The knight Walter had lured into his castle hadn't been much of a fighter in the end, and Joachim was disappointed. The man had seemed to be doing well against the monsters, but when faced by a vampire, he had failed miserably, which had cost him his life.

The silver-haired vampire sat in one of the chapels of the House of Sacred Remains, leaning against the altar. He held a goblet in his hand, filled with the blood of the knight, who lay dead somewhere around the room. 'Around' was one way to put it, as Joachim had managed to sever a few limbs from the man while fighting him. The sight was quite grotesque, but the vampire was beyond caring. He rather enjoyed it. The knight's blood was quite refreshing as well.

He thought he had heard something, but he ignored it. It was most likely just one of the random creatures that wandered around the place, as there was no lack of those around the unholy chapels. He had already been forced to kill a couple of them after the monsters had gotten too curious.

"Joachim," a familiar voice called, and the silver-haired vampire raised his head, turning to look. He smirked and noted that the sound had not been a monster after all, but the master of the castle teleporting into the area.

Walter folded his arms and gave the younger vampire a scolding look. "You're not being a good boy, now. I was expecting that knight to get a lot further on his desperate quest to avenge his family. It's not entertaining enough for them to die so early." He glanced at where the knight's body lay and shook his head. "Just what were you thinking?"

"I was bored," Joachim replied. He gave his sire a slight nod before taking a sip from the goblet. "I haven't had any good practice for ages, and besides, you complain if I kill too many of those stupid monsters." He smiled at the older vampire and shrugged. "Not that this pitiful human had been much better. He didn't last for long. Are you sure you would have wanted to watch him continue fighting, my lord? He wouldn't have made it out of these chapels..."

The older vampire stepped closer and took the goblet from Joachim's hand, studying it for a second before taking a sip. "Perhaps he wouldn't have," Walter mused. "However, I'm a fair man. I let them at least try, and with you being bored, as you say, here, this poor knight did not get his chance to face me."

Joachim snickered. "Ah, please, my lord. He wouldn't have ever made it to the upper castle area. And as I said I think he wouldn't have made it through here. What's the difference? Humans are fragile and die anyway."

Walter dropped the goblet, uncaring of the fact that the blood that had been in it splattered on the floor. He leaned down and grasped the silver-haired vampire by the neck, lifting him up with ease. "That they do, and seeing only a rare few ever made it as far as the main castle, I doubt this man had been worth the trouble. However..."

"Aww, such waste. That was good blood," the younger vampire complained, glancing at the floor. "I could have finished that..."

"However, remember they're playing my game, my dearest Joachim," Walter continued. "My game, my rules, and even if my beloved little pets do get bored..." He raised his free hand and ran his fingers over the younger vampire's face. "Don't get in the way, Joachim," he said, grabbing him by the jaw all of a sudden. "I don't want to be angry at you."

There was no sign of remorse on the silver-haired vampire's face as he looked back at his master. "I wouldn't want you to be angry, my lord. But," he added, smiling. "Even if you were, you'd forgive me soon. I am your most precious possession after all, aren't I?"

The master of the castle let him go and sighed, turning to look at the knight's corpse. "Such a sweet talker you are, Joachim. That won't get you too far. I'm well aware of what goes on in your little mind, and I won't tolerate more of... this. Hmm." He tilted his head and studied the remains of the knight for a little longer. "Oh well, he'll make a fine skeleton for guarding the corridors, at least. Requires reattaching some bones, but that shouldn't be a problem."

"Do you now, my lord?" Joachim inquired while adjusting his coat. "So, what goes on in my, ah, little mind?"

Walter laughed at that. "The things that go on in every vampire's mind," he replied, stepping closer again and capturing the younger vampire by the waist. "We all like power, and you're no exception. You have your silly little plots to rule the night, just as any vampire would. I don't mind; if I did, I shouldn't have turned you in the first place. Just know your place, Joachim."

The silver-haired vampire pressed his face against his master's armor, pretending to be submissive. "Of course, my lord," he lied convincingly. "I would never think about betraying you." For now, at least, he added in his mind. Joachim wanted power, as his master had said, but he wasn't stupid. He knew he wasn't a match for the older vampire. Not yet.

"Hah. Ah well, I shall believe that. For now," Walter said, reaching to take Joachim's hand. "Enough of this. Come now, it's late. We should go get some rest."

'Late' was such an absurd concept in a castle where the night was eternal, but Joachim refrained from laughing and simply smiled as he took his master's hand and followed him away from the chapel.

Author's notes:

Something I wrote for a challenge on an LJ community called Obscurefandom. Challenge was to write something based on a song picked randomly from a list, and I ended up with "The Hand That Feeds" by Nine Inch Nails. Never heard the song, but saw the lyrics and these two... kinda fit. This would be... pre-rebellion vampire power play, obviously.

- Lady Harken (June, 2007)