Chapter Text
The Emperor of the Sorcerous Republic[1] wanted to reward her for all her hard work with the orcs and her success in breeding the last traces of wulvers and randis[2] out of the Uberwaldian werewolves. That was why she found herself with two companions at the edge of a small kingdom that straddled the lands between No Thingfjord and the Hubland Steppes. It was everything a hunting party could want in a village. It might have been a little on the cold side but it was quiet, only was light for a few hours in the wintertime and far away from outside help.
It wouldn’t be a challenge but it would be relaxing and away from the madness of the Republic. All they had to do was be patient and play by the rules. Dazzle the headman, start small and pace out attacks, and make the prey doubt themselves until it was too late.
The first part had been easy. She and Carmilla Magpyr[3] had seduced one of the local princes. He had been the lone guard keeping watch at the signal beacon outside of town. He was a very handsome lad, muscular, blonde, blue-eyed, and tall. He resembled a better class of god and made them both a little weak at the knees. He was very trusting and simple. The young prince walked Margolotta, Carmilla, and their companion Otto von Chriek into the castle.
Everything seemed to be going to plan. The princeling was sweet and quite entertaining. Soon a sleeping sickness would be running through the castle and being conscientious guests, they would offer to sit up with the sick to help them along.
After a particularly enjoyable night with the prince, Margolotta was awakened by the sound of knocking at her chamber door. She opened it to discover a guard, who handed her a message and quickly marched away. It was early still and the sun wouldn’t be up for hours.
She retreated into her room and read the note that was written in perfect script. Our hearts are heavy over the loss of our beloved Prince Renfield Ivanovic Zmaj Valkyria , second son of King Viktor Zmaj Valkyria. Prince Renfield has joined his loved ones on the other side of the great desert and will be blessed by the light. We ask that any guests of Prince Renfield depart as this is trying time for the royal family and we do not wish to inconvenience you with our concerns or rituals. The note was signed, Her Majesty, Princess Olgivanna Adelaida Valkyrja.
Margolotta laughed and crumpled the note. Stupid girl! Vho does she vink she is?
The vampire went back to the bed. She awoke to the sound of yelling and the smell of smoke.
“Margolotta! We have to leave!” Otto was shaking her. “Carmilla has already fled. We have less than an hour of darkness to get out of here and to the forest.”
Margolotta shook him off. “Vat are you going on about, Otto?”
He walked over to the window and peered out the curtains. “Ze prince is dead.”
“Zo?” She replied nonplussed.
He glared at her. “Ze castle knows. How much did you drink last night?”
“Vat Otto?” She rolled her eyes.
He stomped his foot. “Ve need to leave. Zey gave us a varning.”
“Afraid of a little angry mob?” She taunted before getting caught up in coughing fit. “Vat is that smell?”
“Zat vould be ze prince.” Otto snapped.
“Zey burn zier dead?” She asked quietly.
“Yes! Ve have to leave now!” He implored.
“I have burned hundreds of bodies. Zey did not smell like zat.” She said gagging.
“No, zat is a body plus several pounds of frankincense, myrrh, Copal, vite sage and rosemary.“ He ran his hand through his hair. “Zey believe ze dead should stay dead. After he is consumed by ze fire, zey will divide ze ashes so zey cannot be recombined and resurrected.”
Margolotta stared at him. “Vat?”
Otto started pacing. “Zey are going to spread part of him over the steppes, part vill go into the river, part vill be mixed into a ceremonial ink that will be used to chronicle his life, and finally glass charms vill be created using vatever is left over.”
Margolotta found anxiety flooding her mind. “How do you know zis?”
He stopped pacing and looked at her. “Princess Olgivanna visited me last night.”
“And?” She demanded.
He looked down at his shoes. “She saw right zrough me, nothing vorked on her.”
“Vy didn’t you kill her zen?!” Margolotta yelled. She was angry. Vy had ze Emperor send this veak fool vith zem?”
“Because nothing vorked on her. She spoke quietly and gently, she said she didn’t blame me zat I vas just doing vat vampires do. She said ve had to leave and had until ze dawn.” He looked slightly entranced when he spoke.
“Vat did you say?” She asked.
“I agreed.” He whispered.
“You vat? Ve are better zan zem, vy did you agree?” Margolotta sprang up from the bed and threw him against the wall.
Otto stumbled to his feet and glared at her with red eyes. “Because ve vere sent here to die. I vent to the library, everyone the Emperor vants to dispose of has been sent here. Zey recorded zeir names in a book.”
“Vy vould the prince give himself like zat zen?”
“He vas dying. He vanted to die vith honor. Zey believe varriors that die for a cause are rewarded by ze gods. ”
She sat on the bed. “Ve have been set up?” A cock crowed in the distance.
“Yes!” He bellowed. “Ve are running out of time. Ve must go now.”
“I vill not be run off by some girl.” She screamed in reply and jumped to her feet.
“Zat is your choice.” Otto transformed into a swarm of bats and flew out the window.
Margolotta bolted the door and waited for the mob. It was always a mob, which was to her advantage. Humans were dumber in mobs. If you could scare them, you could herd them like sheep.
An hour after sunrise there was still no mob and Margolotta relaxed. It had only been boffo and empty threats. She would laugh at Otto and Carmilla the next time she saw them. She released the breath she had been holding and sat on the bed. It was quiet and the smell from the funeral pyre had mostly dissipated. She lied back on the bed and closed her eyes.
Margolotta awoke to the twang of a bow being fired outside the window. She sniffed the air and smelled fresh smoke. Looking over, the thick velvet curtains on the window and been set ablaze. Sunlight was slowly streaming into the room. She looked towards the door and saw an inch of water running towards the bed and covering the floor.
Carefully, Margolotta lowered her hand towards the water, it began to smoke causing her to recoil on instinct.
“Holy vater?!” She cursed under her breath and stood on the bed. She looked around the room for a way out. No other doors or passages. The floor was covered with water now. She looked up at the walls, all she needed was a handhold. The walls were a smooth stone that had been polished to amplify the light; it was already catching the sunlight and weakening her.
There was a knock on the door and a girl called out to her. “Queen Margolotta Amaya Katerina Assumpta Crassina Von Uberwald”
“Yes” She replied regally.
“You must leave. NOW!” The voice demanded.
Margolotta snapped to attention at the command but quickly shook it off. “You are a very rude young woman.”
“That may be so but you must leave. You are not welcome here and you have no power here.” The girl recited as if following a ritual.
Anger seethed through Margolotta. How dare she! How dare that vench zink zat she had any power. She vould show her power. She vould break her pretty little neck.
Margolotta charged the door and burst into the hall with only minor burns on her feet from the holy water. She hardly noticed and a good feeding would make the pain go away soon enough. She glared at her query and froze. She was tall and handsome with long honey colored hair. Sturdily built like her brother and dressed in leather armor, she had come to face her on her own.
The girl met Margolotta’s gaze with violet-blue eyes as cold as ice. “You will leave.”
Anger swelled within the vampire and Margolotta lunged for the girl. She was met with a bucket of holy water. Margolotta screamed as it burned her. “You vill die for zat. You vill vatch everything you love die.”
“NO. You will leave.” The girl replied. Margolotta noticed she stood next to more buckets of water. “You did my brother a kindness by letting his death be quick. This is all the kindness I can extend to you in return. LEAVE!”
Margolotta arched her body and hissed. “Kindness! Is zat vy you insist on varning us, stupid cow?”
“No, I warn you because I am better than you.” The girl said with a pride and power that burned more than the holy water.
“Foolish child! What do you know of kindness? You are sheep. You are food to us, nothing more.” Margolotta snarled.
“Your choice is made then.” The princess drew her sword. It wasn’t a shiny sword or a magic sword but it was clearly a very useful one.
The vampire moved to pounce. The girl kicked a bucket of water splashing the floor in front of her. Margolotta was thrown off balance and froze. Suddenly, there was the sound of two bow strings twanging and the curtains on the windows at both ends of the hall were lit on fire. The additional sunlight weakened the vampire.
Margolotta was furious and needed blood. Her fangs extended and her jaw unhinged. Every bit of her body elongated. Her hands transformed into claws. “I have commanded armies. I have killed tens of thousands. I have bathed in the blood of virgins and drank the blood of thousands of men. Do you think you’ll survive me, girl?” Margolotta spat.
“I don’t know.” The girl replied as cold and crisp as the winter morning. “All I have to do is make sure you don’t survive me.”
Margolotta screamed. “I vill drink you dry.” Membranes were forming under her arms and attaching to her body forming wings.
The girl didn’t move. “You will leave or you will die.”
“I vonder if you vill taste as sveet as your brother.” Margolotta hissed and flew down the hall.
The girl easily dodged her and landed a blow under the vampire’s arm cutting her wing. Margolotta stumbled forward and clung to the wall.
“I pity you, Queen Margolotta. It must be hard to never grow, to be forever betwixt and between, never belonging, never knowing love.” Blue eyes bored into Margolotta’s soul stirring feelings of guilt and regret that had long lain dormant.
“Vat do you know?” The vampire howled.
“I know you do not know of love, loyalty, or belonging. I know you blindly follow a monster, whom sent you to your death.” She scolded. “I know I have more worth than you.”
Margolotta raked her claws down the walls causing sparks to trail her fingertips. The girl flashed a nervous glance at the vampire's hand. “I am powerful! I am a culler of men. I bend races to my will. I am a queen!”
“If you fly out that window, you’ll be burned but you should be able to make it to the forest line before you die.” She replied matter-of-factly.
Margolotta could smell fear on her now, something was making her nervous. “Vy don’t you come after me? Are you afraid to kill me?”
“I would rather not if it the same to you. There has been enough death today.” She said solemnly.
Margolotta smirked. “You are veak, girl!”
The princess tightened her grip on the sword. “I hope you can find peace in the next life.”
Margolotta braced herself for the girl to charge but she just stared at her.
The vampire cackled. “I vill enjoy killing you, stupid girl.” The vampire sniffed the air. It smelt of oil and alcohol. Looking down at the grouting in the floor, she saw iridescent liquid flowing between the cobbles. Realization hit Margolotta like a rampaging troll, the girl had been distracting her.
Princess Olgivanna dropped her sword, struck a cluster of matches against the wall, and the world erupted into flame.
Lady Margolotta Von Uberwald sat bolt upright in her coffin, which was why she was cursing.
It was a popular belief on the Disc that vampires did not dream. Unfortunately for vampires, this was not true. In fact, living hundreds of years and committing numerous nefarious deeds gives one an endless supply of nightmares.
After rubbing her head, she pulled out a journal. You can handle zis, just vite it down. She told herself.
She had had the dream before though this was its first appearance since starting the League of Temperance. Vat vas different? Vat had changed? She asked herself.
Vimes, Vimes vas vhat vas different. He reminded her too much of zat prideful bitch. I tried to control him and lost. Ankh-Morpork and Vetinari are stronger than ever. Margolotta groaned. I really vant a drink. She punched the coffin lid.
“No, I vant control. “ She repeated her mantra under her breath. “I vant control. I vant control.”
She smiled to herself. “I vill show you my control, Sir Samuel. I vill play politics vith you and this time I vill vin.”
Lady Margolotta opened the coffin lid. “Igor! Prepare ze carriage. I need to visit his Grace before he returns to Ankh-Morpork.”
[1] The Sorcerous Republic was starting to crack around the edges as was its emperor. Lady Margolotta Von Uberwald was one of his many brides, not that that was saying much. An hour before his death, he had nearly 90 brides. Of course, Uberwaldian politics being what they were he was suddenly quite single at the time of his death. Being one of the Sorcerer’s brides didn’t give her freedom or control, but it did bring power, pleasure, and safety.
[2] Werewolves are not bad by nature. In fact, several tribes were noted for helping and protecting humans. The emperor did not feel that this was a helpful trait for the building of an empire.
[3] Although beautiful, Carmilla had strange bathing habits and had a tendency to use all the virgins.