Chapter 6: Chapter 6(Something new)
Blaise stirred the black earth with a small trowel in hand. Jared and the gardener stood behind her as she worked. They standing in the large garden behind the manor.
"Mr. Brad give me the seeds." Blaise ordered.
The gardener gave her five seeds which she planted one per hole. She took the watering can afterwards and watered them.
"From here it faces the sun which will help it grow faster. And don't water them before dusk, they'd only die from too much moisture." Blaise told the gardener as she pulled off the gardening gloves.
"Yes, my Lady." He said with a bow.
"Have a nice day Mr. Brad." Blaise said with a smile.
The gardener stood surprised but managed to smile back.
"Jared, lets go." Blaise said to the butler.
"Where do we go next?" Blaise said as she pulled on her gloves.
She was running out of things to do as the days passed. It's been a month ever since she came to Valeria. She'd received no word from her parents, even though she'd written to them about four times. Thanks to Heath, she knew how to use a quill and an ink now. Things in the 21st century were way easier. She appreciated it now more than anything. To keep herself from getting bored, she dedicated her time to some work around the mansion.
No one complained but the surprised stares and whispers from the servants didn't go unnoticed.
"The stables, my lady." Jared said.
Blaise followed him as they headed towards the stables.
"My lady, if I may?" Jared asked as they walked.
"Please go on, Jared." Blaise replied.
"Ever since your arrival at the manor things have begun to change…"
"Change is a good thing, Jared." Blaise said.
"Yes…yes, my lady it is. But here in Valeria, appearances and deeds matter and…"
"And a queen doing a gardener's job speaks little of her?" Blaise asked him.
"With all due respect, my lady, it does." Jared replied with a bow.
Blaise sighed.
"I'm not like other queens, Jared. These hands used to do more but you can't blame me, boredom doesn't look good on me." Blaise said with a smile.
"But my lady it's …"
"Vivian!" a little voice called her from behind.
She turned to find little Clarissa in a wooden wheelchair. Behind her was Damon pushing the wheelchair. She wasn't able to walk even after Blaise healed her. It's been that way ever since she was born. Clarissa was different from the Valerians. Her blood father was Keith but she wasn't a vampire neither a wolf. She was a witch. A feeble one at that. She had her father's blond hair but had blue eyes. Blaise guessed those were from her mother. No one at the manor spoke of Clarissa's mother. Even Sarah and Belle were too afraid to talk about her.
"Clarissa." Blaise walked towards them.
"I saw you at the garden earlier. You love flowers too?" Clarissa asked.
Blaise knelt down and touched her face.
"I do, honey. You look very beautiful today, I guess you've been taking your medicines?" Blaise asked.
"Daddy, makes sure I take them even though I don't want to. They are so bitter." Clarissa said with a pout.
Blaise smiled.
"I know they are but they will make you strong. Don't you want to be strong?" Blaise asked her.
"I do. So I can go around with you every morning to the garden. Damon says you've grown some new flowers. Can we go see them?" Clarissa asked.
Blaise looked up at Damon who nodded slightly.
"Of course honey. Let's go." Blaise stood to her feet.
Clarissa held onto Blaise's hand.
"Can you carry me?" She asked her.
"Clarissa…"
"It's fine Damon. I will love to honey." Blaise carried her instantly.
"Vivian, why is your hair so red?" Clarissa asked as they headed towards the garden.
Blaise chuckled.
"I was born with it, honey." Blaise told her.
"It's beautiful, can you make mine red too?" Clarissa asked.
"You have such beautiful hair already honey, you don't need to change it." Blaise told her.
Clarissa had a sad look on her face.
"That's not true, Vivian." She mumbled.
Blaise raised her head with a finger and tapped her nose. She began tickling her. Clarissa burst out laughing.
They sat down on a bench upon reaching the garden. Damon and Jared stood watching as the two played.
Clarissa laughed and tried to tickle Blaise too.
Blaise laughed at her poor attempts.
"That's the look I always want to see." Blaise told Clarissa.
"You are unique and beautiful. Never second guess yourself, alright?" Blaise kissed her forehead.
Clarissa nodded with a smile.
"Vivian, can you make me a promise?" Clarissa asked.
"Anything." Blaise replied.
"Don't leave me." Clarissa said.
Blaise noticed the sadness in her eyes as she spoke.
"I will never leave you, Clary." Blaise replied.
Clarissa smiled and hugged her.
"You are the best, Vivian." She whispered.
Blaise hugged back with a smile.
Keith stood at the large window in his study watching Blaise and Clarissa. Ever since Clarissa was a child, this was the first he'd seen her so happy.
"Clarissa seems happy." Torment Thornton said from behind.
Torment Thornton was Lord of the wolves and Keith's best friend. He was also elder brother to Nicholas and Nichole.
"She is." Keith replied.
"She's grown on her. It's a good thing." Torment said.
"It is. This is the happiest I've seen Clarissa." Keith said.
"And what about you?" Torment asked.
"What do you mean?" Keith raised his brows.
"She's grown on you too. Hasn't she?" Torment poured himself a glass of wine.
Keith frowned.
"She's hasn't." He said abruptly.
Torment chuckled.
"For decades I've never seen you look at any woman the way you look at this woman." Torment said.
"She's nothing special, she's just like the rest." Keith said.
Yet, his eyes were glued to Blaise walking around with Clarissa in her arms.
"Says the man still staring at her even as he speaks." Torment said with a chuckle.
"Why are you here, Tor?" Keith turned around with a bored expression.
Torment laughed.
"I made the great Lord Valerian uncomfortable." Torment teased.
"Bugger off, I don't have time for this Torment." Keith said. He glanced through a pile of papers on his desk.
"Sadly, we all don't. There's been another death at Pitsbellow. A small town that serves as a border between Eldovania and Valeria." Torment said.
"Yes, I saw it this morning in the report from Eldovania." Keith said.
"Any word from Lord Edmonton?" Torment asked.
"He has agreed to sign the treaty providing his daughter fills in as ambassador for Eldovania here in Valeria." Keith said.
"That's impossible, no woman is allowed into the council." Torment said.
"Those are the terms, he agreed on and I've agreed to them." Keith said.
"Even so, she must become a council member to make her position legitimate. She has to pass the three test phases." Torment said.
"I'm aware but the risks of her failing are high." Keith said.
Torment furrowed his brows.
"And when did you start caring about that? A month ago, you wanted to snap her neck in sight." Torment said.
"That was a month ago, wasn't it? Go down to the council and see how things are doing there. I will ride to Pitsbellow to analyze the scene myself." Keith said.
Torment nodded. He stood up and pulled his coat from the rack. He turned towards Keith as he wore his coat.
"Indeed this isn't a month ago but let's face it Keith, that woman has only been here a month and you've changed. I wonder what you will be in a year." Torment said.
"I will be the same as I've always been." Keith said in an irritated tone.
Torment chuckled.
"I pray I see that day." He said before stepping out.
Keith stared at the papers on his desk blankly.
There was some truth to Torment's words which he couldn't deny. He used to hate Vivian even before he'd met her. But he didn't now. She was indeed growing on him and he didn't like it.
He and Vivian had a contractual marriage. He wasn't ready to walk down a path he'd sworn never to walk again.
Never again, he thought.
"When you said accompany you, I had no idea it was going to be a church." Blaise told Keith as they entered the large church.
Keith walked behind her watching her.
"A man has to confess his sins once a while." He said in calm tone.
Blaise turned back to look at him.
"You never struck me as a religious type." She said.
"You don't know anything about me." He walked past her with that.
Blaise followed after him.
"Nevertheless, isn't there a strife between vampires and the church?" Blaise asked.
"If there was, I would have married you in a stable." He said with a chuckle.
Blaise looked at him surprised.
Did he just make a joke? She thought.
She noticed his attitude towards her somewhat changed over the month. Not entirely but he at least spoke to her on days he felt like it.
"So, you have a sense of humor?" Blaise asked with a smile.
"As I said, you don't know me." He replied before sitting down on a front row pew.
Blaise sat in next to him.
"Will you let me know you better if I asked?" Blaise looked at him.
Keith glanced at her and for an instant he couldn't look away. Neither could Blaise.
He's golden was as mesmerizing than ever. She'd never been this close to him.
"My Lord, Lady Valerian." A voice interrupted them.
They both looked towards the direction of the voice.
A woman in a white robe and white shawl walked towards them. Her blue eyes held delight to see them.
"Mother Valerie." Keith stood up with a smile.
It was a seldom expression Blaise had ever seen.
"Leon." Mother Valerie held his hand.
"How have you been?" Keith asked her.
"I've been good, Leon. I heard about Clarissa. I'm glad she's awake and amongst us now." She told him.
Keith nodded with a smile.
Blaise stood aside looking at them. They seemed to share a special bond of affection. Something she'd only seen between him and Clarissa.
Blaise was beginning to think there was another side to his cruel and arrogant nature. An affectionate and kind side he rarely showed.
"And you must be, Vivian. I've heard so much about you. Leon, you didn't mention she was so lovely." Mother Valerie said with smile.
Blaise glanced at Keith who had a blank expression.
"It's lovely to meet you my child. I guess, I should thank you for bringing back our dearest Clarissa." Mother Valerie said.
"I was only helping Clary and it's lovely to meet you too, Mother Valerie." Blaise said.
"Now I understand why Leon…"
"I came for what we spoke of earlier." Keith interrupted her.
Mother Valerie sighed.
"Leon, always caring for his precious time. I will be back in a minute." Mother Valerie said before walking into a small chamber across them.
"You two seem close?" Blaise asked.
"We are." Keith simply replied.
They both fell silent after that.
Blaise had run out of things to say and he didn't seem interested in raising up anything.
"So… you didn't seem scared of the cross around her neck." Blaise said out of the blue
.
Keith chuckled.
"You know nothing about vampires do you?" Keith asked.
"In my defense, witches focus more on witch lore and spells." Blaise said.
"Witches and their one sided ideology." Keith muttered.
"Vampires and their complacent nature." Blaise
He raised an eyebrow. Blaise bit her lower lip and looked down at her shoes.
"Vampires are an evolving predator species. Our eyesight is extremely different to that of witches, wolves or even humans. Any geometric shape close in a field of vision can confuse our brains and cause a reaction of panic. But as I said, we are evolving species. We've learnt to overcome such religious iconology and now we leave with it." Keith explained to her.
"So your theory is due to physiology as opposed to religion?" Blaise asked.
He nodded in response.
"Hmm… you are a learned man too." Blaise said.
"Would I have come this far, if I were just some stupid fool?" Keith asked.
"You make a good argument." Blaise said with a smile.
Mother Valerie walked back towards them with white pouch in hand.
"Sorry to keep you two waiting. Here you go, My Lord." Mother Valerie handed the pouch to him.
Keith in turn placed it in his coat.
"Thank you, we will take our leave now." Keith kissed her cheek and turned to leave.
"It was nice meeting you, Mother Valerie." Blaise smiled.
"It was a pleasure meeting you too, Vivian. Please take care of my Leon, will you." Mother Valerie said.
Blaise smiled reluctantly.
Taking care of the Lord was way out of her league, she thought.
She stepped out of the church and headed for the royal carriage.
The carriage took off once she entered.
Keith glanced down at his pocket watch.
"Master Abel will drop you off at the mansion from here." Keith told her.
"What about you?" Blaise asked.
Keith raised his eyebrow.
"Pardon me, I just wanted to…"
"I'm following up on a case in Pitsbellow." He replied abruptly.
"May I ask what this case about?" She asked.
"Recently, there's been mysterious murders spreading through the three kingdoms. It started from Ronovia, then to Theroden. Then it ceased. For the past month, there weren't any reports of such deaths. Until this…"
"This morning. A man was found dead in Pitsbellow. Cause of death is still a mystery, just like all the previous deaths." Blaise concluded his words.
He glanced at her with a blank expression.
"I happen to read the paper this morning." Blaise replied.
"I see." He said.
"If it's not a bother…can I come with you?" Blaise asked.
"There may be gore on the scene, it's no place for a woman." He told her.
Blaise felt insulted by his words. Women were a monument of respect and power in the 21st century. But she realized, women had a limit of power in this century.
"I don't mind at all. To tell you the truth, I've seen more blood than you can ever imagine." She told him.
His expressionless face made it hard to know what he was thinking.
He knocked on the coachman's window.
"My Lord." The coachman opened the small window.
"We drive to Pitsbellow." Keith ordered.
"Yes, my Lord." The coachman closed the window.
Blaise felt it as the carriage changed course. She moved towards the window and stared outside.
The thought of going outside Valeria thrilled her.
Keith glanced at her as she looked through the window. They were seated opposite to each other as usual. He saw a small smile wiggle its way on her full lips. A strand of her red hair fell on her face. She slowly tucked it behind her ear.
She was beautiful, he thought.
He slowly looked away with the thought of her still in mind.
Blaise in turn glanced at him to find him staring outside the window. Her heart leaped in her chest and her tummy did a funny turn.
Get a hold of yourself, Vivian, she told herself. He didn't even look at you, she thought.
She sighed and turned her attention back to the window.
Suddenly thought of the three tarot cards slipped into mind.
Death, the Lovers and the hanged man. For the phases she was to go through, she guessed the lovers, was the second phase of her life. What if it was coming to pass?
Blaise wasn't sure of what she felt, but this was something new.
Something that scared her yet the thought of it made her smile.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone