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Vlad reaches up and fixes the deep crimson colored tie around his neck as he stands in front of the large floor to ceiling window. It overlooked London, the Council city stretching out before him in all directions into the seemingly endless night.
It wasn’t even the halfling’s first visit to the old European city since Otis had ascended to leading the council of Elders. With how much his uncle seemed to need to travel to the other council cities sometimes, Vlad would find himself often tagging along for various reasons. Usually it was his worry for Otis’s safety, but also his own curiosity to see more of Elysia’s history and culture.
During their trips, Vlad would find some time to tour the cities. Sometimes joining the regular tours during the day, other times he’d join in with Vampire run tours in the late nights. The later he found the most interesting and fun. The old world Council cities seemed to have so much more history woven into their buildings and streets when compared to Stokerton.
Though, Vlad glances around the event room a t the other vampires around him, he just wished he didn’t have to deal with the rest of this council stuff.
Vlad reaches up and tugs at the collar of his dress shirt. He really did hate wearing clothing like this, it always felt so restrictive and uncomfortable. Especially the collar and tie, it felt like he was being choked, even if he managed to keep it loose.
But he knew that, given the situation, it wasn't like he could go wandering around an event like this in a t-shirt and jeans. It just wouldn’t fit in with all the fancy suits and dresses the vampires of Elysia seemed to favor the most.
Though, given that they were all some of the highest ranking members of Elysian society, this wasn’t all that surprising. Politicians, low ranking council members, noble bloodlines and the like all used the summit to connect and attempt to gain some political favors. Of course, that wasn’t just limited to vampires who were actually in a place to give them. It wasn’t uncommon for some vampires to try and befriend or even attempt to romantically proposition Vlad in an attempt to get on his good side.
It didn’t matter if the halfling was just out for a walk somewhere, visiting a council library, or actually at a political event like the Summits. He could tell that the vampires interested in him were really interested in what he could do for their own political interests.
Vlad looks over, he can see Otis amongst a small group of vampires. From what he could tell, his uncle was much better at dealing with all of Elysia’s political stuff.
Though, Vlad guesses that the last three hundred years were more than enough time to adapt to it all. From what Vlad had once overheard, Otis had actually been heavily involved in the councils back before he came to Bathery to look for Tomas. To the point where he routinely did work for the various councils and even Em herself.
And it had been surprising when Elysia seemed to take Otis’s ascension to power much better than Vlad had expected. The halfling had honestly expected more resistance from Elysia’s councils and nobility.
But so far, they seemed less resistant to Otis and more resistant to Vlad himself being involved in anything to do with Elysia.
Especially anything to do with Elysia’s political circle. As if these vampires expected him to be anything like the man vlad had once called a father.
Honestly, he hadn’t even intended on attending this summit. His plans at the most would have been to spend some time down in the council library, but honestly it sounded nicer to just curl up and sleep.
But after the incident with the slayer the night before, Otis all but demanded that Vlad come along with him so the vampire could keep an eye on his nephew. Even when Vlad had tried his best to tell him that he’d be fine and that there’s nothing to worry about, Otis wouldn’t hear anything about it.
The halfling then turns, putting his back to the window as he looks around the room. It seemed that he was unnoticed right now, something that left the halfling relieved. He really didn't feel like doing anymore socializing right now. Vlad starts walking through the event room, passing by vampires who seemed to be in their own conversations and paying little mind to the young man. Even more relieving, the last thing that Vlad wanted was for someone to suddenly take notice and drag him into a conversation he really didn’t know or understand anything about.
He steps out into the hallway, several small groups of vampires had also gathered there as well. Vlad kept his head down as he walked past them down the hall, passing by a few other doors before stopping in front of one.
It seemed that these locations were absolutely chock full of secrets.
Over the various trips with Otis for council business, Vlad had taken some time to explore the council buildings out of his own boredom. He’d found out that they were far more expensive than he’d first thought. There were countless rooms and hallways. With hidden passages between floors and locations scattered around both the underground portions and the above ground portions.
There were also storage rooms, namely used to store unused furniture and other items.
This one in front of him was used for event items like tables and chairs. The halfling grabs the door and pushes it open, the room beyond was decently sized, most of the tables and chairs had been moved out for the event. But there were still some chairs and folding tables left.
The halfling closes the door behind him and walks over to the stack of chairs. He pulls one down, they were actually ornate and well crafted. A far cry from the cheap fold out chairs his highschool had used for graduation.
Vlad slumps back into the chair and lets out a long sigh. It wasn’t like he’d be missed or anything like that. After all, it was Otis with the big political position. Vlad was his nephew, that was all.
Well, that was all Vlad wanted it to be.
Instead, it was like all the vampires around him seemed to think he was involved with Elysian politics. Despite his protests and the fact all the classes he’d selected for college weren’t even close to being suited to leading a government.
The most involvement he wanted was saying a brief hello to whatever member of Elysia’s council he happened to come across.
Vlad leans back, running a hand through his hair.
His brief moment of solitude was ruined when the door to the closet suddenly opens. Vlad sits up quickly, expecting Otis to be there.
“You know, if you wanted a place to rest, there are far more comfortable rooms available.” London’s president says as she stands in the doorway. Her long tawny brown hair had been fixed in one of those fancy updos with an emerald encrusted hair pin. Her dress was something Vlad also expected to see on a movie star walking the red carpet.
Vampires did love the more luxurious styles, the type of clothing and accessories that Vlad was sure were worth more than he paid for his whole year’s tuition.
Vlad looks at her for a moment, then he looks away “yeah, i know. I just wanted some time alone.” the halfling says. The council buildings had lounge rooms that could be used for vampires wanting to hold more private conversations away from the larger groups of gathered vampires in the event hall.
And they were quite comfortable, but most of them had people coming and going constantly. Vlad wanted some place where he could actually be alone.
And given how both Elysia’s press and other vampires were, it was almost guaranteed that he couldn’t find any alone time there either.
“Ah, I see,” the president says, her blue eyes studying Vlad. Unlike most of the other presidents, London’s president didn’t have the same look of disgust in her eyes. Though, sometimes Vlad could see pity. “I wondered why you seemed to be sneaking off like that. I half assumed you were looking for trouble.” she says, walking over to stand in front of Vlad.
“I’ve had more than enough trouble to last myself nine hundred lifetimes.” Vlad mutters “I think I could do with the most boring life ever from now on.”
Elizabeth laughs “I suppose you aren’t wrong, child, you’ve been through much more than any fledgling should.”
Vlad looks back at her for a moment, but then he looks away again.
As nice as London's president seemed on the surface… Vlad still knew better, he couldn’t really trust a single one of them. Even if they weren’t all completely mad like D’Ablo, they were still complacent to what both D’Ablo and Em had done.
London’s president had been more than happy to just sit right there at that table while both Otis and Vlad himself had been put on trials that had been nothing more than a sham to set Vlad up.
She may have helped shelter Otis once, but that didn’t change anything when the rest of them sat there quietly without a word of opposition.
Elizabeth frowns and tilts her head to the side as she looks at the young man. “I can see you still seem to be quite nervous around me.” Vlad can hear the disappointment in her voice.
What gave it away? Vlad’s avoidance of most council members no matter which council they were from? Or how curt he kept the conversations when he did have to talk to them.
“Can you blame me after all the shit you people put me through.” Vlad mutters aloud, tensing when he realized that he’d spoken his thoughts.
London’s president tilts her head down and closes her eyes “I suppose I can't.” she turns, reaching over to close the door of the closet. Then she grabbed one of the other chairs from the stack and placed it on the floor across from Vlad.
“Considering most fledglings aren’t given the welcome you received, it’s understandable that you view us all with at least a smidge of skepticism.” the woman sits down, her hands gently smoothing out the skirt of her dress.
“Funny, you don’t try to kill every fledgling for almost half a decade? Here I thought that was normal." Why won’t she just leave him alone? It wasn’t like he was doing anything wrong, he just needed some space away from the other vampires. He wanted to clear his head and then head right back.
“Here I thought Otis was merely worrying his silly little head.” Elizabeth sighs and shakes her head “you really do seem to be having a lot of trouble adjusting.”
Wait, had otis been talking about him? Did he trust London's president that much to voice his concerns for Vlad?
“I suppose it isn’t all that surprising, I'm sure that Barmy Git incharge of Stokerton’s council didn’t leave the best taste in your mouth when it comes to Elysia.” the vampire sighs.
Vlad looks at her with some confusion, bar- What?
“You mean… D’ablo, right?” he asks tentatively.
“Who else would it be, dear?” she laughs, then folds her hands in her lap “Listen, it’s best not to let him stain your view of Elysia. That mad bastard should not be seen as a representation of Elysia.”
Vlad feels his hands tense into fists “You’re one to talk.” he says “you seemed happy enough to sit there quietly when Otis was on trial and when Em dropped all those charges on me without warning. You, just like all the others, didn’t say a word in defense for me or Otis.” the only people in that room who had been willing to stand up for Vlad and his uncle were Vikas and Enrico.
If more of them hadn’t just sat there with their lips sealed…
“Hm, I see, so that’s the issue.” Elizabeth says, a frown forming on her rose colored lips. “It was a difficult situation for all of us. We were made well aware before the start that it wasn’t a trial to be argued.”
“Funny how it worked out like that, Vikas and Enrico had no problem.” Vlad mutters.
“I wasn’t all that surprised that they did, honestly, Enrico was always fairly close friends with your uncle, as for Vikas.” Vlad notices that she seemed uncomfortable, something he’d also picked up on with a number of vampires.
Viaks was a well loved and respected vampire, his betrayal and death had also not been handled well to say the least.
“Tell me, what stopped the rest of you?” Vlad asks, if Vikas and Enrico were able to do it, then what excuse did they have.
Elizabeth tilts her head to the side “Otis has never really told you anything about Em, has he?” she asks.
“No, I mean, I know who she is. Eldest living vampire, my great grandmother, well respected and all that crap.” Vlad says, what else was there to know. It wasn’t like they’d ever have a civil conversation.
“I see, so it’s surface information.” Elizabeth shakes her head “that man, honestly.” she sighs before focusing her gaze back on Vlad “listen, child, Em is an ancient vampire. Her age isn’t measured in centuries, but millenia. She didn’t spend two thousand years doing nothing, the power she held was beyond a council. That woman saw Rome at its height and watched its fall and she helped with the reunification of Elysia that her sire started. Her ties run deep in Elysia, there are many threads that she has at her fingertips. It’s to the point where we don’t even know what threads she tugged on to remove Mortemer from the trial and place D’ablo in a position none of us saw him fit for.”
Vlad stares as her “you talk like she’d have killed you for not playing along with her and D’ablo’s plans.”
London’s president just stares at the halfling, her expression not even showing a hint of amusement.
“Madam council holds many cards in her hands, child. You either learned to not underestimate her or you paid the price for over confidence. Even your uncle knew that.” she says coldly.
“If that’s the case, then it’s all the more reason for me to keep my distance.” The idea made him feel like any vampire he may talk to could be colluding with Em. hell, even the presidents could be facing Otis with a smile while plotting to put things back to the way they were before.
Elizabeth closes her eyes and leans back in the chair “I do understand your point of view, young one. Especially with how much you rely on Otis and the inability to trust the vampires of Elysia. More so than you may think.”
London’s president opens her eyes to look at Vlad again “when your first taste is so rotten, it’s difficult to go back to try again. What’s the point when it won’t be any better, right? That’s how you’ve been thinking, even if you don’t fully realize it.”
“From what I hear, Madam President, you’re quite well loved and respected in Elysia.” Vlad says.
While he didn’t exactly make a habit of looking too deeply into the other presidents, he’d found enough info to know how most of Elysia felt about their presidents. Elizabeth had become one of the most respected Presidents over the course of the last few centuries in power.
No one looked at her with the same distrust and fear that they held for Vlad.
“In recent centuries, yes, but I'm sure you know that my presidency is only a portion of the life I've lived these last eight centuries.” the vampire says, leaning forward and cupping the side of her face with her hand.
“There was a portion of my life where I tried to refuse what I had become. Where I looked at all of Elysia with the same uneasy skepticism in your eyes.” Elizabeth closes her eyes “it was decades before I could trust any vampire but Victor.”
Vlad looks back to her in surprise.
That guy?
The guy whose appearance reminded Vlad of an actual snake and who seemed to not even speak a word any of the times Vlad had seen him. Everything in Vlad’s gut and brain labeled that guy as the farthest thing from trustworthy.
“He’s never been the most inviting of people at first glance, so I do understand your reaction.” the vampire says. “But I've known Victor for a long, long time. If there’s one vampire in all of Elysia I trust, it’s that man.”
“Sounds like you guys are really close then.” Vlad says, though her words left him a little uneasy. He’d once heard Otis talk about both Tomas and Vikas like that. The two people his uncle had known the longest and trusted with his own life. And they’d both betrayed him.
“Yes, I suppose we are.” Vlad watches as the council president seems to smile fondly, “it’s quite a long story, actually.” her head tilts to the side as her eyes examine the halfling. “I’ve heard that you have developed quite the interest in the history of Elysia, yes?”
“Well, a little, I've been reading up on more stuff when I can.'' He'd always been at least a little curious. But with how little he got to see Otis as a teen and with how his highschool years had gone, Vlad had gotten to learn very little about the world of vampires.
So, when he finally found the council libraries open to him, he’d delved deep into all the books and information that he could find. Even with how many books he’d managed to go through, it felt like he hadn’t even made the smallest scratch in all the info that Elysia had available.
“Then, how would you like to hear the life story of a council president?” London’s president questions, a kind smile on her lips “And directly from the horse's mouth, no less?”
Vlad stares at her, he’d read some stuff on presidents and councils. But most of that had been their greatest achievements and moments of their careers or whatever. Nothing he’d read so far had anything on their actual lives, though he’d never really been interested enough either.
To be honest, it was kinda hard to be interested in the life story of the people who would have killed him without a second thought.
After a moment’s hesitation, the young man speaks “I guess… if you want, that is.” He wasn't going to make her, even if she was offering, Vlad couldn’t be sure if she was serious or not.
Vlad watches as London's president stands from the chair “come, little one, we should go somewhere that’s a bit more comfortable than this.” she says, walking back over to the door and pushing it open.
Vlad stands from the chair and follows after, though he has to wonder where they’d go with how busy the council building was.
Vlad walks behind the council president, keeping his head down. All he could hope for was that no one tried to stop him for something else.
The pair stop outside the door to one of the lounge rooms and without hesitation, opens the door. Two vampires turn their heads to look at them, various papers scattered out on a coffee table.
Vlad can tell if it were literally anyone else, they’d have shouted. Unfortunately for them, it was a president standing in the doorway.
Elizabeth didn’t even have to speak a word for the pair to quickly gather their things and hurry out of the room.
London’s president then looks back to Vlad “go on and take a seat, little one, I'll pour us some bloodwine.” the vampire says walking across the room to one of the wine cabinets on the wall.
The room was fairly small, but had a small bar with various bottles of wine, bloodwine, and some other types of alcohol.
Vlad closes the door and walks over to one of the antique style couches. He sits down, watching as the vampire pours bloodwine into two ornate crystal wine glasses.
Elizabeth places one down on the table in front of the halfling before taking a seat on the couch across from the halfling.
“Now,” she says, deep blue eyes looking back to the halfling “I suppose the best place to start is the beginning.”
---
When it all started, London was hardly even a shadow of what it is today, but it was still a steadily growing city with the footprint of what it would become in time.
I was but a girl at this time, barely even seven years of age and one of eight living children that my parents had and the third youngest. My father was a wealthy man, running a small trading company that transferred goods between towns and villages in the area. We lived a comfortable life for the time, we were not nobility or royalty. But neither I nor my siblings would ever want for anything.
But it was still somewhat chaotic then, the roads were dangerous. It wasn’t vampires most travelers had to worry about, but the brigands and thieves that waited amongst the trees and caves.
I had never left the city at the time, but my father had, and he’d regularly warn me about the dangers that lurked beyond London's ancient roman built walls.
The evening I had first met Victor, my father had gone to one of the guard posts. A member of one of the caravans had returned and reported that the cargo had been lost to bandits and three members killed in the attack. Of course, my father was quite upset, that was quite a bit of money he’d just lost.
Any reasonable man would want something done about it. But, the guards were more likely to listen to the jingle of the coin purse over simple words. So my father intended to demand something be done to prevent any further losses in the future by expending a little extra towards the Sheriff's men.
I was always a curious little girl, and when I heard my father tell my mother he planned to pay the guard house a little visit, I begged my father to go with him.
I’m sure he didn’t think it would be the best place for a child so young, but in the end, no father can resist their daughter's requests. He allowed me to tag along, I still remember how he held my hand tightly as we walked the streets in that dim twilight.
As my father argued with the guards, I was left to the other guards who were sitting outside. I must have asked those men a million questions.
The twilight quickly faded into the night while we were there. With the darkness encroaching in on what little light the torches would cast, we watched the streets empty as most wanted to return home. However, not everyone abandoned the streets.
It’s funny, really, how little humans think about the other people around them. I was so young and so clueless, it would be decades before I ever considered how many vampires there may have been wandering those dark streets.
It was through the dim torchlight that I saw him approach, a small lantern in his hands to light the way.
A guard with a solemn, cold expression with a sword strapped to his hip. Hair black as night and skin deathly pale, just his appearance was enough to leave my young self unnerved. He’s never been the type to show emotion, so his face always looks rather cold and unapproachable to many.
Victor had already been a vampire for almost two centuries. He was working under the London council’s Incident control, I suppose for many like him, it was a perfect position.
Just as we do now, our members of Incident Control are often intertwined with human law enforcement. This method makes handling situations and gaining information much easier when you have eyes and ears in the right places.
And Victor Knight was one of those sets of eyes and ears.
At that time, I had no idea that something not human was right there, just feet away from me.
Victor would be the one to speak to me first, though I'm sure even a vampire can express concern for what seemed to be a lost child out alone at night. He cocked his head to the side and asked me “What are you doing out at this hour and in a place like this, child?”
I didn’t speak to him, just stared. He stared back at me, waiting for me to answer. And that wasn’t going to happen, I was a stubborn child as well.
It was at that time that my father returned, he told me that it was time to return home. To my surprise, my father was actually familiar with Victor, apparently his routes often took him by our home and my father’s various locations of business. My father was actually well acquainted with many of the guards in the area, not on a first name basis with them all. But to the point where they recognized him on site and treated him with respect.
Much later, my father once told me that having a good reputation with people in their position meant they would be more inclined to watch over your interests in turn.
I was too young at that time to really understand how right he was.
From then on I was skeptical of that man. I thought for sure that he was up to something suspicious. I even went as far as to tell my father my concerns.
Of course, the words of children are often disregarded by adults.
Eventually, I forced myself to stay awake and look out the window of the bedroom I shared with my younger siblings and older sister. It was on the ground floor, and even faced the street. I could see anyone who passed by so long as the moon was bright or they held a torch or lantern. Something all the guards did, including the ones like Victor who didn’t actually need its light to navigate. I didn’t see him every night, but it was still common enough.
Obviously, children are never as stealthy as they believe and there were many nights where he took notice that I was watching him.
He’d lightly scold me for staying up so late and tell me to not cause any trouble before moving on.
Of course, I didn't like being scolded by a stranger, so I'd stick my tongue out at him before ducking back under the covers of my bed.
One night, I managed to work up the nerve to open my window more and slip out when he passed by. I fancied myself a little investigator that night and decided to see what this guard was really doing.
I trailing him, hiding behind whatever I could and making sure I could keep sight of his lantern. I imagined we went for hours, but it was probably only a few minutes. I ran by one of the alley ways when a pair of hands reached out to grab me.
Silly little me, I never thought about others being about. Let alone other vampires who would take notice of a little girl following a vampire in such an obvious manner.
Elric Gregory.
That was the name of the London Council’s Incident control Officer. And as it turned out, Victor was on his way to meet with him to make a brief report. To the surprise of no one, Victor had noticed my attempt to trail him almost immediately. He, of course, told Elric.
Old vampires are more likely to be secretive, after all, back then humans were more willing to accept superstition and believe in the monsters lurking in the dark. If someone started spouting off rumors of human eating monsters, well that just becomes a problem.
Elric Gregory was no different, he clearly regarded a human following a vampire like I was to be more than a little concerning. Even though I was but a child, I'm sure he thought something was going on.
Fortunately, Victor was more than willing to explain that I was the daughter of a merchant and a little kitten who’d gotten too curious for her own good.
I’m still not sure about the rest of their conversation, it had quickly shifted over to Latin. I’d only heard the language during the religious ceremonies conducted by the cathedral my family attended, so I had no clue what was really being said.
Victor would fill me in many years later that they were arguing over what to properly do with me. Elric wanted to either slit my throat or pass me on to a vampire to be a drudge. All he wanted was to make sure I wouldn't be a problem.
Thankfully, they settled on Victor taking me home and using enough telepathy to plant the idea that this was all just a dream and nothing more.
I’d forgotten about that night for a while, truly passing it off as a strange dream.
After that night, I had decided to be nicer to the guard passing by the window every night. Sometimes, when we’d bake sweets, I'd leave some in a basket with a note outside the window. And if I saw him I'd wave at him instead of scowling like I used to.
It wasn’t the last time I'd see that incident control officer either, though I'm sure he was keeping an eye on me to make sure I wouldn't be a problem.
Of course, the years would pass and I'd grow from a child to a teenager. It didn’t stop my tendency for getting into trouble, seeing as I would occasionally sneakout to spend time with friends living in the area.
I’m sure he saw me more than a few times, and even got me out of a few less than safe situations I managed to get myself into. I never understood why he never told my parents, however it seemed like he was just entertained by my antics and knew that if my father found out, his job would be far more boring.
Even when I wasn't sneaking out, I still started talking to Victor more when he’d come by, asking him all sorts of questions about himself. I was curious about this man, a guard with a cold and unmoved exterior but a heart of gold underneath.
He told me some things, like where he had grown up and the reason he’d come to london. Of course, I later found out that it was a fake reason. It wasn’t like he could tell the curious little girl about the work the councils needed done.
I also learned of his fondness for snakes, I, to this day can’t possibly understand it, but it seemed he developed a close kinship with the animal in his youth. Given how unapproachable he tended to be, it’s no surprise if friendships were hard to come by.
I do still feel bad for laughing at him once, though in my defense he started talking about this one serpent he owned with the same type of affection a father may talk about his child.
Through the years, I considered him to be a dear friend. Some nights, I lost hours talking to him and listening to the stories he would tell of his own travels. A village in northern french here, Denmark and Norway there, even the southern coast of spain. For someone who’d never left London, it was so interesting. I clung onto every word of his stories, not even considering how impossible such a life would be for someone without the luxury of eternity.
One evening, he’d even asked me “What would you do if you could live for eternity?”
I was at a loss for an answer, I honestly didn’t know. I’d never thought about that, after all. In the end, I think I told him that I'd like to travel as he did.
Of course, I never expected such a thing to ever come to pass. To the average human, immortality is but a pipe dream. Impossible and unreachable.
I continued to grow older and then i came of age to marry
I often worried about the type of man I'd marry. Back then, it was rarely for love that the wealthy married. It was for more wealth and connections. All I could hope was that my husband would at least treat me kindly.
As luck would have it, my father had been made aware of a young knight who was looking for a wife. He was of wealthy lineage and held decent status, it was enough for my father to offer to introduce us.
That first meeting with Walter was enough for every fear and worry I had to melt away in an instant. It was like an immediate spark in my chest and a fire in my heart. I felt at that moment that he would be my husband and that I would have no regrets.
He was the perfect gentleman, one of the kindest people I'd ever met. He was older by a decade, but he looked at me like I was a queen.
Our wedding was nothing out of the ordinary for the time, but I did feel hurt that Victor was unable to attend. But, as the celebration continued into the evening, he did show his face. He gave us a bottle of wine older than himself, saying it was for both of us to celebrate later. My husband, the ever warm and welcoming man he was, immediately pulled Victor into the celebration.
Walter had no qualms with my friendship with victor, and dare i say my husband also strove to get along with Victor as well. I’d catch them sparing outside from time to time, Walter always was a bit cocky when it came to his own skills.
We never got to that bottle of wine that night, instead saving it for the celebration of our first born child. I remember it was a sweet wine, but little else about it.
A couple of decades would pass, we’d bring a further six more children into this world. I loved all of them more than any words could describe.
I still saw Victor from time to time, but it wasn’t as common as when I was younger. I learned much later that it was intentional, after all, Victor was planning to relocate to another section of London's council district again. Staying for too long when you’re so ingrained into the lives of humans will lead to questions eventually, someone would eventually pick up on the fact he wasn’t aging.
If things had continued on, he would have vanished without a trace and my life would have gone on without incident. I would raise my children, hopefully grow old and live long enough to see my grandchildren, and then I'd die. It was practically a perfect life by all accounts for the time. I’m sure if I stopped here, you’d be left wondering why anyone would travel such a happy life for the life of an undying vampire.
The truth is, I wasn't given that choice.
The night is still so vivid in my head, I still see it in my dreams as well. The day had been so unseasonably warm and sunny. The pleasant day would later give way to a storm the likes I'd never seen before. I can only compare the cacophony of noises to the Blitz that would strike London centuries later.
Thunder shook the very foundations of the home and rattled the windows. The flashes of lightning was constant, over and over again through the night. I recall one of the servants asking if there was something the city had done to anger god himself that night.
Perhaps, it would have been more appropriate to wonder if it were us that had done something so atrocious.
Eventually, I managed to fall asleep. Awaking sometime during the night as the storm raged on outside. I reached over, finding my husband absent. Apparently, as I slept, one of the other servants had come to wake him. There was someone in the house that shouldn’t be.
I know Walter was skilled with a sword, I would never doubt his ability and skill. But, it matters little when a human is face to face with a vampire.
He never stood a chance against that demon.
As I laid there in bed, trying to fall back asleep, through the noise of the storm, I heard a noise. I thought one of my children had come looking for comfort from the dreadful weather. I had no idea what was outside that bedroom door.
It was in that dark hallway that I saw the face of my ‘Sire’ for the first and only time, and it was covered in the blood of the family I loved. It was in the lightning flashes that I saw the madness and bloodlust in those eyes. It was like looking at a rabid animal, no reason, no thoughts. Just animalist rage and hunger.
I remember nothing else from that night, she never spoke a word to me and was gone by the time i awoke. I don’t even know what in that madness stricken brain led her to choose me to become a vampire. But that’s how it played out.
I lost almost everything that night, my husband, my four younger children, and my humanity.
The change we undergo is extremely taxing, everything about the body becomes rewritten to fit the needs of a vampire. It takes an unbelievable amount of energy and resources.
Under the proper circumstances, the sire will be there when their fledglings awaken. Their job is often to comfort and give their first meal of blood or bloodwine to help the fledgling acclimate to their new body.
That next morning, I awoke completely alone. I was in pain, my head was a foggy mess, and I had no clue what had gone down in the night. I managed to pull myself up and out of the bedroom, I knew I needed to find someone. I knew I needed help, that my family needed help.
But, when the rays of sunlight coming through the hallway windows touched my skin…. It was as if I had thrust my body into fire. It was an agony I had never known before and instincts both ancient and newly ingrained told me I needed to flee. To find the furthest place away from the light.
I listened, going to the cellar and closing myself inside. I stayed there for over two days.
It was my eldest two brothers that took notice of our absence first. Walter often met them at the nearby tavern, when he didn’t show and no one could say they’d seen us… they came looking. They only made it as far as the front door, they saw the housekeeper just inside the doorway and ran for the guards.
It didn’t take long for the council to take notice of the chaos, after all, that vampire had killed thirty people that night alone. A killing spree that left walls and streets covered in blood. I later learned that I was the only person to walk away.
Of course, the council’s incident control took command of it all. Just as quickly as the night descended, so did the other vampires. I later learned that that woman had gone completely mad, the prospect of the eternity that was laid out in front of her was just too much to handle.
Victor was the one to find me, huddled alone in that cellar as I tried to process what had happened.
I hugged him.
I clung tightly like a scared child to the first familiar face I'd seen in days.
I think he put together the puzzle pieces quickly just by looking at me. There was a lot of talk between the vampires, they wanted to ask if I had any information.
I think they realized quickly that I was in no condition at that time to talk, and thus agreed to let Victor take me someplace else.
I was covered with a cloak and then whisked off into the night. I’d never see that home again.
Victor took me to his own home, it was a small place on the edge of the city. But i suppose you'd also classify it as cozy. He had a drudge fetch some clean clothing and then let me rest.
After a few days, he told me the truth, i learned about the existence of vampires and Elysia.
And of course, I had asked him the obvious.
He confirmed that he was a vampire as well and had been one long before I had ever met him.
It was a lot…
I didn't take it well at first. I thought he was lying, but it was an undeniable truth.
It was not an easy time to adapt to the revelations that were so suddenly thrust upon me. I had my entire world shattered in one night and then again.
I only spoke briefly with someone from the council, they told me they needed information on the vampire from that night. She was wanted by Elysia for various crimes, not just the killing spree. Unfortunately, I had seen so little, so my account was practically useless for what they needed.
With no one else, Victor took on the role my ‘sire’ would have played after that. Not unlike what that uncle of yours, he gave me my mark and brought me blood early on. I didn't even realize what it was at first when he handed it to me.
You grew up only knowing the thirst all vampires have for human blood. But for humans, it’s a different scent, it’s metallic and often pungent. It elicits disgust in most humans, especially if you were to hold a bowl of it towards them.
I didn’t know what to think, the idea seemed barbaric, satanic even. The type of thing I'd only heard whispers of those pagan tribes undertaking in the northern isles. So the revelation that I'd need to consume human blood for survival… it did not go over well.
But, in the end, I tried it when the hunger got too great to ignore.
I still remember the taste, it reminded me of blackberries in a way. Far more pleasant than I had expected.
When I had recovered enough, Victor would take me south into Valencia. Far away from the dreary little city I'd known all my life, we stayed for twenty years in this little town by the sea. Had I still been human, I would have spent many days basking under that warm sunlight. Unfortunately, as I was, it would be a death sentence.
It was those decades where I stayed far away from most vampires, after all, if there was one of them that could cause so much carnage, what stopped another.
I felt as if the only vampire I could trust was Victor.
We spent a good seventy years traveling around Europe, I asked a few times to return to London at least once. But Victor told me that all vampires were expected to leave their human lives behind, due to our nature it was the best choice.
It was during this time, while living in Salamanca that I was first introduced to the Temple of Lilith. It was the first time I felt comforted by other vampires, they were more warm and welcoming than London’s council, and more understanding than I could have expected.
The faith of the Temple dictates that all fledglings and vampires are the precious children of Lilith. As the first vampire, it’s her blood that flows through all of our veins in one form or another.
An ancient woman so beloved by the moon that she would receive the gift of Eternity.
The Priestess in Salamanca’s temple had welcomed me with such care. For the temple, the origin and bloodlines of fledglings mattered little, we are all children to be welcomed, protected, and guided.
There was some comfort that I was not the only vampire who’s transformation was done against their will. I knew others would understand the fear and confusion I had felt, it was a far less lonely feeling.
I think Victor was relieved that I finally started to assimilate into Elysia. He encouraged my involvement with the temple, and I will continue to be extremely grateful to both him and the priestess of that Temple branch.
Through everything, despite everything. I know I can trust in Victor, he’s a man i can trust no matter what happens.
—
“If my back is against the wall, I know he’d be right there beside me.” Elizabeth reaches up, touching the pendant of the necklace around her throat. “Just as he has been for centuries, through my first low level work in Londons’ councils, through all of my elections, and even the wars that enveloped europe.”
She then looks back to the halfling, her face a strange mixture of happiness and sadness. “But he isn’t the only vampire, child, there are countless vampires I've met in my long life. Some of them I remain close to, while others were just a brief interaction. Such is the way life is.”
She smiles “listen, your first taste of Elysia may have been bitter. But I do beg that you not let the actions of a mad man dissuade you from knowing Elysia as I do.”
Both then look over when the door to the room opens, the Vice President leans his head in, eyes landing directly on Elizabeth.
“Liza” he says calmly “Sir Council and the others are waiting, the meeting is set to resume shortly.”
“I do suppose the time has gotten away from me, thank you Victor.” Londons’ president says, “Let them know I'll be there momentarily.”
Victor nods “of course” the vampire says, closing the door as he walks away.
Elizabeth then stands from her seat and she looks down at the halfling. Her hand comes to stroke Vlad's hair in an almost motherly way “do consider what i’ve said, little one.” She says “Lilith cares deeply for each of her children, no matter their history or origin. And Elysia is your home just as it is for any vampire.”
Vlad then watches her walk out of the room, leaving the halfling alone again.
Quietly, the young man looks down at the empty wine glass in his hand as he leans forward and places it down on the table.
His jaw tenses “Thank you, Ms. Elizabeth… but our circumstances just aren’t the same.”