Vamp Guards ✔️

F I F T Y-S I X

The past two days have been nothing short of chaotic.

The whole kingdom was buzzing with gossip with the recent events occurring. It was the strangeness of it all that got their lips chattering. Things like this hasn't happened in a long time, and the feeling of invisibility every citizen thought they had for living in Vridora was slowly decreasing. Eventually, the King saw it necessary to give a huge speech.

He, along with the, Queen stood in the center of the second village, in the town square where hundreds were packed to listen. Iris and Kai were present as well, standing off to the side. It was a short but necessary soliloquy that basically summed up the decision that the people of Vridora were to be prepare for a future ordeal. The war Annesa wanted wasn't absolutely certain to happen, but if it did the King wanted his people to be braced for it instead of creating more chaos when her violence came and attacked out of nowhere.

When they got back to the mansion, they split to attend to their daily work. The King, his office, Kai, trained with the guards, Iris huddled in the library, and Amilea, well, she shut herself away from the mansion. It's been happening for a while, her secrecy and oddly demure attitude. However, if one confronted her she'd snap and defend herself.

These attitudes have been going on for a the past two days. The day to night work, the training, the confidential behavior. It's been so cluttered with with events that one could swipe their finger across a shelf above a fireplace and dirt would ride onto that finger. Maids and servants haven't been working at their hardest, but luckily no one seemed to really notice. The bakers have been vacant in the kitchens, just chefs cooking important meals and snacks throughout the day.

Iris tried not to show how much that disappointed him.

There was this strange stillness in the atmosphere of Vridora that wordlessly passed through. No one spoke of it which gave newspapers a voice. People were writing down their thoughts, concerns, and even though their questions were partly ignored by the King they continued to pen down words. No one seemed to have questioned his power but after his speech(s) there has been distributed worry.

The day after the speech a small rain shower drifted across the villages. With a gloomy sky, dim sun, wet soil, there was an ever loud silence present in the mansion.

Occasionally a maid would tiptoed down the halls and a cook would peak out of the kitchen.

A small thunder rumbled at the same time Kai shut a back door. He made sure to dry his shoes before he walked inside. It was only 6:00, not too late in the afternoon, and yet the corridors were as quiet as they were at night, whenever almost every beating heart was fast asleep.

Earlier he spotted a messenger heading towards the mansion and he gathered whatever he had to give. He protected a faded yellow folder from the rain in which he examined first.

Kai climbed the stairs to the second floor and wandered down it, avoiding the spots with creaking wood. When he got to the King's office he used his knuckles to knock lightly on the door. Arlo's voice granted him permission when Kai stated it was him, and he opened the door.

The room was brightly lighten and slightly cold. He shut the door and sighed.

A small sense of pity faintly coursed through him as he studied the sprawled out papers on the long table. Two stacks that were more than a foot high, more than a dozen loose papers in front of Arlo, and several in his hand. Arlo's eyes scanned almost each and every one within seconds, eyebrows furrowed down, a crease on his forehead and his mouth in a frown. He glanced up over his glasses when Kai stopped near him. He sighed.

"Ah, more. Lovely."

Kai gave a small smile and laid the folder down on the table. He put his hands behind his back and scanned over the papers.