Eira Gunvald's Story

Eira Gunvald

It was the early hours of the morning in the South Atlantic Kingdom and Eira was walking through the almost deserted streets, it wouldn’t be long before she had to retreat indoors to avoid the sun’s rays. She had been tasked with a simple mission of reconnaissance of the Drake Kingdom’s movement, a task she had begrudgingly accepted as she would much rather have just killed the King himself and be done with it but Amelia did not wish to risk spurring a war if Eira was unsuccessful.

After some time of walking Eira reached the palace gates, the guards nodding as she passed. Although her nature was not publically known, Eira was still one of the Queen’s advisors and allowed entry wherever she pleased. Her boots echoed throughout the halls as she walked quickly towards the Queen’s chambers a messenger already sent ahead to warn of her early coming.

By the time she had reached the door to the Queens personal chambers, Eira could already feel the familiar edge of her requirement for blood beginning to creep up on her. It would have to wait, although Amelia tolerated the vampires requirements Eira could tell it turned her stomach.

Raising a fist, Eira knocked on the door before entering, closing it behind her. “Your majesty, I have unfortunate news.” She said as she bowed low to the young queen.

Eira Gunvald

Eira stood herself upright once more as the Queen answered her, obviously already preparing herself for the bad news. “King Moloch has moved west to begin discussions with the Khal of the South Pacific Kingdom.” The vampire’s words were calm as she drank in the fine decoration of the room; she had been in there many times of course, but it’s décor always seemed very fresh to her.

“The Khal is of course very power hungry himself and could very well jump at the chance to join a new war.” She continued, turning her attention to the pristinely dressed queen. “It could be time for the South Atlantic to begin gaining allies, if nothing else as a deterrent.”

“I have also received news that the Kingdom of Wa has begun negotiations with one of the Fyrkat clans though I am yet to discover which one but with their already standing close relations with the Anansai they could be a prosperous option.” Eira didn’t break the queen’s gaze as she spoke, her emerald eyes locked with the young monarch’s.

It wasn’t until Eira had finished her report that she really began to pay attention to the other formalities she’d missed. “Forgive me ma’am, I know it is early. I hope you are well.” She added stepping nearer to the monarch. “I have also brought you a gift back from Drake City.” She smiled, untying a small pouch from her belt and presenting it to the Queen. Inside was a small golden broach in the shape of a dragon, though of a simple design it was obviously very expensive.

Eira Gunvald

Eira nodded knowingly as Amelia gave her permission to gain the sustenance she required, it was a slightly unusual arrangement she had with the young Queen; her services for the usual payment of gold and the royal permission to drink from whomever she wished. She wasn’t greedy however never taking more than her fill and always disposing of the bodies properly as such for the moment her nature had gone unnoticed and the guards only putting it down to another of the everyday murders.

Standing up Amelia embraced Eira in a hug ignoring the fact that at that moment Eira could possible want to drain her dry of the blood that coursed through her veins. Eira was shocked at the hug and at first did not react but remembering her place she hugged the Queen back, her icy skin differing greatly from Amelia’s own. It did pang Eira’s instinct to be so close to a mortal and she had to fight back her urges, the smell of Amelia’s blood caressing her senses.

She managed to pull herself back into focus as the young queen let go, "I will treasure this gift always. Thank you Eira. Smiling Eira bowed lightly to the queen. “It was my pleasure your highness.” She answered simply; it always lit the vampire’s icy heart up to see the Queen so happy. She was not just an employer to the assassin but the closest thing to a friend she’d ever had in her long life.

"I must begin my day but please help yourself to the castle. Just let one of the guards know of anything you need and it shall be given." Eira bowed once again, to the queen as she dismissed her turning around and leaving the door once the maidens had entered.

She walked quickly back through the palace, the sun was rising and it would be dangerous for Eira to hunt for herself so she would have to have someone find her meal for her. ‘Maybe I should hire an apprentice.’ She thought to herself as she began to climb the steps to her wing in the tower.

Eventually after climbing the many steps to her quiet wing, Eira called over the guard that was stationed close to her door, asking him to go out into the city and bring her a girl for the day one that he himself would gladly have. Nodding the guard left his post and made out into the early morning streets, although Eira’s vampiric nature was known her favour for a courtesan was already more than a rumour. Retiring to her chambers, Eira began to write out the notes to her vast network of informants while she awaited her meal and later her queen’s summons.

Deliberation continued on as it seemed the council had finally agreed upon a course of action. "So it is decided then. I shall go to the land of Fyrkat to have words with the ruler of the Leiknir clan, Ulfar Leiknir." After much discussion about which clan had the best chance of winning the war it was obvious that the Leiknir clan held the best chance. "While I agreed on the choice of clan I must say I am not comfortable with the idea of you going beyond the city walls at this time your majesty." Amelia let a small sigh escape her as she looked at her Lord Commander "I must be the one to go. Something of this importance I can leave to no other."

"Yes, but with the chances of war erupting any day now the last place you need to be is miles away from your kingdom that depends on you to protect it." Placing her hands to her head Amelia knew the words spoken were words of truth. "If it would please you my Grace I will go to Fyrkat on your behalf." Looking over at Cadeyrn Amelia gave a small smile "You wish to travel to the Fyrkat lands?" the dark man nodded "As your hand it is my job to help you fulfill the needs of the kingdom. While the kingdom requires an ally it also needs you to remain where you are. So, I shall journey to Fyrkat in hopes of swaying the leader of the Leiknir clan to our side."

While Amelia wished to go to meet with Ulfar Leiknir in person she understood where the council was coming from and if she herself couldn't go she trusted no one more than Cadeyrn with the task. Looking to her Master of Ships she spoke to him "Have a ship ready by dawn." the man nodded. Looking back over at Cadeyrn "If you are going to go you won't be going alone. Since you cannot accompany me on this trip I will have someone accompany you. My advisor Eira. She is more than she appears and I will feel great knowing she is by your side." Cadeyrn appeared reluctant at first but he nodded his head after a moment, "Whatever makes you feel most at ease my Queen."

Dismissing the council Amelia was happy with the decisions made and just hoped that Cadeyrn would be successful in persuading the leader of the Leiknir clan. Rising from her chair she left the meeting room and walked the halls of the castle. Climbing the stairs to the Eira's chambers she knocked on the door and waited for an answer. She didn't want to risk walking in on Eira if she was in the middle of taking chair of her vampiric needs.

Eira Gunvald

Eira hadn’t been working long before a knock at her door announced the return of the guard. “Ah, good.” She smiled coldly to herself as she got up from her work and moved over to open the door. The girl couldn’t have been much older than 18 and her ginger hair fell neatly down her shoulders framing a pale freckled face. She gestured beside her and the young girl walked in nervously, giving Eira the chance to admire her from behind. She was evidently a street rat but still fresh from a warm bed, free from infestations and without the signs of a lifetime of sleeping rough not to mention the barely ragged clothing.

“Are you hungry?” Eira asked, closing the door again. “I have food going plenty if you are.” She offered once again, moving over to pour the girl some wine. The bottle was kept especially for her ‘guests’ as it was obviously not compatible with her diet. The girl shyly nodded her head as she thankfully took the glass from Eira, obviously very new to this specific line of work. “What is your name?”

“M…Meredith” the girl responded shyly, desperately attempting to look up at the pale spy.

Eira couldn’t help but smile, she was cute she had to admit. Perhaps she would be merciful tonight, she did not after all need to kill her. “Well Meredith, I am Eira and you know why I wanted you here but I will not be forceful. Just relax.”

Several hours passed quickly and Eira knew it wouldn’t be long until the Queen would be returning so she swung her long legs out from beneath the sheets to begin readying herself for more orders, her lover of the evening lying sound asleep in the satin sheets still showing the signs of exhaustion from their escapades. Pulling her clothes back on Eira moved over to the mirror to run a brush through her hair and ready herself for the Queens presence.

Within moments Eira had totally removed all traces of her actions and quietly closed the door to her bedchamber allowing the young street rat to sleep soundly the lack of energy, loss of blood and the first comfortable bed in a while was evidently too much for the girl.

Refocusing herself Eira moved back over to her desk to continue her work when the door knocked once again, Amelia had returned. Eira opened the door and gestured within, “Come in your majesty.” She offered with a bow.

“Come in your majesty.” Amelia nodded giving off a soft smile as she entered Eira's room. The room was beautifully decorated like ever other room in the castle, she always loved the great detail to went into the interior design of the castle. "I hope the guards proved useful to you and got you everything you required." With all the great work Eira did for her it meant a great deal to Amelia that the vampire treated as well as any noble.

"I've met with the small council and they've agreed with you. With war brewing the kingdom is in need of allies and we need to get them quickly if we want any chance of winning this coming war." Amelia stated as she took a seat in a chair. "After hours of discussion we've decided that the Leiknir Clan of Fyrkat would prove to be beneficial allies." She was hoping that out of the ten Fyrkat clans they were choosing the right one.

"I wished to discuss the matter in person with Ulfar Leiknir but I have been advised that my presence is needed within the city. It is for that reason that my right hand Cadeyrn will be going to Fyrkat in my place. While I faith that Caderyn could succeed on his own I would ask that you accompany him on his journey." Out of all the people Amelia could have sent Eira was perfect person to go with Cadeyrn as they could look for and advise each other. "The ship is being prepared now and will be setting out at dawn. Can you be ready by then?"

Eira Gunvald

Eira quietly shut the door behind the young Queen and followed her to the small table within the centre of the room and took a seat opposite her. "I hope the guards proved useful to you and got you everything you required." Amelia asked politely.

“Yes, my needs have been satiated for the time being, thank you your majesty.” Eira answered, her mind flitting to the sleeping girl in her bedchamber. “Though other than my needs as a vampire I have little other requirements of the guards.” She added, drawing herself back to the matter at hand.

"After hours of discussion we've decided that the Leiknir Clan of Fyrkat would prove to be beneficial allies."

Eira’s mind travelled back a couple of hundred years to her youth, remembering what must be Ulfar’s ancestor before the frozen lands descended into civil war, he was an ass so she hoped that Ulfar had at least managed to outbreed that. "I wished to discuss the matter in person with Ulfar Leiknir but I have been advised that my presence is needed within the city. It is for that reason that my right hand Cadeyrn will be going to Fyrkat in my place. While I have faith that Caderyn could succeed on his own I would ask that you accompany him on his journey." Amelia continued.

This was not what Eira was hoping for, being sent to make relations was one thing but trying to convince Cadeyrn that travelling at night alone would be a good idea was going to become a nightmare. “Your majesty, if I may speak freely; Cadeyrn does not know of my heritage, how will I avoid him discovering me? You know he would try to kill me and hamper the mission let alone lose you your right hand man. Also, if your own personal bodyguard and spy master are both out of the castle who will there be left here to protect you?” she said.

Eira was sitting forward in her chair now the familiar fire in her eyes beginning to spark. “Forgive my rudeness ma’am but this mission could end badly with just Cadeyrn and I, even if I manage to hide my nature from Cadeyrn what if the Leiknir are not so easily fooled? They might also turn us away just because of me, believe me ma’am, Vampires are not welcomed anywhere.”

“Your majesty, if I may speak freely; Cadeyrn does not know of my heritage, how will I avoid him discovering me? You know he would try to kill me and hamper the mission let alone lose you your right hand man. Also, if your own personal bodyguard and spy master are both out of the castle who will there be left here to protect you?” After the day she had been having the last thing Amelia wanted to hear was the words Eira spoke.

She knew that Cadeyrn not knowing of Eira's being could be an issue but she overlooked it and lied to herself saying that Eira's vampirism would not be a problem. However, the woman was right about Cadeyrn did not know of her heritage and how he would react to it only he knew. "Neither you or Cadeyrn serve as bodyguards to me. That is the role of the Queensguard which are not going anywhere. Which leaves me fairly well protected within the city."

Continuing on Amelia added, "As far as Cadeyrn discovering what you are in the chance of discovery I doubt he would attempt to kill you." This on Amelia's part was just wishful thinking but while she was trying to convince Eira she was now also attempting to convince herself that this was the right move. "Cadeyrn maybe a man but no human could be so stupid as to try and kill a vampire known of your skills."

The vampire now sat forward in her chair with an igniting fire in her eyes. “Forgive my rudeness ma’am but this mission could end badly with just Cadeyrn and I, even if I manage to hide my nature from Cadeyrn what if the Leiknir are not so easily fooled? They might also turn us away just because of me, believe me ma’am, Vampires are not welcomed anywhere.” Amelia gave a loud sigh, she hadn't wanted to address all of the problems that could occur from Eira just being a vampire.

Eira on the other hand seemed to want to point out all flaws in Amelia's plan. While she did find it be quite annoying at this moment she knew the woman was right. Her willingness to speak truth was one of the main reasons aside from her deadly killing skills and great spy work that Amelia kept her around. "Fine! You will not be going with Cadeyrn to Fyrkat." Amelia put her head in her hands as she began thinking of what to do. After a moment she looked up at Eira "I must be going now."

Raising from her chair she covered her anxiety with the gracious smile of a queen. She would not let the coming war destroy her before it even started. "If you are to stay within the city which you now will be doing you shall serve as my new Queen's Hand. With Cadeyrn gone I will need someone to replace him for the time of his absence. As with all who bear the title of Queen's Hand you will have all of the responsibilities and will be residing in the Tower of the Hand. Finish up whatever business you had going on here and meet me in the Great Hall."

Pushing in her chair she turned and exited the room to find six members of the Queensguard awaiting her. "Find the Lord Commander and summon him to the Great Hall." Nodding one of the guards left to go find the head of the Queensguard. The other five guards as if each acting as her shadow followed her to the Great Hall.

Eira Gunvald

"Neither you or Cadeyrn serve as bodyguards to me. That is the role of the Queensguard which are not going anywhere. Which leaves me fairly well protected within the city." Amelia stated calmly, obviously not favouring the vampires protestations. “Your majesty, I prevent your enemies attacking you, guards can do nothing from an assassin and Cadeyrn is always going to be your last defence when everyone else falls.” Eira protested.

The queen sighed at Eira’s protestations "Fine! You will not be going with Cadeyrn to Fyrkat." Perhaps she had been too uncouth but she was not about to risk a mission with more pitfalls then really necessary. “Forgive me your majesty. I spoke out of term.” She added solemnly.

"I must be going now." Eira stood as Amelia did, bowing her head as she did so in respect, though Amelia’s smile seemed confident that Eira had not angered her fully. "If you are to stay within the city which you now will be doing you shall serve as my new Queen's Hand. With Cadeyrn gone I will need someone to replace him for the time of his absence. As with all whom bear the title of Queen's Hand you will have all of the responsibilities and will be residing in the Tower of the Hand. Finish up whatever business you had going on here and meet me in the Great Hall."

It was definitely not what the vampire had expected, a promotion such as this temporary though it was it meant she was removed from the shadows and placed fully on public view. “Of course your Majesty. Thank you.” Was all she managed to speak in her surprise.

Eira quietly closed the door behind Amelia before her mind caught up with her and she hurriedly threw her armour on and tightened the many buckles that held the black leather together. Just as she was heading to collect her sword she remembered the young street rat still sleeping in her bed. “Damnit!” she hissed to herself before she moved over to wake her. “Meredith. Wake up. I must leave for my duties but you are welcome to stay. I have food aplenty and more than enough books to amuse yourself with.” She placed a finger across the girl’s lips as she made to speak. “If you wish to leave then do so now but if you do we both know you are with little hope.” She added planting a soft kiss on the girl’s forehead before turning and sheathing her thin bladed Falchion and leaving from the door, giving a nod to the guard outside. “If she steals anything; kill her.” She ordered coldly before making her way back down the many steps.

Thankfully for Eira the frozen months had arrived and the sun was setting early so she had free movement within the expansive and irritatingly well-lit castle her sword swinging in its sheath at her hip until she finally arrived at the door to the great hall; taking a deep and slightly unnecessary breath she opened the doors and approached the Queen and her guards.

"You are to present the king and his daughter with these gifts. Hopefully this along with the chance of defeating their enemies in a war that has been going on for centuries should be enough to sway them to our cause." Amelia eyes were set on Cadeyrn who eyes rested on the queen's gifts. As he slowly closed the chest he spoke, "I will not fail you my grace." Amelia smiled "You never have in the past. I have no reason to think you shall now." The two embraced in a hug of genuine friendship, she was praying to her Seven-faced God that all went as planned.

As Cadeyrn took his leave the Lord Commander entered the Great Hall. "You sent for me." Amelia nodded "Plans have changed. Cadeyrn is going to Fyrkat alone and Eira will be stepping in as my hand until he returns." As if on cue when Amelia mentioned her name Eira entered walking through the doors of the Great Hall and walked over to the Queen and the Queensguard. "Now that everyone is here. Let's begin!", walking up the few steps that lead to her throne she sat down and looked at the people before her.

"We all no that the King of Drake City has been plotting and scheming which means that the treaty between us is as if never existed. While I'd like to pretend that I never saw this coming I've always known that the peace between us was only temporary. A battle followed by a war is coming to a head and this time only one shall stand in it's wake. What are we going to do to make sure that it is this kingdom that still stands when the dusk clears?" Amelia eyed all parties in the room as no suggestions at this time were going to be over looked. It was time for the South Atlantic Kingdom to do some plotting and scheming of it's own.

Eira Gunvald

Eira’s boots made little noise as she walked through the great hall and it appeared that the Lord Commander was yet to arrive from his post, she took her place in front of the Queen's throne as she began Cadeyrn’s briefing; "You are to present the king and his daughter with these gifts. Hopefully this along with the chance of defeating their enemies in a war that has been going on for centuries should be enough to sway them to our cause." The Queen began her loyal hand as always faithful to her orders.

As the dark skinned hand took his leave for Eira’s frozen homeland the Lord Commander made his arrival, "Plans have changed. Cadeyrn is going to Fyrkat alone and Eira will be stepping in as my hand until he returns." Eira gave a slight bow of her head as the Commander looked in her direction her long ginger hair falling over her pale face, it was of course only a matter of time until someone discovered Eira’s heritage and this new if temporary position could possibly pave way to that particular day but Eira had always known that her own abilities would not fail her if the Queen was wrong about her loyal followers.

“…What are we going to do to make sure that it is this kingdom that still stands when the dust clears?" The Queen of the South Atlantic Kingdom began; her closest advisers began to prepare their ideas. The Spymaster was the first to speak, already having thought of many various ways to turn the Drake Kings tactics on himself. “Your Grace, King Moloch’s army is still on par with yours; we must demoralise their forces so that they are already set up for defeat, perhaps if it is possible for us to dissuade the Khal from aiding in the war then we may crush Moloch’s forces before we’ve ever even met them on the field.”

Written in collaboration with Almostinsane

(This post occurs in the past and happened before Eira arrived in the South Atlantic Kingdom)

It was a peaceful night as Eira walked quietly through the Drake Kingdom countryside; most of the peasantry was either sleeping quietly or praying to Kiel to protect them from the vampire that had been attacking throughout the week. The vampire couldn’t help but smile at this thought; really it was quite quaint that they thought it would help them. Her thoughts preoccupied her for some time as she walked until a clinking of metal snapped her to attention; quietly she pulled her hood up over her face and moved to hide out of sight behind a stable.

For as long as he could remember, Kallias desired to be a hero like in the songs and legends. He wanted to prove himself to Drake City, his home where deeds and merit spoke more for a person than mere inheritance. The Kings and Queens of Drake City were expected to showcase their strength of mind, body, and soul. They were descended from the gods, from Kiel himself. His brother might have left him to mind the dull procedures of court, but when he heard there was a monster terrorizing his people, he knew he had to act. All the great heroes did before him.

"Prince Kallias, it would be best if you stayed behind. It would be wise to send scouts ahead," a guard noted but Kallias would have none of it. He wasn't as battle-hardened as his brother, but he could see well in the darkness.

"There is no need," he told him. He signalled for his men to surround the stable. He gripped his sword. He spoke, "Whoever you are, if you're innocent, you have no need to hide, but if you're a blood-sucking demon, then I will send you to Mandos!"

His speech sounded properly bold. Like a hero's.

Eira cursed quietly to herself, she hadn’t expected them to see her normally the night guards wanted as little to do with any hint of vampires as possible. Still a bit of sport for the evening couldn’t hurt; lowering her hood Eira walked slowly forth from the stable her hands out to her sides away from her sword. “Now is that any way to speak to a lady?” She asked tauntingly. “Though I suppose I can hardly blame you, words are the weapons of cowards of course.” She smiled to herself, she had always excelled at antagonising her enemies and it made the blood taste so much sweeter.

"I know how to speak to ladies. Do you mean to say there is one here?" Kallias questioned her mockingly. At her later words, he frowned. He gripped his spear. He could tell she wasn't surprised by his questioning of her. He spoke.

"I am here to bring you to justice, foul creature. If you surrender, I can promise you a quick and merciful death."

Eira put her hands to her chest in a feigned hurt expression. “Oh come now, that hurts.” Smiling again to herself, Eira shook her head. “No, if I surrendered then you would most likely chain me up and parade me through the streets.” She lowered one hand to her sword but still made no attempt to draw it. “How about you surrender and I will promise not to butcher you and every man here. Who knows, I might even turn you into a vampire too.” Her eyes were beginning to change at this point, gradually turning a bright blue as she spoke, her fangs quite obviously on show as she spoke.


"I, for one, would rather die," Kallias told her, throwing his spare directly at her heart before drawing his swords even as the others charged with their spears out to skewer her. He was confident even if she evaded all their spears, he could take her head off with his sword. Supernatural abilities were one thing, but she was outnumbered by men who had trained all their lives for battle.

Eira shifted herself to one side as the spear flew towards her, grabbing it on the pass and swinging it back round she crouched down and drove the spear upward into the horse of the first guard, sending it crashing over the top of her and deflecting she spears points from her and scattering them into the surrounding area, almost as soon as the horse had landed on the other side of her Eira leapt back up onto her feet, ready to face the onslaught of blades.

As the guards turned their horses around Eira drew her blade in one movement, ready for their second attack but as the guards made to attack, Eira quickly turned herself around and put a foot up onto the gate of a nearby hut sending herself hurtling into the chest of the obviously wealthy guard captain pulling him down onto the ground where she pinned him by the shoulder, her fangs on full show as she hissed at the young man.

Kallias grunted as he felt her weight on her. He hadn't expected her to be so fast or so strong. Nonetheless, he wasn’t going to give up. He grabbed her head, dropping his sword in favour of a knife which he attempted stab at her chest.

Eira moved in for the kill until she heard the metal of the blade drawing near her chest and pulled herself back, grabbing hold of his wrist and attempted to push it down away from them both. Even with her extra strength Eira was evenly matched by the guard and couldn’t force the blade away, so the vampire rolled herself back, taking the guard with her but lifted her knees up as she did, forcing the guard over her head and behind her, with this momentum Eira put her weight on her hands and launched herself back onto her feet, her sword once more in hand as she lunged into one of the guards approaching to protect their Prince.

Pulling her blade free Eira quickly cut down another two of the guards in one sweeping motion, the thin blade getting under their helms and cutting their throats, at this point the remaining guards descended upon her and Eira had to duck quickly to avoid the blows, taking a heavy boot to the chest in the process. As she stumbled backwards Eira felt her back touch against the wall of a building. Cursing to herself, Eira prepared to defend herself once more.

Kallias did not like ganging up on someone like this. It wasn't honourable. Nonetheless, this creature was good. Very good. Four of the ten men that had been with him lay dead. He picked up his sword, wielding his knife in his other hand as he signalled the others to approach her. They lashed out at once, determined to kill the vampire before she could kill any more of them or escape.

With little other choice to escape Eira dived over to the side only narrowly avoiding the swords of her adversaries. Jumping back onto her feet Eira threw herself at her enemies driving her sword home into two of them at once burying it up to its hilt in their chests before ripping it back out and facing the remaining four men. Another flash of sword came towards her and Eira quickly parried her sword swinging down into the man’s throat, dropping him to his knees. Another came forward from behind her and the pommel of her sword found home in the man’s face giving a satisfying crack as his nose caved under his helmet as he too fell to his knees.

“I don’t think your guards are holding true to your promise!” She smiled darkly at the captain as the two remaining guards launched themselves at her swords aiming for her heart, both quickly ending in the mud with their comrades. “Now then, captain. Would you like to take back your earlier statement, or should I just kill you now?”

He was the last one here. Either he would be a legend or just a tragic figure, cut down in the prime of his life by a monster. He muttered a quick prayer to the gods: Kiel and Bellona for strength in battle, Mardu for wisdom, and Mandos, should he not make it. He shook his head at her.

"You are a vampire, a creature that feeds on the living. I am sorry you became one, but I know of no other way to stop you save killing you."

He stepped forward, swinging first his sword and his knife soon after, determined to take her down.

Eira gripped her sword as the man spoke it was already obvious what his answer would be, people were so stuck in their ways; vampirism in her eyes had only ever been a blessing. She deflected his sword with apparent ease but didn’t move quick enough to avoid his dagger, the metal sinking deep into her shoulder luckily missing her heart. Let out a howl of pain Eira threw her head forwards, colliding with the guard captain and pushing him to the floor.

Wasting no time Eira dived on top of him once more this time taking care to keep hold of his arms, her fangs were bared and her eyes had entirely changed colour becoming the lightest of blue. “You will become a fine meal, captain.” She hissed at him, sinking her fangs down to the man’s neck and piercing the skin.

Kallias froze. He could feel his life draining away even as he twisted his knife in her shoulder. He was defeated, but he wouldn't stop fighting until the end. I'm sorry Moloch.

Neither noticed on of the men inch away into the grainfields. Kallias looked into the eyes.

"My brother will have his vengeance," he whispered.

Pulling herself away Eira could feel the rush of the fresh blood coursing through her, his blood was incredible. Obviously of a noble born whoever he was. She almost missed what he’d said as he whispered in his last breath. “Your brother can try; he will struggle to find me in the palace of Queen Stormborn.” She said a dark smile on her pale lips.

Grimacing slightly as she removed the dagger Eira pulled herself to her feet and dropped the blade next to the body before turning and continuing down the path. Oblivious to the identity of whom she had killed.

“Your Grace, King Moloch’s army is still on par with yours; we must demoralise their forces so that they are already set up for defeat, perhaps if it is possible for us to dissuade the Khal from aiding in the war then we may crush Moloch’s forces before we’ve ever even met them on the field.” Her faithful Spymaster was the first to speak his idea and knowing him this was one that he had just acquired. "To keep our men in their homes with their family instead of on the field of battle is something I would like, but demoralizing Moloch's forces will be no easy task."

The men nodded as they knew their Queen spoke truth. "Forget the demoralization! I say we just move in now. The King of Drake is gone and while I doubt the city is defenseless they are still without a king to lead them into battle. We could take advantage of this and march now and seize the city before the king even had the chance to wage war." The Lord Commander spoke and in his words you could see why this man was knight, he lived for war. Amelia took in both the words of her Commander and Spymaster and while both plans were a way to go she wasn't sure if either path was the one she wanted to take.

"Why must their be a war at all?", she asked with a sense of thought as her own ideas were still forming in her mind. "I will not be the one who breaks the treaty of peace. I did not have it created so that I just one day choose to throw it away." The Commander looked as if he was about to speak but Amelia didn't give him the chance as she continued. "War is brewing but it has not come yet. I was able to convince the king to strike up peace when our kingdom was weak and an easy target. Who's to say I couldn't convince him to do the same now that are army now posses a real threat."

The men all looked doubtful but no one could dispute that the Queen had a point. "If there is a chance to stop the spillage of blood before it has even had a chance to flow should we not take it?" Looking at one of her guards she commanded "Fetch paper and ink! I shall send a letter to the South Pacific Kingdom requesting the presence of both the King of Drake and the Khal of the South Pacific." The guard nodded as he ran off to do as his Queen had ordered. To Amelia the reason behind Moloch's sudden want of war was puzzling. While their had always been tension between the two of them for him to suddenly want to drive his men out to battle was something she hadn't seen coming. She hoped by getting the King as well as Khal to meet with her she would be able to find out his reasonings and come to a comprise that would leave them both content as she had done years before.

Eira Gunvald

Eira had to resist the urge to grimace at the Lord Commanders words, they’d never seen particularly eye to eye and his wish to bash everything into submission differed entirely to her more subtle approach, normally if they happened to get into an argument it would become heated rapidly and guards often had to pull them away from another before blood was spilt.

The Queen’s own words broke her thoughts for this moment however; "Why must there be a war at all?"

Eira could see that the Lord Commander was about to voice his opinions but Amelia quickly dispelled the Commanders words, much to Eira’s secret pleasure. "If there is a chance to stop the spillage of blood before it has even had a chance to flow should we not take it?"

As one with the others, Eira weighed the option in her head, the queen was correct. No tactic could be better than total prevention; it was of course possible that the Drake King did not want war at all and was merely preparing for a possibility.

“It is true, your majesty.” Eira nodded eventually with chorusing from some of the other advisers. The guard quickly returned with the Queens request and the letter was already being written by the time anyone had gathered their thoughts to speak again.

“I will have my finest man deliver the letter in person, your majesty and I will ensure he has nothing but pleasantries on his tongue. Less we give the King the wrong idea.” Eira gently swept her ginger hair from her face as she summoned over one of her retainers who bowed upon approaching.

Turning quickly on her heel as the letter was passed over Eira leant over to her man and filled in his orders. “Take this directly to the Drake King, do not stop on the way and take this gold to buy fresh horses whenever necessary.” Eira passed the man a small bag of coin from her bag and sent the man on his way.

As she was giving the paper and other writing utensils she begin her letter to the Drake King. She wasn't sure what this letter would accomplish if it accomplished anything at all but she knew she at least had to try. Why she was like her father in many ways when it came to war she was also rather avoid than face it head on. She loved her own people to much to send countless numbers of them to marching to their death. If by the end of this King Moloch was still in his ways and forced her hand she would defend her kingdom to her very own death if it meant that. However, if he decided to redirect his intent and put his energy back into retaining the fragile peace that was already established between the two lands Amelia would be more than willing to do the same.

Once she was done writing and proofreading her letter to the King she looked upon the faces of the men and woman around her. She could tell that some agreed and others did not but their feelings at this moment weren't of any importance to her. They were all her advisors and she always took the time to heed their words of wisdom and warnings. At the end of the day however she was the Queen and had to make her own decisions. There would always be those who were happy with the choices she made and those who wouldn't agreed. In the end there was never a time when everyone would be pleased which is something she had quickly learned after taking the throne.

“I will have my finest man deliver the letter in person, your majesty and I will ensure he has nothing but pleasantries on his tongue. Less we give the King the wrong idea.” Amelia looked to Eira and smiled as she sealed with the letter with her family's royal seal she handed the letter down to a guard would pass it on to the woman. As Eira retainer approached and received the letter she spoke to him,“Take this directly to the Drake King, do not stop on the way and take this gold to buy fresh horses whenever necessary.” After taking the coin the man immediately took his leave and Amelia went to work writing a letter to the Khal of the South Pacific Kingdom.

She was nervous as she wrote the letter to the Khal. The Drake King she had met before and while she didn't favor him he was no mystery to her. The Khal on the other hand Amelia in truth knew nothing about aside from some small rumors and gossip she had heard here and there. What he knew of her was also a mystery to the young Queen but if all he did knew of her came from the mouth of the Drake King then his first impression of her couldn't be a good one. Despite that she hoped that the Khal would come to her kingdom and meet her in person so he could judge her for himself. For if he wished to have a stake in this possible war it was only far that he knew all the players in this game.

Sealing the second letter she handed it off to one of her private messengers and as he left she looked around at all her advisors. "You are all dismissed!", she exclaimed officially ending their second meeting of the day. Now the only thing left to do was to wait and see just what the King and Khal would do. Amelia was desperately hoping that for the sake of her people she could persuade both men that war was not the answer to whatever problem they felt had surfaced. If anything she at least hoped that if she couldn't persuade the King she could at least sway the Khal to her side.

Eira Gunvald

Eira bowed low as they were dismissed and turning on her heel she made to return to what was now her old quarters. Her travels were as usual unhindered through the castle and the ever present guard outside her quarters looked as bored as ever and she noted he was without a bloodied weapon; the girl had not stolen anything at least then.

Entering her quarters Eira was met with the smell of a fire burning slowly in the hearth, generally she never bothered lighting it herself, it made no difference to her anyway and it wasn’t as though she ever had to cook. Taking in the room she could see the body of the frail girl she had taken in only hours before. “Ah, Meredith. I’m glad you didn’t decide to leave.” The vampire said beginning to unbuckle her armour. “I hope you found everything to be accommodating. It isn’t often I have guests.” She smiled, though not in a threatening manner.

“M…miss,” Meredith began, “Are… are you going to kill me?” she asked meekly, her hands shaking slightly.

“Kill you?” Eira asked, “Why would I kill you now? If I was going to I would’ve done so last night.” Despite the context, her words were not malicious nor were they threatening. They would’ve seemed warm if not coming from a woman who’d almost entirely lost her ability to be warm. “No, I have decided to keep you; I could do with an aid.” Eira turned away for a moment as she removed her sword from her belt. “I will house you, feed you, clothe you and give you a warm bed. You will want for nothing in my care,” The vampire turned back at this point, kicking her boots into a corner. “You are of course free to leave whenever you please. What do you say?”

Meredith seemed to weigh this in her mind for what only seemed like a moment before a bright smile filled the girl’s face and she nodded with great enthusiasm. “Yes, please. A thousand times yes!” she voiced less quietly then before.

“Good, in that case for now you may wear some of the things I have acquired over the years and I will take you to the market district tonight, as I’m sure you’re aware of my… certain condition.” She continued before beginning to quiz the girl on herself…


Some hours later in the South Pacific countryside two messengers rode fast across the farmlands, his horses flank dripping with sweat. It was almost time to change horses again but he was so close now, he could finally see the edge of the city beginning to peer over on the horizon. It began to occur to them as they rode that this was more than likely an illusion of distance as the city seemed to rise from the horizon endlessly as he approached the city, vast pillars, towers and a castle that rival Amelia’s own seemed to dominate the skyline.

As the messengers finally arrived at the cities gates they rode almost all the way to the castle, leaping off their horses with a bag of coin tossed skilfully to a stable hand as they did so. He continued his run all the way to the castles gates itself, “We have a message for the Drake King Moloch and for the Khal of the South Pacific Kingdom, from Queen Amelia Stormborn!" He called out to the guards, falling to his knees in exhaustion.

Eira Gunvald

Several hours had passed in the spymaster’s tower; Meredith had been reluctant at first but with a few glasses of wine Eira had managed to get her to open up. It was important to know those in one’s employ after all. Now Meredith was sitting with her knees up in one of the leather chairs her tangle of hair covering much of face as she quietly slept. Eira had watched her for short while, weighing her uses in her mind before it began to wander away from the room and into the folds of the coming war.

There was little she could do personally to prevent the war; there had long been animosity between the two nations and the people of both nations had wanted blood for decades. It didn’t matter what Amelia managed to do to stave off the war it was only a matter of time before someone did something to ignite the fire.

Her mind wandering back to Amelia, Eira thought more on the woman she served. It had been unforeseen circumstances that had led to her service, a few pieces of work from her usual avenues that eventually led to her meeting the queen face to face. At first she was no more than another sheep to feed upon but the more that Eira got to know her the more intrigued she became and when Amelia discovered her nature she hadn’t shunned the vampire as Eira had expected instead she granted her access to as much blood as she required, even going so far as to quell any of the mentioning of a vampire in the city as normal murders with no suspicious nature at all.

Smiling slightly to herself Eira stood from her chair and refastened the buckles on her armour. It was probably about time she re-joined the formalities downstairs. Perhaps she would gain the chance to speak with Amelia again before the end of the day.

As she descended back down the tower Eira raised her hood, it could not shield her from the sun entirely of course but so long as she did not face directly towards it the hood was an effective means of keeping her skin from being exposed during the day. Continuing into the great hall Eira stayed back and out of view as Melisandre proceeded towards the throne keeping towards the shadows.

"I am a red priest from the highest red temple of the Mediterranean Kingdom. I worship the Lord of Light and he has because of this gifted me with the gift of sight." Eira shuddered at the woman’s words, priests always made her feel uncomfortable.

Eira Gunvald

Eira listened intently as the priest explained herself and her prophecy to the Queen, resisting the urge to speak her mind on the matter. Few religions thought highly on vampires and as far as Eira was concerned the feeling was mutual, this woman’s prophecy was more than likely to be some scheme, masked in order to forward Melisandre’s own desires.

An outside voice broke the focus of the room; "Your Grace, Lord Eddard Snow requests your presence outside." Eira already knew what Amelia’s reaction would be, Eddard was effectively Amelia’s family and he had known her since she was born, the priestess would be dismissed before too long.

"I have other matters that I must attend to now but I would like for you to stay here within the castle. We still have much to discuss and I do plan on concluding the discussion at hand. Escort the priestess to one of the available chambers and make sure she is giving whatever she requires to make her stay here more comfortable."

Eira nodded to herself she already knew which room she would be led to, there was always several rooms kept free for visitors to the palace and since Melisandre was not an envoy of a nation there was only one wing she would be taken to. Being sure to keep her hood across her face Eira followed behind the guard, being sure to keep enough of a distance to avoid being seen. She needed to see what the priestess’ actions would be when left alone.

It wasn’t long before Eira’s suspicions were confirmed about the location of the room and she could not pass up such an opportunity; waiting for the guard to settle into his new position as doorman Eira stepped forward to the doorway, the guard snapping to attention as soon as she approached. “At ease, I am merely here to speak with the priestess.” She explained her voice as icy as it ever was and she knew that it often gave the newer guards to the palace shivers.

Not waiting for a response Eira turned to face the door, rapping lightly. “Miss Tyrell.” She said inwards to the door, waiting for a reply from within. “My name is Eira Gunvald; May I speak with you?”