Page 113 of Theoden
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
A PRINCE IS CROWNED
I was standing on the balcony of Ara’s palace along with my other brothers as we looked out among Ara’s entire vampire army. My four were there in attendance, looking regal in their appearance as each was an enforcer now, and in control of their own sections within Ara’s kingdom. Two hundred years had passed since I’dembracedDonovan, my stubborn priest.
Surprisingly enough, he was more depraved sexually than Michael was, taking after his older brothers, Marco and Bruce. He was also the best cocksucker in my house, and each night, we put his skills to the test. In regards to his duties, he was just as aggressive as my other sons and I was very proud of him, my youngest.
As for tonight’s festivities, Ara was planning to crown his first-born son in both his human life and vampire as the very first Prince of his City. Of his territory. Karim was nervous and excited when I had last spoken to him. He was a wise choice, as Karim was extremely powerful and a cunning strategist. He would be able to defend this territory in Ara’s absence.
That was the other big announcement Ara would make tonight. He had already discussed his plans with his sons, so we were aware of what was to come. Ara had set his sights on the New World. We would have to plan our attack, but we would soon be traveling to the Americas to stake our claim on new and promising territory.
The land my Father wanted was already occupied by Vampire King Alexander, but that was of no consequence to Ara. I was looking forward to planting roots in the new land myself. It was time for a change and I couldn’t wait until we were en route. For now, I would celebrate the elevation of my eldest brother, Karim.
Ara came out onto the balcony to the cheers and applause of the crowd of admiring vampires below. To them, he was a god. They watched him defend his territory from Amara’s attack and those who were old enough, remembered how he had humbled himself to save what was left of his army from that mangy pack of wolves. He was a true leader, a real King. He was stronger now, four thousand vampires stronger, and soon, the world would know it as well.
He greeted them, made the announcement, and Karim knelt before his Father to make the oath. There was a silence over the crowd as they waited to hear the first Prince take the oath and see a new chapter in our lives unfold.
Ara held Karim’s chin in his palm, lifting his face to his. “My son, you have never disappointed me. I remember holding you in my arms the day you were born. Though we lost your mother that day, I gained her most precious gift. I have nurtured you and watch you become a man, strong and wise. Then, I made you a vampire and watched you soar beyond even my expectations. You have made me an extremely proud Father.”
Karim was grinning widely after hearing such lovely words come from Ara’s mouth. “Thank you, Father. I am honored to be your son.”
Ara smiled, then began the oath. “Blood of my blood, I bestow upon you my power and authority to rule, under the decree of the Kingdom of Ara, this territory. To defend it at all costs from all enemies. To continue to cultivate it and keep it prosperous. Do you accept the title and duty of the Prince of the City? To honor it with your life?”
“Yes, my King, I do swear,” Karim vowed.
“Then, my child, drink and take your position.”
Ara cut his wrist with his sharpened nail and Karim locked his mouth to the wound and drank of Ara’s blood. I licked my lips thinking about the taste of our Father, the marvelous elixir that was his blood, and how it could revitalize all the cells in your body.
Ara ordered Karim to stop and he did. Karim rose to his feet, standing about an inch taller than his father, and together, they addressed the crowd as King and Prince. Ara then took his seat and left Karim to make his decree. The new rules that the vampires left behind would have to obey. He didn’t deviate too much from Ara’s old rules, but he was a bit more lenient as to the siring of vampires. That, I didn’t agree with. One must always protect their food source and make sure that vampires don’t outnumber humans. Whatever the case, it was not my business, as I would be leaving soon.
I enjoyed the celebration afterward. We fed heartily and watched human prisoners battle it out to the death in the Circle of Fate, as Ara called it. A ring of fire he had me burn in the yard that the humans fought in. If they fell out of the fire, they would die instantly, killed by the vampires in attendance. At least inside the circle, one had a chance of survival.
That was quite entertaining, however, nothing could replace the sheer thrill that was watching two werewolves fight to the death. Unfortunately, those days were behind us. We avoided their territory and they kept to the treaty to avoid dragon and vampire territories. Mostly, they fought amongst themselves these days, as werewolves were greedy for land even more so than any other powerful being.
I congratulated my brother once more on being crowned Prince and he was overjoyed. Giddy actually, and high off the humans he’d been feeding on that were doped with opium. It was nice to see him so lighthearted, as he was almost always very serious. His lighthearted moments were little treasures. I loved Karim and wished him the best. We kissed, then I left, leaving my sons to enjoy the festivities.
***
Two weeks later, I was sitting in Ara’s study along with my brothers. But also, Tylendel and Vex were present, representing the dragon King, Evander. I still had yet to lay eyes upon the dragon King. According to Tylendel, the King must always be protected. He was to fight on the front line if and only if there was another King present. Still, the rumors I’d heard of his beauty left me very curious.
We were discussing our strategy for when we were going to take over the American territory from King Alexander. At first, I thought it would just be us vampires, but apparently, Evander was ready to stretch his wings. The alliance he and Ara shared was being renegotiated at this moment to include working together to take over not only the Midwestern territory in America, but also the Japanese territory.
It was a bold endeavor, and if it proved successful, would put Ara in the forefront of the legion of vampires as a true force to be reckoned with. As he’d always stated, what makes a King powerful was not only the size of his army, which was very impressive, but also what alliances one made.
Dragons were not known for aligning themselves with vampires or wolves. For Ara to make an alliance with not one, but two dragon Kings was something to not only admire, but to learn from. We sat and listened as Ara and Tylendel worked out everything that would be expected of each King through the alliance.
The territory would have to be shared between them, and Ara claimed Illinois while Evander wanted Wisconsin. Both territories were claimed by King Alexander at the moment. He had a powerful army as well, of six thousand vampires the last time I had checked. But they would be no match for dragons, especially during a daytime attack.
Once the renegotiation was complete, Ara and Tylendel discussed how we would go about taking over the land. We would travel by water, which would take months, then once we got close to the new land, the dragons would each bring two vampires with them to fly over the land to attack during the night.
Ara was taking half his army at two thousand and leaving the rest with Karim to rule his territory in India, which he finally accepted as his Indian Territory, no longer calling it New Persia. He came to that resolution about a hundred years ago, so it took a minute to settle within him that his birth home may forever be lost to him, and that he needed to move on.
Perhaps that was why he was ready to not only move on in accepting his current land, but to claim others. I didn’t question his reasoning, only obeyed his command. I was looking forward to seeing this new land. This was going to take a lot of patience on our part and perfect timing, but I knew by how strategic the plan was that it would work.
Dragons could fly extremely fast and the older the dragon, the faster and more powerful they were. This would be a battle that would hopefully not last too long. America, here we come.
