The Vampire Ambassador
Chapter 28

I sat in the room alone, pondering about what the hell I was going to say in this speech. I leaned my head back and sank down in the chair, closing my eyes.

Erik, I need some help.

I knew that the basics to the speech were things like, I'm going to be a great leader and put the people first, blah blah blah. But I wanted something that would stand out and show them that I meant business.

What is it, my love? How did the meeting go?

I sighed.

I have to give a speech to the people since I'm taking my throne back. And I have no idea what to say.

Just make sure you are emphasizing that you will be putting them first and ensuring their safety. That's the kind of thing they like to hear.

I get that, I have that part down. I just want something that will be genuinely from me.

I could see him tapping his pen against his desk as the thought about what to say next.

Just use your own words, Mel. It will come to you in the right moment. That's usually what I do.

"Your Majesty," Sir Patrick interrupted, "You have five minutes."

"Thank you," I replied as he nodded and left.

Well I guess here goes nothing. I have to be out there in five minutes.

You've got this, Mel. You're the strongest leader I know; I can promise you that you will say the right things. Good luck, my love.

Thank you. I love you, Erik.

I cut the link off and stood up, straightening my skirt. I looked in one of the mirrors on the wall and made sure my crown was positioned correctly before a guard from my royal army knocked at the door.

"Your Majesty," he said, bowing, "I am Sergeant Clark, and I will be escorting you from now on."

"Thank you," I replied, "Sergeant Clark. I'm ready whenever you are."

He held out his arm in the direction for us to walk and we did so. We took the elevator down to the front of the building and I gasped when I looked through the one-way glass walls.

There were people everywhere, not a single space for another person to fit outside. Camera crews were sitting there waiting in front for me to come to the podium and stand to speak. I felt like my feet were stuck in cement as my nerves cranked to full blast.

I tried to rub my hands together tightly and remove the sweat building up in my palms, but it was no use. I took a long deep breath as we reached the doors where Sir Patrick was standing.

"Are you ready?" he asked, "I'll introduce you first and give a short talk before I let you speak."

"Okay," I managed to croak out. He chuckled and walked through the glass doors first, my guard second, and finally me.

When I came through the door the crowd erupted. I could hardly stand the deafening screams coming from every direction.

But they are good screams.

I smiled as genuinely as I could and waved as I took my stand behind and to the right of Sir Patrick. He tapped on the microphone a few times to quiet down the crowd as the cameras from the reporters continued to click repeatedly.

"Good morning everyone," Sir Patrick started, "I want to thank you all for your interest in being here. I know that your kingdom has been through a lot in the past several years, but I want to assure you that it is now on the right path."

He turned to look at me with a smile. "Queen Raines has come literally from the gates of death and back to be here and stand before you as your queen. She has faithfully taken the steps to secure her rightful place on the throne to serve you to the best of her abilities. I know some of you may have your doubts, but I can assure you that she is the leader and queen you all deserve."

The crowd began to start back up cheering and shouting which caused a slight blush to my cheeks.

I wonder if this is how my mother felt so many years ago?

"With that being said, I would like to introduce your new queen," Sir Patrick finished, "All hail Queen Raines."

The crowd exploded yet again as Sir Patrick clapped slowly with a smile and stepped to the side, allowing me up to the podium. I smiled at the crowd, then at the cameras. I straightened my spine and felt that tingle run all the way down as blue mist began to form around me. I heard some gasps come from the crowd as they noticed the powers I emitted.

"Good morning," I said, "I hope you all are well this morning. I wanted to first thank each and every one of you for being here to listen to what I have to say. I know that the sun is a little bright this morning, so I will keep it short and to the point for you.

"My mother and father worked hard to keep the kingdom in a peaceful friendship with all of the other kingdoms. They also worked to keep all of you happy and content. I want to continue that legacy and lead all of us to be the best kingdom we can be. There will be no tolerance for violence within our kingdom or against others.

"I also know you are aware that I have these." I raised my arms and the mist flowed with my movements.

"I want you to know that I only use my abilities for good," I continued, "These powers were granted to me through my blood right to royalty, and I intend to show you that I am not a threat. I am here to lead us into a peaceful reign with all other kingdoms working together as one.

"I am looking forward to many, many years as your leader if you will allow it. I am overjoyed that you all are so welcoming, and I plan on getting to know you all personally. I want to know what your likes and dislikes are, how you think the kingdom should look to outsiders, and I plan to involve all of you each and every step of the way with the advancement of the prosperity of our kingdom."

The crowd began to cheer and shout again, so I wanted to end on a good note.

"Thank you again for your time today," I said with a huge smile, "I plan on speaking again with you all very soon."

As the crowd continued to cheer I looked at the water fountain down the street. I raised my arm toward it and the blue mist flew into the water, causing it to rise higher and sparkle in the sun. This just made the crowd grow wilder with excitement, so I decided it was time to leave.

I turned and walked quickly back inside, followed by Sir Patrick a and Sergeant Clark. I leaned against the desk as the woman working behind it smiled at me.

"Wonderful job, your Majesty," she said.

"Very well done," Sir Patrick said, resting a hand on my shoulder. I smiled and let out a sigh, tired already from the presentation.

"Can I go back to Erik's?" I asked, "I need to start packing."

"Of course," Sir Patrick answered, "I'll have your driver pick you up around back. I will tell you, however, after speaking with the other council members we would like to have you in your kingdom by the end of the week."

It's already Thursday.

"Sounds perfect," I whispered, "I'll be at the gates by Sunday evening."

"We will be expecting you then," Sir Patrick replied, "I'm sure Erik will help you with understanding the paperwork and leadership side from behind the desk before you make your arrival back home."

I nodded and headed toward the back as I followed Sir Patrick. The black SUV pulled up and I climbed into the back, shutting the door quickly behind me.

I leaned my head back against the headrest and felt tears building up into the corners of my eyes as we drove back to Erik's castle.

Once I had gotten back to the house I immediately went to look for Erik. Once I reached his office, it was empty. I checked the bedroom as well and he wasn't there either.

I went back to the office and looked to see that he had been working on something before he left, so I decided to stay there. I had to talk to him.

You'll have to leave him behind.

No, I couldn't do that. But I had to. This was going to single-handedly be the hardest thing I've ever had to do, but my kingdom needed me. I buried my face in my hands as the tears began to flow over the edges of my eyes, taking the mascara with them.

Three days. That's all I had left with Erik before I took on this new role as Queen. I had no idea how to run a kingdom, much less run my life. I knew that Erik would be a tremendous help, but being apart from him would make me a weaker ruler.

I looked up at the clock after sobbing for what seemed like hours to see that it was already after lunch. I had been engrossed in my thoughts for the past hour, waiting for him to step through the door.

I stretched my hearing once I picked up on footsteps descending toward the door. I slowly stood up as the door creaked open for Erik to walk in. I looked up at him through swollen eyelids and felt the tears begin to fall yet again as he shut the door quickly and embraced me in his arms.

I fell against his chest with a sob, trying to control my emotions to no avail. "Erik...I'm s-s-so sorry. I don't want to leave y-y-you."

Hey," he said, bringing us to the ground, "It's okay. Shh, don't worry. Everything is going to be alright, Mel. We will be fine."

"How can you say that?" I shrieked, "We can't be apart again. Don't you realize what it did to us the last time?"

"The last time was a little different, my love," he argued, "This is going to be for the better of your people."

He wasn't nearly as upset as I was. Why was that?

I looked up at him with an ice cold stare. "I don't see how you can't be pissed off or sad right now. You're acting like you actually WANT me to go."

"I am sad," he sighed, "And I don't want you to go. I really don't. But you need to. I was put in a situation very similar to this when I took my throne and I can promise you we won't be separated for long."

"Oh," I chuckled, standing up, "So let me have a guess; you have some grandiose idea of how we can still be together? It's not going to work. They want me in my castle by Sunday. That's three days, Erik! We literally have no time to prepare or spend any time together before I have to leave for good!"

"Look at me," he said, taking my face in his hands and pulling me close, "I will never let you leave for good, do you hear me? You are my world. This is only a divot in the road for us. I know you are upset and I can promise you that I am as well. I just know that this will pan out for the better and we will be together again very soon."

I sighed, letting the anger wash off of me with his touch as he stroked the side of my face.

"I'm going to need some help," I mumbled, "With the whole desk duty of being a queen. Do you think you could assist with that?"

"Of course," he replied, kissing the top of my head, "I just finished up with what I had to do today so why don't we dive in and I'll begin to show you?"

I slowly nodded as he let go and walked over to the desk. I followed behind him and questioned everything about our relationship as he dove right into the paperwork mechanics, not shedding a single tear over my leaving.

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