Valenca
Rebecca hadn't been back to the castle since she tore it apart to kill the King, so she was somehow surprised to see her plants still growing. The castle looked like it had been abandoned for a century, and not just a year. She noticed on the way to Stonekeep that the roads were starting to get lively with people which in a way was intriguing, but was a thing to deal with later.
Rebecca stepped into the overgrown courtyard and found Sirene waiting for her, a broad smile on her face. Bounding over to Rebecca, for a change Sirene curtsied before Rebecca. Rebecca was impressed, it turned out Sirene did have manners after all.
"Welcome back to Stonekeep, Duchess Ashe." Sirene said, looking up at Rebecca. "Shall we head inside?"
"You're not only be polite to me, you actually formally addressed me." Rebecca replied, crossing her arms. "What's going on?"
"Right now I'm speaking to you as the Conservator of the Shadow Court, Duchess. Ancient protocol demands I must treat you with the respect you have earned and are due." Sirene replied, adopting a neutral pose. "Please, let's head inside where we can converse away from prying ears and eyes."
Rebecca was intrigued. She'd never seen Sirene act with this kind of respect and difference toward nobility, and decided to play along for the moment. She snapped her fingers and the vines covering the entrance withered away, clearing the path.
"Let us proceed, Miss Ignitis." Rebecca said in an even tone.
Sirene made her way up the steps to the main door, and held it open as Rebecca walked through. As they stepped inside, the vines regrew over the entrance, forming an impenetrable barrier.
"Very impressive, Duchess. I admit I've never seen your magics at work in person."
"Miss Ignitis, you haven't seen anything. Even my handiwork here at the castle is but a small fraction of what I am capable of." Rebecca answered, as they continued to walk. "Where are we heading?"
"It doesn't really matter, we need to head elsewhere anyway. I'll ask you first, have you ever heard of the city of Valenca?" Sirene said, stopping and turning to look at Rebecca.
"Valenca... Valenca... That name sounds familiar." Rebecca started, tapping her chin as she thought.
"I'll forgive you if you don't remember. It's been nothing but ruins for nearly 500 years. It was once not just the crown jewel of the Republic, it was the capital."
"La'Rozen was the capital, Sirene. I know my history." Rebecca answered, crossing her arms.
"La'Rozen was the first capital. Valenca was the second capital after the plague and before the collapse. But the Curia had always been based in Valenca."
"I'll bite. Where's Valenca?" Rebecca asked, tapping her foot. "You say it's ruins so it's not a forgotten name for a current city."
"You're aware of the large complex of ruins, at the very tip of the peninsula Whitemire is located on? That's Valenca." Sirene answered.
"Well I'll be. I've investigated those ruins over the years." Rebecca said, smiling.
"That's probably where you saw the city name. We need to go there." Sirene said, cracking her knuckles.
"Surely you're aware that's at least 5 days away by horse?" Rebecca asked.
"I'm a lot better at my magic than a thousand years ago. I could get us there in a few minutes from your perspective." Sirene offered.
"So from your perspective you carry me like a piece of luggage for several days holding me Gods know where and doing whatever you want with my frozen body, is that it?" Rebecca asked, frowning.
"I know your personal history, Duchess. I swear before Eigengrau and Vordea that I would never do anything untoward to you." Sirene answered back, bowing.
"You do, do you?" Rebecca asked, still frowning. "Tell me what it is."
"Nadia, your personal maid when you were 15. You shot a vine straight through her brain and bludgeoned her for an hour. It took six butlers to pry you off her corpse. It was one of the only times your father ever showed his approval toward your actions, and had you take defence lessons after. George the town drunk when you were 19. You shoved his own dagger through his throat after you let him have his way with you for a bit to lower his guard. Liam the highwayman when you were 20. You woke from a nap with him already inside, your screams activated your creation magic so strongly there was nothing left of his body. To this day nobody knows what happened to him besides you. Should I go on?" Sirene asked after naming the first three rapes of Rebecca's life.
"No, you've made your point." Rebecca answered with a sigh. Sirene really was far too well informed about everything.
"I grew up in an even rougher time, Duchess. I've played judge jury and executioner for far too long. Frankly I'm sick of it. Shall we go?"
"I have a better idea. I know a man who's very good at displacement magic. Take us back to my Manor instead." Rebecca offered. Sergei would be perfect for this, she thought to herself. Before she could dwell further on the matter, they were suddenly at the front gates of her Manor. Turning to look at Sirene, she raised her eyebrows and gave a nod of approval. "Very impressive, Miss Ignitis."
Hamlin was entirely unsurprised to see Rebecca back with Sirene so quickly. He simply waved at Rebecca as the two of them entered the Manor, to which Rebecca and Sirene both returned the greeting. He chuckled and went back to his gardening. Heather took a more active interest when Rebecca re-entered the library, and moved to intercept.
"Back so soon?" He asked.
"The location is annoying. Where's Sergei?" Rebecca asked.
"Still asleep, presumably. Check the cellar."
Rebecca nodded and walked off, Sirene in close pursuit. They didn't speak as they walked down the stairs, but Sirene began to guess what kind of person Sergei was when she saw the coffin in the room they entered.
"A vampire? Really?" Sirene asked. "Good thing I'm immune to vampirism."
"So am I." Rebecca said with a smile. "Still technically a vampire, remember?"
"How could I forget? Should we wake him up now?" Sirene asked, crouching to poke the coffin.
"Might as well." Rebecca said, before she changed to a commanding stance and shouted. "Sergei! Wake up!"
The coffin lid bolted open and Sergei practically flew out, and saluted Rebecca before he even finished waking up. Sirene just started laughing at Sergei reacting like a trained dog, which caused him to look around in confusion, blinking.
"Duchess?" He asked groggily. "What's going on?"
"We need to get somewhere exciting. Sirene, are vampires allowed in?" Rebecca asked, turning to look at Sirene.
"Of course. You want to bring him in?" Sirene asked, standing up again to appraise Sergei.
"Let me guess, you want to get there in a hurry?" Sergei asked, yawning. "Well I'm gonna need to eat for that."
"I'm poisonous to vampires, are you able to provide?" Rebecca asked Sirene. "Unfortunately we don't have any food on hand and we'll have to wait for him to hunt otherwise."
"Fine. Please wait outside, Duchess." Sirene said, undoing her robe enough to expose her neck. Once Rebecca left and shut the door, Sirene turned her attention to Sergei. "And you. Don't even think about it. It's nothing personal but I'm not into vampires."
"Ma'am I am a professional." Sergei said even as he salivated. "You still got that crazy regeneration?"
"You know it kid. No vampire has ever drained me dry, so don't be shy." Sirene said with a wink, completely exposing her neck.
---
Several minutes later, Sergei emerged first, wiping his mouth with his handkerchief. He bowed before passing Rebecca and heading upstairs. Rebecca briefly peaked inside the room and saw Sirene laying face up and panting. Stepping inside, she helped Sirene to her feet.
"Thank you, Sirene." Rebecca said quietly.
"Of course, Duchess." Sirene said, patting Rebecca on the back. "Shall we get going?"
"Soon. The sun's still up."