Evil Queen (Ruby Rose fan fic)

TWENTY (Iselen POV)

"Are you still upset?" The Queen of the Vampires stops looking at her hands and blinks confused for a second while staring at me. All of a sudden, she seems to notice that she's sitting on a stool in my tavern and I'm pouring more wine in her glass on the counter. It's getting late and the last customers are heading to their usual gambling houses little by little, nobody sings or asks for food anymore, but it's been a busy night and my employees have a lot to clean, too many empty mugs to collect and beer barrels to restock.

"I don't understand it, seriously... Dagan and Sippar's attitude last week was totally absurd. Of course, I've bumped into some vampires who fought against me over the centuries because they didn't like my decisions, my laws or methods of government: your vampire father was one of those..." I can't help shuddering, I don't like when she calls Isin like that but if Marad can be considered as my aunt, I guess she's right. "I've collected two or three enemies throughout my life but this was some sort of social suicide... it doesn't make sense. They're arrogant and their family is old and important, but being banished from the court is the worst punishment I could impose them... however, they looked really convinced that you were an impostor and not the woman chosen by the goddess. Why did they take that risk?"

"But Ensi didn't get new information from Dragan," I whisper waving goodbye to one of my regular customers before taking my own glass and walking around the counter in order to sit down next to her on a stool. The Queen turns her body slightly to be able to look at my face and nods reluctantly.

"The vampire swore to my cousin that it was his idea and they didn't talk to anyone, they just thought the goddess would never choose a tavern owner and I was trying to crown my pet... It's surrealist, actually, anyone who knows me or has worshiped Innana for a long time should know that this is crazy, she'd never agree to such machination and I wouldn't have to go that far in order to keep you by my side. I still think there's something weird going on here..." Ruby takes sip of her wine, lost in thought, while looking around but not seeing actually while the tavern gets empty, Little B is blowing out some candles and Bou carries some beer barrels from the cellar, Laila and the girls will clean the tables soon and the cook and her assistant will get the kitchen ready for tomorrow's meals...

None of them seem to notice that one of the ladies of the city, in fact the One and Only Lady of this city, is sat on a stool leaning her elbow on my counter while drinking pensively. I guess her doublet in a deep burgundy colour with golden embellishments doesn't look like the dark cape she wears usually but my employees are oblivious to her fascinating beauty and her perfect facial features, flawless skin and lips and those eyes that can't belong to a human... the powerful vampire controls my friends' minds, also the minds of my family and customers, so they believe my girlfriend in another citizen of this port town, wealthy, pretty, classy, but normal nonetheless.

"What if they don't know they've been manipulated?" My girl looks at me and blinks confused. "What if someone has planted the idea into their heads and has erased their memory after that?"

"It could be but it's complicated..." Ruby's hand rubs my knee while thinking.

"Could you do that?"

"Yes, of course," she answers almost offended because I doubt it. "Human minds are easier to manipulate because you're... malleable."

"You could've said weak and simple, thank you for that..." I smile sadly.

"There's nothing weak or simple in you, my queen, or in your uncle and Little B, for example... Some of you can be very strong and complicated, real survivors, but it's easy for a vampire to control your minds. The older the vampire, the more powerful and easier for him to do magic tricks... But manipulating one member of our race... It's not that obvious, it requires focus and clarity of thought in order to erase the memories of the vampire completely... If that's the case, someone very old and powerful is involved in this... and those are bad news for us."