53 -- A New Dawn?

Lily was so angry. Her chest heaved up and down, her cheeks flushed. The feeling she had gotten from the transformation didn't abate even after days past and she had felt the joy wane as she had come down from the high that she had surprisingly enjoyed.
And now, staring at the high priestess made all of her anger and confusion rise up again. She could feel another transformation coming on and tamped it down, telling herself to calm down and take everything in stride.
"I want to know where I came from."
The high priestess stared at Lily. She didn't look shocked or surprised, infact, it felt like she had been waiting for the day that Lily would finally ask.
"You know who I am. What I am." It wasn't a question. Lily stated the obvious truth and watched to see any expression mar her face. The high priestess remained as stoic as ever, staring at Lily with something akin to annoyance.
"Why would you keep that from me?"
"I didn't know. I guessed, but I wasn't sure." The high priestess made her first placating move as a defense to the comment that was just made against her, slowly easing closer to Lily. Lily stepped back, wanting to keep the distance between them both.
"You're lying."
The high priestess face turned to one full of wrath and she walked closer to Lily. "Don't accuse me of such, Child. If anyone here is lying, it's you, my dear. You're lying to yourself and you can't accept the fact that you didn't just form a liking for the vampire prince, but that you loved him. That you love him." She amended.
Lily grew more furious. She knew the high priestess tricks well and how she used this same trick on the elders. She was trying to get her to turn her focus to her hurt and pain.
Lily had since come to terms with the fact that she'd developed strong feelings for Nicholas. She wouldn't call it love herself, but hearing the high priestess call out her emotion so rashly, made her angry the more.
"You're deflecting again. It means that you're hiding something from me." Lily laughed. The sound felt weird coming from her throat and she realized that she was in hysterics.
She felt the transformation coming again, the nerve wracking pain that prickled her skin. It didn't feel the es the first one had felt but Lily didn't like the feeling that came during the change and so she calmed herself. Breathing deeply before she focused back on the high priestess.
She was staring at Lily, a smile on her face and Lily could feel the last vestige of control she had snap.
"What exactly are you keeping from me? Tell me that I'm not this beast I keep seeing in the mirror. Tell me that I'm okay and I'm one of you. You've known me for years, high priestess. I'm not doing okay." She slumped to the ground, her sobs shaking her frame as her knees hit the cold floor of the cave.
"There is nothing wrong with you. You're one of us, Lily."
"You're lying." She had always called herself strange for having a lighter complexion than the other children while growing up, for speaking differently, for the knife scar on her forehead that everyone assured her she was born with. They had all been lying to her and she finally felt it click within her.
She also felt her bones shift and she growled. Running out of the cave, leaving the high priestess staring after her as she she'd her clothes, welcoming the transformation this time.
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Nicholas walked briskly down the hall, following behind Gaston. They had just left the unaware men in the study, shutting it tightly and using a protective lock spell they had gotten from the harridan witch.
The men wouldn't be able to get out till the spell had worn off and that would be after their work was done.
Laura had invited him to partake in the mating ritual with her and the only reason he didn't find an excuse to give her this time was because he needed to be with her at that moment and garner any information that might hinder the progress of his plans.
"Tell them to get ready and to wait for my signal. Your eyes should be on me at all times." He had already explained all that was needed to his men and now, he watched as Gaston hurried down the hallway, gathering his men to the meeting ground.
Nicholas continued his decent down the stairs, watching as some maids hurried past him, big baskets holding carnations and lilies resting on their waist. They bowed to him and continued on their way.
He could hear the chanting coming from outside and by the way the moon light flooded the hallway, he was sure that in any minute, the moon would reach his peak, letting his men know of when they should move in.
He walked out of the house and into the company of women. They had spread mats over every surface and it was a feat walking over them, making sure he didn't walk into any basin that housed the rituals fast breaking meals.
Laura smiled at him as he walked closer to her. Her mat looked to be the largest and around her was a feast befitting a king. Well, he guess be could be called one and he smiled when he thought about Laura unknowingly giving him his due as the new ruler.
She stretched her hand out to him when he came within distance and he took hers, lowering himself down till he sat in front of her. She drew closer and whispered to him, "Where are the men. Austin told me that you asked to see them all and now, the moon would soon reach its apex. These women wait months for this, I don't want to mess this up for them."
"And you won't." Nicholas took a hold of her chin and tilted her face towards his, placing a light kiss on her lips. He stared into her eyes and could feel the trust coming off her for him in waves.
"But where are they?" She cast her gaze around the women that fretted and looked back at Nicholas, a frown marring her features. Nicholas shook from the effort of hiding his annoyance. Why couldn't she just believe that everything would go well? She was meant to be the gullible and obedient wife, but she kept proving to him that she wasn't as weak as they had thought.
"They'll get here soon. It's a surprise." He added, shushing her when she wanted to speak again. He felt her relax and focused on the woman that led the preceding of the ritual. She kept chanting, both her arms lifted far above her head, to the moon. Her blonde hair fell down in waves down her back and she swayed, like she was listening to an imaginary song or maybe, conversing with the moon. Like the women here wanted to believe.
She gave a shout then and a song rose up among the women. Laura turned to look at him then, "It is time."
He stood, his signal to his men and his saw as they rushed into the sea of women, pulling those that stood in a rush, back to their mats. The blonde lady who chanted was being pulled by Gaston to a mat on the far end and Nicholas could hear how she screamed all the way from here he was seated.
He remembered that Laura was sitting beside him and turned to look down at her. She was staring up at him, shock evident on her face as she finally took in the happenings on the ritual ground.
Nicholas was never one for violence and hated when women were forced under men and he knew that he'd regret this in days to come, in mere hours to come, but he'd do anything for his people.
He watched in horror and also with a touch of pride as everything he had planned came to heel. His men bedded these females, screams renting the air as the ritual was being carried out. If he listened closely, he could hear shouts coming from within the palace but he didn't give importance to that. That wasn't his focus today.
He looked around the revelry that took place around him, the grunts coming from his men and the screams that soon turned to moans coming from the women. He saw two women at the back trying to slink out and he watched in satisfaction as the extra men he had told to hide around the perimeter, jumped out and dragged the women back.
They flailed in their arms until the biggest one had to slap one unconscious. Nicholas frowned. He was going to caution that guard and make sure he knew how to treat women. He gave a sardonic laugh when he realized that this plan of his was anything but right when it came to treatment of women.
He made to leave the mat when Laura gripped his leg, staring up at him with revulsion. "What have you done?"
He shook her hand off his leg and walked away. He wasn't in the mood to have a conversation with her. If she wanted to be helpful to her people, she should think back on how she had signed their rights over to him.
That was all left to her. Right now, he needed to fin the werewolf King and make sure the crown rests solely in his hands.
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It had been a full moon.
Lily was sure that it was this occurrence that prompted her over heightened emotions earlier on. She pulled her tunic on, resting against a tree as she basked in the warm glow of the moon.
She hated life. Truly.
Yes, this feeling felt right whenever she transformed but it felt like every other thing was going wrong in her life. She felt like she couldn't breathe most of the time and living life like that was suffocating her. The past few days had been hell for her and she just needed to unwind. She was so tired. So, so tired.
Her cheek were resting on her bent knees when she felt wetness pool beneath it. She raised her hands to her face, realizing that she was crying. She couldn't remember the last time she had shed tears. Probably when she was still very young and that had nothing to do with pain but more of anger.
Right now, she felt like she needed to rip out her heart. Sure, Nicholas hadn't promised her anything and thinking back on it, she wasn't in her right senses during her conversation with the high priestess. She also hated Laura for looking so much like her and causing her to wonder just were she might've come from.
The tears fell faster and Lily clenched the front of her tunic to her chin, simply breathing and trying to clear her eyes. She shouldn't be crying for someone that was never hers to begin with. And for a life that truly was never hers. She didn't deserve to be the commander to the Kayaans and she needed to let them know.
She had just dried her tears when she felt a breeze stir up the hairs on her arm. She shivered, rubbing the chill out of her skin but felt a prickling sensation on her nape. Someone was watching her.
Spinning suddenly, she gave a cry when she saw a lithe being in a white gown floating a few inches above the ground and a few paces away from her. She scrambled back, till she came to rest on a tree and she stared up at the spirit, who seemed to smile down at her even though the features didn't show any crease around the lips.
"Hello, Lily. I believe the both of us need to have a little chat."