The candles were lit, the curtains were drawn to allow the moonlight into the audience hall. I sat into my cushioned, and comfortable chair ready to greet the guests. Not a throne, for I rule nothing and no one.
The grand doors at the other end of the audience hall opened. A group of mortals walked through. Seven mortals, 4 humans, a dwarf, an elf, and a beastkin. Once they noticed me, they froze. They took seconds to stare at me.
The leading mortal, the human woman was the first to speak.
"You are the Chill of Death?", she asked a bit shakily.
Hearing that joke title Carmilla spread I facepalmed and sighed.
I say to her, "That is not my title, just a joke by my sister. I am Boreas, Son of Ocaia and Yerm, Blessed of Fraun and Urma. Lord Boreas will suffice to address me mortal."
The dwarf among them suddenly shouts, "You're a vampire!". This makes the entire group tense.
I nod, "Yes, I am. Younger brother to Dracula and Carmilla. Now, why have you mortals come to the North? Mortals have not lived in the North for ages, and never shall without...well, without."
The human spoke again, "I am Astrid. Years ago, humans escaped a bad situation and tried to make a village to the North. When things got bad, they tried to sacrifice me to you for salvation. Which worked despite yourself not accepting me. I'm thankful for that. Remembering you and your power, I sought you out all these years later to ask for your help."
She pauses, and I beckon, "Please continue, I'm too old for dramatic pauses."
"The help for dealing with a Reque Sticher. The holy orders of knights have no one to send, and the kingdom won't spare resources for a border town with no value besides a meager population. The town borders the North, cold, but too cold to live in. Unlike up here, where only we seven from the town can survive the chill."
Oh, now this is peculiar. Reque are contained here in the North. A duty I've taken among myself since my lazy siblings abandoned it to mess around with mortals. I've done so well, that Reque are but scary stories to tell children in the current age. For a Stitcher to get past me...is most peculiar.
I nod, "I have contained the Reque along in the North for ages. This is the first I've heard of a Reque escaping my containment in thousands of years. Especially a leader Reque. Do you have an idea on how this ancient monster reached your town?"
Another human scoffs, "Of course we do, some damn pregnant woman was among those you sent back into mortal lands across the Northern Border. That child she bore was never right in the head. Then it changed one day, deforming into a monster. A Reque right out of the illustrations of those old fairy tales. It ran into the wood, and has been killing townspeople one by one. A few every month. All pleas fell on deaf ears!"
I smile, "Oh, so that's how it escaped me. Desperation forced the thing to think for once in it's cursed life. Very well, I will take of it for you. Let it be a lesson why mortals are not to enter the North. Old things are contained here where few can live, buried in the ice, hidden in the dark.
I will send you all back now and I will visit your town once the day is done. Expect me once the sun disappears over the horizon. I won't be a second late."