Kiss from a Rose: A Bribelle Story

Chapter 16

In the aftermath of the council's judgment, the chamber was left in a somber stillness, the members gathered around the ornate table that had seen centuries of deliberation. Draculaura's heart was heavy, her gaze lost in the flickering candlelight, reflecting on the futures they had just shaped. Fangelica Van Bat, her adopted sister, reached out and gently squeezed her hand, a silent show of support. Ramoanah, her stepmother, sat stoically, her eyes betraying her concern for the severity of the sentences. Dracula, as the head of the council, maintained a composed facade, but the weight of leadership was clear in his furrowed brow.

There was a collective sense of unease; some members whispered that, Duchess's punishment might have been too harsh, fearing the young vampire could falter under the pressure of redemption. Yet, they knew that without this test, the likelihood of her reclaiming her honor was slim. Rosie's sentence was the one point of unanimous accord, her unique situation and vows met with empathy and a willingness to support her in the uncharted territory of a bloodless existence. The council's opinion was divided on Ashlynn's fate, many feeling the burden placed upon her was the most severe. She was to shoulder the responsibility for actions not entirely her own, tied to Nephthys in a partnership that demanded success against the odds.

As the council members exchanged glances, a silent consensus formed; the decisions they had made, regardless of personal regrets, were final. To revoke them required a unanimity that was near impossible, not to mention the concurrence of the Royal Vampire Court of Transylvania, a body renowned for its immutable resolutions. They each took a moment to internalize the gravity of their choices, to accept that they had acted with the best intentions for their community, even if doubt lingered. Draculaura looked around at her fellow council members, each lost in thought, and knew that they would carry the weight of their decisions, as they always had, with the solemn dignity befitting the guardians of their kind.

(A/N: This chapter is the shortest chapter in the story, because it was only about what the members of the Vampire Council felt about the judgements and sentences they passed down on Ashlynn Ella, Rosie Red and Duchess Swan, as well as; Nephthys. Chapter 16 is also the second-to-last chapter of this story, other than the epilogue itself.)