His Other One

17|A Hunting and A Prize

Taylor soon got to find out Court meant talks of castle accounting to bore a full grown person to tears. The gathering was a fairly large one with only a few faces she recorgnized, Emese, Marius, Irina and a guard she found vaguely  familiar.
The court was a long stone table the length of a football field...alright that was an exaggeration but it was quite unusually long, at least in Taylor's  opinion.
The king sat at the head and was  flanked by rigid guards dressed  in ninja like garb. Irina sat at his left side while Anghel sat at his right. Taylor was seated beside him.
The king was welcoming and mindful of her at first but got understandably carried away in court discussions.
To Taylor's relief no one had paid too much attention to her since she arrived. Generally the occupant of the long stone table gave her a long suffering look with only a tiny minority (Emese and Marius specifically) had given her a welcoming smile.
Taylor had been able to make a few observations from her time of quiet reverie.
The king doted on Irina and everyone seemed to give her as much respect as they gave the king and Anghel. When she talked, they listened and seldom argued (she seemed to have a plethora of biting comebacks for every opinion not conformed  to hers).
Emese hardly made input in the conversations but it was obvious she was following.
Taylor caught Marius eyes who gave her a searching look.
"It seems the Lady is as bored as I am on this issues" Marius announced with a lazy drawl.

"If she is to be queen, this boring issues should be of great interest" Irina replied snidely, her dark intense eyes burning holes between Taylor's eyes.

Taylor stifled the urge to blush, she parted her lips to lie that she wasn't bored but was interrupted by the king;
"Oh bullocks. Accounting gets boring even to the best of us" the king chuckled good naturedly. Irina only pursed her lips in displeasure at being disagreed with by the King.

"What do you suggest your majesty?" Spoke a light haired vampire Taylor understood was lord Darius, who had an high rank in the Castle.

"A hunting game perharps?" Marius suggested while twirling playfully with a dark curl of hair. He looked boyish and somewhat attractive. Taylor averted her eyes.

"Oh yes uncle. It's  really been long we enjoyed a proper hunt " Irina cajoled in a doting voice coated in sugar.

"A hunting game it is then!" Announced the king lustilly.  Excited murmurs of aggrement gathered around the table's occupant.

"I do not think my wife has the stomach to witness our games father" Anghel steel voice sliced through the murmurs to create a wall of silence
Everyone turned to fix their eyes on her, mostly with animosity seeing she was about to be the reason they won't be having their anticipated hunt.
Taylor bit her bottom lip in embarrassed anger
"I think my stomach will be fine enough " She managed just a little above a whisper. It wasn't easy being sassy under the weight of a dozen accusing glares.

The king gave a huge grin and banged the table.
"We begin!"
The occupant of the table followed suit and soon their was an hullabaloo from palms hitting Stone surface in harmony.
Taylor risked a look up and was caught in Anghel's disapproving glare.

She followed Emese who volunteered to help her gear up for the expedition.
"Tell me about this game" Taylor asked as they reached her chambers in the west wing.
"Vampires are hunters from nature, and the game is to remind us of who we are.
It's all about surviving. We pick out a target and move in packs. The pack to bring home the prize wins and enjoy a banquet or a boom from the king "
"A boom?"
"Yes, you get to ask the king for a favour which he is bound by honor to grant. Most ask for more land, gold or rank promotion. Do you now understand why the game is so loved?"
"I see. But I don't know how to hunt though. The only thing have hunted are butterflies....as a child."