The Eyes of the Queen

"You lied to me." Misa hissed under her breath. She took the fork beside her large plate and jabbed the hilariously underdone meat with it. A thin trickle of blood escaped, and Misa felt the back of her tongue activate like she'd eaten something sour, beginning to salivate. 

Sharp teeth poked at her lips. Her now powerful eyes zeroed in on the bloody meal like something interesting she'd never seen before.

She was horrified.

"I told you, human. I never lie." Prince Ran replied as Misa dropped her fork against her plate and pushed the whole thing away. The prince swirled a goblet of thick red liquid in his hand. He held the neck of the gorgeous gold cup adorned with large red rubies around the rim between his pointer and middle fingers. Like this, he looked very much like the prince of a kingdom of vampires.

This morning, he wore a rather casual, tucked-in button down top with the collar folded down neatly, and the hot red buttons done all the way up to his pale white neck. His sleeves, though, were unbuttoned at the cusps and, instead, were rolled up to just above his elbows. He wore slacks with a fashionable red belt whose buckle looked more expensive than all three of Misa's previously owned cars. His dress shoes, too, were immaculate, perfectly shiny and as jet black as everything else he wore.

Misa realized with some satisfaction that the prince's black attire with red accents matched her appearance perfectly. Alone, they looked just as fine as everyone else in the hall. But together? She was sure they looked gorgeous.

"You are here," The prince continued, "to meet my parents and the Elders--along with a few key figures from each of their families who would benefit from attending this meeting in some way. Nothing of consequence has changed."

"Nothing of consequence?!" Misa whisper hissed, snapping back to her senses. "This is way beyond what I expected. You've gotta admit it." 

Misa had assumed that 'and the Elders' would include two, maybe three extra guests. Not a whole banquet hall full of centuries old cold bodies leering at her with their various shades of piercing eyes.

"This feels like a freaking press conference! Look at all those people!" She exclaimed through a terse whisper.

"'Press conference?'" Prince Ran mumbled, his expression one of confusion as he drank at length from his gem-adorned goblet.

Across the impeccably decorated great hall--the earthy-colored, flowing drapes drawn open over tall arching windows, and the candle-lit chandeliers giving the large room a nice, soft glow--a gathering of some forty vampire men and women dressed to the nines were engaged in hushed conversation. They stood facing Misa and Prince Ran--who sat alone at the longest dining table Misa had ever seen--but with heads ducked together and eyes downcast. 

Upon entering the hall earlier, Prince Ran had assured the group that they would have ample time to exchange pleasantries once the King and Queen arrived. For now, they could mingle independent of the prince and his apparent--Prince Ran made sure to emphasize the word--bride-to-be.  

Misa guessed the other vampires took this as an invitation to gossip freely about her, the mysterious bride who appeared from out of nowhere. The princess of the age-old prophecy that many had begun to believe was all a lie. Until now.

The group's murmurs weren't loud enough for her to hear, but it was clear who served as the heart of their gossip. Every so often, a pair of striking eyes would bite into hers and seek answers she had never been asked and could probably never answer. She swallowed again and again, growing more nervous and uncomfortable as she sat beside Prince Ran, waiting for the hosts of honor to arrive.

The sooner they show up, the sooner I can go back to hide in The Vault! Misa cried internally, having grown quite fond of that secluded place with books galore.

Suddenly, Misa heard a sharp, "Stop it," to her right, which made her flinch and look at Prince Ran. 

"What?" She asked a little indignantly, curling her upper lip at him with all her might. "I'm not even doing anything!"

"Stop shaking or bouncing your leg or whatever you are doing, human." The prince hissed, putting his face just inches from Misa's. His demeanor had grown serious, the aura around him heavy and, if Misa had to admit, a bit dangerous. "You have an audience with the most important figures in our kingdom." He told her. "Do not dishonor the family with your foolish human behavior."

Misa bit her lips together to stop herself from arguing about the 'human behavior' part. Instead, she released a heavy breath and whispered in defeat, "Gosh, I'm just nervous, okay? All these vampires around, looking at me like I'm roasted and ready to eat. And then there's your parents--no, the King and Queen! How could I be calm??"

"Be. Calm." The prince ordered, baring his teeth at Misa.

"You. First." Misa replied, baring hers.

For a second, the prince stared in what seemed like surprise at Misa before withdrawing and scrunching his lips together. The movement caught Misa's eyes like a hawk's zeroing in on a mouse. Is he trying not to laugh? She wondered and felt laughter bubbling up inside.

Which was stomped down quickly by the announcement of King Kousei and Queen Yori's arrival to the great hall.

Instantly, Prince Ran's face stiffened in seriousness, and he shot to his feet. He stood tall and powerful with his shoulders squared and his heels touching, waiting for his parents to appear through the archway. Misa, slower but following suit, stood beside him, trying to look as graceful and yet brave as a vampire princess--in her mind--should. Around them, the guests hurried to take their places among the empty seats at the stretching dining table.

Someone brushed against Misa's left shoulder as they aimed to take the seat beside her. The contact caused Misa to tense, inhale sharply, and hold her breath. 

On her right, Prince Ran jabbed her with his left elbow. Misa exhaled like a deflated balloon, her lips fluttering a little as she let all the air out. Oh, she thought, the prince will surely skin me for that one.

Luckily, the king and queen entered at that exact moment, and the entire room bowed at the waist. Misa--last but surely not least!!--bowed more deeply than the others, until the room was out of sight. Anything to help her calm her nerves.

Finally, once the queen had been seated and the king sat at the head of the table, the hall relaxed into their seats one at a time.

"Misa." Prince Ran whispered, using her name for the first time and causing such a stir in her minutely beating heart that she froze in place, her hands grasping a fistful of dress fabric in her lap. His lips at her ear were so near that, if she moved, she might touch them. But, "Relax." He said, "You're one of us right now. No one else knows."

Unable to control herself, Misa's eyes grew wide, and she whipped her head to her right before the prince could retreat. Meeting his relaxed gaze, Misa questioned him with her eyes. Prince Ran looked back unwaveringly until Misa breathed out a slow, shaky breath through her nose. At once, he nodded and moved away, leaving Misa to ponder everything.

He means no one knows I'm human, doesn't he? She thought. That means, I'm safe. I hope.

And suddenly, she felt a chill come over her like none other, not even when she was so sick with the flu back when she was twenty that she had imagined she was dying. Terrified down to her very core, and with just her eyes, Misa looked across the table at her diagonal.

The queen's eyes bore into her. They were displeased, angry, resentful eyes. Eyes that spoke fear into Misa. She heard warnings of boundaries she should dare not cross. It was clear enough that no words were needed to express the queen's feelings. Misa was not safe where that look was concerned. 

Those eyes were dangerous.