Princess of Everdale Ch. 13

Melissa stood beneath an old oak tree in Everdale's Royal Park, watching a squad of soldiers on the opposite side of the lake as they marched hurriedly past. She clutched her papers tightly beneath her shawl, hoping that no one would question her even though she had all the documents required in order for her to venture beyond her own neighbourhood. Since Talia's kidnapping, Everdale had become a much different place to the city she had grown up in. The city was virtually in lockdown and soldiers could be seen on every street corner as they frantically combed the city looking for the Princess. Citizens were being stopped and questioned regularly and permitted only to travel to and from their place of work and local neighbourhood. Many were chafing beneath these strict rules but more were sympathetic to the reasons behind the lockdown. Melissa had seen the king and queen recently and knew how hard they were finding the Princess' absence but she was also desperate to see Talia return home safely. She was her best friend and she would do anything to have her back.

She shifted anxiously, drawing her shawl closer around her body to keep out the afternoon chill. Getting Talia back was precisely why she was stood beneath the tree in the park. She had done as Alec had instructed the night of Talia's kidnapping. She had told the King that the criminals had broken into Talia's tower and kidnapped the sleeping Princess just as Alec had told her too. She hadn't told anyone of the state she had seen Alec in; of the blood that drenched his rain soaked clothes or the terrifying, needle-like fangs that protruded from his top lip. She knew enough of Everdale's history to recognise a vampire when she saw one, even if they were all supposed to have been eradicated. They were creatures of the night, possessed of dark magic and black hearts. All the stories labelled them as creatures of evil and yet Talia had opened her heart to Alec and when he had told Melissa what had happened, she had sensed that the fear in his voice had been genuine.

"Good evening, Melissa,"

She stifled a shriek as she turned to see Alec standing behind her. He looked different to how she remembered him on that night. Yes, he had been covered in blood and drenched in rain but he had still carried himself with a air of dignity and grace. His clothes had been smart and his demeanour confident if fearful. Now, however, he looked half the man she had seen previously. His skin was grey and pale, his eyes marred by dark circles and his jet hair ruffled. His clothes were dirty and torn and he looked hollow.

"What happened to you?" she gasped.

"I have been searching for her," he said, his voice thin and low.

"Have you slept?" she asked, not knowing if vampires required sleep.

"I will sleep when I have found her," he said curtly.

"The guards are doing everything they can," she replied.

"It's not enough!" he snapped, his eyes flashing momentarily red.

She took a step back, trembling as she was reminded with what she spoke. How could she really trust this man not to kill her?

"I'm sorry," he breathed, pinching the bridge of his nose with one hand whilst holding out the other to calm her. "I didn't mean to frighten you."

"You really are a vampire, aren't you?"

He nodded. "Yes. And I really do love Talia. I think I have found a way to locate her. But I need your help."

"My help?" she squeaked. "What can I do?"

"I've tracked down one of the Red Hand's lieutenants," he said. "He oversees their smuggling operation at the dock. I believe he knows where Talia is being held."

"Why not tell the guards then?" she asked.

He shook his head. "He's not just a simple thug. He would die before telling the guards anything and even so, by the time the syndicate realises he has been taken they might try to move Talia."

"So what do you need me for?" Melissa hissed.

Alec bit his tongue, his expression softening. "I am sorry, Melissa," he whispered. "I wouldn't ask if I did not think this was our best chance of getting Talia back."

"Just tell me what you want!" she snapped, her heart racing in her chest.

"He is a man with very particular tastes..." Alec said carefully. "You are precisely his type. If you could seduce him then maybe you could get him to loosen his tongue enough to tell us where she is being held."

"You want me to seduce him?" she cried. She felt sick. What with her duties to Talia and her mother's illness she hadn't had much time for romance in her life. The idea of making a stranger, and a criminal at that, fall for her seemed utterly ridiculous.

"Like I said," Alec replied. "He has very particular tastes. I wouldn't ask if I didn't think this was the only way and I wouldn't ask if I didn't think you were capable of doing this."

Her eyes darted to his hands and narrowed suspiciously. "It doesn't matter what I say, does it?" she growled. "You'll just use your magic to make me do it."

He flinched and she thought her words might have stung him. "No," he said firmly. "it doesn't work like that. Besides, if it is to be convincing then it needs to be genuine. Please, Melissa. if not for me, do it for Talia."

She licked her lips and shifted her feet on the grass. She had felt so helpless since Talia had vanished. Night after night she had lain in bed listening to her mother's wheezing coughs, wishing there was someway to bring her friend back. Now that she had the chance she knew there was no way she could turn it down.

"Will it be dangerous?"

"Yes," Alec replied "He is not a kind man and I don't expect him to treat you respectfully. But I will be right outside and if there is the slightest chance he will cause you serious harm then I will protect you. You have my word."

"The word of a vampire?" she snorted.

"The word of a man in love," he retorted.

She sighed, thinking of how happy she had seen Talia since Alec had come into her life. The Princess trusted him and that had to be enough for Melissa to trust him.

"When do we start?" she asked.

****

Melissa stood in the room that Alec had rented near to the docks. The tavern was small and dingy and like most of the neighbourhood, stank of sea water and fish. It was getting dark outside and she could hear the gulls calling to each other as they fought over the scraps tossed away by the fishermen after their daily haul.

Alec knocked on her door and stepped into the room, a bag slung over his shoulder and a cloak pulled tight around his body. He smiled reassuringly at her as he set the bag down on the rickety bed in the middle of the cramped room.

"There are some outfits in there for you to choose from," he said. "I wasn't sure on what style you would like and I had to guess some of the sizes but I'm sure you'll find something."

"Thanks," she said stiffly. She was still feeling sick.

"Are you alright?"

"Not really," she muttered. "But like you said, this is for Talia."

He nodded, stepping away from the bed. "I'll leave you to get changed."

She waited until he had closed the door before walking over to the bed and opening the bag. True to his word, Alec had produced a variety of outfits for her to wear, all of which would make her look like any one of the working girls that were known to ply their trades on the streets around the docks. There was an impossibly short dress that looked like it would barely cover her ass, a pink and white corset with bows on the bust and garter straps, a cupless bra and five different pairs of stockings from lace tops to fishnets. She had never worn anything like this before and she could feel her stomach twist as she laid out each outfit.

In the end she decided on the pink corset. Somehow it seemed the least provocative of the different outfits whilst the elongated waist left her with at least some bare trace of modesty. She stripped out of her simple dress, and crossed to the mirror where a small bag of make-up that she had borrowed from Talia's dresser lay on the floor. It was funny, given how often she had applied Talia's make-up, how hard she found it to do her own. She applied a thin layer of black mascara to her eyes before applying two layers, each one progressively darker, of purple eye shadow that contrasted sharply with her dark skin. She pulled her long, raven hair out of the ponytail she almost exclusively wore it in and and gathered it over her left shoulder before stopping to admire herself in the mirror. It had been so long since she and Talia had played dress up as children. Talia had always been the one to get the attention, she had blossomed early and had always been the envy of every girl that had seen her but as Melissa looked at her reflection she felt a surge of confidence that she sorely needed.

She stood and returned to the bed, picking up the corset and stepping into it. She shimmied it up to her breasts before quickly popping her bra off and pulling the corset up over her tits and slipping her arms through the straps. The fabric was tight against her narrow waist and the lace cups pushed her boobs up and together to accentuate her cleavage. The bottom of the corset stopped just above her midriff and six straps hun around her waist waiting to be attached to the stockings that she picked out. She slid off her panties and pulled on a pink thong that matched the corset before rolling a pair of white stockings with pink bows on the top up her legs and fixing them to the suspenders one at a time. Finally she pulled on a pink, ankle length ruched skirt that had a deliberate slit running the length of her left leg and stepped into a pair of white heeled shoes. She paused to look at herself in the mirror, unsure whether she looked completely ridiculous or actually attractive, before pushing open the door and stepping out into the narrow corridor beyond before she could change her mind about the whole ordeal.

Alec smiled at her from where he lent against the wall at the far end of the corridor. "You look magnificent," he said kindly.

"I feel ridiculous," she muttered.

"Don't be silly," he said, stepping forwards. "He won't be able to take his eyes off you."

"So how do we do this?" she asked, wanting to get it over with.

"Come with me," he said, holding out his hand.

She hesitated before slipping her hand into his. His skin was unnaturally cold against hers but his grip was strong and strangely comforting. He led her down the stairs and through the empty bar, the grumpy bartender gawping at her as they hurried out into the street. They ducked from one street to the next, dodging the soldiers that were patrolling the docks and the seedy looking groups of people huddled in the shadows of dangerous looking alleys. Melissa had always heard the docks were Everdale's last no-go area but she had never thought it was as bad as what she saw.

"Here," Alec said at last, pointing to an open air tavern on the corner of the street opposite. "Do you see the man in the green waistcoat?"

She nodded. He was tall and slightly overweight. A green bandanna was wrapped around his head and his jaw was covered in dark stubble speckled with white flecks. A group of men were sitting around him, fetching him drinks and listening to him speak with rapt attention.

"His name is Mel Dunn," Alec said.

"What should I say to him?" she asked, her throat and chest feeling tight.

"Nothing," he said. "He likes his women to be submissive. The less you say, the better. Smile a him, but let him come to you. When he asks you back to his room, go with him."

"What will he want to do?" she asked, her cheeks burning as she asked the question.

"I don't know," Alec replied, though she wasn't sure he was telling the truth. "I will be right here though. If anything bad happens I will hear and I will come for you. I promise. You can do this, Melissa."

She exhaled slowly, her heart still racing. She thought of Talia and all the times they had played together as kids and then she thought about everything Talia had done to help her mother when she had fallen ill. She had to do this. She had to get her back.

"For Talia," she whispered.

She slipped from the shadows and crossed the street into the tavern. She could feel people staring at her as she headed towards the bar and tried not to blush. A drunk dwarf whistled at her and another man tried to grab her ass as she passed but she skipped swiftly out of his reach. As she approached the bar she couldn't help but glance at Dunn and almost stumbled as she saw him watching her. She smiled in what she hoped was a vaguely seductive way as she reached the bad.

"What'll it be?" grunted a dumpy woman as she cleaned a dirty glass with an equally dirty rag.

"Erm..." Melissa stammered. She had never been much of a drinker.

"Whiskey," Dunn grunted as he sidled up to the bar. "Two of them."

She turned to the criminal and smiled sweetly. "Thank you," she said.

"Pretty thing like you shouldn't be drinking alone," he muttered. "You got a boyfriend?"

She shook her head.

"Clients?" he asked, looking her up and down.

She felt her skin crawl as she smiled innocently. "Whatever do you mean?"

He laughed. "Only two types of women dress like that to go outside," he grunted. "Either you're a whore or your just a slut. Either way I don't much care."

"Suppose it's both," she said, shifting her leg to peek out between the slit of her skirt.

His lip twitched as the bartender set the two whiskeys down in front of them. "You're spending the night with me," he grunted. "Whatever you charge, I'll give you double."

She knocked back the whiskey, wincing as she felt it burn her throat. "That's generous," she replied.

"Money ain't much of a concern for someone like me," he growled. "Come sit with me. You," he added to the bartender. "Bring us the bottle."

She followed Dunn to his table where he promptly shooed his followers to the other side of the bar. The bartender slapped the bottle of whiskey on the table as Dunn pulled back his chair and sat.

"Where are you going?" he grunted as she made to pull out another chair. "Yous it here with me."

She hid her grimace beneath a smile as he gestured to his lap. He smelled of booze, cigarettes and sea water and she bit her tongue as she settled herself on his knee and felt him place a hand on the small of her back.

"Haven't see you round here before," he muttered as he poured to fresh glasses. "Thought I knew all the girls that work my streets."

She shrugged as she took a sip of whiskey. "Times are tough," she said. "A girl's gotta make a living."

"Ain't that true," he muttered. "The damn knife-ears in their castle are putting the squeeze on all of us just because their brat kid decided to run away."

Melissa's hand tightened on her glass as she fought the urge to slap Dunn. "I thought people were saying she had been kidnapped?" she asked innocently.

"Heh! Maybe she has," he muttered. "Maybe she's got in with the wrong crowd."

"Everyone likes a rebel," Melissa cooed, cringing internally as she said it.

"Is that so?" Dunn replied, his eye's darting to her cleavage.

She resisted the need to shudder as Dunn slipped his hand under the waistband of her skirt and squeezed her ass. His hands were rough and his touch unkind. He lifted her slightly, her cleavage dangerously close to his face and as he shifted her in his lap she felt something hard press against the back of her legs.

"Don't get much badder than me," he growled, tossing back a whiskey before refelling both their glasses.

"Yeah?" she prompted, batting her eyes. Get through it, she thought. The sooner he talks the sooner she could get out of there.

"You heard of the Red Hands?" he asked.

She nodded, her eyes wide.

He glanced around before turning up the bandanna on his forehead to repeal the symbol of a red fist in a circle of black. "I'm one of their leaders," he boasted.

"You are?" she replied, feigning excitement. "That's impressive."

He scooped her up and pulled her close, his hand was still still squeezing her ass but she could feel his fingers inching closer to her pussy. She bit her lip and smiled through the disgust rising within her chest. For Talia, she reminded herself.

"Yeah," he growled. "The things I've done. There's a big price on my head y'know?"

"You've gotta make a living," she teased, knocking back the rest of her whiskey.

He chortled. "I reckon you're right," he said. "Come on, we're leaving."

"Where are we going?" she asked as he slid her off his lap and stood. She could just make out the slightest bulge in his pants as he picked up the bottle and grabbed her by the wrist.

"To my room."

She swallowed nervously as she hurried along after Dunn. She glanced across the street to where she had left Alec but the vampire was nowhere to be seen. Her heart was racing and her legs were shaking as Dunn dragged her up some steps to a single storey wooden building with five doors set at intervals along its length. He crossed to the third door and pushed it open with his foot, pushing her inside before following. Candles lit the room which contained a bowing double bed against the wall opposite the door, a wardrobe that was missing its doors and a rug riddled with holes on the floor.

"Cigarette?" Dunn offered as he strode over to the wardrobe.

She shook her head, knowing that the taste of the tobacco would only make her feel more nauseous than she already did.

"Good girl," he grunted as he pulled off his waistcoat and shirt, chucking both into the corner of the room. "It's a shitty habit to have," he muttered before lighting his own cigarette.

There was a moment of silence as he took a long drag on the cigarette before exhaling a cloud of smoke over his head. His expression had softened somewhat and his gaze was almost wistful as he glanced at her. "Do you know who I am?" he asked.

She nodded. "Mel Dunn," she replied.

"That's right," he grunted, clearly unsurprised that she knew who he was. "Fuck I love hearing my name come out of that mouth. I'm a Red Hand! Do you know people have screamed my name as I've killed them?"

She shifted uncertainly where she stood, not knowing how he wanted her to respond to that blunt statement.

"I run the Hand's smuggling operation here. Here! In fucking Everdale! Do you know how much money passed through my hands? I'm a fucking god to my people!"

Though his expression was angry she could also hear the note of pride in his voice. Dunn wasn't just bragging to her, he genuinely believed what he was telling her.

"I've bankrolled our operations for the last ten years, yet that bitch Zeedra waltzes in and thinks she can take over everything?"

"That doesn't seem fair," Melissa whispered. She wasn't sure if she should speak or let him rant but nursing his ego seemed like it could hardly prove a wrong choice.

"It's a fucking insult!" Dunn roared, slamming his fist against the wardrobe. "And now what? She tells us all to go to ground just because she's got the Fucking Princess holed away somewhere?"

Melissa leaned forward at the mention of Talia's name. "So she was kidnapped?" she whispered.

Dunn shot her a look and for a moment she thought she'd played her hand too early but then he nodded. "Yeah we've got her. But that's not the point. Point is that Zeedra is missing the big picture! The Princess is a one time score compared to what I can do for the Hands!"

Knowing that Dunn could lead them to Talia was all it took. Something clicked inside Melissa that she hadn't felt before. She knew what she had to do in order to save Talia and this time, it didn't scare her. She moved slowly towards him, swaying her hips seductively before reaching out to wrap her hands around his loose arm.

"It sounds to me like this Zeedra woman doesn't appreciate you," she purred.

"She doesn't realise who lines her pockets," he grunted. "She doesn't understand how things are done!"