prince said with a smile. “As a child I had always dreamed of going to Sarrilia and finding the Castle. Solving the mystery I suppose; if my grandfather had been just a little bit earlier, perhaps I would not be sitting here.”
“So, the Devonians blame the Sarrilians?” Snow reasoned.
“Correct.” Uncle Doc answered. “They lost their most promising prince; they had hoped that the alliance of one of their princes with the Sarrilian princess would result in improved trade deals and prosperity for both kingdoms. Instead they lost their prince, and Sarrilia became a Republic. They felt cheated and had to blame someone.”
“That’s so sad.” Cindy murmured. “So now they reject any innovation made by a Sarrilian, based solely on the fact that they are Sarrilian. It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Hatred and racism rarely do.” Snow said with a shake of her head.
“A rare insight for someone eighteen.” Leo remarked.
“Sixteen. Snowy’s sixteen.” Uncle Doc said in a firm voice.
“Seventeen in two months.” Cindy put in quickly. “Me in three.”
“Sixteen.” Prince Charming said with a glorious smile. “You will be a marvel in five or ten years.”
Snow blushed a deep red under his intense gaze; damn it she hated blushing. But that seemed to mollify the good doctor...somewhat, although he wasn’t sure how he felt about the look that the prince had given his beloved Snow.
“Lonstas has come far in paving the way for equality; it will be up to your generation to take the fight to the next level.” Uncle Doc commented.
Prince Leonardo nodded slowly, fully understanding that the battle for equality had only just begun.
The rest of the evening went by far too fast for either one of the girls; although, Leo did promise to send an invitation to the Palace Ball, which was only a day away, for Uncle Doc and the girls. While Snowy and Cindy stared in stunned silence, Uncle Doc politely accepted and thanked the prince for both his company and his thoughtfulness. Recovering their power of speech the girls managed to stammer out a thank you of their own. Barely.
The gold inlaid invitation arrived first thing in the morning. It smelled like lilacs.
~~*~~
As Snow stood in the Grand Entrance way of The Charming Family Palace, she was for perhaps the first time, so, so glad she had let Cindy dress her. Surrounded by some of the most beautiful, perfectly dressed people she had ever seen, she would have felt quite out of place had she gone with her original choice. But her deep rose coloured form fitting, strapless floor length satin gown was as simple as it was elegant. Her hair had been brushed to a sleek sheet, back from her face and fell to the small of her back, a simple rose the same color as her gown was placed behind her ear. Cindy, jade eyes shining like jewels in her jade green, velvet dress clasped her hand and nudged her forward to the reception butler.
“Lady Snow Rutherford and the Lady Cinderella Vanholston.” He announced.
Cindy gave her hand a squeeze and they stepped in to the ballroom.
The orchestra played from a marble stage to the left of the dome shaped room. The ceilings were easily three stories high, magnificent skylights strategically placed across the ceiling allowed snippets of star lit sky to grace the room. White marble columns rose up majestically with golden wall sconces, story high painted glass windows lined the rounded walls, white lilies and red roses filled the room. Gorgeous bejewelled couples glided past moving in time to the exquisite music, and wait staff carrying trays laden with food and drink floated around the room. Snow scanned the room looking for a familiar face, one familiar face in particular. And then she found it.
Prince Leonardo’s gentle blue eyes lit up when his gaze settled on Snow. Instantly she blushed, and then cursed herself because that blush would be painfully obvious set against her naturally pale skin. He smiled and began crossing the room towards her. Her eyes widened in utter disbelief when she realised that she was his destination.
“Snowy Rutherford!” He exclaimed as he caught both of her hands and formally kissed them before returning them and catching Cindy’s. “Miss Cinderella.” He winked at Cindy who appeared to be on the verge of passing out.
“Your Royal Highness.” She replied and deeply curtsied.
“No, no. Stop that, I told you it was Leo. Just Leo.” He protested with another devastating smile.
“Ah,” Snow teased lightly. “That was for when you were in school, here you are His Royal Highness, Prince Leonardo Charming.”
The prince in question, smiled widely at Snow’s gentle tease.
Just then a dashing young man appeared at Leo’s side. Cindy flashed her brightest smile.
“Sir Jacob Lindstone, may I present Miss Snow Rutherford and Miss Cinderella Vanholston. They have accompanied Dr. Rutherford from Turin to attend the medical conferences in Centre Court. Speaking of which, where is the doctor this evening?”
“He was asked to sit in on a very delicate surgery at University Hospital, he sends his regrets but he will not be in attendance this evening.” Snow felt terrible that Uncle Doc would miss thi
s magical evening, but overjoyed that he had allowed both her and Cindy to attend without him. They had to return by midnight, Cindy had pouted at that, but Snow readily agreed.
“Ah, I see. Then I shall be your chaperone for this evening.” He replied playfully, to which Cindy almost swooned.
Sir Jacob bowed to each in turn. “Miss Cinderella, would you care to dance? If that would not offend Your Highness.” He inquired.
“Miss Cinderella is free to dance with whomever she chooses, providing she saves one dance for me.”
Blushing, Cindy accepted Sir Jacob’s offered arm, but not without sending a questioning look Snow’s way. Snow didn’t know how to respond, so she kept her face blank.
“Snow. That’s a very unusual name.” Leo turned to her.
“Not really, I think its gaining momentum.” Snow defended, unable to believe that she was actually standing in the Charming Palace, in Crystallise of all places, bantering words with ‘The Prince Leonardo Charming’ of her fantasies.
“Perhaps you are right. Isn’t the Rylakian princess named Snow?” He inquired casually.
Her heart froze.
“Yes, I think it is.” He continued. “I met her once when she was a small child, although we haven’t socialised much with King Roland since he has taken ill. Still “Snow”, one tends to remember such unusual names.”
She didn’t know what to say. They had in fact met many years ago, before her mother had died, but obviously he would never recognise her now. Her mother had died when she was five, and the world had changed unimaginably in the eleven years since. What could she say? A big part of her was tired of having to always hide who she was, pretend to be a penniless runaway, but her very safety required that she conceal her identity, lie if she had to. Both being crown heirs of their Kingdoms, there was so much they could have shared, so much they could have spoken on. But she could say none of it; and it hurt.