Leaving the Castle
After reconvening with Davi, both women knew that they were in the presence of real evil. Luckily, Davi had met up with a monk who told her that Vlad could be stopped by killing him with werewolf venom. For this to be possible, they would need to venture away from the castle and hunt a werewolf, extracting his venom while he was still alive. The women needed to part ways once again to prepare for their journey.
Regina was apprehensive about separating again, but it was the most efficient way for them to utilize their time.
“That would be best. You take care of transportation and I’ll handle the rest. We should reconvene at the front of the castle in about two hours.”
Without a watch or cell phone to glance at, two hours would be difficult to pinpoint, but the brunette figured it would take roughly that long for both women to accomplish what they needed to. Before exiting the room, Regina faced Davi and said a few final words.
“Be safe, Davi. If something happens to you, you’ll miss out on the hunt of a lifetime.”
She grinned softly in the blonde’s direction before leaving her bedchambers. The walk back to her room was a swift one, but upon entering the room, she noticed that Vlad wasn’t there. She took this as an opportunity to pack up some essentials for their trip. With her Queen mentality still intact, she summoned a few servants and had them pack an array of outfits, gold and jewels for barter, and rations that would last them a couple of days. She sipped on a glass of rich red wine and ate fresh fruit that came peeled and cut up into tiny pieces for her. Surely, she could’ve packed everything on her own, but if she was the reigning Queen of Romania, so why not indulge in the use of that power? Once everything had been packed for her, she had it sent to the stables where she hoped Davi had acquired them a horse-drawn carriage. As she finished her fill of wine and fruit, a thought entered her mind.
“Make sure some of our best wine is packed for my journey as well.”
She could only imagine how the Sheriff would’ve reacted to her antics, but she shrugged that thought out of her mind as she began to walk towards the main hall in the front of the castle.
Regina walked purposefully towards the main corridor of the castle. She was determined to find Davi and begin their voyage. Before she could get too far, she heard the deep voice of a familiar man. “Were you going to leave without saying goodbye to your men? She swiftly turned around to face Vlad, expecting him to be alone, but he wasn’t. Alongside him was a young boy who appeared to be a few years younger than Henry.
“Vlad.” Regina replied. Plastering a soft smile on her brightly painted lips. “Certainly, I wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye to you.”
“Where is it that you’re headed off to?” He asked.
“I thought my new lady and I could roam the countryside. Our kingdom needs a royal presence outside of these walls to feel secure, so if I’m out amongst our subjects, it might lift their spirits.”
She continued smiling, hoping to persuade her husband that her trip was harmless and necessary.
“Alright, have fun and be safe, my love.”
Vlad’s lips curved upwards to form a smile, but Regina could tell that his eyes revealed a different story. His glistening dark orbs stated that he was distraught over her departure. This, alone, would not have affected Regina, but what happened next did.
“Mother, will you be back soon?”
The young boy asked. Regina had completely forgotten that the child was still standing next to her spouse. Something about the boy’s voice made her body tremor. He was not Henry, but nonetheless, she felt a motherly connection to him.
“Yes, Ingeras. I shouldn’t be gone for that long.”
How she knew the boy’s name was unknow to her, but she did. She knelt, embracing the boy tightly.
“Listen to your father and behave while I’m gone.”
The boy nodded solely in the Queen’s direction. A genuine smile finally appearing on her lips as tears welled in her eyes. She couldn’t explain it, but for a moment, it felt like she had the loving family that she always desired. She shook herself out of the spell she felt like she was under and took a step away from her family.
“Farewell, for now.”
Before they could stop her, she moved quickly towards the front of the castle. On stopping once to look back briefly. When she did, she noticed Vlad hold Igneras in his arms. “Don’t fret, boy. Your mother loves us very much. She won’t be gone for long.”
Perhaps Vlad wasn’t the tyrant she thought he was, but she couldn’t mention this thought to Davi. She knew the evil within him would have to be stopped, talking to the Sheriff about it wouldn’t change that fact.
“You’re here.” The brunette replied to Davi as she noticed her standing with a monk. A carriage was already prepped and ready for departure.
“And you’ve secured us a form of transportation. It seemed I chose my new lady wisely.” She grinned, winking in the blonde’s direction.
Regina entered the carriage with a whiff of prestige and arrogance. Her head was lifted high as if she were a monarch. She saw the smile that Davi intended for me to take notice of. Their actions were purely a charade for now. A pretense that would successfully get them away from the castle without raising any suspicions. As the carriage began to move, the brunette was shocked that they were able to travel on their own without a vast amount of guards trailing them. With Vlad being as protective as he was, it was alarming to her that she could roam through their country with minimal security. She took it as sheer luck, knowing that Davi and her would be in quite the predicament if they had guards with them. Regina moved closer to the carriage window to take a look outside and was shocked to see the endless rows of bodies that surrounded the castle on wooden stakes. At this point, she wasn’t even surprised to see the bodies. She sadly expected it.
“No wonder he’s known as Vlad the Impaler.”
Regina whispered out loud. Regina could only hope that the men staked around the castle were deserving of such a fate.
When enough distance was made, and the castle was far from sight, Regina hollered out to Davi.
“I think this Queen would like you to stop this carriage."
She smirked, still having fun with their titles in this time period.