The crowd

Damien’s POV.

The smell of dark powers permeated the air, and the whispering of the night creatures prowling just outside the castle wall.

Freda was at my side as I stood at the head of the great hall; her presence both comforting me and reminding me of the issues currently at hand and it looked like more were coming up . I tried to understand what was going on but I had no idea. All I knew was Freda had powers that belonged to Sylas.
In less than a second every section of the kingdom's vampire flooded the hall. Among them were the rogues, individuals who had disobeyed council authority, and the otherworldly entities that had long stayed silent, observing from the shadows as our world threatened anarchy.
What is happening? I asked my self as I looked at the crowd with confusion. I some how knew almost everybody present in the hall, we met once or twice before I became but why are they here. Freda looked around the room with the same focus she had when she came back from her training. She possessed a fresh force, one derived from the furnace of her struggles and shaped in nature. But along with that strength came a distance, a wall separating us since her return. I couldn't help but wonder whether she considered me as part of the darkness she now carried within her. As I about to ask why they had gathered in the hall without informing me Freda whispered but loud enough for me hear. "It's a battle some are for you and some against you."

Drawing the audience's attention, I cleared my throat. "We are assembled here tonight," I said, my voice firm while inside I was anything but calm, "to reinforce the links that hold our kingdom together. Our strongest tool in these unsure times is unity.

We can meet any threat and overcome any obstacle together." A whisper permeated the assembly. While several nodded in unison, others cast cautious looks. The split was obvious: those who backed our rule and others who considered us as a challenge to the traditional values. Balen, the older man whose impact went much beyond the council, moved forward with piercing eyes like those of a predator.

"Unity," he said repeatedly, his voice suave but tinged with contempt.

"A commendable target, Damien. Tell me, though, how you intend to bring people who feel your leadership will bring only anarchy and bloodshed together?" The suspense in the room became thicker, the air weighted with unwritten charges.

Freda's eyes were on me, pushing me to keep cool and to resist allowing Balen's remarks to probe too deeply. Still, it was difficult. The elders had always been a thorn in my side, and now, with the kingdom on line, his remarks pierce more than ever.

"I've made mistakes," I said, my voice quiet yet clear across the hall. "But every deed I have done has benefited our nation.

Freda's presence is a bridge, one that might bring the human world and ours closer together rather than a threat. This is not the moment to hang on past practices. Either we shall be carried away by the tides of change or we must adjust and grow.

The room grew quiet, heavy. Those on the borderline, caught between their allegiance to the past and the indisputable reality of the present, clearly showed turmoil in their eyes. Balen still had to complete, though. And if we are not willing to change? Balen's smile was a chilly cut across his face.

"What then, Damian?" Will you mandate our submission? Will you rip the very fabric of our society to shape it into something more to suit you?" Freda stiffened next to me, her hand signaling unity by brushing against mine.

I wanted to grab her hand, to hang on to that relationship, but I can't afford to look weak, not in front of them. My voice stiffening, "I have no desire to force anyone," I said. "But I shall act as required to guard this kingdom. We have to be powerful enough to oppose both inside and outside threats. This relates not only to Freda, me, or any one of us. This relates to the survival of our people. Another murmur, more dubious and more conflicted, passed through the audience. Though not in the direction I had hoped, I could feel the tide changing.

The division was widening rather than decreasing. Before I could talk once more, a fresh voice sliced through the cloud. "Maybe what we need is a fresh partnership rather than divisiveness." Turning to find Luther, one of the vampire lords who had not spoken until now, but was started in front of the crowd. His eyes sparkled with a cunning that chilled my spine. Luther was a strong man, one with more authority than most would have guessed and overruled over great areas. He was, meanwhile, also a serpent, constantly seeking for chances to further his influence.

"And what sort of partnership would you suggest, Luther?" Reluctant of the trap I knew was approaching, I asked. Luther grinned, a slow, predatory one. "I would like to help, Damien. All at your hand are my tools, my troops, my power. I want the authority of the Blackstone Territory in exchange, though. Territory of Blackstone Territory. Rich in resources and strategically important, a key location bordered both human and otherworldly realms. Luther would have unparalleled power if he took over; his influence would be like a black stain throughout the land. Freda tensed next to me, and without her saying anything, I sensed her contempt.

This was a risky thing which can easy backfire. Trying to buy time, I said, "I'll need time to consider your offer," hoping to untangle this entanglement. Luther spoke calmly, of course, but there was a flash in his eyes that indicated he knew exactly the position he had put me in. "But Damien, I wouldn't linger too long. The waves of power are changing; people who hesitate can find themselves carried away." The conference adjourned shortly after, but the tension persisted like a dark cloud over the castle. The kingdom was on the verge and one mistake might send it spiraling into anarchy.

I felt the storm building between us as Freda and I returned to our rooms. Since her return, we had not had long alone; I knew we were overdue for a conversation, one I wasn't sure I was ready for. Before I could say anything, though, Freda stopped, her eyes dark with something I cannot quite understand. She started "Damien," her voice low and tinged with anxiety, "I overheard something... something about Luther. His offer goes beyond what he is revealing.

My heart thumping in my chest, I turned to meet her squarely.

"What did you find?" Freda hesitated then faced me squarely in the eyes. "Luther... he has something planned, Damien. anything that might wipe out what you and your family have created, it will no longer be yours but his." In that instant I understood just how unstable our kingdom had grown. Everyone wants power for themselves and would do anything to get, was I that kind of king?