Daughter of Death -Chapter 33 (Part 2) (Patreon)

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Hello everyone and welcome to the very last chapter(s) before the Epilogue! Just a warning this is PART TWO of this chapter -due to the length you deserved two posts to break it up for easier reading so we'll have Part 1 and Part 2. I hope you enjoy this one; we're almost to the end of this tale about the Daughter of Death!

CHAPTER THIRTY THREE (cont)

Edeline slept restlessly that night –her only comfort came in the soft caress of a dark-haired woman in her dreams who whispered in an angelic voice that peace would be had.

But that peace was short lived. Reina and Ferdinand had their wedding ceremony late that morning and the afternoon was filled with music and cheering that echoed down in small bits to Edeline’s cell. That evening while she suffered downstairs with the emotional burden and turmoil and the smell of the kitchens roasting and baking the grand feast, Reina and Ferdinand laughed gaily in The Great Hall surrounded by their guests as they all ate and drank and danced happily in celebration of the union between the two.

Why even Reina’s companions the dwarves now numbering only seven were in attendance as guests of honour laughing and enjoying themselves amongst the nobility who looked upon them with mixtures of sadness, pity and amusement. They were not used to seeing such tiny people and in addition peasants who had donned such fine clothing but were clearly not of any noble birth or learned. The nobles wondered at their Queen’s decision to include these men and yet slowly the stories began to spread even through that night itself that these odd men had been the source of Queen Reina’s salvation in the wooded forest!

The dwarves had banded together to bring a wedding present for Lord Ferdinand and his beloved wife. They requested an audience with the now King and Queen and were allowed one a couple hours into the festivities. Reina and Ferdinand stopped the dancing and revelry to have all witness the presentation. She and Ferdinand went and sat upon their thrones in The Great Hall and called the dwarves forth.

“Your Majesties,” Hulbard began with practiced speech, “we come before you humbly to present you a humble gift upon the occasion of your wedding.”

“We accept your willingness. Pray tell: what have you come to give us and our husband?” Reina asked calmly.

“We have long saved and spent upon this gift,” Rutger replied, “With every new trip into town from our cottage we put forward sums of money that our gift be made for you and t’was our hope it be ready for this very occasion.”

“We present Your Majesties this tabernacle:Das Glücklichste Paar; The Most Happy Couple,” Ulrich spoke before bowing deeply and allowing Wendall and Wilhelm to step forward with the gift presented upon an altar which they carried with utmost care.

Reina and Ferdinand learned that they had commissioned the piece from a tradesman who had done wonderful work of creating the imagery of Princess Reina as a most holy and serene figure atop the piece. They had said it had been intended to be given to The Royal Council to place in The Royal Abbey upon the first anniversary of Reina’s ‘death’ however they had deceived everyone as they knew Reina was alive. They made a separate commission to create Lord Ferdinand’s image and then had paid to add it to this piece once it had been revealed Reina was living still.

The two lovers made of various materials covered in costly enamel work looked spectacular. Reina stared out serenely ahead whilst the image of Ferdinand seemingly gazed upon her with utmost awe and humble respect. She sat upon a throne and had a halo about her head whilst a cross rose above her symbolizing the divine involvement in her life.

Unable to afford much more the dwarves had then had another craftsman paint imagery of The Virgin and Child upon the piece but intervention by The Royal Council had then had the entire thing properly framed in metals of silver and gold so that the piece was a wonder and quite befitting of royalty.

Reina and Ferdinand politely gave thanks for the gift and asked that it be taken immediately to The Royal Abbey. It seemed the proper decorum but Reina detested the halo and the cross while Ferdinand immediately recognized the silver that would harm him and his bride should they come in contact with it.

And then Ferdinand announced that he too had a gift for his bride whilst the congregation of guests looked on. “I have arranged that your mortal enemy be today charged with her crimes and sentenced.”

Reina gazed at him with momentary surprise before it was replaced with delight and Ferdinand gave a signal that they should escort Edeline in.

The crowd gasped softly and parted as the doors to the hall were once again opened and a small battalion of guards escorted a chained Edeline into the room. She no longer wore a mere shift but was dressed somewhat finely and her hair done up some.

Ferdinand looked on in surprise. This development was new to him.

Reina noticed his expression and grinned smugly. “Ah my love I too was thinking of my former step-mother also. For she should be here to witness her step-daughter living on happily now married. Therefore as a guest to our wedding I had her readied to attend and dance to our happiness.

“Ah but Edeline where are thy dancing shoes?” Reina questioned with a manic look in her eye. She had dropped all royal pronouns as she spoke so familiarly to her husband and then the prisoner before her. “Bring Lady Edeline’s dancing shoes for tonight and for this dance only she shall be temporarily restored her former title—”

Ferdinand watched in fascination as Reina spoke and commanded this charade to proceed. He was indeed excited to see what Reina had to unfold.

A Royal Jailor stepped forward with a cushion atop his hands which held upon them a pair of metal shoes fashioned by a few long strips welded together formed into the familiar shape.

Edeline gazed upon them with confusion and worry. Being readied for the wedding in and of itself had set her on edge. But now with this new accessory being presented she felt herself anxious not understanding.

“I do believe this ugly colour does not suit thee or thy gown,” Reina went on haughtily as she gazed upon Edeline, who was dressed in maroon, “I think red shall suit. Set them into the fire to give them a blaze of colour,” she informed the man and heard a few murmurs and gasps at the proclamation.

Edeline herself felt her blood run cold and her face paled even further to what it was currently.

“My love,” Ferdinand murmured to Reina in surprise, “Did you truly arrange all this?”

“Yes. She needs to be punished before she is given the sentence of death or whatever nasty torture awaits her as a result of her treason,” she muttered in return with utter assurance and elation.

Ferdinand found this all to be sudden and somewhat unnecessary. And yet, he found he could not find it within himself to ask Reina to stop it from happening. Edeline had indeed tortured and tried to kill his beloved. Reina’s judgement of the punishment to be received for the crime was weighted.

Edeline pleaded for mercy from the young Queen before her. Reina listened to all of it, growing with every passing second even more smug and happy to be supplicated to with such desperation in Edeline’s eyes and in her voice.

“Your Majesty I humbly implore you to let Our Lord God; your own Almighty Protector to exact his vengeance upon me,” Edeline begged anew as tears streamed from her face and she knelt before her judge in the form of this demon sitting on a throne, “Let him judge and weigh my crimes against you. Let me be put to death that my soul receive punishment for the crimes against Your Majesty and against The Crown.

“I heard Lord—beg your pardon I heard His Majesty King Ferdinand declare I have been given a trial. Let that sentence be read out,” Edeline begged. She was certain the jury would not have pronounced such torture on her for the crimes of High Treason against The Crown of this kingdom. However she was to be put to death she wanted to know and wanted the sentence to be given.

Reina did not oblige her. “We are here for revelry not to read out sentences pronounced for such heinous crimes. Let us see thee dance at our wedding and then my husband can make known the gift he has given to pronounce your sentence before my people!”

Seeing that Reina was not to be swayed, Edeline began muttering prayers and supplications to God as tears of sorrow and fear streamed from her eyes.

Many of the nobles present began to feel pangs of pity for the woman before them who had once been like them and then had been a Queen to them and was now openly sobbing in grief and desolation at what was about to befall her.

Edeline shrieked and tried to fight when the guards moved in and held her fast whilst the now red-hot shoes were brought from the fireplace to be put upon her feet.

But her fate could not be altered –even when she fainted before the shoes were replaced for the slippers she had worn into the hall. Reina had the guards wake the former queen who was given very little notice before the torture was inflicted.

Many other weak stomached individuals in the crowd now fainted too one of which had been Wendall who had too kind a heart to wish such ill upon ‘The Evil Queen’ before him. He would remember Edeline’s screams and be haunted by them until the day he died.

The pain was unlike anything. Edeline felt her tiny body could not scream loud enough to expel the truth of the pain that accompanied the shoes being placed upon her feet. She almost lost consciousness a couple times before the second one was properly on her foot but her torturers knew their craft; knew how to keep her awake.

Reina had clapped to signal the minstrels to play a song for Edeline to dance to and the tune was played slowly and improperly as the musicians themselves were frightened and anxious.

Edeline was left on the floor and her Queen commanded her, “Get up! GET UP!”

But she could not. Edeline lost consciousness and Reina bid the jailors to wake her. “Get up and dance!” she commanded the prisoner who tried her best to do so now that Reina’s command had been given with eye contact. But the pain was too great; her flesh too altered to allow for such things to come to pass.

Reina had the guards wake Edeline and set her on her feet three times: one for each time she had made an attempt on Reina’s life in the forest but Ferdinand stopped Reina from commanding for a fourth to quietly match the assassination attempt by the hunter. “My love let me read out her sentence and let it be the final blow.”

Reina agreed and the guards held Edeline up to hear the sentence though she barely could as her body kept trying to lose consciousness from the excruciating pain.

A bin of water was brought and Edeline’s feet submerged with a loud hissing of steam as the metal made contact and began to lose its heat.

By the time Ferdinand read out the sentence, “Lady Edeline, formerly of Württemberg and now formerly Dowager Queen of Bayern you have been accused of the crime of High Treason against Her Royal Highness now Royal Majesty Reina the First and are hereby sentenced to death for your betrayal and deceit. Your sentence shall be carried out in private in front of Her Royal Majesty and His Royal Majesty henceforth—” Edeline heard very little. She was too weak.

Quite and private words were exchanged between The Queen and King following this pronouncement and then the two proclaimed that they would retire from the room to see through with the official decree. “Carry on dancing and eating. Your King and Queen shall return to share the rest of the evening with all of you after this most evil and unholy witch is eradicated,” Ferdinand spoke to the crowd before he and his wife descended from the platform that their thrones were upon and moved through the hall with the guards dragging the prisoner several large paces behind them.

Reina and Ferdinand took Edeline through to a more private chamber. Edeline only noticed when she was again woken now lying on the floor of the room with her shackles and chains now removed. Reina had commanded all to leave them and Ferdinand had ensured that everyone thought Edeline had been taken outside to a private area where they carried out the sentence upon her while their sovereigns watched.

Now the two royals stood short steps away from her smiling down at her smugly. They waited for Edeline to register them before Reina turned to her beloved, “Oh Ferdinand this is the best wedding gift. Let us enjoy ourselves with a drink of success and a feast upon that which sought to destroy me!”

“My wife can take the first,” Ferdinand spoke in excitement as he took Reina’s hand and led her the couple of steps towards their quarry.

“Please,” Edeline whispered somehow managing to form the words, “Mercy.”

Despite the entreaty, Queen Reina rolled Edeline over onto her back with Ferdinand’s help and then smiling evilly sunk her teeth into Edeline’s flesh. The disgraced woman barely cried out from the pain of it for it was nothing in comparison to all else already endured.

Ferdinand paused to allow Reina to drink from Edeline before he sunk his teeth into the other side.

Hands feebly tapped at the bodies of her attackers as the woman understood now how she was to die.

Reina and Ferdinand did not go on too much longer before they sat up to gaze down at her. It was then Edeline realized, “You...He is...vampir now.” The terror she was feeling at the knowledge that Reina had corrupted another to her unholy ways was starting to get into Edeline’s bloodstream which was slowly now exiting the holes Reina and Ferdinand had made.

“Stupid woman he has always been what I now am,” Reina informed her step-mother harshly, “It was he who gave me the gift of what I am.”

It was hard for Edeline to register this new revelation what with all the emotional and physical exhaustion she was under now but she did and her widened eyes were all that showed her understanding.

Ferdinand grinned as he licked Edeline’s blood from his mouth. He enjoyed seeing the shock upon her face now. He decided to let them all revel in it for awhile longer.

Reina and Ferdinand went back to tasting Edeline’s now fear-tainted blood from new parts of her body; one at her wrist another at her shoulder. “The trauma you’ve endured gives you a certain quality,” Ferdinand had to admit as he sat up again, “My darling Reina sit up and savour for a moment that difference.”

She did and smirked as she licked up what had stained her chin and the sides of her delicate lips. “Has my torture done this?”

“Indeed some of it has put fear and pumped into her blood an attempt to stay alive. All of these things have indeed made her just so to drink now.”

“I love it!” Reina exhaled happily, “Let us keep her alive that we might torture her again and then feast once more.”

“Alas we cannot. Her wounds will kill her before we can should we wait. No, my love. Edeline must be finished tonight.”

Reina pouted.

Ferdinand kissed her and savoured the taste of blood from her mouth and the two ravenously took the other in for several seconds while their victim struggled to remain conscious though the fear of everything was putting such adrenaline into her now that she could. She was almost numbed to all of the pain she felt.

Edeline was in for one last blow, however; one rather unexpected. “I have one last surprise my dearest Reina,” her husband spoke, “I have kept this from you and from your step-mother that I might reveal it now to solidify the love I feel for you my dearest wife.”

Reina’s bright eyes gazed at Ferdinand both excited and anxious to hear his next words.

“Dearest Edeline,” Ferdinand addressed her, “you shall not remember it so but I tell you now you may once again recognize me.”

Reina watched as Edeline’s eyes gazed upon Ferdinand for several moments of quiet before her expression changed to one of recognition then surprise and alarm.

At this Ferdinand’s mouth curved up happily. “Yes it is I, Edeline. Your beloved from so many years ago.”

Reina’s brows pulled into a frown just as Ferdinand turned his gaze upon her again, “My dearest Reina many years before you were born I was in the habit of traveling in a much more organized and proper way than the nomadic life I have adopted in the last few. In this time when your step-mother was still a young maid I met her and courted her for a time.”

Reina didn’t know what to say to this shock which allowed Ferdinand to go on explaining the story casually as if he were merely recounting a hunting trip to her, “But I ended it for I knew suddenly as I gazed upon your own mother Imogene who had come with your father, The King, to pay a royal visit to Edeline’s kingdom that my fun was over and that my life would begin and end with Queen Imogene’s child: you my beloved Reina. I would be with you someday I just needed to wait for the miracle of your conception and come to you when the time was right. And so, I did. I kept myself away from all other women knowing that I would no longer need to keep temporary company with anyone for in my future lay my forever wife.

“And so I waited for you my dearest and the years went by ever so quickly until at last the two of us were finally brought together.

“I did not count, however, upon your own father, King Arnaud, to take wife with Lady Edeline the one I once knew from her youth. Imagine my surprise and excitement when I realized that after you dear Reina were Queen I could prove my devotion to you by helping you to rid yourself of Edeline a woman I once paid homage to.

“So I am here with you now, my dear wife, ready to let you take her life and if you so allow for me to join in it with you.”

“F-Ferdinand?” Edeline whispered to interrupt Reina’s temporary silence, “Lord Ferdinand... Though did you go by such a title and name b-before I...I cannot recall... But I see you now and...beg of you...to remember the sweet...the sweetness we paid one another,” Edeline spoke softly –her voice wavering with emotion and difficulty in speaking in her weakened state. For what he had told Reina was true: he was the man Edeline had once loved and had thought to marry.

Reina took a moment to consider all but the curl of her lips showed Ferdinand that she had come to her decision in favour of him and his words, “Let us then drink to our love that thus destroys hers,” Queen Reina spoke softly and kissed her husband.

“Let us enjoy this Ferdinand. Take from her where you will for it brings me pleasure and I wish you to also take pleasure. Murder her in the places you once might have paid her homage.”

Though the declaration was somewhat surprising and unexpected Ferdinand nodded and obeyed. Whilst Reina took Edeline’s other wrist that she may then easily watch Ferdinand, the man undid their victim’s bodice a little and pulled the rich fabric further from her shoulders until he managed to partially free one breast and took his next penetrating bite into Edeline’s flesh.

Reina watched all of this sadistically, enjoying it and slowly feeling their victim’s blood slowing. “Ferdinand we must be brief: tell me presently did you ever have Edeline as a maid and pluck her?”

Ferdinand’s head rose and denied it, “She was so far as I knew a maid before and after my acquaintance with her. T’was not I that plucked her.”

Reina was extremely elated with this and pulled Ferdinand to her over Edeline’s dying body. The two kissed for a short but ravenous while before Reina pulled back from Ferdinand and then pulled back Edeline’s skirts giving Ferdinand permission to sink his teeth into Edeline’s upper leg. Reina chose to resume lapping up at Edeline’s neck.

Though Edeline’s vision had long ago blurred with tears, now her vision began to darken around the edges and she tried to grasp at the hair of the demon girl who was now killing her while below she was being tortured by the man who had once given her promise of a life.

As Edeline slipped into unconsciousness she saw through her impaired sight the vision of a man much resembling the late King Arnaud of Bayern who was shortly joined by the dark haired woman from before.

And then Dowager Queen Edeline, disgraced and humiliated and mutilated, became the late former Dowager and was no more.

Blood and death –that of Reina’s legacy since her birth— once again reared its head as the girl with hair black as night, skin as white as pure snow was tainted with lips as red as a rose for not the first and certainly not the last time.